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Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI Global: Streaming giants have helped bring Korean dramas to the world – but much is lost in translation

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Sung-Ae Lee, Lecturer, Macquarie University

    In less than a decade, Korean TV dramas (K-dramas) have transmuted from a regional industry to a global phenomenon – partly a consequence of the rise of streaming giants.

    But foreign audiences may not realise the K-dramas they’ve seen on Netflix don’t accurately represent the broader Korean TV landscape, which is much wider and richer than these select offerings.

    At the same time, there are many challenges in bringing this wide array of content to the rest of the world.

    The rise of hallyu

    Korean media was transformed during the 1990s. The end of military dictatorship led to the gradual relaxation of censorship.

    Satellite media also allowed the export of K-dramas and films to the rest of East Asia, and parts of Southeast Asia. Some of the first K-dramas to become popular overseas included What Is Love (1991–92) and Star in My Heart (1997). They initiated what would later become known as the Korean wave, or hallyu.

    The hallyu expansion continued with Winter Sonata (2003), which attracted viewers in Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. Dae Jang Geum/Jewel in the Palace (2005) resonated strongly in Chinese-speaking regions, and was ultimately exported to more than 80 countries.

    A breakthrough occurred in 2016. Netflix entered South Korea and began investing in Korean productions, beginning with Kingdom (2019–21) and Love Alarm (2019–21).

    In 2021, the global hit Squid Game was released simultaneously in 190 countries.

    But Netflix only scratches the surface

    Last year, only 20% of new K-drama releases were available on Western streaming platforms. This means global discussions about K-dramas are based on a limited subgroup of content promoted to viewers outside South Korea.

    Moreover, foreign viewers will generally evaluate this content based on Western conceptions of culture and narrative. They may, for instance, have Western preferences for genre and themes, or may disregard locally-specific contexts.

    This is partly why Korean and foreign audiences can end up with very different ideas of what “Korean” television is.

    Genres

    When a K-drama is classified as a sageuk (historical drama) but also incorporates elements of fantasy, mythology, romance, melodrama, crime fiction and/or comedy, foreign audiences may dismiss it as “genre-confused”. Or, they may praise it for its “genre-blending”.

    But the drama may not have been created with much attention to genre at all. The highly inventive world-building of pre-Netflix dramas such as Arang and the Magistrate (2012) and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016) prominently feature all the aforementioned genres.

    While foreign viewers may think visual media begins with readily identifiable genres, many K-dramas aren’t produced on this premise.

    Themes

    Western viewers (and other viewers watching through a Western lens) might assume “liberal” themes such as systemic injustice, women’s rights and collusion in politics entered K-dramas as a result of Western influence. But this is a misconception.

    The emergence of such themes can be attributed to various changes in Korean society, including the easing of censorship, rapid modernisation, and the imposition of neoliberal economics by the International Monetary Fund in 1997.

    Although gender disparities still exist in South Korea, economic uncertainty and modernisation have prompted a deconstruction of patriarchal value systems. Female-centred K-dramas have been around since at least the mid-2000s, with women’s independence as a recurring theme in more recent dramas.

    Local contexts

    A major barrier to exporting K-dramas is the cultural specificity of certain elements, such as Confucian values, hierarchical family dynamics, gender codes, and Korean speech codes.

    The global success of a K-drama comes down to how well its culturally-specific elements can be adapted for different contexts and audiences.

    In some cases, these elements may be minimised, or entirely missed, by foreign viewers.

    For example, in Squid Game, the words spoken by the killer doll in the first game are subtitled as “green light, red light”. What the doll actually says is “mugunghwa-kkochi pieot-seumnida”, which is also what the game is called in Korean.

    This translates to “the mugunghwa (Rose of Saron) has bloomed”, with mugunghwa being South Korea’s national flower.

    These words, in this context, are meant to ironically redefine South Korea as a site of hopelessness and death. But the subtitles erase this double meaning.

    It’s also difficult for subtitles to reflect nuanced Korean honorific systems of address. As such, foreign viewers remain largely oblivious to the subtle power dynamics at play between characters.

    All of this leads to a kind of cultural “flattening”, shifting foreign viewers’ focus to so-called universal themes.

    A case study for global success

    Nevertheless, foreign viewers can still engage with many culturally-specific elements in K-dramas, which can also serve as cultural literacy.

    The hugely successful series Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022) explores the personal and professional challenges faced by an autistic lawyer.

    Director Yoo In-sik described the series as distinctly Korean in both its humour and the legal system it portrays, and said he didn’t anticipate its widespread popularity.

    Following success in South Korea, the series was acquired by Netflix and quickly entered the top 10 most popular non-English language shows.

    The global appeal can be attributed to its sensitive portrayal of the protagonist, the problem-solving theme across episodes, and what Yoo describes as a kind and considerate tone. Viewers who resonate with these qualities may not even need to engage with the Korean elements.

    Many K-dramas that achieve global success also feature elements typically considered “Western”, such as zombies.

    While the overall number of zombie-themed productions is low, series and films such as Kingdom (2019–21), All of Us Are Dead (2022), Alive (2020) and Train to Busan (2016) have helped put Korean content on the map.

    One potential effect of the zombie popularity may be the displacement of Korean mythological characters, such as fox spirits, or gumiho, which have traditionally held significant narrative space.

    Shin Min-ah and Lee Seung-gi star in the acclaimed romantic comedy series My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (2010).
    IMDB

    Local production under threat

    The influence of streaming giants such as Netflix is impacting South Korea’s local production systems.

    One consequence has been a substantial increase in production costs, which local companies can’t compete with.

    The early vision of low-cost, high-return projects such as Squid Game is rapidly diminishing.

    Meanwhile, Netflix is exploring other locations, such as Japan, where dramas can be produced for about half the price of those in Korea. If this continues, the rise of Korean content may slow down.

    Sung-Ae Lee 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. Streaming giants have helped bring Korean dramas to the world – but much is lost in translation – https://theconversation.com/streaming-giants-have-helped-bring-korean-dramas-to-the-world-but-much-is-lost-in-translation-257547

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Do all Iranians hate the regime? Hate America? Life inside the country is much more complex and nuanced

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Simon Theobald, Postdoctoral researcher, Institute for Ethics and Society, University of Notre Dame Australia

    From 2015 to 2018, I spent 15 months doing research work in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city. As an anthropologist, I was interested in everyday life in Iran outside the capital Tehran. I was also interested in understanding whether the ambitions of the 1979 Revolution lived on among “ordinary” Iranians, not just political elites.

    I first lived on a university campus, where I learned Persian, and later with Iranian families. I conducted hundreds of interviews with people who had a broad spectrum of political, social and religious views. They included opponents of the Islamic Republic, supporters, and many who were in between.

    What these interviews revealed to me was both the diversity of opinion and experience in Iran, and the difficulty of making uniform statements about what Iranians believe.

    Measuring the depth of antipathy for the regime

    When Israel’s strikes on Iran began on June 13, killing many top military commanders, many news outlets – both international and those run by the Iranian diaspora – featured images of Iranians cheering the deaths of these hated regime figures.

    Friends from my fieldwork also pointed to these celebrations, while not always agreeing with them. Many feared the impact of a larger conflict between Iran and Israel.

    Trying to put these sentiments in context, many analysts have pointed to a 2019 survey by the GAMAAN Institute, an independent organisation based in the Netherlands that tracks Iranian public opinion. This survey showed 79% of Iranians living in the country would vote against the Islamic Republic if a free referendum were held on its rule.

    Viewing these examples as an indicator of the lack of support for the Islamic Republic is not wrong. But when used as factoids in news reports, they become detached from the complexities of life in Iran. This can discourage us from asking deeper questions about the relationships between ideology and pragmatism, support and opposition to the regime, and state and society.

    A more nuanced view

    The news reporting on Iran has encouraged a tendency to see the Iranian state as homogeneous, highly ideological and radically separate from the population.

    But where do we draw the line between the state and the people? There is no easy answer to this.

    When I lived in Iran, many of the people who took part in my research were state employees – teachers at state institutions, university lecturers, administrative workers. Many of them had strong and diverse views about the legacy of the revolution and the future of the country.

    They sometimes pointed to state discourse they agreed with, for example Iran’s right to national self-determination, free from foreign influence. They also disagreed with much, such as the slogans of “death to America”.

    This ambivalence was evident in one of my Persian teachers. An employee of the state, she refused to attend the annual parades celebrating the anniversary of the revolution. “We have warm feelings towards America,” she said. On the other hand, she happily attended protests, also organised by the government, in favour of Palestinian liberation.

    Or take the young government worker I met in Mashhad: “We want to be independent of other countries, but not like this.”

    In a narrower sense, discussions about the “state” may refer more to organisations like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij, the paramilitary force within the IRGC that has cracked down harshly on dissent in recent decades. Both are often understood as being deeply ideologically committed.

    Said Golkar, a US-based Iranian academic and author, for instance, calls Iran a “captive society”. Rather than having a civil society, he believes Iranians are trapped by the feared Basij, who maintain control through their presence in many institutions like universities and schools.

    Again, this view is not wrong. But even among the Basij and Revolutionary Guard, it can be difficult to gauge just how ideological and homogeneous these organisations truly are.

    For a start, the IRGC relies on both ideologically selected supporters, as well as conscripts, to fill its ranks. They are also not always ideologically uniform, as the US-based anthropologist Narges Bajoghli, who worked with pro-state filmmakers in Tehran, has noted.

    As part of my research, I also interviewed members of the Basij, which, unlike the IRGC proper, is a wholly volunteer organisation.

    Even though ideological commitment was certainly an important factor for some of the Basij members I met, there were also pragmatic reasons to join. These included access to better jobs, scholarships and social mobility. Sometimes, factors overlapped. But participation did not always equate to a singular or sustained commitment to revolutionary values.

    For example, Sāsān, a friend I made attending discussion groups in Mashhad, was quick to note that time spent in the Basij “reduced your [compulsory] military service”.

    This isn’t to suggest there are not ideologically committed people in Iran. They clearly exist, and many are ready to use violence. Some of those who join these institutions for pragmatic reasons use violence, too.

    Looking in between

    In addition, Iran is an ethnically diverse country. It has a population of 92 million people, a bare majority of whom are Persians. Other minorities include Azeris, Kurds, Arabs, Baloch, Turkmen and others.

    It is also religiously diverse. While there is a sizeable, nominally Shi’a majority, there are also large Sunni communities (about 10-15% of the population) and smaller communities of Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Baha’is and other religions.

    Often overlooked, there are also important differences in class and social strata in Iran, too.

    One of the things I noticed about state propaganda was that it flattened this diversity. James Barry, an Australian scholar of Iran, noticed a similar phenomenon.

    State propaganda made it seem like there was one voice in the country. Protests could be dismissed out of hand because they did not represent the “authentic” view of Iranians. Foreign agitators supported protests. Iranians supported the Islamic Republic.

    Since leaving Iran, I have followed many voices of Iranians in the diaspora. Opposition groups are loud on social media, especially the monarchists who support Reza Pahlavi, the son of the deposed Shah.

    In following these groups, I have noticed a similar tendency to speak as though they represent the voice of all Iranians. Iranians support the shah. Or Iranians support Maryam Rajavi, leader of a Paris-based opposition group.

    Both within Iran, and in the diaspora, the regime, too, is sometimes held to be the imposition of a foreign conspiracy. This allows the Islamic Republic and the complex relations it has created to be dismissed out of hand. Once again, such a view flattens diversity.

    Over the past few years, political identities and societal divisions seem to have become harder and clearer. This means there is an increasing perception among many Iranians of a gulf between the state and Iranian society. This is the case both inside Iran, and especially in the Iranian diaspora.

    Decades of intermittent protests and civil disobedience across the country also show that for many, the current system no longer represents the hopes and aspirations of many people. This is especially the case for the youth, who make up a large percentage of the population.

    I am not an Iranian, and I strongly believe it is up to Iranians to determine their own futures. I also do not aim to excuse the Islamic Republic – it is brutal and tyrannical. But its brutality should not let us shy away from asking complex questions.

    If the regime did fall tomorrow, Iran’s diversity means there is little unanimity of opinion as to what should come next. And if a more pluralist form of politics is to emerge, it must encompass the whole of Iran’s diversity, without assuming a uniform position.

    It, too, will have to wrestle with the difficult questions and sometimes ambivalent relations the Islamic Republic has created.

    Simon Theobald received funding from the Australian National University during his research.

    – ref. Do all Iranians hate the regime? Hate America? Life inside the country is much more complex and nuanced – https://theconversation.com/do-all-iranians-hate-the-regime-hate-america-life-inside-the-country-is-much-more-complex-and-nuanced-259554

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What do the Bible, the Quran and the Torah say about the justification for war?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Associate Professor, New Testament, & Director of The Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy, University of Divinity

    Wars are often waged in the name of religion. So what do key texts from Christianity, Islam and Judaism say about the justification for war?

    We asked three experts for their views.

    The Bible

    Robyn J. Whitaker, University of Divinity

    The Bible presents war as an inevitable reality of human life. This is captured in the cry of the Teacher in Ecclesiastes:

    for everything there is a season […] a time for war and a time for peace.

    In this sense, the Bible reflects the experiences of the authors and communities who shaped the texts over more than a thousand years as they experienced both victory and defeat as a small nation among the large empires of the ancient near east.

    When it comes to God’s role in war, we cannot shirk from the problematic violence associated with the divine. At times, God orders the Hebrew people to go to war and enact horrendous violence. Deuteronomy 20 is a good example of this: God’s people are sent to war with the blessing of the priest but told to first offer terms of peace. If peace terms are accepted, the town is enslaved. Certain enemies, however, are decreed worthy of total annihilation, and the Hebrew army is commanded to destroy anyone and anything that doesn’t produce food.

    On other occasions, war is interpreted as a tool, a punishment where God uses foreign nations against the Hebrew people because they have gone astray (Judges 2:14). You can also find an underlying ethic to treat the captives of war justly. Moses commands that women captured in war are to be treated as wives, not slaves (Deuteronomy 21), and in 2 Chronicles, captives are allowed to return home.

    In contrast to war as divinely authorised, many of the Hebrew prophets express hope in a time where God will bring peace and people will “neither learn war any more” (Micah 3:4) but rather turn their weapons into tools for agriculture (Isaiah 2:4).

    War is viewed as a result of human sinfulness, something that God will ultimately transform into peace. And that peace (Hebrew: shalom) is more than an absence of war. It is about human flourishing and unity between peoples and God.

    Most of the New Testament was written during the first century CE, when Jews and emerging Christians were a minority within the Roman Empire. The military power of Rome is harshly critiqued as evil in resistance texts such as the Book of Revelation. Many early Christians refused to fight in the Roman army.

    In this context, Jesus says nothing specific about war but generally rejects violence. When Jesus’s disciple Peter seeks to defend him with a sword, Jesus tells him to put away his sword because a sword only leads to more violence (Matthew 26:52). This is consistent with Jesus’s other teachings such as “blessed are the peacemakers” or his commands to “turn the other cheek” when struck or to “love your enemies”.

    The reality is that we find various war ideologies in the Bible’s pages. If you want to find a justification for war in the Bible, you can. If you want to find a justification for peace or pacifism, that is there too. Later Christians would develop ideas of “just war” and pacifism based on biblical ideas, but these are developments rather than explicit within the Bible.

    For Christians, Jesus’s teaching provides an ethical framework for interpreting earlier war texts through the lens of love for enemies. This counterpoint to divine violence and war points readers back to the prophets, whose hopeful visions imagine a world where violence and suffering are no more and peace is possible.

    The Quran

    Mehmet Ozalp, Charles Sturt University

    Islam and Muslims emerged onto the world stage in the hostile environment of the seventh century. In response to major challenges, including warfare, Islam introduced pioneering legal and ethical reforms. The Quran and the Prophet Muhammad’s example laid out clear legal and ethical guidelines for the conduct of war, well before similar frameworks appeared in other societies.

    Islam did this by defining a new term, “jihad” rather than the usual Arabic word for war, “harb”. While harb refers broadly to warfare, jihad was defined within Islamic teachings as a legal, morally justified struggle, which includes but is not limited to armed conflict. In the context of warfare, jihad refers specifically to fighting in a just cause under clear legal and ethical guidelines, rather than belligerent or aggressive warfare.

    Between 610-622, Prophet Muhammad practised active non-violence in the face of the constant suffering, persecution and economic embargo he and his followers endured in Mecca, despite insistent approaches by his followers to take up arms. This showed that armed struggle cannot be taken up within the members of the same society, as this would lead to anarchy.

    After leaving his home town to escape persecution, he established a pluralistic and multi-faith society in Medina. He took active steps to sign treaties with neighbouring tribes. Despite following a deliberate strategy of peace and diplomacy, the hostile Meccans and allied tribes attacked the Muslims in Medina. Engaging these attackers in an armed struggle was unavoidable.

    The permission to fight was given to Muslims by the Quran verses 22:39-40:

    The believers against whom war is waged are given permission to fight in response, for they have been wronged. Surely, God has full power to help them to victory. Those who have been driven from their homeland against all right, for no other reason than that they say, “Our Lord is God” […]

    This passage not only permits armed struggle but also offers a moral justification for just war. It means war is clearly just when defensive — while aggression is unjust and condemned. Elsewhere, the Quran emphasises this point:

    If they withdraw from you and do not fight against you, and offer you peace, then God allows you no way (to war) against them.

    Verse 22:39 outlines two ethical justifications for warfare. The first is when people are driven from their homes (and land) – in other words, through occupation by a foreign power. The second is when people are attacked because of their beliefs to the point of violent persecution and attack.

    Importantly, verse 22:40 includes churches, monasteries and synagogues. If believers in God do not defend themselves, all places of worship would be destroyed, so this is to be prevented by force if necessary.

    The Quran does not allow for aggression, since “God loves not the aggressors” (2:190). It also provides detailed regulations on who is to fight and who is exempted (9:91); when hostilities must cease (2:193); and prisoners should be treated humanely and with fairness (47:4).

    Verses such as 2:294 emphasise that warfare and any response to violence and aggression must be proportional and within limits:

    Whoever attacks you, attack them in like manner as they attacked you. Nevertheless, fear God and remain within the bounds.

    In the event of unavoidable war, every opportunity to end it must be pursued:

    But if the enemy inclines towards peace, then you must also incline towards peace and trust in God.

    The aim of military action is to end hostilities and remove the reason for warfare, not to humiliate or annihilate the enemy.

    Military jihad cannot be pursued for personal ambition or to further nationalistic or ethnic disputes. Muslims cannot wage war on nations that have no hostility towards them (60:8). But if there is open hostility and attack, Muslims have a right to defend themselves.

    The Prophet and the early caliphs specifically warned military leaders and all combatants that they must not act treacherously or engage in indiscriminate killing and pillage. He said:

    Do not kill women, children, the elderly, or the sick. Do not destroy palm trees or burn houses.

    Because of these teachings, Muslims have had legal and ethical guidelines throughout much of history to help limit human suffering caused by war.

    The Torah

    Suzanne D. Rutland, University of Sydney

    Judaism is not a pacifist religion, but in its traditions it values peace above all else, and prayers for peace are central to Jewish liturgy. At the same time, there is a recognition of the need to fight defensive wars, but only within certain boundaries.

    In the Torah, the Five Books of Moses, the recognition of the need for war is clear. Throughout their journeying in the desert, the Israelites (Children of Israel) fight various battles. At the same time, in Deuteronomy, the Israelites are instructed (chapter 12, verse 10):

    When you go forth against your enemies and are in camp, then you should keep yourself from every evil thing.

    The story of Amalek is the symbol of ultimate evil in Jewish tradition. Scholars argue this is because his army attacked the Israelites from the rear – killing defenceless women and children.

    The Torah also stresses that army service is compulsory. Yet, Deuteronomy elaborates four categories of people who are exempt:

    • someone who has built a home but has not yet dedicated it
    • someone who has planted a vineyard but has not yet eaten of its fruit
    • someone who is engaged or in his first year of marriage
    • someone who is afraid, in case he influences other soldiers with his fear.
    Judaism is not a pacifist religion, but in its traditions it values peace above all else.
    Shutterstock

    It is important to point out that the disdain of war is so strong that King David was not permitted to build the temple in Jerusalem because of his military career. His son, Solomon, was allocated this task, but no iron was to be used in the building because this represented war and violence, while the temple was to represent peace, the ideal virtue.

    The vision of peace for all humanity is further developed in the prophetic writings and the concept of the Messiah. This is seen particularly in the writings of the prophet Isiah, who envisaged an age when, as he describes in his idyllic vision:

    they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

    The Mishnah, the first part of the Talmud, raises the concept of an “obligatory war” (milhemet mizvah). This encompasses the biblical wars against the seven nations said to inhabit the Promised Land, the war against Amalek, and the Jewish nation’s defensive wars. It is, accordingly, a clearly defined and recognisable class.

    Not so the second category, “permitted war” (milhemet reshut), which is more open-ended and, as scholar Avi Ravitsky writes, “could relate to a preemptive war”.

    After the Talmudic period, which ended in the 7th century, this debate became theoretical, since Jews living in Palestine and the diaspora no longer had an army. This was largely the case from the time of the defeat of the Bar Kokhba Rebellion against the Romans (132–135 CE), apart from a few small Jewish kingdoms in Arabia.

    However, with the return of the early Zionist pioneers to the Land of Israel in the late 19th and 20th century, the rabbinic debates of what constitutes an obligatory, defensive war and what is a permitted war, as well as the characteristics of a forbidden war has reignited. This is a subject of deep concern and controversy for both academics and rabbis today.

    Robyn J. Whitaker is affiliated with The Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy.

    Mehmet Ozalp is affiliated with Islamic Sciences and Research Academy

    Suzanne Rutland has received an Australian Research Council grant for her research on the Australian Jewry and funding from the Pratt Foundation, as well as an Australian Prime Ministers Centre (APMC) fellowship for her research on Soviet Jewry and Australia. She is also involved with numerous NGOs, including the Australian Jewish Historical Society (patron), the Australian Association for Jewish Studies (past president and committee member), and the Australian government’s expert delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. In addition, she is a board member of the Freilich Project for the Study of Bigotry at ANU; she is on an academic advisory committee at the Sydney Jewish Museum; she is the director of the Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism; and she is an Australian board member for Boys Town Jerusalem and a board member of Better Balance Futures for faith communities These roles are all undertaken in an honorary capacity. She is also writing the history of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry in an honorary capacity.

    – ref. What do the Bible, the Quran and the Torah say about the justification for war? – https://theconversation.com/what-do-the-bible-the-quran-and-the-torah-say-about-the-justification-for-war-259679

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: With Medicaid in GOP Crosshairs, Reed Helps Introduce Bill to Provide Federal Support for Home and Community-Based Services

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – As Congressional Republicans are seeking to slash Medicaid, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) is teaming up with U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) to improve the health, safety, and independence of older adults and people with disabilities by introducing the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Relief Act (S.2076).

    This legislation would provide dedicated Medicaid funds for home and community-based services (HCBS) for older adults, children, and youth and adults with disabilities for two years.  The HCBS Relief Act would decrease the need to move people into congregate settings and allow them to receive the services and support they need from their own homes. The bill is also designed to bolster the home care workforce by supporting service provider agencies and direct care workers who provide services in homes.

    HCBS — used by older adults and people with disabilities — include services like home health aides and personal care attendants (help with bathing, laundry, and mobility assistance), supportive housing, adult day health services, and supported employment. These services allow people with physical, cognitive, intellectual, and mental health disabilities to live independently outside of nursing homes or other institutions.  HCBS services are difficult to afford out of pocket and are not typically covered by private insurance or Medicare.  Medicaid is the primary payer for HCBS, financing two-thirds of services annually according to KFF.

    “Right now, millions rely on HCBS for basic everyday needs – help getting dressed, taking medications, preparing meals, and so much more,” said Senator Luján. “To support Americans who depend on home and community-based care, I’m proud to introduce my HCBS Relief Act. My bill would address chronic underfunding that has pushed families into crisis and forced many into institutions simply because they can’t access support at home.”

    “Everyone deserves to live with dignity and be a valued member of society.  Medicaid’s home and community-based services make independent, inclusive living possible for millions of older adults and people with disabilities.  This bill is severely needed at a time when Medicaid is facing unprecedented Republican cuts that would force more vulnerable Americans into institutions and untenable living situations, leaving individuals isolated and families in crisis.  The HCBS Relief Act would provide dedicated Medicaid funds to states to stabilize their HCBS service delivery networks, bolster their HCBS workforce, and ensure the federal government serves as a reliable partner when it comes to compensating in-home caregivers and ensuring the right supports are there for people in need,” said Senator Reed.

    In addition to Luján and Reed, the HCBS Relief Act is also cosponsored by U.S. Senators: Tim Kaine (D-VA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Fetterman (D-PA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Peter Welch (D-VT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

    Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI-12) has introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

    The National Association of Counties reports: “The rapidly aging population in the United States has increased demand for home and community-based services, resulting in a long-term care services and supports financing crisis, said Lisa Harootunian, director of health for the Bipartisan Policy Center. More than 4 million people rely on Medicaid-funded home and community-based services — including those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, older adults and people with complex medical needs. A “crucial” element of accessing those services is having a strong and robust direct-care workforce, she said.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed Encouraged by Bipartisan Skepticism of Trump’s Rescissions Package

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC — During a contentious hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee, White House budget chief Russell T. Vought was challenged on a bipartisan basis regarding the Trump Administration’s efforts to cancel billions of dollars in spending for humanitarian aid, public health, National Public Radio (NPR), and the Public Broadcasting System (PBS).

    U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) a leading Democratic member of the Appropriations Committee, and other senators questioned Mr. Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), about a host of issues.  Reed took Vought to task for failing to produce any cost-benefit analysis and instead attempting to impose ideological preferences on the American people in a harmful and unproductive manner.

    The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives has already voted to claw back $9.4 billion as requested by the Trump Administration. Now, the U.S. Senate is considering the proposed package ahead of a July 18 deadline for legislative action, which only requires a simple majority vote in the U.S. Senate, where Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority.

    During the hearing, senators from both parties raised questions about several types of public interest programs that the Trump Administration has proposed to slash and the consequences of clawing back this funding.

    Senator Reed came away from the hearing cautiously optimistic that enough Republicans could join Democrats in voting against the reckless rescission package, but the outcome of the vote is far from a foregone conclusion and Republicans have shown a propensity this Congress to vote the way Trump wants.

    “I sensed real skepticism from many of my colleagues during the hearing, both Democrats and Republicans.  They raised valid concerns about the harms this rescission package would do and Mr. Vought failed to provide a compelling rationale for ending lifesaving nutrition assistance and public broadcasting support,” said Senator Reed, who took Mr. Vought to task for trying to run a “backroom empire.”

    Reed noted that former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) sounded alarmed by such a reckless claw back and noted the importance of the U.S. maintaining “soft power” overseas:  “Reforming the way we invest in peace and stability is certainly worthwhile,” McConnell told Vought before going on to note: “But the Administration’s attempt to root it out has been unnecessarily chaotic. In critical corners of the globe, instead of creating efficiencies, you’ve created vacuums for adversaries like China to fill.”

    During the hearing, the Chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee Susan Collins (R-ME) told Mr. Vought:  “I am puzzled why you would be cutting funds that the president signed in March as part of the continuing resolution,” referring to the appropriations funding Trump signed to keep the federal government operating through the end of the fiscal year in September.

    Regarding the $1 billion in cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CBP), which provides some funding to NPR and PBS, several senators raised the importance of supporting public broadcasting and the negative impacts the proposed cuts would have for local stations in the next fiscal year.  The proposed cuts to PBS and NPR would undermine efforts to ensure that all Americans have access to unbiased news, educational programs, and diverse broadcasts that are not available through commercial media.

    Senator Collins stated: “The vast majority of this funding, more than 70 percent, actually flows to local television and radio stations.  In Maine this funding supports everything from emergency communications in rural areas to coverage of high school basketball championships and a locally produced high school quiz show. Nationally produced television programs such as ‘Antiques Roadshow,’ ‘Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,’ are also enjoyed by many throughout our country.”

    Republican senators from Alaska, Nebraska, and South Dakota also highlighted the importance of public broadcasting to their constituents in rural communities. 

    Speaking about public broadcasting in South Dakota, Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) noted: “They get their funding through NPR – 90 some percent of what they use. They will not continue to exist if we don’t find a way to take care of their needs.  It’s not a large amount of money, but would you be willing to work with us to try and find a way for these places where, literally, they’re not political in nature?  These are the folks that put out the emergency notifications. They talk about community events and so forth. But they’re in very, very rural areas where there simply isn’t an economy to support buying advertising on these stations.”

    The Corporation for Public Broadcasting received $525 million in federal funding in 2024 and $535 million in 2025.  If the Trump rescissions package is passed into law, CBP would see its federal budget completely eliminated for 2026 and 2027. 

    During his first term, President Trump attempted a similar maneuver to rescind federal funds but was unsuccessful, even though Republicans controlled a majority of both the House and Senate at the time.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Interview – ABC Adelaide with Jules Schiller and Sonya Feldhoff

    Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

    JULES SCHILLER: There is a meeting of State and the Federal Education Ministers today to look at issues surrounding education. Always a very popular topic here on the ABC, as it should be, Jason Clare. Welcome to you.

    JASON CLARE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: G’day, mate. Great to be here.

    SCHILLER: Let’s get to the child care sector first, because this has been a bit of an ongoing rolling conversation. I know Four Corners tackled it. There’s an Auditor-General’s report into subsidy and fraud. But let’s first get to child care and safety. I know Four Corners had a report saying that many of the for-profit child care centres have not been properly regulated. We’ve heard issues around staff-to-child ratios and pay. Are you going to regulate this industry properly?

    CLARE: This is the number one issue on the agenda for Education Ministers today meeting here in South Australia, meeting for the first time since the election. There’s more than a million Australian families who have their kids in early education and care, including me, I’m one of them, so it’s personal for me.

    You mentioned the Four Corners story. Even before that there was the arrest of a paedophile in Queensland a couple of years ago and subsequent conviction. That led me as the Minister, working with the states and territories, to ban the use of personal mobile phones in child care centres. There was a reason that we had to do that. And also changes to mandatory reporting rules from seven days to 24 hours where there’s evidence or allegations of sexual or physical abuse in child care centres.

    That Four Corners story was really concerning. It produced evidence there of neglect and mistreatment and physical abuse of children in child care centres. Anyone watching that would say that you can’t sit by and do nothing. I’ve said that we will introduce legislation into the Federal Parliament which basically cuts off funding to dodgy operators. If you’re not meeting the quality standards, then you won’t get the subsidy that helps to fund the centre. And we won’t let you expand and open new centres, but not just that.

    That Four Corners story produced evidence that people that were once working in child care were moving into the NDIS. We need to take steps to stop people working and neglecting people in one part of the care sector from moving into another. So, they’re things that we’re already doing. Yesterday the New South Wales Government released an independent report following that Four Corners story into the actions that they think are necessary. And they’re going to report to Ministers on that today so that we can work on what are the next steps. This work is never done. But what are the things that we need to do next to make sure our kids are safe.

    SONYA FELDHOFF: Can we avoid anything other than an official regulator, though? I mean, are there other options?

    CLARE: There are already regulators. There’s a national regulator and there’s state regulators and they work together. That doesn’t mean that everything is hunky dory, though.

    FELDHOFF: I was going to say, these things have still happened, though, haven’t they?

    CLARE: Exactly right. And so, some of the things we’ll talk about today are beefing up the penalties for providers when it’s proved that they’ve let children down and they’ve let families down and how do we make sure that we get better information faster to families when things aren’t up to scratch.

    SCHILLER: This is an issue with quality ratings, isn’t it? Only 10 per cent of all centres, I think – well, 10 per cent don’t have quality ratings. And, look, I mean, to be kind of blunt here, we’re talking a lot about the for-profit centres as well. And, you know, I went to the – there’s a Reddit page on child care in Adelaide, so child care workers talking on Reddit about problems in their industry. Almost uniformly, people who work for not-for-profit centres seem to be happier than many people in the for-profit centres. And you hear stories about staff chipping in for books and toys themselves. They’re very concerned about, you know, children to staff ratios up to three. I think it’s one to five, it gets over three and it’s one to 10 and 11. They’re saying that parents expect them to, you know, parent their kids more than they do, and they’ve got kids with special needs and, you know, obviously they don’t think that they’re paid enough.

    CLARE: Firstly, when it comes to quality and safety, whether it’s in a private for-profit child care centre or a not-for-profit centre, my expectation is that everybody meets the quality standards. You’re right, there are different ratios for children depending on how old they are. For little children, zero to two, the ratio of educators to children is much smaller. And that’s all about safety and quality and protecting those children.

    In terms of salary, you’re right, early educators historically have not been paid enough, and that‘s why people have either chosen not to become an early educator or have left the job to go and work at Woolies or at Bunnings. We’re rolling out now a 15 per cent pay rise right across the board for the entire sector. Ten per cent rolled from December last year, another 5 per cent from this December. And we did something similar in aged care. It’s designed to help boost the workforce, recognise the important work that they do but hopefully encourage some people who’ve left the industry to come back and work.

    We’re seeing evidence of that already: Goodstart, one of the biggest not-for-profit early education provider in the country has seen a massive increase in job applications in the last couple of months, that’s a really good sign, as well as a drop in vacancy rates.

    FELDHOFF: It’s 17 minutes past 7. Sonya and Jules with you here. And in the studio with us is the Federal Education Minister Jason Clare. With the introduction of the three free days child care for most families, is it going to be easier or less easy to bring this regulation in? Because we need policing of these things that are going wrong, don’t we?

    CLARE: One doesn’t necessarily affect the other. Let me make sure I’m pretty clear about the three days. The 3 Day Guarantee. That’s three days guaranteed access to the subsidy. It doesn’t mean it’s free, but depending on your income, it means that your subsidy for child care could be up to 90 per cent of the real cost that’s charged by the child care centre. And why are we doing that? Because the evidence shows us that kids from really poor families are the children that are most likely to miss out on going to earlier education and care at all and are the ones who need it the most. This isn’t just about looking after children; it’s about the early education of children.

    If a child goes to early education and care, they’re more likely to be ready to start school, less likely to start behind, get that early literacy and numeracy and social skills that can help get them off to a good start when they start school. At the moment, we know it’s the really disadvantaged kids that are missing out. So, guaranteeing that subsidy for every child is important.

    FELDHOFF: Sure, but we’re not on top of things with fewer children in the system. This is going to see more presumably in the system.

    CLARE: Because of two things – number one, we’ve cut the cost of child care over the last two years. For the average family they’ve saved about seven grand on child care fees that they would otherwise have had to pay because of that change we made in the last couple of years. And because of this pay rise for educators we’ve now got about 100,000 more children in the system today than when we made those changes a couple of years ago. So, there’s more kids in early education and care, but still not all of the kids who need it. I’m talking about those kids from really poor and disadvantaged backgrounds, and also kids who might live in regional parts of Australia where there’s less likely to be a centre. That’s why another thing that we’re doing is rolling out a billion-dollar fund to build centres where they don’t exist.

    SCHILLER: Well, let’s get to some other issues. 891 ABC Radio Adelaide, Sonya and Jules at 20 past 7 with Jason Clare, the Federal Education Minister. Yeah, we’re hearing lots of reports of teachers who feel unsafe in the classroom. This is because of, you know, bullying or violent behaviour of their students and, let’s face it, parents as well who are emailing them. You know, I know from teachers that, you know, they’re constantly contacted by parents who are asking them to, you know, make sure their kids eat the right food. And because of these issues teacher retention has been kind of difficult in Australia. So how are you going to deal with these issues around teacher safety, around teacher workload that is affecting people wanting to become teachers? And if we don’t – everyone listening right now could think about that teacher that changed their lives, that put them on a course, that created a passion in them that might be the employment they’re currently in. How do we get the best and brightest to stay in teaching?

    CLARE: I’m glad you asked it and that you asked it in that way, because I think this is the most important job in the world. And it’s a harder job than it was 20 years ago. And you see that in some of the stories in the media today. This is really serious. It makes parents worry but also, it’s the reason why teachers leave the job they love. They’re attracted to this work because they want to educate children, they want to change lives. It’s that moment when that sort of invisible light bulb goes off and they know that they’ve helped someone learn something and understand something they never did. And then when there’s violence or bad behaviour in the classroom and it all becomes too much it can force people to leave the job.

    There are some good things happening. The ban of mobile phones in schools right across the country has had a massive impact. I was talking to Blair Boyer, the South Australian Education Minister, last night. He made the point that kids are more attentive in the classroom now because they’re not distracted by the phone, they’re focused on the teacher. Kids are talking to each other and playing more in the playground than ever before because they’re not doing what adults do – look at their phone. He again got a complaint from students the other day that they’re bored now and that they want more clubs and things to do at lunchtime because they’re not looking at their phones; they’re actually –

    SCHILLER: But the problem goes further than that, though, doesn’t it?

    CLARE: It’s deeper than that. I just use that as one example. Another one is vaping. You ask teachers and principals they’ll tell you vaping can often be the cause of a lot of problems in schools. We’ve seen a 50 per cent reduction in suspensions in South Australian schools in the last couple of months because of the crackdown on vaping. But none of that means that the job is done. This is a serious issue. It’s one of the things we’ll talk about today, about what more tools can we give teachers, both when they’re training at uni to manage bad behaviour, manage children with complex behavioural issues, but also what we can do in the classroom.

    FELDHOFF: Do we need more SSOs – I’m assuming that’s the term now still – SSOs in schools now to deal with some of these behavioural issues that are often medically based?

    CLARE: It’s part of it. Often it will be somebody who’s providing special support for people with complex issues. Autism is a classic example of that. Could I just add on to that, because it’s also something in the media today, around bullying generally. Bullying at schools is different today than it was when we were at school. It’s not just push and shove or stealing the lunch money, it can often be what happens online. And it’s not necessarily what happens on the laptop in the classroom, it’s what happens at home. And there’s stories in the paper today about deep fakes. I can’t think of anything more horrific or terrifying than this, but when one student cut and pastes the face of another student and then puts it on to a nude body and then puts it on to the internet to bully or harass other students, but not just other students, female teachers as well. And that’s another thing that’s causing teachers to leave the profession, and young people, it’s affecting their mental health and wellbeing.

    SCHILLER: I mean, is this a police matter, do you think?

    CLARE: It is.

    SCHILLER: Because, I mean, you’ve not only got that, you’ve got explicit pictures being taken of other students on mobile phones that are shared, which, let’s face it, is a criminal offence. So, do you have to get police involved in that?

    CLARE: Yes.

    SCHILLER: And charge students to make them realise how serious this is?

    CLARE: There’s a couple of things you need to do. The eSafety Commissioner today has released a tool kit for schools about how to manage this. We’re going to get her to brief Education Ministers in a couple of months about this as well. She’s made the point, number one, ring the police. Number two, here are some tools to help with this. But we also want to set national standards around how do we deal with this, and that’s another thing that we’ll be discussing at the meeting today.

    FELDHOFF: Now, we are fast running out of time. Can I throw a couple of questions at you for really quick answers?

    CLARE: Go for it.

    FELDHOFF: First of all, Adelaide University, we’re going to see that come into place in January next year. I know this week the domestic numbers are increased. What about the international student numbers in terms of how that might impact this new university which relies on that economic injection?

    CLARE: The good news this week was the number of Australian students starting a uni degree is at record levels, the highest it’s ever been, except for COVID. And this new university, when it comes together next year, will be the biggest educator of Aussie students in the country.

    FELDHOFF: In the country?

    CLARE: In the country. This is going to be a seriously big university when it comes to educating Australian students. But they’ll educate international students as well.

    FELDHOFF: And that’s important for the economic bottom line of that university, too, isn’t it?

    CLARE: Absolutely, as for all universities. All universities to some extent educate students from the other side of the world who come here for an education. Doesn’t just make the uni money, it means that young people who come here and fall in love with Australia take that love for Australia back home with them. We’re setting numbers for different universities about how to do that. That is rolling out well and we’ve set a special number for the merged university to take into account the fact that it’s merging together next year.

    FELDHOFF: And very quickly, should HECS debts cuts be visible on your bill by now?

    CLARE: They’ll be visible very soon or as soon as possible. I’ve got to introduce a bill into the Parliament when Federal Parliament sits on the 22nd of July, so just about a month’s time. That will cut everyone’s HECS debt by 20 per cent. It’s got to pass the Parliament and then we’ve got to get the Tax Office to cut that off. But I guess the important message for anyone with a HECS debt listening, you don’t have to do anything; it will all happen automatically.

    SCHILLER: And just looking at the text line before you go, Minister – where with Jason Clare, federal Education Minister, 26 minutes past 7, 891 – look, many people are worried about the for-profit childcare centres. You know, there’s texts coming through that, you know, that there’s a childcare centre in Adelaide that has not met standards for 10 years. Other people are talking about bullying in schools. Teachers are also being bullied. Students don’t understand the constant harassment, even low-level harassment, of bullying of teachers, and it’s exhausting teachers. And I think parents as well are getting involved at this level, too. So, yeah, lots of issues for you to discuss, you’d have to say?

    CLARE: And it tells me that the agenda today is on the money. It’s the issues that parents care about and teachers care about, quality and safety in child care –

    SCHILLER: Because no-one should be in child care to, you know, primarily to make a profit. I mean, primarily it’s kids’ safety –

    CLARE: They should be there to care for and educate our children, right? That is number one. We’re talking about that, but we’re also focused on behaviour and bullying in our schools and outside of our schools, but how do we build our teacher workforce. We still don’t have enough teachers. And also the implementation of the agreement that we signed last year, the extra billion dollars for schools in South Australia, an extra $16 billion dollars across the country. Today we start the work on the implementation of that agreement.

    SCHILLER: Jason Clare, thank you so much for your company. He’s meeting with the state education ministers today. At 28 minutes past 7.
     

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Travelling with food allergies? These 8 tips can help you stay safer in the skies

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Koplin, Evidence and Translation Lead, National Allergy Centre of Excellence; Chief Investigator, Centre of Food Allergy Research; Associate Professor and Group Leader, Childhood Allergy & Epidemiology Group, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland

    Anchiy/Getty Images

    With the school holidays approaching, many families will be travelling, including on planes interstate and overseas. But travel can pose unique challenges for people with serious food allergies.

    Research shows air travel is a significant source of anxiety for people living with or caring for someone with a food allergy. In a global survey of 4,704 people with food allergies and their caregivers published in 2024, 98% said having a food allergy adds anxiety to air travel.

    Fortunately, there are things you can do to help keep yourself or children with food allergies safe in the skies.

    What are the concerns about plane travel with allergies?

    Reassuringly, documented allergic reactions during flights are very rare. A 2023 review that combined data from 17 studies estimated about seven in every 10 million passengers had an allergic reaction while flying.

    While many people have more mild food allergies, some are at risk of anaphylaxis (a life-threatening allergic reaction) and need to carry adrenaline with them at all times in the form of an EpiPen or Anapen. The review found reports of severe reactions needing adrenaline were even rarer – about eight cases per 100 million passengers.

    In fact, this study concluded people were less likely to experience an allergic reaction on a plane than in their everyday lives. However, some of this might be due to the precautions passengers with food allergies already take.

    People with food allergies are sometimes worried about food particles travelling in the air of the plane cabin and causing a reaction.

    Thankfully, research has shown this risk is very low. It’s difficult for food proteins (the part of the food that causes the allergic reaction) to become airborne. And if they do, air filters fitted on large commercial planes can remove any airborne food particles quickly from the cabin air.

    Peanuts are one of the foods commonly associated with anaphylaxis. Studies that have tested opening and shaking containers containing peanuts and de-shelling peanuts found peanut proteins were only detected directly above the container, at a low level, and for a short period of time.

    Other studies have found airborne peanut was not detected when eating peanuts in a confined space. And studies found no severe reactions among people with peanut allergy when peanut butter or peanuts were held close to their face or kept in a bowl close by in a small room.

    A bigger risk for reactions is the food protein ending up on a seat or tray table. However, casual contact with food crumbs or smears is highly unlikely to cause a severe allergic reaction. This type of contact can cause mild to moderate skin reactions that can be treated with antihistamines if needed.

    Staying safe on a plane with allergies

    For people at risk of anaphylaxis:

    1. take your adrenaline in your hand luggage (not your checked baggage). Store it under the seat in front of you or in the seat pocket so it’s in easy reach

    2. carry a travel plan and action plan for anaphylaxis, completed and signed by a medical professional, or similar documentation, showing the traveller’s food allergy status and what to do in an emergency. (Templates of these plans are available via the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy)

    3. let the flight crew know you have an allergy and indicate the location of your adrenaline and anaphylaxis action plan. This is particularly important for people travelling alone, since anaphylaxis can be mistaken for other non-allergic symptoms, which could lead to a delay in receiving adrenaline.

    For people with food allergies generally:

    1. let the airline know you have a food allergy and ask about their food and medication policies when booking or before travelling

    2. take allergy-safe food from home. Airlines don’t guarantee allergy-safe food will be available, and not all food supplied on a plane will have an ingredient label (but check liquid restrictions and be aware of potential restrictions on taking fresh food across borders)

    3. wipe down surfaces such as the seat, armrests and tray table with wet wipes when boarding. You can request early boarding from airlines to do this

    4. wash your hands before eating (wet wipes and handwashing with soap are more effective than plain water or hand sanitiser)

    5. you may choose to sit a child with food allergy away from areas where food or drink will be passed over the top of them (for example, next to a window or between family members). Tell passengers sitting next to your child about their allergy so they don’t offer to share food or drink

    6. if you think you’re experiencing an allergic reaction, let the flight crew know immediately.

    Most people with food allergies feel anxiety about plane travel.
    joo830908/Shutterstock

    What can other passengers and airlines do?

    If you’re travelling, you could wipe down surfaces around you at the end of the flight. Remove rubbish from seatbacks and other areas around your seat and aisle before disembarking.

    Also, ask about allergies before offering to share any food with your neighbours during the flight (and check with parents before offering anything to their children).

    Airlines, meanwhile, should have clear policies relating to food allergies easily available and consistently applied by ground staff and cabin crew, such as allowing early boarding on request.

    The patient support organisation Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia has a Food Allergy Travel Hub with advice on how to stay safe when travelling with food allergies.

    Jennifer Koplin receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. She is a member of the Executive Committee for the National Allergy Centre of Excellence (NACE), which is supported by funding from the Australian government.

    Christopher Warren receives institutional research funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, Food Allergy Research and Education, Genentech Inc, and The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Desalegn Markos Shifti is supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)-funded Centre for Food Allergy Research (CFAR) Postdoctoral Funding.

    – ref. Travelling with food allergies? These 8 tips can help you stay safer in the skies – https://theconversation.com/travelling-with-food-allergies-these-8-tips-can-help-you-stay-safer-in-the-skies-258387

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lummis Bill Seeks to Give State, Municipalities a Tool to Help Tackle National Debt

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wyoming Cynthia Lummis

    June 26, 2025

    Washington, D.C. – Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) have introduced the Pay Down the Debt Act, legislation that would allow state and municipal governments to return federal grant money they receive directly toward lowering the federal deficit. 
    “Three years have passed since I first proposed this legislation, during which time our national debt has ballooned from $28 trillion to nearly $37 trillion,” said Lummis. “This explosive growth is unacceptable, fiscally irresponsible, and fundamentally contrary to American values. Our state and local governments currently lack any mechanism to meaningfully address the debt crisis. This bill would empower them to return surplus or unnecessary federal funds they’ve received back to the Treasury, specifically for debt reduction. We must change course immediately to avoid financial catastrophe – every dollar returned makes a difference in this fight.”
    Background:
    If a state or local government does not accept a grant from the federal government, an equal amount to be awarded to the state or local government is rescinded from the applicable appropriation account. Amounts rescinded are deposited in the general fund of the Treasury for the sole purpose of deficit reduction. 
    Read the entire bill here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Marshall, Tuberville, & Blackburn Call for the Senate Parliamentarian to be Term Limited

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington – On Thursday, U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), introduced a resolution to implement term limits on the Senate Parliamentarian, a key figure in the United States Senate who advises on rules, procedures, and precedents as it relates to the reconciliation process. The Senators call for the parliamentarian to serve one six-year term, which would prevent power entrenchment, promote accountability, and encourage fresh perspectives.
    “Based upon early reports, the Senate Parliamentarian may eliminate some $500 billion in savings for the American people, all of which are arbitrary decisions, with minimal guidance,” said Senator Marshall. “The current parliamentarian has been in office since 2012, appointed by former Democrat Senator Harry Reid. This is NOT an elected position. Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Term limits on a person with this absolute power need to be implemented. Therefore, we are dropping a resolution calling for just that, limiting a parliamentarian of the Senate to a maximum of 6 years.”
    “The woke, Radical Left Senate Parliamentarian, who was appointed by Harry Reid and was an advisor to Al Gore, is actively trying to undermine President Trump’s agenda,” said Senator Tuberville. “Unelected bureaucrats should not be able to overturn the will of the 77 million Americans who voted for President Trump and his agenda. This is exactly why Americans hate the swamp. Proud to join my friend Senator Roger Marshall in introducing this resolution imposing 6-year term limits for the Senate Parliamentarian.”
    “The Senate parliamentarian holds unchecked power over major legislation, despite never being elected by the American people,” said Senator Blackburn. “This individual has served for a decade, having been appointed by Harry Reid, we must act now to impose term limits on the Senate parliamentarian to ensure this position is accountable to the will of the people.”
    Background:

    The parliamentarian of the Senate serves at the will of the Secretary of the Senate, who is chosen by the Senate Majority Leader.
    Since 1981 only three different individuals have served as parliamentarian of the Senate. Each served on average 15 years.

    Click HERE to read the full text of the resolution

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health and Politics – Government must do more to build public health system capability – NZNO

    Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

    A new report by the Auditor-General shows the Government must do more to build capacity in the public health system instead of outsourcing to the private sector, NZNO says.
    The report titled Providing equitable access to planned care treatment found that despite reforms in recent years designed to end the postcode lottery in the health care system, inequities for Māori, Pacific peoples, those living rurally and disabled people continue.
    New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) chief executive Paul Goulter says the report confirms what the public already knows – that elective services in the public system are neither equitable nor timely.
    “The Auditor-General found the Coalition Government’s targets are having a perverse effect whereby some districts are not accepting referrals because they don’t have the resources they need to meet the required timeframes for assessing or treating people.
    “This shows the targets for the political stunts they are. Targets won’t work without additional funding to create the capacity which will enable them to be met. 
    “This confirms what our nurses across the health sector are saying and echoes concerns NZNO has been raising for some time.”
    Paul Goulter says the same vulnerable populations missing out on planned care are the same people who are struggling to get in to see their doctors in the first place to be referred.
    “The Auditor-General is warning the Government that it’s push for even greater outsourcing to the private sector could lead to greater inequities. Outsourcing just strips capacity from the under-staffed primary health care sector and the under-funded hospital sector.
    “There is only one way the Government can fix the health crisis and that’s by properly funding and staffing a quality public health system for all,” Paul Goulter says.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Offers Relief to Oregon Small Businesses, Private Nonprofits and Residents Affected by March Storms and Flooding

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the availability of low interest federal disaster loans to Oregon small businesses, private nonprofits and residents to offset physical and economic losses from severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides occurring March 13-20. The SBA issued a disaster declaration in response to a request received from Gov. Tina Kotek on June 23.

    The declaration covers the Oregon counties of Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath and Lane.

    Businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

    Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.

    Applicants may be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include insulating pipes, walls and attics, weather stripping doors and windows, and installing storm windows to help protect property and occupants from future disasters.

    SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries and private nonprofit (PNP)organizations impacted by financial losses directly related to this disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for aquaculture enterprises.

    EIDLs are for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. They may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

    Interest rates are as low as 4% for businesses, 3.62% for PNPs, and 2.75% for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

    When disasters strike, SBA’s Disaster Loan Outreach Centers play a vital role in helping small businesses and their communities recover,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “At these centers, SBA specialists assist business owners and residents with disaster loan applications and provide information on the full range of recovery programs available.”

    Beginning Friday, June 27 SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the following Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC) to answer questions about SBA’s disaster loan program, explain the application process and help each individual complete their application. Walk-ins are accepted, but you can schedule an in-person appointment in advance at appointment.sba.gov.

    The DLOC hours of operation are as follows:

    DOUGLAS COUNTY
    Disaster Loan Outreach Center
    Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS)
    Third Floor Conference Room
    738 W. Harvard Ave.
    Roseburg, OR  97471

    Opens at 12:00 p.m., Friday, June 27

    Mondays – Fridays, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

    Closed Friday, July 4 for Independence Day

    Permanently closes at 4:30 p.m., Monday, July 21

    To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

    The deadline to return physical damage applications is Aug. 25, 2025. The deadline to return economic injury applications is March 24, 2026.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Acceleware Announces Agreement for Asset Transfer and New Farmout Opportunity with O’Neill Industries International-Canada Inc.

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CALGARY, Alberta, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Acceleware® Ltd. (“Acceleware” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: AXE), is pleased to announce it has entered into an agreement (the “Marwayne Agreement”) with O’Neill Industries International-Canada Inc. (“O’Neill Canada”) that will result in the transfer of certain wells and other assets located in Marwayne, Alberta, related liabilities, licenses and leases from Acceleware to O’Neill Canada, and the termination of the existing farmout and option agreement dated May 19, 2020 between the Company and O’Neill Canada. O’Neill Canada is the Canadian entity of O’Neill Industries, a US based company active in upstream production and oil field services globally. In exchange for the above noted transfers, Acceleware will receive cash payments and a gross overriding royalty (“GORR”) on future production from the wells as described below. The Marwayne Agreement sets the stage for renewed collaboration between the Company and O’Neill Canada that includes a commitment to establish a new farmout agreement at Marwayne where Acceleware can drill new RF XL 2.0 compliant test wells in the next five years.

    “The Marwayne Agreement is another strategic step intended to rapidly move us from a research and development focus to becoming a cash flow generating enterprise and is one of several strategic steps we are taking to accelerate RF XL 2.0’s path to market,” said Geoff Clark, CEO of Acceleware. “We are pleased to realize near-term cash flow and added value from O’Neill Canada’s operations at Marwayne, but also having the optionality to explore future multi-well deployments of RF XL 2.0 at Marwayne provides great opportunity to the Company.”

    Specific features of the Marwayne Agreement include:

    1. Acceleware will transfer its interests in the existing wells, production equipment, leases, and licenses to O’Neill Canada for a combination of cash, assumption by O’Neill Canada of any abandonment and reclamation liabilities associated with the wells and surface lease, and a 5% GORR on future production from the wells for a period of 12 months following commencement of production from the transferred wells. Excluding future royalties, the net balance sheet benefit to Acceleware is estimated to be $460,000.
    2. Acceleware retains ownership of all RF XL heating and related equipment at Marwayne, including the Clean Tech Inverter (CTI).
    3. The existing farmout agreement between O’Neill Canada and Acceleware is terminated.
    4. Acceleware and O’Neill Canada agree to enter into a new farmout agreement within 90 days of entering into the Marwayne Agreement, which will allow Acceleware to redeploy new wells that are suited for RF XL 2.0 at any time over the course of the next 5 years at O’Neill Canada’s Marwayne asset.

    “We’re pleased to have come to this agreement with Acceleware on Marwayne – the asset holds very good value potential and both companies stand to benefit from the arrangement. For over a year, O’Neill Canada has been producing heavy oil at Marwayne, and we plan to grow production volumes through both cold flow and thermal recovery techniques,” said Alexander O’Neill, President of O’Neill Canada.

    About Acceleware:

    Acceleware is an advanced electromagnetic (EM) heating company with cutting-edge radio frequency (RF) power-to-heat solutions for large industrial applications. The Company’s technologies provide an opportunity to electrify and decarbonize industrial process heat applications while reducing costs.

    The Company is working to use its patented and field proven Clean Tech Inverter (CTI) to materially improve the efficiency of amine regeneration, and has partnered with a consortium of world-class potash partners seeking to decarbonize drying of potash ore and other critical minerals. Acceleware is actively developing other process heat applications and partnerships for RF heating.

    Acceleware’s RF XL is a patented low-cost, low-carbon RF thermal enhanced oil production technology for heavy oil that is materially different from any enhanced recovery technique used today.

    Acceleware is a public company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSXV”) under the trading symbol “AXE”. 

    About O’Neill Industries International-Canada Inc.:

    O’Neill Industries is comprised of an integrated family of companies focused on the energy and environmental sectors, offering a series of products, equipment, and services which bring new and enhanced solutions for projects and partners. Responding to environmental challenges, developing natural resources, and looking for opportunities to turn waste and obsolescence into energy and value.

    Since 2023, O’Neill Industries Canadian arm, O’Neill Industries International-Canada Inc., has been operating in Alberta with a large focus on heavy oil production, thermal recovery techniques, and Green Cement.

    Cautionary Statements

    This news release contains forward-looking statements and/or forward-looking information (collectively, “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable securities laws. When used in this release, such words as “will”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”, “expects” and similar expressions, as they relate to Acceleware, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of Acceleware with respect to future events, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause Acceleware’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any expected future results, performance or achievement that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Certain information and statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements, which reflects Acceleware’s current expectations regarding future events, including, but not limited to: the future benefits arising from the Marwayne Agreement; the Company’s ability to successfully complete commercialization of RF XL 2.0; the entering into of a new farmout and option agreement between the Company and O’Neill Canada; deployment of RF XL 2.0; the initiatives to be implemented by the Company’s management to shift the Company’s focus from research and development to cash flow generation; the timing to complete certain milestones in the Marwayne Agreement; and the impact of the Marwayne Agreement on Acceleware’s business and shareholder value.

    Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: the availability of potential heavy oil production rights in western Canada, the availability of investment capital and other funding, the high degree of uncertainties inherent to feasibility and economic studies which are based to a significant extent on various assumptions; variations in commodity prices and exchange rate fluctuations; variations in cost of supplies and labour; lack of availability of qualified personnel; receipt of necessary approvals; availability of financing for technology and project development; uncertainties and risks with respect to developing and adopting new technologies; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; change in demand for technologies to be offered by the Company; obtaining required approvals of regulatory authorities and/or shareholders, as applicable; ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources. For a more fulsome list of risk factors please see the Company’s December 31, 2024, year-end Management Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”) available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

    Management of the Company has included the above summary of assumptions and risks related to forward-looking statements provided in this release to provide shareholders with a more complete perspective on the Company’s current and future operations and such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

    Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

    This press release is intended for distribution in Canada only and is not intended for distribution to United States newswire services or dissemination in the United States.

    For more information:

    Geoff Clark
    Tel: +1 (403) 249-9099
    geoff.clark@acceleware.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Acceleware Announces Agreement for Asset Transfer and New Farmout Opportunity with O’Neill Industries International-Canada Inc.

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CALGARY, Alberta, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Acceleware® Ltd. (“Acceleware” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: AXE), is pleased to announce it has entered into an agreement (the “Marwayne Agreement”) with O’Neill Industries International-Canada Inc. (“O’Neill Canada”) that will result in the transfer of certain wells and other assets located in Marwayne, Alberta, related liabilities, licenses and leases from Acceleware to O’Neill Canada, and the termination of the existing farmout and option agreement dated May 19, 2020 between the Company and O’Neill Canada. O’Neill Canada is the Canadian entity of O’Neill Industries, a US based company active in upstream production and oil field services globally. In exchange for the above noted transfers, Acceleware will receive cash payments and a gross overriding royalty (“GORR”) on future production from the wells as described below. The Marwayne Agreement sets the stage for renewed collaboration between the Company and O’Neill Canada that includes a commitment to establish a new farmout agreement at Marwayne where Acceleware can drill new RF XL 2.0 compliant test wells in the next five years.

    “The Marwayne Agreement is another strategic step intended to rapidly move us from a research and development focus to becoming a cash flow generating enterprise and is one of several strategic steps we are taking to accelerate RF XL 2.0’s path to market,” said Geoff Clark, CEO of Acceleware. “We are pleased to realize near-term cash flow and added value from O’Neill Canada’s operations at Marwayne, but also having the optionality to explore future multi-well deployments of RF XL 2.0 at Marwayne provides great opportunity to the Company.”

    Specific features of the Marwayne Agreement include:

    1. Acceleware will transfer its interests in the existing wells, production equipment, leases, and licenses to O’Neill Canada for a combination of cash, assumption by O’Neill Canada of any abandonment and reclamation liabilities associated with the wells and surface lease, and a 5% GORR on future production from the wells for a period of 12 months following commencement of production from the transferred wells. Excluding future royalties, the net balance sheet benefit to Acceleware is estimated to be $460,000.
    2. Acceleware retains ownership of all RF XL heating and related equipment at Marwayne, including the Clean Tech Inverter (CTI).
    3. The existing farmout agreement between O’Neill Canada and Acceleware is terminated.
    4. Acceleware and O’Neill Canada agree to enter into a new farmout agreement within 90 days of entering into the Marwayne Agreement, which will allow Acceleware to redeploy new wells that are suited for RF XL 2.0 at any time over the course of the next 5 years at O’Neill Canada’s Marwayne asset.

    “We’re pleased to have come to this agreement with Acceleware on Marwayne – the asset holds very good value potential and both companies stand to benefit from the arrangement. For over a year, O’Neill Canada has been producing heavy oil at Marwayne, and we plan to grow production volumes through both cold flow and thermal recovery techniques,” said Alexander O’Neill, President of O’Neill Canada.

    About Acceleware:

    Acceleware is an advanced electromagnetic (EM) heating company with cutting-edge radio frequency (RF) power-to-heat solutions for large industrial applications. The Company’s technologies provide an opportunity to electrify and decarbonize industrial process heat applications while reducing costs.

    The Company is working to use its patented and field proven Clean Tech Inverter (CTI) to materially improve the efficiency of amine regeneration, and has partnered with a consortium of world-class potash partners seeking to decarbonize drying of potash ore and other critical minerals. Acceleware is actively developing other process heat applications and partnerships for RF heating.

    Acceleware’s RF XL is a patented low-cost, low-carbon RF thermal enhanced oil production technology for heavy oil that is materially different from any enhanced recovery technique used today.

    Acceleware is a public company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSXV”) under the trading symbol “AXE”. 

    About O’Neill Industries International-Canada Inc.:

    O’Neill Industries is comprised of an integrated family of companies focused on the energy and environmental sectors, offering a series of products, equipment, and services which bring new and enhanced solutions for projects and partners. Responding to environmental challenges, developing natural resources, and looking for opportunities to turn waste and obsolescence into energy and value.

    Since 2023, O’Neill Industries Canadian arm, O’Neill Industries International-Canada Inc., has been operating in Alberta with a large focus on heavy oil production, thermal recovery techniques, and Green Cement.

    Cautionary Statements

    This news release contains forward-looking statements and/or forward-looking information (collectively, “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable securities laws. When used in this release, such words as “will”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”, “expects” and similar expressions, as they relate to Acceleware, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of Acceleware with respect to future events, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause Acceleware’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any expected future results, performance or achievement that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Certain information and statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements, which reflects Acceleware’s current expectations regarding future events, including, but not limited to: the future benefits arising from the Marwayne Agreement; the Company’s ability to successfully complete commercialization of RF XL 2.0; the entering into of a new farmout and option agreement between the Company and O’Neill Canada; deployment of RF XL 2.0; the initiatives to be implemented by the Company’s management to shift the Company’s focus from research and development to cash flow generation; the timing to complete certain milestones in the Marwayne Agreement; and the impact of the Marwayne Agreement on Acceleware’s business and shareholder value.

    Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: the availability of potential heavy oil production rights in western Canada, the availability of investment capital and other funding, the high degree of uncertainties inherent to feasibility and economic studies which are based to a significant extent on various assumptions; variations in commodity prices and exchange rate fluctuations; variations in cost of supplies and labour; lack of availability of qualified personnel; receipt of necessary approvals; availability of financing for technology and project development; uncertainties and risks with respect to developing and adopting new technologies; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; change in demand for technologies to be offered by the Company; obtaining required approvals of regulatory authorities and/or shareholders, as applicable; ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources. For a more fulsome list of risk factors please see the Company’s December 31, 2024, year-end Management Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”) available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

    Management of the Company has included the above summary of assumptions and risks related to forward-looking statements provided in this release to provide shareholders with a more complete perspective on the Company’s current and future operations and such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

    Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

    This press release is intended for distribution in Canada only and is not intended for distribution to United States newswire services or dissemination in the United States.

    For more information:

    Geoff Clark
    Tel: +1 (403) 249-9099
    geoff.clark@acceleware.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI China: 2025 Eurasia commodity expo highlights global trade ties

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

    URUMQI, June 26 — The 2025 (China) Eurasia Commodity and Trade Expo opened Thursday in Urumqi, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, drawing over 2,800 enterprises and delegates from 50 countries and regions to deepen cooperation across Eurasia, organizers said.

    This year’s expo is the largest edition to date. Among the attendees are government officials, diplomats, and business associations from Central Asia, the African Union (AU), ASEAN, and beyond. Notably, AU members Ethiopia, Zambia, the Comoros, and Senegal joined for the first time, highlighting expanded global engagement.

    Spanning 140,000 square meters of indoor and outdoor space, the expo features key sectors like new energy, advanced manufacturing, textiles, and food processing. Heavy machinery dominates outdoor displays, while indoor halls spotlight innovations in AI and the low-altitude economy.

    Fu Yunyan, director of Xinjiang international expo affairs bureau, noted “multiple highlights,” including dedicated zones for cutting-edge technologies and over 20 product launches. The five-day event will host over 60 trade and investment sessions focused on industrial matchmaking and project promotion.

    As a pillar of the China-Eurasia Expo framework, the event, now in its fifth iteration, aims to accelerate Xinjiang’s opening-up and development.

    People visit the Trade in Services and Cross-border E-commerce sector during the 2025 (China) Eurasia Commodity and Trade Expo in Urumqi, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 26, 2025. The expo opened here on Thursday, drawing over 2,800 enterprises and delegates from 50 countries and regions to deepen cooperation across Eurasia, organizers said. The five-day event will host over 60 trade and investment sessions focused on industrial matchmaking and project promotion. [Photo/Xinhua]
    This photo taken on June 26, 2025 shows the venue of the 2025 (China) Eurasia Commodity and Trade Expo in Urumqi, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Legislation to build One Canadian Economy receives Royal Assent

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    Ottawa, Ontario, (June 26, 2025) – Today, Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, received Royal Assent. This legislation is key to building a stronger, more united Canada by supercharging productivity, economic growth, and competitiveness. 

    Once implemented, the One Canadian Economy Act will:

    1. Expedite nation-building projects (the Building Canada Act): Streamlining federal review and approval processes to increase regulatory certainty, helping attract capital, strengthening our industries, and moving towards greater sovereignty and resilience while protecting the environmental and respecting Indigenous rights.
    2. Remove federal barriers to internal trade and labour mobility (the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act): Accepting comparable provincial or territorial regulations, where they exist, as meeting federal requirements for the movement of goods, services, and labour within Canada. This will allow more goods, services, workers and business to move freely across provinces and territories.

    With the Building Canada Act coming into force today, the federal government will immediately move forward on consultations with provinces, territories, Indigenous Peoples and private sector proponents to identify nation building projects and implement measures to streamline processes for other projects. This includes working with provinces, territories and Indigenous partners to adopt a ‘one project, one review’ approach to reduce duplication.

    This work will be led by the Federal Major Projects Office, a new entity that will be launched in the coming weeks. The Office will include support from an Indigenous Advisory Council with First Nation, Inuit, and Métis representatives.

    Indigenous partnership is a vital part of this legislation, and meaningful consultation will be key to the success of future projects. The federal government is committed to respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples recognized and affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, and to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Over the coming weeks, the Prime Minister will meet with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis rights holders, with the first meeting happening on July 17 with First Nations.

    The Government of Canada is fulfilling its promise to build one Canadian economy out of 13 while upholding Indigenous rights and protecting the environment as well as the health and safety of Canadians.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Implementation of Bill C-5: One Canadian Economy

    Source: Government of Canada News

    Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy: An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act, received Royal Assent on June 26, 2025.

    Outlined below are next steps towards implementation of both Acts. Further details will be announced as they become available.

    Building Canada Act

    With the Building Canada Act in place, the Government of Canada will immediately move forward on consultations – as required under the Act – with provinces, territories and Indigenous rights-holders to determine the initial list of national interest projects.

    The criteria that will be weighed in those discussions and decisions include the extent to which the project will:

    • Strengthen Canada’s autonomy, resilience and security;
    • Provide economic or other benefits to Canada;
    • Have a high likelihood of successful execution;
    • Advance the interests of Indigenous Peoples; and
    • Contribute to clean growth and to meeting Canada’s objectives with respect to climate change.

    After consultations with provinces, territories and impacted Indigenous rights-holders, if the Governor in Council is of the opinion that a project may be in the national interest, an Order in Council will add it to the Building Canada Act Schedule of projects. Before adding the name of a project to the Schedule of projects, a notice that includes the name and description of the project must be published in the Canada Gazette for 30 days, so that everyone including the public has an opportunity to provide feedback on this choice. Projects can continue to be added to the Schedule of projects over the course of 5 years following the Act coming into force.

    Canada is committed to respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples recognized and affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 and the rights set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous Peoples will be consulted throughout the process of choosing projects of national interest as we work together towards the success of future projects. No projects will be added to the schedule until consultation has taken place.

    For projects that are added to the Schedule of projects, the regulatory review process will continue to include further consultations with potentially impacted Indigenous Peoples.

    Currently, the review process for projects can take many years to complete. Determining ahead of time that a project is in the national interest provides certainty, helping to attract investment. The intent of this Act is to ensure these nation-building projects complete the federal review within 2 years. We will do this by focusing these reviews on “how” to get the project built, instead of “whether” it should be built.

    Once the environmental and other review processes and consultations with potentially impacted Indigenous rights-holders are completed, the Minister responsible for the Act will issue a single set of binding conditions for the project. These conditions will include mitigation measures to protect the environment and accommodation measures to respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

    To reduce project approval duplication between the federal and provincial/territorial governments, the Government of Canada is committed to a ‘one project, one review’ approach. This will include working with provinces and territories to eliminate project assessment duplication and build a more efficient and timely system.

    A major projects office will be established to help implement this new process for national interest projects and serve as a main point of contact for the project proponents. The office will be supported by an Indigenous Advisory Council, with First Nation, Inuit, and Métis representatives, to advise the Minister on issues related to the implementation of the Building Canada Act, including best practices for Indigenous consultations. The Council will not replace consultation with Indigenous rights-holders. The Government will provide funding to strengthen Indigenous Peoples’ capacity and participation in consultation processes.

    The Prime Minister and other members of Cabinet will meet over the summer with First Nations, Inuit and Métis to ensure that consultation, partnership, engagement and participation are at the heart of every project of national interest. Indigenous equity participation in major projects is a central focus of this initiative. Backed by the federal government’s expansion of the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program from $5 billion to $10 billion, this commitment will help create long-term economic opportunities and build lasting prosperity for Indigenous Peoples across Canada.

    Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act

    With the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act in place, the Government of Canada will develop regulations to provide further clarity around the definition of “comparable”, to assist in the determination of comparable federal and provincial/territorial requirements. The regulations will also exclude certain federal requirements from the application of the legislation if there are unacceptable risks to the health, safety and security of Canadians, their social and economic well-being, the environment, or international trade objectives.

    The Government of Canada will not be revoking existing regulations; rather, it will recognize a comparable provincial or territorial requirement, removing the duplicative burden for businesses.

    The same applies for workers, where a worker authorized to work in a province or territory would be authorized to work the same occupation in federal jurisdiction without the need for further approvals or requirements.

    Once the regulations are approved by the Governor in Council, a plain language user guide will be available for Canadian workers and businesses, which will clarify where the Act applies, how they can take advantage, and who to contact to answer any questions.

    Where the legislation applies

    The Act only applies to federal requirements on the interprovincial trade of goods and services when there are comparable provincial or territorial requirements. In this case, “comparable” means that a provincial or territorial regulation/standard addresses the same aspect of a good or service and is intended to achieve a similar objective.

    When a good or service produced, used, or distributed in line with provincial or territorial requirements is recognized as meeting comparable federal requirements on interprovincial trade, it will be treated as if it meets federal requirements.

    However, the Act will not apply to areas where the Government of Canada decides there is an unacceptable risk to the health, safety and security of Canadians, their social and economic well-being, the environment, or international trade objectives.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The NDIA is changing how it pays for disability supports. What does that mean for rural communities?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Johnson, Lecturer in Social Entrepreneurship and Co-Founder of Umbo, University of Sydney

    Shutterstock

    Each year, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) reviews its pricing rules to ensure services funded under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) remain sustainable.

    This year’s annual pricing review outlines changes that will take effect from July 1 2025.

    Among the updates are changes to therapy pricing, travel reimbursement, and rural loadings. The NDIA says this will bring NDIS pricing in line with other government schemes and private health insurance.

    But what do these changes mean for people outside the big cities?

    What’s changing

    Key changes include:

    • adjusted therapy support rates, including a $10 per hour reduction for physiotherapists to $183.99 per hour.

    • travel reimbursement for therapists will be halved (from 100% to 50% of the hourly rate during any time spent travelling)

    • price loadings for some rural and remote areas will be removed.

    The NDIA justifies these decisions with a dataset that includes the average of hourly rates from Medicare, private health claims, and 13 other government programs.

    The agency says some NDIS therapy prices exceed mainstream equivalents by up to 68%.

    Why pricing comparisons don’t always translate to rural services

    While these comparisons might make sense for metropolitan clinics, they do not capture the realities of service delivery in rural and remote areas.

    For example, allied health professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and speech pathologists in cities can see multiple clients in a row at one location (although this isn’t always realistic or best practice in cities either).

    In contrast, rural and remote providers may drive hundreds of kilometres between appointments. Much of their time, including travel, planning, and follow-up, is essential but often unbilled.

    So while $193.99 (soon $183.99) per hour for physiotherapy might look generous, it does not reflect what is left after factoring in travel and unpaid care coordination.

    Disabilities are complex and often lifelong, so clinical support is time-consuming. However, that is something clinicians are passionate about – therapists so often squirm at the thought of billing our clients for anything other than direct clinical services.

    The NDIA’s own data confirm most therapy providers are small operators. In fact, 90% are unregistered, and many serve fewer than five participants.

    The result is a fragile “market”, particularly in towns with limited infrastructure. If pricing makes it unviable for local clinicians to offer services, the only remaining options may involve families travelling long distances or forgoing support entirely. This has knock-on effects for local economies and contributes to professional burnout and workforce shortages.

    What this means for rural families

    For families living in towns with limited services, travel is not optional. It is a lifeline. If providers cannot afford to travel, many people with disability simply go without.

    Telepractice can be used in some clinical situations, but not all. The most effective kind of telepractice also includes support from local clinicians and coworkers, and ideally a mix of in-person and online consultations.

    One family I worked with during my PhD research lived four hours from the nearest regional centre. After an 18-month wait, their child’s therapy appointment was cancelled twice due to workforce shortages. They eventually paid privately for a service in another state.

    This story is not unusual. Many families said they did not necessarily want more funding; they just wanted support delivered in ways that worked for them. Being able to access help locally allowed their children to remain part of the school community and reduced pressure on carers already juggling other responsibilities. Clinicians, communities, and families are continuing to tell very similar stories.

    It is essential clinicians are able to travel to meet with NDIS clients in regional areas.
    Shutterstock

    Is there a better way?

    My research found rural families preferred flexible models that blended telepractice with local capacity-building. These hybrid approaches worked well when supported by policy that allowed for coordination, community involvement, and some in-person time. They were not luxury add-ons. They were what made services possible.

    There is also a long-term benefit in supporting local service ecosystems. When therapists can build relationships within a community, they are more likely to stay, collaborate with other professionals, and mentor early-career clinicians.

    This helps reduce churn and provides continuity of care. However, with travel reimbursement and rural loadings cut, sustaining these models becomes more difficult.

    What happens next?

    The NDIA’s strategy includes a shift toward “differentiated pricing”, which could eventually support more tailored approaches. The Department of Social Services has also promised to offer “foundational supports” outside the NDIS, but it is currently unclear what the nature of these supports will be. Right now, though, rural communities are being asked to absorb the reduced funding and limited flexibility. Without further adjustment, these changes risk widening the gap between metropolitan and non-metropolitan service access.

    A single national price does not guarantee equal access. Equity comes from recognising and responding to different contexts. For rural and remote Australians living with disability, that recognition is long overdue.

    Until then, it will be up to 7 million rural Australians to make it work for themselves in places where resources are already stretched thin.

    I am a co-founder of Umbo Pty Ltd (an NDIS therapy provider which provides telepractice services)

    – ref. The NDIA is changing how it pays for disability supports. What does that mean for rural communities? – https://theconversation.com/the-ndia-is-changing-how-it-pays-for-disability-supports-what-does-that-mean-for-rural-communities-259148

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Supreme Court rules that states may deny people covered by Medicaid the freedom to choose Planned Parenthood as their health care provider

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Naomi Cahn, Professor of Law, University of Virginia

    Abortion-rights demonstrators holds a sign in front of the Supreme Court building in Washington as the Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic case is heard on April 2, 2025. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

    Having the freedom to choose your own health care provider is something many Americans take for granted. But the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority ruled on June 25, 2025, in a 6-3 decision that people who rely on Medicaid for their health insurance don’t have that right.

    The case, Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, is focused on a technical legal issue: whether people covered by Medicaid have the right to sue state officials for preventing them from choosing their health care provider. In his majority opinion, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that they don’t because the Medicaid statute did not “clearly and unambiguously” give individuals that right.

    As law professors who teach courses about health and poverty law as well as reproductive justice, we think this ruling could restrict access to health care for the more than 78 million Americans who get their health insurance coverage through the Medicaid program.

    Excluding Planned Parenthood

    The case started with a predicament for South Carolina resident Julie Edwards, who is enrolled in Medicaid. After Edwards struggled to get contraceptive services, she was able to receive care from a Planned Parenthood South Atlantic clinic in Columbia, South Carolina.

    Planned Parenthood, an array of nonprofits with roots that date back more than a century, is among the nation’s top providers of reproductive services. It operates two clinics in South Carolina, where patients can get physical exams, cancer screenings, contraception and other services. It also provides same-day appointments and keeps long hours.

    In July 2018, however, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order that barred Medicaid reimbursement for health care providers in the state that offer abortion care.

    That meant Planned Parenthood, a longtime target of conservatives’ ire, would no longer be reimbursed for any type of care for Medicaid patients, preventing Edwards from transferring all her gynecological care to that office as she had hoped to do.

    Planned Parenthood and Edwards sued South Carolina. They argued that the state was violating the federal Medicare and Medicaid Act, which Congress passed in 1965, by not letting Edwards obtain care from the provider of her choice.

    A ‘free-choice-of-provider’ requirement

    Medicaid, which mainly covers low-income people, their children and people with disabilities, operates as a partnership between the federal government and the states. Congress passed the law that led to its creation based on its power under the Constitution’s spending clause, which allows Congress to subject federal funds to certain requirements.

    Two years later, due to concerns that states were restricting which providers Medicaid recipients could choose, Congress added a “free-choice-of-provider” requirement to the program. It states that people enrolled in Medicaid “may obtain such assistance from any institution, agency, community pharmacy, or person, qualified to perform the service or services required.”

    While the Medicaid statute does not, by itself, allow people enrolled in that program to enforce this free-choice clause, the question at the core of this case was whether another federal statute, known as Section 1983, did give them a right to sue.

    The Supreme Court has long recognized that Section 1983 protects an individual’s ability to sue when their rights under a federal statute have been violated. In fact, in 2023, it found such a right under the Medicaid Nursing Home Reform Act. The court held that Section 1983 confers the right to sue when a statute’s provisions “unambiguously confer individual federal rights.”

    In Medina, however, the court found that there was no right to sue. Instead, the court emphasized that “the typical remedy” is for the federal government to cut off Medicaid funds to a state if a state is not complying with the Medicaid statute.

    The ruling overturned lower-court decisions in favor of Edwards. It also expressly rejected the Supreme Court’s earlier rulings, which the majority criticized as taking a more “expansive view of its power to imply private causes of action to enforce federal laws.”

    Planned Parenthood clinics, like this one in Los Angeles, are located across the United States.
    Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

    Restricting Medicaid funds

    This dispute is just one chapter in the long fight over access to abortion in the U.S. In addition to the question of whether it should be legal, proponents and opponents of abortion rights have battled over whether the government should pay for it – even if that funding happens indirectly.

    Through a federal law known as the Hyde Amendment, Medicaid cannot reimburse health care providers for the cost of abortions, with a few exceptions: when a patient’s life is at risk, or her pregnancy is due to rape or incest. Some states do cover abortion when their laws allow it, without using any federal funds.

    As a result, Planned Parenthood rarely gets any federal Medicaid funds for abortions.

    McMaster explained that he removed “abortion clinics,” including Planned Parenthood, from the South Carolina Medicaid program because he didn’t want state funds to indirectly subsidize abortions.

    After the Supreme Court ruled on this case, McMaster said he had taken “a stand to protect the sanctity of life and defend South Carolina’s authority and values – and today, we are finally victorious.”

    But only about 4% of Planned Parenthood’s services nationwide were related to abortion, as of 2022. Its most common service is testing for sexually transmitted diseases. Across the nation, Planned Parenthood provides health care to more than 2 million patients per year, most of whom have low incomes.

    South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster stands outside the Supreme Court building in Washington in April 2025 and speaks about this case.
    Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

    Consequences beyond South Carolina

    This ruling’s consequences are not limited to Medicaid access in South Carolina.

    It may make it harder for individuals to use Section 1983 to bring claims under any federal statute. As Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, wrote in her dissent, the court “continues the project of stymying one of the country’s great civil rights laws.”

    Enacted in 1871, the civil rights law has been invoked to challenge violations of rights by state officials against individuals. Jackson wrote that the court now limits the ability to use Section 1983 to vindicate personal rights only if the statutes use the correct “magic words.”

    The dissent also criticized the majority decision as likely “to result in tangible harm to real people.” Not only will it potentially deprive “Medicaid recipients in South Carolina of their only meaningful way of enforcing a right that Congress has expressly granted to them,” Jackson wrote, but it could also “strip those South Carolinians – and countless other Medicaid recipients around the country – of a deeply personal freedom: the ‘ability to decide who treats us at our most vulnerable.’”

    The decision could also have far-reaching consequences. Arkansas, Missouri and Texas have already barred Planned Parenthood from getting reimbursed by Medicaid for any kind of health care. More states could follow suit.

    In addition, given Planned Parenthood’s role in providing contraceptive care, disqualifying it from Medicaid could restrict access to health care and increase the already-high unintended pregnancy rate in America.

    States could also try to exclude providers based on other characteristics, such as whether their employees belong to unions or if they provide their patients with gender-affirming care, further restricting patients’ choices.

    With this ruling, the court is allowing a patchwork of state exclusions of Planned Parenthood and other medical providers from the Medicaid program that could soon resemble the patchwork already seen with abortion access.

    Portions of this article first appeared in another article published on April 2, 2025.

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

    – ref. Supreme Court rules that states may deny people covered by Medicaid the freedom to choose Planned Parenthood as their health care provider – https://theconversation.com/supreme-court-rules-that-states-may-deny-people-covered-by-medicaid-the-freedom-to-choose-planned-parenthood-as-their-health-care-provider-259953

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn, Intelligence Committee Colleagues Introduce Bill to Streamline Intelligence Community Acquisition Processes

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA), and Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) today introduced the Intelligence Community Technology Bridge Act, which would enable the Intelligence Community (IC) to streamline acquisition processes and prioritize small business and nontraditional defense contractor solutions: 

    “There are important advancements in intelligence products being made in the private sector, but our intelligence agencies and private sector partners must fight bureaucratic delays throughout the acquisition process,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This legislation would give our Intelligence Community the flexibility and agility it needs to speed up the acquisition of cutting-edge technologies and leverage American innovation across the country to get the most capable tools into the hands of our intelligence collectors and analysts.”

    “Our nation is not lacking in innovation or entrepreneurship – it’s lacking in the ability to quickly put these cutting-edge technologies in the hands of the intelligence agencies that keep us safe,” said Sen. Warner. “As our adversaries ramp up their tech capabilities, I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to provide the funding needed to level up smart products and services beyond the research and development stage and streamline the process through which our Intelligence Community acquires them.” 

    “Our Intelligence Community works hard every day to protect our nation without any recognition or glory, but they are also fighting our own government with the amount of time it takes to process newer technology,” said Sen. Lankford.“The bad actors and foreign adversaries who are coming after us every day are not going to wait around while our Intelligence Community waits on bureaucratic delays. Our nation must have the ability to stop whatever new technology is being used against us without unnecessary delays.”

    “Bridging the gap between research and real-world use is critical to ensuring our intelligence community has timely access to the most advanced tools and technologies,” said Sen. Kelly. “By cutting unnecessary red tape and accelerating innovation, we can better support small businesses and innovators, get cutting-edge technologies into the hands of the intelligence community faster, and strengthen our national security advantage.”

    Background:

     In light of global threats to national security, acquisition leaders in the Intelligence Community (IC) must be able to secure technological advantages through the identification, development, and transfer of promising technologies to full-scale programs capable of meeting IC requirements.

    This legislation would create a fund to assist in transitioning useful IC products from the research and development phase to the contracting and production phase, with priority given to small business concerns and nontraditional defense contractors.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pelosi on the 80th Anniversary of the United Nations: “One of the world’s greatest organizations for peace and the advancement of humanity.”

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi Representing the 12th District of California

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi commemorated the 80th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter, recognizing the founding of one of the world’s most enduring institutions for peace and global cooperation.

    Speaking on the House Floor, she reflected on the historic role San Francisco played in hosting the 1945 conference that gave birth to the U.N., underscoring the pride felt by the city and its people.

    Watch her full remarks here.

    Read the transcript of Speaker Emerita Pelosi’s Floor remarks below:

    Speaker Emerita Pelosi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter and the establishment of one of the world’s greatest organizations for peace and the advancement of humanity.

    As a representative of San Francisco, this anniversary has a particular pride for the people of my city and for me, for it was in San Francisco that we played host to the Grand Conference of Delegates that wrote the U.N. Charter.

    And it was in San Francisco’s War Memorial and Performing Arts Center on June 26, 1945, that the charter was signed. On that day, President Harry Truman came to the plenary session to offer his congratulations and his hopes for the future of a new United Nations.

    He said, ‘You have created a great instrument for peace and security and human progress in the world.’

    President Truman said that. ‘And the world must use it now.’ The world must use it now. It was true then. It is true now. Eight decades later, 193 member states have ratified the charter. That day was 50, and then Poland joined making it 51.

    Now 193 members have ratified the charter. The world’s greatest leaders and thinkers have been among the United Nations representatives.

    In 1946, United Nations General Assembly delegate and former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt helped draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which builds on President Franklin Roosevelt’s commitment to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from fear and freedom from want—for all people.

    Throughout its history, the United Nations has worked to end disease, hunger and poverty. It has sought to advance human rights, human dignity and opportunities for women and girls.

    It has focused the world’s attention on the plight of refugees and the urgency of the climate crisis with its Sustainable Development Goals. It has been a bulwark for global peace and peacekeeping.

    And in striving to fulfill the ideals and promises of its charter, the United Nations, related agencies, programs and staff had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 11 times.

    In 1950, Ralph Bunche, an American, became the first person affiliated with the new organization to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In his acceptance speech, he remarked. ‘I am but one of many cogs in the United Nations. The greatest peace organization ever dedicated to the salvation of mankind’s future on Earth.’

    Under the leadership of Secretary-General António Guterres, the United Nations remains a strong, resolute, unwavering voice for peace in a world burdened by war.

    And today, the United Nations is convening a plenary meeting of the General Assembly in New York at the United Nations Headquarters to – in their quote, ‘to revive the spirit of San Francisco and once again embrace the ideals that united humanity during the darkest hour, reaffirming our commitment to those values into the future.’

    May we recapture the spirit of solidarity that existed in San Francisco 80 years ago as United Nations continues to stand as a beacon of peace for the next 80 years and beyond.

    Since I have a little more time, I want to just tell a personal story. When I was in high school – this is like a dozen years after the founding of the United Nations – President, then-Senator Kennedy came to Baltimore for a great event. It was the United Nations Association of Maryland dinner honoring someone named Jacob Blaustein, a civic leader in our community.

    My father was the mayor of Baltimore. My mother, knowing how much I admired the Kennedy family because we were taught by Irish Catholic nuns from Boston—even in Baltimore, she said ‘I don’t think I feel well going to the dinner tonight. Why don’t you take my place?’

    Taking her place meant sitting next to Senator Kennedy for this dinner where he was giving the keynote address. There’s a picture of that occasion. Why I tell the story is, I was a member of United Nations Youth in high school, was like a junior in high school at the time.

    And there was a table of United Nations Youth. And they came over to me and said, ‘Since you’re a member of United Nations Youth, we invite you to sit with us at our table.’

    Oh, my gosh. John F. Kennedy, United Nations Youth. As conflicted as I was, how could I leave a vacant seat next to Senator Kennedy of Massachusetts, soon to become President of the United States?

    In any event, as I said at the beginning, this holds a special particular pride for me personally as well as officially.

    I yield back. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Secretary-General of ASEAN engages in an interview with Maghreb Arabe Presse

    Source: ASEAN

    In wrapping up his Official Visit to Morocco, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today shared his views with Maghreb Arabe Presse on the potential of the ASEAN-Morocco Sectoral Dialogue Partnership, which includes the areas of trade and investment, energy and climate change, education and youth, tourism and culture, and connectivity, among others. SG Dr. Kao also expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to learn more about the trajectory of Morocco’s national development, especially through his meetings with high-level Moroccan government officials. He further shared his perspectives on ways to further strengthen ASEAN-Morocco ties, particularly by promoting people-to-people ties, cultural and academic exchanges, facilitating private sector engagement and building institutional linkages. Maghreb Arabe Presse—is the official Moroccan news agency based in Rabat, established in 1959. It serves as the primary source of news and information for the Kingdom of Morocco, both domestically and internationally.

    The post Secretary-General of ASEAN engages in an interview with Maghreb Arabe Presse appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Secretary-General of ASEAN engages in an interview with Maghreb Arabe Presse

    Source: ASEAN

    In wrapping up his Official Visit to Morocco, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today shared his views with Maghreb Arabe Presse on the potential of the ASEAN-Morocco Sectoral Dialogue Partnership, which includes the areas of trade and investment, energy and climate change, education and youth, tourism and culture, and connectivity, among others. SG Dr. Kao also expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to learn more about the trajectory of Morocco’s national development, especially through his meetings with high-level Moroccan government officials. He further shared his perspectives on ways to further strengthen ASEAN-Morocco ties, particularly by promoting people-to-people ties, cultural and academic exchanges, facilitating private sector engagement and building institutional linkages. Maghreb Arabe Presse—is the official Moroccan news agency based in Rabat, established in 1959. It serves as the primary source of news and information for the Kingdom of Morocco, both domestically and internationally.

    The post Secretary-General of ASEAN engages in an interview with Maghreb Arabe Presse appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart by-election result announced

    Source: Scotland – City of Edinburgh

    Kevin Joseph McKay of the Scottish Liberal Democrats (left) and Returning Officer for Edinburgh Paul Lawrence (right).

    The Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart by-election result has been announced at Waverley Court.

    Kevin Joseph McKay of the Scottish Liberal Democrats has been duly elected to serve in the City of Edinburgh Council as a member for the Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart ward.

    The declaration was made in the early hours of Friday 27 June by Returning Officer for Edinburgh, Paul Lawrence.

    Returning Officer for Edinburgh Paul Lawrence, said:

    Thanks to everyone who took part in this by-election. I would like to welcome Kevin as a new councillor, and I look forward to working with him. Kevin will now have a key role in representing his constituents on matters affecting the ward and the wider city.

    My thanks also go to our elections team and other council colleagues who have been working hard to deliver this by-election smoothly and securely.

    The current electorate is 18,945. The turnout for the by-election was 33.1% (6,264).

    For further details of the result and the Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart by-election, please see the Elections section of the Council website.

    Published: June 27th 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Bitcoin Treasury Corporation Announces the Resumption of Trading of Its Common Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange, Closing of Common Share Offering and Initial Bitcoin Acquisition

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Trading to Commence Under Symbol “BTCT”

    Not for distribution to United States news wire services or for dissemination in the United States.

    TORONTO, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitcoin Treasury Corporation (TSXV: BTCT) (“Bitcoin Treasury” or the “Corporation”), further to its press releases dated June 17, 2025, and June 24, 2025, is pleased to announce that the Corporation’s common shares (the “Bitcoin Treasury Shares”) have been listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (the “TSXV”) with an immediate trading halt and, pursuant to a bulletin issued by the TSXV on June 26, 2025, the Bitcoin Treasury Shares will resume trading freely on June 30, 2025 under the symbol BTCT, CUSIP Number: 09175U103. There are 10,075,080 Bitcoin Treasury Shares issued and outstanding.

    Bitcoin Treasury Share Offering

    The Corporation also wishes to announce that, as of today, it has completed its brokered offering (the “Offering”) of 426,650 Bitcoin Treasury Shares at a price of $10.00 per Bitcoin Treasury Share (the “Offered Shares”). The Offering, combined with the Concurrent Financing (as defined in the Corporation’s press release dated June 23, 2025), resulted in aggregate gross proceeds to the Corporation of $125,000,000. The Offered Shares are eligible for investment in RRSPs, RESPs, RRIFs, RDSPs, TFSAs, FHSAs and DPSPs, but are subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus one day from today, June 26, 2025, being the date the Offered Shares were issued, in accordance with Applicable Canadian Securities Laws. As announced in a press release of the Corporation dated June 24, 2025, the TSXV issued a bulletin on June 24, 2025, providing that the Corporation had met all final listing requirements assuming completion of the Offering.

    Canaccord Genuity and Stifel acted as co-lead agents, together with National Bank Financial Markets, BMO Capital Markets, CIBC Capital Markets, Wellington-Altus, Greenhill, a Mizuho affiliate, Research Capital, Haywood Securities, ATB Capital Markets, Independent Trading Group, Richardson Wealth and Ventum Capital Markets (collectively, the “Agents”) in connection with the Offering. As consideration for their services, the Corporation paid to the Agents cash fees of $178,950.

    Bitcoin Acquisition

    On June 26, 2025, following the closing of its concurrent financing, the Corporation acquired 292.80 Bitcoin for a total purchase price of CAD $43,127,353. The Corporation now holds 292.80 Bitcoin on its balance sheet. This acquisition marks the official launch of BTCT’s Bitcoin accumulation plan. The Corporation will disclose its initial Bitcoin per Share (BPS) once this phase of the program is complete.

    BTCT intends to leverage its Bitcoin holdings to offer institutional lending solutions that provide liquidity to counterparties, while prioritizing financial security and disciplined risk management. The Corporation views Bitcoin not only as a long-term reserve asset, but also as a core component of its operating model and revenue generation strategy.

    About Bitcoin Treasury

    Bitcoin Treasury Corporation is a Canadian-based company focused on institutional-grade Bitcoin services, initially offering Bitcoin-denominated loans., including lending, liquidity, and collateral solutions. Bitcoin Treasury’s core strategy is to build shareholder value through the strategic accumulation and active deployment of Bitcoin. Recognizing Bitcoin’s finite supply and long-term potential, the Corporation intends to maintain a robust treasury position while supporting the development of its service offerings.

    For further information, please contact:

    Bitcoin Treasury Corporation
    Elliot Johnson, Chief Executive Officer
    Phone: 416-619-3403
    Email: ejohnson@btctcorp.com

    Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

    Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

    This news release includes certain “forward-looking statements” under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Any statements that involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expect”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, “plans”, “budget”, “scheduled”, or variations of such words and phrases) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information and are intended to identify forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: business integration risks; the Corporation’s operating results will experience significant fluctuations due to the highly volatile nature of Bitcoin; the Corporation operates in a heavily regulated environment and any material changes or actions could lead to negative adverse effects to the business model, operational results, and financial condition of the Corporation; evolving cryptocurrency regulatory requirements and the impact on the Corporation’s business plan; Bitcoin value risk; reliance on key personnel; implementation of the Corporation’s business plan; lack of operating history; competitive conditions; de banking and financial services risk; anti money laundering and corrupt business practices; additional capital; financing risks; global financial conditions; insurance and uninsured risks; cybersecurity risks; changes to bank fees or practices, or payment card networks; audit of tax filings; market for the Bitcoin Treasury Shares; market price of the Bitcoin Treasury Shares; conflicts of interest; internal controls; tariffs and the imposition of other restrictions on trade could adversely affect the Corporation’s business; risk of litigation; pandemics or other health crisis; acquisitions and integration; risk of dilution of Bitcoin Treasury securities; dividend policy; Bitcoin price volatility; custodial risks; technological vulnerabilities; Bitcoin transactions are irreversible and may result in significant losses; short history risk; limited history of the Bitcoin market; potential decrease in the global demand for Bitcoin; economic and political factors; top Bitcoin holders control a significant percentage of the outstanding Bitcoin; availability of exchange traded products liquidity; security breaches; the requirements that accompany being a publicly traded company may put a strain on the Corporation’s resources, divert attention from management, and adversely affect its ability to maintain and attract management and qualified board members; liquidity risk; leverage risk; and share price fluctuations.

    Although management of the Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions and have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and the Corporation does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward -looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, change in management’s estimates or opinions, future circumstances or events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities law.

    The TSXV has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Bitcoin Treasury Corporation Announces the Resumption of Trading of Its Common Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange, Closing of Common Share Offering and Initial Bitcoin Acquisition

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Trading to Commence Under Symbol “BTCT”

    Not for distribution to United States news wire services or for dissemination in the United States.

    TORONTO, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitcoin Treasury Corporation (TSXV: BTCT) (“Bitcoin Treasury” or the “Corporation”), further to its press releases dated June 17, 2025, and June 24, 2025, is pleased to announce that the Corporation’s common shares (the “Bitcoin Treasury Shares”) have been listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (the “TSXV”) with an immediate trading halt and, pursuant to a bulletin issued by the TSXV on June 26, 2025, the Bitcoin Treasury Shares will resume trading freely on June 30, 2025 under the symbol BTCT, CUSIP Number: 09175U103. There are 10,075,080 Bitcoin Treasury Shares issued and outstanding.

    Bitcoin Treasury Share Offering

    The Corporation also wishes to announce that, as of today, it has completed its brokered offering (the “Offering”) of 426,650 Bitcoin Treasury Shares at a price of $10.00 per Bitcoin Treasury Share (the “Offered Shares”). The Offering, combined with the Concurrent Financing (as defined in the Corporation’s press release dated June 23, 2025), resulted in aggregate gross proceeds to the Corporation of $125,000,000. The Offered Shares are eligible for investment in RRSPs, RESPs, RRIFs, RDSPs, TFSAs, FHSAs and DPSPs, but are subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus one day from today, June 26, 2025, being the date the Offered Shares were issued, in accordance with Applicable Canadian Securities Laws. As announced in a press release of the Corporation dated June 24, 2025, the TSXV issued a bulletin on June 24, 2025, providing that the Corporation had met all final listing requirements assuming completion of the Offering.

    Canaccord Genuity and Stifel acted as co-lead agents, together with National Bank Financial Markets, BMO Capital Markets, CIBC Capital Markets, Wellington-Altus, Greenhill, a Mizuho affiliate, Research Capital, Haywood Securities, ATB Capital Markets, Independent Trading Group, Richardson Wealth and Ventum Capital Markets (collectively, the “Agents”) in connection with the Offering. As consideration for their services, the Corporation paid to the Agents cash fees of $178,950.

    Bitcoin Acquisition

    On June 26, 2025, following the closing of its concurrent financing, the Corporation acquired 292.80 Bitcoin for a total purchase price of CAD $43,127,353. The Corporation now holds 292.80 Bitcoin on its balance sheet. This acquisition marks the official launch of BTCT’s Bitcoin accumulation plan. The Corporation will disclose its initial Bitcoin per Share (BPS) once this phase of the program is complete.

    BTCT intends to leverage its Bitcoin holdings to offer institutional lending solutions that provide liquidity to counterparties, while prioritizing financial security and disciplined risk management. The Corporation views Bitcoin not only as a long-term reserve asset, but also as a core component of its operating model and revenue generation strategy.

    About Bitcoin Treasury

    Bitcoin Treasury Corporation is a Canadian-based company focused on institutional-grade Bitcoin services, initially offering Bitcoin-denominated loans., including lending, liquidity, and collateral solutions. Bitcoin Treasury’s core strategy is to build shareholder value through the strategic accumulation and active deployment of Bitcoin. Recognizing Bitcoin’s finite supply and long-term potential, the Corporation intends to maintain a robust treasury position while supporting the development of its service offerings.

    For further information, please contact:

    Bitcoin Treasury Corporation
    Elliot Johnson, Chief Executive Officer
    Phone: 416-619-3403
    Email: ejohnson@btctcorp.com

    Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

    Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

    This news release includes certain “forward-looking statements” under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Any statements that involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expect”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, “plans”, “budget”, “scheduled”, or variations of such words and phrases) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information and are intended to identify forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: business integration risks; the Corporation’s operating results will experience significant fluctuations due to the highly volatile nature of Bitcoin; the Corporation operates in a heavily regulated environment and any material changes or actions could lead to negative adverse effects to the business model, operational results, and financial condition of the Corporation; evolving cryptocurrency regulatory requirements and the impact on the Corporation’s business plan; Bitcoin value risk; reliance on key personnel; implementation of the Corporation’s business plan; lack of operating history; competitive conditions; de banking and financial services risk; anti money laundering and corrupt business practices; additional capital; financing risks; global financial conditions; insurance and uninsured risks; cybersecurity risks; changes to bank fees or practices, or payment card networks; audit of tax filings; market for the Bitcoin Treasury Shares; market price of the Bitcoin Treasury Shares; conflicts of interest; internal controls; tariffs and the imposition of other restrictions on trade could adversely affect the Corporation’s business; risk of litigation; pandemics or other health crisis; acquisitions and integration; risk of dilution of Bitcoin Treasury securities; dividend policy; Bitcoin price volatility; custodial risks; technological vulnerabilities; Bitcoin transactions are irreversible and may result in significant losses; short history risk; limited history of the Bitcoin market; potential decrease in the global demand for Bitcoin; economic and political factors; top Bitcoin holders control a significant percentage of the outstanding Bitcoin; availability of exchange traded products liquidity; security breaches; the requirements that accompany being a publicly traded company may put a strain on the Corporation’s resources, divert attention from management, and adversely affect its ability to maintain and attract management and qualified board members; liquidity risk; leverage risk; and share price fluctuations.

    Although management of the Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions and have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and the Corporation does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward -looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, change in management’s estimates or opinions, future circumstances or events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities law.

    The TSXV has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Starmer u-turn creates two-tier welfare system that will “hurt disabled people”

    Source: Scottish Greens

    26 Jun 2025 Equality

    Greens welcome concesions on Welfare Bill but demand further action

    More in Equality

    The UK Labour Government’s u-turn on their assault of disabled people has been reportedly watered down following a rebellion of Labour MPs but will still “hurt disabled people” across the UK says Green MSP, Maggie Chapman.

    A number of Scottish Labour MPs including Michael Shanks have backed Keir Starmer’s plans to cut Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and health based Universal Credit for disabled claimants.

    The alleged deal between Keir Starmer and a number of MPs who rebelled will see people currently receiving PIP and UC, continue under the current rules, with all new claimants facing harsh eligibility assessments which will see people go without the crucial support they need.

    Reacting to the climbdown from Starmer, Scottish Greens MSP, Maggie Chapman said:

    “This decision is good news but only for some people. It is testament to the hard work and determination of disabled people and other activists who have been fighting to stop these brutal cuts.

    “Starmer might have done a partial u-turn but, he’s instead of creating a fair welfare system for all he’s created a two-tier benefits system. New claimants will still be subjected to the new, harsher assessment regime, and will not receive the benefits they need and deserve.

    “It’s astonishing that a Labour government would ever even contemplate such cruel and inhuman cuts at all. However we’ve seen over the past 11 months of Starmer in number 10 that he’s nothing more than a Tory in Labour clothing.

    “We must keep up the pressure to ensure that new claimants get what they need, because these reforms will still hurt thousands of disabled people around the country for generations to come.

    “These rebels might have saved Starmer’s skin this time, but Greens will keep fighting against these dangerous austerity measures from Labour and make the case for Scotland to build a fair social security system that treats everyone with dignity and respect.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI China: Iran says no agreement made to resume US talks

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

    Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that no arrangement or commitment had been made to resume negotiations with the United States, amid heightened tensions following attacks by Israel and the United States on Iranian territory.

    In an interview with state broadcaster IRIB, Araghchi said the possibility of restarting talks was under consideration but would depend on whether Tehran’s national interests were protected.

    “Our decisions will be based solely on Iran’s interests,” he said. “If our interests require a return to negotiations, we will consider it. But at this stage, no agreement or promise has been made and no talks have taken place.”

    Araghchi accused Washington of betraying Iran during previous rounds of negotiations on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal and lifting U.S. sanctions.

    The Iranian diplomat also confirmed that a law suspending cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog had become binding after being passed by parliament and approved by the Guardian Council, a top constitutional oversight body.

    “The law is now obligatory and will be implemented. Our cooperation with the IAEA will take a new shape,” he said.

    Araghchi also said the damage caused by the 12-day war with Israel was “serious” and that experts from the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran were conducting a detailed assessment. He said the question of demanding reparations was high on the government’s agenda.

    The conflict began on June 13 when Israel launched airstrikes on multiple targets across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, killing several senior commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians. The attacks came just days before Iran and the United States were expected to resume indirect nuclear negotiations in Muscat, Oman, on June 15.

    In response, Iran launched waves of missile and drone strikes on Israel, causing casualties and damage.

    On Saturday, the U.S. Air Force struck three key Iranian nuclear sites. In retaliation, Iran fired missiles at the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday.

    The 12-day conflict ended with a ceasefire between Iran and Israel on Tuesday.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Politics – People’s Select Committee on Pay Equity encourage submissions

    Source: People’s Select Committee on Pay Equity

    The People’s Select Committee on Pay Equity, formed by 10 former women MPs, has today provided an update on progress and released its Terms of Reference, following the Committee’s first meeting.

    “We are thrilled that hundreds of New Zealanders have already sent in submissions and taken the time to share their experiences and expertise with us,” said Professor Marilyn Waring DNZM.

    “The Committee recently met for the first time and discussed how we would work together. We have a good range of views and understanding represented and so we are well placed to consider the legislative changes and public views.

    “I encourage people to keep sending in submissions, in particular we want to ensure that we hear from employers and people who may not disagree with the law change, to ensure that a wide range of views are represented.

    “We are looking forward to hearing from organisations, experts and workers at our first oral hearing, to be held in Wellington on the 11th of August 2025.

    “The Committee will deliver a report at the end of this process that will provide a summary of the key themes and conclusions of the submissions, and other evidence collected from OIAs, data analyses, parliamentary debates and press statements, as well as rigorous research on pay equity. This report will be provided to Parliament and available to the public by the end of the year,” said Waring.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: SOPA Announces the Winners of its 2025 Awards for Editorial Excellence

    Source: Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA)

    Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain delivered the keynote address about image, voice and trust in the age of AI

    HONG KONG, June 26, 2025 – The Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA), a Hong Kong-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to encouraging the highest standards in journalism, announced the winners of its prestigious annual Awards for Editorial Excellence. (full list of winners also available here:

    https://sopawards.com/the-sopa-awards/award-winners/)

    The awards recognize outstanding journalistic work from the past year in the Asia-Pacific region and were given out at a celebratory dinner in Hong Kong on Thursday June 26, marking the 27th consecutive year of the awards.

    Global, regional/local, and Chinese-language media outlets submitted more than 700 entries in 21 categories including Bahasa Indonesia, which has been part of the lineup for the past three years.

    Submissions from regional and local publications rose substantially from a year earlier, showing the growing voices of smaller publications around the region. To help showcase grassroots coverage, SOPA offered reduced entry fees to small media outlets and first-time entrants from a dozen countries and regions. Several took home prizes including Mekong Eye, which won the top regional/local award in Investigative Reporting for Cattle Hustle, and Hong Kong’s HK Feature got Honorable Mention in the Chinese-language Feature Writing category for ‘Democracy pineapple’ caught in political dilemma across the Taiwan Strait. Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism won the top regional/local award in Explanatory Reporting for Renewed Attention on Political Dynasties in the Philippines.

    China’s economy and tensions with the U.S. over technology continued to be a focus, while brewing issues on a number of fronts sparked an increase in India-related entries.

    Here are some highlights:

    EXCELLENCE IN REPORTING ON WOMEN’S ISSUES

    The New York Times with The Fuller Project won the top global award for The Brutality of Sugar, with judges calling it an “eye-opening” account “revealing the horrendous conditions facing women in India’s sugar industry.”

    The Wire won the top regional/local award for Breaking The Nets, which the judges said offered “a fascinating insight into the knock-on effects of India’s patriarchal society” and how women contend with them.EXCELLENCE IN AUDIO REPORTING

    Mongabay won the top regional/local award for Wild Frequencies: How listening to India’s animals inspires people to protect wildlife, which judges praised as showing how sounds are a clue to “whether an ecosystem is healthy or imperiled.”

    EXCELLENCE IN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORTING

    The Collective HK won the top Chinese-language award for Five Years After Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement: How are they?, which focused on four personalities in the 2019 social movement in Hong Kong and the judges said is “full of drama” without “emotive writing.”

    EXCELLENCE IN FEATURE WRITING

    The Australian Financial Review won the top regional/local award for Inside the ‘unending chaos’ at Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue, which the judges called “an impressive portrait” of an Australian businessman involved in tackling climate change.

    Initium Media won the top Chinese-language group award for Chinese Fighting for Russia: Money, Thrill and Becoming Influencers, which the judges noted had “sparked significant attention and discussion.”

    EXCELLENCE IN TECHNOLOGY REPORTING

    Nikkei Asia won the top global award for China’s tech industry fights back, which the judges called “a well-reported exploration of China’s drive for tech primacy in the face of U.S. restrictions.”

    EXCELLENCE IN ARTS AND CULTURE REPORTING

    The Economist’s 1843 Magazine won the top global award for How I became the Taliban’s portrait artist, which the judges called “a gripping account” of how the author’s own kidnapping in Afghanistan showed an unexpected side of today’s Taliban.

    EXCELLENCE IN REPORTING BREAKING NEWS

    Reuters won the top global and regional/local award for South Korea’s martial law crisis, which judges said, “kept global audiences informed about one of the biggest breaking stories last year.”EXCELLENCE IN OPINION WRITING

    Singapore’s The Straits Times won the regional/local award for No country for young men: Where is Malaysia’s next generation of leaders? The judges said it “demystifies the complex web of personalities shaping Malaysian politics.”

    The judges selected Qianer Liu of The Information for the SOPA Award for Young Journalist citing her “unique insights into the tech competition between the U.S. and China.”

    The Wall Street Journal won the coveted SOPA Award for Public Service Journalism for A Vicious New Scam Industry Metastasizes that detailed the brutal reality of the global criminal enterprise of “pig butchering” cyber fraud.

    “Congratulations to all the winners, honorable mentions and finalists,” said Bill Ridgers, Asia Digital Editor at The Economist and Co-Chair of SOPA’s Editorial Committee. “The high quality of entries for the SOPA 2025 awards is proof that the media continues to perform a critical role in informing readers in Asia Pacific and elsewhere about this region and helping shape public discourse.”

    SOPA would like to thank Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain who spoke on image, voice and trust in the age of AI. Her keynote address will be available on SOPA’s YouTube channel from 28 June, 2025. (link: https://www.youtube.com/@sopaasia)

    We also extend thanks to our nearly 120 volunteer judges and to Karen Koh for being our Master of Ceremonies, and to the University of Hong Kong’s Journalism and Media Studies Centre, which has administered the awards since 2011.

    Critical to presenting the awards are our sponsors. Factiva is an Associate Sponsor and Telum Media is a Supporting Partner.

    Awards Ceremony Dinner photos can be accessed here:

    https://sopawards.com/awards-dinner-photos/

    About SOPA

    The Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) is a Hong Kong-based not-for-profit organization that was founded in 1982 to champion freedom of the press, promote excellence in journalism and endorse best practices for all local and regional publishing platforms in the Asia-Pacific region.

    Today, SOPA is the voice of Asia’s media and publishing industry, and continues to work to uphold media standards and freedoms while celebrating and supporting professional journalism and publishing. The SOPA Awards for Editorial Excellence are the annual,flagship awards, serving as a regional benchmark for quality, professional journalism and have been given out every year since 1999.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta: Patients Should Choose Trusted Medical Providers, Not Politicians

    Source: US State of California

    Thursday, June 26, 2025

    Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

    OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a statement following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. Medina denying Medicaid recipients’ individual right to receive care from the qualified providers of their choice, including Planned Parenthood. In a 6-3 opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Medicaid beneficiaries do not have a private right of action to obtain assistance from any institution that is “qualified to perform the service or services required” under the Medicaid Act’s free-choice-of-provider provision  because the any-qualified-provider provision, passed by Congress, does not clearly and unambiguously confer individual rights enforceable under §1983. The case began when the state of South Carolina unlawfully terminated Planned Parenthood South Atlantic’s (Planned Parenthood) participation in Medicaid only because the organization performed abortions outside of the Medicaid program. As a result of the termination, Planned Parenthood immediately had to begin turning away Medicaid patients.

    “Congress expressly granted patients the right to choose a qualified doctor or provider they trust while seeking medical care. Today’s decision got it wrong: It strips choice out of the hands of patients, and allows politicians to block patients from making their own decisions about their own healthcare,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The impacts of this decision are likely to harm real people, especially low-income residents of South Carolina and other Medicaid beneficiaries who turn to Planned Parenthood for critical services, including physical exams, pregnancy testing and counseling, and screening for conditions such as diabetes, depression, and high blood pressure. In California, we will continue to defend patients’ access to choose providers they trust, including qualified providers like Planned Parenthood.”  

    As part of a coalition of 17 attorneys general, Attorney General Bonta previously filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Medicaid recipients’ individual right to receive care from the qualified providers of their choice, including Planned Parenthood.

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    MIL OSI USA News –