NewzIntel.com

    • Checkout Page
    • Contact Us
    • Default Redirect Page
    • Frontpage
    • Home-2
    • Home-3
    • Lost Password
    • Member Login
    • Member LogOut
    • Member TOS Page
    • My Account
    • NewzIntel Alert Control-Panel
    • NewzIntel Latest Reports
    • Post Views Counter
    • Privacy Policy
    • Public Individual Page
    • Register
    • Subscription Plan
    • Thank You Page

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Harbin hosts China-Russia Inter-Municipality Cooperation Demand and Supply Conference

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    BEIJING, May 19 (Xinhua) — A demand and supply conference under the China-Russia inter-municipal cooperation was held Sunday in Harbin, capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province.

    The event was organized by the provincial government of Heihe City and was attended by more than 200 representatives from chambers of commerce, industry associations and enterprises from both sides, according to news website Chinadaily.com.

    The conference focused on cross-border industrial cooperation and interregional economic interaction.

    The border city of Heihe, which is separated by the Heilongjiang River (Amur) from the city of Blagoveshchensk in Russia’s Amur Region, has achieved fruitful results in foreign trade and humanitarian contacts in recent years. Its mayor Qin Bo called on domestic and Russian entrepreneurs at a conference to invest in Heihe’s economy and jointly develop the city’s priority sectors, such as cross-border trade, tourism, etc.

    Calling the conference a platform for enhancing cooperation between cities and enterprises in China and Russia, Xing Yingna, deputy head of the Heilongjiang Provincial Commerce Department, expressed hope that the business communities of China and Russia will contribute to ensuring the economic prosperity of the two countries. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: N. Dan Wins Second Round of Romanian Presidential Elections – Preliminary Official Results

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    BUCHAREST, May 19 (Xinhua) — Bucharest Mayor and independent candidate Nicusor Dan has won the second round of Romania’s presidential election, according to nearly complete official results released Sunday evening by the Permanent Electoral Administration.

    After counting almost all the ballots, N. Dan received 54.17% of the votes, while his rival, the leader of the nationalist Alliance for the Unification of Romanians, George Simion, received 45.83%.

    The vote ended a repeat presidential election that was held after the results of the first round held in 2024 were annulled over allegations of campaign irregularities and foreign interference.

    Mr. Dan, 55, is a pro-European candidate who campaigned on promises to strengthen rule of law reforms, maintain military and diplomatic support for Ukraine and deepen relations with the West.

    Simion, 38, led the first round of the elections on May 4, receiving 40.96 percent of the vote, beating Dan by 20.99 percent. His campaign was held under the slogan “Romania First.” He promised to lower taxes, reduce EU restrictions and reduce military aid to Ukraine. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    May 19, 2025

  • Rupee strengthens, gold rallies amid global uncertainty

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The Indian rupee opened 12 paise stronger at 85.44 against the US dollar on Monday, supported by favorable global cues and market optimism. The rupee had closed at 85.52 per dollar on Friday.

    At the same time, gold prices surged nearly 1 percent in the morning session on the domestic futures market, driven by a weakening US dollar and renewed concerns over the possible return of Donald Trump-era trade tariffs.

    On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), the Gold June 5 contract was trading 0.95 percent higher at ₹93,317 per 10 grams. The US dollar index dropped by about 0.3 percent, making gold more affordable in other currencies and boosting global demand.

    Rahul Kalantri, Vice President of Commodities at Mehta Equities, noted that gold has support at $3,195–$3,175 and resistance at $3,245–$3,260. For silver, the support levels are $32.10–$31.80, while resistance lies at $32.65–$32.85.

    “Gold prices climbed above $3,220 per ounce on Monday, rebounding from last week’s steepest decline in six months,” Kalantri said. “The recovery was fueled by safe-haven demand following Moody’s downgrade of the US sovereign credit rating, citing fiscal imbalances and rising debt costs.”

    Despite temporary relief from the US-China tariff truce, weak US economic indicators and subdued inflation have led investors to anticipate additional interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. This sentiment has further bolstered bullion prices.

    “In Indian rupee terms, gold has support at ₹91,850–₹91,480 and resistance at ₹92,850–₹93,490,” Kalantri added. “Silver is supported at ₹94,480–₹94,850 per kg and faces resistance at ₹95,950–₹96,650.”

    Gold prices have remained rangebound over the past two sessions, largely due to the lack of fresh triggers. The easing of geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan and the temporary US-China truce have contributed to this stability.

    However, domestic demand ahead of India’s upcoming wedding season is expected to provide strong support, keeping prices elevated, said Aksha Kamboj, Vice President of the India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA).

    —IANS

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Russia is labelling Oscar Jenkins a ‘mercenary’, not a prisoner of war. What’s the difference – and why does this matter?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shannon Bosch, Associate Professor (Law), Edith Cowan University

    Oscar Jenkins, a 33-year-old former teacher from Melbourne, was one of many foreigners who responded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call in 2022 for volunteers to join Ukraine’s armed forces to help repel Russia’s invasion.

    In early 2024, Jenkins joined Ukraine’s International Legion of Territorial Defence, which has attracted some 20,000 fighters from 50 countries since the war began. He had no previous military experience, but this wasn’t a requirement to join.

    In December, Jenkins was captured by Russian forces in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine and accused of serving as a “mercenary” in Ukraine’s 66th Mechanised Brigade’s 402nd Rifle Battalion. He was tried in a Russian court and sentenced on May 16 to 13 years imprisonment in a maximum-security penal colony.

    When a foreigner volunteers to fight in a war, their legal status under international law can be complicated.

    Are they a soldier with the full authorisation of one of the warring parties to engage in hostilities? Or are they an illegal mercenary?

    And what happens if they are captured?

    Why legal status matters

    The answers to these questions have very real importance to the thousands of foreigners who have joined Ukraine’s International Legion since 2022.

    Russian authorities have classified all of Ukraine’s foreigner fighters as “mercenaries”. They’ve used this label to deny foreign fighters the status of “prisoner of war” (POW), with the requisite protections that come along with that under international humanitarian law.

    While foreigners are permitted under international law to enlist in the armed forces of a state for political or moral reasons, mercenaries have historically been outlawed due to their sole motivation being financial gain.

    International humanitarian law (the rules that govern war) define mercenaries as individuals who are not nationals or residents of a state engaged in war and are recruited to fight outside that state’s official armed forces.

    They are motivated solely by private gain (like money or promises of reward), often well in excess of what the traditional armed forces are paid. Mercenaries are essentially professional soldiers who sell their services to a state without any real ties to that country.

    Once a fighter is classified as a “mercenary”, they lose all the legal protections that are traditionally afforded lawful combatants.

    This includes prisoner of war status if they are captured and immunity from prosecution for fighting in a conflict. Prisoners of war are also entitled to humane treatment and access to food and medical care. And they cannot be subjected to sham trials or torture.

    According to my research, many of the foreign nationals who joined the International Legion were motivated by a desire to defend Ukraine against Russia’s aggression. They were sworn into Ukraine’s armed forces and paid the same as a Ukrainian soldier of equal rank.

    Once enlisted in the armed forces, they were immediately exempt from “mercenary” status, irrespective of their motivation for joining.

    As such, these foreign fighters should be entitled to the full range of protections guaranteed to members of Ukraine’s armed forces under the Geneva Conventions.

    Labelling lawful foreign members of the Ukrainian armed forces as “mercenaries”, and denying them their protections, is an abuse of international law.

    How can Australia protect its nationals?

    If an Australian enlists in Ukraine’s armed forces and is captured by Russian forces, there is a limited toolkit the Australian government can use to help him or her. However, it is not powerless.

    Through its embassy in Moscow, Australia can request access to detainees to assess their welfare while in prison. Russia can, however, decline this access. Details of a detainee’s capture may also be withheld.

    Australia can also apply diplomatic pressure to ensure humane treatment of prisoners and their full POW rights.

    This can be done by working with international bodies, such as the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention or organisations like the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), which can request access to detainees.

    It appears the government is already doing some of these things. According to Foreign Minister Penny Wong, the government has been working with Ukraine and the ICRC to advocate for Jenkins’ welfare and release, and providing consular support to Jenkins’ family.

    Australia also has an obligation to warn its citizens they will likely face severe consequences if they travel to Ukraine to fight and are captured by Russian forces, given Russia’s misuse of the “mercenary” label.

    Through back-channel negotiations, Australia could also push Ukraine or its allies to include Australians being held by Russia in future prisoner swaps.

    In January of this year, Ukraine and Russia carried out such an exchange of 470 prisoners from both nations. And in talks last week in Turkey, both sides agreed to release another 1,000 prisoners on each side.

    Such exchanges have involved foreign fighters in the past. In 2022, 10 foreign citizens were included in a prisoner swap, including five Britons, two Americans, a Croatian, a Swede and a Moroccan. Several of them had been convicted of being mercenaries and sentenced to death after a Russian sham trial.

    There is no guarantee Jenkins would qualify for such an exchange, however, if Russia continues to classify him as a mercenary.

    Shannon Bosch 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. Russia is labelling Oscar Jenkins a ‘mercenary’, not a prisoner of war. What’s the difference – and why does this matter? – https://theconversation.com/russia-is-labelling-oscar-jenkins-a-mercenary-not-a-prisoner-of-war-whats-the-difference-and-why-does-this-matter-256996

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: The re-emergence of polio in Papua New Guinea shows global eradication remains elusive

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Michael Toole, Associate Principal Research Fellow, Burnet Institute

    Last week the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

    The highly infectious virus was found in two healthy, polio-vaccinated children who were screened following detection of the virus during routine wastewater sampling in Lae, PNG’s second largest city. Wastewater samples are also positive in the capital Port Moresby, indicating the potential of spread around the country.

    The strain has been identified as circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2, similar genetically to a strain circulating in Indonesia.

    So what does this mean? And what will happen now in PNG?

    First, what is polio?

    Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a highly contagious disease caused by the poliovirus. It primarily affects children.

    Most infections don’t cause significant symptoms and go largely unnoticed. But less than 1% of infections result in paralysis.

    Poliovirus is spread by person-to-person contact or the ingestion of contaminated virus from faeces. The virus multiplies in the gut of people who are infected, and they shed the virus in their stool for several weeks. In this way it can spread through a community, especially in areas with poor sanitation.

    A recent review also suggested a greater role for transmission via respiratory particles than we previously thought.

    Wild poliovirus (as distinct from vaccine-derived poliovirus, which we’ll discuss shortly) was a major public health issue prior to the rollout of vaccination in 1950s. This campaign led to the virtual elimination of the disease in rich countries such as Australia.

    Since the Global Polio Eradication Initiative was launched in 1988, cases have decreased by 99% globally. Wild poliovirus remains endemic only in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

    Polio is caused by the poliovirus.
    Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock

    Polio vaccines

    There are two types of vaccines – the oral polio vaccine and the inactivated polio vaccine.

    Delivered as two drops in the mouth at least four times in early childhood, the oral vaccine contains a live-attenuated (weakened) form of the poliovirus. It triggers a strong immune reaction in the gut that slows the replication of wild poliovirus, and reduces shedding in the stool, limiting transmission.

    The oral vaccine does carry a small risk of the weakened vaccine strain causing paralysis. This occurs in
    roughly one in 2.7 million doses of the oral vaccine administered, usually at the first dose.

    The inactivated polio vaccine (part of the routine immunisation program in Australia) contains an inactivated or dead form of the poliovirus, which is unable to cause polio in the recipient.

    Given as an injection, this vaccine stimulates the immune system to produce protective antibodies in the blood against poliovirus. Three doses of the inactivated vaccine are highly protective against developing symptoms and paralysis from polio.

    However, this vaccine is thought not to be as effective as the oral vaccine at preventing infection and shedding in the gut. Therefore, it doesn’t prevent transmission.

    What is vaccine-derived poliovirus?

    As the weakened poliovirus in the oral vaccine is still shed in the stool, it can spread in communities with poor sanitation. The vaccine strain can mutate to a form that can cause paralysis, like wild poliovirus. The result, circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus, is a problem particularly when polio immunisation rates are low.

    The risk of international spread of vaccine-derived poliovirus has been assessed as high by the WHO and United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were outbreaks in 39 countries in 2023–24.

    A novel oral polio vaccine, nOPV2, which is less likely to mutate, has been used in outbreaks of vaccine-derived poliovirus since 2021.

    Routine vaccination with the inactivated polio vaccine is key to preventing vaccine-derived poliovirus, and is recommended by WHO. The polio endgame will involve this transition from the oral vaccine to the inactivated vaccine.

    In 2019, all countries had introduced the inactivated vaccine. However uptake remains low because of a lack of resources and inadequate access to health services in poor countries.

    What happens now in PNG?

    The PNG government has responded swiftly to activate its polio emergency response plan, supported by partners including WHO, UNICEF and the Australian government.

    Notably, PNG’s vaccination rate is among the lowest in the world, with only about 50% of children born each year receiving the recommended childhood vaccines, including the oral polio vaccine. To induce herd immunity and prevent outbreaks of disease, coverage should be at least 95%.

    PNG was declared polio free in 2000. But there was an outbreak in 2018 of vaccine-derived polio type 1 with 26 cases across nine provinces. The outbreak was brought under control through supplementary rounds of vaccination, enhanced surveillance, and expanded communication and community engagement.

    There are many lessons to be learned from the successful response to the 2018 polio outbreak. These three pillars of the response remain relevant:

    • mass vaccination (using nOPV2)
    • enhanced surveillance for cases and wastewater sampling
    • communication (through traditional and social media) and localised community engagement.

    Further research will be crucial to understand where transmission is occurring and target the response accordingly. This includes the question of potential for spread between Indonesia and PNG – a neglected health security issue.

    How about the risk in Australia?

    While the risk of spread of polio in Australia is low, the virus does not respect borders, and we cannot become complacent.

    Australia’s overall coverage with the inactivated vaccine is close to 95% but there has been a concerning decline in childhood immunisation since the COVID pandemic. Australia must address this and maintain its polio wastewater monitoring system.

    Supporting PNG and working with other countries towards global polio eradication is the best way Australia can protect itself.

    This outbreak is a timely reminder that the last mile in the global eradication of polio remains elusive. As we emerge from a pandemic, the need for international cooperation, strengthening health systems and responding swiftly to health emergencies such as polio couldn’t be stronger.

    Michael Toole has received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council.

    Suman Majumdar, through the Burnet Institute receives grant funding from the Victorian Government and the Australian Government via the National Health & Medical Research Council of Australia, the Medical Research Future Fund and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

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

    – ref. The re-emergence of polio in Papua New Guinea shows global eradication remains elusive – https://theconversation.com/the-re-emergence-of-polio-in-papua-new-guinea-shows-global-eradication-remains-elusive-256899

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: PM call with leaders of US, France, Germany and Italy: 18 May 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    PM call with leaders of US, France, Germany and Italy: 18 May 2025

    The Prime Minister spoke to leaders of the United States, Italy, France and Germany last night [18 May 2025].

    The Prime Minister spoke to leaders of the United States, Italy, France and Germany last night [18 May 2025].

    The leaders discussed the situation in Ukraine, and the catastrophic cost of the war to both sides.

    Looking ahead to President Trump’s call with President Putin tomorrow, the leaders discussed the need for an unconditional ceasefire and for President Putin to take peace talks seriously.

    They also discussed the use of sanctions if Russia failed to engage seriously in a ceasefire and peace talks.

    The leaders looked forward to speaking again soon.

    Share this page

    The following links open in a new tab

    • Share on Facebook (opens in new tab)
    • Share on Twitter (opens in new tab)

    Updates to this page

    Published 19 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Politics, protest and some seriously inappropriate songs: who gets censored at Eurovision, and who doesn’t?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Strong, Associate Professor, Music Industry, RMIT University

    As always, Eurovision 2025 was full of glitter, costume reveals, divas, spectacle and, of course, controversy. From ongoing calls to ban Israel from participating, to one song that had to be edited since it was too inappropriate, here’s what you may have missed from this year’s contest.

    A milkshake meltdown

    For Australian viewers, the final may have been a bit of a letdown because, for the second year in a row, our contestant failed to get past the semis.

    Go-Jo’s Milkshake Man seemed like a strong offering, with its daft and suggestive lyrics, huge energy and oversized blender prop – but some weak vocals on the night left us in the cold.

    Other wacky entries of the uniquely Eurovision variety fared better, though. Sweden’s ode to saunas, Bara Bada Bastu, started the night as the favourite to win and ended high with a fourth placing, just behind Estonia’s rubbery-legged Tommy Cash, whose love song to coffee may have just been more relatable to voters.

    Serving what?

    More controversial was Miriana Conte’s song for Malta, originally titled Serving Kant, with kant being the Maltese word for singing. But this thinly disguised attempt to celebrate “serving cunt” was deemed inappropriate by the European Broadcasting Union, and reworked as simply Serving.

    This performance is part of a long Eurovision tradition of celebrating queer culture. Each year, multiple entries use LGBTQIA+ imagery, tropes and lyrics to celebrate the theme of being who you are.

    Last year’s event marked the first time two non-binary performers were featured in the contest. One of them, Switzerlans’s Nemo, won. As a side note, Nemo’s return performance this year may be one of the best things to ever grace the Eurovision stage.

    But it seems Malta’s cheeky play on the theme didn’t pay off, as it landed them in 17th place by the end of the voting.

    Other stand-out performances included Finland’s Erika Vikman, who outperformed a whole crop of big-voiced divas in sparkly body suits by riding a giant flaming microphone to the roof of the stadium during the, ahem, climax to Ich Komme (which translates to “I’m coming”).

    Less in your face, yet strangely compelling, were the women of Latvia’s folk band Tautumeitas. In their forest-nymph-axolotl (?) costumes, they delivered a flawless and gentle performance.

    A heated, close race to the top

    The winner was, as is often the case at Eurovision, a more serious song that showcased a high level of musicianship and vocal ability. Austria’s JJ performance of Wasted Love was stripped-back compared to most of the rivals.

    JJ took to the stage alone, using a completely black and white palette that stood out against the reds that dominated the rest of the night. The way he used his body onstage, and the dynamism of his soprano voice – moving from a conventional pop vocal style to a more operatic delivery – was compellingly dramatic, and was rewarded by the juries and public voters.

    It was a close race for the top spot however. I imagine the broadcasting union breathed a sigh of relief when Austria knocked Israel into second place at the last moment.

    Israel’s presence in the contest has been a source of division and conflict since the events of October 7. For two years there have been highly publicised calls to expel Israel from the competition, in light of the extreme atrocities and human rights abuses taking place on the ground in Gaza.



    Read more:
    1 in 5 Gazans face starvation. Can the law force Israel to act?

    Multiple pro-Palestinian rallies took to the streets in the host city, Basel, and protesters trying to disrupt the Israeli performance found their way into the arena during the rehearsals and final. While they did not make it into the broadcast, there were reports of audience members being removed, staff being hit with paint, and violent clashes with security and police.

    Beyond this, 70 ex-competitors and, separately, more than 4,000 Nordic music workers put their names on open letters protesting Israel’s inclusion in the contest. But these attempts failed, partly because the countries involved did not threaten to withdraw themselves if Israel participated (which was how Russia was expelled from the 2022 contest, in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine).

    What can we expect moving forward

    It’s worth considering what Israel’s inclusion in the contest does allow. In recently published work, my coauthors and I consider what it means to face up to some of the uglier aspects of music and music-making – and to sit with the discomfort, rather than ignore it.

    If Israel had been excluded, those calling for its exclusion may have achieved a sense that a certain wrong had been righted, and the Eurovision party could go on, free from worry.

    Yet the realities of events in Gaza would not have disappeared. Viewers at home would simply not have to think about them.

    Israel’s inclusion – and the opposition to it – forces us to ask what role, if any, cultural institutions can play in helping put a stop to what the International Court of Justice has said can plausibly be called a genocide.

    While the broadcasting union could perhaps put pressure on Israel with a ban, the fissures of Israel’s continued inclusion have shone a spotlight on other types of pressure and resistance – and the power music has in bringing people together for the explicit purpose of being political.

    Catherine Strong 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. Politics, protest and some seriously inappropriate songs: who gets censored at Eurovision, and who doesn’t? – https://theconversation.com/politics-protest-and-some-seriously-inappropriate-songs-who-gets-censored-at-eurovision-and-who-doesnt-256447

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: The re-emergence of polio in Papua New Guinea shows global eradication remains elusive

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Toole, Associate Principal Research Fellow, Burnet Institute

    Last week the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

    The highly infectious virus was found in two healthy, polio-vaccinated children who were screened following detection of the virus during routine wastewater sampling in Lae, PNG’s second largest city. Wastewater samples are also positive in the capital Port Moresby, indicating the potential of spread around the country.

    The strain has been identified as circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2, similar genetically to a strain circulating in Indonesia.

    So what does this mean? And what will happen now in PNG?

    First, what is polio?

    Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a highly contagious disease caused by the poliovirus. It primarily affects children.

    Most infections don’t cause significant symptoms and go largely unnoticed. But less than 1% of infections result in paralysis.

    Poliovirus is spread by person-to-person contact or the ingestion of contaminated virus from faeces. The virus multiplies in the gut of people who are infected, and they shed the virus in their stool for several weeks. In this way it can spread through a community, especially in areas with poor sanitation.

    A recent review also suggested a greater role for transmission via respiratory particles than we previously thought.

    Wild poliovirus (as distinct from vaccine-derived poliovirus, which we’ll discuss shortly) was a major public health issue prior to the rollout of vaccination in 1950s. This campaign led to the virtual elimination of the disease in rich countries such as Australia.

    Since the Global Polio Eradication Initiative was launched in 1988, cases have decreased by 99% globally. Wild poliovirus remains endemic only in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

    Polio is caused by the poliovirus.
    Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock

    Polio vaccines

    There are two types of vaccines – the oral polio vaccine and the inactivated polio vaccine.

    Delivered as two drops in the mouth at least four times in early childhood, the oral vaccine contains a live-attenuated (weakened) form of the poliovirus. It triggers a strong immune reaction in the gut that slows the replication of wild poliovirus, and reduces shedding in the stool, limiting transmission.

    The oral vaccine does carry a small risk of the weakened vaccine strain causing paralysis. This occurs in
    roughly one in 2.7 million doses of the oral vaccine administered, usually at the first dose.

    The inactivated polio vaccine (part of the routine immunisation program in Australia) contains an inactivated or dead form of the poliovirus, which is unable to cause polio in the recipient.

    Given as an injection, this vaccine stimulates the immune system to produce protective antibodies in the blood against poliovirus. Three doses of the inactivated vaccine are highly protective against developing symptoms and paralysis from polio.

    However, this vaccine is thought not to be as effective as the oral vaccine at preventing infection and shedding in the gut. Therefore, it doesn’t prevent transmission.

    What is vaccine-derived poliovirus?

    As the weakened poliovirus in the oral vaccine is still shed in the stool, it can spread in communities with poor sanitation. The vaccine strain can mutate to a form that can cause paralysis, like wild poliovirus. The result, circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus, is a problem particularly when polio immunisation rates are low.

    The risk of international spread of vaccine-derived poliovirus has been assessed as high by the WHO and United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were outbreaks in 39 countries in 2023–24.

    A novel oral polio vaccine, nOPV2, which is less likely to mutate, has been used in outbreaks of vaccine-derived poliovirus since 2021.

    Routine vaccination with the inactivated polio vaccine is key to preventing vaccine-derived poliovirus, and is recommended by WHO. The polio endgame will involve this transition from the oral vaccine to the inactivated vaccine.

    In 2019, all countries had introduced the inactivated vaccine. However uptake remains low because of a lack of resources and inadequate access to health services in poor countries.

    What happens now in PNG?

    The PNG government has responded swiftly to activate its polio emergency response plan, supported by partners including WHO, UNICEF and the Australian government.

    Notably, PNG’s vaccination rate is among the lowest in the world, with only about 50% of children born each year receiving the recommended childhood vaccines, including the oral polio vaccine. To induce herd immunity and prevent outbreaks of disease, coverage should be at least 95%.

    PNG was declared polio free in 2000. But there was an outbreak in 2018 of vaccine-derived polio type 1 with 26 cases across nine provinces. The outbreak was brought under control through supplementary rounds of vaccination, enhanced surveillance, and expanded communication and community engagement.

    There are many lessons to be learned from the successful response to the 2018 polio outbreak. These three pillars of the response remain relevant:

    • mass vaccination (using nOPV2)
    • enhanced surveillance for cases and wastewater sampling
    • communication (through traditional and social media) and localised community engagement.

    Further research will be crucial to understand where transmission is occurring and target the response accordingly. This includes the question of potential for spread between Indonesia and PNG – a neglected health security issue.

    How about the risk in Australia?

    While the risk of spread of polio in Australia is low, the virus does not respect borders, and we cannot become complacent.

    Australia’s overall coverage with the inactivated vaccine is close to 95% but there has been a concerning decline in childhood immunisation since the COVID pandemic. Australia must address this and maintain its polio wastewater monitoring system.

    Supporting PNG and working with other countries towards global polio eradication is the best way Australia can protect itself.

    This outbreak is a timely reminder that the last mile in the global eradication of polio remains elusive. As we emerge from a pandemic, the need for international cooperation, strengthening health systems and responding swiftly to health emergencies such as polio couldn’t be stronger.

    Michael Toole has received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council.

    Suman Majumdar, through the Burnet Institute receives grant funding from the Victorian Government and the Australian Government via the National Health & Medical Research Council of Australia, the Medical Research Future Fund and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

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

    – ref. The re-emergence of polio in Papua New Guinea shows global eradication remains elusive – https://theconversation.com/the-re-emergence-of-polio-in-papua-new-guinea-shows-global-eradication-remains-elusive-256899

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: S. Korea’s Democratic Party candidate leads poll for June 3 presidential election

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

    Lee Jae-myung, presidential candidate of South Korea’s majority liberal Democratic Party, led a poll for the June 3 presidential election, Flower Research survey showed Monday.

    Lee came out on top with a support rate of 52.1 percent, taking a big lead over Kim Moon-soo, the second-biggest conservative People Power Party’s presidential candidate who garnered 29.5 percent of support.

    The human rights lawyer-turned-politician maintained his position as a presidential frontrunner in the June 3 election, triggered by the removal of former President Yoon Suk-yeol from office over his botched martial law imposition last December.

    Lee lost the 2022 presidential election to Yoon by the country’s narrowest margin of 0.73 percentage points.

    The Democratic Party won an approval score of 50.3 percent, while 32.0 percent supported the People Power Party, the survey showed.

    The result was based on a poll of 2,007 voters conducted between Friday and Saturday. It had plus and minus 2.2 percentage points in margin of error with a 95-percent confidence level. 

    MIL OSI China News –

    May 19, 2025

  • Trump ‘saddened’ about Biden’s recent cancer diagnosis

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Former U.S. President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that has metastasized to the bone, his office said in a statement on Sunday (May 18)

    Biden, 82, was diagnosed on Friday after having experienced urinary symptoms, and he and his family are reviewing treatment options with doctors, according to the statement.

    “Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery,” wrote Donald Trump in a post in Truth Social.

    President Donald Trump has repeatedly berated Biden since he took office in January.

    Biden, who served as president from 2021 to 2025, abruptly ended his bid for reelection last July, weeks after a halting performance during a debate against Republican candidate Donald Trump prompted panic among his fellow Democrats. Vice President Kamala Harris took over as the party’s nominee but lost in November to Trump.

    Biden’s physical health and mental acuity drew intense media scrutiny even before the debate. At the time of his election, Biden was the oldest person to win the presidency.

    Trump, 78, broke that record when he defeated Harris last year.

    (Reuters)

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Malaysians bid tearful farewell to giant panda pair Xingxing and Liangliang

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 (Xinhua) — Malaysians bid a tearful farewell to giant panda pair Xingxing and Liangliang on Sunday as they departed for China after an 11-year stay.

    Dozens of fans of the two pandas had already gathered at 05:00 outside the Giant Panda Conservation Centre at Zoo Negara in Kuala Lumpur.

    As transport arrived to take Xingxing and Liangliang to Kuala Lumpur International Airport, many people waved emotionally goodbye to the giant pandas, while some took photos and videos.

    Among those gathered was the zoo’s vice president, Rosli Rakhmat Akhmat Lana. She said the panda keeper would accompany her charges to China and stay there for a few days to help them settle in.

    “The pandas are healthy. We have always supported the panda conservation program. I am truly grateful to the fans who came today… their presence shows how much they care,” the zoo’s vice president told the media.

    In 2014, a pair of giant pandas were loaned to the Malaysian government for 10 years to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China. They have played a key role as “ambassadors,” strengthening the friendship between the peoples of the two countries.

    During their stay in Malaysia, Xingxing and Liangliang gave birth to three cubs, all of which were previously safely returned to China. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Foreign Minister to visit Australia and South Asia

    Source: NZ Music Month takes to the streets

    Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will visit Australia, Sri Lanka, Nepal and India from later this week.

     

    Mr Peters is travelling first to Adelaide to undertake six-monthly Australia-New Zealand Foreign Ministers’ Consultations with his Australian counterpart, Penny Wong.

     

    “New Zealand’s partnership with Australia is our closest and most important,” Mr Peters says. 

    “We consider it vital to get across the Tasman as soon as possible after Australia’s general election to make plans for the period ahead. Our cooperation with Australia has never been more important as we navigate an ever more challenging, uncertain and disordered regional and global landscape.”

     

    Mr Peters then travels to South Asia, with programmes in Sri Lanka, Nepal and India.

     

    “We are committed to bringing greater focus and energy to New Zealand’s relationships with South Asia. 

    “New Zealand must work alongside partners to contribute to a stable, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.

     

    In Colombo, Mr Peters will undertake the first visit by a New Zealand Foreign Minister to Sri Lanka since 2013, meeting President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath.

     

    “New Zealand and Sri Lanka have invested considerably in boosting our bilateral relationship over the past five years, including by opening High Commissions in Colombo and Wellington. This visit will provide political momentum and leadership to that process.”  

     

    In Kathmandu, Mr Peters will undertake the first ever visit to Nepal by a New Zealand Foreign Minister, meeting President Ramchandra Paudel, Prime Minister KP Sharma and Foreign Minister Rana Deuba.

     

    “This visit will reflect on the special relationship between New Zealand and Nepal, coinciding with the anniversary of Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary’s ascent of Mount Everest. It also reciprocates a visit to Wellington by Nepal’s Foreign Minister last year.”

     

    Mr Peters will then travel to New Delhi to meet External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

     

    “Over the past 18 months, New Zealand and India have worked hard to build a stronger, broader-based relationship for mutual benefit. This visit will take stock of our progress.”

     

    Mr Peters departs New Zealand on 23 May and returns on 31 May.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Public consultation on productivity reform priorities

    Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

    The Albanese Government welcomes the Productivity Commission’s call for submissions on priority reform areas released today.

    We’re determined to make Australia’s economy more prosperous and productive and this work from the PC is an important part of that process.

    The Albanese Labor Government inherited the largest quarterly fall in productivity in 45 years, with productivity going backwards by 2.4 per cent in the June quarter 2022 – the largest quarterly fall since June quarter 1979.

    Over the decade to 2020, average annual labour productivity growth in Australia was the slowest in 60 years, falling to just 1.1 per cent compared to 1.8 per cent over the 60 years to 2019–20.

    Flatlining productivity is one of the biggest challenges facing our nation, and that’s why we need a big national effort to turn it around.

    That’s why on 13 December 2024, I tasked the Productivity Commission to provide the government with advice on how to address Australia’s long‑run productivity challenges.

    The Productivity Commission has identified 15 priority reform areas for further exploration and will consult on these initiatives from today.

    This is only an initial call for submissions from the PC, and we expect their findings will be informed by the information collected through their consultation process.

    We’ll consider the PC’s recommendations within the context of the fiscal constraints we inherited and balance these against other government priorities.

    We might not be able to run with everything, but we will consider all of it and see what we can progress.

    The Albanese Government already has an ambitious productivity agenda and we’re eager to build on it.

    In our first term, we abolished nearly 500 nuisance tariffs and streamlined and strengthened approval processes in a number of areas including foreign investment, energy, environment and planning.

    We have reformed skills, education and aged care, and we are making it easier for investors to progress transformational projects, including investing in cheaper, cleaner energy.

    We’re also revitalising competition through the biggest changes to merger laws in 50 years, the 10‑year Competition Reform Roadmap, and the $900 million National Productivity Fund.

    In our second term, we’ll progress further reforms including occupational licensing for electricians, abolishing non‑compete clauses, unlocking opportunities in AI and digital assets, streamlining regulation and standing up the Single Front Door, strengthening the National Energy Market, leveraging health technology more effectively, and enabling construction of prefabricated and modular housing.

    It will take longer than two terms to turn around this productivity problem which has been building in our economy for decades, but we know that this work will make a meaningful difference in boosting wages and living standards sustainably into the future.

    MIL OSI News –

    May 19, 2025

  • Taiwan is not ruling out ‘political warfare’ by China, coast guard says

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Taiwan’s coast guard said on Monday China could try to disrupt public morale on the island ahead of President Lai Ching-te’s one-year anniversary this week, after images surfaced on social media of a person planting a Chinese flag on a Taiwan beach.

    China calls Lai, who completes a year in office on Tuesday, a “separatist”, and has rebuffed his offers for talks.

    Lai rejects China’s sovereignty claims over the democratic and entirely separately governed island, saying only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.

    Last week, Taiwan’s China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council said Beijing could hold more military drills to “stir up trouble” around the anniversary.

    On Sunday, images posted on Chinese social media showed a man who claimed to have sailed across the Taiwan Strait on a small boat landing on a remote beach and planting a Chinese flag, before returning to China. The video was later deleted.

    On Friday, Taiwan’s coast guard said it had arrested two Chinese nationals after they sailed into Taiwan illegally on a rubber boat and landed on a beach on the island’s northwest coast.

    Asked about the two incidents, Hsieh Ching-chin, deputy head of Taiwan’s coast guard, said China has been taking the opportunity for a while now to carry out drills and use other pressure tactics.

    “It cannot be ruled out that on the anniversary of President Lai’s inauguration, the Chinese communists will again use similar tactics and videos to engage in political warfare to disrupt the morale of our people,” he told reporters.

    Hsieh said the video of the flag planting was indeed taken on the beach in Taiwan’s Taoyuan, but whether by someone who crossed over from China, or was helped by someone in Taiwan to film it, was still being investigated.

    (Reuters)

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Bill for transparent principled lawmaking to be read in the House

    Source: NZ Music Month takes to the streets

    Regulation Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Regulatory Standards Bill will be read in the House. 

    “New Zealand’s low wages can be blamed on low productivity, and low productivity can be blamed on poor regulation. To raise productivity, we must allow people to spend more time on productive activities and less time on compliance,” says Mr Seymour.  

    “To lift productivity and wages, the ACT-National Coalition Agreement includes a commitment to pass a Regulatory Standards Act. Today is another significant step towards that as Cabinet has given approval to introduce the Bill to the house, with the target being enactment by the start of next year. 

    The Regulatory Standards Bill:

    • provides a benchmark for good legislation through a set of principles of responsible regulation
    • enables transparent assessment of the consistency of proposed and existing legislation with the principles
    • establishes a Regulatory Standards Board to independently consider the consistency of proposed and existing legislation, and
    • strengthens regulatory quality by supporting the Ministry for Regulation in its regulatory oversight role.

    “In a nutshell: If red tape is holding us back, because politicians find regulating politically rewarding, then we need to make regulating less rewarding for politicians with more sunlight on their activities. That is how the Regulatory Standards Bill will help New Zealand get its mojo back. It will finally ensure regulatory decisions are based on principles of good law-making and economic efficiency,” Mr Seymour says. 

    “Ultimately, this Bill will help the Government achieve its goal of improving New Zealand’s productivity by ensuring that regulated parties are regulated by a system which is transparent, has a mechanism for recourse, and holds regulators accountable to the people.

    “The law doesn’t stop politicians or their officials making bad laws, but it makes it transparent that they’re doing it. It makes it easier for voters to identify those responsible for making bad rules. Over time, it will improve the quality of rules we all have to live under by changing how politicians behave.

    “In a high-cost economy, regulation isn’t neutral – it’s a tax on growth. This Government is committed to clearing the path of needless regulations by improving how laws are made.”

    Notes to editors: The Regulatory Standards Bill can be found here: Regulatory Standards Bill 155-1 (2025), Government Bill Contents – New Zealand Legislation

    Particular acknowledgements go to Dr Bryce Wilkinson, whose book “Constraining Government Regulation” laid important groundwork for this Bill. Special thanks also go to Dr Graham Scott, Jack Hodder KC, and other members of the Regulatory Responsibility Taskforce, who refined the Bill in 2009

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: ACCC proposes to allow collaboration between energy providers

    Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

    The ACCC has issued a draft determination proposing to grant authorisation with a condition for five years to Energy Networks Australia, Synergy, and other specified parties to allow for the procurement and implementation of a national ‘public key infrastructure’ service (PKI).

    The PKI service would manage secure communication between consumer energy resources (CER) and parties in the energy grid. Examples of CER include rooftop solar cells, batteries, and electric vehicles.

    “This public key infrastructure service will enable distribution network service providers to remotely limit or prevent electricity export into the grid by consumer energy resources in times of significant excess production, known as an ‘emergency backstop’ mechanism,” ACCC Commissioner Dr Philip Williams said.

    Where power exports from CER are high and general energy consumption is low, there are risks to electricity grid stability and the potential for localised or wider blackouts to occur.

    “While several state and territory governments have already implemented emergency backstop mechanisms, this service would give effect to a singular national approach to managing CER devices via communication protocols to avoid risks to electricity network system overload,” Dr Williams said.

    Currently, each distribution network service provider is responsible for procuring its own PKI solution for emergency backstop. Under the proposed conduct, however, providers could choose to utilise a national PKI delivered by a single provider.

    The creation of a national entity to manage PKI for CER for emergency backstop is reflective of a national reform priority agreed to by federal and state/territory governments in 2024.

    “We understand that a national regulatory framework for CER to set and enforce technical standards is being established as part of the national CER Roadmap and that whilst this is a more appropriate avenue for regulatory oversight of CER, we understand the current urgency around emergency backstop requirements,” Dr Williams said.

    “We are satisfied the proposed conduct is likely to result in a public benefit that would outweigh any potential public detriment to Australian consumers.”

    “Prior to making our final determination, however, we will be seeking further views on a number of potential public benefits and detriments,” Dr Williams said.

    The ACCC considers that the proposed conduct is likely to result in public benefits in the form of interoperability, cost savings for distribution networks, lower costs and complexity for manufacturers and installers, and increased consumer choice and device mobility.

    However, the proposed conduct is likely to reduce competition for the acquisition and supply of public key infrastructure services. As it also has the potential to result in public detriment due to a lack of formal external oversight, the ACCC is proposing a condition requiring regular reporting of NEPKI’s operations.

    While there is some benefit in the proposed conduct enabling the public key infrastructure solution to expand to future use cases autonomously, it also has the potential to result in public detriment. To mitigate this, the ACCC is considering whether to limit authorisation to the ‘initial use case’ (i.e. solar cell and battery energy storage system orchestration via CSIP-AUS for emergency backstop and dynamic operating envelopes).

    The ACCC has also granted interim authorisation to enable Energy Networks Australia and Synergy to carry out the initial three phases of activity while the ACCC considers the substantive application.

    Submissions to the ACCC can be made by 2 June 2025. More information can be found on the ACCC’s public register here.

    Background

    Energy Networks Australia is a national industry body representing electricity transmission and distribution network providers (DNSPs) and gas distribution network providers in all States and Territories.

    Synergy is a Western Australian state-owned corporation that has electricity generation assets in WA and retails electricity and gas in WA. Sythenergy holds responsibilities around connection of CER to the grid.

    PKI is a cybersecurity technology that uses digital ‘certificates’ installed in devices (such as solar inverters) to authenticate them and encrypt communications with them and is carried out over the internet. Distribution network service providers will utilise the national PKI to communicate with devices to remotely limit or prevent devices’ electricity export into the grid in times of significant excess production (known as an ‘emergency backstop’ mechanism); rather than each network procuring individual, bespoke solutions for PKI.

    The proposed conduct seeks to give effect to a national reform priority that was agreed to in 2024 by the Australian, state and territory governments in their ‘National CER Roadmap’. The Roadmap states that a national reform priority is to establish a secure communication system for CER devices through establishing a national not-for-profit entity to manage PKI to operate and manage authentication of communications with CER for backstops.

    The application for authorisation was lodged on 26 November 2024 and the ACCC received 22 submissions in relation to the application.

    In the first phase of activity, there will be a collaborative evaluation of the responses to NEPKI’s request for tenders for PKI services. 

    In the second phase, NEPKI will enter a service deed with a selected PKI service provider for the design, build and operation of PKI and related services. In the third phase, the PKI service deed will be delivered, beginning with the design and build of the PKI.

    Finally, in phase four, the operational delivery of PKI services by NEPKI to PKI consumers will ‘go live’ for a term of up to five years.

    A final determination is expected to be made in July 2025, subject to any submissions and requests from interested parties for a pre-decision conference.

    MIL OSI News –

    May 19, 2025

  • EAM Jaishankar to embark on six-day visit to the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany from May 19

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar will embark on an official six-day visit to the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany from May 19 to 24, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Sunday.

    The visit is part of India’s continued diplomatic outreach to strengthen strategic partnerships and enhance cooperation with key European nations. The agenda will focus on a wide range of issues, including trade, investment, regional and global developments, and coordination on multilateral platforms.

    According to a statement issued by the MEA, Dr. Jaishankar will engage in high-level meetings with the leadership of all three countries. He will also hold talks with his counterparts to review the full spectrum of bilateral relations and discuss matters of mutual interest at both regional and global levels.

    The discussions are expected to address current geopolitical developments, global economic challenges, and shared priorities in international forums. The visit aims to further bolster India’s ties with Europe amid a rapidly evolving global landscape.

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Prime Minister must scrap the Regulatory Standards Bill

    Source: Green Party

    The Green Party is urging the Prime Minister to get rid of the Regulatory Standards Bill after the Waitangi Tribunal found that the Bill breaches the Crown’s Tiriti o Waitangi obligations.

    “The Regulatory Standards Bill is another thinly veiled attack on te Tiriti o Waitangi. The Prime Minister failed to show leadership on the Treaty Principles Bill, he can begin to make amends by abandoning this Bill,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson.

    “Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the promise of protection, for people and planet. We have seen hundreds of thousands of people show up in support of te Tiriti o Waitangi, we know our communities will not stand for this.

    “The Bill is the same tired politics we have seen time and time again from the Government, attacking Te Tiriti o Waitangi to make it easier for wealthy companies to exploit our whānau and our taiao for profit.

    “For a Bill that claims to attempt to embed ‘good law-making’, the Bill has already breached te Tiriti o Waitangi in its policy development and has completely ignored the significant opposition and feedback provided in over 22,000 submissions.  

    “The last time the Prime Minister showed up to Waitangi, he said that te Tiriti o Waitangi was our past, present, and future. As Prime Minister, it would be wrong for him to again ignore the findings of the Waitangi Tribunal and allow this Bill to proceed without real engagement with Māori on such constitutionally significant legislation.

    “Governments come and go. Politicians come and go. Te Tiriti o Waitangi is foundational and enduring. Honouring te Tiriti o Waitangi is the constitutional obligation of every Prime Minister – something Christopher Luxon must take personal responsibility for by scrapping the Regulatory Standards Bill.

    “Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitū te whenua. Whatungarongaro te Kāwanatanga, toitū te Tiriti o Waitangi. People disappear, while the land remains. Governments come and go, while te Tiriti o Waitangi is forever,” says Marama Davidson.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: New fleet fortifies Auckland Emergency Management capability

    Source: Secondary teachers question rationale for changes to relationship education guidelines

    Auckland Emergency Management’s ability to deliver urgent response operations has been further enhanced, with eight new vehicles and three catering trailers ready to hit the road.

    Each highly specialised vehicle in the new emergency response fleet is purpose-built and equipped with tools and provisions that allow teams to go off-road and safely undertake a wide range of activities.

    The upgraded fleet supplements existing equipment and resources and is a big step forward in strengthening AEM’s local coordination capabilities and ability to help Aucklanders in emergencies like flooding, particularly in remote and rural areas. 

    “The new fleet gives us the tools to get where we need to go, stay there as long as we’re needed, and support the communities who need us most,” says John Cranfield, Head of Operations, Auckland Emergency Management. “It’s about being ready for anything—today and into the future.”

    One of the new class 2 trucks equipped with a wide range of specialist tools and gear to support response activities.

    The new equipment also enhances AEM’s ability to support wider civil defence needs across the country. Whether delivering supplies, supporting civil defence centres, or managing field operations in remote areas, the enhanced fleet will help our responders deploy to impacted areas and remain self-sufficient whilst there, so as not to place further strain on local resources.

    The fleet includes two new 4×4 class 2 trucks with a raised chassis, which enables operations in and around floodwaters when it’s safe to do so. These trucks are equipped with hydraulic ladder systems, winches, and specialised search-and-rescue lights. They will be used by response teams in the North and West to undertake response activities as needed, says John.

    Three new 4×4 command vans will provide invaluable situational awareness to coordinate response efforts from out in the field. Each specialised van is equipped with computers, Low Earth Orbit satellite internet capability and radio repeaters, enabling the vans to function as a small mobile office. The vans are fully self-sufficient, with a generator and fridge, making them particularly useful in isolated areas.

    Three Ford Ranger Wildtrak utes have also joined the AEM fleet, providing further capacity to navigate floodwaters and off-road terrain. With searchlights, winches, and specialised tools and equipment onboard, the utes will be used in rescue activities and everyday operations.

    To help deliver hot meals and drinks to New Zealand response teams and community members in need, three new catering trailers have been acquired to boost AEM’s capability at Civil Defence Centres and in remote or isolated areas.

    “We are ready to respond wherever these new vehicles are needed. The additional capability means we have more opportunity to assist when there are multiple events occurring across the region at the same time,” says John.

    The new fleet has been blessed at a ceremony, led by local iwi Ngāti Tamaoho and attended by councillors, emergency services personnel, New Zealand response teams, and other key partners.

    Funding for the vehicles came through Auckland Council’s storm recovery fund and AEM’s capital expenditure budget and is a critical part of the region’s ongoing commitment to build resilience to manage severe weather events.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: NVIDIA Launches AI-First DGX Personal Computing Systems With Global Computer Makers

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TAIPEI, Taiwan, May 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — COMPUTEX — NVIDIA today announced that Taiwan’s leading system manufacturers are set to build NVIDIA DGX Spark and DGX Station™ systems.

    Growing partnerships with Acer, GIGABYTE and MSI will extend the availability of DGX Spark and DGX Station personal AI supercomputers — empowering a global ecosystem of developers, data scientists and researchers with unprecedented performance and efficiency.

    Enterprises, software providers, government agencies, startups and research institutions need robust systems that can deliver the performance and capabilities of an AI server in a desktop form factor without compromising data size, proprietary model privacy or the speed of scalability.

    The rise of agentic AI systems capable of autonomous decision-making and task execution amplifies these demands. Powered by the NVIDIA Grace Blackwell platform, DGX Spark and DGX Station will enable developers to prototype, fine-tune and inference models from the desktop to the data center.

    “AI has revolutionized every layer of the computing stack — from silicon to software,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. “Direct descendants of the DGX-1 system that ignited the AI revolution, DGX Spark and DGX Station are created from the ground up to power the next generation of AI research and development.”

    DGX Spark Fuels Innovation
    DGX Spark is equipped with the NVIDIA GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip and fifth-generation Tensor Cores. It delivers up to 1 petaflop of AI compute and 128GB of unified memory, and enables seamless exporting of models to NVIDIA DGX™ Cloud or any accelerated cloud or data center infrastructure.

    Delivering powerful performance and capabilities in a compact package, DGX Spark lets developers, researchers, data scientists and students push the boundaries of generative AI and accelerate workloads across industries.

    DGX Station Advances AI Innovation
    Built for the most demanding AI workloads, DGX Station features the NVIDIA GB300 Grace Blackwell Ultra Desktop Superchip, which offers up to 20 petaflops of AI performance and 784GB of unified system memory. The system also includes the NVIDIA ConnectX®-8 SuperNIC, supporting networking speeds of up to 800Gb/s for high-speed connectivity and multi-station scaling.

    DGX Station can serve as an individual desktop for one user running advanced AI models using local data, or as an on-demand, centralized compute node for multiple users. The system supports NVIDIA Multi-Instance GPU technology to partition into as many as seven instances — each with its own high-bandwidth memory, cache and compute cores — serving as a personal cloud for data science and AI development teams.

    To give developers a familiar user experience, DGX Spark and DGX Station mirror the software architecture that powers industrial-strength AI factories. Both systems use the NVIDIA DGX operating system, preconfigured with the latest NVIDIA AI software stack, and include access to NVIDIA NIM™ microservices and NVIDIA Blueprints.

    Developers can use common tools, such as PyTorch, Jupyter and Ollama, to prototype, fine-tune and perform inference on DGX Spark and seamlessly deploy to DGX Cloud or any accelerated data center or cloud infrastructure.

    Dell Technologies is among the first global system builders to develop DGX Spark and DGX Station — helping address the rising enterprise demand for powerful, localized AI computing solutions.

    “There’s a clear shift among consumers and enterprises to prioritize systems that can handle the next generation of intelligent workloads,” said Michael Dell, chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies. “The interest in NVIDIA DGX Spark and NVIDIA DGX Station signals a new era of desktop computing, unlocking the full potential of local AI performance. Our portfolio is designed to meet these needs. Dell Pro Max with GB10 and Dell Pro Max with NVIDIA GB300 give organizations the infrastructure to integrate and tackle large AI workloads.”

    HP Inc. is bolstering the future of AI computing by offering these new solutions that enable businesses to unlock the full potential of AI performance.

    “Through our collaboration with NVIDIA, we are delivering a new set of AI-powered devices and experiences to further advance HP’s future-of-work ambitions to enable business growth and professional fulfillment,” said Enrique Lores, president and CEO of HP Inc. “With the HP ZGX, we are redefining desktop computing — bringing data-center-class AI performance to developers and researchers to iterate and simulate faster, unlocking new opportunities.”

    Expanded Availability and Partner Ecosystem
    DGX Spark will be available from Acer, ASUS, Dell Technologies, GIGABYTE, HP, Lenovo and MSI, as well as global channel partners, starting in July. Reservations for DGX Spark are now open on nvidia.com and through NVIDIA partners.

    DGX Station is expected to be available from ASUS, Dell Technologies, GIGABYTE, HP and MSI later this year.

    Watch the COMPUTEX keynote from Huang and learn more at NVIDIA GTC Taipei.

    About NVIDIA
    NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) is the world leader in accelerated computing.

    For further information, contact:
    Pearlina Boc
    NVIDIA Corporation
    +1-562-275-5781
    pboc@nvidia.com

    Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: the benefits, impact, performance and availability of NVIDIA’s products, services; NVIDIA’s collaborations with third parties and the benefits and impact thereof; third parties using or adopting our products and technologies, the benefits and impact thereof; and DGX Spark and DGX Station powering the next generation of AI research and development are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections and that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: global economic conditions; our reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, package and test our products; the impact of technological development and competition; development of new products and technologies or enhancements to our existing product and technologies; market acceptance of our products or our partners’ products; design, manufacturing or software defects; changes in consumer preferences or demands; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of our products or technologies when integrated into systems; as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the most recent reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on the company’s website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

    © 2025 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, ConnectX, DGX, DGX Station and NVIDIA NIM are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability and specifications are subject to change without notice.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3de0d4f3-f87b-4d9c-8231-10c4957d60e9

    The MIL Network –

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: /Economic Review/ A small Chinese county has acquired its own niche in the global tire market

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    JINAN, May 19 (Xinhua) — Ten years ago, Ahmed Moussa, a trader from Algeria, started buying tires in a region of China known as Guangrao, a county with a population of only about half a million people in eastern China’s Shandong Province.

    “You will find quality tires at competitive prices here,” Musa said at the 15th China /Guangzhou/ International Rubber Tire & Auto Accessories Exhibition, which ended on May 17. The event attracted more than 50 of the world’s leading tire companies, including those from the Fortune 500 list. Moreover, all 10 of the world’s largest tire makers were present at the exhibition.

    A. Musa’s company, Sarl Famo Pneumatique, sold about 300,000 tires from Guangzhao in 2024 and plans to increase orders.

    In the mid-1990s, the eastern Chinese county, located near China’s second-largest oil field, Shengli, had already become the country’s largest rubber hose production base. However, as the market became saturated with such products, some local manufacturers switched to producing automobile tires.

    With an annual output of 177 million radial tires, 86.6 percent of which are exported, Guangrao is home to China’s largest rubber tire industrial cluster, said Sun Xiaohua, head of the local bureau of industry and information technology. The county’s export revenue of 25.95 billion yuan (about $3.6 billion) in 2024 underscores its dominant position.

    “Here you can find almost all the most modern tires at prices 30-40 percent lower than world prices,” said a Russian buyer named Ivanov, emphasizing that this is a breakthrough offer in terms of cost.

    At the Shandong Huasheng Rubber Group booth, engineers demonstrated self-sealing tires using polymer composites and specially designed sound-absorbing foam inserts – technologies previously monopolized by premium brands. Liu Kaihua, a representative of the company, explained that many Chinese manufacturers can now achieve comparable or even better results through independent research and development.

    The buyers who came from all over the world took note of this significant breakthrough. “Tires from Guangrao have reached new heights in terms of quality and performance. Although many premium tires here now retail for over 1,000 yuan, the price-quality ratio is still very high,” Musa said.

    Behind Guangrao County’s success is the drive for innovation by local enterprises and the accelerating pace of smart transformation in China’s tire industry, supported by government initiatives.

    In 2015, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology included the country’s tire industry in a smart manufacturing pilot program to promote intelligent transformation through policy guidance, standard setting, and financial support. Guidelines for 2024 included upgrading outdated tire manufacturing equipment, and by 2027, the document aims to achieve a level of digital transformation where the productivity of key CNC processes reaches more than 85 percent.

    Guangrao-based Shandong Yongsheng Rubber Group Co., Ltd. has completed an intelligent upgrade of its radial tire production line, replacing 182 key machines/sets and installing automated logistics systems, resulting in a significant improvement in production efficiency. According to Hao Yufeng, who is in charge of smart manufacturing at the company, Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled equipment and automated guided vehicles have reduced labor requirements. He noted that 95 percent of the key equipment is controlled by digital technology.

    The tire boom in Guangrao shows no signs of slowing down. The county is doubling down on expansion and innovation to maintain its lead. This year, the county government plans to invest 9.31 billion yuan in 14 key projects, increasing annual radial tire output to more than 260 million units.

    The boom underscores China’s dominance in the tire industry. In 2024, China exported rubber tires worth more than $20 billion, accounting for 35 percent of the global total. That figure makes the country the world’s leading tire manufacturer and exporter.

    At the 15th China /Guangzhao/ International Rubber Tire & Auto Accessories Expo, it was clear that Guangzhao’s transformation is not just a local story, but part of a larger shift in China’s manufacturing sector. Traders like A. Musa are optimistic. “My customers and I are looking forward to the cutting-edge innovations that Guangzhao’s tire companies can offer,” he added. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Foxconn Builds AI Factory in Partnership With Taiwan and NVIDIA

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Foxconn’s Subsidiary — Big Innovation Company — to Build NVIDIA Blackwell Supercomputer With 10,000 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs to Deliver a Leap in AI Computing for Taiwan
    • TSMC to Harness Big Innovation Company Cloud AI Infrastructure for Research and Development
    • Taiwan National Science and Technology Council to Invest in Supercomputer to Accelerate AI Development and Adoption Across Industries

    TAIPEI, Taiwan, May 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — COMPUTEX — NVIDIA and Foxconn Hon Hai Technology Group today announced they are deepening their longstanding partnership and are working with the Taiwan government to build an AI factory supercomputer that will deliver state-of-the-art NVIDIA Blackwell infrastructure to researchers, startups and industries.

    Foxconn will provide the AI infrastructure through its subsidiary Big Innovation Company as an NVIDIA Cloud Partner. Featuring 10,000 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs, the AI factory will significantly expand AI computing availability and fuel innovation for Taiwan researchers and enterprises.

    The Taiwan National Science and Technology Council will use the Big Innovation Company supercomputer to provide AI cloud computing resources to the Taiwan technology ecosystem, accelerating AI development and adoption across sectors.

    TSMC researchers plan to leverage the system to advance its research and development with orders-of-magnitude faster performance, compared with previous-generation systems.

    “AI has ignited a new industrial revolution — science and industry will be transformed,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. “We are delighted to partner with Foxconn and Taiwan to help build Taiwan’s AI infrastructure, and to support TSMC and other leading companies to advance innovation in the age of AI and robotics.”

    “Foxconn builds technology that underpins modern life, and now, we’re building computing infrastructure to scale the next generation of breakthroughs across Taiwan,” said Young Liu, chairman and CEO of Foxconn. “By building this AI factory with NVIDIA and TSMC, we are laying the groundwork to connect people in Taiwan as well as government organizations and enterprises such as TSMC to accelerate innovation and empower industries.”

    “At TSMC, innovation lies at the heart of everything we do. By harnessing advanced AI infrastructure, we empower our researchers to accelerate breakthroughs in semiconductor technology, enabling next-generation solutions for our customers and the world,” said Dr. C.C. Wei, chairman and CEO of TSMC. “Leveraging this AI factory reinforces our commitment to pushing the limits of AI-driven innovation.”

    “Our plan is to create an AI-focused industrial ecosystem in southern Taiwan,” said Minister Wu Cheng-Wen of the National Science and Technology Council. “We are focused on investing in innovative research, developing a strong AI industry and encouraging the everyday use of AI tools. Our ultimate goal is to create a smart AI island filled with smart cities, and we look forward to collaborating with NVIDIA and Hon Hai to make this vision a reality.”

    Foxconn Drives Regional Technology Innovation as NVIDIA Cloud Partner
    The Big Innovation Cloud AI factory will feature NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra systems, including the NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 rack-scale solution with NVIDIA NVLink™, NVIDIA Quantum InfiniBand and NVIDIA Spectrum-X™ Ethernet networking.

    In addition to becoming an NVIDIA Cloud Partner, Big Innovation Cloud plans to participate in the NVIDIA DGX Cloud Lepton™ marketplace, announced separately today. This will provide a wide range of enterprises — from startups and research institutions to established industry leaders — easy access to advanced GPU resources, further accelerating AI development and deployment in Taiwan. The system is expected to also provide computing to speed the work of startups and developers through the NVIDIA Inception program and the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute.

    Foxconn will use the AI supercomputer of Big Innovation Company to accelerate automation and efficiency across its three core pillars — smart cities, electric vehicles and manufacturing — with a vision of connecting industries, citizens and government organizations to accelerate growth with AI.

    For smart cities, the AI factory will help optimize connected transportation systems and other civil resources to enhance quality of life for people in Taiwan. For smart electric vehicles, the infrastructure will enable advanced driver-assistance systems and safety. In manufacturing, AI-driven analytics, automation and digital twin technologies will streamline operations and speed product iteration.

    Learn more by watching the COMPUTEX keynote from Huang and learn more at NVIDIA GTC Taipei.

    About NVIDIA
    NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) is the world leader in accelerated computing.

    For further information, contact:
    Natalie Hereth
    NVIDIA Corporation
    +1-360-581-1088
    nhereth@nvidia.com

    Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: the benefits, impact, and performance of NVIDIA’s products, services, and technologies; NVIDIA’s partnership with third parties and the impact and benefits thereof; third parties adopting NVIDIA’s products and technologies and the impact and benefits thereof, and the availability and features of their offerings; science and industry being transformed; and NVIDIA partnering with Foxconn and Taiwan to help build Taiwan’s AI infrastructure, and to support TSMC and other leading companies to advance innovation in the age of AI and robotics are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections and that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: global economic conditions; our reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, package and test our products; the impact of technological development and competition; development of new products and technologies or enhancements to our existing product and technologies; market acceptance of our products or our partners’ products; design, manufacturing or software defects; changes in consumer preferences or demands; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of our products or technologies when integrated into systems; as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the most recent reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on the company’s website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

    Many of the products and features described herein remain in various stages and will be offered on a when-and-if-available basis. The statements above are not intended to be, and should not be interpreted as a commitment, promise, or legal obligation, and the development, release, and timing of any features or functionalities described for our products is subject to change and remains at the sole discretion of NVIDIA. NVIDIA will have no liability for failure to deliver or delay in the delivery of any of the products, features or functions set forth herein.

    © 2025 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, DGX Cloud Lepton, NVIDIA Spectrum-X and NVLink are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability and specifications are subject to change without notice.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1b40b18f-0c21-4eb5-82b1-2e81928b5301

    The MIL Network –

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Ambition is not a dirty word: female politicians and the ‘Lady Macbeth bias’

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Professor Rebekah Russell-Bennett, Associate Dean Research, Faculty of Business, Government and Law, University of Canberra

    When the new parliament convenes after the recent election, it will feature a rarity in Australian politics. Women will lead two significant political parties at the same time: the Liberal Party’s Sussan Ley and the Greens’ Larissa Waters.

    When female political leaders show ambition, they are often portrayed in the media as grasping, selfish and power-seeking. In other words, they are the embodiment of Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth.

    The recent negative media coverage of Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s move to the Liberal Party was reminiscent of the depiction of Julia Gillard when she became Labor leader. Price’s ambition reportedly made her selfish, while Gillard’s ambition was framed as a “moral wrong”.

    The pervasive misrepresentation of female politicians who display ambition can be thought of as “the Lady Macbeth bias”. This negative framing of ambition associates female politicians with ruthlessness and power at any cost. The prejudice reflects the central character theme in Shakespeare’s tragic play, Macbeth, of a woman whose scheming was her undoing.

    Lady Macbeth’s ambition is depicted as morally suspect and unnatural. This ambition leads to her demise.

    Highly gendered ambition

    With two new women leaders rising to the top and a record number of new female politicians in the 48th parliament, how will they be portrayed as their ambition plays out?

    The media representation of women who aspire to leadership typically depicts female ambition as a negative. This is a distraction from any objective criticism of the person. This kind of gendered approach to female politicians could be a deterrent for women who have political aspirations.

    There is a significant evidence base in academic literature that demonstrates ambition is a social construct that is highly gendered. Women politicians who show ambition are seen as unrelatable and unfeminine, while ambitious male politicians are described as visionary or strong.

    Take, for example, this recent article on Paul Keating, whose ambition is lauded, making him a “rare leader”. Let us not forgot that Keating became prime minister by challenging Bob Hawke.

    Compare the praise of Keating to the demonising of Gillard, who also challenged a sitting prime minister (Kevin Rudd) and you will see the opposite commentary. Ambition featured strongly in analysis of Gillard’s rise to power. Instead of praise for her ambition, she was often vilified, with her morality called into question.

    Rudd’s comment to her in 2010 typifies this perspective: “Julia, you’re a good person, why are you doing this?”

    The double bind

    So what is the outcome of this negative media portrayal of women in politics?

    Female politicians with ambition are perceived as less likeable and take a hit in popularity and electoral success. This phenomena has been termed the double bind, which is a paradox experienced by women leaders. To be viewed as competent, they need to display traits typically associated with men, such as ambition, competitiveness and drive. However, when they do, this in turn makes them appear not feminine enough.

    The result of this violation of gender stereotypes ranges from negative perceptions to backlash. Women can be overlooked for roles, receive less money and in the case of politics, face electoral retaliation.

    So like Lady Macbeth, ambitious leaders are punished for defying the natural order of femininity. A lose-lose situation.

    Normalise female ambition

    So what should be done? First the media need to take responsibility for the language used in headlines and stories about female politicians. A more androgynous approach to reporting on political leaders would go a long way to addressing this problem.

    Second, we the public need to decry the use of overused stereotypes in media coverage, such as the Lady Macbeth tropes, when our female leaders are critiqued. While politicians should be held to high standards of accountability, transparency and ethics, a gendered approach undermines this scrutiny and weakens our democratic system.

    Finally, we can limit “the Lady Macbeth bias” by showcasing ambitious female politicians across the political spectrum. When we normalise ambition in women, we break the association between ambition and masculinity. It is time to decouple leadership qualities from gendered stereotypes, not just for current female politicians but for the girls who are our future politicians.

    Shifting perceptions

    The Lady Macbeth theme of ambitious women being unnatural, morally bankrupt, ruthless and manipulative is a serious misrepresentation of female politicians.

    This negative portrayal is a barrier to women entering politics. Or surviving in politics.

    Politicians such as Ley, Waters and Price should be held to account, but not on gendered terms. We must stop treating female politicians as Lady Macbeth. If we do not, gender inequality in politics will prevail.

    That would be a sad future for all Australians.

    Rebekah Russell-Bennett is affiliated with the Liberal party

    – ref. Ambition is not a dirty word: female politicians and the ‘Lady Macbeth bias’ – https://theconversation.com/ambition-is-not-a-dirty-word-female-politicians-and-the-lady-macbeth-bias-256681

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: What does it mean to ‘accept’ or ‘reject’ all cookies, and which should I choose?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Ahmed Ibrahim, Senior Lecturer, Computing and Security, Edith Cowan University

    Shutterstock/The Conversation

    It’s nearly impossible to use the internet without being asked about cookies. A typical pop-up will offer to either “accept all” or “reject all”. Sometimes, there may be a third option, or a link to further tweak your preferences.

    These pop-ups and banners are distracting, and your first reaction is likely to get them out of the way as soon as possible – perhaps by hitting that “accept all” button.

    But what are cookies, exactly? Why are we constantly asked about them, and what happens when we accept or reject them? As you will see, each choice comes with implications for your online privacy.

    What are cookies?

    Cookies are small files that web pages save to your device. They contain info meant to enhance the user experience, especially for frequently visited websites.

    This can include remembering your login information and preferred news categories or text size. Or they can help shopping sites suggest items based on your browsing history. Advertisers can track your browsing behaviour through cookies to show targeted ads.

    There are many types, but one way to categorise cookies is based on how long they stick around.

    Session cookies are only created temporarily – to track items in your shopping cart, for example. Once a browser session is inactive for a period of time or closed, these cookies are automatically deleted.

    Persistent cookies are stored for longer periods and can identify you – saving your login details so you can quickly access your email, for example. They have an expiry date ranging from days to years.

    What do the various cookie options mean?

    Pop-ups will usually inform you the website uses “essential cookies” necessary for it to function. You can’t opt out of these – and you wouldn’t want to. Otherwise, things like online shopping carts simply wouldn’t work.

    However, somewhere in the settings you will be given the choice to opt out of “non-essential cookies”. There are three types of these:

    • functional cookies, related to personalising your browsing experience (such as language or region selection)

    • analytics cookies, which provide statistical information about how visitors use the website, and

    • advertising cookies, which track information to build a profile of you and help show targeted advertisements.

    Advertising cookies are usually from third parties, which can then use them to track your browsing activities. A third party means the cookie can be accessed and shared across platforms and domains that are not the website you visited.

    Google Ads, for example, can track your online behaviour not only across multiple websites, but also multiple devices. This is because you may use Google services such as Google Search or YouTube logged in with your Google account on these devices.

    An example of cookie preferences offered by a website.
    The Conversation

    Should I accept or reject cookies?

    Ultimately, the choice is up to you.

    When you choose “accept all,” you consent to the website using and storing all types of cookies and trackers.

    This provides a richer experience: all features of the website will be enabled, including ones awaiting your consent. For example, any ad slots on the website may be populated with personalised ads based on a profile the third-party cookies have been building of you.

    By contrast, choosing “reject all” or ignoring the banner will decline all cookies except those essential for website functionality. You won’t lose access to basic features, but personalised features and third-party content will be missing.

    The choice is recorded in a consent cookie, and you may be reminded in six to 12 months.

    Also, you can change your mind at any time, and update your preferences in “cookie settings”, usually located at the footer of the website. Some sites may refer to it as the cookie policy or embed these options in their privacy policy.

    How cookies relate to your privacy

    The reason cookie consent pop-ups are seemingly everywhere is thanks to a European Union privacy law that came into effect in 2018. Known as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), it provides strict regulations for how people’s personal data is handled online.

    These guidelines say that when cookies are used to identify users, they qualify as personal data and are therefore subject to the regulations. In practice, this means:

    • users must consent to cookies except the essential ones
    • users must be provided clear info about what data the cookie tracks
    • the consent must be stored and documented
    • users should still be able to use the service even if they don’t want to consent to certain cookies, and
    • users should be able to withdraw their consent easily.

    Since a lot of website traffic is international, many sites even outside the EU choose to follow GDPR guidelines to avoid running afoul of this privacy law.

    Better privacy controls

    Cookie pop-ups are tiresome, leading to “consent fatigue” – you just accept everything without considering the implications.

    This defeats the purpose of informed consent.

    There is another way to address your online privacy more robustly – Global Privacy Control (GPC). It’s a tech specification developed by a broad alliance of stakeholders (from web developers to civil rights organisations) that allows the browser to signal privacy preferences to websites, rather than requiring explicit choices on every site.

    GPC is not universally available, and it’s not a legal requirement – a number of browsers and plugins support it, but broader adoption may still take time.

    Meanwhile, if you’re worried you may have accidentally consented to cookies you don’t want, you can find an option in your browser settings to delete cookies and get back to a clean slate (be warned, this will log you out of everywhere). If you want to learn even more, the non-profit Electronic Frontier Foundation has a project called Cover Your Tracks.

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

    – ref. What does it mean to ‘accept’ or ‘reject’ all cookies, and which should I choose? – https://theconversation.com/what-does-it-mean-to-accept-or-reject-all-cookies-and-which-should-i-choose-256219

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    May 19, 2025

  • Former US President Biden diagnosed with ‘aggressive’ prostate cancer

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Former U.S. President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, his office said in a statement on Sunday.

    Biden, 82, was diagnosed on Friday after experiencing urinary symptoms, and he and his family are reviewing treatment options with doctors, according to the statement.

    “While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” his office said.

    Cancers that have spread, or metastasized, are considered Stage 4, the most advanced. Most prostate cancers are detected at an earlier stage.

    According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of the 236,659 cases of prostate cancer diagnosed in 2021, 70% were diagnosed before the cancer had spread beyond the prostate. About 8% of new prostate cancer diagnoses that year involved advanced-stage disease.

    Biden‘s physical health and mental acuity drew scrutiny during his 2021-2025 presidency. He abruptly ended his bid for reelection last July, weeks after a halting performance during a debate against Republican Donald Trump prompted panic among his fellow Democrats.

    President Trump, who has repeatedly berated Biden since taking office in January, expressed sympathy on Sunday for Biden and his wife, Jill, in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

    “Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden‘s recent medical diagnosis,” he wrote, referring to first lady Melania Trump. “We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”

    Biden‘s office said the cancer scored a nine out of 10 on the Gleason score grading system, which is used to help determine the aggressiveness of prostate cancer.

    Dr. Herbert Lepor, an urologist at NYU Langone, said a score of nine is “very high risk,” but added that many men can live “five to 10 years and beyond” even with metastatic prostate cancer.

    “Over the last decade, there have been many advances in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer,” he said.

    Dr. Chris George, the medical director of the cancer program for the Northwestern Health Network, said prostate cancer is no longer curable once it spreads to the bones but that there are treatments that can control it.

    BIDEN, TRUMP OLDEST TO WIN PRESIDENCY

    Biden was the oldest person to win the U.S. presidency at the time of his election in 2020. Trump, 78, broke that record when he defeated Vice President Kamala Harris last year.

    Some prominent Democrats have recently acknowledged that it was an error to advance Biden as the 2024 nominee, given widespread concerns among voters about his age. Long before the debate last summer, Reuters/Ipsos polls showed a majority of Americans, including most Democrats, believed Biden was too old to serve a second term.

    “It was a mistake for Democrats to not listen to the voters earlier,” Democratic U.S. Senator Chris Murphy told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday morning, before Biden‘s diagnosis was announced.

    Biden has kept a low profile since leaving office, making only a handful of public appearances, including an April speech in which he defended the Social Security Administration against Trump’s planned cuts.

    He has also defended his legacy in interviews and rejected reporting in two new books that he suffered from cognitive decline during his last year in office.

    “They are wrong,” he said earlier this month on ABC’s “The View,” referring to the books’ authors.

    Biden‘s diagnosis triggered an outpouring of supportive statements on Sunday from Democrats and Republicans alike.

    “Joe is a fighter — and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership,” Harris said in a statement.

    Biden lost a son, Beau Biden, in 2015 due to brain cancer.

    In 2022, Biden revived an Obama-era program known as Cancer Moonshot, seeking to reduce the death rate from cancer by at least 50% over the next 25 years.

    (Reuters)

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Celebrating Canberra’s Local Heroes in National Volunteer Week

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    As part of ACT Government’s ‘One Government, One Voice’ program, we are transitioning this website across to our . You can access everything you need through this website while it’s happening.

    Released 19/05/2025

    This National Volunteer Week (19–25 May), the ACT Government is proud to celebrate the thousands of volunteers across Canberra who dedicate their time, energy and care to making our community stronger, more inclusive and more connected.

    Minister for Disability, Carers and Community Services, Suzanne Orr, acknowledged the extraordinary contributions of volunteers across the ACT and encouraged Canberrans to explore the many ways they can get involved.

    “We’re lucky to have many committed volunteers here in the ACT: three out of four Canberrans aged over 15 years volunteer in our community, either formally or informally,” Minister Orr said.

    “From helping people in crisis to supporting environmental and animal welfare, Canberra’s volunteers are the quiet achievers who bring compassion, resilience and hope to our community.”

    One of those volunteers is Manar Ahmad, co-founder of HelpingACT, which provides food, clothing and essential services to people in need.

    “My life is richer because of volunteering. Despite the hours, I don’t see it as a cost – it’s brought me into contact with wonderful people and stretched my capabilities,” Mr Ahmad said.

    “If you’re nervous, start small. Then go deeper as your confidence grows.”

    Madison (Casey) Barancewicz, recipient of the 2024 ACT Young Volunteer of the Year Award, volunteers with the National Arboretum, MIEACT, and WaterWatch.

    “Volunteering has taught me to take initiative – and it gives me hope. You’re giving your time to something meaningful. It helps you. It helps others. It helps the world.”

    Christine Johnston, a long-serving volunteer with Victim Support ACT, offers vital assistance to victims navigating the criminal justice system.

    “When someone’s anxious or overwhelmed, just being there matters. I enjoy helping others, and it’s also helped me feel connected since moving to Canberra.”

    Adrian Manning, who volunteers with the ACT State Emergency Service, highlighted the dual personal and professional rewards of volunteering.

    “Not only do I get to help my community, but I’ve learned new skills that have benefited me in my work life as well.”

    For Pearl Ansley, volunteering with Domestic Animal Services is a joyful part of her routine.

    “It’s the best way to start the day – walking the dogs through the bush trail, surrounded by nature and sunshine. The dogs love it, and I do too.”

    CEO of VolunteeringACT, Jean Giese, reflected on the power of collective action, “National Volunteer Week is a time to say thank you to the incredible individuals who give their time so generously.

    “Canberrans contribute around 63 million hours of volunteering each year. According to the ACT State of Volunteering Report, 61% of people volunteer to help others. Their contributions strengthen the social fabric of our community and help create a kinder, more inclusive region. To all past, current, and future volunteers – thank you.”

    The ACT Government, in partnership with VolunteeringACT, is implementing the ACT Volunteering Strategy 2024–2034, which focuses on strengthening the sector by enhancing the volunteer experience, improving recognition, and building better connections across government and the community.

    To find out more about volunteer opportunities in Canberra, visit: www.volunteeringact.org.au

    – Statement ends –

    Suzanne Orr, MLA | Media Releases

    «ACT Government Media Releases | «Minister Media Releases

    MIL OSI News –

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Release: Women in funded sector unlikely to get pay equity

    Source: New Zealand Labour Party

    The Government is unlikely to fund pay equity for hospice and Plunket nurses, care and support workers and other workforces made up of mostly women.

    On Thursday Brooke Van Velden told Parliament that she understood that “the Government, under Minister Nicola Willis’ pay equity reset, suggested that the funded sector would not be funded by the Government for pay equity.” 

    The pay equity reset last year also disbanded the pay equity taskforce, but until now it had not been clear the Government was looking to wash its hands of funding pay equity claims for these sectors altogether.

    On Wednesday the Prime Minister Christopher Luxon either didn’t know his government had made that decision or was deliberately hiding the truth about the funded sector.

    “What this could mean is that women in this sector, whose claims have now been extinguished by the law passed two weeks ago, will no longer have a pathway to pay equity,” Labour workplace relations and safety spokesperson Jan Tinetti said.

    “These are the care and support workers who look after our parents and grandparents when they can no longer look after themselves. Who provide dementia and disabled care. Plunket nurses who support new mums, and hospice nurses who provide end of life care.

    “Brooke Van Velden appears to have confirmed on Nicola Willis’ behalf that there isn’t a pathway to raising women’s wages in these sectors, because the Government isn’t intending to contribute to raising their pay.

    “If Nicola Willis never intended to fund pay equity in the funded sector, then she has been stringing women along for months before the law change two weeks ago. Without government support, pay equity in these sectors is unlikely to happen.

    “This is beyond bad faith. It is betrayal,” Jan Tinetti said.

    Stay in the loop by signing up to our mailing list and following us on Facebook, Instagram, and X. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: China marks Intl Museum Day with Shang Dynasty exhibition launch

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

    This photo taken on May 18, 2025 shows two exhibits of “The Exhibition Series on the Origins of Chinese Civilization: This is the Shang” at the Grand Canal Museum of Beijing in Beijing, capital of China. Themed “The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities”, 2025 International Museum Day・Main Venue in China event was held at the Grand Canal Museum of Beijing on Sunday.

    During the opening ceremony of the event, the list of Selection of China’s Most Innovative Museums of 2025 and the masterpiece award of the 22nd (2024) “Top Ten Museum Exhibitions” in China were released, and the 2025 Beijing museum season was launched.

    “The Exhibition Series on the Origins of Chinese Civilization: This is the Shang” was also unveiled, showcasing 338 pieces (sets) of precious cultural relics from 28 archaeological and cultural institutions across the country, involving oracle bones, bronzes wares, pottery and jade wares, etc. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

    1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   >  

    MIL OSI China News –

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese car manufacturer introduces EV brand to Ethiopian market

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

    People learn about new electric vehicle models at a brand launch event organized by Chinese automaker Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd (GAC Group) in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, on May 17, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Chinese automaker Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd (GAC Group) has introduced two of its electric vehicle (EV) models to the Ethiopian market, marking the Chinese car brand’s entry into the East African country.

    The company unveiled its AION Y and ES9 models on Saturday at a launch event in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

    Addressing the event, Zeleke Temesgen, commissioner of the Ethiopian Investment Commission, said the government has taken bold measures to encourage the adoption of EVs to accelerate the country’s transition to electric mobility.

    “The Ethiopian government has already banned the production, import, and assembly of gas-powered cars, so Ethiopia would be an ideal market for reputable companies like GAC Group,” said Temesgen.

    Appreciating GAC Group’s commitment to launching its EV brand in Ethiopia, the commissioner called on the company to set up a manufacturing plant so as to take advantage of favorable investment and massive market opportunities, and accelerate Ethiopia’s green mobility.

    Bareo Hassen, Ethiopian state minister of transport and logistics, said the government aspires to achieve green mobility “in the shortest time possible” with the goal of conserving energy and supporting the national economy.

    As part of the government’s push for a transition to electric mobility, more than 100,000 EVs are currently on the road across Ethiopia, which aims to have up to 500,000 EVs in the next 10 years, replacing the majority of cars powered by fossil fuels.

    Ethiopia is also working to expand EV production and the installation of public charging stations, and offering support and various incentives to private investors, such as free or leased land for investors in EV after-sales services, according to the Ministry of Transport and Logistics.

    Wei Haigang, president of GAC International, said the company, through its partner Huajian Group, will sell electric vehicles, establish charging infrastructure, and initiate local assembly operations in Ethiopia.

    Noting Ethiopia’s high potential for the EV market, Wei said GAC Group will engage in EV production in the future to tap into the huge market and support the country’s transition to electric mobility. 

    MIL OSI China News –

    May 19, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for May 19, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on May 19, 2025.

    What does it mean to ‘accept’ or ‘reject’ all cookies, and which should I choose?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ahmed Ibrahim, Senior Lecturer, Computing and Security, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock/The Conversation It’s nearly impossible to use the internet without being asked about cookies. A typical pop-up will offer to either “accept all” or “reject all”. Sometimes, there may be a third option, or a link to

    What causes ADHD? What we know, don’t know and suspect
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Poulton, Senior Lecturer, Brain Mind Centre Nepean, University of Sydney Sergey Novikov/Shutterstock Neurodevelopmental disorders are a diverse group of conditions that affect the brain from early development. They include attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism and learning disabilities, such as dyslexia. These conditions usually become more evident

    Pacific children as young as 6 adopted, made to work as house slaves
    By Gill Bonnett, RNZ immigration reporter This story discusses graphic details of slavery, sexual abuse and violence Pacific children as young as six are being adopted overseas and being made to work as house slaves, suffering threats, beatings and rape. Kris Teikamata — a social worker at a community agency — spoke about the harrowing

    Australia launches ‘landmark’ UN police peacekeeping course for Pacific region
    Australia has launched the world’s first UN Police Peacekeeping Training course tailored specifically for the Pacific region. The five-week programme, hosted by the Australian Federal Police (AFP), is underway at the state-of-the-art Pacific Policing Development and Coordination Hub in Pinkenba, Brisbane. AFP said “a landmark step” was developed in partnership with the United Nations, and

    AI is moving fast. Climate policy provides valuable lessons for how to keep it in check
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milica Stilinovic, PhD Candidate, School of Media and Communications; Managing Editor, Policy & Internet journal, University of Sydney cybermagician/Shutterstock Artificial intelligence (AI) might not have been created to enable new forms of sexual violence such as deepfake pornography. But that has been an unfortunate byproduct of the

    1 in 5 Gazans face starvation. Can the law force Israel to act?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Donald Rothwell, Professor of International Law, Australian National University As Israel continues to pound Gaza with airstrikes, killing scores of people a day, the two-month ceasefire that brought a halt to the violence earlier this year feels like a distant memory. Israel’s overall military and political objective

    More people are trying medicinal cannabis for chronic pain. But does it work?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Nielsen, Professor and Deputy Director, Monash Addiction Research Centre, Monash University PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock More Australians than ever are being prescribed medicinal cannabis. Medicinal cannabis refers to legally prescribed cannabis products. These are either the plant itself, or naturally occurring ingredients extracted from the plant.

    Why is southern Australia in drought – and when will it end?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chiara Holgate, Senior Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for Weather of the 21st Century, Australian National University Artic_photo/Shutterstock Swathes of South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia are in the grip of drought as they experience some of the lowest rainfall totals on record. Farmers are

    Wine is still Australia’s most popular alcoholic drink – but many producers face an uncertain future
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Chad, Honorary Fellow, Faculty of Business and Law, School of Business, University of Wollongong kwest/Shutterstock Australia has become world-famous for its wine, but the industry faces an uncertain future. Too many grapes grown amid falling consumer demand, an oversupply of budget wine, and an undersupply of

    Something borrowed, something blue? Why the reign of the traditional wedding dress may be over
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jye Marshall, Lecturer, Fashion Design, School of Design and Architecture, Swinburne University of Technology Wedding Rebellion Workshop, London Ellie Cooper/unsplash The family and friends are all gathered, wedding bells are ringing, and the bride walks down the aisle in her beautiful bubblegum pink wedding dress. Twenty years

    NZ Budget 2025: economic forecasting is notoriously difficult, but global uncertainty is making it harder
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Lecturer in Economics, University of Waikato Javier Ghersi/Getty Images This year’s budget will be one of the tightest in a decade, with the New Zealand government halving its operating allowance – the new money it has available to spend – from NZ$2.4 billion to $1.3

    Why the wall of silence on the Gaza genocide is finally starting to crack
    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – As Israel unveils its final genocide push, and mass death from starvation looms in Gaza, Western media and politicians are tentatively starting to speak up ANALYSIS: By Jonathan Cook Who could have imagined 19 months ago that it would take more than a year and a

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 19, 2025
←Previous Page
1 … 679 680 681 682 683 … 1,899
Next Page→
NewzIntel.com

NewzIntel.com

MIL Open Source Intelligence

  • Blog
  • About
  • FAQs
  • Authors
  • Events
  • Shop
  • Patterns
  • Themes

Twenty Twenty-Five

Designed with WordPress