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  • MIL-OSI USA News: Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Grand Rapids,  MI

    Source: The White House

    Riverside Park
    Grand Rapids, Michigan

    2:38 P.M. EDT

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, Michigan!  Good afternoon.  Can we hear it for Brian?  (Applause.) 

    Good afternoon, Michigan.  It is good — (applause) — oh, it is good to be back.  It’s good to be back.  (Applause.)  Good afternoon.  Oh — (laughs) — oh, my god.  Okay.  (Applause.)  Okay.  Thank you. 

    Okay, let’s get to business.  Let’s get to business.  Thank you.  Thank you.  I am very touched.  (Applause.)  Thank you all.  Oh, it’s good to be back.  Thank you all very much.  Thank you.  Thank you. 

    Okay, let’s get to work.  Let’s get to work.  Let’s get to work.  Let’s get to work. 

    So, let me first thank all of you for taking time out of your very busy lives for us to all be here together this afternoon.  I thank you so very much for all you do, all you have done, and all you will do over these next 18 days.  Thank you all so very much.  (Applause.)  Thank you. 

    This is an incredible group of incredible leaders, and your voice matters so much right now.  And I think there is so much about our campaign that is about the spirit of reminding everyone that we’re all in this together.  We are all in this together.  (Applause.)  So, thank you. 

    And to all the governors who are here with us today — (applause) — I’m telling you, they’re riding thick.  They’re riding thick.  Oh, and they are all — each one of them — such incredible leaders, both for their state and our nation, and such dear friends.  And I thank you all, including, of course, Michigan’s own Governor Whitmer — (applause) — who we love as “Big Gretch.”  (Applause.)

    And to the governors, I want to say you’ve been traveling the country for our campaign, and I’m so deeply grateful for your support. 

    I also want to recognize Senator Stabenow — (applause) — a champion for Michigan; Representative Scholten, who we will reelect to the United States Congress.  (Applause.)  And while we’re at it, let’s send Representative Slotkin to the United States Senate.  (Applause.)

    All right, so we got work to do.  Eighteen day — eighteen days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime.  And as you know, everyone here knows, this election is truly about two very different visions for our nation: Ours that is focused on the future; Donald Trump’s that is focused on the past.  Ours, that is focused on bringing down the cost of living for working families, investing in small businesses, and entrepreneurs.  Ours, that is about protecting reproductive freedom.  (Applause.)  

    But none of that is what we hear from Donald Trump.  Instead, it is just the same old, tired playbook.  He has no plan for how he would address the needs of the American people, and he is, as we have seen, only focused on himself.

    And now he is ducking debates and canceling interviews.

    AUDIENCE:  Booo —

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Come on. 

    Check this out.  His own campaign team recently said it is because of exhaustion.  (Laughter.)  Well, if you are exhausted on the campaign trail, it raises real questions about whether you are fit for the toughest job in the world.  (Applause.)  Come on.  Come on.

    So, for all these reasons and more, we are here because we know it is time to turn the page.  (Applause.)  It is time to turn the page because America is ready to chart a new way forward.  (Applause.)  America is ready for a new and optimistic generation of leadership that is all of us — (applause) — all of us, which is why Democrats, Republicans, and independents are supporting our campaign.  (Applause.) 

    In fact, earlier this week, over 100 Republican leaders from across the country joined me on the campaign trail, including some who even served in Donald Trump’s own administration — (applause) — the people who know him best, right? 

    And I believe all of this shows that the American people want a president who works for all the people.  (Applause.)  And that has been the story of my entire career.  In my career, I’ve only ever had one client: the people — the people.  (Applause.)

    As a young courtroom prosecutor, I protected women and children.  As attorney general of California, I fought for students and veterans.  As vice president, I have stood up for workers and seniors.  And as president, I will stand up for all Americans — all Americans.  (Applause.) 

    And together, we will build a brighter future for our nation.  Yes, we will.  (Applause.)  Because, by the way, we will win.  (Applause.)  We will win.  We will win.  Come on.

         AUDIENCE:  We will win!  We will win!  We will win! 

         THE VICE PRESIDENT:  (Laughs.)  Yes, we will.

         AUDIENCE:  We will win!  We will win!  We will win!

         THE VICE PRESIDENT:  We will win.  We will win.  And we will win.

    And one of the reasons that we know we are working hard toward that win is because we believe together in building a future — in what we can do together as a nation — and a nation of people who see what we have in common more than what separates us. 

     We will w- — build towards a future where we have an economy that works for all Americans.  We will build what I call an “opportunity economy” so that every American has an opportunity to own a home, buy a car, build wealth, and start a business.  (Applause.) 

     In fact, do we have any small-business owners here?  (Applause.)  I love our small businesses.  I got a plan for you.  I love our small businesses.  Our small businesses are part of the backbone of America’s economy.  Bless you all for the work you are doing. 

     So, under my plan, we will also bring down the cost of housing — (applause) — and we will help entrepreneurs start and grow small businesses. 

     My plan will expand Medicare to cover the cost of home health care for our seniors — (applause) — so that more of our seniors can live with dignity. 

    And, you know, I’ll just give you a little background i- — in terms of a personal story.  So, I took care of my mother when she was sick.  And for any of you who have taken care of an elder relative, you know what that is, right?  It’s about trying to cook something that they can eat.  It’s about trying to find clothes that they can — they can handle on their skin.  It’s about trying, from time to time, to think about something that will put a smile on their face or maybe just make them laugh.  It’s about dignity. 

    But under the current system, and especially for those in the sandwich generation who are raising young kids while you’re taking care of your parents, it’s difficult.  And under the current system, to get help for taking care of your seniors, unless you got the extra money sitting around, you’d have to leave your job or pay down all your savings to qualify for Medicaid.  That’s not right.  That’s not right. 

     So, my plan is about saying, let’s have Medicare cover the cost of home health care for our seniors — (applause) — which is a matter of understanding how real people are living and understanding the importance of everyone being entitled to dignity.  (Applause.)

    Our plan, in terms of an opportunity economy, will lower costs on everything from health care to groceries.  I’ll take on corporate price gouging, because I’ve done it before and I will do it again.  (Applause.)

    My plan will also give middle-class tax cuts to 100 million Americans, including $6,000 tax credit for the first year of a child’s life so that our young parents — (applause) — can do what they naturally want to do, which is parent their children well, but they don’t always have the resources to be able to do it.  So, let’s help them out so that they can buy a car seat, so that they can buy a crib, so that they can take care of that baby’s needs during that critical phase of their development. 

         We all benefit from it.  We all benefit from it.  (Applause.)

         Dignity.

    My plan also invests in American manufacturing and innovation, because I will make sure America, not China, wins the competition for the 21st century.  (Applause.) 

         AUDIENCE:  USA!  USA!  USA!

         THE VICE PRESIDENT:  That’s right.  That’s right.

         AUDIENCE:  USA!  USA!  USA!

     THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And so, to that point and with pride, we all say: We must and we will invest in the industries that built America, like steel, iron, and the great American auto industry.  (Applause.)  And we will ensure that the next generation of breakthroughs, from advanced batteries to electric vehicles, are not just invented but built right here in America by American union workers.  (Applause.)

     And, Michigan, I know I’m going to tell you what you already know, but let us be clear for folks who are watching from different parts of the country.  Contrary to what my opponent is suggesting, I will never tell you what kind of car you have to drive, but here is what I will do.  I will invest in manufacturing communities like Kent County.  (Applause.) 

    Together, we will retool existing factories, hire locally, and work with unions to create good-paying jobs — (applause) — including jobs that do not require a college degree, because here’s where I come from.  I know a college degree is not the only measure of the skills and experience of a qualified worker.  (Applause.)

    And I intend to reexamine federal jobs, when you all elect me president — (applause) — to assess those jobs that should not have that requirement, and then I intend to challenge the private sector to do the same.  (Applause.)

     Now, all of this is to say Donald Trump has a different approach.  He makes big promises — (laughs) — and he always fails to deliver.

    So, remember he said he was the only one — you know how he talks.  (Laughter.)  He — the only one who could bring back America’s manufacturing jobs.

    Then, America lost almost 200,000 manufacturing jobs when he was president.

    AUDIENCE:  Booo —

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Facts.  Including tens of thousands of jobs right here in Michigan.  And those losses started before the pandemic, making Donald Trump one of the biggest losers — (applause) — of manufacturing jobs in American history. 

    And his track record for the auto industry was a disaster.  He promised workers in Warren that the auto industry would, and I’m going to quote, “not lose one plant” during his presidency.  Those were his words, “not one plant.” 

    Then American automakers announced the closure of six auto plants when he was president, including General Motors in Warren and Stellantis in Detroit.  Thousands of Michigan autoworkers lost their jobs.  And Donald Trump’s running mate recently suggested that if they win, they would threaten the Grand River Assembly plant in Lansing.  Okay?

    AUDIENCE:  Booo —

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  The same plant our administration protected earlier this year, saving 650 union jobs — (applause) — 650 union jobs.  His running mate called those “table scraps.” 

    So, we fought hard for those jobs, and we believe that you deserve a president who will protect them and not insult them.  (Applause.)

    And make no mistake, Donald Trump is no friend of labor.  Let’s be really clear about that.  No matter what the noise is out there, he is no friend of labor.  Just look at the record.  Instead of his rhetoric, look at the record.  And let’s not fall for the okey-doke.  (Laughter.) 

    Seriously.  He encouraged automakers to move their plants out of Michigan so he could pay — they could pay their workers less.  Understand what that was about: so they could pay their workers less. 

    And when the UAW went on strike to demand the higher wages they deserved, Donald Trump went to a nonunion shop —

    AUDIENCE:  Booo —

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — and attacked the UAW, and he said — he said, striking and collective bargaining don’t make, quote, “a damn bit of sense” — “a damn bit of difference” is what he said exactly.  That it doesn’t make a, quote — pardon my language — “a damn bit of difference,” is what he said. 

    AUDIENCE MEMBER:  He don’t make a damn bit of sense.  (Applause.) 

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  All right, brother.  (Laughs.)

    So, Michigan, you know better.  Strong unions mean higher wages — (applause) — better health care, and greater dignity for union members and for everyone, whether or not you are part of a union.  (Applause.)  Get that straight.  Get that straight.

    Which is why, when I am president, I will sign the PRO Act into law and make it easier for workers to join a union and negotiate for better pay and working conditions.  (Applause.)

    And now Donald Trump is making the same empty promises to the people of Michigan that he did before, hoping — hoping you will forget how he let you down the last time.  But we will not be fooled, because we know how to read Project 2025.  For those who haven’t seen it, just google it. 

    You know, I just have to keep repeating, I can’t believe they put that thing in writing.  I cannot beli- — they — they put it in — they put it in writing.  They bound it.  They — they published it, and they handed it out.  (Laughter.)  And now they’re trying to run from it.  Come on. 

    And so, we’ve read it.  It’s a detailed and dangerous blueprint for what Donald Trump intends to do if he were elected president.  So, that’s why we know — not only because it’s what he did before — that’s why we know Donald Trump will give billionaires and corporations massive tax cuts, attack unions, cut Social Security and Medicare —

    AUDIENCE:  Booo —

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — get rid of that hard-fought, hard-won $35 cap on insulin for our seniors.

    AUDIENCE:  Booo —

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Check out what’s in it.  It will make it easier for companies to deny overtime pay for workers —

    AUDIENCE:  Booo —

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — and impose what I call a “Trump sales tax,” which is basically — he’s talking about at least a 20 percent tax on everyday necessities, which economists have measured will cost the average family nearly $4,000 more a year.

    AUDIENCE:  Booo —

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And on top of this, Donald Trump intends to end the Affordable Care Act — okay? — and has no plan to replace it. 

    AUDIENCE MEMBER:  “Concepts”! 

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  You watched the debate.  (Laughs.)  So, you remember, he has, quote, “concepts of a plan.” 

    AUDIENCE:  “Concepts of a plan!”

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  “Concepts of a plan.”

    So, he’s going to threaten — he’s going to threaten the health insurance of 45 —

    AUDIENCE MEMBERS:  (Inaudible.)

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  We need a medic over here.  We need a medic over here.  Let’s — let’s clear a path so they can come through, please.

         AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Don’t forget he’s out on bail! 

    AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Espionage!  (Laughter.)

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And we got jokes over here, grounded in reality.  (Laughter.)

         We okay?  Okay.  We’re okay.  Thank you all. 

         So — (applause) — we’re good.  Okay.

    So, you know, where I was going with that is many of you may have heard me say, I do believe that Donald Trump is an unserious man, and the consequences of him ever getting back into the White House are brutally serious — brutally serious. 

    So, on that point about “concepts of a plan,” it’s funny.  We thought it was ridiculously hilarious when we first heard it.  But here’s the thing about that.  He is basically going to threaten the health insurance of 45 million people based on a concept and take us back to when insurance companies could deny people with preexisting conditions.  You remember what that was like?

    Well, we are —

    AUDIENCE:  Not going back!

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — not going back.  We are not going back.  We’re not going back.

    AUDIENCE:  We’re not going back!  We’re not going back!  We’re not going back!

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  We are not going back.  We’re not going back.

    AUDIENCE:  We’re not going back!  We’re not going back!  We’re not going back!

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And we are not going back because we intend to move forward — (applause) — because ours is a fight for the future, and it is a fight for freedom — (applause) — like the fundamental freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government tell her what to do.  (Applause.)

    And we here remember how we got to this place, because then-President Donald Trump hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe v. Wade, and they did as he intended. 

    And now, in America, one in three women lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban, many of these with no exception even for rape and incest, which means you’re telling a survivor of a violation to their body that they don’t have a right to make a decision about what happens to their body next? 

    AUDIENCE:  Booo —

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  That’s immoral.  That’s immoral. 

    And I think we all know one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do — (applause) — not the government.  If she chooses, she will talk to her priest, her pastor, her rabbi, her imam but not the government — not some — some people up in a state capitol — not Donald Trump.

    AUDIENCE:  No!

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  No. 

    So, let me tell you, when Congress passes a bill to restore the reproductive freedoms nationwide, with your help, as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law.  (Applause.)  Proudly.  Proudly.  Proudly. 

    And across our nation, we are witnessing a full-on assault on other hard-fought, hard-won freedoms and rights — fundamental freedoms and rights.  I’m traveling our country.  I mean, attacks on the freedom to vote. 

    You know, in the state of Georgia, they passed a law that makes it illegal to give people food and water for standing in line to vote.  You know, the hypocrisy abounds.  What happened to “love thy neighbor”?  Right?

    Attacks on the freedom to join a union, attacks on the freedom to be safe from gun violence, attacks on the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride.  (Applause.)

    So much is on the line in this election, and you all are spending your precious time here together because we know this is not 2016 or 2020.  The stakes are even higher this time for many reasons, including because, just months ago, the United States Supreme Court basically told the former president he is effectively immune no matter what he does in the White House.

    AUDIENCE:  Booo —

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Right.  Because we know — just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails.  Just imagine.  He who has vowed he would be a dictator on day one.  He who calls Americans who disagree with him the “enemy from within.”  You know where that language comes from?  The “enemy from within,” talking about Americans.  He who says he would use the military to go after them — American citizens.  He who has called for the, quote, “termination” of the Constitution of the United States of America. 

    AUDIENCE:  Booo —

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And we are clear: Someone who suggests we should terminate the Constitution of the United States should never again have the privilege of standing behind the seal of the president of the United States.  (Applause.)  Never again.  Never again.  Never again.  Never again. 

    AUDIENCE:  Never again!  Never again!  Never again!

    THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Never again. 

    So, Michigan, it all comes down to this.  We know why we’re here together.  We know what’s at stake.  And we are here together for one of the most important of all the reasons: We are here together because we love our country.  (Applause.)  We love our country. 

    We love our country, and we know that it is one of the highest forms of an expression of love of our country, of patriotism, to then fight for our ideals, to fight to realize the promise of America.  That’s what our campaign is about. 

    And Election Day is in 18 short days.  Okay?  And here in Michigan, early voting starts on Saturday, October 26th, which is one week from tomorrow.  (Applause.) 

    So, now is the time to make your plan to vote.  Make a plan.  Make a plan.  And if you have received your ballot in the mail, please do not wait.  Fill it out and return it today. 

    Because, folks, the election is here.  The election is here right now.  And like I know everybody here knows to do, we’ve got to energize and organize and mobilize and remind our neighbors and our friends that their vote is their voice and your voice is your power. 

    In a democracy, while we can hold on to it, our vote is the power that each of us as an individual has.  It’s an extraordinary power, and we will not give it away, and we will not let anyone suppress or silence our power.  Don’t ever let anybody take your power from you.  (Applause.)

    So, Michigan, today I ask you, then, are you ready to make your voices heard?  (Applause.)

         Do we believe in freedom?  (Applause.)

         Do we believe in opportunity?  (Applause.)

         Do we believe in the promise of America?  (Applause.)

         And are we ready to fight for it?  (Applause.)

         And when we fight —

         AUDIENCE:  We win!

         THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — we win.

         God bless you.  And God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

                                 END                3:07 P.M. EDT

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Hunter and New England regions welcome new overseas nurses

    Source: New South Wales Government 2

    Headline: Hunter and New England regions welcome new overseas nurses

    Published: 22 October 2024

    Released by: Minister for the Hunter, Minister for Regional Health

    Communities across the Hunter and New England are experiencing a welcome boost of new nurses, with more than 140 registered nurses recruited from the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland.

    Hunter New England Local Health District has welcomed the first of these new skilled nurses, who are now settling into the District’s hospitals and towns, following an international recruitment drive to attract staff and boost the capacity of local healthcare teams.

    The incoming nurses are qualified and experienced in emergency, surgical care, intensive care, and paediatrics, with many honing their skills at specialist hospitals in the UK.

    Nurses are being placed across the District’s hospitals and facilities, including 41 at Tamworth, 37 at Manning and 28 at Maitland hospitals, with dozens having already transitioned into their new roles.

    As part of their welcome, the new nurses and their families are greeted at the airport by District staff, before being escorted to local accommodation.

    Ongoing training and personal support are provided, including an orientation and buddy-up system to ensure the nurses feel comfortable and supported in their new environment.

    The District is currently assisting the remaining overseas nurses through the visa and immigration process, and anticipates their arrival in the coming months.

    The international recruitment drive is one of a range of initiatives currently underway to attract and retain nurses to HNELHD’s facilities, with other measures including the employment of more than 250 graduate nurses and midwives, the implementation of the NSW Government’s Rural Health Workforce Incentive Scheme, school-based trainee program, and tertiary study subsidies.

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Regional Health Ryan Park:

    “I warmly welcome these much needed and valued nurses to our Hunter and New England regions, who are bringing a wealth of experience to our facilities and communities.

    “Health worker shortages in our regions is one of the biggest challenges confronting our health system.

    “International recruitment drives are just one way we are helping to attract and retain health workers in our regional and rural areas. We want to ensure everyone can access high quality healthcare no matter where they live.”

    Quotes attributable to Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley:

    “It’s fantastic to welcome so many new nurses who have chosen to make the Hunter home.

    “These workers will make a real difference to peoples’ lives and help deliver better outcomes for patients and their families.

    “The NSW Labor Government is working hard to rebuild our public health system and the recruitment of these overseas nurses plays an important role in boosting the current workforce.”

    Quotes attributable to Elizabeth Grist, Executive Director, Nursing and Midwifery, Hunter New England Local Health District:

    “I am thrilled to see over 140 overseas nurses continue their healthcare careers in NSW and I want to pass on my thanks for choosing our District.”             

    “No two days are the same in our hospitals, and we are committed to providing these nurses with continuous opportunities for career-enhancing experiences and learning development across a variety of areas.”

    Quotes attributable to Michelle Keir, Director of Nursing and Midwifery, Tamworth Hospital:

    “We’ve welcomed over two dozen overseas nurses to our hospital so far, who are all settling well into the community and enjoying their new lifestyle and nursing roles.”

    “The overseas recruitment drive has been an extremely rewarding initiative, which has boosted morale and wellbeing among our existing staff as well as benefiting our patients.”

    “I look forward to welcoming and supporting more nurses over the coming weeks and months, as we continue to receive applications from highly-skilled nurses from across the world.”

    Quotes attributable to Bindhya Thomas, Registered Nurse, Tamworth Hospital:

    “I have 12 years’ experience in nursing, and I’m currently working in the acute surgical ward at Tamworth Hospital, taking care of post-surgical patients.”      

    “It was my dream to migrate to Australia and I’m so happy to be here, the sun is shining every day and that makes it so enjoyable.”

    “My colleagues are so supportive. I feel like I’ve been here for many years and that’s a wonderful feeling.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Pair charged with drug trafficking extradited to face court in Tasmania

    Source: Tasmania Police

    Pair charged with drug trafficking extradited to face court in Tasmania

    Tuesday, 22 October 2024 – 2:36 pm.

    Tasmania Police is today extraditing a man and a woman from New South Wales to Hobart, after they failed to appear in the Supreme Court last Monday, 14 October.
    The 48-year-old woman and 49-year-old man are on trial for trafficking in a controlled substance, where it is alleged they were involved in the importing of approximately $700,000 worth of illicit drugs into Tasmania in 2019.
    At the time, the man was reportedly the national vice president of the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMCG).
    The investigation into the drug trafficking formed part of Operation Advance which was a joint operation between Tasmania Police and the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
    Tasmania Police and AFP would like to recognise the assistance provided by NSW Police in the extradition, after officers arrested the pair on Sunday.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Five men arrested relating to Operation Eclipse

    Source: South Australia Police

    Five men have been arrested this morning after a series of searches in the Metropolitan area as part of Operation Eclipse.

    Just after 8am, Tuesday 22 October, Detectives from Serious and Organised Crime Branch attended and searched six residential and business premises located at Blair Athol, Walkley Heights, Dudley Park, Sheidow Park and Morphett Vale.

    Detectives were supported by 45 police from specialist areas including STAR Operations, Metropolitan Districts, Digital Evidence Section and Confiscations Section officers.

    As a result of these searches, Detectives have seized numerous items of interest including tobacco products, approximately $114,500 in cash and two vehicles including a black Range Rover (pictured).

    The five men were arrested for offences that police will allege relate to the ongoing conflict, associated with the illicit tobacco sales in SA and the standover and intimidation tactics that are being used by these syndicates.

    • A 34-year-old man from Blair Athol was charged with aggravated affray and aggravated assault
    • A 31-year-old man from Blair Athol was charged with aggravated affray, attempt cause serious harm and money laundering
    • A 23-year-old man from Blair Athol was charged with aggravated affray, aggravated attempt cause serious harm and money laundering
    • A 33-year-old man from Walkley Heights was charged with aggravated affray and aggravated attempt cause harm
    • A 23-year-old man from Dudley Park was charged with aggravated affray and aggravated assault.

    All five men were refused police bail and are expected to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court later today.

    Members of the public who are purchasing illicit tobacco products are directly supporting the organised crime syndicates who are driving the current Operation Eclipse related crime series.

    South Australia Police will continue to investigate offences of violence and extortion and aim to disrupt this type of offending to ensure public safety.

    Anyone who has any information in relation to any suspicious activity around business premises, specifically in the hours of darkness, is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 33 000 or online at http://www.crimestopperssa.com.au – you can remain anonymous.

    CO2400042543

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Transcript – Press conference, Port of Burnie, Tasmania

    Source: Australian Ministers 1

    TASRAIL CEO, STEVEN DIETRICH: … I would like to begin the formalities with an acknowledgement of country. In recognition of the deep history and culture of this island of Lutruwita Tasmania, we would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land upon which we gather today, and pay our respects to elders past and present, for they hold the memories, the knowledge, and the culture and hopes of Aboriginal Tasmania.

    First up today, it is my pleasure – real pleasure to introduce a great supporter of TasRail. It’s not her first visit to the site, and I’m sure she can see a vast difference to when she was last here. The old shiploader was still here that had served us well for the last 50 years, and now with our new state of the art asset in place. So I’d like to introduce the Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, the Honourable Catherine King.

    [Applause]

    CATHERINE KING: Thanks very much, Steve, and it is terrific to be here in Burnie today. Can I too acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which we gather, and pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging? To Premier Jeremy Rockliff, a great friend who’s been terrific to work with. And it’s lovely to see you back in the Infrastructure portfolio, and we’re doing lots of great work and great things in Tasmania together. Also to Senator Anne Urquhart, again, my friend and colleague, and to the mayor of Burnie, who’s also here with us today, and the many TasRail and TasPorts workers, staff who are here with us today as well.

    Look, this is a terrific day. As Steven mentioned, I was back here in 2022 with Anne. It was pouring with rain. I managed to score myself a pair of Tassie boots that have been to every single corner of the country, from the Tanami to all sorts of projects. So it’s terrific to be here again and to see the shiploader now, this – from 1968, it has served this community incredibly well.

    But this next generation now of a shiploader that really is part of the export story of Tasmania. This really is about not just the shiploader, it is about the bulk export minerals facility, which we’ll see work commencing on that – very happy as part of the $82 million to provide some extra money to ensure that that project is delivered as well. But really, this is about rail freight. It’s about- alongside this and the hubs further down, getting trucks off roads here in Tasmania, getting more freight onto rail, making sure you’ve got that connected freight routes out of our port into our export markets. It is about the economic story of Tasmania, and we’re very delighted to have been part of that story. And can I commend very much the work that has been done here, to come back in 2022, to wander on with our umbrellas under the shiploader, to understand the complexity of the engineering task, to be able to continue on a functioning port, to be able to develop and deliver this project really was quite a feat. And so I do want to say congratulations to that. And now the old shiploader, I think you’ve got most of the scrap metals now off site.

    So on behalf of the Albanese Labor Government, we’re really delighted to have funded the project- been part of the delivery of the project. But really, this is about the life of the next economic story for Tasmania. Very important to not just this state but the rest of the country, the work that you do here. I’m really delighted to be here today to, I think we call commission the ship loader formally. It is important to celebrate these occasions. I think when you’re working on these projects, it’s important to mark the occasion, important to celebrate that, and delighted to be here on behalf of the Albanese Labor Government, alongside Senator Urquhart, to do that today. Thank you for having me.

    [Applause]

    STEVEN DIETRICH: Thank you very much, Minister King. Really appreciate your kind words there. And we appreciate your support, and we also appreciate the Prime Minister’s support. The Prime Minister was here a couple of months ago and took the opportunity to climb right to the top. We thought he’d only stop halfway, but he wanted to go all the way to the top, so it was fantastic to provide him an opportunity and firsthand experience with our shiploader. So without further ado, please welcome the Premier of Tasmania, the Honourable Jeremy Rockliff.

    [Applause]

    JEREMY ROCKLIFF: Well, thanks very much, Steve, for the introduction. It’s fantastic to be here to celebrate new enabling infrastructure for the North West Coast of Tasmania, and more particularly, of course, our highly valuable mining industry in which I’ll come to in just a moment. Thanks Mayor Teeny for having us in your city. It’s great- always great to be in the powerhouse of the North West Coast, and indeed Tasmania, when it comes to the diverse region that we have. And we’re very lucky to have such diverse opportunities when it comes to our economic development here. Our forestry and mining industry, agriculture, aquaculture – we’ve got it all and we’re very, very fortunate, which is why it’s so important to have this investment in such key enabling infrastructure. 

    Catherine, thanks very much for you as Minister, being here alongside Anne as well, another very strong advocate for the North West Coast and Tasmania. It has been a pleasure to work alongside your government in recent times when it comes to putting on the agenda health infrastructure in Launceston. The Prime Minister and I were working together just last week when it comes to berth six at Macquarie Wharf – enabling, of course, a 30-year extension of Tasmania being the home to the Antarctic Gateway.

    But this is cause for celebration. We very much appreciate the significant investment that the Federal Government has made into what is enabling infrastructure. And along with it, acknowledging the key players and all players here today from TasRail, TasPorts, but also the Tasmanian Minerals and Energy Council here today represented by Vanessa and others. Mining is so crucial when it comes to our economy. It is a huge part of our GDP here in Tasmania. And to have this inter-generational infrastructure, if you like, much needed.

    I was infrastructure minister around 2018, and Steve and I were reflecting on that just yesterday, where we started the process going in terms of the need for a new shiploader. And here it is, with the work of TasRail and the cooperation with TasPorts. Thank you, Anthony Donald, for you being here as well, which we very much appreciate that cooperative arrangement between TasRail and TasPorts. But also, ensuring that we have not only new enabling infrastructure but infrastructure that is more efficient, infrastructure that is quicker, and infrastructure environmentally sound and also safer. And that’s why this key investment is welcomed by the State Government. Thank you again, Catherine. Thank you, TasRail, for what has been some journey. And if you’ll also indulge me as well, I’d like to commend our outgoing Member for Braddon, Gavin Pearce, for being on the journey as well alongside Anne Urquhart as well, which is fantastic.

    So, thank you for enabling me to be part of the event today. Very much appreciated. And all the very best to all those that work within such a critical sector and all those employees in TasRail, TasPorts and others that work so hard as we export out of Tasmania, which creates wealth and opportunity for Tasmanians and allows us to fund those essential services that Tasmanians all care about – health, housing, and addressing the challenges of the cost of living. Thank you very much.

    [Applause]

    STEVEN DIETRICH: Thank you very much, Premier. We’ve got a great relationship with government, and it’s your government’s support that’s been invaluable to see a very complex, sophisticated project like this delivered on time, on budget. So we really appreciate the support. Finally, I’d like to invite the Chairman of the TasRail board, Stephen Cantwell, to come up and say a few words. Thank you, Stephen.

    [Applause]

    STEPHEN CANTWELL: Thanks, Steve. Minister King, Premier Rockliff, Senator Urquhart, Mayor Brumby, other important guests. Let me say it’s really good to get to this point in the delivery of a project like this when you’re in the wheelhouse and have accountability for delivery. So thank you, Minister King, and thank you, Premier Rockliff, for supporting us and trusting us in the delivery of this asset, which is such an important component of the Tasmanian resources sector supply chain. Thank you also to our customers, many of whom are represented here today, for trusting us at TasRail day in, day out, with an important part and- by integrating us into and being an important part of your business.

    It’s also a great source of satisfaction and sort of worthy of comment that we were delighted at the end of a global tendering process to be in a position to award this contract to the local firm, COVA, and in doing that, opened the way for many other local businesses to participate in the delivery of this project. This asset is as good as it gets. It is state-of-the-art. By any measure, it is a world-leading piece of infrastructure. Going local and being drama-free in the delivery of a project such as this is a great demonstration of the depth of capability that we not only have here in Tasmania, but we have in the manufacturing sector in Australia. And it also reflects the value that can be had by keeping things local, so we particularly wanted to acknowledge the pride with which we’re able to say that we can do all of this locally.

    Now this project, by any measure, and nowadays, projects are described both in terms of their complexity and their – how complicated and how complex they are, and this is right up there. It wasn’t easy to deliver. There were many challenges along the way. And the extent to which TasRail has been able to deliver it within the agreed budget envelope and in the timeframe promised is largely a reflection of the quality of the people inside the organisation.

    As a mainlander, I’m continually amazed and inspired by the extent to which TasRail people and Tasmanians in general – I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s some sort of inferiority complex – but they always punch above their weight. And I think that’s held us in good stead in the delivery of this project. And so, I want to pay particular tribute to the quiet achievers who’ve just stepped up to the plate and got the job done. You see the product of their efforts here today. Thank you to you all indeed. This common use and asset you have created now will stand for decades for the benefit of all Tasmanians, and indeed all Australians, as we confirm to the world the credentials of our resources sector. Thank you.

    [Applause]

    STEVEN DIETRICH: Thank you, Chairman. Thank you for those words. And I would just like to acknowledge the Chairman and the whole TasRail board of directors for their support and trust in this project. I remember putting this Board paper up, one, first putting in the shovel ready justification to the Federal Government to enable a project, knowing that we had an old shiploader that needed to be replaced to provide certainty for decades to come through the North West and the mining industry. But putting a business case up, working it through with the Board and them putting their trust in myself, our Key Project Director Stephen Kerrison, and the entire Shiploader project team was really, really appreciated, and we delivered.

    So, this machine takes us to 2,000 tonnes per hour. the original machine probably operated at 1,000 tonnes per hour, so more efficient, more productive- the latest safety and environmental features. It also will facilitate future expansion of larger vessels. Most of our vessels at the moment are what you classify as Handymax type style vessels, and we’ll be able to accommodate Panamax vessels into the future. It’s a great asset built by Tasmanians. Can you believe an asset like this was built in Tasmania by Tasmanians?

    CATHERINE KING: Absolutely. 

    STEVEN DIETRICH: It’s fantastic. The Haywoods engineering, the engineering company at Somerset, the SAGE Automation people, IF&S – the technology that’s gone into this unit is just amazing. I won’t lie, there was a couple of nervous moments when we put the first tonne of dirt on and there was a couple of teething problems, and to be expected, but what a wonderful asset. We’ve got a couple of things to work through. COVA Haywood’s have been a fantastic contractor and we’ve got an asset here that will deliver for decades to come, enabling the industry a fully integrated supply chain that will take industry forward.

    And once we expand the bulk minerals bulk minerals export facility, currently we can hold 130,000 tonnes and we’ll be able to go to 150,000, enabling more mines to be able to grow in Tasmania and get their product out efficiently.

    So, I’m getting the wind up now, I’m conscious of time. Now, we do have some gifts for our political visitors which Kirsten and Samantha, I think they’re almost sure that we give those once the medias had some opportunity for questions. And we’re going to go and do some photography – we’re allowed to go for a walk out onto the berth and right up to the shiploader to platform one and have a look at the cabin, and we’d like to get a group photo up at platform one.

    So, thank you again. Really appreciate you coming here today and investing the time. It’s a momentous occasion for us, but it’s a momentous occasion for all Tasmanians and it’s an asset all Tasmanian’s can be proud of. Thank you very much.

    UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Thank you.

    [Applause]

    CATHERINE KING: Questions if you want, but over here with Anne.

    JOURNALIST: I guess the last [indistinct] lasted 50 years. Do you know how long this one’s meant to last?

    CATHERINE KING: Well, let’s hope- it certainly is expected to last another 50 years. What an extraordinary investment. A 1968 facility now being replaced by a state-of-the-art shiploader which is much more efficient, will be able to load much more quickly. And also, it’s much quieter which is terrific, obviously, for the people of the Burnie, and we’ve obviously got ships often loading late at night.

    But, as I said, it’s not just about the shiploader. We’re about to see the project commence for the bulk mineral export facility. So, this old shed, again it is pre-1960s, to be replaced with the, again, a state of the art export facility here. But of course, we’ve also got the hub, which is a rail hub, an [indistinct] intermodal hub where we can also transport goods from there, which is really about getting more of our commodities, more of our minerals onto rail so we’re not seeing so many trucks onto the roads here.

    So this is a great freight story, but it’s also a great story for the economy here. I’m so delighted to hear just how many local companies have been involved in building this project – built by Tasmanians, for Tasmanians – really showing the complex engineering capability of the companies here in this community, and it’s something we should be incredibly proud of.

    JOURNALIST: Why is it important that we do keep jobs within the state?

    CATHERINE KING: Well, of course, because Tasmania is important not just to the state but to the economy of the whole country. You produce some beautiful products from here in your agriculture and aquaculture sector that are showcases to the rest of the world. Your minerals are exported all over the world as well. You’ve got an incredibly important economy here. I love coming down here. I love hearing the innovation and the – all of the new things people are doing. And really what this common user infrastructure, this shiploader here is doing, is providing that opportunity to continue to provide those mineral exports to the world.

    JOURNALIST: Apologies if this is, you know, common knowledge, but I guess I was reading the release from your office a couple- an old one, and it was saying the operational- it was meant to be operational by mid-2023. Why was there a delay?

    CATHERINE KING: Well, these are complex projects to build. As you know, trying to make sure that we’ve- a, we’ve got supply chain issues, but also trying to make sure the port continues to be operational so that there’s limited downtime to continue to be able to do that. So it’s complex to build, and so that’s really what happens with these facilities. So it started in May 2022 and here we are in 2024, finally commissioned, operational, loading ships today.

    Any other questions? Yeah.

    JOURNALIST: Do you agree with Lidia Thorpe’s actions yesterday? Is she exercising free speech?

    CATHERINE KING: Look, I think it was disappointing to see what happened yesterday. We were all there. You know, it’s important that, regardless of your views about a whole range of issues, to show respect to our institutions and our traditions. And I do think it was disappointing yesterday, but it was a very small, small part of what has been a really successful visit by Their Majesties, the King and the Queen, over the last couple of days. And I know that they were really delighted to be received and warmly welcomed by the Australian people.

    JOURNALIST: Sprit of Tasmania are part of the Federal and National Highway 1 essentially. From a Federal perspective, what is your view then of the debacle that’s been engulfing Tasmania in recent months?

    CATHERINE KING: Well look, really that’s a matter for the Tasmanian Government, and I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to comment there. TasPorts comes under the State Government, and I’m sure Premier Rockliff will be happy to answer questions there. We’re obviously, as part of the Federal Government, really proud to partner with the Tasmanian Government to deliver infrastructure such as the shiploader that you’re seeing here today.

    JOURNALIST: How can the Federal Government have confidence Tasmania will deliver projects on time and on budget, when that’s not what’s happened here?

    CATHERINE KING: Well, we’ve seen, with the shiploader, the incredible, great work that TasRail and TasPorts have done together to deliver this project. Our expectation of all our co delivery partners, whether it’s here in Tasmania or it’s on the mainland, is that they do work very closely with my department about the delivery of those. And this project, where we’ve been funding it, is been an important- it’s important to see that delivered and important that all levels of government, particularly when we’re working on mega projects, projects that are big and complex, that we do those gateway reviews, that we do keep an eye on the progress of those. That’s all?

    JOURNALIST: Just one more, sorry, if you [indistinct]…

    CATHERINE KING: Yes, of course.

    JOURNALIST: Should Lidia Thorpe resign from the Senate given she’s pledged allegiance to the King?

    CATHERINE KING: Can I just say really clearly, I think that what happened yesterday was disappointing and I think that it shouldn’t overshadow what has been a fantastic visit by Their Majesties. I think we saw them warmly welcomed all across the places that they visited, other than the alpaca sneezing on them – but I’m sure that will be memorable as well. I understand, from alpaca’s that’s a sign of affection. So really, I don’t think that that should overshadow it, and, really, what Lidia does is a matter for her.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China launches Tianping-3 satellite

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    A Long March-6 carrier rocket carrying the Tianping-3 blasts off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China’s Shanxi Province, Oct. 22, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
    China on Tuesday sent a new satellite into space from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China’s Shanxi Province.
    The satellite, Tianping-3, was launched at 8:10 a.m. (Beijing Time) using a Long March-6 carrier rocket, and has successfully entered its preset orbit.
    It will provide services such as atmospheric space environment surveys and orbital prediction model corrections. 

    A Long March-6 carrier rocket carrying the Tianping-3 blasts off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China’s Shanxi Province, Oct. 22, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Wang Yi holds phone talk with Japanese national security official

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, held a phone call on Monday with Takeo Akiba, secretary general of Japan’s National Security Secretariat and the Japanese lead person of the China-Japan high-level political dialogue.

    Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said since its formation, the Shigeru Ishiba’s government has confirmed that the government will comprehensively promote the strategic and mutually beneficial relationship between China and Japan, has no intention of decoupling or severing industrial and supply chains with China, and adhere to the bilateral consensus on the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean.

    The Japanese government also confirmed its willingness to carry out high-level exchanges as well as dialogue and cooperation in various fields with China, Wang said, noting the China-Japan relations have achieved a steady start.

    He stressed that China maintains continuity and stability in its policy toward Japan and is willing to continue to promote the sound and stable development of China-Japan relations in accordance with the principles and directions set out in the four political documents between China and Japan.

    Wang expressed hope that Japan will respect China’s core interests, adhere to the one-China principle, work with China in the same direction, uphold the political consensus that China and Japan are cooperative partners and not threats to each other, support each other’s peaceful development, maintain and consolidate the political foundation of bilateral relations, inject new vitality into bilateral cooperation in various fields, and jointly contribute to regional peace and stability.

    It is hoped that the new Japanese cabinet would bring new momentum and foster fresh development in China-Japan relations, Wang said.

    For his part, Akiba said that Japan remains committed to promoting a strategic and mutually beneficial bilateral relationship in an all-round way and building a constructive and stable Japan-China relationship.

    Japan stands ready to work with China to focus on the broader picture of the development of bilateral relations, maintain the current momentum in the development of bilateral ties, engage in strategic and forward-looking dialogues, and send more positive signals to the world, he added.

    Both sides agreed to continue making use of the China-Japan high-level political dialogue mechanism and maintain regular communication.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese VP attends inauguration of Indonesian president, visits Indonesia

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Chinese Vice President Han Zheng meets with Indonesia’s new President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta, Indonesia, Oct. 20, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    At the invitation of the Indonesian government, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, as President Xi Jinping’s special representative, attended the inauguration of Indonesia’s new President Prabowo Subianto on Sunday, visited Indonesia from Saturday to Monday, and met with President Prabowo, then President Joko Widodo and newly inaugurated Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka respectively.

    In the meeting with Prabowo, Han noted that President Prabowo’s visit to China right after his election victory demonstrated his deep affection and profound friendship toward China and his commitment to advancing China-Indonesia relations.

    Han pointed out that President Prabowo emphasized key priorities such as food security and poverty reduction in his inaugural address, aligning closely with the people-centered development approach proposed by President Xi.

    Han affirmed China’s support for President Prabowo and the new government, expressing confidence that Indonesia, under Prabowo’s leadership, will achieve further progress in national development.

    China is willing to work with Indonesia to follow the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, push the building of the China-Indonesia community with a shared future to a new level, and contribute to maintaining regional peace and stability while promoting world development and prosperity, Han said.

    Han also put forward three proposals for the next phase of China-Indonesia relations. First, to strengthen high-level strategic mutual trust and continue supporting each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests and major concerns. Second, to deepen comprehensive, mutually beneficial cooperation to benefit more people of the two countries. Third, to enhance international collaboration to promote the development of global governance in a more just and reasonable direction.

    Prabowo said that China, as a major country in the world, is a key partner for Indonesia. He said the new Indonesian government attaches great importance to developing relations with China and will continue Joko Widodo’s friendly policy toward China.

    Indonesia is willing to further deepen mutual support and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides, strengthen coordination on international and regional affairs, and promote greater development of bilateral relations, he said.

    Chinese Vice President Han Zheng meets with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Jakarta, Indonesia, Oct. 19, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    While meeting with Joko, Han pointed out that the past 10 years have witnessed high-level development of China-Indonesia relations, and the two heads of state have jointly led the upgrading of China-Indonesia relations into a new era of building a community with a shared future.

    Han said China is willing to work with Indonesia to carry forward the fine tradition of friendship and cooperation, deepen all-round strategic coordination, jointly promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, ensure smooth operation of major cooperation projects such as the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway, continuing to write a new chapter of solidarity, cooperation and mutual benefit.

    Joko said that in recent years, bilateral cooperation has achieved fruitful results.

    Noting the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway is a landmark cooperation project between the two countries and a symbol of their friendship, Joko said under the leadership of the new Indonesian government, bilateral relations will reach new levels.

    Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, also special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping, meets with Indonesia’s newly inaugurated Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka in Jakarta, Indonesia, Oct. 21, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    In the meeting with Gibran, Han said that China and Indonesia are good neighbors and good partners, adding that cooperation between the two sides is highly complementary and mutually beneficial, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples.

    China is willing to strengthen the synergy of development strategies of the two countries in light of the policy priorities of the new Indonesian government, and continue to deepen practical cooperation in various fields, ensuring mutual benefit in a better way, Han said.

    For his part, Gibran said that the new Indonesian government is willing to work with China to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state.

    He said that Indonesia will continue to consolidate the good momentum in developing bilateral relations, and unswervingly deepen bilateral cooperation to better benefit the two countries and peoples.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Documentary gives clout to Chinese filmmakers

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Fang Li with Lisbon Maru survivor Dennis Morley during an interview. Morley, the last survivor in the U.K., died in 2021 at age 101. [Image courtesy of Laurel Films]

    Since early September, filmmaker Fang Li has traveled to many cities to host nearly 100 promotional events for one of his most challenging works, The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru.

    The documentary, which has consumed eight years and 80 million yuan ($11.2 million), chronicles his investigations into a titular incident during World War II — a Japanese ship that carried 1,816 British prisoners of war from Hong Kong to Japan in October 1942.

    Tragically, the cargo liner was torpedoed by the USS Grouper submarine. Japanese forces confined the POWs and abandoned them to their fate, even assigning a team of soldiers to shoot any prisoners attempting to escape after the main troops evacuated. Some of the POWs managed to escape, with 384 British prisoners rescued by over 200 Chinese fishermen in the sea near Dongji Island in Zhoushan, East China’s Zhejiang province. Most survivors were recaptured by Japanese troops the next day, but three were hidden by villagers.

    Fang and his team did their best to find core parties and descendants in the United Kingdom, United States, Japan and China, getting close to the truth about the tragic sinking.

    Narrated in a restrained and objective perspective with profound materials, the documentary has won high acclaim, obtaining 9.3 out of 10 points on the popular review aggregator Douban, making it the highest-rated documentary on the platform this year.

    Currently, the film, which debuted domestically on Sept 6, has grossed over 43 million yuan at the box office, far exceeding the producers’ original estimation.

    Its high acclaim and box-office success have drawn attention from industry insiders and critics, especially after it was selected as China’s submission in a bid for the Oscars’ Best International Feature Film category in late September.

    During a recent symposium held in Beijing, Xie Li, a Party committee member of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, listed the popularity of The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru as the latest example showcasing the rise of Chinese documentaries. Previous excellent works include Snow Leopards and Friends, Remembering 1950 and Like the Dyer’s Hand, added Xie.

    Xie expressed hope that Chinese filmmakers will produce more quality documentaries that can resonate with international audiences.

    Jiao Hongfen, chairman of the China Film Producers’ Association, said that The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru has brought pride to domestic filmmakers and will encourage more excellent documentaries to be screened in theaters.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Dance drama on overseas Chinese business pioneer premieres in capital

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Half of the Sea, a Chinese dance drama, centering on the life story of Tan Kah Kee, a patriotic overseas Chinese business pioneer and philanthropist, premiered in Beijing on Sunday.

    The production uses dance as an artistic medium to showcase his spirit of perseverance, patriotism, and dedication to education, paying tribute to the patriotic overseas Chinese who remained devoted to his homeland despite adversity.

    Tan Kah Kee was born in Jimei village in Tong An district, Fujian province, on Oct 21, 1874. At age 16, he arrived in Singapore and joined his father in the family’s rice trading business as an apprentice and bookkeeper. Tan proved himself to be an exceptional worker, and by 1892, he was put in charge of Chop Soon Ann company after his uncle fell ill and retired. In 1893, Tan returned to his home village Jimei, and set about establishing a business of his own.

    The eminent entrepreneur donated money, and directed efforts to improve the lives of people in Chinese mainland through the turbulent wartime. In Singapore, he helped to establish five primary and secondary Chinese schools. In 1918, he established a normal school to train teachers in Fujian. When he founded Xiamen University in 1921, he ensured that the department of education had the best possible faculty. In Singapore, for a decade he campaigned for a Nanyang Chinese Normal School to train teachers for Chinese schools and it was established in 1941.

    His love for China is reflected in his own memoirs, Nanqiao Huiyilu, which has been described as undoubtedly one of the best documented autobiographies ever written by an overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia.

    On stage, the dancers’ fluid and dynamic movements, combined with artistic elements like harbors, fishing boats, and villages, create a vivid depiction of Minnan (southern Fujian) and Southeast Asian scenery. The stage incorporates 16 suspended panels that reflect ever-changing scenes — from the glow of the hometown sunset to minimalist paper-folded fishing boats and a 10-meter-long rotating conference table. The modern stage design creates an immersive viewing experience, transporting the audience to a historical period filled with dramatic changes.

    In terms of choreography, the dance drama seamlessly blends modern dance with traditional Minnan elements and the style of the early 20th century. It showcases the robust, rhythmic movements typical of Minnan dance while incorporating the fluidity and versatility of modern dance.

    Director Lin Chen explained that the title, Half of the Sea, represents both the physical separation of the overseas Chinese from their homeland and their deep emotional connection and strong sense of national identity.

    Following its Beijing debut, Half of the Sea will embark on a nationwide tour.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: ​Universal Music, iQiyi to promote Chinese rap globally

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Universal Music Greater China (UMGC) announced a deal on Oct. 18 to distribute music globally from contestants on the popular Chinese rap competition show “The Rap of China 2024.”

    The agreement with iQiyi, China’s leading online entertainment platform, gives Universal exclusive rights to release new music from the show’s contestants worldwide. Universal will also provide support services to the artists.

    A poster for Universal Music’s deal with “The Rap of China 2024,” showcasing outstanding contestants. [Photo courtesy of Universal Music Greater China]

    “The Rap of China,” produced by iQiyi, is the first Chinese reality show with a narrative-driven episodic format, showcasing young Chinese rap talent. Since its debut in 2018, the show has sparked a nationwide rap craze and become a cultural phenomenon in China. As one of the country’s most successful youth culture brands in recent years, “The Rap of China” has launched the careers of numerous rap artists.

    “This collaboration not only reaffirms our commitment to nurturing Chinese rap talent but also extends their global reach, bridging cultural gaps and enriching the international music landscape with the dynamic culture of Chinese rap,” said Timothy Xu, chairman and CEO of UMGC. “We eagerly anticipate this partnership will facilitate collaborations between Chinese rap artists and top international talents, creating groundbreaking musical works that carry their unique cultural signatures and expressions.”

    The latest season, which ran from early May to late July, showcased notable contestants, including ALAMEI, C2C, DANNY K, ErWan and Oliver Jiang. Universal Music Group (UMG) will distribute all future releases from these artists globally. To support this partnership, UMGC has formed a specialized team offering comprehensive assistance in talent development, artist management, marketing and merchandise development.

    Zuo Jin, chief director of “The Rap of China,” said this season has displayed exceptional talent and creativity. He called the new partnership with UMG a strong indication of the show’s influence and broad appeal.

    “Embracing an international vision from the start, we set up global auditions that attracted over 500 young artists from around the world,” Zuo said. “With UMG’s deep local expertise and expansive global infrastructure, I am confident that this collaboration will further enhance our international presence and deliver fruitful outcomes.”

    UMG will invite the top three finalists from “The Rap of China 2024” — JinJiBeWater_Falcon, XinXiu and HuiZi — to visit its leading global record labels. The tour will include stops at iconic recording studios and meetings with international artists and producers. The experience aims to broaden the finalists’ artistic perspectives and foster cross-cultural collaborations.

    JinJiBeWater_Falcon, who won “The Rap of China 2024,” said he started from scratch, just like many other rappers on the show. “Winning ‘The Rap of China’ really threw me onto a bigger stage, giving me the opportunity to work with a world-leading music label like UMG,” he said. “I look forward to sparking fresh ideas and inspiration with fellow artists, and I hope my journey can open up more possibilities for Chinese rap.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Israel, US implement 5.2B USD air defense aid package

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Israeli and U.S. officials have begun implementing a 5.2-billion-U.S. dollar emergency aid package to bolster Israel’s air defense system, the Israeli Defense Ministry said Monday.

    The Israeli and U.S. sides completed an exchange of letters to initiate the package, which will enhance Israel’s Iron Dome anti-rocket system, David’s Sling missile defense system, and the Iron Beam laser defense system, the ministry said in a statement.

    The package is part of an 8.7-billion-dollar military aid Israel said in late September it had secured from the United States, in which 3.5 billion dollars have already been transferred to Israel for “urgent wartime procurement.”

    The United States has been supporting Israel since the beginning of the conflict with Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, sending a few hundred cargo planes and ships with weapons, bombs, and ammunition, according to official Israeli sources.

    The U.S. military aid has drawn widespread criticism as ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip are claiming more and more lives. According to the latest data from the Gaza-based health authorities, the Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the enclave has topped 42,600.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Israel claims major blow to Hezbollah’s rocket capabilities

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    This photo taken on Oct. 20, 2024 shows smoke caused by Israeli airstrike in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Israel’s military said on Monday that it had destroyed about 70 percent of Hezbollah’s rocket capabilities, dismantled parts of its financial network, and killed a senior Hezbollah official in Syria who oversaw the group’s money transfers.

    In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it had killed seven Hezbollah brigade commanders, 21 battalion commanders, and 24 company commanders.

    The IDF added that since the beginning of its ground offensive in Lebanon in early October, it had struck more than 3,200 sites in the country, including hundreds of weapons storage facilities, rocket launchers, anti-tank positions, and command and control centers.

    Roughly 300 of those targets were hit in the last 24 hours alone, according to the military.

    Citing senior security officials, Israel’s Channel 13 TV news reported that Hezbollah retains about 30 percent of its rocket capabilities, a significant reduction from the beginning of the conflict in October.

    Later in a press briefing, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israeli warplanes had bombed around 20 Hezbollah sites linked with financial network overnight from Sunday to Monday, with most of the strikes focused on Beirut. The strikes, Hagari said, are expected to resume tonight.

    Among the targets was an underground warehouse belonging to the Al-Qard Al-Hasan Association, a Hezbollah-affiliated financial organization operating primarily in Lebanon with headquarters in Beirut’s southern suburb, where Hezbollah’s headquarters are located.

    According to Hagari, Hezbollah had stockpiled cash and gold worth “tens of millions of dollars, intended for living expenses and post-war reconstruction” in this underground warehouse.

    Hagari also said that under Al-Sahel Hospital, in Beirut’s southern suburb, Hezbollah had built an underground bunker storing “at least half a billion dollars in cash and gold.”

    The bunker, described as a central financial hub, was not struck, but Hagari warned that Israeli aircraft were monitoring the site closely. “We will continue to track it,” he added.

    According to the spokesman, Hezbollah has established a financial network involving Yemen, Lebanon, Türkiye, and Syria. The network was managed by Mohammad Jaafar Qasir and Sheikh Salah, the head of Unit 4400, which is responsible for financial transfers and the financial management of Hezbollah.

    Qasir was killed by Israel in Beirut in early October, and according to Hagari, his successor was also killed in an Israeli airstrike in Syria on Monday.

    The crackdown on Hezbollah’s financial network, Hagari added, aims to “deal a blow to its primary financial centers, making it difficult for the group to restore its capabilities.”

    Also on Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant signed an order designating the Al-Qard Al-Hasan Association as a terrorist organization. The decision, Gallant said in a statement, was due to “the financing of terrorism through the purchase of weapons, payment of salaries to terrorists, and the storage of Hezbollah funds within the association’s facilities.”

    The confrontation between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, since its onset on Oct. 8, 2023, has killed more than 2,300 people, injured over 11,000 others, and displaced about 1.2 million residents in Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: High-tech goods prove popular at Canton Fair

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

    A wide range of high-tech and high value-added products displayed at the first phase of the 136th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, proved increasingly popular among overseas buyers, the event’s organizers said on Monday.

    The event’s first phase, which focused on China’s advanced manufacturing, concluded on Saturday in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, with digitalized, intelligent and green products emerging as major highlights of the exhibits.

    Among the 11,165 participating companies in the first phase, approximately 3,600 are related to digital technology and intelligent manufacturing, according to the organizers. Of these, 57.8 percent are enhancing their industrial chains through technology transformations involving big data, artificial intelligence and the industrial internet.

    Chinese exhibitors have showcased a plethora of new products, technologies, materials and processes, with 390,000 digital products on display, marking a 300 percent increase compared with the last session.

    High-end products including smart home appliances, new energy vehicles, industrial automation equipment, humanoid robots, intelligent bionic hands and hydrogen-powered bikes are increasingly popular, the organizers said.

    They also said the trend indicates that Chinese manufacturing is accelerating its pace toward the high end of the industrial and value chains, while the independent innovation capabilities of Chinese enterprises and the core competitiveness of Chinese products are continuing to strengthen.

    Xu Jiadong, sales manager of Skymen Technology Corp, said, “We have seen an increased number of buyers, especially those from emerging markets such as the Middle East and Southeast Asia, visiting our exhibition booth during the fair, showing interest in buying advanced ultrasonic cleaning products.”

    The Shenzhen, Guangdong province-based company’s overseas sales of ultrasonic cleaning products steadily increased in the first nine months of this year, reaching more than 60 million yuan ($8.4 million), Xu said.

    To meet the increased demand for advanced and intelligent ultrasonic cleaning products in overseas markets, the company launched operation of its manufacturing base in Shaoguan, Guangdong, in late 2023.

    More than 130,000 overseas buyers, an increase of 4.6 percent compared with the previous session, visited the fair’s first phase. Of these, 69.7 percent were from countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, and around 20,000 buyers were from the Middle East, an increase of 44.2 percent compared with the previous session, according to the organizers.

    In addition, advanced products with high added value, such as industrial machines manufactured in China, have become increasingly popular in the overseas market, according to Yusuf Kandemir, CEO of Alshamela Group Trading Co.

    “The fair provides me with very valuable information, as we are looking for high-end industrial machinery suppliers from China,” said Kandemir, adding that such products are very much in demand, especially in the Middle East.

    The second phase of the fair will be held from Wednesday to Sunday, with 10,040 Chinese exhibitors showcasing household items, gifts and decorations, building materials and furniture.

    Spanning three phases, with both online and on-site exhibitions, the fair, which will run until Nov 4, aims to serve high-quality development and promote greater opening-up.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: BMW Brilliance kicks off geothermal energy project in Shenyang

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    German carmaker BMW Group’s joint venture in China on Monday kicked off a geothermal energy project aimed at realizing 100 percent non-fossil energy heating for its factories in Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province.

    Under the project, BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd. (BBA) will drill 28 medium-deep geothermal wells, which will be completed and provide a total heating area of approximately 580,000 square meters by the 2025 heating season.

    “We believe that investing in sustainable development is investing in the future. Starting today, our exploration of geothermal energy has entered a new chapter,” said Dai Hexuan, president and CEO of BBA.

    Geothermal energy is a stable and low-carbon form of renewable energy with large reserves and widespread distribution in China.

    In the geothermal energy project, BBA is expected to adopt a number of industry-leading technologies to collect the energy at a depth of approximately 2,900 meters underground in a pollution-free and zero-emission manner.

    The energy exploration will be carried in an enclosed process. The project is expected to achieve an annual carbon emission reduction of 18,000 tonnes, the company said.

    BMW has been increasing its investment in Shenyang in recent years. In November 2023, BBA completed the construction of the main building of a new battery production plant, with a total investment of 10 billion yuan (about 1.4 billion U.S. dollars). The geothermal energy will be mainly used to supply winter heating in the factory and the company’s assembly plant.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Officials strive for quality elder care

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

    Authorities are stepping up efforts to promote the healthy development of the elder care sector in China, officials said.

    Li Yongxin, deputy director of the elder care service department at the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said during a news conference that the number of elderly care facilities in China had surged to around 410,000 by June, with 369,000 of them community-based. This represents a 100 percent increase in elderly care facilities and a 120 percent increase in community-based ones since 2019.

    The expansion and a recent crackdown are part of a broader initiative to address the challenges posed by China’s rapidly aging population and fraudulent practices in facilities designed to help seniors.

    “The ministry has strengthened its policy framework, diversified care options and enhanced regulatory measures, resulting in significant improvements in elderly care services,” Li said.

    Li added that legislative efforts are underway to create a law outlining the responsibilities of elder care service providers, with the goal of better protecting seniors’ rights. The move is a response to widespread concerns about financial scams targeting the elderly, including fraudulent schemes disguised as membership fees or unauthorized financial products being offered by some retirement homes.

    In 2022, a government crackdown on elder care fraud led to the arrest of 66,000 suspects and the recovery of 30.8 billion yuan ($4.3 billion) in stolen funds. Last year, an additional 33,000 suspects were apprehended.

    Along with fraud prevention, authorities are conducting inspections to reduce fire risks, improve building safety and create a more secure environment for seniors. The National Health Commission estimates that 78 percent of China’s elderly people have at least one chronic illness, and roughly 40 million seniors are disabled or semidisabled and require intensive care.

    Meanwhile, despite the growing number of elder care facilities, China still faces a shortage of caregivers, with only 500,000 currently available to meet the country’s needs. To fill the gap, authorities are promoting home-based care that allows seniors to stay in their homes while receiving regular visits from community workers and medical professionals.

    Since 2021, approximately 350,000 seniors have benefited from home-based care, with 650,000 home visits conducted, according to the ministry.

    By the end of 2023, nearly 300 million Chinese citizens were age 60 or older. By 2050, that number is expected to grow to one-third of the population.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: FTZ reforms deepen China-ASEAN economic, trade ties

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

    NANNING, Oct. 22 — In a bustling fruit processing facility in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the air is sweet with the luscious aroma of mangoes. Workers diligently manage a state-of-the-art, fully automated production line, preparing to send delectable products to eager markets across Southeast Asia.

    In recent years, with the deepening of economic cooperation and the trade exchange of agricultural products between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the complementary advantages of agricultural products trade between Guangxi and ASEAN have become more prominent. The geographical advantages of land and sea links with ASEAN have also injected vitality into the continuous expansion of Guangxi’s fruit exports.

    According to data from Nanning Customs, in 2023, Guangxi imported 16.71 billion yuan (about 2.4 billion U.S. dollars) of ASEAN agricultural products, a year-on-year increase of 43.1 percent. At the same time, Guangxi’s special fruits, such as orah mandarins and sweet tangerines, have also been well received in the ASEAN market.

    The thriving fruit trade has also spurred related companies to invest and establish their operations in Guangxi.

    Guangxi Junyi Agricultural Science and Technology Co., Ltd, a mango-processing company established in 2020 in the Chongzuo area in the China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ), is the region’s first border-based fruit processing enterprise with an annual main business turnover of at least 20 million yuan.

    “The pilot FTZ’s policies, including tax incentives, streamlined trade procedures and financial innovations, have not only laid fertile ground for growth but also provided substantial cost benefits to businesses,” said Shen Wuyang, the company’s deputy general manager.

    Guangxi, often described as China’s gateway to ASEAN, has risen to the forefront of China’s trade and cooperation with ASEAN in recent years, thanks to the establishment of the pilot FTZ.

    In 2019, the pilot FTZ was established to promote China’s opening up to ASEAN and to pilot new mechanisms in China-ASEAN cooperation. Since its inception, the pilot FTZ has proven to be a powerhouse, taking up a 37.7 percent share of Guangxi’s total foreign investment and a notable 38.6 percent share of the region’s foreign trade volume.

    The pilot FTZ comprises the Nanning area in the region’s capital city, the Qinzhou Port area along the coast and the Chongzuo area bordering Vietnam.

    The Chongzuo area is home to Youyiguan Port, or Friendship Pass, one of China’s busiest land ports for the trade of fruit.

    Thanks to the development of economic and trade relations between China and ASEAN, Youyiguan Port’s cargo clearance efficiency has doubled.

    “Our cargo predominantly goes to Southeast Asia, with Vietnam taking up 80 percent of our shipments and the remainder being distributed to places like Malaysia and Thailand,” noted Wang Shuqing, operations supervisor of a supply chain management company in Guangxi.

    The zone’s Nanning area focuses on the development of modern finance, the digital economy and modern services. It is pioneering innovation in cross-border finance and renminbi businesses, especially those working with ASEAN nations.

    “Previously, cross-border transactions between Guangxi and Indonesian companies involved an intermediate step of converting RMB to U.S. dollars before changing it to Indonesian rupiah. Now, we can achieve direct settlements,” said Bai Lili, deputy general manager of a China CITIC Bank branch located in the Nanning area of the pilot FTZ.

    As the pilot FTZ’s only coastal area, Qinzhou Port Area is establishing itself as a high-level gateway port that facilitates the transportation of cargo between China and ASEAN.

    According to Ye Jun, an official with the administrative committee of Qinzhou Port Area, the industrial focus of the area is on petrochemical projects, with quite a number of petrochemical enterprises having already set foot in raw material and preliminary processing in ASEAN countries.

    So far, more than 38,000 new enterprises have been established in Qinzhou Port Area, including 355 foreign-funded companies. Among the over 150 industrial projects operational or under construction, the area has attracted investments exceeding 300 billion yuan and is home to four enterprises with annual outputs of over 10 billion yuan.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Significant Police operation targets organised crime around North Island

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Today Police executed over 30 search warrants across the North Island as part of Operation Highwater, a concentrated operation targeting members and associates of the Mongrel Mob Barbarian MC East Bay chapter based in Opotiki.

    NZ Police National Organised Crime Group commenced Operation Highwater in December 2023 following an increase in occurrences of violent crime and other offending in Opotiki, in Eastern Bay of Plenty.

    Today’s search warrants spanned Eastern Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Auckland, Rotorua, Taupo, Wellington, and Hawke’s Bay, targeting identified people believed to be involved in a North Island-wide drug distribution network, including methamphetamine and cannabis.

    Police arrested a total of 28 people, seized illegal drugs and firearms and restrained assets. Provisional results are as follows.

    Arrests by Police District:

    • Bay Of Plenty – 18
    • Auckland – 3
    • Waikato – 3
    • Wellington – 2
    • Eastern – 2

    Restrained assets:

    • One residential property
    • Four cars
    • One jetski
    • Two trailbikes
    • One Harley Davidson motorcycle
    • Approx. $86,000 in a bank account
    • Approx. $20,000 value of jewellery
    • Approx. $65,500 cash

    Approx. total value of assets restrained of $800,000.

    Seizures include:

    • Six firearms including five rifles and a 3D-printed pistol
    • Quantities of illegal drugs including 12 lbs of cannabis and smaller quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine
    • 13 Mongrel Mob Barbarian Patches.

    The investigation team is now in the process of filing charges and confirming court dates.

    Today’s actions follow the execution of warrants in the Coromandel area over several days in August this year, after the Operation Highwater investigation team identified a flow of methamphetamine into the area. Police completed 12 search warrants in Whitianga and Coromandel resulting in six arrests and the seizure of methamphetamine, cannabis and a firearm.

    This is an example of the “all-of-Police” approach, which has seen several workgroups across Police working together toward a shared goal. The operation has been led by the National Organised Crime Group, supported by specialist groups and District Staff. Staff from the Police Partnership and Harm team will support the community wrap-around process during and after today’s termination.

    Today’s search warrants are the culmination of a 10-month investigation, during which instances of serious violence were detected and prevented by Police.

    One such incident saw Police deploy to Opotiki, after receiving information about a planned drive-by shooting at a local marae.

    Quick action meant Police located and seized three firearms, including a high-powered rifle, shotguns and ammunition, preventing what could have been a serious incident.

    Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson says that today is a good day for Opotiki.

    “The termination of this operation is a clear message to gang members selling illegal drugs across the Bay of Plenty that we will find you and you will be held accountable for your destructive behaviour.

    “We will continue to relentlessly pursue criminals who prey on our communities and cause a huge amount of harm and misery in their own communities with their drug dealing and violent behaviour.

    “From my travels around the Bay of Plenty, the feedback from different iwi leaders and the wider community is that they’ve had enough of this type of criminal offending.

    “I’d like to thank the community members who have reported this type of offending and I encourage them to keep reporting these drug dealers to us via 105 and Crimestoppers reporting lines.

    “I’d also like to acknowledge and thank our organised crime detectives for their tireless work and dedication, as well as all our policing teams across the Bay of Plenty who are making arrests every day to make us all much safer.

    “Yesterday we stood up our district Gang Disruption Unit and this new team is also in the Eastern Bay of Plenty targeting gang members as we speak. They, and all our staff across the Bay, will continue to work hard every day to make our communities safer.

    “I’m proud of the work our officers carry out every day, and results such as we’ve seen today are testament to their hard work.”

    Gang members commit a disproportionate amount of crime and harm in New Zealand, and particularly in the areas of serious assault, robberies, drug and firearms offences, and homicides.

    We continue to have a strong focus on disrupting unlawful activity by gang members and their associates, and holding offenders to account for crimes committed.

    Police is committed to doing everything we can to ensure everybody is safe and feels safe too. We urge anyone who has concerns about criminal offending by gangs in their community to contact Police so it can be investigated.

    Call 111 if there is an incident happening now or make a report via 105 online if it is not an emergency situation.

    Information can also be provided anonymously through Crimestoppers at 0800 555 111.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre
     

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Benefits of good effluent management

    Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

    Date:

    Dairy effluent requires careful management

    When managed well, dairy effluent is a valuable resource that can increase the productivity of your pasture and reduce your fertiliser costs.

    Good effluent management means having a well-designed system with proper processes to ensure the right amount of effluent gets applied to pasture at the right time. Untreated effluent entering surface water bodies or groundwater can harm human health and water quality. It is also a breach of environmental regulations.

    “Understanding and adhering to your consent conditions, along with making sound effluent management decisions, will help ensure nutrients and bacteria are not transmitted to surface and groundwater supplies,” Team Leader Central Water and Land Marcelo Wibmer says.

    Managing effluent well protects human health and our water quality

    “We’re here to help support you to stay compliant, as this not only prevents negative environmental impacts, but it also ensures you get the most benefit out of the nutrients from your farming operation.”

    Top tips for staying compliant

    You must comply with local rules and the conditions of your consent and exercise Good Management Practice (GMP) to avoid environmental impacts and get the most value from the nutrients.

    Some of our top tips are:

    • Check soil moisture levels regularly: Applying effluent to saturated soils can result in ponding and run-off so it’s important to understand soil water deficit. Manage your effluent application rates based on seasonal conditions, reducing the rate when soil moisture is elevated.
    • Choose application times wisely: Effluent is best applied to actively growing pastures (ideally straight after post-grazing) at a rate that can infiltrate the soil without ponding or causing run-off, avoids draining below plant roots and is spread evenly. Tools such as the DairyNZ Farm Dairy Effluent Spreading Calculator and Depth Testing Calculator are available to help manage the application of effluent nutrients more precisely and ensure your effluent is evenly distributed.
    • Check soil moisture levels regularly: Applying effluent to saturated soils can result in ponding and run-off so it’s important to understand soil water deficit. Manage your effluent application rates based on seasonal conditions, reducing the rate when soil moisture is elevated.
    • Have sufficient available storage: It’s good practice to ensure you have enough storage to get you through the wet times and help you avoid application on saturated soils. It is also crucial to have suitably sized storage for your farm. Check out Dairy NZ’s resources on storage for more information.
    • Monitor your effluent application: This will help identify issues promptly – for example leaking hoses or blocked nozzles. Consider fail-safe effluent management systems that include features such as auto-shutoff in the case of a fault.
    • Keep good records: As part of your FEP and consent obligations you will need to keep records of all effluent applications, including application depths/volume applied and any equipment repairs undertaken. Regular maintenance of your irrigation application equipment is vital for optimal performance.
    • Educate your staff: Training in operation and management helps ensure GMP is followed, and any issues are flagged early.

    On-farm compliance

    If you have a resource consent to discharge animal effluent, you will have two sets of compliance measures you are responsible for meeting – the conditions of your resource consent, and your Farm Environment Plan (FEP) objectives and targets relating to effluent management.

    Our Resource Management Officers (RMOs) carry out monitoring inspections on farms to assess consent and rule compliance for many farming activities including effluent storage and discharge.

    An independent FEP auditor will visit your farm to verify your farming practices against industry-agreed GMP objectives, check your records and paperwork to assess their confidence that your farm is achieving the objectives and targets set out in your FEP appendix.

    The possible consequences of non-compliance are:

    • A notice of non-compliance
    • A letter of formal warning
    • Cost recovery
    • Requesting an application for a retrospective resource consent
    • An abatement notice
    • An infringement notice
    • An enforcement order from the Environment Court
    • Alternative Environmental Justice (AEJ)
    • Prosecution.

    If you have any questions about effluent management contact our advisory team on 0800 324 636 or email ecinfo@ecan.govt.nz and they can put you in touch with your local land management advisor.

    Environment Canterbury © 2024
    Retrieved: 4:05pm, Tue 22 Oct 2024
    ecan.govt.nz/get-involved/news-and-events/2024/benefits-of-good-effluent-management/

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Time to shut down failed Youth Justice Residences

    Source: Green Party

    The Green Party is calling for Youth Justice Residences to close, following a protest in which a group of young people spent the night on the roof of an Oranga Tamariki justice facility.

    “Rangatahi deserve more than child prisons and military bootcamps. They deserve opportunities,” says the Green Party Spokesperson for Youth, Tamatha Paul.

    “Instead of punching down on our most vulnerable, we should be providing our rangatahi with meaningful life opportunities, healthcare that addresses their needs, but most importantly, the love and care that they have never, ever had in their short lives. 

    “The Greens are calling for an end to Youth Justice Residences and military-style bootcamps. Our young people deserve a system which sets them up to rebuild their lives, not to be confined to prisons which perpetuate trauma, isolation and violence

    “There are young people out there who cannot imagine a life for themselves outside of prison walls, and that is a failure of successive governments, and a moral failure of our society.

    “I have visited these youth justice residences and can confirm that they are child prisons. They are filled with the most vulnerable rangatahi in our country who have come from extreme levels of poverty and family abuse.

    “What’s happened at Korowai Manaaki is not a unique situation. Years of research and experience shows that youth justice residences are re-traumatising and ineffective. 

    “When the Office of the Children’s Commissioner reported on Korowai Manaaki recently, they revealed inappropriate and deeply troubling practices within the residences. Unfortunately, this culture can be seen across the youth justice space in Aotearoa and is a product of politicians who put winning votes above the real needs of children.

    “The young people leaving these residences do not feel empowered or able to turn their lives around which leads to a lifetime of incarceration and a complete loss of human potential. It’s time to close them down.” says Tamatha Paul.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: ACT welcomes Crown Observer in Wellington

    Source: ACT Party

    ACT Local Government spokesperson Cameron Luxton is welcoming today’s announcement that the Minister intends to appoint a Crown Observer to Wellington City Council.

    “The Council is an absolute shambles,” says Mr Luxton.

    “What should be a thriving capital city is being run into the ground by reckless decisions and sheer incompetence.

    “Tauranga has seen firsthand the consequences of stripping away local democracy, and I don’t want to see Wellington go down the same path. Any step that can fix the city while preserving local democracy is one I fully support.

    “A Crown Observer will give the Coalition Government the opportunity to look under the hood of the council, assess what’s going wrong, and assist the council in good governance – something that has been sorely lacking to date.

    “Many of the issues are well-known already. The Council is recklessly wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on ideological projects like cycleways, removing cars from the golden mile, and the wrecked town hall. While this is happening, leaks continue to appear all across the city and wastewater is being pumped into the harbour.

    “But the deeper governance issues and factors influencing the Council’s poor decision making need to see the light of day. At the very least it will expose the poor leadership, ensuring they can be held accountable at the next local body elections on 11 October 2025.

    “The Council must ensure that they have crown observer not a clown observer. That means putting their egos and ideologies aside and for once in their lives put the ratepayers of Wellington first.

    “I urge them to heed the advice of the Observer, and take all necessary steps to cut waste, fix the crumbling infrastructure and keep rates down.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Unreported in New Zealand

    Source: ACT Party

    The Haps

    The Solicitor General backed down on prosecution guidelines that told prosecutors to ‘think carefully’ about someone’s race before prosecuting. It shows New Zealand has really changed. Not so long ago such policies bucketed down and people felt helpless. Now we are getting real change.

    CPI inflation at 2.2 per cent, amidst the 1-3 per cent target band, is the news we’ve been waiting for. Inflation first broke out in 2021, with high interest rates following close behind. It’s taken less than a year of the new Government, one mini-budget, and one budget to get it under control. Now the way is clear for significant further rate cuts at the next Reserve Bank announcement on November 27.

    Unreported in New Zealand

    Last week, the Nobel Prize in economics was awarded to three economists, Acemoglu, Johnson, and Robinson “for studies of how institutions are formed and affect prosperity.” You won’t have read about this in the New Zealand press, besides syndicated cut and paste jobs, even though it is about colonisation, institutions, and prosperity.

    The official Nobel Citation says: The richest 20 per cent of the world’s countries are now around 30 times richer than the poorest 20 per cent. Moreover, the income gap between the richest and poorest countries is persistent; although the poorest countries have become richer, they are not catching up with the most prosperous. Why? This year’s laureates have found new and convincing evidence for one explanation for this persistent gap – differences in a society’s institutions.

    The economists studied many countries’ histories over the last 400 years, focusing on the influence of European countries that colonised most of the world. They conclude that what kind of set-up, or institutions, those colonising countries left has a strong bearing on the colonised countries’ prosperity today.

    They divide countries into two types. There are inclusive countries, that give people equal rights, to vote, own property, and operate under the rule of law. There are extractive countries, set up to extract natural resources and benefit a small number of people.

    The extractive countries tend to be the ones that weren’t very welcoming to colonisers, for example if there was a lot of malaria. In these cases, e.g. African ones, a small number of settlers arranged to get the wealth out of the ground, and that was about it.

    The alternative is inclusive countries, with free markets, the rule of law and democracy. The United States is the obvious example, along with Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. These countries attracted settlers in large numbers and there were too many of them to simply exploit natural resources. Instead they created inclusive institutions.

    There is a twist, an historic reversal of fortunes. The countries that were relatively poorer before colonisation, and ended up adopting more colonial institutions, are now relatively wealthier.

    Another important observation is that history is not static. Over time, countries liberalise. Colonial institutions were not set down in a state of perfection, far from it. But they were capable of improvement, widening voting rights, compensating for past wrongs, and enhancing civil liberties.

    You are probably starting to get a sense of why this work has not been discussed in the NZ Press. It finds that institutions matter if you want people to be prosperous. It doesn’t matter where you start, it’s where you finish that counts, and that depends on adopting the best institutions, democracy, the rule of law, property rights, free speech, and all of those values that allow people to flourish.

    No doubt New Zealand universities will be holding book burnings in case these Nobel Prize winners’ ideas make students ‘feel unsafe.’ The same institutions trained the journalists, which may be why there’s been so little discussion about this.

    Nonetheless, somewhere in our future is a country where free and open debate is not only allowed but cherished. It would be a country where we can discuss what works to create prosperity.

    The central lesson of these economists’ work is really that wealth is not given or taken, it is not ‘owned’ rightfully by any historic group. It can be created, to the point that everyone is richer than 200 years ago, but some people are 30 times richer. The trick is to adopt the right institutions, the policies that work, as quickly as possible, and those institutions are democracy, free markets, the rule of law, and equal rights for all.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: One southbound lane reopens on Auckland’s Southern Motorway

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    One southbound lane has reopened on Auckland’s Southern Motorway, following an incident near the Penrose Road overbridge.

    There is significant traffic build-up due to the earlier closure of all southbound lanes.

    Motorists are asked to delay travel or take alternative routes where possible.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: All southbound lanes on Auckland’s Southern Motorway reopen

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    All southbound lanes on Auckland’s Southern Motorway have reopened following an incident near the Penrose Road overbridge this afternoon.

    While the lanes have reopened, there is still significant traffic build-up following the earlier closure.

    Motorists should expect continued delays while the traffic build-up clears.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: October 21st, 2024 Heinrich Highlights $2.5 Million for Mobile Training Unit to Connect Rural New Mexicans to In-Demand Careers in the Skilled Trades, Participates in Training Demo with U.A. Local 412

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
    PHOTOS & VIDEO
    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Chairman of the U.S. Joint Economic Committee and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, highlighted more than $2.5 million he has secured through the Appropriations process for the United Association of Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 412 (U.A. Local 412) to operate a mobile training unit that provides pre-apprenticeship training to New Mexicans living in rural and Tribal communities. 
    The mobile training unit is creating more pathways to in-demand careers in the skilled trades and has already trained dozens of New Mexicans in Española, Taos, Las Vegas, Mora, Raton, and Santa Fe. Heinrich also participated in a training demonstration with U.A. Local 412 leadership and apprentices who are learning skills in the plumbing, pipefitting, and HVAC trades.

    U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) participates in a training demonstration with the United Association of Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 412 (U.A. Local 412), October 21, 2024.
    “Thanks to our Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS and Science Act, New Mexico is experiencing a manufacturing and clean energy renaissance that is creating new high-quality careers New Mexicans can build their families around,” said Heinrich. “I’m focused on expanding pathways to skills training and apprenticeships that connect New Mexicans to careers in their own communities. This is how we can address workforce shortages, grow the middle class, and strengthen our economy.”
    Heinrich-Secured Federal Investments for the Mobile Training Unit:
    The U.A. Local 412 Mobile Training Unit was initially paid for by an Economic Development Administration (EDA) Good Jobs Challenge Grant, as part of a $6.4 million award to the Northern N.M. Workforce Integration Network. The Good Jobs Challenge funds were authorized by the American Rescue Plan, the critical economic recovery legislation that Heinrich was proud to pass in 2021. 
    Through his work on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Heinrich has further supported the U.A. Local 412’s workforce development efforts by securing more than $2.5 million in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) in the Fiscal Year 2023 and Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bills. These awards helped the union secure the equipment and staffing they need to train New Mexicans for jobs in the skilled trades, including specialized training needed to fill the many new, well-paying jobs being created by the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. 
    Heinrich is currently fighting to pass the Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations Bills, which include an additional $870,000 CDS award that he secured within the Senate Appropriations Committee-passed Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations Bill to sustain the U.A. Local 412’s mobile training unit’s operations past the original EDA funding, and to expand its reach to new communities including Grants, Gallup, Silver City, and Zuni Pueblo. 
    Heinrich’s Longtime Support for Workforce Training and Apprenticeships:
    Heinrich has long championed proven workforce training programs like U.A. Local 412’s apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs that are growing the middle class, creating and connecting New Mexicans to high-quality careers they can access in their communities, and continuing New Mexico’s leading role in the clean energy transition that is being built by union workers in the skilled trades. 
    Last week, Heinrich hosted a “Pro-Worker, Pro-Business Opportunities” roundtable to talk directly with New Mexicans about how federal legislation he helped pass into law, like the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Law, is creating careers in high-demand sectors and strengthening New Mexico’s health care, early childhood education, and skilled trades workforce.  
    Last year, Heinrich introduced the bipartisan Apprenticeship Pathways Act, legislation to create pathways to careers for high school students by expanding access to apprenticeship programs for occupations with high need, including the building trades, healthcare, manufacturing, technology, telecommunications, and early childhood education. Earlier this year, Heinrich introduced the Pre-Apprenticeships To Hardhats (PATH) Act, legislation to strengthen the pipeline for careers in New Mexico, address rising workforce shortages, and grow the state’s economy through quality pre-apprenticeship programs. 
    Last year, Courtenay Eichhorst, Business Manager of U.A. Local 412 and President of New Mexico Building Trades, testified about the importance of apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships during a hearing that Heinrich convened as the Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee on “Job Training for the Clean Energy Transition.” 
    Eichhorst said during that JEC hearing, “In addition to our ‘gold standard’ apprenticeship programs, the UA and other Building Trades’ unions are also increasingly investing in pre-apprenticeship programs that can be designed to help prepare high school students or individuals from underrepresented communities for a career in the trades. These programs help fill the role that used to be filled by the ‘shop classes’ that were found in high schools but have become increasingly rare. Pre-apprenticeship programs also focus on the ‘soft skills’ that are necessary for success in any industry, such as showing up on time and other work etiquette.”
    Earlier this year, also in the Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bills, Heinrich secured $1,200,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending for the SMART Local Union No. 49 Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee to enhance and expand specialized HVAC apprenticeship training. 
    In March, Heinrich introduced the Providing Resources and Opportunities for Health Education and Learning (PRO-HEAL) Act, legislation that will tackle the health care provider shortage in New Mexico and nationwide by expanding pathways to high-quality, in-demand health care careers that medical professionals can access in their communities. Specifically, the PRO-HEAL Act addresses medical provider shortages by incentivizing states and institutions of higher education to expand or create health care provider pipeline programs, particularly in underserved and rural communities. The legislation is inspired by the success of the Combined BA/MD Degree Program at the University of New Mexico, where over 65% of students who have graduated from their program practice medicine in New Mexico.    
    Last year, Heinrich introduced the Pathways to Health Careers Act, legislation that reauthorizes and modernizes the Health Profession Opportunity Grant (HPOG) program to help address health care shortages in New Mexico and across the country and create pathways to high-quality, in-demand health care careers. The HPOG program has a proven track record of successfully educating workers for jobs in the health care industry, while also providing career coaching, job placement, and a mix of other support services. The Pathways to Health Careers Act would restart and expand the HPOG Program, providing $425 million to make HPOG available nationwide from FY2024 through FY2028 and includes set asides for Tribes and U.S. Territories.  
    In 2021, Heinrich introduced the Championing Apprenticeships for New Careers and Employees in Technology (CHANCE in Tech) Act, legislation to create earlier pathways to high-paying careers in the information technology (IT) industry. Heinrich previously introduced similar bipartisan legislation in 2019 with former Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colo.).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray, Cantwell, Kilmer Announce $51M Federal Grant to Repair Hood Canal Bridge

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Hood Canal Bridge is a vital link between Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas & helps more than 30,000 daily commuters avoid a 100-mile detour around Puget Sound
    As the longest floating saltwater bridge in the world, the structure is deteriorating in the harsh marine environment
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) , Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (D, WA-06) announced that the Washington State Department of Transportation will receive $51,125,917 in federal funds to repair the Hood Canal Bridge.
    The funding comes from the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) Grant Program, which provides grants to nationally and regionally significant transportation projects to improve the country’s freight network.
    “The Hood Canal Bridge is an absolutely critical connection for people and businesses on the Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas,” said Sen. Murray. “This is a piece of infrastructure that must remain safe and reliable so people can get to where they need to go—whether that’s work, a doctor’s appointment, or anything else. With thousands of travelers relying on this bridge just about every day, I’m proud to have worked together with Senator Cantwell and Representative Kilmer to ensure we bring these federal dollars home to replace outdated portions of this bridge.”
    “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Hood Canal Bridge will receive the repairs it needs to continue providing a vital connection between Kitsap, Jefferson, and Clallam Counties, with more than 30,000 crossings per day. Without this bridge, drivers would need to take a 100-mile detour around Puget Sound. And if the bridge’s retractable span were to fail, submarines and other vessels would be cut off from Naval Base Kitsap – Bangor,” Sen. Cantwell said. “This bridge is critical to the quality of life for residents and our national security.”
    “The Hood Canal Bridge is often a lifeline for folks on the Olympic Peninsula, enabling them to get where they need to go,” said Rep. Kilmer. “This federal funding is a major step toward improving the safety and reliability of the bridge, helping ensure that it will remain open, accessible and resilient for years to come. And with federal support it means this project can move forward without the costs falling solely on the backs of taxpayers in our state. That’s a win-win.”
    This project will replace over 3,400 linear feet of the western half of the bridge including the replacement of 55 reinforced concrete crossbeams and 216 prestressed concrete girder lines and the placement of nearly 4,800 cubic yards of concrete. Preliminary design work is scheduled to begin in November 2025, with project completion scheduled for June 2027. The project’s total budget is $85.2 million.
    The Hood Canal Bridge links the Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas, allowing over 30,000 motorists to get to and from work each day. As the longest floating bridge in the world over saltwater, this unique structure sits in a harsh marine environment that’s deteriorated its condition over the past 40 years. Currently, vehicles that can cross the bridge are weight-restricted at 17,000 lbs per axle or less, and overweight vehicles are forced to drive nearly 100 miles around Puget Sound.  If the bridge’s condition goes unaddressed, further deterioration and restrictions would have severe impacts on commerce and the livelihood of those who depend on the bridge every day.
    The Hood Canal Bridge also crosses a channel used by U.S. Navy submarines to reach the Pacific Ocean from Naval Base Kitsap -Bangor. Should the bridge’s retractable span become unusable, those vessels would be cut off from the base.
    Sen. Murray, as a senior appropriator and then Assistant Majority Leader, helped secure $3.2 billion for the INFRA grant program in advance appropriations in addition to the $4.8 billion funded through the Highway Trust Fund when she helped pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, for a total of $8 billion over five years. 
    Sen. Cantwell authored the INFRA Grant Program in the FAST Act of 2015, to provide grants to nationally and regionally significant freight and highway projects. This grant program was the first discretionary grant program to focus on improving the multimodal freight network and addressing freight bottlenecks. In 2022, as chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Sen. Cantwell helped secure $8 billion over five years for the INFRA Grant Program as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a 78 percent increase in funding. Additionally, in August 2024, Sen. Cantwell wrote a letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in support of the Hood Canal Bridge project’s INFRA grant application. The State of Washington has received 11 INFRA Grants, for a total of $532,300,108 since the start of the program.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Names Small Business of the Week, Kaleidoscope Factory

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    RED OAK, Iowa – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Ranking Member of the Senate Small Business Committee, today announced her Small Business of the Week: Kaleidoscope Factory of Pocahontas County. Throughout this Congress, Ranking Member Ernst plans to recognize a small business in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties.
    “Woodworking, like a kaleidoscope, is an art that celebrates transformation – with each cut and carve, new beauty emerges,” said Ranking Member Ernst. “The Kaleidoscope Factory reveals fresh perspectives with every twist, uncovering the hidden potential in every piece of wood.”
    In 1997, Leonard Olson received his first kaleidoscope as a gift, sparking a lifelong passion for woodworking. He began making them on his own and opened Kaleidoscope Factory in Pomeroy, Iowa in 2004. In 2014, Leonard moved Kaleidoscope Factory to downtown Pocahontas.
    After Leonard passed away in 2019, his sisters, Lois Hessenius and Margaret Egli, kept the business running while other family and friends stepped up to help craft a variety of products like kaleidoscopes, toy trains, and puzzles. Kaleidoscope Factory partnered with the Pocahontas County Economic Development Commission to install life-sized kaleidoscopes throughout the community. This past April, Kaleidoscope Factory celebrated its 20th anniversary.
    Stay tuned as Ranking Member Ernst recognizes more Iowa small businesses across the state with her Small Business of the Week award.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Young Urge President Biden To Protect Undersea Cables From China, Russia

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    October 21, 2024

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.), members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Monday led 6 of their Senate colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to President Biden expressing concerns about the security of the global network of undersea communications and energy cables upon which American workers and businesses rely.
    More than 95% of international internet traffic travels via these undersea cables, resulting in trillions of dollars in financial transactions each day. The locations of these cables are often openly published to prevent accidental damage.
    As American companies look to expand and invest in this critical infrastructure, it is imperative that the United States has a complete understanding of existing vulnerabilities, especially those that impact our economic and national security.
    “America’s adversaries have been developing their capabilities to attack or disrupt critical undersea infrastructure. There is a long tradition, dating back well over a century, of belligerents attacking their opponents’ underwater communications lines in the first phase of a conflict,” the senators wrote. “Given these threats and challenges, it is imperative that the United States undertake a review of existing vulnerabilities to global undersea cable infrastructure, including the threat of sabotage by Russia as well as the growing role of the People’s Republic of China in cable laying and repair. If we are truly to deepen vital commercial and security relationships with willing partners and allies, this must be a national priority.”
    U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) also signed the letter.
    Full text of the letter is available HERE and below:
    Dear Mr. President: 
    We write to you to express our concern about the security of global undersea communications and energy cables, especially those that impact America’s economic and national security and that of our allies and partners. As you are well aware, more than 95% of international internet traffic travels via undersea cables, including trillions of dollars in financial transactions each day. Moreover, the exact locations of most of these cables are openly published in order to reduce the likelihood of accidental damage from ships’ anchors or fishing activities. Internet and telecommunications providers, including American firms, intend to invest billions of dollars in expanding the global network of undersea communications cables. Additionally, energy transmission cables are proliferating as governments look to new sources of electricity generation. 
    America’s adversaries have been developing their capabilities to attack or disrupt critical undersea infrastructure. There is a long tradition, dating back well over a century, of belligerents attacking their opponents’ underwater communications lines in the first phase of a conflict. For example, in both World Wars, Britain’s first naval actions were to cut the telegraph cables connecting Germany to the Americas, and in 1918 a German U-boat severed lines connecting New York to both Nova Scotia and Panama. In addition to this kind of overt, kinetic attack, the nature of undersea infrastructure increases the feasibility of gray zone actions with plausible deniability. It is difficult to distinguish between an accident and a deliberate action on the seabed, and more difficult still to confirm who conducted such an action. On top of this, because this infrastructure is privately owned by commercial enterprises, repairs are the responsibility of these private companies, which are likely not prepared to maintain them under wartime conditions and are likely to seek the most cost-effective repair and maintenance options—even if that option is owned or operated by a foreign adversary or strategic competitor. 
    Given these threats and challenges, it is imperative that the United States undertake a review of existing vulnerabilities to global undersea cable infrastructure, including the threat of sabotage by Russia as well as the growing role of the People’s Republic of China in cable laying and repair. If we are truly to deepen vital commercial and security relationships with willing partners and allies, this must be a national priority. We respectfully request that you provide responses to the following questions and direct senior administration officials to brief Members of Congress, including members of relevant committees of jurisdiction, on your plans and the resources and authorities needed to carry them out.
    What is your Administration’s overall strategy to guarantee the security of America’s undersea infrastructure and to promote the security of that of our allies and partners? 
    The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 established the Cable Security Fleet (CSF). If authorized and sufficiently funded, what would be your assessment of the ideal size of the U.S.-flagged and -operated cable laying and repair vessel fleet to ensure sufficient cable repair capacity during a conflict or national emergency? How can the United States work with trusted allies and partners for additional capacity to support the expansion and repair of trusted undersea cable networks? 
    What is the Administration’s strategy to encourage other nations to choose trusted suppliers in their selection of undersea cable manufacturers, particularly in any nation of concern or which may be vulnerable to coercion or covert action by America’s adversaries? 
    How is the Administration working with the private sector to ensure that commercial enterprises’ investments in undersea cables align with U.S. national security priorities? 
    How do you intend to protect the physical security of undersea cables in the open ocean, including through any interpretation of customary international law? 
    How is the Administration working multilaterally to collectively enhance security and monitor potential threats to undersea infrastructure, including through NATO, the Quad, and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity? 
    Thank you for your prompt attention to this request. As Congress works to continue its oversight of national security, it is vital that we understand the current state of the information backbone of our economy and efforts to protect it. 
    Sincerely, 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: President Erdoğan to Visit Albania and Serbia

    Source: Republic of Turkey

    President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will pay official visits to Albania and Serbia respectively on October 10-11, 2024.
    During the talks to be held as part of the visits, all aspects of the bilateral relations with the abovementioned countries will be reviewed and works to be carried out to further improve the current cooperation in various areas will be addressed.
    President Erdoğan will co-chair the high-level cooperation council meetings with his counterparts in both countries, inaugurate the biggest mosque of the Balkans, Tirana Namazgah Mosque, which is funded by Türkiye, with the participation of Prime Minister Edi Rama of Albania, and attend together with President Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia the business forum to be held in Belgrade.
    Various agreements aimed at enhancing the contractual basis of the bilateral relations are planned to be signed on the occasion of the visits.
    Also, views on current global and regional matters, especially Gaza, the occupied Palestinian territories and Israeli attacks on Lebanon, as well as the developments in the Balkans are expected to be exchanged at the talks.
    Respectfully announced to the public.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Denis Manturov visited aviation enterprises in Kazan

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Denis Manturov visited aviation enterprises in Kazan. At the Kazan Aviation Plant named after S.P. Gorbunov

    October 22, 2024

    Denis Manturov visited aviation enterprises in Kazan. At the Kazan Helicopter Plant

    October 22, 2024

    Denis Manturov visited aviation enterprises in Kazan. At the Kazan Helicopter Plant

    October 22, 2024

    Previous news Next news

    Denis Manturov visited aviation enterprises in Kazan. At the Kazan Aviation Plant named after S.P. Gorbunov

    First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov visited the aircraft manufacturing enterprises of the Rostec state corporation in Kazan. Together with the head of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, he familiarized himself with the implementation of the program for the Tu-214 civil airliner and the expansion of the production capacity of the Kazan Aviation Plant named after S.P. Gorbunov. The First Deputy Prime Minister also visited the Kazan Helicopter Plant, where he assessed the progress of work on the import-substituting Ansat helicopter and inspected the latest modification of the Mi-171A3 in the Aurus configuration.

    The First Deputy Prime Minister’s visit took place ahead of the BRICS summit, which will be held in Kazan from October 22 to 24. Guests of the event, as part of the Made in Tatarstan exhibition, will be shown aircraft and helicopters manufactured by Rostec enterprises. In particular, the Mi-171A3 helicopter in the Aurus configuration, the modernized Ansat with an ambulance module, the Mi-38 in a business configuration, and the Tu-214 civil airliner will be on display.

    First Deputy Head of UAC, Managing Director of JSC Tupolev Konstantin Timofeev reported to Denis Manturov on the modernization of the Kazan Aircraft Plant and the prospects for increasing the production of Tu-214 aircraft. Large-scale construction and reconstruction work at the enterprise is planned to be completed by the end of 2026. The process of constructing new and modernizing existing production buildings, a flight test base and a number of other facilities is currently underway.

    “Of the 24 planned facilities, nine have already been commissioned, 15 facilities are at various stages of readiness. With the commissioning of all planned facilities, the enterprise will significantly reduce the production time. The new premises and equipment will allow us to begin serial production of civil aircraft and ensure the construction of 20 Tu-214 aircraft per year,” said Konstantin Timofeev.

    The First Deputy Prime Minister also inspected high-tech equipment for manufacturing large-sized parts, recently launched at the Kazan Aviation Plant. The new product was developed and manufactured by specialists from the STAN holding company of the Rostec state corporation. The Russian portal 5-axis milling machining center with a vacuum table will make it possible to manufacture components from aluminum alloys, including wing parts with a maximum size of up to 24 meters. At the same time, the time required to complete individual stages of the production cycle will be reduced several times. In 2025, the aircraft plant plans to commission another similar machine.

    In addition, the First Deputy Prime Minister, accompanied by the Director General of the Kazan Helicopter Plant Nikolay Yakovlev, inspected the main production workshops of the enterprise. The site produces helicopters of the Mi-8/17 family, multi-purpose Mi-38 and light Ansat helicopters. Denis Manturov also inspected a prototype of the light single-engine Mi-34M1 helicopter, equipped with a VK-650 engine, which took to the air for the first time last week, and spoke with test pilot Sergei Barkov.

    The First Deputy Prime Minister got acquainted with the progress of a major modernization of the helicopter manufacturing enterprise. He inspected the mechanical assembly production building under construction, visited the new building of the final assembly shop and the hangar of the flight test complex. There, Denis Manturov was shown the Mi-8MTV-1 helicopters and the latest multi-purpose Mi-38, and was also informed about the status of the import-substituting Ansat program. At the moment, all foreign components of the control system and autopilot have been replaced with domestic ones, and Russian VK-650V engines manufactured by the United Engine Corporation (part of Rostec) have been installed. Preparations are currently underway for ground checks of the aircraft, which will be followed by flight tests of the Ansat with the new engines. The first flight is planned to be completed before the end of this year.

    In addition, a program to modernize the helicopter is being implemented in parallel – increasing its takeoff weight and installing an anti-icing system. The flight range will also increase to 640 km (up to 800 km with an additional fuel tank).

    The Deputy Prime Minister inspected the Mi-171A3 in its latest Aurus modification, created specifically for business transportation. In this version, the helicopter can carry up to ten passengers, its cabin includes everything necessary for a comfortable flight over long distances. This helicopter is a successful example of expanding interplant cooperation. The Kazan Helicopter Plant manufactures the cargo floor and propeller blades. The Far Eastern enterprise AAK Progress manufactures composite elements – the pilot’s cabin and side panels of the fuselage, the production of other elements and final assembly is carried out at the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant.

    Denis Manturov was also shown the newest Production and Training Center (PTC). This unique industrial and educational complex will train up to 3.5 thousand highly qualified multi-specialists per year. Classes have already begun here for students and plant employees, who are simultaneously receiving several in-demand professions. Educational programs have been developed for the center in eight areas and 38 professions. The emphasis in training is on practice, which takes up to 70% of the training time. For this purpose, the PTC has 15 production sites, 12 laboratories and 21 classrooms.

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

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    http://government.ru/nevs/53074/

    MIL OSI Russia News –