Category: Transport

MIL-OSI USA: Grassley Demands VP Harris Own Up for Failures as Border Czar
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

BUTLER COUNTY, IOWA – U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote Vice President Kamala Harris asking questions about the policy decisions she has made in her role overseeing border issues for the Biden administration, as well as the dangerous consequences and crimes that have ensued as a result.

“Every community is a border community because the Biden-Harris administration has refused to enforce our immigration laws,” Grassley today said of his letter. “The federal government’s number one job is to keep its citizens safe. By reversing the effective border security policies of the Trump administration, the Biden-Harris administration has done the very opposite of protecting American citizens.”

Grassley on a radio call this morning cited the following actions, among others, the Biden-Harris administration has taken that have weakened U.S. national security and made innocent Americans targets of otherwise preventable crimes:
- Ordering the Defense Department to stop building the southern border wall;
- Blocking $2 billion previously allocated for barrier construction; and
- Ending the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” program.
Click HERE for audio of Grassley discussing his letter to Vice President Harris. The full letter is available HERE and below.

Vice President Kamala D. Harris

The White House

Office of the Vice President

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Vice President Harris:

In one of your first official public appearances, you joined President Biden in the Oval Office when he opined on the Trump administration’s immigration and border policies. President Biden dismissed the previous administration’s policies as “counterproductive to our security,” “harmful,” and a “moral and national shame.”

Since your first day in office, you and President Biden have worked to dismantle the Trump-era border policies and halted further construction of the border wall. The presidential proclamation terminating construction read, in part: “It shall be the policy of my Administration that no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall.” This initiated a so-called “careful review of all resources appropriated or redirected to construct a southern border wall.” By April 2021, the Department of Defense (DOD) announced the cancellation of border barrier projects. In June of the same year, the Biden-Harris administration returned $2 billion to the DOD previously allocated for the purpose of border wall construction. Your administration also initiated a review of the Remain in Mexico policy, which Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Mayorkas subsequently ended in June 2021.

Meanwhile, every fiscal year throughout your engagements, crossings from Mexico and the

Northern Triangle markedly exceeded any year of the Trump administration. Despite the stark increase from those nations and many others, deportations and returns overall have decreased as a share of crossings.

Now, you are engaging in a numbers racket, telling Americans modest decreases in encounters from soaring, record highs is somehow proof that what your administration has been doing all along is working. It is not.

President Biden’s executive order—more than three years after your administration’s reckless reversal of key policies—is an implicit admission that he and you bear ultimate responsibility for this crisis and this disastrous approach. As a result of these slow-walked changes, our national security has been undermined and the safety of our communities has been threatened all across the country.

Due to the Biden-Harris administration’s failure to achieve adequate border security, illegal immigrants, including those entering from Mexico and the Northern Triangle, have been able to perpetrate heinous acts against innocent American citizens. For example:
- On May 14, 2024, an 18-year-old Honduran national, who purportedly entered the United States illegally in April 2022, pled guilty to sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in Waterloo, Iowa.
- On April 2, 2024, a Honduran national, who was previously convicted of sexual assaulting a woman in Connecticut and deported, was charged for failing to register as a sex offender. He was reportedly able to re-enter the United States undetected by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and subsequently was arrested twice before being charged.
- On February 25, 2024, a 19-year-old Honduran national was arrested for the alleged rape and aggravated assault of a 14-year-old girl at knifepoint in Louisiana. He entered the United States illegally in October 2023.
- On May 4, 2024, a Guatemalan national was arrested for allegedly kidnapping and sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl in a van in Palm Beach County, Florida. He reportedly entered the United States illegally in January 2024, was given an immigration hearing date in 2027, and was released by DHS.
- On June 26, 2024, a Guatemalan national was charged with alleged sexually battery of a 14-year-old girl in Okaloosa County, Florida. He was deported on February 9, 2024, before this incident, but was able to re-enter the United States untraced days later.
- On May 8, 2024, an El Salvadoran migrant was arrested for allegedly murdering a woman and the malicious assault of two homeless individuals with a baseball bat in West Virginia. He had an extensive criminal history and was in prison in El Salvador for over twenty years for “DUI [driving under the influence], sexual assault/murder, aggravated robbery, and narcotics related crimes.” Law enforcement believes he illegally entered the United States shortly after his release from prison.
This is just a snapshot from this year alone of the sorts of preventable tragedies, which have become all too common across the United States.

The Biden-Harris administration’s policies—pulling resources, reversing Remain in Mexico, and stopping wall construction—are largely to blame for our open and unsafe border over the last three-and-a-half years. Because of your actions and inactions, every state is now a border state and every community is a border community.

Given your role as the leader of engagement with this region, which the media has colloquially dubbed as “Border Czar” or “Root Causes Czar,” I ask that you provide answers to the following immigration and border policy questions by October 24, 2024.
1. Have you engaged with your international counterparts regarding violence perpetrated against innocent Americans by citizens of their countries? Have you raised this concern with any counterpart(s)? If so, what concerns were raised and when? What was their response?
2. In light of the Biden-Harris administration’s ending of Remain in Mexico in 2021, what data can you provide suggesting migration from Mexico has been “stemmed” as you were tasked with accomplishing prior to 2024?
3. In February 2024, the Biden-Harris administration endorsed a proposal that, among other provisions, included a requirement that a few hundred million dollars in unspent funds be used specifically for border wall construction. As noted above, the Biden-Harris administration previously returned $2 billion allocated for the purpose of building a border wall. Did the Biden-Harris administration ever consider reversing course regarding this funding? If not, why not? If so, why has no discernable action been taken to that end?
4. The Biden-Harris administration has auctioned off some $300 million worth of unused border wall materials for mere pennies on the dollar. Why did the Biden-Harris administration endorse a proposal asking Congress to require them to use hundreds of millions of unspent dollars for border wall construction after deciding to sit on hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of unused supplies instead of building the wall?
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MIL OSI USA News –
January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI China: 7th CIIE to offer platform for showcasing Tanzanian goods, services: official

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

DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 15 — The seventh edition of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) will provide a platform for showcasing Tanzanian products and services to one of the largest consumer markets in the world, an official said on Monday.

Tanzania’s Zanzibar Minister for Trade and Industrial Development Omar Said Shaaban revealed that 34 Tanzanian exhibitors will attend this year’s CIIE, which will be held in Shanghai from Nov. 5 to 10, to display goods, including agricultural produce, textiles, minerals, handicrafts, and industrial goods.

“This is not just a journey across the continents, but a leap towards showcasing the vibrancy, richness, and diversity of Tanzania commerce on the international stage,” said Shaaban at a send-off ceremony for the exhibitors at the Chinese embassy in the port city of Dar es Salaam.

He noted that the exhibits represented not just the diversity of Tanzania’s resources but also the ingenuity and craftsmanship of its people.

“Through the 7th CIIE, we aim to raise global awareness of the ‘Made in Tanzania’ brand, which reflects the quality, sustainability, and uniqueness of our products,” Shaaban said.

Speaking on behalf of the exhibitors, Elizabeth Kalambo, chief executive officer of sisal product manufacturer Sisalana (Tanzania) Company Limited, said attending the seventh CIIE will enable them to meet directly with customers and expand new client base in foreign markets.

Kalambo said that participation in the CIIE has large economic multiplier effects for both China and Tanzania.

Chen Mingjian, Chinese ambassador to Tanzania, said the CIIE created opportunities for companies and commodities worldwide to “buy globally, sell globally” and effectively promoted the growth of international trade volumes.

Chen said that over the past six years, over 180 countries, regions, and international organizations have participated in the CIIE.

“China is facilitating the participation of the least developed countries in the expo by providing preferential treatment in booth construction, exhibit transportation, and personnel reception,” she said, noting that China is Tanzania’s largest trading partner and source country of investment.

According to the Chinese ambassador, China-Tanzania bilateral trade volume reached 8.78 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, recording an increase of 8.9 percent year on year.

MIL OSI China News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Celebrate local environmental heroes
Source: Auckland Council

The Love Your Place Awards are back for 2024! The awards celebrate volunteers, local community and conservation groups and schools making a difference for the environment in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area.

The biennial awards are funded by the Waitākere Ranges Local Board and organised and hosted by EcoMatters Environment Trust.

“This is the fifth time we’ve held these awards, and we’re always inspired by the stories of local environmental champions working to help preserve this very special part of Tāmaki Makaurau,” says Waitākere Ranges Local Board Chair Greg Presland.

“We want to celebrate those who are going above and beyond to work for our local environment, so I encourage everyone to nominate their local environmental hero,” Greg adds.

People can nominate themselves or others working in the environmental space anywhere across the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area, which stretches from Whatipu, Glen Eden and Titirangi in the south to Waitākere, Swanson and Te Henga in the north.

Nominations are open from 1 to 17 November, with winners announced at a special local event early 2025.

EcoMatters CEO Carla Gee says the awards have become a much-anticipated local event, celebrating the special relationship people in the Waitākere Ranges have with their local environment.

“These are truly heart-warming awards, because they recognise the people who are working in and with our communities to make a real difference.

“It’s never been more important to protect our precious natural heritage, particularly in the Waitākere Ranges, an area loved by so many Aucklanders, as the climate crisis continues to threaten biodiversity,” says Carla.

The previous awards, in 2022, recognised trailblazers and previously unsung heroes working in predator and weed control, food growing and waste minimisation initiatives.

The five award categories are:
- Denise Yates Award: for youth (under 18) showing emerging leadership around local environmental issues.
- Karaka Award: for a school or school group taking action on a local environmental issue.
- Nīkau Award: for a business or social enterprise making a contribution to improve the environment.
- Rātā Award: for an outstanding volunteer group or organisation taking action on a local environmental issue.
- Kahikatea Award: for an outstanding individual volunteer taking action on a local environmental issue.
Nominations are open from 1 to 17 November 2024.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –
January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Major crackdown on NHS waste
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

A new strategy is being published to radically cut the number of single-use medical devices in the health service.
Move to scrap single-use MedTech as Health and Social Care Secretary launches waste blitz

Tens of millions of disposable items are binned after just one use

MedTech companies incentivised to produce sustainable products – pumping millions back to NHS frontline and cash into economy

The government is launching a major crackdown on waste in the NHS to save millions of pounds a year, helping to divert more resources to frontline care.

A new strategy – the Design for Life Roadmap – is being published to radically cut the number of single-use medical devices in the health service and reduce our reliance on foreign imports.

Disposable medical devices substantially contribute to the 156,000 tonnes of clinical waste that the NHS produces every year in England alone. The roadmap paves the way to slashing this waste and maximising reuse, remanufacture and recycling in the NHS.

Doing so will create thousands more UK jobs and help transform the country into a life sciences superpower. As it stands, millions of devices like walking aids and surgical instruments are thrown away after just one use.

Harmonic shears – surgical devices which seal patients’ wounds using ultrasound waves – each cost more than £500 and around 90% of them are binned after a single use. Innovative companies are already purchasing these used devices and safely remanufacturing them at a lower price.

The government will encourage more of this kind of innovation to safely remanufacture a wider range of products and drive costs down, including by changing procurement rules to incentivise reusable products and rolling out examples where hospitals are already leading the way on cutting wasteful spending and practices.

Approximately £10 billion each year is spent on medical technology like this in the NHS, but too much of it is imported via vulnerable routes that risk disrupting patient care.

A Circular Economy Taskforce has already been created to foster more highly skilled green jobs and smarter use of our resources. An economy wide shift to a circular economy could add £75 billion to the economy and create 500,000 jobs by 2030.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

The NHS is broken. It is the mission of this government to get it back on its feet, and we can’t afford a single penny going to waste.

Because the NHS deals in the billions, too often it doesn’t think about the millions. That has to change. This government inherited a £22 billion blackhole in the public finances, so we will have a laser-like focus on getting better value for taxpayers’ money.

Every year, millions of expensive medical devices are chucked in the bin after being used just once. We are going to work closely with our medical technology industry, to eliminate waste and support homegrown medtech and equipment.

The below case studies illustrate the potential savings:

Mid Yorkshire Trust uses 330,000 single use tourniquets in a year, but a single reusable tourniquet can be used 10,000 times. In a one-year trial, reusable alternatives saved £20,000 in procurement costs and 0.75 metric tonnes of plastic waste.

In Northampton Hospitals NHS Trust, a single Ophthalmology department saved 1,000 pairs of disposable scissors and £12,000 in a year by switching to reusable pairs. Single-use scissors are often used in surgical settings. NHS procurement data shows that several million pairs of single-use scissors were purchased by the NHS in a single year (2022-23). That is the equivalent of hundreds of pairs of scissors thrown away every hour.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust saved £76,610 in costs purchasing 604 remanufactured Electrophysiology (EP) Catheters, and generated a further £22,923 for selling used devices for collection. If the same approach were to be scaled up across the UK, the NHS could save millions of pounds per year on EP catheters alone, just a few product lines among hundreds of thousands.

Harmonic shears are complex devices for performing surgical procedures and cost more than £500 each, yet around 90% are binned after a single use. Leeds University Teaching Hospitals Trust has demonstrated that companies can safely remanufacture them, giving up to 50% cost savings.

The Design for Life programme will reduce this kind of waste and achieve an NHS-wide move to sustainable alternatives– also supporting the government’s net zero goals.

A new roadmap sets out 30 actions to achieve this shift – including how the government will work with companies to encourage the production of more sustainable products, along with training for NHS staff on how to use them.

Taking this approach will mean more money can be spent in the UK, driving growth, creating more engineering, life sciences and research jobs – all while securing savings for the NHS budget.

Many of these products include precious metals such as platinum and titanium which are in high demand but go to landfill when they could be recovered and sold. A reduction in the amount of disposed single-use devices will also reduce the country’s carbon footprint and plastic pollution.

The government will encourage industry figures to innovate by making sure benefits of reusable MedTech are part of how the NHS chooses the products it buys.

Baroness Merron visited University College London Hospital on Tuesday, 15 October. The hospital is a member of the Circular Economy Healthcare Alliance, which advocates for sustainable practices within the NHS.

Health Minister Baroness Gillian Merron said:

Design for Life doesn’t just deliver on the Health Mission, to build an NHS fit for the future, it also delivers on our Growth Mission to make the UK a life science superpower and our commitment to get the NHS to net zero by 2045.

She toured a mock operating theatre and was shown various sustainable products its NHS staff use – from simple products like gowns and scissors to sophisticated, expensive products like harmonic shears.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of NHS England, said:

While the NHS is treating record numbers of patients, we know there is much more to do to ensure taxpayers get value for money.

The NHS made a record £7.25bn worth of efficiency savings last year and is targeting a further £9bn of savings for 2024/25. But we are rightly still looking for ways to get our money’s worth for every penny we spend.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The Design for Life programme was developed with more than 80 stakeholders from the UK MedTech industry, the health and care system, and research organisations.

It forms part of the government’s ambition to transform the UK into a life sciences superpower and ensure sustainability.

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Published 16 October 2024
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Joint doorstop interview, Brisbane

Source: Australian Treasurer

JIM CHALMERS:

Welcome to the most important electorate in Australia, the People’s Republic of Rankin. Welcome to the PM, Clare, Meaghan, this is our home patch. Cameron Dick and I and Shannon Fentiman, we’re really proud to represent this part of South East Queensland. We’ve got really 2 fantastic announcements to be making today.

The first one which Clare will elaborate on is that we are announcing more money for this part of the world for more housing. More housing for Meadowbrook, more housing for South East Queensland, more housing for middle Australia, and most importantly, more housing for essential workers and social housing tenants near where the jobs and essential services are being provided. The wonderful thing about this part of South East Queensland – we’ve got a university there, a hospital and a TAFE there, a retail centre there, 2 motorways, a train station – and this is all about making sure that we build more homes for Australians where the jobs and essential services are. And so it’s a really important day to be making this announcement. This kind of funding is at risk with the worst combination of David Crisafulli and Peter Dutton and we make that clear as well today.

More homes for our local community. Our highest priorities are housing and the cost of living and the Albanese Labor government, the Miles Labor government, we work together really closely to do whatever we can to build more homes and to ease the cost of living for more people. And a really important part of what we’re announcing today are our efforts to crack down on excessive charges when it comes to using credit cards and debit cards and tapping your phone. Too many Australians are paying too much when they tap their phone or use their credit cards. Too many Australians are paying too much when it comes to excessive fees on debit cards, in particular. We are cracking down on excessive fees for debit cards and we are funding the ACCC to do their important work in this regard as well. We are prepared to ban surcharges on debit cards subject to the important work that the RBA is doing, and also making sure that there aren’t unintended consequences for small businesses and for consumers. This is all about a better deal for consumers and small businesses. People are paying surcharges which are too high just to use their own money, and we want to see what we can do to crack down on that. We are prepared to ban the surcharges on debit cards subject to making sure that consumers and small businesses are the beneficiaries of any change. This is a really complex system. There are a number of fees at play in this system. It’s why the RBA’s work is so important, and it’s why it’s so important that this Albanese Labor government is taking action to crack down on excessive fees. While this work is being undertaken, we will provide $2.1 million to the ACCC for their education and monitoring and to make sure that businesses are doing the right thing when it comes to the charging of these fees and surcharges. We are making it really clear today. This Albanese Labor government is about easing the cost of living and building more homes. Whether it’s excessive surcharges using debit cards, whether it’s building more homes in communities, just like the Miles government, we are focused on the main game for middle Australia and that’s why we’re here today. I’ll throw you over to the Deputy Premier and Treasurer of Queensland, Cameron Dick.

CAMERON DICK:

Well, thanks, Jim. It is terrific to have the Prime Minister, Jim, Clare and Meaghan in Logan here today to announce more homes for Queenslanders. And this is what happens when you have a State Labor government and a Federal Labor government working together to deliver for the people of Queensland. This isn’t something you get from the Greens and it is certainly something you would never get from the LNP. It’s also great to have 2 Queensland based institutions, the Australian Retirement Fund and the Brisbane Housing Company, collaborating together to deliver on this project. We’ve already got homes through that collaboration coming out of the ground in Redcliffe, Chermside and Southport and now we will see more homes right here in Logan for hardworking Queenslanders. And so we very much welcome this announcement today and we thank the Prime Minister and his federal team for supporting Queensland.

I just wanted to say something briefly before I hand over to the Prime Minister on David Crisafulli and the LNP’s election commitments, their costings and of course, their plan for cuts. Yesterday, David Crisafulli said he wouldn’t borrow for the operational costs of government. That would mean David would have to cut $3 billion as soon as he took office in October. It means David Crisafulli would have to cut $10 million a day, each and every day until the 30th of June next year to deliver on his promise. That means there are 17,000 Queenslanders whose jobs are now on the line under David Crisafulli and the LNP. And that is before he even finds one cent to pay for the $18 billion in election commitments that are unfunded and that he has already announced in this campaign. David Crisafulli won’t even tell Queenslanders the total of the election commitments he’s made in this campaign so far. That’s because he would have to tell Queenslanders what he would have to cut to deliver on those promises.

I’ll hand over to the Prime Minister and thank him again for coming to Queensland and making this important announcement for the people of our state.

ANTHONY ALBANESE:

Well, thanks very much, Treasurer. And it’s great to be here with 2 treasurers and 2 housing ministers and I think 3 local members here in Logan. It’s fantastic to be, particularly to be in my friend, the Treasurer’s electorate of Rankin, and to show what happens when good Labor governments work together. This is about 1,100 new homes for Queenslanders – 1,100 new homes that will be built, including right here on this site, but throughout South East Queensland as well. It comes on top of, just a couple of weeks ago, the announcement we made in Cairns with about 500 new affordable and social homes being built there. This is about increasing housing supply, which is what our commitment is to do.

It’s also about easing the cost of living and the measures that the Treasurer spoke about before in outlawing debit card surcharges, having a real crack at making sure that people, when they use their own money, there shouldn’t be surcharges on them using their money. And that’s why we are providing additional funds – $2.1 million for the ACCC – but also the Reserve Bank doing their inquiry to make sure that the details of this are got right, that small businesses looked after on the way through. This is my government’s priority, looking after the cost of living whilst also delivering on housing supply in partnership with state and territory governments. And it stands in stark contrast to our opponents. Be it David Crisafulli, who doesn’t seem to have too many policies I’ve got to say, at the Queensland election, and certainly no costed ones, and the Federal Opposition that today Michael Sukkar was out there once again just being opposed to our investment in new housing. They said they’ll get rid of the Housing Australia Future Fund. They’ve said they’re against the targets that we’ve set in partnership with state and territory governments, with those financial incentives for better planning for state and territory governments to make sure that we increase the supply. This project here as well is about our support for infrastructure in order so that homes can be built. It’s one of the missing pieces in the puzzle of housing supply that we are addressing. Making sure that energy, sewerage, water can all be connected so that new homes can be built. Something that we are providing that was never provided under the former government that didn’t for a while even bother to have a Housing Minister. I’ll turn to Clare and then we’re happy to take questions.

CLARE O’NEIL:

Thank you, PM and Treasurer, can I thank you for welcoming us to your beautiful electorate. We all know a bit about Jim Chalmers and one way to get the guy talking is to ask him about his community here in Rankin and you won’t hear the end of it. He is a huge advocate for this local area, he’s very proud of where he comes from, and it’s fantastic to be here. This is a really big and important announcement for South East Queensland where the Albanese government and the Miles Labor government here are announcing 1,100 new homes for Queenslanders. Five hundred will be constructed on this site here in Meadowbrook and 600 others will be scattered around some of the nearby suburbs. This is a reflection of what gets done when state and federal governments identify something that matters hugely to our constituents and that’s housing, and then works together to make a difference to that problem. We are, without question, one of the boldest and most ambitious Commonwealth governments on housing that we have seen for a generation in this country. We came from a standing start. The Prime Minister here mentioned that for most of the time the Coalition were in power, they didn’t even have a Housing Minister. Didn’t even have a Housing Minister. That’s how tapped out they were on this critical problem. Well, we have changed all that. Our country, led as it is by a Prime Minister whose access to housing in his childhood totally transformed the rest of his life. So, what are we doing? We’re building more homes. An ambitious target to build 1.2 million homes around the country over the coming 5 years. We’re helping renters through the work we’re doing with National Cabinet and lifts to the Commonwealth Rent Assistance payment. And we’re making sure that more Australians can own their own homes. We’ve helped 120,000 citizens get into home ownership in the time we’ve been in government. And we would be able to do more if other parties in the Parliament would come together and work with us. Now, we’ve got boldness and we’ve got ambition. But what do I see when I look at other parties in the Parliament? Well, I see the Greens who say some of the right things about housing. But when it comes time to make real progress for real people, instead of helping childcare workers and aged care workers get into housing, they instead try to play politics and stand in their path. And then I see the Liberals who have not a shred of credibility when it comes to housing. We heard this morning the Shadow Housing Minister, Michael Sukkar, make extraordinary admissions in a radio interview where, firstly, he said that the government is being too ambitious about housing. He says that if the Liberals are elected federally, they will scrap having a housing target altogether. Well, it’s that kind of low ambition that got us to where we are right now. And that is in a housing crisis where this is affecting the lives of millions of people in our country and the Liberals want us to lower our ambitions. The second thing he told us is that they want to make more cuts to states and territories in the funding that we’re giving them to make housing possible. Well, this is where we are right here. 1,100 new homes that’s made through that partnership that we’ve worked through with National Cabinet and we know with the Liberals we’ll get what we always get. That is cuts, cuts, cuts that hurt real people.

ALBANESE:

Happy to take questions.

JOURNALIST:

PM, on the banking surcharge, it’s been welcomed by some, but others are saying that a few cents here and there might not save people that much in a cost living crisis. I guess, how do you expect it to assist people if they’re only saving small amounts on these surcharges?

ALBANESE:

We think it’ll make a difference. And when people go and they see a price up on the board at the business where they’re making a purchase – that should be the purchase price. There shouldn’t be hidden charges and surcharges there when people are using their own money. Bear this in mind – a debit card is taking money directly from people’s accounts. It is their money and there shouldn’t be surcharges on it.

JOURNALIST:

Prime Minister, this is a housing announcement, do you think it’s a good look to be buying a $4.2 million home during a cost‑of‑living crisis?

ALBANESE:

Well, Jodie and I are getting married, as is known, and I’m pleased about that. And Jodie’s a Coastie. She’s a proud Coastie. She’s as proud of being a Coastie as Jim is here, of being a Logan lifelong resident. There are 3 generations of Haydons on the coast there. And when your relationship changes, your life changes and you make decisions. But what I’m focused on is making sure that everyone can get a roof over their head. I’m focused on increased public housing and social housing investment. That’s why we have our Housing Australia Future Fund. We’re focused on increased rentals, which is why we have our Build to Rent scheme. And we’re focused, in addition to that, in getting more housing supply, such as the 1,100 homes for Queenslanders that we’re announcing right here.

JOURNALIST:

PM, buying a $4 million dollar home is very different to buying a modest family home or living on a block like this. Do you think it’s a good look?

ALBANESE:

I have – of course, I am much better off as Prime Minister. I earn a good income. I understand that. I understand that I’ve been fortunate, but I also know what it’s like to struggle. My mum lived in the one public housing that she was born in for all of her 65 years. And I know what it’s like, which is why I want to help all Australians into a home, whether it be public homes or private rentals or home ownership.

JOURNALIST:

PM, it’s been reported that Australia is seeking an assurance from PNG it won’t sign new security agreements with China in return for the $600 million assistance package for its NRL bid. Can you confirm if there is a security element in this agreement and what exactly it says?

ALBANESE:

This is a relationship between friends and what we don’t do is have our security arrangements out there in public. What we do is to work with our friends and partners. Papua New Guinea has made it very clear that Australia is their security partner of choice.

JOURNALIST:

PM, do you plan to retire at that house on the New South Wales Central Coast?

ALBANESE:

Sorry?

JOURNALIST:

Are you planning to retire there?

ALBANESE:

I’m planning to be in my current job for a very long period of time.

JOURNALIST:

Are you going to rent it out in the meantime?

ALBANESE:

I’m planning to be in my current – I haven’t bought it yet. To be clear, it hasn’t settled yet, these arrangements, I’m very transparent. I declare everything. I’ve declared, some time ago, if you followed the story that I was selling a house in the Inner West that will make a contribution towards this.

JOURNALIST:

There’s been a lot of commentary around the hope from Federal Labor that some of the frustration may be taken out on October 26 and then maybe go easy at the federal election. What do you make of this and are you concerned about support for Labor in Queensland?

ALBANESE:

I want people to vote Labor in Queensland and to return Steven Miles as the Premier and this bloke here as the Deputy Premier, because I want a government that actually cares about Queenslanders. It’s a government that’s committed to increasing housing supply, that’s committed to dealing with cost‑of‑living pressures, including the 50 cent fares. I had the privilege of going on Gold Coast Light Rail yesterday. It’s committed to the free school lunches to make sure that people are looked after. This is a government that is getting things done and is worthy of re‑election and I’m very pleased to campaign with them.

JOURNALIST:

PM, Canada has expelled 6 Indian diplomats, accusing them of being part of a criminal network targeting the Sikh diaspora. Have you spoken, or do you plan to speak with Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau about this?

ALBANESE:

I speak with the Prime Minister of Canada all the time.

JOURNALIST:

Does Australia –

ALBANESE:

I speak with the Prime Minister of Canada all the time. And what I do in my relationships with international leaders is I have proper discussions with them and that’s how we get things done. And that’s why – one of the reasons why my government has been so effective in international diplomacy.

JOURNALIST:

On the Bruce Highway, why won’t you match Peter Dutton’s commitment for an 80/20 split.

ALBANESE:

He hasn’t done anything. His commitment? He was part of a government that didn’t fund things, that was good at media releases. I’ll give you the big clue. You can’t drive on a media release. What you can drive on is a road. And to build a road, you need money. So, Rockhampton Ring Road, for example, was $700 million short in terms of its funding. The former government made announcements with $0 attached to it, from time to time. When we came into government last time, we put record funding into the Bruce Highway. $1.3 billion under the Howard government, $7.6 billion under us, and we have $10 billion in our plan for the Bruce Highway, including additional money that we put in in the last Budget.

JOURNALIST:

So, those accusations are credible that we were talking about just before?

ALBANESE:

I’ve answered your question.

JOURNALIST:

Queensland has – you took a 50 cent fare yesterday. Obviously it’s a fair bit more expensive in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, to take a light rail, in Canberra. Should it not be? I mean, it’s increased our patronage in Queensland and would not do the same thing elsewhere?

ALBANESE:

Well, it’s a matter for state and territory governments. But I say this, that the Queensland government – and Cameron or Meaghan might want to comment on this as well – it’s been a huge success. Increasing patronage gets cars off the road, saves people money and also it’s good for people’s health. It’s good for a range of reasons to increase public transport patronage and from a Commonwealth government perspective, I make this point, when it comes to infrastructure. Gold Coast Light Rail, $365 million in the 2009 budget from the government when I was the Infrastructure Minister and now stage 3 underway, will be completed next year. It was opposed by the LNP – state and federal. You had federal LNP members like Steve Ciobo collecting petitions against Gold Coast Light Rail. Cross River Rail, major project to increase the whole capacity of the network was funded $715 million from the Commonwealth with an availability payment going forward each year in partnership with what was the Queensland LNP government then, originally started under the Labor government. Tony Abbott got elected, the whole thing crashed, and then they came up with this ridiculous plan that didn’t go anywhere. Cross River Rail would be open today if Labor governments had kept being elected. That’s why we believe in this. That’s why we’re funding Sunshine Coast Rail as well.

JOURNALIST:

Question for Mr Dick, please.

ALBANESE:

Sure.

JOURNALIST:

Credit rating agency S&P Global has warned Queensland’s AA+ credit rating is in danger of being downgraded due to your spending. How concerning is that?

DICK:

Well, S&P Global and Moody’s went through the Queensland Budget books top to bottom, left to right, up and down after our Budget, and they reaffirmed our AA+ credit rating. And when you look at our competitor states, our comparative states in New South Wales and Victoria, we are streets ahead of them when it comes to budget management and fiscal management in this state. Just a week ago, I announced the unaudited financial results for Queensland. Our net debt for last financial year has been halved from $12 billion to just under $6 billion. Our surplus went up from $600 million to $1.7 billion. And let’s put that in comparison to New South Wales and Victoria. So, our net debt at the end of last financial year was $5.7 billion. In New South Wales , it was $97 billion. In Victoria it was $136 billion. So, that means New South Wales debt is 16 times higher than Queensland and Victoria’s debt is 22 times higher. And so we are in a really strong position to make commitments and deliver on them because our commitments are fully funded. And the question for David Crisafulli and David Janetzki, who did 2 train wreck interviews today, the Shadow Treasurer who’s been in an LNP witness protection program, has not been seen with the Leader on the campaign trail for 2 weeks. And that is disrespectful to train wrecks because a train needs momentum and forward movement before it can run off the rails. We haven’t seen or heard from that bloke. And when he came out today, he didn’t say to Queenslanders – he couldn’t even tell Queenslanders what the total cost of their commitments would be, nor how they would pay for them. Now, their election commitments in this campaign are twice as high as ours. The LNP election commitments in this campaign now total $18 billion, twice as high as Labor. We’ve been upfront about how we’re paying for that. The only way that David Crisafulli can deliver on his promise of not borrowing for operational costs of government, by spending more, reducing taxation, lowering debt, delivering balanced budgets, not having a fiscal deficit, having a fiscal surplus. He has promised all of those things in this campaign. The only way he can deliver that is by cutting and that is what he is going to do. And that should put a shiver down the spine of every Queenslander, because the last LNP leader who offered to the community that he would look after the money of the people of Queensland, the last LNP leader who said that he would deliver a fiscal surplus was Campbell Newman. And 14,000 Queenslanders paid for that promise with their jobs. They built nothing for 3 years. So, they cut operating expenditure and they cut infrastructure expenditure. And the hide of David Crisafulli to say to Queenslanders that he respects money. The hide of David Crisafulli. David Crisafulli doesn’t respect public or private money. This is a man who was responsible for a training company that collapsed under $3 million of debt and owed the Australian Taxation Office $750,000. That’s not a man who respects money. That’s a man who disregards every single creditor of that company, including creditors that came from this community. And so we are fighting hard for the future of Queensland. Fully costed, fully funded plans, our promises will be delivered within the budget envelope and the funding envelope we’ve set aside. You cannot say the same for David Crisafulli.

JOURNALIST:

He wouldn’t have said what they’d said if they didn’t have concerns, though, surely?

DICK:

Well, let’s see what happens when I do – if I have that privilege – when I do the Budget update in December and when I do the Budget next year. Because there are 2 aspects to budgets, one’s expenditure and one’s revenue. And so you have to look at the budget position in total before we go to the ratings agencies and before they look at us. And so we’ll continue to deliver as we’ve delivered for every budget, except my first one, we’ve beaten our debt projections in every budget that I’ve delivered as Treasurer and we’ll continue to work hard to maintain that AA+ credit rating. We are the only state of the big 3 states that didn’t have a credit rating downgrade during or subsequent to COVID. That was because of our effective and appropriate financial and budgetary management and we’re going to continue on that path and people can trust us to deliver on our promises. The only thing you can trust David Crisafulli to do if he’s elected Premier is to cut. Anything else?

JOURNALIST:

Mr Janetzki was on radio this morning that he would release his costings once they make their final announcement. Is that the typical convention? Are you aware of that? And do you think it’s good enough considering voters already going to the polls?

DICK:

Look, this is all just a smokescreen for David Crisafulli to hide his plan for cuts. Our Party, Queensland Labor, has been the most transparent of any political party in any election in history. We put our costings live 2 weeks ago. We said upfront what we would do and how we would pay for it. And I released a budget economic and tax plan 2 weeks ago. Two years ago, David Crisafulli promised to release a tax and debt plan for Queensland. It is now 11 days until the election. David Crisafulli has been the Leader of the LNP now for more than 1,200 days and he still won’t be honest with the people of Queensland. And look, it’s just obvious the reason they won’t tell Queenslanders the total of their election commitments is because they would have to reveal to Queenslanders what they need to cut to deliver those election commitments. Which is why they’re hiding their costings, hiding their funding sources, because their single biggest funding source is to cut. And that’s why they’re not being honest with you.

JOURNALIST:

Amy McMahon from the Greens reckons you’re a hypocrite for recommending a preference for the Katter Australia Party in North Queensland. Are you not assisting an anti‑abortion party here by putting them above the Liberal Party?

DICK:

I don’t take political advice from the Queensland Greens Political Party. I never have and I never will. Anything else?

JOURNALIST:

What have you made of voter sentiment on the ground?

CHALMERS:

I don’t like being called the other Treasurer, but sure, you go ahead.

JOURNALIST:

What have you made of voter sentiment around the area? How closely will you be watching the result, particularly around this area?

CHALMERS:

Oh, look, Queenslanders right around our state desperately need a re‑elected Miles Labor government. You know, I was listening to Cameron and to the PM a moment ago. You know, Cameron is running one of the strongest budgets in the Commonwealth and that’s because we have a couple of things in common. You know, we are all about responsible economic management so that we can afford to provide cost‑of‑living relief for people who really need it, whether it’s in our community right around Queensland or indeed right around Australia. So, we have that in common and we want to work with the Miles Labor government after the election in a couple of weeks’ time. Now, as Cameron rightfully pointed out a moment ago, David Crisafulli and Peter Dutton have got something in common as well. Neither of them will come clean on their secret cuts. And those cuts that Peter Dutton and David Crisafulli won’t tell us about will make Queenslanders and Australians personally financially worse off. They’ll come after wages, they’ll come after housing, they’ll come after health. They will absolutely gut the joint. And we know this because Peter Dutton did that last time with Medicare when he was the Health Minister. And we know this because David Crisafulli is essentially Campbell Newman 2.0. And that was devastating for our local community. That has been a real low point for this part of the world seeing the way that Campbell Newman slashed and hacked at the essential services that local people desperately need. You asked a moment ago about our surcharging change and what it will mean for the cost of living. Now, that’s an important step that we are taking to help ease the cost of living, but it’s not the only step. Tax cuts for every taxpayer, Energy Bill Relief for every household, cheaper medicines, Rent Assistance, cheaper early childhood education, getting wages moving again. And here we have an enthusiastic and willing partner in the Miles Labor government. Cheaper fares for these communities in the outer suburbs are absolutely transformational. I’ve lost count of the amount of times that people have come up to me and said, ‘if you run into Cameron, or if you run into Steven, can you tell him how much we value those 50 cent fares?’ So, I’ll do that in front of all of our friends now, Cam. People appreciate the Energy Bill Relief that we’re working together with Steven and Cameron and Meaghan to provide. And so we desperately need a Miles Labor government re‑elected. We love working with these guys, not because we always have an identical view about every single issue, but because we’ve got a heart for local people. And that shows when it comes to housing, when it comes to health, and when it comes to cost of living.

JOURNALIST:

Sorry, just on the sentiment, you pick up anything on the ground around you?

CHALMERS:

Yeah, well, in our communities, people are desperately relying on the cost‑of‑living help that the Miles government and the Albanese government are providing. Now, we know that people are under pressure. You know, we know that people are doing it tough, but more than acknowledge that, we’re doing something about it. In all of the ways that I ran through a moment ago. And today, in addition, when it comes to surcharging on people’s debit cards, people shouldn’t be paying huge fees to use their own money. The Prime Minister has made that clear and we’ve made that clear today. So, in these local communities, we take no votes for granted. We don’t take any outcome for granted in this election. But I know I’ve seen what it’s like to have mostly state LNP members around here. I’ve seen what it’s like to have mostly Labor state members around here. We desperately need Labor members in this part of the world to look after the interests of the people and to work with Albo and I to make sure we’re rolling out that cost‑of‑living help.

JOURNALIST:

So, Queensland has – the Liberal National Party in Queensland has 21 of the federal seats in Queensland. Do you think that a plebiscite on nuclear power might change that?

CHALMERS:

Oh, we need to do better federally in Queensland. We’ve made that clear. You know, Anthony is an honorary Queenslander. You know, he spends a lot of time here in Queensland and I think Queenslanders understand because he is a practical, pragmatic leader and we are practical and pragmatic people in Queensland. And so, we need to do better, we’ve acknowledged that. Queensland is front and centre when it comes to our efforts as a Federal Labor government, including in the upcoming federal campaign. But first, we’ve got to re‑elect these guys because 2 Labor governments working together are better for local communities like this one.

JOURNALIST:

Queensland Labor has announced help for GP clinics that bulk bill. Isn’t that a tacit admission that Federal Labor hasn’t done enough to stop the gap, the Medicare gap, which has led to this?

CHALMERS:

No, I think it’s a tacit admission that both Labor governments are investing, in our case, billions and billions of dollars in strengthening Medicare. Now, there’s an Urgent Care Clinic down the road in Browns Plains which is making a major difference, taking the pressure off Logan Hospital, which is just next door. These are the investments that Labor governments make in local communities in getting out of pocket health costs down. And we welcome the contribution that the Miles Labor government comes to the table with when it comes to providing more money for health, so that we can get out of pocket costs down, so we can get the waiting times down, so that we can take pressure off local hospitals. But most importantly, make sure that we’re providing the healthcare that local families and pensioners need.

JOURNALIST:

When you were in Opposition, how many days before the election did you announce your costings?

CHALMERS:

Well, we did, unfortunately, we had a couple of goes at it when we were in Opposition and the timing of that varied. The difference was, you know, we didn’t have a big agenda for secret cuts like David Crisafulli does, and like Peter Dutton has. You know, Peter Dutton and Angus Taylor say that there’s $315 billion of spending in the Commonwealth Budget that they don’t support. That includes pension indexation, that includes Medicare funding, that includes funding for veterans, it includes funding for housing. And David Crisafulli and Peter Dutton are joined at the hip when it comes to their secret plans for cuts. I don’t think Queenslanders are asking too much when they say to David Crisafulli, ‘come clean in time for us to make an informed decision.’ And when they do, and if they do, they will understand that the Miles Labor government is providing cost‑of‑living relief, investing in housing and health, and David Crisafulli will cut all of those things as sure as night follows day.

JOURNALIST:

Why upgrade the travel advice to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories?

ALBANESE:

It’s a dangerous place at the moment. We know that that’s the case. So, what we do is we take advice from our security agencies and the government then implements that advice. We know that travelling into an area where there is conflict is a dangerous thing to do and it’s appropriate that the federal government make announcements in accordance with that advice from the security agencies. Can I just make one further point before we wrap up, which is that I was noticing – Clare probably noticed as well this morning – Michael Sukkar actually speak about the delay in implementing the Housing Australia Future Fund roll out and Help to Buy scheme that’s stuck in the Senate. Well, Labor are the builders, they’re the blockers. Between the LNP and the Greens, they blocked the Housing Australia Future Fund and now they’re still blocking the Help to Buy scheme. They could vote for it tomorrow or the next day that Parliament sits, but they don’t. So, they vote against it, block it and then complain that there’s a delay in its implementation. That says it all about how hopeless the Opposition are when it comes to policies that will actually deliver more housing supply. Thanks very much.

MIL OSI News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Gympie Bypass opens to traffic

Source: Australian Ministers 1

The Albanese and Queensland Government funded Gympie Bypass has opened to traffic, a significant improvement for residents with heavy vehicles no longer needing to travel through Gympie.

The $1.162 billion Bypass cuts travel times, improves motorist safety, access and flood immunity.

The project has constructed a new 26-kilometres, four-lane divided highway between the existing Bruce Highway interchange at Woondum, just south of Gympie, and Curra.

It includes three new interchanges – at Flood Road, Gympie Connection Road and Curra. There are also 42 new bridges at 23 locations.

Over the next couple of weeks and months, the Gympie community will begin to see the positive impact of fewer heavy vehicles, while freight efficiency will be improved.

Motorists can still also access Gympie from the Old Bruce Highway via the interchange at Woondum and from Curra in the north.

The Gympie Bypass is jointly funded, with the Australian Government contributing $929.6 million and the Queensland Government contributing $232.4 million.

It is the final section of a 62-kilometre Bruce Highway program of works between Cooroy and Curra, totalling $2.549 billion. Construction of the overall Cooroy to Curra program began in September 2009.

While major construction for the bypass is finished, there will be some intermittent works over the next few weeks while the crew finishes some minor activities on the connections at either end of the new highway.

Further details can be found on the Transport and Main Roads website at http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/cooroytocurra (select ‘Section D’).

Quotes attributable to Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese:

“This vital infrastructure project has been a long time coming for the locals and visitors who travel throughout the Gympie region.

“We recognise the importance of upgrading the Bruce Highway, which is why we have committed almost $1 billion to the project.

“This is the culmination of 15 years’ worth of construction on the 62-kilometre Bruce Highway upgrade between Cooroy and Curra, and it is wonderful to see motorists will now be able to reap benefits of a completed Gympie Bypass.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King:

“The Gympie Bypass opening to traffic today is a monumental achievement by the Australian and Queensland governments.

“This stretch of highway will improve safety, flood resilience and capacity for motorists as well as meet the transport needs of the Gympie and Sunshine Coast communities well into the future.

“We know how important continued investment in major infrastructure upgrades is, and that’s why in this year’s Federal Budget we allocated a further $467 million towards several projects along the Bruce Highway like the Gympie Bypass to ensure they get delivered for Queenslanders.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Senator for Queensland Anthony Chisholm:

“This opening has been a long time coming. Gympie residents and regular visitors to this popular part of Queensland will be thrilled to hear that the bypass is ready to use.

“Today’s opening is the culmination of 15 years’ worth of construction on this 62-kilometre upgrade to the Bruce Highway, which will improve safety, flood resilience and is designed to meet the transport needs of the Gympie, Maryborough and Sunshine Coast communities well into the future.”

MIL OSI News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: What is a Coral Reef?

Source: NASA

Coral reefs cover only 1% of the ocean floor, but support an estimated 25% of all marine life in the ocean, earning them the moniker ‘rainforest of the sea.’ They also play a critical role for coastal communities; preventing coastal erosion, protecting coastlines from hurricane damage, and generating $36 billion in annual income worldwide.
We asked Juan Torres-Pérez, a research scientist and coral reef expert at NASA Ames Research Center, about the science behind coral reefs, and the role they play in both marine ecosystems and human communities.

Reef
Reefs are ridge-like structures, either natural or artificial. “A reef by definition is a structure that provides some relief above the ocean floor,” Torres-Pérez said. “It could be something man-made: you can pile a bunch of car tires, and then they get colonized by different organisms. Or it could be natural: a small hill on top of the ocean floor in which the primary framework is a rock.”
Corals
Corals are animals from the phylum Cnidaria, typically found along tropical coastlines. They comprise hundreds to thousands of living organisms called polyps, each only a few millimeters in diameter. Each polyp has its own body and a mouth with stinging tentacles to capture food such as plankton and small fish. The polyps grow together until they form a colony, and it is this colony that we recognize as a coral. There are two types of coral: hard corals and soft corals. Hard corals, also known as stony corals or more formally as Scleractinians, secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton; it is this type of coral that form a coral reefs. Soft corals, also known as Alcyonacea, are fleshy and bendable, often resembling trees or fans.

The colorful appearance of corals comes from the microscopic algae that live inside coral cells, called zooxanthellae. These algae perform photosynthesis, bringing vital food and nutrients to the corals. “The majority of the products from photosynthesis, about 80 to 90%, pass on to the coral, and then the coral uses those for its own metabolism,” said Torres-Pérez. “This is why corals are usually found in shallow waters: because these organisms need the sunlight to photosynthesize.”
Coral Reefs
A coral reef is a term used to describe the collective structure of hard corals that help shape a coral reef ecosystem. “A coral reef is a reef whose main structure is made by living organisms, in this case corals,” said Torres-Pérez. “A coral reef will always be a reef, but not all reefs are coral reefs.” The largest coral reef in the world is Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, which is over 1,000 miles long and covers around 133,000 square miles.

Healthy coral reefs play a crucial role in providing coastal protection, habitats for marine life, and even key ingredients for potential new medicines.
“Coral reef ecosystems provide habitat for thousands of species, from unicellular organisms like bacteria or some phytoplankton communities, to large organisms like sharks, groupers or snappers, and reptiles like sea turtles,” Torres-Pérez said.
Corals act as a protective barrier during big storm events such as typhoons or hurricanes and have proven to be 97% effective in preventing damage to the natural and built environment. As coral reefs have been damaged in recent decades, coastal flooding and erosion have increased, causing significant damage to coastal communities.
Many communities depend on coral reefs as a resource to sustain their livelihoods. “These are critical ecosystems, not only in terms of the whole biodiversity of the planet but because they also provide sustenance for millions of people, especially in island nations,” Torres-Pérez said. Coral reefs also support fisheries (fish caught for commercial, recreational, or subsistence purposes), recreational activities, and educational purposes.
Scientists have been exploring coral as a new ingredient source for some medicines. They have discovered that a chemical from coral can be extracted to create antibiotics that are effective against bacteria resistant to other types of antibiotics. These ingredients are replicated in a lab, eliminating the need to continuously harvest and harm corals.

According to a 2020 report produced by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), 14% of the world’s coral reefs have been lost since 2009. In the wake of the 2023-2024 global coral bleaching event, that number is expected to increase.

Coral bleaching is caused by increasing ocean temperatures. As water temperatures rise, it causes corals to expel their zooxanthellae, leaving behind a bone-white shell and depriving the coral of its main food source. “Eventually what happens is that the coral is too weak to compete with other organisms, like filamentous algae, that can overgrow the coral and eventually kill the whole colony,” said Torres-Pérez.
Other threats to coral reefs come from human activity, such as pollution or physical damage. “Increases in sedimentation from poor land management get deposited into the reefs,” said Torres-Pérez, citing urban stormwater runoff and deforestation as two examples of sedimentation. Coral sedimentation is the deposition and accumulation of sediments, like fine sands or mud, on a reef. This clouds the waters, blocking critical sunlight and reducing the ability of zooxanthellae to photosynthesize.
Another human-caused threat to corals is eutrophication, the unnatural increase of nutrients in the water. “Eutrophication provides grounds for the development of filamentous algae, which grows much faster than corals,” said Torres-Pérez. Some of these excess nutrients in the water come from sewage released into coastal waters or runoff of agricultural fertilizers into the ocean. The algae feed off the excess nutrients and grow into massive blooms, which suppress the growth of corals.

Moreover, Torres-Pérez pointed out that human-caused physical damage to reefs can result from mechanical damage, such as ship anchors being thrown onto corals. Some fishing techniques, like deep water trawling (dragging fishing nets along the sea floor), can also damage reefs by pulling and tearing corals away from their bases. On a more individual scale, coral damage can also result from being stepped on by humans, or accumulated trash left behind by beach-goers.

Many coral reefs in the world are still unclassified, unexplored, or yet to be discovered. NASA’s NeMO-Net hopes to change that. Torres-Pérez, who is a Co-Investigator for NeMO-Net, described how the citizen science project functions like an interactive mobile video game, allowing anyone to identify corals. “Users can characterize different components of a coral reef based on 2D [and 3D] images of a coral reef,” said Torres-Pérez. “which goes into a machine learning component.” The information from these classifications is fed into a scientific model and helps NASA both classify and assess the health of coral reefs around the world. To learn more about NeMO-Net and how to get involved, check out their website.
In 2022, Torres-Pérez founded OCEANOS (Ocean Community Engagement and Awareness using NASA Earth Observations and Science for Hispanic/Latino Students), a program aimed at bringing oceanography and STEM opportunities to the next generation of Hispanic/Latino students in Puerto Rico. During the program, students build and test their own low-cost optical sensors, test data in a phytoplankton lab, replant coral reefs, and create storymap presentations of their work. “We want students to feel confident and capable to pursue STEM careers,” Torres-Pérez said, “and we want them to become agents of change in their community to share the importance of preserving the ocean.”

Outside of NASA, Torres-Pérez is an active member of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF); an interagency body established in 1998 from Executive Order 13089: Coral Reef Protection that aims to preserve, protect, and restore coral reef ecosystems.

To learn more about coral reefs and how they are monitored, Torres-Pérez recommends checking out resources from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which has a section on their website dedicated to corals. One notable coral reef resource from NOAA is their Coral Reef Watch website, which monitors sea surface temperatures on global and local scales. The website serves government and non-governmental agencies with their data products, which are used to monitor and predict climate impacts on coral reefs worldwide.
Written by: Katera Lee, NASA Ames Research Center

MIL OSI USA News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Arrests following burglaries in Cambridge and Hamilton

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

Attributable to Detective Inspector Graham Pitkethley, District Manager Criminal Investigations, Waikato.

Waikato Police have arrested five youths in relation to a number of burglaries in the Waikato area in the past two days.

At around 4:20am on Monday 14 October five youths travelling in a stolen vehicle gained entry to a commercial premises in Cambridge using hammers. The premises and items inside were damaged.

A short time later, at around 5:40am, a store on Heaphy Terrace in Hamilton was broken into, with the group stealing several items and cash from the premises, causing damage to the store.

On Tuesday 15 October a second commercial premises was broken into in Cambridge. The group arrived in a stolen vehicle about 1.30am and again used hammers to gain entry before taking items from the store.

The youths then allegedly travelled in a second stolen vehicle to a service station on Naylor Street where a burglary took place, causing damage to the premises and taking items.

That same vehicle was then driven to a store on Cambridge Road, Hillcrest a short time later where hammers were once again used to gain entry to the premises and again items were stolen.

At around midday Tuesday, Police observed a vehicle that was reported stolen, travelling in Fairview Downs in Hamilton. Police signalled for the vehicle to stop, however it failed to do so. The vehicle was located a short time later in Nawton.

Five youths were located at a property a short distance from the vehicle, where they were taken into custody.

All five have since been referred to Youth Aid services.

We wish to reassure the public that Police are committed to responding to offending in our communities and to holding offenders to account for their actions.

We encourage the public to report offending as it happens by calling 111.

Other matters can be reported after the fact by going online to http://www.police.govt.nz/use-105 or calling 105.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Socially distanced layout of the world’s oldest cities helped early civilization evade diseases

Source: The Conversation – USA – By R. Alexander Bentley, Professor of Anthropology, University of Tennessee

Excavations at Çatalhöyük show how closely people lived before the settlement collapsed. Mark Nesbitt/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

In my research focused on early farmers of Europe, I have often wondered about a curious pattern through time: Farmers lived in large dense villages, then dispersed for centuries, then later formed cities again, only to abandon those as well. Why?

Archaeologists often explain what we call urban collapse in terms of climate change, overpopulation, social pressures or some combination of these. Each likely has been true at different points in time.

But scientists have added a new hypothesis to the mix: disease. Living closely with animals led to zoonotic diseases that came to also infect humans. Outbreaks could have led dense settlements to be abandoned, at least until later generations found a way to organize their settlement layout to be more resilient to disease. In a new study, my colleagues and I analyzed the intriguing layouts of later settlements to see how they might have interacted with disease transmission.

Modern excavations at what was once Çatalhöyük, where inhabitants lived in mud-brick houses that weren’t separated by paths or streets.
Murat Özsoy 1958/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Earliest cities: Dense with people and animals

Çatalhöyük, in present-day Turkey, is the world’s oldest farming village, from over 9,000 years ago. Many thousands of people lived in mud-brick houses jammed so tightly together that residents entered via a ladder through a trapdoor on the roof. They even buried selected ancestors underneath the house floor. Despite plenty of space out there on the Anatolian Plateau, people packed in closely.

Homes at Çatalhöyük were so tightly packed that people entered through the roof and even buried some ancestors beneath the floor.
Illustration by Kathryn Killackey and The Çatalhöyük Research Project

For centuries, people at Çatalhöyük herded sheep and cattle, cultivated barley and made cheese. Evocative paintings of bulls, dancing figures and a volcanic eruption suggest their folk traditions. They kept their well-organized houses tidy, sweeping floors and maintaining storage bins near the kitchen, located under the trapdoor to allow oven smoke to escape. Keeping clean meant they even replastered their interior house walls several times a year.

These rich traditions ended by 6000 BCE, when Çatalhöyük was mysteriously abandoned. The population dispersed into smaller settlements out in the surrounding flood plain and beyond. Other large farming populations of the region had also dispersed, and nomadic livestock herding became more widespread. For those populations that persisted, the mud-brick houses were now separate, in contrast with the agglomerated houses of Çatalhöyük.

Was disease a factor in the abandonment of dense settlements by 6000 BCE?

At Çatalhöyük, archaeologists have found human bones intermingled with cattle bones in burials and refuse heaps. Crowding of people and animals likely bred zoonotic diseases at Çatalhöyük. Ancient DNA identifies tuberculosis from cattle in the region as far back as 8500 BCE and TB in human infant bones not long after. DNA in ancient human remains dates salmonella to as early as 4500 BCE. Assuming the contagiousness and virulence of Neolithic diseases increased through time, dense settlements such as Çatalhöyük may have reached a tipping point where the effects of disease outweighed the benefits of living closely together.

A new layout 2,000 years later

By about 4000 BCE, large urban populations had reappeared, at the mega-settlements of the ancient Trypillia culture, west of the Black Sea. Thousands of people lived at Trypillia mega-settlements such as Nebelivka and Maidanetske in what’s now Ukraine.

If disease was a factor in dispersal millennia before, how were these mega-settlements possible?

Geophysical plot of Nebelivka settlement shows its circular layout, divided into neighborhoods.
Duncan Hale and Nebelivka Project, CC BY-NC

This time, the layout was different than at jam-packed Çatalhöyük: The hundreds of wooden, two-story houses were regularly spaced in concentric ovals. They were also clustered in pie-shaped neighborhoods, each with its own large assembly house. The pottery excavated in the neighborhood assembly houses has many different compositions, suggesting these pots were brought there by different families coming together to share food.

This layout suggests a theory. Whether the people of Nebelivka knew it or not, this lower-density, clustered layout could have helped prevent any disease outbreaks from consuming the entire settlement.

Archaeologist Simon Carrignon and I set out to test this possibility by adapting computer models from a previous epidemiology project that modeled how social-distancing behaviors affect the spread of pandemics. To study how a Trypillian settlement layout would disrupt disease spread, we teamed up with cultural evolution scholar Mike O’Brien and with the archaeologists of Nebelivka: John Chapman, Bisserka Gaydarska and Brian Buchanan.

Simulating socially distanced neighborhoods

To simulate disease spread at Nebelivka, we had to make a few assumptions. First, we assumed that early diseases were spread through foods, such as milk or meat. Second, we assumed people visited other houses within their neighborhood more often than those outside of it.

Would this neighborhood clustering be enough to suppress disease outbreaks? To test the effects of different possible rates of interaction, we ran millions of simulations, first on a network to represent clustered neighborhoods. We then ran the simulations again, this time on a virtual layout modeled after actual site plans, where houses in each neighborhood were given a higher chance of making contact with each other.

Based on our simulations, we found that if people visited other neighborhoods infrequently – like a fifth to a tenth as often as visiting other houses within their own neighborhood – then the clustering layout of houses at Nebelivka would have significantly reduced outbreaks of early foodborne diseases. This is reasonable given that each neighborhood had its own assembly house. Overall, the results show how the Trypillian layout could help early farmers live together in low-density urban populations, at a time when zoonotic diseases were increasing.

The residents of Nebilevka didn’t need to have consciously planned for their neighborhood layout to help their population survive. But they may well have, as human instinct is to avoid signs of contagious disease. Like at Çatalhöyük, residents kept their houses clean. And about two-thirds of the houses at Nebelivka were deliberately burned at different times. These intentional periodic burns may have been a pest extermination tactic.

Re-creation of a Trypillian house-burning, with additional straw and wood necessary to burn hot enough to match archaeological evidence.
Arheoinvest/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

New cities and innovations

Some of the early diseases eventually evolved to spread by means other than bad foods. Tuberculosis, for instance, became airborne at some point. When the bacterium that causes plague, Yersinia pestis, became adapted to fleas, it could be spread by rats, which would not care about neighborhood boundaries.

Were new disease vectors too much for these ancient cities? The mega-settlements of Trypillia were abandoned by 3000 BCE. As at Çatalhöyük thousands of years before, people dispersed into smaller settlements. Some geneticists speculate that Trypillia settlements were abandoned due to the origins of plague in the region, about 5,000 years ago.

The first cities in Mesopotamia developed around 3500 BCE, with others soon developing in Egypt, the Indus Valley and China. These cities of tens of thousands were filled with specialized craftspeople in distinct neighborhoods.

This time around, people in the city centers weren’t living cheek by jowl with cattle or sheep. Cities were the centers of regional trade. Food was imported into the city and stored in large grain silos like the one at the Hittite capital of Hattusa, which could hold enough cereal grain to feed 20,000 people for a year. Sanitation was helped by public water works, such as canals in Uruk or water wells and a large public bath at the Indus city of Mohenjo Daro.

These early cities, along with those in China, Africa and the Americas, were the foundations of civilization. Arguably, their form and function were shaped by millennia of diseases and human responses to them, all the way back to the world’s earliest farming villages.

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

– ref. Socially distanced layout of the world’s oldest cities helped early civilization evade diseases – https://theconversation.com/socially-distanced-layout-of-the-worlds-oldest-cities-helped-early-civilization-evade-diseases-239586

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Tech – Lenovo’s Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA Accelerates Smarter Decision Making and Enhances Operations Processes for Improved Business Outcomes

Source: Lenovo

At Lenovo Tech World, Companies Expand Collaboration to Deliver Full-Stack Hybrid AI Capabilities and Customized Generative AI Agents Leveraging Enterprise Data to Unlock Intelligence Across Platforms

SEATTLE – Lenovo Chairman and CEO Yuanqing Yang, in his keynote presentation with NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang, unveiled Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA at this year’s Lenovo Tech World—Lenovo’s annual global technology innovation event. Enabled by Lenovo’s full-stack capabilities and Lenovo AI Library, together with NVIDIA AI software, accelerated computing, and networking, Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA empowers organizations to turn data and intelligence into business outcomes faster and more efficiently, accelerating AI adoption and delivering greater return on investment (ROI).

Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA debuts at a time when businesses are increasingly focused on proven solutions to drive innovation and address unique business challenges. A recent Lenovo survey found that 61% of CIOs find it very challenging to demonstrate ROI from their AI investments. Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA enables customers to benefit from pre-validated and industrialized solutions for accelerated deployment.

“Delivering Hybrid AI requires leveraging a purpose-built portfolio and AI services expertise that simplifies the path to AI and enables real-world applications for businesses. Our collaboration with NVIDIA brings together the best of both companies to ensure rapid and reliable AI outcomes for businesses across industries. Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA helps customers achieve outcomes faster by enabling their people to access relevant intelligence across personal, enterprise and public AI platforms,” said Yang.

“AI is reinventing computing and accelerating businesses and industries globally,” said Huang. “Lenovo and NVIDIA’s collaboration is revolutionizing enterprise computing, helping transform companies into platforms of AI agents and digital intelligence that drive incredible speed, innovation, and productivity.”

Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA combines full-stack AI capabilities optimized for factory-like industrialization and reliability with a library of ready-to-customize AI use-case solutions that help customers break through the barriers to ROI from AI. The two companies have partnered closely to integrate NVIDIA accelerated computing, networking, software, and AI models into the modular Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA solution framework for optimized performance. On the Tech World keynote stage, Lenovo and NVIDIA announced solutions designed to help customers maximize speed, innovation, productivity, and energy efficiency:

Lenovo AI Fast Start: Accelerated Deployment

Lenovo AI Fast Start helps organizations prove the business value of use cases on Personal AI, Enterprise AI, and Public AI platforms within weeks. Leveraging the NVIDIA AI Enterprise software platform, which includes NVIDIA NIM microservices and NVIDIA NeMo for building AI agents, Lenovo AI Fast Start gives customers access to AI assets, experts, and partners that help organizations rapidly build generative AI use case solutions with their own data and tailor them to meet the unique needs of their businesses, maximizing relevance in real-world environments and speeding progress to deployment at scale.

Lenovo AI Library

The Lenovo AI Library brings Hybrid AI to life with proven AI use case accelerators, including domain-specific language models and functional and vertical agents. Spanning key use cases across multiple domains, including marketing, IT operations, legal, product development, and customer service, the pre-validated solutions in the Lenovo AI Library help customers speed deployment to accelerate outcomes from AI. Lenovo and NVIDIA are building ready-to-customize functional and vertical AI solution accelerators on the NVIDIA AI Enterprise and, in the future, NVIDIA Omniverse platforms for the Lenovo AI Library. Together with a curated ecosystem of AI Innovators and partners, Lenovo AI Services will also customize and integrate the recently announced NVIDIA NIM Agent Blueprints, also part of the NVIDIA AI Enterprise software platform.

Data and Technology Foundations for AI

Many organizations are carrying a technology debt and need help to modernize their platforms to realize value from AI. The Lenovo Data and Tech Foundations for AI service helps customers assess the readiness of their platforms, then take pragmatic and cost-effective actions to modernize their data, apps, and cloud technologies with proven accelerators, tools, and methodologies. Across the full stack, Lenovo will leverage NVIDIA accelerated computing, networking, software, and AI models to enable customers to drive maximum value from their data and technology investments.

AI-Ready Infrastructure and Lenovo Neptune Liquid Cooling

As AI demands surge, enterprise computing must evolve to meet the need for processing more data everywhere while addressing increasing power demands. Since first announcing Lenovo’s hybrid AI approach with NVIDIA in October 2023, the Lenovo portfolio has expanded to include 80+ higher performance, energy-efficient platforms1. With more than a decade of leadership in liquid-cooling innovation, the sixth generation of Lenovo Neptune delivers supercomputing to organizations of all sizes with water cooling that efficiently powers the NVIDIA Blackwell platform and AI at scale. Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA ensures greater energy efficiency2 with a portfolio of powerful AI-ready infrastructure, workstations, PCs, and management software.

Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA represents a new era of AI deployment for businesses worldwide by effectively resolving a primary obstacle to AI ROI. Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA gives organizations access to relevant intelligence from Hybrid AI platforms so they can make smarter decisions – optimizing processes, increasing productivity, improving efficiency, and maximizing innovation for growth. By simplifying the deployment process and unlocking intelligence with AI agents, Lenovo and NVIDIA help organizations achieve faster, more reliable AI outcomes that allow them to modernize and stay competitive in today’s fast-paced and evolving digital landscape.

For more information about Lenovo’s Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA, visit: https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/services/ai-services/

1. Based on Lenovo data from internal Lenovo ISG research

2. Based on Lenovo data

LENOVO and NEPTUNE are trademarks of Lenovo. NVIDIA is a trademark of NVIDIA Corporation, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2024 Lenovo Group Limited.

About Lenovo

Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a US$62 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, ranked #217 in the Fortune Global 500, employing 77,000 people around the world, and serving millions of customers every day in 180 markets. Focused on a bold vision to deliver smarter technology for all, Lenovo has built on its success as the world’s largest PC company by further expanding into growth areas that fuel the advancement of ‘New IT’ technologies (client, edge, cloud, network, and intelligence) including server, storage, mobile, software, solutions, and services. This transformation together with Lenovo’s world-changing innovation is building a more inclusive, trustworthy, and smarter future for everyone, everywhere. To find out more visit https://www.lenovo.com.

MIL OSI – Submitted News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Falling Inflation Reflects a Falling Economy

Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU

Data released by Stats NZ today showed inflation slowed to an annual rate of 2.2%, reflecting lower petrol prices and a weaker economy, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney.

“The data shows that petrol prices fell 8% annually, and vegetable prices fell 18% annually. These reflect both softer global demand and a return to normal harvests after Cyclone Gabrielle. Prices for discretionary spending items such as furniture, electronics, or second-hand vehicles fell. This suggests weak demand and low consumer confidence, which is exactly what you would expect when unemployment is rising,” said Renney.

“Inflation and rising costs that can’t be avoided by households kept rising much faster than the headline rate. Electricity costs are up 7.4% a year. Rates bills rose 12% last year. Pharmaceutical products rose 17% with the reintroduction of prescription fees. Housing insurance was up 20% from last year.

“Rents were the biggest contributor to annual inflation, up 4.5%. It’s clear that the landlord tax cuts aren’t working to reduce rents. Low-income households, struggling after real terms cuts to the minimum wage this year, will still be feeling the pinch of these increases.

“One of the biggest drivers of the fall in inflation was the reduction in early childhood costs associated with the new family boost payment. Without that change quarterly inflation would have risen from 0.6% in September to 0.9%. Yet we know that more than half of all eligible households aren’t claiming that support – meaning that fall is unlikely to be translating into families’ pockets for many. Petrol pricing was supported by the one-off removal of the Auckland Fuel Tax, and with rising oil prices globally that fall is unlikely to be sustained.

“Inflation is falling right now, but low-income workers might not be feeling the benefit as inflation they can’t escape keeps rising. Lower inflation is good news if it doesn’t come at a cost of much higher unemployment, which every forecast tells us will be happening.

“With inflation now being back in the target band, the Government has no reason to not invest in making sure that unemployment doesn’t happen. Anything else is a choice,” said Renney.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Auckland Police target road safety ahead of summer

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

Auckland City Police have begun a series of operations targeting drink and drug effected drivers as the evenings get warmer and lighter.

Last week, Police spent two days conducting more than 20 checkpoints across the district.

Auckland City’s Relieving Road Policing Manager, Acting Inspector Scott Jones, says more than 12,000 drivers were breath tested across Wednesday and Thursday last week.

“The vast majority of motorists had made the responsible decision to drive sober, however disappointingly 18 drivers were found to be over the limit and are facing enforcement from Police.

“It’s great to see so many people driving drink-free, but that result is still too many to be drinking and then driving on our roads.”

Acting Inspector Jones says one driver was found to be more than double the legal limit.

“His licence was suspended on the spot and he will be appearing in the Auckland District Court facing a charge of driving with excess breath alcohol.

“The decision made by all 18 of these drivers has put themselves and other members of the community at enormous risk.”

Police also issued a number of infringement notices to motorists for a variety of high-risk driving behaviours, including speeding, no restraints or driving while using a mobile phone.

“With the summer season approaching, Police will have an increased focus on drink and drug related driving.

“We ask that people plan ahead and make the responsible decision to appoint a sober driver or arrange other options such as public transport to get them home safely.

“We know your whānau and friends will appreciate this, and so will we.”

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI China: China’s methane-tracking satellite to join fight against global warming

Source: China State Council Information Office 2

China’s 2024 schedule of intense spacecraft launches will include the launch of a methane tracker — a commercial satellite designed to monitor methane emissions worldwide.
Coded XIGUANG-004, the 75-kg satellite will carry multiple payloads, including a methane concentration detector and an imaging camera. These payloads are capable of identifying sources of methane emissions in coal mines, landfills, and oil and gas fields.
Scientists say it is important to monitor methane emissions as the colorless, odorless gas is the second-largest contributor to climate warming, after carbon dioxide.
“The duration of methane in the atmosphere is shorter than that of carbon dioxide, making it more urgent to reduce its emissions,” said Liu Yi, director of the Carbon Neutrality Research Center under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
According to Liu, scientific and technological methods can help reduce methane emissions in the short term, facilitating the utilization of otherwise wasted methane produced during coal and oil mining. Increasing the number of methane-monitoring satellites is also crucial for emissions cuts.
“One of the major challenges we are facing is that current satellites cannot provide sufficient global coverage, resulting in a lack of data,” Liu said in a media interview.
The development of international standards for methane emissions is underway. With a sufficient number of satellites, it will become possible to effectively monitor the methane emissions of enterprises.
“If an enterprise exceeds the set emissions standards, it will be required to provide economic compensation for failing to do so,” Liu said, explaining the role such satellites play in reducing methane emissions.
China has set the goals of peaking its carbon emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060. This has been reinforced by its comprehensive approach to green and low-carbon development, and the new satellite is part of the efforts.
The satellite was developed by Xiopm Space, a commercial satellite maker in Xi’an, capital city of northwestern Shaanxi Province. The firm launched a satellite into space in August 2023, and it aims to develop a constellation of 108 hyperspectral satellites by 2030.
Qin Xiaobao, deputy director in charge of the company’s data application, said that existing technology cannot efficiently and accurately monitor small-scale human-made emissions sources, also known as point sources. In China, the main point sources of methane gas emissions are coal mining, landfill sites, rice farming areas and livestock raising areas.
The new XIGUANG-004 satellite is capable of detecting methane leaks at such specific sources and evaluating the extent of those leakages in high spatial resolution, thus filling the gaps in existing technology, Qin said.
“With the help of this satellite, we can effectively monitor and track point source methane emissions worldwide,” Qin added.

MIL OSI China News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Thanks to Rosen-Backed Law, Nevada Seniors Can Now Sign Up for Plan to Make it Easier to Pay for Prescription Drug Costs

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
Senator Rosen Helped Pass Legislation To Cap Seniors’ Out-Of-Pocket Prescription Drug Costs And Allow Them To Pay In Monthly Installments
LAS VEGAS, NV – Starting today, thanks to legislation that U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) helped pass, Nevada seniors can sign up for a Medicare plan to make it easier for them to pay for prescription drugs in monthly installments, beginning in January. The Rosen-backed Inflation Reduction Act will cap Medicare Part D beneficiaries’ total out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs at no more than $2,000 a year, and it will allow them to opt-in to the new Medicare Prescription Payment Plan to spread out any out-of-pocket costs over several months. For more information, visit: http://www.medicare.gov/prescription-payment-plan.
“I was proud to help pass historic legislation to give Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug costs, cap out-of-pocket costs, and increase payment flexibility to lower the burden on our seniors,” said Senator Rosen. “Starting today, Medicare beneficiaries can sign up for the new Medicare Prescription Payment Plan to spread out payment of their out-of-pocket drug costs over several months. I’ll keep working in the Senate to lower costs for hardworking Nevadans.”
Senator Rosen has been leading the fight to lower prescription drug costs. Last month, she joined her colleagues in filing an amicus brief supporting the federal law they helped pass to give Medicare the power to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices. Earlier this year, Senator Rosen introduced bipartisan legislation to lower out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for seniors. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, Senator Rosen helped lower prescription drug costs for seniors, lower health care premiums, and cap the insulin costs for those on Medicare Part D at $35/month per prescription.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI China: China’s maritime fleet sees shipping capacity growing

Source: China State Council Information Office 2

As of September, China’s maritime fleet has seen its capacity grow to 430 million deadweight tonnes, accounting for 18.7 percent of the world’s total, according to a press conference held Tuesday in Shanghai.
From January to August this year, the country’s cargo throughput at ports exceeded 11.5 billion tonnes, up 3.7 percent year on year, and its container throughput at ports reached 220 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up 8.2 percent year on year.
During the period, the volume of China’s rail-water intermodal transport through ports notched up 7.78 million TEUs of containers, up 17.7 percent year on year, according to the press conference on the upcoming 2024 North Bund Forum, an international shipping conference.
A total of 49 automated port terminals have been constructed nationwide, marking a continued leading global position, said Gao Haiyun, an official from the water transport bureau under the Ministry of Transport, during the press conference.
Shanghai is accelerating the construction of an international shipping hub. In the first three quarters of this year, the Shanghai port alone handled a container throughput of more than 39 million TEUs, up 8 percent year on year.
Scheduled from Oct. 22 to 24 in Shanghai, the 2024 North Bund Forum is co-hosted by the Ministry of Transport and the Shanghai municipal government. This year’s edition is expected to focus on the digital, intelligent and green development of global shipping services.

MIL OSI China News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Honey Bee Education Officer Kelly Lees awarded prestigious Churchill Fellowship

Source: New South Wales Department of Primary Industries

16 Oct 2024

NSW Government Honey Bee Education Officer Kelly Lees has been recognised with a top industry honour, awarded the prestigious Churchill Fellowship for her dedication and groundbreaking work in education and training of Australian beekeepers managing Varroa mite.

Each year, after a competitive selection process over several months, Churchill Fellowships are awarded to talented Australians who are eager to push the boundaries of science and make a real difference in NSW communities.

Kelly will head overseas in 2025 to look at innovative new ways of managing parasitic mites of honeybees including Varroa and Tropilaelaps mites.

NSW DPIRD Acting Executive Director Agriculture Darren Bayley said this fellowship not only recognizes her talent but also underscores the importance of addressing the challenges posed by parasitic mites to our vital bee populations and industries.

“We are proud of Kelly for receiving the Churchill Fellowship, with this recognition highlighting her dedication and the impact her work will have on bee health and agricultural sustainability well into the future,” Mr Bayley said.

“With Kelly’s participation in the Churchill Fellowship, we anticipate significant advancements in the management of parasitic mites that threaten Australian honeybee populations and look forward to knowledge she will impart on our staff and beekeepers across NSW.”

Kelly will be working with leading researchers in the field including Dr Samuel Ramsey and Dr Cooper Schouten.

Kelly’s fellowship has been sponsored by Colin and Maggie Beer through the Saskia Beer Fellowship in memory of their late daughter.

Ms Lees said by sharing insights and techniques with other researchers, we can develop more effective management strategies that will not only benefit our honeybees but also ecosystems worldwide.

“I am incredibly honoured to receive the Churchill Fellowship, it not only represents a great personal achievement in my career but will also allow me to have a direct impact on our local beekeepers and agricultural practices,” Ms Lees said.

“This opportunity will allow me to collaborate with some of the world’s leading experts in honeybee health and explore innovative solutions for managing parasitic mites that threaten our bees.”

The aim of the Churchill Fellowship is a part of the Winston Churchill Trust. The trust provides an opportunity to Australians to travel overseas to conduct research in their chosen field. It also aims to reward individuals who possess passion and a commitment to make a difference in Australian society. Since 1965 they have awarded over 4500 Fellowships.

For more information on NSW DPIRD honeybee research, please visit our website

For more information on the Chruchill Fellowship, please visit the Winston Churchill Trust website

Images are available here

Media contact:
For more information, please contact: pi.media@dpird.nsw.gov.au

MIL OSI News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Care for others and pre-plan this fire season
Source: Victoria Country Fire Authority

This National Carers Week (Oct 13-19) CFA is urging Victorians who care for others living in high bushfire risk areas to make a fire plan using CFA’s online module ahead of summer.

The learning module Bushfire Planning: You and the person you care for, developed with Carers Victoria, is for anyone who provides informal unpaid care or support to family members or friends with a disability, mental illness, chronic health issue or age-related condition.

The one-hour online lesson dives into who needs to be prepared, important roles played, how to start a conversation and build a plan, when to choose to stay or go, how to make it all work and what resources are available.

Dromana Fire Brigade member Tim Marchinton, who informally cares for his mum who lives rurally and remotely in a high-risk area said the module has been a valuable tool in setting her up for any type of emergency.

“Sometimes mum is on her own, and she lives in an area surrounded by a lot of natural bush, so we needed to have something that she could enact if I wasn’t here,” Tim said.

“Every summer she is concerned about the what if, having previously lived in another part of Gippsland that was affected by the Black Saturday bushfires.

“It’s been challenging to chat through this, because up until Black Saturday, mum was of the mindset that you can stay and do what you need to do on your own.

“I’ve now got her to think differently by doing this plan and reassured her that we’ve got insurance and it’s not worth trying to stay and fight.”

Tim and his mum watched the module together, then went through what they learnt, condensing it into a checklist and a survival plan that she has nearby at all times.

“She now has a packed bag, with everything essential by the door as recommended, and we re-check that every summer. We make sure the batteries are fresh, that radios are in there with bottled water and a bowl is there for the dog,” Tim said.

“A really important factor for mum throughout this process was incorporating contingencies so she could take her dog with her, otherwise she wasn’t prepared to continue creating the plan.

“She knows on a Total Fire Ban (TFB) day to listen to the radio continuously, and to make sure her phone is always charged.

“It’s been a great conversation starter, her exit road has two choices, so we’ve talked about where she would go if she was to leave early as her house is wooden and more vulnerable.”

Due to the gravity of the information, Tim took a person-centred approach when working through the online learning with his mum and completed it over a number of sessions.

Ahead of and during summer Tim and his mum spend time cleaning up the property, emptying gutters and clearing leaves anything surrounding the area.

“We’ve put a ring sprinkler around the house so that there is some barrier against ember attack when she needs to leave, it has a 50,000L tank that is preserved for this purpose to create some sort of ember wash,” Tim said.

“If she needs to leave quickly there is a safe spot for her on the neighbours’ property surrounded by low cut grass. However, mum and her neighbours have already agreed that leaving early to go and stay with friends on a TFB day is the best course of action.

Since launching, 580 people have completed the module, with a further 184 currently in progress and another 107 enrolled to begin. Visit CFA’s website at http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/carers for a step-by-step guide on how to complete it. To learn more about Carers Victoria, visit http://www.carersvictoria.org.au
- Dromana Fire Brigade member Tim Marchinton often attends expos in a Community Education Officer role
Submitted by CFA media

MIL OSI News –
January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Grassley Stands Up for Iowa Farmers, Calls Out Biden-Harris Ag Failures

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
BUTLER COUNTY, IOWA – U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a lifelong family farmer and a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is sharing Iowa farmers’ concerns regarding the Biden-Harris administration’s approach to agriculture, energy and trade.
“Farmers are struggling to stay afloat thanks to falling profitability, sky high input costs and burdensome regulations,” Grassley said of his letter to President Biden and Vice President Harris. “In order to forge a better future for farmers, Washington needs to listen to the real-world experience of those with dirt under their fingernails. I’m demanding the Biden-Harris administration wake up to the challenges our farmers are facing.”
Grassley’s letter shines light on President Biden and Vice President Harris’ harmful ag and trade policies, including:
Grassley is urging President Biden and Vice President Harris to prioritize agricultural issues and lend farmers a helping hand by issuing timely, science-backed guidance on the 45Z Clean Fuels tax credit and expanding market access.
Download audio of Grassley discussing his letter HERE. Read the full letter HERE and below.
Monday, October 14, 2024
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden
President of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Biden and Vice President Harris,
I am writing to express my concerns regarding the impact of your administration’s policies on the agricultural community. As a lifelong family farmer, I know first-hand the decisions made at the federal level have far-reaching consequences. It is critical that these decisions support, rather than hinder, our farmers.
Many aspects of farming have changed over the last four years of your administration. Unfortunately, the most important aspect of farming, profitability, has declined. In 2021, net farm cash income for the United States was around $176 billion. This year, 2024, net farm cash income is estimated to be down to $154 billion. As any farmer could tell you, if you aren’t profitable, you won’t be farming for long. I would like to take this opportunity to address areas where I believe your administration has fallen short in supporting the agriculture sector.
First, under your administration the regulatory environment has become increasingly burdensome. Farmers and businesses alike have faced a host of new regulations that complicate their operations and drive up costs. For example, your changes to the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, would have covered over 90 percent or the State of lowa and made the government involved in any land management decision for farmers, developers, and businesses such as golf courses. Thankfully, all nine Supreme Court justices agreed that the Environmental Protection Agency’s expansive regulatory efforts violated the Clean Water Act.
From electric vehicle mandates to overly complicated strategies for herbicides and insecticides, farmers are concerned that these regulations will impose additional compliance costs and restrictions on their ability to manage their land effectively. This is also seen clearly in the Department of Treasury’s guidance for the 40B sustainable aviation fuel tax credit. Instead of enabling farmers to benefit from science-backed farming practices that work for them, your administration’s guidance restricted American farmers and benefitted foreign feedstocks. While I understand the need for sustainable practices, pushing farmers to specific farming practices can undermine the autonomy of farmers to make decisions that best suit their unique circumstances, and edge them out of new markets.
Trade policy is another area where your administration has missed the mark. The lack of new trade agreements and uncertainty around tariffs has left the United States agriculture sector with a record estimated $30.5 billion trade deficit this year. In March, I joined 21 of my Senate colleagues in a letter to Ambassador Tai and Secretary Vilsack to ask if your administration intended to pursue any new free trade agreements. As my colleagues and I expressed at that time, the increased deficit is, “exacerbated by an unambitious U.S. trade strategy that is failing to meaningfully expand market access or reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade.” Though your administration has acted in trade disputes and other areas, it has been based on previous trade agreements established before your administration. The lack of a comprehensive strategy to expand market access for American agricultural products has been frustrating for farmers who rely on exporting their products to sustain their livelihoods.
Lastly, I urge your administration to prioritize these important issues in the agricultural community. There are still important steps that you can take to support farmers. Issuing timely guidance on the 45Z clean fuels tax credit would help provide certainty to farmers looking to market the grain they are currently harvesting. Allowing farmers a seat at the table for 45Z guidance and reducing the complicated and unworkable structure from 40B would go a long way in ensuring farmers maintain their autonomy in farming practices.
Thank you for your attention to these important issues. I look forward to your response and hope that in the coming months you work to support our farmers who continue to contribute to the nation’s food security, fuel independence, and economic stability.
-30-

MIL OSI USA News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Beijing explores new growth avenues by nurturing high-tech industries

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

A technician operates a device at a workshop of Beijing CRS Medical Device Co., Ltd., a precision manufacturing company specializing in the research, production and sales of sterile dental implants in Beijing, Oct. 13, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING, Oct. 15 — In a sleek, automated workshop at the Daxing International Airport Economic Zone in southern Beijing, technicians from dental implant manufacturer CRS are meticulously checking their implants for any defects under microscopes.

CRS, a precision manufacturing company specializing in the research, production and sales of sterile dental implants, began production here last month. The firm aims to produce one million implants annually. Its products are designed to be competitive by minimizing stress on bone and soft tissues, improving structural stability and simplifying clinical procedures.

Su Hanqi, general manager of Beijing CRS Medical Device Co., Ltd., recalls that it took just an hour to choose the economic zone for their operations. “The one-stop services offered by the zone significantly reduced our efforts in navigating processes and approvals, while a range of supportive policies has fostered an exceptionally conducive entrepreneurial environment for us,” Su said.

To promote the development of the medical and health industry, the economic zone and Daxing District offer policies that include monetary incentives for R&D, innovation application, mass production and space rentals.

Su said that due to the support, overall operating costs are estimated to decrease by 30 percent. “For a manufacturing enterprise like ours, being able to focus on production and R&D is crucial.”

The economic zone where Su’s firm operates aims to develop a series of industrial clusters in sectors such as life sciences, health, medical devices, logistics and international aviation. This aligns with the city’s broader goal of becoming a global hub for scientific and technological innovation.

Data from the Beijing municipal government shows that, from January to August this year, investment in high-tech manufacturing and high-tech services grew by 72.7 percent and 19.4 percent year on year, respectively, driven by policies aimed at accelerating the development of new quality productive forces. This surge has fostered deeper integration between technological and industrial innovation, aligning with the national push for new quality productive forces.

According to the resolution adopted at the third plenum of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held in July this year, the country seeks to establish a mechanism for ensuring funding increases for industries of the future, and improve the policy and governance systems to promote the development of strategic industries such as next-generation information technology, AI, aviation and aerospace, new energy and biomedicine, among others.

The picture taken on Aug. 20, 2024 shows the Daxing International Hydrogen Energy Demonstration Zone in Beijing. [Photo/Xinhua]

A 20-minute drive from Daxing airport is the Daxing International Hydrogen Energy Demonstration Zone, home to Hypower, one of the world’s largest hydrogen refueling stations. With a maximum daily capacity of 4.8 tonnes, the station can meet the hydrogen needs of 800 hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles.

Nearby, a workshop of SinoHytec, a Chinese high-tech company specializing in the R&D and commercialization of hydrogen fuel cells, showcases fuel cells of various capacities to visitors.

A technician is pictured working at a hydrogen fuel cell manufacturing company located at Daxing International Hydrogen Energy Demonstration Zone in Beijing, Aug. 20, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

According to Bao Jianpeng, deputy director of production operations at SinoHytec, the company’s fuel cells have been used in more than 15,000 vehicles.

“All the components of our fuel cell systems are home-grown. Another significant breakthrough is that the fuel cells we produce, which previously could only operate above zero degrees Celsius, can now function at temperatures as low as minus 35 degrees Celsius,” he said.

The demonstration zone is focused on creating an industrial ecosystem incorporating hydrogen production, storage, transportation and refueling, fuel cell and components production, as well as testing and certification services for fuel cell vehicles and core components.

The demonstration zone has already attracted over 20 enterprises in the hydrogen industry, including Hypower and SinoHytec, according to the Daxing district government.

MIL OSI China News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: More good news for Kiwis

Source: New Zealand Government

Today’s inflation figures are more good news for New Zealanders, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.

Stats NZ reported today that the inflation rate had dropped from 3.3 per cent in the year to June to 2.2 per cent in the year to September. That is down from 5.6 per cent just a year ago and over 7 per cent in 2022.

“At 2.2 per cent inflation, it is also the first time the rate has been back within the Reserve Bank’s target range of 1 to 3 per cent since March 2021.

“The era of crushing price rises is now over.

“Kiwis can look forward to mortgage rate reductions and businesses will find it easier to invest and innovate with a lower cost of borrowing.

“The steps the Government is taking to reduce inflationary pressures by restoring discipline to public spending, reducing the red tape that is stifling innovation and development, and rebuilding business confidence are working.

“Together with the tax relief that took effect on 31 July, and the FamilyBoost childcare payments that many families are now receiving, falling inflation and interest rates mean large numbers of families are now better off than they were a year ago.

“There is more work to be done to get the economy growing, but New Zealanders can be confident we are headed in the right direction.”

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Senior official says to join EU for women’s broad, in-depth participation in STEM education

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

Senior official says to join EU for women’s broad, in-depth participation in STEM education

BEIJING, Oct. 15 — Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin on Tuesday said China is ready to work with the European Union (EU) to continue to promote women’s broad and in-depth participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

Shen, also Chinese chairperson of the China-EU High-Level People-to-People Dialogue, made the remarks in a video speech towards the opening ceremony of the China-EU Great Wall Seminar, an education policy dialogue platform within the framework of the China-EU High-Level People-to-People Dialogue.

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China 75 years ago, the education level of Chinese women has improved significantly, and Chinese women’s participation in STEM education has achieved remarkable results, Shen said.

China is ready to work with the EU to strengthen policy dialogue, experience sharing and people-to-people exchanges, carry out cooperation in digital education and sister school building, and continuously increase the breadth and depth of women’s participation in STEM education, so as to promote more equitable and inclusive education for women and girls around the world, said Shen.

The China-EU Great Wall Seminar, an education policy dialogue platform within the framework of the China-EU High-Level People-to-People Dialogue, is held in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Oct. 15, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

MIL OSI China News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI China: China to work with Tajikistan to tap cooperation potential: Premier Li

Source: China State Council Information Office

Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Tajik Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda on the sidelines of the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Islamabad, Pakistan, Oct. 15, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Tuesday that China is ready to work with Tajikistan, focusing on the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, to tap the potential of cooperation in various fields and expand cooperation in emerging industries in a bid to inject more impetus into common development.

Li made the remarks during his meeting with Tajik Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda on the sidelines of the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Li said that in July, President Xi Jinping paid a successful state visit to Tajikistan, during which the two heads of state jointly announced the decision to elevate China-Tajikistan relations to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the new era, and to build the China-Tajikistan community with a shared future at a higher level, drawing a new blueprint for the development of China-Tajikistan relations and cooperation.

China is ready to work with Tajikistan to further implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, carry forward traditional friendship, deepen mutual political trust, firmly support each other on core interests, lift China-Tajikistan all-round cooperation to a new level, and bring more benefits to the two peoples, he said.

China is going to work with Tajikistan to strengthen the synergy of development strategies. Guided by the vision of the China-Tajikistan community with a shared future and focusing on the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, China stands ready to tap the potential of bilateral cooperation in various fields, advance cooperation in such fields as trade, investment, mining and agriculture, as well as in emerging industries including new energy and digital economy, promote connectivity, and strengthen people-to-people exchanges and cooperation in culture, education and tourism, in a bid to inject more impetus into common development, he said.

China will work with Tajikistan to implement the outcomes of the first China-Central Asia Summit, strengthen multilateral cooperation, jointly carry out the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, practice true multilateralism, and uphold international fairness and justice, Li said.

Rasulzoda said that the traditional friendship between Tajikistan and China is profound, mutual political trust is solid, and bilateral relations are at the highest level in history.

Tajikistan congratulates the People’s Republic of China on its remarkable development achievements since its founding 75 years ago, and thanks China for its long-term valuable support for Tajikistan’s development, he said, noting that President Xi paid a successful state visit to Tajikistan not long ago, which strongly promoted the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Tajikistan and China to a higher level.

Tajikistan is willing to work with China to fully implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state of China and Tajikistan, strengthen exchanges at various levels, promote the Belt and Road cooperation, deepen cooperation in such fields as trade, investment, e-commerce, energy, industry, transportation and agriculture, expand cooperation in emerging fields like digital economy and green economy, and deepen cultural and people-to-people exchanges to better benefit the two peoples, he said.

Noting that Tajikistan supports the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and the three global initiatives proposed by President Xi, Rasulzoda said Tajikistan expects to work with China to promote cooperation between Central Asian countries and China, deepen cooperation within the framework of the United Nations and the SCO, and jointly uphold regional and global peace, stability and development.

MIL OSI China News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI China: 11 killed, 19 wounded in Israeli airstrikes on different areas of Lebanon

Source: China State Council Information Office

At least 11 people were killed and 19 others wounded on Tuesday in Israeli airstrikes on different areas of Lebanon, local media reported.

Five people were killed and 16 others wounded, while two children went missing in an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in Riyaq, a Lebanese town in the Bekaa governorate, according to an al-Jadeed local TV channel.

The channel reported that civil defense teams are still searching for missing people under the rubble.

In a separate incident, two nurses were injured in an Israeli airstrike on Mortada Hospital in Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, and they were transported to Dar al-Amal Hospital, according to al-Jadeed.

Meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike on the southern village of Jarjouh killed an Amal Movement member and three of his family members.

On a separate note, a violent Israeli raid targeted a house in the village of Jennata in the Tyre district, killing two people and wounding one, according to the National News Agency.

Lebanese military sources told Xinhua that Israeli warplanes and drones carried out 17 raids on towns and villages in southern Lebanon and 11 raids on towns and villages in eastern Lebanon on Tuesday afternoon.

For its part, Hezbollah announced that in support of the Palestinian people and in defense of Lebanon and its people, its fighters bombed the occupied city of Safed on Tuesday afternoon with a rocket salvo.

It also announced a second attack on Marbad al-Zaoura in the occupied Syrian Golan, using a salvo of rockets and the Naftali base near the occupied city of Safed.

Since Sept. 23, the Israeli army has been launching an unprecedented, intensive air attack on Lebanon in an escalation with Hezbollah.

Since Oct. 8, 2023, Hezbollah and the Israeli army have been exchanging fire across the Lebanese-Israeli border amid fears of a broader conflict as the war between Hamas and Israel continues in the Gaza Strip.

MIL OSI China News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI China: UK has no plans for EU-style tariffs on Chinese EVs

Source: China State Council Information Office

British Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has said that the United Kingdom (UK) has no plans to follow the European Union’s (EU) decision to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle (EV) imports.

Reynolds said that there had not been any complaints from the UK automative industry to the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA), and he would not seek to follow the EU in pursuing tariffs, the Reuters reported on Monday.

“We keep it under close analysis, but I think it’s important our industry is different, and as of yet industry itself hasn’t asked for that referral to the TRA,” Reynolds told reporters on the sidelines of the International Investment summit in London.

Britain was an “outlier” in how little it had done in terms of building trade links with China, and engagement was a good thing, Reynolds added.

Reynolds had made similar remarks at the G7 Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Italy in July, reaffirming that the UK would not impose punitive tariffs on Chinese EVs like the EU.

China and the EU are yet to reach a mutually acceptable solution on the issue, despite important progress in certain areas, China’s commerce ministry said on Saturday.

The EU’s move has also sparked criticism from several European countries and auto industries, who warn the move could backfire by undermining the EU’s own competitiveness.

MIL OSI China News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: New Key Worker Accommodation arrives in Finley

Source: New South Wales Government 2

Headline: New Key Worker Accommodation arrives in Finley

Published: 16 October 2024

Released by: Minister for Regional Health

Healthcare workers will soon have access to modern, fit for purpose accommodation in Finley with the arrival of new accommodation units to support staff at Finley Health Service.

Six self-contained units are being installed on the east side of the Health Service on Dawe Avenue, delivered as part of the NSW Government’s $45.3 million Key Worker Accommodation Program.

The prefabricated units are built off-site and modelled on the Key Worker Accommodation Program Prototype Unit completed earlier this year.

The new units will be fully furnished and self-contained, and feature a screened verandah, a light-filled living and dining area, modern kitchen, bedroom with ensuite, and an internal laundry. Parking spaces and secure access are also provided.

Healthcare workers are expected to move into the new accommodation before the end of the year, once installation, connection of services, fencing, landscaping, and furnishing of the new units is completed.

Murrumbidgee Local Health District is one of three regional local health districts to benefit from a $45.3 million investment to deliver accommodation for health workers under the Key Worker Accommodation Program.

Finley is the second site in the Murrumbidgee Local Health District to receive new accommodation under the program.

In the coming months, Leeton and Narrandera health services will also benefit from the Program with the installation of three units at West Wyalong now complete.

An additional $200.1 million has been committed by the NSW Government to increase key health worker accommodation across rural and regional areas of the State as part of the 2024-25 NSW Budget.

Quotes attributable to Regional Health Minister Ryan Park:

“With the $25 million redevelopment of the Finley Health service expected to start early next year, the availability of new healthcare worker accommodation on-site will be an important boost for recruitment.

“Recruitment and retention of staff in rural and regional hospitals is a priority for the Minns Labor Government, which is why we are committing a further $200.1 million to increase key health worker accommodation in the state.

“Finley is the third site in rural and regional NSW to have pre-manufactured new accommodation units delivered under the current Key Worker Accommodation Program, and it’s wonderful see the success of this innovative approach to infrastructure continue.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Murray, Helen Dalton:

“I’m pleased that these new units will help support healthcare workers at Finley Health Service by providing modern, safe and comfortable accommodation close to their place of work.

“Investments like this are vital to help attract and retain staff, particularly so for regional and rural areas where recruitment is one of the biggest challenges.”

MIL OSI News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Old bridge gets modern help to ensure safety at Luggate

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

People who drive over the Luggate Red Bridge on SH8A near Cromwell will notice some activity around the new traffic signals this week.

The new traffic signals, controlling access at each end, will be fully operational from the week starting 21 October. They are being tested this week, says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

Traffic signals all ready to be unwrapped and tested at the Luggate Red Bridge over the Clutha River/Mata-Au.

The traffic lights will help manage the bridge’s single-lane flows, making it safer for motorists travelling on this key link between Tarras and Wānaka/Cromwell. They will also help extend the life of this single lane, 110-year-old bridge which regularly gets maintenance and inspections to ensure all road users’ safety.

The traffic signals will help to protect the historic bridge from the impact of heavy, modern vehicles by slowing down their approach speed so they have less damaging impact upon the bridge as they travel across it.

The bridge is a part of the essential freight route linking Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes Districts over the Clutha River/Mata-au.

Cameras that have been installed on the bridge will give a direct feed back to the NZTA Wellington Transport Operations Centre network controls team so they can monitor traffic flows and make adjustments if needed.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Maps Need for Climate Action and Highlights Federal Investments in Massachusetts Climate Resilience, Following Extreme Weather Events Across the Country

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

Calls for more investment in resilient schools and hospitals and for a federal climate emergency declaration

WATCH: Senator Markey, advocates discuss climate resilience

Senator Markey joined by City Councilor Gabriela “Gigi” Coletta Zapata; Brian Swett, Boston’s Chief Climate Officer; Dwaign Tyndal, Executive Director of Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE); and John Walkey, Noemy Rodriguez, and Roseann Bongiovanni from GreenRoots.

Boston (October 15, 2024) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today was joined in Boston by local officials and advocates to call for increased federal investment to bolster the climate resilience of regions at risk of sea level rise – exacerbated by devastation from climate change-fueled storms, as well as highlight ongoing resiliency projects in Massachusetts, following two devastating hurricanes in the southeastern United States that are expected to cost $300 billion and have resulted in more than 250 deaths. Senator Markey announced that over the past two years, Boston, Chelsea, and Revere have already secured more than $75 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act for resiliency projects that include building resilient transportation corridors in Roxbury, greening the Chelsea Creek waterfront, and making the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) Blue Line more flood resistant. In total, Massachusetts has secured approximately $200 million for climate resiliency projects from those two laws so far. Senator Markey was joined by Brian Swett, Chief Climate Officer for the City of Boston; Boston City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata; Roseann Bongiovanni, Noemy Rodriguez, and John Walkey from GreenRoots; and Dwaign Tyndal, Executive Director of Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE).

“If we don’t drive down our emissions as a country, we could see more than six feet of sea level rise by the end of the century. That’s sunny-day flooding in neighborhoods from East Boston to Back Bay. TD Garden wouldn’t be flooded with a sea of fans—it would be flooded by the sea itself. Back Bay will go back to the bay,” said Senator Markey. “Our task is twofold. One, cut climate pollution by ushering in a clean energy revolution unlike any we’ve seen before, dismantling our dependence on fossil fuels. And two, prepare for the future by investing in resilient buildings and strong communities. Thanks in part to the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are well on our way to meet that second goal. In Massachusetts, we don’t wait, we create.”

“Chelsea and East Boston, the two communities that we serve at GreenRoots, are frontline environmental justice communities that are disproportionately impacted by environmental assault. On a daily basis, environmental justice communities throughout the United States and in the Global South face increased frequency of severe storms, storm surge, sea level rise, drought, heat island impacts, wildfires and much more. We need federal leadership like that of Senator Markey’s to prioritize policies and investments in climate resilience and climate justice, an end to fossil fuel use, and implementing greater renewable, resilient energy,” said Roseann Bongiovanni, Executive Director of GreenRoots.

“Many of the people here have immigrated as a result of natural disasters in their home countries, and with climate change, we know that natural disasters are only going to be increasing in number. When this happens, we need to ask the questions, ‘Where are we going to go? What is going to happen to us?’ These are the questions and worries that many of us have, not just for East Boston, but all over the country. We are the first generation feeling the effects of climate change and we may be the last generation that can do something about it,” said Noemy Rodriguez, Waterfront Initiative Organizer at GreenRoots.

“We know that when climate change happens, the least among us are the first affected and the worst affected. We frequently say that people are a paycheck away from disaster. According to FEMA, just an inch of floodwater in a home causes roughly about $25,000 in damages. There are over 400,000 Massachusetts residents living in the hundred-year flood zone which means more than a one in four chance of having a flood during a 30-year mortgage period. If home ownership is the route to generational wealth that we would leave to the next generation, we need to be planning and prepared for this,” said John Walkey, Director of Climate Justice & Waterfront Initiatives.

“Boston is deeply grateful for Senator Markey’s unwavering leadership in securing critical federal funds that are bolstering our city’s climate resilience. Thanks to our partners in the federal government, Boston has secured over $60 million in grants for coastal resilience projects helping us protect our neighborhoods from rising sea levels and extreme storms. However, with the increasing frequency of extreme weather, much more work remains, and additional funding is essential to fully safeguard our city and its most vulnerable communities,” said Brian Swett, Chief Climate Officer for the City of Boston.

“We have a moral obligation to move quickly to identify all strategies and tools that are at our disposal to ensure that Boston’s forty-seven-mile coastline is resilient and to protect these residents. I want to thank Senator Markey for his leadership in the Senate, and President Biden’s leadership in securing these necessary federal funds that Boston is now being awarded, which will help protect our communities. This is our next big challenge. We need the resources, capital, and collaboration to adequately protect Boston. We need the vital investments coming down the pike from the federal government in both green and gray infrastructure to protect our future. I am hopeful, with the level of partnership and leadership on display here across all levels of government, advocacy groups and philanthropy, and I know that we will continue to lean in and get it done,” said Boston City Councilor Gabriela “Gigi” Coletta Zapata.

“This is a reminder, a call to arms, a warning and a reality check. We may have more resources than imagination to deal with this issue. We have all the policy, the information, and the possible solutions. The struggle now is to push beyond our imagination to do what we need to get this done. This is not going to be a part of the political cycle, or fundraising cycles, but part of the continual struggle and persistence that many of us are here today are taking part in,” said Dwaign Tyndal, Executive Director of Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE).

The destruction of extreme weather events is disproportionately felt by Black, Brown, low-income, and immigrant communities, who are burdened by historical disinvestment and the compounded effects of legacy pollution and dangerous infrastructure sited in their neighborhoods. Under the Biden-Harris administration, including through the historic Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, federal funding has come to Massachusetts to help prevent the worsening impacts of climate change and support the Commonwealth’s climate resilience efforts, but continued federal investment in resiliency and clean energy will be needed to help avoid worsening disasters and billion-dollar storm recoveries in the future.

Senator Markey has been working to ensure that Massachusetts is climate resilient and prepared for extreme weather events, which are only increasing in frequency due to climate change. On October 4, Senator Markey joined Mayor Jennifer Macksey for a briefing on the Hoosic River Flood Mitigation Study, a project that aims to evaluate potential flood risk reduction measures and support development of a new flood mitigation system built with 21st-century engineering standards. Senator Markey led the effort to get the study included in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), advocated for $750,000 in funding for the Army Corps of Engineers this year, and has secured $950,000 in the pending appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25).

In September, Senator Markey announced a grant of $472 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to the MBTA to fully replace the North Station Draw One Bridge and renovate Platform F at North Station. The grant is the largest federal award the MBTA has won to date. The nearly half a billion-dollar grant will provide critical support for one of MBTA’s top priority projects and a vital transportation asset to MBTA’s north-side operations. It will also support more than 14,500 jobs, make the bridge more climate resilient by bringing it above projected sea-level rise, and lower emissions.

In August, on the second anniversary of the historic Inflation Reduction Act, Senator Markey launched his Climate Hub, a centralized site with resources to help stakeholders navigate opportunities from both the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Together, these two laws have created the largest and most significant climate and clean energy investments in history, putting the United States on a path to address the climate crisis, repair historic harms to disadvantaged communities, create good-paying union jobs in the clean energy economy, and work towards a Green New Deal future.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: ADB to Support Green and Low-Carbon Urban Development in Chongqing, PRC

Source: Asia Development Bank

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (16 October 2024) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $200 million equivalent loan to help build and implement green, low-carbon, climate-resilient, and cross-sector urban development measures in Chongqing Gaoxin District in Chongqing Municipality, the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

“Chongqing has ambitious climate change targets, as well as a strong commitment to evolving Chongqing Gaoxin District into a low-carbon, nature-based, and climate-resilient city. But a holistic and integrated approach is critical to long-term success,” said ADB Country Director for the PRC Safdar Parvez. “This results-based lending program will foster collaboration among stakeholders and benefit almost a million residents.”

Chongqing experiences severe climate events, such as high temperatures, mountain fires, heavy rain, and droughts. The city’s rapid urban and industrial development has also degraded environmental quality, with Chongqing Gaoxin District facing frequent flooding, subpar infrastructure, and poor river water quality.

The Chongqing Gaoxin District Green and Low-Carbon Urban Development Program will support green and low-carbon infrastructure and services, including improved domestic wastewater management, green buildings, and renewable-energy-powered district heating and cooling supply. It will also support the development of a green eco-district—which applies sustainable urban practices like efficient resource usage and lowered carbon emissions into design and operation—and application of nature-based solutions, including enhanced flood mitigation capacity and urban green spaces.

The program will also strengthen institutional capacity and human capital to build and implement green and low-carbon initiatives, as well as train students, especially females, for roles toward climate-resilient urban development.

ADB’s climate finance for the program is $124 million, with an estimated $72.75 million in mitigation costs and $51.25 million in adaptation costs. The total program cost is $841.9 million equivalent. It is expected to be completed in 2030.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 69 members—49 from the region.

MIL OSI Economics –

January 23, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Why China now wants to put some limits on its ‘no limits’ friendship with Russia

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Guangyi Pan, Teaching fellow, international politics, UNSW Sydney

Just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China announced to much fanfare a “no-limits friendship” with Russia, suggesting a future of close collaboration in trade, energy and, perhaps most importantly, security.

Now, more than two years into the war, the meaning and interpretation of this “no-limits” commitment has evolved.

There has been much debate in Chinese society in recent months about Beijing’s alignment with Moscow. While some have advocated for a more formal alliance with Russia, others have taken a more cautious stance.

In sharp contrast to 2022, China’s growing wariness is increasingly being discussed in the open, even among those who were previously censored. In early 2022, for instance, a joint letter by six Chinese emeritus historians opposing Russia’s invasion was censored by the government. The scholars were also warned.

Now, however, it appears the government is seeking to balance its relationships with both Russia and the West. Beijing may not want to be seen as a “decisive enabler” of the war.

For example, the once-prominent “no-limits” friendship language quietly vanished from a Sino-Russian joint statement in May.

And Beijing’s response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit that month was notably subdued. Putin ingratiated himself with Xi, saying they were “as close as brothers”. Xi’s response was more perfunctory – he called Putin a “good friend and a good neighbour”.

Scholars are also articulating their concerns about China’s political and economic investments in Russia, both publicly and privately.

Shen Dingli, a leading scholar of Chinese security strategy at Fudan University in Shanghai, said China doesn’t want to be seen as collaborating with Russia against Ukraine or any other country.

He also quoted Fu Cong, China’s former ambassador to the European Union, who said last year the “no-limits” [friendship] is “nothing but rhetoric”.

And in August, after Putin referred to China as an “ally” during a visit to far-eastern Russia, Chinese scholars promptly sought to clarify this statement to prevent any misunderstanding China wants a formal alliance with Russia.

These statements carry weight. In many respects, leading Chinese scholars at the government-affiliated universities act as propagandists to convey and justify the government’s stance on issues. As a result, subtle shifts in their commentary provide insights into the strategic mindset in Beijing.

Why China is rethinking its ‘no-limits’ friendship?

There are three elements driving this re-evaluation of the Russia-China alignment.

First, there is growing scepticism of Russia’s state capacities. The mutiny by the Wagner Group last year and Ukraine’s recent incursion into Russia’s Kursk region have prompted critical reassessments in Beijing of Russia’s political stability and military preparedness, as well as the growing anti-war sentiment in Russia.

As Feng Yujun, director of Fudan University’s Russia and Central Asia Study Centre, argued, the Wagner rebellion was a reflection of Russia’s internal conflicts and domestic security challenges. He noted every time Russia has faced both internal and external crises in history, its regimes have become less stable.

More recently, Feng has been even bolder, predicting Russian defeat in Ukraine. He argued China should keep its distance from Moscow and resume a policy of “non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-partisanship”.

Second, China’s sluggish economy and its underwhelming trade with Russia have further exposed how dependent both countries are on the West.

While Russia-China trade reached a record US$240 billion (A$360 billion) in 2023, it has slowed so far this year, as Chinese financial institutions have sought to limit connections with Russia.

The relationship still heavily favours Beijing. Russia accounts for only 4% of China’s trade, while China accounts for nearly 22% of Russia’s trade.

Many Chinese experts are now warning against an over-dependence on Russia, instead calling for more cooperation with neighbouring countries. This echoes a recent concern Russia has been using its natural resources as a bargaining chip to extract greater benefits from China.

Russia’s value as a military ally

Finally, there are rising Chinese concerns its international outlook does not align with Russia’s.

Zhao Long, deputy director of the Shanghai Institute of International Relations, says there is an important difference in how they view the world:

Russia wants to destroy the current international system to build a new one. China wants to transform the current system by taking a more prominent place in it.

Shi Yinhong, a strategist at Renmin University in Beijing, has highlighted an unbridgeable gap preventing a stronger China-Russia alliance. He says there’s a deep mutual mistrust on regional security. Russia has never promised support for China in the event of a conflict over Taiwan, just as China has avoided involvement in the war in Ukraine.

As Russia’s war in Ukraine reaches a stalemate, its value as a military ally is increasingly being questioned in China.

Recently, Feng Yujun warned China risks being led by the nose by Russia, despite being the stronger economic partner. He says every time China has attempted an alliance with Russia in history, it has had negative consequences for China.

Consequently, it is crucial for China to maintain its long-term partnership with Russia without undermining its constructive relationship with the West.

Russia has arguably benefited from the current competition between the US and China, as it has sought to exploit the rivalry for its own benefit. But this has also led to uncertainty in the China-Russia relationship.

As another analyst, Ji Zhiye, argues, relying too heavily on Russia will leave China isolated and vulnerable. And this is not a position China wants to be in.

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

– ref. Why China now wants to put some limits on its ‘no limits’ friendship with Russia – https://theconversation.com/why-china-now-wants-to-put-some-limits-on-its-no-limits-friendship-with-russia-238436

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Shaheen Welcomes USS Manchester Crew, Joins for Visit with Manchester West High School NJROTC Students

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

Published: 10.15.2024

(Manchester, NH) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee and the Ship Sponsor for the USS Manchester, welcomed crew members, including Commander Ralph Lufkin, back to Manchester and joined them for a visit with Manchester West High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) students. The USS Manchester crew members delivered a presentation to the NJROTC students and other faculty and students on the ship’s recent deployment, Navy career opportunities and the importance of civic duty. Photos from today’s event can be found here.
“I was excited to welcome members of the crew of the USS Manchester back to their ship’s namesake city, and to join them in speaking to Manchester West High School’s Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps students,” said Senator Shaheen. “As future defenders of freedom and the epitome of civic duty, I was pleased these aspiring Naval cadets were able to meet and speak with Commander Lufkin and some of his crew.”
As the Ship Sponsor of the USS Manchester, Shaheen led the Ship’s Commissioning in Portsmouth in May 2018 and is considered a permanent member of the ship’s crew. The USS Manchester is part of the Independence Class of Littoral Combat Ships. These ships are designed to face asymmetrical threats in shallow areas of coastlines and primarily perform surface warfare, antisubmarine warfare and mine countermeasures.

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January 23, 2025