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Category: Vehicles

  • MIL-OSI Russia: From Economy to Culture, China and Central Asia’s Multifaceted Partnership Grows Stronger

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, June 16 (Xinhua) — Since the first China-Central Asia Summit was held in Xi’an, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, in May 2023, fruitful results have been achieved in various areas of cooperation between China and Central Asian countries, and a community with a shared future between China and Central Asia has begun to take shape at an accelerated pace.

    TRADE AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION FOR THE SAKE OF COMMON PROSPERITY

    Kazakh flour and biscuits, Kyrgyz honey, Turkmen candies… In the store of Xi’an Aiju Grain and Oilseeds Company, a variety of goods from Central Asia attract the attention of customers.

    “Most of these food products from Central Asia ‘arrived’ here on China-Europe freight trains. These products account for more than 40 percent of our company’s sales,” said Liu Dongmeng, deputy general manager of Aiju.

    Today, the city of Xi’an has long been not only the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, but also one of the busiest transport hubs for modern “steel camel caravans.”

    According to data from the Changba International Dry Port in Xi’an, by the end of 2024, more than 76 thousand standard containers (20-foot equivalent, TEU) were shipped from Xi’an to Central Asia as part of China-Europe international railway freight transportation, which is 47.6 percent more than a year earlier.

    “In 2015, our company began to establish a base for processing agricultural products in Kazakhstan, and began to deliver goods from Central Asia to China using China-Europe trains,” Liu Dongmeng said, adding that after the 1st China-Central Asia Summit, the level of awareness of Central Asian countries among Xi’an residents has increased significantly, which has contributed to the sales of high-quality goods from the Central Asian region.

    According to the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China, in 2024, trade turnover between China and Central Asian countries amounted to USD 94.8 billion, which is USD 5.4 billion more than the previous year.

    “China is the most important investment and trade partner of the Central Asian countries,” said Sun Weidong, Secretary General of the China-Central Asia format.

    According to him, within the framework of the joint construction of the Belt and Road, China and the Central Asian countries, by strengthening the alignment of their development strategies, carry out comprehensive cooperation based on the principle of mutual benefit, while cooperation in such areas as digital trade and cross-border transportation is developing dynamically.

    As one of the important achievements of the China-Central Asia Summit, Kazakhstan’s logistics center in Xi’an was officially put into operation in February 2024. By the end of May this year, it had already processed more than 180 thousand tons of cargo.

    This center with a total area of about 6.67 hectares and a design capacity of more than 655 thousand standard containers per year significantly increases the efficiency of sending trains from Xi’an to Central Asia. Currently, the center serves as a trade and logistics collection and distribution center for Kazakhstan in China.

    “Thanks to this center, goods from Kazakhstan, after consolidation in Xi’an, can directly go to the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region /South China/, and then end up in the markets of Southeast Asian countries, which has opened an important international trade corridor for Central Asian countries,” said Darkhan Yesengulov, deputy sales manager at China-Kazakhstan (Xi’an) Trade and Logistics Co., Ltd.

    SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION IN THE COURSE OF “GREEN DEVELOPMENT”

    In recent years, as practical cooperation between China and Central Asia deepens, high-level planning for bilateral green and low-carbon cooperation has been improved.

    Following the first China-Central Asia summit, a list of agreements and initiatives was published. Among them is “Carrying out China-Central Asia green and low-carbon development activities to deepen cooperation in green development and combating climate change.”

    The Turgusun hydroelectric power station, which was put into operation in July 2021, is the first key hydropower project implemented under the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative between Kazakhstan and China. After its completion, it was able to compensate for half of the electricity deficit in the Altay region of East Kazakhstan, thereby effectively alleviating the power shortage in the region.

    “During the construction of the hydroelectric power station, more than 200 jobs were created for local residents. This hydroelectric power station showed the world that through technical cooperation and exchange of experience, we can achieve mutually beneficial results in the economy, society and ecology,” said Asset Maksut, director of Turgusun-1 and Turgusun-2 LLP.

    The prospects for cooperation between China and Central Asia in the field of electric vehicles are also very broad. Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers operate in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

    “Electric cars from China are more popular in Central Asian countries. Alternative energy is a new area of cooperation between China and Central Asian countries,” said Ma Bin, a research fellow at the Center for Russian and Central Asian Studies at Fudan University.

    According to him, China and Central Asian countries jointly advocate the concept of green, low-carbon, circular and sustainable development. These concepts determine the direction of countries’ efforts in the energy and technology sectors, and also lay the foundation for further cooperation.

    Ecologist, board member of the Green Alliance of Kyrgyzstan Anara Sultangazieva believes that in the context of global environmental problems and climate change, countries share a common concept of “green development” in order to mitigate their consequences. “Especially in the area of agricultural development in order to ensure food security in the context of water shortages in Central Asian countries.”

    HUMANITARIAN EXCHANGES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

    China and Central Asian countries are actively developing cooperation in tourism, joint archaeological research, educational exchanges, etc., which strengthens the social foundations and popular support base for cooperation.

    China has now become one of the main study destinations for students from Central Asian countries. With its rich educational and scientific resources, Xi’an has become one of the popular cities for students from this region.

    According to the data, the Xi’an government has established a program to train students from five Central Asian countries, and has successfully enrolled 450 students from these countries by 2024.

    “Chinese culture has a deep influence on the Central Asian region, and the unique charm of Central Asian cultures also greatly attracts Chinese people,” said Nurmammedov Dovraniz from Turkmenistan, who is studying archaeology at Northwest University of China.

    According to the young man, mutual cultural attraction is a solid foundation for building a community of shared destiny between China and Central Asia.

    “China’s cooperation with Central Asian countries in all areas is rapidly deepening and developing. The youth of our countries are living in a “golden age”, they have bright prospects and broad opportunities for development,” Sun Weidong noted.

    Vice-Rector for International Relations of the Tajik Technical University named after Academician M. Osimi Rauf Jurakhonzoda noted that in recent years there has been a positive trend in cultural and humanitarian exchanges between China and Tajikistan.

    A striking example of this, according to him, is the launch in Tajikistan of the first “Luban Workshop” in Central Asia, aimed at training engineering personnel for the industrialization and modernization of the country.

    “We plan to introduce new formats of cooperation with Chinese universities. This is not only a contribution to the development of education, but also strengthening the friendship between our peoples,” added R. Jurakhonzoda.

    On June 7, the first China-Central Asia international tourist train returned to Xi’an. The train with more than 200 passengers departed from Xi’an on May 29 for Almaty, Kazakhstan. It left China via the Khorgos railway checkpoint in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region /Northwest China/.

    Let us recall that in May 2023, China and Kazakhstan signed an intergovernmental agreement on mutual exemption from visa requirements, which officially entered into force in November of the same year. 2024 was the Year of Kazakhstan Tourism in China, and 2025 has been declared the Year of China Tourism in Kazakhstan.

    According to Li Jiang, deputy head of Horgos Customs, the launch of the above-mentioned international tourist train has laid a new foundation for deepening connectivity and promoting people-to-people exchanges between China and Central Asian countries.

    In addition, on June 1, 2025, the Agreement between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on mutual exemption from visa requirements entered into force.

    “Undoubtedly, this will contribute to the development of the tourism sector and increase the tourist flow,” said the Minister-Counselor of the Embassy of Uzbekistan in China Saidkamol Agzamkhodjaev, adding that Uzbekistan intends to increase the number of Chinese tourists visiting Uzbekistan annually to 1 million people.

    “As a ‘lubricant’ for the development of China’s relations with Central Asian countries, humanitarian exchanges contribute to their sustainable and healthy development,” Ma Bin emphasized.

    Sun Weidong noted that China’s relations with Central Asian countries will develop to a higher level, and their cooperation will expand to broader areas, which will contribute to the deep and thorough advancement of building a community with a shared future for China and Central Asia.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Animal Welfare – Three Greyhounds Dead in Three Days Underscores Need for Racing Ban

    Source: Greyhound Protection League of New Zealand

    Quick facts:

    • Three greyhounds died in three days of racing in New Zealand this week (12–14 June).

    • Fifteen greyhounds have died on racetracks so far in the 2024/25 season, with six weeks still remaining.

    • An alarming spike in lure-collapse deaths: six dogs this season, including three from the McInerney kennels: a family with a long history of serious welfare breaches.

    • Meanwhile GRNZ is facing a rehoming crisis of its own making: 672 dogs were awaiting adoption as of 1 November 2024, 349 of them still with trainers, not yet in the rehoming process. That number rose to 723 by 1 February 2025.

    • Despite this, in October 2024, GRNZ reported plans to increase breeding.

    • The Government has to hold firm, introduce legislation, and enforce the ban before more dogs pay with their lives.

    Three greyhounds have died on New Zealand racetracks in just three days of racing: a brutal illustration of the industry’s ongoing welfare crisis and the urgent need for the forthcoming ban.

    The three deaths occurred across three racetracks this week:

    • Homebush Sydney was euthanised on Wednesday 12 June after suffering a catastrophic spiral fracture of the left femur during a race in Invercargill (source).

    • Homebush Feijoa collapsed and died at the lure in Christchurch on Friday 13 June (source).


    • Midnight Brockie, also racing on Friday, suffered a fractured right hock and tibia with complete displacement at Whanganui and was euthanised trackside (source).

    “This is not reform. This is carnage,” said Emily Robertson, spokesperson for the Greyhound Protection League of New Zealand (GPLNZ). “Three dogs dead in three days of racing – and still this industry has the audacity to challenge the government’s decision to shut it down. It’s beyond belief.”

    Midnight Brockie, just three years old, had raced 49 times and earned $45,470 in prize money before her death. She was the littermate of Brockie’s Rocket, another greyhound who collapsed and died at the lure in Manukau in September 2024 (source).

    Greyhounds collapsing and dying at the end of their race – sometimes even after winning – is a particularly alarming new trend that has emerged over the past two seasons. In the 2023/24 racing season, three dogs died this way. So far in the 2024/25 season, that number has doubled, with six greyhounds collapsing and dying at the lure, including three from the Darfield, Canterbury kennels of trainer Jonathan McInerney.

    The McInerney family has a long and troubling history in the greyhound racing industry. In 2023, John McInerney Sr was banned from the sport for 12 months by the Racing Integrity Board (RIB) after being found guilty of multiple serious animal welfare breaches, including failing to provide veterinary care and pain relief to a dog for three weeks. The dog was later diagnosed with cancer and euthanised (source).

    In the same ruling, two dogs at his Manawatū satellite facility – operated by another son, Stephen McInerney – tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine.

    John McInerney Sr has faced a raft of other RIB charges. The most serious in recent years include:

    So far, 15 greyhounds have been killed on New Zealand racetracks since 1 August 2024, with six weeks of the racing season still to go. These figures reflect deaths alone, not the hundreds of serious injuries, including fractures, torn muscles, and other trauma that greyhounds continue to suffer on tracks every single week. GPLNZ warns that further deaths are likely unless urgent action is taken.

    “These aren’t freak accidents. They’re the inevitable result of a system that treats dogs as disposable,” said Robertson. “Despite repeated reviews, recommendations, and reassurances of reform, dogs continue to suffer and die.”

    In December 2024, the Government announced – with support from all political parties – that it would phase out greyhound racing in 20 months, after the industry was formally put on notice in September 2022. The ban decision followed multiple reviews, including the WHK Report (2013), the Hansen Report (2017), and the Robertson Review (2021), all of which raised serious concerns about animal welfare, high euthanasia and injury rates, data, and transparency in the industry.

    GRNZ is now seeking a judicial review to challenge the ban, a move GPLNZ describes as “a desperate attempt that delays the inevitable and prolongs the suffering of greyhounds used and abused by this industry.”

    “GRNZ should be focusing on ensuring no more dogs are harmed, winding down racing, and rehoming the dogs it claims to care about,” said Robertson. “The truth is, GRNZ is in the midst of a rehoming crisis of its own making – one that was already worsening even before the ban was announced.”

    Figures from the Racing Integrity Board, the agency tasked with overseeing all three racing codes in New Zealand, show that as of 1 November 2024, 672 greyhounds were awaiting adoption, with 349 of them still housed with their trainers, not yet in rehoming centres or foster care (source).

    “In their own annual report, GRNZ claimed to have rehomed 673 dogs in the 2023/24 season, meaning a full year’s worth of dogs were already sitting, waiting, and hoping for a home. That number rose to 723 by 1 February 2025 following the Government’s announcement of the ban,” Robertson said.

    “And instead of urgently addressing this backlog, GRNZ is spending its time and resources in court trying to keep this inherently dangerous industry alive — and perversely had actually planned to increase breeding numbers.”

    According to its own Animal Welfare Quarterly Progress Report (31 October 2024, p.12):

    “…an uplift is required to maintain current racing levels and the industry’s overall contribution to the economy. Providing support and incentives to encourage and sustain the breeding industry will be a key focus for GRNZ in 2025 and beyond.”

    GPLNZ is calling on the Government to hold firm, introduce legislation, and enforce the ban before more dogs pay with their lives.

    Notes:

    Greyhounds killed in the 2024/25 racing season on track are:

    1. Midnight Brockie – 13 June – Whanganui – fractured right hock and tibia with complete displacement

    2. Homebush Feijoa – 13 June – Addington – collapsed and died at the lure 

    3. Homebush Sydney – 11 June – Invercargill- spiral fracture left femur – euthanasia post race 

    4. Carrington Magic – 16 May – Whanganui  – open spiral fracture of left tibia fibula 

    5. Big Time Hinda – 10 April – Cambridge – collapsed at lure and dead on arrival 

    6. Know Motor – 8 March – Addington – fractured right radios ulna and died after surgery 

    7. Homebush Honey – 13 March – Addington – collapsed and died at track trial 

    8. Homebush Milo – 7 March – Addington – collapsed at lure and dead on arrival 

    9. Highview Amber – 27 December- Whanganui – complete fractures of left and right radius ulnas

    10. Call the tune – 13 December – Addington – cramp at lure, collapse in wash bay, transported to vet and euthanised due to an unmanageable hemorrhagic shock 

    11. Diamond Roman – 10 December – Invercargill- compound fracture of right tibia fibula which was severely comminuted and displaced 

    12. Homebush Shadow – Wednesday 27 November – Invercargill – complete fracture of the left radius ulna

    13. What’s on – 18 October – Addington – incident at lure, severe neck pain – diagnosed with fractured vertebrae and due to severity of fracture was euthanased 

    14. Brockie’s Rocket – 29 September – Manukau – collapsed and died at the lure (autopsy result – spontaneous tension pneumothorax)

    15. Rocket Queen – 20 September 2024 – Addington – compound fracture to its radius/ulna.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • India Inc’s operating profit margins likely to rise to 18.5% in Q1 FY26: ICRA report

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    India Inc’s operating profit margins are expected to rise by 10 to 40 basis points to 18.2–18.5% in the first quarter (April–June) of FY2026, continuing the sequential recovery seen over the past few quarters, according to a report released by rating agency ICRA on Monday.

    “This, coupled with a moderation in interest costs due to the Reserve Bank of India’s recent cumulative repo rate cuts of 100 basis points, is expected to improve the interest coverage ratio for India Inc. to around 5.1–5.2 times in Q1 FY2026, compared to 5.0 times in Q4 FY2025,” the report stated.

    Kinjal Shah, Senior Vice President at ICRA, noted, “Given the uncertain global environment, the private capital expenditure (capex) cycle is expected to remain measured. However, certain sunrise sectors such as electronics, semiconductors, and niche segments within the automotive space like electric vehicles will continue to attract investment, supported by the Government of India’s production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes.”

    He further added that entities linked to Indian Railways and the Defence sector are likely to see their large order books translating into higher revenues and earnings.

    ICRA’s analysis of 589 listed companies (excluding financial sector entities) for Q4 FY2025 revealed a 7.6% year-on-year revenue growth. This was driven by improved demand across consumption-oriented sectors such as consumer durables, retail, hotels, and airlines, as well as infrastructure-related sectors like power, real estate, and construction. In contrast, sectors such as iron and steel experienced a decline due to weaker global demand and an influx of cheaper imports from China.

    India Inc is expected to post stable revenue growth in Q1 FY2026, supported by resilient domestic demand. Rural demand is projected to remain healthy, while urban demand is likely to recover, aided by income tax relief measures, easing food inflation, and lower EMIs.

    However, ongoing geopolitical tensions continue to weigh on sentiment, particularly for export-oriented sectors such as agrochemicals, textiles, auto and auto components, cut and polished diamonds, and IT services.

    In Q4 FY2025, India Inc recorded a 63-basis-point year-on-year increase in operating profit margins to 18.5%, marking the highest level since Q4 FY2022. This expansion was driven by improved operating leverage on the back of strong demand in sectors like power, airlines, and real estate, along with some moderation in input costs. Sequentially, margins improved by around 41 basis points during the quarter.

    ICRA also observed that the interest coverage ratio of its sample set—adjusted to exclude sectors with relatively low debt levels such as IT, FMCG, and pharmaceuticals—improved on a year-on-year basis to 5.0 times in Q4 FY2025, up from 4.8 times in Q4 FY2024, owing to better profitability.

    Furthermore, range-bound debt levels and improved profitability across industrial, capital goods, and construction sectors in FY2025 contributed to a stronger financial position, as reflected in improved gearing and better debt-to-operating profit ratios.

    — IANS

  • India Inc’s operating profit margins likely to rise to 18.5% in Q1 FY26: ICRA report

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    India Inc’s operating profit margins are expected to rise by 10 to 40 basis points to 18.2–18.5% in the first quarter (April–June) of FY2026, continuing the sequential recovery seen over the past few quarters, according to a report released by rating agency ICRA on Monday.

    “This, coupled with a moderation in interest costs due to the Reserve Bank of India’s recent cumulative repo rate cuts of 100 basis points, is expected to improve the interest coverage ratio for India Inc. to around 5.1–5.2 times in Q1 FY2026, compared to 5.0 times in Q4 FY2025,” the report stated.

    Kinjal Shah, Senior Vice President at ICRA, noted, “Given the uncertain global environment, the private capital expenditure (capex) cycle is expected to remain measured. However, certain sunrise sectors such as electronics, semiconductors, and niche segments within the automotive space like electric vehicles will continue to attract investment, supported by the Government of India’s production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes.”

    He further added that entities linked to Indian Railways and the Defence sector are likely to see their large order books translating into higher revenues and earnings.

    ICRA’s analysis of 589 listed companies (excluding financial sector entities) for Q4 FY2025 revealed a 7.6% year-on-year revenue growth. This was driven by improved demand across consumption-oriented sectors such as consumer durables, retail, hotels, and airlines, as well as infrastructure-related sectors like power, real estate, and construction. In contrast, sectors such as iron and steel experienced a decline due to weaker global demand and an influx of cheaper imports from China.

    India Inc is expected to post stable revenue growth in Q1 FY2026, supported by resilient domestic demand. Rural demand is projected to remain healthy, while urban demand is likely to recover, aided by income tax relief measures, easing food inflation, and lower EMIs.

    However, ongoing geopolitical tensions continue to weigh on sentiment, particularly for export-oriented sectors such as agrochemicals, textiles, auto and auto components, cut and polished diamonds, and IT services.

    In Q4 FY2025, India Inc recorded a 63-basis-point year-on-year increase in operating profit margins to 18.5%, marking the highest level since Q4 FY2022. This expansion was driven by improved operating leverage on the back of strong demand in sectors like power, airlines, and real estate, along with some moderation in input costs. Sequentially, margins improved by around 41 basis points during the quarter.

    ICRA also observed that the interest coverage ratio of its sample set—adjusted to exclude sectors with relatively low debt levels such as IT, FMCG, and pharmaceuticals—improved on a year-on-year basis to 5.0 times in Q4 FY2025, up from 4.8 times in Q4 FY2024, owing to better profitability.

    Furthermore, range-bound debt levels and improved profitability across industrial, capital goods, and construction sectors in FY2025 contributed to a stronger financial position, as reflected in improved gearing and better debt-to-operating profit ratios.

    — IANS

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Black ice, fog risk prompts warning to motorists

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    A combination of freezing temperatures, fog, hoar frosts and black ice means challenging conditions for travel on State Highways 8 and 80 over the next few days, with the biggest concern being drivers not adapting to the conditions.

    “On SH8 in particular, there are many sheltered areas where build-up of ice is a major concern,” says NZTA System Manager Mark Pinner.  

    “Bridge surfaces can cool quickly, and re-freezing can even occur in the late morning.”

    “We‘ve already had reports of people driving too fast for the conditions and truck and trailer units fishtailing. We also know it’s going to get busier later in the week as we get closer to the long holiday weekend for Matariki. Reducing speed is the biggest thing drivers can do to keep themselves safe and to help keep the highways open.”

    “One of the measures we are employing to slow traffic down are Temporary Speed Limits which can be employed on parts of the highway network that are most at risk.”

    The Temporary Speed Limit of 50km/h has been put into effect on State Highway 8 at sites such as either side of Lake Tekapo township, and near the Tekapo Military Camp, the Tekapo Flyover (over the Tekapo Canal) and Simons Pass.

    “This is not our usual approach, but the nature of the conditions forecast for this week means we need to use every tool we can to keep people safe on the roads,” Mr Pinner says.

    “Our typical de-icing agents are at the extreme range of where they aren’t as effective, and whilst we are gritting the roads, driving to conditions is a key part of keeping road access safe also.”

    “If the conditions warrant it, we will close the highway, most likely overnight and through the high-risk early morning period. People need to plan ahead if they are travelling in the area – keep an eye on our Journey Planner site.”

    Journey Planner

    Winter driving advice

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Public transport just got a salary sacrifice, tax-free upgrade

    Source: Extraordinary

    New benefit means cheaper commutes, cleaner cities, and more money in workers’ pockets, says Extraordinary  

    Kiwi fintech maverick, Extraordinary, has seized a rare opportunity to align the stars — combining a recent Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) change with a first-of-its-kind salary sacrifice solution. As a result, Kiwi commuters now have a powerful reason to leave the car at home. Public transport can finally be paid for using pre-tax income, made possible by Extraordinary’s Card and platform.

    New research by Extraordinary shows strong appetite for the change:

    • 21% of Kiwis who currently commute by car say they would consider switching to public transport if their employer offered a tax-free travel benefit – rising to 40% among younger workers aged 18–34. 
    • 19% of remote workers say they’d commute into the office more often if they received a public transport allowance.

    With younger employees especially responsive to incentives, the new option gives employers a powerful tool to support greener, more vibrant cities – while helping workers keep more of their pay.

    These findings come at the perfect time: employers can now provide public transport allowances without incurring Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) – saving both employers and employees money, and making cleaner, more affordable commuting a reality.

    To mark the milestone, Extraordinary CEO Steven Zinsli joined Mayor of Auckland Wayne Brown for a media moment on Auckland’s Britomart, one of the city’s busiest business and transport hubs.

    “This is a game-changer for how people travel to work,” said Steven Zinsli. “It’s now easier and cheaper for employers to support public transport, and workers can keep more of what they earn.”

    Until now, FBT rules meant employer-subsidised transport came with tax penalties, limiting uptake. That’s now changed – with Extraordinary’s innovative solution, employees will have the ability to top up existing transport cards using pre-tax income, reducing travel costs and encouraging more sustainable transport options.

    The shift arrives at a crucial moment, as cities like Auckland seek ways to reduce congestion and emissions, while also reviving CBD activity. Recent research shows that office occupancy remains below 70% in some major centres, well below pre-pandemic levels.

    Mayor Wayne Brown said: “One of my key priorities when I was elected as Mayor was to get Auckland moving, and initiatives like this will make it easier for people to get to work by bus or train and help reduce congestion on our roads. This is good for the environment, good for our cities and good for our economy.”

    Why this matters:

    • More money in workers’ pockets: public transport benefits are now tax-free 
    • No extra cost to employers: avoid FBT while supporting sustainability 
    • Convenience: Top up existing transport cards using pre-tax income 
    • Cleaner cities: fewer cars = reduced emissions and congestion 
    • City revival: supports return-to-office and urban vibrancy.

    Extraordinary is already partnering with major employers across New Zealand and expects demand to accelerate as more businesses take advantage of the updated FBT rules.

    To read more, visit www.extraordinarypay.com/our-solutions/public-transport.

    About Extraordinary  

    Extraordinary is a New Zealand-based fintech platform revolutionising how employers manage non-payroll benefits. Its smart employee card supports Gifting, Public Transport, Rewards, and other allowances – replacing reimbursements and manual admin with real-time, flexible payments. Founded in 2021 and based in Auckland, Extraordinary is trusted by forward-thinking companies to boost retention, compliance, and employee satisfaction.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Winnipeg — Significant announcement from Assistant Commissioner Jane MacLatchy regarding the search for the BC suspects in the Gillam area

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Over the last two weeks, our officers have worked tirelessly to find the suspects wanted in connection to the homicides in British Columbia.

    While there were no confirmed sightings since July 22nd, our officers never gave up in their search efforts – following-up on every lead, considering all options, and using every available resource.

    Our officers knew that we just needed to find that one piece of evidence that could move this search forward.

    On Friday, August 2nd, that one critical piece of evidence was found – items directly linked to the suspects were located on the shoreline of the Nelson River.

    Following this discovery, we were, at last, able to narrow down the search.

    We immediately sent in specialized RCMP teams to begin searching nearby high-probability areas.

    This morning, at approximately 10:00 am, RCMP officers located two male bodies, in the dense brush, within 1 kilometer from where the items were found. This is approximately 8 km from where the burnt vehicle was located.

    At this time, we are confident that these are the bodies of the two suspects wanted in connection with the homicides in British Columbia. An autopsy is being scheduled in Winnipeg to confirm their identities and to determine their cause of death.

    To the families of everyone affected by the series of events over the last few weeks, I know it has been so very difficult and I hope today’s announcement can begin to bring some closure.

    I want to thank the communities and the leadership of Gillam, Fox Lake Cree Nation, Ilford War Lake First Nation and York Landing.

    Your lives have been disrupted, many of you lived with uncertainty and fear, but throughout, you were resilient, you came together as communities and you helped our officers get the job done.

    To the officers involved in the search efforts; I commend you for your determination, for your innovation, for never giving up, and for working night and day to bring this search to a conclusion.

    This was a search that could not have been successfully achieved without the help from our partners at the Canadian Armed Forces, from RCMP employees who came in from across the country and from multiple private partners.

    Above all however, it was a search that could only be successful if we had strong public engagement and support.

    Thank you to all Canadians for remaining vigilant, for calling us with information and most importantly, for being our partners.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Seabed mining is becoming an environmental flashpoint – NZ will have to pick a side soon

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Myra Williamson, Senior Lecturer in Law, Auckland University of Technology

    Getty Images

    Seabed mining could become one of the defining environmental battles of 2025. Around the world, governments are weighing up whether to allow mining of the ocean floor for metal ores and minerals. New Zealand is among them.

    The stakes are high. Deep-sea mining is highly controversial, with evidence showing mining activity can cause lasting damage to fragile marine ecosystems. One area off the east coast of the United States, mined as an experiment 50 years ago, still bears scars and shows little sign of recovery.

    With the world facing competing pressures – climate action and conservation versus demand for resources – New Zealand must now decide whether to fast-track mining, regulate it tightly, or pause it entirely.

    Who controls international seabed mining?

    A major flashpoint is governance in international waters. Under international law, seabed mining beyond national jurisdiction is managed by the International Seabed Authority (ISA), created by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

    But the US has never ratified UNCLOS. In April this year, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to bypass the ISA and allow companies to begin mining in international waters.

    The ISA has pushed back, warning unilateral action breaches international law. However, the declaration from the recently concluded UN Ocean Conference in France does not urge countries to adopt a precautionary approach, nor does it ban deep seabed mining.

    The declaration does “reiterate the need to increase scientific knowledge on deep sea ecosystems” and recognises the role of the ISA in setting “robust rules, regulations and procedures for exploitation of resources” in international waters.

    So, while the international community supports multilateralism and international law, deep-sea mining in the near future remains a real possibility.

    Fast-track approvals

    In the Pacific, some countries have already made up their minds about which way they will go. Nauru recently updated its agreement with Canadian-based The Metals Company to begin mining in the nearby Clarion Clipperton Zone. The deal favours the US’s go-it-alone approach over the ISA model.

    By contrast, in 2022, New Zealand’s Labour government backed the ISA’s moratorium and committed to a holistic ocean management strategy. Whether that position still holds is unclear, given the current government’s policies.

    The list of applications under the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 – described by Regional Development Minister Shane Jones as “arguably the most permissive regime” in Australasia – includes two controversial seabed mining proposals in Bream Bay and off the Taranaki coast:

    • Trans-Tasman Resources’ proposal to extract up to 50 million tonnes of Taranaki seabed material annually to recover heavy mineral sands that contain iron ore as well as rare metal elements titanium and vanadium.

    • McCallum Brothers Ltd’s Bream Bay proposal to dredge up to 150,000 cubic metres of sand yearly for three years, and up to 250,000 cubic metres after that.

    Legal landscape changing

    Māori and environmental groups have opposed the fast-track policy, and the Treaty of Waitangi has so far been a powerful safeguard in seabed mining cases.

    Provisions referencing Treaty principles appear in key laws, including the Crown Minerals Act and the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act.

    In 2021, the Supreme Court cited these obligations when it rejected a 2016 marine discharge application by Trans-Tasman Resources to mine the seabed in the Taranaki Bight. The court ruled Treaty clauses must be interpreted in a “broad and generous” way, recognising tikanga Māori and customary marine rights.

    But that legal landscape could soon change. The Regulatory Standards Bill, now before parliament, would give priority to property rights over environmental or Indigenous protections in the formulation of new laws and regulations.

    The bill also allows for the review of existing legislation. In theory, if the Regulatory Standards Bill becomes law, it could result in the removal of Treaty principles clauses from legislation.

    This in turn could deny courts the tools they’ve previously used to uphold environmental and Treaty-based protections to block seabed mining applications. That would make it easier to approve fast-tracked projects such as the Bream Bay and Taranaki projects.

    Setting a precedent

    Meanwhile, Hawai’i has gone in a different direction. In 2024, the US state passed a law banning seabed mining in state waters – joining California (2022), Washington (2021) and Oregon (1991).

    Under the Hawai’i Seabed Mining Prevention Act, mining is banned except in rare cases such as beach restoration. The law cites the public’s right to a clean and healthy environment.

    As global conflict brews over seabed governance, New Zealand’s eventual position could set a precedent.

    Choosing to prohibit seabed mining in New Zealand waters, as Hawai’i has done, would send a strong message that environmental stewardship and Indigenous rights matter more than short-term resource extraction interests.

    If New Zealand does decide to go ahead with seabed mining, however, it could trigger a cascade of mining efforts across New Zealand and the Pacific. A crucial decision is fast approaching.

    Myra Williamson 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. Seabed mining is becoming an environmental flashpoint – NZ will have to pick a side soon – https://theconversation.com/seabed-mining-is-becoming-an-environmental-flashpoint-nz-will-have-to-pick-a-side-soon-258908

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China-Central Asia tourism ties gain momentum

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    The history of China’s interaction with Central Asian countries goes back thousands of years, and the friendship along the Silk Road, passed down from generation to generation, continues to this day. Since the first China-Central Asia Summit, tourism exchanges between the countries have become an important bridge for bringing peoples closer together. At present, there is mutual interest in tourism: China and Central Asian countries have become important tourist destinations for each other, and the number of mutual tourist visits has increased significantly. China and Central Asia are jointly promoting exchanges and cooperation, opening a new chapter in the dialogue of civilizations.

    A continuous flow of tourists in both directions

    On June 1, 2024, the visa-free regime between China and Uzbekistan came into effect. On the same day, more than 160 tourists from Tashkent arrived at Urumqi Airport. They became the first to enter China without a visa under the new agreement and began their journey around the country. On November 10, 2023, a similar agreement came into effect between China and Kazakhstan. These favorable policies have simplified mutual travel for citizens and effectively stimulated tourism exchanges.

    “The majestic landscapes of Xinjiang and the hospitality of the locals exceeded all expectations! The guide’s detailed explanations allowed me to better understand the culture and traditions of the region,” shared Natalia from Kazakhstan during her visit to Urumqi. Since the beginning of this year, a continuous stream of tourist groups from Central Asia have been heading to Xinjiang, and Urumqi’s attractiveness as a tourist destination continues to grow.

    According to the latest statistics from the Ctrip platform, the number of inbound tour bookings by users from Central Asian countries has grown by 106% year-on-year since the beginning of the year, with bookings from tourists from Uzbekistan increasing by 164%. The most popular destinations among Central Asian visitors were Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Beijing, Urumqi, Xi’an, Chengdu, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Yiwu and Qingdao. The number of bookings for tours to Central Asia by Chinese tourists showed a 74% increase, while demand for travel to Uzbekistan increased by 60%, with the main outbound cities for Chinese tourists being Urumqi, Beijing, Xi’an, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

    U-tour data shows that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Central Asia doubled in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year. On the Fliggy platform, the number of bookings for flights to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan increased by 60% and 47% respectively. Tashkent, Almaty, Shymkent and Bukhara were the most popular destinations.

    In early June, Beijing-based couple Li Tao and Xie Jinhua completed their unforgettable journey through Central Asia. “We have visited 40-50 countries and have always looked forward to seeing the mysterious Central Asia. During this trip, we experienced the warm-hearted kindness of the locals, saw majestic natural landscapes, and saw unique culture. Central Asia is truly a worthwhile travel destination,” they shared.

    A variety of new themed tours

    China and Central Asian countries have become important tourist destinations for each other. Tourists are no longer limited to just sightseeing – they are looking to delve deeper into the history, culture, traditions and daily life of local residents.

    Tourists from Central Asia visit the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Museum, explore the Grand Bazaar in Urumqi, sample local cuisine, admire unique natural landscapes and immerse themselves in the region’s cultural heritage. Chinese tourists, in turn, discover ancient Central Asian cities on the Great Silk Road and taste local delicacies such as pilaf and horse meat dishes.

    Yang Shuguo, CEO of Xinjiang Xiyu International Travel Company, notes: “The deep interest of tourists from Central Asia in Chinese culture opens up new opportunities for the development of this destination. We plan to expand the range of tours to enhance the attractiveness of Urumqi in the market. Five new thematic routes have already been developed taking into account the preferences of guests, including health and business tourism.”

    Central Asia is a new popular destination for Chinese tourists. Han Jie, chairman of the board of tour operator AoYou, explains: “Kazakhstan attracts with its wealth of resources: Almaty and Astana are especially loved by Chinese guests. Uzbekistan with its unique historical and cultural heritage is also in high demand. For now, group tours for pensioners remain the main format, but as the infrastructure develops, new offers will attract young people as well.”

    Zhou Weihong, Deputy General Manager of SpringTour, announced: “This summer, we will launch two special tours: an extended tour of Kazakhstan and a combo tour of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Travelers will try the famous Uzbek plov at the Besh Qozon Plov Center, see the light show at Registan Square in Samarkand, and appreciate the modern facilities of the local tourism center – this will be a real immersion into history, allowing them to rediscover the charm of the Silk Road.”

    New opportunities for expanding the tourism market

    Tourism between China and Central Asia has great potential. Xu Jia, CEO of Sichuan Youth Travel Service, said, “We started developing the Central Asia route in March 2023. It was just in May of that year that the China-Central Asia Summit was held, and the demand for the mysterious Central Asian countries increased sharply. Now, it is the fastest growing route in our agency. In order to attract more Chinese tourists to Central Asia and meet their diverse needs, we have developed several themed routes, including “Revisiting the Silk Road,” “Cultural Exchanges,” and “Natural Sightseeing Expeditions.”

    “We have been receiving more and more Chinese tourists in the last two years. They have high purchasing power and are interested in historical and cultural exchanges,” says Zhang Wei, the head of an Uzbek tourism service provider. “Central Asia’s tourism infrastructure is still underdeveloped. We plan to increase the number of Chinese-speaking guides for excursions, expand cooperation with Chinese restaurants, update our vehicle fleet, launch new themed tours, and look forward to an increase in the flow of guests from China.”

    The introduction of a visa-free regime has given a powerful impetus to humanitarian and tourist exchanges between China and Uzbekistan. This year, Uzbekistan held a series of presentations in Beijing, Changsha and other cities, during which it introduced Chinese tourists to local attractions in detail. The Uzbek side is implementing a set of measures to improve the quality of service to Chinese guests.

    China is one of the key sources of tourist flow for Kazakhstan. According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 655 thousand Chinese tourists visited the country in 2024, which is 78% more than in 2023. 2025 has been declared the “Year of China Tourism” in Kazakhstan. The plans include a series of promotional events in China: road shows have already been held in Guangzhou and other cities, and cooperation with Chinese tour operators has been established. Digital solutions are being introduced to increase the attractiveness of Kazakhstan: in early June, Almaty hosted the international tourism forum “Digital Silk Road – 2025”, organized by the Chinese digital platform Zowoyoo and the Tourism Industry Committee of Kazakhstan. The project is aimed at deepening the understanding of the Chinese market by Kazakhstani travel companies through digitalization, increasing the level of market development and taking bilateral cooperation to a new level.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: [Toyota Times] Creating the Future of Commercial Vehicles Together – Definitive Agreements on Mitsubishi Fuso-Hino Merger

    Source: Toyota

    Headline: [Toyota Times] Creating the Future of Commercial Vehicles Together – Definitive Agreements on Mitsubishi Fuso-Hino Merger

    Having agreed to merge, on June 10, Hino Motors and Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus, along with their parent companies Daimler Truck and Toyota Motor Corporation, signed definitive agreements regarding their business integration. The four companies are entering a new stage on their way to creating the future of commercial vehicles.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Khorgos checkpoint witnesses revival of cooperation between China and Kazakhstan

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    URUMQI, June 16 (Xinhua) — Located in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and close to the border with Kazakhstan, Horgos Port is the country’s first-class land port with the longest history and the largest total shipping volume in the western region.

    In recent years, it has become an important window for exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

    According to data as of June 13, since the beginning of 2025, the total volume of passenger traffic through the Khorgos checkpoint and the number of vehicles that have passed customs and border checks in both directions at this border crossing amounted to 620 thousand person-times and 223 thousand units, respectively, which is 35.3 percent and 40.6 percent more in annual terms for both indicators.

    As of June 12 this year, a total of 4,476 China-Europe/China-Central Asia freight trains have passed through the Khorgos checkpoint since the beginning of 2025, up 26.7 percent year-on-year, according to data from the checkpoint administration.

    Let us recall that, as of now, more than 80 international railway freight routes pass through Khorgos, connecting 18 countries.

    On June 7, the first international China-Central Asia tourist train returned to Xi’an. The train with more than 200 passengers departed from Xi’an to Almaty, Kazakhstan on May 29. It left China through the Khorgos railway checkpoint.

    Let us recall that in May 2023, China and Kazakhstan signed an intergovernmental agreement on mutual exemption from visa requirements, which officially entered into force in November of the same year. 2024 was the Year of Kazakhstan Tourism in China, and 2025 has been declared the Year of China Tourism in Kazakhstan.

    According to Li Jiang, deputy head of Horgos Customs, the launch of the above-mentioned international tourist train has laid a new foundation for deepening connectivity and promoting people-to-people exchanges between China and Central Asian countries.

    In addition, according to the results of the first five months of 2025, the flow of visitors to the China-Kazakhstan International Center for Boundary Cooperation (ICBC) “Khorgos” increased by 87.2 percent year-on-year to 3.893 million person-times.

    At present, there are 3 companies engaged in cross-border e-commerce and more than 20 streaming studios operating in Khorgos ICBC. To date, the total turnover through streaming in Khorgos ICBC has exceeded 100 million yuan.

    Khorgos checkpoint continues to upgrade infrastructure, optimize inspection procedures, and improve clearance efficiency to better serve the cross-border trade and humanitarian exchanges between China and Kazakhstan. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi’s upcoming visit to advance China-Central Asia community with shared future

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    For centuries, China and Central Asian nations have shared close bonds through mutual learning and exchanges underpinned by deep historical ties, solid public support and strong practical needs.

    Two years ago, the inaugural China-Central Asia Summit was held in Xi’an, capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province. Since then, cooperation between China and Central Asian countries has yielded even more tangible and fruitful outcomes.

    At the invitation of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, from June 16 to 18. The summit is expected to take the six countries on a new journey toward building a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

    A drone photo taken on April 20, 2025 shows a China-Central Asia freight train waiting for departure at the Tuanjiecun Station in southwest China’s Chongqing. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

    GROWING PARTNERSHIP

    More than 2,100 years ago, Han Dynasty envoy Zhang Qian’s journey to western regions ushered in China-Central Asia friendly exchanges. The legacy of the ancient Silk Road has evolved and acquired more profound significance nowadays.

    Xi first proposed in Kazakhstan in 2013 the initiative to jointly build the Silk Road Economic Belt, an essential component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

    With the launch of the China-Central Asia mechanism and the regular China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting mechanism in 2020, collaboration has deepened across sectors.

    In January 2022, Xi chaired a virtual summit to commemorate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Central Asian countries. During the summit, the parties proposed upgrading the China-Central Asia mechanism to the level of heads of state.

    Moreover, the decision to establish a mechanism for meetings among the heads of state of China and Central Asian countries was announced at the first China-Central Asia Summit held in May 2023.

    Deepening China-Central Asia cooperation is in line with the prevailing trend of the world and the expectations of the people, said Xi when addressing a welcome banquet for Central Asian leaders attending the first summit held in Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi province.

    With the upgrading of the all-around and multifaceted framework, efficient ministerial mechanisms now support cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, customs, public security and more.

    Today, China has established comprehensive strategic partnerships, signed Belt and Road cooperation documents and implemented the vision of building a community with a shared future at the bilateral level with all five Central Asian countries.

    Ismail Dairov, director of Kyrgyzstan’s think tank the Regional Mountain Center of Central Asia, noted that Central Asia and China share a thousand-year history of exchanges. Today, within the framework of the BRI, both sides are strengthening ties and cooperation at an unprecedented pace, he said.

    The Sixth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, April 26, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Renzi)

    TOWARD MODERNIZATION

    On April 29, the work to build three key control tunnels in Kyrgyzstan’s section of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway commenced. The railway is an iconic BRI project backed by the three nations’ leaders, symbolizing shared efforts to boost connectivity and prosperity in the region.

    Kyrgyz political scientist Kubanychbek Taabaldiev called the move “a great achievement of bilateral relations between China and Central Asia” that would take the ongoing projects into a new phase and “bring benefits from both economic and political points of view.”

    “The world needs an interconnected Central Asia,” said Xi in his keynote speech at the first China-Central Asia Summit. Since then, the two sides have explored further cooperation to enhance infrastructure development for seamless and efficient connectivity.

    Much progress has been achieved: Central Asia freight trains are running regularly as official railway data showed 4,725 trips were made in the first four months of 2025, up 21 percent year on year; the Kazakhstan-Xi’an Terminal officially began operations in February 2024 and is currently operating at a high level of quality; and the construction of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor has made steady progress.

    New logistics routes, including rail, road and air, now transport Chinese appliances, consumer goods and electric vehicles to Central Asia, while high-quality Central Asian products such as fertilizers, cotton, beef and mutton are reaching China faster than ever.

    Beyond transport and logistics networks, cooperation is expanding into agriculture, IT, clean energy and cross-border e-commerce, supporting industrial upgrades and better livelihoods.

    According to China’s General Administration of Customs, China-Central Asia trade reached 94.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, a record increase of 5.4 billion dollars from the previous year.

    Strengthening regional connectivity cannot only promote economic integration, but also deepen exchanges and understanding between civilizations, laying a solid foundation for regional stability and development, said Zaynidin Kurmanov, vice president of the Diplomatic Academy of Kyrgyzstan and former Kyrgyz Parliament speaker.

    Students learn skills at the Luban Workshop in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, May 31, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Renzi)

    CLOSER HEARTS

    From tourism to vocational education cooperation, from cultural exchanges to archaeological cooperation, Chinese and Central Asian people are being brought closer through in-depth and lasting dialogues at all levels, as well as mutual learning among civilizations.

    Recently, a tourist train accomplished the first cultural trip between Xi’an, China and Almaty, Kazakhstan. Special train services for cultural tourism in Central Asia are among a series of programs to strengthen dialogue between civilizations as promoted by Xi at the first China-Central Asia Summit.

    This year marks the China tourism year in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan’s year of tourism in China. More and more Chinese tourists enjoy the convenience provided by visa-free travel agreements between China and Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. China’s seaside cities have also become common destinations for Central Asian visitors.

    China and Central Asian countries have also actively promoted vocational education cooperation programs. The Luban Workshop, which has been operating in Tajikistan for more than two years, has also been launched in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to cultivate future technical talents and provide opportunities for Central Asian youths.

    “We are training engineers under the Luban Workshop project. It’s not just about education, but also cultural exchange,” said Mirlan Chynybaev, rector of Kyrgyz State Technical University that manages the workshop.

    With the establishment of Chinese Cultural Centers and Confucius Institutes, Chinese language fever and “China fever” are heating up in Central Asian countries, bringing more and more young people to study in China.

    According to Yagshy Ayjanov, a startupper from Turkmenistan who operates a company with his Chinese friends in Xi’an, their company in 2024 has provided various kinds of study services for over 800 people who want to come to China, and most of them were from Central Asia.

    “After the first China-Central Asia summit, we can clearly feel that Central Asian students have shown a stronger willingness to study in China as China means more opportunities and better employment prospects,” Ayjanov said.

    Ruslan Kenzhaev, deputy editor-in-chief of the leading Uzbek newspaper Narodnoe Slovo, pointed out that through deepening economic cooperation, promoting infrastructure development, advancing technology and people-to-people exchanges, Central Asian countries and China have developed a model of sustainable cooperation based on mutual respect and shared visions.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Seabed mining is becoming an environmental flashpoint – NZ will have to pick a side soon

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Myra Williamson, Senior Lecturer in Law, Auckland University of Technology

    Getty Images

    Seabed mining could become one of the defining environmental battles of 2025. Around the world, governments are weighing up whether to allow mining of the ocean floor for metal ores and minerals. New Zealand is among them.

    The stakes are high. Deep-sea mining is highly controversial, with evidence showing mining activity can cause lasting damage to fragile marine ecosystems. One area off the east coast of the United States, mined as an experiment 50 years ago, still bears scars and shows little sign of recovery.

    With the world facing competing pressures – climate action and conservation versus demand for resources – New Zealand must now decide whether to fast-track mining, regulate it tightly, or pause it entirely.

    Who controls international seabed mining?

    A major flashpoint is governance in international waters. Under international law, seabed mining beyond national jurisdiction is managed by the International Seabed Authority (ISA), created by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

    But the US has never ratified UNCLOS. In April this year, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to bypass the ISA and allow companies to begin mining in international waters.

    The ISA has pushed back, warning unilateral action breaches international law. However, the declaration from the recently concluded UN Ocean Conference in France does not urge countries to adopt a precautionary approach, nor does it ban deep seabed mining.

    The declaration does “reiterate the need to increase scientific knowledge on deep sea ecosystems” and recognises the role of the ISA in setting “robust rules, regulations and procedures for exploitation of resources” in international waters.

    So, while the international community supports multilateralism and international law, deep-sea mining in the near future remains a real possibility.

    Fast-track approvals

    In the Pacific, some countries have already made up their minds about which way they will go. Nauru recently updated its agreement with Canadian-based The Metals Company to begin mining in the nearby Clarion Clipperton Zone. The deal favours the US’s go-it-alone approach over the ISA model.

    By contrast, in 2022, New Zealand’s Labour government backed the ISA’s moratorium and committed to a holistic ocean management strategy. Whether that position still holds is unclear, given the current government’s policies.

    The list of applications under the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 – described by Regional Development Minister Shane Jones as “arguably the most permissive regime” in Australasia – includes two controversial seabed mining proposals in Bream Bay and off the Taranaki coast:

    • Trans-Tasman Resources’ proposal to extract up to 50 million tonnes of Taranaki seabed material annually to recover heavy mineral sands that contain iron ore as well as rare metal elements titanium and vanadium.

    • McCallum Brothers Ltd’s Bream Bay proposal to dredge up to 150,000 cubic metres of sand yearly for three years, and up to 250,000 cubic metres after that.

    Legal landscape changing

    Māori and environmental groups have opposed the fast-track policy, and the Treaty of Waitangi has so far been a powerful safeguard in seabed mining cases.

    Provisions referencing Treaty principles appear in key laws, including the Crown Minerals Act and the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act.

    In 2021, the Supreme Court cited these obligations when it rejected a 2016 marine discharge application by Trans-Tasman Resources to mine the seabed in the Taranaki Bight. The court ruled Treaty clauses must be interpreted in a “broad and generous” way, recognising tikanga Māori and customary marine rights.

    But that legal landscape could soon change. The Regulatory Standards Bill, now before parliament, would give priority to property rights over environmental or Indigenous protections in the formulation of new laws and regulations.

    The bill also allows for the review of existing legislation. In theory, if the Regulatory Standards Bill becomes law, it could result in the removal of Treaty principles clauses from legislation.

    This in turn could deny courts the tools they’ve previously used to uphold environmental and Treaty-based protections to block seabed mining applications. That would make it easier to approve fast-tracked projects such as the Bream Bay and Taranaki projects.

    Setting a precedent

    Meanwhile, Hawai’i has gone in a different direction. In 2024, the US state passed a law banning seabed mining in state waters – joining California (2022), Washington (2021) and Oregon (1991).

    Under the Hawai’i Seabed Mining Prevention Act, mining is banned except in rare cases such as beach restoration. The law cites the public’s right to a clean and healthy environment.

    As global conflict brews over seabed governance, New Zealand’s eventual position could set a precedent.

    Choosing to prohibit seabed mining in New Zealand waters, as Hawai’i has done, would send a strong message that environmental stewardship and Indigenous rights matter more than short-term resource extraction interests.

    If New Zealand does decide to go ahead with seabed mining, however, it could trigger a cascade of mining efforts across New Zealand and the Pacific. A crucial decision is fast approaching.

    Myra Williamson 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. Seabed mining is becoming an environmental flashpoint – NZ will have to pick a side soon – https://theconversation.com/seabed-mining-is-becoming-an-environmental-flashpoint-nz-will-have-to-pick-a-side-soon-258908

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for June 16, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 16, 2025.

    ‘No kings!’: like the LA protesters, the early Romans hated kings, too
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Edwell, Associate Professor in Ancient History, Macquarie University Protesters across the United States have brandished placards declaring “no kings!” in recent days, keen to send a message one-man rule is not acceptable. The defeat of the forces of King George III in the United States’ revolutionary

    Keith Rankin Analysis – Clio: Whose side is ‘History’ on?
    Analysis by Keith Rankin. Is history binary? A judge of past behaviour with just two available options: thumbs-up, or thumbs-down? If you are not on the ‘right side’ of history, are you therefore on the ‘wrong side’? Can there be a ‘right side of history’? Given the contexts that we now proclaim to be the

    Millions rally against authoritarianism, while the White House portrays protests as threats – a political scientist explains
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jeremy Pressman, Professor of Political Science, University of Connecticut Protesters parade through the Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans as part of the nationwide No Kings protest against President Donald Trump, on June 14, 2025. Patt Little/Anadolu via Getty Images At the end of a week when President

    A 3-tonne, $1.5 billion satellite to watch Earth’s every move is set to launch this week
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steve Petrie, Earth Observation Researcher, Swinburne University of Technology Artist’s concept of the NISAR satellite in orbit over Earth. NASA/JPL-Caltech In a few days, a new satellite that can detect changes on Earth’s surface down to the centimetre, in almost real time and no matter the time

    Decades on from the Royal Commission, why are Indigenous people still dying in custody?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney Rose Marinelli/Shutterstock Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the name of an Indigenous person who has died. The recent deaths in custody of two Indigenous men in the Northern Territory have provoked

    Need to see a specialist? You might have to choose between high costs and a long wait. Here’s what needs to change
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Breadon, Program Director, Health and Aged Care, Grattan Institute If you have cancer, a disease such as diabetes or dementia, or need to manage other complex health conditions, you often need expert care from a specialist doctor. But as our new Grattan Institute report shows, too

    Small businesses are an innovation powerhouse. For many, it’s still too hard to raise the funds they need
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Colette Southam, Associate Professor of Finance, Bond University The federal government wants to boost Australia’s productivity levels – as a matter of national priority. It’s impossible to have that conversation without also talking about innovation. We can be proud of (and perhaps a little surprised by) some

    A solar panel recycling scheme would help reduce waste, but please repair and reuse first
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deepika Mathur, Senior Research Fellow, Northern Institute, Charles Darwin University tolobalaguer.com, Shutterstock Australia’s rooftop solar industry has renewed calls for a mandatory recycling scheme to deal with the growing problem of solar panel waste. Only about 10% of panels are currently recycled. The rest are stockpiled, sent

    Why Israel’s shock and awe has proven its power but lost the war
    COMMENTARY: By Antony Loewenstein War is good for business and geopolitical posturing. Before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington in early February for his first visit to the US following President Donald Trump’s inauguration, he issued a bold statement on the strategic position of Israel. “The decisions we made in the war [since

    Netanyahu has two war aims: destroying Iran’s nuclear program and regime change. Are either achievable?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Parmeter, Research Scholar, Middle East Studies, Australian National University Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities could last for at least two weeks. His timing seems precise for a reason. The Israel Defence Forces and the country’s intelligence agencies have

    Israel’s attacks on Iran are already hurting global oil prices, and the impact is set to worsen
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joaquin Vespignani, Associate Professor of Economics and Finance, University of Tasmania The weekend attacks on Iran’s oil facilities – widely seen as part of escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran – represent a dangerous moment for global energy security. While the physical damage to Iran’s production facilities

    Vehicle issued to Fiji assistant minister involved in fatal accident – driver’s son implicated
    By Anish Chand in Suva The son of a Fiji assistant minister is under investigation for allegedly driving a government vehicle without authority and causing an accident that killed two men. The accident took place along Bau Road, Nausori, last night. The vehicle involved in the accident was the official government vehicle issued for the

    Caitlin Johnstone: We are, of course, being lied to about Iran
    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone Iran and Israel are at war, with the US already intimately involved and likely to become more so. Which of course means we’ll be spending the foreseeable future getting bashed in the face with lies from the most powerful people in the

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Northeast brigades celebrate four new tankers and improved fire station

    Source:

    A group of brigades in the outer suburbs of Melbourne are ready for the fire season ahead with four new tankers and a newly renovated station at Chirnside Park.

    The Basin, Olinda and South Warrandyte brigades officially received their new heavy tankers at an event on Sunday 15 June, while Chirnside Park received a medium tanker along with their station refurbishment.

    Chirnside Park was originally built in 2004 as a satellite station of Lilydale, it became a standalone brigade in 2015.

    The renovations provide a new multi-purpose room and kitchen as well as a new workshop, entry and turnout area. Further alterations include upgraded bathrooms, breathing apparatus maintenance, a drying room and two new offices.

    Chirnside Park Captain Ben Cash said the renovated station will assist with growing membership numbers and will improve their ability to respond to emergencies.

    “The extension also gives us increased room to expand our training and improve the skillset of our dedicated members,” Ben said.

    “The renovation comes at a time when our station is celebrating 10 years as a standalone brigade which is a great way to round off the decade.”

    Chirnside Park also received a new medium tanker, further boosting their service to the area.

    The medium tanker is equipped with a 2,500 litre water capacity that allows for rapid and controlled suppression of fires directly from the vehicle.

    “This new tanker is a great asset for us, it is four-wheel drive and comfortably seats a crew of five,” Ben said.

    “Our previous medium tanker served us well but this new tanker provides double the pumping ability which is more beneficial for our growing urban population.

    “The new tanker has already been in good use, responding to the Montrose fire earlier this year.”

    Deputy Chief Officer Gavin Thompson said the renovated station and four new tankers are welcomed resources for the region.

    “The four tankers have state-of-the-art features and will be well utilised in their new homes,” Gavin said.

    “The heavy tanker holds 4,000 litres of water, has automatic transmission, four-wheel drive and crew cab to provide firefighters with greater on and off-road capability, safety and comfort. 

    “It also features improved firefighter operator interface and features to reduce fatigue and improve safety and ergonomics, including crew protection systems, electronic monitors, and electric rewind hose reels. 

    “Each brigade will greatly benefit from their new trucks and Chirnside Park’s 37 members will also enjoy their refurbished station for many years to come.”

    Submitted by CFA Media

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Panasonic launches services for VIXELL Container

    Source: Panasonic

    Headline: Panasonic launches services for VIXELL Container

    Tokyo, Japan, June 16, 2025 – Panasonic Corporation (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Masahiro Shinada; hereinafter referred to as Panasonic) today announced that it has launched rental and other services for the VIXELL Container, after adding it to the VIXELL product lineup, vacuum-insulated cooling boxes used to transport pharmaceuticals and investigational drugs that require strict temperature control. The VIXELL Container is a large-capacity cooling box that can load palletized cargo as is and keep it refrigerated for up to 10 days without a power source.
    Active containers equipped with a cooling system are generally used for the international transportation of pharmaceuticals that require strict temperature control. With a power source, they can maintain a constant temperature for a prolonged period, while posing possible temperature excursion issues, including a sudden failure of the cooling system or exposure to outside air when reloading cargo into refrigerated trucks. As part of measures to address these risks, passive containers are increasingly being used. They do not require a power source, as they use coolants. However, typical passive containers can only keep cargo refrigerated for a short period of three to five days. If the duration of transportation increases due to flight delays or customs clearance issues, the cargo must be removed and stored in a refrigerated area, or the coolants inside the containers must be replaced.
    Panasonic’s new VIXELL Container can keep cargo refrigerated for up to 10 days, the longest duration in the industry for passive containers.*2 This will avoid the need to replace coolants even if transportation is prolonged for a few days due to flight or customs procedural delays. Furthermore, since cargo can be transported in the VIXELL Container without having to reload it into refrigerated trucks, it will reduce the risk of temperature excursions due to exposure to outside air. The VIXELL Container can accommodate a T11 pallet (1100 x 1100 mm) used in Japan as well as pallets sized 1000 x 1200 mm, common in Europe and the U.S., allowing palletized cargo to remain loaded. Also, a structure that allows radio waves to pass through the cooling box for communication, one of the features of VIXELL, is also incorporated in the VIXELL Container, enabling remote access to shipping temperature data and location information via a real-time data logger.*3
    In addition to the box and pallet types, VIXELL now offers the container type, meeting a wide range of temperature-controlled transportation needs through a diverse lineup of products. Moreover, aside from renting and leasing the VIXELL Container, Panasonic has also launched rental services for overseas transportation, in which the used VIXELL Container will be collected and reused by leveraging its robustness. This initiative will contribute to a circular economy by establishing a recycling system that reduces waste.
    Notes:
    *1: Cooling period at an outside temperature of 30°C
    *2: As of June 2025, according to Panasonic’s research
    *3: Device for recording real-time measurement data (e.g. temperature, humidity, pressure)

    ■Product features

    1. Keeping cargo refrigerated for up to 10 days

    An aluminum-free vacuum insulation case (VIC: Vacuum Insulated Case) prevents cold air from escaping through joints, ensuring cold retention up to 10 days. Since the container does not require reloading or a power source, it reduces the risk of temperature excursions and enables prolonged cold transportation at low cost.

    2. Robust and reliable

    The VIC’s envelope, three to ten times thicker than common vacuum insulation panels (VIP: Vacuum Insulated Panel), protects the VIC’s vacuum state from vibrations during transportation and drop impacts from cargo handling. It is difficult to identify a decrease in insulation performance of common containers due to damage sustained in transit. On the other hand, this product is equipped with a wireless vacuum sensor, which instantly assesses its insulation performance before use.

    3. Easy to use and accurate

    The product’s structure allows palletized cargo to be loaded as is. It can accommodate a standard pallet (T11, 1100 x 1100 mm) used in Japan as well as pallets sized 1200 x 1000 mm, common in Europe and the U.S. The container door features a locking mechanism, and the design allows radio waves to pass through, enabling remote access to shipping temperature data and location information via a real-time data logger.

    ■Product specifications

    External dimensions: 1549 mm (w) x 1462 mm (d) x 1567 mm (h)
    Internal dimensions: 1246 mm (w) x 1135 mm (d) x 1090 mm (h)
    Payload: 1541 L
    Cooling temperature range: Below -20°C, 2°C to 8°C, 15°C to 25°C
    Cooling period (at an outside temperature of 30°C): 10 days
    Weight: 635 kg (Below -20°C), 565 kg (2°C to 8°C), 565 kg (15°C to 25°C)
    Services provided: Rental or lease for single-use in Japan (including precooling and product delivery)Rental for overseas transportation (including container collection, see the diagram below)

    VIXELL temperature-controlled transportation solutions websitehttps://www.panasonic.com/global/business/vixell.html

    About Panasonic Corporation
    Panasonic Corporation offers products and services for a variety of living environments, ranging from homes to stores to offices and cities. There are five businesses at the core of Panasonic Corporation: Living Appliances and Solutions Company, Heating & Ventilation A/C Company, Cold Chain Solutions Company, Electric Works Company and China and Northeast Asia Company. The operating company reported consolidated net sales of 3,584.2 billion yen for the year ended March 31, 2025. Panasonic Corporation is committed to fulfilling the mission of Life Tech & Ideas: For the wellbeing of people, society and the planet, and embraces the vision of becoming the best partner of your life with human-centric technology and innovation. Learn more about Panasonic: https://www.panasonic.com/global/about.html

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Panasonic launches services for VIXELL Container

    Source: Panasonic

    Headline: Panasonic launches services for VIXELL Container

    Tokyo, Japan, June 16, 2025 – Panasonic Corporation (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Masahiro Shinada; hereinafter referred to as Panasonic) today announced that it has launched rental and other services for the VIXELL Container, after adding it to the VIXELL product lineup, vacuum-insulated cooling boxes used to transport pharmaceuticals and investigational drugs that require strict temperature control. The VIXELL Container is a large-capacity cooling box that can load palletized cargo as is and keep it refrigerated for up to 10 days without a power source.
    Active containers equipped with a cooling system are generally used for the international transportation of pharmaceuticals that require strict temperature control. With a power source, they can maintain a constant temperature for a prolonged period, while posing possible temperature excursion issues, including a sudden failure of the cooling system or exposure to outside air when reloading cargo into refrigerated trucks. As part of measures to address these risks, passive containers are increasingly being used. They do not require a power source, as they use coolants. However, typical passive containers can only keep cargo refrigerated for a short period of three to five days. If the duration of transportation increases due to flight delays or customs clearance issues, the cargo must be removed and stored in a refrigerated area, or the coolants inside the containers must be replaced.
    Panasonic’s new VIXELL Container can keep cargo refrigerated for up to 10 days, the longest duration in the industry for passive containers.*2 This will avoid the need to replace coolants even if transportation is prolonged for a few days due to flight or customs procedural delays. Furthermore, since cargo can be transported in the VIXELL Container without having to reload it into refrigerated trucks, it will reduce the risk of temperature excursions due to exposure to outside air. The VIXELL Container can accommodate a T11 pallet (1100 x 1100 mm) used in Japan as well as pallets sized 1000 x 1200 mm, common in Europe and the U.S., allowing palletized cargo to remain loaded. Also, a structure that allows radio waves to pass through the cooling box for communication, one of the features of VIXELL, is also incorporated in the VIXELL Container, enabling remote access to shipping temperature data and location information via a real-time data logger.*3
    In addition to the box and pallet types, VIXELL now offers the container type, meeting a wide range of temperature-controlled transportation needs through a diverse lineup of products. Moreover, aside from renting and leasing the VIXELL Container, Panasonic has also launched rental services for overseas transportation, in which the used VIXELL Container will be collected and reused by leveraging its robustness. This initiative will contribute to a circular economy by establishing a recycling system that reduces waste.
    Notes:
    *1: Cooling period at an outside temperature of 30°C
    *2: As of June 2025, according to Panasonic’s research
    *3: Device for recording real-time measurement data (e.g. temperature, humidity, pressure)

    ■Product features

    1. Keeping cargo refrigerated for up to 10 days

    An aluminum-free vacuum insulation case (VIC: Vacuum Insulated Case) prevents cold air from escaping through joints, ensuring cold retention up to 10 days. Since the container does not require reloading or a power source, it reduces the risk of temperature excursions and enables prolonged cold transportation at low cost.

    2. Robust and reliable

    The VIC’s envelope, three to ten times thicker than common vacuum insulation panels (VIP: Vacuum Insulated Panel), protects the VIC’s vacuum state from vibrations during transportation and drop impacts from cargo handling. It is difficult to identify a decrease in insulation performance of common containers due to damage sustained in transit. On the other hand, this product is equipped with a wireless vacuum sensor, which instantly assesses its insulation performance before use.

    3. Easy to use and accurate

    The product’s structure allows palletized cargo to be loaded as is. It can accommodate a standard pallet (T11, 1100 x 1100 mm) used in Japan as well as pallets sized 1200 x 1000 mm, common in Europe and the U.S. The container door features a locking mechanism, and the design allows radio waves to pass through, enabling remote access to shipping temperature data and location information via a real-time data logger.

    ■Product specifications

    External dimensions: 1549 mm (w) x 1462 mm (d) x 1567 mm (h)
    Internal dimensions: 1246 mm (w) x 1135 mm (d) x 1090 mm (h)
    Payload: 1541 L
    Cooling temperature range: Below -20°C, 2°C to 8°C, 15°C to 25°C
    Cooling period (at an outside temperature of 30°C): 10 days
    Weight: 635 kg (Below -20°C), 565 kg (2°C to 8°C), 565 kg (15°C to 25°C)
    Services provided: Rental or lease for single-use in Japan (including precooling and product delivery)Rental for overseas transportation (including container collection, see the diagram below)

    VIXELL temperature-controlled transportation solutions websitehttps://www.panasonic.com/global/business/vixell.html

    About Panasonic Corporation
    Panasonic Corporation offers products and services for a variety of living environments, ranging from homes to stores to offices and cities. There are five businesses at the core of Panasonic Corporation: Living Appliances and Solutions Company, Heating & Ventilation A/C Company, Cold Chain Solutions Company, Electric Works Company and China and Northeast Asia Company. The operating company reported consolidated net sales of 3,584.2 billion yen for the year ended March 31, 2025. Panasonic Corporation is committed to fulfilling the mission of Life Tech & Ideas: For the wellbeing of people, society and the planet, and embraces the vision of becoming the best partner of your life with human-centric technology and innovation. Learn more about Panasonic: https://www.panasonic.com/global/about.html

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Speeding Auckland motorist put lives at risk

    Source: New Zealand Police

    An Auckland teenager is without wheels and will face charges after a patrol detected him at driving at dangerous speeds.

    It could have been a different story.

    A Motorway Patrol unit on the Southern Motorway saw the vehicle being driven at high speed at around 11pm on Sunday.

    Sergeant Chris Mann says it’s lucky that Police is not telling the public about a fatality today.

    “Another unit picked up this vehicle on the motorway as it neared the Mt Wellington off-ramp,” he says.

    “It locked the vehicle at an eye-watering speed – nearly twice the speed limit.”

    Police attempted to stop the vehicle near the off ramp, but the driver failed to stop.

    “The Police Eagle helicopter deployed and was able to track the vehicle,” Sergeant Mann says.

    “Another unit in the Mt Wellington area was able to successfully deploy spikes to slow the vehicle down.”

    Eagle soon directed ground staff to a Pt England Street, where the vehicle had parked up.

    Sergeant Mann says the 18-year-old male driver, and registered owner of the vehicle, will face court over his actions.

    “Alongside having his vehicle impounded, the driver has also been suspended from driving for 28 days,” he says.

    “There is no excuse for driving at this speed and it’s fortunate our staff weren’t knocking on someone’s door last night to advise of a fatality.”

    ENDS.

    Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Safer trucks mean safer roads – construction begins for Mackays Crossing Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    Construction has begun on a new Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre (CVSC) on State Highway 59 between the Mackays Crossing and Paekākāriki interchanges.

    View larger map

    Jetesh Bhula, Regional Manager Infrastructure delivery, says it is one of 12 sites being built on high-volume freight routes around the country and will be critical for improving road safety.

    “Crashes involving heavy vehicles can and do have devastating consequences. Ensuring trucks and truckies are complying with heavy vehicle rules is about keeping the public safe, but also about keeping freight operators safe too.”

    “Since 2013 there has been a 40 percent increase in fatal and serious injury crashes involving heavy vehicles compared to an increase of 16 percent for all road crashes. CVSCs are a critical tool to help fix this,” Mr Bhula says.

    When it opens in mid-2026, the centre will work with Police to target non-compliant heavy vehicles and direct them into the CVSC for inspection.

    Mr Bhula says it ensures all operators are following the rules.

    “Those that do not follow the rules undercut and disadvantage responsible operators. CVSCs, like the one planned for Mackays Crossing, ensure there is a level playing field for everyone in the freight and trucking industry.

    “They also help us measure risk. The data collected from enforcement helps identify problem areas and lets us know where we need to help the industry make improvements,” Mr Bhula says.

    The CVSC will use advanced roadside technology to screen passing vehicles. Technology used includes in-road weigh-in-motion scales, automatic number plate recognition cameras, and electronic signs. It will screen and collect truck and operator information to monitor behaviour 24/7.

    The CVSC centre is being built by Downer and has an approximate construction cost of $6.5 million.

    More Information

    • From 2012 to 2021, heavy goods vehicles were involved in 20.5 percent of all fatality crashes. CVSCs are an important tool to address this and deliver a safer transport system.
    • Approximately 30,000 vehicles travel on the adjacent section of SH1 daily. Of these, around five percent are heavy vehicles.
    • It is estimated  that the CVSC will process  around 11 vehicles during morning peak traffic (8–9am) and seven  during evening peak traffic (5–6pm)
    • Because the CVSC will be located off the state highway, the bulk of its construction will not affect traffic.
    • Weigh-in motion systems planned for SH59 and SH1 will require traffic management when they are installed. Details on this work will be shared when its timing is confirmed.

    Useful Links

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: North Canterbury Community Vehicle Trust celebrates new garage

    Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

    Date:

    The trust’s garage has been named after one of its pioneers, Don Fairbrother, who helped set-up the organisation in 1986, alongside Dorothy Mitchell, Mary Sparrow and Wayne Mitchell. All four of “the originals” as they dubbed themselves, were at the opening of the garage in early June.

    At the event, Don expressed his gratitude to the many volunteers, trustees, organisations and businesses who helped them get the build across the line.

    “We are very proud of our new garage; this has been a huge team effort. We are so grateful for every contribution to the build,” he said.

    The grand opening the Community Vehicle Trust’s new garage with Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon

    For the past almost 40 years, the trust’s vehicles have been parked at local businesses that had offered them the spaces. The garage is 369sqm in size, with nine large garage doors, complete with a reception/office area, small kitchen, storage space and bathroom. A separate garage has been reserved for equipment storage.

    Made possible through a generous donation and saving

    The Rātā Foundation donated $100,000 towards the building, and the rest of the money was intentionally put aside from the trust’s vehicle upgrade fund over years to cover the cost.

    “We don’t have a mortgage on the building—we paid the entire $695,000 for it. It has meant we have sacrificed upgrading our vehicles for quite a while now, so that will be the next focus for the trust as some of them are getting quite old,” Don said.

    Over 50 volunteers drive the trust’s vehicles, and the trustees help coordinate and fundraise.

    Vehicles parked outside the trust’s new garage

    “The trust has done an incredible job getting its garage in place – this will provide a vital space for its work long into the future,” public transport general manager Stewart Gibbon said.

    What the Community Vehicle Trust offers

    The service runs four types of transport for locals:

    • a shopper service, which takes locals from their homes to the supermarket every Tuesday and Thursday for $2.00 return
    • a hospital shuttle which takes patients and a chosen support person from Rangiora into the city for appointments for $45.00 return
    • a local service which takes people to appointments in surrounding areas which requires booking two days in advance and costs $2.00 return
    • on-demand vehicle hires.

    For bookings, volunteering or other enquiries, visit the

    North Canterbury Community Vehicle Trust website.

    Environment Canterbury © 2025
    Retrieved: 11:29am, Mon 16 Jun 2025
    ecan.govt.nz/get-involved/news-and-events/2025/north-canterbury-community-vehicle-trust-celebrates-new-garage/

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Serious Crash at Pages Road, Moorleah

    Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

    Serious Crash at Pages Road, Moorleah

    Sunday, 15 June 2025 – 4:06 pm.

    Emergency Services were contacted at 11:37pm on 14 June 2025 regarding a serious traffic crash on Pages Road, Moorleah near the intersection of Cryans Road.
    The vehicle, a grey 2004 Holden Calais sedan, was travelling east, has left the road and then hit trees. The occupants of the vehicle were a 44-year-old man (driver), a 26-year-old woman and a 10-year-old child. The female passenger was transported to the North-West Regional Hospital by ambulance and then flown to the Royal Hobart Hospital via helicopter in a serious condition with head injuries. The male driver and child were uninjured. It is not believed there were any other vehicles involved in the crash.
    The crash is under investigation by Western Crash Investigation Services. Anyone with information, or relevant dash cam footage, is asked to contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers Tasmania on 1800 333 000 or at crimestopperstas.com.au.
    Information can be provided anonymously.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Millions rally against authoritarianism, while the White House portrays protests as threats – a political scientist explains

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jeremy Pressman, Professor of Political Science, University of Connecticut

    Protesters parade through the Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans as part of the nationwide No Kings protest against President Donald Trump, on June 14, 2025. Patt Little/Anadolu via Getty Images

    At the end of a week when President Donald Trump sent Marines and the California National Guard to Los Angeles to quell protests, Americans across the country turned out in huge numbers to protest Trump’s attempts to expand his power. In rallies on June 14, 2025, organized under the banner “No Kings,” millions of protesters decried Trump’s immigration roundups, cuts to government programs and what many described as his growing authoritarianism.

    The protests were largely peaceful, with relatively few incidents of violence.

    Protests and the interactions between protesters and government authorities have a long history in the United States. From the Boston Tea Party to the Civil Rights movement, LBGTQ Stonewall uprising, the Tea Party movement and Black Lives Matter, public protest has been a crucial aspect of efforts to advance or protect the rights of citizens.

    But protests can also have other effects.

    In the last few months, large numbers of anti-Trump protesters have come out in the streets across the U.S., on occasions like the April 5 Hands Off protests against safety net budget cuts and government downsizing. Many of those protesters assert they are protecting American democracy.

    The Trump administration has decried these protesters and the concept of protest more generally, with the president recently calling protesters “troublemakers, agitators, insurrectionists.” A few days before the June 14 military parade in Washington, President Donald Trump said of potential protesters: “this is people that hate our country, but they will be met with very heavy force.”

    Trump’s current reaction is reminiscent of his harsh condemnation of the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020. In 2022, former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said that Trump had asked about shooting protesters participating in demonstrations after the 2020 shooting of George Floyd.

    As co-director of the Crowd Counting Consortium, which compiles information on each day’s protests in the U.S., I understand that protests sometimes can advance the goals of the protest movement. They also can shape the goals and behavior of federal or state governments and their leaders.

    Opportunity for expressing or suppressing democracy

    Protests are an expression of democracy, bolstered by the right to free speech and “the right of the people peaceably to assemble” in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

    At the same time, clamping down on protests is one way to rebut challenges to government policies and power.

    For a president intent on the further centralization of executive power, or even establishing a dictatorship, protest suppression provides multiple opportunities and pitfalls.

    Widespread, well-attended demonstrations can represent a mass movement in favor of democracy or other issues as well as serve as an opportunity to expand participation even further. Large events often lead to significant press coverage and plenty of social media posting. The protests may heighten protesters’ emotional connection to the movement and increase fundraising and membership numbers of sponsoring organizations.

    Though it is not an ironclad law, research shows that when at least 3.5% of the total population is involved in a demonstration, protesters usually prevail over their governments. That included the Chilean movement in the 1980s that toppled longtime dictator Augusto Pinochet. Chileans used not only massive demonstrations but also a wide array of creative tactics like a coordinated slowdown of driving and walking, neighbors banging pots outside homes simultaneously, and singing together.

    Protests are rarely only about protesting. Organizers usually seek to involve participants in many other activities, whether that is contacting their elected officials, writing letters to the editor, registering to vote or running a food drive to help vulnerable populations.

    In this way of thinking, participation in a major street protest like No Kings is a gateway into deeper activism.

    Risks and opportunities

    Of course, protest leaders cannot control everyone in or adjacent to the movement.

    Other protesters with a different agenda, or agitators of any sort, can insert themselves into a movement and use confrontational tactics like violence against property or law enforcement.

    In one prominent example from Los Angeles, someone set several self-driving cars on fire. Other Los Angeles examples included some protesters’ throwing things like water bottles at officers or engaging in vandalism. Police officers also use coercive measures such as firing chemical irritants and pepper balls at protesters.

    When leaders want to concentrate executive power and establish an autocracy, where they rule with absolute power, protests against those moves could lead to a mass rejection of the leader’s plans. That is what national protest groups like 50501 and Indivisible are hoping for and why they aimed to turn out millions of people at the No Kings protests on June 14.

    But while the Trump administration faces risks from protests, it also may see opportunities.

    Misrepresenting and quashing dissent

    Protests can serve as a justification for a nascent autocrat to further undermine democratic practices and institutions.

    Take the recent demonstrations in Los Angeles protesting the Trump administration’s immigration raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

    Autocrats seek to politicize independent institutions like the armed forces. The Los Angeles protests offered the opportunity for that. Trump sent troops from the California National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles to contain the protests. That domestic deployment of the military is rare but not unheard of in U.S. history.

    And the deployment was ordered against the backdrop of the president’s partisan June 10 speech at a U.S. military base in North Carolina. The military personnel in attendance cheered and applauded many of Trump’s political statements. Both the speech and audience reactions to it appeared to violate the U.S. military norm of nonpartisanship.

    This deployment of military personnel in a U.S. city also dovetails with the expansion of executive power characteristic of autocratic leaders. It is rare that presidents call up the National Guard; the Guard is traditionally under the control of the state governor.

    Yet the White House disregarded that Los Angeles’ mayor and California’s governor both objected to the deployment.

    The state sued the Trump administration over the deployment. The initial court decision sided with California officials, declaring the federal government action “illegal.” The Trump administration has appealed.

    Autocrats seek to spread disinformation. In the case of the Los Angeles protests, the Trump administration’s narrative depicted a chaotic, gang-infested city with violence everywhere. Reports on the ground refuted those characterizations. The protests, mostly peaceful, were confined to a small part of the city, about a 10-block area.

    More generally, a strong executive leader and their supporters often want to quash dissent. In the Los Angeles example, doing that has ranged from the military deployment itself to targeting journalists covering the story to arresting and charging prominent opponents like SEIU President David Huerta or shoving and handcuffing U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat.

    The contrast on June 14 was striking. In Washington, D.C., Trump reviewed a parade of troops, tanks and planes, leaning into a display of American military power.

    At the same time, from rainy Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to sweltering Yuma, Arizona, millions of protesters embraced their First Amendment rights to oppose the president. It perfectly illustrated the dynamic driving deep political division today: the executive concentrating power while a sizable segment of the people resist.

    Jeremy Pressman 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. Millions rally against authoritarianism, while the White House portrays protests as threats – a political scientist explains – https://theconversation.com/millions-rally-against-authoritarianism-while-the-white-house-portrays-protests-as-threats-a-political-scientist-explains-258963

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Man in court after Hauraki aggravated robbery

    Source: New Zealand Police

    A man is appearing in court today after an aggravated robbery at a Hauraki bar on Saturday night.

    Police were called to the North Shore bar on Lake Road after 7.30pm on 14 June.

    Detective Senior Sergeant Megan Goldie, from Waitematā Crime Squad, says a sole offender entered the bar.

    “He was allegedly carrying a weapon, and threatened a staff member working at the time,” she says.

    “The offender quickly made off with an amount of cash and took off in a stolen vehicle.”

    Sometime later, a stolen vehicle was detected travelling into central Auckland.

    Detective Senior Sergeant Goldie says the vehicle was seen in the Newton area.

    “The car was located by Auckland City staff parked on Fenton Street, and they were waiting when the offender left a nearby venue to return to his vehicle,” she says.

    “After initially being arrested over the stolen vehicle, Police located a large amount of cash on his person.

    “The staff were aware of the earlier aggravated robbery and the man was spoken to further.”

    He was transported back to the North Shore and was charged with aggravated robbery.

    The 28-year-old man is due to appear in the North Shore District Court today.

    “Police will be opposing this man’s bail when he appears in court,” Detective Senior Sergeant Goldie says.

    “It’s a pleasing result and I acknowledge the teamwork between the staff working on Saturday night.

    “While the staff member in the bar was uninjured, over the weekend we have ensured a referral to Victim Support has been made.”

    ENDS.

    Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: A solar panel recycling scheme would help reduce waste, but please repair and reuse first

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deepika Mathur, Senior Research Fellow, Northern Institute, Charles Darwin University

    tolobalaguer.com, Shutterstock

    Australia’s rooftop solar industry has renewed calls for a mandatory recycling scheme to deal with the growing problem of solar panel waste. Only about 10% of panels are currently recycled. The rest are stockpiled, sent overseas or dumped in landfill.

    One in three Australian homes now have rooftop solar panels, and new systems are being installed at the rate of 300,000 a year. Meanwhile, older systems are being scrapped – often well before the end of their useful life.

    This has made solar panels Australia’s fastest-growing electronic waste stream. Yet federal government plans for a national scheme to manage this waste appear to have stalled.

    Clearly, solar panel waste is a major problem for Australia. Recycling is one part of the solution. But Australia also needs new rules so solar panels can be repaired and reused.

    Millions of solar panels dumped as upgrades surge (ABC News, June 12, 2025)

    What are product stewardship schemes?

    The Smart Energy Council, which represents the solar industry, is calling for a national product stewardship scheme.

    Product stewardship schemes share responsibility for reducing waste at the end of a product’s useful life. They can involve people all along the supply chain, from manufacturers to importers to retailers.

    Such schemes may be voluntary, and industry-led, or mandatory and legislated. Alternatively, they can be shared – approved by government but run by an organisation on behalf of industry.

    Existing schemes manage waste such as oil, tyres, paper and packaging, mobile phones, televisions and computers.

    Depending on the product, a levy is paid by the manufacturer, product importer, network service provider (in case of mobile muster), retailer or consumer – or a combination of these. The money raised is then invested in recycling, research or raising awareness and administering the scheme.

    Establishing a solar panel product stewardship scheme

    Solar panel systems were added to a national priority list for a product stewardship scheme in 2017.

    In December 2020, the federal government called for partners to help develop the scheme, but later stated that no partnership would be struck.

    The government released a discussion paper for comment in 2023. The scheme has not yet been established.

    This is particularly problematic given Australia’s commitment to renewable energy, which will entail a rapid expansion of solar technology.

    Recycling should be the last resort

    Product stewardship schemes assume recycling is the main solution to the waste problem.

    Australia’s National Waste Policy also focuses on on recycling, rather than reuse or repair. This is despite recycling being the last resort on the “waste hierarchy”, just slightly above disposal.

    Solar photovoltaic panels are built to last 30 years or more, and are “not made to be unmade”. They are not easy to dismantle for recycling because they are built to withstand harsh conditions.

    It’s difficult for Australia to influence the design of solar panels, given 99% are imported. Just one manufacturer, Tindo Solar in Adelaide, assembles solar panels on Australian soil, using imported silicon cells.

    Many solar panels are being removed well before their end of life, generating waste ahead of time. This is rarely because they have stopped producing power.

    In our previous research, we found many reasons why people chose to take solar panels down. Consumers are often advised to replace the whole system when just a few panels are faulty. Or they may simply be upgrading to a larger, more efficient system. Sometimes it’s because they want to access a new renewable energy subsidy.

    Renewable subsidies and other solar panel policies should be redesigned to keep panels on roofs for longer.

    Functioning solar panels removed before the end of their life should be reused. This would require new regulations including quality-control measures certifying second-hand solar panels, and second-hand markets. This is a much neglected field of research and development.

    What else should such a scheme include?

    Others have discussed what a solar panel product stewardship scheme could include and the possible regulatory environment.

    We think the scheme should also involve collecting and transporting panels around Australia, including remote areas.

    Unfortunately, existing product stewardship schemes do not differentiate between urban, regional and remote areas. The same is likely to be the case for a solar panel collection and recycling scheme.

    This leaves regional and remote areas with fewer recycling facilities and collection points. With a growing number of large solar projects in Northern Australia, reducing waste is imperative.

    Remote island communities in the Northern Territory bundle up their recyclables and ship it to Darwin. Removed solar panels are then transported to urban Victoria, New South Wales or South Australia for processing. Who should bear the cost of transporting this waste? Consumers, remote regional councils with small ratepayer bases, or manufacturers and retailers?

    A well-designed scheme would help recover valuable resources across Australia for reuse in new products.

    However, large volumes of solar panels would be required for recycling schemes to become commercially viable. That’s why the solar recycling industry is concerned about exporters and scrap dealers collecting panels rather then certified solar panel recyclers.

    Even if the technology for recycling solar panels is nascent in Australia, it’s worth stockpiling panels in Australia for later.

    Considering these issues in the design of a product stewardship scheme would help ensure we can maximise the benefits of renewable energy, while minimising waste.

    Deepika Mathur has received research funding from the Northern Territory and federal governments.

    Robin Gregory is affiliated with Regional Development Australia Northern Territory

    – ref. A solar panel recycling scheme would help reduce waste, but please repair and reuse first – https://theconversation.com/a-solar-panel-recycling-scheme-would-help-reduce-waste-but-please-repair-and-reuse-first-258806

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Sun Dong begins Dutch visit

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong today met the management of internationally renowned semiconductor company Nexperia as he began his visit to the Netherlands.

    Apart from learning about Nexperia’s latest development directions and technology as well as its businesses in Hong Kong and globally, Prof Sun also explored with the company on its plan of further expansion in Hong Kong.

    Nexperia has businesses around the globe with research and development (R&D) facilities established in the Hong Kong Science Park.

    On Saturday, Prof Sun visited the showroom of Renault Group in Paris, France, and met the group’s management who gave him a briefing on the latest development and planning of the group and its brands as well as its various innovative businesses. Both sides also explored ways to deepen collaboration.

    BeyonCa, a premium electric vehicle enterprise backed by France’s Renault Group and China’s Dongfeng Motor Corporation, was established in Hong Kong in 2021 with its international headquarters being set up at the Hong Kong Science Park.

    Prof Sun pointed out that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has clearly stated in the Hong Kong Innovation & Technology Development Blueprint that the development of advanced manufacturing and new energy are one of the strategic technology industries.

    He highlighted that the Hong Kong Microelectronics Research & Development Institute, established in September last year, is preparing the set-up of two pilot lines at the Microelectronics Centre this year, striving to put them into operation next year to support product development and trial production.          

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: One person killed in drone attack on enterprise in Tatarstan

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    Moscow, June 15 /Xinhua/ — One person was killed and 13 others were injured in an attack by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on an enterprise in the Russian Republic of Tatarstan, the head of the republic Rustam Minnikhanov reported on Telegram.

    “Today, another attack by enemy drones was carried out on the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan. When the UAV was destroyed, the debris fell on the checkpoint building of the automobile plant in the Yelabuga district. As a result, a worker died. A total of 13 people were injured,” wrote R. Minnikhanov.

    He added that a fire broke out at the site and was quickly extinguished by the relevant services. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: SITI commences visit to Netherlands (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    ​The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, began his visit to the Netherlands today (June 15, Amsterdam time).
     
    Professor Sun met with the management of an internationally renowned semiconductor company Nexperia to learn about its latest development directions and technology, as well as its businesses in Hong Kong and globally. He also explored with the company on its plan of further expansion in Hong Kong. Nexperia has businesses around the globe with research and development (R&D) facilities established in the Hong Kong Science Park.
     
    Professor Sun visited the showroom of Renault Group in Paris, France and met with the group’s management yesterday (June 14, Paris time). BeyonCa, a premium electric vehicle enterprise backed by France’s Renault Group and China’s Dongfeng Motor Corporation, was established in Hong Kong in 2021 with its international headquarters being set up at the Hong Kong Science Park. Professor Sun was briefed on the latest development and planning of the group and its brands as well as its various innovative businesses. Both sides also explored ways to deepen collaboration.

    Professor Sun said, “The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has clearly stated in the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint that the development of advanced manufacturing and new energy are one of the strategic technology industries, and is actively enhancing support for strategic industries such as new energy vehicles and semiconductor technology, so as to promote new industrialisation in Hong Kong. In promoting microelectronics R&D, the Hong Kong Microelectronics Research and Development Institute was established in September last year to spearhead collaboration among universities, R&D centres and the industry on the R&D of third generation semiconductor core technology. The institute leverages the Greater Bay Area’s well-developed manufacturing industry chain and enormous market, and promotes the ‘1 to N’ transformation of R&D outcomes and industry development. It is preparing the set-up of two pilot lines at the Microelectronics Centre this year, striving to put them into operation next year to support product development and trial production.”
     
    During his stay in Paris, Professor Sun was interviewed by local media to introduce the latest situation and opportunities of Hong Kong’s I&T, telling the good I&T story of Hong Kong.
     
    Professor Sun will depart for The Hague this evening to continue his visit to the Netherlands.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Millions rally against authoritarianism, while the White House portrays protests as threats – a political scientist explains

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jeremy Pressman, Professor of Political Science, University of Connecticut

    Protesters parade through the Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans as part of the nationwide No Kings protest against President Donald Trump, on June 14, 2025. Patt Little/Anadolu via Getty Images

    At the end of a week when President Donald Trump sent Marines and the California National Guard to Los Angeles to quell protests, Americans across the country turned out in huge numbers to protest Trump’s attempts to expand his power. In rallies on June 14, 2025, organized under the banner “No Kings,” millions of protesters decried Trump’s immigration roundups, cuts to government programs and what many described as his growing authoritarianism.

    The protests were largely peaceful, with relatively few incidents of violence.

    Protests and the interactions between protesters and government authorities have a long history in the United States. From the Boston Tea Party to the Civil Rights movement, LBGTQ Stonewall uprising, the Tea Party movement and Black Lives Matter, public protest has been a crucial aspect of efforts to advance or protect the rights of citizens.

    But protests can also have other effects.

    In the last few months, large numbers of anti-Trump protesters have come out in the streets across the U.S., on occasions like the April 5 Hands Off protests against safety net budget cuts and government downsizing. Many of those protesters assert they are protecting American democracy.

    The Trump administration has decried these protesters and the concept of protest more generally, with the president recently calling protesters “troublemakers, agitators, insurrectionists.” A few days before the June 14 military parade in Washington, President Donald Trump said of potential protesters: “this is people that hate our country, but they will be met with very heavy force.”

    Trump’s current reaction is reminiscent of his harsh condemnation of the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020. In 2022, former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said that Trump had asked about shooting protesters participating in demonstrations after the 2020 shooting of George Floyd.

    As co-director of the Crowd Counting Consortium, which compiles information on each day’s protests in the U.S., I understand that protests sometimes can advance the goals of the protest movement. They also can shape the goals and behavior of federal or state governments and their leaders.

    Opportunity for expressing or suppressing democracy

    Protests are an expression of democracy, bolstered by the right to free speech and “the right of the people peaceably to assemble” in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

    At the same time, clamping down on protests is one way to rebut challenges to government policies and power.

    For a president intent on the further centralization of executive power, or even establishing a dictatorship, protest suppression provides multiple opportunities and pitfalls.

    Widespread, well-attended demonstrations can represent a mass movement in favor of democracy or other issues as well as serve as an opportunity to expand participation even further. Large events often lead to significant press coverage and plenty of social media posting. The protests may heighten protesters’ emotional connection to the movement and increase fundraising and membership numbers of sponsoring organizations.

    Though it is not an ironclad law, research shows that when at least 3.5% of the total population is involved in a demonstration, protesters usually prevail over their governments. That included the Chilean movement in the 1980s that toppled longtime dictator Augusto Pinochet. Chileans used not only massive demonstrations but also a wide array of creative tactics like a coordinated slowdown of driving and walking, neighbors banging pots outside homes simultaneously, and singing together.

    Protests are rarely only about protesting. Organizers usually seek to involve participants in many other activities, whether that is contacting their elected officials, writing letters to the editor, registering to vote or running a food drive to help vulnerable populations.

    In this way of thinking, participation in a major street protest like No Kings is a gateway into deeper activism.

    Risks and opportunities

    Of course, protest leaders cannot control everyone in or adjacent to the movement.

    Other protesters with a different agenda, or agitators of any sort, can insert themselves into a movement and use confrontational tactics like violence against property or law enforcement.

    In one prominent example from Los Angeles, someone set several self-driving cars on fire. Other Los Angeles examples included some protesters’ throwing things like water bottles at officers or engaging in vandalism. Police officers also use coercive measures such as firing chemical irritants and pepper balls at protesters.

    When leaders want to concentrate executive power and establish an autocracy, where they rule with absolute power, protests against those moves could lead to a mass rejection of the leader’s plans. That is what national protest groups like 50501 and Indivisible are hoping for and why they aimed to turn out millions of people at the No Kings protests on June 14.

    But while the Trump administration faces risks from protests, it also may see opportunities.

    Misrepresenting and quashing dissent

    Protests can serve as a justification for a nascent autocrat to further undermine democratic practices and institutions.

    Take the recent demonstrations in Los Angeles protesting the Trump administration’s immigration raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

    Autocrats seek to politicize independent institutions like the armed forces. The Los Angeles protests offered the opportunity for that. Trump sent troops from the California National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles to contain the protests. That domestic deployment of the military is rare but not unheard of in U.S. history.

    And the deployment was ordered against the backdrop of the president’s partisan June 10 speech at a U.S. military base in North Carolina. The military personnel in attendance cheered and applauded many of Trump’s political statements. Both the speech and audience reactions to it appeared to violate the U.S. military norm of nonpartisanship.

    This deployment of military personnel in a U.S. city also dovetails with the expansion of executive power characteristic of autocratic leaders. It is rare that presidents call up the National Guard; the Guard is traditionally under the control of the state governor.

    Yet the White House disregarded that Los Angeles’ mayor and California’s governor both objected to the deployment.

    The state sued the Trump administration over the deployment. The initial court decision sided with California officials, declaring the federal government action “illegal.” The Trump administration has appealed.

    Autocrats seek to spread disinformation. In the case of the Los Angeles protests, the Trump administration’s narrative depicted a chaotic, gang-infested city with violence everywhere. Reports on the ground refuted those characterizations. The protests, mostly peaceful, were confined to a small part of the city, about a 10-block area.

    More generally, a strong executive leader and their supporters often want to quash dissent. In the Los Angeles example, doing that has ranged from the military deployment itself to targeting journalists covering the story to arresting and charging prominent opponents like SEIU President David Huerta or shoving and handcuffing U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat.

    The contrast on June 14 was striking. In Washington, D.C., Trump reviewed a parade of troops, tanks and planes, leaning into a display of American military power.

    At the same time, from rainy Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to sweltering Yuma, Arizona, millions of protesters embraced their First Amendment rights to oppose the president. It perfectly illustrated the dynamic driving deep political division today: the executive concentrating power while a sizable segment of the people resist.

    Jeremy Pressman 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. Millions rally against authoritarianism, while the White House portrays protests as threats – a political scientist explains – https://theconversation.com/millions-rally-against-authoritarianism-while-the-white-house-portrays-protests-as-threats-a-political-scientist-explains-258963

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Millions rally against authoritarianism, while the White House portrays protests as threats – a political scientist explains

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jeremy Pressman, Professor of Political Science, University of Connecticut

    Protesters parade through the Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans as part of the nationwide No Kings protest against President Donald Trump, on June 14, 2025. Patt Little/Anadolu via Getty Images

    At the end of a week when President Donald Trump sent Marines and the California National Guard to Los Angeles to quell protests, Americans across the country turned out in huge numbers to protest Trump’s attempts to expand his power. In rallies on June 14, 2025, organized under the banner “No Kings,” millions of protesters decried Trump’s immigration roundups, cuts to government programs and what many described as his growing authoritarianism.

    The protests were largely peaceful, with relatively few incidents of violence.

    Protests and the interactions between protesters and government authorities have a long history in the United States. From the Boston Tea Party to the Civil Rights movement, LBGTQ Stonewall uprising, the Tea Party movement and Black Lives Matter, public protest has been a crucial aspect of efforts to advance or protect the rights of citizens.

    But protests can also have other effects.

    In the last few months, large numbers of anti-Trump protesters have come out in the streets across the U.S., on occasions like the April 5 Hands Off protests against safety net budget cuts and government downsizing. Many of those protesters assert they are protecting American democracy.

    The Trump administration has decried these protesters and the concept of protest more generally, with the president recently calling protesters “troublemakers, agitators, insurrectionists.” A few days before the June 14 military parade in Washington, President Donald Trump said of potential protesters: “this is people that hate our country, but they will be met with very heavy force.”

    Trump’s current reaction is reminiscent of his harsh condemnation of the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020. In 2022, former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said that Trump had asked about shooting protesters participating in demonstrations after the 2020 shooting of George Floyd.

    As co-director of the Crowd Counting Consortium, which compiles information on each day’s protests in the U.S., I understand that protests sometimes can advance the goals of the protest movement. They also can shape the goals and behavior of federal or state governments and their leaders.

    Opportunity for expressing or suppressing democracy

    Protests are an expression of democracy, bolstered by the right to free speech and “the right of the people peaceably to assemble” in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

    At the same time, clamping down on protests is one way to rebut challenges to government policies and power.

    For a president intent on the further centralization of executive power, or even establishing a dictatorship, protest suppression provides multiple opportunities and pitfalls.

    Widespread, well-attended demonstrations can represent a mass movement in favor of democracy or other issues as well as serve as an opportunity to expand participation even further. Large events often lead to significant press coverage and plenty of social media posting. The protests may heighten protesters’ emotional connection to the movement and increase fundraising and membership numbers of sponsoring organizations.

    Though it is not an ironclad law, research shows that when at least 3.5% of the total population is involved in a demonstration, protesters usually prevail over their governments. That included the Chilean movement in the 1980s that toppled longtime dictator Augusto Pinochet. Chileans used not only massive demonstrations but also a wide array of creative tactics like a coordinated slowdown of driving and walking, neighbors banging pots outside homes simultaneously, and singing together.

    Protests are rarely only about protesting. Organizers usually seek to involve participants in many other activities, whether that is contacting their elected officials, writing letters to the editor, registering to vote or running a food drive to help vulnerable populations.

    In this way of thinking, participation in a major street protest like No Kings is a gateway into deeper activism.

    Risks and opportunities

    Of course, protest leaders cannot control everyone in or adjacent to the movement.

    Other protesters with a different agenda, or agitators of any sort, can insert themselves into a movement and use confrontational tactics like violence against property or law enforcement.

    In one prominent example from Los Angeles, someone set several self-driving cars on fire. Other Los Angeles examples included some protesters’ throwing things like water bottles at officers or engaging in vandalism. Police officers also use coercive measures such as firing chemical irritants and pepper balls at protesters.

    When leaders want to concentrate executive power and establish an autocracy, where they rule with absolute power, protests against those moves could lead to a mass rejection of the leader’s plans. That is what national protest groups like 50501 and Indivisible are hoping for and why they aimed to turn out millions of people at the No Kings protests on June 14.

    But while the Trump administration faces risks from protests, it also may see opportunities.

    Misrepresenting and quashing dissent

    Protests can serve as a justification for a nascent autocrat to further undermine democratic practices and institutions.

    Take the recent demonstrations in Los Angeles protesting the Trump administration’s immigration raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

    Autocrats seek to politicize independent institutions like the armed forces. The Los Angeles protests offered the opportunity for that. Trump sent troops from the California National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles to contain the protests. That domestic deployment of the military is rare but not unheard of in U.S. history.

    And the deployment was ordered against the backdrop of the president’s partisan June 10 speech at a U.S. military base in North Carolina. The military personnel in attendance cheered and applauded many of Trump’s political statements. Both the speech and audience reactions to it appeared to violate the U.S. military norm of nonpartisanship.

    This deployment of military personnel in a U.S. city also dovetails with the expansion of executive power characteristic of autocratic leaders. It is rare that presidents call up the National Guard; the Guard is traditionally under the control of the state governor.

    Yet the White House disregarded that Los Angeles’ mayor and California’s governor both objected to the deployment.

    The state sued the Trump administration over the deployment. The initial court decision sided with California officials, declaring the federal government action “illegal.” The Trump administration has appealed.

    Autocrats seek to spread disinformation. In the case of the Los Angeles protests, the Trump administration’s narrative depicted a chaotic, gang-infested city with violence everywhere. Reports on the ground refuted those characterizations. The protests, mostly peaceful, were confined to a small part of the city, about a 10-block area.

    More generally, a strong executive leader and their supporters often want to quash dissent. In the Los Angeles example, doing that has ranged from the military deployment itself to targeting journalists covering the story to arresting and charging prominent opponents like SEIU President David Huerta or shoving and handcuffing U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat.

    The contrast on June 14 was striking. In Washington, D.C., Trump reviewed a parade of troops, tanks and planes, leaning into a display of American military power.

    At the same time, from rainy Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to sweltering Yuma, Arizona, millions of protesters embraced their First Amendment rights to oppose the president. It perfectly illustrated the dynamic driving deep political division today: the executive concentrating power while a sizable segment of the people resist.

    Jeremy Pressman 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. Millions rally against authoritarianism, while the White House portrays protests as threats – a political scientist explains – https://theconversation.com/millions-rally-against-authoritarianism-while-the-white-house-portrays-protests-as-threats-a-political-scientist-explains-258963

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • Iranian Missile Strikes Kill 10 in Israel as Israeli Warplanes Hit Tehran Oil Depot

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Iran and Israel have entered their deadliest phase of direct conflict yet, with at least 10 people killed in Israeli cities and massive fires reported at an oil depot in Tehran following reciprocal strikes on June 15. This marks the third consecutive day of military exchanges, as both governments vow further action amid a rising humanitarian toll and growing regional instability.

    Devastation in Israeli Cities

    Emergency services in Israel are racing against time to locate seven individuals still trapped beneath rubble. Ongoing rocket fire has hampered rescue operations, even as more than 300 Israelis have been injured since Iran launched its missile barrage on Friday. Hospitals in central and northern Israel are operating at full capacity.

    Air raid sirens wailed throughout the day across Israeli cities as residential areas suffered direct hits. In Bat Yam, six people were killed after an Iranian missile struck an apartment building. Rescue workers sifted through collapsed concrete and twisted metal to reach survivors. In Tamra, near Haifa, four individuals were confirmed dead after a two-story home was destroyed in the attacks.

    The Weizmann Institute of Science, a leading research university located in Rehovot, also sustained damage during the missile onslaught, with several of its facilities reportedly hit.

    Israeli Strikes on Tehran

    In retaliation, Israeli warplanes launched a barrage of airstrikes on key infrastructure in Iran, including a major oil facility in Tehran. The attack sparked massive fires that sent thick plumes of black smoke over the city. The Israeli military dubbed the retaliatory operation “Operation Rising Lion,” targeting Iran’s Defense Ministry headquarters and other nuclear-linked sites.

    Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made his first public appearance since the strikes began, stating, “If Israeli attacks cease, our responses will also stop.”

    Regional Fallout

    Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen claimed responsibility for coordinating their own strikes on Israeli targets, signaling the potential expansion of the conflict into a broader regional confrontation.

    The violence has already disrupted diplomatic processes. Oman confirmed the cancellation of the sixth round of U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations scheduled in Muscat today, citing the “ongoing hostilities” as the reason.

    The Israeli intelligence operation that preceded Iran’s retaliation reportedly led to the deaths of three senior Iranian military commanders and two nuclear scientists—described by analysts as one of the most significant Israeli blows to Iran in years.

    Although no nuclear accidents have been confirmed, international observers have voiced concern over potential radiation and chemical exposure due to strikes on sensitive Iranian sites.

    Escalating Rhetoric and Military Posture

    Both countries have enacted military censorship and closed parts of their respective airspaces. In a stark warning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “Iran has seen only a fraction of what Israel is capable of.” Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have promised a “far more forceful” response should Israeli attacks continue.