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In a first-of-its-kind move, Uasin Gishu County has exported 50 in-calf Ayrshire heifers to Nigeria’s Ogun State, in an effort to boost the county’s livestock industry and economically empower farmers. The cows, which were exported on Friday 25 July, are said to have some of the best genetics in East Africa. They were sourced from

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has reportedly declared its inability to intervene in the case of Kenyan activist Mwabili Mwagodi, who was allegedly abducted in Tanzania.  Mwagodi, known for his online activism, was seized by unknown individuals on Wednesday, July 23, in Dar es Salaam, according to a report by Amnesty-Kenya.  At the time

About 60 suspected Al Shabaab militants reportedly raided Basuba village, which is located within the Boni Forest in Lamu County. Reports indicate that the heavily armed militants invaded the village and opened fire indiscriminately, going after the residents in their homes. According to witnesses, the terrorists launched the attack on Friday, July 25, at around

AUSTRAC has finalised the Enforceable Undertaking (EU) with National Australia Bank (NAB) after the bank satisfied its obligations under the agreement. The EU, accepted in April 2022, was entered into by NAB and 4 other NAB related companies to address shortcomings in compliance with Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) laws. The EU specifically aimed to address concerns regarding NAB’s customer identification procedures, ongoing customer due diligence and the adoption and maintenance of a compliant AML/CTF program. AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas said NAB has demonstrated a commitment to ongoing compliance and to tackling the risks and harms posed by serious and organised crime. “The closure of this EU reflects the progress NAB has made but it still doesn’t give the business a clean bill of health,” Mr Thomas said. “The EU set NAB on the right path, but compliance is not a one off task – it requires ongoing, incremental change. AUSTRAC expects NAB to continue to improve its systems and processes.” An independent external auditor found NAB had satisfied the terms of the EU, highlighting the bank’s commitment to transparency, accountability and commitment to sustainable remediation. The external auditor also made recommendations outside the EU scope to further enhance the bank’s AML/CTF program, including around transaction monitoring and assurance frameworks. NAB has accepted all recommendations. “We welcome NAB’s decision to take on this additional remediation work. It builds on the changes made under the EU and strengthens the bank’s overall AML/CTF program. “However, finalising an EU is not the end of the assurance and integration work required by NAB. Elements of AML programs are interconnected, so deficiencies in one element can affect the effectiveness of another. “Now that NAB has uplifted its AML/CTF program and procedures related to customer identification and due diligence, we’d like the business to consider what these changes may mean for the strength of other elements of its program, such as transaction monitoring,” he said. /Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here. Read More

Mirage News 25 Jul 2025 3:04 pm AEST Date Time Joondalup Detectives have charged a 29-year-old man in relation to an incident which occurred in Joondalup on Thursday, 24 July 2025. About 3.40pm, it will be alleged the man attempted to steal a ride-share vehicle located outside a shopping centre on Joondalup Drive, and subsequently set off a flare, which damaged the vehicle. Police will allege the man then entered the shopping centre and set off a second flare. It will be further alleged the man was in possession of a knife. The man was apprehended and detained by shopping centre security guards and civilian bystanders who assisted. Police attended a short time later and arrested the man. One security guard sustained a minor injury to his knee. The man in possession of the knife received a laceration to his hand and was conveyed to hospital by St John WA. A 29-year-old man from Banksia Grove has been charged with; 1x Attempted Aggravated Robbery 1x Criminal Damage or Destruction of Property 1x Behaving in a disorderly manner in a public place or in sight or hearing of any person in a public place 1x Endanger life, health or safety of a person 1x Carried or possessed an edged weapon He is due to appear before Joondalup Magistrates Court today, 25 July 2025. Investigators understand the incident may have been filmed by members of the community and urge anyone who has footage to upload it directly to investigators, via this link: https://wapf.au.evidence.com/axon/community-request/public/ir2407251553… ; /Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here. Read More

Northwestern University and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) scientists have developed a new process-based framework that provides a more accurate and dynamic approach to landslide prediction over large areas. While traditional landslide prediction methods often rely solely on rainfall intensity, the new approach integrates various water-related processes with a machine-learning model. By accounting for diverse and sometimes compounding factors, the framework offers a more robust understanding of what drives these destructive events. With further development, the new framework could help improve early warning systems, inform hazard planning and enhance strategies for climate resilience in regions vulnerable to landslides. Ultimately, these approaches could help save lives and prevent damage. The study will be published on July 25 in Geophysical Research Letters. “Current early warning systems tend to derive information from historical precipitation events and landslides,” said Chuxuan Li , the study’s first author. “Because it’s based on historical data, it doesn’t consider the changing climate. In the future, we expect more intense precipitation and higher numbers of heavy precipitation events. These systems often don’t consider snow melt or other ground conditions. Our model considers a wider range of factors, so we can identify more diverse pathways leading to landslides over a large spatial scale.” “Different landslides can be caused by different hydrological processes,” said Northwestern’s Daniel E. Horton , the study’s senior author. “We’re trying to identify which landslides are caused by which processes. But we’re also trying to think about it from a much broader scale; a scale that is consistent with the storms that cause these events. Our ideal is to develop tools that could be useful across a broad region, such as the state of California.” Horton is an associate professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences , where he leads the Climate Change Research Group . Li is a Ph.D. graduate from Horton’s laboratory at Northwestern and current postdoctoral researcher at UCLA. Simulating a ‘parade’ of storms Dangerous flows of water, mud and rocks, landslides can be difficult to predict — especially across large areas with varied landscapes and different climates. To better understand how and why widespread landslides occur, the Northwestern and UCLA team looked to one month of extreme weather in California. During the winter of 2022-23, California experienced an unprecedented “parade” of nine consecutive atmospheric rivers, which caused catastrophic flooding and more than 600 landslides. To understand the pathways that caused these landslides, the scientists adopted a community-developed computer model that simulates how water moves through the environment, including rain infiltrating into the ground, running off on the surface, evaporating, and freezing or melting of snow and ice. To drive the model, the team used a diverse array of meteorological, geographical and historical data. This included information about terrain, soil depth, past wildfires, precipitation, and meteorological and climatic conditions. Using model outputs, the team developed a metric, called “water balance status” (WBS), to assess when there is too much water in a particular area. A positive WBS means there’s more water than the ground can handle through absorption, storage, evaporation or drainage. This also means there’s higher potential for landslides. Identifying main pathways Finally, the Northwestern and UCLA team applied a machine-learning technique to group together similar landslides based on their sites’ specific conditions. Through this technique, they identified three main pathways that led to the California landslides: intense rainfall, rain on already saturated soils and melting snow or ice. The team predicts that heavy, rapid downpours caused about 32% of the landslides. Roughly 53% of the landslides occurred after moderate rain fell on soils already saturated from previous storms. And about 15% of the landslides were linked to snow or ice, with rain accelerating the snowmelt or ice thaw. “We found most of the landslides were triggered under excessively wet conditions,” Li said. “By excessively wet, we mean the precipitation exceeds the soil’s capacity to hold or drain water. This can be especially dangerous on steep slopes.” When the scientists compared these events to their model, they found a significant majority (89%) of California’s landslides occurred in areas where the WBS was positive. This finding validated that the metric can accurately identify conditions ripe for landslides. “While this study looks backwards to understand a past event, our ultimate goal is for the method to look forward to make predictions,” Horton said. “We plan to take this modeling framework that we developed and use it in concert with weather forecasting models.” Better models for an uncertain future As the global climate continues to change, prediction systems are more important than ever. Because warmer air can hold more water vapor, storms can dump more water. And more water often indicates more dangerous flooding and landslides. In a recent review published in the journal Science , Horton and his collaborators examined how natural hazards, such as atmospheric rivers, often trigger other disasters to create a chain reaction. In the piece, the authors emphasize the critical need for integrating diverse datasets and building advanced models to improve the ability to predict and prepare for natural disasters. “Atmospheric rivers are not necessarily becoming more common,” Horton said. “But, when they do make landfall, their impact is becoming more severe. Lately, we have seen an increase in the intensity of their precipitation. This is consistent with the global trend of experiencing more intense precipitation events due to human-caused climate change.” The study, “Mixed hydrometeorological processes explain regional landslide potential,” was supported by the National Science Foundation (PREEVENTS grant numbers 1854951 and 2023112). /Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here. Read More

The Government is taking the next step in reforming non‑compete clauses that are holding back Australian workers from switching to better, higher‑paying jobs. Today we are releasing a consultation paper to gather insights and feedback from workers, business and the broader community about how we ban non‑compete clauses to boost productivity and wages across the Australian economy. Reforming non‑compete clauses is about encouraging aspiration, unlocking opportunity, lifting wages for working people, and making Australia’s economy more dynamic and competitive. Right now, more than three million Australian workers are covered by these clauses, including childcare workers, construction workers, disability support workers and hairdressers. Workers should not be handcuffed to their current job when there are better opportunities available for them and that’s what these reforms address. Research suggests a ban on non‑competes could lift the wages of affected workers by up to four per cent, or about $2,500 per year for a worker on median wages. Productivity Commission modelling suggests the changes could improve productivity and add $5 billion or 0.2 per cent to GDP annually, as well as reduce inflation. The Government committed to consult on policy details to support these reforms and to seek views on whether further changes are required to other worker restraints and what these changes could look like. The consultation paper also seeks views on complementary reforms to close loopholes in Australia’s competition laws that allow businesses to make anti‑competitive agreements that cap workers’ wages or block staff from being hired by competitors. This important step is just one part of the government’s broad and ambitious competition agenda, including progressing a national licensing scheme for electrical trades people. Both changes form part of a second tranche of reforms under the Government’s revitalised National Competition Policy. They are part of the Albanese Government’s economic plan to help workers earn more and keep more of what they earn, and build a stronger and more productive economy. The feedback we receive from this consultation will be used to inform legislation for these important reforms. Submissions can be made online on the Treasury consultation hub until 5 September 2025. /Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here. Read More

A new wastewater testing program has been introduced at the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC) as part of ongoing efforts to monitor and respond to drug use. The testing, which began in May 2025, helps identify traces of drugs and illicit substances present at the AMC. It complements existing drug and alcohol testing strategies, including testing of all incoming detainees as well as random and targeted testing during detention. Minister for Corrections Dr Marisa Paterson said the initiative is an important step in strengthening ACT Corrective Services’ approach to drug management. “Wastewater testing gives us another tool to understand what substances may be circulating in the AMC,” Dr Paterson said. A sample taken on 13 May 2025 showed elevated levels of amphetamines, methylamphetamine and EDDP, a metabolite of methadone. These findings align with urinalysis data from the same period, which indicated a high rate of newly admitted detainees entering custody under the influence of illicit substances. While the initial results are informative, Dr Paterson emphasised that more data is needed before drawing firm conclusions. “It’s important to note that this is just the beginning. We need ongoing monitoring and comparative data to fully understand the implications and to guide future action,” Dr Paterson said. The wastewater testing program will continue as part of the AMC’s broader drug strategy, which includes random and targeted testing, support services, and rehabilitation programs. Challenges in keeping correctional centres completely free of contraband, including drugs, are experienced universally across correctional facilities within Australia and beyond. ACTCS has a comprehensive range of tools and processes to prevent contraband from entering the AMC and is continually improving its contraband detection and prevention methods to adapt to new and evolving attempts to introduce contraband into AMC. Quotes attributable to ACT Corrective Services Commissioner Leanne Close: “Wastewater testing provides us with another tool to support policies, programs and intelligence systems currently used to minimise drug harm at the AMC. In line with our health-first approach to treating drug use, this newest form of testing provides valuable evidence to inform our approach and support detainees in managing substance use. “By combining wastewater results with other testing methods, we can better understand patterns of drug use and respond more effectively.” /Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here. Read More

South Australia’s economy is expected to strengthen in 2025/26, despite facing a difficult trading environment overseas, according to the latest SA Centre for Economic Studies (SACES) Economic Briefing Report from the University of Adelaide. South Australia’s economy is expected to strengthen in 2025/26, despite facing a difficult trading environment overseas, according to the latest SA Centre for Economic Studies (SACES) Economic Briefing Report from the University of Adelaide. Final spending in the State has picked up and the labour market is strong. A rebound in the upcoming winter grain crop driven by more favourable seasonal conditions, an easing of cost-of-living pressures and stronger growth in the Australian economy will support South Australia in the year ahead. Economists from the University of Adelaide say that household spending in South Australia is finally showing signs of recovery after an extended period of weakness. “Cost of living pressures, which have eroded disposable incomes and dampened consumer confidence, are gradually easing with the inflation rate now running below wages growth,” says Jim Hancock, SACES Executive Director at the University of Adelaide. “In addition, solid employment growth and recent interest rate cuts are helping to restore household incomes.” Employment has grown strongly over the past year. Although the unemployment rate has edged up, this is the result of increased labour force participation with more people entering the labour market and actively seeking work. Underemployment has declined and the State’s labour force underutilisation rate – the combined unemployment and underemployment rate – is down to its lowest level since the 1970s. Key highlights from the Economic Briefing Report: Economic growth: Global growth prospects have weakened as a consequence of rising tariffs and heightened uncertainty driven by the Trump administration’s protectionist trade agenda and reactions to it. The International Monetary Fund has downgraded its 2025 global growth forecast by 0.4 per cent to 2.8 per cent – the slowest pace since 2009, excluding the pandemic. Downward revisions to expected growth have been most pronounced for those economies directly affected by new trade measures, which includes key South Australian trading partners such as China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Australia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth was weaker than expected in the March quarter and the anticipated recovery in 2025 is slow in coming. Exports declined and domestic demand remained subdued. Inflation, spending and investment: Consumer price inflation has continued to moderate, with both headline and underlying measures returning to the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) target band. Goods inflation has fallen sharply. Services inflation is trending lower but remains slightly above target, reflecting latent domestic price pressures, particularly from labour costs. Aggregate spending in South Australia strengthened markedly over the past year. Real state final demand rose by 3.1 per cent through the year to the March quarter 2025 – well ahead of population growth and well ahead of the corresponding national increase of 1.9 per cent. The acceleration in South Australia’s aggregate spending has been broadly based, reflecting sharp increases in public sector investment, dwelling investment, and a rebound in business investment. Growth in household consumption has also picked up after two years of stagnation. Employment: Total employment in South Australia has grown strongly over the past year. The trend unemployment rate has risen slightly to 4.2 per cent, but this is because many people, particularly women, have been entering the workforce. The labour force participation rate rose by 1.5 per cent over the year to June, reaching 64.1 per cent – just below its record high of 64.2 per cent. Although unemployment has increased slightly through the year, it remains low by historical standards. Moreover, underemployment has declined sharply, and is now at its lowest level since the early 1990s recession and collapse of the State Bank. Housing: The balance between housing demand and supply has improved somewhat, supported by slower population growth and a pickup in residential construction. However, housing availability and affordability remain severely constrained. Agriculture: Agricultural output is expected to increase significantly this year with a return to more normal seasonal conditions. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences projects a 42 per cent increase in South Australia’s winter crop production to 7.5 million tonnes in 2025/26. However, this recovery remains contingent on the Bureau of Meteorology’s upbeat three-month rainfall outlook being realised. Many farmers are still contending with dry conditions. “There are two main risks to the economic outlook for South Australia,” Hancock says. “The first is that the United States chooses to go through with aggressive tariff increases and that some of its trading partners respond in kind. This would significantly weaken the international economy with detrimental flow-on effects to South Australia. “So far, South Australia’s exports to the United States have held up well, but any further tariff increases on Australian goods would directly reduce our export competitiveness in the United States and, perhaps more impactful, higher tariffs more generally will damage economic growth and demand for our exports in key Asian destinations.” Hancock says the second risk is that South Australia and Australia fail to restore stronger productivity growth rates. “Productivity growth is fundamental to raising living standards and it has been weak over the last decade and more,” Hancock says. “Raising productivity is a key challenge for Australian governments. There are no easy answers but a comprehensive review of a wide range of fiscal and regulatory measures will be needed to weigh up their costs and their benefits.” The SACES Economic Briefing Report is delivered to Corporate Members from the SA business, government and not-for-profit community. /University Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here. Read More

Transcript of the UK Space Commander’s address on defence in the space domain at the Royal United Services Institute. My thanks to RUSI and particularly Matt Savill for arranging today’s event. I am often told that the UK suffers a little ‘space blindness’ and that the understanding of the importance of space to our economy, prosperity, national security and defence is not well understood. Therefore, I am delighted, that on the back of a clear articulation of the importance of space, and associated risks and threats in recently published UK strategies, we have an opportunity today to delve deeper. From geopolitics to technology and the evolving nature of warfare, the world is changing more rapidly than at any time for decades. Ladies and gentlemen, as we stand on the brink of a new space age, the importance of outer space in global affairs has never been more evident. No longer just a frontier for scientific exploration, space is now a domain of strategic, economic, and political competition. The global space economy is on track to surpass $1 trillion by 2035. 18%, or £450 billion – that’s about a fifth – of the UK’s economy is underpinned by space-based services. The UK employs fifty thousand space professionals and generates about £19 billion in growth. Conversely, loss of GPS would cost the economy about £7 billion a week. Given these facts the UK has designated space a Critical National Infrastructure sector. Closer to home in Defence, we can no longer assume superiority in space. The increasing counterspace threat now means that gaining control of the Space Domain, at a time and place of our choosing, is a necessary first step to protecting the force from adversary space and delivering vital space effects, such as positioning, navigation and timing (PNT), satellite communications (SATCOM), and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) to our own forces. Put simply, the integrated force can’t understand, move, communicate, or fight without assured space delivered effects. Space literally fuels our way of life and underpins our way of war. This national dependency on space is increasingly being held at risk by space risks and threats. Risks include space weather and, of course, congestion: The dramatic reduction in launch costs have seen the democratisation of space. There are now over 80 space faring nations. To bring the challenge to life for you: UK Space Command tracks about 45,000 objects in orbit, including about 9000 satellites. We have seen about 150 launches so far this year and 3 satellite or rocket bodies deorbit and re-enter the earth’s atmosphere daily. The threat is also growing – in scale, in sophistication, and in speed. Over the past year, China has conducted close-proximity operations, deployed dual-use inspector satellites, and integrated kinetic, directed-energy, AI, and cyber tools into a formidable counterspace arsenal. There are now 20 counterspace systems in geostationary equatorial orbit (GEO), and over 200 in low earth orbit (LEO) – ready, rehearsed, and operational. This is not an emerging threat – it is here, now, and active. So what must be done? Well, I’d posit that the UK must now be more assertive in defending our national interests and our freedom of action in space. Access is no longer enough. We must be able to control space, defend our assets, and – if required – deny its use to hostile actors. Passive resilience is insufficient. We require persistent domain awareness and credible counterspace capabilities if we are to deter, endure a first strike, and, if necessary, fight through and win. No one wants a war in space, and it is certainly not inevitable. But we must be clear eyed about these challenges to our vital national interests. Equally though, we must be optimistic and excited by the strategic opportunity that space affords the UK. I’m pleased to say we are making progress… We have been working across Government as ‘One Space’ to align on priorities and re-establish effective governance. The Cabinet Office has led efforts to cohere a One Space enterprise, set national objectives and prioritise capability investment choices to maximise finite resources, and, dare I say it, prevent sideways energy. Over the last year, UK Space Command has launched the UK’s first military satellite in 13 years, we’ve opened a state-of-the-art National Space Operations Centre, we’ve invested over £300 million in satellites and software and accelerated operational integration – we have seen a 300% rise in space outputs from all our units. Moreover, the recently published Strategic Defence Review, National Space Strategy and Industrial Strategy have elevated space to the heart of national strategy. They collectively recognise that we urgently need to build a modern, agile, and resilient infrastructure for both the defence and civil space enterprise. One capable of meeting the threats, mitigating the risks, preparing for the challenges and seizing the opportunities. Chapter 7.5 of the Strategic Defence Review marks a turning point. It elevates space to parity with the traditional domains – recognising it as the keystone of modern, multi-domain operations. It issues a clear strategic imperative: to build a resilient, hybrid, and integrated UK space enterprise – one able to deter threats, assure critical services, and deliver strategic advantage in an increasingly hostile domain. It sets out three priorities: Firstly, space control: We will invest in Space Domain Awareness capabilities, Command and Control at levels of classification and counterspace systems, both on-orbit and on Earth. Secondly, Decision Advantage. SATCOM and data relays are fundamental to understanding the battlespace and communicating decisions effectively. Finally, Sense to enable ‘Understand’ and ‘Strike’ functions. Space-based ISR to globally see and target with precision. And as has been trailed, all of this will be enabled by a Digital Targeting Web. We are not going to do this alone. Space is the ultimate team sport. So, being clear on what needs to be nationally separable capabilities – to assure effects and provide us strategic autonomy – and what we can collaborate on with allies, and access through commercial, is seminal to our force design.