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Department of Defence Sitting at the far edge of the Army’s Land Domain Training Systems is Advanced Collective Training, which provides an opportunity to put into practice weeks, months and often years of military learning within an integrated, combined and realistic warfighting scenario. Inside the 2nd Health Battalion’s Role 2 Echo (enhanced) hospital sits a perfect mix of different trades and training pathways that come together to provide critical care to Australian members in the field. Dissatisfied with her career in sales and administration, Corporal Jade Hipkiss-Winder identified an opportunity as an Australian Army medic and the rest, as they say, is history. “Not long after I made the decision, I was on a bus to Kapooka,” Corporal Hipkiss-Winder said. “From there it was onto Latchford Barracks for 18 months, where I was qualified as an enrolled nurse and received my paramedic qualification, and then began my military training.” Her training did not end there. On Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, Corporal Hipkiss-Winder is part of the Hospital Operations cell, tracking casualties and providing planning support. Her changing role highlights the Land Domain Training system’s commitment to provide realistic, continuous and collective training on behalf of Army. “We are really refining our combined skills to work in hostile environments,” Corporal Hipkiss-Winder said. “For me personally, I’ve moved from the field into the operational space and I’m now learning from the inside looking out how to best care for our casualties.” Platoon leader Lieutenant Matthew Burgess’ training journey started at Royal Military College before he entered the world of military health care. “I went through RMC, inside of the generalist officer space, and that set me up for leadership, command responsibility and taught me small infantry tactics,” Lieutenant Burgess, who is from Jimboomba in Queensland, said. “I have now just completed my Health Officer Basic Course, which has really focused on health management and health planning support, all of which has really come together for this training exercise.” /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

UK Gov Statement to the House of Commons outlining the government response to the Independent Water Commission’s final report. Mr Speaker, I would like to update the House on the Government’s plans to reform the water sector. The water industry quite clearly is failing. Our rivers, lakes and seas are polluted with record levels of sewage. Water pipes have been left to crumble into disrepair. And I share customers’ fury at rising bills. There are hosepipe bans right now in place across the country because not a single new reservoir has been built in over 30 years. And the lack of water infrastructure is blocking economic growth. Water companies have been allowed to profit at the expense of the British people when they should have been investing to fix our broken water pipes. They got away with this because of a broken regulatory system that has failed customers and failed the environment. The public expressed their fury during last year’s General Election, and they voted for change. That change will now come. In just one year, we have put in place the building blocks for change. First, we restored accountability by giving the regulators more teeth with a ban on unfair bonuses, severe and automatic penalties for breaking the law, and jail sentences for the most serious offences. Second, we are investing £104 billion pounds of private sector funding to rebuild the water network. Upgrading crumbling pipes, repairing leaks, building new sewage treatment works, and digging out new reservoirs. This is the single biggest investment in the water sector’s history and it allows me to make a new commitment to the country: That this Government will cut water companies’ sewage pollution in half by the end of this decade. This is the most ambitious commitment ever made by any government about water pollution. And it’s just the start. Because over a decade of national renewal, we will restore our rivers, lakes and seas to good health. The third building block for change is today’s final report from Sir Jon Cunliffe’s Independent Water Commission. And I’d like to express my thanks to Sir Jon, his officials and all those who have contributed to this outstanding piece of work. I agree with Sir Jon that water regulation has been too weak, too complex and ineffective. Having four separate regulators with overlapping and conflicting remits has failed customers and the environment. Ofwat has failed to protect customers from water companies’ mismanagement of their hard-earned money and failed to protect our waterways from record levels of pollution. Today I can announce that this Government will abolish Ofwat. We will bring water functions from four different regulators into one. A single powerful super-regulator responsible for the entire water sector, and with the teeth to enforce the high standards the public rightly demand. The new regulator will stand firmly on the side of customers, investors and the environment and it will prevent the abuses of the past. For customers, it will oversee investment and upgrade work so hardworking British families are never again hit by the shocking bill hikes we saw last year. For investors, it will provide the clarity and direction required for a strong partnership between Government, the sector and investors to attract billions of pounds of new funding. For the environment, it will reduce all forms of pollution to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good. We will work closely with the Welsh government to devolve economic regulation of water to Wales. I will publish a White Paper this Autumn giving the Government’s full response to the Independent Water Commission’s final report, and launch a consultation on it. Following that, I will bring forward a new water reform bill early during the lifetime of this Parliament. Ofwat will remain in place during the transition to the new regulator and I will ensure they provide the right leadership to oversee the current price review and investment plan during that time. To provide clarity during this period, I will issue an interim Strategic Policy Statement to Ofwat and give Ministerial directions to the Environment Agency, setting out our expectations and requirements. We will publish a transition plan as part of our full Government response in the Autumn. Today we are immediately taking forward a number of Sir Jon’s recommendations. First, we will establish a new statutory water ombudsman – a single, free service to help customers resolve complaints such as incorrect bills, leaking pipes or water supply failures. The new ombudsman will have the legal powers to protect customers and will bring the water dispute resolution process in line with other utilities like energy – it is part of the Government’s ambition to put customers at the heart of water regulation. Second, we will end the era of water companies marking their own homework. We will end operator self-monitoring and transition to Open Monitoring to increase transparency and help restore public trust. Water companies are already required to publish data on some sewage spills within one hour. We will roll out real-time monitoring across the wastewater system. All this data will be made publicly available online. This will ensure both the regulator – and the public – have the power to hold water companies fully accountable. Third, we commit to including a regional element within the new regulator to ensure greater local involvement in water planning. By moving to a catchment-based model for water system planning, we can tackle all sources of pollution entering waterways so they can be cleaned up more effectively and more quickly. This will ensure, for the first time, that water infrastructure investment plans align with spatial planning to support faster regional economic growth. The lack of water infrastructure that held back development around Cambridge and Oxford for so long will not happen again. The new regulatory framework will recognise the risks investors take and, if they meet their obligations, they will see a fair, stable return on their investment. Just last week, I signed the Government’s new

The Jordanian government is forcibly evicting the Bedul, a group of Bedouins from Petra, in clear violation of their economic, social, and cultural rights, including their right to housing, Human Rights Watch said today. Jordanian authorities should immediately reverse measures that have made residents’ homes unlivable and should conduct meaningful consultations with the Bedul to secure the community’s consent to any future relocations. To force residents to vacate the area, Jordanian authorities are engaging in coercive measures, including cutting water services and suspending some salaries and social security payments. Jordanian authorities are also arbitrarily detaining residents without charge and making their release contingent on consenting to eviction. “Jordan’s displacement of the Bedul from their historic homes in Petra puts their culture at risk,” said Adam Coogle, Middle East and North Africa deputy director at Human Rights Watch. “The Jordanian government should halt the relocations and respect the rights of Petra’s Bedouin community.” Authorities justify recent actions in Petra, including the removal of what they describe as “encroachments” and “violations” of the well-known archaeological and global tourist site, as necessary to the site’s integrity and visitor safety. While officials frame these actions as part of efforts to sustain Petra for future generations, residents told Human Rights Watch that local authorities are employing coercive tactics, including suspending water services and arbitrarily detaining individuals, which locals believe are intended to pressure families into vacating the area. Jordanian authorities launched the first wave of forced relocation of the Beduls under the guise of preserving Petra’s archeological site after Petra’s classification as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 1985. The current wave began in late 2024 and targeted around 25 Bedul families living in caves and tents in Stooh al-Nabi Harun Mountain (al-Stooh). Human Rights Watch visited al-Stooh in June 2025, spoke to residents, and reviewed footage of interviews with the residents along with court documents. Authorities came to al-Stooh on July 2, 2025, and expressed their intention to expedite the eviction and relocation, a local source said, actions residents believed were retaliation for speaking out publicly. Human Rights Watch wrote to the Jordanian government and UNESCO on July 1 and May 21, 2025, respectively, outlining concerns and asking questions, but has not received a response. Fares al-Braizat, Chair of the Board of Commissioners of the Petra Development and Tourism Regional Authority (PDTRA), the government body that manages the archeological site, confirmed earlier phases of the eviction campaign, describing the eviction of families from their caves and the removal of their kiosks as part of a plan “to enhance the rule of law” and eliminate “sources of threat” to visitors and the touristic site. In an undated announcement on the Jordanian Ministry of Tourism’s website, he referred to residents as “vandals and violators.” Since late February, authorities have taken measures that undermine al-Stooh’s habitability and residents’ basic rights, residents told Human Rights Watch. These include cutting the supply of water and suspending salaries and social security payments for PDTRA employees. An 82-year-old woman still living in her cave said that they can no longer water their fruit trees, damaging their crop and forcing them to spend money on food items they did not previously need to purchase. To secure water for drinking and cooking, residents said they must now either commute to Um Sayhoun, over three kilometers away, and ask people to fill their jerrycans, or fetch water from a nearby stream. “We send the kids on donkeys to bring jugs of water from the stream where restaurants dump their waste,” another resident said. “The water is bad and polluted and makes us sick.” Residents told Human Rights Watch that the water supply was partially restored on June 29 but remains limited to no more than four hours a week, significantly less than what was previously available and insufficient to address the community’s needs. PDTRA filed criminal charges against at least three men in December 2024. One charge sheet reviewed by Human Rights Watch accused one of the men of carrying out unlicensed tourism-related activities, including using an archaeological cave site as his residence without authorization. According to the accused, they paid fines and the case was closed. However, the PDTRA has since filed an identical case against the same three men, with the first trial session held on July 15. In 2023, authorities demolished a resident’s kiosk in a nearby area in the archeological site, without notice or compensation, for operating without the necessary authorization. According to residents, authorities intend to relocate them to a housing complex in a remote area – more than seven kilometers away from family members and markets – without reliable public transportation. An older woman who was relocated to the new housing complex in November 2024 told Human Rights Watch that her family had not had fresh vegetables in over two days because they cannot afford the cost of transportation to and from the nearest market. According to residents, this new location is also unsuitable for raising cattle or farming, traditional labor practices that are both essential for their income and deeply tied to their culture. Historic accounts of the Bedul’s way of life show that herding cattle and seasonal cultivation of barley and native plants have long been central not only to their subsistence and income but also to their cultural identity. These practices, along with oral storytelling, tent-making, and traditional ecological knowledge, are recognized by UNESCO as the “cultural space” inscribed in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, an essential element of the site’s living heritage. Displacing the Bedul severs their connection to the land and threatens this cultural legacy. Jordanian authorities, UN agencies, and other relevant actors should consider formally recognizing the Bedu as an Indigenous people in line with international standards, including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Human Rights Watch found that authorities did not adequately consult affected Bedul. Failure to consult has resulted in the government

Before she passed away in 1985, Isobel ‘Molly’ Browne was constantly approached to sell farmland in Highfields on which she lived. However, the former school teacher and devoted local Baptist church member was steadfast that her family property be used for a retirement village and nursing home. Merilyn Playsted and Ian Grey have been next-door neighbours at Carinity Brownesholme for 15 years. The retirement village in Highfields opened in 1995. Joan Bell, who has written a history of Molly Browne, described her as a “very godly and generous lady” who lived in a “very modest and rather primitive condition”. She used a hand pump to water her chickens, dog and cows. Rainwater for bathing and cooking came from a tap on an outside tank, and Molly cooked over an open fire with a chimney. In spite of her hardship, Molly was concerned for other people suffering old age and loneliness. In her will, she bequeathed her 120-acre property to the Baptist Union of Queensland, to be developed into what is now the Carinity Brownesholme seniors’ community. All that remained of the dairy farm in 1992 was the house, two sheds, bore, windmill and cattle trough. The windmill and cattle trough were later used as part of the landscaping at the Brownesholme retirement village. The old farmhouse, which was in near disrepair, was sold to Barry and Joan Barwick, members of Toowoomba’s Baptist community. They relocated the building – in two sections by truck – to nearby Cabarlah. A sketch of Molly Browne’s old farmhouse by Ivy Lindsay. The couple spent two decades undertaking a painstaking restoration of the 145-year-old house, returning the dwelling to its near original state. Barry now lives in the Brownesholme aged care community. The first part of Molly’s dream for a home for seniors set on her land became a reality in July 1995 when Brownesholme retirement village’s first resident, Gloria Phillips, moved into her independent living unit. Ruth Baxter moved from her hobby farm near Clifton to Brownesholme in 2000. She is the longest residing current member of the retirement village where “everyone is a friend”. “I heard about this place before it was even built. I got invited to their first open day; I think there were ten units then. I was still working but I thought it would be nice to live there one day,” Ruth said. Ruth Baxter is the longest residing current member of the Carinity Brownesholme retirement village. “There were cattle across the road when I first came here. I love being here, it’s so nice and peaceful. I love the birds, the wildlife and the gardens. “If anything goes wrong, it gets sorted out. If the plumbing goes or the hot water breaks down, it gets fixed. You don’t have that worry. I’m very lucky.” Fellow resident Ian Grey also enjoys the serenity of the peaceful village which has witnessed a burgeoning suburb grow up around it. “I have seen enormous growth in Highfields, and I’m still amazed at how it’s booming now,” Ian said. “It’s ideally situated, this village, and I wouldn’t think of going anywhere else. What I enjoy most is the friendship and the companionship of all the people here, and the kindness they show to me.” Brownesholme aged care residents Pam Kennedy and Arthur Ehlich enjoy playing indoor lawn with friends and former neighbours from the adjacent retirement village. Molly Browne’s vision for seniors’ care catering to all ages was fully realised in 2021, when the Brownesholme residential aged care home was opened near the retirement village. Brownesholme retirees have peace of mind knowing they can access higher care near their current home if they require it. It has enabled Joyce Larkens to remain living in the same community she knows and loves – and stay connected to friends from the retirement village in which she used to live. Joyce moved to Brownesholme 25 years ago – and has never wanted to leave. She found comfort knowing her retirement village is co-located with the aged care home – and that additional support would be available should she need it. That moment arrived two years ago. Joyce Larkens has lived at the Carinity Brownesholme seniors’ community since 2000. “I had a very bad fall in July 2023 and moved to the aged care home with a week’s notice,” Joyce said. “I am very grateful to the lovely, kind and efficient staff. They all look after us very well. The food is very good … and the entertainment keeps us busy and happy.” Some of Joyce’s neighbours from the retirement village have since moved from their independent living units to the aged care community – and they continue to enjoy their cherished friendships. Molly Browne would have wanted it that way. /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

ACES Self-checkout registers have become ubiquitous in grocery stores as they provide convenience and efficiency for customers. They also offer more privacy with no human directly monitoring your purchases. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looks at whether shoppers prefer self-checkout when buying potentially stigmatized items, including condoms, pregnancy tests, period products, hemorrhoid cream, and diarrhea relief. “We were really interested in whether automation technologies such as self-checkout, which eliminate human interaction, change what people buy. When you’re at a cashier register, the cashier sees everything you purchase. When you’re at self-checkout, you can control what others see, so you might be more likely to buy embarrassing items,” said Becca Taylor, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics (ACE), part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at Illinois. Taylor and her colleagues analyzed purchase scanner data from a large grocery store chain with locations in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia between 2008 and 2011. “This period comprised the initial rollout of self-checkout, which helps us better understand the impact. This was the first time that self-checkout was available to shoppers, and we could see how they responded to it,” Taylor said. The study focused on two main questions: Whether shoppers under-purchased embarrassing items before self-checkout was available, and whether they were more likely to prefer self-checkout to cashier registers for those purchases. First, the researchers compared purchases of stigmatized products before and after a store had introduced self-checkout, using a random sample of transactions from 30 stores. “We find that sales of condoms, bowel treatments, and yeast infection products increased when self-checkout was available. But for other items, such as period products, we did not see an increase in sales. Potentially, this is the difference between products you need no matter what, and products you could go without or delay purchase,” Taylor said. Next, the researchers compared purchases from cashier registers versus self-checkout, based on data that included every transaction during the afternoon shopping hours at 51 stores over three years. They found that overall, 19% of items were purchased at self-checkout; however, the number was much higher for stigmatized items – especially condoms and pregnancy tests, where 42% and 43% of sales, respectively, switched to self-checkout. This effect held up when the researchers controlled for other factors. Even if people bought a large number of items, or if they bought fresh fruit or vegetables – which need to be coded and weighed – they were much more likely to choose self-checkout if the purchase included embarrassing items. These findings show that people prefer the privacy of self-checkout for certain products, even at the cost of longer checkout time, Taylor noted. “It may seem like time goes quicker at self-checkout because you are doing all the work yourself. But cashiers can scan much faster, and transaction time is on average 100 seconds shorter. There is a tradeoff between the additional effort at self-checkout versus the privacy gained.” Recently, some stores have begun to roll back self-checkout, citing customer desire to interact with cashiers. While this study showed that people prefer self-checkout for some purchases, there are good reasons to offer both options, Taylor stated. “We found there are some products, particularly fresh produce, floral items, and bulky dog food, that people would rather buy at a cashier register where they can have help,” she said. “This suggests that fully switching to self-checkout would not be welfare-enhancing for consumers. People benefit from being able to decide which type of register to choose.” The paper, “Does Automation Reduce Stigma? The Effect of Self-checkout Register Adoption on Purchasing Decisions” is published in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization [DOI: 10.1016j.jebo.2025.107126]. Authors include Rebecca Cardinali, Lester Lusher, Rebecca Taylor, and Sofia Villas-Boas. /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

18th batch leaves from Jammu base camp to Kashmir JAMMU: The 18 batch of pilgrims on Shri Amarnath Yatra comprising 4,388 devotees left for the holy cave shrine situated in the Himalayas in south Kashmir on Sunday morning from two base camps in Jammu. “A batch of 1,573 left for Baltal in a fleet of

Canacona: A unique ran-bhaji or wild vegetable festival was held in Canacona on Saturday, showcasing over 550 dishes made from wild and seasonal vegetables. Scores of people thronged the third successive edition of the ran-bhaji festival in Canacona to sample the dishes, many of which are on their way to extinction. As many as 182

J&K CM Omar Abdullah (File photo) JAMMU: J&K CM Omar Abdullah urged Sunday the external affairs ministry (MEA) to intervene urgently in securing the release of Ranjeet Singh, a resident of Ramban district, who was allegedly abducted by terrorists in Niger following an attack on July 15. Abdullah tagged external affairs minister S Jaishankar on

Ponda: Fearing attacks from bison and leopards, residents of Kavlem village in Ponda taluka have sought swift action against wild animals venturing towards habitations. The loss suffered by paddy cultivators and plantation owners at Dhavali — due to the incursions by bison, leopards, and monkeys — was brought to the notice of the panchayat body.

Panaji: The 15-day monsoon session of the state assembly, beginning on Monday, is likely to be hectic and acrimonious, with govt facing over 4,000 questions. The opposition is all set to corner govt over various issues, including unemployment, Mhadei, deteriorating law and order, and land conversions, among other issues. During the session, govt will answer