Category: Education

MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 4, 2025

ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 4, 2025.

Astronomers have spied an interstellar object zooming through the Solar System
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kirsten Banks, Lecturer, School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology K Ly / Deep Random Survey This week, astronomers spotted the third known interstellar visitor to our Solar System. First detected by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on July 1, the

Avoid bad breath, don’t pick partners when drunk: ancient dating tips to find modern love
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, The University of Western Australia Henryk Siemiradzki via Wikimedia Commons To love and be loved is something most people want in their lives. In the modern world, we often see stories about the difficulties of finding love and the

Back to Back Theatre tackles an epic Shakespearian conflict – set in a factory, with cardboard props
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Hunter, Senior Lecturer in Art and Performance, Deakin University Jeff Busby/Back To Back Theatre/ACMI Back to Back Theatre is one of Australia’s national treasures. Over 30 years this dynamic Geelong-based company – an ensemble of actors who are perceived to have intellectual disabilities – has built

Australia’s new lung cancer screening program has chosen simplicity over equity, and we’re concerned
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa J. Whop, Associate Director of Research and Senior Fellow, Yardhura Walani, National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research, Australian National University Thurtell/Getty Images Australia’s lung cancer screening program launched on July 1, and marks real progress and opportunity. It aims to reduce the

Lost in space: MethaneSat failed just as NZ was to take over mission control – here’s what we need to know now
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Rattenbury, Associate Professor in Physics, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Environmental Defense Fund, CC BY-SA This week’s announcement of the loss of a methane-detecting satellite, just days before New Zealand was meant to take over mission control, is a blow to the country’s space research

Rare wooden tools from Stone Age China reveal plant-based lifestyle of ancient lakeside humans
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bo Li, Professor, Environmental Futures Research Centre, School of Science, University of Wollongong Excavation at the Gantangqing site. Liu et al. Ancient wooden tools found at a site in Gantangqing in southwestern China are approximately 300,000 years old, new dating has shown. Discovered during excavations carried out

I’ve seen the brain damage contact sports can cause – we all need to take concussion and CTE more seriously
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, Adjunct Research Fellow, School of Health Science, Swinburne University of Technology AAP Image/The Conversation, CC BY Concussion in sport continues to make headlines, whether it be class actions, young men flocking to the highly violent “RunIt” activity or debate about whether Australian rules football

NZ will soon have no real interisland rail-ferry link – why are we so bad at infrastructure planning?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Welch, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images) Another week, another Cook Strait ferry breakdown. As the winter maintenance season approaches and the Aratere prepares for its final months of service, New Zealand faces a self-imposed crisis. The government

Mauna Loa Observatory captured the reality of climate change. The US plans to shut it down
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Sen Gupta, Associate Professor in Climate Science, UNSW Sydney Izabela23/Shutterstock The greenhouse effect was discovered more than 150 years ago and the first scientific paper linking carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere with climate change was published in 1896. But it wasn’t until the 1950s that

6 simple questions to tell if a ‘finfluencer’ is more flash than cash
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dimitrios Salampasis, Associate Professor, Emerging Technologies and FinTech | FinTech Capability Lead, Swinburne University of Technology Oleg Golovnev/Shutterstock Images of flashy sports cars. Lavish lifestyle shots. These are just some of the red flags consumers should watch out for when they turn to social media for financial

Grattan on Friday: how two once hot-button issues this week barely sparked media and political interest
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Political and news cycles often work in a certain and predictable way. Issues flare like bushfires, then rage for weeks or even months, until they are finally extinguished by action or fade by being overtaken by the next big thing.

How many serious incidents are happening in Australian childcare centres? We don’t really know
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Harper, Lecturer, School of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney Catherine Delahaye/ Getty Images This week, a Melbourne childcare worker was charged over alleged sexual abuse of young children in his care. Families are justifiably appalled and furious – with 1,200 children urged to be

Too much vitamin B6 can be toxic. 3 symptoms to watch out for
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nial Wheate, Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Selena3726/Shutterstock Side effects from taking too much vitamin B6 – including nerve damage – may be more widespread than we think, Australia’s medicines regulator says. In an ABC report earlier this week, a spokesperson for the Therapeutic Goods

Too much vitamin B6 can be toxic. 3 symptoms to watch out for
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nial Wheate, Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Selena3726/Shutterstock Side effects from taking too much vitamin B6 – including nerve damage – may be more widespread than we think, Australia’s medicines regulator says. In an ABC report earlier this week, a spokesperson for the Therapeutic Goods

10 steps governments can take now to stamp out child sexual abuse in care settings
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Mathews, Distinguished Professor, School of Law, Queensland University of Technology Recent cases of prolific alleged child sexual abuse in Melbourne and other Australian early childhood education and care settings have shocked even experienced people who work to prevent child sexual abuse. Parents are right to be

Tears, trauma and unpaid work: why men in tinnies aren’t the only heroes during a flood disaster
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca McNaught, Research Fellow, Rural and Remote Health, University of Sydney Dan Peled/Getty Images When flooding strikes, our screens fill with scenes of devastated victims, and men performing heroic dinghy rescues in swollen rivers. But another story often goes untold: how women step in, and step up,

The takeaway from the Venice Biennale saga: the art world faces deep and troubling structural inequality
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Grace McQuilten, Professor of Art and Associate Dean, Research and Innovation, School of Art, RMIT University Creative Australia’s decision earlier this year to rescind the selection of artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino as Australia’s 2026 representatives at the Venice Biennale sent shockwaves through the arts

The Rainbow Warrior saga: 1. French state terrorism and NZ’s end of innocence
COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle Immediately after killing Fernando Pereira and blowing up Greenpeace’s flagship the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbour, several of the French agents went on a ski holiday in New Zealand’s South Island to celebrate. Such was the contempt the French had for the Kiwis and the abilities of our police to pursue

Does eating cheese before bed really give you nightmares? Here’s what the science says
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Charlotte Gupta, Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Appleton Institute, HealthWise Research Group, CQUniversity Australia Phoenixns/Shutterstock, The Conversation, CC BY Have you heard people say eating cheese before bed will cause you to have vivid dreams or nightmares? It’s a relatively common idea. And this week, a new study

Experiencing extreme weather and disasters is not enough to change views on climate action, study shows
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Omid Ghasemi, Research Associate in Behavioural Science at the Institute for Climate Risk & Response, UNSW Sydney STR / AFP via Getty Images Climate change has made extreme weather events such as bushfires and floods more frequent and more likely in recent years, and the trend is

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

July 4, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 4, 2025

ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 4, 2025.

Astronomers have spied an interstellar object zooming through the Solar System
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kirsten Banks, Lecturer, School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology K Ly / Deep Random Survey This week, astronomers spotted the third known interstellar visitor to our Solar System. First detected by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on July 1, the

Avoid bad breath, don’t pick partners when drunk: ancient dating tips to find modern love
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, The University of Western Australia Henryk Siemiradzki via Wikimedia Commons To love and be loved is something most people want in their lives. In the modern world, we often see stories about the difficulties of finding love and the

Back to Back Theatre tackles an epic Shakespearian conflict – set in a factory, with cardboard props
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Hunter, Senior Lecturer in Art and Performance, Deakin University Jeff Busby/Back To Back Theatre/ACMI Back to Back Theatre is one of Australia’s national treasures. Over 30 years this dynamic Geelong-based company – an ensemble of actors who are perceived to have intellectual disabilities – has built

Australia’s new lung cancer screening program has chosen simplicity over equity, and we’re concerned
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa J. Whop, Associate Director of Research and Senior Fellow, Yardhura Walani, National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research, Australian National University Thurtell/Getty Images Australia’s lung cancer screening program launched on July 1, and marks real progress and opportunity. It aims to reduce the

Lost in space: MethaneSat failed just as NZ was to take over mission control – here’s what we need to know now
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Rattenbury, Associate Professor in Physics, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Environmental Defense Fund, CC BY-SA This week’s announcement of the loss of a methane-detecting satellite, just days before New Zealand was meant to take over mission control, is a blow to the country’s space research

Rare wooden tools from Stone Age China reveal plant-based lifestyle of ancient lakeside humans
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bo Li, Professor, Environmental Futures Research Centre, School of Science, University of Wollongong Excavation at the Gantangqing site. Liu et al. Ancient wooden tools found at a site in Gantangqing in southwestern China are approximately 300,000 years old, new dating has shown. Discovered during excavations carried out

I’ve seen the brain damage contact sports can cause – we all need to take concussion and CTE more seriously
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, Adjunct Research Fellow, School of Health Science, Swinburne University of Technology AAP Image/The Conversation, CC BY Concussion in sport continues to make headlines, whether it be class actions, young men flocking to the highly violent “RunIt” activity or debate about whether Australian rules football

NZ will soon have no real interisland rail-ferry link – why are we so bad at infrastructure planning?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Welch, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images) Another week, another Cook Strait ferry breakdown. As the winter maintenance season approaches and the Aratere prepares for its final months of service, New Zealand faces a self-imposed crisis. The government

Mauna Loa Observatory captured the reality of climate change. The US plans to shut it down
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Sen Gupta, Associate Professor in Climate Science, UNSW Sydney Izabela23/Shutterstock The greenhouse effect was discovered more than 150 years ago and the first scientific paper linking carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere with climate change was published in 1896. But it wasn’t until the 1950s that

6 simple questions to tell if a ‘finfluencer’ is more flash than cash
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dimitrios Salampasis, Associate Professor, Emerging Technologies and FinTech | FinTech Capability Lead, Swinburne University of Technology Oleg Golovnev/Shutterstock Images of flashy sports cars. Lavish lifestyle shots. These are just some of the red flags consumers should watch out for when they turn to social media for financial

Grattan on Friday: how two once hot-button issues this week barely sparked media and political interest
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Political and news cycles often work in a certain and predictable way. Issues flare like bushfires, then rage for weeks or even months, until they are finally extinguished by action or fade by being overtaken by the next big thing.

How many serious incidents are happening in Australian childcare centres? We don’t really know
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Harper, Lecturer, School of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney Catherine Delahaye/ Getty Images This week, a Melbourne childcare worker was charged over alleged sexual abuse of young children in his care. Families are justifiably appalled and furious – with 1,200 children urged to be

Too much vitamin B6 can be toxic. 3 symptoms to watch out for
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nial Wheate, Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Selena3726/Shutterstock Side effects from taking too much vitamin B6 – including nerve damage – may be more widespread than we think, Australia’s medicines regulator says. In an ABC report earlier this week, a spokesperson for the Therapeutic Goods

Too much vitamin B6 can be toxic. 3 symptoms to watch out for
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nial Wheate, Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Selena3726/Shutterstock Side effects from taking too much vitamin B6 – including nerve damage – may be more widespread than we think, Australia’s medicines regulator says. In an ABC report earlier this week, a spokesperson for the Therapeutic Goods

10 steps governments can take now to stamp out child sexual abuse in care settings
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Mathews, Distinguished Professor, School of Law, Queensland University of Technology Recent cases of prolific alleged child sexual abuse in Melbourne and other Australian early childhood education and care settings have shocked even experienced people who work to prevent child sexual abuse. Parents are right to be

Tears, trauma and unpaid work: why men in tinnies aren’t the only heroes during a flood disaster
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca McNaught, Research Fellow, Rural and Remote Health, University of Sydney Dan Peled/Getty Images When flooding strikes, our screens fill with scenes of devastated victims, and men performing heroic dinghy rescues in swollen rivers. But another story often goes untold: how women step in, and step up,

The takeaway from the Venice Biennale saga: the art world faces deep and troubling structural inequality
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Grace McQuilten, Professor of Art and Associate Dean, Research and Innovation, School of Art, RMIT University Creative Australia’s decision earlier this year to rescind the selection of artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino as Australia’s 2026 representatives at the Venice Biennale sent shockwaves through the arts

The Rainbow Warrior saga: 1. French state terrorism and NZ’s end of innocence
COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle Immediately after killing Fernando Pereira and blowing up Greenpeace’s flagship the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbour, several of the French agents went on a ski holiday in New Zealand’s South Island to celebrate. Such was the contempt the French had for the Kiwis and the abilities of our police to pursue

Does eating cheese before bed really give you nightmares? Here’s what the science says
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Charlotte Gupta, Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Appleton Institute, HealthWise Research Group, CQUniversity Australia Phoenixns/Shutterstock, The Conversation, CC BY Have you heard people say eating cheese before bed will cause you to have vivid dreams or nightmares? It’s a relatively common idea. And this week, a new study

Experiencing extreme weather and disasters is not enough to change views on climate action, study shows
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Omid Ghasemi, Research Associate in Behavioural Science at the Institute for Climate Risk & Response, UNSW Sydney STR / AFP via Getty Images Climate change has made extreme weather events such as bushfires and floods more frequent and more likely in recent years, and the trend is

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: In Memoriam: Wes Hildreth, 1938-2025
Source: US Geological Survey

Wes receiving a Meritorious Service Award in 2004.

Wes was born on August 17, 1938, in Newton, MA, and lived most of his early life in the Boston and San Francisco Bay areas. He studied at Harvard, where he majored in geology with a minor in government (BA, 1961). Receiving a Harvard Sheldon Fellowship, he traveled around the world alone in 1961-62. In 1963, he drove his Volkswagen van to Panama and back. After two years at Harvard graduate school in international affairs, he withdrew, alienated by bitterness over the Vietnam War. Between 1966 and 1970, Wes was a National Park Service naturalist at Muir Woods, Glacier Bay, Grand Canyon, Olympic, and Death Valley national parks.

Wes returned to graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1970, intending to map Precambrian stratigraphy in Death Valley. Instead, he met Prof. Ian Carmichael and soon found himself studying igneous petrology and volcanology in an exceptionally fruitful environment with talented fellow students, including his future wife, Gail Mahood (geology professor at Stanford University). That period was characterized by the advent of precise and comprehensive trace-element analyses, the transformation from wet chemistry to X-ray fluorescence, and from mineral picking to the then still-primitive electron microprobe. Wes’s 1977 PhD on the Bishop Tuff ignited a global interest in large-scale silicic volcanism and magmatism that continues undiminished. He joined the USGS in 1977, where he remained a research leader for his whole career.

The many outstanding features of Wes’s productive career reflect his intertwined interests in mapping volcanoes and understanding large-scale magmatic processes. He combined the two (with a sometimes-intimidating gravitas) through numerous intensive, field-focused studies mostly in the U.S. and Chile. For more than 45 years, he did so with Judy Fierstein, an indefatigable field collaborator and the artistic talent behind their many geologic maps. Their work made heavy use of USGS analytical facilities and was made possible by the high-quality geochronology provided by the USGS argon dating laboratory.
Several facets of Wes’s research, often made with U.S. and international collaborators, stand out:
- Wes’s petrologic study of the rhyolitic Bishop Tuff, pioneering in its detail and comprehensiveness, challenged models for generating wide ranges in trace-element abundances in the erupted products. After what Wes himself referred to as “…the wild-goose chase of Soret effects in magma chambers,” his subsequent comparisons with other ignimbrites and related plutonic systems and the efforts of many other workers led to what has become widely known as the “mush model,” which is now a central paradigm for the generation of silicic magmas.
- Turning to the ultimate driver of silicic magmatism, Wes recognized the fundamentally basaltic nature of most continental crustal magmatism and developed enduring concepts for what are now termed trans-crustal magmatic systems. His original 1981 concepts were further developed in 1988 to outline (using Chilean examples) the roles of crustal thickness and deep crustal processes (the MASH model) in the generation of arc magmas.
- At the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field, Wes and his colleagues were the first to document the contrast between the narrow ∂¹⁸O range in the ignimbrites and the much lighter isotopic values of the earliest post-collapse lavas. His interpretation, that meteoric water was involved, initiated much research on the role of hydrothermally altered crust in the origins of low-d18O rhyolites and influenced the understanding of upper crustal silicic magma bodies.
- Studies of the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes in Alaska yielded fundamental insights into how a complicated volcanic plumbing system beneath Novarupta and Katmai caldera led to a remarkable diversity of magmas erupting in the 1912 eruption.
- Wes’s contribution to the 1986 geologic map of the island of Pantelleria in Italy stands as the most detailed study of a peralkaline rhyolite volcanic center. It remains an important contribution to understanding the physical volcanology of low-viscosity felsic magmas and their associated calderas, as well as the chronology of volcanic ashes across the Mediterranean.
- Late in his career Wes turned to his love of basic field geology and stratigraphy and published compelling studies on the landscape evolution of eastern Sierra Nevada, including the geology and geomorphology of the Long Valley Caldera region, the evolution of the Owens River gorge, and the nature and timing of development of the eastern Sierra Nevada escarpment.
- A major legacy of Wes’ productive career at the USGS are the detailed geologic maps and descriptions of volcanic histories for Mount Adams, Mount Baker, Three Sisters, and Simcoe Mountains in the Cascade Range of Washington and Oregon; Mammoth Mountain and Long Valley Caldera in eastern California; Katmai in Alaska; Quizapu-Descabezado and Laguna del Maule in Chile, and Pantelleria in Italy. In Wes’s words: “I’ve emphasized on-foot authentic geologic mapping of blank spots on the map, largely in wilderness or otherwise uninhabited areas.”
Wes received wide recognition and awards during his career, including Fellow of the Geological Society of America (1985), Fellow (1995) and Bowen Award (1985) from the American Geophysical Union, Thorarinsson Medalist of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (2004), and a Meritorious Service Award from the Department of the Interior (2004). Wes and Judy Fierstein jointly received the 2019 Florence Bascom Mapping Award from the Geological Society of America. In response to the award, Wes noted that it “celebrated what I love doing best.”

Wes was an avid reader and maintained a broad knowledge of global affairs, which was seeded by his travels through the Harvard Sheldon Fellowship. To colleagues, he offered three-thousand-year perspectives on the roots of conflicts in the Middle East and Europe. Before starting fieldwork each day, he scrutinized and read aloud portions of the daily academic commentary on current domestic affairs.

Wes was also a lifelong runner. He ran cross-country for the Harvard Crimson, and he finished in 29th place in the 1960 Boston Marathon. While traveling the world on the Sheldon Fellowship, he spent two months training at an immersion running camp in Australia. Between 1955 and 1972, Wes competed in the Dipsea Race for a grueling 12 km over the flank of Mt. Tamalpais, just north of San Francisco. On June 6, 2025, just two weeks before his death, Wes was inducted into the Dipsea Foundation Hall of Fame. In his acceptance speech, he said, “Distance running can be as much a lifestyle as a competitive sport. At age 87, I still hit the road for an hour every day – 365 days – slower every year, but the mentality and fitness support my geological day job,” and “there’s a spiritual component – the freedom of the hills – the simple gift of communion with the landscape.”

Wes was an outstanding geologist who had broad interests, including aspects of regional geology well outside of his recognized specialties in volcanology and igneous petrology. His insights and contributions have been of the highest quality and promise to last over time. At the time of his death, Wes was still carrying out work in the Sierra Nevada, the Mono Basin, the Cima volcanic field (all in California), and the Mina volcanics in western Nevada near where he died. His body of work, meticulously detailed, authoritatively stated, and contained within beautifully written papers, remains as an enduring memorial to his creativity, knowledge, and influence.

Contributed by: Charlie Bacon, Andy Calvert, Judy Fierstein, Shaul Hurwitz, Jake Lowenstern, Tom Sisson (all USGS Volcano Science Center), Gail Mahood (Stanford University), and Colin Wilson (Victoria University, NZ)
MIL OSI USA News –
July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI Banking: Panasonic HD develops “SparseVLM” technology that doubles the processing speed of Vision-Language Model

Source: Panasonic

Headline: Panasonic HD develops “SparseVLM” technology that doubles the processing speed of Vision-Language Model

Figure 1: Comparison of “SparseVLM” and existing sparsification methods (quoted from the accepted paper)

Osaka, Japan, July 4, 2025 – Panasonic R&D Company of America (PRDCA) and Panasonic Holdings Co., Ltd. (Panasonic HD), in collaboration with researchers from Peking University, Fudan University, University of California, Berkeley, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, have developed “SparseVLM,” a technology that speeds up Vision-Language Models (VLMs), AI models that can understand and process both visual data such as images and videos, and text data.In recent years, VLMs have seen rapid development. These models can process visual and textual information simultaneously and can answer questions about visual content. However, handling a large amount of data, especially high-resolution images and long videos, leads to longer inference times and higher computational complexity for the AI model. “SparseVLM” adopts a novel approach by focusing solely on the visual information relevant to the input prompt (Figure 1), significantly reducing inference time and computational complexity while maintaining high accuracy in answering questions about images.This research has been accepted for presentation at the 42nd International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML2025), one of the premier conferences for AI and machine learning research. The conference will take place in Vancouver, Canada from July 13 to July 19, 2025.

MIL OSI Global Banks –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI Banking: Panasonic HD develops “SparseVLM” technology that doubles the processing speed of Vision-Language Model

Source: Panasonic

Headline: Panasonic HD develops “SparseVLM” technology that doubles the processing speed of Vision-Language Model

Figure 1: Comparison of “SparseVLM” and existing sparsification methods (quoted from the accepted paper)

Osaka, Japan, July 4, 2025 – Panasonic R&D Company of America (PRDCA) and Panasonic Holdings Co., Ltd. (Panasonic HD), in collaboration with researchers from Peking University, Fudan University, University of California, Berkeley, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, have developed “SparseVLM,” a technology that speeds up Vision-Language Models (VLMs), AI models that can understand and process both visual data such as images and videos, and text data.In recent years, VLMs have seen rapid development. These models can process visual and textual information simultaneously and can answer questions about visual content. However, handling a large amount of data, especially high-resolution images and long videos, leads to longer inference times and higher computational complexity for the AI model. “SparseVLM” adopts a novel approach by focusing solely on the visual information relevant to the input prompt (Figure 1), significantly reducing inference time and computational complexity while maintaining high accuracy in answering questions about images.This research has been accepted for presentation at the 42nd International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML2025), one of the premier conferences for AI and machine learning research. The conference will take place in Vancouver, Canada from July 13 to July 19, 2025.

MIL OSI Global Banks –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Who Reads Russian Literature in China: From “Veteran Classics Lovers” to “Little Fairytale Lovers”

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

BEIJING, July 4 (Xinhua) — At the recently concluded 31st Beijing International Book Fair held in the Chinese capital, the Russian national stand showcased about 800 of the best new releases from the Russian publishing market, covering various literary genres. Classic works of Russian literature that have had a profound impact on Chinese society, such as “War and Peace,” “Crime and Punishment,” and “How the Steel Was Tempered,” are now creating a new reading landscape for the Chinese audience along with works by contemporary Russian authors.

THE ETERNAL RELEVANCE OF CLASSICS

Over the past 100-odd years, a huge number of classic works of Russian literature have been translated and introduced to China. The works of literary titans such as Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Alexander Pushkin, Anton Chekhov have had a lasting and profound influence on Chinese literary circles. Classic works such as How the Steel Was Tempered, War and Peace, and The Seagull were once widely known in China, but their mass recognition has noticeably weakened in our days.

In Chinese literary studies, the prevailing opinion is that the end of the era of total reception of Russian literature in modern China does not indicate its decline, but rather a transition to a phase of deep artistic reflection, where the aesthetic value of the text dominates over utilitarian functions.

Speaking about the main readers of Russian classical literature in today’s China, the winner of the international translation prize “Read Russia”, professor of the Capital Normal University Liu Wenfei in an interview with a correspondent of the Xinhua news agency noted that teachers and students of the humanities and Russian language departments are the most devoted readers of Russian classics in China.

In addition, older Chinese writers and literary scholars have a particular fondness for the realism of the 19th-century “golden age,” while younger poets and prose writers have a clear preference for the modernist literature of the Silver Age—the works of Marina Tsvetaeva, Anna Akhmatova, and other outstanding authors. “It is unlikely that you will find a poet in China today who is not familiar with their legacy,” Liu Wenfei said. According to his observations, these groups form the main readership of Russian classics in the country.

“But the readership of Russian classics in China is by no means limited to the groups mentioned. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain the phenomenon of multiple reprints of translations – it is enough to mention that Leo Tolstoy’s novel Anna Karenina has been translated into Chinese at least fifty times, while the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky are constantly present in publishing plans,” emphasized Liu Wenfei, a professor of Russian studies who has been involved in literary translation since the early 1980s.

THE FLOURISH OF RUSSIAN LITNISHES

Modern Russian literature is also translated quite fully in China, although classic works such as Tolstoy’s War and Peace, whose reader demand consistently exceeds that of 21st century authors, retain absolute dominance in book retail.

Contemporary Russian literature is in a phase of dynamic development, which excludes premature final assessments. This context is due to the transformation of reading practices, says Wang Xiaoyu, a junior research fellow at the Institute of World Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

However, according to her, compared to other languages, the spread of modern Russian literature in China should be recognized as significant – based on the volume of translations into Chinese and the awards received in recent years.

For example, Renmin Wenxue Chubanshe Publishing House launched the project “Mutual Translations of Chinese and Foreign Authors on a Single Theme”. The Chinese magazine “October” regularly publishes works by contemporary Russian writers first. In 2022, Professor Chen Fang from Renmin University of China received the Lu Xun Prize in the Best Literary Translation category for her translation work on Guzel Yakhina’s novel “My Children”, which contributes to the promotion of contemporary Russian literature in China.

Thus, Chinese youth born after the 1990s have begun to pay more attention to the works of contemporary Russian authors. As demonstrated by the activities of Russian language clubs in Beijing universities in recent years, Chinese youth interest in contemporary Russian literature has evolved from “exoticization” to “analytical discourse” – as evidenced by the academic debate on postmodern narratology in the novels of Viktor Pelevin. And the number of participants in the “Russian-Language Literature” group on the Douban review platform increased by 46 percent in the 2023 annual report.

DETLIT-REVANCE

A significant place in the exposition of the Russian stand at the 31st PMCF was given to children’s books, which clearly demonstrates the desire to strengthen the position of Russian children’s publishers in close cooperation with Chinese partners.

Let us recall that the 1950s were the “golden age” for the introduction and translation of Russian children’s literature in China. Such outstanding works as Pushkin’s fairy tale poem “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish”, Bianki’s “Forest Newspaper”, Gaidar’s “Distant Countries” and “Chuk and Gek”, and many other wonderful examples of Russian children’s literature were translated and published in China.

However, in recent decades, attention to contemporary Russian children’s literature has noticeably weakened. “This is a serious and unacceptable omission,” says Zhu Ziqiang, director of the Xingyuan Institute at the Ocean University of China.

This omission is now being actively corrected. In order to introduce outstanding Russian children’s books of recent decades to Chinese readers on a large scale, the Chinese publishing house “Jely” initiated and released the series “Golden Russian Children’s Books”. According to information, as of the end of June 2024, 11 titles with a total circulation of 147 thousand copies have been published within this series, including novels, fairy tales, prose and other works.

These books have firmly gained recognition in the Chinese children’s and adolescent literature market. Some of them, including “Visiting the Polar Bear” by Oleg Bundur, “Theo, the Theater Captain” by Nina Dashevskaya, were included in the reading list recommended by teachers of a Chinese school for students. “Theo teaches us that even a small role is important. Now I also want to create a puppet theater in the classroom – like Theo!” wrote an 11-year-old schoolboy surnamed Li from Beijing in a review of the book he read “Theo, the Theater Captain”, which became one of the “Top 10 Best Children’s Books of 2023” at the “Reading Month” festival in the city of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province /South China/.

At the Shanghai International Children’s Literature Fair held in November 2024, the China Literary Authors’ Society (CLAS) and the Association of Writers’ and Publishers’ Unions of Russia agreed to cooperate in acquiring numerous rights to Russian children’s publications.

According to KLAO, as of June 2024, over the past decade, Chinese publishers have translated more than 700 books from Russia, and about 400 Chinese books have been translated in Russia. Literary exchange between the two countries is gradually moving from “one-way borrowing” to “two-way exchange”. In the future, with the deep introduction of digital technology and the involvement of young people, Russian literature will continue to write new pages in China’s cultural landscape.

MIL OSI Russia News –

July 4, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Australia’s new lung cancer screening program has chosen simplicity over equity, and we’re concerned

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa J. Whop, Associate Director of Research and Senior Fellow, Yardhura Walani, National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research, Australian National University

Thurtell/Getty Images

Australia’s lung cancer screening program launched on July 1, and marks real progress and opportunity.

It aims to reduce the number of people dying from lung cancer by offering regular low-dose CT scans to people who smoke, and those who have quit. The aim is to detect and treat cancer early before it has spread.

But the program’s design may further disadvantage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who are disproportionately affected by lung cancer.

So Australia’s first new cancer screening program in almost 20 years risks entrenching health inequities rather than addressing them.

Lung cancer is a particular burden

Lung cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are 2.1 times more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer, and 1.8 times likely to die from it, compared with non-Indigenous Australians.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are also more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer at a younger age than non-Indigenous Australians.

Understanding the broader context of lung cancer risk among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is crucial.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been paid in tobacco rations rather than wages up until the 1960s, excluded from economic and health systems, and targeted by tobacco industry marketing.

Indigenous-led tobacco control and quit-smoking programs, such as the Tackling Indigenous Smoking program, have made significant progress in reducing smoking rates. Indigenous communities are leading the resistance against tobacco industry harms.

However, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples face major barriers to lung cancer screening. This is particularly in rural and remote areas where access to GPs, radiology services and culturally safe care is limited.

Lung cancer screening should account for this

Initially, the lung cancer screening program was designed with a lower screening age for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – 50 years compared with 55 years for non-Indigenous Australians. This made sense in the face of the earlier and higher risk of lung cancer.

However, the Medical Services Advisory Committee, the body responsible for assessing applications for public funding, removed this risk-based distinction. Now there’s a general age eligibility of 50-70 years.

This is a shift from equity (fairness) to equality (sameness). In health, treating everyone equally deepens inequities.

By contrast, many public health programs strive for equity and reflect the differing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. For instance, heart health checks and many vaccines are offered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples at a younger age.

There are also possible consequences of lowering the screening age for non-Indigenous Australians from 55 (as originally intended) to 50. Cancer Australia’s report warned this would not provide a favourable balance of benefits and harms, nor would it be cost-effective.

In this lower-risk population, this could increase the likelihood of detecting slow-growing lung nodules unlikely to cause harm. This can lead to unnecessary tests and procedures, anxiety, psychological distress, overtreatment and even harm.

While Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can also experience these potential harms, the higher risk of lung cancer earlier means the potential benefit from early detection outweighs these risks.

Let’s call it for what it is – structural racism

So current eligibility criteria expands the eligibility for lower risk groups. Yet it ignores Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ higher risk and cumulative impacts of remoteness, limited access to health services and other health conditions.

This decision significantly increases the number of people accessing the program. While this may appear equal on the surface, it risks a misallocation of limited health system resources, particularly in an already overstretched health system.

That’s a clear example of structural racism – when policies that seem neutral actually uphold longstanding inequities, and reinforce disadvantages.

This has parallels with concerns raised in the United States. Screening guidelines there have been criticised for failing to account for higher rates of lung cancer in African Americans.

What should we do next?

If we’re serious about a commitment to equity in cancer outcomes – as outlined in the Australian Cancer Plan and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cancer Plan – we must ensure screening policies do not inadvertently widen inequities.

We must revisit who’s eligible for screening and how eligibility is determined. This may mean not only considering age and smoking history, but other factors such as a family history of cancer.

It might also mean predicting lung cancer risk using models such as the PLCOm2012 risk prediction model. However, this particular model has not been validated in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, which needs to be a priority.

Instead, the Medical Services Advisory Committee has prioritised the same screening age for all – administrative simplicity over this more sensitive way of assessing risk.

We must prioritise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on screening waitlists and follow-up, and strengthen the cultural safety of services.

We must ensure robust data collection and reporting to evaluate the screening program. Evaluation needs to assess if the program delivers equitable access and outcomes, as well as delivering on effectiveness, safety and cost.

All these actions are essential to address the higher burden of lung cancer among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and uphold equity and the right to health over administrative simplicity.

This is the final article in our ‘Finding lung cancer’ series, which explores Australia’s first new cancer screening program in almost 20 years. Read other articles in the series.

More information about the program is available, including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. If you need support to quit smoking, see your doctor or call Quitline on 13 78 48.

Lisa J. Whop has received funding from Australian government National Health and Medical Research Council, Cancer Australia, and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Whop is the Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Group of Cancer Australia and has been an investigator on lung cancer screening consultation projects funded by Cancer Australia. The views in this article are their own.

Alison Brown has been a co-investigator on lung cancer screening consultation projects funded by Cancer Australia.

Raglan Maddox has received funding from Australian government National Health and Medical Research Council, Cancer Australia, and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Maddox has been an investigator on lung cancer screening consultation projects funded by Cancer Australia. The views in this article are their own.

– ref. Australia’s new lung cancer screening program has chosen simplicity over equity, and we’re concerned – https://theconversation.com/australias-new-lung-cancer-screening-program-has-chosen-simplicity-over-equity-and-were-concerned-253614

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

July 4, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Australia’s new lung cancer screening program has chosen simplicity over equity, and we’re concerned

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa J. Whop, Associate Director of Research and Senior Fellow, Yardhura Walani, National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research, Australian National University

Thurtell/Getty Images

Australia’s lung cancer screening program launched on July 1, and marks real progress and opportunity.

It aims to reduce the number of people dying from lung cancer by offering regular low-dose CT scans to people who smoke, and those who have quit. The aim is to detect and treat cancer early before it has spread.

But the program’s design may further disadvantage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who are disproportionately affected by lung cancer.

So Australia’s first new cancer screening program in almost 20 years risks entrenching health inequities rather than addressing them.

Lung cancer is a particular burden

Lung cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are 2.1 times more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer, and 1.8 times likely to die from it, compared with non-Indigenous Australians.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are also more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer at a younger age than non-Indigenous Australians.

Understanding the broader context of lung cancer risk among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is crucial.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been paid in tobacco rations rather than wages up until the 1960s, excluded from economic and health systems, and targeted by tobacco industry marketing.

Indigenous-led tobacco control and quit-smoking programs, such as the Tackling Indigenous Smoking program, have made significant progress in reducing smoking rates. Indigenous communities are leading the resistance against tobacco industry harms.

However, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples face major barriers to lung cancer screening. This is particularly in rural and remote areas where access to GPs, radiology services and culturally safe care is limited.

Lung cancer screening should account for this

Initially, the lung cancer screening program was designed with a lower screening age for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – 50 years compared with 55 years for non-Indigenous Australians. This made sense in the face of the earlier and higher risk of lung cancer.

However, the Medical Services Advisory Committee, the body responsible for assessing applications for public funding, removed this risk-based distinction. Now there’s a general age eligibility of 50-70 years.

This is a shift from equity (fairness) to equality (sameness). In health, treating everyone equally deepens inequities.

By contrast, many public health programs strive for equity and reflect the differing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. For instance, heart health checks and many vaccines are offered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples at a younger age.

There are also possible consequences of lowering the screening age for non-Indigenous Australians from 55 (as originally intended) to 50. Cancer Australia’s report warned this would not provide a favourable balance of benefits and harms, nor would it be cost-effective.

In this lower-risk population, this could increase the likelihood of detecting slow-growing lung nodules unlikely to cause harm. This can lead to unnecessary tests and procedures, anxiety, psychological distress, overtreatment and even harm.

While Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can also experience these potential harms, the higher risk of lung cancer earlier means the potential benefit from early detection outweighs these risks.

Let’s call it for what it is – structural racism

So current eligibility criteria expands the eligibility for lower risk groups. Yet it ignores Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ higher risk and cumulative impacts of remoteness, limited access to health services and other health conditions.

This decision significantly increases the number of people accessing the program. While this may appear equal on the surface, it risks a misallocation of limited health system resources, particularly in an already overstretched health system.

That’s a clear example of structural racism – when policies that seem neutral actually uphold longstanding inequities, and reinforce disadvantages.

This has parallels with concerns raised in the United States. Screening guidelines there have been criticised for failing to account for higher rates of lung cancer in African Americans.

What should we do next?

If we’re serious about a commitment to equity in cancer outcomes – as outlined in the Australian Cancer Plan and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cancer Plan – we must ensure screening policies do not inadvertently widen inequities.

We must revisit who’s eligible for screening and how eligibility is determined. This may mean not only considering age and smoking history, but other factors such as a family history of cancer.

It might also mean predicting lung cancer risk using models such as the PLCOm2012 risk prediction model. However, this particular model has not been validated in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, which needs to be a priority.

Instead, the Medical Services Advisory Committee has prioritised the same screening age for all – administrative simplicity over this more sensitive way of assessing risk.

We must prioritise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on screening waitlists and follow-up, and strengthen the cultural safety of services.

We must ensure robust data collection and reporting to evaluate the screening program. Evaluation needs to assess if the program delivers equitable access and outcomes, as well as delivering on effectiveness, safety and cost.

All these actions are essential to address the higher burden of lung cancer among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and uphold equity and the right to health over administrative simplicity.

This is the final article in our ‘Finding lung cancer’ series, which explores Australia’s first new cancer screening program in almost 20 years. Read other articles in the series.

More information about the program is available, including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. If you need support to quit smoking, see your doctor or call Quitline on 13 78 48.

Lisa J. Whop has received funding from Australian government National Health and Medical Research Council, Cancer Australia, and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Whop is the Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Group of Cancer Australia and has been an investigator on lung cancer screening consultation projects funded by Cancer Australia. The views in this article are their own.

Alison Brown has been a co-investigator on lung cancer screening consultation projects funded by Cancer Australia.

Raglan Maddox has received funding from Australian government National Health and Medical Research Council, Cancer Australia, and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Maddox has been an investigator on lung cancer screening consultation projects funded by Cancer Australia. The views in this article are their own.

– ref. Australia’s new lung cancer screening program has chosen simplicity over equity, and we’re concerned – https://theconversation.com/australias-new-lung-cancer-screening-program-has-chosen-simplicity-over-equity-and-were-concerned-253614

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy School Choice Legislation Heads to President Trump’s Desk as Part of One, Big, Beautiful Bill

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today released a statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed President Trump’s One, Big, Beautiful Bill that included Cassidy’s Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA). The bill is now headed to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.
“Parents should decide where their kids go to school. This bill helps them do that,” said Dr. Cassidy. “I am grateful to see President Trump sign the first federal school choice bill into law as a part of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill.”
“Passage of ECCA is a historic moment for educational freedom and parents’ ability to choose the best option for their children. Students deserve the opportunity to succeed in the setting which best meets their needs, and this investment will open new doors for millions of American families. It has been a privilege to work so diligently with Rep. Owens, Sen. Cassidy, and Sen. Scott to accomplish this historic legislation, and I look forward to continuing our work supporting American families as the Treasury Department implements this legislation,” said Representative Adrian Smith (NE-03).
In January, Cassidy and U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) led their colleagues in introducing ECCA to expand educational freedom and opportunity for students. Specifically, it provides a charitable donation incentive for individuals and businesses to fund scholarship awards for students to cover expenses related to K-12 public and private education. ECCA will be the first federal school choice legislation to be signed into law in American history.
Cassidy was joined by U.S. Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), John Thune (R-SD), John Cornyn (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Ted Budd (R-NC), Tom Cotton (R-AR), John Kennedy (R-LA), Tommy Tubberville (R-AL), Jim Justice (R-WV), James Risch (R-ID), John Barrasso (R-WY), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Todd Young (R-IN), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Katie Britt (R-AL), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Dave McCormick (R-PA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jon Husted (R-OH), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Jim Banks (R-IN), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), John Boozman (R-AR), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Ashley Moody (R-FL).

MIL OSI USA News –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Booker Introduces Critical Legislation to Fund Community Violence Intervention

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the Break the Cycle of Violence Act, legislation that would create a new Office of Community Violence Intervention (CVI) and a new grant program within the Department of Health and Human Services to award $5 billion in grants to community-based, nonprofit organizations and eligible units of local government to create or support evidence-based and prevention programs to interrupt cycles of violence. U.S. Representative Steven Horsford (D-NV-04) introduced companion legislation in the House.
Community violence should no longer be a problem for law enforcement to react to after it has occurred. We must invest in community-based violence intervention and prevention initiatives that stop this violence from happening in the first place. This legislation would provide resources to community outreach programs, hospital-based violence intervention programs, gun violence interventions strategies, and violence interruption and crisis management initiatives.
“Too many people in New Jersey and across our country continue to lose loved ones to senseless gun violence,” said Senator Booker. “By investing federal dollars into programs and methods that work to prevent gun violence, we can do something about the violence plaguing our communities before it happens. The Break the Cycle of Violence Act will empower communities with the resources they need to reduce gun violence, save lives, and make our neighborhoods safer.”
Over the past decade, gun violence has risen sharply in communities across the United States, with a particularly devastating impact on predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods. Between 2018 and 2021, the rate of firearm-related deaths increased by 100 percent for Black youth and by 50 percent for Hispanic youth. In 2021, Black children represented 46 percent of youth firearm deaths though they represent only 14 percent of the youth population in the U.S. In 2023, there were 46,278 gun deaths—the third-highest annual total on record, trailing only 2022 and 2021. Shootings, homicides, and group violence continue to pose a serious and disproportionate threat to too many communities across the country.
This violence has enormous human, social, and economic costs. Research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Violence Prevention found that “one-in-three youth living in inner cities show a higher prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder than soldiers” in the U.S. military during wartime. Gun violence harms rural communities as well, which suffer from a 37 percent higher death rate due to gun violence than urban communities. Gun violence costs the country approximately $280 billion per year.
The Break the Cycle of Violence Act is endorsed by Community Justice, Sandy Hook Promise, Giffords Gun Violence Prevention & Advocacy, and Everytown for Gun Safety.
“Over the last several years, cities across the country finally saw decreases in homicides and shootings, and that is only because of significant federal investment in community violence intervention (CVI) strategies,” Adzi Vokhiwa, Vice President of Policy at Community Justice, said. “However, Black and Brown communities continue to bear the brunt of gun violence. Without a doubt, more funding is needed to support CVI programs especially after the cancellation of many federal CVI grant awards earlier this year. If signed into law, the Break the Cycle of Violence Act would provide the largest federal investment in community-based and community-led efforts to end gun violence, expand workforce training for youth at the highest risk of violence, and help ensure the implementation of a public health approach to gun violence prevention. We thank Congressman Horsford and Senator Booker for recognizing the effectiveness and importance of CVI strategies and introducing this important legislation to save lives across the country.”
“Gun violence manifests itself differently across U.S. communities, with children in many Black and Brown communities being disproportionally affected as well as children living in areas with high poverty rates,” Mark Barden, co-founder and CEO of Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund, and father of Daniel, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, said. “Lives can and will be saved when local leaders are equipped with the tools, training, and resources to address the unique circumstances of violence in their regions. We applaud the reintroduction of the ‘Break the Cycle of Violence Act,’ and encourage Congress to pass this important bill to protect children throughout our country.”
“Seemingly never-ending cycles of gun violence crush families, hurt the economy, and suppress communities’ ability to thrive. In particular, Black and Latino Americans bear the brunt of America’s gun violence and gun crime epidemic. But we have strategies and programs that are proven to save lives—all they need is sufficient funding,” Emma Brown, Executive Director of the national gun violence prevention organization GIFFORDS, said. “Every lawmaker, Republicans and Democrats alike, should support Representative Horsford and Senator Booker’s Break the Cycle of Violence Act. This bill, which GIFFORDS is proud to have shaped, will not only fund essential programs, but also provide jobs to American youth that will allow them to thrive and break the cycle of violence.”
“Communities most impacted by gun violence need real resources—and the Break the Cycle of Violence Act delivers,” Angela Ferrell-Zabala, Executive Director of Moms Demand Action, said. “It invests in proven, lifesaving programs and puts support where it’s needed most: in the hands of grassroots leaders. We’re grateful to Rep. Horsford for reintroducing this critical bill.”
The Break the Cycle of Violence Act provisions include:
·         $5 billion investment in anti-violence programs to create and support violence interruption and crisis management initiatives.
·         $1.5 billion investment in workforce training and job opportunities, including improved youth employment and training activities, paid work experience for school aged youth, and partnerships with community-based organizations to serve youth in high-crime and high-poverty areas.
·         An Office of Community Violence Intervention at HHS to implement evidence-based violence reduction initiatives.
·         A Community Violence Intervention Advisory Committee to ensure people with expertise in community violence intervention have a voice in CVI policies.
·         A National Community Violence Response Center to provide technical assistance for implementing community violence intervention and prevention programs.
The Break the Cycle of Violence Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
To read the full text of the bill, click here.

MIL OSI USA News –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI China: 13th World Peace Forum held in Beijing

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

More than 1,200 guests from 86 countries and regions have gathered in Beijing to exchange views on maintaining global peace and addressing conflicts at the ongoing 13th World Peace Forum (WPF).

Themed “advancing global peace and prosperity: shared responsibility, benefit and achievement,” the forum, which runs from July 2 to 4, brings together leading strategists, senior policymakers and former political leaders.

“In the face of serious and complex international developments and escalating regional conflicts, global peace and development face unprecedented challenges,” said Li Luming, president of Tsinghua University and chairman of the WPF, told the forum at the opening ceremony on Thursday.

Li noted that amid a turbulent international landscape and rising geopolitical tensions, fostering unity and dialogue is more important than ever.

Addressing the opening ceremony, former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama emphasized that peace can be achieved not by using force, but through dialogue, and the forum bears great significance in this regard.

Hatoyama said that it is essential for Japan to work closely with its East Asian neighbors, ASEAN, middle powers in Europe, and the Global South to strengthen its independence from the United States. He emphasized that enhancing trilateral collaboration among Japan, China and the Republic of Korea is particularly important.

He called on Japan to reduce the potential for conflicts in the region by more clearly stating that it does not support Taiwan independence, and by restraining moves toward Taiwan independence, adding that the Taiwan issue is China’s internal matter.

The forum comprises four plenary sessions and 18 panel discussions, where participants will share their perspectives on subjects including the international order and world peace, pan-securitization and the global security predicament, the role of the Global South in achieving world peace and prosperity, and major power coordination and conflict resolution.

Beginning in 2012, Tsinghua University has been co-hosting the forum with the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs. The forum aims to provide a platform of communication and exchange for strategists and think tanks worldwide.

MIL OSI China News –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: On Country and in demand: Tackling remote teacher shortages

Source:

04 July 2025

Sports day on Country.

When a dry creek bed is your classroom, science connects to the land, and sports day kicks off amid a cloud of red dust, you know you’re on Country out bush.

For a group of UniSA student teachers, the opportunity to teach in remote South Australia offers more than cultural immersion – it’s a chance to connect with community, embrace new ways of learning, and potentially spark a career in Aboriginal education.

This National NAIDOC Week, UniSA is highlighting its remote teaching placements in the Anangu Lands, spanning Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) and Yalata Lands, aiming to inspire future teachers, while addressing workforce shortages in regional and remote Australia.

The timing is significant, with the State’s Aboriginal Education Strategy, Impact Report showing that teaching support in the APY Lands has helped deliver the highest average preschool attendance in five years.

Already, four of last year’s eight placement students have returned to continue teaching in the APY Lands while completing their degrees.

With more than 30 years’ experience in Aboriginal education, UniSA’s Associate Director: Regional Engagement, Dr Sam Osborne, says encouraging students to explore remote teaching placements is vital to building the remote workforce.

“When there’s a teacher shortage in Australia, we know there’s a desperate teacher shortage in rural and remote Australia,” Dr Osborne says.

“These areas can seem daunting – they’re unfamiliar, far from family and friends, and may lack creature comforts – but they also offer incredibly rewarding experiences in close-knit and supportive communities.

“Our placement program provides third-year education students with a unique opportunity to spend six weeks living and teaching in Anangu communities, alongside the world’s oldest continuing culture.

“They live, learn and teach between the classroom, and on Country. Whether it’s working with Elders to link native plants with science, teaching kindy kids colours in Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara, or making maths fun by tallying bird species observed on Country.

“Importantly, students are supported by the community as they learn their craft in a cultural and language context that few Australians ever encounter.”

The Anangu schools’ partnership includes 10 schools spanning the far north and west of South Australia, including The APY Lands, Maralinga Tjarutja, and Yalata with around 200 local and non-local educators working in these schools.

UniSA student teachers and team connecting at Yulara.

Sophia, a third-year UniSA education student who recently returned from a six-week placement in Pipalyatjara Anangu School, says her stay was transformative.

“One of the first things you notice is the scale of the Australian outback. From the desert plains to endless skies over the mountain ranges, you know you’re about to experience something completely different,” Sophia says.

“Teaching at an Anangu school was so unique, and it very strongly connected to culture.

“We often took learning outdoors – using hopscotch or other made-up games to teach language and numbers – which the kids loved because they’re such outdoor people.

“There were also amazing opportunities to learn from people in the community. On family days, we’d sit with an Elder to hear stories of their history, their travels, or more practical things like how to mix bush medicines or make spears.

“The local people are beautiful – gentle, kind and insightful, and they have a quiet confidence that really stayed with me.

“This placement was unlike anything I’ve ever done. I felt welcomed in the community and I can’t wait to return – hopefully next year.”

The program includes a three-day language and culture orientation run by Iwiri Aboriginal corporation, a mid-placement visit to the UniSA site at Ernabella, and a post-placement debrief at Uluru. Students are supported by experienced staff and take part in on-Country experiences and excursions.

“This program provides high-quality support for preservice teachers who want to challenge themselves personally and professionally in a new context,” Dr Osborne says.

“They are developing far more than classroom skills – they’re building cultural understanding, lasting connections, and for many, a sense of purpose that could shape their careers.”

In partnership with the SA Department for Education, UniSA is also running a two-week field trip for students interested in teaching in remote areas.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Contact for interview: Dr Sam Osborne E: Sam.Osborne@unisa.edu.au
Media contact: Annabel Mansfield M: +61 479 182 489 E: Annabel.Mansfield@unisa.edu.au

MIL OSI News –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Remarks as prepared for delivery by Dr. Josh Cowen, Friend of Education Award winner, to the 104th Representative Assembly

Source: US National Education Union

Thank you President Pringle. Thanks to the Friend of Education Award Committee. And thanks most of all to you educators out there working hard for kids and families in public schools across the country. I want to give a special shout-out to the Michigan delegation for the work you do every day. I’m so honored and humbled to be standing up here to receive this award–and I share it with all of you.

We all know tomorrow is Independence Day. Today I’m thinking about those famous words from Thomas Jefferson: “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Each of us has probably seen that phrase a thousand times in our lives. But I want to use this opportunity to talk about what it means for me and what I think it means for all of us moving forward.

When I first started the work that brought me up here, I thought I was talking about history. One bad idea–school voucher schemes–with roots in resistance to the Civil Rights Movement, and funded today by Betsy DeVos and other billionaires.

But as we’ve seen, threats to public education, and to public investments in all of our futures–from health care, to jobs, to retirement security, and even basic, affordable costs of living–this is all very much breaking news. “Breaking” as in urgent. But also “breaking” as in a forceful, threatening undoing.

Because that’s what’s at stake here. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for everyone. Not just the wealthy and the well-connected. All of us.

You might know my name because I’ve been fighting Betsy DeVos’s school voucher schemes. But as we look ahead we have to remember that it’s not just one bad billionaire idea. It’s an entire political agenda. Folks from Michigan may remember that when Betsy DeVos was chairwoman of our state’s Republican Party, she once said that the problem with Michigan’s economy was that our workers are paid too much!

I don’t need any lessons about how to fix American education–or American health care, American Social Security, or American democracy itself–from a billionaire who thinks the way to fix the American economy is to cut worker pay!

You know, I get a lot of crap from the DeVos political machine, her lobbyists and Super PACs, the Heritage Foundation, and all the rest. They attack me for the work you’ve honored me with here today. And of course, one thing they say is “Josh, he’s too close to the teachers’ unions.”

But I’m proud to be here. I am my own man. And I have my own strength. And I have my own dignity. And I say: I would rather stand shoulder to shoulder with Becky Pringle, Randi Weingarten, Sean Fain, Liz Shuler–and labor leaders, autoworkers, educators, journeymen and women, and middle class families all over the country–then crawl for even one short minute at the feet of right-wing billionaires.

Listen. It’s going to get harder. We have a lot work to do. But as my governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has been saying “we can do hard things.”

We sure as hell can. For me, that’s going to mean that I’m going to be running for Congress in Michigan’s 7th District. Against a first-term Republican who comes right out of that DeVos political machine. And we know not just the DeVoses but other Republicans are gearing up to make 2026 in Michigan the “education election” for their priorities like more standardized testing. Cuts to public school funding. And yes, school vouchers.

I’m not going to let them. But I’m going to need some help in that work to defend public schools. And Medicaid, Social Security, jobs and so much more. Now, I know that I’m going to have to work hard to win any official endorsements from the Michigan folks and others, but for today I’m hoping you’ll visit my website and learn more about me and how we can stand together for students and families.

My time on this stage is up but our work together is just beginning. And I want to wrap up by just going back to that Declaration of Independence–life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness–and to remind all of us that what’s at stake here really is democracy.

We all talk about democracy in different ways, and none of us have to be as eloquent as Jefferson, or Abe Lincoln, or FDR or Dr. King. We just have to listen to families and go out and meet them where they are at the places that matter to them.

For a single mom with a kid who’s struggling to read, maybe democracy is just having a public school that is a bit more responsive to her when she’s trying to get what she needs for her kiddo.

For a 27 year-old guy with Type-I diabetes, maybe democracy is just having a health care plan that won’t throw him out in the cold because he has a pre-existing condition.

Maybe for a retiree, democracy is just having someone there at the Social Security office to pick up the damn phone and talk to a real person if their check goes missing.

For a working dad of 3 or 4 kids, who’s just lost his job, maybe democracy is just getting a little bit of economic assistance till he gets back on his feet. Or if he has a job, maybe democracy means being able to count on an income not just to survive and put food on the table–but to thrive and build out his family’s future.

A democracy that works for everyone is an economy that works for everyone. And an economy that works for everyone is a democracy that works for everyone.

Thank you all, God Bless you. And God Bless America–this weekend on her birthday, and every day ahead.

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Follow us on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/neapresident.bsky.social and https://bsky.app/profile/neatoday.bsky.social

The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, students preparing to become teachers, healthcare workers, and public employees. Learn more at www.nea.org.

MIL OSI USA News –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: NEA awards public school advocate and national expert on private education vouchers with its highest honor

Source: US National Education Union

PORTLAND, Ore.—The National Education Association today awarded Dr. Josh Cowen—distinguished author, professor, researcher, and national expert on private school vouchers—with its highest honor, the Friend of Education Award. Cowen received the award in front of nearly 7,000 educators gathered in Portland, Oregon, during the 2025 NEA Representative Assembly.

Cowen is at the forefront of the fight against school privatization and holding billionaire-run organizations accountable for the ineffective voucher policies they have promoted through lobbying efforts in multiple states and Congress. His book, The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers, lays out the dishonest, money-driven, and faux-researched lobby effort used to support voucher policies by monied interests. He also explains how vouchers have negatively impacted the overall educational outcomes in the United States. Across the country, voters continue to reject vouchers, most recently seen as voters in Colorado, Kentucky, and Nebraska all rejected ballot measures related to school vouchers.

“Dr. Cowen is a leading voice in the work of advocating for our nation’s public schools and the well-being of our students. America’s educators are proud to bestow him with NEA’s highest honor, the Friend of Education award,” said NEA President Becky Pringle. “Through his research and in his advocacy, Dr. Cowen is tireless in his commitment to America’s public schools. He speaks truth to power, and at a time when anti-public education politicians push harmful voucher schemes and try to steal opportunities from our students, our families, and our communities, we need more voices like his.”

“I’m accepting this Friend of Education Award on behalf of all the public school educators, middle-class families, and everyone else out there who’s been standing up to right-wing billionaires like Betsy DeVos for years. My life’s work has been fighting for public schools and making sure every student gets the education they deserve. Now more than ever, we’re going to need the same commitment in the fight to defend our democracy. And when it comes to that fight, I’m just getting started.”

Cowen has been a leader in educational research, teacher mobility, teacher attrition, and interpreting educational outcomes. In 2016, he founded the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC), a think tank designed to partner with policymakers to improve educational outcomes for students and educators alike. He has also been a national director for the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice (REACH), which is based at Tulane University.

“Vouchers are the education equivalent of predatory lending. The right-wing markets vouchers specifically to families of color, to low-income families, as if there are a whole lot of high-quality private school providers that will take all of these children in mass amounts. We know that doesn’t happen. We know the schools that do accept them tend to be barely hanging on, tend to be subprime, as I call them, as the academic results show,” Cowen said in an interview with NEAToday.

The NEA Friend of Education Award is presented during NEA’s annual convention and recognizes a person or organization whose leadership has significantly contributed to improving American public education. Past recipients include activists Judith Heumann, Greta Thunberg, Dolly Parton, and Quinta Brunson.

# # #

Follow us on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/neapresident.bsky.social and https://bsky.app/profile/neatoday.bsky.social

The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, students preparing to become teachers, healthcare workers, and public employees. Learn more at www.nea.org.

MIL OSI USA News –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Transcript – 7:30 with Sarah Ferguson

Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

SARAH FERGUSON: It emerged today that accused child sex offender Joshua Brown may have worked at several child care centres in Victoria longer than authorities originally thought. It means more parents now face the excruciating prospect that their children may be involved and may be required to undergo health screening. On Tuesday, Brown was charged with more than 70 offences, including sexual assault, relating to eight alleged victims at a child care centre in Melbourne’s west. Authorities had also listed more than 20 other centres he’d worked at across the city. These allegations will now be tested in court. But as our reporter Adele Ferguson told us when the story broke, it’s not the first time parents have had to consider the possibility their children may have been the victims of assault while in childcare.

ADELE FERGUSON: If you look across at the data, at least one report a day of sexual misconduct comes from child care centres, which is a heck of a lot.

SARAH FERGUSON: The latest allegations put pressure on the Federal Government to overhaul the regulation of child care in Australia. Education Minister Jason Clare is the Minister responsible. Jason Clare, welcome.

JASON CLARE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: Thank you.

FERGUSON: Now you learnt about the allegations being made against the child care worker in Melbourne over a week ago. What action did you take?

CLARE: The first step I took was to put this on the top of the agenda for Education Ministers when we met last week. Last week, two things happened. I was informed that a person had been arrested for the alleged behaviour in child care centres in Victoria. But a second thing happened. The Wheeler Report was released by the NSW Government, and their initial response. And as you know, that was an investigation conducted by the former Deputy Ombudsman of NSW, Chris Wheeler, in response to the Four Corners exposé earlier this year, which revealed horrifying examples of physical abuse and neglect in child care centres. I thought it was necessary to put this at the top of the agenda for Education Ministers last week so we could pull together the recommendations from Chris and he briefed us, but also recommendations from Gabrielle Sinclair, who’s the head of the federal regulator, about what are the next steps we need to take to keep our kids safe in child care.

FERGUSON: We’ll come to some of those in a minute. I just want to stay with the situation in Melbourne and just repeating that these are now allegations, the man has been charged and will face trial. How is it possible that if you knew a week ago, some parents only found out when they went to the childcare centres that there was a problem?

CLARE: Let me be very clear. I was informed by the Victorian Government that someone had been arrested, I wasn’t briefed on the details of this, and nor were Ministers at the Education Ministers meeting last week. To the best of my knowledge, the Victorian Government has made sure that they’ve informed parents as soon as they possibly can. As you would have heard —

FERGUSON: Well, it’s not – it can’t be as soon as they possibly could because we had an incident of a mother on the program last night who did receive a text message. The text message was very confusing. The media were at the child care centre. She didn’t know, walked into a child care centre.

CLARE: Fair point. Let me correct that. The Victorian Government were informing parents when they believed that they were ready to do so. One of those people is a friend of mine. She’s directly affected by this. Her girls are caught up in this. I know the white-hot anger of all parents that are affected by this and the confusion that they’re facing and feeling right now. I don’t want to make any points specifically about the alleged offender because this will go before the courts. But this is serious, it’s sickening. People want to turn away from this and turn off their TVs, but you can’t. It requires serious action. I’ve been pretty blunt about this today and yesterday. We’re taking action, but not enough action has happened and not fast enough.

FERGUSON: Alright, let’s talk about that. But just in the case of your friends, and obviously we offer them all our sympathy, how did they find out, and how did they think the matter was treated?

CLARE: They received a text message.

FERGUSON: Did they understand the text message?

CLARE: Yeah, they did. They did, but then they received further details. She’s gone off to see a GP, but to be honest, she’s still confused, wanting to find out what tests she needs to get her daughters to do, whether those tests might cause more trauma than the girls. The girls don’t know about it at the moment. She’s keeping it from them, as you expect that she would. But at some point, they need to get tests done. She needs to know what those tests involve and what the potential impact of them might be on the girls.

FERGUSON: Are paedophiles targeting child care centres because they can get easy access to children?

CLARE: We’ve seen evidence of this, Sarah. We saw evidence of this in Queensland, where Australia’s worst paedophile was arrested and charged and convicted a couple of years ago. It’s why I asked the federal regulator to conduct a review into child safety. It’s why the sort of actions that are rolling out now are happening, because you have seen paedophiles do this.

FERGUSON: We will talk about what came out of that review, but there are figures that show, and these are just in the jurisdictions that have reporting requirements, at least one incident of sexual misconduct a day. And that doesn’t include any figures from Queensland, the Northern Territory and South Australia. How do you defend those statistics?

CLARE: I don’t. No reasonable person would. What those statistics show you is that we’ve got a serious problem, and we’ve got to take serious action. The honest answer to you is that this job will never be done, that there will always be bad people that try and break through the net. That doesn’t mean that you do nothing, though. That means that we’ve got to do everything that we possibly can to make sure that our children are safe. That’s why people are talking now about CCTV or about an educator register, about improving working with children checks. None of that is a silver bullet. None of that is going to guarantee every child is safe. But all of it are the sort of things that are necessary if we’re fair dinkum about doing our jobs.

FERGUSON. So, what is your view on each of those things? Just one at a time? CCTV. Should there be CCTV in child care centres?

CLARE: Yes, there should. Chris talked about this in his report that was handed down last week —

FERGUSON: When can we expect to see that?

CLARE: Hang on a sec. So, what Mr. Wheeler said in his report, based on the Four Corners investigation, is that that should be targeted to certain centres based on the fact that some centres haven’t been up to scratch. And so, Education Ministers are looking at –

FERGUSON: Just hold it. Just hold it there. You’re talking about the need for CCTV in a child care centre that is not up to scratch. Should any centre that is required to have CCTV for the safety of its – for the children attending it, should that centre be in operation?

CLARE: The short answer to that is no, and that’s why I’m going to introduce legislation when the Parliament returns in the first sitting fortnight that will cut funding to child care centres that aren’t up to scratch, that aren’t meeting the quality and safety standards that Australians would expect and that our kids deserve. This is the big weapon that the Commonwealth Government has to wield here. We fund centres, 70 per cent of the funding for these centres comes from taxpayers —

FERGUSON. So, you have all the levers.

CLARE: That is the big lever that the Commonwealth Government has. States have other levers, but that’s the big one. A centre can’t run without taxpayer funding or taxpayer support. And so, that’s why we’ve said this was something that we announced in March. That’s a major important measure to make sure that our kids are safe. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have CCTV as well. Chris gave us recommendations about that, and that’s one of the things Ministers are going through right now.

FERGUSON: One of the standards that you’ve already talked about that’s coming in in September is mandatory reporting of any physical or sexual abuse within 24 hours. Why not bring that in immediately?

CLARE: We’re bringing it in as quick as we possibly can. I’m conscious here no one is interested in any excuses here. But the honest answer to this is out of the review that we did, that we asked the National Regulator to conduct for us, they recommended a suite of changes, about 16 different reforms. Some of them are the responsibility of Education Ministers, some the Attorney-General, some building Ministers. One of them was around mobile phones, one of them was around mandatory reporting. I’ve told my department, I’ve told Ministers across the country, we need to implement these as quick as we possibly can, and that’s one of them.

FERGUSON. So, the beginning of September is the earliest you can possibly do that. There is no mechanism under which you could make that immediate because I think that’s something that people will be puzzled about. If you have an existing requirement that says you have to report within seven days, that seems extremely long. Why can’t you move more quickly on that?

CLARE: I think anyone listening would say, why is it seven days now?

FERGUSON: Yes, indeed.

CLARE: Why hasn’t this been fixed yet?

FERGUSON: What’s the answer?

CLARE: The answer is it should have been fixed yesterday. I’m determined to get it fixed as soon as it possibly can. The best advice I’ve got is the way this system works is we can get it done in September.

FERGUSON: How do you propose to fix a system that fails to punish centres that offer substandard care?

CLARE: There’s at least two parts to this. The penalties that centres cop at the moment are insufficient. This is another thing that Chris Wheeler pointed to in his report last week. For an individual that breaches —

FERGUSON: Do you need Chris Wheeler’s report to tell you that?

CLARE: No. I think any right-minded person, when they find out that a maximum penalty under the existing law for an individual is about $9,000, for a centre or a provider is about $45,000, would say, “well, that’s probably not enough to make sure that people are doing what they should be doing”.

FERGUSON: Why did it take a television program to make this an urgent matter of business development?

CLARE: It shouldn’t, but there’s a bit of a history here at the ABC of Four Corners doing the right thing.

FERGUSON: But I want to know what the Government’s been doing because this information was not held secretly from you or your department.

CLARE: No, I get all of that —

FERGUSON: So, what have you been doing for the last three years?

CLARE: The bottom line is that Ministers haven’t been doing enough fast enough, right?

FERGUSON: Including you?

CLARE: Including me, and I take my fair share of responsibility for it. I’ve been pretty blunt about that. But I tell you what, I’ve got the job now and I’m determined to act. Part of that is significantly beefing up those penalties. The other part in answering your question is about cutting off the funding to centres who don’t comply if they’re persistently not meeting safety standards. If they’re persistently not meeting the sort of quality that we expect, whether it’s for a for-profit centre or a not-for-profit community centre, then we’ve got to have the ability to cut off funding, pull the funding for them. That’s what’s going to help get centres up to the sort of safety and quality standards we expect —

FERGUSON: What should the threshold be? Is one breach of a serious safety standard enough?

CLARE: We’re working through the details of that bill that I’ll introduce now, so I won’t pre-empt that, but there needs to be stages there so that potentially we can set conditions on centres. But ultimately, you’ve got to have the power to pull the funding.

FERGUSON: The Federal Government undertook a drive, the Albanese Government, when it came into power, a drive to provide what were urgently needed childcare places across the country. Have you pushed the sector to expand too fast at the expense of children’s safety?

CLARE: No, I don’t think that’s right. We have seen the centre grow over the last three years. There’s 100,000 more children in early education and care today than there were three years ago.

FERGUSON: And we’ve got a crisis of quality. So, doesn’t that make the answer to that question yes?

CLARE: There’s about one and a half million children in the sector right now, so it’s gone from about 1.4 to 1.5. So, we’re seeing that grow. That’s good for parents because it’s an essential service. It’s good to have more children in early education and care because it’s helping to get them ready for school —

FERGUSON: Sure, but this is a debate about quality.

CLARE: I get that. I’m determined to make sure that we hit those quality standards. So, the question then is, how do you make sure you hit those quality and safety standards? What do businesses in this sector listen to? Money. And if you cut off the funding, then you end up closing down the centre. That’s going to be the real tool that we’ve got here to help boost those standards.

FERGUSON: So do you – As things stand, do you accept that there is a correlation between for-profit in this sector and low quality?

CLARE: What I would say is that in the community or the not-for-profit sector, we’re seeing overwhelmingly higher levels of achieving the sort of quality we want and expect than in the for-profit sector. But whether it’s for-profit or not-for-profit, everybody has to meet those sort of standards. We’ve got to make sure that the safety of our children is number one, and one of the ways we can do that is with the lever of Commonwealth money.

FERGUSON: Long way to go on this. Thank you very much indeed for coming in.

CLARE: Thanks, Sarah.

MIL OSI News –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Scottish recipients of The Elizabeth Emblem
Source: Scottish Government
First Minister marks lives given in public service.

First Minister John Swinney has paid tribute to the eight Scottish recipients of The Elizabeth Emblem.

The emblem is awarded posthumously to family members of those who died in public service. It is the civilian equivalent of the Elizabeth Cross, which recognises members of the UK Armed Forces who died in action or a terrorist attack.

The First Minister said:

“I warmly welcome the awarding of The Elizabeth Emblem to these individuals and their families.

“This recognition enables us to remember their sacrifice and their lives dedicated to public service. They made Scotland a better place for us all and we continue to honour their memory.”

The family of Dunblane Primary School teacher Gwen Mayor including her husband Rodney Mayor said:

“As a family we are extremely proud and honoured to be receiving this award on behalf of Gwen. We always believed her actions that day deserved more recognition.

“You would have to have known Gwen to know that she would have done whatever trying to protect the children in her care. She paid the ultimate price for that commitment. Finally we now feel that she has been honoured for what happened that day.”

The full list of Scottish recipients of The Elizabeth Emblem are:

Joseph Stewart Drake, a Constable with Stirling and Clackmannan Constabulary. He died on 11 August 1967 when a stolen lorry intentionally struck his car at Dennyloanhead as he tried to intercept it.

Gwen Mayor, Primary 1 teacher at Dunblane Primary School died on 13 March 1996 alongside 15 of her pupils when a gunman entered the school.

Rodney (Rod) Moore, a retired NHS paramedic from Falkirk with 40 years’ service, rejoined the Scottish Ambulance Service to support its Covid-19 response and died on 21 November 2020 having contracted coronavirus.

Roderick Nicolson, a Scottish Fire & Rescue Service firefighter died at Perth Harbour on 4 December 1995. He was attempting to rescue workers who became trapped in a silo filled with five tonnes of sodium carbonate ash.

Richard Paul North, a Constable with Tayside Police died on 17 March 1987. He was on duty driving a marked police patrol car when it collided with another vehicle. The driver of the vehicle was under the influence of drink and drugs.

William Oliver of the Glasgow Salvage Corps died at the Cheapside Street whisky bond fire on 28 March 1960. He was instantly killed alongside 18 others when some casks ruptured causing a massive boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion.

Ewan Williamson, a Scottish Fire & Rescue Service firefighter with Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service. He became trapped in a fire at the Balmoral Bar public house in Edinburgh and died on 12 July 2009.

Alastair Soutar, of HM Customs and Excise died of his injuries on 29 July 1996 after he was crushed between ‘The Sentinel’ HM Customs and Excise vessel and the ‘Ocean Jubilee’ smugglers vessel. Mr Soutar, from Dundee, was participating in Operation Balvenie to apprehend drug smugglers.

Background

The Elizabeth Emblem is a national form of recognition conferred by His Majesty The King and was established last year.
The design of the Emblem incorporates a rosemary wreath, a traditional symbol of remembrance, which surrounds the Tudor Crown. It is inscribed with ‘For A Life Given In Service’, and will have the name of the person for whom it is in memoriam inscribed on the reverse of the Emblem. It will include a pin to allow the award to be worn on clothing by the next of kin of the deceased.
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: City to hold free nature events during July school holidays
Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

The City of Greater Bendigo is again holding a series of free events to highlight the region’s natural environment and biodiversity during the July School Holidays.

City of Greater Bendigo Climate Change and Environment Manager Michelle Wyatt said the free events will both educate and entertain participants.

“We held a series of similar events during the last school holidays which proved very popular,” Ms Wyatt said.

“Our region has a diversity of wildlife and the free sessions help residents to learn about their unique characteristics and understand the importance of caring for the habitats they live in.”

The free events include:
- Evening Bat Fly-out on Tuesday July 8 and Tuesday July 15, 5pm – 6.30pm at Rosalind Park
- Nature by Night on Thursday July 10 and Thursday July 17, 5.30pm – 7pm along the O’Keefe Rail Trail
- Winter Wander on Saturday July 12, 10am – 12pm in Junortoun Flora and Fauna Reserve
- Bats of Bendigo on Tuesday July 15, 10am – 11.30am at Rosalind Park
- Nature in the Mall on Thursday July 17, 11am – 2pm at Hargreaves Mall
For more information, or to book, visit:

MIL OSI News –
July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Desert retrofit housing project boosts energy efficiency and comfort in APY Lands

Source:

04 July 2025

A local tradesmen laying insulation in the roof of an existing home in the APY Lands.

An ambitious housing project led by the University of South Australia, the SA Government and industry partners is making homes in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands more comfortable and energy efficient.

The APY Lands Energy Efficiency Retrofit Pilot, part of the national RACE for 2030 Cooperative Research Centre, is improving energy efficiency in desert housing, where summer temperatures soar above 45°C and winter nights plunge below freezing.

Since launching the pilot in December 2023, the project team has installed energy monitoring devices in 12 households and completed retrofits on six homes in an APY community. The homes are managed by key project delivery partner, the SA Housing Trust.

The trial retrofits are targeted solutions to reduce air leakage, increase insulation, and reduce thermal bridging – where heat or cold bypasses insulation through the steel building frames.

With 15 project and industry partners, the team has assessed 20 homes, interviewed residents, installed monitoring equipment, built two test rooms in Adelaide, and modelled over 100 retrofit scenarios.

In addition to the retrofit work, the team has produced household energy efficiency and trade training education materials in consultation with the community, to ensure residents know how to get the best outcomes in their homes. Local trades will take part in rolling out the retrofits to remaining APY households.

Lead investigator, UniSA Sustainable Engineering Systems researcher Professor Ke Xing, says the project combines scientific rigour with practical on-the-ground training.

Local tradespeople were trained on site, supported by housing retrofit experts.

“This pilot is not only improving living conditions in one of the toughest climates in Australia; it’s also creating a blueprint for future upgrades in remote and regional communities across the country,” Prof Xing says.

“In the past year we have collaborated closely with the community, local maintenance workers and our industry partners, all of whom have shown an extraordinary commitment.”

Key findings so far show that addressing uncontrolled air leakage delivers the greatest improvements in thermal comfort and energy efficiency.

Currently winter – more so than summer – is the most uncomfortable period for APY communities. Households rely heavily on inefficient electric radiant heaters, with some resorting to ovens for warmth – an unsafe and costly practice.

Upgrades so far include new bulk insulation in the roof and adding continuous insulation to external walls, self-closing exhaust fans, evaporative cooling dampers, and sealing common air leakage points throughout the homes.

Local tradespeople were trained on-site, supported by custom training resources and guidance from retrofit experts.

Importantly, residents themselves are noticing the difference.

“Common feedback from residents was that their homes were cooler this summer, due to the retrofits. That anecdotal feedback supports our early testing, and we are in the process of conducting full evaluations over the 2025 winter,” says Prof Xing.

UniSA researchers partnered with the SA Department for Energy and Mining, the SA Housing Trust, and community focused organisations such as Healthabitat and Nganampa Health Council. They worked closely with the Iwantja Community Council and local residents, including Aṉangu Energy Education Workers supported by MoneyMob Talkabout.

The project also involves organisations with technical expertise who have provided knowledge and product support, including the Insulation Council of Australia and New Zealand (ICANZ), Kingspan, Sika Australia, Powertech Energy, Efficiency Matrix, and the Air Tightness Testing and Measurement Association (ATTMA).

Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation in the Attorney-General’s Department has also partnered and contributed to the project, and TAFE SA, CodeSafe Solutions and Pointsbuild have contributed the development to the trade training program.

As part of the Pilot’s legacy, trade training programs have been developed to support a broader rollout of housing retrofit skills in remote communities. A “train-the-trainer” event was held in Adelaide in 2024, involving TAFE, SA Housing Trust, Renewal SA and Building Contractor (Furnell’s) staff. Local TAFE students were provided with Net Zero Energy Builder Scholarships to support energy efficient construction in the APY Lands.

The next steps include re-testing the retrofitted homes and expanding the model to other APY communities.

“Ultimately, we want this project to inform national guidelines for remote housing upgrades, tailored to the needs and voices of Aboriginal communities,” says SA Department for Energy and Mining Project Manager Lynda Curtis.

“Aboriginal people have lived in Australia’s desert regions for tens of thousands of years, but temperature extremes have become more pronounced due to climate change,” Ms Curtis says.

“With broader climate extremes and overall hotter summers predicted for the future, how people are living and maintaining healthy communities on Country is of growing concern, and we are invested in providing solutions to those challenges.”

Notes for editors

RACE for 2030 (Reliable, Affordable Clean Energy) is an innovative, collaborative research centre for energy and carbon transition. The Federal Government has provided $68.5 million, supplemented by $280 million in cash and in-kind contributions from partners. Its aim is to deliver $3.8 billion of cumulative energy productivity benefits and 20 megatons of cumulative carbon emission savings by 2030.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Contact for interview: Professor Ke Xing E: ke.xing@unisa.edu.au

Media contact: Candy Gibson M: +61 434 605 142 E: candy.gibson@unisa.edu.au

MIL OSI News –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Elizabeth Emblem awarded to families of public servants who died in the line of duty
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

Press release

Elizabeth Emblem awarded to families of public servants who died in the line of duty

More than 100 public servants who died in service recognised in the second ever Elizabeth Emblem List
106 police officers, firefighters, overseas workers and other public servants who died in service have been recognised with the Elizabeth Emblem.

The Elizabeth Emblem recognises the sacrifices made by public servants who have lost their lives as a result of their duty. It is the civilian equivalent of the Elizabeth Cross, which recognises members of the UK Armed Forces who died in action or as a result of a terrorist attack.

Established last year, it is only the second ever list of Elizabeth Emblem recipients to be published. The next of kin are awarded the national form of recognition.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, said:

We owe an enduring debt to the public servants who give their lives to protect others.

The Elizabeth Emblem is a reminder not just of the ultimate price their loved ones have paid in service of our communities, it is a lasting symbol of our national gratitude for their incredible sacrifice.

The list includes:

Gwen Mayor, a school teacher who was killed in 1996 while protecting her pupils at Dunblane Primary School in 1996 as a result of a mass shooting. She died aged 45 alongside 15 pupils.

Police Constable Nina Mackay, who died aged 25 when confronted with a violent and mentally unstable man while searching a property in East London. The man stabbed her once in the abdomen, and she died from her injuries.

Firefighter John Liptrot, who in 1968 was part of a fire crew called to attempt to rescue three children who had entered a disused mineshaft. He was overcome by blackdamp (a combination of gases with insufficient oxygen to support human life) and could not be revived.

Police Constable Dennis Cowell, who died in 1965 whilst on duty as a River Policeman. He died in the river Thames after a police launch on which he was a crew member, capsized after a collision between three boats. PC Cowell was in the cabin at the time of the incident and drowned.

Six people who contracted COVID-19 while working in healthcare are recognised in the list. These include Dr Poornima Nair Balupuri, a General Practitioner Partner living in Bishop Auckland. She died in 2020 doing frontline essential work.

33 people on the list were police officers and firefighters based in Northern Ireland. They include:

Reserve Constable William Allen, who was serving in the Royal Ulster Constabulary when he was shot by the IRA while driving a lorry to collect milk from farms in South Armagh. His body was recovered in 1980.

Constable Cyril Wilson, who was shot by the IRA in an ambush in 1974. His patrol was responding to answer a call when it came under fire from a house in the Rathmore estate. Constable Wilson was rushed to Craigavon Area Hospital but died the next day.

Reserve Constable Robert Struthers, who died in 1978 while serving in the Royal Ulster Constabulary. He was shot by two members of the Provisional IRA while working in his office.

The design of the Emblem incorporates a rosemary wreath, a traditional symbol of remembrance, which surrounds the Tudor Crown. It is inscribed with ‘For A Life Given In Service’, and will have the name of the person for whom it is in memoriam inscribed on the reverse of the Emblem. It will include a pin to allow the award to be worn on clothing by the next of kin of the deceased.

Families and next of kin of those who have died in public service are encouraged to apply for an Elizabeth Emblem via gov.uk.

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Published 4 July 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
July 4, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Lost in space: MethaneSat failed just as NZ was to take over mission control – here’s what we need to know now

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Rattenbury, Associate Professor in Physics, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

Environmental Defense Fund, CC BY-SA

This week’s announcement of the loss of a methane-detecting satellite, just days before New Zealand was meant to take over mission control, is a blow to the country’s space research sector.

New Zealand invested NZ$29 million in the MethaneSat mission, built and operated by the US nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund, with a goal of growing the nation’s space industry.

This would have been accomplished through gaining experience in operating a satellite at the University of Auckland’s Te Pūnaha Ātea Space Institute, and through research led by a team at Earth Sciences New Zealand to use the satellite to measure agricultural sources of methane.

But on June 20, the satellite lost power and contact with the ground, and appears to be irrecoverable. This is disappointing for everyone on the mission development and operations teams.

Having been in that position personally when my team lost a miniature satellite after a successful launch, I sympathise. But the benefits New Zealand hoped to gain from the MethaneSat mission will now be limited, at best, and questions need to be asked to learn from the failure.

Early issues and delays

The MethaneSat satellite launched in March 2024. New Zealand was meant to take over mission control by the end of last year, but problems with the satellite’s thrusters meant this was delayed to June this year.

The satellite’s main mission was to detect methane leaks from oil and gas production, but it was also used to track methane sources from agriculture.

New Zealand was not likely involved in the chain of events leading to the under-performance and delays, nor the eventual loss of the satellite. But as investors in the project, we are entitled to an explanation.

That a spacecraft fails in orbit is not surprising. The space environment is unforgiving. But there is a question about whether New Zealand should have taken a closer look “under the hood” before investing in MethaneSat.

The principle of caveat emptor (buyer beware) applies to spacecraft as much as to purchasing a car. While we were not involved in the MethaneSat mission design, satellite construction and testing, we were certainly entitled to relevant information to make a fully informed decision on whether or not to invest.

Questions remain. During the MethaneSat post-mortem, one could reasonably ask to what extent experts were consulted during the decision-making process to invest in the satellite mission, and who was applying due diligence on behalf of New Zealand taxpayers.

When earlier issues emerged, to what extent should New Zealand taxpayers, as investors, have been happy with explanations veiled in reported obligations of confidentiality or commercial sensitivity?

Lessons for future space missions

New Zealand has scientists and engineers working at publicly-funded universities who can contribute to future decision-making processes for the next taxpayer-funded space mission.

New Zealand scientists working in the space sector do so knowing full well that the nation’s capacity to fund space missions is limited. Apart from being hard, frustrating, rewarding and unforgiving, working in space is expensive – and there are often delays and setbacks.

Some of us working in New Zealand space research have been trying to work through how best to advise government on where to spend limited public funding. This will not be an easy task.

The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) is an international organisation established in 1958 to promote global cooperation in space research. It provides a forum for the exchange of scientific results, sets standards for space data sharing, and advises on space policy and planetary protection.

New Zealand participates in COSPAR as a national member and its committee comprises space science researchers from across the country. As chair of the New Zealand COSPAR committee, I sent a letter to Minister of Space Judith Collins last year offering our services:

I believe closer collaboration between COSPAR’s initiatives and New Zealand’s aerospace goals would enhance our mutual objectives and strengthen our contribution to the global aerospace community. Specifically, we are uniquely placed to advise on the range of scientific endeavours currently underway […] that could be at the heart of a national space mission.

Close scrutiny needed

New Zealand has more talent and good research ideas than funding to support them. So there has to be a way of choosing between competing ideas.

Crucially, that selection process has to be fully transparent so the investors – New Zealand taxpayers – can have confidence their investment is being safely bestowed.

My vision is for a funding process for future space missions that addresses scientific goals relevant to New Zealand and takes advantage of the talent we have.
There will be applicants who miss out, as there always are in any competitive process. But I would like to see support given to unsuccessful applicants to improve their chances in subsequent attempts.

I work towards fostering the New Zealand space sector, especially in the areas where we can push back the boundaries of human knowledge via the safe, peaceful and sustainable use of space. This is the excitement I see reflected in the students I teach.

For a nation with ambitions to utilise space for science, technological development and commercial gain, we also have to acknowledge that failure is a part of that journey. To make the best use of our very limited resources, we must examine our processes in the fullest light of disclosure – regardless of whether the failure was technological or in our decision-making processes.

Nicholas James Rattenbury works for The University of Auckland. He has received funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and Royal Society Te Apārangi. He is affiliated with Te Pūnaha Ātea Space Institute. He is the current Chair of the New Zealand Committee of COSPAR.

None of the viewpoints expressed in this article necessarily reflect those held by any of the abovementioned organisations or any other organisation or entity mentioned in the article.

– ref. Lost in space: MethaneSat failed just as NZ was to take over mission control – here’s what we need to know now – https://theconversation.com/lost-in-space-methanesat-failed-just-as-nz-was-to-take-over-mission-control-heres-what-we-need-to-know-now-260407

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Educational performance indicators for TEOs

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Last updated 4 July 2025
Last updated 4 July 2025

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We publish information on the performance of tertiary education organisations (TEOs) based on agreed educational performance indicators (EPIs).
We publish information on the performance of tertiary education organisations (TEOs) based on agreed educational performance indicators (EPIs).

Educational performance indicator reports
Our educational performance indicator (EPI) reports are designed to help TEOs manage and monitor their own performance and to deliver on their agreed tertiary education services.
Provider-based EPI interactive charts
Provider-based educational performance indicator interactive charts
For Te Pūkenga, universities, wānanga and private training establishments the provider-based interactive charts provide information about the educational performance of individual TEOs. They include performance information for:

first year retention rate
cohort-based qualification completion rate
course completion rate
progression rate.

You can view these EPIs through provider-based interactive charts, which allow you to select and display data across various filters (eg, gender, ethnicity, TEO, part-time/full-time). Note that EPIs for work-based learning are currently unavailable to view as interactive charts. These are available as EPI reports (detailed below).
EPI reports – current methodology
Educational performance indicator reports – current methodology
For providers who deliver work-based learning, the EPI reports provide information about the educational performance of individual TEOs. They include performance information for:

first year retention rate for apprentices
cohort-based programme completion rate
credit achievement rate.

EPI reports – previous methodology
Educational performance indicator reports – previous methodology
For providers who deliver work-based learning, the EPI reports using our previous methodology provide information about the educational performance of individual TEOs. They include performance information for:

programme completion rate
credit achievement rate

For Te Pūkenga, universities, wānanga and private training establishments, the EPI reports using our previous methodology provide information about the educational performance of individual TEOs across four EPIs:

retention rate
EFTS – weighted qualification completion rate
course completion rate
progression rate.

The EPI reports also show information about learners at the TEO.
Methodologies
Current methodologies
The documents below describe the methodology for calculating EPIs that were introduced in 2015 and 2016.
TEOs reporting through the SDR:

TEOs reporting through the ITR:

Previous methodologies
The documents below describe the previous methodologies for calculating the EPIs we used from 2009 until 2016.

EPIs for SAC-funded organisations (October 2014): Educational Performance Indicators: definitions and methodology – Student Achievement Component and Youth Guarantee funds reported through the SDR – version 8 (PDF 491 KB)
EPIs for Youth Guarantee-funded organisations (Oct 2014): Educational Performance Indicators: Definitions and methodology – Student Achievement Component and Youth Guarantee funds reported through the SDR – version 8 (PDF 491 KB)

Related Content

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Educational performance indicator reports – current methodology

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Last updated 4 July 2025
Last updated 4 July 2025

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Educational performance indicator (EPI) reports for work-based learning providers reporting in the industry training register (ITR) are now available for the 2024 reporting year.
Educational performance indicator (EPI) reports for work-based learning providers reporting in the industry training register (ITR) are now available for the 2024 reporting year.

This page relates to EPI reports using the current methodology. You can also view the EPI reports for individual TEOs using our previous methodology.
More detail about what each of the indicators show is also available on our Educational performance indicators for TEOs page.
Viewing the reports
Use the dropdown boxes below to look up the EPI report for each TEO.
Reports are available for TEOs arranging industry training from 2016 to 2024.
Note that EPI reports are also available for TEOs reporting in the SDR for reporting years 2015 to 2017 only. From 2018 onwards the EPIs of TEOs reporting in the SDR are found in the Provider-based Education Performance Indicator interactive charts below.
Select an organisation and year
Something went wrong. Please try again.
Organisation type
Organisation
Year

Provider-based Educational Performance Indicator interactive charts
For universities, Te Pūkenga, wānanga and private training establishments, EPIs can be viewed through interactive charts (2018 onwards). You can decide what data to view and how to display it.
Note: The EPI report data for TEOs arranging industry training is currently unavailable to view as interactive charts.
Where to go for additional information
The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) and the Academic Quality Agency for New Zealand Universities (AQA) undertake external reviews of the quality of tertiary providers and publish review reports on their websites.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Educational performance indicator reports – previous methodology

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Last updated 4 July 2025
Last updated 4 July 2025

Print

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We publish information on the performance of tertiary education organisations (TEOs) based on agreed educational performance indicators (EPIs). Our EPI reports are designed to help TEOs manage and monitor their own performance and to deliver on their agreed tertiary education services.
We publish information on the performance of tertiary education organisations (TEOs) based on agreed educational performance indicators (EPIs). Our EPI reports are designed to help TEOs manage and monitor their own performance and to deliver on their agreed tertiary education services.

This page relates to EPI reports using our previous methodology. You can also view the EPI reports for individual TEOs using our current methodology.
The information in the EPI reports provides a snapshot of selected performance indicators and does not give a comprehensive picture of a TEO’s overall performance.
What funds are reported on
The information published here is based only on tertiary education funded by:

the Student Achievement Component funds – SAC Levels 3 and above, SAC Levels 1 and 2 (competitive) and SAC Levels 1 and 2 (non-competitive)
Youth Guarantee
the Industry Training Fund.

Note that the effects of the Canterbury earthquakes may have had an impact on student performance for Canterbury-based TEOs.
More detail about what each of the indicators show is also available.
Viewing the reports
Use the dropdown boxes below to look up the EPI report for each TEO.
Note. We have completed the upload of all remaining EPI reports (covering 2009 to 2016) to this page.
Select an organisation and year
Something went wrong. Please try again.
Organisation type
Organisation
Year

2016 educational performance for individual tertiary providers
The two Excel reports below provide a summary of 2016 performance information for Student Achievement Component (SAC) and Youth Guarantee (YG) for individual tertiary providers, broken down by:

grouped qualification register level
Tertiary Education Strategy priority groups of Māori and Pasifika students
students under 25.

2016 SAC EPI summary by individual tertiary provider (XLSX 101 KB) (XLS, 103 Kb)
2016 YG EPI summary by individual tertiary provider (XLSX 56 KB) (XLS, 58 Kb)
Where to go for additional information
New Zealand Qualifications Authority and the Academic Quality Agency for New Zealand Universities (AQA) undertake external reviews of the quality of tertiary providers and publish review reports on their websites.
Note about EFTS
Where an organisation is funded for fewer than five Equivalent Full Time Students (EFTS), there is no individual data available for them. This is to ensure individual students cannot be identified.
Where an organisation has fewer than 30 EFTS at a level of study, no information will be available for that level of study. This is to ensure statistically robust sample sizes that allow for comparison.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Next Stop, POTUS’ Desk: Ezell Votes In Support of the One Big Beautiful Bill
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Ezell (Mississippi 4th District)

Today, U.S. Representative Mike Ezell (MS-04) proudly voted in favor of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a sweeping legislative package that delivers on President Donald Trump’s America First agenda by cutting taxes, securing the border, unleashing American energy, and protecting taxpayer dollars.

“This legislation is a major win for Mississippi families, workers, and businesses,” Ezell said. “It restores common sense to Washington by making the Trump tax cuts permanent, securing our borders, stopping taxpayer abuse, and ensuring American energy powers our economy, not foreign adversaries. This bill reflects the priorities of the people I represent—faith, freedom, and a fair shot at the American Dream. I’m proud to stand with President Trump and House Republicans in delivering real results for the American people.”

Key provisions included in the legislation:
- Makes the 2017 Trump Tax Cuts Permanent – prevents a 22% tax hike on the average American by locking in tax relief for working families, small businesses, and job creators.
- Delivers Pro-Growth, Pro-Worker Reforms – eliminates taxes on tips, overtime pay, and car loan interest, while providing new tax relief for seniors.
- Includes $24.6 billion in investments to strengthen the U.S. Coast Guard’s mission.
- Historic Border Security Investment – provides over $175 billion to complete the wall, build 900 miles of new river barriers, hire thousands of Border Patrol agents and customs officers, and expand detention and removal operations.
- Protects Benefits for Those Who Need Them – restores work requirements for able-bodied adults on SNAP, prevents states from gaming the system, and ensures that Medicaid serves those truly in need, not non-citizens.
- Ends Government Benefits for Non-Citizens – refocuses limited federal resources on vulnerable American families, not those here unlawfully.
- Unleashes American Energy Dominance – Mandates regular lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, and on federal lands to ensure American energy independence and create thousands of good-paying jobs, including my legislation, the BRIDGE Act, which I championed this Congress.
- Strengthens National Defense – invests nearly $150 billion to modernize our military, deter adversaries, and support service members at home and abroad.
- Reformers Higher Education by streamlining student loan repayment options, supports student success, and cuts government waste.
MIL OSI USA News –
July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Albanese Government backs bold ideas to solve real-world challenges
Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

From solar-powered hydrogen reactors to wi-fi that works deep underground, 39 research projects have been awarded support through the Albanese Government’s Australia’s Economic Accelerator (AEA) Innovate program.

More than $93 million in grants has been awarded to projects including:
- A cleaner energy future – The University of Adelaide is working with industry to develop a solar hydrogen reactor that could dramatically cut the cost of green hydrogen production.
- Smarter farming – The University of Melbourne is developing an affordable soil monitoring system for shallow and deep-rooted crops, helping farmers grow more with less.
- Safer mining – The University of Sydney is creating a long-range wi-fi system to keep underground workers connected in real time.
- High-tech weed control – Central Queensland University is teaming up with Aussie businesses to create an innovative weed management system that reduces the need for chemicals.
These projects are part of a broader push to fast-track commercialisation of Australian research in critical areas like renewables, agriculture, medical technology, defence and critical minerals.

AEA is designed to bridge the gap between research and real-world application and help researchers partner with industry to take ideas out of the lab and into the economy.

The Olives the Australian Way project from the University of South Australia is an example of AEA in action. Starting in the Seed round and now progressing to Innovate, the project aims to double Australia’s olive plantations by 2035 and create new jobs in rural and regional areas.

More than $178 million has now been awarded to Australian innovators through AEA Seed, Ignite and Innovate rounds as part of the $1.6 billion AEA program.

The next round of Ignite and Innovate grants will open on 23 July, making an additional $150 million available to projects with potential to deliver the next wave of breakthroughs.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:

“These investments allow our world-class universities and researchers to work on game-changing projects that are good for our economy and good for Australia.

“This is a strategic investment that will help to deliver the solutions we need for the challenges ahead.”

MIL OSI News –
July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: US Department of Labor awards $1M for disaster-relief jobs for Missouri residents affected by multiple severe storms

Source: US Department of Labor

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded $1 million in grant funding to support disaster-relief jobs for Missouri residents suffering from the aftermath of severe storms.

Between March 14-15, 2025, Missouri experienced several severe storms, tornadoes, and wildfires that damaged and destroyed structures, facilities, and land in 26 of its counties. Many of these same areas were hit again between March 30-April 8, 2025, with severe weather and flooding. Numerous businesses were also damaged or destroyed, displacing employees until repairs can be completed.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued two major disaster declarations for the storms, enabling Missouri to request federal assistance for recovery efforts in 26 counties: Bollinger, Butler, Callaway, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Cooper, Douglas, Dunklin, Howell, Iron, Madison, Maries, Mississippi, New Madrid, Oregon, Ozark, Pemiscot, Perry, Phelps, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, Shannon, Stoddart, Texas, and Wayne.

This Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant allows the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development to provide residents with temporary jobs focused on cleanup and recovery efforts in affected communities.

Supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, National Dislocated Worker Grants provide a state or local board with funding for direct services and assistance in areas experiencing a major economic dislocation event that leads to workforce needs exceeding available resources.

MIL OSI USA News –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI: Diversified Royalty Corp. Announces July 2025 Cash Dividend

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Diversified Royalty Corp. (TSX: DIV and DIV.DB.A) (the “Corporation” or “DIV”) is pleased to confirm that DIV’s annual dividend has increased from 25.0 cents per share to 27.5 cents per share effective July 1, 2025 as previously announced on June 17, 2025. In accordance with the dividend increase, DIV is pleased to announce that its board of directors has approved a cash dividend of $0.02292 per common share for the period of July 1, 2025 to July 31, 2025, which is equal to $0.275 per common share on an annualized basis. The dividend will be paid on July 31, 2025 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on July 15, 2025.

About Diversified Royalty Corp.

DIV is a multi-royalty corporation, engaged in the business of acquiring top-line royalties from well-managed multi-location businesses and franchisors in North America. DIV’s objective is to acquire predictable, growing royalty streams from a diverse group of multi-location businesses and franchisors.

DIV currently owns the Mr. Lube + Tires, AIR MILES®, Sutton, Mr. Mikes, Nurse Next Door, Oxford Learning Centres, Stratus Building Solutions, BarBurrito and Cheba Hut trademarks. Mr. Lube + Tires is the leading quick lube service business in Canada, with locations across Canada. AIR MILES® is Canada’s largest coalition loyalty program. Sutton is among the leading residential real estate brokerage franchisor businesses in Canada. Mr. Mikes operates casual steakhouse restaurants primarily in western Canadian communities. Nurse Next Door is a home care provider with locations across Canada and the United States as well as in Australia. Oxford Learning Centres is one of Canada’s leading franchisee supplemental education services. Stratus Building Solutions is a leading commercial cleaning service franchise company providing comprehensive janitorial, building cleaning, and office cleaning services primarily in the United States. BarBurrito is the largest quick service Mexican restaurant food chain in Canada. Cheba Hut is a fast casual toasted sub sandwich franchise with locations in the United States.

DIV’s objective is to increase cash flow per share by making accretive royalty purchases and through the growth of purchased royalties. DIV intends to continue to pay a predictable and stable monthly dividend to shareholders and increase the dividend over time, in each case as cash flow per share allows.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. The use of any of the words “anticipate”, “continue”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, “may”, “will”, ”project”, “should”, “believe”, “confident”, “plan” and “intends” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information, although not all forward-looking information contains these identifying words. Specifically, forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements made in relation to: the amount and timing of the July 2025 dividend to be paid to DIV’s shareholders; DIV’s objective to continue to pay predictable and stable monthly dividends to shareholders; and DIV’s corporate objectives. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events, performance, or achievements of DIV to differ materially from those anticipated or implied by such forward-looking information.

DIV believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information included in this news release are reasonable but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. In particular there can be no assurance that: DIV will be able to make monthly dividend payments to the holders of its common shares; or DIV will achieve any of its corporate objectives. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned that forward-looking information included in this news release are not guarantees of future performance, and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. More information about the risks and uncertainties affecting DIV’s business and the businesses of its royalty partners can be found in the “Risk Factors” section of its Annual Information Form dated March 24, 2025 and in its most recent Management’s Discussion and Analysis, copies of each of which are available under DIV’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com.

In formulating the forward-looking information contained herein, management has assumed that, among other things, DIV will generate sufficient cash flows from its royalties to service its debt and pay dividends to shareholders; the business and economic conditions affecting DIV and its royalty partners will continue substantially in the ordinary course, including without limitation with respect to general industry conditions, general levels of economic activity and regulations. These assumptions, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect.

All of the forward-looking statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and other cautionary statements or factors contained herein, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, DIV. The forward-looking information included in this news release is presented as of the date of this news release and DIV assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by applicable law.

THE TORONTO STOCK EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR THE ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Additional Information

Additional information relating to the Corporation and other public filings, is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com.

Contact:
Sean Morrison, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Diversified Royalty Corp.
(236) 521-8470

Greg Gutmanis, President and Chief Financial Officer
Diversified Royalty Corp.
(236) 521-8471

The MIL Network –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Tax Relief for the Heart of America

Source: Congressman Nathaniel Moran (R-TX-01)

Congressman Nathaniel Moran (R-TX-01) released the following statement after the House passed the final version of the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” sending it to President Trump’s desk:

“Today, we renewed our commitment to the American people: to the families working hard to make ends meet, to the small businesses striving to grow, and to the next generation who deserve to inherit a stronger, freer nation.

With the final passage of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill, we are charting a bold course of individual prosperity and economic growth. One that lowers taxes, empowers families, strengthens rural communities, and reignites the engines of American industry. Failing to pass this bill would result in the largest tax increase in American history, and that’s not acceptable to me.

This bill isn’t about Washington. It’s about the welder, lineman, teacher, small business owner, farmer, and every other hardworking East Texan. It’s about making sure they get to keep more of what they earn so they and their families can realize the American Dream with less interference from the federal government.

Like any major legislation, this bill is not perfect. But the outcome is a clear win for the American people. It reflects our belief that personal prosperity should never be punished; that government should never stand in the way of grit and hard work; and that the American Dream must remain within reach for every citizen, no matter their zip code.”

Background on the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill”:

For Small Businesses:

·    Makes permanent the 199A small business deduction, supporting over 30 million small businesses and generating $284 billion in additional manufacturing-based economic growth

·    Reinstates immediate expensing for R&D, making it easier for businesses to invest in research practices that will make America dominant again

·    Revitalizes American manufacturing by allowing 100% immediate expensing for new factories, equipment, and facility improvements

·    Doubles the Small Business Expensing threshold to $2.5 million, allowing greater breathing room for small businesses so they can invest more in their employees

·    Reduces administrative burdens by repealing the Democrats’ $600 1099-K gig worker rule, and re-setting it to $2,000 threshold

For Families:

·    Expands tax relief for families and seniors, including: no tax on tips, no tax on car loan interest, tax relief for those working overtime, and additional tax relief for seniors

·    Expands the enhanced standard deduction and increases the Child Tax Credit for over 40 million families

·    Empowers working families through permanent paid leave tax credits, expanded childcare access, and new savings accounts for every child at birth

·    Increases access to the Adoption Tax Credit for those families looking to change the lives of our little ones through the gift of adoption

For Rural America:

·    Protects family farms and rural small businesses by making the doubled Death Tax exemption permanent

·    Revives and expands Opportunity Zones to bring $100 billion in investment to rural and distressed communities

·    Unleashes rural growth with 100% expensing for new factories, agricultural improvements, and equipment—empowering producers to expand and invest

###

MIL OSI USA News –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Protecting Libyan lives: Mine Action partners unite to address the threats of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) in Libya

Source: APO – Report:

.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) hosted yesterday a meeting for the Mine Action implementing partners, bringing together 22 participants, including national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The meeting, co-organized by the Libyan Mine Action Centre (LibMAC) and the Mine Action Programme, was joined by UNICEF, and representatives from the League of Arab States, Ghana, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

Director of LibMAC, Khalil Elshelb, provided an update on the development of the Libyan Mine Action Strategy, announced on Mine Action Day last year as a key sector priority. The Libyan Mine Action Standards are currently under review—a crucial step in implementing the strategy—with support from the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) and the Mine Action Programme.

LibMAC identified Mezda, the Mashrou Al Mooz (Banana Project) area between Ain Zara and Alsabaa in Tripoli, and Khalij al-Bumbah in the east as priority zones due to high contamination levels. It also shared the results of a three-week response to recent clashes in Tripoli, which caused new UXO contamination across 14 neighborhoods. LibMAC tasked NGO Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) teams with response efforts. Awareness activities reached around 19,500 people, including more than 4,700 women and 3,800 children.

Chief of the Mine Action Programme, Fatma Zourrig, emphasized the need for stronger collaboration between international and national NGOs. She highlighted the importance of ensuring access to remote areas, supporting life-saving efforts, and expanding outreach to affected communities. Zourrig also reiterated the technical support offered by the Mine Action Programme and urged all stakeholders to take part in an upcoming capacity-mapping exercise, which will serve as a key advocacy tool for the sector.

Four international and three national NGOs presented activity updates from April to June 2026, covering progress in clearance and risk education. Discussions addressed key challenges, including reduced funding, limited non-technical staff capacity to identify minefields, and the dangers of individuals collecting metal objects—often remnants of war—for resale. This practice has contributed to an increase in UXO-related incidents and civilian casualties.

– on behalf of United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

MIL OSI Africa –

July 4, 2025
MIL-OSI: Surgent CPE Announces First-to-Market CPE Webinars Covering One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) Tax Reform
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Industry-leading courses provide timely analysis of major new tax law for accounting and finance professionals

RADNOR, Pa., July 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Surgent CPE, a recognized leader in continuing professional education for accounting and finance professionals, announced today the immediate availability of two new CPE webinars providing in-depth coverage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) just moments after the House’s passage of the bill and its advancement to the president’s desk.

OBBBA represents the most sweeping tax law since the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and Surgent’s new offerings give professionals a practical, expert-led opportunity to understand both the individual and business tax impacts of the legislation.

“We know that timely, practical CPE is mission-critical when landmark legislation like the One Big Beautiful Bill Act changes the tax landscape,” said Elizabeth Kolar, executive vice president and managing director of Surgent. “Our new webinars ensure professionals can quickly get up to speed, confidently advise clients, and earn valuable CPE credits at the same time.”

Two Distinct, In-Depth OBBBA CPE Webinars
- Overview and Analysis of the New Tax Law: Part 1 – Focus on Individual Taxation (NEW1): Provides detailed coverage of all new OBBBA provisions impacting individual taxpayers, including state and local taxes (SALT), overtime, tips, new deductions, credits, and more.
- Overview and Analysis of the New Tax Law: Part 2 – Focus on Business Taxation (NEW2): Examines business-related provisions such as the Qualified Business Income deduction, bonus depreciation, Paid Family and Medical Leave enhancements, business interest changes, and much more.
Each live, instructor-led session is worth four CPE credits and may be taken independently. Both webinars are included in Surgent’s Unlimited PLUS subscription or are available for purchase individually.

“OBBBA will affect tax planning for years to come. Practitioners need more than just the basics—they need real-world insight into how the provisions will impact their clients,” said Nick Spoltore, vice president of tax and advisory content at Surgent. “Our expert team is committed to going beyond the surface, delivering first-to-market, actionable content as new laws become reality.”

Webinar Details

Surgent will continue to provide practitioners with timely updates and clarifications as additional guidance and regulations emerge.

For more information or to register for the new OBBBA CPE webinars, visit SurgentCPE.com.

About Surgent Accounting & Financial Education
Surgent Accounting & Financial Education, a division of KnowFully Learning Group, is a provider of high-impact education that accounting, tax, and financial professionals need throughout their careers. For most of the company’s 40-year history, Surgent has been a trusted provider of continuing professional education (CPE), continuing education (CE), and skill-based training that professionals need to maintain their credentials and stay current on industry changes. More recently, Surgent became one of the fastest-growing certification exam review providers, offering predictive AI-based courses that help learners pass accounting and finance credentialing exams faster. Learn more at Surgent.com.

About KnowFully Learning Group
The KnowFully Learning Group provides continuing professional education, exam preparation courses and education resources to the accounting, finance and healthcare sectors. KnowFully’s suite of learning solutions helps learners become credentialed, satisfy required credit hours to maintain credentials and stay informed on the latest trends and critical changes in their industries over the course of their careers. The company provides exam preparation and continuing education for accounting, finance and tax professionals headlined by the Surgent Accounting & Financial Education brand. KnowFully’s healthcare education brands include American Fitness Professionals & Associates, ChiroCredit, freeCE, Impact EMS Training, Online CE, PharmCon, Rx Consultant and Psychotherapy.net. For more information, please visit KnowFully.com.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/08e065d2-75f9-41cd-a539-706963db7ed9

The MIL Network –
July 4, 2025