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Category: Education

  • MIL-Evening Report: 1 in 3 Tuvaluans is bidding for a new ‘climate visa’ to Australia – here’s why everyone may ultimately end up applying

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane McAdam, Scientia Professor and ARC Laureate Fellow, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Sydney

    Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images for Lumix

    In just four days, one-third of the population of Tuvalu entered a ballot for a new permanent visa to Australia.

    This world-first visa will enable up to 280 Tuvaluans to move permanently to Australia each year, from a current population of about 10,000. The visa is open to anyone who wants to work, study or live in Australia. Unlike other visa schemes for Pacific peoples, a job offer in Australia is not required.

    While the visa itself doesn’t mention climate change, the treaty that created it is framed in the context of the “existential threat posed by climate change”. That’s why when it was announced, I described it as the world’s first bilateral agreement on climate mobility.

    The Australian government, too, has called it “the first agreement of its kind anywhere in the world, providing a pathway for mobility with dignity as climate impacts worsen”.

    The high number of ballot applications may come as a surprise to many, especially given there were multiple concerns within Tuvalu when the treaty was first announced. Even so, some analysts predicted all Tuvaluans would apply eventually, to keep their options open.

    Tuvalu is one of the world’s smallest countries, covering just 26 square kilometres.
    Hao Hsiang Chen, Shutterstock

    Grabbing the chance

    The visa highlights the importance of creating opportunities for people to move in the context of climate change and disasters. The dangers of rising sea levels are clearly apparent, including coastal flooding, storm damage and water supplies. But there is a lot more at play here.

    For many, especially young families, this will be seen as a chance for education and skills training in Australia. Giving people choices about if, when and where they move is empowering and enables them to make informed decisions about their own lives.

    For the government of Tuvalu, the new visa is also about shoring up the economy. Migration is now a structural component of many Pacific countries’ economies.

    The money migrants send back to their home countries to support their families and communities is known as remittances. In 2023, remittances comprised 28% of GDP in Samoa and nearly 42% of GDP in Tonga – the highest in the world. Currently, Tuvalu sits at 3.2%.

    A long time coming

    Well before climate change became an issue of concern, Tuvalu had been lobbying Australia for special visa pathways. Demographic pressures, combined with limited livelihood and educational opportunities, made it a live policy issue throughout the 1980s and ‘90s. In 1984, a review of Australia’s foreign aid program suggested improved migration opportunities for Tuvaluans may be the most useful form of assistance.

    By the early 2000s, the focus had shifted to the existential threats posed by climate change. In 2006, as then-shadow environment minister, Anthony Albanese released a policy discussion paper called Our Drowning Neighbours. It proposed that Australia create Pacific migration pathways as part of a neighbourly response. In 2009, a spokesperson for Penny Wong, then minister for climate change, stated permanent migration might eventually be the only option for some Pacific peoples.

    When combined with other Pacific pathways to Australia and New Zealand, nearly 4% of the population could migrate each year. This is “an extraordinarily high level”, according to one expert. Within a decade, close to 40% of the population could have moved – although some people may return home or go backwards and forwards.

    How will the new arrivals be received?

    The real test of the new visa’s success will be how people are treated when they arrive in Australia.

    Will they be helped to adjust to life here, or will they feel isolated and shut out? Will they be able to find work and training, or will they find themselves in insecure and uncertain circumstances? Will they feel a loss of cultural connection, or will they be able to maintain cultural traditions within the growing Tuvaluan diaspora?

    Ensuring sound and culturally appropriate settlement services are in place will be crucial. These would ideally be co-developed with members of the Tuvaluan community, to “centralise Tuvaluan culture and values, in order to ensure ongoing dialogue and trust”.

    It has been suggested by experts that a “liaison officer with Tuvaluan cultural expertise and language skills could assist in facilitating activities such as post-arrival programs”, for instance.

    Learning from experience

    There are also many important lessons to be learned from the migration of Tuvaluans to New Zealand, to reduce the risk of newcomers experiencing economic and social hardship.

    Ongoing monitoring and refinement of the scheme will also be key. It should involve the Tuvaluan diaspora, communities back in Tuvalu, service providers in Australia, as well as federal, state/territory and local governments.

    By freeing up resources and alleviating stress on what is already a fragile atoll environment, migration may enable some people to remain in Tuvalu for longer, supported by remittances and extended family networks abroad.

    As some experts have suggested, money sent home from overseas could be used to make families less vulnerable to climate change. It might help them buy rainwater tanks or small boats, or improve internet and other communications. Remittances are also beneficial when they are invested in services that lift the level of education of children or boost social capital.

    Australia is offering ‘climate visas’ to 280 residents of Tuvalu (10 News First)

    Delaying a mass exodus

    It is difficult to know when a tipping point might be reached. For instance, some have warned that if too few people remain in Tuvalu, this could constrain development by limiting the availability of labour and skills. A former president of Kiribati, Teburoro Tito, once told me migration was “a double-edged sword”. While it could help people secure employment overseas and remit money, “the local economy, the local setup, also has to have enough skilled people” – otherwise it’s counterproductive.

    With visas capped at 280 a year – and scope to adjust the numbers if concerns arise – we are still a long way from that point. Right now, the new visa provides a safety net to ensure people have choices about how they respond to climate change. With the visa ballot open until July 18, many more people may yet apply.



    Read more:
    Fresh details emerge on Australia’s new climate migration visa for Tuvalu residents. An expert explains

    Jane McAdam receives funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC) and is the Director of the ARC Evacuations Research Hub at the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Sydney.

    – ref. 1 in 3 Tuvaluans is bidding for a new ‘climate visa’ to Australia – here’s why everyone may ultimately end up applying – https://theconversation.com/1-in-3-tuvaluans-is-bidding-for-a-new-climate-visa-to-australia-heres-why-everyone-may-ultimately-end-up-applying-259990

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Press Conference – Adelaide

    Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

    BLAIR BOYER, SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, TRAINING AND SKILLS: It is my great pleasure this morning to welcome Federal Education Minister Jason Clare and Early Years Federal Minister Jess Walsh here along with my education colleagues from around Australia for what will be our first Education Ministers Meeting since the Federal Election. And it’s a great thrill for me not only as South Australia’s Education Minister but as the local Member in this area to welcome these Ministers to The Heights School but, more specifically, where we’ll be holding our meeting just across the way at what will be South Australia’s brand new technical college at The Heights.

    We have a big agenda today, of course, being the first meeting post the Federal Election, a lot of things that, I think, are shared priorities for the Ministers here. We’re talking about issues around child safety in the early years, bullying, preschool reform, infrastructure, a whole range of things that have been issues of priority for the Ministers here for a number of years but, of course, we’re entering into what I think is now a more exciting phase given the fantastic work that was done by Jason and the Federal Government before the last Election to actually land that historic national school reform agreement, which means securing across 10 years here in South Australia an extra $1.3 billion dollars of funding for public schools and also locking in for us the 22 per cent contribution to our non-government schools.

    So South Australia is very excited to be the host today and show off some of the things that we are doing in vocational education and training. We were here just last week with the Premier to announce the Boeing partnership with us at that technical school. And I’ll be showing off some of the new equipment inside to the Ministers but also keen to sink our teeth into a really solid agenda today dealing with some of the issues that all state and territory education systems are grappling with at the moment. I’ll pass over now to Jason.

    JASON CLARE, FEDERAL MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: Thanks very much, Blair. And thank you so much, mate, for hosting us here today at the first Education Ministers meeting since the Federal Election. I think I can speak for all of my colleagues that we feel very, very fortunate that we have the best job in the world – a job where we get the opportunity and the responsibility to help children get the education that starts their life on a great track, helps them to build the life of their dreams.

    All of us understand the power of education. It’s the most powerful cause for good in this world to change lives, create opportunity for the youngest Australians. And we collectively have a big responsibility to make sure that we build a better and a fairer education system for children at school today but also for the young Australians that aren’t even born yet.

    A lot of the things that we talk about today, that we work on today are about planting seeds in a garden that will grow over time. Education is about big reform that sometimes takes time to manifest itself. But the work needs to start right now. And as I said, this is the first time we’ve met since the Election. It’s also the first time since we signed that historic agreement to fix the funding of public schools. And I know it’s something, Blair, that you’re really proud of, something they’re pretty proud of as well – you can hear them in the background.

    It means a billion dollars of extra funding over the next 10 years for South Australian public schools, just like The Heights. It means more than $16 billion in extra federal funding right across the nation over the next 10 years. And that funding isn’t a blank cheque; that funding is tied to real, practical reforms to make sure that more kids like this finish high school and go on to TAFE and to university and get the skills they need for the future.

    And so today we’re going to be talking about the next big step implementing the agreement. Tying that funding to things like phonics checks when kids are in Year 1, and that’s rolling out this year and next year, and numeracy checks in Year 1 as well. That’s happening in South Australia next year. There’ll be other states that will talk about their plans for numeracy checks as well.

    That’s not a test; that’s a 10-minute check to identify kids that might need additional help and then it’s our job as Ministers with the funding we’re providing to make sure kids get that additional help to help them to catch up and keep up and ultimately meaning more kids finish high school.

    We’re going to talk about the most important people who work in places like this today as well – our school teachers. The most important job in the world. The work we’ve done over the last few years means that there are now more teachers than ever, there’s fewer vacancies, there are more young people enrolling in teaching courses this year than there has been in a very, very long time, up something like 11 per cent. That’s a good sign, but there’s more work to do to support our teachers, and we’ll talk about that today.

    We’ll also talk about the scourge of bullying in our schools. It’s not just the push and shove in the playground or stealing someone else’s lunch money; it’s much more insidious than that. And sometimes it involves what happens online in the dark after school where in the most horrific of examples somebody might clip a photograph of someone else’s face and put it on a naked body and use that to bully and harass other kids in the school or even teachers in the school as well. We’ll talk about what we can do to help to tackle that.

    And perhaps most importantly of all, we’re going to talk about the safety of our youngest Australians in early education and care. As a team we’ve done a lot of work on that over the last three years but there is a lot more work that we need to do to make sure that our kids are safe in early education and care. And that will be one of the key things that we discuss today.

    To talk about that in a bit more detail, let me hand over to the new Minister for Early Childhood Education, Jess Walsh.

    JESS WALSH, MINISTER FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: Thank you very much, Jason, and thank you, Blair, for having us not just in your home state but in your electorate and your fantastic school. I am the new Commonwealth Minister for Early Childhood Education and keeping children safe in our early learning settings is my number one priority. And it will be the top priority for the early education discussion at today’s meeting.

    The Commonwealth and State and Territory leaders have already taken strong action to keep children safe because children deserve to be safe in early learning and because parents need to know that their children are safe too. But as Minister Clare has said, there is more to do.

    The Commonwealth has announced that we will take tough measures and restrict funding, cut funding to providers that put profit ahead of child safety. And as a group of Ministers we have already put into place restrictions on the use of personal devices in early learning, which is a really important protection for children. And we’ve also strengthened mandatory reporting requirements.

    A lot of work has been done, as Minister Clare said, but there is more to do. And we look forward to doing that work today. Our work today will be informed by the work that has just been done in New South Wales. We welcome the Wheeler inquiry and we welcome the work that New South Wales has done in the area of child safety in early learning.

    And to tell us more about that, I welcome Minister Houssos.

    COURTNEY HOUSSOS, NSW ACTING MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND EARLY LEARNING: Thank you. So my name’s Courtney Houssos. I’m the Acting Minister for Education and Early Learning in New South Wales. I’m here representing New South Wales and passing on the apologies of the Deputy Premier who is currently seeking treatment. And I’d just like to say thank you so for the well wishes that I’ve received from colleagues that I’ll be conveying to Prue. We know that she’s an extraordinarily strong individual. She’s confronting this challenge just like she does with any other.

    But it’s an immense privilege to be here with my colleagues from around the country to talk about the program of reform that Prue has started across New South Wales. We’re looking forward to speaking and sharing some of the things that we’ve been doing in New South Wales particularly in relation to the numbers check, the phonics check that was pioneered here in South Australia. We’ve rolled that out in our schools, but we think this is an opportunity from New South Wales to work collaboratively with colleagues.

    And I just thank particularly Minister Clare and Minister Walsh for the opportunities already to start those initial discussions. Specifically, I’d just speak about the Wheeler Review that Minister Walsh referenced, which is a report that the Deputy Premier commissioned, Prue commissioned, in February this year. We released the review yesterday, and our immediate response – and that’s really focused on improving transparency.

    We believe parents have the right to make sure when they drop off their kids each day that they are going to be safe in a quality environment. And that is at the forefront of our minds. So, giving parents information, giving the community information is really important for us. We are also going to be – and, again, I would say we’ve had some really productive early conversations, and we look forward to discussing that today and sharing the opportunity, sharing the review with our colleagues.

    It’s an important opportunity for us to come together, share experiences and find learnings. I’d like to really thank Minister Clare and Blair for hosting us here in this beautiful place in South Australia.

    And I’ll hand over to Yvette, yes.

    YVETTE BERRY, ACT MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND EARLY CHILDHOOD: Thanks very much, everyone. My name’s Yvette Berry. I’m the Minister for Education and Early Childhood in the ACT. The conversation that we’re having today is broad and complex and there’s a lot of work to do, as Minister Jason Clare spoke about earlier. But one of the areas that I really wanted to focus on during our conversations today is around early childhood education and care. And if we value the education and health and wellbeing of our children, then we simply must value the expertise of early childhood educators.

    For years across the country, but especially in the ACT, we’ve been working hard to lift the profession and support early childhood educators through a range of different scholarship programs to encourage that increased qualification and expertise within our early childhood settings. We know as a community how important and vital education in those early years are to the brain development of young people. And in the early childhood space educators are the brain builders.

    So valuing children means that we must value educators. One of the ways that we saw educators doing incredibly vital work in educating young people was during the COVID pandemic. Our workforce had stopped all across the country and we depended on our early childhood education sector to provide education for those young people in a time when we were most in need. They were going to work educating young people while the rest of us were staying at home safe. Often, they were going to work looking after and educating young people when their own children were at home. So, at one point in time, they were vital to our cities’ education in those early years, but also the survival of a global health pandemic.

    Now, we’re seeing some really challenging issues in the early childhood space, particularly around the Affinity and the Genius early childhood providers. And some of the incidences that we saw scared us, and it should scare us. We’re worried about our children, and we need to make sure that they’re safe.

    So part of the work that I want to see us doing going forward is, yes, absolutely working with our parents about making sure that our children are safe in their early childhood settings but working with the sector about what that looks like and how we can value and lift the profession through a range of different initiatives like scholarship programs, like requiring early childhood educators to be licensed the same way as we would as our teachers in our school settings.

    We need to consider those early years the same way as we consider our education years from five up – everything below five just as important if not more so in developing our children’s brains ready for a formal education in their later years.

    So, today’s conversation is an important one and we need to understand what’s happening more in our sector. And I really have appreciated the work that New South Wales has done on their report, the Wheeler Report, and we’ve been looking at it very closely and we think a lot of those recommendations will work for the ACT as well. So, I want to work a bit more harder and deeply in that space and work with the New South Wales Acting Minister about what is it that we in the ACT can do that works alongside the work that they’ve been doing in New South Wales.

    Thanks again, Jason and Blair, for having us here today. And I look forward to talking more after our meeting.

    JO HERSEY, NT MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING AND MINISTER FOR EARLY EDUCATION: Jo Hersey, Minister for Early Education from the Northern Territory. It’s great to be down here in Adelaide – thankfully the weather is pleasant to us today. I really look forward to working collaboratively with my counterparts right across the nation and the work that’s going on in the early education space but also something that’s close to my heart – the bullying, talking about that today, and having a look at the new trade training centre here, which is something that we’re working towards in the Territory as well.

    So, I’m looking forward to really robust conversations that will happen today and continue the work with the Federal Government throughout my time as Education Minister. Thank you.

    JOURNALIST: You’ve obviously talked about bullying and AI and how that might have impacted that. The eSafety Commissioner has kind of recommended that schools report any incidences of AI deep fakes. How can the government kind of ensure that that crackdown is really happening in schools?

    CLARE: We welcome the advice and the support of the eSafety Commissioner. She’s written to all of us yesterday with a tool kit for schools, information and support for teachers and principals about what to do when this happens. Also some really practical advice about when the law is broken and when police should be involved as well.

    I said a moment ago how insidious this is. This is the sort of thing that can cause teachers to quit or young people to think about not wanting to go to school or worse. That’s why we’re taking this as seriously as we are. That’s why it’s on the agenda today. That’s why we’re asking the team that are putting together the bullying review for us – the rapid review of bullying in schools – we’re asking them to make sure that as part of that review they’re looking at this. They will present their final report to us when we meet again in October. And what we’ll be discussing today – I don’t want to pre-empt the conversation that we’re having, but I’m sure colleagues will agree – that we’ll ask the eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, to brief us at that meeting as well. About the work that she’s doing, about the tool kit that she’s providing for schools to help schools grapple with this difficult issue, but also to provide us with a little bit of advice about the impending changes to social media access for young people under the age of 16.

    So at the end of this year the ban on access to social media for young people under the age of 16 will come into effect. That work is being led by the Communications Minister right now. And ahead of that I’m going to ask the eSafety Commissioner to brief us when we meet in October about implementation plans for that change, which I think is a crucial part of helping young people grapple with this issue.

    Over the course of the last year and a half or so as a nation, as Ministers, we’ve banned access to mobile phones in schools. And I might just ask Blair to talk about this a little bit in a South Australian context. It was a decision that all of us have made because we thought it would have a positive impact in our school environment. And it has. A bigger impact than we ever expected in the class and in the playground.

    But the fact is, when the bell rings and school finishes, the phones come back out, and if you look at the bus stop, you’ll see kids doing what some people are doing at this press conference – looking at their phones. And young people get thrown back into that toxic cesspit of social media. So, what we do next in terms of banning access to social media is important. It’s not the only thing that we need to do, though. And that’s why the work that the eSafety Commissioner is doing is so important.

    BOYER: Thanks, Jason. And, yes one of the first election commitments that we made before coming to Government in March of 2022 was to ban mobile phones in all public high schools. We knew that banning mobile phones would help with distraction in the classroom, and it has. We knew that banning mobile phones would help in terms of stopping the kind of bullying that Jason was just talking about that occurs through the use of a mobile phone. But there have been some other real benefits, too, that we didn’t anticipate, and that is in terms of increased physical and social activity from young people at recess and lunchtime.

    And I had one principal of a school not far from here who said a very powerful comment to me: he said that the school yard at lunchtime reminds him of a school yard in the 1990s, and that’s the school yard I remember when I went to school where you’re out kicking the footy and talking to friends. But I think such had been our gradual increasing reliance on mobile phones at schools that we had forgotten how much of that old-fashioned kind of social interaction and physical activity that had actually dissipated and gone away. So, the benefits of the mobile phone ban have been in some cases obvious but also some unexpected ones, too. And we’re really pleased that the policy we put in place was for the phone to be off from the start of the day to the end of the day.

    I might just add specifically in terms of deep fakes and what we’re trying to do here in South Australia, we have updated what is called our Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum around how young people can keep themselves safe in all sorts of different ways, to explain at a very young age around the dangers and pitfalls of deep fakes. And I think that’s a conversation that needs to start early and it’s one that we are starting early here in South Australia.

    JOURNALIST: I mean, on that, I guess, a lot of children that are coming through school now won’t have really known a world without AI. Do you think – I mean, do you think they have enough appreciation of the fact that generative AI can be just as impactful as a real nude photograph of someone?

    BOYER: No, I think they don’t. I think that is the big problem. I think we are now seeing generations of young people starting at schools who have grown up with this technology. This is just normal practice for them, and a lot of risks come with that. But in terms of what we’ve done in South Australia with AI, we made what I think was a kind of bold decision back in 2022 to instead of banning AI work with Microsoft to codesign our own version of a chatbot, called EdChat, include a whole heap of extra safety protocols in it, but we did it with the simple philosophy – I’ve often likened it to teaching young people how to drive. Is driving dangerous? Absolutely it is. Do we ban driving? No, we don’t, we teach people how to do it safely.

    And the simple truth is that young people now are going to be expected to have an understanding of how to use AI, both in a productive sense in the workplace but also safely. And I think it is incumbent on us as the people who run education systems to do that. But along with that, we need to make sure that we have those conversations around how serious things like deep fakes are in terms of the affect it can have on a student or a teacher and also actually explain, as you said, to a generation which doesn’t realise it the very serious legal and often criminal implications that can come from using social media or generative AI to create a deep fake.

    JOURNALIST: Are there kind of concerns around generative AI, how that might be impacting people’s – young people’s kind of reading, comprehension, writing skills? Is that something that will be discussed today?

    CLARE: To build on what Blair said, a bit over a year ago we had this conversation as Ministers and we recognised, a little bit like the calculator and the internet after that, that AI is going to be with us forever. And this is a tool. It’s not something that we can just pretend isn’t there, but we’ve got to make sure is used properly and ethically.

    One of the things we were concerned about when we discussed this a bit over a year ago was making sure that this is not a tool that students used to cheat, sort of to get around the system, to make sure that young people are learning. And we built a framework or a protocol around that. One of the things we were also really concerned about when we built that framework was whether the information that young people put into generative AI, like an EdChat, for example, or any product you might buy off the shelf, isn’t then sold off to a third party. We were very, very worried, as we should be, that personal information or any information that a child puts into generative AI at school can then be sold off to a third party and then come back as an ad that they see on social media targeting them.

    This is the next step. We’re now seeing AI used for another purpose – to intimidate and to threaten and to hurt other people. And that’s why what Blair what said a moment ago is so important. It’s about making sure that young people know how to use it properly and when using it improperly is not just wrong, but breaking the law.

    JOURNALIST: And on the early education centres, there was a bit of discussion around potentially, people working there being treated the same as teachers in terms of registrations or things like that. How quickly can those kind of changes be put into place?

    BERRY: We’re already doing it in the ACT. So, we’ve started with a voluntary registration process, I guess, for early childhood teachers, the same way that we would with our teachers in primary and high school and college settings through our Teacher Quality Institute, which actually does the teaching and learning for teachers outside of their learning in university – 20 hours learning a year of professional development. And the same for our early childhood teachers.

    We’ve started as a voluntary process, and we’ve found it’s really popular because early childhood educators want to be recognised. They have the same qualifications, if not more, than a primary school or high school teacher under very highly regulated service. So, we know that it can be done. As I said, we’ve started voluntary, but it will be our plan to mandate it as we move through the voluntary process.

    We’re providing scholarships and the Federal Government are also doing work around recognising educators as well through the 15 per cent wage increase. And that is a really important part of recognising the expertise of these young – of these educators, particularly in a female-dominated workplace that has been underpaid and undervalued for decades. And we were just seeing a turn in that when, unfortunately, we’ve had these bad players in the for-profit early childhood sector which has really brought the sector down. So, we need to keep lifting them, otherwise we are going to lose the sector completely. We’ll lose the expertise, and people won’t want to work in early childhood education.

    CLARE: I’ll jump in just to support what Yvette said. This is not babysitting, this is early education. And what I’m at pains to do whenever I’m talking about this is not talk about child care. This is early education and care. Every minute, every moment that young people spend in early education and care helps to prepare them to get ready for school. It’s not just about helping parents return to work, this helps to prepare young people be ready to start school.

    We’re at a high school today, but if you were at a primary school and you asked principals can you tell the children in the first year of school that have been in early education, they can pick them all out. They know the children that are starting school ready to learn. That’s why this is so important. That’s why collectively we do everything that we can to promote the professionalism of this extraordinary workforce, and the 15 per cent pay rise is a big part of that. So many people who work in this sector have told me that they left to go and work at Bunnings or at Woolies because they could get paid more, not because they didn’t love the job. That 15 per cent pay rise is bringing people back to the sector.

    Goodstart, who are the biggest not-for-profit providers in the country, told me that their application numbers are through the roof, their vacancy numbers are down. That’s a good thing. That’s a good turnaround. That’s helping more young people get access to early education and care. But the truth is the most disadvantaged kids in the country are still missing out. The kids who need that support the most are still missing out. That’s what the 3 Day Guarantee reforms that come into place next year are about – making sure that every family, every child, can get access to three days a week of guaranteed access to the Commonwealth Subsidy to make sure that all children get the support they need to get ready to start school.

    There was some data that came out a couple of weeks ago that showed in large part because of the pandemic that we’ve seen a decline in the readiness, developmental readiness, of children to start school. And it also showed that the children that went to preschool, four-year-olds, that they were one and a half times more ready, more developed, to start school than children who haven’t. That’s why this is so important to get right. That’s why it’s so important that where we see terrible things happening with safety and quality, that we crack down. That’s what we’re determined to do.

    JOURNALIST: Just finally, there was a report, I think it was in The Guardian this morning, about attendance rates kind of going down. Is that another thing that you’ll be discussing? And, I guess, how do you think we can approach that and change that?

    CLARE: You bet. It’s going to be one of the things we talk about as well. I mentioned off the top the agreement that we struck over the last 12 months. One of the things in that agreement is the target that was set to get attendance rates at school back to pre-pandemic levels, back to where they were in 2019. And Tasmania is in caretaker mode at the moment, so unfortunately Jo, the Minister in Tasmania, won’t be with us. But in her absence we’ll lead a conversation about what are the things we want our departments to work on to help build attendance rates back in our schools.

    There’s great things happening in different jurisdictions across the country that we can learn from each other. I was in WA a couple of weeks ago and they’re using this additional funding with different programs. I was at one school where they’ve increased attendance rates by 10 per cent just in the last couple of months. But the thing is there’s nothing new here. We can all learn from each other. And as part of the conversation about implementing this agreement we’re going to be talking about how we boost attendance rates. 
     

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Celebrities, blue jeans and couture: how Anna Wintour changed fashion over 37 years at Vogue

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jye Marshall, Lecturer, Fashion Design, School of Design and Architecture, Swinburne University of Technology

    After 37 years at the helm, fashion industry heavyweight Anna Wintour is stepping down from her position as editor-in-chief of American Vogue.

    It’s not a retirement, though, as Wintour will maintain a leadership position at global fashion and lifestyle publisher Condé Nast (the owner of Vogue and other publications, such as Vanity Fair and Glamour).

    Nonetheless, Wintour’s departure from the US edition of the magazine is a big moment for the fashion industry – one which she has single-handedly changed forever.

    Fashion mag fever

    Fashion magazines as we know them today were first formalised in the 19th century. They helped establish the “trickle down theory” of fashion, wherein trends were traditionally dictated by certain industry elites, including major magazine editors.

    In Australia, getting your hands on a monthly issue meant rare exposure to the latest European or American fashion trends.

    Vogue itself was established in New York in 1892 by businessman Arthur Baldwin Turnure. The magazine targeted the city’s elite class, initially covering various aspects of high-society life. In 1909, Vogue was acquired by Condé Nast. From then, the magazine increasingly cemented itself as a cornerstone of the fashion publishing.

    Cover of a 1921 edition of Vogue.
    Wikimedia, CC BY

    The period following the second world war particularly opened the doors to mass fashion consumerism and an expanding fashion magazine culture.

    Wintour came on as editor of Vogue in 1988, at which point the magazine became less conservative, and more culturally significant.

    Not afraid to break the mould

    Fashion publishing changed as a result of Wintour’s bold editorial choices – especially when it came to the magazine’s covers. Her choices both reflected, and dictated, shifts in fashion culture.

    Wintour’s first cover at Vogue, published in 1988, mixed couture garments (Christian Lacroix) with mainstream brands (stonewashed Guess jeans) – something which had never been done before. It was also the first time a Vogue cover had featured jeans at all – perfectly setting the scene for a long career spent pushing the magazine into new domains.

    Wintour also pioneered the centring of celebrities (rather than just models) within fashion discourse. And while she leveraged big names such as Beyonce, Madonna, Nicole Kidman, Kate Moss, Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey, she also featured rising stars as cover models – often helping propel their careers in the process.

    Wintour’s legacy at Vogue involved elevating fashion from a frivolous runway to a powerful industry, which is not scared to make a statement. Nowhere is this truer than at the Met Gala, which is held each year to celebrate the opening of a new fashion exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

    The event started as a simple fundraiser for the Met in 1948, before being linked to a fashion exhibit for the first time in 1974.

    Wintour took over its organisation in 1995. Her focus on securing exclusive celebrity guests helped propel it to the prestigious event it is today.

    This year’s theme for the event was Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. In a time where the US faces great political instability, Wintour was celebrated for her role in helping elevate Black history through the event.

    Not without controversy

    However, while her cultural influence can’t be doubted, Wintour’s legacy at American Vogue is not without fault.

    Notably, her ongoing feud with animal rights organisation PETA – due to the her unwavering support for fur – has bubbled in the background since the heydays of the anti-fur movement.

    Wintour has been targeted directly by anti-fur activists, both physically (she was hit with a tofu cream pie in 2005 while leaving a Chloe show) and through numerous protests.

    This issue was never resolved. Vogue has continued to showcase and feature fur clothing, even as the social license for using animal materials starts to run out.

    Fashion continues to grow increasingly political. How magazines such as Vogue will engage with this shift remains to be seen.

    A changing media landscape

    The rise of fashion blogging in recent decades has led to a wave of fashion influencers, with throngs of followers, who are challenging the unidirectional “trickle-down” structure of the fashion industry.

    Today, social media platforms have overtaken traditional media influence both within and outside of fashion. And with this, the power of fashion editors such as Wintour is diminishing significantly.

    Many words will flow regarding Wintour’s departure as editor-in-chief, but nowhere near as many as what she oversaw at the helm of the world’s biggest fashion magazine.

    Rachel Lamarche-Beauchesne has been affiliated with the Animal Justice Party.

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

    – ref. Celebrities, blue jeans and couture: how Anna Wintour changed fashion over 37 years at Vogue – https://theconversation.com/celebrities-blue-jeans-and-couture-how-anna-wintour-changed-fashion-over-37-years-at-vogue-259989

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Celebrities, blue jeans and couture: how Anna Wintour changed fashion over 37 years at Vogue

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Jye Marshall, Lecturer, Fashion Design, School of Design and Architecture, Swinburne University of Technology

    After 37 years at the helm, fashion industry heavyweight Anna Wintour is stepping down from her position as editor-in-chief of American Vogue.

    It’s not a retirement, though, as Wintour will maintain a leadership position at global fashion and lifestyle publisher Condé Nast (the owner of Vogue and other publications, such as Vanity Fair and Glamour).

    Nonetheless, Wintour’s departure from the US edition of the magazine is a big moment for the fashion industry – one which she has single-handedly changed forever.

    Fashion mag fever

    Fashion magazines as we know them today were first formalised in the 19th century. They helped establish the “trickle down theory” of fashion, wherein trends were traditionally dictated by certain industry elites, including major magazine editors.

    In Australia, getting your hands on a monthly issue meant rare exposure to the latest European or American fashion trends.

    Vogue itself was established in New York in 1892 by businessman Arthur Baldwin Turnure. The magazine targeted the city’s elite class, initially covering various aspects of high-society life. In 1909, Vogue was acquired by Condé Nast. From then, the magazine increasingly cemented itself as a cornerstone of the fashion publishing.

    Cover of a 1921 edition of Vogue.
    Wikimedia, CC BY

    The period following the second world war particularly opened the doors to mass fashion consumerism and an expanding fashion magazine culture.

    Wintour came on as editor of Vogue in 1988, at which point the magazine became less conservative, and more culturally significant.

    Not afraid to break the mould

    Fashion publishing changed as a result of Wintour’s bold editorial choices – especially when it came to the magazine’s covers. Her choices both reflected, and dictated, shifts in fashion culture.

    Wintour’s first cover at Vogue, published in 1988, mixed couture garments (Christian Lacroix) with mainstream brands (stonewashed Guess jeans) – something which had never been done before. It was also the first time a Vogue cover had featured jeans at all – perfectly setting the scene for a long career spent pushing the magazine into new domains.

    Wintour also pioneered the centring of celebrities (rather than just models) within fashion discourse. And while she leveraged big names such as Beyonce, Madonna, Nicole Kidman, Kate Moss, Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey, she also featured rising stars as cover models – often helping propel their careers in the process.

    Wintour’s legacy at Vogue involved elevating fashion from a frivolous runway to a powerful industry, which is not scared to make a statement. Nowhere is this truer than at the Met Gala, which is held each year to celebrate the opening of a new fashion exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

    The event started as a simple fundraiser for the Met in 1948, before being linked to a fashion exhibit for the first time in 1974.

    Wintour took over its organisation in 1995. Her focus on securing exclusive celebrity guests helped propel it to the prestigious event it is today.

    This year’s theme for the event was Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. In a time where the US faces great political instability, Wintour was celebrated for her role in helping elevate Black history through the event.

    Not without controversy

    However, while her cultural influence can’t be doubted, Wintour’s legacy at American Vogue is not without fault.

    Notably, her ongoing feud with animal rights organisation PETA – due to the her unwavering support for fur – has bubbled in the background since the heydays of the anti-fur movement.

    Wintour has been targeted directly by anti-fur activists, both physically (she was hit with a tofu cream pie in 2005 while leaving a Chloe show) and through numerous protests.

    This issue was never resolved. Vogue has continued to showcase and feature fur clothing, even as the social license for using animal materials starts to run out.

    Fashion continues to grow increasingly political. How magazines such as Vogue will engage with this shift remains to be seen.

    A changing media landscape

    The rise of fashion blogging in recent decades has led to a wave of fashion influencers, with throngs of followers, who are challenging the unidirectional “trickle-down” structure of the fashion industry.

    Today, social media platforms have overtaken traditional media influence both within and outside of fashion. And with this, the power of fashion editors such as Wintour is diminishing significantly.

    Many words will flow regarding Wintour’s departure as editor-in-chief, but nowhere near as many as what she oversaw at the helm of the world’s biggest fashion magazine.

    Rachel Lamarche-Beauchesne has been affiliated with the Animal Justice Party.

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

    – ref. Celebrities, blue jeans and couture: how Anna Wintour changed fashion over 37 years at Vogue – https://theconversation.com/celebrities-blue-jeans-and-couture-how-anna-wintour-changed-fashion-over-37-years-at-vogue-259989

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Capital colleges increase number of employer partners

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Over 800 employers became partners of the capital’s colleges during the past academic year. Their total number now exceeds 3.8 thousand. These are large industrial enterprises, developers and research institutes, said Anastasia Rakova, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Social Development.

    “In Moscow, the education of college students is based on a practice-oriented approach. Already now, 70 percent of the time is devoted to acquiring professional skills in practice. We are also actively expanding the cooperation of colleges with leading companies in the capital to take into account the current demands of the labor market. Over the past academic year, the total number of partners has grown by 30 percent, exceeding 3.8 thousand. Among the new companies are large industrial enterprises, developers and research institutes. They participate in updating educational programs, developing standards for equipping laboratories and organizing industrial practices. Partners offer targeted training, internships for students and teachers, and also participate in career guidance events,” noted Anastasia Rakova.

    Employer partners

    This year, Moscow colleges began cooperation with large industrial enterprises and institutes, including Itelma, a leading domestic developer and manufacturer of electronic solutions for motor vehicles, Aeroflot Technics, the largest provider of aircraft maintenance and repair in Russia and other CIS countries, the All-Russian Research Institute of Automation named after N.L. Dukhov, the Research Institute of Molecular Electronics, and the engineering company ARCH. Thus, Aeroflot Technics plans a targeted recruitment of 90 students, and the All-Russian Research Institute of Automation named after N.L. Dukhov will select specialists in radio electronics.

    The Lemana PRO company has become one of the key partners in training personnel for the transport industry. The organization participates in the creation of relevant educational programs and conducts excursions at production facilities. An important area of cooperation has become the development of VR simulators. They allow students to improve their professional skills and get acquainted with various work situations while still studying at college.

    In the construction sector, one of the partners was Coldy, a multidisciplinary developer with 20 years of experience in implementing large-scale projects in Moscow. The company conducts internships and training for students of Moscow colleges and employs the best of them. The plans include organizing career guidance excursions for schoolchildren.

    “Participation in programs for training young personnel is part of the strategy of sustainable development and corporate social responsibility of the Coldy company. The success of the business directly depends on the qualifications of current and future employees. Cooperation with Moscow colleges solves two urgent problems: graduates receive the necessary practical competencies for a successful start of their career, and the company receives trained and adapted young specialists. The synergy of human resources and management practices allows us to create high-quality development projects for social, cultural and business activity,” said the company’s CEO Ivan Kashkin.

    The company “Nanosoft Development”, the Russian leader in the creation of software for automated design and information modeling. Its employees create programs for advanced training for teachers of construction colleges. It is planned that more than 200 teachers will undergo training in new design technologies.

    The flagship of the Moscow film cluster, the Moskino film park, has also become a platform for the development of students from the capital’s colleges. Since January of this year, student filming days have been held here. 70 young professionals have already taken part in them, having filmed 10 creative works. Students are mastering filming locations, special programs, attending lectures and master classes, using the film cluster’s facilities.

    In addition, the new partners include the Moscow Planetarium, Gazprom-Media Holding, Yandex Lavka service, Zhar-ptitsa film warehouse, CGF studio, Moscow City Social Treasury, Uzlovsky Dairy Plant, S.V. Obraztsov Puppet Theater, Museum of Contemporary History of Russia, G.M. Krzhizhanovsky Apartment Museum, State Museum of the East and other organizations.

    How the Moscow Film Cluster Helps Aspiring FilmmakersMore than 13 thousand students are mastering medical professions in the capital’s collegesHow Capital Colleges Collaborate with the Moscow Planetarium

    Since June 26, the city colleges have started admission campaign. Students from the capital will be able to apply for admission at mos.ru portalApplicants have the opportunity to simultaneously choose five specialties in one or several educational institutions.

    Detailed information about in-demand professions and specialties taught in the capital’s colleges is available on the website “Colleges of Moscow”, in the same names telegram channel and on the official page on the social network “VKontakte”. Practical classes for students of Moscow colleges take place in modern workshops and laboratories. This contributes to the formation and development of professional skills in students and corresponds to the objectives of the “Professionalism” project of the national project “Youth and Children”.

    Get the latest news quicklyofficial telegram channelthe city of Moscow.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/155924073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: 40 kilometers of new bike lanes will appear in Moscow in 2025

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Since the beginning of the year, 40 kilometers of new cycling infrastructure have appeared in the capital, said the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport and Industry Maxim Liksutov.

    “According to the projects of the Center for Road Traffic Management, more than 90 kilometers of cycling infrastructure have already been built in 2025, of which 40 kilometers are new cycling lanes. The total length of cycling infrastructure in Moscow has exceeded 575 kilometers. We continue to make traffic in the city more comfortable,” said Maxim Liksutov.

    New bike lanes have appeared in seven districts of Moscow:

    — SAO — Begovoy, Khoroshevsky;

    — SVAO — Ostankinsky;

    — SZAO — Northern Tushino, Southern Tushino;

    — Central Administrative District — Basmanny, Krasnoselsky, Khamovniki;

    — South-East Administrative District — Vykhino-Zhulebino, Kuzminki, Maryino;

    — South Administrative District — Biryulevo Zapadnoye, Danilovsky, Zyablikovo, Orekhovo-Borisovo Severnoye, Orekhovo-Borisovo Yuzhnoye;

    — South-West Administrative Okrug — Zyuzino, Cheryomushki.

    A new 4.3-kilometer-long bike path has been allocated separately on both sides of Kosygina Street in the Ramenki and Gagarinsky districts. It runs along the Vorobyovy Gory.

    Muscovites also have access to the 129-kilometer Green Ring bike route. It connects 24 green areas of Moscow, metro stations, the Moscow Central Ring, and the Moscow Central Diameters, allowing you to combine business trips with relaxation in parks and sightseeing. Its direction can be recognized by special signs with the Green Ring logo, as well as by navigation steles.

    For example, you can start your journey at the Profsoyuznaya metro station, pass by the Lomonosov Moscow State University, continue along the Moskva River through Fili Park, see Stroginsky Bay, cross Timiryazevsky Park, VDNKh and Losiny Ostrov National Park, finishing the route in Golyanovo.

    Work on developing cycling infrastructure continues. The Traffic Management Center will continue to improve the capital’s cycling infrastructure for comfortable and safe travel by bicycle and personal mobility devices.

    Get the latest news quicklyofficial telegram channel the city of Moscow.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/155859073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Strong support for school library policy | Un fort appui pour une politique sur les bibliothèques scolaires

    Following the discovery of multiple books with explicit sexual content in some school libraries across the province, Alberta’s government conducted a public engagement survey to collect feedback on the creation of consistent standards to ensure the age-appropriateness of materials available to students in school libraries.

    From May 26 to June 6, Albertans were invited to share their views on age-appropriate materials in school libraries through an online survey. Almost 80,000 individual respondents completed the survey, showing significant and widespread public interest in the issue.

    Alberta’s government will be using this input, along with ongoing feedback collected from education partners, to develop provincewide standards. These standards will provide school boards with clear and consistent guidelines for selecting and managing age-appropriate materials in school libraries across the province.

    “Parents, educators and Albertans in general want action to ensure children don’t have access to age-inappropriate materials in school libraries. We will use this valuable input to guide the creation of a provincewide standard to ensure the policy reflects the priorities and values of Albertans.”

    Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education and Childcare

    Key survey findings

    • When asked “At what age should children be able to access materials with sexually explicit content in school libraries,” parents said:
      • never (have access): 42 per cent
      • elementary school (age 12 and under): four per cent
      • middle school (age 12 and up): 18 per cent
      • high school (age 15 and up): 22 per cent
      • all ages (should have access): 14 per cent
    • 62 per cent believe parents and guardians should have a role in reporting or challenging sexually explicit content in school libraries.  
    • When asked who should decide what materials are age appropriate in school libraries, the most popular responses were school librarians, teachers and parents.
    • Parents of school-age children were most supportive (42 per cent) of children never being able to access these materials in schools.

    The online survey summary and data are available on Alberta.ca. It should be noted that this online survey was designed for public engagement and to be used as a temperature check to see what Albertans think is the best way forward on this issue.

    Quick facts

    • In May 2025, the Alberta government also conducted a separate public opinion polling of 1,500 adult Albertans on sexually explicit materials in school libraries:
      • 51 per cent said such materials should not be permitted in any library accessible to children.
      • 94 per cent said these materials should not be available in elementary schools.
      • 75 per cent said it’s important for parents to have a say in what materials are present in school libraries.
    • Out of 196,901 entries, 118,574 duplicates and 932 blank entries were removed, resulting in a total of 77,395 responses. An additional 515 responses were received in the French language survey.
    • Examples of books found in Alberta K-12 school libraries which have been identified as inappropriate include:
      • Gender Queer, graphic novel by Maia Kobabe
        • Found in K-9 schools and high schools in Calgary Board of Education as well as high schools in Edmonton Public School Board.
      • Fun Home, graphic novel by Alison Bechdel
        • Found in schools with students within the K-9 range as well as high schools in Edmonton Public School Board.
      • Blankets, graphic novel by Craig Thompson
        • Found in Schools with students within the K-9 range in Edmonton Public School Board, as well as high schools in Edmonton Public School Board and Calgary Board of Education.
      • Flamer, graphic novel by Mike Curato
        • Found in schools with students within the K-9 range in Calgary Board of Education and Edmonton Public School Board schools, as well as high schools in Edmonton Public School Board and Calgary Board of Education.

    Related information

    • School library standards engagement
    • Reference materials – Content warning: this document contains graphic content that may be disturbing to viewers and is not appropriate for young viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.

    Related news

    • Ensuring age-appropriate books in school libraries (May 26, 2025)

    Les résultats d’un sondage montrent le solide appui du public envers des mesures pour faire en sorte que les enfants n’aient pas accès à des ressources qui ne conviennent pas à leur âge dans les bibliothèques scolaires en Alberta.

    À la suite de la découverte de plusieurs livres à contenu sexuellement explicite dans certaines bibliothèques scolaires de la province, le gouvernement de l’Alberta a mené une consultation publique sous forme de sondage afin de recueillir des commentaires sur l’élaboration de normes uniformes visant à assurer que les ressources disponibles dans les bibliothèques scolaires soient adaptées à l’âge des élèves.

    Du 26 mai au 6 juin, la population albertaine était invitée à faire connaitre son point de vue sur les ressources adaptées à l’âge dans les bibliothèques scolaires en remplissant un sondage en ligne. Près de 80 000 répondants différents ont rempli le sondage, témoignant d’un intérêt important et généralisé de la part du public pour cette question.

    Le gouvernement de l’Alberta se servira de ces commentaires, ainsi que ceux des partenaires en éducation, pour élaborer des normes provinciales. Ces normes fourniront aux autorités scolaires des lignes directrices uniformes et précises pour la sélection et la gestion des ressources dans les bibliothèques scolaires de toute la province.

    « En général, les parents, les éducateurs et les Albertains veulent que des mesures soient prises pour que les enfants n’aient pas accès, dans les bibliothèques scolaires, à des ressources qui ne conviennent pas à leur âge. Nous nous appuierons sur ces précieux commentaires pour élaborer des normes provinciales afin que la politique reflète les priorités et les valeurs de la population albertaine. »

    Demetrios Nicolaides, ministre de l’Éducation et de la Garde d’enfants

    Principaux résultats du sondage

    • À la question « À quel âge les enfants devraient-ils pouvoir accéder aux ressources à contenu sexuellement explicite dans les bibliothèques scolaires? », les répondants ont déclaré :
      • Jamais : 34 pour cent
      • École primaire (12 ans et moins) : 4 pour cent
      • École intermédiaire (12 ans et plus) : 22 pour cent
      • École secondaire (15 ans et plus) : 23 pour cent
      • Tous les âges : 17 pour cent
    • Soixante-deux pour cent pensent que les parents et les tuteurs devraient jouer un rôle dans le signalement ou la remise en question de la présence de ressources à contenu sexuellement explicite dans les bibliothèques scolaires.  
    • À la question qui devrait déterminer quelles ressources dans les bibliothèques scolaires sont adaptées à l’âge des enfants, les réponses les plus populaires ont été les bibliothécaires scolaires, les enseignants et les parents.

    Le résumé du sondage en ligne et des données recueillies est publié sur Alberta.ca. Il est à noter que ce sondage a été conçu à des fins de consultation publique et devrait servir uniquement d’indicateur sur ce que les Albertains et Albertaines croient être la meilleure façon d’aborder cette question.

    En bref

    • En mai 2025, le gouvernement de l’Alberta a aussi effectué un sondage d’opinion distinct auprès de 1 500 Albertains adultes sur les ressources à contenu sexuellement explicite dans les bibliothèques scolaires.
      • Cinquante-et-un pour cent des répondants ont déclaré que de telles ressources ne devraient pas être autorisées dans les bibliothèques accessibles aux enfants.
      • Quatre-vingt-quatorze pour cent des répondants ont déclaré que ces ressources ne devraient pas être accessibles dans les écoles primaires.
      • Soixante-quinze pour cent des répondants ont déclaré qu’il était important que les parents aient leur mot à dire sur les ressources pouvant être accessibles dans les bibliothèques scolaires.
    • Parmi les 196 901 sondages reçus, 118 574 doublons et 932 sondages laissés en blanc ont été supprimés, ce qui a donné un total de 77 395 réponses. Le sondage en français a permis de recueillir 515 réponses supplémentaires.
    • Voici quelques livres disponibles dans des bibliothèques scolaires (M à 12) de l’Alberta et qui ont été considérés comme inappropriés :
      • Gender Queer, roman graphique de Maia Kobabe
        • On a retrouvé des exemplaires dans des écoles M à 9 du Calgary Board of Education et dans des écoles secondaires d’Edmonton Public School Board.
      • Fun Home, roman graphique de Alison Bechdel
        • On a retrouvé des exemplaires dans des écoles fréquentées par des élèves de la maternelle à la 9e année et dans des écoles secondaires d’Edmonton Public School Board.
      • Blankets, roman graphique de Craig Thompson
        • On a retrouvé des exemplaires dans des écoles fréquentées par des élèves de la maternelle à la 9e année et gérées par Edmonton Public School Board, ainsi que dans des écoles secondaires d’Edmonton Public School Board et du Calgary Board of Education.
      • Flamer, roman graphique de Mike Curato
        • On a retrouvé des exemplaires dans des écoles fréquentées par des élèves de la maternelle à la 9e année et gérées par Calgary Board of Education ou Edmonton Public School Board, ainsi que dans des écoles secondaires d’Edmonton Public School Board et du Calgary Board of Education.

    Renseignements connexes

    • Consultation sur les normes pour les bibliothèques scolaires
    • Document de référence (en anglais seulement) – Avertissement : Ce document contient des images pouvant heurter la sensibilité des lecteurs. Il est donc réservé à un auditoire averti.

    Nouvelle connexe

    • Ensuring age-appropriate books in school libraries (26 mai)

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Strong support for school library policy | Un fort appui pour une politique sur les bibliothèques scolaires

    Following the discovery of multiple books with explicit sexual content in some school libraries across the province, Alberta’s government conducted a public engagement survey to collect feedback on the creation of consistent standards to ensure the age-appropriateness of materials available to students in school libraries.

    From May 26 to June 6, Albertans were invited to share their views on age-appropriate materials in school libraries through an online survey. Almost 80,000 individual respondents completed the survey, showing significant and widespread public interest in the issue.

    Alberta’s government will be using this input, along with ongoing feedback collected from education partners, to develop provincewide standards. These standards will provide school boards with clear and consistent guidelines for selecting and managing age-appropriate materials in school libraries across the province.

    “Parents, educators and Albertans in general want action to ensure children don’t have access to age-inappropriate materials in school libraries. We will use this valuable input to guide the creation of a provincewide standard to ensure the policy reflects the priorities and values of Albertans.”

    Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education and Childcare

    Key survey findings

    • When asked “At what age should children be able to access materials with sexually explicit content in school libraries,” parents said:
      • never (have access): 42 per cent
      • elementary school (age 12 and under): four per cent
      • middle school (age 12 and up): 18 per cent
      • high school (age 15 and up): 22 per cent
      • all ages (should have access): 14 per cent
    • 62 per cent believe parents and guardians should have a role in reporting or challenging sexually explicit content in school libraries.  
    • When asked who should decide what materials are age appropriate in school libraries, the most popular responses were school librarians, teachers and parents.
    • Parents of school-age children were most supportive (42 per cent) of children never being able to access these materials in schools.

    The online survey summary and data are available on Alberta.ca. It should be noted that this online survey was designed for public engagement and to be used as a temperature check to see what Albertans think is the best way forward on this issue.

    Quick facts

    • In May 2025, the Alberta government also conducted a separate public opinion polling of 1,500 adult Albertans on sexually explicit materials in school libraries:
      • 51 per cent said such materials should not be permitted in any library accessible to children.
      • 94 per cent said these materials should not be available in elementary schools.
      • 75 per cent said it’s important for parents to have a say in what materials are present in school libraries.
    • Out of 196,901 entries, 118,574 duplicates and 932 blank entries were removed, resulting in a total of 77,395 responses. An additional 515 responses were received in the French language survey.
    • Examples of books found in Alberta K-12 school libraries which have been identified as inappropriate include:
      • Gender Queer, graphic novel by Maia Kobabe
        • Found in K-9 schools and high schools in Calgary Board of Education as well as high schools in Edmonton Public School Board.
      • Fun Home, graphic novel by Alison Bechdel
        • Found in schools with students within the K-9 range as well as high schools in Edmonton Public School Board.
      • Blankets, graphic novel by Craig Thompson
        • Found in Schools with students within the K-9 range in Edmonton Public School Board, as well as high schools in Edmonton Public School Board and Calgary Board of Education.
      • Flamer, graphic novel by Mike Curato
        • Found in schools with students within the K-9 range in Calgary Board of Education and Edmonton Public School Board schools, as well as high schools in Edmonton Public School Board and Calgary Board of Education.

    Related information

    • School library standards engagement
    • Reference materials – Content warning: this document contains graphic content that may be disturbing to viewers and is not appropriate for young viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.

    Related news

    • Ensuring age-appropriate books in school libraries (May 26, 2025)

    Les résultats d’un sondage montrent le solide appui du public envers des mesures pour faire en sorte que les enfants n’aient pas accès à des ressources qui ne conviennent pas à leur âge dans les bibliothèques scolaires en Alberta.

    À la suite de la découverte de plusieurs livres à contenu sexuellement explicite dans certaines bibliothèques scolaires de la province, le gouvernement de l’Alberta a mené une consultation publique sous forme de sondage afin de recueillir des commentaires sur l’élaboration de normes uniformes visant à assurer que les ressources disponibles dans les bibliothèques scolaires soient adaptées à l’âge des élèves.

    Du 26 mai au 6 juin, la population albertaine était invitée à faire connaitre son point de vue sur les ressources adaptées à l’âge dans les bibliothèques scolaires en remplissant un sondage en ligne. Près de 80 000 répondants différents ont rempli le sondage, témoignant d’un intérêt important et généralisé de la part du public pour cette question.

    Le gouvernement de l’Alberta se servira de ces commentaires, ainsi que ceux des partenaires en éducation, pour élaborer des normes provinciales. Ces normes fourniront aux autorités scolaires des lignes directrices uniformes et précises pour la sélection et la gestion des ressources dans les bibliothèques scolaires de toute la province.

    « En général, les parents, les éducateurs et les Albertains veulent que des mesures soient prises pour que les enfants n’aient pas accès, dans les bibliothèques scolaires, à des ressources qui ne conviennent pas à leur âge. Nous nous appuierons sur ces précieux commentaires pour élaborer des normes provinciales afin que la politique reflète les priorités et les valeurs de la population albertaine. »

    Demetrios Nicolaides, ministre de l’Éducation et de la Garde d’enfants

    Principaux résultats du sondage

    • À la question « À quel âge les enfants devraient-ils pouvoir accéder aux ressources à contenu sexuellement explicite dans les bibliothèques scolaires? », les répondants ont déclaré :
      • Jamais : 34 pour cent
      • École primaire (12 ans et moins) : 4 pour cent
      • École intermédiaire (12 ans et plus) : 22 pour cent
      • École secondaire (15 ans et plus) : 23 pour cent
      • Tous les âges : 17 pour cent
    • Soixante-deux pour cent pensent que les parents et les tuteurs devraient jouer un rôle dans le signalement ou la remise en question de la présence de ressources à contenu sexuellement explicite dans les bibliothèques scolaires.  
    • À la question qui devrait déterminer quelles ressources dans les bibliothèques scolaires sont adaptées à l’âge des enfants, les réponses les plus populaires ont été les bibliothécaires scolaires, les enseignants et les parents.

    Le résumé du sondage en ligne et des données recueillies est publié sur Alberta.ca. Il est à noter que ce sondage a été conçu à des fins de consultation publique et devrait servir uniquement d’indicateur sur ce que les Albertains et Albertaines croient être la meilleure façon d’aborder cette question.

    En bref

    • En mai 2025, le gouvernement de l’Alberta a aussi effectué un sondage d’opinion distinct auprès de 1 500 Albertains adultes sur les ressources à contenu sexuellement explicite dans les bibliothèques scolaires.
      • Cinquante-et-un pour cent des répondants ont déclaré que de telles ressources ne devraient pas être autorisées dans les bibliothèques accessibles aux enfants.
      • Quatre-vingt-quatorze pour cent des répondants ont déclaré que ces ressources ne devraient pas être accessibles dans les écoles primaires.
      • Soixante-quinze pour cent des répondants ont déclaré qu’il était important que les parents aient leur mot à dire sur les ressources pouvant être accessibles dans les bibliothèques scolaires.
    • Parmi les 196 901 sondages reçus, 118 574 doublons et 932 sondages laissés en blanc ont été supprimés, ce qui a donné un total de 77 395 réponses. Le sondage en français a permis de recueillir 515 réponses supplémentaires.
    • Voici quelques livres disponibles dans des bibliothèques scolaires (M à 12) de l’Alberta et qui ont été considérés comme inappropriés :
      • Gender Queer, roman graphique de Maia Kobabe
        • On a retrouvé des exemplaires dans des écoles M à 9 du Calgary Board of Education et dans des écoles secondaires d’Edmonton Public School Board.
      • Fun Home, roman graphique de Alison Bechdel
        • On a retrouvé des exemplaires dans des écoles fréquentées par des élèves de la maternelle à la 9e année et dans des écoles secondaires d’Edmonton Public School Board.
      • Blankets, roman graphique de Craig Thompson
        • On a retrouvé des exemplaires dans des écoles fréquentées par des élèves de la maternelle à la 9e année et gérées par Edmonton Public School Board, ainsi que dans des écoles secondaires d’Edmonton Public School Board et du Calgary Board of Education.
      • Flamer, roman graphique de Mike Curato
        • On a retrouvé des exemplaires dans des écoles fréquentées par des élèves de la maternelle à la 9e année et gérées par Calgary Board of Education ou Edmonton Public School Board, ainsi que dans des écoles secondaires d’Edmonton Public School Board et du Calgary Board of Education.

    Renseignements connexes

    • Consultation sur les normes pour les bibliothèques scolaires
    • Document de référence (en anglais seulement) – Avertissement : Ce document contient des images pouvant heurter la sensibilité des lecteurs. Il est donc réservé à un auditoire averti.

    Nouvelle connexe

    • Ensuring age-appropriate books in school libraries (26 mai)

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: New building of Nesterenko art gallery will be ready this year – Moscow Mayor

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    The construction of the new building of the Moscow State University will be completed this year. Vasily Nesterenko’s art gallery on Butyrskaya Street. Sergei Sobyanin reported this in his telegram channel.

    “It is being built in the neoclassical style, and the interior design will be at the junction of Art Nouveau, neoclassicism and Empire. The idea of the project belongs to the artist himself,” the Mayor of Moscow wrote.

    Source: Sergei Sobyanin’s Telegram channel @mos_sobyanin 

    The monolith of the building is almost ready. Now specialists have started installing facades from decorative glass fiber concrete products and roofing, doing rough and final finishing.

    The gallery will house an exhibition area, a storage facility and restoration workshops, as well as a comfortable foyer and entrance area.

    The grand staircase will connect the exhibition halls and allow for a continuous viewing of the exhibition. Up to 400 people will be able to see the collections of works dedicated to Russian history and culture at the same time.

    Getting to the gallery will be easy: it is located near the Savelovskaya station of the Big Circle Line of the metro.

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    HTTPS: //vv.mos.ru/mayor/tkhemes/12999050/

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Quality Assurance Council publishes report on quality audit of Lingnan University

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Quality Assurance Council publishes report on quality audit of Lingnan University 
    The Quality Assurance Council (QAC) under the University Grants Committee (UGC) today (June 27) published the report on the quality audit of Lingnan University (LU) in the third audit cycle.

    LU was the eighth university audited in the third audit cycle, which places an emphasis on how individual universities review and enhance their frameworks on academic standards and academic quality, academic programme development, teaching and learning, student learning assessments and support for students, as well as the collection, analysis and usage of data to inform such quality assurance processes.Issued at HKT 14:00

    NNNN

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: The final stage of selection of schoolchildren and students for the Great Arctic Expedition has begun

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    The final stage of selection for the Great Arctic Expedition has begun. More than 40 finalists have gone to a five-day training camp in Karelia, where they will stay until July 4. Based on their results, the participants who will be part of the expedition to the Far North will be determined. This was reported by the press service of the capital’s Department of Education and Science.

    “Every year, thousands of Moscow schoolchildren and students apply to participate in the Great Arctic Expedition. This year, it is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. The journey will begin in late July – early August and will last about two weeks. 14 schoolchildren and college students will travel to the northernmost point of Eurasia – Cape Chelyuskin. The children will be divided into two groups: volunteer builders will be engaged in landscaping the territory of the memorial complex of pilots and winterers, and researchers will study the flora of the Laptev Sea coast. After the expedition, the participants will present their achievements at a large-scale scientific conference,” the department’s press service reported.

    In Karelia, six teams of seven people will work under the guidance of professional tourism instructors. Over the course of five days, young travelers will cover a route of about 60 kilometers. They will have to cook in field conditions, work with tourist equipment, set up tents and conduct scientific research. For example, participants will take photos of plants, mosses, birds and describe the terrain. Experts will evaluate the endurance, responsibility and ability to work in a team of each participant, and then name those who will join the expedition.

    To get to the final, candidates had to pass several tests. The first stage of the selection was the Arctic Dictation, where over five thousand contestants tested their knowledge of the geography, history, ecology and economic importance of the Far North. In the second stage, the participants were treated to the adventure game “Heroes of the Arctic”. More than 500 children completed tasks on six interactive platforms. Personal and team results were counted.

    “I am applying for the position of a volunteer builder in the expedition. All stages of the selection were very interesting. I especially liked the adventure game. I was very pleased that my friends agreed to help me and we did a great job with the tasks. I have high expectations from the final stage of the selection. I hope that this year I will be able to fit into the team. I have been a member of the “Travel Lab” for a year now. Here I was taught to be friends and work in a team, so I hope that the trip will be great,” said Sofia Taranenko, a student at the Ivan Fedorov Moscow Publishing and Printing College.

    The next stage was a professional skills competition, which was held in Sokolniki Park and the Moscow Educational Complex Zapad. Thus, in the volunteer builders’ competition, participants had to demonstrate their skills in painting metal, installing formwork and pouring concrete. In the chefs’ competition, candidates had to prepare certain dishes from the products given to them. The final was the research competition, in which candidates for the team of participants of the Great Arctic Expedition defended their scientific projects before the commission.

    The capital’s Department of Education and Science first organized the Great Arctic Expedition in 2018. In 2024, a group of schoolchildren went to Cape Lasinius, and a group of college students went to Cape Chelyuskin. The children skied in the footsteps of the expeditions of the early 20th-century Arctic explorer Eduard Toll and Soviet scientist Ivan Papanin, and also built a mobile station town on Cape Chelyuskin.

    Umka, melted snow and an ecological station: how the Great Arctic Expedition 2024 went

    The Arctic is not the only place on the globe that Moscow schoolchildren have visited. In the 2024/2025 academic year, 13 young city residents went to the Arctic for the first time.Moscow Youth Antarctic ExpeditionSchoolchildren conducted research on behalf of Russian research institutes, while college students monitored the health of the participants, were responsible for communications, prepared food, and looked after the mobile living module.

    About 80 thousand schoolchildren and college students are involved in tourism in the capital – every 20th student. They are united by the city project “The Route is Built”. Over the past year, the children have gone on almost 300 hikes around Russia and other countries. Among the destinations are Kazbek, Tien Shan, North Ossetia, Altai and Kamchatka.

    You can find out more about additional education in the capital in Telegram channels “Moscow education” And“Moscow Center for Educational Practices”.

    Supplementary education programs develop creative and critical thinking in schoolchildren and develop skills that will be useful to them in their future profession. Events held within the framework of supplementary education contribute to the project “All the best for children” of the national project “Youth and Children”.

    Get the latest news quicklyofficial telegram channel the city of Moscow.

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    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/155897073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Moscow Family to Compete for the Title of Most Financially Literate in Russia

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    The regional stage of the II All-Russian Family Festival of Savings and Investments has ended in Moscow. 21 Moscow teams competed for the right to reach the final of the competition. Participants demonstrated their knowledge of investment products and an effective approach to savings, as well as their intelligence, erudition and resourcefulness.

    This year, the festival includes three stages – municipal, regional and federal. Families from 29 regions of Russia participate in them. The qualifying rounds were held in the format of intellectual tournaments, quizzes, tests and other events. The organizers of the Moscow stages are the capital Department of Finance and the city’s Center for Financial Literacy.

    The first qualifying round took place during the financial literacy day at the Northern River Terminal. The event was attended by 39 Moscow teams, for whom the organizers prepared several competitive tasks. Thus, it was necessary to find the right solutions in matters of distributing the family budget and insuring savings, as well as analyze simulated situations, trying to recognize the actions of illegal investment companies and false brokers.

    The second stage was held in the Technograd Innovation and Education Complex at VDNKh. The winning teams took part in quizzes, intellectual games and master classes. Vladimir Shibeko, a festival participant, said that the topic of savings was easy for his team, but they had to think about investments.

    “The tasks turned out to be tricky, but that’s what made it even more interesting. Especially in the quiz, where questions on financial topics were presented in the context of literature, history, and art. It was difficult to give an answer in 10 seconds, but we managed,” Vladimir Shibeko shared.

    The game “Financial Ingenuity” helped test the participants’ knowledge of budget planning, forming a financial goal and creating a safety cushion. During the intellectual tournament “Investments for All” families discussed the stock market, securities and various investment methods.

    In addition, educational events were held especially for the festival participants: a lecture on savings products and a master class on a long-term savings program. Experts explained how non-state pension funds help create additional income in the future and a financial safety net in case of unforeseen situations.

    Yulia Simonova, a participant of the festival, shared her impressions, noting that it was not just a competition, but a real training platform. After each test, experts from the financial literacy center analyzed the participants’ mistakes in detail and gave recommendations on choosing financial instruments. All this turned out to be very exciting and useful.

    The expert jury recorded the points scored by the teams. As a result of the calculations, the Nadvorny family team, represented by four participants of different generations, became the leader. They demonstrated excellent knowledge in the field of finance, and now they will have to compete with other winners from 28 regions of Russia for the title of the most financially literate family in the country. Irina, the team captain, noted that many rivals presented serious competition.

    “We understand how strong our opponents will be in the final, so we are already preparing for the final stage of the festival. We have thought out a strategy that we will follow. We will try to win the title of the most financially literate family in Russia,” Irina Nadvornaya noted.

    The second place was taken by the Simonov family, and the bronze prize winners of the festival were the Rudenkovs. The participants of the competition received certificates and memorable gifts.

    The final will take place on September 6–7 this year at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.

    The All-Russian Family Festival of Savings and Investments was held for the first time in 2024. The competition is organized by the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, and the main partners are the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation and the Research Financial Institute of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation. This year, 3,200 teams took part in the municipal stage, and 629 families from all over the country took part in the regional stage.

    Get the latest news quicklyofficial telegram channel the city of Moscow.

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    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/155898073/

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Participants of the visiting strategic session of the Skolkovo School of Regional Operators visited NSU

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    On June 25-26, Novosibirsk hosted a visiting strategic session of the Skolkovo School of Regional Operators. Representatives from 17 regions of Russia gathered in the capital of Siberia. The goal of the event was to strengthen interaction between regional operators and form uniform work standards.

    The participants of the strategic session visited Novosibirsk State University, where they were given a tour of the academic building, told about the history of the university, and shown the developments of the NSU Research Center in the field of artificial intelligence. Also, at the site of the new building of flow auditoriums, which is part of the second stage of the modern NSU campus, built within the framework of the national project “Youth and Children”, a meeting was held with the rector of NSU, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Fedoruk.

    Mikhail Fedoruk briefly spoke about the history of the university, dwelled on the principles that were laid down at its foundation, how NSU is developing now and what plans for the future. He emphasized that the strategic goal until 2026 is to move from the research university model to the scientific and technological model. Opportunities for the development of innovations at NSU are opening up thanks to cooperation with companies, the development of new educational areas and the infrastructure of the new campus.

    — Along with classical areas, an engineering direction is emerging at the university. Of course, now we interact not only with our traditional partners — the institutes of the Siberian Branch — but also with industrial partners in training personnel and implementing new scientific projects. In 2025, the university opened educational programs that we implement with the support of companies — these are Applied Artificial Intelligence, Medical Cybernetics, and Industrial Pharmacy. The development of technological entrepreneurship is also very important for us. Among the achievements in this area, I would like to especially note that more than 55 student teams received 1 million rubles each to implement their projects. This was and remains the highest figure in the Siberian Federal District, — noted Mikhail Fedoruk.

    The host of the strategic session is the Novosibirsk Regional Innovation Fund, a regional operator of the Skolkovo Foundation. The Innovation Fund is one of the top five regional operators of Skolkovo, demonstrating high efficiency in supporting technology startups and developing the region’s innovative infrastructure. Based on the results of its work in 2024, the Fund took fourth place among 27 operators.

    The key topics of the strategic session were artificial intelligence in science and business and the experience of interaction between industrial partners and technology and industrial parks. In addition to the business program, a rich excursion program was organized for the guests, visiting leading scientific and educational centers: in addition to NSU, the participants also visited the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Biotechnopark of the science city of Koltsovo, and also got acquainted with the innovative infrastructure, the technology park of the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok and the technology park “Novo-Nikolayevsky”.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: NSU hosted a meeting with the author of the book “Under the Constellation of the Southern Cross” Nikolai Baratov

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    On June 26, NSU hosted a presentation of the book “Under the Constellation of the Southern Cross” by Nikolai Baratov, an international journalist who has worked for many years in West and Central Africa, as well as in Europe and Asia. The book was published by Novosibirsk State University on the initiative of the Center for Public Diplomacy.

    The book, written immediately after the collapse of the USSR, remained unknown to the general public for a long time. As noted by political science doctor and Africanist Leonid Isaev, interest in African studies faded in the 1990s, and only 30 years later did the work find its reader.

    — This is a completely unique event, when the fusion of science, creativity, public activity and geopolitical interests of Russia converged at one point. Before us is a living view of Africa — both the one that was 30 years ago and the one today. This is an invaluable treasure trove of knowledge about the continent, with which we are getting closer at a fantastic pace, — emphasized the head of the ANO “Center for People’s Diplomacy” Natalia Krasovskaya.

    NSU Rector Mikhail Fedoruk noted the importance of cooperation with African countries:

    — The university should develop interaction not only with West Africa, but with the entire continent. This corresponds to Russia’s geopolitical interests, and we are already taking concrete steps in this direction.

    Nikolay Baratov shared with the guests his observations about the historical processes that have shaped the modern appearance of Africa and the prospects for Russian-African relations.

    The author himself explained why his book remains relevant:

    — I didn’t write about politics — it changes, events go their own way, but people remain the same. This book is about Africans, their daily life and culture.

    The work describes a journey through five countries: Niger, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Benin. The meeting became an important step in strengthening scientific and cultural ties between Russia and Africa.

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  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Grassley Kicks Off ‘YouTube in Session’ Series with Wide-Ranging Conversation Alongside UnHerd’s Emily Jashinsky

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) was featured as the inaugural guest in YouTube’s new series, ‘YouTube in Session,’ which brings together members of Congress and YouTube content creators to foster conversation and civic engagement. Grassley sat down with Emily Jashinsky, host of UnHerd’s “Undercurrents” podcast, to reflect on his time in public service and discuss the latest on Iran, government oversight, the One Big Beautiful Bill and more.

    Watch the full video HERE and below. Excerpts of Grassley’s remarks follow.

    [embedded content]

    On President Trump’s efforts to broker peace between Israel and Iran:

    “I don’t think Iowans are different than Americans [on this issue]. They prefer peace to war, they prefer diplomacy to war… I think it’s not a war against Iran, it’s [a] war against Iran’s nuclear capability. I haven’t had the briefing on it that we’re going to get Thursday, but we assume that what’s been reported so far that…it’s decimated the Iranian nuclear program. 

    “I think it proves that the President says he’s a peacemaker. Look it – he had 60 days. He wanted to negotiate. At the end of 60 days, he put on another two weeks that really turned out to be two days. I think he worked very closely with the Israelis, and I think he had plans for the Israelis to accomplish a heck of a lot before we put our efforts in jeopardy. And I think now that this…ceasefire, if it holds – you don’t know what the Ayatollah’s thinking right now – but maybe it’ll bring about peace for another decade or two, or maybe longer than that.”

    On what motivates Grassley’s public service:

    “…I think [it’s] the responsibilities that we have to leave a better nation than we receive… I think since the pilgrims came here, this is about nine generations. Each generation’s left the country better than the previous generation. That’s a little bit in question now, but it’s my responsibility to continue that as best we can. 

    “And…being number one in the United States Senate, as far as seniority is concerned, puts me in a position for my number one interest – the state of Iowa, to represent that. But it goes way beyond the state of Iowa… I think it’s just the problems the country confronts, and your ability to help solve those problems.”

    On the media’s developing role in political discourse:

    “[Podcasts are] something we’ve found out in the 2024 election made a big impact, particularly on people under 50 years of age, or maybe under 40 years of age. 

    “I was maybe one of the first ones [in the Senate] to get a fax machine, and I did satellite back to Iowa once a month, on a TV interview that I did. But whether it’s that or radio programs I do – there’s three that I do every week, but there’s others I do once a month, maybe 10 or 12… [J]ournalism is a policeman, policing the political system we have. It’s to keep government constitutional, to keep those of us in government abiding by the law [and] being ethical… You expect the freedom of the press, the First Amendment and the people that practice journalism to take that seriously and keep government functioning, and reduce the cynicism that people have towards government or towards politicians. All of that is to build respect – because we may have the best Constitution in the world and the longest living Constitution in the world, but that very good piece of paper is useless if people don’t have respect for it. [Respect] for the institutions of government and for those of us that serve in government.”

    On the importance of representative government:

    “Whether it’s Twitter, or whether it’s the fax machine, or whether it’s radio programs, or whether it’s on podcasts…representative government is a dialogue with our constituents…

    “I try to explain at my town meetings that I’m one-half of the process of representative government. You, my constituents, [are] the other one-half, and this face-to-face meeting we’re having is the best way to do it. But I only see a few thousand people face-to-face as I visit each one of the 99 counties every year for a Q&A. So, I have to depend upon email and postal mail and telephones and any way people want to communicate with me. Because I only see a few thousand people, but I’ve got three and one-tenths million constituents…You’re the other half of representative government, and you’ve got to have dialogue. I’ve got to know what’s on your mind.”

    On FBI oversight and whistleblowers:

    “There is great respect, maybe in both political parties, for the FBI. But then…what journalists exposed, as well as Chuck Grassley and other people… You find out that [the FBI] can’t be trusted, and that the word ‘political weaponization’ is entirely legitimate. I think I proved that with what I exposed about Special Agent Thibault and lot of other people that aren’t as famous as him. But I mean, they actually [said] within their job in the FBI that ‘we’re going to see how we can get Trump.’

    “This all goes back to a pretty basic principle of government. What you learn in eighth grade civics: checks and balances of government. We not only appropriate money, we not only pass laws, and that’s not the end of it – you’ve got a responsibility to make sure that the executive branch faithfully executes those laws. That’s what it’s all about. 

    “And then these big departments – or even a small department – the people, the head of it, they can’t know what’s going on underneath. They ought to be listening to their whistleblowers… I think I have a reputation for taking most whistleblowing very seriously and some of this stuff has been exposed, and then you find out they’re retaliated against. Now, we’ve got a friendly administration in, and we’re getting some of these whistleblowers back into their job or we’re getting them back their reputation…but you shouldn’t treat whistleblowers that way. And if people like Christopher Wray and, before him, Comey – if they had listened to whistleblowers, this stuff would’ve never happened. Unless they wanted it to happen. And I can’t say they wanted it to happen, but you can’t know what’s going on below. And just patriotic people that I call whistleblowers – they just want the government to do what the government’s supposed to do and spend money the way Congress [and the people of this country] want it spent. 

    “So it’s just important that Congress do its oversight work, and it’s important that the executive branch listens to whistleblowers. There’s no reason for a whistleblower to come to me if the people that are in management in that department – from low to high – start listening to them.

    “Everything that has been covered up in the first Trump administration, without Trump knowing it, and in the Biden administration – we’re getting the cooperation that I need to bring transparency to government, to show what was wrong and to get protection for the whistleblowers, getting them back their job. We’re getting full cooperation on that [from this administration], and we never got it out of Wray.”

    On Congress delegating away too much of its authority:

    “Just think, the recent trade policies of this administration [are] just a little bit more severe than previous administrations under both Republicans and Democrats. But that’s all because Congress in 1962 and 1974 delegated one of its 18 powers to regulate interstate and foreign commerce to the president. Now, you can take that back, but you can imagine – if you don’t have two-thirds vote to take it back, the president isn’t going to give it up.

    “You‘ve got to write legislation [that’s] more specific. And it’s really easy to say, ‘Well, we don’t really know whether we should use this word or that sentence. Let’s just say, let’s give a broad authority and then let the regulators figure it out.’ That’s what the Supreme Court is now turning a corner on… In other words, anything over $100 million I think [in] economic impact – you better show us in the law exactly where Congress gave you the authority to do it. Now, this is going to put a big burden on Congress to write this legislation more specifically. That’s what we should be doing all the time anyway.”

    On bipartisanship:

    “Let me start with saying something I’m very sincere about saying: I don’t think a single senator dislikes me, and there’s no senator I dislike. And if anybody dislikes me, I don’t want to know who they are.

    “And then another thing I think is pretty important is the fact that I try to work in a bipartisan way. So don’t take my word for it – go to the Georgetown University website. Click on Senator Lugar Center, and they do an index every year. And I’m always in the top 12, sometimes in the top five – nobody can beat Senator Collins; it’d be useless to try. But then also remember the Senate, as an institution, drives bipartisanship because [of] the 60-vote requirement to shut off debate to get to finality on a bill. 

    On Washington then vs. now:

    “The biggest way [the Senate’s] changed in the 45 years I’ve been in the Senate is the first 25 or 30 years, we used to start at 10 a.m. on Monday and go to 4 p.m. on Friday. And now… we start the first vote at 5:30 on Monday, we work a full day Tuesday, a full day Wednesday, and usually by two in the afternoon, Thursday, it’s shut down.

    “Now I want to make very clear – for an individual senator, there’s enough work between Iowa and here. You can work seven days a week if you want to… There’s plenty of work to do, more than just when the Senate’s in session. But if you’re going to solve this country’s problems, you’ve got to spend more than two and a half days a week doing it. 

    “…[W]e’ve got to do things more efficiently than we’re doing it. We’re basically nothing but a confirmation body, confirming nominations all the time.

    “This Senate, under [Majority Leader] Thune, has passed more legislation than [former Majority Leader] Schumer did in the last two years, but there’s still a lot more we’ve got to do. I keep bringing up [that] we haven’t passed a new five-year Farm Bill. It’s supposed to be done in [20]23 and it hasn’t been done. I think it’ll be done this year. And then there’s 65 or 70 of us [senators] who want to get prescription drug prices down by bringing Pharmaceutical Benefit Managers under control – PBMs, nobody knows what they do, and if we knew what they do, we’d be find[ing] out some way of reducing prescription drug prices. How are you going to get those things [done] if you’re just working two and a half days a week?”

    On the One Big Beautiful Bill:

    “The [Senate Majority] Leader – and I’m proud of him for saying this – [said] we’re going to stay in session till we get this [bill] done… It’s got to be done. 

    “If you don’t get this bill passed, you’re going to have the largest tax increase in the history of the country – four and seven-tenths trillion dollars, over a 10-year period of time. It’s going to really hurt the middle class if we don’t do it.

    “The Democrats are saying this bill is nothing but [to] cut taxes for billionaires. But there isn’t a rate change from [the] 2017 [tax cuts], so that’s intellectually dishonest to say that. And [the bill] does a lot for working men and women, like through the not taxing tips. And it helps senior citizens with a special credit for them, and it helps overtime pay and the economic benefits that comes from that.

    “We’ve got to get this bill passed, because the economy is going to be disrupted very much if we have that big tax increase. And if we do pass it, it’s going to really help the economy grow.”

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: NSU students can do an internship at the experimental fur farm of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    Researchers at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences invite students to take part in studying the cognitive abilities and behavioral characteristics of foxes Faculty of Natural Sciences, Novosibirsk State University. By participating in the research, young people will be able to join the experiment on domestication of silver-black foxes, started in 1959 by the Soviet geneticist, academician Dmitry Belyaev. As a result, over decades of careful selection, scientists of the ICG SB RAS bred a population of foxes genetically adapted to humans. These animals are trusting and friendly to humans, and in adulthood they retain “childish” behavioral and external features. It is important that such friendly behavior is formed on a genetic basis and is stably maintained throughout the life of each individual and its descendants. Selection was carried out only on the basis of behavioral traits, but despite this, from generation to generation, external changes were observed in the “tame” foxes – like many domestic animals, they partially lost melanin and white spots began to appear in their color. In addition, it was found that these foxes had significantly reduced levels of cortisol (the main stress hormone) compared to their relatives from the control population, which were not subjected to behavioral selection.

    — Our experimental farm contains foxes of three populations — aggressive, wild and “friendly”. We need these groups for our research. Aggressive foxes, like “kind” ones, were selected based on behavioral characteristics, but this selection began 10 years later. “Evil” foxes perceive humans with hostility: they try to drive them away, are ready to fight back against a “stranger” or run away, and do not make contact. Representatives of the second group — “wild” ones — do not show aggression towards humans, but they are not friendly either. They are not disposed towards people, but they show interest in them. But domesticated foxes are completely tame. They strive to communicate with humans, are devoid of aggression and fear towards them. The selection of fox cubs based on “malice” or “kindness” begins at the age of one and a half months. Subsequently, they are kept in the same conditions, while the contact with people for representatives of both groups is minimal. Students who undergo practical training with us work mainly with domesticated (“kind”) foxes, said Irina Mukhamedshina, PhD in Biology and Senior Researcher at the Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics at the Scientific Research Center of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

    Currently, students of Perm State University Ksenia Besogonova and Ekaterina Morsakova are undergoing practical training at the experimental fur farm of the ICG SB RAS. The girls are studying at the Department of Vertebrate Zoology and Ecology of the Biological Faculty. Ksenia Besogonova is a first-year master’s student, and Ekaterina Morsakova is a third-year bachelor’s student. The research data they are working on during their summer practical training will form the basis of Ksenia’s master’s dissertation and Ekaterina’s diploma work. The young researchers will spend two months at the experimental fur farm of the ICG SB RAS. They are involved in experiments with domesticated and “wild” foxes and work together with experienced scientists who have been studying the behavioral characteristics of both groups of animals for many years.

    — Using special methods, we compare the behavior of tame foxes with the behavior of “wild” foxes that have not been subjected to selective breeding. We are currently at the stage of selecting individuals for the study. We have already selected 10 “wild” and 20 domesticated puppies aged 2 months. During the observations, we will observe in the enclosure how puppies of both populations and different ages interact with the environment, and then we will conduct an extrapolation test. We will record the entire research process on video. I began studying fox behavior back at Perm State University, where I am studying. Last year I worked here for the first time, and now I have come back again to continue my work, — said Ksenia Besogonova.

    — Domesticated foxes are very different from their “wild” relatives. It is very interesting to work with them. These unique animals are drawn to humans, they gladly allow themselves to be stroked, exposing their bellies. When they see people, they wag their tails like dogs. For our research, we select those in whom these qualities are most pronounced. From the “wild” ones, we choose those that are not afraid of us, show interest in us and do not try to bite. For us, as future scientists, such practice is very useful. I am sure that based on the materials of our research, we will prepare several articles for scientific collections and presentations for participation in various conferences, — Ekaterina Morsakova shared her impressions.

    The girls learned about the large-scale experiment of academician Dmitry Belyaev and his famous domesticated foxes from publications in the media and from their scientific supervisors. And the girls wanted to join this research and work with unique animals themselves.

    “It is very interesting to observe what parameters influence the behavior of foxes – both “wild” and “tame”, to compare them and establish similarities and differences,” said Ksenia Besogonova.

    — In our work, it is important not to be afraid of animals, because we interact with “tame” foxes without gloves. We also check the reaction of “wild” foxes with unprotected hands. Both can accidentally scratch or lightly bite. But it does not lead to serious wounds, because this is not a manifestation of aggression or hostility. It is just that the fox cubs study us this way, — explained Ekaterina Morsakova.

    Irina Mukhamedshina says that students are welcome here: practical training at the experimental fur farm of the ICG SB RAS can be an excellent basis for a diploma thesis or master’s dissertation, and help in conducting experiments and observations will be very important for the scientists themselves. However, she warns that this is not an easy job, requiring energy and physical effort, but it is very interesting and exciting, although perseverance, concentration and a lot of patience are important here.

    — We mainly observe animals, so we have to constantly move foxes from cages to enclosures and back. We conduct many different tests and experiments, and we have to prepare for each of them, install equipment and inventory. But still, the most important thing in our work is to love animals. And also hard work, — said Irina Mukhamedshina.

    Irina Mukhamedshina has been studying the behavior of foxes since 2010, when she began writing her diploma thesis, which was followed by a PhD dissertation, which she successfully defended three years ago.

    — I have been observing animal behavior since childhood, although at that time the object of my interest was dogs, and I became interested in foxes already in my student years. Now I am studying cognitive abilities, decision-making processes, age-related changes in the behavior of these animals. Also, our department regularly resumes studies of changes in hormonal systems during domestication. And in these works, NSU students can prove themselves as novice researchers, — explained Irina Mukhamedshina.

    More photos from the fur farm can be seenin the album by the link

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins Receives Inaugural Lieberman Award from No Labels

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins

    Click HERE, HERE for individual photos

    Washington, D.C. – Today, at a bicameral meeting of congressional No Labels members, U.S. Senator Susan Collins was presented with the inaugural Senator Joseph I. Lieberman Award.

    The award, established by No Labels in memory of its co-founder Senator Joseph Lieberman, recognizes courageous leaders who embody his legacy of principled pragmatism and bipartisanship. These individuals have endeavored to persuade and forge consensus for the good of the country, often in opposition to powerful constituencies within their own parties. By acting according to principle rather than party allegiance, they inspire others to follow their lead, just as Senator Lieberman did during his many illustrious years in public service.

    “I had the privilege of serving in the Senate alongside Joe Lieberman, and I saw firsthand his deep commitment to public service and bipartisanship. Joe believed that respectful dialogue could bridge even the deepest divides, and he never stopped working to bring his colleagues on both sides of the aisle together to solve problems,” said Senator Collins. “I’m honored to receive this inaugural award in memory of my good friend, and I remain committed to carrying on his spirit of cooperation as we confront the many challenges facing our nation.”

    “Susan Collins is a giant of the United States Senate who should be a model for every member of Congress who comes to Washington,” said No Labels board chair Andy Bursky. “She exudes decency, works tirelessly to understand the issues that matter most to her constituents, and has authored and led the passage of the most consequential bipartisan legislation in modern American history. She is both courageous and pragmatic, and I cannot think of anyone who better deserves No Labels’ Lieberman award.”

    Senator Collins has ranked as the most bipartisan member of the Senate in 9 of the last 11 years, according to the Lugar Center and Georgetown University’s Bipartisan Index.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: A strange bright burst in space baffled astronomers for more than a year. Now, they’ve solved the mystery

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clancy William James, Senior Lecturer (astronomy and astroparticle physics), Curtin University

    CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope on Wajarri Country. © Alex Cherney/CSIRO

    Around midday on June 13 last year, my colleagues and I were scanning the skies when we thought we had discovered a strange and exciting new object in space. Using a huge radio telescope, we spotted a blindingly fast flash of radio waves that appeared to be coming from somewhere inside our galaxy.

    After a year of research and analysis, we have finally pinned down the source of the signal – and it was even closer to home than we had ever expected.

    A surprise in the desert

    Our instrument was located at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara – also known as the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory – in remote Western Australia, where the sky above the red desert plains is vast and sublime.

    We were using a new detector at the radio telescope known as the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder – or ASKAP – to search for rare flickering signals from distant galaxies called fast radio bursts.

    We detected a burst. Surprisingly, it showed no evidence of a time delay between high and low frequencies – a phenomenon known as “dispersion”.

    This meant it must have originated within a few hundred light years of Earth. In other words, it must have come from inside our galaxy – unlike other fast radio bursts which have come from billions of light years away.

    A problem emerges

    Fast radio bursts are the brightest radio flashes in the Universe, emitting 30 years’ worth of the Sun’s energy in less than a millisecond – and we only have hints of how they are produced.

    Some theories suggest they are produced by “magnetars” – the highly magnetised cores of massive, dead stars – or arise from cosmic collisions between these dead stellar remnants. Regardless of how they occur, fast radio bursts are also a precise instrument for mapping out the so-called “missing matter” in our Universe.

    When we went back over our recordings to take a closer a look at the radio burst, we had a surprise: the signal seemed to have disappeared. Two months of trial and error went by, until the problem was found.

    ASKAP is composed of 36 antennas, which can be combined to act like one gigantic zoom lens six kilometres across. Just like a zoom lens on a camera, if you try to take a picture of something too close, it comes out blurry. Only by removing some of the antennas from the analysis – artificially reducing the size of our “lens” – did we finally make an image of the burst.

    We weren’t excited by this – in fact, we were disappointed. No astronomical signal could be close enough to cause this blurring.

    This meant it was probably just radio-frequency “interference” – an astronomer’s term for human-made signals that corrupt our data.

    It’s the kind of junk data we’d normally throw away.

    Yet the burst had us intrigued. For one thing, this burst was fast. The fastest known fast radio burst lasted about 10 millionths of a second. This burst consisted of an extremely bright pulse lasting a few billionths of a second, and two dimmer after-pulses, for a total duration of 30 nanoseconds.

    So where did this amazingly short, bright burst come from?

    The radio burst we detected, lasting merely 30 nanoseconds.
    Clancy W. James

    A zombie in space?

    We already knew the direction it came from, and we were able to use the blurriness in the image to estimate a distance of 4,500 km. And there was only one thing in that direction, at that distance, at that time – a derelict 60-year-old satellite called Relay 2.

    Relay 2 was one of the first ever telecommunications satellites. Launched by the United States in 1964, it was operated until 1965, and its onboard systems had failed by 1967.

    But how could Relay 2 have produced this burst?

    Some satellites, presumed dead, have been observed to reawaken. They are known as “zombie satellites”.

    But this was no zombie. No system on board Relay 2 had ever been able to produce a nanosecond burst of radio waves, even when it was alive.

    We think the most likely cause was an “electrostatic discharge”. As satellites are exposed to electrically charged gases in space known as plasmas, they can become charged – just like when your feet rub on carpet. And that accumulated charge can suddenly discharge, with the resulting spark causing a flash of radio waves.

    Electrostatic discharges are common, and are known to cause damage to spacecraft. Yet all known electrostatic discharges last thousands of times longer than our signal, and occur most commonly when the Earth’s magnetosphere is highly active. And our magnetosphere was unusually quiet at the time of the signal.

    Another possibility is a strike by a micrometeoroid – a tiny piece of space debris – similar to that experienced by the James Webb Space Telescope in June 2022.

    According to our calculations, a 22 micro-gram micrometeoroid travelling at 20km per second or more and hitting Relay 2 would have been able to produce such a strong flash of radio waves. But we estimate the chance the nanosecond burst we detected was caused by such an event to be about 1%.

    Plenty more sparks in the sky

    Ultimately, we can’t be certain why we saw this signal from Relay 2. What we do know, however, is how to see more of them. When looking at 13.8 millisecond timescales – the equivalent of keeping the camera shutter open for longer – this signal was washed out, and barely detectable even to a powerful radio telescope such as ASKAP.

    But if we had searched at 13.8 nanoseconds, any old radio antenna would have easily seen it. It shows us that monitoring satellites for electrostatic discharges with ground-based radio antennas is possible. And with the number of satellites in orbit growing rapidly, finding new ways to monitor them is more important than ever.

    But did our team eventually find new astronomical signals? You bet we did. And there are no doubt plenty more to be found.

    Clancy William James receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. A strange bright burst in space baffled astronomers for more than a year. Now, they’ve solved the mystery – https://theconversation.com/a-strange-bright-burst-in-space-baffled-astronomers-for-more-than-a-year-now-theyve-solved-the-mystery-259893

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: A strange bright burst in space baffled astronomers for more than a year. Now, they’ve solved the mystery

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Clancy William James, Senior Lecturer (astronomy and astroparticle physics), Curtin University

    CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope on Wajarri Country. © Alex Cherney/CSIRO

    Around midday on June 13 last year, my colleagues and I were scanning the skies when we thought we had discovered a strange and exciting new object in space. Using a huge radio telescope, we spotted a blindingly fast flash of radio waves that appeared to be coming from somewhere inside our galaxy.

    After a year of research and analysis, we have finally pinned down the source of the signal – and it was even closer to home than we had ever expected.

    A surprise in the desert

    Our instrument was located at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara – also known as the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory – in remote Western Australia, where the sky above the red desert plains is vast and sublime.

    We were using a new detector at the radio telescope known as the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder – or ASKAP – to search for rare flickering signals from distant galaxies called fast radio bursts.

    We detected a burst. Surprisingly, it showed no evidence of a time delay between high and low frequencies – a phenomenon known as “dispersion”.

    This meant it must have originated within a few hundred light years of Earth. In other words, it must have come from inside our galaxy – unlike other fast radio bursts which have come from billions of light years away.

    A problem emerges

    Fast radio bursts are the brightest radio flashes in the Universe, emitting 30 years’ worth of the Sun’s energy in less than a millisecond – and we only have hints of how they are produced.

    Some theories suggest they are produced by “magnetars” – the highly magnetised cores of massive, dead stars – or arise from cosmic collisions between these dead stellar remnants. Regardless of how they occur, fast radio bursts are also a precise instrument for mapping out the so-called “missing matter” in our Universe.

    When we went back over our recordings to take a closer a look at the radio burst, we had a surprise: the signal seemed to have disappeared. Two months of trial and error went by, until the problem was found.

    ASKAP is composed of 36 antennas, which can be combined to act like one gigantic zoom lens six kilometres across. Just like a zoom lens on a camera, if you try to take a picture of something too close, it comes out blurry. Only by removing some of the antennas from the analysis – artificially reducing the size of our “lens” – did we finally make an image of the burst.

    We weren’t excited by this – in fact, we were disappointed. No astronomical signal could be close enough to cause this blurring.

    This meant it was probably just radio-frequency “interference” – an astronomer’s term for human-made signals that corrupt our data.

    It’s the kind of junk data we’d normally throw away.

    Yet the burst had us intrigued. For one thing, this burst was fast. The fastest known fast radio burst lasted about 10 millionths of a second. This burst consisted of an extremely bright pulse lasting a few billionths of a second, and two dimmer after-pulses, for a total duration of 30 nanoseconds.

    So where did this amazingly short, bright burst come from?

    The radio burst we detected, lasting merely 30 nanoseconds.
    Clancy W. James

    A zombie in space?

    We already knew the direction it came from, and we were able to use the blurriness in the image to estimate a distance of 4,500 km. And there was only one thing in that direction, at that distance, at that time – a derelict 60-year-old satellite called Relay 2.

    Relay 2 was one of the first ever telecommunications satellites. Launched by the United States in 1964, it was operated until 1965, and its onboard systems had failed by 1967.

    But how could Relay 2 have produced this burst?

    Some satellites, presumed dead, have been observed to reawaken. They are known as “zombie satellites”.

    But this was no zombie. No system on board Relay 2 had ever been able to produce a nanosecond burst of radio waves, even when it was alive.

    We think the most likely cause was an “electrostatic discharge”. As satellites are exposed to electrically charged gases in space known as plasmas, they can become charged – just like when your feet rub on carpet. And that accumulated charge can suddenly discharge, with the resulting spark causing a flash of radio waves.

    Electrostatic discharges are common, and are known to cause damage to spacecraft. Yet all known electrostatic discharges last thousands of times longer than our signal, and occur most commonly when the Earth’s magnetosphere is highly active. And our magnetosphere was unusually quiet at the time of the signal.

    Another possibility is a strike by a micrometeoroid – a tiny piece of space debris – similar to that experienced by the James Webb Space Telescope in June 2022.

    According to our calculations, a 22 micro-gram micrometeoroid travelling at 20km per second or more and hitting Relay 2 would have been able to produce such a strong flash of radio waves. But we estimate the chance the nanosecond burst we detected was caused by such an event to be about 1%.

    Plenty more sparks in the sky

    Ultimately, we can’t be certain why we saw this signal from Relay 2. What we do know, however, is how to see more of them. When looking at 13.8 millisecond timescales – the equivalent of keeping the camera shutter open for longer – this signal was washed out, and barely detectable even to a powerful radio telescope such as ASKAP.

    But if we had searched at 13.8 nanoseconds, any old radio antenna would have easily seen it. It shows us that monitoring satellites for electrostatic discharges with ground-based radio antennas is possible. And with the number of satellites in orbit growing rapidly, finding new ways to monitor them is more important than ever.

    But did our team eventually find new astronomical signals? You bet we did. And there are no doubt plenty more to be found.

    Clancy William James receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. A strange bright burst in space baffled astronomers for more than a year. Now, they’ve solved the mystery – https://theconversation.com/a-strange-bright-burst-in-space-baffled-astronomers-for-more-than-a-year-now-theyve-solved-the-mystery-259893

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Announces Special Guest at Entrepreneur Expo

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

    Published: June 26, 2025

    SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler to participate in the 3rd annual event.

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, is announcing that she will host Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler as a featured speaker at her upcoming Entrepreneur Expo.
    The third annual event, which will take place at Iowa State University on Tuesday, August 12, will provide Iowa small businesses an unparalleled chance to learn about opportunities across the federal marketplace with networking and hands-on instruction.
    “Administrator Loeffler has been a leading champion for Iowa small businesses in Washington,” said Ernst. “I have worked hand in hand with her and the Trump administration to Make Main Street Great Again. Her expertise is part of the invaluable knowledge attendees will gain from my Expo to ensure that small businesses can not only compete but thrive in the federal marketplace.”
    “I’m thrilled to be part of this year’s Entrepreneur Expo led by Senator Ernst, and to work with her as Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee,” said Loeffler. “President Trump knows that small businesses are our nation’s economic and innovation engine. This Administration is returning the focus to Main Streets in Iowa and across America to ensure they have the resources they need to succeed.”
    Click here to learn more and RSVP for the event.
    Background:
    Last year, 40 federal and state entities came to Ernst’s Expo to connect with small businesses on opportunities in federal contracting and innovation programs.
    Hundreds of Iowans attended Ernst’s 2023 Expo, which featured 31 federal and state entities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: A branch of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus has opened in China

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    Beijing, June 27 /Xinhua/ — The Chinese branch of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of Belarus recently opened at the Northwestern Polytechnical University (NWPU) of China, according to a statement on the university’s official website.

    The opening ceremony was attended by First Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Sergei Chizhik and more than 80 representatives of eight organizations of this country. The participants from the Chinese side included official representatives of the Ministry of Labor Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Party Committee of Shaanxi Province, the Science and Technology Administration of this province, etc.

    The event was attended by the Secretary of the SZPU Party Committee Li Yanrong.

    The opening of a branch of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus in China is a new page in cooperation between China and Belarus. A memorandum of cooperation in this area was signed last year in Minsk, he recalled.

    The two sides, as Li Yanrong emphasized, will focus on in-depth cooperation in the fields of aerospace technology, composite materials, high-tech equipment manufacturing, optics and optoelectronics, and will also promote deep integration in the fields of training specialists, scientific research cooperation and the transformation of achievements.

    At the opening ceremony, memorandums of cooperation were signed between SZPU and the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics and the Belarusian National Technical University.

    The opening of the Chinese branch of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus was also witnessed by more than 300 researchers from Beihang University, Beijing Institute of Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Aviation Industry Corporation of China /AVIC/, China Electronics Technology Corporation /CETC/ and others. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Russian woman selflessly saves drowning elderly woman in China

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    Recently, Russian woman Shahnaz Gubaidullina became an Internet star. The girl recently graduated from the bachelor’s degree program at Huzhou University, which is located in Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, after which she went on a tourist trip to Shaoxing. There, an unexpected situation occurred – an elderly woman fell into the water and began to drown. Without thinking, Shahnaz jumped into the water and began to pull out the drowning woman, calming her in Chinese: “Grandma, relax, don’t be afraid, I’m here.” Thanks to the joint efforts of the girl and the people on the shore, the elderly woman was saved.

    Shahnaz’s selfless act was captured on local CCTV cameras and the video went viral online, gaining many likes. The girl’s mother immediately sent her a message: “You saved a man’s life, I’m proud of you!” When Shahnaz went to buy some fruit, the shopkeeper recognized her and refused to take money, thus wanting to thank the girl for her good deed. In response to the public praise, Shahnaz said: “I am very pleased, but I didn’t really do anything special.”

    Shahnaz came to China in 2016 and after living here for many years, she has developed a deep love for Chinese culture. She is the only foreigner in the university’s lion dance troupe.

    Shahnaz does not want to leave Huzhou despite having already graduated from university. “I like it here very much, I want to continue studying and even stay here to live,” she admitted.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for June 27, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 27, 2025.

    Travelling with food allergies? These 8 tips can help you stay safer in the skies
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Koplin, Evidence and Translation Lead, National Allergy Centre of Excellence; Chief Investigator, Centre of Food Allergy Research; Associate Professor and Group Leader, Childhood Allergy & Epidemiology Group, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland Anchiy/Getty Images With the school holidays approaching, many families will be

    Cats at 40: a dazzling cast – stuck in an outdated show
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karen Cummings, Lecturer in Singing, University of Sydney The star of the 40th anniversary production of Cats – which premiered at the Theatre Royal Sydney last week – is the performing ensemble. Some ensemble scenes, such as The Jellicle Ball, offered the same joy and exhilaration as

    Earth is trapping much more heat than climate models forecast – and the rate has doubled in 20 years
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney NASA, CC BY-NC-ND How do you measure climate change? One way is by recording temperatures in different places over a long period of time. While this works well, natural variation can make it harder to

    The NDIA is changing how it pays for disability supports. What does that mean for rural communities?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Johnson, Lecturer in Social Entrepreneurship and Co-Founder of Umbo, University of Sydney Shutterstock Each year, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) reviews its pricing rules to ensure services funded under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) remain sustainable. This year’s annual pricing review outlines changes that

    1 in 5 community footy umpires have been assaulted, while others cop death threats: new research
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alyson Crozier, Senior Lecturer, Exercise and Sport Psychology, University of South Australia Scott Barbour/Getty Images Umpires’ decisions often upset sports fans, especially during a close contest. At most games, spectators boo loudly, coaches throw their hands up in frustration and players can yell or even physically intimidate

    NATO’s 5% of GDP defence target ramps up pressure on Australia to spend vastly more
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Parker, Adjunct Fellow, Naval Studies at UNSW Canberra, and Expert Associate, National Security College, Australian National University After lobbying by US President Donald Trump, NATO leaders have promised to boost annual defence spending to 5% of their countries’ gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035. A NATO

    Beyond playgrounds: how less structured city spaces can nurture children’s creativity and independence
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez, Senior Researcher in Architecture, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Children’s play is essential for their cognitive, physical and social development. But in cities, spaces to play are usually separated, often literally fenced off, from the rest of urban life. In our new study,

    Lung cancer screening is about to start. What you need to know if you smoke or have quit
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Olver, Adjunct Professsor, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide Magic mine/Shutterstock From July, eligible Australians will be screened for lung cancer as part of the nation’s first new cancer screening program for almost 20 years. The program aims to detect

    The drought in southern Australia is not over – it just looks that way
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew B. Watkins, Associate research scientist, School of Earth, Atmopshere & Environment, Monash University Andrew Watkins How often do you mow your lawn in winter? That may seem like an odd way to start a conversation about drought. But the answer helps explain why our current drought

    One bad rainstorm away from disaster: why proposed changes to forestry rules won’t solve the ‘slash’ problem
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Bloomberg, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Te Kura Ngahere-New Zealand School of Forestry, University of Canterbury Murry Cave/Gisborne District Council, CC BY-SA The biggest environmental problems for commercial plantation forestry in New Zealand’s steep hill country are discharges of slash (woody debris left behind after logging) and sediment

    Whatever happened to the Albanese government’s wellbeing agenda?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Sollis, Research Fellow, University of Tasmania DavideAngelini/Shutterstock The Albanese government devoted time and energy in its first term to developing a wellbeing agenda for the economy and society. It was a passion project of Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who wanted better ways to measure national welfare beyond

    What do the Bible, the Quran and the Torah say about the justification for war?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Associate Professor, New Testament, & Director of The Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy, University of Divinity Wars are often waged in the name of religion. So what do key texts from Christianity, Islam and Judaism say about the justification for war?

    Brands want us to trust them. But as the SPF debacle shows, they need to earn it
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Harrison, Director, Master of Business Administration Program (MBA); Co-Director, Better Consumption Lab, Deakin University It’s quite unsettling to discover something so central to our cultural rituals – the “slop” in the Aussie mantra of “Slip! Slop! Slap!” – can no longer be trusted. We’ve never really

    Streaming giants have helped bring Korean dramas to the world – but much is lost in translation
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sung-Ae Lee, Lecturer, Macquarie University In less than a decade, Korean TV dramas (K-dramas) have transmuted from a regional industry to a global phenomenon – partly a consequence of the rise of streaming giants. But foreign audiences may not realise the K-dramas they’ve seen on Netflix don’t

    ‘Don’t surrender’ to Indonesian pressure over West Papua, Bomanak warns MSG
    Asia Pacific Report A West Papuan independence movement leader has warned the Melanesian Spearhead Group after its 23rd leaders summit in Suva, Fiji, to not give in to a “neocolonial trade in betrayal and abandonment” over West Papua. While endorsing and acknowledging the “unconditional support” of Melanesian people to the West Papuan cause for decolonisation,

    Grattan on Friday: Jim Chalmers juggles expectations and ambition in pursuing tax reform
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Next week will be the 40th anniversary of the Hawke government’s tax summit. Dominated by then treasurer Paul Keating’s unsuccessful bid to win support for a consumption tax, it was the public centrepiece of an extraordinary political and policy story.

    There’s gold trapped in your iPhone – and chemists have found a safe new way to extract it
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justin M. Chalker, Professor of Chemistry, Flinders University A sample of refined gold recovered from mining and e-waste recycling trials. Justin Chalker In 2022, humans produced an estimated 62 million tonnes of electronic waste – enough to fill more than 1.5 million garbage trucks. This was up

    Politics with Michelle Grattan: Ken Henry on changing the tax system to give struggling workers a fairer go
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In August, the Albanese government will hold an economic “roundtable” that will discuss productivity, budget sustainability and resilience. Australia’s tax system will be one of the central issues, and stakeholders are gearing up with their varying arguments for changes. Ken

    As one of Shakespeare’s least performed plays, Coriolanus is startlingly relevant under Trump 2.0
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kirk Dodd, Lecturer in English and Writing, University of Sydney Brett Boardman/Bell Shakespeare Coriolanus is one of Shakespeare’s least performed plays; perhaps because the hero is so pugnacious and classist, impressive in his strident vehemence, but lacking the vulnerability of a Macbeth or Othello. Set in the

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    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanesa De Pietri, Senior Research Fellow in Palaeontology, University of Canterbury Shutterstock/Russ Jenkins For many New Zealanders, the Australian magpie is a familiar, if sometimes vexing, sight. Introduced from Australia in the 1860s, magpies are known for their territorial dive-bombing during nesting season, which has cemented their

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Do all Iranians hate the regime? Hate America? Life inside the country is much more complex and nuanced

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Theobald, Postdoctoral researcher, Institute for Ethics and Society, University of Notre Dame Australia

    From 2015 to 2018, I spent 15 months doing research work in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city. As an anthropologist, I was interested in everyday life in Iran outside the capital Tehran. I was also interested in understanding whether the ambitions of the 1979 Revolution lived on among “ordinary” Iranians, not just political elites.

    I first lived on a university campus, where I learned Persian, and later with Iranian families. I conducted hundreds of interviews with people who had a broad spectrum of political, social and religious views. They included opponents of the Islamic Republic, supporters, and many who were in between.

    What these interviews revealed to me was both the diversity of opinion and experience in Iran, and the difficulty of making uniform statements about what Iranians believe.

    Measuring the depth of antipathy for the regime

    When Israel’s strikes on Iran began on June 13, killing many top military commanders, many news outlets – both international and those run by the Iranian diaspora – featured images of Iranians cheering the deaths of these hated regime figures.

    Friends from my fieldwork also pointed to these celebrations, while not always agreeing with them. Many feared the impact of a larger conflict between Iran and Israel.

    Trying to put these sentiments in context, many analysts have pointed to a 2019 survey by the GAMAAN Institute, an independent organisation based in the Netherlands that tracks Iranian public opinion. This survey showed 79% of Iranians living in the country would vote against the Islamic Republic if a free referendum were held on its rule.

    Viewing these examples as an indicator of the lack of support for the Islamic Republic is not wrong. But when used as factoids in news reports, they become detached from the complexities of life in Iran. This can discourage us from asking deeper questions about the relationships between ideology and pragmatism, support and opposition to the regime, and state and society.

    A more nuanced view

    The news reporting on Iran has encouraged a tendency to see the Iranian state as homogeneous, highly ideological and radically separate from the population.

    But where do we draw the line between the state and the people? There is no easy answer to this.

    When I lived in Iran, many of the people who took part in my research were state employees – teachers at state institutions, university lecturers, administrative workers. Many of them had strong and diverse views about the legacy of the revolution and the future of the country.

    They sometimes pointed to state discourse they agreed with, for example Iran’s right to national self-determination, free from foreign influence. They also disagreed with much, such as the slogans of “death to America”.

    This ambivalence was evident in one of my Persian teachers. An employee of the state, she refused to attend the annual parades celebrating the anniversary of the revolution. “We have warm feelings towards America,” she said. On the other hand, she happily attended protests, also organised by the government, in favour of Palestinian liberation.

    Or take the young government worker I met in Mashhad: “We want to be independent of other countries, but not like this.”

    In a narrower sense, discussions about the “state” may refer more to organisations like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij, the paramilitary force within the IRGC that has cracked down harshly on dissent in recent decades. Both are often understood as being deeply ideologically committed.

    Said Golkar, a US-based Iranian academic and author, for instance, calls Iran a “captive society”. Rather than having a civil society, he believes Iranians are trapped by the feared Basij, who maintain control through their presence in many institutions like universities and schools.

    Again, this view is not wrong. But even among the Basij and Revolutionary Guard, it can be difficult to gauge just how ideological and homogeneous these organisations truly are.

    For a start, the IRGC relies on both ideologically selected supporters, as well as conscripts, to fill its ranks. They are also not always ideologically uniform, as the US-based anthropologist Narges Bajoghli, who worked with pro-state filmmakers in Tehran, has noted.

    As part of my research, I also interviewed members of the Basij, which, unlike the IRGC proper, is a wholly volunteer organisation.

    Even though ideological commitment was certainly an important factor for some of the Basij members I met, there were also pragmatic reasons to join. These included access to better jobs, scholarships and social mobility. Sometimes, factors overlapped. But participation did not always equate to a singular or sustained commitment to revolutionary values.

    For example, Sāsān, a friend I made attending discussion groups in Mashhad, was quick to note that time spent in the Basij “reduced your [compulsory] military service”.

    This isn’t to suggest there are not ideologically committed people in Iran. They clearly exist, and many are ready to use violence. Some of those who join these institutions for pragmatic reasons use violence, too.

    Looking in between

    In addition, Iran is an ethnically diverse country. It has a population of 92 million people, a bare majority of whom are Persians. Other minorities include Azeris, Kurds, Arabs, Baloch, Turkmen and others.

    It is also religiously diverse. While there is a sizeable, nominally Shi’a majority, there are also large Sunni communities (about 10-15% of the population) and smaller communities of Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Baha’is and other religions.

    Often overlooked, there are also important differences in class and social strata in Iran, too.

    One of the things I noticed about state propaganda was that it flattened this diversity. James Barry, an Australian scholar of Iran, noticed a similar phenomenon.

    State propaganda made it seem like there was one voice in the country. Protests could be dismissed out of hand because they did not represent the “authentic” view of Iranians. Foreign agitators supported protests. Iranians supported the Islamic Republic.

    Since leaving Iran, I have followed many voices of Iranians in the diaspora. Opposition groups are loud on social media, especially the monarchists who support Reza Pahlavi, the son of the deposed Shah.

    In following these groups, I have noticed a similar tendency to speak as though they represent the voice of all Iranians. Iranians support the shah. Or Iranians support Maryam Rajavi, leader of a Paris-based opposition group.

    Both within Iran, and in the diaspora, the regime, too, is sometimes held to be the imposition of a foreign conspiracy. This allows the Islamic Republic and the complex relations it has created to be dismissed out of hand. Once again, such a view flattens diversity.

    Over the past few years, political identities and societal divisions seem to have become harder and clearer. This means there is an increasing perception among many Iranians of a gulf between the state and Iranian society. This is the case both inside Iran, and especially in the Iranian diaspora.

    Decades of intermittent protests and civil disobedience across the country also show that for many, the current system no longer represents the hopes and aspirations of many people. This is especially the case for the youth, who make up a large percentage of the population.

    I am not an Iranian, and I strongly believe it is up to Iranians to determine their own futures. I also do not aim to excuse the Islamic Republic – it is brutal and tyrannical. But its brutality should not let us shy away from asking complex questions.

    If the regime did fall tomorrow, Iran’s diversity means there is little unanimity of opinion as to what should come next. And if a more pluralist form of politics is to emerge, it must encompass the whole of Iran’s diversity, without assuming a uniform position.

    It, too, will have to wrestle with the difficult questions and sometimes ambivalent relations the Islamic Republic has created.

    Simon Theobald received funding from the Australian National University during his research.

    – ref. Do all Iranians hate the regime? Hate America? Life inside the country is much more complex and nuanced – https://theconversation.com/do-all-iranians-hate-the-regime-hate-america-life-inside-the-country-is-much-more-complex-and-nuanced-259554

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s driverless tech finds new traction on global roads

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

    Driverless sedans glide smoothly to the curb, autonomous shuttles whisk travelers through airport terminals, and robotic sweepers hum along busy streets. These once-futuristic scenes are fast entering everyday life across the globe, and many of them are powered by Chinese technology.

    From San Jose of California to Paris and Riyadh, China’s swiftly advancing autonomous driving industry is gaining ground, exporting cutting-edge solutions that are quietly transforming how people move and how cities function.

    “Chinese autonomous driving firms are accelerating their global expansion, fueled by mature technologies, swift deployment cycles and rising international demand,” said Liu Jinshan, a professor at Jinan University in south China’s Guangzhou.

    This photo taken on April 17, 2025 shows a WeRide Robobus (front) operating at an airport in Zurich, Switzerland. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Going global 

    In late May, Chinese autonomous driving firm WeRide made headlines as its self-driving vehicles began rolling through the streets of the capital Riyadh and the historic city of AlUla in Saudi Arabia.

    Almost simultaneously, another major player, Guangzhou-based Pony.ai, also shifted its global ambitions into higher gear, announcing a strategic partnership with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to launch autonomous transport services.

    These moves are among the latest examples of a broader trend — a larger push by Chinese autonomous vehicle (AV) developers to expand their global presence.

    Chinese-developed autonomous driving technologies have made inroads into a growing number of global markets — including the United States, France, Spain, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

    Chinese tech giant Baidu serves as a prime example of this momentum. In the first quarter of 2025, its autonomous ride-hailing arm, Apollo Go, completed over 1.4 million rides, up 75 percent year on year, bringing its global total to over 11 million rides by May.

    Much of this success can be attributed to China’s innovation-friendly environment. By the end of 2024, the country had established 17 national-level intelligent connected vehicle testing zones, with more than 32,000 kilometers of open test roads and over 120 million kilometers of cumulative test mileage, according to official figures.

    As Chinese AV firms gain global traction, collaboration with global players is deepening. Uber, for instance, has teamed up with WeRide and Pony.ai to integrate Chinese-developed AVs into its ride-hailing platform, starting with pilot operations in the Middle East.

    “It’s clear that the future of mobility will be increasingly shared, electric and autonomous,” said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. “We look forward to working with Chinese leading AV companies to help bring the benefits of autonomous technology to cities around the world.”

    This photo taken on March 11, 2025 shows an interior view of a WeRide Robobus operating in downtown Barcelona, Spain. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Mutual benefits 

    The rise of China’s autonomous driving industry is creating ripple effects across global markets, offering development opportunities far beyond transportation.

    Peng Jun, co-founder and CEO of Pony.ai, said the company’s overseas expansion has sparked deep collaboration across the broader mobility value chain — spanning auto manufacturing, R&D, logistics and smart mobility services.

    “Deploying autonomous vehicles attracts global component suppliers to invest in local facilities, which helps form industrial clusters and boosts the competitiveness of local manufacturing,” Peng noted.

    The benefits go beyond factories. According to Zhang Yuxue, WeRide’s director of PR and marketing, local partnerships have also led to job creation in areas such as safety operations, fleet management and technical support.

    Notably, as Chinese AV companies venture into regions with varied road conditions, climates and regulatory environments, their technologies are evolving in step.

    “Expanding globally helps us sharpen our algorithms to adapt to complex, real-world scenarios, ranging from the narrow urban roads of Europe to the extreme heat of the Middle East,” said Zhang.

    Wu Qiong, an autonomous driving expert at Baidu, said Apollo Go is building a “full-spectrum technical validation chain” as it expands overseas. “For example, we’re testing in Switzerland, a right-hand-drive country with some of the world’s most stringent traffic laws, which offers one of the toughest proving grounds for autonomous vehicles,” Wu said.

    This photo taken on May 25, 2025 shows a WeRide Robobus operating in the historic city of AlUla in Saudi Arabia. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Challenges on road ahead 

    Despite impressive strides, industry insiders note that autonomous driving remains in the early stages of commercialization and global expansion.

    China’s autonomous driving industry still faces significant headwinds on its path to global growth, said Wu Zhanchi, a professor at Jinan University. “Challenges range from adapting to overseas regulatory frameworks and overcoming high technical localization barriers, to ensuring compliance with cross-border data regulations and fierce competition from international giants,” Wu added.

    “The sector also faces significant challenges in technological innovation and the development of sustainable business models,” said Zhu Xichan, professor at Tongji University in Shanghai.

    Zhu emphasized that achieving scale is crucial for the long-term viability of the AV industry. “Global expansion not only broadens the range of real-world application scenarios but also boosts deployment volumes, both of which are vital for refining technologies and developing commercially viable models,” he said.

    Yet, several companies have begun to tackle these hurdles head-on. Peng Jun of Pony.ai said the company has overcome key challenges — such as cost reduction and front-end mass production. “Our products have reached a level of maturity, and we have achieved positive unit economics,” he noted.

    Looking ahead, Peng said Pony.ai will continue to expand in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, leveraging existing partnerships to accelerate the growth of its global footprint.

    Zhang Yuxue echoed this sentiment, saying that WeRide is committed to broadening its international reach by promoting a diverse fleet of autonomous solutions, ranging from robotaxis and minibuses to freight trucks, sanitation vehicles and advanced self-driving systems.

    General Manager of Apollo Go for Europe and the Middle East Zhang Liang said Baidu aims to build the largest driverless fleet in Abu Dhabi by partnering with local stakeholders to jointly foster a robust autonomous driving ecosystem.

    In addition, Baidu is exploring cooperation with local new energy firms to develop innovative services, including battery swapping, which Zhang said will help improve operational efficiency.

    “Given their growing track record in both domestic and international markets, there is good reason to believe that Chinese AV firms will secure a strong foothold in this global mobility market, ultimately becoming a hallmark of ‘Made-in-China’ innovation,” Wu noted. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Neymar crucial to Brazil’s World Cup hopes: Ancelotti

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

    Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti has urged Neymar to focus on being ready for next year’s World Cup, saying the country’s all-time leading scorer remains crucial to his plans.

    Neymar has not played for Brazil since October 2023, when he suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay.

    Neymar (3rd R) of Brazil vies with Luka Modric of Croatia during the Quarterfinal match between Croatia and Brazil of the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Dec. 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

    The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star returned to action last October after more than a year on the sidelines but has since struggled with a series of minor muscle injuries.

    “He is a very important player for our team in the World Cup,” Ancelotti said in an interview with South American football confederation CONMEBOL published on Thursday.

    On Wednesday, Santos announced it had reached an agreement to extend Neymar’s contract until December. The 33-year-old has made just 12 appearances since rejoining his boyhood club from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in January.

    “He needs to prepare well,” said Ancelotti, who took charge of Brazil last month after leaving Real Madrid. “He has time for that. I spoke to him about that: to prepare well, because we believe he should be a very important player.”

    Brazil will conclude its World Cup qualifying campaign against Chile and Bolivia in September. The five-time World Cup winners are currently third in the 10-team South American zone standings and have already secured a place at football’s showpiece in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

    Neymar has scored 79 goals in 128 matches for Brazil since his international debut in 2010.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: There’s gold trapped in your iPhone – and chemists have found a safe new way to extract it

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Justin M. Chalker, Professor of Chemistry, Flinders University

    A sample of refined gold recovered from mining and e-waste recycling trials. Justin Chalker

    In 2022, humans produced an estimated 62 million tonnes of electronic waste – enough to fill more than 1.5 million garbage trucks. This was up 82% from 2010 and is expected to rise to 82 million tonnes in 2030.

    This e-waste includes old laptops and phones, which contain precious materials such as gold. Less than one quarter of it is properly collected and recycled. But a new technique colleagues and I have developed to safely and sustainably extract gold from e-waste could help change that.

    Our new gold-extraction technique, which we describe in a new paper published today in Nature Sustainability, could also make small-scale gold mining less poisonous for people – and the planet.

    Soaring global demand

    Gold has long played a crucial role in human life. It has been a form of currency and a medium for art and fashion for centuries. Gold is also essential in modern industries including the electronics, chemical manufacture and aerospace sectors.

    But while global demand for this precious metal is soaring, mining it is harmful to the environment.

    Deforestation and use of toxic chemicals are two such problems. In formal, large-scale mining, highly toxic cyanide is widely used to extract gold from ore. While cyanide can be degraded, its use can cause harm to wildlife, and tailings dams which store the toxic byproducts of mining operations pose a risk to the wider environment.

    In small-scale and artisanal mining, mercury is used extensively to extract gold. In this practice, the gold reacts with mercury to form a dense amalgam that can be easily isolated. The gold is then recovered by heating the amalgam to vaporise the mercury.

    Small-scale and artisanal mining is the largest source of mercury pollution on Earth, and the mercury emissions are dangerous to the miners and pollute the environment. New methods are required to reduce the impacts of gold mining.

    In 2022, humans produced an estimated 62 million tonnes of electronic waste.
    DAMRONG RATTANAPONG/Shutterstock

    A safer alternative

    Our interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers has developed a new technique to extract gold from ore and e-waste. The aim was to provide a safer alternative to mercury and cyanide and reduce the health and environmental impacts of gold mining.

    Many techniques have previously been reported for extracting gold from ore or e-waste, including mercury- and cyanide-free methods. However, many of these methods are limited in rate, yield, scale and cost. Often these methods also consider only one step in the entire gold recovery process, and recycling and waste management is often neglected.

    In contrast, our approach considered sustainability throughout the whole process of gold extraction, recovery and refining. Our new leaching technology uses a chemical commonly used in water sanitation and pool chlorination: trichloroisocyanuric acid.

    When this widely available and low-cost chemical is activated with salt water, it can react with gold and convert it into a water-soluble form.

    To recover the gold from the solution, we invented a sulphur-rich polymer sorbent. Polymer sorbents isolate a certain substance from a liquid or gas, and ours is made by joining a key building block (a monomer) together through a chain reaction.

    Our polymer sorbent is interesting because it is derived from elemental sulphur: a low-cost and highly abundant feedstock. The petroleum sector generates more sulphur than it can use or sell, so our polymer synthesis is a new use for this underused resource.

    Our polymer could selectively bind and remove gold from the solution, even when many other types of metals were present in the mixture.

    The simple leaching and recovery methods were demonstrated on ore, circuit boards from obsolete computers and scientific waste. Importantly, we also developed methods to regenerate and recycle both the leaching chemical and the polymer sorbent. We also established methods to purify and recycle the water used in the process.

    In developing the recyclable polymer sorbent, we invented some exciting new chemistry to make the polymer using light, and then “un-make” the sorbent after it bound gold. This recycling method converted the polymer back to its original monomer building block and separated it from the gold.

    The recovered monomer could then be re-made into the gold-binding polymer: an important demonstration of how the process is aligned with a circular economy.

    A long and complex road ahead

    In future work, we plan to collaborate with industry, government and not-for-profit groups to test our method in small-scale mining operations. Our long-term aim is to provide a robust and safe method for extracting gold, eliminating the need for highly toxic chemicals such as cyanide and mercury.

    There will be many challenges to overcome including scaling up the production of the polymer sorbent and the chemical recycling processes. For uptake, we also need to ensure that the rate, yield and cost are competitive with more traditional methods of gold mining. Our preliminary results are encouraging. But there is still a long and complex road ahead before our new techniques replace cyanide and mercury.

    Our broader motivation is to support the livelihood of the millions of artisanal and small-scale miners that rely on mercury to recover gold.

    They typically operate in remote and rural regions with few other economic opportunities. Our goal is to support these miners economically while offering safer alternatives to mercury. Likewise, the rise of “urban mining” and e-waste recycling would benefit from safer and operationally simple methods for precious metal recovery.

    Success in recovering gold from e-waste will also reduce the need for primary mining and therefore lessen its environmental impact.

    Justin M. Chalker is an inventor on patents associated with the gold leaching and recovery technology. Both patents are wholly owned by Flinders University. This research was supported financially by the Australian Research Council and Flinders University. He has an ongoing collaboration with Mercury Free Mining and Adelaide Control Engineering: organisations that supported the developments and trials reported in this study.

    – ref. There’s gold trapped in your iPhone – and chemists have found a safe new way to extract it – https://theconversation.com/theres-gold-trapped-in-your-iphone-and-chemists-have-found-a-safe-new-way-to-extract-it-259817

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: ‘Do not eat’: what’s in those little desiccant sachets and how do they work?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Kamil Zuber, Senior Industry Research Fellow, Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia

    towfiqu ahamed/Getty Images

    When you buy a new electronic appliance, shoes, medicines or even some food items, you often find a small paper sachet with the warning: “silica gel, do not eat”.

    What exactly is it, is it toxic, and can you use it for anything?

    The importance of desiccants

    That little sachet is a desiccant – a type of material that removes excess moisture from the air.

    It’s important during the transport and storage of a wide range of products because we can’t always control the environment. Humid conditions can cause damage through corrosion, decay, the growth of mould and microorganisms.

    This is why manufacturers include sachets with desiccants to make sure you receive the goods in pristine condition.

    The most common desiccant is silica gel. The small, hard and translucent beads are made of silicon dioxide (like most sands or quartz) – a hydrophilic or water-loving material. Importantly, the beads are porous on the nano-scale, with pore sizes only 15 times larger than the radius of their atoms.

    Silica gel looks somewhat like a sponge when viewed with scanning electron microscopy.
    Trabelsi et al. (2009), CC BY-NC-ND

    These pores have a capillary effect, meaning they condense and draw moisture into the bead similar to how trees transport water through the channelled structures in wood.

    In addition, sponge-like porosity makes their surface area very large. A single gram of silica gel can have an area of up to 700 square metres – almost four tennis courts – making them exceptionally efficient at capturing and storing water.

    Is silica gel toxic?

    The “do not eat” warning is easily the most prominent text on silica gel sachets.

    According to health professionals, most silica beads found in these sachets are non-toxic and don’t present the same risk as silica dust, for example. They mainly pose a choking hazard, which is good enough reason to keep them away from children and pets.

    However, if silica gel is accidentally ingested, it’s still recommended to contact health professionals to determine the best course of action.

    Some variants of silica gel contain a moisture-sensitive dye. One particular variant, based on cobalt chloride, is blue when the desiccant is dry and turns pink when saturated with moisture. While the dye is toxic, in desiccant pellets it is present only in a small amount – approximately 1% of the total weight.

    Indicating silica gel with cobalt chloride – ‘fresh’ on the left, ‘used’ on the right.
    Reza Rio/Shutterstock

    Desiccants come in other forms, too

    Apart from silica gel, a number of other materials are used as moisture absorbers and desiccants. These are zeolites, activated alumina and activated carbon – materials engineered to be highly porous.

    Another desiccant type you’ll often see in moisture absorbers for larger areas like pantries or wardrobes is calcium chloride. It typically comes in a box filled with powder or crystals found in most hardware stores, and is a type of salt.

    Kitchen salt – sodium chloride – attracts water and easily becomes lumpy. Calcium chloride works in the same way, but has an even stronger hygroscopic effect and “traps” the water through a hydration reaction. Once the salt is saturated, you’ll see liquid separating in the container.

    Closet and pantry dehumidifiers like this one typically contain calcium chloride which binds water.
    Healthy Happy/Shutterstock

    I found something that doesn’t seem to be silica gel – what is it?

    Some food items such as tortilla wraps, noodles, beef jerky, and some medicines and vitamins contain slightly different sachets, labelled “oxygen absorbers”.

    These small packets don’t contain desiccants. Instead, they have chemical compounds that “scavenge” or bond oxygen.

    Their purpose is similar to desiccants – they extend the shelf life of food products and sensitive chemicals such as medicines. But they do so by directly preventing oxidation. When some foods are exposed to oxygen, their chemical composition changes and can lead to decay (apples turning brown when cut is an example of oxidation).

    There is a whole range of compounds used as oxygen absorbers. These chemicals have a stronger affinity to oxygen than the protected substance. They range from simple compounds such as iron which “rusts” by using up oxygen, to more complex such as plastic films that work when exposed to light.

    Some of the sachets in your products are oxygen absorbers, not desiccants – but they may look similar.
    Sergio Yoneda/Shutterstock

    Can I reuse a desiccant?

    Although desiccants and dehumidifiers are considered disposable, you can relatively easily reuse them.

    To “recharge” or dehydrate silica gel, you can place it in an oven at approximately 115–125°C for 2–3 hours, although you shouldn’t do this if it’s in a plastic sachet that could melt in the heat.

    Interestingly, due to how they bind water, some desiccants require temperatures well above the boiling point of water to dehydrate (for example, calcium chloride hydrates completely dehydrate at 200°C).

    After dehydration, silica gel sachets may be useful for drying small electronic items (like your phone after you accidentally dropped it into water), keeping your camera dry, or preventing your family photos and old films from sticking to each other.

    This is a good alternative to the questionable method of using uncooked rice, as silica gel doesn’t decompose and won’t leave starch residues on your things.

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

    – ref. ‘Do not eat’: what’s in those little desiccant sachets and how do they work? – https://theconversation.com/do-not-eat-whats-in-those-little-desiccant-sachets-and-how-do-they-work-258398

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Streaming giants have helped bring Korean dramas to the world – but much is lost in translation

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Sung-Ae Lee, Lecturer, Macquarie University

    In less than a decade, Korean TV dramas (K-dramas) have transmuted from a regional industry to a global phenomenon – partly a consequence of the rise of streaming giants.

    But foreign audiences may not realise the K-dramas they’ve seen on Netflix don’t accurately represent the broader Korean TV landscape, which is much wider and richer than these select offerings.

    At the same time, there are many challenges in bringing this wide array of content to the rest of the world.

    The rise of hallyu

    Korean media was transformed during the 1990s. The end of military dictatorship led to the gradual relaxation of censorship.

    Satellite media also allowed the export of K-dramas and films to the rest of East Asia, and parts of Southeast Asia. Some of the first K-dramas to become popular overseas included What Is Love (1991–92) and Star in My Heart (1997). They initiated what would later become known as the Korean wave, or hallyu.

    The hallyu expansion continued with Winter Sonata (2003), which attracted viewers in Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. Dae Jang Geum/Jewel in the Palace (2005) resonated strongly in Chinese-speaking regions, and was ultimately exported to more than 80 countries.

    A breakthrough occurred in 2016. Netflix entered South Korea and began investing in Korean productions, beginning with Kingdom (2019–21) and Love Alarm (2019–21).

    In 2021, the global hit Squid Game was released simultaneously in 190 countries.

    But Netflix only scratches the surface

    Last year, only 20% of new K-drama releases were available on Western streaming platforms. This means global discussions about K-dramas are based on a limited subgroup of content promoted to viewers outside South Korea.

    Moreover, foreign viewers will generally evaluate this content based on Western conceptions of culture and narrative. They may, for instance, have Western preferences for genre and themes, or may disregard locally-specific contexts.

    This is partly why Korean and foreign audiences can end up with very different ideas of what “Korean” television is.

    Genres

    When a K-drama is classified as a sageuk (historical drama) but also incorporates elements of fantasy, mythology, romance, melodrama, crime fiction and/or comedy, foreign audiences may dismiss it as “genre-confused”. Or, they may praise it for its “genre-blending”.

    But the drama may not have been created with much attention to genre at all. The highly inventive world-building of pre-Netflix dramas such as Arang and the Magistrate (2012) and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016) prominently feature all the aforementioned genres.

    While foreign viewers may think visual media begins with readily identifiable genres, many K-dramas aren’t produced on this premise.

    Themes

    Western viewers (and other viewers watching through a Western lens) might assume “liberal” themes such as systemic injustice, women’s rights and collusion in politics entered K-dramas as a result of Western influence. But this is a misconception.

    The emergence of such themes can be attributed to various changes in Korean society, including the easing of censorship, rapid modernisation, and the imposition of neoliberal economics by the International Monetary Fund in 1997.

    Although gender disparities still exist in South Korea, economic uncertainty and modernisation have prompted a deconstruction of patriarchal value systems. Female-centred K-dramas have been around since at least the mid-2000s, with women’s independence as a recurring theme in more recent dramas.

    Local contexts

    A major barrier to exporting K-dramas is the cultural specificity of certain elements, such as Confucian values, hierarchical family dynamics, gender codes, and Korean speech codes.

    The global success of a K-drama comes down to how well its culturally-specific elements can be adapted for different contexts and audiences.

    In some cases, these elements may be minimised, or entirely missed, by foreign viewers.

    For example, in Squid Game, the words spoken by the killer doll in the first game are subtitled as “green light, red light”. What the doll actually says is “mugunghwa-kkochi pieot-seumnida”, which is also what the game is called in Korean.

    This translates to “the mugunghwa (Rose of Saron) has bloomed”, with mugunghwa being South Korea’s national flower.

    These words, in this context, are meant to ironically redefine South Korea as a site of hopelessness and death. But the subtitles erase this double meaning.

    It’s also difficult for subtitles to reflect nuanced Korean honorific systems of address. As such, foreign viewers remain largely oblivious to the subtle power dynamics at play between characters.

    All of this leads to a kind of cultural “flattening”, shifting foreign viewers’ focus to so-called universal themes.

    A case study for global success

    Nevertheless, foreign viewers can still engage with many culturally-specific elements in K-dramas, which can also serve as cultural literacy.

    The hugely successful series Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022) explores the personal and professional challenges faced by an autistic lawyer.

    Director Yoo In-sik described the series as distinctly Korean in both its humour and the legal system it portrays, and said he didn’t anticipate its widespread popularity.

    Following success in South Korea, the series was acquired by Netflix and quickly entered the top 10 most popular non-English language shows.

    The global appeal can be attributed to its sensitive portrayal of the protagonist, the problem-solving theme across episodes, and what Yoo describes as a kind and considerate tone. Viewers who resonate with these qualities may not even need to engage with the Korean elements.

    Many K-dramas that achieve global success also feature elements typically considered “Western”, such as zombies.

    While the overall number of zombie-themed productions is low, series and films such as Kingdom (2019–21), All of Us Are Dead (2022), Alive (2020) and Train to Busan (2016) have helped put Korean content on the map.

    One potential effect of the zombie popularity may be the displacement of Korean mythological characters, such as fox spirits, or gumiho, which have traditionally held significant narrative space.

    Shin Min-ah and Lee Seung-gi star in the acclaimed romantic comedy series My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (2010).
    IMDB

    Local production under threat

    The influence of streaming giants such as Netflix is impacting South Korea’s local production systems.

    One consequence has been a substantial increase in production costs, which local companies can’t compete with.

    The early vision of low-cost, high-return projects such as Squid Game is rapidly diminishing.

    Meanwhile, Netflix is exploring other locations, such as Japan, where dramas can be produced for about half the price of those in Korea. If this continues, the rise of Korean content may slow down.

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

    – ref. Streaming giants have helped bring Korean dramas to the world – but much is lost in translation – https://theconversation.com/streaming-giants-have-helped-bring-korean-dramas-to-the-world-but-much-is-lost-in-translation-257547

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Do all Iranians hate the regime? Hate America? Life inside the country is much more complex and nuanced

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Simon Theobald, Postdoctoral researcher, Institute for Ethics and Society, University of Notre Dame Australia

    From 2015 to 2018, I spent 15 months doing research work in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city. As an anthropologist, I was interested in everyday life in Iran outside the capital Tehran. I was also interested in understanding whether the ambitions of the 1979 Revolution lived on among “ordinary” Iranians, not just political elites.

    I first lived on a university campus, where I learned Persian, and later with Iranian families. I conducted hundreds of interviews with people who had a broad spectrum of political, social and religious views. They included opponents of the Islamic Republic, supporters, and many who were in between.

    What these interviews revealed to me was both the diversity of opinion and experience in Iran, and the difficulty of making uniform statements about what Iranians believe.

    Measuring the depth of antipathy for the regime

    When Israel’s strikes on Iran began on June 13, killing many top military commanders, many news outlets – both international and those run by the Iranian diaspora – featured images of Iranians cheering the deaths of these hated regime figures.

    Friends from my fieldwork also pointed to these celebrations, while not always agreeing with them. Many feared the impact of a larger conflict between Iran and Israel.

    Trying to put these sentiments in context, many analysts have pointed to a 2019 survey by the GAMAAN Institute, an independent organisation based in the Netherlands that tracks Iranian public opinion. This survey showed 79% of Iranians living in the country would vote against the Islamic Republic if a free referendum were held on its rule.

    Viewing these examples as an indicator of the lack of support for the Islamic Republic is not wrong. But when used as factoids in news reports, they become detached from the complexities of life in Iran. This can discourage us from asking deeper questions about the relationships between ideology and pragmatism, support and opposition to the regime, and state and society.

    A more nuanced view

    The news reporting on Iran has encouraged a tendency to see the Iranian state as homogeneous, highly ideological and radically separate from the population.

    But where do we draw the line between the state and the people? There is no easy answer to this.

    When I lived in Iran, many of the people who took part in my research were state employees – teachers at state institutions, university lecturers, administrative workers. Many of them had strong and diverse views about the legacy of the revolution and the future of the country.

    They sometimes pointed to state discourse they agreed with, for example Iran’s right to national self-determination, free from foreign influence. They also disagreed with much, such as the slogans of “death to America”.

    This ambivalence was evident in one of my Persian teachers. An employee of the state, she refused to attend the annual parades celebrating the anniversary of the revolution. “We have warm feelings towards America,” she said. On the other hand, she happily attended protests, also organised by the government, in favour of Palestinian liberation.

    Or take the young government worker I met in Mashhad: “We want to be independent of other countries, but not like this.”

    In a narrower sense, discussions about the “state” may refer more to organisations like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij, the paramilitary force within the IRGC that has cracked down harshly on dissent in recent decades. Both are often understood as being deeply ideologically committed.

    Said Golkar, a US-based Iranian academic and author, for instance, calls Iran a “captive society”. Rather than having a civil society, he believes Iranians are trapped by the feared Basij, who maintain control through their presence in many institutions like universities and schools.

    Again, this view is not wrong. But even among the Basij and Revolutionary Guard, it can be difficult to gauge just how ideological and homogeneous these organisations truly are.

    For a start, the IRGC relies on both ideologically selected supporters, as well as conscripts, to fill its ranks. They are also not always ideologically uniform, as the US-based anthropologist Narges Bajoghli, who worked with pro-state filmmakers in Tehran, has noted.

    As part of my research, I also interviewed members of the Basij, which, unlike the IRGC proper, is a wholly volunteer organisation.

    Even though ideological commitment was certainly an important factor for some of the Basij members I met, there were also pragmatic reasons to join. These included access to better jobs, scholarships and social mobility. Sometimes, factors overlapped. But participation did not always equate to a singular or sustained commitment to revolutionary values.

    For example, Sāsān, a friend I made attending discussion groups in Mashhad, was quick to note that time spent in the Basij “reduced your [compulsory] military service”.

    This isn’t to suggest there are not ideologically committed people in Iran. They clearly exist, and many are ready to use violence. Some of those who join these institutions for pragmatic reasons use violence, too.

    Looking in between

    In addition, Iran is an ethnically diverse country. It has a population of 92 million people, a bare majority of whom are Persians. Other minorities include Azeris, Kurds, Arabs, Baloch, Turkmen and others.

    It is also religiously diverse. While there is a sizeable, nominally Shi’a majority, there are also large Sunni communities (about 10-15% of the population) and smaller communities of Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Baha’is and other religions.

    Often overlooked, there are also important differences in class and social strata in Iran, too.

    One of the things I noticed about state propaganda was that it flattened this diversity. James Barry, an Australian scholar of Iran, noticed a similar phenomenon.

    State propaganda made it seem like there was one voice in the country. Protests could be dismissed out of hand because they did not represent the “authentic” view of Iranians. Foreign agitators supported protests. Iranians supported the Islamic Republic.

    Since leaving Iran, I have followed many voices of Iranians in the diaspora. Opposition groups are loud on social media, especially the monarchists who support Reza Pahlavi, the son of the deposed Shah.

    In following these groups, I have noticed a similar tendency to speak as though they represent the voice of all Iranians. Iranians support the shah. Or Iranians support Maryam Rajavi, leader of a Paris-based opposition group.

    Both within Iran, and in the diaspora, the regime, too, is sometimes held to be the imposition of a foreign conspiracy. This allows the Islamic Republic and the complex relations it has created to be dismissed out of hand. Once again, such a view flattens diversity.

    Over the past few years, political identities and societal divisions seem to have become harder and clearer. This means there is an increasing perception among many Iranians of a gulf between the state and Iranian society. This is the case both inside Iran, and especially in the Iranian diaspora.

    Decades of intermittent protests and civil disobedience across the country also show that for many, the current system no longer represents the hopes and aspirations of many people. This is especially the case for the youth, who make up a large percentage of the population.

    I am not an Iranian, and I strongly believe it is up to Iranians to determine their own futures. I also do not aim to excuse the Islamic Republic – it is brutal and tyrannical. But its brutality should not let us shy away from asking complex questions.

    If the regime did fall tomorrow, Iran’s diversity means there is little unanimity of opinion as to what should come next. And if a more pluralist form of politics is to emerge, it must encompass the whole of Iran’s diversity, without assuming a uniform position.

    It, too, will have to wrestle with the difficult questions and sometimes ambivalent relations the Islamic Republic has created.

    Simon Theobald received funding from the Australian National University during his research.

    – ref. Do all Iranians hate the regime? Hate America? Life inside the country is much more complex and nuanced – https://theconversation.com/do-all-iranians-hate-the-regime-hate-america-life-inside-the-country-is-much-more-complex-and-nuanced-259554

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –