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Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Sexual violence in Sudan: “They beat us and they raped us right there on the road in public”

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    • In the Darfur region of Sudan, and in eastern Chad, MSF teams are caring for women and girls who have survived horrific sexual violence.
    • Victims and survivors need tailored and accessible care.
    • These brutal attacks and rapes must stop.

    BRUSSELS/AMSTERDAM – Women and girls in Sudan’s Darfur region are at near-constant risk of sexual violence, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned today. The true scale of this crisis remains difficult to quantify, as services remain limited, and people face barriers in seeking treatment or speaking about their ordeal. Yet all the victims and survivors who speak with MSF teams in Darfur and across the border in Chad share horrifying stories of brutal violence and rape. With men and boys also at risk, the extent of the suffering is beyond comprehension.

    “Women and girls do not feel safe anywhere. They are attacked in their own homes, when fleeing violence, getting food, collecting firewood, working in the fields. They tell us they feel trapped,” says Claire San Filippo, MSF emergency coordinator. “These attacks are heinous and cruel, often involving multiple perpetrators. This must stop.  Sexual violence is not a natural or inevitable consequence of war, it can constitute a war crime, a form of torture, and a crime against humanity. The warring parties must hold their fighters accountable and protect people from this sickening violence. Services for survivors must immediately be scaled up, so survivors have access to the medical treatment and psychological care they desperately need.”  

    Sexual violence has become so widespread in Darfur that many people chillingly speak about it as unavoidable.

    “Some people came at night to rape the women and take everything. I heard some women being raped at night. The men were hiding in toilets or in some rooms where they could close the doors. The women didn’t hide because it was just beating and rape for us, but the men would get killed,” a woman told MSF’s team in West Darfur.   

    It is not only during attacks on villages and towns or during the journey to safety that people have been raped and beaten. Limited humanitarian assistance is forcing people to take risks to survive. People are walking long distances to meet their basic needs and taking work in dangerous places. Others decide against taking the risk but are then cut off from their sources of income, further reducing their access to water, food and healthcare. This itself is no guarantee of safety, as people can be attacked at home as well.

    MSF provided care to 659 survivors of sexual violence in South Darfur between January 2024 and March 2025:

    • 86% reported that they were raped.
    • 94% of survivors were women and girls.
    • 56% said they were assaulted by a non-civilian (by a member of military, police or other security forces or non-state armed groups).
    • 55% reported additional physical violence during the assault.
    • 34% faced sexual violence while working in, or travelling to, the fields.
    • 31% were younger than 18, with 7% younger than 10 years old and 2.6% younger than 5 years old.

    These disturbing statistics are likely an underestimate of the true scale of sexual violence in South Darfur. 

    94 %

    94%

    were women and girls

    56 %

    56%

    said they were assaulted by a non-civilian

    31 %

    31%

    were younger than 18 years old

    The situation is similar in other places where MSF is able to provide care for victims and survivors such as eastern Chad, which currently hosts over 800,000 Sudanese refugees. In Adré, almost half of the 44 victims and survivors treated by MSF since January 2025 were children. In Wadi Fira Province, 94 victims and survivors were treated between January and March 2025, 81 under the age of 18. The testimonies of patients and caregivers in both eastern Chad and Sudan’s Darfur region bear this out.

    “Three months ago, there was a little girl of 13 years old who was raped by three men…They caught her and raped her, then they abandoned her in the valley… They called some people to carry the girl to the hospital. I was one of them,” one man told MSF’s team in Murnei, West Darfur.

    Many survivors report being raped by more than one person. In Metché in eastern Chad, 11 out of 24 victims and survivors treated between January and March 2025 were attacked by multiple assailants.

    “When we arrived in Kulbus, we saw a group of three women with some RSF [Rapid Support Forces] men guarding them. The RSF also ordered us to stay with them,” says a 17-year-old survivor. “They told us, ‘You are the wives of the Sudanese army or their girls.’ … Then they beat us, and they raped us right there on the road, in public. There were nine RSF men. Seven of them raped me. I wanted to lose my memory after that.”

    In some cases, the attackers directly accused the survivors of supporting the other side.

    “I have a certificate for first aid nursing. [When they stopped us], the RSF asked me to give them my bag. When they saw the certificate inside, they told me, ‘You want to heal the Sudanese army, you want to cure the enemy!’ Then they burnt my certificate, and they took me away to rape me,” says one woman. “They told everyone else to stay on the floor. I was with some other women, including my sister. They only raped me, because of my certificate.”

    It is vital that victims and survivors access services after the attack, as sexual violence is a medical emergency. The immediate and long-lasting physical and psychological consequences which can be life-threatening. Yet survivors struggle to access medical care and protection because of a lack of services, limited awareness of the few services that exist, the high cost of traveling to facilities, and a reluctance to speak about the abuse due to shame, fear of stigma or retaliation.

    “I cannot say anything to the community because it will be a shame for my family. So, I didn’t say anything about what happened to me before today. I’m only asking for medical help now,” says a survivor in eastern Chad. “I was too afraid to go to the hospital. My family told me, ‘Don’t tell anybody’.”

    Where services exist, survivors need clear and accessible referral pathways to get the help they need. In South Darfur, the state with the greatest number of displaced people in Sudan, in late 2024, MSF added a community-based component to our care for survivors of sexual violence. Midwives and community healthcare workers were trained and equipped to provide emergency contraceptives and psychological first aid to survivors. They also supported survivors’ referral to clinics and hospitals where MSF teams work for comprehensive care. Since the addition of this community-based model, we have seen a steep increase in women and adolescents seeking care.

    MSF teams continue to see new survivors of sexual violence. In Tawila, where people continue to arrive after attacks on Zamzam camp and in El Fasher, North Darfur, the hospital received 48 survivors of sexual violence between January and the beginning of May, most of them since the start of fighting in Zamzam camp in April. 

    “Access to services for survivors of sexual violence is lacking and, like most humanitarian and healthcare services in Sudan, must urgently be scaled up. People – mostly women and girls – who suffer sexual violence urgently need medical care, including psychological support, and protection services,” says Ruth Kauffman, MSF emergency medical manager. “Care must be tailored from the outset to mitigate against the many overwhelming barriers survivors face when seeking medical care in the aftermath of sexual violence.”

    Brutal attacks and rapes must stop, warring parties must ensure that civilians are protected, respecting their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians, and medical and humanitarian services for victims and survivors of sexual violence must be scaled up urgently in Darfur and eastern Chad. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ5: Construction of a new acute hospital

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    LCQ5: Construction of a new acute hospital 
    Question:
     
         In the reply to my question raised when examining the Estimates of Expenditure 2025-2026, the Government has indicated that in further planning for the Second Hospital Development Plan, the redevelopment or expansion of existing hospitals and the construction of new hospitals to meet demand, including the feasibility of identifying a site for construction of a new acute hospital in Wong Tai Sin, will be options considered by the authorities. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) of the latest progress in identifying a site for construction of a new acute hospital in Wong Tai Sin; whether it has studied the feasibility of the establishment of an acute hospital, in the form of a cluster of hospital buildings, in the context of the expansion of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Wong Tai Sin Hospital, the vacant land made available after the relocation of the Diamond Hill Service Reservoirs, together with Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
     
    (2) whether it has studied the feasibility of construction of an acute hospital at other sites (including the recreation ground at Heng Lam Street, Lok Fu); if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
     
    (3) as it is learnt that there is a shortage of healthcare manpower in Hong Kong, whether the Government has assessed the time frame for having sufficient healthcare manpower to meet the needs of a new acute hospital, and whether it will expedite the introduction of non-locally trained healthcare personnel?
     
    Reply:
     
    President,
     
         Having consulted the Hospital Authority (HA), the consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Yang Wing-kit is as follows:
     
    (1) and (2) The HA plans and develops various public healthcare services on a cluster basis, taking into account a number of factors, including the increase in service demand as a result of population growth and demographic changes, rising prevalence of chronic diseases, technology advancement, manpower availability as well as service arrangement of the clusters.
     
         At present, Wong Tai Sin is within the catchment area of the Kowloon Central Cluster (KCC). There are nine hospitals/healthcare institutions in the KCC providing healthcare services to the residents of the district, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) and the Kwong Wah Hospital (KWH) which are both equipped with Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments. In future, A&E services for the district will be provided by the New Acute Hospital at the Kai Tak Development Area (NAH) and the KWH. A service network with other extended care hospitals in the cluster will be formed to provide comprehensive healthcare services continuously to the catchment population of the KCC, including the residents of Wong Tai Sin.
     
         In view of the healthcare services demand of Kowloon region, the HA commenced the refurbishment project of Hong Kong Buddhist Hospital in 2015 and completed all works in 2019, which provided 130 additional convalescence and rehabilitation inpatient beds as well as other medical facilities. The HA is also implementing various hospital development projects in the three Kowloon clusters under the First Hospital Development Plan (HDP). Among the projects, the new Phase 1 Building of the redevelopment project of the KWH was completed at the end of 2022, providing a construction floor area of about 145 000 square metres. As compared to the old KWH, four operating theatres, one cardiac catheterisation room, four endoscopy rooms, one magnetic resonance imaging room and a one-stop ambulatory care centre are provided additionally. For the new A&E department, which is approximately three times the size of the old one, it has an additional Emergency Medicine Ward with 40 beds, isolation areas for infection control and other supporting facilities. With the commissioning of the new A&E department, the average waiting time for patients who, after treatment at the A&E department of the KWH, need to wait before being admitted to the hospital has dropped by about 24 per cent in the third and fourth quarters of 2024 as compared with the same period in 2023. In addition, the NAH will replace the role of the QEH as an acute hospital upon completion and provide 2 400 beds and 37 operating theatres, which are more than the existing about 1 940 acute and extended care beds and 24 operating theatres in the QEH. The gross floor area of the A&E department of the NAH is about thrice the current area of that of the QEH.
     
         When planning A&E services, the HA will ensure that the A&E department is located within a reasonable distance from its catchment areas. For example, after the commissioning of the NAH, the driving distance and time from major housing estates in Wong Tai Sin District to the NAH will be shorter than for those to the QEH currently.
     
         The Government announced in 2018 that it has invited the HA to commence planning for the Second HDP, which was to be implemented to meet the service demand up to 2036. With the changes in the planning and development situation in Hong Kong, for example, its territory-wide and regional planning and development strategies, the latest corresponding change in population projections, etc., the Health Bureau and the HA are currently reviewing the Second HDP by adopting a planning horizon of up to 2041 and beyond, and to project the healthcare services demand and consider the supply and conditions of the land required (including the feasibility of constructing a hospital and the associated supporting facilities on the site concerned), for optimising the Second HDP. The Government also considers factors such as the construction and development need of individual hospitals and its cost-effectiveness, and the convenience of public access to healthcare services under various major transport infrastructure development plans for determining the distribution, scale and priority, etc. of various hospital development projects under the Second HDP. As for the Second HDP, we would prudently consider various factors including whether to continue with the redevelopment or expansion of the existing hospital(s) in Kowloon, or to construct new hospital(s) for meeting the demand of healthcare services. The consideration of building a new acute hospital in Wong Tai Sin is subject to the availability of suitable site(s) and feasibility study(ies).
     
         After the completion of the review of the Second HDP, the Government will announce the details of the hospital development projects, including those in the Kowloon region, in due course.
     
    (3) In the course of planning and implementing the HDPs, the HA will forecast future service demand and corresponding healthcare manpower requirements and make corresponding assessments and planning, with a view to flexibly deploying manpower and recruiting additional staff in a timely manner according to service plans during the commissioning of new hospital facilities and phased introduction of services to meet service demands. The HA will also make good use of the revised legal framework to attract non-locally trained healthcare talent from different regions to work in Hong Kong, thereby expanding the talent pool of Hong Kong’s public healthcare system to meet the increasing service demands. 
     
         Regarding the overall healthcare manpower of Hong Kong, the Government conducts a healthcare manpower projection exercise every three years to update, on a regular basis, the supply and demand figures of the 13 healthcare professionals which are subject to statutory registration, in step with the triennial planning cycle of the University Grants Committee, which provides an important reference for the Government to determine the training quotas for various healthcare professions. The results of the last round of Healthcare Manpower Projection 2023 were announced in July 2024 and a new round of the projection exercise has also commenced. As put forward explicitly in the Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address, the Government will promote the use of the legislation passed earlier to proactively admit more non‑local doctors and nurses, etc. to enhance manpower. The Government has also introduced bill to the Legislative Council to make amendments to the relevant legislation on the admission of qualified non‑locally trained supplementary medical professionals.
     
         Thank you, President.
    Issued at HKT 14:45

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Secretary-General of ASEAN receives the Executive Director of the ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue

    Source: ASEAN

    Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today received a courtesy call from Executive Director of the ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD) Phasporn Sangasubana, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat, where they discussed ACSDSD’s contributions to ASEAN’s sustainable development agenda. Executive Director Sangasubana also shared updates on ACSDSD’s key initiatives, lessons learned and best practices, while reaffirming the Centre’s commitment to strengthening collaboration in advancing regional sustainability in line with ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and its Strategic Plans that were recently adopted at the 46th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

     
    The post Secretary-General of ASEAN receives the Executive Director of the ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-Evening Report: There’s a new COVID variant driving up infections. A virologist explains what to know about NB.1.8.1

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lara Herrero, Associate Professor and Research Leader in Virology and Infectious Disease, Griffith University

    VioletaStoimenova/Getty Images

    As we enter the colder months in Australia, COVID is making headlines again, this time due to the emergence of a new variant: NB.1.8.1.

    Last week, the World Health Organization designated NB.1.8.1 as a “variant under monitoring”, owing to its growing global spread and some notable characteristics which could set it apart from earlier variants.

    So what do you need to know about this new variant?

    The current COVID situation

    More than five years since COVID was initially declared a pandemic, we’re still experiencing regular waves of infections.

    It’s more difficult to track the occurrence of the virus nowadays, as fewer people are testing and reporting infections. But available data suggests in late May 2025, case numbers in Australia were ticking upwards.

    Genomic sequencing has confirmed NB.1.8.1 is among the circulating strains in Australia, and generally increasing. Of cases sequenced up to May 6 across Australia, NB.1.8.1 ranged from less than 10% in South Australia to more than 40% in Victoria.

    Wastewater surveillance in Western Australia has determined NB.1.8.1 is now the dominant variant in wastewater samples collected in Perth.

    Internationally NB.1.8.1 is also growing. By late April 2025, it comprised roughly 10.7% of all submitted sequences – up from just 2.5% four weeks prior. While the absolute number of cases sequenced was still modest, this consistent upward trend has prompted closer monitoring by international public health agencies.

    NB.1.8.1 has been spreading particularly in Asia – it was the dominant variant in Hong Kong and China at the end of April.


    Lara Herrero, created using BioRender

    Where does this variant come from?

    According to the WHO, NB.1.8.1 was first detected from samples collected in January 2025.

    It’s a sublineage of the Omicron variant, descending from the recombinant XDV lineage. “Recombinant” is where a new variant arises from the genetic mixing of two or more existing variants.

    The image to the right shows more specifically how NB.1.8.1 came about.

    What does the research say?

    Like its predecessors, NB.1.8.1 carries a suite of mutations in the spike protein. This is the protein on the surface of the virus that allows it to infect us – specifically via the ACE2 receptors, a “doorway” to our cells.

    The mutations include T22N, F59S, G184S, A435S, V445H, and T478I. It’s early days for this variant, so we don’t have much data on what these changes mean yet. But a recent preprint (a study that has not yet been peer reviewed) offers some clues about why NB.1.8.1 may be gathering traction.

    Using lab-based models, researchers found NB.1.8.1 had the strongest binding affinity to the human ACE2 receptor of several variants tested – suggesting it may infect cells more efficiently than earlier strains.

    The study also looked at how well antibodies from vaccinated or previously infected people could neutralise or “block” the variant. Results showed the neutralising response of antibodies was around 1.5 times lower to NB.1.8.1 compared to another recent variant, LP.8.1.1.

    This means it’s possible a person infected with NB.1.8.1 may be more likely to pass the virus on to someone else, compared to earlier variants.

    What are the symptoms?

    The evidence so far suggests NB.1.8.1 may spread more easily and may partially sidestep immunity from prior infections or vaccination. These factors could explain its rise in sequencing data.

    But importantly, the WHO has not yet observed any evidence it causes more severe disease compared to other variants.

    Reports suggest symptoms of NB.1.8.1 should align closely with other Omicron subvariants.

    Common symptoms include sore throat, fatigue, fever, mild cough, muscle aches and nasal congestion. Gastrointestinal symptoms may also occur in some cases.

    COVID is continuing to evolve.
    Joannii/Shutterstock

    How about the vaccine?

    There’s potential for this variant to play a significant role in Australia’s winter respiratory season. Public health responses remain focused on close monitoring, continued genomic sequencing, and promoting the uptake of updated COVID boosters.

    Even if neutralising antibody levels are modestly reduced against NB.1.8.1, the WHO has noted current COVID vaccines should still protect against severe disease with this variant.

    The most recent booster available in Australia and many other countries targets JN.1, from which NB.1.8.1 is descended. So it makes sense it should still offer good protection.

    Ahead of winter and with a new variant on the scene, now may be a good time to consider another COVID booster if you’re eligible. For some people, particularly those who are medically vulnerable, COVID can still be a serious disease.

    Lara Herrero receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council.

    – ref. There’s a new COVID variant driving up infections. A virologist explains what to know about NB.1.8.1 – https://theconversation.com/theres-a-new-covid-variant-driving-up-infections-a-virologist-explains-what-to-know-about-nb-1-8-1-257552

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: China, ASEAN, GCC forge innovative trilateral cooperation amid global risks

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

    KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 — Amid escalating global challenges, China, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have forged a groundbreaking path in cross-regional cooperation.

    In a historic move, they convened a landmark trilateral summit in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia — ASEAN’s current chair — marking a bold step toward collective resilience, economic synergy, and a shared vision for prosperity.

    At the inaugural ASEAN-China-GCC Summit on Tuesday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang called on the three parties to set a global benchmark in openness, development cooperation and cross-civilization integration.

    His call comes at a critical juncture, as rising protectionism and escalating geopolitical tensions threaten to fracture the international order.

    Amid global economic headwinds and mounting uncertainties, Li noted that by strengthening connectivity and collaboration, the three sides can forge a vibrant economic circle and a powerful engine for growth, which holds profound significance not only for their respective prosperity but also for advancing peace and development across Asia and the world.

    “As some countries are becoming more protectionist and isolationist, the summit was a good initiative and effort to counter these emerging trends,” said Lee Pei May, a political expert at the International Islamic University Malaysia.

    “The summit proves that economies can complement rather than compete with one another, easing the worries that countries can only develop if they turn inward,” Lee added.

    At the tripartite gathering, Li urged all sides to work together to build a model of global cooperation and development in three aspects — creating a model of cross-region openness, forging a model of cooperation across different development stages, and fostering a model of cross-civilization integration.

    At the summit, the leaders committed to further strengthening Belt and Road cooperation, with a focus on deepening ties in connectivity, trade, industrial and supply chains, agriculture, energy, finance, and the digital economy. They pledged to accelerate trilateral integration, fostering robust, inclusive, and sustainable development for all.

    The summit adopted a joint statement, which was hailed as “detailed, elaborate” and a strong message of trilateral solidarity and cooperation by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

    In the joint statement, the relevant countries acknowledged their joint efforts to promote closer cooperation between ASEAN, GCC and China, and China’s vision to build a closer ASEAN-China community with a shared future and a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era.

    Andrew Kam Jia Yi, senior research fellow with the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies at the National University of Malaysia, said the summit highlights how the strengths of each party can complement one another.

    “The GCC’s energy and financial resources, ASEAN’s growing consumer base, and China’s technological and financial capacities together create more resilient supply chains and boost food and energy security for all,” he said.

    Following the summit, Li also delivered remarks at the opening ceremony of the ASEAN-China-GCC Economic Forum 2025.

    He emphasized China’s commitment to energizing trilateral cooperation through its high-quality development, pledging to firmly expand high-level opening up, promote mutual reinforcement between domestic and international circulations and share the opportunities of China’s development with countries of ASEAN and GCC, and enterprises from around the world.

    The trilateral cooperation mechanism not only fosters collaborative agreements across regions, but creates a novel platform of communication and dialogue for the Global South countries to closely coordinate on regional and international affairs and amplify their voices on the global stage.

    The joint statement recognizes the need to strengthen confidence in the rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, and reaffirms the countries’ resolve to make economic globalization more open, inclusive, balanced, and beneficial to their peoples and future generations.

    During talks with other leaders on the sidelines of the summit, the Chinese premier voiced China’s readiness to push for a greater role of the Global South in improving global governance.

    In his meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Li said that China looks to strengthen communication and cooperation with Vietnam and jointly protect the common interests of the Global South countries.

    During their meeting a day before the summit, Li told Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, crown prince of Kuwait, that China is committed to strengthening communication and coordination with Kuwait through various multilateral platforms to push for more just and equitable global governance and a more harmonious, stable and prosperous world.

    The trilateral summit “encourages other regions to pursue similar models of collaboration,” Kam said.

    “It is a sign of growing solidarity, where countries of the Global South are working together to shape their own futures, assert their priorities on the global stage, and build a more equitable and stable world order from the ground up,” the scholar added.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: 2025 Bendigo Writers Festival celebrates Gastronomy and the art of storytelling this August

    Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

    The City of Greater Bendigo is thrilled to unveil the program for the 2025 Bendigo Writers Festival, returning from Friday August 15 to Sunday August 17, with over 60 events and more than 80 writers and speakers.

    This year’s festival celebrates the fusion of gastronomy and storytelling with an exciting lineup of food-themed sessions and culinary stars. Among the highlights is Benjamin Cooper, Executive Chef of the iconic Southeast Asian restaurant Chin Chin, hosting a restaurant take-over at Ms Batterhams, Mackenzie Quarters. Guests will savour Chin Chin’s signature dishes and enjoy an intimate Q&A inspired by the restaurant’s latest cookbook, Still Hungry.

    The City of Greater Bendigo is proud to continue its partnership with La Trobe University, with acclaimed historian and Professor of Public Engagement Clare Wright returning to the curatorial team. The festival also welcomes new collaborations and programming streams for festival fans to enjoy.

    Bendigo Venues & Events Manager Julie Amos said the festival offers something for everyone.

    “Over one action-packed weekend in August, the festival brings together diverse voices through discussions that spark ideas, conversation, and inspiration,” Ms Amos said.

    “With a strong focus on literacy, lifelong learning, and cultural diversity, the Bendigo Writers Festival is a must-attend event for book lovers and curious minds from Bendigo, Victoria, and beyond.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Versus Arthritis invests in ‘team science’ to meet pressing challenges faced by people with arthriti Charity Versus Arthritis has awarded £3m to bring together world-leading experts from five UK universities – including the University of Aberdeen – to accelerate clinical epidemiology research, which will help answer pressing questions from those living with arthritis.

    Source: University of Aberdeen

    University of Aberdeen awarded a share of £3m from Versus Arthritis

    Charity Versus Arthritis has awarded £3m to bring together world-leading experts from five UK universities – including the University of Aberdeen – to accelerate clinical epidemiology research, which will help answer pressing questions from those living with arthritis.
    The new research consortium is part of the charity’s drive to harness ‘team science’ to better understand the causes and risk factors for arthritis and improve treatment options.
    Epidemiology – the study of how diseases occur in different people and why – is critical to designing better and targeted interventions using data. The consortium, made up of experts from the Universities of Manchester, Keele, Oxford, Nottingham and Aberdeen, aims to close five gaps in our understanding of the debilitating disease and related conditions. They will consider menopause in relation to musculoskeletal health, inequalities in access to care, risks of long-term pain medications and determine the optimum levels of monitoring for those receiving immune drugs. The researchers will also aim to identify those at higher risk of chronic pain sooner, given painful musculoskeletal conditions often begin in childhood. This holds the potential to explore ways to prevent or reduce persistent pain.
    Lucy Donaldson, Director of Research at Versus Arthritis,said there are many remaining unmet needs around arthritis, compounded by significant gaps in understanding:
    “The Versus Arthritis Research Consortium: Musculoskeletal Epidemiology – Better lives, Safer journey is a major step forward in tackling the everyday realities faced by people living with arthritis and other painful musculoskeletal conditions.
    “Our research consortia will bring together leading researchers, clinicians, and people with lived experience from across the UK in a team science approach. Their aim – to find real, practical solutions to the problems faced by people with arthritis.
    “We are absolutely delighted to have research leaders from the University of Aberdeen as part of this consortium. Their work within our Centre for Musculoskeletal Health and Work reflects their expertise in robust epidemiological research. Their expertise covers condition-specific and symptom-based approaches, as well as rare diseases and their associated care pathways. The Aberdeen team has an outstanding track record in high-quality patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE), and we’re excited to see this strength embedded across the consortium’s activities.”
    The consortium will employ cutting edge analysis techniques on existing datasets to fill the identified gaps in our knowledge of arthritis and MSK conditions. Its findings will help to arm those living with arthritis to have informed conversations with clinicians about their care. It will also seek to improve clinical practice and policy around diagnosis, prevention and treatment.
    Professor Kimme Hyrich, Director of the University of Manchester Centre for Musculoskeletal Research will co-lead the consortium with Professor Christian Mallen, Executive Dean and Professor of General Practice and Public Health.
    Professor Hyrich, a leading clinical epidemiologist and consultant rheumatologist, highlights the advantages of team science in epidemiological research:
    “This award represents an exciting step-change in the way musculoskeletal epidemiology research is conducted in the UK, breaking down traditional research siloes and uniting minds, data and expertise to generate the evidence needed to support people living with arthritis and other painful musculoskeletal conditions.”

    Our work will focus on identifying these inequities, listening closely to the experiences of those from underrepresented groups – including children, young people, and people living in disadvantaged areas – and co-developing solutions that can make a real difference.” Dr Rosemary Hollick

    “It is a real privilege to be able to lead this multidisciplinary team. Placing people with lived experience at the core of our consortium and working closely with implementation scientists from the outset will ensure that our outputs are robust and meaningful and delivered to the right audience in the most appropriate way.”
    Professor Mallen, a leading researcher and GP, said the inclusion of primary care spoke volumes of the role GPs play in achieving better outcomes for those living with musculoskeletal conditions:
    “The new Versus Arthritis Research Consortium is an exciting new programme that will have a major impact on the lives of people living with painful conditions by uniting world-leading clinicians, academics, patients and policy makers.
    “It is a privilege to co-lead the consortium with Prof Hyrich and having strong representation from Keele University highlights the importance of primary care in improving outcomes for people living with arthritis and chronic musculoskeletal pain.”
    Dr Rosemary Hollick, Director of the Aberdeen Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health and consultant rheumatologist said:
    “I’m delighted to lead the health inequalities workstream within this ambitious new consortium. People living with arthritis often face unfair and avoidable barriers to accessing care and support.
    “Our work will focus on identifying these inequities, listening closely to the experiences of those from underrepresented groups – including children, young people, and people living in disadvantaged areas – and co-developing solutions that can make a real difference.
    “By applying a health equity lens across the consortium’s work, we aim to ensure that improvements in care reach everyone, regardless of who they are or where they live.”
    The results will be shared through a broad range of partners including government, the NHS, clinicians and patient networks.  
    More than 20 million people, of all ages, in the UK have problems with their joints, bones and muscles, which cause pain and impact all aspects of life including work and school. 
    The Versus Arthritis Research Consortium: Musculoskeletal Epidemiology – Better lives, Safer journey is the first of six consortia to be announced by Versus Arthritis which is awarding £18 million of funding to this initiative over the next three years.

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    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australia has elected its youngest senator. With Gen Z wielding more political power, is it a sign of things to come?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philippa Collin, Professor of Political Sociology, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University

    James Dimas/Facebook

    It’s been 30 years since Natasha Stott Despoja became the youngest woman ever elected to the Australian Parliament. A 25-year-old Sarah Hanson-Young beat that record slightly in 2007.

    Just over a decade later, the Australian Electoral Commission has confirmed another record-breaking young woman will be entering parliament: 21-year-old Charlotte Walker, in sixth Senate spot for South Australia.

    Walker’s election is remarkable because she’s young and she’s female. Both these characteristics run against long-standing trends in Australian politics.

    It’s also a reminder of why young people’s representation, both inside and outside parliament, matters for the whole society.

    The result of a ‘youth quake’?

    In the 2025 election, Gen Z and Millennial voters outnumbered older generations.

    While we cannot treat the “youth vote” as a homogeneous bloc, expert analysis of the lower house votes shows young people contributed to the shift away from the Liberals and minor parties in specific seats.

    This groundswell helped create a landslide of support for Labor, despite a primary vote of less than 35%.

    Amid these changes, Walker joins a select few very young people ever elected to federal parliament.

    Wyatt Roy remains the youngest person to take up a federal political post. He was just 20 years old when he entered the lower house in 2010, representing the Queensland seat of Longman for the Liberals.

    In 2017, 23-year-old Jordan Steele-John became the youngest senator in Australia’s history, representing the Greens for Western Australia.

    According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, this track record puts Australia fifth among the top-ranked democracies for parliamentarians under 30 years old in the upper chamber.

    While this suggests Australia does well in having young people represented, only 20.1% of the upper house is under the age of 45. For comparison, the youngest parliament in the world is in Bhutan, with 70.8% of upper house members aged under 45.

    So, while they make up more than 30% of the electorate, Millennial and Gen Z Australians are far from proportionately represented.

    The growing power of women?

    Previous electoral study data indicates young people and women tend to be more progressive and more likely to vote for the Greens and progressive minor parties and candidates.

    This, in combination with preference flows, almost certainly contributed significantly to the Labor result in both houses.

    Another consequence is the 48th parliament will have more female representation than any other, with women making up more than half of the Senate and occupying a record 66 seats in the House of Representatives.

    For the first time in Australia’s history, there will be a female majority in the Cabinet.

    This is despite women still being less likely to join the major political parties or see themselves running for public office.

    But my research over two decades indicates there is a surge of girls and young women leading and participating in non-traditional volunteering, social enterprises and social movements.

    For example, in the leadership of the student climate movement in Australia, we see mostly young women taking charge of political organising and action. They express strong visions for a better, more equitable and viable world.

    To maintain this positive move in young, female representation, political parties and the networks supporting independents would be wise to start engaging seriously with them.

    Youth visibility matters

    Greater youth representation in formal institutions of government is urgently needed. Young people in Australia face unprecedented levels of economic difficulty and systemic inequality.

    The costs of tertiary education is higher than ever. Australia currently collects more in student loan repayments (A$4.9 billion) than it does from the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax ($2.3 billion).

    It takes graduates, on average, five to 12 years to pay off current levels of student debt.

    With the high costs of living, many students are living in poverty. Some universities and their leaders are calling for urgent policy change to address these challenges.

    The youth unemployment rate (9%) is twice the national average of 4%.

    For those who can afford to buy a house, the average age of first home purchase is now 36 years – more than a decade older than in the early 2000s. People are taking on bigger loans for longer. They also dedicate a greater proportion of their income to repayments.

    It’s no wonder the mental health of young Australians is worse than ever.

    These pressures can be even more significant for First Nations young people, who receive less recognition and representation in Australian politics and policy-making. This is despite the fact they can show enormous leadership in researching, documenting and proposing policy recommendations for all levels of government.

    Such issues, along with systematic challenges – such as a grossly unequal tax system – mean Walker and her fellow parliamentarians have some big opportunities to drive change in areas that matter to all young people.

    Perhaps the election of Charlotte Walker is a sign of things to come: a parliament and Australian democracy more attuned, more representative and more responsive to the needs of this generation of young people and those to come.

    Philippa Collin receives funding from the Australian Research Council, batyr, Telstra Foundation, Google AU/NZ, Academy Of The Social Sciences In Australia and the Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies.

    – ref. Australia has elected its youngest senator. With Gen Z wielding more political power, is it a sign of things to come? – https://theconversation.com/australia-has-elected-its-youngest-senator-with-gen-z-wielding-more-political-power-is-it-a-sign-of-things-to-come-257711

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • PM Modi to visit four states on May 29–30, launch projects worth ₹69,000 crore

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit four states — Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh — on the 29 and 30 of May, where he will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for multiple infrastructure and development projects worth over ₹69,000 crore.

    Sikkim: marking 50 years of statehood
    On May 29, the Prime Minister will reach Sikkim and take part in the Sikkim@50 celebrations at around 11 AM. The programme, themed “Where Progress Meets Purpose and Nature Nurtures Growth”, marks 50 years since Sikkim attained statehood.

    As part of the celebrations, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate several key development projects. These include a 500-bedded District Hospital in Namchi worth over ₹750 crore, a passenger ropeway at Sangachoeling in Gyalshing District, and a statue of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Atal Amrit Udyan in Gangtok District.

    He will also release a commemorative coin, souvenir coin, and stamp to mark the occasion.

    West Bengal: boost to gas infrastructure
    Later the same day, at around 2:15 PM, PM Modi will visit Alipurduar in West Bengal to lay the foundation stone of a City Gas Distribution (CGD) project for Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts. The ₹1,010 crore project will provide Piped Natural Gas (PNG) to over 2.5 lakh households and set up 19 CNG stations, contributing to a cleaner and cost-effective energy ecosystem in the region.

    Bihar: major development initiatives
    In the evening, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the newly constructed passenger terminal at Patna Airport, built at a cost of ₹1,200 crore. He will also lay the foundation stone for a new civil enclave at Bihta Airport, worth ₹1,410 crore, aimed at supporting the growing educational hub near Patna.

    On May 30, PM Modi will be in Karakat, Bihar, where he will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for projects worth over ₹48,520 crore. Among them is the Nabinagar Super Thermal Power Project, Stage-II, in Aurangabad district. The ₹29,930 crore project will generate 2,400 MW of power, strengthening energy security and boosting industrial development.

    Road infrastructure will also receive a major push, with the launch of four-laning and six-laning projects on NH-119A, NH-319B, NH-119D, and a new Ganga bridge between Buxar and Bharauli. Other key projects include the inauguration of NH-22 (Patna–Gaya–Dobhi section) and improvements in Gopalganj on NH-27.

    In the rail sector, the Prime Minister will dedicate the third rail line between Son Nagar and Mohammad Ganj, developed at a cost of ₹1,330 crore.

    Uttar Pradesh: strengthening infrastructure and power supply
    Later on May 30, PM Modi will visit Kanpur Nagar in Uttar Pradesh. At around 2:45 PM, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for development works worth approximately ₹20,900 crore.

    He will inaugurate the Chunniganj to Kanpur Central Metro stretch under the Kanpur Metro Rail Project, which includes five new underground stations and improves urban connectivity.

    In the power sector, he will inaugurate the 660 MW Panki Thermal Power Extension Project (₹8,300 crore) and three 660 MW units of the Ghatampur Thermal Power Project (₹9,330 crore). Substations at YEIDA and Greater Noida worth ₹320 crore will also be inaugurated.

    Key road projects include the widening of Gauria Pali Marg and improved connectivity to the Kanpur Defence Corridor, supporting regional growth and industrial logistics.

    The Prime Minister will also inaugurate two rail overbridges in Panki and a 40 MLD Tertiary Treatment Plant at Bingawan, promoting sustainable water reuse.

    Further, he will distribute certificates and cheques to beneficiaries of central schemes such as PM Ayushman Vay Vandana Yojana, National Livelihood Mission, and PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.

  • MIL-OSI: Press Release: GAM Investments Strengthens European Equities Platform with Appointment of Leading Investment Team

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Zurich: 28 May 2025        

    PRESS RELEASE

    GAM Investments Strengthens European Equities Platform with Appointment of Leading Investment Team

    Tom O’Hara, Jamie Ross and David Barker join GAM Investments to manage flagship GAM Star European Equity and Continental European Equity funds

    GAM Investments is pleased to announce the appointment of a new European Equities team comprising Tom O’Hara, Jamie Ross and David Barker. As of 15 May 2025, the team has assumed investment management responsibilities for the GAM Star European Equity and GAM Star Continental European Equity funds.

    This highly regarded investment team brings with them a style-agnostic, high-conviction investment approach that complements GAM’s longstanding heritage in European equities. The appointment marks a further milestone in GAM’s transformation and ongoing commitment to investment excellence.

    Tom O’Hara, Investment Director, European Equities at GAM, commented: “It’s great to be joining GAM. This is a very exciting time in the company’s turnaround, supported by a long-term focused majority owner and a strong, investment-led culture that traces its roots to Gilbert de Botton. On a personal level, my investing career started thanks to John Bennett – who spent 17 years at GAM managing European Equities and always spoke highly of the firm’s investment ethos. So, it really feels like a natural fit for us to be here.”

    “Our approach will remain consistent with our past. We are managing a concentrated, high-conviction portfolio of around 30 stocks, using our straightforward and repeatable ‘All-in’ framework, added David Barker. This combines expected earnings growth, cash return and valuation change to assess whether a company’s return potential exceeds that of the broader market.”

    A core, consistent and transparent investment process

    While the team brings a fresh perspective, they remain committed to delivering a core, flexible, style-agnostic strategy which builds on the legacies of both GAM and their own history as successful European equity investors. Their process is grounded in fundamental research and offers clear, data-driven insights for clients.

    David Barker highlighted, “We want to be open-source. That means sharing our investment insights, process and return assumptions with clients transparently and consistently across all our communications.”

    A turning point for Europe

    The team also believes the macro backdrop is shifting decisively in Europe’s favour.

    “For decades, cheap valuations alone weren’t enough to catalyse change in Europe. But that’s no longer the case. Geopolitical realignment sparked, in part, by the return of Donald Trump who has done more for EU unity than any post-war president,” said Jamie Ross. “We’re seeing a more assertive Europe: a looser fiscal stance in Germany, more coherent messaging from EU leaders, and growing momentum for innovation, investment, and regulatory simplification.”

    “Europe has a generational opportunity to redefine itself that demands cohesive action across industrial policy, energy security and tech sovereignty. These shifts will create a new generation of winners across the region. We believe this marks a key turning point for the European equity market.”

    Elmar Zumbuehl, Group CEO of GAM Investments, added “We are delighted to welcome Tom, Jamie and David to GAM. Their fresh approach, tight teamwork and use of advanced technology to focus on what really matters fully embraces the transformational changes underway in active investing. Their arrival significantly strengthens our specialist active equity offering and with investor interest returning to Europe, we see this as a powerful step forward for GAM’s specialist active equities platform and our clients.”

    Investors are encouraged to contact their local GAM relationship manager to learn more about the strategies or meet the team through upcoming events, webinars and roadshows.

    Editorial Information:

    Video: Introduction to European Equities at GAM – Tom O’Hara, David Barker and Jamie Ross. https://www.gam.com/en/introducing-gam-investments-european-equities-team

    Team Bios:

    • Tom O’Hara, Investment Director, is responsible for the management of European Equity funds at GAM, alongside Jamie Ross and David Barker. Before joining GAM Investments in May 2025, he spent 7 years managing European equity funds at Janus Henderson Investors. Prior to this, he spent 8 years as a sell side equity research analyst covering the metals and mining sector. He began his career in the treasury of Northern Rock plc. He has 19 years of financial industry experience and received his BA degree (Hons) in economics from Newcastle University. He is passionate about the role of emerging technologies in shaping active investing and was an early investor in Quartr, a Swedish fintech platform, where he continues to serve as a non-executive adviser.
    • David Barker, Investment Manager, is responsible for the management of European Equity funds at GAM. Before joining GAM Investments in May 2025, he was a Research Analyst on the European Equities Team at Janus Henderson Investors, a position he had held since 2021. Prior to this, he was Research Analyst specialising in Aerospace & Defence and Industrials at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he started in 2017. David graduated with a BA degree in History from Somerville College, University of Oxford and has 9 years of financial industry experience.
    • Jamie Ross, Investment Manager, is responsible for the management of European Equity funds at GAM. Before joining GAM Investments in May 2025, he was a Portfolio Manager on the European Equities Team at Janus Henderson Investors, a position he had held since 2016. Prior to this, he was a portfolio manager on the UK Equities Team, where he co-managed a UK equities pooled fund. He started his career with Henderson in 2007. Jamie graduated with a BA degree (Hons) in economics from Durham University. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and has 18 years of financial industry experience.

    For further information please contact:

    Colin Bennett | GAM Media Relations
    T +44 (0) 20 73 938 544 
    colin.bennett@gam.com

    Visit us: www.gam.com
    Follow us: X and LinkedIn

    About GAM

    GAM Investments is a highly scalable global investment platform with strong global distribution capabilities focusing on three core areas, Specialist Active Investing, Alternative Investing and Wealth Management, that is listed in Switzerland. It delivers distinctive and differentiated investment solutions across its Investment and Wealth Management businesses. Its purpose is to protect and enhance clients’ financial future. It attracts and empowers brightest minds to provide investment leadership, innovation and a positive impact on society and the environment. Total assets under management were CHF 16.3 billion as of 31 December 2024. GAM Investments has global distribution with offices in 14 countries and is geographically diverse with clients in almost every continent. Headquartered in Zurich, GAM Investments was founded in 1983, and its registered office is at Hardstrasse 201 Zurich, 8037 Switzerland. For more information about GAM Investments, please visit www.gam.com.

    Other Important Information

    This release contains or may contain statements that constitute forward-looking statements. Words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “expect”, “estimate”, “aim”, “project”, “forecast”, “risk”, “likely”, “intend”, “outlook”, “should”, “could”, “would”, “may”, “might”, “will”, “continue”, “plan”, “probability”, “indicative”, “seek”, “target”, “plan” and other similar expressions are intended to or may identify forward-looking statements.

    Any such statements in this release speak only as of the date hereof and are based on assumptions and contingencies subject to change without notice, as are statements about market and industry trends, projections, guidance, and estimates. Any forward-looking statements in this release are not indications, guarantees, assurances or predictions of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the person making such statements, its affiliates and its and their directors, officers, employees, agents and advisors and may involve significant elements of subjective judgement and assumptions as to future events which may or may not be correct and may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any such statements. You are strongly cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and no person accepts or assumes any liability in connection therewith.

    This release is not a financial product or investment advice, a recommendation to acquire, exchange or dispose of securities or accounting, legal or tax advice. It has been prepared without taking into account the objectives, legal, financial or tax situation and needs of individuals. Before making an investment decision, individuals should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to their own objectives, legal, financial and tax situation and needs and seek legal, tax and other advice as appropriate for their individual needs and jurisdiction.

    Attachments

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: President Lai meets delegation led by US House Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    Details
    2025-05-27
    President Lai meets and hosts luncheon for delegation led by Governor Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero of Guam
    On the morning of May 27, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Governor Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero of Guam and her husband, and hosted a luncheon for the delegation at noon. In remarks, President Lai noted that this is the governor’s first trip to Taiwan, fully demonstrating the Guam government’s support and high regard for Taiwan. The president said that Guam, being the closest United States territory to Taiwan, is an important bridge for collaboration between Taiwan and the US. He stated that aside from promoting tourism, we can also explore even more opportunities for collaboration in other areas to further advance industrial development for both sides. He said that, as we begin a new chapter, we look forward to working together to generate even more momentum in bilateral cooperation and exchanges. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I extend a warm welcome to Governor Leon Guerrero and her delegation. Last year, I transited through Guam en route for visits to Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in the Pacific. The enthusiastic reception I received from the government, legislature, people, and members of our overseas community in Guam was very touching and left me with a deep impression. During the morning tea reception hosted by Governor Leon Guerrero, we joined in singing our respective national anthems, as well as the Fanohge CHamoru. I also received at the Guam Legislature a copy of a Taiwan-friendly resolution it passed on behalf of the people of Taiwan. And I still remember to this day the striking scenery of the governor’s house and the warm reception I received there. It is therefore a great pleasure to meet with all of you today here at the Presidential Office. This is Governor Leon Guerrero’s first trip to Taiwan. Your visit fully demonstrates the Guam government’s support and high regard for Taiwan. As we begin a new chapter, we look forward to working with you to generate even more momentum in bilateral cooperation and exchanges. Taiwan and Guam are like family. We share the Austronesian spirit and culture. Our wide-ranging and mutually-beneficial collaboration is very fruitful. And now, we are facing the challenges of climate change, public health and medicine, and regional security together. The world is rapidly changing and tensions in the Indo-Pacific continue to rise. But if we combine our strengths, come together as one, and enhance cooperation, we can maintain regional peace, stability, and prosperity. Last Tuesday, I delivered an address on my first anniversary of taking office. I mentioned that for many years, Taiwan, the US, and our democratic partners have actively engaged in exchange and cooperation. Taking a market-oriented approach, we will promote an economic path of staying firmly rooted in Taiwan and expanding the global presence of our enterprises while strengthening ties with the US. Guam is the closest US territory to Taiwan. It is an important bridge for collaboration between Taiwan and the US. Last month, we were pleased to see United Airlines officially launch direct flights between Taipei and Guam. I believe this will benefit tourism and economic and trade exchanges for both sides. In the area of health care, many hospitals in Taiwan already offer referral services to patients from Guam. Both Governor Leon Guerrero and I have backgrounds in medicine. It is my hope that Taiwan and Guam can continue to work hand in hand to create even more positive outcomes from cooperation in public health and medical services. During the governor’s visit, aside from promoting tourism, we can also explore even more opportunities for collaboration in other areas. There is potential for more exchanges in aquaculture, food processing, hydroculture, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and recycling. This will further advance industrial development in Taiwan and Guam. In closing, I thank Governor Leon Guerrero and all our distinguished guests for backing Taiwan. I wish you all a smooth and successful visit.  Governor Leon Guerrero then delivered remarks, saying that she is very happy to come to Taiwan. She said that after learning during President Lai’s visit to Guam last year that he is a medical doctor, she felt more relaxed because healthcare colleagues are one in their endeavor to help enhance the health and well-being of people. She then expressed her heartfelt appreciation for the invitation to Taiwan.  Governor Leon Guerrero said that as they learn more about opportunities for collaboration with Taiwan, they are humbled by the hospitality they have experienced. In both of our islands, she said, hospitality is more than just a custom – it forms a part of our identities. She noted that despite being nearly 2,000 miles apart, we are connected by the Pacific Ocean and common roots, and our ancestors both value family, community, and tradition. That is why being here today, she said, she feels a strong sense of familiarity, like reconnecting with old friends. The governor remarked that Taiwan has evolved so quickly in all areas of essential life, sustenance, economy, and prosperity, adding that Taiwan’s resources in such areas as health, education, data, AI, advanced technology, aquaculture, agriculture, and commerce enhance our economic stability. She stated her belief that in collaboration and support, and working with each other, we can gain prosperity, maintain freedom and democracy, and live in peace.  Governor Leon Guerrero stated that their delegation is here to see how they can partner with Taiwan to help raise the quality of life for both our peoples, mentioning that one special concern of theirs is tourism. Tourism, she said, is the most influential engine and driver for the economy and quality of life in Guam, but they cannot have a vibrant economy and tourism without air connectivity. She added that they are prepared to help in any way to provide incentives and low-cost fees so that they can get more airlines from Taiwan to establish permanent flight schedules to Guam, so as to drive development in Guam’s tourism industry. Governor Leon Guerrero then proceeded to introduce each of the members of her delegation before remarking that while they have been very busy on this visit they are always reminded of the freedom and democracy that the people must protect. She said she looks forward to a great, strong relationship between Taiwan and Guam in cooperation on social and economic issues, in culture, marketing, tourism, and freedom and democracy. Among those in attendance were First Gentleman Jeffrey A. Cook, Chief of Staff Jon Junior Calvo, Director of the Department of Administration Edward Birn, General Manager of the Guam Visitors Bureau Regine Biscoe Lee, Deputy Executive Manager of the Guam International Airport Authority Artemio “Ricky” Hernandez, Board of Directors Chairman of the Guam International Airport Authority Brian J. Bamba, Deputy General Manager of the Guam Economic Development Authority Carlos Bordallo, Director of Landscape Management Systems Guam Bob Salas, Chairperson of the Guam Chamber of Commerce Tae Oh, President of the University of Guam Anita Borja Enriquez, and Director of the Guam Taiwan Office Felix Yen (嚴樹芬). After the meeting, President Lai, accompanied by Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao, hosted a luncheon for Governor Leon Guerrero, her husband, and the delegation.

    Details
    2025-05-27
    President Lai meets delegation from European Parliament
    On the morning of May 27, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation from the European Parliament. In remarks, President Lai thanked the European Parliament for continuing to pay close attention to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and voice support for Taiwan. The president expressed hope for an even closer relationship and diversified cooperation between Taiwan and the European Union. The president said that Taiwan and the EU can work together in such areas as semiconductors, AI, and green energy to create more resilient supply chains for global democracies and contribute to global prosperity and development. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I warmly welcome our guests to the Presidential Office. After being elected last year, MEPs Reinis Pozņaks and Beatrice Timgren are making their first visits to Taiwan, demonstrating support for Taiwan through concrete action. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I extend my sincerest welcome and appreciation. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the European Parliament for continuing to pay close attention to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Just last month, the European Parliament adopted resolutions with regard to annual reports on the implementation of the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy and Common Security and Defence Policy. These resolutions reaffirmed the EU’s steadfast commitment to maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. The European Parliament also condemned China for continuing to take provocative military actions against Taiwan and emphasized that Taiwan is a key democratic partner in the Indo-Pacific region. It called on the EU and its member states to continue working closely with Taiwan to strengthen economic, trade, and investment ties. Once again, I thank the European Parliament for voicing support for Taiwan. Just as MEPs Pozņaks and Timgren are visiting Taiwan to strengthen Taiwan-EU exchanges, our Minister of Economic Affairs Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝) also led a delegation to Europe last year, marking the first in-person dialogue between high-ranking economic and trade officials of Taiwan and the EU. Moving ahead, we look forward to bringing Taiwan-EU ties even closer and to diversifying our cooperation. The EU is Taiwan’s largest source of foreign investment. Both sides are highly complementary in such areas as semiconductors, AI, and green energy. Through our joint efforts, we can create more resilient supply chains for global democracies and further contribute to global prosperity and development. Looking ahead, I hope that MEPs Pozņaks and Timgren will continue to make the case in the European Parliament for the signing of a Taiwan-EU economic partnership agreement. This would not only yield mutually beneficial development, but also consolidate economic security and boost international competitiveness for both sides. In closing, I am sure that you will gain a deeper understanding of Taiwan through this visit. Please feel welcome to come back as often as possible as we continue to elevate Taiwan-EU ties.  MEP Pozņaks then delivered remarks, saying that it is a great honor to be here and thanking everybody involved in arranging this trip that allows them the opportunity to better know Taiwan. He added that it is definitely not the last time they will be here, as Taiwan is a very beautiful country. MEP Pozņaks mentioned that he comes from Latvia, and despite their being on the other side of the world, they know how the Taiwanese people feel, because they also have a big neighbor who is claiming that Latvia belongs to them. Unfortunately, he said, there is already war in Europe, but he is confident that their situation is similar to Taiwan’s, adding that they have a neighbor who uses disinformation attacks. MEP Pozņaks said that we live in very challenging times, and that our choices will define the future of the world, asking whether it will be a world where the rule of law prevails or where physical power and aggression succeeds. Coming from a small country, he said he clearly understands that for them there is no other possibility; they must protect the world where the rule of law prevails. That is why now, he emphasized, it is very crucial for all democracies around the world to stick together to protect our freedoms, values, and democracy. MEP Timgren then delivered remarks, thanking President Lai for meeting with them and saying it is a big honor. Noting that they arrived here two days ago and that while she really loves Taiwan, its food, and the good weather, she stated that the reason they are here is because of the values that we share, our good relationships, and solidarity with other democratic countries in the world, which is important for them in Europe and in Sweden. MEP Timgren, referring to MEP Pozņaks’s earlier remarks, said that they face a big threat from Russia that is discernible even in the European Parliament. Actually, she pointed out, there is a war inside Europe that shows us how important it is that we support one another. She said that the Russian people thought it would be easy to take over Ukraine, but it was not, because all European countries stepped up and provided weapons and support. And that is why, MEP Timgren said, it is important that democratic countries maintain good relationships and let China and Russia see that we have good relationships, because a part of defense is solidarity. In closing, she expressed her gratitude for having the honor to be here in this beautiful country.

    Details
    2025-05-20
    President Lai hosts state banquet for President Surangel Whipps Jr. of Republic of Palau
    On the evening of May 20, President Lai Ching-te, accompanied by Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao, hosted a state banquet at the Presidential Office in honor of President Surangel Whipps Jr. of the Republic of Palau and his wife. In remarks, President Lai said that he looks forward to working closely with President Whipps to promote tourism exchanges and sports cooperation so that Taiwan and Palau shine brightly together on the international stage. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: It is a pleasure to host this banquet tonight at the Presidential Office for President Whipps, First Lady Valerie Whipps, and the esteemed members of their delegation. Welcome to Taiwan. During my trips to Palau in 2022 and last year, President and First Lady Whipps received me with great hospitality. Wearing my island shirt, I enjoyed a very friendly reception from the people of Palau. It felt warm and friendly, just like being welcomed back home. The first time I visited Palau, President Whipps and I piloted a boat to the Milky Way lagoon. We both tried volcanic mud facial masks. We also fished together and enjoyed the breeze as we walked on the beach. Last year, on my second visit to Palau, I was honored to be invited to address the National Congress. I also observed the results of the close bilateral cooperation between our two nations. Due to its world-famous ocean scenery, Palau is sometimes referred to as “God’s aquarium.” And it is even possible to snorkel with sharks. It leaves a deep impression. Nothing compares to seeing Palau firsthand. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan and Palau launched a travel bubble that created a safe means of travel. Now, with the pandemic behind us, I hope that even more Taiwanese can tour Palau and gain a greater understanding of our diplomatic ally. In addition to tourism exchanges, I mentioned on my visit to Palau last year that I hoped Taiwan and Palau could promote sports cooperation by providing training away from home. Next month, Palau will be holding the Pacific Mini Games. And right now, Palau’s national baseball and table tennis teams are holding training sessions here in Taiwan. We will do our utmost to support Palau’s national players and we hope they stand out and achieve outstanding results in the events. I look forward to working closely with President Whipps so that Taiwan and Palau shine brightly together on the international stage. Thank you! Mesulang! President Whipps then delivered remarks, saying that it is truly an honor to be here once again one year after President Lai’s inauguration. Mentioning that this is his first state visit after being reelected to a second term, he said that it is important to be here among friends, and that we are more than friends, we are family. He thanked President Lai for the generous words and, most importantly, Taiwan’s enduring support. He remarked that our relationship continues to get stronger in each passing year. President Whipps said that President Lai’s diplomacy initiative, leadership, and vision deeply resonate with them. Diplomacy must be rooted in our shared values, he said, and an unwavering support for our allies and a commitment to a sustainable, inclusive development are all deeply appreciated by their people. President Whipps emphasized that, as we look into the future and the challenges that we face, from security to climate change, it is so important that we are united. He added that it is important for the world, and especially important for them in Palau, that they stand up for Taiwan, so that Taiwan can participate on international fora that address climate change, security, and health, because they know the world is better when Taiwan has a seat at the table. Mentioning that Palau will host the Pacific Islands Forum next year, President Whipps said that Palau remains committed to working closely with Taiwan to ensure a successful event, and that they will continue to speak up for Taiwan’s indispensable contributions as we stand together against any efforts to silence or isolate democratic partners. President Whipps said that our nations have navigated challenges and emerged stronger, bound by a partnership that is built on trust, respect, and hope for a better world. Whether it is in clean energy, education, smart medicine, or tourism, our shared journey is just beginning, he said, and we are stronger together.  Also in attendance at the banquet were Palauan Minister of State Gustav Aitaro, Minister of Public Infrastructure and Industries Charles Obichang, Minister of Human Resources, Culture, Tourism and Development Ngiraibelas Tmetuchl, Senate Floor Leader Kerai Mariur, House of Delegates Floor Leader Warren Umetaro, High Chief of Ngiwal State Elliot Udui, Governor of Peleliu State Emais Roberts, and Governor of Koror State Eyos Rudimch.

    Details
    2025-05-20
    President Lai and President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr. of Palau hold bilateral talks and witness signing of cooperation agreements  
    On the afternoon of May 20, following a welcome ceremony with military honors for President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr. of the Republic of Palau and his wife, President Lai Ching-te, accompanied by Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao, held bilateral talks with President Whipps at the Presidential Office. The two leaders also jointly witnessed the signing of a technical cooperation agreement and an agreement on diplomatic staff training cooperation. In remarks, President Lai thanked Palau for standing firm in its backing of Taiwan’s international participation as geopolitical tensions continue to increase in the Pacific region. He added that he looks forward to the cooperative ties between Taiwan and Palau continuing to expand into even broader areas, allowing our economies and societies to further progress as we jointly advance peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I welcome our guests to Taiwan once again. Last year on May 20, President Whipps led a delegation to attend the inauguration ceremony for myself and Vice President Hsiao. I am delighted, on the anniversary of my first year in office, to meet with old friends of Taiwan again, as President Whipps returns for this visit. Taiwan-Palau relations have grown even closer in recent years thanks to the strong support of President Whipps. In 2022, during my term as vice president, I led a delegation to Palau as a demonstration of how our nations were together boosting tourism development as we jointly faced the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Every time I visit Palau, and every time I meet with President Whipps, I feel very deeply that Taiwan and Palau are like family. We are both maritime nations and share a common Austronesian heritage and culture. We are also staunch partners in upholding such values as freedom, democracy, and respect for human rights. Last December, when I went on my first overseas trip since taking office, one of the nations I visited was Palau. We celebrated the 30th anniversary of Palau’s independence and 25 years of diplomatic relations, underscoring our friendly ties. Taiwan and Palau enjoy close exchanges and cooperation in a range of areas, including climate change, education, agriculture and fisheries, healthcare, humanitarian assistance, sports, and culture. After this meeting, President Whipps and I will witness the signing of a technical cooperation agreement and an agreement on diplomatic staff training cooperation, demonstrating once again our diverse collaboration and strong friendship. I believe that by working together, Taiwan and Palau can contribute to each other’s development and overcome the regional and global challenges we currently face. In particular, as geopolitical tensions continue to increase in the Pacific region, Palau has wisely and courageously upheld democratic values and stood firm in its backing of Taiwan’s international participation. Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan, including at the United Nations General Assembly, the World Health Organization, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties, and the UN Ocean Conference. We have been deeply moved by this support. I thank President Whipps again for his high regard and support for Taiwan. I look forward to the cooperative ties between our nations continuing to expand into even broader areas. This will allow our economies and societies to further progress as we jointly advance peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. President Whipps then delivered remarks, saying that it is a great honor for him to be here, standing in this historic place – a symbol of strength, resilience, and the democratic spirit of the Taiwanese people. On behalf of the government of Palau, President Whipps extended heartfelt gratitude to President Lai and the people of Taiwan for the warm welcome and gracious hospitality toward him and his delegation. President Whipps then extended sincere thanks for President Lai’s visit to Palau in December – his second visit to Palau – and for having Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) attend his inauguration as a special envoy. He added that this also marks his third visit to Taiwan since President Lai took office, saying that this demonstrates the strength of our growing relationship. President Whipps indicated that the increased engagements and numerous entrepreneurs that President Lai has brought from Taiwan to Palau have resulted in fruitful visits, and that President Lai’s leadership represents hope, unity, and continued advancement of democracy and freedom, not only for Taiwan, but for the broader Indo-Pacific region. President Whipps went on to say that this visit to Taiwan reaffirms our deep friendship and shared values between our two nations. He emphasized that Palau and Taiwan are bound not by proximity, but by purpose, in that both are island nations and believe in human dignity, the rule of law, and the right of our people to determine their own futures. President Whipps stated that although we are celebrating 26 years of diplomatic relations, Taiwan has been a steadfast partner of Palau for decades, and that one of the MOUs they are signing further extends the relationship that began in December of 1984. From healthcare and medical missions, to education, agriculture, renewable energy, infrastructure, the private sector, tourism development, and climate resilience, he said, our cooperation has improved lives and strengthened our communities. The president also indicated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan stood with Palau, noting that both sides began the tourism bubble, and that President Lai came to Palau to reopen the two weekly direct flights that have now been increased to four. That solidarity will never be forgotten, he said. As the world faces growing uncertainty and complex challenges from climate change to global tensions, President Whipps said, this friendship becomes even more vital. The president concluded his remarks by expressing hope that both nations continue to stand together, work together, and advocate together for peace, prosperity, and for the right of small nations to be seen, heard, and respected. After the bilateral talks, President Lai and President Whipps witnessed the signing of the technical cooperation agreement and the agreement on diplomatic staff training cooperation by Minister Lin and Palauan Minister of State Gustav Aitaro. The delegation also included Palauan Minister of Public Infrastructure and Industries Charles Obichang, Minister of Human Resources, Culture, Tourism and Development Ngiraibelas Tmetuchl, Senate Floor Leader Kerai Mariur, House of Delegates Floor Leader Warren Umetaro, High Chief of Ngiwal State Elliot Udui, Governor of Peleliu State Emais Roberts, and Governor of Koror State Eyos Rudimch.  

    Details
    2025-05-20
    President Lai interviewed by Nippon Television and Yomiuri TV
    In a recent interview on Nippon Television’s news zero program, President Lai Ching-te responded to questions from host Mr. Sakurai Sho and Yomiuri TV Shanghai Bureau Chief Watanabe Masayo on topics including reflections on his first year in office, cross-strait relations, China’s military threats, Taiwan-United States relations, and Taiwan-Japan relations. The interview was broadcast on the evening of May 19. During the interview, President Lai stated that China intends to change the world’s rules-based international order, and that if Taiwan were invaded, global supply chains would be disrupted. Therefore, he said, Taiwan will strengthen its national defense, prevent war by preparing for war, and achieve the goal of peace. The president also noted that Taiwan’s purpose for developing drones is based on national security and industrial needs, and that Taiwan hopes to collaborate with Japan. He then reiterated that China’s threats are an international problem, and expressed hope to work together with the US, Japan, and others in the global democratic community to prevent China from starting a war. Following is the text of the questions and the president’s responses: Q: How do you feel as you are about to round out your first year in office? President Lai: When I was young, I was determined to practice medicine and save lives. When I left medicine to go into politics, I was determined to transform Taiwan. And when I was sworn in as president on May 20 last year, I was determined to strengthen the nation. Time flies, and it has already been a year. Although the process has been very challenging, I am deeply honored to be a part of it. I am also profoundly grateful to our citizens for allowing me the opportunity to give back to our country. The future will certainly be full of more challenges, but I will do everything I can to unite the people and continue strengthening the nation. That is how I am feeling now. Q: We are now coming up on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, and over this period, we have often heard that conflict between Taiwan and the mainland is imminent. Do you personally believe that a cross-strait conflict could happen? President Lai: The international community is very much aware that China intends to replace the US and change the world’s rules-based international order, and annexing Taiwan is just the first step. So, as China’s military power grows stronger, some members of the international community are naturally on edge about whether a cross-strait conflict will break out. The international community must certainly do everything in its power to avoid a conflict in the Taiwan Strait; there is too great a cost. Besides causing direct disasters to both Taiwan and China, the impact on the global economy would be even greater, with estimated losses of US$10 trillion from war alone – that is roughly 10 percent of the global GDP. Additionally, 20 percent of global shipping passes through the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, so if a conflict breaks out in the strait, other countries including Japan and Korea would suffer a grave impact. For Japan and Korea, a quarter of external transit passes through the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, and a third of the various energy resources and minerals shipped back from other countries pass through said areas. If Taiwan were invaded, global supply chains would be disrupted, and therefore conflict in the Taiwan Strait must be avoided. Such a conflict is indeed avoidable. I am very thankful to Prime Minister of Japan Ishiba Shigeru and former Prime Ministers Abe Shinzo, Suga Yoshihide, and Kishida Fumio, as well as US President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden, and the other G7 leaders, for continuing to emphasize at international venues that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are essential components for global security and prosperity. When everyone in the global democratic community works together, stacking up enough strength to make China’s objectives unattainable or to make the cost of invading Taiwan too high for it to bear, a conflict in the strait can naturally be avoided. Q: As you said, President Lai, maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is also very important for other countries. How can war be avoided? What sort of countermeasures is Taiwan prepared to take to prevent war? President Lai: As Mr. Sakurai mentioned earlier, we are coming up on the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. There are many lessons we can take from that war. First is that peace is priceless, and war has no winners. From the tragedies of WWII, there are lessons that humanity should learn. We must pursue peace, and not start wars blindly, as that would be a major disaster for humanity. In other words, we must be determined to safeguard peace. The second lesson is that we cannot be complacent toward authoritarian powers. If you give them an inch, they will take a mile. They will keep growing, and eventually, not only will peace be unattainable, but war will be inevitable. The third lesson is why WWII ended: It ended because different groups joined together in solidarity. Taiwan, Japan, and the Indo-Pacific region are all directly subjected to China’s threats, so we hope to be able to join together in cooperation. This is why we proposed the Four Pillars of Peace action plan. First, we will strengthen our national defense. Second, we will strengthen economic resilience. Third is standing shoulder to shoulder with the democratic community to demonstrate the strength of deterrence. Fourth is that as long as China treats Taiwan with parity and dignity, Taiwan is willing to conduct exchanges and cooperate with China, and seek peace and mutual prosperity. These four pillars can help us avoid war and achieve peace. That is to say, Taiwan hopes to achieve peace through strength, prevent war by preparing for war, keeping war from happening and pursuing the goal of peace. Q: Regarding drones, everyone knows that recently, Taiwan has been actively researching, developing, and introducing drones. Why do you need to actively research, develop, and introduce new drones at this time? President Lai: This is for two purposes. The first is to meet national security needs. The second is to meet industrial development needs. Because Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines are all part of the first island chain, and we are all democratic nations, we cannot be like an authoritarian country like China, which has an unlimited national defense budget. In this kind of situation, island nations such as Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines should leverage their own technologies to develop national defense methods that are asymmetric and utilize unmanned vehicles. In particular, from the Russo-Ukrainian War, we see that Ukraine has successfully utilized unmanned vehicles to protect itself and prevent Russia from unlimited invasion. In other words, the Russo-Ukrainian War has already proven the importance of drones. Therefore, the first purpose of developing drones is based on national security needs. Second, the world has already entered the era of smart technology. Whether generative, agentic, or physical, AI will continue to develop. In the future, cars and ships will also evolve into unmanned vehicles and unmanned boats, and there will be unmanned factories. Drones will even be able to assist with postal deliveries, or services like Uber, Uber Eats, and foodpanda, or agricultural irrigation and pesticide spraying. Therefore, in the future era of comprehensive smart technology, developing unmanned vehicles is a necessity. Taiwan, based on industrial needs, is actively planning the development of drones and unmanned vehicles. I would like to take this opportunity to express Taiwan’s hope to collaborate with Japan in the unmanned vehicle industry. Just as we do in the semiconductor industry, where Japan has raw materials, equipment, and technology, and Taiwan has wafer manufacturing, our two countries can cooperate. Japan is a technological power, and Taiwan also has significant technological strengths. If Taiwan and Japan work together, we will not only be able to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and security in the Indo-Pacific region, but it will also be very helpful for the industrial development of both countries. Q: The drones you just described probably include examples from the Russo-Ukrainian War. Taiwan and China are separated by the Taiwan Strait. Do our drones need to have cross-sea flight capabilities? President Lai: Taiwan does not intend to counterattack the mainland, and does not intend to invade any country. Taiwan’s drones are meant to protect our own nation and territory. Q: Former President Biden previously stated that US forces would assist Taiwan’s defense in the event of an attack. President Trump, however, has yet to clearly state that the US would help defend Taiwan. Do you think that in such an event, the US would help defend Taiwan? Or is Taiwan now trying to persuade the US? President Lai: Former President Biden and President Trump have answered questions from reporters. Although their responses were different, strong cooperation with Taiwan under the Biden administration has continued under the Trump administration; there has been no change. During President Trump’s first term, cooperation with Taiwan was broader and deeper compared to former President Barack Obama’s terms. After former President Biden took office, cooperation with Taiwan increased compared to President Trump’s first term. Now, during President Trump’s second term, cooperation with Taiwan is even greater than under former President Biden. Taiwan-US cooperation continues to grow stronger, and has not changed just because President Trump and former President Biden gave different responses to reporters. Furthermore, the Trump administration publicly stated that in the future, the US will shift its strategic focus from Europe to the Indo-Pacific. The US secretary of defense even publicly stated that the primary mission of the US is to prevent China from invading Taiwan, maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific, and thus maintain world peace. There is a saying in Taiwan that goes, “Help comes most to those who help themselves.” Before asking friends and allies for assistance in facing threats from China, Taiwan must first be determined and prepared to defend itself. This is Taiwan’s principle, and we are working in this direction, making all the necessary preparations to safeguard the nation. Q: I would like to ask you a question about Taiwan-Japan relations. After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, you made an appeal to give Japan a great deal of assistance and care. In particular, you visited Sendai to offer condolences. Later, you also expressed condolences and concern after the earthquakes in Aomori and Kumamoto. What are your expectations for future Taiwan-Japan exchanges and development? President Lai: I come from Tainan, and my constituency is in Tainan. Tainan has very deep ties with Japan, and of course, Taiwan also has deep ties with Japan. However, among Taiwan’s 22 counties and cities, Tainan has the deepest relationship with Japan. I sincerely hope that both of you and your teams will have an opportunity to visit Tainan. I will introduce Tainan’s scenery, including architecture from the era of Japanese rule, Tainan’s cuisine, and unique aspects of Tainan society, and you can also see lifestyles and culture from the Showa era.  The Wushantou Reservoir in Tainan was completed by engineer Mr. Hatta Yoichi from Kanazawa, Japan and the team he led to Tainan after he graduated from then-Tokyo Imperial University. It has nearly a century of history and is still in use today. This reservoir, along with the 16,000-km-long Chianan Canal, transformed the 150,000-hectare Chianan Plain into Taiwan’s premier rice-growing area. It was that foundation in agriculture that enabled Taiwan to develop industry and the technology sector of today. The reservoir continues to supply water to Tainan Science Park. It is used by residents of Tainan, the agricultural sector, and industry, and even the technology sector in Xinshi Industrial Park, as well as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Because of this, the people of Tainan are deeply grateful for Mr. Hatta and very friendly toward the people of Japan. A major earthquake, the largest in 50 years, struck Tainan on February 6, 2016, resulting in significant casualties. As mayor of Tainan at the time, I was extremely grateful to then-Prime Minister Abe, who sent five Japanese officials to the disaster site in Tainan the day after the earthquake. They were very thoughtful and asked what kind of assistance we needed from the Japanese government. They offered to provide help based on what we needed. I was deeply moved, as former Prime Minister Abe showed such care, going beyond the formality of just sending supplies that we may or may not have actually needed. Instead, the officials asked what we needed and then provided assistance based on those needs, which really moved me. Similarly, when the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 or the later Kumamoto earthquakes struck, the people of Tainan, under my leadership, naturally and dutifully expressed their support. Even earlier, when central Taiwan was hit by a major earthquake in 1999, Japan was the first country to deploy a rescue team to the disaster area. On February 6, 2018, after a major earthquake in Hualien, former Prime Minister Abe appeared in a video holding up a message of encouragement he had written in calligraphy saying “Remain strong, Taiwan.” All of Taiwan was deeply moved. Over the years, Taiwan and Japan have supported each other when earthquakes struck, and have forged bonds that are family-like, not just neighborly. This is truly valuable. In the future, I hope Taiwan and Japan can be like brothers, and that the peoples of Taiwan and Japan can treat one another like family. If Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem; if Japan has a problem, then Taiwan has a problem. By caring for and helping each other, we can face various challenges and difficulties, and pursue a brighter future. Q: President Lai, you just used the phrase “If Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem.” In the event that China attempts to invade Taiwan by force, what kind of response measures would you hope the US military and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces take? President Lai: As I just mentioned, annexing Taiwan is only China’s first step. Its ultimate objective is to change the rules-based international order. That being the case, China’s threats are an international problem. So, I would very much hope to work together with the US, Japan, and others in the global democratic community to prevent China from starting a war – prevention, after all, is more important than cure.

    Details
    2025-05-20
    President Lai interviewed by Nippon Television and Yomiuri TV
    In a recent interview on Nippon Television’s news zero program, President Lai Ching-te responded to questions from host Mr. Sakurai Sho and Yomiuri TV Shanghai Bureau Chief Watanabe Masayo on topics including reflections on his first year in office, cross-strait relations, China’s military threats, Taiwan-United States relations, and Taiwan-Japan relations. The interview was broadcast on the evening of May 19. During the interview, President Lai stated that China intends to change the world’s rules-based international order, and that if Taiwan were invaded, global supply chains would be disrupted. Therefore, he said, Taiwan will strengthen its national defense, prevent war by preparing for war, and achieve the goal of peace. The president also noted that Taiwan’s purpose for developing drones is based on national security and industrial needs, and that Taiwan hopes to collaborate with Japan. He then reiterated that China’s threats are an international problem, and expressed hope to work together with the US, Japan, and others in the global democratic community to prevent China from starting a war. Following is the text of the questions and the president’s responses: Q: How do you feel as you are about to round out your first year in office? President Lai: When I was young, I was determined to practice medicine and save lives. When I left medicine to go into politics, I was determined to transform Taiwan. And when I was sworn in as president on May 20 last year, I was determined to strengthen the nation. Time flies, and it has already been a year. Although the process has been very challenging, I am deeply honored to be a part of it. I am also profoundly grateful to our citizens for allowing me the opportunity to give back to our country. The future will certainly be full of more challenges, but I will do everything I can to unite the people and continue strengthening the nation. That is how I am feeling now. Q: We are now coming up on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, and over this period, we have often heard that conflict between Taiwan and the mainland is imminent. Do you personally believe that a cross-strait conflict could happen? President Lai: The international community is very much aware that China intends to replace the US and change the world’s rules-based international order, and annexing Taiwan is just the first step. So, as China’s military power grows stronger, some members of the international community are naturally on edge about whether a cross-strait conflict will break out. The international community must certainly do everything in its power to avoid a conflict in the Taiwan Strait; there is too great a cost. Besides causing direct disasters to both Taiwan and China, the impact on the global economy would be even greater, with estimated losses of US$10 trillion from war alone – that is roughly 10 percent of the global GDP. Additionally, 20 percent of global shipping passes through the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, so if a conflict breaks out in the strait, other countries including Japan and Korea would suffer a grave impact. For Japan and Korea, a quarter of external transit passes through the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, and a third of the various energy resources and minerals shipped back from other countries pass through said areas. If Taiwan were invaded, global supply chains would be disrupted, and therefore conflict in the Taiwan Strait must be avoided. Such a conflict is indeed avoidable. I am very thankful to Prime Minister of Japan Ishiba Shigeru and former Prime Ministers Abe Shinzo, Suga Yoshihide, and Kishida Fumio, as well as US President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden, and the other G7 leaders, for continuing to emphasize at international venues that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are essential components for global security and prosperity. When everyone in the global democratic community works together, stacking up enough strength to make China’s objectives unattainable or to make the cost of invading Taiwan too high for it to bear, a conflict in the strait can naturally be avoided. Q: As you said, President Lai, maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is also very important for other countries. How can war be avoided? What sort of countermeasures is Taiwan prepared to take to prevent war? President Lai: As Mr. Sakurai mentioned earlier, we are coming up on the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. There are many lessons we can take from that war. First is that peace is priceless, and war has no winners. From the tragedies of WWII, there are lessons that humanity should learn. We must pursue peace, and not start wars blindly, as that would be a major disaster for humanity. In other words, we must be determined to safeguard peace. The second lesson is that we cannot be complacent toward authoritarian powers. If you give them an inch, they will take a mile. They will keep growing, and eventually, not only will peace be unattainable, but war will be inevitable. The third lesson is why WWII ended: It ended because different groups joined together in solidarity. Taiwan, Japan, and the Indo-Pacific region are all directly subjected to China’s threats, so we hope to be able to join together in cooperation. This is why we proposed the Four Pillars of Peace action plan. First, we will strengthen our national defense. Second, we will strengthen economic resilience. Third is standing shoulder to shoulder with the democratic community to demonstrate the strength of deterrence. Fourth is that as long as China treats Taiwan with parity and dignity, Taiwan is willing to conduct exchanges and cooperate with China, and seek peace and mutual prosperity. These four pillars can help us avoid war and achieve peace. That is to say, Taiwan hopes to achieve peace through strength, prevent war by preparing for war, keeping war from happening and pursuing the goal of peace. Q: Regarding drones, everyone knows that recently, Taiwan has been actively researching, developing, and introducing drones. Why do you need to actively research, develop, and introduce new drones at this time? President Lai: This is for two purposes. The first is to meet national security needs. The second is to meet industrial development needs. Because Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines are all part of the first island chain, and we are all democratic nations, we cannot be like an authoritarian country like China, which has an unlimited national defense budget. In this kind of situation, island nations such as Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines should leverage their own technologies to develop national defense methods that are asymmetric and utilize unmanned vehicles. In particular, from the Russo-Ukrainian War, we see that Ukraine has successfully utilized unmanned vehicles to protect itself and prevent Russia from unlimited invasion. In other words, the Russo-Ukrainian War has already proven the importance of drones. Therefore, the first purpose of developing drones is based on national security needs. Second, the world has already entered the era of smart technology. Whether generative, agentic, or physical, AI will continue to develop. In the future, cars and ships will also evolve into unmanned vehicles and unmanned boats, and there will be unmanned factories. Drones will even be able to assist with postal deliveries, or services like Uber, Uber Eats, and foodpanda, or agricultural irrigation and pesticide spraying. Therefore, in the future era of comprehensive smart technology, developing unmanned vehicles is a necessity. Taiwan, based on industrial needs, is actively planning the development of drones and unmanned vehicles. I would like to take this opportunity to express Taiwan’s hope to collaborate with Japan in the unmanned vehicle industry. Just as we do in the semiconductor industry, where Japan has raw materials, equipment, and technology, and Taiwan has wafer manufacturing, our two countries can cooperate. Japan is a technological power, and Taiwan also has significant technological strengths. If Taiwan and Japan work together, we will not only be able to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and security in the Indo-Pacific region, but it will also be very helpful for the industrial development of both countries. Q: The drones you just described probably include examples from the Russo-Ukrainian War. Taiwan and China are separated by the Taiwan Strait. Do our drones need to have cross-sea flight capabilities? President Lai: Taiwan does not intend to counterattack the mainland, and does not intend to invade any country. Taiwan’s drones are meant to protect our own nation and territory. Q: Former President Biden previously stated that US forces would assist Taiwan’s defense in the event of an attack. President Trump, however, has yet to clearly state that the US would help defend Taiwan. Do you think that in such an event, the US would help defend Taiwan? Or is Taiwan now trying to persuade the US? President Lai: Former President Biden and President Trump have answered questions from reporters. Although their responses were different, strong cooperation with Taiwan under the Biden administration has continued under the Trump administration; there has been no change. During President Trump’s first term, cooperation with Taiwan was broader and deeper compared to former President Barack Obama’s terms. After former President Biden took office, cooperation with Taiwan increased compared to President Trump’s first term. Now, during President Trump’s second term, cooperation with Taiwan is even greater than under former President Biden. Taiwan-US cooperation continues to grow stronger, and has not changed just because President Trump and former President Biden gave different responses to reporters. Furthermore, the Trump administration publicly stated that in the future, the US will shift its strategic focus from Europe to the Indo-Pacific. The US secretary of defense even publicly stated that the primary mission of the US is to prevent China from invading Taiwan, maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific, and thus maintain world peace. There is a saying in Taiwan that goes, “Help comes most to those who help themselves.” Before asking friends and allies for assistance in facing threats from China, Taiwan must first be determined and prepared to defend itself. This is Taiwan’s principle, and we are working in this direction, making all the necessary preparations to safeguard the nation. Q: I would like to ask you a question about Taiwan-Japan relations. After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, you made an appeal to give Japan a great deal of assistance and care. In particular, you visited Sendai to offer condolences. Later, you also expressed condolences and concern after the earthquakes in Aomori and Kumamoto. What are your expectations for future Taiwan-Japan exchanges and development? President Lai: I come from Tainan, and my constituency is in Tainan. Tainan has very deep ties with Japan, and of course, Taiwan also has deep ties with Japan. However, among Taiwan’s 22 counties and cities, Tainan has the deepest relationship with Japan. I sincerely hope that both of you and your teams will have an opportunity to visit Tainan. I will introduce Tainan’s scenery, including architecture from the era of Japanese rule, Tainan’s cuisine, and unique aspects of Tainan society, and you can also see lifestyles and culture from the Showa era.  The Wushantou Reservoir in Tainan was completed by engineer Mr. Hatta Yoichi from Kanazawa, Japan and the team he led to Tainan after he graduated from then-Tokyo Imperial University. It has nearly a century of history and is still in use today. This reservoir, along with the 16,000-km-long Chianan Canal, transformed the 150,000-hectare Chianan Plain into Taiwan’s premier rice-growing area. It was that foundation in agriculture that enabled Taiwan to develop industry and the technology sector of today. The reservoir continues to supply water to Tainan Science Park. It is used by residents of Tainan, the agricultural sector, and industry, and even the technology sector in Xinshi Industrial Park, as well as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Because of this, the people of Tainan are deeply grateful for Mr. Hatta and very friendly toward the people of Japan. A major earthquake, the largest in 50 years, struck Tainan on February 6, 2016, resulting in significant casualties. As mayor of Tainan at the time, I was extremely grateful to then-Prime Minister Abe, who sent five Japanese officials to the disaster site in Tainan the day after the earthquake. They were very thoughtful and asked what kind of assistance we needed from the Japanese government. They offered to provide help based on what we needed. I was deeply moved, as former Prime Minister Abe showed such care, going beyond the formality of just sending supplies that we may or may not have actually needed. Instead, the officials asked what we needed and then provided assistance based on those needs, which really moved me. Similarly, when the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 or the later Kumamoto earthquakes struck, the people of Tainan, under my leadership, naturally and dutifully expressed their support. Even earlier, when central Taiwan was hit by a major earthquake in 1999, Japan was the first country to deploy a rescue team to the disaster area. On February 6, 2018, after a major earthquake in Hualien, former Prime Minister Abe appeared in a video holding up a message of encouragement he had written in calligraphy saying “Remain strong, Taiwan.” All of Taiwan was deeply moved. Over the years, Taiwan and Japan have supported each other when earthquakes struck, and have forged bonds that are family-like, not just neighborly. This is truly valuable. In the future, I hope Taiwan and Japan can be like brothers, and that the peoples of Taiwan and Japan can treat one another like family. If Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem; if Japan has a problem, then Taiwan has a problem. By caring for and helping each other, we can face various challenges and difficulties, and pursue a brighter future. Q: President Lai, you just used the phrase “If Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem.” In the event that China attempts to invade Taiwan by force, what kind of response measures would you hope the US military and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces take? President Lai: As I just mentioned, annexing Taiwan is only China’s first step. Its ultimate objective is to change the rules-based international order. That being the case, China’s threats are an international problem. So, I would very much hope to work together with the US, Japan, and others in the global democratic community to prevent China from starting a war – prevention, after all, is more important than cure.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • Trump administration moves to cut all remaining federal contracts with Harvard

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration plans to terminate the federal government’s remaining contracts with Harvard University, according to a letter sent to federal agencies on Tuesday.

    The letter, from the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), directs all federal agencies to review and potentially terminate or reallocate their contracts with Harvard, which an official valued at about $100 million.

    Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    The move marked the latest instance of the Republican administration attempting to undermine the financial stability and global standing of the oldest and wealthiest U.S. university after it pushed back on government demands for vast policy changes.

    The government has already terminated nearly $3 billion in federal research grants for the Ivy League school and moved last week to revoke its ability to enroll international students. Those roughly 6,800 students make up about 27% of Harvard’s total enrollment.

    A federal judge in Boston on Friday temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from revoking foreign student enrollment ahead of a Thursday hearing. During a brief hearing on Tuesday, a U.S. Department of Justice lawyer said the administration is complying with that order and was weighing its options.

    Even so, the Trump administration has ordered its missions abroad to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants.

    Several hundred demonstrators, including Harvard students and teachers, gathered at the university on Tuesday to show support for foreign students and protest the Trump funding cuts.

    Following graduation events led by Harvard President Alan Garber, one of the protesting students, Jacob Miller, climbed onto a makeshift stage and said the ban on international enrollments had nothing to do with combating antisemitism, which was given as one of the official reasons for the crackdown on foreign students. “We will not allow our identities to be invoked to destroy Harvard,” said Miller, who is Jewish. “If there is anything to learn from the Jewish history, it’s that when we push people out of our schools because of their identity, it’s a symptom of a morally bankrupt politics.”

    Another protest organizer, Harvard student Rae Trainer, said many international students were afraid to demonstrate because they risk deportations. Some international students recorded statements to be read by classmates who are U.S. citizens.

    The GSA’s letter accused the school of engaging in discriminatory admissions practices even after the U.S. Supreme Court, in its 2023 decision ending affirmative action in higher education, rejected Harvard’s use of race as an admissions factor to boost campus diversity.

    The letter from Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of the GSA’s federal acquisition service, also accused Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Harvard of discriminatory hiring practices and of failing to protect Jewish students from harassment.

    The GSA sent the letter to federal agencies Tuesday morning, said an administration official familiar with the matter. The letter directs agencies to submit a list of contract cancellations by June 6 and says contracts for critical services would be transitioned to other vendors.

    Harvard, which is suing to challenge the administration’s actions, has argued that its rush to punish the school has run afoul of various procedures and violates free speech rights under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment by trying to assert control over its staff, curriculum and enrollment.

    Garber, the Harvard president, said in an NPR interview released on Tuesday that despite campus problems that it needs to address, the administration’s decisions to cancel grant funding were “perplexing.”

    “As long as there has been a United States of America, Harvard has thought that its role is to serve the nation,” he said.

    (Reuters) 

  • MIL-Evening Report: Raining one week, dusty the next – how did a dust storm make it all the way to rainy Sydney?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tegan Clark, PhD Candidate, College of Systems and Society, Australian National University

    A false-colour satellite showing dust as a pink cloud Himawari-9 satellite, CC BY-SA

    Much to the surprise of Sydney-siders, a dusty haze settled over the city on Tuesday morning after a week of heavy rain.

    Satellite images reveal the dust storm formed in the Mid-North region of South Australia, east of Spencer Gulf, at around 11am on Monday. It then travelled through western Victoria into New South Wales, reaching Sydney approximately 18 hours later.

    It’s an odd time of year for a dust storm, but South Australia is in drought. The soil is very dry, bare and loose. So when a cold front with strong winds moved through SA earlier this week, it picked up lots of dust.

    This demonstrates how everything is interconnected in Australia, despite the nation’s huge size. Extreme weather events such as drought in one part of the country can cause trouble for people “downwind”, hundreds of kilometres away. Climate change is likely to further raise the risk of dust storms in the future.

    Sydney’s air quality tumbled after the dust cloud settled on the city | 7NEWS.

    The dust bowl era

    In the 1930s, prolonged drought in the United States coupled with poor land management practices caused devastating dust storms. This eroded valuable agricultural soils and forced many families off the land. All this took place across the Central Plains, which became known as the American Dust Bowl – later immortalised in Steinbeck’s book The Grapes of Wrath.

    Australia experienced its own smaller dust bowl about a century after British settlers arrived. Overgrazing in the late 1800s removed native vegetation from large parts of western New South Wales. Dust storm activity picked up dramatically from the late 1800s onwards and hit a maximum in 1944-45 during the World War II drought.

    Fortunately, the dust storms and drought experienced during the 1940s soon prompted a change in both policy and attitude. The focus of land management shifted from “taming the land” to more sustainable use, such as moving livestock around from time to time – allowing paddocks to rest and recover. The government also provided more financial support to manage drought.

    Growing awareness and the desire to protect environmental assets also led to development of the NSW Soil Conservation Service.

    Australia has continued to experience heightened dust activity and major dust storms after 1945. In 2009, Sydney awoke to what looked like apocalyptic scenes straight out of the movie Mad Max when a dust storm engulfed the city.

    The last big dusty period was the Black Summer of 2019-20. Parts of NSW such as Wagga Wagga and Sydney were shrouded in smoke and dust for days. But there were significantly fewer “dust storm days” compared to 1944-45. This is partly due to improved land management practices that value sustainability, including the revegetation of denuded land.

    The movie Mad Max featured apocalyptic dust storm scenes.

    More dust storms as the climate changes

    Around the world, climate change is expected to make dust storms more common globally.

    Recent research suggests southern Australia may experience longer and more frequent droughts in the future. Grazing and cropping will put extra pressure on the land.

    In addition, the cold fronts that typically trigger large dust storms are expected to intensify with climate change. This means a growing chance of major dust storms such as the one this week.

    Dust is a health hazard

    Dust consists of tiny particles, some smaller than the width of a single strand of hair. These particles may include sand, topsoil, pollen, microbes, iron and other minerals, lifted into the air.

    When these tiny particles enter the lungs, they can cause breathing difficulties and respiratory diseases such as asthma. Dust storms are also known to transport diseases such as Valley Fever.

    The 2009 dust storm in Sydney led to an increase in emergency hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses, especially asthma.

    During the latest dust storm, health authorities warned people with respiratory issues to stay indoors and monitor symptoms.

    Developing early warning systems

    The 2019-20 dusty period and the current SA drought shows Australia can still fall victim to these major dust storms. But there are things we can do to be better prepared and more resilient.

    The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification suggests better ways to reduce harm from dust. These include improving land management practices, implementing early warning systems and improving monitoring of dust events.

    On the ground, NSW is well equipped to monitor dust through the DustWatch network. The air quality monitoring network acts as an early warning system, particularly for people in Sydney living downwind of sources interstate. But usually no more than 12-24 hours notice is provided. This means the authorities might might start to prepare to issue a warning when they detect poor air quality in Western NSW.

    However, these systems pale in comparison to the predictive capacity available in South Korea and Japan. There, alerts of dust storms and poor air quality can be issued days in advance.

    Using our eyes in the sky

    My PhD research project involves using satellites to deepen our understanding of where dust storms are coming from and where they might travel to.

    For instance the Himawari-8/9 satellite scans Australia every ten minutes, allowing us to track the evolution of dust events from start to finish.

    We can pinpoint almost the exact moment a dust storm begins. These areas can then be targeted using satellites to understand the conditions of the land causing dust storms to form and monitor high-risk areas for erosion in the future.

    Putting technology to good use will get us part of the way to a more resilient Australia. There is also a clear need to adapt to the changing climate in our nation’s grazing and cropping systems.

    Tegan Clark receives support from the Australian Government Research Training Program to undertake her PhD. She also works for Connected Farms, an ag-tech company. She is a volunteer with IncludeHer, a non-for-profit focused on gender equity in STEM education.

    – ref. Raining one week, dusty the next – how did a dust storm make it all the way to rainy Sydney? – https://theconversation.com/raining-one-week-dusty-the-next-how-did-a-dust-storm-make-it-all-the-way-to-rainy-sydney-251600

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Interview – ABC Adelaide

    Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

    JULES SCHILLER: Well as you know, the Albanese government was overwhelmingly re-elected and Jason Clare has resumed his ministry. He is the Federal Education Minister. He joins us now. Jason Clare, welcome.

    JASON CLARE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: G’day, guys. Good to be here.

    SCHILLER: Congratulations on your re-election and becoming Federal Education Minister again. Of course, one of the big ticket promises of your Government was to reduce the debts of HECS students by 20 per cent. When will they see that extra money in their pockets?

    CLARE: This year there’s two things that we’ve got to do: one, we’ve got to pass a law through the Parliament to make this happen. And then the second thing is the Tax Office have to lop this off everyone’s debt. You’re right – one of the biggest promises we made in the campaign was to cut everyone’s student debt by 20 per cent, and that’s 3 million Aussies that might have a debt from uni or TAFE or somewhere else. And it will be the first bill that we introduce into the Parliament when Parliament sits for the first time in the last week of July.

    What that legislation will do is cut everyone’s debt by 20 per cent and backdate that cut to this coming Saturday. And that’s important because every 1st of June in every year HECS debts or student debts get indexed. That 20 per cent cut will come into effect before that indexation effectively happens this Saturday, to make sure that we honour the promise we made, and we cut everyone’s debt by 20 per cent. Legislation, once that’s passed, getting the Tax Office to cut everyone’s debt by 20 per cent.

    RORY McLAREN: What is the cost to the budget of this decision, Minister?

    CLARE: The cost to the budget over the forward estimates, or the next four years, is about $700 million dollars. The cost over the longer term is around about $16 billion. We’re reducing the debt that’s owed by Australians to the Commonwealth over the next few decades by about $16 billion dollars. Now, what it means –

    McLAREN: That’s not small. That’s not a small change to the federal budget at all.

    CLARE: No, it’s not small. It’s not small. But when you think about the 3 million Australians – many of them in their 20s and 30s, they’ve just finished uni, they’re just moving out of home, they’ve got their first job, they want to buy a home, and they’ve got this big HECS debt that they’ve got to pay off. I think everyone listening will know somebody in this situation and perhaps will know that HECS debts are bigger today than they were when I went to uni, when many of us went to university – that by cutting this debt by 20 per cent, it’s going to help a lot of people get a good start in life, make it easier to get out there and buy their first home. The average debt today is about $27,000 and so what this will mean for someone in that situation is that their debt will be cut by about $5,500.

    SONYA FELDHOFF: And while I’m sure they will be thrilled about that, they will then get it indexed again. And a lot of people question how fair the indexation side of things is. Is there any option to look at that?

    CLARE: We’ve done that. One of the things that we did last year, because of rampant inflation, when inflation was raging around the world. It hit Australia and it hit HECS debts here in Australia. We saw HECS debts go up by 7 per cent in 2023. That wasn’t fair. Everybody with a HECS debt told us that, and so we passed legislation last year that said that HECS debts or student debts can’t go up by either the lowest of either inflation or wages.

    So that change happened last year, and it meant that in December last year, everyone with a HECS debt would have seen their debts drop. We cut HECS debts by about $3 billion dollars last year because of that. So that’s an important change. Indexation is important because it means that when the Australian taxpayer lends you a dollar, you get that dollar back in real terms. But we’ve changed the formula to make it fairer.

    SCHILLER: Jason Clare, can I ask you about the Job-ready Graduates Scheme? Now this was introduced by Dan Tehan, your predecessor, under the Morrison Government. It increased the contributions, HECS debts of arts students, society and culture degrees by around about 113 per cent. Considering a lot of these students are women who overwhelmingly voted for you in the federal election, it is seen as punitive because, you know, they’re earnings aren’t necessarily as much as STEM graduates. Will you reverse this decision?

    CLARE: It’s one of the things that we’re looking at right now. You’re right – it was introduced by the former Liberal Government and didn’t work. If the intention was to reduce the number of people doing arts degrees, then that hasn’t happened. There’re more people studying arts degrees today than when they implemented this reform. And that’s because people pick the courses that they love, that they’re passionate about, that they want to do, not based on the price tag attached to it.

    Fixing it is complex. What we have announced is that we’ll establish something called the Australian Tertiary Education Commission to help to drive long-term reform of our universities and our tertiary education system. It starts work on the 1st of July, so in just over a month’s time. And one of the tasks that we’ve asked them to look at is exactly this – to look at that Job-ready Graduates program and what change can happen.

    Can I mention just quickly two other things, because there’s been a lot of attention on the cut to HECS by 20 per cent, and that’s what that bill that I introduce will do. But the bill will do two other things as well: it will change the amount of money that you have to earn before you start paying your debt back. At the moment you have to start paying it back once you earn $54,000 a year. That will be increased to $67,000 a year. And it will also reduce your annual repayments. For somebody on an income of $70,000 a year it will reduce the amount that you have to repay back to the Government every year by about $1,300 a year. It means more money in your pocket. And they were recommendations by Bruce Chapman, the architect of HECS who designed it with John Dawkins back in the 80s.

    FELDHOFF: Just before we move on from the HECS debt, Federal Education Minister, I’ve got a question on the text line. I think you mentioned June 1st was the date that that would be backdated to?

    CLARE: Yep.

    FELDHOFF: So, I don’t think that applies to this person. What about those that just finished paying their HECS debt back? Do they get a refund? I guess hypothetically, what happens if you choose to pay the HECS debt, you know sometime after June 1st? Will they get the refund?

    CLARE: People that have got a HECS debt today and they have a HECS debt next week, they’ll see the benefit of this. Obviously if your HECS debt has already been paid off today then a 20 per cent cut to zero is still zero.

    FELDHOFF: But if you paid that off on June 2nd, for instance, you might get a refund?

    CLARE: I’ll have to have a look at that. But what we want to do is make sure that everybody that’s got a HECS debt, a student debt now, and there’s 3 million of them right across the country, get the benefit of this cut by 20 per cent.

    McLAREN: Minister, ahead of the federal election you managed to get a new funding agreement in place with states and territories for schools. It comes at a time when the latest NAPLAN results show one in three Australian school students is performing below literacy and numeracy benchmarks. How quickly can you turn that performance around in this term of government?

    CLARE: This agreement that we’ve struck not just with the South Australian Government but every Government across the country is crucial. It makes good on what Whitlam was talking about in the 50s about needs-based funding for schools and what Gonski built as a formula but has never been implemented before. It’s about funding our schools properly but also tying that funding to practical and real reforms that are going to address the sort of things you’re talking about.

    What NAPLAN really tells us is this – and it’s a test for students at school in year 3, year 5, year 7 and year 9 – and it tells us that about one in 10 children are below what we used to call the minimum standard, but it’s one in three children from poor families, from our outer suburbs, from our regions, Indigenous kids, who are below that minimum standard. And even more concerningly, what really concerns me, because there’s always going to be children who fall behind, what NAPLAN tells us is that 80 per cent of the children who are below the minimum standard in year 3 are still below the minimum standard when they’re 15 in year 9 – in other words, they’re not catching up.

    What this funding is tied to are things like phonics checks, literacy checks in year 1 that South Australia did first, and the rest of the nation has followed. But also, numeracy checks in year 1 to identify the maths skills of students when they first start school, and South Australia is going to roll that out next year along with Victoria and New South Wales. And then when you identify the children through those checks that are behind, investing in things like catch-up tutoring where, if a child needs more individualised support, they get it by being taken out of a classroom of 25 or 30 –

    McLAREN: But this is all going to take time, Minister, with respect. So how quickly are you hoping to see improvements in the results, as a result of the agreements you reached, including with Queensland back in March?

    CLARE: There’s two things I want to see improvements in. I want to see improvements in results through things like that catch-up tutoring. I want to stress this point, because it’s an example of the sort of practical reforms that I think are necessary. We know that if a child gets taken out of a big class into individualised support with one or two other children 40 minutes a day, four days a week, they can learn as much in six months as they’d normally learn in 12 months. In other words, they catch up, and the sooner a child who needs extra support gets it, the better chance they have of catching up occurs.

    But the other thing that we need to do is increase had number of kids finishing high school. 10 years ago, 83 per cent of young people at public high schools finished high school. Today it’s 73 per cent. It’s gone in the absolute wrong direction in public schools. We’ve got to turn that around. It’s more important to finish school today than it was when we were kids and then go on to TAFE or go on to uni, get the sort of skills for the jobs that are being created now and will be created in the future.

    If we get this right, if the funding is invested in the right things that help kids catch up, they’re more likely to finish school, particularly kids from poor backgrounds and from the outer suburbs. And so, this is all connected. It doesn’t mean that you can click your fingers, pass a bill and it all gets fixed straight away; that’s not the way this works. But you’ve got to invest now in the right things to see an impact in the years ahead.

    SCHILLER: You’re listening to Jason Clare, Federal Education Minister. It is 891 ABC Radio Adelaide’s Sonya, Jules and Rory for Breakfast at 13 minutes to 9. Jason Clare, can I ask you about civics in schools? I think we spoke to some people who literally voted – their basis of voting was who gave them a how-to-vote card first.

    FELDHOFF: Yeah.

    SCHILLER: Now, that’s not all –

    FELDHOFF: And we don’t learn civics in school to a great extent.

    SCHILLER: Yeah. That’s not all people, but the understanding of how local government, state government and federal government works you would have to say is not great at the moment. Do you think this is a discipline that needs to be more prominent in our education?

    CLARE: We do learn it at schools. One of the things that worries me is I often find that kids in primary school have got a better grasp on this than kids in high school. It’s a big part of the curriculum in year 5 and year 6, and when I visit primary schools and I ask children about the way the Parliament works, you get the right answers. If I go and see students in year 9 or year 10, they’ve sometimes forgotten it. It’s not just what you learn in the classroom, it’s the opportunity to visit Parliament House, whether it’s in Adelaide or whether it’s in Canberra as well. We’ve cut the cost of those visits to make it easier for people not just from Canberra to visit Parliament House but from South Australia as well. I think last year about 3,500 students visited Canberra, get to visit the War Memorial as well. People don’t just learn in the classroom. If you can see it with your own eyes, I think it has an impact. But all of the evidence we’re getting is that young people don’t understand the way that our system of Government works as well as you’d like them to. And it’s the sort of thing we need to look at.

    FELDHOFF: Yeah. So that will be a priority. Any others that you have over the next three years, given that it’s the first time we’ve spoken to you since you’re re-in the role?

    CLARE: A couple of things. Obviously top priority is doing what we promised, delivering on the things that we committed to. So that’s the legislation we’ve talked about this morning – cutting student debt by 20 per cent. In schools, it’s the rollout of this big agreement, the billion dollars in South Australia but $16.5 billion across the country and the reforms that are tied to it.

    I’m also responsible for early education as well. And so that includes the rollout of the 15 per cent pay rise for our early educators and building more early education centres in places where they don’t exist. We know that most of the brain develops before you even get to school and children who miss out start behind. And so those investments there are just as important.

    FELDHOFF: Thank you for your time today. The Federal Education Minister Jason Clare.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Harris Announces 2025 Art Competition Winner

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01)

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Harris, M.D., announced Madison Gorski of Kent Island High School as the winner of the First Congressional District of Maryland’s 2025 Congressional Art Competition. Entitled “He so loved the world” Madison’s work will be displayed in the halls of Congress for one year, and she will be honored at the annual award winner’s ceremony in Washington, D.C.

    Statement From Congressman Harris:

    “Congratulations to Madison on winning the 2025 Congressional Art Competition. I selected Madison’s artwork for its creativity, technical skill,  intrinsic beauty, and expression. This piece of art is also a reminder of the love, humanity, and sacrifice Jesus gave to the world. Thank you to all the talented high school students across my district who submitted artwork for the competition.”

    For media inquiries, please contact Anna Adamian at Anna.A@mail.house.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Pay parity back pedal a kick in the teeth for ECE kaiako

    Source: Green Party

    The Government’s latest move to unwind the ‘pay parity’ regime carefully negotiated between government and the sector is a kick in the teeth for already undervalued and underpaid kaiako.

    “Make no mistake, this is a move by the Government to ensure that pay increases for teachers stay low, while cutting costs to employers,” says the Green Party spokesperson for Early Childhood Education, Benjamin Doyle (they/them).

    “Today, the Ministry of Education announced that, following a decision by Minister Seymour, centres in the pay parity scheme don’t have to offer new teachers pay parity rates. So while they can’t cut the pay of their existing workers, they don’t have to maintain these rates for new employees – meaning reduction in wages over time. 

    “This is another blow to kaiako – already undervalued and let down by this government by the pay equity debacle. Slashing pay sends a clear message that teachers don’t matter.

    “Driving down wages means more teachers walking away, and it’s our tamariki and their whānau who will pay the price. We can’t gamble with their futures by short-changing the very people who shape them.

    “This news comes less than a fortnight after we learned the dire state of sector’s confidence in the direction the Government is taking ECE, with 82 per cent of those at the coalface saying it’s going in the wrong direction.

    “Every child in Aotearoa deserves the best start in life. That demands an ECE system that places tamariki at its core by supporting and valuing the important work of teachers and educators.

    “Our Green Budget has shown that we can pay every ECE teacher fairly—if we make the sector not-for-profit, public, and community-led.

    “Take out the corporate greed and put every dollar into tamariki and kaiako – that’s how we can lower costs for parents and pay teachers what they deserve,” says Benjamin Doyle.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Paracetamol to poisoning: When medicines harm instead of heal

    Source:

    28 May 2025

    Medicine-related problems cause about 93 children to present at hospital each day

    Every day, nearly 100 children present to Australian emergency departments with suspected medicine poisoning. It’s a startling statistic, but a reality that could be avoided, according to new research from the University of South Australia. 

    Now, the latest Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) Medicine Safety report – produced by UniSA – shows that many medicine-related problems among children and teenagers are not only foreseeable but, in most cases, preventable.

    The report reveals that most medicine harms are caused by unsafe off-label use, unexpected drug interactions, accidental poisoning, or overdoses from common household medicines like paracetamol.

    Specifically, it shows that:

    • Medicine-related problems cause about 93 children to present at hospital each day – half of these are preventable; additionally, about 40 of these children and teens are admitted, and half of these are also preventable.
    • About 120,000 children (aged under 14) experience a bad reaction to medicines over a six-month period – nearly a third of these are children aged four and under.
    • Accidental poisonings are common – every day, seven children attend the emergency department for medicine-related poisonings; three children are admitted.
    • Paracetamol and antidepressants are mostly responsible for poisoning admissions – Younger boys account for most poisonings in children under 10, while girls account for most poisonings among teens. In 2022-23, 7,332 children (aged 0-19) were admitted to hospital for medicine poisoning.
    • The cost of medicine-related harm in children is at least $130 million every year – related Emergency Department attendances accounting for $30 million, and an additional direct cost of medicine poisonings to the health system is estimated at $40 million per year.

    The National Health Survey shows that most children and teens have between one and four different medicines dispensed over the past six months; 50% have had at least one PBS medicine dispensed in the past six months; about 184,000 have had between five and nine medicines dispensed; and an estimated 11,500 have had 10 or more.

    Lead researcher, UniSA’s Dr Imaina Widagdo, says children and teenagers are particularly vulnerable to medicine-related harm.

    “Medicine use among children and teenagers is common. Yet given that nearly 100 children present at hospitals each day for adverse reactions, it’s clear that more needs to be done to protect their health,” Dr Widagdo says.

    “Medicines are meant to help – and usually they do. But there are important things that parents and carers need to know. Firstly, unlike adults, children have developing bodies, which means they can respond to medicines differently than adults. Secondly, because medicines are rarely trialled with children, the doses, safety and efficacy of certain medicines may not be fully known or always accurate.

    “What this tells us is that we need to take much more care when prescribing and monitoring medicines for children and young people.”

    It’s a timely reminder to take extra care with children’s medicines, particularly following the recent Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) safety warnings on Risperidone dosing earlier this month, where accidental administering of more than the prescribed dose led to multiple children being hospitalised.

    “As we see greater incidences of chronic health conditions among children and teens, it’s important for parents and carers to prioritise the safe storage and careful administration of medicines at homes, schools, and childcare,” Dr Widagdo says.

    “Often, there are no child-specific preparations available, so extra care is needed when storing and dosing medicines.

    “Finally, we encourage parents and carers to report any suspected adverse medicine reactions to the TGA’s adverse drug reaction reporting system, which can help build more accurate medicine safety profiles.”

    Better education, safer prescribing, and more informed use at home could significantly reduce these risks.

    “We all have a responsibility to protect children and teenagers from the incorrect use or accidental consumption of medicines. Because when it comes to children’s safety, prevention is always better than cure.”

    If an overdose occurs, a medication error is made, or poisoning is suspected, immediately call 000 for an ambulance if there’s a medical emergency or call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 for advice. 

    The full research team includes Dr Imaina Widagdo, Dr Renly Lim and Professor Libby Roughead.

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

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

    Other articles you may be interested in

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: BL test for teachers set for July 19

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The fifth round of the Basic Law & National Security Law Test in the 2024-25 school year is scheduled for July 19, the Education Bureau (EDB) announced today.

     

    Applications can be made from 9am on Friday until 5pm on June 12. Limited places for the test will be available on a first come, first served basis.

     

    The target participants for this round of the test are bachelor’s degree holders, or students who will attain a bachelor’s degree in 2025 or 2026, who plan to join or change to another secondary school, primary school or kindergarten to take up a teaching post.

     

    Those who have obtained a pass result in a test organised by the EDB, the Civil Service Bureau, or a recruiting department or grade, will not be accepted to sit for it again.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: 13.35 million Chinese students to take national university entrance exams in 2025

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) — A total of 13.35 million Chinese students will take the nationwide college entrance examination, also known as “gaokao,” which starts on June 7 this year, the Ministry of Education said Wednesday.

    This figure is slightly down from last year’s record of 13.42 million people. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Four thousand schoolchildren from the capital took part in the demonstration exam

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Four thousand Moscow schoolchildren wrote a demonstration exam at the Moscow Palace of Pioneers. More than 500 children became winners and prize winners. They will receive additional points when entering leading universities. This was reported by the press service of the Moscow Palace of Pioneers. Department of Education and Science.

    “This year, more than 500 children became winners and prize winners of the demonstration exam, 40 of whom received the maximum score. Such results indicate that young Muscovites are actively mastering subjects outside the school curriculum. These subjects help them choose their future professional trajectory, immerse themselves in an environment of like-minded people, and acquire the necessary knowledge and skills,” the department’s press service reported.

    This year, the exam was conducted in 14 competencies, such as programming, application development, computer vision, web design, robotics, drone operation, prototyping, digital illustration, photography, media technology and video production.

    The exam traditionally took place in two stages. The qualifying stage was remote. Participants completed practice-oriented tasks on the educational platform Moodle. For example, in the prototyping exam, it was necessary to make 3D models of parts based on drawings and prepare a control program for printing.

    The best schoolchildren were invited to the final stage, which took place at the Moscow Palace of Pioneers and federal universities. The results were assessed by independent experts and observers — representatives of Moscow universities, including Lomonosov Moscow State University and Russian State University for the Humanities, as well as employers.

    “I took the robotics exam. Initially, it was my hobby, but now I want it to grow into a professional occupation. I would like to develop in the field of delivery robots. They can already be seen in the center of Moscow, but so far they cannot, say, fly or plan a route. One of the creative tasks in the exam was to present a prototype of such a robot. And this is exactly the development that I have always thought about. Therefore, for my work I received a high mark and additional points that will help me when entering the Moscow State Technical University named after N.E. Bauman,” shared Mikhail Kozychev, a student of the robotics club of the Moscow Palace of Pioneers, who scored 100 points.

    During the exam, the capital’s schoolchildren developed robotic systems, solved robotics problems, created electronic models and were engaged in prototyping. In addition, they demonstrated drone piloting skills in a simulator and created interactive applications using computer vision algorithms. For example, the participants developed an image processing program with a gesture recognition function in the Python programming language, completing a computer vision task.

    Artem Torlanov, a student at the Moscow Palace of Pioneers’ programming club, said that he had been preparing for this exam for a very long time. He proved to himself that he had mastered programming languages well, for which he received a high score from teachers at two leading Moscow universities, which he wanted to enroll in.

    The exam participants also showed their skills in design. They worked on layouts and multimedia projects, designed and laid out web pages, and developed the design of the device body based on the drawings of its main elements. For example, during the industrial design exam, the students developed a project for the body of an outdoor charging station for electric vehicles.

    In addition, the schoolchildren demonstrated their skills in photography and processing of footage, and creating videos. During the competition, the participants took photos of portraits in the interior, and also shot and edited a film on the topic of “Architecture and History of the Moscow Palace of Pioneers on Vorobyovy Gory.”

    Positive results of students in the demonstration exam are taken into account as an individual achievement by 19 leading Moscow universities. Among them are the National Research University “Moscow Power Engineering Institute”, the National Research University “Moscow Institute of Electronic Technology”, the National Research Nuclear University “Moscow Engineering Physics Institute”, the National Research Technological University “Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys”, the National Research Moscow State University of Civil Engineering, the Russian National Research Medical University named after N.I. Pirogov, the Russian State University named after A.N. Kosygin, the Russian Biotechnology University, the Moscow Institute of Radio Engineering, Electronics and Automation – Russian Technological University, the Moscow State Technical University named after N.E. Bauman, the Moscow Polytechnic University, the Moscow State Technological University “Stankin”, the Moscow Automobile and Road State Technical University and the Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University).

    The demonstration exam has been held since 2017 in additional education disciplines. During this time, more than 20 thousand Moscow schoolchildren have taken part in it. More than three thousand of them received benefits when entering the leading universities of the capital.

    Conducting intellectual events for schoolchildren helps develop children’s talents and develop skills that will be useful to them in their future profession, and is consistent with the objectives of the “Professionalism” and “All the Best for Children” projects of the national project “Youth and Children”.

    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/154399073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • Trump administration halts scheduling of new student visa appointments

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered its missions abroad to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants as the State Department prepares to expand social media vetting of foreign students, according to an internal cable seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

    U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in the cable that the department plans to issue updated guidance on social media vetting of student and exchange visitor applicants after a review is completed and advised consular sections to halt the scheduling of such visa appointments.

    The move comes as the Trump administration has sought to ramp up deportations and revoke student visas as part of its wide-ranging efforts to fulfill his hardline immigration agenda.

    Several hundred protesters, including Harvard University students and professors, demonstrated in support of foreign students at the Harvard campus on Tuesday, while also protesting Trump administration efforts to cut off funding to the university.

    In the cable, first reported by Politico, Rubio said appointments that have already been scheduled can proceed under the current guidelines, but available appointments not already taken should be pulled down.

    “The Department is conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants, and based on that review, plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants,” the cable said.

    A senior State Department official confirmed the accuracy of the cable.

    State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce declined to comment on reports of the cable, but said the U.S. will use “every tool” to vet anyone who wants to enter the United States.

    “We will continue to use every tool we can to assess who it is that’s coming here, whether they are students or otherwise,” Bruce told reporters at a regular news briefing.

    The expanded social media vetting will require consular sections to modify their operations, processes and allocation of resources, according to the cable, which advises the sections going forward to take into consideration the workload and resource requirements of each case before scheduling them.

    The cable also advises consular sections to remain focused on services for U.S. citizens, immigrant visas and fraud prevention.

    Trump administration officials have said student visa and green card holders are subject to deportation over their support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza, calling their actions a threat to U.S. foreign policy and accusing them of being pro-Hamas.

    Trump’s critics have called the effort an attack on free speech rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

    A Tufts University student from Turkey was held for over six weeks in an immigration detention center in Louisiana after co-writing an opinion piece criticizing her school’s response to Israel’s war in Gaza. She was released from custody after a federal judge granted her bail.

    Last week, the Trump administration moved to revoke Harvard’s ability to enroll international students. Those roughly 6,800 students make up about 27% of Harvard’s total enrollment.

    The Republican president’s administration has moved to undermine the financial stability and global standing of the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university after it pushed back on government demands for vast changes to its policies.

    (Reuters) 

  • MIL-OSI Russia: US suspends new student visa interviews

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    NEW YORK, May 27 (Xinhua) — The U.S. government has ordered U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide to suspend scheduling new interviews for student visa applicants as it considers mandating social media verification for all international students applying to study in the U.S., local media cited a cable dated Tuesday and signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

    “Effective immediately, in preparation for the expansion of mandatory screening and social media verification, consular sections should not add additional student or exchange visa appointment slots until further guidance is issued, which we expect in the coming days,” the cable said.

    The telegram does not directly indicate what exactly will be checked on social networks.

    The U.S. government has previously imposed some social media screening requirements, mostly aimed at returning students who may have participated in protests against Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip. The new move is a significant expansion of previous such measures.

    The suspension of interviews could impact thousands of international students and could potentially contribute to a decline in the number of international students at U.S. higher education institutions, local media reported.

    The US government has used various regulations to target universities, particularly elite and liberal ones like Harvard University, and accuses them of allowing anti-Semitism to flourish on campus. At the same time, it has carried out an immigration crackdown that has led to the arrest of a number of students. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Trump administration to terminate federal contracts with Harvard University worth nearly $100 million

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    NEW YORK, May 27 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is asking federal agencies to cancel contracts worth about $100 million with Harvard University, the Associated Press reported Tuesday, in an intensifying standoff between the American leader and the country’s oldest and richest university.

    The government has already canceled more than $2.6 billion in federal research grants to the Ivy League school, which has rejected demands from the Trump administration to make a series of changes to its internal policies.

    “A draft letter from the U.S. General Services Administration directs federal agencies to review their contracts with the university and find alternative service providers,” the Associated Press reported. The agency plans to send the letter Tuesday.

    D. Trump has previously lashed out at Harvard, calling the institution a hotbed of liberalism and anti-Semitism. On April 21, the university filed a lawsuit in connection with the presidential administration’s demands for radical changes to its governance structure, hiring system, and student admissions policies. The government has since cut federal funding for the institution, tried to bar it from accepting foreign students, and threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How ongoing deforestation is rooted in colonialism and its management practices

    Source: The Conversation – France – By Justine Loizeau, Postdoctoral research fellow in sustainability and organization, Aalto University

    As early as 1917, the Michelin company invested in plantations to produce rubber in what is now Vietnam. Here, hevea trees are seen in Southeast Asia in 1913. W. F. de Bois Maclaren, The Rubber Tree Book.

    Half of the world’s forests were destroyed during the 20th century, with three regions mainly affected: South America, West Africa and Southeast Asia. The situation has worsened to the point that, in 2023, the European Parliament voted to ban the import of chocolate, coffee, palm oil and rubber linked to deforestation.


    A weekly e-mail in English featuring expertise from scholars and researchers. It provides an introduction to the diversity of research coming out of the continent and considers some of the key issues facing European countries. Get the newsletter!

    A long-standing dependence on raw materials

    These products are at the heart of our economies and consumption habits. The case of rubber is particularly emblematic. Without this material, there would be no tyres and, thus, no cars, bicycles, sealing joints or submarine communication cables. Industrial rubber production depends on extracting latex, a natural substance that rubber trees such as hevea produce. Under pressure from corporations and states, Brussels last October announced a one-year postponement of its law regulating rubber imports.

    This dependence on the rubber industry is not new. Rubber was central to the second industrial revolution, especially with the rise of automobiles and new management methods. While this history often centres on factories, citing contributions from figures such as Frederick Taylor and Henry Ford and industrial giants like Michelin, its colonial roots are less well known.

    Indeed, rubber – like the other resources mentioned above – has been and continues to be primarily produced in former colonial territories. In many cases, rubber trees are not native to the regions where they have been cultivated. Rubber seeds from South America, where latex was already extracted by picking, were transported by colonists to empires for the development of plantations. In particular, the French colonial empire, spanning Africa and Southeast Asia, saw a significant expansion of hevea plantations at the expense of primary forests. Monocultures of rubber trees replaced thousands of hectares.

    Ford in the Amazon, Michelin in present-day Vietnam

    This management model was favoured because it allowed for lower extraction costs from the coloniser’s perspective. For example, in 1928, Henry Ford negotiated an agreement with the Brazilian government granting him a 10,000 km2 concession of forest land to establish Fordlandia, a settlement designed to produce the rubber needed for his factories. However, this industrial utopia in the Amazon failed due to resistance from Indigenous people and a fungal disease that ruined the plantations.

    Business Insider reports on the Fordlandia fiasco.

    Following the same model, Michelin invested in plantations in present-day Vietnam as early as 1917. The plantation model and new management methods reduced the cost of rubber production and accelerated its global distribution. These management practices spread across the British, Dutch and French empires, becoming dominant in Southeast Asia in the early 20th century at the expense of primary forests.



    À lire aussi :
    Allowing forests to regrow and regenerate is a great way to restore habitat

    The ‘Taylorization’ of work and nature

    Rubber plantations resulted from applying Taylorism not only to workers – especially colonised workers – but also to nature. Both people and trees were subjected to a so-called “scientific” organisation of labour. In our article, L’arbre qui gâche la forêt The Tree That Spoils the Forest, published in the Revue française de gestion (French Journal of Management) in 2024, we analysed historical archives, including a variety of newspapers from 1900 to 1950, covering national, local, colonial and thematic (scientific, cultural, etc.) perspectives. We show that this organisational model is based on an accounting undervaluation of indigenous people’s labour and of nature. This undervaluation is embodied in the metric of the cost price (i.e. the total cost of production and distribution) and in the shared concern to see it lowered. “Ultimately, it’s the cost price that must determine the fate of rubber,” stated the newspaper L’Information financière, économique et politique on February 1, 1914.

    In the eyes of some, Asians who were labelled as “coolies” and Brazilian “seringueiros” comprised a low-cost labour pool, with no mention of their working conditions and despite very high mortality rates. “Coolie” is a derogatory colonial term that refers to agricultural labourers of Asian heritage, while “seringueiros” refers to workers in South American rubber plantations.

    “By the way, in the Far East, there are reservoirs of labour (Java Island, English Indies), which supply plantations with workers who, while not the most robust, provide regular work at a very advantageous cost price.” (L’Information financière, économique et politique, November 11, 1922)

    Concerning trees, only the plantation costs were considered, silencing the human and ecological costs of primary forest destruction.

    “In the first year, some 237 francs will have to be spent on the clearing itself; then the planting, with staking […] and weeding, will represent an expense of 356 francs. […] For the following years, all that remains to be done is to consider the maintenance costs, cleaning, pruning, care, supply of stakes, replacement, etc. This will result in an expenditure of 1,250 francs for the first five years.” (L’Information financière, économique et politique, January 31, 1912)

    The ‘Cheapization’ of life

    The focus on cost price leads to standardisation of management practices by aligning with what is cheapest, at the expense of ever more intense exploitation of human and non-human workers. In other words, these assumptions about the construction of accounting metrics and the circulation of these metrics play a role in the “cheapization” of human and non-human labour. We borrow the concept of “cheapization” from the environmental historian Jason W. Moore. In his view, the development of capitalism is marked by a “cheapization of Nature”, which includes, within the circuits of capitalist production and consumption, humans and non-humans whose work does not initially have a market value. Living beings are thus transformed into a commodity or factor of production: “animals, soils, forests and all kinds of extra-human nature” are being put to work.



    À lire aussi :
    What actually makes avocados bad for the environment?

    Why does this colonial past matter?

    These ways of managing people and nature continue to this day. Many industries still rely on the extraction of natural resources at low cost and in large quantities in the countries of the global south. Rubber is not the only resource whose exploitation dates to the Industrial Revolution: palm oil, sugar, coffee and cocoa have also had, and still have, an impact on the forests of the global south and are based on the work of local people. The exploitation of these resources is also often the fruit of colonial history. In 1911, the Frenchman Henri Fauconnier brought the first palm oil seeds, a plant originally from Africa, to Malaysia. More than a century later, the country remains a leading palm oil producer, a resource largely responsible for the deforestation of primary forests.

    Beyond the case of rubber alone, we question the link between the pursuit of profit in formerly colonised territories, the destruction of the environment and the exploitation of local populations on two levels. Not only are primary forests destroyed to feed short-term profits, but habituation to this mode of environmental management is a historical construct. We must remember this when looking at news from countries with colonial pasts. Whether we’re talking about preserving the Amazon rainforest, poisoning soil and human bodies with chlordecone in the Antilles, or building a pipeline in Uganda, we need to take a step back. What are the historical responsibilities? What are the links between creating economic activities here and exploiting ecosystems and local populations there? What role do management theories and tools play in realising or reproducing these exploitative situations?

    At a time when the ecological and social emergency is constantly invoked to call for the transformation of management practices and business models, the rubber example invites us to consider the colonial matrix of managerial practices and the Western historical responsibilities that led to this same emergency. And suppose we have to turn to other forms of management tomorrow: who may legitimately decide how to bring about this change? Are former colonisers best placed to define the way forward? Knowledge of colonial history should encourage us to recognise the value of the knowledge and practices of those who were and remain the first to be affected.

    The COCOLE project is supported by the French National Research Agency (ANR), which funds project-based research in France. The ANR’s mission is to support and promote the development of fundamental and applied research in all disciplines, and to strengthen dialogue between science and society. To find out more, visit the ANR website.

    Antoine Fabre has received funding from the French National Research Agency
    via the programme “Counting in a colonial situation. French Africa (1830-1962)” (ANR-21-CE41-0012, 2021-2026).

    Pierre Labardin is a professor at La Rochelle University. He has received funding from the French National Research Agency via the programme “Counting in a colonial situation. French Africa (1830-1962)” (ANR-21-CE41-0012, 2021-2026).

    Clément Boyer et Justine Loizeau ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur poste universitaire.

    – ref. How ongoing deforestation is rooted in colonialism and its management practices – https://theconversation.com/how-ongoing-deforestation-is-rooted-in-colonialism-and-its-management-practices-257578

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Fear Can Be Fuel

    Source: United States Department of Defense (video statements)

    @usarmy soldiers share their thoughts and goals during the final phase of Air Assault School at Novo Selo Training Area, Bulgaria, to increase readiness and keep the fighting force lethal and mobile.

    For more on the Department of Defense, visit: http://www.defense.gov

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKSQZE84SbI

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins Tours Clinton Fire Station, Visits SAM Outdoor Education Center in Augusta

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins

    Click HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE for individual photos

    Clinton, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins toured the current fire station in Clinton and reviewed plans for a new station made possible by $2,000,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending she secured through her role on the Senate Appropriations Committee. The existing 5,000-square-foot station is too small to support the needs of Clinton’s current fire and rescue operations and cannot accommodate the updated equipment the department plans to purchase.

    “Touring the current fire station today gave me a clear picture of the challenges facing Clinton firefighters and EMTs to swiftly respond to emergency situations. I am so glad I could support Clinton’s first responders and residents with this funding for an upgraded facility, and I appreciate Deputy Fire Chief Travis Leary for sharing these plans with me,” said Senator Collins.

    Senator Collins has secured nearly $45 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for 28 fire stations across the State of Maine since Fiscal Year 2022.

    Following the tour of the fire station, Senator Collins headed to Augusta to visit the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine (SAM) Outdoor Education Center, where she met with SAM Executive Director David Trahan as well as local Scout members Jacob and Elizabeth Blais. Both Jacob and Elizabeth are working toward becoming Eagle Scouts, and as part of Jacob’s Eagle Scout project, he designed and built a kiosk with maps and information about local plants for the Center. 

    Click HERE, HERE, and HERE for individual photos

    “I was so pleased to talk with Jacob and Elizabeth, Scouts in Troop 603 in Augusta. Organizations like Scouting America and the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine do an excellent job conserving our environment and teaching future generations about Maine’s rich outdoor heritage,” said Senator Collins.

    In Fiscal Year 2023, Senator Collins secured $700,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to support SAM’s efforts to collaborate with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife on research related to expanded hatchery production.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: APA Corporation Announces Appointment of Aneil Kochar as Vice President and Treasurer

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HOUSTON, May 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — APA Corporation (Nasdaq: APA) today announced that Aneil Kochar has been promoted to vice president and treasurer, effective May 22.

    Kochar will head APA’s Treasury department, providing global oversight for the company’s capital structure analysis, financing strategies, risk insurance, banking policies, and cash and liquidity management. The role of treasurer was previously held by Ben C. Rodgers who was recently promoted to chief financial officer.

    “I am pleased to welcome Aneil to APA’s leadership team. He has vast financial experience in the oil and gas industry and has played a crucial role in APA’s financial strategies over the past five years, driving value creation and improving cash management. Aneil will be a strong addition to our executive team,” said Ben C. Rodgers, APA’s Chief Financial Officer.

    Kochar has held the position of assistant treasurer for APA since 2022, having joined the company in 2020 as the director of Finance. Before joining APA, Kochar was vice president Finance and treasurer at Chisholm Oil and Gas, where he oversaw FP&A and treasury activities. Prior to that, he worked at EIG Global Energy Partners as an investment professional, focusing on origination and management of oil and gas debt and equity investments. Kochar began his career in energy investment banking at Morgan Stanley. He holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin.

    About APA
    APA Corporation owns consolidated subsidiaries that explore for and produce oil and natural gas in the United States, Egypt and the United Kingdom and that explore for oil and natural gas offshore Suriname and elsewhere. APA posts announcements, operational updates, investor information and press releases on its website, www.apacorp.com.

    Contacts:

    Investor: (281) 302-2286
    Media: (713) 296-7276
    Website: www.apacorp.com

    APA-F

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: One couple, two apartments, different surnames for the children: how ‘two places to stay’ is shaping families in China

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Xiaoying Qi, Associate Professor, School of Arts and Humanities, Australian Catholic University

    During fieldwork in cities in China I came across a new marital practice, locally described as liang-tou-dun, literally “two places to stay”.

    A bride and groom, each an only child of their respective family, receive from each set of parents a wedding apartment. The young couple thus has two marriage apartments which they may occupy at different times.

    If a couple with “two places to stay” has two children, it is likely one will have the father’s surname and the other the mother’s. This ensures that the familial lines of both families continue – but it can also entrench inequalities between siblings.

    What’s in a name?

    A child being given the mother’s surname is unconventional. The norm in China is that children take their fathers’ surname, even though Chinese women retain their birth surname after marriage.

    The adoption of patronyms – family names handed down through the male line – historically served as an instrument of consolidation for hereditary property owners. But in China patronyms lost this purpose when the Communist Party came to power in 1949 and abolished private property and inheritance. Still, patronyms persisted.

    Women in China traditionally keep their own name when they get married.
    Snowscat/Unsplash, FAL

    From 1978, Chinese government reforms led to a transition from a planned to a market economy. Since then, many Chinese families have accumulated significant wealth. Such families are focused on how to prevent the loss of property from their family line through inheritance.

    This is a real matter of concern for daughter-only families which have become numerically significant as a result of the one-child policy. This was in place from 1980 to 2015, and many (but not all) families were limited to having just one child.

    A place to stay

    Traditionally, a wife enters her husband’s family and the children take on their father’s surname.

    A traditional solution for a family without a male heir is zhao-xu, the phrase for a marriage where a man marries into his wife’s family, living with or in close proximity to her family.

    Zhao-xu not only requires cohabiting after marriage with the wife’s parents, but also that their children take the mother’s surname, ensuring continuance of the mother’s family’s line.

    A daughter-only family requires her essential role in the continuation of her family lineage.
    Macro.jr/Unsplash, FAL

    This traditional form readily adapts to the needs of daughter-only families in contemporary China. Sons-in-law in these families generally come from families with more than one son, so the husband’s family’s line is not threatened. In these circumstances the wife’s family provides a wedding apartment, furniture, household equipment, dowry and wedding banquet.

    Traditionally in China it is a son’s responsibility to support and care for his ageing parents. A daughter-only family requires her to take an essential role in carrying out elderly support obligations.

    Two names, two places

    An alternative to zhao-xu is “two places to stay”, where the bride’s parents provide her with a wedding apartment and the groom’s parents provide him with a wedding apartment. This tends to happen for young couples who are each an only child in their respective families.

    With owning two apartments, the young couple marries into neither family, but instead maintains close relationships with both. They move between two apartments, occupying one for a certain period of time and then the other.

    As each set of parents endows the young family, the grandparents play an important role in the choice of their grandchildren’s surname. If the young couple has two children then a perfect solution to continuing both family lines is that one child takes the father’s surname and the other the mother’s.

    Grandparents play an important role in the lives of their grandchildren.
    Li Lin/Unsplash, FAL

    First-born children, especially sons, have a special role in the continuity of a family line, and so it is likely the firstborn will take the father’s name.

    But if the young wife’s family has higher social or economic standing than her husband’s, it is likely the first child will take the mother’s surname.

    “Two places to stay” may generate inequalities within families. Grandparents tend to provide resources (educational, recreational and medical) to the grandchild who shares their surname.

    Because of the differences of access to resources, the future education and career prospects of siblings will reflect not their immediate family background, but the different endowments of their respective grandparents.

    Two places to stay is a new form of marriage in China, and a new form of surnaming siblings. It is a new way of doing family, an innovation in intergenerational relations.

    Xiaoying Qi received research funding from The Hong Kong Baptist University’s Start-Up Grant and the Sociology Department Research Fund.

    – ref. One couple, two apartments, different surnames for the children: how ‘two places to stay’ is shaping families in China – https://theconversation.com/one-couple-two-apartments-different-surnames-for-the-children-how-two-places-to-stay-is-shaping-families-in-china-255877

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australia could tax Google, Facebook and other tech giants with a digital services tax – but don’t hold your breath

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fei Gao, Lecturer in Taxation, Discipline of Accounting, Governance & Regulation, The University of Sydney, University of Sydney

    Tada Images/Shutterstock

    Tech giants like Google, Facebook and Netflix make billions of dollars from Australian users every year. But most of those profits are not taxed here.

    To address this tax gap, some countries have introduced a new kind of tax called the digital services tax, or DST. It applies to revenue earned from users in a country, even if the company has no physical operations there. Some European Union member countries, the UK and Canada have all introduced such a tax.

    In Australia, it is estimated the five largest tech giants recorded A$15 billion in revenue in Australia last year, but combined they paid only $254 million in tax.

    Australia has never contemplated imposing a similar tax. New Zealand tried but backed down last week after the United States threatened to impose higher tariffs on New Zealand goods.

    So what’s holding Australia back?

    How 20th-century tax treaties create 21st-century problems

    To understand why Australia thinks its hands are tied on the taxation of the multinational tech giants, we need to step back in time.

    About 100 years ago, Australia and other developed nations decided to tax residents on all their income earned worldwide, while non-residents were taxed only on income earned locally.

    After the second world war, Australia entered into tax treaties so foreign companies selling to Australian customers would no longer be taxed here. Instead, those companies’ home countries would tax all their profits.

    As the world moved to digital products this century, it became easy for giant multinational enterprises offering advertising on social media (such as Facebook and Instagram), advertising on search platforms (Google), and streaming services (Netflix) to provide those services from abroad. Little or no activity is conducted through local branches.

    But countries where the sales are made have increasingly questioned the wisdom of having forfeited their taxing rights over income by foreign providers.

    The rise of the digital services tax

    The obvious solution would have been to renegotiate the treaties. This would restore the right of countries like Australia to tax foreign companies’ profits made from local customers or users.

    However, treaty renegotiation is slow and complex. So several European countries, beginning with France in 2019, came up with a short-cut solution.

    They introduced a discrete new tax on sales of digital services, called digital services taxes (DSTs). While the specific design varies by country, most DSTs apply a low tax rate, typically between 3% and 5%, on revenue rather than profits. They target large digital platforms that earn money from users within the taxing country, regardless of the company’s location.

    Because DSTs are levied on revenue and are structured as separate from income tax, governments argued they could be introduced without breaching income tax treaties.

    The new taxes quickly became popular and spread widely.
    In Australia, the Greens have called for a DST, but both major parties have remained steadfast in their objection to a new tax. This is due to the concern that the US may impose retaliatory tariffs on Australian goods.

    US tech bosses at the inauguration of President Trump: (from left to right) CEO of Meta Mark Zuckerberg, Lauren Sanchez, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, CEO of Google Sundar Pichai and X CEO Elon Musk.
    Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AFP

    How big is the tax loss?

    Australians are enthusiastic consumers of digital products. Depending on which companies are included in the calculation, the annual revenues vary between $15 billion and $26 billion a year, but only a fraction of that is taxed here.

    At a time when the federal budget is forecasting deficits for the foreseeable future, Australia is foregoing potentially millions in lost revenue from these digital giants.

    While Australia has avoided a DST as a solution to the income tax loss, it has been willing to regulate and tax foreign digital companies in other ways.
    Australia collects 10% goods and services tax, or GST, on digital services provided to Australian companies, including streaming platforms and app subscriptions.

    This helps ensure foreign providers are taxed similarly to domestic ones when it comes to the GST.

    Australia has also imposed non-tax obligations on digital giants such as the requirement that digital platforms pay Australian media outlets for using their news content.



    Read more:
    Australia’s ‘coercive’ news media rules are the latest targets of US trade ire

    Serious hurdles for reform

    In February, the Trump administration described DSTs as tools used by foreign governments to “plunder American companies” and warned retaliatory tariffs would be imposed in response.

    The accompanying White House fact sheet singled out Australia and Canada, arguing the US digital economy dwarfs those countries’ entire economies. It suggested any attempt to tax US tech companies would not go unanswered.

    Six weeks later, the US imposed a 10% tariff on most Australian exports to the US and a 25% tariff on steel and aluminium exports.

    The US sees its penal tariff plans as a useful negotiating tool to pressure trading partners into retreat on a broad range of peripheral complaints, including the digital services tax.

    To date, only two countries have retreated: New Zealand and India. Other countries are standing firm.

    In Australia, the Greens have called for the adoption of a DST, but the current and previous governments remain firm in their opposition. There is concern about antagonising the US at a delicate time when our broader trade relations are under scrutiny.

    For the foreseeable future, the digital giants will continue to earn billions from Australian users. Most of those profits will remain beyond the reach of Australian tax law.

    Richard Krever receives funding from the ARC

    Fei Gao 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. Australia could tax Google, Facebook and other tech giants with a digital services tax – but don’t hold your breath – https://theconversation.com/australia-could-tax-google-facebook-and-other-tech-giants-with-a-digital-services-tax-but-dont-hold-your-breath-257251

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The ‘3 day guarantee’ for childcare starts next year. The challenge could be finding quality care

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Victoria Whitington, Associate Professor in Education Futures (Adjunct), University of South Australia

    One of the Albanese government’s headline election policies was a “three-day guarantee” for childcare.

    From January 5 2026, all eligible Australian families will be able to access at least three days of subsidised early education and care until a child starts school.

    Labor will also remove the “activity test” requiring parents to work or study to receive more than minimal subsidised care.

    The government estimates more than 100,000 families will be eligible for more care. Families will also save money on fees – for example, those on a combined annual income of A$120,000 will save about $220 a week.

    But while extra financial support and scrapping the activity test will certainly help, families are still left with the challenge of finding and securing a place in a quality service.



    Read more:
    Labor guarantees 3 days of childcare and 160 new centres. What does this mean for families?

    Quality is patchy

    Over the past 20 years, the early education and care system in Australia has rapidly expanded.
    And this has sometimes come at the expense of quality.

    The sector is overseen by the national authority and state-based regulators and services need to meet national quality standards.

    But quality is patchy. While 91% of services either meet or exceed national standards, assessments can be infrequent and there are exemptions – leaving room for poor practices.

    State-based regulators are also under-resourced, compromising their capacity to keep assessments of services up to date.

    Meanwhile, about 70% of daycare centres are owned and run by for-profit providers. This means the majority have an incentive to prioritise profits over quality care and education for children.

    Recent reports of shocking abuse and neglect in some services have highlighted how quality – and basic safety – continue to be an issue for the early childhood sector.



    Read more:
    Amid claims of abuse, neglect and poor standards, what is going wrong with childcare in Australia?

    It can be impossible to find a spot

    According to the Mitchell Institute, nearly one in four Australians lives in a “childcare desert”, where more than three children compete for every available place.

    Media reports describe how families can be left waiting well over a year to find a childcare place, depending on where they live.

    In recognition of how difficult it can be to find a childcare place, the Albanese government will build 160 not-for-profit childcare centres in regions where services are hard to find.

    While this is welcome, they may not transform accessibility. The sector has more than 9,000 existing long daycare services.

    There are not enough qualified educators

    Meanwhile, staffing is a nation-wide issue. The rapid increase in early years services has made it difficult to train, recruit and employ qualified educators.

    Many services have exemptions so they can operate without the required number of qualified staff.

    Last year, without factoring in the three-day guarantee, a Jobs and Skills Australia report estimated an extra 21,000 staff were needed to meet existing demand.

    While the government is trying to increase access with the three-day guarantee, services are already struggling to provide for existing demand.

    What should families do?

    Families eligible for the new three-day guarantee are likely to find accessing care and in a quality centre a challenge.

    They will no doubt want to make sure any potential services can provide a safe, happy environment in which their child will thrive. Here are some questions parents could ask:

    • is the service meeting national quality standards or better?

    • what are the current qualifications of staff?

    • does the service have a current exemption regarding staff qualifications?

    • what is the staff turnover?

    Families could also take a tour of the service and consider:

    • how do you feel in the environment?

    • are children engaged in activities?

    • how do staff interact with the children?

    • is there a rich environment for outdoor and indoor play?

    If you have concerns, consider other services if they are available.

    Victoria Whitington has previously received research funding from the South Australian government and has current funding for research from Catholic Education SA, Ngutu College and Gowrie SA. She is chair of the Gowrie SA board.

    – ref. The ‘3 day guarantee’ for childcare starts next year. The challenge could be finding quality care – https://theconversation.com/the-3-day-guarantee-for-childcare-starts-next-year-the-challenge-could-be-finding-quality-care-256905

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –