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Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Scientists from Akademgorodok have proven that terahertz radiation can become an effective method for diagnosing cancer and eye diseases

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    Researchers from the Laboratory of Nuclear and Innovative Medicine of Novosibirsk State University, together with specialists from the Research Institute of Clinical and Experimental Lymphology (NIIKEL, a branch of the ICG SB RAS), the Novosibirsk branch of the S.N. Fedorov National Medical Research Center for Scientific and Technical Complex “Microsurgery of the Eye” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, the Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the N.N. Vorozhtsov Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry SB RAS (NIOC SB RAS), and the G.I. Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics (INP SB RAS) conducted a series of experiments to study the effects of various protocols for irradiating rabbit eyes with terahertz radiation. The results of the study were published in the article “Assessment of the general clinical condition and functional properties of the eyes of rabbits after THz irradiation” published in the journal Biomedical Optics Express.

    The studies were conducted on a unique source of terahertz radiation of the biological user station of the Novosibirsk Free Electron Laser (NFEL) of the Institute of Nuclear Physics SB RAS with a frequency of 2.3 THz and an intensity of 0.012–0.024 mW/cm2. Irradiation durations of 15 and 30 minutes with different intensities were used.

    The scientists specified that all observed changes in the cornea of the laboratory animals were subclinical, i.e. asymptomatic, and did not lead to significant pathological changes. These scientific studies are aimed at developing future instructions and recommendations for working with THz radiation and have been approved by the Ethics Committee.

    — In the process of preparing and conducting the experiment, it was necessary to generate a lot of know-how and life hacks related to both purely practical issues, for example, with the delivery of rabbits to the INP for irradiation in winter, and with the organization of their ophthalmological examination. Some of the diagnostic studies were carried out on equipment provided to us by the Interra veterinary network and its director Elena Drobot, which greatly simplified our logistics. And in general, this is a very large-scale experiment in terms of the number of participants, which was conceived by NSU and which was completely impossible to implement without the INP, namely without the unique FEL installation and this user station. The task that we set for ourselves — to see how terahertz radiation affects the tissues of a healthy organism of a large model animal — we accomplished. And it is rabbits as an object of research that are good because the data obtained on them are most extrapolated to humans, — said the head of the Laboratory of Nuclear and Innovative Medicine Physics Department of NSU Vladimir Kanygin.

    The collaboration of scientists approached the preparation and setting up of the experiment very carefully, performing each stage as thoroughly as possible. This was necessary to cut off any external factors affecting living organisms, such as a change in the usual temperature regime, stress from transportation, etc. Before the experiment, the laboratory animals underwent a 14-day quarantine in the vivarium of the NIOC SB RAS. Before the start of the experiments, the veterinarians participating in the work conducted a full examination of the animals to exclude possible eye diseases, such as cataracts.

    Diagnostic examinations of rabbits were conducted on day zero, i.e. on the day of irradiation, the next day, a week later and a month later by specialists of the Scientific and Technical Complex “Microsurgery of the Eye”. Veterinarians monitored the condition of the rabbits at each stage of irradiation and after it.

    — Ophthalmologists conducted diagnostic studies of the rabbits’ eyes using optical computed tomography and endothelial microscopy. Our study confirms the fact of the dose-dependent effect of terahertz radiation at high frequencies on the structures of the anterior segment of the eye, in particular, on the endothelial layer of the cornea, which is a unique “pump” for maintaining optimal hydration and homeostasis of the cornea, — explained Kristina Krasner, assistant of the Department of Surgical Diseases of the Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies of NSU, ophthalmologist of the Novosibirsk branch of the Scientific and Technical Complex “Microsurgery of the Eye”, junior researcher of the laboratory of cell technologies of the Research Institute of Cellular and Electron Microsurgery.

    On the day of irradiation, the animals’ blood was tested, which showed that a systemic inflammatory process was occurring in the body. However, scientists came to the conclusion that this was the body’s reaction to stress, since living organisms have no mechanisms of protection against terahertz radiation.

    Further studies have shown that terahertz radiation with parameters of 2.3 THz and intensity of 0.012–0.024 mW/cm2 for 30 minutes is conditionally safe for the structures of the rabbit eye. However, the detected changes in the cornea require further study to determine safe exposure limits. It was noted that irradiation of the rabbit cornea led to a decrease in the density of endothelial cells. The detected changes were reversible and did not lead to pathological changes in the cornea.

    — Terahertz radiation and terahertz spectroscopy based on it can really enter clinical practice as an effective method for diagnosing oncological diseases or for possible diagnostics of diseases of the organ of vision. Despite the fact that this type of diagnostics is currently experimental and is at the development stage, it is already necessary to start thinking about safety recommendations when working with sources of terahertz radiation. In the course of this study, we studied the effect of various terahertz radiation protocols in time and intensity on the cornea of the eyes of eight laboratory animals – rabbits. We assessed only changes in the anterior segment of the eyeball. Based on the data we obtained, it is premature to draw final conclusions, but the study is a good foundation for drawing up such recommendations in the future, — commented Ekaterina Butikova, Junior Researcher at the Laboratory of Cell Technologies, Research Institute of Cellular and Electron Chemistry, Branch of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

    Scientists involved in the experiments emphasize that the generation of terahertz radiation with the parameters required to conduct the study is only possible at the biological user station of the Novosibirsk Free Electron Laser (NFEL) of the INP SB RAS.

    — In terms of average power, NLSE exceeds any existing sources in the world by many orders of magnitude, which allows us to conduct absolutely unique experiments in a very wide range of wavelengths with various biological objects. If we affect living systems with terahertz radiation, we can quite strongly influence the work of their cells, the processes occurring inside them. Such experiments are of interest from the point of view that no living organism has developed any protective mechanisms against intense THz radiation, since it is completely absorbed by the atmosphere, which means that by affecting biological objects, we can study how they adapt, what protective mechanisms they activate. For such biological experiments, a special user station was created at NLSE, which implemented the technology for regulating the average and peak radiation power, as well as the intensity of exposure. For the purity of the experiments, the station was equipped with a shutter and a thermal imager — these devices maintain and control the desired temperature. Thanks to this, we understand that we are receiving the system’s reaction specifically to the effect of radiation, and not to an increase or decrease in temperature, explained Vasily Popik, a senior researcher at the INP SB RAS and a candidate of physical and mathematical sciences.

    Experiments on laboratory animals are widely used all over the world to obtain fundamental knowledge, as well as to identify the root causes of various diseases in humans and animals, to study treatment options. All such experiments are conducted in accordance with ethical standards for the treatment of laboratory animals and are approved by the ethics committee before they begin. The Bioethics Committee of the ICG SB RAS approved the experimental work with animals on the topic: “Clinical changes in the rabbit cornea after exposure to THz radiation.”

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: HSE scientists have applied a new method to study the mechanism of memorizing new words

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    Researchers Center of Language and Brain HSE was one of the first to use transcranial alternating current stimulation to find out whether it could affect the memorization of new words. The authors of the experiment have not yet found a connection between the acquisition of words and brain stimulation, but they believe that changing the stimulation parameters may show different results in the future. The study was published in the journal Language, Cognition and Neuroscience.

    The ability to remember and correctly use new words is a vital skill for human communication. Throughout life, a person learns new words in their native language and also studies foreign languages. Learning new words is a complex cognitive process, the mechanisms of which are not yet well understood.

    Modern neuroimaging techniques such as electroencephalography, magnetic resonance imaging, or magnetoencephalography allow us to look inside the brain and see which areas are activated during certain processes. However, it is impossible to establish the nature of the connection between stimulation and brain processes—whether it is random or causal. The use of alternating current in experiments changes the situation: it allows us to modulate rhythms of a certain frequency and track their role in neuronal processes.

    Researchers from the HSE Center for Language and Brain were among the first to test whether weak electrical stimulation of the brain in the theta frequency can help a person memorize new words more effectively. They invited 30 healthy volunteers to participate and asked them to learn 80 fictitious words that were matched with Russian nouns. During the training, the participants were stimulated with a weak current in the theta rhythm range (3.5–7.5 Hz) over the left frontal-temporal areas of the brain, which are associated with speech and memory. The theta frequency was also chosen for a reason. Previous studies have shown that it is the theta rhythms that help transfer information from short-term memory to long-term memory.

    After training with stimulation, the authors of the experiment checked how the participants remembered the words. There was also a separate stage with training and testing without stimulation to compare the results of the participants.

    The researchers found no improvement in learning new words with stimulation compared to placebo. The researchers note that learning new words activates complex neural networks that include both the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus, which is difficult to stimulate from the surface of the head.

    “Although our study did not find a direct effect of alternating current stimulation on memorization, we have made an important step towards creating new methods for supporting language learning. We will continue research in this direction, but subsequent experiments will be aimed at other areas of the brain and types of stimulation,” notes the lead author of the work, junior research fellow at the HSE Center for Language and Brain Anna Komissarenko.

    In the future, the team plans to test a different frequency and phase of electrical stimulation, change the location of the electrodes, and expand the experiments to various cognitive functions. This will help to more accurately understand how the brain’s electrical activity affects learning and memory, which, in turn, will allow us to develop methods for accelerated language learning, create rehabilitation programs after strokes and injuries, and optimize neurostimulation to improve memory.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Appointment of a Canon of Windsor: 15 May 2025

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Appointment of a Canon of Windsor: 15 May 2025

    The King has approved that The Reverend Canon Dr Nicholas Brown be appointed to a Canonry of Saint George’s Chapel, Windsor.

    The King has approved the nomination of The Reverend Canon Dr Nicholas Brown, Precentor and Sub-Dean of Lincoln Cathedral, to the College of St George, Windsor, in succession to The Reverend Dr Mark Powell following his retirement.

    Background

    Nick Brown was educated at Royal Holloway University of London, and the University of Durham, obtaining a BMus, an MA and a PhD, and trained for Ministry at Ripon College, Cuddesdon.  Ordained in 2009, he served his title as Assistant Curate in the Parish of Warminster St. Denys and St. Mary Upton Scudamore in the Diocese of Salisbury.  From 2013 he served as Rector of the Parish of Louth.  From 2019 he served additionally as Acting Archdeacon of Lincoln.  In 2020, he took up his current role as Precentor of Lincoln and as Sub-Dean of Lincoln Cathedral in 2021.

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    Published 15 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Likely final House seat outcome: 94 Labor, 44 Coalition, 12 Others

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

    The ABC has called Labor wins in 93 of the 150 House of Representatives seats. The Coalition has won 43 seats, the Greens one and all Others 11, with two seats (Bradfield and Calwell) remaining undecided.

    The Poll Bludger
    has documented the changes in the close seats. In Goldstein, Teal incumbent Zoe Daniel has surged back from a peak deficit of 1,472 votes to now trail Liberal Tim Wilson by just 292 votes on strong absents and declaration pre-polls after she lost postals by 61–39. But only about 800 votes remain, so Wilson will still win.

    On Tuesday, the Liberal lead in Liberal-held Bradfield over a Teal candidate closed to just 59 votes, and the ABC uncalled a race they had called for the Liberal the previous day. On Wednesday the Liberal lead increased to 80 votes, but it’s now fallen back to 43 votes. About 420 votes remain to be counted. The Liberals will probably lead when all votes are counted, but there will be a recount.

    The Liberal National Party has held Longman after declaration pre-polls failed to follow the trend to the left in other close seats. They now have an unassailable 335-vote lead over Labor.

    In Australia’s preferential voting system, the top two candidates on primary votes are not necessarily the final two. The bottom candidate is excluded, and their votes are distributed to remaining candidates, and this continues until only two are left. During this process, the third candidate can pass the second, therefore making the final two.

    So far the only interesting seat where this has occurred is Flinders, where Teal candidate Ben Smith passed Labor despite trailing in third on primary votes by 22.3% to 21.3%, with the Liberals well ahead with 41.2%. The Liberals defeated Smith in the final count by 52.3–47.7 to hold Flinders.

    Calwell has 13 candidates. Primary votes are 30.5% Labor (down 14.3% since the 2022 election), 15.7% Liberals (down 8.1%), 12.0% for independent Carly Moore, 10.9% for independent Joseph Youhana, 8.1% for the Greens (down 1.6%) and 6.9% for yet another independent.

    The danger for Labor is that either Moore or Youhana overtake the Liberals on the distribution of preferences, then beat Labor at the final count on Liberal preferences. Friday is the last day for receipt of late postals. Once all votes are counted, the distribution of preferences can start. We should know the result in Calwell next week.

    If Labor wins Calwell and the Liberals win Bradfield, the final seat totals will be 94 Labor out of 150 (up 17 from 77 out of 151 in 2022), 44 Coalition (down 14), one Green (down three), nine independents (down one) and two others (steady). By the UK’s method, this would be a Labor majority of 38 (25% in percentage terms).

    Bad as this result is for the Coalition, they would be lucky to win three seats (Longman, Bradfield and Goldstein) by less than a 50.2–49.8 margin. The narrowest Labor win was in Bean (by 50.3–49.7 against an independent).

    Turnout for the election is now 89.1%, and is likely to be over 90% once all votes are counted. National primary votes are 34.6% Labor (up 2.0%), 31.9% Coalition (down 3.8%), 12.1% Greens (down 0.2%), 6.4% One Nation (up 1.4%), 1.9% Trumpet of Patriots (down 2.1% from United Australia Party in 2022), 7.4% independents (up 2.1%) and 5.7% others (up 0.7%).

    I explained previously that the electoral commission’s national two-party preferred count does not currently include “non-classic” seats where the major party candidates were not the final two. There will be a special count later in these seats between Labor and Coalition candidates.

    The ABC’s two-party estimate is currently a Labor win by 54.9–45.1, while The Poll Bludger has Labor winning by 54.4–45.6. We’ll need to wait for two-party counts in the non-classic seats to resolve this difference.

    In the Senate, nationally 86.8% of enrolled voters have been counted, only 2.3% behind the House count. There have only been minor changes to primary votes since last Friday’s article on the Senate, so my assessment is unchanged from that article.

    Albanese’s ratings jump in Essential poll

    Essential is the first pollster to return since the election, but it hasn’t done a voting intentions poll. In this national poll, conducted May 7–11 from a sample of 1,137, Anthony Albanese’s net approval jumped 14 points since the pre-election Essential poll to +11 (50% approve, 39% disapprove).

    Former Liberal leader Peter Dutton, who lost his seat of Dickson at the election, slumped 18 points on net approval to -30. Voters still thought Australia was on the wrong track by 42–37 (52–31 before the election).

    In this poll, the Greens and all Others did well with late deciders (those who decided who to vote for in the last few days of the election campaign). Cost of living was rated one of the top three issues by 87% on what decided their vote, including 53% who said it was the top issue.

    Sussan Ley, who was elected Liberal leader on Tuesday, was preferred by 16% as Coalition leader, with Angus Taylor on 12% and Dan Tehan on 7%, with 45% unsure and 20% “none of the above”. Among those who voted for the Coalition, Taylor led Ley by 23–20.

    By 58–42, voters thought Labor should stick to the policies it took to the election, rather than be more ambitious now that it has a strong majority.

    Adrian Beaumont 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. Likely final House seat outcome: 94 Labor, 44 Coalition, 12 Others – https://theconversation.com/likely-final-house-seat-outcome-94-labor-44-coalition-12-others-256568

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: ‘I will not eat the bugs’: examining a right-wing narrative about scarcity and insect consumption

    Source: The Conversation – France – By D. D. Moore, Visiting Fellow, Max Weber Programme for Postdoctoral Studies, European University Institute

    Noor Bin Ladin, a right-wing influencer, stridently declares “I don’t want to eat the bugs” on a talk show hosted by a former adviser to US President Donald Trump. Laurent Duplomb, a senator from the conservative Les Républicains party in France, informs his colleagues that the French would be eating “insects without their knowledge”. Bartosz Kownacki, an MP from the nationalist Law and Justice party in Poland, suggests that opposition politicians write “instead of chicken, eat a worm” on their election materials, arguing that “this is their real election programme”. Thierry Baudet, a leader of the far-right Forum for Democracy party in the Netherlands, shouts “No way! No way!” while holding up a bag of mealworms in front of protesting farmers. Politicians in Lega, a far-right party in Italy, warn that the European Union is planning to “impose” the eating of insects on citizens in the bloc – and a Lega electoral campaign includes a billboard-sized image of a person popping an enormous cricket into their mouth, next to the caption, “Let’s change Europe before it changes us.”


    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!

    During the 2020s, commentators and politicians across the right-wing political spectrum have amplified an Internet-based conspiracy theory that elite forces are conspiring to make us all eat insects. Often rallying under the slogan “I will not eat the bugs,” right-wing and far-right figures have come out in force against human consumption of insects. Many of these people assert that the EU is planning to force bug-eating on the general public while devastating traditional agriculture and meat consumption under the guise of the European Green Deal, the bloc’s plan to eliminate greenhouse gases by 2050 and decouple economic growth from resource use. Opposing insect-eating has become a symbolic way to protest EU environmental policies, express scepticism of and hostility toward Brussels, and villainize political opponents. Closer inspection reveals that the conspiracy theory underlying such opposition has much older and more sinister resonances.

    “Spreading disinformation”

    Insect eating (entomophagy) remains a minor practice in Europe and North America, although alternative protein sources do play a role in the EU’s move toward a sustainable future. So far, the European Commission has approved frozen, dried and powdered forms of Tenebrio molitor (yellow mealworm larva), Locusta migratoria (migratory locust), Acheta domesticus (house cricket) and Alphitobius diaperinus (the lesser mealworm larva) for human consumption. But the market for insect powder in foods like bread, pasta and sports bars remains small. Although insects are common food in many parts of the world, consumers in the West, where insects are more commonly used to provide protein in animal feed, are reluctant to eat bugs for historical reasons based in ideas of uncleanliness and primitiveness. So, based on the facts, there seems to be little to no reason for statements such as those made by Rumen Petkov of Bulgaria’s ABV party, who said that EU approval of insect consumption is a “crime against Europe” and that the European Commission is “prepared to kill our European children”.

    What led to the rapid spread of this conspiracy theory? Noor Bin Ladin’s remarks give us a clue. During her talk show appearance, Bin Ladin described her words as a message for Klaus Schwab to take to his “masters”. Schwab is the founder and executive chair of the World Economic Forum. Early in the Covid pandemic, Schwab and the WEF produced a set of proposals titled “the Great Reset”, which called for an overhaul of various world systems to produce a stakeholder-driven capitalism that would lead to a more socially and environmentally responsible future. Conspiracists seized on and branded “the Great Reset” as a new iteration of a conspiracy theory known as the New World Order – an imagined global governance system meant to control the lives of everyone. Both the Great Reset and the New World Order lead back to much older and broader antisemitic conspiracy theories that hold that elite Jewish financiers run the world with their hands on invisible levers of power. All these narratives tap into feelings of futility and hopelessness about the future.

    US right-wing media personality Tucker Carlson called a 2023 episode of his show, which included a heavy focus on Schwab and the WEF, “Let Them Eat Bugs”, a title that gestures at the remark allegedly made by Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France, when she heard about people suffering from a lack of bread before the French Revolution: “Let them eat cake”. With this title, Carlson is aiming to emphasize that the elite are hopelessly out of touch and have contempt for farmers and the average man, whom they want to force to eat bugs. Like the French bedbug scare in late 2023, right-wing alarm around insect-eating has connections to the spread of anti-EU Russian propaganda. Russian news outlets have suggested that Europeans are so poor and food deprived as a result of sanctions connected to the war in Ukraine that they have been reduced to eating insects. As the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) writes, insects are “delicious treats for actors with interest in spreading disinformation against the EU”.

    Symbols for dehumanization

    The desire to stir up fear about the minor level of European and US insect consumption is not based on the risk of rapid growth in the insect market, but on the power to arouse disgust and fear itself. Insects have long been used as symbols to stir revulsion and paint opponents as objects of physical and moral disgust. During times of political extremism, insects have featured repeatedly in efforts to distance, devalue and dehumanize minorities. Armenians were called locusts during the Armenian genocide, and Jews were compared to lice in Nazi Germany. In the period prior to the ethnic genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda, some Hutus repeatedly called Tutsis “cockroaches” on public radio. The right wing’s current fetishization of insect-eating serves as a narrative to cast political opponents as morally repulsive, even if not labelling them as bugs themselves.

    For some figures on the right, insect consumption symbolizes the worst of Eurocentric liberalism – seen as a movement so void of a positive political vision that the only possible future it offers is one of impoverishment and bug-eating. They point to an elite who they claim will go on feasting on meat while forcing mealworms and fly larvae on the rest of us. It’s a potent image. At a moment in which people on the right and the left seem unable to imagine a better political future together, it becomes easier to demonize climate policy-minded leaders as a group of disgusting hypocrites plotting to create a society of contrived scarcity where the general population is reduced to eating bugs.

    Meanwhile, since 2015, scientists have been releasing papers warning that the global food system shows risks of genuine structural problems. In a future of environmental disruption, trade wars and real risks of food shortages and famine, we may need all the calories we can get – insect-based or otherwise.



    À lire aussi :
    ‘A healthy earth may be ugly’: How literary art can help us value insect conservation

    Out of curiosity, I bought a bag of cricket flour last fall. The crickets resulted in a delicious, nutty-flavoured cecina, well… crickcina. So far, none of my friends will try it. They’re missing out.

    D. D. Moore ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

    – ref. ‘I will not eat the bugs’: examining a right-wing narrative about scarcity and insect consumption – https://theconversation.com/i-will-not-eat-the-bugs-examining-a-right-wing-narrative-about-scarcity-and-insect-consumption-254112

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New £1.8m sports pitch and pavilion completed at Banbridge High School

    Source: Northern Ireland City of Armagh

    John Donnelly from the Education Authority, Katy Feeney, Principal of Banbridge High School and Gavin Boyd, Chair of Sport NI join the Lord Mayor of ABC Borough Cllr Sarah Duffy, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons and ABC Council Chief Executive Roger Wilson at the official opening of the new 3G sports pitch and pavilion.

    A new £1.8m 3G sports pitch and pavilion which will benefit pupils and the local community has opened at Banbridge High School.

    Minister for Communities, Gordon Lyons joined Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon (ABC) Borough, Councillor Sarah Duffy in officially opening the impressive facility which includes a full size 3G synthetic pitch complete with floodlighting, fencing and a changing pavilion.

    The sports pitch will be operated on a dual-use basis; Banbridge High School using the pitch during the day and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council managing the facility for community use in the evenings and weekends.

    The project is funded through £1.6m investment from ABC Council and Department for Communities through the Your School Your Club initiative, with funding of £225,000 distributed through Sport NI.

    Lord Mayor, Councillor Sarah Duffy said: “This is a very positive day for everyone at Banbridge High School and also the local community who can avail of this excellent facility. Sport and exercise are so important and as a council we are delighted to be a part of this innovative partnership which is helping people stay active and healthy.”

    Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said: “This new pitch and changing pavilion are welcome additions to Banbridge High School, benefitting not only the pupils but sports teams in the wider community. I am keen to see young people participating in a range of sports and I am determined that school and grassroots venues are modernised and available to more teams and groups for training and matches.  Your School Your Club has the potential to transform school sports facilities and I hope more schools will take inspiration from Banbridge High School.”

    A spokesperson for the Education Authority (EA) said: “We would like to thank ABC Council, Sport Northern Ireland and Banbridge High School for their vision, support and significant investment.  We look forward to seeing this partnership thrive and have no doubt that this facility will become a hub of sporting excellence and physical well-being.”

    Richard Archibald, Interim CEO, Sport NI said: “Sport has the power to change lives and access to good sports facilities is vital to create more opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to participate in sport and physical activity. We are delighted to have supported this new facility at Banbridge High School through our Your School Your Club programme which will benefit both the school and the wider community.”

    Principal of Banbridge High School, Mrs Katy Feeney said: “I am thrilled at the opening of our new 3G pitch, a state-of-the-art facility that will significantly enhance our sports programmes and provide our students with unparalleled opportunities for physical development, activity and teamwork.

    “In addition to benefiting our students, the 3G pitch will also serve the local community. As a school, this will allow us to strengthen our ties with the community and create a vibrant, active hub for everyone to enjoy. I would like to thank all those who have made this a reality.”

    The 3G pitch and pavilion was designed by AECOM and the work was successfully completed by Haffey Sports Grounds Ltd.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Happiness as an Industry: Why We Want to Be Happy and What’s Wrong with It

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    First, happiness begins to act as a criterion by which people evaluate each other. In other words, a happy person is perceived as good and worthy, and an unhappy person is perceived as bad and dysfunctional. This creates a new system of inequality, based not on socio-economic factors, but on feelings and sensations.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Crow Visits CU Anschutz to Discuss Impact of Trump Administration’s Proposed Cuts on Life-Saving Medical Research

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06)

    AURORA — Today, Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO-06) toured the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and held a roundtable with administrators and faculty to discuss issues impacting the University, including the Trump Administration’s proposed cuts to life-saving medical research and federal funding for the National Institutes of Health. 

    “The Trump Administration’s proposed cuts to medical research are threatening our ability to find cures for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s,” said Congressman Crow. “That’s why today I met with CU Anschutz faculty and administrators to learn more about their research and how I can best fight to protect this life-saving work in Washington.”

    Prior to the roundtable, Congressman Crow toured the University’s BIOElectrics Lab, which explores the intersection between technology and the brain as well as the CellSight Program, which is working to develop therapeutics to save and restore sight in patients with blinding diseases.​ 

    Congressman Crow has opposed cuts to medical research grants and the NIH, and recently led a letter highlighting how these cuts would hurt Colorado’s economy and stall efforts to find cures for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s. He also strongly opposes the Republican budget proposal that would limit Coloradans’ access to health care.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Find out about courses for adult learners with additional needs

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    Its SEND Open Event takes place next Thursday 22 May from 1.30pm to 6pm at The Maltings, Herbert Street, Wolverhampton.

    Visitors will be able to view the facilities and meet the tutors, support workers and current students, take part in activities and find out more about courses for people with disabilities.

    These include:

    • Life Skills English, Maths and Digital Skills; students learn essential everyday key skills for their personal lives and potential voluntary and paid employment.
    • Life Skills Cookery; students learn the basics of simple food preparation, food safety, the safe use of tools, and important skills helping students to move closer to living independently.
    • Everyday Life Skills; students focus on exploring the community, citizenship, independent travelling and much more about what it is to live in the UK today.
    • Keep Learning and Move On courses; students focus on taking the next steps towards independence and work ready skills.
    • Supported Internships and Supported Employment; a personalised model for supporting people with significant disabilities to secure and retain paid employment.

    Refreshments will be available from a student run ‘pop up’ café, while a craft fair will showcase the talents of students on the Supported Internship and Supported Employment programmes.

    Councillor Chris Burden, Cabinet Member for City Development, Jobs and Skills, said: “Our students speak very highly of the various programmes that Adult Education Wolverhampton offer to learners with additional needs, such as the very popular Life Skills programmes, which are helping them develop the skills they need to live as independent a life as possible.

    “The open event next week is a great opportunity to find out more about these courses, and about studying with Adult Education Wolverhampton, so please come along and find out more.”

    For more details, please email katherine.jones@aes.wolverhampton.gov.uk or call 01902 553870, 01902 558163 or 07436 904526.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: The new leader of the Greens sits in the Senate. Why is that so unusual in Australian politics?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Twomey, Professor Emerita in Constitutional Law, University of Sydney

    The 2025 federal election resulted in some unexpected outcomes, including the loss by the Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, of his seat in the House of Representatives. The new Greens leader is Senator Larissa Waters.

    Does it matter that a party leader sits in the Senate, and why do the leaders of major parties almost always come from the lower House?

    The answer is that by convention, rather than an express constitutional requirement, the prime minister sits in the lower house of parliament. Parties with aspirations to form government therefore choose leaders from among their members in the lower house.

    Prime ministers in the House of Lords

    Historically, in the United Kingdom, prime ministers could sit in either house. In the 19th century, most prime ministers sat in the House of Lords, and two started in the House of Commons and ended their prime ministership in the Lords.

    But in the 20th century, the convention developed of the prime minister holding a seat in the House of Commons.

    This was for three reasons. First, as a matter of practicality, the House of Commons is where the main work of government occurs, and the prime minister’s involvement is needed.

    Second, according to convention, the monarch appoints as prime minister the person who commands the confidence of the lower house, which is hard to do from outside it.

    Third, the House of Lords is not elected, and therefore does not have a democratic mandate. It ceased to be acceptable in the United Kingdom for an unelected person to govern as prime minister.

    When the Conservative prime minister, Harold Macmillan, resigned suddenly for health reasons in 1963, Lord Home was appointed as Conservative Party leader and prime minister. He renounced his earldom and then ran successfully in a byelection for a seat in the House of Commons.

    A prime minister in the Senate?

    In Australia, the position is different because the Senate is elected by the people. A senator can therefore be regarded as having a democratic mandate, although he or she represents a state, rather than being elected by a particular electorate.

    Section 64 of the Commonwealth Constitution requires ministers to be either a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate, with a three month leeway period to become elected. But it does not require that the prime minister sit in the House of Representatives. It is instead a matter of custom, practicality and convention.

    When the prime minister, Harold Holt, went missing while swimming in the ocean in December 1967, the Liberal Party chose Senator John Gorton as its new leader.

    Gorton was appointed prime minister on January 10 1968, despite being a Senator, but resigned from the Senate on February 1 1968 and was elected to fill the vacancy in Holt’s lower House seat on February 24.

    Gorton was therefore prime minister while being a Senator for three weeks, and prime minister without a seat in parliament at all for just over three weeks. It was generally accepted that as prime minister, he should sit in the lower house.

    Premiers in state upper houses

    At the state level, premiers have sometimes sat in the upper house, at least for a short period.

    One notable example is that of Hal Colebatch in Western Australia. In 1919, Colebatch, who was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council, was acting premier, while the premier, Henry Lefroy, was at a conference in Melbourne. There was an outbreak of Spanish flu in the eastern states. In scenes reminiscent of the COVID pandemic, Colebatch gained immense popularity by slamming shut the state border. His own premier was even prevented from returning home.

    Lefroy eventually resigned as premier, and Colebatch replaced him, despite sitting in the Legislative Council. But Colebatch did not last long in the job. He tried, but failed, to find a lower house seat to move to. In addition, his health was failing, as was his popularity after rioting during a wharf strike led to the death of a worker. So Colebatch resigned as premier, having spent his entire premiership as a member of the Legislative Council.

    In New South Wales, when the Labor premier, Neville Wran, surprised his colleagues by resigning in May 1986, the party elected Barrie Unsworth as its leader.

    Unsworth was a member of the Legislative Council. He was nonetheless appointed as premier. A Labor backbencher in the Legislative Assembly resigned to allow Unsworth to contest his safe Labor seat. Despite a large swing against him, Unsworth narrowly won the seat by 54 votes and continued as premier until 1988.

    Leaders of major and minor parties

    The main problem with a prime minister or premier sitting in the upper house is that the government is formed from the lower house, and the prime minister or Premier must be the person who holds its confidence. This is difficult when there is no direct accountability to the lower house, as it cannot question a prime minister or premier who sits in the other house.

    For this reason, parties that could potentially win government will ordinarily choose a leader from among their members in the lower House, and politicians with leadership ambition will often seek to transfer from the upper to the lower house to enhance their chances to lead.

    Due to the Senate’s proportional voting system, minor parties are more likely to have greater numbers in the Senate than the House of Representatives. It is therefore logical that their leadership should come from the Senate, especially when they are unlikely to have the numbers in the lower House to form a government. But for major parties, their leader is ordinarily chosen from among the members of the House of Representatives, in case government beckons.

    Anne Twomey has received funding from the ARC and sometimes does consultancy work for Parliaments, governments and inter-governmental bodies.

    – ref. The new leader of the Greens sits in the Senate. Why is that so unusual in Australian politics? – https://theconversation.com/the-new-leader-of-the-greens-sits-in-the-senate-why-is-that-so-unusual-in-australian-politics-256578

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Fresh start for the Greens, with new leader Larissa Waters

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nathan Fioritti, Lecturer in Politics, School of Social Sciences, Monash University

    Queensland Senator Larissa Waters is the new leader of the Australian Greens, following a two-hour partyroom meeting held in the wake of the party’s lacklustre performance in the May 3 election.

    Waters was elected unopposed.

    New South Wales Senator Mehreen Faruqi will continue as Greens deputy, while South Australian Senator Sarah Hanson-Young will be the Greens Manager of Business.

    Besides having an apt surname for an ecological party leader, what do we know about Waters?

    And as Australia’s 48th parliament prepares to sit, what might we expect from her leadership of the country’s largest minor party?

    Who is Larissa Waters?

    Waters first entered parliament in 2011, following a career as an environmental lawyer.

    She was the first Greens senator to be elected in Queensland and is now the second-longest serving Green in parliament after Hanson-Young.

    Born in Canada, Waters’ tenure was briefly interrupted in 2017–2018 when she discovered she had breached section 44 of the Constitution by failing to renounce her dual citizenship.

    Waters is the second woman after Christine Milne to lead the party. She has leadership experience, serving as Senate leader since 2020 and co-deputy leader prior to that.

    Waters’ re-election on May 3 for another six-year term will ensure leadership stability following the unexpected departure of her predecessor, Adam Bandt.

    Beyond her clear passion for environmental protection, Waters has dedicated her time in parliament to advancing gender equity, ending gender-based violence, and addressing corporate donations and influence in politics.

    She made international news in 2017 when she became the first politician to breastfeed in federal parliament.

    New direction?

    So what does new leadership mean for the direction of the Greens and the role the party will play in the new parliament?

    Will it opt for pragmatism or hold firm on principle?

    Will it continue to campaign hard on a diverse set of policy issues, or choose to focus more on its core environmental offering?

    Waters is viewed by many in the party as a compromise candidate between Faruqi and Hanson-Young, who according to speculation, were also considering a tilt at the leadership. Faruqi represents the more radical wing of the Greens, while Hanson-Young is a prominent moderate figure who would likely have pushed the party closer to the political centre and faced resistance from elements of the membership.

    Given this, Waters is expected to play a unifying role, much like Bandt did during his tenure.

    While the Greens held all their seats up for re-election in the Senate, they were close to a wipe-out in the lower house, where they lost three of their four members from the previous parliament.

    The party will likely concentrate in future elections on expanding and then retaining their presence in the Senate.

    In the lower house, Queensland will be a major focus for the Greens as they try to win back seats they lost at the election – Griffith and Brisbane. Waters’ leadership should help with this aim.

    Senate power

    Waters will conceivably command more power than Bandt, given the Greens will hold the sole balance of power in the new Senate.

    She’s pledged to keep Labor accountable, while urging the government to “be brave” and “actually do what the country needs them to do”.

    There’s now no excuse for the Labor Party not to take the climate crisis seriously, to take real action on the housing crisis, to genuinely tackle the cost of living. People deserve more than just tinkering. They deserve real reform that will help them in their daily lives, and nature cannot be put last like it has been for so long.

    This, together with the presentation of Waters as a leader who represents continuity, suggests any changes to the party’s approach will likely focus on presentation rather than policy.

    Waters is now tasked with reframing the 2025 election result as a moment of short-term pain and setting the party on a path of long-term gain.

    Whether or not this will be achieved, and how important Waters’ leadership will be to achieving this, remains to be seen.

    How was Waters selected?

    The Greens’ leadership selection relies entirely on the federal party room. Unlike the Labor Party, where members have a say on who becomes leader, grassroots Greens are excluded from the process.

    Like Waters, all previous leaders – Adam Bandt, Richard Di Natale, Christine Milne and party founder Bob Brown – were elected unopposed, reflecting the party’s consensus style of decision making.

    In 2020, there was an unsuccessful push to include the membership base in the leadership process. A “one member, one vote” option received majority support in a party-wide plebiscite. But it failed to meet the two-thirds majority required to force a change.

    Nathan Fioritti 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. Fresh start for the Greens, with new leader Larissa Waters – https://theconversation.com/fresh-start-for-the-greens-with-new-leader-larissa-waters-256453

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Europe: EUROPE/UKRAINE – Father Luca Bovio, IMC, at the head of the newly established national direction of the Pontifical Mission Societies

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Wednesday, 14 May 2025

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches), appointed Father Luca Bovio, IMC, as director of the national direction of the newly established Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in Ukraine on March 25, 2025, for the five-year period 2025-2030.Born in Milan on October 19, 1970, Father Bovio experienced missionary volunteering as a lay person in Tanzania before joining the Consolata Missionaries in 1996. He completed his philosophical studies at the Interdiocesan Theological Study of Fossano, affiliated with the Faculty of Theology of Northern Italy (1998-2000), and his theological studies at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome (2001-2004). He was ordained a priest in Milan in 2006. He obtained a degree in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University (2005-2007). In 2008, together with two confreres, he founded the first community of Consolata Missionaries in Poland.Since 2012, he has served as National Secretary of the Pontifical Missionary Union within the Polish PMS, playing a key role in organizing missionary congresses and in the formation of local clergy. He has been responsible for the Kielpino community since 2013 and has also been the Province’s Delegate to the Conference of Major Superiors of Poland.In 2019, he obtained his doctorate in Missiology at the University named after Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński in Warsaw. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Father Bovio has visited the country many times, providing humanitarian support to several dioceses and strengthening his ties with the local Church. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 14/5/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Southern Rural Strategy will cultivate industry, resilience and communities

    Source: Secondary teachers question rationale for changes to relationship education guidelines

    A new strategy for how and where Auckland’s southern rural area will grow and change over the next 30 years has been approved by Auckland’s Policy and Planning Committee.  

    Franklin ward councillor, Andy Baker, says the Southern Rural Strategy supports the region to accommodate a growing population, while continuing to support a healthy environment and the area’s established and emerging industries, like horticulture, dairy farming and construction.  

    “The southern rural area is expected to account for approximately 15 per cent of Auckland’s overall population growth over the next 30 years. At the same time, it is one of the country’s primary food production regions, with abundant natural resources and some of the most productive land in New Zealand. It’s strategic location, close to airports, seaport and key export markets, helps to further cultivate these industries. 

    “The strategy provides direction for where housing choices, industries and employment opportunities will grow, in a way that supports the area to thrive economically and ecologically. I’d like to acknowledge the Franklin Local Board, mana whenua, and local communities, businesses and representatives, as well as all who took part in the consultation for their work to help shape the future of Auckland’s southern rural land,” says Cr Baker.  

    Auckland Council anticipates an increase of 89,900 people, 37,500 households, and 16,500 jobs in the southern rural region by 2052. Housing capacity to cater for this expected population growth has been enabled by the Auckland Unitary Plan. Over time, areas that have been identified as places where future urban growth – known as ‘future urban areas’ – will also provide additional capacity. 

    Deputy chair of Auckland’s Policy and Planning Committee, Angela Dalton, is councillor of the Manurewa-Papakura Ward. She says the strategy supports the southern rural area to grow well. 

    “This is a vibrant region, where traditional industries thrive alongside emerging sectors. The strategy is about balanced growth, that minimises the impact on the environment while improving housing choices and socially connected communities. By making the most of existing infrastructure, and focusing on projects that deliver multiple benefits, we’re helping set up the region for a resilient and sustainable future.” 

    The strategy covers the full Franklin ward. It also includes some rural land from the Howick, Manurewa, and Papakura local board areas. The area’s quickest growing towns, Drury, Ōpaheke , and Pukekohe, already have community-backed plans to guide their growth, so the strategy does not cover these areas. 

    Consultation on the Southern Rural Strategy took place from Tuesday 29 October – Sunday 1 December 2024.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: New notable trees ready for recognition

    Source: Secondary teachers question rationale for changes to relationship education guidelines

    Auckland’s notable trees are living legends. They provide homes for native species like the tūī, offer much-needed shade on a warm day, and have stood steady as Tāmaki Makaurau has grown around them. Now, a fresh batch of these leafy landmarks have been nominated for the notable tree schedule.  

    Today, Auckland’s Policy and Planning Committee approved public consultation on adding 174 individual trees and 29 groups of trees to the schedule. Chair of the committee, councillor Richard Hills, says protecting notable trees helps preserve an important part of Auckland’s natural identity. 

    “Notable trees are living parts of Auckland’s story. From pōhutukawa to kauri to London planes – adding them to the notable tree schedule preserves their natural, historical and cultural stories for us, and to pass on for generations to come.

    “This year Auckland was recognised as a Tree City of the World for the fourth year in a row. I’m so proud the effort we make to protect and nurture our vibrant urban ngahere has again been recognised on a global scale – our notable trees play a key part in that.

    “We now have an opportunity to protect more of Auckland’s remarkable trees. We have assessed all trees that were nominated for the schedule up until the end of June 2024, and now propose to add them through this plan change.”

    The notable trees schedule includes trees that are remarkable, significant or help wildlife to flourish.

    How are notable trees protected? 

    Auckland’s unitary plan is our city’s planning rulebook. It sets out what can be built where, and it also helps preserve the notable trees that line our leafy streets. It does this through a part of the plan called the notable tree schedule. Most changes to this schedule must follow a plan change process, allowing Aucklanders to have their say on updates. 

    What makes a tree notable? 

    Notable trees are significant for their age and size, rarity, cultural or historical significance, or the habitat they provide to wildlife, like pīwakawaka/fantail, pihipihi/silvereye, and riroriro/grey warbler. 

    Additionally, trees help cool our city and clean the air. As Auckland’s population grows and city becomes denser, they’re vital to keeping our neighbourhoods healthy and liveable. 

    What protections do notable trees have?  

    The notable trees schedule includes trees that are remarkable, significant or help wildlife to flourish. They therefore have greater legal protections and can’t be removed or significantly altered without an approved resource consent from Auckland Council.  

    How do I know if a tree is notable?  

    Check the schedule! You can see all of the trees listed on the notable trees schedule in the Auckland Unitary Plan, or the Hauraki Gulf Islands District Plan for the islands.  

    Find out more about Auckland’s notable trees. You can have your say on the proposed change to add the trees to the notable tree schedule from 22 May – 23 June 2025.  

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Submissions are now open for the Education and Training Amendment Bill (No 2)

    Source:

    The closing date for submissions is Thursday, 12 June 2025.

    The bill would amend the Education and Training Act 2020 to give effect to new policy decisions, including matters related to:

    • school board objectives
    • statement of national educational and learning priorities for early childhood education, primary education, and secondary education
    • initial teacher education
    • freedom of expression
    • attendance management plans
    • other amendments, including some about strike notifications, Teaching Council processes, and changes to the Minister’s ability to set fees for Crown expenditure relating to international students and the issuing of eligibility criteria for principals.

    The bill would also make some technical changes to the Act and regulations. Full details of the bill are available at the links below.

    Tell the Education and Workforce Committee what you think

    Make a submission on the bill by 11.59pm on Thursday, 12 June 2025.

    For more details about the bill:

    ENDS

    For media enquiries contact: Committee staff, education.workforce@parliament.govt.nz

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Australia – Holidays boost household spending in April, but consumer rebound remains sluggish – CBA

    Source: Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA)

    A soft consumer and global uncertainty have led to a downgrade to GDP expectations, with additional interest rate cuts needed to improve spending momentum.

    The CommBank Household Spending Insights (HSI) Index rose 0.2 per cent in April, a very modest lift following a soft first quarter of spending in 2025. (ref. https://www.commbankresearch.com.au/apex/researcharticleviewv2?id=a0NDo000000wOzu )

    Seven of the twelve HSI categories recorded spending growth for the month, led by Insurance (+1.6 per cent), Hospitality (+1.4 per cent) and Communications & Digital (+0.7 per cent). The increase seen in hospitality spending was likely driven by the Easter-Anzac Day ‘super holiday’ period. April also featured the lead-up to the Federal election, recovery from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, and newly announced tariffs by the Trump administration.

    Spending on Utilities fell 2.0 per cent in the month, the largest decline across all categories, with decreases seen in electricity, gas, water and council services. Transport (-0.8 per cent), Education (-0.7 per cent) and Household Services (-0.7 per cent) also declined.

    “Another soft month for household spending reinforces our view that a slower than expected consumer recovery is unfolding. This trend, along with global economic uncertainty, led us to recently downgrade our Australian GDP forecast for 2025,” said CBA Senior Economist, Belinda Allen.

    “While moderating inflation, February’s RBA rate cut and lower utility and petrol bills are improving purchasing power, households clearly remain deliberate with their spending choices. The recent pause of additional tariffs between the U.S. and China could improve sentiment going forward, however we expect it will take additional interest rates cuts to improve momentum in consumer spending.

    “We maintain our call for the RBA to cut rates by 25 basis points next week , with a forecast end of year cash rate of 3.35 per cent.”  

    The annual rate of spending across home ownership status saw a surprising shift in April – renters have typically recorded the weakest spending over the past two years however this has now switched with renters leading annual growth in spending (+2.4 per cent), followed by those with a mortgage (2.2 per cent) and outright homeowners most sluggish (+0.7 per cent).

    “Renters in particular have increased discretionary spending which suggests that while consumers are making cutbacks in some areas, many are still making trade-offs and allocating a share of their wallet to areas like hospitality and recreation and more so in April given the additional public holidays,” commented Ms Allen.

    Queensland recorded the strongest household spending growth in April of the states and territories, rising 0.8 per cent following a rebound from ex-tropical cyclone Alfred in March, when the state posted the softest growth of all states at just 0.2 per cent.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: ExerciseNZ – Winter Wellness Starts with Sleep: The Overlooked Key to Achieving Exercise Goals

    Source: ExerciseNZ

    As the colder months settle in across Aotearoa, ExerciseNZ is encouraging Kiwis to take stock of their winter wellness routines — with a special focus on a crucial yet often overlooked pillar of health: sleep.

    New research from Uppsala University, published in Biomarker Research (April 2025), reveals that just three consecutive nights of restricted sleep (approximately 4.25 hours per night) can significantly alter blood biomarkers associated with cardiovascular disease — even in young, healthy individuals. Alarmingly, the study also found that regular physical activity does not offset these negative effects, making sleep more important than ever for those with fitness and wellbeing goals.

    “As winter rolls in and we shift our routines indoors, we want to remind people that sleep isn’t a luxury — it’s a foundational part of health and recovery,” says Richard Beddie, CEO of ExerciseNZ. “Quality sleep might just be the secret weapon for smashing your fitness goals this winter.” While many Kiwis double down on exercise to combat seasonal lethargy, the combination of colder temperatures, darker days, and disrupted sleep patterns can actually hinder performance and recovery if not managed properly.

    In fact, research published in the Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology shows that sleep loss can impair muscle glycogen repletion, reduce time to exhaustion, and decrease strength and aerobic capacity — all of which can compromise training outcomes. The study underscores how sleep enhances performance, cognitive functioning, and outcomes across 1-rep max testing, endurance training, and high-intensity interval workouts.

    The Science of Sleep and Exercise: Why Recovery Matters More in Winter

    Restricted sleep increases levels of inflammation-related proteins in the blood, raising the risk for cardiovascular issues — even in fit, active people.
    Sleep plays a key role in muscle repair, hormone regulation, and mental clarity — all essential to getting the most from your workouts.
    A consistent sleep routine can reduce injury risk, support immunity during colder months, and enhance energy levels for winter training.

    Top Tips for Winter Wellness:

    Prioritise Consistency: Aim for 7–9 hours of sleep each night. Try going to bed and waking up at the same time daily, even on weekends.
    Wind Down Naturally: Reduce screen time in the hour before bed. Try stretching, light reading, or mindfulness exercises instead.
    Pair Exercise with Recovery: Listen to your body and allow for adequate rest between intense sessions.

    This winter, instead of trying to “power through” with more training, ExerciseNZ challenges everyone to train smarter — by recognising the power of rest, especially as the mercury drops.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Education – Growing Future Farmers and Skills Group, Ignite, Partner to Provide Diversified Career Pathways for Young Farmers

    Source: Skills Group

    Skills Group – Ignite and Growing Future Farmers (GFF) have developed a new training programme to meet the learning and development needs of young sheep and beef farmers.

    Pending NZQA approval, the first cohort is set to begin as early as July 2025, with the Level 4 programme offering a next-step pathway that builds on the success of GFF’s hands-on model and NZQA Level 2 and 3 qualifications.

    It has been co-designed and developed with extensive industry consultation to give young farmers the opportunity to deepen their skills while continuing to work on-farm, helping to strengthen the pipeline of talent and capability within the sector.

    GFF CEO Wendy Paul says the new programme is a natural extension of GFF’s founding purpose.

    “From day one, GFF has been about creating real career opportunities for young people in farming. This new programme allows us to extend that journey by offering progression while keeping the real-world, on-farm learning that’s central to our model.”

    Skills Group – Ignite Director of Vocational Training and Higher Education Mark Worsop says the innovative blended learning programme, combining provider-based and work-based learning is designed to equip young farmers with the necessary skills to take on leadership roles in the agricultural industry.

    “With this new programme, graduates will be able to take on increased responsibility says Mark.

    The GFF programme is a two-year initiative where students gain practical, hands-on experience working directly on farms. Students, typically aged between 16 and 21 years old, are matched with experienced farm trainers.

    “The new Level 4 programme will ensure that graduates are prepared to meet the demands of an ever-evolving agricultural sector by developing management and leadership skills. The programme offers an exciting opportunity for GFF Level 2 and Level 3 graduates to further develop their skills and transition into beef and sheep farm leadership roles,” Mark says.

    Graduates of this qualification will be equipped to do a range of things, from coordinating agribusiness activities using appropriate technology to benchmarking a farm’s physical performance and implementing and monitoring a farm environmental plan.

    The Level 4 programme is delivered through a blended learning approach. Trainees will benefit from online tuition and academic support provided by expert tutors from Skills Group – Ignite. In addition, they will receive the same level of high-quality pastoral care and in-person support that GFF currently provides.

    “This holistic approach ensures that trainees are well-supported academically and personally, as they progress through their studies,” Mark says.

    “The fully workplace integrated learning approach benefits both trainees and employers, ensuring that the learning experience is meaningful and tailored to the realities of farm operations,” Mark says.

    “The GFF team are passionate about the quality of training and support available to future farm trainees and students. They’ve developed a unique delivery model that not only meets the training and support needs of learners but is also built upon employer partnerships with a real commitment to the learner journey and their professional development,” Mark says.

    GFF CEO Wendy Paul says the partnership with Skills Group- Ignite reflects a shared vision and a commitment to long-term impact.

    “We’re really pleased to be partnering in a way that aligns so strongly with our strategic direction and purpose. This collaboration brings new perspectives, diverse capabilities, and helps strengthen the GFF model — ensuring it remains viable, high quality, and centred on student success. At its core, it’s about delivering life-changing experiences for the next generation of farmers and securing a strong future for the sector,” says Wendy.

    About Skills Group – Ignite

    Skills Group is New Zealand’s largest private training establishment, delivering hands-on, real-world education to over 18,000 learners across New Zealand and the world. From school leavers to CEOs, Skills Group supports lifelong learning through practical, industry-aligned training programmes that help people grow their careers, businesses, and communities. For more information about Skills Group – Ignite go to https://skills-ignite.org/

    About Growing Future Farmers

    GFF is a charity that provides the opportunity for motivated young people to enter the sheep, beef and deer industry with the confidence of supported training and development, and that provides an industry respected, employer led career pathway that will enable motivated young people to progress in their career.

    https://www.growingfuturefarmers.co.nz/about

    GFF provides NZQA approved on farm programmes underpinned by proven methods and are future focused.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Trump signed plenty of contracts in the Middle East, but he’s no closer to the two ‘deals’ he really wants

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shahram Akbarzadeh, Convenor, Middle East Studies Forum (MESF), and Deputy Director (International), Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University

    US President Donald Trump’s visit to Arab states in the Middle East this week generated plenty of multibillion-dollar deals. He said more than US$1 trillion (A$1.5 trillion) worth of deals had been signed with Saudi Arabia alone, though the real total is likely much lower than that.

    Qatar also placed an order for 210 Boeing aircraft, a deal worth a reported US$96 billion (A$149 billion). Trump will no doubt present these transactions as a major success for US industry.

    The trip also helped counter concerns about US disengagement from the Middle East. For more than a decade, local elites have viewed Washington’s attention as shifting away from the region.

    This trip was a reaffirmation of the importance of the Middle East – in particular the Gulf region – to US foreign policy. This is an important signal to send to Middle Eastern leaders who are dealing with competing interests from China and, to a lesser extent, Russia.

    And from a political standpoint, Trump’s lifting of sanctions on Syria and meeting with the former rebel, now president, Ahmed al-Sharaa was very significant – both symbolically and practically.

    Until recently, al-Sharaa was listed by the United States as a terrorist with a US$10 million (A$15 million) bounty on his head. However, when his forces removed dictator Bashar al-Assad from power in December, he was cautiously welcomed by many in the international community.

    The US had invested considerable resources in removing Assad from power, so his fall was cause for celebration, even if it came at the hands of forces the US had deemed terrorists.

    This rapid turn-around is dizzying. In practice, the removal of sanctions on Syria opens the doors to foreign investment in the reconstruction of the country following a long civil war.

    It also offers an opportunity for Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as Turkey, to expand their influence in Syria at the expense of Iran.

    For a leader who styles himself a deal-maker, these can all be considered successful outcomes from a three-day trip.

    However, Trump avoided wading into the far more delicate diplomatic and political negotiations needed to end Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and find common ground with Iran on its nuclear program.

    No solution in sight for the Palestinians

    Trump skirted the ongoing tragedy in Gaza and offered no plans for a diplomatic solution to the war, which drags on with no end in sight.

    The president did note his desire to see a normalisation of relations between Arab states and Israel, without acknowledging the key stumbling block.

    While Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates have no love for Hamas, the Gaza war and the misery inflicted on the Palestinians have made it impossible for them to overlook the issue. They cannot simply leapfrog Gaza to normalise relations with Israel.

    In his first term, Trump hoped the Palestinian issue could be pushed aside to achieve normalisation of relations between Arab states and Israel. This was partially achieved with the Abraham Accords, which saw the UAE and three other Muslim-majority nations normalise relations with Israel.

    Trump no doubt believed the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreed to just before his inauguration would stick – he promised as much during the US election campaign.

    But after Israel unilaterally broke the ceasefire in March, vowing to press on with its indiscriminate bombing of Gaza, he’s learned the hard way the Palestinian question cannot easily be solved or brushed under the carpet.

    The Palestinian aspiration for statehood needs to be addressed as an indispensable step towards a lasting peace and regional stability.

    It was telling that Trump did not stop in Israel this week. One former Israeli diplomat says it’s a sign Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lost his leverage with Trump.

    There’s nothing that Netanyahu has that Trump wants, needs or [that he] can give him, as opposed to, say, the Saudis, the Qataris, [or] the Emiratis.

    More harsh rhetoric for Iran

    Trump also had no new details or initiatives to announce on the Iran nuclear talks, beyond his desire to “make a deal” and his repeat of past threats.

    At least four rounds of talks have been held between Iran and the United States since early April. While both sides are positive about the prospects, the US administration seems divided on the intended outcome.

    The US Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have called for the complete dismantling of Iran’s capacity to enrich uranium as a sure safeguard against the potential weaponisation of the nuclear program.

    Trump himself, however, has been less categorical. Though he has called for the “total dismantlement” of Iran’s nuclear program, he has also said he’s undecided if Iran should be allowed to continue a civilian enrichment program.

    Iran’s capacity to enrich uranium, albeit under international monitoring, is a red line for the authorities in Tehran – they won’t give this up.

    The gap between Iran and the US appears to have widened this week following Trump’s attack on Iran as the “most destructive force” in the Middle East. The Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi called Trump’s remarks “pure deception”, and pointed to US support for Israel as the source of instability in the region.

    None of this has advanced the prospects of a nuclear deal. And though his visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE was marked by pomp and ceremony, he’ll leave no closer to solving two protracted challenges than when he arrived.

    Shahram Akbarzadeh receives funding from Australian Research Council. He is affiliated with the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, a non-profit research centre in Doha, Qatar.

    – ref. Trump signed plenty of contracts in the Middle East, but he’s no closer to the two ‘deals’ he really wants – https://theconversation.com/trump-signed-plenty-of-contracts-in-the-middle-east-but-hes-no-closer-to-the-two-deals-he-really-wants-256778

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: As the Latrobe Valley moves away from coal jobs, could a green worker’s cooperative offer a solution?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Patmore, Emeritus Professor of Business and Labour History, University of Sydney

    Workers at Earthworker Energy Manufacturing Co-op

    Worker cooperatives may sound like something out of the 19th century, but they still exist in the age of global capitalism.

    In Spain, for instance, the Mondragon Corporation is a huge worker-run cooperative based around 95 collectives – the largest cooperative in the world.

    Worker cooperatives produce products or services. But they are run very differently. Workers can become members of the cooperative they work for by buying a share of the business. This gives them a vote in how the business is run and a share of net income, after costs have come out.

    Co-ops do not have external shareholders – the profits stay with workers. Rather than bosses deciding and workers carrying out the tasks, worker cooperatives are based on democratic principles. Big decisions are discussed and then voted on, and each member gets one vote. They offer a direct way for workers to control their production and shape the economy.

    In Australia, these models peaked in the 1980s. Most are gone, though a few older cooperatives are still running, such as Tasmanian recycling cooperative Resource Work Collective, founded in 1993.

    In recent years, there’s been renewed interest in the model. The Earthworker cooperative network focused on Victoria’s Latrobe Valley. The goal: find new types of employment and products in a coal area undergoing transition.

    Coal plants in the Latrobe Valley provided jobs for generations of workers. Their closure poses real challenges. Pictured: worker hardhats left on the fence at Hazelwood Power Station after it closed in 2017.
    Dorothy Chiron/Shutterstock

    How well does the model work?

    Mondragon is the most well-known example. Founded in 1956 in the Basque region of northern Spain, Mondragon grew and became self-sustaining. It has developed supporting institutions such as research and development companies and even a university. It also established a credit union, which attracted capital and provided loans to cooperatives.

    While Mondragon is a successful example, these organisations face a number of barriers to their survival.

    Critics have argued worker cooperatives tend to fail as workers do not understand the market for their products, but Mondragon undercuts this criticism.

    Worker cooperatives can have difficulties raising capital. Some banks can be reluctant to invest as they may lack familiarity or sympathy with the model.

    Instead, workers may put some or all of their savings into the organisation to get it started. Taking these kinds of risks means some workers may be focused on getting immediate rewards, rather than investing surplus funds or building up cash reserves.

    Workers can sometimes choose to transform a successful cooperative into a capitalist enterprise to achieve greater capital gains.

    Surprisingly, trade unions are generally hostile and suspicious of worker cooperatives. Union organisers may fear worker-owners could see little need for trade unions in representing their interests, or that cooperatives could undercut union wages and conditions to remain competitive.

    To date, worker cooperatives have had a limited impact in Australia, despite the relatively strong historical position of workers.

    Compared to member cooperatives and other types, worker’s cooperatives tend to be short lived in Australia. That’s because most were formed by workers after an industrial dispute or to maintain employment during economic downturns.

    In 1987, for instance, workers retrenched by a major communications company decided to form a co-op which became the Electronic Service Centre in Fairfield, New South Wales. A later example is Abrasiflex, a NSW company bought by workers facing retrenchment in 1993. Both cooperatives failed by the early 2000s.

    Their popularity peaked in the 1980s, when the model was promoted by state Labor governments. Policymakers saw them as a short term means to resolve unemployment, rather than a long term means to secure economic democracy.

    The model lost traction in the early 1990s due to an economic downturn, capital shortfalls and changing political circumstances.

    New energy

    The idea for Earthworker came from discussions between unionists and environmentalists over job creation and the environment. Earthworker founders were influenced by the Green Bans.

    As the project’s website states:

    Conflict can occur between environmentalists who want to shut down certain industries, and unionists who want to protect jobs […] we should work together for a “just transition” and create jobs that aren’t just better for the earth, but for workers too.

    In this respect, Earthworker has much in common with the Cleveland Model in the United States, which links green business, local economic development and fair labour practices.

    Earthworker only formally became a cooperative in 2011, though discussions date back to the late 1990s. In 2016, the network bought a hot water tank manufacturer in Morwell and began making their own tanks and solar hot water systems as the Earthworker Energy Manufacturing Co-operative. The cooperative is aimed at helping the Latrobe Valley’s transition away from coal power jobs.

    Morwell and other Latrobe Valley towns are losing coal jobs. But new industries and business models are emerging.
    AustralianCamera/Shutterstock

    Earthworker promotes the payment of trade union wage rates and conditions. The goal is to build a network of cooperatives supporting each other to build economies of scale.

    Their other cooperatives include Earthworker Construction (residential construction, landscaping and maintenance) and Earthworker Smart Energy (improving thermal efficiency and comfort in homes). These cooperatives are generally small, with 10 members or fewer.

    Another cooperative, Redgum Cleaning, closed down in 2023. It was not viable due to staff shortages, increased costs and work cancellations during the pandemic. Paying union rates in a competitive industry also assisted its demise.

    By contrast, the Earthworker Energy Manufacturing Co-operative has found a way to survive in a competitive market.

    Niche or mainstream?

    Australian worker cooperatives ensure manufacturing and services remain locally owned and controlled. Could they expand? It’s possible.

    Capital remains a major issue for Australian worker cooperatives such as Earthworker. Without capital, it’s hard to scale. Government efforts to expand domestic manufacturing often overlook this model.

    The Earthworker network points to one future for Australian worker cooperatives. Despite the failures of the past, Earthworker’s focus on building a network of sustainable businesses rather than a single cooperative is a promising path.

    Gregory Patmore has received funding from the Australian Research Council and the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals.

    – ref. As the Latrobe Valley moves away from coal jobs, could a green worker’s cooperative offer a solution? – https://theconversation.com/as-the-latrobe-valley-moves-away-from-coal-jobs-could-a-green-workers-cooperative-offer-a-solution-245850

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Smith Announces 2025 Congressional Art Competition Winners

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE)

    Washington, D.C. –Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) today announced the winners of the 2025 Congressional Art Competition for the Third District of Nebraska.

    “Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Congressional Art Competition, and thank you to all students who submitted their work. Your efforts to cultivate your talents will be showcased for a full year. Thank you to Nebraska’s art educators who inspire their students to express their imagination.”

    Artwork by the first-pace winner will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol. The runners-up will have their art displayed in Rep. Smith’s Washington, D.C., Grand Island, Nebraska City, and Scottsbluff offices. Smith worked with the Nebraska Art Teachers Association to coordinate the competition.

    First Place: “Set in Stone” by Brooklyn Santifer of Oxford
    Southern Valley High School
    Brooklyn’s work will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year.

    Second Place: “Midwest Migration” by Ella Bokenkamp of Kearney
    Kearney High School
    Ella’s work will be displayed in Smith’s Washington, D.C. office.

    Third Place: “Unwavering Roots” by Emma Harwood of Kearney
    Kearney High School
    Emma’s work will be displayed in Smith’s Grand Island office.

    Fourth Place: “The Last Song” by Malynn Boyles of Litchfield
    Litchfield Public Schools
    Malynn’s work will be displayed in Smith’s Scottsbluff office.

    Fifth Place: “A Quiet Summer Night” by James Fletcher of Litchfield
    Litchfield Public Schools
    James’ work will be displayed in Smith’s Nebraska City office. 

    For additional information, please contact Smith’s Grand Island office at 308-384-3900, Nebraska City office at 402-874-6050, or his Scottsbluff office at 308-633-6333. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: NSU to Open Joint Educational Program in Physics with Chongqing University

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    Novosibirsk, May 15, 2025: Novosibirsk State University and Chongqing University, one of the leading universities in China, will open a joint educational program in physics in September 2025. The Chinese Ministry of Education approved the application of the two universities. This program will be the first joint program with a Russian university at Chongqing University. The pilot student intake will be 60 people with the prospect of increasing to 120 students.

    The program will be a bachelor’s program, and the training will be conducted according to the 3:1 scheme: students study at Chongqing University for three years, and in the fourth year, two trajectories are provided – to continue their studies in China or to go to Russia.

    — We and our partners have done a lot of preparatory work to collect information and describe the project, and have passed a two-stage selection process. At present, we have received approval from the Ministry of Education of China. This will be an English-language program, it will start working in September 2025, the pilot enrollment will be 60 people. In the future, we plan to double the number — up to 120 people. At least 30% of the disciplines in the curriculum will be taught in person by teachers Physics Department of NSU: they will start going to Chongqing University already in the new academic year, said Evgeny Sagaydak, head of the education export department at NSU.

    The launch of the educational program is part of the comprehensive cooperation between NSU and Chongqing University. In November 2024, the two universities opened a joint center for fundamental research in physics, mathematics and mechanics.

    — It was a smart and strategically correct decision when we simultaneously began working in both the educational and scientific research areas. The teachers and scientists who will come to Chongqing will not only teach students, but also conduct joint scientific research with their Chinese colleagues, — added Evgeny Sagaydak.

    NSU and Chongqing University are also discussing the creation of a master’s program in physics so that students can continue their education at the second stage of higher education. In the future, NSU does not rule out the possibility of opening joint bachelor’s programs in other areas of training.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Melexis Appoints Two New Directors to Its Board of Directors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Tessenderlo-Ham, Belgium – May 15, 2025

    Melexis NV (Euronext Brussels: MELE), a global supplier of micro-electronic semiconductor solutions, announces the appointment of two new members to the board of directors following the approval by the annual shareholders’ meeting held on May 13, 2025. The announcement of Ms. Ling Qi and Mr. Kazuhiro Takenaka underlines Melexis’ focused ambitions in the Asia-Pacific Region (APAC).

    Ms. Ling Qi has more than 20 years of international business management experience. Currently, she is CEO of two multimedia and animation film companies. Alongside this, she has been consulting for foreign invested companies in China, has extensive experience in the semiconductor industry as a board member for a European headquartered wafer foundry, and has served as a director of a Belgian private bank. Ms. Ling Qi holds a degree in international trade and English from the University of Liaoning, and obtained a certificate of Dutch at University of Antwerp.

    Mr. Kazuhiro Takenaka has a successful career of over 45 years in the semiconductor and electronics engineering industry in renowned companies such as Nissan Motor and Seiko Epson. In his role at Seiko Epson, Mr. Takenaka has also collaborated extensively with international stakeholders, working on partnerships with US companies and building relationships in markets across Europe, Asia, and the USA. He brings valuable insights and a diverse perspective to the Board, particularly in markets beyond automotive.

    This announcement brings the number of board members to seven with Ms. Françoise Chombar serving as chairwoman of the Board of Directors. The new board members will serve for a term of four years starting today and ending immediately after the annual shareholders’ meeting for the financial year ending on December 31, 2028. In addition to the two appointments of new directors, all other resolutions including the reappointment of two directors and the final dividend were approved by a clear majority of shareholders.

    Speaking about the appointments of two new directors, Ms. Chombar commented: “The Asia-Pacific area accounts for over 60% of Melexis’ total sales, with Greater China contributing nearly half of that. With the announcement of Ms. Ling Qi and Mr. Kazuhiro Takenaka, we welcome two highly experienced Asian business leaders whose insights and advice will be invaluable to Melexis implementing its strategic roadmap.”

    Please follow the link below to view Melexis’s latest annual report, which contains detailed information on its current business operations and strategic initiatives.

    About Melexis
    Melexis designs, develops, and delivers edge sensor and driver solutions with a heart for people and the planet. Its mission is to empower engineers to turn their ideas into applications that support the best imaginable future, one that is safe, comfortable, and sustainable.
    Melexis specializes in powertrain, thermal management, lighting, e-brake, e-steering, and battery solutions for the automotive sector. It also expands its presence in the emerging markets of a sustainable world, alternative mobility, robotics, and digital health.
    Founded in 1989 in Belgium, Melexis has grown to employ over 2,000 people in 12 countries, delivering cutting-edge technology to customers worldwide.
    For more information, visit www.melexis.com or follow Melexis on LinkedIn, and YouTube.
    Investors Contact:
    Philip Ludwig
    Investor Relations Director
    Tel: +32 499 41 88 91
    E-mail: plu@melexis.com 

    Media Contact:
    Tom Meynendonckx
    Corporate Communications Director
    Tel: +32 476 29 92 42
    E-mail: otm@melexis.com

    The MIL Network –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Dishevelled, dehydrated delirium: new Aussie film The Surfer, starring Nicolas Cage, is an absolute blast

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Grace Russell, Lecturer, School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University

    Madman Entertainment

    Nicolas Cage has made a career from his highly entertaining scenery chewing. He follows a performance style he calls “Nouveau Shamanic” – an exaggerated form of method acting where he acts according to the character’s impulses. This allows for the wild, unpredictable outbursts his characters are known for.

    Cage films are also usually about masculinity: its worst excesses, the parameters restricting it, and what ennobling versions of it might look like.

    The Surfer, a new Australian feature film from Irish director Lorcan Finnegan, leans right into masculinity as a theme.

    Our unnamed protagonist (Cage) is returning to his former Australian home from the United States. He is newly divorced, and trying to buy a beachside property to win back his family.

    He takes his teenage son (Finn Little) for a surf near the property, but they are run off by an unfriendly pack of locals.

    Returning alone to the beachside car park to make some calls, he is besieged there over the next several days by the same gang. They are led by a terrifying middle-aged Andrew Tate-esque influencer, Scally (Julian McMahon), who runs the beach like a combination of a frat bro party and wellness retreat.

    The protagonist’s fast descent into dishevelled, dehydrated delirium as the group’s hazing escalates, fuels much of the first two acts.

    Fish out of water

    It is impossible to think of an actor other than Cage who could make a character like this so enjoyable to watch.

    From the first moments, he seems pathetic: giving his uninterested teenage son metaphorical speeches about surfing, losing arguments on the phone with his broker and real estate agent, reeking of pomposity and desperation.

    The sense of a man out of his depth is compounded by his Americanness contrasting with the particular brand of Australian masculinity the locals display. Both types are brash and entitled, but with entirely different ways of expressing it.

    This is a man out of his depth.
    Madman Entertainment

    Cage’s distinctively American confidence has no resistance to the terrifying switches of Australian masculinity from friendly to teasing to violent.

    “Don’t live here, don’t surf here,” they hiss at him on first meeting, forcing him to retreat, cowed, to the car park, where he remains for most of the rest of the film.

    The wide-open and the claustrophobic

    What a stroke of genius it is to use this single location.

    Filmed in Yallingup, Western Australia, The Surfer beautifully captures the natural surroundings, stunning views and shimmering heat of Australian coastal summer.

    At the same time, a confined, interstitial semi-urban feature like a beachside car park feels so bleak and uninviting. The only amenities are an overpriced coffee cart, ancient payphone and a dingy toilet block.

    The beachside car park feels so bleak and uninviting.
    Madman Entertainment

    As a film setting, it is both a spectacular wide-open vista and stiflingly claustrophobic – a perfect mechanism for The Surfer’s psychological horror.

    It must have been attractive in getting the script funded as well. With such an affordable location, more of the budget would have been freed up for a big name like Cage.

    A modern Wake in Fright

    With its oppressive setting, overexposed orange and yellow light and grade, and a sweaty spiral into madness, The Surfer invites comparisons to Wake in Fright, Ted Kotcheff’s 1971 brutal depiction of Australian men and their drinking culture.

    Both take place at Christmas and feature an antagonist who enjoys confidently explaining their dubious moral worldview to everyone. However, Wake in Fright’s horror lingers because we know the culture remains even after the hero escapes it. The Surfer struggles a little more in landing the ending.

    The film’s depiction of masculinity echoes Wake In Fright.
    Madman Entertainment

    For the mean, violent, misogynistic villains to be defeated, it would be unsatisfying for Cage to stoop to their level. This means – without spoiling too much – Cage remains an oddly passive character throughout the film, while others perform the avenging actions.

    The only way the protagonist’s masculinity can be resurrected as upright, ethical and empowering is for the character to literally turn his back on the vengeance we’ve been waiting for him to deliver.

    It’s not that the film has an inarticulate grasp of its own politics, but more that the otherwise terrific script by Thomas Martin feels written into a difficult corner.

    A blast along the way

    I don’t want to imply that this ending means The Surfer isn’t an absolute blast along the way. A lot of the fun is in anticipating each dreadful humiliation – and it somehow turning out worse than you could have expected.

    A spilled coffee leads to drinking recycled wastewater which leads to chewing on a dead rat, and we still haven’t reached the lowest rung on the ladder of indignities that Cage’s character suffers.

    In less skilled hands this could feel nasty or gross, but the hallucinatory quality of Finnegan’s direction makes it feel almost sublime. And Cage’s pleading, groaning, sobbing and gibbering feel believable and relatable.

    The pathos works – and it’s pretty funny too.

    The Surfer is in cinemas from today and streaming on Stan from June 15.

    Grace Russell 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. Dishevelled, dehydrated delirium: new Aussie film The Surfer, starring Nicolas Cage, is an absolute blast – https://theconversation.com/dishevelled-dehydrated-delirium-new-aussie-film-the-surfer-starring-nicolas-cage-is-an-absolute-blast-254580

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Dishevelled, dehydrated delirium: new Aussie film The Surfer, starring Nicolas Cage, is an absolute blast

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Grace Russell, Lecturer, School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University

    Madman Entertainment

    Nicolas Cage has made a career from his highly entertaining scenery chewing. He follows a performance style he calls “Nouveau Shamanic” – an exaggerated form of method acting where he acts according to the character’s impulses. This allows for the wild, unpredictable outbursts his characters are known for.

    Cage films are also usually about masculinity: its worst excesses, the parameters restricting it, and what ennobling versions of it might look like.

    The Surfer, a new Australian feature film from Irish director Lorcan Finnegan, leans right into masculinity as a theme.

    Our unnamed protagonist (Cage) is returning to his former Australian home from the United States. He is newly divorced, and trying to buy a beachside property to win back his family.

    He takes his teenage son (Finn Little) for a surf near the property, but they are run off by an unfriendly pack of locals.

    Returning alone to the beachside car park to make some calls, he is besieged there over the next several days by the same gang. They are led by a terrifying middle-aged Andrew Tate-esque influencer, Scally (Julian McMahon), who runs the beach like a combination of a frat bro party and wellness retreat.

    The protagonist’s fast descent into dishevelled, dehydrated delirium as the group’s hazing escalates, fuels much of the first two acts.

    Fish out of water

    It is impossible to think of an actor other than Cage who could make a character like this so enjoyable to watch.

    From the first moments, he seems pathetic: giving his uninterested teenage son metaphorical speeches about surfing, losing arguments on the phone with his broker and real estate agent, reeking of pomposity and desperation.

    The sense of a man out of his depth is compounded by his Americanness contrasting with the particular brand of Australian masculinity the locals display. Both types are brash and entitled, but with entirely different ways of expressing it.

    This is a man out of his depth.
    Madman Entertainment

    Cage’s distinctively American confidence has no resistance to the terrifying switches of Australian masculinity from friendly to teasing to violent.

    “Don’t live here, don’t surf here,” they hiss at him on first meeting, forcing him to retreat, cowed, to the car park, where he remains for most of the rest of the film.

    The wide-open and the claustrophobic

    What a stroke of genius it is to use this single location.

    Filmed in Yallingup, Western Australia, The Surfer beautifully captures the natural surroundings, stunning views and shimmering heat of Australian coastal summer.

    At the same time, a confined, interstitial semi-urban feature like a beachside car park feels so bleak and uninviting. The only amenities are an overpriced coffee cart, ancient payphone and a dingy toilet block.

    The beachside car park feels so bleak and uninviting.
    Madman Entertainment

    As a film setting, it is both a spectacular wide-open vista and stiflingly claustrophobic – a perfect mechanism for The Surfer’s psychological horror.

    It must have been attractive in getting the script funded as well. With such an affordable location, more of the budget would have been freed up for a big name like Cage.

    A modern Wake in Fright

    With its oppressive setting, overexposed orange and yellow light and grade, and a sweaty spiral into madness, The Surfer invites comparisons to Wake in Fright, Ted Kotcheff’s 1971 brutal depiction of Australian men and their drinking culture.

    Both take place at Christmas and feature an antagonist who enjoys confidently explaining their dubious moral worldview to everyone. However, Wake in Fright’s horror lingers because we know the culture remains even after the hero escapes it. The Surfer struggles a little more in landing the ending.

    The film’s depiction of masculinity echoes Wake In Fright.
    Madman Entertainment

    For the mean, violent, misogynistic villains to be defeated, it would be unsatisfying for Cage to stoop to their level. This means – without spoiling too much – Cage remains an oddly passive character throughout the film, while others perform the avenging actions.

    The only way the protagonist’s masculinity can be resurrected as upright, ethical and empowering is for the character to literally turn his back on the vengeance we’ve been waiting for him to deliver.

    It’s not that the film has an inarticulate grasp of its own politics, but more that the otherwise terrific script by Thomas Martin feels written into a difficult corner.

    A blast along the way

    I don’t want to imply that this ending means The Surfer isn’t an absolute blast along the way. A lot of the fun is in anticipating each dreadful humiliation – and it somehow turning out worse than you could have expected.

    A spilled coffee leads to drinking recycled wastewater which leads to chewing on a dead rat, and we still haven’t reached the lowest rung on the ladder of indignities that Cage’s character suffers.

    In less skilled hands this could feel nasty or gross, but the hallucinatory quality of Finnegan’s direction makes it feel almost sublime. And Cage’s pleading, groaning, sobbing and gibbering feel believable and relatable.

    The pathos works – and it’s pretty funny too.

    The Surfer is in cinemas from today and streaming on Stan from June 15.

    Grace Russell 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. Dishevelled, dehydrated delirium: new Aussie film The Surfer, starring Nicolas Cage, is an absolute blast – https://theconversation.com/dishevelled-dehydrated-delirium-new-aussie-film-the-surfer-starring-nicolas-cage-is-an-absolute-blast-254580

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Disheveled, dehydrated delirium: new Aussie film The Surfer, staring Nicolas Cage, is an absolute blast

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Grace Russell, Lecturer, School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University

    Madman Entertainment

    Nicolas Cage has made a career from his highly entertaining scenery chewing. He follows a performance style he calls “Nouveau Shamanic” – an exaggerated form of method acting where he acts according to the character’s impulses. This allows for the wild, unpredictable outbursts his characters are known for.

    Cage films are also usually about masculinity: its worst excesses, the parameters restricting it, and what ennobling versions of it might look like.

    The Surfer, a new Australian feature film from Irish director Lorcan Finnegan, leans right into masculinity as a theme.

    Our unnamed protagonist (Cage) is returning to his former Australian home from the United States. He is newly divorced, and trying to buy a beachside property to win back his family.

    He takes his teenage son (Finn Little) for a surf near the property, but they are run off by an unfriendly pack of locals.

    Returning alone to the beachside car park to make some calls, he is besieged there over the next several days by the same gang. They are led by a terrifying middle-aged Andrew Tate-esque influencer, Scally (Julian McMahon), who runs the beach like a combination of a frat bro party and wellness retreat.

    The protagonist’s fast descent into disheveled, dehydrated delirium as the group’s hazing escalates, fuels much of the first two acts.

    Fish out of water

    It is impossible to think of an actor other than Cage who could make a character like this so enjoyable to watch.

    From the first moments, he seems pathetic: giving his uninterested teenage son metaphorical speeches about surfing, losing arguments on the phone with his broker and real estate agent, reeking of pomposity and desperation.

    The sense of a man out of his depth is compounded by his Americanness contrasting with the particular brand of Australian masculinity the locals display. Both types are brash and entitled, but with entirely different ways of expressing it.

    This is a man out of his depth.
    Madman Entertainment

    Cage’s distinctively American confidence has no resistance to the terrifying switches of Australian masculinity from friendly to teasing to violent.

    “Don’t live here, don’t surf here,” they hiss at him on first meeting, forcing him to retreat, cowed, to the car park, where he remains for most of the rest of the film.

    The wide-open and the claustrophobic

    What a stroke of genius it is to use this single location.

    Filmed in Yallingup, Western Australia, The Surfer beautifully captures the natural surroundings, stunning views and shimmering heat of Australian coastal summer.

    At the same time, a confined, interstitial semi-urban feature like a beachside car park feels so bleak and uninviting. The only amenities are an overpriced coffee cart, ancient payphone and a dingy toilet block.

    The beachside car park feels so bleak and uninviting.
    Madman Entertainment

    As a film setting, it is both a spectacular wide-open vista and stiflingly claustrophobic – a perfect mechanism for The Surfer’s psychological horror.

    It must have been attractive in getting the script funded as well. With such an affordable location, more of the budget would have been freed up for a big name like Cage.

    A modern Wake in Fright

    With its oppressive setting, overexposed orange and yellow light and grade, and a sweaty spiral into madness, The Surfer invites comparisons to Wake in Fright, Ted Kotcheff’s 1971 brutal depiction of Australian men and their drinking culture.

    Both take place at Christmas and feature an antagonist who enjoys confidently explaining their dubious moral worldview to everyone. However, Wake in Fright’s horror lingers because we know the culture remains even after the hero escapes it. The Surfer struggles a little more in landing the ending.

    The film’s depiction of masculinity echoes Wake In Fright.
    Madman Entertainment

    For the mean, violent, misogynistic villains to be defeated, it would be unsatisfying for Cage to stoop to their level. This means – without spoiling too much – Cage remains an oddly passive character throughout the film, while others perform the avenging actions.

    The only way the protagonist’s masculinity can be resurrected as upright, ethical and empowering is for the character to literally turn his back on the vengeance we’ve been waiting for him to deliver.

    It’s not that the film has an inarticulate grasp of its own politics, but more that the otherwise terrific script by Thomas Martin feels written into a difficult corner.

    A blast along the way

    I don’t want to imply that this ending means The Surfer isn’t an absolute blast along the way. A lot of the fun is in anticipating each dreadful humiliation – and it somehow turning out worse than you could have expected.

    A spilled coffee leads to drinking recycled wastewater which leads to chewing on a dead rat, and we still haven’t reached the lowest rung on the ladder of indignities that Cage’s character suffers.

    In less skilled hands this could feel nasty or gross, but the hallucinatory quality of Finnegan’s direction makes it feel almost sublime. And Cage’s pleading, groaning, sobbing and gibbering feel believable and relatable.

    The pathos works – and it’s pretty funny too.

    The Surfer is in cinemas from today and streaming on Stan from June 15.

    Grace Russell 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. Disheveled, dehydrated delirium: new Aussie film The Surfer, staring Nicolas Cage, is an absolute blast – https://theconversation.com/disheveled-dehydrated-delirium-new-aussie-film-the-surfer-staring-nicolas-cage-is-an-absolute-blast-254580

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: NSU discusses best practices for interaction between educational organizations and employers

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    The IX International Conference “Best Practices of Interaction between Educational Organizations and Employers” is being held at Novosibirsk State University from May 14 to 17. Representatives from 10 regions of Russia from Khabarovsk to St. Petersburg are taking part in the in-person events of the conference. An online broadcast is also organized.

    The conference is aimed at the heads and specialists of regional executive authorities, vice-rectors in charge of international cooperation, academic mobility and career development centers, as well as heads and employees of career development centers. The event is aimed at analyzing the current state and determining the further development vector of career centers, forming new ideas and approaches to improving their activities, opportunities for business cooperation with colleagues from other regions, inter-university cooperation through career centers and education export.

    These days, NSU has become a platform for discussing current issues affecting the problems of employment of university graduates in the new realities, according to the methodological recommendations of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia dated 02/25/2025, the organization and forecasting of employment of NSU graduates, identifying the professional intentions of future graduates, as well as graduates at risk of unemployment. The conference participants will exchange views on the formation of the National Rating of Higher Education Organizations and Professional Educational Organizations, the role of university career centers in the formation of a professional community and human resources, analyze the interaction of universities and businesses, as well as the dynamics of the labor market in the regions of Russia.

    — This conference is being held for the ninth time. It was first held in 2017 and brought together representatives of several career development centers and departments involved in student employment at universities. During the discussion of the current situation, the conference participants came to the conclusion that they face the same problems in their work. In order to take joint measures to solve them, the All-Russian Organization of Career Centers was created, and the conference became annual. The number of its participants is constantly growing. Here, at our horizontal level, we discuss the most important issues related to monitoring the situation on the labor market, career guidance work at universities and various tests that students must pass. The state is currently paying a lot of attention to career development centers, which currently act as the flagship of career guidance and establishing a career path for university graduates, because their activities are directly related to the implementation of the National Project “Personnel”. Therefore, such meetings of the professional community are very important, — said Svetlana Dovgal, Director of the NSU Career Development Center.

    This year, representatives of secondary vocational education institutions are taking part in the conference. The round table “Interaction of secondary vocational education institutions with employers: experience, problems, prospects” will be held on May 16 and is devoted to discussing their problems. It is noteworthy that employers and business partners of NSU are taking part in the conference, including SHIFT specialists, who will conduct a quiz “Transformation of education, from Y to Z” for representatives of career development centers.

    In her welcoming speech to the conference participants, Olga Yakovleva, Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Educational Work at NSU, noted that the current conference is taking place at a very difficult time – over the past year and a half, the vector of the issues being discussed, in the center of which are representatives of Generation Z, has changed significantly: if earlier the focus was on its characteristics, shortcomings, quality of knowledge and motivation, now the emphasis has shifted to the sphere of employment.

    — For current applicants, it is important to choose from a variety of universities the one and only one that will become a bridge to the employer, and the task of the university is to ensure that each student is as useful as possible in the labor market. And today, career development centers are entrusted with the important work of building such tracking. We organize meetings of our CRC representatives with first-year students, because this work with students should begin at the very beginning of their studies at the university. The Career Development Center also participates in Open Days — so that applicants understand what career opportunities studying at our university gives them, and all their years of study develop the skill of effective employment. And we must learn to effectively build communication with these new people of Generation Z and make sure that they are as useful as possible to society and the state, — said Olga Yakovleva.

    Deputy Minister of Education of the Novosibirsk Region Svetlana Malina noted in her speech at the plenary session of the conference that the role of career centers in the educational and career guidance processes will only increase.

    — The trends in federal and regional policy are that in the next 2-3 years, the number of ninth and eleventh grade graduates is expected to decrease. The situation is aggravated by the general aging of the population. In the Novosibirsk Region, the unemployment rate is currently quite low and amounts to only 2%. The labor market is undergoing radical changes, and if earlier, graduates of universities and secondary specialized educational institutions looked for employers upon completion of their studies, now the opposite situation is often observed: employers are looking for graduates. Now, in the labor market, the conditions are determined by the candidate for employment. Enterprises — especially in the defense industry — compete with each other for graduates, raising salaries and offering various social packages. Graduates, in turn, are not always ready to agree to working conditions that do not suit them. In the current situation, our universities should receive motivated applicants, so career guidance should be carried out from a fairly early age. This is especially important for engineering specialties. It is necessary to implement career guidance activities for middle school students, for which purpose a unified career guidance system was introduced – the so-called career guidance minimum, according to which career guidance activities of different levels are implemented in each school, said Svetlana Malina.

    Conference participants shared their experience in career guidance and career development of their graduates in their speeches. Head of the Novosibirsk branch of the Center for Public Diplomacy, Associate Professor of the Siberian State University of Telecommunications and Informatics Dmitry Kaznacheev spoke about the specifics of interaction between universities and employers in the employment of foreign students. Director of the Career Center of the Chelyabinsk State University Svetlana Eremeeva gave a report on “Successful cooperation between universities and enterprises: interaction models and their impact on the educational process”. Project Manager of the School of Information Financial Technologies Vera Vyacheslavova introduced the participants to the formats of interaction with universities from the standpoint of an industrial partner. Deputy Head of the Department for Work with Students and Alumni of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Director of the ANO “Unified Center for Career Development” Anastasia Voitsitskaya presented the key career trends of this year.

    The first day of the conference ended with a round table on “Features of Higher Education Development” as part of the celebration of the 270th anniversary of Lomonosov Moscow State University.

    In the future, conference participants will take part in two round tables: “Features of employment of generation Z: from Y to Z” and “Interaction of educational organizations of secondary vocational education with employers: experience, problems, prospects”.

    Director of the Career Center of Chelyabinsk State University Svetlana Eremeeva:

    — The Career Center is designed to help our students enter the labor market as trained specialists and navigate it correctly, so I never miss events like today’s conference. For us, career center specialists, this is a unique opportunity to exchange opinions, learn something new, master new approaches and models implemented in other universities and designed to help our students find their place in the labor market. This conference is especially relevant now, when new methodological recommendations have been released by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. The exchange of opinions, experience, methods and information is very important for our professional community. We apply the experience of our colleagues in our educational organizations. In my speech at the conference, I will talk about the models of interaction with employers that we implement. Previously, the educational process was closed in on itself and concluded within the certain framework of a specific educational organization. Now, career centers ensure interaction between universities and enterprises that are actively involved in the educational process. This is very important for us, because we want to adapt our students to the labor market, and not just provide higher education.

    Head of the organizational and educational department of the center for advanced professional training in the direction of “Social sphere in the Sverdlovsk region” Svetlana Larionova:

    — I represent a career center in the secondary vocational education sector. It is still poorly represented in the All-Russian Association of Career Centers, but we are concerned with the same problems as career centers of universities. And our tasks in this regard are similar. Therefore, professional communication and exchange of experience are of great interest to us. Establishing interaction between educational organizations and employers is very important, and we are now increasingly focusing on employers themselves formulating the criteria by which we then send our own to them. It is necessary to structure the educational process in such a way that these criteria are necessarily taken into account when developing the skills and knowledge of students. Then the employer will not have to retrain graduates, and they will immediately successfully join the work process.

    Vice-Rector for Personnel Policy of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Morozov:

    — The topics discussed and worked on at this conference, dedicated to the labor market and relations with employers, have always been and remain the most relevant for all universities, because the purpose of a university’s existence is not studying for the sake of studying, but training certified specialists who must receive a profession and, importantly, a good salary.

    Any university works to provide its graduates with, at a minimum, an education, and so that a specialist can find himself in life, receive professional guidance from the university and meet a reliable employer.

    Unfortunately, in some universities, in some specialties, there is a certain disconnect between education and the real labor market, which creates problems for university graduates upon completion of their studies. In order to prevent this from happening, universities are actively working to ensure that the employer comes to the university as early as possible, gets to know the students, makes a presentation of their business, company or government agency. And the maximum is, of course, the participation of the employer in the educational process. In this we see the highest degree of cooperation between the university and employers.

    The decision to establish the All-Russian Association of Career Centers was made in 2018. Today, it includes more than 110 universities of the Russian Federation, which, cooperating horizontally with each other, develop a unified policy and a unified vision of the problems and issues that need to be resolved jointly. And this allows us to formulate our common position and contact government bodies with any proposals and wishes, with the confidence that they will be taken into account when developing regulations.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Beijing releases document with initiatives to improve physical and mental health of schoolchildren

    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 15 (Xinhua) — Beijing recently unveiled a new comprehensive initiative to promote the holistic development of primary and middle school students, highlighting the relationship between physical and mental health.

    According to a person in charge of the Beijing Commission of Education, the new policy consists of five sections and 20 specific measures. The focus is on integrating aspects such as cultivating high moral character, cultivating mental ability and physical skills, developing teamwork and hard work, and strengthening three key types of relationships: peer-to-peer, teacher-student, and parent-child.

    This means that for the first time, relevant departments in the Chinese capital have clearly linked physical health indicators, such as reducing myopia, obesity and spinal curvature, with psychological resilience, which in turn implies synchronous improvement of both aspects.

    Some of the key measures include requiring students to participate in at least one school club, hobby group or extracurricular activity, organizing a “Teacher-Student Dialogue Day” and encouraging parents to spend 15 minutes daily for open conversation and one hour doing activities with their children.

    Under the new policy, schools are encouraged to increase team sports such as football and basketball to develop students’ resilience and persistence. In addition, special psychological support corners and stress-relief rooms will also be set up in common areas of school campuses.

    The document also provides for a division of responsibility between society and government. Professional social workers and volunteers will assist in the implementation of educational programs to improve health, while city authorities will ensure stricter control over online content and the amount of time spent in front of any screen, in close cooperation with students, their parents and educational institutions.

    Notably, Beijing will implement a three-tiered assessment system to monitor progress at the city, district and school levels. The system will use key indicators such as physical fitness data, mental health data and disease prevention dynamics to track trends, refine prevention strategies and intervention methods to ensure policy effectiveness.

    The initiative follows Beijing’s previous reform initiatives, including the introduction of 15-minute breaks between classes and guaranteed daily physical education classes, underscoring the city’s commitment to prioritizing health in education under the principle of “health first.” As a senior official at the Beijing Education Commission emphasized, the new policy is an innovative endeavor aimed at creating a special “Beijing model” that promotes the all-round development of students. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI China: Small parcels rule exemption gives respite to US customers

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

    The U.S. Commerce Department is seen in Washington, D.C., the United States, April 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    US customers of Chinese online discount retailers such as Shein and Temu have got a respite from high prices with a reduction in duties on smaller packages.

    The administration of United States President Donald Trump announced on Monday it would reduce tariffs on low-cost packages from China that fall under the de minimis exemption — from 120 percent to 54 percent.

    The de minimis tax law is a loophole that allows low-cost parcels to enter the US duty-free and avoid customs inspections if they have a retail value under $800. The announcement was made on the same weekend when the US and China paused higher tariffs on each other for 90 days.

    A flat fee of $100 will remain on parcels starting Wednesday, while the $200 charge that was to be imposed from next month was canceled.

    Z. John Zhang, a professor of marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, told China Daily that Shein and Temu have become popular with US shoppers “because they get the order and then produce it”, allowing them to be “fast, low-cost and have a lot of choices”.

    The move is widely seen as another step in de-escalating trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies. It will also enable the companies to import more goods amid the pause.

    “This is great for Shein and Temu, if nothing else, to replenish their US inventory,” Yao Jin, an associate professor of supply chain management at Miami University of Ohio, told USA Today.

    Estimates by Baird Equity Research suggest that in 2018, at least 75 percent of all the packages that entered the US under de minimis were from China. Today, it is more than 60 percent.

    In February, Trump suspended the rule for China by imposing a tax of 120 percent of the package’s value or a planned flat fee of $200.

    The administration initially described it as a “critical step in countering the ongoing health emergency posed by the illicit flow of synthetic opioids into the US”.

    However, the pause sparked confusion as the US Postal Service said on Feb 5 that it would stop accepting parcels from China temporarily. It reversed course 12 hours later, and the service was resumed.

    The Trump administration then delayed the implementation of the rule until the Commerce Department could set up a system to process inspections and levies on the shipments.

    Sufficient systems

    Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed to the administration last month that sufficient systems were in place to collect tariff revenue.

    On April 2, the so-called Liberation Day, Trump signed an executive order to eliminate de minimis for China.

    In fiscal year 2024, at least 1.36 billion shipments utilized de minimis, an increase of 637 million compared with 2020, according to US Customs and Border Protection.

    In 2018, Chinese exports under de minimis were worth $5.3 billion, but rose to $66 billion in 2023, the Congressional Research Service found. Much of the parcels are shipped directly from China to the customer.

    It could have cost US consumers between $11 billion and $13 billion if the rule was eliminated, according to the paper “The Value of De Minimis Imports” by the Department of Economics at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Yale University.

    Zhang, from the University of Pennsylvania, who helps companies on pricing strategies, market entry and channel and retail management, had warned that Temu and Shein might have to adjust their business models if de minimis ended.

    He advised that the way they can keep US-based customers, despite any higher fees, is to keep the ethos of fast fashion alive — such as providing low-cost goods, using automation and shifting more production to the US.

    MIL OSI China News –

    May 15, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Albert Park end of Victoria Street’s linear park OPENS

    Source: Secondary teachers question rationale for changes to relationship education guidelines

    The tree-filled linear park at the northern entrance to Te Waihorotiu Station has reached another big milestone on its journey to completion.

    The eastern section of Te Hā Noa from Lorne Street to Albert Park is now open to the public, with widened footpaths, fewer traffic lanes, wooden seating, new trees and landscaped resting places, all reflecting its te reo Māori name.

    Te Hā Noa is a name gifted by mana whenua. Te Hā is about life’s essence – to breathe – and Noa is about being free in the journey to experience your surroundings.

    Four trees were crane-lifted from trucks into new street-side seating areas earlier this month, watched over by the ancient trees of Albert Park.

    The new trees – pūriri, pōhutukawa, titoki and rewarewa – and around 600 new plants underneath are another milestone in the transformation of midtown’s station neighbourhood.

    Auckland Council’s midtown regeneration programme is ensuring the area will be ready when the City Rail Link (CRL) and Te Waihorotiu Station open.

    Jenny Larking, Auckland Council Head of City Centre Programmes, says the new streets and spaces are like a leafy ‘living room’ for people in midtown.

    “Like any international city with an underground rail system, our streets and spaces need to  be tailormade to cater for an influx of people. The area had to undergo radical change to make sure the City Rail Link was optimised at street level. The fruits of that change are becoming really clear now,” she says.

    Councillor Richard Hills recognises that trees provide shade and shelter, attract birdlife, counter the heat effects of an urban space like this, and absorb carbon.

    “Recent urban heat assessments show our city is warming, especially in the city centre. These stunning native trees will not only help reduce those effects, but will contribute to the growing network of green infrastructure flourishing across the city centre and the region.

    “Visitors, residents, workers and students will be able to walk or sit beneath these trees and amongst the new planting to enjoy a fresh perspective on the city centre, with no doubt many more native birds and insects enjoying their new habitats as well. It’s another big step forward in the development of Te Hā Noa,” he says.

    In time, Te Hā Noa will form a green link across the city, linking two much-loved city parks – Rangipuke / Albert Park and Waikōkota / Victoria Park.

    Victoria Street is one of three east-west streets purpose-designed for the station neighbourhood. In the regeneration, Wellesley Street is becoming an important central city bus interchange, and the upgraded Victoria Street is making the connection between walking, cycling, high frequency bus routes, and the train station easier and safer. Mayoral Drive will be the east-west route for the balance of vehicle movements.

    This latest milestone follows the mid-section of Victoria Street’s Te Hā Noa, between Elliott Street and Queen Street, which opened in October 2024.

    Read about the opening of the first section of Te Hā Noa at OurAuckland.

    [embedded content]

    Another big station milestone

    As the linear park at the station’s Victoria Street entrance reaches this milestone, the station itself is gleaming with finishing touches.

    Four thousand rods designed to mimic the stems of raupo (reeds) and the movement of water are now in place in the main entrance of Te Waihorotiu Station. Points of light among the reeds reflect a starlit sky and provide functional lighting at the gateway to the station.

    A kauri carving at the centre was designed in collaboration with Paraone Luiten-Apirana ((Ngāti Hikairo, Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Arawa) and the station’s main artist Graham Tipene (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Haua, Ngāti Manu).

    The carving represents Horotiu, the kaitiaki or guardian looking after the people and supporting the abundance of life-giving energy in the area.

    More on the station design here.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    May 15, 2025
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