NewzIntel.com

Category: Education

  • MIL-Evening Report: Farmers fear dingoes are eating their livestock – but predator poo tells an unexpected story

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Mason, PhD candidate in Conservation Biology, Deakin University

    Kristian Bell/Shutterstock

    Killing carnivores to protect livestock, wildlife and people is an emotive and controversial issue that can cause community conflict. Difficult decisions about managing predators must be supported by strong scientific evidence.

    In Australia, predators such as dingoes and foxes are often shot or poisoned with baits to prevent them from killing sheep and cattle. Feral cats and foxes are also killed to protect native wildlife.

    But research elsewhere suggests public perceptions of how predators affect ecosystems and livestock are not always accurate.

    Our recent study sought to shed light on these controversies. We examined the scat, or poo, left behind by dingoes, foxes and cats. We focused on the mallee region of Victoria and South Australia where there are calls to resume dingo culling to stop them killing livestock.

    A contentious issue

    Our study took place in the Big Desert-Wyperfeld-Ngarkat reserve complex in the semi-arid mallee region of Victoria and South Australia. This continuous ecosystem comprises about 10,000 km² of protected native mallee bushland, and is entirely surrounded by crop and livestock farming areas.

    Fox-baiting is conducted along the boundaries of Victorian-managed reserve areas. Dingo baiting occurs in the South Australian-managed section of the park.

    Since March 2024, the small dingo population has been protected in Victorian-managed areas due to their critically low numbers in the region.

    Prior to the change, Victorian farmers and authorised trappers could control dingoes on private land and within public land up to 3km from farms. Farmers say they have lost livestock since dingoes were protected.

    What are predators eating in the mallee region?

    We collected and analysed 136 dingo, 200 fox and 25 cat scats to determine what each predator in the area was eating and how their diets differed.

    Livestock was not a major part of the diet of dingoes, foxes or cats. Some 7% of fox scats contained sheep or cattle remains. This was more than that of dingoes, at 2% of scats. No feral cat scats contained livestock remains.

    The dingo diet was dominated by kangaroos, wallabies and emus, which comprised more than 70% of their diet volume.

    Cats and foxes consumed more than 15 times the volume of small native mammals compared with dingoes, including threatened species such as fat-tailed dunnarts.

    Our data must be interpreted with caution. Scat analysis cannot differentiate between livestock killed by predators and those that are scavenged. It also can’t tell us about animals that a predator killed but did not eat.

    In 2022–23, when we collected the scats, rainfall in the area was high and prey was abundant. So, while we found livestock were not likely to be a substantial part of these predators’ diets at the time of our research, this can change depending on environmental conditions.

    For example, fire and extended drought may force predators to move further to find food and water. They may move from conservation areas to private land, where they could prey on livestock.

    A taste for certain prey

    A predator’s poo doesn’t tell the full story of how it affects prey populations.

    To understand this further, we used motion-sensing wildlife cameras to assess which prey were available in the ecosystem. We compared it to the frequency they occurred in predator’s diets. This allowed us to determine if dingoes, foxes or cats target specific prey.

    We found foxes and cats both consumed small mammals proportionally more than we expected, given the prey’s availability in the study area. Cats consumed birds at a higher rate than expected, and dingoes consumed echidnas more than expected.

    Further intensive monitoring work is needed to determine how these dietary preferences affect the populations of prey species.

    Embracing the evidence

    The findings build on a substantial previous research suggesting foxes and cats pose a significant threat to native mammals, birds, reptiles and other wildlife, including many threatened species. Our results suggest foxes may cause more harm to sheep than dingoes overall – a finding consistent with research elsewhere in Victoria.

    Dingoes were the only predator species that regularly preyed on kangaroos and wallabies. These species are abundant in the region. They can also compete with livestock for grazing pastures, consume crops and degrade native vegetation.

    Currently, dingoes are killed on, or fenced out of, large parts of Australia due to their perceived threat to livestock.

    Lethal control of invasive species remains important to protect native wildlife and agriculture. But such decisions should be based on evidence, to avoid unforeseen and undesirable results.

    For example, fox control can lead to increased feral cat numbers and harm to native prey. Fewer dingoes may mean more feral goats and kangaroos.

    Non-lethal and effective alternatives exist to indiscriminately killing predators to protect livestock, such as protection dogs and donkeys. These measures are being embraced by farmers and graziers globally, often with high and sustained success.

    In Australia, governments should better embrace and support evidence-based and effective approaches that allow farming, native carnivores and other wildlife to coexist.

    Rachel Mason conducted this research with grant funding from the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action. She is a current member of the Australian Mammal Society, the Australasian Wildlife Management Society, and the Ecological Society of Australia.

    Euan Ritchie receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Action. Euan is a Councillor within the Biodiversity Council, a member of the Ecological Society of Australia and the Australian Mammal Society, and President of the Australian Mammal Society.

    – ref. Farmers fear dingoes are eating their livestock – but predator poo tells an unexpected story – https://theconversation.com/farmers-fear-dingoes-are-eating-their-livestock-but-predator-poo-tells-an-unexpected-story-254787

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Neag School of Education Celebrates 151 Bachelor of Science Graduates

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    UConn’s Neag School of Education held its undergraduate commencement ceremony at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday morning, celebrating 151 Bachelor of Science graduates from its Sport Management and Integrated Bachelor’s/Master’s Teacher Education programs.

    The joyful, sunny day began with a beloved Neag School tradition: the procession of graduates down Glenbrook Road from the Gentry Building to the Jorgensen, led by UConn’s mascot Jonathan XV. Once inside the auditorium, the Class of 2025 was greeted by cheers and applause from hundreds of family, friends, and other guests. The Neag School of Education banner was presented and placed onstage by Alexa Granfield, the class representative. Lead Marshal Megan Staples, associate professor of mathematics education, then opened the commencement ceremony before welcoming Dean Jason G. Irizarry to the podium.

    “It may sound cliché, but it is true: our students are special,” Irizarry said. “They are dedicating themselves to career paths that seek to improve education, support sport, and serve youth. As we like to say, there’s no place like the Neag School. Today’s graduates are proof of that. … All of us in the Neag School are already looking forward to the achievements that these selfless, dedicated young people are certain to realize in the years to come.”

    This year’s commencement speaker was Suzanne M. Wilson, the Neag Endowed Professor of Teacher Education and a professor in the Neag School’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She is a nationally known expert on teacher preparation and professional development who has had an indelible impact on the field of education. She was elected to the National Academy of Education in 2013 and to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2022.

    “You have all chosen to join what some call the ‘caring professions’,” Wilson said to the graduates. “These professions focus on the emotional, psychological, intellectual, physical, and social well-being of others. Outsiders often think that the caring professions are easy work – after all, you just have to show up and be nice. Care. But these professions entail impossibly demanding work. … The fundamental challenge you face is that the learner or the client is the one who must do the work; no matter how loudly or clearly you talk, you can only offer them motivation and ideas. You can’t make them learn. That’s a tough job, and you never completely master it. You learn and relearn it over a lifetime.”

    So, Wilson offered the Class of 2025 three pieces of advice she said she wished she knew when she completed her bachelor’s degree: learn to hear, embrace your inevitable mistakes, and be kind.

    “Pretty simple, right?” Wilson said. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking that these habits are either personality traits or come naturally. You must consciously decide to practice doing these things for every person you work with, every day. … It takes will and skill, not to mention intelligence and knowledge, empathy and modesty, passion and compassion, patience and persistence, resilience and humility. … Given everything that you — the Class of 2025 — have already done at UConn and elsewhere, I have no doubt that you are up to the challenge.”

    Prior to joining UConn, Wilson was a University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University, where she served on the faculty for 26 years. She was also the first director of the Teacher Assessment Project, which developed prototype assessments for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

    It may sound cliché, but it is true: our students are special. They are dedicating themselves to career paths that seek to improve education, support sport, and serve youth. &#8212 Dean Jason G. Irizarry

    “Dr. Wilson’s distinguished career has been marked by groundbreaking scholarship, service at the highest levels of our profession, and an unwavering commitment to students and colleagues,” Irizarry said. “A steadfast mentor, collaborator, and advocate, Dr. Wilson’s leadership and advocacy at the national level have also shaped policy and practice in profound ways.”

    As it was Mother’s Day, Irizarry took a moment early on in the ceremony to thank all the mother figures in the audience or elsewhere who guided and supported the graduates. Then a short video played that was a compilation of Mother’s Day wishes recorded by some of the Neag School graduates. It was a heartfelt moment that had many in the audience looking for tissues.

    Another beloved Neag School commencement tradition is a performance by the graduating music education students toward the end of the ceremony. This year, nine graduates performed an arrangement of “Upside Down” by Jack Johnson, prompting their classmates to stand up and dance.

    Provost Anne D’Alleva was in attendance to congratulate the graduates and confer the Bachelor of Science degrees.

    “I charge you now to assume fully the responsibilities of your new status, to enlarge upon the foundations of knowledge which you have acquired, to take upon yourselves the obligations of an enlarged vision, and to seek to do your fair share of the work of this world,” D’Alleva said. “You are now alumni of UConn’s Neag School of Education. … Congratulations!”

    The UConn Neag School of Education commencement ceremony was also livestreamed and is still available for viewing.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Maple Leafs’ goalie Anthony Stolarz’s injury highlights concerns about concussions in ice hockey

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Kewei Bian, Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Western University

    During Game 1 of the Maple Leafs’ ongoing playoff series against the Florida Panthers, Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz was struck in the head by Panthers forward Sam Bennett.

    Although Stolarz remained in the game for several minutes following the hit, he eventually skated to the bench, vomited and exited the ice. He was later stretchered out of the arena and taken to a hospital. Stolarz rejoined his teammates the following day, but will not play in Game 2 and isn’t expected to return for the series.

    While it’s unclear whether he was officially diagnosed with a concussion, the incident has once again reignited concern over brain injuries in hockey.

    As researchers specializing in brain injury biomechanics, we use both experimental (laboratory-based) and computational methods to investigate the biomechanical mechanisms of concussion and explore effective prevention strategies.

    Cases like this underscore the importance of concussion detection, management and prevention, particularly in high-impact sports like hockey where head injuries remain a significant risk.

    Concussions and TBI in ice hockey

    Traumatic brain injury (TBI), including concussion, is a growing public health concern worldwide. These injuries result from direct or indirect impacts to the head and can have both immediate and long-term health consequences.

    In the United States alone, 1.6 to 3.8 million sports-related TBIs occur annually. In Canada, around 24 per cent of reported concussions are related to sports. In 2019, roughly 1.6 per cent of people in Canada — more than 400,000 people — aged 12 and older reported at least one concussion.

    Ice hockey, one of Canada’s most popular sports, is associated with a particularly high risk of concussion. Around 22 per cent of Canadian ice hockey players between the ages of 10 and 25 experience at least one concussion. According to official injury reports from the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association, concussions can occur up to 24.3 times per 1,000 player game hours.

    At the professional level, the risks remain significant. Based on averages from the 2009–10, 2010-11 and 2011–12 National Hockey League seasons, approximately 5.8 concussions occurred per 100 players each season. Concussion-related salary loss also reached US$42.8 million in one year.

    What happens during a concussion?

    From a biomechanical perspective, a concussion occurs when the head experiences an external impact. Since the skull is very stiff and the brain has inertia, the skull moves immediately while the brain initially remains in its original position. The brain eventually catching up with the skull’s motion.

    In straight-line, or translational, impacts, the skull compresses the brain at the point of contact, creating localized positive pressure. At the same time, on the opposite side of the brain, the skull’s movement creates negative pressure.

    In rotational impacts — when the head is spun — the skull’s movement causes shear forces within the brain tissue, causing it to deform. Since the brain consists of different regions responsible for different functions, this tissue deformation can affect specific brain functional regions, leading to the range of symptoms associated with concussion.

    Understanding concussion symptoms

    Concussions can impact a range of functions, including physical, cognitive, emotional and cognitive abilities.

    Typical symptoms include headache, dizziness, trouble with balance, vomiting, blurry vision, confusion, sleep issues, memory problems and even loss of consciousness.

    These symptoms are commonly seen in athletes, including those in ice hockey. Among NHL athletes, the most commonly reported post-concussion symptoms, in order of frequency, are headaches, dizziness, nausea, neck pain, low energy or fatigue, blurred vision, light sensitivity, nervousness or anxiety, irritability and vomiting.

    A CityNews segment about how Stolarz’s head injury sparked a conversation around concussion awareness.

    Concussions may present immediately following a head impact, or they may emerge hours or even days later. While most concussions can recover within seven to 10 days, some could last longer.

    While the short-term effects typically include headache, vomiting and dizziness, the long-term effects may cause symptoms such long-term memory loss, depression and increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

    Concussion assessment and management

    Diagnosing concussions is challenging because they are not visible on traditional imaging techniques like CT scans. Instead, concussion assessments rely on clinical evaluation of symptoms.

    The NHL has a concussion protocol in place that requires players to be immediately removed from the game for evaluation if one is suspected. The decision is based on observed physical, cognitive, emotional and sleep-related symptoms.

    Other evaluation methods, such as the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), are also employed to assess TBIs and concussion. The GCS assesses the severity of TBI by evaluating eye opening, verbal response and motor response on a scale. The GCS score of 13-15 is classified as mild TBI, or concussion.

    Those suspected of having a concussion should stop all activities and seek medical attention to begin concussion treatment and receive guidance on recovery and rehabilitation.

    Concussion prevention and prediction

    Reducing sport-related concussion rates requires a multi-faceted approach, including policy changes, stricter enforcement of rules and increased education and awareness.

    Protective equipment also plays a key role. Helmets, in particular, are effective at protecting the head from injury. One study found wearing a helmet in ice hockey can reduce head linear acceleration, rotational velocity and the brain strain resulting from external impacts. Continuous improvements in ice hockey helmet design can further reduce injury risks.

    To better understand and predict concussions, biomechanical researchers have developed injury metrics based on head kinematics and brain strain. Head kinematics-based injury metrics, such as peak linear acceleration and peak rotational acceleration, are derived from sensor-captured movement.

    Another promising approach involves brain strain–based metrics, which use high-fidelity computational models to estimate brain tissue deformation. Since brain strain is closely associated with the risk of brain injury, these models are valuable for predicting and analyzing concussion mechanisms.

    Ultimately, addressing concussions in ice hockey requires continued interdisciplinary research to better understand and address concussions in ice hockey. Protecting players from concussion is paramount to ensuring the game evolves as safely as it does competitively.

    Haojie Mao receives funding from NSERC to investigate brain biomechanics and helmet safety.

    Carter Goan, Emilie Anne Potts, Kewei Bian, and Sakib Ul Islam do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Maple Leafs’ goalie Anthony Stolarz’s injury highlights concerns about concussions in ice hockey – https://theconversation.com/maple-leafs-goalie-anthony-stolarzs-injury-highlights-concerns-about-concussions-in-ice-hockey-256056

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Poll – New Zealanders back action on preventing alcohol harm – Health Coalition

    Source: Health Coalition Aotearoa

    New Zealanders are calling time on the alcohol industry’s influence and supporting stronger safeguards to protect health-especially for children.
    A new independent poll shows overwhelming support for tighter safeguards on how alcohol is sold and marketed. Clear majorities support firm limits on key problems such as the price of cheap alcohol, online deliveries, and industry involvement in policy making. Nearly 80% back a ban on alcohol ads seen by children. (ref. https://www.phcc.org.nz/briefing/new-zealanders-strongly-support-policies-curb-alcohol-harm-will-government-listen )
    “Alcohol is the most harmful drug in Aotearoa, but it’s marketed like a harmless treat,” says Karen Wright, Health Coalition Aotearoa. “Our legislation is outdated and is maintaining large inequities in harm. People are saying enough is enough. They back action to protect children, whānau and communities from alcohol harm.”
    The majority support making alcohol less available
    • 81% agree online alcohol deliveries should have to follow the same checks as bars and stores
    • 76% agreed with neighbourhood limits on the number of places selling alcohol
    • 58% support returning the alcohol purchase age to 20 years old
    The majority support removing industry from policymaking and telling the truth about alcohol harms
    • 71% agree the alcohol industry should stay out of policymaking
    • 66% support cancer warning labels on alcohol products
    The majority support safeguards against alcohol advertising
    • 80% back a ban on alcohol ads seen by children
    • 62% support a ban on all alcohol advertising and sponsorship
    • 68% agree sporting organisations should be supported to move away from alcohol sponsorship
    Support for making alcohol less affordable
    • 58% agree cheap alcohol should not be sold below a certain price
    • 47% agree the Government should increase the price of alcohol by 10% and use that money for alcohol treatment services and harm prevention. A further 11% were unsure.
    The poll shows strong support for the three areas known to reduce alcohol consumption and harm for communities – safeguards for affordability, availability and advertising. Successive New Zealand Governments have not implemented long-standing recommendations to address these issues. Instead they have made disappointing, minor tweaks to the law governing alcohol.
    “The people of Aotearoa are ready for change. Now it’s up to the Government to act,” says Steve Randerson, Health Coalition Aotearoa. “As a country we have done this before with tobacco, when the Government brought in sensible safeguards around tobacco marketing. The public supports similar action for alcohol marketing, which would benefit young people and those trying to cut down or stop drinking.”
    Alcohol causes a broad range of harms to the consumer, whānau and communities. Alcohol fuels violence and causes at least seven types of cancer. It also causes lifelong brain injury to babies exposed during pregnancy – and many other harms to health and society. It’s also deeply woven into everyday life, from rugby matches to music festivals-thanks to relentless industry marketing.
    “Alcohol companies spend millions telling us drinking is fun, sexy and essential. But the ads don’t tell us it causes cancer,” says Steve Randerson. “Our children deserve better. So do we.”
    The cost of replacing alcohol sponsorship in sport is relatively low-just $10-12 million per year, or 5-6% of total sponsorship revenue.
    “This is a fixable problem,” says Karen Wright. “New Zealanders want politicians to put people before profits. Solutions to reduce harms must not be influenced by an industry motivated by sales and profit. It’s time to overhaul our alcohol laws to protect our children and those most impacted by harm.”
    Health Coalition Aotearoa is calling time and urges the Government to act on the clear public mandate and introduce evidence-based reforms to reduce alcohol harm across Aotearoa.
    More information
    Poll details
    This poll provides the most up to date data on current public opinion on alcohol policies of New Zealand adults.
    Results are based upon questions asked in a Talbot Mills Research nationwide online survey of a sample of 1161 nationally representative respondents in NZ 18 years of age and over. The questions were asked in March 2025.
    Participants were asked ‘To reduce the problems associated with alcohol use, how strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements (%)’ followed by a range of alcohol policy measure statements.
    The last public opinion survey was the 2023 University of Otago/Cancer Society survey. Our PHCC Briefing includes 2023 results for comparison where relevant, but we caution comparing results too closely as the methodology and question and response options differed between the two surveys.
    This poll was funded by Health Coalition Aotearoa and the Cancer Society of New Zealand.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McCaul Announces Winner of 2025 Congressional Art Competition

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael McCaul (10th District of Texas)

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) announced Lucy Rees — a junior from Lago Vista High School — as the winner of the 2025 Congressional Art Competition for Texas’ 10th Congressional District. Lucy titled her artwork “Cowpoke” — a depiction of her grandfather working as a cowboy during the 1970s.

    “Congratulations to this year’s Congressional Art Competition winner, Lucy Rees,” said Rep. McCaul. “Lucy’s illustration of her grandfather beautifully depicts a cowboy with a powerful work ethic and points to family commitment — values at the heart of what it means to be a Texan. I am so inspired by the many young, talented artists in my district — including this year’s runners-up — and I look forward to seeing Lucy’s artwork on display in the Capitol.”

    “Cowpoke” by Lucy Rees

    Background:

    The Congressional Art Competition is an opportunity to recognize and encourage artistic talent in high school-aged students throughout the country. The winning selection will be displayed for one year in the United States Capitol alongside artwork from students across the nation. Additionally, first-place Congressional Art Competition winners and one guest receive round-trip tickets to attend the National Reception in Washington, D.C. in June.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Maple Leafs’ goalie Anthony Stolarz’s injury highlights concerns about concussion in ice hockey

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Kewei Bian, Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Western University

    During Game 1 of the Maple Leafs’ ongoing playoff series against the Florida Panthers, Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz was struck in the head by Panthers forward Sam Bennett.

    Although Stolarz remained in the game for several minutes following the hit, he eventually skated to the bench, vomited and exited the ice. He was later stretchered out of the arena and taken to a hospital. Stolarz rejoined his teammates the following day, but will not play in Game 2 and isn’t expected to return for the series.

    While it’s unclear whether he was officially diagnosed with a concussion, the incident has once again reignited concern over brain injuries in hockey.

    As researchers specializing in brain injury biomechanics, we use both experimental (laboratory-based) and computational methods to investigate the biomechanical mechanisms of concussion and explore effective prevention strategies.

    Cases like this underscore the importance of concussion detection, management and prevention, particularly in high-impact sports like hockey where head injuries remain a significant risk.

    Concussions and TBI in ice hockey

    Traumatic brain injury (TBI), including concussion, is a growing public health concern worldwide. These injuries result from direct or indirect impacts to the head and can have both immediate and long-term health consequences.

    In the United States alone, 1.6 to 3.8 million sports-related TBIs occur annually. In Canada, around 24 per cent of reported concussions are related to sports. In 2019, roughly 1.6 per cent of people in Canada — more than 400,000 people — aged 12 and older reported at least one concussion.

    Ice hockey, one of Canada’s most popular sports, is associated with a particularly high risk of concussion. Around 22 per cent of Canadian ice hockey players between the ages of 10 and 25 experience at least one concussion. According to official injury reports from the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association, concussions can occur up to 24.3 times per 1,000 player game hours.

    At the professional level, the risks remain significant. Based on averages from the 2009–10, 2010-11 and 2011–12 National Hockey League seasons, approximately 5.8 concussions occurred per 100 players each season. Concussion-related salary loss also reached US$42.8 million in one year.

    What happens during a concussion?

    From a biomechanical perspective, a concussion occurs when the head experiences an external impact. Since the skull is very stiff and the brain has inertia, the skull moves immediately while the brain initially remains in its original position. The brain eventually catching up with the skull’s motion.

    In straight-line, or translational, impacts, the skull compresses the brain at the point of contact, creating localized positive pressure. At the same time, on the opposite side of the brain, the skull’s movement creates negative pressure.

    In rotational impacts — when the head is spun — the skull’s movement causes shear forces within the brain tissue, causing it to deform. Since the brain consists of different regions responsible for different functions, this tissue deformation can affect specific brain functional regions, leading to the range of symptoms associated with concussion.

    Understanding concussion symptoms

    Concussions can impact a range of functions, including physical, cognitive, emotional and cognitive abilities.

    Typical symptoms include headache, dizziness, trouble with balance, vomiting, blurry vision, confusion, sleep issues, memory problems and even loss of consciousness.

    These symptoms are commonly seen in athletes, including those in ice hockey. Among NHL athletes, the most commonly reported post-concussion symptoms, in order of frequency, are headaches, dizziness, nausea, neck pain, low energy or fatigue, blurred vision, light sensitivity, nervousness or anxiety, irritability and vomiting.

    A CityNews segment about how Stolarz’s head injury sparked a conversation around concussion awareness.

    Concussions may present immediately following a head impact, or they may emerge hours or even days later. While most concussions can recover within seven to 10 days, some could last longer.

    While the short-term effects typically include headache, vomiting and dizziness, the long-term effects may cause symptoms such long-term memory loss, depression and increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

    Concussion assessment and management

    Diagnosing concussions is challenging because they are not visible on traditional imaging techniques like CT scans. Instead, concussion assessments rely on clinical evaluation of symptoms.

    The NHL has a concussion protocol in place that requires players to be immediately removed from the game for evaluation if one is suspected. The decision is based on observed physical, cognitive, emotional and sleep-related symptoms.

    Other evaluation methods, such as the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), are also employed to assess TBIs and concussion. The GCS assesses the severity of TBI by evaluating eye opening, verbal response and motor response on a scale. The GCS score of 13-15 is classified as mild TBI, or concussion.

    Those suspected of having a concussion should stop all activities and seek medical attention to begin concussion treatment and receive guidance on recovery and rehabilitation.

    Concussion prevention and prediction

    Reducing sport-related concussion rates requires a multi-faceted approach, including policy changes, stricter enforcement of rules and increased education and awareness.

    Protective equipment also plays a key role. Helmets, in particular, are effective at protecting the head from injury. One study found wearing a helmet in ice hockey can reduce head linear acceleration, rotational velocity and the brain strain resulting from external impacts. Continuous improvements in ice hockey helmet design can further reduce injury risks.

    To better understand and predict concussions, biomechanical researchers have developed injury metrics based on head kinematics and brain strain. Head kinematics-based injury metrics, such as peak linear acceleration and peak rotational acceleration, are derived from sensor-captured movement.

    Another promising approach involves brain strain–based metrics, which use high-fidelity computational models to estimate brain tissue deformation. Since brain strain is closely associated with the risk of brain injury, these models are valuable for predicting and analyzing concussion mechanisms.

    Ultimately, addressing concussions in ice hockey requires continued interdisciplinary research to better understand and address concussions in ice hockey. Protecting players from concussion is paramount to ensuring the game evolves as safely as it does competitively.

    Haojie Mao receives funding from NSERC to investigate brain biomechanics and helmet safety.

    Carter Goan, Emilie Anne Potts, Kewei Bian, and Sakib Ul Islam do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Maple Leafs’ goalie Anthony Stolarz’s injury highlights concerns about concussion in ice hockey – https://theconversation.com/maple-leafs-goalie-anthony-stolarzs-injury-highlights-concerns-about-concussion-in-ice-hockey-256056

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Population explosions and declines are related to how stable the economy and environment are

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Ken G. Drouillard, Professor, Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research and Director of the School of the Environment, University of Windsor

    A country’s population is affected by, and in turn affects, environmental and economic issues. (Shutterstock)

    For 200 years, we’ve been warned of unchecked population growth and how it leads to environmental instability. On the other hand, today some countries face decreasing populations, alongside increasing proportions of elderly people, causing economic instability.

    These two facets of population crises — explosions and declines — are occurring in different parts of the world, and have a global impact on the environment and on economies. Discussions about achieving economic and environmental sustainability must consider population changes, technology and the environment, given these concepts are closely interwoven.

    Population explosions and declines are related to both environmental and economic instability; some countries make reactionary choices that trade off short-term domestic economic progress over the environment.

    The crisis of population explosions

    In 1798, English economist Thomas Malthus warned of a population explosion, inferring that population growth will outstrip agricultural production. Malthus’s ideas became re-popularized by American scientist Paul R. Ehrlich in his book published at the height of population growth in the 1960s. Both predicted that a population explosion would cause shortages in resources and escalating environmental damage.

    Like Malthus, Ehrlich was criticized for a crisis “that never happened” because human ingenuity, a byproduct of population, overcomes the worst fears of environmentalists. This counter-argument relies on technological advances making more efficient use of resources while lowering the environmental impacts.

    This is best exemplified by efficiency gains of agriculture that have continued to feed a growing world. Ehrlich’s predictions of cumulative environmental damage are best illustrated by the growing intensity of climate change and species loss as the global population continues to grow even though the current growth rate is slower than it was in the 1960s.

    A graph reflecting how population growth, species diversity and global temperature correlate over time.
    (K. Drouillard), CC BY

    Unified growth theory describes how economies change over the long term. It starts with a period of slow technological progress, low income growth and high population growth. Over time, these conditions give way to a modern growth phase, where technology improves quickly, income rises steadily and population growth slows as societies go through a demographic transition towards stable population sizes.

    Technological progress positively contributes to national economies over the long term. However, early adoption of green technology often relies on finance and government incentives that may imply short-term economic burdens. Yet when green technology is implemented and coupled to slowing population growth, it leads to decreasing national environmental footprints that pave a way towards joint environmental and economic sustainability.

    The crisis of population declines

    Declining populations cause inverted age pyramids with larger numbers of elderly people. These shifting demographics cause economic instability. They also constrain technological progress and social security.

    Population declines work against the gains described by unified growth theory. Presently, 63 countries have reached their peak population and 48 more are expected to peak within 30 years. Fears of population decline are also being forecast at the global scale.

    The global population is predicted to peak between the mid-2060s to 2100, stabilizing at 10.2 billion from its present 8.2 billion.

    In their book, Empty Planet, political scientist Darrell Bricker and political commentator John Ibbitson warn that zero population growth will happen even faster. They argue once a country decreases its fertility to below replacement (2.1 children per woman), the social reinforcements of increasing urbanization, costs of raising children and increased empowerment over family planning make it almost impossible to increase the birth rate.

    For highly affluent countries, the per capita GDP is decreasing as the proportion of elderly in the population increases. Although this pattern doesn’t hold when less affluent countries are added, the figure demonstrates tangible economic impacts for countries grappling with aging populations.

    A graph showing the percentage of elderly people in a country’s population, correlated with GDP and adjusted for inflation.
    (K. Drouillard), CC BY

    Simultaneous explosions and declines

    Affluent nations facing decline can react to economic instability in ways that counter global economic and environmental sustainability.

    In the past, affluent nations were the drivers of green technology. However, economic instability from population declines can cause reluctance to invest, adopt and share green technology crucial for mitigating environmental damage at the global scale.

    The issue is compounded by the fact that many countries overlook how their own decline in population growth contributes to economic instability. They instead focus on short-term solutions to their economic situation that may include unsustainable resource use.

    Left unaddressed, the real issue of population decline becomes unresolved, allowing social anxieties against immigration and global trade to grow. This can exacerbate the issue halting technology sharing, slowing economic growth and increasing economic inequality and environmental damage.

    The above is exemplified by policies now being implemented by the United States. Where immigration was previously used as a backstop against low fertility, growing cultural backlash to immigration pressures rooted in anxiety about economic uncertainties have generated new policies causing the deportation of millions of immigrants and closing borders. This will most likely accelerate a population decline in the U.S., as highlighted by a Congressional Budget Office report.

    At the same time, the U.S. is shifting its energy policy away from increased shares of renewable, green energy sources back to a focus on fossil fuels that will worsen climate damage.

    Climate damage costs are currently two per cent of global GDP, and may increase to between two to 21 per cent of some countries’ incomes by the end of the century. The growing applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and its high energy use will add to climate damage. AI may also contribute to the economic challenges related to population decline if it replaces, rather than supports, labour.

    Finally, tariff wars add new barriers against green technology sharing.

    Canada’s lowered immigration

    Canada, which already has a low fertility rate and is reacting to the U.S. trade war, has its own challenges. This year, immigration targets were decreased by 19 per cent. The lack of support for and subsequent removal of the carbon tax and possible extension of pipeline infrastructure could generate similar delays in the transition away from fossil fuels.



    Read more:
    Who really killed Canada’s carbon tax? Friends and foes alike

    In the most recent federal election, discussions about environmental policy were largely side-tracked by economic issues.

    Our research indicates that Canada and other affluent nations need to establish longer-term solutions to economic instabilities that mitigate environmental damage while promoting sustainable national and global economies.

    The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals offer pathways for economic, social and environmental sustainability. However, realizing these goals requires society to fully acknowledge the intertwined relationships between population growth, economy, environment and international technology-sharing in ways that transcend short-term national interests and reactionary policies.

    The past decade has seen strong momentum from social and natural sciences as well as international organizations, business and civil society. Unfortunately, the current climate of economic uncertainty is halting this progress — unless the public can force broader discussions about sustainable approaches back into the political sphere.

    Ken G. Drouillard receives funding from Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Canadian Water Agency, Environment and Climate Change Canada, St. Clair River Conservation Authority and North Shore of Lake Superior Remedial Action Plans.

    Claudio N. Verani receives/has received funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Energy (DoE), Petroleum Research Fund (ACS-PRF), and the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

    Marcelo Arbex has received funding from University of Windsor UW-SSHRC Explore.

    – ref. Population explosions and declines are related to how stable the economy and environment are – https://theconversation.com/population-explosions-and-declines-are-related-to-how-stable-the-economy-and-environment-are-253302

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: New recommendations for regulating neurotechnology in Canada include protecting Indigenous rights

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Judy Illes, Professor of Neurology and Director of Neuroethics Canada; Vice Chair, Bioethics Council for Canada, University of British Columbia

    Advances in neurotechnology, including AI applications, need to be regulated. (Shutterstock)

    With Canada’s federal election behind us, we can now focus on a renewed commitment to our values and to economic growth. Both entail a commitment to the health and well-being of Canadians.

    Brain health in particular has taken on new meanings over the past years, and has garnered substantial recent attention from major international organizations such as UNESCO and the World Health Organization.

    Once centred on finding treatments for conditions that affect the nervous system such as movement disorders and epilepsy, neurotechnology is evolving.

    Advances involve implantable technologies, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS). Other examples include responsive neurostimulation and stimulation of the vagus nerve.

    The market in non-invasive and wearable devices is also growing. These technologies aim to address mental health disorders and improve quality of life for people suffering from conditions like chronic depression and post-traumatic stress disorders.

    Combined with AI, these brain technologies are also finding their way into the non-medical lives of Canadians for personal use, education, workplace and entertainment.



    Read more:
    Two-thirds of Canadians have experimented with generative AI, but most don’t understand its impacts

    Recommendations for neurotechnology

    The finalized version of the UNESCO ethics recommendation for neurotechnology will be negotiated during the week of May 12. This will prepare the way for its formal adoption this fall by the 194 member states.

    The recommendation carefully considers how neurotechnology can respect human dignity and the human rights of privacy, freedom of thought, data authenticity and protection, and justice. Other concerns pertaining to Indigeneity, marginalization, disability and vulnerability are touched upon.

    If Canada adopts the recommendation, it could have far-reaching implications for Canadian citizens. It will influence — if not directly affect — federal funding and resource priorities and relevant government ministries. These include Health Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

    Canadian principles

    In 2024, drawing upon the work of both Health Canada and the Working Party on Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and Converging Technologies of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a group of Canadian experts from medicine, law and public health delivered guidance for responsible innovation in neurotechnology.

    These experts — including two of the authors of this article — strategically revised the original nine principles offered by the OECD into five tailored for Canada. These were: physical and personal safety and trust; societal deliberation and stewardship; global collaboration; strong oversight; and inclusivity and Indigeneity.

    In April 2025, Indigenous and non-Indigenous members of the original UNESCO expert group published considerations to further safeguard against the risk of neurotechnology becoming an instrument of colonialism. These considerations include access to neurotechnologies for the relief of neurological conditions, as well as for their adoption in research, industry and daily life guided by the values and rights of Indigenous Peoples about brain health and wellness.

    They included strategies for informed consent processes that align with Indigenous perspectives, and transparency about the use, storage and collection of neural data. Recommendations were also made for investments in digital infrastructure and literacy, and paths to intellectual property protections suitable to holistic and collective knowledge.

    Trust in science

    The behind-the-scenes efforts that led to the UNESCO ethics recommendation must come to the forefront.

    In October 2024, a Bioethics Council for Canada/Le Conseil canadien de bioéthique (BCC-CCB) was legally constituted to provide independent advice to the Canadian government and public. Building on the lessons learned from 140 bioethics councils worldwide, Canada’s new BCC-CCB is poised to ensure that the public’s trust in science is central to the federal government’s mission.

    Trust must be a renewed theme in matters pertaining to brain health and brain data, alongside other advances that will affect future generations. This trust will mitigate the noise and confusion surrounding us in a time of rapid technological progress, and foster leadership that an informed Canada can provide.

    Judy Illes served as a Member of the Ad Hoc Expert Advisory Group on the Ethics of Neurotechnology Recommendation at UNESCO.

    Jennifer Chandler is an external advisory board member for InBrain Neuroelectronics.

    Vardit Ravitsky is President and CEO of The Hastings Center for Bioethics, a research center based in NY, USA.

    Bartha Knoppers and Ross Upshur do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. New recommendations for regulating neurotechnology in Canada include protecting Indigenous rights – https://theconversation.com/new-recommendations-for-regulating-neurotechnology-in-canada-include-protecting-indigenous-rights-256197

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Philosopher Hannah Arendt provokes us to rethink what education is for in the era of AI

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Paul Tarc, Professor, Critical Policy, Equity and Leadership Studies, Western University

    Arendt urged people to question how the human-constructed world can be passed on and ‘set right’ across time. (Barbara Niggl Radloff/Wikipedia), CC BY-SA

    In the 1954 essay The Crisis in Education, German-American philosopher Hannah Arendt argued that crisis can act as an opportunity to revisit questions that have produced presumed and outdated answers.

    Arendt was concerned with how the loss of tradition and authority in larger social and political spheres was reflected in the adoption of child-centred learning in public schooling in the United States.

    She argued that, in education, educators must maintain their authority, which ultimately rested on their taking responsibility for the world and for children. Arendt urged people grappling with “why Johnny can’t read” to leave behind their pre-judged answers, and instead return to the very “essence of education.” For Arendt, this centred on how the human-constructed world can be passed on and “set right” with each new generation and across time.

    The rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) presents a new crisis for the world and for education. Following Arendt, the crises that AI portends is a new vantage — or a rupture — to return to the question of what education is for.

    Rupture of AI

    Technologies have always mediated our understandings and practices of education: not only hardware or pencils, but writing itself can be understood as a technology. In our time, however, AI represents a qualitative rupture in contemporary practices and understandings of education.

    As Yuval Noah Harari has argued, AI should be better understood as an agent than a tool. As an agent, it is designed and evolving as a self-learning entity able to make independent decisions; it alters past interdependencies of humans and technology.

    Facing the impacts and intervention of AI, school policy experts, administrators and educators are pressed to react fairly quickly to try and maintain our favoured practices.

    For example, we try to tweak our practices of assessment in the face of new AI technologies like ChatGPT. A major concern is students “cheating” on assessments and unfairly or illegitimately advancing through school. This knee-jerk approach by educators to tackle the use of AI reflects a dominant, taken-for-granted answer about the purpose of education: that schooling is a mechanism to filter and sort young generations for a merit-based society.

    Concern around how AI is affecting student assessment and potential student cheating reflects assumptions about school as a place that filters students into different groups.
    (Shutterstock)

    Could AI itself be used to catch cheating? Canadian computer science professor Mark Daley doesn’t think so. He writes: “Instead of chasing technological silver bullets, educators need to confront the harder questions: Why are students cheating? … How do we foster a culture of learning rather than one of grade-chasing?”

    Beyond fair grade chasing

    Generally, there is a lot of agreement on the need to go in the direction that Daley recommends.

    For example, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has most recently included “global competence” into its global standardized testing of students. The OECD acknowledges the importance of learning processes, as well as outcomes, and of critical thinking and values like individual responsibility.

    The International Baccalaureate (IB), created in the field of international schools in the 1960s, has now penetrated into both public and private systems across the globe. Although it began as the International Schools Examination Syndicate, its longstanding aspirational vision of creating a better world through a humanist education of the whole person has carried through into the 21st century.

    Both of these more learner-centred visions for education, however, remain founded on these “filtering” uses of education. The IB’s very growth and sustainability and distinction lies in the positional advantage it affords its users. The OECD, more directly, reflects neoliberal, “human capital” conceptions of education that imply students are resources to be developed for the growth of a country’s economy.

    I believe we must go further than (better) assessments of higher-order thinking and processes of learning designed to filter students more creatively and/or efficiently for work. We must nurture an educational orientation over an instrumental one.

    High stakes

    The stakes are high beyond education, because AI portends great disruptions to political economy, work and the organization of human societies. AI and automation might mean that human labour becomes an ever-lower percentage of overall labour and economic productivity. Will our political processes be largely determined by wealthy owners and partners of the AI industry, or by more democratic processes?

    These possible transformations demand a reorientation of educational purpose to inform both school policies pertaining to uses of AI and data, and school curricula and teaching in classrooms.

    Many teachers want to foster critical thinking and student participation over grade chasing in schools. This remains an important goal. But, more fundamentally, schools need to become educational spaces where the concept of cheating, or unfairly beating someone else, becomes senseless.

    In this altered scenario, teachers and students would spend their time together in school examining, as Arendt said, “what the world is like,” how they are located within it and how it might be renewed and passed on across generations.

    A shelter for thinking

    Educators might take the opportunity to reconsider the function of schooling as educating children and youth to come to know, and participate in, a common world facing multiple crises. They are to be introduced to this world, in all its complexity, so that they develop understanding and care for the world and thereby choose to take responsibility for renewing and re-setting it, as adults.

    In returning to Arendt’s question on the essence of education, education researcher Mario Di Paolantonio’s introduces an updated answer for schooling in articulating what is educational in schooling in a world under crises.

    In his view, education provides a place, a “unique human dwelling, where we can maintain and give shelter to a thinking and engagement with ‘something more’ that sustains the hope and affirmation of nevertheless living on with significance.” It offers “a place for passing time together, for sheltering a repertoire of worldly artefacts, common visions, interpretations and aspirations.”

    “These,” he writes, “can be brought into meaningful configurations gathered from the meaningful patterns of the past to help us tend, mend and repair the sense and pull of the world that wears down from generation to generation.”

    Paul Tarc receives funding from Social Science and Humanities Research Council Insight Grant Program and Faculty of Education, Western University

    – ref. Philosopher Hannah Arendt provokes us to rethink what education is for in the era of AI – https://theconversation.com/philosopher-hannah-arendt-provokes-us-to-rethink-what-education-is-for-in-the-era-of-ai-247316

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How AI could help safeguard Indigenous languages

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Anna Luisa Daigneault, PhD Student in Linguistic Anthropology, Université de Montréal

    If there are few speakers left of a language, how does a community revive it? In our current era, 3,000 languages are at risk of extinction due to the pressures of colonization, globalization, forced cultural assimilation, environmental devastation and other factors.

    According to Canada’s Commission for Indigenous Languages, “research shows that no Indigenous language in Canada is safe and that all are in varying stages of endangerment.”

    Our society is also being shaped by the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. Can AI be used for the benefit of Indigenous language survival in Canada and elsewhere?

    According to the World Economic Forum, most AI chatbots are trained on 100 of the world’s 7,000 languages. English is the main driver of most large language models.

    This scenario leaves the bulk of the world’s languages in the dust. In the coming years, will AI contribute to language revitalization, or language oppression?

    A language in a box

    In a 2023 TEDx talk, Northern Cheyenne computer engineer Michael Running Wolf shared his design of a cedar box that looks both ancient and contemporary. He described the dragonfly-adorned device as a “cedar-enclosed, offline Edge AI that contains the inner workings of a minimal voice-based language curricula — in other words, a language in a box.”

    He proposed that conversational AI technology, much like Amazon Alexa or Google Home, could help language learners improve their fluency.

    Running Wolf is the technical director of the First Languages AI Reality initiative at the Québec Institute for Artificial Intelligence. The program propels Indigenous scholars and technologists towards creating innovative solutions regarding language loss.

    A TEDx Talk by Michael Running Wolf on how AI can assist Indigenous langauge learning.

    Voice-controlled tools trained via machine learning could serve as AI assistants for speakers who wish to hear unfamiliar sounds pronounced accurately, and practice their own pronunciation. This technology could establish a new means for facilitating oral transmission, which is crucial when there are few fluent speakers left.

    At the heart of Running Wolf’s project is Indigenous data sovereignty, which ensures that Indigenous people retain control over their data.

    A place in the digital world

    Around the world in the Philippines, AI scholar and politician Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo is on a quest to support the Indigenous languages of her home country. She created NightOwlGPT, a new AI-powered translation app.

    In an email to me, Lamentillo wrote:

    “In the Philippines alone, we are working on nine languages, many of which are endangered. Our goal is to ensure that these languages — not just the dominant ones — have a place in the digital world.”

    NightOwlGPT creator Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo.
    (Arwin Doloricon)

    We have seen that in the hands of the powerful, AI software can lead to oppressive forms of control, such as excessive AI-powered surveillance by Amazon and the U.S. government’s unethical data mining tactics.

    When it comes to the survival or extinction of languages, it is important to question the power behind AI tools. Who controls them, and who benefits from them?

    When I asked about the democratization of AI, Lamentillo noted the need for inclusivity:

    “AI’s rapid advancement could parallel historical patterns of colonization. If AI is truly a black swan event — a disruptive moment in history — then what happens when 99 per cent of languages are left behind? This is more than just a linguistic issue; it’s a serious matter of accessibility, representation and digital equity.

    If we don’t change who is leading AI development, we risk creating a new form of colonization — one where only a small fraction of the world has the tools to thrive.”

    Diversity of voices

    Linguistics professor Emmanuel Ngué Um.
    (Emmanuel Ngué Um)

    At a recent workshop series on endangered languages, Emmanuel Ngué Um, a professor of linguistics at the University of Yaoundé I in Cameroon, spoke on behalf of a research team of African linguists.

    They are currently using Mozilla’s Common Voice platform to create open-source datasets containing thousands of words and audio recordings in 31 African languages.

    The platform aims to make speech recognition and voice-based AI more inclusive by crowd-sourcing a massively multilingual speech corpus. But this process is not without significant challenges in Africa.

    Ngué Um noted that building datasets for languages with many dialects is not straightforward. There may not be a standardized spelling or pronunciation that should be used by AI as the accepted norms for the language.

    Because of postcolonial changes, many African languages do not have one unified or agreed-upon writing system. This issue can slow the creation of teaching tools, but many local efforts backed by UNESCO are underway to change this.

    So, how do automatic speech recognition tools deal with dialectical diversity? And how do text-to-speech models handle competing writing systems?

    As Ngué Um wrote in an email to me:

    “AI has been instrumental in delivering services that applied linguists have promised but are slow to deliver. This is not due to a lack of will or means on the part of linguists, but rather, because of the linguistic reality in Africa.

    Despite the impact of colonization and the imposition of a monolithic ideal on language reality, Africa reflects the plurality, fluidity and resourcefulness that drive human communication…If AI is informed by these intricacies at all phases of its implementation, it will adequately address the diversity of voices…in Africa.”

    It is clear that AI engineers and computational linguists need to integrate thoughtful approaches that take into account unique circumstances of languages.

    In the not-too-distant future, using AI tools to learn and communicate in under-resourced languages may become the norm. However, that shift depends on financial backing, accurate training data for machine learning, and community desire to embrace AI. Ultimately, data sovereignty and equitable access must be at the core of AI tools.

    Anna Luisa Daigneault volunteers for Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, a non-profit organization whose work is not connected to contents of this article.

    – ref. How AI could help safeguard Indigenous languages – https://theconversation.com/how-ai-could-help-safeguard-indigenous-languages-255359

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Is Pope Leo XIV liberal or conservative? Why these labels don’t work for popes

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Mark Yenson, King’s University College, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Vice-President and Academic Dean (Interim), Western University

    The 133 cardinal electors sequestered in the Sistine Chapel elected a new pope May 8. The choice was a surprise — Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost, who has carried out most of his ministry in Peru, before being elevated to Vatican roles by Pope Francis.

    As commentators and the media try to piece together backgrounders on Pope Leo XIV, one obvious question will be, “Is he a liberal or a conservative?” The same question was asked about Pope Francis, and about the cardinals entering this conclave.

    When applied to individual Catholics, the terms “liberal” and “conservative” can mean very different things. One could be conservative in regard to liturgy and church practice while being strongly committed to anti-racism and environmentalism.

    Or one might be considered a social conservative on issues such as marriage, sexuality and gender while holding clearly left-wing, social democratic views on the role of government.

    Even if Catholics are comfortable self-identifying as liberal or conservative Catholics, we should not treat these terms as if their meaning were obvious — especially since even as purely political terms the meaning of “liberal” or “conservative” is contested.

    Papacy as institution

    Things become all the more complicated when we are talking about the pope, the supreme head of the Catholic Church. The papacy as an institution is conservative by definition.

    The pope is considered the successor of the Apostle Peter, and his job description is precisely to maintain the unity and catholicity (“wholeness”) of the Church’s life, not only in space but through time — that is, to ensure continuity.

    But because of this role to maintain the fullness of a tradition and the unity of the Church, the pope cannot be conservative (or liberal) in a political sense.

    Pope Francis legacy

    The pontificate of Francis should have served as a lesson against liberal/conservative labels. From the beginning of his pontificate, he advocated strenuously for migrants and refugees. He reached out personally to LGBTQ+ communities. He initiated a worldwide “synodal” process that included broad consultation and fostered discussion of topics previously considered out of bounds, such as ordination of women as deacons (though not priests). He placed women in high-ranking positions in the Roman curia previously reserved only for clerics.

    But Francis was also critical of “gender ideology,” affirmed Church teaching on abortion and maintained the Church’s reservation of ordination to men only. While he angered self-identified conservatives, he often disappointed self-identified liberals.

    Instead of trying to impose political categories, it makes more sense to try to uncover the internal dynamics and motivations of a pope’s teaching and ministry. For example, Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical letter, Laudato si’, was a landmark in Catholic teaching on ecology. Far from being a political manifesto, the letter presents a vision of the human being within creation, informed by the Bible, theological reflection and modern Catholic social teaching. Francis frequently references the social thought of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who himself affirmed that the Church “must defend not only earth, water and air as gifts of creation that belong to everyone.”



    Read more:
    Laudato Si’: A look back on Pope Francis’s environmental legacy

    As the British theologian Anna Rowlands astutely notes, Catholic social teaching “functions as a social philosophy that never fully baptizes a liberal philosophy or sentiment. It remains locked in a complex dialogue … with liberal democracy.”

    The role of the pope, highlighted in Francis’s teaching on ecology, is to inspire a different kind of social and moral imagination, one not reducible to particular ideological positions.

    Catholic teaching, conscience

    Another example that subverts the liberal/conservative dichotomy was the well-known response of Pope Francis to a journalist’s question about homosexuality in the priesthood: “Who am I to judge?” Francis did not overturn “conservative” teachings in sexual ethics.

    But he did speak as a member of the Jesuit religious order and as a pastor, who knows that the general law must be applied in specific cases that introduce complexities and require nuanced concrete responses.

    There was also a tacit appeal to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council (1962–65), that an individual is bound to follow their conscience.

    For his part, Benedict XVI (as then-Cardinal Ratzinger), in a 1991 address to American bishops in Dallas, alluded to “the classical principle of moral tradition that conscience is the highest norm which [the human person] is to follow even in opposition to authority.” According to this principle, while church teaching authority would inform conscience, “conscience … would retain the final word.”

    There is no doubt that LGBTQ+ Catholics were able to hear something different in Francis’s language than they had heard in Benedict’s. However, both Benedict and Francis could appeal to shared principles, which were theological rather than political, and not reducible to liberal versus conservative categories.

    Weight of political polarization

    In our current political context, political terms like “liberal” and “conservative” tend to carry the weight of American political polarization.

    In the American context at the moment, “conservative Catholic” in its most radical form blends theological traditionalism — devotion to the traditional Latin mass, emphasis on doctrinal orthodoxy and opposition to Francis’s reformist papacy — with support for the Republican party and MAGA movement.

    As professor of moral philosophy Massimo Borghesi has argued, this radical conservative opposition to Francis has its genesis in the pro-capitalist Catholic neo-conservatism of the 1980s and 90s, and is a predominantly American phenomenon.

    In addition, as writer and editor James T. Keane noted in a 2021 article in the Jesuit magazine America, the political polarizations that have seeped into the American Catholic Church should not set the map for the rest of the world, least of all the papacy. It is important to remember this fact as the first North American pope begins his pontificate.

    Choice of name Leo

    Cardinal Robert Prevost, who has become Pope Leo XIV, has given indications of being critical of the Trump administration on issues of peace and migration, very much in line with Francis.

    His choice of the name Leo harkens back to Pope Leo XIII, the pope credited with initiating modern Catholic social teaching, and signals an emphasis on the Church’s advocacy for peace and justice. The new pope’s first Urbi et Orbi (“To the City and to the World”) address from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica signalled continuity with Francis — peace, dialogue, encounter, bridge-building.

    And Pope Leo’s career as a missionary, bishop and Vatican cardinal outside of the U.S. means that his context is not confined to the polarizations of the U.S. Catholic Church and its bishops.

    Will the new Pope, Leo XIV, be liberal or conservative? Pope Francis did not fit neatly into these categories: I hope Pope Leo won’t either.

    Mark Yenson 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. Is Pope Leo XIV liberal or conservative? Why these labels don’t work for popes – https://theconversation.com/is-pope-leo-xiv-liberal-or-conservative-why-these-labels-dont-work-for-popes-256180

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Exclusive: China’s Global Initiatives Shape the Architecture of a Just World — Tajik Expert

    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

    Dushanbe, May 11 (Xinhua) — China’s three global initiatives – in development, security and civilization – together with the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind reflect Beijing’s strategic vision of building a just, sustainable and multipolar world, Guzel Maitdinova, director of the Center for Geopolitical Studies at the Russian-Tajik (Slavic) University, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

    In her opinion, the state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Russia from May 7 to 10, as well as his participation in the events marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in the Great Patriotic War in Moscow, became an important milestone in the practical promotion of Chinese initiatives and strengthening the concept of a community with a common future for mankind in international affairs.

    G. Maitdinova noted that the PRC Chairman has repeatedly emphasized the need to counter unilateralism, bullying and power politics. This position, according to her, demonstrates China’s commitment to the principles of a fair global order and the prevention of the dominance of one center of power. China and Russia advocate multipolarity, where each state has the right to a sovereign choice of development path. Support by developing countries of each other’s foreign policies in this context reflects their common strategy of countering a unipolar world order.

    Speaking about the economic dimension, the expert emphasized the importance of President Xi Jinping’s statement on joint responsibility with Russia for protecting the multilateral trading system and the stability of global supply chains. In her opinion, this demonstrates the desire of China and Russia to form a new economic architecture free from sanctions pressure and dictates from Western structures.

    Commenting on the call of the PRC Chairman for consolidation of the Global South and protection of interests of developing countries, G. Maitdinova stated that Beijing and Moscow play a key role in forming a new international order based on equality and cultural diversity. China, in particular, advocates reform of international institutions and fair distribution of resources and access to technologies and markets.

    The expert emphasized that Xi Jinping’s active bilateral and multilateral meetings in Moscow with leaders of other countries reflect China’s course toward expanding partnerships with developing countries and forming an alternative agenda for global interaction. These contacts confirm China’s status as a responsible global actor capable of uniting countries on the basis of mutual benefit and collective security.

    According to G. Maitdinova, Xi Jinping’s visit gave impetus to the practical implementation of China’s three initiatives and strengthened the idea of a community with a common future for humanity. It became an expression of China’s readiness to take the lead in promoting fair and sustainable principles of global governance. “China not only formulates ideas, but also implements them in concrete steps, laying the foundation for the formation of a fairer and more balanced international order,” she concluded. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: G20 is too elite. There’s a way to fix that though – economists

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Danny Bradlow, Professor/Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancement of Scholarship, University of Pretoria

    The G20 claims to be “the premier forum for international economic cooperation”.

    But is it?

    As scholars of global economic governance, we are sceptical of this claim. Here are our main reasons.

    • The G20 is insufficiently representative of the 193 member states of the United Nations plus the small number of non-member states.

    • It is a self-selected group of 19 countries and the European and African Unions.

    • It has no mandate to act or speak on behalf of the international community.

    • It has no transparent or formal mechanisms through which it can communicate with actors who do not participate in the G20 but have a stake in its deliberations and their outcomes.

    The growing tensions in the world make it more urgent to improve the efficacy of the G20. Firstly, because there is growing evidence of the loss of interest in global cooperation. Secondly, because rich states are cutting their official development assistance and are failing to meet their commitments to help countries deal with loss and damage from climate impacts and make their economies more resilient to shocks.

    And thirdly, because rich countries are also reluctant to discuss financing sustainable and inclusive development in forums like the upcoming Fourth Financing for Development Conference or the UN, where all states can participate. They prefer exclusive forums like the G20.

    Here, after briefly describing the structure of the G20, we argue that its lack of representation is a major problem. We offer a solution and argue that, as chair of the G20 this year, South Africa is well placed to promote this solution.

    What is the G20 and how does it function?

    The G20 was established in the late 1990s in the wake of the East Asian financial crisis. Its members were invited by the US and Germany based on a proposal from the Canadian government. Initially only finance ministers and central bank governors of major advanced and emerging economies were involved. After the financial crisis of 2008-2009 it was upgraded to summit level with the same membership.

    A summit is held annually, under the leadership of a rotating presidency.

    The group accounts for 67% of the world’s population, 85% of global GDP, and 75% of global trade. The membership comprises 19 of the “weightiest” national economies plus the European Union and the African Union. The 19 national economies are the G7 (US, Japan, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Canada), plus Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. These countries are permanently “in”. The remaining 90% of countries in the world are excluded unless invited as “special guests” on an ad hoc basis.

    Representatives of a select group of international organisations including the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the World Trade Organization also participate, together with those from some UN entities.

    The G20’s work is managed by a troika consisting of the current president with the assistance of the past president and the incoming president. In 2025 this troika consists of South Africa as the current chair, Brazil as the past chair and the US, which will become the G20 president in 2026. The G20 has no permanent secretariat.

    The consistency in G20 membership has proven to be an advantage because it helps foster a sense of familiarity, understanding and trust at the technical level among the permanent members. This is helpful in times of crisis and in dealing with complex problems.

    But its exclusivity and informal status have limited its ability to address major challenges such as the global response to the economic and health consequences of the COVID pandemic. This is because an effective response required agreement and coordinated action by all states and not just those in the G20.

    A solution

    We think that the governance model of the Financial Stability Board offers a solution.

    The Financial Stability Board was established under the umbrella of the G20 in 2009. Its job is to coordinate international financial regulatory standard-setting, monitor the global financial system for signs of stress, and to make recommendations that can help avert potential financial crises.

    It is also an exclusive club. Its membership consists of the financial regulatory authorities in the G20 countries plus those in a few other countries that are considered financially systemically important.

    However, unlike the G20, the Financial Stability Board has made a systematic effort to learn the views of non-members. It has established six Regional Consultative Groups, one each for the Americas, Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States, Europe, Middle East and North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa.

    The objective is to expand and formalise the Financial Stability Board’s outreach activities beyond its membership and to better reflect the global character of the financial system.

    The regional consultative groups operate in a framework which promotes compliance within each region with the Financial Stability Board’s policy initiatives. The framework enables the group members to share among themselves and with the board their views on common problems and solutions and on the issues on the board’s agenda.

    Importantly, each regional group is co-chaired by an official from a Financial Stability Board member and an official from a non-member institution.

    Applying this model to the G20 would allow the current G20 membership to continue, while obliging the members to establish a consultation process with regional neighbours. This would create a limited form of representation for all the world’s states.

    It would also empower the smaller and weaker members of the G20 because it would enable them to speak with more confidence and credibility about the challenges facing their region.

    This arrangement would also establish a limited form of G20 accountability towards the international community.

    Next steps

    As chair of the G20 chair for 2025, South Africa is well placed to promote this solution to the group’s representation problem. It should work with the African Union to establish an African G20 regional consultative group. South Africa and the African Union could invite each African regional organisation to select one representative to serve on the initial consultative group.

    South Africa could also commit to convey the outcomes of G20 regional consultative group meetings to the G20.

    South Africa can then use this example to demonstrate to the G20 the value of having a G20 regional consultative group and advocate that other regions should adopt the same approach.

    Danny Bradlow, in addition to his position at the University of Pretoria, is the Senior G20 Advisor, South African institute of International Affairs.

    Robert Wade 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. G20 is too elite. There’s a way to fix that though – economists – https://theconversation.com/g20-is-too-elite-theres-a-way-to-fix-that-though-economists-255783

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: G20 is too elite. There’s a way to fix that though – economists

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Danny Bradlow, Professor/Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancement of Scholarship, University of Pretoria

    The G20 claims to be “the premier forum for international economic cooperation”.

    But is it?

    As scholars of global economic governance, we are sceptical of this claim. Here are our main reasons.

    • The G20 is insufficiently representative of the 193 member states of the United Nations plus the small number of non-member states.

    • It is a self-selected group of 19 countries and the European and African Unions.

    • It has no mandate to act or speak on behalf of the international community.

    • It has no transparent or formal mechanisms through which it can communicate with actors who do not participate in the G20 but have a stake in its deliberations and their outcomes.

    The growing tensions in the world make it more urgent to improve the efficacy of the G20. Firstly, because there is growing evidence of the loss of interest in global cooperation. Secondly, because rich states are cutting their official development assistance and are failing to meet their commitments to help countries deal with loss and damage from climate impacts and make their economies more resilient to shocks.

    And thirdly, because rich countries are also reluctant to discuss financing sustainable and inclusive development in forums like the upcoming Fourth Financing for Development Conference or the UN, where all states can participate. They prefer exclusive forums like the G20.

    Here, after briefly describing the structure of the G20, we argue that its lack of representation is a major problem. We offer a solution and argue that, as chair of the G20 this year, South Africa is well placed to promote this solution.

    What is the G20 and how does it function?

    The G20 was established in the late 1990s in the wake of the East Asian financial crisis. Its members were invited by the US and Germany based on a proposal from the Canadian government. Initially only finance ministers and central bank governors of major advanced and emerging economies were involved. After the financial crisis of 2008-2009 it was upgraded to summit level with the same membership.

    A summit is held annually, under the leadership of a rotating presidency.

    The group accounts for 67% of the world’s population, 85% of global GDP, and 75% of global trade. The membership comprises 19 of the “weightiest” national economies plus the European Union and the African Union. The 19 national economies are the G7 (US, Japan, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Canada), plus Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. These countries are permanently “in”. The remaining 90% of countries in the world are excluded unless invited as “special guests” on an ad hoc basis.

    Representatives of a select group of international organisations including the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the World Trade Organization also participate, together with those from some UN entities.

    The G20’s work is managed by a troika consisting of the current president with the assistance of the past president and the incoming president. In 2025 this troika consists of South Africa as the current chair, Brazil as the past chair and the US, which will become the G20 president in 2026. The G20 has no permanent secretariat.

    The consistency in G20 membership has proven to be an advantage because it helps foster a sense of familiarity, understanding and trust at the technical level among the permanent members. This is helpful in times of crisis and in dealing with complex problems.

    But its exclusivity and informal status have limited its ability to address major challenges such as the global response to the economic and health consequences of the COVID pandemic. This is because an effective response required agreement and coordinated action by all states and not just those in the G20.

    A solution

    We think that the governance model of the Financial Stability Board offers a solution.

    The Financial Stability Board was established under the umbrella of the G20 in 2009. Its job is to coordinate international financial regulatory standard-setting, monitor the global financial system for signs of stress, and to make recommendations that can help avert potential financial crises.

    It is also an exclusive club. Its membership consists of the financial regulatory authorities in the G20 countries plus those in a few other countries that are considered financially systemically important.

    However, unlike the G20, the Financial Stability Board has made a systematic effort to learn the views of non-members. It has established six Regional Consultative Groups, one each for the Americas, Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States, Europe, Middle East and North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa.

    The objective is to expand and formalise the Financial Stability Board’s outreach activities beyond its membership and to better reflect the global character of the financial system.

    The regional consultative groups operate in a framework which promotes compliance within each region with the Financial Stability Board’s policy initiatives. The framework enables the group members to share among themselves and with the board their views on common problems and solutions and on the issues on the board’s agenda.

    Importantly, each regional group is co-chaired by an official from a Financial Stability Board member and an official from a non-member institution.

    Applying this model to the G20 would allow the current G20 membership to continue, while obliging the members to establish a consultation process with regional neighbours. This would create a limited form of representation for all the world’s states.

    It would also empower the smaller and weaker members of the G20 because it would enable them to speak with more confidence and credibility about the challenges facing their region.

    This arrangement would also establish a limited form of G20 accountability towards the international community.

    Next steps

    As chair of the G20 chair for 2025, South Africa is well placed to promote this solution to the group’s representation problem. It should work with the African Union to establish an African G20 regional consultative group. South Africa and the African Union could invite each African regional organisation to select one representative to serve on the initial consultative group.

    South Africa could also commit to convey the outcomes of G20 regional consultative group meetings to the G20.

    South Africa can then use this example to demonstrate to the G20 the value of having a G20 regional consultative group and advocate that other regions should adopt the same approach.

    – G20 is too elite. There’s a way to fix that though – economists
    – https://theconversation.com/g20-is-too-elite-theres-a-way-to-fix-that-though-economists-255783

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-Evening Report: View from The Hill: if Jacinta Nampijinpa Price became Liberal deputy it would be a wild ride

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s confirmation she will run for Liberal deputy has put the members of an already shell-shocked party into a new spin.

    Tuesday’s leadership contest, where the numbers are said to be tight, is a battle for the direction of the party as much as one between the two personalities.

    It’s essentially a contest between the moderates and the conservatives. Sussan Ley, deputy for the past three years, carries the flag for the moderates (although she is aligned to the old Scott Morrison faction, which is led by Alex Hawke, one-time Morrison numbers man).

    Her opponent, Angus Taylor, who’s been shadow treasurer, leads the conservatives.

    Neither Ley nor Taylor has impressed during the last term, but that’s become beside the point.

    Taylor has embraced the ambitious Price, who has defected (amid great bitterness) from the Nationals, to boost his support as part of a joint ticket.

    Whether the combination will work for or against Taylor’s chances remains to be seen. There are fears in the Ley camp it may attract some undecideds, but it possibly could frighten off others.

    Price was elevated spectacularly to national prominence as the most effective “no” campaigner against the Voice. She is forceful and articulate, and the conservative base of the Coalition loves her.

    But, leaving aside the complication that she’s a senator, her performance in the Voice campaign doesn’t automatically translate into qualifications for deputy which, if done properly, is a demanding, multi-faceted job.

    The Liberal deputy needs deep roots in the party, not having just arrived in controversial circumstances. They have to do a lot of work with the party organisation, not just the parliamentary party.

    In the latter, the deputy is there in part to protect the leader’s back and to keep track of the mood of colleagues, which requires having long-standing relationships of familiarity and trust with them.

    Some would argue the ideal deputy is a person who does not have their eyes on the leadership, which Price clearly has.

    The deputy needs a broad grasp of policy areas, because they will be a high profile public spokesperson for the party, and will be hit with questions on every issue that’s running.

    The deputy also has to be comfortable with media across the spectrum, because that’s part of the job. Price’s natural home has been on Sky News. On Sunday, she appeared on Sky’s highly opinionated program Outsiders.

    If the Liberals are to get themselves back into shape, they must seek to regain their appeal in the urban areas that went teal in 2022, and to women. Indeed, they have to tap into professional women in those places. It is unlikely Price, unless she undergoes a major political makeover, would be attractive to that constituency.

    In their bid for the support of women, the Liberals need a root-and-branch debate about how to get more women candidates, but Price is already totally against quotas.

    If Price becomes deputy it will be a wild ride for the party – and for its leader.

    Other names mooted as possible deputies are Dan Tehan, from Victoria, who’s been immigration spokesman, and Queenslander Ted O’Brien, the energy spokesman. Either would be less fraught for the party than Price. O’Brien would have the problem of being welded on to the nuclear policy, which will be at least overhauled and perhaps ditched by the Liberals.

    Ley is set to have a running mate, but the name has not yet been disclosed.

    Another option would be for the loser out of Ley and Taylor to become deputy. Awkward, but perhaps the cleanest way forward. Ley is used to the role; Taylor would be entitled to stay shadow treasurer and would be at the centre of things (what things are left).

    Nationals’ identity battle

    In the Nationals, the leadership contest – to be decided Monday – is also a battle over identity.

    The Nationals under David Litteproud held almost all their seats at the election but one-time resources minister Matt Canavan – a Barnaby Joyce supporter back in the day – says they need a new direction.

    Critical to his pitch are energy and climate issues. The Nationals signed up reluctantly to net zero emissions by 2050 in the Morrison prime ministership, when Joyce was leader (although he indicated he personally didn’t favour doing so). They were dragged to the deal with great reluctance.

    Canavan, who is a senator, said in his leadership pitch, “We should scrap the futile and unachievable goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Net zero makes everything more expensive and it is not helping the environment given that the US, China and India are no longer even paying lip service to it.”

    Littleproud, describing the challenge as “healthy for our democracy”, is favoured to see off the Canavan bid. Regardless, it is a reminder the Nationals remain a divided party, as they have been for years.

    Michelle Grattan 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. View from The Hill: if Jacinta Nampijinpa Price became Liberal deputy it would be a wild ride – https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-if-jacinta-nampijinpa-price-became-liberal-deputy-it-would-be-a-wild-ride-255964

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Sen. Markey, Rep. Pressley Welcome Rümeysa Öztürk Back to Massachusetts Upon Öztürk’s Release from ICE Detention

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Senator Markey and Representative Pressley with Rümeysa Öztürk
    Boston (May 10, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Representative Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) today joined Rümeysa Öztürk and members of her legal team at a press conference after Ms. Öztürk arrived home from ICE detention in Louisiana. Yesterday, the United States District Court for the District of Vermont granted bail to Ms. Öztürk and directed the Trump administration to release her from detention.
    On March 25, 2025, Ms. Öztürk, a PhD student at Tufts University, was abducted by six plainclothes ICE agents off the streets of Somerville, Massachusetts. She was quickly moved across state lines and taken more than 1,500 miles away from her community to a detention facility in Louisiana, where she spent more than six weeks in retaliation for on op-ed she co-wrote in the Tufts Daily.
    “Today is a day of joy: We welcome Rümeysa Öztürk back to Massachusetts and back to her community in Somerville,” said Senator Markey. “Rümeysa should have never been abducted off the streets of Somerville. She should have never been taken out of Massachusetts and sent to a detention site in Louisiana more than 1,500 miles away from her community. And she should have never had to suffer intolerable living conditions and multiple and worsening asthma attacks while unlawfully detained for more than six weeks. Rümeysa’s case affects every one of us. We cannot allow this administration to trample individuals’ constitutional rights to free speech and due process. Her homecoming is only the beginning of the fight for justice – not only for Rümeysa, but for every family, for every neighbor, and for everyone who wishes to ensure they can live free.”               
    “Today we’re welcoming with open arms a beloved member of our Massachusetts 7th community, a brilliant scholar, a courageous advocate, and a survivor of a shameful injustice – Rümeysa Öztürk. And we’re sending a message to this hostile White House that their efforts to silence Rümeysa, crush dissent, and undermine our constitutional rights are being rejected,” said Representative Pressley. “While we take stock of this important progress, we know this fight isn’t over. We will not rest until Rümeysa is fully exonerated, her visa is restored, and she is free to continue her studies and her service to our community.”
    On April 22, Senator Markey and Representatives Pressley and Jim McGovern (MA-02), along with Representative Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Ranking Member of House Committee on Homeland Security, and Representative Troy Carter (LA-02), visited the Louisiana ICE facility where Ms. Öztürk was being held. Also on April 22, Senator Markey, Representative Pressley, and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons to demand answers about the Trump administration’s concerning practice of detaining individuals, such as Ms. Öztürk, far from their attorneys and communities and in legal environments where their rights are more difficult to defend. The Trump administration is forum shopping to obtain a legal outcome favorable to its deportation agenda.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: A vote for the next generation

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    This year, Mother’s Day comes a day before the 2025 national midterm elections. Before Filipinos vote for future legislators and local officials, Virginia Benosa-Llorin reflects on the intersection of motherhood, climate anxiety, and the hope of having a say in what the future holds.

    My son married a wonderful woman last year and they are now expecting their first child. Like many other young parents, they gathered family and friends to celebrate with them as they reveal the gender of their upcoming baby. 

    The excitement grew as the couple asked us to answer trivia questions and for each correct answer, my son or daughter-in-law’s picture appeared on something like a crossword puzzle displayed on the screen.  

    After all the questions were answered, the photos of my son formed a straight horizontal line, which means we are going to have a baby boy! 

    The crowd cheered, and congratulations echoed throughout the room. I had hoped for a girl, only for a selfish reason that I could doll her up. But of course, any gender will be most welcome. I am already super excited to have a baby in the family. This early, I have already mapped out the pampering he will get from me. 

    It was a joyous moment, a celebration. 

    But then, it dawned on me: My first grandchild will be born this year during a time when the heat index is already considered dangerous.

    Graph from 2019 Lancet Report showing extent to which current and future generations will experience a hotter and different world.

    In my day, class suspensions were only due to flooding, but now it is different. Hot temperature prompts class suspensions as a precautionary health measure.

    As I looked at my son and daughter-in-law’s proud and happy, hopeful smiles, I couldn’t help but think about their future and how they will raise Amari. His name is going to be Amari, which means Promised by God.

    I felt a lump in my chest—the kind that mothers feel when they are worried.

    And I have my reasons. According to a 2019 Lancet Report, a child born today will encounter a world that is more than four degrees warmer than the pre-industrial average, with climate change impacting human health from infancy and adolescence to adulthood and old age.

    A warmer planet will have serious consequences for people, especially those living in poor conditions—health-wise, economically, and educationally. It is frightening to think about these consequences.

    I recently attended a forum on climate change and health, organized by the Institute of Child Health and Development, University of the Philippines Manila. The presentation by Dr. Ronald Law caught my attention the most. Dr. Law clearly and interestingly discussed the intergenerational inequity of climate change, noting that children are considered a particularly disadvantaged population due to their physiological and developmental vulnerabilities, as well as their higher likelihood of experiencing severe effects of climate change in the future.

    Dr. Ronald Law, Head of the Climate Change Unit of the Department of Health with Greenpeace Campaigners Virginia Benosa-Llorin and Khevin Yu

    Dr. Law, head of the newly established Climate Change Unit at the Department of Health, encourages advocacy and awareness-raising on the intersectionality of climate change and health. He emphasized that the medical and public health communities need to recognize, acknowledge, and speak out about the health burdens of climate change and their disproportionate effects on children. 

    Sadly, despite the recognized impacts of climate change, many people—including those running for political office—fail to grasp the importance of addressing environmental issues. I’ve attended several electoral forums organized by civil society groups. Candidates for the midterm elections were invited to share their environmental platforms. 

    Not surprisingly, only a handful, if none, of the candidates that top the surveys attended. Is this a reflection of their commitment to environmental protection? What gives? You decide. 

    This brings me back to my grandson and to my final point. 

    Is there still hope? Of course! If we act together, our collective actions can rebuild our society. We can engage in impactful acts that drive meaningful change in the system. 

    And this change can start on May 12. When you cast your votes, please think about Amari, his generation, and the next ones.

    Virginia Benosa-Llorin is a senior climate campaigner at Greenpeace Southeast Asia – Philippines.

    You might want to check out Greenpeace Philippines’ petition called Courage for Climate, a drive in support of real policy and legal solutions in the pursuit of climate justice.

    Courage for Climate

    The climate crisis may seem hopeless, but now is the time for courage, not despair. Join Filipino communities taking bold action for our planet.

    Make an Act of Courage Today!

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Dumped minister Ed Husic labels Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles ‘factional assassin’

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    Industry Minister Ed Husic, dumped from the frontbench ahead of Anthony Albanese’s announcement of his new ministry, has made an excoriating attack on Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, describing him as a “factional assassin”.

    Marles, chief of the Victorian right, in large part drove factional changes which saw Husic, from the New South Wales right, and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, from the Victorian right, pushed out of the lineup for the revamped ministry.

    In the shakeout, Marles’ numbers man, Sam Rae, will be elevated from the backbench to the ministry, despite having only been in parliament for a single term.

    Husic said on Sunday, “I think when people look at a deputy prime minister, they expect to see a statesman, not a factional assassin”.

    Asked on the ABC whether that meant he was saying Marles had put his own ambition to boost his numbers ahead of the good of the party, Husic said, “I think a lot of people would draw that conclusion”.

    “I think he needed to exercise leadership, he’s part of the leadership group. We’ve got to be able to manage these things in an orderly way.”

    “There will be a lot of questions put to Richard about his role, and that’s something that he will have to answer and account for.”

    Husic said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had called him on Saturday – it had been only a brief call – and they will meet on Monday. He looked forward to that being a constructive discussion about the role he could keep playing.

    Husic, the only Muslim in cabinet, in part blamed his outspokenness on Gaza for his demotion.

    “You can’t celebrate diversity and then expect it to sit in a corner, silent.

    “You need to speak up when you bring those different views to either a cabinet table or to a caucus.

    “I certainly took the view that you need to speak up to the communities that you care about. I certainly tried to help us navigate wretchedly difficult issues such as what we’re seeing has unfolded in Gaza post the horrors of October 7.

    “I don’t think I could ever stay silent in the face of innocent civilians being slaughtered in their tens of thousands and being starved out of Gaza.

    “So I tried to find the way to be able to speak at the cabinet table and speak elsewhere, to be able to make sure that communities we represent know that their voices are heard.

    “You should have the ability to speak up on the issues that you believe in. You should have the ability to question.

    “I would hate to think we get to a situation like Trump Republicans who know something’s wrong and and don’t speak. I’m not saying that’s the case here, but there’s a role, a value in questioning,” he said.

    Husic is reported to have clashed with Foreign Minister Penny Wong in cabinet over the Middle East issues. He also had differences with Treasurer Jim Chalmers on some economic issues.

    Husic said he would have liked Albanese to have intervened over his demotion but the PM had declined to get involved.

    He blamed Marles for putting Albanese into such a position. It was “especially disrespectful of the deputy prime minister to put the prime minister in a terrible place where he was being asked to intervene”. But if Albanese had exercised the great authority he had coming out of the election, “no one would have quibbled”.

    “We’ve obviously got to be able to avoid these type of episodes […] the factional grubbiness,” Husic said.

    Because of the factional numbers after the election, the NSW right was due to drop a minister. Husic said he chose not to push it to a factional vote to decide who went. “I did not want to put my colleagues through a national ballot.”

    Michelle Grattan 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. Dumped minister Ed Husic labels Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles ‘factional assassin’ – https://theconversation.com/dumped-minister-ed-husic-labels-deputy-prime-minister-richard-marles-factional-assassin-255962

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins Delivers Commencement Address at Northern Maine Community College

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
    Published: May 10, 2025

    Click HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE for individual photos
    Presque Isle, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins delivered the keynote address at Northern Maine Community College’s (NMCC) 60th Commencement ceremony at the Presque Isle Forum. NMCC’s Class of 2025 includes more than 200 graduating students.
    “Since the first students came to class 62 years ago, this terrific school has opened doors of opportunity. Many of you came here directly from high school. Many are the first in your families to earn college degrees. Many of you came here from the workforce, seeking a brighter future. All of you are here today because you have demonstrated those County values of determination, optimism, hard work, and pitching in,” said Senator Collins during her remarks.
    “The diplomas you receive today represent a great deal of hard work on your part, but they also represent a great debt you owe those who made it possible. There are many ways you can repay this debt. I urge you to apply your talent, energy, and enthusiasm right here in Maine. Whether this is the beginning of your career or later on, Maine needs what you have to offer,” she continued.
    Senator Collins has visited more than 200 schools throughout Maine during her Senate service, in addition to speaking at dozens of high school and college commencement ceremonies, most recently at Presque Isle High School, York County Community College, and Maine Maritime Academy.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: World Brand Moganshan Conference highlights innovation in global journeys of Chinese brands

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

    The ongoing 2025 World Brand Moganshan Conference in Deqing County, east China’s Zhejiang Province, is emphasizing innovation as a major driving force in expanding the global reach of Chinese brands.

    Themed “Brands Bring Better Future for the World,” the event offers Chinese brands a global stage to share their brand stories and fosters shared opportunities, common development and mutually beneficial cooperation.

    Conference attendees have emphasized the importance of brand building in nurturing new quality productive forces. They further noted that recent initiatives have shown positive outcomes — with innovation being a key driver.

    Take Wensli Group, a well-known Chinese silk producer established in 1975, as an example. Admired for its industry-leading silk double-sided printing process, Wensli has not only maintained long-term partnerships with many luxury brands but also created new growth opportunities.

    Notably, Wensli’s mini-program enables customers to instantly create a unique, self-designed scarf pattern. Leveraging AI-generated content, the scarf can be produced in just two hours, with minimal release of carbon emissions or wastewater.

    “With the help of technology, we can customize 100,000 unique silk scarves for each of the 8 billion people in the world,” said Tu Hongyan, chairperson of Wensli. She added that innovation has transformed Wensli from importing technologies and services to exporting its own independent, new technologies.

    Wensli’s journey mirrors the development trajectory of many Chinese brands.

    “Chinese brands have transitioned from followers to creators and leaders in new models and standards. Consequently, the image of Chinese brands has acquired new significance on the global stage,” said Shan Fan, president of the Brand University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg, Germany.

    The Chinese fashion industry has also seen Bosideng Group, a leading down jacket manufacturer, take its brand global.

    Its first overseas store opened in London ahead of the 2012 Olympics. Since then, its products have graced the runways of New York, Milan and London, shining a spotlight on Chinese down jackets in the global arena.

    “The robust growth of the Chinese economy, its rising cultural confidence, swift progress in technological innovation, and growing international influence have all paved the way for Chinese brands to thrive,” said Gao Dekang, chairman and chief executive officer of Bosideng Group.

    Despite mounting obstacles in international trade, Chinese brands have remained resolute in their pursuit of global presence.

    “To venture overseas, we have to tackle numerous challenges, such as obtaining the necessary certifications, arranging logistics and building our brand reputation. The overseas markets are highly diverse, and we stick to one unbreakable rule — we must adapt to local conditions and respect the differences,” said Wang Pu, co-founder of Chinese beverage company Chi Forest.

    In 2020, Chi Forest officially entered mainstream distribution channels in Singapore. Now, the company’s products have entered more than 40 countries and regions, including the United States and Australia, Wang added.

    Held for three consecutive years, the World Brand Moganshan Conference has developed into a vital platform for Chinese brands to enhance their visibility and explore new cooperation opportunities.

    Over 50 parallel activities also form part of the 2025 conference, including a main forum, a launch event for brand value evaluation, and several themed high-end dialogues.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s property market recovery boosted by new ‘quality homes’ standards

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

    This photo taken on March 15, 2024 shows the construction site of a residential complex under an urban renewal project in Jing’an District of east China’s Shanghai. [Photo/Xinhua]

    China’s property market is showing renewed signs of recovery, with both new home sales and second-hand transactions increasing, fueled in part by a rising demand for high-quality housing spurred by newly introduced national standards for “quality homes.”

    Released by China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the upgraded national standards for residential projects, which came into effect on May 1, cover seven aspects that include living environment, building space, structure, indoor environment and building equipment.

    Among the most notable provisions are a minimum ceiling height of three meters for new residential buildings, mandatory elevators in structures with four or more floors, and enhanced sound insulation for walls and floors.

    Many industry insiders believe that meeting these new standards for a “quality home” is becoming a key selling point for properties that are up to standard, drawing increased interest from prospective buyers.

    Market revival 

    During the recent five-day May Day holiday, which marked the first public holiday after the new standards were implemented, China’s real estate market in many regions maintained the recovery momentum seen in the first quarter of 2025, with several first- and second-tier cities posting robust transaction figures.

    In Shanghai, one of China’s most important regional real estate markets, total home sales during the holiday, including new and second-hand properties, rose 36 percent year on year. New home transactions were up 12 percent, while second-hand home sales surged by 44 percent.

    Similarly, south China metropolis Shenzhen recorded 826 new commercial housing subscriptions from May 1 to 5, with 317 units completing online contracts, up 23.89 percent year on year.

    According to the data released by the China Index Academy, during the May Day holiday, Beijing saw a total of 302 new residential properties signed online, covering 34,200 square meters, marking year-on-year increases of 114 percent and 107 percent, respectively.

    In Yantai, a coastal city in east China’s Shandong Province, demand for high-quality homes was on full display during the May Day holiday. All 100 units of the first phase of a residential project named Boshiyayuan were sold on May 1, its launch day.

    “This project impressed us with its planning, layout and amenities,” said a homebuyer surnamed Zheng. “Each unit has a private elevator, and the community features a basketball court, gym, swimming pool, yoga studio and communal dining hall. Even the aluminum front door with high-level insulation met our expectations.”

    More and more homebuyers like Zheng are increasingly shifting their focus from simply “having a place to live” to seeking “livable quality,” according to Ding Zuyu, president of the property research institution CRIC.

    Expectations for intelligent home systems, eco-friendly designs, thoughtful architecture and well-rounded facilities are driving a new wave of residential consumption.

    Guan Chong, general manager of the Shanghai branch of Jinmao, a Hong Kong-listed developer, said quality homes and well-designed communities offer homeowners a low-carbon, healthy and eco-friendly lifestyle, and such products have already been launched in major cities including Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing — and have received positive feedback from homebuyers.

    “Many of our homeowners have experienced technology-driven living and chose to purchase or upgrade to another similar property,” the executive said. “This clearly demonstrates that quality homes will always have a place in the market and can effectively unleash demand for better housing.”

    Quality-driven transformation 

    On the supply side, changes are also underway. So far this year, industry insiders have observed a trend of “downsizing and upgrading” on the land supply side, which signals a significant increase in the availability of high-quality homes in the near future.

    Many cities have proactively adjusted their land supply structures by reducing overall volume and focusing on premium plots. A growing number of “small but refined” parcels are being released to better support high-quality residential development.

    In Hangzhou, capital city of east China’s Zhejiang Province and a major regional property market, for example, about 90 percent of residential land parcels sold this year have a planned construction area of less than 90,000 square meters. These plots typically feature complete supporting infrastructure and moderate floor area ratios, making them well-suited for building quality housing.

    According to industry insiders, the new standards have the potential to drive further transformation in the real estate sector.

    “The new standards raise the ceiling height by 20 centimeters, an adjustment that takes into account the increasing average height of Chinese residents and significantly improves the space,” said Zeng Yu, senior architect at the China Academy of Building Research.

    Zeng explained that the added height not only enhances the vertical dimension of indoor space, but also improves natural lighting and ventilation. This change, Zeng noted, boosts convenience and functional flexibility, while providing greater capacity for diverse interior design, technological upgrades and evolving lifestyle needs.

    Yu Tian, marketing general manager of Poly Developments and Holdings Group’s Shanghai branch, believes the new national standards will have a significant impact on the development of the real estate sector.

    “These new standards encourage property developers to focus on product standards, research and development, and iteration, continuously increasing the use of new products, materials, technologies, next-generation information technologies and smart construction methods. This more segmented and diverse market will unlock the potential of demand for upgraded housing,” Yu added.

    He Xinyu, general manager of Chengdu Ruihetai research institute of industrial and urban development, echoed this view. “In the long term, the new standards will guide the real estate sector to shift from its previous focus on high turnover to a focus on high quality, pointing the way forward for both real estate companies and their upstream and downstream partners,” said He.

    The introduction of these new standards also opens a pathway for the renovation of older properties. By aligning with the new norms, outdated residential buildings can be transformed through improvements such as the installation of elevators, noise reduction measures, senior-friendly renovations and better amenities. This could lead to significant value increases for older communities.

    Chen Jie, a professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said that, as a result, these initiatives are expected to boost the market value of second-hand homes, benefiting both homeowners and prospective buyers by improving the overall quality of the housing stock.

    For the first time, the phrase “quality homes” featured in the government work report unveiled during this year’s “two sessions,” the annual meetings of China’s top legislature and top political advisory body.

    Guided by this trend, nearly 10 provincial-level regions, including Beijing, Shandong, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Guizhou and Sichuan, have focused on building high-quality housing systems by leveraging their regional characteristics. These efforts span the entire value chain, from standard-setting and land supply to construction techniques.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Pressley, Markey Welcome Rümeysa Öztürk Back to Massachusetts at Her Request Following Her Release from ICE Detention

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

    Lawmakers Joined Öztürk, Her Legal Team, and ACLU of Massachusetts at Logan Airport in Her First Public Appearance Since March Abduction

    Pressley, Markey, McGovern Met with Öztürk at Louisiana ICE Facility in April

    BOSTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) welcomed Tufts PhD student Rümeysa Öztürk at Logan Airport in Boston at her request following her arrival home from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention in Louisiana. Ms. Öztürk, a Somerville resident and constituent of the Congresswoman’s, was released on bail yesterday by a federal judge from Vermont after being unlawfully detained for over six weeks.

    Congresswoman Pressley and Senator Markey joined Ms. Öztürk, her legal team, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts at a press conference. Last month, Rep. Pressley, Sen. Markey, and Rep. James P. McGovern traveled to ICE facilities in Basile and Jena, where Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil were being unlawfully detained and subjected to inhumane conditions in retaliation for their protected speech.

    “Today we’re welcoming with open arms a beloved member of our Massachusetts 7th community, a brilliant scholar, a courageous advocate, and a survivor of a shameful injustice – Rümeysa Öztürk. And we’re sending a message to this hostile White House that their efforts to silence Rümeysa, crush dissent, and undermine our constitutional rights are being rejected,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “While we take stock of this important progress, we know this fight isn’t over. We will not rest until Rümeysa is fully exonerated, her visa is restored, and she is free to continue her studies and her service to our community.”

    “Today is a day of joy: We welcome Rümeysa Öztürk back to Massachusetts and back to her community in Somerville,” said Senator Markey. “Rümeysa should have never been abducted off the streets of Somerville. She should have never been taken out of Massachusetts and sent to a detention site in Louisiana more than 1,500 miles away from her community. And she should have never had to suffer intolerable living conditions and multiple and worsening asthma attacks while unlawfully detained for more than six weeks. Rümeysa’s case affects every one of us. We cannot allow this administration to trample individuals’ constitutional rights to free speech and due process. Her homecoming is only the beginning of the fight for justice – not only for Rümeysa, but for every family, for every neighbor, and for everyone who wishes to ensure they can live free.” 

    A full transcript of Congresswoman Pressley’s remarks at the press conference today is available below, and full video is available here.

    Transcript: Rep. Pressley Welcomes Rümeysa Öztürk Home Following Her Release from ICE Detention

    Boston Logan Airport

    May 10, 2025

    Thank you, Ed. Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for your ongoing partnership on so many issues of consequence. In particular, we’ve been shoulder to shoulder in the work of oversight of our carceral settings, our prisons, our jails, our detention facilities. 

    But before I get started, I do just, again, want to reiterate that if you care about mass incarceration, you should care about mass deportation. If you care about mass deportation, you should care about mass incarceration. 

    This is not only the grave injustice that Rümeysa, Mahmoud, Mohsen and many more have experienced is not only inhumane and cruel, but incredibly profitable. These are facilities owned by corporations, and the same way that those private prisons benefit from mass incarceration, these private detention centers, facilities benefit from mass deportation and incarceration. So I did just want to name that.

    You know, y’all, I don’t know if I can stick to my remarks here, because I’m just overwhelmed. One, Rümeysa is home, and two, the Celtics won. But you know, seriously, just bringing a little levity, because we’re long overdue for some joy. 

    The second I saw Rümeysa, I just exclaimed loudly “My sister.” I felt an immediate kinship with her. 

    And as we approach Mother’s Day, it is important that – and I think the public outcry and the rallying has been a testament to the fact that we see Rümeysa as our sister, we see Rümeysa as our daughter. 

    And that is, in fact, how a community should rally and see one another when a harm is done to anyone, because we are one human family and our destinies are truly tied. 

    I was also excited to be able to gift Rümeysa with a polished stone with the word “Hope” engraved that I had been carrying for weeks. 

    I had two stones with me when we went to rural Louisiana. And again, I thank Senator Markey for steadfast leadership and partnership, my brother colleague, Jim McGovern, for journeying together to rural Louisiana, and I had a polished stone with the word “Courage” engraved for Mahmoud, and a polished stone with the word “Hope” engraved for Rümeysa. 

    But ultimately, having visited Jena and the Basile facilities, I decided not to gift it to them, because I was pretty sure it would be confiscated. So I was so excited to be able to place that in the palm of her hand today, because I just wanted her to not lose hope and to know that we had come to see about her, and we were going to continue to do that until she was free. 

    So today we come together to welcome home a beloved member of the Massachusetts 7th community, a brilliant scholar, a courageous advocate, and a survivor of a shameful injustice: Rümeysa Öztürk. 

    Today marks a significant step forward and a victory, a victory for Rümeysa, a victory for due process, and a victory for our democracy. 

    But it is also a somber day, and I know it is bittersweet for Rümeysa, because Rümeysa should never have been abducted and ripped away from her community in Somerville in the first place. 

    She should never have had her visa revoked. She should never have been transported almost 2,000 miles away to an ICE facility in rural Louisiana and subjected to squalid, inhumane conditions. 

    She should never have suffered multiple asthma attacks and feared for her life so far away from home. 

    Last year, Rümeysa authored an op-ed that centered the dignity and humanity of every person and was critical of her university’s response to the crisis in Gaza. She exercised her fundamental First Amendment right. In citing nothing more than an op-ed, she was met with the full force of Donald Trump’s authoritarian project, silenced, detained and punished. 

    Rümeysa, we work each morning — since then, we’ve worked with you on our mind. 

    Massachusetts did not forget about you for a minute. Your classmates and your neighbors peacefully gathered in the street, lawyers, elected officials and people of good conscience from every walk of life spoke your name daily.

    Carol, Mahsa, Jesse ensured that this was the case. 

    I also have the incredible good fortune to spend time with people who’ve been privileged enough to know Rümeysa, some for five years, some for seven years, some for 10 years. And I was remarking that I’m jealous they’ve known her that long, because true enough, she is courageous and a bright light, and all of it is contagious. 

    But we refused to be silent, sounding the alarm on this injustice and elevating your story time and again, Rümeysa. 

    And yesterday, the federal court ordered Rümeysa released on bail. 

    When we traveled to Louisiana last month to meet with Rümeysa, what we saw was unconscionable. Rümeysa was being denied proper medical care, left to suffer through intense and worsening asthma attacks without prescribed medications, forced to endure inadequate meals and religious accommodations, denied even basic necessities and subjected to inhumane living conditions. 

    Rümeysa, I shared upon our arrival, when Senator Markey and Congressman McGovern and I landed here at Logan, upon leaving here, I went right to Somerville for what had been a long scheduled town hall, and I shared with our Somerville community and the public what you told me of the constant fear, the trauma of being torn away from the community you love, the community that you have given so much to.

    But Rümeysa’s spirit was unwavering, and her light shone through for all of us to see. 

    When you sat down with us Rümeysa, you spoke first of the women detained alongside you. You carried with you in your heart and in neatly copious written notes, like the qualified researcher that you are, their stories, their fears, their urgent medical conditions, their worry that they had been abandoned. 

    I was haunted by those words where Rümeysa said, “the women here have cried aloud. Has God forgotten about us? Has the world forgotten about us?”

    Rümeysa’s experience was not just an act of cruelty. Was a deliberate, coordinated attempt to intimidate, to instill fear, and to send a chilling message to anyone who dares to speak out against injustice. 

    I’ve said it before, Donald Trump is a dictator. A dictator seeks to silence dissenting voices. He wants a citizenry that is ignorant and uninformed, a citizenry that is indifferent to the suffering of a neighbor, a citizenry that is inactive. 

    Today, we’re sending a message of our own to this White House: your efforts to silence Rümeysa, to crush dissent, to undermine our fundamental rights are being rejected.

    Rümeysa, my sister, our sister, we welcome you home with open arms. 

    We never forgot about you. You are loved, you are seen, and we will not rest until you are fully exonerated, your visa is restored, and you are free to continue your studies and your service to our community. 

    But let us also be clear, this fight is not over. Rümeysa is released on bail, but her deportation proceedings continue. 

    So while we take stock of this important victory, made possible because of the dedicated people behind me and thousands more, because of public outcry, we are clear-eyed about the work that remains.

    To everyone who has stood with Rümeysa, who was spoken out, who has joined in this fight — in Congress, in the courts and in community — thank you. 

    We would not be here today if it weren’t for you. Our work is not done, but we are stronger together. 

    Throughout my time in public life, I’ve had the privilege and emotional honor throughout these years to say these two words to many people upon their return from prisons, jails and detention facilities: welcome home.

    This week, Congresswoman Pressley, along with Senator Markey, Ranking Member Bennie Thompson, Congressman Jim McGovern, and Congressman Troy Carter sent a letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seeking more information on the detention conditions of immigrants held at the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center (CLIPC) and the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center (SLIPC) after an oversight trip to the facilities last month.

    On May 7, 2025, Pressley, Markey, and McGovern applauded the Second Circuit for ordering Rümeysa’s transfer from ICE custody in Louisiana to Vermont and rejecting the Trump administration’s attempt to delay complying with a lower court order to do so.

    In a powerful New York Times op-ed, Pressley, Markey, and McGovern discussed their meeting with Ms. Öztürk in detention and warned the American people of the dangers posed by the Trump administration’s unlawful attacks on our constitutional rights to freedom of speech and due process. Full text of the op-ed is available here.

    Rep. Pressley, along with Sens. Warren and Markey, have pushed for answers and action since Öztürk’s March arrest. In March, they led over 30 lawmakers in writing to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Acting Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons, demanding information about Öztürk’s arrest and detention as well as similar incidents across the country.

    In April, the lawmakers sounded the alarm on Öztürk’s medical neglect in DHS custody and renewed urgent calls for her release. Last week, Pressley, Warren and Markey demanded Secretary of State Rubio released any documents related to her arrest after a recent report indicated that an internal State Department memo concluded that the key premise underlying Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk’s arrest and detention was false. Last month, Congresswoman Pressley issued a statement condemning reports that ICE arrested and detained Rümeysa Öztürk, an international student with legal status in a graduate program at Tufts University. Earlier in the week, Rep. Pressley issued a statement following reports of ICE activity in Boston and other municipalities in Massachusetts.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for May 11, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on May 11, 2025.

    Indonesia’s Pacific manoeuvres – money, military, and silencing West Papua
    ANALYSIS: By Ali Mirin On April 24, 2025, Indonesia made a masterful geopolitical move. Jakarta granted Fiji US$6 million in financial aid and offered to cooperate with them on military training — a seemingly benign act of diplomacy that conceals a darker purpose. This strategic manoeuvre is the latest in Indonesia’s efforts to neutralise Pacific

    Who killed Shireen Abu Akleh? Film names Israeli soldier but Biden, Israel ‘did best to cover up’
    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – NERMEEN SHAIKH: We begin today’s show looking at Israel’s ongoing targeting of Palestinian journalists. A recent report by the Costs of War Project at Brown University described the war in Gaza as the “worst ever conflict for reporters” in history. By one count, Israel has killed

    Who killed Shireen Abu Akleh? Film names Israeli soldier but Israel ‘did best to cover up’
    Democracy Now! NERMEEN SHAIKH: We begin today’s show looking at Israel’s ongoing targeting of Palestinian journalists. A recent report by the Costs of War Project at Brown University described the war in Gaza as the “worst ever conflict for reporters” in history. By one count, Israel has killed 214 Palestinian journalists in Gaza over the

    Pacific region hopes for ‘climate-conscious’ pope, says PCC leader
    By Christina Persico, RNZ Pacific bulletin editor The leader of the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) has reacted to the election of the new pope. Pope Leo XIV was elected by his fellow cardinals in the Conclave on Thursday evening, Rome time. Leo, 69, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, is originally from Chicago, and has spent

    Absurd attack on free speech by Israel Institute over social media comment
    By Gordon Campbell The calls by the Israel Institute of New Zealand for Peter Davis to resign from the Helen Clark Foundation because of comments he made with regard to an ugly, hateful piece of graffiti are absurd. The graffiti in question said “I hated Jews before it was cool!” On social media, Davis made

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi reaffirms China’s commitment to friendly cooperation, international equity

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

    Soldiers march during a grand parade marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping left here Saturday after paying a state visit to Russia and attending the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War.

    During bilateral meetings with leaders of several countries here Friday on the sidelines of the Victory Day celebrations, Xi reaffirmed China’s commitment to enhancing cooperation and strengthening ties with these countries, and emphasized the importance of upholding multilateralism and working together to address global challenges.

    REMEMBERING HISTORY

    On Friday, the Chinese president joined his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and leaders from more than 20 countries and international organizations to lay red flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

    The solemn ceremony marked a moment of remembering and paying tribute to those who perished in the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War.

    The Soviet Union was the principal theater of World War II in Europe, losing 27 million lives, while China was the main theater in Asia, suffering 35 million casualties in its resistance against the bulk of Japanese militarist forces.

    Together, the two countries were the mainstay of resistance against Japanese militarism and German Nazism, making pivotal contributions to the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War.

    This was the second time for Xi to attend Russia’s Victory Day celebrations. Ten years ago, he traveled to Moscow for the 70th anniversary. In the same year, Putin also attended China’s Victory Day parade on Sept. 3 in Beijing to commemorate the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

    The past decade has been one of profound turbulence and transformation in the international landscape, Xi noted when meeting the press with Putin on Thursday.

    In the face of the changes of the world, of the times and of historical significance, China and Russia should keep a firm grasp on the development direction of bilateral ties and the general trend of the development of human society, Xi said, calling for greater joint efforts in safeguarding international fairness and justice.

    Ahead of Xi’s visit, Russian media published the Chinese leader’s signed article titled “Learning from History to Build Together a Brighter Future.”

    “Indeed, historical memory and truth will not fade with the passage of time. They serve as inspirations that mirror the present and illuminate the future. We must learn from history, especially the hard lessons of the Second World War,” he wrote.

    IRONCLAD FRIENDSHIPS

    During bilateral meetings with Venezuelan, Cuban and Serbian leaders attending Russia’s Victory Day celebrations, Xi reaffirmed ironclad friendships between China and the three countries, emphasizing the importance of deepening cooperation in various sectors.

    In his meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Xi noted that China and Venezuela have forged an ironclad friendship amid the changing international situation.

    Since the two countries elevated bilateral relations to an all-weather strategic partnership in 2023, exchanges across various sectors and at all levels have been vigorous, bilateral trade has grown continuously, new progress has been made in investment cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, and friendship between the two sides has become increasingly popular among the two peoples, Xi said.

    He said China has always viewed and developed relations with Venezuela from a strategic and long-term perspective and is willing to enhance the exchange of governance experience with Venezuela, continue to deepen practical cooperation in various areas and take bilateral ties to new heights, so as to better benefit the two peoples.

    While meeting with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Xi noted that this year marks the 65th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Cuba, adding that China is willing to further consolidate the ironclad friendship with Cuba, build a closer China-Cuba community with a shared future, and set an example of solidarity and cooperation among socialist countries and sincere mutual assistance among developing countries.

    Xi called on both sides to promote steady progress in exchanges at all levels and cooperation in various fields, and ensure that high-level political mutual trust always remains a distinct feature of relations between the two ruling parties and the two countries.

    In his meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Xi urged the two sides to carry forward the ironclad friendship, boost mutually beneficial cooperation and advance the high-quality building of a China-Serbia community with a shared future.

    China is ready to deepen strategic communication with Serbia, enhance mutual support, strengthen cooperation in trade and investment, continue supporting the construction and operation of relevant projects, give full play to their demonstrative effect, and achieve more outcomes that deliver mutual benefit and win-win results, Xi said.

    UPHOLDING MULTILATERALISM

    In these bilateral meetings on Friday, Xi also reaffirmed China’s commitment to multilateralism and international cooperation, and emphasized the importance of working together to address global challenges.

    During his meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Xi said that China stands ready to work with Slovakia and other countries to jointly address challenges through solidarity and cooperation and safeguard international fairness and justice.

    Fico said that the Slovak side stands ready to join efforts with China to uphold multilateralism, safeguard free trade rules, and maintain the stability of global industrial and supply chains.

    During the meeting with Maduro, Xi said that China is ready to work with Venezuela and other Latin American countries to firmly uphold the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law.

    For his part, Maduro said that Venezuela is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China to uphold multilateralism, defend international fairness and justice, and safeguard the common interests of the international community.

    In the meeting with Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing, Xi urged the two sides to jointly uphold the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries.

    In the meeting with Diaz-Canel, Xi urged the two sides to enhance coordination and cooperation within such frameworks as the BRICS and the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum, oppose power politics and unilateral bullying, and safeguard international fairness and justice.

    Diaz-Canel said Cuba supports the three major global initiatives proposed by China, and is willing to work with China to jointly oppose unilateralism and protectionism, and to safeguard the common interests of the international community.

    In his meeting with Serbia’s Vucic, Xi said China is ready to work with all countries in the world, including Serbia, to unite and cooperate to meet challenges, jointly safeguard world peace and international fairness and justice, safeguard the achievements of economic globalization, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

    Vucic commends China’s steadfast support for multilateralism, noting that China’s visions and actions have bolstered the international community’s courage and confidence in safeguarding common interests.

    Serbia stands ready to unite with China in addressing the challenges posed by unilateralism and protectionism, Vucic added. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Stefanik Joined Fox News’ Mark Levin on Antisemitism in Higher Education, Pro-Terrorist Rioters at Columbia University

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (21st District of New York)

    ICYMI: Stefanik Joined Fox News’ Mark Levin on Antisemitism in Higher Education, Pro-Terrorist Rioters at Columbia University | Press Releases | Congresswoman Elise Stefanik

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Celebrates Court Order Halting Mass Firings Across Federal Government

    Source: US State of California

    OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a statement in response to a court granting a temporary restraining order (TRO) in a case challenging the Trump Administration’s mass firing of federal workers across the nation. On Thursday, Attorney General Bonta and a coalition of 21 attorneys general submitted an amicus brief in American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, et al. v. Trump, in support of the request for a TRO. The TRO issued yesterday immediately blocks the Trump Administration from illegally firing federal workers throughout the federal government until the court considers a preliminary injunction on May 22, 2025. 

    “The Trump Administration is attempting to bring the federal government — and the vital services and programs Americans rely on — to a screeching halt,” said Attorney General Bonta. “A court has ordered President Trump to end his illegal mass firing rampage pending a ruling on a preliminary injunction. This won’t undo the damage already sown, but it does send a clear message: The President does not hold the power to illegally fire anyone he wants — and as of Friday night, he must stop doing so.” 

    Massive federal layoffs substantially disrupt the ability of the states to protect and serve their residents and pose serious risks and harms to their citizens’ health, safety, and lives by impacting state programs focused on  emergency planning and response, infrastructure repair, environmental protection, and  public health, among many more issues.

    Attorney General Bonta has forcefully stood up to the Trump Administration’s illegal efforts to dismember and impair the federal government though mass firing. 

    This week, Attorney General Bonta filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration challenging the unlawful mass firing of roughly 10,000 full-time U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) employees, the consolidation of 28 HHS divisions into 15 divisions, and the closing of half of HHS’s ten regional offices  — in addition to previously filed lawsuits challenging the illegal firing of probationary federal workers and U.S. Department of Education workers. 

    Attorney General Bonta has submitted two amicus briefs (here and here) in lawsuits challenging the Trump Administration’s dismantling of the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau — actions that include issuing a suspension of work across the agency and terminating probationary employees. These actions rapidly and substantially increase the burden on state agencies to protect consumers. 

    Last month, Attorney General Bonta filed an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit challenging operational changes to Social Security Administration (SSA) policies. These changes, including staffing cuts, field office closures, and the illegal shuttering of departments, have hampered SSA’s ability to help older adults and persons with disabilities access the benefits and services they depend on.

    A copy of the TRO can be found here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Indonesia’s Pacific manoeuvres – money, military, and silencing West Papua

    ANALYSIS: By Ali Mirin

    On April 24, 2025, Indonesia made a masterful geopolitical move. Jakarta granted Fiji US$6 million in financial aid and offered to cooperate with them on military training — a seemingly benign act of diplomacy that conceals a darker purpose.

    This strategic manoeuvre is the latest in Indonesia’s efforts to neutralise Pacific support for the independence movement in West Papua.

    “There’s no need to be burdened by debt,” declared Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka during the bilateral meeting at Jakarta’s Merdeka Palace.

    More significantly, he pledged Fiji’s respect for Indonesian sovereignty — diplomatic code for abandoning West Papua’s struggle for self-determination.

    This aligns perfectly with Indonesia’s Law No. 2 of 2023, which established frameworks for defence cooperation, including joint research, technology transfer, and military education, between the two nations.

    This is not merely a partnership — it is ideological assimilation.

    Indonesia’s financial generosity comes with unwritten expectations. By integrating Fijian forces into Indonesian military training programmes, Jakarta aims to export its “anti-separatist” doctrine, which frames Papuan resistance as a “criminal insurgency” rather than legitimate political expression.

    The US $6 million is not aid — it’s a strategic investment in regional complicity.

    Geopolitical chess in a fractured world
    Indonesia’s manoeuvres must be understood in the context of escalating global tensions.

    The rivalry between the US and China has transformed the Indo-Pacific into a strategic battleground, leaving Pacific Island nations caught between competing spheres of influence.

    Although Jakarta is officially “non-aligned,” it is playing both sides to secure its territorial ambitions.

    Its aid to Fiji is one move in a comprehensive regional strategy to diplomatically isolate West Papua.

    Flashback to West Papuan leader Benny Wenda (left) meeting Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka in Suva in February 2023 . . . At the time, Rabuka declared: “We will support them [ULMWP] because they are Melanesians.” Image: Fiji govt

    By strengthening economic and military ties with strategically positioned nations, Indonesia is systematically undermining Papuan representation in important forums such as the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), and the United Nations.

    While the world focuses on superpower competition, Indonesia is quietly strengthening its position on what it considers an internal matter — effectively removing West Papua from international discourse.

    The Russian connection: Shadow alliances
    Another significant yet less examined relationship is Indonesia’s growing partnership with Russia, particularly in defence technology, intelligence sharing, and energy cooperation

    This relationship provides Jakarta with advanced military capabilities and reduces its dependence on Western powers and China.

    Russia’s unwavering support for territorial integrity, as evidenced by its position on Crimea and Ukraine, makes it an ideal partner for Indonesia’s West Papua policy.

    Moscow’s diplomatic support strengthens Jakarta’s argument that “separatist” movements are internal security issues rather than legitimate independence struggles.

    This strategic triangulation — balancing relations with Washington, Beijing, and Moscow– allows Indonesia to pursue regional dominance with minimal international backlash. Each superpower, focused on countering the others’ influence, overlooks Indonesia’s systematic suppression of Papuan self-determination.

    Institutionalising silence: Beyond diplomacy
    The practical consequence of Indonesia’s multidimensional strategy is the diplomatic isolation of West Papua. Historically positioned to advocate for Melanesian solidarity, Fiji now faces economic incentives to remain silent on Indonesian human rights abuses.

    A similar pattern emerges across the Pacific as Jakarta extends these types of arrangements to other regional players.

    It is not just about temporary diplomatic alignment; it is about the structural transformation of regional politics.

    When Pacific nations integrate their security apparatuses with Indonesia’s, they inevitably adopt Jakarta’s security narratives. Resistance movements are labelled “terrorist threats,” independence advocates are branded “destabilising elements,” and human rights concerns are dismissed as “foreign interference”.

    Most alarmingly, military cooperation provides Indonesia with channels to export its counterinsurgency techniques, which are frequently criticised by human rights organisations for their brutality.

    Security forces in the Pacific trained in these approaches may eventually use them against their own Papuan advocacy groups.

    The price of strategic loyalty
    For just US$6 million — a fraction of Indonesia’s defence budget — Jakarta purchases Fiji’s diplomatic loyalty, military alignment, and ideological compliance. This transaction exemplifies how economic incentives increasingly override moral considerations such as human rights, indigenous sovereignty, and decolonisation principles that once defined Pacific regionalism.

    Indonesia’s approach represents a sophisticated evolution in its foreign policy. No longer defensive about West Papua, Jakarta is now aggressively consolidating regional support, methodically closing avenues for international intervention, and systematically delegitimising Papuan voices on the global stage.

    Will the Pacific remember its soul?
    The path ahead for West Papua is becoming increasingly treacherous. Beyond domestic repression, the movement now faces waning international support as economic pragmatism supplants moral principle throughout the Pacific region.

    Unless Pacific nations reconnect with their anti-colonial heritage and the values that secured their independence, West Papua’s struggle risks fading into obscurity, overwhelmed by geopolitical calculations and economic incentives.

    The question facing the Pacific region is not simply about West Papua, but about regional identity itself. Will Pacific nations remain true to their foundational values of indigenous solidarity and decolonisation? Or will they sacrifice these principles on the altar of transactional diplomacy?

    The date April 24, 2025, may one day be remembered not only as the day Indonesia gave Fiji US$6 million but also as the day the Pacific began trading its moral authority for economic expediency, abandoning West Papua to perpetual colonisation in exchange for short-term gains.

    The Pacific is at a crossroads — it can either reclaim its voice or resign itself to becoming a theatre where greater powers dictate the fate of indigenous peoples. For West Papua, everything depends on which path is chosen.

    Ali Mirin is a West Papuan from the Kimyal tribe of the highlands that share a border with the Star Mountain region of Papua New Guinea. He graduated with a Master of Arts in international relations from Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Frontiers in Communications

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    Mission

    Frontiers in Communication is a multidisciplinary journal that focuses on advancing communication developments across society and culture, in areas including politics, health, media and industry, science and environment.

    Led by Field Chief Editor Prof Justin Lewis (Cardiff University, UK), this Scopus and DOAJ indexed journal welcomes research contributions in all areas of communication that advance our understanding of communication technologies and bridge the gap between theory and practice. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

    • advertising and marketing communication
    • culture and communication
    • disaster communications
    • health communication
    • language communication
    • media, culture and creative industries media governance and the public sphere
    • multimodality of communication
    • organizational communication
    • science and environmental communication
    • visual communication.

    Frontiers in Communication is a cross-disciplinary journal that seeks to develop understanding of the rapidly-changing global communication revolution and its relevance across social, economic and cultural spheres. Submissions that focus on new areas, such as multimodality of communication, advertising, and the creative industries are of particular interest.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Wellington Queer Communities Protest Against NZ First’s Anti-Trans Bill

    Source: Queer Endurance in Defiance (QED)

    On Saturday 8 May, around 400 protesters rallied with Queer Endurance in Defiance (QED), protesting against a proposed member’s bill by NZ First MP Jenny Marcroft, which aims to legally exclude trans people from definitions of “man” and “woman.”

    NZ First leader Winston Peters announced on 22 April that the bill will define a woman as an “adult human biological female” and a man as an “adult human biological male.” The wording of the bill reflects that of a recent ruling from Britain’s Supreme Court, which similarly excluded trans women from the definition of women.

    QED activists say both moves seek to facilitate the exclusion of trans people from social services and public life. QED spokesperson Tristan-Cordelia Egarr noted that the government had already indicated moves to restrict access to puberty blockers for trans rangatahi, and erase queer and trans people from Relationships and Sexuality Education in schools.

    Egarr also noted that “instead of focusing on the most pressing issues facing New Zealanders – the cost of living crisis, child poverty, the climate crisis, our overburdened healthcare system – Peters and the government are presenting these transparent attempts to distract and divide us by targeting an already marginalised and vulnerable community.”

    “Now more than ever, trans communities need support. Join Queer Endurance in Defiance, or your local queer organisation, and help us demonstrate that we will not be defined out of existence. We trans people will continue to exist, and we will continue to resist.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Fulfilling police career goals

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Since 2024, the Police Force has partnered with three post-secondary institutions to offer the Diploma of Applied Education – Police Cadet Training Programme. Through classroom learning, physical training and outdoor experiences, the programme aims to better prepare young people who aspire to join the force.

    Personal growth

    One such trainee is Park Hae-jun, a 27-year-old born in Hong Kong to Korean parents. Before joining the programme, he voluntarily returned to Korea to complete his military service, hoping to build discipline and confidence.

    “I was born and raised in Hong Kong, and I consider Hong Kong my home – that is why I chose to come back,” he said.

    He shared that the programme offered far more than textbook knowledge. Instructors taught him how to manage conflict and overcome challenges.

    “When we face stress or setbacks, most of us want to give up. But here, we are trained to solve problems. The perseverance we have learned will not only help us in our careers but also in life.”

    Hands-on learning

     Another trainee, 19-year-old Sae-ung Wing-man, described the field trips as being the most valuable part of the programme.

    “They helped me to understand the work of the department I want to join, and how officers deal with different situations every day.” .

    Wing-man has long aspired to join the force in order to support the public.

    “The job is meaningful. It helps citizens solve problems. I want to be someone people can rely on.

    “In preparation, I will further improve my physical fitness, stress management, legal knowledge and communication skills.”

    Preparatory training

    The Police Cadet School was established in 1973 and fulfilled its historical mission by 1990. Chief Inspector Wong Tak-choi, now responsible for physical and experiential training at the Police College, was once a cadet himself.

    He hopes that the trainees of the Police Cadet Training Programme can carry forward the spirit of the Police Cadet school.

    “Training methods may have changed, but our purpose remains the same – we want to nurture passionate young people who are ready to serve the community,” he said.

    He also noted that many who fail to complete police training often lack physical or mental preparation – areas the cadet training programme addresses directly.

    Course structure

    The Police Force has co-organised this one-year training programme with the Caritas Institute of Community Education, the Hong Kong College of Technology, and the Hong Kong Institute of Technology.

    Apart from core and supplementary subjects, the curriculum includes a 180-hour elective cluster titled “Police Cadet Training”, which is composed of “Police Studies”, “Police Recruit Preparatory Training” and “Physical & Mindset Development”.

    Upon graduation, the trainees can attain a qualification equivalent to Level 2 in five Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education subjects, meeting the academic requirement for police constable recruitment. 

    Final challenge

     After completing 22 weeks of police cadet training, the cadets took part in a passing-out parade. The event was inspected by Commissioner of Police Chow Yat-ming, who witnessed their growth and expressed his high expectations for their future success.

    He highlighted that the final challenge includes a five-day, four-night “hell week” involving outdoor endurance tasks similar to the Outward Bound adventure training. Mr Chow joined cadets on the final early morning hike to Tai Mo Shan and expressed that he was impressed by how spirited they were.

    “Some cadets had been injured earlier and could not complete the whole week, but they still tried to take part. Others felt exhausted, but they would still hold their heads up and pressed on.”

    During a sharing session on the mountain, cadets reflected on their experiences and Mr Chow shared his own.

    “The police career is long. Sometimes it feels lonely or dark – like the weather that day. But when you work as a team, someone will lead, and soon you will see the sunshine.”

    Future vision

    Mr Chow revealed that the cadet programme took more than three years to develop. He acknowledged the challenges, but praised his team for their dedication.

    “It was like witnessing the birth of a child,” he stated.

    In addition to preparing future officers, Mr Chow stressed that he hopes the programme will revive the spirit of the former cadet school, whose graduates served with distinction across the force.

    “They lived by the values of wisdom, courage, integrity and perseverance. I hope this new generation will carry that torch forward.”

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –