NewzIntel.com

Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The government has increased the amounts of scholarships named after V.S. Chernomyrdin and E.M. Primakov

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    From September 1, 2025, the amounts of the V.S. Chernomyrdin and E.M. Primakov scholarships, which are received by the most successful and talented students of a number of Russian universities, will be increased. The decrees on this were signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

    The V.S. Chernomyrdin scholarships, intended for the 10 best full-time students of the Moscow Polytechnic University, have been increased from 1.5 thousand to 15 thousand rubles per month.

    The E.M. Primakov scholarships, which are awarded to the 10 most successful students of the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov and the 10 most distinguished students of MGIMO, will increase from 5 thousand to 15 thousand rubles per month.

    The V.S. Chernomyrdin and E.M. Primakov scholarships were established in accordance with the decrees of the President.

    The document will be published…

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Searching for the Dark in the Light

    Source: NASA

    Written by Eleanor Moreland, Ph.D. Student Collaborator at Rice University 

    Perseverance has been busy exploring lower “Witch Hazel Hill,” an outcrop exposed on the edge of the Jezero crater rim. The outcrop is composed of alternating light and dark layers, and naturally, the team has been trying to understand the makeup of and relationships between the light and dark layers. A few weeks ago, we sampled one of the light-toned layers, which we discovered was made up of very small clasts, or fragments of rocks or minerals, at “Main River.” Since then, we have learned that the dark layers tend to be composed of larger clasts compared to the light layers, and we’ve been searching for a place to sample this coarser-grained rock type. Sometimes, these coarser-grained rocks also contain spherules, which are of great interest to the science team because they provide clues about the process that formed these layered rocks.
    Perseverance first looked at a dark layer at “Puncheon Rock” with an abrasion. We then examined a dark layer at “Wreck Apple,” near “Sally’s Cove,” but we could not identify a suitable surface to abrade. So, while team members searched for other locations to study the coarse-grained units and spherules, Perseverance drove south to “Port Anson.”

    Port Anson was intriguing because, from orbit, it showed a clear contact between the light layers of Witch Hazel Hill and a distinct unit below it. And, although the rocks below the Port Anson contact do show interesting compositional differences with those of Witch Hazel Hill, they weren’t the coarse-grained rocks we were looking for. We still performed an abrasion there, at Strong Island, before driving back up north for another attempt at investigating the coarser-grained rocks.
    We aimed for “Pine Pond,” which neighbors “Dennis Pond,” to abrade at “Hare Bay.” With the data just coming down over the weekend, the team will be hard at work to figure out if we captured the coarse grains and spherules, and if it is representative of rocks we have seen before or not. The image below is a close-up of this most recent abrasion patch at Hare Bay — what do you think? Stay tuned to find out! 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – The official approval of Romanian as a language of instruction in schools in the Odesa region, and respect for the rights of the Romanian minority in Ukraine – P-001600/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Priority question for written answer  P-001600/2025/rev.1
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Şerban Dimitrie Sturdza (ECR)

    Ukraine, as an EU candidate country, has committed to reforms in the field of minority rights. However, the Romanian community in the Odesa region (124 475 people according to the 2001 census) is facing violations of the right to education in their mother tongue due to the unjustified use of the term ‘Moldovan language’ instead of ‘Romanian language’ in schools – a practice inherited from the Soviet era.

    Although the Government of Ukraine adopted a decision on 18 October 2023 (minutes no. 115), and the Ministry of Education and Science issued a statement on 16 November 2023, to correct this terminology, 10 schools in the Odesa region (subject to administrative litigation no. 640/8013/21 since 2021) are still required to use the incorrect term. This administrative and legal deadlock undermines trust in Ukraine’s accession process and contradicts EU standards regarding the protection of minorities.

    What measures will the Commission take to support the correct implementation of the Ukrainian Government’s decisions regarding the official recognition of the Romanian language in schools in the Odesa region?

    Submitted: 22.4.2025

    Last updated: 28 April 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration releases 2024 Annual Report

    Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE

    Headline: OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration releases 2024 Annual Report

    The latest Annual Report of the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration (CCA) has now been published. The 2024 report provides an account of the CCA’s institutional matters over the past year and the efforts made by members of the CCA’s Bureau to raise awareness of the Court and its potential.
    The report highlights CCA President Emmanuel Decaux’s address to the OSCE Permanent Council on 2 May 2024. The Court’s use as a key instrument for peacefully resolving conflicts and its significant role within the OSCE framework was emphasized by Decaux in the annual presentation of the CCA’s activities.
    Further highlights include a case study of the first-ever simulation of conciliation proceedings within the Court. The simulation was hosted at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana in December 2024 as part of efforts to bolster a deeper understanding of the Court’s role, potential and purpose.
    A special dedication in the report also honors the first president of the Court, Robert Badinter, who passed away in 2024. He played an instrumental role in establishing the CCA and served as its President from its founding in 1995 until 2013. In tribute to his legacy, the CCA published in March 2024 a selection of the proceedings from the CCA’s 30th anniversary seminar held in 24 November 2022.
    The OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration provides a set of mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes between States. The Court was established by the Convention of Stockholm, which entered into force on 5 December 1994. To date, 34 OSCE participating States have ratified the Convention.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Engineers of meaning in discourses of strategic sovereignty

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The 19th All-Russian scientific and practical conference “PR and Advertising Technologies in Modern Society” was held in the White Hall of the Polytechnic University. This year’s theme “Engineers of Meanings in Discourses of Strategic Sovereignty” was dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

    The grand opening of the title conference of the Higher School of Media Communications and Public Relations of the Humanitarian Institute began with a minute of silence in memory of the fallen heroes. Then, the Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Communication Technologies of SPbPU Maxim Pasholikov and the Director of the Humanitarian Institute Natalia Chicherina addressed the participants and guests of the event with words of welcome.

    This year, the conference topic is unusually relevant. This is due to the fact that our university became the winner in the “Priority 2030” program (entered the first category) and today must solve very serious problems facing the entire country: to ensure the technological leadership of the country. Do humanities scholars have the opportunity to influence these processes? The answer is undoubtedly yes. The field of advertising and public relations itself is so technological today that it is difficult to separate it from the issues of achieving strategic and technological leadership, – noted Natalia Vasilievna.

    Presenters Daria Shevchenko and Nikita Sokol, 1st and 3rd year students of the Advertising and Public Relations program, spoke about a special conference project – the art exhibition “Victory Day”, which was prepared by students and teachers of the Higher School of Music and Sociology of the State University of Culture.

    Awarding the winners, the director of the Higher School of Music and Social Sciences Marina Arkannikova noted the level of professionalism of the works: Victory in the Great Patriotic War is one of the key events in the history of Russia and the entire Russian world. For all of us and for the country, Victory Day is a memory of the millions of those killed, a symbol of national unity, a tribute to veterans, historical memory and pride that we are obliged to pass on from generation to generation.

    More than 300 experts from different countries participated in the business program. Plenary reports were presented by three scientists. Professor of the St. Petersburg State University, President of the Association of Public Relations Teachers Dmitry Gavra spoke about the concept of national communication sovereignty. Associate Professor, Director of the Higher School of Social Sciences and Public Relations, Member of the Expert Council of the State Duma Committee on Youth Policy Marina Arkannikova presented a report “Cultural Sovereignty in Development Discourses”. Member of the Executive Council of the Russian Public Relations Association, political consultant, media technologist Alena Avgust presented an unconventional approach to reading the 809th decree.

    The plenary session left a strong impression on me. All three speakers demonstrated deeply developed topics on current communication problems in modern conditions. And although there was little “cross” discussion or controversy, I liked how the speakers consistently presented their positions. In general, the conference successfully combined theoretical depth with a practical focus, – noted first-year student of the Advertising and Public Relations program Irina Pyatnitskaya.

    The work continued panel discussions “Engineers of meanings as subjects of memory politics and identity politics”, “Modern AI technologies in development discourses”, “80 years of Victory in the collective memory of generations”.

    An important point of the business program of the second day was the round table “Synergistic wars in national discourses. Representation of the SVO in the politics of memory”, prepared jointly with the All-Russian Public Opinion Center (VTsIOM) and fighters of the special military operation. Participants discussed issues of the features of cognitive, mental wars, the preservation of historical memory and the formation of a communicative heritage about the SVO.

    In addition, student sections were held for students, postgraduates and young scientists. The conference ended in the White Hall of SPbPU, where the evening “Engineers of Victory” was held, dedicated to the memory of polytechnicians – participants of the Great Patriotic War.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom announces appointments 4.25.25

    Source: US State of California 2

    Apr 25, 2025

    SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

    Suzanne Martindale, of Oakland, has been appointed Chief Deputy Commissioner at the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. Martindale has been the Senior Deputy Commissioner of the Division of Consumer Financial Protection at the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation since 2021, and a Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law since 2019. Martindale was a Student Loan Justice Fellow at the Student Borrower Protection Center from 2018 to 2021. She held multiple positions at Consumer Reports from 2010 to 2021, including Senior Policy Counsel and Western States Legislative Manager, Senior Attorney, and Staff Attorney. She was a Pro Bono Attorney at the East Bay Community Law Center from 2015 to 2018. She is a member of the Bar Association of San Francisco. Martindale earned a Juris Doctor degree from University of California, Berkeley, a Master of Arts degree in Humanities from University of Chicago, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $207,600. Martindale is registered without party preference.

    Yvonne Hsu, of Washington D.C., has been appointed Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives and External Affairs at the California Civil Rights Department. Hsu was the Chief of Staff of Rural Housing Service at the United State Department of Agriculture from 2023 to 2025. She was the Chief Policy and Government Affairs Officer at the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum from 2021 to 2023. Hsu was a Senior Housing Policy Specialist at the National Council of State Housing Agencies from 2020 to 2021. She was a Senior Advisor at the Office of United States Representative Katherine Clark in the United States House of Representatives from 2019 to 2020. Hsu was an Independent Consultant from 2018 to 2019. She held multiple positions at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development from 2014 to 2017, including Policy Advisor at the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity and Special Assistant for Public Engagement at the Office of Public Affairs. Hsu held multiple positions in the Office of United States Representative Adam Schiff in the United States House of Representatives from 2008 to 2014, including Senior Legislative Assistant and District Representative. Hsu was the Outreach Coordinator at the Housing Rights Center from 2006 to 2008. She earned a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Sociology and History from the University of California, Riverside. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and compensation is $160,200. Hsu is a Democrat.

    Jaimie Huynh, of Sacramento, has been appointed Deputy Director of Strategic Engagement, Equity and Partnerships at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Huynh has been Acting Deputy Secretary for Environmental Justice and Equity at the California Environmental Protection Agency since 2025, where she has held multiple roles since 2022, including Environmental Justice Scientific Advisor and Climate Change Advisor. She was an Environmental Justice Enforcement Liaison at the California Department of Resources, Recycling, and Recovery from 2018 to 2022. Huynh was a California Sea Grant Fellow at the California State Lands Commission from 2017 to 2018. She earned a Master of Advanced Studies degree in Climate Science and Policy and a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Environmental Systems – Policymaking from the University of California, San Diego. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and compensation is $144,972. Huynh is a Democrat. 

    Robert Jenkins, of Victorville, has been appointed Administrator of the Veterans Home of California, Barstow at the California Department of Veterans Affairs. Jenkins has been Acting Administrator of the Veterans Home of California, Barstow since 2024, where he has held multiple roles since 2012, including Staff Services Manager II and Health and Safety Officer. Jenkins was a Firefighter/Security Officer Captain at the Veterans Home of California, Yountville, at the California Department of Veterans Affairs from 2010 to 2012. He was a Structural Firefighter at the Tule River Tribal Reservation Fire Department from 2009 to 2010. Jenkins was a Paid Call Firefighter/Engineer at the San Bernardino County Fire Department from 2009 to 2010. He was a Correctional Facility Fire Captain at the California Institution for Men-Chino Fire Department from 1997 to 2008. Jenkins was a Correctional Facility Firefighter at the Centinela Fire Department from 1993 to 1997. He was a Paid Call Firefighter/Captain at the San Bernardino County Fire Department from 1986 to 1997. Jenkins was a GS-06 Firefighter/Driver Operator at the Barstow Logistics Marine Base Fire Department from 1992 to 1993. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $160,428. Jenkins is a Democrat.

    Joseph “Joe” Nation, of South Lake Tahoe, has been appointed to the Independent Emissions Market Advisory Committee. Nation has been a Professor of the Practice in the Public Policy and Human Biology Programs at Stanford University since 2007. He was the Principal at Joe Nation Consulting from 1992 to 2024. Nation was the Senior Advisor to the President at the RAND Corporation from 1991 to 2024. He was an Assemblymember for District 6 in the California State Assembly from 2000 to 2006. He was an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of San Francisco from 1992 to 2000. Nation is a member of the Economic Advisory Board, Bay Area Council, and Climate Cabinet Action. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Public Policy Analysis from Pardee RAND Graduate School, a Master of Science degree in Diplomacy and Security from Georgetown University, and Bachelor of the Arts degrees in Economics, German, and French from University of Colorado, Boulder. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and there is no compensation. Nation is a Democrat.

    Press Releases, Recent News

    Recent news

    Apr 25, 2025

    News What you need to know: More Californians than ever are connecting with earthquake warning services as the MyShake app reaches over 4 million downloads. SACRAMENTO – During Earthquake Preparedness Month, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced a major milestone: the…

    Apr 25, 2025

    News What you need to know: California is working with state, local, and federal agencies in a historic project to repopulate the North Yuba River with native fish and help protect the state’s waterways and ecosystems.  MARYSVILLE – Governor Gavin Newsom announced a…

    Apr 24, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:Leia Bailey, of Sacramento, has been appointed Chief Deputy Director at the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Bailey has been Deputy Director of Communications and Outreach…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Lombardo Introduces Nevada Accountability in Education Act

    Source: US State of Nevada

    Henderson, NV April 25, 2025

    This morning, Governor Joe Lombardo introduced his Nevada Accountability in Education Act alongside state education leaders at Pinecrest Academy of Nevada – Sloan Canyon.

    Joined by Interim Superintendent of Public Instruction Steve Canavero and Dr. Valeria Gurr, Senior Fellow at the American Federation for Children, Governor Lombardo outlined how the bill will instill accountability at every level of the education system, empower educators, expand opportunities for students, and ensure that families have a voice and choice in their child’s education.

    “After delivering the largest investment in K–12 education in Nevada’s history, we owe it to our communities to match that investment with real results – and real accountability. I’m proud of what we’ve done so far. But let’s be clear – we can no longer accept lack of funding as an excuse for chronic underperformance,” said Governor Joe Lombardo. “That’s why I’m introducing the Accountability in Education Act, which is legislation built on one guiding principle: No child in Nevada should be trapped in a failing school because of their ZIP code or held back because of how much their parents or guardians earn.”

    A fact sheet is attached, and you can view the full press conference here.

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: APEDA and the Government of Odisha organises Capacity Building Programme to ‘Boost Agricultural Exports from Odisha’ in Bhubaneswar

    Source: Government of India

    APEDA and the Government of Odisha organises Capacity Building Programme to ‘Boost Agricultural Exports from Odisha’ in Bhubaneswar

    GI products like Koraput Kalajeera Rice, Nayagad Kanteimundi, Brinjal, Ganjam Kewda Flower Products, Koraput Coffee and Kandhamal Haldi, showcased at the event

    Posted On: 27 APR 2025 8:09PM by PIB Delhi

    The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Government of Odisha organized a Workshop cum Capacity Building Programme to Boost Agri Products’ Exports from Odisha at Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Hall, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneswar on the 25thApril, 2025.

    The event exhibited over 10 stalls represented by Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO)/ Farmer Producer Companies, women agripreneurs, departments of the Government of Odisha and exporters from all across Odisha. Several GI Tagged and Agri-Products from the state such as Koraput Kalajeera Rice, Nayagad Kanteimundi, Brinjal, Ganjam Kewda Flower Products, Koraput Coffee, Kandhamal Haldi Powder, Kendrapada Rasabali, Salepur Rasagolla, Khajuri Gud, Dhenkanal Magaji Ladoo and Mayurbhanja Kai Chutni were displayed at the University.

    Chief Guest and Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Agriculture, Government of Odisha, Shri Kanak Bardhan Singh Deo, in his keynote address, highlighted the initiatives of the State Govt. for increasing agricultural exports, particularly of Organic products, from the State. He encouraged exporters to explore the array of products, including GI products from the state for promotion in the global marketplace. He appreciated the active collaboration of APEDA with the State Govt. towards increasing Agricultural exports from the State.

    The event featured three technical sessions focusing on key areas for boosting Odisha’s agricultural exports. The first session addressed the promotion of organic exports under the revised National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP), emphasizing organic certification, value chain development, and market access. The second session discussed strategies to enhance rice exports from Odisha by leveraging unique varieties, improving logistics, and tackling export challenges. The third session explored opportunities for value addition and export promotion of agri-processed and GI-tagged products, with a focus on strengthening logistics, cold chain infrastructure, and market linkages.

    The program witnessed the participation of more than 400 stakeholders including the officials from State Government department, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, FPO’s, FPC’s, and progressive farmers.

    On the Sidelines of the event, APEDA being the Secretariat for the National Programme for Organic Production(NPOP) organised a stakeholder interaction with more than 30 Organic grower groups of the State and Organic Certification bodies operating in the State of Odisha. The discussions cantered on the revisions in the NPOP (8th Edition), which was recently launched on 9th January 2025, and clearing doubts and queries of the growers with respect to the new provisions.

    Shri Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi, Member of Parliament and Member, Parliamentary Standing Committee-Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing in his address emphasized on ODOP, use of Agri-Infra fund to support agri exports from the state of Odisha. He further emphasized that the dream of Vikshit bharat by 2047 is possible by developing the overall agriculture export ecosystem which will help to gain competitive advantage, drive economic growth, create better jobs, and generate foreign exchange earnings.

    Chairman of APEDA, Shri Abhishek Dev in his welcome address highlighted the export-oriented strategy for agricultural products with special emphasis on organic products. He emphasized on the untapped potential of the State in terms of agriculture exports, particularly in Organic products, owing to huge diversity and quantum of output. He assured that more such programs and export Conclaves will be conducted in future which are highly important paradigms for boosting agricultural exports. He encouraged the FPO’s and FPC’s from the state for participation in key national and international Trade Fairs for market access, promotion and outreach.

    The Workshop cum Capacity Building Programme followed by the Technical Sessions brought together key policymakers and experts from the Union and State governments, Industry and Academia aiming to build a robust export ecosystem in the state in the times to come.

    ***

    Abhishek Dayal/ Abhijith Narayanan

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: The Indian Digital Gaming Society Finalists of Innovate2Educate: Handheld Device Design Challenge at WAVES 2025

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 27 APR 2025 4:53PM by PIB Mumbai

    Mumbai, 27 April 2025

     

    The Indian Digital Gaming Society (IDGS) has announced the top 10 finalists of the Innovate2Educate: Handheld Device Design challenge. The competition, organised by the IDGS in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as part of the upcoming World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025, is aimed at driving innovation among the youth at the intersection of technology, education, and gaming, inspiring breakthrough ideas and design for handheld devices that can revolutionize learning experiences.

    The top 10 finalists have been selected from 1856 registration of innovative ideas after rigorous evaluation by an expert jury panel comprising industry leaders, technologists, educators, and designers. The jury includes Mr Indrajit Ghosh, Co-Founder, Eruditio; Mr Rajeev Nagar, Country Manager, Inda and SAARC, Huion; and Mr Jeffrey Cray, Co-Founder and Product Head, Squid Academy.

    The 10 finalists are:

    1. KARNATA PARVA – Code Craft Junior (Karnataka)

    2. VIDYARTHI – Smart Learning Tablet for Kids: An Interactive and Adaptive Educational Companion (Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh)

    The young innovators have developed the Smart Learning Tablet—a low-cost, voice-assisted, interactive educational device powered by ESP8266 or Raspberry Pi. Designed with children in mind, this tablet provides a screen-free, internet-free alternative to traditional and digital learning tools that are often inaccessible due to high costs and connectivity barriers.

    3. TECH TITANS – Smart Handwriting Learning Device with Interactive Writing Assistance (Tamil Nadu)

    Blending traditional writing methods with modern technology, the Smart Handwriting Learning Device is designed to transform how children learn to write. The device offers real-time interactive feedback, a multilingual learning experience, and an offline, affordable solution tailored especially for early learners in underserved areas.

    4. PROTOMINDS – EduSpark (Delhi, Kerala, UP, Bihar)

    EduSpark is an affordable, AI-powered handheld device designed to spark curiosity and accelerate cognitive growth in young children aged 6 to 8. Apart is its adaptive AI engine as children play educational games—ranging from Sudoku and math challenges to mazes and memory puzzles—the device adjusts difficulty in real-time, helping each learner progress at their own pace.

    5. APEX ACHIEVERS – BODMAS Quest: Gamified Math Learning For Smarter Education (Tamil Nadu)

    BODMAS (Brackets, Orders, Division/Multiplication, Addition/Subtraction) often poses challenges to young learners, slowing their confidence and progress in mathematics. BODMAS Quest changes that by transforming learning into an immersive, reward-based journey.

    6. SCIENCEVERSE – The Imperative of Interactive Educational Handheld Devices for Children (Indonesia)

    7. V20 – VFit – Interactive Learning Through Play (Tamil Nadu)

    8. WARRIORS– Maha-shastra (Dehi)

    Maha-Shastra is an innovative educational ecosystem designed to reshape the learning experience for students aged 5 to 18. . Built for inclusivity and scalability, the platform combines quizzes, real-time simulations, AI-powered tutoring, and multilingual support to meet the diverse needs of learners across India and beyond. Its core is a handheld AI-powered device that engages students through interactive games, adaptive quizzes, and offline collaboration using LoRa-based meshtastic networks

    9. KIDDYMAITRI– A Handheld Mathematical Gaming Console (Mumbai, Odisha, Karnataka)

    Over half of Indian students tested fell below global minimum standards in foundational numeracy. Recognizing this critical challenge, Team Kiddymaitri took inspiration from NEP 2020, focusing on native language learning, technological integration, and traditional Indian values to develop a truly local and impactful learning solution.

    10. E-GROOTS– Micro Controller Mastery Kit (Tamil Nadu)

    The top 10 shortlisted teams will present their ideas at a special showcase during the WAVES 2025 in Mumbai. The winners of the challenge will be felicitated at the grand finale by the ministry.

     

    About WAVES

    The first World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit, a milestone event for the Media & Entertainment (M&E) sector, will be hosted by the Government of India in Mumbai, Maharashtra, from May 1 to 4, 2025.

    Whether you’re an industry professional, investor, creator, or innovator, the Summit offers the ultimate global platform to connect, collaborate, innovate and contribute to the M&E landscape.

    WAVES is set to magnify India’s creative strength, amplifying its position as a hub for content creation, intellectual property, and technological innovation. Industries and sectors in focus include Broadcasting, Print Media, Television, Radio, Films, Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, Sound and Music, Advertising, Digital Media, Social Media Platforms, Generative AI, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Extended Reality (XR).

    Have questions? Find answers here

    Stay updated with the latest announcements from PIB Team WAVES

    Register for WAVES now

     

    * * *

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    Follow us on social media: @PIBMumbai    /PIBMumbai     /pibmumbai   pibmumbai[at]gmail[dot]com  /PIBMumbai     /pibmumbai

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: One in ten patient safety incidents in hospitals due to poor communication – new study

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jeremy Howick, Professor and Director of the Stoneygate Centre for Excellence in Empathic Healthcare, University of Leicester

    Patients’ lives are being put at risk by poor communication from healthcare professionals in hospitals worldwide, according to new research my colleagues and I conducted.

    Our analysis included 46 studies, published between 2013 and 2024, involving over 67,000 patients across Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia. And the findings are alarming. We discovered that poor communication was the sole cause of patient-safety incidents in over one in ten cases and contributed to causing incidents in one in four cases.

    These aren’t just statistics, they represent real people harmed by preventable errors.

    In one documented case, a doctor accidentally shut off a patient’s Amiodarone drip (a drug to treat heart arrhythmias) while silencing a beeping pump. The doctor failed to tell the nurse, and the patient’s heart rate spiked dangerously.

    In another example, a patient died after a nurse failed to tell a surgeon that the patient was experiencing abdominal pains following surgery and had a low red blood cell count – clear indicators of internal bleeding. The patient later died from a haemorrhage that could have been prevented with adequate communication.

    These findings confirm what many healthcare professionals have long suspected: communication breakdowns directly threaten patient safety. What’s particularly concerning is that these incidents cut across different healthcare systems worldwide.

    The scale of the problem

    In the UK alone, over 1,700 lives are lost annually due to medication errors, and at least 3 million deaths occur due to medication errors worldwide. At least half of these – often resulting from poor communication – are preventable.

    In the US, communication failures contribute to over 60% of all hospital-based adverse events. Experts believe these figures probably underestimate the true extent of the problem as patient safety incidents are often underreported.

    This research fills an important gap in our understanding. While previous studies had established that poor communication was an issue in healthcare settings, this is the first rigorous analysis to quantify precisely how communication lapses affect patient safety.

    My colleagues and I also conducted a separate analysis of just the high-quality studies in the review, which yielded similar results, strengthening the validity of our findings.

    The critical importance of effective communication has been highlighted in major healthcare investigations. Both the Francis and Ockenden Reports in the UK, which examined serious healthcare failures, cited ineffective communication as a cause of unnecessary deaths at the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, respectively.

    Further emphasising this point, the UK’s health ombudsman has identified poor communication as a contributing factor in about 48,000 avoidable sepsis deaths each year.

    Inadequate communication doesn’t just make people feel bad in a nonspecific sense, it causes actual harm. Misunderstandings lead to grave medical errors through misdiagnosis, suboptimal treatments and potentially life-threatening complications.

    Hope for improvement

    Despite these sobering findings, we emphasise that communication can be improved through targeted interventions. When healthcare practitioners receive training to communicate with additional empathy toward their patients, their empathic behaviour improves – and so do patient outcomes.

    Similarly, when healthcare professionals are taught to communicate more effectively with colleagues, measurable improvements follow.

    One notable study found that implementing a structured communication protocol in surgical teams reduced adverse events by 23% over a year. Another demonstrated that using standardised handoff procedures between shifts decreased medical errors by nearly 30%.

    These communication interventions often take as little as half a day to implement and are likely to be highly cost-effective. For a relatively small investment in training, healthcare systems could see significant reductions in preventable harm.

    The evidence is in. It’s time for healthcare leaders, educators and policymakers to act. Communication training must become a universal standard – not an optional extra – in safeguarding patient lives.

    Jeremy Howick receives funding from the Stoneygate Trust, and occasionally receives speaking fees for his talks.

    – ref. One in ten patient safety incidents in hospitals due to poor communication – new study – https://theconversation.com/one-in-ten-patient-safety-incidents-in-hospitals-due-to-poor-communication-new-study-252467

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: HSE scientists learn to convert CO₂ into fuel without expensive reagents

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    Researchers MIEM HSE Together with Chinese scientists, they created a catalyst that helps convert carbon dioxide into formic acid more efficiently. Thanks to the carbon coating, it works stably in an acidic environment and with a minimum amount of potassium, although it was previously believed that the element was necessary in high concentrations. This will reduce the cost of gas processing, and also simplify its industrial use – for example, in the production of fuel for environmentally friendly types of transport. Study published in the journal Nature Communications.

    Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide is a process in which gas is converted into other chemical compounds under the influence of electric current. It has long been considered not only as a way to utilize CO₂, but also as a source of valuable raw materials. For example, formic acid, which can be used as a liquid fuel, solvent or component for the chemical industry.

    However, the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ has a problem: a side reaction releases hydrogen, which reduces the efficiency of the process. In alkaline solutions, this problem is solved by adding more potassium ions (K⁺), but this not only makes the process more expensive, but also leads to the formation of sediments that clog the installation and impair its operation. And if, on the contrary, an acidic environment is used, the catalysts quickly deteriorate and lose their efficiency.

    A group of researchers, including specialists from MIEM HSE, proposed an alternative approach. They developed a catalyst that works stably in an acidic environment with a minimum amount of potassium. Its base is indium oxide (In₂O₃), covered with a thin layer of carbon.

    First, using computer modeling, MIEM employees found out how to control the distribution of ions on the catalyst surface. The model showed that the carbon coating not only protects the catalyst from destruction, but also forms an electric field that holds potassium ions near its surface. Thanks to this, potassium does not precipitate, and unwanted side reactions are suppressed.

    To test the model’s predictions, Chinese scientists synthesized indium oxide nanoparticles and coated them with a thin layer of carbon. They then conducted a series of experiments in an electrolyte reactor. They used a highly acidic environment and several times less potassium than in traditional systems. Tests showed that even under such conditions, the catalyst remained stable: it remained active for more than 100 hours, while the efficiency of converting CO₂ into formic acid was 98.9%.

    “We have managed to show that it is possible to abandon the excess potassium, which complicates the operation of the system. This approach made the process cheaper, and the catalyst itself more stable,” comments MIEM HSE Associate Professor Liu Dongyu.

    To make sure that the carbon coating was indeed the culprit, the researchers conducted additional tests. They found that without the coating, indium oxide quickly reduced to metallic indium, which was much less effective at electrochemically reducing CO₂. This confirmed that it was the carbon layer that protected the catalyst, preventing it from deteriorating.

    The method not only simplifies the technology of carbon dioxide processing, but also makes it more accessible for industrial use. Unlike traditional alkaline systems, it does not require a high concentration of potassium and eliminates the formation of sediments. The introduction of the technology into real installations can make carbon dioxide processing more environmentally friendly.

    “We have made the process more stable and convenient for scaling, which means we have brought the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide closer to application in real production,” comments Andrey Vasenko, professor at MIEM HSE. “The technology can be useful not only for the synthesis of formic acid, but also for other processes related to the processing of CO₂.”

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Using custom earthquakes to define the top of Yellowstone’s magma reservoir

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week’s contribution is from Brandon Schmandt, Professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences and Chenglong Duan, Postdoctoral researcher, both at Rice University.

    When standing in many places in Yellowstone National Park, the signs of a buried heat source are unmistakable, making one inclined to wonder “how far beneath my feet is there magma”? The answer is important to fundamental science questions about magma reservoirs as well as for understanding the potential hazards from Yellowstone.  And it’s just a darn interesting question, too!

    A 53,000-pound vibroseis truck, with a hydraulic vibration plate that creates signals like tiny earthquakes. Here, the truck is parked at a roadside pullout near the Continental Divide in Yellowstone National Park.  Photo by Jamie Farrell, University of Utah, September 2020, taken under Yellowstone National Park research permit YELL-2020-SCI-8146.   Support for the field research was provided by the National Science Foundation (EAR-1950328).

    There is a long history of physical and chemical measurements that provide evidence for magma beneath Yellowstone caldera, with estimates for the depth to the top of the reservoir ranging from about 3 to 9 km (about 2 to 5.5 mi) beneath the surface. Most prior seismic imaging estimated smooth 3-D structure that is informative regarding the approximate size, shape, and location of magma storage. A limitation is that the resulting edges of the reservoir are blurry. Sharpening the view is important, as better knowledge of the depth and characteristics of the top of the magma reservoir would give additional insights into magma storage and release of magmatic gases. 

    To obtain that sharper view of the top of the magma reservoir, and to determine its depth and whether it is marked by a gradual or sharp transition, a group of seismologists used a controlled seismic source and hundreds of seismometers to image the subsurface. The “controlled source” was a 53,000-pound truck with a vibrating hydraulic plate that creates seismic signals, like tiny custom earthquakes. During the summer of 2020, the truck created these custom earthquakes on numerous paved roadside turnouts throughout the caldera. The work was done in the middle of night to avoid impacting park visitors, both from the minor ground vibrations and any traffic delays. The seismic signals created by the truck were measured at several dozen permanent Yellowstone Seismic Network stations, as well as about 600 temporarily installed seismometers that were deployed along roads and trails specifically for this seismic experiment. The seismic waves generated by the truck were tuned to bounce off the magma chamber, with the data from that reflection hopefully providing new insights into just where the top of the magma chamber is located and what it looks like.

    And the results are in, recently published in the journal Nature by Duan et al. 2025 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08775-9). The answer?  There is a very sharp transition marking the magma chamber top at about 3.8 km (2.4 mi) depth beneath the northeastern part of the caldera near the Yellowstone River.

    Seismic reflection data showing the top of the magma reservoir beneath Yellowstone Caldera along a cross section that runs from Canyon Village in the northwest (X) to near Lake Butte in the southeast (X`).  The top panel shows seismic P-wave (compressional wave) reflectivity, with evidence for the sharp reservoir top labeled. The middle panel shows seismic reflections where P-waves convert to S-waves (shear waves) as they reflect off the top of the reservoir. Combined information from the two reflection types helps constrain the total fluid fraction and relative amounts of bubbles and magma at the very top of the reservoir. The bottom panel shows a schematic cartoon interpretation in which a large reservoir that is several kilometers thick mostly contains a small amount of magma in the pore space between crystals, and a thin layer at the very top transiently accumulates bubbles that rise through the magma and temporarily reside in pore space between crystals and some melt.

    Beyond locating the top of the magma reservoir and determining that the boundary is less than about 100 m thick, the seismologists estimated the concentration and type of fluids present at the very top of the reservoir. They found that a two-part mixture of only magma and solid mineral crystals would not fit the strength of the reflected seismic signals, but a three-part mixture with supercritical fluid bubbles, magma, and solid mineral crystals can explain the reflections much better. This result is consistent with geochemical models that indicate bubbles would be coming out of magma stored at depths as shallow as 3.8 km (2.4 mi). At greater depths, and correspondingly greater pressures, the elements that form the bubbles would stay dissolved within the magma. But at the depth measured from the new seismic data, bubbles would emerge from the magma and rise to form a cap layer atop the magma reservoir.

    That might sound alarming—bubble accumulation in magma reservoir can be an important step toward creating the conditions suitable for eruption—but it depends on the concentrations of magma and bubbles. Fortunately, the Yellowstone magma system appears to be in a stable configuration. The seismic reflection results suggest about 14% fluid and about 86% solid crystals in the cap layer of the reservoir. Under these conditions, bubbles are expected to rise efficiently toward the surface, which prevents excessive build-up of pressure. And indeed, this fits with gas measurements that find magmatic gases emitted at the surface in many areas of Yellowstone National Park.

    Finding evidence for bubbles atop the Yellowstone magma reservoir gives new perspectives that align with the long-term view of a magmatic system that is mostly solid and currently stable. The results also highlight that it may be within reach to measure bubble accumulation beneath volcanoes in general, demonstrating once again that using Yellowstone as a natural laboratory can help better understand volcanoes and their eruptions elsewhere on Earth.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Tyton Partners Releases New Report on Affordable Access Programs for Course Materials

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BOSTON, April 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tyton Partners today released a new report, Course Materials in Higher Education: How Affordable Access Programs Save Students Money and Produce Positive Learning Outcomes. The publication, which presents data from 1,088 U.S. colleges and universities, was commissioned by the Association of American Publishers. This is the first in-depth analysis of affordable access programs in practice since their inception nearly a decade ago.

    The findings from Tyton Partners confirm that affordable access programs are helping students spend less on course materials while improving academic preparedness and outcomes—a notable contrast to the broader rise in higher education costs.

    “The data makes it clear: affordable access programs reduce costs, ensure students are prepared from day one, and support academic success,” said Chris McVety, Director at Tyton Partners.

    Affordable Access Programs: Lowering Costs, Improving Outcomes

    Affordable access programs—developed through partnerships between higher education institutions, publishers, and distribution providers—offer students timely access to required course materials at reduced prices. Students can apply financial aid toward these costs, reducing out-of-pocket expenses.

    In keeping with the objectives of federal regulations established in 2015, most institutions have implemented opt-out models, which provide numerous, measurable benefits, including providing seamless access to materials unless a student chooses to obtain the same materials elsewhere. Administrators report that this approach improves student preparedness and helps keep costs low:

    • A provost at a private, four-year university, called opt-out affordable access “a win-win” that permits students to “start their course with the right resources.”
    • An official at a public, two-year university, said, “We save students about $46 million per year.”

    Key findings from the report include:

    • Cost Savings – The average price per course under opt-out models decreased 36 percent, from $91 to $58 compared to standard list prices.
    • Improved Preparedness and Outcomes – Eighty-four percent of students in opt-out programs reported feeling better prepared, while 81 percent said these programs positively impacted their academic success. At one community college, students were 60 percent less likely to withdraw and 27 percent more likely to pass.
    • Stakeholders Prefer Opt-out, Concerned About Opt-in – Institutions using opt-in models reported lower student participation rates, limiting cost savings and timely access to materials. Many administrators expressed concerns that shifting to opt-in models would undermine affordability and equity, particularly for first-year and first-generation students.

    As colleges and universities continue to seek solutions that improve affordability and student success, affordable access programs have emerged as a proven model for reducing costs and increasing preparedness. The data underscores the effectiveness of opt-out models in delivering widespread benefits, from financial savings to improved academic performance. By ensuring students have the right materials from day one, these programs support equitable access to education and help institutions fulfill their mission of student success.

    Read the full report here.

    About Tyton Partners

    Tyton Partners is the leading provider of strategy consulting and investment banking services to the global knowledge and information services sector. With offices in Boston and New York City, the firm has an experienced team of bankers and consultants who deliver a unique spectrum of services from mergers and acquisitions and capital markets access to strategy development that helps companies, organizations, and investors navigate the complexities of the education, media, and information markets. Tyton Partners leverages a deep foundation of transactional and advisory experience and an unparalleled level of global relationships to make its clients’ aspirations a reality and to catalyze innovation in the sector. Learn more at tytonpartners.com. 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: T1 Energy Welcomes Key Additions to Leadership Team

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    AUSTIN, Texas and NEW YORK, April 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — T1 Energy Inc. (NYSE: TE) (“T1,” “T1 Energy,” or the “Company”) announced the additions of Andy Munro as Chief Legal Officer and Russell Gold as Executive Vice President of Strategic Communications, effective May 1st. The appointments add to T1’s already deep energy expertise as it builds a vertically integrated, solar and storage manufacturing and technology leader in the United States.

    “We are excited to welcome Andy and Russell to the T1 senior leadership team,” said Daniel Barcelo, T1’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. “Andy and Russell are respected leaders and prominent voices in the solar energy industry. Their additions underscore T1’s aspiration to build a leader in the U.S. solar-plus-storage market and highlight our ability to attract key talent.”

    Andy Munro brings more than 30 years of legal and management experience to T1 Energy, having spent the last decade working in the solar energy, manufacturing, and technology industry. Mr. Munro joins T1 from SOLARCYCLE, a pioneer in solar panel recycling, technology, and manufacturing. Previously, he served as Chief Legal and Policy Officer at Calypso Energy, a U.S. solar cell and module manufacturing and technology company, and General Counsel at Qcells North America, a leader in U.S. solar manufacturing, technology, and development. Prior to that, Mr. Munro worked at the law firm of Latham & Watkins, where he focused on complex commercial, corporate and financing transactions for technology companies. Mr. Munro holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. in Economics/Business from UCLA.

    “I believe the future of energy depends on a strong and innovative American solar manufacturing and technology industry and I am passionate about building a U.S.-based solar supply chain. I look forward to expanding T1’s operations and building a preeminent American solar energy manufacturing and technology company,” said Mr. Munro.

    Russell Gold joins T1 Energy after a distinguished career as both an author and journalist, most recently for Texas Monthly, which followed a 21-year tenure as an investigative reporter focused on the energy industry for the Wall Street Journal. He is a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and a two-time winner of the Gerlad Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism. Mr. Gold is the author of Superpower: One Man’s Quest to Transform American Energy, and The Boom, which was nominated for the FT Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year prize. He graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in History.

    “I am enthusiastic about joining the T1 Energy team and getting a chance to help shape the future of American energy,” said Mr. Gold. “The challenge of our time is to build a domestic, affordable, and renewable energy system and T1 is at the forefront of that effort.”

    About T1 Energy

    T1 Energy Inc. (NYSE: TE) is an energy solutions provider building an integrated U.S. supply chain for solar and batteries. In December 2024, T1 completed a transformative transaction, positioning the Company as one of the leading solar manufacturing companies in the United States, with a complementary solar and battery storage strategy. Based in the United States with plans to expand its operations in America, the Company is also exploring value optimization opportunities across its portfolio of assets in Europe.

    To learn more about T1, please visit www.T1energy.com and follow us on social media.

    Investor contact:

    Jeffrey Spittel
    EVP, Investor Relations and Corporate Development
    jeffrey.spittel@T1energy.com
    Tel: +1 409 599-5706

    Media contact:

    Amy Jaick
    SVP, Communications
    amy.jaick@T1energy.com
    Tel: +1 973 713-5585

    Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements:

    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including without limitation with respect to the Company’s aspiration to build a vertically integrated solar and storage manufacturing leader in the United States, ability to attract key talent, and plans to expand its operations; the growth of a U.S.-based solar energy industry; and the Company’s effort to build a domestic, affordable, and renewable energy system. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause actual future events, results, or achievements to be materially different from the Company’s expectations and projections expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Important factors include, but are not limited to, those discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in (i) T1’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 31, 2025, (ii) T1’s post-effective amendment no. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-3 filed with the SEC on January 4, 2024, and (iii) T1’s Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed with the SEC on September 8, 2023 and subsequent amendments thereto filed on October 13, 2023, October 19, 2023 and October 31, 2023. All of the above referenced filings are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are based on information available to the Company as of the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements, all of which are expressly qualified by the statements in this section, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

    T1 intends to use its website as a channel of distribution to disclose information which may be of interest or material to investors and to communicate with investors and the public. Such disclosures will be included on T1’s website in the ‘Investor Relations’ section. T1, and its CEO and Chairman of the Board, Daniel Barcelo, also intend to use certain social media channels, including, but not limited to, X, LinkedIn and Instagram, as means of communicating with the public and investors about T1, its progress, products, and other matters. While not all the information that T1 or Daniel Barcelo post to their respective digital platforms may be deemed to be of a material nature, some information may be. As a result, T1 encourages investors and others interested to review the information that it and Daniel Barcelo posts and to monitor such portions of T1’s website and social media channels on a regular basis, in addition to following T1’s press releases, SEC filings, and public conference calls and webcasts. The contents of T1’s website and its and Daniel Barcelo’s social media channels shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6c4e0233-5fcd-43e1-9607-ff0d94a58a75

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Change of British High Commissioner to Malta: Victoria Busby

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Change of British High Commissioner to Malta: Victoria Busby

    Mrs Victoria Busby OBE has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Malta.

    Mrs Victoria Busby OBE

    Mrs Victoria Busby OBE has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Malta in succession to Ms Katherine Ward LVO OBE who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mrs Busby will take up her appointment during September 2025.

    Curriculum vitae

    Full name: Victoria Alice Markland Busby

    Year Role
    2020 to present FCDO, Director of Protocol and Vice-Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps
    2019 to 2020 Cabinet Office, Chief Operating Officer, COP26
    2012 to 2019 No10, Deputy Director, Events and Visits
    2010 to 2012 DCMS, Head of Communication, Government Olympic Executive
    2009 to 2010 Home Office, Senior Communications Manager, Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism
    2008 to 2009 Ministry of Defence, Senior PR Manager
    2006 to 2008 Department for Work and Pensions, Marketing Manager
    2006 Joined Civil Service
    2005 to 2006 Head London (communications consultancy), Account Manager
    2003 to 2005 Christie’s (auction house), Proposals Writer

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Salymbekov University and Polytechnic intend to launch joint double degree programs

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    A delegation from Salymbekov University (Kyrgyzstan), headed by President Amangeldi Zhumadilov, visited Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University to discuss prospects for cooperation in education and science. The partners agreed to jointly implement educational programs, research projects, and academic exchanges aimed at training highly qualified specialists for high-tech sectors of the economy.

    The key topic of the negotiations was the creation of joint educational programs, including double degrees, in various areas of secondary vocational and higher education. The pilot areas planned for launch this fall include “Information Systems and Programming”, “International Logistics” and “International Business”, “Digital Enterprise Economics” and IT specialties. This is necessary in order to purposefully train highly qualified specialists in professions that are really in demand in the region.

    Vice-Rector for International Affairs of SPbPU Dmitry Arsenyev noted: We see great potential in cooperation with Salymbekov University. Specific projects that can be implemented in the short term are already being discussed. This indicates a high degree of mutual trust and interest in developing partnership.

    Director of the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics and Trade Vladimir Shchepinin emphasized: Our institute has unique experience in training specialists in economics and management, adapted to the real needs of industry. Joint programs with Kyrgyz colleagues will allow us to train personnel that are in demand not only in Kyrgyzstan, but also on the international market.

    The meeting discussed issues of organizing internships for students in Russian companies, developing programs for improving the qualifications of teachers, and developing cooperation in the field of biotechnology and biomedical systems. Representatives of Salymbekov University expressed interest in adapting SPbPU educational programs to train specialists in these promising areas.

    The colleagues agreed to develop a roadmap for cooperation, which provides for the exchange of curricula, joint research, and the organization of academic exchanges. The first student intake for joint programs is planned for September of this year.

    President of Salymbekov University Amangeldi Zhumadilov noted: Our university occupies a leading position in the national rankings of Kyrgyzstan and first place among the young universities of the country. Partnership with SPbPU is an important step in expanding international cooperation and improving the quality of Kyrgyz education.

    The visit ended with the signing of a memorandum of understanding, which laid the foundation for further joint work. The next step will be a detailed elaboration of mechanisms for implementing the agreed initiatives and the preparation of the necessary documents for launching the first joint programs.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Election Diary: Labor to slash more consultant costs and increase visa charges to pay for fresh election commitments

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

    The government has dug out last-minute savings of more than
    A$7 billion, to ensure its election commitments are more than offset in every year of the forward estimates.

    Its costings, released Monday, include savings of $6.4 billion from further reducing spending on consultants, contractors and labour hire, as well as non-wage expenses including travel, hospitality and property.

    The second saving is $760 million from increasing the visa application fee for primary student visa applicants to $2000 from July 1.

    Treasurer Jim Chalmers told a news conference Labor’s costings “show that we will more than offset our election campaign commitments in every year of the forward estimates”.

    “We will finish this election campaign with the budget in a stronger position than at the start of the election campaign”.

    “We have improved the budget position by more than $1 billion, comparing the pre-election outlook to the costings that we release today,” he said.

    With its costings out, Labor is piling the pressure onto the opposition to produce its numbers.

    “We call on the Coalition now to come clean on their cuts. We’ve made it very clear what our costs are and how we will pay for the commitments that we have made in this election campaign,” Chalmers said.

    The opposition “need to come clean on what their secret cuts for nuclear reactors means for Medicare, for pensions and payments, for skills and housing and other essential investments.

    “They have committed more than $60 billion in this election campaign and in their policy commitments, and that’s before we get to their $600 billion of nuclear reactors.”

    Chalmers said if the opposition costings did not include the cost of the nuclear reactors they “will not be worth the paper they are written on”.

    Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor said opposition costings, coming later this week, would project a stronger budget position than Labor’s. He also said if the Coalition was elected it would have an economic statement later this year.

    As the costings war ramps up, ratings agency S&P warned Australia’s AAA credit rating could be threatened if election promises resulted in larger structural deficits, and debt and interest expenses increased more than expected.

    Given deficits and international circumstances, “how the elected government funds its campaign pledges and rising spending will be crucial for maintaining the rating”, the agency said.

    Asked about the comments, Chalmers said: “I say to that particular agency, indeed, all of the ratings agencies, that in our time in office, we’ve engineered the biggest positive turnaround in a budget of any parliamentary term ever”. He pointed to the improvement in the budget numbers during the campaign to underline Labor’s credentials.

    The fresh impact of Labor’s promises on the bottom line has also been limited because most of them were already factored into the budget.

    After the savings and spends are netted out the deficit for 2025-26 is estimated to be $41.9 billion compared to the $42.2 billion in the pre-election economic and fiscal outlook.

    Chalmers says Dutton to build nuclear reactor in his own seat

    Jim Chalmers must carry off the prize for the most brazen “scare” of a campaign full of attempted scares.

    Chalmers picked up on Anthony Albanese’s question to Peter Dutton in Sunday’s debate, when the PM asked the opposition leader whether he’d be willing to have a nuclear power plant in his seat of Dickson. Dutton said he would.

    Chalmers’ message to voters in “that wonderful part of southeast Queensland” is: “your local member wants to build a nuclear reactor in your suburbs.”

    “[The Labor candidate,] Ali France, is not going to build a nuclear reactor in your local community but Peter Dutton wants to.

    “I would encourage you to think about that […] as you choose your local member,” Chalmers told his news conference.

    The treasurer kept a straight face while delivering this warning to Dickson voters.

    Dutton questions Welcome to Country ceremonies at Anzac Dawn services

    Peter Dutton has widened his criticism of the extent of Welcome to Country ceremonies by saying he does not believe they belong at Anzac Day dawn services.

    He said that listening to veterans, “I think the majority view would be that they don’t want it on that day”. But he said it was an individual decision up to the RSLs.

    Discussion of the Welcome to Country ceremonies has come to the fore after a group of neo-Nazis heckled the ceremony at the Shrine of Remembrance service on Friday. It also came up in Sunday’s debate between the leaders, when Dutton said the ceremonies should be reserved for significant occasions such as the opening of parliament.

    Questioned by reporters on Monday, Dutton said the acknowledgment to country given by Qantas when planes landed was “over the top”.

    “We are all equal Australians,” he said. “I believe we should stand behind one flag united to help Indigenous Australians deal with disparity around health outcomes, around education outcomes, around housing, around safety […] I want to provide support for practical reconciliation. The prime minister’s policy is to please inner city Greens, which is not something we signed up to.”

    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. Election Diary: Labor to slash more consultant costs and increase visa charges to pay for fresh election commitments – https://theconversation.com/election-diary-labor-to-slash-more-consultant-costs-and-increase-visa-charges-to-pay-for-fresh-election-commitments-255386

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Humor Festival: All-Russian KVN School is back at the State University of Management

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    From April 24 to 28, the State University of Management is hosting the fourth All-Russian KVN School, organized by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

    More than 400 applications were submitted for participation, of which 120 participants were selected. The guys came from 36 regions of Russia, including new territories.

    The opening was attended by Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Olga Petrova, Acting Director of the Department of Youth Policy and Educational Activities of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia Denis Savenkov and other employees of the Ministry of Education and Science, as well as representatives of TTO “AMiK”.

    Over the course of several days, participants interact with experienced editors from various KVN MS leagues, including the Major League. And as a pleasant bonus, they will attend the dress rehearsal of the KVN Major League filming.

    The final event of the All-Russian School will be a return game, where the participants will show what they have been working on all days of the School.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 04/28/2025

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: AI technologies: artificial intelligence changes medicine and sports

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The Polytechnic University hosted the tenth seminar on artificial intelligence. Participants discussed the prospects and problems associated with the implementation of AI technologies.

    The invited guest of the event was Denis Pegansky, the head of a company from Omsk that creates and promotes products using AI technologies in medicine, sports and physical rehabilitation. He spoke about the results achieved and the development prospects of this area.

    Denis Pegansky also heads the Agency of Sports Technologies, where specialists develop methodologies and tools for using neural networks and deep learning to solve problems. Among them are the identification and monitoring of various patterns (biomechanics of movements, stereotypes of habitual poses, etc.), forecasting trends, as well as adaptive management in healthcare, physical rehabilitation and sports.

    For example, in hockey, proprietary algorithms are used to identify players, game moments and exercise types, to calculate exercise performance indicators, analyze the training process and build a movement standard. In figure skating, a pressing task is to calculate the angles of an athlete’s turn when performing a jump, which will help the jury evaluate the correctness and quality of the elements, and the performers – to improve their skills. In Russia and abroad, there are already similar systems based on computer vision, but so far they are very expensive and have a high percentage of error. To improve the quality of such neural network technologies, large datasets and new technical developments are needed. Denis Pegansky’s company is working to ensure that only one video camera is used to assess a person’s physical condition and calculate his movements.

    Another area of work is the creation of an original method for assessing the parameters of movements of patients with neurological diseases and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Based on certain parameters, the neural network draws conclusions about the patient’s condition and assesses the effectiveness of his treatment and rehabilitation. Based on the data, the doctor develops personalized recommendations.

    The seminar participants asked the expert questions related to the formation of databases, the use of verified sources, and the promotion of technologies. Vice-Rector for Research at SPbPU Yuri Fomin noted that the Polytechnic University has similar projects that have commercialization potential, and they need to be developed, including by joining forces with companies already operating in the market.

    Professor of the Higher School of Service and Trade of SPbPU Sergey Barykin also spoke at the seminar. He spoke about his experience of studying AI technologies in China and about the prospects for the development of hypernetworks of financial and material flows in the platform hybrid metauniverse of logistics and service.

    IT advisor of the continuous education foundation “University of Development” Elena Konik presented her vision of the development of artificial intelligence in the context of mathematical analysis and the possibilities of AI technologies, in particular, for the protection of personal data.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Gold and bronze! ISPO students shine at the “Professionals” championship

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    Students of the Institute of Secondary Vocational Education Alexey Zhuk and Pavel Yasinsky became the winners of the final (interregional) stages of the “Professionals” championship. Alexey took first place and received a gold medal in the “Specialist in testing game software” competency in Saransk. Pavel Yasinsky won a bronze medal in the “Specialist in data analysis (BI analyst)” competency in Kaluga.

    The interregional stage seemed less difficult to me than the regional one. The module that required the most effort was the one where we had to create documentation from scratch, relying only on personal experience and understanding of the project. This required concentration and structured thinking. I am studying in the Information Systems and Programming specialty, so development is close to me, and testing game software is precisely a quality check of the product development, – said Alexey Zhuk.

    Pavel Yasinsky noted that the main part of the tasks did not cause any difficulties, since he is fluent in the Python programming language, the main one in data analysis. However, the module proposed by the industrial expert from Postgres Professional caused some difficulty. Pavel also managed to go on two excursions to Kaluga, despite the rather tight competition schedule.

    Participation in the All-Russian championship movement for professional skills opens up a wide range of opportunities for all children – from meeting colleagues from different regions of the country to completing internships with leading industrial partners.

    We congratulate the students on their victory and also thank their mentors, ISPO teachers Daria Ivanova and Elena Zernova.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 28 April 2025 How rehabilitation provided a second chance to an earthquake survivor

    Source: World Health Organisation

    Over 33 days in intensive care, he received not only medical treatment to stabilize him, but also began his journey of recovery, including profound emotional support from doctors and nurses who helped him cope with trauma and grief.

    For weeks, Hamza lay in a hospital bed, struggling to process everything. Then, in April, rehabilitation became his lifeline. He was the most severely injured among those who had limb damage at the hospital. Yet, within those walls , they formed friendships, and supported each other. At first, even sitting up felt impossible. But his therapists wouldn’t let him give up. 

    “I will never forget my first physiotherapist, Nadide,” he said. “She told me to put in the effort, so I did. If they trained me for one hour, I trained myself for four.” 

    His rehabilitation plan was intense—physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and strength training. Learning to use prosthetic limbs was gruelling. At first, he could barely stand for 30 seconds. Then a minute. Then three. Now, he can walk nearly a kilometre with the aid of a cane. He’s also seeing improvement in his hand function: “Grasping was impossible at first. Now, I can hold a cup of tea,” he shared. “It’s the little victories that matter.”

    But the most significant battle wasn’t physical—it was mental. Losing his independence hit him the hardest. “For 14 months, someone else had to feed me,” he admitted. “That was the most difficult part.” 

    Still, he kept pushing forward. “Every morning, seeing my doctors and therapists gave me strength,” he said. “They never gave up on me, so I didn’t give up on myself.” But the biggest credit goes to my companion, Hayrettin Ayaz, who has been with me for the entire 19 months. He did what most of my relatives wouldn’t have done. 

    Hamza’s journey is a powerful reminder that rehabilitation isn’t just about medical treatment—it’s about rebuilding confidence, reclaiming life. “Prosthetics alone won’t help without effort,” he said. “But with training and determination, even the impossible starts to feel within reach.”  

    Now, 19 months into his recovery, he’s focused on one goal: full independence 

    He acknowledged, “I still have challenges ahead, but I’ve overcome so much already.” His advice to those going through comparable difficulties:” Never give up. Continue. Rehabilitation is about believing in yourself, not just about the physical body.  

     

    Hamza’s story demonstrates that life after tragedy is not only possible but can be extraordinary with perseverance, support, and unwavering will. 

    This story was developed based on an interview conducted and photographed by WHO Türkiye / Tunç Özceber

     

     

    “,”datePublished”:”2025-04-28T07:20:33.0000000+00:00″,”image”:”https://cdn.who.int/media/images/default-source/headquarters/teams/uhc—communicable-noncommunicable-diseases-(ucn)/noncommunicable-diseases-rehabilitation-and-disability-(ncd)/sensory-functions-disability-and-rehabilitation-(sdr)/rehab-in-action-hamza.png?sfvrsn=c8fc1aeb_3″,”publisher”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”World Health Organization: WHO”,”logo”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https://www.who.int/Images/SchemaOrg/schemaOrgLogo.jpg”,”width”:250,”height”:60}},”dateModified”:”2025-04-28T07:20:33.0000000+00:00″,”mainEntityOfPage”:”https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/how-rehabilitation-provided-a-second-chance-to-an-earthquake-survivor”,”@context”:”http://schema.org”,”@type”:”Article”};
    ]]>

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI: Atos announces the appointment of Marie de Scorbiac as Head of Investor Relations and CSR

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press Release

    Atos announces the appointment of Marie de Scorbiac as Head of Investor Relations and CSR

    Paris, France – April 28, 2025 – Atos Group today announces the appointment of Marie de Scorbiac as head of investor relations and CSR. Her mission will be to define and implement the Atos Group’s financial reporting strategy and develop its relations with shareholders, investors and financial analysts. She will also oversee Atos’s CSR strategy in favor of a secure and decarbonized digital world, creating sustainable value for all its stakeholders.

    Before joining Atos, Marie de Scorbiac was vice president of investor relations, public affairs, sustainability, and group financial planning and analysis. She was notably responsible for investor relations and CSR at Adevinta, the global leader in online classifieds for consumer goods, mobility, real estate and employment.

    From 2011 to 2019, Marie de Scorbiac was head of investor relations and financial communication of listed companies in Paris: Areva and then Elior Group.

    With a master’s degree in economic and social information from the University of Paris Dauphine, Marie started her career as a financial analyst at Thomson and Deutsche Bank.

    Philippe Salle, chairman and chief executive officer of Atos Group, said: “I am delighted to welcome Marie to the Atos Group management team. Her expertise and in-depth knowledge of financial markets will be key in developing and consolidating our relationships with the financial community. I wanted to bring investor relations and CSR under the same department, as I am convinced of the positive impact of Atos’s social and environmental commitment on its long-term performance.”

    ***

    About Atos

    Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with c. 74,000 employees and annual revenue of c. € 10 billion. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high-performance computing, the Group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 68 countries. A pioneer in decarbonization services and products, Atos is committed to a secure and decarbonized digital for its clients. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea) and listed on Euronext Paris.

    The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space.

    Press contact | globalprteam@atos.net

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: How much do election promises cost? And why have we had to wait so long to see the costings?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bartos, Professor of Economics, University of Canberra

    With the May 3 federal election less than a week away, voters have only just received Labor’s costings and are yet to hear from the Coalition.

    At the 2022 election, the costings were not released for nearly two months after polling day.

    Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley last week told Sky News the Coalition costings will be “released in the lead up to election day and will be able to be fully interrogated”.

    This is now too late for the voters who have already cast their ballots. We have seen a record number of pre-poll votes this election, with more than 2.3 million as of Saturday. This means a sizeable percentage of the electorate has voted without knowing what their votes will cost.

    Voting without all the facts

    Whichever side wins, taxpayers eventually pay to implement policies. So knowing at least in broad terms the costs of the policies would be helpful.

    The Coalition has probably had many of its policies costed by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office. This process is thorough and impartial.

    Importantly, the Parliamentary Budget Office costs policies over ten years. This allows the full costs of policies to be understood better. Some policies such as large infrastructure take many years before the full impact on the budget is felt.

    Labor has already published the costs of many of its policies in the March 25 federal budget. This only covered the forward estimates, three years into the future, but is reliable for most policies. But we still need the costings for policies announced post-budget.

    The true picture?

    Even when we see the costings from both of the main parties, we can have no confidence their lists are accurate and complete. Parties may omit costings that might attract criticism.

    They may also present costings prepared by consultants rather than the Parliamentary Budget Office. You may recall controversy late last year over private modelling of the Coalition’s plans for nuclear power.

    Unfortunately we have to wait until after the election for a comprehensive and independent set of costings.

    The Parliamentary Budget Office does not publish its full list of costings (in the election commitments report) until well after the election. This is either 30 days from the end of the caretaker period or seven days before the new parliament first sits, whichever comes later.

    The election commitments report has some accountability value in relation to the party that forms government but does not help inform voters. It is a mystery why anyone would be interested in the costs of policies of the losing side. But they still must be published, according to electoral law.

    The report must include the major parties, although minor parties and independents can also be included in the report if they wish.

    Are there other approaches?

    By contrast, in New South Wales the state Parliamentary Budget Office publishes a complete set of costings five days before the election. Policies announced after this date miss out but these rarely affect the budget bottom line.

    Although, as occurs federally, many voters cast their ballots in advance, at least NSW’s approach gives most voters a chance to see the costs. This encourages the major parties to compete to produce a fiscally responsible total.

    The NSW approach is self-policing. Each major party studies the statements and if the other side omits something – large or small – they rapidly and loudly complain. Parties therefore try to make their policy lists as accurate as possible.

    Both sides are obliged by law to provide the budget office with all the proposed policies of the leader’s party.

    Toting up all the costs

    Federally, the budget office takes on the time-consuming job of tracking down all the policy announcements to cost and include in its post-election report.

    The differences arise from the different legislation that applies to each PBO.

    NSW has arguably an easier job because it costs policies only for the premier and leader of the opposition. The federal budget office costs for all members of parliament.

    The federal system requires policies submitted during the caretaker period, and their costings, must be published “as soon as practicable”. But major parties are highly unlikely to submit a policy only to have it and its costing released at a time not of its choosing.

    The requirement is likely motivated by transparency, but clashes with political reality. In NSW costings remain confidential until the leader advises the budget office the policy has been announced. This gives parties a way to have policies costed with a low risk of their premature release.

    DIY assessments

    Federally, there are other ways to estimate the costs of policies. The budget office has a Build your Own Budget Tool, and a tool for modelling alternative
    income tax proposals (SMART), both available online.

    These provide a fair approximation and are often used by journalists trying to get behind political announcements.

    The OECD lists 35 independent fiscal bodies in 29 OECD countries responsible for assessing election costings. Some are tiny, with just a few analysts. Some are
    huge and influential, like the US Congressional Budget Office. Few have the same focus on costing election policies that applies in Australia.

    Costs are a big deal here. Both parties have run advertisements attacking the other side on the question of whether their policies are affordable.

    On major policies such as the Coalition plans for nuclear power there are massive differences between cost estimates put forward by each side. Such differences could be resolved by an independent and impartial costing. This is why Australian voters deserve to see such costings as soon as possible.

    Stephen Bartos was NSW Parliamentary Budget Officer for the past three NSW general elections. He is now a professor at the University of Canberra.

    – ref. How much do election promises cost? And why have we had to wait so long to see the costings? – https://theconversation.com/how-much-do-election-promises-cost-and-why-have-we-had-to-wait-so-long-to-see-the-costings-255104

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Big and small spending included in Labor costings, but off-budget items yet to be revealed

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bartos, Professor of Economics, University of Canberra

    The federal budget will be stronger than suggested in last month’s budget, according to Treasurer Jim Chalmers who released Labor’s costings on Monday.

    Many of the policies included in the costings were already detailed in either the 2025 Budget or the Pre-Election Fiscal Outlook, so are shown as having a net zero cost.

    But that does not mean they are costless. It means simply that their costs were included in previously published budget updates.

    Monday’s media announcement is akin to the reconciliation table published in each update, prepared by the Treasury and Finance departments setting out how the numbers have changed.

    It seems likely this media release drew on the same methodology.

    It includes two savings measures. One is relatively small: $700 million from increasing the visa application charge for primary student visas. The big saving is $6.4 billion from further reducing spending on consultants, contractors, labour hire, and non-wage expenses such as travel, hospitality and property.

    Travel, hospitality and property expenses are small bikkies. Undoubtedly departments could make savings on these, but they won’t get anywhere near the total. The bulk of the savings will come from reducing spending on consultants and contractors.

    Labor has shown that such savings on consultants are possible; it did it in its first term. However, counterbalancing this, we saw increased spending on the public service.

    It is the same problem as with the Coalition’s promise to make savings by cutting public servants. Without cuts to programs and activities, work remains to be done. People have to be employed to do that work, leading either to more spending on the public service (Labor) or bringing back consultants (Coalition).

    There was no independent signoff suggesting Monday’s release included all of Labor’s policy announcements. We won’t get that until the Parliamentary Budget Office does its election commitments report.

    But this full list of costings is not released by the PBO until well after the election. This is either 30 days from the end of the caretaker period or seven days before the new parliament first sits, whichever comes later.

    However, Monday’s costings release does appear comprehensive, including not only the large headline announcements but several announcements of less than a million dollars a year.

    What are missing, though, are costings of items that are off-budget because they are balance sheet adjustments – for example, the reduction in student HECS debt.

    These do have a financial impact but due to their accounting treatment are not disclosed as hitting the budget balance. Ideally, these should be disclosed as well.

    Stephen Bartos 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. Big and small spending included in Labor costings, but off-budget items yet to be revealed – https://theconversation.com/big-and-small-spending-included-in-labor-costings-but-off-budget-items-yet-to-be-revealed-255425

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Millions of families to benefit from lower school uniform costs

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Millions of families to benefit from lower school uniform costs

    Government to cut school uniform costs for around 4.2 million children, saving families an estimated £73 million per year.

    Parents of over four million children are set to benefit from lower school uniform costs, new government analysis has found.

    As the government’s landmark Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill proceeds in the House of Lords this week, analysis shows new laws will wipe over £70 million off the cost of uniform for families across the country.

    It comes as a new survey shows a third of parents are still worried about uniform costs, with one in five schools said to have actually increased the number of branded items required over the past year.

    While currently schools are required to ‘limit’ the number of branded items they require, today’s survey shows almost half are not doing so.

    Parents are having to pay £442 on average to kit a child out for secondary school, and £343 for primary school, putting unnecessary financial pressure on families.

    To cut those costs for families and break down barriers as part of the government’s Plan for Change, new proposed laws will limit the number of branded, typically more expensive, items schools can require to three – excluding ties.

    Lowering uniform costs is just one of the measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which will strengthen safeguards for vulnerable children, put more money back in parents’ pockets including through free breakfast clubs, and bring every school up to the standard of the best.

    Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said:

    Looking smart at school shouldn’t cost the earth, and no parent should be forced to choose between buying family essentials and a school shirt or tie.

    Alongside our free breakfast clubs, these new laws will save parents hundreds of pounds a year, and make sure family finances have no bearing on children’s time at school.

    This bill is about keeping children safe, saving parents money and bringing every school up to the standard of the best, so we can break down barriers to opportunity and deliver our Plan for Change.

    The new uniform laws will save parents £50 a year in their back-to-school shop, which alongside the measure to introduce free breakfast clubs in all schools, will put £500 back into the pockets of parents. 

    Today’s analysis shows parents of an estimated 4.2 million pupils across 8,000 schools will have more flexibility to choose where they purchase their school uniform with the introduction of the cap.

    Uniform can create a sense of identity and pride for pupils but it can also be a source of anxiety and in some cases even impacts school attendance.

    Lynn Perry MBE, CEO of Barnardo’s, said:

    Barnardo’s welcomes the cap to the number of branded uniform items required by schools. It cannot be right that children are going to school wearing ill-fitted clothes or shoes due to the high cost of uniforms – but, as high prices continue to impact families, it’s yet another essential item that parents are struggling to afford.

    We look forward to seeing even bolder action in the upcoming child poverty strategy to tackle the number of children growing up in poverty.

    Existing statutory guidance on school uniform means all schools must consider and aim to minimise the cost on parents – but the new cap on branded items will take this even further.

    This government is determined to deliver on its Plan for Change to break the link between background and success – because a child’s background should not be what shapes their future.

    DfE media enquiries

    Central newsdesk – for journalists 020 7783 8300

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Secretary-General of ASEAN receives Dean of ERIA School of Government

    Source: ASEAN

    Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, this morning met with the Dean of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) School of Government, Professor Nobuhiro Aizawa, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia.

    The meeting discussed ongoing preparations for the upcoming ERIA Leadership Lecture by Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, President of the Senate of the Kingdom of Cambodia, to be held on 6 May 2025, in ERIA’s office, in Jakarta.

    The post Secretary-General of ASEAN receives Dean of ERIA School of Government appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-Evening Report: A ketamine nasal spray will be subsidised for treatment-resistant depression. Here’s what you need to know about Spravato

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nial Wheate, Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University

    WPixz/Shutterstock

    An antidepressant containing a form of the drug ketamine has been added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), making it much cheaper for the estimated 30,000 Australians with treatment-resistant depression. This is when a patient has tried multiple forms of treatment for major depression – usually at least two antidepressant medications – without any improvement.

    From May 1, a dose of Spravato (also known as esketamine hydrochloride) will cost $A31.60 and $7.70 for concession card holders.

    However, unlike oral antidepressants, Spravato can’t be taken at home. Here’s how it works, and who it’s expected to help.

    What is Spravato?

    The chemical ketamine is used as an anaesthetic. In this formulation it combines both the right-handed (designated “R”) and left-handed (called “S”) forms of the molecule.

    This means they are mirror images of each other, similar to how your left hand is a mirror image of your right hand. The left- and right-hand forms can have different effects in the body.

    Spravato contains only the left-handed version, giving the drug its generic name esketamine.

    Spravato works by increasing the levels of glutamate in the brain. Glutamate is a key chemical messenger molecule that excites brain nerve cells, lifting and improving mood. It also plays a role in learning and forming memories.

    How is it taken?

    Spravato cannot be taken at home.

    A patient can self-administer, but it must be done at a registered treatment facility, such as a hospital, under the supervision of medical staff so they can look out for blood pressure changes and monitor potential side effects.

    The drug is provided as a single-use nasal spray. This application means it’s absorbed directly through the nasal lining into the brain, so it starts to work within minutes.

    Spravato must also be taken alongside an oral antidepressant. This will be a new one the patient hasn’t tried before. In clinical trials, it was usually an SNRI or SSRI medication.

    When a patient first starts on Spravato, they are given the spray twice a week in the first month. It is then administered once a week for the second month, and then weekly or fortnightly after that.

    Once there are signs the medicine is working, treatment is continued for at least six months.

    You can use the spray yourself but it must be under medical supervision in a registered facility.
    Scarc/Shutterstock

    How effective is it?

    Spravato was approved for sale in Australia based on clinical trial data from more than 1,600 patients who were administered the drug for a period of four weeks. Each was given either Spravato, or a nasal placebo, and an oral antidepressant.

    Patients were given a starting dose of either 28 or 56mg, which could be then increased up to 84mg by their doctor.

    By the end of the four weeks, a greater percentage of patients who were given Spravato were found to have had a meaningful response to the treatment when compared with patients who received the placebo. Patients who were taking Spravato were also found to relapse at a lower rate. For those who did relapse, it took the Spravato patients longer to relapse when compared with patients who took the placebo.

    It is expected Spravato will benefit a wide range of patients. The clinical trials demonstrated effectiveness for men and women, people aged 18 to 64, and those from a range of different ethnic backgrounds.



    Read more:
    Depression too often gets deemed ‘hard to treat’ when medication falls short

    Potential side effects

    As with any medicine, Spravato may cause side effects, some of which can be serious. The most common include:

    • dissociation (feeling disconnected from yourself or what is around you)
    • dizziness
    • nausea and vomiting
    • drowsiness
    • headache
    • change in taste
    • vertigo.

    Because Spravato can potentially increase blood pressure, medical staff will monitor a patient before and after it is administered.

    Usually, blood pressure spikes around 40 minutes after taking the drug, so a reading is taken around this time. After taking Spravato, if their blood pressure has stayed low, or it’s dropping, the patient is given the all-clear to go home.

    Due to the potential for this and other serious side effects, Spravato carries a black triangle warning. This means medical staff are encouraged to report any problem or side effect to the Therapeutic Goods Administration. A black triangle warning is generally used for new medicines or medicines that are being used in a new way.

    Who will be eligible?

    To be eligible for a prescription, a patient will need to have been diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression. In practice, this means they will have unsuccessfully tried at least two other antidepressant drugs first.

    Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration approved Spravato for use in Australia in 2021, meaning it was available but not subsidised. Since then, the sponsoring company, Janssen-Cilag (an Australian subsidiary of the multinational Johnson & Johnson), applied to have it added to the PBS four times.

    In December 2024, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee recommended a PBS listing.

    The new PBS listing, capping the price of a single treatment at $31.60, is a significant price drop. In 2023, single doses of branded Spravato were reported to cost anywhere between $500 and $900.

    However, patients may still have to pay hundreds of dollars for appointments at private clinics where Spravato can be administered. Public places are available but limited.

    Spravato may be suitable for you if you’ve tried different antidepressants without success. If it is suitable for you, then your doctor can discuss the next steps.

    If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

    Nial Wheate in the past has received funding from the ACT Cancer Council, Tenovus Scotland, Medical Research Scotland, Scottish Crucible, and the Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance. He is a fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. Nial is the chief scientific officer of Vaihea Skincare LLC, a director of SetDose Pty Ltd (a medical device company) and was previously a Standards Australia panel member for sunscreen agents. He is a member of the Haleon Australia Pty Ltd Pain Advisory Board. Nial regularly consults to industry on issues to do with medicine risk assessments, manufacturing, design and testing.

    Shoohb Alassadi 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. A ketamine nasal spray will be subsidised for treatment-resistant depression. Here’s what you need to know about Spravato – https://theconversation.com/a-ketamine-nasal-spray-will-be-subsidised-for-treatment-resistant-depression-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-spravato-255403

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Peter Dutton calling the ABC and the Guardian ‘hate media’ rings alarm bells for democracy

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denis Muller, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancing Journalism, The University of Melbourne

    In front of a crowd of party faithful last weekend, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton referred to the ABC, Guardian Australia and other news platforms as “hate media”. The language was extreme, the inference being these outlets were not simply doing their jobs, but attacking him and his side of politics because of ideological bias.

    Speaking at a Liberal Party campaign rally in the Melbourne western suburb of Melton, Dutton said:

    Forget about what you have been told by the ABC, The Guardian and the other hate media. Listen to what you hear [at] doors. Listen to what people say on the pre-polling. Know in your hearts that we are a better future for our country.

    Melton is in the Labor-held seat of Hawke, which the Liberals believe they can win.

    Dutton provided no evidence to support his accusation, for the good reason that there has been nothing in the ABC’s or Guardian Australia’s coverage of Dutton that could remotely justify it.

    By a process of elimination, the “other hate media” to which he referred can only be The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, given the News Corporation mastheads have been unflagging in their support for him throughout the campaign.

    What has been common to the campaign coverage by the ABC, Guardian Australia, The Age and the SMH has been close scrutiny of both sides and both leaders.

    The three newspapers in particular have put renewed resources into independently fact-checking claims made by both Dutton and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and have caught out both men telling falsehoods.

    The broadcast news media on the whole have played it straight, except of course for Sky News after dark, which has been as relentlessly pro-Coalition as their News Corp newspaper stablemates.

    Beyond these professional mass media platforms, there have been clearly partisan social media influencers working on both sides, as well as a range of podcasters, but none of these has been guilty of hate speech towards Dutton or anyone else.

    The inescapable conclusion is that Dutton equates scrutiny of him by journalists with hate speech.

    This is where his attitude becomes dangerous to democracy. It comes straight from US President Donald Trump’s playbook, where the professional mass media are “fake news” and the “enemy of the people”.

    It is designed to play not just on people’s longstanding distrust of the news media in general – though not of the ABC – but on some voters’ sense of grievance at the way governments have treated them.

    This worked for Trump in the United States, but it became obvious early in the campaign that any association with Trumpism was a strong political negative in Australia, particularly in the atmosphere of alarm generated by his tariff war.

    Dutton then took pains to distance himself from Trumpism, and at the Liberal launch in Western Australia his face was a picture of alarm when Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, whom he had appointed to the Trumpian-sounding post of shadow minister for government efficiency, used the slogan “Make Australia Great Again”.

    But it is typical of his incoherent campaign that at the start of the last week he should be echoing the Trumpian view of the media in such extreme terms, creating even more instability. In an ABC interview, his shadow minister for finance, Jane Hume, refused to support him, saying “that wouldn’t be a phrase I would use”.

    It also raises legitimate questions about how Dutton would treat the media should he become prime minister. For example, if a media platform refused to obey his wishes, or provide him with coverage of which he approved, would its representatives be excluded from prime ministerial access?

    Not long ago, such a proposition would have been inconceivable, but Trump banned the Associated Press (AP) from presidential access because it would not obey his instruction to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. A federal judge later found the ban violated the First Amendment, and ordered AP’s access to be restored.

    It is very improbable Dutton would even try to impose his will on the commercial media in Australia, especially the newspapers.

    In fact, Guardian Australia has turned his remark into a fundraising opportunity. It emailed subscribers with the subject line “A note from the ‘hate media’,” comparing Dutton’s language to that of Trump, and asking for financial support to keep holding figures like Dutton to account.

    But his potential to punish the publicly funded ABC is another matter.

    From statements he has made during the campaign, it seems certain the ABC would be in for more funding cuts and an investigation into its operations of the kind Trump has launched into America’s National Public Radio.



    Read more:
    What would – and should – happen to the ABC under the next federal government?

    Coalition prime ministers going back to John Howard have had a hostile relationship with the ABC. Howard stacked the ABC board, and the panel that nominates its members, with ideological mates.

    In the eight years from 2014 to 2022, under the Coalition governments of Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison, $526 million was cut from the ABC’s budget.

    During that time, there was also a series of inquiries into the ABC, set up to satisfy politicians with a beef against the ABC, notably Pauline Hanson.

    The day after Dutton’s “hate media” statement, the ABC’s 4 Corners program revealed he failed for two years to disclose he was the beneficiary of a family trust that operated lucrative childcare businesses when he was a cabinet minister.

    This is unlikely to improve his view of the national broadcaster. He may even see it as more hate. In fact, it is just good journalism.

    Denis Muller and Nicole Chvastek will discuss this further on their Truth, Lies and Media podcast on Wednesday April 30.

    Denis Muller 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. Peter Dutton calling the ABC and the Guardian ‘hate media’ rings alarm bells for democracy – https://theconversation.com/peter-dutton-calling-the-abc-and-the-guardian-hate-media-rings-alarm-bells-for-democracy-255412

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: PodTalk.live ushers in new ‘indie’ information and debate era

    PodTalk.live

    After a successful beta-launch this month, PodTalk.live has now called for people to register as foundation members — it’s free to join the post and podcast social platform.

    The foundation membership soft-launch is a great opportunity for founders to help shape a brand new, vibrant, algorithm-free, info discussion and debate social platform.

    “PodTalk.live has been put to test by selected individuals and we’re pleased to report that it has performed fabulously,” said the the platform developer Selwyn Manning.

    Manning is founder and managing director of the company that custom-developed PodTalk.live — Multimedia Investments Ltd.

    PodTalk.live . . . a new era. Image: PodTalk screenshot APR

    MIL is based in Aotearoa New Zealand, where PodTalk.live was developed and is served from.

    And now, PodTalk.live has emerged from its beta stage and is ready for foundation members to shape the next phase of its development.

    An alternative platform
    PodTalk.live was designed to be an alternative platform to other social media platforms.

    PodTalk has all the functions that most social media platforms have but has placed the user-experience at the centre of its backend design and engineering.

    PodTalk.live has been custom-designed, created and is served from New Zealand.

    “We ourselves became annoyed at how social media giants use algorithms to drive what content their users see and experience,” Manning said.

    “And, we also were appalled at how some social media companies trade user data, and were unresponsive to user-concerns.

    “So we decided to create a platform that focuses on ‘discussion and debate’ communities, and we have engineered PodTalk to ensure the content that users see is what they choose — rather than some obscure algorithm making that decision for them.

    “PodTalk.live is independent from other social media platforms, and at best will become an alternative choice for people who seek a community where they are the centre of a platform’s core purpose.

    Sign-up invitation
    ““And today, we invite people to sign up now and become foundation members of this new and ethically-based social community platform,” Manning said.

    What PodTalk.live provides includes:

    • user profiles with full interactivities with other users and friends;
    • user created groups, posts, video, images, polls, and file sharing;
    • private and secure one-on-one (and group) messages;
    • availability of all the above for entry users with a free membership;
    • premium membership for podcasters and event publishers requiring easy to use podcast publication and syndication services; and next-level community engagement tools that users have all on the one platform.

    Manning said PodTalk.live was founded on the belief that for social, political and economical progress to occur people needed to discuss issues in a safe environment and embark on robust debate.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Plans to stockpile critical minerals will help Australia weather global uncertainty – and encourage smaller miners

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mohan Yellishetty, Professor, Co-Founder, Critical Minerals Consortium, and Australia-India Critical Minerals Research Hub, Monash University

    RHJPhtotos/Shutterstock

    The world needs huge quantities of critical minerals to make batteries, electric vehicles, wind turbines, mobile phones, computers and advanced weaponry.

    Many of these minerals lie under Australian soil. Australia is able to produce 9 out of 10 mineral elements required to produce lithium-ion batteries, such as lithium, nickel and cobalt. It also has the highest total reserves of battery minerals.

    But at a time of major geopolitical upheaval, critical minerals are also contested. China controls many critical mineral supply chains, allowing it to dominate clean energy technologies. The ongoing United States–China trade war has intensified competition for access to critical minerals.

    It’s against this backdrop that Labor has proposed a A$1.2 billion strategic reserve of critical minerals. It’s a timely and welcome step in the right direction.

    Why is this reserve needed?

    Critical minerals are vital to the industries of the future. But supply can be hard to secure and disruptions can be devastating.

    After US President Donald Trump jacked up tariffs on China, Beijing responded by clamping down on critical mineral exports. Almost 80% of US weaponry depends on Chinese critical minerals.

    China now dominates mining and refining of many critical minerals. Beijing controls 90% of the world’s rare earth refining, 80% of lithium refining and 68% of nickel refining. The US and other nations are belatedly trying to catch up.

    Mining has long been a major Australian industry, particularly iron ore and coal. But Australia has huge reserves of many critical minerals, producing the largest volume of lithium ore in the world as well as stocks of cobalt, manganese, rutile and others. Australian miners Lynas and Australian Strategic Materials are two of the few rare-earth mining companies not owned by China.

    That’s where this strategic reserve comes in. If it comes to fruition, the federal government would buy agreed volumes of critical minerals from commercial projects, or establish an option to purchase them at a given price. It would then keep stockpiles of these key minerals to prevent market manipulation by China and stabilise prices by releasing or holding stocks strategically.

    The reserve would give Canberra more leverage in negotiating with trading partners and enable a rapid response to supply disruptions. Government backing for the industry would boost onshore processing, scale up domestic production and encourage more high-wage, high-skill jobs in regional areas.

    Which minerals will be stockpiled? That’s yet to be determined. The list of ‘critical minerals’ can vary between countries, and a mineral critical to one nation may not be to another.

    Australia lists 31 critical minerals while Japan lists 35, the US lists 50 and the European Union 34. Australia’s list is unique in that it reflects global demand, not domestic dependency.

    The minerals most commonly included in these lists include cobalt, gallium, indium, niobium, tantalum, platinum group minerals and rare earth elements.

    Why is the government intervening?

    In 2023, major miners produced close to a billion tonnes of iron ore in Western Australia.

    By contrast, critical mineral volumes are small. For instance, only 610 tonnes of gallium were mined in 2023. Major miners such as Rio Tinto, BHP and Vale don’t tend to bother.

    Critical mineral markets are often opaque and highly concentrated. The barrier to entry is high. Globally, the market for the 31 critical minerals on Australia’s list is valued at around A$344 billion – about the size of the global aluminium market.

    That leaves it to mid-tier and small miners to bridge the gap between rapidly growing demand and supply. The problem is, raising capital is often very difficult. The price of critical minerals can fluctuate wildly. The price of lithium and nickel have fallen sharply over the last two years due to market oversupply.

    The strategic reserve would make it easier for these miners by providing access to capital through loans from Export Finance Australia and private investors, reducing financial uncertainty and cost overruns and acting as a buffer against market volatility.

    For instance, mid-tier miner Illuka Resources is building Australia’s first rare earths refinery in Western Australia. The project already has significant government support, but it is likely to need more.

    Despite Australia’s significant mineral resources, it faces an uphill battle to gain market share. China’s dominance has been driven by low production costs; low environmental, social and goverance standards; and a competitive labour market. But intensifying geopolitical competition between China and the US means Australian minerals would likely be sought by the US.

    How can Australia best play its hand?

    In volatile market conditions, cheaper operations have a significant advantage, while new mines face an uphill battle.

    Australia’s critical minerals hub framework could help offset capital costs. Smaller miners could form cooperatives to share infrastructure and manage logistics, processing and access to international markets. Sharing infrastructure such as roads, rail, energy and ports would reduce the investment risk.

    There are other challenges to overcome, such as the long lead times of 10 years or more to go from discovery to production, limited access to low-cost renewable energy and a shortage of technical and scientific capabilities.

    Labor’s strategic reserve would help. But it won’t be enough to make Australia into a critical mineral giant. The government should consider:

    • building more regional processing hubs with shared infrastructure and microgrids
    • offering royalty exemptions, tax incentives and energy subsidies early on
    • giving incentives to retrofit facilities to produce critical minerals found alongside main ores, such as cobalt found alongside copper and antimony with gold
    • encouraging models where rare earths are concentrated in Australia and processed overseas in partner countries
    • establishing Centres of Excellence on critical minerals and creating shared libraries of intellectual property to support research, avoid duplication and optimise resource allocation.

    Overall, the proposed reserve is an excellent idea. Government intervention will be necessary to absorb and mitigate risks from price fluctuations and geopolitical shocks.

    Mohan Yellishetty receives funding from the Australian Research Council, Geoscience Australia, Defense Science Institute, Boral Limited, AGL Loy Yang, Indian Ministry of Education. He is affiliated with AusIMM as its fellow, Honorary Academic Fellow, Australia India Institute, Foreign Fellow, Indian Geophysical Union, and affiliated with Indian Institute of Technology (Dharwad, Mumbai, Hyderabad). David Whittle contributed to the research base and data for this article.

    – ref. Plans to stockpile critical minerals will help Australia weather global uncertainty – and encourage smaller miners – https://theconversation.com/plans-to-stockpile-critical-minerals-will-help-australia-weather-global-uncertainty-and-encourage-smaller-miners-255320

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –