NewzIntel.com

Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI USA: Bean Secures Release of K-12 Education Funds

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Aaron Bean Florida (4th District)

    WASHINGTON— Following urgent advocacy from U.S. Congressman Aaron Bean (FL-04), the U.S. Department of Education has reversed its hold on critical K-12 formula grant funding. Congressman Bean’s letter to Secretary Linda McMahon played a decisive role in unlocking the funds, part of a $6.8 billion nationwide allocation that had been unexpectedly frozen, jeopardizing school district preparations just weeks before the start of the academic year.

    “Duval County Schools were counting on this money just weeks ahead of opening their doors for the new school year. That’s why I stepped in — and I’m proud to say the Department of Education heard our plea, and the money is on its way to Northeast Florida,” said Congressman Bean. 

    Duval County Public Schools will receive approximately $7.87 million from the restored funding—resources that will directly support staffing, classroom supplies, and essential student services. School leaders across the district can now move forward with confidence as they prepare for the fall semester. 

    “Congressman Bean, thank you! You are now and have always been a fierce advocate for our students. The news of this release of federal education dollars underscores the commitment you have demonstrated time and time again and will produce an improvement in our student outcomes.  Your advocacy in supporting students in North Florida is admirable, and I am ever grateful for the work you do for your constituents,” said Charlotte Joyce, Duval County School Board Member – District 6.

    ###

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Crapo Announces Finance Committee Staff Updates

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo

    Washington, D.C.–Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) today announced the following staff updates:

    Molly Newell, Chief International Trade Counsel

    Molly has been promoted to Chief International Trade Counsel. Molly joined the Finance Committee in January 2023 from Hogan Lovells US LLP, where she was an associate in the International Trade and Investment practice group working on issues involving trade remedies, customs, and U.S. trade policy. Before Hogan Lovells, she was a Senior Legislative Assistant in Representative Luke Messer’s (R-Indiana) office. Molly holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center; a Master in Economic Law from Sciences Po; and a B.A. in French and International Studies from Indiana University.

    Brian Bombassaro, International Trade Counsel

    Brian rejoined the Committee in March after working as a Senior Associate at Arnold & Porter LLP. Prior to that, he served under former Finance Committee Chairmen Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). He received his J.D. from Yale Law School, M.P.P. from the Harvard Kennedy School and B.S.B.A. and B.A. from the University of Florida.

    Caitlin Wilson, Senior Health Counsel

    Caitlin joins the Committee from the Senate Budget Committee, where she participated in the reconciliation process to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as senior counsel. She previously served as counsel to Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Roy Blunt (R-Missouri) and the House Energy and Commerce Committee under Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Washington). She received her J.D. from Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and her B.A. in Political Science from Gettysburg College.

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Markey, Reps. Schakowsky, Ruiz, Jayapal Introduce Dr. Paul Farmer Memorial Resolution Outlining 21st Century Global Health Strategy

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Resolution Text (PDF)

    Washington (July 31, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), along with Representatives Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Dr. Raul Ruiz (CA-25), and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), today introduced the Dr. Paul Farmer Memorial Resolution, to honor Dr. Farmer’s staggering life and legacy and lay out his extraordinary vision for realizing global health equity. This resolution lays out a 21st century global health strategy that proposes spending $125 billion annually on global health aid, reforming aid to focus on building national health systems, and putting an end to the exploitation of impoverished countries to increase their domestic tax base and health spending. This resolution seeks to save over 100 million lives per decade by increasing the flow of money in the global economy.

    “Dr. Paul Farmer was a health care visionary and revolutionary who understood compassion and care went hand in hand. At a time when global health and well-being are strained, I am proud to introduce this resolution honoring Dr. Farmer and the transformational work he did to deliver health care to people and communities around the world. Health is the first wealth, and we must do everything in our power to ensure that people around the world are healthy, safe, and have access to the resources they need to live and thrive,” said Senator Markey.

    “Dr. Paul Farmer is responsible for transforming the lives of millions and millions of poor and marginalized people around the world, bringing them health care, dignity, and justice. A true visionary, Paul insisted that all people have a right to excellent health care, and he developed the systems to deliver it in places people had written off. Gleaming world class hospitals and locally trained doctors, nurses, and community workers now exist in places like Haiti and Rwanda. Paul was not only a world-renowned leader in global health, but also a precious friend and a tireless organizer, inspiring thousands of people to actively participate in his work. All of us owe him a debt that can only be paid by carrying on his mission and legacy,” said Congresswoman Schakowsky. “That is why I am introducing the Dr. Paul Farmer Memorial Resolution alongside my colleagues Senator Markey and Representatives Ruiz and Jayapal. This resolution lays out a 21st Century Global Health Strategy that enshrines Paul’s vision to achieve global universal health care and end unnecessary and preventable deaths. We are the richest country in the world at the richest time in the world. As the Trump Administration rips away lifesaving aid from millions of people, it is more important than ever for those of us who care about global health and justice to rededicate ourselves to building and fully funding a robust global health strategy. Paul called on us to understand global health inequity as an injustice—a result of centuries of violence and exploitation inflicted on the global poor. We can make the choice to end global health inequity, and with Paul’s vision guiding us, we will.”

    “Dr. Paul Farmer was more than a global health leader, he was my mentor, professor, and dear friend,” said Congressman Ruiz. “From my early years at Harvard Medical School to our work together in Boston, Chiapas, Guatemala, and post-earthquake Haiti, he showed me what it means to fight for underserved communities with unwavering dedication. I am honored to help reintroduce this resolution in his memory, as a testament to his extraordinary impact on humanity.”

    “Dr. Paul Farmer changed global health for the better with his work in impoverished countries, treating infectious diseases and providing high quality care to those who needed it most. He also fundamentally altered the way we think about international aid, and his organizing and movement building has led to millions of people worldwide living healthier and longer lives. As a lifelong organizer and someone who worked in global health for years before coming to Congress, I know the importance of this work and know how devastating Trump and Republicans’ cuts to USAID and other international aid programs are. This resolution outlines a vision for a world in which we tackle the injustice of global health inequities and treat health care as a true human right. It also recognizes that to achieve these goals, we need to democratize the global financial system, including cancelling predatory debt that has often crushed low- and middle-income countries. I’m proud to co-lead it with Representatives Schakowsky and Ruiz,” said Congresswoman Jayapal.

    The proposals in the resolution are as follows:

    • Increase global health aid to $125 billion per year
      • Close the essential universal health care financing gap for low-income countries
      • Allow the U.S. to meet the U.N. aid target of 0.7% GNI for the first time ever
    • Reform global health aid
      • Focus on building national health systems and direct funding to local partners, not the development industry
      • Develop new medical technologies for diseases of poverty and ensure their availability as global public goods
    • Make the global economy more fair, just, and democratic
      • Democratizing the IMF, World Bank, and World Trade Organization, so that poor countries have greater say over decisions that affect their economies and their ability to finance health systems
      • Global debt cancelation for all developing countries that need it
      • Ending harmful licit and illicit financial flows from poor countries—ending global tax havens and illegal practices like trade misinvoicing
      • Supporting global labor rights, such as a global minimum wage

    “In this moment of crisis, we need Paul’s vision for global health justice more than ever. Thankfully, that vision is captured in this resolution. It provides us with a much-needed roadmap for global cooperation based on solidarity and justice by getting to the root causes of unnecessary suffering and death, or what Paul called ‘structural violence’. This includes greatly improving development assistance for health, but also going well beyond aid to address ongoing extractive colonial arrangements, which preclude local investments in health systems,” said Sheila Davis, CEO of Partners in Health.

    As an infectious disease physician, Dr. Farmer earned accolades for treating patients in impoverished countries with high quality care, including those suffering from HIV and cancer. As a medical anthropologist, he was known for popularizing and deepening understandings of “structural violence,” the idea that social systems are designed to impoverish, sicken, and sideline select groups. As chief strategist of Partners in Health, he garnered plaudits for pioneering community-based treatment strategies, building teaching hospitals, and more. Dr. Farmer called on us to understand global health inequity as an injustice—an effect of centuries of violence and exploitation inflicted on the global poor. This resolution embodies that and will serve as a North Star that will guide the movement for global health equity for years to come.

    In addition to Sen. Markey, this resolution is cosponsored in the Senate by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

    In addition to Reps. Schakowsky, Ruiz, and Jayapal, this resolution is cosponsored in the House of Representatives by Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Juan Vargas (CA-52).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Mining positivity internationally recognised

    Source: New Zealand Minerals Council

    Today’s passing of the Crown Minerals Amendment Act is the cherry on top of a great week for mining, says New Zealand Minerals Council chief executive Josie Vidal.
    “To make the most of international interest in mining in New Zealand, untap the potential of critical minerals, and make a greater contribution to jobs, exports and the economy, we need enabling legislation such as the Crown Minerals Amendment Act,” Vidal says.
    “One of the significant aspects of this law for us, is that the emphasis on promoting mining goes back into the purpose statement of the Act. This is important because it shows the world that the New Zealand Government understands the value of our mining industry and that gives export markets and investors confidence.
    “The positivity around mining has been reflected in the respected international analysis of policy and investment attractiveness in 82 mining jurisdictions globally by the Fraser Institute in its Annual Survey of Mining Companies, 2024, released this week.
    “After languishing near the bottom of rankings for too many years, due to uncertainty about the environment for mining, New Zealand has made a massive leap and is now ranked higher than any Australian jurisdiction on the Investment Attractiveness Index – at 12th of 82, compared with 43rd of 86 in 2023 – and 15th of 82 on the Policy Perception Index, compared with 50th of 86 in 2023.
    “This week we also hosted an event to discuss science in the sector, and it was heartening to see the buzz around the critical minerals the world needs and what is available in New Zealand, and how we can add value and be part of the global supply chain.
    “Professor Chris Bumby, Chief Scientist (Materials) at the Robinson Research Institute within Victoria University of Wellington spoke about the potential for value-add processing of New Zealand’s critical mineral resources. He pointed out why metals production matters – ‘today’s world is built from metals and tomorrow’s world will require a whole bunch more’, he said.
    “He highlighted New Zealand opportunities included critical minerals vanadium, titanium, zirconium, tungsten, and antinomy, among others, and the value New Zealand minerals bring to the world’s steel production.
    “New Zealand science and research stands out globally and Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Shane Reti also spoke about the work the Government is doing to further enable science and technology to advance our country in a rapidly changing high-tech world.
    “There is so much exciting work happening in our minerals industry and it is important to have enabling laws that back our claims that New Zealand is open for business, and that the Fast-track Approvals Act is allowed to work as it is intended and is not derailed by vexatious detractors,” Vidal says.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: The Muslim world has been strong on rhetoric, short on action over Gaza and Afghanistan

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University; and Vice Chancellor’s Strategic Fellow, Victoria University

    When it comes to dealing with two of the biggest current crises in the Muslim world – the devastation of Gaza and the Taliban’s draconian rule in Afghanistan – Arab and Muslim states have been staggeringly ineffective.

    Their chief body, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in particular, has been strong on rhetoric but very short on serious, tangible action.

    The OIC, headquartered in Saudi Arabia, is composed of 57 predominantly Muslim states. It is supposed to act as a representative and consultative body and make decisions and recommendations on the major issues that affect Muslims globally. It calls itself the “collective voice of the Muslim world”.

    Yet the body has proved to be toothless in the face of Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza, triggered in response to the Hamas attacks of October 7 2023.

    The OIC has equally failed to act against the Taliban’s reign of terror in the name of Islam in ethnically diverse Afghanistan.

    Many strong statements

    Despite its projection of a united umma (the global Islamic community, as defined in my coauthored book Islam Beyond Borders), the OIC has ignominiously been divided on Gaza and Afghanistan.

    True, it has condemned Israel’s Gaza operations. It’s also called for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the starving population of the strip.

    It has also rejected any Israeli move to depopulate and annex the enclave, as well as the West Bank. These moves would render the two-state solution to the long-running Israeli–Palestinian conflict essentially defunct.

    Further, the OIC has welcomed the recent joint statement by the foreign ministers of 28 countries (including the United Kingdom, many European Union members and Japan) calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as well as France’s decision to recognise the state of Palestine.

    The OIC is good at putting out statements. However, this approach hasn’t varied much from that of the wider global community. It is largely verbal, and void of any practical measures.

    What the group could do for Gaza

    Surely, Muslim states can and should be doing more.

    For example, the OIC has failed to persuade Israel’s neighbouring states – Egypt and Jordan, in particular – to open their border crossings to allow humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza, the West Bank or Israel, in defiance of Israeli leaders.

    Nor has it been able to compel Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco to suspend their relations with the Jewish state until it agrees to a two-state solution.

    Further, the OIC has not adopted a call by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the United Nations special rapporteur on Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, for Israel to be suspended from the UN.

    Nor has it urged its oil-rich Arab members, in particular Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to harness their resources to prompt US President Donald Trump to halt the supply of arms to Israel and pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war.

    Stronger action on Afghanistan, too

    In a similar vein, the OIC has failed to exert maximum pressure on the ultra-extremist and erstwhile terrorist Taliban government in Afghanistan.

    Since sweeping back into power in 2021, the Taliban has ruled in a highly repressive, misogynist and draconian fashion in the name of Islam. This is not practised anywhere else in the Muslim world.

    In December 2022, OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha called for a global campaign to unite Islamic scholars and religious authorities against the Taliban’s decision to ban girls from education.

    But this was superseded a month later, when the OIC expressed concern over the Taliban’s “restrictions on women”, but asked the international community not to “interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs”. This was warmly welcomed by the Taliban.

    In effect, the OIC – and therefore most Muslim countries – have adopted no practical measures to penalise the Taliban for its behaviour.

    It has not censured the Taliban nor imposed crippling sanctions on the group. And while no Muslim country has officially recognised the Taliban government (only Russia has), most OIC members have nonetheless engaged with the Taliban at political, economic, financial and trade levels.

    Why is it so divided?

    There are many reasons for the OIC’s ineffectiveness.

    For one, the group is composed of a politically, socially, culturally and economically diverse assortment of members.

    But more importantly, it has not functioned as a “bridge builder” by developing a common strategy of purpose and action that can overcome the geopolitical and sectarian differences of its members.

    In the current polarised international environment, the rivalry among its member states – and with major global powers such as the United States and China – has rendered the organisation a mere talking shop.

    This has allowed extremist governments in both Israel and Afghanistan to act with impunity.

    It is time to look at the OIC’s functionality and determine how it can more effectively unite the umma.

    This may also be an opportunity for its member states to develop an effective common strategy that could help the cause of peace and stability in the Muslim domain and its relations with the outside world.

    Amin Saikal 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. The Muslim world has been strong on rhetoric, short on action over Gaza and Afghanistan – https://theconversation.com/the-muslim-world-has-been-strong-on-rhetoric-short-on-action-over-gaza-and-afghanistan-262121

    MIL OSI –

  • Several areas in Delhi witness rainfall, more rain likely in NCR: IMD

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Several areas in the national capital, including Janpath, Lajpat Nagar, and the Minto Bridge stretch, received rainfall on Thursday morning, a day after intense showers were recorded across the city.

    The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light to moderate rainfall for parts of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) during the day. According to the IMD, areas such as Bahadurgarh and Manesar are also likely to witness light thunderstorms accompanied by lightning.

    In a post on X, the IMD said, “Light to moderate rainfall accompanied with light thunderstorm and lightning is very likely to occur at NCR (Bahadurgarh, Manesar). Light rainfall is very likely to occur at the entire Delhi, NCR (Loni Dehat, Hindon AF Station, Ghaziabad, Indirapuram, Chhapraula, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ballabhgarh). Very light rainfall/drizzle is very likely to occur over the entire Delhi during the next 2 hours.”

    Rainfall data between 8:30 am on Wednesday and 6:30 am on Thursday showed that Salwan Public School in East Delhi recorded 42 mm of rainfall, followed by Pusa in Central Delhi (40 mm), Sports Complex in New Delhi (38 mm), and Safdarjung (34 mm).

    Other locations that received measurable rainfall included Najafgarh (23.5 mm), Pragati Maidan (22.1 mm), KV Narayana (20.5 mm), Lodi Road (18.5 mm), KV Janakpuri (18 mm), and Aya Nagar (13 mm).

    The maximum and minimum temperatures in Delhi are expected to remain between 30 to 32 degrees Celsius and 23 to 25 degrees Celsius, respectively — up to four degrees below the seasonal average.

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Swedish Higher Education Authority to conduct case studies on academic freedom

    Source: Government of Sweden

    The Government has instructed the Swedish Higher Education Authority to conduct case studies on academic freedom. The aim is to provide an in-depth understanding of the work of universities and higher education institutions in promoting and protecting academic freedom and a culture that allows the free pursuit and dissemination of knowledge.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Brown University reaches agreement with Trump administration to restore federal funding

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

    Brown University on Wednesday announced an agreement with the Donald Trump administration to restore federal funding and resolve three ongoing nondiscrimination reviews.

    “The agreement will reinstate payments for active research grants and restore Brown’s ability to compete for new federal grants and contracts, while also meeting Brown’s core imperative of preserving the ability for its students and scholars to teach and learn without government intrusion,” the university said in a statement.

    The agreement will restore Brown’s medical and health sciences research funding, including reimbursement of more than 50 million U.S. dollars in unpaid federal grant costs.

    The agreement also includes Brown’s commitment to pay 50 million dollars in grants over 10 years to workforce development organizations in Rhode Island, where the university is located.

    “The University’s foremost priority throughout discussions with the government was remaining true to our academic mission, our core values, and who we are as a community at Brown,” Brown President Christina H. Paxson said in a letter to the Brown community.

    “We stand solidly behind commitments we repeatedly have affirmed to protect all members of our community from harassment and discrimination, (and) we protect the ability of our faculty and students to study and learn academic subjects of their choosing,” Paxson said.

    The president noted that the agreement “does not include any payments or fines to the federal government.”

    Explaining why Brown “voluntarily negotiated toward an agreement,” Paxson said that for the last few months, the university’s mission and its community have been under threat.

    “Beyond the financial stresses of terminated and unpaid research grants and contracts, we have observed a growing push for government intrusion into the fundamental academic operations of colleges and universities, and with the stated purpose of compelling a commitment to comply with laws focused on prohibitions against antisemitism and discrimination,” she said.

    U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon reacted to the agreement on social media platform X, saying, “The Trump Administration is successfully reversing the decades-long woke-capture of our nation’s higher education institutions.”

    “Because of the Trump Administration’s resolution agreement with Brown University, aspiring students will be judged solely on their merits, not their race or sex. Brown has committed to proactive measures to protect Jewish students and combat Antisemitism on campus. Women’s sports and intimate facilities will be protected for women,” McMahon said.

    In April, the Trump administration announced that it would freeze 510 million dollars in federal contracts and funding to Brown University, citing its handling of campus antisemitism and diversity policies.

    The Education Department had previously announced that approximately 60 American colleges and universities — including Harvard, Cornell, Yale, and Brown — were under federal investigation.

    Brown University is one of the eight elite Ivy League universities, known for its academic excellence and historic legacy.

    Last week, another Ivy League school, Columbia University, announced that it had reached a settlement with the federal government, agreeing to pay over 200 million dollars to restore access to 400 million dollars in federal funding.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Band Members from Partner Nations Participating in Pacific Partnership 2025 Perform at the University of Technology in Lae, Papua New Guinea July 2025 [Image 6 of 8]

    Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

    Issued by: on

    LAE, Papua New Guinea (July 30, 2025) Pacific Partnership 2025 multinational band members pose with students from the Papua New Guinea University of Technology elementary school in Lae, Papua New Guinea, July 30, 2025. Now in its 21st iteration, the Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security and stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist Seaman Mario E. Reyes Villatoro)

    Date Taken: 07.30.2025
    Date Posted: 07.30.2025 20:36
    Photo ID: 9228709
    VIRIN: 250730-N-OJ012-2013
    Resolution: 4685×3123
    Size: 1.64 MB
    Location: LAE, PG
    Web Views: 1
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN  

    This work, Band Members from Partner Nations Participating in Pacific Partnership 2025 Perform at the University of Technology in Lae, Papua New Guinea July 2025 [Image 8 of 8], by SA Mario Reyes Villatoro, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.

    GALLERY

    MORE LIKE THIS

    CONTROLLED VOCABULARY KEYWORDS

    TAGS

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Petrofund Launches Flagship Scholarship to Empower Namibian Youth in Oil and Gas

    Source: APO

    Namibia’s Petroleum Training and Education Fund (Petrofund) officially launched its flagship scholarship program during the 2nd Youth in Oil and Gas Summit, reinforcing its commitment to building a highly skilled national workforce for the country’s burgeoning oil and gas sector. The new scholarship complements the Namibian government’s free tertiary education policy by fully funding undergraduate and postgraduate students in engineering, geosciences, paramedics and technical vocational training disciplines relevant to upstream oil and gas operations. Courses will be offered at accredited institutions across the Southern African Development Community region and internationally.

    As the voice of the African energy sector, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) commends Petrofund’s leadership and forward-thinking strategy to anchor Namibian youth at the core of the country’s growing energy economy. With major discoveries in the Orange Basin and increasing momentum towards first oil, initiatives like this are essential to ensure local capacity meets international operational standards.

    In addition to its flagship scholarship program, Petrofund has introduced several strategic initiatives to accelerate youth integration into Namibia’s oil and gas industry. Through its expanded on-the-job training program, more than 82 young professionals have been deployed across various technical roles in collaboration with premier service and operating companies including TechnipFMC, SBM, Subsea 7, Baker Hughes, Halliburton, SLB, BW Energy, Shell, ReconAfrica, TotalEnergies and QatarEnergy. Petrofund has also signed ten memoranda of understanding to deepen these partnerships and enhance practical industry exposure. Additionally, the government-led fund is developing a national oil and gas CV repository – set to launch in Q4 2025 – to bridge the gap between skilled graduates and industry demand.

    Petrofund is also strengthening its collaboration with Namibian institutions of higher learning. Partners include the Namibia University of Science and Technology and University of Namibia, along with regulatory authorities such as the Namibia Qualifications Authority; National Council for Higher Education; Namibia Training Authority; and Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Art and Culture. This initiative aims to introduce and accredit more oil and gas-related programs locally, enhancing access to technical education aligned with global industry standards. To date, Petrofund has invested over N$115 million to support 438 Namibians in petroleum-related studies, achieving a 90% internship and employment placement rate for its Master’s level beneficiaries.

    As Namibia progresses towards final investment decisions for high-impact offshore projects led by operators such as TotalEnergies and Shell, this program ensure that Namibians are equipped with the technical expertise to actively participate and lead in-country value creation. Imminent first production means Petrofund’s holistic approach to human capital development can align with the country’s Local Content Policy and sets the foundation for long-term, inclusive growth. The AEC supports these efforts as a model for Africa’s youth empowerment in energy.

    “Petrofund is setting the standard for what youth empowerment in Africa’s energy sector should look like. By aligning skills development with industry demand and embracing inclusivity, Namibia is not just preparing its young people for jobs – it’s preparing them for leadership. The Chamber fully supports these efforts, which will ensure that Namibians are not just bystanders, but key drivers of their energy future,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, AEC.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

    Media files

    .

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Ofqual to fine WJEC after 1,500 GCSE students received wrong results

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Ofqual to fine WJEC after 1,500 GCSE students received wrong results

    Awarding body faces £350,000 penalty for breaches that led to incorrect grades and reviews of marking failures that affected nearly 4,000 other exam papers.

    Ofqual is to fine awarding organisation WJEC £350,000 in total for breaching exams rules in 2 separate cases – including one that meant over 1,500 students received the wrong GCSE grades on results day. 

    The 1,527 students who received the incorrect results had taken WJEC’s Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition qualification in summer 2024. 

    WJEC had failed to adjust teachers’ marking of coursework – which made up 50% of the qualification – to ensure results were in line with national standards. 

    It subsequently found that, while 17,610 results did not need to be changed, 847 students received lower grades and 680 got higher grades than they should have.  

    The students who received the incorrect lower grades were eventually issued with the correct grade in October 2024. In considering Ofqual guidance, WJEC decided those who received the incorrect higher grades should keep them, to avoid unfairly penalising students who may have already used those results.  

    Ofqual is set to fine WJEC £175,000 for this case, caused by an error in WJEC’s external moderation of teachers’ marking. 

    In the second case, WJEC reported that between 2017 and 2023 it had allowed 3,926 exam papers, out of 120,094 reviews of marking across 38 Ofqual-regulated qualifications, to be reviewed by the same assessors who had originally marked at least part of them, breaking regulations. 

    In this case, WJEC will be fined another £175,000 for breaching its Conditions of Recognition concerning how it conducted ‘reviews of marking’. 

    One student had their grade increased in 2024 after a fully independent review of marking was conducted. In response to the incident, WJEC issued credit notes as financial compensation to schools and colleges, for all affected reviews, totalling just over £219,000. 

    Amanda Swann, Ofqual’s Executive Director for General Qualifications, said:

    Students must be able to trust that their results accurately reflect their performance, and what they know, understand and can do. 

    These proposed fines reflect the serious nature of WJEC’s failures and our commitment to protecting the interests of students and maintaining the integrity of our qualifications system. This includes the requirement that GCSE, AS and A levels students are entitled to an independent review of their exam marks.

    Ofqual’s enforcement panel concluded a fine was appropriate and also took into account several mitigating factors. These included that WJEC had admitted the breaches, fully accepted responsibility, taken steps to prevent the problems happening again, and engaged fully with Ofqual. 

    Ofqual has today published 2 Notice of Intention (to accept a settlement proposal) documents for each case against WJEC. The documents give more details of the cases and invite interested parties to make representations ahead of final decisions:

    We continue to work closely with WJEC to ensure the mitigations they have put in place for this summer and subsequent exam series are effective. 

    Background information 

    Ofqual’s Taking Regulatory Action Policy  sets out how it will use its powers to take regulatory action.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: NSU student finds out that water has a huge impact on the elastic properties of hydrogel

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The effect of water on the longitudinal gigahertz elastic modulus of collagen-based hydrogel was studied by a student of the Department of Physical Methods of Solid State Research using optical spectroscopy methods Faculty of Physics, Novosibirsk State University Anna Laktionova under the scientific supervision of Valeria Zykova, PhD in Physics and Mathematics, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Automation and Electrometry SB RAS. The data from this study became the basis for her master’s thesis, which she successfully defended this year. In her work, she used optical research methods – Mandelstam-Brillouin scattering (MBS) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy.

    — Changes in the elastic properties of biological objects may be associated with disruptions in the functioning of living cells, in such cases, information about the elastic modulus plays a key role. Currently, a contactless and non-invasive technique for characterizing the viscoelastic properties of materials is actively developing – Mandelstam-Brillouin scattering spectroscopy (MBS), which has proven itself in application to biomedical problems. MBS spectroscopy allows obtaining information about the speed of sound in a substance and the gigahertz elastic modulus. However, when studying real biotissues, difficulties arise in interpreting experimental data that are associated with the multicomponent composition of the studied objects and small changes in the elastic modulus due to pathologies occurring in the bioobject. This is due to the fact that the main contribution to the elastic modulus value in the case of real tissues is made by the water component, the content of which is quite high for the case of biological samples. For this reason, researchers often use simpler model two-component objects instead of real tissues, which are hydrogels, in particular, collagen-based hydrogels. By varying the water content, various parameters of viscoelastic properties are achieved, thereby hydrogels imitate the properties of a wide variety of real tissues, explained Anna Laktionova.

    Samples of collagen -based hydrogels with different water content were made for conducting research. Further, with the help of a number of optical techniques (RMB, cattle, low -frequency cattle and depolarized light scattering), Anna described the elastic and relaxation properties of manufactured hydrogels. Spectra measurement was made during drying of hydrogel samples in the air. This was done in order to observe how, depending on the content of water in the sample, its elastic properties are changed, determined from the parameters of the spectrum of light scattering. With the dehydration of the sample from the most hydrated state (water content of 99.5 %) to a completely dry elasticity module increases by 6 times. At the same time, significant growth is observed with protein concentrations above 60 %. For a detailed study of such behavior, two spectrometers were required to synchronously measure the spectra of RMB and CRC. In this regard, some difficulties arose. The devices were in different rooms, which could affect the accuracy of measurements: while the sample was transferred from one office to another, it could be subjected to undesirable exposure to external factors, which would lead to its additional drying. To characterize the content of water in the samples and their elastic module from the same point in the process of drying, participants in the experiment, which was conducted in the spectroscopy laboratory of the condensed media of the Institute of Automation and Electrometry of the SB RAS, established a fiber -fiber channel between two spectrometers. This technical solution was implemented for the first time in Russia.

    The analysis of the dependence of the Brillouin line position on the protein concentration in the hydrogel showed that the value of the gigahertz elastic modulus changes almost 6 times within the full range of concentrations (water content 0 – 100%). This is a very significant change. Earlier in the literature it was demonstrated that in the case of chemical treatments it is only a few percent. This fact fully demonstrates the strong influence of water. The resulting concentration dependence of the elastic modulus was described by a model considering the hydrogel as a rigid protein framework filled with water.

    — From the analysis of the shape of the Brillouin spectrum of hydrogels, a non-trivial dependence of the Brillouin line width on the protein content was obtained. It is generally accepted, at least for single-component systems, that the Brillouin line width characterizes the viscosity of the object under study. However, in our case, everything was not so simple. When the hydrogel dried, the Brillouin line width actually increased to protein concentrations of about 70%, where the dependence extremum was observed. With further dehydration, up to completely dry collagen, the Brillouin line width narrowed. According to our assumptions, the reason for such an unexpected result lies in the influence of relaxation processes on the shape of the Brillouin spectrum of the hydrogel. To confirm this hypothesis, it was necessary to conduct a study using another spectroscopic technique – depolarized light scattering spectroscopy, – said Anna Laktionova.

    A comprehensive comparison of the behavior of the RMB line width and the shape of the depolarized spectrum made it possible to verify the relaxation nature of the Brillouin line broadening with a change in water content. The results of RMB spectroscopy of hydrogels with different water contents for several temperatures (25, 0, -10 °C) additionally confirmed the influence of relaxation processes on the Brillouin line width, explained Anna Laktionova.

    The analysis of the obtained results allowed us to obtain complete information on the nature of the interaction of the biopolymer matrix with the water component and to study in detail the issue of the influence of the water component on the parameters of the Brillouin spectrum of a hydrogel with different degrees of hydration. The participants of the study came to the conclusion: the work done demonstrates the prospects of the complex application of spectroscopic techniques (RMB, Raman, low-frequency Raman and depolarized light scattering) for characterizing the properties of hydrogels and studying the issue of the interaction of water with the protein matrix.

    — It is very important to study the effect of water on the elastic properties of collagen-based hydrogel using optical methods, because such an object is simple enough to interpret spectral data, while it is capable of imitating the mechanical properties of more complex biological objects. This work, using such simple objects as an example, demonstrates the capabilities of optical spectroscopy methods, which in the future can be used to study more complex real tissues, — said Anna Laktionova.

    Material prepared by: Elena Panfilo, NSU press service

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Kirill Prigoda is our champion!

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The renowned polytechnician, assistant of the Higher School of Sports Education of the Institute of Physical Culture and Sport, Kirill Prigoda became the winner of the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. He won gold in the 4×100 m combined relay. And before that, he won silver in the individual event at the 50 m breaststroke.

    The World Championships are being held in Singapore from July 11 to August 3. On July 30, Kirill Prigoda, Miron Lifintsev, Darya Klepikova and Darya Trofimova won the combined relay. Our team not only won a confident victory in the final, but also set a new world championship record – 3:37.37. This victory went down in history – before it, Russian swimmers had not won the relay at major international tournaments for 22 years! The last time our athletes won was in 2003. Then Kirill Prigoda was seven years old.

    The emotions are very pleasant, because the team gave 110%. The guys are great, but the championship is not over yet. We will celebrate at the end of the competition, – said Kirill Prigoda on air at Match TV.

    Let us remind you that the Russian team is performing in Singapore in a neutral status. Thus, during the swim it was forbidden to chant “Russia”. This is a strict condition of the International Swimming Federation. The team was given a special guide. If we violated it, we were threatened with exclusion from the championship. And even though we did not see the Russian flag or hear our anthem at the awards ceremony, everyone in the world understood that the Russians were on the top step of the podium.

    Less than an hour before the team victory, Kirill Prigoda secured the title of vice-champion in the 50-meter breaststroke. In the final swim, he showed a result of 26.62 seconds. This medal was the 11th for the Russians and the first personal award for Russian swimmers at the current championship.

    We are proud of Kirill and once again we are convinced that Polytechnic University helps develop abilities and talents in science, creativity, and sports! – noted SPbPU Rector Andrey Rudskoy.

    Kirill Prigoda is already an eight-time world champion! He is also a four-time world championship medalist, a two-time European champion, and a silver and bronze medalist at the European Short Course Championships. He currently holds three world records.

    The World Championships are ongoing, and Kirill Prigoda has a great opportunity to add to the Russian team’s medal collection.

    Photo: © RIA Novosti / Maxim Bogodvid / EPA / TASS

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Information about the competition lists

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Official website of the State –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Dear applicants of the State University of Management, we publish up-to-date information on the competition lists. They can be viewed in two ways.

    The first is on a special page of the SUM website, where you can find yourself using your unique applicant number.

    The second is on the State Services portal using the following algorithm: – Find SUM in the university selection service; – Select a direction; – Expand the program; – Open “Lists of applicants” and “Competition lists”; – Find yourself using your unique applicant number.

    The lists for the budget and quotas have already been published. Preliminary lists for the contract will appear on August 10. The order for transfer to the budget – August 7.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Delegations from China’s top universities visited Polytechnic University

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University recently hosted delegations from top Chinese universities: Tsinghua University (20th place in the QS ranking), Zhejiang University (49th place in QS), and Peking University (13th place in QS).

    Study visits to prestigious partner universities in foreign countries are a mandatory element of the educational program at Chinese universities. That is why every summer students from China come to the Polytechnic University to develop scientific and educational cooperation and exchange best practices in working with young people.

    The delegation of Tsinghua University (SPbPU’s strategic partner), headed by the deputy secretary of the party committee of the university’s Youth Union, Chen Zhihao, consisted of student activists (secretaries of faculty committees of the Komsomol, postgraduates and masters). The visit was organized within the framework of the elite program for training personnel reserves and future leaders of Tsinghua University, implemented under the auspices of the Communist Youth Union of China.

    The introduction to the history and infrastructure of SPbPU began with a tour of the Main Academic Building (White Hall, library, portrait gallery) and the SPbPU History Museum. The key point was a visit to the Youth Trajectory Center in the Polytech Tower — a modern space for student life, project activities, and interaction with industry. At a meeting with Ivan Khlamov, Head of the SPbPU Youth Policy Department, the guests discussed options for involving young people in scientific and technical creativity, project work, developing leadership skills, and a mentoring system. Colleagues from Tsinghua presented the successful experience of their university ecosystem for supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, including the Lighthouse program, Challenge Cup and Entrepreneurship Competitions, as well as the Innovation Plus incubator, which has grown hundreds of startups with a total funding of about 5 billion rubles.

    The study visit of the best students of Zhejiang University to the Polytechnic is a long-standing tradition that has been strictly observed throughout the years of strategic partnership between our universities. The envoys from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering were led by its international coordinator Qiu Yixin.

    The program included an introduction to the historical heritage of the university, a visit to the modern laboratories of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport, and a working meeting with representatives of the SPbPU International Service. The students visited the innovative laboratories of IMMiT and learned about the latest developments of research groups and young scientists of the institute.

    Chinese students were presented with opportunities to study at SPbPU, in particular within the framework of additional programs, summer and winter schools. The guests highly appreciated the educational potential of the Polytechnic University, including that already implemented in partnership with Chinese universities, and expressed interest in creating a joint program in the field of mechanical engineering.

    In addition to students, the representative delegation from Peking University included Dean of the College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Peng Hailin, Dean of the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering Zou Ruqiang, Professor of the Faculty of Physics Wang Xinqiang, and other scientists.

    The visit was eventful: the guests were divided into groups according to their scientific interests to visit specialized laboratories, where they got acquainted with the advanced research of SPbPU in the field of new materials, energy and microelectronics. Of particular interest were the developments of carbon nanomaterials, artificial intelligence for chemistry and promising catalysts. The visit ended with presentations of scientific areas of both universities.

    The past visits demonstrated the mutual interest of Russian and Chinese universities in deepening cooperation, the desire to organize interaction not only between leading scientists, but also among young researchers. As noted by representatives of SPbPU, such meetings help not only to exchange best practices in education and science, but also to create a solid foundation for future joint projects, student initiatives, entrepreneurship. Particular attention was paid to student mobility, academic exchange programs, joint participation in student conferences and youth initiatives. The doors of the Polytechnic University are always open to students of partner universities in China.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Students in Jilin Province Undergo Internship to Study Culture of Northeast China’s Anti-Japanese Allied Army

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    Recently, under the auspices of the Jilin Provincial Komsomol Committee and Tonghua Normal University, a student internship entitled “Developing the Spirit of the Anti-Japanese United Army – Resolute Youth Ready for Responsibility” was organized to study the culture of the Northeast China Anti-Japanese United Army.

    The event brought together 140 teachers and students from 15 practical teams representing 13 universities in and outside Jilin Province. The participants retraced the steps of the revolution and delved into important revolutionary sites and museums in the province, including three iconic formation and battlefields of the Anti-Japanese Allied Army, as well as three “cradles” of China’s industry. Through hands-on learning, historical immersion, and discussion, the teams grasped the modern reinterpretation of the spirit of the Anti-Japanese Allied Army in Northeast China, which helps consolidate the resolute youth force to serve the motherland.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Student subsidies criteria revised

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Government today announced the revision of the eligibility criteria for government-subsidised post-secondary student places and subsidies.

    The revision – which will introduce two categories of tuition fees and revise the eligibility criteria – will apply to the 2027-28 academic year and thereafter.

    Under the current admissions arrangements, dependant visa/entry permit holders who were below 18 years old when first issued with the visa/entry permit by the Immigration Department (ImmD) are considered local students.

    There has been recent concern that some of these students did not come to reside in Hong Kong but applied for government-subsidised student places at University Grants Committee-funded universities as local students, which affected opportunities for university admission and the targeted use of public funds.

    Having regard to overseas practices and the practical situation in Hong Kong, the Education Bureau considers it necessary for dependant children to reside in Hong Kong for two years before becoming eligible for government-subsidised post-secondary student places.

    In addition, holders of a full-time employment visa/work permit or a visa/entry permit for various admission schemes will no longer be eligible for government-subsidised post-secondary student places.

    The two categories of tuition fees being introduced are subsidised fees and non-subsidised fees respectively.

    Persons holding specific documents are eligible for government-subsidised student places in relation to sub-degree, undergraduate and taught postgraduate programmes.

    These documents include a Hong Kong permanent identity card, other documents issued by the ImmD showing the right to land/right of abode in Hong Kong, and a visa label for unconditional stay; a One-way Permit for entry to Hong Kong; and a dependant visa/entry permit.

    Holders of a dependant visa/entry permit who were below 18 years old when first issued with the visa/entry permit by the ImmD, must have resided in Hong Kong for two years immediately preceding the first day of their respective programmes. 

    The Government will put in place a transitional arrangement for the revision, whereby the residency requirement for the 2027-28 academic year will be set at one year. The two-year residency requirement will be implemented starting from the 2028-29 academic year.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Masked and armed agents are arresting people on US streets as aggressive immigration enforcement ramps up

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dafydd Townley, Teaching Fellow in US politics and international security, University of Portsmouth

    There are masked men, and some women, on the streets in American cities, sometimes travelling in unmarked cars, often carrying weapons and wearing military-style kit. They have the power to identify, arrest, detain non-citizens and deport undocumented immigrants. They also have the right to interrogate any individual who they believe is not a citizen over their right to remain in the US.

    These are agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, known as Ice. This is a federal law enforcement agency, which falls under the control of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and is playing a significant and contentious role in the implementation of Donald Trump’s tough immigration policy.

    On the campaign trail Trump promised “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history”. And he is giving Ice more power to deliver his plans.

    Since Trump took office in January, Ice funding has been significantly increased. Trump’s “big beautiful bill”, passed by Congress in July 2025, gave Ice US$75 billion (£55 billion) of funding for the next four years, up from around US$8 billion a year.

    This funding boost will allow the agency to recruit more agents as well as adding thousands more beds plus extensions to buildings to increase the capacity of detention centres. There is also new funding for advanced surveillance tools including AI-assisted facial recognition and mobile data collection. There’s another US$30 billion going to frontline operations, covering removing immigrants and transport to detention centres.

    The president has committed to deporting everyone who is in the US illegally, that is estimated by the Wall Street Journal to be about 4% of the current US population. For the past five months, the numbers of people being picked up by Ice agents has been ticking up fast.

    Average daily arrests were up 268% to about 1,000 a day in June 2025, compared with the same month a year earlier. This was also a 42% rise on May 2025, according to data analysis from the Guardian and the Deportation Data Project. However, this is still considerably short of the 3,000 a day ordered by secretary of homeland security Kristi Noem and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.

    Ice’s tactics have already attracted significant criticism. Right-leaning broadcaster Fox News has reported on how masked agents are not showing ID or naming their agency when picking up people in raids. Other reporting has highlighted allegations that American citizens are also sometimes being swept up in the raids.

    The agency, currently led by acting director Todd M. Lyons, has three main divisions: the Enforcement and Removal Operations division, which identifies and deports undocumented immigrants as well as manages detention centres. The Homeland Security Investigations, which investigates criminal activities with an international or border nexus such as human trafficking, narcotics, and weapons smuggling. The Office of the Principal Legal Advisor provides legal advice to Ice and prosecutes immigration cases in court.

    Lyons claimed that mask wearing was necessary because of Ice agents being “doxed” – when a person’s personal information such as names and home addresses are revealed online without their permission. Assaults on Ice agents have risen, he claimed. DHS data suggested that there were 79 assaults on Ice agents from January to June 2025, compared to ten in the same period in 2024.

    Democratic House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries compared mask wearing by Ice agents to secret police forces in authoritarian regimes. “We’re not behind the Iron Curtain. This is not the 1930s.”



    Read more:
    ICE has broad power to detain and arrest noncitizens – but is still bound by constitutional limits

    The Ice agency was established in 2003 by the George W. Bush administration, partly as a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and was part of a broader reorganisation of federal agencies under the then newly created DHS. It incorporated parts of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and some elements of the US Customs Service.

    According to the agency’s website, Ice’s core mission is “to protect America through criminal investigations and enforcing immigration laws to preserve national security and public safety”.

    News coverage of Ice agents wearing masks and not identifying themselves.

    What’s changed?

    At the start of the administration in January, the White House gave Ice the authority to hasten the deportation of immigrants that had entered the country with government authorisation during the previous administration. This “expedited removal” authority allowed Ice to deport individuals without requiring an appearance before an immigration judge.

    As arrests have grown in the past months, Lyons told CBS News that Ice would detain any undocumented immigrant, even if they did not have a criminal record.

    And the Trump administration has also allowed Ice agents to make arrests at immigration courts, which had previously been off limits. This restriction was introduced by the Biden administration in 2021 to ensure witnesses, victims of crimes and defendants would still appear in court without fear of arrest for immigration violations, unless the target was a national security threat.

    Protests over Ice raids have spread across California.

    However, Lyons rescinded those restrictions in May, part of a broader shift towards aggressive enforcement.

    Much of the time, Ice has targeted illegal immigrants. But the agency has also arrested and detained some individuals who were residents (green card holders) or tourists – and, in some cases, citizens.

    In recent weeks, according to the Washington Post, Ice has been ordered to increase the number of immigrants shackled with GPS-enabled ankle monitors. This would significantly increase the number of immigrants that are under surveillance. Ankle monitors also restrict where people can travel.

    Sparking protests

    There have been numerous public protests about Ice raids, most notably in California. This peaked on June 6 after Ice had conducted numerous raids in Los Angeles, resulting in clashes between agents and protesters. This led to the White House sending around 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles, despite opposition from California governor Gavin Newsom.

    Part of the friction between the Trump administation and the state is that Los Angeles and San Francisco have adopted local policies to limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities including Ice. California has sanctuary laws, such as SB 54, that prohibit local police and sheriffs from assisting Ice with civil immigration enforcement.

    However, Trump shows every sign of pushing harder and faster to crack down on illegal immigrants, and Ice agents are clearly at the forefront of how he aims to do it.

    Dafydd Townley 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. Masked and armed agents are arresting people on US streets as aggressive immigration enforcement ramps up – https://theconversation.com/masked-and-armed-agents-are-arresting-people-on-us-streets-as-aggressive-immigration-enforcement-ramps-up-261499

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: RSV vaccine prevents hospitalisation in older people and newborns

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    RSV vaccine prevents hospitalisation in older people and newborns

    RSV vaccines are 82% effective for older people and 72% for newborns when mothers are vaccinated at least 14 days before birth.

    A new UK Health Security Agency study – Effectiveness of RSV Vaccine Against RSV Associated Hospitalisation Among Adults Aged 75 to 79 years in England – in partnership with Nottingham University Hospitals and other NHS trusts, shows the RSV vaccine provided strong protection for older people, around 82% effective in preventing hospital admissions with RSV infection.

    The study also found that the vaccine is highly effective in preventing hospitalisation for older people with a chronic respiratory condition and those living with immunosuppression.

    Two new Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccination programmes were introduced to the NHS Vaccination Schedule in September last year; an older adults programme and a maternal programme.

    The programme for older adults offers the vaccine to those turning 75, as well as a one-off catch up campaign for all adults aged 75 to79 years.

    The maternal vaccination programme is offered to women from 28 weeks of pregnancy to protect newborns, who are at higher risk of severe illness from RSV.

    A separate new study – Vaccination in Pregnancy and RSV Hospitalisation in Infants in the UK, led by NHS paediatricians, published in the Lancet Child and Adolescent Health – found that  the maternal RSV vaccine was 72% effective in preventing hospitalisation for infants whose mothers were vaccinated more than 14 days before delivery.

    UKHSA has also today published the latest vaccine uptake figures for both RSV programmes, including the:

    • older adults programme: overall coverage as of 30 June 2025 in the catch-up cohort (adults aged 75 to 79) reached 62.9%, up from the 60.3% reported in March
    • maternal programme: of the 36,657 women reported as having given birth in March 2025, 20,051 (54.7%) had received an RSV vaccine
    • maternal coverage varied by ethnic group with the highest coverage reported among the Chinese ethnic group (73.3%) and lowest among Black and Black British Caribbean (26.4%)

    Greta Hayward, Consultant Midwife at the UK Health Security Agency, said:

    Having the RSV vaccine during every pregnancy is the best way for women to protect their newborn against RSV, as the vaccine boosts their immune system to produce more antibodies against the virus, and these then pass through the placenta to help protect their baby from the day they are born. RSV infects around 90% of children in their first 2 years of life.

    The RSV season usually starts in October and while there is no risk-free birth month, babies born in late summer or the autumn are most likely to be admitted to hospital. Hundreds of babies attend Emergency Departments each day for bronchiolitis through most of November and December. That is why it is so important that over the summer pregnant women reaching 28 weeks of pregnancy, ensure they are vaccinated as soon as possible.

    Dr Conall Watson, Immunisation Consultant at the UK Health Security Agency, said:

    The evidence clearly shows the RSV vaccine for pregnant women is highly effective and will give much reassurance to parents, knowing their newborn is protected from birth, when they are at much greater risk from RSV.

    As a parent and health professional I can’t stress enough the importance of getting the RSV vaccine during every pregnancy. We recommend vaccination in week 28 or soon after but if you are later on in your pregnancy and still haven’t had your vaccine please contact your maternity service or GP practice to arrange one.

    RSV can be a particularly serious infection for older people, so this new evidence will also give much reassurance that having the RSV jab will greatly reduce their chances of ending up in hospital.

    While the uptake of the RSV vaccine continues to rise, we want to see every single pregnant woman and eligible older person getting protected. The virus picks up in the autumn, so don’t put if off over the summer – as soon as you reach your 75th birthday or week 28 of pregnancy get the vaccine for healthy peace of mind.

    UKHSA has published its first RSV Annual Report, which looks back at the 2024 to 2025 RSV season, providing analysis on disease pattern, vaccine uptake and vaccine impact.

    The surveillance shows RSV activity started across all UK nations around week 42 of 2024 (week starting 14 October) and peaked around weeks 47 to 49 2024 (18 November to 8 December), before steadily declining and reaching baseline activity around weeks 7 to 8 2025 (10 to 23 February).

    The Report also details UKHSA’s analysis from the primary care surveillance, which involves swabbing in around 300 GP Practices in England when a patient presents with an acute respiratory infection (ARI). This found that by age group, the highest RSV positivity (% of laboratory confirmed RSV cases out of total ARI swabs) was observed in children under 5 years; with positivity peaking at 53.1% in week 46 (11-17 November).

    Among those aged 75 years and above, the highest RSV positivity rate was 18.5% reported in week 49 (2 to 8 December).

    Surveillance of patients attending hospital emergency departments (ED) in England found that among infants (babies under 1), bronchiolitis peaked in late November. This is the main clinical presentation of infant RSV and RSV is the primary pathogen causing bronchiolitis.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Navigating the Jukskei: An in depth look into the legendary Joburg river

    Source: Government of South Africa

    The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) Press will launch a new book this evening that explores the diverse ways in which the Jukskei River has influenced the cultural, social, political and scientific narratives of Johannesburg.

    Titled ‘Johannesburg from the Riverbanks: Navigating the Jukskei’, this engaging volume is edited by Mehita Iqani and Renugan Raidoo.

    According to HSRC, this innovative volume brings together an array of interdisciplinary voices, shedding light on the complex and often tangled relationships between the city and this vital waterway. 

    Five different launches have been organised, starting with the launch at Exclusive Books in Rosebank on Thursday, 31 July 2025, from 6:30 pm.

    The organisation said the book builds on the insightful discussions and interdisciplinary perspectives shared at the 2022 Riparian Urbanism Conference, which brought together a diverse range of voices to explore the complex relationship between the city and this river. 

    “From the bustling inner city to the tranquil northern suburbs, the Jukskei’s history acts as a mirror reflecting the city’s growth, struggles and stark inequalities. 

    “Readers will uncover the dynamic interaction of memories, identities, and aspirations that the river embodies, all while addressing the urgent environmental challenges resulting from modernisation.” 

    Professor Emeritus at the University of the Witwatersrand, Isabel Hofmeyr, said this “treasure trove of a book” tells stories of how Johannesburg and the Jukskei River make each other. 

    “A sparkling compendium of chapters and images by artists, activists, scientists, urban planners, and historians will make you think about the river in new ways,” she said. 

    Professor of History at the University of the Witwatersrand, Mucha Musemwa, believes the book not only investigates the Jukskei River itself but also enriches the city’s understanding of Johannesburg in refreshing ways. 

    “[It is] an invigorating read for anyone interested in the intersection of nature and urban life,” he said. 

    The Head of the History Workshop at the University of the Witwatersrand, Noor Nieftagodien, believes that authors highlight how the processes of modernisation, such as the mining industry and urbanisation, have contaminated this historic waterway. 

    Nieftagodien said they also illustrate how the banks of the river reflect the city’s significant inequalities.

    “Yet, amidst these challenges, artists and activists offer hope by reimagining our relationship with the river, making this a crucial contribution to current conversations about environmental crises,” Nieftagodien added. 

    Click here on the link to RSVP https://exclusivebooks.co.za/pages/events#?event-id=55150. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: How Customer Experience Management Summit (CEM) Africa, the continent’s leading CX Summit signals the next wave of customer experience innovation

    Source: APO

    Customer expectations are evolving, and businesses must keep pace to stay competitive. The Customer Experience Africa Summit (CEM), hosted by Vuka Group (www.WeAreVUKA.com) on 12 – 14 August 2025 at Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town, is set to be a defining moment for the industry. CEM Africa is where customer experience leaders meet to explore industry shifts, solve pressing CX challenges, and innovate solutions that create measurable business impact. Featuring impactful presentations and workshops led by CX leaders like Zendesk, Cisco and CX Experts, this event will unpack the transformative role of AI and other innovations in reshaping customer engagement.

    Here’s why the summit is a must-attend for anyone looking to lead in the CX space.

    AI: The Engine of CX Transformation

    Artificial intelligence is no longer a buzzword, it’s a cornerstone of modern customer experience. Delegates will be treated to an exciting keynote, delivered by Ahmad Zureiki, Director of Cisco Collaboration Business for MEA. Titled “Driving Business Success: AI’s Role in Redefining Customer Experience,” Zureiki’s session will explore what it truly takes to unlock AI’s potential for reimagining customer interactions and driving enterprise success. Moving beyond hype to practical applications, Cisco’s insights will set the stage for a summit focused on actionable strategies.

    This theme of AI-driven transformation runs through the summit’s workshops. For example, Zendesk’s James Stubbs and Matt Harman will lead “Beyond Bots: AI at Every Stage of the Customer Journey,” a 60-minute interactive session. This workshop will showcase how Zendesk AI enhances self-service resolutions, empowers agents with real-time insights, and streamlines contact centre workflows. Through practical examples, attendees will learn how to embed AI to tackle complex issues, boost productivity, and deliver seamless customer experiences.

    Practical Strategies for Exceptional CX

    Delivering outstanding customer experiences requires more than technology, it demands strategy and execution. The summit’s workshops address this head-on. One session, “Practical Insights on Delivering a Great Customer Experience,” will explore how organizations can blend proactive engagement, digital channels, and AI-driven solutions to achieve meaningful outcomes. Attendees will tackle key challenges, such as where to begin and how to prioritise, to create CX strategies that drive results.

    Another workshop, “Delivering Great CX from Within: Enhancing Employee Experiences with AI,” highlights the critical link between employee empowerment and customer satisfaction. This session will demonstrate how AI can streamline workflows for customer-facing teams, enabling agents and supervisors to deliver better experiences with greater efficiency. By focusing on employee experience, organisations can create a ripple effect that transforms customer interactions.

    Learning from AI’s Real-World Impact

    As AI reshapes CX, real-world lessons are invaluable. The workshop “Realisation of AI in the Customer Experience Domain – Lessons Learnt So Far” will delve into the evolving landscape of AI adoption. This session will cover trends, challenges, and insights from early adopters, offering practical guidance for organizations at any stage of their AI journey. Whether you’re just starting or refining existing strategies, this workshop will help you avoid common pitfalls and embrace sustainable AI adoption.

    Why CEM Africa Summit Matters

    The stakes for CX are higher than ever. A recent study by PwC found that 73% of consumers prioritise experience over price, making CX a key driver of loyalty and revenue. The CEM Africa Summit addresses this reality by bringing together industry leaders like Cisco and Zendesk to share actionable insights. As Terry Southam, Group Director: Retail at Vuka Group, notes: “CEM Africa is a catalyst for redefining how businesses connect with customers. By bringing together visionaries like Cisco’s Ahmad Zureiki and Zendesk’s James Stubbs and Matt Harman, we are equipping attendees with the tools to lead in CX innovation.”

    Looking Ahead

    CEM Africa Summit, taking place at Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town, is more than an event, it is a glimpse into the future of customer experience. By spotlighting AI’s transformative power, practical CX strategies, and real-world lessons, the summit will inspire and empower professionals to drive meaningful change.

    Learn more and register at www.CEMAfricaSummit.com

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

    For media enquiries, contact:
    Steven Dennett
    steven.dennett@wearevuka.com

    Social Media:
    Join the conversation on social media by following CEM on LinkedIn: http://apo-opa.co/45e91fs

    Media files

    .

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI China: Beijing invites overseas talent to explore opportunities

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

    The summer session of the 14th Beijing Tour for Overseas Talents, a crucial channel for overseas talent to connect with Beijing and develop in the city, commenced on Tuesday at HICOOL industrial park in Beijing’s Shunyi district.

    As a platform of international talent exchange and cooperation, the tour brought nearly 30 representatives of student associations and international students from 16 prestigious universities — including Yale University, Columbia University, New York University, and the University of Milan — to engage in networking and matchmaking sessions with leading enterprises and innovation parks in the Chinese capital.

    At the opening ceremony, the Investment Promotion Service Center of Shunyi District presented the region’s development environment, highlighting its unique advantages in industrial clusters and business-friendly policies. A service station for overseas student associations was also established to provide comprehensive support for international students who intend to start their careers in Beijing.

    During the tour, overseas talent will also visit selected districts in Beijing and the Xiong’an New Area to gain firsthand insight into the city’s innovation and entrepreneurship environment, as well as the latest development in Xiong’an.

    The “Hong Kong Talents Beijing Tour” was held concurrently, with 32 outstanding individuals from seven renowned universities — including the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong — invited to visit and engage in exchange activities in Beijing.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: RSV vaccine highly effective in preventing hospitalisation

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    News story

    RSV vaccine highly effective in preventing hospitalisation

    RSV vaccines are 82% effective for older people and 72% for newborns when mothers are vaccinated at least 14 days before birth.

    A new UK Health Security Agency study – Effectiveness of RSV Vaccine Against RSV Associated Hospitalisation Among Adults Aged 75 to 79 years in England – in partnership with Nottingham University Hospitals and other NHS trusts, shows the RSV vaccine provided strong protection for older people, around 82% effective in preventing hospital admissions with RSV infection.

    The study also found that the vaccine is highly effective in preventing hospitalisation for older people with a chronic respiratory condition and those living with immunosuppression.

    Two new Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccination programmes were introduced to the NHS Vaccination Schedule in September last year; an older adults programme and a maternal programme.

    The programme for older adults offers the vaccine to those turning 75, as well as a one-off catch up campaign for all adults aged 75 to79 years.

    The maternal vaccination programme is offered to women from 28 weeks of pregnancy to protect newborns, who are at higher risk of severe illness from RSV.

    A separate new study – Vaccination in Pregnancy and RSV Hospitalisation in Infants in the UK, led by NHS paediatricians, published in the Lancet Child and Adolescent Health – found that  the maternal RSV vaccine was 72% effective in preventing hospitalisation for infants whose mothers were vaccinated more than 14 days before delivery.

    UKHSA has also today published the latest vaccine uptake figures for both RSV programmes, including the:

    • older adults programme: overall coverage as of 30 June 2025 in the catch-up cohort (adults aged 75 to 79) reached 62.9%, up from the 60.3% reported in March
    • maternal programme: of the 36,657 women reported as having given birth in March 2025, 20,051 (54.7%) had received an RSV vaccine
    • maternal coverage varied by ethnic group with the highest coverage reported among the Chinese ethnic group (73.3%) and lowest among Black and Black British Caribbean (26.4%)

    Greta Hayward, Consultant Midwife at the UK Health Security Agency, said:

    Having the RSV vaccine during every pregnancy is the best way for women to protect their newborn against RSV, as the vaccine boosts their immune system to produce more antibodies against the virus, and these then pass through the placenta to help protect their baby from the day they are born. RSV infects around 90% of children in their first 2 years of life.

    The RSV season usually starts in October and while there is no risk-free birth month, babies born in late summer or the autumn are most likely to be admitted to hospital. Hundreds of babies attend Emergency Departments each day for bronchiolitis through most of November and December. That is why it is so important that over the summer pregnant women reaching 28 weeks of pregnancy, ensure they are vaccinated as soon as possible.

    Dr Conall Watson, Immunisation Consultant at the UK Health Security Agency, said:

    The evidence clearly shows the RSV vaccine for pregnant women is highly effective and will give much reassurance to parents, knowing their newborn is protected from birth, when they are at much greater risk from RSV.

    As a parent and health professional I can’t stress enough the importance of getting the RSV vaccine during every pregnancy. We recommend vaccination in week 28 or soon after but if you are later on in your pregnancy and still haven’t had your vaccine please contact your maternity service or GP practice to arrange one.

    RSV can be a particularly serious infection for older people, so this new evidence will also give much reassurance that having the RSV jab will greatly reduce their chances of ending up in hospital.

    While the uptake of the RSV vaccine continues to rise, we want to see every single pregnant woman and eligible older person getting protected. The virus picks up in the autumn, so don’t put if off over the summer – as soon as you reach your 75th birthday or week 28 of pregnancy get the vaccine for healthy peace of mind.

    UKHSA has published its first RSV Annual Report, which looks back at the 2024 to 2025 RSV season, providing analysis on disease pattern, vaccine uptake and vaccine impact.

    The surveillance shows RSV activity started across all UK nations around week 42 of 2024 (week starting 14 October) and peaked around weeks 47 to 49 2024 (18 November to 8 December), before steadily declining and reaching baseline activity around weeks 7 to 8 2025 (10 to 23 February).

    The Report also details UKHSA’s analysis from the primary care surveillance, which involves swabbing in around 300 GP Practices in England when a patient presents with an acute respiratory infection (ARI). This found that by age group, the highest RSV positivity (% of laboratory confirmed RSV cases out of total ARI swabs) was observed in children under 5 years; with positivity peaking at 53.1% in week 46 (11-17 November).

    Among those aged 75 years and above, the highest RSV positivity rate was 18.5% reported in week 49 (2 to 8 December).

    Surveillance of patients attending hospital emergency departments (ED) in England found that among infants (babies under 1), bronchiolitis peaked in late November. This is the main clinical presentation of infant RSV and RSV is the primary pathogen causing bronchiolitis.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The deadline for accepting applications for the XI All-Russian Prize “For Loyalty to Science” has been extended

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Official website of the State –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The State University of Management invites you to take part in the XI All-Russian Prize “For Loyalty to Science”. Applications are accepted until August 17.

    Participants may include scientists, journalists, press service workers popularizing Russian science, as well as business representatives who have made a significant contribution to supporting the prestige of professional scientific activity and popularizing domestic scientific achievements.

    This year the Award includes 11 nominations:

    Scientific press service of the year. Scientific journalist of the year. Author of digital content. Recognition. Russian science to the world (nomination named after Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky). On the use of artificial intelligence technology in scientific research. Working with experience: scientists’ contribution to the Victory. Science for children. Special prize named after Khristophor Ledentsov. Special prize named after Daniil Granin. Special prize for the 80th anniversary of the nuclear industry.

    All winners will receive a cash prize from the Art, Science and Sport charity foundation, and the winners of the Special Prize for the 80th Anniversary of the Nuclear Industry nomination will also go on a trip on a nuclear icebreaker organized by the Rosatom State Corporation.

    The award ceremony will take place at the end of October in Moscow.

    Let us recall that the All-Russian Prize “For Loyalty to Science” is awarded annually for outstanding achievements in the field of scientific communication, popularization of scientific achievements and support of the prestige of scientific activity in the Russian Federation. In 2022, the Prize became one of the flagship projects of the Decade of Science and Technology announced by the President of Russia.

    You can find out more about the Award and submit an application on the official website, and ask any questions by email at zavernostnauke@minobrnauki.gov.ru.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: New flavour for Herb’s career at EIT Tairāwhiti | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

    Source: Eastern Institute of Technology

    6 hours ago

    What started as a ride to campus for a friend has led to a new career path for Herb Kepa (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Pāoa), who recently completed the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 4) at EIT Tairāwhiti.

    The 56-year-old spent more than three decades working in landscaping and stone masonry before a serious health scare in 2019 forced him to step away from the physical work.

    Herb Kepa at EIT Tairāwhiti, where his passion for cooking turned into a new career path.

    He spent months in hospital with a torn aorta and has since experienced a series of mini strokes, most of them occurring around the end of the year.

    No longer able to return to the work he had done most of his life, Herb was unsure what would come next.

    “A friend of mine wanted a lift to come in to check out this cooking course. I sat in on it, and then the tutor asked if I wanted to join up too. I said, I’ve got nothing else to do, so why not give it a go. I’ve been there ever since.”

    That decision led to four years of study in hospitality. Herb began with the New Zealand Certificate in Food and Beverage Service (Level 3), followed by a plant-based cookery training scheme, the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 3), and then the two-year New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 4), which he completed last year.

    While studying, Herb worked part-time at The Vines Restaurant in Makaraka. He continues to work there, preparing entrees, desserts and breads.

    “I’ve always loved cooking, but I never thought I’d be a chef,” he said. “I love my breads. It’s something I enjoy.”

    Herb said his background in landscaping helped with the hands-on nature of kitchen work, and that returning to study in his 50s came with some challenges but was well worth it.

    “I’ve never been one to study. I’m better with my hands. But this is the first time I’ve actually studied properly.”

    He said the tutors were “really good”, especially Maaki Gooding, Karen Johnston and Tony Davis who “helped a lot”.

    His advice to others thinking about making a change later in life and studying at EIT is simple.

    “If you like food, give it a go. It’s definitely worth it. You’re never too old.”

    Assistant Head of School for Tourism and Hospitality at EIT, Nikki Lloyd said the level 4 cookery programme allows students to study while they work, attending class one day a week while working in the industry.

    “The ability to learn and earn is a win-win for both student and employer. What students learn in class is put into practice in the workplace, giving them the confidence that is critical to their success. Employers often mention how students grow into key roles in the workplace as a result of their training.”

    Chef tutor Tony Davis said Herb’s curiosity with food regularly showed results above expectation.

    “The enjoyment he gets from cooking is apparent both in the classroom and the workplace. This combined with his steady work ethic has seen him graduate as one of our top students and now a respected, qualified chef in the workplace.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: How Rupert Murdoch helped to build brand Trump – podcast

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Gemma Ware, Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation

    Donald Trump’s lawyers are pushing to get Rupert Murdoch deposed, and quickly.

    The US president is suing the billionaire media owner, alongside the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones and others, for libel after it published an article alleging that Trump once wrote a “bawdy” birthday letter to the convicted sex offender, the late Jeffrey Epstein.

    Trump is seeking US$10 billion in damages. In a court filing in late July, his lawyers asked the court to order a swift deposition, citing Murdoch’s age at 94.

    Trump and Murdoch have a transactional friendship that goes back decades. Despite past tensions, this rupture is something new in a relationship that has continued to serve both men’s interests.

    In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, professor of journalism Andrew Dodd at the University of Melbourne takes us back to where their relationship began in 1970s New York, to understand how Murdoch helped to build brand Trump.

    Murdoch was already a very successful media magnate in Australia and the UK before he made his move to America. In 1976, after dabbling in two newspapers in Texas, he bought the New York Post.

    “ Murdoch wanted to make it big in the US and to do that he really needed to break into New York,” says Dodd. US television networks were all based in US, he explains, “so by influencing what was going on in Manhattan, he was influencing the entire country’s media.”

    Meanwhile, Trump was a young property developer from Queens. “ He’s wanting to develop and build, and he’s also wanting a profile because the profile will help him along the way,” says Dodd. “But he’s also an egomaniac. He needs publicity for its own sake, and so he’s attracted to the media.” Trump became easy and frequent fodder for the new Page Six gossip column of Murdoch’s New York Post.

    Dodd says that both men saw in each other “opportunities for their own advancement”. For Trump, it was about access to notoriety. For Murdoch, a newcomer and foreigner in New York, he needed to make friends quickly and start establishing relationships. “He’s becoming ingratiated with power in the city, and so they’re all using one another,” he says.

    Listen to the conversation with Andrew Dodd about Trump and Murdoch and the power they now wield over each other, on The Conversation Weekly podcast.

    This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware with assistance from Ashlynne McGhee. Mixing and sound design by Eloise Stevens and theme music by Neeta Sarl.

    Newclips in this episode from ITV News, MSNBC and The Independent.

    Listen to The Conversation Weekly via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our RSS feed or find out how else to listen here. A transcript of this episode is available on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

    Andrew Dodd 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. How Rupert Murdoch helped to build brand Trump – podcast – https://theconversation.com/how-rupert-murdoch-helped-to-build-brand-trump-podcast-262158

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New members appointed to OPSS Advisory Board

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    New members appointed to OPSS Advisory Board

    New members appointed to the Office for Product Safety and Standards Advisory Board.

    Five new members have been appointed to the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) Advisory Board. They are:

    • Jen Dinmore – Legal Director, Digital, Commerce and Creative team, Lewis Silk 
    • Frank Given – Founder, Close Focus
    • Amanda Long – Chief Executive, Construction Product Information
    • Professor John Loughhead – Industrial Professor of Clean Energy at the University of Birmingham and Chair of the Redwheel-Turquoise ClimateTech fund
    • John McDermid – Professor of Software Engineering, University of York

    OPSS welcomes these new members of its Advisory Board, who have a wealth of experience in areas including engineering, regulation, research and standards development.

    The OPSS Advisory Board typically meets once a quarter. Its members act as critical friends, providing external challenge and bringing fresh perspectives and ideas, ensuring OPSS is best prepared to deal with current and future challenges. The group is not involved in operational decisions, such as handling individual regulatory incidents.

    Updates to this page

    Published 31 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to air traffic control issue

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Scientists comment on a UK air traffic control issue which led to flight delays and cancellations.

    Dr Guy Gratton, Associate Professor of Aviation and the Environment, Cranfield University, said:

    “National Air Traffic Services (NATS) have said there was a fault with their radar system, and this caused a stop on departing and arriving airline traffic on Wednesday afternoon for about an hour.  They control the upper airways of the UK from two sites – Swannick near Southampton, and Prestwick near Glasgow.  It’s very integrated, and any interruption, as occurred, can only be solved in the short term by reducing the volume of traffic so as to make absolutely sure that in Britain’s very busy airways system, they achieve safe separation of all aircraft.  As the systems come back up, they have to maintain that safe separation whilst introducing new traffic back into the airways system, so even a short delay will cause disruption for some time.

    “It looks to me that NATS handled this very well, with departures and arrivals only stopped for about an hour.  There’s no sign that safety was compromised, and hopefully the overnight reduction in air traffic will give them a chance to clear the disruption and recommence flying on Thursday morning with only minimal residual delays.  It’s inevitable that people directly affected are frustrated, but safety has to be the primary concern.”

    Junade Ali, a Fellow at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), said:

    “The cause of this significant grounding of aircraft appears to be a technical issue at National Air Traffic Services (NATS).  As of 16:25, NATS report a fix is being rolled out, meaning the issue was addressed promptly.

    “In late 2023, there was a similar incident related to the IT systems that NATS uses.  Given the short duration of the outage, it seems likely this is also an IT or software outage.

    “NATS has previously thoroughly investigated such incidents and implemented suitable measures.  From prior incident reports, the software is understood to not compromise safety at the expense of keeping airspace open.  This is the right approach as, whilst keeping airspace open is important, the public risk appetite demands a high standard of safety when it comes to air travel.  Incidents like this remind us of the need for robust IT systems that are resilient.” 

    Statement from the National Air Traffic Control Services: https://www.nats.aero/statement/statement-technical-issue-at-swanwick/

    Declared interests

    Junade Ali: “No conflicts of interest.”

    For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Labor well-placed to win three Bass seats in Tasmanian election, giving left a total of 20 of 35 MPs

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

    Labor is well-placed to win three seats in the electorate of Bass at the Tasmanian election, although its party totals imply it deserves only two. This would give left-leaning MPs a total of 20 of 35 seats. Interstate, New South Wales Labor has surged to a large lead in a Resolve poll.

    The postal receipt deadline for the July 19 Tasmanian state election passed at 10am Tuesday. Final statewide vote shares
    were 39.9% Liberals (up 3.2% since the March 2024 election), 25.9% Labor (down 3.2%), 14.4% Greens (up 0.5%), 2.9% Shooters, Fishers and Farmers (up 0.6%), 1.6% Nationals (new) and 15.3% independents (up 5.7%).

    Tasmania uses the proportional Hare-Clark system to elect its lower house. There are five electorates corresponding to Tasmania’s five federal seats, and each electorate returns seven members, for a total of 35 lower house MPs.

    Under this system, a quota for election is one-eighth of the vote or 12.5%, but half of this (6.2%) is usually enough to give a reasonable chance of election. There’s no above the line section like for the federal Senate. Instead, people vote for candidates not parties, with at least seven preferences required for a formal vote.

    Robson rotation means that candidates for each party are randomised across ballot papers for that electorate, so that on some ballot papers a candidate will appear at the top of their party’s ticket and on others at the bottom.

    This means parties can’t control the ordering of their candidates. Independents can be listed in single-candidate columns.

    Leakage occurs when party candidates with more than one quota are elected and their surplus distributed, or when minor candidates are excluded and their preferences distributed. In the federal Senate, the large majority of votes are cast above the line, and these votes cannot leak from the party that received a first preference vote.

    The consequence of leakage is that parties will lose votes from their totals during the distribution of preferences when their own candidates are elected or excluded. Single-candidate tickets can’t lose votes, and will only gain as other candidates are excluded.

    Unlike other states and federally, the Tasmanian distribution of preferences is done manually. Before the distributions, analyst Kevin Bonham had called 14 of the 35 seats for the Liberals, ten for Labor, five for the Greens and four for left-leaning independents, leaving two undecided (the final seats in Bass and Lyons).

    Labor well-placed to win three seats in Bass

    Final primary votes in Bass gave the Liberals 3.34 quotas, Labor 2.20, the Greens 1.32, the Shooters 0.32 and independent George Razay 0.27. The Shooters and Razay had single-candidate tickets that can’t leak votes.

    After three days of preference distributions, vote shares in Bass are 3.30 quotas for the Liberals, 2.25 for Labor, 1.31 for the Greens, 0.40 for the Shooters and 0.37 for Razay.

    On quota fractions, the final seat in Bass looks as if it should go to the Shooters or Razay. However, with one Labor candidate already elected, the two leading Labor candidates (Jess Greene and Geoff Lyons) each have about 0.37 quotas with two Labor candidates still to be excluded.

    If the remaining Labor votes divide roughly evenly between Greene and Lyons, they would each have about 0.62 quotas. Greens preferences will then favour Labor whether their final opponent is the Shooters or the Liberals. So Labor is well-placed to win three seats in Bass despite their party total implying they only deserve two.

    If Labor wins the final Bass seat, Labor, the Greens and left-leaning independents would have a total of 20 of the 35 seats, making any Labor attempt to form government easier.

    In Lyons, final primary votes gave the Liberals 3.36 quotas, Labor 2.27, the Greens 1.08, the Shooters 0.53 and the Nationals 0.33. The Shooters had a single-candidate ticket.

    The Liberals now have 3.36 quotas, Labor 2.44, the Greens one, the Shooters 0.68 and the Nationals 0.34. Neither Labor nor the Liberals have any chance of pulling off an even split across candidates, so the Shooters will win the final Lyons seat.

    NSW Resolve poll: Labor surges to large lead

    A New South Wales state Resolve poll for The Sydney Morning Herald, conducted July 13–18 from a sample of 1,054, gave Labor 38% of the primary vote (up five since April), the Coalition 32% (down four), the Greens 13% (up two), independents 8% (down six) and others 10% (up four).

    Resolve does not usually give a two-party estimate for its state polls, but The Poll Bludger estimated a Labor lead by 57–43. Despite the strong voting intentions for Labor, Labor incumbent Chris Minns’ lead over Liberal Mark Speakman as preferred premier narrowed from 40–15 to 35–16. This indicates that Labor’s surge is due to the federal election result.

    Resolve polls taken well before an election have overstated the independent vote as they give independent as an option in all seats, when many seats don’t have viable independents. The six-point drop for independents in this poll suggests a different method is now being used.

    By 32–25, respondents expected their personal outlook in the next year to get better rather than worse, but by 25–21 they expected the NSW state outlook to get worse.

    Additional questions from federal Resolve poll

    I previously covered a national Resolve poll for Nine newspapers that gave Labor a 56–44 lead. On reforms, 36% thought the government should take the opportunity from its landslide re-election to undertake reforms, while 32% thought it should restrict itself to policies put forward at the election.

    By 47–20, respondents opposed raising the GST rate even if it would reduce other taxes. By 31–26, they supported reducing or ditching negative gearing concessions. By 36–27, they supported reducing or ditching capital gains tax concessions on properties.

    By 57–18, respondents thought the opposition should work with the government to negotiate changes, rather than just oppose major reforms.

    By 53–18, respondents thought Donald Trump’s election as United States president last November a bad outcome for Australia (68–11 bad in April, after Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs).

    By 46–22, they thought Australia becoming more independent from the US on foreign policy and national security would be good. By 38–26, voters blamed Trump more than Albanese for the lack of a meeting.

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

    – ref. Labor well-placed to win three Bass seats in Tasmanian election, giving left a total of 20 of 35 MPs – https://theconversation.com/labor-well-placed-to-win-three-bass-seats-in-tasmanian-election-giving-left-a-total-of-20-of-35-mps-261751

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Espionage cost Australia $12.5 billion in 2023-24, ASIO boss Mike Burgess says

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

    Espionage cost Australia $12.5 billion in 2023-24, according to a study by ASIO and the Australian Institute of Criminology.

    The figure includes the direct costs of known espionage incidents, including state-sponsored theft of intellectual property, as well as the indirect costs of countering and responding.

    Details of the Cost of Espionage report were released by the head of ASIO, Mike Burgess, in delivering the annual Hawke Lecture on Thursday night. Espionage is defined as “the theft of Australian information by another country that is seeking an advantage over Australia”.

    Burgess said the Institute estimated foreign cyber spies stole nearly $2 billion from Australian companies and businesses in trade secrets and intellectual property in 2023-24.

    In one instance, spies hacked into a major Australian exporters computer network, stealing commercially sensitive information.

    “The theft gave the foreign country a significant advantage in subsequent contract negotiations, costing Australia hundreds of millions of dollars.”

    Burgess pointed to another espionage incident several years ago when an overseas delegation visited a sensitive Australian horticultural facility.

    A delegation member entered a restricted area and photographed a rare, valuable variety of fruit tree. A staff member intervened and deleted the image but it later turned out several of the tree’s branches had been stolen and smuggled out of Australia.

    “Almost certainly, the stolen plant material allowed scientists in the other country to reverse engineer and replicate two decades of Australian research and development.”

    In another instance, an Australian defence contractor invented and sold a world-leading innovation.

    At first sales boomed but then they collapsed, and “customers began flooding the company’s repair centre with faulty products. While the returns looked genuine, closer examination revealed they were cheap and nasty knock offs.

    “An investigation uncovered what happened.

    “One year earlier, a company representative attended a defence industry event overseas and was approached by an enthusiastic local. She insisted on sharing some content via a USB, which was inserted into a company laptop. The USB infected the system with malware allowing hackers to steal the blueprints for the product.

    “Almost certainly, the ‘enthusiastic local’ worked for a foreign intelligence service. The blueprints were given to a state-owned enterprise which mass-produced the knock-offs and deprived the Australian company millions of dollars in lost revenue – the tangible cost of espionage.”

    Burgess said many entities do not realise their secrets have been stolen by espionage.

    He stressed the institute was deliberately conservative, only modelling costs it could confirm and calculate.

    “That means many of the most serious, significant and cascading costs of espionage are not included in the 12.5 billion dollar figure. The potential loss of strategic advantage, sovereign decision-making and warfighting capacity hold immense value, but not a quantifiable dollar value.”

    “The Institute estimates Australia prevented tens of billions of dollars of additional costs by stopping or deterring spying,” Burgess said.

    He said ASIO estimated the espionage threat “will only intensify. It is already more serious and sophisticated than ever before, so our response must also be more serious and sophisticated than ever before.”

    Russian spies booted out in 2022

    Burgess confirmed that in 2022 a number of “undeclared Russian intelligence officers” were removed from Australia.

    “The decision followed a lengthy ASIO investigation that found the Russians recruiting proxies and agents to obtain sensitive information, and employing sophisticated tradecraft to disguise their activities.”

    Last year, two Russian born Australian citizens were charged with an espionage related offence.

    Russian remained a persistent and aggressive espionage threat, Burgess said. “But Russia is by no means the only country we have to deal with.

    “You would be genuinely shocked by the number and names of countries trying to steal our secrets.

    “The obvious candidates are very active – I’ve previously named China, Russia and Iran – but many other countries are also targeting anyone and anything that could give them a strategic or tactical advantage, including sensitive but unclassified information.”

    Burgess said increasingly foreign intelligence services were broadening their collection efforts beyond traditional categories. They were aggressively targeting science and technology, and public and private sector projects, negotiations and investments. This includes Antarctic research, green technology, critical minerals and rare earths extraction and processing.

    ‘A very unhealthy’ interest in AUKUS

    Burgess said foreign intelligence services were “taking a very unhealthy interest in AUKUS and its associated capabilities.”

    “Australia’s defence sector is a top intelligence collection priority for foreign governments seeking to blunt our operational edge, gain insights into our operational readiness and tactics, and better understand our allies’ capabilities.

    “Targets include maritime and aviation-related military capabilities, but also innovations with both commercial and military applications.

    “And with AUKUS, we are not just defending our sovereign capability. We are also defending critical capability shared by and with our partners.”

    He said foreign intelligence services were “proactive, creative and opportunistic” in targeting present and former defence employees.

    There was relentless cyber espionage, in-person targeting and technical collection.

    “In recent years, for example, defence employees travelling overseas have been subjected to covert room searches, been approached at conferences by spies in disguise and given gifts containing surveillance devices.”

    Two dozen major disruptions in the last three years

    Burgess said that ASIO had detected and disrupted 24 major cases of foreign interference in the last three years alone.

    This was more than in the previous eight years combined. They were just the major disruptions – there were many other cases. Among the examples he gave were:

    • spies recruited a security clearance holder who handed over official documents on free trade negotiations

    • foreign companies connected to intelligence services sought to buy access to personal data sets; sought to buy land near sensitive military sites, and sought to collaborate with researchers developing sensitive technologies

    • foreign intelligence services tried to get someone employed as a researcher in a media outlet, aiming to shape reporting and receive early warning of critical stories

    • spies convinced a state bureaucrat to login to a database to obtain details of people considered dissidents by a foreign regime

    • nation state hackers compromised a peak industry body’s network getting sensitive information

    • a foreign intelligence service had multiple agents and their family members apply for Australian government jobs to get access to classified information.

    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. Espionage cost Australia $12.5 billion in 2023-24, ASIO boss Mike Burgess says – https://theconversation.com/espionage-cost-australia-12-5-billion-in-2023-24-asio-boss-mike-burgess-says-262349

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –