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Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI Global: Rain on wildfire burn scars can trigger destructive debris flows − a geologist explains how

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jen Pierce, Professor of Geosciences, Boise State University

    A debris flow channel in a severely burned watershed in Idaho. Amirhossein Montazeri/Boise State University, CC BY-ND

    As the Los Angeles area cleaning up from devastating wildfires, city officials and emergency managers are worried about what could come next.

    Rain on burned hillslopes can trigger dangerous floods and debris flows. Those debris flows can move with the speed of a freight train, picking up or destroying anything in their path. They can move tons of sediment during a single storm, as Montecito, just up the coast from Los Angeles, saw in 2018.

    What causes debris flows, sometimes called mudflows, and why are they so common and dangerous after a fire? I am a geologist whose research focuses on pyrogeomorphology, which is how fire affects the land. Here’s what we know.

    How debris flows begin

    When severe fires burn hillslopes, the high heat from the fires, sometimes exceeding 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (538 degrees Celsius), completely destroys trees, shrubs, grass and structures, leaving behind a moonscape of gray ash. Not only that, the heat of the fire actually burns and damages the soil, creating a water-repellent, or hydrophobic, layer.

    What once was a vegetated hillslope, with leaves and trees to intercept rain and spongy soils to absorb water, is transformed into a barren landscape covered with ash, and burned soil where water cannot soak in.

    Illustrations show how fire can change the soil and landscape.
    National Weather Service

    When rain does fall on a burned area like this, water mixes with the ash, rocks and sediment to form a slurry. This slurry of debris then pours downhill in small gullies called rills, which then converge to form bigger and bigger rills, creating a torrent of sediment, water and debris rushing downhill. All this debris and water can transform small streams and usually dry gullies into a danger zone.

    Because the concentration of sediment is so high, especially when there is a large amount of ash and clay, debris flows behave more like a slurry of wet cement than a normal stream. This fluid can pick up and move large boulders, cars, trees and other debris rapidly downhill.

    A firefighter walks through knee-deep mud while checking for victims after a debris flow hit Montecito, Calif., in January 2018.
    Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

    In January 2018, a few weeks after the Thomas fire burned through the hills above Montecito, a storm triggered debris flows that killed 23 people and damaged at least 400 homes.

    What controls size and timing of debris flows

    The geography of the land, burn severity, storm intensity and soil characteristics all play important roles in if, when and where debris flows occur.

    Fire and debris flow scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey use these variables to create models to predict the likelihood and possible hazards from postfire debris flows. They are already developing maps to help residents, emergency managers and city officials prepare and predict postfire debris flows in 2025 burn areas in Los Angeles.

    The U.S. Geological Survey modeled debris flow risks after the Palisades Fire near Los Angeles. The map shows some of the highest-risk areas if hit by 15 minutes of rain falling at just under 1 inch (24 millimeters) per hour.
    USGS

    Some of the triggers of debris flows are literally part of the landscape.

    For example, the slope angle in a watershed and the amount of clay in the soil are important. Watersheds with gentle slopes – generally less than about 23 degrees – and a lack of clay and silt-sized particles are unlikely to produce debris flows.

    Other key factors that contribute to postfire debris flows relate to the proportion of the watershed that is severely burned and the intensity and duration of the rainstorm event.

    Early important research in the field of pyrogeomorphology demonstrated that while large, intense storms are more likely to cause large, intense debris flows, even small rainstorms can produce debris flows in burned areas.

    Debris flows are becoming more common

    A whopping 21.8 million Americans live within 3 miles of where a fire burned during the past two decades, and that population more than doubled from 2000 to 2019. A recent study from central and northern California indicates that nearly all the observed increases in area burned by wildfires in recent decades are due to human-caused climate change.

    The warming climate is also increasing the likelihood of more extreme downpours. The amount of moisture the atmosphere can hold increases by about 7% per degree Celsius of warming, leading to more intense downpours, particularly from ocean storms. In California, scientists project increases in rainfall intensity of 18% will result in an overall 110% increase in the probability of major debris flows.

    Jon Frye, of Santa Barbara Public Works, shows what happened in the January 2018 Montecito debris flow and why the risks to downslope communities would continue for several years. Source: County of Santa Barbara, 2018.

    Studies using models of fire, climate and erosion rates estimate that the amount of sediment flowing downhill after fires will increase by more than 10% in nine out of every 10 watersheds in the western U.S.

    Even without rain, debris on fire-damaged slopes can be unstable. A small slide in Pacific Palisades shortly after a fire burned through the area split a home in two. A phenomenon called “dry ravel” is a dominant form of hillslope erosion following wildfires in chaparral environments in Southern California

    Preparing for debris flow risks

    Research on charcoal pieces from ancient debris flows has shown fires and erosion have shaped Earth’s landscape for at least thousands of years. However, the rising risk of wildfires near populated areas and the potential for increasingly intense downpours mean a greater risk of damaging and potentially deadly debris flows.

    As their populations expand, community planners need to be aware of those risks and prepare.

    This article, originally published Jan. 23, 2025, has been updated with a flash flood watch issued.

    Jen Pierce receives funding from the National Science Foundation and is the chair of the Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology division of the Geological Society of America.

    – ref. Rain on wildfire burn scars can trigger destructive debris flows − a geologist explains how – https://theconversation.com/rain-on-wildfire-burn-scars-can-trigger-destructive-debris-flows-a-geologist-explains-how-247770

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI China: Europe unveils plan for Ukraine peace deal

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Following last week’s Trump-Zelensky White House clash, more than a dozen Western leaders gathered Sunday to revive efforts for a Ukraine peace deal and propose a settlement to Washington.

    British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the summit as a “once-in-a-generation moment for the security of Europe.” Although the meeting could push the region toward greater self-reliance in security, many observers fear the measures may be too little and too late.

    Wake-up call

    Europe now finds itself at a moment of truth in its security strategy. Before Friday’s diplomatic debacle at the White House, Russia-U.S. talks on the Ukraine crisis took place in Riyadh on Feb. 18, with neither Europe nor Ukraine given a seat at the table.

    This photo shows a scene during a defense summit in London, Britain, March 2, 2025. [Photo/Lauren Hurley/No. 10 Downing Street handout via Xinhua]

    Just one week later, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a plan to impose a 25-percent tariff on all goods imported from the European Union (EU), and justified the move by claiming that the EU was formed to “screw” the United States.

    Europe was in a “moment of real fragility,” Starmer told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

    Asked about the White House clash involving the duo of Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Finnish President Alexander Stubb told BBC before the summit that the breakdown was a “wake-up call” for European nations, stressing that they must adopt a cohesive strategy for the Ukraine crisis and post-conflict arrangements.

    Stubb expressed frustration over shifting transatlantic ties, saying the U.S.-Europe relationship “is evolving,” and “we’re witnessing a more transactional United States, where the Trump administration — rightly or wrongly — is pursuing an ‘America First’ policy.”

    This has led European leaders to explore their own security solutions. At the Munich Security Conference last month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pushed for an emergency clause that would allow governments to increase defense spending without being constrained by the EU’s strict budget deficit rules. After Sunday’s summit, she reiterated that Europe must “step up massively” and forge a common security approach.

    French President Emmanuel Macron proposed on Sunday that European countries should boost their defense spending to between 3 and 3.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). His proposal came a few days after Starmer’s announcement that Britain would increase its defense spending to 2.5 percent of its GDP by 2027 and to 3 percent in the next parliamentary term, which would mean by 2034 at the latest.

    Following a bilateral meeting with Ukraine on Saturday, Britain also agreed to loan Ukraine 2.26 billion pounds (2.84 billion U.S. dollars) to bolster its defense capabilities. Shortly after the summit, Britain further committed 1.6 billion pounds (2 billion dollars) in export finance, allowing Ukraine to purchase over 5,000 air defense missiles.

    More than eight years after Britain voted to depart from the EU, it has positioned itself at the forefront of European security efforts, trying to play the role of a “bridge” between Europe and the United States to secure a peace deal for Ukraine.

    Strengthened bond

    After Sunday’s summit, Starmer outlined a four-step plan to strengthen Ukraine and support peace: to maintain military aid to Ukraine while the conflict continues and increase economic pressure on Russia; to ensure that any lasting peace guarantees Ukraine’s sovereignty and security, with Ukraine at the table for any negotiations; to deter “any future invasion by Russia” in the event of a peace deal; and to establish a “coalition of the willing” to defend Ukraine and uphold peace in the country.

    The summit’s outcome was welcomed by European leaders. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called it “a good meeting,” saying “European countries are stepping up to ensure Ukraine has what it needs to fight for as long as necessary.”

    German Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized the importance of NATO and said on social media on Sunday: “In recent years, we have strengthened our alliance with new members and increased defense spending. This is the path we will continue to follow.”

    However, doubts remain over whether Europe can fully safeguard a peace deal on its own. When asked how Britain plans to persuade more countries to join the “coalition of the willing,” Starmer acknowledged that some countries may be reluctant to contribute militarily.

    “I strongly feel that unless some countries move forward, we will stay in the position we’re in and not be able to move forward,” he said, while admitting the goal to “stay in lockstep with the United States.”

    Transatlantic disagreements

    The EU and the Trump administration have a range of disagreements on the settlement of the Ukraine crisis, while the U.S. provision of security guarantees for Ukraine is foremost among the discussions.

    Within a week before the London summit, both Macron and Starmer visited Washington to seek U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine or Europe, but failed to persuade Trump in this regard.

    U.S. President Donald Trump (2nd L) welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (2nd R) at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Feb. 28, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Trump sidestepped the question of security guarantees, expressing confidence that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, would “keep his word” if an agreement is reached. He also ruled out the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO. Ukraine’s NATO membership has been a focal issue in the crisis.

    Earlier on Sunday before the summit, Starmer announced that Britain, France and Ukraine will work on a ceasefire plan to present to the United States. He named three essential points to achieve “lasting peace” — a strong Ukraine, a European element with security guarantees and a U.S. backstop, with the last one being the subject of “intense” discussion.

    After the announcement of the four-step plan to guarantee peace in Ukraine at the summit, the participating leaders also agreed to meet again soon to sustain the momentum behind these efforts.

    “Europe must do the heavy lifting,” Starmer said, emphasizing that the agreement needs U.S. backing.

    Iain Begg, a research fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science, told Xinhua, “The real question is whether this will be enough to sway the White House. We’ve seen time and again that Washington can reverse its stance overnight.”

    Also on Sunday, Macron told a French newspaper that he was “trying to make Washington understand that disengaging from Ukraine is not in America’s interest.”

    While the summit has pushed Europe toward greater security commitments, the region still faces divisions over whether to deploy troops to Ukraine under a peacekeeping framework.

    For now, some major European countries, including Germany, Spain and Poland, remain hesitant to commit troops to Ukraine, with Britain and France taking the lead in potentially sending military forces.

    Meanwhile, the EU is still in the early stages of developing a defense budget plan. Some experts noted that Europe’s efforts to build its own defense capabilities may still have a long way to go.

    David Galbreath, a professor of international security at the University of Bath, pointed to the U.S. military’s capabilities: “The U.S. provides far sharper military capabilities, such as long-range strikes, sophisticated anti-tank systems and advanced surface-to-air missiles, than anything coming from Europe.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: $43 million boost to north Tassie roads

    Source: Australian Ministers 1

    The Albanese Labor Government is building Tasmania’s future, driving economic growth and improving freight efficiency by investing over $43 million in roads in the north east of the state.  

    We’re investing $20 million to progress planning and design work for the New Tamar Crossing – a new bridge over the Kanamaluka/River Tamar – in partnership with the Tasmanian Government.

    Planning for the New Tamar Crossing is expected to start this year, with an estimated completion date to be determined in consultation with the Tasmanian Government.  

    Further south, $10 million will go towards improving the resilience of Esk Main Road at St Marys Pass, ensuring it remains open and safe during severe weather events. 

    The Esk Highway is the main access road between the Midland Highway and the east coast. This investment will reduce the economic cost of closures and emergency repairs, safeguarding the route for years to come.  

    We’ve also committed an additional funding to ensure the delivery of critical projects across the north, including: 

    • An additional $4 million for further safety improvements to Bridport Road, including pavement rehabilitation, road widening and improvements to junctions, to improve freight productivity and access to freight gateways. This brings the total Commonwealth investment in the road to $20 million; 
    • An additional $4 million for the Murchison Highway corridor such as overtaking lanes, shoulder sealing and curve-widening works, taking the total Commonwealth investment to $39 million;
    • An additional $3.8 million to support further planning and concept design work for the Devonport to Cradle Mountain corridor, taking the total Commonwealth funding for the project to $6.3 million. 

    Along with roads, we’re better connecting communities by investing in walking and cycling paths. 

    Almost $1.3 million will be funded under the Active Transport Fund in two new projects to build new or upgrade existing bicycle and walking paths in the north east of the state:

    • More than $670,000 for Launceston City Council to build a new path connecting Youngtown Primary School with existing footpaths in the Oakden Park area and the Kate Reed Reserve;
    • $610,000 for Meander Valley Council to design and build approximately 2.1 kilometres of new footpath and cycleways along Panorama Road between Bayview Drive and Neptune Drive, Blackstone Heights.

    We have also brought forward $15.6 million of funding for the Tasmanian Freight Rail Revitalisation – Tranche 4 – Network project, which has a total Australian Government commitment of $81.6 million. This will allow the ongoing delivery of improved network performance and assurance of supply chains for Tasmania’s largest freight producers

    The Albanese Government is making our cities and regions even better places to live, building social infrastructure, connecting place and designing healthier, more liveable towns. 

    Our new Active Transport Fund is one part of this, providing safe and accessible transport options that mean more people have the chance to walk, cycle or push a pram to work, school and anywhere else. 

    More information on the Active Transport Fund is available at Active Transport Fund | Infrastructure Investment Program. 

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King:

    “Getting vital planning done for the New Tamar Crossing will support Launceston’s growing population by allowing them to move faster and more safely across the region. 

    “The project will enhance the resilience of the road network by providing increased flood immunity while also better connecting people between where they live and work.”  

    Quotes attributable to Senator for Tasmania Helen Polley: 

    “Road upgrades are essential to road user safety ensuring our community remains safe on our roads. In particular, this funding will ensure safer roads for people working in our transport industry and ease the daily commute.”  

    “The community has championed the new Tamar Crossing for some time and this new bridge will now link the West Tamar and East Tamar to benefit locals and tourists.”  

    Quotes attributable to Federal Member for Lyons Brian Mitchell:

    “These projects add to the Albanese Labor Government’s infrastructure investments throughout regional Tasmania. 

    “In Lyons for example, the Albanese Government is also investing $10 million towards improving the resilience of Esk Main Road at St Marys Pass.

    “It is projects like these that are making our roads safer and improving driver experiences.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Building the allied health workforce in Southern NSW

    Source: New South Wales Government 2

    Headline: Building the allied health workforce in Southern NSW

    Published: 4 March 2025

    Released by: Minister for Regional Health, Minister for Regional NSW

    The Rural Allied Health Educator Pilot Program, a joint venture between NSW Health and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), is building a pipeline of allied health clinicians in rural, regional and remote communities, by boosting the number of student placements in Southern NSW Local Health District (SNSWLHD).

    SNSWLHD developed a new student-led clinic as part of its program to assess and provide therapy for pre-school children in Moruya. Ten allied health students have gone through the program with more planned for 2025.

    The program is enticing allied health students to stay and take up full time roles in rural, regional and remote locations.

    A survey of students participating in the program found prior to commencing placement only 56.2 per cent were interested in working for NSW Health in a rural area as a graduate.

    Following completion of placement, 85 per cent were more interested in working for NSW Health in a rural area as an allied health graduate and 95 per cent of students were satisfied with their placement experience and would recommend a rural placement to other students.

    Allied health clinical placements typically take 4-8 weeks and give students experience across a range of clinical areas relevant to their profession.

    At SNSWLHD, the allied health educators supervise students directly and work with universities to coordinate placements.

    Amy Cooke and Joanne Li completed their allied health student placement at Moruya Hospital in February 2025 where they worked with the Brighter Beginnings program, delivering paediatric development screening, communication and occupational therapy assessments and interventions.

    The $1 million Rural Allied Health Educator Pilot Program is a joint venture between NSW Health and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development across Hunter New England, Western NSW, Far West, Murrumbidgee and Southern NSW Local Health Districts.

    DPIRD has invested $1 million per year over three years into the Rural Allied Health Educator Pilot Program. 

    For further information visit the Allied health professions in NSW Health webpage.

    Quotes attributable to Regional Health Minister, Ryan Park:

    “Staffing is one of the most critical issues we face in the healthcare system, and in regional, rural and remote locations that problem is amplified.

    “I am really proud a program like this is having great results at encouraging allied health students to take up a rewarding role in the bush.

    “The Minns Labor Government is committed to boosting our allied health workforce by increasing training and education pathways for students in rural and regional NSW.”

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Regional New South Wales, Tara Moriarty:

    “We support the Rural Allied Health Educator Program through funding these important regional allied health workforces.   

    “Getting essential workers into regional NSW is a major focus of the Government and this program plays a role in that plan. 

    “The students also have the opportunity to participate in The Welcome Experience while on placement. 

    “The Welcome Experience is a service which provides essential workers the support they need to make the move into live and work in regional communities by assisting them to get to know the local area and people first.”  

    Quotes attributable to Member for Bega, Dr Michael Holland:

    “It’s really positive to hear this program is encouraging students to take up positions in regional, rural and remote hospitals.

    “I spent many, many years working in regional and rural hospitals, and I can say that it is incredibly rewarding.”

    Quotes attributable to Allied Health Educator, Cathie Matthews:

    “The allied health students have been an integral part of our Brighter Beginnings and Speech Pathology Services offered to preschools in the Eurobodalla region.

    “It has been great to see them develop their clinical skills working with our occupational therapists and Education colleagues to support children’s communication development.

    “Providing students with quality clinical placements to develop their skills and love of allied health in the incredible communities found in our regions, and carry that passion with them through their careers has been an amazing privilege.”

    Quotes attributable to Allied Health Student, Joanne Li:

    “This rural placement has been thoroughly enjoyable and a wonderful opportunity to increase my knowledge and experience in the field.

    “We have been able to work with a multi-disciplinary team to help provide screenings and interventions at preschools, which has greatly increased our knowledge and experience. The Southern Coast is beautiful with so much to offer, and the lack of traffic is such a luxury.”

    Quotes attributable to Allied Health Student, Amy Cooke:

    “I have loved undertaking my placement in the Eurobodalla region. It has been a wonderful opportunity to take the time away from my family commitments and focus on my learning and development in such a beautiful location.

    “It has felt like a working holiday – enjoying the traffic free roads, friendly community and taking in all the sights along the coastline.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Who is Sean Baker, the indie filmmaker behind Oscar sweeper Anora?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Duncan Caillard, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Communication Studies, Auckland University of Technology

    Director Sean Baker has made history by becoming the first person to win four Academy Awards in the same night for the same film – Anora – taking home prizes for original screenplay, film editing, directing and best picture.

    Anora centres on Ani (Mikey Madison), a Brooklyn sex worker entangled with Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), the immature son of a Russian oligarch. After Ivan disappears, Ani searches through New York with his handler Toros (Karren Karagulian) to find him.

    Baker’s Oscars sweep capped off a string of wins over the past year, but surprised many pundits who expected three-and-a-half hour epic The Brutalist to take home the top prize.

    He’s made the 97th Academy Awards one for the history books. So who is Sean Baker?

    An indie film lifer

    Baker has been a fixture of the international film festival circuit for more than a decade. His films are carefully researched character studies, often focused on sex workers, immigrants and low-income communities.

    Baker maintains creative control by working with ultra-low budgets, often serving as writer, director and editor simultaneously. He often casts new or non-professional actors and prefers to shoot on location with natural light.

    His breakout film Tangerine (2015) followed two transgender African American sex workers in Los Angeles. Tangerine grapples with the complicated lives of its characters but also celebrates their humour and friendships. The film was a technical milestone: shot entirely on the iPhone 5S by cinematographer Radium Cheung. The total estimated budget was just US$100,000.

    Baker’s next film, The Florida Project (2017), was a portrait of low-income children living in cheap motels near Walt Disney World. The film playfully frames its characters’ difficult childhoods as colourful and ecstatic, drawing an outstanding performance from six-year-old star Brooklynn Prince in her first film appearance.

    Red Rocket (2021) centred on a retired porn star returning to his Texas home town, but struggled at the box office amid the COVID pandemic.

    Baker’s film budgets have increased gradually over time, but have still remained very small by Hollywood standards. The Florida Project was produced on a measly budget of US$2 million, while Anora cost just US$6 million. For context, the production of last year’s best picture winner Oppenheimer (2023) cost Universal Pictures about US$100 million (before marketing costs).

    The high price of creative freedom

    Anora premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024, where it won the coveted Palme d’Or.

    The Palme d’Or is widely considered the most prestigious award in international art cinema – and has launched previous Oscar winners such as Parasite (2019), The Zone of Interest (2023) and Anatomy of a Fall (2023). These awards play an important role in marketing and financing films outside the studio system.

    The realities of independent filmmaking are harsher than the glittering appearance of awards season. Independent filmmakers are often precariously employed and earn modest incomes from their work.

    In a speech delivered at the Director’s Guild of America Awards earlier this month, Baker laid out the financial difficulties associated with working as an indie director:

    It’s just simply not enough to get by on in today’s world, especially if one is is trying to support a family. I personally do not have children, but I know for a fact that if I did, I would not be able to make the movies that I make.

    Fellow nominee Brady Corbet, who made The Brutalist with about US$10 million, faced similar challenges, saying in an interview with Vanity Fair that he had made nothing from his two previous films.

    Little films on the big screen

    Anora has arrived during a time of great upheaval in Hollywood. Studios and streaming giants are adjusting their business models to maximise profits.

    Meanwhile, the industry is still recovering from strikes in 2023 by the Writers Guild of America and The Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which shut down productions for months.

    Hollywood has often turned to independent filmmakers in such moments of crisis. In the 1970s, independent filmmakers such as John Cassavetes, Roger Corman, George Lucas and David Lynch disrupted an industry that was stagnating after its Golden Age.

    Today, distributors such as Neon (which distributed Anora) and A24 specialise in marketing independent films through careful awards campaigns and viral marketing strategies.

    Baker’s win underscores the role of independent films — less constrained by commercial expectations — in shaping the industry’s future. By taking greater creative risks, his style of intimate filmmaking is a breath of fresh air in Hollywood’s stuffy, franchise-driven business model.

    Duncan Caillard 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. Who is Sean Baker, the indie filmmaker behind Oscar sweeper Anora? – https://theconversation.com/who-is-sean-baker-the-indie-filmmaker-behind-oscar-sweeper-anora-251272

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: NZ hopes to store carbon in marine ecosystems – but some are so degraded they’re already a source of emissions

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Francis Thrush, Director of the Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

    Shutterstock/Danita Delimont

    For New Zealand, a country with an underwater territory 14 times its landmass, marine ecosystems present a significant opportunity to investigate carbon storage options.

    Prompted by a 2023 report from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, the government recognised the need to focus on the oceans in addressing climate change.

    In its emissions reduction plan for 2026-2030, it highlights the potential to harness marine habitats as carbon sinks and to count this towards the country’s efforts to slow climate change.

    Several blue-carbon studies report on stocks of carbon in sediments and mangrove, saltmarshes and kelp forests. This tells us how much carbon is stored in these ecosystems – but very little about how carbon flows through them and the factors that influence whether it is stored or emitted.

    Research shows seagrass meadows, mangroves, saltmarshes and kelp forests are significant carbon stores.
    Shutterstock/Daniel Poloha

    This is important. Marine ecosystems can be both sinks or sources of carbon. If we don’t understand how organic material is transformed or how carbon dioxide (CO₂) is either taken up by plants or emitted into the atmosphere, we will likely make poor decisions about nature-based solutions.

    To address this, we have invited researchers from the Scandinavian research partnership CoastClim – an innovative project linking seafloor biodiversity and climate – to bring their unique set of instrumentation to New Zealand to explore patterns in greenhouse gas emissions from the seafloor.

    The measurements we made this summer are tracking emissions of methane and CO₂ from seafloor sediments in the upper reaches of several harbours (Waitemata, Mahurangi and Whangateau) in the Auckland region.

    We found CO₂ concentrations were up to eight times higher than atmospheric levels in more disturbed and polluted parts of these harbours. Methane concentrations were up to 30 times higher. This shows that degraded habitats are indeed transformed into net emitters of greenhouse gases.

    Paying attention to land-coast connections

    There has been concern about the health of the Firth of Thames, at the back of the Hauraki Gulf, because the area drains a large catchment with intensive agriculture.

    We found this region is a significant source of greenhouse gases.

    Our sampling on the open coast revealed high draw-down of CO₂ in healthy patches of kelp. But this effect was reversed in areas where New Zealand’s endemic sea urchin, kina, has grazed off the kelp. These regions are known as kina barrens and they dominate many non-protected reefs.

    Kina, New Zealand’s endemic sea urchin, grazes on kelp and can turn the seafloor into a source of emissions.
    Wikimedia Commons/Shaun Lee, CC BY

    Our data highlight an important finding relevant to how we manage marine ecosystems and address both the biodiversity and climate crises. As we stress and degrade these ecosystems, they have less capacity to process carbon in ways that store it or move it into food webs. The system fails in its self-regulation and transforms into a net source of greenhouse gases.

    We argue that we have to manage these ecosystems in an integrative fashion, considering the long-term stores of carbon and the time it takes to build them up, along with the many processes that move carbon from one part of the ecosystem to another.

    Considering the dynamics of marine carbon and restoring or protecting coastal ecosystems are good options for addressing multiple challenges. We shouldn’t just be looking for good places to bank carbon but also those where good management can reduce seafloor disturbance and therefore limit the release of greenhouse gases.

    Considering climate and biodiversity

    This project highlights the importance of considering both biodiversity and climate together. If we manage one ignorant of the other, we risk failure because biodiversity matters to how we address climate change.

    This holistic understanding of the stock and flows of carbon (long-term sequestration and carbon in living organisms) is necessary if we are to identify viable long-term carbon stores. It is also crucial to assessing how the stresses we put on the marine environment can turn an ecosystem from a carbon sink to a source.

    Working with our Scandinavian colleagues also confirmed our earlier research. For a number of years, we have been studying how different stressors – including sediment disturbance, nutrient flows from land and microplastic pollution affect the way nitrogen, carbon and oxygen are processed in coastal sediments.

    These processes have implications for the release of greenhouse gases. But until now, we have not been able to test some connections and close the loop on some of our ideas.

    As with most interventions to natural ecosystems, we are better off accepting they are complex, and that any supposed “silver bullet” solutions can have unintended consequences.

    Simon Francis Thrush receives funding from currently from MBIE and the Auckland Foundation.

    – ref. NZ hopes to store carbon in marine ecosystems – but some are so degraded they’re already a source of emissions – https://theconversation.com/nz-hopes-to-store-carbon-in-marine-ecosystems-but-some-are-so-degraded-theyre-already-a-source-of-emissions-248875

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Another US funding cut threatens human rights in North Korea – and hands more power to a dictator

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Chubb, Associate Professor of International Relations, Deakin University

    Shutterstock

    This week, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in North Korea issued an appeal to the international community. She expressed concern about the future of civil society work on North Korean human rights.

    The cause for alarm is a sudden freeze on the funds of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED)- a US nongovernmental organisation.

    One major beneficiary of funds from the NED are groups documenting and helping to stop human rights abuses in North Korea.

    The funding halt threatens to damage further the lives of people living under one of the world’s most egregious authoritarian regimes.

    What is the NED?

    The NED is a US institution with a long history in its foreign policy, described as a “bastion of Republican internationalism”. Established by an act of Congress, it was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983.

    With bipartisan support, the NED is squarely based on core Republican values of spreading democracy through the world. It supports the work of nongovernmental organisations in more than 100 countries every year.

    While it is unclear why Elon Musk, in his role in the Department of Government Efficiency, has suddenly taken aim at this institution, the consequences of cutting off funding overnight are easy to see.

    One result is the likely end of decades-long work on North Korean human rights.

    How this affects North Korea

    One of the groups hit hard by this funding freeze is the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights. The original single-issue North Korean human rights organisation, it’s now planning to shut its doors.

    Without NED funding, it says it cannot cover its running costs, such as paying the rent or staff salaries.

    It also can’t continue its important work investigating and documenting human rights abuses suffered by North Korean people.

    The Citizens’ Alliance is just one of many groups, most of which are based in South Korea, that rely on the NED for their work.

    The political environment in South Korea is uncertain and precarious for North Korean human rights activists. Despite efforts to diversify funding sources over many decades, there are few other options.

    I have studied this question in-depth and over two decades. It’s a problem that cannot be overcome overnight, or even in the medium term, as it’s so deeply embedded, both politically and socially.

    In the absence of funding opportunities in South Korea, Seoul-based groups must look abroad.

    Yet many of the international support schemes available exist to fund in-country democratisation and human rights efforts.

    The authoritarian regime in North Korea is so complete that no active, open civil society efforts can safely take place. The movement relies entirely on transnational activism and so doesn’t neatly fit into existing funding schemes.

    On top of this, the funding freeze comes at a particularly bad time, with South Korea in a state of political turmoil. In the wake of the President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment following his declaration of martial law, it is unclear what the future of the limited number of existing initiatives will be.

    Putting North Korea in the spotlight

    For a long time, the plight of those suffering human rights abuses inside the secretive country was not well known to the outside world.

    For decades, civil society groups built coalitions, gathered information, wrote reports, compiled databases, held public awareness-raising events, and lobbied politicians at all different levels. They then succeeded in bringing about the 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry into North Korean Human Rights.

    This inquiry, chaired by Australia’s Michael Kirby, has been the definitive document on North Korean human rights for more than ten years.

    Its findings of gross violations of human rights inside the country have formed the evidentiary basis for international action on North Korean human rights. Examples of the report’s findings include:

    • the use of political prison camps, torture, executions and other sorts of arbitrary detention to suppress real or perceived political dissent

    • an almost complete denial of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and association

    • the use of access to food as a means of control over the population.

    Non-profit North Korean human rights groups remain at the centre of this work. Having succeeded in putting the issue squarely on the international agenda, they continue to press for greater attention on the human rights situation from the international community.

    The groups relying on NED funding do a wide range of work. They support North Koreans living in South Korea and elsewhere abroad. Some provide support to formally record human rights abuses, helping build a robust database of testimony from survivors.

    Others back in-country accounts from underground North Korean journalists, and more still do myriad other advocacy, support and accountability work.

    But now this work could all end more suddenly than anyone could have expected.

    More power to a dictator

    The Database Center for North Korean Human Rights has paused all but its most urgent programs and launched an appeal for donations. Executive Director Hannah Song has described the situation as a crisis of “a massive and sudden cut to funding that threatens the crucial work of those on the frontlines”.

    Sokeel Park, the leader of another nongovernmental group working in this space, described it as “by far the biggest crisis facing NGOs working on this issue since the start of the movement in the 1990s”.

    This is no exaggeration. The North Korean human rights movement has had an outsized effect on the international community’s awareness and understanding of how the North Korean government maintains order and represses dissent.

    So who wins out of this? North Korea’s Supreme Leader and dictator, Kim Jong-un.

    Back in 2018, US President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address centred on the human rights violations suffered by the North Korean people at the hands of the authoritarian regime. Trump declared:

    we need only look at the depraved character of the North Korean regime to understand the nature of the nuclear threat it could pose.

    Now, by effectively silencing the government’s most vocal critics, the Trump administration appears to be giving breathing room to one of the world’s most atrocious authoritarian regimes.

    Danielle Chubb 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. Another US funding cut threatens human rights in North Korea – and hands more power to a dictator – https://theconversation.com/another-us-funding-cut-threatens-human-rights-in-north-korea-and-hands-more-power-to-a-dictator-251239

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: March 3rd, 2025 Heinrich Statement Opposing Education Secretary Nominee Linda McMahon

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) released the following statement opposing the nomination of Linda McMahon for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education: 
    “Linda McMahon has no respect for the essential role of public education in our democracy and is wholly unqualified to lead the U.S. Department of Education. That makes sense when you consider the only reason Donald Trump and Elon Musk nominated her is so that she executes their plan to abolish the Department of Education. 
    “Every child should have the right to access a quality public education in their neighborhood school. Trump, Musk, and McMahon disagree. Their anti-education agenda will harm our kids and starve our local schools of essential federal resources in order to placate billionaires. Their education proposals will mean lay offs for some of our kids’ favorite teachers, shuttering of after school programs, and no federal department looking out for students with disabilities.
    “On behalf of New Mexico’s kids and their futures, I voted no on Linda McMahon’s nomination for Secretary of Education.”
    Background on How Linda McMahon & President Trump’s Threats to Dismantle the Education Department Will Harm New Mexico’s Students, Parents, and Educators:
    Title I Funding
    87% of schools in New Mexico receive a total of $147 million in federal Title I funding from the Department of Education. This funding supports low-income students with literacy and math. Title I funds are used for:
    Hiring additional teachers and specialists who support students and their teachers with literacy and math instruction
    Purchasing additional instructional materials
    Teacher training
    Parent engagement
    Smaller Classroom Sizes
    Federal Pell Grants
    More than 44,000 low-income college students in New Mexico — including students in vocational-technical certificate programs — currently receive a Federal Pell Grant from the Department of Education. Pell Grants help New Mexicans pay for tuition, housing, food, transportation, books, and other education-related costs.
    Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Funding
    The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds special education services. 16.5% of New Mexico students are on an individualized education plan (IEP) and receive services under this program. New Mexico receives $120 million per year in IDEA funding from the Department of Education. IDEA funding can be used to pay special education instructors, support services such as behavioral health specialists, and classroom materials and equipment designed for students with disabilities.
    21st Century Community Learning Center (After School Program) Funding
    The Department of Education administers Title IV, Part B funds for after school programs. In New Mexico, 124 schools receive this funding for their after school enrichment and tutoring programs.
    Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act Funding
    The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act funds grants for equipment and programming for high school career and technical education programs. New Mexico receives $10.5 million in Carl Perkins Act Career and Technical Education Improvement Act funding from the Department of Education.
    Title II, Part A Funding
    Title II, Part A funds teacher professional development. New Mexico receives more than $2 million per year from the Department of Education to help educators improve and expand their teaching skills.
    Title III Funding
    Title III funds help students learn English. 1 out of 3 families in New Mexico speak a language other than English at home and about 1 out of 6 students are classified as English learners. New Mexico currently receives about $9 million per year to help kids learn English.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ahead of Confirmation Vote, Senator Murray Blasts Linda McMahon’s Nomination: “We Cannot Have a Secretary of Education Who Doesn’t Believe in Having a Secretary of Education”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ICYMI: Pressed by Sen. Murray, McMahon Can’t Name a Single Requirement of Landmark Education Law; Murray Grills McMahon on Trump Plans to Dismantle Education Department, DOGE Access to Sensitive Student Data
    WATCH: At Nomination Hearing, Murray Grills McMahon on Trump Plans to Dismantle Education Department
    *** WATCH: Senator Murray’s floor speech***
    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, took to the Senate floor to speak out against the nomination of Linda McMahon for Secretary of Education. A formal pre-school teacher and community college educator herself, Senator Murray sounded the alarm over President Trump and Elon Musk’s plans to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, which would devastate students, families, and schools across the country.
    “We need a Secretary of Education with a really deep understanding of how to use this crucial position to strengthen educational opportunities and outcomes for every student in this country. We need a Secretary of Education who will put students first—not billionaires—who will stand up for our kids, every single one of them, even if it means standing up to Donald Trump and Elon Musk… On each of those accounts, Linda McMahon fails to make the grade,” said Senator Murray.
    “Let’s be clear what it will mean if Trump, Musk, and McMahon have their way, and try to turn the Department of Education into something that kids read about in our history books,” continued Senator Murray. “There are 26 million K-12 students from low-income neighborhoods who could see their schools lose federal funding, lay off teachers, or even close. There are 9.8 million students at rural schools that count on federal support, which could face similar challenges. There are 7.4 million students with disabilities who could see the IDEA program upended, cutting off support that state and local taxpayers will need to provide. There are 6.6 million students who get Pell Grants to help them afford college, prepare to enter the workforce, or further their careers—who could be impacted by the chaos of abolishing the Department. And there are 8.1 million high school students and 3.3 million college students who are served by our career and technical education programs that are administered by the Department of Education.
    “So here is my message to everyone, and like any good preschool teacher, I am going to make this short and simple: We cannot have a Secretary of Education who doesn’t believe in having a Secretary of Education. That’s kind of common sense,” said Senator Murray.
    A senior member and former chair of the HELP Committee, Senator Murray has championed students and families at every stage of her career—fighting to help ensure every child in America can get a high-quality public education. Among other things, Senator Murray negotiated the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), landmark legislation that she got signed into law, replacing the broken No Child Left Behind Act. As a longtime appropriator, she has successfully fought to boost funding to support students and invest in our nation’s K-12 schools, and she has secured significant increases to the Pell Grant so that it goes further for students pursuing a higher education. Senator Murray also successfully negotiated the FAFSA Simplification Act, bipartisan legislation to reform the financial aid application process, simplify the FAFSA form for students and parents, and significantly expand eligibility for federal aid.
    During McMahon’s confirmation hearing, Senator Murray pressed McMahon on whether she will ensure approved funding gets out to serve students as the law requires and whether she would protect students’ data from DOGE. She also asked McMahon to name a single requirement of ESSA—and McMahon demurred, failing to name any.
    Senator Murray’s full remarks, as delivered on the Senate floor today, are below and video is HERE:
    “I got my start in politics as a mom in tennis shoes fighting to protect a preschool program—and I still wear that label proudly.
    “I am a former preschool teacher. I’m also a former community college educator. And I am also a former school board member.
    “So, I don’t mess around when it comes to making sure every single one of our students, in every corner of our country, has access to a quality public education—one that leaves them prepared for the future, and opens the doors of opportunity wide.
    “That’s not a responsibility I take lightly. It never will be.
    “Our kids are the future of this country, and the Department of Education is really at the heart of how we make sure they are set up for success. But Donald Trump and Elon Musk want to rip the heart out of public education in America—and abolish the Department of Education.
    “Well, not if I can help it. And that’s why I believe we need a leader at the Department of Education who actually believes in the mission of the Department of Education!
    “We need a Secretary of Education with a really deep understanding of how to use this crucial position to strengthen educational opportunities and outcomes for every student in this country.
    “We need a Secretary of Education who will put students first—not billionaires—who will stand up for our kids, every single one of them, even if it means standing up to Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
    “And, Madam President, on each of those accounts, Linda McMahon fails to make the grade.
    “I’ve had concerns from the outset about whether Ms. McMahon has the experience we should expect from an Education Secretary, and I’m sorry to say my concerns have not been alleviated. Far from it!
    “I asked her in her confirmation hearing about the Every Student Succeeds Act, that is the law I negotiated with Republicans to finally fix No Child Left Behind, and provide more flexibility to states and schools, while ensuring accountability for our tax dollars. She couldn’t name a single requirement of the law—not one!
    “How is she supposed to enforce our education laws when she didn’t even bother to study up before her Senate confirmation hearing?
    “On fighting for public schools, it is already painfully clear that McMahon’s plan for our students and schools is in lockstep with Trump’s pro-billionaire agenda.
    “They are going to let public schools get robbed blind as the richest people in the world suck money out of the schools and communities that need it the most. They’re going to cut off funding that directly supports our students and teachers, and send it straight to the pockets of unaccountable private and for-profit K-12 schools.
    “And on standing up for our students, standing up to President Trump—Linda McMahon got it backwards.
    “When I asked her at our hearing about making sure schools get the money that we, Congress, passes—even if Trump and Musk try to block it—and making sure that our students’ data is protected as DOGE tries to muck around with no oversight or accountability, she made it very clear: she would not stand in their way.
    “But it gets worse, because when it comes to Trump’s mission of destroying the Department of Education, she’s all too ready to grab a hatchet and get to work.
    “The irony is, that while Trump and Musk talk about eliminating the Department of Education, they are trying to involve the federal government even deeper into schools than ever before.
    “They talk about how schools and parents know best—and then threaten schools if they don’t do what they say!
    “Apparently, Ms. McMahon thinks: why should we have a Department of Education if Trump and Elon Musk actually can just tell schools what they can do, and what they can teach?
    “Well let’s be clear what it will mean if Trump, Musk, and McMahon have their way, and try to turn the Department of Education into something that kids read about in our history books.
    “There are 26 million K-12 students from low-income neighborhoods who could see their schools lose federal funding, lay off teachers, or even close.
    “There are 9.8 million students at rural schools that count on federal support, which could face similar challenges.
    “There are 7.4 million students with disabilities who could see the IDEA program upended, cutting off support that state and local taxpayers will need to provide.
    “There are 6.6 million students who get Pell Grants to help them afford college, prepare to enter the workforce, or further their careers—who could be impacted by the chaos of abolishing the Department.
    “And there are 8.1 million high school students and 3.3 million college students who are served by our career and technical education programs that are administered by the Department of Education.
    “Trying to abolish the Department—or even just taking a wrecking ball to the critical work that it does—will hurt our students who face homelessness. It will cut off federal aid to students who want to pursue a higher education. It will undermine enforcement of the rights of students with disabilities. It will reduce assistance intended to lift up students not getting the support they need, weaken protections for students, scrap evidence-based research that helps us know what is working, for whom, and how, and it will leave for-profit colleges free to rip off students and families, which we have seen happen in the past, and we can’t let that happen again.  
    “So, the fact that Ms. McMahon has not opposed Trump’s grand plan to abolish the Department of Education is not just a red flag—it is a blinking, blaring fire alarm.
    “It means either she doesn’t fully understand just what the Department does and how devastating it would be to abolish, or she doesn’t care. Either way, I have to say, I find that disqualifying.
    “So here is my message to everyone, and like any good preschool teacher, I am going to make this short and simple: We cannot have a Secretary of Education who doesn’t believe in having a Secretary of Education. That’s kind of common sense.
    “I mean, why would we have someone in charge of the education department who thinks it should not exist, who doesn’t care if we have a Department focused on getting our students and schools the support they need?
    “So, Madam President, let me finish with this. I still have in my office a quilt that my kids, in my preschool, made for me on the very last day I taught preschool.
    “It is hung prominently on the wall of my biggest meeting room, it is a beautiful patchwork of squiggles and smiles drawn in bright messy crayon.
    “And when I look at it, I remember the little hands that made each one of those squares. I think about those little heads with big curious minds and a world of possibilities before them.
    “I remember the responsibility that we all felt to make sure they were leaving our preschool ready to succeed.
    “I wonder how many of the children that made those little small squares now have kids of their own.
    “And I reflect on how the decisions we make in education today—the policies that we fight for, the people that we confirm or reject here—will set a course for our children and our country for years to come.  
    “There are two clear courses ahead of us with this vote: one where we have a Department of Education that continues to work to support every student, and give them a bright possible future—or one where we don’t.
    “One where every kid is on their own. One where lights are turned off, anddoors are shut,and opportunities are closed—unless you happen to have the right zip code, or the right money.
    “I know which future I’m going to vote for today—the one where we live up to our responsibility and all of our kids can live up to their fullest potential and pursue big dreams.
    “I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for that future—and against Linda McMahon for Secretary of Education.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Guidelines to boost continuing education

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    The Ministry of Education has released this year’s guidelines for managing continuing education programs and off-campus teaching sites, emphasizing the need to align talent cultivation with national strategies and market demands.
    “Higher education institutions should make continuing education an integral part of their talent cultivation and social service system,” the guidelines state. “Institutions should fully consider their educational positioning and academic strength, as well as market demands and the employment competitiveness of disciplines. They should also thoroughly justify the need for new programs before opening them and continuously optimize the structures of such programs.”
    Continuing education is a parallel track to China’s regular higher education system, which consists of full-time, campus-based study for recent high school graduates who have passed the national college entrance exam, or gaokao. Continuing education, by contrast, offers full-time or part-time programs designed for adults seeking to upgrade their skills or qualifications. It includes online education, adult education, the higher education self-study test and open education.
    To improve the structure of continuing education programs, the guidelines encourage higher education institutions with the necessary conditions to establish new programs in fields such as advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, life sciences, energy, green low-carbon development, international organizations and financial technology. Institutions are also urged to offer programs in areas concerning people’s livelihoods, such as domestic services.
    The guidelines support the creation of programs in fields of urgent need, including opera, cultural relic protection and restoration, non-common languages, foreign-related legal systems and international communication.
    The new measures are part of China’s broader efforts to reform its continuing education sector.
    In 2022, the Education Ministry issued a plan to promote continuing education reform, aiming to address issues such as unclear positioning, underdeveloped standards, unsound systems and low-quality talent cultivation, while advancing high-quality educational development.
    Data from the Education Ministry shows that 1,725 higher education institutions offered continuing education programs, enrolling a total of 12.093 million students in 2021 — about 25 percent of the country’s total higher education enrollment.
    However, as regular higher education expands, the scale of continuing education is shrinking, wrote Yue Chuanyong, former vice-president of Ningbo University in Zhejiang province, and Xu Rihua, a lecturer at the university’s Institute of Adult Education.
    “As such, the focus of continuing education needs to transition from scale expansion to quality improvement,” they wrote in an article published on the ministry’s website.
    Starting this fall, the Ministry of Education will standardize terminology for continuing education, eliminating terms such as “correspondence education” and “part-time education” in favor of the uniform term “non-full-time education”.
    Continuing education programs at regular universities will uniformly admit students through the adult college entrance examination, meet basic professional teaching requirements, standardize the minimum duration of study and unify graduation certificates, according to the new guidelines.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: ‘Ne Zha 2’ makes history as first non-Hollywood film to surpass $2B

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    This photo taken on Feb. 13, 2025 shows a projected poster for the Chinese fantasy feature “Ne Zha 2” at a shopping mall in Sydney, Australia. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Chinese animated blockbuster “Ne Zha 2” has become the first non-Hollywood film to exceed $2 billion in global earnings, including presales, according to data from ticketing platform Maoyan.

    The milestone, reached as of Monday afternoon, comes just 33 days after its release on Jan. 29 during the Chinese New Year and 13 days after it surpassed Disney’s 2024 film “Inside Out 2” to become the highest-grossing animated movie of all time.

    This achievement adds to the film’s growing list of accolades, including being the first to gross $1 billion in a single market and the first non-Hollywood title to enter the billion-dollar club.

    Directed by Yang Yu, known as Jiaozi, the sequel to the 2019 animated hit “Ne Zha” — which grossed 5 billion yuan (about $696.91 million) and topped the Chinese box office that year — now ranks seventh on the all-time global box office charts, just behind Marvel’s 2018 film “Avengers: Infinity War.”

    The film’s unprecedented box office success, with over 98 percent of the revenue generated on the Chinese mainland according to Maoyan data, has redefined the ceiling for single-film earnings in Chinese cinema.

    “This success has not only boosted the confidence of creators but also showcased the resilience and immense growth potential of the Chinese market,” said Lai Li, a Maoyan analyst.

    “Ne Zha 2” continues the tale of the iconic boy god from Chinese mythology, as Nezha and his ally Aobing struggle to rebuild their physical forms and secure their fate with the help of the immortal Taiyi Zhenren.

    The film’s rich storytelling, jaw-dropping visuals, and universal themes of defiance, fate, and self-confidence have captivated audiences worldwide. Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association, praised the film for seamlessly blending traditional Chinese mythology with modern storytelling, creating a narrative that speaks to contemporary sensibilities.

    Chen Xuguang, director of the Institute of Film, Television, and Theatre at Peking University, hailed “Ne Zha 2” as “a miracle and a peak in Chinese cinema, a record that may remain unbroken for a long time.”

    “‘Ne Zha 2’ has not only boosted the morale and confidence of Chinese filmmakers but also drawn new audiences back to theaters from other entertainment mediums,” Chen told Xinhua.

    The film’s technical mastery is equally staggering, featuring nearly 2,000 special effects shots and contributions from 138 animation studios. This collaborative effort exemplifies the strength of China’s creative ecosystem and heralds a new era of aesthetic and industrial standards for the country’s film industry, he said.

    In North America, “Ne Zha 2” has grossed an estimated $18 million after three weekends, according to Comscore. Released by CMC Pictures in Mandarin with English subtitles across over 600 theaters, the film has consistently ranked in the top five at the North American box office, becoming the highest-grossing Chinese-language film in the region since 2006.

    Sheila Sofian, a professor at the University of Southern California and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, praised the film’s production design, sound design, and music, calling it “mind-blowing” and noting its universal appeal, in a video interview shared by China Media Group.

    The film’s success has also injected much-needed optimism into China’s film industry, which saw a 23 percent decline in earnings in 2024 compared to 2023 and a 34 percent drop from its pre-pandemic peak in 2019. Driven by “Ne Zha 2,” China’s box office revenue hit a record high during the 2025 Spring Festival holiday and has since experienced robust growth.

    Dong Wenxin, a film critic and manager of a cinema in Jinan, Shandong Province, told Xinhua that the film’s success has been a boon for the industry. “Friends in the business have told me their theaters have already hit 50 percent of their annual box office goals over the first two months of 2025,” she said.

    Beyond its commercial triumph, “Ne Zha 2” is poised to serve as a cultural bridge, offering global audiences a window into China’s rich mythology and traditions. According to Shi Anbin, director of the Israel Epstein Center for Global Media and Communication at Tsinghua University, films like “Ne Zha 2” and video games like “Black Myth: Wukong” are part of a broader cultural renaissance in which ancient tales are reimagined through a modern lens.

    In a video interview, Jiaozi reflected on the personal journey the “Ne Zha” films have taken him on, from a passion project to a global phenomenon. “The first step was creating something I loved, and domestic audiences loved it too,” he said. “Over time, I’ve worked to improve it, to refine my craft. I believe that one day, new ideas, deeper meanings and new soul will emerge from it, and the whole world will be able to appreciate it.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s 41st Antarctic expedition team deploys cutting-edge drill to gather data

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    China’s 41st Antarctic expedition team recently utilized an Ice and Bedrock Electromechanical Drill (IBED) to gather critical data about how the Antarctic sheet may evolve in response to future climate change.
    The team conducted logging operations using existing boreholes in the Larsemann Hills in East Antarctica. They collected key parameters, including borehole temperature, inclination, azimuth, diameter changes and a comprehensive internal glacier temperature profile.
    The College of Construction Engineering and the Institute for Polar Science and Engineering at Jilin University developed the equipment.
    A collaborative research team was formed during China’s 40th Antarctic expedition, which ran from November 2023 to April 2024. This team included experts from Jilin University, China University of Geosciences and the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute for Geology and Mineral Resources of the Ocean. Their goal was to investigate the subglacial geological environment of the Larsemann Hills.
    Using the drill, the team obtained multiple ice core samples and a 0.48-meter rock sample, creating the Ice Underlying Rock Hole No 2.
    During the 41st expedition, the joint research team returned to the hole and used the IBED to conduct ice sheet logging operations. Over two months, they gathered data to help understand the environment under the ice and how heat generated within the planet affects the way ice behaves.
    The team also recovered approximately seven cubic meters of drilling fluid from the borehole as part of their commitment to environmental protection.
    According to the university, the College of Construction Engineering and the Institute for Polar Science and Engineering have participated in 10 Antarctic expeditions and all of China’s Antarctic drilling tasks.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: More locally trained doctors in primary care

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Health Minister Simeon Brown has today announced further initiatives as part of a package to tackle shortages in general practice and improve access to primary care and health outcomes.

    “I am focused on ensuring Kiwis have better access to primary care services, and strengthening our health workforce is a key part of that,” Mr Brown says.

    “Today I am announcing:
     

    • An increase in the number of training placements for doctors at medical schools by a further 25 each year.
       
    • Up to 50 New Zealand-trained graduate doctors a year to train in primary care settings. 
       

    “We can’t just rely on sourcing our doctors from overseas – we must ensure a sustainable pipeline of New Zealand-trained doctors.

    “As part of our plan, we will fund more Kiwis to train as doctors by boosting the number of placements at medical schools by a further 25 each year.

    “During the term of this Government, medical school placements have already increased by 75 places each year. This additional funding will bring the total of extra places to 100, seeing the cap on first-year medical school enrolments increased to 639 annually from 2026.

    “We need to make investments now to grow this important workforce, so that New Zealanders have access to timely, quality healthcare – now, and in the future.

    “This boost delivers on our commitment to train more talented, local students.”

    The additional places will be allocated across the University of Auckland and the University of Otago, beginning in 2026. 

    “We are also ramping up the number of trainee GPs to give Kiwis better access to healthcare in their communities,” Mr Brown says.

    “New Zealand has a shortage of family doctors, who play an important role in helping Kiwis to stay well and out of emergency departments.

    “Providing opportunities for graduate doctors to receive clinical supervision and gain registration in a primary care environment is part of our plan to increase GP numbers.

    “This initiative will allocate $23.3 million over four years to introduce a funded primary care pathway to registration for New Zealand-trained graduate doctors. The majority of time will be spent in primary care providers, instead of hospitals.

    “Talented graduate doctors who have an interest in primary care will be given an early opportunity to pursue that interest, working in communities right across the country.

    “Funding will support up to 50 New Zealand-trained graduate doctors into these primary care settings each year from 2026.

    “A stronger health workforce that we can retain is critical to achieving our goal of ensuring all New Zealanders have access to timely, quality healthcare.

    “These initiatives are the latest in a series to improve access to primary care and ensure New Zealanders can see their doctor, faster.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: All New South Wales public schools on a path to full and fair funding

    Source: Australian Ministers for Education

    The Albanese and Minns Labor Governments have reached an Agreement to fully and fairly fund New South Wales public schools.
     
    As part of the Heads of Agreements signed today, the Commonwealth will provide an additional 5 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) to New South Wales.
     
    This will lift the Commonwealth contribution from 20 per cent to 25 per cent of the SRS by 2034 and follows New South Wales delivering its election commitment to reach 75 per cent of the SRS in 2025, two years ahead of the former Liberal National Government.
     
    This will see an estimated $4.8 billion in additional Commonwealth funding to New South Wales public schools over the next 10 years.

    This represents the biggest ever new investment in New South Wales public schools by the Australian Government.
     
    New South Wales has also committed to removing the 4 per cent provision of indirect school costs such as capital depreciation so that New South Wales schools will be fully funded over the life of the Agreement.
     
    Commonwealth funding will be tied to the reforms needed to lift education standards across the country, including more individualised support for students, continuing evidence-based teaching practices, and more mental health and wellbeing support for schools.

    This is not a blank cheque. The Agreement will be accompanied by a New South Wales Bilateral Agreement, which ties funding to reforms that will help students catch up, keep up and finish school, such as:  

    • Year 1 phonics and early years of schooling numeracy checks to identify students who need additional help;
    • evidence-based teaching and targeted and intensive supports such as small-group or catch-up tutoring to help students who fall behind;
    • initiatives that support wellbeing for learning – including greater access to mental health professionals;
    • access to high-quality and evidence-based professional learning, and
    • initiatives that improve the attraction and retention of teachers.

    In addition to these reforms, the Agreements have national targets that complement the New South Wales Government’s own public school targets released last week.

    National targets include: 

    • Improving NAPLAN proficiency levels for reading and numeracy across all year levels;
    • Increasing the outcomes for priority equity cohorts in NAPLAN results;
    • Increasing the Student Attendance Rate;
    • Increasing the engagement rate (completed or still enrolled) of initial teacher education students; and
    • Increasing the proportion of students leaving school with a Year 12 certificate.

    This means more help for students and more support for teachers.

    Today’s agreement with New South Wales follows agreements with Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Victoria.
     
    The Commonwealth is continuing to work with Queensland.
     
    Quotes attributable to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:
     
    “Building Australia’s Future means investing in the next generation.
     
    “That’s why every dollar of this funding will go into helping children learn.
     
    “We know that education opens the doors of opportunity, and we want to widen them for every child in Australia.
     
    “This is about investing in real reform with real funding – so all Australian children get the best possible education.”
     
    Quotes attributable to New South Wales Premier Chris Minns:
     
    “Public education is the best investment any government can make. Every dollar spent in this space is a dollar spent on the future of our country.

    “Every single child in Australia has the right to a quality, free public education and we are proud to work with the Albanese Labor Government to ensure New South Wales schools are fully funded.
     
    “We’ve seen a 40% reduction in teacher vacancies since we came to government, but we know there’s still more to do.

    “This investment is vital as we work to lift education standards across the state by ensuring there is a qualified, dedicated teacher at the front of the classroom.”
     
    Quotes attributable to Minister for Education, Jason Clare:

    “This is big. The biggest state in the country has now signed up.
     
    “This will help more than 780,000 kids in more than 2,200 public schools.
     
    “This is real funding tied to real reforms to help students catch up, keep up and finish school.
     
    “It’s not a blank cheque. I want this money to get results.
     
    “That’s why funding will be directly tied to reforms that we know work.
     
    “It will help make sure every child gets a great start in life. What every parent wants. And what every Australian child deserves.”
     
    Quotes attributable to New South Wales Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car:

    “This incredible outcome for public schools will allow us to deliver on the ambitious targets we have set for the public education system in New South Wales.

    “Our commitment to rebuilding public education will now be underpinned by an agreement that delivers full funding for public schools.
     
    “The Minns Labor Government inherited a teacher shortage crisis and falling outcomes after a decade of under funding by Federal and State Liberal and National Governments that saw 10,000 merged and cancelled classes daily and over 3000 teacher vacancies.
     
    “With teacher vacancies now down 40 per cent and the number of cancelled classes halved, we are delivering tangible results.  

    “This investment will enable us to restore public education in New South Wales to the world-leading standards that families deserve.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sullivan Votes for Bill to Protect Women and Girls in Sports, Blocked by Senate Democrats

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Dan Sullivan

    03.03.25

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) voted to advance the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, legislation that would protect hard-fought Title IX protections for women by prohibiting federal funds from going to schools and universities that allow biological males to compete against female athletes in sports or other activities designated for women or girls. The bill would codify President Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” Executive Order that was signed into law on February 5, 2025 with wide support from Americans across the country. The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act failed to advance after being blocked by Senate Democrats.

    “Too many girls and women across our country have had their dreams dashed because the former administration shredded Title IX protections by allowing biological men to compete against them in sports,” Senator Sullivan said. “Protecting our daughters and granddaughters’ right to fair and safe competition is a civil rights issue, and I’m proud to be an original cosponsor of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. Going forward, I am also eager to lock arms with organizations across the country and in our state to fight back against a culture that is intent on dismantling our values and denying our female athletes the right to stand on the winner’s platform.”

    Senator Sullivan previously sent a letter to the Biden administration’s Department of Education pushing back against far-left gender ideology infiltrating Title IX and eroding women’s equality, privacy and safety.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Australian Deputy PM: New centre to protect Fraser Coast turtles breaks ground

    Source: Minister of Infrastructure

    Work has started on the Fraser Coast Turtle Rehabilitation and Research Centre dedicated to the recovery of sick and injured marine turtles and vital research on the threats they face.

    Led by the University of the Sunshine Coast, the centre on the Hervey Bay foreshore will transform care for many at-risk marine turtles, removing the need to transport them several hours to receive life-saving treatment.

    More than 1,400 turtles have been rescued on the Fraser Coast over the past two years, with more than 300 needing specialist care at the nearest rehabilitation facility on the Sunshine Coast. 

    The project will retrofit existing buildings with a new fit-for-purpose facility including a specialist turtle life support system and indoor tanks to care for sick and injured sea turtles.

    The Centre will also be a hub for researchers investigating the general health of marine life across the wider region, and the emerging threats they face, including a deadly “soft shell syndrome”, which is plaguing the local turtle population.

    The Australian Government is providing $250,000 funding for the works with the Queensland Government allocating $1.17 million.

    Quotes attributable to Federal Assistant Minister for Regional Development, Anthony Chisholm:

    “Queensland is home to some of the world’s most diverse marine wildlife and this $250,000 investment will help safeguard the Fraser Coast’s turtle populations for future generations.

    “This facility will also boost the local economy with an estimated 15 jobs set to be created, along with students, researchers and tourists all set to walk through its doors, which benefits the entire region.”

    Quotes attributable to Queensland Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, Jarrod Bleijie:

    “We’re proud to partner with the University of Sunshine Coast to deliver this critical infrastructure on the Hervey Bay foreshore. 

    “Queenslanders voted for a fresh start and the State Government is committed to partnering with local government to deliver local projects that create jobs, provide long-term economic benefits and improve the lifestyle of Queenslanders no matter where they live.”

    Quotes attributable to Fraser Coast Mayor, George Seymour:

    “This facility will benefit the region’s wildlife, university students and the broader community, including Butchulla traditional owners.

    “This is an excellent partnership between all three levels of government, community groups and the University of the Sunshine Coast.

    “The turtles are an endangered species, so it is important that we research what has been happening to the local population that has caused the large number of fatalities and casualties.”

    Quotes attributable to University of the Sunshine Coast Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Helen Bartlett 

    “We are pleased to formally announce the name for the new centre, which will give our threatened turtles the greatest opportunity for survival, is the ‘UniSC Milbi Centre – Sea Turtle Research and Rehabilitation’. 

    “Milbi is the Butchulla word for sea turtle and the Dayman Park site where the centre is located holds great cultural significance for the Butchulla people and their deep connection with the Milbi and other sea and land creatures. 

    “This is reflected in the design and operation of the centre, where Butchulla Land and Sea Rangers will help to care for rescued sea turtles on country, and science and Indigenous knowledge will combine to fill gaps in our local and global understanding of marine turtles.

    “Six of the world’s seven species of marine turtles are found in the region – all listed as vulnerable or endangered – and are ecologically and genetically linked to other parts of Australia and the wider Pacific region.

    “To rescue and care for marine turtles is vitally important, as is research to better understand the cause of strandings and deaths, and to increase their chances of survival once they are rehabilitated and returned safely to the sea. 

    “This centre will be a hub for vital research that will help to inform local, state, national and international responses to mitigate threats to marine turtles, including disease and climate change.

    “Ongoing funding support from governments, organisations and the community is vital for our endangered sea turtles.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: New centre to protect Fraser Coast turtles breaks ground

    Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

    Work has started on the Fraser Coast Turtle Rehabilitation and Research Centre dedicated to the recovery of sick and injured marine turtles and vital research on the threats they face.

    Led by the University of the Sunshine Coast, the centre on the Hervey Bay foreshore will transform care for many at-risk marine turtles, removing the need to transport them several hours to receive life-saving treatment.

    More than 1,400 turtles have been rescued on the Fraser Coast over the past two years, with more than 300 needing specialist care at the nearest rehabilitation facility on the Sunshine Coast. 

    The project will retrofit existing buildings with a new fit-for-purpose facility including a specialist turtle life support system and indoor tanks to care for sick and injured sea turtles.

    The Centre will also be a hub for researchers investigating the general health of marine life across the wider region, and the emerging threats they face, including a deadly “soft shell syndrome”, which is plaguing the local turtle population.

    The Australian Government is providing $250,000 funding for the works with the Queensland Government allocating $1.17 million.

    Quotes attributable to Federal Assistant Minister for Regional Development, Anthony Chisholm:

    “Queensland is home to some of the world’s most diverse marine wildlife and this $250,000 investment will help safeguard the Fraser Coast’s turtle populations for future generations.

    “This facility will also boost the local economy with an estimated 15 jobs set to be created, along with students, researchers and tourists all set to walk through its doors, which benefits the entire region.”

    Quotes attributable to Queensland Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, Jarrod Bleijie:

    “We’re proud to partner with the University of Sunshine Coast to deliver this critical infrastructure on the Hervey Bay foreshore. 

    “Queenslanders voted for a fresh start and the State Government is committed to partnering with local government to deliver local projects that create jobs, provide long-term economic benefits and improve the lifestyle of Queenslanders no matter where they live.”

    Quotes attributable to Fraser Coast Mayor, George Seymour:

    “This facility will benefit the region’s wildlife, university students and the broader community, including Butchulla traditional owners.

    “This is an excellent partnership between all three levels of government, community groups and the University of the Sunshine Coast.

    “The turtles are an endangered species, so it is important that we research what has been happening to the local population that has caused the large number of fatalities and casualties.”

    Quotes attributable to University of the Sunshine Coast Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Helen Bartlett 

    “We are pleased to formally announce the name for the new centre, which will give our threatened turtles the greatest opportunity for survival, is the ‘UniSC Milbi Centre – Sea Turtle Research and Rehabilitation’. 

    “Milbi is the Butchulla word for sea turtle and the Dayman Park site where the centre is located holds great cultural significance for the Butchulla people and their deep connection with the Milbi and other sea and land creatures. 

    “This is reflected in the design and operation of the centre, where Butchulla Land and Sea Rangers will help to care for rescued sea turtles on country, and science and Indigenous knowledge will combine to fill gaps in our local and global understanding of marine turtles.

    “Six of the world’s seven species of marine turtles are found in the region – all listed as vulnerable or endangered – and are ecologically and genetically linked to other parts of Australia and the wider Pacific region.

    “To rescue and care for marine turtles is vitally important, as is research to better understand the cause of strandings and deaths, and to increase their chances of survival once they are rehabilitated and returned safely to the sea. 

    “This centre will be a hub for vital research that will help to inform local, state, national and international responses to mitigate threats to marine turtles, including disease and climate change.

    “Ongoing funding support from governments, organisations and the community is vital for our endangered sea turtles.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker Statement on Vote Against Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement:
    “The role of Secretary of Education demands someone with experience and a deep commitment to ensuring that every child, regardless of their background, has access to a high-quality education.
    “The Trump administration has made their plan to dismantle the Department of Education clear. If confirmed, Ms. McMahon would be leading the charge to destroy a critical entity that helps distribute federal funds that helps ensure that all students, including those in low-income communities, students with disabilities, students of color and English language learners, have equal access to a quality education. The impacts of eliminating the Department would be detrimental to our teachers, our students, and our country as a whole. As Secretary of Education, Ms. McMahon would decrease access to higher education, raise student loan payments, and weaken civil rights protections for students while using the Office for Civil Rights to promote a far-right political agenda. In New Jersey and across the nation, Ms. McMahon’s plans to cut funding for Title I and IDEA would have damaging impacts on public schools, particularly for low-income and disabled students. Dismantling the Department will make the very real challenges we face, including inadequate school funding, teacher shortages, and declines in student performance, even harder to overcome.
    “Ms. McMahon’s confirmation hearing was deeply concerning. She failed to provide clear answers on whether teaching African American history courses would violate Trump’s executive order on ‘radical indoctrination,’ or whether student organizations like ‘Special Olympics’ and ‘Jewish Student Association’ could put schools at risk of losing federal funding under Trump’s policies. Additionally, she failed to display knowledge of the education laws she would be responsible for enforcing. I am deeply skeptical of her ability to lead the Department of Education effectively. 
    “For these reasons, I will be voting against Ms. McMahon for Secretary of Education.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McConnell Proud to Confirm McMahon as Education Secretary

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued the following statement today regarding the confirmation of Linda McMahon as U.S. Secretary of Education:
    “Years of steady decline in student achievement make one thing abundantly clear: our education policies are failing America’s children. We need leadership at the Education Department that will check politics at the door and empower local communities, not federal bureaucrats, to shape their children’s education. I’m confident the President’s Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, will take an honest look at our education establishment and implement reforms that put the interests of students first.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: MEDIA ADVISORY: Sanders, Scott, Schumer, Jeffries, Murray, Bipartisan Colleagues to Introduce Legislation to Protect the Rights of American Workers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders
    WASHINGTON, March 3 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), and Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, alongside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Congressional and labor leaders, today announced that they will hold a press conference on Wednesday with workers to reintroduce the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act), comprehensive labor legislation to protect the rights of workers to stand together and bargain for fairer wages, better benefits and safer workplaces. 
    Details 
    What: Press conference to reintroduce the PRO Act
    When: Wednesday, March 5, 3:00 p.m. ET
    Where: Dirksen Senate Office Building, Ground Floor, Room 50 (SD-G50). The press conference will also be livestreamed on Sanders’ social media. 
    Who: 
    Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
    Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce
    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)
    House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.)
    Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee
    Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.)
    President Liz Shuler, AFL-CIO
    Kieran Cuadras, Wells Fargo Workers United and former Wells Fargo employee
    Press RSVP: Press interested in attending should RSVP with press@sanders.senate.gov.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEA President: “Parents and educators are organizing, advocating, and mobilizing to stop Donald Trump and Linda McMahon from hurting students and gutting public education”

    Source: US National Education Union

    WASHINGTON – NEA President Becky Pringle released the following statement reacting to the U.S. Senate’s party-line vote to confirm Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education.  

    “Every student – no matter where they live, how much their family earns, or the color of their skin – deserves the opportunity, resources, and support they need to grow into their full brilliance.  

    “Linda McMahon has pledged to dismantle public education and take away resources students need by hollowing out the Department of Education, destroying programs that support students with disabilities, making higher education less accessible, and gutting civil rights protections. The Trump administration is working to take away taxpayer dollars from public schools, where 90% of students and 95% of students with disabilities learn, and give them to unaccountable and discriminatory private schools. This means less one-on-one support, fewer learning opportunities and larger class sizes for students. 

    “While educators and parents would hope McMahon will reflect upon the enormous responsibility she has to our nation’s students, sadly there is no evidence to believe she will use her position to focus on strengthening public schools so every student can thrive.  

    “In every community across this country and in every neighborhood public school, parents and educators are partners in the effort to provide all students with the academic lessons and life skills they need to reach their full potential. McMahon was confirmed on a party-line vote, but parents and educators are organizing, advocating, and mobilizing to stop Donald Trump and Linda McMahon from hurting students and gutting public education to pay for their tax handouts to billionaires.”  

    -###- 

    Follow us on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/neapresident.bsky.social and https://bsky.app/profile/neatoday.bsky.social  

    The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representingmore than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, students preparing to become teachers, healthcare workers, and public employees. Learn more at www.nea.org  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Europe unveils plan for Ukraine peace deal amid Transatlantic rifts

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Following last week’s Trump-Zelensky White House clash, more than a dozen Western leaders gathered Sunday to revive efforts for a Ukraine peace deal and propose a settlement to Washington.

    British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the summit as a “once-in-a-generation moment for the security of Europe.” Although the meeting could push the region toward greater self-reliance in security, many observers fear the measures may be too little and too late.

    WAKE-UP CALL

    Europe now finds itself at a moment of truth in its security strategy. Before Friday’s diplomatic debacle at the White House, Russia-U.S. talks on the Ukraine crisis took place in Riyadh on Feb. 18, with neither Europe nor Ukraine given a seat at the table.

    This photo shows a scene during a defense summit in London, Britain, March 2, 2025. (Lauren Hurley/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)

    Just one week later, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a plan to impose a 25-percent tariff on all goods imported from the European Union (EU), and justified the move by claiming that the EU was formed to “screw” the United States.

    Europe was in a “moment of real fragility,” Starmer told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

    Asked about the White House clash involving the duo of Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Finnish President Alexander Stubb told BBC before the summit that the breakdown was a “wake-up call” for European nations, stressing that they must adopt a cohesive strategy for the Ukraine crisis and post-conflict arrangements.

    Stubb expressed frustration over shifting transatlantic ties, saying the U.S.-Europe relationship “is evolving,” and “we’re witnessing a more transactional United States, where the Trump administration — rightly or wrongly — is pursuing an ‘America First’ policy.”

    This has led European leaders to explore their own security solutions. At the Munich Security Conference last month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pushed for an emergency clause that would allow governments to increase defense spending without being constrained by the EU’s strict budget deficit rules. After Sunday’s summit, she reiterated that Europe must “step up massively” and forge a common security approach.

    French President Emmanuel Macron proposed on Sunday that European countries should boost their defense spending to between 3 and 3.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). His proposal came a few days after Starmer’s announcement that Britain would increase its defense spending to 2.5 percent of its GDP by 2027 and to 3 percent in the next parliamentary term, which would mean by 2034 at the latest.

    Following a bilateral meeting with Ukraine on Saturday, Britain also agreed to loan Ukraine 2.26 billion pounds (2.84 billion U.S. dollars) to bolster its defense capabilities. Shortly after the summit, Britain further committed 1.6 billion pounds (2 billion dollars) in export finance, allowing Ukraine to purchase over 5,000 air defense missiles.

    More than eight years after Britain voted to depart from the EU, it has positioned itself at the forefront of European security efforts, trying to play the role of a “bridge” between Europe and the United States to secure a peace deal for Ukraine.

    STRENGTHENED BOND

    After Sunday’s summit, Starmer outlined a four-step plan to strengthen Ukraine and support peace: to maintain military aid to Ukraine while the conflict continues and increase economic pressure on Russia; to ensure that any lasting peace guarantees Ukraine’s sovereignty and security, with Ukraine at the table for any negotiations; to deter “any future invasion by Russia” in the event of a peace deal; and to establish a “coalition of the willing” to defend Ukraine and uphold peace in the country.

    The summit’s outcome was welcomed by European leaders. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called it “a good meeting,” saying “European countries are stepping up to ensure Ukraine has what it needs to fight for as long as necessary.”

    German Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized the importance of NATO and said on social media on Sunday: “In recent years, we have strengthened our alliance with new members and increased defense spending. This is the path we will continue to follow.”

    However, doubts remain over whether Europe can fully safeguard a peace deal on its own. When asked how Britain plans to persuade more countries to join the “coalition of the willing,” Starmer acknowledged that some countries may be reluctant to contribute militarily.

    “I strongly feel that unless some countries move forward, we will stay in the position we’re in and not be able to move forward,” he said, while admitting the goal to “stay in lockstep with the United States.”

    TRANSATLANTIC DISAGREEMENTS

    The EU and the Trump administration have a range of disagreements on the settlement of the Ukraine crisis, while the U.S. provision of security guarantees for Ukraine is foremost among the discussions.

    Within a week before the London summit, both Macron and Starmer visited Washington to seek U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine or Europe, but failed to persuade Trump in this regard.

    Trump sidestepped the question of security guarantees, expressing confidence that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, would “keep his word” if an agreement is reached. He also ruled out the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO. Ukraine’s NATO membership has been a focal issue in the crisis.

    Earlier on Sunday before the summit, Starmer announced that Britain, France and Ukraine will work on a ceasefire plan to present to the United States. He named three essential points to achieve “lasting peace” — a strong Ukraine, a European element with security guarantees and a U.S. backstop, with the last one being the subject of “intense” discussion.

    After the announcement of the four-step plan to guarantee peace in Ukraine at the summit, the participating leaders also agreed to meet again soon to sustain the momentum behind these efforts.

    “Europe must do the heavy lifting,” Starmer said, emphasizing that the agreement needs U.S. backing.

    Iain Begg, a research fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science, told Xinhua: “The real question is whether this will be enough to sway the White House. We’ve seen time and again that Washington can reverse its stance overnight.”

    Also on Sunday, Macron told a French newspaper that he was “trying to make Washington understand that disengaging from Ukraine is not in America’s interest.”

    While the summit has pushed Europe toward greater security commitments, the region still faces divisions over whether to deploy troops to Ukraine under a peacekeeping framework.

    For now, some major European countries, including Germany, Spain and Poland, remain hesitant to commit troops to Ukraine, with Britain and France taking the lead in potentially sending military forces.

    Meanwhile, the EU is still in the early stages of developing a defense budget plan. Some experts noted that Europe’s efforts to build its own defense capabilities may still have a long way to go.

    David Galbreath, a professor of international security at the University of Bath, pointed to the U.S. military’s capabilities: “The U.S. provides far sharper military capabilities, such as long-range strikes, sophisticated anti-tank systems and advanced surface-to-air missiles, than anything coming from Europe.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Why are so many people obsessed with fantasy sports?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Hartley, Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania

    Koshiro K/Shutterstock

    With the AFL and NRL seasons kicking off, fantasy footy players have been deep in draft mode, carefully building their best teams.

    Fantasy sports have transformed the way fans engage with many sports, sparking interest beyond simply watching matches or supporting a favourite team.

    What are fantasy sports?

    In simple terms, fantasy sports involve participants acting as team coaches/managers, selecting real-life players to form a fantasy team within the constraints of the game’s rules.

    These teams compete based on the actual performance of the selected players in real matches. Points are awarded on various performance metrics, depending on the sport.

    Many fantasy leagues also incorporate a stock market-like element. When a real-life player exceeds expectations, their fantasy value increases, while underperformance leads to a decrease in value.

    This allows coaches to trade players in and out strategically, aiming to build the most valuable and high-scoring team during a season.

    Success in fantasy sports often depends on statistical analysis, player scouting, and smart decision-making when it comes to trades and team selection.

    The origins of fantasy sports

    The first mainstream fantasy game can be attributed to Rotisserie League Baseball in 1980 by Daniel Okrent and friends.

    Rotisserie League Baseball is said to be the oldest fantasy sports league in the world.

    This league required participants to track their own players’ progress using a scoring system based on statistics obtained in newspapers after a game.

    With the rapid progression of technology, fantasy sports have evolved significantly, with most major sporting codes worldwide now offering multiple fantasy platforms, formats and prizes.

    In Australia, the number of people playing fantasy sports has doubled since 2021, with nearly 2.5 million players engaged in one league or another.

    This growth presents opportunities for content creation, expanded revenue streams, and potentially increased engagement with sports betting.

    Fan engagement

    The way fans engage with sports has evolved with the rise of fantasy sports, social media, and real time data tracking, leading to “second screen consumption”.

    This involves fans using multiple digital platforms such as fantasy sports apps, social media and tracking of live statistics while simultaneously watching live broadcasts.

    This shift has redefined the traditional sports fandom experience.

    Fantasy coaches watch more games each week, with a dual identity that extends beyond traditional loyalty to the team they support.

    While sports fans have historically supported a single team, fantasy sports reshape fan identity by encouraging engagement with both their favourite team and their fantasy team. Fans often watch games they normally wouldn’t be interested in specifically to watch the fantasy-relevant players involved.

    Community engagement is a key motivator for participation, often surpassing interest in the real-life sports.

    In Australia, a study by News Corporation Australia, which owns SuperCoach, found bragging rights, social connection and learning more about sport drive participation.

    While prizes matter, the main reason people join is to connect with others.

    In 2021, Australian fantasy players were largely concentrated in the larger sporting codes such as the AFL and NRL, but by 2023 it had broadened into the Big Bash League (BBL) and National Basketball League (NBL).

    There are many Australians playing fantasy leagues in global sports too, from the English Premier League (soccer) to the United States’ National Football League (NFL) and National Basketball Association (NBA). Some 14% of the Australian fantasy audience plays in global leagues.

    Media involvement

    With some sporting seasons becoming longer and the connection to fantasy sports extending beyond live games, fans are kept invested throughout the off-season as they analyse trades, follow pre-season developments and prepare for the next competition.



    Read more:
    How the AFL and NRL have crept into cricket’s traditional summer timeslot

    This almost year-round involvement offers extended media coverage and consumption of new content in a variety of formats.

    Fantasy sport complements traditional media by offering alternative coverage, such as podcasts and short-form content that extends beyond game day, keeping fans connected throughout the week as they adjust their lineups and strategies.

    Fantasy sports are also boosting viewership for new formats like AFLW by increasing fan engagement.

    Rich pickings

    Fantasy sport has been big business for a long time but the global fantasy sports market is challenging to quantify.

    In 2013, Forbes estimated the NFL fantasy football market alone to be worth $US70 billion ($A111 billion), significantly surpassing the NFL’s 2021 revenue of $US11 billion ($A17 billion), highlighting its major role in the global sporting market.

    Big revenues mainly come from sponsorship and advertising on fantasy platforms.

    Major brands invest hundreds of millions of dollars in targeted advertising campaigns to capitalise on this engaged audience.

    Money is also made by charging fees to enter some contests and to access premium analytics content, in-app purchases, and related entertainment products like websites and podcasts.

    Links to sports betting

    Many of the advertisers on fantasy platforms are gambling businesses.

    Fantasy organisations have tried to highlight the differences between fantasy sports and sports betting, which has been linked to poor mental health, family violence and even suicide.

    Their key argument is that betting is a game of chance whereas fantasy sports are games of skill.

    Despite these differences, concerns have been raised about the links between fantasy sports and sports betting.

    An Australian fantasy betting app was recently fined more than $A500,000 for illegally offering inducements to gamble in dozens of ads on its platform.

    Whether or not fantasy sports are likely to encourage gambling is a grey area – studies in this space are mixed.

    Some studies have found people who participate in fantasy sports are more likely to gamble and experience gambling-related problems.

    However, others describe fantasy sports as a more positive alternative to gambling and that participants are motivated by the social benefits, rather than being motivated by a chance to win money.

    As fantasy sports continue to evolve and attract new players, their ability to deepen fan engagement, foster community connections, and enhance the sports watching experience ensures they will remain a dynamic and influential part of the sporting world.

    I have worked with members of the AFL Fantasy Traders before in schools.

    Vaughan Cruickshank 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. Why are so many people obsessed with fantasy sports? – https://theconversation.com/why-are-so-many-people-obsessed-with-fantasy-sports-249010

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Sick of pie charts for your uni, school or work projects? Here are 5 other options

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole White, Associate Professor of Statistics, Queensland University of Technology

    Master1305/Shutterstock

    Whether it’s for a work meeting or a class assignment, presenting data to others is a common task on our to-do list.

    We use data to make decisions on our health, finances and the world we live in, yet finding the best ways to communicate data without boring your audience can be daunting.

    However, there are some tried and true techniques to getting your message across effectively.

    First, you need to boost your data literacy – which includes learning about the different kind of charts and how to use them.

    What is data literacy?

    Data literacy is the ability to “plot” and present complex data in a way that’s easy to digest. There is even a branch of statistics focusing on the best way to present data.

    It’s one of the most desired skills in the workplace, yet a 2020 survey found only one in five employees across nine different countries (including Australia) believe they are data literate.

    With seemingly countless options available, choosing the right chart is challenging, and the wrong choice can influence how data is interpreted.

    Passing on the humble pie

    Pie charts are often the first pick when it comes to presenting data with different categories, such as age group or blood type. These categories are represented as slices, with the size of each slice proportional to the amount of data.

    Doughnut charts, a close relative of the pie chart, work the same way but are shown with a hole in the middle.

    As delicious as they sound, these charts should be consumed in moderation.

    Pie charts present data in a circular pattern, making it difficult to make comparisons when there are many groups, or when groups are similar in size. They can also misrepresent data entirely, especially when data add up to over 100%.

    Here are some alternatives to pie charts that sound just as tasty, but are easier to digest.

    Bar charts

    Bar charts summarise data across different categories, but present them next to each other. This makes it easier to compare several categories at once.

    Here is an example from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing the different generations from the last census.

    Waffle charts

    Waffle charts are a good option for data organised by categories.

    They present data in a grid, with each unit representing a fixed number. This is useful for presenting both large and small percentages that are difficult to compare side-by-side.

    We can clearly see most people eat meat from the figure.

    However, a bar chart would make comparing less common diets difficult. With a waffle chart, we can see 4% of people surveyed are vegan, while 2% are pescetarian.

    Histograms

    Data often represent different measurements, such as height and weight, or time taken to write an article.

    Histograms also present data with bars but, unlike bar charts, are used for data collected as numbers, or numerical data.

    This chart type is used to show how a set of numbers are spread out, and can be useful in seeing which numbers occur more often than others.

    It’s tempting to simplify data by fitting them into categories, but this can sometimes hide interesting facts.

    The example below shows the body mass index (BMI) of a group of people as a bar chart.

    It’s easy to lose information when trying to simplify BMI into categories, especially among people who may be obese.

    Each category in the bar chart could easily be misunderstood as representing BMI as similar ranges. However, if we look at the histogram, BMI for obese people can be as high as 70.

    A doctor using this data would need to take into account that someone with a BMI of 60 may need a different treatment method compared to someone with a BMI of 30.

    Line charts and scatterplots

    Other chart types for numerical data, such as line charts and scatterplots, allow us to explore how different measurements are related to one another.

    Line charts are used to visualise trends over time, such as stock prices and weekly flu cases.

    In contrast, scatterplots show how two different measurements collected on the same subject are related.

    While scatterplots summarise trends, they sometimes show unusual results that would go unnoticed if measurements were charted separately.

    For example, the figure below compares life expectancy and health expenditure in different countries.

    If we’re only looking at health expenditure, people from the United States would appear healthier as the US spends the most money on health care per person.

    Presenting this information along with life expectancy tells a different story.

    Keep it simple and avoid ‘chart junk’

    It is always tempting to add more information.

    “Chart junk” refers to extra information such as excess labels, 3D effects or even different types of data in the same chart.

    Example of a chart filled with ‘junk’.
    ResearchGate, CC BY

    This makes them more difficult to read and can distort the data, and is usually a sign your data is too complicated. You’re better off using multiple charts to tell the full story.

    As Coco Chanel once said, “simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance”.

    Keep these words in mind and choose a chart that keeps it simple without compromising style, content and detail.

    Nicole White is a member of the Statistical Society of Australia.

    – ref. Sick of pie charts for your uni, school or work projects? Here are 5 other options – https://theconversation.com/sick-of-pie-charts-for-your-uni-school-or-work-projects-here-are-5-other-options-250499

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How to sustain international order in an ‘America First’ world

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Daniel Manulak, Postdoctoral Fellow, History, University of Toronto

    The United States is abandoning its traditional role as the anchor of the liberal world order — a set of norms, rules, customs and international institutions designed to maintain global stability and foster peaceful interchange between states.

    From announcing its intention to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Human Rights Council to threatening allies — including Canada — with annexation and damaging tariffs, U.S. President Donald Trump has launched an assault on the liberal world order that upholds the post-1945 international system.

    Under these circumstances, it’s more urgent than ever that Canada clarifies its vision in world affairs and accepts its responsibility to sustain the rules-based global order. By looking into the past, we can see what Canada can do in the present.



    Read more:
    Like dictators before him, Trump threatens international peace and security

    How Canada made a difference

    The U.S. isn’t the only country with a vested interest in maintaining the liberal international order — even if it has been the only nation with the will and capacity to serve as its safeguard.

    Canada was also present at the creation of the UN in 1945. They, too, played a fundamental part in the development of its specialized agencies — such as the WHO and the International Civil Aviation Organization.

    In fact, Canada has been an engaged member of the international community. The country played a leading role in establishing the UN Emergency Force during the Suez Crisis, fighting apartheid in South Africa and building a coalition to ban anti-personnel land mines in the 1990s, to name a few examples.

    Canada has done so because it’s been in the best interest of the country. A liberal, rules-based international order is a framework in which Canada can make a meaningful difference in global affairs disproportionate to its limited size and capabilities.

    It also makes for a more prosperous, stable and peaceful world. One where norms, rules and institutions constrain aggressive or malevolent world leaders and facilitates co-operation on global problems.

    But what can lessons from the past offer Canada in sustaining global order in an “America First” world. This is a policy espoused by the Trump administration that is focused inwards. It approaches international affairs as a transactional, zero-sum game.

    Learning from the past

    First, Canada is at its most effective when Canadians act in unison towards a common goal.

    During the Ethiopian famine in the 1980s, Canadians of all stripes and levels of government worked in tandem to organize a truly national response to alleviate the humanitarian crisis. Regular citizens contributed more than $30 million — potentially saving over 700,000 people from starvation.

    This domestic political consensus also provided the requisite support for the federal government to co-ordinate an international famine relief effort. This was despite the resistance of Canada’s major allies in the U.S. and the U.K., due to the Marxist orientation of the Ethiopian government.

    Granted, few international causes offer such grounds for unity. Political polarization has only made this type of unity more difficult. And yet, as recent events (such as Trump’s threat to coerce Canada into becoming the 51st state) make clear, Canadians are willing to put aside their differences and rally together when there’s a coherent vision for the country rooted in its values and aspirations.

    Second, Canada needs to work closely with like-minded states through multilateral institutions — such as the United Nations and the Commonwealth. Under Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservative government, Canada relied on its membership in nearly every major international association to build and maintain the global coalition against South African apartheid.



    Read more:
    Brian Mulroney’s tough stand against apartheid is one of his most important legacies

    Australia, India, Zambia and Zimbabwe emerged as key partners. Such efforts entailed both political and economic costs. But there was a reason why one of Nelson Mandela’s first visits following his release from prison in 1990 was to Canada.

    By redoubling its engagement in international organizations, Canada can punch above its weight in world affairs and shape global priorities. It also provides a counter to the influence of the United States in Canadian foreign policy.

    Third, the U.S. is more than its president. Canada can still cultivate ties with Americans beyond the White House. Returning to the Mulroney government, Ottawa’s efforts to persuade the Ronald Reagan administration to negotiate restrictions on emissions resulting in acid rain were unsuccessful.

    Nonetheless, by lobbying congressional leaders in impacted states and partnering with environmental non-governmental organizations, Canada and the U.S. eventually agreed to the 1991 Air Quality Agreement.

    Surviving hostile administrations

    Canada should also be realistic about the degree to which it can diversify its economic and diplomatic relationships outside of the U.S.

    In the early 1970s, President Richard Nixon imposed a 10 per cent surcharge on Canadian imports. Then, just as it is now, Ottawa looked for alternative markets to offset Canada’s dependency on the Americans. These initiatives ultimately failed to materialize — but the surcharge was rescinded. Canada-U.S. relations ultimately survived the Nixon administration.

    Similarly, while Trump has offered a stark reminder that Canada needs to take an active role in sustaining the rules-based international order on which it depends, the ties that bind the two countries together are deeper and longer-lasting than any one administration or government.

    Even so, with a world in chaos, Canada needs to step up to defend international norms and institutions. It has done so in the past and can do so again — provided it develops a coherent foreign policy strategy moving forward.

    Daniel Manulak receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. How to sustain international order in an ‘America First’ world – https://theconversation.com/how-to-sustain-international-order-in-an-america-first-world-248364

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AFSCME’s Saunders: Children and workers will suffer the cost of Linda McMahon’s plans to cut education

    Source: American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union

    WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement in opposition to Linda McMahon’s confirmation to lead the U.S. Department of Education:

    “Billionaires led by Elon Musk are hellbent on dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, and wrestling mogul Linda McMahon is ready and willing to do their bidding. She has no reservations about hollowing out the agency responsible for ensuring equal educational opportunities for the nation’s 50 million public school students or protecting the civil rights of students with disabilities, English learners, and students from low-income and rural communities. Having spent her entire career padding the profits of corporate shareholders, it’s no surprise she supports vouchers that siphon funding away from public schools that serve 90 percent of our communities’ schoolchildren.

    “Children and public school workers will suffer the cost of understaffed schools, larger classroom sizes, and fewer extracurricular opportunities – all to give tax cuts to the wealthy. But AFSCME members won’t stand for it. They are among the millions of workers across this nation who have dedicated their careers to educating and supporting America’s children and youth. They don’t do it to get rich – they do it because they believe in the next generation, and we will be standing together against any attack on students.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Promoting Pacific languages in New Zealand

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti says the Pacific language week series continues to celebrate our diverse Pacific languages, with exciting updates for 2025 and 2026, including the first-ever addition of Bislama, the national language of Vanuatu. 

    “Last year, the Pacific language week series saw an incredible response, with thousands of New Zealanders participating in events and activities,” says Dr Reti. 

    “From cultural performances and storytelling sessions to engaging social media campaigns viewed over 3 million times, the celebrations highlighted the powerful role language plays in connecting and inspiring communities.

    “I have heard firsthand how important the language week series is to Pacific communities and how it affirms the relationships we have with Pacific island nations. 

    “Each community embraces their Pacific language week in unique ways. As they say in Bislama, wan toktok hem i neva enaf – one language is never enough. We’re excited to celebrate Bislama for the first time in 2025, bringing the total number of language weeks to 12 this year.

    “I am also pleased to confirm the dates for 2025 and 2026 ahead of time, to reinforce our commitment to preserving these cultural treasures for future generations,” Dr Reti says. 

    The Ministry for Pacific Peoples invites all New Zealanders to embrace the Pacific language week series. Learning materials, online challenges, and tutorials will be available throughout the year, alongside events fostering cultural connection and understanding. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar Invites Minnesota Farmer as Guest to Joint Address

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, announced that Gary Wertish, a third-generation farmer from Renville County and President of the Minnesota Farmers Union, will be her guest at President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, March 4. 2025.

    “Gary represents so many family farmers and other Minnesotans who are worried about making ends meet because of the Administration’s proposed tariffs, funding freezes, and mass layoffs,” said Klobuchar. “He will be a voice for all Minnesota farmers at the President’s Joint Address.”

    “Family farmers are used to watching the skies and hoping for favorable weather. Now they are watching Washington and wondering what a potential trade war, layoffs at local USDA offices, and proposed cuts to Farm Bill programs are going to mean for their farms and communities,” said Wertish. “This only adds to uncertainty and challenges going into spring planting. We’re grateful Senator Klobuchar is working to build bipartisan support for stable trading relationships and a new Farm Bill. I’m honored by her invitation.”

    Gary Wertish ran a diversified grain and livestock farm and now assists his son, Tom, in operating their family farm near Renville. He was elected Minnesota Farmers Union President in January 2017, is a member of the National Farmers Union board of directors, and a member of the NFU Executive Committee. Wertish is a board member of Farmers Union Enterprises and serves as the livestock facilitator for the World Farmers Organization Livestock Working Group. He has served on MFU and NFU policy committees and as an MFU field representative. 

    Since 1991, Wertish has served as a supervisor for Emmet Township in Renville County. He also served nine years as a director and president of the Renville Volunteer Ambulance Service. From 1993 to 1999, Gary served on the USDA’s Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Sweeteners, and presently is a member of the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Grains, Feed, Oilseeds and Planting Seeds. From 2001 to 2007, Wertish served as then-Senator Mark Dayton’s Agricultural Director.

    Wertish graduated from Renville High School and Willmar Area Vocational Technical Institute, with a degree in agriculture business management. He and his wife, Jeanne, are the parents of four adult children.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: AHS third-party investigation: DM McPherson

    “While serving as Acting Deputy Minister of Executive Council, Premier Danielle Smith asked me to establish a credible, independent, third-party investigation into the procurement processes used by the Government of Alberta and AHS and their outcomes.

    “I have informed Premier Smith that the Honourable Raymond E. Wyant, former Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of Manitoba, will lead this investigation. I asked Premier Smith to issue a ministerial order to facilitate his work and she has done so. Judge Wyant’s work on this matter begins immediately.

    “Judge Wyant was appointed to the Manitoba bench in 1998 before becoming Chief Judge in 2002. Prior to his service on the bench, Judge Wyant worked as a criminal defence lawyer and Crown attorney and was acting deputy director of Manitoba prosecutions at the time of his appointment to the Bench. He has also taught law for many years at Robson Hall at the University of Manitoba.

    “Judge Wyant will review the relevant legislation, regulations and policies related to procurement typically used by Government of Alberta departments and agencies, specifically AHS, and their application to the procurement of pharmaceuticals and to services offered by chartered surgical facilities. Questions that Judge Wyant will consider are outlined in the attached terms of reference, and include whether or not any elected official, Government of Alberta or AHS employee, or other individuals, acted improperly during the procurement processes. Judge Wyant will make recommendations to the government for improvement or further action as appropriate.

    “Appointed under the Government Organization Act, Judge Wyant will operate independently of government. The Government of Alberta will provide Judge Wyant with access to all relevant documents held by its departments and AHS, as well as facilitate interviews with relevant individuals. 

    “Judge Wyant has been given a budget of $500,000 to undertake this important work, including to retain legal and audit assistance at his discretion. He is being paid $31,900 per month, which is the same remuneration rate as the Chief Justice of the Alberta Court of Justice.

    “To ensure additional independence, Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction will hold the budget for this third-party investigation.  

    “Judge Wyant will deliver an interim written report by May 30, 2025. A final written report and recommendations will be delivered by June 30, 2025, and it will be posted on alberta.ca.”

    Related information

    • Ministerial Order and Terms of Reference
    • Biography of Judge Raymond E. Wyant

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner Invites Fired Fredericksburg Park Ranger to State of the Union

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) today announced that Ms. Ashley Ranalli of Fredericksburg will attend as his guest to President Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday, March 4. Ms. Ranalli was employed as a National Park Service (NPS) ranger at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park until last month, when – despite exemplary performance reviews – she became one of an estimated 1,000-plus Park Service workers who were indiscriminately fired by the Trump administration due to their “probationary” employment status, joining thousands of other federal workers who were fired without cause as part of Elon Musk and President Trump’s attacks on the workforce. Ms. Ranalli, 41, is a survivor of thyroid cancer and now has no health insurance.

    “Ashley Ranalli is one of the many dedicated public servants who have been forced out of their jobs serving Americans by President Trump and Elon Musk. Our national parks are places where we connect with nature, our shared history and one another, and that is made possible by the hard work of national park rangers, whose dedication, expertise, and passion not only safeguard our landscapes and wildlife but also help preserve the stories and history that make these places so special. These indiscriminate cuts of Park Service personnel are devastating to the parks and their local communities,” said Sen. Warner. “I am glad that Ashley is able to join as my guest for the address to Congress, so that President Trump can look out into the audience and face a Virginian directly affected by his short-sighted and reckless choices.”

    “Becoming a national park ranger was my dream and after years of dedication and hard work, it finally became a reality, only to be ripped away,” said Ms. Ranalli. “I am devastated by the effect the purge of federal employees has had on Fredericksburg, a community that I love and which relies upon federal workers and tourism dollars from the national park. When I come to Washington, I hope to represent not just my fellow park rangers, but also to be a voice for the people, communities and small businesses that are suffering because of political choices being made in our nation’s capital.”

    When Ashley Ranalli was hired as a volunteer and youth program coordinator at the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park in the fall, it was the culmination of years of effort and hard work. Prior to becoming a park ranger, Ashley was a public school English teacher who spent her summers working as a seasonal worker for the National Park Service, living away from her family at various NPS sites in Virginia in order to demonstrate commitment to the job and distinguish herself from a pool of largely younger candidates. On February 14, she received a layoff notice from the Department of the Interior, despite a recent performance review that described her work as “excellent” and “outstanding,” and which noted that she “goes the extra mile” when working with visitors, volunteers, and colleagues.

    While the administration has declined to make public the exact scope of the cuts at NPS and the duties and locations of those affected by the layoffs, the National Parks Conservation Association estimates that in a period of just weeks, nine percent of NPS staff have been lost to mass firings and resignations, in addition to hundreds of vacant positions that can’t be filled due to the ongoing hiring freeze. In addition, the National Park Service has been directed to identify more cuts as part of the larger Reduction in Force (RIF) efforts.

    Warner is the author of the Great American Outdoors Act, one of the largest-ever investments in conservation and public lands in our nation’s history. Signed into law by President Trump in 2020, the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act provided billions of dollars to improve infrastructure and expand recreation opportunities in national parks and other public lands after years of underinvestment led a massive backlog in needed maintenance and repairs to Park Service sites. In Virginia alone, Warner’s Great American Outdoors Act has provided over $470 million for projects at Virginia’s 22 park service units and supported thousands of jobs – investments that are now being undermined by the Trump administration’s reckless layoffs that threaten safe operations at the parks ahead of the peak summer season. Last month, Warner led the Virginia delegation in writing the Secretary of the Interior, pushing the administration to reverse the cuts.

    MIL OSI USA News –