Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
President Ramaphosa addresses the Basic Education Sector Lekgotla in Boksburg
Category: Education
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MIL-Evening Report: Grattan on Friday: Albanese falls victim to a Chinese burn
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
As the Albanese government struggles to stay on its political feet, who would have thought the China issue would suddenly insert itself into the campaign, leaving the prime minister looking, at best, flat-footed?
Improving and stabilising what had become a toxic bilateral relationship under Scott Morrison has been one of the Albanese government’s major pluses in its foreign and trade policy.
China has taken off all of the roughly $20 billion in barriers it had enacted on Australian exports. Australian lobsters are back on Chinese menus. And who can forget the PM’s visit to China, when he was lauded as “a handsome boy”.
But now, almost on the eve of the election campaign, a Chinese military exercise in the Tasman Sea has not just reminded Australians of Chinese military power, but has left the PM appearing poorly informed. Or not wanting to offend the Chinese.
Of course, China did not set out to force Anthony Albanese into what were publicly misleading comments. That was all his own doing.
The China incident was on the morning of Friday last week, when its navy commenced the live-fire exercise.
Albanese was briefed on Friday afternoon. Later in the day, a reporter asked him about an ABC report of “commercial pilots [being] warned about a potential hazard in airspace” where three Chinese warships had been sailing.
The PM said: “China issued, in accordance with practice, an alert that it would be conducting these activities, including the potential use of live fire”. This told, at best, a sliver of what was a rather alarming story.
The government says the Chinese had acted in accordance with the law but the amount of notice they’d given (which was not provided directly to Australia) was inadequate. Representations about this were made by Foreign Minister Penny Wong to the Chinese.
It took evidence before Senate estimates hearings this week to paint a full picture of what happened.
On Monday, Rob Sharp, CEO of Airservices Australia (the country’s civil air navigation services provider) told senators: “We became aware at two minutes to ten on Friday morning – and it was, in fact, a Virgin Australia aircraft that advised one of our air traffic controllers – that a foreign warship was broadcasting that they were conducting a live firing 300 nautical miles east off our coast. So that’s how we first found out about the issue.”
Initially, “we didn’t know whether it was a potential hoax or real”.
Meanwhile, a number of commercial planes were in the air and some diverted their routes.
On Wednesday, Australian Defence Force Chief David Johnston was asked at another estimates hearing whether Defence was only notified of what was happening from a Virgin flight and Airservices Australia 28 minutes after the Chinese operation firing window commenced. Johnston’s one-word reply was “Yes”.
Australia does not know whether the Chinese ships, which proceeded towards Tasmania, intend to circumnavigate the continent, or whether they have been accompanied by a submarine.
Relations with China won’t be a first-order issue with most voters at this cost-of-living election. But these events play to the Dutton opposition, for whom national security is home-ground territory.
They reinforce the broader impression, which has taken hold, of Albanese being poor with detail.
Dutton said on Sydney radio on Thursday, “I don’t know whether he makes things up, but he seems to get flustered in press conferences. You hear it – the umming and ahing, and at the end of it, you don’t know what he’s actually said.
“But what we do know is that he is at odds with the chief of the Defence force, and he needs to explain why, on such a totemic issue, he either wasn’t briefed, that he’s made up the facts, that he’s got it wrong.”
Wong hit back, “We have been very clear China is going to keep being China, just as Mr Dutton isn’t going to stop being Mr Dutton – the man who once said it was inconceivable we wouldn’t go to war is going to keep beating the drums of war.
“The Labor government will be calm and consistent; not reckless and arrogant.”
There’s one political complication for Dutton in seeking to exploit the China issue. Despite his natural hawkishness, in recent times he has been treading more softly on China, with an eye to the importance of voters of Chinese heritage in some seats.
The Trump administration has dramatically increased the uncertainty of the international outlook that the Australian government, whether Labor or Coalition, will face during the next parliamentary term.
Defence Minister Richard Marles this week talked up the US administration’s policy in the region. “We are very encouraged by the focus that the Trump Administration is giving in terms of its strategic thinking to the Indo Pacific.”
Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who was in Washington lobbying for a tariff exemption was also, declared that “the alliance and the economic partnership between Australia and the US is as strong as it’s ever been.”
Whether we get that exemption will be an early indication of where we stand in terms of the special relationship with the US. But who knows what the US might want in return.
A volatile world and perhaps pressure from the US may push Australia into spending more on defence, which on present planning is due to tick past 2% of GDP.
Dutton has already said he would put more funding into defence, although, like most other aspects of opposition policy, the amount is vague. The Coalition says when it produces its costing (which will be in the last days before the election) there will be more precision.
We’ve yet to see how the crucial US-China relationship evolves. That trajectory will have implications for Australia, positive or negative. On the very worst scenario, if China, encouraged by US President Donald Trump’s benign attitude to Russia, moves on Taiwan, the security of which the president has refused to guarantee, that could produce a dire situation in the region.
Australia remains confident of continuing American support for AUKUS. But if Trump becomes even more arbitrary and adventurous, AUKUS could become a lot less popular not in America but in Australia.
Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. Grattan on Friday: Albanese falls victim to a Chinese burn – https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-albanese-falls-victim-to-a-chinese-burn-251029
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MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK and Mongolia’s joint statement after the first annual UK-Mongolia political dialogue
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
World news storyUK and Mongolia’s joint statement after the first annual UK-Mongolia political dialogue
Respect for sovereignty, international law, and territorial integrity were key areas of discussion during the first annual UK-Mongolia political dialogue in London on 26 February, 2025.
Minister Catherine West MP and Mongolian Deputy Prime Minister Amarsaikhan Sainbuyan.
British Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Indo-Pacific, Minister Catherine West MP, welcomed Mongolian Deputy Prime Minister Amarsaikhan Sainbuyan to London on 26 February 2025 for the 15th UK-Mongolia roundtable, and the first annual political dialogue under the UK-Mongolia Joint Cooperation Roadmap towards a Comprehensive Partnership.
Minister West and Deputy Prime Minister Amarsaikhan affirmed the strong partnership between the UK and Mongolia, grounded in shared democratic values, open societies, and a growing economic relationship.
Both sides noted deepening geopolitical tensions, stressed their commitment to upholding the principles of the UN Charter, and called on all countries to refrain from using force against the territorial integrity and political independence of any state. They agreed to continue to work closely to uphold international law and advance our shared principles.
Economic Growth
The Ministers confirmed that the UK and Mongolia will work together with a view to increasing the volume of trade and investment between the two countries – to drive mutual economic growth
They agreed to continue discussions with UK Export Finance to explore support for the construction of the metro system in Ulaanbaatar.
Talks also focused on facilitating trade and investment by working towards the removal of barriers to trade and red tape, and creating stable and transparent business environments.
Energy Transition
The Ministers stressed the urgency of action to address the impacts of climate change. They committed to achieving the UK and Mongolia’s NDC and welcomed the recent allocation from the NDC Partnership to Mongolia, including funding from the UK, to reach Mongolia’s climate goals.
They encouraged greater public-private partnerships to leverage public finance for private sector investment in line with both countries’ climate strategies.
They looked forward to Mongolia hosting COP17 on Desertification in 2026 and agreed to facilitate an exchange of experts to support preparations for and the outcome of COP17.
Women’s empowerment
The Ministers reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to gender equality and to expanding the number of women elected to both parliaments. Minister West welcomed the expanded number of female parliamentarians in the Mongolian parliament following elections in 2024, and commended Mongolia for its quota target of 40% of female candidates by 2028. UK and Mongolia’s joint statement after the first annual UK-Mongolia Political Dialogue Amarsaikhan welcomed the UK achieving its highest level of female representation in the UK parliament following the 2024 UK general election.
The ministers agreed to work together in multilateral fora ahead of the 30th anniversary of the “Beijing Declaration and Platform Action”.
Critical minerals
The Ministers agreed on the importance of extracting Mongolia’s mineral wealth in a manner that preserves Mongolia’s unique environmental legacy. They discussed the importance of responsible mining, and of high environmental, social and governance standards, as well as investing in Mongolian’s skills development.
In this regard, both sides expressed their commitment to cooperate within the framework of Memorandum of Understanding on critical minerals.
Education, Civil Society and People-to-people ties
The Ministers noted the strength of people-to-people ties between the UK and Mongolia, including the exchange of students through the Chevening Scholarship programme and “Mission 2100” scholarship programme initiated by the President of Mongolia.
Minister West reaffirmed the UK’s support for English language teaching in Mongolia and both ministers welcomed the progress in expanding English language provision. This could include building on existing partnerships with British companies to increase access to and improve the quality of English Language teaching, as well as supporting remote and disadvantaged communities with UK Overseas Development Assistance.
The Ministers agreed to explore possibilities to expand higher education opportunities for Mongolian students, including through the Chevening Scholarship, and to expand partnerships between universities.
They looked forward to the exhibition of the Arts of the Mongol World to be held at the Royal Academy in 2027, and welcomed expanding cultural cooperation.
They noted the important contribution that civil society organisations play in democratic societies, and committed to continue to engage with and seek inputs from civil society organisations representing a broad range of communities to strengthen democratic debate.
Minister West and Deputy Prime Minister Amarsaikhan looked forward to and highlighted the importance of future high-level visits between the UK and Mongolia.
On the sidelines of the roundtable meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Amarsaikhan held a bilateral meeting with Minister Gareth Thomas. During the meeting, the Ministers held constructive and fruitful discussions on further broadening the bilateral relationship in areas of mutual interest, including the promotion of trade and economic cooperation.
Updates to this page
Published 27 February 2025
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MIL-OSI China: Beijing’s Daxing airport economic zone seeks business cooperation
Source: China State Council Information Office
The Beijing Daxing International Airport Economic Zone (BDIAEZ) held an industry promotion event Wednesday, attracting entrepreneurs and business leaders to explore cooperation opportunities in aviation logistics, life sciences and health care.
An industry promotion event exploring business cooperation opportunities is held in the Beijing Daxing International Airport Economic Zone, Feb. 26, 2025. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]
At the event, several specialized industrial parks and platforms were introduced, including the International Regenerative Medicine Industrial Park, the International Medical Equipment Industrial Park, and the International Aviation Headquarters Park. These initiatives are designed to gather innovative resources, strengthen industrial clusters and drive regional economic growth.
In recent years, the BDIAEZ has prioritized its life sciences sector by establishing platforms that support the development of cell technology and medical supply chains. The goal is to attract high-end enterprises and lay a solid foundation for a world-class health cluster. To further enhance trade and logistics capabilities, the zone also launched platforms for industrial goods supply chains and cross-border e-commerce, which are expected to improve operational efficiency and foster industry development.
Six projects were also signed at the event, covering areas such as aviation services, life and health, trade logistics and emerging industries. Key projects include the Low-altitude Technology Exhibition and Trading Center, which will showcase next-generation aviation innovations, and the Xinzhuoyue Regenerative Medicine R&D Headquarters, which is set to work with the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on cell-based therapies.
Wahed Ahmadzai, CEO and founder of nHUB, a Beijing-based company committed to building inclusive hubs, noted the BDIAEZ’s strategic importance, calling it the “gateway to China and China’s gateway to the world.” He added that the BDIAEZ’s prime location, together with multiple supportive policies, makes it an exceptionally attractive environment for building and innovating businesses.
Xu Guojin, general manager of Beijing Zhengkai Technology Co. Ltd., expressed confidence about future cooperation with the BDIAEZ. “The most appealing aspect is the combination of national, municipal and district-level advantages, along with the unique policies of the airport zone,” she said. “Combined with the benefits offered by the comprehensive bonded zone and free trade zone, this synergy is highly attractive to my company and future partners.”
Strategic development plans for Beijing Daxing International Airport were also released at the event. These include the construction of four runways, 256 aircraft parking bays, and a terminal complex spanning 1.43 million square meters. The airport aims to handle 72 million passengers and 630,000 aircraft movements annually.
This expansion underscores the airport’s role not simply as a transportation hub, but as a key driver for future economic development in the region, according to a representative from Beijing Daxing International Airport.
In addition, the event saw the launch of two international talent programs. In partnership with the National School of Development at Peking University, the BDIAEZ will establish a talent base to train professionals and foster entrepreneurship in fields like aviation logistics, e-commerce and biomedicine. Separately, the “Vine Plan” International Innovation Center will connect businesses with international students through internships, study tours and incubation programs.
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MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK science flies to the Moon with NASA
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press releaseUK science flies to the Moon with NASA
Advanced technology funded by the UK Space Agency began its 4-month journey to the Moon this morning, on board NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer mission.
The Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft, which weighs 200kg and is about the size of a washing machine, aims to map the location and form of water on the Moon. This will improve scientists’ understanding of lunar resources and support future missions, when astronauts return to the lunar surface.
On board is the Lunar Thermal Mapper (LTM) – a state-of-the-art thermal imaging camera developed by the University of Oxford with £3.1 million funding from the UK Space Agency and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
Science Minister Sir Patrick Vallance said:
Backed by UK Government funding, this project could be key to unlocking new insights into lunar water and in turn sustain future missions and deep space exploration for generations to come.
Space is a fast-growing global industry, and these investments will generate important information to help grow the sector.
The LTM is designed to measure the surface temperature and the various minerals that make up the lunar landscape, which is vital information to help confirm the presence and location of water. The instrument will work in tandem with NASA’s High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3) to produce the most detailed maps of water on the Moon’s surface to date.
The Lunar Thermal Mapper being worked on at Oxford University. Credit: Department of Physics, University of Oxford.
Neil Bowles, instrument scientist for LTM at Oxford University, said:
The measurements of temperature will help confirm the presence of the water signal in HVM3’s measurements and the two instruments will work together to map the composition of the Moon, showing us details that have only been hinted at from previously.
The UK’s role in Lunar Trailblazer demonstrates the importance of collaboration in the space sector, and the significant space expertise found in academic institutions across the country.
The Clarendon Lab at the University of Oxford, which includes the Infrared Multilayer Laboratory, manufactured infrared filters for the mission. Durham University manufactured the precision LTM optics, mirrors, and pointing mirror. Cardiff University provided long wave infrared mesh filters, essential for the Lunar Thermal Mapper’s ability to accurately measure the surface temperature and composition of the Moon.
Lauren Taylor, Major Projects Lead at The UK Space Agency, said:
The UK Space Agency is thrilled to be a part of NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer mission. Our work with the University of Oxford to develop the Lunar Thermal Mapper showcases the UK’s leading role in space exploration and scientific research.
This mission will provide invaluable data on the Moon’s water resources, supporting future human missions and enhancing our understanding of the lunar environment.
UK companies also made significant contributions. From Ramp in Yeovil providing coatings and paint, and Micro Systems in Warrington manufacturing mechanical parts, to STFC RAL Space in Harwell providing insulation and electronics.
Marie-Claire Perkinson, Chair of the Space, Science and Exploration Committee at the UKspace trade association, said:
The launch of the UK Lunar Thermal Mapper instruments demonstrates the capabilities of the UK academic community working in collaboration with their industrial suppliers.
Once in orbit around the Moon, Lunar Trailblazer will cover the surface 12 times a day and use its instruments to examine features including the permanently shadowed craters at the Moon’s South Pole, which could contain significant quantities of water ice.
Lunar Trailblazer launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket together with Intuitive Machine’s IM-2 spacecraft, which will attempt a soft landing on the Moon next week.
The UK Space Agency is also funding the joint UK-Canada Aqualunar Challenge to further our understanding of lunar water and its potential uses. The Aqualunar Challenge focuses on developing innovative technologies to purify water found on the Moon, which is crucial for supporting future human missions. The winners will be announced in March.
Updates to this page
Published 27 February 2025
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MIL-OSI Russia: Scientific Regiment. Student Katya Petrova’s Memories of War and Study
Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
When talking about contemporaries of the Great Patriotic War, the first to be remembered are the participants in the military operations, and they do not forget about home front workers, scientists and teachers, but stories about ordinary students are rare. They did not throw themselves under tanks, defending their native land, did not stand two shifts in a row at the machine, did not organize production and did not save lives in hospitals, but they also lived their war years and remembered them forever – they performed a small student feat, receiving an education in a difficult time for the country and using it for the benefit of the Motherland in the post-war years. Today we will tell you about such a person in the “Scientific Regiment” section.
Ekaterina Valerianovna Petrova is a candidate of economic sciences, professor of the statistics department at the Moscow Institute of Economics and Management, and an Honorary Worker of Higher Professional Education of the Russian Federation. She was awarded the medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 2nd degree, the Order of Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, and other medals.
Ekaterina Petrova entered the mechanical engineering department of the Moscow Engineering and Economics Institute named after Sergo Ordzhonikidze (now the State University of Management) in 1940. After completing her first year, the war began and she and her family had to evacuate to the Saratov region for two years, where she worked as an accountant on a state farm. In October 1943, the institute called Ekaterina back to Moscow, where she was able to live independently due to the fact that students were given work cards for food, orders for clothing and footwear, and a stipend was paid to all students, and not just excellent students or those with low incomes, as was the case before the war. In this way, the state invested in the future even in the most difficult years. Despite all the difficulties, the management of the Moscow Engineering and Economics Institute tried to provide comfortable living conditions in the dormitories, replenished the institute’s material resources whenever possible, arranged a normal life, and even organized festive evenings with the participation of artists.
The dean of the mechanical engineering faculty at that time was Khadzhi-Murat Timurovich Aldakov, who at the beginning of the war was deputy head of the construction of defensive lines near Moscow.
“At first, Hadji-Murat Timurovich gave the impression of being a withdrawn, somewhat gloomy person, so at first the students were afraid of him,” recalls Ekaterina Valerianovna. “However, having met him on business once or twice, everyone understood that he treated the students very kindly and fairly. I was able to see for myself that he was also an excellent teacher, since I completed my diploma project under his supervision.”
According to Ekaterina Valerianovna, everyone studied with great enthusiasm and tried not to miss lectures. The shortage of textbooks also had an impact on attendance – often only one manual was given to three or four students, and for some subjects there were none at all, so they prepared for exams only from their own lecture notes. Accordingly, teachers approached teaching with full responsibility and explained the subject until the students fully understood it. For example, Professor of the Department of Organization and Planning of Production Eduard Adamovich Satel had a manner of conducting, as they would say now, interactive lectures – he asked students questions about how they would solve various problems of production processes.
Ekaterina Petrova especially remembers the associate professor of the department of production organization and planning, Yuri Osipovich Lyubovich, who, thanks to his sensitive attitude towards students, goodwill and gentle humor, became a true friend of his students.
“His imposing appearance, velvety voice and artistic abilities captivated the audience and worked genuine miracles. The students listened with admiration to every word when the material of deep scientific content was presented. And, what is most surprising, these wonderful lectures, thanks to the art of reading, could be easily recorded,” says Ekaterina Valerianovna.
There were practically no vacations during the war years, instead students worked in the Moscow suburban subsidiary farm of the Moscow Institute of Power Engineering, in haymaking, in logging, at vegetable warehouses. No one even thought about being released from work, everyone worked for the needs of the country and the front.
In May 1945, the maximum concentration of efforts of the entire state led to the Great Victory over Nazi Germany and its allies. Of course, the difficulties did not end there; a long period of restoration of the country lay ahead. Ekaterina Petrova graduated from MIEI in 1947, continued her education in graduate school, and since 1950 began teaching at her native university, which she never left, having trained thousands of specialists over many years.
Yes, the years of the Great Patriotic War were much harder physically and morally than our days. However, the feelings that students of those years experienced, judging by the words of Ekaterina Valerianovna, were the same:
“The student years, which coincided for my generation with the war years, were nevertheless the happiest: there was the joy of victories at the front, the joy of communicating with teachers and friends, the joy of youth and the expectation of all the best ahead.”
Students of those years forged victory with knowledge and labor in the rear, bringing a bright future closer. Today, when our country is once again facing challenges, students of the State University of Management continue to study and develop, making their contribution to supporting the country and preserving the future. The stories of these generations are separated by time, but united by a common desire for knowledge and love for the Motherland.
#Scientific regiment
Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 02/27/2025
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Preferred candidate to lead Office for Students confirmed
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press releasePreferred candidate to lead Office for Students confirmed
Professor Edward Peck CBE named as preferred candidate to be the next Chair of the Office for Students by Education Secretary
The Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has named Professor Edward William Peck CBE as her preferred candidate to be the next Chair of the Office for Students.
Professor Peck will now go on to attend a pre-appointment hearing before the Education Select Committee on 4 March.
The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of higher education in England. It is responsible for ensure that every student has a fulfilling university experience that enriches their lives and careers. Following last year’s election one of its top priorities has been monitoring the financial sustainability of the sector.
Professor Peck has been selected following a rigorous assessment process conducted in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. He currently serves as Chair of the HE Mental Health Implementation Taskforce and is the DfE’s Student Support Champion, and will stand down as Vice Chancellor of Nottingham Trent University this summer.
If appointed Professor Peck will take over from Sir David Behan, who was appointed interim chair last year following Lord Wharton of Yarm’s resignation. Sir David’s independent review, Fit for the Future, was published in July and is informing the OfS’s priorities on financial sustainability and quality.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:
Professor Peck has played a key role in supporting students and has a wealth of experience that will be instrumental in guiding the OfS forward. I look forward to finalising his appointment.
He will play a vital part in supporting higher education providers’ financial sustainability and breaking down barriers to opportunity. Through our Plan for Change we want to ensure students from all backgrounds are at the heart of the higher education system, and receive a high quality education that will help them drive growth as we fix the foundations of our economy.
I would like to thank Sir David for his independent review and the work he has done as interim chair which will inform the strategic direction of the OfS as it implements his core recommendations.
The Chair leads the OfS at board level, working with Ministers and the Chief Executive to provide clear leadership and priorities for the next phase of the OfS’ critical work.
Since 2014 Professor Peck has served as Vice Chancellor of Nottingham Trent University, and currently holds roles as a trustee of UCAS, Chair of the HE Mental Health Implementation Taskforce and the DfE’s first Student Support Champion. Following his appointment he will stand down from these roles.
He has also served on the Independent Advisory Panel for Post-18 Education and Funding (the Augar Review), and from 2008-2014 was Pro Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Social Sciences at the University of Birmingham.
Following his pre-appointment hearing, the Education Select Committee will publish their recommendations, which the Education Secretary will consider before deciding whether to finalise the appointment.
Updates to this page
Published 27 February 2025
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MIL-OSI USA: February 26th, 2025 Heinrich, Stansbury Lead Colleagues to Demand Reversal of Trump Attacks on Programs Serving Tribes and Tribal Members
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) led 109 of their colleagues in a bicameral letter to President Donald Trump, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in demanding that efforts to fire employees and defund programs that serve Tribes and Tribal members be stopped and reversed.
The lawmakers demanded that the President, Secretary Burgum, and Secretary Kennedy, “take immediate action to halt, exempt, and reverse the impacts to federal employees and funding serving Indian Country, as those positions and programs are essential for the administration of legally mandated Tribal programs and services.”
Outlining the impact of the Trump administration’s actions to-date, the lawmakers wrote, “Your administration’s recent executive actions undermine Tribal sovereignty, existing federal law, and the federal-Tribal government-to-government relationship” The lawmakers continued, “In the past month, your administration has taken aim at thousands of federal workers across various government agencies. Reports indicate that this includes more than 2,600 federal employees at the Department of Interior, including more than 100 Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) employees, more than 40 Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) employees, several employees at the Office of Indian Affairs, as well as social workers, firefighters, and police that work on behalf of Indian Country, plus some 950 Indian Health Service (IHS) employees at the Department of Health and Human Services.”
The lawmakers further reminded the President and Secretary Burgum that “Tribal Nations are sovereign governments with a unique legal and political relationship to the United States. The inherent sovereignty of Tribes is recognized in the U.S. Constitution, in treaties, and across many federal laws and policies, and it has been consistently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.” The lawmakers continued, “These trust and treaty obligations in some cases predate both the establishment of all of the agencies in question as well as the United States itself. Pursuant to those legal obligations, we must adequately fund and staff agencies that provide these essential services and programs, including at BIA, BIE, and IHS.”
In the Senate, the letter was led by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). The letter was signed by U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Senators Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
In the House, the letter was led by U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.). The letter was signed by 93 House members, including U.S. Representatives Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) and Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.).
The full text of the letter is available here and below.
Dear President Trump, Secretary Burgum, and Secretary Kennedy:
We write to you today to urge you to take immediate action to halt, exempt, and reverse from existing or future executive actions any federal offices, services, or funding that serve Indian Country, as these positions and programs are essential to the administration of legally mandated Tribal programs and services.
We are gravely concerned about the implementation of recent Executive Orders (EO), including EO 14210 entitled “Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization Initiative,” and the implications of reductions in the federal workforce and funding for Indian Country. As you know, the U.S. government has both trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal Nations. These responsibilities are implemented by agencies including the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), Indian Health Service (IHS), and others, providing critical healthcare, education, and social services to Tribal communities. Your administration’s recent executive actions undermine legally required commitments to sovereign Tribal Nations, existing federal law, and the federal-Tribal government-to-government relationship.
In the past month, your administration has taken aim at thousands of federal workers across various government agencies. Reports indicate that this includes more than 2,600 federal employees at the Department of the Interior, including more than 100 Bureau of Indian Affairs employees, more than 40 Bureau of Indian Education employees, several employees at the Office of Indian Affairs, as well as social workers, firefighters, and police that work on behalf of Indian Country, plus some 950 Indian Health Service employees at the Department of Health and Human Services. There have also been reports of layoffs at Tribal Colleges and Universities, including dozens of educators at both Haskell Indian Nations University and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute which are operated by the Bureau of Indian Education.
Independent federal oversight entities, such as the Office of the Special Counsel, have already deemed some of these firings to be unlawful. Beyond the legal questions surrounding the ability to fire employees without specifying performance or conduct issues, any unilateral attempts to disrupt existing services administered or funded by the BIA, BIE, IHS, or other Tribal-serving entities would directly violate the trust and treaty obligations of the United States to Tribal Nations.
Tribal Nations are sovereign governments with a unique legal and political relationship to the United States. The inherent sovereignty of Tribes is recognized in the U.S. Constitution, in treaties, and across many federal laws and policies, and it has been consistently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. These trust and treaty obligations in some cases predate both the establishment of all of the agencies in question as well as the United States itself. Pursuant to those legal obligations, the U.S. must adequately fund and staff agencies that provide these essential services and programs, including at BIA, BIE, and IHS.
We have many concerns about the legality of the administration’s recent actions and, importantly, the ways in which those actions impact the sovereignty, self-determination, and trust and treaty obligations for Indian Country. The implementation of these obligations is a vital, non-discretionary part of federal law and the federal budget. This is not a partisan issue. We urge your administration to immediately halt, exempt, and reverse any federal workforce or federal funding reductions for Tribal programs or services and to engage in formal consultation with affected Tribal Nations at the government-to-government level. Any attempts to unilaterally dismantle or undermine these programs violates trust and treaty obligations, the U.S. Constitution, and centuries of legal precedent.
Sincerely, -
MIL-Evening Report: Virgin Australia’s deal with Qatar has been given the green light. Travellers should be the winners
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chrystal Zhang, Associate Professor, Aerospace Engineering & Aviation, RMIT University
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has given the green light for Qatar Airways to buy a 25% stake in Virgin Australia, as part of a strategic alliance. The deal will shake up the Australian aviation market.
The announcement follows a detailed assessment by the Foreign Investment Review Board, and a draft determination to authorise the deal by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
The deal allows Qatar Airways to buy the 25% stake from the US private equity firm Bain Capital, and makes an eventual initial public offering of Virgin more likely. It also allows Virgin to operate regular services from some of Australia’s major capital cities to Doha.
Chalmers said the agreement will be subject to enforceable conditions, including retaining Australians on the board of Virgin and protecting consumer data.
The ACCC has previously said the tie-up would boost competition and benefit consumers.
The announcement comes on the same day as competitor Qantas posted its latest half-year earnings, showing statutory profits up 6% on the same period last year. So, will Australian flyers be the ultimate winners?
Getting Australians around the world
For many Australian travellers, getting where they want to go around the world has long meant making a stopover, especially if travelling to Europe.
Currently, Qantas does operate direct flights between Perth and three cities in Europe: London, Paris and Rome.
Doha’s Hamad International Airport is an important global aviation hub.
Light Orancio/ShutterstockHowever, other international carriers – including Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Malaysia Airways and some Chinese carriers – all provide connecting flights via an international hub airport.
Doha’s Hamad International Airport is one such hub, and Qatar Airways currently flies from there to more than 170 destinations.
At the heart of this new partnership is what’s called a “wet lease arrangement”. Virgin will be able to use both the aircraft and crew of Qatar Airways to operate its own flights.
That will allow Virgin to compete as if it were an established international carrier, because it provides access to Qatar’s international network. It should also mean streamlined transit procedures, minimal waiting times, and better baggage handling.
This deal is expected to create 28 new weekly return services to Doha, from Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Brisbane. Having additional flights to this hub by Virgin will give travellers many more options for getting around the world.
More competition for Qantas
The agreement will greatly expand Virgin’s international reach and make it more competitive with Qantas. Virgin had to scale back its international footprint after it went into receivership in 2020.
Qantas will continue to be a major player in flying Australians to Europe. It has also recently added more direct flights from Perth to European destinations.
But we may be seeing signs of more robust competition pressures already. In its profit announcement on Thursday, Qantas outlined a plan for cabin upgrades for its Boeing 737s as it awaits delivery of new Airbus aircraft.
Virgin will offer international flights through a ‘wet lease’ arrangement with Qatar.
Seth Jaworski/ShutterstockTurning things around
Virgin Australia has come a long way since entering voluntary administration in April 2020. After being sold to Bain Capital, the airline restructured its cost base, fleet and commercial functions.
With a focus on cutting costs and improving its Velocity frequent flyer program, Virgin has since been able to bounce back from the brink and win back market share.
That success means Virgin is now better positioned to return to international markets and compete with Qantas there, too.
It will give the airline’s owners more confidence in handing over to a new chief executive and preparing the ground for a long-delayed initial public sharemarket offering that would see Virgin return to the Australian Securities Exchanges (ASX).
Chrystal Zhang 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. Virgin Australia’s deal with Qatar has been given the green light. Travellers should be the winners – https://theconversation.com/virgin-australias-deal-with-qatar-has-been-given-the-green-light-travellers-should-be-the-winners-251025
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MIL-Evening Report: Politics and property – how our leaders are among the privileged using legal loopholes to build their wealth
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rod Campbell, Honorary fellow, Deakin University
Not so long ago, former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull was branded “Mr Harbourside Mansion”, a moniker bestowed upon him by his own side of politics.
Turnbull’s estimated A$200 million in wealth when he entered politics was well known. So too was the estimated $56 million in riches accrued outside of politics by Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd and his family.
Not all politicians are multimillionaires like Turnbull and Rudd. But generally, they are wealthier than their constituents. They are also more likely to own more than one home.
A recent ABC analysis of the parliamentary public interests register found 215 of Australia’s 227 members and senators own at least one property. 77 of them recorded interest in three or more properties.
Out of touch pollies?
Australians know their politicians tend to be richer than they are and sometimes it makes waves.
Anthony Albanese’s purchase of a $4 million home on the New South Wales Central Coast dominated headlines for weeks, and it’s still being raised in focus and research groups as an issue with voters.
Crucially, like Turnbull and Rudd’s wealth, Albanese’s cash splash on his coastal dream home has always been publicly available information.
Veiled wealth
But Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has mostly managed to skate by in the conversations about MPs and their money. He has kept the media’s focus on his brief career as a Queensland police officer, rather than the riches he has accrued through investing in property.
While Dutton has not made a secret of his previous investments, and elements of his wealth have dripped into the public domain in the past, his affluence has rarely been discussed in whole terms. That changed this week with the Nine newspapers estimating his property investments at $30 million in transactions across 26 pieces of real estate.
The portfolio, bought and sold over 35 years, eclipse Albanese’s property interests several times over.
Dutton’s story highlights a tension that continues to frustrate voters: politicians who enjoy superior wealth are the ones who decide the financial circumstances of their constituents’ lives.
Uncomfortable questions
The stories highlighting Dutton’s prosperity have pointed out his past use of tax structures, including discretionary trusts, self-managed super funds and family companies to manage his money.
Dutton has defended the millions he has made in property purchases. He’s accused his political rivals of mounting a “smear campaign” by trying to discredit him for being an “astute investor”.
On the other side of politics, Albanese has refused to say if he used negative gearing before he became prime minister to reduce his tax bill.
Exposing and debating the wealth of our leaders may be uncomfortable for them, but it’s an opportunity to push all sides of politics to address the aspects of our tax system that make it less fair.
Tax loopholes for some
The first thing to understand is that there are far fewer tax loopholes for avoiding tax on wages. If you work for a living, like most Australians, there are not many tax tricks for you.
If you own assets and earn income from investments, however, things are a little different. How you own the assets is also important. Simply owning your own home is nice, but not as good as owning assets through a discretionary trust, a self-managed super fund, or a family company.
Financial vehicles
A discretionary trust is a way of holding income earning assets where the income stream can be split between beneficiaries. This means money can be directed to the people in the trust who face the lowest marginal tax rates, such as adult children, rather than a higher-earning parent, who faces a higher tax rate.
The income earned from trusts overwhelmingly goes to high income earners. Treasury estimates (page 47) that the top 10% of income earners receive 63% of the income from trusts, while the bottom half of income earners get just 11% of the income.
A self-managed super fund helps reduces taxation because of the various tax breaks for superannuation. For example, an owner might have their business in their self-managed super fund, with the income to the fund being taxed at a lower rate than it would have if it was owned in the business owner’s name.
A family company, like trusts and self-managed super funds, is a vehicle for owning assets. If the assets are owned by a family company, then profits are subject to company tax rates. This can be as low as 25% if the company turnover is less than $50 million per year.
All three of these asset-owning vehicles are entirely legal. And they can have legitimate uses. But they also provide tax loopholes that can be used to reduce the amount of tax someone has to pay and to obscure who actually owns the assets.
Level the playing field
This is fundamentally unfair. These structures for reducing tax are mostly only available to the wealthy. The average wage earner cannot structure their income through such complex tax structures.
Scrapping the capital gains tax discount, getting rid of discretionary trusts, placing more limits on the types of assets that can be held in self-managed super funds, and increasing tax rates on people with big super balances would reduce the ability of the wealthy to avoid paying tax.
It is hard to reform tax loopholes because most people don’t understand them and the people who do understand them reap the biggest benefits from them.
The current discussion around Dutton’s investments might help more people become cognisant of these tax structures and how some of the biggest beneficiaries are politicians pretending to understand what it’s like to be a worker in a cost-of-living crisis.
Rod Campbell is the Research Director at The Australia Institute, an independent research organisation based in Canberra. See www.australiainstitute.org.au
– ref. Politics and property – how our leaders are among the privileged using legal loopholes to build their wealth – https://theconversation.com/politics-and-property-how-our-leaders-are-among-the-privileged-using-legal-loopholes-to-build-their-wealth-250929
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MIL-Evening Report: Revealed: the profound economic impact on women who experience domestic violence
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Summers, Professor, UTS Business School, University of Technology Sydney
Shutterstock The greatest achievements in women’s economic progress in recent decades are potentially being eroded by domestic violence. This is the key finding of a new research report being released today by the University of Technology Sydney’s Business School. The report provides data that enable us, for the first time, to quantify the economic impact of domestic violence on Australian women.
The increase in women’s participation in employment and higher education in recent decades has been nothing short of dramatic. In 1966, about 37% of women were in the labour force, compared to 84% of men. By 2024 that figure had climbed to 63%, with almost 7 million women employed, 57.3% of them in full-time jobs.
Yet our research shows a dramatic “employment gap” between women who have experienced domestic violence and those who have not.
In 2021-22, the employment rate for women who had experienced partner violence or abuse (physical, sexual, emotional or economic) was 5.3% lower than the employment rates for women who had never experienced violence.
The gap is larger for women who have experienced economic abuse, reaching 9.4% in 2021-22, according to customised data commissioned from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) especially for this report.
The employment gap varies among sub-groups of women. For instance, the gap between women with disability who have recently experienced economic abuse by a partner and women with disability who have never experienced partner violence or abuse is 13.4%. For culturally and linguistically diverse women, the employment gap was 3.7%.
We used the 2018-19 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey to try to calculate employment gaps for First Nations women. They certainly existed but, because of the small sample size, the results were not statistically significant. Further research is urgently needed.
The 2021-22 Personal Safety Survey conducted by the ABS reported that 451,000 women have had a previous partner who had controlled or tried to control them from working or earning money. More than 30,000 women have experienced similar conduct from their current partner.
In other words, many men are using forceful tactics to try to sabotage their partners’ employment. They resort to such tactics as hiding her car keys, letting down the car tyres, damaging her work clothes, even getting into her phone’s calendar to change her appointments, trying to make her appear unreliable as an employee.
The ‘education gap’
What is of perhaps even greater concern for the long-term employment prospects of women is the other key finding of our report: the existence of an “education gap” among young women at university. This is especially the case because the growth of women’s participation in higher education has been spectacular.
In 1982, a mere 8% of women aged 25-34 held a bachelor degree or higher. By 2023, this had skyrocketed to 51.6% of women in this age range holding at least a bachelor degree, amounting to 990,000 women.
The education gap is a new and truly shocking finding that young women who experience domestic violence fail to complete their university degrees. For young women, by the time they are 27, there is a nearly 15% gap in the rates of university degree attainment between victim-survivors and other women.
Statistical analysis of data obtained from the Australian Longitudinal Study in Women’s Health, which surveys the same women over time, allows us to track the direct impact of domestic violence in the following years. We show that domestic violence causes a 5.2% decline in young women’s university degree attainment in the year following the first time they report experiencing violence. This rises to 9.7% three years after the violence is first reported.
These findings on the impact of violence on university education in Australia have never previously been reported.
Ripple effects of violence against women
The implications of these findings are immensely significant for the progress of women’s employment.
The lifelong consequences of failing to complete their degrees are significant, with individuals holding a bachelor’s degree in Australia earning 41% more annually than those with only Year 12 schooling. In addition, these young women are likely to have accrued an indexed HECS debt that could affect their credit rating throughout their lives. Their lower earnings also mean a concomitant decrease in retirement savings.
These young women’s economic futures are severely compromised and it will be extremely difficult for them to ever recover those lost opportunities.
Neither can we overlook the fact of, and possible connection between, the dramatic fall in men’s share of bachelor degrees. Women are now outperforming men at university. In 2023, a majority (57.2%) of bachelor students were women. Is this a source of resentment among men?
The existence of domestic violence among students may be news to many people. Indeed, it is not something that has attracted much attention, including from universities, which have policies to provide paid leave and other supports for staff members who experience domestic violence but little for students.
Yet it ought not to be surprising. We know that many students cohabit and so the possibility for violence exists. And we know from the Personal Safety Survey in 2016 that women aged 18-24 experience the highest rates of recent partner violence: 19.3% (compared to 11.5% for women aged 25 to 34 and 7.7% for women aged 35-44).
Our findings point to the growing prevalence of men trying to exert economic control over their partners. Essential to this has been the use of surveillance, especially stalking of women, designed to intimidate and further control. In 2021-22 the Personal Safety Survey found 323,800 women reported a male intimate partner had “loitered or hung around outside their workplace, school or educational facility”. Often such stalking is accompanied by harassment using a phone or other device, which has been made easier by the advent of new technologies.
In other words, the two gaps identified in this report represent the economic consequences of domestic violence, in addition to the physical harm women suffer when targeted by violent partners.
The full report, by Anne Summers, with Thomas Shortridge and Kristen Sobeck (2025), will be available online on Friday, February 28.
Anne Summers has received research funding from the Paul Ramsay Foundation and the federal Office for Women.
– ref. Revealed: the profound economic impact on women who experience domestic violence – https://theconversation.com/revealed-the-profound-economic-impact-on-women-who-experience-domestic-violence-250278
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MIL-Evening Report: Why does music make us feel things?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina McFerran, Professor and Head of Creative Arts and Music Therapy Research Unit; Director of Researcher Development Unit, The University of Melbourne
Imagine a scene from the movie Jaws, with the great white shark closing in on another helpless victim. The iconic semi-tone pattern builds and your heartbeat rises with it; the suspense pulls you further to the edge of your seat.
Now picture that scene without the score. Much of the tension evaporates.
Maybe it’s a heartfelt pop ballad or a suspenseful soundtrack. If you are my age, it might be the Friends theme song, forever associated with the (largely unfulfilled) hope for sharing apartments with mates and growing old together in a blissful acceptance of one another’s limitations. Music is a powerful force to induce and pre-empt all kinds of emotions in us.
But how do so many different combinations of rhythm, harmony and melody trigger such profound reactions?
The categorical approach
Swedish music psychology researcher Patrik Juslin proposed the most popular explanation of music’s ability to trigger emotion.
He identified eight key mechanisms under the acronym BRECVEMA. The categories begin with more fundamental connections:
Brain stem reflexes – maybe a movie jumpscare moment or another sudden, frightening sound triggering a pre-conscious response. Evolution programmed these reactions into the brain over thousands of years in order to influence arousal levels and initiate the necessary emotional response.
Rhythmic entrainment, like the tendency to tap your foot to the beat; the benefits of moving in time together have been critical to human survival and evolution.
Then, the listings become increasingly complex:
Evaluative conditioning in the fashion of Pavlov’s dog. After years of watching and cultural references, we hear the Jaws music and automatically feel tense.
The contagion effect, wherein we feel the emotions we perceive in the music. Lyrics aren’t necessary; the Peanuts cartoon’s signature tune, for example, strongly conveys childhood wonder and freedom without any words.
The visual imagery many people experience when listening to music, imagery which is often tied to some deep emotion.
Episodic memories, when hearing certain music brings up recollections of a past event. Music therapists can monitor the emotional reactions people have when unexpectedly reminded of particular situations, be they positive, negative or both. The therapists then use their expertise to support people in processing these resulting emotions.
From there, Juslin’s model gets more technical and music theory-based:
Musical expectancy, when we anticipate the resolution of a chord or phrase. This is something you might feel rather than consciously notice. Take My Heart Will Go On: a delicate tension builds through the chorus, before finally resolving as Celine Dion sings the final line of the section and listeners are put to ease.
Aesthetic judgements, closely related to the ways we experience pleasure, are our personal emotional responses to how beautiful (or not) we consider a piece of music.
Read more:
Different songs for different days: why it’s important to actively choose the music for your mood
It makes sense that a theory using the brain to explain otherwise indescribable relationships would be popular. It provides a level of objectivity to what is, in essence, a purely subjective and non-generalisable experience.
Celine Dion keeps listeners on tenterhooks before the chorus comes to a beautifully satisfying resolution. Is it just about neurological pathways?
Evolutionary theories suggest music and emotions are connected because of the inherent musicality we are each born with, essential to our ability to develop relationships and flourish.
Parent-infant interactions often have musical aspects to them, described as:
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pulse, a shared tempo, where infant and carer move in time together and synchronise to one underlying beat
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quality, the character and melodic interplay of voices and movements, mirroring one another in dynamics and timbre
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narrative, the tendency for the same phrases, gestures and movements to be repeated on the same pitch and pace over time.
When responding to musical sounds, babies are also able to recognise musical phrases even when they start on a different note.
Subsequently, however, other learning and our limited brain capacity mean this ability is buried deep, so it rarely translates to perfect pitch or other forms of music theory knowledge that underpin Mozart-like genius.
All of us are born with an inherent musicality.
FamVeld/ShutterstockThis baby-talk theory may be the most intimate and emotion-based explanation for why music affects us so strongly – it was designed to enhance our emotional bonds with others. When adults coo and dance with babies, they are being musical, meaning emotional reactions to music are implicit in human nature.
Cognitive developmental theorists like Steven Pinker have opinions firmly in contrast to this. Pinker calls music “evolutionary cheesecake”, functioning only to tickle the senses and serving no evolutionary purpose.
Pleasure for purpose
Cultures across the world have long acknowledged the healing power of music.
Sound healing practitioners in India and China, for example, point to ancient traditions of healing and draw correlations between recovery from illness and certain tones, scales and chants. Some suggest the vibrations of different tones can serve specific purposes.
In the West, the idea of emotional differences between major and minor scales still has public traction even though its academic credibility hasn’t really extended in the past 100 years.
None of these concepts have been used in the modern practice of music therapy, but they do reflect assumptions many people hold about how music works.
Instead, a fundamental principle of music therapy is based on how each person’s unique connections with music shapes their emotional reactions. What moves your sibling to tears might leave you cold, for example. It always depends on a range of conditions – historical, cultural and personal.
Cultural upbringing, simple song-like phrases from infancy and our own unique musical preferences and behaviours all shape these connections. They’re powerful, but they sure ain’t simple.
Katrina McFerran has received funding from the Australian Research Council to investigate music and emotions. She is affiliated with the Australian Music Therapy Association.
– ref. Why does music make us feel things? – https://theconversation.com/why-does-music-make-us-feel-things-250756
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MIL-Evening Report: New report slaps an official price tag on Australia’s precious natural assets
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra
Roadwarrior Photography/Shutterstock Climate regulation through carbon storage was worth A$43.2 billion to Australia in 2020-21, according to a report released today which seeks to put a monetary value on the benefits flowing from our natural assets.
Australia’s first national ecosystem accounts were released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today. Together, they reveal the key ways our environment contributes to Australia’s economic and social wellbeing in dollar terms.
Ecosystems covered by the accounts include desert, grasslands, native forests, rivers, streams, coastal areas and oceans.
The accounts provide a holistic view of Australia’s land, freshwater and marine environments. They intend to help policymakers look beyond GDP to a broader measurement of how ecosystems contribute to society and the economy.
Valuing our ecosystems
The accounts cover services provided by Australia’s ecosystems in 2020–21.
Australian ecosystems stored more than 34.5 billion tonnes of carbon – the most valuable service by ecosystems examined in the accounts, according to the ABS.
It brought a $43.2 billion benefit to Australia in the form of climate regulation. Plants and other organisms reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by removing and storing them. This helps stabilise the climate, avoiding damage caused by climate change.
Grasslands made the biggest contribution to carbon storage, followed by native forests and savannas.
The accounts show grazed biomass, or grasslands, provide $40.4 billion in benefits, through the forage provided to cattle and sheep. The dollar figure represents what farmers would otherwise have spent on feeding their livestock.
The accounts also examined the provision of surface water taken from ecosystems, and used for drinking, energy production, cooling, irrigation and manufacturing. This was valued at $1.4 billion.
The provision of wild fish, sold to consumers to eat, was put at $39.2 million.
The accounts also reveal how coral reefs, sandbanks, dunes and mangroves protect our coastlines against tides and storm surges.
The ABS estimates mangroves protected 4,006 dwellings around Australian coastlines. This prevented more than $57 million worth of building damage.
The accounts also track changes in Australia’s ecosystems.
Some 281,000 hectares of mostly farmland were converted to urban and industrial uses between 2015–16 and 2020–21. And 169,000 hectares of “steppe” land – flat, unforested grassland – was converted to sown pastures and fields.
Feral animal and weed species continue to spread. Meanwhile, the number of threatened native species is increasing.
Why do we need ecosystem accounting?
Think of a logged forest. The value of the timber produced counts towards Australia’s gross domestic product. But cutting trees down also produces a loss. For example, the forest is no longer there for the community to enjoy. And it no longer provides “services” such as filtering water and preventing soil erosion.
There are many reasons to measure the value of those services. For example, governments might then be able to charge a logging company a licence fee which reflects the community value of the forest. A government may decide the forest is too valuable to allow logging at all, or the fee may just be set too high for any company to find it profitable to log it.
To date, the value lost when trees are cut down, or other ecosystems are damaged, has not been included in the national accounts. The new environmental accounts seek to change this.
Obviously, ecosystems are complex and difficult to measure. The ABS has been guided by an international framework developed by the United Nations.
The ecosystem accounts are a collaboration between several federal agencies: the ABS, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and the CSIRO.
Boundless plains and golden soil, girt by sea
The accounts distinguish between environmental “realms”.
About half of Australia’s terrestrial (dry land) realm is desert. About a quarter is savanna and grassland. Intensively used land, such as pastures, is a smaller proportion.
There are contrasts between the states. Western Australia has 158 million hectares of desert while Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory have none. Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory host 97% of Australia’s mangroves.
About half of Australia is the marine realm, covering 681 million hectares. Some 30% of this is the marine shelf and 70% deep sea. About 14 million hectares comprise coral reefs. The darker areas in the map below show where most fish are caught.
The coastal realm comprises mangroves and saltmarsh. In 2021, mangroves covered an estimated 1.1 million hectares of Australia’s coastal areas.
A small but important proportion of Australia is our freshwater realm, comprising rivers and streams. The accounts show between 2015–16 and 2020–21, 4% of natural environments along perennial rivers were converted to higher intensity land uses.
Where to now?
These accounts are just the first step in estimating the value of Australia’s natural assets.
The ABS will update Australia’s ecosystem accounts annually. It describes the inaugural accounts as “experimental” and says the government agencies involved will run a consultation process to improve them.
We can expect the accounts to become more useful over time as data accrues and trends can be identified.
According to the ABS, policy uses for the accounts include managing healthy and resilient ecosystems, and integrating biodiversity into planning.
Poet and playwright Oscar Wilde defined a cynic as someone who “knows the price of everything but the value of nothing”. In today’s society we often underrate things that do not have a dollar value attached.
So this compilation of Australia’s ecosystems, and their value to us, is a welcome development. It should lead to more informed, holistic decisions about whether natural assets should be protected, or damaged for economic benefit.
John Hawkins 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. New report slaps an official price tag on Australia’s precious natural assets – https://theconversation.com/new-report-slaps-an-official-price-tag-on-australias-precious-natural-assets-250623
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MIL-OSI Russia: Moon Occultation of Star Cluster, Double Visibility of Venus and Partial Solar Eclipse
Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –
Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –
In March, high solar activity continues: if there are spots on the surface of the Sun, flares are possible, which can lead to the appearance of polar lights (sometimes visible in mid-latitudes). In addition, the period from February to April is close to the equinox (March 20), which means that the probability of the appearance of polar lights increases.
The most interesting events of March: on the night of March 5-6, the Moon will cover the open star cluster M45 Pleiades, known as the “Seven Sisters”; double visibility of Venus (the ability to see the planet both in the evening and in the morning) will be observed from March 17 to 25; on March 29, there will be a partial solar eclipse that will be visible to residents of the North-West and Central parts of Russia.
More details about the events that can be observed from the territory of the Russian Federation:
On March 2, the Moon will appear larger because it will be at its closest point in its orbit to Earth (perigee) and will pass 6° south of Venus, which will also be quite visible, allowing those with perfect vision to try to see the planet’s phase.
March 8 is the best day of the month to observe Mercury, which will reach its maximum elongation (angular distance from the Sun). Like Venus, Mercury can be observed in phase, but you will need a telescope for this. Also, from March 8, Mercury begins its retrograde motion for Earth observers (from east to west, i.e. in the direction opposite to the Sun’s (annual) motion).
In March, as in February, it will be easier for us to find the planets of the Solar System, which on certain days of the month will be near the Moon. For example, the Moon will pass north of Uranus on March 5, on March 6 – north of the bright star Aldebaran – alpha of the winter constellation Taurus, which, if you try, can be seen in full, comparing the less bright stars of this constellation with star maps. They all form a recognizable outline, which our ancestors defined as the outline of a bull.
On March 6 and 7, the Moon passes 5° north of another planet in the Solar System, Jupiter. On March 9, the Moon passes 2° north of Mars, which is easily recognizable by its orange hue, 2° south of Pollux, the brightest star in the constellation Gemini, and Castor, the alpha of this constellation, can be seen nearby on the same line.
On March 12, Mercury passes 6° south of Venus, and the Moon passes 2° north of the bright star Regulus in the constellation Leo.
On March 14, there will be a total lunar eclipse, which, unfortunately, will only be visible in the northeast of the country (Kamchatka and Chukotka). There, the total phase of the eclipse will be visible (the Moon will be illuminated by sunlight that has passed through the Earth’s atmosphere, which will give the Moon a red tint).
In mid-March, the period of visibility of Mercury will end, hiding in the rays of the setting Sun. Astrologers call this phenomenon “retrograde Mercury” and build various frightening scenarios for such a movement of the closest planet to the Sun in the Solar System, but in reality such a movement does not threaten anyone or anything.
On March 17, a “double” visibility of Venus is expected, when we will be able to see this planet both in the morning, before sunrise over the eastern horizon, and in the evening, immediately after sunset low over the western horizon.
On March 20, the vernal equinox will occur – the time when the length of day and night becomes equal. A holiday that has been celebrated in many countries of the world since ancient times.
March 29 — a partial solar eclipse that can be observed in the central and northwestern regions of Russia (Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, St. Petersburg and Pskov). In these cities, the Moon will cover the Sun by 13-40%, depending on the location. Thus, for Murmansk, the maximum phase of the eclipse is about 0.4 (40% of the solar disk), the peak time is 14:45 local time. For St. Petersburg: the phase is about 0.13 (13%), the peak time is 13:47 local time. For Moscow: the phase is only 0.02 (2%), which makes the eclipse almost invisible without special equipment. This very rare, fascinating phenomenon is definitely worth seeing, but due to the small phase of the eclipse, it is necessary to use special solar filters.
The material was prepared by: Alfiya Nesterenko, head of the Vega observatory of NSU, Egor Konyaev, engineer of the Vega observatory of NSU.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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MIL-Evening Report: What’s the difference between burnout and depression?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gordon Parker, Scientia Professor of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney
If your summer holiday already feels like a distant memory, you’re not alone. Burnout – a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion following prolonged stress – has been described in workplaces since a 5th century monastery in Egypt.
Burnout and depression can look similar and are relatively common conditions. It’s estimated that 30% of the Australian workforce is feeling some level of burnout, while almost 20% of Australians are diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives.
So what’s the difference between burnout and depression?
Depression is marked by helplessness and burnout by hopelessness. They can have different causes and should also be managed differently.
What is burnout?
The World Health Organization defines burnout as an “occupational phenomenon” resulting from excessively demanding workload pressures. While it is typically associated with the workplace, carers of children or elderly parents with demanding needs are also at risk.
Our research created a set of burnout symptoms we captured in the Sydney Burnout Measure to assist self-diagnosis and clinicians undertaking assessments. They include:
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exhaustion as the primary symptom
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brain fog (poor concentration and memory)
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difficulty finding pleasure in anything
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social withdrawal
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an unsettled mood (feeling anxious and irritable)
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impaired work performance (this may be result of other symptoms such as fatigue).
People can develop a “burning out” phase after intense work demands over only a week or two. A “burnout” stage usually follows years of unrelenting work pressure.
What is depression?
A depressive episode involves a drop in self-worth, increase in self-criticism and feelings of wanting to give up. Not everyone with these symptoms will have clinical depression, which requires a diagnosis and has an additional set of symptoms.
Clinically diagnosed depression can vary by mood, how long it lasts and whether it comes back. There are two types of clinical depression:
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melancholic depression has genetic causes, with episodes largely coming “out of the blue”
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non-melancholic depression is caused by environmental factors, often triggered by significant life events which cause a drop in self-worth.
When we created our burnout measure, we compared burnout symptoms with these two types of depression.
Burnout shares some features with melancholic depression, but they tend to be general symptoms, such as feeling a loss of pleasure, energy and concentration skills.
We found there were more similarities between burnout and non-melancholic (environmental) depression. This included a lack of motivation and difficulties sleeping or being cheered up, perhaps reflecting the fact both have environmental causes.
Looking for the root cause
The differences between burnout and depression become clearer when we look at why they happen.
Personality comes into play. Our work suggests a trait like perfectionism puts people at a much higher risk of burnout. But they may be less likely to become depressed as they tend to avoid stressful events and keep things under control.
Excessive workloads can contribute to burnout.
tartanparty/ShutterstockThose with burnout generally feel overwhelmed by demands or deadlines they can’t meet, creating a sense of helplessness.
On the other hand, those with depression report lowered self-esteem. So rather than helpless they feel that they and their future is hopeless.
However it is not uncommon for someone to experience both burnout and depression at once. For example, a boss may place excessive work demands on an employee, putting them at risk of burnout. At the same time, the employer may also humiliate that employee and contribute to an episode of non-melancholic depression.
What can you do?
A principal strategy in managing burnout is identifying the contributing stressors. For many people, this is the workplace. Taking a break, even a short one, or scheduling some time off can help.
Australians now have the right to disconnect, meaning they don’t have to answer work phone calls or emails after hours. Setting boundaries can help separate home and work life.
Read more:
Australians now have the right to disconnect – but how workplaces react will be crucial
Burnout can be also be caused by compromised work roles, work insecurity or inequity. More broadly, a dictatorial organisational structure can make employees feel devalued. In the workplace, environmental factors, such as excessive noise, can be a contributor. Addressing these factors can help prevent burnout.
As for managing symptoms, the monks had the right idea. Strenuous exercise, meditation and mindfulness are effective ways to deal with everyday stress.
Regular exercise can help manage symptoms of burnout.
alexei_tm/ShutterstockDeeper contributing factors, including traits such as perfectionism, should be managed by a skilled clinical psychologist.
For melancholic depression, clinicians will often recommend antidepressant medication.
For non-melancholic depression, clinicians will help address and manage triggers that are the root cause. Others will benefit from antidepressants or formal psychotherapy.
While misdiagnosis between depression and burnout can occur, burnout can mimic other medical conditions such as anemia or hypothyroidism.
For the right diagnosis, it’s best to speak to your doctor or clinician who should seek to obtain a sense of “the whole picture”. Only then, once a burnout diagnsois has been affirmed and other possible causes ruled out, should effective support strategies be put in place.
If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Gordon Parker receives funding from the University of of NSW.
– ref. What’s the difference between burnout and depression? – https://theconversation.com/whats-the-difference-between-burnout-and-depression-250043
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MIL-OSI New Zealand: Universities – Wāhine toa and women’s health champion a finalist for Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year – Vic
Source: Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington
Professor Bev Lawton ONZM (Ngāti Porou), founder of Te Tātai Hauora o Hine, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington’s national centre for women’s health research, gets up every morning to save lives—and she’s up for the 2025 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year award for her groundbreaking research.
Throughout her career, first as a GP, then as founder of Te Tātai Hauora o Hine, Bev has sought to reduce preventable harm and death for Māori and non-Māori women, their children and whānau. With a kaupapa Māori lens, she focuses on clinical care pathways, and systems to identify how these can better perform for women, babies, and whānau.
“Every member of my team works to eliminate preventable harm and death for women, babies, and whānau. One such goal includes eliminating cervical cancer. With the taonga of vaccination, and HPV self-testing, this is now achievable,” says Bev.
The achievement Bev is most proud of in her career is her advocacy for HPV self-testing. She says, “The voices of women in Aotearoa New Zealand have contributed to everything about the way in which this programme has been implemented. It was research in real-time. Those that had had the test as part of research projects, were informing the programme as it was being rolled out.”
“Regularly I meet people who tell me they were not just happy to do their HPV self-test, they were proud of it—because they own it, and they tell their friends to do it too. It is reaching a lot of people. Screening rates are going up.”
Bev is a partner in the ongoing campaign to eliminate cervical cancer. “We have the tools, but it will require funding, and a plan. The introduction of HPV self-testing in September 2023 is a fantastic step, but our HPV vaccination coverage is very low in comparison to Australia, where their government has committed nearly $50m to support the national elimination strategy.
“If I had a wish, it is that tomorrow, myself and every woman in Aotearoa be literally or figuratively, standing behind the Minister of Health when they announce their commitment to resourcing a cervical cancer elimination strategy.”
Previous Patron of Te Tātai Hauora o Hine and advisory board member Dame Silvia Cartwright says, “Over many years of association with Bev, I have been deeply impressed both by the quality and breadth of her research, but also by the skill she has demonstrated in nurturing the work of a whole generation of younger researchers who share her passion for the improvement in health care delivery. Bev has the rare ability to gather wide support for her work, but also to make it available at every level of the health care community. Her academic rigour and advocacy for improvement in health care together make her stand out in a field where it is notoriously difficult to achieve real, practical results.”
Working with iwi and communities, including Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Toa, Bev leads projects and programmes to create positive, long term health system transformation. Each, she says, comes from years of relationship-building across iwi, hapū, health care providers and champions—all with the overall goal or serving community to reduce harm and save lives.
Bev speaks to the impact of having a rōpū Kaumātua advising her, saying, “The kaumātua ensure our mahi is tika (true) and responds to community. I get the right people on the waka. It’s not just my effort that has achieved the successes we have had in women’s health. It takes a lot of people to make this happen, as well as our vision for māmā and pēpi flourishing,” says Bev.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Māori, Professor Rawinia Higgins says, “Bev’s career exemplifies how research can create real-life, meaningful change. Her research shapes a better world, where women and children live longer, healthier lives.
“Her ability to collaborate with health providers, policy advisers, kuia kaumātua, funders, and people in the Māori community, exemplifies what we as a university want to achieve through research. Her achievement, to become a finalist in these prestigious awards, is superbly well-deserved—and if one more person self-tests because they’ve seen her story and experienced her advocacy, then she has achieved her goal.”
The other two finalists in New Zealander of the Year are Dame Lisa Carrington for pushing boundaries in sport and inspiring the next generation, and Sarah Hirini ONZM for redefining what is possible on and off the rugby field.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland on 20 March.
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MIL-OSI Australia: Appointment – Chair of Commonwealth Grants Commission
Source: Australian Treasurer
The Government has agreed to recommend to the Governor‑General, Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, that Mr Michael Callaghan AM PSM be reappointed as part‑time Chairperson of the Commonwealth Grants Commission (CGC) for a five‑year period.
The Commission is an independent authority that provides advice to the Government on how revenue from the goods and services tax should be distributed to the states and territories to ensure equitable access to services.
Mr Callaghan has been the Chairperson of the CGC since June 2020. Prior to his role as Chairperson, he spent 38 years in the Australian Treasury, including as the Deputy Secretary responsible for Macroeconomic Group from 2008 to 2012. He was Chief of Staff to former Treasurer Peter Costello, served as Australia’s G20 Finance Deputy and the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy, International Economy, and spent four years on the IMF Executive Board in Washington DC.
Mr Callaghan chaired the Government’s review of the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax and the review of the Economic Impact of the Government’s Regulation Agenda in 2017. He also chaired the Northern Australia Insurance Premiums Taskforce. From 2013 to 2014 he was Director of the G20 Studies Centre at the Lowy Institute.
This proposed reappointment would ensure the CGC continues to provide high quality advice to the Government on the distribution of the GST revenues.
The Government congratulates Mr Callaghan on the Government’s recommendation of his reappointment to the Governor‑General.
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MIL-OSI Global: What’s the difference between burnout and depression?
Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Gordon Parker, Scientia Professor of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney
If your summer holiday already feels like a distant memory, you’re not alone. Burnout – a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion following prolonged stress – has been described in workplaces since a 5th century monastery in Egypt.
Burnout and depression can look similar and are relatively common conditions. It’s estimated that 30% of the Australian workforce is feeling some level of burnout, while almost 20% of Australians are diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives.
So what’s the difference between burnout and depression?
Depression is marked by helplessness and burnout by hopelessness. They can have different causes and should also be managed differently.
What is burnout?
The World Health Organization defines burnout as an “occupational phenomenon” resulting from excessively demanding workload pressures. While it is typically associated with the workplace, carers of children or elderly parents with demanding needs are also at risk.
Our research created a set of burnout symptoms we captured in the Sydney Burnout Measure to assist self-diagnosis and clinicians undertaking assessments. They include:
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exhaustion as the primary symptom
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brain fog (poor concentration and memory)
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difficulty finding pleasure in anything
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social withdrawal
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an unsettled mood (feeling anxious and irritable)
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impaired work performance (this may be result of other symptoms such as fatigue).
People can develop a “burning out” phase after intense work demands over only a week or two. A “burnout” stage usually follows years of unrelenting work pressure.
What is depression?
A depressive episode involves a drop in self-worth, increase in self-criticism and feelings of wanting to give up. Not everyone with these symptoms will have clinical depression, which requires a diagnosis and has an additional set of symptoms.
Clinically diagnosed depression can vary by mood, how long it lasts and whether it comes back. There are two types of clinical depression:
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melancholic depression has genetic causes, with episodes largely coming “out of the blue”
-
non-melancholic depression is caused by environmental factors, often triggered by significant life events which cause a drop in self-worth.
When we created our burnout measure, we compared burnout symptoms with these two types of depression.
Burnout shares some features with melancholic depression, but they tend to be general symptoms, such as feeling a loss of pleasure, energy and concentration skills.
We found there were more similarities between burnout and non-melancholic (environmental) depression. This included a lack of motivation and difficulties sleeping or being cheered up, perhaps reflecting the fact both have environmental causes.
Looking for the root cause
The differences between burnout and depression become clearer when we look at why they happen.
Personality comes into play. Our work suggests a trait like perfectionism puts people at a much higher risk of burnout. But they may be less likely to become depressed as they tend to avoid stressful events and keep things under control.
Excessive workloads can contribute to burnout.
tartanparty/ShutterstockThose with burnout generally feel overwhelmed by demands or deadlines they can’t meet, creating a sense of helplessness.
On the other hand, those with depression report lowered self-esteem. So rather than helpless they feel that they and their future is hopeless.
However it is not uncommon for someone to experience both burnout and depression at once. For example, a boss may place excessive work demands on an employee, putting them at risk of burnout. At the same time, the employer may also humiliate that employee and contribute to an episode of non-melancholic depression.
What can you do?
A principal strategy in managing burnout is identifying the contributing stressors. For many people, this is the workplace. Taking a break, even a short one, or scheduling some time off can help.
Australians now have the right to disconnect, meaning they don’t have to answer work phone calls or emails after hours. Setting boundaries can help separate home and work life.
Read more:
Australians now have the right to disconnect – but how workplaces react will be crucial
Burnout can be also be caused by compromised work roles, work insecurity or inequity. More broadly, a dictatorial organisational structure can make employees feel devalued. In the workplace, environmental factors, such as excessive noise, can be a contributor. Addressing these factors can help prevent burnout.
As for managing symptoms, the monks had the right idea. Strenuous exercise, meditation and mindfulness are effective ways to deal with everyday stress.
Regular exercise can help manage symptoms of burnout.
alexei_tm/ShutterstockDeeper contributing factors, including traits such as perfectionism, should be managed by a skilled clinical psychologist.
For melancholic depression, clinicians will often recommend antidepressant medication.
For non-melancholic depression, clinicians will help address and manage triggers that are the root cause. Others will benefit from antidepressants or formal psychotherapy.
While misdiagnosis between depression and burnout can occur, burnout can mimic other medical conditions such as anemia or hypothyroidism.
For the right diagnosis, it’s best to speak to your doctor or clinician who should seek to obtain a sense of “the whole picture”. Only then, once a burnout diagnsois has been affirmed and other possible causes ruled out, should effective support strategies be put in place.
If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Gordon Parker receives funding from the University of of NSW.
– ref. What’s the difference between burnout and depression? – https://theconversation.com/whats-the-difference-between-burnout-and-depression-250043
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MIL-OSI Submissions: Universities – Call for action in Vietnam to make low-emission food system reforms – Flinders
Source: Flinders UniversityWhile food systems account for up to 30% of total global greenhouse gas emissions, Vietnam is holding high-level talks aimed at creating more sustainable farming systems in the country’s ‘food bowl,’ the Mekong Delta region.
However, public policy experts are asking whether an extended series of government and large organisations running high-level multistakeholder forums (MSFs) is the best approach – and with few signs of low-emission food production systems commencing since the forums started almost 30 years ago.
Based on policy and literature reviews and interviews with 40 organisations in Vietnam, the Vietnamese researchers led by experts from Nong Lam University have joined Flinders University Professor in Public Policy Thuy Pham to highlight the need for policymakers and
MSF organisers to learn and implement important ‘real-world’ changes to greenhouse gas emissions and equity in society.
“Our investigations on the impact of 17 MSFs in Vietnam show they have shared some valuable knowledge but all this has generally made little contribution to outcomes on emissions, climate change mitigation and equity in communities,” says Professor Pham, from Flinders University’s College of Business, Government and Law.
“Current MSFs operate at different scales – regional, national, provincial – targeting different stakeholder groups for different objectives and outcomes,” she says, of a new article published in the World Development Perspectives journal.
“This means there is a lack of effective discussion across the groups, and not all stakeholders know about the forums, so limiting opportunities for collaboration, information sharing, networking and resource efficiency.”
“Rather than running more MSFs, we recommend that the great ideas produced at these forums should be used by policymakers to make progress on emission targets in food production, and in turn on equity.”
The researchers suggest that key policymakers should learn from and work with existing MSFs, rather than establish new ones and waste time.
They say reducing emissions and more sustainable food production requires holistic, cross-sectoral and multilevel solutions developed by multiple stakeholders. Technical solutions need to align with transformative governance and wide-ranging and inclusive stakeholder engagement with all players in food systems – while taking into account the interests and perspectives of these different stakeholders.
Coauthor of the study Dr Tang Thi Kim Hong, from the Nong Lam University in Ho Chi Minh City, says Vietnam’s policies on emission reductions and food systems – such as its Nationally Determined Contribution, and Resolution 34 on national food security until 2030 – require the participation of all sectors, state and non-state stakeholders as well as local communities and ethnic minorities.
“It is important, therefore, to analyse the degree to which a low-emission food system in the Mekong Delta is inclusive, and to assess whether all stakeholders or affected parties and their interests are represented in the decision-making process.”
While MSFs are designed to be “bring together a range of stakeholders to participate in decision-making and/or implementation in order to address a land, climate or resource problem or to achieve a common goal,” too often they are led and controlled by ‘powerful’ stakeholders who have funds, access to knowledge and political networks. This leaves local communities, Indigenous people and women behind, researchers say.
“We would suggest that key policymakers and funding agencies should learn from, and work with, existing MSFs to understand what works, what doesn’t, what works best and where, when and for whom, before establishing new ones,” adds Professor Pham, who is also affiliated with the Center for International Forestry Research in Indonesia (CIFOR).
“These MSFs should also ensure and empower disadvantaged groups such as Indigenous people local communities, women and youth to take the ownership, leadership and have a voice in how these MSFs should be run and operated, and how they can meaningfully address the on-ground problems.”
The article, ‘Multistakeholder forums in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam: Stakeholders’ perspectives regarding their outcomes and effectiveness for low-emission food systems’ (2025) by Thu Thuy Pham, Thi Kim Hong Tang, Vy Thao Ngo, Ngoc My Hoa Tran, Thi Thuy Anh Nguyen, Thi Van Anh Nguyen, Trung Son Nguyen and Dinh Yen Khue Nguyen has been published in World Development Perspectives DOI:10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100661.
Professor Thuy Pham, based at the Flinders College of Business, Government and Law, also is affiliated with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) in Indonesia. Other corresponding authors from Vietnam’s Nong Lam University – Dr Kim Tang, from the Faculty of Forestry, and Dr Thao Ngo, from the Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, contributed equally to the study.
Food systems account for up to 30% of total global greenhouse gas emissions when accounting for all elements and stakeholders (environment, people, inputs, processing, infrastructure, institutions, etc), according to an FAO report. This includes activities related to the production, processing, distribution, preparation, use, and sale of food, and the outputs of these activities, including socio-economic and environment.
MSFs aim to bring together multiple stakeholders, including farmers and community groups, to develop climate solutions and make meaningful, on-the-ground reforms to set up low-emission food systems and improve equity.
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MIL-OSI Australia: Support for First Nations boarding students to finish their schooling
Source: Australian Ministers for Education
The Albanese Labor Government is delivering on its commitment to support First Nations boarding students from remote and very remote communities to finish their schooling.
More than 50 boarding providers across Australia have been selected to share a $44.2 million investment to support approximately 2,500 First Nations students to attend school and achieve their learning potential.
The investment will enable culturally appropriate care and support for students to promote wellbeing and academic success.
It will support cultural connection, upgrades to boarding facilities and provide support to students transitioning into boarding so they can stay in school and thrive.
The funding from 2025 to 2026 will also be used to employ First Nations teachers and wellbeing officers, or counsellors trained in trauma-informed practices.
At Blackheath & Thornburgh College in Charters Towers, Queensland, a culture hub and First Nations wellbeing and community officer will foster cultural connection and engagement by providing a place for First Nations students and families to come together.
At Cape York Girl Academy in Wangatti Beach near Cairns, young women will learn cross-cultural and leadership development skills through the Independent Living Skills Program, while the Deep Driving Partnerships program at Djarragun College in Gordonvale, near Cairns will improve understanding between the school and Indigenous communities.
At Laynhapuy Homelands School in Yirrkala in the Northern Territory, 30 Yolŋgu students will benefit from better school learning resources and an improved boarding environment, with new laptops and kitchen upgrades.
Karalundi College in the mid-west region of Western Australia will increase capacity to welcome 20 more students, while Catholic Education Western Australia’s Transition Support Unit will continue to provide culturally informed assistance with boarding and school transition areas.
In Victoria, Melbourne Indigenous Transition School will support more than 85 boarding students from regional Victoria and remote areas in the top end of the Northern Territory, by providing wraparound holistic support to attend their partner schools in Melbourne.
Boarding plays an important role for many First Nations students from rural and remote communities and this investment is one of the ways the Albanese Labor Government is helping to close the gap in education outcomes.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:
“Investing in boarding facilities helps First Nations students access quality education and finish school.
“The Government understands the importance of choice for families in supporting their children through their education and options to study on-Country, or nearby where possible.
“Boarding continues to be an important education pathway for First Nations students, particularly for families in remote areas.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy:
“Education is key to Closing the Gap and the Albanese Labor Government is determined to support First Nations students to succeed at school and reach their full potential in life.
“Moving to a boarding school can be a big change in a young person’s life, and they need appropriate supports. That’s why we’re funding programs that encourage students to grow their sense of wellbeing, learning, and cultural identity.
“This funding will help more than 2,500 students receive an education while staying connected to their community and receiving the support they need to succeed.”
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MIL-Evening Report: Head lice are getting harder to kill. Here’s how to break the nit cycle
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cameron Webb, Clinical Associate Professor and Principal Hospital Scientist, University of Sydney
Wrangling head lice, and the children they infest, must be up there with the most challenging duties a parent or carer has to face.
And the job is getting harder. Commonly used chemical products aren’t working as well as they once did, meaning head lice are harder to kill.
You can still rid your children of lice – but it’s likely to take some patience and persistence.
Remind me, what are head lice? And nits?
Head lice are tiny six-legged insects that are only found in the hair on a human’s head – most commonly in the hair of primary school-aged children.
Head lice have been a constant companion for humans throughout their millions of years of evolution.
Lice love living in our hair. But they scoot down to our scalp up to a half dozen times a day to drink our blood.
Their claws are perfectly designed to scuttle up and down shafts of hair. But while they’re nimble on our hair, once they’re off, they don’t last long –they’re clumsy, uncoordinated and die quickly.
The term “nits” actually describes the eggs of head lice. They’re often the first sign of an infestation. And with one louse laying more than 100 in their month-long lifespan, there can be a lot of them.
Head lice live for around a month.
logika600/ShutterstockCan they spread diseases?
No. Head lice are annoying and their bites may cause skin reactions. But Australian health authorities don’t consider lice a health risk. There is no evidence that head lice can spread pathogens that cause disease.
The stigma of head lice infestations can be greater than any direct health consequences for infested children.
Why do my children always pick up lice?
From child care through to primary school, it’s likely your child has had a head lice infestation at least once. One Australian study found the infestation rate in Australian classrooms ranged from no cases to 72% of children affected.
Girls are more likely to be carry head lice than boys. Long hair means it’s easier for the head lice to hitch a ride.
One study found that in some classrooms, almost three in four children had head lice.
CDC/UnsplashHead lice don’t jump or fly, they move from head to head via direct contact.
Head lice come home with your children because they spend time in close contact with other children, hugging, playing or crowding around books or screens. Any head-to-head contact is a pathway of infections.
Rules differ slightly between states but in New South Wales and Queensland, children don’t need to be kept home from school because of head lice.
How can I keep my home free of head lice?
Keeping the house clean and tidy won’t keep head lice away. They don’t care how clean your bed sheets and towels are, or how frequently you vacuum carpets and rugs.
There may be a risk of head lice transfer on shared pillows, but even that risk is low.
There’s no need to change the child’s or other family member’s bedding when you find lice in a child’s hair. Research-based recommendations from NSW Health are that “bed linen, hats, clothing and furniture do not harbour or transmit lice or nits and that there is no benefit in washing them as a treatment option”.
I’ve used nit solution. Why isn’t it working?
A wide range of products are available at your local pharmacy to treat head lice. Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration assesses products to ensure that they are both safe and effective.
The problem is that most of these products are insecticides that kill the lice on contact but may not kill the eggs.
Also, if treatments aren’t completed as directed on product labels, some head lice won’t be killed.
Head lice also seem to be fighting back against the chemicals we’ve been using against them and it’s getting harder to clear children of infestations.
So how can you get rid of them?
You’ll need conditioner and a nit comb.
riopatuca/ShutterstockDon’t expect any miracle cures but health authorities in Australia generally recommend the “conditioner and comb” or “wet comb” method. This means you physically remove the lice without the need for chemical applications.
There are three key steps:
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immobilise the lice by applying hair conditioner to the child’s damp hair and leaving it there for around 20 minutes
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systematically comb through the hair using a fine toothed “lice comb”. The conditioner and lice can be wiped off on paper towels or tissues. Only adult lice will be collected but don’t worry, we’ll deal with the eggs later
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repeat the process twice, about a week apart, to break the life cycle of the head lice.
Repeating the process after a week allows the remaining eggs to hatch. It sounds counter-intuitive but by letting them hatch, the young lice are easier to remove than the eggs. You just need to remove them before they start laying a fresh batch of eggs and the infestation continues.
While children are much more likely to have head lice, the reality is that everyone in the household is just as likely to host a head louse or two. You don’t necessarily need everyone to have a treatment but “grown ups” should be on the lookout for lice too.
Cameron Webb and the Department of Medical Entomology, NSW Health Pathology and University of Sydney, have been engaged by a wide range of insect repellent and insecticide manufacturers to provide testing of products and provide expert advice on medically important arthropods. Cameron has also received funding from local, state and federal agencies to undertake research into various aspects of management of various medically important arthropods.
– ref. Head lice are getting harder to kill. Here’s how to break the nit cycle – https://theconversation.com/head-lice-are-getting-harder-to-kill-heres-how-to-break-the-nit-cycle-250397
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MIL-OSI China: 34 new species discovered in Wuyishan National Park
Source: China State Council Information Office 2
A three-year biological survey in Wuyishan National Park, a UNESCO natural and cultural heritage site in southeastern China, has yielded the discovery of 34 new species, including plants, insects and fungi, experts said.
The park, located in the subtropical region spanning Fujian and Jiangxi provinces, provides a diverse range of environments suitable for wildlife and plants.
The baseline survey, launched in April 2021, covered more than 100,000 hectares of the park’s Fujian section. In addition to the 34 new species, 10 species were newly recorded in China.
The survey focused on various ecosystems and biological groups, including higher plants, terrestrial vertebrates, amphibians, aquatic organisms, insects and microorganisms, said Cai Bin, an engineer from the park’s scientific research and monitoring center.
More than 100 experts and scholars from over 20 universities and research institutes participated.
One of the key discoveries was the Wuyi forest frog. Wu Yanqing, a deputy researcher from the College of Life and Environmental Science at Wenzhou University in Zhejiang province, found the new amphibian.
“The identification of this new vertebrate species was unexpected, as many domestic and international experts had previously visited the area for specimen collection in the last century, leading to the publication of many model animals,” Wu said.
After noticing subtle differences in the frog’s appearance compared to other forest frogs, Wu’s discovery was confirmed through DNA molecular identification in the lab.
“Due to the high altitudes and geographical isolation, amphibious reptiles evolve more rapidly during the process of species differentiation,” Wu explained. “Advancements in scientific research and monitoring have also played a crucial role in this discovery.”
Among the 34 new species, 14 are types of flies. Li Meilin, a doctoral candidate from the College of Plant Protection at China Agricultural University in Beijing, discovered nine new species of Empididae, also known as dance flies.
“Dance flies are named for their unique light and agile flight patterns, which resemble dancing,” Li said.
“These flies are harmless to humans and do not spread diseases,” the doctoral student added. “They feed on pests and pollinate flowers.”
Li emphasized that dance flies require specific environmental conditions to survive and reproduce, including adequate soil, plant coverage, water and biodiversity.
“Wuyishan National Park provides an ideal habitat for these sensitive species,” Li said.
Wu noted, “The park’s well-preserved environment is key to the discovery of new species. Some species may have existed for millions of years but went extinct before we could document them due to environmental pollution or habitat disruption.”
The baseline survey deepens the understanding of Wuyishan National Park’s wildlife and enhances the park’s conservation and management capabilities. The park plans to install an integrated monitoring system to further safeguard its natural resources, Cai said. -
MIL-OSI China: NW China unearthed ceramics reveal multi-ethnic integration centuries ago
Source: China State Council Information Office 3
Porcelain wares unearthed in northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, which were produced nearly 1,000 years ago during an ethnic minority-ruled dynasty, bear high resemblance to those made in the “porcelain capital” of Jingdezhen in east China.
This undated file combo photo shows ceramics unearthed at the Suyukou kiln in Helan Mountain in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. (Xinhua)
Archaeologists believe that the findings in Ningxia serve as evidence of the country’s multi-ethnic integration at that time.
Remnants of the Suyukou kiln were discovered in 2017 in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia, and cover an area of roughly 40,000 square meters.
From 2021 to 2024, archaeologists from the Ningxia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and Fudan University excavated around 2,400 square meters, finding remnants of workshops featuring six furnaces, as well as pits where workers used to mine porcelain clay, coal, quartz, lime and other raw materials and fuels, which were needed to make porcelain.
The fine white ceramics discovered at this site exhibit delicate textures, warm glaze, and glittering and translucent effects — which are very similar to those found in Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province.
This undated file photo shows a porcelain bowl unearthed at the Suyukou kiln in Helan Mountain in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. (Xinhua)
Judging from its production scale and saggars marked with the character guan, which literally means official, archaeologists believe that the Suyukou kiln was an official kiln producing bowls, cups, plates and other daily utensils — mainly for the royal family during the Western Xia Dynasty (1038-1227).
Qin Dashu, a professor with the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University, noted that such white ceramics were popular among aristocrats and scholars during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).
“Song and Western Xia used to be on good terms and had close technological and cultural exchanges,” he said. “It is likely that the Northern Song officials sent excellent craftsmen to the Western Xia and helped them produce this fine white porcelain.”
Based on their studies of the porcelain discovered at the site, archaeologists concluded that quartz content and performance parameters there were near to or even reached the technical standards of modern “high quartz porcelain” — making these wares the earliest discovery of “high quartz porcelain” in China.
According to Zhu Cunshi, head of the Ningxia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, porcelain clay mined near Suyukou features high aluminum oxide content, which makes it difficult to produce such delicate white porcelain.
“The craftsmen creatively added quartz to the clay to increase the proportion of silicon dioxide and reduce the proportion of aluminum oxide, so as to create products similar to the ceramics from Jingdezhen,” he explained.
This aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 24, 2024 shows archaeologists conduct excavations at the Suyukou kiln in Helan Mountain in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Feng Kaihua)
These findings show that China’s porcelain “dual formula” technology can be traced back to the earlier Western Xia Dynasty, and thus did not originate during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) as previously believed, said Zhu.
The Suyukou site is believed to be the earliest Western Xia Dynasty kiln site found to date in China. Li Zheng, a researcher with the National Cultural Heritage Administration, noted that the discovery of the Suyukou kiln for the first time explains the origin of ceramics used by the Western Xia royal family — thereby answering an important archaeological question in terms of China’s ceramic development history.
“The Suyukou porcelain kiln site, integrating the high-end kiln industry technologies of both south and north China at that time, is an important demonstration of the official technical and cultural exchanges between the Western Xia and Northern Song dynasties, and a reflection of the integration of multi-ethnic exchanges in ancient China,” she said.
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MIL-Evening Report: Whales sing when they’ve had a good meal – new research
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ted Cheeseman, PhD Candidate, Marine Ecological Research Centre, Southern Cross University
Stock Photos Studios/Shutterstock Spanning more octaves than a piano, humpback whales sing powerfully into the vast ocean. These songs are beautifully complex, weaving phrases and themes into masterful compositions. Blue and fin whales richly fill out a bass section with their own unique versions of song.
Together, these three species can create a marvellous symphony in the sea.
Published today in PLOS One, our new research reveals these baleen whale species’ response to major changes in their ecosystem can be heard in their songs.
Food for long-distance travel
The six-year study took place in whale foraging habitat in the eastern North Pacific, off the coast of California in the United States. From this biologically rich foraging habitat, the whales migrate long distances each year to breeding habitats at lower latitudes.
They eat little to nothing during their migration and winter breeding season. So they need to build up their energy stores during their annual residence in foraging habitat.
This energy, stored in their gigantic bodies, powers the animals through months of long-distance travel, mating, calving, and nursing before they return to waters off California in the spring and summer to resume foraging.
The whales eat krill and fish that can aggregate in massive schools. However, their diets are distinct.
While blue whales only eat krill, humpback whales eat krill and small schooling fish such as anchovy. If the prey species are more abundant and more densely concentrated, whales can forage more efficiently. Foraging conditions and prey availability change dramatically from year to year.
We wanted to know if these changes in the ecosystem were reflected in the whales’ acoustic behaviour.
Piecing together a complex puzzle
To track the occurrence of singing, we examined audio recordings acquired through the Monterey Accelerated Research System. This is a deep-sea observatory operated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and funded by the US National Science Foundation.
Analysis of sound recordings is a highly effective way to study whales because we can hear them from quite far away. If a whale sings anywhere within thousands of square kilometres around the hydrophone, we will hear it.
Yet, piecing together the complex puzzle of whale behavioural ecology requires diverse research methods.
Our study used observations of the whales, including sound recordings, photo identification and diet analysis. It also used measurements of forage species abundance, characterisation of ecosystem conditions and theoretical modelling of sound propagation.
Our ability to probe the complex lives of these giants was enhanced for humpback whales because we had a unique data resource available for this species: extensive photo identification.
The Happywhale community science project combines photos supplied by researchers and ecotourists, and identification enabled by artificial intelligence, to recognise individual whales by the shape and coloration of their flukes.
This unique resource enabled us to examine the local abundance of humpback whales. We could also study the timing of their annual migration and how persistently individual whales occupied the study region.
Scientists used a deep-sea hydrophone to keep a nearly continuous record of the ocean soundscape.
MBARIAn increase in food – and in song
The study began in 2015, during a prolonged marine heatwave that caused major disruption in the foraging habitat of whales and other animals throughout the eastern North Pacific.
All three whale species sang the least during the heatwave, and sang more as foraging conditions improved over the next two years.
These patterns provided the first indications that the singing behaviour by whales may be closely related to the food available. Remarkably, whale song is an indicator of forage availability.
Further evidence was found in the striking differences between humpback and blue whales during the later years of the study.
Continued increases in detection of humpback whale song could not be explained by changes in the local abundance of whales, the timing of their annual migration, or the persistence of individuals in the study region.
However, humpback song occurrence closely tracked tremendous increases in the abundances of northern anchovy — the largest increase in 50 years. And when we analysed the skin of the humpback whales, we saw a clear shift to a fish-dominated diet.
In contrast, blue whales only eat krill, and detection of their songs plummeted with large decreases in krill abundance. Our analysis of blue whale skin revealed they were foraging over a larger geographic area to find the food they needed during these hard times in the food web.
Humpback song occurrence closely tracked tremendous increases in the abundances of northern anchovy.
evantravels/ShutterstockPredicting long-term changes
This research shows listening to whales is much more than a rich sensory experience. It’s a window into their lives, their vulnerability, and their resilience.
Humpback whales emerge from this study as a particularly resilient species. They are more able to readily adapt to changes in the ecology of the foraging habitats that sustain them. These findings can help scientists and resource managers predict how marine ecosystems and species will respond to long-term changes driven by both natural cycles and human impacts.
At a time of unprecedented change for marine life and ecosystems, collaboration across disciplines and institutions will be crucial for understanding our changing ocean.
This work was enabled by private research centres, universities and federal agencies working together. This consortium’s past work has revealed a rich new understanding of the ocean soundscape, answering fundamental questions about the ecology of ocean giants.
Who knows what more we will learn as we listen to the ocean’s underwater symphony?
The study’s findings can help scientists better understand how blue whales and other baleen whales respond to long-term changes in the ocean.
Ajit S N/Shutterstock
This work was led by John Ryan, a biological oceanographer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), with an interdisciplinary team of researchers from MBARI, Southern Cross University, Happywhale.com, Cascadia Research Collective, University of Wisconsin, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Centre, University of California, Santa Cruz, Naval Postgraduate School, and Stanford University.
Ted Cheeseman is the co-founder of citizen science project, Happywhale.
Jarrod Santora receives funding from NOAA, NASA, and NSF.
– ref. Whales sing when they’ve had a good meal – new research – https://theconversation.com/whales-sing-when-theyve-had-a-good-meal-new-research-250926
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MIL-OSI USA: Murray, Blumenthal Demand VA Swiftly Reverse Moves to Cut VA Researchers Working to Improve Veteran Health Outcomes
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
ICYMI: Senator Murray Presses VA Deputy Secretary Nominee on Mass Firings of VA Researchers, Holding Oracle Accountable to Get EHR Right for Veterans
ICYMI: Murray, Senate Democrats Demand Trump Exempt All VA Employees From Hiring Freeze
***LETTER HERE***
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, sent a letter this week to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins expressing their deep concerns about how the ongoing federal hiring freeze is affecting VA researchers—many of whom have already lost their jobs—as well as the research programs funded by external entities that improve care and services for our nation’s veterans.
The senators wrote, “Without immediate action to address the recent hiring constraints imposed by the Trump Administration, critical research efforts—and the veterans who rely on them—are at risk. Hundreds of VA research-funded positions are in jeopardy due to the hiring freeze. This freeze impacts researcher positions funded by grants, which are awarded as part of competitive funding mechanisms based on peer-review. These roles are essential to the safe and effective conduct of ongoing VA-funded research, by ensuring compliance with biological safety, data security, and other critical protocols.”
The members also pointed out that, according to the National Association of Veterans’ Research and Education Foundations, “[D]uring the next 90 days alone, VA could lose an additional 200 research personnel who directly support research to advance veterans’ health and healthcare access,” highlighting the time-sensitive nature of the impacts to research funding.
Senator Murray has been outspoken in standing up for veterans, VA employees, and VA researchers against Trump and Elon Musk’s indiscriminate mass layoffs that will undermine critical services our nation’s veterans rely on every day. Senator Murray, a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, was among the first to raise the alarm about the layoffs of VA researchers and called on President Trump to immediately reverse the firings. She pressed VA Deputy Secretary nominee Dr. Paul Lawrence on the firings of VA researchers at the hearing on his nomination last week, held a press conference with a VA employee and veteran in Seattle who was abruptly laid off as part of the mass firings with zero justification, and put out a fact sheet on how the indiscriminate mass firings were hurting workers in Washington state, including VA researchers. In January, Murray and others called on President Trump to exempt all VA employees from the hiring freeze issued as part of his Day One Executive Orders.
Senator Murray has also repeatedly sounded the alarm over DOGE access at VA. She voted against Doug Collins’s nomination to be VA Secretary—making clear that the Trump administration’s lawlessness was putting our national security and our veterans at risk—and joined her colleagues in pressing Secretary Collins to take immediate actions to secure veterans’ personal information provided by VA or other agencies to Elon Musk and DOGE.
The full text of Sens. Murray and Blumenthal’s letter can be found below and HERE.
Dear Secretary Collins:
We write to express our deep concerns regarding the impact of the ongoing federal hiring freeze on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) research and the research programs funded by external entities that improve care and services for our nation’s veterans. The VA research enterprise has long been a pillar of medical innovation, responsible for groundbreaking advancements that have improved the lives of millions of veterans and Americans, and is a major recruitment tool in bringing top talent to the Department. Researchers at VA have been responsible for revolutionary medical achievements, including implanting the first successful cardiac pacemaker, developing the nicotine patch and other therapies for smokers, maintaining the nation’s largest genomic biorepository, and advancing prosthetics technology. Without immediate action to address the recent hiring constraints imposed by the Trump Administration, critical research efforts—and the veterans who rely on them—are at risk.
Hundreds of VA research-funded positions are in jeopardy due to the hiring freeze. This freeze impacts researcher positions funded by grants, which are awarded as part of competitive funding mechanisms based on peer-review. These roles are essential to the safe and effective conduct of ongoing VA-funded research, by ensuring compliance with biological safety, data security, and other critical protocols. Further, according to the National Association of Veterans’ Research and Education Foundations, during the next 90 days alone, VA could lose an additional 200 research personnel who directly support research to advance veterans’ health and healthcare access. These positions are either funded by non-VA entities, such as other federal agencies or philanthropic organizations, or are short-term assignments from academic institutions to allow VA to capitalize on specific expertise.
These mechanisms are not only fiscally responsible, but essential to sustaining VA’s research mission. At a time when the Trump Administration claims to be hyper-focused on efficient use of taxpayer dollars, it is unacceptable that the Department has targeted cost-effective research aiming to improve veterans’ health outcomes. If these appointments are not processed, an estimated 370 studies and clinical trials could be canceled or suspended in the next 90 days, directly impacting up to 10,000 veterans currently participating in research studies.
As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of VA research, we have a responsibility to safeguard its future. VA has been at the forefront of medical breakthroughs for a century, and continued investment in its research workforce is essential to ensuring that legacy endures. We strongly urge VA to swiftly reverse the hiring freeze and any related personnel decisions to prevent disruptions to research that directly contributes to improving veteran health outcomes.
We appreciate your attention to this critical issue and stand ready to support swift efforts that will allow VA research to move forward without disruption.
Sincerely,
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MIL-OSI USA: Murray, Warnock, Rep. Schrier Introduce Bill to Improve Children’s Health Care Access
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
ICYMI: Murray Slams Republican Plan for Deep Cuts to Medicaid That Will Rip Away Health Care From Millions
In Washington state, over 1.83 million individuals rely on health care through Medicaid, including over 840,000 children
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, and Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) introduced the Kids’ Access to Primary Care Act in the Senate—legislation that would require Medicaid to pay at least the same rate as Medicare for primary care services, which would incentivize more providers to participate in Medicaid and increase access to care for children and families. Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (D, WA-08) introduced the legislation in the House with Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R, PA-01) and Kathy Castor (D, FL-14).
“Medicaid is a lifeline for tens of millions of American families, especially women and children—one in five women and nearly half of all children in America get their health care through Medicaid. Our legislation is a commonsense solution that would encourage more providers to see Medicaid patients and make it easier for families who rely on Medicaid to get timely care close to home,” said Senator Murray. “Right now, Republicans are doubling down on their plans to make deep cuts to Medicaid and rip away health care from millions of people who need it—it’s dangerous and flat-out-wrong. I’ll keep fighting back and working to strengthen Medicaid and bring down the cost of health care in America.”
“I’ve been in the Medicaid fight long before I got to the Senate, so I know the importance that affordable health care provides for so many Americans, including millions of children. In Georgia, kids make up over 70 percent of all Medicaid enrollees,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “Right now, nearly half of our country’s children get health care through Medicaid, which is why it’s so troubling that Washington Republicans are fighting to make cuts to health care access. That is why the Kids’ Access to Primary Care Act is so important. This commonsense solution shouldn’t be a partisan issue, kids and parents deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing you have health care access.”
“As a pediatrician, I have seen firsthand the impact that proper medical care can have for the health and well-being of families and children. The current Medicaid payment rate has led to fewer available doctors, longer waiting periods, and overall reduced health care coverage for families across the country,” said Congresswoman Schrier. “My bill offers a commonsense, clear solution. Almost half of the children in the United States are insured through Medicaid, so the best way to take care of our kids is to strengthen Medicaid.”
“I want to thank Senator Murray and Representative Schrier for their unwavering commitment to children’s healthcare with the introduction of the Kids’ Access to Primary Care Act,” said Jeff Sperring, MD, CEO of Seattle Children’s Hospital. “Now, more than ever, ensuring that children’s healthcare is prioritized is of the upmost importance. Healthy kids means a healthy community and a healthy future- this bill puts us closer to that goal.”
“Timely access to primary care for children is non-negotiable. The AAFP supports the Kids’ Access to Primary Care Act, which will help raise Medicaid payment rates for primary care services to Medicare levels,” Jen Brull, MD, FAAFP, President, American Academy of Family Physicians. “Increasing access to Medicaid coverage leads to better health outcomes and reduces long standing health disparities. We urge Congress to pass this legislation to improve access to care and ensure family physicians have the resources they need to treat Medicaid patients.”
“The WSMA believes that primary care is the foundation of an effective, efficient, patient-centered healthcare system. Increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates to Medicare levels is essential to ensuring our patients have access to timely, quality healthcare,” said Washington State Medical Association President John Bramhall, MD, PhD. “Without adequate reimbursement, many physicians are unable to sustain their practices while serving this population, leading to reduced access to care, longer wait times, greater distances traveled, worsening health disparities, and associated increased healthcare costs. We applaud Congresswoman Schrier and Senator Murray for investing in the health of our communities by introducing the Kid’s Access to Primary Care Act of 2025.”
“Children should be able to receive the health care they need, when they need it. For too long, low Medicaid payments have made it difficult for children to get timely care. The Kids’ Access to Primary Care Act takes a critical first step to address the barriers families face when trying to access high quality primary care. Raising Medicaid payments to at least Medicare rates for the same services will help ensure pediatricians and other primary care clinicians can provide the care children need to learn, grow, and thrive. The American Academy of Pediatrics thanks Senators Murray (D-Wash.) and Warnock (D-Ga.) for their leadership on this issue and calls on Congress to advance this legislation without delay,” said AAP President Susan Kressly, MD, FAAP.
Right now, Medicaid pays a lower rate than Medicare for the same primary care procedures and services. This discrepancy severely reduces the number of providers who participate in Medicaid and limits access to health care for children and families. In Washington alone, over 1.83 million individuals are insured through Medicaid, including over 840,000 children who depend on the program for their health care needs. The Kids’ Access to Primary Care Act would improves Medicaid coverage by ensuring that providers are paid at least the same rate as they are for Medicare. Experts agree that higher Medicaid payment rates will broaden the provider network and increase access to care for Medicaid patients, including the more than half of children in the U.S who rely on Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Senator Murray has fought to strengthen and protect Medicaid throughout her career and previously led similar legislation that would raise the Medicaid reimbursement rate to Medicare levels for primary care services—the Ensuring Access to Primary Care for Women & Children Act—with former Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in the 113th, 114th, 116th, and 117th Congresses.
In the Senate, in addition to Senators Murray and Warnock, the Kids’ Access to Primary Care Act is also cosponsored by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Peter Welch (D-VT).
The legislation is supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and the Washington State Medical Association.
The full text of the legislation is HERE.
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MIL-OSI China: The Youth Are Macao’s Hope and Future
Source: China State Council Information Office 3
In May 2023, two satellites jointly developed by teams from Macao and the mainland were launched. Immediately afterwards, 18 faculty members and students at Macao University of Science and Technology who had worked on the project, wrote to Xi Jinping to tell him about their success. Not only did President Xi reply to their letter, he also visited their university during his December 2024 trip to Macao and praised the young team for their success.
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MIL-OSI New Zealand: Backing farmers to innovate and make more money
Source: New Zealand Government
The Government is ramping up a programme to boost sustainably and farm productivity.
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has announced the ‘Science for Farmers’ initiative will be rolled out at agricultural events around the country starting with the Dargaville, Wānaka, Feilding, and Kirwee Agricultural Shows over the next two months.
“Science for Farmers brings leading scientists to the regions to talk directly with farmers about research and innovation that’s already paying dividends on farms around the country,” Mr McClay says.
The programme is a collaboration between the Ministry for Primary Industries’ On Farm Support service and key research partners, including AgResearch, AgriZeroNZ, LIC, Massey University, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, and the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre.
It provides detailed information and access to experts in many areas including on:
- Alternative pasture types that can help farmers future-proof their pasture-based systems in a warming climate.
- Advanced genetics to increase production whilst helping to meet environmental and emissions obligations.
- On-farm management systems that increase profit and enhance business resilience.
“The Government is committed to lifting rural productivity, increasing jobs and unlocking New Zealand’s potential by going for growth.
“Small steps can make a big difference. Every extra kilo of milksolids, kg of meat or wool, and extra tray of fruit we produce through innovation and science, puts more money into the pockets of rural New Zealand and helps achieve our goal of doubling the value of exports within 10 years”.
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MIL-OSI China: China successfully conducts marine equipment sea trials
Source: China State Council Information Office 2
Researchers have recently completed the inaugural series of sea trials for marine equipment at the offshore test site in Yazhou Bay in Sanya, south China’s Hainan Province, signifying that the site is now equipped to perform such testing.
The marine engineering team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University conducted extensive evaluations on a range of marine equipment at the test site, such as instruments for monitoring the marine environment, seafloor mining vehicle prototypes and unmanned surface vessels, reported Hainan Daily on Tuesday.
The team successfully carried out a variety of experimental tasks, including the observation of dynamic conditions of marine winds, waves and currents, assessment of the functions of intelligent marine devices, accurate positioning and navigation of submersible equipment, and surveillance of disturbances in the seabed environment.
The team leader disclosed that the successful completion of these sea trials has thoroughly confirmed the site’s ability to perform real-time observations of the marine dynamic environment, and to conduct tests of marine equipment within a three-dimensional marine testing zone that encompasses the surface, the underwater environment and the seabed.
The team leader also noted that this achievement represents a significant advancement in the development of the test site and underscores its evolution into a crucial maritime testing base in China. -
MIL-OSI: Minim Martap Project Update
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
PERTH, Australia, Feb. 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Canyon Resources Limited (ASX: CAY) (‘Canyon’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to provide an update on key development workstreams at the Company’s flagship Minim Martap Bauxite Project (‘Minim Martap’ or ‘the Project’), located in Cameroon, as the Company continues to make rapid progress toward production.
Minim Martap ranks among the world’s richest bauxite deposits, underpinned by an Ore Reserve of 109Mt at 51.1% total Al2O3 and 2.0% total SiO2 and a JORC Mineral Resource Estimate of 1,027Mt at 45.3% total Al2O3 and 2.7% total SiO2
The Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) remains on schedule for completion in Q3 2025, with a focus on optimising operational efficiencies, ensuring sustainable economics and confirming the preferred pathway to production. The Company remains confident that the DFS will reinforce the viability of Minim Martap as a world-class bauxite project. Concurrently, discussions with select debt providers are progressing positively, as Canyon seeks to secure an optimal funding structure in alignment with strategic objectives and results from the DFS.
As part of the DFS, Canyon is currently evaluating the implementation of a two-stage development strategy, aimed at accelerating production through a phased ramp-up to enable a first bauxite shipment in 2026. This approach would enable earlier revenue generation, strengthen supply chain relationships and strategically position Minim Martap for future growth as rail capacity expands. In addition to this process, Canyon has engaged several internationally recognised consultants to refine and optimise the existing rail infrastructure required for the transport of the bauxite ore. Detailed assessments are now underway to enhance logistical efficiency and explore capacity expansion strategies that will support long-term operational growth.
As part of project execution planning, Canyon is working with leading mining equipment vendors to define procurement schedules and delivery timelines, ensuring timely access to critical mining equipment, which will be essential for meeting targeted production timelines and targets and maintaining operational efficiency. The Company remains focused on aligning equipment availability with its potential staged development strategy to support seamless project execution.
Discussions with potential offtake partners are advancing well, with negotiations reflecting strong market interest in Minim Martap’s high-quality bauxite product and supporting the Company’s efforts to secure long-term sales agreements. Establishing these strategic partnerships is a key step in de-risking the Project, working through the relevant financing discussions and ensuring an efficient pathway towards commencement of operations.
Bauxite market fundamentals and pricing has strengthened over the past 12 months, with the CIF China price for 45% Al203 and 3% total SiO2 ex Guinea reported to be approximately $US 100/DMT in February 2025. The product from Minim Martap with a proved or reserve grade 51.1% total Al203 and total SiO2 should achieve a considerable premium price compared to a 45% Al2O3 and SiO2 bauxite product.
Lastly, Canyon continues to focus on building out its project team and management team to ensure the Company is well-positioned during the next phase of development growth, as Canyon works toward becoming a near-term bauxite producer.
Mr Jean-Sebastien Boutet, Canyon Chief Executive Officer commented: “Progress at our world-class Minim Martap Project continues as planned, reinforcing our confidence in our timeline towards production. Notably, the analysis of a potential two-staged development strategy has been particularly promising, offering the opportunity for fast-tracked production and revenue generation, while strategically positioning the Company to capitalise on expanding rail capacity and the establishment of key supply chain relationships.
“Our team remains committed to transforming the Minim Martap Bauxite Project into a world-class operation that delivers sustainable, long-term value for shareholders and stakeholders alike. We will continue to provide timely updates as we achieve key milestones and advance toward production.”
This announcement has been approved for release by the Canyon Resources’ Board of Directors.
