NewzIntel.com

Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Universities Australia Solutions Summit

    Source: Australia Government Ministerial Statements

    Thank you for the opportunity to speak here again tonight.

    It’s a real privilege.

    We are now on the cusp of a federal election.

    And so, I think it is probably appropriate to talk tonight about where we have come over the last few years, and what comes next.

    I think you know me now and what drives me.

    You know I think we have got a good education system, but it can be a lot better and a lot fairer.

    And I want to make it better and fairer.

    The first time I spoke here I told you my own story. How I was the first person in my family to finish high school or even finish year 10.

    How that wasn’t really an option for people like my mum and dad when they were growing up.

    How much we have changed since then.

    And how that change still hasn’t reached into every corner of this country or every home.

    I talked about the fact that almost one in two Australians in their 30s today have a uni degree, but not everywhere.

    Not where I grew up. Not amongst poor kids. Not in our outer suburbs or in the regions.

    And how I want to do something about this.

    I also made the point that fixing this doesn’t start and end at university.

    How we have got to reform our entire education system.

    There’s a pretty simple reason for that.

    It’s because the same people who aren’t at your universities are the same people who aren’t finishing high school.

    And they are the same people who are falling behind in primary school. And never catch up.

    A lot of those kids also start school behind.

    And a lot of them have never set foot in a child care centre or a pre-school at all.

    It is all connected.  

    If we are going to fix this, we have to fix all of this.

    Not just because of the individual lives this will change.

    But something bigger than that.

    A good education changes lives.

    A good education system changes countries. It’s changed ours.

    If you want the proof of that think about what’s happened in our own lifetimes.

    The big reforms of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating weren’t just Super, Medicare or floating the dollar.

    Under them the percentage of people who finished high school basically doubled.

    From 40 percent to almost 80 percent.

    One of the real privileges of being a Labor MP is I got to meet Bob and talk to him.

    And he used to talk to me about this, a lot.

    It was one of the things he was proudest of.

    Because he knew what it did. Not just the lives it changed.

    The businesses it helped create. The economy it helped build.

    It was real microeconomic reform.

    We’re a stronger and wealthier and a better country today than we were back when I was a kid, and education is one the reasons for that.

    It’s the fuel in the tank.

    What the Accord tells us is that the tank is only half full.

    That there is more that we have to do.

    That by the middle of this century we are going to need a workforce where 80 percent haven’t just finished school, but they’ve got a trade certificate or a diploma or a uni degree as well.

    That’s a big change.

    And that means reform.

    To build the education system Australia needs.

    Two and a half years ago, or so, when I got this job, this is what we were faced with.

    Child care costs had skyrocketed. Up 49 percent over 10 years. Double the OECD average.

    Child care workers were leaving in droves.

    So were school teachers.

    Billions had been ripped out of our public schools. And if you doubt me let me point you the 2014 Budget Overview, page 7. There it is in black and white.

    Nothing had been done to reform what was happening in our schools.

    The number of kids finishing high school was falling. Not everywhere. In particular in public schools.

    School teachers were being called duds and university students were being ignored.

    A lot has happened since then.

    In the last two years we have cut the cost of childcare for more than 1 million families nationwide.

    Now there are more kids in early education than ever before. 100,000 more.

    Child care workers are also getting a 15 percent pay rise. Getting the sort of wage they deserve.

    And guess what, applications are up and vacancies are down. People are coming back. Turns out when you pay people more, more people want to do the job.

    A couple of weeks ago something else really important happened.

    We passed laws through this place that will change the lives of some of the most disadvantaged children in Australia.

    The sort of children who need access to early education the most and are the least likely to get it.

    The sort of children who, because of no fault of their own, start school behind most of their classmates, because their parents don’t meet the requirements of something called the Activity Test, put in place by the last Liberal Government.

    The legislation we passed a few weeks ago gets rid of that test and replaces it with a three day guarantee.

    A guarantee of three days a week of government supported early education and care for every child who needs it.

    No one blinks when you say every child has a right to go to school and government has a responsibility to help fund it.

    The same has got to be true today for early education.  That doesn’t mean it should be compulsory. But it should be there for every parent who wants it and every child who needs it.

    To help make sure they start school ready to go. Ready to learn.

    That’s the sort of reform that changes lives. The sort of reform only Labor Governments do. And that our country needs.

    Next is schools. What our schools need.

    If we are going to hit that 80 percent target we need more people to finish school.

    For most of the last decade things have been going in the wrong direction.

    The number of students finishing school dropped. From 83 percent to 73 percent. That’s in public schools.

    Last year, for the first time in about 10 years, that percentage went up. A bit. That’s a good sign, but there is a long way to go.

    And that’s what the agreements I have struck with States and Territories across the country are all about.

    They set a target that by 2030 the proportion of students finishing high school will be the highest it has ever been.

    To do that we need to fix the funding of our public schools. But not just that. That funding needs to be tied to the sort of reforms that will help young people who fall behind to catch up and keep up and finish school.

    Things like evidenced-based teaching.

    Things like phonics checks and numeracy checks in Year 1 to identify kids who need additional help.

    And then making sure they get the help they need through individualised support, things like catch-up tutoring.

    I have signed agreements now with Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, with the ACT and the NT.

    And I want to do the same with Queensland and NSW.

    This is the biggest new investment by an Australian Government in public schools ever.

    And it’s the biggest reform to school education in decades.

    I am telling you this, because all of this is an indispensable part of making the Accord a reality.

    Here tonight is Professor Mary O’Kane and I want to pay tribute to you again Mary.

    You have provided us with a blueprint for how we can reform higher education.

    It’s big. Bigger than one government. 47 recommendations.

    But we have already bitten off a big chunk of it. 31, in part or in full.

    That includes things like Paid Prac for teachers and nurses, midwives and social work students. That starts on 1 July.

    A massive expansion of enabling courses. To help get people started. That’s already started.

    More than doubling the number of study hubs. In the bush and now the suburbs. All of these will be open this year.

    On the weekend, as part of our announcement to help more Australians see a GP for free, we also announced funding to train more GPs.

    Part of that is more Commonwealth Supported Places.

    It’s all part of the biggest GP training program in Australian history.

    We have also fixed the way student debt is indexed. That’s cut the debt of three million Australians by more than $3 billion in December last year.

    And if we win the election, we will cut everyone’s student debt by a further 20 percent.

    It means for someone with an average student debt today of 27 grand, we will cut their debt by another $5,500. That’s a lot.

    The first time I spoke at this dinner I talked about the fact that universities aren’t just places where people study or work. They are also places where people live.

    And I talked about sexual assault on campus and in student accommodation.

    For years organisations like End Rape on Campus have been asking for someone to listen. For someone to act.

    Asking for a dedicated Ombudsman.

    The Accord recommended it. And now it exists.

    Sarah Bendall, is the first National Student Ombudsman.

    Sarah’s powers are real. Like a Royal Commission. And the scope of what she covers is broad. Not just sexual violence. It covers antisemitism and all forms of racism. It covers the quality of the education and services students receive as well.

    And I hope you will see the work that Sarah and her team will do as an asset. Helping to make sure students are safe and get the education they are paying for.

    I also want to recognise in the room tonight the new Chief Commissioner of TEQSA, Professor Kerri-Lee Krause and congratulate her on her recent appointment, and acknowledge TEQSA’s CEO, Dr Mary Russell and thank you for the work that you are doing.

    Just one example of that is the roundtable we held earlier today with university leaders focussed on ongoing action to ensure universities are safe places for students and staff.

    There is also another big piece of work that has just kicked off on improving university governance.

    It was a recommendation of the Accord.

    I have set up an Expert Council that will look at everything from how universities pay staff, to the remuneration settings of senior university staff, and report to Education Ministers later this year.

    On international education, the Accord recommended a fund that universities would have to chip into based on the revenue they make.

    We opted not to do that.

    I proposed a cap. The Liberal Party opted not to do that.

    So instead, we have got rid of Ministerial Direction 107 and replaced it with something else.

    Something that is better and fairer.

    Something that makes sure it’s not just the big universities that get the benefit of international education.

    I get how contentious this is.

    How important this revenue is.

    But it is not the main game.

    What I am focused on, what I want all of us to focus on is how we build the sort of education system that Australia needs. That Australians need.

    I spoke a moment ago about how we are building an early education system based on need.

    And how we are fixing the funding of public schools so they are fully funded based on need.

    And we need to apply the same model to universities.

    That’s what the Accord recommended, and that’s what I announced in December last year.

    For the first time real demand driven needs-based funding for universities. Where the money follows the student.

    The evidence tells us that students in the bush and regions, students from disadvantaged backgrounds, are less likely to finish their uni degree than other students.

    This is designed to fix that.

    This, and the changes to the funding system that start next year, and all the other reforms we are funding already, add up to an extra $6.7 billion injection into higher education over the next decade.

    The Accord also recommended something else. Something to make sure that it doesn’t gather dust or a future government doesn’t just forget about it.

    It recommended an ATEC. An Australian Tertiary Education Commission. An independent body to help drive and steer reform over the long term. Help break down the barriers between TAFE and university. Help implement the funding model and provide advice on pricing and a lot more.

    If we win the election, I will introduce legislation in the second half of this year to formally establish the ATEC and I want it fully operational by this time next year.

    But I can announce tonight the team I have appointed to get it up and running on an interim basis from the 1st of July this year.

    The interim Chief Commissioner will be Professor Mary O’Kane, and she will be supported by Jobs and Skills Australia Commissioner, Barney Glover and Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt.

    I am getting the band back together.

    The people who wrote the Accord will help to make it real.

    I started tonight by saying that we are on the cusp of an election. 

    I want to end by saying thank you. 

    Nothing is certain or permanent. 

    None of us are in these jobs forever.

    But for the last two and a half years or so it has been a real privilege to work with you. 

    The UA campaign is right.

    Universities do matter. To all of us. 

    A few days ago, I met a young woman called Narges. 

    She is a refugee from Afghanistan. 

    She fled to Pakistan when Kabul fell a few years ago.

    About 18 months ago she made it here. 

    She now lives in Mt Druitt in western Sydney. 

    She speaks six languages. 

    The sixth is English. 

    She’s learnt it in the last year, at TAFE. 

    Last year she also completed a diploma in community service. 

    Next week she starts at Western Sydney University. She’s going to study social work. 

    Think about that. 

    After fleeing a country where girls can’t even go to school anymore. 

    Just imagine what this young woman is capable of, and what will happen next in her life, with your help. 

    The lives she will change. 

    Now imagine a million more stories just like that. 

    That’s what you do. 

    Change lives.  

    Change countries. 

    We are the best country in the world, but we can be even better. 

    And you are an indispensable part of making that a reality. 

    Turning the country of our imagination into something real. 

    That’s exciting. 

    That’s why I love this job. 

    And I really look forward to addressing this gala dinner again, this time next year.
     

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: PROF Polytechnic received activists from Petrozavodsk University

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    Our university was visited by a delegation of activists from Petrozavodsk State University. The delegation included representatives of the Trade Union of Students of PetrSU: chairmen of the trade union bureaus of institutes, student councils of dormitories, as well as members of the presidium of the Primary Trade Union Organization of Students.

    The main goal of the meeting was to exchange experience with the SPbPU Students’ Trade Union. The guests were given a tour of the Polytechnic University campus. They also saw the University History Museum and learned about the significant stages of the university’s formation and development. Particular attention was paid to discussing key areas of activity of trade union organizations, student support mechanisms, and the implementation of social and educational initiatives.

    The partners exchanged practical experience, discussed current issues of protecting students’ interests and interaction with university administrations. The meeting took place in a warm and friendly atmosphere, which further strengthened inter-university ties and partnerships.

    Both trade unions expressed interest in further cooperation to implement joint projects and initiatives aimed at improving the learning and living conditions of students.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic Media Volunteers Launch Book Lighthouse Festival

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    On February 21, the jubilee tenth All-Russian festival “Book Lighthouse of St. Petersburg. Music of Meanings” started. Students of the Higher School of Media Communications and Public Relations of the Humanitarian Institute of SPbPU helped with the opening ceremony in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg and the work of the media studio, as well as at 50 thematic sites of the three-day event.

    The ceremonial meeting in the Mariinsky Palace was opened by the deputy of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Marina Shishkina, the general director of the State Hermitage Museum Mikhail Piotrovsky, the director of the Central City Public Library named after V. V. Mayakovsky Zoya Chalova, the initiator of the festival, the president of the festival movement “Book Beacons of Russia” Denis Kotov.

    Our students have been participating in the media support of the festival movement for the third year. They organize photo and video shooting, communicate with writers, experts and media personalities in the studio, and fill the festival’s social networks with content. This is a high level of project work, and I am proud of our students, since each of them brings something unique to make the festival bright and memorable. It is very important for us that we participate in the development of the country’s cultural sovereignty with such a significant industrial partner as “Book Beacons”, – noted Marina Arkannikova, Director of the SPbPU GSMiSO.

    The festival cultural project lights its light and sets benchmarks in the book ocean twice a year for five years in a row. This socially significant non-profit initiative is held in a hybrid format, uniting thousands of Petersburgers and a large online audience. A special feature of the festival program is the variety of master classes, round tables and meetings with writers at various venues in the city: from traditional ones – the House of Books, the House of Journalists, libraries and schools of St. Petersburg, to the House of Officers, the Central Broadcast Studio, city shopping centers.

    For the first time, the Book Lighthouse became inclusive, adapted for both blind people and people with other disabilities.

    The festival is designed to unite librarians, publishers, writers, managers and readers to achieve a strategic goal: to create conditions so that 80% of Russians read an average of at least 12 books a year, says Denis Kotov, president of the festival movement “Book Beacons of Russia.”

    The final event, held at the House of Journalists, became a real celebration for guests and connoisseurs of Russian prose, poetry, music and art. The media volunteers of the Higher School of Music and Social Sciences together with the audience not only enjoyed poetry readings and music, but also took part in activities dedicated to Russian literature.

    “The Book Lighthouse” became a door to the world of art and creativity for me. Before it, I had read modern literature, of course, but I was not very interested in the authors of these books. But here I saw writers who were my compatriots. I heard their stories, and this changed my attitude to modern Russian literature, – shared third-year student of the Higher School of Music and Social Sciences of the State University of the Russian Federation Anastasia Kalinina.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese filmmaker Huo Meng makes history with Berlinale win

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Director Huo Meng on Saturday became the first Chinese mainland filmmaker to win the Silver Bear for best director at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, receiving the honor for his film “Living the Land.”

    Chinese director Huo Meng poses with his Silver Bear award for best director at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 22, 2025. [Photo courtesy of Shanghai Film Group]

    The film, produced by Shanghai Film Group and written and directed by Huo, captures daily life in 1990s north China through documentary-like cinematography and the authentic use of Henan province’s local dialect. The film stars Wang Shang, Zhang Chuwen and Zhang Yanrong, with renowned Chinese actor Yao Chen as executive producer.

    The story follows 10-year-old Xu Chuang, who lives with his grandmother and the Li family after his parents move to the city. Through scenes of spring plowing, autumn harvests, weddings and funerals, the film captures rural life and human relationships. Shot in a warm realist style, it depicts Xu’s family — hardworking, resilient and hopeful — as they strive for a better life, witnessing quiet yet profound changes in their community as they navigate tradition and modernity.

    In his acceptance speech, Huo emphasized filmmaking’s collaborative nature. “I am grateful to the actors for portraying a group of hardworking, kind-hearted and resilient ordinary people. The most captivating aspect of film is its ability to connect the emotions of people from different places,” he said.

    A still from “Living the Land.” [Photo courtesy of Shanghai Film Group]

    The film has received critical acclaim since its Feb. 14 premiere at the festival. The Hollywood Reporter critic Jordan Mintzer stated that it “immerses the viewer in a remote Chinese agricultural community with all the precision and beauty of an accomplished artist,” and praised Huo as “a master at embedding the drama within a broader fresco of social and economic transformation.” In a review for Variety, Guy Lodge wrote, “Though it’s gently paced and narratively diffuse, ‘Living the Land’ is never dull, thanks to a wealth of incident and the complexity of relationships in Huo’s extended family portrait.”

    “I spent my childhood in a rural village,” the director said at the premiere. “For thousands of years, China’s countryside has shaped deeply moving qualities in the Chinese people, such as diligence, kindness and resilience.”

    The film, shot over a year, follows its characters through all four seasons. “It creates a realm where we can experience the way of life and the intense emotional bonds, while also witnessing the possibility of change,” Huo shared.

    A poster for “Living the Land.” [Image courtesy of Shanghai Film Group]

    “Living the Land” is Huo’s third feature film, and he is the first Chinese filmmaker born in the 1980s to win a Silver Bear. An associate professor at the Shanghai Film Academy of Shanghai University, Huo previously won directorial awards for “Crossing the Border-Zhaoguan.” The Shanghai International Film Festival selected him last year for its SIFF YOUNG program, which supports emerging filmmakers with domestic and international film industry resources.

    The 75th Berlin International Film Festival, also known as the “Berlinale,” ran from Feb. 13 to 23. Norwegian director Dag Johan Haugerud won the Golden Bear for best film with “Dreams,” while Brazilian filmmaker Gabriel Mascaro’s “The Blue Trail” received the grand jury prize. U.S. director Todd Haynes led the main competition jury. Nineteen films competed in the main competition, including two Chinese entries — the other being “Girls on Wire” by director Vivian Qu.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The AtomSkills-2025 qualifying championship was held at the Polytechnic University

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    The Civil Engineering Institute hosted the AtomSkills-2025 qualifying divisional championship in the Engineering Design competency. The event was supported by Rosatom State Corporation and became a significant event for our university.

    The competition was held in two leagues: industry and student. Three teams from Rosatom State Corporation took part in the industry league: JSC FCNIVT SNPO Eleron, JSC KIS ISTOK and JSC KIS ISTOK-2. Five teams of 2nd, 3rd and 5th year students of the Civil Engineering Institute competed in the student league.

    The participants had to develop a project for a capital construction project with utility lines for subsequent construction. They had to use the initial data specified in the technical assignment and apply information modeling technologies.

    The experts of the championship were experienced teachers of the institute and specialists of leading companies, such as JSC VNIPIPT, JSC KIS ISTOK, JSC FCNIVT SNPO Eleron and CSoft Development.

    Following a tense competition week, the winners were determined.

    Student League:

    1st place: Dmitry Zharkov, Alina Doroshenko, Tatyana Slobodanyuk, Vitaly Naumovich — 5th-year students of the specialist program. 2nd place: Alexander Kolosov, Ilya Kazinsky, Daniil Milyutin, Lev Kharitonov — 2nd and 3rd-year students of the specialist program. 3rd place: Semyon Ivanov, Dmitry Laptev, Ivan Kelyin, Ilya Glazov — 2nd-year students of the specialist program.

    Industry League:

    1st place: team of JSC FCNIVT SNPO Eleron 2nd and 3rd places: two teams from JSC KIS ISTOK.

    Now the winners of the selection round are preparing for the next challenge – participation in the final of the industry championship AtomSkills-2025, which will be held in Yekaterinburg.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Trends of Literate People: State University of Management Conducts Financial Security Lessons

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    Recently, financial fraudsters have become more active, actively using not only artificial intelligence, but also modern achievements of social engineering to involve young people in their criminal schemes. The onslaught of fraudsters can only be effectively countered by raising public awareness in the field of financial security, legal, economic and financial literacy.

    The traditional lesson on financial security, which has been the first stage of the International Financial Security Olympiad for several years, is aimed at developing critical thinking skills and raising awareness among young people about threats to financial security. This year, the lesson is called “Not Child’s Play: 2.0. Drop Against Your Will” and is dedicated to issues of involving young people in schemes for cashing out funds obtained through criminal means.

    The State University of Management, as an active participant of the International Network Institute in the field of AML/CFT, did not remain aloof from conducting the lesson. On February 18, Deputy Head of the Department of Finance and Credit of the Institute of Economics and Finance of the State University of Management, PhD in Economics, Associate Professor Valentina Polyakova conducted a lesson with 10th-grade students of School No. 1935 of the socio-economic and technological profile.

    On February 20 and 21, Galina Sorokina, Director of the Institute of Economics and Finance, together with specialists from the Center for Inter-Olympiad Training of Schoolchildren and Students of the P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, organized a training seminar on conducting a thematic lesson on financial security and preparing schoolchildren for the V International Olympiad on Financial Security for teachers of the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions.

    And this Wednesday, February 26, at 11:30, you will be able to join the lesson conducted by the Director of the Institute of Economics and Finance Galina Sorokina for students of the Pre-University of the State University of Management, using the link to the broadcast on the official channel of the State University of Management on Rutube.

    We remind you that from February 1 to 28, the invitational stage of the V International Financial Security Olympiad is taking place on the Sodruzhestvo platform. First of all, students in grades 8-11 and undergraduates are invited to participate. Upon completion of the stage, participants who have completed the tasks will receive a certificate. To participate, you must register on the Sodruzhestvo platform.

    Subscribe to the tg channel “Our State University” Announcement date: 02/25/2025

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Karolinska Development’s portfolio company AnaCardio includes first patient in a phase 2a study of its drug candidate AC01

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN February 25, 2025. Karolinska Development AB (Nasdaq Stockholm: KDEV) today announces that its portfolio company AnaCardio has dosed the first patient in the phase 2a part of the GOAL-HF1 clinical study. The study will evaluate AnaCardio’s drug candidate AC01 in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. Study results from GOAL-HF1 are expected by the end of the year.

    AnaCardio AB is a privately held Swedish clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel drugs to treat heart failure. The company´s lead asset, AC01, is currently being evaluated in a clinical phase 1b/2a study, GOAL-HF1, in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

    The phase 2a part of the GOAL-HF1 study is randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled, aiming to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of AC01 in patients with HFrEF following 28 days of treatment. The study is being conducted at 13 highly specialized heart failure centers in Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy and the UK.

    ”Following the promising results from the first part of the phase 1b/2a study, we are pleased to see our portfolio company AnaCardio advancing the clinical development of AC01 by initiating the second part of the study,” says Viktor Drvota, CEO, Karolinska Development.

    Karolinska Development’s ownership interest in AnaCardio amounts to 10%.

    For further information, please contact:

    Viktor Drvota, CEO, Karolinska Development AB
    Phone: +46 73 982 52 02, e-mail: viktor.drvota@karolinskadevelopment.com 

    Johan Dighed, General Counsel and Deputy CEO, Karolinska Development AB
    Phone: +46 70 207 48 26, e-mail: johan.dighed@karolinskadevelopment.com

    TO THE EDITORS

    About Karolinska Development AB

    Karolinska Development AB (Nasdaq Stockholm: KDEV) is a Nordic life sciences investment company. The company focuses on identifying breakthrough medical innovations in the Nordic region that are developed by entrepreneurs and leadership teams. The Company invests in the creation and growth of companies that advance these assets into commercial products that are designed to make a difference to patients’ lives while providing an attractive return on investment to shareholders.

    Karolinska Development has access to world-class medical innovations at the Karolinska Institutet and other leading universities and research institutes in the Nordic region. The Company aims to build companies around scientists who are leaders in their fields, supported by experienced management teams and advisers, and co-funded by specialist international investors, to provide the greatest chance of success.

    Karolinska Development has a portfolio of eleven companies targeting opportunities in innovative treatment for life-threatening or serious debilitating diseases.

    The Company is led by an entrepreneurial team of investment professionals with a proven track record as company builders and with access to a strong global network.

    For more information, please visit www.karolinskadevelopment.com.

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Development Asia: Expanding Access to Housing in Uzbekistan through Market Reforms

    Source: Asia Development Bank

    Through the Mortgage Market Sector Development Program, ADB is providing a $50-million policy-based loan to support mortgage market reforms that will economize the government’s housing subsidy and policy framework and create a conducive environment and infrastructure for market-based mortgage lending. It is also providing a $300-million financial intermediation loan to finance the country’s new mortgage refinancing company that enables domestic commercial banks to provide residential mortgage and housing improvement loans. A technical assistance grant of $800,000 supports the implementation of the program.

    Strengthening the policy, regulatory, and legal framework. Findings from a review of the policy, regulatory, and legal framework for the mortgage finance sector and housing market assessment formed the basis for the design of the program. The study recommended that subsidy arrangements be revised to ensure that higher subsidies are provided to lower income households and regressive subsidies are changed.

    Improving the housing strategy and subsidy framework. ADB provided the Ministry of Economy and Finance recommendations on revising the housing finance and subsidy approach as a result of which the government adopted series of changes to enable gradual transformation of state housing programs toward a market-based principles and improving the subsidy targeting.

    Establishing and operationalizing a wholesale mortgage refinance company. The government established the Uzbekistan Mortgage Refinancing Company with ADB support and equity investment from government and commercial banks. It provides banks with access to local currency long-term funding. The company prefinances and refinances eligible mortgage loans and housing improvement loans issued by participating banks at an interest rate close to market rates.

    To support operationalization of the company, the project tapped the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and its consulting team of experts, most of them active and retired CEOs and board chairpersons of international and national mortgage refinance corporations including from Armenia, France, Malaysia, and Pakistan. The team prepared the company’s business plan, human resources plan, legal framework, institutional arrangement, internal policies and procedures, list of products and services, and risk management plan. The government believed that the first CEO of the mortgage refinancing company was of utmost importance to building everyone’s confidence in this new institution and was directly involved in vetting and hiring the CEO.

    Expanding and improving data collection. The project supported work on improving housing statistics, introducing a housing price index in Uzbekistan, and developing a mortgage market database and website. International experts provided in-person and on-line training to ministries, banks, and other stakeholders. A new system was introduced to collect housing sector data (i.e., mortgage loans by type, terms, program and other categories) through updates to the annual statistical reporting forms for commercial banks. The collected data is also shared with the Ministry of Finance.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI China: Private sector encouraged to invest in major energy projects

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    As the country’s energy sector is shifting toward greater market-driven dynamics, private companies will be further encouraged to invest in energy development, utilization and infrastructure construction, according to China’s top energy authority.

    The government will continue promoting private sector involvement in major energy projects this year, including nuclear power, energy storage and smart grids, to deliver a more efficient and smooth operation of the market, according to the National Energy Administration.

    The administration will continue encouraging private enterprises to participate in the nuclear power industry’s supply chain and to invest in nuclear power projects. Furthermore, the government will continue to support private companies in various forms of oil and gas exploration, power infrastructure construction and other projects, it said.

    There will be an emphasis on supporting private businesses to invest in and build new technologies such as new energy storage, smart microgrids and innovative business models.

    Private companies are expected to spur more technological innovation and increased efficiency within the energy sector, enhancing its overall competitiveness and sustainability, said Lin Boqiang, head of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University.

    The energy sector requires substantial long-term investment for expansion, especially in emerging fields such as new energy storage and smart grids, he said.

    China vows to further deepen its energy market reform this year, working to improve mechanisms where energy prices are mainly determined by the market, legally regulate the energy market order and strengthen the construction of a unified national market.

    Zhu Gongshan, chairman of GCL (Group) Holdings Co Ltd, China’s largest private power conglomerate, said a more market-driven energy sector could lead to increased efficiency in the allocation of resources.

    China’s solar power sector, from upstream silicon production to downstream photovoltaic power station construction, exemplifies the growing role of China’s private economy in energy transformation, he said.

    To deepen market-oriented price reforms of new energies, the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration issued a notice recently to promote the integration of new energy sources like wind and solar power into the electricity market.

    This means that around 80 percent of China’s power consumption and generation will be transacted through competitive markets, significantly up from the 61 percent traded in 2024, according to Deng Simeng, a senior analyst for renewables and power research at global consultancy Rystad Energy.

    GCL Group said the company is very optimistic about the virtual power plant market in China, which, according to estimates by Huatai Securities, is projected to reach 10.2 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) this year and further grow to over 100 billion yuan by 2030.

    A virtual power plant is a network of decentralized energy resources that are controlled via software to function as a single, flexible power source. It allows these dispersed resources to operate in a way that mimics the behavior of a traditional power plant, providing electricity to the grid or responding to changes in demand.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Chernyshenko: World-class research centers ensure rapid entry of technologies to the market

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    A meeting on the results of the activities of world-class scientific centers was held under the chairmanship of Dmitry Chernyshenko

    February 24, 2025

    A meeting on the results of the activities of world-class scientific centers was held under the chairmanship of Dmitry Chernyshenko

    February 24, 2025

    A meeting on the results of the activities of world-class scientific centers was held under the chairmanship of Dmitry Chernyshenko

    February 24, 2025

    Previous news Next news

    A meeting on the results of the activities of world-class scientific centers was held under the chairmanship of Dmitry Chernyshenko

    A meeting on the results of the activities of world-class scientific centers (WCSC) was held at the Government Coordination Center under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko. The meeting presented the results of the WCSC’s work over the five years of the program’s implementation – from 2020 to 2024.

    “World-class research centers were created in 2020 as part of the national project “Science and Universities”, the implementation of which was completed last year. On the instructions of President Vladimir Putin, a new stage of the centers’ development will be implemented as part of the state program “Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation”. Over time, they were reoriented from fundamental centers to applied tasks, while showing high results. NCMUs ensure the rapid entry of in-demand technologies into the market. Today, we see good indicators of their extra-budgetary financing – 34% of the budget part, which indicates their demand in the market,” the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.

    Last year, President Vladimir Putin clarified the strategic goal-setting in the field of science. Dmitry Chernyshenko noted that it is especially important to concentrate efforts on the tasks set by the head of state. In accordance with current challenges, the country’s strategic priorities in the field of science and technology have been updated. State support measures will be focused on them.

    The competition for support of world-class scientific centers will be announced this week.

    “This year’s competition will be aimed at creating centers of the same format as the existing ones, but with an eye on the development and implementation of the most important science-intensive technologies up to and including the sixth level of technological readiness. The Ministry of Education and Science has carried out work to take into account the areas of the humanitarian and social profile,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko.

    The head of the Ministry of Education and Science, Valery Falkov, paid special attention to attracting young specialists to world-class scientific centers. According to him, the NCMU creates opportunities for young researchers to manage scientific projects, thereby motivating talented young people to engage in science and increasing the prestige of the scientific profession. Thus, 38% of the research conducted by the centers was carried out under the supervision of young (under 39 years of age) promising researchers.

    The NCMU employees have been awarded the highest level of prizes and awards for the results they have created. In particular, Irek Mukhamatdinov, a senior researcher at the NCMU “Rational Development of Liquid Hydrocarbon Reserves of the Planet”, became a laureate of the Russian Presidential Prize in Science and Innovation for Young Scientists for 2022.

    Representatives of world-class scientific centers also spoke about developments that have practical significance.

    Rector of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University Andrey Rudskoy reported that the National Center for Advanced Digital Technologies has created a platform for the development and application of digital twins CML-Bench®. Compared to traditional approaches, the development of products and goods based on digital twin technology can reduce time, financial and other resource costs by 10 times or more. The prototype of the digital platform has been demonstrated and tested in operational conditions.

    In addition, technologies have been developed for producing metal-matrix composite materials using additive manufacturing. This is a reserve for the production of lithium-ion batteries with controlled three-dimensional micro- and macrostructure, improved energy capacity characteristics.

    Rector of the Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy Vladimir Trukhachev reported that the NCMU “Agrotechnologies of the Future” created 11 new varieties of peas using genetic technologies that accelerated the ripening process twice as much as traditional selection. Several large Russian producers have already begun to purchase peas of the new varieties.

    Vice-Rector of Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University Danis Nurgaliev noted that the National Center for Mining and Metallurgical Research “Rational Development of Liquid Hydrocarbon Reserves of the Planet” has implemented industrial scaling of in-situ oil refining technology using catalysts that can increase well flow rates by 20–100% and reduce the content of toxic metals in oil within the formation.

    A number of effective technologies of the NCMU are currently being replicated not only in Russian but also in foreign companies and act as import substitutes for products of such companies as Shell and Schlumberger.

    More than 20 low-tonnage chemical products developed by the center to improve the efficiency of oil field development are already being successfully used in practice.

    Efim Khazanov, chief researcher at the Gaponov-Grekhov Institute of Applied Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, reported that the Center for Photonics has developed a fractional rejuvenation device based on a powerful ytterbium fiber laser used in medical cosmetology for skin rejuvenation by laser exposure. In 2024, serial production of a cosmetology device based on a laser developed at the center was launched.

    Kirill Sypalo, Director General of the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute named after Professor N.E. Zhukovsky, said that the NCMU “Supersonic” has created a unique infrastructure to support work on the layout of a supersonic passenger aircraft. The use of such optimal layouts will reduce operating costs per flight by three to four times (in relation to first-generation supersonic passenger aircraft).

    Intelligent systems for monitoring and ensuring cybersecurity of onboard equipment and systems of supersonic passenger aircraft have also been developed.

    Leonid Gokhberg, First Vice-Rector of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, noted that the Center for Interdisciplinary Research of Human Potential has created 40 unique databases on human potential development, half of which are international. The total number of users is more than 20 thousand people worldwide. The databases are used to evaluate family, demographic and economic policies and international research.

    In conclusion, Dmitry Chernyshenko instructed world-class scientific centers, together with the Ministry of Education and Science, federal authorities – curators and industrial partners, to present plans for the further use of the results obtained within the framework of the centers’ programs.

    The meeting was also attended by Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Stepan Kalmykov, representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Digital Development, the Ministry of Energy, the Federal Agency for Subsoil Use and others.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: NSU students are prize winners of the Siberian Federal District

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    The Siberian Federal District Championship in fencing with epees among juniors under 23 and in cross-country skiing among young men aged 17-18 were held. NSU students performed excellently as part of the Novosibirsk Region national teams.

    First place in the overall team standings and second place in the ski relay was taken by first-year student of the FF Alexander Nemov, and he is now preparing to participate in the Russian Championship.

    In epee fencing, student Artem Tsaplin (GGF) took 3rd place in the team competition.

    We congratulate the athletes on their medals at the interregional competitions and wish them further sporting success!

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Her Majesty The Queen to unveil iconic statue in Canterbury city centre

    Source: City of Canterbury

    Home  »  Latest News   »   Her Majesty The Queen to unveil iconic statue in Canterbury city centre

    Her Majesty The Queen will visit Canterbury in Kent today (Tuesday 25 February) to unveil a statue of the first full-time professional woman writer in the English language, Aphra Behn.

    Her Majesty will then visit The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge and Canterbury Library to help celebrate the city’s passion for heritage and literature.

    The statue has been given to Canterbury City Council, and therefore to the city, by the Canterbury Commemoration Society.

    Its Chair, Stewart Ross, said: “We’re very excited to be able to welcome Her Majesty to our wonderful city in the heart of the garden of England.

    “The A is for Aphra campaign started five years ago when members of the community began asking why one of Canterbury’s most famous literary heroes was not celebrated in the city where she grew up.

    “The campaign group joined forces with the Canterbury Commemoration Society to celebrate Aphra and to raise the statue back in the same streets Aphra knew as a child.

    “Over the course of the campaign, many people from the community have worked tirelessly to raise awareness and funds for a sculpture to be placed in the city.

    “This included an academic conference at the University of Kent, a revival of Behn’s play The Amorous Prince by the Canterbury Players and a public exhibition about Behn at The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge last year.

    “Canterbury City Council’s successful Levelling Up Fund bid was able to support this project and The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge was chosen as a location that highlights the city’s passion for heritage and literature.”

    Aphra (1640–1689) was baptised in Harbledown, just outside Canterbury, and spent her formative years in the city during the English Civil War.

    The creation of the bronze statue by sculptor Christine Charlesworth followed an extensive period of research, consultation and fundraising.

    After an international design competition, four shortlisted maquettes were toured across the UK and the public asked which they thought would be the most fitting memorial.

    The design by Christine Charlesworth won the public vote.

    The winning design presents a 17-year-old Aphra, book in hand and theatrical mask behind her back, looking wistfully about her as she sets out for London with her family.

    After the unveiling, Her Majesty will be treated to a tour around The Beaney, one of Canterbury City Council’s museums, and Canterbury Library which is run by Kent County Council (KCC).

    The city council’s Head of Culture, Leisure and External Development Michelle Moubarak said: “The Beaney is home to the museum collection, art galleries, the city’s visitor information centre, the library and registration services.

    “It underwent an extensive renovation in 2012 to enable more people to enjoy it especially among those who have been underrepresented in the past.

    “Since its transformation, it has attracted 3.5million visitors including almost 50,000 schoolchildren, seen more than 7,000 people take part in health and wellbeing activities and has benefited from 360 volunteers giving up 12,245 hours of their time.”

    KCC’s Head of Libraries, Registration and Archives James Pearson said: “Canterbury Library stands as one of our most popular libraries in the county.

    “It is a cherished cornerstone of the community offering a warm and welcoming environment for people to sit, relax, read and learn.

    “It currently houses 50,215 books and continues to expand including a Home Library Service with dedicated volunteers delivering books to those in need that are unable to access our physical or mobile library network.

    “The service has recently introduced a collection of books in Ukrainian to support those who have temporarily relocated to Canterbury at such a difficult time for Ukraine.

    “There is a dedicated community hub for reading groups, Talk Time sessions and literacy groups.

    “The local studies collection boasts a wealth of materials, ranging from maps to books of local interest.

    “Among these treasures is our oldest book, Somner’s Antiquities of Canterbury, published in 1640.

    “The modern Canterbury Library continues to evolve in step with the ever changing and diverse needs of the community – forever fostering a love for reading, community, connection to others, inclusivity and lifelong learning. It is a place where everyone is truly welcome.”

    The Queen’s visit, which will celebrate the work both councils undertake around health and wellbeing, will include:

    • an Aphra Behn workshop with Year 3 children from St Peter’s Primary School
    • a look around the library with a focus on community engagement, volunteering, its collection of literature from Ukraine, its Book Club and Reading Well group
    • a look around The Beaney’s Curious Stories exhibition and the different ways of experiencing it with the Sensing Culture visually impaired group and their assistance dogs and the Power of the Object group which supports people living with dementia and their carers
    • a performance of an excerpt from the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Behn’s play The Rover directed by Loveday Ingram
    • a reading by Pilgrims Way Primary School pupil Ahmad Raza of his poem All About Me which won the five to eight-year-old category in the Canterbury Festival’s Poet of The Year competition
    • a reading by St Anselm’s School pupil Emily Corbett of her poem Counting Stars which won the nine to 11-year-old category in the same competition
    • a reading of a Behn poem by Gyles Brandreth, President of the Aphra Behn Society of Canterbury

    Her Majesty will also be invited to view the first edition of Behn’s novel Oroonoko and meet its donor, Anna Astin, before signing the visitors’ book at the end of the visit.

    Music for the statue unveiling will be provided by the 2nd Whitstable Sea Scout Band, led by Bandmaster Mark Wilkins.

    Published: 25 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Where in Siberia did dinosaurs live?

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    At the popular science marathon “Darwin Week” junior researcher of the A. A. Trofimuk Institute of Oil and Gas Geology and Geophysics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, engineer of the scientific and educational center “Evolution of the Earth” Faculty of Geology and Geography of Novosibirsk State University, paleontologist Vsevolod Efremenko told which dinosaurs lived in Chukotka and Sakhalin, where to look for their remains and how representatives of the paleofauna adapted to life beyond the Arctic Circle. At present, it is reliably known that 12 species of dinosaurs lived in Siberia. Scientists have discovered about 30 places in Russia where their remains have been preserved to this day, but this does not mean that dinosaurs lived only in those places. It is possible that they lived everywhere, but, unfortunately, bones and teeth, and even more rarely – imprints of feathers and fur, are preserved only in certain conditions.

    — Scientists very rarely find complete dinosaur skeletons. Even finding bone joints is a great success for paleontologists. In 95% of cases, they find teeth, vertebrae, bones or their fragments, parts of skulls and jaw fragments. A significant part of the finds are shells, remains of insects and other invertebrates, imprints of fish and fossil plants — in terms of biomass, they all significantly exceeded dinosaurs. In addition, for their remains to be preserved for tens of millions of years, special conditions are required, which are possible when many factors come together, which is a rather rare phenomenon. Nevertheless, all this makes our work more interesting, — said Vsevolod Efremenko.

    The remains of dinosaurs should be looked for in sedimentary rocks, which are the compressed remains of ancient lakes, rivers and swamps. They are usually formed in an aquatic environment, contain fossils and are destroyed fairly quickly on the earth’s surface. The remains of prehistoric animals are not preserved in volcanic and metamorphic rocks. Success in the search for dinosaurs can be expected if it is possible to determine the places where the shores of seas, rivers or lakes, as well as swamps, used to be, and to determine the excavation sites by their contours.

    At the beginning of the Cretaceous period, 145 million years ago, the position of the continents on our planet was already close to the modern one, only the oceans occupied a significantly larger area, and there were no polar ice caps in the polar region. In Siberia and Asia there was a mountainous terrain, and dinosaurs could have lived in the intermountain plains along the banks of rivers and lakes. Closer to the extinction – 66 million years ago – the continents occupied an even closer position to the modern one, and sedimentary basins are almost no longer observed in Siberia. Accordingly, there are almost no sedimentary rocks in which paleontologists can count on finds from that period. Therefore, the remains of dinosaurs of that period could not have been preserved. But in the Far East, the situation was different, so paleontologists discover very interesting finds there.

    — The climate in the Cretaceous period was quite comfortable for dinosaurs — moderate in the Arctic, warm northern in Siberia, and close to subtropical in the Transbaikal Territory. This is evidenced by the climatic reconstruction made on the basis of paleoflora. Dinosaurs could easily settle throughout the territory of Eurasia, Siberia, including Chukotka and Sakhalin. Even in Antarctica, fossil birds are found that once felt quite comfortable in those places, — explained Vsevolod Efremenko.

    The most ancient dinosaurs discovered in Russia lived in the Jurassic period (201-145 million years ago). In Siberia, two of their locations are known – in the Krasnoyarsk and Transbaikal regions.

    The most famous dinosaur of Transbaikalia was found in the vicinity of the village of Kulinda. Scientists have named it Kulindadromeus transbaikaliensis. It lived in these places about 168 million years ago. It was a small non-avian dinosaur of modest size (about the size of an average dog) covered in feathers and scales. It combined bird and reptilian features and was most likely warm-blooded.

    In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, in the vicinity of the village of Sharypovo, the remains of two dinosaurs of the Jurassic period were discovered: several bones of the predatory tyrannosaurid kilesk (a distant relative of the tyrannosaurus) and many bones of several stegosaurs, from which a whole skeleton was later assembled. Surprisingly, the bones of this herbivorous dinosaur were found among numerous shells of prehistoric turtles in a coal quarry.

    — Paleontology is a very creative science. We can guess from individual bones what genus and species of dinosaur they belong to, and then reconstruct the entire skeleton. This was the case with the kileskos, which hunted stegosaurs. The remains of these ancient animals are found next to each other. But in order not to damage the priceless finds, the paleontologist must work very carefully in the excavation. Since all the bones are scattered, it is necessary to clearly record the position of each of them, so that when assembling the dinosaur skeleton, you do not end up with a chimera, — the paleontologist explained.

    In the Cretaceous period (145-66 million years ago), the diversity of dinosaurs was enormous. At least a dozen sites of their remains have been discovered in Siberia. One of the largest is in the vicinity of the village of Shestakovo in the Kemerovo region. It was here that paleontologists found a large number of bones and even entire skeletons of Psittacosaurus sibirica, a small dinosaur that lived here 125-100 million years ago. The remains of the sauropod Sibirotitan were also found at this location — large cervical vertebrae. These 20-ton giants shared this territory with Psittacosaurus, as well as the recently discovered Ceratosaurus kiyakursor. It was a very mobile, long-legged, small dinosaur. Scientists have found parts of its skeleton — the humerus, cervical vertebrae, a fragment of the girdle of the forelimb, as well as the bones of the hind limb in anatomical articulation. Unfortunately, neither the skull nor its parts were found, and scientists cannot yet say with complete certainty whether this dinosaur was a predator or a herbivore.

    The northernmost dinosaur site is Teete in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). During the Cretaceous period, the climate here was warm and mild. Here, paleontologists have discovered stegosaurid teeth and vertebrae, as well as sauropod teeth.

    — Over three field seasons, expedition members collected a rich collection of teeth and vertebrae of small therapsids and salamanders. Remains of turtles, fish, lizards and extinct reptiles were also found. Surprisingly, this territory is a refugium — a region where species of ancient animals that have already become extinct in other places have survived for a long time, — said Vsevolod Efremenko.

    The scientist also spoke about other paleontological finds indicating that dinosaurs lived in Chukotka, Sakhalin and the Far East. Herbivorous duck-billed hadrosaurs lived in Chukotka, as well as ceratopsians – it was previously believed that they inhabited only North America. Eggshells were also found, which means that dinosaurs did not end up in the polar latitudes as a result of migration. They constantly lived and reproduced in these places.

    Many significant finds were made in Blagoveshchensk in the Far East. One of the most striking is the duck-billed dinosaur Olorotitan. The uniqueness of the find was that at the time of its discovery it was the most complete articulated dinosaur skeleton discovered in Russia. Its body length was approximately 8 meters, height – 3.5 meters, and weight could reach 3 tons.

    The richest finds were made in the Transbaikal Territory. They belong to the Jehol biota – these are fossil remains of feathered dinosaurs, birds, mammals and plants, which are found in large quantities in the Lower Cretaceous deposits of North-Eastern China. So far, these unique locations of ancient fauna have not been fully studied and, according to Vsevolod Efremenko, there is enough work for many generations of paleontologists.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Some of Australia’s largest companies are failing to ‘know and show’ their respect for human rights

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Birchall, Senior Lecturer in Law, Macquarie University

    The skyline of Sydney’s central business district. Olga Kashubin/Shutterstock

    In our complex, interconnected world, there are risks of human rights violations throughout global supply chains. Examples include not only modern slavery and child labour, but also gender discrimination and violations of land, food and water rights.

    Many people care deeply about whether the companies they support are monitoring and addressing these issues. So, how do some of the biggest Australian companies measure up?

    To answer this question, we analysed the human rights commitments of 25 of the top companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), including some of our largest banks and mining companies.

    We found Australian companies have a long way to go in “knowing and showing” a commitment to respect human rights, suggesting an urgent need for reform.

    One response could be for Australia to follow the European Union’s lead and create a mandatory human rights due diligence regime.



    Read more:
    Many global corporations will soon have to police up and down their supply chains as EU human rights ‘due diligence’ law nears enactment

    International best practice

    Our analysis used the World Benchmarking Alliance’s Corporate Human Rights Benchmark Core UNGP Indicators.

    This benchmark uses 12 indicators that draw on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP), the authoritative international standard.

    There are human rights risks across many stages of global supply chains.
    JULY_P30/Shutterstock

    The indicators are grouped into three themes:

    1. policy commitments to respect human rights
    2. embedding respect through ongoing human rights due diligence
    3. enabling accessible remedies and grievance mechanisms for workers and external stakeholders.

    Companies score between zero and two points on each indicator, depending on how they satisfy its requirements. The maximum possible score is 24.

    It’s important to understand that the aim of our study was not to assess whether these companies have been violating human rights. Rather, it was to evaluate whether companies have disclosed their policies and processes to respect human rights.

    The UN Guiding Principles expect companies to have suitable due diligence processes in place and make these publicly available in an accessible form.

    Ideally, companies should clearly state that they respect all human rights. This includes rights such as nondiscrimination, the prohibition on forced or child labour, freedom to join trade unions, and the right to a clean environment.

    They should outline in detail the mechanisms in place to identify and address actual or potential abuses. On top of this, detail which officials in the company hold responsibility for managing these issues.

    The better companies would even disclose examples of human rights abuses that they discovered in their operations, such as modern slavery or a gender pay gap.

    Poor performance overall

    Our research covered the 25 largest Australian companies by market capitalisation that had not previously been assessed under this benchmark.

    This included some of the leading Australian companies from a range of sectors – mining, banks, energy, insurance, transportation, telecommunication, media, health care and pharmaceuticals.

    Scores were poor overall. The best-performing company scored eight out of a possible 24 points. The average score was 3.6.

    Many companies were found to be making vague or ambiguous human rights commitments or only focusing on a narrow set of modern slavery risks.

    No company disclosed all of the human rights due diligence processes needed to identify, prevent, mitigate and remediate human rights risks. Nor did any disclose how they consulted with relevant stakeholders such as workers or displaced communities to help them understand and identify relevant human rights risks in company operations.

    Only ten of the 25 companies provided a mechanism for external individuals and communities to raise human rights complaints or concerns.

    Companies scored particularly poorly on the second group of indicators: embedding respect through ongoing human rights due diligence. The average score here was 0.58 out of 12.

    Many companies only focused on identifying and addressing modern slavery in their operations, to the exclusion of other human rights risks such as sexual harassment or environmental pollution.

    It was also concerning that companies we assessed often passed the burden of compliance to suppliers. That is, they established higher expectations for suppliers’ conduct than they set for their own.

    Legal requirements made a difference

    Our research found that companies scored well in making human rights commitments where there was a legal obligation to do so.

    Every company, for example, scored the point available for hosting a grievance mechanism for workers to raise concerns about the company. This is because Australia’s Corporations Act requires companies to create a whistleblower mechanism.

    Similarly, most companies disclosed elements of their modern slavery due diligence process, because this is legally required under the Modern Slavery Act.

    Proactive steps

    It is clear from our research that many large Australian companies are not operating in line with international standards.

    That means they also aren’t ready to comply with the ripple effects of the mandatory human rights due diligence laws recently introduced in Europe.

    These laws will require large Australian companies that do significant business in Europe to conduct comprehensive human rights due diligence.

    The European Union has recently introduced mandatory human rights due diligence laws.
    VanderWolf Images/Shutterstock

    Australian companies must take proactive steps to comply with international standards. This means making a public commitment to respect all human rights, establishing and publicly disclosing their human rights due diligence process.

    It will also mean involving everyone who is affected by or has an interest in the company’s activities throughout the due diligence process. This includes making sure they have a way to raise concerns and seek remedies.

    The Australian government has a vital role in ensuring that companies take their human rights responsibilities seriously. The current reporting regime under the Modern Slavery Act has proven very weak, confirmed under a recent formal review.

    Our findings suggest the government should enact a stronger and broader mandatory human rights due diligence law covering all human rights.

    David Birchall is Deputy Director of the B&HR Access to Justice Lab at Macquarie Law School.

    Ebony Birchall is the Deputy Director of the B&HR Access to Justice Lab at Macquarie University. She has previously received research funding from the Australian Government, Macquarie University and the Freedom Fund.

    Surya Deva is Director of the B&HR Access to Justice Lab at Macquarie University. He is currently UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development. He has previously received funding from the GIZ, the UNDP, the Freedom Fund and the International Commission of Jurists. He is part of the World Benchmarking Alliance’s Expert Review Committee. The Lab received funding from Maurice Blackburn Lawyers and the World Benchmarking Alliance to cover the costs of hosting an event to launch this report.

    – ref. Some of Australia’s largest companies are failing to ‘know and show’ their respect for human rights – https://theconversation.com/some-of-australias-largest-companies-are-failing-to-know-and-show-their-respect-for-human-rights-250055

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The major parties want 9 in 10 GP visits bulk billed by 2030. Here’s why we shouldn’t aim for 100%

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yuting Zhang, Professor of Health Economics, The University of Melbourne

    Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock

    Unaffordable GP visits has become a pressing issue amid the increasing cost-of-living crisis. About 30% of Australians delayed or didn’t see a GP in 2023–24.

    To solve this problem, Labor has proposed extending bulk billing incentives to all Australians. It hopes to increase bulk billing from 78% to 90% by 2030.

    The Coalition has promised to match Labor’s plan.

    Why not aim for 100%? It might seem a worthy goal to make GP care free for everyone, for every visit. But the evidence suggests there’s benefit to getting those on higher incomes to contribute a small amount to the cost of seeing a GP.

    GP care should be free for these Australians

    We should aim for access to GP care to be affordable and equitable. For some people, this should mean they can access the services for free.

    Appointments for children should be free. Making health checks regular and accessible during childhood is an effective long-term investment which can delay the onset of disease.

    GP visits should also be free for people with low incomes. Free primary care can mean people who would otherwise avoid seeing a GP can have their ongoing conditions managed, undergo preventive health checks, and fill prescriptions.

    When people skip GP visits and can’t afford to fill their prescriptions, their conditions can worsen. This can reduce the person’s quality of life, and require higher-cost emergency department visits and hospital care.

    Appointments in rural and remote areas should also be free. Australians living in rural and remote areas currently pay more to see a GP, have less access to care when they need it, and experience poorer health outcomes and shorter lives than their city counterparts.

    Making GP visits free for rural and remote Australians would help reduce this rural–urban gap.

    Rural Australians find it harder to see a GP when they need one.
    Michael Leslie/Shutterstock

    However, providing free GP care for everyone can cause unnecessary strain on health budgets and make the policy unsustainable in the long run.

    What can happen if you make care free for all?

    In general, when the price is low, or something is free, people use these services more. This includes medical care and medications. Free GP care may encourage more people to see their GP more than is necessary.

    Previous research showed that free care increased the use of health care but does not necessarily improve health outcomes, especially for those who are relatively healthy.

    If people are using GP services when they’re not really needed, this takes limited resources from those who really need them and can increase waiting times.

    Australia is already experiencing a GP shortage. Higher patient volumes could leave existing GPs overwhelmed and overstretched. This can reduce the quality of care.

    Countries that have made primary health care free for all, such as Canada and the United Kingdom, still report issues with access and equity. In Canada, 22% of Canadian adults do not have access to regular primary care. In the United Kingdom, people who live in poor areas struggle to get access to care.

    Make co-payments more affordable

    To balance affordability for patients with the financial viability of primary care, Australians who can afford to contribute to the cost of their GP care should pay a small amount.

    However, the A$60 many of us currently pay to visit a GP is arguably too expensive, as it may prompt some to forego care when they need it.

    A relatively smaller co-payment in the range of around $20 to $30 to visit the GP would help discourage unnecessary visits when resources are limited, but be less likely to turn patients off seeking this care.

    Providing free GP visits for all may not be efficient or sustainable, but making it more affordable and equitable can lead to a more efficient and sustainable care system and doing so is within our reach.



    Read more:
    Should we aim to bulk-bill everyone for GP visits? We asked 5 experts

    Yuting Zhang has received funding from the Australian Research Council (future fellowship project ID FT200100630), Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the Victorian Department of Health, and National Health and Medical Research Council. In the past, Professor Zhang has received funding from several US institutes including the US National Institutes of Health, Commonwealth fund, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She has not received funding from for-profit industry including the private health insurance industry.

    Karinna Saxby has previously received funding from the Department of Health and Aged Care,

    – ref. The major parties want 9 in 10 GP visits bulk billed by 2030. Here’s why we shouldn’t aim for 100% – https://theconversation.com/the-major-parties-want-9-in-10-gp-visits-bulk-billed-by-2030-heres-why-we-shouldnt-aim-for-100-249605

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Calling 000 for help in an emergency doesn’t work in parts of Australia – but a new plan could change that

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark A Gregory, Associate Professor, School of Engineering, RMIT University

    robert paul van beets/Shutterstock

    People could soon make mobile calls and send SMS text messages from the remotest parts of Australia, under a new election promise from the federal Albanese government to overhaul the country’s mobile phone network.

    The proposal would create a new universal outdoor mobile obligation for Australian mobile carriers such as Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. This obligation would require carriers to work with companies operating low Earth orbit satellites to provide access to mobile voice, SMS and the Triple Zero (000) service almost everywhere across Australia.

    This world-first reform would be a major step forward for public safety – especially in regional and remote areas, where mobile coverage is currently poor to nonexistent. The Albanese government says that if it wins the upcoming election, it would implement the reform by late 2027.

    However, implementing it will come with some technical challenges.

    Satellites boost mobile access

    Low Earth orbit satellites operate at an altitude of between 160km and 2,000km above the Earth’s surface. Examples include the roughly 7,000 Starlink satellites owned and operated by tech billionaire Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, that are currently in orbit.

    The new generation of these satellites incorporates a technology known as “direct to device”. This means they can directly connect with mobile phones. And it is this feature the Labor government’s new proposal seeks to utilise.

    Specifically, the proposal aims to:

    • expand Triple Zero (000) access for Australians across the nation
    • expand outdoor voice and SMS coverage into existing mobile black spots
    • improve the availability of mobile signals during disasters and power outages.

    The proposal adds to carriers’ existing obligations to provide fixed phone and internet services across Australia.

    In a few years, low Earth orbit satellites should also be able to provide data using an enhanced direct to device technology. The government has said it will consider including data in the obligation when the opportunity arises.

    Staying safer and better connected in the bush

    The telecommunications industry has long worked towards a goal of providing universal outdoor mobile coverage in Australia. Labor’s new proposal provides the impetus for the industry to take this major step forward.

    It would also provide the guidance necessary to ensure a consumer safety focus remains the fundamental rationale for telecommunications.

    This policy would ensure everyone can connect to emergency services, friends and family during emergencies or natural disasters.

    The benefits for people living and working in regional and remote areas would be considerable.

    For example, truck drivers experiencing a breakdown in the outback would be able to call for assistance. And farmers working in the remote wheat belt regions of Western Australia could stay connected with other workers and their families.

    Technical problems to solve

    However, there are some technical problems the telecommunications industry will need to overcome to achieve universal outdoor mobile coverage.

    Across the world, nations are rolling out mobile networks that use different radio frequencies. For the universal outdoor mobile obligation to be successful, the mobile carriers will need to work with satellite providers to ensure the spectrum bands used in Australia for the 4G, and in the future 5G, mobile networks will also work with satellites.

    Mobile devices connect with the network when the user makes a phone call, sends an SMS text message or browses the internet.

    When the mobile is connected to a low Earth orbit satellite, it’s important that it can tell apps to “shut up” and stop trying to connect to the network to transmit data. Otherwise the connected mobiles could cause congestion and limit service reliability and resilience.

    There are mobile handsets that have this capability today. But the vast majority of older mobile handsets do not. A list of compatible mobile handsets would need to be compiled and made available, so that consumers can consider this information when purchasing a mobile.

    To connect to a low Earth orbit satellite, it is anticipated a mobile will need to be used in a location where the sky can be seen directly. And initially at least, using a satellite-connected mobile inside a vehicle will require an external antenna.

    The universal outdoor mobile obligation would enable drivers experiencing a breakdown in the outback to call for help.
    DedovStock/Shutterstock

    A timely step forward

    The government says the introduction of a universal outdoor mobile obligation would provide an opportunity to modernise and expand existing service obligations for mobile carriers. For both to be successful, there is also a need for minimum performance standards.

    Providing mobile voice call and SMS text access across Australia is of little value if the service quality is poor, and fails during an emergency or natural disaster.

    That being said, Labor’s proposal should gain bipartisan support. It is a timely step forward that will bring positive outcomes for all Australians, especially those living and working in regional and remote areas.

    Mark A Gregory has received funding from the Australian Research Council, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network grants program and the auDA Foundation. Life member of the Telecommunications Association.

    – ref. Calling 000 for help in an emergency doesn’t work in parts of Australia – but a new plan could change that – https://theconversation.com/calling-000-for-help-in-an-emergency-doesnt-work-in-parts-of-australia-but-a-new-plan-could-change-that-250762

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Remembering Roberta Flack, a spellbinding virtuoso of musical interpretation

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Leigh Carriage, Senior Lecturer in Music, Southern Cross University

    The multi-Grammy award winner Roberta Flack has passed away at 88.

    Her approach and sound were a unique combination of soul, folk, rhythm and blues, jazz, pop and musicianship, and arranging skills so broad she had had a lasting impact on future artists.

    Her sustained career laid a foundation for pop and neo-soul artists Alicia Keys, Erykah Badu, Solange, J Dilla, Flying Lotus, and D’Angelo.

    Over her career, Flack performed some original songs, but she is better known for her myriad of covers and performances of songs written for her. No matter who wrote the songs, she made all of them her own. She was a master of musical interpretation.

    An early life of music

    Flack was born in North Carolina in 1937. Both of her parents played piano; her mother was the church organist.

    Her early interest in gospel tunes was encouraged and supported with her participation in a local Baptist church in Arlington, Virginia, and many relatives who sang.

    Her formal classical musical training continued at Howard University. After a brief period teaching at a junior high school, Flack started landing regular bookings at Mr. Henry’s, a Washington DC bar where Flack performed a range of traditional spirituals, jazz, blues and folk repertoire.

    In 1968, she signed with Atlantic Records.

    Her brilliant debut

    Her debut album, First Take, was recorded over just ten hours in 1969 at Atlantic Recording Studios, New York. First take indeed! Genius!

    Considering Flack’s background, religious inspiration and being surrounded by the social movements of the 1960s, it is not surprising that her first album features songs that address race and religion. The album creates a fusion of music with themes of spiritually and compelling political issues.

    Flack blended genres effortlessly. One of the highlights of the album is Flack’s interpretation of the folk song The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. Written in 1957 by British political singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl for the vocalist Peggy Seeger, Flack’s interpretation is notably delivered with a deliberately slower tempo, and with legato phrasing – smooth, and connected.

    The lesser-known second track, the Venezuelan/Mexican song Angelitos Negros, offers a soulful statement of black rights.

    Flack’s powerful vocal delivery evokes a haunting sense of loss and refined passion. This, combined with her choice of musical arrangement with repeating lyrics, forms a commanding protest song.

    Always forging her own path

    Labels often described her work as “adult contemporary” or “easy-listening”.

    This barely addresses the diversity within her catalogue, which features Broadway ballads like The Impossible Dream, her definitive interpretation of Leonard Cohen’s Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye, Bee Gees and Beatles songs, and folk classics.

    Blending genres like jazz, latin, rock and folk with nuanced elements of classical into her own arrangements and song interpretations, to the listener Flack’s interpretation becomes authorship.

    In this way, Flack played a role in defining pop music’s processes.

    Flack is best known for her majestic indelible early hits songs like Killing Me Softly with His Song, Where Is the Love and The Closer I Get to You.

    The 1973 live recording of Killing Me Softly With His Song, written by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel, is breathtaking.

    Flack opens without an introduction: straight in, delicately infusing the lyrics with a vast array of tonal shades. The smooth phrases are delivered with a beautifully aligned dynamic, like the most carefully crafted expression.

    In 1996 Killing Me Softly with His Song, was reinvented by the Fugees with lead vocalist Lauryn Hill.

    Where Is the Love, a duet with Donny Hathaway, brings together their two legendary voices perfectly. Here were two highly skilled pianists with incredible musicality with voices that blended perfectly together.

    I have always enjoyed Flack’s version of Compared to What. Flack’s emotive delivery; the warmth of her tone; the panache; the edgeless smooth phrasing pulls you near in complete comfort.

    For Flack the lyric meaning – telling the story with clarity and honesty – was paramount. Her expression is refined with understated inventiveness. There is such power in her performances. She is spellbinding, reaching a deep soulful place that is both classically and contemporarily informed.

    While Flack wrote some songs, such as You Know What It’s Like, she was not predominantly a songwriter. Instead, she was a virtuosic interpreter of music. Whether penned by Flack or not, each song’s interpretation sounds authored by her. That is the sense you are getting when you listen to her music: it doesn’t matter who it’s written by, her interpretation makes you believe it is by her.

    Leigh Carriage 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. Remembering Roberta Flack, a spellbinding virtuoso of musical interpretation – https://theconversation.com/remembering-roberta-flack-a-spellbinding-virtuoso-of-musical-interpretation-250763

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The gold price has surged to record highs. What’s behind the move?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Dirk Baur, Professor of Finance, The University of Western Australia

    The gold price has surged to a new all-time high above US$2,900 (A$4,544) an ounce this month.

    It has risen by 12% since the start of the year and clearly outperformed US and Australian stock markets. The US stock index S&P500 is up 4% and the ASX 200 has gained just 2% in that time.

    That follows an extraordinary run in 2024, when the precious metal surged 27%, the biggest rise in 14 years.

    The drivers behind this surge include heightened uncertainty and fear of inflation that has been stoked by US President Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs, together with increased demand from central banks.

    What explains gold’s recent rally?

    There are many factors at play.

    The supply of gold through gold mine production and recycling is relatively constant over time. But the demand is more variable, and consists of four major components: jewellery, technology, investment and central banks.

    In 2024, jewellery accounted for about 50% of total demand, technology or industrial demand was 5%, investment demand was 25% and central bank demand was 20%.

    Investment demand refers to investors who buy gold as an asset. Central banks generally buy gold to diversify their reserve holdings.

    As all four demand components vary over time (some more than others), gold price movements are sometimes driven by jewellery demand, sometimes by investor demand, and sometimes – as has happened recently – by central bank demand.

    What adds to the difficulty is that both the gold supply and gold demand are global. The supply comes from gold mines across the globe, from emerging countries in Africa and industrial countries such as Australia and Canada.

    The same is true for demand. While China and India dominate jewellery demand, the demand comes from many countries, as does investment demand. Central bank demand stems from large and small central banks around the world.

    Why is there demand for gold?

    One key reason for the popularity of gold is that it is considered to be a store of value. This means gold rises with inflation and maintains its value in the long run.

    In other words, an ounce of gold buys the same basket of goods (or more) today than 20 years ago. This is not the case for money (or fiat currency) such as the US or Australian dollars.

    Due to inflation, the value of money is not constant but depreciates over time. Because gold holds its value, it is also called an inflation hedge.

    While the store of value property holds in the long run, there is another important property that is more short-lived and particularly relevant during crisis periods.

    Gold is seen as a safe haven in troubled times

    The safe haven property of gold means gold prices increase when investors seek shelter in response to a shock or crisis. For example, investors bought gold in reaction to the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks, the start of the global financial crisis in 2008, and the outbreak of COVID in 2020.

    The safe haven effect of gold is generally short-lived, often resulting in falling gold prices after about 15 days.

    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the subsequent sanctions on Russia – especially the freeze of Russia’s foreign government bond holdings abroad – has highlighted the risk to governments of losing access to foreign currency holdings.

    It appears some governments or central banks reacted to this with increased gold purchases. This led to a record high of 1,082 tonnes of central bank gold purchases in 2022.

    2023 saw the second-highest annual purchase in history at 1,051 tonnes, followed by 1,041 tonnes in 2024.

    The potential reaction of central banks to the Russian invasion of Ukraine is akin to investors seeking a safe haven, but is a rather new phenomenon for central banks.

    There is an additional, secondary, effect of such central bank purchases and rebalancing from US dollars to gold.

    Selling US dollars for gold implies a weakening US dollar, which increases the price of gold. (If the US dollar weakens, you need more US dollars to buy gold.) The inverse relationship between gold prices and currencies also makes gold a currency hedge. That means gold can protect investors from potential losses due to fluctuating exchange rates. This effect is particularly strong for rather volatile currencies such as the Australian dollar.

    In contrast to the shock caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the more recent increase in gold prices is harder to associate with a single shock.

    Broader economic worries

    The election of Trump has not only increased the risk of higher inflation due to tariffs and a trade war, it has also increased geopolitical risk as the US government reassesses its alliances with other countries.

    The relative unpredictability of Trump compared with his predecessors and with politicians more generally may have increased uncertainty and gold prices.
    The recent gold price trend highlights that “gold loves bad news”.

    Gold prices may anticipate geopolitical shocks or higher inflation. Gold prices rose well before inflation increased after the pandemic and started to fall when inflation had peaked in 2022.

    It is not clear exactly why gold has risen to all-time highs in 2025, but it’s possibly not good news for the world economy.

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

    – ref. The gold price has surged to record highs. What’s behind the move? – https://theconversation.com/the-gold-price-has-surged-to-record-highs-whats-behind-the-move-250391

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Active transport boost for New South Wales

    Source: Australian Ministers 1

    People living in NSW will have more opportunities to walk, cycle and actively move through their communities thanks to support from the Albanese Government. 

    $16 million will be invested in 10 projects across NSW to build new or upgrade existing bicycle and walking paths.

    Lake Macquarie City Council will receive $1.3 million to construct a shared path from Soldiers Road to Lake Macquarie Airport via Pacific Highway. The approximately 280m of shared path will provide the missing link between existing shared user paths and will deliver improved road safety with a designated path for pedestrian  and cyclists separate from traffic on the road.   

    Further north, in Bellingen $3.36 million will be invested to design and construct 2940m of shared paths and footpaths from South Urunga Urban Release Area to Urunga CBD. A favourite location for tourists and locals, the new paths will make the area safer and more accessible.   

    The Brewarrina Shire Council will receive $3 million for the design and construction of four pedestrian and cycle paths to connect the Brewarrina Township to the Barwon River. The project will also include solar-powered lighting, shaded rest areas and seating. 

    Other projects receiving funding include:

    • Over $2 million for Blue Mountains City Council to construct a shared path from White Cross Road, Winmalee to Hawkesbury Heights Lookout.
    • $88,000 for Port Macquarie Hastings Council to construct a footpath at St Agnes Primary School.  
    • $877,000 for Canterbury-Bankstown Council to design and construct a cycleway at Phillips Avenue, Canterbury. 
    • $2.9 million for the Wilson Street West Cycleway in Newtown to be delivered by Transport for NSW. 
    • $781,000 for Lake Macquarie City Council to design and construct a shared path in Cooranbong. 
    • $1 million for the Goodooga Town Centre to Bore Baths Connection Project in Brewarrina. 
    • $596,000 for the design and construction for a footpath and pedestrian crossings along Palace Street, Petersham. 

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

    Our new Active Transport Fund is one part of this, providing safe and accessible transport options that are good for the planet and good for ourselves.  

    This program supports the Government’s commitment to invest in infrastructure planning, design and construction that improves safety outcomes for vulnerable road users under the National Road and Safety Strategy 2021-2030. 

    For more information visit: investment.infrastructure.gov.au/resources-funding-recipients/active-transport-fund-resources

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

    “From the Blue Mountains to Bellingen, we’re investing in active transport options right across New South Wales to shape the way locals and visitors move around our great towns. 

     “Whether you’re on a motor scooter, pushing a pram, walking or cycling, we’re making it easier for people to get to school, work or local services, without having to jump in the car. 

    Quotes attributable to Federal Member for Shortland Pat Conroy: 

    “This is about so much more than bike lanes and footpaths, it’s about increasing mobility for all our citizens. It will also improve safety and accessibility for the residents of Pelican and everyone who visits our beautiful part of the world.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Remembering Roberta Flack, a spellbinding virtuoso of musical interpretation

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leigh Carriage, Senior Lecturer in Music, Southern Cross University

    The multi-Grammy award winner Roberta Flack has passed away at 88.

    Her approach and sound were a unique combination of soul, folk, rhythm and blues, jazz, pop and musicianship, and arranging skills so broad she had had a lasting impact on future artists.

    Her sustained career laid a foundation for pop and neo-soul artists Alicia Keys, Erykah Badu, Solange, J Dilla, Flying Lotus, and D’Angelo.

    Over her career, Flack performed some original songs, but she is better known for her myriad of covers and performances of songs written for her. No matter who wrote the songs, she made all of them her own. She was a master of musical interpretation.

    An early life of music

    Flack was born in North Carolina in 1937. Both of her parents played piano; her mother was the church organist.

    Her early interest in gospel tunes was encouraged and supported with her participation in a local Baptist church in Arlington, Virginia, and many relatives who sang.

    Her formal classical musical training continued at Howard University. After a brief period teaching at a junior high school, Flack started landing regular bookings at Mr. Henry’s, a Washington DC bar where Flack performed a range of traditional spirituals, jazz, blues and folk repertoire.

    In 1968, she signed with Atlantic Records.

    Her brilliant debut

    Her debut album, First Take, was recorded over just ten hours in 1969 at Atlantic Recording Studios, New York. First take indeed! Genius!

    Considering Flack’s background, religious inspiration and being surrounded by the social movements of the 1960s, it is not surprising that her first album features songs that address race and religion. The album creates a fusion of music with themes of spiritually and compelling political issues.

    Flack blended genres effortlessly. One of the highlights of the album is Flack’s interpretation of the folk song The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. Written in 1957 by British political singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl for the vocalist Peggy Seeger, Flack’s interpretation is notably delivered with a deliberately slower tempo, and with legato phrasing – smooth, and connected.

    The lesser-known second track, the Venezuelan/Mexican song Angelitos Negros, offers a soulful statement of black rights.

    Flack’s powerful vocal delivery evokes a haunting sense of loss and refined passion. This, combined with her choice of musical arrangement with repeating lyrics, forms a commanding protest song.

    Always forging her own path

    Labels often described her work as “adult contemporary” or “easy-listening”.

    This barely addresses the diversity within her catalogue, which features Broadway ballads like The Impossible Dream, her definitive interpretation of Leonard Cohen’s Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye, Bee Gees and Beatles songs, and folk classics.

    Blending genres like jazz, latin, rock and folk with nuanced elements of classical into her own arrangements and song interpretations, to the listener Flack’s interpretation becomes authorship.

    In this way, Flack played a role in defining pop music’s processes.

    Flack is best known for her majestic indelible early hits songs like Killing Me Softly with His Song, Where Is the Love and The Closer I Get to You.

    The 1973 live recording of Killing Me Softly With His Song, written by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel, is breathtaking.

    Flack opens without an introduction: straight in, delicately infusing the lyrics with a vast array of tonal shades. The smooth phrases are delivered with a beautifully aligned dynamic, like the most carefully crafted expression.

    In 1996 Killing Me Softly with His Song, was reinvented by the Fugees with lead vocalist Lauryn Hill.

    Where Is the Love, a duet with Donny Hathaway, brings together their two legendary voices perfectly. Here were two highly skilled pianists with incredible musicality with voices that blended perfectly together.

    I have always enjoyed Flack’s version of Compared to What. Flack’s emotive delivery; the warmth of her tone; the panache; the edgeless smooth phrasing pulls you near in complete comfort.

    For Flack the lyric meaning – telling the story with clarity and honesty – was paramount. Her expression is refined with understated inventiveness. There is such power in her performances. She is spellbinding, reaching a deep soulful place that is both classically and contemporarily informed.

    While Flack wrote some songs, such as You Know What It’s Like, she was not predominantly a songwriter. Instead, she was a virtuosic interpreter of music. Whether penned by Flack or not, each song’s interpretation sounds authored by her. That is the sense you are getting when you listen to her music: it doesn’t matter who it’s written by, her interpretation makes you believe it is by her.

    Leigh Carriage 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. Remembering Roberta Flack, a spellbinding virtuoso of musical interpretation – https://theconversation.com/remembering-roberta-flack-a-spellbinding-virtuoso-of-musical-interpretation-250763

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The gold price has surged to record highs. What’s behind the move?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dirk Baur, Professor of Finance, The University of Western Australia

    The gold price has surged to a new all-time high above US$2,900 (A$4,544) an ounce this month.

    It has risen by 12% since the start of the year and clearly outperformed US and Australian stock markets. The US stock index S&P500 is up 4% and the ASX 200 has gained just 2% in that time.

    That follows an extraordinary run in 2024, when the precious metal surged 27%, the biggest rise in 14 years.

    The drivers behind this surge include heightened uncertainty and fear of inflation that has been stoked by US President Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs, together with increased demand from central banks.

    What explains gold’s recent rally?

    There are many factors at play.

    The supply of gold through gold mine production and recycling is relatively constant over time. But the demand is more variable, and consists of four major components: jewellery, technology, investment and central banks.

    In 2024, jewellery accounted for about 50% of total demand, technology or industrial demand was 5%, investment demand was 25% and central bank demand was 20%.

    Investment demand refers to investors who buy gold as an asset. Central banks generally buy gold to diversify their reserve holdings.

    As all four demand components vary over time (some more than others), gold price movements are sometimes driven by jewellery demand, sometimes by investor demand, and sometimes – as has happened recently – by central bank demand.

    What adds to the difficulty is that both the gold supply and gold demand are global. The supply comes from gold mines across the globe, from emerging countries in Africa and industrial countries such as Australia and Canada.

    The same is true for demand. While China and India dominate jewellery demand, the demand comes from many countries, as does investment demand. Central bank demand stems from large and small central banks around the world.

    Why is there demand for gold?

    One key reason for the popularity of gold is that it is considered to be a store of value. This means gold rises with inflation and maintains its value in the long run.

    In other words, an ounce of gold buys the same basket of goods (or more) today than 20 years ago. This is not the case for money (or fiat currency) such as the US or Australian dollars.

    Due to inflation, the value of money is not constant but depreciates over time. Because gold holds its value, it is also called an inflation hedge.

    While the store of value property holds in the long run, there is another important property that is more short-lived and particularly relevant during crisis periods.

    Gold is seen as a safe haven in troubled times

    The safe haven property of gold means gold prices increase when investors seek shelter in response to a shock or crisis. For example, investors bought gold in reaction to the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks, the start of the global financial crisis in 2008, and the outbreak of COVID in 2020.

    The safe haven effect of gold is generally short-lived, often resulting in falling gold prices after about 15 days.

    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the subsequent sanctions on Russia – especially the freeze of Russia’s foreign government bond holdings abroad – has highlighted the risk to governments of losing access to foreign currency holdings.

    It appears some governments or central banks reacted to this with increased gold purchases. This led to a record high of 1,082 tonnes of central bank gold purchases in 2022.

    2023 saw the second-highest annual purchase in history at 1,051 tonnes, followed by 1,041 tonnes in 2024.

    The potential reaction of central banks to the Russian invasion of Ukraine is akin to investors seeking a safe haven, but is a rather new phenomenon for central banks.

    There is an additional, secondary, effect of such central bank purchases and rebalancing from US dollars to gold.

    Selling US dollars for gold implies a weakening US dollar, which increases the price of gold. (If the US dollar weakens, you need more US dollars to buy gold.) The inverse relationship between gold prices and currencies also makes gold a currency hedge. That means gold can protect investors from potential losses due to fluctuating exchange rates. This effect is particularly strong for rather volatile currencies such as the Australian dollar.

    In contrast to the shock caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the more recent increase in gold prices is harder to associate with a single shock.

    Broader economic worries

    The election of Trump has not only increased the risk of higher inflation due to tariffs and a trade war, it has also increased geopolitical risk as the US government reassesses its alliances with other countries.

    The relative unpredictability of Trump compared with his predecessors and with politicians more generally may have increased uncertainty and gold prices.
    The recent gold price trend highlights that “gold loves bad news”.

    Gold prices may anticipate geopolitical shocks or higher inflation. Gold prices rose well before inflation increased after the pandemic and started to fall when inflation had peaked in 2022.

    It is not clear exactly why gold has risen to all-time highs in 2025, but it’s possibly not good news for the world economy.

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

    – ref. The gold price has surged to record highs. What’s behind the move? – https://theconversation.com/the-gold-price-has-surged-to-record-highs-whats-behind-the-move-250391

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What do young people want to see in politics? More than 20,000 pieces of their writing hold some answers

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philippa Collin, Professor, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University

    Shutterstock

    Ahead of the Australian election, candidates, advisers and political parties might be paying attention to what young people think. And if they’re not, they should be.

    This election will be the first in which Gen Z and Millennial voters (aged 18–40) will outnumber Baby Boomers (aged 60–79). Many of these young people were in high school during the previous two elections.

    While there are concerns about the effectiveness of civics and citizenship education, there is also evidence young people are interested in, and active on, many issues.

    So what do young people care about most? We analysed thousands of pieces of writing by young Australians to find out.

    What matters to young people?

    For the past 20 years, young people have been telling us what matters to them as part of the Whitlam Institute’s What Matters? writing competition. Students in years 5–12 can write about whatever they like. Most are directed by their schools to contribute as a part of their civics curriculum. Some opt to enter the competition out of interest.

    A unique sample, our analysis of 22,500 entries from 2019 to 2024 provides insight into the issues that resonate most with this generation.

    We identified common themes: society and democracy, mental health, environment and climate change, intergenerational justice and (social) media.

    1. Society and democracy

    We found young people were actively grappling with complex and diverse issues in an increasingly fragmented political landscape. They are also concerned about anti-democratic forces.

    They reflect on what makes this moment exceptional – climate change, war and violence, rapid technological change – and consider actions needed from individuals, communities and institutions for them to have a future.

    Our research shows young people prioritise care in local and global futures, valuing peer support, family, intergenerational ties, and connections across communities and borders. The most common topic was family, followed by pollution, racism and poverty.

    An ethics of care shapes their sense of belonging and responsibility –
    and the responsibilities of government. As a senior student wrote in 2022:

    Children are being abused, or watching one of their parents be abused countless times. The Government needs to step up and do their job properly by using more effective ways of helping children and their parents get out of unsafe environments.

    Our sentiment analysis shows that they write with hope – and frequently with anxiety and fear.

    2. Mental health

    Many young people write about “health”, including physical health and the health of communities and natural environments. Most often, though, they write about mental health and the causes of worry, distress and illness.

    Young people want governments and leaders to tackle the causes of the causes of ill-health. In other words, they want action on what creates the drivers of ill-health, including climate change, inequality and loneliness.

    For policymakers and advocates, this means recognising mental health as deeply connected to broader social and political issues – issues young people believe governments must address if they are serious about improving wellbeing.

    3. Environment and climate change

    Environmental issues, particularly climate change, were dominant themes — more so than in previous years. Students write about their relationship to the environment and the benefits of connecting to nature.

    Concerns about climate change were a common theme across the entries.
    Shutterstock

    Some are calling out extractive relationships with the environment, particularly by large corporations. They demand urgent action from individuals and institutions, advocating for policies that prioritise future generations and the planet.

    A senior student wrote in 2019:

    our future is under threat because of climate change […] it is our generation’s future that is on the line, yet we continue to be unheard.

    4. Intergenerational justice

    Young people see intergenerational justice and social justice as interconnected, demanding climate action, economic opportunity and democratic participation. Their concerns reflect a commitment to human rights including refugee rights, gender equality and Indigenous justice.

    Their writing shows awareness of Australia’s role in the world. Many discuss global conflicts and the responsibilities of nations in promoting peace and security. They want to contribute to efforts to address these issues.

    Young people want to trust and have more of a role in Australian democracy. They want those in power, and the institutions and agencies over which they preside, to be more transparent, to communicate regularly and honestly, and to show how they are taking action for a better future for all generations.

    Key areas where young people want greater accountability are in government, the media and business. Twelve-year-old Ivy said in an interview:

    young children should have a direct voice to parliament […] adults would take us more seriously instead of just viewing us as just kids. If issues affect kids right now or this generation, they should have a say about that to parliament.

    Young people want their activism and efforts recognised and supported. They hope for a democracy in which they’re not just heard, but are actively engaged by leaders, with a direct voice in government (at all levels) and institutions.

    5. (Social) media

    Young people highlight social media’s pros and cons, calling for strategies that better engage with them to reduce harm and maximise benefits.

    Young Australians painted a nuanced picture of social media.
    Shutterstock

    They stress the need for digital literacy to navigate online information critically, and they want online environments to be supportive and safe.

    Young people are concerned about how they are represented in the media generally. They argue that inclusive and accurate portrayals are key to having their voices heard and respected – crucial for meaningful civic participation.

    Candidates on notice

    Young people are not just future constituents – they are voting at the next election.

    The young people whose writing we analysed have formed civic and political values during a turbulent time in Australian and world history: catastrophic bushfires and floods, a climate crisis, a pandemic, and digital technologies that are changing our lives.

    They reject the idea they are too young to understand issues, and instead want a participatory democracy in which their voices influence real decisions. Indeed, the public has shown a desire to let young people have more of a say.

    Our analysis tells us many of this year’s 18–24-year-old voters are informed, engaged and ready to hold leaders accountable. They want action on climate, mental health, economic justice and democratic accountability. They’re tired of being ignored and sidelined.

    The authors would like to acknowledge research assistant Ammar Shoukat Randhawa for their work on the research this article reports.

    Philippa Collin receives funding from the Australian Research Council, Telstra Foundation, Google, batyr, Whitlam Institute, Academy Of The Social Sciences In Australia and NSW Health. In recent years she has received funding from the NHMRC, the Federal Department of Education, Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies.

    Azadeh Dastyari is the Director, Research and Policy at the Whitlam Institute. She also receives funding from the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN).

    Michael Everitt Hartup has no conflict of interest.

    Sky Hugman receives funding from The Whitlam Institute

    – ref. What do young people want to see in politics? More than 20,000 pieces of their writing hold some answers – https://theconversation.com/what-do-young-people-want-to-see-in-politics-more-than-20-000-pieces-of-their-writing-hold-some-answers-250062

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Education – New resources address implicit bias in the classroom – The Oranui

    Source: The Oranui

    Researcher and advocate Anton Blank (Ngāti Porou-Ngāti Kahungunu) this week launches new resources for teachers, to address racism in the classroom.The Oranui (www.oranui.co.nz) resources for teachers include a 20 minute video module, and a short book REWIRE: understanding racism and how to undo it.

    “The resources help teachers explore their own implicit biases towards Māori and Pasifika students,” Anton Blank says.

    Implicit biases influence human behaviour. They are aversions and preferences that sit below the level of our conscious awareness. Implicit biases are informed by stereotypes and can run counter to our explicit beliefs and values.

    “Everyone is influenced by stereotypes that circulate in the social world. We can manage the influence of these stereotypes on our thinking and behaviour by being mindful. This is the focus of the new resources, which explain the dynamics of racism and how to undo it.”

    Anton Blank argues that all stereotypes are harmful, because they promulgate generalisations about social groups that aren’t necessarily true.

    “Around the world, people of colour are more likely to be negatively stereotyped when it comes to issues like intelligence, work ethic and violence.”

    Recent data shows that more than 70 percent of Māori and Pasifika are failing NCEA numeracy standards, which equates to every third student in secondary schools overall.[1]

    “I find these numbers absolutely terrifying. Forty-one percent of New Zealand’s under 18-year-olds are now Māori and Pasifika. These populations are youthful — bottom-heavy compared to the ageing Pākehā cohort — so they will continue to grow and fill our schools.

    “The most important influence within this data is, I believe, the quality of teacher engagement. Decades of research shows that of all groups of students, teachers have lowest expectations of Māori and Pasifika.”

    The Pygmalion Effect describes how teachers’ expectations determine, to a large part, students’ educational outcomes.[2] If Māori children are to achieve, teachers must lift their expectations of students and treat all students as having the same potential for achievement.

    Research from the US also shows that the quality of teacher engagement is very important in underprivileged areas, and upgrading teachers’ skills has the most effect on achievement in those schools. In Aotearoa, 40% of Māori students live in the two most deprived deciles in the country.[3]

    The Oranui resources for teachers include a 20 minute video module, and a short book REWIRE: understanding racism and how to undo it.

    “The resources encourage teachers to explore their own attitudes towards Māori and Pasifika students. Teachers tend to expect these students to disengage from the learning. As a result, teachers make less effort with them.

    “These students internalise these beliefs and by secondary school, they group themselves together at the back of the classroom, where they attract less attention from teachers than Pākehā and Asian students.

    “Māori students do succeed in Māori educational settings, however, where they feel seen in the classroom, and their potential is nurtured by their teachers.

    “For almost ten years, I have worked with teachers across the motu. All of them say they want to see Māori students succeed.

    “It is not correct to say that they are deliberately excluding Māori and Pasifika students from learning in the classroom. Rather, teachers are working under pressure, which is when their behaviour is triggered by the automatic and implicit biases described here.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Stanford Research Coordinator Convicted For Unlawfully Accessing And Altering Breast Cancer Study Database Hours After She Was Fired

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN JOSE – A federal jury convicted Naheed Mangi, 66, a former employee of Stanford University, of accessing a clinical research database for a multisite breast cancer study after her authorization was revoked and altering patient records in the database.  The jury reached its verdict late afternoon on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, following a two-week trial before Senior U.S. District Judge Edward J. Davila.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Mangi was employed as a clinical research coordinator in the Cancer Clinical Trials Office at Stanford’s National Cancer Institute from September 2012 until August 2013.  Mangi worked with doctors and patients in the clinical research program, reporting significant patient events, monitoring research, assisting with scheduling patient appointments, and entering data into clinical dataset.

    Mangi was assigned to a Genentech-sponsored study being conducted at Stanford for breast cancer patients that was referred to as the “Velvet Breast Cancer MO27782 Study.”  The study sought to determine the safety and efficacy of a new, experimental pharmaceutical treatment for patients with metastatic or locally advanced breast cancer. Among other duties, Mangi was responsible for reporting any serious adverse events that a patient may experience during the course of the study and accurately entering patient medical data into the study database.  

    On Aug. 19, 2013, Mangi was terminated from her employment with Stanford and Mangi’s supervisor attempted to revoke her Stanford-related computer access and privileges.  The supervisor emailed Genentech to terminate Mangi’s access to the clinical database, but Mangi’s credentials were not disabled until the following day.  

    The jury found that later in the evening on Aug. 19, after Stanford had revoked her access, Mangi logged into the clinical database and altered data in the Velvet Breast Cancer MO27782 Study, replacing patient medical data with erroneous information and insults about her former supervisor.  As a result of Mangi’s unauthorized actions, Stanford undertook an internal investigation, reentered all of the data about its participants in the study from source documents into the study database, and reported the incident to local and federal regulatory authorities, including the FDA.  In addition, Mangi’s criminal conduct caused thousands of dollars in financial loss to Stanford University and the Stanford School of Medicine.  

    “Naheed Mangi intentionally tampered with a breast cancer research database by entering false information and personal insults.  Her senseless actions undermined a study into the safety and efficacy of a new treatment for breast cancer patients,” said Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins. “The jury’s verdict holds the defendant accountable for her crimes.”

    “Naheed Mangi’s actions jeopardized important cancer research and caused thousands in financial loss to Stanford University. The U.S. Secret Service continues to work diligently to investigate these types of crimes to ensure those responsible are held accountable,” said U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Shawn Bradstreet.

    Mangi, who was convicted of two counts of Intentional Damage to a Protected Computer in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1030(a)(5)(A) and one count of Accessing a Protected Computer Without Authorization in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1030(a)(2)(C), will be sentenced on July 21, 2025.  She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison as to each conviction for Intentional Damage to a Protected Computer and one year in prison as to the conviction for Accessing a Protected Computer Without Authorization.  Any sentence will be imposed by the Court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nikhil Bhagat and Matthew Chang are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Nina Burney, Mimi Lam, Susan Kreider, Sahib Kaur, Fernanda Gonzalez, Maureen French, and Bella Schou. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Secret Service. 
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Want a side of CO₂ with that? Better food labels help us choose more climate-friendly foods

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yi Li, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Macquarie University

    udra11, Shutterstock

    When you’re deciding what to eat for lunch or dinner, do you consider the meal’s greenhouse gas emissions? How do you compare the carbon footprint of a beef sandwich with that of a falafel wrap?

    Most people can’t tell what’s better for the climate. Even those who care deeply about making sustainable food choices can struggle.

    In Australia, meat products are responsible for almost half (49%) the greenhouse gas emissions of products consumed at home. Switching from these high-emission foods to lower-emission foods, such as plant-based meals, can significantly reduce household emissions. But a lack of knowledge may be stopping people doing the right thing.

    The good news is my colleagues and I have a simple solution. Highlighting the source of the food as animal- or plant-based on carbon labels makes a big difference to consumer choices. In our latest research, we show this new carbon label encourages switching from animal-based to plant-based foods.

    Closing the knowledge gap

    Previous research has shown consumers consistently underestimate the vast difference in greenhouse gas emissions between animal- and plant-based foods. For instance, producing one kilogram of beef emits 60kg of greenhouse gases, whereas producing the same quantity of peas emits just 1kg of greenhouse gases. However, most people think the gap between the two is much smaller.

    This matters because collectively, our food choices have a big impact on climate change. Agriculture generates almost a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, with animal products the biggest contributors.

    Making carbon labels more informative

    A “carbon footprint” refers to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with a product.

    Globally, there is increasing interest in carbon food labelling, given its potential to nudge consumers towards more sustainable food choices. In Australia, such labelling is voluntary and not yet widespread.

    Most carbon labels follow a similar approach. They typically display a number representing greenhouse gas emissions, and a traffic-light system indicating the level of environmental impact from green (low) to red (high). But such labels do not indicate whether the food is animal- or plant-based. So a high carbon score does not help people identify the source of the emissions.

    Our label maps the carbon footprint to the source of the food, whether plant or animal, along with information about the greenhouse gas emissions.
    Romain Cadario, Yi Li, Anne-Kathrin Klesse, (2025) Appetite., CC BY

    We designed a new type of label. It clearly displays whether the food is sourced mainly from animals or plants, along with the standard emissions score and traffic-light colour code. This approach is especially useful for the growing segment of pre-prepared and packaged foods such as soups and other ready-to-eat meals, which often contain a mix of meat and plant-based food.

    Our label creates a mental link between a food source and its carbon impact. When a consumer sees high carbon scores and red traffic lights appearing more frequently on meat and other animal products, they begin to make the connection between those products and higher emissions. This is key to addressing a lack of knowledge around food carbon emissions.

    We tested our label against the existing labels in a series of experiments with 1,817 everyday consumers from Australia, the United States and the Netherlands.

    One experiment involved soup. Compared with the group exposed to the standard carbon label, the group exposed to our label learned to associate animal-based soups with higher greenhouse gas emissions more effectively. They were more accurate at estimating the greenhouse gas emissions of a second batch of soups without labels.

    This improved knowledge also translates to more climate-friendly food choices. In another experiment with Australian consumers, we encouraged participants to choose five meals from ten options. Five were animal-based and five were plant-based.

    Half the participants saw the meal options with our carbon labels, and the other half did not see the carbon labels. The group exposed to our carbon labels chose fewer animal-based options in their weekly meal plan. In this case, we don’t know whether a third group exposed to the standard label would also make more climate-friendly choices, but our earlier experiments suggested our label was more effective.

    In the final experiment conducted in the Netherlands, displaying our carbon label made university students more likely to choose the plant-based snack option rather than the animal-based option.

    Providing information about the source of the food, whether plant or animal, influenced choices of meal plans.
    Romain Cadario, Yi Li, Anne-Kathrin Klesse, (2025) Appetite., CC BY

    When knowledge isn’t enough

    While people who care most about sustainable eating may think they know better than others, we found that is not the case. These people were not better able than other participants to tell the difference in greenhouse gas emissions between animal- and plant-based foods without seeing our carbon label.

    But they were better learners. When confronted with the facts about the differences between animal and plant-based foods on our labels, they were more likely to change their choices and switch to plant-based foods.

    What this means for consumers and businesses

    A simple change to food labels could help consumers make more informed environmental choices. For businesses and policymakers, it shows displaying only carbon numbers isn’t enough – the food source is crucial.

    Some forward-thinking restaurants and food companies are already experimenting with adding carbon labels to the menu to encourage diners to choose climate-friendly dishes. Our research suggests this approach could be more effective when combined with the new carbon labels we designed.

    Meat products make a significant contribution to climate change.
    Valmedia, Shutterstock

    Implications for climate action

    As Australia grapples with meeting its climate commitments, helping consumers understand the environmental impact of their food choices will become increasingly important.

    The challenge for businesses, policymakers and researchers isn’t convincing people to care about sustainability – they already do. Almost half of Australian shoppers (46%) say sustainability is important to them and influences their purchases, despite cost-of-living pressures.

    But most sustainable actions in retail involve recyclable packaging, products and materials, and local produce. The carbon emission implications of these actions, sadly, are far less than reducing animal-based food consumption.

    Instead, we need to focus on giving people the tools to make their environmental concerns count. Our carbon labels could be the key to helping consumers turn their sustainable intentions into meaningful climate action.

    Yi Li 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. Want a side of CO₂ with that? Better food labels help us choose more climate-friendly foods – https://theconversation.com/want-a-side-of-co-with-that-better-food-labels-help-us-choose-more-climate-friendly-foods-250513

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Calculating the economic cost of climate change is tricky, even futile – it’s also a distraction

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dennis Wesselbaum, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University of Otago

    Piyaset/Shutterstock

    Climate change is no longer a distant threat. It’s here, it’s real and it increasingly affects us all.

    But predicting climate change and its associated costs, particularly over long periods of time, is inherently uncertain. And based on the best available evidence from organisations such as the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the economic costs of climate change appear to be small – making this a relatively weak argument for environmental action.

    At its most basic, climate is the long-term average of the weather we experience. Or, as former president of the American Meteorological Society, Marshall Shepherd, famously put it, “weather is your mood, and climate is your personality”.

    It’s widely accepted that climate change refers to a shift in long-term weather patterns, typically driven by human activities.

    But the impact of climate change, ranging from rising temperatures and extreme weather events to health impacts and disruptions to food and water supply, varies greatly. Some areas experience more extreme impacts than others, exacerbating social and economic disparities.

    There also appears to be a false sense about our state of knowledge. For example, many believe climate change already causes more frequent and intense storms, but the evidence for this is inconclusive.

    Trying to predict the unpredictable

    To understand the economic costs of climate change, we must first grasp how climate affects socioeconomic outcomes.

    The relationship between temperature and socioeconomic outcomes can be modelled using a “dose-response” function, which shows how much a given change in temperature (the “dose”) influences the outcome (for example, temperature-related mortality).

    A key challenge is to understand the shape of the dose-response function. Is the relationship between temperature and mortality linear or is it more complex? Does it have thresholds beyond which the effects substantially change? Is there only one function or are there different ones for different populations?

    As climate change shifts the distribution of weather variables, it alters the outcomes as well. Yet, predicting how these distributions will evolve is difficult.

    The further into the future we look, the harder it is to make reliable predictions about both weather and the associated economic costs.

    If you were asked in 1925 to predict the economy in 2000, for example, how accurate would you have been? In 1925 you drove a Ford Model T, used coal-fired steam trains and passenger ships for travel, and a trip from London to Auckland took up to eight weeks by sea. You used a telegraph for long-distance communication and a radio for entertainment.

    Compare that with the globalised, interconnected economy of the year 2000. Given the technological advancements, would your prediction have been even close?

    Rather than focusing on the uncertain future economic costs of climate change, we should be addressing how it is affecting human life now.
    James Andrews1/Shutterstock

    Cost estimates

    There are a wide range of estimates on the economic costs of climate change. But one of the most reliable has come from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

    The panel’s latest assessment report avoids quantifying the economic costs of climate change. So, to understand the economic costs of climate change, we can use the best estimate based on the previous report and the insights from meta studies. These analyses posit a temperature rise of 3.7°C will reduce global gross domestic product (GDP) by about 2.6% (ranging from 0.5 to 8.2%) by 2100.

    For New Zealand, this is equivalent to about NZ$11 billion, or twice the cost of Auckland’s City Rail Link.

    However, this comparison is extremely misleading. The value of 2.6% today will differ substantially from 2.6% in 75 years.

    The New Zealand economy grew at a compound annual rate of 1.4% between 1960 and 2000. Using this same average growth rate, New Zealanders will have a 184% higher standard of living in 2100. If nothing is done to address climate change, and given the best cost estimate, our standard of living would still be 176% higher than it is now.

    Reporting costs

    There are also issues with how some people report costs. For instance, while the total damage caused by floods and hurricanes in the United States has gone up in dollar amounts, it has not actually increased as a percentage of peoples’ incomes.

    In this context, it is crucial to distinguish between the damage caused by climate change and that resulting from human activities – such as the construction of more houses, higher property prices and river management practices.

    The economic costs of climate change based on the best available evidence appear to be small and highly uncertain.

    Shifting the focus

    Even if we accept our best estimates, economic costs are not the issue, but saving the environment is.

    Instead of focusing the debate of climate change around economic costs, we need to refocus the debate on tangible impacts happening right now: retreating glaciers, species extinction, shifting seasons and coastal erosion, to name a few.

    Addressing these issues is costly, but action will be needed to save the environment and ensure a liveable world into the future.

    Dennis Wesselbaum 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. Calculating the economic cost of climate change is tricky, even futile – it’s also a distraction – https://theconversation.com/calculating-the-economic-cost-of-climate-change-is-tricky-even-futile-its-also-a-distraction-248862

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI: BitMart Research: BNB Chain’s Rise and the Activation of the MEME Track Competition Landscape

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Mahe, Seychelles, Feb. 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BitMart Research, the research arm of BitMart Exchange, has released a detailed report on BNB Chain’s recent rise and the competitive MEME token landscape. This report explores BNB Chain’s strategic initiatives, its growing influence in the MEME sector, and the implications for investors, developers, and the broader crypto ecosystem.

    I. BNB Chain’s Three Major Strategies: CZ Traffic Diversion, Infrastructure Optimization, and Wealth Effect Creation

    In the context of a sluggish overall market, CZ successfully brought a new wave of traffic and market discussion to BNB Chain. The recent surge in popularity of BNB Chain is largely attributed to CZ’s continuous topic creation through high-frequency Twitter interactions and controversial token listing decisions, such as TST and Broccoli events, which generated FOMO emotions and attracted investors’ attention, thereby driving traffic to BNB Chain.
    Simultaneously, BNB Chain announced its development plans for 2025, further creating an environment for users to trade MEME tokens. Notably, BNB Chain has made significant upgrades in Gas fees, including reducing Gas fees, supporting multiple tokens for Gas payments, and introducing a feature that allows project teams to sponsor users’ Gas fees. These measures aim to lower the barriers for users to enter the Web3 ecosystem and enhance user experience.

    II. Recent Major Events in BNB Chain

    1. TST: From a Teaching Token to a Market FOMO Wave
      On February 6, the BNB Chain team accidentally exposed the contract address of the example token TST in a teaching video on the Four.meme platform. Chinese community KOLs quickly hyped it, causing its market capitalization to soar from less than 500K to52 million. Despite CZ clarifying multiple times that TST was not an official token and that the team did not hold any shares, market enthusiasm continued to rise. On February 9, Binance announced the listing of TST spot and futures trading, and its market capitalization surged 100 times in just three days, breaking through $500 million, becoming a “star asset” in the BNB Chain ecosystem. After this event, BNB Chain’s popularity briefly surpassed Solana, and Four.meme’s traffic surged, becoming one of the core platforms for MEME token issuance.

    2. BNB Chain Announces 2025 Strategic Roadmap
    On February 11, CZ stated that it was time for the BNB Chain to break free from constraints. Subsequently, on February 12, BNB Chain announced its 2025 ecosystem construction goals, revealing several network upgrades. Following this announcement, BNB broke through 640,reaching peak 725, significantly increasing market enthusiasm.

    • Low Latency and High Throughput: Plans to reduce block generation time from 3 seconds to less than 1 second while maintaining the ability to process 100 million transactions per day, enhancing Web3 speed, smoothness, and scalability.
    • Gas Fee-Free Transaction Mechanism: Introducing BNB Chain Paymaster, allowing users to pay Gas fees with any BEP-20 token (not BNB or stablecoins) and introducing a corporate sponsorship Gas model, similar to SUI and Aptos.
    • Anti-MEV Protection Mechanism: To address the over $1.3 billion in MEV losses in 2024, BNB Chain will hide transaction details until block confirmation to combat sandwich attacks and front-running robots. Establishing private transaction pool relay systems, implementing punishment and blacklist mechanisms for violating validators, and expelling MEV abusers through community governance.
    • Smart Wallet Upgrade: Compatible with EIP-7702 standard, supporting batch transactions and one-click operations (such as cross-chain swaps). Future integration of AI assistants to provide portfolio management, MEV risk warnings, and trading strategy optimization.
    • AI-Priority Infrastructure: Auditing smart contract vulnerabilities through code assistants (Code Copilot), reducing development barriers; DataDAOs supporting users in monetizing private data; Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) providing a secure sandbox for AI agents in DeFi.
    • MEME Token Ecosystem Support: Launching no-code token issuance tools and liquidity solutions to replicate Solana’s MEME fever, while reducing fraud risks through review mechanisms.

    3. Broccoli: CZ Pushes BNB Chain’s Popularity to a Peak
    After the TST price surge following CZ’s mention, CZ’s actions became the focus of MEME players. On February 13, CZ tweeted about the operation mechanism of MEME tokens, asking if creating a token only required sharing a pet’s name and photo. After understanding the mechanism, CZ expressed interest in how it worked. On February 14, CZ announced a pet dog named Broccoli without providing an official contract address, leading to thousands of tokens with the same name appearing on the BSC chain overnight. Countless players rushed to trade on BNB Chain, causing congestion and website crashes on Four.meme. CZ later stated that this “pressure test” exposed technical issues that still needed optimization on the BSC chain. Although CZ repeatedly emphasized that he did not issue any tokens, Binance Alpha listed three Broccoli-related projects on February 19, indirectly indicating his tacit approval of the MEME fever-driven traffic dividend.

    4. SHELL: Chain Staking Activity Triggers a Capital Siphon
    On February 13, BNB Chain, in collaboration with Binance Wallet and PancakeSwap, launched a public offering event for MyShell token SHELL. Backed by Binance Labs’ investment background, the event oversubscribed by 105 times, attracting over 130,000 BNB for subscription. This event not only boosted BNB Chain’s popularity but also drainage Binance Wallet.

    III. Analysis of BNB Chain’s Current Situation and Future Challenges

    1. Competitive Analysis
       BNB Chain vs. Solana According to Nansen’s on-chain data, since early February when CZ drove traffic to BNB Chain through high-frequency tweets, the chain’s active address count has shown explosive growth. On February 18, the single-day active address count exceeded 2.8 million, setting a historical peak in the past 12 months, while Solana’s active address count declined by 36% during the same period. However, Solana’s daily active address count still remains above 4 million.

    (Data Source: Nansen)

    Four.meme vs. Pump.fun According to Dune’s data, Pump.fun platform maintained a monopoly position with over 100,000 new accounts per day before February due to its first-mover advantage. However, with Four.meme leveraging the traffic dividend from the BNB Chain ecosystem, the industry landscape has undergone a significant reshuffle. By February 17, Pump.fun’s new account count had halved to 50,000/day, while Four.meme’s count soared from less than 500 to over 20,000/day. Although Four.meme’s current scale is only 40% of Pump.fun’s, its weekly growth rate of 325% has made it one of the important MEME launch platforms.

     
    (Data Source: Dune)

    (Data Source: Dune)

    2. BNB Chain Drives a New Round of MEME Fever in the Short Term
    More significantly, on February 14, when CZ disclosed the pet dog “Broccoli,” causing a frenzy of imitation tokens, BNB Chain’s network Gas fees surged to $0.43 in an instant, setting a new high since January 2022. This data confirms the success of CZ’s traffic diversion strategy, bringing new active users to the previously sluggish BNB Chain. Combining CZ’s recent actions and BNB’s innovative plans, it can be inferred that MEME will be one of the main development goals for BNB Chain in 2023. Currently, under the influence of Binance’s traffic, BNB Chain has initiated the first phase of MEME fever. In the current market lacking new narrative drivers, BNB Chain may continue to rely on MEME token popularity to maintain market attention, and high-return MEME projects may still emerge in the BNB Chain ecosystem in the short term.

    (Data Source: BNB Chain)

    3. Future Challenges
    However, BNB Chain faces multiple challenges in replicating Solana’s MEME fever. The main challenge is the recent trust crisis in the MEME track. Due to MEME tokens launched by Trump and Argentine President couples causing significant user losses, frequent token launches by presidents and celebrities have harvested a large amount of liquidity from the crypto market and severely damaged market confidence. It may be difficult to restore investor trust in the future. Additionally, the current crypto market is affected by Trump’s transaction cooling down, macroeconomic conditions, and policies, showing a general trend of continuous volatility and downward movement. Following the Adjustment of BTC, altcoins have experienced significant declines. Previously popular Ai Age tokens have also seen significant price drops.

     4. Potential Impact
    With BNB Chain regaining market attention through strategic upgrades and the MEME craze, Solana, which previously dominated the MEME sector almost single-handedly, now faces a new competitor. The rapid rise of the BNB Chain has put unprecedented competitive pressure on Solana, potentially driving it to accelerate technological upgrades and ecosystem reforms. Furthermore, BNB Chain’s success has demonstrated new opportunities for other blockchain ecosystems. More chains may adopt BNB Chain’s “event-driven marketing + technical upgrades + wealth effect” strategy to promote their own ecosystems, potentially sparking a new wave of market enthusiasm.

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    Risk Warning
    Note: All cryptocurrency investments, including yield products, are highly speculative and involve significant risks. Past performance of products cannot guarantee future results. Cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile, and before making any investment decisions, you should carefully assess whether it is suitable for trading or holding digital currencies based on your investment objectives, financial situation, and risk tolerance, and consult a professional financial advisor. The information in this article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment, legal, or tax advice. The author and publisher do not assume responsibility for any losses incurred due to the use of this information.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI China: US’ restrictive trade moves to be self-harming

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    China has called on the United States to adhere to international rules and end misguided policies, warning that it will take necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights, the Ministry of Commerce said on Sunday.

    On Friday, the Office of the United States Trade Representative invited comments from the public on proposed Section 301 actions aimed at China’s maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors.

    The US’ proposed restrictive measures, such as levying port fees, would be self-harming and have detrimental effects, according to an online statement issued by the Commerce Ministry.

    The statement said these moves would not only fail to revive the US shipbuilding industry, but also increase transportation costs on US-related shipping routes and intensify domestic inflationary pressures.

    The moves would diminish the global competitiveness of US goods and negatively affect the interests of US port and terminal operators, as well as their workers, it added.

    Since March 2024, China and the US have held multiple rounds of talks on the proposed actions. China has repeatedly expressed its stance on the Section 301 investigation, urging the US to be rational and objective, and to stop blaming China for its own industrial development issues.

    The ministry noted that a panel of the World Trade Organization has ruled that US imposition of Section 301 tariffs on China is in breach of WTO regulations. The misuse of the Section 301 investigation mechanism, driven by the US’ domestic political needs, continues to erode the multilateral trading system, the ministry said.

    Liao Fan, a professor of international law at the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, said that to counter rising protectionism and the weaponization of unilateral sanctions, WTO reform is urgently needed to address systemic issues, such as chronic underfunding and weak enforcement mechanisms.

    John Quelch, executive vice-chancellor of Duke Kunshan University in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, warned that international trade is entering a dangerous “Wild West” era, in which weaker economies and small countries more dependent on international trade are likely to suffer the most.

    “China needs to redouble its efforts to increase trade with Global South countries, gradually reducing dependence on traditional markets,” Quelch said, adding, “China should further stimulate domestic consumption if a global tariff war slows down international trade.”

    Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Co, an automotive engine manufacturer in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, is already expanding into emerging markets.

    “We have leveraged multiple cooperation mechanisms and trade deals, such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, to actively participate in international trade shows and establish new plants in Thailand and Vietnam in recent years. Our export value jumped 73 percent year-on-year in January, hitting a record high for a single month,” said Liu Hongbo, president of marketing at Guangxi Yuchai’s overseas business unit.

    “We have broadened our customer base in key regions, including Southeast Asia and the Middle East, while diversifying our market structure to reduce risks associated with overreliance on any single market,” Liu added.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Young student develops a taste for Chinese culture

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Nursena Burus, a 19-year-old from the historic city of Manisa on Türkiye’s Aegean coast, poses for a photo at the Forbidden City in Beijing, Nov. 24, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Nursena Burus, a 19-year-old from the historic city of Manisa on Türkiye’s Aegean coast, has developed a taste for Chinese culture thanks to its food and her travels around the country.

    For Burus, coming to China was not just a language-learning opportunity, but a chance to experience a culture that had captivated her from afar.

    Her sister, who had previously studied artificial intelligence at China’s Xiamen University, encouraged her to take the leap and explore China.

    “My family and friends thought learning Chinese was too difficult, but my sister showed me pictures of her life in China — her friends, festivals and foods,” Burus said. “I started to see it as more than just a place to study. It looks like an adventure.”

    In February 2024, she arrived in China just before the Chinese New Year, and immediately immersed in the vibrant atmosphere of celebration. Red lanterns swayed in the wind, intricate paper cuttings adorned windows, and vibrant couplets decorated doorways.

    “Everywhere I went, the streets were filled with red, a color of celebration and good luck. It was a completely new experience for me.”

    After settling into Tianjin University, Burus could not help but notice that the usually busy campus was almost empty as most Chinese students had headed home for the Spring Festival.

    “It reminded me of the Ramadan Feast in Türkiye, when we all go back to our hometowns to eat, pray and celebrate with family. I love how both cultures value family reunions during important holidays.”

    As classes began in March, Burus quickly adapted to learning and living at Tianjin University. “The teachers were so supportive. They encouraged me to practice speaking without worrying about mistakes, and their passion made me work even harder.”

    Burus quickly built friendships with her Chinese classmates through food and diverse cultural activities.

    Her best Chinese friend Meiqi became her food “mentor.” Meiqi taught her how to use chopsticks and introduced her to Tianjin’s popular street foods, including hot pot and red bean shaved ice.

    She regularly explored the university’s cafeterias and discovered her favorite dishes, including Peking Duck. Moreover, she often followed the recommended foods on the popular short video-sharing platform Douyin to explore new restaurants and shared photos of her culinary adventures on her WeChat Moments.

    “Chinese cuisines are rich and delicious, and the convenient digital payment system has truly amazed me,” Burus said.

    In October 2024, she spent a weekend in the countryside of Tianjin, picking hawthorn and chestnuts and eating farmhouse meals. “It was a very beautiful and peaceful place. People seem to quite enjoy their lives,” she said. The experience reminded her of her hometown village near Manisa, where life is slower, simpler and deeply connected to the land.

    One of her most cherished memories was celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival in 2024. The festival coincided with her birthday and she had the chance to learn how to make Zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) with her classmates.

    “It reminded me of Nevruz, a Turkish holiday that celebrates the arrival of spring. Both festivals honor seasonal changes,” Burus said.

    Now more fluent in Chinese, Burus feels that China has become a second home where she has made lifelong friends and experienced the beauty of Chinese culture.

    “We share so many similar things, like our love for family, traditions and hospitality. I want to build on that connection and show others that the world isn’t as different as it seems.”

    Before leaving China earlier this year after finishing two semesters of a language learning program, she left behind a wish bottle buried on the campus, containing her wish to become a bridge for cultural exchanges between Türkiye and China.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Parkinson’s possible to be blocked thanks to Chinese scientists’ breakthrough research

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    Chinese scientists have discovered a novel therapeutic target for Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative condition with high disability and mortality rates, and have successfully identified a potentially effective small molecule drug.
    The breakthrough, achieved by a team from Huashan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University in Shanghai, holds promise for early intervention in Parkinson’s disease, offering patients renewed hope for delaying its progression. The research was published in the prestigious academic journal Science on Friday (Beijing time).
    The battle against Parkinson’s disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s, has been ongoing for years. There are approximately 3 million Parkinson’s patients in China, roughly half of the global total.
    People diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease may initially experience a reduced sense of smell and sleep disorders, eventually developing more severe movement-related symptoms. As the disease progresses, the effectiveness of medications often declines, leading to a significant deterioration in quality of life.
    Unfortunately, previous drugs and surgical therapies have only addressed the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, failing to prevent its progression. As a result, further in-depth research into the disease’s pathophysiology and targeted treatments is crucial, according to the scientists.
    After five years of persistent efforts, the team identified FAM171A2 as a key risk gene for neurodegeneration. Using artificial intelligence, they screened over 7,000 approved compounds and pinpointed bemcentinib, an anti-cancer agent currently in clinical trials, as a promising lead candidate.
    The small molecule drug has been shown to effectively block the binding between FAM171A2 and the pathogenic protein, according to the research team.
    Yu Jintai, leader of the team, said that, based on an international patent, they will focus on the pre-clinical research and development of small-molecule drugs, antibodies and gene therapies for Parkinson’s disease in the coming years, with the aim of advancing clinical trials and applications to develop an innovative therapeutic system.
    People over the age of 60 are more susceptible to Parkinson’s disease. As China’s population continues to age, this new medical breakthrough has sparked hope within both the academic and medical communities, as well as among patients, with the expectation that the research will have practical applications in the near future.
    “The experimental results have helped us accurately figure out the pathophysiological mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease, creating a real chance of overcoming a battle that has long seemed insurmountable,” said Wang Jian, director of the neurology department at Huashan Hospital, which is also a national medical center for neurological diseases.
    A referee for Science praised the discovery as a “holy grail” in Parkinson’s research, highlighting its potential to lead to therapies that can block the spread of pathology and, consequently, the disease itself.
    Neurological diseases, particularly those affecting the brain, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, have become a major global public health and social challenge.
    Chinese experts have called for greater efforts in brain science research, noting that it will be crucial for developing new treatment methods, enhancing early diagnosis, detection and intervention, and ultimately improving the quality of life for patients. 

    MIL OSI China News –