NewzIntel.com

Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese researchers set new benchmark in solar hydrogen production efficiency

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    Students play games at a primary school in Urumqi, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Feb. 17, 2025. (Xinhua/Gao Han)
    Thanks to more emphasis on PE classes, the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen has seen a noticeable drop in the number of secondary school students who need to wear glasses.
    The municipal education bureau recently released the data one year after it piloted “one physical education (PE) class per day” in the compulsory education stage.
    Since its implementation on Jan. 1, 2024, the overall myopia rate among children and adolescents in Shenzhen has dropped to 55.5 percent, down 1.2 percentage points from 2023. Meanwhile, a measurement of student physical fitness excellence rose by over 6 percentage points from 2023.
    “Seeing the data, I feel even more confident about implementing the policy. A year of practice has proven that we made the right decision,” said Zheng Xiuyu, head of the municipal education bureau.
    Since the beginning of this new semester, various provincial-level regions in China have introduced policies to ensure students have proper recess activities and sufficient PE classes to improve their health.
    DAILY PE CLASS MANDATE
    Beijing has released a document to strengthen physical education in primary and secondary schools. It outlines eight measures, including ensuring one PE class for primary and junior high school students and ensuring that they engage in at least two hours of comprehensive physical activities every day.
    Regions such as Hunan, Hebei, Gansu, Tianjin and Sichuan have recently released similar documents.
    These initiatives came after concerns over the physical and mental health of primary and secondary school students have been growing in recent years.
    A 2024 report released by the China Development Research Foundation highlights that issues like myopia, obesity and scoliosis are surpassing infectious diseases as primary health concerns. Mental health problems, including high anxiety and depression rates, are also rising.
    Students and parents have widely welcomed the “one PE class a day” policy.
    “My favorite class is PE!” A student in Shenzhen has said.
    Parents also believe that their children are improving their physical fitness and gaining happiness and confidence through regular exercise.
    HEALTHIER AND EVEN SMARTER
    “Parents and schools have become more attentive to PE,” said Shen Hongwen, a PE teacher in Shanghai. “Beyond grades, society now values both academic success and physical well-being.”
    Shen added that the emergence of various sports training institutions reflects the growing recognition that academic performance and well-being are equally important.
    Educators argue that sports do not hinder learning but rather enhance cognitive abilities and mental resilience.
    “Appropriate recess games and physical activities not only enhance study efficiency but also help develop their thinking and innovation abilities,” said Zhu Hong, vice principal of a primary school in Hainan.
    Numerous studies show that exercise not only promotes health but also serves as an important way to enhance brain development, said Huang Zhenmin, a PE analyst at Shenzhen Institute of Education Sciences.
    ADDRESSING CHALLENGES
    As early as 2021, China’s Ministry of Education had recommended that “schools with adequate resources should offer one PE class per day” and “ensure students engage in one hour of exercise in school and another hour outside of school each day.”
    However, obstacles such as limited time and space, inadequate sports facilities, and a shortage of PE teachers have hindered implementation.
    To address the issue of teacher resources, China has expanded the enrollment of students specialized in PE in multiple teacher cultivation programs. Beijing also allows schools to hire retired coaches and athletes as part-time PE teachers.
    Shenzhen established a two-way mechanism between school and public sports venues. Students can use public venues during school hours, while the public can use school sports spaces during holidays, solving the problem of insufficient space for both.
    To reinforce physical activities, in the recently released national plan to build a strong education system by 2035, authorities again emphasized “making sure primary and secondary school students have at least two hours of physical activity daily” to effectively control myopia and obesity rates.
    With the time and space secured, many schools are now making efforts to provide students with high-quality PE courses that are designed to enhance speed, agility, strength and endurance. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: First schools confirmed for landmark free breakfast clubs

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    First schools confirmed for landmark free breakfast clubs

    First 750 schools to offer clubs from April, delivering on government’s Plan for Change.

    Families and children in every corner of England will soon benefit from free, daily breakfast clubs as the government confirms the first 750 schools to offer the scheme, putting up to £450 a year back in parents’ pockets.

    From as soon as April, chosen schools across all nine regions will kick-off the historic programme, with an early adopter phase set to inform the government’s landmark national roll out which will give all parents access to the scheme.

    Delivering on promises made to working parents in the government’s manifesto, all primary aged children in early adopter schools will be able to access a free breakfast and at least 30 minutes of free childcare, every day, helping to support parents getting into work by dropping their children off half an hour earlier.  

    Schools are encouraged to offer healthy, varied and nutritious breakfasts, with examples from wheat bisks and porridge to fresh fruit and yoghurt. The early adopter schools also provide the perfect setting to host activities including arts and crafts, educational puzzles, reading and more.

    Universal free breakfast clubs are central to the government’s Plan for Change, removing barriers to opportunity by making sure every child starts the school day ready to learn – with research showing the clubs can have a lasting impact on children’s behaviour, attendance and attainment.  

    Making sure no child starts school hungry, the scheme also has an important role to play in the government’s commitment to remove the stain of child poverty, as out of the 180,000 children who will benefit in the early adopter schools, around 67,000 attend schools in deprived areas.

    The clubs come alongside a raft of measures designed to cut the cost of living for families, including the commitment to significantly cut uniform costs through a cap on branded items and complement government-funded childcare.

    Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said: 

    Free breakfast clubs sit right at the heart of our Plan for Change, breaking the link between background and success for families all over the country.   

    Breakfast clubs can have a transformative impact on the lives of children, feeding hungry tummies and fuelling hungry minds, so every child begins the day ready to learn.  

    Alongside our plans to roll out school-based nurseries and get thousands more children school-ready, this government is delivering the reforms needed to give every child, wherever they grow up, the best start in life.

    Schools were chosen from across England to ensure the scheme tests and learns from a variety of locations, including those that do not currently run a breakfast club, and all will receive funding to cover food and staffing costs.

    Government research shows most parents (87%) think breakfast clubs are a good chance for children to socialise, and two thirds (66%) recognise the value of clubs providing educational activities.  

    Breakfast clubs have been shown to boost children’s reading, writing, and maths by an average of two months. 

    Too many children’s life chances are being scarred by rising poverty, with one in four in absolute poverty as of 2023. The government is determined to change that, with the breakfast club rollout being driven alongside wider work of the Child Poverty Taskforce, which is set to deliver an ambitious strategy to increase household income, bring down essential costs, and tackle the challenges felt by those living in poverty. 

    Jackie Fitton, Headteacher at Kearsley West Primary School said: 

    We are delighted to be one of the early adopter schools. For our school, the funding provided will be a real-life saver, ensuring we can provide a healthy breakfast and supportive start to the day for our pupils.   

    Breakfast clubs have already made a massive difference to pupils’ wellbeing, providing them with time to settle in, socialise with friends and get ready to learn.

    Sir David Holmes CBE, Chief Executive of Family Action said: 

    Family Action welcomes the government’s announcement of the 750 schools who have been selected to take part in the Early Adopters Scheme. These schools will have a vital test and learn role which will undoubtedly inform the national rollout of the government’s exciting universal breakfast policy.  

    We know that an effective breakfast provision delivered in a supportive and enriching environment can make the world of difference to a child. We look forward to sharing our long experience of delivering breakfast provision ourselves with early adopter schools.

    Early adopter schools will shape the future of the national breakfast club policy, contributing directly to its implementation. Further details on the national roll out of the breakfast clubs programme will follow in due course.  The wider paid-for wraparound childcare offer – for all primary children to be able to access childcare between 8am and 6pm – continues to roll out across the country.  

    Notes to editors

    1. Number of eligible pupils attending early adopter schools in the bottom third most deprived LSOAs in England using IDACI English indices of deprivation 2019 at 19 February 2025. 

    2. An Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) impact evaluation of the Magic Breakfast programme found that offering pupils in primary schools a free, universal, before-school breakfast club which includes a breakfast can boost their reading, writing, and maths attainment by an average of 2 months’ additional progress in Key Stage 1.   

    3. Guidance on the early adopter scheme is available on GOV.UK.

    4. More information on the 750 confirmed schools is available on GOV.UK

    5. For more information on parents for local breakfast club provision can be found on the Education Blog.

    DfE media enquiries

    Central newsdesk – for journalists 020 7783 8300

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/SOUTH KOREA – In the Jubilee Year, Catholics entrust themselves to the intercession of Cardinal Stephen Kim, Servant of God

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    CBCK

    Seoul (Agenzia Fides) – Hundreds of people – up to 800 a day – come every day to the Catholic cemetery of Yogin, a city south of Seoul, to visit the tomb of Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan (1922-2009), “Servant of God” and former Archbishop of Seoul, and to entrust themselves to his intercession. In order to commemorate, in the Jubilee Year, the evangelizing impulse that marked the Cardinal in his ministry as a baptized person, priest and bishop – in accordance with the Gospel phrase he often quoted: “You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world” – the Catholic communities of Seoul have organized in recent days the second symposium dedicated to the Cardinal and on February 16 they took part in a memorial mass on the 16th anniversary of his death in the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Seoul.During the Eucharist, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Seoul, Auxiliary Bishop Job Koo Yobi, emphasized that “Cardinal Kim has personally shown today’s believers, even those who do not believe in God, how to live the Gospel.” His testimony will be valuable to Korean believers in the Jubilee year and also in view of World Youth Day, which will take place in Seoul in 2027, said the Auxiliary Bishop.Among the more than a thousand faithful who attended the mass, 200 were active donors to the foundation created in 2010, a year after the death of Cardinal Kim, the “Fool sharing Foundation”, which takes up one of the mottos and proverbs of the Cardinal, who loved to define himself as “a fool of Christ”, adding that “a fool speaks to fools”.The Eucharist was the first commemorative Mass since Cardinal Kim was named a “Servant of God” after the official opening of the diocesan phase of the beatification process in July 2024. The Mass is usually held annually in the cemetery where the cardinal is buried. This year, the celebration in the cathedral was intended to give more people the opportunity to be present, pray and ask for the cardinal’s intercession together.Meanwhile, the symposium dedicated to Cardinal Kim affirmed that the beatification process will only move forward with the “full trust of the people in the intercession of the candidate for beatification and canonization,” explained Fr. Boguslaw Turek, Undersecretary of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, who spoke at the conference. The symposium, entitled “The Life, Virtues and Fame of Holiness of Cardinal Stephen Kim Soo-hwan II,” was organized by the Committee for Beatification and Canonization of the Archdiocese of Seoul and the Korean Research Institute of Church History.”Prayers of intercession must continue without interruption,” the Vatican dicastery’s Undersecretary continued. Regarding the recognition of the miracle, Fr. Turek explained that “the prayer of intercession must be offered before the event considered a miracle occurs.”Good work in the diocesan phase of the process helps the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to continue the process, he stressed. The diocesan tribunals must actively question witnesses, conduct historical and archival research, and collect all documents about the candidates in order to carefully and in detail reconstruct their lives and prove their heroic virtues.Father Cho Han-gyu of the Catholic University of Seoul stressed: “Cardinal Kim is the person who has best lived and exemplified the imitation of Christ in our time: an example for all Christians.” Father Koh Jun-seok, parish priest of the Hyehwa-dong parish in the Archdiocese of Seoul, affirmed: “When Cardinal Kim was Archbishop of Seoul, his pastoral letters focused primarily on ‘renewal of the Church and evangelization.’ His work was a multifaceted pastoral service for a community that was called to proclaim the Gospel while celebrating the faith and exercising the service of charity and community: all this he did in a deeply Eucharistic life in which he gave himself completely.” Auxiliary Bishop Job Koo Yobi concluded: “Today’s society seems to be moving in a different direction from that followed by Cardinal Kim. I hope that this event will be an opportunity for many people to follow his exemplary life and virtues.” The memory of the person and work of the Cardinal are promoted and preserved by the “Stephen Cardinal Kim Institute”, a research institute named after him, which manages a historical archive and the publications dedicated to him. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 22/2/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Explainer: 5 common myths about child marriage

    Source: United Nations 2

    Health

    Every day, almost one in five young women are married off while still children, according to the UN reproductive and sexual health agency, UNFPA, which is urging countries to say “I don’t” to child marriage, an illegal practice that is almost universally condemned and yet remains widespread globally.

    “I was married at 14, and I lost my first child at 16 during pregnancy,” Ranu Chakma said. Child marriage is common in her village of Teknaf Upazila, on the southern coast of Bangladesh, even though it is illegal and a human rights violation.

    Those violations occur even at a time when many countries are banning the illegal practice, most recently in Colombia, where a law came into effect earlier this month.

    Here are five common misconceptions about child marriage:

    Myth 1: It’s always illegal

    Child marriage is banned under many international agreements, from the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women to the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994. Still, there are 640 million women and girls in the world who were child brides, with more child marriages taking place every day.

    How is that possible? Many countries ban child marriage in principle, but define the permissible age of marriage as something other than 18 or permit exceptions with parental consent or under religious or customary law. In many cases these marriages, and marriages in general, are not legally registered, making enforcement of the law difficult.

    Addressing child marriage requires more than laws; it requires rethinking how society values girls.

    Programmes like Taalim-i-Naubalighan, in Bihar, India, where two in five children marry before age 18, are having an impact. These programmes encourage young people to think about topics such as gender roles and human rights.

    “That’s why I was able to help my sister,” said Altamash, a male student whose sister wanted to avoid child marriage and continue her studies. “When I understood her desire and how it would help her, I advocated for her to my father. She is now going to complete her education, and I am so proud of her.”

    © UNFPA Madagascar

    In Madagascar, information sessions are key in changing minds and raising awareness about child marriage and other harmful practices.

    Myth 2: Sometimes child marriage is necessary

    Child marriage remains pervasive in part because it is seen as a solution to other problems.

    In humanitarian crises, child marriage rates often rise, with parents believing marriage will secure a daughter’s future by making a husband responsible for economically supporting her and protecting her from violence. Child marriage is seen as a solution that will preserve the honour of a girl and her family after – or in some cases before – she becomes pregnant. In developing countries, the majority of adolescent births take place within a marriage.

    Yet, child marriage is not a real solution to any of these issues. Child marriage itself leads to girls experiencing high levels of sexual, physical and emotional violence from their intimate partners. Pregnancy is dangerous for girls; complications of pregnancy and childbirth are one of the leading causes of death among adolescent girls. Child brides and adolescent mothers are often forced to drop out of school, upending their future prospects.

    Nicolette, 16, in Madagascar was so accustomed to seeing her classmates disappear from school after marrying and becoming pregnant, she never thought to question the practice. That’s until she attended a UNFPA-supported awareness session.

    “I didn’t know that we could be victims of child marriage,” she said. Now, she wants all the girls in her community to know: “Everyone has the right to realise their ambitions, and marriage is a choice.”

    © UNFPA Niger

    More than three quarters of girls in Niger are married while they are still children.

    Myth 3: This problem is going away

    Child marriage may sound like a problem of the past or of faraway places, but in fact it remains a serious threat to girls around the world.

    While global child marriage rates are slowly falling, the places with the highest rates also have the most population growth, meaning the absolute number of child marriages is expected to increase.

    The problem is indeed global. The largest number of child brides live in the Asia and Pacific region, the highest rate of child marriage is seen in sub-Saharan Africa and lack of progress in Latin America and the Caribbean mean that this region is expected to have the second highest prevalence of child marriage by 2030.

    Yet, the issue is not limited to developing nations. It takes place in countries like the United Kingdom and United States, too.

    “I was basically introduced to somebody in the morning, and I was forced to marry him that night,” Sara Tasneem said, recalling her marriage, first an informal spiritual union at age 15 then legally at age 16. “I got pregnant right away, and we were legally married in Reno, Nevada, where it only required permission signed by my dad.”

    To change this, actions must be accelerated to end child marriage, especially by empowering girls.

    “I was 13 years old when my father gave my hand in marriage to a cousin,” 16-year-old Hadiza, in Niger, said. Fortunately, she had access to a safe space through a UNFPA-supported youth programme. “I spoke to a safe space mentor, who, with the help of the neighbourhood chief, negotiated with my parents to postpone the wedding.”

    Today, Hadiza is an apprentice to a tailor, learning the skills to become economically self-sufficient. “In three years I plan to get married to the man I love,” she said.

    © UNFPA Zambia/Julien Adam

    Nurse Suvannah Sinakaaba attends to pregnant teenagers at the UNFPA-supported mobile clinic in Namalyo village, Zambia.

    Myth 4: It’s a cultural or religious issue

    Child marriage is sometimes misrepresented as a religiously or culturally mandated practice. But, there are no major religious traditions that require child marriage.

    In fact, cultural and religious leaders around the world often take a strong stance against child marriage, especially when provided evidence about the consequences of the practice.

    “We have always taught young people that, both religiously and legally, it was not advisable,” Shirkhan Chobanov, the imam of Jumah Mosque in Tbilisi, Georgia, said. “We also explained to those young people that they had to accomplish other tasks, primarily concerning their education, before thinking about starting a family.”

    UNFPA works with faith leaders around the world who are working to end child marriage, including priests, monks, nuns and imams.

    “We are seeing very good results as far as warding off child marriage is concerned,” said Gebreegziabher Tiku, a priest in Ethiopia.

    Myth 5: It only happens to girls

    While the vast majority of child marriages involve girls, boys can also be married off.

    Globally, 115 million boys and men were married before age 18, according to 2019 data. These unions are also linked to early fatherhood, constrained education and reduced opportunities in life.

    Still, girls are disproportionately affected by the practice, with about one in five young women aged 20 to 24 years old married before their 18th birthday, compared to one in 30 young men. Child marriage rates for boys are very low even in countries where child marriage among girls is relatively high.

    © UNFPA Nicaragua

    Youth empowerment programmes are reaching all adolescents with information about their human rights in Nicaragua, which has one of the highest rates of child marriage among boys.

    No matter the gender of the child affected nor the country in which the union takes place, child marriage is a harmful practice that requires addressing a common set of root causes. They include economic inequality, limited access to sexual and reproductive health services and information, and factors such as conflict. One of the biggest root causes – gender inequality – requires urgent and renewed focus.

    “While we have abolished child marriage, we have not abolished predatory masculinity,” said Dr. Gabrielle Hosein, director of the Institute of Gender and Development Studies at the University of the West Indies, in Trinidad and Tobago, shortly after that country had outlawed child marriage.

    Kevin Liverpool, an activist with the advocacy group CariMAN, said men and boys have a critical role to play.

    “It’s important to raise awareness among these groups, among these individuals, about what feminism is, why gender equality is important for women, but also for men and for all of society,” he said.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Albanese pledge: nine in ten GP visits bulk billed by 2030, in $8.5 billion Medicare injection

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

    The Albanese government on Sunday will pledge $8.5 billion for Medicare, declaring this would enable all Australians to have access to bulk billing by 2030.

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will announce the policy at a rally in Tasmania, where the Labor seat of Lyons and the Liberal seat of Bass are in play.

    Under the plan, Labor would extend the bulk billing incentive to all Australians, and also create an extra incentive payment for practices that bulk billed all their patients.

    The changes would mean an extra 18 million bulk billed GP visits annually, the government says. Nine out of ten GP visits would be bulk billed by 2030. On the government’s figures, this would increase the number of fully bulk billing practices to about 4,800, triple the present figure.

    The government says its plan would produce patient savings of up to $859 million a year by 2030.

    It says this is the single largest investment in Medicare since it was created more than 40 years ago.

    The promised big health spend is designed both to focus the election campaign on an area of traditional strength for Labor, and to address the serious erosion of bulk billing rates in recent years. The rate is currently down to about 78%.

    The health package also promises to boost the number of nurses and doctors in the system. Four hundred nursing scholarships would be provided. By 2028 2,000 new GP trainee places would be funded each year in federally-funded GP training programs. The number funded in 2025 is 1600.

    The government has peviously tripled the bulk billing incentive for pensioners, concession card holders and families with children. From November 1, that would be widened to all Australians.

    Also from November 1, in addition to the bulk billing incentive, practices that fully bulk billed would receive an extra 12.5% loading on their Medicare rebates.

    “The combined investment means around 4,800 practices will be in a better financial position if they adopt full bulk billing,” Albanese and Health Minister Mark Butler said in a statement.

    Albanese said the plan “will make Medicare even stronger, help with cost of living pressures and ensure every Australian receives the best health care that they deserve”.

    Butler said people would be worse off if Peter Dutton became PM. “Peter Dutton tried to end bulk billing with a GP tax and then started a six-year freeze to Medicare rebates that froze GP incomes and stripped billions out of Medicare.”

    Proposed New Bulk Billing Arrangments

    The table below shows how total Medicare payments for common visits would increase from November 1, with the expansion of the bulk billing incentive to all Australians and the new incentive payment for practices that bulk billed every patient.

    The bulk billing incentive is scaled according to how far a general practice is from a major city or metropolitan area, with larger Medicare payments as communities get more remote.

    The total cost of the bulk billing initiatives over the forward estimates is nearly $7.9 billion.

    The costs year-by -year are: 2025-26, nearly $1.2 billion; 2026-27, nearly $2 billion; 2027-28, $2.3 billion, and 2028-29, $2.4 billion.

    The government said most of the cost of the Medicare package is accounted for the the December budget update and the rest would be in the next budget.

    The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners this month called for the extension of bulk billing incentives to those under 35. It said this would boost the national rate to 85%.

    The Greens have called for tripling the bulk billing incentive for everyone with a Medicare card.

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

    – ref. Albanese pledge: nine in ten GP visits bulk billed by 2030, in $8.5 billion Medicare injection – https://theconversation.com/albanese-pledge-nine-in-ten-gp-visits-bulk-billed-by-2030-in-8-5-billion-medicare-injection-249948

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Critics condemn ‘cowardly’ BBC for pulling Gaza warzone youth survival documentary

    By Gizem Nisa Cebi

    The BBC has removed its documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone from iPlayer after it was revealed that its teenage narrator is the son of a Hamas official.

    The broadcaster stated that it was conducting “further due diligence” following mounting scrutiny.

    The film, which aired on BBC Two last Monday, follows 13-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri as he describes life in Gaza.

    However, it later emerged that his father, Ayman Al-Yazouri, serves as the Hamas Deputy Minister of Agriculture in Gaza.

    In a statement yesterday, the BBC defended the documentary’s value but acknowledged concerns.

    “There have been continuing questions raised about the programme, and in light of these, we are conducting further due diligence with the production company,” the statement said.

    The revelation sparked a backlash from figures including Friday Night Dinner actress Tracy-Ann Oberman, literary agent Neil Blair, and former BBC One boss Danny Cohen, who called it “a shocking failure by the BBC and a major crisis for its reputation”.

    On Thursday, the BBC admitted that it had not disclosed the family connection but insisted it followed compliance procedures. It has since added a disclaimer acknowledging Abdullah’s ties to Hamas.

    UK’s Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said that she would discuss the issue with the BBC, particularly regarding its vetting process.

    However, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians urged the broadcaster to “stand firm against attempts to prevent firsthand accounts of life in Gaza from reaching audiences”.

    Others also defended the importance of the documentary made last year before the sheer scale of devastation by the Israeli military forces was exposed — and many months before the ceasefire came into force on January 19.

    How to watch the Gaza documentary. Image: Double Down News screenshot/X

    ‘This documentary humanised Palestinian children’
     Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU), criticised the BBC’s decision.

    “It’s very regrettable that this documentary has been pulled following pressure from anti-Palestinian activists who have largely shown no sympathy for persons in Gaza suffering from massive bombardment, starvation, and disease,” Middle East Eye quoted him as saying.

    Doyle also praised the film’s impact, saying, “This documentary humanised Palestinian children in Gaza and gave valuable insights into life in this horrific war zone.”

    Journalist Richard Sanders, who has produced multiple documentaries on Gaza, called the controversy a “huge test” for the BBC and condemned its response as a “cowardly decision”.

    Earlier this week, 45 Jewish journalists and media figures, including former BBC governor Ruth Deech, urged the broadcaster to pull the film, calling Ayman Al-Yazouri a “terrorist leader”.

    The controversy underscores wider tensions over media coverage of the Israel-Gaza war, with critics accusing the BBC of a vetting failure, while others argue the documentary sheds crucial light on Palestinian children’s suffering.

    Pacific Media Watch comments: The BBC has long been accused of an Israeli-bias in its coverage of Palestinian affairs, especially the 15-month genocidal war on Gaza, and this documentary is one of the rare programmes that has restored some balance.

    Another teenager who appears in the Gaza documentary . . . she has o global online following for her social media videos on cooking and life amid the genocide. Image: BBC screenshot APR

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese scientists find evidence for existence of intermediate-mass black holes

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    Chinese astronomers have identified a runaway star that was ejected from the M15 globular cluster, providing strong evidence for the existence of intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs), a long-missing link in our understanding of black hole evolution.
    The discovery was led by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ National Astronomical Observatories (NAOC) in collaboration with multiple institutions, and was published as a cover story in the National Science Review journal.
    Black holes with masses between those of stellar-mass black holes, which are formed from the collapse of massive stars, and those of supermassive black holes, which reside at the centers of large galaxies, are known as IMBHs, said Huang Yang, an associate professor at NAOC and the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences who co-led the study.
    IMBHs are often considered a crucial missing link in our understanding of the evolution of seed black holes into supermassive black holes. To date, only a few controversial candidates have been found, leaving the existence of IMBHs an open question in astrophysics.
    The high-velocity runaway star, J0731+3717, was ejected from M15 approximately 20 million years ago at a staggering speed of nearly 550 kilometers per second, according to the study.
    An analysis of data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft and China’s Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST), as well as data from other large-scale spectroscopic surveys, has also revealed that the star has a near-identical chemical composition and age to M15, said Liu Jifeng, director of NAOC and co-lead author of the study.
    Prior observations hinted that M15’s center might host an IMBH weighing 1,700 to 3,200 solar masses. However, uncertainties persisted as the gravitational signals observed could also stem from dense clusters of neutron stars.
    The extreme velocity of J0731+3717 resolves this debate.
    “Such a high-speed ejection requires a tight binary star to pass within 1 astronomical unit of an IMBH,” Huang said. “The black hole’s tidal forces would rip the binary apart, capturing one star and hurling the other outward.”
    This phenomenon, known as the Hills mechanism, confines thousands of solar masses within a region just a few astronomical units wide, ruling out alternative explanations such as the presence of clustered compact stars.
    “With the continuous accumulation of data from Gaia and large-scale spectroscopic surveys such as those of LAMOST, we expect to discover several more stars like J0731+3717 in the near future, which will greatly advance our understanding of the elusive IMBHs,” said Zhang Huawei, director of the Department of Astronomy at Peking University’s School of Physics and co-lead author of the study. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Jobseekers leverage digital economy boom

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    A growing number of jobseekers are extending their career boundaries to more cutting-edge areas thanks to the development of digital economy, and embracing flexible jobs breaking the stereotyped notion of labeling them as low-income or with lower working skills. The new trend makes experts to call for the working rights protection of these flexibly employed and secure the sustainable and healthy development of the thriving job sector.
    Lin Qin, 28, is among the nation’s growing population of seeking or taking new types of flexible jobs, with these jobs incubated by information technology and digital economy development.
    Li, who offers online consultancy services on AI technology to some small-sized companies after quitting his job as a cloud-computing engineer in August, said that it’s no longer a shame taking flexible jobs.
    “I get more free time to arrange my working plans, and the income is no less than my previous job, roughly 20,000 yuan ($2,800) per month,” he said.
    A recent report by the recruitment portal Zhaopin and Jinan University in the southern province of Guangdong shows that the proportion of job hunters for new types of flexible jobs bounced back to a high point of 36.4 percent last year at Zhaopin’s platform, with the number seeing a continuous drop from 2019 to 2021 due to people’s concerns of the economy amid the COVID-19 epidemic.
    The report classifies the current new types of flexible jobs into two categories: one is location-based, with registered flexible workers taking online orders but serving in a specific real-world location, such as ride-hailing drivers and food delivery workers; while the other is cloud-based, with all services fulfilled online by workers ranging from online lecturer to livestreamer and online salesperson.
    The report observed that cloud-based flexible jobs are more lucrative to young people, females and those with higher education backgrounds.
    According to the report, youths aged between 21 and 25 take the largest proportion of jobseekers competing for cloud-based flexible job openings at Zhaopin’s platform, which is about 45.2 percent.
    Female job hunters show higher preference, accounting for 56.1 percent of the total seeking flexible jobs. The number is 12.2 percentage points higher than males, as cloud-based flexible jobs have lower requirements of physical strength but better ability of communicating and teamwork, the report said.
    Tian Xiaomin, 31, working as an accountant at a pressing house in Shanghai, is a part-time online lecturer of English language. She said that the job earns her extra income of 3,000 to 5,000 yuan per month with the payment fluctuating based on her class hours.
    “I’ve taken the part-time flexible job since 2023 out of my interest. It’s very common to see a ‘slashie’ nowadays who won’t confine to one single job but take flexible work in spare time. One of my friends is a fitness trainer at weekends while a financial analyst at workdays,” she said.
    Feng Shuaizhang, dean of the Institute for Economic and Social Research of Jinan University, said that the recovering economy and flourishing digital economy, platform economy and sharing economy have created more flexible job opportunities.
    More jobseekers recognize the benefits of working as new types of flexible workers, which offer them personal fulfillment and quality life.
    Li Qiang, vice-president of Zhaopin, noticed that flexible job openings are not limited to labor-intensive ones, but require higher working skills or professionalism of workers with the combination of digital technology and traditional industries.
    “For example, the development of AI technology gives birth to some new flexible jobs requiring people to have AI knowledge or digital skills,” he said, adding that employers have also digitalized their recruitment channels with big data or AI tools to help them match flexible workers with the job openings.
    However, Feng, the dean, called for more sound working rights protection to people taking new types of flexible jobs by perfecting the law or regulations on labor relations, using smart tools like algorithm and big data to balance the benefits between employers and flexible workers.
    He also suggested improving flexible workers’ awareness of getting social security and enhancing the working skills training or services to the flexibly employed.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Cross-border railway’s benefits hailed

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    The China-Laos-Thailand Railway, with construction ongoing for the Thai section, has significantly enhanced regional connectivity and economic growth, despite several social and environmental challenges, according to a recent report.

    Led by scholars from China, Laos and Thailand, the report released in Bangkok earlier this week was based on research on the social and economic impact of the completed portion of the high-speed network that will connect Thailand with China through Laos.

    Currently, the railway has the section connecting the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming with the Laotian capital of Vientiane fully operational. Thailand expects to complete its portion of the network linking the country to China by 2030.

    In Thailand, construction of the first phase linking Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima is about 36 percent complete. On Feb 4, the Thai Cabinet approved the second phase of the project that will extend to Nong Khai, which borders Laos.

    The second phase also includes the construction of a logistics hub in the northeastern Nong Khai province, which will facilitate freight movement between Thailand’s 1-meter gauge railway and the 1.435-meter standard gauge used in the China-Laos Railway, offering a one-stop service for cargo transfer, Thai government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub said at a recent news conference.

    “The railway has improved trade efficiency and logistics, reinforcing China’s role as a global infrastructure leader,” said Tian Qian, director of the Institute of South and Southeast Asia Studies at Yunnan Minzu University.

    As a main contributor to the research’s section on the influence in China, Tian said the railway has also fostered cross-cultural exchanges and social mobility, facilitating better access to education and healthcare.

    Crucial economic link

    In Laos, the railway has emerged as a crucial economic and transportation link, enhancing tourism and boosting local businesses in Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Luang Namtha regions, according to Lumngeune Souliyavong, a researcher from the National University of Laos.

    “The influx of visitors has stimulated the hospitality, transportation, and trade sectors, creating new employment opportunities,” he added.

    In Thailand, anticipation is growing over the railway’s potential to drive urban expansion, economic connectivity and real estate growth in key cities, said Thanapauge Chamaratana, associate professor in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Khon Kaen University who led the research in Thailand.

    “Land prices near future railway stations have already surged, reflecting increased investment interest. The project is expected to solidify Thailand’s role as a logistics hub in Southeast Asia,” he said.

    However, the report also raises challenging issues such as noise and a shortage of skilled labor in railway operations.

    While the China-Laos-Thailand Railway is reshaping regional connectivity, trade and urban development, the report emphasized the need for sustainable and inclusive policies to ensure that the project benefits all stakeholders.

    It is suggested that addressing challenges such as community displacement, economic inequalities, and environmental concerns will be critical in the next phases of development.

    As the project progressed, researchers have called for continued collaboration among governments, the private sector and local communities to optimize the long-term benefits of this ambitious infrastructure initiative.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Colombia: Fleeing the thunder of violence in Catatumbo

    Source: United Nations 2

    By Beatriz Barral

    Peace and Security

    Around 80,000 people in northeastern Colombia are suffering the devastating consequences of an armed conflict that escalated on 15 January of this year. Caught in the crossfire between armed groups, thousands have been forced to flee with nothing but the clothes on their backs while others remain trapped in their homes.

    Miguel Ángel López, the director of a funeral home in Tibú, used to recover bodies that appeared along the roads of one of Colombia’s most violent regions, Catatumbo. On 15 January, he was murdered along with his wife and their 10-month-old baby while driving a hearse toward Cúcuta, according to local media reports. Only their 10-year-old son survived.

    Less than 24 hours later, several former combatants who had signed the 2016 Peace Agreement between the Colombian Government and the FARC-EP armed group were killed.

    Since then, thousands have fled as a conflict between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the FARC group 33rd Front has claimed the lives of at least 80 people and displaced entire communities.

    Targeted killings

    Diego Andrés García, who works for the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and coordinates the response of UN agencies and other organizations, said more than 53,000 people have moved to urban centres such as Cúcuta, Ocaña and Tibú

    “Human rights leaders had to leave the area due to threats from the armed groups,” he explained “During their departure, there were massacres, targeted killings of leaders and family members being murdered.”

    Videos circulating on social media captured the horror of the violence: gunfights, neighbours fleeing on foot, by motorcycle or in boats and teachers from remote areas abandoning their posts, leaving 46,000 children without access to education.

    “I lost everything,” said María*, one of the displaced people assisted by UNHCR. “I had to leave with nothing. There was no time.”

    UNHCR/Mónica Peñaranda

    Thousands of people have been forced to flee the violence in Catatumbo, seeking safety in Cúcuta.

    House of thunder under fire

    Catatumbo, which means house of thunder in the Barí Indigenous Peoples language, is a remote and impoverished region rich in biodiversity and natural resources, crisscrossed by rivers and streams in the country’s northeast along the Venezuelan border.

    It is also contested territory due to its importance in mining, coca production and illicit trafficking coupled with the State’s weak presence. In recent months, the region has shifted from a tense co-existence between armed groups to an open war for control of the drug trade.

    Responding to the crisis, President Gustavo Petro declared a state of emergency in Catatumbo and deployed rapid reaction military units to Ocaña, Norte de Santander. On 17 January, the Colombian president also decided to break peace negotiations with the ELN.

    Emergency aid response

    UN agencies are now assisting displaced people by providing water, food, hygiene kits, blankets and mattresses to serve more than 46,000 displaced people who sought safety in Cúcuta, Ocaña and Tibú.

    In the initial phase of the emergency, agencies responded with local funds allocated for Norte de Santander, however, with more than 80,000 people affected, “the situation surpasses the capacities of local partners, institutions and even the national government,” UNHCR’s Mr. García said.

    The UN’s humanitarian coordinator, Tom Fletcher, approved the allocation of $3.8 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to Colombia, allowing for an expanded response to support protection efforts and provisions of shelter, water, sanitation, education, health, food security and nutrition.

    Thousands remain trapped

    The emergency funds also aim to reach thousands trapped in their homes in the mountain region.

    Nearly 8,500 people remain in remote hamlets they cannot leave and where aid cannot reach them, while another 19,000 are facing movement restrictions preventing them from reaching urban centres.

    “We are waiting for humanitarian access guarantees so we can deploy responses with our partners,” Mr. García explained.

    Courtesy of Norte de Santander Government

    Aerial image of the Catatumbo region, Colombia.

    Cocaine wars

    Six decades of conflict in Colombia have claimed 450,000 lives and displaced eight million people, ending eight years ago, when the government and FARC-EP signed a peace agreement that has achieved notable progress.

    However, the FARC’s withdrawal from regions like Catatumbo had created a power vacuum quickly filled by other armed groups, including the ELN and dissident factions of the FARC.

    This shift reignited territorial disputes in Catatumbo, one of the most complex areas of the conflict due to its remote location along the Venezuelan border. The region is rich in oil and is the country’s largest coca-growing enclave, with multiple armed groups operating within it.

    Tibú, a municipality near the Venezuelan border, has the highest number of coca plantations in Colombia, with 23,030 hectares, according to a study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The Catatumbo region ranks third nationwide, with 43,867 hectares, following the Pacific region (107,078 hectares) and Putumayo-Caquetá (56,933 hectares).

    ‘Worst humanitarian crisis’

    Violence abruptly erupted in mid-January between the ELN and the 33rd Front in the region, forcing thousands to flee the fighting.

    “We left in fear,” said Sebastián*. “I left my little land behind. My family and I are now separated.”

    Diego Tovar, a former guerrilla and signatory of the peace treaty, told the UN Security Council at an emergency meeting on 22 January that “this is the worst humanitarian crisis we have faced in Colombia since we signed the agreement.”

    At the same meeting, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, head of the UN mission  responsible for verifying the peace accord, said Catatumbo, like many regions in Colombia, is still waiting for the dividends of the 2016 Peace Agreement, such as a comprehensive State presence that brings public services, legal economies, development opportunities and security.

    “It is in the absence of the State that illegal armed groups fight for territorial and social control,” he said.

    UNHCR/Mónica Peñaranda

    UNHCR staff at the General Santander Stadium, Cúcuta, where thousands of displaced people from Catatumbo have arrived.

    From books to shelter

    For now, UN agencies and partners are striving to deliver essential goods and services to those in need, including educational kits and mental health support for thousands of displaced children forced out of school and shelter for those who fled the violence.

    “We need to understand that this could be a prolonged emergency,” UNHCR’s Mr. García warned.

    Echoing the wishes of many of the displaced people around him, Santiago* said he simply wants to go home.

    “All we want is to return,” he said, “but we can’t.”

    *Names have been changed to protect identities

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Shanghai Disney partners with Chinese universities to train tourism talent

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Shanghai Disney Resort launched its Shanghai Disney Dream Vocational Campus on Friday, a virtual college program that offers immersive learning and training opportunities at partner universities.

    From right to left: Andrew Bolstein, senior vice president of operations at Shanghai Disney Resort, Mickey Mouse and Professor Liu Xiaomin, Party secretary of the Shanghai Institute of Tourism, unveil the first Shanghai Disney Dream Vocational Campus in Shanghai, Feb. 21, 2025. [Photo courtesy of Shanghai Disney Resort]

    The program will leverage Shanghai Disney Resort’s operational expertise to provide hands-on learning experiences. This initiative represents a significant step in the resort’s ongoing commitment to high-quality talent development, aiming to create employment opportunities for graduates while supporting the evolving demands of the tourism industry.

    The Shanghai Institute of Tourism will pioneer the program in March, accepting internal applications from current students. Enrollment will be open to undergraduates pursuing degrees in tourism management and junior college students specializing in tourism, advertising and marketing, hotel management, catering and exhibition planning.

    “Shanghai Disney Resort is committed to nurturing the next generation of tourism professionals by equipping students with practical skills, real-world industry knowledge and employment opportunities early in their careers,” said Andrew Bolstein, senior vice president of operations at Shanghai Disney Resort.

    “Through the Shanghai Disney Dream Vocational Campus program, we are excited to expand our efforts in cultivating young talent by collaborating with local institutions like the Shanghai Institute of Tourism to provide hands-on learning experiences and industry insights,” Bolstein added. “These initiatives will help students excel in China’s tourism sector and advance its service quality.”

    Shanghai Disney Resort hosted an announcement ceremony on Friday morning with leaders, faculty and students from the Shanghai Institute of Tourism and representatives from the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Education, the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, the Administrative Commission of Shanghai International Resort, and Shanghai Shendi Group. The resort has become a major training ground for the local tourism sector, offering development programs that have produced thousands of industry professionals.

    The new initiative will bring together Disney’s operational expertise with university resources to create career pathways for young people. Students will benefit from a jointly developed curriculum, practical training and internships at Shanghai Disney Resort. This alignment of talent supply and demand will strengthen tourism education by incorporating Disney’s industry experience while creating lasting career opportunities for students.

    “The Vocational Campus is an important bridge between industry expertise and academic learning,” said Professor Kang Nian, president of the Shanghai Institute of Tourism. “The establishment of this campus reflects the deep cooperation between our school and Shanghai Disney Resort. It represents a new form of diversified education and industry-education integration. The vocational campus aims to cultivate highly skilled service and management talent for the tourism, leisure and vacation sector by enhancing mechanisms that incorporate professional values with technical education and integrate work experience with academics to provide practical solutions for industry-education integration.”

    The initiative builds on Disney’s existing partnerships with over 150 Chinese colleges and universities. The resort launched its Talent Class program at 14 institutions in 2016, combining industry-specific coursework with internship experiences. Nearly 50% of these interns have transitioned into full-time positions at the resort. Moreover, the resort’s annual Disney Imaginations Shanghai Design Competition, established in 2018, cultivates creative talent among students across diverse academic disciplines, expanding their career prospects in culture and tourism.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Makes President Trump’s Executive Action on Deregulation Permanent

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

    WASHINGTON – After President Donald Trump tasked the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with scrubbing outdated regulations, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is introducing legislation to this executive action permanent to eliminate costly and burdensome red tape.
    Senate DOGE Caucus Chair Ernst is introducing the Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome (SCRUB) Act, which tasks DOGE with working with federal agencies to identify and review old, unnecessary, and unconstitutional federal rules including, a ban on railroads reporting that an employee was hurt while playing racquetball or baseball, a 1964 Department of Labor regulatory decision that is still forcing states to pay unemployment benefits to millionaires, criminalizing airlines that provide a brush, towel, or comb for the common use of passengers on a flight, and so much more.
    “Washington insiders might brush it off, but the bloated bureaucracy has gotten out of control,” said Ernst. “Burdensome and outdated regulations have railroaded Americans, and the only way out is to conduct a complete review. We need to SCRUB every old law on the books to identify the red tape that needs to be slashed.”
    “Senator Ernst is once again leading the fight in Congress to cut wasteful government spending and rein in the bureaucrats who make life more difficult and expensive for everyday Americans,” said Peter Holland, Federal Affairs Director at the Foundation for Government Accountability. “The SCRUB Act will shine a desperately needed spotlight on the regulations and rules holding back hardworking Americans from pursuing their American Dream. The government exists to serve the people, not burden employers and stifle innovation. Senator Ernst’s bill delivers on her promise to advance real solutions to ease the cost-of-living crisis and put money back in taxpayers’ pockets.”
    “The SCRUB Act and its Regulatory Cut-Go procedures mirror the new 10-for-one Trump architecture by requiring reduction that exceed additions,” said Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Fred L. Smith Jr. Fellow in Regulatory Studies at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. “Given that federal regulations now cost at least $2.1 trillion annually, that implies a successful SCRUB would save some $690 billion for the American people. When regulatory reform works, you can take that to the bank.”
    Click here to view the bill.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: New intake of paramedic interns and call takers for NSW Ambulance

    Source: New South Wales Government 2

    Headline: New intake of paramedic interns and call takers for NSW Ambulance

    Published: 21 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Health

    NSW Ambulance has today welcomed 119 new paramedic interns and 14 emergency medical call takers, after they were officially inducted into the service at a ceremony at the State Operations Centre in Sydney.

    This graduation follows the Post Employment Tertiary Pathway (PETP) induction held two weeks ago and will further boost frontline health services across the state, with many commencing their first shifts from tomorrow.

    The new recruits joining the service come from a range of backgrounds and experiences, including William Guthrie who is following his childhood dream to be a paramedic and Ebony Peterson, whose AFL career was cut short by injury but inspired by the healthcare she experienced, chose paramedicine as a new career option.

    The paramedic interns will be posted across NSW to complete the on-road portion of their 12-month internships, before taking permanent positions in metropolitan and regional areas. The emergency medical call takers will all be posted to Sydney Control Centre.

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Health, Ryan Park:

    “Congratulations to NSW Ambulance’s newest inductees. The skills and compassion of these paramedic interns will touch countless lives across our state.

    “The new paramedic interns and emergency medical call takers represent the next generation of dedicated first responders, ready to serve communities across NSW.

    “Their commitment to patient care and emergency response will strengthen our frontline health services and make a real difference in people’s lives.”

    Quotes attributable to NSW Ambulance Chief Executive Dr Dominic Morgan:

    “Today’s induction is a proud milestone for these new recruits and for NSW Ambulance as a whole, and the uniform they wear represents trust, dedication and resilience.

    “Every call the new paramedic interns and emergency medical call takers respond to is an opportunity to make a difference and help those in our community in their most vulnerable moments.”

    Quotes attributable to William Guthrie

    “I knew from a young age exactly what job I wanted to do, so graduating today really is the culmination of a childhood dream.

    “I am immensely proud to wear this uniform and excited to start putting my training into practice.”

    Quotes attributable to Ebony Peterson

    “I have experienced first-hand the dedication of healthcare staff, which motivated me to join the profession myself and become a paramedic.

    “I am excited and nervous but after all the training, I am ready to get out there.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Open letter: No, Mr Trump, we will not be ‘happy’ and ‘safe’ elsewhere

    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. –

    OPEN LETTER: By Hassan Abo Qamar

    Dear Mr Trump,

    I am writing to you as a Palestinian and a survivor of genocide, who was born and raised in Gaza — a city of love and resilience.

    I have read your statements about Gaza and frankly, I am confused.

    You claim to be a “peacemaker”, but encourage Israel to continue its genocide, calling for “all hell” to break loose if your demands are not fulfilled.

    Mr Trump, we have already been through hell. We lost 60,000 martyrs in it.

    You claim credit for the ceasefire deal, and yet your government — one of its guarantors — refuses to pressure Israel into fulfilling all its obligations under it.

    You call Gaza a “demolition site” but conveniently fail to name the criminal responsible — while simultaneously supplying it with more bombs, funding, and diplomatic cover.

    You talk about Palestinians being “safe” and “happy”, yet you refer to us as if we are a burden to be offloaded onto Jordan, Egypt, or any country willing to take us.

    You claim that we “only want to be in the Gaza Strip because [we] don’t know anything else”.

    “Gaza is not [President Trump’s] business venture, and it is not for sale. Gaza is our home, our land, our inheritance.” Image: Instagram/#flyer_for_falastin/@tahiapretiti

    You profoundly misunderstand us

    Mr Trump, I think you profoundly misunderstand who we are and what Gaza is to us.

    You may think of us as a mere obstacle to your vision of luxury resorts, but we are a people with deep roots, long history, and unalienable rights.

    We are the rightful owners of our land.

    Gaza is not your business venture, and it is not for sale.Gaza is our home, our land, our inheritance.

    And no, it is not true that we want to stay here because we “know nothing else”.

    Although the 17-year-long Israeli siege has made life incredibly difficult for us, some of us have still managed to travel — for education, medical treatment or work. But these people still return because Gaza is home.

    A powerful example is Dr Refaat Alareer, an inspiring figure, who the Israeli occupation targeted and killed in 2023.

    He earned his master’s degree in the UK and later completed his PhD at Universiti Putra Malaysia.

    Despite having the opportunity to stay abroad, he chose to return to Gaza, where he taught creative writing and literature at the Islamic University.

    He also co-founded We Are Not Numbers, an initiative that paired young Palestinian writers with experienced authors to amplify their voices and resist occupation through storytelling. One of these voices is mine.

    Last spring, I, too, had the opportunity to leave, but I decided against it. I could not leave my family, friends and Gaza amid a genocidal war. However, like many others, I plan to travel to complete my education and then return to help rebuild and support my people.

    The Palestinian way
    This is the Palestinian way – we seek knowledge and opportunities, not to abandon our homeland, but to build and strengthen it.

    Speaking of building — you talk about your plans to turn Gaza into “the Riviera of the Middle East”. The thing is, Gaza was the Riviera of the Middle East. Our ancestors built it into a flourishing trade hub, port city and cultural centre. It was “magnificent” — to use your words — until Israel was created and it started destroying it.

    And yet, after every brutal Israeli assault on Gaza, Palestinians would rebuild. Despite all the Israeli violence, restrictions and thievery, Palestinians still made sure Gaza was a safe place with a cosy rhythm of life, where its youth were doing their best to pursue decent livelihoods, where families were happy and together, and where homes thrived.

    Israel has now tried to reduce all of Gaza to rubble and death so we are no longer able to live in it. You have picked up on the idea, effectively endorsing our ethnic cleansing under the veneer of humanitarianism.

    No, Mr Trump, we will not be “happy” and “safe” elsewhere.

    But I agree with you on something else you said: “You’ve got to learn from history”. Indeed, history teaches us that settler-colonialism in modern times is unsustainable. In this sense, your plans and Israel’s plans are doomed to fail.

    We, the people of Gaza – like any Indigenous people – refuse to be uprooted. We refuse to be dispossessed. We refuse to be forced into exile so that our land can be handed to the highest bidder. We are not a problem to be solved; we are a people with the right to live in our homeland in freedom and dignity.

    No amount of bombs, blockades, or tanks will make us forget that. We will not be relocated, resettled, or replaced.

    Power and wealth will not decide the fate of Gaza. History is not written by thieves – it is written by those who resist, by the will of the people. No matter the pressure, our connection to this land will never be severed. Surrender and abandonment are not an option. We will honour our martyrs with resistance by nourishing this land with love, care and remembrance.

    Wishing you all the best in your futile pursuits,

    Hassan Abuqamar
    Gaza, Palestine

    This open letter was first published by Al Jazeera.

    This article was first published on Café Pacific.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray, Colleagues Sound the Alarm on Threats to Americans’ Health and Safety Following Trump Purges

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ICYMI: Murray Blasts Trump and Musk Decimating HHS, Risking Americans’ Health and Livelihoods

    ***FACT SHEET: WA State Impacts of Trump and Musk’s Reckless Mass Layoffs***

    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee joined Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and the entire Senate Democratic caucus in sending a letter demanding answers from Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for firing more than 5,000 HHS workers, blatantly undermining Americans’ health and safety. Within days of being sworn in, Secretary Kennedy blindly followed Trump and Musk’s baseless directive.

    HHS consists of 13 operating divisions and 10 agencies responsible for protecting the health, safety, and wellbeing of Americans nationwide. These highly qualified, dedicated public servants protect millions of families, seniors, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable communities against public health threats by advancing scientific innovations, discovering breakthrough cures, and providing lifeline services such as child care and home-delivered meals.

    Senate Democrats emphasized, “As HHS Secretary, the consequences of epidemics, lost treatments, and lack of access to care are your responsibility. These firings represent the abdication of your sworn duty to ensure the health and well-being of America’s families. You have an obligation to the American people, who rely on you as the nation’s top public health official, to stop these ill-conceived and dangerous attacks on agencies and programs that Americans rely on every day.”

    Specifically, these layoffs will:

    • Harm children, seniors, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable communities. Agencies across HHS are responsible for delivering everyday services that Americans rely on, including affordable child care, home-delivered meals, placing foster children in safe environments, and so much more.
    • Block the development of new treatments and cures. FDA and NIH nonpartisan staff research and develop life-saving treatments. Firing them may delay medical breakthroughs and will weaken America’s biomedical science leadership for years to come.
    • Put patient care at risk. More than 160 million Americans rely on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) programs for affordable health care coverage. CMS is already understaffed and leans heavily on its existing workforce to maintain current service levels. Any cuts to the CMS workforce could have wide-ranging consequences across the health care system, including potential disruptions in medically necessary care, delays in payments to hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care providers, and reductions in the frequency of safety inspections in nursing homes.
    • Make the nation less prepared. With the worst flu season in more than 15 years, an Ebola outbreak in Uganda, and the growing threat of avian influenza, firing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employees will make American communities more vulnerable to dangerous diseases and less prepared to deal with any potential outbreaks. Also, broader public health response infrastructure would be less able to address cyber attacks, supply chain shortages, and natural disasters.

    In their letter, Senate Democrats asked the following questions:

    1. How many HHS employees were fired between January 20, 2025 and February 18, 2025? How many of these employees were probationary? Provide a breakdown by agency, position type, and justification for termination for each category of employee at each agency.
    1. How were HHS employees notified that they were being fired, and on what grounds? Provide the method of communication and content of the message employees received.
    1. Provide any analysis conducted prior to firings to determine the immediate and long-term impact it will have on programs and activities those employees were tasked with administering.
    1. What role did DOGE have in identifying or prioritizing employees for termination? What metrics did they use?
    1. As additional layoffs are anticipated according to the EO, Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization Initiative, what specific guidance was given to HHS for identifying additional employees to lay off?

    The full text of the letter can be found here.

    Earlier this week, Senator Murray responded at length to the Trump administration’s mass firings of dedicated workers across HHS and its many subagencies—and last week she released a fact sheet detailing how reckless mass layoffs across the federal government will jeopardize essential services Americans rely on. Senator Murray was a leading voice in opposition to the confirmation of RFK Jr. as HHS Secretary. Earlier this month on the Senate floor, she warned of the dangers of confirming RFK, Jr.—given his lack of health care experience and deadly rhetoric—and encouraged her colleagues to “show some courage” by rejecting his nomination. A longtime congressional leader on health care and former HELP Committee Chair, she called her meeting with him the “most troubling” she’s ever had with a cabinet nominee.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Blasts Trump & Elon for Illegally Paralyzing Lifesaving Research Again, Threatening to Extinguish Ongoing and Groundbreaking Work

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ICYMI: Murray Blasts Trump and Musk Decimating HHS, Risking Americans’ Health and Livelihoods

    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee issued the following statement upon learning that Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed National Institutes of Health (NIH) to pause issuance of all awards.

    “The scientists supported by NIH deliver groundbreaking and lifesaving cures that change lives and give patients hope all across this country. I think Americans want to understand: by crushing cancer research, what exactly are Trump and Elon making more efficient? By grinding promising new treatments for cerebral palsy to a halt, what corruption is Elon uncovering? Their game plan here is pretty blatant: gum up the works on the approval process for these grants until the money can’t be spent or entire research programs are forced to shutter.

    “Withholding this funding is illegal—Trump, and Elon are suffocating the work of cancer researchers with so much red tape that labs and clinical trials will be forced to shut down. It is plain to see that Trump and Elon are themselves creating waste, fraud, and abuse by illegally choking off lifesaving research. I am calling on every Member of Congress to join me in demanding that NIH grant funding get out the door immediately—to red and blue states—so that researchers can continue working towards cures and treatments.”

    Last Thursday, HHS issued a directive calling on NIH to pause issuance of all awards. Since then, the agency has again completely stopped issuing grants. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has been intentionally delaying the NIH approval process for grants and forcing NIH to cancel study section and Advisory Council meetings. For a research grant application to be approved it must be scored by a study section (a group of independent scientists) first and then approved by the appropriate Institute or Center’s Advisory Council. For either to occur, NIH must announce each of these meetings on the Federal Register. However, since Day 1 of the Trump Administration NIH has been prohibited from posting to the Federal Register. According to analysis in recent reporting, NIH has posted no notices on the Federal Register since Trump’s inauguration—yet during the same period last year there were already more than 150 notices posted by NIH.

    Senator Murray blasted the Trump administration immediately as soon as NIH announced an illegal new cap on the indirect cost rate, amounting to massive indiscriminate cut—pressing Dr. Jay Bhattacharya on the issue, leading Senate Democrats in pushing back, and forcing amendment votes to reverse the illegal Trump policy in the Senate Budget Committee and on the Senate floor. She has also pressed the administration for its arbitrary staffing cuts at HHS, its illegal funding and communications freeze.

    As a longtime appropriator and former Chair of the Senate HELP Committee, Murray has long fought to boost biomedical research, strengthen public health infrastructure, and make health care more affordable and accessible. Over her years as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, she has secured billions of dollars in increases for biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health, and during her time as Chair of the HELP Committee, she established the new ARPA-H research agency as part of her PREVENT Pandemics Act to advance some of the most cutting-edge research in the field. Senator Murray was also the lead Democratic negotiator of the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act, which delivered a major federal investment to boost NIH research, among many other investments. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Republicans Block Markey Amendment to Budget Resolution that Would Extend Alzheimer’s Research Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Watch: Senator Markey Introduces Amendment to Fund Alzheimer’s Research
    Washington (February 21, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), ranking member of the Health Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security and founder and co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s, yesterday introduced an amendment to the Senate’s budget resolution, which would increase funding for Alzheimer’s research amidst cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding. Republicans overwhelmingly voted down the amendment from passing. 
    Below is an excerpt from Senator Markey’s remarks on the Senate floor.
    “Funding for Alzheimer’s research at the NIH is essential. Nearly seven million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s right now and if nothing changes, fifteen million Americans will have Alzheimer’s by 2050 with a cost of one trillion dollars a year to our health care system. We need to tackle this challenge head on by increasing funding for NIH research for Alzheimer’s. Trump and DOGE have already cut and slowed down NIH research, interfering with our ability to cure this disease. We must guarantee that Alzheimer’s research is protected.”  
    In October 2024, Senators Markey and Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced President Biden signed their bipartisan Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act (AAIA) and National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) Reauthorization into law. These bills cement and build on the important progress that has been made to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease.
    Senator Markey is a leader in the fight to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and to support family caregivers. In July 2024, Senator Markey applauded the HELP Committee’s passage of Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2024, which included provisions based on his Respite Care And Resources for Everyone (CARE) Act and Convenient Care for Caregivers Act to expand respite care for family caregivers of older adults that need long-term care, including individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. Earlier that month, Senator Markey unveiled his “Caring for Caregivers” family caregiving agenda, which included his Convenient Care for Caregivers Act to support family caregivers and individuals with Alzheimer’s receiving health care services at the same time and location to improve health outcomes.
    As a member of the House of Representatives, Senator Markey founded the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s to develop a whole-of-government approach to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s. He created the Independence at Home program to provide seniors, including individuals with Alzheimer’s and other dementia, the option to receive primary care in their home. Senator Markey authored the bipartisan Spending Reductions Through Innovations in Therapies (SPRINT) Act, which would encourage drug development for high-cost, chronic health conditions such as Alzheimer’s, the Health Outcomes, Planning and Education (HOPE) Act to improve early detection and diagnoses of Alzheimer’s and support caregivers, and the Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Act, which would require the National Institutes of Health (NIH) work to improve treatment outcomes and engage federal agencies in the effort to combat Alzheimer’s.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta: California Remains Unwavering in Our Commitment to Protecting Gender-Affirming Care

    Source: US State of California

    Co-leads coalition of 18 attorneys general in filing amicus brief to support plaintiffs in PFLAG v. Trump 

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today co-led a coalition of 18 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland supporting the motion for a preliminary injunction sought by Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality, and individual patients and their families in their lawsuit against the Trump Administration. On February 4, 2025, PFLAG challenged President Trump’s Executive Orders 14168 and 14187 targeting transgender individuals by stating that gender identity was a “false” idea and by attempting to strip federal funding from institutions that provide life-saving gender affirming care for young people under the age of 19. The attorneys general argue that these actions blatantly and unlawfully discriminate against transgender youth based on their identity, and urge the Court to grant PFLAG’s motion for a preliminary injunction. 

    “Health care decisions, including gender-affirming care, should be made by patients, families, and doctors, free from political interference,” said Attorney General Bonta. “As we continue to face relentless attacks on transgender rights, my office remains unwavering in our commitment to defending the rights of transgender individuals as they seek to live their lives as their authentic selves. Alongside attorneys general nationwide, I am proud to submit this amicus brief today in defense of the law and against the federal government’s unlawful, hate-mongering attempts to strip away the right to access gender-affirming care.”

    The states submitting today’s amicus brief have enacted their own laws, policies, and protections for transgender residents, including transgender youth under the age of 19. California law, including the Unruh Civil Rights Act, Civil Code section 51, and Government Code section 11135, prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Electing to refuse services to a class of individuals based on their protected status, such as withholding services from transgender individuals based on their gender identity or their diagnosis of gender dysphoria, while offering such services to cisgender individuals, is discrimination. 

    In today’s amicus brief, the attorneys general argue that there is considerable medical evidence showing that gender-affirming care improves the health outcomes for individuals with gender dysphoria, a medical condition characterized by significant distress that occurs when an individual’s gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth. Denying this care can have tragic consequences on patients’ physical and mental well-being. A recent study conducted by the University of Washington found that in individuals ages 13-20, receiving gender-affirming care was associated with 60% lower odds of moderate to severe depression and 73% lower odds of having suicidal thoughts over a 12-month period. 

    The attorneys general also argue that the Administration’s Executive Orders have sown chaos and confusion among gender-affirming care providers and caused anxiety and fear among transgender youth and their families. The Trevor Project, which provides confidential counseling to LGBTQ+ youth, reported a 700% increase in access to its crisis services since the Presidential election and a 46% increase in volume following Inauguration Day. In the immediate aftermath of the Executive Orders, facilities across the country halted gender-affirming care for young people, citing fears of losing federal funding for healthcare unrelated to gender-affirming care.    

    While gender-affirming care remains available in California, the Executive Orders have undeniably and unacceptably scared providers and patients here and across the country. Shortly after PFLAG filed their lawsuit, Attorney General Bonta joined 14 other attorneys general in issuing a statement reaffirming their commitment to protecting access to gender-affirming care, reminding providers that federal courts have stopped the Administration from withholding federal funding from institutions, including ones that provide gender-affirming care, and making clear that no federal law prohibits or criminalizes gender-affirming care.  

    In submitting this brief, which is co-led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, and Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, are the attorneys general from Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. 

    A copy of the amicus brief can be found here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Announces $970,000 in Grants to Fund Fair Housing Programs in the Capital Region

    Source: US State of New York

    NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced $970,000 in grants to support and expand fair housing testing and enforcement in New York’s Capital Region. This grant funding will be provided to United Tenants of Albany, Inc. (UTA) and the Fair Housing Justice Center (FHJC) to develop and launch the region’s first fair housing testing and enforcement program and fund the program for a minimum of two years. The Capital Region is the most populous region of New York state that is not currently served by a Qualified Fair Housing Organization (QFHO). QFHOs, as designated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, operate fair housing enforcement programs and seek to protect families from housing discrimination. 

    Housing discrimination perpetuates racial discrimination and discrimination against protected classes, and without the sort of fair housing testing and enforcement program now made possible by these grants, the Capital Region faces greater risk of social and economic inequality, neighborhood disinvestment, increased childhood poverty, and widening homeownership disparities. These grants will bring critical and necessary services to the Capital Region and promote fair access to housing for thousands of New Yorkers. 

    “Access to housing is a basic human right, but too often, discriminatory practices and high prices prohibit countless New Yorkers from securing stable housing and further exacerbates the housing crisis,” said Attorney General James. “Investing in fair housing testing programs ensures we can create greater fair housing opportunities, protect tenants statewide, and hold landlords accountable. The new program supported by these grants will allow for an expansion of accessible and affordable housing across the Capital Region and help more New Yorkers find a place to call home.”

    Fair housing testing programs seek to identify and investigate housing discrimination in order to ensure fair access to housing for all. In 2021, the New York state Legislature established the Anti-Discrimination in Housing Fund, which collects licensing fees and discrimination fines from brokers and real estate agents to finance grants in support of fair housing testing and enforcement efforts. Grants from the Anti-Discrimination in Housing Fund are intended to benefit local non-profit organizations focused on preventing illegal discriminatory housing practices.

    The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) will award $520,000 to UTA to create a new fair housing enforcement program in the Capital Region and $450,000 to FHJC – a QFHO that is well-versed in fair housing testing and enforcement programs – to provide training and technical assistance while UTA develops and launches the program. The FHJC will be subcontracting with CNY Fair Housing, a Syracuse-based QFHO, to provide these services. The FHJC and CNY Fair Housing will also assist OAG in identifying additional regions in New York that could benefit from increased fair housing support.

    By utilizing fair housing testing and enforcement programs, Attorney General James has been able to reveal and eliminate housing discrimination practices at real estate brokerages on Long Island. In March 2023, Attorney General James took action against Coldwell Banker for discriminating against Black, Hispanic, and other potential homebuyers of color. As a result of Attorney General James’ intervention, Coldwell Banker was required to implement fair housing training for all real estate agents and to fund programs to promote enforcement of and compliance with fair housing laws in Suffolk County. In August 2022, Attorney General James took action against three other Long Island real estate brokerages that were discriminating against homebuyers of color. In some cases, agents at these brokerages were recorded showing preferential treatment to white homebuyers, disparaging neighborhoods of color, and only directing homebuyers of color to homes in neighborhoods where residents predominantly belonged to communities of color. In a fair housing settlement with Attorney General James, these brokerages contributed more than $115,000 to fix discriminatory practices and implement fair housing trainings. 

    “For over fifty years, UTA has specialized in advocating for tenants’ rights, and telling landlords what is and isn’t acceptable,” said Canyon Ryan, Executive Director of United Tenants of Albany. “But now, we are developing the capacity to go one step beyond advocacy: enforcement. With support from the Office of the Attorney General, the Fair Housing Justice Center, and others, UTA looks forward to ensuring landlords are held accountable when they violate fair housing laws.”

    “The Capital Region needs a full-service fair housing organization to address ongoing issues of illegal housing discrimination and residential racial segregation,” said Michele Cortese, Interim Executive Director, Fair Housing Justice Center, Inc. “The Fair Housing Justice Center (FHJC) applauds the New York Office of Attorney General for recognizing this urgent need and making the necessary resources available to create an effective fair housing program in the Albany area. The FHJC is proud to have been selected by the Attorney General’s Office to provide extensive training, resources, and technical assistance to this emerging fair housing program.”  

    “Fair Housing is excited to be helping build fair housing capacity in the Capital Region, an area that has gone far too long without a fair housing organization,” said Sally Santangelo, Executive Director of CNY Fair Housing. “We know people in the region are experiencing housing discrimination and we are grateful that the Attorney General is investing in protecting their rights.”

    The OAG is allocating $970,000 to grantees over the program period of two years. Program continuation and grant renewal options will be evaluated and determined by OAG.

    This is the latest action taken by Attorney General James to root out discriminatory housing practices and expand fair housing support across the state. In September 2024, Attorney General James and New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas announced the return of 263 apartments to rent stabilization and reduction of rent for an additional 43 apartments throughout New York City. In August 2024, Attorney General James stopped property owner and management company Shamco Management Corp. from illegally denying housing opportunities to low-income renters in New York City. In October 2023, she released a report detailing deep racial disparities in homeownership and access to home financing across the state. Also in October 2023, Attorney General James announced an agreement with Platzner International Group (PIG) and their various properties for denying housing to low-income residents in Westchester County. In May 2020, Attorney General James announced a $4.5 million grant to the Eliminating Barriers to Housing in New York (EBHNY) program which benefited existing QFHOs. This program set the framework for New York to continue funding these organizations through HCR under their Fair Housing Testing, Education and Networking Program. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: New report highlights need to break down barriers between vocational education and university

    Source: Australian Ministers for Education

    Better connecting vocational education and training (VET) and higher education will help more people gain the skills and qualifications they need.

    That’s according to a new report released today from Jobs and Skills Australia, entitled Opportunity and Productivity: Towards a Tertiary Harmonisation Roadmap. 

    The report says a more connected tertiary education system has the potential to lift workforce productivity and skill levels and help build the workforce we will need in the future. 

    The report also finds that better connecting VET and higher education will help improve access to tertiary education and improve the status, sustainability, and impact of TAFE and the wider VET system.  

    The Australian Universities Accord was clear that more people need to participate in tertiary education in the future to deliver the large and skilled workforce that Australia needs. 

    In response to the Accord, the Albanese Labor Government invested $27.7 million as part of first steps towards breaking down barriers between VET and higher education to ensure a more seamless and aligned tertiary education system.  

    It also includes facilitating better student pathways by improving guidance on credit and recognition of prior learning and streamlining regulation for dual sector providers.  

    This complements the Government’s investment in establishing more nationally networked TAFE Centres of Excellence, which are built on partnerships between TAFEs, universities and industry. 

    It also complements funding for TAFEs and other high quality not-for-profit specialist providers to significantly expand their higher education offerings, including delivering degrees.  

    Jobs and Skills Australia’s report builds on this critical work already underway with additional recommendations to further support tertiary harmonisation over the longer term. 

    The Government will consider the report’s recommendations and respond in due course, including the establishment of a council with state and territory representation to drive tertiary harmonisation reform. 

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare: 

    “We are not going to fix the skills shortages we have, and will have, unless we better integrate higher education and vocational education and training. 

    “We have already started work on breaking down the artificial barrier between uni and VET, but there is a lot more to do.

    “Breaking down these barriers and allowing people to move more seamlessly between VET and higher education will give people the skills they need.”  

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Skills and Training Andrew Giles: 

    “When we came to government, we were faced with the worst skills shortage in more than half a century, after a decade of neglect by the Liberals, where they ripped billions of dollars out of TAFE and training. 

    “This report highlights how tertiary harmonisation is an opportunity to create deeper connections and greater collaboration between our two high-quality tertiary education sectors.

    “Our investment in Free TAFE and getting more apprentices into the workforce is testament to our commitment to ensure every Australian has an opportunity to attain higher education which leads to good, secure jobs.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: COLUMN: Walker: Week Six Under the Gold Dome

    Source: US State of Georgia

    By: Sen. Larry Walker, III (R–Perry)

    With Legislative Day 20 behind us, we have officially reached the halfway mark of the 2025 Legislative Session.

    One of our biggest legislative priorities this session has been lawsuit reform. Reining in the costly legal environment that burdens small businesses, healthcare providers, and consumers has been long overdue, and I am proud to report that the Senate has taken a significant step forward with the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 68. These commonsense reforms will help stabilize insurance costs, prevent frivolous litigation and ensure that businesses—especially small, family-owned operations—can operate without the constant threat of excessive verdicts. By curbing lawsuit abuse, we protect jobs and keep costs down for Georgia consumers. I look forward to working with our colleagues in the House to send these bills to the Governor’s desk.

    This week, we also passed SB 52, the “Timberlands Recovery, Exemption, and Earnings Stability (TREES) Act,” which provides vital tax relief to timberland owners impacted by Hurricane Helene. The storm caused catastrophic damage, destroying an estimated $1.3 billion in standing timber across South Georgia. Many of these landowners depend on their timber harvest for income, and the economic impact has been devastating. This bill, sponsored by Sen. Russ Goodman (R–Cogdell), will help stabilize the market, ease the financial strain on affected families and support the long-term recovery of Georgia’s forestry industry—one of the largest in the nation.

    Another key legislative win this week was the passage of SB 89, which expands Georgia’s Child Tax Credit to provide direct financial relief to families with young children. Sponsored by Sen. Brian Strickland (R–McDonough), this bill builds on the recommendations of the Senate Study Committee on Access to Affordable Childcare, which spent months gathering input from working parents, childcare providers, and business leaders. The bill increases the state tax credit for childcare expenses to 40% of the federal level and creates a new tax credit for families with children under seven. Additionally, SB 89 incentivizes businesses to help employees with childcare costs by raising the employer tax credit cap from 50% to 75%. With the rising cost of childcare making it harder for parents—particularly mothers—to remain in the workforce, this legislation will provide real relief for Georgia families and help grow our state’s economy.

    In addition to these major policy advancements, I introduced SB 125 to address the arduous process that professional engineers face to obtain certification. SB 125 would decouple the current sequential order of experience and examination requirements, which would allow engineers to acquire their license more quickly. This reform would also help prepare engineers to enter the Georgia workforce and advance in their careers. SB 125 was passed out of the Senate Committee on Regulated Industries and Utilities, and I look forward to bringing it to the Senate floor in the coming weeks.

    On a personal note, I was honored to celebrate Future Farmers of America (FFA) Day on Tuesday. Georgia is home to the third-largest chapter of this excellent organization, whose work is instrumental in directing young people to the forefront of agriculture and preparing them for career success. The future of farming depends on our youth, and with the help of FFA, Georgia agriculture will continue to be our state’s top industry.

    As always, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the 20th Senate District. Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions, concerns, or ideas. Your input helps shape the policies that impact our state, and I value your voice in this process.

    # # # #

    Sen. Larry Walker serves as Secretary of the Majority Caucus and Walker: Week Six Under the Gold DomeChairman of the Senate Committee on Insurance and Labor. He represents the 20th Senate District, which includes Bleckley, Dodge, Dooly, Laurens, Treutlen, Pulaski and Wilcox counties, as well as portions of Houston County.  He may be reached by phone at (404) 656-0095 or by email at Larry.Walker@senate.ga.gov.For all media inquiries, please reach out to SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyoming Delegation Seeks Resolution to Decades-Old Stalemate in Wyoming Federal Land Management

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wyoming John Barrasso

    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators John Barrasso and Senator Cynthia Lummis along with U.S. Representative Harriet Hageman, all R-Wyo., reintroduced legislation today that would resolve the management status of thousands of acres of federal public lands in seven counties in Wyoming.

    The bill, which passed the U.S. Senate in December 2024, is the direct result of a collaborative process started under the Wyoming Public Lands Initiative (WPLI). The WPLI was created by the Wyoming County Commissioners Association in 2015 to seek locally driven solutions on the future of federal public lands that have been in management limbo for more than 30 years.

    “For decades, hundreds of thousands of acres of federal land in Wyoming has been locked up as Wilderness Study Areas. Locally driven processes like the Wyoming Public Lands Initiative (WPLI) give people in Wyoming the best chance to decide how to treat these lands,” said Barrasso. “Wyoming’s county commissioners, conservation leaders, and outdoor enthusiasts who participated in the WPLI process spent years carefully crafting this legislation. It strikes a balance between protecting the wild places that people in Wyoming love while expanding multiple-use areas that our state and our local economies depend on.”

    “Wyoming’s Wilderness Study Areas have kept federal lands in limbo status for decades, dramatically limiting access for maintenance and other purposes,” said Lummis. “Our legislation is the result of input from local communities and stakeholders on how we can best manage these lands according to Wyoming’s values.”

    “Our county commissioners have worked for years to require our federal agencies to properly classify the thousands of acres that have been stuck in administrative limbo, and this legislation is the product of a locally driven process to resolve decades of uncertainty on lands in Wyoming,” said Hageman.

    Background

    Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) are a special designation for lands that are managed to protect wilderness characteristics until Congress specifically designated them as Wilderness or directs the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to manage the area for multiple uses.

    WSAs were intended to be temporary designations. These particular temporary designations have persisted for more than 30 years.

    In 2015, the Wyoming County Commissioners Association (WCCA) initiated the WPLI to provide a framework for counties to discuss and resolve various public lands issues around the state. The process was intended to focus on resolving the status of the 45 Wilderness Study Areas around Wyoming. It allowed all 23 counties to “opt in/out” of the process based on suitability for their county and to determine the composition and rules of their committees.

    As a result of the WPLI process, the following seven counties in Wyoming have submitted their recommendations that are included in the legislation: Campbell, Carbon, Fremont, Hot Springs, Johnson, Natrona and Washakie counties.

    The legislation includes:

    – 5 wilderness designations totaling 20,381 acres
    – 3 designations of a “Special Management Area” totaling 27,711 acres
    – 10 release and manage as multiple-use totaling 99,750 acres
    – 2 policy directives

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden at ENR Hearing: Musk’s Business Dealings in China and Workforce Purge at BPA Threaten National Security

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)

    February 21, 2025

    WATCH: Wyden’s Exchange with University of Oregon’s Presidential Chair in Science, Dr. Richmond Here 

    Washington, D.C. — During a hearing held today in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., underscored that Elon Musk’s business dealings in China pose a serious threat to national security. 

    According to public reporting, Elon Musk is running the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as a federal employee while remaining Tesla’s largest shareholder. Public filings indicate Tesla invested billions of dollars in China and annually produces nearly 1 million cars at a factory in Shanghai on land owned by the Chinese government.

    “According to public reporting, Tesla’s contract allows the Chinese government to revoke Tesla’s lease on the land at any time if it determines doing so is in the public interest,” Wyden said. “Now, on this committee, every one of us works for the AMERICAN public interest. And given that is our highest priority, I intend to come back and ask further questions about this in the days ahead.”

    Senator Wyden also questioned Dr. Geraldine Richmond, Presidential Chair in Science at the University of Oregon and former Under Secretary for Science and Innovation at the Department of Energy, on the national security consequences of Musk’s decision to make drastic and abrupt workforce cuts at the Bonneville Power Administration. Dr. Richmond emphasized that these cuts would undermine the grid’s safety and drive up energy prices for working families across America. 

    Last week, Senator Wyden demanded answers from the Trump administration in a letter regarding Musk’s workforce cuts at the Bonneville Power Administration. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Hassan, Banks, and Lankford Demand Accountability from PowerSchool Following Major Student Data Breach

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jim Banks (R-IN), and James Lankford (R-OK) are demanding answers from PowerSchool and Bain Capital executives following a significant cyberattack that compromised the personal data of thousands of students and staff nationwide. The Senators cite inadequate cybersecurity measures, delayed notifications, and poor communication from the company, whose software manages sensitive student and staff information for thousands of schools in the United States, including schools across New Hampshire. 

    “We write to express significant concern about the risks that students, staff, and school districts face after malicious actors stole their personal data in a cyberattack on your company’s information systems,” wrote the Senators. “According to recent reports, malicious actors breached PowerSchool’s SIS service and stole this sensitive data, putting students and staff at significant risk of identity theft. School district leaders who we have spoken with raised serious concerns about delays in your company’s response to the cybersecurity incident, including delayed notifications to impacted schools.” 

    “According to reports, your company failed to put in place basic cybersecurity safeguards – such as multi-factor authentication – that could have helped to prevent the cyberbreach,” the Senators continued. “Your company also has not clearly communicated a date by which impacted individuals will receive free identity protection and credit monitoring services. Your delayed and unclear communication is unacceptable, especially given the sensitive nature of the personal data that was stolen. We urge you to immediately notify all impacted individuals and provide them with these protective services.” 

    Click here to see the full letter or see text below: 

    Dear Mr. Gulati and Mr. Ward:

    We write to express significant concern about the risks that students, staff, and school districts face after malicious actors stole their personal data in a cyberattack on your company’s information systems. We urge PowerSchool to immediately notify all students and staff whose personal data may have been compromised, provide impacted individuals with identity protection services free-of-charge as soon as possible, and provide answers to questions regarding your company’s reported cybersecurity failings.

    More than 16,000 customers use PowerSchool’s software products to serve 50 million students in the United States.[1] Schools use PowerSchool’s Student Information System (SIS) service to manage student enrollment, attendance, grades, and records – as well as school staff records. These records could include dates of birth, Social Security numbers, home addresses, health information, and other private, personally identifiable information.

    According to recent reports, malicious actors breached PowerSchool’s SIS service and stole this sensitive data, putting students and staff at significant risk of identity theft. School district leaders who we have spoken with raised serious concerns about delays in your company’s response to the cybersecurity incident, including delayed notifications to impacted schools. While the breach occurred as early as December 19, 2024, you failed to detect it until December 28, 2024.[2] Moreover, you did not notify SIS customers of the incident until January 7, 2025 – nineteen days after the incident.

    Your company also has not clearly communicated a date by which impacted individuals will receive free identity protection and credit monitoring services. Your delayed and unclear communication is unacceptable, especially given the sensitive nature of the personal data that was stolen. We urge you to immediately notify all impacted individuals and provide them with these protective services.

    According to reports, your company failed to put in place basic cybersecurity safeguards – such as multi-factor authentication – that could have helped to prevent the cyberbreach. Moreover, since the cybersecurity incident, PowerSchool has reportedly hired a cybersecurity technology company to conduct an analysis of the incident. This is an important step toward accountability and regaining the trust of your customers and the public. We ask you to be transparent with the analyst’s findings, and we request your prompt and comprehensive answers to the following questions:

    • Please detail the timeline of events from the date that the SIS cybersecurity incident occurred through today.
    • How many individuals across the United States had their data compromised by the December 2024 cyberattack on SIS? Please provide a breakdown of the number of current and former students and school staff who were impacted by state and school district.
    • What assistance have you provided to states, school districts, and schools that were impacted by the data breach, and what supports will you provide them moving forward? 
    • How far back do the compromised records go? For instance, if a school used SIS services 10 years ago but no longer does, was that school impacted by the breach?
    • What assistance have you provided to states, school districts, and schools that no longer have an active SIS contract but are past clients and whose data was compromised?
    • Schools may use several PowerSchool software products. Were any of your other software products compromised by the cybersecurity incident? If so, was student and staff data accessed, and what are your plans to notify and support impacted individuals?
    • Please provide a date by which your company will fulfill its stated commitment to provide two years of complimentary identity protection and credit monitoring services to students and staff whose personally identifiable information was compromised. Do you commit to providing these services to all impacted students and staff even if it is not required by state law or your contracts? Did your company require multi-factor authentication for PowerSchool employees and contractors at the time of the breach? If not, why, and will you commit to requiring the use of this cybersecurity safeguard moving forward?
    • How swiftly did you notify federal, state, and local law enforcement about the cybersecurity incident, and are you cooperating with any investigations they may have underway into the incident?

    Thank you for your attention to this important matter. We ask that you reply no later than March 7, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Landmarks to be Lit Orange in Honor of Ariel and Kfir Bibas

    Source: US State of New York


















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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FDA Warns of Use of Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) Among Teens, Young Adults

    Source: US Food and Drug Administration

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers that the agency continues to receive adverse event reports related to selective androgen receptor modulators, commonly called SARMs. Social media posts by influencers and sellers of SARMs contribute to the availability and promotion of these dangerous products.

    Targeting teenagers and young adults, videos on social media platforms tout SARMs as a quick or easy way to improve physical appearance, gain muscle mass, or increase athletic performance. 

    SARMs, which are chemical substances that mimic the effects of testosterone and anabolic steroids, are not FDA approved. Online vendors and social media influencers are using social media to make SARMs seem safe and effective.

    The reality is SARMs are potentially dangerous. The FDA continues to receive adverse event reports associated with SARMS use. The real number of consumers experiencing adverse events is likely higher due to underreporting.  Because these are not approved drugs, consumers may be reluctant to report adverse events or may not be aware that they can report adverse events that they experience. In addition, they might not know that their symptoms are being caused by the product.

    Studies and reports show SARMs are associated with serious or life-threatening health problems, such as:

    • Increased risk of heart attack or stroke
    • Psychosis/hallucinations    
    • Sleep disturbances
    • Sexual dysfunction 
    • Liver injury and acute liver failure 
    • Infertility
    • Pregnancy miscarriage
    • Testicular shrinkage 

    Although SARMs are often marketed as dietary supplements or “sold for research use only,” they are considered unapproved drugs. SARMs cannot be legally marketed in the U.S. as a dietary supplement or drug at this time. These products are often sold with no warnings on the labels, potentially leading consumers to believe the products are safe. 

    The FDA recommends consumers talk to a health care professional about the use of any products for increasing muscle mass or enhancing athletic performance.

    The FDA has issued warning letters to companies selling unapproved products marketed as SARMs over the years. The FDA has also pursued criminal actions for distributors of these products. 

    Because these are unapproved drug products with potentially dangerous side effects, and they have not been reviewed by the FDA for safety or efficacy, consumers should be advised against using SARMs. Consumers should consult a health care professional if they are experiencing any side effect they believe may be associated with the use of a SARMs product.  

    The FDA encourages health care professionals and consumers to report any adverse event related to the use of SARMs products to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program. To file a report, use the MedWatch Online Voluntary Reporting Form. The completed form can be submitted online or via fax to 1-800-FDA-0178. 

    Additional guidance on how to report issues with products can be found at the FDA 101: How to Use the Consumer Complaint System and MedWatch.

    Additionally, you can reach out to your local consumer complaint coordinator: Consumer Complaint Coordinators.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Language is a passport to understanding humanity itself- Mr. Tim Curtis, Director, Representative UNESCO

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Language is a passport to understanding humanity itself- Mr. Tim Curtis, Director, Representative UNESCO

    IGNCA commemorated International Mother Language Day with a two-day celebration on 21st and 22nd February 2025

    Posted On: 21 FEB 2025 9:00PM by PIB Delhi

    Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) commemorated International Mother Language Day with a two-day celebration on 21st and 22nd February 2025. Centred on the theme ‘Make Languages Count for Sustainable Development’, the event brought together eminent scholars, linguists, and cultural experts to deliberate on the role of languages in fostering sustainable growth. The inaugural session on 21st February featured the launch of ‘Indian Calligraphy: Unveiling Ancient Wisdom through Rajeev Kumar’s Art’, alongside the inauguration of the exhibition BHASHARRITI, curated by Ms. Aashna and Ms. Ritu Mathur. The occasion was graced by Mr. Tim Curtis, Director and Representative, UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia, as Chief Guest, and Ms. Lily Pandeya, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, as Special Guest. The session was chaired by Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary, IGNCA, and the welcome address was delivered by Prof. Ramesh Chandra Gaur, Director  & Head- Kala Nidhi and Dean (Administration), IGNCA. The event provided a dynamic platform for insightful discussions, reinforcing a collective commitment to preserving and promoting linguistic heritage.

    (L-R) Ms. Ashna , Ms. Ritu Mathur, Prof. Ramesh Chandra Gaur, Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi , Mr. TIm Curtis. Prof. Shobhana Chelliah, Prof. Sadaf Munshi Launching the book at the Event

    Mr. Tim Curtis and Prof. Ramesh Chandra Gaur walking through the Exhibition

    Mr. Tim Curtis, while delivering his address, emphasised that celebrating International Mother Language Day is deeply personal and universally significant, as it honours the languages that shape our thoughts and words. More than mere tools of communication, languages define identities and connect individuals to their histories and communities. Highlighting South Asia’s rich linguistic landscape, he noted that research indicates over 7,000 languages are endangered, with indigenous languages being the most vulnerable. These languages encapsulate unique knowledge systems and millennia of wisdom, making their loss a threat to cultural heritage.

    He referred to the United Nations’ declaration of 2022–2032 as the Decade of Indigenous Languages, aimed at documentation, revitalisation, and celebration of linguistic treasures.  He acknowledged IGNCA’s ongoing contributions in this regard and expressed gratitude for organising Mother Language Day. Stressing the importance of multilingual education, he cited India’s National Education Policy as a model for embracing linguistic diversity, enhancing both learning outcomes and national unity. UNESCO, he affirmed, is scaling up efforts for indigenous language preservation, advocating community-led initiatives that bridge linguistic communities and foster equity.

    Mr. Tim Curtis concluded by stating that language is not just a tool for communication but, in a way, a passport to understanding humanity itself. When we speak in our mother tongue, we do not merely exchange words but share ways of perceiving and interpreting the world. By honouring each other’s mother tongue, we facilitate understanding that transcends borders and cultures.

    Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, in his chair remarks, stated that it is always a pleasure to acknowledge that India is a nation with one of the highest numbers of languages and dialects. With over 1,700 languages once spoken across the country, this linguistic wealth has long been a matter of pride. However, the other side of the coin is the rapid decline of languages, with many disappearing at an alarming rate, an issue that warrants serious concern.  He emphasised that collective efforts are being made to preserve and promote languages, and the National Education Policy rightly places significant emphasis on education in one’s mother tongue. While discussing language, he noted that it consists of three fundamental components-language itself, script, and phonetics. He pointed out that among these, phonetics remains the most overlooked aspect in conversations about mother tongues. Without attention to phonetics, he asserted, a language remains incomplete.

    Prof. Ramesh Chandra Gaur, while speaking at the event, emphasised that there can be no disagreement about the importance of any language. He observed that the linguistic landscape has been evolving in the wake of globalisation. While acknowledging the rising number and percentage of people conversing in English, he clarified that this is not a matter of concern. Instead, he accentuated the real issue-people increasingly refraining from speaking in their mother tongue. Stressing the significance of multilingualism, he asserted that being multilingual is not just beneficial but essential for sustainable development. He further asserted that languages can only be preserved if communities continue to speak and engage with them actively in their daily lives.

    The first day featured three panel discussions. The first session, titled ‘Make Languages Count for Sustainable Development’, was moderated by Prof. Ramesh Chandra Gaur. The panel included Prof. Shobhana Chelliah from Indiana University, USA; Prof. Sadaf Munshi from the University of North Texas, USA; and Dr. Huma Masood, Senior Gender Specialist at UNESCO’s New Delhi Office. The second session focused on a discussion of the book Indian Calligraphy: Unveiling Ancient Wisdom through Rajeev Kumar’s Art. The panel comprised Ms. Jaya Jaitly, Founder of Dastkari Haat Samiti, New Delhi; Prof. Ramesh Chandra Gaur; and cultural entrepreneur and exhibition curator Ms. Ritu Mathur.

    The third session explored the theme ‘National Education Policy and Indian Languages’. Moderated by Mr. Sudhakar Pathak, President of the Hindustani Bhasha Academy, the session featured insights from Prof. Bandana Jha of Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Department of Indian Languages; Dr. Pawan Vijay of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University; Dr. Alok Ranjan Pandey of Ramanujan College, University of Delhi; and Dr. Vijay Kumar Mishra of Hansraj College. The event witnessed a significant gathering of language enthusiasts, academicians, and researchers, reaffirming the commitment to linguistic preservation and discourse.

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    Sunil Kumar Tiwari

    pibculture[at]gmail[dot]com

    (Release ID: 2105420) Visitor Counter : 32

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah interacts with students from rural and tribal communities at Gujarat Bhavan in New Delhi

    Source: Government of India

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah interacts with students from rural and tribal communities at Gujarat Bhavan in New Delhi

    The upliftment and empowerment of the tribal community is a priority of the Modi government

    Modi govt is establishing Eklavya Model Residential Schools for quality education in each block having more than 50% ST population and having at least 20,000 tribals

    For six decades after independence, the country had only one central tribal university, Modi government opened 2 new tribal universities in a decade

    The role of students in nation-building is extremely important, and their success will be instrumental in making India a leading nation

    Language has been a barrier for tribal students pursuing medical, engineering, and technical education, thus, Modi government gave the option of taking exams in one’s mother tongue

    Posted On: 21 FEB 2025 7:43PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah held an inspiring educational interaction with the students of the rural and tribal community of Santokba Dholakiya Vidya Mandir, Dang District, Gujarat at Gujarat Bhawan, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi today. This special event was a unique opportunity for these students to be inspired and share their experiences. This initiative is part of the Union Home Minister’s commitment to directly interact with youth and motivate them.

    The program not only served as a source of inspiration for all these rural and tribal students, but it also provided them with the opportunity to openly interact with the country’s Home Minister.

    On this occasion, Shri Amit Shah shared profound thoughts on education, youth empowerment, and the role of students in national development. The goal of this dialogue was to inspire students and address their queries related to academics and careers. While answering students’ questions, the Home Minister emphasized the importance of hard work, dedication, and determination.

    Union Home Minister said that be it the celebration of ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Divas’ or the election of Smt Droupadi Murmu as the President of India, these decisions have helped take the pride of the tribal society to newer heights. He emphasized that the upliftment and empowerment of the tribal community is our priority, and it is Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi who gave the tribal community their rightful recognition after independence.

    Shri Amit Shah said that students are the foundation of the country’s progress, and their hard work and dedication will take India to new heights. He encouraged students to pursue careers as doctors, engineers, and civil servants, stating that if they make the development of the country their goal, their personal growth will naturally be assured. Therefore, their primary objective should be to work for the development of the nation.

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation stated that the Modi government is providing quality education to tribal students by establishing Eklavya Model Residential Schools in every block having more than 50% ST population having at least 20,000 tribals. He further mentioned that language has been a barrier for tribal students in the fields like medicine, engineering, and technical education. In response to this, the Modi government has provided the option for students to take exams in their mother tongue. Shri Shah said that these decisions have given tribal students a new hope. He further mentioned that in the six decades after independence, there was only one central tribal university in the country, whereas in the past decade, under the Modi government, two new tribal universities have been established.

    The students shared their thoughts on education and career with the Home Minister. Shri Amit Shah provided suggestions on how they could contribute to the progress of the country. At the end of the program, the Home Minister encouraged the students to pursue their goals with hard work and integrity, stating that the role of students in nation-building is extremely important, and their success will play a key role in making India a leading nation.

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    RK/VV/ASH/PR/PS

    (Release ID: 2105386) Visitor Counter : 60

    Read this release in: Hindi

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: First Phase of the ‘Desh Ka Prakriti Parikshan Abhiyaan’ concludes with Historic Five Guinness World Records

    Source: Government of India (2)

    First Phase of the ‘Desh Ka Prakriti Parikshan Abhiyaan’ concludes with Historic Five Guinness World Records

    First phase of the Abhiyaan saw an extraordinary response, conducting prakriti parikshan for over 1.29 crore individuals, surpassing the target of 1 crore

    Posted On: 21 FEB 2025 6:02PM by PIB Delhi

    In a historic milestone for India, Desh Ka Prakriti Parikshan Abhiyaan achieved an unprecedented five Guinness World Records, highlighting the nation’s dedication to holistic healthcare and the growing global recognition of Ayurveda. The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM), with the support of the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, concluded the closing ceremony marking the completion of the first phase of the ‘desh Ka Prakriti Parikshan Abhiyaan’ on 20thFebruary 2025 at Mumbai.

    Five Guinness World Records:

    1. The most pledges received for a health campaign in one week: with 6,004,912 pledges, surpassing the minimum requirement of 14,571, setting a new global benchmark as there was no previous record holder.

    2. The most pledges received for a health campaign in one month: with 13,892,976 pledges, surpassing the previous record of 58,284 pledges held by Cigna & CMB Life Insurance Company Limited (China) in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.

    3. The most pledges received for a health campaign: overall with 13,892,976 pledges, surpassing the previous record of 569,057 pledges held by Zifi FDC Limited (India).

    4. The largest online photo album of people displaying a digital certificate: with 62,525 photos, breaking the previous record of 29,068 photos held by Accenture Solutions Private Limited (India).

    5. The largest online video album of people saying the same sentence: with 12,798 videos, surpassing the previous record of 8,992 videos held by Ghe Bharari, Rahul Kulkarni, and Neelam Edlabadkar (India).

    The Guinness World Records adjudicator, Mr. Richard Williams Stenning officially announced the successful completion of all five records. He presented the certificates to the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ministry of Ayush, Shri Prataprao Jadhav.

    Maharashtra’s Health Minister Shri Prakash Abitkar, Secretary of the Ministry of Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Chairman of the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) Vaidya Jayant Devpujar were also present on the occasion.

    Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ministry of Ayush, Shri Prataprao Jadhav highlighted the Ministry’s unwavering commitment to the development of all Ayush healthcare systems. He detailed the various steps being taken to expand Ayurveda and Ayush practices, praising the dedication and hard work of every individual in the Ayurveda sector who contributed to the campaign’s success.

    Maharashtra’s Health Minister Shri Prakash Abitkar emphasized that this campaign was a significant step toward re-establishing Ayurveda and assured Maharashtra’s active contribution in making Ayurveda a part of mainstream public health services.

    Secretary of the Ministry of Ayush, Padmashri Vaidya  Rajesh Kotecha, stated that under the guidance of the Ayush Minister, the Ministry has set six world records in just two months, which is an achievement in itself. He expressed confidence that under the Minister’s leadership, the Ministry of Ayush will reach new heights of progress.

    The announcement of the launch of this campaign was made by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on the occasion of National Ayurveda Day. A landmark moment during the first phase was when President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, became the first individual to undergo Prakriti assessment, inspiring widespread participation across the country. The first phase of the Abhiyaan saw an extraordinary response, conducting prakriti parikshan for over 1.29 crore individuals, surpassing the target of 1 crore. This remarkable achievement involved 1,81,667 volunteers, including 1,33,758 Ayurveda students, 16,155 teachers, and 31,754 physicians, setting a world record in itself. The participants represented various age groups, ethnicities, and backgrounds, truly reflecting the unity in diversity of the nation.

    This extensive participation underscores India’s leadership in personalized healthcare, emphasizing Ayurveda’s vital role in preventive healthcare and lifestyle management. This data-driven approach is expected to provide critical insights for evidence-based research, bridging Ayurveda with modern medicine and propelling India’s healthcare landscape forward.

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: ATF Gang Resistance Education and Training Program Provides Philadelphia Students Lasting Life Skills

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    PHILADELPHIA — Special Agent in Charge Eric DeGree of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Philadelphia Field Division announced the graduation of 25 Samuel W. Pennypacker School fifth graders from Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) last week.

    “Congratulations! The skills you learned here are life skills for you and your community,” said DeGree. “For more than three decades G.R.E.A.T. provided our students the opportunity to meet and engage with our law enforcement officers in a learning environment and learn skills that can help strengthen our communities for generations.

    The G.R.E.A.T. youth and community outreach program was launched in 1991 to proactively combat violent crime. It uses community-oriented policing tactics and community outreach to change perceptions about law enforcement, one student at a time. In Philadelphia, G.R.E.A.T. program instructors have focused on helping eliminate delinquency, youth violence and gang membership.

    During the graduation ceremony, the students talked about what they learned, including making good decisions and calming yourself down if you get mad. Other students discussed the importance of communication and treating each other with respect.

    ATF Special Agent Michael Baldwin congratulates his class at their Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program graduation.

    G.R.E.A.T. instructor and ATF Special Agent Michael Baldwin told the class, “I’m proud of each and every one of you who participated in the program. Each of you represent the future and will determine and directly impact our community and country as these lessons are not just for now as fifth graders but are life lessons”

    “You guys are sure showing a lot of confidence in getting up and doing the roll playing and the narrating,” said counselor Zita Collins. “I was super proud of you guys – those of you who were cheering each other on – you were all paying attention and taking advantage of the program.”

    Their teacher, Erin Gresko, noted that she saw improvements in reading fluency test scores during the program, adding, “I think part of the reason was your willingness to read out loud and the role playing.”

    The G.R.E.A.T. curriculum includes violence prevention, conflict resolution techniques, decision-making, goal setting and problem-solving. The elementary school curriculum is a six-week interactive session for fourth and fifth graders with an emphasis on family involvement. Students are taught how to set goals, resist peer pressure, respect differences, resolve conflicts and understand how gangs can negatively impact their quality of life. They also learn the importance of becoming responsible members of their communities.

    Information on the G.R.E.A.T. program, its mission and impact on communities is online at http://www.atf.gov/resource-center/fact-sheet/fact-sheet-gang-resistance-education-and-training-great-program.

    MIL Security OSI –