Category: Education

MIL-OSI Russia: Rosneft held a patriotic event “Connection of Generations” in Orenburg

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Employees of the Orenburgneft company (Rosneft’s key production asset in the Volga region) held a patriotic event, “Connection of Generations,” in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. More than 50 schoolchildren from the “Movement of the First,” teachers, veteran oil workers, and representatives of public organizations took part in the event.

During the event, industry veterans with the status of “children of war” shared their wartime memories with primary school students. The children heard first-hand stories about the events that their peers had to endure during the Great Patriotic War. The schoolchildren were able to ask questions and learn many historical facts about the contribution of Orenburg oil producers to the Victory. In total, about 1 million tons of oil were extracted from the region’s depths in 1941-1945 for the needs of the front. This was done mainly by women and teenagers who worked day and night to provide fuel to the Soviet Army.

The veterans told the young listeners how they rejoiced at the announcement of the long-awaited Victory, how they worked in the oil industry after the war and participated in the restoration of cities and districts of the Orenburg region.

The event became a real lesson in courage and patriotism; children had a unique opportunity to communicate with witnesses of heroic events, feel the connection between generations and understand the price at which their great-grandfathers won the Victory.

The winners of the corporate festival “Energy of Talents” performed musical compositions from the war years for the guests of the meeting. Schoolchildren recited poems dedicated to the heroism of our people and love for the Motherland. In conclusion, the children’s choir performed the military-patriotic anthem, and the company’s volunteers presented the veterans with memorable gifts.

The company is developing a volunteer program called “Good Deeds Platform”, within the framework of which employees, among other things, take an active part in historical, cultural and social-humanitarian initiatives. Volunteers conduct educational events and lessons aimed at preserving historical memory, forming spiritual and patriotic values in the younger generation.

Reference:

Orenburgneft is the largest oil producing enterprise in the Orenburg region, has been operating for over 60 years. The company is a multiple winner of the competition “Leader of the Economy of the Orenburg Region”, including in such nominations as “Organization of High Social Efficiency”.

Today, Orenburgneft supports 2 veterans who participated in the Great Patriotic War, 41 home front workers, and 2 veterans who have been awarded the “Resident of Blockaded Leningrad” badge.

Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft February 20, 2025

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

February 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Rosneft volunteers held a lesson in courage in a Saratov school

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

On the eve of Defender of the Fatherland Day, employees of the Saratov Oil Refinery (part of Rosneft) held a lesson in courage for students of the Cossack classes of Secondary School No. 43 in Saratov in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

During the event, the children visited the plant’s museum, where they got acquainted with the exhibition display of the enterprise’s labor and military glory. The volunteers, in turn, told about the heroic work of the team during the Great Patriotic War. In 1941-1945, the plant produced a quarter of all fuel for the needs of the front, and, despite fierce bombing by enemy aircraft, made a significant contribution to the Victory.

For its labor feat, the Saratov Oil Refinery was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. The enterprise was also given the Banner of the State Defense Committee for eternal safekeeping.

At the end of the excursion, the schoolchildren watched the documentary film “War of Motors”, created with the support of Rosneft. The newsreel tells about the role of fuel in the Great Patriotic War, as well as about the heroic work of oil workers in the rear, thanks to which the Red Army was continuously supplied with fuel.

The Saratov Oil Refinery is actively developing the volunteer program “Good Deeds Platform”, within the framework of which employees, among other things, take an active part in historical, cultural and social-humanitarian initiatives. Volunteers conduct educational events and lessons that are aimed at preserving historical memory, forming spiritual and patriotic values in the younger generation.

Reference:

Secondary school No. 43 in Saratov is named after Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General Vasily Filippovich Margelov, a talented military leader during the Great Patriotic War. The first Cossack class was opened at the school in 2004, and today their number has increased to 18.

Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft February 21, 2025

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

February 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: OSCE workshop enhances protection of soft targets, public events, in Kyrgyzstan

Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE

Headline: OSCE workshop enhances protection of soft targets, public events, in Kyrgyzstan

Participants in a workshop on protecting soft targets, such as public events, from terrorist attacks in Bishkek, 18 February 2024. (OSCE) Photo details

Protecting soft targets, such as public events, from terrorist attacks was the focus of an OSCE workshop held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from 18 to 20 February. The event, bringing together 30 government officials, was organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek.
“Project PROTECT offers us a unique opportunity to engage in tabletop exercises and share international perspectives on vulnerable targets protection. By learning together, we create a powerful synergy—gaining new skills, exchanging lessons, and strengthening our global approach,” highlighted Adylbek Kadyraliev, Deputy Director of the Anti-Terrorism Center of the State Committee for National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Participants discussed pre-event security planning tasks notably the delineation of roles and responsibilities between private and public stakeholders, assessing risk, managing traffic and ensuring human rights and privacy considerations. This theoretical knowledge was then tested in a full-day scenario-based exercise which encouraged rapid, practical and co-ordinated decision-making by participants.
“The protection of soft targets is a cornerstone of comprehensive security strategies. By addressing vulnerabilities in these high-risk areas, authorities not only reduce the likelihood of destructive attacks, but also contribute to building public trust and maintaining social and economic stability,” said Ambassador Alexey Rogov, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, in his opening remarks.
Participants included experts and practitioners from the State Committee for National Security, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Education, Osh City Hall, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Prosecutor General’s office, Ministry of Culture, Bishkek City Hall and Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic as well as from the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism.
This workshop is part of Project PROTECT, which enhances national approaches to protecting vulnerable targets from terrorist threats and other hazards in a manner that integrates compliance with human rights. The event was organized with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek and funded partly by Germany.

MIL OSI Europe News –

February 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: South Africa’s finance minister wanted to raise VAT: the pros and cons of a tricky tax

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Andrew Robert Donaldson, Senior Research Associate, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town

South Africa’s finance minister, Enoch Godongwana, cancelled the unveiling of the country’s 2025 budget as it was due to be released. The move is unprecedented in the country’s history.

The reason for the abrupt cancellation was the failure of the minister to get cabinet approval for the proposal to raise value added tax (VAT) from 15% to 17%. VAT is the second biggest contributor to tax collection after personal income tax, followed by corporate taxes.

The strongest opposition to the idea came from parties that have joined the African National Congress in a government of national unity which was formed after the ruling party lost its majority in polls in June 2024.

To understand the finance minister’s efforts to raise VAT it’s helpful to revisit the revenue proposals of a year ago.

In the 2024 budget, all the additional revenue was to come from a “stealth tax” on personal income. Because personal income tax is levied at increasing rates as income rises, the tax burden rises as wages go up if tax thresholds are not adjusted for inflation.

In the Treasury’s estimates, R16.3 billion (US$889 million) was raised in 2024/25 by not making inflation-related adjustments to the personal income tax brackets and rebates. This meant that another 200,000 income-earners became taxpayers, and everyone’s effective tax rate was raised.

This has been a long-standing trend. Over the past decade, the tax threshold (for individuals under the age of 65) has declined from R115,000 (in today’s prices) to R95,750, bringing about 850,000 more people into the tax net.

Above the threshold, tax rates were raised by one percentage point in 2015 and the 45% rate was introduced in 2017.

As a strategy for raising personal income tax, the results have been impressive. Personal income tax has increased from 8% of GDP in 2014 to nearly 10%. In the nine months to December 2024, personal income tax increased by over 13% compared with the same period in 2023. Even after taking account of the revenue windfall from retirement fund withdrawals following recent reforms, this signals a substantial erosion of households’ disposable income.

But that is precisely the problem. Taxes collected on goods and services (mainly VAT and excise duties) increased by just 0.4% last year by comparison with 2023. Revenue from corporate income tax declined. The implication is clear: higher taxes on personal income are at least partially offset by reduced consumption and declines in revenue from other sources.

So the Treasury has taken the view, this year, that there should be relief given in the personal income tax and that additional revenue will have to come from taxes on consumption.

There are good reasons for this: personal income tax has contributed a rising share of the overall tax burden over the past decade, while households also face rising costs of electricity, housing and services. However, raising VAT also has its downsides: it generates revenue by raising prices relative to the costs of production, and effectively also reduces households’ spending power.

The Treasury’s estimate is that an increase in VAT from 15% to 17% would raise an additional R60 billion (US$3.3 billion) in revenue. To offset the impact on low-income households, the schedule of basic foods that don’t attract VAT will be extended beyond the present list of 21 items to include various specified meat cuts and tinned and bottled vegetables. In addition, above-inflation adjustments to social grants are proposed.

The main argument against increasing the VAT rate is that it is regressive – it has a greater impact on lower-income households than on the rich. But a two percentage point VAT increase would also be a substantial shock to overall consumption spending. It would temporarily raise inflation and it would have a negative impact on business income and profitability.

The arguments for a higher VAT rate, rather than other tax increases, are in part about its broad base and comparative ease of collection.

There are nonetheless valid concerns from an administrative perspective. The Treasury argues that other countries have higher VAT rates than South Africa (Morocco, Turkey, Brazil and India, for example). But this is not in itself protection against the potential impact of a higher tax rate on non-compliance and tax fraud.

The upsides

There may be deeper economic considerations behind the Treasury’s tax proposal.

The most compelling arguments for VAT as a revenue source are in its basic design structure: what is taxed and what is not. There are two key features. The first is that it taxes imports and zero-rates exports. The second is that the VAT base excludes investment.

The import VAT is sometimes seen as an unfair form of trade protection. But it simply levels the consumption tax across foreign and domestic-produced goods. And it’s simpler than excise and sales taxes.

The important consideration for domestic production is that by comparison with alternative taxes on income, the VAT encourages exports.

The exclusion of investment from the VAT base caused some controversy when the tax was introduced in 1990. Some argued that this would bias economic development in favour of capital and against labour. But investment and employment are complements. To achieve higher rates of employment, South Africa needs far greater levels of investment. Since 2013, investment has fallen as a percentage of GDP from 19% to less than 15%: nowhere enough to generate growth sufficient to bring down South Africa’s unemployment rate.

Because the VAT base is consumption, not investment, it supports expansion of the economy’s productive capacity.

Managing the fallout

But this doesn’t change the short-term impact on the cost of living that would result from a VAT rise. A higher tax burden will reduce demand and inhibit growth at first, before potentially contributing to fiscal stability and lower interest rates.

If the tax increase is to be avoided, then the spotlight will have to fall on the expenditure side of the budget. This is a far harder discussion than tax policy – there are a thousand options to consider, and there are vested interests wherever you look.

If Godongwana’s VAT rate increase is to be rejected, tough choices on the alternatives will have to be confronted.

Andrew Robert Donaldson is a former National Treasury official.

– ref. South Africa’s finance minister wanted to raise VAT: the pros and cons of a tricky tax – https://theconversation.com/south-africas-finance-minister-wanted-to-raise-vat-the-pros-and-cons-of-a-tricky-tax-250460

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: South Africa’s finance minister wanted to raise VAT: the pros and cons of a tricky tax

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Andrew Robert Donaldson, Senior Research Associate, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town

South Africa’s finance minister, Enoch Godongwana, cancelled the unveiling of the country’s 2025 budget as it was due to be released. The move is unprecedented in the country’s history.

The reason for the abrupt cancellation was the failure of the minister to get cabinet approval for the proposal to raise value added tax (VAT) from 15% to 17%. VAT is the second biggest contributor to tax collection after personal income tax, followed by corporate taxes.

The strongest opposition to the idea came from parties that have joined the African National Congress in a government of national unity which was formed after the ruling party lost its majority in polls in June 2024.

To understand the finance minister’s efforts to raise VAT it’s helpful to revisit the revenue proposals of a year ago.

In the 2024 budget, all the additional revenue was to come from a “stealth tax” on personal income. Because personal income tax is levied at increasing rates as income rises, the tax burden rises as wages go up if tax thresholds are not adjusted for inflation.

In the Treasury’s estimates, R16.3 billion (US$889 million) was raised in 2024/25 by not making inflation-related adjustments to the personal income tax brackets and rebates. This meant that another 200,000 income-earners became taxpayers, and everyone’s effective tax rate was raised.

This has been a long-standing trend. Over the past decade, the tax threshold (for individuals under the age of 65) has declined from R115,000 (in today’s prices) to R95,750, bringing about 850,000 more people into the tax net.

Above the threshold, tax rates were raised by one percentage point in 2015 and the 45% rate was introduced in 2017.

As a strategy for raising personal income tax, the results have been impressive. Personal income tax has increased from 8% of GDP in 2014 to nearly 10%. In the nine months to December 2024, personal income tax increased by over 13% compared with the same period in 2023. Even after taking account of the revenue windfall from retirement fund withdrawals following recent reforms, this signals a substantial erosion of households’ disposable income.

But that is precisely the problem. Taxes collected on goods and services (mainly VAT and excise duties) increased by just 0.4% last year by comparison with 2023. Revenue from corporate income tax declined. The implication is clear: higher taxes on personal income are at least partially offset by reduced consumption and declines in revenue from other sources.

So the Treasury has taken the view, this year, that there should be relief given in the personal income tax and that additional revenue will have to come from taxes on consumption.

There are good reasons for this: personal income tax has contributed a rising share of the overall tax burden over the past decade, while households also face rising costs of electricity, housing and services. However, raising VAT also has its downsides: it generates revenue by raising prices relative to the costs of production, and effectively also reduces households’ spending power.

The Treasury’s estimate is that an increase in VAT from 15% to 17% would raise an additional R60 billion (US$3.3 billion) in revenue. To offset the impact on low-income households, the schedule of basic foods that don’t attract VAT will be extended beyond the present list of 21 items to include various specified meat cuts and tinned and bottled vegetables. In addition, above-inflation adjustments to social grants are proposed.

The main argument against increasing the VAT rate is that it is regressive – it has a greater impact on lower-income households than on the rich. But a two percentage point VAT increase would also be a substantial shock to overall consumption spending. It would temporarily raise inflation and it would have a negative impact on business income and profitability.

The arguments for a higher VAT rate, rather than other tax increases, are in part about its broad base and comparative ease of collection.

There are nonetheless valid concerns from an administrative perspective. The Treasury argues that other countries have higher VAT rates than South Africa (Morocco, Turkey, Brazil and India, for example). But this is not in itself protection against the potential impact of a higher tax rate on non-compliance and tax fraud.

The upsides

There may be deeper economic considerations behind the Treasury’s tax proposal.

The most compelling arguments for VAT as a revenue source are in its basic design structure: what is taxed and what is not. There are two key features. The first is that it taxes imports and zero-rates exports. The second is that the VAT base excludes investment.

The import VAT is sometimes seen as an unfair form of trade protection. But it simply levels the consumption tax across foreign and domestic-produced goods. And it’s simpler than excise and sales taxes.

The important consideration for domestic production is that by comparison with alternative taxes on income, the VAT encourages exports.

The exclusion of investment from the VAT base caused some controversy when the tax was introduced in 1990. Some argued that this would bias economic development in favour of capital and against labour. But investment and employment are complements. To achieve higher rates of employment, South Africa needs far greater levels of investment. Since 2013, investment has fallen as a percentage of GDP from 19% to less than 15%: nowhere enough to generate growth sufficient to bring down South Africa’s unemployment rate.

Because the VAT base is consumption, not investment, it supports expansion of the economy’s productive capacity.

Managing the fallout

But this doesn’t change the short-term impact on the cost of living that would result from a VAT rise. A higher tax burden will reduce demand and inhibit growth at first, before potentially contributing to fiscal stability and lower interest rates.

If the tax increase is to be avoided, then the spotlight will have to fall on the expenditure side of the budget. This is a far harder discussion than tax policy – there are a thousand options to consider, and there are vested interests wherever you look.

If Godongwana’s VAT rate increase is to be rejected, tough choices on the alternatives will have to be confronted.

– South Africa’s finance minister wanted to raise VAT: the pros and cons of a tricky tax
– https://theconversation.com/south-africas-finance-minister-wanted-to-raise-vat-the-pros-and-cons-of-a-tricky-tax-250460

MIL OSI Africa –

February 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Ireland’s AI Advisory Council Report to Government: “Helping to Shape Ireland’s AI Future”
Source: Government of Ireland – Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation

21st February 2025

The AI Advisory Council today 21st February announced the release of its latest report, “Ireland’s AI Advisory Council Recommendations – Helping to Shape Ireland’s AI Future (February 2025).” This comprehensive report outlines key opportunities and strategic policy recommendations aimed at accelerating AI adoption in Ireland while safeguarding the nation’s economy, competitiveness, workforce, and society.

The report delves into six critical areas:
1. AI and the Future of Skills and Work: Improving our understanding of the transformative impact of AI on the labour market and promoting proactive policies to navigate the uncertainty ahead.
2. AI Ecosystem: Strategies to lead in applied AI: supporting start-ups and SMEs, accelerating funding, leveraging and expanding existing testbed initiatives, and unifying vision for growth.
3. AI Literacy and Education: Emphasising the importance of AI literacy training for educators and ensuring equitable access to AI tools in education.
4. AI Sovereignty and Infrastructure: Recognising the value of sovereign data and highlighting the importance of investment in energy infrastructure to our future participation in the AI economy.
5. Biometrics and the Public Service: Providing recommendations for the responsible use of AI powered Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) in public services.
6. AI and Ireland’s Creative Sector: Exploring the transformative impact of AI on the creative sector and proposing measures to protect creators and address AI misuse.
Dr Patricia Scanlon, Chair of the AI Advisory Council said:

“This report lays out actionable recommendations to ensure Ireland remains competitive in the global AI arena while fostering an inclusive, ethical, and sustainable future.

“We look forward to collaborating with the Government to further explore these opportunities and stimulate a forward-thinking dialogue that aligns Ireland’s AI development with best practices and ethical standards, ultimately securing long-term benefits for our economy and society.”

The Council presented the advice papers to Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke and the new AI and Digital Transformation Minister of State, Niamh Smyth. The advice was also sent to the Taoiseach.

Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke said:

“The Council have emphasised that Government must take decisive and informed action to deliver a vision for AI in Ireland. These are all important issues that have been raised by the Council and I will ensure that their views and expert advice is considered by Government.”

Minister of State for Trade Promotion, AI and Digital Transformation, Niamh Smyth said:

“The Council’s advice is very much welcomed and will be given full consideration. I look forward to working with the Council and with Government colleagues over the coming months as we continue our focus on implementing the National AI Strategy”.

The AI Advisory Council will continue to provide insights and refine its recommendations over the coming year, ensuring that Ireland remains agile and well-prepared to navigate the rapidly evolving AI landscape and remain globally competitive.

Three supplementary advice papers provide more in-depth analyses on three specific thematic areas. The High-Level Recommendations report serves as the main document, while additional deep-dive analyses on the Creative Sector, Education, and Biometrics (FRT) further elaborate on these subjects. More detailed examinations of other thematic areas are planned for release over the coming year.

Read the AI Advisory Council Advice Papers.

Notes for Editors

About the AI Advisory Council:

The AI Advisory Council is an independent body established to provide expert advice to the Irish Government on all aspects of Artificial Intelligence. The Council comprises leading experts from academia, industry, and civil society.

The Council’s mandate also includes public engagement to continue to build confidence in the use of trustworthy AI. Since January 2024, the Council members have participated in hundreds of events, interviews, panels, and other engagements.

See the membership of the AI Advisory Council.

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MIL OSI Europe News –
February 22, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Coming up next week at the London Assembly w/c 24 February 2025
Source: Mayor of London

PUBLICATIONS

Monday 24 February

Night-time Economy Report

Economy, Culture and Skills Committee

The Economy, Culture and Skills Committee will publish its report – London’s Night-Time Economy. The report follows an in-depth investigation by the Committee, which saw industry experts, professionals and local authorities provide evidence on London’s night-time economy, what work is currently being done, and any barriers preventing further growth in the sector.

MEDIA CONTACT: Tony Smyth on 07763 251 727 / [email protected]

SITE VISIT

Thursday 27 February

Defibrillator training

Health Committee – Liverpool St Station 10:30am – 12:00pm

Members of the Health Committee will visit Liverpool Street Station, where they will observe a pop-up London lifesaver defibrillator training.

The meeting will include representatives from the London Ambulance Service, Transport for London and people whose lives have been saved by defibrillators.

MEDIA ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THIS FILMING/PHOTO OPPORTUNITY BY PRIOR ARRANGEMENT

MEDIA CONTACT: Alison Bell on 07887 832 918 / [email protected]

PUBLIC MEETINGS

Tuesday 25 February

Mayor’s Question Time – Final Budget

All Assembly meeting – The Chamber, City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, 10am

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan will present his Final Draft Consolidated Budget for 2025-26 to the London Assembly for a final vote on the financial plans.

After questioning the Mayor, the London Assembly will consider his Final Draft Consolidated Budget and decide whether to approve it, with or without amendment. The guests are:
- Sir Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
- David Bellamy, Mayor’s Chief of Staff
- Fay Hammond, Chief Financial Officer, GLA
MEDIA CONTACT: Alison Bell on 07887 832 918 / [email protected]

Wednesday 26 February

Violence against women and girls (VAWG)

Police and Crime Committee – The Chamber, City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, 10am

The Police and Crime Committee will begin an investigation into VAWG, focussing on the impact on young people. The Committee will question guests on the experiences of young people, and how the Mayor can ensure that prevention-based education programmes and initiatives are reaching boys and young men in London. The guests are:

Panel 1 (10:00am – 11:15am)
- Janaya Walker, Head of Public Affairs, End Violence Against Women
- Guest TBC, Southall Black Sisters
Panel 2 (11:20am – approx. 12:30pm)
- Kate Lexén, Director of Services, Tender
- Ellie Softley, Head of Education, Everyone’s Invited
- Professor Jessica Ringrose, Faculty of Education and Society, University College London
MEDIA CONTACT: Tony Smyth on 07763 251 727 / [email protected]

Wednesday 26 February

Leasehold Charges

Housing Committee – Chamber, City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, 2pm

The Housing Committee will ask what extent service charges make ‘affordable’ home ownership tenures funded by the Mayor unaffordable, what more the Mayor can do to help leaseholders, and the extent to which freeholders and managing agents are working to improve transparency in service charges in London. The guests are:
- Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development
- Kate Webb, Head of Housing Strategy, Greater London Authority
- Charmaine McQueen-Prince, Chair of the Residential Freehold Association’s Leasehold Reform Subcommittee
- Fiona Fletcher-Smith, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), L&Q and Chair, G15
- Andrew Bulmer, CEO, The Property Institute
MEDIA CONTACT: Josh Hunt on 07763 252310 /[email protected]

Thursday 27 February

Mayor’s Transport Strategy

Transport Committee – Chamber, City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, 10am

The Transport Committee will ask the Deputy Mayor for Transport and the Transport for London (TfL) Commissioner about progress towards meeting the Mayor’s Transport Strategy ambitions, the Vision Zero target for no deaths or serious injuries on London’s transport network, bus services, and more. The guests are:
- Andy Lord, TfL Commissioner
- Seb Dance, Deputy Mayor for Transport
MEDIA CONTACT: Josh Hunt on 07763 252310 /[email protected]

Thursday 27 February

Mayor’s Fund for London

GLA Oversight Committee – Chamber, City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, 2pm

The GLA Oversight Committee will question the Mayor’s Fund for London about its work. The guests are:
- Jim Minton, Chief Executive Officer, Mayor’s Fund for London
- Basma Elhayani, Youth Board Member, Mayor’s Fund for London
The Committee will also ask questions on new proposals for the format of People’s Question Time between 2025 and 2028.

MEDIA CONTACT: Alison Bell on 07887 832 918 / [email protected]
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Appointment of Lord-Lieutenant for Midlothian: 21 February 2025
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

Appointment of Lord-Lieutenant for Midlothian: 21 February 2025

The King has been pleased to appoint Mrs Sarah Barron DL as His Lord-Lieutenant for Midlothian.
The King has been pleased to appoint Mrs Sarah Barron DL as His Lord-Lieutenant for Midlothian, to succeed Lieutenant Colonel Richard Callander LVO OBE TD following his retirement on 2nd April 2025.

Background

Sarah was brought up in Edinburgh and moved to Lasswade, Midlothian, in 1998. She studied Town and Country Planning and Landscape Architecture at Edinburgh University and is a Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute. Working in collaboration with an Edinburgh architectural practice, she specialises in large scale housing developments, landscape planning and conservation, urban regeneration, and masterplanning projects and has worked for a number of high-profile clients in both the public and private sectors.

Sarah has served as a Deputy Lieutenant since 2013 and has been instrumental in the establishment of the Midlothian’s Young People Awards, which recognise the achievements of young people across the County. She is Chair of The Mavisbank Trust, set up to restore one of Scotland’s most important early Palladian style villas and is currently working with the Landmark Trust to secure a sustainable future for this derelict Midlothian house and its grounds.

Sarah is a Trustee and founding member of Scotland’s Garden and Landscape Heritage, which promotes and protects Scotland’s historic gardens and designed landscapes. She was a Trustee of Scotland’s Gardens Scheme for fourteen years, organising garden openings across Midlothian, to raise funds for numerous national and local charities. She has also been the Vice Chair of The Friends of Saltersgate School in Dalkeith, raising funds for school equipment to help pupils with special educational needs. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys gardening, archery, beekeeping and skiing and is an enthusiastic member of a number of horticultural and arts societies.

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Published 21 February 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Alert issued over dubious website

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Education Bureau today called on the public to be vigilant against an organisation calling itself “Kyiv State University of Economics and Business (Hong Kong Campus)”.

A website in the organisation’s name claims to have the support of the “Hong Kong Education Bureau” and contains a hyperlink to the Education Bureau’s website.

The bureau clarified that it has no connection with such an organisation, and has reported the matter to the Police Force.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: “Our Hearts Are With Them”: HSE Hosts Festival in Honor of Defenders of the Fatherland

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

© Higher School of Economics

February 19th HSE Center of CulturesThe HSE hosted a student festival dedicated to the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland and the 80th anniversary of the Victory. During the day, films from the III International Traveling Festival “Cinema in the Service of the Fatherland” were shown, the halls hosted thematic exhibitions dedicated to the Great Patriotic War and the heroes of the SVO, as well as platforms of patriotic student organizations. In the evening, a concert by the Academic Song and Dance Ensemble of the Russian Army named after A.V. Alexandrov was held.

“War has become sacred”

The festival was opened by representatives Military training centerNational Research University Higher School of Economics.

The head of the Military Training Center, Hero of Russia Colonel Vladimir Korgutov congratulated students, lyceum students, and university staff on the upcoming Defender of the Fatherland Day and invited them to the festive events that will take place in the Military Training Center in the coming days.

Ordinary Professor, Major General Adam Nizhalovsky spoke with festival participants about the victory in the Great Patriotic War. “This war became sacred because the enemy wanted not only to occupy our territory and use its resources. The efforts of the aggressor were aimed at the destruction of our people, their spiritual and moral values,” he emphasized.

“It was an interesting conversation, and we learned a lot of new things,” the student shared his impressions. Lyceum of the National Research University Higher School of EconomicsFedor Koshlyak. – For example, that Hitler, having captured Paris, was unable to climb the Eiffel Tower because the French broke the elevator, and the Germans were unable to fix it. It is clear that the general is well informed, that he evaluates the events of those years impartially.”

Among the participants in the conversation were those who demonstrated remarkable knowledge. When asked about the origin of the name of Hitler’s plan to attack the USSR, lyceum student Savely Zayev answered that the nickname Barbarossa was borne by the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, who died while crossing a river. “He was in heavy armor, fell from his horse and drowned. I don’t think that Hitler, when he approved his plan, knew the fate of this statesman to the end,” Adam Nizhalovsky clarified.

“A university that serves the Fatherland”

The Small Hall of the Culture Center hosted pre-premiere screenings of films from the III International Traveling Festival “Cinema in the Service of the Fatherland.” Among them was the documentary “River of Heroes,” dedicated to the origins of Russian courage using examples from different eras. After the screening, director Konstantin Aleksandrov answered questions from the audience — he was not released for an hour.

“I had an idea of the Higher School of Economics as a liberal university, but after I showed the film and received feedback, it changed to the opposite,” Konstantin said in an interview with Vyshka.Glavnoe. “This is a university that serves the Fatherland. Both students and lyceum students watched the film consciously, thoughtfully analyzed it, asked tricky questions, and these were exactly the questions I needed!”

One of the questions, dedicated to the parallels drawn in the film between the Patriotic War of 1812 and the Great Patriotic War, was asked by lyceum student Sergei Fedorkin. He studies in the Natural Sciences direction and is interested in history, especially the era of the Napoleonic wars. “A great film, it conveys feelings and emotions very well. The director managed to achieve all the goals he set for himself,” Sergei commented.

“Beautiful, powerful works”

An exhibition of portraits of the heroes of the SVO was organized in the hall of the second floor as part of the project “Coal of the Russian Land” – an addition to the festival “Cinema in the Service of the Fatherland”. Russian frontline artists presented their works painted in coal.

And in the hall of the third floor there was an exhibition of photographs dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. It was held by the Creative Union of Artists of Russia as part of the All-Russian exhibition project “MEMORY”. After the festival, the exhibition will move to the atrium and will be regularly updated.

3rd year studentJoint Bachelor’s degree program of the National Research University Higher School of Economics and the Center for Pedagogical Excellence Sidharth Mehta, who visited both exhibitions, noted their inseparable connection in an interview with Vyshka.Glavnoe. “The faces of people depicted in the paintings and captured in the photographs carry similar emotions – those that were experienced then, on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, and now – in the SVO zone. They are connected by a common cause that they are carrying out, fighting the fascist threat,” the student believes.

“The Higher School of Economics is one of the best universities in the country, and we were warmly welcomed here, we managed to gather a full hall. Young people are our main audience, and among our viewers there were also teachers, officers, including a Hero of Russia. There are plans for further cooperation with the university – we have many interesting things ahead of us,” said Virineya Shigina, head of the Coal of the Russian Land project.

“Many portraits were painted based on photographs and stories from fellow soldiers – the guys were no longer alive, and we wanted to convey everything they experienced for us, for our future,” added her colleague Evgenia Laskina.

“Thank you very much for this amazing exhibition. You have very beautiful, powerful works that leave a mark on the soul. The paintings depict heroes, servicemen, and you managed to convey their best human, officer qualities, to capture the foundation on which our state stands. This is invaluable support, your contribution to the victory,” said Vice-Rector Sergei Rozhkov, communicating with the artists.

He also thanked the organizers of the photo exhibition, emphasizing that each work simultaneously conveys grief for those killed during the Great Patriotic War and the joy of Victory.

Letter to the hero

The halls of the Cultural Center housed stands of the Military Training Center, Department of Physical Educationand student organizations with a patriotic focus. Among them is the All-Russian student patriotic movement “White Raven”, created at the National Research University Higher School of Economics. Its stand featured weapons – both modern and from the Great Patriotic War. Anyone could take part in weaving a camouflage net that would save the lives of our soldiers in the SVO zone.

As the leader of the movement, a 5th-year student of the educational program “Story” and a graduate of the Military Training Center Anton Yukhnevsky, its participants themselves deliver humanitarian aid to the SVO zone, and in the building on Staraya Basmannaya, anyone can take part in weaving camouflage nets on certain days, including those not from the Higher School of Economics.

At the stand of the women’s student club “Big Dipper” (it unites girls who see their mission in supporting the morale of servicemen and students of military universities), participants and guests of the festival could write letters to the SVO fighters. Among those who took advantage of this opportunity was a third-year student MIEFEgor Stryukov.

“I come from the city of Kurchatov in the Kursk region – my grandparents are still there, and of course I worry about them. In the letter, I tried to express gratitude to our soldiers who are taking back Russian land from the enemy. Let them know that the people are with them, that they are supported,” Yegor said.

A letter to the fighters was also written by Nina Kulieva, a Muscovite who attended the student festival at the HSE as part of the Moscow Longevity program.

“I am a child of war – I was born in 1944. I wrote a letter to our soldiers, congratulated them on Defender of the Fatherland Day. I pray for them every day, so that they return home safe and sound. And so that they win. Victory will always be ours,” said Nina Danilovna.

“Very important words”

The culmination of the festival was a concert by the Academic Song and Dance Ensemble of the Russian Army named after A.V. Alexandrov in the Great Hall of the Center of Cultures. Before its beginning, the rector of the National Research University Higher School of Economics Nikita Anisimov delivered welcoming remarks.

He congratulated all those present on the upcoming holiday, thanked the festival organizers, drawing attention to the special role of the Military Training Center in its implementation, and emphasized that it is being held in the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland. “These days, we honor the memory of those who defended our Motherland. Our hearts are with them. Communicating with each other, we say very important words about our country, about its future, about the most important thing in our lives,” the rector noted.

He also recalled that on February 14 we celebrated another anniversary of the liberation of Lugansk from the Nazi invaders and that this year we will celebrate the anniversary of Mikhail Matusovsky, a native of this city, the author of many famous songs. “By studying history, we shape the future,” concluded Nikita Anisimov.

In turn, Hero of Russia Vladimir Korgutov wished “everyone a peaceful sky above their heads, and our troops victory.”

The A.V. Alexandrov ensemble performed the songs “Where does the Motherland begin”, “The Holy War”, “Nightingales”, “Cranes”, “Infantry is infantry”, “Victory Day” and others. The hall was attended by guests of the university, students and employees, including vice-rectors Sergey Rozhkov, Dmitry Zemtsov, Vyacheslav Bashev, Irina Martusevich, Elena Odoevskaya and other leaders.

“It was amazing! It is difficult to convey the full range of positive emotions from such a concert. I am very glad that I was able to listen to my favorite songs within the walls of the HSE on the eve of an important day. A very correct event. A big human thank you to those who organized it,” shared his impressions Deputy Vice-Rector, Director for Strategic Work with Applicants Alexander Chepovsky.

“We were treated to real masters. Firstly, a very rich musical palette. Secondly, the impeccable teamwork of the musicians and soloists. Thirdly, as a result, a very powerful impact on the audience. To be honest, this is the first time I’ve heard the Alexandrov ensemble live and I’m very impressed,” said the dean. Faculty of HumanitiesFelix Azhimov.

According to the senior lecturer Faculty of Creative IndustriesRimma Pogodina, in the songs that sounded from the stage – the strength, spirit, power of the Russian people who survived a terrible war. “The hall was attended by both young people and representatives of the middle and older generations, and the connection between generations is a valuable resource that helps unite a huge group of teachers and students,” Rimma Pogodina emphasized. “I would like to wish that such events become traditional at our beloved university.”

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: A memorandum of cooperation was signed between SPbGASU and GC NEOLANT

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Victoria Vinogradova and Oleg Rukhlov

A memorandum on the joint development of digital information models for nuclear power facilities, the fuel and energy complex and industry was signed between the NEOLANT Group of Companies and SPbGASU. It was signed by the Vice-Rector of SPbGASU for Continuing Education Victoria Vinogradova and the General Director of NEOLANT Group of Companies Oleg Rukhlov.

JSC GC NEOLANT is a developer of domestic digital solutions such as 3D-CAD POLYNOM, laser scanning data processing and recognition system Nord LS, heterogeneous CAD data translation system Interbridge Pro, as well as the domestic engineering data management system (EDMS) NEOSINTEZ. NEOLANT software solutions have been selected by the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom for the implementation of the Corporate Information System Digital Preparation of Decommissioning (CIS CPDE).

The memorandum establishes the procedure for interaction in the preparation of the university’s faculty and students for the use of NEOLANT Group software products for educational, scientific and commercial purposes, as well as on issues of joint implementation of promising specialized R&D, R&D and other research and design work with the participation of students and teachers of SPbGASU.

At the signing ceremony, Oleg Rukhlov noted: “By signing the memorandum of cooperation, we undertake to implement an import substitution program in the construction, architectural and engineering spheres by introducing the latest Russian products that have already earned the respect of leading Russian corporations. We are pleased to share unique knowledge and connect our products to the training of students, teachers, young professionals throughout the country and for the benefit of the entire country.”

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Turkish girl discovers charm of Chinese culture

Source: China State Council Information Office 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MIL OSI China News –

February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Universities – University of Auckland unveils its world-class Recreation Centre Hiwa – UoA

Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

The University of Auckland’s new recreation centre was formally opened on 21 February by Hon Chris Bishop, Minister for Infrastructure and Associate Minister for Sport and Recreation, and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Auckland, Professor Dawn Freshwater.

The eight-storey building, complete with rooftop turf, pool, and state-of-the-art sports halls, is being used by staff, students and the public as part of the University’s concerted focus on balancing well-being with academia.

The centre’s name Hiwa, gifted by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, means ‘vigorous, active, robust and sound’, reflecting the University’s aspirations for growth and well-being. The 26,000 sq m facility covers a space equivalent to roughly 3.7 rugby pitches or 100 standard tennis courts and is located on Symonds Street in the heart of Auckland.

With an innovative vertically ‘stacked’ design, it centralises the University’s sport and recreation services into a single premises, overcoming the spatial constraints of its central city location.

Features include a premier rooftop multi-sport turf and two sports halls with the southern hemisphere’s first glass sports floor with integrated LED markings to accommodate six different sports. It also holds capacity for 1,500 spectators, a running track, an eight-lane 33-metre lap pool, a dive tank, spa and sauna, climbing wall, group exercise studios, combat sports studio and expansive cardio and weights areas that make it one of the largest gym fit-outs in the southern hemisphere.

Hiwa serves as a vibrant community hub, offering a café, social spaces and versatile indoor and outdoor areas for various activities. The University’s physical education programmes and exercise science students will also use the facility.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Dawn Freshwater says the opening of Hiwa is a huge milestone for the University following comprehensive planning for a new recreation centre, spanning a decade. She says the investment in Hiwa further enhances the University of Auckland’s position as New Zealand’s pre-eminent, research-led higher education institution.

“We are delighted to open the doors to this wonderful facility to bolster the world-class education our students receive and enhance the well-being of the wider community.

“It’s an important hub for our growing University population and an asset for Auckland. Our community has long desired sport and recreation facilities that befit the world-class campus environment expected of Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading university.”

She said campus experiences, especially in sport and recreation, are known to enhance student success.

“Staff will also have more opportunity to pursue their health and well-being goals, and through public memberships and collaboration with the sport and recreation sector, we hope to positively impact the wider Auckland community.”

As a focal point on campus, Hiwa Recreation Centre is designed to enrich campus life by connecting learning, sporting and social facilities.

The building was designed by Warren and Mahoney in partnership with MJMA Architecture and Design, and constructed by Hawkins, in consultation with Rider Levett Bucknall, Beca and Colliers.

It is the most multi-faceted building on campus, requiring 500 workers on site at the peak of construction. The University’s Chief Property Officer Simon Neale says Hiwa Recreation Centre is the most complex build the University has ever undertaken.

“The project was not without its challenges, being delivered through one of the most challenging periods for the construction industry in New Zealand. The consultant and construction team masterfully navigated the Covid pandemic, supply-chain issues, moving 40-tonne trusses and vast pre-cast concrete beams for the pool hall roof overnight and at weekends.

“But thousands of people and many businesses helped us deliver this significant project for the University, with a strong ethos of partnership between all those involved enabling us to overcome the challenges and to deliver an outstanding facility which will support the health and well-being of our student and staff communities, and high-performance sport, for many years to come.”

Memberships are available to students, staff and members of the public. Casual visitors are also welcome.

As well as the minister, guests at the official launch included Mayor Wayne Brown, Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson, Sports NZ CEO Raelene Castle and Eden Park CEO Nick Sautner.

Bishop said as the former sports minister he had been to a number of sports facilities around the world, and Hiwa was “genuinely quite something. This is a remarkable facility for the university, but also for the city, and the whole country.”

Simpson said she was blown away by the new recreation centre. “We know Auckland needs assets like this, but this is truly international class.”

The event began with an elite diving demonstration for the Minister by engineering student and Commonwealth Games diver Frazer Tavener, and concluded with a shortened seven-aside netball match between the Vice-Chancellor’s Invitational Seven, which included Minister Bishop, and a Sport and Recreation Seven, which featured alumna and former Silver Fern Sulu Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick also spoke during the formalities, ahead of the plaque unveiling. She said: “The magnitude and the quality of this facility will make not only top athletes better for the world stage, but allow students and staff members to be happier and healthier, which will contribute to a better New Zealand. It’s exciting.”

About Hiwa, Recreation Centre
Hiwa, Recreation Centre is a showpiece for the University of Auckland and reflects the importance the University places on student and staff health and well-being. It significantly enhances the campus experience for students and staff, offering a state-of-the-art gym, sports centre and social hub, balancing health and relaxation with academia. It also offers gym memberships to Auckland residents and provides an additional recreational space for community outreach.

Hiwa opened on 25 November 2024 (following a dawn blessing on 20 November) and is now operational.

The official opening by the Vice-Chancellor Professor Dawn Freshwater and Hon Chris Bishop, Minister for Infrastructure and Associate Minister for Sport and Recreation, took place on Friday 21 February.

Hiwa facts and figures

Hiwa is a world-class facility for students, staff and the wider community to play sport, keep fit, have fun and socialise and get the most out of their time at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.
Sport and recreation play a vital role in health and well-being. Hiwa befits a global university, meeting the national and international expectations of students.
Hiwa is a 26,000 sqm facility, covering a space equivalent to 100 standard tennis courts or 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Spread across eight levels, its innovative design overcomes the spatial challenges of a central city location.
It has a unique inner-city rooftop multi-sport turf and track, and two sports halls with the southern hemisphere’s first glass floor, accommodating six different sports.
Hiwa includes an eight-lane pool, dive tank, spa and sauna, bouldering wall, and is one of the largest gym fit-outs in the southern hemisphere.
As well as the fitness facilities, it serves as a community hub, with a café, and indoor and outdoor multi-purpose spaces.
While Hiwa is primarily for students and staff, Hiwa has reinvigorated the city centre. The University recognises Auckland’s need for quality sports facilities and will be working to support the wider sports sector and contribute to making Auckland a world-class city.
The University’s physical education programmes and exercise science students will also use the facility.

FAQs
What does Hiwa mean?
The Hiwa name, gifted to the University by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, means ‘vigorous (of growth), active, robust, sound’. It has multiple synergies with the recreation centre and its place at the heart of our University community.

How much did the new building cost?
The sum approved in the University Estate Strategy for the full programme was $320m, which covered demolition and clearance of the site, ground works, temporary facilities for use during construction and the design and construction costs themselves. Final costs will not be known until later this year at which time the overall position will be compiled.

How can the University afford this?
Hiwa is the culmination of decades of planning and more than half of the funding for its construction comes from past and present student levies. The former student facilities levy and the current Compulsory Student Services Fee is paid by all students to contribute to student support services and can only be spent on student initiatives.

Why is Hiwa needed?
Health and well-being are vital to the success of our students. Research shows that participation in sport, leisure, clubs, societies and fitness activities increases retention and translates into better academic performance among students, as well as a greater sense of community, social connection and belonging. World-class facilities attract high-quality students and academic talent and enhance the University’s relationship with the Auckland community.

The University of Auckland believes this is an investment in the well-being not only of our 46,000 students but of our wider community. Providing world-leading sports and recreation facilities will further enhance the reputation, visibility and attractiveness of Auckland as a premier city in which to study and live.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: The Acceleration Interuniversity Program “City Energy. Environment 2.0” has been launched at the State University of Management

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

The acceleration program is carried out by the State University of Management in cooperation with the industrial partner of the State University of Management – OOO TEN Group – the TechnoSpark technology park in the city of Troitsk.

Thematic areas of the accelerator: – TN1. Technologies for comfortable and safe human life; – TN2. Technologies of “green energy”; – TN3. Resource-saving systems, lean, digital technologies.

These thematic areas of the Accelerator correspond to the critical technologies of the Russian Federation, approved by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of July 7, 2011 N 899, contribute to solving the problems of ensuring the technological sovereignty of the Russian Federation, and correspond to the markets of the National Technology Initiative.

The acceleration program implementation period is February – June 2025.

The acceleration program consists of the following educational events: — lectures; — traction meetings (held in the form of team meetings with a tracker to develop a project); — expert presentations from representatives of the partner companies of the State University of Management in the thematic areas of the accelerator; — the Equator event, where teams present the intermediate results of their projects; — the Pre-Defense event, where teams present to other teams and trackers. Trackers make a decision on admission and recommendation of a team to participate in DemodDen; — the DemodDen event, where teams present the results of their projects to invited external experts.

The head of the acceleration program “City Energy. Environment 2.0” Ekaterina Khalimon talks about the features of the program:

“This year, the implementation model of the 7th acceleration program based on the State University of Management has undergone some changes. Firstly, it is implemented entirely by the State University of Management, without attracting third-party funding and without attracting the services of third-party organizations. Today, the State University of Management has a sufficient number of highly qualified specialists who can efficiently implement the conceived ideas. The State University of Management has already accumulated practical experience. The acceleration program “City Energy. Environment 2.0” is the 7th acceleration program carried out on the basis of the State University of Management. Since 2022, over 5,000 students have been trained in acceleration programs in the field of technological entrepreneurship based on the State University of Management.

Secondly, an important emphasis was placed on interuniversity coverage: if in previous accelerators 80% of participants were SUM students, then in this program we want to achieve a 40/60 ratio, where 40% are SUM students, and 60% are students from third-party universities, attracted by SUM students themselves based on the team’s requests. We understand that SUM trains talented managers who can package any project, calculate, plan, and brilliantly present it to investors. But if we want to achieve prototypes and deep project development, then engineers, programmers, doctors, and students from other fields of study need to be attracted at the earliest stages of project development. The experience of the 6th acceleration program “Healthy Life Technologies 2.0” showed that teams that included both managers and students from other universities demonstrated a high degree of development of their projects, demonstrated prototypes, sketches, and conducted experiments in the laboratories of partner universities.

And finally, the third feature of the current acceleration program “City Energy. Environment 2.0″ is that at the project initiation stage we provide students with requests for technological innovations received in January 2025 from the industrial partner of the State University of Management – the TechnoSpark technology park. The requests concern such areas as: urban infrastructure, hydrogen energy, automation of warehouse complexes, waste disposal, synthesis of coal, peat, biomass. In total, over 30 requests have been received in these areas. Close cooperation with such a large partner allows us to develop projects and products that are already urgently needed by our domestic manufacturers.”

The accelerator trackers are teachers from the project management department who are certified project management specialists, active entrepreneurs, and experts in tracking and mentoring student startups.

Following the results of the Acceleration Program, teams that have passed the Demo Day will receive feedback from invited experts and representatives of the technology park, the best teams will be invited to practice at the company for further work on projects.

Subscribe to the tg channel “Our State University” Announcement date: 02.21.2025

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Navigating the Information Space: How AI Simplifies Search

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

Simple search engines and smart chats are no longer enough

The most familiar way for us to find the necessary information is classic “search engines” (Google, Yandex, etc.). In response to a user’s request, they provide a list of links where relevant information may potentially be. The principle of their work is based on indexing content located on the network. However, this approach does not always meet modern expectations – we want to quickly receive the most accurate and specific answer. Now we often have to look through a dozen suggested links, the content of which is sometimes duplicated and distorted due to advertising and SMM content. This problem is especially acute when searching for information for professional or research tasks.

Smart chats and assistants have become an alternative in recent years. AI services for content creation, which have only recently burst into our everyday life, have already fit in quite harmoniously. In an intuitive dialogue mode, in a matter of seconds we receive not just a scattered set of links (as in a regular search), but a ready-made answer. However, often this result also requires additional rechecking, especially in terms of factuality.

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Confucius Institute builds cultural bridge between China, Uzbekistan

Source: China State Council Information Office 3

On the premises of Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies is a unique “cultural bridge” connecting China and Uzbekistan — the Confucius Institute.

The institute has been operating for more than 20 years, significantly contributing to strengthening the friendship between the two countries.

It not only teaches the Chinese language but also promotes Chinese culture, said Gao Hongzhen, the Chinese director of the institute.

Both children and adults study in the institute, with courses covering the Chinese language as well as traditional arts such as calligraphy and Chinese dance.

Saodat Nasirova, the Uzbek director of the institute, said that the institute serves as a driving force in promoting knowledge about China in Uzbekistan and throughout the Central Asian region.

Students gain in-depth knowledge of the Chinese language and culture, with many graduates returning to express their gratitude to the teachers.

“This institute is a cherished educational place for students,” said Nasirova.

Teachers at the institute employ innovative technologies such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence to enhance engagement and learning effectiveness.

Wang Liyuan, a teacher, said that teaching is not just about imparting knowledge but also about inspiring dreams. Zhu Zhuxin, another teacher, uses game-based methods for children and focuses on practical communication skills for adults.

The teachers played a key role in fostering interest in the Chinese language and culture, said Gulnoza Khodjaeva, a student at the institute.

She regularly attends classes and actively participates in cultural events. “I not only discovered the beauty of Chinese characters but also felt how language serves as a bridge between different cultures,” she said.

MIL OSI China News –

February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: 83 Measurement System Basics: SI & U.S. Customary Units for Regulatory Officials
Source: US Government research organizations

This 1.5-hour webinar will introduce the measurement systems commonly used in the United States, including the International System of Units (SI) and U.S. Customary systems (e.g., Avoirdupois, Apothecary, and Troy units).

This session is ideal for participants who would like to become more familiar with measurement systems used in field, laboratory, and manufacturing activities. Accurately expressing measurement quantities in written communications is critical. Writing style best practices, unit symbols and prefixes usage, and error recognition will be addressed.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this session, using your notes, you will be able to:
- DEFINE the terms legal unit of measurement and legal metrology.
- IDENTIFY systems of measurement units used in the United States.
- LIST official sources of measurement system information.
- DISCOVER common unit symbol writing errors.
Materials & Supplies

None.

Prerequisites

None.

Pre-Work/Post-Work

None.

Minimum Requirements

Successful Completion includes full attendance and participation in all session activities and discussions. Session participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance (which does not include participant names or CEUs) delivered by email after the session. Attendance is recorded in the unofficial transcript, which is available in the OWM Contacts System.

Audience

Weights and Measures field and program officials, state laboratory metrologists, and others who have responsibilities for conducting regulatory and enforcement activities.

Registration Fee

There is currently no registration fee for this webinar.

Instructor

Elizabeth Benham
Phone: (301) 975-3690
Email: elizabeth.benham [at] nist.gov (elizabeth[dot]benham[at]nist[dot]gov)

Technology Requirements

The webinar will be a live stream, so participants must have a constant connection during the webinar (hard-wired is preferred). Review these system requirements to verify that MS Teams may be used on your computer, mobile device, or web browser. The performance of MS Teams may be influenced by other factors, such as network connectivity or other device applications.

Operating System (browsing) configurations:
- Windows
  - Windows 8.1 and later, 64-bit;
    
    Google Chrome;
    
    Mozilla Firefox; and
    
    Microsoft Edge.
- macOS
  - One of the three latest MacOS versions;
    
    Mozilla Firefox;
    
    Apple Safari (no calls via Teams possible); and
    
    Google Chrome.
- Linux
  - Operating system: DEB or RPM;
  - Desktop environment: GNOME, KDE;
    
    Mozilla Firefox; and
    
    Opera.
Web Browsers:
- On computers running Windows, Mac, or Linux, ensure you have the latest release of one of these browsers:
  - Google Chrome;
  - Mozilla Firefox;
  - Apple Safari; and
  - Microsoft Edge.
MIL OSI USA News –
February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Workshop on Standards for Robot Absolute Accuracy and Performance Assessment

Source: US Government research organizations

Keynote Speaker:

Phil Freeman, The Boeing Company

Workshop Speakers:

Douglas Bristow, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Roger Christian, Yaskawa Motoman

Russ DeVlieg, Devson Engineering

John Dye, Spirit Aerosystems

Alex Klinger, Titan Robotics

James Moore and Daniela Sawyer, Advanced Manufacturing Research Center, UK

Jeremy Marvel, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Shreyes Melkote, Georgia Institute of Technology

Michael Ripperger, Southwest Research Institute

Houssaine Waled, Kuka AG

Miguel Saez, General Motors

MIL OSI USA News –

February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: 84 Mass Metrology Seminar
Source: US Government research organizations
Credit: OWM/K. Dill

Course Description

The Mass Metrology Seminar is a two-week, “hands-on” seminar. It incorporates approximately 30 percent lectures and 70 percent demonstrations and laboratory work in which the participant performs measurements by applying procedures and equations discussed in the classroom. The seminar focuses on the comprehension and application of the procedures, the equations, and calculations involved. The seminar includes the operation of the laboratory equipment, review of publications, standards, specifications, and tolerances relevant to the measurements. Training covers mass calibration procedures published in NISTIR 6969 and NISTIR 5672 and are suitable for the calibration of mass standards to OIML R111 Class E2 through M3 tolerances, ASTM classes 1 through 7 and NIST HB 105-1 Class F. Training is provided to enable the participant to correctly identify and implement the correct calibration process for each weight classification. Each procedure and the entire seminar incorporates concepts covered in the Fundamentals of Metrology seminar, especially, concepts related to metrological traceability, statistical analysis, measurement assurance methods, uncertainty analyses, software validation, and generation of ISO/IEC 17025 compliant calibration certificates for all measurements made during the seminar.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this seminar, using Standard Operating Procedures 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 29, 30, and 34 and Good Measurement Practices 10, 11, 12, and 13 participants will be able to:
- IDENTIFY mass artifacts and use appropriate procedures to ensure good quality, accurate, traceable mass measurement results;
- EXPLAIN highlights and key concepts of each topic to each other and to your managers using the slides and reference materials; and
- PERFORM mass calibration procedures, use and validate the job aids, and use reference materials to perform laboratory calibrations, including hands-on handling of mass standards and balances, calculation of measurement results, integration of measurement assurance, uncertainty analysis, and software validation to produce valid calibration results and certificates.
Note regarding course level and expectations: This course is conducted equivalent to a university-level course and is part of our IACET-accredited processes with requirements to demonstrate successful achievement of learning objectives within each module. Significant time outside of the classroom and laboratory is expected and is commonly reported (1 hour to 2 hours per day) to complete homework, reading, data entry, and creation and editing of calibration certificates. Students should avoid trying to meet other obligations while attending this course as much as possible.

Materials & Supplies

Participants are encouraged to bring template versions of the mass calibration certificates issued by their laboratory as a starting point for the calibration certificates to be submitted during the seminar. Alternatively, participants should bring the calibration certificate they generated during the Fundamentals of Metrology seminar as a starting point. The former is recommended! Feedback and suggested changes to ensure ISO/IEC 17025 compliance will be provided during the seminar. Generation of calibration certificates will be required, so come prepared. A number of notebooks and course materials will be provided, so please ensure you have extra luggage space to carry these items.

Prerequisites

Successful completion of the Fundamentals of Metrology Seminar is a prerequisite for the Mass Metrology Seminar. The Mass Metrology Seminar is built on the concepts learned during the Fundamentals of Metrology Seminar, applying units, measurement uncertainty, measurement assurance, traceability, and Quality Management System concepts to the mass calibration procedures.

Pre-Work

It is strongly recommended that you complete the Basic Mass Metrology CD as it will give you a head start on the Mass Seminar, including exposure to the contents of NISTIR 6969, Selected Laboratory and Measurement Practices, and NISTIR 5672, Advanced Mass Calibrations and Measurements Assurance Program for the State Calibration Laboratories. Completing the NIST SP 1001 should take 16 to 40 hours. Participants are encouraged to read and comprehend as much as possible the content of NISTIR 6969 and NISTIR 5672 regardless of completing NIST SP 1001.

NOTE: Additional reading pre-work and Excel preparation recommendations may be sent by the instructor prior to the seminar. Extensive use of Excel is made in this course; strong familiarity with equation entry and validation is essential.

Post-Work

Laboratory Auditing Program (LAP) problems are assigned at the completion of the course to those metrologists who participate in the NIST OWM State Laboratory Program. Acceptable completion of the problems is required for NIST Office of Weights and Measures Laboratory Recognition in support of mass calibrations. (See Handbook 143, Program Handbook training requirements as updated here.

Minimum Requirements

To receive a Training Certificate for this course, successful completion requires participants to actively participate in the entire course (e.g., 100 % attendance, take notes, engage in discussions, ask questions), complete all classroom, homework, and application exercise assignments, successfully perform mass calibrations as evidenced by measurement results entered in course control charts and calibration certificates, and pass a written final exam. In addition, students submit a series of calibration certificates that are graded based on SOP 1 and NIST SP 811 criteria, as evidence of completion of all application exercises conducted during the hands-on portion of class exercises.

*Homework note: students generally report taking one to two hours for homework each night.

Audience

This training seminar is open to industry and government metrologists.

Cost

The current registration fee for this seminar is $6,200 and confirmed participants will be sent payment instructions. This registration fee does not cover travel, lodging, or meal costs. Registration fees for State weights and measures regulatory officials and metrologists are funded by NIST OWM.

Instructors

Elizabeth Koncki, Michael Stocker, and Jose Torres
Email: elizabeth.koncki [at] nist.gov (elizabeth[dot]koncki[at]nist[dot]gov)

Technology Requirements
- Registered participants must provide a notebook computer for the Mass Metrology Seminar and be well trained in the development and use of spreadsheets for complex repetitive calculations.
- Participants must have access to Microsoft Excel (versions 2010 and later are acceptable) and can open and effectively create their own spreadsheets to perform calculations, and use template Excel workbooks that will be provided on USB media. Be aware that for networked access of Microsoft files, access to the NIST network is not ensured (e.g., it can be problematic if using a version of Office 365 that requires network access to operate properly.)
- Participants must have administrative rights for the computer so that that files can be transferred to and from it as required by the seminar exercises through the use of USB memory sticks: You must also be able to save/store files to USB media devices to facilitate printing and turning in classwork. Internet and network access is not assured during the seminar. Students without administrative approvals or ability to use USB media are encouraged to contact the instructor before the class to discuss alternatives (e.g., using a personal laptop, using a RW/CD, or other alternatives.) Students need to verify the capability to run executable files to ensure successful access and use of the software needed in this course. If not able to use USB media, participants must be able to upload files to a secure NIST Box and/or Google Drive and/or Microsoft SharePoint data transfer cloud service.
- Availability of a scientific calculator (minimum 12 digits) may be useful as a supplement to Excel; if using a calculator, familiarity with its operation is essential.
All visitors must be preregistered and present photo identification and vehicle registration information upon arrival. NIST can only accept a state-issued driver’s license or identification card for access to federal facilities if issued by states that are REAL ID compliant or have an extension.

Photo I.D. Requirements for Citizens

Effective May 7, 2025, agencies can only accept a state-issued driver’s license or identification card from states that are compliant with or have an exemption for the REAL ID Act. See the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) site to confirm if your ID is compliant (https://www.dhs.gov/real-id/are-you-real-id-ready).

NIST currently accepts other forms of federally issued identification in lieu of a state-issued driver’s license, including an original passport, passport card, DOD Common Access Card (CAC), Veteran ID, Federal Agency HSPD-12 IDs, Military Dependent ID, Transportation Workers Identification Credential (TWIC), and TSA Trusted Traveler ID.

Foreign Nationals

Lawful Permanent Resident visitors must present their Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) upon arrival. Non-Permanent Resident visitors must present a valid passport (original only) upon arrival.

All forms of ID must be original. No photocopies are permitted.
MIL OSI USA News –
February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: 85 Metric System Estimation
Source: US Government research organizations

The International System of Units (SI), commonly known as the metric system, is easy to use and learn when taught using metric tools. The ability to interpret measurement scales, magnitude, and approximate a quantity are essential Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) competencies.

This 1.5-hour session presents The Metric Estimation Game, a fun, hands-on activity that helps middle students become familiar with SI measurements by practicing estimation skills. This session is designed to reinforce using common measurement tools, developing reference points, and building proficiency and confidence in working with metric measurements. Because many educators report that students have limited opportunities to gain experience in metric system use, this activity can increase the occasions where SI abilities can be practiced.

Learning Objectives

The Metric Estimation Game is presented as a model learning activity. At the end of this session, using your notes, you will be able to:
- DEMONSTRATE metric system measurement estimation skills.
- APPLY the metric system of measurement to quantify the length, mass, and volume of everyday household objects at multiple magnitudes.
- SELECT and EMPLOY appropriate length measurement tools.
- DEVELOP quantity benchmarks that facilitate the sensemaking of 1 kilogram, 1 liter, and 1 meter.
- APPROXIMATE measurement scale using at least three metric system prefixes.
Game participants collaborate in small groups to earn points as they become familiar with metric (SI) mass, length, and volume measurement units. Students determine a quantity estimate for each game item, which is compared to a verified value. Multiple measurement methods may be used to verify results. Some estimations are determined using basic math formulas. The SI prefixes milli, centi, and kilo are used. Measurement writing style requirements for unit symbols are applied during the game.

Although this activity is designed for a middle school audience, it can be modified to accommodate elementary or high school learners. Extensions include updating the game board to focus on only one measurement parameter during a game session (e.g., mass, length, or volume). Products identified in this session do not imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) nor imply that they are necessarily best for the purpose.

Materials & Supplies

Participants should bring these materials to the online session: Two 500 mL water bottles (full, remove label), one 2 L bottle (empty, from recycling), one plastic produce bag (from recycling), one U.S. nickel coin, one unused colored wax crayon, and a timer (clock or phone displaying seconds).

Pre-Work/Post-Work

None.

Minimum Requirements

Successful completion includes participation in all activities and discussions. Session participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance (which does not include participant names or CEUs) by email after the session. Attendance is recorded in the unofficial transcript, which is available in the OWM Contacts System.

Audience

This session is ideal for K-12 educators and Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) professionals and other outreach ambassadors responsible for instructing middle school students on measurement techniques and STEAM careers.

Registration Fee

There is currently no registration fee for this webinar.

Instructor

Elizabeth Benham
Phone: (301) 975-3690
Email: elizabeth.benham [at] nist.gov (elizabeth[dot]benham[at]nist[dot]gov)

Technology Requirements

The webinar will be a live stream, so participants must have a constant connection during the webinar (hard-wired is preferred). Review these system requirements to verify that MS Teams may be used on your computer, mobile device, or web browser. The performance of MS Teams may be influenced by other factors, such as network connectivity or other device applications.

Operating System (browsing) configurations:
- Windows
  - Windows 8.1 and later, 64-bit;
    
    Google Chrome;
    
    Mozilla Firefox; and
    
    Microsoft Edge.
- macOS
  - One of the three latest MacOS versions;
    
    Mozilla Firefox;
    
    Apple Safari (no calls via Teams possible); and
    
    Google Chrome.
- Linux
  - Operating system: DEB or RPM;
  - Desktop environment: GNOME, KDE;
    
    Mozilla Firefox; and
    
    Opera.
Web Browsers:
- On computers running Windows, Mac, or Linux, ensure you have the latest release of one of these browsers:
  - Google Chrome;
  - Mozilla Firefox;
  - Apple Safari; and
  - Microsoft Edge.
MIL OSI USA News –
February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic summed up the results of RAFU activities in 2024

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

In mid-February, a general meeting of the participants of the Russian-African Network University consortium was held online. They summed up the results of their activities for 2024 and agreed on a work plan for 2025. The event was attended by Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia Stepan Sokolov, Vice-Rector for International Affairs of SPbPU Dmitry Arsenyev, Head of the RAFU Project Office Maxim Zalyvsky, Secretary of the RAFU Presidium, Deputy Director of International Cooperation Alla Mazina, Honorary Consul of Mali in St. Petersburg, Associate Professor of the Higher School of Hydraulic Engineering and Power Engineering Issa Togo and more than 70 representatives of 40 Russian universities participating in RAFU.

Stepan Sokolov noted that Russian-African relations have a long history, where cooperation in science and higher education has always occupied a significant place and often became an important link between our countries and peoples. Hundreds of thousands of African students have received high-quality higher education in Russia.

Today, many African countries show a noticeable interest in strengthening and developing cooperation with the Russian Federation. This is evident at various levels: from the willingness to improve the regulatory framework to active participation in international forums and bilateral meetings. However, we cannot stop there. It is necessary to constantly expand the horizons of opportunities and develop cooperation. First of all, with focus countries such as Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Niger and Nigeria, Stepan Aleksandrovich emphasized.

A promising direction also seems to be the development of cooperation between the RAFU consortium and the African Union and African universities, primarily in terms of training African teachers.

The activities of SPbPU within the RAFU consortium have become an important vector of development, corresponding to the geopolitical interests of Russia. In a year and a half, we have given new dynamics to cooperation with African countries, expanded the geography of the consortium and made the RAFU brand recognizable in the international arena. We have not only restored the domain and updated the content of the site, but also turned it into an educational portal, posting more than 120 online courses for African colleagues, – noted Dmitry Arsenyev.

This work has already yielded results. The number of participants has doubled, and the geography of cooperation has covered 15 African countries. RAFU participates in major international forums. This year alone, its members took part in such events as the World Festival of Youth and the Congress of Young Scientists in Sochi, the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, the BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting in Moscow, the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, and many others.

The participants of the general meeting highly appreciated the work of the consortium and Polytechnic University as its coordinator. In 2025, RAFU will continue to work on developing cooperation and expanding the geography of the consortium’s activities on the African continent.

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: “Open Polytech” included in the Register of Russian software

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

The Open Polytechnic e-learning system, developed by the Open Education Center of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU), was officially included in the Register of Russian Software (registry entry No. 26391). The decision was made on the basis of an order from the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation following a meeting of the expert council.

About the Open Polytech system

“Open Polytech” is a key project of the SPbPU Open Education Center aimed at developing digital learning. The system is a modernized version of Moodle, adapted to the standards of Russian higher education. It supports up to 3,000 simultaneous users, integrates with the university’s accounting systems and is equipped with real-time load balancing services.

The developer and copyright holder of the system is Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.

The Open Polytech system covers all key aspects of the educational process:

information transfer: interactive lectures, educational materials, multimedia content; knowledge control: testing, practical tasks, gamification elements; interaction of participants: chats, forums, video conferences, joint work on projects; organization of training: course management, monitoring of academic performance, personalization of the educational process.

The inclusion of the Open Polytech system in the Register of Russian software confirms its high quality and compliance with the requirements of domestic software. The SPbPU Open Education Center continues to implement advanced digital technologies, providing students and teachers with modern tools for online learning.

More information about the system and its capabilities can be found on the official website “OpenPolytech”.

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Comrade Sergeant, you have a letter… An exhibition for February 23 has opened at NSU

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

The main idea of the exhibition is to introduce students and teachers of NSU to unique and warm stories that were born during the years of student conscription into the army on the eve of Defender of the Fatherland Day.

Preparations for organizing the memorial exhibition began last summer. The staff Museum of the History of NSU together with interested students Humanitarian Institute of NSUletters, photographs and telegrams were selected, and data on where exactly the students served in those years was systematized. One of the schoolgirls from Lyceum No. 130 of Akademgorodok also took part in this work.

— This exhibition tells about the 1980s, when our students began to be called up en masse for military service. If you look at the statistics, before the 1980s, individual students were sent to the army, mainly from the Humanities Faculty, where there was no military department, and after receiving their diplomas. Since 1984, they began to recruit students from all faculties where the guys studied full-time, — says Lidiya Vorobtsova, director of the NSU History Museum.

NSU was fundamentally different from other universities in its attitude towards those guys who were called up. If we take the statistics of the call-up, then almost 96% of all servicemen returned to study at NSU: in the 1980s, 2110 students were called up, and 2013 of them returned after service to complete their studies at NSU, that is, almost all. If we take the statistics of other universities in the country, then on average about 70% of guys returned.

— Credit should be given to those who were in charge of communication with our students. Evgeniya Vasilyevna Ulyanova headed this headquarters, which gathered active girls and the remaining guys from the groups from which students were called up, so that the connection with those who left would not be broken. They wrote letters, sent photos, talked about their lives and even sent textbooks and manuals. In addition, there were propaganda teams, which included guys from NSU humor clubs, they went to military units. In response, good news and gratitude came from their places of service that the called up guys were not forgotten, not crossed out from the ranks of NSU students, — adds Lidiya Vorobtsova.

The exhibition presents letters, postcards, telegrams from places of service, clippings from photo albums, among them are the faces of young boys, in whom one can recognize current professors and teachers of NSU. As well as military uniforms of that time from the collection of the Integral Museum-Apartment of the History of Akademgorodok.

Many of those who served in the army in the 80s as students now work at the university and in the research institutes of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. They shared their memories of that time with us, and told us how their military service influenced their future lives and professional activities.

— I joined the army in 1984, when NSU drafted about 70-80% of all the guys studying in different faculties after the second year. We spent a long time, 2-3 days for sure, at the distribution point, then traveled for a long time to our place of service by train. We didn’t know where we were being taken. When we crossed the entire country, got to Murmansk and didn’t stop there, our mood began to fall, and we had only one thought: “Where should we go, the border is coming soon.” When the railway ended, we finally stopped. Our place of service was the village of Pechenga on the Kola Peninsula. We go to the bathhouse — the sun is standing, we leave the bathhouse — everything is the same, over our heads, it goes in circles all day and doesn’t set. That’s how we ended up behind the Arctic Circle in the conditions of the polar day and night, — recalls his years of service in the army Evgeny Sagaydak, head of the education export department at NSU and a graduate. Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of NSU.

Evgeny Ivanovich ended up in a specialized mountain motorized rifle battalion, where the guys were taught literally everything, including how to shoot any small arms that existed at the time. I remember the moments of the evening roll call, when they went on duty. As a rule, this happened at eight o’clock in the evening. The soldiers had a sign: when they saw the Northern Lights on a polar night, it meant that the night would be cold and the next day too.

— Some of the warmest memories from the years of service in the army were communication with the university. We wrote, and they wrote to us. The management sent the newspaper “University Life”, for various holidays — postcards and appliques, and New Year’s greetings were especially significant – each postcard had the real signature of the NSU rector. That is, at one point, stacks of these postcards were brought to his reception room, and he signed each one by hand, — Evgeny Sagaydak shares his memories.

The period of military service became a good school of life for the guys.

— The ability to communicate, the ability to stand up for yourself and rely on your own strength, on your closest friends and colleagues. Over two years of service, you matured, understood what life is, what you really want to do next. That is why 96% of all conscript students returned to study, because they wanted to study further, wanted to learn new things and did it successfully, — emphasizes Evgeniy Sagaydak.

Naimjon Ibragimov, graduate Faculty of Economics, NSU 1990 and deputy dean of the Faculty of Economics of NSU, served in the Chita region, in the village of Olovyanny-3, in the strategic missile forces.

— Far from home, we, Novosibirsk students, were united by something greater. Even when we served in different units and met by chance only at training camps, smiles never left our faces, we encouraged each other, shared news. I remember that every month in the unit we were given 13 rubles. We always wanted something sweet, so we went to the soldiers’ buffet, or “chipok” in other words, bought waffles and accidentally met our own, which made it even more pleasant.

I remember the physical and volitional loads that were much easier for the students from the dormitory than for those who lived at home during their studies. We were already adapted to strict timings, when, for example, we had to have breakfast or lunch very quickly in order to then complete strategic tasks or run to another unit.

The university skills that we managed to acquire helped us quickly expand our circle of acquaintances and find a common language with the unit’s leadership, so first the Physics and Mathematics School, and then the first and second years allowed us to cope with the difficulties of army life quite quickly and successfully, and quickly find solutions in difficult situations, says Naimdzhon Ibragimov.

Naimdzhon Mulaboevich also notes that the university was distinguished by its attitude towards students who ended up in the army. None of the guys from other universities who served in his unit received letters of support.

— It was the uniqueness of NSU that gave rise to a feeling of pride for our university. I express my gratitude to the university and the teachers who supported us with regular letters so that we felt that the university was waiting for us.

Pavel Logachev, graduate Physics Department of NSU 1989, Director of the INP SB RAS, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, graduated from the Physics and Mathematics School with almost excellent marks, he solved all the problems of the entrance exams to the universities where a deferment from military service was provided (at Moscow State University and Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology), so he could choose any of them. However, he deliberately did not go to Moscow.

— When I entered Novosibirsk University in 1982, I understood perfectly well that I would be drafted into the army in 1984. I planned to work at the Institute of Nuclear Physics — and nowhere else. To do this, I needed to study at the Physics Department of NSU.

After the first two courses, I was drafted into the army. I served for a short time – only two days and two nights – polar. Time flew by, the army experience I gained was also important and interesting. I do not regret that I honestly gave these two years to the country. We served in the north of the Murmansk region, not far from the border with Norway, in a regular motorized rifle regiment. However, the regiment was fully staffed and had a large number. We regularly had combat exercises, so we learned to shoot from the weapons assigned to us and honed our skills in various training sessions.

As for learning, of course, any experience requires constant practice. If you don’t do something, skills are lost, but they can be restored later.

I would like to thank the university separately for the informal, but very important and effective work it did with the students who had gone into the army, and they were the majority. The remaining boys and girls regularly wrote us letters, told us about life at the university and sent us fresh issues of the newspaper “University Life”. This was extremely important for us. Moreover, during the two years of service, delegations from NSU came to us three times. The visiting students told us what was happening at the university and reminded us that we were expected there. I do not know anyone from those with whom I served who did not return to the university after the army. Everyone continued their studies and completed them, – Pavel Logachev shares his memories.

The staff of the NSU History Museum would like to thank Svetlana Dovgal, Director of the NSU Career Development Center, Elena Krasilova, Head of the Department of Youth Policy and Educational Work, and Anastasia Bliznyuk, Director of the Integral Museum-Apartment of the History of Akademgorodok, for their assistance in organizing the exhibition.

You can immerse yourself in archival data, read warm letters and view the exhibition until February 28 in the light window near auditorium 2322 (3rd block, Pirogova St., 1).

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray on Senate Republicans’ Pro-Billionaire Budget Resolution, Trump and Musk’s Devastating Funding Freeze and Mass Firings

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

Murray: “Republicans are going down this partisan path because they know Democrats are not going to join them in throwing Medicaid, nutrition assistance, and veterans’ benefits into the wood chipper so they can throw more tax cuts at billionaires and the biggest corporations.”

Murray: “We should not be taking kids out of child care to give billionaires a tax break. We should not be taking food off the family table to put more fuel in private jets.”

ICYMI: Senator Murray speaks at Budget Committee markup of resolution, offers common sense amendments rejected by Republicans

***VIDEO HERE***

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former chair of the Senate Budget Committee, took to the Senate floor to forcefully speak out against Senate Republicans’ budget resolution that will help billionaires at working families’ expense—as well as the Trump administration’s lawless mass firings and ongoing funding freeze that is hurting people and jeopardizing critical services they need in every part of the country. She also underscored how a clean full-year CR is not an acceptable solution to government funding.

Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:

“Thank you M. President. We need to be focused on solving problems—and I think most of us here get that.

“No matter who the President is, our constituents expect us to work for them. They expect us to fight for them. And they expect us to do the hard work of passing laws to make their lives better.

[TRUMP LEAVING FARMILIES IN THE DUST]

“People don’t send us here to make their lives worse. But that’s exactly what Trump and Musk are doing. They are looking at our most pressing problems—and making them so much worse. And this budget proposal will only add fuel to the fire.

“Right now—even as egg prices hit an all time high—Trump and Musk have done nothing to lower prices.

“They’ve done nothing to address the housing crisis, or help families get quality, affordable child care—or address other issues I hear about from folks all the time.

“Instead, they are slashing programs that help our families make ends meet, they are gutting an agency that saves working people money and protects them from scams, and starting trade wars that will impose what is effectively a Trump sales tax entirely on the backs of American workers.

“As China works to strengthen its global leadership, Trump and Musk have ceded the ground almost entirely—illegally cutting off investments we make to continue our country’s leadership and help allies.

“At the most precarious moment for the Middle East in decades—Trump is casually proposing to ethnically cleanse Gaza so that Trump and his family can build waterfront property there.

“When it comes to helping our allies in Ukraine secure a just peace—Trump is giving away countless concessions to Putin out of the gate, calling our ally a dictator and meeting with Russia without inviting Ukraine.

“When it comes to the Bird Flu—Trump and Musk are firing the very workers who are responsible for tracking the disease and keeping it from spreading further. And now, suddenly, they are desperately trying to hire them back.

“And as Texas deals with a serious measles outbreak, Trump’s Health Secretary can’t even confirm the obvious, and tell parents the vaccine doesn’t cause autism—which, to be clear, it does not!

“And, almost unbelievably, just weeks after the deadliest commercial plane crash in the U.S. in over two decades—Trump and Musk are firing FAA workers who make sure flying is safe. Who does that help?

“And now Trump is letting Musk run wild by inappropriately accessing and rifling through sensitive SSA and Treasury files, with IRS being next—your data! How does that make sense?

“But while President Trump is busy making problems worse, and trampling our laws, and quoting dictators—what are we doing here in the Senate?

“Are we holding President Trump accountable? Are we holding his co-President, Elon Musk—the richest man in the world, who has billions of dollars in conflicts of interest—accountable?

“Are we putting a stop to the catastrophic cuts and reckless firings that are hurting people and our communities, and setting our country back decades?

“Seems to me that would be a good use of our time—after all, I’ve even heard some Republicans admit that cutting things like medical research, and firing people like VA workers are bad ideas. So you would think—maybe—we could work together from that common ground.

“But instead—Republicans are throwing all their effort behind a partisan plan to slash and burn programs that help our families, and raise costs for everyday Americans, and shovel billions of dollars to help people who already have billions of dollars.

“Meanwhile, I would like to remind my colleagues we are less than a month away from a deadline to pass bills to fund our government. And as we approach that deadline, the entire world is watching as President Trump and Elon Musk shut the government down bit-by-bit—whatever parts Elon doesn’t like.

[TRUMP AND MUSK’S RECKLESS, HEARTLESS MASS FIRINGS]

“Trump and Musk are already showing thousands of essential workers the door—despite the fact that they have no clue what these workers do, or why their jobs matter. They’re just turning off the lights and hoping for the best!

“I am hearing so much alarm about this back home—from fired workers and from the people who depend on them.

“Trump and his co-president are shuttering entire agencies, they are locking workers out of their devices and out of their buildings, and demanding the work of the American people come to a screeching halt—again, for no good reason.

“And let me really drive home just how damaging and extreme these firings are—because we are not talking about some routine changing of the guard or some thoughtful or strategic plan to make government more efficient.

“Trump and Musk are just taking a wrecking ball through the U.S. government. They don’t care what they smash up. They don’t care who they hurt. And they don’t seem to have any idea just how painful this is for American families.

“We are talking about tens of thousands of people—and counting—being pushed out the door without any plan, and without any justification beyond Trump and Elon want to slash and cut with reckless abandon.

“This has nothing to do with making government more efficient—it is about breaking it beyond repair.

“Fundamentally, this is not about cutting waste or curbing fraud. Instead, this is about putting the federal workforce into ‘trauma’—that’s how OMB Director Russ Vought callously put it.

“So, they are mass firing hardworking women and men—many of them veterans—whose only mistake was serving our country, serving our communities, and believing they wouldn’t get stabbed in the back by a wannabe dictator and the richest man in the world.

“And, setting aside the fact that many were illegally fired and without real cause, it’s not just the workers who are suffering because of this.

“These cuts undermine essential services for the American people—right down to some of the most basic functions of government.

“Trump and Musk are firing people who help Americans find quality, affordable health insurance, people who help small businesses get a loan, people who help communities and families get back on their feet after a disaster, and people who help Americans get their tax refunds.

“They are firing people who help our economy stay competitive—from firings that undermine energy projects and thousands of good, new jobs, to firings that undermine innovation and technology, to firings that are hurting our farmers and undermining agricultural research.

“They are laying off National Park Rangers—which will mean longer wait times, dirtier bathrooms, delayed emergency responses, and closed parks.

“They fired Forest Service workers who are crucial to preventing wildfires.

“Again, I have to emphasize, they are firing FAA workers for crying out loud—including personnel who work on radar, landing, and other critical infrastructure that help our aircraft navigate safely.

“They are firing these people, and pretending it is no big deal, all just weeks after the deadliest crash our nation has seen in decades.

“Trump and Elon might not fly commercial—but the rest of us do.

“In the Pacific Northwest, the Bonneville Power Administration is losing hundreds of highly skilled workers. This includes everyone from electricians and engineers, to dispatchers, to lineworkers, to cybersecurity experts, and so many others.

“These are literally the people who help keep the lights on—and now they’re being fired on a whim because Trump and Elon Musk don’t have a clue about what they do and why it’s important, and you know what? They don’t care to learn.

“They don’t even seem to understand that these are positions funded by ratepayers—by all of us who live in the Northwest—they are not from federal funding.

“Trump and Musk have even fired over a thousand VA workers, including people who are doing lifesaving research for our veterans—research to prevent veteran suicide, build life changing prosthetics, address opioid addiction, and more.

“These layoffs could mean longer wait times for veterans to see their health care providers. It could mean ongoing clinical trials coming to a sudden stop. It could mean delays getting your disability claims approved.

“Because Trump and Musk went ahead and fired clinicians and claims raters—even while the current back log of disability claims is over 250,000!

“That is not just a betrayal of these public workers—it is a betrayal of our women and men who have served us in uniform.

“And it is also worth noting—many of the workers being fired are veterans themselves. Trump is firing veterans.

“And let’s not forget the thousands of NIH researchers who are having their research thrown into jeopardy, and the patients who are watching President Trump carelessly toss their best hope for a cure into the shredder.

“Or CMS experts, who were working on improving maternal health outcomes so fewer pregnant women die in this country.

“And medical research layoffs aren’t the only ones putting American lives at risk because Trump and Musk are firing public health workers who respond to disease outbreaks, cybersecurity experts who protect our critical infrastructure, sensitive systems, and our data, scientists who make sure our water and air are clean, and that we are ready for extreme weather, workers that help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters—not to mention, members of law enforcement who help stop violent criminals—and of course, our nuclear engineers!

“Seriously—people who manage our nuclear weapons stockpile were being fired by the hundreds, with no real strategy.

“And we know there isn’t a strategy—because then Trump and Musk frantically turned around and rehired many of them.

“And we also know they haven’t learned their lesson—because they just did the exact same thing to workers responding to bird flu.

“Reckless layoffs—followed by ‘Wait, no! Come back!’ That is not a plan.

“To callously fire people who help us stay ahead of deadly diseases, or who maintain a safe, secure, and reliable nuclear weapons stockpile—that is the height of dangerous incompetence.

“And nuclear clean-up work has been hit as well. I’ve been fighting to get more resources for the Hanford clean-up in Washington state for years—it is already understaffed, and now Trump is actively making things worse.

“I have heard directly from workers at Hanford who have been laid off—even after some were recognized just this past year for their outstanding work. And by the way: that underscores another reality of these firings—they have absolutely nothing to do with merit.

“In fact, the way they are targeting new employees includes people who were recently promoted—so now these workers are getting fired from their newly earned jobs. Literally pushing out some of our best performers and our most committed workers.

“Oh, and one more thing—they are even illegally firing the government watchdogs who provide accountability and prevent fraud.

“If Trump and Musk were really committed to tackling waste, fraud, and abuse, would they fire the very people serving in nonpartisan roles whose very job is to uncover and reduce waste, fraud, and abuse?

“If they were really interested in transparency, would they have torn down websites where the public can find information about agencies’ spending and policy?

“The list of pointless, actively dangerous firings goes on, and on, and on. It grows by the day—as does the fallout and alarm being caused by it. My phones have been ringing off the hook—and I know I am not the only one.

“Again, these sweeping layoffs do not address fraud or waste. These firings are totally arbitrary—pushing out high performers and the promising next generation of our federal workforce who won’t be easily replaced. Not to mention—the hiring freeze prevents them from even trying!

“And here’s the thing that is so important to remember: these are people who have families, who work hard, who love their country. They are not being sent packing because they’ve done anything wrong or because their work is not important.

“They are being pushed out simply because Trump and Musk are trying to break the government—trying to make it not work for the people who need it. It is wrong, and if this doesn’t stop now, it will be catastrophic.

“The scale and scope of Trump and Elon’s purge will set our country back decades. It is not like you can fire everyone, say ‘oh wait, my bad,’ and rehire everyone with the snap of a finger.

“If you are a VA medical researcher working for less than you could make in the private sector, and you’re fired by a billionaire who decides your research on cancer and burn pit exposure isn’t worth the investment, would you want to come back? Especially with the chaos and sheer incompetence of this administration?

“The federal government is not Twitter. You can’t just fire everyone and break things and hope for the best—people’s lives are at stake.

“Elon Musk has no clue what nuclear safety engineers do at Hanford. He doesn’t care that the Social Security Administration is already understaffed, and that pushing more of those federal workers out the door will make life harder for seniors.

“This effort to push out and arbitrarily fire federal workers is going to break something, worse than it already has—and it’s going to break it irreparably.

“When that happens, the blame will fall squarely on Trump, Musk, and Republicans.

[TRUMP AND MUSK’S ILLEGAL FUNDING FREEZE]

“And it is not just people being fired that is a serious problem—there are also funds still being frozen without rhyme, or reason, or any legal authority for Trump to do that.

“So I’m not only worried about the fast-approaching funding deadline in March—I’m worried about the de facto government shutdown happening right now.

“As we speak, Trump and Musk are still illegally blocking hundreds of billions of dollars in funding we all secured for the people we represent back home, putting good-paying jobs on the chopping block, creating incredible uncertainty for businesses, stalling funds for infrastructure and energy projects, and so much else.

“As another week of Trump’s illegal funding blockade has come and gone, still, reports are coming in from across my state, and across the country—of the chaos and cuts this is causing.

“And yet, little to nothing has been done by this administration to restore investments people in red and blue states are counting on. And Republicans here in Congress continue to sit by idly while our communities are robbed of hundreds of billions of dollars in bipartisan spending.

“Meanwhile, it’s our workers, it’s our families, it’s our businesses that are feeling this consequence.

“With each day that passes, the uncertain fate of these investments takes a toll of its own: ever-growing anxiety for workers whose jobs are in jeopardy, for farmers who are eyeing the calendar and waiting on resources that they are owed, and for business owners worried a ripped-up contract might put them under.

“I’ve heard USDA grants have been cut off to rural businesses and farmers in my home state of Washington—and it is putting those hard-working Americans in dire straits.

“A small laundromat ordered new machines—but Trump is now stiffing them on funds they need to make the payment.

“A wheat farmer installed solar panels under a federal program—but Trump is going to leave them holding the bag.

“A greenhouse has completed its end of the bargain to install upgrades—but Trump has stopped the federal government from doing the part it promises.

“And there are so many other federal investments on hold as well: Forest Service funding to reduce wildfire risks and restore ecosystems. EPA funding for clean water infrastructure and clean-up work at superfund sites. HUD and Department of Energy investments to bring down folks’ energy costs and create new, good-paying jobs. Funding for our roads, bridges, transit, flood mapping, fisheries—and so many other things.

“Medical research has also been completely upended at research institutions across the country—throwing lifesaving research, clinical trials, and patients into uncertainty.

“Meanwhile they have not only illegally blocked our foreign assistance and shuttered USAID programs that bolster our global leadership and make the world safer for Americans—they are now illegally dismantling the Department of Education.

“They have already bulldozed the independent research arm of the Department of Education—taking a wrecking ball to ongoing evidence-based research and basic collection data we need for accountability to improve student outcomes at our K-12 schools and colleges.

“And, among the many contracts Trump cancelled with his executive orders was funding for a program that helps students with disabilities transition from high school to work and work to improve adoption of evidence-based literacy practices in Washington state. These billionaires have no idea what programs they are cutting.

“Given the chaos of all these efforts—from Trump’s sweeping, radical, and illegal Executive Orders, to Elon Musk jumping from agency to agency and doing seemingly whatever he pleases and whatever is good for his businesses—it’s getting hard to even keep track of all the funding that is being illegally blocked.

“Even stuff they say is not blocked, or say has been unblocked—is still frequently frozen.

“But one thing that is clear? This is hurting our families. It is hurting our communities. And it needs to stop.

“Remember, Musk is the richest man on earth—with deep business ties to China and a direct line to Putin.

“Republicans have chosen to stand by and twiddle their thumbs, as he unilaterally, clandestinely, and illegally cuts our constituents off from the federal investments they are owed and badly need.

“We have zero insight or oversight of what conflicts of interest Musk has as he chokes off government funding left and right, and as he hands over our sensitive financial data and systems to patently unqualified individuals with no accountability.

“This multi-billionaire is operating completely in the dark, hoping his lies are loud enough to drown out any calls for truth or for transparency.

“You can agree or disagree about federal spending—goodness knows we have debates on it here—but it is a complete lie to try and say this is all fraud, or waste, or a conspiracy.

“As a long-time Appropriator—I can tell you—we debate these bills publicly, we post the details out in the open. We pass them in a bipartisan way.

“Republicans overwhelmingly supported the individual bills we put together in Committee last year—many unanimously.

“Spending is not a ‘conspiracy’ just because Elon Musk doesn’t know how to read USA-Spending.gov.

“A program is not waste just because it doesn’t help the richest man in the world. It is not fraud just because he doesn’t like it.

“A law is not illegal just because he disagrees with it. This guy just does not know what he is talking about—and it is frankly embarrassing, he doesn’t know how to count!

[MUSK, DOGE LIES AND CORRUPTION]

“The ‘DOGE’ website says it is slashing $55 billion—but it only lists $16.6 billion, and half of that is a typo.

“They took $8 million with an M—as in ‘Musk can’t count’—and counted it as $8 billion with a B—as in ‘BS.’ That is not saving money—it is poor reading comprehension.

“Speaking of reading comprehension—I don’t think Elon fully grasps what the concepts of ‘transparency’ and ‘accountability’ mean.

“When he tweeted out the names of government employees months ago—and again this month even—that was ‘accountability,’ but when reporters name people gaining illegal access to Treasury’s payment system, that is a crime?

“Elon Musk gets to look at all of our most sensitive data but no one gets to look at what he is actually doing? That cannot be the standard.

“It’s not ‘maximally transparent’ for Elon Musk to decide for himself what he shares publicly about his actions.

“It is maximally concerning—especially given there are many obvious conflicts of interest—but Elon has not recused himself from a single decision.

“How is it not a conflict—when the owner of Space X is gutting NASA while taxpayer funds to his company keep flowing?

“How is it not blatant corruption—when the owner of Tesla is freezing grants and loans that benefit his competitors?

“How are we supposed to just trust him, when he is probing agencies that have done—or are doing right now—investigations into his businesses?

“Trump fired the Ag Inspector General who was investigating Elon’s company, Neuralink—and then fired the FDA officials who were reviewing it.

“He fired the EPA Inspector General and Transportation Inspector General as they were looking at Tesla.

“He fired the Labor Inspector General—as the Department has several investigations into Musk’s companies.

“And Trump fired the Defense Inspector General who was looking at Space X—and notably, Musk’s connections to Putin.

“And it’s not just Musk who is concerning—he’s brought on an army of walking red flags to pry into our government’s most sensitive data.

“How are Americans supposed to feel, knowing someone who was previously fired for leaking sensitive information from their employer is digging through your most private financial data?

“How are Americans supposed to feel, knowing someone who engaged with prominent white supremacists and misogynists online is helping to shutdown USAID?

“How are they supposed to feel, knowing someone who tweeted explicitly racist statements, someone who said they were, quote, ‘racist before it was cool,’ was given control over incredibly important Treasury payment systems?

“What sort of vetting—if any—is going on here? Are they trying to pick the least qualified, most concerning people? Hey Elon—you are supposed to filter out red flags—not select for them!

“The American people deserve transparency—if Elon Musk really has nothing to hide, then he should leave his safe place on X and at Trump rallies and come before us at a Congressional hearing to be held accountable to the public.

[TRUMP HURTING PEOPLE IN RED AND BLUE STATES]

“What they are doing here is not just illegal—it is devastating for working people in every single zip code in America, red and blue states alike.

“Right now, we need to be speaking out with a unified voice to ensure that when Congress passes a bill, the law is followed.

[DANGERS OF A FULL-YEAR CR]

“And we need to focus on negotiating serious funding bills on a bipartisan basis ahead of the fast-approaching March 14^th deadline. That is exactly what I am trying to do right now. And, a long term CR should not be acceptable for anyone here.

“As I have reminded my colleagues many times now: there is a world of difference between a short term CR that gives us additional time for good faith negotiations on our full-year funding bills, and a long term CR that would not only create major shortfalls for critical programs, but would also hand vast power over spending decisions to an administration that absolutely cannot and should not be trusted.

“Passing a clean full year CR would, first of all, create major shortfalls and fail to adjust for new realities on the ground.

“It could mean that instead of babies getting fed through WIC, moms are getting put on a waitlist for the first time in that program’s history. And instead of families getting rental assistance, they get cut off.

“A clean full year CR means veterans are not able to get the care they need and benefits they have earned in a timely way.

“And it means our military falling behind—from forcing cuts across DoD, to pausing promotions, station changes, and other really essential functions.

“It also means losing opportunities to provide new resources for new challenges, and to provide a check on Trump policies—including ones it is clear members on both sides have issues with.

“And on that note, I want to emphasize this—because this is really critical—unlike a short-term CR, a clean, full-year CR means hundreds of specific funding directives from Congress fall away, effectively creating slush funds for this administration to adjust spending priorities and potentially eliminate longstanding programs as they see fit. That is a nonstarter.

“With a full-year CR, Congress would be turning over our power of the purse to a President who has already shown he couldn’t care less about the separation of powers.

“A yearlong CR could be a green light for President Trump, Elon Musk, and Russell Vought to redirect funding to their own pet projects—and slash, burn, and zero out programs we have supported from Congress, that our families count on.

“Maybe they siphon money away from public schools. Maybe they slash federal work study grants and other financial aid. Maybe they zero out money for national parks or monuments they think are too ‘Woke…’ or what would that even mean!

“Maybe they scrap all our oversight of immigration courts, or end family reunification efforts, or dismantle the guardrails for detaining immigrants—something we are already seeing, by the way, with the use of Guantanamo Bay.

“They could cut funding to eliminate HIV, address maternal mortality, or increase vaccination rates.

“They could turn our constituents’ priorities into slush funds. Clean energy investments could become a payday for fossil fuels. Money meant to stop fentanyl and opioids could fuel private prison operations and mass deportations.

[THE COMMON SENSE, BIPARTISAN PATH FORWARD]

“Congress must detail its spending priorities—and direct President Trump to implement these programs faithfully by passing appropriations bills just as it does every year.

“There is truly no telling just how far they will go in bending our federal budget from what our constituents need into whatever Trump and Musk want.

“If you don’t think things could get worse—you’re wrong. A clean, yearlong CR is frankly an unacceptable outcome.

“We cannot tell our constituents, that instead of using our authority to check a President, we give him the keys to the kingdom.

“We cannot say, instead of fighting to get you the resources you need, we’ll let a billionaire have more say in where your tax dollars go instead.

“So we need Republicans to get serious about bipartisan funding bills. And we have got to know that once those bills become law, Trump will actually follow them.

“We cannot just reach an agreement, pass a bill, and then stand by while President Trump rips our laws in half.

“There is a serious, bipartisan path forward for our country—but it is one where Congress works together to avoid a shutdown, stops the de facto shutdown that is already happening, and reasserts its authority to protect the funding our communities need.

[REPUBLICANS’ PRO-BILLIONAIRE BUDGET RESOLUTION]

“But unfortunately, that’s a far cry from the path Republicans are going down with this pro-billionaire, anti-middle-class budget resolution.

“Let’s be very clear: Republicans’ budget resolution doesn’t just accept, it actually doubles down on what Trump and Musk are doing.

“And it is not about balancing the budget—we all know that, because they don’t plan to reverse one of the biggest drivers of the debt: Republican tax cuts.

“Despite all of the boogeymen that Republicans like to point to as driving the national debt—the reality is that the single biggest driver of our national debt since 2001 has been Republican tax cuts.

“The Trump and Bush tax cuts have cost our nation over $10 trillion dollars and counting. And you’ll never guess what our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are focused on right now—nothing to lower the cost of eggs—it’s actually more Republican tax cuts!

“And, no, they will not be paid-for. And, yes, they will blow up the national debt.

“While Elon Musk hacks and chops his way through the government in the name of meager ‘savings’ and Republicans are cheering him on, they are all hoping we will ignore the elephant they brought into the room.

“Even as this budget is a roadmap for painful cuts to programs families count on each and every day—all so they can give billionaires more tax cuts.

“Republicans are going down this partisan path because they know Democrats are not going to join them in throwing Medicaid, nutrition assistance, and veterans’ benefits into the wood chipper, so they can throw more tax cuts at billionaires and the biggest corporations.

“Make no mistake—this budget resolution is the DOGE resolution, as it assumes the staggering amount of $1 trillion in unspecified cuts in 2025 alone and $9 trillion over 10 years.

“Where do we think those sort of dramatic cuts are going to come from? It’s going to come out of SNAP benefits that keep our kids from going hungry. It is going to come out of public schools and community health centers. It is going to come out of life-saving medical research.

“It will mean costs going up for everyday Americans.

“It means child care costs going up when families lose access to Head Start and other quality, affordable options.

“It means heating and cooling costs going up when families get cut off from LIHEAP.

“It means rent going up as assistance programs get slashed.

“It means your health care costs go up as community health centers and family planning providers are forced to close their doors.

“It means grocery costs going up as programs like SNAP and WIC are gutted—not to mention what happens when you cut support for farmers, and for ag-research.

“And make no mistake, if you are cutting that deeply, that painfully, you are going to start cutting things like veterans’ disability and education benefits, you are going to start cutting Medicare and Medicaid—which, for the information of all Senators, 30 million children rely on.

“There is just no other way to make their numbers work. Especially when we know that this is just step one in their plan—and step two: tax breaks for billionaires and massive corporations.

“So, first they are handing Elon Musk a chainsaw to cut programs families rely on with no accountability—then they are rewarding him with enormous tax breaks. And that is completely unacceptable.

“We should not be taking kids out of child care to give billionaires a tax break.

“We should not be taking food off the family table to put more fuel into private jets.

“I grew up in a family that knew what it was like to fall on hard times. My dad— who was a veteran—got too sick to work. He had multiple sclerosis.

“My mom, kept us afloat with Dad’s VA benefits, food stamps, and the new job she got thanks to a federal workforce program.

“It wasn’t easy. Mom always said they crawled—crawled—to Social Security and Medicare. But she worked hard, and our government was there for them when those hard times came.

“I know there are families struggling now, just like my family struggled then. I hear from them every day—in the letters we get here in Washington D.C., and in the conversations I have back home in Washington state.

“They work hard. They play by the rules. They deserve—at the very least—the same opportunity my parents had when I was growing up.

“And I am not going to stand by silently while Republicans try to sell that opportunity away, to pay for even more tax breaks for billionaires.

“I get why that sounds like a good idea to billionaires like Donald Trump. I get why it’s a sweet deal for Elon Musk—the richest man in the world. It’s great for them—because they are not the ones footing the bill!

“The bill for these tax breaks, the cost of these cuts, is going to be paid by folks like my mom and dad.

“Everyday Americans will pay for billionaire tax breaks with their health care. They will pay for billionaire tax breaks with abandoned medical research. They will pay for billionaire tax breaks with shuttered family farms and small businesses

“Republicans can try and spin a fairy tale about how this will pay for itself, how this will work out for everyone and nobody cares about what will be affected—but the reality is going to show through pretty darn quick, and pretty darn painfully.

“Because spin is not going to put food on the table. It will not pay the rent. It won’t fix the roads. It won’t lower prices. It won’t lower interest rates. And it won’t put money in families’ dwindling bank accounts.

“When it comes to the job we were all sent here to do helping people, and solving problems—families need real solutions, not tax breaks for billionaires and talking points for everyone who loses out.

“So, M. President, I would urge all of my colleagues: hit the breaks, and not just on this devastating, partisan budget resolution. Hit the brakes on what President Trump and Elon Musk are doing right now.

“Let’s instead come together, and work on serious, bipartisan bills to fund the government. Let’s get investments that are sorely needed out to the folks we represent. Let’s pass legislation to give folks a hand—instead of this Republican plan that gives billionaires a handout.”

MIL OSI USA News –

February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Registration mandatory for social organizations

Source: China State Council Information Office 2

China will continue efforts to clamp down on illegal social organizations that harm individuals and the public interest, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said in a recently released guideline.
The guideline clarifies that unregistered societies or groups, as well as those that have had their licenses revoked, are prohibited from organizing activities under the name of a social organization, foundation or private non-enterprise institution. Any such activity will result in the group being labeled an illegal social organization.
Organizations operating without official permission while in their preparatory periods are also classified as illegal, according to the guideline.
County-level authorities will be responsible for cracking down on illegal social organizations whenever their activities are detected. If an illegal group operates across multiple provinces, the civil affairs ministry or designated authorities will oversee enforcement.
Authorities will have the power to hold regulatory talks with suspected organizations or individuals, conduct on-site investigations and review materials such as contracts, receipts, meeting records, financial ledgers and promotional materials.
Local authorities must publicly announce and issue written decisions once an organization is confirmed to be illegal. The decision must include the organization’s name and details of its illegal activities and bear an official stamp.
Individuals suspected of violating national laws — including fabricating, concealing or destroying evidence, providing false information, or obstructing investigations — will be referred to public security organs for further investigation.
The guideline also states that any organization, company or individual has the right to report illegal social organizations. Supervisory authorities must publish phone numbers, email addresses and postal addresses for public reporting.
The new guideline will take effect on May 1, replacing an interim version introduced in 2000.
The ministry has intensified its oversight of social organizations in recent years, launching several crackdowns that have curbed illegal activity and protected public interests.
Last year, civil affairs authorities at all levels handled 1,066 cases involving illegal social organizations.
In December, the ministry published 10 cases highlighting illegal activities.
In one case, an unauthorized group illegally organized a fraudulent arts competition using the name of the Belt and Road Initiative. It collected individuals’ personal information through illegal means and defrauded them by sending fabricated award lists. The Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau shut down the organization in January last year.
By the end of 2023, China had about 881,600 registered social organizations, a decrease of 9,700 from the previous year, according to a recent report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Education-related organizations accounted for about 31 percent, while 16 percent focused on social services.

MIL OSI China News –

February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: CoSTAR Realtime Lab at Water’s Edge in Dundee will provide a major stimulus to Scotland’s screen and tech industries

Source: University of Abertay

CoSTAR Realtime Lab at Water’s Edge in Dundee will provide a major stimulus to Scotland’s screen and tech industries

A new £9m virtual production studio will drive research, innovation and economic growth in Scotland’s screen, games, immersive and performance industries.

Abertay University launched the CoSTAR Realtime Lab at Water’s Edge, Dundee on Tuesday 18 February marking the start of operations for a major infrastructure project that will provide a significant boost to Scotland’s screen industries.

This cutting-edge programme will bring new opportunities and expert support to UK creative and technology companies working across the breadth of the creative industries.

The CoSTAR Network represents the largest investment in Creative Industries R&D to date with a £75.6M grant awarded by the UKRI Infrastructure Fund and delivered by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

The CoSTAR Realtime Lab is led by Abertay University and the total project investment is £9m operated in partnership with the University of Edinburgh, CodeBase, Interface and Chroma Developments.

Industry and academia working in partnership

Creative companies from across the UK and beyond will have the opportunity to work with the CoSTAR Realtime Lab, benefitting from state-of-the-art research and development (R&D) facilities and access to industry experts and academic researchers.

The studio at Chroma Developments’ Water’s Edge in Dundee marks the beginning of the CoSTAR Realtime Lab’s work, with a further studio led by the University of Edinburgh to open at First Stage Studios in Edinburgh in March 2025. The facilities will be connected through the Realtime Cloud Lab supporting remote access and collaboration from anywhere in the world.

Virtual production—a cinematography technique that employs computer-generated imagery (CGI), augmented reality, and motion capture to create immersive virtual film, game and performance sets – will be at the heart of the CoSTAR Realtime Lab’s work and represents a significant opportunity for creative companies working with real time technologies.

Researchers will support industry-led projects to generate new products and processes to improve production pipelines including, 3D environments and video processing, performance and motion capture, facial animation, automated speech and dynamic generation of hyper-realistic digital film sets and many others. The CoSTAR Realtime Lab’s work will also look at ways to enhance spectator experiences at concerts, live events and museums and how immersive technologies like Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality can be better used and integrated.

Blending Abertay University’s internationally renowned expertise in video games and technology with the University of Edinburgh’s world-leading AI, animation and film capabilities, the partnership will build transformative new processes, pipelines, tools and workflows to help companies grow, while de-risking opportunities to diversify and take on new projects and clients.

Supporting creators and creative companies

The CoSTAR Realtime Lab will create opportunities for Scotland’s screen innovators to access next generation production technologies and support them to apply their creativity, skills and expertise to create new technologies, design new experiences and establish new markets. Access will be offered through a series of open programmes, giving companies and creatives the opportunity to test, develop and refine their ideas.

One of the main programmes is the Realtime TEST Lab, which offers creative companies, creatives and innovators access to resources to experiment with virtual production and creative technologies in content production or software development before committing further investment in their final productions. The Realtime TEST Lab is supported with funding from Screen Scotland.

The CoSTAR Realtime Lab will also offer support through Collaborative R&D – a way of working in partnership that can be activated by companies, individuals and project staff in conversation with the CoSTAR Realtime Lab. Scale-up and start-up training and support will also be provided by CodeBase through its Techscaler programme.

Further CoSTAR Network programmes include the Pilots and Prototypes Programme (PPP), a £3.6 million fund for UK companies to develop new ideas by accessing technical and research capabilities, and the Enterprise and Commercial programme (E&C) supporting the growth of highly capable, inclusive, and sustainable creative technology businesses.

In addition to its main partners, CoSTAR Realtime Lab is supported by Screen Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Amazon Web Services, Nvidia and VSS-Scotland.

Professor Gregor White, Director of the CoSTAR Realtime Lab said:

With the technologies that power our screen-based experiences in film, games and performance rapidly converging there’s an opportunity for companies working in these sectors to diversify their offer, explore new markets and push the boundaries of what was previously thought possible in their sectors. Bringing together international-quality academic researchers with industry experience and enterprise support, CoSTAR Realtime Lab is a truly collaborative project which will break down barriers for the Scottish creative industries, encourage entrepreneurship and experimentation, and provide a space where innovation can flourish.

Professor Melissa Terras MBE, Edinburgh College of Art, Co-director of the CoSTAR Realtime Lab said:

Scotland has vibrant creative industries, with world-leading activity in festivals, film/TV, music, heritage, and games in particular. Building a bridge between creatives and technologists will allow us to support the development of new products and services, while also ensuring that we are encouraging diverse access to cutting edge facilities, which will then produce diverse outputs. The partnership behind CoSTAR Realtime Lab is expertly placed to deliver this exciting innovation vehicle to support our creative communities.

AHRC Executive Chair Professor Christopher Smith said:

The CoSTAR Realtime Lab will build on the strong foundations of Scotland’s gaming cluster, bringing together next generation production technologies, the latest in video game development, and AI and machine learning, to support innovators in the creation of new technologies, experiences, and markets. As part of the CoSTAR network it will play a key role in ensuring that the UK’s creative industries act as a key driver of growth as identified in the government’s industrial strategy. It is by strategically investing in the industries of the future that AHRC shows how arts and humanities research drives innovation and growth in a 21st century economy.

Chris van der Kuyl CBE, FRSE, Chairman, 4J Studios said:

I’ve always believed in Dundee’s potential as a global leader in technology and digital innovation. That’s why we’ve invested in spaces like Water’s Edge to provide a collaborative infrastructure for the next generation of creators and companies to thrive. The launch of the CoSTAR Realtime Lab is a major step in that journey, bringing cutting-edge virtual production technology to Dundee and securing its position at the forefront of real-time content creation. This is a huge opportunity for Scotland’s screen industries, and I’m incredibly proud to support it.

UK Government Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said:

This project is beyond exciting – the possibilities it creates for the entertainment industry are endless. The UK Government’s investment in cutting-edge initiatives like this is central to our Plan for Change to create the jobs and opportunities that will raise living standards right across the UK. “It’s a tremendous feather in the cap of Brand Scotland too, demonstrating to the world that Dundee and Scotland is a centre of excellence for the screen and gaming industries as we push into new markets and further strengthen the sector. I wish the team at Abertay University every success with the opening of the new facility.

Stephen Coleman OBE, CEO & Co-Founder of CodeBase said:

Supporting the CoSTAR Realtime Lab is another great opportunity for CodeBase to play our part as a Scottish ecosystem builder and a champion of tech-driven enterprise and entrepreneurship. We are always looking for new ways to collaborate with specialists in different technology domains and to leverage our delivery of Techscaler, Scotland’s national tech backbone for the benefit of the ecosystem as a whole, building on Scotland’s unique strengths in talent, research, and innovation.

Howell Davies, Head of Strategic Funding and Programmes at Interface, said:

CoSTAR’s Realtime Lab is a game-changer for industry seeking to harness the power of real-time technologies. With access to cutting-edge tools, a deep and diverse pool of expertise and talent with a support system for organisations to empower them to innovate and create groundbreaking experiences, it will create significant impact and legacy for the UK’s creative industry and wider.

Councillor Mark Flynn, Leader of Dundee City Council said:

Dundee has a long history of being at the forefront of technology and innovation for the creative industries and it is wonderful to see the CoSTAR Realtime Lab and its virtual production studio being added to the city’s digital cluster. The video games, screen and performance industries already make a significant contribution to Dundee’s economic and cultural success and collaborative projects like this, supported by both academia and business, are important for the continued growth and future of the sector.

Isabel Davis, Executive Director of Screen Scotland said:

An exemplar of academia collaborating directly with industry, Abertay’s role in CoStar and its leadership of the real-time lab continues Dundee’s illustrious history of creativity, design and invention. The project will ensure that Scotland’s tech, digital and creative pioneers are embedded in the next wave of digital and creative transformation.

For more information visit CoSTAR Network or follow @costarnetwork.

Full information and funding calls can be found online: Access Programmes | CoSTAR

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

February 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Australian Education Union annual conference

Source: Australian Ministers for Education

Let me begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which we are meeting and pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging.

There is really only one job in politics I have ever wanted. And this is it.

There is one reason more than anything else I wanted to do it.

To do what we are doing right now.

Fixing the funding of our public schools and what it will do.

I don’t think there’s anything more important than what we do in education.

It doesn’t just change lives.

Its impact ricochets through generations. If you finish school, your kids are more likely to finish school.

It changes communities too and it changes countries. It’s changed ours.

And public education does most of that heavy lifting.

It’s where you’ll find the most disadvantaged children in this country. The children who need our help the most.

And these are the schools that are most underfunded.

Where the challenges are the greatest. Where the need is the greatest.

This is what we’ve got to fix. We have got a long way to go, but a lot has happened in the last 12 months.

This time last year I talked about the agreement I had just signed with Western Australia.

That extra funding is now in WA schools.

Last year I also reached agreements Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory.

And that funding is also now rolling out.

There’s no public school in the country, apart from the ACT, where funding is at the Gonski level yet.

And there’s no public school in the country where the disadvantage is as bad or the funding is as low as the Northern Territory.

Until this agreement.

It was sitting at less than 80 per cent of the SRS.

In other words, one in five children in the Northern Territory were effectively not being funded at all.

This agreement fixes that.

It doubles the amount of money that the Australian Government puts into public schools in the Northern Territory.

It means instead of reaching full funding in the second half of this century.

They will reach it in the next few years.

It means that some of the most disadvantaged public schools in this country will now be some of the best funded.

That’s the sort of thing that will change lives.

It is the sort of thing that only Labor Governments do.

And since I last spoke at this conference, something else just as important has happened.

We’ve doubled what we’re offering the states.

We will fund the full 5 per cent. What you’ve always asked for.

In return, we want the states to get rid of the 4 per cent that is spent on things like capital depreciation – what you have also been calling for.

That’s a big shift.

And South Australia has signed up to that, Victoria has signed up to that too and so has Western Australia.

And I want to do the same across the country.

This is a big change, that you have made happen.

It still involves the Australian Government and state governments both chipping in.

And it still means tying that funding to the sort of things that we know will help children who need extra help and support.

The sort of things that you’ve been calling for and asking for.

Things like extra funding for catch-up tutoring and mental health support.

And it means being able to see where that money is going. Making sure it goes where it’s needed. The sort of transparency that you’ve been asking for.

That’s where we stand today.

I can promise you as long as I am in this job, I will not stop fighting for this.

What I can’t promise you is that this will survive if Peter Dutton becomes Prime Minister.

That’s not a threat, it’s just the truth.

You just have to look at what they did last time.

They ripped the guts out of funding for public schools.

The legislation we have put in place last year will make it hard for him, but not impossible.

The fact is if he wins he could still reverse that and rip this funding out.

That’s the truth.

There is a lot more to do, I know that, but there is also a lot to fight to keep.

I don’t think it is over the top to say that the future of public education is at stake.

If this funding gets ripped out again, inevitably it means more kids will leave the public education system. More teachers will leave too, and more kids won’t finish high school.

Our schools will become even more segregated than they are today.

I know you know this, that’s why you’ve been fighting for this when others haven’t.

Fighting for this for more than a decade. Keeping the cause alive.

This wouldn’t be happening without you, that’s the truth. But the fight isn’t over yet.

Something else I want to talk about today. Something worth celebrating.

That’s the pay rises in the last 12 months in NSW, South Australia, Western Australia and the NT and the impact they are having.

And the agreements you’ve struck that make a dent in things like workload. Things like more school development days, extra admin support and things like the right to disconnect.

I remember a primary school teacher telling me once that he carried 30 parents around in his pocket.

And that high school teachers carry more than 100.

They send him messages often late at night. Not thinking they are bothering him, but that’s just when they’ve got a spare minute when the kids are asleep, but still his phone would ping.

That’s what the right to disconnect is all about. That’s why the agreements like the one struck in NSW are so important.

There was some good news on Monday that shows the number of teachers last year jumped by about 8,000. That’s good.

It doesn’t mean we don’t still have serious teacher shortages, of course we do, but what it shows, I think, is if you pay people more and respect the work they do, more people want to do the job and more people are likely to stay.

You can also see the signs of this in the number of people enrolling in teaching courses this year – up 14 per cent.

I’ve got to think that’s helped by pay increases, the agreements, but also things like the new Commonwealth Teaching Scholarships – worth about 40 grand or twice the cost of a teaching degree.

It’s an old school idea that we’ve brought back – we help you cut the costs while you are at uni and you pay it back by working in the public school system when you graduate.

And from 1 July this year, for the first time ever, we’ll start providing financial support for teaching students while they do their prac.

It all helps. It’s all important.

I’m not saying all the problems, all the challenges, all the shortages are fixed – they’re not, of course they’re not, but finally, for the first time in a long time things are starting to head in the right direction.

Something else I want to mention today and that’s what we are doing before kids ever start kindy or prep, before they step into your classrooms.

I think you know what I am about to say, education doesn’t start at 5 and what we do here, in those first five years, has a big impact on the sort of challenges school teachers face.

And just like there’s a shortage of teachers in our schools, there’s a real shortage of early educators.

A big part of that is just people leaving.

When we won the election two and half years ago, they were leaving in droves.

Many just because they couldn’t afford to keep doing it. They could earn more at Coles or Woolies or Bunnings.

That’s now changing.

And that’s because of the 15 per cent pay rise that we’re now rolling out.

The best example of that is what’s happening at Goodstart, the biggest childcare operator in the country.

At their centres job applications have now jumped by 35 per cent in the last few months.

Expressions of interest have jumped by 50 per cent, and vacancy rates are down by a massive 28 per cent.

We’re seeing that sort of thing right across the country.

Again, it turns out that, if you pay people more, more want to do the job.

And last week we did something else. We passed laws that will change the lives of some of the most disadvantaged children in Australia.

You know these kids. The first time they step into a classroom environment is when they get to school.

They never experience early education or don’t get enough of it.

One of the reasons for that is a thing called the Activity Test. Something put in place by the Liberal Party that meant parents couldn’t get the Child Care Subsidy.

And it meant that their kids start school behind.

The legislation we passed through Parliament last week gets rid of that test and replaces it with a three day guarantee.

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

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

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

To help make sure they start school ready to go.

And that’s what happened last week.

Again, that’s the sort of reform that only Labor Governments do. And that our country needs.

I know there is more to do.

I don’t have to convince you of that.

And I don’t expect you to stop fighting for it.

I hope you don’t. I know you won’t.

So let me end by just saying thank you.

Thank you for everything you do.

Thank you for working with me over the last two and half years.

And thank you for what you are about to do.

To help make sure that Peter Dutton doesn’t get the chance to do a Tony Abbott 2.0 and rip everything we have done away.

MIL OSI News –

February 21, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: The promise of green iron, steel and ammonia is keeping the green hydrogen dream alive

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Changlong Wang, Research fellow in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Monash University

D.Alimkin, Shutterstock

Hydrogen was once sold as a universal climate fix — a clean, green wonder fuel for cars, homes, power grids and even global export. But reality has cooled that buzz.

This week, the South Australian government shelved plans for a A$593 million hydrogen power plant, in favour of injecting that money into the $2.4 billion Whyalla steelworks rescue package. Premier Peter Malinauskas said there was “no point in producing hydrogen” without a customer: the steelworks.

It’s the latest in a series of setbacks for hydrogen. Last year, Australian mining and energy giant Fortescue pared back its green hydrogen projects as a result of increasing costs and changing financial circumstances in the United States.

Then, gas and oil heavyweight Woodside withdrew plans for two large-scale green hydrogen projects and Origin Energy dropped out of the Hunter Valley Hydrogen Hub.

Meanwhile, the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain project in Victoria, meant to ship hydrogen to Japan, has met with delays and overruns. Earlier this month, the new Queensland government chose to halt further investment in the Central Queensland Hydrogen Project, putting plans to export hydrogen in doubt.

These setbacks show hydrogen isn’t the ultimate solution to all our energy needs, especially if we want to export it. But they don’t spell doom. Instead, they nudge us toward where hydrogen really shines: in heavy industry, right where it’s made.

Heavy industry: where hydrogen makes sense

Heavy industries such as steel manufacturing and ammonia production are where hydrogen proves its worth. These sectors are significant contributors to climate change — steel accounts for about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, ammonia a further 2%.

Most emissions from steelmaking come from burning coal in blast furnaces to convert ore into iron and carbon dioxide.

In a cleaner alternative, hydrogen (when produced using renewable energy) can be used to strip oxygen from the ore and make iron, with water as a byproduct. The result is green iron, ready to be turned into steel in an electric arc furnace – with a fraction of the emissions.

Ammonia is used to make fertiliser and industrial chemicals, and hydrogen is one of the main ingredients in its production. Hydrogen bonds with nitrogen from the air to form ammonia. No hydrogen, no ammonia — it’s that simple. Conventional ammonia plants get hydrogen from methane, producing CO₂ in the process. Green ammonia uses renewable energy to produce hydrogen by splitting water via electrolysis.

Our recent research crunched the numbers on producing these new green commodities. We found making green iron in Australia with hydrogen and shipping it to Europe for steel production could be 21% cheaper than exporting raw iron ore and hydrogen separately. Plus, it could cut emissions by up to 95% compared to traditional methods.

There are huge economic opportunities for Australia too. Instead of shipping low-value raw materials, Australia could export ready-to-use green iron or green steel, reshaping global supply chains while cutting costs and carbon. That’s the kind of rethink hydrogen enables.

Industry hubs: a practical fix

Transporting hydrogen long distances is costly and inefficient. The fix? Industry hubs that produce hydrogen right where it’s needed — next to steel mills, ammonia plants, desalination plants, water treatment plants or even aluminium smelters. Putting producers and consumers together slashes transport costs and unlocks efficiencies.

We’ve built tools to pinpoint places with the greatest potential to produce these new green commodities.

The Hydrogen Economic Fairways Tool maps where renewable energy, infrastructure and industrial sites align for cost-effective hydrogen production.

The Green Steel Economic Fairways Mapper zooms in on prime locations for green steel, spotlighting places such as Eyre Peninsula in SA and the Pilbara in Western Australia, among others (see below). These locations have abundant wind and solar resources alongside an existing industrial base.

The Green Steel Economic Fairways Mapper compares the levelised cost of steel, including production and transport to the port. a) Regional changes across Australia b) Example of how to optimise the system to minimise the levelised cost of producing 1 million tonnes per annum c) Breakdown of costs d) Hourly system performance, in terms of energy flows.
Green Steel Economic Fairways Mapper, Geoscience Australia

Challenges remain

Green hydrogen promises to revolutionise heavy industries, but significant hurdles stand in the way of widespread domestic adoption. The biggest challenge comes from the unpredictable nature of renewable energy, which makes it hard to maintain the steady hydrogen supply industries need.

The costs remain steep, too. Splitting water into hydrogen using renewable electricity isn’t cheap, particularly when you need backup storage systems to keep production going during cloudy or windless periods.

Getting hydrogen where it needs to go poses another major challenge. As hydrogen is both bulky to transport and highly flammable, it requires special handling and infrastructure, driving up costs, especially for facilities far from production sites.

Many companies also hesitate to invest in hydrogen-compatible equipment, as retrofitting existing plants or building new ones requires substantial upfront costs without guaranteed returns.

The $2.4 billion rescue package for the Whyalla Steelworks (ABC News)

Government backing: a push in the right direction

Thursday’s announcement of A$2.4 billion investment in the Whyalla steelworks along with plans for a $1 billion green iron investment fund are a bold bet on green steel. Furthermore, the landmark Future Made in Australia legislation introduces a $6.7 billion Hydrogen Production Tax Incentive, offering $2 per kilogram of renewable hydrogen produced between 2027–28 and 2039–40, alongside a 10% tax credit for critical minerals processing.

Meanwhile tax credits for green aluminium and alumina should help another heavy industry to navigate the energy transition using clean hydrogen.

These measures aim to unlock tens of billions in private investment, boost regional economies, and position Australia as a leader in clean energy manufacturing. This isn’t just about one-off projects. It’s laying the groundwork for hubs that link renewable energy and hydrogen production to industrial demand.

There’s more in the pipeline. The Hydrogen Headstart program pumps funds into hydrogen innovation, and the Future Made in Australia initiative backs clean industry with billions more. Add in policies like carbon pricing or low-interest loans, and the economics tilt even further toward green steel and ammonia. Government buying power — in the form of procurement targets for low-carbon materials — could seal the deal by guaranteeing demand.

These policies aren’t just wishful thinking — they’re practical steps that are already working elsewhere. Sweden’s HYBRIT project, which paired green steel with government-backed demand, has already led to construction starting on new industrial-scale green steel facilities. At the same time, the European Union’s hydrogen strategy leans on carbon pricing and subsidies to guide industries and suppliers through the energy transition, while Japan offers incentives for the use of green steel in their automotive industry.

Australia has the renewable energy and the industrial base to take advantage of these opportunities. With the right leadership, we can turn hydrogen’s stumbles into a global triumph for heavy industry.

Changlong receives funding from the South Australian Department for Energy and Mining to conduct the SA Green Iron Study, and from Geoscience Australia under the Exploring for the Future program to develop the Hydrogen and Green Steel Economic Fairways tool. Changlong is affiliated with Melbourne Climate Futures, University of Melbourne, and is a visiting fellow at Engineering Science, Oxford University, UK.

Stuart Walsh receives funding from Geoscience Australia supporting the development of the Bluecap software suite, which highlights opportunities for new renewable energy and critical mineral projects in Australia. Stuart received funding from the South Australian Department for Energy and Mining to conduct the SA Green Iron Study and from Geoscience Australia under the Exploring for the Future program to develop the Hydrogen and Green Steel Economic Fairways tool.

– ref. The promise of green iron, steel and ammonia is keeping the green hydrogen dream alive – https://theconversation.com/the-promise-of-green-iron-steel-and-ammonia-is-keeping-the-green-hydrogen-dream-alive-250410

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

February 21, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: I lost weight and my period stopped. How are weight and menstruation linked?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mia Schaumberg, Associate Professor in Physiology, School of Health, University of the Sunshine Coast

You may have noticed that changes in weight are sometimes accompanied by changes in your period.

But what does one really have to do with the other?

Maintaining a healthy weight is key to regular menstruation. Here’s why – and when to talk to your doctor.

The role of hormones

The menstrual cycle – including when you bleed and ovulate – is regulated by a balance of hormones, particularly oestrogen.

The ovaries are connected to the brain through a hormonal signalling system. This acts as a kind of “chain of command” of hormones controlling the menstrual cycle.

The brain produces a key hormone, called the gonadotropin-releasing hormone, in the hypothalamus. It stimulates the release of other hormones which tell the ovaries to produce oestrogen and release a mature egg (ovulation).

But the release of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone depends on oestrogen levels and how much energy is available to the body. Both of these are closely related to body weight.

Oestrogen is primarily produced in the ovaries, but fat cells also produce oestrogen. This is why weight – and more specifically body fat – can affect menstruation.

Fat cells produce oestrogen, a hormone with a key role in the menstrual cycle.
Halfpoint/Shutterstock

Can being underweight affect my period?

The body prioritises conserving energy. When reserves are low it stops anything non-essential, such as reproduction.

This can happen when you are underweight, or suddenly lose weight. It can also happen to people who undertake intense exercise or have inadequate nutrition.

The stress sends the hypothalamus into survival mode. As a result, the body lowers its production of the hormones important to ovulation, including oestrogen, and stops menstruation.

Being chronically underweight means not having enough energy available to support reproduction, which can lead to menstrual irregularities including amenorrhea (no periods at all).

This results in very low oestrogen levels and can cause potentially serious health risks, including infertility and bone loss.

Missing periods is not always a cause for concern. But a chronic lack of energy availability can be, if not addressed. The two are linked, meaning understanding your period and being aware of any prolonged changes is important.

How about being overweight?

Higher body fat can elevate oestrogen levels.

When you’re overweight your body stores extra energy in fat cells, which produce oestrogen and other hormones and can cause inflammation in the body. So, if you have a lot of fat cells, your body produces an excess of these hormones. This can affect normal functioning of the uterus lining (endometrium).

Excess oestrogen and inflammation can interfere in the feedback system to the brain and stop ovulation. As a result, you may have irregular or missed periods.

It can also lead to pain (dysmenorrhea) and heavier bleeding (menorrhagia).

Being overweight can sometimes worsen premenstrual syndrome as well. One study found for every 1 kg increase in height (m²) in body mass index (BMI), the risk of premenstrual syndrome went up by 3%. Women with a BMI over 27.5 kg/m² had a much higher risk than those with a BMI under 20 kg/m².

Read more:
What is premenstrual dysphoric disorder? And how is it different to PMS?

What else might be going on?

Sometimes weight changes are linked to hormonal balances that indicate an underlying condition.

For example, people with polycystic ovary syndrome may gain weight or find it hard to lose weight because they have a hormonal imbalance, including higher levels of testosterone.

The syndrome is also associated with irregular periods and heavy bleeding. So, if you notice these symptoms, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor.

Similarly, weight changes and irregular periods in midlife might signal the start of perimenopause, the period before menopause (when your periods stop altogether).

Changes in weight and your period could be a sign of menopause approaching.
Sabrina Bracher/Shutterstock

When should I worry?

Small changes in when your period comes or how long it lasts are usually harmless.

Similarly, slight fluctuations in weight won’t usually have a significant impact on your period – or the changes may be so subtle you don’t notice them.

But regular menstruation is an important marker of female health. Sometimes changes in flow, regularity or the pain you experience can indicate there’s something else going on.

If you notice changes and they don’t feel right to you, speak to a health care provider.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. I lost weight and my period stopped. How are weight and menstruation linked? – https://theconversation.com/i-lost-weight-and-my-period-stopped-how-are-weight-and-menstruation-linked-244401

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

February 21, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: ‘Active recovery’ after exercise is supposed to improve performance – but does it really work?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Bennett, Lecturer in Exercise Science, University of South Australia

gpointstudio/Shutterstock

Imagine you have just finished a workout. Your legs are like jelly, your lungs are burning and you just want to collapse on the couch.

But instead, you pick yourself up and go for a brisk walk.

While this might seem counterintuitive, doing some light activity after an intense workout – known as “active recovery” – has been suggested to reduce soreness and speed up recovery after exercise.

But does it work or is it just another fitness myth?

What is active recovery?

Active recovery simply describes doing some low-intensity physical activity after a strenuous bout of exercise.

This is commonly achieved through low-intensity cardio, such as walking or cycling, but can also consist of low-intensity stretching, or even bodyweight exercises such as squats and lunges.

The key thing is making sure the intensity is light or moderate, without moving into the “vigorous” range.

As a general rule, if you can maintain a conversation while you’re exercising, you are working at a light-to-moderate intensity.

Some people consider doing an easy training session on their “rest days” as a form of active recovery. However, this has not really been researched. So we will be focusing on the more traditional form of active recovery in this article, where it is performed straight after exercise.

What does active recovery do?

Active recovery helps speed up the removal of waste products, such as lactate and hydrogen, after exercise. These waste products are moved from the muscles into the blood, before being broken down and used for energy, or simply excreted.

This is thought to be one of the ways it promotes recovery.

In some instances active recovery has been shown to reduce muscle soreness in the days following exercise. This may lead to a faster return to peak performance in some physical capabilities such as jump height.

Active recovery can involve stretching.
fatir29/Shutterstock

But, active recovery does not appear to reduce post-exercise inflammation. While this may sound like a bad thing, it’s not.

Post-exercise inflammation can promote increases in strength and fitness after exercise. And so when it’s reduced (say, by using ice baths after exercise) this can lead to smaller training improvements than would be seen otherwise.

This means active recovery can be used regularly after exercise without the risk of affecting the benefits of the main exercise session.

There’s evidence to the contrary too

Not all research on active recovery is positive.

Several studies indicate it’s no better than simply lying on the couch when it comes to reducing muscle soreness and improving performance after exercise.

In fact, there’s more research suggesting active recovery doesn’t have an effect than research showing it does have an effect.

While there could be several reasons for this, two stand out.

First, the way in which active recovery is applied in the research varies as lot. It’s likely there is a sweet spot in terms of how long active recovery should last to maximise its benefits (more on this later).

Second, it’s likely the benefits of active recovery are trivial to small. As such, they won’t always be considered “significant” in the scientific literature, despite offering potentially meaningful benefits at an individual level. In sport science, studies often have small sample sizes, which can make it hard to see small effects.

But there doesn’t seem to be any research suggesting active recovery is less effective than doing nothing, so at worst it certainly won’t cause any harm.

When is active recovery useful?

Active recovery appears useful if you need to perform multiple bouts of exercise within a short time frame. For example, if you were in a tournament and had 10–20 minutes between games, then a quick active recovery would be better than doing nothing.

Active recovery might also be a useful strategy if you have to perform exercise again within 24 hours after intense activity.

For example, if you are someone who plays sport and you need to play games on back-to-back days, doing some low-intensity active recovery after each game might help reduce soreness and improve performance on subsequent days.

Similarly, if you are training for an event like a marathon and you have a training session the day after a particularly long or intense run, then active recovery might get you better prepared for your next training session.

Conversely, if you have just completed a low-to-moderate intensity bout of exercise, it’s unlikely active recovery will offer the same benefits. And if you will get more than 24 hours of rest between exercise sessions, active recovery is unlikely to do much because this will probably be long enough for your body to recover naturally anyway.

Active recovery may be useful for people with back-to-back sporting commitments.
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

How to get the most out of active recovery

The good news is you don’t have to do a lot of active recovery to see a benefit.

A systematic review looking at the effectiveness of active recovery across 26 studies found 6–10 minutes of exercise was the sweet spot when it came to enhancing recovery.

Interestingly, the intensity of exercise didn’t seem to matter. If it was within this time frame, it had a positive effect.

So it makes sense to make your active recovery easy (because why would you make it hard if you don’t have to?) by keeping it in the light-to-moderate intensity range.

However, don’t expect active recovery to be a complete game changer. The research would suggest the benefits are likely to be small at best.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. ‘Active recovery’ after exercise is supposed to improve performance – but does it really work? – https://theconversation.com/active-recovery-after-exercise-is-supposed-to-improve-performance-but-does-it-really-work-250068

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

February 21, 2025