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Category: Education

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 15, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 15, 2025.

    A warning from the future: the risk if NZ gets climate adaptation policy wrong today
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Logan, Senior Lecturer Above the Bar, Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, University of Canterbury Getty Images New Zealand 2050: On the morning of February 27, the sea surged through the dunes south of the small town of Te Taone, riding on the back of Cyclone Harita’s

    ABC’s and CBS’s settlements with Trump are a dangerous step toward the commander in chief becoming the editor-in-chief
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael J. Socolow, Professor of Communication and Journalism, University of Maine Will settlements by news companies with President Donald Trump turn journalists into puppets? MARHARYTA MARKO/iStock Getty Images Plus It was a surrender widely foreseen. For months, rumors abounded that Paramount would eventually settle the seemingly frivolous

    Is there any hope for the internet?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aarushi Bhandari, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Davidson College Hate and mental illness fester online because love and healing seem to be incompatible with profits. Ihor Lukianenko/iStock via Getty Images In 2001, social theorist bell hooks warned about the dangers of a loveless zeitgeist. In “All About Love:

    Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new poll
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A new Tasmanian DemosAU poll gives the Liberals a 34.9–24.7 statewide vote lead over Labor, implying the Liberals will win the most seats but be short of

    Luxon and Peters to miss Cook Islands’ 60th Constitution Day celebrations
    By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist New Zealand will not send top government representation to the Cook Islands for its 60th Constitution Day celebrations in three weeks’ time. Instead, Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro will represent Aotearoa in Rarotonga. On August 4, Cook Islands will mark 60 years of self-governance in free association with New Zealand.

    Keith Rankin Analysis – Reporting International Migration: Less than the Truth
    Analysis by Keith Rankin. Yesterday I listened to RNZ’s political commentators. The principal topic was an aspect of the recently released May 2025 international migration. Kathryn Ryan starts by reminding us of the “old saying, would the last person to leave New Zealand please turn out the lights” (a saying which has been used in

    Antisemitism plan fails on a number of fronts – a contentious definition of hate is just the start
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Chappell, Scientia Professor, UNSW Sydney The antisemitism strategy presented to the Albanese government has attracted considerable – and wholly justifed – criticism. Produced by Jillian Segal, the special envoy to combat antisemitism, the blueprint falls short in a range of areas essential to good public policy.

    Do I have prostate cancer? Why a simple PSA blood test alone won’t give you the answer
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin M. Koo, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, The University of Queensland Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Australia, with about 26,000 men diagnosed per year. The majority (more than 85%) are aged over 60. Prostate cancer kills around 3,900 Australians a year. Yet most prostate

    Many fish are social, but pesticides are pushing them apart
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kyle Morrison, PhD Candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UNSW Sydney Kazakov Maksim, Shutterstock Scientists have detected pesticides in rivers, lakes and oceans worldwide. So what are these pesticides doing to the fish? Long before pesticides reach lethal doses, they can disrupt hormones, impair brain function and

    Almost half of young workers expected to work unpaid overtime, while a quarter aren’t paid compulsory super
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Howe, Associate Dean (Research), Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Anna Kraynova/Shutterstock A young person gets a job, excited to earn their first paycheck. Over time, they realise the hours are long and the payslips small. They are told to stay back to clean up

    Israeli settlers shoot, beat to death 2 Palestinians in latest lynchings
    BEARING WITNESS: By Cole Martin in occupied West Bank Two young Palestinians were shot and beaten to death on their land, and 30 injured, by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Saturday. A large group of settlers attacked the rural Palestinian village of Sinjil, in the Ramallah governorate, beating Sayfollah “Saif” Mussalet, 20,

    View from The Hill: Segal’s antisemitism plan gives government controversy, not clarity
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Prime Minister Anthony Albanese may be rueing what seemed a good idea at the time – the appointment of a special envoy to combat antisemitism (as well as an envoy to combat Islamophobia). Or perhaps Jillian Segal, a former president

    David Robie condemns ‘callous’ health legacy of French, US nuclear bomb tests in Pacific
    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – A journalist who was on the Rainbow Warrior voyage to Rongelap last night condemned France for its “callous” attack of an environmental ship, saying “we haven’t forgotten, or forgiven this outrage”. David Robie, the author of Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the

    Was the Air India crash caused by pilot error or technical fault? None of the theories holds up – yet
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Guido Carim Junior, Senior Lecturer in Aviation, Griffith University Over the weekend, the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released a preliminary report on last month’s crash of Air India flight 171, which killed 260 people, 19 of them on the ground. The aim of a preliminary report

    Confusing for doctors, inequitable for patients: why Australia’s medicinal cannabis system needs urgent reform
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine Mary Hallinan, Senior Research Fellow, Department of General Practice and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne Vanessa Nunes/Getty Images In 2024 alone, Australia’s medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), authorised at least 979,000 prescription applications for medicinal cannabis

    Treasury warns the government it may not balance the budget or meet its housing targets
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Head, Canberra School of Government, University of Canberra Kokkai Ng/Getty In the runup to each election, federal treasury produces a “blue book” and a “red book”, with advice tailored to the priorities of the two alternative governments. One of these is given to the incoming

    UNESCO grants World Heritage status to Khmer Rouge atrocity sites – paving the way for other sites of conflict
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Hughes, Associate Professor of Geography, The University of Melbourne A series of atrocity sites of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia have been formally entered onto the World Heritage list, as part of the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee. This is not only important

    How do you stop an AI model turning Nazi? What the Grok drama reveals about AI training
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron J. Snoswell, Senior Research Fellow in AI Accountability, Queensland University of Technology Anne Fehres and Luke Conroy & AI4Media, CC BY Grok, the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot embedded in X (formerly Twitter) and built by Elon Musk’s company xAI, is back in the headlines after calling

    Author condemns ‘callous’ health legacy of French, US nuclear bomb tests in Pacific
    Asia Pacific Report A journalist who was on the Rainbow Warrior voyage to Rongelap last night condemned France for its “callous” attack of an environmental ship, saying “we haven’t forgotten, or forgiven this outrage”. David Robie, the author of Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the Rainbow Warrior, said at the launch

    Washington’s war demands – Australia right to refuse committing to a hypothetical conflict with China over Taiwan
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University Andy. LIU/Shutterstock The United States can count on Australia as one of its closest allies. Dating back to the shared experiences in the second world war and the ANZUS Treaty signed in 1951, Australia has steadfastly

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The southern hemisphere is full of birds found nowhere else on Earth. Their importance has been overlooked

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthias Dehling, Researcher, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University

    Matthias Dehling

    The snow petrel, a strikingly white bird with black eyes and a black bill, is one of only three bird species ever observed at the South Pole. In fact, the Antarctic is the only place on Earth where this bird lives.

    It isn’t alone in this. Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic harbour a large number of endemic species, which means these species are only found in one or a few locations in the world.

    In other words, these regions have a high degree of “endemism” – an important metric that tells us where to focus species conservation efforts.

    But our new study shows that the degree of endemism in Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic – and in the southern hemisphere more generally – has been underestimated.

    This is important because areas with a high degree of endemism harbour species with restricted ranges, unique evolutionary history or unique ecological functions. This makes them potentially more vulnerable to disturbances such as climate change, fundamental changes in habitat, or invasive introduced species.

    If the degree of endemism is underestimated, conservation efforts may overlook the sites that are home to irreplaceable birds.

    Biased measurements

    There are two reasons why global patterns of species endemism aren’t well defined. First, the most common method used to calculate endemism tends to give higher values to places with more species overall – this is known as species richness.

    In addition, global studies of diversity often exclude areas that are comparatively species-poor. These areas are mainly in the southern hemisphere – most notably the Antarctic region. When sites that only contain a few species are left out, this influences the estimates of endemism for all other sites.

    An alternative way to calculate endemism takes into account a site’s “complementarity”. This metric considers whether species found at a site are also found elsewhere. With this method, we can find sites that have the highest percentage of species with a restricted range.

    At such highly endemic sites, the local ecosystem relies heavily on species with restricted ranges to function, which makes them all the more irreplaceable.

    The superb lyrebird, known for its skillful vocal imitations, is endemic to southeast Australia.
    Matthias Dehling

    Global hotspots for endemic species

    This is the approach we used in our new study to reassess the endemism of birds worldwide. In our study, we also considered other aspects of bird diversity. We measured endemism with regard to whether sites hold irreplaceable evolutionary history and ecological functions of birds.

    We found that southern-hemisphere communities showed higher rates of local endemism than northern-hemisphere communities across all aspects of diversity. The sub-Antarctic islands and the High Andes, as well as several regions in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and southern Africa, stand out as global hotspots of endemism.

    These regions hold many charismatic birds with unique evolutionary histories or unique ecological functions, and these birds are largely restricted to the southern hemisphere.

    Among these are the palaeognaths – the bird lineage that includes kiwis, emus, cassowaries and ostriches. They also include the lyrebirds and the New Zealand wrens, as well as iconic Antarctic species such as penguins and albatrosses.

    Tawaki or Fiordland crested penguin is only found in Aotearoa New Zealand.
    Matthias Dehling

    Not much land, a lot of ocean

    The higher rates of endemism in the southern hemisphere are likely related to the uneven global distribution of landmass. Put simply, there is much more available landmass in the northern hemisphere. As you go further south, landmasses become increasingly separated by vast expanses of ocean.

    Because of the smaller and separated landmasses, species in the southern hemisphere have much smaller ranges than species in the northern hemisphere. Consequently, local species communities share fewer species with each other. This leads to the higher observed endemism in the southern hemisphere.

    The black-breasted buttonquail is a secretive rainforest bird whose range is restricted to a tiny area in south-east Queensland, Australia.
    Matthias Dehling

    A heightened vulnerability

    Our findings suggest that birds in the northern and southern hemisphere might react differently to environmental pressures. Unfortunately, most studies on the impact of climate change to date are from the northern hemisphere.

    In response to climate change in particular, species are expected to shift their ranges towards cooler climates. While northern-hemisphere birds are likely free to shift their ranges across large stretches of uninterrupted landmass, birds in the southern hemisphere are hindered by vast expanses of ocean that separate the different landmasses on which they live.

    For species at the southern tips of South America, Africa or Australia, the nearest major landmass towards the south is Antarctica. But it is unsuitable for most bird species.

    The potentially heightened vulnerability of southern-hemisphere birds suggests they deserve more protection. In addition to known species diversity hotspots that hold large numbers of species, conservation efforts should consider areas that might hold only a small number of species, but irreplaceable ones that aren’t found anywhere else.

    Matthias Dehling receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. The southern hemisphere is full of birds found nowhere else on Earth. Their importance has been overlooked – https://theconversation.com/the-southern-hemisphere-is-full-of-birds-found-nowhere-else-on-earth-their-importance-has-been-overlooked-260828

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The southern hemisphere is full of birds found nowhere else on Earth. Their importance has been overlooked

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthias Dehling, Researcher, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University

    Matthias Dehling

    The snow petrel, a strikingly white bird with black eyes and a black bill, is one of only three bird species ever observed at the South Pole. In fact, the Antarctic is the only place on Earth where this bird lives.

    It isn’t alone in this. Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic harbour a large number of endemic species, which means these species are only found in one or a few locations in the world.

    In other words, these regions have a high degree of “endemism” – an important metric that tells us where to focus species conservation efforts.

    But our new study shows that the degree of endemism in Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic – and in the southern hemisphere more generally – has been underestimated.

    This is important because areas with a high degree of endemism harbour species with restricted ranges, unique evolutionary history or unique ecological functions. This makes them potentially more vulnerable to disturbances such as climate change, fundamental changes in habitat, or invasive introduced species.

    If the degree of endemism is underestimated, conservation efforts may overlook the sites that are home to irreplaceable birds.

    Biased measurements

    There are two reasons why global patterns of species endemism aren’t well defined. First, the most common method used to calculate endemism tends to give higher values to places with more species overall – this is known as species richness.

    In addition, global studies of diversity often exclude areas that are comparatively species-poor. These areas are mainly in the southern hemisphere – most notably the Antarctic region. When sites that only contain a few species are left out, this influences the estimates of endemism for all other sites.

    An alternative way to calculate endemism takes into account a site’s “complementarity”. This metric considers whether species found at a site are also found elsewhere. With this method, we can find sites that have the highest percentage of species with a restricted range.

    At such highly endemic sites, the local ecosystem relies heavily on species with restricted ranges to function, which makes them all the more irreplaceable.

    The superb lyrebird, known for its skillful vocal imitations, is endemic to southeast Australia.
    Matthias Dehling

    Global hotspots for endemic species

    This is the approach we used in our new study to reassess the endemism of birds worldwide. In our study, we also considered other aspects of bird diversity. We measured endemism with regard to whether sites hold irreplaceable evolutionary history and ecological functions of birds.

    We found that southern-hemisphere communities showed higher rates of local endemism than northern-hemisphere communities across all aspects of diversity. The sub-Antarctic islands and the High Andes, as well as several regions in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and southern Africa, stand out as global hotspots of endemism.

    These regions hold many charismatic birds with unique evolutionary histories or unique ecological functions, and these birds are largely restricted to the southern hemisphere.

    Among these are the palaeognaths – the bird lineage that includes kiwis, emus, cassowaries and ostriches. They also include the lyrebirds and the New Zealand wrens, as well as iconic Antarctic species such as penguins and albatrosses.

    Tawaki or Fiordland crested penguin is only found in Aotearoa New Zealand.
    Matthias Dehling

    Not much land, a lot of ocean

    The higher rates of endemism in the southern hemisphere are likely related to the uneven global distribution of landmass. Put simply, there is much more available landmass in the northern hemisphere. As you go further south, landmasses become increasingly separated by vast expanses of ocean.

    Because of the smaller and separated landmasses, species in the southern hemisphere have much smaller ranges than species in the northern hemisphere. Consequently, local species communities share fewer species with each other. This leads to the higher observed endemism in the southern hemisphere.

    The black-breasted buttonquail is a secretive rainforest bird whose range is restricted to a tiny area in south-east Queensland, Australia.
    Matthias Dehling

    A heightened vulnerability

    Our findings suggest that birds in the northern and southern hemisphere might react differently to environmental pressures. Unfortunately, most studies on the impact of climate change to date are from the northern hemisphere.

    In response to climate change in particular, species are expected to shift their ranges towards cooler climates. While northern-hemisphere birds are likely free to shift their ranges across large stretches of uninterrupted landmass, birds in the southern hemisphere are hindered by vast expanses of ocean that separate the different landmasses on which they live.

    For species at the southern tips of South America, Africa or Australia, the nearest major landmass towards the south is Antarctica. But it is unsuitable for most bird species.

    The potentially heightened vulnerability of southern-hemisphere birds suggests they deserve more protection. In addition to known species diversity hotspots that hold large numbers of species, conservation efforts should consider areas that might hold only a small number of species, but irreplaceable ones that aren’t found anywhere else.

    Matthias Dehling receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. The southern hemisphere is full of birds found nowhere else on Earth. Their importance has been overlooked – https://theconversation.com/the-southern-hemisphere-is-full-of-birds-found-nowhere-else-on-earth-their-importance-has-been-overlooked-260828

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Taipower Launches 2025 Environmental Month Dajia River Power Plant Builds Aquatic Ecological Corridor, Conservation Meets International Standards

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    Taipower officially launched its 2025 Environmental Month today (April 30). Following earlier conservation efforts such as relocating bat habitats at the Taixi Wind Farm and creating bird habitats at the Yong’an Wetlands by Hsinta Power Plant, Taipower has now completed an aquatic ecological corridor at its Dajia River Power Plant. Aligning with global trends in biological conservation, Taipower has embraced the principles of OECM (Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures) by extending conservation efforts beyond legally designated protected areas. Guided by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Taipower proactively launched an OECM demonstration project in the Ma’an Dam area of the Dajia River. The results of this conservation effort, along with future planning, have been verified by an impartial third-party organization as meeting international standards.

    The Taipower 2025 Environmental Month Launch Event, held today at its headquarters under the theme Coexisting with Nature, Moving Forward with Taipower, was attended and supported by Taipower Chairman Wen-Sheng Tseng, President Yao-Ting Wang, Deputy Executive Director of the Executive Yuan’s Office of Energy and Carbon Reduction Tze-Luen Lin, Secretary General of the Ministry of Economic Affairs Ming-Chih Chuang, Director-General of the Department of State-owned Enterprise Affairs Wen-Chung Hu, Professor Kwang-Tsao Shao of National Taiwan Ocean University, Emeritus Professor Ching-Hsien Tseng of National Tsing Hua University, and Professor Lee-Shing Fang of National Sun Yat-sen University. A special guest, Professor Nobuyuki Yagi from the University of Tokyo, former UN biodiversity policy expert and a key architect of Japan’s OECM framework, attended to witness Taipower’s ecological conservation work at the Dajia River Power Plant meeting global benchmarks.

    Reviewing its 2024 environmental performance, Taipower reported major progress: compared to its 2016 baseline, air pollutant emission intensity from thermal power units (covering the total particulate matter (PM), sulfur oxides (SOx), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) per kilowatt-hour generated) have dropped by nearly 70%. Carbon emission intensity (greenhouse gas emissions per kilowatt-hour) have decreased by 11%.

    In terms of ecological conservation, Taipower emphasized that hydroelectric plants have strong connections to local ecosystems and cultural heritage. The Dajia River Basin hosts a rich diversity of species, including the Plumbeous Water Redstart, Formosan Reeve’s muntjac, and the Taiwan leaf-nosed bat, along with a diverse riverine ecosystem. The OECM demonstration zone covers the upstream and downstream stretches of the Ma’an Dam, home to 17 fish species and critical habitats for native species such as the Taiwan torrent carp, Taiwan shovel-jaw carp, and river loach. To balance power generation with ecological conservation, Taipower constructed a fishway at Ma’an Dam as early as 1998 to assist fish migration, and further upgraded it in 2016 by lowering the entrance threshold and riverbed drop, enabling smaller or leaping fish species to swim upstream more successfully.

    Taipower further explained that, to better evaluate the fishway’s effectiveness, the Company began deploying underwater monitoring cameras in 2023 to record fish movement within the passage. Last year, the Company also developed an AI-based Species Recognition System. By combining expert tagging with an expanding image database, Taipower now monitors fishway usage more accurately and in real time.

    Taipower noted that the Dajia River Power Plant has carried out sustained conservation efforts for more than a decade. The OECM project was guided by experts and further verified by PwC Taiwan (one of Taiwan’s Big Four Accounting Firms), confirming that the upstream and downstream sections of the Ma’an Dam align with IUCN’s OECM guidelines. A verification certificate was presented today and received by President Yao-Ting Wang on behalf of Taipower . Taipower also stated that as Taiwan officially announces its OECM standards and certification system, the Company will strive to support the process and is confident that it will become one of the first companies in Taiwan to earn government OECM certification.

    Glossary:
    OECM (Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures ):
    Specific geographical areas outside of legally designated protected areas where diverse governance and management approaches deliver measurable biodiversity and ecosystem conservation outcomes.

    Spokesperson: Vice President Chih-Meng Tsai
    Tel: (02 )2366-6271/0958-749-333
    Email: u910707@taipower.com.tw

    Contact Person: Director of the Environmental Protection Department Cheng-Hung Wu
    Tel: (02 )2366-7200/0927-291-156
    Email: u015279@taipower.com.tw

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: New technology for restoring gas turbine engine blades patented at Novosibirsk State University

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Employees Competence Center of the National Technology Initiative (NTI) in the direction of “Modeling and development of new functional materials with specified properties” based at NSU developed an innovative method for restoring damaged turbine blades of engines for aviation and energy (gas turbine units). The technology was developed with financial support from the NTI Foundation, successfully patented and is already beginning to be implemented in practice.

    Leading researcher of the NTI Center of Novosibirsk State University, head of the laser technology laboratory of the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Engineering Alexander Malikov spoke in detail about the essence of the development and the prospects for its implementation:

    — Our new method allows us to restore heavily worn sections of gas turbine blades, fully preserving the original performance characteristics of the product. To do this, we use a special mode of laser pulse-periodic action, which allows us to form strong protective layers of metal or ceramic composites on the surface.

    According to Alexander Malikov, the task was to restore the thin edges of the blades, which are subject to intense exposure to high temperatures and pressure during engine operation. The advantage of the proposed technology is that using the traditional surfacing method would lead to overheating and destruction of sensitive areas of the parts.

    “We proposed an original solution to the problem by preliminary forming special protective layers before the main stage of surfacing. This approach allowed us to preserve the original geometric shape of the blade and ensure reliable adhesion of the restored layer to the main structure,” the scientist explained.

    The new method significantly reduces the cost of repairs, ensuring high strength and durability of restored elements of gas turbine units.

    The developed technology is in high demand on the Russian energy generation and aircraft manufacturing market. Modern gas turbine engines are used everywhere – from civil aviation to electric power engineering and natural gas transportation.

    Alexander Malikov noted the importance of this area of research:

    — The production of high-quality blades is one of the ten key technologies of the modern world. Their production requires complex solutions due to extreme operating conditions. Only four countries in the world have the necessary competencies: the USA, Great Britain, France and Russia.

    Previously, the energy segment of the Russian market was heavily dependent on foreign suppliers of spare parts and services for the restoration of parts. With the departure of Western companies from the Russian market, there was a need to develop our own technologies and services capable of replacing foreign analogues. The new technology created by Novosibirsk scientists is capable of significantly increasing the reliability and cost-effectiveness of servicing large industrial enterprises and facilities using gas turbine units.

    In the near future, it is planned to introduce the technology into serial production; a number of Russian companies have shown interest in it. Meanwhile, researchers continue to develop technologies for the restoration of various types of blades and other elements of industrial equipment.

    — To solve problems of this type, we first need to carefully study the properties of the material from which the product is made at the atomic level. In our work, we use synchrotron radiation, which provides great opportunities for emitting phase composition at a very high resolution level, and if we know the exact phase states of the material, the structural phases, then we can control it, — explained Alexander Malikov.

    Scientists will have even more opportunities with the launch of the Siberian Ring Photon Source (SKIF), at one of whose workstations a number of studies in this area are already planned.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese medics treat patients, empower locals in Benin

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    A doctor of the 27th batch of the Chinese medical team to Benin (C) examines a patient at the Mono and Couffo Departmental Hospital Center in Lokossa, Benin, on July 14, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    When Yang Ping stepped back into the intensive care unit, a wave of relief washed over her: Beatrice Lawe, a 45-year-old patient once teetering on the brink of death, was breathing on her own, vital signs stable, after an emergency operation performed by Yang and fellow members of the Chinese Medical Team in Benin.

    “She really made it through,” recalled Yang, a surgeon who leads the 27th Chinese medical team.

    Lawe had earlier undergone surgery for peritonitis and appendicitis at another hospital, but developed severe complications shortly after. When her condition suddenly deteriorated, she was rushed to the Mono and Couffo Departmental Hospital Center in Lokossa, southwest Benin.

    Yang still remembers the moment of her initial assessment. “Based on clinical experience, the odds of her survival were almost nil,” she said.

    Despite the grim outlook, Yang and her colleagues pressed on with emergency procedures, fully supported by the patient’s family. Two weeks later, a miracle unfolded: Lawe regained consciousness with her condition stabilized.

    She was eventually discharged in good health and, six months later, underwent a successful second operation for colostomy reversal and digestive tract reconstruction, after which she fully returned to normal life.

    Her recovery became more than just a clinical success. It symbolized the deep trust and friendship between Chinese doctors and Beninese patients.

    The hospital where Lawe was cured has a longstanding bond with China. Built with Chinese aid and inaugurated in April 1997, the Mono and Couffo Departmental Hospital Center serves as a key regional medical center in Benin.

    Since 1978, the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China has continuously dispatched medical teams to the West African country, a commitment that has remained unbroken for 47 years.

    The 27th batch of the Chinese medical team arrived in Benin in January 2024, consisting of 22 members, including 18 medical professionals. They are stationed in Lokossa and Natitingou.

    Since their arrival, they have provided medical care to 15,382 patients, performed 2,758 surgeries, and organized 26 visits across Benin to provide locals with free consultation, treatment and, when needed, medication.

    In a country with limited infrastructure, scarce advanced equipment, and a high prevalence of tropical diseases, the Chinese medical team often works under intense pressure.

    “Motorcycle-related trauma cases are especially frequent,” Yang noted. “At peak times, we handle up to seven or eight severe orthopedic injuries a day.”

    To help address these challenges, China and Benin signed a cooperation agreement in 2021, establishing a partnership between the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University and the Mono and Couffo Departmental Hospital Center.

    Through telemedicine consultations, academic exchanges, talent training, and expert visits, the program aims not just to heal, but to empower.

    “We are not only here to treat patients,” Yang said. “We are here to leave behind skills that will stay on and benefit our Beninese friends for generations.”

    Through case discussions, live demonstrations, and bedside teaching, the Chinese team helps local hospital staff improve their ability to independently manage situations such as emergency trauma, fracture reduction, and postoperative care.

    The resulting effects are evident to the Beninese crew. Head nurse Jacqueline Oussou, who has worked in Lokossa for 15 years, said she has seen an increase in patients coming specifically for Chinese doctors.

    “They are so dedicated, and they did an excellent job in surgery, obstetrics, otolaryngology and ophthalmology,” she said.

    In the anesthesia department, nurse Elsie Tchenagni highlighted the importance of the new equipment and skills brought by the Chinese team.

    “They not only brought in new equipment, but also trained us patiently on how to use them,” she said. “Now our procedures are much more precise. Even with language barriers, we have developed strong working chemistry.”

    From emergency surgeries to daily rounds, from hands-on training to technology transfer, the Chinese medical team in Benin has become more than just a group of doctors. They are trusted partners in health and an embodiment of friendship.

    Over the past 47 years, successive generations of Chinese doctors have traveled from afar to serve in Benin, upholding the principle that “people come first, life comes first.” Their unwavering dedication is reflected in the lives they save and the lasting impact they have on local healthcare.

    In every hospital ward and surgical theater, their presence tells a quiet yet powerful story — one of humanity, perseverance, and a shared hope for a healthier future. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEA Statement on Representative Assembly Recommendation

    Source: US National Education Union

    By: National Education Association

    Published: July 14, 2025

    National Education Association President Becky Pringle released the following statement:

    “Among many items debated at NEA’s 2025 Representative Assembly, delegates voted to forward a recommendation to the NEA Executive Committee that the National Education Association (NEA) not use, endorse, or publicize materials from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) or participate in ADL programs. As was shared with delegates at that time, a vote to support the measure would result in an automatic referral to the NEA Executive Committee in accordance with NEA rules on sanctions and boycotts. 

    “As educators, we know that before making any decision, we must do our own research, listening, and learning. That process has begun by meeting with a multitude of Jewish leaders, civil rights leaders, academic practitioners, and elected officials. Today, I met with Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, to clarify NEA’s process and restate our commitment to combating the rise of antisemitism in our society. The NEA has a long history of combating antisemitism and providing resources for educators to use in our schools and communities. And we have increased that work over the last several years, given the clear rise of antisemitism. As educators, our duty is to increase understanding and strengthen the culture of respect and inclusion all of our students need. Antisemitism has no place in our union, in public education, or in our country. 

    “We will move expeditiously, with integrity and authenticity, to abide by our organization’s clear process. As always, our work will be guided by our mission, vision, and core values.”

    -###-

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

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Is there any hope for the internet?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aarushi Bhandari, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Davidson College

    Hate and mental illness fester online because love and healing seem to be incompatible with profits. Ihor Lukianenko/iStock via Getty Images

    In 2001, social theorist bell hooks warned about the dangers of a loveless zeitgeist. In “All About Love: New Visions,” she lamented “the lack of an ongoing public discussion … about the practice of love in our culture and in our lives.”

    Back then, the internet was at a crossroads. The dot-com crash had bankrupted many early internet companies, and people wondered if the technology was long for this world.

    The doubts were unfounded. In only a few decades, the internet has merged with our bodies as smartphones and mined our personalities via algorithms that know us more intimately than some of our closest friends. It has even constructed a secondary social world.

    Yet as the internet has become more integrated in our daily lives, few would describe it as a place of love, compassion and cooperation. Study after study describe how social media platforms promote alienation and disconnection – in part because many algorithms reward behaviors like trolling, cyberbullying and outrage.

    Is the internet’s place in human history cemented as a harbinger of despair? Or is there still hope for an internet that supports collective flourishing?

    Algorithms and alienation

    I explore these questions in my new book, “Attention and Alienation.”

    In it, I explain how social media companies’ profits depend on users investing their time, creativity and emotions. Whether it’s spending hours filming content for TikTok or a few minutes crafting a thoughtful Reddit comment, participating on these platforms takes work. And it can be exhausting.

    Even passive engagement – like scrolling through feeds and “lurking” in forums – consumes time. It might feel like free entertainment – until people recognize they are the product, with their data being harvested and their emotions being manipulated.

    Blogger, journalist and science fiction writer Cory Doctorow coined the term “enshittification” to describe how experiences on online platforms gradually deteriorate as companies increasingly exploit users’ data and tweak their algorithms to maximize profits.

    For these reasons, much of people’s time spent online involves dealing with toxic interactions or mindlessly doomscrolling, immersed in dopamine-driven feedback loops.

    This cycle is neither an accident nor a novel insight. Hate and mental illness fester in this culture because love and healing seem to be incompatible with profits.

    Care hiding in plain sight

    In his 2009 book “Envisioning Real Utopias,” the late sociologist Erik Olin Wright discusses places in the world that prioritize cooperation, care and egalitarianism.

    Wright mainly focused on offline systems like worker-owned cooperatives. But one of his examples lived on the internet: Wikipedia. He argued that Wikipedia demonstrates the ethos “from each according to ability, to each according to need” – a utopian ideal popularized by Karl Marx.

    Wikipedia still thrives as a nonprofit, volunteer-ran bureaucracy. The website is a form of media that is deeply social, in the literal sense: People voluntarily curate and share knowledge, collectively and democratically, for free. Unlike social media, the rewards are only collective.

    There are no visible likes, comments or rage emojis for participants to hoard and chase. Nobody loses and everyone wins, including the vast majority of people who use Wikipedia without contributing work or money to keep it operational.

    Building a new digital world

    Wikipedia is evidence of care, cooperation and love hiding in plain sight.

    In recent years, there have been more efforts to create nonprofit apps and websites that are committed to protecting user data. Popular examples include Signal, a free and open source instant messaging service, and Proton Mail, an encrypted email service.

    These are all laudable developments. But how can the internet actively promote collective flourishing?

    What if Wikipedia were less the exception, and more the norm?
    Andriy Onufriyenko/Moment via Getty Images

    In “Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want,” sociologist Ruha Benjamin points to a way forward. She tells the story of Black TikTok creators who led a successful cultural labor strike in 2021. Many viral TikTok dances had originally been created by Black artists, whose accounts, they claimed, were suppressed by a biased algorithm that favored white influencers.

    TikTok responded to the viral #BlackTikTokStrike movement by formally apologizing and making commitments to better represent and compensate the work of Black creators. These creators demonstrated how social media engagement is work – and that workers have the power to demand equitable conditions and fair pay.

    This landmark strike showed how anyone who uses social media companies that profit off the work, emotions and personal data of their users – whether it’s TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram or Reddit – can become organized.

    Meanwhile, there are organizations devoted to designing an internet that promotes collective flourishing. Sociologist Firuzeh Shokooh Valle provides examples of worker-owned technology cooperatives in her 2023 book, “In Defense of Solidarity and Pleasure: Feminist Technopolitics in the Global South.” She highlights the Sulá Batsú co-op in Costa Rica, which promotes policies that seek to break the stranglehold that negativity and exploitation have over internet culture.

    “Digital spaces are increasingly powered by hate and discrimination,” the group writes, adding that it hopes to create an online world where “women and people of diverse sexualities and genders are able to access and enjoy a free and open internet to exercise agency and autonomy, build collective power, strengthen movements, and transform power relations.”

    In Los Angeles, there’s Chani, Inc., a technology company that describes itself as “proudly” not funded by venture capitalists. The Chani app blends mindfulness practices and astrology with the goal of simply helping people. The app is not designed for compulsive user engagement, the company never sells user data, and there are no comments sections.

    No comments

    What would social media look like if Wikipedia were the norm instead of an exception?

    To me, a big problem in internet culture is the way people’s humanity is obscured. People are free to speak their minds in text-based public discussion forums, but the words aren’t always attached to someone’s identity. Real people hide behind the anonymity of user names. It isn’t true human interaction.

    In “Attention and Alienation,” I argue that the ability to meet and interact with others online as fully realized, three-dimensional human beings would go a long way toward creating a more empathetic, cooperative internet.

    When I was 8 years old, my parents lived abroad for work. Sometimes we talked on the phone. Often I would cry late into the night, praying for the ability to “see them through the phone.” It felt like a miraculous possibility – like magic.

    I told this story to my students in a moment of shared vulnerability. This was in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, so the class was taking place over videoconferencing. In these online classes, one person talked at a time. Others listened.

    It wasn’t perfect, but I think a better internet would promote this form of discussion – people getting together from across the world to share the fullness of their humanity.

    Efforts like Clubhouse have tapped into this vision by creating voice-based discussion forums. The company, however, has been criticized for predatory data privacy policies.

    What if the next iteration of public social media platforms could build on Clubhouse? What if they brought people together and showcased not just their voices, but also live video feeds of their faces without harvesting their data or promoting conflict and outrage?

    Raised eyebrows. Grins. Frowns. They’re what make humans distinct from increasingly sophisticated large language models and artificial intelligence chatbots like ChatGPT.

    After all, is anything you can’t say while looking at another human being in the eye worth saying in the first place?

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

    – ref. Is there any hope for the internet? – https://theconversation.com/is-there-any-hope-for-the-internet-259251

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ABC’s and CBS’s settlements with Trump are a dangerous step toward the commander in chief becoming the editor-in-chief

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael J. Socolow, Professor of Communication and Journalism, University of Maine

    Will settlements by news companies with President Donald Trump turn journalists into puppets? MARHARYTA MARKO/iStock Getty Images Plus

    It was a surrender widely foreseen. For months, rumors abounded that Paramount would eventually settle the seemingly frivolous lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump concerning editorial decisions in the production of a CBS interview with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in 2024.

    On July 2, 2025, those rumors proved true: The settlement between Paramount and Trump’s legal team resulted in CBS’s parent company agreeing to pay $16 million to the future Donald Trump Library – the $16 million included Trump’s legal fees – in exchange for ending the lawsuit. Despite the opinion of many media law scholars and practicing attorneys who considered the lawsuit meritless, Shari Redstone, the largest shareholder of Paramount, yielded to Trump.

    Redstone had been trying to sell Paramount to Skydance Media since July 2024, but the transaction was delayed by issues involving government approval.

    Specifically, when the Trump administration assumed power in January 2025, the new Federal Communications Commission had no legal obligation to facilitate, without scrutiny, the transfer of the CBS network’s broadcast licenses for its owned-and-operated TV stations to new ownership.

    The FCC, under newly installed Republican Chairman Brendan Carr, was fully aware of the issues in the legal conflict between Trump and CBS at the time Paramount needed FCC approval for the license transfers. Without a settlement, the Paramount-Skydance deal remained in jeopardy.

    Until it wasn’t.

    At that point, Paramount joined Disney in implicitly apologizing for journalism produced by their TV news divisions.

    Earlier in 2025, Disney had settled a different Trump lawsuit with ABC News in exchange for a $15 million donation to the future Trump Library. That lawsuit involved a dispute over the wording of the actions for which Trump was found liable in a civil lawsuit brought by E. Jean Carroll.

    GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump said the CBS interview with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris was ‘fraudulent interference with an election.’

    It’s not certain what the ABC and CBS settlements portend, but many are predicting they will produce a “chilling effect” within the network news divisions. Such an outcome would arise from fear of new litigation, and it would install a form of internal self-censorship that would influence network journalists when deciding whether the pursuit of investigative stories involving the Trump administration would be worth the risk.

    Trump has apparently succeeded where earlier presidents failed.

    Presidential pressure

    From Jimmy Carter trying to get CBS anchor Walter Cronkite to stop ending his evening newscasts with the number of days American hostages were being held in Iran to Richard Nixon’s administration threatening the broadcast licenses of The Washington Post’s TV stations to weaken Watergate reporting, previous presidents sought to apply editorial pressure on broadcast journalists.

    But in the cases of Carter and Nixon, it didn’t work. The broadcast networks’ focus on both Watergate and the Iran hostage crisis remained unrelenting.

    Nor were Nixon and Carter the first presidents seeking to influence, and possibly control, network news.

    President Lyndon Johnson, who owned local TV and radio stations in Austin, Texas, regularly complained to his old friend, CBS President Frank Stanton, about what he perceived as biased TV coverage. Johnson was so furious with the CBS and NBC reporting from Vietnam, he once argued that their newscasts seemed “controlled by the Vietcong.”

    Yet none of these earlier presidents won millions from the corporations that aired ethical news reporting in the public interest.

    Before Trump, these conflicts mostly occurred backstage and informally, allowing the broadcasters to sidestep the damage to their credibility should any surrender to White House administrations be made public. In a “Reporter’s Notebook” on the CBS Evening News the night of the Trump settlement, anchor John Dickerson summarized the new dilemma succinctly: “Can you hold power to account when you’ve paid it millions? Can an audience trust you when it thinks you’ve traded away that trust?”

    “The audience will decide that,” Dickerson continued, concluding: “Our job is to show up to honor what we witness on behalf of the people we witness it for.”

    During the Iran hostage crisis, CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite ended every broadcast with the number of days the hostages had been held captive.

    Holding power to account

    There’s an adage in TV news: “You’re only as good as your last show.”

    Soon, Skydance Media will assume control over the Paramount properties, and the new CBS will be on the airwaves.

    When the licenses for KCBS in Los Angeles, WCBS in New York and the other CBS-owned-and-operated stations are transferred, we’ll learn the long-term legacy of corporate capitulation. But for now, it remains too early to judge tomorrow’s newscasts.

    As a scholar of broadcast journalism and a former broadcast journalist, I recommend evaluating programs like “60 Minutes” and the “CBS Evening News” on the record they will compile over the next three years – and the record they compiled over the past 50. The same goes for “ABC World News Tonight” and other ABC News programs.

    A major complicating factor for the Paramount-Skydance deal was the fact that “60 Minutes” has, over the past six months, broken major scoops embarrassing to the Trump administration, which led to additional scrutiny by its corporate ownership. Judged by its reporting in the first half of 2025, “60 Minutes” has upheld its record of critical and independent reporting in the public interest.

    If audience members want to see ethical, independent and professional broadcast journalism that holds power to account, then it’s the audience’s responsibility to tune it in. The only way to learn the consequences of these settlements is by watching future programming rather than dismissing it beforehand.

    The journalists working at ABC News and CBS News understand the legacy of their organizations, and they are also aware of how their owners have cast suspicion on the news divisions’ professionalism and credibility. As Dickerson asserted, they plan to “show up” regardless of the stain, and I’d bet they’re more motivated to redeem their reputations than we expect.

    I don’t think reporters, editors and producers plan to let Donald Trump become their editor-in-chief over the next three years. But we’ll only know by watching.

    Michael Socolow’s father, Sanford Socolow, worked for CBS News from 1956 to 1988.

    – ref. ABC’s and CBS’s settlements with Trump are a dangerous step toward the commander in chief becoming the editor-in-chief – https://theconversation.com/abcs-and-cbss-settlements-with-trump-are-a-dangerous-step-toward-the-commander-in-chief-becoming-the-editor-in-chief-261006

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: A warning from the future: the risk if NZ gets climate adaptation policy wrong today

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Logan, Senior Lecturer Above the Bar, Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, University of Canterbury

    Getty Images

    New Zealand 2050: On the morning of February 27, the sea surged through the dunes south of the small town of Te Taone, riding on the back of Cyclone Harita’s swollen rivers and 200mm of overnight rainfall.

    By mid-morning, floodwaters had engulfed entire streets. Power was out. Roads were underwater. Emergency services responded swiftly, coordinating evacuations and establishing shelters.

    But for many residents, the realisation came days later: the help they expected after the water receded – support to rebuild, relocate or recover – wasn’t coming.

    “We lost everything,” says Mere Rākete, a solo mother of three, standing outside her home, now uninhabitable. “I rang the council, the government helpline, even the insurance company. They all said I’m not covered.”

    Mere lives in a suburb long identified as “high risk” under national climate risk maps. She didn’t stay there because she ignored the risk. She stayed because she had no viable alternative.

    “They say we had a choice. But when houses here were $400,000 and anything safer was $700,000, what choice is that?”

    No more buyouts

    Although this story is fictitious, it describes a plausible future based on how New Zealand’s draft climate adaptation framework could play out. It reflects the likely consequences of policy decisions that focus narrowly on financial exposure.

    Last week’s recommendations from the Ministry for the Environment’s Independent Reference Group rightly called for urgent and improved risk information. But they focused narrowly on direct risk to property and infrastructure.

    In particular, the group proposed that beyond 2045 the government should not buy out property owners after climate-related disasters (or those at high risk of future events).

    Responding to the recommendations last week, climate policy analyst Jonathan Boston wrote that ruling out property buyouts “is philosophically misguided, morally questionable, administratively inept, and politically naïve”.

    But it appears the government shares the reference group’s view. Addressing the current flooding disaster in the Tasman district, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said, “In principle, the government won’t be able to keep bailing out people in this way.”

    Beyond the specifics of financial compensation, however, lie the cascading and systemic risks that follow a major weather event. In reality, the impacts do not stop at the property boundary.

    When a family is displaced, or even fears displacement, the consequences ripple outward: schooling is disrupted, jobs are lost, mental health declines, community networks fragment and local economies suffer.

    Research shows how the after-effects of a disaster domino through interconnected systems, affecting health, housing, labour markets and social cohesion.

    A policy decades in the making

    Back to the future: our fictional town of Te Taone sits in a floodplain identified decades ago. By the 2040s, insurance had become unaffordable. New development slowed but many families, especially those on lower incomes, remained, with few relocation options.

    The adaptation framework proposed in 2025, based on a “beneficiary pays” model, created a 20-year transition period that ended in 2045. After that, residents in high-risk areas became ineligible for buyouts or standard recovery funding.

    Future government investment was limited to Crown-owned assets or projects with “national benefit”. Restoration of local infrastructure such as roads and power lines would depend on whether councils or ratepayers could pay.

    Today, parts of Te Taone remain cut off. Power is still out in some areas. The school has relocated inland. Local shops have closed. Many homes are damaged, waterlogged, or destroyed, and some families are now living in tents.

    “It’s not that we weren’t warned,” says a local community worker. “It’s just that we couldn’t afford to do anything but live with the risk and hope for the best.”

    Te Taone’s experience is now raising deeper concerns that Aotearoa New Zealand’s climate adaptation framework may be entrenching a form of “climate redlining”. Those with the means can move to escape risk, while others are left behind to bear it.

    Adaptation or abandonment?

    Māori communities are especially affected. Parts of the floodplain include ancestral land, some communally owned, some leased by whānau who cannot easily relocate. In many cases, this land was only recently returned from the Crown, after years of land court proceedings or Treaty settlements.

    The prospect of abandoning it again, without coordinated support, echoes earlier waves of institutional neglect. Mere Rākete is now considering joining a class action, one of several reportedly forming across the country.

    Residents are challenging the government or local councils over a failure in their duty of care by allowing homes to be built, sold or inhabited in known risk zones without clear and enforceable warnings or adequate alternatives.

    Meanwhile, adaptation experts are calling for a reset: a national compensation framework with clear eligibility rules, long-term investment in affordable housing beyond hazard-prone areas.

    Above all, they argue, government policy based on a climate adaptation framework developed 25 years ago has not reduced exposure to risk. Instead, it has redistributed it from those who could leave to those who couldn’t.

    In the meantime, the remaining residents of Te Taone wait for the next cyclone and wonder whether, next time, anyone will help.

    Planning with people in mind

    Our imagined future scenario can be avoided if governments take a broader view of adaptation. Treating climate risk as an individual responsibility may reduce short-term government liability. But it will not reduce long-term social and fiscal liability.

    The risk of failing to act systemically is that the country pays in other ways – in fractured communities, rising inequity and preventable harm.

    Adaptation to climate change has to be about more than limiting the upfront costs of buyouts or infrastructure repairs. Ignoring the wider impacts will only shift the burden and increase it over time.

    Real economic and community resilience means planning with people in mind, investing early and making sure no one is left behind. That work must begin now.

    Tom Logan owns shares in Urban Intelligence. He receives funding from the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment and the Royal Society of NZ.

    Paula Blackett works part time for Urban Intelligence. She receives research funding from the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment and undertakes consulting work regarding climate risk and adaptation.

    – ref. A warning from the future: the risk if NZ gets climate adaptation policy wrong today – https://theconversation.com/a-warning-from-the-future-the-risk-if-nz-gets-climate-adaptation-policy-wrong-today-260912

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Consultation on 2026 funding determinations is now open

    Source: Tertiary Education Commission

    Last updated 15 July 2025
    Last updated 15 July 2025

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    The Ministry of Education (MoE) invites sector feedback on proposed variations to 2026 funding determinations.
    The Ministry of Education (MoE) invites sector feedback on proposed variations to 2026 funding determinations.

    Providers have been sent an invitation to participate through DXP Ngā Kete and have until Monday 11 August to provide feedback. 
    Why is the Ministry of Education consulting the sector?
    Section 423 of the Education and Training Act 2020 (the Act) requires Ministers to consult with any organisation that may be affected by proposed variations to funding determinations within their respective delegations issued under section 419 of the Act. 
    The Minister for Vocational Education, Minister for Universities and Minister of Education will consider feedback from affected organisations before deciding whether to proceed with the proposed variations. Any variation to funding determinations following consultation will come into effect on 1 January 2026.
    Variations to funding determinations
    MoE is consulting on variations to the following nine funding determinations:

    Adult and Community Education (ACE)
    Delivery at Levels 1 and 2 on the NZQCF (DQ1-2)
    Delivery at Levels 3 to 7 (non-degree) on the NZQCF and all industry training (DQ3-7) 
    Delivery at Levels 7 (degree) to 10 on the NZQCF (DQ7-10)
    English Language Teaching, including Refugee English (ELT) 
    Gateway
    Literacy and Numeracy Provision, including the Intensive Literacy and Numeracy Fund and the Workplace Literacy and Numeracy Fund (L&N)
    Māori and Pasifika Trades Training (MPTT)
    Youth Guarantee (YG)

    For more information, please refer to the Ministry of Education website.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new poll

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

    A new Tasmanian DemosAU poll gives the Liberals a 34.9–24.7 statewide vote lead over Labor, implying the Liberals will win the most seats but be short of a majority at this Saturday’s election. I also cover the Coalition’s vote was inefficiently distributed at the federal election, as well as US and UK politics.

    The Tasmanian state election will be held this Saturday. Tasmania uses the proportional Hare-Clark system for its lower house elections. The five Tasmanian seats used at federal elections each have seven members, for a total of 35 MPs. A quota for election is one-eighth of the vote, or 12.5%.

    A DemosAU poll for Pulse Tasmania, conducted July 6–10 from a sample of 3,421, gave the Liberals 34.9% of the vote (up 0.9 since the June 19–26 DemosAU poll), Labor 24.7% (down 2.6), the Greens 15.6% (up 0.5), the Nationals 2.7%, the Shooters 1.8% and independents 20.3% (up 1.0).

    The Nationals are only contesting Bass, Braddon and Lyons, and the poll would not have included them in the other two electorates of Clark and Franklin, so the Nationals’ vote in the electorates they are contesting would be higher than their statewide vote.

    With a total sample of over 3,400, the sample size per electorate would be over 680. Using the results in individual electorates, this poll has the Liberals on a total of 13–14 seats out of 35, Labor on 9–10, the Greens on 6–7, independents on 4–6 and both the Nationals and Shooters either winning zero or one seat.

    If the election results reflect this poll, the Liberals would easily be the largest party, but they would not win the 18 seats needed for a majority. There would probably be a majority for Labor, the Greens and left-wing independents, but Labor did not attempt to form government in a similar situation after the March 2024 election.

    It’s been 11 years since Labor last held government in Tasmania, with the Labor/Greens government at that time widely blamed for Labor’s heavy defeat in the March 2014 election. But with the continuing decline of the major parties, Labor may have to reach an agreement with the Greens if they want to form government again in Tasmania.

    Labor and the Liberals have both supported construction of a new AFL stadium. I believe this partly explains the drop in Labor’s vote, as many on the left would oppose this stadium. Labor’s refusal to attempt to form government after the March 2024 election probably also contributed to its low vote.

    Voters may also be blaming Labor for this early election, just 16 months after the previous Tasmanian election. This election is just over two months after the federal election.

    Federal election: Coalition’s vote inefficiently distributed

    Analyst Kevin Bonham has a pendulum of House of Representatives seats after the results of the May 3 federal election. There are likely to be federal redistributions from July 2026 in some states, so this won’t be the pendulum used at the next federal election.

    Labor won 94 of the 150 seats, the Coalition 43 and all Others 13, from a two-party vote of 55.2–44.8 to Labor. Assuming the Others are unchanged, Labor would need to lose 19 seats to drop below the 76 needed for a majority. On the pendulum, this occurs when the seat of Whitlam falls, but Labor won Whitlam by 56.3–43.7, more than 1% higher than their national vote.

    This means that, using a uniform swing on the actual results, Labor would have won a majority even if they had lost the national two-party vote by 51.0–49.0, despite 13 Other seats.

    Despite the electoral hammering, the Coalition retained many regional seats by large margins. This contributed to an inefficiently distributed vote. With voters in the cities making up a majority of all Australian voters, the Coalition can’t win by appealing just to voters in the regions.

    The Coalition would be the largest party if they won 26 seats from Labor. This happens when the Coalition gains Braddon, which Labor won by 57.2–42.8, so the Coalition would need a 51.9–48.1 national two-party margin. For a Coalition majority, they would need 33 gains, and need a 53.7–46.3 national two-party win.

    US and UK politics

    I wrote for The Poll Bludger on Saturday that United States President Donald Trump’s net approval was nearly unchanged at -6.7 after the passage of the “big beautiful bill” through Congress. I also covered Elon Musk’s new party and New York City mayoral general election polls.

    In the United Kingdom, a Labour MP has defected to a potential Jeremy Corbyn-led party. The far-right Reform has led Labour in UK national polls since the early May local elections. In a House of Commons vote on a welfare reform bill, 49 Labour MPs rebelled.

    Two Queensland poll give LNP big leads

    A Queensland state DemosAU poll, conducted July 4–9 from a sample of 1,027, gave the Liberal National Party a 55–45 lead (53.8–46.2 to the LNP at the October 2024 election). The Poll Bludger said this was a one-point gain for the LNP since a February DemosAU poll.

    Primary votes were 40% LNP (steady), 28% Labor (down two), 13% Greens (up one), 12% One Nation (up two) and 7% for all Others (down one). On the recent Queensland state budget, 24% thought it would be good for the Queensland economy, 19% bad and 57% were unsure. By 43–26, respondents thought Labor would not have delivered a better budget.

    A Queensland state Redbridge poll gave the LNP a 56–44 lead. Primary votes were 43% LNP, 29% Labor, 11% Greens and 17% for all Others (there was no One Nation breakdown).

    Queensland was the only state the Coalition won at the federal election, though only by 50.6–49.4. The state LNP is still benefiting from a honeymoon after ousting Labor at last year’s election.

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

    – ref. Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new poll – https://theconversation.com/hung-parliament-still-likely-outcome-of-tasmanian-election-with-liberals-well-ahead-of-labor-in-new-poll-261073

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new poll

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

    A new Tasmanian DemosAU poll gives the Liberals a 34.9–24.7 statewide vote lead over Labor, implying the Liberals will win the most seats but be short of a majority at this Saturday’s election. I also cover the Coalition’s vote was inefficiently distributed at the federal election, as well as US and UK politics.

    The Tasmanian state election will be held this Saturday. Tasmania uses the proportional Hare-Clark system for its lower house elections. The five Tasmanian seats used at federal elections each have seven members, for a total of 35 MPs. A quota for election is one-eighth of the vote, or 12.5%.

    A DemosAU poll for Pulse Tasmania, conducted July 6–10 from a sample of 3,421, gave the Liberals 34.9% of the vote (up 0.9 since the June 19–26 DemosAU poll), Labor 24.7% (down 2.6), the Greens 15.6% (up 0.5), the Nationals 2.7%, the Shooters 1.8% and independents 20.3% (up 1.0).

    The Nationals are only contesting Bass, Braddon and Lyons, and the poll would not have included them in the other two electorates of Clark and Franklin, so the Nationals’ vote in the electorates they are contesting would be higher than their statewide vote.

    With a total sample of over 3,400, the sample size per electorate would be over 680. Using the results in individual electorates, this poll has the Liberals on a total of 13–14 seats out of 35, Labor on 9–10, the Greens on 6–7, independents on 4–6 and both the Nationals and Shooters either winning zero or one seat.

    If the election results reflect this poll, the Liberals would easily be the largest party, but they would not win the 18 seats needed for a majority. There would probably be a majority for Labor, the Greens and left-wing independents, but Labor did not attempt to form government in a similar situation after the March 2024 election.

    It’s been 11 years since Labor last held government in Tasmania, with the Labor/Greens government at that time widely blamed for Labor’s heavy defeat in the March 2014 election. But with the continuing decline of the major parties, Labor may have to reach an agreement with the Greens if they want to form government again in Tasmania.

    Labor and the Liberals have both supported construction of a new AFL stadium. I believe this partly explains the drop in Labor’s vote, as many on the left would oppose this stadium. Labor’s refusal to attempt to form government after the March 2024 election probably also contributed to its low vote.

    Voters may also be blaming Labor for this early election, just 16 months after the previous Tasmanian election. This election is just over two months after the federal election.

    Federal election: Coalition’s vote inefficiently distributed

    Analyst Kevin Bonham has a pendulum of House of Representatives seats after the results of the May 3 federal election. There are likely to be federal redistributions from July 2026 in some states, so this won’t be the pendulum used at the next federal election.

    Labor won 94 of the 150 seats, the Coalition 43 and all Others 13, from a two-party vote of 55.2–44.8 to Labor. Assuming the Others are unchanged, Labor would need to lose 19 seats to drop below the 76 needed for a majority. On the pendulum, this occurs when the seat of Whitlam falls, but Labor won Whitlam by 56.3–43.7, more than 1% higher than their national vote.

    This means that, using a uniform swing on the actual results, Labor would have won a majority even if they had lost the national two-party vote by 51.0–49.0, despite 13 Other seats.

    Despite the electoral hammering, the Coalition retained many regional seats by large margins. This contributed to an inefficiently distributed vote. With voters in the cities making up a majority of all Australian voters, the Coalition can’t win by appealing just to voters in the regions.

    The Coalition would be the largest party if they won 26 seats from Labor. This happens when the Coalition gains Braddon, which Labor won by 57.2–42.8, so the Coalition would need a 51.9–48.1 national two-party margin. For a Coalition majority, they would need 33 gains, and need a 53.7–46.3 national two-party win.

    US and UK politics

    I wrote for The Poll Bludger on Saturday that United States President Donald Trump’s net approval was nearly unchanged at -6.7 after the passage of the “big beautiful bill” through Congress. I also covered Elon Musk’s new party and New York City mayoral general election polls.

    In the United Kingdom, a Labour MP has defected to a potential Jeremy Corbyn-led party. The far-right Reform has led Labour in UK national polls since the early May local elections. In a House of Commons vote on a welfare reform bill, 49 Labour MPs rebelled.

    Two Queensland poll give LNP big leads

    A Queensland state DemosAU poll, conducted July 4–9 from a sample of 1,027, gave the Liberal National Party a 55–45 lead (53.8–46.2 to the LNP at the October 2024 election). The Poll Bludger said this was a one-point gain for the LNP since a February DemosAU poll.

    Primary votes were 40% LNP (steady), 28% Labor (down two), 13% Greens (up one), 12% One Nation (up two) and 7% for all Others (down one). On the recent Queensland state budget, 24% thought it would be good for the Queensland economy, 19% bad and 57% were unsure. By 43–26, respondents thought Labor would not have delivered a better budget.

    A Queensland state Redbridge poll gave the LNP a 56–44 lead. Primary votes were 43% LNP, 29% Labor, 11% Greens and 17% for all Others (there was no One Nation breakdown).

    Queensland was the only state the Coalition won at the federal election, though only by 50.6–49.4. The state LNP is still benefiting from a honeymoon after ousting Labor at last year’s election.

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

    – ref. Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new poll – https://theconversation.com/hung-parliament-still-likely-outcome-of-tasmanian-election-with-liberals-well-ahead-of-labor-in-new-poll-261073

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Names Small Business of the Week, Groom Curriculum

    US Senate News:

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

    Published: July 14, 2025

    Throughout this Congress, Chair Ernst plans to recognize a small business in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties.

    RED OAK, Iowa – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee, today announced her Small Business of the Week: Groom Curriculum of Palo Alto County. Throughout the 119th Congress, Chair Ernst plans to recognize a small business in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties.
    “Since 2022, founder of Groom Curriculum Sierra Elbert has led the pack in pet grooming education,” said Chair Ernst. “Through a 10-week long curriculum, students can earn a professional grooming credential that will help them make a pawsitive impact on the pet industry in Emmetsburg and beyond.”
    In 2022, Sierra Elbert established Groom Curriculum with the vision of teaching others the intricacies of pet grooming. The nationally accredited small business offers a 10-week program that prepares students to be high-skilled applicants in the industry. By working with 21 community college programs, workforce training organizations, and registered apprenticeship programs, Groom Curriculum promotes safe and professional grooming practices that meet the education standards established by The American Kennel Club.
    Stay tuned as Chair Ernst recognizes more Iowa small businesses across the state with her Small Business of the Week award.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: In Committee, Rosen Helps Advance Bipartisan National Defense Bill with Major Wins for Nevada

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
    Senator Rosen Helped Write And Pass the Legislation To Provide A 3.8% Pay Raise for Troops, Deliver For Nevada’s National Security Installations, And Benefit Nevada Servicemembers
    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) announced several major wins for servicemembers in Nevada that she helped secure in the bipartisan national defense bill that advanced out of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The Senate’s bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26 NDAA) contains thirty provisions championed by Senator Rosen, including the core of her FORGOTTEN Veterans Act. This bill classifies the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) as contaminated from nuclear testing and toxic activities, requires the Defense Department to document servicemember exposures to radiation and toxins that happen stateside, and requires the Air Force to identify all those who served at classified locations within the NTTR since 1951 and establish a process for them to provide proof of having served there, so that they can finally have a basis to submit PACT Act claims. 
    The Senate NDAA also authorizes several key military construction projects, including to support the readiness of the Nevada Air National Guard Base in Reno to receive C-130J aircraft to carry out their dangerous fire fighting mission. Additionally, it includes Senator Rosen’s amendment to break down a key barrier for Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) crews who conduct combat operations – such as Creech Air Force Base – to continue to be able to access critical  mental health services through the VA once separated from the military. The NDAA also supports enlisted retention efforts through higher pay, provides a 3.8% pay raise for all troops, and does not authorize any funding for defense nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain. 
    “One of my top priorities is working to strengthen our national security and ensure our military has all of the resources it needs to support servicemembers and keep Nevadans safe. I’m proud to have helped shape a strong, bipartisan national defense package that supports our servicemembers in Nevada, strengthens our alliances, and enhances our military readiness,” said Senator Rosen. “This bipartisan legislation includes key provisions I secured to support critical national security installations in Nevada, provide our servicemembers with a deserved pay raise, and eliminate barriers for those who served within the Nevada Test and Training Range to submit PACT Act claims for toxic and radiation exposure. I’ll always work across party lines to keep Nevadans safe.”
    Rosen-led provisions in the FY26 NDAA include:
    Radiation and Toxic Exposure Documentation: Requires DOD to document all servicemember exposures, including those that occur domestically, so it can be seen by the VA after they’ve separated from the military; classifies the NTTR as contaminated; and requires the Secretary of the Air Force to identify all those who served within the NTTR since January 27, 1951 (the date of the first nuclear test), establish a process for veterans to provide proof of their assignment within the NTTR, and make all efforts to identify individuals without requiring them to submit evidence of their stationing. 
    Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) Crew Mental Health Access: Directs the military service secretaries, in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, to establish a status identifier or equivalent recognition to note the combat participation of remotely piloted aircraft crews, ​in order to allow continued access to combat-related mental health services through the VA once the servicemember separates from the military. This is based on Senator Rosen’s bipartisan CARE for RPA Crews Act.
    Veteran Training Records: Directs the Pentagon to assess the feasibility of providing military training and qualification records to post-9/11 veterans to assist them in obtaining civilian jobs. This builds on Senator Rosen’s bipartisan Translating Military Skills into Civilian Jobs Act, which was signed into law as part of the FY2025 NDAA, which only applied to those currently serving, not veterans.
    Designating Creech Air Force Base as Remote & Isolated: Designates Creech AFB as a remote installation, making it eligible for additional funding for things like morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) activities, and medical services such as dental. This is to support Creech Airmen and their families, who often have to live an hour’s drive from Creech, because Creech has no on-base housing, limited off-based housing, and few services such as child care.  ​ 
    Nevada Air National Guard Fuel Cell Hangar: Authorizes $5.4 million for a larger fuel cell hangar at the Air National Guard Base in Reno, which is necessary for the base’s candidacy to receive C-130J aircraft, which are larger than the current fleet of C-130Hs. Senator Rosen has been working to secure C-130J aircraft for the Nevada National Guard to provide them with more capable aircraft for their dangerous fire fighting mission. ​
    Nevada Air National Guard Engine Maintenance and Support Facility: Authorizes $3.2 million to expand the facility at the Air National Guard Base in Reno. ​This project is also necessary for the base’s candidacy to receive C-130Js.
    Expansion of Nevada Army National Guard Armory in Henderson: Authorizes over $2.3 million for the expansion of the Nevada Army National Guard Armory in Henderson to help alleviate cramped working conditions.
    Fallon Range Training Complex Improvements: Authorizes $47 million to accelerate modernization of the Fallon Range Training Complex to route the highway and natural gas pipelines around range B-16. ​
    Enlisted Retention Pay: Authorizes the Department of Defense to provide retention incentive pay to enlisted servicemembers that have a college degree in a field related to their military specialty to help improve recruitment and retention.
    Report on Initiatives that Negate the Need for Nuclear Testing: Directs the Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration to brief Congress on how technological advancements and ongoing initiatives – including modernization of the underground laboratory at the Nevada National Security Sites (NNSS) –  will provide greater certainty on the safety, reliability, and effectiveness of our nuclear stockpile, which negates the need for nuclear testing.
    Report on Incentive Programs for After-Hours Child Care: Directs the Department of Defense to brief Congress on their efforts to create and implement incentive programs that would encourage Family Child Care providers to expand their services, support military spouses, and provide after-hours childcare, which would support r Creech Airmen and their families, who often work outside of normal business hours due to the global operations they support.
    Report on Integration of Military Service Outcome Data with State Educational Systems: Directs the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Education, to brief Congress on the feasibility of establishing a data sharing system to assist states in accessing military enlistment data to better inform students about military careers. 
    Hearing Aid Coverage for Children of Retired Servicemembers: Extends hearing aid coverage to children of all retired servicemembers, including retired members of the reserve components.
    Creech Air Force Base Health Assessment: Directs the Secretary of the Air Force, in coordination with the Defense Health Agency, to assess behavioral and social health conditions affecting servicemembers and families stationed at Creech. 
    Cyber Talent Management: Creates a DoD talent management program to support cyber personnel transitioning from active duty to the reserves. The provision  also authorizes U.S. Cyber Command to carry out a pilot program to provide skill incentive pay to help retain the top Cyber talent in the Cyber Mission Force. 
    Tibetan Plateau Strategy: Requires an expanded report on China’s military strategy on the Tibetan Plateau, directing the Department of Defense to analyze the risks related to China’s control of natural resources – particularly water – on the Plateau.
    Report on Department of Defense Paint Facilities for Corrosion Control: Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide a report to Congress on the status of facilities worldwide – including at Nellis Air Force Base – that conduct sanding and blasting operations of paint containing Hexavalent Chromium—a toxic, cancer-causing chemical used in paint on aircraft to prevent them from corroding.
    Rosen-backed provisions included in the FY26 Senate NDAA:
    Prioritize C-130J Recapitalization: Prohibits the Air Force until 2028 from spending funds on C-130J modernization until all Air National Guard units flying legacy C-130Hs, such as the Nevada Air National Guard in Reno, are set to receive C-130Js. 
    SkillBridge Protection: Protects the existing SkillBridge program for all enlisted servicemembers. SkillBridge provides transitioning servicemembers opportunities to participate in training and development with potential post-service employers during their last 180 days of military service, so they can gain invaluable skills, and be more prepared for life after service. Senator Rosen helped introduce bipartisan legislation with Senator Cruz to expand the SkillBridge program. 
    IVF for Military Families: Ensures that In-vitro Fertilization ( IVF) and fertility-related care shall be covered under TRICARE Prime and TRICARE Select for both servicemembers and their spouses for up to three cycles.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Feedback sought on national fuel security plan

    Source: New Zealand Government

    The Coalition Government is seeking feedback on a draft Fuel Security Plan that provides a long-term strategy to ensure New Zealanders have reliable access to fuel in times of domestic and global disruption, Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones says.

    “As a small and remote island nation that imports nearly all of its liquid fuels, New Zealand is vulnerable to supply chain shocks beyond its borders,” Mr Jones says.

    “The Government is seeking to improve our fuel resilience and protect our economic wellbeing so our people and businesses can continue to move, work, and grow. New Zealanders are invited to have their say on the plan.”

    The plan builds on findings of the 2025 Fuel Security Study by focusing on four key areas:

    • Strengthening resilience against global supply disruptions
    • Enhancing domestic fuel infrastructure and emergency preparedness
    • Supporting the development of domestic low-carbon fuel alternatives
    • Managing fuel security during the transition to new energy technologies

    “Our recent decision to boost minimum fuel reserves and improve storage locations is prudent given the current global geopolitical environment.

    “Fuel security is not just an energy issue — it’s an issue of economic and national resilience. The consequences of inaction are too great. The Fuel Security Plan was a key plank in the New Zealand First-National Coalition Agreement to safeguard our transport and logistics systems and emergency services from any international or domestic disruption,” Mr Jones says.

    Public submissions are open from 15 July 2025 to 25 August 2025. Feedback can be provided via the MBIE website: https://www.mbie.govt.nz/have-your-say/draft-fuel-security-plan

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Joe Wicks and government join forces to get children moving

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Joe Wicks and government join forces to get children moving

    New animated series for kids, known as Activate, will get more children across the country moving more and encouraging a healthier lifestyle.

    • Children to be inspired to get physically active over summer as Joe Wicks, MBE, launches Activate, a new animated series for kids
    • Created by Joe and produced by Studio AKA, Activate aims to tackle inactivity among children through fun, five-minute workouts – led by Joe as an animated character
    • Programme backed by government funding as part of Plan for Change to give children the best start in life

    Children across the country are being inspired to move more this summer following the launch of a new series from fitness coach, Joe Wicks MBE, backed by the government as part of a new partnership to reach schools and families across the country.

    The innovative animated Activate series features five-minute episodes which combine animation with upbeat music, courtesy of Universal Music UK, encouraging children to enjoy short bursts of movement that easily fit into their day and can be transformational for their physical and mental health. The government will be backing the programme to fund a further ten episodes.

    The series has been co-created by Joe and BAFTA award-winning Studio AKA (creators of Hey Duggee), bringing the nation’s favourite fitness coach to life through animation for the first time.

    Activate is backed by the government’s 10 Year Health Plan, which is already hitting the ground running with its pledge to work with influencers and changemakers across society to shift the NHS from treating illness to preventing it.

    The new animated series was unveiled at Ripple Primary School in Barking, east London, where Joe Wicks and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, met teachers and parents to discuss keeping kids moving over the summer holidays and beyond.

    Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: 

    Childhood obesity robs our young people of their future, and inactivity is one of the biggest culprits. That’s why it’s crucial to start building healthy habits from a young age.

    Our 10 Year Health Plan sets out how we would tackle obesity through prevention and today demonstrates how we’re taking action. In the spirit of mission-driven government, we’re building a coalition of the willing to tackle the obesity epidemic head-on. 

    This initiative directly supports our focus on giving children the best start in life—a cornerstone of our Plan for Change. By investing in prevention today, we’re building a healthier generation for tomorrow.” 

    Being physically active is good for physical and mental health and helps relieve pressure on the NHS, preventing an additional £10.5 billion worth of treatment a year. Despite that, inactivity levels remain stubbornly high for adults and children, with huge inequalities across the country. The Activate programme represents a collaborative approach to tackling this growing health challenge. 

    The first episode is now available on Joe Wicks’ The Body Coach YouTube channel, with further episodes set to be released weekly over the summer holidays. 

    The series is released five years after Wicks united the nation with PE With Joe, which received over 100 million views online. Now, Joe is on a renewed mission to get children moving through this series.

    Joe Wicks said:

    Activate is the natural next step in everything I’ve worked towards over the past decade. From my early YouTube workouts, to ‘PE with Joe’ during the pandemic, my goal has always been to get children moving and feeling good – physically and mentally.

    This project brings together everything I am most passionate about, and everything I’ve learned on my journey – going back to my own childhood where I discovered movement as a way to cope with the challenges of living with parents with drug addiction and mental health issues.

    Activate is designed to make movement fun and inclusive for every child, with short, high-energy workouts that fit into everyday life – these can be enjoyed in the living room, the garden, in the classroom, or anywhere else!

    As a dad, I know how important it is to make movement something kids enjoy, not something they have to do. That’s exactly what Activate is all about so I hope it can be a real support for busy families, this summer and beyond.

    Earlier this month, the government launched its 10 Year Health Plan, which outlined how a shift from sickness to prevention will safeguard the nation’s health and put forward a range of measures to tackle growing rates of childhood obesity. 

    Obesity rates have doubled since the 1990s, including among children. A forthcoming report by the Chief Medical Officer will show that more than 1 in 5 children are living with obesity by the time they leave primary school, rising to almost 1 in 3 in areas with higher levels of poverty and deprivation. 

    Measures included in the 10 Year Health Plan include:

    • Launching a world-first partnership with food retailers and manufacturers to help families make healthier choices
    • Restricting junk food advertising targeted at children
    • Reforming the soft drinks industry levy to drive reformulation 

    This two-pronged approach of encouraging active lifestyles and healthy diets aims to tackle the UK’s most preventable chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, whilst tackling the £11.4 billion bill that obesity costs the NHS a year.     

    Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy, said:

    I know what a difference sport and physical activity make in shaping a young person’s life. It’s why we’re investing £400 million in grassroots facilities for all, joining up schools with sports clubs across the country and backing major events that inspire.

    For too long, it has felt as if we have hit a ceiling on participation in this country, and for too long the dial on inactivity has gone unmoved. Together, through initiatives like this, we will put that right and deliver on our Plan for Change.

    With Universal Music UK as the exclusive music partner, each episode features upbeat tunes from UK artists, including Becky Hill and Bastille. Each track has been chosen for its appeal to parents and children alike.

    Sue Goffe, Chief Executive at Studio AKA, said:

    We’re thrilled to bring the world of Activate to life through animation. Collaborating with Joe Wicks has been a joy, and we’re proud to be part of this creative project to inspire movement and wellbeing in children.

    Sarah Boorman, General Manager, Youth Strategies at Universal Music UK, said:

    Our shared goal with Joe was to make being active feel like something children genuinely want to do, powered by great music which is appropriate for them and loved by families too.

    Alison Lomax, Managing Director for YouTube UK & Ireland, said:  

    We’re so excited that Joe Wicks is bringing his new kids’ fitness show Activate to YouTube just in time for the holidays. Joe’s fun, energetic approach to getting kids moving has already made a huge impact on our platform, and Activate is set to become a go-to for families looking to keep active over the summer. It’s great to see YouTube being used in such a positive way – bringing free, accessible, and family-friendly fitness to homes everywhere.

    About the programme

    Created by Studio AKA, the BAFTA-winning creators of Hey Duggee, the Activate series sees Joe Wicks brought to life through animation alongside six loveable new characters, ‘The Activators’, accompanied by upbeat music from top UK artists. Together, they make movement feel personal, playful, and inclusive – so every child can find a character to connect with.

    Joe and the Activators lead children through fun, five-minute bursts of movement, that can be easily integrated into their day – whether at home, at summer clubs or on the go.

    With Wicks appearing as an animated character (a first for the family fitness coach), each short episode offers a burst of movement, fun, and energy to get kids’ hearts pumping and minds engaged. These include easy-to-follow exercises like jogging, squats, and burpees, wrapped up in a playful, gamified format that can keep kids active over the summer holidays and beyond.

    But Activate isn’t just for the summer holidays. It will also be available to schools during term time, to help build confidence, support mental wellbeing, and help children develop healthy habits for life.

    Joe added:

    Being turned into an animated character has been a surreal and wonderful experience, and my dream is that it connects with millions of kids and families across the UK and beyond.

    Updates to this page

    Published 15 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján Secures Over $6.9 Million in Federal Investments for New Mexico Communities in Committee-Passed Appropriations Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, announced the Appropriations Committee’s bipartisan passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. Senator Luján secured over $6.9 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for key local projects that will strengthen fire and emergency response capabilities, renovate community infrastructure, and expand early childhood education services in rural New Mexico.

    “These investments reflect what I hear from New Mexicans every day: the need for stronger infrastructure, safer communities, and more opportunities for the next generation,” said Senator Luján. “From strengthening public safety in Rio Arriba County to expanding early childhood classrooms in Luna County, I fought for this funding because it will improve people’s lives. It means quicker response times during emergencies, better education for our kids, and more spaces where communities can come together.”

    “Every community in New Mexico matters, and that’s why I’ve worked to deliver investments to all 33 counties during my time in the Senate. I’ll keep fighting to bring home the federal dollars and resources our families and communities deserve,” continued Senator Luján.

    The Committee process is the first step, and the appropriations bills will next be considered by the full U.S. Senate.

    Senator Luján Secured Over $6.9 Million for the Following Local Projects:

    Fire and Emergency Response in Northern New Mexico:

    • $1,100,000 for Rio Arriba County to modernize and upgrade firefighting communications equipment, including radios and repeater towers, to ensure timely emergency responses. Secured by Senator Luján and Senator Heinrich.
    • $750,000 for the Truchas Volunteer Fire Department to enhance the department’s ability to respond to emergencies. Secured by Senator Luján and Senator Heinrich.
    • $1,000,000 for San Juan County to purchase a new fire ladder truck. Secured by Senator Luján, Senator Heinrich, and Representative Leger Fernández in the House-companion bill.

    Community Infrastructure in Central and Southern New Mexico:

    • $1,513,000 for the Town of Estancia to renovate their town hall and community center. Secured by Senator Luján.
    • $1,000,000 for the Town of Mesilla to renovate its town hall complex. Secured by Senator Luján, Senator Heinrich, and Representative Vasquez in the House-companion bill.

    Early Childhood Education in Southwestern New Mexico:

    • $1,575,000 for HELP New Mexico, Inc. to expand their early childhood education campus in Luna County. Secured by Senator Luján and Senator Heinrich.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement on Supreme Court Ruling

    Source: US State of New York

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    July 14, 2025

    Albany, NY

    “The Supreme Court just greenlit Trump’s continued assault on the Department of Education and every student, teacher and parent across the country.

    “As Governor, I’m determined to ensure every New Yorker can access a quality, affordable education — and that every teacher has the support they need to help students succeed.

    “Today’s ruling pushes that promise further out of reach by opening the door to devastating layoffs, deeper funding cuts and worse outcomes for our kids.”

    You are leaving the official State of New York website.

    The State of New York does not imply approval of the listed destinations, warrant the accuracy of any information set out in those destinations, or endorse any opinions expressed therein. External web sites operate at the direction of their respective owners who should be contacted directly with questions regarding the content of these sites.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement on Supreme Court Ruling

    Source: US State of New York

    Official websites use ny.gov

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    Secure ny.gov websites use HTTPS

    A lock icon or https:// means you’ve safely connected to a ny.gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

    July 14, 2025

    Albany, NY

    “The Supreme Court just greenlit Trump’s continued assault on the Department of Education and every student, teacher and parent across the country.

    “As Governor, I’m determined to ensure every New Yorker can access a quality, affordable education — and that every teacher has the support they need to help students succeed.

    “Today’s ruling pushes that promise further out of reach by opening the door to devastating layoffs, deeper funding cuts and worse outcomes for our kids.”

    You are leaving the official State of New York website.

    The State of New York does not imply approval of the listed destinations, warrant the accuracy of any information set out in those destinations, or endorse any opinions expressed therein. External web sites operate at the direction of their respective owners who should be contacted directly with questions regarding the content of these sites.

    Visit Site

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: National two-minute silence to mark VJ Day 80

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    National two-minute silence to mark VJ Day 80

    National two-minute silence will be held at 12 noon on 15 August 2025 to honour the 80th anniversary of VJ Day

    • Event at National Memorial Arboretum to honour VJ veterans will be broadcast live
    • Red Arrows will join historic Spitfire and Hurricane aircraft for flypast over national VJ Day 80 commemorations

    Members of the public are encouraged to participate in a national two-minute silence on Friday 15 August to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. 

    A Service of Remembrance will honour and remember those who fought and died during the Second World War in the Far East at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, which will be broadcast live on BBC1 from midday. 

    It will host a spectacular tribute to veterans involving 400 members of the Armed Forces, the Red Arrows and historic aircraft from The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

    This follows four days of events in May to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, which marked the end of the Second World War in Europe. 

    However, at that time 80 years ago, thousands of British and Commonwealth military personnel continued to fight Japanese forces in Asia and the Pacific for a further three months when Victory over Japan (VJ Day) was declared on 15 August 1945, following Imperial Japan’s surrender to Allied Forces. Alongside British Armed Forces, hundreds of thousands of people served in the Far East from countries including pre-partition India, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Nepal and from African nations.

    The Service of Remembrance will be run in partnership with the Royal British Legion and will be attended by Second World War veterans, VJ association members, senior politicians, and military personnel. It will pay tribute to the British, Commonwealth and Allied veterans who served in the Far East theatres of war, the Pacific and Indian Ocean territories.

    The event will include a guard of honour of Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force and music provided by military bands. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will lead a breathtaking flypast featuring the historic Dakota, Hurricane and Spitfire aircrafts. 

    Veterans attending will include Burma Star recipients, British Indian Army veterans and those involved in the Battles of Kohima and Imphal, as well as Prisoners of War held across the region and veterans stationed in the UK or Commonwealth countries, who contributed to the war effort. 

    The service is a ticketed event, but members of the public visiting the Arboretum on the day are invited to observe the two-minute silence and watch the service on large screens at a nearby public viewing area.

    Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: 

    Those who continued to fight bravely in Asia and the Pacific in those last few months of the Second World War must never be forgotten. 

    It is so important for us as a nation to come together on this important anniversary to remember our VJ Day veterans and hear their stories first-hand so we can ensure that their legacy is passed on to future generations and their sacrifice is never forgotten.

    Defence Secretary John Healey said: 

    VJ Day was the final victory in a war that changed the world, and we honour those who served in the Far East with enduring gratitude. 

    Just as we proudly marked VE Day, we reflect on the courage, sacrifice and resilience shown by so many to secure peace. 

    Their legacy must never be forgotten, and it’s our duty to pass their stories on to future generations.

    Mark Atkinson, Director General of the Royal British Legion, said: 

    We encourage everyone across the country to take a moment to reflect during the two-minute silence on VJ Day, to watch the Service of Remembrance live on the BBC or at the Arboretum, and pay tribute to those from Britain and across the Commonwealth who fought in the Far East in the Second World War. 

    It was so moving to see the nation come together for VE80 and to be putting veterans at the heart of these commemorations – now we have one of our last chances to honour all those VJ Day veterans whose service and sacrifice finally brought an end to the War.

    Second World War veteran and RBL ambassador Tom Berry, 101, from Cheshire, who was serving on HMS Tartar in the Pacific when Japan surrendered, said:

    For veterans like me and all those who carried on fighting until VJ Day was announced, this will be a very emotional day – a moment in history. I’ll be watching the service at home, and I’d ask the country to do the same – to stop and remember all those who gave so much for our freedoms, and those who never made it back.

    The national commemorations will commence with a government reception to celebrate VJ Day with veterans.  

    Government buildings and High Commissions across the globe will also be lit up on 15 August to commemorate VJ Day. 

    In addition, Imperial War Museums (IWM) will be screening I Saw The World End, a digital public artwork by celebrated artist and designer Es Devlin, at Piccadilly Circus on Wednesday 6th August to commemorate the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

    IWM will also invite visitors to reflect on the events leading up to the end of the Second World War through paper dove and crane making activities at IWM London and IWM North.  

    On VJ Day itself, IWM will premiere a new contemporary film exploring the events and significance of VJ Day and the war in Asia and the Pacific. The film, which can be seen at IWM North and outdoor screens in locations across the UK, is produced in partnership with SODA (School of Digital Arts), part of Manchester Metropolitan University. A new augmented reality experience at IWM North will also engage audiences in a deeper exploration of the Second World War in Asia and the Pacific and its significance, bringing to life some of the personal stories, sound and film from IWM’s collection.

    Following the success of IWM’s VE Day Letters to Loved Ones initiative, the public are asked to delve into their family history to find letters sent by relatives to loved ones that provide fresh insight and first-hand testimonies of VJ Day and the war in the Far East. Digital copies can be uploaded onto the official VE/VJ80 website.

    Minister Steph Peacock shares her family story, remembering her Grandad and all those he served alongside

    James Taylor, IWM’s Principal Curator of Public History said: 

    The story of the Second World does not finish with VE Day on 8 May 1945, with intense fighting in Asia and the Pacific continuing for another three months, and the destruction of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Through this varied programme of activities, we will shine a light on these often-overlooked stories from the final months of the Second World War. Through public film screenings, digital experiences, and artist commissions, IWM will give people the opportunity to delve deeper into the significance of the war in Asia and the Pacific and its lasting global impact.

    The Government is working with partners across the UK, including the Devolved Governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, to ensure commemorations are inclusive and UK-wide. 

    The Commonwealth War Graves will continue their Every Story For Evermore campaign through events, new content, and augmented reality tours at international sites. These will include Commonwealth War Graves Cemeteries at Nairobi in Kenya, Sai Wan in Hong Kong, Kranji in Singapore, Kanchanaburi in Thailand, and Yokohama in Japan. This will enable international audiences to learn about the men and women who continued to serve in the Second World War after VE Day.

    Director of Education, Engagement and Volunteering at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Simon Bendry, said:

    As part of the anniversary commemorations marking the end of the Second World War, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is encouraging people around the world to pause and reflect on the human cost of conflict.

    We commemorate more than 580,000 casualties who died during the Second World War, and we invite the public to ensure their stories are never forgotten by exploring and contributing to our online story collection, For Evermore, and by joining commemorative events taking place across the globe. From sites in the UK to Japan, from Kenya to Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore, local communities will have opportunities to honour and remember those who gave their lives and acknowledge the huge sacrifices made in pursuit of peace.

    Notes to editors: 

    • Access to the service at the base of the Arboretum’s Armed Forces Memorial will be strictly by event ticket only.
    • Members of the public can participate in the commemorations by attending a live screening at the nearby Naval Review and observe the two-minute national silence; pre-booking of car parking via the National Memorial Arboretum website is strongly recommended to guarantee entry.
    • For further information about VJ Day 80 and to pre-book parking, visit: https://thenma.org.uk/what’s-on/events/remembering-vj-day-80-years-on-national-commemorative-event
    • Visit the dedicated interactive website ve-vjday80.gov.uk for latest information and ways to get involved.

    Updates to this page

    Published 14 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEA reacts to Supreme Court as Trump continues taking a wrecking ball to public schools

    Source: US National Education Union

    WASHINGTON – National Education Association President Becky Pringle released the following statement reacting to the Supreme Court’s action today: 

    “Nothing is more important than the success of students. America’s educators and parents won’t be silent as Donald Trump, with the support of the MAGA Supreme Court, strips our students, our families, and our communities of protections and funding that Congress has mandated. Gutting the Department of Education has already harmed students and communities. Today’s ruling withholding relief that the lower courts ordered will only compound the harm.  

    “NEA will continue our efforts in and outside of court to protect students, school districts, parents, and educators from Trump’s illegal and destructive dismantling of the Department of Education, which will hurt all students by sending class sizes soaring, cutting job training and career and technical education programs, making higher education further out of reach, taking away special education services for students with disabilities, and gutting student civil rights protections.  

    “Everyone who cares about America’s students and public schools should be appalled by the Supreme Court’s premature intervention in this case today, which stays preliminary relief ordered by the lower courts. Today’s decision does not resolve the underlying merits of Trump’s unlawful plan to eliminate the Department of Education.  

    “Parents, educators, and community leaders won’t be silent as Trump and his allies take a wrecking ball to public schools and the futures of the 50 million students in rural, suburban, and urban communities across America. We will continue to organize, advocate, and mobilize until all students have the opportunity to attend the well-resourced public schools where they can thrive.” 

    -###- 

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

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

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEA reacts to Supreme Court as Trump continues taking a wrecking ball to public schools

    Source: US National Education Union

    WASHINGTON – National Education Association President Becky Pringle released the following statement reacting to the Supreme Court’s action today: 

    “Nothing is more important than the success of students. America’s educators and parents won’t be silent as Donald Trump, with the support of the MAGA Supreme Court, strips our students, our families, and our communities of protections and funding that Congress has mandated. Gutting the Department of Education has already harmed students and communities. Today’s ruling withholding relief that the lower courts ordered will only compound the harm.  

    “NEA will continue our efforts in and outside of court to protect students, school districts, parents, and educators from Trump’s illegal and destructive dismantling of the Department of Education, which will hurt all students by sending class sizes soaring, cutting job training and career and technical education programs, making higher education further out of reach, taking away special education services for students with disabilities, and gutting student civil rights protections.  

    “Everyone who cares about America’s students and public schools should be appalled by the Supreme Court’s premature intervention in this case today, which stays preliminary relief ordered by the lower courts. Today’s decision does not resolve the underlying merits of Trump’s unlawful plan to eliminate the Department of Education.  

    “Parents, educators, and community leaders won’t be silent as Trump and his allies take a wrecking ball to public schools and the futures of the 50 million students in rural, suburban, and urban communities across America. We will continue to organize, advocate, and mobilize until all students have the opportunity to attend the well-resourced public schools where they can thrive.” 

    -###- 

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

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

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to study suggesting vapes are more effective for quitting smoking than gum or lozenges including in disadvantaged groups

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    A study published in Annals of Internal Medicine looks at vapes for smoking cessation in disadvantaged groups. 

    Prof Leonie Brose, Professor of Addictions & Public Health at King’s College London, said:

    “This very well-conducted Australian study shows that vaping is more effective than traditional nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) for helping people quit smoking. This is in line with what we know from previous evidence. What makes this study stand out is its focus on less advantaged groups, who are often hit hardest by smoking-related illnesses. And by offering participants a choice of vaping devices and flavours, the researchers created a more realistic scenario. Interestingly, the effectiveness of vaping over NRT was greater than anticipated.

    “These results are particularly relevant for England, where we are currently evaluating ‘Swap to Stop’, the national initiative providing free vapes to get more people from less advantaged groups to stop smoking.”

    Prof Peter Hajek, Professor of Clinical Psychology and Director of the Health and Lifestyle Research Unit, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), said:

    “Compared to the general population, rates of smoking are much higher and rates of quitting smoking lower among people whose lives are more stressful. In previous studies in unselected groups of smokers, e-cigarettes were up to twice as effective as NRT. In this study looking at a large sample of people on income support, the advantage of vapes over NRT was three-fold!  

    “As vaping poses only a small fraction of risks of smoking, encouraging smokers who find giving up nicotine difficult to use vapes seemed always a logical and sensible thing to do. This high-quality study with rigorous outcome criteria shows that it is also effective.”

    ‘Vaporized Nicotine Products for Smoking Cessation Among People Experiencing Social Disadvantage’ by Ryan J. Courtney et al. was published in Annals of Internal Medicine at 10pm UK time on Monday 14 July.

    DOI: 10.7326/ANNALS-24-03531

    Declared interests

    Leonie Brose: “I have no interests to declare.”

    Peter Hajek: “No COI”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AFSCME’s Saunders: Shutting down the Department of Education will harm our children, educators and nation

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

    WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court opening the way for the administration to illegally shut down the Department of Education:

    “We are incensed by the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the administration to unlawfully dismantle the Department of Education in direct violation of the Constitution. This agency was created by an act of Congress to ensure equal access to education, and it cannot be eliminated simply because a president wills it. Our children, educators and nation will suffer great harm if this agency is shuttered. The Department of Education ensures that all students, no matter their zip code, economic class or disability, can learn and thrive. Tens of thousands of AFSCME members across the country have dedicated their careers to education, and we will continue to fight, regardless of this decision, to ensure that our students have every opportunity to succeed.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AFSCME’s Saunders: Shutting down the Department of Education will harm our children, educators and nation

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

    WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court opening the way for the administration to illegally shut down the Department of Education:

    “We are incensed by the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the administration to unlawfully dismantle the Department of Education in direct violation of the Constitution. This agency was created by an act of Congress to ensure equal access to education, and it cannot be eliminated simply because a president wills it. Our children, educators and nation will suffer great harm if this agency is shuttered. The Department of Education ensures that all students, no matter their zip code, economic class or disability, can learn and thrive. Tens of thousands of AFSCME members across the country have dedicated their careers to education, and we will continue to fight, regardless of this decision, to ensure that our students have every opportunity to succeed.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Malliotakis, Suozzi Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Housing Opportunities

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11)

    (WASHINGTON, DC) – Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) and Congressman Tom Suozzi (NY-03) introduced bipartisan legislation that would direct the eventual proceeds from the release of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into a housing revolving loan fund aimed at expanding homeownership and rental opportunities for middle-class and working families.

     

    Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been under federal conservatorship since the 2008 financial crisis. President Trump has proposed releasing both entities from conservatorship to return them to the private market, allowing shareholders to regain the value of their investments.

     

    The legislation introduced by Representatives Malliotakis and Suozzi would build on this proposal by creating a housing revolving loan fund. Proceeds from the release of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would be directed to this fund, which would provide states with resources to issue loans for the construction of new owner-occupied or rental housing, or to rehabilitate existing housing. The goal is to expand homeownership and rental opportunities for middle-class and working families while allowing them to benefit from the value generated by the sale of shares. Estimates of the projected federal proceeds would be $250 billion according to Housing for US. 

     

    “I join Rep. Suozzi in introducing bipartisan legislation that, should Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac be released from conservatorship, would assign the proceeds toward a new housing revolving loan fund to expand homeownership and rental opportunities for working- and middle-class Americans including police officers, firefighters, teachers, carpenters, and tilers who often earn too much to qualify for affordable housing but not enough to afford market rates. This is a chance to deliver critical assistance to hardworking Americans,” said Rep. Malliotakis.

     

    “We have a once-in-a-generation chance to tackle America’s housing crisis while creating good-paying, union jobs for working families,” Rep. Suozzi said. “The housing crisis is crushing the American Dream — young people, carpenters, cops, teachers, nurses, first responders, and middle-class families are being priced out of homeownership. This isn’t a red state or blue state issue — every community is feeling it. And that’s why I’m proud to introduce this legislation with my fellow New Yorker from across the aisle. When we work together, we can get things done.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Do I have prostate cancer? Why a simple PSA blood test alone won’t give you the answer

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin M. Koo, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, The University of Queensland

    Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Australia, with about 26,000 men diagnosed per year. The majority (more than 85%) are aged over 60.

    Prostate cancer kills around 3,900 Australians a year. Yet most prostate cancers progress very slowly and many men die “with” and not “from” prostate cancer.

    Prostate cancer is currently detected with a blood test. This measures the amounts of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the blood, a protein produced by the prostate gland.

    But while an elevated PSA can indicate prostate cancer, other non-cancerous conditions, such as prostate enlargement or inflammation, can also increase PSA levels.

    New draft guidelines aim to provide clearer recommendations about the role PSA tests should play in detecting prostate cancer.

    Life-saving treatment vs harmful overdiagnosis

    Early detection of prostate cancer by PSA testing is important. It allows for timely treatments such as prostate removal surgery, radiation or hormonal therapy.

    But despite their effectiveness, these treatments can cause problems such as erectile dysfunction. Urinary incontinence issues occur in up to 14% of patients.

    Therefore, if the prostate cancer is considered low-risk and has not spread outside the prostate, the clinician may recommend “active surveillance” to closely monitor the cancer for signs of progression.

    If the low-risk prostate cancer doesn’t progress, treatment and its associated side effects can be delayed or avoided.



    Read more:
    Treatment can do more harm than good for prostate cancer − why active surveillance may be a better option for some

    The controversy around PSA testing is it can over-diagnose low-risk prostate cancers that would never become life-threatening.

    PSA tests may also give false positive results when someone doesn’t have cancer.

    Such scenarios cause harm to men who are over-treated for prostate cancer solely based on elevated PSA levels.

    In a decades-long clinical study involving 182,000 men, PSA testing reduced prostate cancer deaths by 20% compared to men who didn’t undergo testing.

    But a trade-off was having to over-treat around 48 men to prevent one prostate cancer death.

    We need to find the balance between enabling early life-saving detection and preventing harmful over-treatment of men with low-risk prostate cancer.

    Prostate cancer surgery can leave some men with urinary incontinence.
    Jota Buyinch Photo/Shutterstock

    What do the draft guidelines say?

    The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia has released new draft clinical guidelines for the early detection of prostate cancer for public consultation.

    The following recommended changes aim to reduce over-treatment and minimise harm.

    1. Offer all men a ‘baseline’ PSA test at 40

    All men would be offered an initial PSA test at age 40 to provide a baseline PSA measurement to compare against follow-up tests.

    A baseline PSA measurement would enable the calculation of PSA doubling time: the number of months taken for PSA level to double from baseline.

    Aggressive fast-growing tumors tend to have shorter PSA doubling times, so this would enable early detection of high-risk prostate cancer for prompt treatment.

    Such a change could improve prostate cancer risk classification and spare more men from unnecessary harmful treatment side effects.

    2. GPs offer men aged 50–69 PSA tests every two years

    The draft guidelines recommend GPs offer PSA testing every two years for all men aged 50–69.

    For men over 70, PSA testing would be recommended based on clinical assessment by GPs.

    Men are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer at an advanced age. So as they get older and have a shorter life expectancy, the harms of treatment are more likely to outweigh the benefits of early detection.

    This recommendation could reduce over-diagnosis by considering individual life expectancy, overall health and potential treatment harms.

    3. Target populations at greater risk

    As with other cancer types, prostate cancer is a disease caused by gene malfunctioning leading to tumour growth. Men with a family history of prostate cancer are around three times more likely to develop and die from prostate cancer due to their genetic susceptibility.

    Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men have a higher risk of dying from prostate cancer compared to non-Indigenous men. This may be due to delayed diagnoses and limited access to prostate cancer treatment options in remote areas.

    For these men with higher prostate cancer risk, the draft guidelines recommend earlier and more frequent PSA testing, starting at age 40.

    This change could prioritise and serve targeted, high-risk populations of men who would benefit most from more regular PSA testing.

    Men with a family history of prostate cancer are more likely to develop the disease.
    Shakirov Albert/Shutterstock

    No more ‘finger up the bum’

    Previously, men with high PSA levels were referred for needle prostate biopsies which involve invasive insertion of needles into different areas of the prostate to remove tissue samples for lab analyses.

    Needle biopsies are painful and come with risks of bleeding or infection. So, it’s helpful to use additional prostate cancer testing approaches to guide who is referred for a biopsy.

    The new draft guidelines no longer recommend the use of digital rectal examination, the dreaded “finger up the bum”, to screen for signs of prostate cancer together with PSA testing. Men find this unpleasant and embarrassing.

    Instead, clinicians can turn to advanced imaging. Medicare rebates have been available for magnetic resonance imaging to diagnose prostate cancer since 2018.

    Medical specialists often order a multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) following elevated PSA levels to determine if biopsies are required. This is a specialised MRI that uses strong magnets and radio waves to construct a detailed three-dimensional image of the prostate from different angles and identify suspicious-looking areas.

    The draft guidelines recommend mpMRI to supplement PSA testing to better determine if a biopsy is needed. This saves men from unnecessary invasive procedures and reduces health-system costs.

    The information gathered from the public consultations will inform the final draft prostate cancer early detection guidelines. The final recommendations will then be sent to the National Health and Medical Research Council for approval, before becoming clinical practice.

    Kevin M. Koo receives funding from the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

    – ref. Do I have prostate cancer? Why a simple PSA blood test alone won’t give you the answer – https://theconversation.com/do-i-have-prostate-cancer-why-a-simple-psa-blood-test-alone-wont-give-you-the-answer-257240

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Antisemitism plan fails on a number of fronts – a contentious definition of hate is just the start

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Chappell, Scientia Professor, UNSW Sydney

    The antisemitism strategy presented to the Albanese government has attracted considerable – and wholly justifed – criticism.

    Produced by Jillian Segal, the special envoy to combat antisemitism, the blueprint falls short in a range of areas essential to good public policy. This is due to its biased arguments, weak evidence and recommendation overreach.

    There is also the adoption of a contentious definition of antisemitism which has been criticised for conflating disapproval of Israel with anti-Jewish prejudice.

    Alternative definition

    The strategy uses the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, manifestations of which could include criticising the state of Israel.

    However, this definition is contentious – so much so that its original author, Kenneth Stern, has rejected it as a tool for regulating antisemitism due its potential to be weaponised to silence free speech.

    Other widely used definitions are unacknowledged in the report. These include the Jerusalem Declaration, which attempts to strike a better balance between antisemitism and freedom of speech, including criticism of Israel and Zionism.

    As the declaration notes:

    hostility to Israel could be an expression of an antisemitic animus, or it could be a reaction to a human rights violation, or it could be the emotion that a Palestinian person feels on account of their experience at the hands of the state.

    Biased Argument

    The report presents a clear and consistent argument: antisemitism has been on the rise in Australia, especially since the Hamas attacks in October 2023. It is particularly obvious in universities and cultural institutions.

    Antisemitism is an insidious form of prejudice and hatred which is destructive not only to the Jewish community, but to the very fabric of Australian society. It requires a community-wide response to stamp it out.

    The report is underpinned by Segal’s principled aspiration to ensure “all Australians, including Jewish Australians, can live with dignity, fairness, safety and mutual respect”.

    But there are multiple problems with how this argument is presented.

    First, it is sweeping in its application. A good example is the claim antisemitism “has become ingrained and normalised within academia and the cultural space”.

    No explanation is given to what these terms mean, or what these practices entail. Without such qualifiers, readers could easily be misguided in thinking the problem is more pronounced than it actually is.

    Weak evidence

    The report provides alarming statistics about the rise in reported cases of antisemitism in Australia, including a claimed 316% spike in the 12 months to October 2024.

    It pays particular attention to antisemitism in the university sector, quoting a survey by the Australasian Union of Jewish Students, which noted more than 60% of Jewish students who experienced antisemitism felt unsupported by their institutions.

    No doubt there has been a surge in antisemitic hatred, but there are significant problems with how evidence for it is presented in the report. Segal fails to
    produce a single citation, which makes it impossible to access the data and assess its veracity.

    Baseline figures, details about who collated the data, the investigation of incidents and their resolution, are all missing.

    The report also misquotes an important source.

    It states “in February 2025, ASIO Director General Mike Burgess declared antisemitism is Australia’s leading threat to life”.

    In fact, what Burgess actually said was:

    In terms of threats to life, it’s my agency’s number one priority because of the weight of incidents we’re seeing play out in this country.

    There are subtle yet important differences in these two statements, which need to be carefully parsed when dealing with such a serious issue.

    Gaza ignored

    Also problematic is the singular focus on extremist ideologies as the reason for the rise in antisemitism.

    In doing so, the strategy omits a compelling fact: the recent upsurge is likely linked to Israel’s war on Gaza which has resulted in mass Palestinian civilian casualties over the past 20 months.

    As international law expert Ben Saul argues:

    People did not just inexplicably and without context decide to become more antisemitic in that period. [It was fuelled by] fury at Israel’s profound violations of international law in Gaza.

    Furthermore, while Segal claims to be focused on mutual respect, she fails to acknowledge other groups that face similar forms of racism and discrimination, including Australia’s Indigenous peoples and Islamic communities.

    In doing so, the report appears to be seeking special treatment for the Australian Jewish community.

    Recommendation overreach

    Much of the negative reaction to the report has rightly been focused on its far-reaching punitive recommendations, which have been described as Trumpian.

    Many are directed towards the education sector, including threatened cuts to school and university funding, and extending the capacity to terminate staff who engage in “antisemitic” behaviours.

    Segal envisages creating a “university report card” to adjudicate on universities that are failing the standard, presumably set against her preferred antisemitism definition.

    The media and the cultural sector more broadly are also in Segal’s headlights, with recommendations to establish herself as a media monitor to ensure “fair and balanced reporting”. Charitable institutions deemed to be supporting antisemitism would lose their tax-deduction status.

    These highly controversial measures are an overreach of the envoy’s terms of reference.

    Segal’s mandate specifies her role is as an advisor to government, not a regulator. By taking such a drastic approach, the antisemitism strategy risks stoking further social division.

    The government, which is considering the recommendations, must proceed very cautiously.

    Louise Chappell receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. Antisemitism plan fails on a number of fronts – a contentious definition of hate is just the start – https://theconversation.com/antisemitism-plan-fails-on-a-number-of-fronts-a-contentious-definition-of-hate-is-just-the-start-261082

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Almost half of young workers expected to work unpaid overtime, while a quarter aren’t paid compulsory super

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Howe, Associate Dean (Research), Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne

    Anna Kraynova/Shutterstock

    A young person gets a job, excited to earn their first paycheck. Over time, they realise the hours are long and the payslips small. They are told to stay back to clean up after closing, but never receive overtime. They feel exploited, but what can they do?

    It’s hard to find a job that fits with study commitments, and a reference could go a long way in the future. Besides, it happens to all their co-workers; they’d hate to cause a fuss.

    It’s a story as old as time, and it’s still happening today. Our new study has found wage exploitation is rife among employers who hire young people.

    In partnership with the Paul Ramsay Foundation, Melbourne Law School’s Fair Day’s Work project surveyed 2,814 workers under 30.

    Young workers in low-paid jobs were asked about their experiences in the workplace, the challenges they encountered, and how they dealt with exploitation.

    How some bosses are treating young workers

    We found young Australians are frequently underpaid and that exploitation is multifaceted:

    • 33% were paid $15 per hour or less

    • 43% had been told to complete extra work without additional pay

    • 34% were not paid for work during a trial period

    • 24% had not received compulsory super

    • 35% had their timesheet hours reduced by their employer

    • 17.9% had not been paid for all the work they completed

    • 9% received an hourly rate of $10 or less

    • 8% had been forced to return some, or all, of their pay to their employer.

    Further, 60% had had to pay for work-related items, such as uniforms, protective equipment, training or car fuel. Some 36% had been forbidden to take entitled breaks while 35% had their recorded timesheet hours reduced by their employer. Meanwhile 20% were “sometimes” paid “off the books”, and 12% were “always” paid off the books. And 9.5% had been given food or products instead of being paid in money.

    The most at risk

    We found exploitation is most often experienced by the most vulnerable young people. These include transgender, non-permanent workers (casual employees and private contractors), residents on temporary visas) and non-native English speakers.

    The worst-performing industries included electricity, gas, water and waste services; manufacturing; mining; transport, postal and warehousing; public administration and safety; information media and telecommunications; accommodation and food services; retail trade, and education and training.

    Workers in small businesses (up to 19 staff) were often not paid overtime or penalty rates, and were being paid “off the books”.

    Medium-sized business workers (20–199 employees) were the most likely to be required to pay for work-related items, such as equipment, training and car hire.

    And those from large businesses (200-plus) reported the highest rates of variance of weekly hours and requirements to pay for work uniform.

    Young people often don’t have much industrial knowledge or experience, so it is easy for employers to take advantage of them. They are also unlikely to challenge an employer, as many of them are in insecure work.

    What steps are being taken?

    Laws which took effect January 1 this year mean employers may face criminal penalties – including fines, imprisonment or both – if they intentionally underpay an employee in breach of the Fair Work Act 2009.

    But identifying underpayments and other forms of exploitation are the biggest barrier to compliance with workplace laws.

    Surveyed workers who were underpaid said they were most likely to seek the help of a family member. Only 12.9% of those aged 15 to 19 said they would be willing to complain to the Fair Work Ombudsman.

    However, workers who had dealt with the ombudsman mostly saw their experiences as positive: 41% found the regulator to be “very helpful”, while only 16.7% described it as “not helpful at all” or “not very helpful”.

    The results suggest the Fair Work Ombudsman needs to be doing more to engage teenage workers.

    What’s needed

    The Fair Day’s Work project set out to use data science and technology to identify risk of underpayment in relation to young workers, and improve employer compliance with workplace laws.

    Our aim was to develop a database on young workers employment conditions, along with a web portal to give young people and employers the information they need.

    We hypothesised that a prediction tool could be used to assess which young workers are at greatest risk. However, we found publicly available data was insufficient to do this, so we conducted our own survey of young workers and made this data available through a public web portal to help workers and employers.

    We came up six recommendations to help stop young workers being exploited:

    1. regulators need to get tougher with the nine industries we identified as the poorest performers to make them more compliant

    2. the Fair Work Ombudsman should scrutinise the industries where payment was made in food or products and workers were required to return money to employers occurred most frequently

    3. educate mid-sized businesses on the extent to which they can lawfully require workers to pay for work-related items

    4. lawmakers and the Fair Work Commission should consider introducing truly equitable “loaded rates” for junior employees. This would deal with non-payment of penalty rates and other entitlements by some employers

    5. more money to make young workers aware they can get help from the Fair Work Ombudsman, trade unions, community legal centres, the Young Workers’ Centre and similar bodies

    6. more work to develop and use data science and digital tools to help employers fulfil their legal obligations, and to protect young workers’ rights.

    Our survey results highlight the extent to which young people continue to be exploited in the workplace and suggest more work needs to be done to bring about change.

    John Howe receives funding from the Paul Ramsay Foundation.

    Tom Dillon receives funding from the Paul Ramsay Foundation.

    – ref. Almost half of young workers expected to work unpaid overtime, while a quarter aren’t paid compulsory super – https://theconversation.com/almost-half-of-young-workers-expected-to-work-unpaid-overtime-while-a-quarter-arent-paid-compulsory-super-261016

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –