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Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Polytech and Element signed a cooperation agreement

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    The St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences hosted a ceremonial signing of a cooperation agreement between Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) and Specialized Developer Element LLC (SZ Element).

    The rector of SPbPU Andrey Rudskoy, vice-rector for additional and pre-university education Dmitry Tikhonov, academic secretary of SPbPU Dmitry Karpov, director of the Civil Engineering Institute Marina Petrochenko took part in the ceremony. The founder of SZ Element Andrey Skoblov, general director Vitaly Korobov, operational director Alexander Smirnov, head of PR Anna Teterina, assistant to the operational director Daria Ivanova were present.

    Andrey Rudskoy and Vitaly Korobov signed a cooperation agreement and a roadmap for interaction between SPbPU and SZ Element. The document includes joint activities to develop partnerships in the field of scientific, technical and educational cooperation: organizing internships for students of the Civil Engineering Institute, holding open lectures and master classes with the participation of leading specialists of SZ Element, developing a mentoring system and supporting talented students through grants, scholarships and research competitions, creating joint master’s and additional professional education programs in development and construction, and developing a MOOC course on modern construction technologies.

    The cooperation document that we signed is a continuation of fruitful work in the field of development of modern construction technologies and training of highly qualified engineering personnel with the aim of achieving technological leadership in the construction industry, noted Andrey Rudskoy.

    Limited Liability Company “Specialized Developer “Element” (Element Development) is a progressive developer of innovative projects in St. Petersburg. The company specializes in the integrated development of urban areas, implementing projects primarily in the business class segment. Its portfolio includes about two million square meters of constructed real estate. The company’s main projects are: an apartment complex in Sestroretsk “Bereg. Kurortny”, an ultra-modern collection house “Collection House 1919”, a new architectural symbol of the south of the Northern capital and an outstanding example of high-tech filling of premium housing, the Shepilevskiy residential complex. During its activity, Element has established itself as a promising developer, successfully implementing projects in St. Petersburg and its suburbs.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo Pavel Shevtsov visited Polytech

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo Pavel Shevtsov paid a working visit to the Polytechnic University. Rossotrudnichestvo is a leading Russian agency. Its main mission is to strengthen Russia’s humanitarian influence in the world. The organization is represented in more than 70 countries.

    The tour of the university began with the Main Academic Building. Vice-Rector for International Affairs Dmitry Arsenyev and Director of the SPbPU History Museum Valery Klimov introduced Pavel Shevtsov to the gallery of outstanding polytechnic scientists, told him about the most important events and interesting facts from the history of the Polytechnic University, and presented key exhibits. The Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo visited the White Hall and the Fundamental Library of the Polytechnic University.

    Pavel Anatolyevich got acquainted with the structure of the Research Building “Technopolis Polytech”, where he visited the halls “Semyonov” and “Kapitsa”. Dmitry Arsenyev also showed him a model of the SPbPU campus.

    After that, a working meeting was held at the international campus of the Polytechnic University. Pavel Anatolyevich visited the Information Center, Admission Office and got acquainted with the procedure for accepting foreign applicants to SPbPU.

    During the negotiations with international services, the main issues of international education development were discussed, including the admission of foreign students within the Russian government quota. They also noted the use of successful SPbPU practices in the activities of the Russian-African Network University consortium to promote engineering education in African countries.

    Particular attention at the meeting was paid to the issues of adaptation of foreign students in Russia, learning the Russian language, and the participation of the Polytechnic University in the International Olympiad “Open Doors: Russian Scholarship”. Pavel Shevtsov highly praised the university’s efforts in creating a comfortable environment for the study and residence of foreigners, including the work of the Information Center, Admission Office, and the Unified Center for Registration of Foreign Citizens.

    Pavel Anatolyevich noted the importance of SPbPU’s work in attracting talented foreign students and scientists, emphasizing that the university is one of the flagships of Russian education and science.

    Pavel Anatolyevich thanked the university management for the warm welcome and expressed confidence that the interaction between Rossotrudnichestvo and the Polytechnic University will contribute to the further development of international education and the strengthening of humanitarian ties between Russia and other countries.

    Dmitry Arsenyev, in turn, expressed his readiness to actively develop partnership relations with Rossotrudnichestvo and support initiatives aimed at promoting Russian education abroad. The parties agreed to hold regular meetings to discuss current and new projects, as well as to work together to implement strategic tasks in the field of international cooperation.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Ethiopian Master’s Student Yared Dejene Jifar: “I Dreamed of Studying in Russia”

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    Ethiopian graduate student Yared Dejene Jifar received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Adam University of Science and Technology (ASTU). Inspired by stories of friendship between the countries, he decided to continue his studies in Russia. In an interview, Yared talked about how adaptation in another country is going and shared his plans for the future.

    — Why did you decide to study in Russia?

    — I have always liked your country. My friends who studied here in the 1980s told me about the strong friendship between our countries. These stories inspired me to study civil engineering technologies in Russia.

    — Were your expectations from living in Russia met?

    — First of all, I was impressed by the level of infrastructure development in the country. An example of well-thought-out design is the metro. The language barrier was a serious challenge for me. I am trying to learn Russian, but the process is slow. Although I understand that knowledge of the language is the key to successful adaptation.

    — Why did you choose the Polytechnic University?

    — When I was looking for a university with a civil engineering program in English, I chose the Polytechnic University. Your university has a unique atmosphere for studying and developing. Advanced laboratories, highly qualified professors, incredible opportunities, modern technologies and much more.

    I always dreamed of studying in Russia, a country with a rich history, deep culture and the highest standards of education. I learned about the international Olympiad Open Doors: Russian Scholarship, which offers a unique chance to study in Russia for free.

    — What got you interested in civil engineering?

    — I plan to improve the construction sector in my country. I am especially interested in modern technologies, such as BIM (building information modeling). This is the future of construction, and I want to be part of this process.

    — Tell us what you do besides studying.

    — We recently visited the building of the Levashovsky bread factory, which after reconstruction turned into a cultural and business center. During the tour, we learned about the unique engineering solutions that allowed us to preserve the historical building and its role in the history of St. Petersburg. We were especially impressed by the years of the siege of Leningrad. I pay tribute to the fallen heroes.

    I was doing financial analysis of the renovation of Soviet-era buildings, and this tour gave me useful information on how heritage can be preserved and adapted for new purposes without demolition.

    — Share your plans for what you will do after completing your Master’s degree.

    — I plan to work in Russia to gain practical experience and then return to Ethiopia. I hope to introduce modern construction technologies and materials to change traditional construction methods, which are still limited to concrete and steel reinforcement.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: “Beryozovo” for employees of SPbGASU: a recreation center and the beginning of big trips

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – View of the bay

    SPbGASU employees and their families have a wonderful opportunity to relax on the shore of the Lehmalakhti Bay of Lake Ladoga in a historic mansion, which has become even more beautiful and comfortable after restoration work. We are talking about the departmental recreation center “Beryozovo”, which operates all year round.

    Over the long years of its existence, the base has already hosted several generations of our university employees. Many of those who once came here, then choose this place for rest again. Deputy Head of the Personnel Department Svetlana Goltsvart has already visited here twice.

    “I was on holiday with my husband and teenage daughter. The first time we went there out of curiosity: it was interesting to see what the recreation centre at our university was like, how the historic cottage had been restored, what the nature was like in this place. That’s why we only planned a 24-hour trip last July. We spent most of our time on the bay. Even the swings that my daughter had chosen had an amazing view of the lake. There was silence, calm and peace here. With such relaxation, the day flew by in an instant, and when we left, we already knew for sure that we would definitely come back here in August for a longer holiday. That’s what we did, and we are very happy about it,” said Svetlana Aleksandrovna.

    According to her, they booked a room with amenities, so thanks to the comfort and fresh air, beautiful nature, they had a pleasant experience and gained strength for a long time.

    Head of the Department of Structural Mechanics Nikita Maslennikov recalls how he used to vacation in “Beryozovo” as a child with his parents. At one time, his father headed this department for a quarter of a century.

    “I know this place well, but after years I wanted to visit it again, see how the cottage has changed after the work was done, and just relax in nature. My wife and I invited two friends for the company, so we rented two rooms. We cooked shashlik, fortunately there is a barbecue here, and swam. The advantageous location of the recreation center makes it possible to think over a meaningful, educational program of excursions both in the surrounding area and over longer distances. In the village of Beryozovo there is a Museum of Living History “Border Outpost”. Priozersk is nearby, where there are many attractions, including the Korela Fortress, founded at the turn of the 13th-14th centuries, Konevets Island, the courtyard of the Valaam Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, from where, if desired, you can go with an excursion group to Valaam. The city has a well-equipped beach. Also nearby is Sortavala, the eco-park “Valley of Waterfalls”. Thus, the recreation center can become a stronghold for a pleasant trip. That’s why my wife and I are planning to come here with our granddaughter. It’s already a family tradition for us,” said Nikita Aleksandrovich.

    He is sure that the university management will continue the course of improving the recreation center. He would like an equipped place for swimming in the bay, improvement of the territory of the center, a multifunctional hall for celebrations, expansion of the seating places in the kitchen and an increase in the number of household appliances there.

    “Last year we already started improvement work: we fenced the area, built the necessary outbuildings, and outlined further plans in this direction,” said Vladimir Solovyov, Vice-Rector for Security and Administrative and Economic Work at SPbGASU.

    “Works on the comprehensive improvement of the territory are planned: the construction of a small beach on the southern – the sunniest shore, the layout of a network of pedestrian paths in the hard surface, the placement of separate areas for recreation, sports games and picnics. Landscaping of the territory is also planned. Decorative shrubs, seasonal flower arrangement should create additional coziness and comfort for vacationers. We consider it necessary to provide for a children’s playground with modern play equipment,” explained the chief architect, director of the design studio of SPbGASU Svetlana Bochkareva.

    Recreation center “Beryozovo”

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Introducing $15 a day child care for families | Lancement d’un service de garde d’enfants à 15 $ par jour pour les familles

    As part of the $3.8-billion Canada-Alberta Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, Alberta is supporting families to access affordable child care across the province with their choice in provider.

    Starting Apr. 1, parents with children zero to kindergarten age attending full-time licensed daycare facilities and family day home programs across the province will be eligible for a flat parent fee of $326.25 per month, or roughly $15 a day. Parents requiring part-time care will pay $230 per month.

    To support these changes and high-quality child care, about 85 per cent of licensed daycare providers will receive a funding increase once the new fee structure is in place on Apr. 1.

    Every day, parents and families across Alberta rely on licensed child-care providers to support their children’s growth and development while going to work or school. Licensed child-care providers and early childhood educators play a crucial role in helping children build the skills they need to support their growth and overall health. As Alberta’s population grows, the need for high-quality, affordable and accessible licensed and regulated child care is increasing.

    While Alberta already reduced parent fees to an average of $15 a day in January 2024, many families are still paying much more depending on where they live, the age of their child and the child-care provider they choose, which has led to inconsistency and confusion. Many families find it difficult to estimate their child-care fees if they move or switch providers, and providers have expressed concerns about the fairness and complexity of the current funding framework.

    A flat monthly fee will provide transparency and predictability for families in every part of the province while also improving fairness to providers and increasing overall system efficiency. On behalf of families, Alberta’s government will cover about 80 per cent of child-care fees through grants to daycare facilities and family day homes.

    This means a family using full-time daycare could save, on average, $11,000 per child per year. A flat monthly parent fee will ensure child care is affordable for everyone and that providers are compensated for the important services they offer.

    As opposed to a flat monthly parent fee, Alberta’s government will reimburse preschools up to $100 per month per child on parents’ behalf, up from $75.

    “Albertans deserve affordable child-care options, no matter where they are or which type of care works best for them. We are bringing in flat parent fees for families so they can all access high-quality child care for the same affordable, predictable fee.”

    Matt Jones, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade

    “Reducing child care fees makes life more affordable for families and gives them the freedom to make choices that work for them—whether that’s working, studying or growing their family. We’ll keep working to bring costs down, create more spots, and reduce waitlists for families in Alberta and across the country, while ensuring every child gets the best start in life.”

    Jenna Sudds, federal minister of Families, Children, and Social Development

    To make Alberta’s child-care system affordable for all families, the flat monthly parent fee is replacing the Child Care Subsidy Program for children zero to kindergarten age attending child care during regular school hours. The subsidy for children attending out-of-school care is not changing.

    As the province transitions to the new flat parent fee, child-care providers will have flexibility to offer optional services for an additional supplemental parent fee. These optional services must be over and above the services that are provided to all children in individual child-care programs. Clear requirements will be in place for providers to prevent preferential child-care access for families choosing to pay for optional services.

    Cutting red tape and supporting child-care providers

    By moving to a flat monthly parent fee, Alberta’s government is continuing the transition to a primarily publicly funded child care system. To support high-quality child care, approximately 85 per cent of licensed daycare providers will receive a funding increase once the new structure is in place on Apr. 1.

    The province is enhancing the system to streamline the child-care claims process used to reimburse licensed child-care providers on behalf of Alberta parents. Alberta’s government is also putting technological solutions in place to reduce administrative burden and red tape.

    Looking ahead

    Over the final year of the federal agreement, Alberta’s government is working to support the child-care system while preparing to negotiate the next term of the agreement, reflective of the needs of Albertans and providers. Alberta joins its provincial and territorial partners across the country in calling for a sustainable, adequately funded system that works for parents and providers long term.

    Quick facts

    • In line with requirements under the Canada-Alberta Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, the flat monthly parent fee only applies to children zero to kindergarten age requiring care during regular school hours.
    • Children attending 100 or more hours in a month are considered full-time and parents will pay $326.25 a month. Children attending between 50 and 99 hours are considered part-time and parents will pay $230 a month.
    • Families with children attending preschool for up to four hours a day are eligible for up to $100 per month.
    • There are no changes to the out-of-school care Child Care Subsidy Program for children requiring care outside of school hours in grades 1 to 6 and attending full-time kindergarten.
    • Programs may choose to provide optional services for a supplemental fee. Examples may include transportation, field trips and food. Child-care programs are not required to charge parents additional supplemental fees.

    Related information

    • Federal-provincial child care agreement

    Related news

    • Alberta strengthens child care safety (Oct. 30, 2024)

    L’Alberta instaure des frais mensuels fixes de 326,25 $ pour les services de garde d’enfants agréés à temps plein, soit environ 15 $ par jour.

    Dans le cadre de l’Accord entre le Canada et l’Alberta sur l’apprentissage et la garde des jeunes enfants à l’échelle du Canada d’une valeur de 3,8 milliards de dollars, l’Alberta aide les familles à avoir accès à des services de garde d’enfants abordables partout dans la province auprès du service de garde de leur choix.

    À compter du 1er avril, les parents ayant des enfants de la naissance à la maternelle qui fréquentent une garderie agréée à temps plein ou un service de garde en milieu familial partout dans la province seront admissibles à des frais fixes de 326,25 $ par mois, soit environ 15 $ par jour. Les parents qui ont besoin de services de garde à temps partiel paieront 230 $ par mois.

    Pour appuyer ces changements et des services de garde d’enfants de grande qualité, environ 85 % des fournisseurs de services de garde agréés recevront une augmentation du financement lorsque la nouvelle structure tarifaire sera en place le 1er avril.

    Chaque jour, les parents et les familles de l’Alberta comptent sur des fournisseurs de services de garde d’enfants agréés pour appuyer la croissance et le développement de leurs enfants pendant qu’ils vont au travail ou à l’école. Les fournisseurs de services de garde d’enfants agréés et les éducateurs de la petite enfance jouent un rôle crucial en aidant les enfants à acquérir les compétences dont ils ont besoin pour soutenir leur croissance et leur santé globale. À mesure que la population de l’Alberta augmente, le besoin de services de garde d’enfants agréés et réglementés de grande qualité, abordables et accessibles s’accroît.

    Bien que l’Alberta ait déjà réduit les frais pour les parents à une moyenne de 15 $ par jour en janvier 2024, de nombreuses familles paient encore beaucoup plus selon l’endroit où elles vivent, l’âge de leur enfant et le fournisseur de services de garde d’enfants qu’elles choisissent, ce qui a entraîné des incohérences et de la confusion. De nombreuses familles ont de la difficulté à estimer leurs frais de garde d’enfants si elles changent de fournisseur, et les fournisseurs ont exprimé des préoccupations au sujet de l’équité et de la complexité du cadre de financement actuel.

    Des frais mensuels fixes assureront la transparence et la prévisibilité pour les familles de toutes les régions de la province, tout en améliorant l’équité envers les fournisseurs et en augmentant l’efficacité globale du système. Au nom des familles, le gouvernement de l’Alberta couvrira environ 80 % des frais de garde d’enfants grâce à des subventions accordées aux garderies et aux services de garde en milieu familial.

    Cela veut dire qu’une famille dont un enfant fréquente une garderie à temps plein pourrait économiser 11 000 $ par enfant par année en moyenne. Des frais mensuels fixes pour les parents garantiront que les services de garde d’enfants sont abordables pour tous et que les fournisseurs sont rémunérés pour les services importants qu’ils offrent.

    Contrairement aux frais mensuels fixes pour les parents, le gouvernement de l’Alberta remboursera jusqu’à 100 $ par mois aux parents pour les enfants d’âge préscolaire, comparativement à 75 $.

    « Les Albertaines et les Albertains méritent des options abordables en matière de garde d’enfants, peu importe où ils se trouvent ou quel type de services leur convient le mieux. Nous instaurons des frais fixes pour les parents afin qu’ils puissent tous avoir accès à des services de garde d’enfants de grande qualité, à un coût abordable et prévisible. »

    Matt Jones, ministre de l’Emploi, de l’Économie et du Commerce

    « La réduction des frais de garde d’enfants rend la vie plus abordable pour les familles et leur donne la liberté de faire des choix qui leur conviennent, qu’il s’agisse de travailler, d’étudier ou d’agrandir leur famille. Nous continuerons de travailler pour réduire les coûts, créer plus de places et réduire les listes d’attente pour les familles en Alberta et partout au pays, tout en veillant à ce que chaque enfant ait le meilleur départ possible dans la vie. »

    Jenna Sudds, ministre fédérale de la Famille, des Enfants et du Développement social

    Afin de rendre le système de garde d’enfants de l’Alberta abordable pour toutes les familles, les frais mensuels fixes pour les parents remplacent le programme de subventions pour la garde d’enfants destiné aux enfants de la naissance à la maternelle qui fréquentent un service de garde pendant les heures scolaires normales. La subvention pour les enfants pris en charge à l’extérieur de l’école ne change pas.

    À mesure que la province adoptera les nouveaux frais fixes pour les parents, les fournisseurs de services de garde d’enfants auront la possibilité d’offrir des services facultatifs moyennant des frais supplémentaires pour les parents. Ces services facultatifs doivent s’ajouter aux services offerts à tous les enfants dans le cadre de programmes individuels de garde d’enfants. Des exigences claires seront mises en place pour les fournisseurs afin d’empêcher l’accès préférentiel aux services de garde pour les familles qui choisissent de payer pour des services facultatifs.

    Réduire les formalités administratives et soutenir les fournisseurs de services de garde d’enfants

    En passant à des frais mensuels fixes pour les parents, le gouvernement de l’Alberta poursuit la transition vers un système de garde d’enfants financé principalement par l’État. Pour appuyer des services de garde d’enfants de grande qualité, environ 85 % des fournisseurs de services de garde agréés recevront une augmentation du financement lorsque la nouvelle structure sera en place le 1er avril.

    La province améliore le système afin de simplifier le processus de demande de remboursement des frais de garde d’enfants utilisé pour rembourser les fournisseurs de services de garde d’enfants agréés au nom des parents albertains. Le gouvernement de l’Alberta met également en place des solutions technologiques pour réduire le fardeau administratif et les formalités administratives.

    Regard vers l’avenir

    Au cours de la dernière année de l’accord fédéral, le gouvernement de l’Alberta s’efforce d’appuyer le système de garde d’enfants tout en se préparant à négocier la prochaine durée de l’accord, en tenant compte des besoins de sa population et des fournisseurs. L’Alberta se joint à ses partenaires provinciaux et territoriaux partout au pays pour réclamer un système durable et financé adéquatement qui fonctionne pour les parents et les fournisseurs à long terme.

    Faits en bref

    • Conformément aux exigences de l’Accord entre le Canada et l’Alberta sur l’apprentissage et la garde des jeunes enfants à l’échelle du Canada, les frais mensuels fixes pour les parents ne s’appliquent qu’aux enfants de la naissance à la maternelle qui ont besoin de services de garde pendant les heures scolaires normales.
    • Les enfants qui fréquentent une garderie pendant 100 heures ou plus par mois sont considérés comme des enfants qui fréquentent à temps plein et les parents paieront 326,25 $ par mois. Les enfants qui fréquentent une garderie entre 50 et 99 heures sont considérés comme des enfants qui fréquentent à temps partiel et les parents paieront 230 $ par mois.
    • Les familles qui ont des enfants qui fréquentent un programme préscolaire pendant jusqu’à quatre heures par jour sont admissibles à un montant maximum de 100 $ par mois.
    • Aucun changement n’est apporté au Programme de subventions pour les services de garde d’enfants à l’extérieur de l’école pour les enfants qui doivent être pris en charge en dehors des heures d’école de la 1re à la 6e année et qui fréquentent la maternelle à temps plein.
    • Les programmes peuvent choisir de fournir des services facultatifs moyennant des frais supplémentaires. Les exemples peuvent inclure le transport, les sorties scolaires et la nourriture. Les programmes de garde d’enfants ne sont pas tenus de facturer des frais supplémentaires aux parents.

    Renseignements connexes

    • Entente fédérale-provinciale sur les services de garde d’enfants (en anglais seulement)

    Nouvelles connexes

    • Alberta strengthens child care safety (30 octobre 2024)

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    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: 80 years since the liberation of Budapest

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    On February 13, 1945, the Budapest operation of Soviet troops during the Great Patriotic War ended, as a result of which the central regions of Hungary, including its capital, were liberated, and the puppet “Government of National Unity” lost power over the country.

    By the end of 1944, Germany’s position was already unenviable, it had to fight on three fronts: in Italy, France and against the Red Army rapidly advancing from the east. The defense of Budapest was of paramount importance, because its loss meant the loss of the last major source of oil, so Hitler even declared that it was better to surrender Berlin than to lose Hungarian oil. The Germans built three lines of defense around Budapest and significantly fortified the city itself, which was defended by Army Group South and the remnants of the Hungarian armed forces.

    The Soviet offensive on Budapest began on October 29. They failed to take the city on the move. The second attempt also met with fierce resistance. In December, the Germans even attempted to counterattack and pushed the Russians back in some areas of the front. However, on December 26, their forces were completely surrounded, with 188,000 people trapped in the cauldron. And they had no intention of surrendering; moreover, they shot the envoys sent with an ultimatum to capitulate. Their counterattacking tanks numbered 50-60 units per kilometer of front – a density of equipment unseen throughout the war. Having had the bloody experience of the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk, the Red Army responded with a deeply echeloned defense, effective reconnaissance, and preemptive strikes. The Germans were unable to break out of the encirclement, and in early February, their counteroffensive finally petered out in all directions.

    The heaviest urban battles in some areas began on January 18. That same day, our troops liberated about 70,000 Jews from the Budapest ghetto. Now, when the organized counteroffensive of the Germans had failed, they rushed out of Budapest chaotically and with particular despair. From the memoirs of Soviet Major General Andrei Kovtun-Stankevich:

    “Everyone takes part in the battle, including the telephone operators. Telephone operator Zoya Vasilchenko destroyed up to 15 fascists with a machine gun. The battalion captured more prisoners than it had personnel.”

    “The commander of the medical battalion, Krutilov, arrived and proudly handed me a “combat” report. It turns out that the medical battalion had fought a battle today, as a result of which 49 Germans were killed and 56 were taken prisoner. Everyone took part in the battle, including the wounded who were able to fire. Even the pharmacist, an elderly woman, fired a pistol.”

    On February 13, 1945, the German group in Budapest was finally liquidated. The commander, SS-Obergruppenführer Karl Pfeffer-Wildenbruch, dressed in a soldier’s uniform along with all the staff officers, surrendered on his own initiative to the head of the chemical service of the 180th rifle division, Major Skripin.

    In honor of this victory, a salute of 24 salvos from 324 guns was given in Moscow. The result of the successful operation was the complete liquidation of the enemy forces and the withdrawal of Hungary from the war. In addition, the advancement on the remaining sections of the Soviet-German front was noticeably facilitated by the transfer of German troops to Budapest. A threat was created to the Balkan group of the Wehrmacht, which was forced to accelerate its withdrawal from Yugoslavia.

    The State University of Management congratulates on this memorable date and recalls our scientific regiment – employees awarded the medal “For the capture of Budapest”:
    -Hero of the Soviet Union, Alexander Davydov, Guard Lieutenant Colonel, Deputy Head of the Nile MIE-MIU department from 1962 to 1985;
    -Gennady Belykh, Colonel, Head of the educational and methodological department of the MIU;
    -Peter Burov, Major Engineer, Vice-Rector for the Academic Affairs of MIEI from 1952 to 1962;
    -Ivan Steel, Major Engineer, chief of staff of the railway troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, associate professor of the Department of structures and structures of MIEI.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 02/13/2025

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: NSU scientists have come up with a way to fix urban infrastructure defects using artificial intelligence

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    Employees Center for Artificial Intelligence of Novosibirsk State University (NSU Center for Information Technologies) received a patent for a utility model of an electronic computing device for detecting defects in urban infrastructure and making decisions on how to eliminate them.

    — In essence, this is a hybrid boxed solution, which is an intelligent system that, using video recording cameras installed in the city and a specially trained neural network, can identify various defects in urban infrastructure and utility lines with great accuracy (non-working light poles or traffic lights, potholes in the roads, etc.), and then, using a logical-semantic block, formulate a solution to eliminate these problems, — said one of the authors of the development, head of the research department of the Sigma project at the NSU Center for Information Technologies, PhD in Physics and Mathematics Andrey Nechesov.

    “Sigma” is a flagship project, a framework for developing digital twins of smart cities, which allows integrating other practical implementations using the API mechanism. As emphasized by the NSU Center for Informatics, the framework is not only an engineering solution, but also a very serious scientific project based on the achievements of the Siberian school of artificial intelligence, headed by academicians of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yu. L. Ershov and S. S. Goncharov.

    The success of ChatGPT and DeepSeek and other large language models (LLM) has generated a lot of interest in this area. LLM capabilities are constantly growing, and today they are already solving a number of important problems. Of course, this is a huge success, but there is a downside to the models themselves – the black box problem, the hallucination problem, the audit problem, deepfakes, and so on. Therefore, in vital areas, these intelligent systems should be used with caution or under the control of more reliable systems, say, based on logic, which would partially or completely check the work of the LLM. This is the approach taken by the participants of the Sigma project.

    — By combining the vast experience of my colleague and co-author of the patent Andrey Andreev in inventing and managing large industrial enterprises, as well as my experience in mathematics, blockchain technologies, smart contracts and building trusted intelligent systems, we outlined a plan for formalizing and implementing key aspects in building a framework and simultaneously patenting them, — noted Andrey Nechesov.

    The first stage of the plan was an electronic computing device for detecting defects in urban infrastructure; work is currently underway on several more useful models and inventions. As a result, a whole line of solutions will be formed, which will then be integrated into the Sigma framework and can be used to optimize monitoring and management of the state of the urban environment.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Harry Potter attraction to be launched in Shanghai in 2027

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    A Harry Potter studio tour will open in Shanghai in 2027, which will be the third such attraction globally and the first in China, its developers announced on Wednesday.

    Officially named Warner Bros Studio Tour Shanghai — The Making of Harry Potter, it will be located in the renovated Shanghai Jinjiang Action Park, according to Jin Jiang International Holdings Co and Warner Bros Discovery Global Experiences.

    Jinjiang Action Park, in the city’s Minhang district, closed on Jan 26 for renovations. The new 53,000-square-meter attraction is still in the regulatory approval stage.

    It will offer visitors an immersive behind-the-scenes look at how the Harry Potter franchise brought British author JK Rowling’s seven-volume fantasy novel series to life. Visitors will be able to explore the iconic film sets that were designed by the creators of the films, according to Warner Bros Discovery Global Experiences. It will also feature authentic costumes and props, alongside interactive features.

    The tour will include internal and external spaces that will take around half a day to walk through. A landscaped park area will be created in front of the tour for both visitors and the general public.

    The redevelopment project extends beyond the tour itself, Zheng Bei, chairwoman of Shanghai Jinjiang Action Park Co, told Radio Shanghai. The site will feature three main components, including the Harry Potter attraction, a themed hotel and the iconic Ferris wheel ride, which will be upgraded to be around 118 meters tall.

    The Shanghai location will integrate digital interactive elements with distinctive Chinese elements, Zheng said.

    To manage visitor flow, the attraction will implement a reservation system requiring advance booking for both dates and specific time slots, said Zheng, noting that the park anticipates welcoming approximately 2 million visitors in the first year.

    “Harry Potter’s multigenerational appeal means the Shanghai tour should draw a wide range of fans from teenagers all the way up to adults in their 50s,” Zheng said. “We envision visitors coming from across China and even Southeast Asia.”

    The original Jinjiang Action Park opened in 1984 as Shanghai’s first major theme park.

    “Jinjiang Action Park was a beloved childhood memory for many locals growing up in Shanghai,” said Lu Ping, a local born in the 1980s. “Although the park has experienced several revamps, it was less attractive than before. Bringing a Harry Potter attraction here is a way to rejuvenate this space.”

    Lin Huanjie, director of the Shanghai-based Institute for Theme Park Studies in China, said that introducing an international brand like Harry Potter is a smart move, which will activate Jinjiang Action Park’s brand value and release new consumer vitality.

    “Shanghai is an ideal landing spot given its status as a global city with a booming tourism market and appetite for high-quality themed entertainment,” he added.

    Lin said that the Shanghai tour differentiates itself from Universal Beijing Resort’s Harry Potter-themed land by providing an immersive studio experience focused on the filmmaking process.

    And, he said he expects that it would include Chinese cultural elements.

    “For international branded attractions to truly resonate in China, there needs to be localization that allows Chinese guests to experience and understand the Western stories through an Eastern cultural lens,” he said. “The Harry Potter storylines should remain pure, but other facilities can fuse Chinese philosophy and storytelling traditions.”

    Once officially opened, the studio tour will not just fulfill the dreams of Chinese fans of Harry Potter, but is also expected to attract tourists from South Korea, Southeast Asia and other regions to Shanghai, further boosting the inbound tourism market, he added.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Albanese Government passes legislation to deliver child care 3 Day Guarantee

    Source: Australian Ministers for Education

    The Albanese Labor Government today passed legislation through the Parliament to deliver a 3 Day Guarantee and replace the Liberal’s Activity Test.

    Families will be able to access three days a week of subsidised early childhood education for children who need it from January 2026. 

    The Dutton led Coalition voted against this important legislation. The Liberals have said the 3 Day Guarantee was “not something…the country can afford” but are happy for taxpayers to pay for bosses’ lunches.

    The Liberal’s claim their Activity Test increased workforce participation, however the Australian Institute of Family Studies found no evidence that the introduction of the Activity Test caused any increase in workforce participation.

    In fact, analysis undertaken by Dr Angela Jackson and Impact Economics and Policy found that: 

    “The current activity test for the Child Care Subsidy limits access to subsidised child care and is contributing to children from the poorest households missing out on critical early childhood education and care.”

    Implementing the 3 Day Guarantee and abolishing the current Activity Test, is an important step towards a universal early childhood education and care system.

    Families earning between $50,000 to $100,000, will be better off under the 3 Day Guarantee and are expected to save on average $1,460 per year.

    The 3 Day Guarantee will provide cost-of-living relief to families and help ensure that children can access the benefits of high-quality early education and care. 

    A re-elected Albanese Labor Government will also establish a $1 billion Building Early Education Fund, to build more centres and expand services in areas of need, including the outer suburbs and regional Australia. 

    Only the Albanese Labor Government has a plan to deliver a universal early childhood education system that works for Australian families and ensure children get the best possible start in life. 

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:

    “This is all about giving our kids the best start in life. 

    “Getting them ready for school.

    “It’s all about opening the doors of opportunity.

    “Peter Dutton has voted to slam it shut. 

    “Under Labor, we are guaranteeing 3 days a week of government supported early education. 

    “Under the Liberals, they are guaranteeing 3 course meals for bosses, paid for by the taxpayer.”

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Early Childhood Education Dr Anne Aly:

     “The Coalition would put universal access to early learning at risk, it’s clear they don’t understand the benefits of early childhood education and care.

     “Only the Albanese Labor Government will ensure every Australian child has access to early childhood education. 

     “The Liberal’s prohibative Activity Test locked out the children who can most benefit from early childhood education and care, and has not increasesed workforce participation. 

     “Investing in the early years is an investment in Australia’s future – there is no better investment than giving our littlest Australians the best possible start in life.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Vice-Rector of SPbGASU presented a medal and books to the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Evgeny Korolev (center) and employees of the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences: Elena Ermoshina, head of the collections and services department; Olga Skvortsova, director; Natalia Kolpakova, deputy director for research, and Natalia Volkova, head of the spr

    Vice-Rector for Research, Professor, Head of the Department of Construction Materials Technology and Metrology at SPbGASU, Academician of the Russian Engineering Academy Evgeny Korolev presented the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences with a medal “For outstanding achievements in the field of popularization of engineering knowledge” and a set of rare books.

    “The Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg was founded in 1714 by Peter the Great and is the oldest in Russia. Today, it is one of the largest libraries in our country and the world. Its collections contain millions of storage units and many unique literary monuments. The library staff supports scientific and research activities, provides a wide range of services, thereby contributing to the popularization of science in general and engineering knowledge in particular. In gratitude, the Presidium of the Russian Engineering Academy decided to award the institution a medal. This award is our appreciation for the work of all library employees,” noted Evgeny Korolev.

    On behalf of SPbGASU, the vice-rector donated rare editions to the library: “Brick Outfit of Nevsky Prospect” and “Brick Saint Petersburg in the 18th–19th Centuries”. Their author is Vsevolod Inchik, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Advisor to the Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences, Full Member of the Petrovskaya Academy of Sciences and Arts, and the creator of the unique Museum of Saint Petersburg Brick at SPbGASU.

    The library management and staff thanked the Russian Engineering Academy for the high assessment of their work, and SPbGASU for valuable publications. They expressed hope for further fruitful cooperation for the benefit of Russian science and education.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. – Operational Update on the Stimulation Campaign

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd.
    (“Falcon”, “Group”)

    Operational Update on the Stimulation Campaign

    13 February 2025 – Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. (TSXV: FO, AIM: FOG) provides the following update on the stimulation campaign for the Shenandoah S2-2H ST1 (“SS-2H ST1”) and Shenandoah South 4H (“SS-4H”) wells in the Beetaloo Sub-basin, Northern Territory, Australia with Falcon Oil & Gas Australia Limited’s (“Falcon Australia”) joint venture partner, Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited (“Operator”).

    SS-2H ST1

    • As previously announced stimulation operations were successfully completed over 35 stages across the 1,671-metre (5,483-feet) horizontal section of the Amungee Member B-shale with Liberty Energy (NYSE: LBRT) stimulation equipment.
    • The SS-2H ST1 well is being prepared for the commencement of initial flow back and extended production testing.
    • Targeting announcement of 30 day initial production (“IP30”) flow rates in April 2025.

    SS-4H

    • Commenced stimulation operations in January 2025.
    • The Operator took proactive and precautionary steps to pause completion operations due to the detection of stress in a casing connection.
    • Reinforcement activities are planned to be conducted in Q1 2025, aiming for stimulation activities to recommence in Q2 2025, as soon as the IP30 flow test is completed at SS-2H ST1.
    • The deferred stimulation program should provide an opportunity to incorporate lessons from the SS-2H ST1 campaign.
    • Targeting announcement of IP30 flow rates in mid-2025.

    Working Capital

    • Falcon Australia has received a A$4.7 million (~US$3 million) research and development tax offset in cash.
    • The Group’s current cash balance is US$8.2 million.

    Philip O’Quigley, CEO of Falcon commented:
    “We continue to be extremely encouraged about the potential of the current stimulation program based on strong gas shows and other data observed whilst drilling, together with the completion of a successful stimulation program on SS-2H ST1 well. We look forward to updating the market on the IP30 flow test results from both wells as soon as they become available.”
                                                    

    Ends.
    CONTACT DETAILS:

    Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd.          +353 1 676 8702
    Philip O’Quigley, CEO +353 87 814 7042
    Anne Flynn, CFO +353 1 676 9162
     
    Cavendish Capital Markets Limited (NOMAD & Broker)
    Neil McDonald / Adam Rae +44 131 220 9771

    This announcement has been reviewed by Dr. Gábor Bada, Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd’s Technical Advisor. Dr. Bada obtained his geology degree at the Eötvös L. University in Budapest, Hungary and his PhD at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He is a member of AAPG.

    About Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd.

    Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd is an international oil & gas company engaged in the exploration and development of unconventional oil and gas assets, with the current portfolio focused in Australia. Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd is incorporated in British Columbia, Canada and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

    Falcon Oil & Gas Australia Limited is a c. 98% subsidiary of Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd.

    For further information on Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. Please visit www.falconoilandgas.com

    About Beetaloo Joint Venture (EP 76, 98 and 117)

    Company Interest
    Falcon Oil & Gas Australia Limited (Falcon Australia) 22.5%
    Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited 77.5%
    Total 100.0%

    Shenandoah South Pilot Project -2 Drilling Space Units – 46,080 acres1

    Company Interest
    Falcon Oil & Gas Australia Limited (Falcon Australia) 5.0%
    Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited 95.0%
    Total 100.0%

    1Subject to the completion of the SS2H ST1 and SS4H wells on the Shenandoah South pad 2.

    About Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited
    Tamboran (B1) Pty Limited (“Tamboran B1”) is the 100% holder of Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited, with Tamboran B1 being a 50:50 joint venture between Tamboran Resources Corporation and Daly Waters Energy, LP.

    Tamboran Resources Corporation, is a natural gas company listed on the NYSE (TBN) and ASX (TBN). Tamboran is focused on playing a constructive role in the global energy transition towards a lower carbon future, by developing the significant low CO2 gas resource within the Beetaloo Basin through cutting-edge drilling and completion design technology as well as management’s experience in successfully commercialising unconventional shale in North America.

    Bryan Sheffield of Daly Waters Energy, LP is a highly successful investor and has made significant returns in the US unconventional energy sector in the past. He was Founder of Parsley Energy Inc. (“PE”), an independent unconventional oil and gas producer in the Permian Basin, Texas and previously served as its Chairman and CEO. PE was acquired for over US$7 billion by Pioneer Natural Resources Company.

    Advisory regarding forward-looking statements
    Certain information in this press release may constitute forward-looking information. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information typically contains statements with words such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “projects”, “dependent”, “consider” “potential”, “scheduled”, “forecast”, “outlook”, “budget”, “hope”, “suggest”, “support” “planned”, “approximately”, “potential” or the negative of those terms or similar words suggesting future outcomes. In particular, forward-looking information in this press release includes, details on the completion of the stimulation, preparation for initial flow back and targeting an IP30 flow rate of April 2025 for SS-2H ST1; steps taken to pause operations, planned reinforcement activities in Q1 2025, aiming for recommencement of activities in Q2 2025, opportunity to incorporate lessons from the SS-2H ST1 campaign and targeting IP30 flow rates in mid-2025 for SS-4H.

    This information is based on current expectations that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. The risks, assumptions and other factors that could influence actual results include risks associated with fluctuations in market prices for shale gas; risks related to the exploration, development and production of shale gas reserves; general economic, market and business conditions; substantial capital requirements; uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities of reserves and resources; extent of, and cost of compliance with, government laws and regulations and the effect of changes in such laws and regulations; the need to obtain regulatory approvals before development commences; environmental risks and hazards and the cost of compliance with environmental regulations; aboriginal claims; inherent risks and hazards with operations such as mechanical or pipe failure, cratering and other dangerous conditions; potential cost overruns, drilling wells is speculative, often involving significant costs that may be more than estimated and may not result in any discoveries; variations in foreign exchange rates; competition for capital, equipment, new leases, pipeline capacity and skilled personnel; the failure of the holder of licenses, leases and permits to meet requirements of such; changes in royalty regimes; failure to accurately estimate abandonment and reclamation costs; inaccurate estimates and assumptions by management and their joint venture partners; effectiveness of internal controls; the potential lack of available drilling equipment; failure to obtain or keep key personnel; title deficiencies; geo-political risks; and risk of litigation.

    Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive and that these factors and risks are difficult to predict. Actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. Falcon assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to Falcon. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in Falcon’s filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedarplus.com, including under “Risk Factors” in the Annual Information Form.

    Any references in this news release to initial production rates are useful in confirming the presence of hydrocarbons; however, such rates are not determinative of the rates at which such wells will continue production and decline thereafter and are not necessarily indicative of long-term performance or ultimate recovery. While encouraging, readers are cautioned not to place reliance on such rates in calculating the aggregate production for Falcon. Such rates are based on field estimates and may be based on limited data available at this time.

    Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Gazprom Transgaz Saint Petersburg Continues Cooperation with Polytech

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    On February 12, Georgy Fokin, CEO of Gazprom Transgaz Saint Petersburg, and Andrey Rudskoy, Rector of Peter the Great Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU), signed a new version of the cooperation agreement.

    At the meeting held at the university, prospects for further cooperation were discussed. One of the important achievements is the creation in 2014 of the basic department of the company “Gas Turbine Units for Gas Pumping Stations” as part of the Institute of Energy and Transport Systems of SPbPU, where joint scientific research is carried out in priority areas of science and technology applicable to the gas industry and the fuel and energy complex. Training is conducted according to bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.

    Since 2012, Gazprom Transgaz Saint Petersburg LLC and Peter the Great Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University have had a cooperation agreement in the area of developing joint educational, scientific and research activities.

    According to the terms of the agreement, university students undergo industrial and pre-graduation practice at the enterprise’s facilities, take part in conferences for young workers and research projects, and participate in a competition to receive the Society’s Personal Scholarship. The most promising of them receive the opportunity for employment and professional development at Gazprom Transgaz Saint Petersburg.

    Gazprom Transgaz Saint Petersburg LLC is a 100% subsidiary of Gazprom PJSC. The company transports gas to Saint Petersburg, Leningrad, Novgorod, Pskov, Kaliningrad, Tver, Smolensk, Bryansk regions, the Republic of Karelia, and the Republic of Belarus.

    The company operates over 12 thousand kilometers of gas pipelines. The enterprise’s area of responsibility includes 34 compressor shops with 206 gas pumping units, 251 gas distribution stations, heat, power and water supply facilities, communications, metrology and automation. The company has 18 branches, including 14 linear production departments of main gas pipelines.

    The company’s staff numbers over 7,000 people. The head office is located in St. Petersburg.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Unaudited financial results of Coop Pank for Q4 and 12 months of 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Coop Pank’s business results for 2024 were positively impacted by solid business volume growth – both the number of customers and the loan portfolio showed strong growth. The overall economic and interest rate environment had a negative impact on business results.

    Over the year, the number of Coop Pank customers increased by 26,000 (+14%) and the number of active customers increased by 17,400 (+21%). Of the new customers, 23,000 were private customers and 3,000 were business customers. By the end of 2024, the number of Coop Pank customers reached 208,000, of which 99,400 were active customers.

    By the end of 2024, deposits of Coop Pank reached 1.89 billion euros, increased by 164 million euros (+10%) over the year. Term deposits increased by 7% over the year and demand deposits by 15%. The bank’s financing cost increased over the year from the level of 2.4% to the level of 3.3%. The market share of the bank’s deposits increased from 6.0% to 6,1% over the year.

    By the end of 2024, loan portfolio of Coop Pank reached 1.77 billion euros, increased by 283 million euros (+19%) over the year. Business loans and home loans made the biggest contribution to portfolio growth. Business loans portfolio increased by 129 million euros (+20%) and home loan portfolio increased by 121 million euros (+20%). Leasing portfolio increased by 24 million euros (+16%) and consumer finance portfolio increased by 9 million euro (+9%). The market share of the bank’s loans increased from 6.0% to 6.3% over the year.

    In 2024, the quality of the loan portfolio remained very good, despite of the changes in the economic environment. To cover possible loan losses, 4.6 million euros provisions were made in 2024 – that was 26% less than a year earlier. The cost ratio for credit risk decreased from 0.5% to 0.3%.

    The net income of Coop Pank reached 81.9 million euros, decreased by 3.3 million euros (-4%) over the year. Net interest income decreased 3.7 million euros (-5%) over the year. Net service fee revenues decreased 0.5 million euros (-10%) over the year. The bank’s operating cost reached 40.6 million euros, increased by 5.4 million euros (+16%) over the year. Personnel, IT and marketing costs continued to make up the largest part of operating costs.

    Net profit of Coop Pank in 2024 was 32.2 million euros, decreased by 18% over the year. The bank’s cost / income ratio increased from 41% to 50% over the year and the return on equity decreased from the level from 23.5% to 16.2% – similar level was also seen in 2022.

    As of 31 December 2024, Coop Pank has 35,885 shareholders.

    Results in Q4

    In Q4 2024, the number of the bank’s customers increased by 6,000 (+3%), of which 5,000 were private customers and 1000 were corporate customers. By the end of the year 2024, Coop Pank had 208,000 daily banking customers.

    In Q4 2024, the volume of deposits increased by 47 million euros (+3%) and reached 1.89 billion euros by the end of the year. Over the quarter, the volume of demand deposits decreased by 14 million euros and the volume of term deposits increased by 61 million euros.

    The bank’s net loan portfolio increased by 113 million euros (+7%) over the quarter, reaching 1.77 billion euros by the end of the year. The volume of corporate loans increased by 73 million euros and the volume of home loans increased by 32 million euros. Consumer financing increased by 5 million euros and leasing by 4 million euros.

    In Q4 2024, Coop Pank earned a profit of 6.4 million euros, which is 26% less than in Q3 and 24% less than in the same period last year. Quarterly profitability was negatively impacted primarily by the interest rate environment, which was partially offset by business volume growth.

    Comments of the CEO of Coop Pank Margus Rink:

    “To evaluate Coop Pank’s activities and results in 2024, it is essential to consider the broader context. We operate in an environment shaped by rising base interest rates during 2022–2023, which resulted in decreased purchasing power, diminished corporate investment appetite, and a cooling economy. In 2024, we reached the bottom of the economic downturn, and gradually, signs began to emerge that set the stage for a cyclical turnaround: base interest rates are now declining, real wages have increased over recent quarters, tax changes have been fixed for the coming years, energy prices are stable, and entrepreneurs are dusting off business plans that were shelved.

    Based on this context, Coop Pank’s performance in 2024 was influenced by two factors. First – declining interest rates. This was an independent process beyond our control, which simultaneously significantly reduced both our interest income and interest expenses at the same time. Secondly, the growth of business volumes. This factor depended entirely on us. As a growth-focused bank, we worked hard and managed to increase business volumes (loan portfolio size, customer base) by approximately 19% during the year of economic downturn. This is 2–3 times higher than the overall Estonian banking market. This achievement is one we are proud of.

    In 2024, our customer base grew by 26 000 (+14% YoY). Increasingly, account openings are followed by customers switching their primary banking relationship to Coop Pank. At the same time, this also represents our greatest challenge moving forward. Primary banking relationships bring growth in demand deposits and help lower financing costs. Currently, demand deposits constitute only one-third of our total deposits.

    Coop Pank’s loan portfolio grew by 283 million euros (+19% YoY) in 2024. Throughout the year, home loans and car leasing showed strong growth, indicating that demand for personal loans remained solid despite the challenging economic environment. Demand for business loans was low during the first half of the year. In the fall, demand emerged, and in the final months of the year, we achieved significant growth in the business loan portfolio. Demand for consumer loans remained weak throughout the year. The quality of the loan portfolio remained strong all year.
    Coop Pank’s net profit for 2024 amounted to 32,2 million euros, decreasing 8%. The decline in profit was primarily caused by the low-interest economic environment, which could not be offset by 19% growth in business volumes.

    We adhered to our current dividend policy and distributed 25% of the consolidated group’s 2023 pre-tax profit as dividends, amounting to a net total of 8.9 million euros (8.7 cents per share, nearly double the amount of the previous year. In addition, 2 million euros in income tax on dividends was paid. Over 98% of the dividends were paid into the accounts of Estonian individuals and companies. By the end of the year, Coop Pank had 35 885 shareholders.

    In 2024, we further expanded our role as contributors to society. While we have previously contributed the advancement of life in Estonia primarily through our extensive branch network and Coop stores’ cash network, we have now begun directly supporting Estonia’s defense capabilities with the innovative Kaardivägi client program. Additionally, Coop Pank became a major sponsor of both the national volleyball team and Estonian decathletes. Furthermore, in collaboration with the TalTech Arengufond, we started awarding scholarships.

    Last year, a public discussion arose about teachers’ workload and salaries. We responded quickly and started offering teachers mortgage loans on favorable terms, a program we are continuing this year. In collaboration with the Estonian startup Montonio Finance, we also launched the most competitive e-commerce payment solution for merchants.

    Beginning of 2024, we secured a subordinated loan of 15 million euros to support the bank’s growth strategy. This is a capital instrument classified as part of the bank’s Tier 2 own funds.

    Eesti Pank designated Coop Pank as a systemically important credit institution, justifying its decision by stating that the bank’s significance in Estonia’s financial system has steadily increased in recent years. The rating agency Moody’s affirmed Coop Pank’s Credit rating on the level Baa2 and raised outlook to positive. This confirms that the bank is trustworthy with solid capital base and high quality of the loan portfolio even in difficult times and has shown good profitability.

    In November, on the proposal of Estonian Financial Supervision Authority, the European Central Bank granted to the bank an additional activity license enabling the issuance of covered bonds. The actual issuance, including the timing, volume, and other conditions, will be decided by the bank based on market conditions and the bank’s financing needs.

    Coop Pank’s strategic goal is to increase its market share in Estonia to 10% by the beginning of 2027 and grow its loan portfolio to at least 2 billion euros. This will position us as the primary bank for more than one in ten Estonians – amounting to at least 150 000 active customers. Through business volume growth, the bank aims to operate with high efficiency (cost-to-income ratio below 50%) and deliver a solid return on equity (ROE of at least 15%).

    I would like to thank all Coop Pank customers, shareholders, and employees for the year 2024. Our goal is to build Coop Pank into a success story for everyone: a success story for customers, shareholders, employees and society alike.”

    Income statement, in th. of euros Q4 2024 Q3 2024 Q4 2023 12M 2024 12M 2023
    Net interest income 19 148 20 021 20 594 77 570 81 265
    Net fee and commission income 1 303 1 040 1 489 4 358 4 847
    Net other income -483 167 -1 666 -45 -908
    Total net income 19 968 21 228 20 415 81 883 85 204
    Payroll expenses -6 007 -6 138 -5 495 -23 411 -20 234
    Marketing expenses -788 -593 -912 -2 690 -2 587
    Rental and office expenses, depr. of tangible assets -798 -729 -678 -3 097 -2 776
    IT expenses and depr. of intangible assets -1 731 -1 579 -1 363 -6 189 -4 803
    Other operating expenses -1 473 -1 221 -1 498 -5 189 -4 728
    Total operating expenses -10 797 -10 261 -9 948 -40 575 -35 128
    Net profit before impairment losses 9 171 10 967 10 468 41 306 50 076
    Impairment costs on financial assets -1 821 -1 022 -1 148 -4 643 -6 302
    Net profit before income tax 7 351 9 945 9 322 36 663 43 774
    Income tax expenses -957 -1 296 -935 -4 486 -4 570
    Net profit for the period 6 393 8 649 8 386 32 178 39 204
               
    Earnings per share, eur 0,06 0,08 0,08 0,31 0,38
    Diluted earnings per share, eur 0,06 0,08 0,08 0,31 0,38
    Statement of financial position, in th. of euros 31.12.2024 30.09.2024 31.12.2023
    Cash and cash equivalents 343 678 404 472 428 354
    Debt securities 37 751 37 445 36 421
    Loans to customers 1 774 118 1 661 152 1 490 873
    Other assets 33 066 31 956 30 564
    Total assets 2 188 614 2 135 025 1 986 212
    Customer deposits and loans received 1 886 145 1 838 626 1 721 765
    Other liabilities 27 683 28 026 28 435
    Subordinated debt 63 148 63 410 50 187
    Total liabilities 1 976 977 1 930 062 1 800 387
    Equity 211 637 204 963 185 825
    Total liabilities and equity 2 188 614 2 135 025 1 986 212

    The reports of Coop Pank are accessible at: https://www.cooppank.ee/aruandlus.

    Coop Pank will hold an Investor Webinar for the introduction of its financial results, which is scheduled at 09:00 on 13 February 2025. To participate, please register in advance via the following link: https://bit.ly/CP-veebiseminar-registreerimine-13-02-2025

    The webinar will be recorded and posted on the company’s website www.cooppank.ee and YouTube account.

    Coop Pank, which is based on Estonian capital, is one of the five universal banks operating in Estonia. The bank has 208,000 everyday banking customers. Coop Pank aims to put the synergy generated by the interaction of retail business and banking to good use and to bring everyday banking services closer to people’s homes. The strategic owner of the bank is the local retail chain Coop Estonia, which has a sales network of 320 stores.

    Further information:
    Margus Rink
    Chief Executive Office
    Email: margus.rink@cooppank.ee

    Attachments

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: In Senate Budget Committee, Republicans Block Murray Amendments for Bipartisan Approach to Spending, Affirming Congressional Spending Authority, Reversing NIH Cuts, Transparency & Accountability for DOGE, and More

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ICYMI: Senator Murray Remarks at Senate Budget Resolution Markup: Blasts Roadmap to Devastating Cuts, Calls for Budget Hearing with Musk – MORE HERE
    Washington, D.C. — Today, at the Senate Budget Committee’s mark up of Senate Republicans’ budget resolution, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Budget Committee, put forward six amendments to steer Republicans toward a bipartisan approach to spending, affirm Congress’ power of the purse, reverse massive arbitrary cuts to NIH, deliver transparency into the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and more. Republicans unanimously opposed every amendment Murray and other Democrats offered.
    MURRAY AMENDMENT 01: Senator Murray first proposed an amendment to address defense and nondefense needs equally—tackling national security concerns and challenges at the border alongside priorities like supporting our veterans, biomedical research, child care, agriculture, and more—noting that such investments should be a part of ongoing bipartisan topline negotiations between appropriators. Rather than the $342 billion Republicans are proposing in mandatory funding through the partisan reconciliation process, Murray’s amendment would have provided $171 billion in discretionary funding for defense and $171 in discretionary funding for non-defense needs.  Unlike the partisan approach taken by Republicans, the funding under the Murray amendment would be available to address a range of critical needs, including but not limited to national security and the border.
    “Democrats share many of your concerns about investing in our national security, providing more resources to address the challenges at the border, and making sure we counter China,” said Senator Murray of her amendment to equally divide the proposed spending toward defense and non-defense priorities. “While also wanting to make sure we address critical areas like supporting veterans, agriculture, wildfires, disaster response, biomedical research, child care, and much more. So, the approach in my amendment is to say we should work together on a bipartisan basis – and really this should be part of the topline conversations we are having now as we hurtle toward the March 14th funding deadline. I want to make clear Democrats remain at the table on the FY 2025 topline – but it is getting pretty lonely for us when we see Republicans assume a trillion dollars for this year alone in unilateral DOGE cuts, remain quiet as Russ Vought and the administration continues to unlawfully impound funds, and now propose to jam through $342 billion in funding for your priorities on a partisan basis—while I am trying to negotiate in good faith a bipartisan, four-corner topline deal for fiscal year 2025. I would urge my Republican colleagues to get serious and keep your eye on the ball regarding the funding lapse on March 14th, not to mention the sequester cuts at the end of April.”
    MURRAY AMENDMENT 06: Senator Murray pressed her colleagues to pass an amendment to stand up to the Trump Administration and affirm Congress’ power of the purse which Republicans all unanimously opposed.
    “This is not a partisan issue—it is about upholding our laws and Congress’s constitutional authority over federal spending,” said Senator Murray of her amendment to affirm Congressional spending authority. “The Constitution grants Congress—not the President—the power of the purse. This has been affirmed time and again—by: The Supreme Court, Congress, The Government Accountability Office, and others. And yet, Trump, Elon Musk, and Russ Vought have been holding up huge chunks of funding that Congress passed—often on a bipartisan basis. When Presidents ignore our spending laws and the power of the purse our Constitution gives Congress—not the president—it doesn’t just block funding for the American people, it erodes the trust necessary for bipartisan negotiations in Congress. As I have emphasized, Members of Congress—on both sides—must know a deal is a deal. This amendment is about protecting the integrity of our democratic process—our most fundamental checks and balances. Every Senator—Republican or Democrat—should support this amendment to preserve Congress’s authority and maintain the trust necessary for effective governance.”
    MURRAY AMENDMENT 17: Senator Murray also offered an amendment to reverse the Trump Administration’s indiscriminate cut to biomedical research and the lifesaving work supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at research institutions across the country—which no Republican spoke in opposition to during debate, but every Republican voted in opposition.  
    “On Friday night the Trump Administration announced it was implementing a policy to arbitrarily cut National Institutes of Health funding that supports biomedical research at institutions across the country,” said Senator Murray of her amendment to reverse Trump’s proposed policy on indirect costs. “In capping indirect cost rates at 15 percent for NIH-funded grants, this policy would cut funding that is essential to conducting research – such as operating and maintaining labs and research facilities. That is in clear violation of our annual appropriations bills, which have included an explicit prohibition on NIH implementing a policy exactly like this since fiscal year 2018. Fortunately, a court has temporarily paused the policy, but let’s be clear, if the Trump administration were to be successful in gutting NIH funding in this way, it would be absolutely catastrophic for lifesaving research patients and families are counting on, including lifesaving cancer research at Fred Hutch in my home state of Washington, and at so many other institutions in Red and Blue states nationwide.”
    “Research would come to a halt, sick kids would not get the treatment they need, and clinical trials would shut down abruptly,” Murray continued. “Our commitment to supporting basic research infrastructure—which this policy does—is what helped make the American research enterprise the best in the world.  This is funding that helps produce medical breakthroughs and change patients’ lives and ensure that the U.S. continues to be the global leader in biomedical research. NIH is an important economic driver in just about every single one of our states—creating jobs and spurring innovation.”
    MURRAY AMENDMENT 05: Senator Murray pushed for passage of an amendment to have the Senate request the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review, audit and report back within 90 days on DOGE, including the appropriateness of the authorities and finances under which it is operating; internal controls and compliance with appropriations, data privacy, and other laws; the hiring, vetting, and security clearance of its employees, special government employees, and volunteers; appropriateness of actions taken to cancel contracts, reassign or otherwise change the status of federal employees; and any other areas deemed appropriate by the Comptroller General. Every Republican voted no.
    “My amendment requests the Government Accountability Office to review, audit and report back within 90 days on the so called Department of Government Efficiency so that we can understand its role, authorities, and impacts,” said Senator Murray of her amendment to provide some level of transparency into DOGE. “Mr. Chairman, your Mark assumes $1 trillion in savings over the remaining seven to eight months in 2025. That is an astronomical amount of savings to achieve in a very short amount of time and with absolutely no detail provided to us. Those savings would appear largely to come from DOGE, which is operating throughout the government without any authorization from Congress, without any normal disclosure of people, processes, or conflicts, and really with no accountability whatsoever. Whether you support some actions of DOGE or not, you should support transparency and accountability to Congress and the American public. Elon Musk and DOGE have already tried to shut down USAID, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and we are told it is now targeting the Department of Education, with the President saying he wants Musk over at the Pentagon next. None of this is normal – not DOGE, the involvement of an unelected billionaire, the vast influence it has, or the actions they have taken to date with little or no input from Congress.”
    “Let’s be clear—no one voted to let an unelected billionaire decide what bills the federal government would or wouldn’t pay or whether our elementary schools and hospitals get funding, but President Trump is giving Elon the keys to the Treasury,” continued Senator Murray. “And, again, the lack of transparency into its people, processes, and potential conflicts should concern every one of us. So, my hope is with this amendment we can agree to some oversight of DOGE and ask Congress’s independent, nonpartisan watchdog, the GAO, to review DOGE and report back to us within 90 days. And if you are not supportive of this—I have to ask, what are you scared of finding out?”
    MURRAY AMENDMENT 15: Murray also put forward an amendment to prevent federal disaster assistance from being included in the highly partisan budget reconciliation process and ensure that federal disaster relief funds go to the communities that need them when they need them.
    MURRAY AMENDMENT 14: Murray also pressed to pass an amendment, modeled off her Veteran Families Health Services Act, to provide additional funding for improving the reproductive assistance provided by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their spouses or partners—particularly for IVF. Every Republican also opposed these amendments, notwithstanding their intention to significantly increase the size of our military through their reconciliation plan, which will result in even more servicemembers and veterans needing reproductive assistance.
    Prior to consideration of amendments, Senator Murray underscored in her opening comments that the resolution Senate Republicans have put forth is a roadmap to devastating cuts to programs families count on every day—from Medicaid to SNAP to veterans benefits—so that Republicans can later pass more tax breaks for the ultra-rich. Senator Murray emphasized that right now Congress’ focus should be on addressing the fast-approaching March 14 funding deadline and addressing President Trump and Elon Musk’s sweeping, illegal funding freeze—not a partisan measure to gut investments in working people. She also called for Elon Musk to come before the Committee to discuss his already in-motion efforts to decimate programs people count on.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Here’s why some people still evade public transport fares – even when they’re 50 cents

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Associate Professor & Principal Fellow in Urban Risk & Resilience, The University of Melbourne

    Public transport in Queensland now costs just 50 cents. Yet in the first six months of the trial, it’s been revealed that thousands of commuters were fined for fare evasion.

    More than 3,000 people received fines of A$322 each, amounting to more than $1 million in penalties. And more than 21,000 were issued warnings over this period.

    Queensland’s 50 cent fares trial was designed to boost ridership and ease cost-of-living pressures. Now it has exposed a paradox: why do people evade fares even when the price is nearly free?

    Fare evasion isn’t just a Queensland problem — it’s a nationwide challenge. Queensland’s experience raises bigger questions about enforcement, policy, and the role of public transport funding.

    A nationwide challenge

    Across the country, fare evasion drains millions from state public transport budgets. In New South Wales, for example, fare evasion costs the state government about $80 million each year.

    The latest NSW Fare Compliance Survey inspected 52,152 tickets, including Opal cards, contactless payments, and single-trip tickets, across the NSW public transport network.

    Fare evasion costs the NSW government $80 million a year.
    Gordon Bell/Shutterstock

    It found most non-compliance came down to passengers travelling without a valid ticket. This included not only those customers carrying no ticket at all, but also those who did have an Opal or other payment card but hadn’t tapped on.

    Another form of non-compliance was when passengers used concessions for which they weren’t eligible.

    The survey also highlighted variations in compliance – across different modes of transport, times of day and days of the week.

    Overall, compliance did not significantly differ between weekends and weekdays.

    Looking at weekday use, Sydney Metro had the highest compliance rate at 97%. This was followed by Sydney Ferries (95.9%), all trains (93.6%), Sydney Light Rail (91%) and all buses (89.2%).

    Who evades fares and why?

    Fare evasion isn’t just about people trying to save money. Research shows there are different types of fare evaders, ranging from habitual dodgers to those who evade unintentionally.

    An international study on Santiago’s Transantiago system found that evaders could be categorised into four groups:

    • radical evaders who view non-payment as a form of protest
    • strategic evaders who evade when they believe the risk of being caught is low
    • ambivalent evaders who sometimes pay but don’t always see the value in it
    • accidental evaders who forget or run into ticketing system barriers.

    A separate study in Melbourne also identified a wide spectrum of attitudes on fare evasion, from those who consider it morally wrong to those who take calculated risks based on enforcement patterns.

    Does lowering fares reduce evasion?

    Queensland’s 50-cent fare trial presents a real-world test of a long-standing question: does cheaper public transport reduce fare evasion?

    Our calculations using the state’s early data show a 27% drop in fare evasion fines since the trial began, compared with the same period in the previous year.

    This aligns with the idea that fare evasion is, at least partially, a rational economic decision. When the price is lower, the incentive to evade diminishes – though it does not completely disappear.

    Modelling evidence from Santiago’s bus system also suggests price sensitivity, but with caveats. A 10% increase in fares led to a two-percentage-point rise in fare evasion.

    The role of trust and public perception

    A surprising insight from research is that fare evasion isn’t just an economic decision. It’s a social one, too.

    When passengers perceive the system as unfair (due to factors such as unreliable service, high fares or lack of investment), fare evasion rises.

    Further, if fare dodging behaviour is normalised within a city or demographic, it spreads like contagion.

    Studies have suggested that permissive social attitudes toward fare evasion are as strong a predictor as actual financial hardship.

    The limits of enforcement

    Most transit agencies rely on two standard deterrents: more ticket inspections, and harsher fines for fare evaders.

    Does this approach work? Research suggests only to a point.

    All states and territories have had to grapple with the issue of fare evasion.
    Adam Calaitzis/Shutterstock

    Empirical evidence suggests that potential evaders are more deterred by the certainty of getting caught than by the size of the fine.

    In other words, the visibility of inspectors matters more than the penalty itself. For many, the social stigma of getting caught is a key factor, regardless of how big the penalty is.

    A crucial question in the Queensland debate is: if public transport is already nearly free, does fare evasion even matter?

    The lost revenue from the unpaid fares by those who were issued a fine over the period in question amounts to just $1,663.

    Depending on the level of crackdown, at such low fees, enforcement measures could easily end up costing more than the revenue lost. Security patrols, inspections and fine processing can amount to significant costs.

    Why it matters

    There are at least two key factors to consider in relation to whether cracking down on evaders is worth it.

    First, allowing widespread fare evasion could erode social norms around paying for public services. If the expectation of compliance disappears, what happens if fares rise again?

    And second, even when fares are zero or near-zero, requiring passengers to validate a ticket (such as by tapping on and off) allows transport agencies to track demand, plan services, and prevent system abuse.

    Even in Tallinn, Estonia — where residents ride for free — tap-ons are still required for data collection and preventing system abuse.

    Even at 50 cents a trip, authorities still expect public transport to function within a structured system, with rules that encourage accountability and predictability.

    But enforcement alone won’t solve fare evasion. Winning public trust is just as important as enforcing rules. Investing in better service quality, reliability and community engagement can be as effective as increasing inspections.

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

    – ref. Here’s why some people still evade public transport fares – even when they’re 50 cents – https://theconversation.com/heres-why-some-people-still-evade-public-transport-fares-even-when-theyre-50-cents-249739

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Airing climate justice in Costa Rica on World Radio Day

    Source: United Nations 2

    By Carla Garcia

    Climate and Environment

    Quality radio remains ever universal, popular and more reliable in an era of artificial intelligence (AI) and social media, including in Costa Rica, where unique programming raises awareness and promotes public participation on climate decision making in Latin America, the theme of this year’s World Radio Day, marked annually on 13 February.

    In a crucial year for climate action which, in accordance with the Paris Agreement, seeks to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, World Radio Day is dedicated in 2025 to highlighting the power of broadcasting to bring climate change issues to prominence.

    That’s the goal of Climate Radio Route.

    Radio democratises

    Radio is considered the most reliable medium, according to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which supports radio stations, like Climate Radio Route, in their journalistic coverage of this year’s theme.

    Adrián Martínez, director of La Ruta del Clima – the Climate Route – a Costa Rican non-governmental organization (NGO) promoting public participation in climate and environmental decision-making that has been an observer, advocating at the UN climate summits since 2014.

    “Radio in all its versions, whether digital or transmitted by antennas, is super important because it democratizes,” he told UN News . “Radio traditionally reaches places and communities where there is no Internet. It is also very generational. People interact with the radio day by day because it is ephemeral.”

    Climate hits the radio waves

    The Climate Route studies and exposes impacts “on the human rights of people in vulnerable communities in Latin America, especially in Central America, who have to deal with the adverse effects of climate change, for which they have very little responsibility but which is transforming their territories and ways of life”, Mr. Martínez explained.

    With the aim of disseminating and raising awareness in society about these issues, in 2015 the organization created the Ruta del Clima Radio – the Climate Radio Route.

    The programme was broadcast in the first years by a radio station of the University of Costa Rica and then by digital media through podcasts.

    Communities can make their voices heard

    “Communication that can have a massive reach has become very expensive and elitist,” Mr. Martínez said. “However, digital or traditional radio opens up that opportunity for communities, social organizations and movements to create their window and make their voices heard.”

    UNESCO argues that beyond popularising environmental concepts, by disseminating information independent of economic, ideological and political powers, radio can condition listeners’ perception of climate change, and the importance given to the issue.

    As such, radio can also contribute to shaping the public agenda and influencing policies in this regard.

    © La Ruta del Clima

    A training workshop on damage and loss in the community of Cahuita in Costa Rica.

    Connecting climate change to people

    The Climate Radio Route has focused a lot on connecting the issue of climate change with people, not only at the national level in Costa Rica, but throughout the Latin American region.

    The programme discusses issues most relevant in climate governance and amplifies the work and experiences and opinions of colleagues,  activists and experts from this region and others on climate issues.

    “Citizens can have information and criteria beyond what is in the official media and thus can have a more comprehensive vision and promote the effective participation of our communities in climate decisions,” Mr. Martínez said.

    Climate Route Radio productions are self-contained and include climate summits, community interviews and online interviews with people around the world in English or Spanish.

    In line with the SDGs

    The Climate Route underlines the importance of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those that refer to: climate action; peace, justice and solid institutions; and partnerships to achieve the goals.

    Mr. Martínez points out that the NGO has worked with some UN agencies, such as the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

    “We collaborate, for example, with the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), on climate change issues, and we are always discussing with them and with the rapporteurs of the United Nations system or the OAS [Organization of American States] on environmental issues,” he said.

    Presidency of Costa Rica

    The impact of Storm Nate was catastrophic for Costa Rica, affecting 117 national roads and 113,000 hectares of agricultural production, damaging 423 bridges and causing more than $380 million in losses. (file)

    Climate justice claims

    Costa Rica is a country that for years has stood out for the ecological and climate awareness of its population and government, and the Climate Radio Route could have something to do with that awareness.

    “We know that we have a very specialised community of listeners and have helped to interact with this technical group from various countries: politicians, activists or members of governments or national delegations,” Mr. Martínez said, adding that it has also helped to talk about issues of human rights, gender and community perspective as well as make constructive criticism.

    This interaction, he adds, has made it possible to strengthen demands for climate justice.

    © La Ruta del Clima

    Adrián Martínez, director of La Ruta del Clima, facilitates a workshop on climate reparations at COP 29.

    A ‘very special’ radio

    “We are not a very large radio station, but perhaps very special in its message,” Mr. Martínez said. “I think that has opened doors for us to make our perspective known and create a link with this community that is sometimes difficult to engage.”

    In this vein, he underlined the relevance of radio.

    “It allows us to access communication in an oral way, which is sometimes very necessary to be able to have understanding,” he said. “The way we communicate orally is very different from the way we do in writing and sometimes we cannot communicate in the same way.”

    Radio is essential to be able to generate that dialogue of ideas, emotions and feelings that can enhance decision making for peace and for the construction of a better relationship with the environment.

    “I think we must continue to explore not only the use of radio, but also other media that connect us and understand the need to work together,” he said. “That is the important thing about the media: to be able to understand others and then to be able to take common action.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: This is Australia’s only icebreaker. Here’s why experts say we need another

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Younger, Lecturer in Southern Ocean Vertebrate Ecology, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania

    Australia’s Antarctic territory represents the largest sliver of the ice continent. For decades, Australian scientists have headed to one of our three bases – Mawson, Davis and Casey – as well as the base on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, to research everything from ecology to climate science.

    But despite our role as leaders in Antarctic science, Australian funding and logistics for Antarctic research hasn’t kept pace. Our single icebreaking vessel spends most of its time on resupply missions, restricting its use for actual science. And funding is often piecemeal, which makes it hard to plan the complex, multi-year efforts it takes to do research down on the ice.

    This week, we saw a welcome change. The federal parliamentary committee on Australia’s external territories delivered a report calling for a second icebreaking vessel and more reliable funding. It also urged the government to progress work on marine protected areas in east Antarctica as well as resume fishing patrols, due to concern over illegal or exploitative fishing.

    These measures are long overdue. For those of us who work and study on the ice continent, logistics and funding have long been a challenge. Illegal fishing in Antarctica must be stamped out, and a second vessel would support our ambitious, world-leading science.

    Why is Antarctic science so important?

    Antarctica is often out of sight, out of mind for many Australians. But what happens on the ice doesn’t stay there.

    For climate science, Antarctica matters a great deal. For decades, much of the concern about melting ice focused on the Arctic and Greenland, while Antarctica stayed relatively stable. But this is now changing. Sea ice is melting more quickly than in the past. Glacial ice is retreating. Increased melting will affect sea level rise and ocean currents.

    I study diseases such as the lethal strain of bird flu which has devastated bird and some mammals populations around the world. It recently reached Antarctica, where it killed large numbers of penguins, skuas, crabeater seals and more. I saw the devastation myself on my recent journey there.

    If this strain makes it to Australia – the last continent free of it – it could come from the south and devastate both Australian wildlife and poultry.

    To study these large and important changes, we need to be down there on the ice. It’s not an easy task. Keeping our bases functional means we need regular resupply missions. Repairs and extensions require tradies. Scientists and other workers need to be brought home.

    Antarctic science has long relied on just one vessel, now the RSV Nuniya, which the Australian Antarctic Division describes as the “main lifeline to Australia’s Antarctic and sub-Antarctic research stations and the central platform of our Antarctic and Southern Ocean scientific research”.

    The problem is, resupply can trump science. After all, no one wants bases running short of food or fuel. This is, in fact, what the Nuniya is largely doing.

    Australia’s role is key

    The Australian Antarctic Territory represents about 40% of the ice continent – the largest territory by far.

    Territory, here, doesn’t mean exclusive rights. In 1959, 12 nations with a scientific interest in the ice continent signed the Antarctic Treaty. This treaty was an agreement that Antarctica – the only landmass with no indigenous human presence – would be reserved for peaceful, scientific purposes.

    But in recent years, this treaty has come under pressure. Nations such as Norway and China have expanded fishing operations for krill. Illegal and unregulated fishing from various nations continues.

    The report recommends the Australian government continue efforts to establish a marine protected area off East Antarctica – where fishing would be restricted – as well as reopening fishing patrols. China – which recently opened its fifth Antarctic base – is opposed to the idea of fishing-free zones and is pushing to expand fishing in the Southern Ocean.

    Under Antarctica’s ice lie many resources. Mining is banned in Antarctica until 2048. What happens after that is uncertain. The race to tap critical minerals in Greenland signals what may lie ahead for Antarctica.

    This is why Australia’s leadership in Antarctic science matters. Australia was an original signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, and has a long history of exploration and science. Hobart has long been the home of Australia’s Antarctic vessels.

    As Antarctica changes, Australian scientists must be there to analyse, understand and report back. To do that, improvements are needed, including new vessels and longer-term funding. This report is the first step.

    The government is yet to formally respond to the report’s recommendations. Let’s hope it takes heed of the findings.

    Jane Younger receives funding from the Australian Research Council, WIRES Australia, the Geoffrey Evans Trust and the National Geographic Society.

    – ref. This is Australia’s only icebreaker. Here’s why experts say we need another – https://theconversation.com/this-is-australias-only-icebreaker-heres-why-experts-say-we-need-another-249714

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Short-term politics keeps stalling long-term fixes. This bill offers a way forward

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Harris Rimmer, Professor, Griffith Law School, Griffith University

    Two federal politicians from opposing camps reached across the aisle this week to promote a valuable cause – the wellbeing of future Australian generations.

    Independent MP Sophie Scamps tabled the Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill 2025, which was seconded by Liberal backbencher Bridget Archer.

    In an election year no less, this was a highly unusual moment of bipartisan collaboration.

    It is extremely rare for private members bills to be passed into law. But the ideas in the Scamps bill have merit – especially its central recommendation that all decision makers properly consider the needs of young people when drafting government policy.

    The bill was a direct response to a diverse civil society campaign in Australia and overseas to prioritise long term solutions to deliver a fairer, more sustainable future.

    We support those efforts through our involvement in the youth-driven non-profit Foundations for Tomorrow, which worked closely with Scamps on her bill.

    What is in the bill?

    The bill would introduce a range of measures to try and apply a future focus to decision making across the policy spectrum. This includes housing, environment, climate change, mental health and job security, all of which are pressing issues for young people.

    An independent Commissioner for Future Generations would be appointed to advocate for better policies and sustainable practices, while the government would have a public duty to always consider the best interests of future generations.

    Importantly, a national conversation would be launched to engage Australians in a public consultation to help shape the nation’s vision for the future.

    What is future governance?

    Globally, we are in a state of polycrisis.

    We are confronting cascading climate disasters, intense regional conflicts and geo-strategic competition. In response to this, a growing international movement representing the interests of future generations has emerged.

    The concept incorporates an approach to decision making that overcomes the trappings of short-term, inadequate solutions. Instead, the emphasis is on planning for the future, not just the here and now.

    Here in Australia, it aspires to future-proof the country by managing extreme, long-term risks that are damaging current and future prosperity.

    Growing inequality is showing up in many policy areas, none more so than in the housing wealth gap between people in their 30s and 50s, which has widened to an extraordinary 234%.

    By improving governance, it is hoped that intergenerational justice will be achieved. This ethical lens is compatible with the Australian Public Service value of good stewardship.

    A global movement

    Many countries, including Scotland, Finland, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore, are exploring ways to reorient their policy making towards a better understanding of long-term impacts of decisions taken now. It has also been taken up by the United Nations and the European Union.

    The Australian bill is based on the experience in Wales, where similar legislation was introduced in 2015.

    The Welsh model has delivered significant practical benefits by including community involvement in planning, and protecting essential services from election cycles. For instance, environmental protection has been given higher status in decision making about transport.

    The Australian landscape

    Australia has undertaken other efforts to think long term. The Intergenerational Report was launched by former treasurer Peter Costello in 2002 to build consensus around the big issues facing Australia over the next 40 years.

    The most recent report, in 2023, identified five major areas needing future generations policy. These were population and ageing, technological and digital transformation, climate change and the net zero transformation, rising demand for care and support services, and geopolitical risk and fragmentation.

    The ideas in the Wellbeing of Future Generations bill could help guide policy in these critical areas. It would be an improvement on our current approach of recognising issues, but constantly kicking the can down the road.

    There have been other excellent future generations measures at all levels of government. One of these is the Albanese government’s commitment to the Measuring What Matters framework.

    And there is merit in independent Senator David Pocock’s Duty of Care Bill and the establishment of the Parliamentary Group for Future Generations at the Commonwealth level.

    An increasing number of leaders and policy makers are recognising the power and potential of expanding our definitions of policy success.

    Young voters and the 2025 election

    However, much more needs to be done to overcome intergenerational inequities. Policy-making continues to be driven by short-term political objectives, which is eroding trust and optimism in Australia’s future.

    In a 2021 survey for Foundations for Tomorrow, 71% of young Australians said said that they “do not feel secure”. Young people are also drifting away from supporting the major parties, especially the Coalition.

    Tabling her bill, Scamps correctly pointed out that today’s young Australians are the first generation in modern history to be worse off than their parents.

    Australians want politicians to start thinking beyond their own re-election prospects. They want long term solutions, they want vision, they want hope. We owe them that much.

    A recent survey by EveryGen (a network convened by Griffith University’s Policy Innovation Hub) found that 81% of Australians feel that politicians focus too much on short-term priorities. An overwhelming 97% of people believe that current policies must consider the interests of future generations.

    Genuine futures thinking is not always easy. But it does add an important ethical dimension to decision making, that of real attention to political legacy.

    Susan Harris Rimmer receives funding from the Australian Research Council. She is affiliated with Foundations for Tomorrow as a board member who are running the For the Future campaign, and is founder of the EveryGen network. EveryGen is a member of the Intergenerational Fairness Coalition.

    Elise Stephenson receives funding from the Australian Research Council. She is a founding member of the EveryGen network and supporter of Foundations for Tomorrow. EveryGen is a member of the Intergenerational Fairness Coalition.

    – ref. Short-term politics keeps stalling long-term fixes. This bill offers a way forward – https://theconversation.com/short-term-politics-keeps-stalling-long-term-fixes-this-bill-offers-a-way-forward-249598

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Widespread egg rationing sweeps US stores

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    This photo taken with a mobile phone on Feb. 7, 2025 shows a price tag on a shelf for eggs at a local supermarket in El Monte, Los Angeles County, California, the United States. [Photo/Xinhua]

    More U.S. grocery chains are implementing egg purchase limits as bird flu outbreaks continue to disrupt supplies, with California shoppers particularly feeling the squeeze through restricted purchases and early morning queues.

    At a Costco store in San Jose, California, the warehouse has been limiting purchases to three cartons per customer since Saturday, according to a store employee named Pauline. By late morning on Tuesday, only 15 cartons remained — all higher-priced organic brown and green eggs, with no white eggs available. The store has posted the sales limit sign at the entrance, effective Tuesday.

    “You need to come early to make sure you can buy eggs,” Marcie Lopez, a customer at the store, told Xinhua, noting that eggs are getting more expensive and harder to buy this year.

    “No eggs, no eggs, no eggs,” a clerk at another Costco store in Azusa, California, told the people waiting in line just after the location opened on Monday morning.

    “It’s unbelievable, we came so early in the morning, but we still couldn’t buy eggs,” a customer, who gave her name as Luna, told Xinhua.

    The rising prices and empty shelves are fueling consumer anxiety. Social media platforms like TikTok are flooded with videos of shoppers rushing to grab eggs, sometimes emptying freshly stocked shelves in minutes. One viral video from a Costco store showed eggs being snapped up in less than 10 minutes, with customers grabbing eggs by the hundreds.

    Nationwide, retailers are scrambling to manage dwindling supplies. Trader Joe’s has implemented a one-dozen limit per customer per day across all of its over 600 U.S. locations.

    “Due to ongoing issues with the supply of eggs, we kindly ask you to limit your purchase to 1 dozen of any kind,” wrote a Trader Joe’s store in Monrovia in a sign for customers shopping for eggs, noting that “we hope to have ample supply soon. Until then, we appreciate your understanding.”

    Whole Foods has capped purchases at three cartons per shopper, while Kroger stores are limiting customers to two dozen eggs per trip.

    Other major chains have followed suit. Sprouts has implemented a four-dozen limit per visit, Giant Eagle is asking customers to limit purchases to three cartons per transaction, and Market Basket stores in Massachusetts are restricting egg purchases to two cartons per family.

    In California, a Safeway supermarket in Santa Clara has been limiting customers to two dozen per visit for the past month. An employee, who called himself John, explained to Xinhua that the store doesn’t receive daily egg deliveries, instead stocking twice daily — at 7 a.m. and noon — to spread out availability. Even with these measures, eggs typically sell out by late afternoon.

    The restrictions come as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) continues to impact egg-laying flocks nationwide. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Eggs Markets Overview report published on Friday, more than 150 million poultry birds have been killed in attempts to combat the H5N1 virus, causing egg prices to soar and supplies to dwindle.

    The national trading price for graded, loose, white large shell eggs has risen to 7.34 U.S. dollars per dozen, while the California wholesale price for cage-free large shell eggs has reached 9.11 dollars per dozen. The report expects the supply situation to remain tight, with little chance for near-term improvement.

    As a result, many grocers are limiting promotional activities and implementing purchase restrictions to stretch existing supplies.

    “Due to recent market conditions, egg prices have increased. We apologize for any inconvenience,” wrote an Aldi store in Monrovia in a sign inside the shop, adding that “due to supply challenges, eggs are limit 2 per customer.”

    Some retailers are maintaining high prices to dampen demand, and egg product manufacturers have increased their demand, leading to sharp price advances in the spot market.

    USDA predicts egg prices will increase about 20 percent in 2025, far outpacing the projected 2.2 percent increase in overall food prices. The prices in December 2024 were already 36.8 percent higher than the previous year, according to USDA data.

    Saloni Vastani, an associate professor of marketing at Emory University, told USA Today that the shortage is being exacerbated by consumer behavior.

    “Egg prices are going up because of the avian flu, but that’s driving people to buy more eggs than they usually do because they’re anticipating higher prices and reduced grocery store supply,” Vastani explained.

    The impact has extended to restaurants as well. Waffle House, which serves approximately 272 million eggs annually, recently implemented a 50-cent per egg surcharge across its roughly 2,100 U.S. locations.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Heads vs tails? A simple coin flip can be enough to change how we treat others

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eliane Deschrijver, Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Sydney

    Circles in a Circle (1923) Wassily Kandinsky / Philadelphia Museum of Art / The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950

    Imagine you are asked to give a small amount of money to a stranger. It’s not your money, so it doesn’t cost you anything. You’re just deciding how much they get.

    But first, a pair of coins is flipped – one for you and one for the stranger – and you are told the results.

    Would the coin flip change how much money you give? Specifically, would you give them a larger amount if you both got heads or tails than if you got different results?

    As we discovered in a series of experiments with more than 1,400 participants, the coin flip – or other seemingly insignificant points of similarity or difference – might well affect your behaviour.

    In a new paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, we show how understanding why even a coin flip can influence behaviour might help us understand what makes people discriminate against others.

    ‘Us’ versus ‘them’

    Historically, many psychological theories that aim to explain discrimination have focused on group processes, rather than on how we respond to individual people.

    This focus on group processes followed, in part, from the discovery that people benefit their own group over another group even if the division into groups had happened based on seemingly irrelevant features.

    The use of such features has been crucial for explaining the core psychology of discrimination, stripped from any wider societal elements such as race, gender, values or attitudes.

    In the seminal “minimal group” experiment, people were assigned to one of two groups based on seemingly irrelevant differences. Some groups were split by a preference for the paintings of Paul Klee versus those of Wassily Kandinsky, others by whether they had over- or underestimated the number of dots in an image. Some were even allocated to groups by a random event like a coin flip.

    The so-called ‘minimal group’ experiment showed that separating people into groups was enough to make them favour members of their own group.
    Andrii Yalanski/Shutterstock

    The result? Klee fans tended to give financial benefits to other Klee fans ahead of Kandinsky enthusiasts. Likewise, people in the “heads” group favoured their own group over those in the “tails” group.

    The results could not be explained easily by existing research at the time. Some theories had emphasised that people show favour towards an individual after agreeing on more meaningful topics than painting preferences or dots estimations. The meaningful topics were things like one’s belief system, values or political or religious views.

    Small studies had also found that a coin flip – which didn’t lead to explicitly dividing people into groups – was not enough to make people show discriminatory tendencies.

    An influential theory called social identity theory thus concluded that social categorisation – thinking in terms of “us” versus “them” – could lead to people discriminating. This was tied to an idea that people elevate their self-image or improve their self-esteem by benefiting their own group over others.

    New research emphasises a role for even random similarity versus difference

    In our recent research, we set out to reassess whether group division is crucial to understand discriminatory tendencies.

    We carried out seven experiments with over 1,400 participants in total (all based in the United Kingdom).

    The study analysed data from participants who were asked to either repeatedly choose their preferred painting from two, estimate the number of dots presented in a “cloud”, or take part in a coin toss.

    After each choice or coin flip, participants had to assign money to another person (the same person each time).

    The result of a coin flip was enough to change how study participants treated another person.
    Motortion Films/Shutterstock

    The only information participants were given about the other individual was their outcome in the same situation. Neither participants nor the other person were assigned to groups. Someone asked to pick between two paintings, for instance, was only told which painting the person they were allocating money to preferred in that instance.

    Participants allocated on average 43.1% more money to another person who demonstrated the same judgement – or chance outcome – to their own.

    Our research demonstrates that some of our discriminatory tendencies may be driven by individual difference versus sameness even when that difference or sameness is based on random chance, like a coin flip.

    The findings raise the possibility that more basic neural processes than thinking about groups may have contributed to these outcomes.

    Detecting a difference often comes with a conflict signal in the brain, and may come with negative emotions. Sameness with another person may hence lead to a more favourable treatment. However, this potential explanation will require further research.

    Why does this matter?

    The findings can help understand our own tendencies for favouring another person.

    Previous research had suggested that “incidental similarity” with somebody, such as sharing a birthday or a name, can influence pro-social behaviour or liking because we associate the person with the way we see ourselves.

    Our research surprisingly suggests that something similar can happen on the basis of an even less-relevant chance event such as a coin flip.

    This may affect how we think about discrimination. We usually understand discrimination as making unfair distinctions between people based on groups or other social categories.

    Our research suggests future perspectives on discrimination may incorporate a role for individual-level difference, too.

    Does this new understanding suggest ways we can lessen discrimination? At this stage, they would only be speculative.

    However, earlier scientific efforts to find ways to reduce prejudice and discrimination have largely been informed by group-based theories of discrimination. For example, some interventions have aimed to influence people’s perceptions of other groups.

    In the same way, our new findings may inspire future research into interventions based on individual-level drivers of discrimination.

    Eliane Deschrijver receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    Richard Ramsey 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. Heads vs tails? A simple coin flip can be enough to change how we treat others – https://theconversation.com/heads-vs-tails-a-simple-coin-flip-can-be-enough-to-change-how-we-treat-others-249611

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: “He’s a Danger,” King Warns in Floor Speech Against RFK Jr. Nomination

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) tonight took to the floor of the Senate to share his concern over President Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to serve as the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). In the speech, Senator King began his remarks by outlining the roles of Congress and the Presidency as America’s Founders envisioned: to make laws and to execute laws, respectively.  He then turned to the HHS candidate, speaking to Kennedy’s lack of experience and qualifications needed to run a large-scale health organization, and pointed out Kennedy’s long held public opinions as hostile toward the mission of the agency. He also warned of Kennedy’s dangerous skepticism toward proven, life-saving vaccines, sharing a childhood memory of a classmate who had polio.

    “Mr. President, I’d like to begin my remarks this afternoon by talking a little bit about the Constitution. I spent some time last week talking about the Constitution and our failure to observe that the Constitutional, fundamental structure of the division of power between the Congress and the Executive is being violated and the Congress is allowing it to happen. Another provision of the Constitution is the provision in Article I about advise and consent. It’s a fundamental check and balance built into the Constitution by the framers for a reason. It wasn’t a throw-away line or a few sentences that were put in because they wanted to fill the paragraph out. Again, it’s part of the structure that was designed to protect us from tyranny. And the structure involved the division of power, the separation of power because the framers knew that if all power was concentrated in a single individual or single institution, that institution or that individual would inevitably abuse our people. That’s human nature. That’s 1,000 years of human nature. All power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. So, the advise and consent provision was in the Constitution for a reason. It was in there for a reason, in order to provide a check on the executive and the people who were going to be put in charge of running the administration. 

    “By the way, I want to stop for a minute and focus on the word administration and the word executive, because it really goes to the discussion we’re having in this country right now about how our government is supposed to work. The executive comes from the word execute, and the word execute means put into action. It doesn’t mean initiate the action. It means put it into action. The same for the term administration. There’s a reason we call it the administration. They are to administer the laws. In fact, the obligation on the president in Article II is to see that the laws are faithfully executed. And it does not give the president the power to ignore laws or to decide which laws he or she thinks are okay, to ignore the responsibility and constitutional authority of the congress to define spending. It does not give the president that power. Although, the fellow we approved for Office of Management and Budget last week thinks he has that power. Or this President or any president has that power. That’s absolutely antithetical to the Constitution, as established by the framers. So, administration means administer the laws, executive means execute the laws, not make them. We make the laws here and the administration is to faithfully execute those laws. 

    “Now, let’s talk about advise and consent. Advise and consent means we have a responsibility — a Constitutional responsibility to consider each of the president’s nominees for these important jobs. This isn’t something that we may do or occasionally do. This is a fundamental part of our job. We take an oath when we come here to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I think it’s interesting — they knew in 1787 that there was a potential for domestic enemies to the Constitution. So we have an obligation to take advise and consent seriously. 

    “Now, I’m a former governor, as is the presiding officer. And as a former executive, I believe the executive should have the ability to choose the team that they want, to choose their advisors. To choose the people they will work with, with some limitations. In other words, I start with the premise of the person elected should perhaps get the benefit of the doubt is a little too strong, but I start with the premise that they were elected and they should be able to choose the team that they are going to be working with. However, I think there are two qualifications. This has been my stated position on this since I entered the Senate. Benefit of the doubt to the executive, however, the nominee must be manifestly qualified and not hostile to the mission of the agency to which they’ve had been appointed. Two criteria that for me give life to the idea of advise and consent. 

    “Okay, let’s talk about Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. He, unfortunately, checks both of the boxes as to being disqualified. Number one, he’s not remotely qualified to run an organization. He has no experience running anything remotely like the scope and scale of the Department of Health and Human Services. No executive experience in that sense. So that’s number one. Is he qualified? No. He’s grossly unqualified. But the second box is he hostile to the mission of the agency? And if the mission of the agency, HHS, is to protect the health of the American people, I would argue he is manifestly hostile to that mission. There’s been a lot of discussion here today and I think it’s interesting. I haven’t heard too many people come up on the floor and support this nominee and tell us why he should be approved because, you know what, Mr. President? If this were a secret ballot, this man wouldn’t get 20 votes. Everybody in this body knows he’s not qualified. Everybody in this body knows he has no business anywhere near this position. But here we are. We’re going to take a vote. Unfortunately, it will probably be on a party-line basis. 

    “But let me focus on just one little piece. On January 29, barely a week ago, before the Senate Finance Committee, here’s what Mr. Kennedy said. Quote, “news reports have claimed that I’m antivaccine or anti-industry. I am neither. I am pro-safety. All of my kids are vaccinated.” I bet that came as news to all of the folks he’s been leading astray over the last 25-30 years. I believe vaccines have a critical role in health care. I am reminded of Saul on the road to Damascus. A miraculous conversion. A bright light was shown and suddenly the scales fell from his eyes in his confirmation hearing. Okay, let’s go back a little over a year, July 6, 2023, this is a quote, a direct quote, “there is no vaccine that is safe and effective.” He later said, on the same podcast, ‘vaccines are inherently unsafe.’ Mr. President, this man shouldn’t be confirmed because he told the committee and the Senate something diametrically opposed to the position he’s taken the last 30 years, all of his adult life. 

    “Maya Angelou said, “If somebody tells you who they are, you should believe them.” And he’s told us repeatedly. And he has acted on his vaccine skepticism. This wasn’t something that was rumbling around in his head. He’s traveled the world. He’s written articles, gone on podcasts, gone on TV and he’s discouraged people from being vaccinated. And now he has this miraculous conversion 10 days ago. ‘All my kids are vaccinated. I believe vaccines have a critical role in health care.’ The same thing during COVID. He said, ‘it is criminal medical malpractice to give a child one of these vaccines.’ Wow, criminal malpractice. And of course it’s been discussed. He said I do believe that autism does come from vaccines. July of 2023 there was one study in England — I think it was in 1998 — that showed that — purported to show a tenuous convection between vaccines and — connection between vaccines and autism. I’m reasonably confident that one of the authors recanted. It was withdrawn and it’s been debunked over and over and over again, but this man has been peddling this lie for 20 years, and who knows how many parents have fallen for that on the one hand who knows how many children have paid the price. Just to talk about vaccines, at one point during the pandemic, there was a survey — July of 2021 — remember, that was the height of it — they surveyed 50 hospitals in 17 states. 94% of the patients hospitalized in July of 2021 were unvaccinated. What does that tell you? Vaccinations worked. And people who were unvaccinated were at enormously higher risk. 94% of the people were unvaccinated.

    “In addition to the vaccination issue, this guy — this man doesn’t respect the FDA, the agency that was put in place to protect our health, to regulate us, to be sure that we’re getting safe medications, to deal with some of the awful problems of the potential of harmful medications literally getting into America’s bloodstream. In December of 2024, barely a couple months ago, he said he would fire officials at the FDA. And in October 2024 he said on X, ‘FDA’s war on public health is about to end. If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt work, two messages for you: prepare your records and pack your bags.’ He didn’t say a certain office in the FDA or a certain part of the FDA or maybe there was one provision, a part that he didn’t think was helpful. He said, if you work for the FDA, that’s everybody, preserve your records and pack your bags. 

    “This man is not only unqualified, he’s anti-qualified. He’s a danger. We have physicians in the Senate — I believe that the Hippocratic oath, do no harm, should apply to Senate votes. You should not be voting for somebody who you know is going to do harm to the public health. So this is really a kind of surreal debate because everybody in this chamber knows this man should not be Secretary of Health and Human Services. 

    “Now, I want to end with a personal story. One of the few advantages of being older is that you have a long memory. And in 1952 I was entering the third grade at Macarthur School in Alexander, Virginia. In my class was a kid named Butch. And he was horribly twisted into a wheelchair. I don’t think I’d ever seen a wheelchair when I was going into the third grade. He was there, and I’m not even going to say how many years later, but I can close my eyes and see Butch in that chair. Polio was what he had. He was in pain daily. He could barely make himself understood. His arms were crossed. His legs were bent grotesquely in the wheelchair. And three years later the Salk Vaccine began what turned out to be the elimination of Polio. Where would we be as a country if this man had been the head at that time it was HEW and somehow put a stop to this vaccine, which I believe he has said even the Polio vaccine should be rescinded, which has saved millions of lives around the world. Where would we be? I can’t escape the memory of that boy in that wheelchair. I can’t forget the memory of my parents not letting me go to the public swimming pool because of the fear of Polio. Not being able to go out in the summer and play because of the fear of Polio that stalked the land. The former Republican leader was a victim of Polio. Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt was a victim of Polio. It was the vaccine. And, Mr. President, I hope this place comes to its senses and rejects this surreal nomination. It would be probably be hard to find somebody less qualified to serve in this position. I believe that it will lead to damage to our country, to our health, to our children, and I urge my colleagues to vote no. If you vote yes, you’ll regret it. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.”

    Senator King has been continuously sounding the alarm on President Donald Trump’s existential threat to the Constitution: he declared that the proposal to halt all federal grant and loan disbursement was illegal and a direct assault on the Constitution. More recently, he joined 36 Senators in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, sharing the detrimental effects of  the Trump Administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He also joined fellow Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) colleagues in writing a letter to the White House about the risks to national security by allowing unvetted Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staff and representatives to access classified and sensitive government materials. Last week, he spoke on the Senate floor to share his growing concerns over the Trump Administration’s largely unconstitutional and unprecedented overreach; in the speech he cited the Founding Fathers to add historical perspective to the decision facing the Senate, including the importance of the separation of powers.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: New play Housework is a future Australian classic – a Don’s Party for our time

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Campbell, Lecturer, Performing Arts, UniSA Creative, University of South Australia

    Matt Byrne/STCSA

    Housework, a new play by Emily Steel, lifts the rock off politics to expose its crawling, ruthless, yet undeniably comic underside. The result is masterful, hilarious and deeply incisive.

    Housework opens with the day-to-day demands of a local MP electorate office and then sweeps to the halls of power in Canberra.

    Chief of staff Anna Cooper (Emily Taheny), media advisor Ben (Benn Welford) and junior staffer Kelly (Franca Lafosse) try to perform damage control for their headstrong, cherry-picked, first-term MP Ruth Mandour (Susie Youssef).

    In Canberra, Ruth is preparing for her first private member’s bill, calling for health care reform; Anna has a sick child back home; and Ben is absent with COVID. Add in a star-struck young female staffer, a predatory older male MP (Paul, played by Renato Musolino), and a photo of them leaving a bar together and we strap in for a rollicking ride through media manipulation, personal and political sacrifice, and the fleeting moments of power.

    It is absolutely compelling and all too recognisable.

    This is everything you’ve always wanted to know about Australian politics but were too afraid to have your worst fears confirmed. Steel’s play is laugh-out-loud funny in its satire and send-ups. But it is also deeply affecting in her bleak but loving depiction of the chasm between personal dreams and the reality of politics.

    Uproarious comedy

    Steel has based her script on interviews with politicians and staffers (confidential, of course) and media stories. She centres the experiences of women in politics, personal lives, gender roles, sexism, fighting the patriarchal socio-political systems. This sits within the story of a new MP butting up against potential scandal and the power plays of Parliament, and the relentless 24-hour news cycle.

    It is a timely reminder of the barriers that continue to obstruct social equality.

    The cleaning woman eventually gets one of the best skewering zingers of the play.
    Matt Byrne/STCSA

    Steel’s script is bookended with a woman cleaning (who eventually gets one of the best skewering zingers of the play). The constant references to rubbish disposal are a highlight, from the hilarious opening scene (“we don’t do bins”) to the frantic scramble to weaponise a “scandal” and who is sacrificed to save who.

    Steel’s writing revels in the roller coaster of political life, balancing the high comedy with deep insight into the human cost.

    This is the kind of play you want to see again to delight in Steel’s use of language, the uproarious comedy and the undercurrents of bloodthirsty power.

    A brilliant cast

    Director Shannon Rush has expertly paced this excellent cast to bring out every laugh, back stab and all-too-familiar power jostle. They don’t miss a beat or drop a spark of energy. The sense of building political pressure and personal conflict is relentless and exciting; the depiction of the sense of place and power is spot on.

    Every one of Steel’s political animals is instantly recognisable. We watch them with morbid fascination as they spar, jostle, align and detonate, revealing more of themselves as the stakes rise.

    Every one of Steel’s political animals is instantly recognisable.
    Matt Byrne/STCSA

    Taheny effortlessly makes the whip-smart staffer Anna multifaceted, with internal conflict alongside high-energy pragmatism and expertly timed comedy. Youssef’s Ruth is blunt, no-nonsense and idealistic, with comically few diplomatic skills and no idea how the machinations of government work – but an unflinching desire to make a change for good.

    Lafosse brings depth, subtlety and excellent comic foil timing to the young idealist. Musolino revels in the role of the leader-in-waiting Paul, giving us a joyously morally bankrupt character. Every moment of his scenes is a delight and his repulsively predatory-yet-attractive older white male politician was all-too recognisable. The scenes between Paul and Taheny’s Anna spark and hum with energy and presence.

    Welford is wonderful as Ben the media officer and Duncan the party apparatchik, bringing out the offhanded ruthless grabs for power and casual decimations between laughs.

    Youssef’s Ruth is blunt, no-nonsense and idealistic, with comically few diplomatic skills.
    Matt Byrne/STCSA

    The ensemble cast all play smaller roles, filling out the world of parliament with the faceless “schemers and plotters” in the back rooms and corridors, ABC news journalists, and continual stream of environmental protesters.

    Sunitra Martinelli plays both the ever-present (and mostly voiceless) cleaner, and the prime minister. This pairing is a genius move, played with presence and deft contrast. The cleaning woman, constantly fixing the mess others make, bookends the play as a constant reminder of the mopping-up required for the people in power. Politics is literally a dirty business.

    A future classic

    Ailsa Paterson’s stylish set references the stark white outside of Parliament House in Canberra. The repetitive doorways and hallways, entries and frames for the machinations of the people of government. A rotating long timber table divides the scenes and the sides of parliament.

    Sound design by Andrew Howard punctuates scene changes and mood swings with pounding relentless pace, the tick-tock of time passing, and rich sonic textures to create the insistent, driving tempo of government.

    The stylish set references the stark white outside of Parliament House in Canberra.
    Matt Byrne/STCSA

    Nigel Leavings’ lighting is superb, creating menace, blinding office fluros, and shadows in this mad-rush-to-the-top climb over the bodies of everyone to get to the top.

    Housework is firmly in the now-familiar worlds of Total Control (2019–24), Rake (2010–18) and The Thick Of It (2005–12). It is a deft capturing of a socio-political moment in time, undeniably Australian and gloriously uncompromising.

    Dare I say it, this a future Australian classic: a Don’s Party for our time, but with fewer blokes and WAGs – and a female PM.

    Housework is at the State Theatre Company South Australia until February 22.

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

    – ref. New play Housework is a future Australian classic – a Don’s Party for our time – https://theconversation.com/new-play-housework-is-a-future-australian-classic-a-dons-party-for-our-time-249019

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Menopause hormone patches are in short supply. What are they? And how do they compare with other therapies?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mary Bushell, Clinical Associate Professor in Pharmacy, University of Canberra

    DimaBerlin/Shutterstock

    The federal government yesterday released its response to the Senate inquiry into issues related to menopause. The inquiry recommended the government examine options to make menopause hormone therapy (MHT, or sometimes called hormone replacement therapy) more affordable and accessible, and address drug shortages.

    In response, three MHT products will be added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS): Estrogel and Estrogel Pro (gels) and Prometrium (a tablet). From March 1, this will bring the cost down to A$31.60 a month ($7.70 concession).

    Some MHT skin patches are already subsidised on the PBS, but they’re in short supply globally. This is due to a combination of factors including manufacturing issues, unexpected increases in demand and the discontinuation of the Climara brand of patch.

    When patients can’t access their MHT patches, they may be prescribed alternative brands that aren’t listed on the PBS, potentially costing more. Others will switch to different formulations, combinations and or strengths to try to get the same effect.

    So what are MHT patches? And how do they compare with gels, tablets and other formulations?

    First a quick recap of menopause

    During the transition to menopause, the ovaries gradually produce less oestrogen until they stop altogether.

    This hormonal change can lead to a range of symptoms, including hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, mood swings, memory problems and vaginal dryness.

    Over time, the reduction in oestrogen also increases the risk of health problems such as osteoporosis.

    To help reduce the sometimes-debilitating symptoms, some women may be prescribed hormone therapy. This typically includes an oestrogen hormone (such as oestradiol or conjugated oestrogens) and, for women with an intact uterus, a progestogen. Therapy with both hormones is known as combination therapy.

    If taken alone, oestrogen stimulates endometrial growth, increasing the risk of endometrial hyperplasia (irregular thickening of the uterine lining) and cancer. Progestogens counteract this by promoting regular shedding.

    Women without a uterus (after a hysterectomy, for example) do not require progestogens as there is no endometrium to protect.

    What are the different MHT formulations?

    Early MHT, used in the 1940s, used oestrogens extracted from the urine of pregnant mares. Oral formulations derived from this source, such as conjugated equine oestrogens (such as Premarin, short for PREgnant MARes’ urINe), are still available.

    These days, MHT can be broken down into two types of formulations:

    1. ‘Systemic’ treatments such as tablets, patches or gels

    Tablets and capsules are swallowed, while patches and gels are applied to the skin.

    These treatments affect the whole body and are usually best for the vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats, as well as to prevent bone loss.

    2. ‘Localised’ treatments, such as creams and pessaries

    These are inserted into the vagina, and act on the vagina and surrounding tissues. They are absorbed in very small amounts into the bloodstream, much lower than systemic treatments, and are unlikely to have significant effects on the rest of the body.

    Creams and pessaries contain oestrogen alone, and are the best option for treating dryness and discomfort in the vagina.

    They can also help prevent frequent urinary tract infections and improve some bladder problems, such as urinary urgency and urge incontinence.

    It is possible for women to use different forms of oestrogen and progestogen in their hormone therapy regimen. They might use an oestradiol patch to deliver oestrogen, for example, and take oral progesterone to provide the necessary progestogen component.

    Potential MHT side effects include oestrogen-related, headaches, breast tenderness or pain, nausea, leg cramps, mood changes, vaginal bleeding or spotting, bloating, swelling of the hands or feet, indigestion, and skin irritation with patches.

    Patches vs tablets and gels

    MHT patches, which have been available since the 1990s, are now more widely used and often preferred.

    Patches deliver a consistent dose of hormones directly into the bloodstream through the skin, bypassing the liver. This mimics the natural release by the ovaries and provides steady hormone levels into the bloodstream.

    Gels, like patches, bypass the liver. They are associated with less skin irritation than patches, making them a preferable option for people sensitive to adhesives or prone to skin irritation.

    In contrast, oral formulations must be absorbed by the gut and then pass through the liver, where the drug gets processed. Some will be broken down, some will be converted to active metabolites, before entering the bloodstream. This can result in fluctuating oestrogen levels and more side effects than the more consistent delivery provided by patches.

    When oral oestrogen goes through the liver, there is also an increase in the production of clotting factors. For this and other reasons, oestrogen patches have a lower risk of blood clots compared to oral tablets and capsules. Women with an elevated risk of blood clots – including those who are obese, smoke, or have a history of clotting disorders – often prefer patches.

    Patches, which are applied once or twice weekly, are designed to make it easier to stick to than tablets and gels MHT, which requires daily dosing.

    What if you need to switch?

    Currently, both oestrogen and combination skin patches are in short supply in Australia.

    The differences in absorption and metabolism between formulations mean that switching directly from one dosage form to another might not maintain the same level of symptom control or could cause new side effects.

    MHT guidelines provide prescribers with information on dose equivalence between formulations – for example, switching from an oestrogen-containing patch to a gel or tablet – ensuring women have a range of options available and for treatment to be tailored to their individual needs.

    To address the shortages, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has enabled pharmacists to dispense alternative brands or strengths of estradiol patches without requiring a new prescription. This might mean, for example, two lesser strengths that add up to the strength prescribed.

    The TGA also temporarily approved the supply of MHT patches from the United States in June, and listed them on the PBS, but these are now also in short supply.

    What if you’re new to MHT?

    The TGA is advising prescribers to consider current shortages when initiating patients on MHT.

    First-time MHT patients may be prescribed readily available formulations to avoid therapy changes and to preserve stock for those already using patches.

    The TGA expects some patches to be out of stock until December 2025 and provides regular updates about the estimated dates the patches will be available again.

    Mary Bushell 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. Menopause hormone patches are in short supply. What are they? And how do they compare with other therapies? – https://theconversation.com/menopause-hormone-patches-are-in-short-supply-what-are-they-and-how-do-they-compare-with-other-therapies-245166

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: February 12th, 2025 Heinrich Delivers Floor Speech Opposing the Nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for Health Secretary

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    VIDEO

    WASHINGTON — This afternoon, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) delivered remarks on the Senate floor amplifying the voices of New Mexicans opposing the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to be the U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services.

    “I hope all of my colleagues take seriously what it would mean to confirm this anti-vaccine, anti-science snake oil salesman as our next Secretary of Health and Human Services,” said Heinrich.

    VIDEO: U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) delivers remarks on the Senator floor opposing the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for Health Secretary, February 12, 2025.

    Heinrich began his remarks by recounting how Mr. Kennedy’s 2019 trip to the Pacific island of Samoa intensified vaccine skepticism and contributed to a deadly measles outbreak that killed 83 people, mostly children under five. Heinrich said: “As someone with a background in science, but more importantly, as a father of two, I am horrified by this story. Thanks to incredible scientific research and medical advances, we now have a vaccine that has proven to be safe and effective at protecting our kids and largely eradicated the measles outbreaks that used to result in the devastating loss of babies and young children. That is until anti-vaccine crusaders like Mr. Kennedy started promoting phony science and conspiracy theories in places like Samoa.”

    Heinrich condemned Mr. Kennedy’s long track record of spreading fear, peddling misinformation, and promoting conspiracy theories: “Mr. Kennedy has repeatedly and falsely alleged that safe and effective vaccines for tetanus, the flu, COVID, and HPV are dangerous to human health. Mr. Kennedy has promoted the completely discredited conspiracy theory that vaccines lead to autism. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that led to more than one million deaths in the United States alone, Mr. Kennedy campaigned to end the nationwide vaccination effort that helped us save millions more lives. Mr. Kennedy has — again without any sound evidence — also pushed conspiracy theories claiming that antidepressant medications cause mass shootings and chemicals in our water make children gay. If those claims sound ludicrous, it’s because they are.”

    Heinrich warned that, if he is confirmed to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Mr. Kennedy has committed to following President Trump’s orders to further roll back women’s reproductive rights: “During his confirmation process, Mr. Kennedy also reportedly made commitments to my Republican colleagues to support restrictions on mifepristone, a medication abortion and miscarriage management drug. Mr. Kennedy has also signaled to Republican senators that he will go along with whatever President Trump wants to further roll back women’s reproductive rights.”

    Heinrich also cautioned that Mr. Kennedy would help to enact President Trump and Elon Musk’s dangerous agenda to drastically cut federal funding for everything from New Mexicans’ Medicaid health coverage to medical research at the University of New Mexico. Heinrich warned: “The Department of Health and Human Services oversees health coverage programs that serve half of all Americans, including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act. HHS also supports the medical research that helps us develop the next vaccines, prevent the next pandemic, and find cures to cancer and chronic diseases like diabetes. We have also already seen President Trump, Elon Musk, and his DOGE minions target scientific and medical research at agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Just last week, we saw them announce an estimated $4 billion cut for NIH health research at universities all across our country—including an estimated $17 million impact at the University of New Mexico alone.”

    Heinrich finished his remarks by amplifying the concerns of New Mexicans who have written or called into his office expressing concern over Mr. Kennedy’s nomination. Watch a video of Heinrich uplifting New Mexicans’ voices here.

    “I agree with these New Mexicans that Mr. Kennedy is unprepared, unqualified, and dangerously unfit to be confirmed as our next Health Secretary,” Heinrich concluded. “To protect our kids’ health from debunked conspiracy theories, to defend women’s reproductive rights, to safeguard the future of Medicare and Medicaid, and to continue lifesaving medical research and medical care in my state and across the country, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting NO on confirming Robert F. Kennedy Jr.”

    Heinrich has been amplifying the voices of New Mexicans who have written or called into his office expressing concern over President Trump’s harmful actions and unqualified nominees.

    Last night on the Senate floor, Heinrich uplifted New Mexicans’ concerns over Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination for the Director of National Intelligence. In his remarks, Heinrich emphasized the risk Gabbard’s nomination poses to our national security and discussed Ms. Gabbard’s lack of qualifications and judgment, particularly relating to her 2017 trip to Bashar al-Assad’s Syria. Heinrich zeroed in on Ms. Gabbard’s false denial during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee about meeting with Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, Syria’s most senior Sunni Muslim cleric during the Assad regime who made threats to conduct suicide bomb attacks in the United States.

    Last week, Heinrich delivered remarks on the Senate floor amplifying the voices of New Mexicans opposing the nomination of Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Mr. Vought is the lead architect of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, the policy blueprint for Donald Trump’s harmful agenda to throw the government into chaos and harm working families.

    Last month, Heinrich delivered the longest speech of his career, where he slammed President Trump’s unlawful unilateral blockade of all federal grant funding. In his remarks, Heinrich uplifted stories from New Mexicans on how Trump’s federal funding freeze endangered New Mexicans and threatened communities across the state. Find the video of Heinrich sharing letters from New Mexicans on the Senate floor here.

    Heinrich is leading Senate Democrats in sounding the alarm on Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s destructive actions that are wreaking havoc on Americans, weakening our economy, and threatening the livelihoods of New Mexicans.

    Last week, in an interview with Jim Sciutto on CNN’s The Situation Room, Heinrich vocalized the concerns of his constituents who continue to write-in and call his office opposing Trump’s harmful actions, which are impacting New Mexico families and their financial security. Watch the full video of that interview here.

    Since Trump took office in 2025, Heinrich:

    • Introduced a resolution condemning Trump’s pardons of people found guilty of assaulting police officers on January 6.
    • Led Senate Democrats in sounding the alarm on Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s destructive actions that are wreaking havoc on Americans, weakening our economy, and threatening the livelihoods of New Mexicans.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Meet the City’s Search for a Star winners

    Source: Government of Western Australia

    Seven talented local singers will take the stage to perform with a live orchestra in front of thousands thanks to the Search for a Star competition.

    The seven winners were carefully selected following multiple auditions and will all perform at the City’s blockbuster Symphony Under the Stars event at Kingsway Regional Sporting Complex on 22 February.

    The winners range in age as well as musical experience, with each of the local talents being either residents or students within the City.

    The unique experience to perform with a 70-piece orchestra will be matched by the impressive crowds, with the event drawing 12,000 people last time it was held at Kingsway.

    Sofia Gale
    Performing Skyfall by Adele

    At just 16 years old, Sofia’s musical experience is impressive, having already performed in front of nearly 12,000 people at RAC Arena.

    A student of the Gail Meade Performing Arts Centre in Wangara for over 12 years, Sofia has a mix of singing, songwriting and theatre experience.

    “I’ve always been a theatre kid at heart,” she said. “But, around 11 or 12, I found a love for songwriting – not only was it therapeutic, but it was a release for me.”

    Sofia has released four singles to date, with one of her tracks winning a West Australian Music song of the year award, with her music drawing comparisons to Birdy and Olivia Rodrigo.

    Sofia will now further her career accomplishments by performing alongside a live orchestra for the first time.

    “What a phenomenal opportunity it is, to give local performers and local singers the chance to perform with such an orchestra,” she said.

    “We’ve already started rehearsals now and even when I’m not rehearsing with them, I’m just listening to them play so beautifully. I feel so honoured to be a part of this.”

    Meagen Reyes
    Performing I Will Always Love You & I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston

    Coming from a family of musicians, Meagen will be living out a dream on behalf of her parents and siblings when she takes the stage.

    The youngest of five children, the 28-year-old started her musical career as just two years old, joining her family band.

    “All of my siblings were taught how to sing by my mum, my dad knows how to sing as well and plays the guitar,” she said.

    “At the age of around two or three I was already singing on stage, not knowing how to read but memorising songs just by listening to them.”

    Meagen said she jumped at the opportunity to enter the competition and play with a live orchestra.

    “I was chosen as one of the winners and that was such a relief, because I really wanted to sing with the orchestra, as a singer it’s such a different experience,” she said.

    “I’ve sung for live bands and with backing tracks, but a live orchestra is so different because it’s a full ensemble. They’re relying on you to sing it correctly.”

    Meagen said the competition was a great opportunity to springboard the singing careers of younger artists, but also provided a rare opportunity for more experienced local artists.

    “Having an event like Search for a Star Wanneroo is such a good opportunity for talents everywhere in Perth, not just young talents but even people like me being nearly 30,” she said.

    “It’s great that I still have the chance to do things like this within the City.”

    Krystal Biddulph
    Performing Fix You by Coldplay

    An experienced dancer, performing since age three, Krystal has put one of her passions to the side after 15 years to pursue a career in singing.

    The talented singer has a gained a growing following thanks to nearly three years busking around the Perth CBD which she continues to do.

    “I’m very excited about Symphony Under the Stars, obviously, there would have been a lot of amazing applicants,” she said.

    Krystal is no stranger to playing in front of a big crowd, having performed at RAC Arena in front of 14,000 during a Wildcats game last year as well as featuring on Australian Idol.

    “I’m most excited for singing in front of an orchestra, it’s something that I’ve never done before but something I want to do,” the 18-year-old said.

    “Everything sounds better with an orchestra, even rehearsing with them I have the best time, it just makes me even more excited to get on stage and perform in front of people with them.”

    Caoimhe Power
    Performing Stop by Spice Girls & Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper

    Caoimhe’s singing journey started in Scotland at age nine before moving to WA with her family, immediately joining her high school music program.

    The Banksia Grove resident said she was stunned when she learned she was one of the winners.

    “When I got the email about being one of the winners I was in complete shock, I was so happy, so excited and so grateful, because I knew there were so many amazing competitors,” she said.

    “I felt so honoured that I was one of the winners picked to be able to sing and do what I love – it was honestly amazing.”

    At the age of just 16, Caoimhe will take the stage along with four other winners in a group performance, as well as a duo with last year’s Search for a Star winner Kade De Luca.  

    “I’m so excited to be able to perform in front of so many people,” she said.

    “It is just so crazy that I was chosen to sing with a 70-piece orchestra.

    “It’s amazing that we get to take part in this huge opportunity right at our doorstep and I think it’s great that we get to perform with people similar to our age and with the same love for music.”

    Tegan Mumba
    Performing Stop by Spice Girls

    Tegan has been singing since the age of four and notably performed at the RAC Arena in 2019 for Grease the Musical aged just 10.

    The 16-year-old said she is looking forward to recreating the thrill on stage alongside the Joondalup Symphony Orchestra.

    “When I found out I was a winner I was so excited, I called my dance teacher right away and told my mum,” the Yanchep local said.

    “I’m super excited to perform in front of all these people. Knowing that my singing could make someone’s day makes me even more excited.

    “I think the competition is a great opportunity for so many kids to be able to get their names out there. People will have all their eyes on us and I think it’s great for many aspiring teens.”

    Jade Alexander
    Performing Stop by Spice Girls

    Jade is a recent addition to the City, having immigrated from South Africa just a year ago.

    With extensive musical experience in her homeland often entering singing competitions, Jade had no hesitation in applying for the City’s Search for a Star. 

    “In South Africa I entered a lot of singing competitions and then when we moved here, I got the opportunity to do some gigs,” the 16-year-old said.

    “My mum found this competition and she saw how big of an opportunity it was to enter, and we grabbed it with both hands.

    “I’m so excited and I still can’t believe it. It’s one of my bucket list items to perform with an orchestra, so being able to do it is surreal.

    “We’ve done two rehearsals with the orchestra. It’s so cool to be able to hear the instruments live and the whole orchestra really creates an atmosphere.”

    Emily Mackenzie
    Performing Stop by Spice Girls

    Emily is a multi-talented local artist who started her performing arts journey at age eight when she started doing theatre shows.

    That path led her to performing in The Boy from Oz at Crown Theatre, with her first theatre appearance happening at age eight.

    The 18-year-old Hocking local also plays piano and guitar and said she holds a real appreciation for the talented Joondalup Symphony Orchestra.

    “I’m pretty excited to go in front of such a big audience,” she said.

    “I think it’s just a really great opportunity to get more experience to do more shows like this in the future. 

    “I haven’t performed with an orchestra before, but I love live music. The live orchestra feels more alive, rather than just a speaker and to have so many people making the music is a pretty cool thing.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Growing the economy means shrinking the Government

    Source: ACT Party

    “The Government’s Going for Growth agenda shows New Zealand has turned the corner. Governments ignored economic growth, taking wealth for granted and wasting billions until we started feeling poor,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

    “This Government’s focus on growth is team effort. ACT’s impact can be seen in a number of priority areas.

    “To develop talent, we’ve implemented the attendance action plan, opened the first charter schools, and changed the Accredited Employer Work Visa. We’re removing red tape in Early Childhood Education and continuing reforms to get job seekers into work.

    “For competitive business settings, we’ve repealed so-called ‘Fair Pay Agreements’, extended 90-Day Trials to all businesses, and revoked difficult requirements for accessing credit. We’re leading an inquiry into rural banking practices, reforming health and safety laws, reforming the Holidays Act and Employment Relations Act, conducting sector reviews for regulation of Agricultural and Horticultural Products, and Hairdressing and Barbering, improving Government Procurement Rules, and progressing the Regulatory Standards Bill.

    “To promote global trade and investment, we’re reforming the Overseas Investment Act and have launched a new Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List.

    “For innovation, technology and science, we’re liberalising genetic engineering laws.

    “To deliver infrastructure for growth, we’re reforming and replacing the Resource Management Act and have established National Infrastructure Funding and Financing Limited. We’re developing the 30-year National Infrastructure Plan, and finalising the first Regional Deal between central and local government.

    The big challenge

    “The big challenge for growth is shrinking the Government part of the economy. There are only two halves to any economy, the public and the private sector, and it’s the private sector that provides the growth.

    “Every dollar taxed to fund the public sector is a dollar a consumer can’t spend, or a business can’t reinvest in new jobs. Business is about taking risk, every percentage point taken in tax makes it less rewarding when the risks work out. Rational people invest less when taxes are higher.

    “In that sense, the Government still has a big hill to climb, and it’s the mountain of waste left by the last Government. Pre-COVID, government spending amounted to 28 per cent of the economy, now it is 34. The Government must be relentless in reducing its spending.

    “It is not only taxing and spending that holds people back, but regulating. Every compliance fee, every delay waiting for Government permission is a cost put on business. Like taxes, regulations drain the energy from business.

    “That’s why it’s essential that the Government cuts red tape at every opportunity. We must run the ruler over rules that don’t make sense, then delete them. The commitment to passing the Regulatory Standards Bill is a landmark shift in the battle against red tape in favour of wealth and innovation.

    “I’m proud of ACT’s contributions to this Government, especially the many contributions in this plan. For the first time in decades, we have a Government where it’s understood that Government activity and private activity compete for time and money. To grow the economy, we must shrink the Government.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Speech for the opening of Wakefield Hospital

    Source: New Zealand Government

    AcknowledgementsGood afternoon, everyone. Thank you for being here.It’s a pleasure to join you here today to officially open this beautiful facility at Wakefield Hospital.I’d like to acknowledge the Evolution Healthcare leadership team, and their esteemed guests here today including investors, and mana whenua.I’d also like to acknowledge: 

    Evolution Board Chair, Scott Pickering
    Group CEO, Simon Keating
    Chief Executive of Hospitals & Day Surgeries, Michael Quirke
    General Manager, Carole Kaffes
    Health New Zealand Deputy Chief Executive, Robyn Shearer
    Deputy Commissioner of Health New Zealand, Ken Whelan
    And the Kapa Haka group from South Wellington Intermediate School

    And finally, I would like to thank and acknowledge the staff and clinicians providing exceptional care to patients here at Wakefield and other providers across the Wellington region. 
    Health TargetsAs you’re all aware, improving our health system is one of this Government’s top priorities.Last year we announced an ambitious new direction for health, reinvigorating five health targets to ensure that all New Zealanders can access timely, quality healthcare.We all know that you cannot manage what you do not measure.It is only with clear, measurable targets that we can understand and improve the performance of the health system. Targets focus resources, attention, and accountability.Targets save lives.The five health targets are tightly focused on things that really matter: faster cancer treatment, increased childhood immunisation, shorter stays in EDs and shorter wait times for assessments and treatment.Achieving these targets will require a back-to-basics approach in our public system to make sure our hospitals and community health services work smoothly and efficiently as a system, enabling our greatest asset – our frontline health workers – to provide the best possible care.The health system continues to be under significant pressure, and there is always a demand for more money. I am proud of the record investment this Government has made in health, but we need to also ensure we get value for money.  Role of Private Hospital SectorMeeting those targets will require working in a more collaborative way, especially when it comes to reducing waitlists for elective treatment.When we left office in 2017, 97.3 percent of New Zealanders were getting elective surgeries within four months. When Labour left office, it had dropped to 62.1 percent. It will take time to turn this around, but it is a top priority of mine.Partnering with the private health sector is a key part of our plans to deliver for Kiwis. Aside from ensuring our public systems are working as efficiently as possible, we also need to consider how we can make best use of the capacity and expertise the private health sector can offer.Wakefield Hospital is a strong provider for the people in the Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley districts, as well as supporting referrals from out of the region with people travelling from as far afield as Waikato and the South Island.In the 23/24 financial year, Wakefield Hospital treated 450 patients on behalf of Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley, and along with Bowen and Royston hospitals, meant Evolution Healthcare was the largest private provider for outsourcing in the Central Region.It is great to be here to celebrated the redevelopment of this hospital today and to congratulate everyone who has worked to deliver this project. The new Wakefield development includes seven new operating theatres, specialist cardiology and surgical treatment capacity, a 37-bed inpatient ward with capacity to expand an additional 32 inpatient beds. All this will increase the opportunities to deliver more for the Wellington Region and to grow opportunities to work closely with Wellington Hospital to provide more services and improve patient outcomes.Looking forward, the goal must be to create a mutually beneficial partnership that supports the health system and provides greater certainty for the private health sector.A key part of the strategy is a nationally supported approach to planning and outsourcing, and longer-term contracts and agreements which will help ensure patients get the treatment they need in a timely manner. By standardising referral arrangements and focusing on jointly managing waitlists by using all available capacity more effectively, Health New Zealand can prevent unnecessary delays and ensure that patients are referred to the right provider at the right time.As Minister of Health, my focus is and always will be on improving patient outcomes. Patients will be my number one priority, ensuring they get the timely and quality care they need and deserve. ConclusionI want to again thank you for the opportunity to join you here this afternoon, and for your ongoing dedication and investment into caring for New Zealanders. Congratulations to everyone who has been part of delivering this project, and to those who will be ensuring it delivers timely and quality care for patients in the Wellington Region. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Markey Joins Bicameral Legislation to Protect Immigrant Access to Essential Service Locations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Washington (February 11, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) in introducing the bicameral Protecting Sensitive Locations Act to codify protections for immigrants seeking essential service at locations like hospitals, schools, and courthouses. The legislation would prevent immigration enforcement officers from taking enforcement actions at sensitive locations. The Protecting Sensitive Locations Act codifies the Department of Homeland Security’s long-standing policies that have been recently rescinded by President Trump and expands on those policies to ensure that immigrants are able to access education, criminal justice, and social services without fear of deportation.

    The list of “sensitive locations” protected under this legislation includes, but are not limited to: medical treatment facilities and health care facilities of all types; public and private schools, early childhood learning centers, preschools, scholastic activities, and field trips; places of worship; federal and local courthouses; DMVs and social security offices; polling places; labor union halls; and several other locations which provide essential or emergency services to immigrant communities, such as rape crisis centers and homeless shelters.

    The Protecting Sensitive Locations Act is cosponsored in theSenate by Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).

    The legislation is co-led in the House of Representatives by Representatives Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Don Beyer (VA-08), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), and Jasmine Crockett (TX-30).

    The legislation is endorsed by over 580 organizations, including Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

    “The Trump Administration’s reckless rescission of the protected areas policy is part of an effort to create a chilling effect, deterring parents from carrying out essential activities such as taking a child to school or a doctor’s appointment,” said Wendy Cervantes, Director of Immigration and Immigrant Families as CLASP. “Leaving it up to immigration enforcement agents to use “common sense” has proven misguided in the past, with our own research documenting immigration enforcement actions in child care parking lots. We support the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act because we believe that keeping locations critical to children and families safe from immigration enforcement supports the well-being of immigrant families, as well as the security and stability of entire communities.”

    “The Trump administration’s memo allowing ICE agents to enter schools and hospitals is an immediate threat to the well-being of our children and communities. All children.  It will cause irreparable harm, indelibly scarring not only immigrant families, but all families. We immediately asked the new President to reverse this. He has not. We need an act of Congress, that is why we wholeheartedly support the legislation introduced by Rep. Espaillat to reverse it. Schools and hospitals are supposed to be safe and welcoming places. We urge Congress to quickly pass the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act to reverse a policy that is both cruel and un-American,” said Randi Weingarten, President, AFT.

    The full list of endorsing organizations can be found here.

    The full text of the bill can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Markey, Warren, Schumer Demand: Hands Off Medicare and Medicaid

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Letter Text (PDF)

    Washington (February 12, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security, and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today wrote to President Donald Trump demanding the Trump administration, Elon Musk, and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) make no cuts to Medicare and Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. This follows reports of Elon Musk and DOGE officials gained access to key payment and contracting systems at the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS). CMS administers Medicare and Medicaid. In 2024, 68 million seniors and people with disabilities seniors relied on Medicare coverage for essential health care, including hospital visits, screenings for cancer, diabetes, and depression, and prescription drugs. Nearly 80 million Americans relied on Medicaid, making it the largest public health insurance program in the United States.

    In the letter the lawmakers wrote, “We write to say no to Elon Musk and DOGE, and demand hands off Medicare or Medicaid. We strongly oppose any efforts by Musk – or anyone else in your administration – cutting or damaging these vital programs. Medicare and Medicaid must not be raided to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. Every cut risks Americans paying more, waiting longer, and wading through more insurance red tape for care. Every cut risks hospitals and community health centers struggling harder to keep their doors open and forcing health providers and workers out of their jobs. 

    The lawmakers continued, “We continue to fight for a health care system that works better for all Americans, so they experience lower costs, shorter wait times, and receive better care. But your Administration, Elon Musk, and DOGE have already made that harder. Your Administration is already responsible for the shut-down of Medicaid portals across all 50 states, disruptions to vital health care communication, closures of community health centers, and significant delays in funding for life-saving health research. Cuts to Medicare and Medicaid will only serve to deepen the harm.”

    The lawmakers urged, “It is dangerously unacceptable that an unelected Musk and his unqualified acolytes have access to sensitive CMS systems and are ready to bypass Congress to make life and death decisions affecting millions of Americans. No one asked for this lawless approach to our critical government health care systems. We urge you to stop this threat to Americans’ health care, now.”

    The letter is signed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Ahead of Senate Confirmation Vote, Markey Blasts RFK Jr.’s Nomination for Secretary of HHS, Warns of Dangerous Views and Impact on American Public Health

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Watch: Senator Markey Slams RFK Jr.’s Nomination to Run HHS

    Washington (February 12, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), ranking member of the Health Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security, today delivered remarks on the floor of the Senate, objecting to the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to serve as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Below is an excerpt from his remarks.

    “When Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was asked about Medicare and Medicaid, he could not answer the most basic questions, demonstrating that he would be at HHS only to make whatever cuts Trump, Musk, and DOGE dictate at the expense of the American people. Now, he is in line to be the number one health official in the United States. This would be a disaster. Mr. Kennedy has reportedly given reassurances on his position on vaccines, or on his position on food and chronic disease.  

    “To my colleagues, I would say this: We cannot address chronic disease if we are slashing Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act or recklessly cutting off funding from hospitals and community health centers. If we are battling vaccine misinformation, it will make it much more difficult to take on chronic disease like heart disease or diabetes. The long-term impact of food on children’s health doesn’t matter if children are dying from preventable, infectious disease because they believed misinformation spread by our nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services.  

    “And even with the promises he has made on vaccine misinformation, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has not demonstrated that he will fulfill his promises. He has used his position to lead people down the dangerous path of vaccine misinformation, and when asked about his role in the Samoa outbreak, he lied.  

    “I have received over 1,000 calls and emails to my office opposing his nomination and received letters from over 18,000 physicians – including thousands of pediatricians, internal medicine, and emergency medicine doctors – representing all 50 states and Puerto Rico. They expressed concern and dismay about having a Secretary of Health and Human Services that doesn’t believe in vaccines that save lives.

    “The stakes are too high to take a risk on this nominee.”  

    MIL OSI USA News –