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Category: Global

  • MIL-OSI Global: The push to restore semiconductor manufacturing faces a labor crisis − can the US train enough workers in time?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Michael Moats, Professor of Metallurgical Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology

    Semiconductors power nearly every aspect of modern life – cars, smartphones, medical devices and even national defense systems. These tiny but essential components make the information age possible, whether they’re supporting lifesaving hospital equipment or facilitating the latest advances in artificial intelligence.

    It’s easy to take them for granted, until something goes wrong. That’s exactly what happened when the COVID-19 pandemic exposed major weaknesses in the global semiconductor supply chain. Suddenly, to name just one consequence, new vehicles couldn’t be finished because chips produced abroad weren’t being delivered. The semiconductor supply crunch disrupted entire industries and cost hundreds of billions of dollars.

    The crisis underscored a hard reality: The U.S. depends heavily on foreign countries – including China, a geopolitical rival – to manufacture semiconductors. This isn’t just an economic concern; it’s widely recognized as a national security risk.

    That’s why the U.S. government has taken steps to invest in semiconductor production through initiatives such as the CHIPS and Science Act, which aims to revitalize American manufacturing and was passed with bipartisan support in 2022. While President Donald Trump has criticized the CHIPS and Science Act recently, both he and his predecessor, Joe Biden, have touted their efforts to expand domestic chip manufacturing in recent years.

    Yet, even with bipartisan support for new chip plants, a major challenge remains: Who will operate them?

    Minding the workforce gap

    The push to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the U.S. faces a significant hurdle: a shortage of skilled workers. The semiconductor industry is expected to need 300,000 engineers by 2030 as new plants are built. Without a well-trained workforce, these efforts will fall short, and the U.S. will remain dependent on foreign suppliers.

    This isn’t just a problem for the tech sector – it affects every industry that relies on semiconductors, from auto manufacturing to defense contractors. Virtually every military communication, monitoring and advanced weapon system relies on microchips. It’s not sustainable or safe for the U.S. to rely on foreign nations – especially adversaries – for the technology that powers its military.

    For the U.S. to secure supply chains and maintain technological leadership, I believe it would be wise to invest in education and workforce development alongside manufacturing expansion.

    Building the next generation of semiconductor engineers

    Filling this labor gap will require a nationwide effort to train engineers and technicians in semiconductor research, design and fabrication. Engineering programs across the country are taking up this challenge by introducing specialized curricula that combine hands-on training with industry-focused coursework.

    Clean rooms, a vital part of semiconductor factories, are also where the next generation of tech innovators conduct research. Here, a Ph.D. candidate is seen in an air shower room before entering a clean room at Tokyo University on May 1, 2024.
    Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images

    Future semiconductor workers will need expertise in chip design and microelectronics, materials science and process engineering, and advanced manufacturing and clean room operations. To meet this demand, it will be important for universities and colleges to work alongside industry leaders to ensure students graduate with the skills employers need. Offering hands-on experience in semiconductor fabrication, clean-room-based labs and advanced process design will be essential for preparing a workforce that’s ready to contribute from Day 1.

    At Missouri University of Science of Technology, where I am the chair of the materials science and engineering department, we’re launching a multidisciplinary bachelor’s degree in semiconductor engineering this fall. Other universities across the U.S. are also expanding their semiconductor engineering options amid strong demand from both industry and students.

    A historic opportunity for economic growth

    Rebuilding domestic semiconductor manufacturing isn’t just about national security – it’s an economic opportunity that could benefit millions of Americans. By expanding training programs and workforce pipelines, the U.S. can create tens of thousands of high-paying jobs, strengthening the economy and reducing reliance on foreign supply chains.

    And the race to secure semiconductor supply chains isn’t just about stability – it’s about innovation. The U.S. has long been a global leader in semiconductor research and development, but recent supply chain disruptions have shown the risks of allowing manufacturing to move overseas.

    If the U.S. wants to remain at the forefront of technological advancement in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and next-generation communication systems, it seems clear to me it will need new workers – not just new factories – to gain control of its semiconductor production.

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

    – ref. The push to restore semiconductor manufacturing faces a labor crisis − can the US train enough workers in time? – https://theconversation.com/the-push-to-restore-semiconductor-manufacturing-faces-a-labor-crisis-can-the-us-train-enough-workers-in-time-245516

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: When humans use AI to earn patents, who is doing the inventing?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By W. Keith Robinson, Professor of Law, Wake Forest University

    Only humans can be awarded patents, but AIs can do a lot of the work to earn them. lineartestpilot/iStock via Getty Images

    The advent of generative artificial intelligence has sent shock waves across industries, from the technical to the creative. AI systems that can generate viable computer code, write news stories and spin up professional-looking graphics have inspired countless headlines asking whether they will take away jobs in technology, journalism and design, among many other fields.

    And these new ways of doing work and making things raise another question: In the era of AI, what does it mean to be an inventor?

    Among technologists who build digital tools or programs, it is increasingly common to use AI as part of design and development processes. But as deep learning models flex their technical muscles more and more, even highly skilled researchers who are using AI in their work have begun to express concerns about becoming obsolete.

    There is much debate about whether AI can augment human creativity, but emerging data suggests that the technology can boost research and development where creativity typically plays an important role. A recent study by MIT economics doctoral student Aidan Toner-Rodgers found that scientists using AI tools increased their patent filings by 39% and created 17% more prototypes than when they worked without such tools.

    While this study indicates that AI seemed to help humans be more productive, it also showed there was a downside: 82% of the surveyed researchers felt less satisfied with their jobs since implementing AI in their workflows. “I couldn’t help feeling that much of my education is now worthless,” one researcher said.

    This emerging dynamic leads to a related question: If a scientist uses AI in order to build something new, does the output still qualify as an invention? As a legal scholar who studies technology and intellectual property law, I see the growing power of AI shifting the legal landscape.

    Natural persons

    In 2020, the United States Patent and Trademark Office refused to list the AI system DABUS, which purportedly designed a food container and a flashing emergency beacon, as an inventor on patent applications. Subsequent court rulings clarified that under current U.S. law, only humans can be listed as inventors, but they left open the question of whether inventions developed by scientists with the help of AI qualify for patent protection.

    The concept of inventorship and legal protections for inventions have deep roots in the U.S. The Constitution explicitly protects the “exclusive rights” of authors and inventors “to their respective writings and discoveries,” reflecting the framers’ strong conviction that the state should protect and encourage original ideas.

    The first U.S. patent, granted in 1790 and signed by George Washington.
    United States Patent and Trademark Office

    U.S. law today defines an inventor as a natural person who has conceived of a complete and operative invention that can be used without extensive research or experimentation. An inventor must do more than follow routine instructions – they must make an intellectual contribution in producing something novel.

    That contribution can be a key idea that sparks the invention or a crucial insight that turns the concept into a working product. If a person’s input is routine or just explains what’s already known, they are not an inventor.

    Role of AI

    To what extent can or should AI become part of the invention process? The release of AI applications such as ChatGPT in 2022 introduced the public to large language models and sparked renewed debate about whether and how AI should be used in the inventive process. That same year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit heard a case that tested whether AI could be named as an inventor on a patent application.

    The court concluded that under U.S. law, inventors must be human beings. The ruling reaffirmed the idea that Congress intended to encourage human beings, not machines, to invent. This idea remains foundational to current patent policy.

    In light of the court’s decision, in 2024 the United States Patent and Trademark Office updated its guidance to clarify the role of AI in the inventive process. The guidance reaffirms that an inventor must be human. However, the Patent and Trademark Office explained that the policy did not preclude inventors from using AI tools to assist in the research and development of inventions. This approach acknowledges how the rapid development of AI technologies has allowed researchers to make exciting breakthroughs.

    Policymakers seem to understand that if the U.S. is to continue to lead the world in innovation, the mythology of a sole inventor toiling away in a garage and relying on pure intellect must evolve to account for the value of AI tools that research has proven make humans more productive.

    Nevertheless, since only human beings can be named as inventors on a patent, current policy does not quite answer the question of who or what should get credit for doing the work. Despite a growing trend where researchers are expected to disclose whether they’ve used AI tools, for example in academic papers, the U.S. patent system makes no such demand.

    Regardless of AI’s role in the research and development process, a U.S. patent will list only the names of human inventors so long as those humans made a significant contribution to the invention. As a result, current policy is not concerned with how to recognize the contributions of AI. AI is considered a tool like a microscope or a Bunsen burner.

    Personal ingenuity in the age of AI

    Given this shifting legal landscape, I see that U.S. innovation policy is at a crossroads. The Patent and Trademark Office’s guidance reaffirming human inventorship and simultaneously embracing AI as an innovation tool is only a year old. It is unclear how the Trump administration’s forthcoming action plan to “enhance America’s global AI dominance” will affect this guidance.

    Some observers expect the rate of scientific discovery to increase dramatically with the assistance of AI tools. But if the majority of those same productive researchers enjoy their jobs less, is the act of inventing being encouraged as the framers envisioned?

    Current U.S. policy attempts to strike a balance and recognize the concept of personal ingenuity, stemming from the principle that for an invention to be patented in the U.S., a human must have led the way. Yet the guidance also implicitly acknowledges that AI can lend a helping hand in modern research and development. Whether and how policymakers maintain this balance – and how leaders in industry and science respond – will help shape the next chapter of American innovation.

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

    – ref. When humans use AI to earn patents, who is doing the inventing? – https://theconversation.com/when-humans-use-ai-to-earn-patents-who-is-doing-the-inventing-248216

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why parents of ‘twice-exceptional’ children choose homeschooling over public school

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Rachael Cody, Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Education, Oregon State University

    More Americans are homeschooling their kids. Chris Hondros/Newsmakers via Getty Images

    Homeschooling has exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly since the pandemic. But researchers are still exploring why parents choose to homeschool their children.

    While the decision to homeschool is often associated with religion, a 2023 survey found that the two top reasons people cited as most important were a concern about the school environment, such as safety and drugs, and a dissatisfaction with academic instruction.

    I studied giftedness, creativity and talent as part of my Ph.D. program focusing on students who are “twice exceptional” – that is, they have both learning challenges such autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder as well as advanced skills. A better understanding of why parents choose homeschooling can help identify ways to improve the public education system. I believe focusing on twice-exceptional students can offer insights beyond this subset of the homeschooled population.

    What we know about homeschooling

    The truth is researchers don’t know much about homeschooling and homeschoolers.

    One problem is regulations involving homeschooling differ dramatically among states, so it is often hard to determine who is being instructed at home. And many families are unwilling to talk about their experiences homeschooling and their reasons for doing so.

    But here’s what we do know.

    The share of children being homeschooled has surged since 2020, rising from 3.7% in the 2018-2019 school year to 5.2% in 2022-2023 – the latest data available from the National Center for Education Statistics. Over 3 million students were homeschooled in 2021-22, according to the National Home Education Research Institute.

    And the population of homeschoolers is becoming increasingly diverse, with about half of families reporting as nonwhite in a 2023 Washington Post-Schar School poll. In addition, homeschooling families are just as likely to be Democrat as Republican, according to that same Post-Schar survey, a sharp shift from previous surveys that suggested Republicans were much more likely to homeschool.

    As for why parents homeschool, 28% of those surveyed in 2023 by the Institute of Education Sciences said the school environment was their biggest reason, followed by 17% that cited concerns about academic instruction. Another 17% said providing their kids with moral or religious instruction was most important.

    But not far behind at 12% was a group of parents who prioritized homeschooling for a different reason: They have a child with physical or mental health problems or other special needs.

    This group would include parents of twice-exceptional children, who may be especially interested in pursuing homeschooling as an alternative method of education for three reasons in particular.

    Some families have devoted significant resources, such as by creating home libraries, to homeschool their children.
    AP Photo/Charles Krupa

    1. The ‘masking’ problem

    These parents may notice that their child’s needs are being overlooked in the public education system and may view homeschooling as a way to provide better individualized instruction.

    Students who are twice exceptional often experience what researchers call the “masking” phenomenon. This can occur when a child’s disabilities hide their giftedness. When this occurs, teachers tend to provide academic support but hesitate to give these children the challenging material they may require.

    Masking can also occur in reverse, when a student’s gifts tend to hide disabilities. In these cases, teachers provide challenging material, but they do not provide the needed accommodations that allow the gifted child to access the materials. Either way, masking can be a problem for students and parents who must advocate for teachers to address their unique range of academic needs.

    While either type of masking is challenging for the student, it may be particularly frustrating for parents of twice-exceptional students to watch classroom teachers focus only on their child’s weaknesses rather than helping them develop their advanced abilities.

    2. Individualized instruction

    By the time a child enters school, parents have spent years observing their child’s development, comparing their progress with that of others their age. They’re also likely to be aware of their child’s unique interests.

    While this may not be true for all parents, those who choose to homeschool may do so because they feel they have more of an ability and interest in catering to their child’s unique needs than a classroom teacher who is tasked with teaching many students simultaneously. Parents of students who demonstrate exceptional ability have expressed concerns about their child’s future educational opportunities in a public school setting.

    Additionally, parents may become exhausted by their efforts to advocate for their child’s unique needs in the school system. Parents of students who demonstrate advanced abilities often pull their children out of public school after repeated efforts to improve communication between home and school.

    3. Behavioral and emotional needs

    Gifted students who have emotional or behavioral disabilities may find it difficult to demonstrate their abilities in the classroom.

    All too often, teachers may be more focused on disciplining these students rather than addressing their academic needs. For example, a child who is bored with the class material may be loud and attempt to distract others as well.

    Rather than recognizing this as signaling a need for more advanced material, the teacher might send the child to a separate area in the classroom or in the school to refocus or as punishment. Parents may feel better equipped than teachers to address both their child’s challenging behaviors and their gifted abilities, given the knowledge they have about their child’s history, interests, strengths and areas needing improvement.

    Supporting students’ needs

    Gaining a better understanding of the motivations driving parents to take their children out of the public school system is an important step toward improving schools so that fewer will feel the need to take this path.

    Additionally, strengthening educators’ and policymakers’ understanding about twice-exceptional homeschooled students may help communities provide more support to their families – who then may not feel homeschooling is the only or best option. My research shows that many schools can do a better job providing these types of students and their parents with the support they need to thrive.

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

    – ref. Why parents of ‘twice-exceptional’ children choose homeschooling over public school – https://theconversation.com/why-parents-of-twice-exceptional-children-choose-homeschooling-over-public-school-244385

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Big cuts at the Education Department’s civil rights office will affect vulnerable students for years to come

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Erica Frankenberg, Professor of Education and Demography, Penn State

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and fellow Democrats criticize President Donald Trump’s plan to shutter the Education Department on March 6, 2025. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

    The U.S. Department of Education cut its workforce by nearly 50% on March 11, 2025, when it laid off about 1,315 employees. The move follows several recent directives targeting the Cabinet-level agency.

    Within the department, the Office for Civil Rights – which already experienced layoffs in February – was especially hard hit by cuts.

    The details remain unclear, but reports suggest that staffs at six of the 12 regional OCR offices were laid off. Because of the office’s role in enforcing civil rights laws in schools and universities, the cuts will affect students across the country.

    As education policy scholars who study how laws and policies shape educational inequities, we believe the Office for Civil Rights has played an important role in facilitating equitable education for all students.

    The latest cuts further compound funding and staffing shortages that have plagued the office. The full effects of these changes on the most vulnerable public school students will likely be felt for many years.

    Few staff members

    The Education Department, already the smallest Cabinet-level agency before the recent layoffs, distributed roughly US$242 billion to students, K-12 schools and universities in the 2024 fiscal year.

    About $160 billion of that money went to student aid for higher education. The department’s discretionary budget was just under $80 billion, a sliver compared with other agencies.

    By comparison, the Department of Health and Human Services received nearly $2.9 trillion in fiscal year 2024.

    Within the Education Department, the Office for Civil Rights had a $140 million budget for fiscal year 2024, less than 0.2% of discretionary funding, which requires annual congressional approval.

    It has lacked financial support to effectively carry out its duties. For example, amid complaints filed by students and their families, the OCR has not had an increase in staff. That leaves thousands of complaints unresolved.

    The office’s appropriated budget in fiscal year 2017 was one-third of the budget of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission – a federal agency responsible for civil rights protection in the workplace – despite the high number of discrimination complaints that OCR handles.

    Support for OCR

    Despite this underfunding, the office has traditionally received bipartisan support.

    Former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, for example, requested a funding decrease for the office during the first Trump administration. Congress, however, overrode her budget request and increased appropriations.

    Likewise, regardless of changing administrations, the office’s budget has remained fairly unchanged since 2001.

    It garners attention for investigating and resolving discrimination-related complaints in K-12 and higher education. And while administrations have different priorities in how to investigate these complaints, they have remained an important resource for students for decades.

    But a key function that often goes unnoticed is its collection and release of data through the Civil Rights Data Collection.

    The CRDC is a national database that collects information on various indicators of student access and barriers to educational opportunity. Historically, only 5% of the OCR’s budget appropriations has been allocated for the CRDC.

    Yet, there are concerns among academic scholars that the continued collection and dissemination of the CRDC might be affected by staff cuts and contract cancellations worth $900 million at the Department of Education’s research arm, the Institute of Education Science.

    That’s because the CRDC often relies on data infrastructure that is shared with the institute.

    The history of the CRDC

    The CRDC originated in the late 1960s as required by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The data questionnaire, which poses questions about civil rights concerns, is usually administered to U.S. public school districts every two years.

    It provides indicators on student experiences in public preschools and K-12 schools. That includes participation rates in curricular opportunities like Advanced Placement courses and extracurricular activities. It also provides data on 504 plans for students with disabilities and English-learner instruction.

    Although there have been some changes to questions over the years, others have been consistent for 50 years to allow for examining changes over time. Some examples are counts of students disciplined by schools’ use of corporal punishment or out-of-school suspension.

    The U.S. Department of Education building is seen in Washington on Dec. 3, 2024.
    AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

    During the Obama administration, the Office for Civil Rights prioritized making the CRDC more accessible to the public. The administration created a website that allows the public to view information for particular schools or districts, or to download data to analyze.

    Why the CRDC matters

    Our research focuses on how the CRDC has been used and how it could be improved. In an ongoing research project, we identified 221 peer-reviewed publications that have analyzed the CRDC.

    Articles focusing on school discipline – out-of-school suspensions, for example – are the most common. But there are many other topics that would be difficult to study without the CRDC.

    That’s especially true when making comparisons between districts and states, such as whether students have access to advanced coursework or participation in gifted and talented programs.

    The data has also inspired policy changes.

    The Obama administration, informed by the data on the use of seclusion and restraint to discipline students, issued a policy guidance document in 2016 regarding its overuse for students with disabilities.

    Additionally, the data helps examine the effects of judicial decisions and laws – desegregation laws in the South, for example – that have improved educational opportunities for many vulnerable students.

    Amid the Education Department’s continued cancellation of contracts of federally funded equity assistance centers, we believe research partnerships with policymakers and practitioners drawing on CRDC data will be more important than ever.

    Erica Frankenberg and Maithreyi Gopalan received funding from the Student Experience Research Network.

    Maithreyi Gopalan has received research grants and fellowships from various foundations such as the Student Experience Research Network (New Venture Fund), Federation of American Scientists, and others.

    – ref. Big cuts at the Education Department’s civil rights office will affect vulnerable students for years to come – https://theconversation.com/big-cuts-at-the-education-departments-civil-rights-office-will-affect-vulnerable-students-for-years-to-come-249716

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Simple strategies can boost vaccination rates for adults over 65 − new study

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Laurie Archbald-Pannone, Associate Professor of Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Virginia

    Many older adults are not up to date on their vaccines. Morsa Images via Getty Images

    Knowing which vaccines older adults should get and hearing a clear recommendation from their health care provider about why a particular vaccine is important strongly motivated them to get vaccinated. That’s a key finding in a recent study I co-authored in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

    Adults over 65 have a higher risk of severe infections, but they receive routine vaccinations at lower rates than do other groups. My colleagues and I collaborated with six primary care clinics across the U.S. to test two approaches for increasing vaccination rates for older adults.

    In all, 249 patients who were visiting their primary care providers participated in the study. Of these, 116 patients received a two-page vaccine discussion guide to read in the waiting room before their visit. Another 133 patients received invitations to attend a one-hour education session after their visit.

    The guide, which we created for the study, was designed to help people start a conversation about vaccines with their providers. It included checkboxes for marking what made it hard for them to get vaccinated and which vaccines they want to know more about, as well as space to write down any questions they have. The guide also featured a chart listing recommended vaccines for older adults, with boxes where people could check off ones they had already received.

    In the sessions, providers shared in-depth information about vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases and facilitated a discussion to address vaccine hesitancy.

    In a follow-up survey two months later, patients reported that the most significant barriers they faced were knowing when they should receive a particular vaccine, having concerns about side effects and securing transportation to a vaccination appointment.

    The percentage of patients who said they wanted to get a vaccine increased from 68% to 79% after using the vaccine guide. Following each intervention, 80% of patients reported they discussed vaccines more in that visit than they had in prior visits.

    Of the 14 health care providers who completed the follow-up survey, 57% reported increased vaccination rates following each approach. Half of the providers felt that the use of the vaccine guide was an effective strategy in guiding conversations with their patients.

    A pamphlet at the doctor’s office can empower older patients to ask about vaccines.

    Why it matters

    Only about 15% of adults ages 60-64 and 26% of adults 65 and older are up to date on all the vaccines recommended for their age, according to CDC data from 2022. These include vaccines for COVID 19, influenza, tetanus, pneumococcal disease and shingles.

    Yet studies consistently show that getting vaccinated reduces the risk of complications from these conditions in this age group.

    My research shows that strategies that equip older adults with personalized information about vaccines empower them to start the conversation about vaccines with their clinicians and enable them to be active participants in their health care.

    What’s next

    In the future, we will explore whether engaging patients on this topic earlier is even more helpful than doing so in the waiting room before their visit.

    This might involve having clinical team members or care coordinators connect with patients ahead of their visit, either by phone or through telemedicine that is designed specifically for older adults.

    My research team plans to conduct a pilot study that tests this approach. We hope to learn whether reaching out to these patients before their clinic visits and helping them think through their vaccination status, which vaccines their provider recommends and what barriers they face in getting vaccinated will improve vaccination rates for this population.

    The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.

    Laurie Archbald-Pannone has received funding from Virginia Department of Health and PRIME education. This activity is supported by an independent educational grant from GSK.

    – ref. Simple strategies can boost vaccination rates for adults over 65 − new study – https://theconversation.com/simple-strategies-can-boost-vaccination-rates-for-adults-over-65-new-study-250246

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The psychology behind anti-trans legislation: How cognitive biases shape thoughts and policy

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Julia Standefer, Ph.D. Student in Psychology, Iowa State University

    Protesters fill the Iowa state Capitol to denounce a bill that will strip the state civil rights code of protections based on gender identity. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

    A state law signed Feb. 28, 2025, removes gender identity as a protected status from the Iowa Civil Rights Act, leaving transgender people vulnerable to discrimination. The rights of transgender people – those who present gender characteristics that differ from what has historically been expected of someone based on their biological sex traits – are under political attack across the United States. There are now hundreds of anti-trans bills at various points in the legislative process.

    But why?

    Reasons given usually center on protecting children, protecting cisgender women’s rights in bathrooms and sports competitions, and on removing funding for gender-affirming care. Some efforts appear to stem from fear-driven motives that are not supported by evidence.

    Bias against trans people may not always feel like bias. For someone who believes it to be true, saying there can only be biological men who identify as men and biological women who identify as women may feel like a statement of fact. But research shows that gender is a spectrum, separate from biological sex, which is also more complex than the common male-female binary.

    We are social psychologists who study and teach about the basic social, cognitive and emotion-based processes people use to make sense of themselves and the world. Research reveals psychological processes that bias people in ways they usually aren’t aware of. These common human tendencies can influence what we think about a particular group, influence how we act toward them, and prompt legislators to pass biased laws.

    Root of negative views of transgender people

    Social psychology theory and research point to several possible sources of negative views of transgender people.

    Part of forming your own identity is defining yourself by the traits that make you unique. To do this, you categorize others as belonging to your group – based on characteristics that matter to you, such as race, age, culture or gender – or not. Psychologists call these categories in-groups and out-groups.

    There is a natural human tendency to have inherent negative feelings toward people who aren’t part of your in-group. The bias you might feel against fans of a rival sports team is an example. This tendency may be rooted deep in evolutionary history, when favoring your own safe group over unknown outsiders would have been a survival advantage.

    A trans person’s status as transgender may be the most salient thing about them to an observer, overshadowing other characteristics such as their height, race, profession, parental status and so on. As a small minority, transgender people are an out-group from the mainstream – making it likely out-group bias will be directed their way.

    Anti-trans feeling may also result from fear that transgender people pose threats to one’s personal or group identity. Gender is part of everyone’s identity. If someone perceives their own gender to be determined by their biological sex, they may perceive other people who violate that “rule” as a threat to their own gender identity. Part of identity formation is not just out-group derogation but in-group favoritism. A cisgender person may engage in “in-group boundary protection” by making sure the parameters of “gender” are well defined and match their own beliefs.

    Once you hold negative feelings about someone in an out-group, there are other social psychological processes that may solidify and amplify them in your mind.

    The illusion of a causal connection

    People tend to form illusory correlations between objects, people, occurrences or behaviors, particularly when those things are infrequently encountered. Two distinctive things happening at the same time makes people believe that one is causing the other.

    Some superstitions result from this phenomenon. For example, you might attribute an unusual success such as winning money to wearing a particular shirt, which you now think of as your lucky shirt.

    If a person only ever hears about negative events when they see or hear about a transgender person, an immigrant or a member of some other minority group, then an illusory correlation can form between the negative events and the minority group. That connection is the starting point for prejudice: automatic, negative feelings toward a group of people without justification.

    Of course, it is possible that individuals from the group in question have committed some offense. But to take one individual’s bad deed and attribute it to an entire group of people isn’t justified. This kind of extrapolation is the natural human tendency of stereotyping, which can bias people’s actions.

    ‘That’s exactly what I thought’

    Human minds are biased to confirm the beliefs they already hold, including stereotypes about trans people. A few interconnected processes are at play in what psychologists call confirmation bias.

    First, there’s a natural tendency to seek out information that fits with what you already believe. If you think a shirt is lucky, then you’re more likely to look for positive things that happen when you wear it than you are to look for negative events that would seem to disconfirm its luckiness.

    If you think transgender people are dangerous, you are more likely to conduct an internet search for “transgender people who are dangerous” than “transgender people are victims of crime.”

    There’s a second, more passive process in play as well. Rather than actively seeking out confirming information, people also simply pay attention to information that confirms what they thought in the first place and ignore contradictory information. This can happen without you even realizing.

    People also tend to interpret ambiguous events in line with their beliefs – “I must be having a good day, despite some setbacks, because I’m wearing my lucky shirt.” That confirmation bias could explain someone with anti-trans attitudes thinking “that transgender person holding hands with a child must be a pedophile” instead of “that transgender mother is showing love and care for her kid.”

    Finally, people tend to remember things that confirm their beliefs better than things that challenge them.

    Confirmation bias can strengthen an illusory correlation, making it even more likely to influence subsequent actions – whether compulsively wearing a lucky shirt to an anxiety-inducing appointment or not hiring someone because of discriminatory thoughts about the group they belong to.

    Moving past biases

    Awareness of biases is the first step in avoiding them. Setting bias aside allows people to make fair decisions, based on accurate information, and in line with their values.

    However, this is not an easy task in the face of another social psychological process called group polarization. This phenomenon occurs when individuals’ beliefs become more extreme as they talk and listen only to people who hold the same beliefs they do. Think of the social media bubbles that result from interacting only with people who share your perspective.

    Efforts to stifle or prohibit educators’ and librarians’ ability to teach and discuss gender and sexuality topics, openly and fairly, add another challenge. Education through access to impartial, evidence-based information can be one way to help neutralize inherent bias.

    Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr, who is transgender, in discussion with a colleague.
    AP Photo/Tommy Martino

    As a final, hopeful point, social psychological research has identified one strategy for overcoming intergroup conflict: forming close contacts with individuals from the “other” group. Having a friend, loved one or trusted and valued colleague who belongs to the out-group can help you recognize their humanity and overcome the biases you hold against that out-group as a whole.

    A relevant and recent example of this scenario came when two transgender state representatives convinced their fellow lawmakers to vote against two extreme anti-trans bills in Montana by making the issue personal.

    All of these decision-making biases influence everyone, not just the lawmakers currently in power. And they can be quite complex, with particular in-group and out-group memberships being hard to define – for instance, factions within religious groups who disagree on particular political issues.

    But understanding and overcoming the biases everyone falls prey to means that optimal decisions can be made for everyone’s well-being and economic vitality. After all, psychology research has repeatedly demonstrated that diversity is good for the bottom line while it simultaneously promotes an equitable and inclusive society. Even from a solely financial perspective, discrimination is bad for all Americans.

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

    – ref. The psychology behind anti-trans legislation: How cognitive biases shape thoughts and policy – https://theconversation.com/the-psychology-behind-anti-trans-legislation-how-cognitive-biases-shape-thoughts-and-policy-251691

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Radioisotope generators − inside the ‘nuclear batteries’ that power faraway spacecraft

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Benjamin Roulston, Assistant Professor of Physics, Clarkson University

    Voyager 1, shown in this illustration, has operated for decades thanks to a radioisotope power system. NASA via AP

    Powering spacecraft with solar energy may not seem like a challenge, given how intense the Sun’s light can feel on Earth. Spacecraft near the Earth use large solar panels to harness the Sun for the electricity needed to run their communications systems and science instruments.

    However, the farther into space you go, the weaker the Sun’s light becomes and the less useful it is for powering systems with solar panels. Even in the inner solar system, spacecraft such as lunar or Mars rovers need alternative power sources.

    As an astrophysicist and professor of physics, I teach a senior-level aerospace engineering course on the space environment. One of the key lessons I emphasize to my students is just how unforgiving space can be. In this extreme environment where spacecraft must withstand intense solar flares, radiation and temperature swings from hundreds of degrees below zero to hundreds of degrees above zero, engineers have developed innovative solutions to power some of the most remote and isolated space missions.

    So how do engineers power missions in the outer reaches of our solar system and beyond? The solution is technology developed in the 1960s based on scientific principles discovered two centuries ago: radioisotope thermoelectric generators, or RTGs.

    RTGs are essentially nuclear-powered batteries. But unlike the AAA batteries in your TV remote, RTGs can provide power for decades while hundreds of millions to billions of miles from Earth.

    Nuclear power

    Radioisotope thermoelectric generators do not rely on chemical reactions like the batteries in your phone. Instead, they rely on the radioactive decay of elements to produce heat and eventually electricity. While this concept sounds similar to that of a nuclear power plant, RTGs work on a different principle.

    Most RTGs are built using plutonium-238 as their source of energy, which is not usable for nuclear power plants since it does not sustain fission reactions. Instead, plutonium-238 is an unstable element that will undergo radioactive decay.

    Radioactive decay, or nuclear decay, happens when an unstable atomic nucleus spontaneously and randomly emits particles and energy to reach a more stable configuration. This process often causes the element to change into another element, since the nucleus can lose protons.

    Plutonium-238 decays into uranium-234 and emits an alpha particle, made of two protons and two neutrons.
    NASA

    When plutonium-238 decays, it emits alpha particles, which consist of two protons and two neutrons. When the plutonium-238, which starts with 94 protons, releases an alpha particle, it loses two protons and turns into uranium-234, which has 92 protons.

    These alpha particles interact with and transfer energy into the material surrounding the plutonium, which heats up that material. The radioactive decay of plutonium-238 releases enough energy that it can glow red from its own heat, and it is this powerful heat that is the energy source to power an RTG.

    The nuclear heat source for the Mars Curiosity rover is encased in a graphite shell. The fuel glows red hot because of the radioactive decay of plutonium-238.
    Idaho National Laboratory, CC BY

    Heat as power

    Radioisotope thermoelectric generators can turn heat into electricity using a principle called the Seebeck effect, discovered by German scientist Thomas Seebeck in 1821. As an added benefit, the heat from some types of RTGs can help keep electronics and the other components of a deep-space mission warm and working well.

    In its basic form, the Seebeck effect describes how two wires of different conducting materials joined in a loop produce a current in that loop when exposed to a temperature difference.

    The Seeback effect is the principle behind RTGs.

    Devices that use this principle are called thermoelectric couples, or thermocouples. These thermocouples allow RTGs to produce electricity from the difference in temperature created by the heat of plutonium-238 decay and the frigid cold of space.

    Radioisotope thermoelectric generator design

    In a basic radioisotope thermoelectric generator, you have a container of plutonium-238, stored in the form of plutonium-dioxide, often in a solid ceramic state that provides extra safety in the event of an accident. The plutonium material is surrounded by a protective layer of foil insulation to which a large array of thermocouples is attached. The whole assembly is inside a protective aluminum casing.

    An RTG has decaying material in its core, which generates heat that it converts to electricity.
    U.S. Department of Energy

    The interior of the RTG and one side of the thermocouples is kept hot – close to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (538 degrees Celsius) – while the outside of the RTG and the other side of the thermocouples are exposed to space. This outside, space-facing layer can be as cold as a few hundred degrees Fahrenheit below zero.

    This strong temperature difference allows an RTG to turn the heat from radioactive decay into electricity. That electricity powers all kinds of spacecraft, from communications systems to science instruments to rovers on Mars, including five current NASA missions.

    But don’t get too excited about buying an RTG for your house. With the current technology, they can produce only a few hundred watts of power. That may be enough to power a standard laptop, but not enough to play video games with a powerful GPU.

    For deep-space missions, however, those couple hundred watts are more than enough.

    The real benefit of RTGs is their ability to provide predictable, consistent power. The radioactive decay of plutonium is constant – every second of every day for decades. Over the course of about 90 years, only half the plutonium in an RTG will have decayed away. An RTG requires no moving parts to generate electricity, which makes them much less likely to break down or stop working.

    Additionally, they have an excellent safety record, and they’re designed to survive their normal use and also be safe in the event of an accident.

    RTGs in action

    RTGs have been key to the success of many of NASA’s solar system and deep-space missions. The Mars Curiosity and Perseverance rovers and the New Horizons spacecraft that visited Pluto in 2015 have all used RTGs. New Horizons is traveling out of the solar system, where its RTGs will provide power where solar panels could not.

    However, no missions capture the power of RTGs quite like the Voyager missions. NASA launched the twin spacecraft Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 in 1977 to take a tour of the outer solar system and then journey beyond it.

    The RTGs on the Voyager probes have allowed the spacecraft to stay powered up while they collect data.
    NASA/JPL-Caltech

    Each craft was equipped with three RTGs, providing a total of 470 watts of power at launch. It has been almost 50 years since the launch of the Voyager probes, and both are still active science missions, collecting and sending data back to Earth.

    Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are about 15.5 billion miles and 13 billion miles (nearly 25 billion kilometers and 21 billion kilometers) from the Earth, respectively, making them the most distant human-made objects ever. Even at these extreme distances, their RTGs are still providing them consistent power.

    These spacecraft are a testament to the ingenuity of the engineers who first designed RTGs in the early 1960s.

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

    – ref. Radioisotope generators − inside the ‘nuclear batteries’ that power faraway spacecraft – https://theconversation.com/radioisotope-generators-inside-the-nuclear-batteries-that-power-faraway-spacecraft-248504

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Keir Starmer promises more ‘democratic control’ of the NHS – how do other European countries do it?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nick Fahy, Director of the Health and Care Research Group, RAND Europe

    Sir Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, announced on March 13 that the government will move to abolish NHS England in the next two years. During this period, the government plans to bring its functions under the UK’s health ministry, with the aim of bringing the health service “into democratic control”. What does this mean, and what difference will it make?

    When the NHS was established in 1948, part of the aim was to make the local health problems of patients across the country the concern of the national government. The plan succeeded. Today, the NHS is politically highly important – it matters enormously to patients and the public, and has one of the largest spending budgets in the UK.

    At the same time, it is technically difficult to manage, with local needs and opportunities and complex organisation that are hard and sometimes inefficient to manage centrally.

    Striking the balance between delivering high-quality patient care and addressing the technical complexity of doing so is a continual challenge for governments. The solution chosen as part of the 2012 health and welfare reforms was to establish NHS England as an organisationally independent government body to provide technical and operational leadership for the NHS – leaving ministers insulated from those day-to-day issues and free to set an overall strategy.

    The government’s decision to abolish NHS England marks a change back to direct ministerial grip on the system. This may reflect high public concern about the NHS and pressure on its services, as well as a desire by the recently elected government to exercise more direct control over the health service.

    How does this compare to other health systems?

    The NHS has long been an unusually centralised system. Although the English NHS covers more than 55 million people, it has historically been run by central government, which this change reinforces.

    In contrast, although Spain has a similar NHS-style system, the Spanish health system is run by the 17 regional governments through their departments of health, with the largest covering 8.6 million people.

    Europe’s other large national health system, in Italy, now also has a decentralised system. The national government sets the overall principles and benefits, but the actual services are under the control of regional governments.

    Italy also has a decentralised health system.
    Massimo Todaro/Shutterstock

    These decentralised systems strike a different balance between political control and operational management, by bringing them together at a more local level.

    If the UK government was to extend its aim of bringing the NHS into democratic control by taking a similar decentralisation approach to other NHS-style systems in Europe, what would this look like?

    The NHS already has 42 integrated care systems at the local level. These already work with upper-tier local authorities, such as county councils, and are mostly aligned with their boundaries, but are under the control of central government.

    Other countries already decentralise their health systems to similar levels. In Sweden, for example, the 21 counties are responsible for financing, purchasing and providing their health services, under the democratic control of the county councillors. While there might be questions about the capacity of local government in England to take on such a role, experience from elsewhere shows that it should be possible.

    Compared with those decentralised systems, the abolition of NHS England is a relatively minor change. It puts ministers more directly in charge of the English NHS, but does not change the basic structure of the service nor its control by central government.

    Examples from other countries suggest that if the ambition is to bring the health service more into democratic control, there are options for much more profound change. This would strike a whole new balance between political control and local management.

    Tom Ling is a member of the Labour party.

    Hampton Toole and Nick Fahy 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. Keir Starmer promises more ‘democratic control’ of the NHS – how do other European countries do it? – https://theconversation.com/keir-starmer-promises-more-democratic-control-of-the-nhs-how-do-other-european-countries-do-it-252313

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Abolishing NHS England could shift power from the centre – but health service overhauls rarely go well

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Judith Smith, Professor of Health Policy and Management, University of Birmingham

    The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, has announced plans to abolish NHS England, the organisation that oversees and manages the NHS in England, employing 19,000 people.

    He declared he was bringing the NHS back under “democratic control” and cutting unnecessary bureaucracy by moving oversight of the NHS back into the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). This will reverse plans put in place by the Conservative-led coalition government in 2013 when it tried to “take the politics out of the NHS” by having NHS England as an independent body.

    The NHS is the largest public sector organisation in England, seeing 1.7 million people each day including in patients’ own homes, local GP surgeries, pharmacies and hospitals. It employs 1.7 million people, is funded largely out of general taxation, and has an annual budget of about £190 billion.

    The NHS is, however, one of the most centrally organised health systems in the world. This contrasts with many European and other countries where there is typically a national ministry of health to set strategy, with the detail of how this is implemented being left to regional and local councils, health authorities and hospitals.

    Some analysts have suggested that the NHS has become even more centrally managed in recent years, but the truth is it has always been held very close by its political masters.

    On the face of it, there are advantages to abolishing NHS England, allowing DHSC to focus on clarifying politicians’ priorities for how and on what NHS funding will be spent. These will include reducing waiting lists for operations, making it easier to get an appointment with a GP, and ensuring that emergency departments can deal quickly with patients without resorting to “corridor care”.

    In turn, local NHS organisations such as integrated care boards (who among other things organise GP, dental, pharmacy and optometry services) and NHS trusts (who run hospitals, community, mental health and ambulance services) can concentrate on making sure these policy priorities are put into practice in ways that work best for local communities.

    NHS England has a range of other important roles that will need to be reallocated, whether to an expanded DHSC or elsewhere. These include planning the training of healthcare staff, organising vaccination and screening programmes, purchasing medicines, and collating huge amounts of data about NHS activity and performance.

    The government has also announced plans to halve staffing in the 42 local integrated care boards, so any move of former NHS England roles to this level will probably only happen if these local boards merge, which now seems likely.

    The government appears therefore to have signalled another NHS management “redisorganisation” – something the NHS has suffered on a periodic basis, a consequence of its highly centralised and political nature. Research evidence is clear that management reorganisations struggle to achieve their objectives, causing instead significant distraction away from work to improve services for patients.

    In his major review of the NHS for the new Labour government in September 2024, Lord Ara Darzi – a former Labour health minister – highlighted the urgent need for more skilled and effective managers to support NHS staff in restoring and improving the service after years of economic austerity and the challenges of the pandemic. This seems to run counter to recent announcements about “cutting bureaucracy”.

    With careful planning, there is, however, potential for the abolition of NHS England to lead to a slimmer DHSC (more akin to some of its European counterparts) with a smaller number of well-resourced and managed integrated care boards who could effectively steer, support and monitor local NHS trusts and primary care services.

    In 2002, Alan Milburn, then secretary of state for health in Tony Blair’s government, issued a white paper called Shifting the Balance of Power Within the NHS. Milburn is now a leading figure in the Starmer government’s health team, so it is perhaps not surprising that we have these new plans to slim the policy centre, shift power and decision-making more locally, and enable stronger accountability to politicians and the public.

    What is likely to happen?

    What will matter as much as what is done is how these changes are made. The government has Lord Darzi’s clear and comprehensive diagnosis of the NHS’s problems. It now needs to prioritise what should be done first and what can wait, and has made a good start on this with its recent planning guidance to the NHS.

    What will be much more difficult will be to decide exactly how to reduce and then abolish NHS England – doing this in a way that ensures important roles are moved smoothly to DHSC, integrated care boards and NHS trusts.

    History is not encouraging. There is a big risk that NHS managers will find themselves focusing too much attention on handling a major reorganisation when they (and patients) would rather they concentrate on improving services.

    The government clearly wants to hold on to setting policy direction for the NHS while letting go of the detail of implementation to local level. But ultimately, it will be held to account by a population impatient for improvements to NHS services.

    Judith Smith receives funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research for research and evaluation of health services. She has been funded by the Health Foundation to provide expert primary care policy advice. Judith is Trustee and Chair of Health Services Research UK and Director of Health Services Research with Birmingham Health Partners. She is a Senior Associate of the Nuffield Trust.

    – ref. Abolishing NHS England could shift power from the centre – but health service overhauls rarely go well – https://theconversation.com/abolishing-nhs-england-could-shift-power-from-the-centre-but-health-service-overhauls-rarely-go-well-252240

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Waiting lists, crumbling buildings, staff burnout: five years on, COVID is still hurting the financial health of the NHS

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Catia Nicodemo, Professor of Health Economics, Brunel University of London

    The NHS was hit hard by COVID. And no amount of appreciative clapping or painted rainbows could distract from the vulnerabilities which were exposed by the pandemic – or the challenges it created.

    Some of those challenges – like the staggering backlog in patient care, or the huge mental and physical toll experienced by staff – will take years to overcome.

    And anyone compelled to attend a hospital in the UK at the moment can see the evidence at first hand. Wards are very busy and staff are overstretched.

    This is part of the legacy of a fast-spreading virus which killed 232,112 people in the UK and left an estimated 2 million suffering from the effects of long-COVID. It demanded urgent action from hospitals and health workers and brought immediate and widespread disruption to routine care, with appointments for elective surgery, cancer screenings and chronic disease management all delayed.

    One 2024 study I worked on analysed appointment cancellations for cancer patients during the pandemic, and found that they waited an average of 19 days longer than before for rescheduled appointments. (Mortality rates remained stable though, indicating that the NHS effectively prioritised the most urgent cases.)

    This kind of disruption has left the healthcare system facing a monumental backlog, with treatment waiting lists soaring to record levels. According to the British Medical Association, there are over 7.5 million people now on waiting lists (compared to 4.5 million before the pandemic) – and those waiting times are longer.

    Cutting this waiting list is apparently one of the prime ministers’s priorities. But there is no easy fix.

    The basic infrastructure of the NHS – the buildings, IT equipment, offices – is creaking, with outdated facilities, insufficient beds and a lack of specialised equipment. And one study suggests that capital funding – investment in assets that will be used for more than a year – for NHS trusts in England is down by 21% over the past five years.

    This is primarily because the Department of Health and Social Care has been diverting long-term investment funds to cover day-to-day operational costs such as staff salaries and medicines.

    Since 2019, £500 million of capital investment has been cancelled or postponed. And while overall NHS budgets have been growing, the increased spending has often been absorbed by inflation, rising demand and the need to address immediate pressures. This leaves little for infrastructure upgrades, new equipment or technological advancements.

    The Health Foundation has warned that the lack of a long-term capital funding strategy could further jeopardise patient care in the future. Many NHS facilities no longer meet the needs of a modern health service, with some hospitals requiring complete refurbishment or replacement rather than just repairs.

    And of course, treating patients is not just about equipment and buildings. Nurses and doctors are under extreme pressure, facing unprecedented levels of stress, burnout and trauma. A recent survey revealed that one in three NHS doctors are experiencing extreme tiredness, impairing their ability to treat patients effectively.

    NHS key workers wave from inside Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, May 2020.
    Guy William/Shutterstock

    A similar number said their ability to practice medicine may have been negatively affected by fatigue, with some even reporting cases of patient harm or a near-miss incident.

    Stressed NHS

    And although the NHS workforce has actually grown over the past five years, it has not been sufficient to reduce waiting lists, deal with growing demand, or improve staff morale. Anxiety, stress and depression accounted for for over 624,300 working days lost in one month last year.

    Without a healthy and motivated workforce, the NHS’s recovery efforts will remain severely hampered. Other contributing factors include increased demand for healthcare services, partly due to an ageing population and the growing prevalence of chronic conditions.

    To address these challenges, the NHS needs a modernised approach to patient care. Research suggests that technology including telemedicine (online consultations) and AI-driven diagnostics, could streamline services and reduce waiting times.

    Other possible steps include the expansion of community diagnostic centres, to ease access to tests, and screenings, to improve efficiency.

    Overall, the pandemic has underscored the critical importance of a robust and resilient healthcare system. As the NHS navigates its own path to recovery, it must prioritise both immediate solutions to the backlog crisis and long-term strategies. This will require significant investment, but also a commitment to innovation and the wellbeing of healthcare workers.

    The road ahead for the NHS will be tricky, but with the right measures in place, it could emerge stronger and more resilient than ever. The lessons learned from COVID should serve as a catalyst for transformative change, ensuring that the UK’s healthcare system is better prepared to face whatever the future may hold.

    Catia Nicodemo 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. Waiting lists, crumbling buildings, staff burnout: five years on, COVID is still hurting the financial health of the NHS – https://theconversation.com/waiting-lists-crumbling-buildings-staff-burnout-five-years-on-covid-is-still-hurting-the-financial-health-of-the-nhs-251637

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: People in this career are better at seeing through optical illusions

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Martin Doherty, Associate Professor in Psychology, University of East Anglia

    fran_kie/Shutterstock

    Optical illusions are great fun, and they fool virtually everyone. But have you ever wondered if you could train yourself to unsee these illusions? Our latest research suggests that you can.

    Optical illusions tell a lot about how people see things. For example, look at the picture below.

    The Ebbinghaus illusion.
    Hermann Ebbinghaus

    The two orange circles are identical, but the one on the right looks bigger. Why?
    We use context to figure out what we are seeing. Something surrounded by smaller things is often quite big. Our visual system takes context into account, so it judges the orange circle on the right as bigger than the one on the left.

    This illusion was discovered by German psychologist Herman Ebbinghaus in the 19th century. This and similar geometrical illusions have been studied by psychologists ever since.

    How much you are affected by illusions like these depends on who you are. For example, women are more affected by the illusion than men – they see things more in context.

    Young children do not see illusions at all. To a five-year-old, the two orange circles look the same. It takes time to learn how to use context cues.

    Neurodevelopmental conditions similarly affect illusion perception. People with autism or schizophrenia are less likely to see illusions. This is because these people tend to pay greater attention to the central circle, and less to the surrounding ones.

    The culture you grew up in also affects how much you attend to context. Research has found that east Asian perception is more holistic, taking everything into account. Western perception is more analytic, focusing on central objects.

    These differences would predict greater illusion sensitivity in east Asia. And true enough, Japanese people seem to experience much stronger effects than British people in this kind of illusion.

    This may also depend on environment. Japanese people typically live in urban environments. In crowded urban scenes, being able to keep track of objects relative to other objects is important. This requires more attention to context. Members of the nomadic Himba tribe in the almost uninhabited Namibian desert do not seem to be fooled by the illusion at all.

    Gender, developmental, neurodevelopmental and cultural differences are all well established when it comes to optical illusions. However, what scientists did not know until now is whether people can learn to see illusions less intensely.

    A hint came from our previous work comparing mathematical and social scientists’ judgements of illusions (we work in universities, so we sometimes study our colleagues). Social scientists, such as psychologists, see illusions more strongly.

    Researchers like us have to take many factors into account. Perhaps this makes us more sensitive to context even in the way we see things. But also, it could be that your visual style affects what you choose to study. One of us (Martin) went to university to study physics, but left with a psychology degree. As it happens, his illusion perception is much stronger than normal.

    Training your illusion skills

    Despite all these individual differences, researchers have always thought that you have no choice over whether you see the illusion. Our recent research challenges this idea.

    Radiologists need to be able to rapidly spot important information in medical scans. Doing this often means they have to ignore surrounding detail.

    Radiologists train extensively, so does this make them better at seeing through illusions? We found it does. We studied 44 radiologists, compared to over 100 psychology and medical students.

    Below is one of our images. The orange circle on the left is 6% smaller than the one on the right. Most people in the study saw it as larger.

    The orange circle on the left is actually smaller.
    Radoslaw Wincza, CC BY-NC-ND

    Here is another image. Most non-radiologists still saw the left one as bigger. Yet, it is 10% smaller. Most radiologists got this one right.

    Does the left orange circle look bigger or smaller to you?
    Radoslaw Wincza, CC BY-NC-ND

    It was not until the difference was nearly 18%, as shown in the image below, that most non-radiologists saw through the illusion.

    Most people get this one right.
    Radoslaw Wincza, CC BY-NC-ND

    Radiologists are not entirely immune to the illusion, but are much less susceptible. We also looked at radiologists just beginning training. Their illusion perception was no better than normal. It seems radiologists’ superior perception is a result of their extensive training.

    According to current theories of expertise, this shouldn’t happen. Becoming an expert in chess, for example, makes you better at chess but not anything else. But our findings suggest that becoming an expert in medical image analysis also makes you better at seeing through some optical illusions.

    There is plenty left to find out. Perhaps the most intriguing possibility is that training on optical illusions can improve radiologists’ skills at their own work.

    So, how can you learn to see through illusions? Simple. Just five years of medical school, then seven more of radiology training and this skill can be yours too.

    Martin Doherty received funding from the British Academy/Leverhulme Trust who partially supported this work. He continues to receive funding from the Leverhulme Trust.

    Radoslaw Wincza 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. People in this career are better at seeing through optical illusions – https://theconversation.com/people-in-this-career-are-better-at-seeing-through-optical-illusions-251984

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: China’s dwindling marriage rate is fuelling demand for brides trafficked from abroad

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ming Gao, Research Scholar of East Asia Studies in History Division, Lund University

    Fewer people in China are opting to get married. imtmphoto / Shutterstock

    China’s marriage rate is in steep decline. There were 6.1 million marriage registrations nationwide in 2024, down from 7.7 million the previous year. This decline has prompted Chen Songxi, a Chinese national political adviser, to propose lowering the legal marriage age from 22 to 18.

    The drop in China’s marriage rate has been driven by a combination of factors. These include increased economic pressures, evolving social attitudes towards marriage, and higher levels of education.

    Urban Chinese women, in particular, are increasingly pushing back against traditional gender expectations, which emphasise marriage and childbearing as essential life milestones. Rising living costs are also making it increasingly difficult for many young people to afford to get married.

    At the same time, China is grappling with a longstanding gender imbalance, a legacy of the country’s sweeping one-child policy and cultural preference for male children. In the early 2000s, when the imbalance was at its peak, China’s sex ratio at birth reached 121 boys for every 100 girls. For every 100 girls born in some provinces, there were more than 130 boys.

    The gender imbalance is particularly pronounced among those born in the 1980s, a generation I belong to. This is due to the widespread use of ultrasound technology from the mid-1980s onward, which offered parents the ability to terminate pregnancies if their child was female.

    Unmarried men in China have become part of the so-called “era of leftover men” (shengnan shidai in Chinese). This is an internet term that loosely refers to the period between 2020 and 2050, when an estimated 30 million to 50 million Chinese men are expected to be unable to find a wife.

    A Chinese couple walk through Beijing with their child in 2015.
    TonyV3112 / Shutterstock

    The conundrum is that many of these “leftover” men want to marry – I know this firsthand. Some of my peers from primary and secondary school have been desperately searching for a wife, but have struggled to find a spouse. A widely used phrase in China, “difficulty in getting married” (jiehun nan), encapsulates this struggle.

    Unable to find a domestic spouse, some Chinese men have turned to “purchasing” foreign brides. The growing demand for these brides, particularly in rural areas, has fuelled a rise in illegal marriages. This includes marriages involving children and women who have been trafficked into China primarily from neighbouring countries in south-east Asia.

    According to a Human Rights Watch report released in 2019 on bride trafficking from Myanmar to China “a porous border and lack of response by law enforcement agencies on both sides [has] created an environment in which traffickers flourish”.

    The Chinese government has now pledged to crack down on the industry. In March 2024, China’s Ministry of Public Security launched a campaign against the transnational trafficking of women and children, calling for enhanced international cooperation to eliminate these crimes.

    ‘Purchased’ foreign brides

    These marriages are often arranged through informal networks or commercial agencies, both of which are illegal according to China’s state council.

    Human Rights Watch says that women and girls in neighbouring countries are typically tricked by brokers who promise well-paid employment in China. They find themselves at the mercy of the brokers once they reach China, and are sold for between US$3,000 (£2,300) and US$13,000 to Chinese men.

    Determining the extent of illegal cross-border marriages in China is challenging due to the clandestine nature of these activities. But the most recent data from the UK’s Home Office suggests that 75% of Vietnamese human-trafficking victims were smuggled to China, with women and children making up 90% of cases.

    The Woman from Myanmar, an award-winning documentary from 2022, follows the story of a trafficked Myanmar woman who was sold into marriage in China. The film exposes the harsh realities faced by many trafficked brides.

    It captures not only the coercion and abuse many of these women endure, but also their struggle for autonomy and survival in a system that treats them as commodities. Larry, a trafficked woman who features in the documentary, explained that she saw her capacity to bear children as her pathway to survival.

    The Chinese authorities constantly warn of scams involving brides purchased from abroad. In November 2024, for example, two people were prosecuted over their involvement in an illegal cross-border matchmaking scheme. Chinese men were lured into extremely expensive “marriage tours” abroad with promises of “affordable” foreign wives.

    There have also been cases where the undocumented brides themselves have disappeared with large sums of money before marriage arrangements are completed.

    Most of the foreign brides are trafficked into China from neighbouring countries in south-east Asia.
    MuchMania / Shutterstock

    China’s marriage crisis has far-reaching implications for the country’s demographic future. A shrinking and ageing population is often cited as the greatest challenge for Chinese economic growth and social stability. Beijing has resisted this characterisation, saying that constant technological innovations will continue to drive economic growth.

    The labour force is undoubtedly important when it comes to economic growth. But according to Justin Lin Yifu, a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference advisory body, what matters more is effective labour – the product of both the quantity and quality of the labour force.

    China has increased its investment in education continually over recent years in anticipation of future challenges surrounding its ageing population.

    But, notwithstanding this, an even greater concern is the large number of leftover men, as this could pose a serious threat to social stability. Studies have found a positive correlation between high male-to-female sex ratios and crime rates both in China and India, where there is also a significant gender imbalance.

    In China, research has found that skewed male sex ratios have accounted for around 14% of the rise in crime since the mid-1990s. And in India, modelling suggests that a 5.5% rise in the male sex ratio would increase the odds of unmarried women being harassed by more than 20%.

    The question of who China’s leftover men will marry is becoming a pressing issue for Beijing. The government’s response will shape the country’s future for decades to come.

    Ming Gao receives funding from the Swedish Research Council. This research was produced with support from the Swedish Research Council grant “Moved Apart” (nr. 2022-01864). Ming Gao is a member of Lund University Profile Area: Human Rights.

    – ref. China’s dwindling marriage rate is fuelling demand for brides trafficked from abroad – https://theconversation.com/chinas-dwindling-marriage-rate-is-fuelling-demand-for-brides-trafficked-from-abroad-250860

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Marshall Islands: How the Rongelap evacuation changed the course of history

    SPECIAL REPORT: By Giff Johnson, editor of the Marshall Islands Journal and RNZ Pacific correspondent in Majuro

    The late Member of Parliament Jeton Anjain and the people of the nuclear test-affected Rongelap Atoll changed the course of the history of the Marshall Islands by using Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior ship to evacuate their radioactive home islands 40 years ago.

    They did this by taking control of their own destiny after decades of being at the mercy of the United States nuclear testing programme and its aftermath.

    In 1954, the US tested the Bravo hydrogen bomb test at Bikini Atoll, spewing high-level radioactive fallout on unsuspecting Rongelap Islanders nearby.

    For years after the Bravo test, decisions by US government doctors and scientists caused Rongelap Islanders to be continuously exposed to additional radiation.

    Marshall Islands traditional and government leaders joined Greenpeace representatives in showing off tapa banners with the words “Justice for Marshall Islands” during the dockside welcome ceremony earlier this week in Majuro. Image: Giff Johnson/RNZ Pacific

    The 40th anniversary of the dramatic evacuation of Rongelap Atoll in 1985 by the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior — a few weeks before French secret agents bombed the ship in Auckland harbour — was spotlighted this week in Majuro with the arrival of Greenpeace’s flagship Rainbow Warrior III to a warm welcome combining top national government leaders, the Rongelap Atoll Local Government and the Rongelap community.

    “We were displaced, our lives were disrupted, and our voices ignored,” said MP Hilton Kendall, who represents Rongelap in the Marshall Islands Parliament, at the welcome ceremony in Majuro earlier in the week.

    “In our darkest time, Greenpeace stood with us.”

    ‘Evacuated people to safety’
    He said the Rainbow Warrior “evacuated the people to safety” in 1985.

    Greenpeace would “forever be remembered by the people of Rongelap,” he added.

    The Able US nuclear test at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands on 1 July 1946. Image: US National Archives

    In 1984, Jeton Anjain — like most Rongelap people who were living on the nuclear test-affected atoll — knew that Rongelap was unsafe for continued habitation.

    There was not a single scientist or medical doctor among their community although Jeton was a trained dentist, and they mainly depended on US Department of Energy-provided doctors and scientists for health care and environmental advice.

    They were always told not to worry and that everything was fine.

    Crew of the Rainbow Warrior and other Greenpeace officials — including two crew members from the original Rainbow Warrior, Bunny McDiarmid and Henk Hazen, from Aotearoa New Zealand – were welcomed to the Marshall Islands during a dockside ceremony in Majuro to mark the 40th anniversary of the evacuation of Rongelap Atoll. Image: Giff Johnson/RNZ Pacific

    But it wasn’t, as the countless thyroid tumors, cancers, miscarriages and surgeries confirmed.

    As the desire of Rongelap people to evacuate their homeland intensified in 1984, unbeknown to them Greenpeace was hatching a plan to dispatch the Rainbow Warrior on a Pacific voyage the following year to turn a spotlight on the nuclear test legacy in the Marshall Islands and the ongoing French nuclear testing at Moruroa in French Polynesia.

    A Rainbow Warrior question
    As I had friends in the Greenpeace organisation, I was contacted early on in its planning process with the question: How could a visit by the Rainbow Warrior be of use to the Marshall Islands?

    Jeton and I were good friends by 1984, and had worked together on advocacy for Rongelap since the late 1970s. I informed him that Greenpeace was planning a visit and without hesitation he asked me if the ship could facilitate the evacuation of Rongelap.

    At this time, Jeton had already initiated discussions with Kwajalein traditional leaders to locate an island that they could settle in that atoll.

    I conveyed Jeton’s interest in the visit to Greenpeace, and a Greenpeace International board member, the late Steve Sawyer, who coordinated the Pacific voyage of the Rainbow Warrior, arranged a meeting for the three of us in Seattle to discuss ideas.

    Jeton and I flew to Seattle and met Steve. After the usual preliminaries, Jeton asked Steve if the Rainbow Warrior could assist Rongelap to evacuate their community to Mejatto Island in Kwajalein Atoll, a distance of about 250 km.

    Steve responded in classic Greenpeace campaign thinking, which is what Greenpeace has proved effective in doing over many decades. He said words to the effect that the Rainbow Warrior could aid a “symbolic evacuation” by taking a small group of islanders from Rongelap to Majuro or Ebeye and holding a media conference publicising their plight with ongoing radiation exposure.

    “No,” said Jeton firmly. He wasn’t talking about a “symbolic” evacuation. He told Steve: “We want to evacuate Rongelap, the entire community and the housing, too.”

    Steve Sawyer taken aback
    Steve was taken aback by what Jeton wanted. Steve simply hadn’t considered the idea of evacuating the entire community.

    But we could see him mulling over this new idea and within minutes, as his mind clicked through the significant logistics hurdles for evacuation of the community — including that it would take three-to-four trips by the Rainbow Warrior between Rongelap and Mejatto to accomplish it — Steve said it was possible.

    And from that meeting, planning for the 1985 Marshall Islands visit began in earnest.

    I offer this background because when the evacuation began in early May 1985, various officials from the United States government sharply criticised Rongelap people for evacuating their atoll, saying there was no radiological hazard to justify the move and that they were being manipulated by Greenpeace for its own anti-nuclear agenda.

    Women from the nuclear test-affected Rongelap Atoll greeted the Rainbow Warrior and its crew with songs and dances this week as part of celebrating the 40th anniversary of the evacuation of Rongelap Atoll in 1985 by the Rainbow Warrior. Image: Giff Johnson/RNZ Pacific

    This condescending American government response suggested Rongelap people did not have the brain power to make important decisions for themselves.

    But it also showed the US government’s lack of understanding of the gravity of the situation in which Rongelap Islanders lived day in and day out in a highly radioactive environment.

    The Bravo hydrogen bomb test blasted Rongelap and nearby islands with snow-like radioactive fallout on 1 March 1954. The 82 Rongelap people were first evacuated to the US Navy base at Kwajalein for emergency medical treatment and the start of long-term studies by US government doctors.

    No radiological cleanup
    A few months later, they were resettled on Ejit Island in Majuro, the capital atoll, until 1957 when, with no radiological cleanup conducted, the US government said it was safe to return to Rongelap and moved the people back.

    “Even though the radioactive contamination of Rongelap Island is considered perfectly safe for human habitation, the levels of activity are higher than those found in other inhabited locations in the world,” said a Brookhaven National Laboratory report commenting on the return of Rongelap Islanders to their contaminated islands in 1957.

    It then stated plainly why the people were moved back: “The habitation of these people on the island will afford most valuable ecological radiation data on human beings.”

    And for 28 years, Rongelap people lived in one of the world’s most radioactive environments, consuming radioactivity through the food chain and by living an island life.

    Proving the US narrative of safety to be false, the 1985 evacuation forced the US Congress to respond by funding new radiological studies of Rongelap.

    Thanks to the determination of the soft-spoken but persistent leadership of Jeton, he ensured that a scientist chosen by Rongelap would be included in the study. And the new study did indeed identify health hazards, particularly for children, of living on Rongelap.

    The US Congress responded by appropriating US$45 million to a Rongelap Resettlement Trust Fund.

    Subsistence atoll life
    All of this was important — it both showed that islanders with a PhD in subsistence atoll life understood more about their situation than the US government’s university educated PhDs and medical doctors who showed up from time-to-time to study them, provide medical treatment, and tell them everything was fine on their atoll, and it produced a $45 million fund from the US government.

    However, this is only a fraction of the story about why the Rongelap evacuation in 1985 forever changed the US narrative and control of its nuclear test legacy in this country.

    The crew of Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior III vessel were serenaded by the Rongelap community to mark the 40th anniversary of the evacuation of Rongelap Islanders from their nuclear test-affected islands this week in Majuro. Image: Giff Johnson/RNZ Pacific

    Rongelap is the most affected population from the US hydrogen bomb testing programme in the 1950s.

    By living on Rongelap, the community confirmed the US government’s narrative that all was good and the nuclear test legacy was largely a relic of the past.

    The 1985 evacuation was a demonstration of the Rongelap community exerting control over their life after 31 years of dictates by US government doctors, scientists and officials.

    It was difficult building a new community on Mejatto Island, which was uninhabited and barren in 1985. Make no mistake, Rongelap people living on Mejatto suffered hardship and privation, especially in the first years after the 1985 resettlement.

    Nuclear legacy history
    Their perseverance, however, defined the larger ramification of the move to Mejatto: It changed the course of nuclear legacy history by people taking control of their future that forced a response from the US government to the benefit of the Rongelap community.

    Forty years later, the displacement of Rongelap Islanders on Mejatto and in other locations, unable to return to nuclear test contaminated Rongelap Atoll demonstrates clearly that the US nuclear testing legacy remains unresolved — unfinished business that is in need of a long-term, fair and just response from the US government.

    The Rainbow Warrior will be in Majuro until next week when it will depart for Mejatto Island to mark the 40th anniversary of the resettlement, and then voyage to other nuclear test-affected atolls around the Marshall Islands.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: International Women’s Day activists protest in solidarity with Palestinians

    Asia Pacific Report

    Activists in Aotearoa New Zealand marked International Women’s Day today and the start of Ramadan this week with solidarity rallies across the country, calling for justice and peace for Palestinian women and the territories occupied illegally by Israel.

    The theme this year for IWD is “For all women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment” and this was the 74th week of Palestinian solidarity protests.

    First speaker at the Auckland rally today, Del Abcede of the Aotearoa section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), said the protest was “timely given how women have suffered the brunt of Israel’s war on Palestine and the Gaza ceasefire in limbo”.

    Del Abcede of the Aotearoa section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) . . . “Empowered women empower the world.” Image: David Robie/APR

    “Women are the backbone of families and communities. They provide care, support and nurturing to their families and the development of children,” she said.

    “Women also play a significant role in community building and often take on leadership roles in community organisations. Empowered women empower the world.”

    Abcede explained how the non-government organisation WILPF had national sections in 37 countries, including the Palestine branch which was founded in 1988. WILPF works close with its Palestinian partners, Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling (WCLAC) and General Union of Palestinian Women (GUPW).

    “This catastrophe is playing out on our TV screens every day. The majority of feminists in Britain — and in the West — seem to have nothing to say about it,” Abcede said, quoting gender researcher Dr Maryam Aldosarri, to cries of shame.

    ‘There can be no neutrality’
    “In the face of such overwhelming terror, there can be no neutrality.”

    Dr Aldosarri said in an article published earlier in the war on Gaza last year that the “siege and indiscriminate bombardment” had already “killed, maimed and disappeared under the rubble tens of thousands of Palestinian women and children”.

    “Many more have been displaced and left to survive the harsh winter without appropriate shelter and supplies. The almost complete breakdown of the healthcare system, coupled with the lack of food and clean water, means that some 45,000 pregnant women and 68,000 breastfeeding mothers in Gaza are facing the risk of anaemia, bleeding, and death.

    “Meanwhile, hundreds of Palestinian women and children in the occupied West Bank are still imprisoned, many without trial, and trying to survive in abominable conditions.”

    The death toll in the war — with killings still happening in spite of the precarious ceasefire — is now more than 50,000 — mostly women and children.

    Abcede read out a statement from WILPF International welcoming the ceasefire, but adding that it “was only a step”.

    “Achieving durable and equitable peace demands addressing the root causes of violence and oppression. This means adhering to the International Court of Justice’s July 2024 advisory opinion by dismantling the foundational structures of colonial violence and ensuring Palestinians’ rights to self-determination, dignity and freedom.”

    Action for justice and peace
    Abcede also spoke about what action to take for “justice and peace” — such as countering disinformation and influencing the narrative; amplifying Palstinian voices and demands; joining rallies — “like what we do every Saturday”; supporting the global BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) campaign against Israel; writing letters to the government calling for special visas for Palestinians who have families in New Zealand; and donating to campaigns supporting the victims.

    Lorri Mackness also of WILPF (right) . . . “Women will be delivered [of babies] in tents, corridors, or bombed out homes without anasthesia, without doctors, without clean water.” Image: David Robie/APR

    Lorri Mackness, also of WILPF Aotearoa, spoke of the Zionist gendered violence against Palestinians and the ruthless attacks on Gaza’s medical workers and hospitals to destroy the health sector.

    Gaza’s hospitals had been “reduced to rubble by Israeli bombs”, she said.

    “UN reports that over 60,000 women would give birth this year in Gaza. But Israel has destroyed every maternity hospital.

    “Women will be delivered in tents, corridors, or bombed out homes without anasthesia, without doctors, without clean water.

    “When Israel killed Gaza’s only foetal medicine specialist, Dr Muhammad Obeid, it wasn’t collateral damage — it was calculated reproductive terror.”

    “Now, miscarriages have spiked by 300 percent, and mothers stitch their own C-sections with sewing thread.”

    ‘Femicide – a war crime’
    Babies who survived birth entered a world where Israel blocked food aid — 1 in 10 infants would die of starvation, 335,000 children faced starvation, and their mothers forced to watch, according to UNICEF.

    “This is femicide — this is a war crime.”

    Eugene Velasco, of the Filipino feminist action group Gabriela Aotearoa, said Israel’s violence in Gaza was a “clear reminder of the injustice that transcends geographical borders”.

    “The injustice is magnified in Gaza where the US-funded genocide and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people has resulted in the deaths of more than 61,000.”

    ‘Pernicious’ Regulatory Standards Bill
    Dr Jane Kelsey, a retired law professor and justice advocate, spoke of an issue that connected the “scourge of colonisation in Palestine and Aotearoa with the same lethal logic and goals”.

    Law professor Dr Jane Kelsey . . . “Behind the scenes is ACT’s more systemic and pernicious Regulatory Standards Bill.” Image: David Robie/APR

    The parallels between both colonised territories included theft of land and the creation of private property rights, and the denial of sovereign authority and self-determination.

    She spoke of how international treaties that had been entered in good faith were disrespected, disregarded and “rewritten as it suits the colonising power”.

    Dr Kelsey said an issue that had “gone under the radar” needed to be put on the radar and for action.

    She said that while the controversial Treaty Principles Bill would not proceed because of the massive mobilisations such as the hikoi, it had served ACT’s purpose.

    “Behind the scenes is ACT’s more systemic and pernicious Regulatory Standards Bill,” she said. ACT had tried three times to get the bill adopted and failed, but it was now in the coalition government’s agreement.

    A ‘stain on humanity’
    Meanwhile, Hamas has reacted to a Gaza government tally of the number of women who were killed by Israel’s war, reports Al Jazeera.

    “The killing of 12,000 women in Gaza, the injury and arrest of thousands, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands are a stain on humanity,” the group said.

    “Palestinian female prisoners are subjected to psychological and physical torture in flagrant violation of all international norms and conventions.”

    Hamas added the suffering endured by Palestinian female prisoners revealed the “double standards” of Western countries, including the United States, in dealing with Palestinians.

    Filipino feminist activists from Gabriela Aotearoa and the International Women’s Alliance (IWA) also participated in the pro-Palestine solidarity rally. Image: David Robie/APR

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Daylight saving time and early school start times cost billions in lost productivity and health care expenses

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, Associate Professor of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh

    Daylight saving time kicks in on March 9, 2025, but some say it leads to more heart attacks, depression and car accidents. Lord Henri Voton/E+ via Getty Images

    Investigations into the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster revealed that key decision-makers worked on little sleep, raising concerns that fatigue impaired their judgment. Similarly, in 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil spill resulted in a massive environmental catastrophe. The official investigation revealed the third mate, in charge of steering the ship, was running on too little sleep, among other problems.

    While these specific disasters were not caused by daylight saving time, they are conclusively linked to fatigue, based on postaccident investigations and reports. They underscore the well-documented dangers of sleep deprivation and fatigue-related errors. Yet a vast body of research shows that every year, the shift to daylight saving time needlessly exacerbates these risks, disrupting millions of Americans’ sleep and increasing the likelihood of accidents, health issues and fatal errors.

    Imagine a world where one simple decision – keeping our clocks aligned with the natural cycle of the Sun – could save lives, prevent accidents and improve mental well-being. It’s not just about an hour of lost sleep; it’s about how small disruptions ripple through our health, our workplaces and even our children’s futures.

    I’m a neurologist who specializes in sleep health. I’ve seen firsthand the negative impacts of poor sleep; it has enormous personal and economic consequences.

    Yet despite overwhelming research supporting better sleep policies – such as delaying school start times to align with adolescent biology and the adoption of permanent standard time – these issues remain largely overlooked in public policy discussions.

    Sleep deprivation comes with real costs

    Chronic sleep deprivation does more than leave people tired. It costs an estimated US$411 billion annually in lost productivity and health care costs. Poor sleep leads to workplace mistakes, car accidents and long-term health issues that strain businesses, families and the economy as a whole.

    Fortunately, there’s a fix. Smarter sleep policies – such as permanent standard time and later school start times – can boost efficiency, improve health and save lives.

    Sleep-deprived teens have lower test scores and graduation rates.
    skynesher/E+

    Up before dawn

    Teenagers are the most sleep-deprived age group in the U.S. Multiple studies and surveys show that anywhere from 71% to 84% of high school students report getting insufficient sleep.

    This is largely due to early school start times, which force teens to wake up before their biological clocks are ready. If you have a teenager, you probably see it every day: The teen struggling to wake up before sunrise, rushing out the door without breakfast, then waiting in the dark for the school bus.

    More than 80% of public middle and high schools in the U.S. start before 8:30 a.m., with 42% starting before 8 a.m. and 10% before 7:30 a.m. As a result, some districts have bus pickups as early as 5 a.m.

    Teenagers are going through a natural shift in their circadian rhythms by about two hours. This shift, driven by hormones and biology, makes it hard for them to fall asleep before around 11 p.m. The bodies of teens aren’t wired for these schedules, yet schools and society have designed a system that forces them to function at their worst.

    Declining scores, drowsy driving and depression

    Sleep-deprived teens have lower grades and test scores, more car crashes caused by drowsy driving, more alcohol and drug use and higher rates of depression, anxiety suicide and aggressive behavior, including carrying weapons.

    Along with the health benefits, studies have found that moving school start times to 8:30 am or later could add $8.6 billion to the economy within two years, partly by increased graduation rates.

    While concerns about increased transportation costs exist, such as the need for additional buses or drivers due to staggered school start times, some districts have found that optimizing bus routes can offset expenses, making the change cost-neutral or even cost-saving. For instance, a study in Boston found that reorganizing bus schedules using advanced algorithms reduced the number of buses needed and improved efficiency, which allowed high school students to start later and better align with their natural sleep cycles. This change not only supported adolescent sleep health but also saved the district $5 million annually.

    Studies show that daylight saving time does not reduce energy use.

    More heart attacks, car wrecks and suicide

    Every March, most Americans shift their clocks forward for daylight saving time. Studies show this change disrupts sleep and leads to measurable adverse outcomes, including a significant increase in heart attacks. These effects linger for days after the shift, as sleep-deprived workers struggle to adjust.

    The mental health impact is also severe. Suicide rates increase in the weeks following the switch, particularly for those already vulnerable to depression.

    Unlike daylight saving time, standard time follows the body’s natural circadian rhythm, which is primarily regulated by exposure to sunlight. Our internal clocks are most stable when morning light exposure occurs early in the day, signaling the body to wake up and regulate key biological functions such as hormone production, alertness and metabolism. In contrast, daylight saving time artificially extends evening light, delaying the body’s release of melatonin and making it harder to fall asleep at a biologically appropriate time.

    Studies have found that adopting permanent standard time could prevent up to 5,000 suicides annually by reducing seasonal depression, decrease errors, injuries and absenteeism in the workplace and make roads safer, potentially preventing 1,300 traffic deaths each year.

    Times are changing

    The U.S. tried permanent daylight saving time in 1974. It was so unpopular that Congress repealed it within nine months.

    Russia tried it too, in 2011, but switched back three years later. The United Kingdom dropped permanent daylight saving time in 1971 after three years, and Portugal in 1996 after four. All of these countries found that the switch caused widespread public dissatisfaction, health concerns, more morning car accidents and disrupted work schedules. No country is currently on year-round daylight saving time.

    These examples provide real-world evidence that permanent DST is undesirable due to public dissatisfaction, safety concerns and negative health effects – all three countries attempted it and ultimately reversed course. Since 2022, there has been renewed debate, largely driven by former U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s Sunshine Protection Act, which aims to make DST permanent.

    However, the name is misleading because it doesn’t “protect” sunshine but rather eliminates critical morning light, which is essential for regulating circadian rhythms. Major health organizations, along with the National Safety Council, strongly oppose permanent DST due to its well-documented risks.

    There are signs that suggest the U.S. is finally waking up to these problems. Out of 13,000 school districts, 1,000 have independently adopted later school start times. California and Florida have enacted laws requiring high schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. California’s mandate went into effect in 2022, and Florida’s is set to begin in 2026.

    Permanent standard time and later school start times are not radical ideas. They’re practical, evidence-based solutions based on human biology. Implementing these changes nationally would require congressional action. However, current federal law already allows states to adopt permanent standard time, as Arizona and Hawaii have done, setting a precedent for the rest of the country.

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

    – ref. Daylight saving time and early school start times cost billions in lost productivity and health care expenses – https://theconversation.com/daylight-saving-time-and-early-school-start-times-cost-billions-in-lost-productivity-and-health-care-expenses-248280

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Trump’s $2B court battle over foreign aid could reshape executive authority

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Charles Wise, Professor Emeritus of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University

    A sign outside of the U.S. Agency for International Development building in Washington, D.C. Bryan Dozier/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

    Amid the chaos of the Trump administration’s first few weeks in office, a court case regarding the president’s legal right to stop payment of nearly $2 billion in U.S. Agency for International Development contracts poses an important legal question whose answer may show just how strong the country’s separation of powers actually is.

    On Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order pausing all foreign aid funding, most of which is administered by USAID. A little more than two weeks later, USAID laid off all but a few hundred of its 10,000 workers.

    U.S. District Judge Amir Ali issued a temporary order on Feb. 13 for the administration to not end or pause any existing foreign aid contracts – and again ordered on Feb. 25 that the administration needed to pay the $2 billion owed to various aid organizations for completed work.

    After the Trump administration filed an emergency appeal of the decision to the Supreme Court, the justices, in a 5-4 ruling on March 5, found that the federal judge’s decision can temporarily take effect while the district court considers the merits of the case.

    Now, the Trump administration is facing a deadline imposed by Judge Ali of 11 a.m. on March 10, 2025, to announce a new timeline for delivering the frozen foreign aid payments.

    Amy Lieberman, a politics and society editor at The Conversation U.S., spoke with Charles Wise, an expert on public administration and law, to understand what is fueling this court case and why it has become a test of how far Trump can push the boundaries of presidential power.

    Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh, left, Amy Coney Barrett, center, and former Justice Anthony Kennedy speak with President Donald Trump after his speech at the U.S. Capitol in March 4, 2025.
    Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    1. What is most important to understand about the Supreme Court’s ruling on USAID funding?

    The Trump administration issued a blanket executive order freezing all USAID funds on Jan. 20, 2025. There have been many twists and turns in this case since then, but the Washington, D.C., district court determined in February that the organizations that receive USAID funding to deliver food or health care to people in need, as well as other recipients of USAID money in foreign countries, would suffer irreparable harm.

    The U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., also said that the administration did not follow proper procedures in the law. The Administrative Procedure Act has a set of standards that requires the president to do certain things before making any unilateral kind of action to withhold funds.

    The Supreme Court’s March 5 order is not the final ruling on the case, but it does allow the U.S. District Court decision to stand – at least for now. This ruling requires the government to release funds to USAID recipients. The Supreme Court’s decision also directs the district court to clarify what the government must do to comply with the district court’s order, including considering the feasibility of the timeline within which the government must release the money.

    This is all taking place in a very short time frame, in the context of the D.C. district court issuing a temporary restraining order. It is saying: Let’s freeze the existing situation in place so we can have a full hearing on this issue.

    2. Why is this case important?

    Any administration is prohibited from just withholding funds for any program it doesn’t like without following the procedures prescribed by law. This case matters because the D.C. district court’s decision puts boundaries on what the Trump administration can do to withhold funds that Congress has appropriated. It forces the administration to follow the laws that Congress and previous presidents have agreed on and adopted.

    It ultimately comes down to a contest between the branches of government, and, specifically, the presidency and Congress. This is where Articles 1 and 2 of the U.S. Constitution – and how they divided powers between the president and Congress – comes in. The Trump administration claimed that the court should have respected the president’s Article 2 powers to administer the federal government’s spending. The D.C. court acknowledged the president’s powers under Article 2 but said it has to be balanced against Congress’ right, under Article 1, to appropriate funds.

    A terminated federal worker leaves the offices of the U.S. Agency for International Development in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 28, 2025, after being fired.
    Bryan Dozier/Middle East/AFP via Getty Images

    3. What happens if Trump and his administration do not abide by this order?

    Trump’s officials have a decision to make. Are they going to follow the executive order or the court’s order? That’s not a fun place to be. Administrative officials take an oath to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the U.S., which subjects them to court decisions.

    The president himself is not responsible for distributing USAID funds. State Department officials are responsible for dispersing the funds, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio was appointed as the acting administrator of USAID on Feb. 3, 2025.

    If Rubio and other officials refuse to comply with the court’s order, the D.C. judge, Amir Ali, can hold those officials in contempt of court. Ali has a variety of tools he can use – one is to levy fines against them individually. He could say they have to pay a thousand dollars per day for each day they don’t execute the court’s order.

    4. What will happen next in this case?

    The Supreme Court said in a brief opinion on March 5 that the Feb. 26, 2025, deadline for the government to pay USAID and its contractors had already passed and instructed Ali to “clarify what obligations the Government must fulfill to ensure compliance” with paying USAID.

    The government has argued to the court that the timeline the judge initially set was too fast – they couldn’t do it that fast.

    Now, a few things are going to happen. Ali has ordered the government to develop and release a new schedule to release funds and to have that ready by March 10.

    The second part is that the district court judge will probably schedule a hearing on the merits of the case, in which Ali will be assessing the administration’s argument about whether the administration has violated the Administrative Procedure Act. Ultimately, the Trump administration could appeal Ali’s decision, and the case could wind up back at the Supreme Court.

    Charles Wise had a cooperative agreement for work with USAID that ended in 2007.

    – ref. How Trump’s $2B court battle over foreign aid could reshape executive authority – https://theconversation.com/how-trumps-2b-court-battle-over-foreign-aid-could-reshape-executive-authority-251593

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Seven ways feminism has improved the world for young women – compared to our mother’s generation

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Hind Elhinnawy, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, Nottingham Trent University

    wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock

    International Women’s Day is the perfect time to celebrate how far we’ve come in transforming the lives of women and girls around the world.

    Historically, women have faced subjugation and limited freedom, with societal expectations confining us to marriage and child-rearing. In the UK, the suffragette movement in the early 20th century was a pivotal moment in the fight for women’s rights. The efforts of activists like Emmeline Pankhurst and the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), along with parallel movements worldwide, laid the ground for future advancements.

    Fast forward to the 21st century and increased access to education and healthcare has shattered the notion of women as passive, opening up a world of new opportunities. Here are eight examples of social changes that have made the world a more equitable place for women in their 20s and 30s than things were for our mothers.

    No one’s 20s and 30s look the same. You might be saving for a mortgage or just struggling to pay rent. You could be swiping dating apps, or trying to understand childcare. No matter your current challenges, our Quarter Life series has articles to share in the group chat, or just to remind you that you’re not alone.

    Read more from Quarter Life:

    1. We are crushing career barriers

    In the 1960s, career options for women were generally limited to roles like domestic servants, teachers, nurses or dressmakers.

    Thanks to decades of relentless advocacy and progress, today, women are breaking barriers across all industries. Although challenges still exist, we can now find roles in traditionally male-dominated fields such as technology, engineering and finance.

    Policies supporting work-life balance and combating discrimination are more prevalent. And the rise of remote work and flexible schedules allow many women to more effectively balance their careers with their personal lives.

    2. We are experiencing an education revolution

    Women’s education was limited in the 1960s by societal norms that prioritised marriage over academic achievement. Young women often left school early, and few could pursue higher education.

    Today, the education landscape has transformed dramatically, offering more opportunities for women to pursue higher education and specialised training. Scholarships and grants, as well as online education platforms have made education more accessible and affordable.

    Women are now earning degrees at higher rates than ever before. In the UK, 57% of graduates are women and in the US, that jumps to 58%.

    In many countries, women now outpace men when it comes to university enrolment.
    Jacob Lund/Shutterstock

    3. We are taking charge of our relationships

    For many women in our mothers’ and grandmothers’ generation, marriage was seen as the ultimate goal, with family life centred on traditional roles.

    Over the past six decades, divorce has lost much of its stigma, allowing women to make choices that better prioritise our wellbeing. In many countries now, forced marriage has been outlawed and crimes like domestic violence and stalking – overwhelmingly perpetrated against women – are finally being taken seriously by both the law and the media.

    In the UK, diverse family structures, including single parenthood, cohabitation and LGBTQ+ partnerships are now recognised by the law. This means we have the freedom to make choices in our relationships based on our own needs and desires.

    4. We have gained control over our reproductive choices

    Reproductive rights were severely limited in the 1960s. Most women had little access to birth control and limited knowledge about family planning.

    Today we have greater control over our reproductive choices, supported by legal rights and medical advances. Increased access to contraception and comprehensive reproductive health services are empowering us to make informed decisions.

    While challenges remain, particularly in the US, the strides made highlight the importance of continued advocacy for reproductive justice.



    Read more:
    Roe v Wade overturned: what abortion access and reproductive rights look like around the world

    5. We are socially and culturally more empowered

    The social and cultural landscape has undergone a seismic shift, empowering women like never before.

    Movements such as #MeToo (a social campaign against sexual abuse and harassment, empowering survivors to share their experiences), and Time’s Up (a movement founded in 2018 by celebrities that aimed to support victims of workplace sexual harassment and advocate for gender equality), have shattered the silence on gender inequality and harassment.

    Oprah Winfrey’s Golden Globes speech marked an important moment in the Time’s Up movement.

    6. We have gained legal rights and political influence

    In the course of a generation, women have gained substantial legal rights, with laws supporting gender equality and protection against discrimination coming into force.

    More women are now lawyers, judges and lawmakers, leading to more equitable laws and policies addressing workplace discrimination, domestic violence and reproductive rights. As of 2024, women make up over 50% of law firm associates and more than 40% of the nation’s lawyers. In the 1980s women comprised only about 8% of the legal profession.

    Our political influence has also grown. Today, women occupy more significant positions in government globally than ever before , from local councils to prime ministers and presidents. Our voices are now crucial in shaping policies and representing diverse perspectives.

    7. We are making strides internationally

    Worldwide, between 2012 and 2020, the proportion of girls completing lower secondary school rose from 69% to 77%, while the proportion completing upper secondary school rose from 49% to 59%.

    The adolescent birth rate has fallen globally from 51 to 42 births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19 since 2012. Meanwhile, the proportion of young women married as children has declined globally from 23% to 19% over the past decade.

    And the proportion of girls aged 15-19 who have undergone female genital mutilation in countries where it is highly concentrated has decreased from 41% to 34% over the past decade.

    The fight continues

    Despite significant progress, many outdated and oppressive laws against women persist globally. In conflict zones, women often bear the brunt of brutality, and the continuing refugee crisis puts thousands of women and girls at risk of sex trafficking and exploitation.

    The recent overturning of Roe v Wade in the US has also set back reproductive rights, leading to increased restrictions on abortion access.

    Education also remains a critical issue. Nearly 30% of girls worldwide still do not complete lower secondary school, and around 48% do not complete upper secondary school. And in the least developed countries, adolescent birth rates remain alarmingly high at 94 births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19. The barriers to accessing effective contraceptives include cost, stigma, lack of accurate information and limited decision-making autonomy.

    We’ve made incredible strides in advancing women’s rights, but these setbacks remind us that the fight isn’t over. We must continue to advocate and take action to ensure equality and protection for all women, not just on International Women’s Day, but all year round.

    Hind Elhinnawy 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. Seven ways feminism has improved the world for young women – compared to our mother’s generation – https://theconversation.com/seven-ways-feminism-has-improved-the-world-for-young-women-compared-to-our-mothers-generation-251532

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why increasing rates of tuberculosis in the UK and US should concern everyone

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Tom Wingfield, Deputy Director of the Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Reader in Tuberculosis and Social Medicine, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK; and Honorary Research Associate at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and, University of Liverpool

    pardi hutabarat/Shutterstock

    With one of the largest tuberculosis (TB) outbreaks in US history, Kansas has more to worry about than its recent Super Bowl defeat. During the past year, 67 people with TB have been detected. This comes on the back of increasing rates of TB in the US year on year since the start of the COVID pandemic.

    Rather than a relic of the Victorian era, TB is the world’s most enduring pandemic, killing more people each year than any other single infection. While more common in low-income countries, TB continues to be found in more deprived communities, cities, prisons, homeless populations, and in black, Asian and Indigenous people, including in wealthy countries such as the US and UK.

    TB outbreaks in wealthy countries act as a canary in a coalmine, reflecting cracks in national public health systems. More broadly, TB outbreaks in any setting have deeper implications for the struggle to end TB globally.

    TB is an airborne infection that doesn’t respect borders. With increasing mass movement, including due to climate change and war, the maxim “TB anywhere is TB everywhere” is more resonant today than ever.

    In the UK, TB rates consistently declined between 2011 and 2020. But, like the US, this decline reversed since COVID emerged in early 2020.

    In 2023, there was a 13% increase in the number of people who became unwell with TB in England, compared with 2022.

    At 9.5 people with TB per 100,000 people per year, England is in jeopardy of losing its “low TB incidence” status (less than ten people with TB per 100,000 people per year).

    Rates of TB in England have a stark social gradient, with the poorest 10% of people having five times higher rates of TB than the richest 10%.

    In the UK, there is a cost of living crisis. Many people, especially the poorest, are struggling to put food on the table. TB is a social disease of poverty that thrives where there is overcrowding, undernutrition and poor working and living conditions.

    But the increase in TB in the UK cannot be put down to greater risk of disease alone. The response of the health and social care system to prevent and cure TB is crucial.

    The BCG vaccine, currently the only TB vaccine, is not nearly as effective as we would like at preventing disease. There is hope on the horizon with several vaccines under development, but their effect may be impeded by vaccine hesitancy driven by misinformation.

    BCG is still the only TB vaccine, but it’s not highly effective.
    TuktaBaby/Shutterstock

    Other barriers to address include lack of TB awareness, continuing TB-related stigma, understaffing of vital TB community nursing teams, and a breach between health and social care sectors to support those vulnerable to TB.

    For countries with lower incidence of TB across Europe and North America, many TB policies are targeted at identifying and treating TB in groups who are most at risk of being exposed to the disease, including people moving from regions of the world where TB is more common.

    Patterns of migration to the UK changed significantly following Brexit. A need to expand the workforce, particularly in health and social care, has led to active recruitment and movement of people from higher TB burden countries. This is relevant because, in England, four in five people with TB were born outside the UK, and rates among this group increased by 15% between 2022 and 2023.

    Screening migrant populations as part of their visa application process pre-entry is effective at identifying people with infectious TB. But prevention is better than cure, and there remains a gap in screening for TB infection or TB disease without symptoms.

    Providing well-tolerated, preventive TB treatment can reduce the risk of developing active TB disease by 85% in the future. Yet the screening programme in the UK is under-resourced, with just 11.5% of eligible migrants screened for TB infection in 2023.

    We should not overlook the fact that rates of TB also increased, although to a lesser extent (3.9%), among people born in the UK – the first time this has happened for many years.

    Among both UK-born and non-UK-born populations, often overlapping social risk factors such as homelessness, asylum seeker status, drug or alcohol misuse, incarceration and mental health disorders continue to drive TB. These factors, which jumped by 27% between 2022 and 2023, not only increase the likelihood of TB disease but are associated with much lower rates of cure.

    Early diagnosis and treatment of TB are crucial to prevent long-term health issues or even death. The sooner someone starts effective treatment, the sooner they stop being infectious, helping to reduce the spread of TB. Improving access to diagnosis and care will lower TB transmission.

    Unacceptable delays in treatment

    Nearly a third of people with TB in the UK experience a delay of four months between the onset of their symptoms (commonly cough, fever, night sweats and weight loss) and taking their first anti-TB medicine. This unacceptable delay is similar to (or even longer than) the treatment delays we have documented in low- and middle-income countries with much higher TB burdens, including Peru, Nepal and Mozambique.

    In the UK, most people are entitled to free NHS care, and TB care and prevention is free to all. However, the NHS is overwhelmed and policies relating to healthcare recovery costs of visitors and migrants can prevent people with TB, wherever they are from, from getting timely care. This situation poses a public health threat to us all.

    Effective TB prevention and care is possible. While current tools are imperfect, albeit with recent progress in diagnostics and treatment, researchers around the world are further advancing science and innovation in the fight against TB. This includes the promise of nutritional supplementation, financial and social support, and a new TB vaccine. Providing timely support to everyone with TB remains fundamental to our response to this illness of poverty.

    To end TB, whether in the US, UK, or globally, we would do well to remember and apply the old medical adage: treat the person, not the disease.

    Tom Wingfield is supported by grants from: the Wellcome Trust, UK (209075/Z/17/Z); the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the Medical Research Council (MRC) and Wellcome, UK (Joint Global Health Trials, MR/V004832/1); the Medical Research Council (Public Health Intervention Development Award “PHIND”, APP2293); the Medical Research Foundation (Dorothy Temple Cross International Collaboration Research Grant, MRF-131–0006-RG-KHOS-C0942); and UNITAID (2022-50-START-4-ALL). Tom is an honorary research associate at the Department of Global Public Health, Karolinksa Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and is also an ad hoc consultant for the World Health Organization and the Stop TB Partnership.

    Jessica Potter has previously received research funding from Medical Research Council UK. She chairs a grassroots network called UK Academics and Professionals to end TB and is an advisory member of the Innovations Constituency of the Stop TB Partnership.

    Kerry Millington receives funding from UK aid from the UK government for the research programme that she works on. Views expressed are those of her own and do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies.

    – ref. Why increasing rates of tuberculosis in the UK and US should concern everyone – https://theconversation.com/why-increasing-rates-of-tuberculosis-in-the-uk-and-us-should-concern-everyone-249202

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Does Kneecap’s Bafta win signal changing UK attitudes to British colonialism in Ireland?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Finola Kerrigan, Professor of Marketing, University of Birmingham

    Riotous Irish film Kneecap has attracted much critical and public acclaim since it debuted at Sundance in January 2024 as the festival’s first Irish-language film, winning the prestigious NEXT audience award.

    Its Irish premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh the following July saw it scoop best Irish film, the audience award and the Irish language feature film award. It was selected also as an entry for best international feature film and best original song at this year’s Oscars (but was unsuccessful in securing a nomination). Now Kneecap’s latest film honour comes from Britain, where its writer and director Rich Peppiatt won outstanding debut at the Baftas last month.

    The film, which mixes fantasy with reality, tells the hilarious tale of struggling real-life Irish-language rap group Kneecap (who play themselves in the film) as they become the unlikely face of the civil rights campaign to recognise the Irish language – also known as Gaelic. The bio on the group’s website states theirs “is a voice which comes screaming from the too-often deprived areas of the North of Ireland, speaking in a language which is too-often ignored”.

    The social and political impact of the arts and culture has long been established. Funding is often available for films that support the cultural agenda of nation states, and this plays a significant role in terms of soft power, a concept developed by political scientist Joseph Nye.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    Academic Alan Bradshaw’s review captures the complexity of the themes of the film and its attempt to distance younger people – “the ceasefire generation” – from those of us who lived through the period of civil unrest commonly referred to as the Troubles.

    The Kneecap rappers are focused on advocating for the rights (cearta) of the people of Northern Ireland. Their open criticism of British rule, expressed through their music and film led to objections to them receiving public subsidies from the British taxpayer.

    However, consideration of the funding for the production reflects the central themes of the film. Northern Ireland Screen, the BFI, Screen Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán (Ireland’s independent media regulator) and TG4 (an Irish public service broadcaster providing film and television in Gaelic) collectively funded the film, demonstrating the strong creative collaborations that have developed over the past few years across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the UK.

    While it is not uncommon to see UK-Irish co-productions – ironically, perhaps, the UK and Ireland are largely treated as one territory for film distribution – usually such collaboration is related to the shared use of English. In this case, Irish language is at the centre of the storytelling, highlighting the contentious history behind this shared use of English.

    The Irish language is not just the language in which the story is told, it is at the very heart of the film. In 2020, the Gaelic film Arracht (English title Monster), a story of the Irish famine, was screened in British cinemas and was Ireland’s entry for the 2020 Academy Awards, but it was not nominated for any awards in the UK.

    While Arracht dealt with the famine, illustrating the destructive impact of colonial rule on the Irish people, culture and language, in 2022 An Cailín Ciúin (A Quiet Girl)
    demonstrated the beauty of the Gaelic language and provided many audiences outside of Ireland with their first opportunity to see a film in Irish.

    Kneecap shifts the focus forward to contemporary Northern Ireland and the fight to resuscitate and reinstate the Irish language in the six counties still under British rule. This was eventually recognised in 2022 when the UK parliament passed the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act.

    The film’s Bafta win and Oscar entry follow on from The Quiet Girl, which made it onto the Academy Awards’ shortlist for best international feature film and garnered Bafta nominations for best film not in the English language, and best screenplay (adapted), in 2023.

    Although in terms of pace and energy, Kneecap and The Quiet Girl could not be more different, both films are in the Irish language. The Quiet Girl earned over US$6.5 million (£5 million) globally at the box office – the first film in the Irish language to break the US$1m mark – while Kneecap has earned US$4.5 million so far.

    Kneecap’s Oscar ambitions may have been thwarted, but its success at the Baftas demonstrates the significance of film in terms of reflecting contemporary politics, shining a light on UK-Irish relations and the relevance of Northern Ireland both politically and culturally.

    The 1998 Good Friday agreement, brought an end to the Troubles, and addressed the decades of imbalance in the rights of Northern Irish Catholic citizens in relation to governance, civil and political rights as well as cultural rights.

    The right to use the Irish language was finally acknowledged as a cultural right and was reinstated as an official language of Northern Ireland in 2022 following the repeal of a penal law from 1737 which established English as the only language permissible in courts.

    This fundamental right to your native language is the key theme in Kneecap, focusing on opposing the legacy of British colonial oppression of language and culture. Its success in receiving public funding, delighting UK critics and audiences alike, as well as winning a prestigious British film award is well worth reflecting upon.

    Does this demonstrate that Britain is beginning to recognise the damage of colonialism on the psyche, culture and economics of those who are oppressed and disposed? Is this acceptance of the living legacy of colonialism?

    Giving the Bafta for outstanding debut for Kneecap to Peppiatt – an Englishman living in Belfast – can perhaps be seen as the start of such recognition. But it may be too early for a film opposing colonial British rule to be awarded the award for outstanding British film.

    Finola Kerrigan 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. Does Kneecap’s Bafta win signal changing UK attitudes to British colonialism in Ireland? – https://theconversation.com/does-kneecaps-bafta-win-signal-changing-uk-attitudes-to-british-colonialism-in-ireland-251634

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Chaotic cosmic clones and the Joker reinvented – what to watch and read this week

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Anna Walker, Senior Arts + Culture Editor

    When director Robert Eggers asked him what kind of movies he was interested in, Robert Pattinson said: “I only wanna do strange things.” It seems he’s taken the same approach to stardom as fellow teen star, Daniel Radcliffe – make your name in a big-budget franchise, then spend the rest of your career starring in the interesting, the unexpected and downright weird.

    Since his turn as the sparkle-skinned teen vampire heartthrob Edward Cullen in the Twilight movies, Pattinson has played a tortured lighthouse keeper, a celibate space prisoner and a city slicker who barely leaves his limousine. Even his iteration of Batman was kooky – a tragic, lonely hero in smudged black eye make-up.

    The trailer for Mickey 17.

    So, it’s no wonder that he jumped at the chance to star in Mickey 17. The latest film by renowned Korean writer-director Bong Joon-ho, it follows a mission to establish a human settlement on an inhospitable alien planet in the year 2054. In this imagined future, it has become possible to replicate human beings with total accuracy using an advanced form of 3D printing.

    Although outlawed on ethical grounds back on Earth, human printing is legal in the remote regions of space. There, disposable workers known as “expendables” can be reprinted on demand each time they perish. Our reviewer, an expert in science fiction, said: “Like Bong’s earlier films, Mickey 17 combines artful world-building, an impeccable cast, social satire, anarchic humour – and a taste for the grotesque.”

    Mickey 17 is in cinemas now



    Read more:
    Mickey 17: this absurdist, dystopian clone drama is highly entertaining – despite its flaws

    Villains and heroes

    Pattinson’s Batman has yet to face the Joker, the character’s arch nemesis, and a recurring role that is even more prized among actors than Bruce Wayne. But Vera Drew, who co-writes, directs and stars as several iterations of the character in her new film The People’s Joker, hasn’t let a casting director get in the way of her ambitions.

    The trailer for The People’s Joker.

    In this surreal, hilarious – and very much unofficial – film, Drew plays a mix of both Harley Quinn and the Joker. It’s a queer twist on the DC universe, and a metaphor for the difficulties she encountered as a transgender teen.

    For our reviewers, experts in comic books and their adaptations, it was a breath of fresh air. Proof that, in the era of Marvel’s box office dominance, there is still room for unique remixes of familiar superhero stories.

    The People’s Joker is touring cinemas across the UK



    Read more:
    The People’s Joker remixes familiar characters to create a new kind of comic book movie

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    The most streamed TV series on Netflix this week is the new drama Toxic Town – and deservedly so. It tells the true story of a group of women from Corby in Northamptonshire, UK, who gave birth to children with limb differences in the 1980s and 90s. The children were born with shortened arms or legs or missing fingers.

    The drama follows their battle to uncover the cause and their subsequent fight for justice. It makes for compelling viewing, with standout performances from former Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker and White Lotus’s Aimee Lou Wood.

    The trailer for Toxic Town.

    We asked a pair of climate researchers to review the show. They found it to be a “stark warning about the dangers of weak environmental protections”. Far from being a thing of the past, they argue that we could return to the toxic times seen in Corby if we fail to prioritise stringent environmental safeguards.

    Toxic Town is now streaming on Netflix



    Read more:
    Netflix’s Toxic Town offers a stark warning on environmental rollbacks

    Timely storytelling

    For more culture with a message this week, we highly recommend No Other Land. Winner of the Oscar for best documentary feature film, it chronicles the efforts of Palestinian townspeople to combat an Israeli plan to demolish their villages in the West Bank and use the area as a military training ground.

    The trailer for No Other Land.

    The film was directed by four Palestinian and Israeli activists and journalists including Basel Adra, who is a resident of the area facing demolition. The film’s subject matter has made it difficult to attract distributors in many countries, including the US. British viewers, though, can stream the film for free on Channel 4.

    No Other Land is now in select cinemas and streaming on Channel 4



    Read more:
    A Palestinian-Israeli film just won an Oscar − so why is it so hard to see?

    Show Don’t Tell is the new short story collection from Curtis Sittenfeld. She’s the American writer behind Rodham, the 2020 novel that reimagined the life of Hilary Clinton. Offering slices of life in the American Midwest, it’s a profound exploration of individual and social conflict at a time when the US is on the verge of momentous political change.

    Many of Sittenfeld’s characters are experiencing a low-level sense of dread. Some are obsessed with death. But the stories remind us that, considering the chaotic past decade, where catastrophe and complex political issues have dominated American lives, fear and anxiety are an entirely reasonable emotional response.

    Our reviewer, an expert in American literature and history, read all 12 stories in one sitting. She found them to be moving, witty and achingly real.



    Read more:
    Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld is moving, witty and achingly real

    – ref. Chaotic cosmic clones and the Joker reinvented – what to watch and read this week – https://theconversation.com/chaotic-cosmic-clones-and-the-joker-reinvented-what-to-watch-and-read-this-week-251646

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: J.D. Vance has become Trump’s attack dog, but he’s yet to prove himself a worthy successor

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Richard Hargy, Visiting Research Fellow in International Studies, Queen’s University Belfast

    The US vice-presidency is famously rather dull and mostly frustrating, according to some of the people who have taken on the role.

    “I do not propose to be buried until I am dead,” Daniel Webster is believed to have said, after turning down the vice presidency in 1839. “I would a great deal rather be anything, say professor of history, than vice president,” said Theodore Roosevelt, just before taking the job.

    J.D. Vance, the current vice-president, appears to have little intention of sitting back in the shadows while waiting for his chance at the top job. Instead, the former marine turned politician is rapidly turning into Donald Trump’s high-profile attack dog.

    His aggressive questioning of Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky in a televised press conference at the White House on February 28, switched the tone of the whole event from uncomfortable to disastrous.

    “Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America … and the president of the United States of America, who is trying to save your country,” Vance said to Zelensky, before pushing the Ukrainian president to respond.

    The press conference, which had been set up to sign a US-Ukraine mineral deal, descended into chaos, and ended with Donald Trump deciding that he was not prepared to go ahead, and Zelensky was not ready.

    The New York Times White House correspondent Michael Shear described the astonishing spectacle of a vice-president inserting himself into a tense diplomatic melee as both a sign of Vance’s “media savvy”, as well as his desire to not be “relegated to the B-team” and a determination not to be in the shadow of Elon Musk.

    It also demonstrated Vance’s awareness of something Trump expects from all subordinates: being publicly defended by them.

    Steadfast loyalty to Trump is a non-negotiable prerequisite. As Dartmouth College professor, Russell Muirhead, and Harvard professor emerita, Nancy L. Roenblum, have said: “Trump’s problem is not that he requires loyalty to his agenda … It is that he demands personal loyalty.”

    Vance understands this, which has been evidenced in acts such as publicly backing Trump’s argument that his executive power should not be challenged by the courts. On X, the vice-president argued that, “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”

    J.D. Vance on his role in the Zelensky press conference.

    Tough on allies

    On the foreign policy front, the vice-president has also come out fighting, and showing his willingness to be Trump’s rottweiler in all arenas. Last month in Munich Vance used a speech to reprimand the continent’s leaders for stepping away from fundamental values by suppressing free speech.

    Vance went on to criticise the US’s European allies some days later when he called out a UK-France plan for European troops to guarantee peace in Ukraine, stating the proposal was unworkable and could not be guaranteed by “some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years”.

    A key advantage that Vance enjoys over his Republican predecessor, Mike Pence, is that he does not have to navigate between the Republican establishment and Maga factions of the party. Both these worlds have coalesced around Trump. Vance is also considered, like Trump, to be a spokesperson for Maga values.

    Where did Vance come from?

    Only a few years ago, however, Vance was far from a Trump loyalist. In 2016 he referred to Trump as “cultural heroin” and worried he could be “America’s Hitler”.

    Vance, 40, is the third youngest vice-president in US history. In his 2016 best-selling biography, Hillbilly Elegy, Vance told of his difficult upbringing in Ohio and Kentucky as well as offering his own personal insight into the struggles facing impoverished white working-class people. Vance’s memoir made him a coveted analyst during the first Trump administration to explain the president’s appeal to these communities.

    Vance appears in lockstep with Trump on almost all foreign policy issues, particularly Ukraine, and his pro-Russia position. Even before his election to the Senate in 2022, Vance had made known his opposition to US aid to the country in support of its military campaign against Russia. In a podcast interview he said, “I’ve got to be honest with you. I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other.”

    One area of difference could be with his position on the western military alliance. In his address to the Munich Security Conference Vance said: “I don’t think that we should pull out of NATO, and no, I don’t think that we should abandon Europe. But yes, I think that we should pivot.”

    It is unclear if the same can be said of Donald Trump. Germany’s new chancellor-in-waiting, Friedrich Merz, issued a blunt warning: “We must prepare for the possibility that Donald Trump will no longer uphold NATO’s mutual defence commitment unconditionally”.

    John Bolton, a former National Security Advisor to Trump, believes the current commander-in-chief is shifting the goalposts on what he demands from fellow Nato members relating to defence spending and by setting targets that few European states can meet.

    In the early weeks of this second Trump administration, Vance has sought to remain a loyal subordinate and someone who will “reinforce (Trump’s) hard-right agenda”, according to Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a research non-profit.

    Just over four weeks into his new role, however, Vance has yet to secure the total endorsement from his boss to be his heir apparent. During an interview on Fox News on February 10, when asked if he viewed Vance as his inevitable successor in 2028, Trump responded: “No, but he’s very capable.”

    The clearly ambitious Vance knows the next four years could make or break his ability to get the top job, and right now he is betting that his attack-dog status could help win him that role.

    Richard Hargy 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. J.D. Vance has become Trump’s attack dog, but he’s yet to prove himself a worthy successor – https://theconversation.com/j-d-vance-has-become-trumps-attack-dog-but-hes-yet-to-prove-himself-a-worthy-successor-250554

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Woolly mice are a first step to resurrecting mammoths, but there’s a very long way to go

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Benjamin Tapon, PhD student, Queen Mary University of London

    US biotechnology company Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences has a radical proposal: it wants to resurrect the woolly mammoth from extinction. In a preprint paper published on March 4, scientists at Colossal report making a significant step towards this objective. They genetically modified the DNA of mice to give them mammoth-like traits in their hair shape, colour and length.

    By testing out their methods in a familiar laboratory animal, the researchers can make sure they work before applying them to Asian elephants – the closest living relatives of the mammoth.

    De-extinction is an idea which, if successfully implemented, would allow us to bring back any species from the dead. It means that no animal could go truly extinct as long as we can obtain its DNA.

    However, mammoths were heavily adapted to a cold climate and a biome – an area with specific climate, vegetation and animal life – that no longer exists.

    The Siberian habitats once roamed by the creatures – known as the mammoth steppe – are significantly warmer today. Many of the animals and plants they lived among have also disappeared, and the regions are now home to new ones that never lived alongside the mammoth.

    Attempts to reintroduce woolly mammoths in our modern tundras could therefore prove difficult, and have untold repercussions on the current ecosystem. Against a background of climate change, these tundras are only going to get warmer and less suitable for an animal like the mammoth.

    Nevertheless, Colossal is pushing ahead with efforts to recreate these striking creatures. Asian elephants diverged from mammoths around 6.7 million years ago and share over 95% of their DNA. Colossal plans to bridge this gap by transforming the genomes of Asian elephants to make them more like those of woolly mammoths.

    Scientists have obtained high-quality woolly mammoth DNA sequences from carcasses preserved in Siberian permafrost. These genomes (the full complement of DNA in the cell) have allowed scientists to compare the genes that differ between the mammoth and the Asian elephant.

    Multiplex editing

    In order to generate their beauty prize-worthy mice, Colossal’s scientists used a range of highly advanced genome editing techniques to modify the sequence of DNA in the mouse. Regions of mouse DNA can be changed so they resemble genes in other organisms, such as a woolly mammoth.

    These techniques are known collectively as multiplex editing and include the best known method, Crispr-Cas9. Multiplex genome editing gives scientists the ability to target and affect several genes at once (up to seven at a time in this case).

    The scientists modified ten genes in total in their mice, in different combinations. Interestingly, only three were changed to resemble genes found in the woolly mammoth. The other seven had been previously identified to cause hair variation in mice, and produce traits somewhat similar to those found in mammoth hair. Although these are not mammoth gene variants, modifying them demonstrates the team’s ability to edit several genes at once through multiplex editing.

    The environment once roamed by mammoths has long disappeared.
    Matis75 / Shutterstock

    Two of the three mammoth-associated genes (Krt27 and Tgfa) have previously been linked to hair texture, based on comparisons with Asian elephants. Another gene, Fabp2, is thought to have facilitated efficient fat metabolism in mammoths – a presumed evolutionary adaptation to cold.

    Modifying the Krt27 and Tgfa hair genes in mice led to a change in texture, making some hairs longer and rougher and others wavier and zigzaggy. The fact these gene modifications produced physical traits seen in mammoth hair provides a way of verifying the genes are indeed associated with changes in hair pattern, and therefore contribute to the mammoth’s distinctive woolliness. But editing the mice so they had the Fabp2 gene variant from mammoths led to no observable physical difference.

    Of the seven mouse-identified genes modified by the researchers, one (a variant of the Mc1r gene) led to the shiny blond coat colour. At least one mammoth carcass dug up from the Siberian permafrost has a similar coat colour, so the change is certainly evocative of these ice age creatures.

    A much bigger task

    Although this is an exciting study into an area of research with incredible potential, there are a few limitations to keep in mind. While Asian elephants are the closest thing we currently have to mammoths, it would take a lot more than a few tweaks to hair length and squiggliness to meaningfully make a mammoth out of an elephant.

    While George Church, the Harvard genetics professor who founded Colossal, claims that modifying 65 genes in Asian elephants will accomplish this goal, the reality is likely to be more complicated.

    Indeed, the fact that editing the Fabp2 gene – associated with fat metabolism in mammoths – led to no observable difference in the mice is one example of the many gaps in our understanding of mammoth genetics. Put another way, this shows that we have some way to go to fully understand the causal relationship between genes and phenotype – the visible characteristics in a living organism.

    Increasing the number of simultaneously targeted genes from seven to 65 could also introduce various unintended consequences, including accidentally modifying unintended DNA regions similar to the target sequence (known as the off-target effects of genome editing). It also remains difficult to achieve changes in all genes at once; here too, scaling up from seven to 65 will pose a noteworthy challenge.

    On top of this, even if Colossal manages to make all 65 gene changes in their Asian elephants, there are likely to be many more differences between mammoth and elephant genomes that have not yet been identified. These include genes involved in behaviour, and in regions of the genome that dictate when genes are switched on or off. While mice are an extremely well studied experimental organism, elephants are less well characterised.

    As a proof of concept, this research is fascinating, although it remains to be seen whether Colossal’s goal of creating an elephant-mammoth hybrid by 2028 is achievable. It would be more likely to generate a mammoth-like Asian elephant than something exactly like the ice age creature.

    Finally, it is worth considering the end goal of this branch of research. Mammoths went extinct only 4,000 years ago, but at this point they had already been pushed into a fraction of their initial range – restricted to a tiny surviving population on Wrangel island in the Russian Arctic.

    Another of Colossal’s objectives is to bring back the thylacine, a carnivore that once lived in Tasmania. Given it went extinct due to active hunting in the 20th century, the thylacine should at least still have suitable habitat.

    However, if the goal is simply to counteract extinction, more sustainable efforts to avoid future extinctions might be better than expensive genetic engineering. De-extinction cannot replace efforts to preserve the one planet we have, and all the living organisms we share it with.

    Benjamin Tapon receives funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, through the LIDo DTP.

    Alex de Mendoza receives funding from European Research Council and the Royal Society.

    – ref. Woolly mice are a first step to resurrecting mammoths, but there’s a very long way to go – https://theconversation.com/woolly-mice-are-a-first-step-to-resurrecting-mammoths-but-theres-a-very-long-way-to-go-251640

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Parasitic worms could be hiding in you – how to spot the unusual signs

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dan Baumgardt, Senior Lecturer, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol

    Dmytro Flisak/Shutterstock

    The comedian Shappi Khorsandi once commented that she used the mythical concept of “sugar worms” to get her children to brush their teeth after sweets. It’s a trick I poached to convince my daughter to do the same. She’s since grown wise to this, but now luckily manages to navigate her way around a toothbrush twice a day without resistance.

    Real worms have now replaced fictitious worms as a point of discussion in many other households with young children. Every few weeks, nurseries and schools inform parents of yet another occurrence of threadworm. It’s not surprising that these wriggly beasties keep rearing their heads, considering how easily transmissible they are.

    Threadworm

    Threadworm infestation is a common minor ailment, particularly in kids. The worm species that causes it – Enterobius vermicularis – goes by many other names, including pinworm. This is because it really is as thin and pointy as a pin, and silvery-white in appearance. It’s also sometimes known as seatworm, possibly because the body parts it most commonly affects are those which you sit on.

    The circle of life for a threadworm is simple. Their larvae come from ingested eggs that then hatch in the small intestine. They typically form a colony within the first part of the large intestine (the caecum).

    But their most noticeable effect appears to be on the back passage, since the female worms migrate there, usually at nighttime, to lay their eggs. This results in the common symptoms of a very itchy bottom, especially at night. The itching naturally makes the sufferer scratch, installing the newly laid eggs under their fingernails and allowing them to spread to other hosts through contact. It can affect anyone – both adults and children.

    It’s possible to spot threadworms in the stool after a bowel movement. They can make themselves known in several other ways, including nighttime irritability and bed wetting. Because the worms prefer living in the intestine, in rare conditions they may cause abdominal pain and mimic appendicitis. In fact, in some cases the appendix is removed and found to be chock-full of wriggling worms.

    In rare cases, symptoms can mimic appendicitis.
    Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock

    The condition is usually mild and can be treated at home. Mebendazole, an oral anti-worm medication, can be bought over the counter at most pharmacies and is normally effective.

    It’s recommended to treat everyone in the household over the age of two, in case they have already spread – remembering that sometimes there are no symptoms to be noted at all. But it’s important to speak to a doctor for children younger than two years old, and pregnant or breastfeeding women with threadworm, as medication may not be suitable.

    Hygiene measures are important to help clear the infection and prevent the spread, especially in those who can’t take medication. This involves scrupulous washing of hands, laundry and avoiding scratching the affected areas. It’s a good idea to trim fingernails too, to prevent the eggs from getting caught under them.

    Hookworm

    Threadworms aren’t the only worms (helminths) that invade humans. Hookworms, for example, affect about 470 million people worldwide. Infections in the UK are rarer, since hookworms favour a warmer climate.

    Like threadworm, they also tend to take up residence in the small intestine – though they can also get there in a much more complicated way. The larvae of hookworms are able to pass through the skin and travel to the lungs in the bloodstream. Once there, they journey upwards into the throat where they can then be swallowed down.

    Since the respiratory tract and gut are the favourite places for these worms to bunk down, the symptoms of a hookworm infection tend to be associated with them – such as coughing and wheezing. Inflammation in the small intestine, triggered by the infestation can generate abdominal pain and diarrhoea. It can also hamper the absorption of proteins and iron from the gut, causing anaemia.

    A characteristic rash might be noted in the stage where the larvae start to burrow through the skin – looking a bit like a snake writhing through it. In the medical profession, we call this cutaneous larva migrans.

    Like threadworm, hookworm can also be treated with oral medications.

    Cutaneous larva migrans can resemble snakes burrowing under the skin.
    TisforThan/Shutterstock

    Filariae

    Worms don’t just invade the gut or lungs. Some of them work their way into other regions of the body. Take lymphatic filariasis, a condition that arises when certain worms of the Filariidae order, infiltrate the lymphatic system.

    The lymph vessels act as drainage pipes, removing excess fluid from the tissues and returning it to the bloodstream. When the worms invade and inflame the lymphatic system, the result is lymphoedema – an accumulation of fluid in the extremities (like the legs), which causes swelling and discomfort.

    In extreme cases, the swelling can be profound, resulting in a condition known as elephantiasis. This is because the worm infestation causes not just swelling, but also skin changes – making it thicker and tougher, and taking on the appearance of elephant skin.

    These are just a few of the helminth conditions that can affect humans. Other examples include tapeworms and whipworms – which are also intestinal. Ringworm is a misnomer though, and not a worm at all – it’s actually caused by a fungal infection.

    Dan Baumgardt 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. Parasitic worms could be hiding in you – how to spot the unusual signs – https://theconversation.com/parasitic-worms-could-be-hiding-in-you-how-to-spot-the-unusual-signs-250703

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: For narcissistic people, the gap between perception and reality may go far deeper than we thought

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ava Green, Lecturer in Forensic Psychology, City St George’s, University of London

    Cristina Conti/Shutterstock

    Despite exuding confidence, narcissistic people relentlessly crave admiration. In other words, they are unable to convince themselves of their own brilliance.

    Growing research shows the gap between perception and reality for narcissistic people goes far deeper than their inflated views about their appearance, accomplishments and abilities.

    Narcissism is a personality trait that exists along a spectrum, where the lower end reflects a healthy balance of self-esteem and confidence. At the extreme end of the spectrum, however, narcissism is considered a personality disorder which affects 1-2% of the population. Most of us manifest narcissistic traits to varying degrees, but the more elevated the features are, the wider the gap between perception and reality.

    Narcissistic people with elevated features frequently belittle anyone who fails to provide them with the special treatment they feel entitled to. Ironically, they continuously undermine the false self they are trying to build and maintain.

    They can also be quick to respond with anger and aggression to criticism, in an attempt to protect their grandiose yet fragile sense of self. A 2021 UK study found they experience more paranoia, even when there is no evidence of people meaning to harm them, compared with people with lower levels of narcissism.

    Similarly, recent research by US psychologists found that narcissistic people experienced heightened fear of being left out, and accused others of deliberately ostracising them when there was no evidence to support their belief.

    The study found that participants high in narcissistic traits were more likely to interpret ambiguous social cues as rejection (for instance, a delayed text message). This suggests their perceptions of social behaviour may be distorted.

    Narcissism and ostracism fuel one another

    Narcissism can be expressed in “vulnerable” features (socially-inhibited and neurotic) as well as “grandiose” features (dominant and extroverted). People with more grandiose features are overtly assertive and self-promoting. People with more vulnerable features tend to be outwardly distressed, hypersensitive and inhibited.

    Although these are separate forms of narcissism, they share a core of entitlement and an antagonistic character style. And just like we all exhibit varying degrees of narcissistic traits, we also fluctuate between these two expressions of narcissism.

    The US researchers chose to focus on grandiose narcissism only. The study differentiated between two facets of grandiose narcissism: narcissistic admiration (the ability to charm and manipulate people) and narcissistic rivalry, which includes devaluing and acting aggressively towards others.

    Narcissism can be grandiose or covert.
    Nicoleta Ionescu/Shutterstock

    The research team analysed data for more than 77,000 participants from a series of seven studies by other scientists spanning 2009-2022. The first two studies investigated the relationship between narcissism and ostracism using surveys and experience sampling (a method used to investigate participants’ cognition and behaviour outside the lab – for example, using participants’ smartphones to track their behaviour).

    The first study found people who reported higher narcissism levels said they experienced significantly more ostracism, compared with other participants. This was backed up by the second study, in which participants completed the narcissism assessments then reported feelings of ostracism within a 14-day period, using a mobile app.

    The remaining experiments examined how people with higher levels of narcissism perceive ambiguous social interactions, and how others respond to narcissistic traits. After a group task, people with higher traits in narcissistic rivalry were more likely ostracised, even when other participants weren’t told the target had elevated levels of narcissism.

    This supports the findings of a 2017 meta-study showing that people high in narcissistic rivalry may provoke direct conflict through their behaviour, and perceive others more negatively.

    The US researchers concluded that, while narcissistic features can fuel social exclusion, ostracism itself can, over time, contribute to pronounced narcissistic traits. It appears that ostracism can make people already high in narcissism even higher in these traits.

    Other research has similarly shown disparity between the narcissistic self and reality, and the role paranoia plays in this relationship. For instance, a 2015 study found that elevated levels of narcissism are associated with belief in conspiracy theories. This association was driven by paranoid thought.

    These findings are concerning given the harmful consequences of conspiracy theories for society. They can fuel violence, climate denial and vaccine hesitancy.

    Narcissistic personality features also tend to be higher among political leaders than the general population. Conspiracy theories may be appealing to politicians – particularly during times that challenge their entitled need for superiority and power.

    The ideal self and the actual self

    The US study’s findings carry practical implications for interventions aimed at people with high levels of narcissism. The researchers said interventions should not only try to improve relationships by identifying personality risk factors (in this instance, the rivalry component of narcissism), but also consider the perceptions of the person involved.

    Narcissistic personality disorder comes with a higher risk of suicide and mental health difficulties, and treatment rarely makes much difference. This is partly because of patients’ resistance to abandoning the “ideal self”, leading to frustration, anger and conflict with their therapist.

    But some interventions could target the cognitive distortions of narcissistic people that hamper their ability to function in society. For example, psychological therapies could aim to help them process the defensive mechanisms (overvaluing themselves) that mask underlying feelings of vulnerability.

    Helping narcissistic people develop greater insights into their habitual reactions – such as responding aggressively to self-esteem threats and feelings of social exclusion – could help them foster skills that reshape their cognitive distortions. This could ameliorate distress, anger and hostility for narcissistic people – and the people around them.

    Ava Green 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. For narcissistic people, the gap between perception and reality may go far deeper than we thought – https://theconversation.com/for-narcissistic-people-the-gap-between-perception-and-reality-may-go-far-deeper-than-we-thought-250434

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Women always suffer in times of conflict. Yet the arms industry is accused of gender washing war

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rosie Walters, Lecturer in International Relations, Cardiff University

    A displaced Yemeni woman makes food for her children in the camp where they live in the city of Taiz. akramalrasny/Shutterstock

    International Women’s Day, marked each year on March 8, is all about celebrating women and furthering efforts towards gender equality. Companies are keen to join these conversations and shout about their achievements on a day when minds are focused on female empowerment. But this has led to accusations of hypocrisy.

    In 2021, one user on X created the Gender Pay Gap bot. Until 2023,this automated account reposted companies’ supportive messages about International Women’s Day, quoting information about their gender pay gap. The bot’s posts received tens of thousands of views and shares, showing an appetite for calling out misleading corporate claims about women’s empowerment.

    Activists and researchers label these misleading actions “gender washing”. It describes communications and practices that present corporations as taking action on gender inequalities even as they engage in things that may be harmful to women and girls.

    Gender washing takes many forms. It might be, for example, sponsoring girls’ education programmes without addressing known practices of child labour and sexual harassment in supply chains. Or it could be applying for corporate social responsibility awards while facing lawsuits for discrimination against female employees.

    Our research examines global arms manufacturers, including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman. It is estimated that the global arms trade as a whole was worth US$138 billion (£109 billion) in 2022 (the last year for which data are compiled).

    It is hard to say how many people are killed by these weapons, but at a minimum it numbers in the tens of thousands each year. Beyond this, the after-effects of weapons use include displacement, starvation and health emergencies, as has been seen in Yemen.

    Arms manufacturers continue to produce and sell weapons that cause untold suffering (including to women) across the world. But interestingly, arms manufacturers also issue communications celebrating International Women’s Day.

    Careers in science and tech

    Where previous research highlights how gender washing shows corporations or their products in a positive light, our research revealed bigger effects. We found that, through joint communications with governments and militaries, arms manufacturers were engaged in the process of gender washing war itself.

    By posting for International Women’s Day, these companies portray the technologies and corporate operations of warfare as empowering to women and girls. They show women succeeding in science and technology careers, and girls receiving inspirational talks and science education, while saying nothing about what that science is being used for.

    For example, Lockheed Martin Middle East and Africa shared a video on X showing a group of female engineers at the company’s innovation centre in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The post states that the company is “committed to inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers through real-world #STEM education”.

    The video shows a group of women wearing traditional Emirati dress in futuristic labs. They are interacting with touchscreen images of helicopters flying over deserts, examining a drone and sitting next to magnifying glasses. The soundtrack is like something out of a Hollywood action movie.

    But the women do not speak for themselves. We are supposed to assume that, thanks to Lockheed Martin, they are being educated in cutting-edge technology and empowered to pursue careers in science. They get hands-on experience using the very military technologies being deployed in many parts of their region.

    Lockheed Martin’s sale of weapons to warring parties in the Middle East, including arms sold to Saudi Arabia with devastating consequences for Yemeni women, is presented as a learning opportunity, “inspiring” women of the Middle East into science careers.

    For its part, Lockheed Martin said in its 2023 gender pay gap report that it had closed the salary gap by 12.1% since 2017. It also said its investment in STEM activities helped it to focus on a future pipeline of female talent.

    We also found that some corporations attempt to join progressive conversations without actually saying anything at all. We label this “constructive silences”. This is where companies say nothing of substance on gender issues, and do not reveal any efforts to tackle gender inequalities within their own practices. But nonetheless they tap into conversations about International Women’s Day that might enhance their reputations.

    A post on X from Lockheed Martin India uses International Women’s Day hashtags. But there is no clear link to the accompanying text, which does not mention women specifically. Nor is there any connection to initiatives to address gender inequalities. Instead it talks about how “an inclusive environment” helps employees to “develop innovative solutions”.

    This matters because – through social media – arms manufacturers present technologies of war as a force for public good. It is easier to deflect criticism of the harms created by your products when you can point to your efforts supporting women’s empowerment.

    These posts for International Women’s Day, and other gender-washing practices, make it easier for governments to continue subsidising the arms industry, buying and using weaponry, and issuing licenses for the sale of weapons in conflicts across the globe. All the while, they give the impression that the corporations producing those weapons are educating and empowering women and girls.

    This International Women’s Day, take a look for yourself. Think about which companies are professing care for women and what harms might they be obscuring.

    In a statement to The Conversation, a spokesman for Lockheed Martin said: Lockheed Martin’s core business safeguards human rights by advancing cutting-edge technologies that help US and allied defence forces promote deterrence and protect their people. We adhere to strict and ethical business practices guided by US government laws, regulations and policies related to international military sales and the use of products sold to international customers. Our company culture is collaborative and respectful, which allows all of our team members to impactfully contribute to our mission-critical work.

    Raytheon and Northrop Grumman were also approached for comment about the claims made in this article, but did not respond by the time we published.

    Rosie Walters receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council, the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Learned Society of Wales.

    Natalie Jester 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. Women always suffer in times of conflict. Yet the arms industry is accused of gender washing war – https://theconversation.com/women-always-suffer-in-times-of-conflict-yet-the-arms-industry-is-accused-of-gender-washing-war-249775

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Egypt on edge: finding a delicate balance between Gaza and Trump

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By May Darwich, Associate Professor of International Relations of the Middle East, University of Birmingham

    US president Donald Trump famously called Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi his “favourite dictator” in 2019, but their relationship has been complex. Trump’s return to the White House for a second term has sent ripples of concern through Cairo. In January 2025, Trump proposed a resolution to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza: forcibly relocating Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan. Trump simultaneously threatened to withdraw US aid if these countries didn’t comply with the proposal. Sisi’s Egypt will need to navigate Trump’s ambition without sacrificing the regime’s own survival. May Darwich, who has studied Arab states’ foreign policies and alliances in the Middle East, explains what’s at stake.

    How dependent is Egypt on the US?

    Over time, Egypt has received more US foreign aid than any country besides Israel. It has received US$78 billion for economic assistance and US$90 billion in military assistance since 1946.

    A peace agreement with Israel in 1979 concluded the war between the two countries. Israeli forces withdrew from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Since then, the US has provided Egypt with a fixed amount of US$1.5 billion, of which US$1.3 billion is military aid, every year. It goes to financing Egypt’s purchase of weapons systems from US defence contractors.

    US aid has been a cornerstone of Egyptian-US relations for decades.

    Since 1979, Egypt has been a central pillar of US policies in the Middle East. Military aid is deemed essential to ensure that the regime in Egypt aligns with US interests. At the same time, this aid is widely seen as contributing to the survival of Egypt’s authoritarian regime.

    But history shows that Egypt can soften the potential impact of the US freezing assistance during periods of strained relations.

    The US suspended some military assistance to Egypt after the regime change in 2013. During that time, el-Sisi, who was elected president in 2014, received support from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He also increased weapon imports from France and Russia.

    After a period of review, the Barack Obama administration released aid to Egypt to preserve US interests. As US secretary of state John Kerry once explained:

    We are getting a return on that investment that is not inconsequential. The army also is helping us enforce security in the Sinai (in Egypt). The army is also helping us enforce the Gaza peace.

    Should this relationship come under strain again, Egypt could learn to become even more independent. China’s influence in Egypt is growing, and the Gulf states that enjoy a close relationship with Sisi may also decide to commit funding.

    How has Egypt balanced its interests with Arab states, Israel and the US?

    The signing of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty in 1979 marked a shift in Egyptian foreign policy. The treaty aligned Egypt with the west in recognising Israel. This decision, however, led to Egypt’s isolation in the Arab world and its expulsion from the Arab League (it was readmitted in 1989).

    When Mohamed Hosni Mubarak assumed power following Anwar el-Sadat’s assassination in 1981, Egypt had to balance its partnership with the US, maintain peace with Israel and reconcile its relations with Arab states.

    Egypt condemned Israeli aggression against Palestinians and against Lebanon in 1982 and 2006, and froze efforts to normalise relations with Israel. This reinforced its pivotal position in Arab circles without jeopardising its peace with Israel.

    Meanwhile, Egypt helped US military assets to move across the region and oil to flow through the Suez Canal. It maintained peace and stability with Israel by pressuring Palestinian resistance movements into de-escalation. This balancing act allowed Egypt to become a mediator between Palestine and Israel.

    Egypt under Sisi has made efforts to maintain the balancing act. However, the ongoing Gaza war has intensified Egypt’s challenges. These include refugee flights and instability at its border. The war has also threatened Egypt’s longstanding role in the Middle East region.

    How has the Gaza war threatened Egypt’s balancing act?

    The onset of the Gaza war in October 2023 put Egypt on edge. Cairo is apprehensive about Israel’s potential strategy of forcibly locating Palestinians to the Sinai Peninsula, which is on its territory. Egyptian officials have deemed that scenario as a red line. Cairo doesn’t want to be seen as undermining the Palestinian cause.

    Also, Egyptians harbour concerns that the presence of a substantial Palestinian population in Sinai – which links Africa to Asia, and borders Israel and Gaza – could transform the region into a launchpad for attacks on Israel. This would compel Egypt to either suppress such activities or face retaliation from Israel.

    This concern stems from a 1955 incident. The Israeli army raided an Egyptian military camp in the Gaza strip, which was then under Egyptian control. Seventeen soldiers were killed following a Palestinian militant’s killing of an Israeli. A plan to move Palestinians to Sinai sparked protests in the Gaza strip, bringing the Egyptian military in direct confrontation with Palestinians.

    This historical event has continued to shape Egyptian foreign policy, which rejects any relocation of Palestinians in Sinai.

    The current war has highlighted structural weaknesses in the already precarious Egyptian economy. The Houthi attacks in the Red Sea that began in 2024 caused a sharp drop in revenues from the Suez Canal, a critical source of foreign revenue for Egypt.

    Sisi played on European fears that what happened in Gaza could harm Egypt’s economic situation and lead to mass migration to Europe. But cash infusions won’t solve the deep-seated economic challenges facing the country.

    Cairo’s role as a mediator between the west, Israel and the Arab world is facing renewed challenges. Other mediators, like Qatar, have emerged.

    What could affect Egypt’s response to Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians?

    Trump’s proposal places the Egyptian regime in a precarious position. If Egypt agrees to the plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, it would signify a dramatic departure from its foundational foreign policies. It could also reignite discontent among its population.

    Rejecting the proposal would strain Egypt-US relations, potentially undermining the support for Sisi’s regime, which might then have to seek aid from other countries.

    The Gaza conflict underscores Egypt’s historical and political entanglement with the Palestinian issue.

    May Darwich 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. Egypt on edge: finding a delicate balance between Gaza and Trump – https://theconversation.com/egypt-on-edge-finding-a-delicate-balance-between-gaza-and-trump-251375

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: European leaders agree defence ramp-up to support Ukraine – but Hungary continues to block progress

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By David J. Galbreath, Professor of International Security, University of Bath

    Leaders of the 27 EU countries have agreed in principle to a massive increase in defence spending at a summit that was hastily organised in the wake of Donald Trump’s withdrawal of support for Ukraine.

    Talks over European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s €800 million (£670 million) military spending package went on for ten hours before an agreement could be reached. And while the deal is in place, leaders can’t agree on how to finance it.

    With pressure from the United States to increase their contribution to Nato, European states have also agreed to increase defence spending as a share of their GDP.

    Many EU countries wanting to spend more on defence argue they can’t afford to do so because they are already struggling with government debt. However, France has the largest debt as a proportion of its GDP in the EU and is still increasing defence spending.

    The challenge for nearly all EU member states has been how to go about spending more on defence without over-borrowing and putting the euro currency in danger through government defaults on existing loans.

    The European Commission has set out new funding for defence industries which could lower the cost of defence procurement for EU member states. However, the EU doesn’t have enough funds to sustain a high level of defence investment.

    Hungary and Slovakia have stated that they are not interested in an EU defence budget. They would rather see individual member states increase their budgets. Both Hungary and Slovakia are resistant to EU calls to further isolate Russia over the war in Ukraine.

    Hungarian president Viktor Orbán was the holdout at the Brussels meeting. Orbán has been far more lenient than others on Moscow since the start of the war.

    Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, wants a more constructive relationship with Russia and the return to the supply of natural gas that is piped through Ukraine. He did, however, ultimately fall in behind other member states at the Brussels meeting.

    Now that a package has been agreed, the challenge for European leaders and the EU is how to grow defence budgets without breaking the budget, forcing many governments into determining what they are not going to spend money on even before they can figure out how to grow defence spending.

    The nuclear dilemma

    At the summit, French president Emmanuel Macron also presented a plan to bring other European nations under France’s nuclear umbrella, effectively making France’s deterrent their joint deterrent.

    The rationale here is the concern that the US could withdraw from Nato or at least water down article five, the commitment by Nato countries to treat any attack on a member state as an attack on all member states. Doing so would mean Europe could no longer rely on the US nuclear deterrent for protection.

    But while European countries want to prepare for a potential US withdrawal, they also don’t want to signal to Washington that the US deterrent is no longer needed. In fact most European Nato countries would like the US to maintain its nuclear posture in Europe and are working hard on a diplomatic level with Washington to slow the retreat.

    At the same time, European member states want security guarantees so talks on Macron’s proposal will continue.

    European support for Ukraine

    The EU showed renewed commitment for Ukraine at the summit with meetings between Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and several European and EU leaders.

    A joint statement was agreed, stressing that peace talks must include Ukraine and confirming the EU’s support. Orbán was, again, the only leader not to sign up to the statement.

    The hope is that, with these actions, Europe can pressure the Trump administration to continue to engage Ukraine as it seeks a peace with Russia. But it is unclear how much of an impact such European solidarity for Ukraine will have.

    Europe cannot be ready for a new defence reality overnight but this defence summit has been a good start. Now the really hard work begins.

    David J. Galbreath has received funding from the ESRC, AHRC, British Academy and Leverhulme Trust.

    – ref. European leaders agree defence ramp-up to support Ukraine – but Hungary continues to block progress – https://theconversation.com/european-leaders-agree-defence-ramp-up-to-support-ukraine-but-hungary-continues-to-block-progress-251656

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How should Labour and the Tories respond to the populist right? Lessons from Europe

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By David Jeffery, Senior Lecturer in British Politics, University of Liverpool

    In Germany’s snap parliamentary elections, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) doubled its vote share to 21%, leaping from the fifth-largest party in Germany’s lower house to the second. In the UK, Reform UK is rising in the polls.

    The populist radical right is on the rise across Europe, and mainstream parties are grappling with how to respond.

    The German “firewall” approach involves treating them as a pariah. This means refusing to enter coalition with them, as well as excluding them from parliamentary posts and refusing to debate or engage with their parliamentary motions. After Germany’s election, the first-place party, the Christian democrats (CDU/CSU), has no majority and will need at least one coalition partner to form a government. But it will not ask the AfD – and nor will any other party due to the firewall.

    There are clear threats to this approach. Often the appeal of the populist right is that they are plucky outsiders, challenging a self-interested political cartel that ignores the views of the people. What better way to prove this case than by ignoring the democratically elected populists too?

    Furthermore, the firewall has clearly not worked in dampening support for the populists in Germany, as well as in France. This is especially the case when the populists have allies in the media, have privileges given them by the constitution or parliamentary rules (for example, membership on committees), or strong regional bases.

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    Mainstream parties must also decide whether to maintain their own policy positions or ape those of the populist radical right, especially on key topics like immigration and welfare.

    For social democratic centre-left parties, academic research is clear: do not move towards the populist radical right on policy.

    Typically, the voter base of social democratic parties is made up of two coalitions: the educated, urban and liberal middle classes, and the old core of industrial workers who tend to hold more authoritarian attitudes. In attempting to win over voters lost to the populist right by copying their policies, these parties tend to lose more voters on their liberal-left wing than they win on their populist-right wing.

    For the centre-right, the decision is harder. They face a similar challenge to the centre-left in that their support coalition is often made up of social authoritarians (who are more likely to be populist radical right-curious) and more centrist free-market liberals. Moving towards the populist right will alienate the latter camp, so it is not a silver bullet for bringing voters back into the fold.

    By not talking about policy areas which are clearly salient to the public, centre-right parties risk seeming out of touch. In contrast, talking about these issues increases their salience and highlights their rivals’ positions – but the centre-right may not be rewarded for this if they are seen to have been forced into changing policy by the populist radical right.

    Academics have explored this question in various ways. A 2021 study looked at voters’ ideological positions and subsequent propensity for voting for the centre-right or populist radical right. Another, published in 2022, examined changing party positions through manifestos and subsequent voter flows between the populist radical right and the centre-right across 13 western European countries. The evidence suggests that when parties adopt populist radical right positions, voters are more likely to defect to the radical right instead.

    The final strategy is the complete opposite to the German firewall: bring the populist radical right into government. The Austrian case is instructive here. In 1999, the centre-right Austrian People’s Party (OVP) entered a coalition with the populist radical right Freedom Party (FPO), which lasted until 2005. The pressures of government resulted in the FPO imploding and losing roughly two-thirds of its seat share in the next general election.

    But the FPO has increased its seat share in every subsequent election, reentering government in 2017 and emerging as the largest party in the 2024 general election. The centrist parties have now taken a firewall approach, forming a coalition without the FPO – and the FPO have soared in the polls. By bringing them into government in the first place, the OVP legitimised the FPO in the eyes of many voters.

    What should mainstream parties do?

    For the centre-left, the choice is obvious: resist the urge to ape the populist radical right and instead (following the lead of the Danish Social Democrats) adapt to a party system where the populist right cannot be gotten rid of, but is a problem to be managed.

    Centre-left parties need a robust message on immigration but they should not forget economics. They should primarily focus on traditional concerns around social protection and defending workers against the effects of globalisation.

    This has clear implications for the debate around Blue Labour ideology – that the Labour party should combine leftwing economics with more socially authoritarian stances on crime and immigration, plus a greater emphasis on community over the state and market – and how closely Keir Starmer should be paying attention to it.

    For centre-right parties like the UK’s Conservatives, there are no easy options.

    The UK does not have the historical baggage of Germany which sustains the firewall against the AfD. But Reform UK is also less extreme than its German counterparts, so its electoral ceiling is likely to be higher than the AfD’s. And the first-past-the-post system makes the consequences of a three-party system much harder to predict.

    Reform – like Ukip in the early 2010s – cannot be treated as a pariah, especially since it already has parliamentary representation which will probably be extended to Holyrood and the Senedd. The party also has a largely friendly rightwing media landscape. And perhaps most importantly, the Conservative party is split about whether to do a deal with Reform – if, of course, it actually wants said deal.

    Openly ignoring the issues Reform campaigns on will not work. Immigration is too much of a salient concern among voters (especially on the right) to ignore. While banging on about immigration will only add fuel to Reform’s fire, the Conservatives do need to say something – and that should start with “sorry for the last 14 years”.

    The Tories cannot openly move to the right without losing some of their centre flank. Of the seats won in 2024, Reform came second in nine, while Labour and the Liberal Democrats came second in 87 and 20 respectively. In 2024, for every vote the Conservatives lost to Reform, they also lost a vote to the Liberal Democrats or Labour.

    There is no “magic formula” for the centre-right to vanquish the populist radical right. Instead, they need to nail a tricky combination: a clear vision of what they believe, a consistent policy platform that flows from these beliefs, and a charismatic leader who can communicate this to the public.

    David Jeffery 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. How should Labour and the Tories respond to the populist right? Lessons from Europe – https://theconversation.com/how-should-labour-and-the-tories-respond-to-the-populist-right-lessons-from-europe-250182

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: New Dietrich Bonhoeffer biopic is a grossly misleading portrait of the anti-Nazi dissident

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Barry Langford, Professor of Film Studies, Royal Holloway University of London

    The complexities of history have always posed problems for commercial cinema. With rare exceptions, mainstream historical films tend to flatten the inconveniently irregular textures of individual biographies and their context into simpler templates of good and evil, valour and villainy.

    This is abundantly true of dramatisations of German resistance in the Third Reich. Of course, there can be no overstating the enormity of Nazi crimes, the unquestionable courage of the regime’s all-too-few committed opponents – and the terrible price they almost all inevitably paid. So it’s perhaps understandable that people such as Claus von Stauffenberg (leader of the July 20 1944 attempt on Hitler’s life), or student dissident Sophie Scholl, have been portrayed in fairly one-dimensional ways.

    Yet acts of extraordinary courage and integrity are thrown into even sharper relief when we appreciate the flaws as well as the nobility of the people who undertake them. Not to do so risks turning these heroic, yet all too human, people into plaster saints.

    Sadly, director Todd Komarnicki’s earnest but painfully reductive new biopic of the Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-45) falls into all of these familiar traps.

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    Executed in the final days of the second world war, Bonhoeffer’s heroism is beyond question. From the very start of Nazi rule, and fully aware of the likely consequences, he stood in uncompromising, public opposition. He saw Nazi tyranny, above all, as an assault on Christian values.

    Bonhoeffer drove a campaign to repudiate the Nazi efforts to co-opt and “Aryanise” mainstream Protestantism. And he helped to establish the dissenting “confessing church”.

    Eventually he became a peripheral part of the network seeking to assassinate Hitler, though he was not a prime mover. By the time of the failed July 1944 bomb plot (one of several botched assassination attempts), he was already imprisoned.

    The film’s publicity, with its tagline “Pastor. Spy. Assassin” and ludicrous poster image of Bonhoeffer (Jonas Dassler) brandishing a pistol, erroneously implies otherwise.

    The trailer for Bonhoeffer.

    The real Bonhoeffer

    Bonhoeffer’s opposition to Nazism was moral, spiritual and expressed principally in his work as a theologian and teacher.

    His posthumously collected writings run to 17 volumes. Yet Bonhoeffer fluffs the essential task of making its hero’s religious faith dramatically compelling.

    The film prefers to imagine him as a figure of conventional derring-do, conspiring in cafés, infiltrating Nazi intelligence and personally ferrying Jewish fugitives across the Swiss border.

    All these scenes have some minor basis in Bonhoeffer’s biography. But cumulatively they misrepresent the essence of his anti-Nazi dissidence to the point of seriously distorting the historical record.

    One glaring example is the film’s depiction of his response to the Holocaust. Bonhoeffer denounced Jewish persecution at Nazi hands earlier, more forcefully and more consistently than almost any of his colleagues. Yet his opposition remained limited and complexly bound up with his Christian convictions.

    He was not, as the film suggests, a proto-Schindler rescuer; nor was he, or could he have been, impelled to action by viewing (non-existent) clandestine film of the death camps, as a very ahistorical scene implies.

    Bohoeffer imposes a wholly anachronistic modern comprehension of the Holocaust as Nazism’s defining crime, as if this will make its protagonist’s actions more admirable. In doing so, it ends up muffling the more complex particularities of his courage.

    Such inaccurate scenes abound. Bonhoeffer is mystifyingly slipshod on basic historical accuracy. Switching confusingly and with inadequate signposting between his final hours and his earlier life, the film includes such howlers as dissidents threatened with transfer to the “eastern front”, apparently in the mid-1930s.

    There’s also a cartoonishly lurid depiction of the Nazis’ attempted “Aryanisation” of the church. Swastikas block stained-glass windows and Bibles are swapped for Mein Kampf in pulpits.

    Melodrama over history

    The film’s portrait of German society during the Third Reich is also grossly misleading. Cadre of uniformed Nazis aside, we encounter barely a single German citizen who supports the regime. Wider German society is represented by the congregation who enthusiastically applaud a (fictitious) anti-Nazi sermon while the SS stage a huffy but mysteriously peaceful walkout.

    Again and again, Bonhoeffer substitutes difficult history for conventionalised melodrama. Shortly before his arrest in 1943 the 36-year-old Bonhoeffer became engaged to his former confirmation pupil, a girl of barely 18.

    His filmic avatar, by contrast, seems to lack any personal life whatsoever. Beyond, that is, an admittedly endearing affinity for jazz acquired during his seminary studies in New York (though seeing Bonhoeffer replace a Black female pianist onstage at a Harlem club, to apparently universal enthusiasm, leaves a sour taste).

    Even Bonhoeffer’s execution – which may have in reality been protracted and excruciating – is rendered as a bloodlessly ethereal affair. The moment is as sentimentally devotional as any studio-era Hollywood hagiography.

    Bonhoeffer’s posthumous standing, like that of other German anti-Nazis, has grown immensely. Since 1998, his limestone effigy has stood above Westminster Abbey’s west door as one of ten “modern martyrs.” But Bonhoeffer misses the opportunity to breathe credible dramatic life into this sainted figure.

    The Conversation approached the director and writer of Bonhoeffer, Todd Komarnicki, for comment.

    He told us that his screenplay was informed by the biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer written in 1966 by Bonhoeffer’s best friend, Eberhard Bethge. As part of a lengthy response, Komarnicki also maintained that the film’s depiction of Bonhoeffer’s involvement in a plot to assassinate Hitler is accurate. He also argued that it was reasonable to speculate that Bonhoeffer could have seen the footage from the death camps. While he agreed that Dietrich did not literally take the Jewish prisoners into Switzerland as a proto-Schindler rescuer, he said: “I took the dramatic license in the film to illustrate the fact that his bravery did save actual Jewish lives.”

    He continued “Bonhoeffer is not a documentary. I have written many true life movies, and the necessity to alter timelines and to choose metaphor over fact (only when the metaphor supports the fact) comes up now and again … It is the job of cinema to entertain and inspire, to instruct and imagine. That is what the art form requires if it hopes to be any good at all. Every frame of my film tried to honour the man at its centre. And to tell the truth.”

    Barry Langford 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 Dietrich Bonhoeffer biopic is a grossly misleading portrait of the anti-Nazi dissident – https://theconversation.com/new-dietrich-bonhoeffer-biopic-is-a-grossly-misleading-portrait-of-the-anti-nazi-dissident-244556

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Britain can still be a bridge between the US and Europe – here’s how Starmer can prove it

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nick Whittaker, Subject Lead in Social Sciences & Law, University of Sussex

    The US-EU relationship is at its most fragile point since the build-up to the Iraq war in 2003. While President Donald Trump openly questions Nato and President Volodymyr Zelensky’s desire for peace, EU leaders have continued to voice their unequivocal support for Ukraine against Russian aggression.

    Between the two lies Britain. In a flurry of diplomacy, Keir Starmer has attempted to navigate the country’s tricky position: close to the US diplomatically, while staying aligned with the EU’s Ukraine policy.

    I argue that Starmer could use Britain’s island identity – separated from its closest neighbours just enough to allow a global outlook – to his advantage. Acting as an effective link between the US and the EU could turn this time of crisis into an opportunity. What Britain may lack in material capabilities, it can make up for in skilful diplomacy.

    Britain’s position as a “geopolitical bridge” stretches far back into the last century. As Britain was decolonising and reckoning with the growing power of the US and a uniting European continent, acting as a bridge was an effective way of ensuring relevance and maintaining alliances while its status as an imperial great power waned.

    This position was especially favoured by Labour politicians keen to emphasise how a socialist Britain could act as a link between the capitalist and communist worlds. In (sometimes reluctantly) arguing for Britain’s entry into the European Economic Community, some Conservatives posited membership as allowing Britain to bridge the Atlantic, given the UK’s strong postwar ties with the US.

    Even older is the idea of Britain as an “offshore balancer”. The UK’s proximity to the European continent meant it has always had an eye on political developments there. It has thus sought to maintain alliances in order to prevent Europe being dominated by one power (Napoleonic France, Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union) who could threaten the island sanctuary.

    With Britain no longer in the EU, this time of heightened transatlantic tensions provides an opportunity to reclaim these geopolitical stances (and some lost relevance) as a vital interlocutor between America and Europe.

    Nato on the brink

    Trump is notoriously erratic and unpredictable, yet one of his most consistent motifs has been to question Nato and “free-riding” allies. Herein lies the spectre of the most terrifying British nightmare: an American withdrawal from Nato.

    Britain and the US have, historically, both articulated their role as that of offshore balancer in relation to continental Europe. The threat against which they have been balancing since the end of the second world war is the Soviet Union and then Russia.

    If the Trump administration ceases to regard Russia as a threat or sees no utility in acting in its historic balancing role, the UK-US relationship will be placed under serious threat. For all of the importance of Anglo-Saxon identity tropes, kith and kin and the special relationship, alliances are best nurtured in conditions of shared interests.

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    Sign up for our weekly politics newsletter, delivered every Friday.

    Nato has been the real cornerstone of UK foreign, defence and security policy since the North Atlantic treaty’s inking in 1949, and is beloved of both Labour and Conservative politicians. US abandonment would be devastating. Thus it is Starmer’s greatest challenge and opportunity.

    The reality is that Nato is centred on continental Europe and always has been. Starmer can gain common ground with Trump at this critical juncture by emphasising Britain’s islandness, and the US’s similar separation from the continent.

    Starmer could position Britain as a mid-Atlantic interlocutor, close to Europe but not of Europe – appealing to the antipathy of some in the Trump administration about the continent. And his government has already gained Trump’s approval by increasing defence spending, an act that will also please nervous European governments.

    Global Britain?

    At this moment, Britain seems closer to the EU than it has been since 2016. Foreign and defence policy remain, to some extent, unfulfilled gaps in the EU’s portfolio. If Starmer can forge a close relationship around these issues, he can undercut some of the disappointments around Brexit, such as Britain being viewed as less relevant internationally and losing a seat at European security discussions.

    Notwithstanding the latest increase in defence spending, the British Army is smaller than it has been for several hundred years. Cuts to foreign aid, along with the merging of international development with the Foreign Office have prompted questions around Britain’s international clout.

    Yet its leaders remain high profile and listened to, with Starmer managing to cut a dignified figure in an era of posturing strongmen. He will need to convince Trump and his team that Europe (and Nato) is worthy of their time and attention. He must emphasise their common ground as offshore balancers, capable of providing a counterweight to Russia.

    EU leaders will also need to be reassured of Britain’s commitment to the continent after Brexit. Pressing harder for a UK-EU security pact is one way Starmer could signal this.

    Starmer’s White House visit was seen as a diplomatic success, but the mood has changed after Zelensky’s visit.
    Number 10/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

    Trump repeatedly emphasises the personal aspect of politics, seeing states and alliances through a prism of which leaders are willing to flatter him or, at the very least, be “respectful”. Starmer grasped this early on and thus has a shot at forging a productive relationship with Trump, however painful it might be for some in his party.

    Yet the stakes are much higher than disgruntled backbenchers. The Labour party, with its internationalist roots, is deeply proud of the foreign policies of Clement Attlee and Ernest Bevin (although less so of Tony Blair’s). Although it may be stressed in different terms to their Conservative opponents, the party is just as concerned with retaining relevance and influence on the world stage.

    If this Labour government can find a way to successfully act as a bridge – by interesting Trump in Europe and convincing the EU that they are a reliable partner – then this not only salves some of the wounds of Brexit, it also potentially keeps Nato alive, for now.

    Nick Whittaker 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. Britain can still be a bridge between the US and Europe – here’s how Starmer can prove it – https://theconversation.com/britain-can-still-be-a-bridge-between-the-us-and-europe-heres-how-starmer-can-prove-it-251405

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –