NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-Evening Report: Independents may build on Australia’s history of hung parliaments, if they can survive the campaign blues

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Visitor, School of History, Australian National University

    Major parties used to easily dismiss the rare politician who stood alone in parliament. These MPs could be written off as isolated idealists, and the press could condescend to them as noble, naïve and unlikely to succeed.

    In November 1930, when independent country MP Harold Glowrey chose to sit on the crossbench of the Victorian parliament while his few peers joined the new United Country Party, the local newspapers emphasised that he could not “become a cabinet minister” or “have a say” in making policy from the sidelines. (As if he wasn’t aware.) Australia was a place where, according to the scribes at The Ouyen Mail, “very few constituencies were prepared to elect independent men”.

    Things are rather different now. Lifelong loyalty to a single party has become a rarer thing among voters, with the Australian Election Study showing fewer than four in ten voters give their first preference vote to the same party at each election. It was more than seven in ten back in 1967.

    Voters have gravitated towards alternatives to the two major parties. A new interactive data tool from the ABC shows just how much more competitive federal elections have become. Australians are now world leaders in sending independents to represent them in state and federal parliaments.

    And who could call the independents of the recent past naïve? Independent MPs held the balance of power in New South Wales in the early 1990s, and in Victoria later that decade. Both parliaments saw substantive reforms and improved parliamentary processes.

    A strong track record

    At the federal level, a lineage of independents such as Ted Mack, Peter Andren, Zali Steggall, Cathy McGowan and her successor in Indi Helen Haines have all found new ways to give voice to their community in parliament. Voters, especially in rural electorates and formerly “safe” seats, have been attracted to candidates who promise to “do politics differently”, as McGowan so often puts it.

    There are dozens of candidates making that promise at this election. At least 129 candidates are listed on House of Representatives ballot papers as independent or unaffiliated candidates in 88 seats. That’s almost twice as many independent candidates than in the 2013 election for the lower house. Around 35 of these are community independent candidates. A further 28 people are running as independents or ungrouped candidates in Senate races.

    So who are the independent candidates, and what role might they play after May 3?

    Who are the independent candidates?

    For a start, around a third of all independent candidates for House of Representatives seats are women. Among the “community independent” candidates (commonly referred to as “teals”), it’s closer to four out of five.

    This is entirely in keeping with the role daring women have played as the strongest custodians of non-party politics in Australia over the past 120-odd years.

    Most of the women on ballot papers this year are professionals and public figures. Nicolette Boele, candidate for Bradfield, NSW, is a former consultant and clean energy financier who came close to unseating cabinet minister Paul Fletcher in 2022. In the seat of Calare, also in NSW, candidate Kate Hook describes herself as “a professional working mum” and “small farmer” with an interest in regional development and renewable energy. Caz Heise, candidate for Cowper (NSW) is a healthcare expert who carved a sizeable chunk out of the National Party vote in 2022. Independent candidate for Groom (Queensland) Suzie Holt is a social worker by training who finished second at the last election. Berowra’s Tina Brown is a local magazine publisher with deep roots in Sydney’s Hills District.

    Who are the dozens on men putting themselves forward? Many are former mayors and councillors running for parliament while the opportunity presents itself. There are a small but noteworthy coterie of men running on a specifically Muslim platform, some of whom are running with the support of the Muslim Votes Matter organisation.

    Of the few “teal” men, the most competitive by far is Alex Dyson, a third-time candidate in the western Victorian seat of Wannon, currently held by Dan Tehan, shadow minister for immigration and citizenship.

    A former Triple-J presenter and comedian with a “side-hustle” as an Uber driver, Dyson will hope to benefit from his positioning at the top of the ballot paper for Wannon.

    Crossbench contenders

    Most of the women who swept into parliament in 2022 are campaigning to retain their seats. Dai Le in Fowler, Sophie Scamps in Mackellar, Allegra Spender in Wentworth, Zoe Daniel in Goldstein, Monique Ryan in Kooyong and Kate Chaney in Curtin all fit that category. Kylea Tink, who won the division of North Sydney in 2022, was inadvertently knocked out of the race by the Australian Electoral Commission, which abolished her seat last year.

    Andrew Gee, Russell Broadbent and Ian Goodenough are all incumbent MPs running as independents in seats where they were previously elected as Coalition candidates. Tasmania’s Andrew Wilkie, a long-serving independent with first-hand experience of a federal hung parliament, is seeking his sixth successive victory.

    Bob Katter and the Centre Alliance’s Rebekah Sharkie also seeking re-election to the lower house, while in the Senate, crossbenchers such as David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie are all looking to retain their places. So is Coalition defector Gerard Rennick, who quit the Liberal National Party in Queensland over a preselection loss.

    Rennick’s is perhaps the tallest order of that bunch, but none of them can take anything for granted. Even Katter, with his half-century of parliamentary experience and huge local popularity, is almost 80 and is facing a large field of younger challengers, all of whom will appear above him on the ballot paper.

    Campaign blues?

    Plenty of people have been watching national opinion polls during this campaign. But the polls are not terribly insightful for seat-by-seat contests involving large numbers of independent contenders. Even experienced pollsters are saying it has “never been harder to get pre-election polling right”.

    Months out from the election, polls conducted on behalf of Climate 200 were showing possible wins for Heise in Cowper and Boele in Bradfield. Both could win. Heise has reportedly amassed a formidable team of 3,500 volunteers in support of her grassroots campaign.

    But the pressure and scrutiny of an election campaign can quickly put frontrunners under pressure. This is certainly true of Boele, whose campaign momentum stalled with a surprising scandal involving an inappropriate comment in a hair salon, as well as distancing herself from allegedly antisemitic posts on her social media posts in 2022, saying a former volunteer was responsible for them.

    Multi-cornered contests between defector MPs, the major parties and community independents will also make for interesting viewing on election night. Broadbent and Goodenough both seemed quietly confident about their prospects when asked by the Australian Financial Review last week. The same cannot be said for Calare’s Andrew Gee, who began the election with a “Facebook fail” and has since endured a stressful few weeks of bitter campaigning.

    When it comes to winning back the seats that independents won last time, Liberal feelings range from bullishness to bluster. Daniel faces a well-resourced campaign from her predecessor Tim Wilson in Goldstein and nothing is being spared in the contest against Chaney in Curtin.

    In Kooyong, Ryan’s campaign has been hampered by the occasional error, such as her husband’s removal of an opponent’s corflutes and an awkward exchange with Sky News reporter Laura Jayes. In an election dominated by the housing affordability crisis, voters are less likely to remember these moments than the revelations that Ryan’s Liberal opponent, Amelia Hamer, a self-identified renter, happens to own two investment properties.

    The biggest drama has been in the affluent Sydney seat of Wentworth, where Spender has weathered attacks about her political donations disclosures and approach to tackling antisemitism.

    An anonymous person circulated 47,000 leaflets through the electorate criticising Spender’s “weakness” on antisemitism, flagrantly breaching electoral laws that require campaign material to be authorised. The Australian Electoral Commission has identified the culprit (said to have “acted alone”), but has been less forthcoming about whether it intends to litigate the issue after the election.

    Making minority work

    It seems premature to start talking, as some pollsters have, about a Labor majority after May 3. It remains entirely possible crossbenchers may hold the balance of power, and in doing so, exert significant influence on the next government.

    In the third leaders’ debate, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, normally pragmatic, refused to countenance sharing power with other parties or MPs. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton made the surprising admission he would willingly make agreements with independent MPs in order to win.

    He certainly wasn’t thinking of the “teals”, whom he so often berates as “Greens in disguise”. But there are others with whom he could easily work. Katter, Spender and Le are among Dutton’s preferred negotiating partners. Sharkie has already declared that in a hung parliament scenario, she would call Dutton first.

    There is no rulebook for making a hung parliament work. In the past, new political configurations and coalitions have been born from hung parliaments, including the forerunners of the Liberal-National coalition.

    Agreements can be limited to assurances of support on budget bills and confidence motions, or more expansive undertakings including policy commitments and institutional reform. In the event of a parliamentary impasse, crossbenchers can withdraw their support and allow a new minority government to be formed. The Australia Institute’s Frank Yuan recently pointed out seven changes of government have been triggered by the withdrawal of crossbench support. Indeed, during the second world war, two independent MPs effectively changed the government mid-term.

    Much depends on the relationships forged at the start of a hung parliament. In his memoir, former New England MP Tony Windsor recounts the seventeen days of negotiations that followed the 2010 election. One of the factors that led him, along with follow independent Rob Oakeshott, to support the Labor Party was the “professionalism” and “respect” its leaders showed them. Former Coalition leader Tony Abbott, by way of contrast, gave Windsor the impression he was unlikely to endure minority government long enough to honour any of his commitments.

    An especially aspirational crossbencher may even take on the role of Speaker. Wilkie and Sharkie have been recently touted as contenders for the role in a hung parliament scenario.

    Reform hangs in the balance

    Independents MPs would be likely to bring particular policy priorities to any minority government negotiation. Given the heated contests in independent electorates, truth in political advertising laws would probably be high on the agenda. Steggall has previously promoted reforms to Stop the Lies, but when the Albanese government chose not to progress its own version of this reform, independents signalled it would be high on their priority list in a hung parliament.

    Crossbenchers – in both houses – might also treat recent changes to Australia’s electoral laws as a bargaining chip. Those changes, agreed between Labor and the Coalition in secret, promised to get big money out of politics by imposing donation and spending caps on everyone but with special caveats for major parties. Haines has declared these are “in her sights” if a hung parliament arises.

    The menu of reform options gets wider from there. Spender has called for labour market and tax reforms that may not be palatable to all of her peers.

    In the Senate (where “every day is minority government”), Pocock has outlined his firm demands for greater royalties from resources rents and reforms to negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions. Energy and climate policy, as well as support for rural Australia, would likely figure in a larger negotiation.

    The crossbenchers would be hard-pressed to agree on everything, but there is strength and wisdom in numbers. Albanese and Dutton are both very experienced parliamentarians. Crossbenchers would likely need to put their heads together to exert maximum leverage.

    If there is a hung parliament after May 3, history shows us it can be put to good use. The 43rd parliament, in which the Gillard government was in minority, was one of the most productive in recent history. It passed 561 bills including landmark measures such as the Clean Energy Future package and its centrepiece, a carbon price. It also passed needs-based funding for Australian schools, the National Disability Insurance Scheme and plenty more.

    That seems a decent enough model for the next parliament to emulate. After all, as Harold Glowrey seemed to appreciate nearly a century ago, not everyone needs to be a cabinet minister to play their part in shaping the future.

    Joshua Black is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The Australia Institute.

    – ref. Independents may build on Australia’s history of hung parliaments, if they can survive the campaign blues – https://theconversation.com/independents-may-build-on-australias-history-of-hung-parliaments-if-they-can-survive-the-campaign-blues-255313

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australia once had ‘immigration amnesties’ to grant legal status to undocumented people. Could we again?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Dehm, Senior Lecturer, International Migration and Refugee Law, University of Technology Sydney

    The year is 1972. The Whitlam Labor government has just been swept into power and major changes to Australia’s immigration system are underway. Many people remember this time for the formal end of the racist White Australia Policy.

    A lesser-known legacy of this period was the introduction of Australia’s first immigration amnesty. This amnesty, implemented later in 1974 with bilateral support, provided humane pathways to permanency or citizenship for undocumented people in Australia.

    In other words, people living without lawful immigration status could “legalise” their status without risk of punishment or deportation.

    More immigration amnesties were promised during later election campaigns and then implemented in 1976 and 1980.

    These amnesties occurred under successive Labor and Liberal federal governments, and each enjoyed enthusiastic bipartisan support.

    So, how did these amnesties work – and could they happen again?

    Started by Whitlam

    Australia’s first amnesty was announced in January 1974, as part of the Whitlam government’s official policy of multiculturalism.

    Its purpose was to grant permanency to people who had been living in Australia “illegally” and at risk of labour exploitation.

    The amnesty was open for five months, from late January until the end of June 1974.

    The main eligibility criteria was that the person:

    • had to have been living in Australia for three years or more and
    • be of “good character”.

    This program had only a modest uptake. However, it set the path for more successful initiatives in the future.

    Continued by Fraser

    During the 1975 election campaign, then caretaker Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser promised another amnesty if his government won the election.

    He committed to “do everything we can” to allow undocumented people

    to stay here and make Australia their permanent home.

    After the election, Fraser’s Liberal government implemented a broad amnesty for “overstayed visitors” in January 1976.

    Departmental figures show 8,614 people sought legal status in the amnesty period.

    The vast majority (63%) lived in New South Wales. The main nationalities of these applicants were:

    • Greek (1,283 applicants)
    • UK (911 applicants)
    • Indonesian (748 applicants)
    • Chinese (643 applicants).

    Australia’s third broad immigration amnesty came in 1980, again as a result of a bipartisan election promise.

    Immigration Minister Ian Macphee announced a six-month Regularisation of Status Program. It aimed, he said, to deal “humanely with the problem of illegal immigration” while also seeking to curb such unauthorised migration in the future.

    Not a trick

    Many migrants worried these amnesties were a government “trick” to facilitate deportations.

    In an attempt to reassure the public, Prime Minister Fraser insisted in 1980 that the program was

    not a trap to lure people into the open so that they can be seized, jailed and deported.

    By the end of the amnesty period in December 1980, it was reported that more than 11,000 applications had been received. This covered more than 14,000 people.

    What made the past amnesties successful?

    Our research looked at what motivated the amnesties and how they worked.

    We found several key factors that drove success, including the need for:

    • simple and inclusive criteria for eligibility
    • a clear application process
    • a careful campaign for promotion, to build trust with migrant communities, and
    • durable outcomes that offer of clear pathways to citizenship.

    The 1980 amnesty program involved an effective campaign to publicise successful cases.

    A 21-year-old Greek waitress working in her aunt’s Goulburn restaurant was widely publicised as the first person to be granted immigration amnesty status in July 1980. A Uruguayan refugee was profiled as the 1,000th.

    The Department of Immigration also translated amnesty information into 48 languages, publicised in non-English language press and radio.

    Of the three amnesties, the 1974 one was the least successful, due to:

    • stringent eligibility criteria
    • limited media publicity, and
    • no official outreach strategy to build trust with migrant communities.

    Precarious lives

    Recent calls for an immigration amnesty has focused on two groups in Australia:

    The Department of Home Affairs estimates more than 70,000 people live in Australia today without immigration status.

    Undocumented workers are highly vulnerable to exploitation and deportation.

    Yet, these workers often fulfil crucial labour market shortages. Many have been living in Australia for years or even decades.

    Asylum seekers and refugees on temporary or no visas cannot return “home” for fear of persecution. They risk lapsing into irregular status with no rights or entitlements.

    Lessons from past amnesties

    Amnesties are a humane and cost-effective response to unauthorised migration.

    Australia currently spends millions, if not billions of dollars, on the detention and deportation of people without visas.

    In the lead up to both the 1976 and 1980 amnesties, successive governments acknowledged such a “detection and deportation” approach would be unnecessarily costly. It would require “increased resources in manpower”.

    An amnesty, instead, was in the words of then Immigration Minister Macphee a chance to:

    clean the slate, to acknowledge that no matter how people got here they are part of the community.

    These historical precedents show Australia’s migration system and politicians could, if they wanted, accommodate initiatives and reforms that fundamentally value migrants and prioritise migrant access to permanency.

    Our research also shows Australian election campaigns can be opportunities for advancing policies that embrace the reality of immigration and offer hope, not fear.

    Sara Dehm receives funding from the Australian Research Council. She is a co-convenor of the interdisciplinary academic network, Academics for Refugees.

    Anthea Vogl receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Commonwealth Departure of Health and Aged Care. She is a Board Member of the Forcibly Displaced People Network and co-convenor of the interdisciplinary academic network, Academics for Refugees.

    – ref. Australia once had ‘immigration amnesties’ to grant legal status to undocumented people. Could we again? – https://theconversation.com/australia-once-had-immigration-amnesties-to-grant-legal-status-to-undocumented-people-could-we-again-252294

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Cleaver, Davids Join Town Hall, Highlight Work for KC Region and Pushback Against Extreme Trump Policies

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (5th District Missouri)

    (Kansas City, MO) – Tonight, U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver II (D-MO-05) and Sharice Davids (D-KS-03) joined KCUR for a livestreamed town hall to discuss their efforts to deliver results for the Kansas City region and push back against the Trump Administration’s extreme policies, including cuts to Social Security, reckless tariffs driving up prices, and threats to reproductive health care.

    “As the President continues to demonstrate a dangerous level of recklessness on everything from basic governance to managing the economy, Missouri families are paying the price with higher costs, less reliable services, and the rapid decline of hard-earned retirement benefits,” said Congressman Cleaver. “As we heard this evening, rather than enabling the president’s extreme policies, Americans want Congress to provide a check on the Executive Branch and seek bipartisan solutions to the challenges facing our communities—which is precisely what I will continue to advocate in the People’s House.” 

    “Kansans are facing massive uncertainty because of the Trump Administration’s reckless policies. They deserve answers and leaders who will protect their freedoms, lower costs, and actually get things done,” said Congresswoman Davids. “That means standing firm against dangerous political games, while also working to find common ground where possible. I’m glad I had the opportunity to share the work I’m doing in Congress, listen to people’s concerns, and discuss solutions that will help move us forward.”

    The event, hosted by KCUR, included questions from local residents on topics ranging from federal firings and government accountability to border security and the economy. Both Members discussed recent legislative efforts and stressed the importance of uniting to fight the Trump Administration’s attempts to raise costs and dismantle essential programs in favor of tax giveaways for billionaires.

    Rep. Cleaver underscored his commitment to working across the aisle to deliver for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District — while continuing to oppose extreme policies that threaten rights, freedoms, and the rule of law. More on his work to push back against the Trump Administration’s extreme agenda can be found here.

    Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Cleaver Hosts Former Governor and Social Security Administration Commissioner Martin O’Malley for Community Conversation with Local Seniors

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (5th District Missouri)

    (Kansas City, MO) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) hosted former Maryland Governor and Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley for a conversation with local seniors at John Knox Village. The discussion focused on key issues facing seniors under the Trump administration, like threats to Social Security and veteran’s benefits, as well as potential cuts to vital programs like Medicaid and Medicare. Social Security provides benefits to nearly 70 million Americans, including nearly 50 million seniors – and lifts more than 15 million seniors out of poverty each year.

    “Today’s conversation with former Social Security Administration Commissioner Martin O’Malley and local seniors underscored the real-world consequences that come with the Trump administration’s push to dismantle the social safety net,” said Congressman Cleaver. “Whether it is backdoor cuts to Social Security by firing essential workers and ending critical services at the Social Security Administration, or the broader Congressional Republican agenda to gut pivotal programs like Medicaid and SNAP, we’re witnessing an unprecedented assault on programs that Americans have paid into and rely upon. The so-called ‘efficiency’ measures, led by an unelected and unaccountable billionaire in Elon Musk, in reality, are thinly veiled attempts to erode the foundational promises made to our seniors – and I stand committed to defending these essential programs against any ongoing efforts to undermine them.”

    “I was honored to join Congressman Cleaver and hear the concerns of his fellow Missourians as he works tirelessly to protect their earned benefits,” said Former Maryland Governor and Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley. “Americans of every background are rising up to say ‘hands off’ our earned benefits, and with fighters like Congressman Cleaver, I know their voices will be heard.”

    Trump, DOGE, and Congressional Republicans put Social Security at risk by:

    • Attacking Social Security programs with repeated false claims of mass fraud, providing a pretext for actions that could undermine access to benefits
    • Making deep cuts to frontline staff and SSA field offices while adding new restrictions to phone-based services that will result in millions more in-person visits to a field office
    • Jeopardizing system reliability and benefit delivery by pushing sudden, substantial policy and procedure changes alongside a massive loss of technical expertise
    • Threatening data security by providing untrained DOGE political appointees unprecedented access to sensitive SSA data

    From proposals to cut Social Security and raise the retirement age, to efforts that would weaken Medicare and Medicaid through privatization and budget restrictions, the safety net our seniors rely on is under threat.

    In Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, there are 141,832 Social Security recipients who receive $252 million in monthly benefits, including:

    • 103,730 retirees
    • 19,488 disabled workers
    • 9,377 children
    • 7,121 widows
    • 2,116 spouses

    Photos from the event can be found here.

     

    Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: The Day After Canada Votes, 500 Innovation Leaders Gather to Chart the Country’s Economic Future

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    OTTAWA, Ontario, April 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On April 29, the morning after Canada’s federal election, over 500 entrepreneurs, investors, job creators, and innovation leaders from across Canada will convene directly across from Parliament Hill for the NACO Summit 2025 at Ottawa’s iconic National Arts Centre.

    This is the first major national gathering of Canada’s entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem immediately following the federal election, marking a pivotal moment for reflection and opportunity.

    What: NACO Summit 2025 is a two-day national conference featuring Canada’s most influential voices in innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development.

    When & Where:

    • April 29–30, 2025
    • National Arts Centre, 1 Elgin Street, Ottawa, ON
    • Media check-in opens at 8:00 AM, April 29 (Media access: 8:00–11:00 AM)

    Why It Matters: With a new federal government starting its mandate, the summit will highlight bold ideas and collaborative strategies to shape Canada’s economic future.

    • Timely discussion immediately after the federal election
    • Venue strategically located opposite Parliament Hill
    • Policy roundtables, fireside chats with prominent national leaders, and showcases of angel-backed ventures
    • Moonshots showcase featuring 20 high-growth Canadian companies collectively raising over $160M

    Media Opportunities:

    • A dedicated backdrop and designated area will be available for media.
    • Media access limited to 8:00–11:00 AM on April 29.
    • Please note, due to logistical constraints, interviews with speakers or attendees cannot be guaranteed.
    • Visual and multimedia opportunities capturing Canada’s innovation community within a landmark venue.

    Event Agenda: Full agenda available at: https://nacosummit.com/agenda

    To Attend: Request media accreditation: https://lu.ma/q109y4qr

    Media Inquiries: media@nacocanada.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/64f0a5b8-1fd9-454f-8f69-0975c92bb91a

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: The end of Ebola outbreak in Uganda demonstrates World Health Organization (WHO)’s value in controlling and stopping diseases

    Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

    KAMPALA, Uganda, April 27, 2025/APO Group/ —

    Uganda has officially declared the end of the Ebola disease outbreak, which was confirmed on 30 January 2025 by Uganda’s Ministry of Health. The outbreak infected 14 people, two of whom were probable (not confirmed by laboratory tests) and caused four deaths (including two probable). 

    Disease outbreaks, such as Ebola, Marburg, and yellow fever, are not new in Uganda. The country has faced multiple outbreaks and, in doing so, has built a resilient health system capable of detecting and containing outbreaks rapidly. With active support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners, this outbreak again demonstrated Uganda’s capacity to deal with such challenges. 

    The latest Ebola disease outbreak occurred in the bustling, highly mobile city of Kampala. In many places, such an announcement could have triggered widespread panic. But, within 72 hours of confirmation, the Ministry of Health, actively supported by the WHO and health partners, activated its response mechanisms. Rapid response teams were deployed on the ground, identifying contacts to the confirmed patient, collecting samples for testing, setting up treatment units, and educating the community about Ebola prevention. 

    Similarly, within 24 hours of notification, the WHO Deputy Director General and Executive Director for Emergencies, Dr Mike Ryan, was in Uganda to guide WHO’s strategic and operational support to the response. 

    “The outbreak occurring in an urban setting is of significant concern to us, given past experiences. In this outbreak, every minute is of the essence, and we must set up rapidly to avert a potential disaster,” said Dr Mike Ryan upon arrival in the country.

    WHO mobilized 129 national and international staff to support the response. They brought a wealth of technical expertise, ensuring that WHO’s input was present at every critical stage.

    The impact of these efforts was quickly evident. On 14 March 2025, the last confirmed patient was discharged, and 534 contacts had been successfully identified and followed up daily. This is no mean achievement given the area in which the outbreak occurred. It is a testament to Uganda’s strengthened capacity to detect and respond to disease outbreaks in line with the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR), for which WHO is the principal custodian.

    Uganda has now completed the 42-day mandatory countdown without a confirmed Ebola case. During this critical period, WHO worked closely with the Ministry of Health to conduct active case search and mortality surveillance to ensure that no potential chains of transmission went undetected.

    It’s important to acknowledge the groundwork that made this rapid response possible. WHO’s presence on the ground through its regional hubs and prior technical leadership in helping Uganda develop a multisectoral preparedness and response plan were pivotal. These provided clear direction for all responding actors, enabling effective coordination, optimizing resource allocation, and preventing duplication.

    Another key enabler was the swift deployment by WHO of 165 multidisciplinary Rapid Response Team members (RRTs) to hotspot districts. These members strengthened local capacity for alert management, case investigation, and contact tracing, even in remote areas. Backed by WHO’s technical training and tools, the RRTs worked hand in hand with district teams to ensure that no case went undetected. This strong collaboration helped halt the further spread of the disease.

    Special attention was also given to border health. With the international imperative to prevent cross-border transmission, health workers were rapidly reoriented, thermal scanners were deployed, and screening protocols were enforced at 13 key entry points, especially at Entebbe International Airport. 

    The laboratory response was equally robust. Over 1500 samples were collected, transported, and tested, with national labs rising to the challenge. Thanks to WHO’s prior technical support, Uganda had the capacity to manage samples under strict biosafety and quality standards. Laboratory teams at the Uganda Virus Research Institute and Central Public Health Laboratories handled the workload professionally and efficiently, earning praise for their quick turnaround. 

    At the heart of the response was a courageous and well-prepared case management team. Equipped with WHO Ebola supplies designed to protect health workers and support clinical care, they treated patients with professionalism and care. Of the 12 confirmed cases, two patients succumbed, while the rest were successfully treated and reintegrated into their communities. Two probable cases were identified after their death, therefore not managed in the treatment center. 

    WHO-supported 78 Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) further reinforced case management efforts. These highly trained and well-equipped teams ensured the safe transportation and treatment of patients across affected regions, delivering high-quality care at every step.

    For the second time in an Ebola outbreak caused by the Sudan virus in Uganda,  WHO  deployed anthropologists, risk communication experts, and community engagement teams. These specialists worked directly with communities to address stigma, mistrust, and misinformation, while providing real-time public health information. Their efforts were instrumental in gaining trust and reinforcing safety practices.

    Despite the absence of a licensed vaccine against the Sudan virus, candidate vaccines are in various phases of clinical trials, recommended by the independent WHO candidate vaccine prioritisation working group. Within four days of the government’s declaration of the outbreak, a randomized clinical trial for vaccine safety and efficacy using the ring vaccination approach was launched. In addition, the administration of Remdesivir treatment under the Monitored Emergency Use of Unregistered and Experimental Interventions (MEURI) protocol was initiated. 

    Ecological studies aimed at identifying the source of infection were initiated and are continuing. These are important because they help to anticipate risks of outbreaks as well as ensure health systems are well prepared and ready to detect outbreaks early and respond effectively.

    Behind the scenes, coordination and partner engagement played crucial roles. WHO was responsible for aligning resources, reducing duplication, and maximizing impact. Through its coordination role, WHO mapped out key stakeholders and facilitated effective resource use at all levels of the response.

    No successful outbreak response is complete without adequate financial backing. So far, WHO has mobilized and utilized US $6.2 million for this response. This support, along with in-kind contributions of essential medicines, supplies, and equipment, has been vital in maintaining the momentum of operations.

    WHO acknowledges and deeply appreciates all partners who contributed through the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE), including: Germany, Norway, Ireland, Canada, France, New Zealand, Kuwait, Portugal, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Estonia, and the WHO Foundation. Thanks to the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, the European Commission – Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (HERA), International Development Research Centre (IDRC), European Commission – European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) and the African Public Health Emergency Fund (APHEF) for supporting WHO’s interventions.

    As the situation in Uganda stabilizes, this outbreak highlights three clear lessons: early preparedness saves lives, rapid response is critical, and WHO’s support remains vital, not only for Uganda, but for global health security.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Election Diary: a cost-of-living election where neither leader can tell you the price of eggs

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

    The fourth election debate was the most idiosyncratic of the four head-to-head contests between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.

    Apart from all the usual topics, the pair was charged with producing one-word responses to pictures of the prime minister’s Copacabana house, a three-eyed fish and Elon Musk.

    They were asked the price of a dozen eggs. It’s an old trick from debates past, but those “prepping” the leaders had fallen down. Dutton said about A$4.20. Albanese was closer with “$7, if you can find them”. The actual price is $8.80 at Woolworths (or $8.50 at Coles). Watching at home, some viewers would have thought, “here are a couple of guys in the cost-of-living election who don’t do the shopping”.

    Debate host Seven had an audience of 60 undecided voters, who scored the pair on a range of topics. They gave the overall result to Albanese over Dutton by 50%–25% with the other 25% undecided.

    In general, Dutton pursued Albanese aggressively whenever he could, pressing the accusation he made in their last encounter that the prime minister does not tell the truth. “Honestly, this whole campaign, it’s hard to believe anything you say.”

    Albanese, however, effectively marshalled his points and counterpoints on a number of the topics.

    This showed in the scores the audience awarded on core issues. On cost of living, 65% gave the tick Albanese, and only 16% were more convinced by Dutton. On housing, Albanese also had a win, although more narrowly – 35% to 30%. With tax cuts, Albanese’s margin was 49% to 21%.

    The Anzac Day heckling at the Shrine of Remembrance prompted a discussion of Welcome to Country ceremonies.

    Dutton was openly critical of their extensive use. “I think a lot of Australians think it’s overdone and it cheapens the significance of what it was meant to do.”

    Albanese was supportive of the ceremonies but circumspect. “Well, from my perspective, it’s a matter of respect, but it’s also, of course, up to the organisations that are hosting an event, whether they have a Welcome to Country or not. It’s up to them, and people will have different views, and people are entitled to their views.”

    Dutton scored 46% to Albanese’s 27% on this topic.

    One of the more bizarre moments came in a discussion about whether the leaders had US President Donald Trump’s mobile phone number. The prime minister said he was not sure whether the president even had a mobile phone (despite it being highly publicised Greg Norman had to pass the number onto former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull when Trump was elected).

    But Dutton coped with the question of trusting Trump better than in the last debate, when he had said he didn’t know him. Asked whether we could trust Trump to have our back, he said “We can trust whoever’s in the Oval Office”.

    Pressed on which country posed the biggest threat to Australia’s security, Dutton said, “the biggest concern from our intelligence agencies and our defence agency is in relation to the Communist Party of China”.

    Albanese talked around the question of whether China posed the biggest risk to Australia’s national security. “Well, China is the major power in the region which is seeking to increase its influence. But the relationship is complex as well, because China is our major trading partner.” And on and on his answer went.

    On defence Dutton was well out in front in the minds of the audience, 43% to 37%.

    Albanese would have gone home the happier of the two leaders. He won on the issues at the centre of the election.

    As Tony Abbott once said, who needs sleep at the end of a campaign?

    Dutton plans to visit up to 28 seats in the campaign’s final week, the majority of them held by Labor.

    The Liberals say with the Coalition needing to gain 21 seats for a majority, the seats’ blitz underlines the election is winnable for the Coalition.

    It also underlines the adrenaline rush leaders get in the dash to the finish line. In 2010 opposition leader Tony Abbott launched into a 36-hour non-stop blitz for the final three days of the election. “Why sleep at a time like this?” Abbott said. Prime Minister John Howard had finished his unsuccessful 2007 campaign blitzing shopping centres in Queensland.

    Dutton started his marathon on Sunday in Labor territory with a rally in west Melbourne, in the seat of Hawke. The opposition leader’s seat list includes Solomon (NT), Aston (Victoria), Gilmore (NSW), Moreton (Queensland), Gorton (Victoria), Lyons (Tasmania), Dunkley (Victoria), Goldstein (Victoria), Kooyong (Vitoria), Paterson (NSW), Dobell (NSW), Bennelong (NSW), Bullwinkel (Western Australia) and Boothby (South Australia). Later on Sunday he was in the Sydney teal seat of Mackellar, where Howard also spoke in support of the Liberal candidate James Brown who is taking on independent Sophie Scamps.

    But as each day passes, for an increasing number of voters in these and other seats the visits and messages will be irrelevant. They’ll have pre-polled. People are flocking to vote early. There are 11 days for pre-polling this election. Back in 2019 pre-polling ran for 19 days. As of Saturday, 2.4 million people had already pre-polled.

    The politicians are vaguely resentful so many people are voting with their feet and avoiding, for a variety of reasons, the last days of what most commentators have thought has been an uninspiring campaign. Some of the politicians would like everyone to listen to their pitches right up to the end. But there is also a more practical reason why they regard pre-polling as a problem – they and their supporters have to spend long hours outside polling booths handing out how-to-vote cars.

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

    – ref. Election Diary: a cost-of-living election where neither leader can tell you the price of eggs – https://theconversation.com/election-diary-a-cost-of-living-election-where-neither-leader-can-tell-you-the-price-of-eggs-255385

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Peter Dutton declares Welcome to Country ceremonies are ‘overdone’ in heated final leaders’ debate

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andy Marks, Vice-President, Public Affairs and Partnerships, Western Sydney University

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton have had their fourth and final leaders’ debate of the campaign. The skirmish, hosted by 7News in Sydney, was moderated by 7’s Political Editor Mark Riley.

    Cost of living and housing affordability featured in the clash, with both leaders acknowledging the price pain being felt by many Australians. Immigration, US President Donald Trump, energy policy and welcome to country ceremonies were also thrashed out in a number of lively exchanges.

    How did each leader perform? Have they done enough to convince undecided voters before polling day? Three experts give their analysis

    Andy Marks, Western Sydney University

    This is the election, Seven’s opening voiceover proclaimed, “that will decide the future of Welcome to Country ceremonies.”

    Puzzled voters no doubt welcomed the promise of clarification. So Riley cut to the chase. Some people, he said, are “uncomfortable” with the ceremonies.

    Dutton agreed:

    I think a lot of Australians think it is overdone and cheapens the significance of what it was meant to do.“

    Albanese said it was up to event organisers to decide whether to have a ceremony. On the lost Voice referendum? He “accepts the outcome”.

    No fight. Just consensus from both leaders January 26 should remain as Australia Day.

    Lack of spark was never going to stop Seven. A dramatic soundtrack rumbled away behind the leaders’ statements added an Oscars vibe, with each rushing their answers before being played off.

    It worked. Halfway in, a fire was lit. “It’s hard to believe anything you say”, Dutton said to his opponent. “You’ve made promises you haven’t delivered. People are getting smashed.”

    Albanese shot back. “Peter can attack me. But I won’t let him attack the wages of working people.”

    Hostilities abated as Riley asked Albanese if he had Trump’s mobile number. “Do you have [UK Prime Minister] Keir Starmer’s?” Dutton added.

    Nuclear power reheated the debate. “I am proud”, Dutton said of the Coalition’s energy plans. But he would not commit to visiting any of the proposed sites in the final days of the campaign.

    Suddenly it became a science lesson. Dutton asked “how will solar work at night?” When you turn on a tap, Albanese responded, water still comes out even when it isn’t raining.

    A highlight? Dutton almost quoted Taylor Swift. “The prime minister promises a band-aid on a bullet wound” he quipped on cost of living.

    Blair Williams, Monash University

    “This is the debate for every Australian”, the Channel 7 voiceover said at the start of the debate. However, to reference Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw, I couldn’t help but wonder if this debate would truly include everyone.

    We saw the usual quibbles between Albanese and Dutton over various crises, such as housing and the cost of living. Albanese argued he would help through initiatives such as cheaper medicines and childcare.

    However, he put his foot down on scrapping negative gearing as it’s a measure that “will not build supply”.

    Dutton’s response made it clear he was not planning to include “everyone” in this debate, as he quickly blamed immigrants for the housing crisis in Australia.

    Riley posed a question to both leaders about Welcome to Country, saying booing during an ANZAC event sparked an “important discussion […] there are people in Australia who are uncomfortable being welcomed to Country”.

    Riley asked both leaders if the ceremonies are “overdone”.

    Dutton argued they do have a place but he wants “everyone to be equal” as “we are all equal”. Dutton said he wanted the country to be “one”. This overlooks how structural disadvantages, such as racism and sexism, result in inequality.

    Albanese took a more Keating-esque perspective, citing ANZAC Day in New Zealand and the central place of Maori language in their events, emphasising the importance of First Nations people and multiculturalism in Australia.

    The debate ended without any discussion of violence against women. So far this year, 24 women have been killed as a result of gendered violence, with three in just the past week. Yet both parties have barely mentioned it during the campaign or the debates.

    Women’s issues were also barely raised. While Albanese mentioned cheaper childcare, Dutton failed to reference any issues that might specifically impact women. He has done little in this campaign and during this debate to win them over.

    Instead, both leaders wasted time arguing over the Coalition’s plan to produce nuclear energy in 2035.

    “Is this helping you decide?” Channel 7 asked viewers. For many women – and other – around the country, it merely showed two white men in suits and ties yelling over each other. This could explain why a third of Australians will preference a minor party or independent at the ballot box. Perhaps these are the voters who have felt left out.

    Michelle Cull, Western Sydney University

    While the debate started off friendly, it became quite heated very quickly. Dutton found it difficult to finish his talking points on time but had no problem interrupting Albanese. Cost of living was central to the debate.

    There wasn’t much the leaders could agree on – no surprises there. Although both concurred there should be no change to the date for Australia Day.

    When asked about Welcome to Country ceremonies, Dutton mentioned them happening at the “start of every meeting at work” and they were “divisive”. Perhaps there was some confusion here with Acknowledgement of Country.

    Dutton focused on short-term cost-of-living relief and his fuel excise cuts. He blamed Albanese for high inflation, high interest rates and housing affordability issues. The prime minister was quick to remind him not everything was “hunky dory” when Labor took office.

    Albanese did well to promote many of the Labor policies targeted at reducing cost of living through lower HECS-HELP, free TAFE and cheaper childcare. He was the only leader to include what his party was doing for renters and those in social housing, as well as first home buyers. Albanese also responded to Dutton’s short-term cost-of-living relief with Labor’s more permanent help through wage increases and tax cuts.

    Dutton was clever enough to throw Labor’s proposed superannuation changes into the debate by referring to the plan to tax unrealised capital gains on superannuation balances greater than A$3 million. But this didn’t seem to make it much further in the debate, as it did not relate to the question being asked.

    We’ll now have to wait until Saturday to see if the leaders really managed to sway any undecided voters.

    Michelle Cull is an FCPA member of CPA Australia, member of the Financial Advice Association Australia and President Elect of the Academy of Financial Services in the United States. Michelle is an academic member of UniSuper’s Consultative Committee. Michelle co-founded the Western Sydney University Tax Clinic which has received funding from the Australian Taxation Office as part of the National Tax Clinic Program. Michelle has previously volunteered as Chair of the Macarthur Advisory Council for the Salvation Army Australia.

    Andy Marks and Blair Williams 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. Peter Dutton declares Welcome to Country ceremonies are ‘overdone’ in heated final leaders’ debate – https://theconversation.com/peter-dutton-declares-welcome-to-country-ceremonies-are-overdone-in-heated-final-leaders-debate-255102

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Building access to justice for Albertans | Améliorer l’accès à la justice pour les Albertaines et Albertains

    Government of Alberta and Judiciary representatives with special guests at the Red Deer Justice Centre plaque unveiling event April 22, 2025.

    Albertans deserve to have access to a fair, accessible and transparent justice system. Modernizing Alberta’s courthouse infrastructure will help make sure Alberta’s justice system runs efficiently and meets the needs of the province’s growing population.

    Alberta’s government has invested $191 million to build the new Red Deer Justice Centre, increasing the number of courtrooms from eight to 12, allowing more cases to be heard at one time.

    “Modern, accessible courthouses and streamlined services not only strengthen our justice system – they build safer, stronger communities across the province. Investing in the new Red Deer Justice Centre is vital to helping our justice system operate more efficiently, and will give people in Red Deer and across central Alberta better access to justice.”

    Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice and Attorney General

    On March 3, all court services in Red Deer began operating out of the new justice centre. The new justice centre has 12 courtrooms fully built and equipped with video-conference equipment to allow witnesses to attend remotely if they cannot travel, and vulnerable witnesses to testify from outside the courtroom.

    The new justice centre also has spaces for people taking alternative approaches to the traditional courtroom trial process, with the three new suites for judicial dispute resolution services, a specific suite for other dispute resolution services, such as family mediation and civil mediation, and a new Indigenous courtroom with dedicated venting for smudging purposes.

    “We are very excited about this new courthouse for central Alberta. Investing in the places where people seek justice shows respect for the rights of all Albertans. The Red Deer Justice Centre fills a significant infrastructure need for this rapidly growing part of the province. It is also an important symbol of the rule of law, meaning that none of us are above the law, and there is an independent judiciary to decide disputes. This is essential for a healthy functioning democracy.”

    Ritu Khullar, chief justice of Alberta

    “Public safety and access to justice go hand in hand. With this investment in the new Red Deer Justice Centre, Alberta’s government is ensuring that communities are safer, legal matters are resolved more efficiently and all Albertans get the support they need.”

    Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services

    “This state-of-the-art facility will serve the people of Red Deer and surrounding communities for generations. Our team at Infrastructure is incredibly proud of the work done to plan, design and build this project. I want to thank everyone, at all levels, who helped make this project a reality.”

    Martin Long, Minister of Infrastructure

    Budget 2025 is meeting the challenge faced by Alberta with continued investments in education and health, lower taxes for families and a focus on the economy.

    Quick facts

    • The new Red Deer Justice Centre is 312,000 sq ft (29,000 m2). (The old courthouse is 98,780 sq ft (9,177 m2)).
    • The approved project funding for the Red Deer Justice Centre is about $191 million.

    Related news

    • Red Deer’s first new courthouse in 40 years (Nov. 8, 2024)
    • Empowering Albertans dealing with family law matters (April 15, 2024)
    • Increasing access to family justice services (Dec. 1, 2023)

    Le nouveau Centre judiciaire de Red Deer aidera les Albertaines et Albertains à régler leurs affaires juridiques plus rapidement.

    Des représentants du système judiciaire et du gouvernement de l’Alberta accompagnés d’invités spéciaux lors du dévoilement d’une plaque au Centre judiciaire de Red Deer le 22 avril 2025.

    Les Albertaines et Albertains méritent d’avoir accès à un système de justice équitable, accessible et transparent. La modernisation de l’infrastructure du palais de justice de l’Alberta aidera à faire en sorte que le système de justice de la province fonctionne efficacement et réponde aux besoins de la population croissante de la province.

    Le gouvernement de l’Alberta a investi 191 millions de dollars dans la construction du nouveau Centre judiciaire de Red Deer, faisant passer le nombre de salles d’audience de 8 à 12, ce qui permet d’entendre plus de causes en même temps.

    « Des palais de justice modernes et accessibles et des services simplifiés renforcent non seulement notre système de
    justice – ils construisent des communautés plus sûres et plus fortes dans toute la province. Il est essentiel d’investir dans le nouveau Centre judiciaire de Red Deer pour aider notre système judiciaire à fonctionner plus efficacement et donnera aux habitants de Red Deer et du centre de l’Alberta un meilleur accès à la justice. »

    Mickey Amery, ministre de la Justice et procureur général

    Le 3 mars, tous les services judiciaires de Red Deer ont commencé à fonctionner à partir du nouveau centre judiciaire. Le nouveau centre judiciaire comprend 12 salles d’audience entièrement construites et équipées d’équipement de vidéoconférence pour permettre aux témoins d’assister à distance s’ils ne peuvent pas se déplacer, et aux témoins vulnérables de témoigner depuis l’extérieur de la salle d’audience.

    Le nouveau centre judiciaire offre également des espaces pour les personnes qui adoptent d’autres approches au processus traditionnel de procès en salle d’audience, avec les trois nouvelles pièces pour les services judiciaires de règlement des différends, une pièce spécifique pour d’autres services de règlement des différends, comme la médiation familiale et la médiation civile, et une nouvelle salle d’audience pour les Autochtones, où l’on se consacre exclusivement à la purification par la fumée.

    « Nous nous réjouissons de ce nouveau palais de justice pour le centre de l’Alberta. Investir dans les endroits où les gens cherchent à obtenir justice, c’est respecter les droits de tous les Albertaines et Albertains. Le Centre judiciaire de Red Deer répond à un besoin important en infrastructure pour cette partie de la province qui connaît une croissance rapide. C’est aussi un symbole important de la primauté du droit, ce qui signifie qu’aucun d’entre nous n’est au-dessus de la loi et qu’il y a une magistrature indépendante pour trancher les différends. C’est essentiel pour une démocratie saine et fonctionnelle. »

    Ritu Khullar, juge en chef de l’Alberta

    « La sécurité publique et l’accès à la justice vont de pair. Grâce à cet investissement dans le nouveau Centre judiciaire de Red Deer, le gouvernement de l’Alberta veille à ce que les collectivités soient plus sûres, à ce que les questions juridiques soient réglées plus efficacement et à ce que tous les Albertaines et Albertains obtiennent le soutien dont ils ont besoin. »

    Mike Ellis, ministre de la Sécurité publique et des Services d’urgence

    « Cette installation à la fine pointe de la technologie servira les habitants de Red Deer et des collectivités environnantes pendant des générations. Notre équipe du ministère des Infrastructures est extrêmement fière du travail accompli pour planifier, concevoir et réaliser ce projet. Je tiens à remercier tous ceux qui, à tous les niveaux, ont contribué à la réalisation de ce projet. »

    Martin Long, ministre des Infrastructures

    Le budget de 2025 répond au défi que doit relever l’Alberta en continuant d’investir dans l’éducation et la santé, en réduisant les impôts pour les familles et en mettant l’accent sur l’économie.

    Faits en bref

    • Le nouveau Centre judiciaire de Red Deer mesure 312 000 pieds carrés (29 000 m2). (L’ancien palais de justice mesure 98 780 pieds carrés [9 177 m2]).
    • Le financement de projet approuvé pour le Centre judiciaire de Red Deer est d’environ 191 millions de dollars.

    Nouvelles connexes

    • Red Deer’s first new courthouse in 40 years(en anglais seulement) (8 novembre 2024)
    • Empowering Albertans dealing with family law matters (en anglais seulement) (15 avril 2024)
    • Increasing access to family justice services (en anglais seulement) (1er décembre 2023)

    Translations

    • Arabic
    • Simplified Chinese
    • Traditional Chinese
    • Punjabi
    • Spanish
    • Ukrainian

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Shaxi town in Yunnan sees tourism boom after restoration

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

    Shaxi town in Yunnan sees tourism boom after restoration

    Updated: April 27, 2025 20:12 Xinhua
    A tourist (L) tries to make a piece of local traditional woodblock print known as Jiama at Sideng Village of Shaxi Town, Jianchuan County, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, April 18, 2025. A remote town in Jianchuan County, Shaxi was once an important trading hub for tea, herbs, silks and salt on the ancient Tea Horse Road, a trade route dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). However, the trading hub in the late 19th century saw a decline because it was far away from emerging modern arterial roads, and other means of transport replaced the traveling caravans. Therefore, the local government initiated a restoration project with an aim to preserve its cultural heritage and landscape by improving infrastructure and promoting economic growth in Shaxi. Years of efforts are paying off. The town saw its old buildings renovated and sceneries beautified. Currently, Shaxi has turned into a desirable destination for tourists at home and abroad. In 2024 alone, Shaxi received over 3 million tourist trips from home and abroad, along with a total revenue of 4.298 billion yuan (about 58.98 million U.S. dollars). [Photo/Xinhua]
    A villager herds sheep by a river in Beilong Village of Shaxi Town, Jianchuan County, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, April 18, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    People visit a bookshop at Beilong Village of Shaxi Town, Jianchuan County, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, April 20, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Jiang Wufa (2nd, R), an inheritor of arts for Shibaoshan Song Festival, a national intangible cultural heritage, rehearses with his apprentices in Shilong Village of Shaxi Town, Jianchuan County, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, April 19, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An elderly woman of Bai ethnic group makes embroidered sachets in Hualong Village of Shaxi Town, Jianchuan County, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, April 20, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An aerial drone photo taken on April 19, 2025 shows a view of the Yujin Bridge in Shaxi Town, Jianchuan County, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Villagers work in the field in Beilong Village of Shaxi Town, Jianchuan County, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, April 20, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    People visit an ancient stage at Sideng Village of Shaxi Town, Jianchuan County, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, April 21, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why seniors’ care should have been on the election agenda

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Pat Armstrong, Distinguished Research Professor of Sociology, York University, Canada

    I was hopeful that when the COVID-19 pandemic drew attention to the plight of senior citizens, the attention might result in meaningful change. Instead, seniors seem to be getting blamed for high costs and high living.

    Let me set some context. The Canada Health Act is a remarkable document. It is simple and clear. Provinces must adhere to the principles of universal, reasonable access to comprehensive hospital and doctor care throughout Canada, without charge for medically necessary care and with funding from a publicly administered, non-profit health insurance plan.

    Those with a health-care card can go to any hospital or doctor and do not have to worry about health-care bankruptcy or losing health-care coverage if they change jobs or travel across Canada. Because the rich use the same beds as everyone else, they have a vested interest in all beds being high quality.

    A good start with good principles

    The CHA and the public insurance programs that preceded it dramatically improved access to quality care, quality jobs and — not incidentally in these times — it promoted solidarity across ages, classes and genders through what became Canada’s best loved social program.

    Of course, it was not perfect or perfectly equitable, but it was a good start with good principles.

    However, there are three basic problems with it. First, it was supposed to be the first step towards a system that covered home care, long-term care, eye, dental and pharmaceutical care, but it stalled there until very recently. Second, the principles depended on the federal government using its spending power for enforcement. And third, it failed to prohibit for-profit services being paid public money or doctors from operating in private practices.

    So when the federal government started tinkering with funding, changing from providing cash to match half provincial costs and instead offering provinces tax room, that made both federal contributions and provincial spending harder to track. When Ottawa then failed to keep up funding, provinces and territories started defining hospital and doctor care more and more narrowly, moving care out of the hospitals where the principles no longer applied.

    Increasingly, more necessary care had user fees or lacked public financial support. More of it was for-profit; more of it provided lower quality jobs and lower quality care, undermining solidarity in the process. This is especially the case for seniors, whose care needs are increasingly defined as chronic rather than acute and therefore not requiring hospital care. Racialized and immigrant older women are especially likely to have low incomes, making them unable to buy care.

    Seniors’ election issues

    Which brings me to this federal election and seniors, and to issues that are being swamped by a focus on assembling cars and making tax cuts.

    There are gaping holes in access to care at home and in long-term care as well as to hospital care and primary care services. And equally important, there is less access to good jobs providing this care.

    We hear a lot about how care at home is everyone’s first choice, but staying at home often requires skilled care, special facilities and support for things like food, cleaning and maintenance, as well as help with dressing and walking. Too often, what we mean by care at home is 24/7 care by female relatives, untrained and unpaid for the work, too often doing so to the detriment of their own health and economic future.

    Too often it is about shifting costs and labour to families and individuals, not about choice or overall cost savings. Too often there is no choice.

    There has been new federal money for health care, a significant amount of which is unconditional and thus available for home care. But we have seen little effective expansion.

    The recently appointed Health Workforce Canada seems primarily focused on getting better data and more migrants to provide care, rather than improving the conditions of work that are vital to attracting and keeping the staff.

    If we are serious about home as the place to be, we need to provide the public support for the option, support that needs to go well beyond a few more temporary work permits for care providers.

    Although remaining at home is many people’s first choice, people in long-term care say the benefits include feeling safe, there is company, there are activities, and women especially say there is someone to clean the bathroom and make the meals.
    (Shutterstock)

    Nursing homes

    Which takes me to nursing homes. At the same time as home care is talked about as the first choice, nursing homes are presented as the last and worst choice. We forget though that many people do not have homes, many homes are unsafe physically and/or in terms of abuse, many homes are isolating, and many people have 24-hour extensive care needs that cannot be accommodated in a private home.

    When we ask residents about whether there is anything better about nursing homes compared to their private home, many say yes; they feel safe, there is company, there are activities, and women especially say there is someone to clean the bathroom and make the meals. Of course, we can and should make nursing homes better for people to live, work and visit in them, but we can’t forget that we need them and significantly more of them as well as more people to work in them.

    The federal government did fund the development of new standards for nursing homes but then it has done little with those standards. We need more beds, more staff and enforced standards. As with hospital care, the federal government could use its spending power to play a critical role, doing so through the promised safe long-term care act.

    And we need more community care clinics providing the full range of services. Here too the federal government has signed some targeted funding agreements but we need more and we need to severely limit private practice that contributes to fragmented care.

    Care vs. profit

    And in all these areas, we need to ensure the money goes to care rather than to profit.

    Of course good and fair health care costs money. But we have to remember that investments in care are an investment in the economy, in equity and in solidarity. The money does not go into a hole. It circulates in the economy. And investments in providing good conditions of work can save money at the same time as they promote care, given that the conditions of work are the conditions of care.

    We need to put senior care back on the agenda in the aftermath of this election.

    Pat Armstrong receives funding from SSHRC

    I am a Board member of the Canadian Health Coalition and a member of the economic subgroup of the Ottawa Council on Aging

    – ref. Why seniors’ care should have been on the election agenda – https://theconversation.com/why-seniors-care-should-have-been-on-the-election-agenda-255220

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Social media influencers blur the lines between political content and campaigning, potentially affecting elections

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Louise Stahl, PhD candidate, Communication, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

    Online influencers sharing political content can fall into an unregulated grey zone. (Shutterstock)

    Political commentary occurs regularly on social media. From politicians and parties promoting their platforms to journalists sharing day-to-day news and everyday people sharing their thoughts, there is no shortage of online content commenting on what governments are doing, aren’t doing and should be doing.

    A recent development has been the rise in online content creators, which has become a profession in and of itself. And social media influencers — those content creators who have developed a brand persona around their popular social media accounts — have plenty to say when it comes to politics. They promote politicians, encourage voting, comment on social issues and share political news. They can also be involved in disinformation and foreign interference campaigns.

    Our recent report, Influencers and Elections: The many roles that content creators play in elections, looks at the blurred lines between influencers and advertisers, celebrity endorsers, campaign volunteers, media outlets, data brokers, journalists and lobbyists, and the impact this can have on election outcomes.

    Social media influencers discuss their political views on CBC News.

    Influencing politics

    Influencers play multiple roles in the political communication ecosystem, acting in ways similar to celebrities, journalists, advertisers, activists and others.

    Influencers might be paid for the content or endorse political campaigns voluntarily. Some interview politicians or produce their own commentary. And others express political views independently, without any formal political ties.

    These increasingly blurred lines make it challenging to distinguish between genuine support, co-ordinated marketing or reliable news sources. It also makes it harder for voters to evaluate the credibility and intent behind political messages — which makes it harder for policymakers to regulate it.

    Influencers are increasingly integral to election campaign strategies. Political campaigns work with influencers to reach audiences traditional media often misses, or to target specific groups with tailored messaging. And influencers’ deep understanding of social media platforms enable them to create content that can spread quickly and effectively, maximizing reach and engagement.

    Influencers can act as advertisers who are paid to promote politicians or parties, celebrity endorsers donating their time and reach to campaigns or campaign volunteers sharing content online. Unlike traditional advertisements and celebrities, influencers have more interactive and intimate relationships with their audiences.

    Influencers are invested in appearing authentic, reliable and relatable while also projecting aspirational lifestyles. This makes them particularly persuasive, and their content perceived as genuine and independent, even if it has been paid for or co-ordinated.

    Influencers’ ability to move between personal expression and strategic campaigns makes them extremely powerful. At the same time, they are difficult to regulate or hold accountable. The multiple roles they play, and the flexibility they have in shifting from one role to another, allow them to evade the traditional categories that regulation depends on.

    For instance, it is often difficult to distinguish between authentic support and paid sponsorship. Influencers may endorse a politician because they genuinely support them or as part of a formal campaign. Influencers may be paid to share particular messages or negotiate informal arrangements involving perks like access to exclusive events. Because they do not always disclose these ties, this content can often go unregulated.

    While Canadian election laws are clear that paid advertisement spending needs to be reported, other forms of compensation and co-ordination do not require disclosure. This means that social media users may find it difficult to tell when an influencer’s support is authentic, part of a co-ordinated effort, or sponsored in some way.

    Influencers and journalism

    Influencers have also become central to sharing news, performing a role previously reserved for journalists. Influencers conduct interviews and provide updates and commentary. Research shows that users — especially younger ones — pay more attention to online influencers and celebrities for news than they do traditional news sources.

    In Canada, this trend may have accelerated after the implementation of the Online News Act in 2023, which led Meta to restrict news access on Instagram and Facebook. News influencers are filling this gap.

    Unlike professional journalists, many influencers operate without journalistic training, professional standards, editorial oversight or accountability measures. As such, some become unintentionally involved in the spread of disinformation. Others have been co-opted into disinformation campaigns, which see influencers as a path to plausible deniability, as their content can be presented as opinion rather than a co-ordinated effort.

    While online influencers adapt to these overlapping roles, many politicians and journalists are adopting strategies similar to those of influencers: building personal brands, cultivating authenticity and fostering relationships with their audiences.

    This scenario makes the boundaries between political entities and content creators even more difficult to define.

    Younger people pay more attention to online influencers and celebrities for news than they do traditional news sources.
    (Shutterstock)

    Understanding influencer

    From endorsing candidates to shaping political narratives and mimicking reporters, influencers play multiple political roles in Canada.

    What is organic political support and what is co-ordinated marketing? Who is doing independent political reporting and who is spreading disguised propaganda? And who is being paid? These questions need to be answered to know how to interpret influencers’ content — and how to apply rules around transparency, advertising and political speech.

    Currently, media literacy strategies revolve around teaching users how to find trusted sources, gather information from a range of sources and question how content reaches them.

    When it comes to political information shared by influencers, this means asking whether the influencer is sponsored or collaborating with some political entity. It means considering whether they talk about how they source and verify their information. It also means not relying on a single or small group of influencers who share the same ideas within a given online community.

    Regulating influencers

    Current regulatory frameworks are not equipped to handle influencer political content and its possible effects on elections. Election laws were designed around clear professional categories, media-centric advertising and centralized communication environments. This is no longer the information ecosystem that we exist in.

    The lack of clear definitions and regulatory blind spots creates loopholes that political campaigns can exploit to evade ad transparency and spending laws. Meanwhile, policymakers struggle to find the balance between regulating political advertising via influencers and guaranteeing their freedom of expression.

    Canada’s regulatory framework has to evolve, including clear definitions of political content and advertising, as well as disclosure requirements for paid or co-ordinated political message.

    Elizabeth Dubois receives funding from SSHRC and the Alex Trebek Forum for Dialogue, University of Ottawa.

    Michelle Bartleman receives funding from SSHRC.

    Louise Stahl 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. Social media influencers blur the lines between political content and campaigning, potentially affecting elections – https://theconversation.com/social-media-influencers-blur-the-lines-between-political-content-and-campaigning-potentially-affecting-elections-255382

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Skilled migrants are leaving the U.S. for Canada — how can the north gain from the brain drain?

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Ashika Niraula, Senior Research Associate, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration & Integration Program, Toronto Metropolitan University

    Skilled migrants and international students are leaving the United States for Canada in growing numbers. A March 2025 report by Statistics Canada reveals a sharp rise in the numbers of American non-citizen residents moving to Canada. Reasons given are largely restrictive U.S. immigration policies, visa caps and long wait times for green cards.

    This is a shift from earlier decades when American-born citizens dominated the trend. By 2019, nearly half of those making the move were U.S. non-citizen residents.

    Since U.S. President Donald Trump’s election win and early days in office, Google searches by American residents on how to move to Canada, New Zealand and Australia have surged.

    Several high-profile academics have relocated to Canadian universities amid growing concerns over threats to academic freedom.

    British Columbia recently announced plans to launch landmark policies to streamline the credential recognition process for internationally trained health-care professionals, particular American doctors and nurses.

    Skilled talent like health-care professionals, researchers and engineers are essential to building innovative, future-ready economies. But attracting them requires staying competitive in an increasingly global bid for talent.

    Global competition for talent

    In this global race for talent, Canada and Australia need to offer not only efficient immigration pathways but also faster credential recognition and better integration support.

    Yet both nations find themselves walking a tightrope. Once both celebrated as welcoming destinations for global talent, each country has experienced recent immigration restrictions and growing anti-immigration sentiments, undermining those reputations.



    Read more:
    Canada at a crossroads: Understanding the shifting sands of immigration attitudes

    What can these countries learn from each other to stay competitive and benefit from this talent flow?

    Research from Toronto Metropolitan University’s Migration and Integration Program shows Canada’s appeal for skilled migrants is rooted in a mix of practical and aspirational factors. This includes a combination of high living standards, the promise of better career prospects, more accessible permanent residency pathways and a broadly welcoming society.

    But for migrants in Canada, these goals are becoming harder to attain.

    A more cautious approach

    Since the pandemic, Canada’s immigration approach has shifted. During the early COVID-19 years, Canada was praised for its inclusive response, including recognizing immigrants as essential to economic recovery. Temporary workers, including essential workers, international student graduates and French-speaking immigrants, were offered new routes to permanent residency through a federal program.

    However, since 2024, Canada has taken a more cautious approach.

    New policy changes that target international students and cut temporary and permanent migration numbers have tarnished Canada’s global reputation as a welcoming place.

    While permanent residency is still more accessible than in the U.S., skilled migrants are increasingly questioning whether the wait for permanent residency is worth it.

    Australia visa rules slow things down

    Australia faces similar dilemmas. In late 2023, the government launched a new migration strategy to address critical workforce shortages in construction, tech and health care. The Skills in Demand visa promised faster processing and clearer pathways to permanent residency for workers in priority sectors.

    Yet a recent report by the Grattan institute warns that tighter eligibility rules risk excluding much-needed talent, potentially weakening Australia’s competitiveness.

    Growing visa delays are also noted to be an additional barrier that may deter both prospective migrants and employers.

    Working in jobs far below qualifications

    Migration data often tells a story of numbers, categories and eligibility thresholds. However, the human stories behind the numbers reveal deep systemic issues and missed opportunities. One recurring issue is the widespread phenomenon of deskilling.

    In both Canada and Australia, many skilled migrants often find themselves working in jobs far below their qualifications.

    These experiences are part of a pattern that affects not only individuals but also national economies, which lose out on the full potential of their skilled workforce.

    Credential recognition systems are opaque, inconsistent and frequently biased.

    Another overlooked issue is that many skilled migrants do not move alone. People arrive with spouses, children and sometimes elderly parents.

    Yet immigration and settlement systems in both countries are largely structured around individual economic migrants rather than families. In Canada, for instance, federally funded settlement services are mainly geared toward supporting only permanent residents.

    Many spouses, particularly women, face even greater barriers to employment. Issues also include things like high fees for visa processing for parents. Other considerations include children who may struggle with schooling and identity in unfamiliar environments.

    Housing shortages and high costs in major urban centres compound these challenges, pushing newcomers into unaffordable living conditions.

    All this contributes to growing disillusionment. Migrants initially drawn to Canada or Australia as alternatives to unwelcoming environments elsewhere may choose to still come, but it doesn’t mean they will stay.



    Read more:
    Canada halts new parent immigration sponsorships, keeping families apart

    Learning from each other: Canada and Australia

    The experiences of skilled migrants in Canada and Australia show that attracting talent is only half the battle. The real challenge is in retention and integration.

    Many countries like Germany, Japan, South Korea and some Gulf states have begun offering more competitive pathways to immigration along with promises of a work-life balance, streamlined visa programs and competitive salaries. This means skilled migrants are increasingly mobile.



    Read more:
    The states want a bigger say in skilled migration – but doing that actually leaves them worse off

    Australia has made strides in streamlining visa categories and targeting sectoral needs, while Canada has built a strong narrative around inclusion and multiculturalism.

    However, there is a need to combine Australia’s responsiveness and Canada’s inclusive ethos to build resilient migration systems.

    Build future-ready migration systems

    In an era defined by geopolitical uncertainties, countries can no longer afford to treat skilled migrants as temporary fixes or just economic inputs. They are people with aspirations, with families and with dreams.

    They must be seen and supported as future citizens. To build future-ready migration systems Canada must:

    • Ensure transparency and consistency in immigration pathways to reduce uncertainties caused by policy reversals and lengthy processing times.

    • Improve credential recognition and career support to help skilled migrants, including temporary residents, transition into roles that match their qualifications.

    • Develop regional settlement strategies to address where migrants settle and ensure equitable access to services, job markets and housing, especially outside major cities.

    • Adopt inclusive, intersectional policies that consider gender, race and class in shaping the migrant experience, including support for spouses, children and aging parents.

    • Foster collaborative and responsive policymaking. This involves connecting researchers, employers, community organizations and migrants to inform policy making.

    For Canada, the challenge ahead is clear. It’s not just about opening the door. It’s about making sure that once here, migrants have the support, rights and opportunities to walk through that door — and thrive.

    ​Ashika Niraula works as a Senior Research Associate at the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration & Integration Program at Toronto Metropolitan University. The Skilled Migrant Decision Making Under Uncertainty project has received financial support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Insight Grant (435-2021-0752) and from the wider program of the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

    Iori Hamada 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. Skilled migrants are leaving the U.S. for Canada — how can the north gain from the brain drain? – https://theconversation.com/skilled-migrants-are-leaving-the-u-s-for-canada-how-can-the-north-gain-from-the-brain-drain-254435

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Trump’s war on the media: 10 numbers from US President’s first 100 days

    Reporters Without Borders

    Donald Trump campaigned for the White House by unleashing a nearly endless barrage of insults against journalists and news outlets.

    He repeatedly threatened to weaponise the federal government against media professionals whom he considers his enemies.

    In his first 100 days in office, President Trump has already shown that he was not bluffing.

    “The day-to-day chaos of the American political news cycle can make it hard to fully take stock of the seismic shifts that are happening,” said Clayton Weimers, executive director of RSF North America.

    “But when you step back and look at the whole picture, the pattern of blows to press freedom is quite clear.

    “RSF refuses to accept this massive attack on press freedom as the new normal. We will continue to call out these assaults against the press and use every means at our disposal to fight back against them.

    “We urge every American who values press freedom to do the same.”

    Here is the Trump administration’s war on the press by the numbers: *

    • 427 million – Weekly worldwide audience of the USAGM news outlets silenced by Trump

    In an effort to eliminate the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) by cutting grants to outlets funded by the federal agency and placing their reporters on leave, the government has left millions around the world without vital sources of reliable information.

    This leaves room for authoritarian regimes, like Russia and China, to spread their propaganda unchecked.

    However, RSF recently secured an interim injunction against the administration’s dismantling of the USAGM-funded broadcaster Voice of America,which also reinstates funding to the outlets  Radio Free Asia (RFA) and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN).

    • 8,000+ – US government web pages taken down

    Webpages from more than a dozen government sites were removed almost immediately after President Trump took office, leaving journalists and the public without critical information on health, crime, and more.

    • 3,500+ – Journalists and media workers at risk of losing their jobs thanks to Trump’s shutdown of the USAGM

    Journalists from VOA, the MBN, RFA, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty are at risk of losing their jobs as the Trump administration works to shut down the USAGM. Furthermore, at least 84 USAGM journalists based in the US on work visas now face deportation to countries where they risk prosecution and severe harassment.

    At least 15 journalists from RFA and eight from VOA originate from repressive states and are at serious risk of being arrested and potentially imprisoned if deported.

    • 180 – Public radio stations at risk of closing if public media funding is eliminated

    The Trump administration reportedly plans to ask Congress to cut $1.1 billion in allocated funds for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). These cuts will hit rural communities and stations in smaller media markets the hardest, where federal funding is most impactful.

    • 74 – Days the Associated Press (AP) has been banned from the White House

    On February 11, the White House began barring the Associated Press (AP) news agency from its events because of the news agency’s continued use of the term “Gulf of Mexico,” which President Trump prefers to call the “Gulf of America” — a blatant example of retaliation against the media.

    Despite a federal judge ruling the administration must reinstate the news agency’s access on April 9, the White House has continued to limit AP’s access.

    • 64 – Disparaging comments made by Trump against the media on Truth Social since inauguration

    In addition to regular, personal attacks against the media in press conferences and public speeches, Trump takes to his social media site nearly every day to insult, threaten, or intimidate journalists and media workers who report about him or his administration critically.

    • 13 – Individuals pardoned by President Trump after being convicted or charged for attacking journalists on January 6, 2021

    Trump pardoned over a dozen individuals charged with or convicted of violent crimes against journalists at the US Capitol during the January 6 insurrection.

    • 6 – Federal Communications Commission (FCC) inquiries into media companies

    Brendan Carr, co-author of the Project 2025 playbook and chair of the FCC, has wasted no time launching politically motivated investigations, explicit threats against media organisations, and implicit threats against their parent companies. These include inquiries into CBS, ABC parent company Disney, NBC parent company Comcast, public broadcasters NPR and PBS, and California television station KCBS.

    • 4 – Trump’s personal lawsuits against media organisations

    While Trump settled a lawsuit with ABC’s parent company Disney, he continues to sue CBS, The Des Moines Register, Gannett, and the Pulitzer Center over coverage he deemed biased.

    • $1.60 – Average annual amount each American pays for public media

    Donald Trump has threatened to eliminate federal funding for public broadcasting, framing the move as a cost-cutting measure.

    However, public media only costs each American about $1.60 each year, representing a tremendous bargain as it gives Americans access to a wealth of local, national, and lifesaving emergency programming.

    * Figures as of the date of publication, 24 April 2025. Pacific Media Watch collaborates with RSF.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Latest health data reveals thousands of patients now seen quicker

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Latest health data reveals thousands of patients now seen quicker

    Thousands of patients are securing appointments quicker every day as part of the government’s drive to build an NHS fit for the future.

    Thousands of patients are seeing tangible benefits from the government’s Plan for Change, with the latest health data showing significant improvements in access to care.

    Tens of thousands of patients up and down the country are already getting their appointments more quickly thanks to the government’s Plan for Change to reform the NHS and drive forward national renewal. 

    By slashing waiting lists and delivering improvements across the NHS in record time—including delivering three million additional appointments six months early—the government is exceeding its own targets and driving down waiting lists at a rapid pace. This has resulted in a six-month decline and a 219,000 reduction since July.

    Around 4.5 million tests, checks and scans were carried out in Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs)—many of which are conveniently located on local high streets—between July and February, a 50% increase on the previous year. 

    This equates to 18,000 more checks being delivered every day for patients to diagnose some of the biggest killers, including cancer and heart disease. 

    As well as opening more CDCs to bring care closer to people’s homes, the government is going further and faster by significantly expanding the number of CDCs open 12 hours a day, seven days a week—making it easier for people to get their tests and appointments done at a time that suits them.

    Backed by almost £26 billion investment at the Budget, the Plan for Change is driving forward reform of the NHS to put an end to the misery for many people who have had to put their lives on hold while stuck on waiting lists, delivering the change people voted for. 

    Alongside action to rebuild the NHS, the Plan for Change is also focused on growing the economy to improve living standards across the country. 

    The government is already putting more pounds in people’s pockets by freezing fuel duty, boosting the minimum wage by up to £1,400 a year, and protecting working people with no rise in their national insurance, income tax, or VAT. Living standards are growing at their fastest rate in two years, and the Spring Statement showed people will be, on average, over £500 a year better off. 

    Earlier this month, we outlined plans for a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which aims to put 13,000 more officers into neighbourhood policing roles by 2029—an increase of more than 50%. This will help restore people’s trust in local policing. 

    To ensure that working people can benefit from clean, secure, homegrown energy, we have set up Great British Energy in Aberdeen to catalyse private investment and announced its first major project: installing solar panels on 200 schools and 200 NHS sites, which will cut energy bills.

    Through the Plan for Change, we are working to give every child the best start in life and break down barriers to opportunity. This week, thousands of children started attending the first 750 free breakfast clubs, providing them with a healthy start to the day, giving parents 30 minutes of free childcare, and helping them save up to £450 a year.

    Restoring economic stability and driving growth is fundamental to the Plan for Change. The OBR has confirmed that the economy will grow every year from 2026 and that our planning reforms will lead to a 0.2% increase in GDP, worth £6.8 billion. 

    Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said:

    Through our Plan for Change, we are getting on with the job of rebuilding our country and improving the public services we all rely on.

    It’s already making a difference in people’s lives as we put police back on the beat, get more teachers in classrooms, and this week launched free breakfast clubs in hundreds of schools.

    The latest data shows our approach is delivering real change, with tens of thousands more patients getting the right care and waiting lists falling faster in areas where there are higher numbers of people out of work. And this is just the start.

    The government is also working at pace to slash NHS waiting lists in areas with the highest economic inactivity. The scheme, known as the Further Faster 20 programme, is part of plans to reduce the number of people unable to work due to long-term sickness, which is at its highest level since the 1990s.

    The programme sees teams made up of clinical leads from across trusts, as well as national specialists, driving innovative practices. It has resulted in a total of almost 50,000 cases being removed from waiting lists in these areas since October. 35% of the national reduction in the overall waiting list has come from the 20 hospitals involved in the scheme, which has fallen faster than the national average.

    Minister for Elective Care Karin Smyth said:

    This government made a promise to the British public to reverse more than a decade of soaring waiting times and poor access to patient care—and through our Plan for Change, we are starting to turn the tide across every part of the country—with our crack teams already having a transformative impact.

    This is a long road, but with tens of thousands more patients getting care that works for them and waiting lists falling faster in areas of high joblessness, we are getting the NHS back on its feet so it delivers for patients once again.

    This is only the start. From bringing patient care closer to home, to ending the 8 am scramble for a GP appointment, this government is determined to transform our NHS to make it fit for the future.

    One example of the Future Faster 20 programme is the Trafford Elective Hub, where the team have been running super-charged theatre lists that see almost twice the number of patients seen as standard theatre lists.

    The hub also runs super clinics at weekends, providing one-stop shops to treat 100 patients at a time. The hub also has employment advisers on hand to help patients get back to work faster.

    Miss Toli Onon, Joint Chief Medical Officer at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said:

    The Trafford Elective Hub exemplifies innovative approaches to reducing waiting lists, such as High Performance theatre lists which are designed to optimise surgical productivity by refining the surgical pathway and minimising inefficiencies. 

    By enhancing the productivity and efficiency of our elective services, we are demonstrating a sustainable and effective model for the future that benefits more patients.

    Other initiatives include Super Clinics. These Super Clinics, which can serve up to 100 patients over weekends, streamline care by providing multiple services in one visit and include employment advisors to help patients return to work faster.

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Newspoll shows Labor’s lead steady at 52–48

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

    While last week’s Morgan and YouGov polls had Labor continuing its surge, Newspoll is steady for the fourth successive week at 52–48 to Labor. A Redbridge poll of the marginal seats was again very strong for Labor, while YouGov and KJC seat polls were respectively good and bad for Labor.

    A national Newspoll, conducted April 21–24 from a sample of 1,254, gave Labor a 52–48 lead, unchanged from the April 14–17 Newspoll.

    Primary votes were 35% Coalition (steady), 34% Labor (steady), 11% Greens (down one), 8% One Nation (up one) and 12% for all Others (steady). The drop for the Greens and gain for One Nation mean this poll was probably better for the Coalition before rounding than the previous Newspoll.

    Here is the graph of Labor’s two-party preferred vote in national polls. The fieldwork midpoint date of Newspoll was April 23, three days ahead of the next most recent poll (YouGov). Perhaps Labor has peaked too early.

    Analyst Peter Brent wrote for Inside Story that he thought Anthony Albanese performed poorly in the April 22 debate with Peter Dutton. This may explain some shift to the Coalition. But with just five full days left until the May 3 election and early voting in progress, Labor remains the heavy favourite to win.

    Albanese’s net approval was steady at -9, while Dutton’s net approval was down two points to -24, a new record low. Albanese led Dutton by 51–35 as better PM (52–36 previously). Here is the graph of Albanese’s net approval in Newspoll, with the plus signs marking data points and a smoothed line fitted.

    In this poll, 48% thought it was time to give someone else a go (down five since February), while 39% (up five) thought the government deserved to be re-elected. Meanwhile, 62% (up seven) said the Dutton-led Coalition was not ready to govern.

    Labor retains 54.5–45.5 lead in Redbridge marginal seats poll

    A poll of 20 marginal seats by Redbridge and Accent Research for the News Corp tabloids was conducted April 15–22 from a sample of 1,000. It gave Labor a 54.5–45.5 lead, unchanged since the April 9–15 marginal seats poll. Primary votes were 35% Labor (steady), 34% Coalition (steady), 14% Greens (up one) and 17% for all Others (down one).

    The overall 2022 vote in these 20 seats was 51–49 to Labor, so this poll implies a 3.5-point swing to Labor from the 2022 election. If applied to the national 2022 result of 52.1–47.9 to Labor, Labor would lead by about 55.5–44.5. Since the first wave of this marginal seats tracker in early February, Labor has gained 6.5 points. If this poll is accurate, Labor is likely to win a thumping majority.

    Over the five waves of this marginal seats tracker, the Liberals have gone from +1 net favourable to -8, while Labor has moved from -9 to -3. Albanese has gone from -16 to -4 (up one since last week), while Dutton has gone from -11 to -20 (up two since last week).

    By 22–14, voters preferred Labor’s housing policy to the Coalition’s, with 38% for neither and 12% for both the same.

    YouGov and KJC seat polls

    The Canberra Times had YouGov polls of ten regional seats, conducted April 17–24 from an overall sample of 3,000 (so 300 per seat). The primary votes suggest the Coalition would lose the Tasmanian seat of Braddon to Labor, and the NSW and Victorian seats of Calare and Wannon to independents, leaving them with only Dutton’s Dickson out of the ten surveyed.

    Labor would be likely to hold all its regional seats, although in the NSW seat of Hunter One Nation would be their final opponent instead of the Coalition. Seat polls are unreliable.

    The Poll Bludger reported Saturday that KJC Research had taken seat polls on April 24 from a sample of 600 per seat for an industry group. These polls went against the trend, with the Liberals ahead of Labor by 49–45 including undecided in the Western Australian Labor-held seat of Tangney and 46–41 in the Queensland Labor-held seat of Blair.

    In the New South Wales Labor-held seat of Richmond, the Greens led Labor by 39–34. In the NSW Labor-hels seat of Hunter, Labor led the Liberals by 45–41.

    Gap narrows, but Liberals still likely to win majority at Canadian election

    The Canadian election is on Monday, with the large majority of polls closing at 11:30am AEST Tuesday. The CBC Poll Tracker has the centre-left governing Liberals leading the Conservatives by 42.5–38.7 in national vote share and by 189–125 in seat point estimates (172 needed for a majority). I covered Canada and other upcoming and past international elections for The Poll Bludger on Saturday.

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

    – ref. Newspoll shows Labor’s lead steady at 52–48 – https://theconversation.com/newspoll-shows-labors-lead-steady-at-52-48-255381

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Statement on Serco asylum accommodation list

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Statement on Serco asylum accommodation list

    The list of local authorities Serco shared on its website for landlords is not a Home Office list and is not a list of existing or future asylum accommodation.

    A Home Office spokesperson said:

    The list of local authorities Serco shared on its website for landlords is not a Home Office list, nor is it a list of any existing or future asylum accommodation.

    Serco is one of several companies contracted by the previous government 6 years ago to provide dispersal asylum accommodation in different regions and this list simply appears to reflect the geographical list of local authorities covered by the Serco contracts at that time.

    We are restoring order to the asylum system and cutting costs to taxpayers by reducing the number of people we are required to accommodate through a rapid increase in asylum decision-making and the removal of more than 24,000 people with no right to be in the UK.

    Background information:

    • we have no role in Serco communications and understand the page has now been removed

    • the Home Office has a statutory obligation under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to ensure asylum seekers are not left destitute while their claims are processed

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Caitlin Johnstone: All the worst evils are happening right out In the open

    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. –

    COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone

    Donald Trump is committing genocide for Israel after publicly admitting to being bought and owned by the Adelsons.

    All the worst shit happens right out in the open. You don’t need to come up with any elaborate conspiracy theories to see it. It’s right there, completely unhidden.

    It’s not hidden, it’s just spun. Disguised by the propaganda of the mass media which frame this holocaust as a war of defence in response to a terrorist attack while constantly diverting our attention to other far less significant issues.

    It says so much about the power of the imperial propaganda machine that Trump could openly admit to having been fully controlled by Adelson cash on the campaign trail, get elected, and then facilitate a blatant extermination campaign in Gaza while aggressively stomping out free speech that is critical of Israel throughout the United States  —  and somehow not have this be the main thing that everyone talks about all the time. It is only because our minds are being forcefully manipulated by the powerful at mass scale that this has been the case.


    All the worst evils . . .                         Video/Audio: Caitlin Johnstone

    The narrative spin is greatly aided by the fact that Trump isn’t doing much different from the previous president here. A public which has been indoctrinated from childhood into seeing everything in Democrat-vs-Republican binaries is conditioned to focus far more on the differences between the two parties than the similarities.

    But you can learn a whole lot more about real power and what’s actually going on in the world by paying less attention to how US presidents differ from each other, and more attention to the ways in which they are the same.

    The mass-scale psychological manipulation is so pervasive and ubiquitous that only a small minority are reacting to history’s first live-streamed genocide with an appropriate level of horror. If Americans could see what their government is doing in their name with fresh eyes and uncallused hearts, the nation’s capitol would be burnt to the ground within days.

    But because their vision is clouded by propaganda indoctrination they can’t see it, so they overlook what’s right in front of them while awaiting a gigantic Epstein bombshell or UFO disclosure or some other Big Reveal that never comes.

    Consider the possibility that the Big Reveal has already happened. That it’s been right here staring you in the face this entire time, but you haven’t noticed its significance because it has been constantly normalised for you throughout your life since you were small. That the truth behind all your most sparkly conspiracy theories could be published online tomorrow, and it still wouldn’t tell you as much about what your rulers are doing and how evil they are as what’s already happening in plain sight.

    This is the dystopia we were warned about. It’s not some ominous threat looming on the horizon. It’s here. We are being psychologically manipulated at mass scale into consenting to the most nightmarish atrocities imaginable.

    Children’s bodies are being shredded to bits right in front of us. And when you turn on the TV you see famous people laughing and making jokes with fake plastic grins, babbling about vapid nonsense. This is the dystopia. It isn’t on its way. It’s here.

    We don’t need a Big Reveal. If the Big Reveal happened next week, the public would be indoctrinated into overlooking and dismissing it by the imperial spin machine by the weekend. We don’t need new information, we need people to truly see the information that’s already here. To see it with eyes that are free from the cataracts of propaganda conditioning, with hearts that are free from the calluses of desensitisation.

    Waking the public up is less about whistleblowers, FOIA requests and investigative journalism at this point than it is about finding creative and artistic ways to get people noticing the information that’s already public.

    And the good news is that we can all help do this. We can all help our fellow members of the public to see what’s really happening with fresh eyes. Using our creativity, our humour, our insight and our compassion, we can find new ways every day to open a new pair of eyelids to the truth of our present circumstances.

    Our rulers do not have creativity. They do not have humour, insight or compassion. These are not tools that they have in their toolbox, and they have no weapons to counter them.

    All they have is manipulation, and manipulation only works if you don’t know it’s happening to you. Our task is to keep finding new and creative ways to help more people see and understand the ways in which they have been manipulated.

    Caitlin Johnstone is an Australian independent journalist and poet. Her articles include The UN Torture Report On Assange Is An Indictment Of Our Entire Society. She publishes a website and Caitlin’s Newsletter. This article is republished with permission.

    This article was first published on Café Pacific.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New powers to root out fake ‘lawyers’ giving rogue asylum advice

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    New powers to root out fake ‘lawyers’ giving rogue asylum advice

    People illegally posing as immigration lawyers and advisers will face fines of up to £15,000 through new measures in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill.

    Fake immigration lawyers offering rogue ‘advice’ to migrants on how to lodge fraudulent asylum claims will be weeded out through tough new powers in the government’s milestone Border Security, Asylum, and Immigration Bill. 

    Currently, giving immigration advice without proper registration with the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA), or recognised legal regulatory body, is a criminal offence which can lead to jail time, but the IAA will be given new powers to also hit these fraudulent firms and individuals posing as immigration advisers with fines of up to £15,000.

    Growing evidence has shown how these fake lawyers are acting as middlemen for those trying to abuse the immigration system in a bid to stay in the UK, or trying to cash in on people’s desperation, providing poor quality or outright fraudulent immigration advice.

    The new laws will also close a loophole that allows someone currently banned from giving immigration advice to continue giving advice under “supervision” – ensuring people banned from providing immigration advice cannot set up shop elsewhere. 

    The crackdown on fake immigration advisers is part of this government’s action to create an asylum system where the rules are respected and strictly enforced. It builds on a surge in illegal working enforcement activity and targets those exploiting vulnerable migrants who undermine the security of our immigration system.

    These changes will be tabled as amendments to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which will tackle criminality across the spectrum by empowering law enforcement with counter-terror style powers to go after vile people smuggling gangs who continue to put lives at risk for cash.

    Minister for Border Security, Dame Angela Eagle, said:

    Shameless individuals offering immigration advice completely illegally must be held to account.

    That is why we are introducing these tough financial penalties for rogue firms and advisers, better protecting the integrity of our immigration system as well as vulnerable people in genuine need of advice, as we restore order to our asylum system through the Plan for Change.

    This will build on the vital work of the Immigration Advice Authority in regulating the immigration advice sector.

    These fake lawyers and advisers are finding new ways to target victims. The IAA has found cases where individuals are using social media to trick people. For example, a case in October 2024 saw Sukhwinder Singh Kang sentenced at Southwark Crown Court after posing as a registered Level 3 immigration adviser with fake qualifications.

    Kang targeted people using Facebook support groups for migration advice, despite having little to no immigration knowledge. He claimed he could sort visa applications with his ‘special access’ to the Home Office, scamming his victims out of thousands of pounds in advance fees and taking personal identity documents. Kang even went so far as to set up weekly payments, make up fictional staff that were supposedly handling these applications and give out a fake professional premises address. 

    When each of the victims realised that their applications were going nowhere, Kang gave a range of excuses from family emergencies to delivery issues and offered full refunds that never arrived. 

    The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will give the IAA brand new powers to hold their registered advisers and organisations to account. 

    Similar to legal regulators, the watchdog will be able to immediately suspend advisers suspected of carrying out the most flagrant abuse of the immigration system or harming vulnerable people seeking advice. These faster and earlier interventions aim to stop rogue advisers in their tracks. 

    The IAA will also be able to compel former advisers to take part in complaint investigations about their past conduct if they are no longer registered. This move will prevent rogue operators from attempting to avoid investigation through simply leaving their role. 

    These powers will bolster work already taking place by the Home Office’s expert Professional Enabler Disruptions team (PED) which helps root out this sort of criminality. For example, in November 2024, the team uncovered a London-based rogue lawyer was directly submitting hundreds of immigration applications with zero knowledge of the law firm that was meant to be ‘supervising’ them. These applications were bound to fail, wasting caseworkers’ time, and impacting people’s legitimate applications. Thanks to PED’s work, legal regulatory bodies have now launched an investigation.

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme opens for applications; “Smart Parent Net” Recommendation: (Video) Highlights of the Event : Chit Chat with Experts “The secrets of good night’s sleep”(Chinese version only)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    The Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme (HKSES) is open for applications. Eligible students who intend to pursue their first year of undergraduate or postgraduate studies at world-renowned universities outside Hong Kong in the 2025/26 academic year (i.e. during the period from August 2025 to July 2026) may submit their applications via the online application system at the HKSES website (hkses.edb.gov.hk(i) have right of abode or right to land, or have entered Hong Kong on One-way Permits; and
    (ii) have resided in Hong Kong continuously for three complete years immediately prior to the commencement of the academic programme outside Hong Kong.

    Besides, for undergraduate programmes, only students receiving/received their formal school education in Hong Kong are eligible. This would cover all Hong Kong students who receive/received senior secondary education in Hong Kong, including those studying/studied local and non-local curricula in Hong Kong. For postgraduate programmes, students who have obtained their undergraduate qualifications either in or outside Hong Kong are eligible, provided that they meet the criteria set out in (i) and (ii) above.

    The HKSES will adopt a merit-based approach to selection, targeting the best and most outstanding Hong Kong students who are admitted to world renowned universities and programmes. Selection will be based on the applicants’ academic achievements, and other attributes such as leadership qualities and potential, contribution and commitment to the Hong Kong, etc. The applicants’ plan to return to work and contribute to Hong Kong after completion of studies will also be considered in the selection process.

    Awardees are required to complete their specific study programmes and undertake to return to Hong Kong upon graduation to work for at least two years or a period equivalent to the duration of receiving the scholarship, whichever is longer.

    Awardees will receive a non-means-tested scholarship to cover their tuition fees, subject to a ceiling of HK$300,000 per annum. In addition, the HKSES will provide additional support to financially needy awardees during their studies. Awardees who have passed the means test will receive a bursary of up to HK$200,000 per student per annum, to cover their living and study-related expenses. The value of the award will be correspondingly reduced if an awardee also receives other awards to finance his/her same study overseas.

    For more information about the scheme, please visit the HKSES website. For enquiries, please contact the HKSES Secretariat at 3509 7395 or via email at

    hkses@edb.gov.hk. 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ5: Nurturing foreign language talents

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    LCQ5: Nurturing foreign language talents 
    Question:
     
         In 2018, the State President stated at the National Conference on Education that vigorous efforts should be made to nurture international talents proficient in foreign languages and adept at Chinese-foreign negotiations and communications. There are views that as the country’s super connector and super value-adder, as well as the premier international financial centre connecting the country and the Middle East market, Hong Kong needs to nurture a large pool of foreign language talents. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) when Government officials make overseas visits and when the Government releases videos and hands out publications overseas to promote Hong Kong, whether local mother tongues of the relevant places have been used as the medium of communication; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
     
    (2) as it is learnt that there are a number of language universities in the country, such as Beijing Foreign Studies University, which is approved to teach more than a hundred foreign languages, whether the Government will study allocating more resources to tertiary institutions to strengthen training in foreign languages other than English, or establishing foreign language universities drawing on the models of the Mainland, with a view to nurturing multilingual talents in public and private organisations, so that they can tell the good stories of Hong Kong in different languages; and
     
    (3) whether it will study enhancing the existing “biliterate and trilingual” policy by turning it into a “triliterate and quadrilingual” policy?
     
    Reply:
     
    President,
     
         Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan city. In recent years, various national strategies have even brought about tremendous development opportunities for Hong Kong, which require us to strengthen exchanges and co-operation with the Mainland and overseas regions and countries by capitalising on our advantage of “linkage with our Motherland and close connection to the world”. To enhance our international competitiveness and strengthen our position as an international post-secondary education hub, we have been striving to nurture talents who are biliterate and trilingual, and proficient in other languages.
     
         Having consulted the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and the Information Services Department (ISD), I would like to reply to the Hon Benson Luk’s questions as follows:
     
    (1) Currently, in taking forward overseas promotion work, the overseas Economic and Trade Offices (ETOs) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) will make appropriate arrangements taking into account the common languages of the relevant places. For instance, apart from the English version of the relevant ETOs’ websites, languages commonly used in the countries/regions under their respective purview are also available, e.g. Japanese, Thai, German, Arabic to facilitate local people in understanding the information disseminated by ETOs. Also, for meetings between officials of the HKSAR Government and local officials/representatives of the political and business sectors and preparation of relevant promotional materials, the ETOs concerned will arrange interpretation and prepare and issue the relevant promotion materials in local languages as appropriate.
     
         In addition, to facilitate investors from around the world to understand the latest information about Hong Kong’s business environment, InvestHK’s website is available in a number of major languages, including simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, Spanish, French, Italian, as well as Arabic, which has been newly added. Separately, InvestHK’s promotional videos are mainly in English and Putonghua. Depending on the origin of individual successful case studies, subtitles may be available in the local language. As for InvestHK’s client meetings and promotional materials, Putonghua and simplified Chinese are used on the Mainland, while English and the local language where necessary are used in overseas markets. Interpretation will also be arranged at investment promotion seminars.
     
         On external promotion, the ISD produces a series of creative contents in multiple languages for placement in overseas and Mainland cities through digital and social media platforms, as well as outdoor advertising, in the form of short videos and banner advertisements to tell the good stories of Hong Kong. These creative contents are available in Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Thai, Vietnamese, etc. The ISD also translated and printed the promotional booklet entitled “HK Connect” into foreign languages such as Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Malay and Thai for distribution to target recipients at promotional activities during senior officials’ overseas visits.
     
         Moreover, the ISD has held the “Immersive Hong Kong” promotional roving exhibitions in Jakarta, Indonesia; Bangkok, Thailand; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Guangzhou, China since July 2023. It will also be staged in Dubai, the Middle East next month. In addition to English, the exhibition information is also available in the local languages of each stop to enhance the publicity effect.
     
    (2) The eight University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities have all along been making flexible use of their resources to offer a wide range of publicly-funded programmes with regard to their respective roles and positioning, as well as providing diversified learning opportunities for students in response to market demands. Learning foreign languages can help students to understand multiculturalism and strengthen their connections with different parts of the world, thereby enhancing their competitiveness in entering the workforce, pursuing further studies or starting their own businesses in the future. University education also aims to encourage students to acquire knowledge and skills in different fields, and nurture the high-calibre talents required by different industries, so as to inject impetus into the development of Hong Kong.
     
         In recent years, the eight UGC-funded universities have offered as many as 12 contemporary foreign languages for learning, including Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Kiswahili, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Spanish and Thai. They also offer a range of specialised programmes majoring in individual foreign languages or cultures for students who aspire to become professionals in relevant fields in the future. As for students pursuing undergraduate programmes in other areas such as engineering technology, business or social sciences, a number of universities also offer minor options or foreign language courses as free electives for interested students to pursue having regard to their personal aspirations and abilities. In addition, a number of self-financing institutions at present offer post-secondary programmes related to different foreign languages and relevant elective subjects according to market demand.
     
         The above arrangements for major, minor and free electives enable students to study foreign languages having regard to their learning objectives in an appropriate manner. The existing arrangements meet practical needs with flexibility; hence the Government has no plans to set up a foreign language university. Nevertheless, we will continue to encourage the UGC-funded universities to provide students with opportunities to learn foreign languages, and through various avenues, such as student exchange programmes and experiential learning activities, enable students to gain exposure to the cultures of more places, broaden their horizons, seize Hong Kong’s unique advantages, and be better prepared for their future development.
     
    (3) Over the years, the Government has been collaborating with the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research, other advisory bodies and stakeholders to enable the Hong Kong people, particularly students and working adults, to become biliterate and trilingual, through sponsoring and implementing various measures using the Language Fund. Moreover, the Education Bureau (EDB) endeavours to develop students’ multilingual competence, enabling them to make life planning based on their own interests, abilities and aspirations, and to connect to the world. Over the years, the EDB has offered “other languages” courses (Note 1) (Category C of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination) for senior secondary students to study as an elective subject. As announced in the 2024 Policy Address, the EDB will implement a pilot scheme to invite schools to apply for additional resources to provide opportunities for junior secondary students to learn “other languages” (Note 2), in order to facilitate a stronger articulation in their learning of “other languages” as an elective subject at the senior secondary level.
     
         Thank you, President.
     
    Note 1: The EDB subsidises schools to offer courses of the six “other languages”, i.e. French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Urdu, for secondary four to six students.
     
    Note 2: Schools can use the funding to offer junior secondary courses of the six designated “other languages” (i.e. French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Urdu), which are the senior secondary elective subjects. Arabic and Russian could also be considered.
    Issued at HKT 15:40

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ11: Raising public’s Putonghua standard

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    LCQ11: Raising public’s Putonghua standard 
    Question:
     
         There are views that with the integration of Hong Kong into the overall development of the country, raising the public’s Putonghua standard is of significance to enhancing their sense of national identity and patriotic education, and being conversant with Putonghua can help the public better understand the policies, culture and history of the country, thereby deepening their patriotic sentiments and sense of belonging. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) of the specific measures currently taken by the Government to raise the Putonghua standard of Hong Kong students, so as to enhance their sense of national identity and awareness of patriotism; whether it has plans to increase the proportion of school curriculum using Putonghua as the teaching medium;
     
    (2) to facilitate the implementation of Putonghua education, whether it has provided targeted professional training to teachers to raise their standard of teaching in Putonghua; whether a dedicated training fund or scholarship has been established to support teachers to pursue further studies in Putonghua;
     
    (3) whether it has policies or plans to raise civil servants’ Putonghua standard; whether it will include the Putonghua proficiency test as a criterion for the recruitment and promotion of civil servants; if so, of the specific arrangements; and
     
    (4) whether it has conducted surveys on the implementation of Putonghua education in Hong Kong at present to assess its effectiveness; if so, of the assessment outcome for recent years; if not, the reasons for that?
     
    Reply:
     
    President,
     
         Under the “one country, two systems”, Hong Kong’s policy on language education is to develop the biliterate and trilingual abilities of our students, enabling them to express themselves and communicate fluently in Putonghua, English and Cantonese. Putonghua is the standard Chinese language of our country. It is also a symbol of our nation. A good mastery of Putonghua not only enhances expression and communication but also facilitates integration into the overall development of the country, boosting national pride and confidence.
     
         Our reply to the question raised by the Hon Tang Fei is as follows:
     
    (1), (2) and (4) The Education Bureau (EDB) has been actively promoting the teaching and learning of Putonghua, and adopting a multi-pronged strategy, which covers the aspects of curriculum, learning and teaching support, student activities and teachers’ professional development, to promote students’ learning of Putonghua within and beyond the classroom.
     
    Curriculum
     
         Since 1998, Putonghua has officially been included as a core subject at the primary and junior secondary levels to ensure that all primary and secondary school students can master Putonghua. We will continue to review the curriculum, closely keep in view the grading standards and the testing outlines of the Putonghua Proficiency Test for secondary and primary school students (pilot version) promulgated by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China and the State Language Commission (SLC), and make timely refinement to the curriculum of the Putonghua subject for primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong, so as to align with the national standards and enhance the effectiveness of Putonghua learning and teaching.
     
    Learning and teaching support
     
         To support the learning and teaching of Putonghua, the EDB has been developing diversified learning and teaching resources for reference and use by teachers and students. These include enhancing the content and the functions of the “Tong Da Xue Pu” self-learning website, producing resource materials such as a Glossary of Easily-mispronounced Terms, a game booklet on the Correct Pronunciation and Application of Putonghua and the “Voice and Expression: Learning Materials for Reading Aloud in Putonghua with Background Music for Primary and Secondary Schools”, as well as preparing school exemplars.
     
         Furthermore, the EDB provides school-based support services for primary and secondary schools, collaborating with teachers to enhance the learning and teaching of Putonghua in schools such as developing Pinyin teaching, encouraging students to read aloud, telling stories relating to classical Chinese poetry, and designing various Putonghua learning activities. The EDB also works under the Mainland-Hong Kong Teachers Exchange and Collaboration Programme to arrange for Mainland expert teachers to enhance teachers’ professional capacity in implementing Putonghua teaching through on-site collaboration, teacher networks, open lessons and teacher professional development activities.
     
         To further promote the effective use of Putonghua by students so as to boost their national pride and national confidence, the Chief Executive has also announced in his 2024 Policy Address that the EDB would earmark approximately $200 million in the Language Fund for providing a one-off grant to each public sector primary and secondary school in the 2024/25 school year. This grant aims to enrich the Putonghua language environment and enhance the atmosphere for learning Putonghua.
     
    Multifarious activities and Mainland exchange
     
         The EDB has all along been encouraging schools to organise multifarious activities to give students more opportunities to use Putonghua on and off campus. The EDB also collaborates with schools, educational organisations and social organisations to regularly organise various kinds of Putonghua activities for students such as the Putonghua Public Speaking Competition for Primary and Secondary Schools. The Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) makes use of the Language Fund to encourage and provide funding to different sectors of the community to conduct a variety of Putonghua activities, thereby creating a diversified Putonghua learning environment for students outside the classroom. Since the 2019/20 school year, a total grant of over $60 million has been approved by the SCOLAR to fund projects initiated by different organisations for the promotion of Putonghua, including interactive theatres, radio dramas, video production, quiz competitions, public speaking contests and community exploration activities, and the attendance of beneficiary students has exceeded 400 000. According to the feedback gathered by the organisers and the observations by the SCOLAR Secretariat, participating students were able to speak Putonghua with enthusiasm and they demonstrated good Putonghua proficiency in general. 
     
         In addition, by means of the Sister School Scheme and Mainland exchange and study tours, students are provided with opportunities to practise Putonghua, enrich their vocabulary and enhance their communication skills in an authentic environment through interacting and exchanging with their Mainland counterparts, touring different visiting spots and participating in relevant learning activities, etc.
     
    Professional training and development of teachers
     
         The policy on Language Proficiency Requirement (LPR) has been implemented by the EDB since the 2000/01 school year. Under this policy, all teachers of the Putonghua subject holding a regular post in publicly-funded schools (Note) have to fulfil the language proficiency requirements. With the introduction of the enhanced LPR announced by the EDB recently, starting from the 2024/25 school year, all new or newly deployed teachers of the Putonghua subject holding a regular post should attain Grade A, Level 2 or above in the Test of Proficiency in Putonghua conducted by the SLC and obtain the attained result in the Classroom Language Assessment within the first year of taking up teaching the subject.
     
         To further encourage teachers to enhance their mastery of Putonghua, this year the EDB launches the Sponsorship Scheme for Teachers Taking the National Putonghua Proficiency Test, under which all serving and prospective teachers (including but not limited to teachers teaching Chinese Language and Putonghua subjects) employed in publicly-funded primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong will be fully sponsored by the Language Fund to take the Putonghua Proficiency Test once. The aim is to reinforce the atmosphere for using Putonghua in school.
     
         Other than these, the EDB provides in-service training on different themes for Putonghua teachers every year, which includes curriculum interpretation, teaching of listening and speaking, teaching of Pinyin, tackling learning difficulties, learning assessment and creating an environment conducive to language learning. These training courses aim to enhance the teaching quality and skills of in-service teachers with contents further expanded to include performing arts, pragmatics, as well as communication and application of Putonghua to enhance their linguistic competence. In addition, the EDB encourages teachers to enrol in the online programme on Capacity Building Relating to the Teaching and Promotion of Putonghua for Teachers of Primary and Secondary Schools in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao offered by the Ministry of Education. Literary and cultural study trips to the Mainland have also been organised for teachers to promote exchanges, broaden their horizon and enhance their teaching abilities.
     
         The EDB and the Department of Education of Guangdong Province co-organise the Advanced Course on Teaching of Putonghua every year to uplift the professional standards of Putonghua teachers through immersive training courses and lesson observation activities. So far, 612 Putonghua teachers have completed the course since its first launch in 1999.
     
    Effectiveness evaluation
     
         The EDB has been using different channels such as curriculum development visits and inspections to understand the work of schools in uplifting students’ language proficiency (including the promotion of Putonghua education) and will make recommendations on improvement as necessary. Following the introduction of the enhanced School Development and Accountability framework in the 2022/23 school year, schools have to focus more on the seven learning goals (including language proficiency of students) in conducting the annual school self-evaluation (SSE). During the process, schools will collect the SSE information and data for integrative use to evaluate their effectiveness in related work. As observed from school inspections, schools would take into account their school-based circumstances and adopt diversified approaches to encourage students’ learning of Putonghua through application. For example, they would create a rich Putonghua learning environment within the schools and arrange students to participate in Putonghua-related activities held inside and outside their schools so as to increase students’ ability and interest in the use of Putonghua.
     
         According to the results of the 2021 Thematic Household Survey published by the Census and Statistics Department, 85.7 per cent of the responding students perceived their language competence in Putonghua for daily use as totally sufficient, sufficient or average. The percentage has been rising steadily over the past ten years.
     
         The EDB will continue to create more opportunities for teachers and students to practise Putonghua and enrich the Putonghua learning environment to enhance the Putonghua proficiency of teachers and students in Hong Kong.
     
    (3) Having consulted the Civil Service Bureau, response to part (3) of the question is set out below:
     
         Chinese and English are both the official languages of Hong Kong. It is the Government’s policy to maintain a fully biliterate and trilingual civil service to ensure effective communication with the public in discharging their official duties.
     
         Heads of Department/Grade would, having regard to the job requirements of the grades under their purview, specify appropriate language proficiency requirements as part of the entry requirements of the grades concerned. In assessing whether candidates meet the Putonghua proficiency required by the grade concerned, the recruiting department/grade may, having regard to its operational needs, decide on the appropriate assessment method(s), such as requiring candidates to answer questions in Putonghua during selection interviews, or requiring candidates to attain specific results in designated Putonghua proficiency tests.
     
         While maintaining the standard of public services, the Government will from time to time review the language proficiency requirements of various civil service grades to ensure that they commensurate with the job requirements and allow people of different backgrounds to join the civil service. The Civil Service Bureau is also dedicated to strengthening Putonghua training through arranging courses and web resources for civil servants. The contents include Putonghua for conducting exchange at work, methods to learn and better communicate in Putonghua, with a view to enhancing the overall ability of the civil service in using Putonghua.
     
    Note: These include all teachers of Putonghua holding a regular post in aided schools, as well as teachers of Putonghua in government schools, caput schools, Direct Subsidy Scheme schools and private primary/secondary day schools offering a formal curriculum who are comparable to teachers holding a regular post in aided schools.
    Issued at HKT 14:35

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: UDAN Scheme

    Source: Government of India

    UDAN Scheme

    Connecting India, One Flight at a Time

    Posted On: 26 APR 2025 9:34AM by PIB Delhi

     

    “Aviation was once considered the domain of a select few, but that has changed now with the advent of UDAN. My dream is to see a person who wears a ‘hawai chappal’ to fly on the ‘hawai jahaz’.”

    – Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi

    Summary

     

    • UDAN Scheme was launched on 21st October 2016; the first UDAN flight operated between Shimla and Delhi on 27th April 2017.
    • 625 UDAN routes have been operationalized, connecting 90 airports (including 2 water aerodromes, and 15 heliports) across India.
    • More than 1.49 crore passengers have benefited from affordable regional air travel under UDAN.
    • India’s airport network expanded from 74 airports in 2014 to 159 airports in 2024, more than doubling in a decade.
    • ₹4,023.37 crore disbursed as Viability Gap Funding (VGF) to promote connectivity to underserved and remote regions.
    • UDAN strengthened regional tourism, healthcare access, and trade, catalyzing economic growth in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.

     

    Introduction

     

    The sky, long seen as a symbol of aspiration, was once an unattainable dream for many in India. To bridge this gap, the Government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, launched the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) – UDAN (“Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik”) on October 21, 2016. Rooted in the Prime Minister’s vision that even a common man in slippers should be able to afford air travel, UDAN aims to democratize aviation by making flying accessible and affordable for all. Implemented by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, this flagship scheme has since transformed India’s regional connectivity landscape.

    The dream of affordable air travel for the common citizen began to take tangible form with the first UDAN flight. This landmark flight took off on April 27, 2017, connecting the serene hills of Shimla to the bustling metropolis of Delhi. On April 27, 2025, this landmark event, which marked the beginning of a transformative journey in Indian aviation, opening up the skies to countless citizens, will complete 8 years.

    The UDAN scheme was conceptualised under the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) 2016, with a 10-year vision, to connect Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities through a market-driven yet financially supported model. The scheme incentivised airlines through concessions and Viability Gap Funding (VGF) to operate on regional routes, ensuring affordable fares and improved accessibility.

     

     Components of UDAN Scheme

     

    1. Viability Gap Funding (VGF): Financial support to airlines to ensure affordable fares.
    2. Airfare Cap to ensure affordability.
    3. Collaborative Governance between Centre, States, Airport Authority of India (AAI), and private airport operators.

     

    1. Stakeholder Incentives:

    The government has implemented several supportive measures to attract airlines to operate flights in less lucrative markets:

    Airport Operators: They waive landing and parking charges for RCS flights, and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) does not levy Terminal Navigation Landing Charges (TNLC) on these flights. Moreover, a discounted Route Navigation and Facilitation Charge (RNFC) is applied.

    Central Government: For the first three years, excise duty on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) purchased at RCS airports is capped at 2%. Airlines are also encouraged to enter code-sharing agreements to expand their reach.

    State Governments: States have committed to reducing VAT on ATF to 1% or less for ten years and providing essential services such as security, fire services, and utility services at reduced rates.

    This collaborative framework has fostered an environment where airlines can thrive while serving regions that have long been overlooked.

    Evolution of the UDAN Scheme: From Inception to Expansion

     

    Since its launch in 2016, the UDAN scheme has evolved through multiple rounds, each expanding India’s regional air connectivity scope and scale. Below is a summary of the key phases:

     

    UDAN 1.0 (2017)

    • Launch Milestone: First UDAN flight took off on April 27, 2017 (Shimla–Delhi).
    • Coverage: 5 airline operators awarded 128 routes to 70 airports, including 36 new airports.

    UDAN 2.0 (2018)

    • Expanded the scheme to include 73 underserved and unserved airports.
    • For the first time, helipads were also connected into the UDAN network.

     

    UDAN 3.0 (2019)

    • Introduced Tourism Routes in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism.
    • Incorporated Seaplane operations to connect Water Aerodromes.
    • Several routes in the North-East Region came under the ambit of the scheme.

     

    UDAN 4.0 (2020)

    • Focused on hilly regions, North-Eastern States, and island territories.
    • Enhanced emphasis on helicopter and seaplane service.

     

    As UDAN entered its 9th year in October 2025, the scheme has achieved significant milestones

     

    Key Innovations and the Road Ahead for Regional Connectivity

    UDAN Yatri Cafes: In line with the vision of making air travel more inclusive, affordable Yatri Cafes have been launched at Kolkata and Chennai airports, offering quality food at accessible prices—tea for ₹10 and samosas for ₹20.

     

     

    Seaplane Operations: To boost regional and last-mile connectivity, guidelines for seaplane operations were released on August 22, 2024, focusing on safety, security, and operational viability. UDAN Round 5.5 has been launched to invite bids from over 50 identified water bodies across the country.

     

     

    Revamped UDAN Initiative: Building on the success of the original scheme, a revamped version aims to add 120 new destinations and enable affordable air travel for 4 crore more passengers over the next decade. The focus will be on expanding connectivity to remote, hilly, and aspirational districts, especially in the North Eastern region, with special support for helipads and smaller airports.

     

     

    Krishi UDAN Scheme: Designed to support farmers and improve value realisation for agri-produce, Krishi UDAN facilitates timely and cost-effective air logistics, particularly from Northeast, hilly, and tribal regions. This multi-ministry convergence scheme currently covers 58 airports, with a focus on 25 priority airports and 33 others nationwide.

     

     

     

    Airport Infrastructure Development: The government has committed to developing 50 new airports over the next 5 years. This includes new greenfield airports in Bihar, expansion of Patna Airport, and development of a brownfield airport at Bihta, aiming to meet the future demand for air travel and regional growth.

     

    Conclusion

    UDAN is more than a policy—it’s a transformative movement that has redefined the aviation narrative in India. By bridging the skies between Bharat and India, the scheme has made the dream of affordable air travel a reality for millions. It has not only brought remote regions onto the national aviation map but has also spurred local economies, boosted tourism, and generated employment across the country. As India marches towards becoming a global aviation hub, UDAN stands tall as a symbol of inclusive growth, resilience, and visionary governance, carrying the aspirations of a new India, one flight at a time.

    References

    · https://ncgg.org.in/sites/default/files/news_document/Presentation_UDAN.pdf

    · https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2066445

    · https://pib.gov.in/PressNoteDetails.aspx?ModuleId=3&NoteId=153437&lang=1&reg=3

    · https://www.narendramodi.in/pm-modi-flags-off-first-udan-flight-under-regional-connectivity-scheme-on-shimla-delhi-sector-535203

    · https://www.civilaviation.gov.in/sites/default/files/migration/Udaan_Eng.pdf

    · https://sansad.in/getFile/loksabhaquestions/annex/184/AU4382_Wzl24z.pdf?source=pqals, LOK SABHA – UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4382

    · https://www.aai.aero/sites/default/files/rcs_udan/Approved%20Scheme%20UDAN%205.5.pdf

    · https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2066529

    · https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2089984

    · https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2098780

    · https://sansad.in/getFile/annex/266/AU1456_FhLisi.pdf?source=pqars – RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1456

    Click here to download PDF

    *******

    Santosh Kumar / Sarla Meena / Vatsla Srivastava

    (Release ID: 2124459) Visitor Counter : 103

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: “Smart Parent Net” Recommendation: (Video) Assist Your Children to Plan for the Future through Developing Their Interests from a Young Age; Results of Primary One discretionary places to be released on November 18

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    The Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme (HKSES) is open for applications. Eligible students who intend to pursue their first year of undergraduate or postgraduate studies at world-renowned universities outside Hong Kong in the 2025/26 academic year (i.e. during the period from August 2025 to July 2026) may submit their applications via the online application system at the HKSES website (hkses.edb.gov.hk(i) have right of abode or right to land, or have entered Hong Kong on One-way Permits; and
    (ii) have resided in Hong Kong continuously for three complete years immediately prior to the commencement of the academic programme outside Hong Kong.

    Besides, for undergraduate programmes, only students receiving/received their formal school education in Hong Kong are eligible. This would cover all Hong Kong students who receive/received senior secondary education in Hong Kong, including those studying/studied local and non-local curricula in Hong Kong. For postgraduate programmes, students who have obtained their undergraduate qualifications either in or outside Hong Kong are eligible, provided that they meet the criteria set out in (i) and (ii) above.

    The HKSES will adopt a merit-based approach to selection, targeting the best and most outstanding Hong Kong students who are admitted to world renowned universities and programmes. Selection will be based on the applicants’ academic achievements, and other attributes such as leadership qualities and potential, contribution and commitment to the Hong Kong, etc. The applicants’ plan to return to work and contribute to Hong Kong after completion of studies will also be considered in the selection process.

    Awardees are required to complete their specific study programmes and undertake to return to Hong Kong upon graduation to work for at least two years or a period equivalent to the duration of receiving the scholarship, whichever is longer.

    Awardees will receive a non-means-tested scholarship to cover their tuition fees, subject to a ceiling of HK$300,000 per annum. In addition, the HKSES will provide additional support to financially needy awardees during their studies. Awardees who have passed the means test will receive a bursary of up to HK$200,000 per student per annum, to cover their living and study-related expenses. The value of the award will be correspondingly reduced if an awardee also receives other awards to finance his/her same study overseas.

    For more information about the scheme, please visit the HKSES website. For enquiries, please contact the HKSES Secretariat at 3509 7395 or via email at 

    hkses@edb.gov.hk. 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Award Presentation Ceremony for the SOW Campaign 2023/24 cum 2024/25 Kick-off Ceremony

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    The Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme (HKSES) is open for applications. Eligible students who intend to pursue their first year of undergraduate or postgraduate studies at world-renowned universities outside Hong Kong in the 2025/26 academic year (i.e. during the period from August 2025 to July 2026) may submit their applications via the online application system at the HKSES website (hkses.edb.gov.hk(i) have right of abode or right to land, or have entered Hong Kong on One-way Permits; and
    (ii) have resided in Hong Kong continuously for three complete years immediately prior to the commencement of the academic programme outside Hong Kong.

    Besides, for undergraduate programmes, only students receiving/received their formal school education in Hong Kong are eligible. This would cover all Hong Kong students who receive/received senior secondary education in Hong Kong, including those studying/studied local and non-local curricula in Hong Kong. For postgraduate programmes, students who have obtained their undergraduate qualifications either in or outside Hong Kong are eligible, provided that they meet the criteria set out in (i) and (ii) above.

    The HKSES will adopt a merit-based approach to selection, targeting the best and most outstanding Hong Kong students who are admitted to world renowned universities and programmes. Selection will be based on the applicants’ academic achievements, and other attributes such as leadership qualities and potential, contribution and commitment to the Hong Kong, etc. The applicants’ plan to return to work and contribute to Hong Kong after completion of studies will also be considered in the selection process.

    Awardees are required to complete their specific study programmes and undertake to return to Hong Kong upon graduation to work for at least two years or a period equivalent to the duration of receiving the scholarship, whichever is longer.

    Awardees will receive a non-means-tested scholarship to cover their tuition fees, subject to a ceiling of HK$300,000 per annum. In addition, the HKSES will provide additional support to financially needy awardees during their studies. Awardees who have passed the means test will receive a bursary of up to HK$200,000 per student per annum, to cover their living and study-related expenses. The value of the award will be correspondingly reduced if an awardee also receives other awards to finance his/her same study overseas.

    For more information about the scheme, please visit the HKSES website. For enquiries, please contact the HKSES Secretariat at 3509 7395 or via email at

    hkses@edb.gov.hk. 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Inclusivity And Freedom Of Expression Are Our Rich Legacy – Vice-President

    Source: Government of India

    Inclusivity And Freedom Of Expression Are Our Rich Legacy – Vice-President

    Gradient Of Expression And Inclusivity Is Comparably The Highest In Bharat –says VP

    We Must Move From Food Security To Farmer Prosperity – Says VP

    Farmer Must Transform From Producer To Entrepreneur –urges VP

    Citizens Must Be Extremely Mindful That Freedom Of Expression And InclusivityTurn Out To Be National Assets – VP

    Innovation And Research Must Be Farmer-Centric – VP

    Vice-President Addressesthe Gathering At Tamil Nadu Agricultural University In Coimbatore

    Posted On: 27 APR 2025 2:49PM by PIB Delhi

    The Vice-President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar today said,“Bharat is the world’s oldest civilisation, a peace-loving nation where inclusivity and freedom of expression and thought are our legacy.”

    Addressing the gathering at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu on the theme “Fostering Agri-Education, Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Viksit Bharat”, the Vice-Presidentobserved that if one traverses history for thousands of years, one would find that in our civilisation, inclusivity and freedom of expression thrived, blossomed, and were respected. In present times, he said, the quotient and gradient of expression and inclusivity are comparably the highest in the world, “Look around, there is no other country like Bharat which can demonstrate inclusivity and freedom of expression,” he said, adding that as citizens of this great nation—the largest democracy, the oldest democracy, the most vibrant democracy—we need to be extremely watchful, mindful and cognisant that freedom of expression and inclusivity must turn out to be our national assets.

    Turning to the agriculture sector, the Vice-President underscored that “we must move from food security to farmer prosperity.” The farmer, he said, has to be prosperous, and this evolution must originate from institutions like Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

    He further elaborated that farmers must step out of the farmland and involve themselves in marketing their produce. “Farmers should not just be a producer and forget about it. That would mean they will painstakingly, tirelessly raise a produce and will sell it at a time when it is right for the market, without holding it. It doesn’t give much financially,” he noted. He called for empowering the farmers by generating awareness and by informing them that the government cooperative system is very robust.

    “For the first time, we have the Cooperation Minister. Cooperatives find place in our Constitution. Therefore, what we need is farmer traders. We need farmer entrepreneurs. Change that mindset, so that a farmer transforms himself from producer to a value adder, starting some industry which is based on least produce,” he said.

    The Vice-President also emphasized that the farm produce market is gigantic, and when value is added to the farm produce, industry will thrive.

    Shri Dhankhar underlined that it is the duty of every citizen to bear this in mind, particularly at a time when the nation is witnessing unstoppable exponential economic rise, extraordinary growth in infrastructure, technological penetration reaching to the last mile, and the international repute of the nation and its leader, the Prime Minister, is at the highest ever, “We as citizens, therefore, have a great role to contribute to sustain this rise of the nation,” he asserted.

    Emphasizing citizen participation, the Vice-President said that this is the right time for every citizen to fully become aware and also take advantage of the ecosystem of hope and possibility. He urged everyone to take a firm resolve that nation first will be our motto, our unflinching commitment to nation and ever guiding star. “No interest can be higher than that of the Nation,” he stressed.

    Highlighting the role of research and technology in agriculture, he stressed that the gap between lab and land must not merely be bridged—it must be a seamless connect. “Lab and land must be together and for this, over 730 Krishi Vigyan Kendras must be vibrant centres of interaction with farmers, to educate the farmers,” he said. He also called for connecting Krishi Vigyan Kendras and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, which in itself has over 150 institutions focusing on every aspect of Agronomy.

    Applauding the government’s initiatives, the Vice-President noted that innovative schemes like PM Kisan Nidhi Samman are not freebies but are measures of doing justice to a sector that is our life-line. “This is a direct transfer to the farmer,” he emphasized.

    In this context, Shri Dkhankhar said “in our country there is a massive subsidy for fertilisers. Institutions like Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, he said, must think that if the subsidy currently given to the fertiliser sector for the benefit of the farmer goes directly to the farmer, every farmer would be getting around 35,000 rupees every year.”

    On the larger national vision, the Vice-President asserted, “attainment of Viksit Bharat has to be navigated carefully by institutions like Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. He called it a privilege to be at the University which, he said, has made seminal contributions to India’s food security.”

    He recalled, “India has traversed from food scarcity to food being in plenty, and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has effected agrarian development and served the broader cause of rural transformation.”

    Paying rich tributes, the Vice-President noted, “one of the towering giants of the agro-sector, one of the proudest sons of Bharat, Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, was an alumnus of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University”. He pointed out that Dr. Swaminathan had the rare distinction of being the recipient of all four civilian awards, including the highest one—the Bharat Ratna.

    Calling for impact-oriented innovation and research, he said that innovation and research initiatives must be evaluated as to what impact they have on the farmer. “Are they having ground impact? Therefore, research has to be applied. Research must be based on need. Research must serve a cause which you identify,” he advised. He added that research must be supported not only by government at the Centre and the State but also by industry, trade, business, and commerce.

    In his concluding remarks, the Vice-President observed that India—our Bharat—has always been a land of agriculture. Its heart pulsates in villages. It is the lifeline of employment and economy, and the spinal strength of the nation in every sense of the term.

    Recalling the ancient wisdom of the Tamil land, he remembered that in this sacred land, the role of the farmer was taken to a high level by the great poet-saint Thiruvalluvar. Citing him, the Vice-President said, “Farmers are the cornerstone of humanity and agriculture as the foremost craft.”He lauded Thiruvalluvar’s wisdom, calling it timeless, and remarked that “the farmer is the provider of our food. The farmer is the architect of our destiny.”

    Shri R.N. Ravi, Governor of Tamil Nadu, ⁠Smt. N. Kayalvizhi Selvaraj, Minister for Human Resources Management, Govt. of Tamil Nadu, ⁠Shri V. Dakshinamoorthy, Agricultural Production Commissioner and Secretary to Government, Dr. M. Raveendran, Director of Research, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, ⁠Dr. R. Thamizh Vendan, Registrar and Acting Vice Chancellor Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.

    ****

    JK/RC/SM

    (Release ID: 2124709) Visitor Counter : 64

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Text of the Vice-President’s address to the Faculty and Students of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore (Excerpts)

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 27 APR 2025 2:11PM by PIB Delhi

    Good afternoon, all of you. 

    Distinguished audience, faculty and students. Fostering agri-education, innovation, entrepreneurship for Viksit Bharat. The theme could not have been more appropriate, more timely and the theme is at the right place. This is need of our times, this is priority for the country because passage of Viksit Bharat is through the farmlands and the farmlands have to be nurtured by such institutes like yours. 

     

    Attainment of Viksit Bharat has to be navigated carefully by institutions like yours. It is a privilege to be at this university, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. It has made seminal contributions to India’s food security. We have traversed from food scarcity to food being in plenty. You have affected agrarian development and served the broader cause of rural transformation, but I have a special reason to come to this place. One of the towering giants of agro-sector, one of the proudest sons of Bharat happens to be your alumnus. 

     

    I am referring to Bharat Ratna, Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan. Nationally and globally known as Dr. M. S. Swaminathan. He is having a rare distinction of being recipient of all the four civilian awards including the highest one. Dr. Swaminathan received Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and then rightly became Bharat Ratna.

     

    It was my good fortune when I announced this in Rajya Sabha to the thunderous applause of all the members that Dr. Swaminathan who has played pivotal, transformative, game-changing role in agro-sector has been awarded Bharat Ratna. I hope and I am sure my hope is well-founded, you will keep his legacy aframed. You will promote his legacy, you will put his legacy on a higher gradient so that we can face the challenges the farmer faces.

     

    Agro-sector has enormous potential that still remains to be tapped and that must begin in institutions like yours. Why I say so, let me reflect on our nation for a moment. Bharat is world’s oldest civilisation, a peace-loving nation where inclusivity and freedom of expression and thought are our legacy.

     

    Traverse history for thousands of years and you will find in our civilisation inclusivity and freedom of expression thrived and blossomed and were respected. In present times, the quotient and gradient of expression and inclusivity is comparably the highest in the world. Look around, there is no other country like Bharat which can demonstrate inclusivity and freedom of expression but we as citizens of this great nation, the largest democracy, the oldest democracy, the most vibrant democracy need to be extremely watchful, mindful and cognisant that freedom of expression and inclusivity must turn out to be our national assets and they should be. 

     

    It is duty of every citizen to bear in mind, particularly at a time when the nation is witnessing unstoppable exponential economic rise, extraordinary growth in infrastructure, technological penetration reaching to the last mile and the international repute of the nation and its leader, the Prime Minister is highest ever. We as citizens therefore have a great role to contribute to sustain this rise of the nation. This is right time for every citizen to fully become aware and also take advantage of ecosystem of hope and possibility. 

     

    Boys and girls and distinguished audience, I appeal to you to take a firm resolve that nation first will be our motto. Our unflinching commitment to nation and ever guiding star. No interest can be higher than that of the nation. India our Bharat has always been land of agriculture. Its heart pulsates in villages. It is lifeline of employment and economy. It is final strength of the nation in every sense of the term and let me remember in this sacred land, the role of the farmer was taken to a high level by great poet, saint Thiruvalluvar, commonly known as Valluvar and this great poet, this great saint praised the farmers and said, ‘farmers are the cornerstone of humanity and agriculture as foremost craft’. He was right, he should be our beacon for enlightenment that farmer is ‘Annadata’, farmer is our ‘Bhagyavidhaata’.

     

    The nation has made huge progress, remarkable progress over the decades. There was a time of food deficiency, there was a time when we used to import wheat from United States of America. I am sure seniors would know ‘PL 480’ but we have become self-sufficient in food. 46% of our population supports this and now a word of caution for you. The sector contributes only 16% to the GDP. Institutions like yours have to carry ahead legacy of Dr. M. S. Swaminathan to ensure there is quantum leap in contribution of this sector to our GDP.

     

    You will be happy to know, India is now exporter of agriculture produce, with agri-food products forming approximately over 11% of our total exports but you have to script a new chapter. You have to write it differently. It is time that our national agriculture agenda must move from food security, which was prime importance and national priority at one point of time, because we had food scarcity. So our concern was food security but now time has changed. We must move from food security to farmer prosperity. Farmer has to be prosperous and this script has to evolve from institutions like yours.

     

    Therefore, I appeal to you and also compliment simultaneously for doing much in this direction. The gap between lab and land must not get bridged. It must be seamless connect. Lab and land must be together and for this, over 730 Krishi Vigyan Kendra must be vibrant centres of interaction with farmers to educate the farmers. But you have to be pipeline, you have to be supportive to those Krishi Vigyan Kendra. You must connect with Krishi Vigyan Kendra surround and also Indian Council of Agriculture Research has over 150 institutions focussing on every aspect of agronomy.

     

    It was soothing for me and my wife to see your exhibition. Your remarkable contribution I could see but that has to be shared extensively. All stakeholders must work in unison for the same purpose being on the same page. Therefore, road ahead has to be evolved by you and that first and foremost has to be through your curriculum. I must compliment that you have evolved curriculum, different from others, which is making a difference. But now this change in curriculum must align to make farmer an entrepreneur. 

     

    You must persuade the farmer to rise above just being producer. You must have courses, formal and informal, whereby farmers, their children, get attracted to farming as marketeers, as value adders and you will be happy to know big change is taking place. But my confidence is optimal, because institutions like yours have the capacity and potential to be crucibles of change for our agro-farm sector.

     

    Innovation and research initiatives must be evaluated as to what impact they have on the farmer. Are they having ground impact? And therefore, research has to be a priority. Research must be based on need. Research must serve a cause which you identify. I would urge that research must be supported, apart from government, at central then state, but also by industry, trade, business and commerce. Have courses for it. I am sure you will make some success. 

     

    Look at the situation we see in the country. When there is production in plenty of perishable goods, the challenge is right on the wall. What does the farmer do? The product, let’s say tomato, can’t last for long. Therefore, institutions like yours must transform perishable goods into self-stable, high-quality products. We can multiply profitability. We can also create employment and cater to both domestic and global markets. If you have courses, there can be transformative industrial mechanisms on wheels. This can be addressed for a great, positive result.  Therefore, agri-entrepreneurship needs to be given a great flip. 

     

    There are 6,000 agri-startups, but for a country of 1.4 billion, a country that has 100 million farming communities farmlands, this is not the right number. The government has taken many initiatives. People have to be aware about them. Make them aware about them. Farmer Producer Organization (FPO), I studied it in great depth. There is a budgetary allocation of 1 lakh crore. This can fund various activities to enhance and strengthen infrastructure for the farmer. 

     

    The government has started innovative schemes, PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi. It is not freebie, it is distinct from freebie. It is doing justice to a sector that is our lifeline. This is a direct transfer to the farmer. United States of America helps its farmers massively, but it has only one motto. It will directly help the farmer. There will be no intervening situation. In our country also, there is a massive subsidy for fertiliser. Institutions like yours must think that if subsidy that is given by the government to fertiliser sector for the benefit of farmer, if it goes directly to the farmer, every farmer would be getting every year around 35,000 rupees. You must do a study on this.

     

    There has to be market linkage. The government has done much by national agriculture market mission but I want, as a son of the farmer, that the farmer must step out of the farmland. Farmer must involve himself or herself for marketing of his and her produce. Farmer should not just be a producer and forget about it. That would mean he will painstakingly, tirelessly raise a produce and will sell it at a time when it is ripe for market without holding it. He doesn’t gain much financially. You have to empower the farmer by generating awareness, by telling them government cooperative system is very robust. For the first time we have a cooperative Minister. Cooperatives find a place in our constitution. Therefore, what we need is farmer traders, we need farmer entrepreneurs. 

     

    Boys and girls and distinguished faculty, you can change that mindset so that a farmer transforms himself from producer to value adder, starting some industry which is based on his produce. If you just look around, farm produce market is gigantic, when value is added to farm produce, industries thrive. Corporates can play bigger role, more and more corporates are entering into agronomy.

     

    I would urge them to share their profits with the farmer. To connect with the farmer, to give back to the farm sector. The connect must be genuine, lasting. I urge the corporates to invest in research and development. Particularly with keeping in mind that value addition must happen at the farmland for the local populace. 

     

    We were self-sustaining units thousands of years ago. Why not now? The populace will have quality produce. In conclusion, I must say that I have no doubt and there is no other option also. Agriculture has to play a vital role, if India has to become a 30 trillion economy in 2047, the income has to go eightfold. This is possible, this is achievable. 

     

    Our last decade development has shown to the world, India is capable of negotiating developmental journey unknown to history in recent times. Therefore, institutions like this will lead agri-revolution. India’s destiny is rooted in the fertility of our fields, the resilience of our farmers, and the innovation crucibles which institutions like this will make available. 

     

    I appeal to those who are involved with this sector to dream big, plan big, have large scale, and achieve it. We have a role model in our Prime Minister, he thinks very big. Toilet for every home. He thinks much bigger, gas connection in every home, Internet connection in every home. Just imagine how things have transformed. I, being a member of Parliament in 1989, a Minister in 1990, I know the difference, the difference is beyond imagination.

     

    I see now all around development I never conceived, never dreamt. Therefore, I carry great hope, optimism, and confidence that institutions like yours will bring about the change the farm sector needs, the country deserves, and the world must acknowledge it because if India gains, the world benefits – ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’.

     

    Thank you so much.

    ****

    JK/RC/SM

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: NIELIT signs MoUs with 8 Visionary Organizations to Propel Digital India Initiatives

    Source: Government of India

    NIELIT signs MoUs with 8 Visionary Organizations to Propel Digital India Initiatives

    MoU signed with SCL Mohali, ERNET India, AMRITA University, NISE, Heartfulness Institute, Kyndryl India, Skyroot Aerospace & IFMR

    Strategic Collaborations to Drive Innovation, Skilling, and Research in Emerging Technologies

    Posted On: 27 APR 2025 2:09PM by PIB Delhi

    In a major stride towards advancing the Digital India mission, the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with eight visionary organizations on 25thApril, 2025 at Electronics Niketan, New Delhi.

    The MoU signing ceremony, graced by the esteemed presence of Sh. S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), marks a new chapter of strategic collaborations for NIELIT aimed at strengthening the digital ecosystem of the nation.

    The organisations with whom NIELIT has signed MoU are Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL), ERNET India, National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, SKYROOT Aerospace, Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) and Kyndryl India.

    These partnerships are designed to enhance education, skilling, research, and innovation in the fields of Electronics and Information Technology. The areas of collaboration span across joint research projects, curriculum development, capacity building, training, skilling programs, and support for emerging technologies and innovation.

    Speaking on the occasion, Sh. S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, highlighted the significance of such synergies, stating,

    “This is a strategic convergence of academia, industry, and government institutions to foster a robust digital ecosystem and develop a future-ready workforce. Collaborative efforts like these are essential to shaping a digitally empowered society and a thriving knowledge economy.”

    He further appreciated the leadership of Dr. M. M. Tripathi, Director General, NIELIT, and the entire NIELIT team for their pivotal role in forging these partnerships and advancing the organization’s commitment to bridging the gap between industry needs and academic outcomes through high-quality, practical education and skilling initiatives.

    The event was graced by distinguished dignitaries including Ms. Preeti Nath, Economic Adviser, MeitY, Dr. M. M. Tripathi, DG, NIELIT, Ms. Tulika Pandey, Scientist G & Group Coordinator, MeitY,  Dr. Kamaljeet Singh, DG, SCL, Sh. Sanjeev Bansal, DG, ERNET India, Ms. Girija Mukund, Director CSR & ESG, Kyndryl India, Dr. Krishnashree Achuthan, Dean & Director, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Dr. C. V. S Kiran, VP, Skyroot Aerospace, Dr. Prof. Mohammad Rihan, DG, NISE, Dr. Narsi Reddy, Director, Heartfulness Institute.

     

    About NIELIT

    The National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India. NIELIT is dedicated to promoting education, training, and research in Electronics, IT, and emerging technologies.

    With 56 own centers, a vast network of over 700 Accredited Training Partners, and more than 9,000 facilitation centers across the country, NIELIT plays a pivotal role in developing skilled manpower for the digital economy. It is also recognized as a National Examination Body for accrediting institutions and organizations conducting non-formal sector courses in IT and Electronics.

    *****

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Civil Aid Service holds Passing-out Parade for 90th Recruits and 13th Tactical Force Secondment Scheme

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Civil Aid Service (CAS) held the Passing-out Parade for the 90th Recruits and 13th Tactical Force Secondment Scheme at its headquarters today (April 27). The parade was reviewed by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung.
     
         Speaking at the Parade, Mr Tang noted that the CAS, as an auxiliary emergency force of the Government, is tasked with serving the public. Mr Tang highlighted the determination and dedication demonstrated by the recruits during their training, which has prepared them to face future challenges. He expressed the hope that the graduates will continue to carry forward the CAS’s 70 years of great tradition by playing four roles, namely guardians of the wild, disaster responders, community supporters and youth leaders, helping government departments in discharging mountain search and rescues and providing emergency rescues during natural disasters, assisting in maintaining order at major activities, as well as cultivating their sense of national identity and civic responsibility.
     
         Mr Tang stressed that the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Xia Baolong, said at the opening ceremony of National Security Education Day that external forces’ attempts to destabilise Hong Kong and use it to contain China will not change and can never succeed. Mr Tang said he hoped that everyone will continue to enhance their awareness of national security, forming a collaborative and efficient framework with other disciplined forces to maintain national security and ensure high-quality development for Hong Kong.
     
         During the ceremony, Mr Tang presented awards to outstanding recruits. The graduates staged demonstrations of vegetation firefighting and rescue techniques, showcasing the outcomes of their training.
     
         A total of 22 officer trainees, 58 recruits and for the first time, 20 officers and members from the Tactical Force Secondment Scheme, participated in the passing-out parade. All graduates are from diverse backgrounds. The CAS Recruit Training Certificate Programme has been recognised under the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework as meeting the accreditation standards at Level 3 by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications. Graduates will be awarded the Certificate in Auxiliary Forces Basic Training (Civil Defence). The graduates will apply their acquired knowledge and skills to serve society.
        
         Recruitment of CAS Grade IV Officers and Grade I Members is open for application throughout the year. Recruitment details and application forms are available on the CAS website (www.cas.gov.hk/eng/adult_recruitment.html). 

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ20: School bullying

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    LCQ20: School bullying 
    Question:
     
         Some members of the public have noted that according to the guidelines on the handling of bullying incidents set out in the School Administration Guide published by the Education Bureau (EDB), the EDB advises schools to adopt a “Whole School Approach” (WSA) to formulate and implement anti-‍bullying strategies; the EDB requires schools to intervene and follow up bullying incidents as soon as possible only if such incidents occur; and the EDB should be notified only if the school bullying incidents are of a more severe nature (e.g. teachers being the bullies, and incidents involving brutal violence, injuries or deaths). There are views that as neither the adoption of WSA nor the reporting of school bullying incidents is mandatory, the handling of school bullying incidents has been ineffective for a prolonged period. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) of the number of student cases involving school bullying handled by schools, as well as the respective numbers of requests for assistance, complaints and reported cases in relation to school bullying received by the EDB, in each of the past three school years;
     
    (2) of the number of schools currently adopting WSA to formulate and implement anti-bullying strategies, as well as their proportion to the total number of schools;
     
    (3) whether it has grasped the primary reporting channels and handling procedures for school bullying adopted by schools under WSA; if so, of the details;
     
    (4) whether it has plans to change the current practice of not requiring schools to notify the EDB of all school bullying cases; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
     
    (5) given that the authorities have indicated the establishment of a one-‍stop hotline and the offering of online counselling services in the 2023-2024 school year to provide students and parents with advice on and support in handling school bullying, of the details of such hotline and services, and whether an assessment of their effectiveness has been conducted?
     
    Reply:
     
    President,
     
         The Education Bureau (EDB) has all along been adopting a “zero tolerance” policy on school bullying. Any bullying act, irrespective of the form or for whatever reasons, is totally unacceptable. School is a place where students learn to show care, concern, support and respect for one another. Creating a safe and harmonious school environment for students to learn and grow up happily is the fundamental responsibility of schools, as well as the common goal of the EDB and all educators. Our reply to the question raised by the Hon Lai Tung-kwok is as follows:
     
    (1) According to the information collected from the EDB’s annual questionnaire survey on guidance and discipline cases in public sector primary and secondary schools, the number of student cases handled by schools related to school bullying from the 2020/21 to 2022/23 school years was about 420 on average per year. Schools have all along been handling bullying incidents properly and explaining the incidents to parents in accordance with their school-based policy. Parents and other people may also seek assistance from the EDB as necessary. In the three school years, the EDB had received a total of 47 requests for assistance, complaints and reports in relation to school bullying, which mainly involved physical/ behavioural violence and verbal attack. The EDB had completed 45 cases, of which five complaints were found substantiated or partially substantiated upon investigation.
     
    (2) to (4) The EDB has required all public sector schools in the territory, through issuance of circulars and guidelines, to take bullying incidents seriously, implement proactive measures and adopt the Whole School Approach in formulating and implementing anti-bullying policies. The School Administration Guide (SAG) and circular issued by the EDB lay down clearly and in details the principles of handling school bullying, as well as the relevant procedures, methods and follow-up actions, which should include a clear standpoint of “zero tolerance”, reporting mechanism and handling procedures, and monitoring with high transparency. In addition, the EDB has also adopted a multi-pronged approach to help schools implement the policy on prevention and handling of school bullying, including raising anti-bullying awareness among students and school staff, nurturing students’ proper values and cultivating in them a positive sense of mutual trust, inclusion and friendship through school curriculum, learning and teaching resources, student activities and teacher training.
     
         Under the spirit of school-based management, the Incorporated Management Committees should lead schools in formulating their school-based mechanisms and procedures for administering school operation, including the policy on prevention and handling of school bullying, with a view to fostering of a harmonious school environment that enables student learning and growth. Schools should take a proactive approach to handle each school bullying incident seriously, while all school staff are required to report to the school management or the responsible team when any bullying case is known to them. If school bullying incidents occur, schools should take education, guidance and protection of their students as the prime concern, handle the cases in accordance with the “Flowchart for Handling Bullying Incidents in Schools” provided in the SAG and circular by the EDB and activate school-based crisis management mechanism as the situation so warrants. Upon informed of a school bullying incident, action should be taken to stop the bullying immediately. The school should assess whether the student(s) concerned is/are injured or emotionally unstable, contact their parents as soon as possible and arrange for first aid or treatment as appropriate if there is any physical injury. Thereafter, the school should intervene and render an initial mediation, and arrange guidance personnel or relevant professional service outside school to provide in-depth follow-up for the student(s) involved in the school bullying incident. For school bullying incidents of a more serious nature (such as those involving serious violence or injury), the school should notify the respective regional education office of the EDB as soon as possible so that assistance could be rendered. If illegal acts are involved, schools should proactively contact the respective Police School Liaison Officer. For serious cases, schools should report the incidents to the Police immediately. The EDB will liaise with the schools, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) and the Police for appropriate handling measures. 
     
         We believe that in the handling of bullying incidents, education, guidance and protection of students should be the prime concern. Schools are staffed with professionals (including guidance personnel, school social workers and school-based educational psychologists) to provide students in need with due support and mediation. In the process of handling these cases, schools should work with parents to help the students involved rectify their behaviours and better protect the students being bullied. Moreover, through professional consultation and school visits, the EDB’s guidance professionals review with schools their anti-bullying work on an ongoing basis, and provide appropriate support according to schools’ needs. To further enhance schools’ capability of preventing and handling bullying in schools, the EDB will continue to provide professional training programmes, seminars and workshops for school personnel to keep them abreast of the latest information and strengthen their skills in handling bullying incidents, thereby enabling schools to implement their anti-bullying measures more effectively. The EDB will collaborate with other government departments such as the SWD and the Police to provide schools with assistance in various aspects to facilitate the cultivation of a harmonious and caring school environment. The EDB will continue to monitor the situation of schools and provide timely support to prevent school bullying and protect the well-being of students.
     
    (5) The EDB will set up a one-stop hotline and offer online counselling services in the 2023/24 school year to provide students and parents with advice on and support in handling conflicts among peers or school bullying. Through the hotline and online services, duty counsellors and registered social workers will provide advice and counselling services for students and parents, and may refer the cases to government or non-governmental organisations for follow-up where necessary. The hotline and online counselling services will commence operation in May 2024. The EDB will disseminate the details of the hotline and online services through various channels such as circular memorandum, briefings and websites, and will monitor the services operation on an on-going basis.
    Issued at HKT 11:47

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