NewzIntel.com

Category: Science

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Prevent you and your loved ones getting life-threatening listeriosis

    Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries

    New Zealand Food Safety wants people to take some practical steps to avoid a rare and life-threatening but preventable foodborne illness.

    “While rare, every year people die from listeriosis – a disease caused by the bacterium Listeria – and the effects are tragic for their families,” says New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle.

    “Listeriosis can be prevented and there are simple steps people can take at home to avoid getting sick. We are working to help some of those most at risk – pregnant and older people – better understand the risks of listeriosis and what to do to decrease them.”

    Listeriosis is a result of eating or drinking food that has high levels of Listeria, a bacterium which is widespread in the environment. Listeria is invisible, has no odour and, unlike most bacteria, can grow when food is refrigerated.

    Listeriosis is rare in New Zealand and cases are usually not connected, whereas cases recorded in other countries are predominantly due to outbreaks.

    In New Zealand, there were 7 deaths in 2023, with 40 people hospitalised in the past year.

    “Infections in healthy adults are unlikely to be severe, but listeriosis during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, premature labour, stillbirth, or disease in the newborn baby,” says Mr Arbuckle.

    “As you age – and particularly over 65 – your immune system gets weaker. This means foods you safely ate in the past may no longer be safe for you to eat.

    “Some people may not be aware of this. So, we’re highlighting higher-risk foods while sharing some food-safety advice on how to make them safe to eat.”

    Higher-risk foods include:

    • ready-to-eat meat products, like deli meats and pâtés
    • smoked seafood (especially cold smoked fish)
    • soft cheeses (like brie and camembert)
    • uncooked paneer cheese
    • unpasteurised dairy products (like raw milk and cheese)
    • soft serve ice-cream
    • leafy greens and bagged salad (like mesclun and spinach)
    • uncooked sprouts (like alfalfa and mung beans) and enoki mushrooms
    • uncooked frozen vegetables
    • some refrigerated foods with a long shelf life
    • pre-prepared sandwiches and salads.

    To lower the risk of getting listeriosis, you can:

    • choose safer foods
    • cook food thoroughly
    • only eat fruit and vegetables that have been washed and dried thoroughly
    • only eat food that was recently prepared
    • refrigerate leftovers quickly
    • preheat food to steaming hot (more than 70°C) before eating
    • avoid eating leftovers that won’t be reheated
    • wash and dry your hands thoroughly and follow good food hygiene practices.

    “Saturday 7 June was World Food Safety Day, and this year’s theme is Science in Action. Good science remains the foundation for our food safety system,” says Mr Arbuckle.

    World Food Safety Day

    “All of our food safety advice is backed by evidence from scientific research. It helps us with the range of work we do from understanding the prevalence of different foodborne illnesses, to ensuring we are giving consumers the most effective and accurate advice possible. 

    “Science also informs our regulations around food businesses managing food safety risks. New Zealand Food Safety requires food businesses to manage Listeria in the processing environment and have measures in place to eliminate its presence in products.

    “If something goes wrong, we support businesses with their consumer-level food recalls. Last year there were 3 consumer recalls due to the possible presence of Listeria.

    “But there’s also something you can do to protect yourself and others. If you make or buy food for vulnerable people, or are perhaps vulnerable yourself, sign up to our food recall alerts

    “And look out for our campaign so you can share it with people who may not know the life-threatening risks of listeriosis.”

    Find out more

    For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 00 83 33 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

    For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: PM launches national skills drive to unlock opportunities for young people in tech

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    PM launches national skills drive to unlock opportunities for young people in tech

    Pupils across the country will be given the skills and tools needed to get the AI-powered jobs of the future thanks to a new skills programme launched by the Prime Minister.

    • 1 million students in secondary school to be given an unprecedented chance to learn and develop their skills in tech and AI
    • £187 million investment in national skills programme to bring digital skills and AI learning into classrooms and communities
    • 7.5 million UK workers to gain essential AI skills by 2030 through industry partnership as major tech players including NVIDIA, Google and Microsoft back the Government’s skills drive
    • Skills drive to break down barriers to opportunity, drive growth and put more money in people’s pockets through skilled jobs as part of the Plan for Change and the forthcoming modern Industrial Strategy

    Pupils across the country will be given the skills and tools needed to get the AI-powered jobs of the future thanks to a new skills programme launched by the Prime Minister today (Monday 9 June).

    At the heart of the skills drive, and as part of the upcoming modern Industrial Strategy, is a new £187 million government “TechFirst” programme to bring digital skills and AI learning into classrooms and communities and train up people of all ages and backgrounds for the tech careers of the future.

    Today’s announcements show this government is laser focused on investing in the futures of young people across Britain, knocking down barriers to opportunities, regardless of where they grow up.  

    It comes as research commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) shows that by 2035, around 10 million workers will be in roles where AI will be part of their role or responsibilities in some form, with a further 3.9 million in roles directly in AI.

    The flagship strand of this programme “TechYouth” – backed by £24 million of government funding – will give 1 million students over three years across every secondary school in the UK the chance to learn about technology and gain access to new skills training and career opportunities.

    There will also be an online platform to inspire and educate students about the potential of computing and tech careers – building on CyberFirst’s Explorers which has access to most secondary schools in the UK with 100,000 students registered already. This will bring together learning tools and training opportunities in a streamlined accessible space.

    In each of the UK’s regions and nations, a local delivery partner will be selected by DSIT to run the programme and deliver activities to schools and colleges in local areas.

    The AI sector alone is valued at £72.3 billion and is projected to exceed £800 billion by 2035. It is growing 30 times faster than the rest of the economy, employing over 64,000 people across more than 3,700 companies.

    But despite these strengths, access to AI skills in the UK remains one of the biggest barriers to growth—especially for startups, scaleups, and regions outside London. According to a TechNation report released today, one in three UK tech founders say the availability of top talent is their biggest barrier to growth.

    That’s why the government is backing young people and investing in skills as an engine of economic growth—putting more money in people’s pockets and breaking down barriers to opportunity as part of the Plan for Change.

    This package underpins the upcoming industrial strategy and also delivers on the government’s manifesto commitment to create higher-quality training and employment paths by empowering local communities to develop the skills people need and putting employers at the heart of our skills system.

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: 

    “We are putting the power of AI into the hands of the next generation – so they can shape the future, not be shaped by it.

    “This training programme will unlock opportunity in every classroom – and lays the foundations for a new era of growth.

    “Too many children from working families like the one I grew up in are written off. I am determined to end that.

    “This programme is the Plan for Change in action – breaking down barriers, driving innovation, and giving every young person the chance of a good, well paid job and a bright future.”

    TechFirst will also support over 4,000 graduates, researchers, and innovators through three additional strands:

    • TechGrad (£96.8m) – will support 1,000 exceptional domestic students a year with undergraduate scholarships in areas like AI, cyber security, and computer science. This will also go towards 100 Research MSc places in key tech sectors, and 100 elite AI scholarships. Applicants will be able to apply to the scheme online and those successful will have their bursaries paid from a central fund.
    • TechExpert (£48.4m) – will give up to £10,000 in additional funding to 500 domestic PhD students conducting research in tech with the aim of accelerating cutting-edge innovation, strengthen the UK’s research pipeline in strategic technology sectors, and ensure that emerging talent is supported to contribute to national tech leadership.
    • TechLocal (£18m) – will offer seed funding to help regional innovators and small businesses develop new tech products and adopt AI. A panel made up of local tech businesses will be established in each region to decide which applications have merit, with the necessary checks then done centrally by Innovate UK.

    Major industry players including IBM, BAE Systems, QinetiQ, BT, Microsoft and the Careers & Enterprise Company – the national body for careers education – have backed the initiative.

    TechFirst builds on the success of the CyberFirst programme, which has already helped hundreds of thousands of young people gain cyber security skills.

    Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: 

    “We are getting Brits ready for jobs of the future by helping millions across the country gain vital digital skills in AI and beyond.

    “Embedding these skills into our education system and local communities will help people of all backgrounds and ensure tech talent flourishes in every corner of our nation.

    “These partnerships with industry will translate skills into real jobs and economic growth, putting more money in people’s pockets and breaking down barriers to opportunity. This is our Plan for Change in action – investing in the skills that will power our economy and deliver prosperity for working people across the country.”

    David Hogan, Vice President Enterprise EMEA – NVIDIA said:

    “AI developers are the engine of the next industrial revolution. AI talent, skills and research are crucial ingredients in the UK’s mission to become an AI maker, not an AI taker.

    “So, we’re delighted to partner with the government to train the next generation of AI developers, capable of finding new cures for diseases, discovering new materials and building world-beating, British AI companies.”

    Google EMEA President, Debbie Weinstein, said: 

    “Our AI Works report revealed that £400bn worth of economic growth awaits the UK, but half of this depends on workers embracing and using AI. That’s precisely why we’re thrilled to join this crucial initiative, essential for supercharging AI upskilling, unlocking AI-powered growth and cementing the UK’s position as an AI leader.”

    Carolyn Dawson OBE, CEO of Founders Forum Group and Tech Nation, said: 

    “AI will transform every industry – but we can only unlock its full potential if we ensure the UK’s workforce has the skills to keep pace. This national upskilling programme is an ambitious and necessary step – not just to boost productivity, but to make sure we’re equipping the UK to participate in and benefit from the AI-driven economy. At Tech Nation, we’ve long championed the power of both homegrown talent and global expertise – whether that’s through supporting founders to scale or endorsing the UK’s Global Talent Visa. We’re proud to support initiatives that help the UK remain globally competitive”.

    Leon Butler Chief Executive of IBM UK and Ireland said:

    “Boosting technology skills across the economy is key to the UK maintaining its leadership position in AI. Having helped millions globally to develop new AI skills with our IBM SkillsBuild programme, we are delighted to partner with the UK government to help equip workers with vital tech skills. This complements our long-standing commitment to programmes such as CyberFirst, which we are excited to see expand. We look forward to continuing our support as the programme grows.”

    Darren Hardman CEO of Microsoft UK said:

    “Artificial Intelligence represents a generational opportunity, already transforming the way we live, work, and innovate. For the UK to remain globally competitive, we have to equip people with the skills they need to be successful in an AI-powered economy. Microsoft is proud to be playing its part, by training one million people with AI skills this year, and by supporting millions more through this new initiative.”

    Intuit EMEA General Manager Leigh Thomas said:

    “AI is a growth enabler for small and medium-sized businesses, levelling the playing field, by giving them the opportunity to access the sort of technology solutions that larger businesses have access to. The announcement today is a great step forward in improving their bottom line, and we look forward to collaborating with Government and other private sector partners to accelerate knowledge, understanding and adoption of AI tools by the businesses that need it most.”

    Jensen Huang, Founder and CEO, NVIDIA said:

    “AI developers power the next industrial revolution. AI talent, skills and research are crucial ingredients in the UK’s mission to become an AI maker, not an AI taker. We’re delighted to partner with the government to train the next generation of AI developers, capable of finding new cures for diseases, discovering new materials and building word-class AI companies.”

    Alongside TechFirst, the Prime Minister also announced a new government-industry partnership to train 7.5 million UK workers in essential skills to use AI by 2030—equivalent to around 20% of the UK workforce.

    Leading technology companies including Google, Microsoft, IBM, SAS, Accenture, Sage, Barclays, BT, Amazon, Intuit, and Salesforce have signed up to the partnership. They have committed to making high-quality training materials widely available to workers in businesses – large and small – up and down the country free of charge, over the next five years. 

    Training will focus on enabling workers to use and interact with AI systems such as chatbots and large language models to boost productivity across a wide range of roles. Sector-specific training will also be developed to meet the needs of industries from healthcare to finance to manufacturing.

    These companies will meet the Technology Secretary Peter Kyle this week to discuss how to meet the 2030 target, agree a terms of reference and will convene regularly to track progress.

    Following his speech, the Prime Minister will join NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang for an “in conversation” event to discuss the challenges of closing the AI skills gap and the potential of AI to transform public services and drive economic growth.

    This comes as the government and NVIDIA today signed two Memorandums of Understanding, supporting the development of a nationwide AI talent pipeline and accelerating critical university-led research into the role of AI in advanced connectivity technologies. In addition, NVIDIA will expand its AI lab in Bristol to other areas of the UK to accelerate UK research in AI.  

    Today’s package follows the Department for Education’s announcement of the board members for Skills England, a new body which will work with employers and local leaders to shape training policy and delivery. Skills England will identify and tackle skills shortage in key Industrial Strategy sectors such as digital, creating more opportunities for young people.

    Yesterday, the Prime Minister hosted a private reception at Chequers with leading tech CEOs and investors—including Eric Schmidt (Former CEO & Chairman of Google), Angie Ma (Faculty AI) Demis Hassabis (Google DeepMind), and Alex Wang (Scale) —to reaffirm the UK’s position as a global tech leader.

    Tomorrow, he will welcome business leaders and entrepreneurs to Downing Street, including 16-year-old AI entrepreneur Toby Brown, who recently secured $1 million in Silicon Valley funding for his startup, Beem.

    Updates to this page

    Published 8 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Curious Kids: Why do dolphins jump out of the water?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katharina J. Peters, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong

    Will Falcon/Shutterstock

    Why do dolphins jump out of the water?

    Charlize, age 8, Melbourne

    Have you ever seen images of dolphins jumping out of the waves and performing impressive acrobatics in the air? Or maybe you’ve seen it in real life?

    When a dolphin jumps, it can launch its whole body out of the water. While it looks like fun, it must also be hard work!

    So, why do dolphins jump out of the water? There are several possible reasons. Let’s jump in and explore them.

    A dolphin can launch its whole body out of the water.
    Paulphin Photography/Shutterstock

    To stay in touch

    Dolphins are social animals and live in groups. But it’s hard to see long distances underwater. So, they use the power of sound to stay in contact with each other.

    Sound travels much farther underwater than through the air. When dolphins jump, the slap of the landing makes a loud noise, and would be heard some distance away.

    Some species, such as spinner dolphins, use jumping to communicate their location to other group members, especially at night. This helps them keep track of each other.

    As an aside, spinner dolphins are very skilled jumpers. As the name suggests, they spin up to seven times in the air before landing back in the water!

    Spinner dolphins are the acrobats of the sea.

    The need for speed

    Have you ever tried to walk underwater? You will have felt how hard it is. That’s because water is more dense than air, which creates a “drag”, or resistance.

    Dolphins have streamlined bodies to reduce drag, but they still feel it. So, if they want to travel quickly – for example, if they are trying to escape a predator or hunt fish – they sometimes jump.

    While in the air, they travel faster than they would through water, and also save energy.

    To gather food

    Some dolphins weigh less than 50 kilograms, such as the Hector’s dolphin. Others weigh several tonnes, such as an orca.

    Either way, when a dolphin crashes back into the water, you can be sure it makes quite a noisy splash.

    Some dolphin species, such as dusky dolphins, use this noise to herd fish at the surface to make them easier to capture.

    Shaking off hitchhikers

    Fish called remoras can attach themselves to dolphins using a sucker on their head. This is good for the fish, because it can keep them safe and they have plenty to eat, such as small parasites and old bits of dolphin skin.

    While the remoras don’t hurt the dolphin, they probably slow it down. So dolphins may try to get rid of the little hitchhikers by jumping to dislodge them.

    A dolphin calf jumping to remove remoras.

    Fighting and frolicking

    Dolphins are highly intelligent animals. They have big brains and can learn tricks and solve puzzles. With intelligence also come other traits: playfulness and social behaviour.

    Sometimes, that social behaviour can end in a “fight”. Dolphin experts say two dolphins jumping around together might be actually trying to hit each other!

    Dolphins also love to frolic – not just with each other but with other marine mammals such as whales and sea lions, with turtles – or even just a piece of seaweed! So they might jump as some sort of “game”.

    As you can see, dolphins may jump for a range of reasons – sometimes just because it’s really fun!

    Katharina J. Peters 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. Curious Kids: Why do dolphins jump out of the water? – https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-do-dolphins-jump-out-of-the-water-256462

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: 2-million-year-old pitted teeth from our ancient relatives reveal secrets about human evolution

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Towle, Research Fellow in Biological Anthropology, Monash University

    Ian Towle / The Conversation

    The enamel that forms the outer layer of our teeth might seem like an unlikely place to find clues about evolution. But it tells us more than you’d think about the relationships between our fossil ancestors and relatives.

    In our new study, published in the Journal of Human Evolution, we highlight a different aspect of enamel. In fact, we highlight its absence.

    Specifically, we show that tiny, shallow pits in fossil teeth may not be signs of malnutrition or disease. Instead, they may carry surprising evolutionary significance.

    You might be wondering why this matters. Well, for people like me who try to figure out how humans evolved and how all our ancestors and relatives were related to each other, teeth are very important. And having a new marker to look out for on fossil teeth could give us a new tool to help fit together our family tree.

    Uniform, circular and shallow

    These pits were first identified in the South African species Paranthropus robustus, a close relative of our own genus Homo. They are highly consistent in shape and size: uniform, circular and shallow.

    Initially, we thought the pits might be unique to P. robustus. But our latest research shows this kind of pitting also occurs in other Paranthropus species in eastern Africa. We even found it in some Australopithecus individuals, a genus that may have given rise to both Homo and Paranthropus.

    Uniform, circular and shallow pitting on teeth may be a previously undetected clue about evolutionary relationships.
    Towle et al. / Journal of Human Evolution

    The enamel pits have commonly been assumed to be defects resulting from stresses such as illness or malnutrition during childhood. However, their remarkable consistency across species, time and geography suggests these enamel pits may be something more interesting.

    The pitting is subtle, regularly spaced, and often clustered in specific regions of the tooth crown. It appears without any other signs of damage or abnormality.

    Two million years of evolution

    We looked at fossil teeth from hominins (humans and our closest extinct relatives) from the Omo Valley in Ethiopia, where we can see traces of more than two million years of human evolution, as well as comparisons with sites in southern Africa (Drimolen, Swartkrans and Kromdraai).

    The Omo collection includes teeth attributed to Paranthropus, Australopithecus and Homo, the three most recent and well-known hominin genera. This allowed us to track the telltale pitting across different branches of our evolutionary tree.

    What we found was unexpected. The uniform pitting appears regularly in both eastern and southern Africa Paranthropus, and also in the earliest eastern African Australopithecus teeth dating back around 3 million years. But among southern Africa Australopithecus and our own genus, Homo, the uniform pitting was notably absent.

    A defect … or just a trait?

    If the uniform pitting were caused by stress or disease, we might expect it to correlate with tooth size and enamel thickness, and to affect both front and back teeth. But it doesn’t.

    What’s more, stress-related defects typically form horizontal bands. They usually affect all teeth developing at the time of the stress, but this is not what we see with this pitting.

    The uniform, even nature of the pitting suggests a genetic origin rather than environmental factors such as malnutrition or disease.
    Towle et al. / Journal of Human Evolution

    We think this pitting probably has a developmental and genetic origin. It may have emerged as a byproduct of changes in how enamel was formed in these species. It might even have some unknown functional purpose.

    In any case, we suggest these uniform, circular pits should be viewed as a trait rather than a defect.

    A modern comparison

    Further support for the idea of a genetic origin comes from comparisons with a rare condition in humans today called amelogenesis imperfecta, which affects enamel formation.

    About one in 1,000 people today have amelogenesis imperfecta. By contrast, the uniform pitting we have seen appears in up to half of Paranthropus individuals.

    Although it likely has a genetic basis, we argue the even pitting is too common to be considered a harmful disorder. What’s more, it persisted at similar frequencies for millions of years.

    A new evolutionary marker

    If this uniform pitting really does have a genetic origin, we may be able to use it to trace evolutionary relationships.

    We already use subtle tooth features such as enamel thickness, cusp shape, and wear patterns to help identify species. The uniform pitting may be an additional diagnostic tool.

    For example, our findings support the idea that Paranthropus is a “monophyletic group”, meaning all its species descend from a (relatively) recent common ancestor, rather than evolving seperatly from different Australopithecus taxa.

    And we did not find this pitting in the southern Africa species Australopithecus africanus, despite a large sample of more than 500 teeth. However, it does appear in the earliest Omo Australopithecus specimens.

    So perhaps the pitting could also help pinpoint from where Paranthropus branched off on its own evolutionary path.

    An intriguing case

    One especially intriguing case is Homo floresiensis, the so-called “hobbit” species from Indonesia. Based on published images, their teeth appear to show similar pitting.

    If confirmed, this could suggest an evolutionary history more closely tied to earlier Australopithecus species than to Homo. However, H. floresiensis also shows potential skeletal and dental pathologies, so more research is needed before drawing such conclusions.

    More research is also needed to fully understand the processes behind the uniform pitting before it can be used routinely in taxonomic work. But our research shows it is likely a heritable characteristic, one not found in any living primates studied to date, nor in our own genus Homo (rare cases of amelogenesis imperfecta aside).

    As such, it offers an exciting new tool for exploring evolutionary relationships among fossil hominins.

    Ian Towle 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. 2-million-year-old pitted teeth from our ancient relatives reveal secrets about human evolution – https://theconversation.com/2-million-year-old-pitted-teeth-from-our-ancient-relatives-reveal-secrets-about-human-evolution-258390

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What can you do if you don’t like your child’s friends?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachael Murrihy, Director, The Kidman Centre, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney

    Getty Images/ Wander Woman Collective

    Many parents will be familiar with this situation: your child has a good or even best friend, but you don’t like them.

    Perhaps the friend is bossy, has poor manners or jumps on your furniture. Maybe you don’t like the way your child behaves when they are with this friend.

    For older children, your dislike might relate to the friend’s language, attitude towards school, or risk-taking behaviours. Maybe the friend is hot and cold and elicits more drama than Mean Girls.

    What can parents do?



    Read more:
    How can you help your child make friends?

    You will have a protective instinct

    If you see your child being treated poorly, this can ignite a protective instinct in parents that manifests in a bodily “fight or flight” response.

    This provides a rush of adrenaline, which can spur parents to take actions such as criticising the friend or even attempting to ban the friendship.

    However, this approach can do more harm than good, particularly for adolescents who are hardwired to push back on their parents.

    What can you do for younger kids?

    With younger children, clear boundaries can be set at the outset of a playdate. For example, “my bedroom is off limits for playing” or “we don’t jump on the couch”.

    If kids are using mean or rude language around each other, you can say “we don’t use that word in this house, be kind to each other”.

    Playdates can be moved outside, which can be particularly helpful if a child shows loud, destructive or rude behaviour. And if you can help it, organise fewer plays with that child.

    But parents may also want to reflect on why this child rubs them the wrong way. Is the reaction warranted, or does it comes from your own biases and opinions? Your child’s friends do not have to be the friends you would choose.

    Change your approach for older kids

    To become successful adults, teens need to move through developmental milestones of becoming autonomous and self-reliant. Intervening in their friendships interferes with this vital process of developing independence and identity, which ultimately disempowers them.

    In the 1960s, US psychologist Diana Baumrind published famous research on parenting. She found an authoritarian style – where the parent exerts complete control and does not listen to the child’s needs – results in a child with less confidence and independence than one brought up in a household that has rules but is also responsive to their needs.

    Adopting an authoritarian approach to friends or potential partners also risks the “Romeo and Juliet” effect, whereby disapproval makes the child more attracted to that person.

    So, for teenagers and their friends, the approach should be more nuanced. The primary goal is to encourage the child to see the parent as a person to come to when they have problems. If parents are tempted to be critical, they could ask themself: is it in the best interests of your child to be controlled?

    It is important to let children make mistakes so they can learn from them. Learning about what they do and don’t want in relationships is a crucial life skill.



    Read more:
    ‘How was school today?’ How to help kids open up and say more than ‘fine’

    How can you talk about friendship?

    Fostering an open dialogue about friends and relationships can allow parents to have influence in a subtle and developmentally appropriate way.

    For younger children, you could use a quiet moment to ask questions like “what can you say to Charlotte if you don’t want to play her game anymore?” or “what’s a good way to deal with it if she is being too bossy?”

    For older children, ideally wait until your teen wants to connect, rather than launching into questions. Ask gentle, non-judgmental questions about their friendship, like “what do you like to do together?” or “tell me about what you have in common”.

    If they seem upset or uncomfortable in some way, resist the urge to dismiss or solve the problem. Simply listening is the key to helping the child work it out, so they feel supported but not judged.

    And remember, not all friendships last. As children move through school and grow, most will naturally make new friends and move on from old ones.

    Clearly, one exception to adopting a teen-led approach is when safety is at risk. If they are being bullied or abused in any form – even if the child is opposed – parents should step in and speak to the school or other relevant authorities.



    Read more:
    What can you do if your child is being bullied?

    Rachael Murrihy 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. What can you do if you don’t like your child’s friends? – https://theconversation.com/what-can-you-do-if-you-dont-like-your-childs-friends-257353

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Measles cases are surging globally. Should children be vaccinated earlier?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meru Sheel, Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases, Immunisation and Emergencies (IDIE) Group, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney

    EyeEm Mobile GmbH/Getty Images

    Measles has been rising globally in recent years. There were an estimated 10.3 million cases worldwide in 2023, a 20% increase from 2022.

    Outbreaks are being reported all over the world including in the United States, Europe and the Western Pacific region (which includes Australia). For example, Vietnam has reportedly seen thousands of cases in 2024 and 2025.

    In Australia, 77 cases of measles have been recorded in the first five months of 2025, compared with 57 cases in all of 2024.

    Measles cases in Australia are almost all related to international travel. They occur in travellers returning from overseas, or are contracted locally after mixing with an infected traveller or their contacts.

    Measles most commonly affects children and is preventable with vaccination, given in Australia in two doses at 12 and 18 months old. But in light of current outbreaks globally, is there a case for reviewing the timing of measles vaccinations?

    Some measles basics

    Measles is caused by a virus belonging to the genus Morbillivirus. Symptoms include a fever, cough, runny nose and a rash. While it presents as a mild illness in most cases, measles can lead to severe disease requiring hospitalisation, and even death. Large outbreaks can overwhelm health systems.

    Measles can have serious health consequences, such as in the brain and the immune system, years after the infection.

    Measles spreads from person to person via small respiratory droplets that can remain suspended in the air for two hours. It’s highly contagious – one person with measles can spread the infection to 12–18 people who aren’t immune.

    Because measles is so infectious, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends two-dose vaccination coverage above 95% to stop the spread and achieve “herd immunity”.

    Low and declining vaccine coverage, especially since the COVID pandemic, is driving global outbreaks.



    Read more:
    What are the symptoms of measles? How long does the vaccine last? Experts answer 6 key questions

    When are children vaccinated against measles?

    Newborn babies are generally protected against measles thanks to maternal antibodies. Maternal antibodies get passed from the mother to the baby via the placenta and in breast milk, and provide protection against infections including measles.

    The WHO advises everyone should receive two doses of measles vaccination. In places where there’s a lot of measles circulating, children are generally recommended to have the first dose at around nine months old. This is because it’s expected maternal antibodies would have declined significantly in most infants by that age, leaving them vulnerable to infection.

    If maternal measles antibodies are still present, the vaccine is less likely to produce an immune response.

    Research has also shown a measles vaccine given at less than 8.5 months of age can result in an antibody response which declines more quickly. This might be due to interference with maternal antibodies, but researchers are still trying to understand the reasons for this.

    A second dose of the vaccine is usually given 6–9 months later. A second dose is important because about 10–15% of children don’t develop antibodies after the first vaccine.

    In settings where measles transmission is under better control, a first dose is recommended at 12 months of age. Vaccination at 12 months compared with nine months is considered to generate a stronger, longer-lasting immune response.

    In Australia, children are routinely given the measles-mumps- rubella (MMR) vaccine at 12 months and the measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV, with “varicella” being chickenpox) vaccine at 18 months.

    Babies at higher risk of catching the disease can also be given an additional early dose. In Australia, this is recommended for infants as young as six months when there’s an outbreak or if they’re travelling overseas to a high-risk setting.

    A new study looking at measles antibodies in babies

    A recent review looked at measles antibody data from babies under nine months old living in low- and middle-income countries. The review combined the results from 20 studies, including more than 8,000 babies. The researchers found that while 81% of newborns had maternal antibodies to measles, only 30% of babies aged four months had maternal antibodies.

    This study suggests maternal antibodies to measles decline much earlier than previously thought. It raises the question of whether the first dose of measles vaccine is given too late to maximise infants’ protection, especially when there’s a lot of measles around.

    Should we bring the measles vaccine forward in Australia?

    All of the data in this study comes from low- and middle-income countries, and might not reflect the situation in Australia where we have much higher vaccine coverage for measles, and very few cases.

    Australia’s coverage for two doses of the MMR vaccine at age two is above 92%.

    Although this is lower than the optimal 95%, the overall risk of measles surging in Australia is relatively low.

    Nonetheless, there may be a case for broadening the age at which an early extra dose of the measles vaccine can be given to children at higher risk. In New Zealand, infants as young as four months can receive a measles vaccine before travelling to an endemic country.

    But the current routine immunisation schedule in Australia is unlikely to change.

    Adding an extra dose to the schedule would be costly and logistically difficult. Lowering the age for the first dose may have some advantages in certain settings, and doesn’t pose any safety concerns, but further evidence would be required to support this change. In particular, research is needed to ensure it wouldn’t negatively affect the longer-term protection that vaccination offers from measles.

    Making sure you’re protected

    In the meantime, ensuring high levels of measles vaccine coverage with two doses is a global priority.

    People born after 1966 are recommended to have two doses of measles vaccine. This is because those born before the mid-1960s likely caught measles as children (when the vaccine was not yet available) and would therefore have natural immunity.

    If you’re unsure about your vaccination status, you can check this through the Australian Immunisation Register. If you don’t have a documented record, ask your doctor for advice.

    Catch-up vaccination is available under the National Immunisation Program.

    Meru Sheel receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

    Anita Heywood 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. Measles cases are surging globally. Should children be vaccinated earlier? – https://theconversation.com/measles-cases-are-surging-globally-should-children-be-vaccinated-earlier-257942

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Why bystanders defend bad behaviour at work — even when they know it’s wrong

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zhanna Lyubykh, Assistant Professor, Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University

    Rather than intervening, supporting targets or reporting the misconduct, bystanders may downplay it, withdraw support or even blame the target, which ultimately reinforces the mistreatment. (Shutterstock)

    “You always mess things up. Why are you even on this project? Just quit already.” Demeaning, hostile or undermining behaviour like this is more common in the workplace and damaging than many people realize. One in three employees experience such behaviours, and almost half witness them.

    Rather than intervening, supporting targets or reporting the misconduct, research shows bystanders may downplay it, withdraw support or even blame the target, which ultimately reinforces the mistreatment.

    As our recent study shows, this is largely because when mistreatment seems inevitable or commonplace, bystanders are psychologically motivated to justify it rather than challenge it.

    Why do bystanders rationalize mistreatment?

    Humans are hardwired to see mistreatment as wrong. Most of us value fairness and want to punish wrongdoing. But if this is the case, why do bystanders so often fail to act when they witness mistreatment?

    Our recent research explores this question drawing on system justification theory — the idea that people are motivated to see the systems they live and work in as fair, legitimate and stable.

    When mistreatment seems inevitable — when people think “that’s just how things work around here” — bystanders face a psychological dilemma. They can either challenge the behaviour and risk conflict, exclusion or backlash, or they can rationalize it as normal or deserved.

    Most people, often without realizing it, choose the latter. This mental shortcut allows them to preserve the comforting belief that the system is fair and people get what they deserve.

    One in three employees experience demeaning, hostile or undermining behaviour in the workplace, and almost half witness them.
    (Shutterstock)

    Witnessing workplace mistreatment

    We interviewed 554 employees who had witnessed workplace mistreatment within the past two weeks at the time the survey was conducted. They shared their thoughts on how inevitable they believed the mistreatment incident was, and how tolerant they felt their organization was toward such behaviour.

    In a follow-up survey, we asked these employees whether they felt the incident they witnessed was justifiable and the target as deserving. A week later, in a third survey, we asked these bystanders to report how they behaved toward the target, and whether they tried to address or minimize the incident.

    We found that when bystanders perceived mistreatment as inevitable, they were more likely to see the incident as justified and targets as deserving of that treatment. These bystanders were more likely to socially distance themselves from the target, engage in negative gossip about them and were less willing to offer help.

    Bystander inaction wasn’t due to cowardice or callousness, but was often a defence mechanism. Rationalizing mistreatment allowed bystanders to preserve the belief that their workplace was just. But this coping strategy can deepen harm for those who experience mistreatment, who may be further marginalized, isolated or discredited.

    How mistreatment is normalized

    Workplace climates play a key role in the normalization of mistreatment. Our findings indicate when employees believed their workplace tolerated mistreatment, they were more likely to rationalize it and less likely to support the person being mistreated.

    In these contexts, mistreatment isn’t just ignored, but is quietly accepted. Tacit acceptance sends a powerful message: this is normal, this is deserved, this is not worth challenging.

    What does a toxic, permissive workplace look like? Warning signs include staff who feel anxious about coming to work and leaders who publicly criticize employees or tell them to “toughen up” or “not take it personally.”

    If negative gossip is tolerated, or reports of mistreatment are ignored or delayed, these are also strong indicators that mistreatment has been normalized.

    Organizations may fail to acknowledge these patterns for a variety of reasons, including resistance, denial or a lack of readiness. But surfacing these issues is a strength, not a weakness. It allows organizations to address root causes, retain valuable employees, and foster a more respectful environment.

    When mistreatment is ignored in the workplace, it sends a message to employees that it is normal, deserved and not worth challenging.
    (Unsplash/Borja Verbena)

    4 ways to create positive change

    Even in workplaces where mistreatment has become normalized, positive change is possible. Research shows that effectively managing everyday incidents can create bottom-up effects that support broader positive change within the workplace, ultimately improving workplace climate.

    Managers have a particularly pivotal role to play. When they respond quickly, support targets openly and hold perpetrators accountable, they challenge the perception that mistreatment is inevitable. They also send a broader message about what behaviours are and aren’t acceptable in the workplace.

    Here are four evidence-based strategies that can help disrupt the bystander dynamic and improve workplace culture:

    1. Challenge the narrative of inevitability

    Organizations should clearly signal that mistreatment will not be tolerated in their workplace. This includes explicitly communicating behavioural expectations, investigating reports quickly and transparently, and ensuring senior leaders model respectful behaviour. These small but visible actions disrupt the sense that mistreatment is “just how things work.”

    2. Reduce ambiguity

    When organizations don’t define behavioural norms clearly, bystanders are more likely to rationalize mistreatment. Organizations should define what mistreatment includes, such as exclusion and sarcastic comments, and distinguish it from tough feedback or constructive conflict. Training can help employees recognize subtle forms of harm and reflect on how their reactions would appear to someone they respect.

    3. Enforce consequences consistently

    When policies exist but aren’t enforced, bystanders learn that mistreatment carries no cost. Organizations need to follow through on mistreatment policies, protect those who report it and make it clear that retaliation is unacceptable. Visibility matters: people need to see that action is taken.

    4. Support targets openly and meaningfully

    System justification often works by undermining the credibility of those being mistreated. Managers can counteract this by affirming the value of a person targeted, encouraging reintegration and monitoring their teams for subtle social exclusion. When targets are supported by respected leaders, bystanders are more likely to follow suit because people tend to look to leader behaviour towards employees as a sign of their value to the group.

    When targets are supported by respected leaders, bystanders are more likely to follow suit.
    (Shutterstock)

    Why this matters

    Much of the existing research on workplace mistreatment has focused on the importance of bystander and leader intervention. Our research adds a deeper layer by illustrating that bystanders may not intervene because they are subconsciously defending their belief in a fair and legitimate system.

    This defence mechanism is especially dangerous when mistreatment is common, creating a cycle in which the most vulnerable employees are harmed twice: first by the perpetrator, and then by those who fail to stand by them.

    Breaking this cycle requires more than training videos or one-off statements. It requires reshaping the climate that makes mistreatment seem normal, inevitable or trivial.

    The encouraging news is that even small, consistent actions can begin to shift these dynamics. Research has shown that incivility training that teaches people how to engage in civil ways, for example, has lasting effects on employee well-being and relationships. When these harmful dynamics are shifted, it improves the workplace for everyone.

    Zhanna Lyubykh receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    Laurie J. Barclay receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the University of Guelph’s Research Leader Award.

    Nick Turner receives research funding from Cenovus Energy Inc., Haskayne School of Business’s Future Fund, Mitacs, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

    Sandy Hershcovis receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. Why bystanders defend bad behaviour at work — even when they know it’s wrong – https://theconversation.com/why-bystanders-defend-bad-behaviour-at-work-even-when-they-know-its-wrong-257941

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Immortality at a price: how the promise of delaying death has become a consumer marketing bonanza

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Errmann, Senior Lecturer, Marketing & International Business, Auckland University of Technology

    Living forever has become the wellness and marketing trend of the 2020s. But cheating death – or at least delaying it – will come at a price.

    What was once the domain of scientists and the uber rich is increasingly becoming a consumer product. Those pushing the idea, spearheaded by tech billionaire Bryan Johnson’s “Don’t Die” movement, believe death isn’t inevitable, but is a solvable problem.

    The global longevity market – spanning gene therapies, anti-ageing drugs, diagnostics and wellness plans – is projected to hit US$610 billion this year. At its core, the marketing of these products feeds off the age-old fear of mortality and the desire to stay young.

    But while the marketing is reaching the masses, this is still very much a luxury product. Immortality is being sold as exclusive, aspirational and symbolic. It’s not just about living longer – it’s about signalling status, controlling biology and being your “best future self”.

    Tapping into long-held fears

    What’s known as “terror management theory” puts forward the idea that humans and other animals have an instinctive drive for self-preservation. But humans are not only self-aware, they are also able to anticipate future outcomes – including the inevitability of death.

    The messaging behind the push to extend life taps into this internal tension between knowledge of our own mortality and the self-preservation instinct. And to be fair, it is not a new phenomenon.

    Cryonics – the preservation of bodies and brains at extremely low temperatures with the hope medical advancements will allow for their revival at some point in the future – was first popularised in Robert Ettinger’s 1962 book The Prospect of Immortality.

    Since then, the super-rich have invested in various companies promising to preserve their bodies for some unknown future date. It now costs US$200,000 to freeze your body, or $80,000 for just your brain.

    What’s truly new is how death is being marketed – not as fate, but as a flaw. Longevity isn’t just about living longer; it’s about turning mortality into a design problem, something to delay, manage and eventually solve.

    “Biohacking” sells the idea that with the right data, tools and discipline, you can upgrade your biology – and become your best, most future-proof self.

    This pitch targets high-income consumers aged 30 to 60, people already fluent in the language of optimisation – a mindset focused on maximising performance, productivity and longevity through data.

    The brands behind the living forever movement sell control, optimisation and elite identity. Ageing becomes a personal failure. Anti-ageing is self-discipline. Consumers are cast as CEOs of their own health – tracking sleep, fixing their gut and taking supplements.

    From biohacks to consumer branding

    There are now more than 700 companies working in the longevity market. Startups such as Elysium Health and Human Longevity Inc. offer DNA testing, supplements and personalised health plans.

    These aren’t medical treatments – they’re sold as tools to age “smarter” or “slower” and are pitched with the language of control over what once might have seemed uncontrollable.

    Don’t Die’s Bryan Johnson spends over US$2 million annually on his personal anti-ageing experiment.

    But the real pitch is to consumers: buy back time, one premium subscription at a time. Johnson’s company Blueprint offers diagnostics, supplements and exercise routines bundled into monthly plans starting at $333 and climbing to over $1,600.

    Longevity products promise more than health. They promise time, control and even immortality. But the quest to live forever, or at least a lot longer, raises moral and ethical questions about who benefits, and what kind of world is being created.

    Without thoughtful oversight, these technologies risk becoming tools of exclusion, not progress. Because if time becomes a product, not everyone will get to check out at the same counter.

    Amy Errmann 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. Immortality at a price: how the promise of delaying death has become a consumer marketing bonanza – https://theconversation.com/immortality-at-a-price-how-the-promise-of-delaying-death-has-become-a-consumer-marketing-bonanza-257009

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kustoff, Pfluger, Cassidy Introduce Bill to Expand Health Care Innovation

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative David Kustoff (TN-08)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Reps. David Kustoff (R-TN) and August Pfluger (R-TX), as well as U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), introduced the Small Biotech Innovation Act to exempt research and development-intensive small biotech manufacturers from the Medicare drug price negotiation program.

    “It is critical that the United States remains at the forefront of developing new medical technologies, treatments, and drugs,” said Congressman Kustoff. “The Small Biotech Innovation Act will help smaller companies invest in research and development by alleviating the excessive Biden-era regulations placed on them. This legislation is an important step in boosting innovation and helping find new cures for patients across the globe.”

    “The Inflation Reduction Act has proven to fall short in several areas, including its small biotech exemption that disincentivizes companies from investing in R&D and hinders the development of innovative therapies. By tying eligibility to R&D spending, we can better incentivize companies to develop new treatments that will benefit patients nationwide,” said Congressman Pfluger. “The bicameral Small Biotech Innovation Act is a forward-thinking approach that will strengthen America’s leadership in life-saving science by modernizing the small biotech exemption to reward real innovation and research investment, and ultimately protect these innovative small biotech companies.”

    “When the federal government stands in the way of developing better care, there’s a problem. The cures developed through small biotech innovation change the future for many patients. Instead of limiting it, we should encourage it,” said Dr. Cassidy.

    The Small Biotech Innovation Act would counter the negative impact that the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will have on innovation and drug development by providing any small biotech that spends a certain amount of money on research and development with the ability to delay one of their drugs for IRA negotiation for a year. The bill also prohibits any company that is owned by a foreign adversary from being eligible for the delay.
     

    Click here for the full text of the bill.  

     

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why bystanders defend bad behaviour at work — even when they know it’s wrong

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Zhanna Lyubykh, Assistant Professor, Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University

    Rather than intervening, supporting targets or reporting the misconduct, bystanders may downplay it, withdraw support or even blame the target, which ultimately reinforces the mistreatment. (Shutterstock)

    “You always mess things up. Why are you even on this project? Just quit already.” Demeaning, hostile or undermining behaviour like this is more common in the workplace and damaging than many people realize. One in three employees experience such behaviours, and almost half witness them.

    Rather than intervening, supporting targets or reporting the misconduct, research shows bystanders may downplay it, withdraw support or even blame the target, which ultimately reinforces the mistreatment.

    As our recent study shows, this is largely because when mistreatment seems inevitable or commonplace, bystanders are psychologically motivated to justify it rather than challenge it.

    Why do bystanders rationalize mistreatment?

    Humans are hardwired to see mistreatment as wrong. Most of us value fairness and want to punish wrongdoing. But if this is the case, why do bystanders so often fail to act when they witness mistreatment?

    Our recent research explores this question drawing on system justification theory — the idea that people are motivated to see the systems they live and work in as fair, legitimate and stable.

    When mistreatment seems inevitable — when people think “that’s just how things work around here” — bystanders face a psychological dilemma. They can either challenge the behaviour and risk conflict, exclusion or backlash, or they can rationalize it as normal or deserved.

    Most people, often without realizing it, choose the latter. This mental shortcut allows them to preserve the comforting belief that the system is fair and people get what they deserve.

    One in three employees experience demeaning, hostile or undermining behaviour in the workplace, and almost half witness them.
    (Shutterstock)

    Witnessing workplace mistreatment

    We interviewed 554 employees who had witnessed workplace mistreatment within the past two weeks at the time the survey was conducted. They shared their thoughts on how inevitable they believed the mistreatment incident was, and how tolerant they felt their organization was toward such behaviour.

    In a follow-up survey, we asked these employees whether they felt the incident they witnessed was justifiable and the target as deserving. A week later, in a third survey, we asked these bystanders to report how they behaved toward the target, and whether they tried to address or minimize the incident.

    We found that when bystanders perceived mistreatment as inevitable, they were more likely to see the incident as justified and targets as deserving of that treatment. These bystanders were more likely to socially distance themselves from the target, engage in negative gossip about them and were less willing to offer help.

    Bystander inaction wasn’t due to cowardice or callousness, but was often a defence mechanism. Rationalizing mistreatment allowed bystanders to preserve the belief that their workplace was just. But this coping strategy can deepen harm for those who experience mistreatment, who may be further marginalized, isolated or discredited.

    How mistreatment is normalized

    Workplace climates play a key role in the normalization of mistreatment. Our findings indicate when employees believed their workplace tolerated mistreatment, they were more likely to rationalize it and less likely to support the person being mistreated.

    In these contexts, mistreatment isn’t just ignored, but is quietly accepted. Tacit acceptance sends a powerful message: this is normal, this is deserved, this is not worth challenging.

    What does a toxic, permissive workplace look like? Warning signs include staff who feel anxious about coming to work and leaders who publicly criticize employees or tell them to “toughen up” or “not take it personally.”

    If negative gossip is tolerated, or reports of mistreatment are ignored or delayed, these are also strong indicators that mistreatment has been normalized.

    Organizations may fail to acknowledge these patterns for a variety of reasons, including resistance, denial or a lack of readiness. But surfacing these issues is a strength, not a weakness. It allows organizations to address root causes, retain valuable employees, and foster a more respectful environment.

    When mistreatment is ignored in the workplace, it sends a message to employees that it is normal, deserved and not worth challenging.
    (Unsplash/Borja Verbena)

    4 ways to create positive change

    Even in workplaces where mistreatment has become normalized, positive change is possible. Research shows that effectively managing everyday incidents can create bottom-up effects that support broader positive change within the workplace, ultimately improving workplace climate.

    Managers have a particularly pivotal role to play. When they respond quickly, support targets openly and hold perpetrators accountable, they challenge the perception that mistreatment is inevitable. They also send a broader message about what behaviours are and aren’t acceptable in the workplace.

    Here are four evidence-based strategies that can help disrupt the bystander dynamic and improve workplace culture:

    1. Challenge the narrative of inevitability

    Organizations should clearly signal that mistreatment will not be tolerated in their workplace. This includes explicitly communicating behavioural expectations, investigating reports quickly and transparently, and ensuring senior leaders model respectful behaviour. These small but visible actions disrupt the sense that mistreatment is “just how things work.”

    2. Reduce ambiguity

    When organizations don’t define behavioural norms clearly, bystanders are more likely to rationalize mistreatment. Organizations should define what mistreatment includes, such as exclusion and sarcastic comments, and distinguish it from tough feedback or constructive conflict. Training can help employees recognize subtle forms of harm and reflect on how their reactions would appear to someone they respect.

    3. Enforce consequences consistently

    When policies exist but aren’t enforced, bystanders learn that mistreatment carries no cost. Organizations need to follow through on mistreatment policies, protect those who report it and make it clear that retaliation is unacceptable. Visibility matters: people need to see that action is taken.

    4. Support targets openly and meaningfully

    System justification often works by undermining the credibility of those being mistreated. Managers can counteract this by affirming the value of a person targeted, encouraging reintegration and monitoring their teams for subtle social exclusion. When targets are supported by respected leaders, bystanders are more likely to follow suit because people tend to look to leader behaviour towards employees as a sign of their value to the group.

    When targets are supported by respected leaders, bystanders are more likely to follow suit.
    (Shutterstock)

    Why this matters

    Much of the existing research on workplace mistreatment has focused on the importance of bystander and leader intervention. Our research adds a deeper layer by illustrating that bystanders may not intervene because they are subconsciously defending their belief in a fair and legitimate system.

    This defence mechanism is especially dangerous when mistreatment is common, creating a cycle in which the most vulnerable employees are harmed twice: first by the perpetrator, and then by those who fail to stand by them.

    Breaking this cycle requires more than training videos or one-off statements. It requires reshaping the climate that makes mistreatment seem normal, inevitable or trivial.

    The encouraging news is that even small, consistent actions can begin to shift these dynamics. Research has shown that incivility training that teaches people how to engage in civil ways, for example, has lasting effects on employee well-being and relationships. When these harmful dynamics are shifted, it improves the workplace for everyone.

    Zhanna Lyubykh receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    Laurie J. Barclay receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the University of Guelph’s Research Leader Award.

    Nick Turner receives research funding from Cenovus Energy Inc., Haskayne School of Business’s Future Fund, Mitacs, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

    Sandy Hershcovis receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. Why bystanders defend bad behaviour at work — even when they know it’s wrong – https://theconversation.com/why-bystanders-defend-bad-behaviour-at-work-even-when-they-know-its-wrong-257941

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: We design cities and buildings for earthquakes and floods — we need to do the same for wildfires

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Ramla Karim Qureshi, Assistant Professor, Structural Engineering, McMaster University

    We live in an age of increasing wildfire disasters because more of us are living in places where wildfires and human development collide. Right now, fast-moving wildfires are forcing mass evacuations and destroying homes across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, where entire communities are under threat.

    Despite the growing impacts of extreme weather events, including prolonged droughts and increasing temperatures, we continue building and even rebuilding homes in likely paths of destructive wildfires.

    As cities grow, the demand for new home developments in previously forested areas means that we’re rapidly losing buffers between developed and natural land. Consequently, we’re also losing much of our protection from wildfire.

    I’m a structural engineer, and I was living in British Columbia during the 2023 Kelowna fires. I remember the smoke and anxiety about what was coming next. Seeing news coverage of January’s fires in Los Angeles brought back those memories. Hearing people ask how this could have happened led me to ask in response: How could it not have happened?

    My research speciality is in protecting structures from fires, earthquakes and explosions. From my work, I know that improved materials and engineering can protect homes much better than we do today.

    As we enter another wildfire season in Canada, I worry there will soon be new reminders of what we still haven’t done and urgently need to do.

    CP24 News covers wildfires burning from British Columbia to Ontario.

    Wildfire risk

    Wildfires can ignite structures in three key ways: direct fire flux from the forest, heat radiation from nearby burning buildings and wind-driven ember showers. These embers can travel several kilometres and spark new fires far from the main blaze.

    Recent research shows that about 14.3 per cent of all Canadian buildings sit directly in the wildland-urban-interface — the area where development neighbours or intersects with wildland vegetation. However, if we expand this interface buffer by a kilometre to account for windborne travelling embers, over 79 per cent of all Canadian structures fall under some level of wildfire ignition risk.

    While researchers are working on developing more sophisticated technologies for early fire detection and monitoring, we also need to make homes safer in at-risk areas. Programs like FireSmart Canada educate communities about managing fire risk, but broader public engagement and co-ordinated action are still lacking.

    Primary hazards

    Historically, structural design has not treated fire as a primary hazard in the same way it does earthquakes or wind. We’ve designed and constructed buildings and bridges that can withstand earthquakes and high winds, but fire design is still largely governed by prescriptive, often overly simplified, insulation and building standards.

    This mismatch in design priorities introduces vulnerability. Just as we wouldn’t build in seismically active regions like Vancouver, Victoria or San Francisco without accounting for earthquake risk, or in flood-prone areas like Winnipeg or New Orleans without proper mitigation, we must begin to treat fire risk as an equally fundamental design consideration.

    It’s certainly daunting to consider the expense of building or retrofitting homes and adapting properties to resist wildfires, but the consequences of not planning or preparing better — both in terms of lives lost and homes ruined and in terms of the financial costs of rebuilding — will only worsen if societies don’t do much more.

    Alternative materials

    It’s obvious that buildings at elevated risk from fire should not be made from combustible materials, like exposed timber. Now, there are impressive alternatives such as new forms of concrete and metal roofing that can prevent fire from taking hold in a home, garage or other building.

    Improved land-use planning and community-scale design can also meaningfully decrease the exposure and vulnerability of buildings to wildfire. What we need is a cohesive, risk-averse and data-driven framework that allows for architectural and structural design choices based on quantified fire risk.

    Research — only if we make it a funding priority — can give us such a framework.

    Enhancing safety

    In Jasper, Alta., which is in a national park, new federal guidelines for rebuilding after last year’s devastating fire call for enhanced safety. These include new separations between buildings and flammable landscaping, including nonflammable buffers to separate homes from wooden fences and decks.

    If we continue to build (and rebuild) within forest boundaries, we have to expand standards, mandates and engineering efforts to protect people and their homes.

    How can we make them safer?

    We can start by much-needed building code updates. And we can educate residents and home-buyers about reducing their risk.

    FireSmart Canada, for example, offers practical advice on what kinds of trees, shrubs and lawns are safest to use in landscaping, and how far they should be from one’s house, depending on the degree of local fire risk. However, a more community-driven safety mindset is required for successful implementation of these guidelines; individual efforts alone are not enough to reduce the wildfire risk in interconnected neighbourhoods.

    For developers, designers and builders, improving safety may mean tighter new zoning rules and stricter building codes to govern where and how we build to protect against fire. Suppliers will need access to safer materials, some of which have yet to be developed.

    Research priorities

    To develop a framework, recommendations and guidelines to enhance fire safety and reduce loss, we need evidence, and that requires research.

    In Canada, we have excellent researchers working on forest fires. But as a fire crosses from a natural setting to an urban one, everything changes — the fuel, wind patterns and movement of the fire — so we need to study and model it differently too.

    These forms of knowledge are all within reach, but until we prioritize them, we are deciding to put lives and neighbourhoods at risk. The price of doing nothing will be much greater than the cost of taking action.

    Ramla Karim Qureshi receives funding from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

    – ref. We design cities and buildings for earthquakes and floods — we need to do the same for wildfires – https://theconversation.com/we-design-cities-and-buildings-for-earthquakes-and-floods-we-need-to-do-the-same-for-wildfires-257297

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Canada must take action to prevent climate-related migration

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Christopher Campbell-Duruflé, Assistant Professor, Lincoln Alexander School of Law, Toronto Metropolitan University

    As wildfire season begins, the destructive impacts of climate change are being felt across Canada. Several communities in northern Saskatchewan have been issued evacuation orders due to wildfires. In Manitoba, Pimicikamak Cree Nation worked to evacuate hundreds of people as wildfires closed in, while smoke from those fires caused air-quality issues across the country.

    It isn’t just wildfires threatening people’s homes and livelihoods. In May, 1,600 residents from the Kashechewan Cree First Nation in Northern Ontario evacuated again due to flooding of the Albany River, which happens almost every year.

    The 2018 United Nations Climate Conference called on all states to adopt “laws, policies and strategies” meant “to avert, minimize and address displacement related to the adverse impacts of climate change.”

    The figures are disquieting. By 2050, more than 140 million people could become internal climate migrants in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America alone, especially if action towards reaching net-zero carbon emissions continues to be insufficient.

    Canada is not spared: 192,000 people were evacuated in 2023 due to disasters made more severe by climate change, including floods and wildfires. As climate change leads to more extreme weather, temporary climate displacement could become permanent migration.

    Climate migration

    The World Bank defines internal climate migration as having to relocate for at least a decade to a location 14 kilometres or more away from your community because of climate impacts.

    Research I presented at the 2025 Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies Conference at Toronto Metropolitan University analyzed how Canada addresses the climate migration challenge in its submissions under the Paris Agreement, which requires parties to adapt to climate change.

    The Canadian government understated the reality of internal climate migration in its submissions under the 2015 Paris Agreement, which obscure the gravity of this phenomenon.

    One of those submissions is the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the cornerstone report each state party must present every five years. Canada’s NDC from 2021 recognizes that climate change harms certain populations more than others, but does not address temporary displacement, let alone internal climate migration.

    The Fort McMurray wildfires displaced more than 80,000 people in 2016, with its population declining 11 per cent between 2015 and 2018. Similarly, the 2019 Québec spring floods displaced more than 10,000 people and, in Sainte-Marie, hundreds of low-income families abandoned the city because they could not afford the reconstructed homes.

    A clear definition of internal climate migrants in Canada, robust data and better co-ordination among Indigenous, municipal, provincial and federal governments is needed.

    This is something a National Adaptation Act could deliver, as a part of a comprehensive framework to bolster adaptation action across the country.

    Transparency lacking

    Canada submitted an adaptation communication in 2024. The communication discusses climate impacts but mentions internal displacement only once. It contains no data or discussion of when displacement becomes permanent, nor does it focus on the disproportionate impact on equity-deserving groups.

    The government submitted an updated NDC earlier this year. It noted “the devastating impact of wildfires, floods, drought and melting permafrost on communities across the country” but only briefly discusses adaptation, referring instead to the 2023 National Adaptation Strategy. The only mentions of displacement come in appended submissions by Indigenous Peoples, including Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin First Nation and Makivvik.

    Indigenous Peoples suffer from flawed adaptation policies and institutional barriers that prevent them from effectively responding to emergencies. As a result, First Nations evacuate 328 times more frequently than settler communities during climate disasters.

    In 2011, for example, officials in Manitoba diverted flood waters to Lake St. Martin to protect urban, cottage and agricultural properties. In the process, they flooded 17 First Nations and displaced 4,525 people. Return of the 1,400 residents of the Lake St. Martin First Nation to a new location only started in 2017, and as recently as 2020 displaced families were protesting on highways for their right to housing.

    A national adaptation act

    Canada should adopt a clear definition of internal climate migrants that captures displacement from climate disasters and slow-onset phenomena like sea-level rise, permafrost thaw and biodiversity loss.

    UN experts released a Technical Guide on Human Mobility in 2024, calling for “a sound evidence base on the patterns and trends, as well as on the drivers and outcomes” of climate-induced mobility. It also highlighted the need for adaptation efforts “that are informed by stakeholder consultations” and “existing (Indigenous) adaptation practices.”

    Defining internal climate migrants would allow Canada to gather robust data at last, and to act decisively on it.

    One first step is the federal government’s pledge of a National Recovery Strategy by 2028, which would set out “shorter time frames for displaced individuals to be able to return to their homes or resettle after climate change disaster events.” But a comprehensive approach is needed to go beyond the fragmented landscape of federal and provincial strategies.

    The Canadian government should work with all stakeholders toward the adoption of a National Adaptation Act, like Brazil, Germany and Japan.

    Such a law could remove barriers to Indigenous adaptation action, co-ordinate efforts across orders of governments to prevent displacements, define internal climate migration, ensure data collection and protect the rights of people temporarily displaced or internally migrating because of climate change.

    It should also aim for greater transparency and accountability than what Canada has so far achieved with its Paris Agreement submissions.

    Christopher Campbell-Duruflé receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for his research. He serves on the Legal Committee of the Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement.

    – ref. Canada must take action to prevent climate-related migration – https://theconversation.com/canada-must-take-action-to-prevent-climate-related-migration-257607

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: SkyCrest Capital Announces Completion of SAX-iCore Upgrade for AI Trading System SkyAlpha X, Secures $150 Million in Institutional Orders

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Denver, UT, June 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SkyCrest Capital officially announced today that its core AI trading system, SkyAlpha X, has successfully completed a comprehensive upgrade to its third-generation architecture, launching the institutional-grade version SAX-iCore (SkyAlpha X Institutional Core). This upgrade marks SkyAlpha X’s entry into a new era that balances high-frequency trading, cross-market arbitrage, and structured asset management, quickly drawing significant attention from international markets.

    According to SkyCrest Capital’s technical and business teams, SAX-iCore has so far secured procurement intentions and signed orders from global hedge funds, quantitative institutions, and crypto-financial platforms, totaling $150 million. These include:

     • A cross-asset hedge fund based in New York managing over $4.5 billion in assets, which has formally signed an integration agreement to deploy SAX-iCore for strategy automation in the U.S. equities and ETF options markets.

     • A digital asset market maker in Singapore, which has embedded SAX-iCore as the core execution module in its DEX liquidity engine, mainly for perpetual contract arbitrage and volatility trading.

     • An asset management firm in London that has signed a cooperation agreement for the AI-driven options volatility detection module, planning to integrate SAX-iCore into its global macro hedge strategies.

    Key highlights of the upgrade include:

     • Structured Volatility Engine (SVE): Detects breakout windows hidden within intraday price behavior, adaptable to index futures, tech stocks, and cryptocurrencies.

     • Cross-Market Signal Coordination System: Enables strategic integration across U.S. equities, crypto, and options markets for trend capture, volatility arbitrage, and macro alerts.

     • Smart Capital Flow Radar (SCF-Radar): Tracks institutional build-up and withdrawal paths to construct real-time capital behavior maps, enhancing trend confirmation efficiency.

     • Options Anomaly Volatility Alert Module: Combines implied volatility shifts with Gamma risk identification to significantly improve strategic responsiveness and defense ahead of market events.

    Dr. Ross, Founder and Chief Science Officer of SkyCrest Capital, stated:

    “SAX-iCore is not a mere upgrade of a traditional trading system, but a deep response to the increasingly interconnected multi-market environment. We’ve made breakthroughs not only at the algorithmic level but also ensured the system evolves in sync with real-world trading structures-this enables us to provide institutional investors with faster, more penetrative strategic decision engines amid globally intensifying asset volatility.”

    Since its initial launch in 2021, SkyAlpha X has delivered structured trading insights for stocks, futures, options, and crypto assets to SkyCrest’s strategy teams and institutional partners. As the flagship module of the platform’s 3.0 phase, SAX-iCore will serve as the core infrastructure for high-frequency trading, global asset allocation, and AI-driven execution system integration.

    SkyCrest Capital is currently offering early access to SAX-iCore for select strategic partners and is opening a whitelist application process for high-net-worth clients to access strategic modules. Retail-focused modules and tiered signal services for high-frequency trading are planned for phased rollout.

    For further information, please contact:

    Media Contact

    SkyCrest Capital PR Department

    Website: https://www.skyskinla.com/

    Contact: Audrey Sinclair

    Email: service@skyskinla.com

    Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities.

    The MIL Network –

  • Health Minister Nadda launches FSSAI’s ‘Stop Obesity’ campaign on World Food Safety Day 2025

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Saturday addressed the World Food Safety Day 2025 event, themed “Stop Obesity by Eating Safe and Healthy,” held at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru. Organized by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the event emphasized the critical role of food safety and nutrition in combating obesity and non-communicable diseases.

    The event saw the launch of FSSAI’s “Awareness Initiative to Stop Obesity” under the Eat Right India programme, aimed at raising nationwide awareness about the health risks of obesity. Nadda highlighted the alarming rise in obesity, citing the ICMR–India Diabetes (INDIAB) study, which reported a 39.6% increase in urban India and a 23.1% increase in rural areas between 2008 and 2020. He warned that by 2050, one-third of India’s population could be obese if current trends persist.

    “For a Viksit Bharat, a healthy India is necessary, and that can be ensured through the right types of food, healthy food habits, and lifestyle,” Nadda said. He urged stakeholders to support the Prime Minister’s call to reduce oil consumption by 10% and emphasized the need to revive traditional foods like millets. He also stressed the vulnerability of children to unhealthy food marketing and called for early awareness to foster better dietary habits.

    The campaign promotes inclusivity with communication materials in regional languages and sign language, alongside media outreach through FM radio, railway announcements, and digital platforms. A video featuring chef Ranveer Brar supporting the campaign was also released. Additionally, Nadda launched the Eat Right Activity Book – Your Guide to Eat Right at School, a resource under the Eat Right School initiative, designed to engage schoolchildren in learning about food safety, hygiene, and nutrition through age-appropriate activities.

    Nadda praised FSSAI’s innovative “Sugar and Oil Boards,” visual tools placed in schools, workplaces, and public spaces to highlight hidden sugars and fats in everyday foods. He suggested incorporating calorie intake information to enhance their impact and advocated for including food safety awareness in school curricula.

  • MIL-OSI China: Delving into deep sea: China joins global scientists in exploring hadal zone

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

    A pioneering international initiative for hadal zone exploration, led by Chinese scientists, has received official approval from the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).

    The Global Hadal Exploration Programme (GHEP), spearheaded by Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering (IDSSE) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), aims to transform fragmented hadal research into a coordinated global mission to explore, understand and protect the planet’s most inaccessible marine ecosystems.

    The hadal zone comprises primarily of ocean trenches, particularly from a depth of 6,000 meters to the bottom of the ocean up to about 11,000 meters. The hadal environment is characterized by extreme depths and pressures, darkness, low temperatures, frequent earthquakes, and peculiar living forms.

    For a long time, the hadal trenches have been among the most under-explored and mysterious areas on Earth due to technological limitations.

    China has been a key driver of deep-sea exploration over the past decade through sustained sci-tech advancements. In 2014, the CAS launched the Hadal Science and Technology Program, followed by a historic dive to the Mariana Trench’s 10,000-meter depths in 2016. By 2022, the CAS initiated the Global Trench Dive and Exploration Programme, leveraging its cutting-edge manned submersible Fendouzhe (Striver) and the Tansuo research vessels.

    “Venturing deeper is about understanding our ocean so we can coexist with it,” said Du Mengran, a lead researcher at IDSSE.

    “Global cooperation in these ‘untouched zones’ will redefine the boundaries of marine science and provide critical knowledge for deep-sea conservation and sustainable use,” she said.

    To date, Chinese scientists have collaborated with 145 researchers from 10 countries, exploring nine hadal trenches worldwide, including the Mariana, the Kermadec and Puysegur trenches.

    Starting from this year, GHEP will unify international research on extreme environments, life evolution, and geological processes in the hadal zone. The program will establish international research hubs, organize joint deep-diving expeditions, and host regular symposia while offering training and open access to samples, data, and facilities — particularly for young scientists, Du added.

    GHEP brings together research institutions from New Zealand, Denmark, Germany, Chile, France, Indonesia, Brazil, Russia, India, Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Portugal and other countries. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Report: China committed to building South China Sea into sea of peace, friendship, cooperation

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

    This photo shows the report, titled “Making the South China Sea a Sea of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation: China’s Actions” and published in both Chinese and English, released by Xinhua Institute, a think tank affiliated with Xinhua News Agency, on World Oceans Day, June 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Li He)

    Xinhua Institute, a think tank affiliated with Xinhua News Agency, on Sunday released a report highlighting China’s commitment to building the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship, and cooperation.

    The report, titled “Making the South China Sea a Sea of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation: China’s Actions” and published in both Chinese and English, noted that China has always been a steadfast advocate, promoter, and guardian of peace and stability in the South China Sea.

    According to the report, China has long maintained that peace and stability in these waters depend on collaborative efforts between China and member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Through deepened trust and cooperation across political, economic, and cultural spheres, this partnership has created lasting mutual benefits. Consequently, China has emerged as a reliable force for maintaining regional peace and stability while promoting cooperation and development in the South China Sea.

    The report stated that China has always adhered to the principles of building the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship, and cooperation: equal-footed consultation, rule-based co-management, mutually beneficial cooperation, and a constructive role.

    The report called on China and ASEAN countries to ensure that the solutions of the South China Sea issues remain in their own hands, to adhere to sound principles and direction in addressing the issues, and to continue upholding the notion of a maritime community with a shared future.

    The report also called for joint efforts by China and ASEAN countries to build the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship, and cooperation that benefits the people of all regional countries.

    The think tank report has received positive evaluations from experts. They believe the report comprehensively explained China’s practical achievements, insights, and pathways in advocating for the South China Sea to become a sea of peace, friendship, and cooperation, marking a significant academic contribution to the study of South China Sea issues.

    Zhang Jie, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, noted that the report not only offered historical depth but also summarized the latest developments in the South China Sea situation. It further clarified China’s principled stance and comprehensively demonstrated China’s positive contributions to the peace and stability of the South China Sea based on facts.

    Yang Xiao, a research fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, stated that the report, with a vision for a better future in the South China Sea, creatively explained and summarized China’s consistent adherence to the principles on South China Sea issues. Those principles serve as the foundation for China-ASEAN dialogue, cooperation, and constructive development, carrying significant theoretical and practical importance for the future, consensus-building, and bridging differences.

    Ma Chao, associate research fellow at the Maritime Silk Road Research Institute of Hainan Normal University, believed that China, upholding the concept of a maritime community with a shared future, has deepened cooperation with parties in the South China Sea. The report once again demonstrated China’s sincere commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the region, helping the international community better understand, appreciate, and respect China’s stance on the South China Sea.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: A glimpse into free school camps at Birrigai

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Campers get to make, cook and taste their own damper.

    In brief:

    • ACT public primary school students have begun attending free school camps at Birrigai Outdoor School.
    • The ACT Government launched the free camps program in February 2025.
    • This article looks at what students experience on a Birrigai camp.

    Since the ACT Government launched its free camps program in February this year, over 640 students have experienced one at Birrigai Outdoor School, near Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve.

    Another 370 students are booked to attend their free camp by the end of Term 2, which means Birrigai will have hosted more than 1000 students from 13 schools for free camps by mid-year.

    Camp is a fun and important part of schooling. But have you ever wondered what students actually get up to?

    This article looks at what ACT public primary school students can expect on their free overnight camp.

    The free camps program

    The free camps program gives one year group from each ACT public primary school a free overnight camp at Birrigai each year.

    This ensures all ACT public primary school students attend a free camp during their primary school years.

    Free camps mean all students can attend, with no one missing out due to cost.

    All ACT public primary schools will have their first free camp in 2025 or 2026.

    The campers’ itinerary

    Birrigai offers different programs aligned with the curriculum. Themes include:

    • First Nations culture
    • Outdoor adventure and science
    • Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) activities.

    Outdoor activities are central to the experience. On camp, students may take part in:

    • adventure bush walks
    • team-building exercises like team treks and rope courses
    • campfires, damper cooking and seed grinding (and enjoying Birrigai biscuits)
    • challenges such as the crate climb, Vertical Playpen and Giant’s Ladder
    • a connection to Country experience with Birrigai Aboriginal rangers
    • learning about plants and living creatures, including kangaroos, emus, yabbies, Bogong moths and Muliyan (eagles)
    • arts and craft – from sketching their environment to building a shelter
    • play-based learning, storytelling and singing
    • self-directed exploration
    • collecting data as part of Birrigai’s ongoing EcoSurvey.

    Programs vary due to the age and size of the group, the season and weather conditions.

    The Birrigai experience

    Local parents and carers may recall their own school camps at Birrigai, which was established in 1980.

    The outdoor school is surrounded by mountains, woodland and streams. It is of historical and ongoing significance to the Ngunnawal people.

    Students can see archaeological sites over 25,000 years old. There’s also plenty of wildlife to spot.

    Birrigai camps help students view the world differently and connect or re-connect to Country.

    Food and accommodation

    Students experience the novelty of sleeping in bunk-style cabins.

    These are heated and air-conditioned and have shared internal bathrooms.

    There are also facilities to cater for people with additional needs.

    At mealtimes, everyone eats together in Birrigai’s large dining hall.

    Meals are freshly prepared by an in-house catering team. Food aligns with the National Healthy School Canteen Guidelines.

    The team can accommodate specific dietary needs. Birrigai is a nut-free site.

    Ensuring equity in education

    The free camps program complements other initiatives aimed at helping Canberra families with school costs. These include:

    Find out more at education.act.gov.au

    Read more like this:

    Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:


    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Secretary-General’s message on World Oceans Day [scroll down for French version]

    Source: United Nations – English

    he ocean covers most of our planet – and sustains all of it.  

    Our ocean has not only shaped cultures, stirred imaginations, and inspired wonder across the ages. It supplies the air we breathe, the food we eat, the jobs we need, and the climate we count on.

    But today, the ocean needs our help. The distress signals are clear – from plastic-choked waters to collapsing fish populations and loss of marine ecosystems, from rising temperatures to rising seas.

    We must sustain what sustains us.

    The illusion that the ocean can absorb limitless emissions and waste must end.

    We must invest massively in science, conservation, and the sustainable blue economy – and extend far greater support to coastal communities, Indigenous Peoples and Small Island Developing States already bearing the brunt of climate change.  

    And we must protect marine biodiversity, reject practices that inflict irreversible damage, and deliver on the promise of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement.  

    The United Nations Ocean Conference that begins tomorrow will be a crucial moment to advance these priorities and renew the world’s collective promise to the ocean.  

    I urge all governments and partners to deliver – with ambition, resources, and resolve.

    ***

    L’océan recouvre la plus grande partie de notre planète et en assure la subsistance.

    L’océan n’a pas seulement façonné les cultures, stimulé l’imagination et nourri l’émerveillement à travers les âges : il fournit l’air que nous respirons, les aliments que nous mangeons, les emplois qui nous sont nécessaires et le climat dont nous dépendons.

    Aujourd’hui, toutefois, c’est l’océan qui a besoin de notre aide. Les signaux de détresse sont partout : eaux encombrées de plastique, effondrement des populations de poissons, disparition des écosystèmes marins, hausse des températures, montée des eaux…

    Nous devons faire vivre ce qui nous fait vivre.

    Il faut se défaire de l’illusion qui voudrait que l’océan puisse absorber une quantité illimitée d’émissions et de déchets.

    Il nous faut investir massivement dans les sciences, la préservation du milieu marin et l’économie bleue durable et apporter un soutien beaucoup plus grand aux populations côtières, aux peuples autochtones et aux petits États insulaires en développement qui sont déjà les plus touchés par les effets des changements climatiques.

    Il nous faut protéger la biodiversité marine, abandonner les pratiques qui causent des dommages irréversibles et tenir les promesses que recèle l’Accord portant sur la conservation et l’utilisation durable de la diversité biologique marine des zones ne relevant pas de la juridiction nationale.

    La Conférence des Nations Unies sur l’océan qui s’ouvre demain offre une belle occasion de faire avancer ces priorités et de permettre au monde de renouveler les engagements qu’il a pris en faveur de l’océan.

    Je demande à tous les États et à tous nos partenaires de tenir leurs promesses, de faire preuve d’ambition et de détermination et d’allouer les ressources voulues.

    ***
     

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI China: Why Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a must-watch for global businesses

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

    Photo taken on June 6, 2025 shows a delegation of consular corps and business communities in Hong Kong visiting Jinshan Software Park of Zhuhai in south China’s Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Wang Xinyi)

    A delegation of consular corps and business communities in Hong Kong has just concluded a four-day tour of Chinese mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), describing the trip as a “compulsory course” for everyone based in Hong Kong.

    “The GBA, as an emerging economic brand, has been underreported in terms of its potential and opportunities,” multiple consuls general, chamber of commerce leaders, and executives of multinational firms told Xinhua, underscoring the region’s untapped potential as a “blue ocean” for innovation and the need for enhanced global promotion to unlock its full economic and strategic potential.

    “These cities blend ‘sci-fi glamour’ with everyday vibrancy — stunning and unforgettable,” members of the delegation echoed this remark when commenting on their visits to Chinese mainland cities of Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Zhuhai in the GBA.

    The GBA’s technological landscape is nothing short of revolutionary. Tencent’s “Digital Library Cave” in Shenzhen’s Nanshan Science Park is a prime example. By harnessing high-definition scanning, gaming-engine rendering, and dynamic lighting, Tencent has recreated an immersive and interactive experience to preserve and share the rich cultural heritage of the Mogao Grottoes.

    Photo taken on June 4, 2025 shows a delegation of consular corps and business communities in Hong Kong visiting Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Wang Xinyi)

    This not only breathes new life into cultural heritage but also sets a precedent for using technology in education and tourism. As Nasar S A SH Alghanim, consul general of the State of Kuwait in Hong Kong, remarked, such innovations are “transforming how we engage with history and our daily life,” highlighting the far-reaching implications for various sectors.

    George Leung, CEO of SCOR Reinsurance Company (Asia) Limited., called the tour “beyond expectation,” admitting his prior focus on GBA infrastructure projects had overshadowed its cutting-edge sectors like agricultural drones and biopharmaceuticals. “This trip reshaped my understanding. We are now considering recalibrating our business strategies to align with these emerging trends,” he said.

    Discussing XPeng AeroHT’s futuristic flying cars, Johannes Hack, vice chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, praised the GBA’s “determination and execution in advancing low-altitude economy,” calling its “trial-and-error, rapid-iteration model” a template for innovation. “Flying cars turn childhood dreams into reality,” he told Xinhua.

    The GBA’s mainland cities exceed expectations — rich cultural heritage, vibrant talent, scenic beauty, and policy-supported industries, complemented by Hong Kong’s role as an international financial and professional services hub, said Maurits ter Kuile, consul general of the Netherlands in Hong Kong, after testing a game at a studio in Zhuhai’s Kingsoft Software Park.

    Photo taken on June 5, 2025 shows a delegation of consular corps and business communities in Hong Kong visiting Guangdong Medical Valley in Nansha district, Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Wang Xinyi)

    Over four days, the delegation visited cooperation zones in Hengqin, Qianhai, Nansha, and Hetao, focusing on such frontier areas as artificial intelligence (AI), smart driving, robotics, and biopharmaceuticals. Many delegates exchanged contacts, expressed investment interest, or planned follow-up visits, highlighting Hong Kong’s role as a gateway for global deals with the GBA and broader collaboration in technologies.

    Brian Davidson, British consul general to Hong Kong and Macao, described the tour as an “eyeopener,” noting the region’s “boundary-breaking” drive. “Innovation, entrepreneurship, and inclusivity here support staggering growth — they solve current challenges while anticipating future ones,” he said.

    Philippine Consul General in Hong Kong Romulo Victor M. Israel Jr. emphasized the GBA’s ability to translate trends into impactful solutions, citing achievements in information and communications technology, biopharmaceuticals, and AI. “As a ‘future economic blue ocean,’ the GBA offers endless opportunities. I stand ready to facilitate two-way investment between the GBA and ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations),” he said.

    The GBA balances visionary planning with practical implementation, said Alfred Cheng Man On, head of corporate banking at Bank Negara Indonesia’s Hong Kong branch, adding, “On-the-ground visits clarify how the GBA and Hong Kong reinforce each other, with positive ripple effects across broader regions.”

    Meanwhile, delegates agreed that the journey to the GBA mainland cities revealed a region that is not only at the forefront of technological innovation but also a paragon of livability, presenting a compelling case for global investment and collaboration.

    Photo taken on June 6, 2025 shows a delegation of consular corps and business communities in Hong Kong visiting Zhuhai in south China’s Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Wang Xinyi)

    In Zhuhai, delegates admired coastal landscapes and eco-parks, with Inaki Amate, chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, comparing the city to Danang in Vietnam and Malaga in Spain.

    “Similarly, GBA mainland cities offer a work-life balance that drives innovation and attracts talent,” Amate told Xinhua, noting “the GBA together as a global brand must be elevated collaboratively.”

    He encouraged the Hong Kong business community to leverage its financial and legal expertise to help mainland’s GBA firms “go global,” while encouraging European investors to tap into GBA innovation sectors and support reciprocal ventures like GBA factories in Europe to boost employment and brand presence.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s message on World Oceans Day [scroll down for French version]

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    The ocean covers most of our planet – and sustains all of it.  

    Our ocean has not only shaped cultures, stirred imaginations, and inspired wonder across the ages. It supplies the air we breathe, the food we eat, the jobs we need, and the climate we count on.

    But today, the ocean needs our help. The distress signals are clear – from plastic-choked waters to collapsing fish populations and loss of marine ecosystems, from rising temperatures to rising seas.

    We must sustain what sustains us.

    The illusion that the ocean can absorb limitless emissions and waste must end.

    We must invest massively in science, conservation, and the sustainable blue economy – and extend far greater support to coastal communities, Indigenous Peoples and Small Island Developing States already bearing the brunt of climate change.  

    And we must protect marine biodiversity, reject practices that inflict irreversible damage, and deliver on the promise of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement.  

    The United Nations Ocean Conference that begins tomorrow will be a crucial moment to advance these priorities and renew the world’s collective promise to the ocean.  

    I urge all governments and partners to deliver – with ambition, resources, and resolve.

    ***

    L’océan recouvre la plus grande partie de notre planète et en assure la subsistance.

    L’océan n’a pas seulement façonné les cultures, stimulé l’imagination et nourri l’émerveillement à travers les âges : il fournit l’air que nous respirons, les aliments que nous mangeons, les emplois qui nous sont nécessaires et le climat dont nous dépendons.

    Aujourd’hui, toutefois, c’est l’océan qui a besoin de notre aide. Les signaux de détresse sont partout : eaux encombrées de plastique, effondrement des populations de poissons, disparition des écosystèmes marins, hausse des températures, montée des eaux…

    Nous devons faire vivre ce qui nous fait vivre.

    Il faut se défaire de l’illusion qui voudrait que l’océan puisse absorber une quantité illimitée d’émissions et de déchets.

    Il nous faut investir massivement dans les sciences, la préservation du milieu marin et l’économie bleue durable et apporter un soutien beaucoup plus grand aux populations côtières, aux peuples autochtones et aux petits États insulaires en développement qui sont déjà les plus touchés par les effets des changements climatiques.

    Il nous faut protéger la biodiversité marine, abandonner les pratiques qui causent des dommages irréversibles et tenir les promesses que recèle l’Accord portant sur la conservation et l’utilisation durable de la diversité biologique marine des zones ne relevant pas de la juridiction nationale.

    La Conférence des Nations Unies sur l’océan qui s’ouvre demain offre une belle occasion de faire avancer ces priorités et de permettre au monde de renouveler les engagements qu’il a pris en faveur de l’océan.

    Je demande à tous les États et à tous nos partenaires de tenir leurs promesses, de faire preuve d’ambition et de détermination et d’allouer les ressources voulues.

    ***
     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: ISTIF of Boao Forum for Asia explores global collaboration in promoting I&T development (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Co-organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSARG) and Boao Forum for Asia, the International Science, Technology and Innovation Forum (ISTIF) of the Boao Forum for Asia 2025 Hong Kong Conference was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre for two consecutive days (June 6 and 7). Under the theme of
    “Transitioning Towards the Future: Powered by Science, Technology and Innovation”, the conference attracted some 800 leading experts, academics and political and economic leaders from the Mainland and overseas to gather in Hong Kong for an in-depth exchange and sharing of experience, and to explore how to capitalise on Hong Kong’s unique advantage of being connected to the Mainland and the outside world and how to foster global co-operation in the field of innovation and technology (I&T).

    Fully recognising Hong Kong’s advantage of being highly internationalised and as the gateway to both China and the world, the ISTIF was held in Hong Kong for the first time. 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sols 4561-4562: Prepping to Drill at Altadena

    Source: NASA

    Written by Conor Hayes, Graduate Student at York University
    Earth planning date: Wednesday, June 4, 2025
    We are continuing to look for a suitable location to collect a drilled sample in this area. As you may recall from Monday’s plan, we performed a short “bump” of just under 4 meters (about 13 feet) hoping to find a drill target today after Monday’s analysis determined that there were no good targets in our previous workspace. Happily, today’s workspace was much more cooperative, and we were able to select the target “Altadena” as our next potential drill location. Altadena is a name that we’ve been saving for a special target, as its namesake here on Earth is a neighborhood next to JPL that was devastated by the Eaton Fire earlier this year. We’re about to enter our next mapping quadrangle, which will come with a new set of target names, so the team decided that using Altadena as the name for this drill site was an obvious choice.
    The big activity in this plan is the next step in the drilling process. This activity is the “preload test,” which determines if the forces on the drill will be good while drilling, and the drill target won’t unexpectedly move or fracture. If we pass the preload test and find that the rock has the chemistry we’re looking for, we’ll be able to proceed with Altadena as our next drill site. If we don’t, we’ll have to decide whether to bump again or resume driving deeper into this potentially boxwork-bearing region.
    Of course, the preload test isn’t the only thing we’re doing today. Coming in, it was looking like our time for other activities would be pretty tight due to power constraints imposed by preparations for drilling and keeping the rover warm during the cold Martian winter. However, we’ve recently implemented some new power-optimizing capabilities, which led to us having much more power today than we expected. This meant that we were able to add a whole additional hour of science time in addition to the hour that we already had scheduled. 
    Unsurprisingly, Altadena gets a lot of love in this plan to characterize it before we drill. This includes a ChemCam LIBS activity and a Mastcam observation, as well as some overnight observations by APXS and some MAHLI images. In addition, Mastcam will be observing some exposed stratigraphy at “Dana Point,” a light-toned vein at “Mission Trails” that will also be a ChemCam LIBS target, a few more nearby troughs, and a couple of sandy patches at “Camp Williams” to observe wind-driven sediment transport. Along with the two LIBS, ChemCam will be using its RMI camera to add to the pile of images we have of the Mishe Mokwa butte and the yardang unit off in the distance.
    As the lead for the Atmosphere and Environment (ENV) group today, it looked like I was going to have a pretty light workload due to the power constraints preventing any ENV activities other than our usual REMS, RAD, and DAN observations. With the extra hour of science time, I was able to add a handful of new activities, including three Navcam cloud movies, a Navcam line-of-sight observation of dust within Gale Crater, and a Navcam survey to look for any dust devils that may be swirling around the rover. A pretty decent ENV science haul for a plan that started with nothing!
    When we come into planning on Friday, we’ll hopefully have passed the preload test and will be able to turn Altadena into our 43rd drill hole in the coming sols, before we continue driving up the slopes of Mount Sharp.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Searching for Ancient Rocks in the ‘Forlandet’ Flats

    Source: NASA

    Written by Henry Manelski, Ph.D. student at Purdue University

    This week Perseverance continued its gradual descent into the relatively flat terrain outside of Jezero Crater. In this area, the science team expects to find rocks that could be among the oldest ever observed by the Perseverance rover — and perhaps any rover to have explored the surface of Mars — presenting a unique opportunity to understand Mars’ ancient past. Perseverance is now parked at “Fallbreen,” a light-toned bedrock exposure that the science team hopes to compare to the nearby olivine-bearing outcrop at “Copper Cove.” This could be a glimpse of the geologic unit rich in olivine and carbonate that stretches hundreds of kilometers to the west of Jezero Crater. Gaining insight into how these rocks formed could have profound implications for our constantly evolving knowledge of this region’s history. Perseverance’s recent traverses marked another notable transition. After rolling past Copper Cove, Perseverance entered the “Forlandet” quadrangle, a 1.2-square-kilometer (about 0.46 square mile, or 297-acre) area along the edge of the crater that the science team named after Forlandet National Park on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. Discovered in the late 16th century by Dutch explorers, this icy set of islands captured the imagination of a generation of sailors searching for the Northwest Passage. While Perseverance is in the Forlandet quad, landforms and rock targets will be named informally after sites in and around this national park on Earth. As the rover navigates through its own narrow passes in the spirit of discovery, driving around sand dunes and breezing past buttes, we hope it channels the perseverance of the explorers who once gave these rocks their names.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Transformative £86 billion boost to science and tech to turbocharge economy, with regions backed to take cutting-edge research into own hands

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Transformative £86 billion boost to science and tech to turbocharge economy, with regions backed to take cutting-edge research into own hands

    Funding package worth more than £22.5 billion a year in 2029 will boost Britain’s world-leading status in research and innovation.

    • £86 billion to fund everything from new drug treatments and longer lasting batteries to new AI breakthroughs to generate billions for the UK economy and drive our Plan for Change
    • includes up to £500 million for regions across the UK, with local leaders part of decision making
    • announcement comes ahead of next week’s Spending Review, where the Chancellor will make clear that investing in Britain’s renewal will deliver change for working people and their communities

    Chancellor Rachel Reeves will announce a transformative £86 billion in the Spending Review to turbo-charge our fastest growing sectors, from tech and life sciences, to advanced manufacturing and defence, as part of the government’s plan to invest in Britain’s renewal through our Modern Industrial Strategy.

    Britain will boost its world-leading status in research and innovation with a bumper funding package worth more than £22.5 billion a year in 2029/2030. From exploring new drug treatments and longer lasting batteries, to new AI breakthroughs, the package will drive new jobs and economic growth as well as ensuring the UK leads the way in pioneering the technologies of the future.

    It comes ahead of the Spending Review, where the Chancellor will set out how the government will invest in Britain’s renewal by investing in the people’s priorities: health, security and the economy. The Chancellor will outline this government’s laser focus on investing in Britain’s renewal through projects that will bring jobs and prosperity, putting more money in working people’s pockets.

    The new R&D package will mean local leaders have government backing to develop ‘innovation clusters’ across the country, to unlock the talent and opportunity in every region and nation.

    It is those with skin in the game who know what is best for their region. That’s why, through the new Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, local leaders will be given the powers to decide how to target their research investment in the region and make the most of skill sets of the community, boosting high skilled jobs and igniting growth across the country, the core mission of the government’s Plan for Change.

    The package will see every corner of the country benefit. In Liverpool, that means leveraging its expertise in life sciences to accelerate drug discovery, in Northern Ireland that means harnessing its reputation for cutting edge defence equipment to shore up our national security. And in South Wales, it means boosting expertise in designing cutting edge semiconductors that power the devices like mobile phones and electric cars we rely on every day to support growth and new jobs in those regions.  

    The new funding will build on work already underway to transform local communities through the Innovation Accelerator pilot scheme – a new funding approach and partnership between local authorities and government. It has supported new technology developed by the Greater Manchester advanced diagnostic accelerator, delivering quicker and cheaper detection for liver, heart and lung diseases, whilst Moonbility from the West Midlands is using AI software helping train companies to simulate, in real time, potential disruption to the network so they can alert passengers on delay length, giving advice on replanning journeys. 

    This government is making investments in Britain’s future that will deliver dividends for decades to come. Every £1 invested in R&D generates up to £7 in benefits to the UK economy and leverages double in private investment in the long run, with businesses that receive their first R&D grant funding seeing jobs and turnover go up by over 20% in the following years – providing a major boost to the UK economy. R&D is also at the heart of around 3 million jobs in the UK, with the power to create many more as discoveries advance.  

    The announcement comes ahead of London Tech Week, the UK’s flagship technology festival, with more expected in the coming days, as this government doubles down on plans to ensure the UK is once again open for business and setting the conditions for a decade of national renewal and the economic growth that is at the heart of our Plan for Change.

    Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said:  

    Britain is the home of science and technology. Through the Plan for Change, we are investing in Britain’s renewal to create jobs, protect our security against foreign threats and make working families better off.

    Science and Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, said: 

    R&D is the very foundation of the breakthroughs that make our lives easier and healthier – from new medicines enabling us to live longer, more fulfilled lives to developments in AI giving us time back, from easing our train journeys through to creating the technology we need to protect our planet from climate change. 

    Incredible and ambitious research goes on in every corner of our country, from Liverpool to Inverness, Swansea to Belfast, which is why empowering regions to harness local expertise and skills for all of our benefit is at the heart of this new funding – helping to deliver the economic growth at the centre of our Plan for Change.

    Alongside this, nearly £5 million is being invested to kickstart a new partnership between the high-growth regions of Manchester and Cambridge, strengthening the link between these hubs of innovation to attract more business investment, and pilot new approaches to collaboration, setting examples for cities, universities and governments worldwide.

    Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said:

    This is exactly how we turn our potential into progress. This investment backs regions to lead the way in the industries that will define the future.

    From life sciences and advanced manufacturing to clean energy and AI, regions across the UK have the skills and the ideas – they just need the investment and the power to match.

    This will drive innovation that not only grows the economy but creates jobs, builds opportunity, improves health and changes lives.

    North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said: 

    Our region is already an advanced manufacturing powerhouse and this announcement boosts my mission to create new growth, new jobs and new opportunities in 2 exciting ways. 

    We will now be able to support more research and development projects in established sectors, like the car industry and green energy, which are cornerstones of the North East economy, and we can also invest in new technologies from kitchen table innovations to our fast-emerging trailblazers in the space industry and AI.

    Notes to editors

    The fund would give dedicated awards of at least £30 million to each of the 7 Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities in England – Greater Manchester, West Midlands, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Liverpool City Region, North East, and Greater London as well as to one equivalent region in each of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to be agreed with devolved governments. The fund will also include a competition, which will be open to all other parts of the UK. This will similarly support high potential innovation clusters to grow, and be based on a principle of co-creation with UKRI. This will allow us build on the strengths that we know exist across the country.

    Following a review of the Treasury’s Green Book, the Chancellor to invest billions in the regions to support economic growth, making deliberate choices to stabilise the public finances in invest in Britain’s renewal. This announcement on R&D follows on the back off £15.6 billion of government investment in local transport in city regions in the North, Midlands and South West, which also empowers local leaders to make the best investment decisions for their areas which they know best and ensure value for money.   

    The ONS has estimated 2.8 million people are employed in occupations essential to R&D activities across all sectors in 2023: R&D skills supply and demand: long-term trends and workforce projections – GOV.UK. 

    The Cambridge x Manchester Innovation Partnership will be led by Research England on behalf of UKRI. It includes a £4.8 million investment over 3 years which embeds place-based growth, led by the universities of Cambridge and Manchester.

    DSIT media enquiries

    Email press@dsit.gov.uk

    Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm 020 7215 3000

    Updates to this page

    Published 8 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: GUU specialists at MAEF-2025 developed recommendations for balanced socio-economic development of Russia

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    On June 5, 2025, the Moscow Academic Economic Forum (MAEF-2025) ended, part of the working program of which was held at the State University of Management.

    This year, the Moscow Academic Economic Forum was dedicated to the 260th anniversary of the founding of the Free Economic Society of Russia and was devoted to the topic “Russia – 2025: the trajectory of dynamic balanced socio-economic development”. MAEF brought together more than 17.5 thousand specialists from 32 countries, including China, India, Canada, Cuba, Germany, Greece, South Africa, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia.

    At the ceremonial final plenary session of the MAEF, Vladimir Stroyev, Rector of the State University of Management, spoke: “We are grateful to the Free Economic Society of Russia for the trust to hold part of the forum’s working program at our university. The conference was devoted to discussing issues related to the socio-economic development of Russia. All events of the Free Economic Society are of great interest to the teaching, scientific and student community at our university, so we are glad to be part of this forum today. I hope that we will continue our cooperation and do a lot of useful things for the benefit of Russia and its economy.”

    According to the President of the Free Economic Society of Russia Sergey Bodrunov, the strong regional component has become the hallmark of the MAEF. This year, in anticipation of the central events of the forum, work was carried out at 115 regional sites, which were formed on the basis of the leading universities and research centers of the country, divisions and institutions of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and regional organizations of the VEO of Russia.

    The plenary session of the MAEF was held on June 4 at the Russian Academy of Sciences, and plenary conferences on June 5 were hosted by 13 sites of leading universities and research centers. The plenary conference on the topic of “Institutes for Balanced Socioeconomic Development of Russia” was held at the State University of Management.

    The conference participants discussed a wide range of issues aimed at achieving balanced socio-economic development: the formation of new development institutions, strategic planning, human capital, interdepartmental cooperation, digital technologies and scientific and educational clusters.

    The following key recommendations were developed as a result of the conference:

    Coordination of development institutions. It was proposed to work out the issue of creating a single coordination mechanism for coordinating the actions of development institutions, aimed at implementing technological and industrial sovereignty in the context of structural transformation of the economy. Solving the problem of personnel shortage. The conference participants noted the paramount importance of the problem of systemic personnel shortage as the main limitation for achieving the goals of economic policy. It was proposed to strengthen interdepartmental and interlevel formats of labor force planning over a 5-15 year horizon, including advanced training of specialists for priority projects. Moreover, the State University of Management is one of the ambassadors of project-based learning. Transition to systemic measures of economic policy. Recognize the need to transition from targeted to systemic measures of economic policy aimed at long-term sustainability and increasing domestic demand for scientific, engineering and production competencies. Formation of a national model of integrated strategic planning. Conference participants expressed support for the idea of creating a national model of integrated strategic planning, which will include monitoring of resource, institutional and demographic constraints, as well as mechanisms for compensating for them through appropriate institutional and financial instruments.

    Also, within the framework of MAEF, a youth conference was held, following which GUU student Ekaterina Glyzina (IOM, 2nd year) received a 1st degree diploma in the section “New solutions for the digital age: from theory to practice”.

    We congratulate Ekaterina on her diploma, and our entire university on the successful holding of this important event.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Boao innovation conference held

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Boao Forum for Asia’s International Science, Technology & Innovation Forum (ISTIF) was held in Hong Kong for the first time today and yesterday.

     

    Held at the Convention & Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai and co-organised with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the conference – themed “Transitioning Towards the Future: Powered by Science, Technology and Innovation” – attracted some 800 leading experts, academics and political and economic leaders from the Mainland and overseas.

     

    The conference focused both on how to capitalise on Hong Kong’s unique advantage of being connected to the Mainland and the outside world and how to foster global co-operation in the field of innovation and technology (I&T).

     

    During its Opening Plenary, Chief Executive John Lee outlined that under the “one country, two systems” arrangement, Hong Kong is the only world city that enjoys both the “China advantage” and the “global advantage”. He added that the city will take full advantage of its established tradition of the rule of law, its world-class universities and its robust intellectual property protection regime as it moves to become an international innovation and technology centre.

     

    Highlighting that the world stands at a consequential crossroads in human history, Mr Lee said the convergence of artificial intelligence and health technology will lead to the next era of humanity’s evolution.

     

    He remarked that innovation must be rooted in international co-operation, and in the open and free exchange of knowledge, talent and ideas.

     

    In today’s Hong Kong Forum, themed “Leveraging the Advantages of Connecting with Both the Mainland and the World to Foster Global Innovation and Technology Collaboration”, renowned Hong Kong experts and political and business leaders from various fields, explored how the city can fully leverage its unique advantages of internal and external connectivity.

     

    Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong outlined that the Government has launched a series of robust policies to solidify Hong Kong’s research capabilities, accelerate the transformation of research and development outcomes, and promote the development of the technology industry.

     

    Prof Sun explained that these policies are aimed at building a complete I&T ecological chain encompassing upstream, midstream and downstream sectors, and at promoting interactive collaboration across government, industry, academia, the research community and investors, to turn breakthroughs into impact and ideas into global solutions.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: A study conference on the Spanish priest Juan Bautista Vives: He contributed to the creation of the “Collegio de Propaganda Fide”

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    archivalencia.org

    Rome (Agenzia Fides) – Juan Bautista Vives, together with the Lucca-born priest Giovanni Leonardi and the Jesuit Martin de Funes, contributed to the creation of the “Collegio de Propaganda Fide,” which was founded in 1627 by Pope Urbano VIII with the bull “Immortalis Dei Filius,” from whom it also received the name “Collegio Urbano.” Juan Bautista Vives, a native of Valencia, actively collaborated with Popes Gregory XV and Urbano VIII and was a member of the “Sacred Congregation de Propaganda Fide,” the Dicastery of the Holy See established more than 400 years ago to support and coordinate the missionary work of the Catholic Church throughout the world. In Palazzo Ferratini, his Roman residence near the Spanish Steps, the “Collegio de Propaganda Fide” was founded with the goal of training missionaries spiritually, theologically, and culturally prepared to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world.On Tuesday, June 10, at 6 p.m., a conference dedicated to the figure of the Spanish priest will take place in the National Church of Spain (Hall in Rome’s Via Giulia). Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for the First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches), will also participate in the conference, entitled “At the Service of the Universal Mission: Juan Bautista Vives, Founder of the Collegio de Propaganda Fide.”Juan Buatista Vives’ “deeply ecclesial vision” and “his commitment,” states the conference press release, “gave rise to a work that marked the history of modern evangelization.”The versatile Spanish priest was linked to King Philip III and also served as representative of the Spanish Inquisition in Rome and ambassador of the Kingdom of Kongo’s first permanent embassy in the Eternal City. Thanks to his initiative, the remains of Popes Callistus III and Alexander VI were transferred to the Church of Santa Maria di Montserrat degli Spagnoli in the Regola district of Rome, where he is also buried.At the study conference on Tuesday, June 10, Cardinal Tagle will be joined by Don Flavio Belluomini, archivist of the Propaganda Fide Historical Archives, and Don Francisco Juan Martínez Rojas of the Spanish Institute of Church History. The conference will be moderated by Pierantonio Piatti, Secretary of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences, the body sponsoring body of the conference. (Agenzia Fides, 7/6/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: AI vs. Manual Cultivation: Round 2 of China’s Smart Farming Competition

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    CHENGDU, June 7 (Xinhua) — Under the golden rays of the June sun, a “high-risk” agricultural experiment is unfolding in the emerald rice fields of the “Tianfu Breadbasket” key demonstration area in Chongzhou City, southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

    Three weeks into the second AI rice-growing competition, organizers are faced with a key question: Can AI surpass centuries of farming wisdom?

    The competition, which runs from May 15 to September 30, features six traditional farming teams and four AI-enabled teams on 1,000 mu (about 66.7 hectares) of high-quality rural fields. Each team cultivates 100 mu using elite rice varieties. This modern duel between tradition and technology offers insight into China’s advancement toward smart agriculture.

    The AI teams use an intelligent agent for rice cultivation decision-making developed by the Institute of Urban Agriculture of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) using a sky-earth-space data network. The system collects information on crop growth, farming operations, diseases, pests and weeds in real time, processes the data through a cloud-based AI agent, generates detailed reports and professional recommendations that are instantly sent to the smartphones of the AI participants.

    Based on these recommendations, AI participants carry out field work, and the monitoring system continuously collects operational data, forming a closed decision-making loop to ensure the accuracy and intelligence of the growing process.

    Gao Ying, a participant from Qingqiao Shared Land Cooperative in Chongzhou City, said that compared with traditional farming, AI farming can quickly master key knowledge and production skills. “In addition, the system provides effective recommendations in response to queries,” she added.

    Lessons from the first competition

    This is not Gao Ying’s first experience. Last year’s competition showed the reality of the situation: the AI system from ASNC, which guided the newcomer Gao Ying in the 100 mu section, helped her team to take seventh place among nine teams.

    “AI needs field practice,” said Wang Ran, a leading researcher at ASNC for urban agriculture strategy, whose team developed the system.

    “When we created the algorithm, we had fragmentary data. Now we have created a comprehensive data set covering the entire rice growing process: start and end dates, photos of crop growth, relevant weather and soil data,” said Wang Ran.

    “The power of AI is in processing 10,000 data points from each mu through our monitoring network, but converting them into practical actions requires deeper synergy between farmers and algorithms,” Wang explained. He noted that the AI-based decision-making rate reached 73 percent last year, but there were challenges with the timing of pest control.

    “This year, the goal is to achieve more than 80 percent decision making to ensure that AI recommendations are consistent with farmers’ actions,” he said.

    Harmony between humans and AI

    The organizers view the competition not as a confrontation, but as an integration of humans and AI.

    “AI is a help, not a replacement for humans. We aim to provide more accurate support to urban producers and decision makers through AI computing power,” Wang Ran said of the initial goal of applying AI in agriculture.

    “The key value of the system is to create a bridge between innovators and farmers’ needs, improving the quality of decision-making by farmers and providing data for government sector planning,” he stressed.

    Now, in the midst of summer harvesting and planting, Qingqiao Village in Chongzhou City, Chengdu Plain, is demonstrating the results of technological transformation of traditional agriculture: an intelligent rice planting system works in tandem with farmers, creating a highly efficient symbiosis of smart technology and human labor. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Opening remarks by SITI at Hong Kong Forum of International Science, Technology and Innovation Forum of Boao Forum for Asia 2025 Hong Kong Conference (English only) (with photo)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Following are the opening remarks by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, at Hong Kong Forum of International Science, Technology and Innovation Forum of Boao Forum for Asia 2025 Hong Kong Conference today (June 7):

    Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Retinal implant offers hope for blind, extends vision to infrared

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

    A team of Chinese scientists has unveiled a revolutionary retinal implant that may not only restore sight to the blind but also grant them the ability to see infrared light, a spectrum beyond normal human sight.

    The study, published on Friday in the journal Science, demonstrates how a mesh of ultra-thin tellurium nanowires can replace damaged photoreceptors in a blind mouse’s eye, and convert near-infrared light into electrical signals that the macaque brain, a non-human primate model, can interpret as vision.

    The new technology’s feasibility and strong safety profile mark a milestone in the development of artificial vision, which could prove invaluable to 200 million patients worldwide who are living with blindness or retinal disease.

    The team from Shanghai tested their device in blind mice, which subsequently regained reflexes in the pupil and evoked neuron firing in the visual cortex. They performed almost as well as normal mice in visual pattern recognition tests.

    More significantly, the device was successfully implanted in macaque monkeys, where it demonstrated both safety and the ability to detect near-infrared 1,550-nanometer light, according to the study.

    In patients with severe eye diseases, such as macular degeneration, infrared vision could, in principle, aid vision in low light and darkness. The device could potentially provide significant advantages in low-light conditions.

    The nanowire mesh is remarkably thin — about ten times thinner than previous artificial photoreceptors — making it easier to implant and more compatible with the delicate structures of the eye, said Zhang Jiayi from Fudan University, one of the lead researchers.

    The retinal implant might be a game-changer since a single minimally invasive, reversible procedure restores natural vision without bulky glasses or frequent charging, according to the study.

    The team designed a nanowire for the retina based on tellurium, a silver-white, light-sensitive element that’s used as a semiconductor, and interlaced them into an implantable lattice network.

    It showed good biocompatibility and did not require external power sources, said the journal’s editor Mattia Maroso.

    This successful animal study paves the way for future human trials, and offers a safer, more effective and wider-spectrum solution than existing technologies, said the researchers.

    It could “substantially improve the efficacy of retinal neuroprostheses in restoring vision in blind and visually impaired individuals,” said Maroso.

    MIL OSI China News –