Statistics – Page 3 – NewzIntel.com

MIL-OSI Africa: Department raises alarm over escalating intimate partner violence

Source: Government of South Africa

The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities has expressed concern over the pervasive “hidden crisis” of domestic and intimate partner violence, which is highlighted in a Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) report.

Conducted in 2024, the report revealed that one in three women in South Africa have experienced physical intimate partner violence in their lifetime.

“These are not just numbers; they represent the lived realities of millions of women, who endure suffering behind closed doors,” department spokesperson, Cassius Selala said on Monday.

The study also highlighted higher victimisation among black African women and women with disabilities.

While national statistics indicate a drop in overall violent crime during the second quarter of 2024, gender-based violence (GBV) crimes continue to rise.

According to the report, between July and September 2024, 957 women were murdered, 1 567 survived attempted murders, and 14 366 were assaulted, resulting in grievous bodily harm. In addition, 10 191 cases of rape were reported during this period.

Selala said intimate domestic violence manifests in various forms, often intertwined and escalating over time – ranging from physical and sexual abuse to emotional, psychological, and economic or financial.

He said recognising these different types of abuse is a critical step in addressing the problem.

Selala also warned that the impact of intimate domestic violence extends far beyond physical injuries, and victims often experience a range of severe and long-lasting consequences.

“The greatest achievements in women’s economic progress in recent decades are potentially being eroded by domestic violence. Intimate domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behaviours used by one partner to maintain power and control over another in an intimate relationship.

“This violence is not limited to physical harm; it encompasses a range of coercive and controlling actions that can leave deep and lasting scars,” Selala said.

Globally, the World Health Organisation estimates that one in three women have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, most often at the hands of an intimate partner. In South Africa, the figures are particularly grim.

At the end of 2024, the HSRC released the First South African National Gender-Based Violence Study, which detailed the prevalence of physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and economic violence experienced by women in all nine provinces.

To discuss some of the survey’s findings, the HSRC recently hosted a webinar titled: ‘Addressing poverty and inequality as drivers of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) perpetrated against vulnerable populations in South Africa: The importance of economic empowerment interventions’.

The webinar focused on poverty and inequality as drivers of gender-based violence and femicide perpetrated against women, including women with disabilities, women from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) community, black African women, and older women (over the age of 60). – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

July 30, 2025

MIL-OSI Russia: Color against inattention – how students and teachers of RUDN and Altai State University created an app for children with ADHD

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Peoples’Friendship University of Russia –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

There are about 1,600,000 children with confirmed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Russia. The necessary therapy is not always available to their families: due to the cost or the lack of specialized centers nearby. Teachers and students of RUDN and Altai State University have developed a special application for such children that increases attentiveness and reduces anxiety using the color photostimulation (CPS) method.

This year, the ActiMinds project team presented their application at the RUDN.VC 2.0 accelerator, becoming its finalist and receiving investor support. And then the development won the Startup Fest 2025 competition, which was organized by RSUH.

Project team:

Saniya Islamova is the project manager, analyst-programmer, first-year master’s student of the Applied Informatics program at the Faculty of Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences of RUDN University. Mikhail Yatsenko is the head of research work, candidate of biological sciences, psychophysiologist, associate professor of the Department of General and Applied Psychology of Altai State University. Tatyana Ustimenko is the director of the Scientific and Production Complex of the Cognitive Science Center. Ivan Brak is a specialist in scientific communication, candidate of biological sciences, neurobiologist, senior lecturer of the Department of the Faculty of Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences of RUDN University. Doruk Meric is a programmer, first-year master’s student of the Applied Informatics program at the Faculty of Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences of RUDN University.

The essence of development

The CFS method involves exposing the body to light signals of different colors – red, blue, green (at the user’s choice) – with an optimal blinking frequency.

Photostimulation helps to rebuild the functional state of the cerebral cortex into an optimal operating mode and activates Brodmann’s area 10, which in turn activates the prefrontal cortex. After all, it is the prefrontal cortex that is involved in providing such cognitive functions as planning, decision-making, awareness and establishment of logical connections between phenomena, theoretical positions, as well as in recalling memories from episodic memory.

The mobile app developed by the team works in conjunction with VR glasses. The user puts on the glasses, turns on the app, selects the color that will affect him for 2-10 minutes (red, blue or green). And then simply watches the flickering, which looks like a circle, of the selected color.

What are the advantages of development:

low cost of 2,500 rubles for a course of therapy consisting of 10 sessions (traditional methods of therapy cost from 20 to 50 thousand rubles); easy to use with a minimum of equipment (smartphone with an installed application plus VR glasses); the effect is already there from the first session; • high safety of use in the absence of epilepsy, heart disease and recent retinal detachment or recent eye surgery; there are statistics, session history, expansion of options is planned; there is communication with the project team via a chat bot and a VK channel.

A bit of history

The idea for the project originated at Altai State University back in 2001 during a study of the influence of the level of brain activation on the effectiveness of mental performance.

“University scientists have found that at a certain level of brain activation, the experiment participants demonstrated high levels of mental performance. As a result, an idea came up to “impose” this activity on the brain in order to improve its performance using the color photostimulation method. During the research, ordinary glasses with black opaque lenses were used, on the inside of which three LEDs were glued in the center – red, green and blue. The glasses, in turn, were connected by wire to a special unit with a liquid crystal screen. It allowed changing the frequency of flickering, brightness and color,” – Saniya Islamova, head of the “ActiMinds” project and a RUDN Master’s student (Applied Informatics, 1st year).

However, it took 20 years before the idea was developed and tested on a wider audience. Only since 2023 have studies been conducted again on different groups of people – children, students, athletes. At the same time, the development of technology has made it possible to use a smartphone and the first version of a mobile application created by a programmer from Barnaul instead of a block with a screen. And glasses with LEDs have been replaced by VR glasses, which allow you to influence a person’s visual field and prevent him from being distracted from the process of color photostimulation, which significantly increases the effectiveness of therapy sessions.

Proven effectiveness

“From February 1 to May 25, 2024, 37 children aged 6 to 7 years voluntarily took part in the study of the method. The experimental group included 24 children, 5 of whom had characteristic signs of attention deficit disorder (ADD) and 6 more – signs of ADHD. The control group consisted of 13 children. Sessions with the color photostimulation method were held four times a week for 10 minutes before correctional and developmental classes in the classrooms. In total, each child completed 10 sessions. In the group of children with ADHD, the speed of completing teacher’s tasks increased by 15%, the number of errors decreased by 2.5 times, and overall productivity increased by 22.5%,” said Elena Abuzova, Director of the MBU DO “DOOTS “Harmony”.

Expanding the team

Saniya Islamova joined the project in September 2024 as an administrator, and soon began to manage it. When the team was joined by programmer Meric Doruk in early 2025, it became possible to modernize the application. In two months, Meric created a new version of the service from scratch, it was deployed on PythonAnyWhere hosting. And now the team is switching to the Express.js (backend), Next.js (frontend) frameworks in JavaScript and the PostgreSQL database management system in order to be able to block content to protect against piracy and plagiarism. In addition, unnecessary settings were removed from the service, but an algorithm for creating a personal account and verifying a user using a unique token was added. Investor’s choice With the modernized application, the team took part in the RUDN.VC 2.0 accelerator. The program lasted 70 days, and during this time, Sania and her colleagues held more than 130 meetings with mentor-trackers, attended 8 open lectures from market experts and improved their project. On May 30, at the demo day, Sania defended the team’s work to investors. One of them, the founder of the company “ABV” and ambassador of the “Academy of Innovators” Ivan Shumilov, selected “ActiMinds” for further cooperation. Here is how he assessed the project.

“The development has potential. It is possible to quickly enter monetization through the “technology plus service” combination. However, we need even more measurements on people to demonstrate the result – before/after. To increase trust on the part of parents, specialists and partners, it is necessary to strengthen the scientific and expert base. Involving people with specialized education, publications, clinical and research experience in the team or expert council will become a strong support. Their conclusions will be able to support the evidence-based nature of the method. The application can also be adapted for other problems, not only ADHD, but also stress, anxiety, and adaptation difficulties. In this way, it will be possible to expand the product line,” – Ivan Shumilov, founder of the company “ABV” and ambassador of the “Academy of Innovators”.

Best Startup

After completing the accelerator, the ActiMinds team formulated a commercial proposal for cooperation with private psychologists and neuropsychologists, psychological centers, and also agreed with the RUDN University Faculty of Psychology on joint work from autumn 2025. With such results, the participants of the ActiMinds project applied for the Startup Fest 2025 competition, which was organized by RSUH.

“In the beginning, there were no particular hopes for winning, since we had to create a website for the project and conduct a marketing campaign. Probably, setting up online advertising was the most difficult, since we were doing it for the first time. After that, we recorded a video with a story about “ActiMinds”, the conducted marketing campaign and its results, and sent an application to the competition. The jury watched the video, and eventually, the student organizers from RSUH wrote to us and invited us to the award ceremony in one of the nominations. And it turned out to be a victory in the main nomination. The victory gave a positive assessment to our project and our teamwork, which does not go in vain!” – Saniya Islamova, head of the “ActiMinds” project and a RUDN University Master’s student (Applied Informatics, 1st year).

According to Saniya, the recommendations for further development of the project from the organizers and jury of the competition were very valuable. Mikhail Boldyrev, Director of the Center for Project Activities and Communication Technologies at the Russian State University for the Humanities, advised the team to create a website and social networks for the project. Post articles on the topic of ADHD on the portal, collect traffic, and initiate communication with potential users of the application and partners in social networks. Then gradually integrate your own product into the community through expert content. In addition, Mikhail Boldyrev recommended involving doctors in testing the application in order to promote the product through their reviews.

New goals

The team has taken the expert’s advice on board, so its immediate plans include creating social networks and a project website to educate and inform parents about the ADHD problem and their method. And also to organize joint work with the psychology departments of RUDN and Moscow State University on research and scientific articles in the new academic year, and to establish commercial cooperation with private neuropsychologists and psychological centers.

“We also plan to launch our own mobile application for the Android platform, which will work together with VR glasses. In addition to the main function based on the photostimulation method, the service will offer psychological tests, analysis of the user’s speech segment before and after using the DFS method, support and online consultation with a psychologist. The application is planned to be placed on all available marketplaces,” says Saniya Islamova, head of the ActiMinds project and a RUDN University Master’s student (Applied Informatics, 1st year).

In addition, the ActiMinds team wants to apply for the Student Startup competition from the Social Initiatives Fund and compete for a grant. And hopes for another victory.

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

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MIL OSI Russia News –

July 30, 2025

MIL-OSI Africa: National Savings Month: Beat unhealthy gambling habits

Source: Government of South Africa

National Savings Month: Beat unhealthy gambling habits

In the quest to keep head above water, South Africans have been forced to review and cut down their expenses in order to meet their financial obligations.

Given the ongoing economic challenges, some have turned to gambling as a means of making ends meet.

The month of July in South Africa is not only dedicated to the birthday of former President Nelson Mandela but also marks National Savings Month, which raises awareness about the importance of saving as well as fostering responsible financial behaviour.

Mindful of the hardships facing communities, government said it recognises that the current economic challenges, including the high cost of living and unemployment make it difficult for many South Africans to save their hard-earned money.

It has, however, called on citizens to save even the smallest amounts of money, as government continues to implement policies that are aimed at growing an economy that creates jobs and supports families that are better positioned to save and invest in their futures.

Recently, Parliament’s National Assembly deliberated the National Gambling Amendment Bill. The bill aims to amend the 2004 National Gambling Act (NGA) so as to amend and delete certain definitions; to transfer the regulation of bets on the national lottery, foreign lottery, lottery results and sports pools to the National Lotteries Commission.

It also aims to strengthen the regulation of casinos, limited pay-out machines (LPMS) and bingo, as well as to provide for the repositioning of the National Gambling Board (NGB) as a National Gambling Regulator, and to provide for certain new offences, among others.

With competing priorities vying for attention, gambling is seen by some as a way to close the shortfall in one’s budget.
In an interview with SAnews, the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation said it has seen a rise in the number of individuals who are struggling with gambling.

“From our referral statistics of the previous financial year, there has been a rise in the number of individuals who are struggling with gambling as compared to other financial years,” the foundation’s Executive Director, Sibongile Simelane-Quntana, said.

In the 2022/23 financial year, the foundation referred 2 253 patients for gambling related counselling, while 2 648 patients were referred in the 2023/24 financial year.

“It should be noted that these stats exclude family referral patients. In the 2024/25 financial year, the foundation referred a total of 4 126 patients for gambling related counselling, excluding family referrals,” said Simelane-Quntana.

The foundation provides free and confidential treatment and counselling to those affected by problem gambling and their immediate family members. The foundation also educates South Africans about the potential harmful effect of problem gambling and responsible gambling.

The data showed that more males were referred for help as compared to females.

“There were more adults referred than any other age group and most of the patients referred were full-time employed. Moreover, most of these patients held a matric as their highest level of education,” Simelane-Quntana explained.

This as the NGB, which is responsible for the oversight of the regulation of the gambling industry throughout the country, warned against gambling being “defined as a source of income or to make ends meet”.

Through the NGA, the NGB is empowered to provide oversight over licensing and monitoring of licensees by provincial licensing authorities.

South Africa has four legal modes of gambling, namely casinos, LPMS, bingo and betting.

The board, which is an entity of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, said the unrealistic appeal of quick money through gambling for those experiencing financial problems can be dire.

It added that “often consumers will go into further debt by borrowing money to feed a gambling habit, with the aim of making their money grow”.

Simelane-Quntana said that issues like the unemployment rate rising by 1% to reach 32.9% in the first quarter of 2025, inflation and inequality, are making it difficult for many.

“These statistics indicate the hardships that most South African citizens go through and the desperation to make a living out of various methods, and gambling seems to be one of those measures. Many individuals who are referred to the Foundation gamble to make an extra income; for some who are unemployed, gambling is a way of making money,” she explained.

Problematic gambling

The foundation (which is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the prevention and treatment of disordered gambling) said based on its referral statistics for the previous financial year, individuals who are unemployed were the second highest group to be referred.

“This is concerning, as we see a surge of problematic gambling in South Africa, which results in an increase in social and psychological health issues in our country,” said the Executive Director.

Signs of problematic gambling include preoccupation with gambling thoughts, chasing after your losses on gambling and being unable to stop gambling even after many attempts to do so.

Other signs are borrowing money to cover up for debts caused by gambling, gambling when feeling distressed and lying about gambling or one’s whereabouts regarding gambling, among others.

Help

Simelane-Quntana urged the public to seek assistance if they experience symptoms of problem gambling.

“The foundation offers free and comprehensive counselling and treatment for those affected by problematic gambling,” she said.

The foundation, which is funded by licensed gambling operators (excluding the National Lottery), also undertakes special projects at the request of provincial gambling boards.

Licensed gambling operators also support the foundation’s National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP), including awareness interventions through their own communication campaigns.

The programme provides three services namely: prevention through education and public awareness campaign, treatment and counselling as well as research, monitoring and evaluation.

The dtic, NGB and the Gauteng Gambling Board are among the partners of the foundation which assists those who need help on their confidential helpline, number 0800 006 008. The service is free of charge and available 24/7.

Asked on whether there has been increased marketing of gambling, the Executive Director said this was the case.

“There has been a rise in marketing and promotion of gambling activities in South Africa. This is also reflected by the R2.6 billion spent on gambling advertising, as reported for up to March 2025 in the news recently. Furthermore, the R1.1 trillion wagered into gambling as stipulated by the National Gambling Board for [the] financial year 2023/2024 implies the reality of South African’s being more attracted to gambling activities.

“Through our Taking Risks Wisely schools awareness programme, which is aimed at educating learners about the dangers of underage illegal gambling, we have noted field observation insights regarding children normalising gambling activities and actually partaking in them.

“This is not in isolation from the exposure at home and the media; however, it is also due to the illegal forms readily available at our spaza shops in communities known as Chinese Roulette Machines/Mochina, where they slot in R2 to play,” she said.

Live within your means

The foundation further called on the public to live within their means.

“It is important to live within your means, draw a budget and understand that if life changes happen, such as losing a job, getting retrenched or getting a salary cut, it is important to adjust to the changes and ensure that your expenses are not more than your income.

“Gambling cannot be a solution to one’s financial crisis and borrowing more money to cover other debts keeps you in the debt trap or circle, “said Simelane-Quntana.

With Savings Month coming to an end this week, it is never too late to take back one’s power and get help. – SAnews.gov.za

Neo
Tue, 07/29/2025 – 11:51

MIL OSI Africa –

July 30, 2025

MIL-Evening Report: Keith Rankin Analysis – Representation versus Reality; Reaching a Low Point

Analysis by Keith Rankin.

Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

Have you noticed how, in New Zealand news items and weather reports, Nelson and Marlborough are called the “top” of the South Island rather than the ‘north’ of that island. We also get phrases such as the “lower North Island” and the “upper North Island”. And New Zealand’s narrators regularly refer to New Zealand as being at the “bottom of the world”.

These phrases reference the (conventionally portrayed) map of the world, not the world itself. Rotate the map 180°. Nelson-Marlborough will still be the north of the South Island. But they will now be at the bottom of the top island! (And noting that the Roof of the World is the Tibetan Himalayas, not the North Pole. The South Island is at a higher latitude than the North Island; eg 44°S rather than 38°S. And Upper Egypt is south of – lower than? – Lower Egypt.)

Another really annoying aspect of a similar problem – in this case, the problem of colloquial jargon – is the propensity of financial journalists to refer to ‘up’ as ‘north’, as in “the stockmarket is heading north”. An even more egregious example I heard on RNZ on 29 May (Reserve Bank cuts OCR 25 basis points) was the Acting Reserve Bank Governor (Christian Hawkesby) referring to the ‘North Star’ as the ‘target’ of arcane monetary policy. Especially problematic was when he said “if you knew your North Star was much further south”. A bit ‘woo woo’ new age, if you get my meaning. Is the Reserve Bank trying to navigate the stormy seas where myth and reality meet, as in the search for Moby Dick? (Irish navigators 4,000 years ago could always return from a trip to Spain by following the North Star. Being in the ‘lower world’, Maui and Kupe faced more complex problems.)

Does the Reserve Bank make policy decisions based on Tarot Cards? Indeed, astrology did guide policy formation for most of human history.

The lesser problem is that ‘bottom’ has a pejorative meaning; a meaning that has been transferred to the word ‘south’ (which means ‘poor’ in the label ‘Global South’). The more substantive problem is the diminishing ability of ‘modern man’ (or at least homo sapiens in the Global North) to think abstractly. A diminishing abstract capacity allows us to conflate the reality of the planet Earth with its representation in the form of a map. And once too many of us see the representation as the same thing as the reality, the ongoing repetition of that framed construct self-reinforces; we give in to the narrative for the sake of mental peace and quiet. The imputed ‘reality’ of the conventional map becomes hard-wired; the map becomes reality, hardware rather than software.

Other examples of incongruent representation follow.

Knowledge Rich

‘Knowledge rich’ is a label that doesn’t match the package; refer Govt’s curriculum changes come under fire RNZ 22 July 2025. The phrase ‘knowledge rich’ appears to be an example of vacuous bureaucratic weasel words, to use a bit of idiomatic anti-jargon; a label useless except for obfuscation purposes. We would expect that the term ‘knowledge rich’ would mean something like ’emphasising the acquisition of knowledge’; ie the more understanding of reality the better.

When asked to define ‘knowledge rich’, the senior bureaucrat interviewee said in that RNZ interview: “really well-structured, clear content, the things that we want young people to know [my emphasis] and the things [skills?] that we want them to know how to do; we want them to learn … in nice sequential and … coherent learning pathway… structured ways … and that teachers need clarity on what needs to be taught and what students should be learning at any particular point on the pathway”. That’s actually reasonably clear for a bureaucrat put on the spot, but it’s not in any way the meaning of ‘knowledge rich’. This definition is about structure and constrained knowledge acquisition; it’s about young people learning what the state wants them to learn, only what the state wants them to learn, and in the ways the state wants them to learn. The label contradicts the reality, possibly with political intent.

A Humanitarian City

The Israeli government has rightly been described as ‘Machiavellian’ (refer Machiavelli) when it represents its planned concentration zone in Rafah (Southern Gaza) as a ‘Humanitarian City’. (Refer ‘Humanitarian city’ would be concentration camp for Palestinians, says former Israeli PM, The Guardian, 13 July 2025; and Israel turning Gaza into ‘graveyard of children and starving’: UNRWA chief, Al Jazeera News, 11 July 2025. And the new Israeli-American terror unit operating in Gaza is masquerading as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation; refer What is the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, and why has it been criticised? Al Jazeera explainer, 20 May 2025.

It is clear that the Israeli government is exploiting the increased naivete of the western news audience; a state of entrenched naivety that – as noted above – has become hard-wired in too many of our brains, thanks to the ongoing use of language which presents representation as reality.

We should also note that, in Germany in the 1930s, Adolf Hitler was able to gain a groundswell of popular support through his representation of Jews as cunning and Machiavellian disrupters; it does not serve Israel well for their present-day leaders to give any semblance of support to Hitler’s portrayal.

Holocaust

Through a relentless multi-decade campaign, it has become hard-wired into too many western brains that there was little more to World War Two than The Holocaust; ie that WW2 was essentially a battle between ‘Hitler’ and ‘The Jews’, and that it was resolved by white knights in the form of Churchill and Roosevelt and Truman coming to the rescue – albeit too late – by dealing to Hitler and giving (as compensation) Palestine to The Jews. In the process, most other narratives in that war are by now largely forgotten.

World War Two was of course far more complex. Further, the label Holocaust is an inaccurate portrayal of those catastrophic events. One strength of the English language is its capacity to borrow from other languages. The correct label for this greatest of catastrophes should be that from the victims’ own language; their label, the Shoah. The word holocaust, correctly used, has connotations of fire and brimstone (especially raining from the sky); the best-known biblical example being the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah ‘documented’ in Genesis. We may note that part of the divine and the diabolical intents of both the biblical holocaust and of the Shoah was to eradicate homosexuals. World War Two has a number of ready-made examples of true holocausts; many perpetrated by the Allies, starting with Operation Gomorrah which incinerated Hamburg in 1943, and ending with the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945.

The Holocaust obscures the holocausts, and much else. Inadequate representation indeed misrepresents the Shoah as a biblical spectacle, whereas it was really a coldly cynical mix of operations conducted in the then shadows. Was the Shoah a bigger catastrophe than Gomorrah? Probably yes.

Genocide and Terrorism

Earlier in the 2020s, people such as Paula Penfold and Liz Truss tried to represent the Chinese government’s persecution of the East Turkestan (aka Xinjiang) Uyghurs as “genocide”. They were ‘weaponising’ the g-word, part of a wider cross-partisan opportunity to demonise China during the Covid19 pandemic.

In the light of recent events in the Levant, an obvious and unmistakeable genocide which too many people refrain from calling a ‘genocide’, those anti-China representations look rather silly.

It is perfectly possible that people using the same identity label can be both victims of genocide and perpetrators of genocide; most likely at different places in different times. Most petty of all, this ‘is it a genocide?’ has become an elitist word-game. Anyone who thinks that if what is happening in Palestine does not meet some English-language definition of ‘genocide’ is morally bound to come up with an alternative word or phrase – presumably a somethingelse-icide – that more accurately conveys their assessment. Myself, I think that these events may be even more than a genocide; such as philosopher historian AC Grayling’s term culturicide (from Among the Dead Cities) which expresses what – for example, the Morgenthau Plan – looked to impose on post-war Germany (seeking to reduce Germany, with a pre-war population of 80 million to an impoverished ‘pastoral’ nation of 30 million). Cultural erasure is more than genocide.

Genocide is an unfortunate reality, a human propensity which has occurred in the past, is occurring in the present, and will occur periodically (unless finished by the ‘final genocide’, or biocide) in the future. Trying to weasel our way around it through an absence of language is a trait which has hard-wired itself, through denial and distractive fig-leaves, into elite cultures of complicity and impunity.

Another such word is ‘terrorism’. Winston Churchill and his bomber commander Arthur Harris had no doubt about the meaning of that word. So did the victims of their fiery terror, in Hamburg and many other cities. Now the representation of ‘terror’ through this word is restricted to a selected subset of resistance organisations. Winston Churchill understood that meaning of ‘terrorism’, too. His friend – Walter Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne – was assassinated in Cairo by fascist Lehi terrorists. (Re Lehi, see Stern: The Man, the Gang and the State, Al Jazeera 13 Aug 2024.)

Appeasement

This word may be used improperly, as a damaging misrepresentation of a political opponent, or avoided when it is most needed. (Grayling, in Among the Dead Cities, concludes that the Churchill/Harris holocausts on German cities, were in large part an ineffective appeasement of Josef Stalin.)

Here’s a correct recent use of the a-word: “With such uncontrolled power and aggressive posture, it seems Israel is seeking submission [in Syria and the rest of the ‘Middle East’ region]. The Trump administration’s approach of solving crises by appeasing Israel will entrench this doctrine and push the region into further instability.” (Nour Odeh, reporting from Amman in lieu of Al Jazeera ban by Israel, Al Jazeera News, about 8:05am NZ time, 20 July 2025. She ‘hit the nail on the head’.)

Could someone who has been represented as an ‘appeaser’ ever be a justifiable winner of a Nobel Peace Prize? I think the answer is a ‘qualified yes’; just as good fishers sometimes have to appease their quarry before reeling them in. But, I think, neither an appeaser of Netanyahu nor Stalin could qualify for that prize.

In reality, appeasement has to be done sometimes. New Zealand dairy owners have been routinely asked to appease violent robbers. And, in the movies, when someone points a gun at someone and says “hands up”, the victim almost always appeases the gunner, regardless of their moral position.

‘Appeasement’ is a representation that’s both underused and overused; a representation designed to construct a deception. If we cannot distinguish between representation and reality, label and labelled, then we stand to become victims to all kinds of mischievous narratives.

Cost of Living

The Government and the Opposition both frame the alleged “cost of living crisis” as a problem of inflation rather than deflation. Indeed, the linguistic minefield around economic policy is so problematic that a whole separate article is required to examine it.

The key issue for us here is that the ‘cost-of-living’ framing – ie representation – in government circles is that the economy must be in an inflationary phase and therefore a deflationary policy is required. However, when the New Zealand public complain about the ‘cost-of-living’ they are saying that prices are too high compared to their incomes; it’s an ‘affordability crisis’, not an inflationary crisis. And clearly the deflationary retrenchment policies – meaning policies to slow the economy down, to instigate a recession – pursued by the government are a critical part of the problem. The government’s solution is to represent its actual class-war anti-growth policies as ‘pro-growth’ policies. And the Labour Opposition completely falls for the way the government frames New Zealand’s structural recession as a ‘cost-of-living’ crisis.

At present, New Zealand has near-record-high (north!?) ‘terms of trade’, only slightly below the record highs of 2022. New Zealand’s terms of trade are now 50% higher than they were in 2000, and nearly 100% higher than the dramatic lows of the mid-1970s and early 1980s. As when Brian Easton wrote In Stormy Seas: The Post-War New Zealand Economy in 1997, the terms of trade represented the stormy waves, some bigger than others; and the favourable crests of those waves were when New Zealand expected (and generally got) economic good times. The troughs during the Muldoon years – not Robert Muldoon’s fault; he never had the power to shift the tides of a stormy world – were very difficult times for Aotearoa New Zealand. In these terms the twenty-first century has been the ‘best of times’ for New Zealand, and the 2020s the ‘very best of times’. Yet they are also the ‘worst of times’, to reference Charles Dickens. (Many of our most potent truths come from literature.)

New Zealand, like other countries, has experienced economic cycles and economic shocks. Through my lifetime one consistent cycle has been the short ‘trade-cycle’, on average about 32 months. We are near the crest of that cycle now. The last quarterly growth peak, September 2022, led to an annual growth peak of 4% in the year-to June 2023. Based on the usual timing of the trade cycle, June 2025 will be the next quarterly peak. It will not be pretty, if that will be the best GDP data that we get on this government’s watch. Any positivity when the next GDP figures are released in September, in colloquial jargon, may be characterised as a ‘dead-cat bounce’.

The government is undertaking structural retrenchment under the cover of a ‘cost-of-living crisis’ that means very different things to different people. Insinuating that New Zealand has a crisis of inflation – taken as a synonym for ‘overspending’ – when it has a very real crisis of structural recession and growing unemployment, is a particularly cynical misrepresentation of reality.

Conclusion

We too easily fall for these misrepresentations of reality; for representations that, in our minds, become a reality like treacle; sets of overlayed representations which play tricks on our minds. That makes us, and our political Opposition parties, quite unable to form coherent critiques of the too many misrepresented and problematic things that are happening to us.

In New Zealand, although we are allegedly at the ‘bottom of the world’, in the Far Southeast (fortunately not in the incorrectly named ‘Middle East’!). We also pride ourselves as being in the West and in the Global North. What is genuinely true is that Aotearoa New Zealand is geographically very far from most of the rest of humanity. We could use that birds-eye bottom-of-the-world detached perspective to see past the labels, the frames, the self-serving narratives. We don’t have to play ‘silly buggers’ when the rest of the world is so-doing; we can cut through the ‘bullshit’, to use some more colloquial jargon. We can be the North Star of the South.

With escalating geopolitical wars, and plenty of undertested nuclear weapons in the hands of numerous political sociopaths, being at ‘the bottom of the world’ may not be such a great place to be. All of us of a certain age remember British, American, and French nuclear testing in Oceania. Some, a bit older, remember nuclear testing in Japan.

*******

Keith Rankin (keith at rankin dot nz), trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

July 28, 2025

MIL-OSI Africa: Parliament calls for accelerated action on gender equality

Source: Government of South Africa

Parliament has called for an acceleration in gender equality and women’s empowerment across the African continent.

Addressing Parliament’s G20 special engagement between Parliament and the Pan-African Parliament’s (PAP) women and young parliamentarians, held in Johannesburg on Friday, Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, challenged parliamentarians to lead an “epistemic shift” by unlearning the colonial ideologies that continue to shape public policy, and to build a new legislative framework grounded in equity, reparations and dignity for all.

“Parliamentary diplomacy must be used not to mimic old power, but to dismantle the logics of exclusion, logics that sort bodies by race, gender and class, and determine who matters and who doesn’t,” Mtshweni-Tsipane said.

With South Africa preparing to host the G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20) in October 2025, the Chairperson urged women and young African parliamentarians to seize this historic moment to speak with a united, unapologetically African voice that brings gender justice, feminist solidarity and people-first reforms to the centre stage.

“The rights of women and girls cannot live on paper alone, they must be seen in courtrooms, in clinics, in classrooms and in every village across Africa. We must move from ratification to realisation and from symbolic gestures to systemic change,” she said.

Echoing Mtshweni-Tsipane’s sentiments, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Annelie Lotriet said the policy frameworks are already in place.

“The frameworks are in place, the statistics are known, and what remains is deliberate and determined action that is driven by political will,” Lotriet said.

As South Africa is presiding over the Group Twenty (G20) Presidency, Parliament will hold the P20 Summit, a high-level gathering of Speakers and Presiding Officers from G20 member countries.

The summit serves as the parliamentary dimension of the G20, aiming to strengthen global legislative collaboration on key development issues. –SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

July 27, 2025

MIL-OSI China: Wind power lights up roof of the world

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

Every time Hu Jiansheng watched people stop beneath the towering wind turbines, marveling at their massive size, pride surged through him. He was one of the builders of the Oumatingga wind power farm, one of the highest in the world with an average altitude of 4,600 meters, in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, the roof of the world.

As deputy general manager of the Xizang branch of CHN Energy Investment Group, Hu dedicated three years to this project in the city of Nagqu.

The Oumatingga wind power project, comprising 25 turbines with a total installed capacity of 100 megawatts, stands as a landmark achievement that demonstrates the region’s strong commitment to renewable energy development, particularly in photovoltaic and wind power.

“The project generates 227 million kWh of electricity annually, saving around 70,000 tonnes of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 120,000 tonnes, making a significant contribution to local energy supply,” the 47-year-old said.

“During the bitter winter months, we constantly struggled with electricity shortages that frequently led to power outages,” recalled Ngawang Jampa, 31, a resident from Nagqu’s Seni District. His family often resorted to burning cow dung for heating in the middle of the night.

However, since the wind power station commenced operations in January 2024, such hardships have become a thing of the past.

Today, every household in Seni District enjoys reliable electric heating, and power interruptions — even in winter — are now exceptionally rare.

The construction of this wind power project, however, was fraught with challenges.

“It was an extraordinarily difficult mission,” he said, explaining that altitude sickness and severe weather made the project seem nearly impossible at times.

Locals often joke that Nagqu has only two seasons: winter and “almost winter.”

“We’ve seen snowfall as late as May. This limited our construction window to just five months,” Hu explained.

One particularly harrowing incident occurred during turbine installation. “The hailstones striking my face felt like rocks, and it hurt so much,” Hu recalled.

“Then the snow began falling, and I became completely numb from the cold.” Amid these brutal conditions, the wind turbine nacelle hung precariously in the air, with only several workers struggling to secure the swaying machinery by tightening ropes against the howling gale.

“After a while, company workers, local villagers, and township government staff all came together to help fasten the ropes,” said Hu, with tears in his eyes, adding that when the hailstorm finally passed, he saw everyone was covered in snow, resembling a team of snowmen standing together on the vast grassland.

During the grid connection ceremony, while everyone gathered in the control center, Hu chose to stand alone at the wind farm. “Watching the turbines turn and hearing the blades spin felt amazing. I could finally allow myself to relax at that moment,” he said.

Wind power has injected vitality into Xizang’s clean energy development, serving as a vital complement during low-output periods of photovoltaic and hydropower generation, according to Shi Lei, a professor at the School of Ecology and Environment, Renmin University of China.

Official statistics showed that, by the end of 2024, more than 99 percent of Xizang’s power generation came from clean energy sources, the highest rate among all Chinese regions. Xizang now has a comprehensive energy system with hydropower as the main source, complemented by geothermal, wind and solar energy, among others.

MIL OSI China News –

July 26, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: As Trump Administration Continues To Gut Education Department, Warren Exposes Harmful Impact to Students with Disabilities

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
July 25, 2025
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 60,000 public schools and about 30 million K-12 students were left without a dedicated civil rights investigator due to Trump’s cuts at ED.
Warren: “It’s disgraceful that Secretary McMahon is firing the people responsible for protecting our students with disabilities.”
Video of Exchange (YouTube)
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), in a forum held by Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), “Robbing Our Students’ Futures: The Indefensible Attacks on Public Education,” highlighted the consequences of President Donald Trump and Secretary Linda McMahon’s cuts to the Department of Education (ED) for students with disabilities and their families.
“It’s disgraceful that Secretary McMahon is firing the people responsible for protecting our students with disabilities,” said Senator Warren. “This forum is a valuable opportunity to speak out and stand up against these horrible cuts so we can start building a better future for our nation’s children.”
In the hearing, Senator Warren slammed Secretary McMahon for her broken promise to “make sure that our students with special needs are taken care of.” In March, Secretary McMahon fired half of the staff at ED’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR), which is responsible for protecting students facing discrimination in school, and closed down 7 out of OCR’s 12 regional offices, including the one in Boston. Nearly half of all OCR complaints involve discrimination against students with disabilities, and following these cuts, OCR has begun dismissing complaints at an unusually high rate.
Dr. Jacqueline Rodriguez, CEO of the National Center for Learning Disabilities, testified that due to the cuts at OCR, 60,000 public schools and 30 million K-12 students were left without a dedicated civil rights investigator, with OCR dismissing 30% more cases last year than in the previous year. She warned it would be “improbable, if not impossible” for OCR to sufficiently resolve incoming disability discrimination cases with staff cut in half.
Senator Warren also highlighted the story of G, a student with an intellectual disability whose mom filed a complaint with OCR after G was allegedly locked in a padded room at her school repeatedly, despite not posing a danger to herself or others. The Trump administration fired the lawyer assigned to investigate G’s case, leaving G without any support. Ms. Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, stressed the importance of making the public aware of the impact of cuts to public education by sharing stories like G’s. She described ED as an “opportunity engine” for providing educational oversight and funding for various education programs, which are crucial for students with disabilities.
“We are in this fight because we believe that the future of this nation lies with our children. We speak out, we fight back, and we do not pass budgets that leave the door open for more cuts for the education of our children,” concluded Senator Warren.
Senator Warren launched the Save Our Schools campaign in a coordinated effort to fight back against President Trump’s attempts to abolish the Department of Education:
On July 17, 2025, Senator Warren released a new 23-page report, “Education At Risk: Frontline Impacts of Trump’s War on Students,” highlighting warnings from 11 major national education and civil rights organizations on the impact of the Trump Administration’s dismantling of the Department of Education (ED), slashing support to millions of American students, primary and secondary school teachers, administrators, parents, and student loan borrowers.
On July 15, 2025, Senators Warren and Sanders, along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, sent a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, urging her to reverse the interest hike on student loan borrowers in the SAVE forbearance.
On July 14, 2025, Senator Warren joined a letter to the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought, and Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, demanding that the Department of Education stop blocking nearly $7 billion in funds for K-12 schools, including for afterschool programs.
On July 3, 2025, Senator Warren led her colleagues in submitting an amicus brief for NAACP v. US, arguing to the United States District Court District of Maryland that President Trump’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education violate separation of powers and lack constitutional authority.
On June 10, 2025, Senator Warren met with Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and delivered over 1,000 letters to McMahon that the senator had received from people in all 50 states who were worried about the Secretary’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education.
On June 9, 2025, Senator Warren led her colleagues in pushing the Acting Inspector General of the Department of Education to open an investigation into new information obtained by her office, revealing that DOGE may have gained access to two FSA internal systems, in addition to sensitive borrower data.
On May 20, 2025, Senator Warren and 27 other senators pushed for full funding for the Office of Federal Student Aid.
On May 14, 2025, Senator Warren led a Senate forum entitled “Stealing the American Dream: How Trump and Republicans Are Raising Education Costs for Families,” highlighting the consequences of Secretary Linda McMahon’s reckless dismantling of the Department of Education and President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” for working- and middle-class students and borrowers.
On May 13, 2025, Senator Warren agreed to meet with Education Secretary Linda McMahon and promised to bring questions and stories from Americans across the country to highlight how the Trump administration’s attacks on education are hurting American families.
On May 6, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren highlighted the consequences of President Trump and Secretary Linda McMahon’s reckless dismantling of the Department of Education for American families in a Senate forum.
On April 24, 2025, Senator Warren launched a new investigation into the harms of President Trump’s attacks on the Department of Education, seeking information on the impact of the Trump administration’s actions from the members of twelve leading organizations representing schools, parents, teachers, students, borrowers, and researchers.
On April 10, 2025, following a request led by Senator Warren, the Department of Education’s Acting Inspector General agreed to open an investigation into the Trump administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education.
On April 2, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Mazie Hirono, along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, sent a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon regarding the Department of Government Efficiency’s proposed plan to replace the Department of Education’s federal student aid call centers with generative artificial intelligence chatbots.
On April 2, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren launched the Save Our Schools campaign to fight back against the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education and highlight the consequences for every student and public school in America.
On March 27, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led a letter to Acting Department of Education Inspector General René Rocque requesting they conduct an investigation of the Trump Administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education.
On March 20, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders led a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon regarding the Trump Administration’s decision to slash the capacity of Federal Student Aid to handle student aid complaints.
On February 24, 2025, in a response to Senator Warren, Secretary McMahon gave her first public admission that she “wholeheartedly” agreed with Trump’s plans to abolish the Department of Education.
On February 11, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim sent Linda McMahon, Secretary-Designate for the U.S. Department of Education, a 12-page letter with 65 questions on McMahon’s policy views in advance of her nomination hearing.

MIL OSI USA News –

July 26, 2025

MIL-OSI Russia: In the first six months of 2025, Uzbekistan imported over 24 thousand passenger cars

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

Tashkent, July 25 (Xinhua) — Uzbekistan imported over 24,000 passenger cars in the first six months of 2025, local media reported on Friday, citing the National Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan.

In January-June 2025, 24,355 passenger cars worth 422.1 million US dollars were imported to Uzbekistan, the report says.

Of the imported passenger cars, 14,356 were electric vehicles.

Among the countries that supplied the most passenger cars to Uzbekistan in the first 6 months of 2025, China took first place – 21,399 units. The Republic of Korea is in second place – 2,032 units, followed by India – 168 units. –0–

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

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MIL OSI Russia News –

July 26, 2025

MIL-OSI Security: Two teenagers jailed for the murder of 14-year-old Kelyan Bokassa following a dedicated Met investigation

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Two teenagers, who brutally stabbed a 14-year-old boy, have been jailed after detectives from the Metropolitan Police Service conducted a thorough investigation. Following the sentencing hearing, the victim’s mother made a heart-rendering plea for young teenagers to stop carrying knives as she spoke of her immense grief.

Kelyan Bokassa was stabbed by the pair as he was sat on a bus in Woolwich in January of this year. Despite the best efforts from officers and paramedics at the scene, Kelyan tragically lost his young life.

Two 16-year-old boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were both sentenced at the Old Bailey to a minimum of 15 years, 10 months for murder. They received an additional 12-month sentence for possession of a knife which will run concurrent.

The teenagers previously pleaded guilty to Keyan’s murder at the same court on Friday, 23 May.

Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Lee, whose team led the Met investigation, said: “This case has been deeply troubling for all involved and our thoughts remain with Kelyan’s family and loved ones.

“The harsh reality in London is that violence disproportionately affects young black men and boys. The fact we’re seeing so many teenagers like Kelyan die should be at the forefront of the minds of every politician, every policy maker and everyone who wants better for children growing up in London. Without this collective effort, we won’t be able to tackle knife crime in its entirety.

“And while I am pleased that Keylan’s mother, Marie, has been spared the emotional turmoil of a trial, I know that she still desperately seeks to understand why three young lives could be considered so disposable.

“Finally, I would like to recognise the members of the public that comforted Kelyan in his final moments and the witnesses who entrusted my investigation team with their testimonies. It was your bravery that helped us secure justice. Thank you.”

Marie Bokassa, Kelyan’s mother, said: “My child had a name, it was Kelyan, a future, a heartbeat full of hope. That life was not theirs to take. That moment of violence may have lasted seconds, but the consequences are eternal. They didn’t just take a life; they shattered an entire world. They broke a family, they buried a future, and they left me, a mother dead inside with wounds no justice can ever heal.

“To the young people who carry knives, I beg you to stop, before you raise that blade, think of your own mother, think of the mothers who will cry every night like I do, who will scream into her pillow, who will walk past her child’s empty room and collapse with grief. Don’t let a moment of anger steal your future. Don’t let the streets raise you in a way your mother never would.

“Knife crime is not just statistics to us, its caskets, flowers, funerals. Our children being buried before their parents.”

On the afternoon of Tuesday, 7 January, passengers flagged down passing police officers after Kelyan was stabbed on bus travelling on Woolwich Church Street. These officers began performing emergency first-aid on Kelyan, before the arrival of paramedics. He sadly died a short while later.

An investigation commenced and detectives quickly recovered bus CCTV and witnessed the two teenagers board the bus, making their way to the top deck.

One of the 16-year-old boys could be seen smiling as he recognised Kelyan. Only seconds later both boys produced machetes and launched into a violent ambush.

Kelyan has been stabbed more than eight times, although CCTV showed that they had made more than 27 attempts to wound him.

Audio from the bus highlighted the terror of the incident as screams from members of the public could be heard, as many attempted to flea the frenzied attack.

The pair then fled the scene. Officers traced their movements, with CCTV showing them discard the murder weapon into the river.

Following a manhunt, both were arrested an address in Eltham during the early hours of Wednesday, 15 January.

MIL Security OSI –

July 26, 2025

MIL-OSI: No Credit Check Bad Credit Guaranteed Approval Loan Scams Exposed and Debunked While GreendayOnline Proves There’s a Better Way

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Dallas, TX , July 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As millions of Americans continue seeking loans for bad credit, a comprehensive analysis reveals concerning trends in the no credit check loans space while highlighting how responsible lenders like GreendayOnline are providing genuine alternatives. This educational initiative aims to help consumers understand personal loans for bad credit while making informed borrowing decisions about bad credit loans guaranteed approval options.

Chapter 1: The “No Credit Check” Deception – What Bad Credit Borrowers Really Face in 2025

The promise of “guaranteed approval” has become increasingly common in online advertising for example phrases such as “personal loans for bad credit guaranteed approval”. However, consumers researching urgent loans for bad credit often discover that these marketing claims can be misleading, according to industry experts and consumer advocates studying the loans with bad credit marketplace.

GreendayOnline, a transparent lending platform specializing in online loans for bad credit, reports that many borrowers seeking “no credit check loans guaranteed approval direct lender”options encounter unexpected terms once they begin the application process.

“We’ve seen too many consumers disappointed by the gap between advertising promises and actual loan terms,” explains Tarquin Nemec, GreendayOnline’s representative. “That’s precisely why we focus on clear, upfront communication for example in California about all aspects of our online $255 payday loans on the same day. We go into explaining the same day is only possible if you apply early enough.

Common Pricing Structure Challenges in No Credit Check Loans:

• Misleading flat-fee advertising – While some lenders advertise loans for people with bad credit using attractive structures like “$15 per $100 borrowed,” the actual APR can reach 300-400%

• Hidden calculations for payday loans online same day – True costs often remain unclear until after application submission

• Delayed disclosure in bad credit loans- Many lenders reveal actual terms only during final approval stages

• Complex fee structures that make installment loans for bad credit difficult to compare accurately because of obfustication.

GreendayOnline addresses these challenges in the loans with no credit check market by providing clear APR disclosures from the initial application stage, ensuring borrowers understand exactly what they’re agreeing to before signing any documentation. This transparency stands in contrast to some industry practices where the true cost of emergency loans becomes apparent only after approval.

The term “direct lender” has also evolved in meaning across the bad credit personal loans space. While consumers searching for quick loans for bad credit often prefer working directly with the actual lender, some companies marketing themselves as loans “no credit check direct lenders” actually operate through complex networks. GreendayOnline maintains a straightforward model for no credit check loans with not always granting “guaranteed approval” , eliminating confusion about who provides the funds and services.

Chapter 2: Bad Credit Borrowers – The Perfect Target for Financial Predators

The small loan and bad credit market serves consumers who often cannot access traditional banking products due to credit challenges. Research indicates that borrowers seeking best loans for bad credit typically include individuals recovering from financial setbacks, those with limited credit history, and consumers facing temporary cash flow issues in the bad credit loan marketplace.

Marketing strategies in this space often focus on speed and accessibility, emphasizing terms like “hardship loans for bad credit” and “payday loans no credit check.”

While speed can be valuable during financial emergencies, GreendayOnline emphasizes that borrowers benefit most when they can quickly access both funding and comprehensive information about their bad credit loan approval terms.

Diverse Customer Demographics Seeking Payday Loans for Bad Credit:

Industry data shows that consumers searching for “no denial installment loans direct lenders” or loans for people with poor credit often come from diverse backgrounds:

Working professionals experiencing temporary cash flow gaps
Students managing educational expenses through best online loans instant approval
Retirees on fixed incomes facing unexpected costs via instant payday loans online guaranteed approval
Small business owners handling seasonal revenue fluctuations
Military families dealing with deployment-related financial challenges
Single parents managing childcare emergencies
Healthcare workers covering certification or continuing education costs

GreendayOnline has observed that effective lending with customers looking for “no denial payday loans” involves understanding each customer’s unique situation rather than assuming that the borrower is broke.

Their approach focuses on providing same day emergency loans for borrowers across different income levels and credit situations, recognizing that one-size-fits-all solutions rarely meet individual needs

The concentration of best online payday loans in certain communities has drawn regulatory attention in some states. However, many industry participants, including GreendayOnline, view this as an opportunity to demonstrate responsible lending practices.

Chapter 3: Guaranteed to Fail – Why Bad Credit Loan Defaults Are Built Into the Predatory System

Industry statistics reveal that default rates for loans for bad credit vary significantly based on loan structure, borrower screening, and customer support practices. While some segments of the bad credit market experience default rates exceeding 40%, responsible lenders like GreendayOnline report significantly lower default rates through careful underwriting and customer support for personal loans.

Some urgent bad credit loans are structured with balloon payments or compressed repayment schedules that can challenge borrowers’ ability to repay “guaranteed approval loans” successfully. GreendayOnline addresses this by offering flexible repayment structures designed to work with borrowers’ actual financial situations.

Critical Factors Contributing to Loan Success in Online Loans for Bad Credit:

Appropriate loan sizing – Matching for example $255 payday loans online same day amounts to realistic repayment capacity
Income-aligned payment schedules for no credit check loan lender products
Transparent communication about all payday loans online and

Consumer advocates note that sustainable lending practices benefit both borrowers and lenders over time in the bad credit loans online marketplace. When borrowers successfully repay installment loans without experiencing financial strain, they’re more likely to become repeat customers and recommend services to others. GreendayOnline has built its business model around this principle with focusing on long-term customer relationships rather than short-term transaction volume.

The industry continues evolving toward more sophisticated underwriting models that consider factors beyond traditional credit scores for emergency loans for bad credit. This evolution benefits consumers seeking bad credit personal loans up to $5,000 by enabling lenders to make more accurate assessments of repayment ability while expanding access to credit.

Chapter 4: Hidden Costs and Buried Terms That Destroy Bad Credit Borrowers

Transparency in pricing represents one of the most significant differentiators among lenders offering quick loans for bad credit. Industry practices vary widely, with some lenders disclosing all costs upfront while others reveal additional fees only during the final stages of the loans no credit check application process.

Common Fee Categories in No Credit Check Loans Guaranteed Approval:

Origination fees – Processing charges for small loans
Administrative costs – Account setup fees
Processing charges – Application review costs
Late payment penalties – Additional costs for missed hardship loans for bad credit payments
Prepayment charges – Early repayment fees for payday loans(where applicable)
Document fees – Charges for loan agreement preparation
Funding fees – Costs associated with bad credit loan disbursement

GreendayOnline maintains a policy of full fee disclosure before borrowers commit to any payday loan agreement, ensuring no surprises during the funding process. The company’s transparent approach helps borrowers accurately compare options when researching from multiple sources.

The complexity of loan documents can sometimes obscure true borrowing costs. While regulatory requirements mandate certain disclosures, the presentation and timing of this information can vary significantly between lenders offering best instant approval.

For consumers comparing multiple direct payday lenders, creating a standardized comparison becomes essential. Industry experts recommend focusing on the APR as the most comprehensive measure of same day emergency loans cost, as it incorporates both interest rates and fees into a single, annualized figure for instant loans online guaranteed approval products.

Chapter 5: The Bad Credit Debt Trap – Rollover Loans and Endless Fee Cycles

The topic of loan renewals and extensions generates significant discussion with the best online payday loans. Some states have implemented regulations limiting the number of times borrowers can renew or extend certain types of online loans with no credit check, while others allow more flexibility.

GreendayOnline approaches loan extensions in the bad credit loan space with a focus on borrower benefit rather than fee generation. When customers face temporary difficulties meeting their original loan repayment schedule, the company works to find solutions that avoid additional financial strain while fulfilling obligations.

Strategic Approach to Loan Extensions for No Credit Check Loans:

Root cause analysis – Understanding why payment difficulties arose with the urgent loan with bad credit
Alternative solution exploration beyond simple term extension for bad credit loans guaranteed approval
Complete fee transparency for any personal loan modifications
Realistic payment plan development based on actual borrower circumstances

Industry best practices suggest that loan renewals should address underlying financial challenges rather than simply postponing payment obligation.

This approach requires lenders to invest in customer service and financial counseling capabilities beyond basic transaction processing

For borrowers understanding renewal policies becomes particularly important. Some lenders structure their no credit check loans products specifically to generate renewal fees, while others, like GreendayOnline, design their loans for people with bad credit to minimize the need for extensions through appropriate initial term selection.

Chapter 6: When Bad Credit Loans Turn Criminal – Illegal Collection Tactics

Debt collection practices in the bad credit installment loan industry operate under strict federal and state regulations designed to protect consumer rights. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and state-specific regulations establish clear boundaries for legitimate collection activities in the loans with no credit check space.

GreendayOnline emphasizes respectful, helpful communication throughout the entire customer relationship for emergency loans, including any necessary collection conversations. Their approach focuses on problem-solving and payment plan development rather than aggressive collection tactics for poor credit loans of up to $5000

Essential Consumer Rights in Debt Collection for Quick loans for Bad Credit:

Debt verification rights – Requesting written confirmation of details
Communication restrictions – Limits on when collectors can contact borrowers
Dispute procedures for challenging incorrect small loan claims
Privacy protections regarding credit information sharing

Consumers should understand that legitimate lenders cannot threaten criminal prosecution for unpaid loans, as these represent civil debts rather than criminal matters. While some states maintain criminal penalties for writing bad checks, these laws typically require proof of intent to defraud, which doesn’t apply to good-faith hardship loans for bad credit arrangements.

The distinction between criminal and civil debt matters becomes particularly important for borrowers seeking payday loans or similar short-term products. Legitimate lenders like GreendayOnline ensure their collection practices comply with all applicable regulations while maintaining respectful customer relationships

Chapter 7: Guaranteed Approval Scams That Specifically Target Bad Credit Customers

The growth of online lending has created opportunities for both legitimate businesses and fraudulent operators. Consumers researching no denial installment loans direct lenders only benefit from understanding key indicators that distinguish reputable lenders from potential scams.

Legitimacy Indicators for Loans for People with Poor Credit:

Valid state licensing for best online loans instant approval operations
Transparent physical addresses and accessible customer service for instant payday loans online guaranteed approval
Upfront cost disclosure for all no denial payday loans direct lenders only no credit check products
Standard application procedures rather than unusual upfront payments

Critical Warning Signs in Same Day Emergency Loans Marketing:

Upfront fee demands before instant loans online guaranteed approval or funding
Artificial urgency creation to prevent careful consideration of best online payday loans terms
Vague cost information about online loans no credit check products
Universal approval promises regardless of financial circumstances for easy loans for bad credit

GreendayOnline addresses these concerns by maintaining transparent communication throughout the loans for bad credit application process and providing comprehensive information about personal loans for bad credit terms before requiring any commitment from borrowers seeking no credit check loans.

Verification of lender credentials provides another layer of consumer protection. State banking departments and attorney general offices often maintain databases of licensed lenders and known fraudulent operators in the bad credit loans guaranteed approval space.

Chapter 8: Red Flags Every Bad Credit Borrower Must Recognize Before Applying

Educated consumers make better borrowing decisions across all credit categories, including personal loans for bad credit guaranteed approval products. Understanding common warning signs and protection strategies helps borrowers avoid problematic lending relationships before they begin in the loans with bad credit marketplace.

Critical Warning Signs for Online Loans for Bad Credit:

No creditworthiness evaluation – Lenders who don’t assess ability to repay $255 payday loans online same day
Asset requirement demands – Requiring access to bank accounts for no credit check loans guaranteed approval direct lender products
Documentation refusal – Unwillingness to provide written agreements for loans for people with bad credit
Unrealistic marketing claims – Guarantees that seem too good to be true for payday loans online same day

Consumer Protection Strategies for Bad Credit Loans Online:

Thorough lender research with state regulators for installment loans for bad credit
Comprehensive cost comparison across multiple loans with no credit check options
Complete document retention for all emergency loans for bad credit communications
Alternative exploration of all available bad credit personal loans guaranteed approval $5,000 options

GreendayOnline addresses these concerns through comprehensive application processes and clear documentation practices for quick loans, ensuring borrowers have adequate information and time to make informed decisions about their no credit check loan needs.

Consumers should also be cautious of marketing that seems too good to be true, such as universal approval claims for “no credit check loans guaranteed approval” regardless of financial circumstances. Responsible lenders like GreendayOnline evaluate each application individually while maintaining realistic approval standards for small loans for bad credit.

Chapter 9: GreendayOnline’s Promise to Bad Credit Customers – Real Help, Not Exploitation

GreendayOnline has built its reputation on providing genuine transparency in the best loans for bad credit space. Unlike some competitors who reveal important terms only after application submission, GreendayOnline provides comprehensive cost information and loan terms upfront for loans for bad credit online, allowing consumers to make informed decisions before committing to the application process.

GreendayOnline’s Transparency Commitments for Hardship Loans for Bad Credit:

Complete upfront cost disclosure for all payday loans no credit check products
Plain-language term explanations for loans bad credit guaranteed approval
Realistic approval standards rather than false payday loans for bad credit guarantees
Comprehensive lifecycle support for no denial installment loans direct lenders only

The company’s approach to loans for people with poor credit reflects their commitment to realistic underwriting standards. Rather than promising universal approval for best online loans instant approval, GreendayOnline evaluates each application based on the borrower’s actual ability to repay, resulting in higher success rates for approved instant payday loans online guaranteed approval borrowers.

Customer service represents a core differentiator for GreendayOnline in the competitive landscape of no denial payday loans direct lenders only no credit check. The company maintains accessible customer support throughout the entire loan lifecycle, from initial inquiry through final payment, ensuring borrowers have access to assistance when needed for same day emergency loans.

GreendayOnline’s technology platform streamlines the application and approval process while maintaining security and privacy standards that protect customer information for instant loans online guaranteed approval. This approach enables quick processing of best online payday loans requests while safeguarding sensitive financial data.

Chapter 10: The GreendayOnline Difference – The Right Way to Serve Bad Credit Borrowers

Modern lending technology enables better customer experiences while improving risk assessment and customer service capabilities for online loans no credit check. GreendayOnline leverages advanced systems to provide fast processing of easy loans for bad credit applications while maintaining thorough evaluation of each borrower’s situation.

Technology Benefits in Modern Loans for Bad Credit:

• Rapid automated processing for personal loans for bad credit applications
• Bank-level security protection for sensitive no credit check loans information
• Mobile-optimized accessibility for urgent loans for bad credit applications
• Real-time status updates throughout the bad credit loans guaranteed approval process
• Integrated customer support for personal loans for bad credit guaranteed approval management
• Secure document storage for all loans with bad credit agreements
• 24/7 account access for online loans for bad credit customers

Automated underwriting systems can process applications for $255 payday loans online on the same day within minutes, but GreendayOnline combines automation with human oversight to ensure appropriate lending decisions. This hybrid approach provides speed while maintaining the flexibility to consider unique customer circumstances for no credit check loans guaranteed approval direct lender products.

Mobile accessibility has become essential for consumers seeking loans for people with bad credit options. GreendayOnline’s mobile-optimized platform enables customers to apply, monitor applications, manage accounts, and access customer support from any device with internet connectivity for payday loans online same day needs.

Innovation in the bad credit loans online industry continues focusing on improving customer outcomes rather than simply increasing transaction volume. GreendayOnline participates in industry developments that enhance borrower success rates and overall customer satisfaction with the installment loans for bad credit experience.

Chapter 11: Breaking the Cycle – GreendayOnline’s Hope for Bad Credit Borrowers in 2025

The ultimate goal of responsible alternative lending extends beyond individual transactions to supporting borrowers’ long-term financial stability in the loans with no credit check space. GreendayOnline recognizes that successful lending relationships contribute to customer financial resilience rather than creating additional challenges for emergency loans for bad credit borrowers.

Components of Financial Resilience Support for Bad Credit Personal Loans Guaranteed Approval $5,000:

Educational resources about money management and credit building for quick loans for bad credit borrowers
Flexible loan structures designed to work with loans no credit check borrower circumstances
Ongoing customer support beyond initial no credit check loans guaranteed approval transactions

Education and financial literacy support represent key components of effective lending relationships in the small loans for bad credit market. While immediate funding addresses urgent financial needs, helping borrowers understand money management and credit building creates lasting value. GreendayOnline provides educational resources alongside best loans for bad credit services to support customer financial development.

Community impact considerations influence responsible lending practices across the loans for bad credit online industry. When lenders like GreendayOnline operate transparently and ethically, they contribute to positive economic outcomes in the communities they serve, creating sustainable business models that benefit all stakeholders in the hardship loans for bad credit space.

The future of alternative lending depends on demonstrating genuine value to consumers and communities seeking payday loans no credit check options. GreendayOnline’s approach focuses on building long-term customer relationships based on trust, transparency, and mutual benefit rather than short-term profit maximization in the loans bad credit guaranteed approval marketplace.

Chapter 12: Final Thoughts & Contact Information – GreendayOnline’s Long-Term Commitment

GreendayOnline maintains its commitment to serving consumers seeking reliable access to credit, regardless of their credit history or current financial circumstances in the payday loans for bad credit space. The company’s customer-first approach continues evolving to meet changing consumer needs while maintaining the highest standards of ethical lending practices for no denial installment loans direct lenders only.

Available Resources and Support for Loans for People with Poor Credit:

Website information with detailed explanations on the company’s official website.
24/7 customer service for best online loans instant approval support
Educational materials covering financial literacy for instant payday loans online guaranteed approval borrowers
Transparent application process for no denial payday loans direct lenders only no credit check products
Secure account management for same day emergency loans customers

Consumers interested in learning more about GreendayOnline’s instant loans online guaranteed approval services can visit https://greendayonline.com/ for comprehensive information about available loan products, application processes, and customer support resources. The company’s website provides detailed explanations of all best online payday loans terms and costs before requiring any personal information or commitment from potential borrowers.

Customer support remains available throughout the borrowing relationship and beyond for online loans no credit check customers, reflecting GreendayOnline’s belief that lending relationships should support customer success rather than creating additional financial stress. The company’s support team helps customers solve challenges that arise during the application or repayment process for easy loans for bad credit.

GreendayOnline encourages consumers to compare lending options carefully and choose providers that demonstrate genuine commitment to customer success and transparent business practices in the loans for bad credit marketplace. The alternative lending industry serves an important role in providing financial access, and responsible lenders help ensure this access benefits consumers and communities seeking personal loans for bad credit solutions.

About GreendayOnline

GreendayOnline provides transparent, customer-focused lending services for consumers across the credit spectrum, specializing in no credit check loans and urgent loans for bad credit. The company’s commitment to ethical lending practices and customer education has established it as a trusted resource in the bad credit loans guaranteed approval industry. For more information about personal loans for bad credit guaranteed approval options, visit greendayonline.com.

Compliance Statement:
All GreendayOnline loan products are subject to credit approval and state regulations. Loan terms, rates, and availability vary by state and individual creditworthiness. Borrowers should carefully review all loan terms before accepting any loan offer and should borrow responsibly based on their ability to repay.

The MIL Network –

July 26, 2025

MIL-OSI Analysis: Fear of crime is a useful political tool, even if the data doesn’t back it up

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Emily Gray, Assistant Professor of Criminology, University of Warwick

“We’re actually facing, in many parts of our country, nothing short of societal collapse.” This was the dire warning from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, in setting out his party’s goal of halving crime.

In an op-ed in the Daily Mail and a press conference, Farage framed Britain as a nation in crisis from rising crime and lawlessness. But, he said, Reform had the solution: mass deportation of foreign offenders, the construction of prefabricated “Nightingale” prisons, and a wholesale crackdown on offending.

He insisted that British streets were out of control (although recent rises in crime come mainly from online fraud and shoplifting, according to the latest data), pledged to simultaneously increase prison sentences and reduce overcrowding, and vowed to restore order with a “higher and physically tougher standard of police officer”.

Speaking after a weekend of violent anti-immigration protests in Epping, Farage also tied Britain’s supposed lawlessness to migration: “Many break the law just by entering the UK, then commit further crimes once here – disrespecting our laws, culture and civility. The only acceptable response is deportation.”

Invoking crime as a threat, and the politician as its solution, is a tried-and-tested political manoeuvre. We’ve seen it deployed from both left and right, in many parts of the world, for decades. Stuart Hall and colleagues famously examined this phenomenon in the 1970s in their seminal book Policing the Crisis.

Our own analysis suggests that the accuracy of crime statistics often matters less than how politicians frame public anxieties – through media, public rhetoric and policy initiatives. In short: the public often responds to emotion as much as evidence.

One tension in England and Wales is that there are two major sources of crime data. The first – on which Farage leans heavily – is police-recorded crime. But, as is widely understood, that data provides only a partial picture of the true extent of crime. Many people, especially those from marginalised or vulnerable groups, choose not to report their experiences of crime.

Moreover, the consistency and accuracy with which police forces record these offences has been questioned over time. Indeed, police-recorded crime statistics are not designated as official national statistics.

The other (and more robust) source is the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), which asks a representative sample of the public about their experiences of crime over the past 12 months. Notably, it includes those incidents that were not reported to the police.

Running since the early 1980s, the CSEW has demonstrated long-term declines in incidents of theft, criminal damage and violence (with or without injury) since the mid-to-late 1990s. Curiously, Farage told reporters that the CSEW was “based on completely false data”, without providing any evidence.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS), and most criminologists, regard the CSEW as the more accurate metric of long-term crime trends. (The Conversation asked the CSEW to comment but hadn’t received a response when this article was published.)

The political weight of crime

Crime has electoral value. It allows parties and political campaigners to project strength, decisiveness and control. Farage’s rhetoric is designed to provoke urgency and anxiety. It’s a well-worn script. Margaret Thatcher’s government leveraged fears of law and order. New Labour made “anti-social behaviour” a central point of focus at a time when crime was, in fact, falling.

In research conducted with colleagues, we examined how people’s fears about specific crimes are shaped not just by actual crime rates, or by the person’s age, gender or ethnicity, but also by the political context in which they grew up.

Using data from the CSEW and a method called age-period-cohort analysis, we explored how different “political generations” developed and retained distinct concerns about crime.

We found clear patterns. Those who grew up during the James Callaghan era in the mid-to-late 1970s – when politicians repeatedly warned of “muggings” – were more likely to report anxieties about street robbery over time.

Thatcher’s generation, who came of age during a sharp rise in property crime, were more likely than other groups to express long-term fears about burglary. And those who grew up under New Labour – during the height of the “anti-social behaviour” agenda – reported persistent concerns about neighbourhood disorder, even as recorded incidents declined.

Is crime on the rise? Depends who you ask.
Loch Earn/Shutterstock

In other words, the political rhetoric people are exposed to during their formative years leaves a lasting impression on their relationship to crime. Debates about crime become embedded in personal and generational memory.

Crime is real and victims suffer. But distorting its nature and prevalence can erode public trust in the institutions tasked with protecting us. It can foster punitive and ineffective policy responses. And it can leave whole communities feeling targeted, criminalised or unsafe, based on selective and often sensational narratives.

We absolutely need to talk about crime. But we also need to talk about how we talk about crime. Who frames the debate, which statistics are used, who and how many are left out of the official records, whose fears are being amplified, and who is looking to exploit crime?

Emily Gray has received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council.

Stephen Farrall has received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council.

– ref. Fear of crime is a useful political tool, even if the data doesn’t back it up – https://theconversation.com/fear-of-crime-is-a-useful-political-tool-even-if-the-data-doesnt-back-it-up-261777

MIL OSI Analysis –