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Category: Statistics

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Stats NZ information release: Overseas merchandise trade: March 2025

    Source: Statistics New Zealand

    Overseas merchandise trade: March 2025 – 22 April 2025 – Overseas merchandise trade statistics provide information on imports and exports of merchandise goods between New Zealand and other countries.

    Correction to the overseas merchandise trade (OMT) series EXP+.S2PT04F for the period June 2016 to February 2025

    In this release we have corrected the June 2016 to February 2025 overseas merchandise trade ‘Value of Exports & re-exports – milk powder, butter, and cheese’ monthly, quarterly, and annual Infoshare series EXP+.S2PT04F, to correct an error in data processing .This does not affect the series EXP+.S2U04AF.

    Infoshare changes by date has further information about this correction.

    Key facts
    This release refers to trade in goods only.

    In March 2025, compared with March 2024:

    • goods exports rose by $1.2 billion (19 percent), to $7.6 billion
    • goods imports rose by $723 million (12 percent), to $6.6 billion
    • the monthly trade balance was a surplus of $970 million.

    Files:

     

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Stats NZ information release: Overseas merchandise trade: March 2025

    Source: Statistics New Zealand

    Overseas merchandise trade: March 2025 – 22 April 2025 – Overseas merchandise trade statistics provide information on imports and exports of merchandise goods between New Zealand and other countries.

    Correction to the overseas merchandise trade (OMT) series EXP+.S2PT04F for the period June 2016 to February 2025

    In this release we have corrected the June 2016 to February 2025 overseas merchandise trade ‘Value of Exports & re-exports – milk powder, butter, and cheese’ monthly, quarterly, and annual Infoshare series EXP+.S2PT04F, to correct an error in data processing .This does not affect the series EXP+.S2U04AF.

    Infoshare changes by date has further information about this correction.

    Key facts
    This release refers to trade in goods only.

    In March 2025, compared with March 2024:

    • goods exports rose by $1.2 billion (19 percent), to $7.6 billion
    • goods imports rose by $723 million (12 percent), to $6.6 billion
    • the monthly trade balance was a surplus of $970 million.

    Files:

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Fossil fuel companies ‘poisoned the well’ of public debate with climate disinformation. Here’s how Australia can break free

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Naomi Oreskes, Professor of the History of Science, Harvard University

    President Donald Trump has issued an executive order that would block state laws seeking to tackle greenhouse gas emissions – the latest salvo in his administration’s campaign to roll back United States’ climate action.

    Under Trump, the US has clearly abdicated climate leadership. But the US has in fact obstructed climate action for decades – largely due to damaging actions by the powerful fossil fuel industry.

    In 20 years studying attacks on climate science and the powerful forces at work behind the scenes, I’ve come to think the United States is simply not going to lead on climate action. The fossil fuel industry has so poisoned the well of public debate in the US that it’s unlikely the nation will lead on the issue in our lifetimes.

    Australia, on the other hand, has enormous potential.

    I recently visited Australia from Harvard University for a series of public talks. This nation is very close to my heart. I trained as a mining geologist and spent three years in outback South Australia, before returning to academia.

    The vacuum Trump has created on climate policy provides a chance for other countries to lead. Australia has much more to gain from the clean-energy future than it stands to lose – and your climate action could be pivotal.

    The climate crisis: a long time coming

    Scientists first warned against burning fossil fuels way back in the 1950s. When the US Clean Air Act was passed in 1970, the words “weather” and “climate” were included because scientists had already explained to Congress that carbon dioxide was a pollutant with serious — even dire — effects.

    In the late 1980s, scientists at NASA observed changes in the climate system that could only be explained by the extra heating effect of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The predictions had become reality.

    When George H.W. Bush ran successfully for president in 1988, he promised to use the power of the “White House effect” to fight the “greenhouse effect”. In 1992, Bush and other world leaders gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to sign the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Together, 178 countries promised action to prevent “dangerous anthropogenic interference” with Earth’s climate. But that action never came.

    Trump has undoubtedly been bad news for global climate action. He makes preposterous claims about science and is dismantling the federal agencies responsible for supporting climate science and maintaining climate data.

    But the US has long failed to play its part in cutting dangerous greenhouse gas emissions. The reason for this lies largely outside the White House.

    If only George H.W. Bush had used the White House effect to counter the greenhouse effect, as he once promised to.
    mark reinstein, Shutterstock

    A long-running campaign of disinformation

    The fossil fuel industry has known about climate change for as long as scientists have.

    In the late 1970s and early 1980s, scientists at Esso (later ExxonMobil) actively researched the topic, building climate models and coauthoring scientific papers.

    The scientists informed their managers of the risk of catastrophic damage if the burning of oil, gas and coal continued unabated. They even suggested the company might need a different business model – one not so dependent on fossil fuels.

    But managers at ExxonMobil made a fateful decision: to turn from information to disinformation. Working in tandem with other oil, gas and coal companies, as well as automobile and aluminium manufacturers, ExxonMobil launched an organised campaign, sustained over decades, to block climate action by casting doubt on the underlying science.

    They ran ad campaigns in national and local newspapers insisting the science was too unsettled to warrant action. They created “astroturf” organisations that only pretended to be green, and funded “third-party allies” to argue that proposed remedies would be too expensive, cost jobs and damage the economy.

    The company funded outlier scientists to publish papers claiming atmospheric warming was the result of natural climate variability. They pressured journalists to give equal time to “their side” of the story in the name of “balance”.

    Over the next three decades, whenever any meaningful climate policy seemed to be gaining traction, the industry and its allies lobbied Congress and state legislatures to block it. So, neither Democratic nor Republican administrations were able to undertake meaningful climate action.

    While people were dying in climate-charged floods and fires, the fossil fuel industry persuaded a significant proportion of the US population, including Trump, that the whole thing might just be a hoax.

    Rise up Australia

    In a matter of weeks after becoming president, Trump pulled out of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming, shut down government websites hosting climate data, and withdrew support for research that dares to mention the word “climate”.

    This has created a vacuum that other countries, including Australia, can step up to fill.

    Few countries have more to lose from climate change than Australia. The continent has already witnessed costly and devastating wildfires and floods — affecting remote areas and major cities. It’s not unreasonable to worry that in coming years, significant parts of Australia could become uninhabitable.

    Like the US, Australia has a powerful fossil fuel industry that has disproportionately influenced its politics. Unlike the US, however, that industry is based mainly on coal for export, which Australians do not depend on in their daily lives.

    And Australia is truly a lucky country. It has unsurpassed potential to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy.

    More than 15 years ago, Australian researchers in the Zero Carbon Australia project offered a blueprint for how the country could eliminate fossil fuel use entirely. Since then, renewable energy has only become cheaper and more efficient.

    South Australia has proved the point: the state was 100% reliant on fossil fuels for electricity in 2002, but now more than 70% comes from renewables.

    Across Australia, the share of renewable electricity generation is growing. Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland are vying for second place after SA. It’s fascinating to watch the National Electricity Market balance supply and demand in real time, where a large proportion of the electricity comes from rooftop solar.

    For decades, the fossil fuel industry has told the public our societies can’t manage without fossil fuels. Large parts of Australia have proved it’s just not so. The rest of the nation can follow that lead, and model the energy transition for the world. Here’s your chance.

    Over the past two decades, Naomi Oreskes has received grant funding from various governments and non-government organisations to support the research upon which this piece is based. She serves on the board of The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund, which works to protect the integrity of climate science, and climate scientists, from politically motivated attacks. The Fund is a registered 501 c(3) non-profit organisation, meaning it does not engage in political activities. She is also an emerita board member of Protect our Winters, a 501 c (3) that works with the winter sports community to educate people about climate change and the threat it poses to winter sports. Naomi serves on the board of the Kann-Rasmussen foundation (Denmark), a non-profit foundation that works “to support the transition to a more environmentally resilient stable, and sustainable planet”.
    Naomi currently serves as a consultant to a number of groups pursuing climate litigation in the United States, and recently submitted an expert report to the International Court of Justice on behalf of Vanuatu. She also receives speaking fees and book royalties for talks and publications on the history of climate science and climate change denial. Co-author, with Erik M. Conway, of Merchants of Doubt (2010) and The Big Myth (2023).

    – ref. Fossil fuel companies ‘poisoned the well’ of public debate with climate disinformation. Here’s how Australia can break free – https://theconversation.com/fossil-fuel-companies-poisoned-the-well-of-public-debate-with-climate-disinformation-heres-how-australia-can-break-free-251221

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former US Forest Service law enforcement officer pleads guilty to fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MISSOULA – A Thompson Falls man accused of falsifying time and attendance records admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    The defendant, Nathan J. Snead, 47, pleaded guilty to theft of government money. Snead faces ten years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.

    U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen DeSoto presided. U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for August 27, 2025. Snead was released with conditions pending further proceedings.

    The government alleged in court documents that the defendant was required to work 40 hours of regular time per week, and he was compensated for administratively uncontrollable overtime, which is premium pay designed to compensate law enforcement officers (LEOs) for irregular and unscheduled overtime duty. In 2023, the defendant’s overtime rate was 15%, meaning he was required to justify an additional 5-7 hours per week to maintain that percentage at his next overtime review.

    The defendant documented his regular and overtime hours on his Time and Attendance Record for each pay period and signed the following certification: “I certify that the above information on hours worked and leave used is true and accurate.” The defendant also completed a record of overtime for each pay period in which he provided a case number and justification for the overtime and signed the following certification: “I certify that the official duties were performed as described above and were administratively uncontrollable.”

    On May 2, 2023, based on information Snead was not working his claimed hours, agents installed a GPS tracker on his government-issued patrol vehicle to monitor his movements. The tracker data showed Snead’s patrol vehicle was stationary at his house during hours he claimed to be working.

    On several occasions, Snead certified on his Time and Attendance Record he worked an 8-hour regular shift. However, his patrol vehicle remained stationary at his house for the entire 8 hours. Additionally, Snead claimed overtime hours when his patrol vehicle was stationary at his house for much of his regular shift and for the entire time of claimed overtime.

    Agents also evaluated Snead’s law enforcement statistics from 2021 through 2023. His productivity levels, measured via incident reports and the issuance of violation notices, were much lower than other similarly situated LEOs. The United States estimates Snead’s false time claims resulted in him stealing approximately $18,645.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The U.S. Forest Service conducted the investigation.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘I’m a failure’: how schema therapy tackles the deep-rooted beliefs that affect our mental health

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Houlihan, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, University of the Sunshine Coast

    Jorm Sangsorn/Shutterstock

    If you ever find yourself stuck in repeated cycles of negative emotion, you’re not alone.

    More than 40% of Australians will experience a mental health issue in their lifetime. Many are linked to deep-rooted feelings that develop from childhood experiences.

    Changing these lifelong patterns takes time, energy and support. For some people, schema therapy can help.

    What is schema therapy?

    Schema therapy was developed in the 1990s by psychologist Jeffrey Young as an extension of cognitive behaviour therapy.

    Cognitive behaviour therapy is a popular psychotherapy that helps people change problematic patterns in their thoughts and behaviour, improving how they feel.

    Among psychological interventions, cognitive behaviour therapy has the strongest evidence for successfully treating the majority of mental health problems.

    However, not all conditions benefit from it.

    Cognitive behaviour therapy is brief (usually delivered across 10–12 sessions) and focuses on changing the “here and now”. But more complex issues – or those tied strongly to past experiences, such as multiple traumas – may need longer-term therapy.

    Like cognitive behaviour therapy, schema therapy aims to help reframe unhelpful ways of thinking through regular sessions with a psychotherapist.

    But instead of prioritising everyday challenges, it uncovers deep-rooted beliefs, explores how and why they formed, and how they affect day-to-day life and people’s perceptions of themselves.

    What are schemas?

    “Schemas” are mental blueprints that filter how we see ourselves, others and the world. Most of us are not consciously aware of them.

    Yet schemas run deep. Problematic ones – such as “I am a failure” or “others can’t be trusted” or “the world is scary and unsafe” – can affect our mental health and lead us to destructive patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving.

    For example, someone with a “failure” schema may be highly sensitive to criticism, experience crippling anxiety, and have low self-worth. Having a “mistrust” schema may cause issues with forming close relationships and lead to loneliness and depression.

    Schemas run deep and can make us feel stuck.
    Raul Mallado Ortiz/Shutterstock

    How does schema therapy work?

    Therapists may specialise in schema therapy through additional training and supervision, which can lead to accreditation with the International Society of Schema Therapy.

    During schema therapy you and your therapist will discuss your current concerns and develop a safe and trusting relationship before exploring the problematic schemas that are affecting you today. Schema therapy may involve talking, completing a schema questionnaire, and engaging in therapeutic activities during and in between sessions.

    These activities are tailored to your situation, once you’ve explored which schemas affect you and what negative emotions arise. They are designed to help you process and heal from negative feelings such as helplessness, anger and shame.

    One such activity involves using mental imagery to revisit challenging experiences in your past and to reframe how you think about them.

    Another is to use empty chairs in the therapy room to speak to the different parts of yourself that are connected to the negative emotions. For example, talking to your child self, or to the side of you that tries to hide your feelings from others.

    After this you will work with your therapist to come up with positive behaviour change strategies and apply them in daily life. These could include things such as reducing procrastination and self-sacrificing behaviour (prioritising others’ needs over your own), regulating emotions, and setting healthy boundaries in relationships.

    Who does it work for?

    Schema therapy was specifically designed to help conditions that don’t respond to cognitive behaviour therapy. Since the early nineties, it has shown promise among people experiencing chronic depression and personality disorders, and people in prisons.

    Schema therapy is increasingly being used with children and adolescents, as it can effectively be adapted to suit younger age groups and help them understand the complex psychological processes involved.

    Schema therapy can take more time than some other approaches, including cognitive behaviour therapy. You may be working with your therapist for several months to a year before seeing real results.

    It is likely to benefit people who can commit to the time needed and prioritise their therapy tasks over other things.

    Like all therapies, schema therapy will take emotional energy. As you implement changes planned in therapy, enlisting the support of close friends or family may help you achieve long-lasting change.

    Schema therapy can be effectively adapted for children and young people.
    SeventyFour/Shutterstock

    I’m interested in schema therapy – what next?

    Maybe you are experiencing a problem that short-term therapies don’t easily address.

    Perhaps you have already tried cognitive behaviour therapy and have noticed some improvements in your mental health, but realise you still have some way to go. Or it’s possible you have exhausted self-help options and are looking for something that will change the deep-rooted feelings you think are connected to your past.

    Learning about different therapy approaches is the first step in finding the right help for you.

    The Schema Therapy Institute Australia has a list of schema therapists practising around the country.

    You may see “schema therapy” listed as a therapy approach on your local psychology practices’ web pages. You can also ask your GP about referrals using Medicare options.

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

    – ref. ‘I’m a failure’: how schema therapy tackles the deep-rooted beliefs that affect our mental health – https://theconversation.com/im-a-failure-how-schema-therapy-tackles-the-deep-rooted-beliefs-that-affect-our-mental-health-250789

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Early voting opens in the federal election – but it brings some problems for voters and parties

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zareh Ghazarian, Senior Lecturer in Politics, School of Social Sciences, Monash University

    More than 18 million Australians are enrolled to vote at the federal election on May 3.

    A fair proportion of them – perhaps as many as half – will take advantage of early voting, which starts Tuesday April 22.

    Hundreds of locations around Australia will morph into pre-polling centres for the next couple of weeks as we enter the final phase of the campaign.

    Australians have enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to vote early in recent elections. But there are some risks for voters if they jump the gun too quickly. And it’s upending the way parties and other candidates organise their campaigns.

    Go early

    The popularity of voting early has been on an upward trajectory in recent decades.

    Research shows that in 2004, for instance, over 80% of Australians waited until polling day to cast their ballots.

    But at the 2022 federal election, almost half of all Australians on the electoral roll voted early.

    There were variations across jurisdictions. Queensland had the highest rate of pre-poll voting at 56.6%, while Tasmanians had the lowest at just 36.8%.

    The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) was actively encouraging people to vote early due to COVID concerns. Nonetheless, the trend is unmistakable. Voters want to skip the queues on election day.

    Logistical problems

    Early voting has been the subject of much scrutiny, especially the length of time it is available to voters. The major political parties have expressed concern about the impact it has on campaign planning and logistics.

    In its submission to a parliamentary inquiry into the conduct of the 2019 election, the Liberal Party highlighted how pre-poll voting placed “significant pressure on political parties” and their ability to provide booth workers for the entire early voting period, which was almost three weeks long.

    Similarly, Labor acknowledged “significant practical implications for political parties and campaign managers”. The Greens also indicated they were in favour of limiting the pre-poll period.

    Following the rise in early voting at the 2016 and 2019 elections, the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters recommended pre-polling be restricted to a fortnight before election day.

    The committee noted:

    a two week period best balances the opportunity to participate in an election as a voter, with the logistic demands placed on those who participate as contestants.

    The electoral laws were subsequently changed by the Morrison government in 2021.

    But given Easter Monday and Anzac Day both fall within the fortnight preceding May 3, the early polling window for this election will be further reduced.

    Campaign disruption

    The rising popularity of early voting plays havoc with the campaign plans of all candidates.

    In the past, when the overwhelming majority of voters waited for election day, it made sense for the major parties in particular to continually drip feed promises and announcements until the last day of voting.

    Parties now have less time to pitch for support during the campaign. The critical window of opportunity to appeal to voters is the time between the election being called and when Australians flock to the polls at the start of early voting.

    It is highly likely we have already seen all the major policies in this election, including the voter-friendly cost-of-living measures.

    But the parties are in a bind, because they must continue to appeal to the significant number of voters who will be considering who to vote for right up until election day itself.

    Skip the queue

    While many people will be tempted to vote early, the Australian Electoral Commission’s website reminds us there are some conditions for pre-poll voting.

    You can only vote early, either in person or by post, if on polling day you are:

    • travelling or unable to leave your workplace to vote
    • sick or due to give birth, or caring for someone who is
    • a person with a disability, or caring for someone who is
    • in prison serving a sentence of less than three years
    • prevented by religious beliefs from attending on election day
    • a silent elector, or reasonably fearful for your safety or wellbeing.

    Aware of the temptation to pre-poll, the AEC says people who wait until election day won’t have to battle long queues. In fact, 75% of them will be in and out of the polling place in under 15 minutes.

    The AEC says it’s worked out ways to minimise queuing on election day.

    Voter beware

    The numbers don’t lie. More and more voters are keen to participate in the democratic process before election day.

    However, voting early could be a double-edged sword. It may be convenient, but there is always the risk candidates or parties could say or do something that antagonises a voter after they have cast their ballot.

    As there is no way to withdraw an original vote or cast a new one if they change their minds, early voters are taking a risk.

    Moreover, by voting early, people may be missing out on the sausage sizzle, the craft stands, and the bake sales that many communities hold on voting day. These election day traditions raise funds and add a special community feeling to the ultimate exercise of democracy – choosing a government.

    Zareh Ghazarian 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. Early voting opens in the federal election – but it brings some problems for voters and parties – https://theconversation.com/early-voting-opens-in-the-federal-election-but-it-brings-some-problems-for-voters-and-parties-254172

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Data Users Conference: Strengthening the Bridge Between Data Producers and Users

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 21 APR 2025 9:07PM by PIB Delhi

    The National Statistics Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), organized the Data Users Conference on 21st April 2025, in collaboration with the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), Mumbai.

    The conference aimed to foster constructive dialogue between data producers and data users, facilitating knowledge exchange on methodologies, insights from the latest Household Consumption Expenditure Survey, Methodology changes in PLFS and key initiatives in macro-economic statistics including GDP and Consumer Price Indices. The event witnessed active participation from more than 250 attendees comprising policymakers, academicians, researchers, economists, industry representatives, and international organizations.

    The conference was chaired by Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI, who emphasized the Ministry’s core vision of ‘Data for Development’. He highlighted MoSPI’s efforts toward enhancing data credibility, timeliness, accessibility, and relevance through technological interventions for timely release of key indicators like PLFS monthly estimates, quarterly unincorporated sector surveys, and a focus on comprehensive metadata standardization. He underlined the Ministry’s commitment to integrate administrative and survey data to fill existing gaps in the statistical ecosystem. Dr. Garg mentioned that MoSPI has actively working with research institutes to promote collaborative research.

    In his address, Dr. Nilkanth Mishra, Member, EAC-PM and Chairman, UIDAI, underscored the pressing need for more granular and timely data, especially in light of India’s fast-evolving digital and informal economy. Drawing from personal experiences, he highlighted the critical gaps in economic data and appreciated MoSPI’s ongoing efforts to modernize the data access for both private and public stakeholders.

    Ms. Geeta Singh Rathore, Director General (NSS), elaborated on recent advancements in the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), particularly the expansion of estimates of the Labour statistics to rural areas and the introduction of monthly releases of PLFS for enhanced policy responsiveness.

    Prof. Basanta Kumar Pradhan, Director, IGIDR, welcomed the delegates and acknowledged MoSPI’s role in promoting an ecosystem of data-driven research and policy-making. He emphasized the importance of understanding data generation processes, recognizing limitations, and integrating user feedback to refine methodologies.

    These key note addresses set the stage for technical sessions. The conference features four technical sessions.

    The forenoon technical sessions covered:

    • The first session has a detailed presentation on the sampling design used in NSS household surveys. The session continued with a presentation on the ‘Lessons Learned from HCES 2022-23 and 2023-24, highlighted on the key changes introduced in the most recent rounds of HCES. The presentations are followed by an enriched panel discussion and suggested to generate consumption data at sector level on quarterly basis, standardization of tools for improving the quality and exploring the scope of introducing the concepts of ‘spending’ instead of consumption as a measure of MPCE.
    • Updates on the evolution of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), including the original objectives from its 2017 launch and recent changes implemented from January 2025. Key updates include generating monthly estimates of labour market indicators (LFPR, WPR, and UR) for both rural and urban areas, expanding quarterly estimates to rural regions, and allowing district-level estimates in collaboration with states.

    In the afternoon session Shri N.K. Santoshi, DG (Central Statistics), MoSPI, in his  opening remarks highlighted the initiatives taken by the MoSPI for updating the base years of key macro-economic indicators viz GDP and CPI.

    The afternoon technical sessions covered:

    • The session includes a presentation on compilation of GDP estimates and base year revision detailing the framework of compilation, proposed improvements in base revision and issues in interpreting the estimates. This was followed by a panel discussion wherein panellist recommended to publish detailed documentation of sources and methods, need for consistent and coherent back-series data. They also welcomed the proposed use of new data sources such as GSTN, UPI etc. in the new base.
    • During the session on CPI, the ongoing work on CPI revision, key upcoming changes such as the adoption of COICOP 2018, expanded service and market coverage, integration of online data sources, and improvements in the Housing Index methodology were presented. The presentation was followed by a panel discussion wherein it was suggested to release seasonally adjusted inflation data. MoSPI informed that a study in collaboration with IIT Kanpur for developing seasonally adjusted CPI figures for India is underway.

    Post-panel discussions, the floor was opened for discussions, providing participants to directly engage with the speakers and panelists.    

    The conference reaffirmed the collective commitment of MoSPI, IGIDR, and data users to uphold and advance the quality, integrity, and usability of official statistics in India. It concluded with a call to further deepen cooperation, embrace technological advancements, and ensure data remains at the heart of evidence-based policymaking.

    The Data User Conference concluded with the key take away of need for standardization between the statistical products.

    For more details on the survey reports and upcoming statistical releases, please visit the official MoSPI website: www.mospi.gov.in.

    ****

    Samrat

    (Release ID: 2123310) Visitor Counter : 33

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Where the parties stand on child care in the Canadian federal election

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Gordon Cleveland, Associate Professor Emeritus, Economics, University of Toronto

    What will child care in Canada look like after this federal election?

    Depending on who becomes prime minister, parents now paying $10 a day for child care could continue to do so and many additional parents could access affordable day care in the future due to plans to expand. Or, the cap on child-care fees could be eliminated in a return to market provision of child-care services, in at least some provinces.

    The $10-a-day plan, introduced by the Liberal government through Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care agreements (CWELCC) with provinces and territories, was developed to improve Canada’s long-standing inadequate child-care situation.

    Québec’s model for child care inspired the Canada-wide plan. Under Québec’s CWELCC “asymmetrical agreement,” the province receives federal transfer funds without conditions.



    Read more:
    Ottawa’s $10-a-day child care promise should heed Québec’s insights about balancing low fees with high quality

    After the April 28 election, it’s expected our new prime minister will either be a Liberal or a Conservative — Mark Carney or Pierre Poilievre.

    Both leaders have said they want to preserve affordable child care but have presented their proposals in significantly different ways.

    As an economist with specialization in the economics of child care and early childhood education, I believe looking beneath surface statements reveals major differences that would affect parents, children and their families.

    Strengthening the $10-a-day policy

    The Liberal Party’s newly released platform highlights the protection and strengthening of the $10-a-day early learning and child care system. The platform promises the building of 100,000 new child-care spaces by 2031, better compensation for child-care educators, the expansion of child care in public institutions and a stronger link between housing development and child care when housing is supported by federal funds.

    In the Liberal leadership debate, Carney said we “absolutely have to keep in place the progress that the government has made on crucial things such as child care….” The Liberal platform affirms this, takes credit for introducing the existing system and notes: “In just a few short years, this program has become a core part of Canada’s social infrastructure.”



    Read more:
    Trudeau’s record may be spotty, but his biggest accomplishment was a national child-care program

    Since January, among the provinces and territories, all but Alberta and Saskatchewan have approved or tentatively approved five-year extensions to early learning and child-care funding agreements with the federal government.

    Those extensions are key, as they represent commitments from 11 provinces and territories to use the federal government’s additional $37 billion to continue building the $10 a day program through 2031.

    The NDP supported $10-a-day child care in the last election and continues that support, although child care is not mentioned in their published election platform.

    Changing the $10-a-day policy

    Poilievre, on the other hand, wants major changes from the $10-a-day child-care policy but he has not been forthcoming about details.

    However, he did discuss ideas and major criticisms in a March 25 campaign stop in Vaughan, Ont.

    He said: “We all believe that there should be more affordable child care in this country.” But then he criticized the current system as “bureaucratic” and “top down,” saying that “provinces can decide how to deliver those services on the front line with more flexibility and freedom for parents, provinces, and providers….”

    Clearly his “affordable child care” will not look anything like the burgeoning $10-a-day system.

    Poilievre’s wording is very similar to that of a new lobby organization of for-profit child care operators.

    The group calls for a shift from “federally controlled funding to no-strings-attached childcare funding for the provinces …” It also calls for a “funding-follows-the-family approach” which they believe will encourage parental and operator choice and minimize bureaucratic administrative costs and red tape.

    The Poilievre position, then, is an update from former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole’s policy proposals during the 2021 federal election.

    It harkens back to the cash-for-care approach Stephen Harper’s Conservative government had in place from 2006 to 2015. Conservatives prefer and encourage the provision of cash, a tax credit or voucher that parents can spend on child care.

    Such a Conservative approach is known as demand-side funding rather than supply-side funding — giving parents money to pay some of their child-care costs instead of funding child-care providers to ensure the services are available for families.

    Examining Conservative criticisms

    The “flexibility and freedom” that come with demand-side funding would mean removing conditions such as a guaranteed parent fee of $10 a day, targets for expansion of licensed child care, growth primarily by public and non-profit provision, and requirements for public financial accountability, from the federal funding agreements with the provinces and territories.

    There are substantial problems with Poilievre’s suggestion of overhauling the $10-a-day program. First, his March 25 criticisms are flawed:

    • He said “120,000 fewer children have daycare spaces than when the program was created,” but Statistics Canada surveys show a growth in attendance at child-care centres of an additional 177,900 children from late 2020 to the first half of 2023.

    • Poilievre said “child care now is worse than when the Liberals took office.” In fact, the main indicators of availability and affordability of child care are much better. Between 2015, when the Liberals took office, and 2023, the number of child care spaces grew by 426,203 to a total of 1,627,211 total licensed spaces. Child-care affordability is also greatly improved. By 2023, child-care fees had dropped by between 40 per cent and 75 per cent nearly everywhere across Canada, varying by geography and child age. As a proportion of after-tax family income, parents’ average spending on child care in January 2025 was less than one third of what it was before 2021, declining from just under 16 per cent to five per cent.

    • Poilievre said “most of the money has been consumed by bureaucracy.” In fact, child-care fees have dropped to an average of $10 a day (or less) in
      Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Québec, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland/Labrador, and all the remaining provinces have lowered parent fees substantially.

    This would not have been possible if “most of the money was consumed by bureaucracy,” something easily seen in readily available public data on how child-care funds are spent.

    Demand-side funding solutions

    Demand-side funding solutions with no cap on fees would be a dream for private corporations looking to enter a Canadian child-care market rich with public funds but a nightmare for cash-strapped parents who are desperate for child care.

    Australia is the poster child for generous demand-side funding of child care.

    In the Australian model, parents spend funds however they like, and there is no restriction on the fees providers can charge and no requirement for financial reporting. Funds are paid directly to child-care providers from the government on behalf of parents and corporate child-care thrives. Under this funding model, Australia has seen a sixfold increase in child-care fees since the early 1990s, twice as much as the increase in consumer prices.

    Bolster gains already made

    Nearly a million Canadian children between the ages of birth to five years are already able to access low-fee licensed child care.

    Building a quality child-care system is underway, but the work is far from complete.

    It’s time to redouble efforts to provide affordable, quality child care for all who need it rather than to abandon these major combined efforts of federal, provincial and territorial governments to build a dependable and affordable child-care system.

    Gordon Cleveland receives funding for expenses from an SSHRC project “Re-imagining care/work policies/Réinventer les politiques soins/travail”. He is a member of the National Advisory Council on Early Learning and Child Care. He volunteers for Building Blocks for Child Care. He is a research associate with L’Équipe de recherche Qualité contextes éducatifs de la petite enfance.

    – ref. Where the parties stand on child care in the Canadian federal election – https://theconversation.com/where-the-parties-stand-on-child-care-in-the-canadian-federal-election-254569

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Annual Report to the Nation: Cancer deaths continue to decline

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 2

    Media Advisory
    Monday, April 21, 2025

    Overall death rates from cancer declined steadily among both men and women from 2001 through 2022.

    What
    Overall death rates from cancer declined steadily among both men and women from 2001 through 2022, even during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the 2024 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer. Among men, overall cancer incidence, measured as the rate of new cancer diagnoses, decreased from 2001 through 2013 and then stabilized through 2021. Among women, overall cancer incidence increased slightly every year from 2003 through 2021, with the exception of 2020. The report appeared April 21, 2025, in Cancer.
    Progress in reducing cancer deaths overall is largely the result of declines in both incidence and death rates for lung cancer and several other smoking-related cancers, the researchers noted. New diagnoses and deaths from lung cancer, for example, have declined in both men and women over the past 20 years. Meanwhile, the incidence of cancers associated with obesity has been rising. These include female breast, uterus, colon and rectum, pancreas, kidney, and liver cancers.
    The report also shows that new diagnoses of breast cancer gradually increased over the study period, but the overall breast cancer death rate decreased. Cancer death rates in children declined steadily over the study period; those for adolescents and young adults also declined until recently, when the decline slowed and stabilized. From 2018 to 2022, cancer deaths decreased for each major racial and ethnic population group. From 2017 to 2021 (excluding 2020), cancer incidence was stable among men in each major racial and ethnic population group but increased among women in each major racial and ethnic population group. During the same time period, among men, incidence was highest in non-Hispanic Black men, whereas among women, incidence was highest in American Indian and Alaska Native women. 
    The report also included an analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on observed cancer incidence in individual states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico for the first two years of the pandemic. Cancer incidence declined sharply in 2020, likely due to pandemic-related disruptions in health care, but returned to pre-pandemic levels by 2021. The magnitude of the 2020 decline was similar across states, despite variations in COVID-19 policy restrictions. The researchers noted that these findings underscore the importance of providing access to health care, even during public health emergencies, to ensure the timely diagnosis of cancer.
    The Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer is a collaborative effort among the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); the American Cancer Society (ACS); and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR).The report provides annual updates on cancer trends in the United States.
    The report is based on cancer incidence data from population-based cancer registries, funded by CDC and NCI and compiled by NAACCR, and on cancer death data from the National Center for Health Statistics’ National Vital Statistics System.
    For more about the report, see: https://seer.cancer.gov/report_to_nation/.
    Who

    NAACCR: Recinda L. Sherman, Ph.D., M.P.H.
    ACS: Ahmedin Jemal, D.V.M., Ph.D.
    CDC: Jane Henley, M.S.P.H., and Lisa C. Richardson, M.D., M.P.H.
    NIH: Serban Negoita, M.D., Dr.P.H., and Kathleen A. Cronin, Ph.D., M.P.H.

    The Study
    “Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, Featuring State-Level Statistics after the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic” appears April 21, 2025, in Cancer.
    About the National Cancer Institute (NCI): NCI leads the National Cancer Program and NIH’s efforts to dramatically reduce the prevalence of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families, through research into prevention and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new researchers. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI website at cancer.gov or call NCI’s contact center, the Cancer Information Service, at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
    About the American Cancer Society (ACS): The American Cancer Society is a global grassroots force of 1.5 million volunteers dedicated to saving lives, celebrating lives, and leading the fight for a world without cancer. For more than 100 years, the American Cancer Society has been the preeminent cancer-fighting organization in the United States through research, education, advocacy, and patient services. We have helped lead the evolution in the way the world prevents, detects, treats, and thinks about cancer. For more information go to www.cancer.org.
    About the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are curable or preventable, chronic or acute, or from human activity or deliberate attack, CDC’s world-leading experts protect lives and livelihoods, national security and the U.S. economy by providing timely, commonsense information, and rapidly identifying and responding to diseases, including outbreaks and illnesses. CDC drives science, public health research, and data innovation in communities across the country by investing in local initiatives to protect everyone’s health. For more information, see www.cdc.gov.
    About the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR): The North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, Inc., is a professional organization that develops and promotes uniform data standards for cancer registration; provides education and training; certifies population-based registries; aggregates and publishes data from central cancer registries; and promotes the use of cancer surveillance data and systems for cancer control and epidemiologic research, public health programs, and patient care to reduce the burden of cancer in North America. For more, see naaccr.org.
    About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
    NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®
    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: TELECOM REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF INDIA

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 21 APR 2025 2:57PM by PIB Delhi

    Highlights of Telecom Subscription Data as on 31st January, 2025

     

    Particulars

    Wireless

    Wireline

    Total

    (Wireless+

    Wireline)

    Broadband Subscribers (Million)

    904.02*

    41.15

    945.16

    Urban Telephone Subscribers (Million)

    631.60*

    32.24$

    663.83

         Net Addition in January, 2025 (Million)

    5.17

    -4.06

    1.11

         Monthly Growth Rate

    0.82%

    -11.18%

    0.17%

    Rural Telephone Subscribers (Million)

    525.41*

    2.79$

    528.20

         Net Addition in January, 2025 (Million)

    1.18

    -0.18

    0.99

         Monthly Growth Rate

    0.23%

    -6.21%

    0.19%

    Total Telephone Subscribers (Million)

    1157.00*

    35.03$

    1192.03

         Net Addition in January, 2025 (Million)

    6.35

    -4.24

    2.10

         Monthly Growth Rate

    0.55%

    -10.80%$

    0.18%

    Overall Tele-density@(%)

    82.06%

    2.48%

    84.54%

         Urban Tele-density@(%)

    125.02%

    6.38%

    131.40%

         Rural Tele-density@(%)

    58.07%

    0.31%

    58.38%

    Share of Urban Subscribers

    54.59%

    92.03%

    55.69%

    Share of Rural Subscribers

    45.41%

    7.97%

    44.31%
    1. In the month of January 2025, 14.14 million subscribers submitted their requests for Mobile Number Portability (MNP). With this, the cumulative MNP requests increased from 1079.19 million at the end of December-24 to 1093.33 million at the end of January-25, since implementation of MNP.
    1. Number of active wireless (Mobile) subscribers (on the date of peak VLR#) in January 2025 was 1065.01 million.

     

    Note:

    1. *   Wireless includes 5G FWA subscription also. 
    2. $ Decrease in wireline Telephone subscription is due to accounting of 5G FWA Telephone subscription under wireless w.e.f Januray’2025, earlier being erroneously reported under wireline. 
    3. @ Based on the projection of population from the ‘Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections for India and States 2011 – 2036’.   
    4. # VLR is acronym of Visitor Location Register. The dates of peak VLR for various TSPs are different in different service areas.
    5. The Urban/Rural subscribers, net addition & monthly growth have been calculated considering the revised Subscribers reported by BSNL for the month of December 2024.
    6. Information in this Press Release is based on the data provided by the Service Providers.
    1. Broadband Subscribers

     

    • As per the information received from 1180 operators in January 2025, in comparison to 1192 operators in December 2024, the total Broadband Subscribers increased from 944.96 million at the end of December-24 to 945.16 million at the end of January-25 with a monthly growth rate of 0.04%. Segment-wise broadband subscribers and their monthly growth rates are as below: –

    Segment–wise Broadband Subscribers and Monthly Growth Rate in the month of January, 2025

    Segment

    Subscription

    Subscribers

    (in million)

    % Change

    Dec-24

    Jan-25

    Wired subscribers

    Fixed (wired) Broadband

    (DSL, FTTx, Ethernet/LAN, Cable Modem, ILL)

    41.19

    41.15

    -0.09%*

    Wireless Subscribers

    Fixed Wireless Broadband

    (FWA-5G, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, Radio, Satellite)

    5.21

    4.98

    -4.39%

    Mobile Broadband

    (Handset/Dongle based)

    898.57

    899.04

    0.05%

    Total Broadband Subscribers

    944.96

    945.16*

    0.04%

     

      * This report is prepared considering the last reported (Nov’2024) internet subscription data submitted by M/s Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd. and M/s Bharti Airtel Ltd., as they did not submit the requisite data in the prescribed format for Dec-2024 & Jan-2025.

     

    As on 31st January 2025, top five Broadband

    (Wired + Wireless) Service providers

     

    S.N.

    Name of the Service Provider

    Subscriber base

    (In million)
    1.  

    Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd

    476.58*
    1.  

    Bharti Airtel Ltd.

    289.31*
    1.  

    Vodafone Idea Ltd.

    126.41
    1.  

    Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.

    35.77
    1.  

    Atria Convergence Technologies Limited

    2.28

    Market Share of Top Five Broadband (Wired+Wireless)

    98.43%

    *As per reported data of Nov-24

    • The graphical representation of the service provider-wise market share of broadband services is given below: –

    Service Provider-wise Market Share of Broadband

    (wired + wireless) Services as on 31st January, 2025

     

    As on 31st January, 2025, Top Five Fixed (Wired) Broadband Service providers

    S.N.

    Name of the Service Provider

    Subscriber base

    (In million)
    1.  

    Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd

    11.48*
    1.  

    Bharti Airtel Ltd

    8.55*
    1.  

    Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd

    4.26
    1.  

    Atria Convergence Technologies Limited

    2.28
    1.  

    Kerala Vision Broadband Ltd

    1.28

    Market Share of Top Five Fixed (Wired) Broadband Service Providers

    67.67%

    *As per reported data of Nov-24

     

    As on 31st January, 2025, top five Wireless (Fixed wireless & mobile) Broadband Service providers

    S.N.

    Name of the Service Provider

    Subscriber base

    (In million)
    1.  

    Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd

    465.10*
    1.  

    Bharti Airtel Ltd

    280.76*
    1.  

    Vodafone Idea Ltd

    126.41
    1.  

    Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd

    31.52
    1.  

    Intech Online Pvt. Ltd

    0.09

    Market Share of Top Five Wireless Broadband Service Providers

    99.98%

    *As per reported data of Nov-24

    1. Wireline Subscribers
    • Wireline subscribers decreased from 39.27 million on December 24 to 35.03 million on January 25. Hence, the net decrease in the wireline subscriber base was 4.24 million with a monthly rate of decline -10.80%. This decrease is due to the accounting of 5G FWA subscribers’ numbers earlier being erroneously reported under the wireline category but now being accounted for under the wireless category w.e.f January 2025.
    • The Overall wireline Tele-density in India decreased from 2.79% at the end of December 24 to 2.48% at the end of January 25. Urban and Rural Wireline Tele-density were 6.38% and 0.31%, respectively, during the same period.  The share of urban and rural subscribers in total wireline subscribers was 92.03% and 7.97% respectively at the end of January 2025.
    • BSNL, MTNL, and APSFL, the three PSUs access service providers, held 24.77% of the wireline market share as on 31st January 2025. Detailed statistics of the Wireline subscriber base are available at Annexure-I.

     

    Access Service Provider-wise Market Share of wireline Subscribers

    as on 31st January, 2025

     

    Access Service Provider-wise Net Addition/Decline in wireline Subscribers during the month of January, 2025

     

     

    1. Wireless (Mobile + 5G FWA) Subscribers

     

    • Total wireless subscribers increased from 1,150.66 million (Mobile) on December-24 to 1,157 million (mobile + 5G FWA) on January-25, thereby registering a monthly growth rate of 0.55%. 5G FWA subscribers’ number, earlier being reported under the wireline category, has now been included in the wireless category w.e.f January 2025. Hence, due to the inclusion of 5G FWA subscriber numbers, there is an increase in the monthly growth rate. Total Wireless subscription in urban areas increased from 627.08 million on December 24 to 631.60 million on January 25, while the subscription in rural areas increased from 523.28 million to 525.41 million during the same period. The monthly growth rate of urban and rural wireless subscriptions was 0.82% and 0.23%, respectively.

             

    •  The Wireless Tele-density in India increased from 81.67% at the end of Dec-24 to 82.06% at the end of Jan-25. The Urban Wireless Tele-density increased from 124.31% at the end of Dec-24 to 125.02% at the end of Jan-25 and the Rural Tele-density increased from 57.89% to 58.07% during the same period. The share of urban and rural wireless subscribers in the total number of wireless subscribers was 54.59% and 45.41%, respectively, at the end of January 25.
    • The details of Wireless (mobile) and Wireless (5G FWA) subscribers are detailed below: –

     

    (A) Wireless (Mobile) subscriber

     

    • Total wireless (Mobile) subscribers increased from 1,150.66 million at the end of December-24 to 1,151.29 million at the end of January-25, thereby registering a monthly growth rate of 0.05%. Wireless (Mobile) subscription in urban areas decreased from 627.08 million at the end of Dec-24 to 626.08 million at the end of Jan-25, however wireless (Mobile) subscription in rural areas increased from 523.28 million to 525.20 million during the same period. Monthly growth rate of urban and rural wireless (Mobile) subscription was -0.06% and 0.19% respectively.

     

            

    • The Wireless (Mobile) Tele-density in India decreased from 81.67% at the end of Dec-24 to 81.65% at the end of Jan-25. The Urban Wireless Tele-density decreased from 124.31% at the end of Dec-24 to 123.92% at the end of Jan-25, however Rural Tele-density increased from 57.89% to 58.05% during the same period. The share of urban and rural wireless (Mobile) subscribers in total number of wireless (Mobile) subscribers was 54.38% and 45.62% respectively at the end of January-25. Detailed statistics of wireless (Mobile) subscriber base is available at Annexure-II

    •      As on 31st January 2025, the private access service providers held 91.96% market share of the wireless (Mobile) subscribers, whereas BSNL and MTNL, the two PSU access service providers, had a market share of only 8.04%.

    • The graphical representation of access service provider-wise market share and net additions in wireless (Mobile) subscriber base are given below: –

     

    Access Service Provider-wise Market Shares in term of Wireless (Mobile) Subscribers as on 31st January, 2025

     

     

     

    Net Addition/ Decline in Wireless (Mobile) Subscribers of Access Service Providers in the month of January 2025

     

    Growth in Wireless (Mobile) Subscribers

    Major Access Service Provider-wise Monthly Growth/ Decline Rate of Wireless Subscribers in the month of January, 2025

     

               

    Service Area-wise Monthly Growth/ Decline Rate of Wireless (Mobile) Subscribers in the month of January 2025

     

     

    • Except Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, U.P.(W), Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, J & K and Kolkata, all other service areas have showed growth in their wireless (Mobile) subscribers during the month of January-25.

     

    (B) Wireless (5G FWA) subscribers

     

    • Total wireless (5G FWA) subscribers were 5.72 million at the end of January 25, with subscriptions in urban and rural areas of 5.513 million and 0.202 million, respectively.
    • The share of urban and rural wireless (5G FWA) subscribers in the total number of wireless (5G FWA) subscribers was 96.46% and 3.54%, respectively at the end of January 25. Detailed statistics of the wireless (5G FWA) subscriber base is available at Annexure-V
    1. M2M cellular mobile connections

       Number of M2M cellular mobile connections increased from 59.09 million at the end of December-24 to 63.09 million at the end of January-25.

     

     

         Bharti Airtel Limited has the highest number of M2M cellular mobile connections 33.04 million with a market share of 52.37% followed by Vodafone idea Limited, Reliance Jio Infocom Limited and BSNL with market share of 25.07%, 17.40% and 5.16% respectively.

     

    1.  Total Telephone Subscribers

     

    • The number of total telephone subscribers in India increased from 1,189.92 million at the end of Dec-24 to 1,192.03 million at the end of Jan-25, thereby showing a monthly growth rate of 0.18%. Urban telephone subscription increased from 663.37 million at the end of Dec-24 to 663.83 million at the end of Jan-25 and the rural subscription also increased from 526.56 million to 528.20 million during the same period. The monthly growth rates of urban and rural telephone subscription were 0.17% and   0.19% respectively during the month of January-25.  
    • The overall Tele-density in India increased from 84.45% at the end of Dec-24 to 84.54% at the end of Jan-25. The Urban Tele-density decreased from 131.50% at the end of Dec-24 to 131.40% at the end of Jan-25 however Rural Tele-density increased from 58.22% to 58.38% during the same period. The share of urban and rural subscribers in total number of telephone subscribers at the end of January-25 were 55.69% and 44.31% respectively.

     

    Overall Tele-density (LSA Wise) – As on 31st January, 2025

     

     

    • As may be seen in the above chart, eight LSA have less tele-density than the all-India average tele-density at the end of January-25. Delhi service area has maximum tele-density of 274.17% and the Bihar service area has minimum tele-density of 56.63% at the end of January-25.

    Notes: –

    1. Population data/projections are available state wise only.
    2. Tele-density figures are derived from the telephone subscriber data provided by the access service providers and the projection of population from the “Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections for India and States 2011 – 2036.
    3. Telephone subscriber data for Delhi, includes, apart from the data for the State of Delhi, wireless subscriber data for the areas served by the local exchanges of Ghaziabad & Noida (in Uttar Pradesh) and Gurgaon & Faridabad (in Haryana).
    4. Data/information for West Bengal includes Kolkata, Maharashtra includes Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh includes UPE & UPW service area(s).
    5. Data/information for Andhra Pradesh includes Telengana, Madhya Pradesh includes Chhatishgarh, Bihar includes Jharkhand, Maharashtra includes Goa, Uttar Pradesh includes Uttarakhand, West Bengal includes Sikkim and North-East includes Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland & Tripura States.

     

    1. Category-wise Growth in subscriber base

     

    Circle Category-wise Net Additions in Telephone Subscribers in the month January, 2025

              

    Circle

    Category

    Net additions in the month of January, 2025

    Telephone Subscriber base as on 31st January, 2025

    Wireline segment

    Wireless* segment

    Wireline segment

    Wireless* segment

    Circle A

    -1540337

    1906719

    13539282

    385483296

    Circle B

    -1654918

    2568517

    9512781

    468875300

    Circle C

    -654284

    1250544

    2744860

    189962742

    Metro

    -391829

    619569

    9229730

    112680644

    All India

    -4241368

    6345349

    35026653

    1157001982

              *Wireless includes 5G FWA subscription also

     

    Circle Category-wise monthly and yearly Growth Rates in Telephone Subscribers in the month of January, 2025

     

     

    Circle Category

    Monthly growth rate (%)

    (December-24 to January-25)

    Yearly growth rate (%)

    (January-24 to January-25)

    Wireline Segment

    Wireless* Segment

    Wireline Segment

    Wireless* Segment

    Circle A

    -10.21%

    0.50%

    6.59%

    -0.54%

    Circle B

    -14.82%

    0.55%

    11.42%

    -0.56%

    Circle C

    -19.25%

    0.66%

    11.64%

    1.46%

    Metro

    -4.07%

    0.55%

    4.39%

    -1.49%

    All India

    -10.80%

    0.55%

    7.64%

    -0.32%

     

    *Wireless includes 5G FWA subscription also

     

    Note:  Circle Category-Metro includes Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Data for Chennai has been included in Circle Category-A, as part of TamilNadu.

     

    • As can be seen in the above tables, in the wireless segment, during the month of January 2025, on a monthly basis, all circles have registered a growth rate in their subscriber base. On a yearly basis, except Circle ‘C’, all other circles have registered a decline in their subscriber base.
    •  In the Wireline segment, during the month of January 2025, on a monthly basis, all circles have registered a decline in their subscriber base while on a yearly basis, all circles have registered growth in their subscribers.

     

    1.  Active Wireless (Mobile) Subscribers (VLR Data)

     

     

    • Out of the total 1151.29 million wireless subscribers, 1065.01 million wireless subscribers were active on the date of peak VLR in the month of January-25. The proportion of active wireless subscribers was approximately 92.51% of the total wireless subscriber base.
    • The detailed statistics on proportion of active wireless subscribers (also referred to as VLR subscribers) on the date of peak VLR in the month of January-25 is available at Annexure-III and the methodology used for reporting VLR subscribers is available at Annexure-IV.

     

    Access Service Provider-wise Percentage of VLR Subscribers

    in the month of January, 2025       

     

     

    •  Reliance Communication has the maximum proportion 100% of its active wireless subscribers (VLR) as against its total wireless subscribers (HLR) on the date of peak VLR in the month of  January-25 and MTNL has the minimum proportion of VLR 48.31% of its HLR during the same period.

     

    Service Area wise percentage of VLR Subscribers

    in the month of January, 2025

     

     

    1. Mobile Number Portability (MNP)

     

    • Intra-service area Mobile number portability (MNP) was implemented first in Haryana service area w.e.f. 25.11.2010 and in the rest of the country w.e.f. 20.01.2011. Inter-Service Area MNP has been implemented in the country w.e.f. 03.07.2015. Now, the wireless telephone subscribers can retain their mobile numbers when they relocate from one service area to another.
    • During the month of January-25, a total of 14.14 million requests were received for MNP.  Out of total 14.14 million, new requests received from Zone-I & Zone-II were 8.16 million and 5.98 million respectively. The cumulative MNP requests increased from 1079.19 million at the end of December-24 to 1093.33 million at the end of January-25, since the implementation of MNP. 
    • In MNP Zone-I (Northern and Western India), the highest number of requests till date have been received in Uttar Pradesh-East (about 108.37 million) followed by Maharashtra (about 89.08 million) service area.
    • In MNP Zone-II (Southern and Eastern India), the highest number of requests till date have been received in Madhya Pradesh (about 86.03 million) followed by Karnataka (about 72.50 million).

    Service Area Wise MNP Status

    Zone-I

    Zone–II

    Service Area

    Number of Porting Requests (in Million)

    Service Area

    Number of Porting Requests

    (in Million)

    Dec-24

    Jan-25

    Dec-24

    Jan-25

    Delhi

    51.42

    52.09

    Andhra Pradesh

    70.86

    71.50

    Gujarat

    73.42

    74.40

    Assam

    7.89

    7.99

    Haryana

    33.99

    34.41

    Bihar

    61.90

    62.94

    Himachal Pradesh

    4.55

    4.60

    Karnataka

    71.94

    72.50

    Jammu & Kashmir

    3.03

    3.11

    Kerala

    25.65

    25.90

    Maharashtra

    87.99

    89.08

    Kolkata

    19.63

    19.83

    Mumbai

    35.43

    35.73

    Madhya Pradesh

    84.71

    86.03

    Punjab

    35.34

    35.69

    North East

    2.48

    2.50

    Rajasthan

    72.50

    73.24

    Odisha

    18.87

    19.07

    U.P.(East)

    106.35

    108.37

    Tamil Nadu

    67.56

    68.14

    U.P.(West)

    79.94

    81.41

    West Bengal

    63.74

    64.82

    Total

    583.96

    592.12

    Total

    495.23

    501.21

    Total (Zone-I + Zone-II)

     

    		  

    1,079.19

    1,093.33

    Net Addition (January, 2025)

                                              14.14 million

     

     

    Contact details in         case of any clarification: –

    Shri Vijay Kumar, Advisor (F&EA),

    Telecom Regulatory Authority of India                                                                 

    World Trade Centre, Tower-F,

    Nauroji Nagar, New Delhi – 110029

    Ph: 011-20907773                                                        (Atul Kumar Chaudhary)

    E-mail: advfea1@trai.gov.in                                                  Secretary, TRAI

     

              

        Note: BSNL has revised the no. of rural subscribers from 29,300,726 to 29,946,250 for the month of December, 2024

        

    Note: Peak VLR figures in some circles of some of the service providers are more than their HLR  figures due to a large number of inroamers.            

     

    Annexure IV

    VLR Subscribers in the Wireless Segment

     

    Home Location Register (HLR) is a central database that contains details of each mobile phone subscriber that is authorized to use the GSM core network. The HLRs store details of every SIM card issued by the service provider. Each SIM has a unique identifier called an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), which is the primary key to each HLR record. The HLR data is stored for as long as a subscriber remains with the service provider. HLR also manages the mobility of subscribers by means of updating their position in administrative areas. It sends the subscriber data to a Visitor Location Register (VLR).

    Subscriber numbers reported by the service providers is the difference between the numbers of IMSI registered in service provider’s HLR and sum of other figures as given below: –

     

    1

    Total IMSI’s in HLR (A)

    2

    Less: (B = a + b + c + d + e)

    a.

    Test/Service Cards

    b.

    Employees

    c.

    Stock in hand/in Distribution Channels (Active Card)

    d.

    Subscriber Retention period expired

    e.

    Service suspended pending disconnection

    3

    Subscribers Base (A-B)

    Visitor Location Register (VLR) is a temporary database of the subscribers who have roamed into the particular area, which it serves. Each base station in the network is served by exactly one VLR; hence a subscriber cannot be present in more than one VLR at a time.

    If subscriber is in active stage i.e. he is able to send/receive calls/SMSs he is available both in HLR and VLR. However, it may be possible that the subscriber is registered in HLR but not in VLR due to the reason that he is either switched-off or moved out of coverage area, not reachable etc. In such circumstances he will be available in HLR but not in VLR. This causes difference between subscriber number reported by the service providers based on HLR and numbers available in VLR.

    The VLR subscriber data calculated here is based on active subscribers in VLR on the date of Peak subscriber number in VLR of the particular month for which the data is being collected. This data is to be taken from the switches having the purge time of not more than 72 hours.

    **********

    Samrat

    (Release ID: 2123143) Visitor Counter : 70

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: SPbPU became the driver of discussions at the international economic congress

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    The 10th St. Petersburg International Economic Congress was held. The main topic was “Labor and the Transformation of Society: Knowledge, Creativity, Noonomics.” The event was organized by the S. Yu. Witte Institute for New Industrial Development together with the Free Economic Society of Russia with the participation of the Economics Section of the Social Sciences Department of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Department of Global Problems and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the assistance of the World Association of Political Economy and the International Union of Economists. This significant event brought together more than a thousand leading scientists, experts, and representatives of the business community from Russia and 12 countries, including China, India, Greece, Great Britain, Canada, Turkey, Austria, Hungary, and others.

    At the plenary session, the Director of the Witte Institute of Industrial Development and the President of the Free Economic Society of Russia Sergei Bodrunov noted that over 10 years of work, SPEC has achieved significant results – both theoretical and practical, and has become a provider of scientific thought into practice. SPEC-2025 received numerous greetings from scientists, public and government figures: the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Gennady Krasnikov, the Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov, the head of the UN group in Russia Vladimir Kuznetsov, the President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Alexander Shokhin. They all emphasized the high importance of such events for uniting the country’s intellectual potential and expert discussion of fundamental problems of economic science, the development of practical mechanisms for solving pressing problems.

    In his greeting to the participants of SPEC-2025, the rector of SPbPU and chairman of the St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrey Rudskoy pointed out the importance of consolidating the efforts of the scientific and expert community to solve the problems of Russia’s socio-economic development.

    “Traditionally, the congress brings together researchers from various fields – economists, sociologists, philosophers, lawyers, historians, education specialists and representatives of the exact sciences. Key issues of the global economy, social structure and problems of strategic development of Russia are discussed here. Today, the country faces difficult geopolitical tasks. The system of international relations and the structure of world economies are undergoing significant changes. In these conditions, it is especially important to develop theoretical and practical proposals for the transformation of national institutions, to consolidate the efforts of scientific communities in order to ensure the implementation of national development goals of the country,” Andrei Ivanovich noted.

    The congress was attended by Abel Aganbegyan (Corresponding Member of the British Academy, Honorary Member of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, Vice President of the Russian Economic Society), Sergey Glazyev (current member of the Board for Integration and Macroeconomics of the Eurasian Economic Commission), Vladimir Okrepilov (member of the Presidium of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of St. Petersburg) and other renowned economists.

    The forum participants discussed key challenges of our time — from personnel shortages and digital transformation to technological sovereignty and the development of the creative economy. Plenary sessions and round tables featured reports on innovations in the agricultural and industrial sectors, the prospects of artificial intelligence, strategic planning, and new approaches to macroeconomic modeling.

    Polytechnic University was represented at the congress by the IPMET delegation consisting of representatives of the institute’s structural divisions. Our colleagues took an active part in the work of the forum. Some moderated sections, some made reports, and students had a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the latest research and discuss current issues with leading experts.

    Director of the Higher School of Business Engineering Igor Ilyin not only acted as a moderator of the section “Structural, Technological and Digital Transformation of Industry in Russia”, but also presented a report on the implementation of digital technologies in the process architecture of enterprises and organizations. As part of SPEC-2025, Igor Vasilyevich headed the section, which brought together leading experts, representatives of industrial companies and scientists. The main focus of the section was on discussing current trends, challenges and prospects for digital transformation in Russian industry.

    “Digital transformation is not just the introduction of new technologies, it is a change in the entire business logic, processes and approaches to management. And successful transformation requires a comprehensive approach, including both technological and organizational changes,” Igor Vasilyevich emphasized.

    In his report, Igor Vasilyevich presented an analysis of modern digital technologies and their impact on the process architecture of enterprises. He focused in detail on such relevant areas as artificial intelligence, blockchain, digital twins, the Internet of Things (IoT) and confidential cloud computing. The practical examples presented in the report included cases from the medical and energy industries, which are being worked on within the framework of close cooperation between the Higher School of Business and the Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Research and Education on Technological and Economic Problems of Energy Transition (CIRETEC-GT) headed by Igor Vasilyevich and business partners of the Institute of Mechanics and Electronics and Telecommunications.

    Teachers and students of the Higher School of Industrial Management also took an active part in the forum. Associate Professor Olga Ergunova and Senior Lecturer Andrey Somov made presentations. Also, student reports were presented by HSPM Master’s students Maria Belova and Diana Yakimenko, who demonstrated a high level of research training. The reports were presented in specialized sections devoted to the digitalization of the economy, intellectual work and the transformation of production and social practices.

    The report by Marina Yanenko, professor at the Higher School of Service and Trade, presented an analysis of the impact of artificial intelligence on the process of market transformation, changes in business requirements for the knowledge and skills of specialists, and the emergence of new needs for the content of labor. Marina Borisovna noted that the growing availability of artificial intelligence makes it a key tool in a wide variety of economic sectors and formulated recommendations for improving competitive strategies in the labor market in the context of the development of artificial intelligence.

    The Higher School of Engineering and Economics was represented by the Head of the Research Laboratory “Digital Economy of Industry” Professor Alexander Babkin, Professor Irina Rudskaya, Associate Professor Lyudmila Guzikova and Associate Professor Nikolai Dmitriev. Lyudmila Aleksandrovna participated as a moderator of the seminar “New and Old Challenges of the Russian Labor Market: Adaptation Strategies of Various Socio-Demographic Groups”, and also spoke at this seminar with a report on the topic “Implementation of the Principles of Noonomics in a Unified Interregional System of the Labor Market for Specialists with Higher Education”. Alexander Vasilyevich took part in the plenary session and also made a report on the topic: “Strategizing the Digital Transformation of the Intelligent Cyber-Social Industrial Ecosystem Based on Industry 6.0”, noting that in modern conditions, issues of developing strategic approaches to the integration of advanced technologies and the creation of sustainable, human-oriented production systems are relevant.

    This year, representatives of the Department of Economic Theory of the IPMEiT took an active part in the work of the congress: Associate Professor Elena Milskaya, Associate Professor Anna Strizhak, Associate Professor Ekaterina Afonichkina, Associate Professor Olga Naumova, as well as 47 students in the areas of “Economic Security”, “Economic Statistics”, “Customs”.

    “We really enjoyed the event, we learned a lot of new things, the ideas and topics of the speakers inspired us to study individual economic issues in detail. It was great that we could choose the literature ourselves and take it for study. I would also like to emphasize the relevance of each problem raised at the congress, this is what aroused special interest. It was interesting to listen to the reasoning of professors and prominent figures in economics. We thank the organizers and want to say a huge thank you to Elena Andreevna Milskaya, who gave us a chance to become participants in the congress. It is great that our educational program in macroeconomics goes beyond the university!” – noted student of group 3753801/40002 Yulia Arteyeva.

    SPEC-2025 has once again confirmed its importance as a leading platform for discussing strategic challenges and opportunities in the knowledge economy. The participation of IPMET representatives in such a large-scale scientific event emphasizes the university’s sustainable aspiration for scientific leadership, integration into the expert community and the development of young scientists.

    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: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addresses 17th Civil Services Day

    Source: Government of India

    Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addresses 17th Civil Services Day

    The policies we are working on today, the decisions we are making, are going to shape the future of the next thousand years: PM

    India’s aspirational society – youth, farmers, women – their dreams are soaring to unprecedented heights,To fulfil these extraordinary aspirations, extraordinary speed is essential: PM

    Real progress does not mean small changes but full-scale impact; Clean water in every home, quality education for every child, financial access for every entrepreneur and benefits of digital economy for every village, this is Holistic Development: PM

    Quality in governance is determined by how deeply schemes reach the people and their real impact on the ground: PM

    In the past 10 years, India has moved beyond incremental change to witness impactful transformation: PM

    India is setting new benchmarks in governance, transparency and innovation: PM

    The approach of ‘Janbhagidari’ turned the G20 into a people’s movement and the world acknowledged,India is not just participating, it is leading: PM

    In the age of technology, governance is not about managing systems, it is about multiplying possibilities: PM

    We have to increase the competence of civil servants so that we can prepare a future-ready civil service; That is why I consider both Mission Karmayogi and Civil Service Capacity Building Programme very important: PM

    Posted On: 21 APR 2025 1:14PM by PIB Delhi

    The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed Civil Servants on the occasion of 17th Civil Services Day at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi today. He also conferred the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration. Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister congratulated everyone on the occasion of Civil Services Day and highlighted the significance of this year’s celebration, as it marks the 75th year of the Constitution and the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Recounting Sardar Patel’s iconic statement on April 21, 1947, where he referred to civil servants as the ‘Steel Frame of India’, Shri Modi emphasized Patel’s vision of a bureaucracy that upholds discipline, honesty, and democratic values, serving the nation with utmost dedication. He underscored the relevance of Sardar Patel’s ideals in the context of India’s resolve to become a Viksit Bharat and paid a heartfelt tribute to Sardar Patel’s vision and legacy.

    Reflecting on his earlier statement from the Red Fort, emphasizing the need to strengthen the foundation of India for the next thousand years, Shri Modi noted that 25 years have already passed in this millennium, marking the 25th year of the new century and the new millennium. “The policies we are working on today, the decisions we are making, are going to shape the future of the next thousand years”, he highlighted. Quoting ancient scriptures, he said just as a chariot cannot move with a single wheel, success cannot be achieved solely by relying on fate without effort. Underscoring the importance of collective effort and determination in achieving the goal of a developed India, he urged everyone to work tirelessly, every day and every moment, towards this shared vision.

    Mentioning the rapid changes occurring globally, noting how even within families, interactions with younger generations can make one feel outdated due to the fast pace of change, the Prime Minister highlighted the swift evolution of gadgets every two to three years and how children are growing up amidst these transformations. He emphasized that India’s bureaucracy, work processes, and policymaking cannot operate on outdated frameworks. He remarked on the significant transformation initiated in 2014, describing it as a grand endeavor to adapt to the fast-paced changes. He highlighted the aspirations of India’s society, youth, farmers, and women, stating that their dreams have reached unprecedented heights and stressed the need for extraordinary speed to fulfill these extraordinary aspirations. The Prime Minister outlined India’s ambitious goals for the coming years, including energy security, clean energy, advancements in sports, and achievements in space exploration, emphasizing the importance of raising India’s flag high in every sector. Underscoring the immense responsibility on civil servants to ensure that India becomes the world’s third-largest economy at the earliest, he urged them to prevent any delays in achieving this critical objective.

    Expressing happiness over the theme of this year’s Civil Services Day, ‘Holistic Development of India’, Shri Modi emphasized that this is not just a theme but a commitment and a promise to the people of the nation. “Holistic development of India means ensuring that no village, no family, and no citizen is left behind”, he stressed, remarking that true progress is not about small changes but about achieving a full-scale impact. He outlined the vision of holistic development, which includes clean water for every household, quality education for every child, financial access for every entrepreneur, and the benefits of the digital economy for every village. He highlighted that quality in governance is not determined by the mere launch of schemes but by how deeply these schemes reach the people and their real impact. The Prime Minister noted the visible impact in districts like Rajkot, Gomati, Tinsukia, Koraput, and Kupwara, where significant progress has been made, from increasing school attendance to adopting solar power. He congratulated the districts and individuals associated with these initiatives, acknowledging their excellent work and the awards received by several districts.

    Highlighting that over the past 10 years, India has progressed from incremental change to impactful transformation, the Prime Minister emphasized that the country’s governance model is now focused on Next Generation Reforms, leveraging technology and innovative practices to bridge the gap between the government and citizens. He noted that the impact of these reforms is evident in rural, urban, and remote areas alike. He remarked on the success of Aspirational Districts and emphasized the equally remarkable achievements of Aspirational Blocks. He recalled that the program was launched in January 2023 and has shown unprecedented results in just two years, highlighting significant progress in indicators such as health, nutrition, social development, and basic infrastructure across these blocks. Citing examples of transformational changes, he said that in the Peeplu Block of Tonk district, Rajasthan, measurement efficiency for children in Anganwadi centers increased from 20% to over 99%, while in the Jagdishpur Block of Bhagalpur, Bihar, registration of pregnant women during the first trimester surged from 25% to over 90%. He further added that in the Marwah Block of Jammu & Kashmir, institutional deliveries rose from 30% to 100% and in the Gurdih Block of Jharkhand, tap water connections grew from 18% to 100%. He emphasized that these are not just statistics but evidence of the government’s resolve for last-mile delivery. “With the right intent, planning, and execution, transformation is possible even in remote areas”, he added.

    Underlining India’s achievements over the past decade, emphasizing transformative changes and the nation’s attainment of new heights, Shri Modi remarked, “India is now recognized not merely for its growth but for setting new benchmarks in governance, transparency, and innovation”. He identified India’s G20 Presidency as a significant example of these advancements, noting that, for the first time in G20’s history, over 200 meetings were held across more than 60 cities, creating a broad and inclusive footprint. He underscored how the approach of public participation transformed the G20 into a people’s movement. “The world has acknowledged India’s leadership; India is not just participating, it is leading”, he affirmed.

    The Prime Minister highlighted the growing discussions around government efficiency, emphasizing that India is 10-11 years ahead of other nations in this regard. He remarked on the efforts made over the past 11 years to eliminate delays, introduce new processes, and reduce turnaround time through technology. He noted that over 40,000 compliances have been removed, and more than 3,400 legal provisions have been decriminalized to promote ease of business. He recalled the resistance faced during these reforms, with critics questioning the need for such changes. However, he emphasized that the government did not succumb to pressure, asserting that new approaches are essential for achieving new results. He further highlighted the improvement in India’s Ease of Doing Business Rankings as a result of these efforts and noted the global enthusiasm for investing in India. The Prime Minister urged the need to capitalize on this opportunity by eliminating red tape at the state, district, and block levels to achieve set goals effectively.

    “The successes of the past 10-11 years have laid a strong foundation for a developed India”, said Shri Modi, remarking that the nation is now beginning to construct the grand edifice of a developed India on this solid base but acknowledged the significant challenges ahead. He noted that India has become the most populous country in the world, emphasizing the prioritization of saturation in basic amenities. He urged a strong focus on last-mile delivery to ensure inclusivity in development. He highlighted the evolving needs and aspirations of the citizens, remarking that the Civil Service must adapt to contemporary challenges to remain relevant. Shri Modi stressed the need for setting new benchmarks, moving beyond comparisons with previous benchmarks. He urged measuring progress against the vision for a developed India by 2047, examining whether the current pace of achieving goals in every sector is adequate, and accelerating efforts wherever necessary. He underscored the advancements in technology available today and called for leveraging its power. Highlighting the accomplishments of the past decade, Shri Modi mentioned the construction of 4 crore houses for the poor, with a target of building 3 crore more, connecting over 12 crore rural households to tap water within 5-6 years, with the aim of ensuring every village household has a tap connection soon. He further mentioned the building of over 11 crore toilets for the underprivileged in the past 10 years, while targeting new goals in waste management and providing free treatment up to ₹5 lakh for millions of underprivileged individuals. Shri Modi emphasized the need for renewed commitments to improve nutrition for citizens and declared that the ultimate goal must be 100% coverage and 100% impact. He highlighted that this approach has lifted 25 crore people out of poverty in the past decade and expressed confidence that it will lead to a poverty-free India.

    Reflecting on the past role of bureaucracy as a regulator that controlled the pace of industrialization and entrepreneurship, the Prime Minister emphasized that the nation has moved beyond this mindset and is now fostering an environment that promotes enterprise among citizens and helps them overcome barriers. “Civil Services must transform into an enabler, expanding its role from merely being the keeper of rule books to becoming a facilitator of growth”, he said. Citing the example of the MSME sector, he highlighted the importance of Mission Manufacturing and how the success of this mission is heavily reliant on MSMEs. The Prime Minister pointed out that amidst global changes, MSMEs, startups, and young entrepreneurs in India have an unprecedented opportunity. He stressed the necessity of becoming more competitive in the global supply chain and noted that MSMEs face competition not just from smaller entrepreneurs but also globally. He remarked that if a small country provides better ease of compliances to its industries, it could outpace Indian startups. Thus, he emphasized the need for India to continuously evaluate its position in global best practices. The Prime Minister asserted that while the goal of Indian industries is to create globally best products, the goal of India’s bureaucracy must be to provide the world’s best ease of compliance environment.

    Emphasising the need for civil servants to acquire skills that not only help them understand technology but also enable its use for smart and inclusive governance, Shri Modi remarked, “In the age of technology, governance is not about managing systems; it is about multiplying possibilities.” He stressed the importance of becoming tech-savvy to make policies and schemes more efficient and accessible through technology. He highlighted the need for expertise in data-driven decision-making to ensure accurate policy design and implementation. Observing the rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Physics, predicting a forthcoming revolution in technology that will surpass the digital and information age, Shri Modi urged civil servants to prepare for this technological revolution to deliver the best services and fulfill citizens’ aspirations. Underscoring the importance of enhancing the capabilities of civil servants to build a future-ready civil service, he highlighted the significance of Mission Karmayogi and the Civil Service Capacity Building Program in achieving this goal.

    The Prime Minister stressed the need to closely monitor global challenges in rapidly changing times, highlighting that food, water, and energy security remain major issues, particularly for the Global South, where ongoing conflicts are exacerbating difficulties, impacting daily lives and livelihoods. He further stressed the importance of understanding the growing interconnection between domestic and external factors. He identified climate change, natural disasters, pandemics, and cybercrime threats as critical areas requiring proactive action, urging India to stay ten steps ahead in addressing these challenges. He underlined the need to develop localized strategies and build resilience to effectively tackle these emerging global issues.

    Reiterating the concept of “Panch Pran” introduced from the Red Fort, emphasizing the resolve for a developed India, liberation from the mindset of servitude, pride in heritage, the power of unity, and the honest fulfillment of duties, Shri Modi remarked that civil servants are the key carriers of these principles. He stated, “Every time you prioritize integrity over convenience, innovation over inertia, or service over status, you propel the nation forward.” He expressed his complete trust in the civil servants. Addressing young officers embarking on their professional journeys, he highlighted the societal contributions to individual success. He remarked that everyone seeks to give back to society in their own capacity. He emphasized the privilege civil servants have in being able to contribute significantly to society, urging them to make the most of this opportunity provided by the nation and its people.

    The Prime Minister emphasized the need to reimagine reforms for civil servants, calling for an accelerated pace and expanded scale of reforms across sectors. He highlighted key areas such as infrastructure, renewable energy goals, internal security, terminating corruption, social welfare schemes, and targets related to sports and the Olympics, urging the implementation of new reforms in every domain. He remarked that the achievements so far must be surpassed manifold, setting higher benchmarks for progress. The Prime Minister stressed the importance of human judgment in a technology-driven world, urging civil servants to remain sensitive, listen to the voices of the underprivileged, understand their struggles, and prioritize resolving their issues. Concluding his address, he invoked the principle of “Nagrik Devo Bhava,” likening it to the ethos of “Atithi Devo Bhava,” and called on civil servants to see themselves not just as administrators but as architects of a developed India, fulfilling their responsibilities with dedication and compassion.

    Union Minister of State for Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh, Principal Secretary – 2 to Prime Minister, Shri Shaktikanta Das, Cabinet Secretary, Shri T V Somanathan and Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances, Shri V Srinivas were present on the occasion. 

    Background

    Prime Minister has always encouraged Civil Servants across India to dedicate themselves to the cause of citizens, be committed to public service and strive towards excellence in their work. This year, 16 awards were given by the Prime Minister in the categories of Holistic Development of Districts, Aspirational Blocks Programme and Innovation to civil servants. They were recognised for work done for the welfare of common citizens through this.

     

     

    ***

    MJPS/SR

    (Release ID: 2123113) Visitor Counter : 39

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Phishing attacks leveraging HTML code inside SVG files

    Source: Securelist – Kaspersky

    Headline: Phishing attacks leveraging HTML code inside SVG files

    With each passing year, phishing attacks feature more and more elaborate techniques designed to trick users and evade security measures. Attackers employ deceptive URL redirection tactics, such as appending malicious website addresses to seemingly safe links, embed links in PDFs, and send HTML attachments that either host the entire phishing site or use JavaScript to launch it. Lately, we have noticed a new trend where attackers are distributing attachments in SVG format, the kind normally used for storing images.

    SVG format

    SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) is a format for describing two-dimensional vector graphics using XML. This is how an SVG file appears when opened in image viewing software.

    SVG image

    But if you open it in a text editor, you can see the XML markup that describes the image. This markup allows for easy editing of image parameters, eliminating the need for resource-intensive graphics editors.

    This is what an SVG file looks like when opened in a text editor

    Since SVG is based on XML, it supports JavaScript and HTML, unlike JPEG or PNG. This makes it easier for designers to work with non-graphical content like text, formulas, and interactive elements. However, attackers are exploiting this by embedding scripts with links to phishing pages within the image file.

    Phishing email campaigns leveraging SVG files

    At the start of 2025, we observed phishing emails that resembled attacks with an HTML attachment, but instead utilized SVG files.

    Phishing email with an SVG attachment

    A review of the email’s source code shows that the attachment is identified as an image type.

    The file as displayed in the email body

    However, opening the file in a text editor reveals that it is essentially an HTML page with no mention of vector graphics.

    Code of the SVG file

    In a browser, this file appears as an HTML page with a link that supposedly points to an audio file.

    SVG file viewed as HTML

    Clicking the link redirects the user to a phishing page masquerading as Google Voice.

    Phishing page mimicking Google Voice

    The audio track at the top of the page is a static image. Clicking “Play Audio” redirects the user to a corporate email login page, allowing attackers to capture their credentials. This page, too, mentions Google Voice. The page also includes the target company’s logo, aiming to lower the user’s guard.

    Login form

    In a separate instance, mimicking a notification from an e-signature service, attackers presented an SVG attachment as a document that required review and signature.

    Phishing e-signature request

    Unlike the first example, where the SVG file acted as an HTML page, in this case it contains JavaScript that, when the file is opened, launches a browser window with a phishing site featuring a fake Microsoft login form.

    Code of the SVG file

    Phishing login form

    Statistics

    Our telemetry data indicates a significant increase in SVG campaigns during March 2025. We found 2,825 of these emails in just the first quarter of the year.

    Emails with SVG attachments, January through March 2025 (download)

    In April, the upward trend continued: in the first half of the month, we detected 1324 emails with SVG attachments – more than two-thirds of March’s figure.

    Takeaways

    Phishers are relentlessly exploring new techniques to circumvent detection. They vary their tactics, sometimes employing user redirection and text obfuscation, and other times, experimenting with different attachment formats. The SVG format provides the capability to embed HTML and JavaScript code within images, which is misused by attackers. Despite not being widespread at the time of this study, SVG attachment attacks are showing a clear upward trend. These attacks, while currently relatively basic – much like HTML attachment scenarios – involve SVG files containing either a phishing link page or a redirection script to a fraudulent site. However, the use of SVG as a container for malicious content can also be employed in more sophisticated targeted attacks.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s wholesale, retail sectors log strong momentum in Q1

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    China’s wholesale and retail sectors have logged strong momentum in the first three months of 2025, providing solid support for expanding domestic demand in the country, the commerce ministry said on Monday.

    From January to March, the added value of China’s wholesale and retail trade grew by 5.8 percent from a year earlier to reach 3.3 trillion yuan (about 457.98 billion U.S. dollars), or 10.4 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.

    During the period, the transaction volume of key commodity markets in the wholesale industry reached 1.3 trillion yuan, while the transaction volume of industrial consumer goods markets increased by 0.8 percent year on year, the ministry said.

    For the retail industry, the retail sales of goods reached 11 trillion yuan in the first three months, increasing by 4.6 percent year on year.

    China has seen about 100.35 million new home appliances sold under its consumer goods trade-in program, with over 40 million appliances sold in 2025, according to the ministry. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 21, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 21, 2025.

    A secret mathematical rule has shaped the beaks of birds and other dinosaurs for 200 million years
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathleen Garland, PhD Candidate, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University The faces of living and extinct theropod dinosaurs. Left: Riya Bidaye; right: Indian Roller model (NHMUK S1987) from TEMPO bird project – MorphoSource. Bird beaks come in almost every shape and size – from the straw-like beak

    Curious Kids: if heat rises, why does it get colder in the mountains?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Renwick, Professor, Physical Geography (Climate Science), Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Shutterstock/EvaL Miko If heat rises, why does it get colder as you climb up mountains? – Ollie, 8, Christchurch, New Zealand That is an excellent and thoughtful question Ollie – why indeed?

    From the doable to the downright impossible: your guide to making sense of election promises
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Rindert Algra-Maschio, PhD Candidate, Social and Political Sciences, Monash University Three weeks into the federal election campaign and both major parties have already pledged to spend billions in taxpayer dollars if elected on May 3. But with so many policies announced — and surely more to

    Security without submarines: the military strategy Australia should pursue instead of AUKUS
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Palazzo, Adjunct Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at UNSW Canberra, UNSW Sydney For more than a century, Australia has followed the same defence policy: dependence on a great power. This was first the United Kingdom and then the United States. Without properly

    Prison needle programs could save double what they cost – our new modelling shows how
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Farah Houdroge, Mathematical Modeller, Burnet Institute ChameleonsEye/Shutterstock Needle and syringe programs are a proven public health intervention that provide free, sterile injecting equipment to people who use drugs. By reducing needle sharing, these programs help prevent the spread of blood-borne viruses such as hepatitis C and HIV

    ‘Puppy blues’: how to cope with the exhaustion and stress of raising a puppy
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    A survey of Australian uni students suggests more than half are worried about food or don’t have enough to eat
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    Low effort, high visibility: what bumper stickers say about our values and identity
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    Election Diary: Coalition makes ‘law-and-order’ pitch, with plan to invest proceeds of drug crime into communities
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    Newspoll steady as both leaders’ ratings fall; Labor surging in poll of marginal seats
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne With less than two weeks to go now until the federal election, the polls continue to favour the government being returned. Newspoll was steady at 52–48 to

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    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone Israel assassinated a photojournalist in Gaza in an airstrike targeting her family’s home on Wednesday, the day after it was announced that a documentary she appears in would premier in Cannes next month. Her name was Fatima Hassouna. Nine members of her

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    ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 20, 2025
    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 20, 2025.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Hong Kong tourism strives to grow with new strategies

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    At the recently concluded Hong Kong Tourism Development Forum, many attendees shared the belief that Hong Kong remains an international tourist city deeply desired by travelers.

    The forum, co-hosted by the Hong Kong Tourism Board and China Tourism Group, brought together over 600 industry representatives to discuss future trends and directions of Hong Kong’s tourism industry.

    Hong Kong’s tourism sector is uncovering new pathways for cultural tourism transformation, forging ahead toward the goal of becoming a “world-class premier tourism destination.”

    Facing both opportunities and challenges, Hong Kong has been proactive and visionary. Since 2023, China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government has prioritized the development of an event economy to attract tourists and stimulate local spending, showcasing the city’s vibrancy as the “Capital of Events.”

    The HKSAR government’s events calendar features a wide range of activities encompassing culture, arts, finance, and trade. The event economy has already shown impressive results.

    In 2024, Hong Kong hosted over 240 events, attracting more than two million visitors. These events generated approximately 7.5 billion HK dollars (about 966 million U.S. dollars) in consumer spending and 4.5 billion HK dollars in economic added value.

    Michael Wong, deputy financial secretary of the HKSAR government, estimated that events in the first half of 2025 will draw about 840,000 tourists, a year-on-year increase of over 50 percent. This is expected to result in 3.3 billion HK dollars in consumer spending and 1.8 billion HK dollars in economic added value.

    At the end of last year, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the HKSAR government unveiled the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong’s Tourism Industry 2.0, proposing four development strategies and 133 measures aimed at achieving the vision of “tourism is everywhere,” setting the direction for the next five years.

    According to the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s latest statistics, the spending of Chinese mainland overnight visitors on entertainment grew by 61.3 percent to 4.19 billion HK dollars last year. Activities such as exhibitions, theater shows, and concerts have become trending attractions for Chinese mainland tourists.

    In 2024, non-Chinese mainland visitors to Hong Kong exceeded 10 million. Research by a globally recognized consumer market consultancy ranked Hong Kong as the fourth most popular city for international tourists worldwide in 2024.

    Dai Bin, director of China Tourism Academy, emphasized that maintaining the prosperity and growth of Hong Kong’s tourism industry is an important part of ensuring the economic and social prosperity of Hong Kong within the framework of “one country, two systems.” Industrial sectors in Hong Kong must strengthen collaboration and embrace global opportunities for tourism development.

    Yiu Pak-leung, a member of the HKSAR Legislative Council, said that enhancing the competitiveness of tourism products and services aligned with ocean, eco-tourism, heritage, sightseeing, and red tourism themes is crucial to boosting Hong Kong’s tourism industry.

    Peter Lam, chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, noted that the board will actively collaborate with other cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) to attract more international tourists to experience unique journeys in the GBA. (1 US dollar = 7.76 HK dollars) 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Policy focus on consumption to drive growth

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    China’s pro-consumption initiatives — a top priority of the country’s policy agenda for this year — are expected to shore up consumer confidence and unleash the potential of domestic demand to stimulate economic growth, while hedging the impact of the United States’ tariff hikes, said officials, economists and executives.

    They noted that China has demonstrated firm determination to further vitalize the consumer market and address prominent constraints on consumption by bolstering people’s well-being amid rising trade protectionism and external uncertainties, with a particular focus on stabilizing jobs, increasing household income and alleviating financial burdens.

    A comprehensive policy package to boost consumption will accelerate the country’s shift toward a consumption-driven growth model from an export- and investment-led growth model, they said. The economists and executives also projected a robust recovery for China’s consumer market this year, with concrete measures aimed at strengthening consumers’ ability and willingness to spend gradually taking effect.

    President Xi Jinping has emphasized efforts to expand domestic demand, as well as establish and improve a long-term mechanism for expanding residents’ consumption, so that residents can consume with the help of stable income, dare to consume without worries, and are willing to consume due to the excellent consumption environment and strong sense of gain. Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when attending the second group study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee in January 2023.

    According to the Central Economic Work Conference held in December last year, the foremost priority for policymakers in 2025 is to vigorously boost consumption, improve investment efficiency and expand domestic demand on all fronts. This year’s Government Work Report also listed boosting consumption as a top priority among major tasks for 2025.

    China will make expanding domestic demand a long-term strategy, while solid measures should be taken to stabilize employment, boost incomes and create demand with high-quality supply, Premier Li Qiang said earlier this month when chairing a symposium on the economic situation.

    The fifth China International Consumer Products Expo, which was held last week in Haikou, Hainan province, is a strong testimony to the vitality and resilience of the nation’s consumer market. The event attracted more than 60,000 professional purchasers, a 10 percent increase from last year, with the value of intended deals reaching around 92 billion yuan ($12.6 billion).

    To stimulate domestic demand and solve key challenges weighing on consumer sentiment, the general offices of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, China’s Cabinet, recently issued a special action plan for boosting consumption.

    Li Chunlin, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that unlike past policies that primarily targeted the supply side, the new plan places great emphasis on stepping up policy support on the demand side by raising people’s income and reducing financial burdens.

    The plan calls for promoting wage growth by strengthening employment support and raising minimum wage standards in a scientific and reasonable manner, and it includes stabilizing the stock market to expand property income channels, he said, adding that these measures will give consumers more stable expectations and greater confidence in their spending power.

    He said that dedicated efforts have been outlined in the plan to integrate consumption growth with improving people’s livelihoods, such as easing household burdens in areas like child care, education, healthcare and old-age insurance.

    The country is drafting a child care subsidy plan and will expand financial assistance for basic medical insurance.

    “China’s efforts to boost domestic demand can offset the impact of US tariff hikes,” said Sun Xuegong, director of the department of policy study and consultation at the Chinese Academy of Macroeconomic Research, an NDRC think tank, while emphasizing that the nation’s economic fundamentals are sound, with a strong manufacturing sector and great market potential.

    Sun highlighted the need for a comprehensive policy mix to spur consumption, including short-term moves such as issuing consumption coupons, as well as long-term spending on strengthening the social security network.

    Pan Helin, a member of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s Expert Committee for Information and Communication Economy, said that expanding domestic demand by boosting consumption could effectively help buffer external headwinds and prop up economic vibrancy.

    The consumer-centered stimulus measures will reduce China’s reliance on exports and investment for growth and facilitate its transition to a more consumption-led economy in the face of an increasingly complicated international situation and sluggish global recovery, Pan said.

    Driving force

    Consumption has become the main driving force behind China’s economic growth. Last year, the final consumption expenditure contributed 44.5 percent to the nation’s GDP growth, surpassing investment and exports, and drove a 2.2 percentage point increase in GDP, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics. Robin Xing, chief China economist at Morgan Stanley, said it would be “a brilliant idea” for China to take bigger reform steps to transfer more State-owned capital to the social security system, in order to enhance migrant workers’ benefits as a key means to driving consumption growth.

    “China is trying something new — a more proactive fiscal policy with a greater focus on consumption,” he said, adding that about one-fourth of this year’s increment in augmented fiscal deficit, worth around 2 trillion yuan, will be spent on consumption-related areas such as subsidizing an expanded consumer goods trade-in program and boosting social welfare.

    Xing said that apart from short-term consumption subsidies, the more fundamental solution lies in social security reforms, such as offering easier access to public housing and healthcare for migrant workers, which will reduce their precautionary saving habits and unleash huge consumption potential.

    According to the 2025 Government Work Report, China will double its ultra-long-term special treasury bonds earmarked for expansion of the consumer goods trade-in program to 300 billion yuan this year, amid a broader drive to boost domestic demand and spur economic growth.

    Data from the NDRC shows that under the trade-in program, retail sales of new energy passenger vehicles nationwide reached around 1.34 million units in the first two months, up 26 percent year-on-year, while sales of home appliances featuring the highest level of energy efficiency surged 36 percent year-on-year to 24.1 billion yuan during the same period.

    Jia Shaoqian, chairman of Chinese home appliance manufacturer Hisense Group, said the country’s trade-in program has not only stimulated the consumer market and bolstered consumption upgrades, but has also significantly promoted the green transformation of the home appliance industry, while improving people’s quality of life.

    Purchasing appetite

    In order to further stimulate the purchasing appetite of consumers, Li Gang, director of the department of market operation and consumption promotion at the Ministry of Commerce, underscored that more efforts will be made to accelerate the development of service-based consumption.

    Efforts will also be made to nurture diversified purchasing scenarios and new types of consumption in the digital, green and intelligent fields, Li added.

    Zou Yunhan, deputy director of the Macroeconomic Research Office at the State Information Center’s Department of Economic Forecasting, said that China’s consumption market is poised for steady growth this year fueled by a series of supportive measures.

    Zou highlighted that new business forms and new models related to consumption can better meet people’s demand for consumption, upgrading and motivating their purchasing enthusiasm, which in turn will provide fresh momentum and robust support for the sustained growth of the consumer market.

    Hideki Ozawa, executive vice-president of Japanese tech company Canon, said, “We are confident that with the support of national consumption promotion policies, we can return to the golden era of the camera market.”

    China’s focus on consumption-led growth serves as a powerful driver of economic stability and will contribute to the country’s overall economic recovery, Ozawa added.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: A survey of Australian uni students suggests more than half are worried about food or don’t have enough to eat

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katherine Kent, Senior Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Wollongong

    StoryTime Studio/ Shutterstock

    Being a university student has long been associated with eating instant noodles, taking advantage of pub meal deals and generally living frugally.

    But for several years, researchers have been tracking how students are not getting enough food to eat. This can have an impact on their mental and physical health as well as their academic performance.

    In new research, we look at how the problem is getting worse.

    Our research

    In March 2022 and March 2024, we surveyed University of Tasmania students about their access to food.

    More than 1,200 students participated in the first survey and more than 1,600 participated in the second. Students were recruited through university-wide emails and social media and included both undergraduate and postgraduate students from a range of disciplines.

    We used an internationally recognised survey to assess food insecurity. It can tell us whether students are struggling and to what extent.

    It asked simple but revealing questions about financial barriers to food, such as “In the past 12 months, did you ever skip meals because there wasn’t enough money for food?” or “Did the food you bought just not last, and you didn’t have money to get more?”

    Students were then classified as “food secure” or as one of three levels of food insecurity:

    1. marginally food insecure: students were worried about running out of food

    2. moderately food insecure: students were compromising on the quality and variety of food they ate

    3. severely food insecure: students were often skipping meals or going without food altogether.

    We asked students if they regularly skipped meals or if they didn’t have money for food.
    Cottonbro Studio/ Pexels, CC BY

    Regularly going without food

    We found overall, food insecurity among students increased from 42% in 2022 to 53% in 2024.

    The proportions of those experiencing marginal or moderate levels of food insecurity was stable (at about 8% and 17–18% respectively). But the number of students experiencing severe food insecurity jumped from 17% to 27%.

    While food insecurity increased among most groups, younger students, those studying on campus and international students were the most at risk.

    Although our study focused on the University of Tasmania, similar rates of food insecurity have recently been reported at other regional and metropolitan universities across the country. This suggests it is a widespread issue.

    National data on food insecurity in the general Australian population is limited, with no regular government monitoring. The 2024 Foodbank Hunger Report estimates 32% of Australian households experienced food insecurity, including 19% with severe food insecurity.

    Why is this happening?

    While our study didn’t directly explore the causes of student hunger, rising inflation, high rents and limited student incomes are likely factors.

    The surveys happened during a time of sustained inflation and rising living costs. We know rents, groceries and other essentials have all gone up. But student support payments have not kept pace over the study period.

    Estimates suggest about 32% of Australian households in general do not have enough to eat.
    Armin Rimoldi/Pexels, CC BY

    What can we do?

    To address food insecurity among students, coordinated action is needed across universities and state and territory governments.

    Universities often run food pantries to provide students with basic supplies, but they also need more long-term supports for students.

    Institutions could expand subsidised meal programs, offer regular free or subsidised grocery boxes and ensure healthy, low-cost food is consistently available on campus.

    State governments can reduce the financial stress that contributes to food insecurity by expanding stipends and support for students on unpaid clinical placements in the state system. They could also expand public transport concessions to all students, including international students.

    The federal government can raise Youth Allowance and Austudy to reflect real living costs. The new Commonwealth Prac Payment could be expanded beyond teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work to cover all students undertaking mandatory unpaid placements. The government’s plan to raise HECS-HELP repayment thresholds could also ease the financial pressure on recent graduates.

    Katherine Kent 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. A survey of Australian uni students suggests more than half are worried about food or don’t have enough to eat – https://theconversation.com/a-survey-of-australian-uni-students-suggests-more-than-half-are-worried-about-food-or-dont-have-enough-to-eat-254603

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Instant tax refunds give wings to China Travel

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

    BEIJING, April 20 — At a bustling department store in Guangzhou, south China, a Singaporean surnamed Lee picked up more than just premium Chinese tea for friends and family — he also walked away with a tax refund, pocketed instantly at the point of purchase.

    “Super convenient,” said the tech entrepreneur, who was in town for a tech fair, applauding China’s new refund policy that spares international travelers the long queues at airports and puts money back in their accounts then and there.

    China is expanding the coverage of instant tax refunds to improve the experience for international travelers. In Shanghai, the service has been available in about half of the city’s tax refund partner stores.

    The policy, extended nationwide on April 8, builds on a slew of recent efforts by China to boost global exchanges and mobility, such as easing its visa policies, enhancing payment accessibility, and streamlining customs clearance.

    These shifts have made exploring the country easier than ever, fueling a surge in “China Travel” content on social media platforms. For example, U.S. content creator IShowSpeed documented his kung fu journey at the famous Shaolin Temple in central China, captivating global audiences.

    In 2024, China recorded 64.88 million border crossings by foreign nationals, an 82.9 percent increase year on year. In the first quarter of 2025, this number stood at 17.44 million, up 33.4 percent compared to the same period in 2024.

    During Lee’s ten-day stay in China, he zipped through industrial parks, financial centers, and high-tech hubs across the industrial powerhouse, bringing home not just souvenirs but also promising partnerships.

    Analysts believe that the recent expansion of the tax refund policy will increase spending by inbound travelers, spur growth in China’s tourism sector, and draw more visitors eager to explore the country.

    On the ground, the effects are already visible. At the Grand Pacific, a shopping mall in downtown Beijing, staff reported long queues at tax refund counters. “It’s now routine to see waves of foreign tourists lining up. Some leave with a few items, others with entire hauls,” one employee said.

    Qin Yi, manager of a porcelain shop in Shanghai, noted that foreign tourists who receive instant tax refunds in cash often make additional purchases on the spot — a trend that has helped drive up the store’s overall sales.

    Inbound consumption in China is expected to exceed 1.5 trillion yuan (around 205 billion U.S. dollars) over the next five years, said economist Hong Tao at Beijing Technology and Business University. In 2024, inbound travelers spent over 94.2 billion dollars in China, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

    As U.S. tariffs inflate the cost of Chinese imports, traveling to China makes more economic sense for savvy American shoppers.

    Thanks to the new transit policy for citizens from 54 countries, including the United States, Americans can now stay in the country for up to 240 hours without a visa. Pair that with the freshly expanded refund-upon-purchase policy, and travelers would get a compelling formula: travel, shop, save — and repeat.

    “There’s no middleman taking a cut,” as many put it. And the math checks out: with an 11 percent refund rate, spending 10,000 yuan gets people 1,100 yuan back. Though a service fee is charged, luxury goods, electronics, and other high-value items still look a lot more attractive.

    Far from dimming their allure, U.S. tariffs have thrown a new spotlight on Chinese products, long prized for both quality and affordability.

    “If the high U.S. tariffs persist, we may see the rise of a ‘daigou’ trade,” said Wang Huayu, an associate professor of fiscal and tax law at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, referring to a practice that Americans pay intermediaries to shop in China on their behalf.

    However, delivering a premium shopping experience to attract inbound travelers requires more than policy changes, said experts.

    It is important to bring more shops and a wider range of goods into the refund-upon-purchase program, said Hong.

    Wang Peng, a researcher at Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, pointed to the power of digital contracts to slash the tax refund process down to mere seconds.

    He also highlighted how artificial intelligence could step in to ease peak-hour pressure, standardize shopping services, and close infrastructure gaps across regions.

    In Guangzhou, where Singaporean visitor Lee explored, a commentary carried by a local newspaper on April 10 has called for more efforts to identify choke points to make shopping in China more enjoyable.

    “I’ll visit China again — and next time, I’m bringing my family and friends along,” said Lee.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Newspoll steady as both leaders’ ratings fall; Labor surging in poll of marginal seats

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

    With less than two weeks to go now until the federal election, the polls continue to favour the government being returned.

    Newspoll was steady at 52–48 to Labor, but primary vote changes indicated a gain for Labor as both leaders dropped on net approval. A Redbridge marginal seats poll had Labor gaining two points since the previous week for a 54.5–45.5 lead, a 3.5-point swing to Labor in those seats since the 2022 election.

    A national Newspoll, conducted April 14–17 from a sample of 1,263, gave Labor a 52–48 lead, unchanged on the April 7–10 Newspoll. Primary votes were 35% Coalition (steady), 34% Labor (up one), 12% Greens (steady), 7% One Nation (down one) and 12% for all Others (steady).

    In the last two Newspolls, Labor has been a little lucky to get a 52–48 lead as this would have been given by 2022 election preference flows, and Newspoll is making a pro-Coalition adjustment to One Nation preferences. This time the 2022 election flow method would give Labor about a 53–47 lead.

    This Newspoll is the only new national poll since Friday’s update. The fieldwork dates were nearly the same as for the Freshwater poll that had Labor ahead by just 50.3–49.7 (April 14–16 for Freshwater). Other polls indicate that Freshwater is likely the outlier. Here’s the Labor two-party vote chart.

    In-person early voting begins on Tuesday ahead of the May 3 election, so there isn’t much time for the Coalition to turn around their deficit, if the polls are accurate.

    Anthony Albanese’s net approval in Newspoll was down five points to -9, with 52% dissatified and 43% satisfied. Peter Dutton’s net approval was down three points to -22, a record low for him. Albanese led Dutton as better PM by 52–36 (49–38 previously). This is Albanese’s biggest lead since May 2024.

    Here’s the graph of Albanese’s net approval in Newspoll this term. The plus signs are data points and a smoothed line has been fitted.

    Albanese and Labor were preferred to Dutton and the Coalition on helping with the cost of living by 31–28. Labor also led on dealing with uncertainty caused by Donald Trump (39–32), lowering taxes (33–26) and helping Australians buy their first home (29–24). The Coalition led on growing our economy by 34–29.

    For so long, it had appeared that the cost of living issue would sink Labor at this election, so this result will please Labor.

    Labor surges further ahead in Redbridge marginal seats poll

    A poll of 20 marginal seats by Redbridge and Accent Research for the News Corp tabloids was conducted April 9–15 from a sample of 1,000. It gave Labor a 54.5–45.5 lead, a two-point gain for Labor since the April 4–9 marginal seats poll. Primary votes were 35% Labor (steady), 34% Coalition (down two), 14% Greens (up two) and 17% for all Others (steady).

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

    Albanese’s net favourability improved three points since last week to -5, while Dutton’s slumped six points to -22. By 36–26, voters thought Albanese and Labor had better election promises for them than Dutton and the Coalition.

    By 56–13, voters agreed with Labor’s attack line that Dutton’s nuclear plan will cost $600 billion, and he will need to make cuts to pay for it. By 42–16, voters agreed with the Coalition’s attack line that this is the highest spending government in the past 40 years.

    Additional Resolve questions and a right-wing poll of Wentworth

    I previously covered the April 9–13 Resolve poll for Nine newspapers that gave Labor a 53.5–46.5 lead. Asked their biggest concerns about voting Labor, 47% said cost of living (down five since February), 36% economic management (down nine), 31% lack of progress in their first term (steady), 27% union ties (up two) and 24% Albanese’s personality (down six).

    Asked their biggest concerns about voting for the Coalition, 45% said Dutton’s personality (up ten), 36% lack of policy detail (up eight), 34% that the Coalition would follow Donald Trump’s example (up six), 32% the performance of the Scott Morrison government (up four) and 31% their nuclear power plan (up five).

    The February Resolve poll was the 55–45 to Coalition outlier, so responses in the prior survey were probably too Coalition-friendly.

    The Poll Bludger reported Saturday that a seat poll of Wentworth, which teal Allegra Spender holds by a 55.9–44.1 margin over the Liberals after a redistribution, gave the Liberals a 47–28 primary vote lead over Spender with 15% for Labor and 10% for the Greens. This poll was taken by the right-wing pollster Compass.

    Canadian election and UK local elections

    I covered the April 28 Canadian election for The Poll Bludger on Saturday. The centre-left governing Liberals are down slightly since my previous Poll Bludger Canadian article on April 10, but are still likely to win a parliamentary majority. Debates between four party leaders occurred Wednesday (in French) and Thursday (in English), and we’re still waiting for post-debate polls.

    United Kingdom local elections and a parliamentary byelection will occur on May 1. Current national polls imply that the far-right Reform will gain massively, with the Conservatives and Labour both slumping. Two seat polls give Reform a narrow lead over Labour for the parliamentary byelection in a safe Labour seat.

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

    – ref. Newspoll steady as both leaders’ ratings fall; Labor surging in poll of marginal seats – https://theconversation.com/newspoll-steady-as-both-leaders-ratings-fall-labor-surging-in-poll-of-marginal-seats-254715

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Data Users Conference on insights of latest survey results and key initiatives in macro-economic indicators:

    Source: Government of India

    Data Users Conference on insights of latest survey results and key initiatives in macro-economic indicators:

    Fostering Dialogue Between Data Producers and Data Users

    Posted On: 19 APR 2025 11:12AM by PIB Delhi

    The National Statistics Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India, in line with its continued efforts to strengthen engagement with data users and other stakeholders, is organizing a Data Users Conference in collaboration with the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), Mumbai, on the 21st April 2025 at the IGIDR campus, Goregaon (East), Mumbai.

    The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) conducts large-scale sample surveys to generate key economic indicators in critical areas such as employment and unemployment, consumption expenditure, and industrial statistics. It also produces essential macroeconomic indicators, including National Accounts and Price Indices. These data sets form the foundation for evidence-based policy formulation and effective governance in India.

    The conference is being organized to promote dialogue between data producers and data users, fostering knowledge exchange and discussions on the latest developments in the field. The conference will focus on the following key areas:

    • Sampling methodologies adopted in surveys
    • Insights to the latest results of Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES 2023-24)
    • Recent changes in Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)
    • GDP compilation and base revision
    • Key initiatives of CPI base updation

    The Data Users Conference will be chaired by Dr. Saurabh Garg, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Distinguished dignitaries, including Dr. Neelkanth Mishra, Member, EAC to PM & Chairman, UIDAI, Prof. Basanta Kumar Pradhan, Director, IGIDR, Ms. Geeta Singh Rathore, Director General, National Sample Survey (NSS) and Shri. N.K. Santoshi, Director General, Central Statistics (CS) will grace the occasion and share their insights.

    The event will host approximately 250 participants, comprising researchers, academicians, Economists, industrial associations, policymakers, representatives from international organizations, private survey agencies, as well as esteemed institutions from academia and the media. Experts and members of the National Statistical Commission (NSC) and technical committees will also be present.

    The technical sessions on National Sample Surveys will provide an overview of the sampling design, computation of multipliers, and estimation of parameters in NSS household surveys. The sessions will also highlight key lessons from the conduct of the Household Consumption Expenditure Surveys (HCES) for 2022–23 and 2023–24, with insights drawn from the latest data releases. A panel discussion will follow to further explore the same. In addition, recent changes in the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) methodology will be presented to enhance users’ understanding and ensure clarity in interpretation.

    In the second half, technical sessions on key Macro-economic indicators will be presented on the following topics and each presentation will be followed by a Panel Discussion:

    • Measurement of GDP and GDP Base Revision — Data Sources, Methodology for compilation of GDP. Sectoral Databases, Measurement Issues, Methodological Improvements proposed in base revision.
    • Key initiatives on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) Base updation.

    The Panel Discussions organised will be chaired by distinguished experts, providing a platform for critical review and discussion of the presented topics. The panels will include a diverse group of experts from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), National Stock Exchange, private survey agencies and academic institutions including IGIDR, IIPS, among others. Post-panel discussions, the floor will be opened for open discussions, offering participants the opportunity to directly engage with the speakers and panelists, thus facilitating dynamic exchange between data users and data producers. To streamline the interactive sessions, participants will be encouraged to submit questions via the Mentimeter platform, ensuring that discussions remain focused and engaging.

    The conference aims to foster dialogue on emerging methodologies, survey practices, and the relevance of official statistics in policymaking and research, reaffirming MoSPI’s commitment to improving the statistical ecosystem of the country.

    ****

    Samrat

    (Release ID: 2122834) Visitor Counter : 36

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China trade exhibitions draw international attention

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Foreign buyers have business talks during the 137th edition of the China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong Province, April 15, 2025. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)

    In spite of intensified trade protectionism and geopolitical tensions, China’s products and market are still appealing to foreign business people.

    A record-breaking 65 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders are participating in the ongoing fifth China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in the tropical island province of Hainan in south China.

    Meanwhile, the Canton Fair, which kicked off on Tuesday in Guangzhou, south China, drew 64,530 overseas buyers on its opening day, an 8.9 percent year-on-year increase and a record high for the first day. This event in Guangdong Province features major international retailers, including Walmart and Target from the United States, Carrefour from France, Tesco and Kingfisher from the UK, and Germany’s Metro.

    According to Niu Huayong, a professor at the International Business School of Beijing Foreign Studies University, the success of this year’s CICPE and Canton Fair highlights that trade and cooperation remain key drivers of global development. All countries benefit from globalization, he said.

    Amid current global trade turbulence, international buyers attending the Canton Fair still consider Chinese products highly attractive and even irreplaceable.

    Dinova, a retail company headquartered in France which finds most of its suppliers at the Canton Fair, has made China the core of its global sourcing strategy, according to its general manager Sonia Ben Behe.

    “We have explored alternative countries, but no other region matches China’s maturity for our product category. That’s why, as part of a global sourcing strategy, China remains at the core,” she said.

    According to Chris Arthan, an exhibitor from the United States, despite the impact of tariffs, China’s role in the global supply chain remains crucial and widely respected.

    In addition to the strong appeal of Chinese products to global buyers, international brands also have confidence in China’s consumer market. For this year’s CICPE, top producers from around the world eagerly flocked to Hainan.

    The UK, as the guest country of honor at the 2025 event, is occupying an exhibition area of more than 1,300 square meters, displaying 53 brands across the fashion, beauty, homeware, health and jewelry industries, and doubling its 2024 presence.

    “I have seen the tremendous innovation and growth taking place within China’s economy in recent years, not least in digital technologies, life sciences and green energy,” said Douglas Alexander, minister of state of the British Department for Business and Trade, while also emphasizing the UK’s commitment to deepening economic ties with China.

    Notably, the expo has managed to draw an array of top-tier global luxury brands. Richemont’s TimeVallée debuted as an independent exhibitor, while LVMH and Kering Group brands made appearances — reflecting confidence in China’s premium consumption growth.

    “Luxury consumers in China are significantly younger than those in many overseas markets, and that presents a major opportunity for us,” said Nancy Liu, president of luxury travel retailer DFS China. The company has introduced tailored services to cater to the expectations of emerging consumer groups.

    People visit the British pavilion during the China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China’s Hainan Province, April 13, 2025. (Xinhua/Pu Xiaoxu)

    Global trade uncertainties and growing supply chain disruptions have not prevented foreign investors from remaining optimistic about the Chinese market. China’s market size, rising consumer demand and supportive policies continue to offer unique and strong appeal, helping to retain investor confidence.

    According to Yao Zhenguo, global senior vice president of Siemens Energy, the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port is unlocking new opportunities for openness. He noted that Siemens will continue to strengthen collaboration across the full industrial chain, drive innovation, and support Hainan Free Trade Port’s international, green and law-based growth.

    Yao said Siemens has deeply felt the momentum of China’s reform and opening up, a view echoed by many exhibitors. They believe that amid a challenging global economic climate and rising trade protectionism, China’s firm commitment to high-standard opening up delivers much-needed stability and certainty, injecting confidence into the world economy.

    China’s total goods imports and exports in yuan-denominated terms expanded 1.3 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2025, demonstrating stable growth and strong resilience despite external headwinds, customs data showed.

    U.S. tariff increases on Chinese products will exert some pressure on China’s trade and economy in the short term, but won’t alter the Chinese economy’s long-term positive trajectory, said Sheng Laiyun, deputy director of the National Bureau of Statistics.

    Zhang Yansheng, an economist with the Academy of Macroeconomic Research, told Xinhua that based on the trade events in Guangzhou and Hainan, the resilience of China’s foreign trade against the backdrop of growing protectionism in the world is evident. “We can see that foreign business people continue to seek opportunities in China.”

    “China is a country with a large population, a big economy and a huge scale of opening up,” he continued. “At a time when the sentiment of anti-globalization grows, China will stick to the path of opening up at a high level, and promote economic globalization, as well as trade and investment liberalization.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s consumption gains momentum with vast potential

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    People visit the exhibition area of Heilongjiang Province at the 5th China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China’s Hainan Province, April 18, 2025. The six-day event concluded here on Friday. It attracted the participation of a record-breaking 1,767 companies and 4,209 consumer brands from 71 countries and regions this year. More than 60,000 professional purchasers attended — representing a 10 percent increase from last year. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

    At the energetic China International Consumer Products Expo, crowds throng exhibit halls packed with global brands showcasing a dazzling array of goods.

    From cosmetics and massage chairs to flying cars and humanoid robots, the arrival of retail commodities from all over the world offers a window into the vitality of China’s ever-evolving consumer market.

    This year’s expo, which concluded on Friday, has attracted over 1,700 enterprises and 4,100 brands from more than 70 countries and regions, with a record-breaking 65 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders participating in the six-day event.

    The hustle and bustle in Hainan is just one facet of the dynamism of the Chinese market. On a broader scope, official data released this week revealed that retail sales of consumer goods rose 5.9 percent year on year last month — a marked acceleration from the 4 percent growth reported for the first two months of this year.

    In the first quarter of 2025, China’s retail sales expanded 4.6 percent year on year, which was 1.1 percentage points faster than in 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

    “Overall, consumer spending in the first quarter of this year continued to improve on the back of policy support,” Sheng Laiyun, deputy head of the bureau, said at a press conference, citing pro-spending policies such as the country’s consumer goods trade-in program.

    “The combination of policies in both supply and demand has successfully stimulated consumer sentiment, with notable impacts on capital markets and retail growth momentum,” according to a Deloitte report released at the expo. “This will lay the groundwork for sustained optimism going forward.”

    Evolving services consumption

    As pressures of a sluggish global economy mount, market observers say that China’s consumption upgrade and economic shift toward services-driven growth — sustained by a population of over 1.4 billion — carry immense potential.

    At the Hainan expo, services consumption in sectors such as low-altitude aviation, the silver economy, health and wellness, and AI-powered innovation products from global firms, have dominated many booths.

    OSIM, which has participated in the expo for five consecutive years, is debuting its latest massage chair and its flagship uDream wellness chair, integrating cutting-edge AI that monitors stress and customizes multi-sensory relaxation.

    OSIM sees the expo as a key platform to engage in meaningful conversations with Chinese consumers, said Lin Xiaohui, deputy general manager of brand management and marketing of OSIM North Asia.

    “As China’s consumption structure upgrades, service-related spending is playing an increasingly important role, especially in sectors like health care, education and entertainment,” said Zhang Tianbing, leader of the consumer products and retail sector of Deloitte Asia Pacific.

    “Demographic shifts, including an aging population and smaller household sizes, are reshaping consumer preferences in China,” Zhang said, adding that health consciousness and digital consumption habits are spreading increasingly across all age groups.

    Notably, China’s services consumption is expanding at a faster pace than that of goods, with retail sales of services growing 5 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2025.

    From January to March 2025, the country’s per capita spending on services increased 5.4 percent year on year and accounted for 43.4 percent of its total per capita consumer spending, official data showed.

    Kuang Xianming, vice president of the China Institute for Reform and Development, projected that services consumption will exceed 50 percent of China’s total consumption by 2030, signaling the country’s pivotal shift to a service-driven economy. “This expanding market is highly attractive to foreign companies.”

    Open, shared market

    Chinese policymakers have positioned the expansion of domestic demand as the paramount priority on the government’s economic work agenda for this year, emphasizing increased spending power, improved expectations and strengthened consumer confidence.

    The country’s focus on domestic tasks is particularly meaningful against the backdrop of a complex international landscape. By maintaining high-standard opening-up and promoting a more sustainable consumption recovery, China seeks to share its opportunities with the global community.

    “Expanding domestic consumption is not only key to high-quality development but also a strategic move amid global economic uncertainties,” Kuang told Xinhua.

    More importantly, as China continues to open up, this ever-expanding market will become a shared market, he said.

    “We see a lot of encouraging signs by the Chinese government to help boost local consumption. So we’re very excited about what’s to come,” said Mike Hofmann, managing director at Tricker’s China, one of the UK’s oldest established shoemakers. This is the second time his company is exhibiting at the expo, which helped them raise brand awareness in China last year.

    In a key move in China’s opening-up strategy, the Hainan Free Trade Port is set to begin independent customs operations by the end of the year, and global enterprises are eyeing the vast opportunities that come with open trade.

    “Its success will not only benefit China but also provide valuable insights for economies worldwide,” said Zhang Xiangchen, deputy director general of the World Trade Organization.

    Douglas Alexander, minister of state of the British Department for Business and Trade, is also looking forward to the launch of the Hainan Free Trade Port’s independent operations.

    “The UK is keen to explore the opportunities for free and open trade – trade which benefits both Chinese and British firms,” Alexander said. The United Kingdom is the guest country of honor at this year’s expo, showcasing 53 brands across the fashion, beauty, homeware, health and jewelry industries, doubling its 2024 presence.

    Dong Debiao, partner at Deloitte China strategy and client center, told Xinhua that he expects the independent customs operations of Hainan’s free trade port to drive consumption further.

    Hainan is also likely to become a consumption hub linking China and Southeast Asia, with unique advantages in the high-end retail and services trade sectors, he said. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Rural industries improving in quality, efficiency and revenues

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

    With rural industries creating more job opportunities, farmers’ incomes in China continued to rise in the first quarter of the year, a senior official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Friday.

    The per capita disposable income of Chinese rural residents in the first quarter of 2025 reached 7,003 yuan ($959), an increase of 6.5 percent after adjusting for inflation, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

    Pan Wenbo, head of the ministry’s crop production department, said rural industries are improving in quality and efficiency. From January to March, the added value of agricultural and sideline food processing enterprises increased by 7.2 percent year-on-year.

    “New industries and business models in rural areas are flourishing, with food tourism, rural homestays and sightseeing becoming increasingly popular vacation choices for urban and rural residents,” Pan said, adding that online retail sales of agricultural products continue to grow rapidly.

    In the first quarter of this year, grain and oil production made a good start. Efforts are being made to ensure solid spring field management and ploughing, laying a strong foundation for the summer harvest and overall annual grain output.

    The area sown with winter rapeseed has seen a steady increase, and crop growth is better than both last year and the historical average, Pan said.

    As of the end of March, there were 40.39 million breeding sows nationwide. In the first quarter, the total output of pork, beef, mutton and poultry reached 25.4 million metric tons, increasing 2 percent year-on-year, while milk production was 8.92 million tons, up 1.7 percent.

    China’s beef and milk markets faced supply and demand imbalances in 2024, leading to a price downturn and losses for beef and dairy cattle farmers, said Chen Bangxun, head of the ministry’s department of development and planning.

    “In response, the ministry introduced a series of support measures to alleviate the industry’s difficulties,” Chen said.

    Local governments were urged to coordinate with financial institutions to increase credit and insurance support, easing financial pressures on farmers. Statistics indicate that the balance of beef and dairy cattle farming loans from major banks exceeded 160 billion yuan by the end of 2024, showing a dramatic increase from the previous year, he said.

    “To reduce costs, farmers were encouraged to improve herd quality through selective breeding,” Chen said, adding that a campaign to conserve grain in animal husbandry was launched to optimize the structure of feed and forages.

    Moreover, efforts were made to regulate the purchasing and sales of raw milk. Companies were guided to develop dairy products suitable for Chinese tastes and ethnic dairy products to meet diverse consumer demands. Quality grading standards for domestic beef were also revised to promote higher quality and pricing, Chen added.

    As a result, live cattle prices across the country have rebounded since Chinese New Year earlier this year, gradually reducing losses for beef cattle farmers.

    However, due to the seasonal decline in milk consumption after the Chinese New Year holiday, raw milk prices remain low, Chen said.

    “The ministry will further strengthen supportive measures to enrich the variety of dairy products and help dairy cattle farming overcome its difficulties as soon as possible,” Chen said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 19, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 19, 2025.

    Google loses online ad monopoly case. But it’s just one of many antitrust battles against big tech
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Nicholls, Senior Research Associate in Media and Communications, University of Sydney Tech giant Google has just suffered another legal blow in the United States, losing a landmark antitrust case. This follows on from the company’s loss in a similar case last year. Social media giant Meta

    What was HMNZS Manawanui doing before it sank? Calls for greater transparency
    By Susana Leiataua, RNZ National presenter There are calls for greater transparency about what the HMNZS Manawanui was doing before it sank in Samoa last October — including whether the New Zealand warship was performing specific security for King Charles and Queen Camilla. The Manawanui grounded on the reef off the south coast of Upolu

    Labor’s poll surge continues in YouGov, but it’s barely ahead in Freshwater
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Labor increased its lead again in a YouGov poll, but Freshwater put the party ahead by just 50.3–49.7. This article also covers the final WA upper house

    ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 18, 2025
    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 18, 2025.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Omar Lead the Democratic Women’s Caucus in urging Chavez-DeRemer to Stand with Women Workers and Protect Women’s Bureau at DOL

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Ilhan Omar (DFL-MN)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) members Ilhan Omar (MN-05) Ranking Member of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee & Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) and Servicewomen, Women Veterans, and Military Families Task Force Chair Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) led 48 DWC members in a letter to U.S Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer urging her to stand with women workers by protecting and strengthening the Women’s Bureau at the DOL. In particular, the Members call on Secretary Chavez-DeRemer to preserve current staffing and strengthen the Bureau’s capacity to fulfill its mandate: advancing the rights and economic opportunity of women workers, as Congress intended.

    The Women’s Bureau has formulated standards and policies to improve the welfare, working conditions, and opportunities of working women since Congress established the Bureau in 1920. It has fulfilled that mission through research, policy, and grants—improving outcomes for women across the workforce. In particular, it administers the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations Technical Assistance (WANTO) Grant Program, which helps recruit, train, and retain women in high-wage, high-skill jobs where they are historically underrepresented, such as in the skilled trades and technical fields, and manages the National Database of Child Care Prices.

    In their letter, Members explained the importance of the Women’s Bureau, especially at the current moment of increased economic challenges for women and families, and as Trump claims to prioritize American jobs: 

    “Women gained only 43 percent of new jobs in February, a decline from 54 percent in 2023. And  the gender wage gap has widened for the first time in two decades. These numbers are not just statistics; they reflect growing economic headwinds for women and families that must be addressed. Weakening the Bureau by reducing its already limited staffing or closing regional  offices would severely undermine its ability to address these persistent and growing economic disparities.”

    The Members continued:

    “If the Trump administration is serious about bringing more jobs to America, it must ensure that women can access those jobs. That means investing in initiatives that address the structural  barriers women face in the workforce—barriers the Women’s Bureau was built to dismantle. We urge you to preserve current staffing and strengthen the Bureau’s capacity to fulfill its mandate, as Congress intended. The choice before you is clear—and we urge you to stand with women workers.”

    The full letter can be accessed here.

    In addition to leads Ilhan Omar, Suzanne Bonamici, and Chrissy Houlahan, the letter was signed by Alma Adams, Yassamin Ansari, Becca Balint, Nanette Barragán, Joyce Beatty, Julia Brownley, Shontel Brown, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Judy Chu, Yvette Clarke, Jasmine Crockett, Danny Davis, Diana DeGette, Sarah Elfreth, Veronica Escobar, Lois Frankel, Sylvia Garcia, Pramila Jayapal, Julie Johnson, Marcy Kaptur, Summer Lee, Teresa Leger Fernandez, Lucy McBath, Sarah McBride, Jennifer McClellan, Betty McCollum, LaMonica McIver, Kelly Morrison, Eleanor Norton, Brittany Pettersen, Delia Ramirez, Emily Randall, Deborah Ross, Andrea Salinas, Mary Gay Scanlon, Janice Schakowsky, Hillary Scholten, Terri Sewell, Mikie Sherrill, Melanie Stansbury, Haley Stevens, Emilia Sykes, Rashida Tlaib, Jill Tokuda, Norma Torres, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Nikema Williams, and Nellie Pou.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Best Crypto Casino 2025 – JACKBIT | Rated Top Bitcoin Online Casino

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Chino Commercial Bancorp Reports 8.7% Increase in Net Earnings

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHINO, Calif., April 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Board of Directors of Chino Commercial Bancorp (OTC: CCBC), the parent company of Chino Commercial Bank, N.A., announced the results of operations for the Bank and the consolidated holding company for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025.

    Net earnings for the first quarter of 2025 were $1.35 million, reflecting an increase of $108.6 thousand, or 8.7%, compared to the same period last year. Basic and diluted earnings per share were $0.41 for the first quarter of 2025, up from $0.38 for the same quarter in 2024.

    Dann H. Bowman, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We are very pleased with the Bank’s performance in the first quarter of 2025. At the end of first quarter, the Bank set new records for total Assets, total Deposits, total Loans, and total Capital. Loan quality also remains very strong, with the Bank having no delinquent loans at the end of the first quarter.

    In 2024, the Bank acquired a building in Corona and remains on track to open its fifth branch office during the second quarter of 2025. Early business development efforts have been very successful, and we are excited about the new office and many opportunities in the Corona market.

    In 2023, the Bank became a member of the Card Brand Association and launched credit card processing (Merchant Services) for its customers. This service has not only introduced a valuable source of non-interest income but also provided significant cost savings and improved transparency for our clients. Efficient and cost-effective electronic payment processing has become essential to cash flow management for businesses. Looking ahead, we see potential to expand this offering beyond our immediate market, with expectations that merchant services revenue will become an increasingly important component of our business model.”

    Financial Condition

    As of March 31, 2025, total assets reached $471.3 million, representing an increase of $4.6 million, or 1.0%, from $466.7 million at December 31, 2024. Total deposits rose by $18.4 million, or 5.3%, to $367.3 million, up from $348.9 million at the end of the prior quarter. Core deposits accounted for 96.85% of total deposits as of March 31, 2025.

    Gross loans increased by $2.9 million, or 1.4%, totaling $208.2 million as of March 31, 2025, compared to $205.2 million as of December 31, 2024. The Bank reported no delinquent loans, five non-performing loans, all on non-accrual status, as of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024. Three of the five non-performing loans have been in the process of foreclosure, however there were no Other Real Estate Owned (OREO) properties reported at either date.

    Earnings

    The Company reported net interest income of $3.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025, compared to $3.3 million for the same period in 2024. Average interest-earning assets were $419.0 million, while average interest-bearing liabilities totaled $231.1 million, resulting in a net interest margin of 3.51% for the first quarter of 2025. This compares favorably to the prior year’s first-quarter margin of 2.86%, based on average interest-earning assets of $469.3 million and average interest-bearing liabilities of $276.9 million.

    Non-interest income totaled $855.6 thousand in the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 10.6% compared to $773.5 thousand in the first quarter of 2024. The majority of this increase was driven by higher service charges and fees on deposit accounts, which rose to $506.4 thousand—an increase of $66.5 thousand, or 15.1%, compared to $439.8 thousand in the same period last year. Merchant services processing revenue also contributed to the growth, totaling $141.3 thousand for the quarter, up $8.0 thousand, or 6.4%, from $132.7 thousand in the first quarter of 2024.

    General and administrative expenses totaled $2.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025, compared to $2.4 million for the same period in 2024. The largest component of these expenses was salary and benefits, which amounted to $1.6 million in the first quarter of 2025, up from $1.5 million in the prior year.

    Income tax expense for the quarter was $535.9 thousand, reflecting an increase of $46.6 thousand, or 9.5%, compared to $489.3 thousand for the same period last year. The Company’s effective income tax rate was approximately 28.3% for both Q1 2025 and Q1 2024.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements based on management’s current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on the Company. Readers are cautioned not to unduly rely on forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ from those projected. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to, the health of the national and California economies, the Company’s ability to attract and retain skilled employees, customers’ service expectations, the Company’s ability to successfully deploy new technology and gain efficiencies therefrom, and changes in interest rates, loan portfolio performance, and other factors.

    Contact: Dann H. Bowman, President and CEO or Melinda M. Milincu, Senior Vice President and CFO, Chino Commercial Bancorp and Chino Commercial Bank, N.A., 14245 Pipeline Avenue, Chino, CA. 91710, (909) 393-8880.

    Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition
           
      Mar-2025 Ending Balance   Dec-2024 Ending Balance
    Assets      
    Cash and due from banks $52,791,324   $45,256,619
    Cash and cash equivalents $52,791,324   $45,256,619
         
    Fed Funds Sold $6,931   $31,029
         
    Investment securities available for sale, net of zero    
    allowance for credit losses $6,347,971   $6,558,341
    Investment securities held to maturity, net of zero    
    allowance for credit losses $185,242,891   $190,701,756
    Total Investments $191,590,862   $197,260,097
         
    Gross loans held for investments $208,160,713   $205,235,497
    Allowance for Loan Losses ($4,631,422)   ($4,623,740)
    Net Loans $203,529,291   $200,611,757
    Stock investments, restricted, at cost $3,576,000   $3,576,000
    Fixed assets, net $7,648,905   $7,255,785
    Accrued Interest Receivable $1,547,695   $1,539,505
    Bank Owned Life Insurance $8,540,316   $8,482,043
    Other Assets $2,565,398   $3,170,159
         
    Total Assets $471,319,006   $466,678,432
         
    Liabilities    
    Deposits    
    Noninterest-bearing $171,815,265   $166,668,725
    Interest-bearing $195,489,783   $182,200,703
    Total Deposits $367,305,048   $348,869,428
         
    Federal Home Loan Bank advances $0   $0
    Federal Reserve Bank borrowings $45,000,000   $60,000,000
    Subordinated debt $10,000,000   $10,000,000
    Subordinated notes payable to subsidiary trust $3,093,000   $3,093,000
    Accrued interest payable $276,545   $132,812
    Other Liabilities $1,688,305   $1,877,996
    Total Liabilities $427,362,898   $423,973,236
         
    Shareholder Equity    
    Common Stock ** $10,502,558   $10,502,558
    Retained Earnings $35,412,219   $34,059,943
    Unrealized Gain (Loss) AFS Securities ($1,958,669)   ($1,857,305)
    Total Shareholders’ Equity $43,956,108   $42,705,196
         
    Total Liab & Shareholders’ Equity $471,319,006   $466,678,432
         
    ** Common stock, no par value, 10,000,000 shares authorized and 3,211,970 shares issued and outstanding at 3/31/2025 and 12/31/2024
         
    Consolidated Statements of Net Income
           
      Mar-2025 QTD Balance   Mar-2024 QTD Balance
    Interest Income    
    Interest & Fees On Loans $3,321,616   $2,727,801
    Interest on Investment Securities $1,702,790   $1,936,105
    Other Interest Income $256,326   $1,030,948
    Total Interest Income $5,280,732   $5,694,854
         
    Interest Expense    
    Interest on Deposits $1,190,301   $1,032,935
    Interest on Borrowings $469,920   $1,312,693
    Total Interest Expense $1,660,221   $2,345,628
         
    Net Interest Income $3,620,511   $3,349,226
         
    Provision For Loan Losses $10,705   ($2,933)
         
    Net Interest Income After Provision for Loan Losses $3,609,806   $3,352,159
         
    Noninterest Income    
    Service Charges and Fees on Deposit Accounts $506,358   $439,857
    Interchange Fees $106,469   $92,271
    Earnings from Bank-Owned Life Insurance $58,273   $56,295
    Merchant Services Processing $141,296   $132,768
    Other Miscellaneous Income $43,194   $52,272
         
    Total Noninterest Income $855,590   $773,463
         
    Noninterest Expense    
    Salaries and Employee Benefits $1,588,471   $1,501,427
    Occupancy and Equipment $181,453   $164,070
    Merchant Services Processing $77,041   $71,209
    Other Expenses $730,263   $655,978
         
    Total Noninterest Expense $2,577,228   $2,392,684
         
    Income Before Income Tax Expense $1,888,171   $1,732,939
    Provision For Income Tax $535,895   $489,266
         
    Net Income $1,352,276   $1,243,673
         
    Basic earnings per share $0.42   $0.39
         
    Diluted earnings per share $0.42   $0.39
         
    Financial Highlights
           
      Mar-2025 QTD   Mar-2024 QTD
    Key Financial Ratios      
    Annualized Return on Average Equity 12.72%   13.10%
    Annualized Return on Average Assets 1.24%   1.01%
    Net Interest Margin 3.51%   2.86%
    Core Efficiency Ratio 57.58%   58.04%
    Net Chargeoffs/Recoveries to Average Loans -0.004%   0.000%
         
      3 month ended
    Mar-2025
    QTD Avg    		   3 month ended
    Mar-2024
    QTD Avg
    Average Balances    
    (thousands, unaudited)    
    Average assets $444,235   $492,218
    Average interest-earning assets $418,980   $469,334
    Average interest-bearing liabilities $231,101   $276,918
    Average gross loans $207,980   $182,133
    Average deposits $357,417   $329,949
    Average equity $43,224   $38,073
         
      Mar-2025 QTD   Dec-2024 YTD
    Credit Quality    
    Non-performing loans $1,110,738   $1,228,165
    Non-performing loans to total loans 0.53%   0.60%
    Non-performing loans to total assets 0.24%   0.26%
    Allowance for credit losses to total loans 2.22%   2.25%
    Nonperforming assets as a percentage of total loans and OREO 0.53%   0.60%
    Allowance for credit losses to non-performing loans 416.97%   376.48%
         
    Other Period-end Statistics    
    Shareholders equity to total assets 9.33%   9.15%
    Net Loans to Deposits 55.28%   57.36%
    Non-interest bearing deposits to total deposits 46.78%   47.77%
    Company Leverage Ratio 11.03%   10.40%
    Core Deposits / Total Deposits 96.85%   97.31%

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI China: International enterprises eye opportunities at China’s major trade exhibitions

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

    GUANGZHOU, April 18 — In spite of intensified trade protectionism and geopolitical tensions, China’s products and market are still appealing to foreign business people.

    A record-breaking 65 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders are participating in the ongoing fifth China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in the tropical island province of Hainan in south China.

    Meanwhile, the Canton Fair, which kicked off on Tuesday in Guangzhou, south China, drew 64,530 overseas buyers on its opening day, an 8.9 percent year-on-year increase and a record high for the first day. This event in Guangdong Province features major international retailers, including Walmart and Target from the United States, Carrefour from France, Tesco and Kingfisher from the UK, and Germany’s Metro.

    According to Niu Huayong, a professor at the International Business School of Beijing Foreign Studies University, the success of this year’s CICPE and Canton Fair highlights that trade and cooperation remain key drivers of global development. All countries benefit from globalization, he said.

    Amid current global trade turbulence, international buyers attending the Canton Fair still consider Chinese products highly attractive and even irreplaceable.

    Dinova, a retail company headquartered in France which finds most of its suppliers at the Canton Fair, has made China the core of its global sourcing strategy, according to its general manager Sonia Ben Behe.

    “We have explored alternative countries, but no other region matches China’s maturity for our product category. That’s why, as part of a global sourcing strategy, China remains at the core,” she said.

    According to Chris Arthan, an exhibitor from the United States, despite the impact of tariffs, China’s role in the global supply chain remains crucial and widely respected.

    In addition to the strong appeal of Chinese products to global buyers, international brands also have confidence in China’s consumer market. For this year’s CICPE, top producers from around the world eagerly flocked to Hainan.

    The UK, as the guest country of honor at the 2025 event, is occupying an exhibition area of more than 1,300 square meters, displaying 53 brands across the fashion, beauty, homeware, health and jewelry industries, and doubling its 2024 presence.

    “I have seen the tremendous innovation and growth taking place within China’s economy in recent years, not least in digital technologies, life sciences and green energy,” said Douglas Alexander, minister of state of the British Department for Business and Trade, while also emphasizing the UK’s commitment to deepening economic ties with China.

    Notably, the expo has managed to draw an array of top-tier global luxury brands. Richemont’s TimeVallée debuted as an independent exhibitor, while LVMH and Kering Group brands made appearances — reflecting confidence in China’s premium consumption growth.

    “Luxury consumers in China are significantly younger than those in many overseas markets, and that presents a major opportunity for us,” said Nancy Liu, president of luxury travel retailer DFS China. The company has introduced tailored services to cater to the expectations of emerging consumer groups.

    Global trade uncertainties and growing supply chain disruptions have not prevented foreign investors from remaining optimistic about the Chinese market. China’s market size, rising consumer demand and supportive policies continue to offer unique and strong appeal, helping to retain investor confidence.

    According to Yao Zhenguo, global senior vice president of Siemens Energy, the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port is unlocking new opportunities for openness. He noted that Siemens will continue to strengthen collaboration across the full industrial chain, drive innovation, and support Hainan Free Trade Port’s international, green and law-based growth.

    Yao said Siemens has deeply felt the momentum of China’s reform and opening up, a view echoed by many exhibitors. They believe that amid a challenging global economic climate and rising trade protectionism, China’s firm commitment to high-standard opening up delivers much-needed stability and certainty, injecting confidence into the world economy.

    China’s total goods imports and exports in yuan-denominated terms expanded 1.3 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2025, demonstrating stable growth and strong resilience despite external headwinds, customs data showed.

    U.S. tariff increases on Chinese products will exert some pressure on China’s trade and economy in the short term, but won’t alter the Chinese economy’s long-term positive trajectory, said Sheng Laiyun, deputy director of the National Bureau of Statistics.

    Zhang Yansheng, an economist with the Academy of Macroeconomic Research, told Xinhua that based on the trade events in Guangzhou and Hainan, the resilience of China’s foreign trade against the backdrop of growing protectionism in the world is evident. “We can see that foreign business people continue to seek opportunities in China.”

    “China is a country with a large population, a big economy and a huge scale of opening up,” he continued. “At a time when the sentiment of anti-globalization grows, China will stick to the path of opening up at a high level, and promote economic globalization, as well as trade and investment liberalization.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Crime is nonpartisan and the blame game on crime in cities is wrong – on both sides

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Justin de Benedictis-Kessner, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

    Neither party – Democrats nor Republicans – is doing a better job at fixing crime. Carl Ballou – iStock/Getty Images Plus

    Following George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minneapolis in 2020, the U.S. has undergone a national reckoning over crime prevention and police reform.

    Across the country, calls went out from activists to rethink the scope and role of the police. Some on the left vowed to “defund” the police. Others on the right promised to instead “back the blue” and maintain or increase police funding.

    This rhetorical tug-of-war unfolded while many cities across the country grappled with spiking crime rates during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Blaming crime on Democratic city leaders was a centerpiece of Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. He repeatedly made claims about crime spikes in recent years without evidence or context.

    More recently, Republican congressional leaders have called several Democratic mayors from across the country to testify before Congress about their sanctuary city policies that are aimed at protecting noncitizens from deportation. These congressional politicians have asserted that these Democratic mayors – Brandon Johnson of Chicago, Mike Johnston of Denver, Michelle Wu of Boston, and Eric Adams of New York – have “created a public safety nightmare” in their cities by allowing immigrants without legal authorization to stay there.

    Journalists and politicians on both sides of the aisle have claimed that local election results over the past four years in places like San Francisco and Los Angeles reflect a widespread frustration with Democratic policies on crime in cities.

    Under this argument, Democratic city leaders need to change their approach on crime to satisfy voters. It’s become a political axiom of sorts that policies championed largely by Democratic city leaders over the past half decade have resulted in rising crime levels.

    As researchers of politics and public policy, we wanted to figure out if that was true.

    A New York Times headline from June 8, 2022, linking crime rates and the Democratic Party.
    The New York Times

    Neither party does a better job

    As any student of introductory statistics learns, correlation doesn’t imply causation. Looking at increases or decreases in crime rates in Republican or Democratic cities and claiming either party is to blame would be making exactly this error: confusing correlation with causation.

    We put to the test the argument that one side or the other is better at fighting crime in our research published in January 2025. By employing three decades of data on mayoral elections from across the country, we were able to disentangle city leaders’ partisanship from other features of cities.

    Contrary to much of the political rhetoric and media coverage aimed at most Americans, our results show that neither party is doing a better job at actually causing crime to decrease.

    In Dallas, Mayor Eric Johnson has claimed that Democratic leaders aren’t taking public safety seriously and that the Democratic Party is “with the criminals.” Johnson switched from being a Democrat to a Republican in 2023 and attributes his decision at least partially to this partisan difference on crime and policing and the seriousness with which he takes this policy issue.

    But our research shows that Johnson’s and others’ claims about Democratic cities becoming more dangerous just aren’t true: Mayors from the Democratic Party aren’t making cities any more – or less – dangerous than mayors from the Republican Party.

    Nor, it turns out, is there any support for claims by some progressive Democrats that they would reduce the role – and enormous budgets – of police departments in cities across the country.

    When we examined the number of sworn police officers in cities and how much money those cities spend on the police, Democratic and Republican mayors alike have had surprisingly little influence on police department budgets or sizes.

    In other words, Democrats aren’t cutting police budgets, nor are Republicans increasing police budgets. Most cities have increased police budgets in the past few years, possibly due to pressure from police unions.

    Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson speaks during the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024.
    Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

    ‘Crime is nonpartisan’

    It turns out that campaign promises from both sides of the partisan aisle about crime and policing have little bearing on what’s happening on the ground in most cities and police departments across the country.

    Neither party is doing a better job at reducing crime. Nor is either party actually addressing the ballooning financial cost of local police forces in the U.S., nor the long-term reputational costs from police misconduct for trust in the police and government more broadly.

    As others have said: crime is nonpartisan.

    Crime has decreased across the U.S. during the past three decades overall, and the isolated cities where crime has increased recently can reverse these temporary trends.

    Partisan blame narratives do little to actually lower crime and make neighborhoods safer, though.

    There are real evidence-backed policies that reduce crime – such as youth jobs programs in Chicago and Boston. Other policies reduce racial disparities in the criminal justice system – such as alternative 911 response programs that use unarmed behavioral health workers to respond to some types of emergencies.

    These policies and interventions might not be as slogan-worthy as “defund the police” or “back the blue.” Nor is implementing these policies as politically convenient as blaming sanctuary city mayors. But research shows that they work and can move cities toward the shared goal of improved public safety for their residents.

    Justin de Benedictis-Kessner has previously received funding from the Bloomberg Center for Cities, the MIT Election Data + Science Lab, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and the Boston Area Research Initiative.

    Christopher S. Warshaw receives funding from the MIT Election Data + Science Lab, the Russell Sage Foundation, and Democracy Fund.

    – ref. Crime is nonpartisan and the blame game on crime in cities is wrong – on both sides – https://theconversation.com/crime-is-nonpartisan-and-the-blame-game-on-crime-in-cities-is-wrong-on-both-sides-252218

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –