NewzIntel.com

Category: Universities

  • MIL-Evening Report: Low effort, high visibility: what bumper stickers say about our values and identity

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Harrison, Director, Master of Business Administration Program (MBA); Co-Director, Better Consumption Lab, Deakin University

    Justin Sullivan/Getty

    You may have seen them around town or in the news. Bumper stickers on Teslas broadcasting to anyone who looks: “I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy.”

    You might assume it’s there to prevent someone from keying the car or as an attempt to defuse potential hostility in a hyper-politicised landscape. But while it may signal disapproval to like-minded passersby, a sticker is unlikely to dissuade someone already intent on committing a crime (which keying is).

    What it does offer, though, is a form of symbolic insurance. You might call it a way to clarify identity in a hostile political environment.

    Equal parts apology, protest and cultural timestamp, the message can say more in eight words than a full-blown op-ed. But it’s not just about a car. It’s also about values, identity management and the evolving politics of consumption.

    A signal to others

    At their core, car bumper stickers function as a vehicle (literally and metaphorically) for identity projection. They are symbols of what psychologists call “low-cost identity displays”, used to project who we are or perhaps more accurately, how we want to be seen.

    Buying a Tesla may once have signalled innovation, environmental consciousness, or social progressivism. But Musk’s increasingly polarising public behaviour and political commentary have altered the cultural meaning of the brand.

    This creates a sense of cognitive dissonance for those consumers whose values no longer align with what the brand’s owner now represents. Enter the bumper sticker.

    Sales of Tesla have fallen sharply this year as Elon Musk has become more political.
    Shutterstock

    In an increasingly fragmented society, where people are eager to differentiate themselves, even a sticker can be a subtle form of moral positioning. But more than anything, it’s often a way to signal to the groups that matter most to us, “please like me”.

    Social identity theory suggests people derive part of their self-concept from their perceived membership in social groups. Bumper stickers make these group affiliations visible, projecting values, ideologies, affiliations, or even contrarian attitudes to the outside world.

    My tiny fading Richmond Tigers sticker on my car may not be performative in the same way a bold political slogan might be. But it still signals a form of identity and belonging.

    Bumper stickers can make affiliation with social groups visible.
    Shutterstock

    The North Face jacket

    Bumper stickers act as a form of “peacocking”. It’s similar to wearing branded clothing, like Dan Andrews’ The North Face jacket during COVID that made him appear more approachable than he would have in a formal suit. Or like even curating a bio on LinkedIn. This is a behavioural strategy where people communicate their traits to others without words.

    In marketing, this links closely to the theory of conspicuous consumption, which can include symbolic consumption, where we buy and display products not just for utility, but for what they say about us.

    Bumper stickers are a literal version of this. They are symbolic, declarative and public. They’re low-effort, high-visibility communicators of group affiliation, virtue, humour, rebellion or outrage.

    The intention might be to inform or persuade, but their actual influence is more complicated.

    Marketing class 101

    In introductory marketing classes, taught at pretty much every university, awareness is often presented as the first stage of the hierarchy of effects model. The model suggests consumer action progresses from awareness to knowledge, liking, preference, conviction, and finally, purchase.

    Stickers are unlikely to influence behaviour.
    Shutterstock

    But in practice, this progression is significantly more complicated. Bumper stickers may generate awareness, but there’s little evidence they influence behaviour – especially when considered in isolation.

    This is particularly relevant in areas such as tourism promotion. For example, an unofficial, but nevertheless provocative tourism slogan like the “CU in the NT” ad campaign might spark conversation and recognition, but recognition does not equate to conversion.

    Despite the hope that underpins the millions of dollars spent on slogans and taglines, awareness is necessary but not sufficient for behavioural change.

    Most marketing efforts fail not because people are unaware of the brand, but because they have no reason, opportunity, or inclination to act – that is, to buy the product or change behaviour.

    Culture has fragmented

    Contemporary consumer culture is increasingly tribal and fragmented. Social media algorithms reinforce echo chambers, while physical signals such as car stickers or even political corflute signs signal belonging and in-group and out-group boundaries.

    As a result, bumper stickers probably reinforce identity for the already converted, but are unlikely to persuade those outside the tribe.

    Visible preferences, however, can serve as a form of shorthand for identity, especially when they align with the symbols and language of the in-group. Although their direct influence on behaviour is limited, these signals, when repeated and reinforced within a receptive community, can shape and shift social norms over time.

    In the end, bumper stickers rarely change behaviour. But they do something more subtle. They allow people to express, perform and affirm identity. They act as signals to others, markers of tribe, values, humour or defiance. They help us say this is who I am, or maybe, this is what I am not.

    Paul Harrison has received research funding from Consumer Action Law Centre, Australian Securities and Investment Commission, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and the Victorian Health Association.

    – ref. Low effort, high visibility: what bumper stickers say about our values and identity – https://theconversation.com/low-effort-high-visibility-what-bumper-stickers-say-about-our-values-and-identity-254581

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • 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-Evening Report: ‘Puppy blues’: how to cope with the exhaustion and stress of raising a puppy

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Hazel, Associate Professor, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide

    Lucigerma/Shutterstock

    Caring for a new puppy can be wonderful, but it can also bring feelings of depression, extreme stress and exhaustion. This is sometimes referred to as “the puppy blues”, and can begin anytime after the puppy arrives in the household.

    While researchers are still working on a way to officially diagnose puppy blues, symptoms generally include:

    • physical exhaustion, due to all the feeding, training, cleaning, walks, management and sleep disruptions
    • emotional exhaustion
    • feeling depressed or guilty for not “doing enough” for the puppy
    • self-imposed perfectionist stress and feeling pressure to raise a puppy “the right way”
    • feelings of regret and doubt
    • constantly wondering if the puppy would be better off with someone else or being returned.

    The good news is these feelings are generally temporary. Puppies have a number of difficult developmental states that need to be managed (each with their own unique challenges) – but these will pass as your puppy grows and settles in.

    The bad news? It can be really tough, and can last weeks or months.

    There is very little research into the puppy blues. But through interviews, surveys and longitudinal studies (where scholars track people’s experiences over time), researchers have begun piecing together what can help puppy owners survive these challenges.

    It’s not an easy time.
    Masarik/Shutterstock

    Get the help you need

    Much like rearing children, puppy raising is hardest as a solo journey. Researchers highly recommend building a team around you and your puppy to help decrease the stress.

    Seek help from parents, friends and family. Having people who you can call to puppysit and to lean on emotionally during tough times is a lifesaver for puppy owners.

    Having a great local vet you trust is crucial (bonus points if you also get yourself a vet with further qualifications in animal behaviour). Chat to your vet if you are worried about your puppy’s behaviour or want to know more about force-free training.

    Online communities have their place too. Seeing others go through (and survive!) similar challenges can be a great relief. These communities can also be a treasure trove of advice.

    That said, remember there’s almost just as much bad advice as good online. Check with your vet if you’re unsure. The use of aversive training methods, such as smacking or yelling, is associated with more behavioural problems by the time your puppy is a year old.

    And if you find yourself feeling really overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to chat to your GP about your mental health.

    Make sure you have the right resources

    Puppy care is full-time work. Working two full-time jobs leads to burnout. If possible, take time off work to help settle your new pet in. If your can’t, call on your village for help with puppysitting.

    Consider how you can make use of long-lasting toys and safe spaces to keep your puppy entertained for a while without your input.

    Long lasting chew toys, “snuffle mats” (which can be easily and cheaply made at home and can be used to hide food), and puzzle toys can also help your puppy learn to relax and settle on their own.

    Play pens are also a godsend and allow you to step away or rest while they nap, eat or play.

    Keep realistic expectations

    There is no such thing as “perfect” when it comes to raising a puppy; chasing perfection will only lead to misery.

    It can help to remember that puppies are babies. They are not supposed to know the cue to sit or stay yet, or to be able to focus on you for long during a training session.

    When their teeth hurt, they’re going to grab the nearest item to chew on – which might be your hand, your shoe or your favourite sunglasses. Either way, babies are going to make mistakes, not because you’ve failed, but because their brains are too underdeveloped to do any better right now.

    They’re just a baby.
    Pryimachuk Mariana/Shutterstock

    Training sometimes goes backwards – or out the window altogether. This is especially true when we hit new developmental periods. It’s normal and you’ve done nothing wrong (remember those underdeveloped brains!). If you’re concerned, seek professional advice from a vet.

    Remember, none of the challenges will last forever. Try to enjoy the good moments, because they won’t last forever either.

    Is kitten blues a thing?

    While kitten blues has not been researched as much as puppy blues, many kitten owners in online forums anecdotally report similar feelings of overwhelm and exhaustion.

    So it’s reasonable to assume this phenomenon exists and is likely very similar to its puppy counterpart. The advice in this article applies to both kittens and puppy owners.

    Caring for a kitten can be stressful too.
    rindwi99/Shutterstock

    Puppies and kittens are certainly not easy to raise.

    But when you’re staring into those adorable eyes, wondering how this tiny creature who brings you so much love can also make you cry with exhaustion, remember: you’ve got this.

    Susan Hazel has received funding from the Waltham Foundation. She is affiliated with the Dog and Cat Management Board of South Australia and the RSPCA South Australia.

    Ana Goncalves Costa is affiliated with the Delta Institute and South Australian veterinary behaviour clinic Pawly Understood.

    – ref. ‘Puppy blues’: how to cope with the exhaustion and stress of raising a puppy – https://theconversation.com/puppy-blues-how-to-cope-with-the-exhaustion-and-stress-of-raising-a-puppy-247328

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: 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 follow — sometimes it can be hard to make sense of exactly what is being promised.

    That ambiguity can come back to bite voters, and the government, during the next term.

    So, how do you sort the deliverable promises from the downright impossible?

    It’s a question we reckoned with while tracking Labor’s 2022 campaign promises over the last term through our Election Promise Tracker.

    Politicians can make it hard to hold them accountable for their commitments later, so it’s important to know when you’re being sold a pup. Here are our tips on what to look out for in the lead-up to polling day.

    Distant horizons

    Promise tracking relies on clearly defined actions that can be assessed against a specific timeline, and ideally by the end of a government’s term.

    But politicians have a habit of announcing policies that extend over much longer horizons, with no guarantee their party will be in government to see them through.

    This can happen with large infrastructure projects and other big spending announcements, such as Labor’s 2022 promise to bring investment in the Great Barrier Reef to $1.2 billion by 2030, or the Coalition’s 2025 plan to build its first nuclear reactors by the middle of next decade.

    Even five-year promises — whether to build 30,000 social and affordable homes or cut 41,000 public service jobs — aren’t particularly helpful when terms are three years long.

    Certainly, governments should set long-term priorities. But if pledges won’t be completely fulfilled, voters should at least know what to expect during the coming term.

    One way to gauge if parties are serious about promises is if they have outlined the shorter steps required to reach their longer-term goals.

    Can it be measured?

    The difference between concrete promises and mere rhetoric largely boils down to whether a pledge can be objectively measured.

    Sometimes a promise can seem measurable but still lack a reliable or definitive measure to assess it when the time comes.

    Jobs targets are a classic example of this, seen in the Coalition’s 2022 election pitch to create “1.3 million new jobs” and also Labor’s recent boast to have delivered “a million new jobs”.

    As experts have persistently pointed out, these numbers do not account for population growth or, importantly, the fact that governments cannot take credit for every new private sector job.

    Another example is Labor’s infamous promise to shave $275 off the average annual household electricity bill by 2025. While there is good data to track electricity bills, we won’t have the numbers necessary to assess the most recent term until mid-2026.

    When it comes to promises that depend on specific figures, voters should consider whether they will have reliable data to assess the final outcome.

    Lacking the details

    Parties regularly dole out promises at press conferences along the campaign trail, but these announcements can be vaguely worded, leaving voters to fill in the blanks.

    For example, Labor’s 2022 pledge to “get real wages growing” could have been understood several different ways, including as a promise to increase wages during just one quarter. (Our promise tracker took it to mean wages would be higher at the end of the government’s term than at the start.)

    In fairness, parties do often publish their policies online, but these documents can be light on specifics.

    During the current campaign, for example, Labor has promised to spend $1 billion in mental health support. Its policy says the funding will build or upgrade more than 100 mental health centres — but has so far neglected to say when that will happen in their policy documents.

    The finer details can sometimes be found in a party’s costing documents, which also show whether funding announcements are already budgeted or genuinely new, although the major parties often release these documents only days out from the election.

    This can leave little time for serious public scrutiny or analysis, especially for early voters, who in this election could account for half the electorate.

    So before you vote, it’s worth checking whether more details have been released about the promises that matter to you.

    The importance of keeping track

    Promise tracking helps voters hold their government to account by ensuring politicians don’t wriggle out of their commitments.

    Many will recall, for example, Labor’s 2022 pledge to “establish a Makarrata Commission with responsibility for truth-telling and treaty” — and, following the Voice referendum, the prime minister’s attempt to recast it as a general commitment to the “process” of Indigenous reconciliation.

    Equally, it’s important that governments aren’t held to promises they never made.

    In the case of Labor’s energy bills pledge, the Coalition has begun to claim that voters were promised a $275 “per year” saving but that household bills had instead increased by $1,300. That total appears to represent a tally of unconfirmed cumulative increases over each of the government’s three years, whereas Labor promised to deliver its $275 reduction “by 2025”.

    Despite popular opinion, governments in Australia and abroad typically deliver on the majority of their promises.

    But convincing voters of that fact requires giving them enough details to know what they are voting for and, ultimately, to assess whether it has been achieved.

    Lisa Waller receives funding from The Australian Research Council

    David Campbell, Eiddwen Jeffery, and Frank Rindert Algra-Maschio 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. From the doable to the downright impossible: your guide to making sense of election promises – https://theconversation.com/from-the-doable-to-the-downright-impossible-your-guide-to-making-sense-of-election-promises-253554

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: 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?

    You’re right, when air is warmed, it rises. This is what gives us the “thermals” gliders can use to soar upwards and large birds of prey like the South American condors use to help them stay aloft for hours at a time.

    But there are lots of other things influencing air temperature. When air rises, it expands because air pressure decreases with height. The energy in the air gets spread out over greater volumes and its temperature goes down.

    This effect wins out over warm air rising. The warm air in a thermal will cool as it rises, until it reaches the temperature of the air around it and is no longer buoyant.

    But why do we have rising air at all?

    That’s because the air around us is heated from below, from Earth’s surface.

    When the Sun is shining, it doesn’t heat the air in the lowest few kilometres of the atmosphere (the troposphere) as there are very few gases in that air to absorb sunlight.

    The Sun’s rays heat Earth, not the air. The air is then warmed from below, from the ground, just as water in a pot on a stove is warmed from the bottom of the pot.

    Earth’s greenhouse

    Earth mostly sends energy back to space in the form of heat or infrared radiation (with wavelengths longer than visible light but shorter than microwaves), and there are plenty of gases in the air that are good at absorbing this kind of radiation, even if they don’t feel the sun’s energy.

    These are what we call greenhouse gases – water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane and so on. Because we have these in the air, the absorption of infrared energy is the main way the air is warmed.

    Again, air near the ground is warmed the most by this absorption of energy.
    The warm air near Earth is buoyant so it often “bubbles up” into the atmosphere, just like the water in a pot on a stove.

    But in the atmosphere, the decrease of pressure with height dictates that temperatures decrease as you go up. This is what’s known in weather jargon as the “lapse rate” – how fast temperatures decrease with height. In dry air (no water vapour), that rate is just under 10°C per kilometre, or a little under 1°C cooler per 100 metres upwards.

    As warm and wet air cools as it rises, water vapour condenses to form clouds.
    Shutterstock/Klanarong Chitmung

    When we have water vapour in the air, it’s a different story. As the air rises and cools, it can’t hold so much water vapour, so some of the vapour has to condense back into liquid water. As it does that, it releases the energy it took to evaporate it in the first place.

    That heat warms the air and reduces the “lapse rate”. How big this effect is depends on how much moisture was in the air to start with. On average, the temperature decrease of about 10°C per kilometre goes down to around 6.5°C per kilometre.

    And what happens to that liquid water in the air? If forms tiny droplets that make clouds. If enough of those drops stick together and become heavy enough, they’ll fall back to Earth as rain.

    Clouds, rain and lightning

    We have clouds and rain because temperatures decrease with height. The clouds that form this way, through buoyant air rising in thermals, are known as cumulus clouds.

    Cumulus always have lumpy tops, looking a bit like a cauliflower. That’s because different parts of the rising air have different amounts out water vapour in them. So different amounts of energy are released, giving the air different buoyancy in different places. The moistest, most buoyant air rises the highest, while drier less buoyant air doesn’t make it so far up.

    If there is lots of moisture available, we can get a thunderstorm cloud, with thunder and lightning as well as plenty of rain. Not just rain either, but often hail (frozen rain).

    That happens because the temperature in the upper parts of such deep clouds is well below freezing, so it is made up of ice crystals rather than water drops. Those ice crystals can stick together to form hail, or snow.

    Lightning forms because of positive electrical charges at the top of clouds and negative charges at the bottom.
    Shutterstock/Athapet Piruksa

    Curiously, it’s the collisions between ice crystals and water drops as they go up and down in a deep cumulus cloud that gives rise to lightning, with a build-up of positive electrical charges at the top of the cloud and negative charges at the bottom.

    Getting back to your original question, why is it colder in the mountains? That’s because as we climb a mountain, we are moving into cooler layers of the atmosphere. We are getting above the surface layers of the atmosphere, going to lower pressures, and that causes the temperature to drop.

    Warm air can still rise from a mountaintop, but it’ll be cooler to start with than air down at sea level, just because it’s at a lower pressure. Climbers who tackle really high mountains, like Mount Everest, usually take oxygen cylinders with them as the air is so thin near the top of such high peaks.

    That’s also why snow and ice linger on mountain tops, as that’s where it is cold enough year-round to keep the ice frozen.

    Hello curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

    James Renwick receives funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). He is a member of the Green Party.

    – ref. Curious Kids: if heat rises, why does it get colder in the mountains? – https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-if-heat-rises-why-does-it-get-colder-in-the-mountains-252911

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: 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 of a hummingbird to the slicing, knife-like beak of an eagle.

    We have found, however, that this incredible diversity is underpinned by a hidden mathematical rule that governs the growth and shape of beaks in nearly all living birds.

    What’s more, this rule even describes beak shape in the long-gone ancestors of birds – the dinosaurs. We are excited to share our findings, now published in the journal iScience.

    By studying beaks in light of this mathematical rule, we can understand how the faces of birds and other dinosaurs evolved over 200 million years. We can also find out why, in rare instances, these rules can be broken.

    When nature follows the rules

    Finding universal rules in biology is rare and difficult – there seem to be few instances where physical laws are so pervasive across all organisms.

    But when we do find a rule, it’s a powerful way to explain the patterns we see in nature. Our team previously discovered a new rule of biology that explains the shape and growth of many pointed structures, including teeth, horns, hooves, shells and, of course, beaks.

    This simple mathematical rule captures how the width of a pointed structure, like a beak, expands from the tip to the base. We call this rule the “power cascade”.

    After this discovery, we were very interested in how the power cascade might explain the shape of bird and other dinosaur beaks.

    Dinosaurs got their beaks more than once

    Most dinosaurs, like Tyrannosaurus rex, have a robust snout with pointed teeth. But some dinosaurs (like the emu-like dinosaur Ornithomimus edmontonicus) did not have any teeth at all and instead had beaks.

    In theropods, the group of dinosaurs that T. rex belonged to, beaks evolved at least six times. Each time, the teeth were lost and the snout stretched to a beak shape over millions of years.

    But only one of these impeccable dinosaur groups survived the mass extinction event 66 million years ago. These survivors eventually became our modern-day birds.

    The early bird catches the rule

    To investigate the power cascade rule of growth, we researched 127 species of theropods. We found that 95% of theropod beaks and snouts follow this rule.

    Using state-of-the-art evolutionary analyses through computer modelling, we demonstrated that the ancestral theropod most likely had a toothed snout that followed the power cascade rule.

    Excitingly, this suggests that the power cascade describes the growth of not just theropod beaks and snouts, but perhaps the snouts of all vertebrates: mammals, reptiles and fish.

    An evolutionary tree showing how theropod beaks and snouts follow the power cascade throughout their evolution.
    Garland et al., iScience 2025

    The rule followers and breakers

    After surviving the mass extinction, birds underwent a period of incredible change. Birds now live all over the world and their beaks are adapted to each place in very special ways.

    We see beak shapes for eating fruit, netting insects, piercing and tearing meat, and even sipping nectar. The majority follow the power cascade growth rule.

    All these bird beaks follow the power cascade rule of growth, despite being used for very different purposes.
    Eastern osprey by Phill Wall (modified, CC BY 2.0), Eurasian hoopoe by Giles Laurent (modified, CC BY-SA 4.0), common ostrich by Diego Delso (modified, CC BY-SA 4.0) and bar-tailed godwit by JJ Harrison (modified, CC BY-SA 4.0).

    While rare, a few birds we studied were rule-breakers. One such rule-breaker is the Eurasian spoonbill, whose highly specialised beak shape helps it sift through the mud to capture aquatic life. Perhaps its unique feeding style led to it breaking this common rule.

    The beak of a Eurasian spoonbill does not follow the power cascade rule of growth.
    Eurasian spoonbill by Swardeepak (modified,CC BY-SA 4.0)

    We are not upset at all about rule-breakers like the spoonbill. On the contrary, this further highlights how informative the power cascade truly is. Most bird beaks grow according to our rule, and those beaks can cater to most feeding styles.

    But occasionally, oddballs like the spoonbill break the power cascade growth rule to catch their special “worms”.

    Now that we know that most bird and dinosaur beaks follow the power cascade, the next big step in our research is to study how bird beaks grow from chick to adult.

    If the power cascade is truly a foundational growth rule in bird beaks, we may expect to find it hiding in many other forms across the tree of life.

    Kathleen Garland receives funding from the Australian Government, Monash University and Museums Victoria.

    Alistair Evans receives funding from the Australian Research Council and Monash University, and is an Honorary Research Affiliate with Museums Victoria.

    – ref. A secret mathematical rule has shaped the beaks of birds and other dinosaurs for 200 million years – https://theconversation.com/a-secret-mathematical-rule-has-shaped-the-beaks-of-birds-and-other-dinosaurs-for-200-million-years-254481

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi Condemns Antisemitic Graffiti at Northwestern University

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)

    SCHAUMBURG, IL – In response to reports of antisemitic graffiti discovered at Northwestern University this week during Passover, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi issued the following statement: 

    “I condemn in the strongest terms the vile antisemitic graffiti discovered at Northwestern University earlier this week during Passover. Targeting Jewish students and the community during a sacred time of remembrance and resilience is especially hateful. We must stand united against antisemitism in all its forms and ensure those responsible are held fully accountable.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • 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-OSI Global: 80 years after atomic bombs devastated Japan, Donald Trump’s actions risk nuclear proliferation

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jamie Levin, Associate Professor of Political Science, St. Francis Xavier University

    The policy of every American president since Harry S. Truman has been to limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

    They have not always been successful. The world’s most powerful weapons spread, with nine countries now possessing them. But no United States president has actively sought their further proliferation, as the belligerent policies of Donald Trump are now set to do.

    In 2018, during his first term as president, Trump tore up the Iran nuclear deal, which had successfully placed limits on the enrichment of weapons-grade materials in exchange for sanctions relief.

    Iran has since accelerated its nuclear weapons program. Estimates now put Iran within months or even weeks of producing several bombs.

    A short time later, after a series of escalating threats, Trump suggested that North Korea had agreed to denuclearize. Talks ensued, but a deal never materialized.

    In fact, Trump failed to stop, let alone roll back, North Korea’s ambitious nuclear weapons programs. North Korea is now said to possess at least 50 warheads as well as the means to deliver them.

    No longer an ally

    Under the second Trump administration, the world is facing a rapidly growing proliferation risk of a different kind, one that is found not only among the usual suspects in Iran and North Korea, but also among a long list of U.S. allies who once basked in American security guarantees.

    Merely two months into Trump’s second term, America’s European allies have grown increasingly concerned that the U.S. is no longer a reliable ally.

    That’s due to his suspension (and then reinstatement) of weapons transfers and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, an explicitly prioritized rapprochement with Russia, open denigration of its NATO allies, suggestions that the U.S. would not come to their defence if attacked, and his active and repeated threats to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Canada, Greenland and Panama.

    Against this backdrop, Trump’s guiding Project 2025 principles advocate escalating nuclear testing, breaking a long-held taboo.

    Once protected by its nuclear umbrella, America’s closest allies are now threatened by it. Europe’s loss of confidence in the U.S. is so severe that finding alternatives has now become part of serious discussions in capitals across the continent. France and the United Kingdom are poised to fill the void by extending their nuclear deterrence to the likes of Germany and Poland.

    The scene in Asia

    But the risk of proliferation is greatest in East Asia. On the campaign trail in 2016, Trump mused that Japan and South Korea might need to develop nuclear weapons. “It’s only a matter of time,” he said.

    That time is unfortunately now.

    While Trump has been busy burning bridges in Europe and North America, his allies in East Asia — South Korea and Japan — have been watching the implosion of the U.S.-led international order in dismay. They have no alternative to the American nuclear umbrella but to build their own deterrent capabilities.

    Polls now show that more than two-thirds of South Koreans support their country’s acquisition of nuclear weapons independent of the U.S. Key figures across the political spectrum as well as a growing chorus of academics and journalists have also openly floated the idea of nuclearization.

    To address South Korea’s growing anxiety and check its nascent nuclear ambitions, the previous Joe Biden administration launched a bilateral initiative called Nuclear Consultative Group in 2023.

    It established a regular mechanism between the two countries to discuss the state of the nuclear umbrella and perform joint defence exercises. This measure went a long way to quiet the voices calling for South Korean nuclearization — until Trump returned to the White House.

    South Korea

    Trump’s so-called America First foreign policy has given every reason for South Korea to once again question the reliability of U.S. security guarantees. If the Trump administration is willing to throw its oldest and closest allies in the North Atlantic under the bus, there is little reason for South Koreans to place their continued faith in the U.S.

    As important as South Korea has been to an American grand strategy, it has always been a second-tier ally and its bilateral alliance with the U.S. was never as important as NATO or as special as the Canada-U.S. relationship. South Korea is much more vulnerable to abandonment, and it now appears to be expandable in the second Trump administration.

    Going nuclear is not a question of means for South Korea. It has one of the most advanced civilian nuclear industries in the world, with 24 reactors in operation and more than enough scientific know-how to churn out weapons in a short time, estimated at six to 12 months.

    The question has always been one of political will, the absence of which has rested on American security assurances. With the Trump administration actively demolishing security guarantees to its closest allies, South Korea may conclude that the only viable path to its continued existence in the post-American world is acquiring nuclear weapons.

    Japan

    South Korea’s nuclearization would likely lead to a domino effect, triggering a new wave of nuclear proliferation across the region. If South Korea makes a dash for the bomb, Japan will have no choice but to follow suit.

    Japan has a full nuclear fuel cycle, including a uranium enrichment plant, spent-fuel reprocessing facilities, nine tons plutonium and 1.2 tons of enriched uranium that can be easily fashioned into thousands of nuclear bombs in as little as six months.

    While the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have long served as a guardrail against nuclearization in Japan, that moral taboo was sustained by a credible U.S. nuclear umbrella. And once the nuclear genie is out of the bottle, Taiwan will have every incentive to resurrect its earlier clandestine nuclear weapons program and seek its own deterrence capability.

    Catastrophic dangers

    While going nuclear may be individually rational for the East Asian countries, the collective outcome for the region and beyond is fraught with catastrophic risks.

    The world is now grappling with the most dangerous collective action problem because the solution that has worked so well for decades — credible American security assurance — is eroding.

    In upending the very international order that the U.S. established, the Trump administration is not merely chipping away at the global security architecture underpinned by myriad American security guarantees. It’s imploding the post-Second World War security order from within and the moral, political and institutional bulwark against nuclear proliferation.

    In this predatory, zero-sum world of Trumpian foreign policy, putting America First necessarily means putting everyone else last — and, along the way, inadvertently fuelling nuclear proliferation.

    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. 80 years after atomic bombs devastated Japan, Donald Trump’s actions risk nuclear proliferation – https://theconversation.com/80-years-after-atomic-bombs-devastated-japan-donald-trumps-actions-risk-nuclear-proliferation-254459

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Election Diary: Coalition makes ‘law-and-order’ pitch, with plan to invest proceeds of drug crime into communities

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

    As it seeks to gain some momentum for its campaign, the Coalition on Monday will focus on law and order, announcing $355 million for a National Drug Enforcement and Organised Crime Strike Team to fight the illicit drug trade.

    A Dutton government would put Australian Federal Police teams into the states and territories, which would be nationally led and supported by specialist financial investigative and prosecutorial teams.

    This would bring an anticipated “significant increase in the seizure of criminal assets and proceeds of crime, which we will reinvest into communities,” Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and shadow ministers said in a statement.

    “This means every dollar seized from drug dealers and criminal cartels will go towards helping the families and communities devastated by their crimes.”

    In what it dubs a crackdown on crime from “the border to the backyard” the opposition has brought together its various initiatives in a $750 million “Operation Safer Communities” package. Apart from the taskforce, other measures have been previously announced.

    The initiatives include:

    • new laws to disrupt organised criminal syndicates

    • upgrading border screening to intercept drugs and cracking down on the importation of date-rape drugs used in drink spiking

    • extra funding for Crime Stoppers

    • more money for the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation, and piloting a national child sex offenders disclosure scheme that would provide more information to parents about the risks in their communities

    • investment in e-safety education through the Alannah and Madeline Foundation

    • introducing national “post and boast” laws making it illegal to post social media material glamorising involvement in crime

    • working with other jurisdictions to standardise knife crime laws, and funding a national rollout of detector wands

    • restoring the Safer Communities Fund to support local projects to improve social cohesion

    • reintroducing fast track processes for visa appeals to deal with bad actors overstaying.

    The Coalition is also promising stronger action against antisemitism and against corruption and crime in the construction industry.

    Dutton said the community felt less safe than three years ago.

    “I have the experience and determination to stand up to the outlaw motor cycle gangs and organised crime syndicates which are wreaking havoc on our streets and in our communities.”

    Opposition defence spending announcement this week

    The Coalition this week will release its long-awaited defence policy.

    The Australian Financial Review is reporting it will be based on two stages. The first would be a target above Labor’s proposed spending over the forward estimates. A second stage would be a target of spending at least 2.5% of gross domestic product annually in the early 2030s.

    Greens say public service should prepare a brief on their policies too

    The major parties are always saying they don’t want to get ahead of themselves – being seen to assume the outcome before the election is decided. The Greens have no such inhibition.

    Greens leader Adam Bandt has written to the Secretary of the
    Prime Minister’s Department, Glyn Davis, declaring minority government looks probable.

    “It is increasingly clear that whoever forms government will likely rely on crossbench support, and in turn need to be in a position to discuss in detail the policy proposals put forward by members of the crossbench,” he said in his letter, sent on Thursday.

    So Bandt wants the public service to prepare a brief on Greens’ policies, to assist any such negotiations.

    The context is that the bureaucracy prepares so-called “red” (Labor) and “blue” (Coalition) books, which contain briefs on the policies of each side. The appropriate book is ready for whoever wins.

    Bandt wants a “green book” prepared. “This will enable an incoming government to discuss and begin to implement key policy priorities of the Australian Greens, should they agree to them during negotiations in relation to the formation of government.”

    Bandt said as a “top priority” in this exercise, the public service should prepare in-depth work on reforming negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount. This should cover reducing these concessions for investors owning more than one property, which the Greens support.

    Bandt referred the bureaucracy to work done by the Australia Institute, a progressive think tank, and to the views of various economic commentators who have advocated reform.

    He also pointed to Treasury advice on the subject, over which debate flared last week, when Anthony Albanese claimed the government had not asked for modelling. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said he had asked for a “view ” from Treasury. The government says it has no plans to change negative gearing arrangements.

    Albanese has repeatedly ruled out negotiating with the Greens if he was forced into minority government. But he wouldn’t need to – the Greens have said they would not have a bar of giving support to a Dutton minority government.

    How important the Greens were when it came to particular pieces of legislation in a hung parliament would depend on the actual numbers. including how many crossbenchers a minority government needed to pass bills and how big the crossbench was. The bigger the crossbench, potentially the more choice of dancing partners for the government.

    The importance of the lower house Greens if there was a minority government would also depend on how many of them there were. Bandt is safe in his seat of Melbourne, but the other three Greens, all from Queensland, won their seats in 2022 and these electorates are being strongly targeted by the major parties.

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

    – ref. Election Diary: Coalition makes ‘law-and-order’ pitch, with plan to invest proceeds of drug crime into communities – https://theconversation.com/election-diary-coalition-makes-law-and-order-pitch-with-plan-to-invest-proceeds-of-drug-crime-into-communities-254588

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: 150 years ago, the Metre Convention determined how we measure the world — a radical initiative for the time

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jonathan Simone, Adjunct Professor of Biological Sciences, Brock University

    Unified systems of measurement are important for scientific progress. (Shutterstock)

    On May 20, 1875, delegates from a group of 17 countries gathered in Paris to sign what may be the most overlooked yet globally influential treaty in history: the Metre Convention.

    At a time when different countries (and even different cities defined weights and lengths based on local artifacts, royal body parts or grains of wheat, this rare agreement among nations offered something simple yet undeniably impactful: consistency.

    A radical initiative for its time, the Metre Convention ultimately birthed a system of measurement that would transcend language, politics and tradition, and lay the foundation for a new global era of scientific and technological advancement.

    Official engraved marble standard metre, at the Place Vendôme in Paris. The standard was promoted during the French Revolution to introduce the metric system to France.
    (Shutterstock)

    A world divided by measurement

    By the mid-19th century, the push for standardization had become increasingly urgent. Scientific discovery was accelerating, global trade was booming and industrial projects were growing in scale and complexity. But the world’s measurements were, frankly, a mess.

    France had introduced the metric system during its revolutionary years, but other nations were slow — or outright unwilling — to adopt it.

    Rivalries simmered not just among empires, but within the scientific community itself. Astronomers couldn’t compare celestial observations across borders because their units didn’t match. Engineers designing railway systems across Europe had to navigate conflicting standards for track gauges, load weights and even timekeeping.

    This wasn’t just inefficient. It was a barrier to progress, a strain on economies and a growing source of frustration or a scientific world that aimed to speak in universal truths.

    Faced with growing societal demands, the industrial world agreed it was time to act. The Metre Convention was the result.

    Scientists and diplomats representing the 17 participating countries collectively established the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM), headquartered just outside Paris, as the official keeper of measurement standards. Today, the BIPM is backed by 64 member states and governs the Système International d’Unités (SI), the measurement framework that underpins everything from bridges to smartphones.

    When standards fail

    Developing and agreeing on a system of units is the mandate of the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures.
    (Bureau International des Poids et Mesures), CC BY-ND

    And while by today’s standards, the SI may seem like a relic of old-school science bureaucracy, it’s anything but. Standardized measurement is the invisible infrastructure of the modern world. And when it fails, or more specifically when we ignore it, the consequences can be severe.

    Take the Gimli Glider incident. In 1983, an Air Canada flight from Montréal to Edmonton ran out of fuel midway through its journey. The cause was a miscalculation caused by confusion between metric and imperial units: the ground crew had used pounds instead of kilograms to measure fuel, and the pilots didn’t catch the error.

    The plane lost power at 41,000 feet (around 12,500 metres for those who prefer their near-death experiences in metric), and glided safely to an abandoned airstrip in Gimli, Man., and to the annals of history as a symbol of what happens when we take standards for granted.

    Or consider the Mars Climate Orbiter, a US$327 million NASA spacecraft that disintegrated upon entering Mars’ atmosphere in 1999. Engineers at Lockheed Martin had used imperial units, while NASA had assumed metric. The mismatch led to a critical navigation error and the failure of the mission, highlighting the importance of consistency in measurement, even far beyond the confines of Earth’s atmosphere.

    The Gimli Glider and Mars Orbiter failures show what happens when consistency breaks down, but they’re more than just cautionary tales. They reveal how much of modern life depends on the shared language of measurement, and how easily that foundation can be cracked.

    And therein lies the genius of the Metre Convention. It created a system that allows the world to communicate in the same terms. When someone says “kilogram,” “second” or “volt,” there is no ambiguity. That shared understanding is what makes global collaboration possible.

    The Mars Climate Orbiter at the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility in the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
    (NASA/KSC)

    From man-made objects to universal constants

    But as scientists are wont to do, good ideas are refined, and standards evolve. For much of its post-Metre Convention history, the kilogram was defined by a physical artifact — a hunk of platinum-iridium alloy stored in a vault in France. But in 2019, that changed. Now, the kilogram is defined by Planck’s constant, a fundamental feature of the universe. The shift marked the final step in a long journey: every base unit in the SI is now rooted in nature rather than arbitrary human artifacts.



    Read more:
    Redefining the kilogram means redefining how we measure wealth

    That change wasn’t just symbolic, it was necessary. Our ability to measure time, mass and distance with extreme precision affects nearly every aspect of modern life.

    GPS signals rely on time measurements accurate to the billionth of a second. Quantum computers and particle accelerators require calibration on mind-bendingly small scales. Even weather forecasting depends on standardized measurements of pressure, temperature and humidity.

    Shared standards in a divided world

    But perhaps the most underrated legacy of the Metre Convention is its role in building trust across borders.

    At a time when misinformation spreads quickly and even basic facts are contested, international standards offer a shared foundation that scientists, governments and industries can rely on. It’s a form of global co-operation that has quietly endured for 150 years.

    That co-operation becomes particularly apparent in moments of political strain. Although the United States appears uncompromising in its commitment to feet and inches, American scientists, engineers and manufacturers rely heavily on the metric system, especially when collaborating across borders.

    As tensions rise between close allies like the U.S. and Canada, metric standards remain a consistent point of harmony. The two countries may spar diplomatically, but when it comes to assembling a car in Windsor with parts made in Detroit, the bolts still fit.

    Looking ahead

    Still, like all institutions, BIPM and the SI reflect the times in which they were created. The original signatories were almost exclusively colonial powers. It took almost a century for other nations to gain an equal seat at the table, and even now, access to the tools and infrastructure that facilitate precision metrology — the act of taking extremely accurate measurements — remains unequal.

    If the next 150 years of the Metre Convention are to be as successful as the first, greater inclusivity and accessibility will need to be central to its mission.

    We live in a world held together by decimals, tolerances and agreed-upon constants that keep planes in the air, bridges from collapsing and scientific progress on track.

    The Metre Convention reminds us that science isn’t only about big breakthroughs and bold ideas. Sometimes it’s about consensus and agreeing, together, on what a metre actually is. And even after 150 years, the simple idea of agreeing how to measure the world remains one of humanity’s greatest achievements.

    So, what should we do with this anniversary? Maybe throw a party with metric-themed cocktails (may I suggest a 100mL Old Fashioned?). At the very least, we should take a moment to reflect on just how essential, and how easy to overlook, measurement really is.

    Jonathan Simone 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. 150 years ago, the Metre Convention determined how we measure the world — a radical initiative for the time – https://theconversation.com/150-years-ago-the-metre-convention-determined-how-we-measure-the-world-a-radical-initiative-for-the-time-252108

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Women are steadier leaders in times of crisis, but they are still being overlooked

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Ivona Hideg, Associate Professor and Ann Brown Chair in Organization Studies, York University, Canada

    One persistent gender stereotype is the belief that women are ‘too emotional’ to be effective leaders. This misconception continues to undermine their chances of being considered for leadership roles in the first place. (Shutterstock)

    Please fill out your disclosure statement (red button to the right under your name) when you have a chance

    As Canadians prepare to vote in a federal election during a period of global instability marked by trade disruptions, economic uncertainty, and armed conflict, the country’s political leadership remains notably traditional in one key respect: gender.

    All of Canada’s major political parties are currently led by men, and Canada has never elected a woman as prime minister. Kim Campbell briefly held the office in 1993 after Brian Mulroney’s resignation as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party. Her short tenure ended with a historic electoral defeat for the Conservatives.

    With global tensions rising and Canada facing unprecedented uncertainties, it may seem easy to overlook the lack of women on election ballots. But strong, inclusive leadership is a practical necessity in these uncertain times.

    A growing body of research and real-world examples are challenging longstanding assumptions about what makes an effective leader. In times of crisis, traditional leadership styles marked by dominance and rigidity — usually associated with men — often fall short.

    Instead, leadership styles marked by empathy, flexibility, and open communication — usually associated with women — are proving to be both effective and essential. This kind of leadership helps steady teams when emotions run high and the path forward is unclear — exactly the kind of qualities Canada may need in the near future.

    Leadership during COVID-19

    One persistent gender stereotype is the belief that women are “too emotional” to be effective leaders. This misconception continues to undermine women’s chances of being considered for leadership roles in the first place.

    However, our research findings challenge this assumption and suggest it’s actually men who are more likely to let emotions drive their behaviour during periods of uncertainty.



    Read more:
    The world needs more women leaders — during COVID-19 and beyond

    Our recently published research examined how gender influenced the behaviour of leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed survey responses from a sample of 137 supervisor-subordinate pairs working in the Netherlands during 2020.

    We focused on two dominant emotions during the pandemic — anxiety and hope — as they are both common responses to uncertainty. Anxiety reflects a sense of lost control, while hope suggests some belief in regaining it. These emotions, we predicted, would would shape leaders’ actions.

    Women less likely to be driven by emotion

    Our study found that men leaders who experienced higher levels of hope were more likely to engage in family friendly supervision, which refers to leaders providing support for employees’ non-work demands. This was especially critical during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    However, when men leaders experienced higher levels of anxiety, they were more likely to act out via abusive supervision. This included snapping at employees, making unreasonable demands, or behaving in a punitive way.

    In contrast, the behaviour of women leaders was not influenced by feelings of anxiety or hope. Regardless of how they felt, women were more likely to show consistent, family-supportive behaviours that helped staff manage work-life challenges. They also refrained from lashing out abusively when anxious.

    These findings aligned with our expectations. We anticipated women would be less likely to act on their emotions than men, as women are often conditioned to put the needs of others above their own, especially in times of stress.

    As a result, we expected — and observed — that women leaders would be less affected by their emotions and more likely to consider others.

    The danger of the glass cliff

    Our research highlights the importance of humanising leadership rooted in communal values. One particularly effective approach that does this is transformational leadership, which focuses on inspiring, supporting, and empowering others.

    Studies show that women are more likely to adopt this leadership style. Yet research also reveals a troubling gap: when women lead this way, they are less likely to be recognized or rewarded for it, compared to men. In many cases, women might behave the same as their men counterparts, yet they are judged differently — not based on what they do, but who they are.

    Women are also more likely to be appointed to leadership roles in times of crisis or decline. This phenomenon, known as the “glass cliff,” places women in precarious positions with limited chances of success.

    Consider the case of Campbell, who became party leader just months before an election her party was widely expected to lose. It could be argued she faced a glass cliff. Rather than a fair shot at leadership, she was handed a near-certain defeat.

    These patterns reflect how deeply embedded gender bias is, and how it continues to influence who gets to lead and under what conditions.



    Read more:
    The ‘glass cliff’ is steep for Canada’s female politicians

    The case for caring leadership

    In the face of ongoing U.S. tariffs, threats on Canada’s sovereignty, and other global issues, Canada needs effective leadership more than ever. But in times of crisis, reacting impulsively to strong emotions can be costly.

    The leadership style that appears most effective during turbulent times is based on communal values of care, rather than impulsively reacting to one’s emotions. As our research shows, this approach is more closely aligned with how women often lead, despite persistent stereotypes suggesting that women are overly emotional.



    Read more:
    Growing threats faced by women candidates undermine our democracy

    Yet, women remain underrepresented in leadership positions, especially in politics. Despite this gap, public conversation on the issue remain noticeably silent.

    Although we can’t rewrite the past, we can reflect on what might be missing from leadership today. When we consistently overlook those who lead with compassion, we risk losing out on exactly the kind of leadership that could help our country navigate the turbulent waters ahead.

    Ivona Hideg’s research has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

    Winny Shen receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

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

    – ref. Women are steadier leaders in times of crisis, but they are still being overlooked – https://theconversation.com/women-are-steadier-leaders-in-times-of-crisis-but-they-are-still-being-overlooked-254676

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Service closures in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside leave sex workers without vital support

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jennie Pearson, PhD Candidate, Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program, University of British Columbia

    In late February, the PACE Society, a long-standing pillar of support for sex workers in Vancouver, announced it was suspending services and programming and laying off most staff. For more than 30 years, PACE has provided peer support, counselling and basic services using a “by, for and with” sex workers approach.

    Now, amid a funding crisis that has led to layoffs of mostly staff with current or former experience of sex work, the future of vital support services for sex workers in Vancouver is uncertain.

    PACE’s announcement was another heavy loss following a string of closures and service reductions at organizations serving sex workers and other marginalized women in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

    February also marked the closure of the WISH Drop-in Centre. The centre provided essential lifeline for street-based sex workers in the Downtown Eastside, offering overnight respite and critical access to resources for over four decades.

    While PACE and WISH have described their closures as temporary, their eventual reopening remains uncertain. Both organizations intend to resume services with the renewal of the funding cycle in April 2025. In the meantime, sex workers face an urgent and growing void of essential support services and community spaces.

    Making sex workers more vulnerable

    As collaborators on the AESHA Project (An Evaluation of Sex Workers’ Health Access), we have worked in partnership with sex workers and community organizations to document how criminalization, policing and structural inequities impact sex workers’ health and safety.

    For over 14 years, the AESHA Project, based at the University of British Columbia, has highlighted the crucial role of community services in supporting sex workers’ health, safety and well-being and how a lack of funding undermines sex workers’ access to these vital services.

    The loss of safe spaces for sex workers, even temporarily, carries profound and far-reaching consequences. These impacts were thoroughly documented in the findings of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry, led by former B.C. attorney general Wally Oppal. The inquiry examined systemic failures that contributed to the targeted violence and murders of sex workers in Vancouver.

    Among the commission’s key recommendations was the urgent need to enhance protections and expand access to critical supports for sex workers, recognizing that such services are fundamental to their safety and well-being.

    For years, front-line organizations such as WISH and PACE have been instrumental in advancing this mandate, providing basic necessities like hot meals and safe overnight spaces, as well as trauma-informed counselling, peer support networks and opportunities for community connection. The abrupt closure of these spaces severs support networks for sex workers.

    Chronic under-funding

    Such organizations are vital, and sex workers deserve to feel like these spaces matter and are worth keeping open. However, funding for community-led, rights-based approaches to sex work services has historically been limited in Canada. Federal governments have prioritized prohibitionist approaches and “exit programs” that do not meet community needs.

    Vancouver-based sex work services are not alone in experiencing funding shortfalls and closures. On March 7, SafeSpace London issued an urgent call for donations following the loss of city funding. This dynamic is also visible in Vancouver, where the closure of PACE and other similar organizations is occurring within the context of a broader “revitalization” agenda, which aims to prioritize development over community infrastructure.

    A leaked draft memo from October 2024 revealed Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s plan for reshaping the Downtown Eastside. Among these plans is an effort to expedite private development approvals, notably through the use of spot rezoning — a tool that allows municipal authorities to rezone individual outside the city’s established planning frameworks.

    The memo also outlines the Sim’s intention to conduct a comprehensive review of local non-profit organizations and to actively “track their funding envelope.” While framed as a step toward increased accountability, research highlights that heightened scrutiny of chronically under-funded community organizations often leads to greater instability and compromises service delivery.

    Non-profits are in crisis, but this cannot be solved by increased surveillance and funding cuts. Community organizers have critically examined the potential consequences of this development-driven approach, raising concerns that it will accelerate gentrification and undermine the availability of essential community services.

    Community organizations, often relied upon to fill the gaps left by government disinvestment, often face chronic funding shortages. Despite providing essential services, many are forced into cycles of short-term, unstable funding that limit their ability to plan for the long term or advocate for systemic change.

    This precarious situation is not incidental. It reflects a broader shift in recent decades of governments offloading responsibility for social welfare onto under-funded non-profits while maintaining the illusion of support with fragmented funding schemes.

    The closure of critical services is not a sign of individual organizational failure. Rather, it is a direct consequence of a system that prioritizes investments in policing and property development over sustained investment in community well-being and support for the most marginalized residents of Vancouver.

    Organizations that provide critical support to sex workers need stability and self-determination to cultivate meaningful, community-led approaches that meet immediate needs and work toward long-term change.

    Jennie Pearson receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and is a volunteer with PACE Society.

    Andrea Krüsi has received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Vancouver Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Canada Foundation for Innovation. PACE and WISH staff are part of the community advisory board of the AESHA study.

    Melody Wise a Research Coordinator for the AESHA project, a position supported by funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. She is a volunteer with SWAN Vancouver, a non-profit providing support to im/migrant sex workers in Greater Vancouver.

    – ref. Service closures in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside leave sex workers without vital support – https://theconversation.com/service-closures-in-vancouvers-downtown-eastside-leave-sex-workers-without-vital-support-253710

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • 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 Russia: Dmitry Chernyshenko: Winners of the Student Design Bureau Competition Announced

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    15 universities – winners of the competition of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia will receive subsidies for the creation and development of student design bureaus (SDB).

    “At a meeting with students of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University, our President Vladimir Putin noted the potential of developments created by student design bureaus. Today, there are 676 such design bureaus in Russia, which employ more than 100 thousand students, postgraduates and young scientists. They have the opportunity to design their own solutions, register patents for inventions in priority areas of scientific and technological development, and also decide on employment,” said Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.

    The competition was held in two areas: “Student Design Leadership” and “Creation and Development of a Student Design Bureau”. The winners will receive grants of 20 million and 5 million rubles, respectively.

    As the head of the Ministry of Education and Science, Valery Falkov, noted, the creation of a network of youth design bureaus based at universities is one of the effective tools for supporting engineering talent, launched on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    “Highly qualified engineers capable of contributing to the country’s technological leadership are trained at youth design bureaus. Students, postgraduates and young scientists develop competitive technologies, solve specific scientific, technical and engineering problems, and are widely involved in work on orders from industrial enterprises. It is important that the initiative has shown high demand – 178 universities from 81 regions of the country submitted applications for the competition. 15 winning universities will receive support for the creation of new and development of existing sites, including the purchase of modern equipment,” the minister said.

    On April 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with students of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University who are actively involved in the work of scientific centers and student design bureaus. The students told about their activities within the SKB and asked the head of state questions about the future of Russian cosmonautics, namely about the development of student initiative projects and Russia’s participation in large space projects.

    The areas of activity of the selected design bureaus cover key strategic areas for the country: unmanned systems, robotics, microelectronics, prototyping, cybersecurity, reverse engineering, electronics and electrical engineering, VR technologies, computer modeling and design, mechanical engineering and instrument making, bioengineering systems, engine building, nuclear and energy technologies, materials science, space technology, ground transport systems.

    The winners in the Student Design Leadership category were:

    ⁃ Moscow State Technical University named after N.E. Bauman;

    ⁃ National University of Science and Technology MISiS;

    ⁃ Samara National Research University named after academician S.P. Korolev;

    ⁃ Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University;

    ⁃ Kuban State Technological University.

    In the direction of “Creation and development of a student design bureau”:

    ⁃ Plekhanov Russian University of Economics;

    ⁃ Southern Federal University;

    ⁃ Donetsk National Technical University;

    ⁃ Kursk State University;

    ⁃ Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov;

    ⁃ North Caucasus Federal University;

    ⁃ State University of Management;

    ⁃ Penza State University;

    ⁃ Saratov National Research State University named after N.G. Chernyshevsky;

    ⁃ Chuvash State University named after. I.N. Ulyanova.

    Student design bureaus are aimed at developing and involving students in scientific and technical creativity and applied research and development work. They can act as platforms for developing new technical and technological solutions using advanced methods of mathematical and physical modeling. Work in them is based on principles close to real production.

    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: Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman to leave tonight for an official visit to USA and Peru from 20th to 30th April 2025

    Source: Government of India

    Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman to leave tonight for an official visit to USA and Peru from 20th to 30th April 2025

    Union Finance Minister to attend Spring Meetings of the IMF-World Bank

    FM will also take part in G20 Finance Ministers & Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meetings besides bilateral meetings with many countries and organisations

    Smt. Sitharaman will participate in multilateral dialogues on various fora to showcase India’s economic dynamism

    Posted On: 19 APR 2025 5:11PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman will embark on an official visit to USA and Peru beginning 20th April, 2025. During the visit to the USA, the Union Finance Minister will visit San Francisco and Washington D.C. from 20th to 25th April, 2025.

    In the course of her two-day visit to San Francisco beginning 20th April 2025, the Union Finance Minister will deliver a keynote address at the Hoover Institution at the Stanford University, San Francisco, on ‘Laying the foundations of Viksit Bharat 2047’ followed by a fireside chat session.

    Smt. Sitharaman will also interact with top CEOs from prominent fund management firms during a Roundtable meeting with investors, besides holding bilateral meetings with CEOs from top information technology (IT) firms based in San Francisco. Smt. Sitharaman will also participate in an event featuring Indian diaspora in San Francisco and interact with the Indian community settled there.

    During her visit to Washington D.C., USA, from 22nd to 25th April 2025, Smt. Sitharaman will participate in the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the 2ndG20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governor (FMCBG) Meetings, Development Committee Plenary, IMFC Plenary, and Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable (GSDR) meeting.

    On the sidelines of the Spring Meetings in Washington D.C., Smt. Sitharaman will hold bilateral meetings with her counterparts from several countries, including Argentina, Bahrain, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, and USA; besides meeting EU Commissioner for Financial Services; President, Asian Development Bank (ADB); President, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB); United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health (UNSGSA); and First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    During her maiden visit to Peru from 26th to 30th April 2025, the Union Finance Minister will lead an Indian delegation of officials from the Ministry of Finance and business leaders, highlighting the strengthening bilateral economic and trade relations between the two nations.

    Beginning her visit in Lima, Union Finance Minister Smt. Sitharaman is expected to call on the President of Peru, H.E. Ms. Dina Boluarte, and Prime Minister of Peru, H.E. Mr. Gustavo Adrianzén, besides holding bilateral meetings with the Peruvian Ministers of Finance and Economy; Defence; Energy and Mines; and also holding interaction with local public representatives.

    In the course of her visit to Peru, the Union Finance Minister will chair the India-Peru Business Forum meeting with prominent business representatives in attendance from both India and Peru. Smt. Sitharaman will also hold an interaction with the Indian investors & businesses currently operating in Peru, as well as the Indian Business delegation visiting Peru.

    Given Peru’s importance in the global supply chain of critical minerals and precious metals, discussions during these engagements are also expected to explore avenues for greater collaboration in the mining sector, particularly to strengthen India’s resource security and facilitate value-chain linkages between the two economies.

    The Union Finance Minister will also participate in a community event at Lima, where she will interact with the Indian diaspora living in Peru.

     

    ****

    NB/KMN

    (Release ID: 2122913) Visitor Counter : 70

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Planning for death: four things you can do to ease your family’s emotional and financial stress

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Amanda Craft, Associate Lecturer in Accounting and Financial Planning, Western Sydney University

    When someone dies, the people left behind face more than grief. They are often hit with a wave of decisions – emotional, logistical and financial – that must be made quickly and under pressure.

    You may not be able to control what happens after you’re gone. But you can make the process a lot easier for your family by doing a few simple things now. Financial therapy research shows that financial decisions made under stress or grief are more likely to lead to conflict or regret.

    Our work as researchers and practitioners in financial planning and financial therapy explores how money isn’t just about spreadsheets and savings – it’s also about identity, emotions, and relationships.

    Planning for death, as hard as it may be, is one of the kindest acts you can offer.

    Death is inevitable, but chaos doesn’t have to be. A few gentle conversations, a simple will, and a bit of planning can protect your family from unnecessary pain. You don’t need to have everything figured out – you just need to start. Even small steps taken now can have a ripple effect on your family’s financial and emotional wellbeing.

    We have identified four practical steps you can take: start the conversation; talk about what matters to you; get your paperwork in order; and make your funeral plans known.

    What to do

    Start the conversation. In many cultures, death is difficult to talk about. It can feel awkward, inappropriate, or even disrespectful to bring it up with loved ones. But avoiding the conversation doesn’t stop death from coming – it only makes it harder for those left behind.

    Financial therapy research shows that avoidance of money conversations is common, but can be damaging. People avoid these talks because of anxiety, cultural taboos, or fear of upsetting others, but they’re exactly the conversations that help reduce stress in the future. You don’t need to hold a formal family meeting.

    A softer approach often works best. For example, if someone in your community passes away, you could say, “It got me thinking about what you’d want for your funeral.” If they seem uncomfortable, try saying, “I know it’s not easy to talk about. I just care, and I’d rather know than have to guess.” If they still don’t want to talk, that’s okay. Sometimes planting the seed is enough.

    Talk about what matters to you. Every family and community has its own way of honouring the dead. Some prefer large, traditional funerals with extended family and religious rites. Others may want something smaller, more personal, or less expensive. When people know what matters most to you – and what doesn’t – they are more likely to carry out your wishes with peace of mind.

    Research has found that clarity around financial and emotional intentions helps reduce family tension and grief-related conflict.

    For example, you might not want money borrowed for your funeral. You might prefer cremation, or a specific cultural rite. Or you may want something symbolic, like a tree planted in your honour. Saying it now helps your loved ones later.

    Get your paperwork in order. A will helps ensure that your assets go where you want them to. It also helps reduce disputes among family members. But in South Africa, for example, only around 15% of people die with a valid will. In Nigeria, 70% of people die intestate and 80% of people in Ghana die without a valid will. That leaves families at the mercy of state rules – and that can create real problems.

    Make sure your will is clear, legally valid, and updated to reflect any life changes such as marriage, divorce, or the birth of a child. It’s also essential to review your nominated beneficiaries on life policies and pensions. If they are outdated or deceased, the payout may be delayed or go to someone you didn’t intend. Leaving financial matters unclear can also unsettle family roles and identities, especially when adult siblings or extended relatives feel overlooked.

    Make your funeral plans known. In many African households, funerals are deeply significant events, tied to culture, status, and family pride. But the cost of burying a loved one, and the weight of organising the ceremony, can fall heavily on those who remain.

    If you’ve taken out a funeral policy or belong to a burial society or stokvel (savings club), make sure someone knows. Funeral policies can pay out within 48 hours – but some take weeks, depending on the circumstances and paperwork. Write down the name of the provider, the expected payout, and who to contact.

    Keep documents in a safe place, and tell a trusted person where to find them. Even if you can’t afford a policy, having a clear conversation about what you would want – and what you wouldn’t – is a powerful gift. Not everyone wants a lavish send-off. Sometimes, what people want most is for their family to avoid debt and stay united.

    Planning ahead allows families to mourn, rather than scramble.

    – Planning for death: four things you can do to ease your family’s emotional and financial stress
    – https://theconversation.com/planning-for-death-four-things-you-can-do-to-ease-your-familys-emotional-and-financial-stress-254321

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Planning for death: four things you can do to ease your family’s emotional and financial stress

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Amanda Craft, Associate Lecturer in Accounting and Financial Planning, Western Sydney University

    When someone dies, the people left behind face more than grief. They are often hit with a wave of decisions – emotional, logistical and financial – that must be made quickly and under pressure.

    You may not be able to control what happens after you’re gone. But you can make the process a lot easier for your family by doing a few simple things now. Financial therapy research shows that financial decisions made under stress or grief are more likely to lead to conflict or regret.

    Our work as researchers and practitioners in financial planning and financial therapy explores how money isn’t just about spreadsheets and savings – it’s also about identity, emotions, and relationships.

    Planning for death, as hard as it may be, is one of the kindest acts you can offer.

    Death is inevitable, but chaos doesn’t have to be. A few gentle conversations, a simple will, and a bit of planning can protect your family from unnecessary pain. You don’t need to have everything figured out – you just need to start. Even small steps taken now can have a ripple effect on your family’s financial and emotional wellbeing.

    We have identified four practical steps you can take: start the conversation; talk about what matters to you; get your paperwork in order; and make your funeral plans known.

    What to do

    Start the conversation. In many cultures, death is difficult to talk about. It can feel awkward, inappropriate, or even disrespectful to bring it up with loved ones. But avoiding the conversation doesn’t stop death from coming – it only makes it harder for those left behind.

    Financial therapy research shows that avoidance of money conversations is common, but can be damaging. People avoid these talks because of anxiety, cultural taboos, or fear of upsetting others, but they’re exactly the conversations that help reduce stress in the future. You don’t need to hold a formal family meeting.

    A softer approach often works best. For example, if someone in your community passes away, you could say, “It got me thinking about what you’d want for your funeral.” If they seem uncomfortable, try saying, “I know it’s not easy to talk about. I just care, and I’d rather know than have to guess.” If they still don’t want to talk, that’s okay. Sometimes planting the seed is enough.

    Talk about what matters to you. Every family and community has its own way of honouring the dead. Some prefer large, traditional funerals with extended family and religious rites. Others may want something smaller, more personal, or less expensive. When people know what matters most to you – and what doesn’t – they are more likely to carry out your wishes with peace of mind.

    Research has found that clarity around financial and emotional intentions helps reduce family tension and grief-related conflict.

    For example, you might not want money borrowed for your funeral. You might prefer cremation, or a specific cultural rite. Or you may want something symbolic, like a tree planted in your honour. Saying it now helps your loved ones later.

    Get your paperwork in order. A will helps ensure that your assets go where you want them to. It also helps reduce disputes among family members. But in South Africa, for example, only around 15% of people die with a valid will. In Nigeria, 70% of people die intestate and 80% of people in Ghana die without a valid will. That leaves families at the mercy of state rules – and that can create real problems.

    Make sure your will is clear, legally valid, and updated to reflect any life changes such as marriage, divorce, or the birth of a child. It’s also essential to review your nominated beneficiaries on life policies and pensions. If they are outdated or deceased, the payout may be delayed or go to someone you didn’t intend. Leaving financial matters unclear can also unsettle family roles and identities, especially when adult siblings or extended relatives feel overlooked.

    Make your funeral plans known. In many African households, funerals are deeply significant events, tied to culture, status, and family pride. But the cost of burying a loved one, and the weight of organising the ceremony, can fall heavily on those who remain.

    If you’ve taken out a funeral policy or belong to a burial society or stokvel (savings club), make sure someone knows. Funeral policies can pay out within 48 hours – but some take weeks, depending on the circumstances and paperwork. Write down the name of the provider, the expected payout, and who to contact.

    Keep documents in a safe place, and tell a trusted person where to find them. Even if you can’t afford a policy, having a clear conversation about what you would want – and what you wouldn’t – is a powerful gift. Not everyone wants a lavish send-off. Sometimes, what people want most is for their family to avoid debt and stay united.

    Planning ahead allows families to mourn, rather than scramble.

    Amanda Craft is a shareholder of Auriavia Pty Ltd. She is affiliated with the Financial Therapy Association

    Bomikazi Zeka 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. Planning for death: four things you can do to ease your family’s emotional and financial stress – https://theconversation.com/planning-for-death-four-things-you-can-do-to-ease-your-familys-emotional-and-financial-stress-254321

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI China: 2025 Asian Forum on Human Rights opens in SW China

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    The 2025 Asian Forum on Human Rights opens in Chongqing, southwest China, April 19, 2025. [Photo courtesy of the Human Rights Institute of the Southwest University of Political Science and Law]
    The 2025 Asian Forum on Human Rights opened in Chongqing, southwest China, on April 19, bringing together scholars to explore the relationship between technological advancements and human rights.
    The forum, hosted by the Southwest University of Political Science and Law (SWUPL), was organized under the theme “Science & Technology and Human Rights.”
    Jiang Jianguo, executive vice president of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, said at the opening ceremony that Asian countries’ shared history, development realities and cultural traditions provide a foundation for human rights discussions. He emphasized continued efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind, placing human survival and development at the center of technological innovation.
    He urged greater application of technological advances in climate, food security and health care, ensuring that innovation benefits all of humanity.
    SWUPL President Lin Wei, who also serves as dean of its Human Rights Institute, spoke about how technology redefines the human experience. Lin said that if human rights are understood as “the conditions that make one human,” then technology is significantly expanding those conditions.
    However, Lin warned that technological innovation poses new challenges to human rights protection. He highlighted emerging technologies such as gene editing and brain-computer interfaces, which, if misused, could create a “biological class divide,” undermining equality and human dignity.
    Lin stressed the need to harmonize technological progress with human rights, affirming that the non-transferable bottom line of human values must be upheld to ensure technology liberates humanity rather than dehumanizes it.
    In his keynote address, Jayanath Colombage, director general of the Institute of National Security Studies of Sri Lanka, discussed artificial intelligence’s influence on human rights, particularly autonomous weapon systems.
    Colombage expressed concerns about the risks of autonomous weapon systems, which could lead to wrongful killings and indiscriminate attacks, threatening the fundamental right to life. He stressed that without the right to life, no other rights can be enjoyed.
    He called for international governance and regulation to establish legal and ethical standards for autonomous weapons deployment.
    Zamir Ahmed Awan, founding chair of the Global Silk Road Research Alliance think tank, examined the relationship between technological competition and justice.
    Awan said access to advanced technologies is a key component of human rights and criticized the United States for limiting opportunities for international students. He condemned the U.S. government’s recent cancellation of visas or legal status for more than 1,000 international students, calling it a human rights violation.
    In contrast, Awan praised the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Global Development Initiative for promoting international cooperation, sharing economic development experiences and cultivating high-tech talent through partnerships.
    A key highlight of the forum was the participants’ consensus that technology must be fundamentally oriented toward the protection of human rights.
    Participants said Asia needs to lead regional collaboration on human rights issues in emerging technologies. They called for efforts to build an equitable and inclusive global science and technology framework that advances the fulfillment of human rights.
    The forum also included three parallel sessions on emerging human rights issues in Asia, technology for good and other topics.
    This year’s forum builds on the inaugural Asian Forum on Human Rights held at Renmin University of China in 2022. The first forum centered on the theme of “Environment & Climate Change and Human Rights,” underscoring the vital link between environmental challenges and human rights.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Indicators of alien life may have been found – astrophysicist explains what the new research means

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Whittaker, Senior Lecturer in Physics, Nottingham Trent University

    Darryl Fonseka/Shutterstocl

    What do you think of when it comes to extra terrestrial life? Most popular sci-fi books and TV shows suggest humanoid beings could live on other planets. But when astronomers are searching for extra-terrestrial life, it is usually in the form of emissions from bacteria or other tiny organisms.

    A new research paper in the Astrophysical Journal suggests that Cambridge scientists have managed to find this type of emission with a certainty of 99.7% from a planet called K2-18b, 124 light years away. They used Nasa’s James Webb Space Telescope to analyse the chemical composition of the planet’s atmosphere and say they found promising evidence K2-18b could host life.

    It’s an exciting breakthrough but it doesn’t confirm alien life.

    Let’s look at why scientists largely do not accept the paper as proof of alien life.

    Why it’s so hard to detect to alien life

    Exoplanet hunting fell out of public interest quickly due to the staggering number of planets scientists are discovering. The first convincing exoplanet around a sun-like star was discovered in 1995 via radial velocity, where you don’t look at the planet but instead observe its effect on its nearest star. As the star wobbles back and forth it causes a tiny shift in the wavelength of the light it emits, which we can measure. We already know of roughly 7,500 planets.

    Only 43 (to date) have been observed directly (about 0.5% of them). Most are discovered through indirect means, such as radial velocity or the transit method. The transit method is where you look at how the brightness of the star decreases as the planet passes in front of it. It will block a tiny amount of the light.

    An exoplanet atmosphere

    Looking at the atmosphere of an exoplanet is even more difficult. Scientists use spectroscopy to do this. The light coming out of the star can be observed directly and a small amount of it will also pass through the atmosphere of the planet. Researchers can estimate what an exoplanet’s atmosphere is made of by studying which light from the star is emitted or absorbed in the atmosphere.

    Let’s try an analogy. You have a desk lamp at one end of a long table and you are standing at the other end, looking at the lamp. There is a glass of liquid in between you and the lamp. In very simple terms, the glass of liquid acting as the exoplanet and atmosphere, looks slightly blue, which allows you to identify it as water. In reality for scientists though, it’s more like the glass of water is a tiny glass bead which is rolling around while someone is messing around with a dimmer switch on the lamp. Then, freak weather results in a gentle mist forming on the table. The liquid is 99% pure water and 1% mineral water and the scientist is trying to see what minerals are in the water.

    You can see that the expertise required to be perform this work is incredible. They observed molecules with a 99.7% confidence rate, which is a remarkable achievement.

    The data from JWST and K2-18b

    The key data in this study is in a graph fitting light absorption rates to which kind of molecules could be there and working out how abundant they are. It features in this short film about the discovery.

    The graph produced by the study’s authors shows evidence for dimethyl sulphide and dimethyl disulphide (DMS).

    Some scientists think of DMS as a biomarker – a molecular indicator of life on Earth. However DMS is not only produced by bacteria, but has also been found on comet 67P and in the gas and dust of the interstellar medium, the space between stars. It can even be generated by shining UV light onto a simulated atmosphere. The authors acknowledge this and claim the amount they determined was present cannot be produced by any of these conditions.

    Similar to other claims of life?

    Multiple studies have shown indicators for DMS and life in general on K2-18b and there are many other claims for other exoplanets.

    The most recent is the idea that phosphine (another biomarker) was discovered in the Venusian atmosphere, so there must be bacteria in the clouds. This claim was quickly refuted by other researchers. Scientists pointed that a tiny error in the matching of data created results that showed a larger abundance of phosphine than was accurate. The Cambridge study is more rigorous and has more certainty in the result. But it is still not strong enough to convince the academic community, which needs 99.999% certainty.

    The study authors suggest their findings indicate liquid oceans and a hydrogen atmosphere but others have countered it could be a gas giant, or a volcanic planet full of magma.

    The Cambridge study is not proof of life, but it is an important step forward to characterising what other planets might be like and determining if we are alone or not. The study presented the best result yet and should inspire other scientists to take up the challenge.

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

    – ref. Indicators of alien life may have been found – astrophysicist explains what the new research means – https://theconversation.com/indicators-of-alien-life-may-have-been-found-astrophysicist-explains-what-the-new-research-means-254843

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Mediawatch: Jailed Australian foreign correspondent’s life spread across the big screen

    By Colin Peacock, RNZ Mediawatch presenter

    In 1979, Sam Neill appeared in an Australian comedy movie about hacks on a Sydney newspaper.

    The Journalist was billed as “a saucy, sexy, funny look at a man with a nose for scandal and a weakness for women”.

    That would probably not fly these days — but as a rule, movies about Australian journalists are no laughing matter.

    Back in 1982, a young Mel Gibson starred as a foreign correspondent who was dropped into Jakarta during revolutionary chaos in The Year of Living Dangerously. The 1967 events the movie depicted were real enough, but Mel Gibson’s correspondent Guy Hamilton was made up for what was essentially a romantic drama.

    There was no romance and a lot more real life 25 years later in Balibo, another movie with Australian journalists in harm’s way during Indonesian upheaval.

    Anthony La Paglia had won awards for his performance as Roger East, a journalist killed in what was then East Timor — now Timor-Leste — in December 1975. East was killed while investigating the fate of five other journalists — including New Zealander Guy Cunningham — who was killed during the Indonesian invasion two months earlier.

    The Correspondent has a happier ending but is still a tough watch — especially for its subject.

    Met in London newsrooms
    I first met Peter Greste in newsrooms in London about 30 years ago. He had worked for Reuters, CNN, and the BBC — going on to become a BBC correspondent in Afghanistan.

    He later reported from Belgrade, Santiago, and then Nairobi, from where he appeared regularly on RNZ’s Nine to Noon as an African news correspondent. Greste later joined the English-language network of the Doha-based Al Jazeera and became a worldwide story himself while filling in as the correspondent in Cairo.

    Actor Richard Roxburgh as jailed journalist Peter Greste in The Correspondent alongside Al Jazeera colleagues Mohammed Fahmy and Baher Mohammed. Image: The Correspondent/RNZ

    Greste and two Egyptian colleagues, Baher Mohamed and Mohamed Fahmy, were arrested in late 2013 on trumped-up charges of aiding and abetting the Muslim Brotherhood, an organisation labeled “terrorist” by the new Egyptian regime of the time.

    Six months later he was sentenced to seven years in jail for “falsifying news” and smearing the reputation of Egypt itself. Mohamed was sentenced to 10 years.

    Media organisations launched an international campaign for their freedom with the slogan “Journalism is not a crime”. Peter’s own family became familiar faces in the media while working hard for his release too.

    Peter Greste was deported to Australia in February 2015. The deal stated he would serve the rest of his sentence there, but the Australian government did not enforce that. Instead, Greste became a professor of media and journalism, currently at Macquarie University in Sydney.

    Movie consultant
    Among other things, he has also been a consultant on The Correspondent — now in cinemas around New Zealand — with Richard Roxborough cast as Greste himself.

    Greste told The Sydney Morning Herald he had to watch it “through his fingers” at first.

    Australian professor of journalism Peter Greste …. posing for a photograph when he was an Al Jazeera journalist in Kibati village, near Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on 7 August 2013. Image: IFEX media freedom/APR

    “I eventually came to realise it’s not me that’s up there on the screen. It’s the product of a whole bunch of creatives. And the result is … more like a painting rather than a photograph,” Greste told Mediawatch.

    “Over the years I’ve written about it, I’ve spoken about it countless times. I’ve built a career on it. But I wasn’t really anticipating the emotional impact of seeing the craziness of my arrest, the confusion of that period, the claustrophobia of the cell, the sheer frustration of the crazy trial and the really discombobulating moment of my release.

    “But there is another very difficult story about what happened to a colleague of mine in Somalia, which I haven’t spoken about publicly. Seeing that on screen was actually pretty gut-wrenching.”

    In 2005, his BBC colleague Kate Peyton was shot alongside him on their first day in on assignment in Somalia. She died soon after.

    “That was probably the toughest day of my entire life far over and above anything I went through in Egypt. But I am glad that they put it in [The Correspondent]. It underlines … the way in which journalism is under attack. What happened to us in Egypt wasn’t a random, isolated incident — but part of a much longer pattern we’re seeing continue to this day.”

    Supporters of the jailed British-Egyptian human rights activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah take part in a candlelight vigil outside Downing Street in London, United Kingdom, as he begins a complete hunger strike while world leaders arrive for COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in 2022. Image: RNZ Mediawatch/AFP

    ‘Owed his life’
    Greste says he “owes his life” to fellow prisoner Alaa Abd El-Fattah — an Egyptian activist who is also in the film.

    “There’s a bit of artistic licence in the way it was portrayed but . . .  he is easily one of the most intelligent, astute and charismatic humanitarians I’ve ever come across. He was one of the main pro-democracy activists who was behind the Arab Spring revolution in 2011 — a true democrat.

    “He also inspired me to write the letters that we smuggled out of prison that described our arrest not as an attack on … what we’d actually come to represent. And that was press freedom.

    “That helped frame the campaign that ultimately got me out. So, for both psychological and political reasons, I feel like I owe him my life.

    “There was nothing in our reporting that confirmed the allegations against us. So I started to drag up all sorts of demons from the past. I started thinking maybe this is the universe punishing me for sins of the past. I was obviously digging up that particular moment as one of the most extreme and tragic moments. It took a long time for me to get past it.

    “He’d been in prison a lot because of his activism, so he understood the psychology of it. He also understood the politics of it in ways that I could never do as a newcomer.”

    “Unfortunately, he is still there. He should have been released on September 29th last year. His mother launched a hunger strike in London . . . so I actually joined her on hunger strike earlier this year to try and add pressure.

    “If this movie also draws a bit of attention to his case, then I think that’s an important element.”

    Another wrinkle
    Another wrinkle in the story was the situation of his two Egyptian Al Jazeera colleagues.

    Greste was essentially a stranger to them, having only arrived in Egypt shortly before their arrest.

    The film shows Greste clashing with Fahmy, who later sued Al Jazeera. Fahmy felt the international pressure to free Greste was making their situation worse by pushing the Egyptian regime into a corner.

    “To call it a confrontation is probably a bit of an understatement. We had some really serious arguments and sometimes they got very, very heated. But I want audiences to really understand Fahmy’s worldview in this film.

    “He and I had very different understandings of what was going … and how those differences played out.

    “I’ve got a hell of a lot of respect for him. He is like a brother to me. That doesn’t mean we always agreed with each other and doesn’t mean we always got on with each other like any siblings, I suppose.”

    His colleagues were eventually released on bail shortly after Greste’s deportation in 2015.

    Fahmy renounced his Egyptian citizenship and was later deported to Canada, while Mohamed was released on bail and eventually pardoned.

    Retrial — all ‘reconvicted’
    “After I was released there was a retrial … and we were all reconvicted. They were finally released and pardoned, but the pardon didn’t extend to me.

    “I can’t go back because I’m still a convicted ‘terrorist’ and I still have an outstanding prison sentence to serve, which is a little bit weird. Any country that has an extradition treaty with Egypt is a problem. There are a fairly significant number of those across the Middle East and Africa.”

    Greste told Mediawatch his conviction was even flagged in transit in Auckland en route from New York to Sydney. He was told he failed a character test.

    “I was able to resolve it. I had some friends in Canberra and were able to sort it out, but I was told in no uncertain terms I’m not allowed into New Zealand without getting a visa because of that criminal record.

    “If I’m traveling to any country I have to say … I was convicted on terrorism offences. Generally speaking, I can explain it, but it often takes a lot of bureaucratic process to do that.”

    Greste’s first account of his time in jail — The First Casualty — was published in 2017. Most of the book was about media freedom around the world, lamenting that the numbers of journalists jailed and killed increased after his release.

    Something that Greste also now ponders a lot in his current job as a professor of media and journalism.

    Ten years on from that, it is worse again. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says at least 124 journalists and media workers were killed last year, nearly two-thirds of them Palestinians killed by Israel in its war in Gaza.

    The book has now been updated and republished as The Correspondent.

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

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Open Learning WV helps students save $9.6 million on course materials, expands to all public colleges and universities – West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission

    Source: US State of West Virginia

    Since its launch in 2021, Open Learning WV has helped West Virginia college students save an estimated $9.6 million on course materials by promoting the adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER), which are low- or no-cost instructional materials that replace traditional, costly textbooks. This state-led initiative, spearheaded by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, continues to drive affordability, accessibility, and innovation across the state’s higher education system.

    With a return on investment of $18 for every $1 in grant funding, Open Learning WV is proving to be a powerful tool in the effort to lower college costs. The initiative has now achieved full participation from 100 percent of the state’s public colleges and universities, with 527 courses transitioned to OER and 307 faculty members redesigning their classes using these resources.

    To date, the Commission has awarded 662 grants to faculty members to support the development and implementation of OER materials. These resources include free or affordable textbooks, workbooks, and digital tools that ensure every student has immediate and equitable access to course content.

    In a survey of nearly 13,000 participating students, 98 percent reported that the OER course materials were easy to access, and 91 percent said having low- or no-cost options is important to their academic success.

    Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, West Virginia’s Chancellor of Higher Education, applauded the program’s momentum and outcomes, stating, “Open Learning WV is more than a cost-saving initiative – it’s a pathway to more accessible education. These savings represent real impact for thousands of West Virginia students who might otherwise struggle to afford their course materials. We’re incredibly proud of the faculty and institutions leading this work, and we’re excited to keep building on this progress.”

    Demonstrating continued commitment to the initiative, the Commission recently brought together higher education partners from across the state for a convening to reflect on progress and map out next steps. During the event, two leaders in the OER movement were honored:

    • Educator Award: Professor David Stoffel from West Virginia Northern Community College, recognized for more than a decade of innovation in OER.
    • Leadership Award: Professor Katherine Bowe from Concord University, celebrated for her role in advancing OER adoption in mathematics.

    In 2019, the West Virginia Legislature passed a bill encouraging the use of OER to reduce financial burdens on students. As a result of this policy and thanks to a more than $1 million collaboration that began with a seed grant from the Ascendium Education Group, the Commission launched Open Learning WV to provide grants for faculty to use OER in their courses. Building on these investments, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito secured $433,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending funds for additional faculty grants and the development of an online repository to give students and faculty free and expanded access to OER materials developed across the state. 

    As Open Learning WV continues to grow, the Commission remains committed to supporting faculty and institutions in their efforts to make higher education more affordable, accessible, and student-centered. Faculty interested in learning more about Open Learning WV can visit https://wvclimb.com/about-oer/ or contact the Higher Education Policy Commission at 304-558-2101.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: GUU to train logisticians for Wildberries: cooperation agreement signed

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    On April 18, 2025, a ceremonial signing of a cooperation agreement between the State University of Management and the Russian online store Wildberries took place.

    On behalf of the State University of Management, the document was signed by the rector of the State University of Management, Vladimir Stroyev. On behalf of the new partner, it was signed by the director of innovation and ecosystem development, Wildberries, Igor Koval.

    Also present at the meeting were vice-rectors of the State University of Management Maria Karelina and Pavel Pavlovsky. From Wildberries there were the head of the department for work with educational organizations Yulia Erofeeva, the head of image projects Daria Mudrova, the head of the internship direction Anastasia Avdeeva, the head of the school direction Daria Danilina.

    At the beginning of the meeting, Vladimir Stroyev told the guests about the history of GUU. And although there were two graduates of our university among them, it was also new for them to hear that its history began almost 40 years earlier than they knew – with the Aleksandrovsky Commercial School.

    “Today we are once again beginning to promote the traditions of domestic entrepreneurship, which were lost in Soviet times. Now few remember that in the Russian Empire there were entire entrepreneurial regions that were exempt from taxes. And the Alexander School was directly connected with many famous representatives of the Moscow merchant class,” the rector said.

    Igor Koval immediately admitted that the famous Russian philanthropist Savva Mamontov is his distant relative, and agreed that it would be very logical for the State University of Management to continue the traditions of entrepreneurship. The WB company also sees its mission in the development of Russian entrepreneurship and strives to develop in different directions. Thus, the company recently opened its own production sector.

    Continuing the conversation, Vladimir Stroyev said that some Russian companies started their business within the walls of our university. For example, the Novard group of companies, which recently opened an “auditorium named after itself” in the administrative building. In addition, the rector mentioned that our university is the operator of the All-Russian competition of projects in the field of social entrepreneurship and socially oriented non-profit organizations “My Good Business”.

    Vice-Rector of the State University of Management Maria Karelina reported fresh news that scientists from our university managed to win the first competition of student design bureaus.

    “The grant is not very big, but for us it is first and foremost an ideological victory and an important step to restore the image of a scientific and technical university. No one expected this victory from us. Meanwhile, we have fresh developments in the field of logistics, unmanned aerial vehicles and a large agro-industrial project. All this can be discussed, but it is a long conversation, and I propose to organize a separate meeting with Wildberries technical specialists,” said Maria Karelina.

    Vice-Rector of the State University of Management Pavel Pavlovsky added that our scientists are developing not only flying drones, but also ground-based ones. Chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee Andrey Kartapolov, who visited the university last week, noted this development. Pavel Vladimirovich also noted that few see Wildberries as a high-tech company that provides a huge number of jobs, but this is exactly the case. The State University of Management has already developed a special educational program for the needs of WB, a presentation of which was shown to the guests after the meeting with the management.

    Taking the floor again, Maria Karelina informed the guests that the State University of Management has laboratories for reverse engineering, agriculture, and a section on mechanization, where prominent professors and academics work. The university concludes agreements with agricultural universities and plans to create a world-class scientific and methodological center in the field of agro-industrial complex.

    Igor Koval admitted that this topic is very interesting to him and he is ready to support it, since in the past he managed several agricultural enterprises.

    “Returning to our topic, I want to say that we currently have 5 million square meters of warehouses. We are first in the world in this indicator. The issue of automation is very relevant for us, we are interested in logistics projects, we have our own design bureau for logistics complexes, and the State University of Management can be very useful in this,” the guest said.

    At the end of the conversation, Igor Koval invited Vladimir Stroyev to a Wildberries event at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum. The partners agreed to coordinate their schedules to implement this idea.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 04/19/2025

    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 Russia: Here they train specialists of the future: the Center for the implementation of projects in the social and humanitarian profile has opened at the State University of Management

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    On April 18, the Center for the Implementation of Social and Humanitarian Projects began operating at the State University of Management.

    Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Olga Petrova took part in the grand opening, emphasizing the increased importance of patriotic education of the younger generation.

    “First of all, I want to thank the State University of Management, on the basis of which we are already implementing many initiatives. And this is logical, because this university has many management teams of different levels and in different areas. We cannot protect our students from all negative information, but we can form critical thinking and help them learn to clearly determine what is good and what is bad, so that the children can analyze the incoming data themselves. We must all understand together where we are moving and how we can help each other develop our country,” Olga Petrova noted.

    The rector of the State University of Management, Vladimir Stroev, gave a welcoming speech.

    “I am glad that the Center opened here, we in our team are constantly on the agenda of these issues. We need to constantly work with students, find new ways and forms. We are at such a stage that you all will have to develop a further strategy that concerns the issues of the ideological agenda. Develop an internal educational policy that suits us. It is important that everyone understands where they live, where they are moving and that the country is the most important thing. And you are the people who will deal with this agenda in order to see the results of the implementation of ideas in years to come,” Vladimir Stroyev emphasized.

    Director of the Center for the Implementation of Social and Humanitarian Projects Zaurbek Khugaev spoke about the tasks facing the Center and the role of the structure in strengthening the country’s value sovereignty.

    “In recent months, we have been actively working to unite the potential of specialists in the social and humanitarian fields and practitioners in the socio-political sphere to prepare a new generation of political leaders for the country. This requires joint, coordinated work by many organizations and institutions. Therefore, the most important thing is to create a network interdepartmental structure of interaction with a semantic core in the Center, from which all programs and modules that will be transferred to practice will be meaningfully filled. Thus, the main task of the Center this year is to develop a number of educational programs and implement them in key educational centers, forums and universities of the country,” shared Zaurbek Khugayev.

    Participants were also able to ask the speakers questions of interest. They were interested in the possibilities of using artificial intelligence as an educator, whether neural networks can replace humanities specialists, and how a lecturer can gain the trust of the audience.

    Olga Petrova noted that it is people who train neural networks and it is important to do it correctly so that “the responses of neural networks are synchronized with the value system of coordinates that exists in the country.” Vladimir Stroyev drew attention to the fact that first of all it is necessary to deal with the potential threats that neural networks may pose.

    After the completion of the formal part, the educational program “Civic and educational activities in modern Russia: theory and practice” continued for members of the Digoria Expert Club.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 04/19/2025

    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 China: ​Cultural exchange key to boosting China-Malaysia ties

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Experts emphasized the importance of cultural exchange and education in strengthening China-Malaysia ties during the 2025 Kuala Lumpur Dialogue held Thursday in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.

    A panel discussion is held during the 2025 Kuala Lumpur Dialogue in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April 17, 2025. [Photo courtesy of ACCWS]

    The forum highlighted historical and cultural connections between the two countries and outlined plans to enhance collaboration in education, technology and media.

    Wang Xiaohui, editor-in-chief of China.org.cn and a special research fellow at the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies (ACCWS), observed that current conditions present a prime opportunity to enhance bilateral cultural exchange and economic cooperation. Noting the two nations’ thousand-year historical connections and the longstanding Mandarin language presence in Malaysia, he acknowledged persistent gaps in mutual understanding that require dedicated efforts to address.

    “Last year marked 50 years of Malaysia-China cooperation,” Wang said. “As Confucius said, ‘At 50, one knows the mandate of heaven.’ Our task now is to strengthen high-level strategic development — enhancing cultural diplomacy, expanding trade and economic participation and addressing challenges like U.S. tariffs. Through deeper cultural exchange and mutual understanding, we can build prosperity for both nations.”

    He also referenced Chinese Admiral Zheng He’s historic voyage to “Nanyang,” a historical Chinese term for Southeast Asia used during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The admiral’s fleet visited Malacca (Malaysia), Java (Indonesia) and Siam (Thailand), facilitating cultural exchange by introducing foreign cultures to China while sharing Chinese culture abroad. He noted that language barriers remain the “last mile” of cultural exchange, and that translation is the cornerstone of understanding and connection.

    Wang mentioned that China International Communications Group publishes Chinese cultural content in multiple languages, while China.org.cn delivers stories in 10 languages to promote global understanding. 

    “With modern tools like DeepSeek and other digital platforms, there are now unprecedented opportunities to enhance media, broadcasting and cultural exchange efforts for Malaysia and China,” he said.

    Xiong Chengyu, professor at the Communication University of China and dean of the School of Cultural Development and Communications, also noted that Malaysia and China have a long and rich history of cultural exchanges. Now, the two countries are jointly applying to UNESCO to recognize and protect their shared cultural assets. Additionally, China and Malaysia have made commitments to cooperation in education. These steps represent a move toward a more integrated future.

    “People-to-people connections form the bedrock of meaningful cultural exchange,” Xiong said. “At its core, this work is about touching hearts. We must prioritize grassroots, lived experiences — even the most fundamental human interactions, like smiling at each other, create the foundation for true understanding.”

    Onn Huann Jan, professor at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature of New Era University College, noted that Eastern civilization is characterized by Islam and Confucianism, concepts that intertwine in various philosophical and cultural ways. He cited Zheng He’s voyages, where the admiral built memorials utilizing Islamic elements, highlighting the cultural intersection and commonalities between Confucianism and Islam.

    In terms of cultural exchange, Onn emphasized the role of translation, adding that academic translations between Chinese, Malaysian and English are crucial. Meanwhile, translating Malay documents into Chinese allows more people to understand the Malay world, helping address today’s problems and find solutions, he said.

    “Cultural exchanges come in many forms, including art and food,” Onn explained. “In Malaysia, the mainstream culture serves as a bridge between us and China, fostering trust and understanding between the two countries. Misunderstandings and miscommunications, often rooted in colonization, can lead to negative perceptions. By promoting accurate translations and cultural understanding, we can build a stronger foundation for cooperation and mutual respect.”

    Chin Chong Foh, deputy dean and associate professor at the Institute of Chinese Studies of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, raised the importance of people-to-people bonds in cultural exchange.

    “Malaysia and China’s relationship dates back over 1,000 years, highlighting the harmonious bond between the two countries. The vision is for harmony, security and prosperity,” Chin said. “As a fourth-generation Malaysian Chinese, I advocate for more free interaction between the two countries to avoid extremism and promote bicultural understanding.”

    Wang Dong, professor and executive director of the Institute for Global Cooperation and Development at Peking University, echoed that people-to-people exchanges promote regional peace and harmony, which is crucial. Realizing heart-to-heart connectivity enhances cultural understanding and respectful communication, as reflected in China-Malaysia development and prosperity in education and cooperation, he said.

    “There have been many translations of classic literature in recent years. Our media products, including movies, have received top ratings in Malaysia and Singapore, helping to boost exchanges and enhance mutual understanding,” Wang noted.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi’s Southeast Asia visit deepens shared commitment to neighborhood amity, cooperation

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Chinese President Xi Jinping greets the welcoming crowd during a grand welcome ceremony held by Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni at the airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 17, 2025. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

    Chinese President Xi Jinping’s just-concluded Southeast Asia visit, his first overseas trip this year, highlighted China’s dedication to deepening traditional ties, expanding practical cooperation and advancing its vision of building a community with a shared future with its neighbors.

    The tour, which took him to Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia from Monday to Friday, also signaled China’s renewed push to reinforce regional stability and prosperity, and its determined support for regional economic integration as global protectionism and unilateralism continue to mount.

    Closer community

    Throughout his tour, Xi reaffirmed China’s commitment to fostering friendship and partnership with neighboring nations. He also underscored the importance of building a community with a shared future grounded in mutual respect, win-win cooperation and shared development.

    In a signed article published ahead of his state visit to Vietnam, he stressed that China will ensure continuity and stability of its neighborhood diplomacy, which is guided by the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness.

    Pham Phu Phuc, former deputy head of the World News Desk at the Vietnam News Agency, welcomed China’s commitment to pursuing the policy of forging friendship and partnership with its neighbors.

    In light of unexpected and uncertain changes in the region and across the world in recent years, this vision emphasizes peace, sincerity, mutual benefit and shared development through cooperation, he said.

    In Vietnam, Xi said that building the China-Vietnam community with a shared future carries great global significance, noting that as the two countries jointly pursue peaceful development, their combined population of over 1.5 billion is jointly advancing toward modernization, which will contribute to regional and global peace and stability while promoting common development.

    In Malaysia, Xi said that China is ready to work with the Malaysian side to build a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future, so as to usher in a new “Golden 50 Years” for bilateral ties.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Phnom Penh for a state visit to Cambodia at the invitation of Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni on April 17, 2025. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin)

    In Cambodia, Xi and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet agreed to build an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era, and designated 2025 the China-Cambodia Year of Tourism.

    China’s development has benefited not only itself but also many other countries, including Malaysia, said Dato’ Abdul Majid Ahmad Khan, president of the Malaysia-China Friendship Association (PPMC), noting that the vision of a community with a shared future — “sharing weal and woe” — has won widespread support.

    “As long as we uphold equality, mutual benefit, mutual respect and mutual trust, we will surely walk hand in hand even further on the journey ahead,” he said.

    Thong Mengdavid, a lecturer at the Institute for International Studies and Public Policy of the Royal University of Phnom Penh, said that the deeply-rooted Cambodia-China ties are rock-solid and unbreakable, setting an example for South-South cooperation.

    Greater connectivity

    A focal point of the tour was high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with the aim of enhancing regional connectivity and creating development opportunities through projects spanning a wide range of fields, from infrastructure to digital and green economy.

    In Vietnam, Xi and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam witnessed the launching ceremony of the China-Vietnam railway cooperation mechanism, which is expected to assist Vietnam in aligning its railway gauge with China’s standardized gauge, thereby boosting economic connectivity and development.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh jointly witness the launching ceremony of the China-Vietnam railway cooperation mechanism at the International Convention Center in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, April 15, 2025. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

    “Railway connectivity and cold-chain transport between China and Vietnam have cut logistics costs, accelerated customs clearance, and ensured fresher, more affordable Vietnamese produce for Chinese consumers,” said Nguyen Ba Hai, an official at the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade.

    In a joint statement on deepening bilateral ties and practical cooperation issued during Xi’s visit, China said it is ready to advance cooperation with Vietnam on three standard-gauge railways in northern Vietnam.

    Upgrading cross-border railways and ports can boost bilateral trade while enhancing regional connectivity and resilience, said Do Thi Thu, a senior lecturer at the Banking Academy of Vietnam.

    In Xi’s state visit to Malaysia, the two sides agreed to promote the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Cooperation Plan signed in 2024 and further synergize development strategies. They also agreed to enhance cooperation on infrastructure connectivity, jointly implement key projects such as the East Coast Rail Link, promote rail-sea transportation and improve regional connectivity.

    Samirul Ariff Othman, an economist at Malaysia’s Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, said that the flourishing economic ties between Malaysia and China demonstrate “the resilience and mutual benefits of our bilateral relationship.”

    Making real difference

    During his visit to Cambodia, Xi said the two sides should deepen practical cooperation across various fields, advance the construction of Cambodia’s Industrial and Technological Corridor and Fish and Rice Corridor, and strengthen collaboration in energy, transportation and other key sectors, enabling Cambodia to share more in China’s development opportunities.

    Over the years, key BRI projects in Cambodia have yielded tangible benefits for local people. The Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone has become a thriving industrial hub, attracting more than 200 international enterprises and institutions while creating 32,000 jobs.

    The Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway, Cambodia’s first expressway, has cut travel time between the two cities from over five hours to under two, significantly enhancing connectivity. Meanwhile, the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport has given a strong boost to the tourism sector, operating 17 routes by the end of last year.

    “The future of Cambodia-China relations is bright and full of potential,” said Mengdavid from the Royal University of Phnom Penh. “With the continued efforts of both countries’ leaders, we can expect an even more dynamic, mutually beneficial and resilient partnership that will contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and beyond.”

    In Malaysia, Xi and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim witnessed the exchange of more than 30 bilateral cooperation documents, covering a wide range of projects, which are taking root in Malaysia and making a difference for local people.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim jointly witness the exchange of bilateral cooperation documents after their talks in Putrajaya, Malaysia, April 16, 2025. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

    Such projects have not only promoted technology transfer and created numerous jobs, but also helped uplift regions that were previously less developed, which truly reflects the BRI’s vision — always putting people’s well-being first, said Majid, the PPMC president and a former Malaysian ambassador to China.

    MIL OSI China 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: Events show unique charm of Chinese language

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

    To celebrate the upcoming 2025 International Chinese Language Day, which falls on Sunday, Chinese language learners, enthusiasts of Chinese culture, international Chinese educators and diplomats in China gathered in Beijing on Friday to celebrate the special day dedicated to demonstrating the unique charm of the Chinese language.

    The launch ceremony of the day, themed “Chinese Language: A Gift Across Time and Space” this year, was held at Beijing Foreign Studies University. It featured a variety of rich cultural events, including exhibitions of Chinese calligraphy works and digital art, lectures on Chinese films and sci-fi novels, and demonstrations of traditional Chinese dress. Hundreds of foreign students studying Chinese in China participated in the event.

    The International Chinese Language Day was established in 2020 by the Ministry of Education’s Center for Language Education and Cooperation and ChinesePlus — an organization dedicated to the study and teaching of Chinese language and literature. Over the past five years, more than 1,000 organizations in over 160 countries have organized more than 5,000 activities to celebrate the event.

    Do Thanh Van, head of the Confucius Institute at Hanoi University, said via video that Chinese is more than just a means of communication. It’s a bridge that connects cultures, allows history to speak to the present and helps China and the world understand each other better.

    “In Vietnam, Chinese language education is becoming a bridge of linguistic exchange. From a simple ‘ni hao’ (hello) to sharing their hopes and dreams, countless students are opening doors to Chinese civilization. And also, through Chinese, the beauty of our Vietnamese ao dai (a traditional Vietnamese garment) and the charm of our water puppetry can be shared with friends in China. Language shrinks distances and helps cultures thrive through interaction.”

    Around the 2025 International Chinese Language Day, hundreds of institutions, including Chinese embassies and consulates in various countries, Confucius Institutes, as well as Chinese and foreign universities, have hosted — or are expected to host — thousands of activities.

    On Tuesday, the Confucius Institute in Vietnam held a series of Chinese cultural experience activities for Chinese language fans, including calligraphy, paper cutting, Chinese knot making and face painting, which attracted many participants.

    Vinh Bun Eang, assistant to Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia, said that in Cambodia, Chinese is becoming a very popular foreign language. It’s not only a practical tool for expanding personal development opportunities, but also an important window for appreciating Chinese culture and arts, exploring China’s rich history and wisdom and experiencing China’s modern creative industries.

    “I believe that as the Chinese language continues to spread widely in Cambodia, the friendship between the two nations will grow even stronger, and together we will build an even closer Cambodia-China community with a shared future,” he said.

    Artem Vlasovskiy from Russia has learned Chinese for 11 years and he is pursuing a PhD in intercultural studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University. Vlasovskiy said he has read lots of Chinese classic works in literature and philosophy and found that the way Chinese people handle things has remained largely unchanged for hundreds of years. “Language is the foundation for mutual understanding. By learning Chinese, I can better understand all aspects of your culture and life,” said the 29-year-old.

    Sunday, or April 20, also marks this year’s United Nations Chinese Language Day. In 2010, the UN established Chinese Language Day, as one of the special days for its six official languages. Since 2011, guyu — one of the sixth of the 24 solar terms of the traditional Chinese calendar that starts around April 20 — has been chosen as the date for UN Chinese Language Day to pay tribute to Cang Jie, a mythical figure who is said to have invented Chinese characters 5,000 years ago, according to the UN website.

    A number of activities were held at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday to celebrate the upcoming Chinese Language Day.

    On Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian congratulated the UN on the 2025 Chinese Language Day and expressed his delight at seeing more and more people learning Chinese.

    “The Chinese language is a vehicle that traverses history and is a bridge to the future. We look forward to more people using Chinese as a bridge to understand China and the world. We are also willing to work with all countries to use dialogue to overcome opposition,” he said at a regular news conference in Beijing.

    Wang Dinghua, chairman of the university council of Beijing Foreign Studies University, said: “The Chinese language carries the wisdom of thousands of years of Chinese civilization. It transcends the river of history … as well as China and the world. It is a cultural treasure that China offers to the world.” Wang said that language education plays an increasingly important role in promoting cultural exchange and friendship.

    He called on language education partners around the world to strengthen cooperation and continue contributing to the exchange and mutual learning among different civilizations.

    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: Markey, Warren, Pressley Demand State Department Release Memo, Documents Related to Öztürk Arrest

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    State Dept memo reportedly reveals contradictions in Trump Administration’s rationale for revocation of Öztürk’s visa, detention
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Boston (April 18, 2025) – After a recent report indicated that an internal State Department memo concluded that the key premise underlying Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk’s arrest and detention was false, U.S. Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), pressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to immediately release the memo and any other relevant documentation.
    “Ms. Öztürk’s case demands transparency. The circumstances of her arrest and detention raise serious concerns about civil liberties, academic freedom, and free speech, as well as the Trump administration’s truthfulness. Congress, universities, legal experts, and other members of the public have a strong and compelling interest in the matter,” wrote the lawmakers.
    On March 25th, plainclothes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents apprehended Rümeysa Öztürk outside her home in Somerville, Massachusetts. Ms. Öztürk, a Tufts University graduate student, was informed that her student visa had been revoked. She was taken into custody and transferred to an immigration detention facility in Louisiana, where she has now been held for three weeks.
    Publicly, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has claimed that Ms. Öztürk “engaged in activities in support of Hamas” and recommended revoking her visa under a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act that permits the deportation of noncitizens who pose “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.” The State Department has suggested that Öztürk’s visa was revoked on foreign-policy grounds because of alleged participation in activities linked to terrorism.
    Reporting from the Washington Post revealed that, days before Öztürk’s arrest, an internal State Department memorandum concluded that the Trump administration lacked “any evidence showing that she engaged in antisemitic activities or made public statements supporting a terrorist organization.” The memo appears to contradict the federal government’s publicly stated rationale for revoking Ms. Öztürk’s visa — and has not been made available to members of Congress or the American public.
    The lawmakers requested a copy of the memo, along with any other documentation regarding the basis for Öztürk’s visa revocation and arrest, no later than April 30, 2025.
    Sens. Markey and Warren, along with Rep. Pressley, have pushed for answers and action since Öztürk’s March arrest. Last month, they led over 30 lawmakers in writing to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Acting Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons, demanding information about Öztürk’s arrest and detention as well as similar incidents across the country. The lawmakers also sounded the alarm on Öztürk’s medical neglect in DHS custody and renewed urgent calls for her release.

    MIL OSI USA News –