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Category: Universities

  • MIL-Evening Report: More bulk billing is fine. But what the health system really needs this election is genuine reform

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne

    Worrying signs are emerging about aspects of Australia’s health system, which will require the attention of whoever wins the May election.

    Despite big money pledged for Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), only limited attention has been paid by the major parties to key reform priorities.

    Any fresh reform agenda will be starting from a position of relative strength. Australia has a good health system that consistently ranks well compared with other wealthy nations, including on life expectancy, which is on the high side.

    Medicare remains the right infrastructure for funding primary care. But it is now more than 40 years old and needs to be updated and improved.

    Policy action is necessary on five fronts:

    • financial barriers to care
    • managing chronic conditions
    • mental health and dental care
    • public hospitals
    • workforce

    Priced out of care

    Despite Medicare’s promise of universality, around one in ten people defer seeing a doctor because of the cost.

    And despite the provision of subsidised drugs via the PBS, people also report missing out on filling prescriptions.

    Health Minister Mark Butler has said that Medicare is in its ‘worst shape’ in its 40 year history.
    Robyn Mackenzie/Shutterstock

    Labor has announced big-ticket measures to improve bulk-billing rates and cap PBS prices at A$25 a prescription. Given cost-of-living pressures are central to the election, it’s unsurprising the Coalition has pledged to match both policies.

    But, critically, neither party has announced anything to improve access to other medical specialists. The gap continues to grow between what specialists charge and what Medicare will cover. This means some patients are delaying or avoiding necessary care altogether.

    Complex chronic conditions

    The health system has not adapted to the rising prevalence of chronic disease in the Australian community. In 2023–24, 18% of the population saw three or more health professionals. But for 28% of those people, no single provider coordinated their care.

    Medicare was designed in a different age and needs to be refurbished to respond to this new reality of more patients who are suffering multiple health conditions.

    The Strengthening Medicare Task Force and the GP Incentives Review have proposed new systems to fund general practices to facilitate multidisciplinary care.

    Work needs to continue in this direction, regardless of who forms the next government.

    Forgotten care

    Dental and mental health are largely the forgotten sectors of health care. The number of people delaying access to oral health services because of affordability issues is more than twice the 10% who are missing out in other areas of the health system.

    Seeing a dentist is very much dependant on income. More than a quarter of Australians living in the most disadvantaged areas defer getting their teeth fixed because of the cost involved. Uncapped access to dental care, as proposed by the Greens, is not the answer. What is needed is a more sophisticated route towards universal access.

    By contrast, the pattern for mental health care is different, with people in both poor and rich areas facing access problems.

    The Coalition has promised to restore the maximum number of Medicare-subsidised fee-for-service mental health sessions to 20, despite it being regarded as an inequitable policy.

    More fee-for-service mental health care is not the right approach. By contrast, Labor is making a $1 billion commitment to expanding services which are free to the consumer. This includes Medicare Mental Health Services and headspace clinics, which generally employ salaried professionals.

    Both parties should support another initiative already underway: the universal program for people with low-to-moderate mental health needs, which doesn’t require either a referral or a co-payment. Labor announced the plan in the last budget, scheduled to start in January 2026.

    Inadequate hospital funding

    The Commonwealth share of public hospital funding has been trending down for the last few years, reversing the growth in its share over much of the last decade.

    A deal has been reached to lift the Commonwealth share of hospital funding to 45%.
    Rose Marinelli/Shutterstock

    Some states have fared worse than others, which means some hospitals have become squeezed and waiting times have blown out.

    In late 2023, National Cabinet reached a new funding deal which would lift the Commonwealth share to 45% by 2035–36.

    But subsequent negotiations have become bogged down in a quagmire of claims and counter-claims. The Albanese government has responded with an interim one-year funding down payment. But both major parties need to address this issue and commit to implementing the full 45% in the agreed time frame.

    No doctor in the house

    In 2014, the Abbott government abolished Health Workforce Australia, the national agency responsible for health workforce planning. Ten years later, it’s no surprise we are in the middle of a critical shortage of doctors and nurses.

    The Albanese government has implemented changes to speed up the recruitment of internationally trained health professionals. It is also offering incentives to encourage more clinicians to work in rural and remote Australia.

    But these are just more of the same, similar to the plethora of policies which have left us in the mess we are in. Ensuring we have the right workforce mix to address rural health needs requires a fresh approach. That includes revised funding models – as proposed in the GP incentives review – and allowing all health professionals to work to their full scope of practice.

    Reform hard slog

    Although health often ranks in the top three issues people say are important to them in elections, cost of living is the main focus of media and political commentary.

    The promise to increase bulk billing will help lower primary care costs.

    But genuine health care reform does not attract much media attention, which means it doesn’t get the profile necessary to prompt the right political promises.

    The hard slog of change takes years, and involves much more than a few carrots thrown to voters in an election. It takes careful negotiation with stakeholders and getting the infrastructure right.

    Given the initiatives listed above, Health Minister Mark Butler has done well on reform this term. Unfortunately, voters don’t see that, and appear not to value systematic and coherent reform strategies.

    It is hoped that whoever is health minister after the election will continue on the reform path to a more sustainable and affordable health system.

    This is the eighth article in our special series, Australia’s Policy Challenges. You can read the other articles here.

    Stephen Duckett was a member of the Strengthening Medicare Task Force, the Review of General Prcatice Incentives, the Mental Health Reform Advisory Group, and the Expert Panel on the National Early Intervention Service

    – ref. More bulk billing is fine. But what the health system really needs this election is genuine reform – https://theconversation.com/more-bulk-billing-is-fine-but-what-the-health-system-really-needs-this-election-is-genuine-reform-250644

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Trump’s trade war puts America’s AI ambitions at risk

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Zomaya, Professor, School of Computer Science, University of Sydney

    remotevfx.com/Shutterstock

    The global trade war triggered by US President Donald Trump earlier this month shows no signs of ending anytime soon. In recent days, China suspended exports of a wide range of critical minerals that are vital ingredients in everything from electric cars and drones to the semiconductor chips that power artificial intelligence (AI) servers.

    Around the same time, Trump also indicated he would soon impose new tariffs on semiconductor chips.

    All of this is happening at the same time the US is forging ahead with a US$500 billion (A$784 billion) project known as “Stargate” to accelerate the development of AI in the country.

    But the escalating trade war does not square with America’s ambitious AI plans. In fact, Trump’s tariffs (which, in the case of China, now total 145%) are set to undermine these plans by increasing the cost of AI development and disrupting supply chains for AI goods.

    In turn, this will hinder the pace of AI innovation and adoption in the US – and potentially elsewhere.

    Inflating the prices of essential components

    AI development requires significant computational power and specialised hardware such as high-end graphic processing units (GPUs), which are predominantly manufactured in Taiwan and South Korea and often assembled in China.

    US tariffs will directly inflate the prices of these essential components. One analysis estimates tariffs could increase the material costs of data centre building by around 20%, with IT hardware components potentially rising by 25%.

    This is a major concern for AI industry leaders such as OpenAI, which operates ChatGPT. For example, the company’s chief executive, Sam Altman, recently said his team is “working around-the-clock” to determine how the trade war would affect the cost of running their AI models.

    But the increased cost on AI development caused by the trade war will also mean tech startups in the US will have higher barriers to entry and fewer opportunities to test AI capabilities. In turn, this will harm AI innovation.

    In theory, tariffs might support the reshoring of chip production in the US through initiatives such as the CHIPS and Science Act, which promotes domestic US semiconductor production. But it would take years for such efforts to fully bear fruit. And Trump has also recently taken steps to walk away from the CHIPS and Science Act.

    Aggressive AI nationalism

    The trade war also creates risks for the international development of AI.

    For example, the cost increases that flow from tariffs could create a reluctance to invest in AI infrastructure – particularly data centres. Other tech companies might also cancel or delay plans to build data centres in the US partly because of higher equipment prices.

    In addition, tariffs could push countries into further fortifying their AI efforts, creating a kind of aggressive AI nationalism. They could also encourage domestic AI development to promote national interests. This could lead to isolationism and put another nail in the coffin of the open-source culture that once fuelled AI innovation.

    Tariffs are supposed to promote domestic industries. But high costs and a fracturing of the cooperation that is indispensable to the continuation of the AI landscape might well be the outcome.

    One analysis estimates US tariffs could increase the material costs of data centre building by around 20%.
    IM Imagery/Shutterstock

    Knock-on effects for Australia

    Australia is not the direct target of most US tariffs. But the tariffs on advanced technologies and critical components pose risks to its ability to develop AI.

    Although Australia aims to bolster its domestic AI capabilities, it currently relies heavily on imported hardware for AI development. Tariffs will likely make it more expensive for Australian companies and research institutions to acquire the necessary infrastructure, such as semiconductors, GPUs, and cloud computing equipment. In turn, this will potentially hinder their technological progress.

    As the US clamps down on trade and technologies, Australia may find itself locked out of international research projects, perhaps those involving US companies or technologies.

    Such limits on data sharing, international cross-border AI talent, and cloud infrastructure risk slowing the rate of innovation.

    To mitigate the above risks, Australia must invest more in developing domestic AI capacity and diversifying its technological partnerships.

    Albert Zomaya receives funding from a variety of government sources. He is also a member of the Australian Academy of Science.

    – ref. Trump’s trade war puts America’s AI ambitions at risk – https://theconversation.com/trumps-trade-war-puts-americas-ai-ambitions-at-risk-254462

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Following Feenstra Letter, National Institute of Standards & Technology Confirms Full Funding for Center for Industrial Research and Service for Remainder of Fiscal Year 2025

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, mere hours after U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Acting Director of the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) Craig Burkhart requesting renewal of the Center for Industrial Research and Service’s (CIRAS) cooperative agreement with the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), NIST confirmed that CIRAS would receive continued federal funding for Fiscal Year 2025. 

    Feenstra led U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and U.S. Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01), Ashley Hinson (IA-02), and Zach Nunn (IA-03) in sending this letter.

    “I’m glad that the National Institute of Standards & Technology decided to renew full funding for the Center for Industrial Research and Service within hours of receiving our letter. This initiative supports manufacturing in Iowa, makes important contributions to our economy, and strengthens our strategic position against countries like China,” said Rep. Feenstra. “Growing our domestic manufacturing sector and bringing jobs back to the United States is a vital mission, and CIRAS helps achieve these critical goals. By restoring full funding for CIRAS, we can continue to invest in our manufacturing might, sustain good-paying jobs in Iowa, and remain at the cusp of innovation and ingenuity, including in AI and other emerging technologies.”

    In their letter, the lawmakers note, in part, that “As Iowa’s federal delegation [Iowan Senators and Members of Congress], we have seen the crucial role CIRAS has played in aiding and growing our state’s manufacturing sector and how critical the Center has been to our state’s economic success. As you will read in the letter from concerned organizations that have firsthand knowledge of the importance of CIRAS to the manufacturing industry, the Center has helped Iowa’s small-to-medium-sized manufacturers for over six decades. Though the total impact of CIRAS since the Kennedy Administration is truly incalculable and indispensable, in the last five years alone, they have served 1,500 Iowa manufacturers that have reported $1.4 billion in financial results.”

    The full letter can be read HERE or below.

    Secretary Lutnick and Acting Director Burkhart, 

    We write with concern over the recent National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) decision regarding the Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS). We are enclosing a letter we received from Iowa manufacturing businesses, Chambers of Commerce, and Iowa State University concerning the non-renewal and federal funding stoppage of the Manufacturing Extension Program (MEP) cooperative agreement. 

    As Iowa’s federal delegation [Iowan Senators and Members of Congress], we have seen the crucial role CIRAS has played in aiding and growing our state’s manufacturing sector and how critical the Center has been to our state’s economic success. As you will read in the letter from concerned organizations that have firsthand knowledge of the importance of CIRAS to the manufacturing industry, the Center has helped Iowa’s small-to-medium-sized manufacturers for over six decades. Though the total impact of CIRAS since the Kennedy Administration is truly incalculable and indispensable, in the last five years alone, they have served 1,500 Iowa manufacturers that have reported $1.4 billion in financial results. 

    Additionally, in the non-renewal notice from NIST, it mentioned that the U.S. Department of Commerce is reprioritizing to ensure United States leadership in emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI). The work of CIRAS in just the past 12 months has included 16 AI-focused events with almost 400 attendees and 38 AI-focused projects. These AI projects included 9 projects using sensors and data to collect data for AI use, 27 projects leveraging AI tools for business marketing, and 3 projects to develop and implement new AI tools for manufacturers. Additionally, CIRAS has worked with manufacturing enterprises in almost every industry over the last 62 years since its founding. The manufacturing jobs being supported by CIRAS programs in Iowa are supporting emerging technologies and future-ready industries.

    As we work together to support President Trump’s prodigious goal of growing domestic manufacturing and reducing reliance on foreign industry, we believe that CIRAS should continue to be a key pillar of the MEP. We ask that all due consideration is given to resume or begin anew the cooperative agreement between CIRAS and the MEP.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: TikTok’s cookie challenge: Why some children share and others don’t

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Rebecca Merkley, Assistant Professor, Department of Cognitive Science, Carleton University

    Children need to use several of their developing social and cognitive reasoning skills to share during the cookie challenge. (Shutterstock)

    The cookie challenge is one of the latest trends to go viral on TikTok. In the challenge, parents test how willing their child is to share a cookie. Typically, two adults and one young child each have a covered plate in front of them.

    When the covers are removed, the child has two cookies on their plate, while one parent has one cookie and the other has none. Most children subsequently either keep both cookies or give one to the parent who had none.

    The big question these parents are asking is: will my child share their cookies with me?

    Would your child share with you?

    Sharing is all about giving up personal resources to benefit others. It is a prosocial behaviour that requires thinking about the thoughts, desires and needs of others, which can sometimes be challenging for young children.

    Children need to use several of their developing social and cognitive reasoning skills to share during the cookie challenge. They must:

    a) recognize they have more cookies than their parents do;

    b) inhibit their desire to immediately eat their cookies themselves; and

    c) understand their parents also want a cookie.

    Cognitive development research has shown that children develop all these skills over their first few years of life. Even if your young child thinks sharing is the right thing to do, they may not be able to connect all of their developing cognitive skills to support their sharing behaviour when faced with a cookie challenge. So, if a child doesn’t share, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are selfish.

    How do children decide what is fair?

    Children view fairness as everyone having the same amount. So, when cookies aren’t split equally, what do kids think is fair? When one parent is left out, most children in the TikTok videos share their extra cookie so everyone now has one; children believe the resources (in this case, the cookies) should always be evenly distributed. But what about the kids who don’t share?

    Sharing a precious resource like a delicious cookie seems harder than sharing broccoli. However, that doesn’t mean children think it’s fair to keep the extra one. This could be why we see some videos where the child takes the cookie from one parent and gives it to another. The parent missing a cookie wants one, but the value of a cookie makes it harder for kids to resist their own impulses to keep the cookies they want for themselves.

    While children think fair means having the same, or having an equal number, young kids don’t always know what equal numbers are. Kids who haven’t yet mastered how to count are less likely to share equally. Sharing equally requires understanding how many objects each person has. Most kids in the TikTok challenge videos seem to immediately recognize that they have two cookies, and that they have more than their parents do.

    Children do not have to count in the cookie challenge because are able to subitize, which is the process of rapidly recognizing the exact number of objects in a set without counting them. Only small sets of objects up to four can be subitized. If we were to try a cookie challenge with more than four cookies, young children may be less likely to share equally. Teaching children to count can promote sharing behaviour.

    Do parents influence sharing?

    No, you haven’t failed as parents if your child doesn’t share.

    Children are sensitive to their parents’ emotions. Hearing their parent express sadness at not having any cookies evokes an emotional response in the child. The parent’s disappointment prompts the child to notice there is a problem.

    In many of the TikTok videos, parents also point out that the child has an extra cookie. Noticing the additional cookie prompts the child to look for a solution. The combination of the two leads many children to give one of their cookies away.

    However, young children may not realize the parent wants a cookie without being prompted. Preschoolers often struggle to think about what others are thinking — a concept known as theory of mind. The child must place themselves in their parent’s shoes to understand that they want a cookie as well. Drawing attention to another person’s wants can encourage the child to share.

    Outside of the challenge, parents can encourage their child to build sharing behaviours. Researchers have found that children are more likely to share following a structured interaction with a parent, which suggests that parents encourage and remind children to share. Reminding children to share with one another (sharing toys, taking turns, etc.) can help promote prosocial behaviours over the long term.

    Are only children less likely to share?

    Some TikTok commenters joke that children who do not share must be only children. Researchers from China found that three- to four-year-old only children shared fewer stickers than children with siblings did. However, when the researchers followed up with the same children a year later, there were no differences in how much only children shared compared to kids with siblings.

    Children with siblings may have more opportunities to practise sharing from an earlier age. However, only children can have other experiences that promote prosocial sharing behaviour, such as playing with friends or cousins.

    Having siblings is just one factor out of many that shape children’s early environments and influence their sharing behaviour. When one of this article’s authors, Rebecca Merkley, tried the challenge with her only child, she shared without hesitation.

    If you’re curious about whether your child would share with you, try the cookie challenge and see what they do.

    Rebecca Merkley 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.

    Liza Kahwaji 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. TikTok’s cookie challenge: Why some children share and others don’t – https://theconversation.com/tiktoks-cookie-challenge-why-some-children-share-and-others-dont-254053

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Committee on Rights of Migrant Workers Launches General Comment on the Convergence of the Migrant Workers’ Convention and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration

    Source: United Nations – Geneva

    The Committee on Migrant Workers today held an event to launch its general comment six on the convergent protection of the rights of migrant workers and members of their families through the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and the Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration.

    Fatimata Diallo, Committee Chair, in opening remarks, said migrants, especially those in an irregular situation, were disproportionately exposed to abuses and human rights violations, and often did not have access to due process or remedies.  More than 8,900 people died on migration routes in 2024.  Yet, the human rights dimensions of migration remained largely neglected, and inflammatory and xenophobic rhetoric against migrants helped politicians win votes.

    Ms. Diallo said the Convention and the Global Compact were unique, complementary and mutually reinforcing to advance migration governance and promote and protect the rights of all migrants. General comment six offered avenues for the coordination of the convergent measures for protection of the rights of migrant workers and members of their families in the Convention and the Global Compact.

    Peggy Hicks, Director, Thematic Engagement, Special Procedures and Right to Development Division, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in opening remarks that general comment six was a milestone in international efforts to ensure that States aligned migration governance with international human rights obligations. Ms. Hicks called on all States, including those that had endorsed the Global Compact but had not yet ratified the Convention, to engage in dialogue on ratifying this important human rights instrument.

    Introducing the general comment, Mohammed Charef, Committee Expert and Chair of the Committee’s Working Group on the Convention and the Global Compact, said the Convention and the Global Compact both called for the protection of migrants from human rights violations, measures to promote decent work and access to social security, and efforts to help migrants reach their potential.  The general comment sought to help States parties to implement their commitments under these instruments and promote effective, tangible respect for the rights of migrants.

    The Committee heard statements marking the launch of the general comment by panellists from Permanent Missions and United Nations agencies, before holding a general discussion on how the Convention and the Global Compact could be implemented in synergy.

    In the discussion, speakers welcomed the adoption of general comment six, which they said assisted States in implementing their commitments under the Convention and the Global Compact and in managing migration with a human rights lens.

    Speakers welcomed that the general comment promoted non-criminalisation of migration.  States needed to adopt measures to combat the intolerance of migrants, particularly vulnerable persons, and to further facilitate regular migration, they said.

    Speaking as panellists were Carlos D. Sorreta, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva; Fernando Espinosa Olivera, Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva; Abdellah Boutadghart, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva; Catalina Devandas, Senior Director, Office of Partnerships, Advocacy and Communications, International Organization for Migration; Gladys Cisneros, Chief of Branch, Labour Migration Unit, International Labour Organization; Patrick Eba, Deputy Director, Department of International Protection, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; Tasha Gill, Global Lead on Migration and Displacement, United Nations Children’s Fund Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia; Jonathan Prentice, Head of the Secretariat, United Nations Network on Migration; Patrick Taran, President, Global Migration Policy Associates; Alan Desmond, Editor, Journal of Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Law, University of Leicester, United Kingdom; and Ariel Cejas Meliare, Procurador Penitenciario de la Nación [Procurator’s Office of the Nation of Argentina].

    Bangladesh, Honduras and Burkina Faso took the floor in the discussion.

    The Committee on Migrant Worker’s fortieth session is being held from 7 to 17 April.  All the documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage.  Meeting summary releases can be found here.  The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings can be accessed via the UN Web TV webpage.

    The Committee will next meet in public at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, 17 April, to close its fortieth session.

    Opening Remarks

    FATIMATA DIALLO, Committee Chair, said currently, some 281 million people lived and worked in countries that were not their own. Migration was the symptom and effect of profound social, economic, and environmental pressures and changes around the world.  Migrants, especially those in an irregular situation, were disproportionately exposed to abuses and human rights violations, and often did not have access to due process or remedies.  As border controls had become stricter and regular pathways of entry and stay had narrowed, migrants’ journeys had become longer, more fragmented and more dangerous. More than 40,000 women, men and children between 2014 and 2021 had been declared dead or missing en route, and countless other disappearances had never been reported.  More than 8,900 people died on migration routes in 2024.

    Yet, the human rights dimensions of migration remained largely neglected.  The issue of migration was usually approached from the perspective of economic development or border security and control.  Inflammatory and xenophobic rhetoric against migrants helped politicians win votes, and in times of crisis, the migrant was a convenient scapegoat to blame for social and economic hardship.

    The Convention – a global legally binding instrument on migration – and the Global Compact – a non-binding instrument – were important international mechanisms in the context of migration.  They were unique, complementary and mutually reinforcing to advance migration governance and promote and protect the rights of all migrants, regardless of their migration status. 

    The Global Compact was first and foremost a strategic policy instrument for guidance, which was nevertheless anchored in the norms and standards of international law.  It was the most comprehensive migration governance instrument in the history of international migration, contributing to the protection of the various human rights of migrants and helping to operationalise the provisions of the Convention.  It laid the groundwork for Member States to create a strategy that protected all migrants in vulnerable situations through a range of mechanisms, including the provision of regular access pathways.

    The Convention, conversely, provided a comprehensive international legal framework for the promotion of the human rights of migrant workers and their family members, and remained the best strategy to prevent abuses and address the vulnerabilities that many migrants faced. It established minimum human rights standards, which were legally binding on States parties and applied to migrant workers and members of their families. 

    General comment six offered avenues for complementary coordination for the convergent protection of the rights of migrant workers and members of their families through the Convention and the Global Compact.

    The ratification of treaties could have a transformative effect.  Governments had used treaty provisions and treaty body recommendations to advance complex societal changes that faced resistance at the national level, such as adopting comprehensive non-discrimination legislation. Regrettably, none of the 27 European Union Member States had signed or ratified the Convention.  Convincing these States to ratify was important, not only because the European Union was an important migrant destination, but also because they had robust democratic institutions and vibrant civil society activity, and could meaningfully implement and comply with the Convention. Ratification by European Union Member States would send a strong message of support for this core human rights instrument.  It was time for the European Union and the Committee to engage in dialogue on the ratification of the Convention.

    The Convention did not create new rights, besides a few exceptions, but incorporated the fundamental human rights set out in the main international human rights instruments, applying them to a vast and specific category of the world’s population, namely migrant workers and members of their families.  Ms. Diallo called on States to support the Committee’s ratification campaign.

    PEGGY HICKS, Director, Thematic Engagement, Special Procedures and Right to Development Division, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said migration was the history of humanity. The worrying trend of dehumanising anti-migrant narratives, and securitised and punitive migration policies, limited access to safe migration pathways, while the criminalisation of solidarity was placing migrants and communities at heightened human rights risks. It was time to re-centre migration governance on human rights protection and strengthen international cooperation grounded in the dignity and rights of all people, regardless of migration status.

    General comment six was a milestone in international efforts to ensure that States aligned migration governance with international human rights obligations.  It illustrated the complementarity between the Convention and the Global Compact – each reinforcing and completing the other and constituting a bridge between soft law and treaty law, providing interpretative guidance for States to implement the Global Compact commitments consistently with international human rights standards.

    The Global Compact was the first inter-governmentally negotiated agreement which covered all dimensions of international migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner.  It respected States’ sovereign right to determine who entered and stayed in their territory and demonstrated commitment to international cooperation on migration.  It presented a significant opportunity to improve governance of migration, to address the challenges associated with today’s migration, and to strengthen the contribution of migrants and migration to sustainable development.  It also explicitly reinforced the importance of human rights and international law through its guiding principle on human rights and its commitment to the principles of non-regression and non-discrimination.

    The Convention offered detailed and binding provisions that complemented and strengthened the Compact’s more aspirational commitments.  On regularisation, for example, it provided concrete and binding guidance, requiring States parties to “take appropriate measures to ensure that [an irregular] situation did not persist” when migrant workers and members of their families were in an irregular situation within their territory, and stressed that States parties should consider adopting policies to prevent migrant workers and members of their families from falling into irregularity.

    The Convention was currently the least ratified of the core international human rights treaties, with only 60 States parties. Increasing the number of ratifications of the Convention remained a top priority for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.  At the same time, many countries had accepted many of the standards enshrined in the Convention via the ratification of other human rights treaties, the provisions of which mirrored the core rights codified in the Convention.

    Some of the recent work of the Committee highlighted the relevance of the Convention and the Committee’s work even to non-States parties, such as the joint general comments with the Committee on the Rights of the Child, which provided authoritative guidance that was equally applicable to all 196 States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Ms. Hicks also applauded the Committee for elaborating two joint general comments with the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on principles and guidelines for eradicating xenophobia towards migrants.  The two draft general comments were already at an advanced stage and would be discussed at the current session.

    As the international community worked towards the implementation of the Global Compact, there was now also momentum for States parties, with the support of the Committee and its partners, to increase the number of States parties to the Convention.  The Convention had a unique role as the only binding global treaty focused on the rights of migrant workers and their families, with its principles echoed throughout the Global Compact. 

    Ms. Hicks encouraged the recognition that soft law and treaty law were not at odds, but rather mutually reinforcing.  This general comment helped bridge the two and offered useful guidance to all States, regardless of the ratification status. She invited States to consider Convention obligations in future implementation and review processes, such as the International Migration Reviews, and called on all States, including those that had endorsed the Global Compact but had not yet ratified the Convention, to engage in a dialogue with the Committee and the Office of the High Commissioner to discuss the benefits of ratifying this important human rights instrument.

    Statements Introducing the General Comment

    MOHAMMED CHAREF, Committee Expert and Chair of the Committee’s Working Group on the Convention and the Global Compact, called on all parties to carefully read the general comment, disseminate it and support its implementation.  In many countries, there were reports of serious and repeated violations of the rights of migrant workers, which had direct consequences on the most vulnerable among them.  Despite the alarmist discourse that was often used regarding migrant workers, there were many success stories associated with migration in the business, sport, music and science fields.  Human rights needed to be put at the heart of discussions concerning migrant workers.

    States needed to commit to their international obligations.  The Convention and the Global Compact had convergent goals, though only the former was binding.  Both instruments were rooted in values such as State sovereignty and respect for human rights.  They called for the protection of migrants from human rights violations such as trafficking and measures to promote decent work and access to social security.  Both instruments called for efforts to help migrants reach their potential.

    The general comment was based on broad-ranging consultations with civil society and stakeholders in Geneva and around the world. It sought to help States parties to implement their commitments under the Global Compact and to strengthen migration governance.  The general comment sought to promote effective and tangible respect for the rights of migrants.  Mr. Charef praised the efforts of champion countries of the Convention and called on States that had not yet ratified it to do so.  Ratification issues were more of a political nature than a legal one. The Committee would continue to encourage actors to promote the ratification of the Convention.

    The Global Compact and the Convention were two essential instruments for promoting the rights of migrant workers.  The Committee would promote their implementation and help build a brighter future for migrants around the world.

    EDGAR CORZO SOSA, Committee Expert and Member of the Committee’s Working Group on the Convention and the Global Compact, said the general comment juxtaposed two different instruments that needed to complement each other, rather than be put against each other.  One of its main goals was to provide authoritative guidance on how States could meet their obligations under these two instruments.  The general comment did not water down the human rights standards developed by the Committee, but rather built on them.  Safe, orderly and regular migration was a goal that could not be reached if human rights were left behind.  In the general comment, the Committee identified 14 common points between the two instruments, relating to topics such as decent work, returns, remittances, childhood, family, gender, protection, defence and trafficking in persons.

    The general comment provided a vision of migration governance that fully respected human rights.  The Committee would do its part in periodic reviews to promote its implementation.  It would hold a meeting with States in future to assess the impact that the general comment was having on human rights, and was calling on civil society to help disseminate it.

    Panel Statements

    CARLOS D. SORRETA, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva, thanked the Committee for its work on general comment six.  There were over 10 million Filipinos working in almost all regions of the world.  The Philippines promoted effective and fair governance of migration.  The State party aimed to safeguard the rights of all migrant workers and establish legal pathways to migration.  It had instituted a stringent anti-human trafficking law and had established gender-responsive mechanisms for migrants in distress in host countries.

    During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines facilitated the return of over a million Filipinos.  It had passed laws allowing for dual citizenship and absentee voting, and developed a programme for enticing entrepreneurs and professionals to return to the State.  Most countries with which the Philippines negotiated with to protect its migrants were not parties to the Convention or the Global Compact. However, there were normative baselines that these States needed to uphold.  Over the years, protections for migrants had increased, influenced by these two instruments.

    FERNANDO ESPINOSA OLIVERA, Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva, said there was back-peddling on human rights and discriminatory discourse against migrants worldwide.  In this context, international agreements concerning migrants were very important. Mexico had led the creation of international frameworks, including the Global Compact, that guaranteed the respect of migrants and promoted secure, orderly, regular and humane migration. Mexico welcomed general comment six, which was the product of broad consultations.  It would help to bring greater consistency in efforts to protect migrants. 

    There were several commonalities between the Convention and the Global Compact.  Mexico had developed State agencies and policies for caring for migrants abroad and supporting their reintegration, as well as tools for collecting data on migrants.  The governance of migration was only possible when it respected human rights.  All States needed to adopt constructive approaches and respect their obligations in the field of human rights and international law.

    ABDELLAH BOUTADGHART, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva, said the general comment was the product of a long and transparent process. Morocco hailed the Committee’s efforts to seek inputs from States on the general comment.  Currently, migrants around the work were facing xenophobia and violations of their rights.  The general comment would support efforts to protect their rights. 

    Morocco had developed a strategy to promote the rights of migrants on its territory.  It had regularised the status of many irregular migrants and supported their access to State services.  The Government sought to ensure that migrants could enjoy their rights. It had helped over 8,000 citizens of African countries seeking to return to their home countries to do so. Morocco shouldered its responsibilities in terms of border management and combatting trafficking in persons. States were obliged to ensure that the general comment was a success, and to develop policies on migration that were based on facts rather than disinformation.

    CATALINA DEVANDAS, Senior Director, Office of Partnerships, Advocacy and Communications, International Organization for Migration, said around 60 per cent of migrants were migrant workers.  Migrant workers constituted 4.7 per cent of the global workforce.  Over 650 billion United States dollars were sent in remittances to low and middle-income countries in 2024.  Remittances were key to development and reducing poverty. 

    The general comment promoted the benefits of safe and orderly migration and equal treatment in employment for migrant workers.  It called for key actors, including migrants themselves, to be included in conversations on migration policies and for migrants to be direct beneficiaries of these policies.  Despite the ongoing challenges, the past few decades had seen immense progress in the protection of the rights of migrants and the promotion of the benefits of migration for all.  The Convention and the Global Compact were two examples of this progress, and the general comment was an important tool for breathing new life into these instruments.

    GLADYS CISNEROS, Chief of Branch, Labour Migration Unit, International Labour Organization, said migrant workers were three times more likely to be in situations of forced labour.  Exploitation of migrant workers generated some 30 billion dollars in profits each year. In many countries, migrant workers faced legal and practical barriers to freedom of association.  These examples highlighted the urgent need for the protection of migrant workers’ rights. 

    Many International Labour Organization Conventions supplemented the rights guaranteed by the Global Compact and the Convention.  The International Labour Organization hoped to continue its collaboration with the Committee, and the Global Compact provided a crucial framework for this collaboration.  It guided States parties in the implementation of the Global Compact and the Convention.  States and civil society needed to closely study the general comment and make use of it to ensure the implementation of the Global Compact and the Convention.

    TASHA GILL, Global Lead on Migration and Displacement, United Nations Children’s Fund Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, said the general comment emphasised protecting children from statelessness by ensuring that all births were registered.  It promoted family reunification for migrant workers and their families and the protection of children’s rights at borders.  Further, the general comment called for the establishment of safeguards to ensure that migrant children could attend school, highlighting the risks of child labour.  Many children were left behind when their parents left their countries to work. The general comment called for policies to support these children.

    JONATHAN PRENTICE, Head of the Secretariat, United Nations Network on Migration, said the Global Compact outlined the ways in which safe and orderly migration could be achieved and recognised the need to review progress in its implementation on a periodic basis.  The Committee needed to exert further efforts to promote the implementation of the Global Compact and the general comment.  The Global Compact had a long way to go before it was fully realised, but its existence and potential were not to be underestimated.

    PATRICK TARAN, President, Global Migration Policy Associates, saluted the sixtieth ratification of the Convention by Zimbabwe.  This was a milestone achievement.  In addition to the 60 States parties, there were also 11 States that had signed the Convention but had yet to ratify it.  Demand for skilled labour was growing worldwide.  Migrants and migration were worth nine trillion dollars to the global economy.  However, pushbacks against the rights of migrants continued.  The Convention and the Global Compact were complementary only when States had ratified both.  No country could be a champion of migrant workers’ rights until they had ratified the Convention. 

    The death rate for migrant workers at work was at least three times the rate for migrants in transit.  Foreign workers were at least twice as likely as nationals to die at work in European Union Member States.  These deaths were a result of the lack of implementation of the standards of the Convention.  There needed to be a joint general comment on the complementarity of the Convention and the two International Labour Organization Conventions that addressed migrant workers.  The global campaign for ratification of the Convention needed to be rejuvenated. With more resources, the Committee could achieve at least 100 ratifications by 2030.

    United Nations Women said the general comment provided clarity on States’ obligations under the Global Compact and the Convention. At every stage of migration, women’s rights were non-negotiable.  Harmful narratives needed to be combatted, and migration pathways needed to be made safe for women.  Migrant women regularly faced human rights violations and threats en route. States needed to promote the participation of migrant women in policy development, strengthen protections for migrant women, and promote their access to work.  United Nations Women would help States to convert their commitments into transformative action for migrants.

    ALAN DESMOND, Editor, Journal of Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Law, University of Leicester, United Kingdom, said the general comment would be of great use in ensuring that States that had ratified the Global Compact and the Convention implemented their obligations, and in raising awareness of the Convention. The two instruments were not identical, and it was important for States to fully implement both.  Remittances were a vital source of income for migrant families and they helped to promote economic development.  Migrants often had to pay disproportionate transaction fees, sometimes as much as 10 per cent.  International commitments had been developed to reduce remittance costs. The Convention and the Global Compact conferred on migrant workers the right to send remittances and on States the obligation to facilitate such remittances.  The holistic implementation of the two instruments would help to support migrants’ ability to send remittances, among other rights.

    Poor sound quality prevented interpretation of the statement made by ARIEL CEJAS MELIARE, Procurador Penitenciario de la Nación [Procurator’s Office of the Nation of Argentina].

    Discussion

    In the ensuing discussion, speakers welcomed the adoption of general comment six, which assisted States in implementing their commitments under the Convention and the Global Compact and would help States to manage migration with a human rights lens.  Migration governance called for a coherent vision.  Speakers welcomed that the general comment promoted non-criminalisation of migration.  States needed to adopt measures to combat the intolerance of migrants, particularly vulnerable persons, and to further facilitate regular migration, they said.

    Speakers presented policies to promote orderly migration, naturalise irregular migrants, and combat trafficking in persons and statelessness.  They also congratulated the Committee on its efforts to promote the rights of migrant workers.

    Concluding Remarks

    CARLOS D. SORRETA, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva, said the Philippines was developing an initiative to strengthen social stability and access to medical services for migrants.  This would help improve the situation of migrants abroad and when they returned home.  The State was calling on receiving countries to join the Convention.  Migrants had a transformative effect on the countries in which they worked.  Countries that had in the past criminalised Filipino migrant workers whose rights were violated by employers were now holding such employers to account.  This trend needed to continue.

    ABDELLAH BOUTADGHART, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva, said that there was a need to ground migration policy in evidence, away from xenophobic discourse.  It was welcome to hear the strong support for this approach from all speakers.

    MOHAMMED CHAREF, Committee Expert and Chair of the Committee’s Working Group on the Convention and the Global Compact, said he was moved by the support expressed for the general comment by participants.  During these challenging times, there needed to be collaboration between all parties to address migrant workers’ complex situation and support them.

    EDGAR CORZO SOSA, Committee Expert and Member of the Committee’s Working Group on the Convention and the Global Compact, said the Committee would spare no effort to promote the implementation of the general comment, and ensure that the good standards and practices established in the Convention and the Global Compact were implemented around the world.

    FATIMATA DIALLO, Committee Chair, said the Committee hoped that the general comment would be a roadmap for States parties to improve protections for migrants and migrant workers.  It would take into consideration all comments made by participants and work to disseminate the general comment through its outreach activities.  It hoped that the general comment would contribute to promoting the protection of migrant workers across the world.

    ___________

    Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the media; 
    not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.

     

    CMW25.005E

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA’s Hubble Tracks a Roaming Magnetar of Unknown Origin

    Source: NASA

    Researchers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have discovered the magnetar called SGR 0501+4516 is traversing our galaxy from an unknown place of origin. Researchers say that this runaway magnetar is the likeliest candidate in our Milky Way galaxy for a magnetar that was not born in a supernova explosion as initially predicted. It is so strange it might even offer clues to the mechanism behind events known as fast radio bursts.
    “Magnetars are neutron stars — the dead remnants of stars — composed entirely of neutrons. What makes magnetars unique is their extreme magnetic fields,” said Ashley Chrimes, lead author of the discovery paper published in the April 15 journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. Chrimes is a European Space Agency Research Fellow at the European Space Research and Technology Center in the Netherlands.
    Magnetars have comic-book-hero superpowers. A magnetar has a magnetic field about a trillion times more powerful than Earth’s magnetosphere. If a magnetar flew by Earth at half the Moon’s distance, its intense field would wipe out every credit card on our planet. If a human got within 600 miles, the magnetar would become a proverbial sci-fi death-ray, ripping apart every atom inside the body.
    The magnetar’s strangeness was identified with the help of Hubble’s sensitive instruments as well as precise benchmarks from ESA’s (European Space Agency) Gaia spacecraft.
    Initially, the mysterious magnetar was discovered in 2008 when NASA’s Swift Observatory spotted brief, intense flashes of gamma rays from the outskirts of the Milky Way. The source, which turned out to be one of only about 30 known magnetars in the Milky Way, was dubbed SGR 0501+4516.

    This is an artist’s impression of a magnetar, which is a special type of neutron star with an incredibly strong magnetic field. Neutron stars are some of the most compact and extreme objects in the universe. These stars typically pack more than the mass of the Sun into a sphere of neutrons about 12 miles across. The neutron star is depicted as a white-blueish sphere. The magnetic field is shown as filaments streaming out from its polar regions.
    Illustration: ESA

    Because magnetars are neutron stars, the natural explanation for their formation is that they are born in supernovae, when a star explodes and can collapse down to an ultra-dense neutron star. This appeared to be the case for SGR 0501+4516, which is located close to a supernova remnant called HB9. The separation between the magnetar and the center of the supernova remnant on the sky is just 80 arcminutes, or slightly wider than your pinky finger when viewed at the end of your outstretched arm.
    But a decade-long study with Hubble cast doubt on the magnetar’s birthplace. After initial observations with ground-based telescopes shortly after SGR 0501+4516’s discovery, researchers used Hubble’s exquisite sensitivity and steady pointing to spot the magnetar’s faint infrared glow in 2010, 2012, and 2020. Each of these images was aligned to a reference frame defined by observations from the Gaia spacecraft, which has crafted an extraordinarily precise three-dimensional map of nearly two billion stars in the Milky Way. This method revealed the subtle motion of the magnetar as it traversed the sky.
    “All of this movement we measure is smaller than a single pixel of a Hubble image,” said co-investigator Joe Lyman of the University of Warwick, United Kingdom. “Being able to robustly perform such measurements really is a testament to the long-term stability of Hubble.”
    By tracking the magnetar’s position, the team was able to measure the object’s apparent motion across the sky. Both the speed and direction of SGR 0501+4516’s movement showed that the magnetar could not be associated with the nearby supernova remnant. Tracing the magnetar’s trajectory thousands of years into the past showed that there were no other supernova remnants or massive star clusters with which it could be associated.
    If SGR 0501+4516 was not born in a supernova, the magnetar must either be older than its estimated 20,000-year age, or it may have formed in another way. Magnetars may also be able to form through the merger of two lower-mass neutron stars or through a process called accretion-induced collapse. Accretion-induced collapse requires a binary star system containing a white dwarf: the core of a dead Sun-like star. If the white dwarf pulls in gas from its companion, it can grow too massive to support itself, leading to an explosion — or possibly the creation of a magnetar.
    “Normally, this scenario leads to the ignition of nuclear reactions, and the white dwarf exploding, leaving nothing behind. But it has been theorized that under certain conditions, the white dwarf can instead collapse into a neutron star. We think this might be how SGR 0501 was born,” added Andrew Levan of Radboud University in the Netherlands and the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.
    Understanding Fast Radio Bursts
    SGR 0501+4516 is currently the best candidate for a magnetar in our galaxy that may have formed through a merger or accretion-induced collapse. Magnetars that form through accretion-induced collapse could provide an explanation for some of the mysterious fast radio bursts, which are brief but powerful flashes of radio waves. In particular, this scenario may explain the origin of fast radio bursts that emerge from stellar populations too ancient to have recently birthed stars massive enough to explode as supernovae.
    “Magnetar birth rates and formation scenarios are among the most pressing questions in high-energy astrophysics, with implications for many of the universe’s most powerful transient events, such as gamma-ray bursts, super-luminous supernovae, and fast radio bursts,” said Nanda Rea of the Institute of Space Sciences in Barcelona, Spain.
    The research team has further Hubble observations planned to study the origins of other magnetars in the Milky Way, helping to understand how these extreme magnetic objects form.
    The Hubble Space Telescope has been operating for over three decades and continues to make ground-breaking discoveries that shape our fundamental understanding of the universe. Hubble is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope and mission operations. Lockheed Martin Space, based in Denver, also supports mission operations at Goddard. The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, conducts Hubble science operations for NASA.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: In the Starlight: Tina Preyan Fuels the Future at Johnson

    Source: NASA

    Exploring the unknown and preparing for humanity’s next giant leap really works up an appetite. Thankfully, employees at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston can count on Tina Preyan to help them fuel up and stay focused.
    Preyan is a food service specialist at Starport, a quality-of-life program that contributes to Johnson’s mission by providing employee services and activities that enhance work life and promote mental well-being and physical fitness. Part of the agency’s network of 12 NASA Exchanges — each located at a NASA center or facility — Starport offers everything from group fitness classes to retail shopping, with programs designed to engage, energize, and support the workforce.

    Preyan oversees the on-site dining options at Johnson, from its cafés and food trucks to vending machines and mini markets. She helps set the budget for food services, creates monthly calendars of food offerings, schedules vendors and pop-up events, and ensures annual food safety inspections are conducted. She also works with teams across Johnson to order food and related supplies for NASA events.
    “The best part of my job is working in customer service, meeting new NASA workers every day, and making everyone feel welcome and at home when coming to Johnson’s cafés,” she said.
    Preyan has been a fixture at Johnson for the last 19 years. She previously worked at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans but transferred to Houston shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit the city in 2005. At Starport, she worked her way up from prep cook to lead cashier and then to lead assistant. She also served as the office’s administrative assistant before transitioning to her current role.

    Preyan has enjoyed meeting many NASA astronauts and Johnson team members and learning more about the work they do. The occasional celebrity sighting is another job perk.
    Preyan is something of a celebrity herself. “So many employees know my name. I am proud of meeting so many people, and the love they give me every day just being here,” she said.
    She was also proud to receive Starport’s Jackie Kingery Award in fall 2024. The award recognizes extraordinary customer service and exemplary dedication to the NASA Exchange mission at Johnson. “It felt amazing to receive this award and know that I am doing a great job in everyone’s eyes,” she said. “I value high integrity and am always willing to help others in the organization.”

    Another source of pride for Preyan? Her son, Cameron, who is set to graduate from the University of Texas at San Antonio in May with a degree in Finance and Marketing.
    In addition to her son’s graduation, Preyan looks forward to continuing her work in a positive environment and pursuing more growth opportunities.
    “I’m going to stay busy and stay focused on ensuring proper procedures are being used by vendors,” she said. “And making sure all customers are happy and will continue to return to cafés.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: US-China trade war leaves NZ worse off, but still well placed to weather the storm – new modelling

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Niven Winchester, Professor of Economics, Auckland University of Technology

    Getty Images

    Forecasting the potential impact of Donald Trump’s turbulent tariff policies is a fraught business – and fraught for business. The United States president has changed, paused and exempted various categories of goods so often, the only certainty is uncertainty.

    On “Liberation Day” (April 2) he famously announced far-reaching “reciprocal tariffs” on imports from most trading nations. Since then he has paused those tariffs, but kept 25% on imports of steel, aluminium and motor vehicles, and 10% “baseline” tariffs on all other imports.

    The big exception is China, whose retaliation against the reciprocal US tariffs has resulted in an escalating trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

    On April 9, the US raised tariffs on Chinese goods to 145%, but later scaled back duties on electronic goods such as laptops and smartphones to 20%. On April 12, China increased its tariff on US goods to 125%.

    With China being New Zealand’s largest trade partner by far, and the US its third largest (just behind Australia), the impacts of this global standoff will be indirect but nevertheless significant.

    GDP impacts of a trade war

    To estimate the impacts of a US-China trade war, as well as other tariffs imposed by the US, I use the same global model of production, trade and consumption of goods and services employed to recently calculate the impacts of the Liberation Day tariffs.

    As we can see, China and the US both lose from the tariff war. China’s GDP decreases by US$114 billion (0.58%), which equates to $236 per household per year on average. US GDP declines by $76 billion (0.25%) or $604 per household (all figures in US$).

    The tariffs all but eliminate trade in goods between China and the US, except for electronic goods exported from China, which are subject to a lower tariff (for now).

    Vietnam and India gain from the trade war because they produce many goods that substitute for Chinese products in the US market.

    The trade war will affect New Zealand in at least three ways:

    • as the two nations buy less from each other, there is room for other nations to expand their exports to these markets

    • decreased incomes in China and the US will reduce global demand for all goods

    • and the tariffs will increase the costs of global supply chains.

    The net effect is a 0.03% decrease in New Zealand’s GDP, equivalent to $70 million or $36 per household per year (roughly NZ$120 million and NZ$60 respectively).

    Reshaping of the world economy

    The simulations do not capture the impact of uncertainty caused by Trump’s frequent and abrupt changes in tariffs, carve-outs and clarifications (sometimes announced via social media).

    The global US Trade Policy Uncertainty Index, last updated before the Liberation Day tariffs, is at a record high – 29 times higher than before the 2024 presidential election. This unprecedented uncertainty, coupled with the risk of high tariffs, is making exporters increasingly reluctant to commit to the US market.

    The US currently accounts for 26.3% of global GDP. With higher future growth in many developing economies, especially in Asia, this is forecast to fall to 16.3% by 2050.

    China is predicted to supplant the US as the world’s largest economy sometime in the 2030s, and by 2050 to account for 18.4% of global GDP (up from 16.9%).

    India’s global GDP share is expected to increase significantly, from its current value of 3.7% to 9.7%. Indonesia and Philippines are also expected to grow rapidly.

    New Zealand signed a free trade agreement with China in 2008 (and an upgrade to the agreement in 2022), has begun negotiations for one with India, and has regional agreements with many other rapidly developing Asian economies.

    It remains to be seen whether Trump’s rollout of high tariffs signals a lasting policy shift or is merely a negotiating tactic to secure more favourable terms for US exporters. But New Zealand is well placed to pivot to alternative markets if needed.

    Niven Winchester has previously received funding from the Productivity Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to estimate the impacts of potential trade policies. He is affiliated with Motu Economic & Public Policy Research.

    – ref. US-China trade war leaves NZ worse off, but still well placed to weather the storm – new modelling – https://theconversation.com/us-china-trade-war-leaves-nz-worse-off-but-still-well-placed-to-weather-the-storm-new-modelling-254469

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) released the 35th Monthly Report on Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) of Central Ministries/ Departments performance for the month of March, 2025

    Source: Government of India

    The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) released the 35th Monthly Report on Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) of Central Ministries/ Departments performance for the month of March, 2025

    A total of 1,21,065 Grievances were Redressed by Central Ministries/Departments as of 28th March, 2025

    For the 33rd month in a row, the monthly disposal crossed 1 lakh cases in the Central Secretariat

    Department of Telecommunications, Department of Posts, and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs topped in Group A category in the rankings released for the month of March, 2025

    Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Department of Heavy Industry topped in Group B category in the rankings released for the month of March, 2025

    Posted On: 15 APR 2025 7:45PM by PIB Delhi

    The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) released the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) monthly report for March 2025, which provides a detailed analysis of types and categories of public grievances and the nature of disposal. This is the 33rdreport on Central Ministries/Departments published by DARPG.

    A total of 1,21,065 grievances were Redressed by Central Ministries/Departments as of 28th March, 2025. The Average Grievance Disposal Time in the Central Ministries/Departments from 1st March to 28th March, 2025 is 16 days. These reports are part of the 10-step CPGRAMS reform process which was adopted by DARPG to improve the quality of disposal and reduce the timelines.

    The report provides the data for new users registered through the CPGRAMS Portal in the month of March, 2025. A total of 49,912 new users registered by 28th March, 2025, with maximum registrations from Uttar Pradesh (7,602) registrations.

    The said report also provides the state-wise analysis on the grievances registered through Common Service Centres as of 28th March, 2025. CPGRAMS has been integrated with the Common Service Centre (CSC) portal and is available at more than 5 lakh CSCs, associating with 2.5 lakh Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs). 7,150 grievances were registered through CSCs by 28th March, 2025. It also highlights the major issues/categories for which the maximum grievances were registered through CSCs.

    The following are the Key Highlights of the DARPG’s monthly CPGRAMS report for March 2025 for Central Ministries/ Departments:

    1. PG Cases:
    • As of 28th March 2025, 1,16,970 PG cases were received on the CPGRAMS portal, 1,21,065 PG cases were redressed and there exists a pendency of 57,456 PG cases.
    1. PG Appeals:
    • As of 28th March 2025, 24,478 appeals were received and 21,400 appeals were disposed
    • The Central Secretariat has a pendency of 25,488 PG Appeals for the period 1st March 2025 to 28th March, 2025.
    1. Grievance Redressal Assessment and Index (GRAI) – till 28th March, 2025
    • Department of Telecommunications, Department of Posts, and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs are amongst the top performers in the Grievance Redressal Assessment & Index within the Group A (more than equal to 500 grievances) as of 28th March, 2025.
    • Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Department of Heavy Industry are amongst the top performers in Grievance Redressal Assessment & Index within the Group B (less than 500 grievances) as of 28th March, 2025.

    The report also features 4 success stories of effective grievance resolution from Central Ministries/Departments:

    1. Grievance of Shri Prakash Kumar Agarwal – Delay in PF Withdrawal Claim

    Shri Prakash Kumar Agarwal faced delays in the processing of his PF withdrawal claim (Form 19) despite fulfilling all requirements. Having worked for over 12 years, he submitted his application, ensuring TDS exemption as per regulations. After repeated documentation requests over six months, he filed a grievance on the CPGRAMS Portal. Following that, concerned authorities processed his claim promptly, and the final PF settlement of ₹35,31,303/- was issued, resolving the matter within the same day.

    1. Grievance of Shri Vishal Verma – Non-Receipt of LPG Subsidy

    Shri Vishal Verma, holding an HP Gas LPG connection registered in the name of Ms. Anita Verma, faced subsidy non-receipt issues for several months. Upon inquiry at the LPG office, he was informed that his Aadhaar was not linked with NPCI, and he was advised to contact his bank. However, the bank confirmed that the Aadhaar was correctly linked with NPCI. Seeking a resolution, he filed a grievance on the CPGRAMS Portal. After verification by concerned authority, the subsidy was transferred to Ms. Anita Verma’s account.

    1. Grievance of Shri Souptik Sarkar – NFSC Fellowship Disbursement Delay

    Shri Souptik Sarkar, a Ph.D. student at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, faced difficulties in linking his account for the National Fellowship for Scheduled Castes (NFSC) under the UGC NET December session. Despite completing all formalities on the Canara Bank Scholarship Portal, his request was repeatedly rejected due to subject classification issues. Seeking resolution, he filed a grievance on the CPGRAMS Portal. In response, the authorities reviewed the case, and linking request under the NFSC scheme was approved based on an explanation from the Registrar of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Vishwavidyalaya.

    1. Grievance of Smt. Bhumika Naresh Gaikwad – National Overseas Scholarship Processing Delay

    Smt. Bhumika Naresh Gaikwad, selected under the National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) 2024 for a Master of Commerce (Extension) at the University of Sydney, faced delays in receiving her final award letter. Despite completing all formalities, including income and caste verification, she awaited confirmation for months, leading to uncertainty and the need to defer her university intake. With no clear response from the NOS office, she filed a grievance on the CPGRAMS Portal. Following this, the concerned authority issued her final award letter, ensuring she could proceed without further disruptions. The grievance was promptly resolved within just three days of filing.

    *****

    NKR/PSM

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: INSV TARINI FLAGGED OFF FROM CAPE TOWN FOR THE FINAL LEG OF THE NAVIKA SAGAR PARIKRAMA II EXPEDITION

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 15 APR 2025 5:28PM by PIB Delhi

    INSV Tarini was ceremonially flagged off from the Royal Cape Yacht Club for the final leg of her journey to Goa on 15 Apr 25, at 1030 hours local time (1400 hrs IST). The send-off was graced by the presence of the Officiating Consul General of India in Cape Town, the Defence Attaché of India to South Africa, members of the RCYC Governing Council, and representatives of the Indian community in Cape Town.

    The circumnavigation is a significant endeavour aimed at promoting ocean sailing in India, showcasing the strength and resilience of Indian women in uniform, and highlighting India’s indigenous shipbuilding capabilities.

    As part of the ongoing Navika Sagar Parikrama II, INSV Tarini, proudly crewed by Lieutenant Commander Dilna K and Lieutenant Commander Roopa A, made a scheduled stopover at Cape Town, South Africa.

    https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2117120

    During her port call at Cape Town, INSV Tarini served as a hub for numerous outreach and diplomatic engagements. The vessel played host to several esteemed guests including:

    •        Shri Prabhat Kumar, Hon’ble High Commissioner of India to South Africa.

    •        Mr Reagan Allen, Deputy Speaker of the Western Cape.

    •        Mr Johnathan Rhodes, former international cricketer and a friend of India.

    •        Ms Kirsten Neuschäfer, winner of the prestigious Golden Globe Race 2022–23 and a noted solo circumnavigator.

    •        Smt Ruby Jaspreet, Counsel General of India at Cape Town.

    •        Members of the Indian diaspora and local dignitaries.

    This visit also provided an opportunity for cultural exchange and highlighted the growing maritime cooperation between India and South Africa.

    In addition to hosting high-profile guests, the crew of INSV Tarini engaged in a series of interactive events aimed at promoting gender equality, women’s empowerment, and India’s capability in indigenous boat building. These included:

    •        A special interaction with students from the Indian diaspora.

    •        Experience sharing with prominent citizens, and members of the diplomatic community at RCYC, Cape Town, where the officers shared insights into their journey, the challenges of ocean sailing, and the vision behind Navika Sagar Parikrama.

    •        A formal session with faculty and Select students at the University of the Western Cape.

    •        Engagement with Naval Cadets at the Naval College, inspiring the next generation of naval officers.

    •        Interaction with young aspiring sailors of the Royal Cape Yacht Club(RCYC) Sailing Academy, promoting maritime spirit and camaraderie.

    The crew also utilized the stop to undertake routine and essential maintenance of INSV Tarini, ensuring the vessel remains in peak operational condition for the final stretch of the voyage.

    INSV Tarini is expected to reach Goa by end May 2025, marking the successful completion of yet another proud chapter in India’s maritime history. The Navika Sagar Parikrama II continues to be a beacon of women empowerment, maritime excellence, and national pride.

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    VM/SKS                                                                                                        88/25

     

     

    (Release ID: 2121885) Visitor Counter : 58

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Cambodia’s haunted present: 50 years after Khmer Rouge’s rise, murderous legacy looms large

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Sophal Ear, Associate Professor in the Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University

    Khmer Rouge forces collect weapons left behind by retreating soldiers as they enter Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975. Roland Neveu/LightRocket via Getty Images

    On April 17, 1975, tanks rolled into the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, to cheering crowds who believed that the country’s long civil war might finally be over.

    But what followed was one of the worst genocides of the 20th century. During a brutal four-year rule, the communist-nationalist ideologues of the Khmer Rouge killed between 1.6 million and 3 million people through executions, forced labor and starvation. It represented a quarter of the country’s population at the time.

    Fifty years on, the Khmer Rouge’s legacy continues to shape Cambodia – politically, socially, economically and emotionally. It’s etched into every Cambodian’s bones – including mine.

    Photo of author’s parents in Cambodia, taken in late 1960s.
    Sophal Ear, CC BY

    I write this not just as an academic or observer but as a survivor. My father died under the Khmer Rouge, succumbing to dysentery and malnutrition after being forced to work in a labor camp. My mother pretended to be Vietnamese to save our family. She escaped Cambodia with five children in 1976, crossing through Vietnam before reaching France in 1978 and finally the United States in 1985. We were among the lucky ones.

    Today, Cambodia is physically unrecognizable from the bombed-out fields and empty cities of the 1970s. Phnom Penh gleams with high-rises and luxury malls. And yet beneath the glitter, the past endures – often in silence, sometimes in cynical exploitation.

    Legacy of fear and control

    The Khmer Rouge came to power on a wave of disillusionment, corruption, civil war and rural resentment. Years of American bombing, the 1970 U.S.-backed coup that ousted Prince Norodom Sihanouk, and the subsequent deeply unpopular U.S.-aligned military regime set the stage for the Khmer Rouge’s rise.

    A convoy of vehicles commandeered by the victorious Khmer Rouge drives through Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975.
    Roland Neveu/LightRocket via Getty Images

    Many Cambodians, particularly in the countryside, welcomed the Khmer Rouge, with its mix of hard-line communist ideology and extreme Cambodian nationalism, as liberators who promised to restore order and dignity. But for the next four years, the Khmer Rouge, under feared leader Pol Pot, brought terror to the nation through ideological purges, forced labor, racial genocide of minority groups and policies that brought widespread famine.

    People digging a water canal under the guard of an armed Khmer Rouge soldier in 1976.
    AFP via Getty Images

    The regime fell in 1979, when Vietnamese forces invaded Cambodia and toppled the Khmer Rouge leadership, installing a new, pro-Hanoi government. But its shadows remain.

    The now ruling Cambodian People’s Party, in power for over four decades, has justified its grip on the country through the trauma of the genocide.

    “Peace and stability” have become mantras used to squash dissent.

    Every sham election becomes a referendum not just on policy but on avoiding a return to war. Critics of Cambodia’s rulers are framed as threats to peace and unity. Opposition parties have been dissolved, activists jailed, media muzzled.

    This political culture of fear draws directly from the Khmer Rouge playbook – minus the overt violence. The trauma inflicted by that regime taught people to distrust one another, to keep quiet, to survive by keeping their heads down. That impulse still shapes public life.

    Justice delayed, and still incomplete

    The Khmer Rouge tribunal – officially the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia – was supposed to bring closure. It has brought some.

    But it took decades to begin, cost over US$300 million and convicted only three senior Khmer Rouge leaders over the 1975–79 genocide. Many mid- and lower-level perpetrators walk free, some are still in government positions, some neighbors to survivors.

    For a nation where the majority of the population was born after 1979, there remains a glaring gap in education and public reckoning over the Khmer Rouge’s atrocities.

    Cambodia’s school curriculum still struggles to teach this period adequately. For many young people, it’s something their parents don’t talk about and the state prefers to frame selectively.

    Economic growth − uneven and fragile

    In raw numbers, Cambodia’s economic progress over the past two decades has been impressive.

    GDP growth averaged around 7% annually before the COVID-19 pandemic. Cities have expanded, and investment – especially from China – has flooded in.

    One of Phnom Penh’s high-end malls.
    Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP via Getty Images.

    But much of this growth is precarious. Cambodia’s economy remains dependent on garment exports, tourism and construction. This leaves it vulnerable to external shocks, such as the Trump administration’s imposition of 49% tariffs on Cambodian goods, now temporarily paused.

    Instead of building a resilient, diversified economy, Cambodia has relied on relationships – with China for investment, with the U.S. for markets – without investing enough in its own human capital. That, too, I believe, is a legacy of the Khmer Rouge, which destroyed the country’s intellectual and professional classes.

    Trauma passed down

    The psychological toll of genocide doesn’t disappear with time. Survivors carry the scars in their bodies and minds.

    But so do their children and grandchildren. Studies in postgenocide Cambodia have shown elevated rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression among survivors and their descendants, resulting in intergenerational trauma.

    There are not nearly enough mental health services in the country. Trauma is often dealt with privately, through silence or resilience rather than therapy. Buddhism, the country’s dominant religion, offers rituals for healing, reincarnation and forgiveness. But this isn’t a substitute for systemic mental health infrastructure.

    Worse, in recent years, even the memory of the genocide has been politicized.

    Some leaders use it as a tool to silence dissent. Others co-opt it for nationalist narratives. There’s little room for honest, critical reflection. Some independent initiatives, such as intergenerational dialogue programs and digital archives, have tried to fill the gap but face limited support.

    This is, I believe, a second tragedy. A country cannot truly move forward if it cannot speak freely about its past.

    A tourist looks at portraits of victims of the Khmer Rouge at the Tuol Sleng genocide museum in Phnom Penh, formerly a Khmer Rouge torture center known as S-21.
    Tang Chhin Southy/AFP via Getty Images)

    The danger of forgetting

    April 17 is not a national holiday in Cambodia. There are no official commemorations. The government doesn’t encourage remembrance of the day Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge. But to my mind, it should. Not to reopen wounds, but to remind Cambodians why justice, democracy and dignity matter.

    The danger isn’t that Cambodia will return to the days of the Khmer Rouge. The danger is that it becomes a place where history is manipulated, where authoritarianism is justified as stability and where development is allowed to paper over injustice.

    As the world marks the 50th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge’s rise, Cambodia must, I believe, reckon with this uncomfortable truth: The regime may be long gone, but its legacy lives on in the institutions, behaviors and fears that continue to shape Cambodia today.

    A personal reckoning

    When I look back, I think of my father – whom I never knew. I think of my mother, who risked everything to save us. And I think of the millions of Cambodians who live with memories they cannot forget, and the young Cambodians who deserve to know the full truth.

    My life has been shaped by what happened on April 17, 1975. But that story isn’t mine alone. It belongs to Cambodia – and it’s still being written.

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

    – ref. Cambodia’s haunted present: 50 years after Khmer Rouge’s rise, murderous legacy looms large – https://theconversation.com/cambodias-haunted-present-50-years-after-khmer-rouges-rise-murderous-legacy-looms-large-254125

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why does Putin insist Ukranians and Russians are ‘one people’? The answer spans centuries of colonisation and resistance

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Historian, Australian Catholic University

    Russian president Vladimir Putin does not seem interested in peace: Sunday’s missile strike on Sumy, the worst civilian attack this year, proves he is determined to expand into Ukraine at any cost.

    This is a war of ideas, narratives and myths – one that can be traced to the mid-1500s, when Ivan the Terrible, Grand Duke of Muscovy declared himself the first “tsar” of all Russia.

    As part of his quest for power, Ivan the Terrible challenged King Sigismund I of Poland, who as Duke of Rus, ruled over territories that now comprise parts of modern-day Ukraine.

    Russian rulers have often repurposed history to build their power, according to historian Orlando Figes. Putin wrote a well known essay in 2021 that called Russians and Ukrainians “one people”. He was relying on old beliefs that Russia has the right to “restore” or reunite lands it once ruled.

    Ukraine has survived bans on its language, forced assimilation policies, and famines like the Holodomor, orchestrated by Stalin in the 1930s. The country declared independence from Russia in 1991. Now, teachers, artists and local leaders have joined soldiers in resisting Russia.

    Empire and a holy mission

    A broad expanse of the former medieval kingdom of Kyivan Rus incorporated territories in present-day Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, including Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. From 1386 until 1772, the majority of these lands came under the rule of Poland-Lithuania, governed by the Lithuanian Jagiellon dynasty, and their successors.

    Today, Russia often points to Kyivan Rus (which lasted from the 9th to the 13th century), claiming it is reuniting these ancient lands, as Ivan the Terrible claimed in the mid-1500s.

    Grand Duchy of Lithuania, ruled by the Jagiellon dynasty in the 13th to 15th centuries.
    Wikipedia, CC BY

    In 1547, Ivan declared Muscovy a tsardom and Moscow to be the “Third Rome” – in other words, the latest centre of true Christianity, after Rome and Constantinople. This idea made conquest seem like a holy mission. By the late 1700s, the Russian Empire had destroyed Poland-Lithuania in a series of territorial annexations and wars. It had spread far to the south and east, and now bordered with Prussia and Austria.

    Ukraine, with its rich farmland and cultural connection to Kyivan Rus, was a top prize. Russian leaders called Ukraine “Malorossiya”, or “Little Russia”, to claim it was just a small part of a larger, Russian whole. They banned Ukrainian-language publications, forced the Orthodox Church of Ukraine to answer to Moscow, and tried to stamp out any sense of a separate Ukrainian identity.

    However, Ukraine developed its own cultural identity, shaped by its Cossack traditions, its history under Polish–Lithuanian rule, and its separate experiences. Many Ukrainians argue their culture existed long before Muscovy evolved into an empire.

    Winter Scene in Little Russia.
    Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovsky/Wikimedia Commons

    Meanwhile, Russia had expanded into its next-door neighbours, then pretended these lands had always been part of Russia. Historian Alexander Etkind calls this process “internal colonisation”. This strategy helped Russia become a vast empire. But it also built lasting resentment, particularly in Ukraine.

    Famine and ‘fascists’

    The Soviet Union (USSR), established in 1922 in the wake of the successful Bolshevik Coup in 1917, claimed to be a union of equal republics. But in practice, Moscow stayed firmly in control.

    Ukraine had the label of “Soviet Republic”, but had little genuine independence. Soviet leaders demanded enormous amounts of grain, coal, and labour from Ukraine to support the rest of the USSR.

    A postcard printed in Germany by Ukrainian Youth Association for the 15th anniversary of Holodomor, 1933.
    Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

    One of the darkest periods in Ukrainian history was the Holodomor, an orchestrated famine that spanned 1932–33, in which millions of Ukrainians died of hunger, after Stalin’s government seized huge amounts of grain from farmers. These policies aimed to break Ukrainian resistance and nationalist feelings.

    The Holodomor was an act of genocide against Ukrainians, though Russia disputes this interpretation.

    After World War II, the Soviet Union took over the Baltic states and parts of Poland, including regions now in western Ukraine. Although Ukraine became one of the more industrialised parts of the USSR, genuine displays of Ukrainian culture or independent thought were often met with harsh punishment. People who spoke out were labelled “fascists”, a term still used in Russia’s modern propaganda.

    Starved peasants on a street in Kharkiv during the famine.
    Widener Library, Harvard University

    Reclaiming Ukraine

    The USSR fell apart in 1991. Ukraine, along with other former Soviet republics, became independent nations. This was a major blow to Russia’s idea of itself as a world empire. For centuries, Moscow had seen Ukraine as central to its identity.

    The 1990s brought tough economic reforms and political changes in Russia. Then Vladimir Putin rose to power in the early 2000s, promising to restore Russia’s influence. He described the former Soviet states as the “near abroad”, suggesting Moscow still had special rights over these regions.

    In 2008, Russia went to war with Georgia. After winning, it recognised two breakaway provinces in Georgia, effectively keeping troops there.

    In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, claiming it was protecting Russian speakers. It also backed separatists in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. The United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 68/262 in March 2014, declaring Russia’s annexation of Crimea illegal. The Kremlin continued its policies regardless.

    ‘Denazifying’ Ukraine?

    In February 2022, Russia expanded the conflict by launching an invasion of Ukraine. It described its actions as a mission to “denazify” the country, accusing Ukraine’s government of being controlled by Nazis – although president Zelenskyy has Jewish heritage.

    There was no evidence to support these claims. Still, Russian leaders used these slogans to justify their aggressive push. They also spoke of “traditional values” and “Orthodox unity”, painting themselves as defenders of a shared Slavic culture.

    The military objective was to capture the Donbas completely, create a land bridge to Crimea, and maybe advance further to Transnistria in Moldova, a pro-Russian separatist region.

    What Russia hoped would be a quick victory has become a long, brutal conflict. For many Ukrainians, independence is more than just avoiding control by Moscow. It is about creating a society built on democracy, human rights and ties to Europe.

    These values inspired the Euromaidan protests in Kyiv in 2013–14, where demonstrators demanded less corruption and closer links to the European Union. Russia used these protests to justify seizing Crimea in 2014.

    A message of self-determination

    The Kremlin’s insistence that Ukrainians and Russians are the same mirrors the older imperial model: expand, absorb and claim these territories were always part of Russia. Breaking free from this “mental empire” demands a deep shift in how Russians, Ukrainians, and the world view Eastern Europe’s past and present.

    When the Soviet Union collapsed, many hoped for a new era of cooperation in Eastern Europe. Instead, authoritarian politics and old beliefs about empire have led to a devastating conflict.

    By refusing to be pulled back into Russia’s orbit, Ukrainians send a message about self-determination. They reject the claim bigger nations can absorb smaller ones simply by invoking a shared past.

    Darius von Guttner Sporzynski 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. Why does Putin insist Ukranians and Russians are ‘one people’? The answer spans centuries of colonisation and resistance – https://theconversation.com/why-does-putin-insist-ukranians-and-russians-are-one-people-the-answer-spans-centuries-of-colonisation-and-resistance-253043

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: UConn Championing More Women Surgeons

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Nineteen female fourth-year UConn medical students in the Class of 2025 have met their career match in surgery. They are choosing to enter the surgery fields at residency training programs at UConn and across the country. Their surgery-heavy training fields include general surgery, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, ENT, and OB/GYN.

    “We have a really amazing group of women – possibly the largest group ever – who matched to a robust set of competitive surgical residency programs,” said Dr. Marilyn Katz, assistant dean for Medical Student Affairs at UConn School of Medicine.

    UConn Bound
     One of the graduating UConn medical students is Kyanna Alleyne, 26, of West Hartford who is staying at UConn for residency training to become a future orthopaedic surgeon.

    “I’m so excited to stay at UConn and in Connecticut. My whole family is here. I knew I wanted to be at UConn,” says Alleyne who is so proud to see so many of her fellow female classmates choosing to enter the surgery fields too.

    “It’s amazing,” says Alleyne. “I love to see it. We do a lot of work at UConn to get more girls and women interested in surgery careers.”

    Future surgeons Kyanna Alleyne and Desiree Dear are both staying in their home state of Connecticut for a UConn surgical residency training program (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo).

    She was inspired to become an ortho expert after being a student athlete playing soccer at American University: “I’ve been around a ton of injuries,” she says. “Daily function of your body, even your hands, is so important.”

    Alleyne was also inspired to become an ortho surgeon thanks to her mentor Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr. Katherine Coyner at UConn Health who is also director of the new Women’s Center for Motion and Performance and an Orthopedic Team Physician for the UConn Huskies college athletes.

    “Dr. Coyner has helped me every step of the way during medical school. She takes mentorship of women very seriously and it shows from middle and high school girls to medical students to college athletes at UConn,” she says.

    Alleyne has volunteered in Coyner’s numerous workshops for female youth and medical students introducing them to the primarily male-dominated fields like orthopaedic surgery to recognize their potential to succeed in these fields.

    Desiree Dear, 28, of Bethel is also thrilled to be staying at UConn for residency too but in ENT. She also attended UConn as an undergrad.

    “UConn is such a family. We are very diverse, and UConn trains and show us the diverse fields of medicine too,” says Dear.

    Her mentor is Dr. Kourosh Parham, professor of ENT at UConn School of Medicine and UConn Health.

     (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo).

    “Dr. Parham is extremely supportive. I really liked learning about ENT, its surgical field and its outpatient care. Plus, I love the longitudinal relationships you can make with your ENT patients ranging from managing hearing loss to head and neck cancer surgery care,” says Dear.

    “UConn always has a focus to increase female representation. Seeing all these women entering diverse fields of surgery specialties is definitely inspiring. I hope it inspires other medical school classes in the future,” says Dear. “I am looking forward to graduation and experiencing the culmination of our medical education and celebrating with my classmates.”

    Parham, her mentor, is celebrating the record five UConn medical students who matched into ENT residency this year, and four of the five are women.

    “There was an outstanding group of UConn medical students, including Desiree, in the match applying to otolaryngology this year.  We could not be more delighted with the result of the match that allowed us to retain a talent like Desiree at UConn. We are excited about the next five years,” shared Parham.


    UConn Made Doctors Becoming Future Women Surgeons

    It’s a match! Some of the many female graduating UConn medical students choosing a future career in the surgery fields include (top row) Margaret Boudreau, Caitlin Foster, Vedika Karandikar, Carly Malesky, Desiree Dear, Kyanna Alleyne, Emily Orosco, (bottom row) Grace Nichols, Sarishka Desai, Summer Xu, Khaoula Ben Haj Frej, Julia Silverman, and Cailyn Regan. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)

    Other Class of 2025 students entering surgery residencies include Khaoula Ben Haj Frej, 27, of Waterbury who matched to General Surgery at Johns Hopkins.

    “I’m very excited,” she says. “I have always been interested in oncology, and I want to be a surgical oncologist.”

    “Both my grandfathers died of cancer, so becoming a cancer doctor has been a personal mission,” she says after having worked in clinical trials at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute prior to attending medical school at UConn where she loved her learning experiences.

    “I chose the surgery field because of the impact you can have. I love the immediacy of the surgical oncology field to be able to remove a patient’s cancer the same day. I saw a colon cancer patient here at UConn Health who got to go home without it! Also, oncology patients are an amazing patient population, and have such resilience,” she says.

    Cailyn Regan, 26, of West Hartford matched to General Surgery at Rutgers.

    “My Mom is actually a urologist,” Regan shared. “At the time she was the only woman in her urology residency training program. It’s so great to see so many UConn-trained women doctors following in my Mom’s footsteps representing women in all these diverse surgical fields.”

    Vedika Karandikar, 26, of Wilton matched to General Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University and is thrilled.

    “I feel incredibly grateful to be entering a field that allows me to connect deeply with people, make a direct impact in their lives, and combine science with precision in such a meaningful way,” says Karandikar.

    Catherine Qiu is Queens, NY bound. She matched to General Surgery residency training at NY-Presbyterian-Queens.

    Catherine Qiu, 25, of Trumbull, is an Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholar at UConn. She matched to General Surgery at NY-Presbyterian-Queens.

    “I’m so excited to start my surgical journey in Queens, a community I spent most weekends in growing up. It’s incredibly meaningful to work in a place that helped shape me,” Qiu said.

    She says UConn School of Medicine has prepared her well to become a well-rounded surgeon.

    “I’ve gained strong clinical skills and learned the value of patient-centered care through hands-on experiences and supportive mentorship. I’m especially proud to join the growing number of women surgeons from UConn—empowered by my inspiring female peers and mentors, and ready to lead in the field!” says Qiu.

    Pascale Carrel, 27, of Cos Cob matched into OB/GYN at NYP-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital is also thrilled to embark on the next step of her career.

    “OBGYN, like most other surgical fields, is incredibly competitive nowadays,” she shared and she’s proud of her female classmates entering surgery fields.

    “This just goes to prove that women can, and should, pursue their passions in competitive, historically male-dominated, fields. I’m so proud to be one amongst my peers,” says Carrel.

    Elizabeth Suschana, 29, of Somers also matched to OB/GYN at SUNY HSC Brooklyn.

    “Being a woman in medicine is challenging, but the future is female. It’s part of our duty as future female surgeons to empower others to pursue their specialty of choice despite society telling us what is and isn’t a surgeon,” Suschana shared.

    Zoe Paige Garvey, 28, of Windsor also matched to OB/GYN at Mount Sinai Morningside-West. She chose to enter medicine after experiencing surgery as a child.

    “I am driven to address healthcare disparities and improve the health outcomes of not only the patients and communities I directly serve but also through my advocacy for women on a state and national level,” said Garvey.

    Amanda Hernández Rodríguez, 27, of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico matched to OB/GYN at Nuvance Health Consortium, as she admires the important role OB/GYN physicians play in empowering women through education.

    Felicia Woron, of East Hartford, matched to OB/GYN at Maimonides Medical Center.

    “Although I was always interested in obstetrics and gynecology, I was actually fairly intimidated by the prospect of entering a surgical field until I had the opportunity to be in the OR during rotations. I quickly realized how gratifying and rewarding it could be to work as part of a surgical team and make an immediate impact on patients’ lives.”

    Woron concludes, “I am so excited to become a surgeon and proud of all of the other women from UConn entering surgical fields!”

    Other UConn women entering the surgical fields also includes:

    Margaret Boudreau, 27, of Wilton matched to Ophthalmology at UVA.

    Sarishka Desai, 26, of Darien matched to Ophthalmology at Tufts.

    Caitlin Foster, 26, of Glastonbury matched to Plastic Surgery at the University of Colorado.

    Carly Malesky, 25, of Milford matched to ENT at Montefiore/Einstein.

    Grace Nichols, 27, of Wethersfield matched to ENT at Georgetown.

    Emily Orosco, 27, of Camarillo, Calif. matched to General Surgery at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

    Julia Silverman, 25, of West Hartford matched to General Surgery at UNC.

    Summer Xu, 26, of Glastonbury matched to ENT at Beth Israel Deaconess.

    Some of the many women future surgeons in the UConn School of Medicine’s Class of 2025 donning their white coats including (front row):  Summer Xu, Grace Nichols, Margaret Boudreau, (middle row) Emily Orosco Cailyn Regan, Caitlin Foster, Khaoula Ben Haj Frej, Sarishka Desai, Kyanna Alleyne, (back row) Desiree Dear, Vedika Karandikar, Julia Silverman, and Carly Malesky (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Ninepoint Partners Welcomes Portfolio Manager Sam Mitter to Its Investment Team

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, April 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ninepoint Partners LP (Ninepoint Partners) is pleased to announce the appointment of Samarjit (Sam) Mitter to its investment team as Senior Portfolio Manager, beginning May 2025.

    Mr. Mitter joins Ninepoint with over 25 years of experience in the investment industry and a well-established career managing equity portfolios across U.S. and global markets. In his new role, he will focus on expanding Ninepoint’s equity investment platform and launching new mandates that reflect evolving client needs and market opportunities.

    Most recently, Mr. Mitter was a Portfolio Manager at AGF Management Ltd., where he managed the AGF US Small & Mid Cap Fund, which was the top-performing fund in its category in 2024. He was an integral part of AGF’s Growth Team, serving as Associate Portfolio Manager and Co-Manager for AGF Global Select and AGF US Large-Cap Funds, under lead manager, Tony Genua, from 2014 to 2025. AGF’s Growth Team managed over $16 Billion in assets at the end of 2024.

    Mr. Mitter brings broad experience across equity research, portfolio construction, and strategy development gained over the course of his career at several leading Canadian asset managers.

    “We’re excited to welcome Sam to Ninepoint as we continue to grow our investment team and broaden our platform,” said John Wilson, Co-CEO and Managing Partner at Ninepoint Partners. “His depth of experience and proven history of stock selection in both Global and US Equities will help us improve our Firm’s product offerings as we strive to deliver alpha generating, actively managed solutions to our clients.”

    Mr. Mitter holds an MBA from Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California and a Bachelor of Science from Culver-Stockton College, Canton, Missouri. He will be based in Toronto.

    His appointment underscores Ninepoint’s commitment to delivering high-quality, innovative investment strategies led by experienced professionals.

    About Ninepoint Partners LP

    Based in Toronto, Ninepoint Partners LP is one of Canada’s leading alternative investment management firms overseeing approximately $7 billion in assets under management and institutional contracts. Committed to helping investors explore innovative investment solutions that have the potential to enhance returns and manage portfolio risk, Ninepoint offers a diverse set of alternative strategies spanning Equities, Fixed Income, Alternative Income, Real Assets, F/X and Digital Assets.

    For more information on Ninepoint Partners LP, please visit ninepoint.com or please contact us at (416) 943-6707 or (866) 299-9906 or invest@ninepoint.com.

    Media Inquiries:
    Longacre Square Partners
    Kate Sylvester / Liz Shoemaker
    ninepoint@longacresquare.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Des Moines food pantries face spiking demand as the Iowa region’s SNAP enrollment declines

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Lendie R. Follett, Associate Professor of Business Analytics, Drake University

    A volunteer loads food into a bag at the Des Moines Area Religious Council food pantry in 2020. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

    As part of its drive to cut federal spending, the Trump administration has paused over US$500 million of funds that had previously flowed annually to food banks across the U.S. It’s not the only policy change that could make it harder than it already is for many Americans to get enough to eat.

    I’m a professor of statistics who finds hidden patterns in data related to food insecurity in Iowa. I also serve on the board of directors of Iowa’s largest network of food pantries.

    Food pantries in Iowa have seen demand for their assistance soar in recent years. At the same time, fewer Iowans have been enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, through which low-income Americans get money from the government to buy groceries.

    Hunger in the breadbasket of the world

    It may seem illogical that anyone in Iowa would need help obtaining food.

    Known as the “breadbasket of the world,” my state plays a crucial role in food production as a top supplier of grain, meats and eggs to both domestic and international markets.

    For example, in 2023, Iowa led the nation in corn production, harvesting over 2.5 billion bushels. It’s also the top producer of eggs, supplying more than 13 billion eggs per year.

    Despite this agricultural abundance, food insecurity – not being able to maintain an adequate diet – is a pressing issue. In 2022, an estimated 1 in 9 Iowans were hungry. This rate was even higher among children: 1 in 6.

    Des Moines Area Religious Council Food Pantry worker Patrick Minor looks over a cooler full of ground pork packages during a pantry stop in Des Moines, Iowa, in 2020.
    AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

    Food pantries struggle to keep up

    Many food-insecure families turn to food pantries to fill their refrigerators and cupboards.

    The Des Moines Area Religious Council operates 14 food pantries in the Polk County area. This network of food pantries has been seeing record-breaking demand. It provided food to more than 70,000 people in 2024, up from 59,000 a year earlier.

    About 35% of the people it supports are children. This rate has been increasing since government phased out COVID-19 pandemic-era programs, such as the Child Tax Credit expansion and summer EBT, a federal nutrition program that helped low-income families feed their kids when schools were closed.

    Some 19% of food pantry clients in the Des Moines region are unemployed adults, only 8% are people who are 65 and up, and 38% are adults who are either working or have disabilities.

    Scaling back benefits in 2022

    Early in the pandemic, Congress temporarily expanded SNAP by providing everyone enrolled in the program with the maximum amount of benefits for which they were eligible based on the number of people in their family, regardless of their income. Normally, only 37% of the people who get SNAP benefits get the maximum amount. For 2025, for example, a family of three can get up to $768 a month through the program.

    In March 2022, Iowa became one of the first states to end this policy, creating a natural experiment of sorts at a time when food prices were rising quickly.

    As you might expect, the number of clients visiting food pantries surged once that policy changed. This trend continued throughout 2024, with many months of record-breaking demand at the state’s food pantries.

    Hunger is up, SNAP enrollment is down

    While most food pantry visitors in Polk County qualify for at least some SNAP benefits, only around 1 in 3 are enrolled in the program today, down from 44% in 2020.

    This decline in SNAP enrollment is placing more pressure on the food pantries trying to make up the difference.

    Low SNAP enrollment rates can be partly explained by low benefit amounts, which is all that some eligible individuals and families qualify for.

    Recent laws have made it more difficult for families to be eligible to receive benefits. In 2023, Iowa introduced a state-specific asset test, which limits the total assets of all members of a family to $15,000 in order to maintain eligibility. This test includes the value of boats, vacation homes and savings accounts. It also includes a second vehicle used for household transportation purposes, but not a family’s primary residence.

    Another consideration is time management, especially in light of the additional administrative hurdles.

    “The time it is taking these working households to get and maintain their SNAP benefits is significantly more time and effort than simply visiting a local food pantry,” said Matt Unger, Des Moines Area Religious Council’s CEO. “Here in Iowa, we are facing nearly a 17-year low in SNAP enrollment while food banks and food pantries across the state are breaking records every month. Something just doesn’t add up.”

    Congress is currently deciding whether to cut SNAP spending. If lawmakers do that, benefits will decline, increasing the strain on food pantries in Iowa and everywhere else across the country.

    Lendie R. Follett is affiliated with the Des Moines Area Religious Council. She currently serves on the board of directors.

    – ref. Des Moines food pantries face spiking demand as the Iowa region’s SNAP enrollment declines – https://theconversation.com/des-moines-food-pantries-face-spiking-demand-as-the-iowa-regions-snap-enrollment-declines-252351

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: The Office of Congressman Donald Norcross Issues Update Following Serious Medical Incident

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Donald Norcross (1st District of New Jersey)

    CHERRY HILL, NJ — Today, the office of Congressman Donald Norcross issued an update from his doctor on the Congressman’s recent medical event.

    “Congressman Donald W. Norcross was transferred to Cooper University Health Care on Monday, April 7th following a medical incident that necessitated his hospitalization in Raleigh, NC.  Upon his arrival at Cooper, he was diagnosed with a gallbladder infection known as cholangitis that had progressed to sepsis,” said Dr. Eric Kupersmith, Chief Physician Executive at Cooper University Health Care. “The Cooper medical team was able to remove the gallstone and is treating the infection and its complications. Congressman Norcross is responding well to treatment, but faces an extended recovery that could require physical rehabilitation. He remains in intensive care.”

    While Congressman Norcross recovers, his offices in New Jersey’s First Congressional District and in Washington, DC remain open and available to constituents.  The Congressman is in regular contact with members of his staff and is monitoring circumstances in the Capitol and in the district. He and his family have been touched by the outpouring of support and well-wishes.

    His office will release further information as warranted.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: InspireSemi Announces Appointment of Jack Cartwright as Permanent CFO

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia and AUSTIN, Texas, April 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Inspire Semiconductor Holdings Inc.  (“InspireSemi” or the “Company”), a chip design company that provides revolutionary high-performance, energy-efficient accelerated computing solutions for High Performance Computing (HPC), AI, graph analytics, and other compute-intensive workloads is pleased to announce that it has promoted its interim Chief Financial Officer, Jack Cartwright, to the permanent Chief Financial Officer role with the Company.

    Ron Van Dell, InspireSemi CEO, commented, “Jack has been working with the InspireSemi team since June 2024 and has shown tremendous dedication and skill while acting as interim CFO. We are delighted to now make the position with the Company permanent and look forward to Jack leading the finance side of the business at this critical juncture for the Company, as we seek to commercialize our product.”

    Jack Cartwright is a successful financial and operational leader with over 20 years of corporate finance experience ranging from high growth early-stage tech firms to highly technical complex global businesses. Jack’s depth of experience includes SaaS, B2C marketplaces, AdTech, telecommunications, carbon and clean energy, and logistics.

    Based in Austin, Texas, Jack was previously CFO at two other technology firms and has held a variety of leadership positions in finance, including leading several M&A transactions on both the sell side and buy side, and also several fundraising efforts with large, institutional investors.

    Jack has also led many post-closing integration projects involving advanced reporting optimization, including the financial integration of two public software companies and the acquisition and concurrent integration of 4 Fintech companies with audit and IPO filings.

    Jack holds an MBA (The University of Texas at Austin) with a concentration in finance, accounting & strategy, and a Master of Science degree in Accounting (University of Miami) and was formerly an officer in the United States Army.

    The Company also announces its board of directors approved the grant of stock options dated April 15, 2025 (the “Options“) to an officer to acquire a total of 1,000,000 subordinate voting shares in the capital of the Company at an exercise price of $0.16.

    All of the Options are exercisable for a ten-year term expiring April 15, 2035, and were granted pursuant to the Company’s omnibus equity incentive plan (the “Plan“). All of the Options are subject to the terms of the Plan and applicable option agreements.

    166,667 stock options will vest immediately. A further 83,333 will vest on August 1, 2025, and the remainder will vest in equal monthly amounts over 3 years from August 1, 2025.

    About InspireSemi

    InspireSemi provides revolutionary high-performance, energy-efficient accelerated computing solutions for High-Performance Computing (HPC), AI, graph analytics, and other compute-intensive workloads. The Thunderbird I ‘supercomputer-cluster-on-a-chip’ is a disruptive, next-generation datacenter accelerator designed to address multiple underserved and diversified industries, including financial services, computer-aided engineering, energy, climate modeling, cybersecurity, and life sciences & drug discovery. Based on the open standard RISC-V instruction set architecture, InspireSemi’s solutions set new standards of performance, energy efficiency, and ease of programming. InspireSemi is headquartered in Austin, TX.

    For more information visit https://inspiresemi.com  
    Follow InspireSemi on LinkedIn

    Company Contact
    Ron Van Dell, CEO
    (737) 471-3230
    invest@inspiresemi.com

    Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

    This press release contains certain statements that constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (“forward-looking statements”). Statements concerning InspireSemi’s objectives, goals, strategies, priorities, intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations and estimates, and the business, operations, financial performance and condition of InspireSemi are forward-looking statements. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, or “believes” or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or statements formed in the future tense or indicating that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” (or other variations of the forgoing) be taken, occur, be achieved, or come to pass.

    Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, information regarding the Delisting and any future listing. Forward-looking information is based on currently available competitive, financial and economic data and operating plans, strategies or beliefs as of the date of this presentation, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of InspireSemi, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors may be based on information currently available to the Company including information obtained from third-party industry analysts and other third-party sources and are based on management’s current expectations or beliefs. Any and all forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

    Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is not based on historical facts but instead reflect management’s expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Forward-looking information reflects management’s current beliefs and is based on information currently available to them and on assumptions they believe to be not unreasonable in light of all of the circumstances. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

    Should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information except as otherwise required by applicable law.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI China: Regular Press Briefing of the Ministry of National Defense on April 9, 2025 2025-04-15 Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, answered recent media queries concerning the military, on the afternoon of April 9, 2025.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense 2

    On the afternoon of April 9, 2025, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, answered recent media queries concerning the military. (Photo by Zhang Zhicheng)

    (The following English text is for reference. In case of any divergence of interpretation, the Chinese text shall prevail.)

    Zhang Xiaogang: I have three pieces of information to announce on the top.

    Firstly, the Second Military Translation Challenge of the Chinese Armed Forces will be held at the College of International Studies, National University of Defense Technology from April to August. This year’s contest features an innovative competition system, updated language categories, and expanded scope of participants. It aims to support stronger exchanges and cooperation with foreign militaries and the building of a world-class military by enhancing defense language capabilities of the PLA.

    Secondly, the Ministry of National Defense will hold the 3rd International Security Cooperation Seminar for Foreign Military Attachés to China at the International College of Defense Studies of the National Defense University from April 10 to 11. Foreign defense attachés and the representatives of some international organizations will attend. During the event, civilian and military experts will be invited to deliver themed presentations, discussions and exchanges will be conducted on topics including strengthening international military cooperation and addressing regional security challenges, and a visit to model new rural communities will be organized. The seminar is to help foreign military attachés better understand China and the Chinese military, and to further enhance friendship and mutual trust.

    Thirdly, at the invitation of the Pakistan military, the PLA Army will send a unit to Pakistan to participate in the Pakistan Army Team Spirit (PATS)-2025 international military skills competition. The main subjects include nighttime reconnaissance and infiltration, ambush and counter-ambush, combat swimming, etc. It aims to test and improve combat capabilities of participating troops and strengthen exchanges and mutual trust among militaries of all participating countries.

    On the afternoon of April 9, 2025, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, answered recent media queries concerning the military. (Photo by Zhang Zhicheng)

    Journalist: It’s reported that President Xi Jinping and the Indian President have exchanged congratulatory messages, and agreed to advance a sound and steady growth of bilateral ties. How will the Chinese side grow its military relationship with India?

    Zhang Xiaogang: To celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and India, President Xi Jinping has exchanged congratulatory messages with the Indian President, which set the course of the bilateral relationship. As two ancient civilizations, major developing countries and important members of the Global South, China and India are both in a crucial stage of modernization. Being partners of mutual success serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples. The Chinese military stands ready to work with the Indian side to implement the important consensus reached between the two state leaders, strengthen communication and strategic mutual trust, safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas, promote a sound and stable mil-mil relations, and maintain peace in the region and beyond.

    Journalist: According to reports, the China-Cambodia Joint Support and Training Center at Port Ream has been officially inaugurated and put into operation. China and Cambodia militaries launched the “Golden Dragon-2025” joint exercise at the center. Could you tell us more about that?

    Zhang Xiaogang: The construction of the China-Cambodia Joint Support and Training Center at Port Ream embodies the principles of mutual respect and equal consultation between the two countries. It complies with domestic regulations of both countries, the relevant international law, and international practices, and will add new energy and dimensions to China-Cambodia mil-mil relations. The Chinese and Cambodian militaries will further strengthen substantive cooperation in areas such as joint training and exercises, personnel training, and professional exchanges, to continuously enhance their capabilities for maintaining regional peace and stability.

    Journalist: It is reported that during his recent visit to Japan, the US Secretary of Defense said Japan as a “warrior country” was indispensable for tackling “Chinese aggression” and complimented the “valor” of Japanese soldiers in the Battle of Iwo Jima. His remarks have aroused controversies in the US. Do you have any comment?

    Zhang Xiaogang: History shall not be forgotten, and the right and wrong must not be confused. The international community has long had a fair judgment on who launched wars, aggression and expansion, and who fought for peace during the Second World War. This year marks the 80th year of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Some people in the US are making a political stunt by distorting facts and whitewashing Japan’s militarism. It is a betrayal to soldiers who died in fighting fascists and has aroused public anger back in the US. It will surely be opposed by the international community and disdained by history. We urge relevant countries to stop spreading erroneous narratives, stop turning the Asia-Pacific into a hunting ground for geopolitical rivalry, stop stoking bloc politics and military confrontation, and stop undermining security and well-being of people in the region.

    On the afternoon of April 9, 2025, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, answered recent media queries concerning the military. (Photo by Zhang Zhicheng)

    Journalist: It is reported that the US Secretary of Defense reiterated US commitment to the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty to counter the so-called “China threat” on his visit to the Philippines. During his visit, the Philippines, the US and Japan conducted a joint patrol in the South China Sea. Recently, the US approved selling F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines. Do you have any comment?

    Zhang Xiaogang: On the pretext of honoring bilateral treaties, the US is meddling in the South China Sea issue, undermining China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and attempting to threaten and coerce China. This approach will simply not work. It needs to be pointed out that the Philippine side has repeatedly made infringements and provocations against China. Outside countries led by the US have made continued efforts to destabilize the South China Sea through playing up tensions and providing weapons. It fully exposed their true intention of making troubles in the region. For the Philippine side, “relying on foreign support to make waves at sea” will backfire and a pawn will only be used and discarded. We urge the Philippine side to give up unrealistic illusions and come back to the right track of dialogue and negotiation at an early date.

    Journalist: According to US media reports, the US Secretary of Defense signed a secret internal guidance memo, which identifies China as the “sole pacing threat,” allegedly prioritizing “denial of the mainland’s seizure of Taiwan” and strengthening US homeland defense. Please comment on that.

    Zhang Xiaogang: We have noted relevant reports. It seems that the US side’s “paranoia toward China” is increasingly severe. Viewing China as a threat is a serious strategic miscalculation that will only lead to disastrous consequences. It must be emphazised that China will and must achieve reunification. It is an unstoppable historical trend that no one or force can hold it back.

    On the afternoon of April 9, 2025, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, answered recent media queries concerning the military. (Photo by Zhang Zhicheng)

    Journalist: It is reported that Taiwan has received the first F-16V fighter jet ordered from the US, with an additional 65 scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2026. Some analysts suggest that this move is aimed at countering the increasingly modernized air force of the Chinese mainland. Please comment on that.

    Zhang Xiaogang: We have noted relevant reports. This is yet another instance of the double standard of the US where it broke its solemn political commitments, breached the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-US joint communiqués, grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs, and undermined peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. I want to underline that the US arms sales to Taiwan cannot change the strength contrast between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait much less impede the historical and inevitable trend of China’s reunification. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have squandered taxpayers’ money, which should have been used to benefit the people, to fill the bottomless hole of harming and ruining Taiwan. The attempts to solicit US support for “Taiwan independence” and to resist reunification by force will only plunge Taiwan into a dangerous and precarious situation of war and ultimately lead to its own destruction.

    Journalist: According to reports, the G7 Foreign Ministers and the European Union’s High Representative issued a statement on the joint exercises around Taiwan island conducted by the PLA in early April. The statement accused China of making “provocative actions” that escalate tensions across the Strait, opposed any unilateral actions to threaten the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Please comment on that.

    Zhang Xiaogang: Relevant countries and organizations blatantly violate the one-China principle and grossly interfere in China’s domestic affairs. We strongly deplore and resolutely oppose this. The joint drills of the PLA Eastern Theater Command around Taiwan Island deter the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces with overwhelming power and safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. This is a firm commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and safety and well-being of our compatriots in Taiwan.

    The Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China and how to resolve it brooks no foreign interference. The PLA remains in a combat-ready posture to fight against “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and pursue national reunification. We will resolutely thwart any separatist attempt for “Taiwan independence” and external interference.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What caused the crisis at British Steel?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Hossein Zarei, Assistant Professor of Operations Management, Aston University

    The two blast furnaces at British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant are the last of their kind in the UK. Baxter Media/Shutterstock

    The two blast furnaces at British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant in England are the last of their kind in the UK. The UK steel industry was once a world leader, powering the industrial revolution. But these days it is in crisis.

    The Chinese owner of the plant, Jingye Group, stopped ordering the raw materials needed for steel production and recently announced the furnaces would close down for good. Around 2,700 jobs are at risk at the plant – which is reportedly losing £700,000 a day.

    In response, the UK government introduced emergency powers to take control of production in a scramble to stop the furnaces from going cold. But its future remains uncertain.

    So why couldn’t the government just buy the raw materials needed to keep the furnaces burning? With steel, there are peculiarities around the production and supply chain.

    Virgin steel is the strongest form of the material and is used in key industries like railways, construction and manufacturing. It will be vital for the government’s ambitions to invest in UK infrastructure, from housing to green energy. Virgin steel is made using the extreme heat from a blast furnace, which must run 24 hours a day all year round.

    Manufacturing in other industries can be paused when demand goes down and then resumed once products are needed again. But for blast furnaces, if paused, the molten iron inside solidifies. And once reheated, it expands and cracks the furnace.

    To keep the blast furnaces running, it needs steady supplies (and “steady” is a key word here) of coking coal and iron ore. These are the two main raw materials needed for virgin steel.

    Planning for a steady supply requires inventory management, a science that aims to avoid either over-supply or shortages in the production process.

    Within inventory management, there are various models. For the steel industry, the “economic order quantity” model minimises the costs of ordering and holding raw materials to work out the best order size.

    When ordering costs go up, for example, due to increased shipping costs, the model adjusts the order size by buying larger batches. This should eventually keep the total inventory cost to a minimum.

    Ordering steel supplies builds on models like this, accompanied by other inventory management techniques. This ensures that costs are minimised while keeping enough iron ore and coking coal on hand to keep the furnaces burning.

    This is opposite to the “just-in-time” model, which recommends smaller quantities are ordered only when and where needed. Models like just-in-time are a better fit further downstream in supply chains, closer to the end customers. Here there is more variability in demand as customers’ tastes change.



    Read more:
    The past, present and uncertain future of the UK’s steel industry

    Virgin steel, on the other hand, follows a much more stable demand pattern. It prioritises cost-efficiency over agility.

    But problems arise when supply chains are distorted by external factors. The UK government has questioned whether Jingye was guilty of neglecting the plant. There is no doubt that if the furnaces in Scunthorpe went cold, the UK would become the only country in the G7 without the ability to produce its own virgin steel.

    It would then have to turn to China, the single largest global producer of steel (subsidised by the Chinese state), for imports.

    Where did it go wrong?

    Research on geopolitical tensions in supply chains shows that larger firms often adopt a “wait and see” strategy, rather than a proactive one in the face of these tensions. And geopolitical risks are less damaging to firms that have planned their supply chain resilience better, and that have greater cash holdings.

    Both of these were overlooked at British Steel, which has been struggling with financial problems and inefficient planning in recent years.

    Research on supply chains also shows that in the face of disruptions, firms can reconfigure their supplier networks. They can adopt a more diversified base of suppliers, create parallel supply chains, and consider reshoring (moving operations back from overseas).

    Again, the opposite is true for British Steel. It transitioned from domestic coking coal suppliers to international ones due to stricter UK environmental regulations and cheaper prices overseas.

    Another factor is lead times – the time from when an order is placed until it reaches the plant’s gate. Unlike the downstream of the supply chain, which is based on agile response to changing customer demands (the “pull” concept), the upstream of supply chains, where commodities like steel are manufactured, works in anticipation of demand (“push”) for the weeks and even months to come.

    Here, the lead times are long and cost-efficiency, not responsiveness, is the main objective. For steel production supplies, the lead time is around 45 days in normal times. The government has been able to secure emergency shipments from US, Australia and Sweden to tackle the supply shortage for now.

    But there are other factors that exacerbate British Steel’s problems. The 25% tariffs imposed by the US on steel imports and fears of a global trade war may drive down the already declining global demand for steel.

    The energy demands of blast furnaces are immense.
    ABCDstock/Shutterstock

    Second, producing virgin steel in blast furnaces is extremely energy-intensive compared to other methods of production like electric arc furnaces (although these cannot produce virgin steel). And the UK already has higher energy costs than rival steel-producing nations.

    Third, after years of apparent neglect, the Scunthorpe furnaces are now near the end of their lives. They should retire soon, even without Jingye’s decision to shut them down. All these elements have accelerated British Steel’s loss of competitive edge, leading to it filing those huge daily losses.

    Supply chain issues compounded by global tensions and an uncertain market create a perfect storm for the demise of British Steel. Government efforts to secure supplies are half measures that will merely keep the old furnaces operational for another few years. Whether it is eventually nationalised or acquired by a new parent company, the long-term sustainability of British Steel lies in investment in newer, greener virgin steel production methods – and getting a hold of the supply chain.

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

    – ref. What caused the crisis at British Steel? – https://theconversation.com/what-caused-the-crisis-at-british-steel-254557

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: If we must bring back extinct species, let’s focus on the giant herbivores

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Timothy Neal Coulson, Professor of Zoology and Joint Head of Department of Biology, University of Oxford

    The American genetic engineering firm Colossal Biosciences recently announced to much fanfare it had “de-extincted” the dire wolf, a canine species that was wiped out around 10,000 years ago. However, the three animals it presented are actually modern grey wolves with some genetic modifications.

    Regardless of whether you consider them dire wolves or not, Colossal Bioscience made the interesting claim that it had genetically engineered lost ecological function. This made me ponder what ecological functions are missing from today’s ecosystems as a result of extinctions we have caused.

    By ecological function, I am referring to the way all animals have some sort of influence on the ecosystems they inhabit. Honeybees and many other insects pollinate flowering plants, beavers build dams that create ponds and alter the flow rate of streams, elephants knock over trees helping to keep savannas open, and ants and termites shift vast amounts of soil and help decompose plant litter.

    It is not clear to me what functions Colossal’s genetically engineered wolves might have that is different from grey wolves, but it is hypothetically possible they would hunt different animals in different ways or places. With only three wolves, they are unlikely to have the statistical power to compellingly demonstrate any new ecological effects. But nonetheless, the idea that these wolves may play different ecological roles from grey wolves is more compelling than the claim they have brought back the dire wolf.

    One group of animals that have ecological functions that are oversized as they, are those that weigh more than half a tonne. These animals have also been hit hard by humans, and many species went extinct in the past few tens of thousands of years.

    Each time our ancestors colonised new continents as they spread around the world from Africa, large animals were driven to extinction at a higher rate than smaller ones. Giant ground sloths, mammoths and elephants, giant bison and tapirs, even species of massive armadillos and camels all died out in the millennia after humans arrived in the Americas.

    The rhino-sized giant armadillo Doedicurus survived in South America until 7,000 or so years ago.
    Daniel Eskridge / shutterstock

    Australia lost all its large animals, including a giant wombat-relative called diprotodon, giant short-faced kangaroos, and a marsupial that resembled a huge tapir. Along with these massive herbivores, marsupial lions that evolved from a lineage of herbivores, terrestrial crocodiles, giant constrictor snakes and huge monitor lizards were also lost. Europe and Asia similarly lost many large species when our ancestors settled these lands.

    The whole world was once like Africa

    Africa is the only continent to maintain lots of large herbivores, including rhinos, elephants, hippos, giraffes and buffalo. However, even on the continent where we evolved, losses occurred. Gone is a giant gnu-like beast and at least one elephant species, extinctions both attributed by some scientists to our ancestors.

    In Africa, the remaining giant herbivores play important ecological roles that have been lost elsewhere in the world. Elephants knock down trees keeping savannas open, while hippos create grazing lawns on land and add nutrients to the water through their dung, fuelling aquatic food chains.

    Until relatively recently, much of the world had huge animals like Africa.
    Rita Willaert / flickr, CC BY-NC-SA

    All giant herbivores trample vegetation and riverbanks and are key players in nutrient cycling thanks to the vast quantities of faeces they produce. They can also help disperse seeds and generate a mix of different habitats. These processes can determine how often an area is burned by wildfire, the type of ecosystem in an area, and can indirectly affect weather patterns and climate.

    The loss of these large animals, particularly in Australia, led to very significant changes in ecosystems ranging from tropical forests to deserts. Cycles of fires and nutrients changed with the extinction of giant herbivores, and the loss of all the apex predators led to an increase in grazing and browsing pressure from smaller herbivores including kangaroos, wallabies and koalas. This made it harder to avoid woodlands turning into savannas and semi-arid lands.

    The absence of large native predators meant the remaining marsupials lost their fear. When cats, dogs and foxes were introduced by humans, they decimated populations of many marsupials, driving some extinct. Lesser bilbies, desert bandicoots and broad-faced potoroos are gone for good, having been easy prey for introduced carnivores.

    Rhino-sized diprotodon was the largest ever marsupial. It coexisted with humans in Australia for thousands of years.
    Ryan B / flickr, CC BY-NC

    An impressive feat for Colossal Biosciences would be re-engineering large animals to provide lost ecological functions. De-extincting large herbivores like diprotodons and short-faced kangaroos, or even predators like marsupial lions, would be a seriously impressive achievement, but I suspect will be forever beyond the reach of science.

    Jurassic Park is fiction, as is recreating the fauna of Australia 60,000 years ago. Even if we could do this, it is not clear the de-extincted animals would thrive given how much the ecology of Australia has changed since their extinction.

    Instead of trying recreate lost ecological function through the genetic tinkering of living animals that are unlikely to be allowed back into the wild any time soon, we should take a different approach. The focus should be on maintaining and restoring ecological function using existing species within the areas in which they live or once lived. The science of doing this may not be as exciting as the genetic engineering of Colossal Biosciences, but it will be easier to deliver and will be more ecologically useful.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Timothy Neal Coulson is affiliated with the University of Oxford

    – ref. If we must bring back extinct species, let’s focus on the giant herbivores – https://theconversation.com/if-we-must-bring-back-extinct-species-lets-focus-on-the-giant-herbivores-254517

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Birmingham bin strikes: a threat to public health

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Paul Hunter, Professor of Medicine, University of East Anglia

    The bin workers’ strike in Birmingham – which began on March 11 – is set to continue after the latest pay offer was “overwhelmingly” rejected.

    Not only are the growing mountains of refuse unsightly and creating foul odours, they could pose significant threats to local residents’ health. Birmingham city council has declared the situation a “major incident”. This enables council leaders to request extra support from central government.

    This is not the first time bins have gone uncollected in the UK, though. Glasgow experienced a major refuse strike in 2021, while Birmingham previously saw significant disruption to refuse collection in 2017.

    Internationally, one of the most infamous garbage crises occurred in Naples, Italy, where mismanagement and mafia involvement led to a waste buildup that lasted over a decade. It finally ended in 2008.

    Surprisingly, studies on the health effects of the build up of domestic refuse in towns and cities are scarce. The few studies that do exist tend to be in developing countries or in people living close to waste treatment centres.

    Several studies have suggested increased deaths, cancer rates and birth defects associated with the Naples garbage crisis. However, these were associated with exposure over several years.

    The most comprehensive review that I can find dates back to 1967 before several of the major infectious concerns were even discovered.

    Rats

    Probably the most apparent danger from the Birmingham crisis is the reported appearance of rats – which some locals have described as being “bigger than cats”.

    Rats can transmit several diseases to humans. The infection of most concern is Weil’s disease, which can severely damage the liver and kidneys and can cause neurological problems. It can even be fatal.

    This infection is transmitted in rats’ urine and gains entry to the human body through cuts and grazes on the skin. Infections are mostly acquired during immersion in water contaminated by rats’ urine. There have been outbreaks associated with swimming in contaminated water or during flooding.

    Another infection is rat bite fever, a bacterial infection acquired following rodent bites. Both these infections are rare but can be fatal if not promptly treated.

    Then there is Seoul hantavirus, a viral infection that is mainly caught from breathing in aerosols (fine sprays) of rat urine and faeces. All of these rat-associated infections are quite rare. But even excluding these infections, rat bites can be severe and, like all animal bites, can become infected.

    Bacteria

    Another worry is stomach bugs such as Salmonella, Campylobacter and E coli, as well as bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. Wild animals, such as birds and foxes, might tear open bin bags, pick up these germs and then spread them to people through food or water. Even contact with pet dogs or cats can be a risk, since they can carry some of these bacteria.

    Seagulls can pick up Salmonella and Campylobacter from waste dumps and then pass that infection onto humans. At least one outbreak of Campylobacter was caused by birds pecking through milk bottle tops.

    Flies breed in rubbish and can also spread Campylobacter infections.

    Needles

    Finally, there is the issue of clinical waste such as needles being inappropriately disposed of in domestic refuse. Such clinical waste could include needles that could cause injury and spread blood-borne viruses, especially HIV and hepatitis B.

    Figuring out the likelihood of these harms is not that easy, though. But top of my list of concerns would be sharps injuries from contact with inappropriately discarded clinical waste. I would be particularly concerned about children playing around collections of waste. Bites from rats and other vermin attracted to waste would also be high on my list.

    Until the piles of refuse can be removed, children and pets must be kept away from them. If you need to move refuse sacks, make sure you wear a mask, strong gloves and as much protective clothing as possible.

    Paul Hunter consults for the World Health Organization and sits on a science advisory committee for Suez. He receives funding from National Institute for Health Research and has received funding from the World Health Organization and the European Regional Development Fund.

    – ref. Birmingham bin strikes: a threat to public health – https://theconversation.com/birmingham-bin-strikes-a-threat-to-public-health-254400

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Enhertu: drug approved for advanced cancers – here’s what you need to know

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Justin Stebbing, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University

    Sergey Novikov/Shutterstock

    A new cancer drug called trastuzumab deruxtecan, also known as Enhertu, has just been approved in the UK. This drug is designed to help adults with certain types of advanced cancer that cannot be removed by surgery, or which has spread to other parts of the body.

    It targets cancers linked to a protein called HER2. This approval is an exciting development because it could save lives and offer hope to patients who may have run out of treatment options.

    The drug has been authorised for use in the UK on the back of positive data, where patients were randomly assigned to this drug or the previous existing best treatment, which I have led studies on with large teams of researchers.

    Using this new precision medicine or targeted therapy, those who received the drug, had longer lives (as measured by these clinical trials). Other research I have been involved with has shown, that this is what matters most for the patients themselves, though, of course, quality of life is a priority too.

    Cancer is one of the biggest health challenges we face today. While there are many treatments available, not all cancers respond well to them. Some cancers grow and spread very quickly, making them harder to control. Others stop responding to treatments that initially worked, leaving patients with few options. For people with these types of cancers, new drugs can make a huge difference. They can help patients live longer, improve their quality of life, and provide hope when other treatments fail.

    Targeted treatment

    One reason new drugs are so important is that they often offer better ways to treat cancer. Older treatments like chemotherapy can be effective but often harm healthy cells along with cancer cells, causing unpleasant side effects. Newer drugs are more targeted, meaning they focus on killing cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone as much as possible. This makes treatment less harsh and more effective. Drugs like Enhertu represent this new generation of targeted therapies, though it can have very serious side effects.

    To understand how it works, it’s helpful to know about HER2. HER2 is a protein found on the surface of some cells in the body. It helps cells grow and divide normally, but in certain cancers, there’s too much HER2. This overproduction causes the cancer to grow faster and become much more aggressive. These types of cancers are called HER2-positive cancers, and they can occur in places like the breast, stomach and lungs.

    Enhertu is part of a newer type of cancer treatment called antibody-drug conjugates (ADC). It works like a delivery system for medicine, even a “biologic missile”. Imagine you’re trying to deliver a package (a powerful cancer-killing drug) directly to a specific house (the cancer cell). You don’t want the package to end up at the wrong house (healthy cells), because it could cause damage there. An ADC uses an antibody, a special protein that acts like a guide, to make sure the package is delivered to the correct address.

    Trojan horse

    First, the antibody part of the drug finds and attaches itself to HER2 on the surface of cancer cells. Once attached, the drug gets pulled inside the cancer cell like a Trojan horse. Inside the cell, it releases its chemotherapy agent, a strong medicine that kills cells and destroys the cancer from within.

    The drug can also kill nearby cancer cells that might not have as much HER2 but are still part of the tumour. This precise targeting means fewer healthy cells are harmed during treatment.

    The approval of Enhertu in the UK is great news for patients with advanced HER2-positive cancers that have spread or cannot be removed by surgery. Up to 20% of breast cancers are HER2 positive and many of these are cured before they spread. What’s even more exciting is that this drug also works for people with lower levels of HER2 (called HER2-low cancers), which means it could help even more patients in the future.

    For patients with advanced or hard-to-treat cancers, this approval offers new hope. Many people with HER2-positive cancers have already tried treatments like chemotherapy or surgery. Most of those will have had other anti-HER2 drugs but will still need help because their cancer has come back or spread further. This drug has shown in clinical trials that it can shrink tumours and help patients live longer than standard treatments. It gives doctors another option when other treatments aren’t working anymore.

    This approval also highlights how international collaboration can speed up access to life-saving drugs. The investigators here worked collaboratively across numerous countries in the world to undertake these studies.

    But while Enhertu brings hope to many patients, it’s important to remember that no drug is perfect. Like all medicines, it comes with some risks and side effects. Common side effects include nausea, fatigue and low blood counts. A rare but serious side effect is interstitial lung disease, which affects the lungs and can be dangerous if not treated quickly. Doctors will carefully monitor patients taking this drug to catch any problems early and stop the drug if necessary.

    Despite these risks, in most situations doctors and patients feel that the potential benefits outweigh them. It offers a chance for better outcomes, in those for whom it is suitable.

    This approval also represents progress in how we treat cancer using personalised medicine (an approach where treatments are tailored specifically for each patient based on their unique biology or the genetic makeup of the cancer) to treat the right person at the right time with the right drug.

    Every breakthrough like this brings us closer to a world where fewer people die from cancer, and where those who do face it have better chances of living longer and healthier lives.

    Justin Stebbing 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. Enhertu: drug approved for advanced cancers – here’s what you need to know – https://theconversation.com/enhertu-drug-approved-for-advanced-cancers-heres-what-you-need-to-know-254254

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How architecture shapes video game play

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Gabriele Aroni, Senior Lecturer in Games Art at the School of Digital Arts, Manchester Metropolitan University

    When players enter the virtual worlds of video games, they are greeted by complex architectural environments. These virtual spaces do more than serve as mere backdrops for gameplay. The design of buildings, streets and entire cities guides player emotions, behaviours and even advances the narrative.

    As an architect specialising in digital media, I am interested in how video games use architecture to convey meaning. Virtual worlds in video games are often rooted in real-world architectural principles.

    Game rules are technically completely disjointed from our physical world: we could easily traverse a concrete wall as if made of air. However, how players understand how to play is the opposite. For instance, if I see a door in a game, I can assume that it can opened, or that it leads somewhere. Players need a frame of reference to understand games, and this is why most game environments resemble, at least in some way, real-world architecture.

    Video game architecture varies wildly. There are realistic historical cities like the ones in Assassin’s Creed or the contemporary Japan of Like a Dragon. Fantastic interpretations of architecture range from the ancient Chinese scenery of Black Myth: Wukong to the science fiction metropolis of Cyberpunk 2077.

    Visionary architectural sceneries are less common, as they are harder to relate to. Their design displays architectural forms that are so transformed in their size, shape or materials that they look distant from normal architectural conventions and the laws of physics. Examples of this can be seen in experimental independent games such as Manifold Gardenor NaissanceE.

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    Much like real-world architecture, game architecture must work. There is a budget, even though it is based on how many polygons and textures buildings can be made of, rather than their construction costs. There is no building code to comply with, but distances and paths must follow the coded rules of the game.

    Take Assassin’s Creed II, where the protagonist runs and climbs buildings in 15th-century Florence. The reconstruction is relatively accurate, so much so that people who played the game can reasonably orientate themselves in the real Florence. But there are several adjustments which were necessary on technical and gameplay terms.

    The whole city and all of the buildings are noticeably scaled down to offer shorter distances to traverse and jump across. While not a large city, taking half an hour to traverse it on foot is an eternity in video game time.

    Environmental storytelling

    In addition to guiding gameplay, architecture in video games plays a critical role in telling stories. This is known as environmental storytelling. Unlike traditional forms of narrative, where story is told through dialogue or cutscenes, environmental storytelling allows the world itself to communicate plot and themes.

    In games, the design of spaces can hint at a game’s backstory, themes or the emotions players should feel at a given moment. For instance, in the cyberpunk game Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, shady corporations dominate the world. To establish this narrative, their buildings are designed to manifest their power through impenetrable monolithic structures which loom over the skyline of future Prague.

    Some games exclusively use their environments to tell their stories. This is the case in Manifold Garden, a puzzle game created by artist William Chyr. Players are catapulted in a world where space repeats in every direction and objects that fall down reappear from the top, including the player. Chyr was inspired by the visionary art of M.C Escher – you might know his artwork Relativity where staircases go off in all directions and appear upside down. Chrys was also inspired by real architects, such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Tadao Ando. As such, he used architectural elements to guide players in this strange world, such as placing windows strategically in order not to lose their orientation.

    All these elements are implemented most successfully when they are seamlessly blended into the game space and setting, while not being too conspicuous. In Mirror’s Edge, a game set in a sterile modern metropolis dominated by white skyscrapers, primary colours on common structural elements are used to indicate directions and interactable items, such as red pipes or doors. This way, players are easily and rapidly directed by objects that are not out of place, but distinct enough to be noticeable.

    When clues indicating what to do are too evident, they are usually not looked upon too well by players. For instance, in the recent games Resident Evil 4 Remake and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, splotches of yellow paint have been placed on the objects necessary to progress. This was met with ridicule from many players.

    So game architecture must always walk a fine line between presenting engaging environments and helping gameplay without being too obtrusive. As games continue to evolve, the role of architecture will remain central to the ways in which digital environments are designed to engage, challenge and inspire players.

    Gabriele Aroni 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. How architecture shapes video game play – https://theconversation.com/how-architecture-shapes-video-game-play-254632

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Implementation of artificial intelligence in the organization: what effects do employees note

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    “The impact of AI on the labor market is a relevant topic that has been little studied in Russia. In our study, we used unique data from a survey of AI-using organizations, allowing us to analyze the effects of AI implementation taking into account the characteristics of organizations and the parameters for implementing these technologies,” the authors note.

    Overall, the implementation of AI technologies has resulted in an increase in the quality of products or services (in 54.3% of user organizations), an increase in the efficiency of business processes (51%), and labor productivity (45%). More than a quarter of AI-using companies (27.6%) reported an increase in labor safety. The least common impacts of AI on the work of organizations were a decrease in the number of employees (10%) and labor costs (9.4%).

    Most often, organizations use AI in marketing and sales (55.9%) and organizational management (39.9%), less often in working with personnel (16.5%), logistics and transportation (17.4%).

    Visual data processing technologies are the most popular in all types of economic activity, except for activities in the field of information and communication, where text processing technologies are more widespread.

    In total, 69.2% of user organizations participating in the survey used visual data processing technologies. Text processing technologies are used by 48.7% of respondents, and audio data processing technologies are used by 46.3%. “Four AI technologies are used by 11.3%, three by 14.6%, two by 20.1%, but a separate class of AI technologies is in demand at the majority of organizations (45.1%),” the study notes.

    “While more and more organizations are adopting AI technologies, many are still in their early stages of AI integration,” the authors write.

    Researchers have found that various effects on labor have a significant relationship with different characteristics of organizations and the implementation of AI. For example, the implementation of all types of AI technology (except for visual data processing) in all business processes in which AI is implemented (except for security) leads to an increase in labor productivity in the organization. At the same time, the effect, unlike others, turned out to be more typical for large organizations.

    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 Global: A small difference in how ratings are displayed can unintentionally mislead consumers

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Deepak Sirwani, Assistant Professor, UBC Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia

    Ratings have become as crucial to purchasing decisions as factors like price, brand reputation or recommendations from family and friends (Shutterstock)

    Ratings are ubiquitous in today’s digital world. Platforms like Amazon, Yelp and Uber Eats bombard users with stars, numbers and symbols that can heavily influence consumer decision-making.

    Research suggests ratings have become as crucial to purchasing decisions as factors like price, brand reputation or recommendations from family and friends, especially in terms of online shopping. Even a small increase of 0.2 in a rating can boost sales by 30 to 200 per cent.

    However, not all rating formats are created equal. Consider two hotels, both rated 3.5 out of five stars. One hotel displays its rating as a visual image of three stars with a fourth partially filled, while the other just lists the numerical score “3.5.” Which one would you be more likely to choose?

    My recent research study with my co-authors found that the way ratings are displayed — as stars versus numbers — can shape consumer perceptions in subtle yet predictable ways. Visual star ratings, fractional ones in particular, tend to appear more appealing to consumers than their number rating counterparts.

    Stars versus number ratings

    We conducted a series of 12 experiments involving thousands of participants. In one, participants were asked to plot fractional numbers on an unmarked line; another tested how people visually process partially filled stars. In another experiment, respondents were given half ratings (like 1.5 or 2.5) and asked how they might round up or down, while another tested whether one format was more memorable than the other.

    We found that fractional star ratings (a visual image of three stars with the fourth partially filled) tend to be overestimated by roughly 0.12 points, meaning a 3.5-star rating feels more like 3.62. In contrast, numeric ratings (like “3.5”) are underestimated by about 0.05 points, making them feel close to 3.45.

    These biases stem from different cognitive processes. Fractional star ratings trigger the visual-completion effect, in which the brain instinctively tries to complete the image. When people see a half-filled star, their brains unconsciously perceive it as closer to a full star, effectively rounding the rating upward because it can’t resist filling in the missing piece.

    This process occurs automatically, without conscious awareness. This mental shortcut is a fundamental aspect of how humans see the world. It’s what allows people to recognize familiar faces behind masks, identify logos from partial images and interpret obscured road signs. When applied to product ratings, this natural tendency can lead consumers to overestimate a product or service’s true rating.

    Numeric fractions, on the other hand, trigger left-digit bias where the brain anchors on the leftmost digit — the three in 3.5 — causing perceptions to lean downward, instead of up.

    While these biases may seem small, they can significantly influence where consumers decide to eat, stay or shop.

    The ethical dilemma for marketers

    For businesses, star ratings can offer a subtle, often irresistible boost in perceived quality. Yet, exploiting this illusion comes with ethical implications.

    Inflated ratings might drive short-term sales, but they risk damaging consumer trust over time. Take, for example, a hotel boasting a four-and-a-half-star rating. Such a score sets expectations of near perfection, and when reality falls short, customer disappointment can lead to critical reviews. In the digital age, such reviews spread quickly, potentially causing long-term damage to a company’s reputation.

    Negative online reviews can have enduring detrimental effects on both sellers and platforms. Research indicates that negative reviews can significantly decrease consumer trust and purchase intentions. In one study, consumers who encountered just one negative review were 41.8 per cent less likely to buy a product compared to when no negative feedback was present.

    Transparency matters deeply in today’s marketplace. Marketers and online rating platforms should carefully consider how their rating designs might unintentionally mislead customers. Honest ratings build lasting trust; misleading ratings erode it.

    A call for rating standardization

    Our research has also identified practical solutions to the problem of misleading ratings. One simple yet effective approach is to use visually complete stars. Showing visually complete stars instead of partially filled ones dramatically reduces the tendency to round up. In fact, overestimation of fractional ratings was reduced by 86 per cent by replacing normal stars with visually complete stars.

    Another effective approach is to prioritize numeric ratings, which have smaller biases. A numeric rating might cause a consumer to dismiss a quality establishment because a 3.5 feels closer to three than four. While this might lead them away from genuinely good choices, this distortion is less impactful than the significant overestimation triggered by partial stars.

    Given how influential ratings are, standardization across platforms is crucial. Policymakers and industry bodies should consider establishing consistent standards, such as requiring visually complete stars or using numeric scores, to ensure fairness and transparency. This would enable consumers to make informed decisions and ensure businesses compete based on actual quality.

    Small visual illusions can drive big changes in behaviour, but by understanding and correcting these subtle biases, we can create a fairer digital marketplace. Clearer, standardized rating displays benefit everyone: consumers make better-informed choices, businesses are rewarded for genuine quality and platforms build lasting consumer trust.

    Next time you see a rating, pause for a moment and ask yourself: is this star rating nudging me toward an inflated expectation? Being aware of these subtle visual tricks can help you make better choices as a consumer and avoid disappointment.

    Deepak Sirwani 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 small difference in how ratings are displayed can unintentionally mislead consumers – https://theconversation.com/a-small-difference-in-how-ratings-are-displayed-can-unintentionally-mislead-consumers-250985

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: AutoScheduler CEO Speaking at Gartner® Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo on How PepsiCo Uses AI and Optimization to Evolve Warehouse Decision-Making

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    AUSTIN, Texas, April 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AutoScheduler.AI, an innovative Warehouse Orchestration Platform and WMS accelerator, announces that CEO Keith Moore and Axel Arias, Senior Director of Warehouse Operations for PepsiCo, will discuss how PepsiCo is leveraging artificial intelligence and orchestration to drive more efficient warehouse execution within its plant-based warehouses. The session occurs on Monday, May 5, from 1:35 PM to 1:55 PM EDT. AutoScheduler will be demoing its award-winning orchestration platform in Booth 922.

    “Our clients face constant disruptions, production schedule changes, poor coordination between warehouse and production processes, ineffective WMS and automation system performance, and complex layouts that result in high travel,” says Keith Moore, CEO of AutoScheduler.AI. “For enterprises serious about efficiency and resource maximization, AutoScheduler delivers dynamic orchestration tailored to plant warehouse complexities, ensuring every asset and process is optimized to support production, boost throughput, and drive profitability.”

    Attendees to the AutoScheduler.AI session, “How PepsiCo Uses AI and Orchestration to Evolve Warehouse Decision-Making,” will learn:

    • Key challenges in warehousing and how automation adds complexity.
    • How AI-driven orchestration improved speed, accuracy, and efficiency at PepsiCo, including a 30 – 35% increase in pallet moves without adding additional labor or equipment.
    • Insights into the future state of warehousing—showcasing how continued advancements in orchestration and AI will redefine warehouse operations.

    Keith Moore is the CEO of AutoScheduler.AI. He provides organization-wide strategic oversight and establishes external engagement and development initiatives. He spends most of his time working with his customers to deliver supply chain solutions focused on driving efficiency in distribution centers.

    Axel Arias is the Senior Director of Warehouse Operations at PepsiCo Foods North America, supporting the Frito-Lay division. Since joining PepsiCo in 2011, Axel has held leadership roles across both manufacturing and warehousing, where he has successfully led large-scale transformation initiatives spanning packaging, automation, and operational efficiency. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Merced. Today, Axel applies his deep operational expertise and passion for team development to drive warehouse strategy—focusing on enhancing automation performance, elevating workforce capabilities, and minimizing end-to-end operational waste.
    The Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo™ 2025 will take place in Orlando, Florida, from May 5–7, 2025. This event brings together Chief Supply Chain Officers and supply chain leaders to explore critical topics such as transformative strategies, emerging technologies, and risk mitigation. The conference is designed to equip attendees with the insights and tools needed to tackle today’s most pressing supply chain challenges.

    GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

    About AutoScheduler.AI

    AutoScheduler.AI empowers you to take full control of your warehouse with a cloud-based solution that seamlessly integrates with your existing WMS/LMS/YMS or any other solution. We automate critical tasks like labor scheduling, dock management, and task sequencing, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. You’ve already invested in the software to run your warehouse—what we do is provide the orchestration layer that ties it all together to make real-time data driven decisions. With AutoScheduler.AI, you get smart orchestration for a smarter, more agile warehouse. For more information, visit: http://www.autoscheduler.ai.

    Contact:
    Becky Boyd
    MediaFirst PR
    Becky@MediaFirst.Net
    Cell: (404) 421-8497             

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Genomics research will advance treatment for B.C. patients

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    The Province is accelerating the future of patient care and advancing testing for cancer, heart disease, transplants and infections with eight new genomics research projects, in partnership with Genome BC and Genome Alberta.

    Genomics is the study of an organism’s genetic material and how genes work together. In medicine, genomics is used to develop personalized treatments based on a person’s genetic makeup. Researchers from B.C.’s health authorities and the University of British Columbia are involved in all eight genomic research projects.

    “Genomics is transforming health care, offering new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent diseases,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “By supporting Genome BC, we are helping to advance research to improve patient outcomes and make precision medicine more accessible to people across British Columbia. These efforts will contribute to faster diagnoses, more precise treatments and improved health-care outcomes for patients.”

    The eight research projects are part of Genome BC’s and Genome Alberta’s Healthy Outcomes through Genomic Innovations program, which aims to help new innovations in genetic testing and precision medicine reach hospitals and clinics faster.

    “This initiative is designed to drive the adoption of genomics-based technologies into clinical practice, focusing on projects that deliver tangible patient benefits in the near future,” said Suzanne Gill, president and CEO, Genome BC. “Whether it’s detecting cancer earlier, improving transplant success or tailoring medications to an individual’s genetic makeup, these projects are about making health care work better for everyone.”

    These projects, valued at almost $6 million, of which $1.7 million came from the Province via Genome BC, will allow care providers to get new tools to enhance diagnosis, treatment and patient care sooner. The projects focus on:

    • safer chemotherapy for children;
    • improving kidney transplant monitoring;
    • more precise cancer testing;
    • heart-failure detection;
    • at-home lung cancer screening;
    • faster diagnosis of blood-stream infections;
    • combating drug-resistant infections in hospitals; and
    • standardizing formats for genetic drug sensitivity test results.

    “Genomic research is advancing our understanding of the genetic underpinnings of disease, driving precision medicine and transforming health care,” said Dr. Paul Keown, lead researcher on one of the projects and professor in the faculty of medicine at the University of British Columbia, speaking on behalf of fellow researchers Dr. James Lan and Karen Sherwood. “We are working on innovations that are close to adoption by the health-care system. These projects will deliver meaningful results that directly improve patient care.”

    The research projects are part of B.C.’s Life Sciences and Biomanufacturing Strategy and the broader StrongerBC Economic Plan, which seeks to foster innovation, create high-paying jobs and enhance health and pandemic preparedness domestically and internationally.

    Genome BC is a not-for-profit organization that has advanced genomics research and innovation since 2000, growing a world-class life-sciences sector in B.C. The organization strives to enhance health care and address environmental and natural-resource challenges, improving the lives of British Columbians. Genome BC supports responsible research and innovation, fostering an understanding and appreciation of the life sciences among educators, students and the public.

    Learn More:

    For details about the eight genomic research projects, visit: https://www.genomebc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/BACKGROUNDER-Healthy-Outcomes-Through-Genomic-Innovations-Announcement.pdf

    For information about Genome BC, visit: https://www.genomebc.ca/

    To read the Life Sciences and Biomanufacturing Strategy, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/initiatives-plans-strategies/technology-industry/life-sciences-biomanufacturing/bc_life_sciences_biomanufacturing_strategy_final_april_2023.pdf

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: I was a child soldier – here’s what it’ll take to protect young lives in conflict zones

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Charles Wratto, Associate Professor of Peace, Politics, and Conflict Studies, Babes Bolyai University

    The use of child soldiers is a profound human tragedy that continues to scar generations across the world.

    According to the United Nations, over the years, thousands of children, some as young as six years old, have been manipulated, indoctrinated and coerced into joining armed groups.

    Many of these children have fought against peacekeeping troops in Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo and US-led coalition soldiers in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia.

    The devastating effect of this grave, yet persistent, tragedy extends beyond the individual child. It tears communities and families apart and leaves generations scarred with the trauma of war long after the guns fall silent.

    International agreements like the Optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, the Paris principles and commitments, the Rome statute and the Cape Town principles have condemned the practice. They provided legal and practical pathways to stop the use of child soldiers.

    Intervention campaigns like Child Soldiers International, the Children, Not Soldiers campaign, and the Kony 2012 campaign were launched to combat unlawful recruitment. They also raise awareness to protect child combatants in conflict regions.



    Read more:
    Why some rebel groups force kids to fight: it depends on how they are funded

    The International Criminal Court has held trials and convicted warlords responsible for the abduction and arming of children.

    The United Nations has published a list to “shame” governments and non-state actors that enlist minors in their armies.

    Despite these efforts, the problem persists as governments and insurgent groups recruit minors in various regions of the world.

    One of the reasons may be that children’s presence on the battlefield throws the training and ethics of professional soldiers off balance. Children are widely considered innocent, harmless, and deserving of care and protection. Harming them can cause severe emotional and psychological distress that conventional soldiers are ill-equipped to handle. Armed groups who use children can get a strategic advantage if they make adult soldiers feel guilt, terror, shame and cowardism.

    As a researcher in peace, politics and conflict studies and a former child soldier in the Liberian civil war, I have centred my studies on children in armed conflict and how states respond to crises and conflict.

    I am passionate about protecting children in conflict zones because I know what it means to experience violence at a very young age.

    I also understand, from my own experience, what it means to return to a society that saw me as a dangerous and irredeemable person and to find purpose in a world that labelled people like me as a “lost generation”.

    Based on my personal experiences and interaction with child soldiers, I identify six ways society can help protect children in conflict zones. They are: cutting off arms sales to conflict regions; providing continuous education during conflict; providing life-saving essentials; working with local communities; listening to children’s voices; and involving child soldiers in the implementation of disarmament and reintegration programmes.



    Read more:
    The old ways of reintegrating young veterans need to be abandoned

    Six ways to protect children in conflict zones

    Cut arm sales to conflict regions

    Armed groups often rely on the constant flow of small arms and light weapons to maintain their operations.

    The availability of these weapons enables groups to enlarge their forces, often using vulnerable children. Stopping weapons sales would undermine the effectiveness of these groups.

    If there are fewer arms, warlords will find it harder to lure children with false promises of protection and power. Warlords might have to create pathways for peace talks, and children could be demobilised.

    Under Charles Taylor, Liberia was a regional hub for illicit weapons trade and child soldier recruitment. The UN arms embargo in 2001 limited Taylor’s ability to resupply his troops, leading to his eventual exile and an end to the war in 2003. While an effective arms embargo may not end a war or child recruitment immediately, it can erode armed groups’ combat ability, pressuring them to negotiate, collapse, or lose their grip over vulnerable children.

    Provide life-saving essentials

    In war-torn places, poverty and starvation sometimes push families to hand over their children to armed groups in exchange for food.

    Given life-saving essentials such as food, shelter and medical care, families can be shielded from poverty. This will reduce voluntary enlistment.

    Microfinance initiatives that support small businesses, and provision of vocational training programmes, can also lift families from poverty.

    Continuous education during conflict

    Governments and multilateral institutions must provide emergency education
    and train teachers and caregivers in camps for internally displaced people.

    Being able to carry on with schooling in a safe environment can curb child recruitment and empower young people for the post-war reconstruction of their nations. Such sanctuaries should also include mobile counselling and trauma therapy centres where children can process their grief and experiences to rebuild trust.



    Read more:
    Adolescent girls in five African conflict zones share stories about their lives

    Work with local communities and leaders

    Governments, NGOs and policymakers must address existing grievances and empower local communities to assist in reintegrating former child soldiers. Reintegration involves not only children returning home but also ensuring communities are better prepared and equipped to welcome them.

    Partnering with local communities can also strengthen awareness about the dangers of child (re) recruitment.

    Ex-child soldiers as part of disarmament and reintegration

    Governments and humanitarian agencies must include former child soldiers in the design and implementation of disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration programmes.

    Their firsthand knowledge of the conscription process, combat realities, fears, nightmares and reintegration struggle offers unique insights. They can help create programmes that meet real needs.

    Although the current disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration guidelines emphasise children’s rights to disarm, they do not mention children’s inclusion in the development of effective life changing programmes.

    Listen to children’s voices

    Educational institutions, governments and peacebuilding agencies must take children’s contributions to peacebuilding seriously.

    Children bear the wounds of war. They have seen the destruction firsthand and have experienced various forms of loss and pain. This makes them not only observers of violence but also powerful advocates for peace.



    Read more:
    War affects girls and boys differently: what we found in our study of children in the DRC

    Why the world must act

    My experiences have taught me that no child is beyond redemption, particularly when given the right support and care they need.

    Child soldiers, though shaped by unfortunate circumstances, are not inherently violent. They should not be feared or stigmatised. They are victims who deserve healing, love and education.

    I was not given a gun because I was strong. I was handed one because I was weak, because children, stripped of alternatives, can be manipulated and turned into weapons of war.

    I survived not because I was better than others, I survived because someone, a Nigerian, refused to reduce me to the war I was forced into. This is why I believe everyone can play a role to protect children in conflict zones. Those who can, but refuse to, are no different from the warlords who enlisted the children.

    Charles Wratto is affiliated with the Center for Peace and Violence Prevention.

    – ref. I was a child soldier – here’s what it’ll take to protect young lives in conflict zones – https://theconversation.com/i-was-a-child-soldier-heres-what-itll-take-to-protect-young-lives-in-conflict-zones-245517

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Nigeria’s Cross River State second to commence construction of its Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone

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

    CALABAR, Nigeria, April 15, 2025/APO Group/ —

    Nigeria’s Cross River State became the second to mark construction of a Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone after the country’s Vice President Kashim Shettima and African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina broke ground at the project site on Thursday 10 April.

    The SAPZ aims to tackle food insecurity, enhance local production, and position Nigeria as a food export leader by leveraging Cross River’s ports and research assets to boost global trade, reduce food imports, and drive prosperity through the agro-industrialization of crops like cocoa and cassava.

    The groundbreaking in Cross River follows that of Kaduna (http://apo-opa.co/42Mquvu) which took place few days earlier. Six other states – Kano, Kwara, Imo, Ogun, Oyo, and the Federal Capital Territory – are included in Phase 1 of the $538 million SAPZ program, with plans to expand to the remaining 28 states this year pending the African Development Bank’s Executive Board approval for Phase 2 funding.

    Shettima emphasized the project’s priority and need for national collaboration: “The SAPZ program has been recognized as a national priority for food security in Nigeria.” He noted, “There is no better time than now for the federal and state governments, development partners, the private sector, and our communities to work hand in hand to ensure the success of the SAPZ project.”

    Adesina celebrated the milestone, saying, “Today is a big day for Nigeria,” and added, “The Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones is bringing good news to Nigeria, State Governments and Local Governments. Good news to farmers, agribusinesses, and all rural areas of Nigeria. Good news of jobs, wealth, and prosperity with agriculture as a business.

    “With the abundant arable land, cheap labor and vast agro-ecological areas, Nigeria should not be importing food,” said Adesina who was accompanied by his wife Grace Yemisi Adesina.

    The Bank Group president highlighted Cross River’s export potential: “Bakasi deep seaport will turn the state into a logistics hub in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea, enabling trade with Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea Bissau.”

    The 130-hectare Agro-Industrial Hub in Adiabo will leverage the Calabar Sea Port, Bakassi Deep Sea Port, a 23 kVA power plant in Tinapa, and a 630 kVA Calabar Power Plant. Its Agricultural Transformation Centre, supported by the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria and the University of Calabar, lies less than 45 minutes from Ikom, Etung, and Boki, boosting cocoa production for global markets.

    Governor Bassey Otu outlined the state’s vision, saying, “For us in Cross River State, the establishment of clusters of smallholder farmers focused on staple and cash crops such as rice, cassava, millet, cocoa, and oil palm is a vital step toward agro-industrialization.”

    “These initiatives are aimed at strengthening food security, diversifying our state’s economy toward export-oriented agriculture, and boosting our GDP,” added Governor Otu, saying the state should expect to see a big difference in two years. 

    The African Development Bank Group is investing $210 million, including $50 million from its Africa Growing Together Fund. The Islamic Development Bank is contributing $150 million, the International Fund for Agricultural Development is contributing $100 million, the Green Climate Fund is contributing $60 million, and the government is contributing $18 million.

    Speaking during the occasion, the International Fund for Agricultural Development’s Country Director, Dede Ekoue, noted that the SAPZ will build on the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) project which has empowered 26,000 youth and women agripreneurs in the Niger Delta, including 4,000 in Cross River, with plans to scale to 100,000 by 2028.

    The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, said, “The SAPZ program is a powerful catalyst for economic growth and import substitution. By investing in agro-processing development, we are investing in the future of our communities.”

    The African Development Bank Group has committed $934 million to SAPZs in 11 African countries. The 2024 Africa Investment Forum (http://apo-opa.co/42eqx33), held in Morocco, recorded $2.2 billion in investor interest for 28 Nigerian states, which make up the second phase of the project.

    Adesina explained that with the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones, Nigeria will reduce food imports, conserve foreign exchange, expand local production and processing of food and agricultural commodities, strengthen the Naira, and attract significant private investment into the development of agricultural value chains.

    The Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones will also revive and transform rural economies and create millions of jobs.

    Adesina was accompanied by the African Development Bank Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development Dr Beth Dunford, the Director General for Nigeria Dr Abdul Kamara, Prof Oyebanji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, Senior Special Adviser on Industrialisation, Director Richard Ofori-Mante, Director of the Agricultural Finance and Rural Development Department, and Dr Yusuf Kabir, National Coordinator for SAPZ, Nigeria.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: I was a child soldier – here’s what it’ll take to protect young lives in conflict zones

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Charles Wratto, Associate Professor of Peace, Politics, and Conflict Studies, Babes Bolyai University

    The use of child soldiers is a profound human tragedy that continues to scar generations across the world.

    According to the United Nations, over the years, thousands of children, some as young as six years old, have been manipulated, indoctrinated and coerced into joining armed groups.

    Many of these children have fought against peacekeeping troops in Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo and US-led coalition soldiers in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia.

    The devastating effect of this grave, yet persistent, tragedy extends beyond the individual child. It tears communities and families apart and leaves generations scarred with the trauma of war long after the guns fall silent.

    International agreements like the Optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, the Paris principles and commitments, the Rome statute and the Cape Town principles have condemned the practice. They provided legal and practical pathways to stop the use of child soldiers.

    Intervention campaigns like Child Soldiers International, the Children, Not Soldiers campaign, and the Kony 2012 campaign were launched to combat unlawful recruitment. They also raise awareness to protect child combatants in conflict regions.

    Read more: Why some rebel groups force kids to fight: it depends on how they are funded

    The International Criminal Court has held trials and convicted warlords responsible for the abduction and arming of children.

    The United Nations has published a list to “shame” governments and non-state actors that enlist minors in their armies.

    Despite these efforts, the problem persists as governments and insurgent groups recruit minors in various regions of the world.

    One of the reasons may be that children’s presence on the battlefield throws the training and ethics of professional soldiers off balance. Children are widely considered innocent, harmless, and deserving of care and protection. Harming them can cause severe emotional and psychological distress that conventional soldiers are ill-equipped to handle. Armed groups who use children can get a strategic advantage if they make adult soldiers feel guilt, terror, shame and cowardism.

    As a researcher in peace, politics and conflict studies and a former child soldier in the Liberian civil war, I have centred my studies on children in armed conflict and how states respond to crises and conflict.

    I am passionate about protecting children in conflict zones because I know what it means to experience violence at a very young age.

    I also understand, from my own experience, what it means to return to a society that saw me as a dangerous and irredeemable person and to find purpose in a world that labelled people like me as a “lost generation”.

    Based on my personal experiences and interaction with child soldiers, I identify six ways society can help protect children in conflict zones. They are: cutting off arms sales to conflict regions; providing continuous education during conflict; providing life-saving essentials; working with local communities; listening to children’s voices; and involving child soldiers in the implementation of disarmament and reintegration programmes.

    Read more: The old ways of reintegrating young veterans need to be abandoned

    Six ways to protect children in conflict zones

    Cut arm sales to conflict regions

    Armed groups often rely on the constant flow of small arms and light weapons to maintain their operations.

    The availability of these weapons enables groups to enlarge their forces, often using vulnerable children. Stopping weapons sales would undermine the effectiveness of these groups.

    If there are fewer arms, warlords will find it harder to lure children with false promises of protection and power. Warlords might have to create pathways for peace talks, and children could be demobilised.

    Under Charles Taylor, Liberia was a regional hub for illicit weapons trade and child soldier recruitment. The UN arms embargo in 2001 limited Taylor’s ability to resupply his troops, leading to his eventual exile and an end to the war in 2003. While an effective arms embargo may not end a war or child recruitment immediately, it can erode armed groups’ combat ability, pressuring them to negotiate, collapse, or lose their grip over vulnerable children.

    Provide life-saving essentials

    In war-torn places, poverty and starvation sometimes push families to hand over their children to armed groups in exchange for food.

    Given life-saving essentials such as food, shelter and medical care, families can be shielded from poverty. This will reduce voluntary enlistment.

    Microfinance initiatives that support small businesses, and provision of vocational training programmes, can also lift families from poverty.

    Continuous education during conflict

    Governments and multilateral institutions must provide emergency education and train teachers and caregivers in camps for internally displaced people.

    Being able to carry on with schooling in a safe environment can curb child recruitment and empower young people for the post-war reconstruction of their nations. Such sanctuaries should also include mobile counselling and trauma therapy centres where children can process their grief and experiences to rebuild trust.

    Read more: Adolescent girls in five African conflict zones share stories about their lives

    Work with local communities and leaders

    Governments, NGOs and policymakers must address existing grievances and empower local communities to assist in reintegrating former child soldiers. Reintegration involves not only children returning home but also ensuring communities are better prepared and equipped to welcome them.

    Partnering with local communities can also strengthen awareness about the dangers of child (re) recruitment.

    Ex-child soldiers as part of disarmament and reintegration

    Governments and humanitarian agencies must include former child soldiers in the design and implementation of disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration programmes.

    Their firsthand knowledge of the conscription process, combat realities, fears, nightmares and reintegration struggle offers unique insights. They can help create programmes that meet real needs.

    Although the current disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration guidelines emphasise children’s rights to disarm, they do not mention children’s inclusion in the development of effective life changing programmes.

    Listen to children’s voices

    Educational institutions, governments and peacebuilding agencies must take children’s contributions to peacebuilding seriously.

    Children bear the wounds of war. They have seen the destruction firsthand and have experienced various forms of loss and pain. This makes them not only observers of violence but also powerful advocates for peace.

    Read more: War affects girls and boys differently: what we found in our study of children in the DRC

    Why the world must act

    My experiences have taught me that no child is beyond redemption, particularly when given the right support and care they need.

    Child soldiers, though shaped by unfortunate circumstances, are not inherently violent. They should not be feared or stigmatised. They are victims who deserve healing, love and education.

    I was not given a gun because I was strong. I was handed one because I was weak, because children, stripped of alternatives, can be manipulated and turned into weapons of war.

    I survived not because I was better than others, I survived because someone, a Nigerian, refused to reduce me to the war I was forced into. This is why I believe everyone can play a role to protect children in conflict zones. Those who can, but refuse to, are no different from the warlords who enlisted the children.

    – I was a child soldier – here’s what it’ll take to protect young lives in conflict zones
    – https://theconversation.com/i-was-a-child-soldier-heres-what-itll-take-to-protect-young-lives-in-conflict-zones-245517

    MIL OSI Africa –