NewzIntel.com

Category: Universities

  • MIL-OSI: Dotz Nano to Present at the Small Cap Growth Virtual Investor Conference February 6th

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SYDNEY, Jan. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Dotz Nano Limited (ASX: DTZ, OTC: DTZZF/DTZNY, “Dotz” or “Company”), a leading developer of innovative climate and industrial nanotechnologies, today announced that Sharon Malka, CEO, will present live at the Small Cap Growth Virtual Investor Conference hosted by VirtualInvestorConferences.com, on February 6th, 2025.

    DATE: February 6th   
    TIME: 10:30 a.m. ET
    LINK: https://bit.ly/4gkzOdq 
    Available for 1×1 meetings: Monday, February 10th, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET

    This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event.

    It is recommended that online investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates.

    Learn more about the event at www.virtualinvestorconferences.com.

    Recent Company Highlights

    • Received the first commercial order for the Company’s proprietary in-product tagging solution, DotzShield, from a leading provider of energy solutions to the Oil & Gas industries worldwide;
    • Dotz’s newly developed modified sorbent demonstrates high adsorption capacity and low energy usage for Direct Air Capture (DAC);
    • Successful lab-scale pilot demonstration of DotzEarth CO2 capture technology, showing the sorbents’ high adsorption capacity, selectivity, and robustness;
    • Signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Bar-Ilan University to pilot an innovative electrochemical DAC technology;
    • U.S. institutional shareholder invests a further A$2.0 million to support the development of the DotzEarth carbon capture technology.

    About Dotz Nano Limited

    Dotz Nano Limited (ASX: DTZ, OTC: DTZZF/DTZNY) is a technology company developing innovative climate and industrial nano-technologies. The Company’s primary focus is centered on ground-breaking carbon dioxide (CO2) management technologies, leading towards a carbon-neutral future. The Company’s proprietary carbon-based solid sorbents offer an efficient and sustainable approach to facilitate industrial deep decarbonization.

    To learn more about Dotz, please visit the website via the following link www.dotz.tech

    About Virtual Investor Conferences®

    Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors.

    Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors.

    CONTACTS:

    Investor & Media Enquiries
    John Hurst
    E: info@dotz.tech
    P: +61 (0)418 798 663
    		 US IR
    Robert Meyers
    E: bob@fnkir.com
    P: +1-646-878-9204
       
    Virtual Investor Conferences
    John M. Viglotti
    SVP Corporate Services, Investor Access
    OTC Markets Group
    (212) 220-2221
    johnv@otcmarkets.com 
    		  

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UKHSA launches new metagenomic surveillance for health security

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The UK launches mSCAPE, a world-first metagenomics initiative by UKHSA to enhance health security through rapid pathogen detection and surveillance.

    The UK has taken a leap forward in its efforts to use pathogen genomics to improve health security. Today the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) launches a world-first metagenomics initiative to aid in the rapid detection of infectious diseases that could threaten the UK. The metagenomics Surveillance Collaboration and Analysis Programme (mSCAPE), which has been in development over the last year, is piloting the use of metagenomic data for public health surveillance and pathogen analysis.    

    The programme is a collaborative initiative, led by UKHSA and involving a consortium of NHS and academic partners including the University of Birmingham, University of Edinburgh, and the NHS Clinical Respiratory Metagenomics Network led by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.    

    UKHSA will take anonymous pathogen data from multiple labs that are using metagenomics for diagnosis, including those in the NHS, and analyse it at a national level to monitor trends, epidemiology and pathogen emergence at speed. This will allow for assessment of the ability to significantly improve identification of new outbreaks as well as enabling the source of an outbreak to be better understood, predictions to be made about the effectiveness of potential treatments, and any concerning mutations can be identified.  

    Effective use of metagenomic data will add a new, crucial insight to current health protection surveillance systems in the UK. mSCAPE aims to develop the capability to use this data as part of UKHSA’s ongoing surveillance of new and emerging infections, pathogens of pandemic potential, and to monitor the evolution of pathogens that cause disease.    

    Metagenomic methodology allows for untargeted sequencing of patient samples for the presence of pathogenic viruses and bacteria, which is a significant step forward in detection and diagnosis abilities. Traditional genomic methodologies have required scientists to target sample sequencing towards pathogens that are already known to the scientific and medical community. Pathogen-agnostic metagenomic methods do not require scientists to know for sure what pathogens are present in a sample before the sequencing is conducted.  

    This is a major advantage in the detection of known but unexpected pathogens for which specific tests are not readily available and for pathogens not normally found in humans. It is also beneficial in the event of the emergence of a previously unknown novel pathogen.  Metagenomic sequencing is becoming established as a clinical diagnostic test, and its use is currently being expanded in the NHS.  

    Professor Susan Hopkins, UKHSA Chief Medical Advisor, said:  

    Genomics has been a crucial aspect of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic from the very start, and the UK’s enormous technical expertise in this area has allowed us to play a leading role in the identification and analysis of COVID-19 variants as they emerge.   

    The new mSCAPE programme will allow us to use the UK’s leading genomics capability to conduct community surveillance using pathogen-agnostic sequencing data for the first time anywhere in the world, and our new initiative to share our pathogen genomic data demonstrates our commitment to our data being used to improve health globally.  

    This is a hugely exciting development which will increase our ability to respond at speed to new and emerging pathogens and will help to ensure that we are as prepared as possible to act quickly and effectively to protect the public from future threats. 

    Professor Dame Sue Hill, Chief Scientific Officer for NHS England and Senior Responsible Officer for NHS Genomics, said:

    Genomics is revolutionising the way we predict, prevent, diagnose and treat illness – whether it’s diagnosing rare conditions in children more quickly, helping personalise cancer treatments to make them more effective, or identifying people at greater risk from kidney disease.

    The mSCAPE programme is another great example of how the UK is leading the world in this field, and we are pleased to be able to support it through our Networks of Excellence in Severe Respiratory Infections.

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: From YMCA to MAGA: why Trump plays Village People at his rallies

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By William Rees, University of Exeter

    It was a bizarre sight watching a huge gay 1970s disco hit being performed at Donald Trump’s 2025 pre-inauguration rally. Many prominent artists from Beyoncé to Bruce Springsteen prohibit Trump from using their music. So why do Village People – a band synonymous with the 1970s gay liberation movement – allow their music to be associated with a political movement that has fixed and repressive ideas about sexual identity and morality?

    Village People’s recent incarnation has had a complicated relationship with the “make America great again” movement (Maga). In 2020, their song YMCA began featuring at Maga anti-lockdown rallies and soon became a prominent song in Trump’s re-election campaign.

    At the time, the band asked Trump not to use its music and later supported Kamala Harris for the presidency in 2024. Since then Village People have dramatically changed tack.

    To be clear, of the group that performed at Trump’s pre-inauguration rally, only one of the original Village People remains. The band, put together by the gay producers Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo in 1978, was named after New York’s Greenwich Village gay scene.

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    In the 1970s, the group was mostly gay-fronted except the first recruit, lead singer and co-songwriter Victor Willis (sometimes the policeman, sometimes the admiral figure). Willis took control of the name and the hits in 2017 after an out-of-court settlement with co-owner Henri Belolo.

    Willis is now the only member of the original line up still performing under the official band name. Perhaps to ensure mainstream popularity, he has tried to move Village People away from its gay associations – the biography on the band’s website makes no mention of the act’s significance to queer audiences. He recently wrote on Facebook that he will sue every news organisation that suggests “YMCA is somehow a gay anthem”.

    Victor Willis, the last remaining original member of Village People in a 1978 video for Just A Gigolo.

    But it’s difficult to untangle Village People from queer history as it was the trendsetting gay community of underground disco culture that made them famous. Record companies selected the songs and artists to promote based on how DJs reported their popularity in the hottest clubs. Many of these clubs were gay dominated, and disco itself was tied up with the growing confidence of the gay liberation movement in America and the era of sexual liberalisation that followed the 1960s.

    Jacques Morali put together Village People knowing the band could offer influential gay clubbers something they had always been denied: cultural representation, and with it, acknowledgement of their existence.

    It worked. One self-proclaimed “disco doll” writing to LGBTQ+ newspaper The Advocate in 1978 recalled first hearing Village People: “The music was very hot … and the words were about us, about our scene. I couldn’t believe it.”

    Village People’s innuendos and knowing references to gay culture often went over the heads of many straight listeners. Songs like Macho Man and the group’s hypermasculine image epitomised the “clone” movement in 1970s gay culture.

    Queer men, long derided for being effeminate, would bulk up at the gym and dress in leathers like bikers, effectively becoming more of an embodiment of masculinity than straight men. Go West was a reference to San Francisco’s more liberal environment for gay men. The YMCA was a place to “hang out with all the boys”.

    But skyrocketing into the mainstream made Village People an awkward fit for gay disco culture. This vibrant community wanted their own scene that was not part of the mainstream. They felt betrayed by a band publicly denying their gayness as they juggled the hardcore homosexual audience that had made them famous alongside a family-friendly audience.

    The backlash was fierce. A 1978 letter to gay lib magazine The Body Politic declared: “The commercial exploiters are disguising it to gain the commercially lucrative straight audience”, describing Village People as “traitors of the worst kind”.

    But even if they became momentarily unpopular in the hottest gay clubs, for many LGBTQ+ people, Village People’s hits have endured as anthems played at queer nights and Pride events. In their sound, appearance and sheer 1970-ness, they are undeniably camp icons.

    Which of course leads many to question why people attending Trump’s rallies – hardly famous for their inclusivity – would embrace their music. One explanation is that Maga audiences simply do not care about past gay associations as the music is simple, catchy and positive.

    Another is that just like the 1970s, the queer messaging of Village People’s music still goes over the heads of straight Maga audiences. Perhaps despite its past gay associations, they are consciously trying to culturally repurpose disco for their own movement. Or they’re trying to be ironic.

    Most likely, though, the music might have a particular meaning to LGBTQ+ audiences, it has other meanings depending on the context in which it is played. To many, Village People are the epitome of a novelty, apolitical pop group. Their hits are associated with weddings, children’s parties and good-time disco. The prosaic truth may be that Trump fans just enjoy a really catchy tune.

    But for Trump’s team, the use of these songs is politically calculated toward their core supporters who have changed the lyrics of YMCA to “MAGA”. And don’t forget Village People were joined at the pre-inauguration rally by WWE wrestling’s Hulk Hogan. Both are nostalgic late 20th-century acts that revel in blatant performances of muscled masculinity.

    They seem to be the embodiment of that imagined past of American virility that Trump vaguely refers to when he promises to make the nation “great again”. It’s not difficult to work out what Trump’s message is, especially when he dances along to Macho Man at rallies.

    Both these acts are carnivalesque, like Trump himself. They indicate an era of politics as spectacle, but beneath the surface messages, we must carefully pay attention to what is actually being said and done.

    William Rees 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. From YMCA to MAGA: why Trump plays Village People at his rallies – https://theconversation.com/from-ymca-to-maga-why-trump-plays-village-people-at-his-rallies-248457

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government aims to crack down on rogue higher education operators

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Proposed reforms to tighten rules around franchising and crack down on fraud in the student finance system that cost taxpayers £2m in 2022/23.   

    Tough new reforms proposed by the Department for Education would tighten controls on university franchising arrangements in England to safeguard public money and shore up the reputation of our world class higher education sector.   

    Franchising enables universities to subcontract courses to external providers. When done right, it makes it easier for more students to access higher education, especially in areas where options are limited, or when people such as mature students are balancing study around work and life.    

    The number of students studying at franchised providers has more than doubled in recent years, with over 130,000 using their services. But an investigation by the National Audit Office (NAO) raised concerns about franchising arrangements, with fraud in the sector costing the public purse £2m in 2022/23.    

    More than half of 341 franchised institutions are currently unregistered with the Office for Students (OfS), meaning they are not directly regulated. In some cases, students are offered poor-quality courses that fail to justify their cost, showing a clear need for reform.   

    Under new government plans published for consultation today (30 January), delivery partners with 300 or more students would be required to register with the OfS to ensure their courses meet rigorous quality standards, in order to be eligible to access to student finance.   

    If the OfS finds that a provider is not meeting the standards required of registered providers, they will be publicly held to account and could risk facing fines and the suspension of their registration, in the most extreme circumstances. The OfS will also publish student outcome data for all subcontracted partnerships every year.   

    The move comes ahead of a significant package of higher education reforms due to be announced this summer that will put students first and cement universities’ status as engines of growth in their communities, as the government delivers its Plan for Change to drive economic growth and raise living standards.   

    Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:   

    We are committed to cracking down on rogue operators who misuse public money and damage the reputation of our world-class universities.  

    Franchising can be a valuable tool to widen access to higher education, and these proposals will ensure students can trust the quality of their courses, no matter where or how they choose to study.   

    The credibility of our universities is at stake, but these proposals seek to protect students and safeguard taxpayer’s money, as part of our work to drive growth through our Plan for Change.  

    Franchising allows courses to be adapted to suit different needs and circumstances. It also helps colleges and universities work more closely together and gives new, innovative education providers a chance to get started.   

    Providers such as London South Bank University, which partners with some of the city’s top NHS teaching Trusts to help students’ studying midwifery and other front-line services, demonstrate the real-world benefits of franchising – with students achieving their qualifications alongside invaluable workplace experience, helping to address the critical shortage of healthcare professionals.   

    Universities and colleges whose names and brands are being used by franchises will remain responsible for ensuring their subcontracted arrangements meet quality and standards requirements. New regulations could come into effect as soon as spring next year, depending on the outcome of the consultation.  

    These reforms would protect the high standards of the UK’s higher education sector, which contributes around £265bn to the UK economy, ensuring it continues to drive economic growth and benefit both students and the wider economy.

    These proposals would strengthen the OfS’s ability to protect the public money that goes into franchising. The consultation aligns with the OfS’s work to strengthen conditions of registration related to governance and student interests.    

    The OfS will shortly be consulting on changes to requirements for providers that wish to join its register to ensure they are all managed and governed effectively.   

    The OfS has currently paused registration of new higher education providers to support the sector with financial sustainability concerns, after finding 72 per cent of providers could be operating in deficit by next year.   

    They expect the pause to stay in place until August 2025 but will review the decision every three months, meaning the registration process should be open again by the time the government’s proposed changes would take effect.   

    The Department for Education’s consultation will be open from 30 January to 4 April 2024. After the consultation closes, the Department for Education will review the responses and aims to publish its official response in the summer.

    DfE media enquiries

    Central newsdesk – for journalists 020 7783 8300

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How close are quantum computers to being really useful? Podcast

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Gemma Ware, Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation

    Audio und verbung/Shutterstock

    Quantum computers have the potential to solve big scientific problems that are beyond the reach of today’s most powerful supercomputers, such as discovering new antibiotics or developing new materials.

    But to achieve these breakthroughs, quantum computers will need to perform better than today’s best classical computers at solving real-world problems. And they’re not quite there yet. So what is still holding quantum computing back from becoming useful?

    In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, we speak to quantum computing expert Daniel Lidar at the University of Southern California in the US about what problems scientists are still wrestling with when it comes to scaling up quantum computing, and how close they are to overcoming them.

    Quantum computers harness the power of quantum mechanics, the laws that govern subatomic particles. Instead of the classical bits of information used by microchips inside traditional computers, which are either a 0 or a 1, the chips in quantum computers use qubits, which can be both 0 and 1 at the same time or anywhere in between. Daniel Lidar explains:

    “Put a lot of these qubits together and all of a sudden you have a computer that can simultaneously represent many, many different possibilities …  and that is the starting point for the speed up that we can get from quantum computing.”

    Faulty qubits

    One of the biggest problems scientist face is how to scale up quantum computing power. Qubits are notoriously prone to errors – which means that they can quickly revert to being either a 0 or a 1, and so lose their advantage over classical computers.

    Scientists have focused on trying to solve these errors through the concept of redundancy – linking strings of physical qubits together into what’s called a “logical qubit” to try and maximise the number of steps in a computation. And, little by little, they’re getting there.

    In December 2024, Google announced that its new quantum chip, Willow, had demonstrated what’s called “beyond breakeven”, when its logical qubits worked better than the constituent parts and even kept on improving as it scaled up.

    Lidar says right now the development of this technology is happening very fast:

    “For quantum computing to scale and to take off is going to still take some real science breakthroughs, some real engineering breakthroughs, and probably overcoming some yet unforeseen surprises before we get to the point of true quantum utility. With that caution in mind, I think it’s still very fair to say that we are going to see truly functional, practical quantum computers kicking into gear, helping us solve real-life problems, within the next decade or so.”

    Listen to Lidar explain more about how quantum computers and quantum error correction works on The Conversation Weekly podcast.

    This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produced by Gemma Ware with assistance from Katie Flood and Mend Mariwany. Sound design was by Michelle Macklem, and theme music by Neeta Sarl.

    Clips in this episode from Google Quantum AI and 10 Hours Channel.

    You can find us on Instagram at theconversationdotcom or via e-mail. You can also subscribe to The Conversation’s free daily e-mail here.

    Listen to The Conversation Weekly via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our RSS feed or find out how else to listen here.

    Daniel Lidar receives funding from the NSF, DARPA, ARO, and DOE.

    – ref. How close are quantum computers to being really useful? Podcast – https://theconversation.com/how-close-are-quantum-computers-to-being-really-useful-podcast-248574

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Anti-immigration policies: why harsh new rules put in place by Trump and other rich countries won’t last

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Alan Hirsch, Research Fellow New South Institute, Emeritus Professor at The Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, University of Cape Town

    Donald Trump, America’s new president, has cut back massively on US commitments to asylum seekers, blocked all asylum processes and started to remove irregular immigrants.

    Trump’s new measures are far reaching. They include the suspension of the US refugee admissions programme. Flights booked for refugees to the US have been cancelled. Arrests and deportations have begun.

    Strongly anti-immigrant policies were also pursued under the Biden administration, though Trump’s dramatic steps take them much further. Other countries in the global north have also introduced tougher policies. The 2024 EU Pact on Migration and Asylum sets out tougher border controls, quicker assessment of asylum seekers and swifter removal of those who did not qualify. In the UK, Labour prime minister Keir Starmer has promised to bring down the net migration rate and treat people-smugglers like terrorists.

    Based on my research into migration over the past 30 years I believe that these measures are unlikely to last. There are two linked trends that make closing the borders of the global north impractical and destined for revision.

    The first is that populations in most of the global north are ageing fast (on average) and the fertility rate, or natural population growth rate, has plummeted. There are many more older people as a percentage of the population.

    Secondly, with a workforce shrinking and the dependency ratio (the proportion of non-working to working people) rising rapidly, closing borders to potential labourers from other countries, without any other change, would lead to declining living standards in the global north. Economic growth and government revenues would slow or stagnate, undermining infrastructure maintenance and social service provision.

    There are several possible strategies that could be alternatives to anti-immigration measures. Some older people could migrate south, robots and AI could do more work, workers in the global south could perform remote work for the north, and arrangements could be made to allow migrants into the north either permanently or as circulating migrants.

    All these strategies are already in use, if modestly. Their application would have to expand considerably.

    Misplaced panic

    The responses of governments in the global north are exaggerated. Governments putting in place tough anti-immigrant measures have done so on the back of a narrative that there’s been a significant rise in the number of migrants worldwide.

    This isn’t true. Some countries, such as the US, Germany and Colombia, have seen a spike in refugees and other migrants. But for the rest of the world the picture remains much the same as it has done for decades.

    Foreign-born residents (the most widely used definition of migrants) rose as a proportion of residents worldwide from 2.3% in 1970 to 3.6% in 2020. But in 1960 the number was over 3%, and in the late 1800s migrants made up somewhere between 3% and 5% of the global population.

    So, 3.6% is nothing new.

    As for refugees, in 2023 there were about 38 million, of whom 69% sought refuge in neighbouring countries and 75% in middle- and low-income countries.

    In general, therefore, rich countries have not been carrying the greatest burden.

    The real reason behind these tougher measures is that living standards have stagnated in many countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The cost and availability of housing have worsened; inequality has grown since the 1980s; the quality and availability of public services have deteriorated since the global financial crisis of 2008 and COVID-19; and the quality of employment has shifted to precarious work and poorly paid service sector occupations.

    This has contributed to the rise of populism, including anti-foreigner sentiment and even xenophobia.

    Trump’s actions are the most extreme yet. They include an order to block “aliens involved in the invasion” using “appropriate measures” that give the security forces further powers. The prohibition of southern border asylum hearings in the US and the instruction to “remain in Mexico” means that prospective asylum seekers from third countries may not cross the border to make their applications at the port of entry. They must apply remotely.

    Trump has also ordered that birthright citizenship must be limited to the children of certain categories of residents, essentially citizens or those with residence rights in the form of a “green card”. This move has been temporarily blocked in some states by judges as unconstitutional.

    In addition, the acting head of the Homeland Security Department gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials the power to deport migrants admitted temporarily into the US under several programmes of the Biden administration, targeting refugees from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti, and possibly Afghan and Ukrainian refugees too.

    The very first bill to receive final approval from the US Congress under Trump’s second term, the Laken-Riley Act, would require the detention and deportation of migrants who enter the country without authorisation and are charged with certain crimes. This bill was passed with 263 votes and 156 votes against, meaning that 46 House Democrats supported the Republican bill.

    In contrast, in the global south, as I have discussed elsewhere, the trend has been in the opposite direction. South American regional communities liberalised migration most extensively in recent decades, but African regional communities have made progress too, as has the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

    The way forward

    Some alternative strategies are leading the way.

    In Canada, the Temporary Foreign Worker programme has expanded steadily since 1973, increasingly including long-term circulating migrating lower-skilled workers for key occupations like catering, care, construction and agriculture. Though it is currently under political scrutiny because of the panic in the north over migration, and because of housing shortages in Canada, it is likely to survive and evolve. Similar systems are emerging across the global north.

    In the EU, Talent Partnerships are now encouraged. Germany, for example, has talent partnerships with Kenya and Morocco, where they train health workers and IT technicians in those countries to work and live in Germany. Spain has various partnerships in Latin America and Africa. Prime minister Pedro Sanchez has chosen to be upfront on the choices. In October last year he told the Spanish people:

    Spain needs to choose between being an open and prosperous country or a closed off poor country.

    The current fashion for population protectionism in the global north is increasingly nasty, but it is unlikely to stand the test of time. Several constructive responses to the rising dependency ratio are feasible, but being open to more migration, possibly in new forms and through new channels. is an inevitable part of the solution.

    New formal pathways for working migrants and reasonable systems for asylum seekers, along with full enforcement of rules against irregular migrants, could be the combination that works politically and economically.

    – Anti-immigration policies: why harsh new rules put in place by Trump and other rich countries won’t last
    – https://theconversation.com/anti-immigration-policies-why-harsh-new-rules-put-in-place-by-trump-and-other-rich-countries-wont-last-248359

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Anti-immigration policies: why harsh new rules put in place by Trump and other rich countries won’t last

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Alan Hirsch, Research Fellow New South Institute, Emeritus Professor at The Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, University of Cape Town

    Donald Trump, America’s new president, has cut back massively on US commitments to asylum seekers, blocked all asylum processes and started to remove irregular immigrants.

    Trump’s new measures are far reaching. They include the suspension of the US refugee admissions programme. Flights booked for refugees to the US have been cancelled. Arrests and deportations have begun.

    Strongly anti-immigrant policies were also pursued under the Biden administration, though Trump’s dramatic steps take them much further. Other countries in the global north have also introduced tougher policies. The 2024 EU Pact on Migration and Asylum sets out tougher border controls, quicker assessment of asylum seekers and swifter removal of those who did not qualify. In the UK, Labour prime minister Keir Starmer has promised to bring down the net migration rate and treat people-smugglers like terrorists.

    Based on my research into migration over the past 30 years I believe that these measures are unlikely to last. There are two linked trends that make closing the borders of the global north impractical and destined for revision.

    The first is that populations in most of the global north are ageing fast (on average) and the fertility rate, or natural population growth rate, has plummeted. There are many more older people as a percentage of the population.

    Secondly, with a workforce shrinking and the dependency ratio (the proportion of non-working to working people) rising rapidly, closing borders to potential labourers from other countries, without any other change, would lead to declining living standards in the global north. Economic growth and government revenues would slow or stagnate, undermining infrastructure maintenance and social service provision.

    There are several possible strategies that could be alternatives to anti-immigration measures. Some older people could migrate south, robots and AI could do more work, workers in the global south could perform remote work for the north, and arrangements could be made to allow migrants into the north either permanently or as circulating migrants.

    All these strategies are already in use, if modestly. Their application would have to expand considerably.

    Misplaced panic

    The responses of governments in the global north are exaggerated. Governments putting in place tough anti-immigrant measures have done so on the back of a narrative that there’s been a significant rise in the number of migrants worldwide.

    This isn’t true. Some countries, such as the US, Germany and Colombia, have seen a spike in refugees and other migrants. But for the rest of the world the picture remains much the same as it has done for decades.

    Foreign-born residents (the most widely used definition of migrants) rose as a proportion of residents worldwide from 2.3% in 1970 to 3.6% in 2020. But in 1960 the number was over 3%, and in the late 1800s migrants made up somewhere between 3% and 5% of the global population.

    So, 3.6% is nothing new.

    As for refugees, in 2023 there were about 38 million, of whom 69% sought refuge in neighbouring countries and 75% in middle- and low-income countries.

    In general, therefore, rich countries have not been carrying the greatest burden.

    The real reason behind these tougher measures is that living standards have stagnated in many countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The cost and availability of housing have worsened; inequality has grown since the 1980s; the quality and availability of public services have deteriorated since the global financial crisis of 2008 and COVID-19; and the quality of employment has shifted to precarious work and poorly paid service sector occupations.

    This has contributed to the rise of populism, including anti-foreigner sentiment and even xenophobia.

    Trump’s actions are the most extreme yet. They include an order to block “aliens involved in the invasion” using “appropriate measures” that give the security forces further powers. The prohibition of southern border asylum hearings in the US and the instruction to “remain in Mexico” means that prospective asylum seekers from third countries may not cross the border to make their applications at the port of entry. They must apply remotely.

    Trump has also ordered that birthright citizenship must be limited to the children of certain categories of residents, essentially citizens or those with residence rights in the form of a “green card”. This move has been temporarily blocked in some states by judges as unconstitutional.

    In addition, the acting head of the Homeland Security Department gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials the power to deport migrants admitted temporarily into the US under several programmes of the Biden administration, targeting refugees from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti, and possibly Afghan and Ukrainian refugees too.

    The very first bill to receive final approval from the US Congress under Trump’s second term, the Laken-Riley Act, would require the detention and deportation of migrants who enter the country without authorisation and are charged with certain crimes. This bill was passed with 263 votes and 156 votes against, meaning that 46 House Democrats supported the Republican bill.

    In contrast, in the global south, as I have discussed elsewhere, the trend has been in the opposite direction. South American regional communities liberalised migration most extensively in recent decades, but African regional communities have made progress too, as has the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

    The way forward

    Some alternative strategies are leading the way.

    In Canada, the Temporary Foreign Worker programme has expanded steadily since 1973, increasingly including long-term circulating migrating lower-skilled workers for key occupations like catering, care, construction and agriculture. Though it is currently under political scrutiny because of the panic in the north over migration, and because of housing shortages in Canada, it is likely to survive and evolve. Similar systems are emerging across the global north.

    In the EU, Talent Partnerships are now encouraged. Germany, for example, has talent partnerships with Kenya and Morocco, where they train health workers and IT technicians in those countries to work and live in Germany. Spain has various partnerships in Latin America and Africa. Prime minister Pedro Sanchez has chosen to be upfront on the choices. In October last year he told the Spanish people:

    Spain needs to choose between being an open and prosperous country or a closed off poor country.

    The current fashion for population protectionism in the global north is increasingly nasty, but it is unlikely to stand the test of time. Several constructive responses to the rising dependency ratio are feasible, but being open to more migration, possibly in new forms and through new channels. is an inevitable part of the solution.

    New formal pathways for working migrants and reasonable systems for asylum seekers, along with full enforcement of rules against irregular migrants, could be the combination that works politically and economically.

    Alan Hirsch receives funding from the New South Institute for research and the University of Cape Town for advice and supervision.

    – ref. Anti-immigration policies: why harsh new rules put in place by Trump and other rich countries won’t last – https://theconversation.com/anti-immigration-policies-why-harsh-new-rules-put-in-place-by-trump-and-other-rich-countries-wont-last-248359

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: ‘Sustainable’ aviation fuel and other myths about green airport expansion debunked

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jack Marley, Environment + Energy Editor, UK edition

    Taking off: emissions from the aviation sector. WildSnap/Shutterstock

    Environmentalists and locals have resisted a third runway at London’s Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, for more than two decades. Today, their efforts took a major setback.

    The UK government has announced it will give the green light to airport expansion. This is not guaranteed to increase growth in the national economy as Chancellor Rachel Reeves hopes. More flights and more emissions are certain, however, at a time when experts are practically screaming at governments to rein them in.

    This roundup of The Conversation’s climate coverage comes from our award-winning weekly climate action newsletter. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed.

    “No airport expansions should proceed” without a UK-wide plan to annually assess and control the sector’s climate impact said the government’s watchdog, the Climate Change Committee, in 2023. Aeroplanes are 8% of UK emissions and 2% of the world’s, but they also release gases that seed heat-trapping clouds in the upper atmosphere, which triples air travel’s greenhouse effect.

    While the government’s own advisers have effectively ruled out new runways for the sake of net zero, airport and airline bosses play a different tune. So what does the sector propose to manage its own pollution?

    Not enough cooking oil to save us

    Aviation is a notoriously difficult sector to decarbonise says Richard Sulley, a senior research fellow in sustainability policy at the University of Sheffield: “If electric or hydrogen-powered planes are possible, it won’t be for many years yet.”

    To justify air travel emissions ballooning in the meantime, the aviation sector has promised a mix of “supply-side” measures, like replacing kerosene with so-called “sustainable aviation fuel” (SAF), which Reeves described as “a game changer”, and making planes lighter and more fuel-efficient.

    Efficiency, in this context, is a slippery path to decarbonisation. When a high-emitting activity is reformed so that it consumes less energy, the efficiency savings are generally eclipsed by the increasing demand it drives.



    Read more:
    Expanding Heathrow is incompatible with net zero – here’s the evidence

    “Indeed, the sector’s own plans for growth will outstrip efforts to decarbonise through synthetic fuel, delivering a neutral effect at best,” Sulley says.

    Fuel consumption is the biggest emissions source in aviation.
    Sergey Ginak/Shutterstock

    “Demand-side” measures like fewer flights, taxes on frequent flying and domestic flight bans (see France) could cut emissions, he notes, but are seldom mentioned.

    The UK has set a target for airline fuel to be 10% SAF by 2030. So far we’re at 1.2% – and Sulley reports that the industry has not said how it will scale up in time.

    Even if airlines start taking their commitment to SAF seriously very soon, it’s a dubious solution to aviation’s climate impact according to political economists Gareth Dale (Brunel University) and Josh Moos (Leeds Beckett University).



    Read more:
    Why the world’s first flight powered entirely by sustainable aviation fuel is a green mirage

    Earlier SAF test flights burned coconut oil – 3 million coconuts to power a journey from London to Amsterdam, as Dale and Moos calculate it. At that rate, they argue Heathrow would exhaust the world’s entire crop in a few weeks (there are 18,000 commercial airports worldwide).

    Modern SAF is blended with waste products from farms and kitchens. But the pair argue that the market for used cooking oil is “notoriously unregulated”. SAF may in fact be relabelled palm oil from plantations that are erasing orangutan habitat in the tropics. Again, Dale and Moos argue there is not enough used cooking oil to meet existing, let alone future, demand.

    Transport for the rich, by the rich

    At least the hype around SAF addresses the main problem, albeit misleadingly. Policy experts David Howarth (University of Essex) and Steven Griggs (De Montfort University) marvel at how often “carbon-neutral airports” in aviation sustainability strategies simply mean terminals powered by renewable energy.

    “A terminal’s heating or lighting is, of course, largely irrelevant when its core business is as emissions-intensive as flying,” says Sulley.



    Read more:
    Heathrow 2.0: a ‘sustainable airport’ that pretends no one has to choose between planes and pollution

    Unfortunately for Rachel Reeves, a 2023 report by the New Economics Foundation found that any economic benefits of airport expansion will be largely confined to the airports themselves. Meanwhile, a wealthy subset of UK society can be expected to capture the biggest share of any new flight capacity. Each year, around half of British residents do not fly at all, Sulley points out.

    At the stratospheric heights of that subset are the private jet passengers who are served by “more or less dedicated airports” that are more obscure to the general public, says Raymond Woessner, a geographer at Sorbonne Université. A study published in November found that emissions from these flights rose by 46% between 2019 and 2023. The lead author described wealthy passengers using jets “like taxis”.



    Read more:
    L’insolent succès des jets privés, entre empreinte carbone et controverses

    “Discretion and anonymity” is what one airport nestled in the Oxfordshire countryside promises for “routine celebrity, head of state and royal visits”. Without state direction or regulation, it is these people who are setting the agenda for air travel.

    Woessner notes that the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, successfully lobbied to derail a high-speed rail project in California in 2013. Instead of an option that has shown its ability to cut flight demand, the US will be offered intercontinental rocket travel.



    Read more:
    With planning, high speed rail could reduce flight demand

    Musk’s company SpaceX says that rockets could ferry passengers between New York and Shanghai in under an hour. Rockets would burn “vastly more fuel per trip than conventional aircraft”, says aerospace engineer Angadh Nanjangud of Queen Mary University of London, but this might “drive critical research into carbon-neutral” methane-based rocket fuel.

    It would not be the first time an industry seeking to grow has used an as yet fantastical fuel to justify more carbon in Earth’s atmosphere.



    Read more:
    New York to Paris in 30 mins? How to achieve Elon Musk’s vision of rockets replacing long haul

    “There is the potential to create a good life for all within planetary boundaries,” say Dale and Moos.

    “But getting there requires clipping the wings of the aviation industry.”

    – ref. ‘Sustainable’ aviation fuel and other myths about green airport expansion debunked – https://theconversation.com/sustainable-aviation-fuel-and-other-myths-about-green-airport-expansion-debunked-248483

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic University Signs Agreement with Russian National Guard Military Academy

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    On January 29, a cooperation agreement was signed between Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and the Military Order of Zhukov Academy of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation. The universities plan to cooperate in the field of robotics, as well as in educational, scientific and other areas.

    The Polytechnic University and the Military Academy of the Russian Guard are going to cooperate in various areas. This includes the development and implementation of joint projects and events in the field of robotics; scientific and methodological assistance in the framework of research, educational and project work; involving cadets in the development and application of professional robotics; organizing robotics classes using methodological developments and consulting support; preparing for competitions; training and advanced training of specialists, etc.

    The agreement was signed by the rector of SPbPU Andrei Rudskoy and the head of the Military Academy of the Russian Guard Andrei Kiiko.

    Our efforts will be aimed at implementing joint projects and events in the field of robotics with the participation of cadets, providing assistance in servicing and repairing equipment, as well as preparing for all-Russian competitions in robotics areas. I would like to note separately that as part of the implementation of the agreement, we will pay special attention to methodological assistance and mentoring in research and project activities. I am confident that the synergistic effect of cooperation between the Polytechnic University and the Academy of the National Guard Troops will directly contribute to the security and defense capability of our country, – commented Andrey Rudskoy.

    The ceremony was attended by the Chairman of the Council of Rectors of Universities of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, Rector of the St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technology and Design Alexey Demidov, Rector of the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia Sergey Tarasov, Acting Rector of the Baltic State Technical University “Voenmech” named after D. F. Ustinov Alexander Shashurin, Chairman of the Public Chamber of the Leningrad Region Alexander Gabitov, and Special Representative of the Governor of St. Petersburg German Shirokov.

    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 United Kingdom: expert reaction to observational study of COVID-19 infection and abnormal brain proteins

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    An observational study published in Nature Medicine looks at a link between abnormal brain proteins and COVID-19 infection.

    Prof Tara Spires-Jones, Director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, Group Leader in the UK Dementia Research Institute, and President of the British Neuroscience Association said:

    “This paper from Duff and colleagues examined blood samples from 626 people who had COVID-19 infection and 626 people who did not have COVID-19 for markers associated with Alzheimer’s disease-related brain changes. The scientists compared the levels of several Alzheimer’s-associated blood proteins before and after the pandemic and found that one of the markers had worsened more in people who had COVID-19 infections than in people who were not infected with COVID-19. This study was very well conducted and adds to the data suggesting that infections may play a role in initiating or accelerating neurodegenerative diseases. However, it is important to note that this type of study cannot conclusively prove that COVID-19 directly caused Alzheimer’s pathology in the brain. Further, the presence of amyloid pathology in the brain, which is hinted at by the blood results, is not a guarantee of future dementia symptoms as many people have amyloid pathology in their brains without experiencing symptoms.  While this is an important piece of research, more work is needed to understand links between infections like COVID-19 and Alzheimer’s disease.”

    ‘Plasma proteomic evidence for increased β-amyloid pathology after SARS-CoV-2 infection’ by Eugene P. Duff et al. was published in Nature Medicine at 10:00 UK time on Thursday 30th January. 

    DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-03426-4

     

    Declared interests

    Prof Tara Spires-Jones: I have no direct conflicts with this study but I do work in the same National UK Dementia Research Institute as several of the authors and have received payments for consulting, scientific talks, or collaborative research over the past 10 years from AbbVie, Sanofi, Merck, Scottish Brain Sciences, Jay Therapeutics, Cognition Therapeutics, Ono, and Eisai. I am also Charity trustee for the British Neuroscience Association and the Guarantors of Brain and serve as scientific advisor to several charities and non-profit institutions.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Applications now open for OIT’s 2025 Policy Fellowship

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The Open Innovation Team (OIT) is inviting applications for its 2025 Policy Fellowship programme, an academic mentoring scheme for civil servants grades SEO-G6.

    The OIT is a cross-government unit that works with experts to generate analysis and ideas for policy, helping colleagues review evidence, engage experts, develop policy and evaluate impact.

    Our Policy Fellowship is a bespoke, flexible, part-time mentoring programme that supports officials by providing help and expert insight to answer a specific policy question. Over the course of six months, civil servants will work under the supervision of an academic mentor in a relevant field to research and produce an output based on their policy area. Mentors are drawn from OIT partner institutions: Brunel University London, the University of Essex, Lancaster University, the University of Surrey and the University of York.

    What you’ll gain:

    • In-depth support and insight from leading academics
    • New contacts across academia and the civil service
    • Practical skills in data analysis and interpretation
    • Enhanced subject knowledge in your chosen field

    This is the third round of the Fellowship – in 2023/24, nine civil servants from five different departments were paired with academics from four universities. An example of one of their research outputs can be found here.

    This year’s programme offers an expanded range of research topics, including (but not limited to) education, health & social care, AI and digital, environment and sustainability, government, and business, work and employment.

    The Policy Fellowship was a really insightful experience – it gave us the chance to test our ideas with academics and structure our research effectively. Regular check-ins kept us on track, and we delivered an internal report that supported our department’s policy work.

    It was great to collaborate beyond government and gain fresh perspectives from academics, who were really understanding and supportive. I’d recommend the fellowship to policy officials looking to fill evidence gaps—or even map them out!

    Georgina Kaye, Policy Advisor Digital Strategy Division, Digital Data and Technology, Department for Education

    How to apply:

    • The application window opens on 30 January and closes 24 February.
    • Full details about the Fellowship and the application process can be found in our Q&A pack, and you can email fellowship@openinnovation.gov.uk if you have any questions.

    Key documents:

    • Q&A pack – in this document you can learn more about the OIT and the Fellowship, along with eligibility criteria and all the information you’ll need to apply: [link needed]
    • Open Innovation Fellowship Application Form

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New INTERPOL Regional Bureau for the Middle East and North Africa moves a step closer

    Source: Interpol (news and events)

    30 January 2025

    RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – The creation of a new INTERPOL Regional Bureau the Middle East  and North Africa (MENA) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has taken an important step forward.

    The ‘Host Country Agreement’ was signed at a ceremony attended by Saudi Arabia’s Minister of the Interior, His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz Bin Saud Bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, INTERPOL President Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi and INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza.Aimed at strengthening INTERPOL’s engagement with the MENA region, the new Regional Bureau will serve as a hub for the Organization’s activities in supporting member countries in combating transnational crime and terrorism.

    It will also work closely with existing national and regional structures, such as the Arab Interiors Ministers’ Council, GCCPOL, and the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences to strengthen cooperation and information sharing.

    The establishment of the Regional Bureau was first proposed in 2016 at the INTERPOL Chiefs of Police Meeting for the MENA region. The plan was subsequently endorsed by INTERPOL’s General Assembly in Santiago, Chile, in 2019, with final approval for the Host Country Agreement from the Executive Committee in May 2024.

    The Agreement incorporates principles essential to ensuring the Regional Bureau’s proper functioning. The next steps in finalizing the creation and opening of the Regional Bureau will cover the financial, administrative, security and logistical aspects.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Patriotic action “Nevsky landing” started in Polytechnic

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    A ceremonial assembly was held in the research building of Technopolis Polytech, where the youth patriotic campaign “Nevsky Desant” was launched. The guys performed bright numbers, received vouchers for the season and heard parting words.

    On behalf of the Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, Alexander Belsky, the student detachment fighters were greeted by his deputy, Pavel Itkin.

    It is gratifying that the student brigade movement is actively developing in the Northern capital. Participants of the youth patriotic action “Nevsky Desant” make a worthy contribution to the revival of this wonderful tradition. For ten years now, they have been inspiring young men and women of St. Petersburg with their example. And today we see how many caring young people live in our city. I sincerely thank you for your noble work and service to society, – Pavel Itkin read out the address.

    “Nevsky Landing” is a regional stage of the all-Russian patriotic action “Snow Landing”. This year the season of the action is called “Snow Landing of the RSO. Victory Landing” and is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Therefore, special attention will be paid to targeted assistance to WWII veterans, children of war and families of participants in the special military operation, as well as the improvement of memorials and memorable places.

    2025 is the year of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, a holiday associated with the movement of student brigades. Those who defended our country and returned home in 1945, already in 1947 went to the construction site as part of the first linear student brigades, which originated in our city, – noted Maxim Pasholikov, Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Communication Technologies of SPbPU, at the assembly.

    The campaign is rapidly gaining momentum. This year, 29 teams of over 700 people will go to help in the settlements of the Leningrad Region and the Republic of Karelia. Five teams will represent the Polytechnic University. These are “Russian Knight”, “Peter the Great”, “Ilya Muromets”, “Prince Gagarin” and “Evpatiy Kolovrat”.

    From January 24 to February 16, students will conduct career guidance work with schoolchildren, help pensioners, veterans and those in need – remove snow and garbage, chop wood, repair houses. In addition, the fighters will hold creative evenings and concerts for everyone.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: How to become the main hero of the Polytechnic? New rules for admission to the university have been issued

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    The admission rules are the most important document for applicants. It reflects the calendar, the list of required documents for admission and the list of entrance examinations. This year, the document approved by the Academic Council of SPbPU was published on the university website on January 20. This year, 3,375 budget places have been allocated for full-time bachelor’s and specialist’s degree programs and 3,399 contract places (full-time, part-time, and correspondence forms of study). For future master’s students, 2,376 budget places have been offered for more than 170 educational programs.

    The new admission procedure regulated a fairly large number of points that largely affect the organizational issues of the admission campaign at the university. For our applicants, essentially nothing has changed. But at the same time, we emphasize that in some areas of training, the list of entrance examinations has changed, in connection with the release of a new order “On approval of the list of entrance examinations for admission to study in higher education programs – bachelor’s programs and specialist programs”. I would like to note that this year we unified the minimum passing subjects for the entire university and reduced the threshold for a number of subjects. This does not mean that it has become easier, it suggests even tougher competition for budget places. As the most important changes in the admission procedure, I would note the refusal to provide the original document on education and replacing it with consent for enrollment and, the second point, the establishment of control figures for admission to the contract form of education, which cannot change during the admission campaign, – commented on the new rules the responsible secretary of the admissions committee of SPbPU Vitaly Drobchik.

    The application period for admission in 2025 will begin on June 20, a date that remains unchanged.

    The list of individual achievements determines for what merits applicants can receive up to 10 points in addition to the sum of their USE or entrance examination scores. For example, a certificate with honors gives an applicant an additional 10 points to the USE score. This year, the list of individual achievements has been expanded with Olympiads, competitions, and educational programs. You can find out what you can get additional points for this year inRules in Appendix No. 4.

    And those who plan to enroll under the target quota will face an innovation. The participation of applicants in career guidance events of customers of target training or training in specialized classes of enterprises will be considered as an individual achievement and will serve as a reason for awarding an additional 5 points, which are added to the points for other individual achievements and with the points for exams.

    The number of areas in which one can simultaneously participate in the admissions competition has not changed – an applicant can choose up to 5 areas of training. Each selected area must be arranged in order of enrollment priority.

    Digitalization does not bypass admission to universities, so applicants from distant corners of Russia do not need to come to the university to submit documents to the Polytechnic. This year, as last year, future polytechnics will be able to submit documents using the super service “Online University Admission” on the State Services portal.

    Students entering the university after school this year are admitted based on the results of three Unified State Exams. Most areas of training offer the opportunity to choose a Unified State Exam subject: for example, when entering technical areas, applicants will need to pass either physics or computer science in addition to specialized mathematics and Russian language. The list of entrance examinations is published inRules in Appendix No. 1.

    The key change was the return of consents for enrollment. If previously applicants submitted consent to be enrolled in a university for a specific area, then this year the consent will become an analogue of an education document and will apply to the university as a whole. Consent can be submitted on the State Services portal as an electronic mark or to the university on paper.

    As for the Master’s program, there are no changes in the admission procedure this year. Students can enroll in the Master’s program in three ways: by winning a portfolio competition, becoming a winner or medalist of the All-Russian Olympiad “I am a Professional”, becoming a winner of the All-Russian engineering competition, or successfully passing an interdisciplinary exam. For the 2025 admissions campaign, 20 new Master’s programs have been developed, including the digital Master’s programs “Industrial and Civil Engineering” and “Russian as a Foreign Language and Intercultural Communication”, as well as the program for training teaching staff “Physics and Applied Mathematics in Science and Education”.

    To help applicants understand the admission rules, an online Open Day was held on January 26. The hosts of the live broadcast were the responsible secretary of the SPbPU Admissions Committee Vitaly Drobchik and a student of the Civil Engineering Institute Valeria Bublikova. Valeria introduced the viewers to the university and told them about the eventful student life. And Vitaly Viktorovich spoke about the changes in the admissions campaign in 2025 and answered questions from applicants.

    This year, the concept of the admission campaign of the Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University sounds like “You are the main character!” And the main character is our applicant, who then becomes a student of the university and creates a new history of the university with us.

    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 United Kingdom: expert reaction to Cochrane review of the effectiveness of anti-depressants versus placebo for generalized anxiety disorder

    Source: United Kingdom – Science Media Centre

    A Cochrane review looks at the effectiveness of antidepressants for anxiety disorder. 

    Dr Gemma Lewis, Senior Research Associate in Psychiatric Epidemiology, University College London (UCL), said:

    “This is a high-quality piece of research, which combined data from 37 studies. This approach (meta-analysis) allows scientists to provide more precise estimates than just replying upon smaller individual studies. Meta-analyses are often considered the best way of informing guidelines for clinical practice. Importantly, the individual studies were generally of good quality too.

    “The authors only included Randomised placebo-controlled trials. This type of study is the best way of evaluating whether a treatment is effective. The randomised design eliminates the possibility of confounding.

    “One limitation of the data is that most studies only followed people for up to 12 weeks. In reality, we know that many people use antidepressants for much longer than this, often for several years. In the future, we need trials that follow people for longer periods. Another limitation of the data is that most studies only included people with a clinical diagnosis of anxiety, which is quite severe. In reality, many people are prescribed antidepressants in primary care for milder symptoms of anxiety as milder symptoms can still be debilitating.

    “GAD is the most common mental health problem, and it can be very debilitating. However, in research, and also perhaps clinically, it is often neglected, particularly when compared to depression. The antidepressants were generally well accepted by people who used them although some people of course experienced side effects, as is the case with most medications. These findings reinforce the usefulness of antidepressants for treating symptoms of anxiety as well as depression.”

    Prof Christiaan Vinkers, Department of Psychiatry and Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam UMC, said:

    “The Cochrane review confirms what science has long shown: antidepressants work for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), with SSRIs and SNRIs consistently outperforming placebo. Their effects are meaningful, with a low number needed to treat (NNT), and dropout rates are comparable to placebo. However, antidepressants continue to face disproportionate skepticism, whether it is for GAD or depression. If these results were for heart disease or diabetes treatments, they’d be celebrated. Instead, antidepressants are often unfairly stigmatized, fueling misinformation which can deter people from seeking treatment that can have added value. Antidepressants aren’t a cure-all, but they are an essential, effective tool. Let’s shift the narrative from fear to facts: science should guide treatment, not stigma.”

     

    Prof Katharina Domschke, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Freiburg, Germany, said:

    “This is a comprehensive, long awaited update on the efficacy of antidepressants versus placebo in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). 

    “SSRIs and SNRIs, the first line treatment options for anxiety disorders according to all international guidelines, were shown to have a significant benefit of a placebo. 

    “The study is methodologically strong, applied a conservative outcome measure (greater than 50% reduction in Hamilton Anxiety score), excluded regular benzodiazepine use and controlled for study quality. 

    “Limitations of the present study comprise its limitation to adult patients and the wide range of treatment duration (4 to 28 weeks). 

    “Interestingly and importantly, no difference in overall acceptability was discerned between antidepressants and placebo. 

    “The presently reported effect sizes are very convincing, particularly in light of a recent study by Bschor et al. in JAMA Psychiatry 2024 reporting very high pooled pre-post placebo effect sizes in pharmacological studies in GAD.

    “The present results are very important and ought to increase patients’ trust in the efficacy of pharmacological treatment of GAD. “

    Prof Peter Tyrer, Professor of Community Psychiatry, Imperial College London, said:

    “The findings of this review are unequivocal – antidepressants are effective in the treatment of generalised anxiety in the short-term.  But in responding to this evidence the long-term implications have to be considered also. Here the conclusions of efficacy have to be tempered. Long-term treatment, as noted in the review,  is often the norm,  and there is increasing concern that patients have difficulties in stopping antidepressants because of withdrawal problems. Bearing in mind that the main reason why antidepressants were preferred to benzodiazepines (drugs that are equally effective in treating generalised anxiety) was the dependence risk, we just seem to have shifted the problem of adverse effects from one class of drugs to another.  Brief resolution does not effect a cure”.

    ‘Antidepressants versus placebo for generalised anxiety disorder’ by Kopcalic et al. was published in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews at 01:00 UK time on Thursday 30th January 2025.

    DOI: 10.1002.14651858.CD012942.pub2

    Declared interests:

    Prof Christiaan Vinkers “No COIs”

    Prof Katharina Domschke “None”

    Prof Peter Tyrer “None”

    For all other experts no response to or request for COIs was received

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Grattan on Friday: Dutton walks more softly on China, with election in mind

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

    When Peter Dutton was asked this week  whether a Coalition government would continue  to foster trade relations with China, he declared unequivocally that “the relationship with China will be much stronger  than it is under the Albanese government”.

    Two points stood out: Dutton’s own positive rhetoric, and his apparent confidence about the future of Australia-China relations.

    It’s not unusual for opposition leaders to undertake a makeover, to their person or policy, as an election approaches. Anthony Albanese lost weight and acquired new glasses. Earlier, he’d made Labor a small policy target.

    Dutton is simultaneously attempting a softening on some fronts – while retaining the “hard man” image on others.

    Mid-last year Dutton said: “I’m pro-China and the relationship that we have with them. I want that trading relationship to increase. […] We need to make sure we strengthen the trading relationship because there are many businesses here who rely on it. But we have to be realistic about working to keep peace […] we live in a very uncertain time. The Prime Minister also says that we live in the most precarious period since the Second World War, and he’s right, and we need to work hard at peace as well.”

    Contrast Dutton as defence minister in 2021. “Does the Chinese government wish to occupy other countries? Not in my judgement. But they do see us as tributary states. And that surrender of sovereignty and abandonment of any adherence to the international rule of law is what our country has fought against since Federation.”

    It’s not that Dutton has changed his views on China. Rather, he’s camouflaged them with a softer tone, and in what he chooses to emphasise. Of course circumstances have changed – Australia now has a much better relationship with China. But significantly, Dutton needs to appeal to the local Chinese-Australian voters.

    At the 2022 election, the Liberals took a big hit among voters of Chinese heritage.

    The party’s review of its election performance, undertaken by former party director Brian Loughnane and frontbencher Jane Hume, said: “In the top 15 seats by Chinese ancestry the swing against the Party (on a 2PP basis) was 6.6%, compared to 3.7% in other seats. There are more than 1.2 million people of Chinese heritage living in Australia today. Rebuilding the Party’s relationship with the Chinese community must be a priority during this term of Parliament.”

    Marginal Labor seats that are targets for the Liberals, where the Chinese vote is significant, include Reid and Bennelong in NSW and Chisholm and Aston in Victoria.

    Dutton (and the PM) will attend a Lunar New Year celebration in Box Hill in Melbourne this weekend.

    It’s notable that David Coleman, named by Dutton last weekend as the opposition’s new spokesman on foreign affairs, has worked extensively with the Chinese community. One of the contenders for the post was the high-performing James Paterson. There may have been stronger arguments for keeping Paterson in home affairs, but his very hawkish stand on China might have been in the mix.

    Talking up the positive side of the Coalition’s record on China, Dutton harked back to the signing of the free trade agreement under the Abbott government, and said “we want there to be mutual respect in the relationship”.

    Over its years in government the Coalition’s relationship with China has varied between pragmatic friendship and suspicious negativity. After relatively smooth sailing in the Abbott period, things soured when the Turnbull government called China out over foreign interference, introducing legislation, and banned Huawei from the 5G network. Then relations plunged dramatically when the Morrison government demanded an inquiry into the origins and handling of the outbreak of COVID in Wuhan.

    Despite Dutton’s confidence, it’s more than possible that managing the China relationship after the election could be trickier than it has been during this one, no matter who is in power.

    The Albanese government can claim the greatly-improved bilateral relationship as one of its major foreign policy achievements. China has brought Australia out of the deep freeze, lifting the $20 billion worth of trade barriers it had imposed. Dialogue and ministerial exchanges have resumed. Anthony Albanese has been welcomed in China.

    But this week’s speculation relating to the new Chinese artificial intelligence platform DeepSeek is just the latest reminder of perennial security suspicions about the penetration of Chinese technology.(Incidentally, Dutton has an account on the Chinese-owned TikTok – despite it being banned from official government devices – in part to engage with the local Chinese community, as well as with younger people generally.)

    Australia’s minerals industry is potentially vulnerable to Chinese displeasure. The Senate in the next fortnight will consider the government’s Future Made in Australia legislation, that provides a tax incentive for processing critical minerals. The Chinese have a global stranglehold on this processing – and have shown a willingness to weaponise it, for example against Japan. China’s multi-billion dollar funding of nickel processing in Indonesia has had a dire impact on producers here in Australia.

    The change of government in Australia certainly facilitated the improvement in the bilateral relationship, but that improvement was also strongly driven by China’s own interests. Similarly, the future of the relationship is more in China’s hands than in Australia’s.

    China expert Richard McGregor, from the Lowy Institute, says:“ Relations with China are inherently volatile.

    “The day-by-day relationships have returned to  a degree of normality. But all of the structural stresses which created antagonism are still there.”

    These include China’s “military assertiveness in the region, competition between  the US and China, Australia’s concern about foreign interference and hacking, China’s efforts to build their power in the Pacific at the expense of Australia. None of that has gone away,” McGregor says. The single biggest change of recent years “is that “China has become much more powerful and is far more willing to throw its weight around”.

    Separate to any hiccups in the bilateral relationship, Australia could find itself caught in the crossfire if there is a serious deterioration in the US-China relationship under Donald Trump – notably if his tariff policy leads to a trade war. Simon Jackman, from the University of Sydney, warns that if US policy hit the (already struggling) Chinese economy, that would affect Australian exporters.

    “US tariffs or import bans that slowed China’s economy would cause some short to medium headaches for Australian exporters,” Jackman says. “As in Trump Mark 1 and COVID, Australian export industries would find themselves looking for opportunities elsewhere, if global supply chains had to re-equilibrate in response to an upheaval in the US-China trade relationship.”

    Ironically, the earlier search for diversified markets when the Chinese imposed their restrictions on Australian producers would have helped prepare exporters for such a contingency.

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

    – ref. Grattan on Friday: Dutton walks more softly on China, with election in mind – https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-dutton-walks-more-softly-on-china-with-election-in-mind-248561

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Weight-loss without the sickness? Scientists seek to bypass popular obesity drug’s side effects How to harness the potential of weight-loss drugs without some of the unwelcome side-effects is the subject of a £1.2 million research project getting underway at the Rowett Institute and University College London.

    Source: University of Aberdeen

    Professor Lora HeislerHow to harness the potential of weight-loss drugs without some of the unwelcome side-effects is the subject of a £1.2 million research project getting underway at the Rowett Institute and University College London.
    Semaglutide, which acts in the brain to reduce food intake, has fast become one of the most effective pharmaceutical weapons in the global battle against obesity.
    GLP1-based obesity medicines are the subject of intense public debate as governments seek to harness their public health potential.
    But semaglutide’s positive impact on weight loss is sometimes offset by nausea and vomiting, which can reduce its benefits by putting patients off sticking to a course of treatment.
    Now a team led by Professor Lora Heisler of the University of Aberdeen’s Rowett Institute and Professor Stefan Trapp at UCL  – funded by the Medical Research Council – will spend three years identifying where semaglutide acts in the brain to influence specific aspects of food intake such as meal size, healthier food choices, delaying digestion and dampening the “feel-good” food effect, and also where it acts to produce the unpleasant nausea side effects.
    The project will involve careful statistical analysis of the resulting data by research colleagues from Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (BioSS).
    Answering these questions will fill large gaps in our current understanding of precisely how the drug works.

    We can only now do these types of studies because of the latest technological advances, and we expect our results will provide the blueprint to develop even better obesity medications in the future.” Professor Lora Heisler

    Professor Heisler’s laboratory at the Rowett Institute recently identified a cluster of brain cells that can be harnessed to reduce food intake and body weight – without the nausea, the common side effect of this class of obesity medicines.
    Speaking about the new project, Professor Heisler said: “There is huge interest in how the brain targets of semaglutide (Wegovy) and similar drugs such as tirzepatide (Mounjaro) could be switched on in a slightly different or more targeted way. Drugs that can do this could work better, have effects that last longer and produce specific therapeutic obesity treatment benefits without the nausea side effect.
    “This research could also lead to new drugs that are produced as pills instead of injectables, thereby reducing costs and increasing availability.
    “We can only now do these types of studies because of the latest technological advances, and we expect our results will provide the blueprint to develop even better obesity medications in the future. “
    Professor Trapp added: “While semaglutide and similar drugs have been very effective in helping people with diabetes and show much promise in helping people to lose weight, we still do not know that much about how exactly they work in the brain.
    “My lab has done extensive research for years into the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) in the brain, which semaglutide targets, so we hope by mapping out the drug’s mechanism more precisely, we will be able to develop more effective drugs with fewer side effects.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Dundee University can no longer ignore staff

    Source: Scottish Greens

    30 Jan 2025

    Universities are not businesses.

    Lecturers, researchers, technicians and student support workers should not be made to pay the price for the negligence and incompetence of Dundee University management, says Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman.

    Ms Chapman was commenting as voting by university staff in a strike ballot comes to an end. If successful, mass strike action within six months of the ballot is a possibility.

    This follows a financial crisis that has seen university senior management freezing all spending, including for postgraduate students, and threatening compulsory redundancies for staff.

    On 13th November last year, staff received notice that University management had built up a £30 million deficit. Whilst no formal process for voluntary or compulsory redundancies has started, senior managers have threatened people with job cuts and warned that the University’s future is at stake. 

    There are, apparently, ongoing discussions about a recovery plan, but staff and students have not been part of these discussions in any meaningful way. Both staff and students have condemned the lack of proper process or justification for these cuts. 

    Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman, who represents Dundee as part of the North East Region, said:

    “This crisis is a product of senior management’s bad decision-making and poor governance. 

    “What little financial information has been made available shows that staff costs are not the cause of the deficit. Lecturers, researchers, technicians, student support workers – all those who actually make the university work – should not be made to pay the price for the negligence and incompetence of management.

    “The University Executive Group hasn’t even afforded staff the dignity of transparency, clarity, or security. Senior leaders have failed to conduct any meaningful engagement with unions, and continue to evade any line of questioning. Whatever the outcome of this ballot, it will be impossible for the University to continue ignoring the voices of their staff.

    “It is shameful, and a complete injustice, that the executive is offloading the consequences of their actions onto those who are in no way to blame for this deficit.” 

    “This crisis reveals a deeper fracture in our higher education sector, where universities have sought to operate like businesses focused on profit rather than as education institutions focused on wider societal benefit and wellbeing and supporting staff and students.” 

    The University has hosted two all-staff ‘town hall’ meetings. Both have been attended by over 1000 staff members. Both saw staff voicing their concerns directly to the Interim Principal. Neither saw any questions from staff properly answered. There appears to be no faith in the Interim Principal nor the wider Executive Group.

    Ms Chapman added:

    “Staff aren’t just angry, they’re exhausted. They’re hurt. They’re being treated as financial liabilities, but it is senior management that poses the greatest risk to the University. Failing in their key duty to maintain the sustainability of the institution, they have tarnished the University’s reputation and lost the faith of their staff.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: SPbGASU expands cooperation on water supply and water resources protection with Kairos Engineering

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering –

    Dmitry Ulrich

    A meeting of Kairos Engineering representatives with Dmitry Ulrikh, Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Urban Management, was held at SPbGASU. Key issues of cooperation were discussed, including within the framework of the agreement signed in June 2024. Kairos Engineering was represented by Alexander Gottfried, Director of Project Production, Sergey Kostrov, Chief Engineer, Yulia Balandina, Chief Technologist, and Maxim Zuev, Project Manager.

    “We have outlined a plan for the implementation of joint projects, in particular, in the field of ecology and water resources: treatment facilities, water supply systems and water treatment,” Dmitry Ulrikh specified.

    Kairos Engineering has been operating in the industrial design market for over ten years and offers design solutions based on digital modeling in the field of water resources and heat and energy generation.

    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 Security: New INTERPOL Regional Bureau for North Africa and the Middle East moves a step closer

    Source: Interpol (news and events)

    30 January 2025

    RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – The creation of a new INTERPOL Regional Bureau for North Africa and the Middle East (MENA) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has taken an important step forward.

    The ‘Host Country Agreement’ was signed at a ceremony attended by Saudi Arabia’s Minister of the Interior, His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz Bin Saud Bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, INTERPOL President Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi and INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza.Aimed at strengthening INTERPOL’s engagement with the MENA region, the new Regional Bureau will serve as a hub for the Organization’s activities in supporting member countries in combating transnational crime and terrorism.

    It will also work closely with existing national and regional structures, such as the Arab Interiors Ministers’ Council, GCCPOL, and the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences to strengthen cooperation and information sharing.

    INTERPOL Secretary General (L) and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of the Interior (R) sign the agreement

    The establishment of the Regional Bureau was first proposed in 2016 at the INTERPOL Chiefs of Police Meeting for the MENA region. The plan was subsequently endorsed by INTERPOL’s General Assembly in Santiago, Chile, in 2019, with final approval for the Host Country Agreement from the Executive Committee in May 2024.

    The Agreement incorporates principles essential to ensuring the Regional Bureau’s proper functioning. The next steps in finalizing the creation and opening of the Regional Bureau will cover the financial, administrative, security and logistical aspects.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Sterling Trading Tech Builds its Business Development

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Chicago , Jan. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sterling Trading Tech (Sterling), a leading global provider of technology in order management, risk & margin, and trading platforms, today announced that industry technology sales professional Chris Contrino has joined the firm. Sterling has a robust business development team in place and Contrino brings substantial expertise that will be additive in achieving growth projections.

    Sterling’s products are designed to meet and anticipate the complexity and challenges its clients face in the current global trading environment – driven by regulation, competition, and technology. Clients across professional segments worldwide now look to Sterling’s product suite as they consider cross-asset requirements in risk, order management, and trading technologies. 2024 saw substantial interest in and success with Sterling’s approach across all market segments worldwide and the firm is poised for further growth.

    Contrino brings a breadth and depth of client service and business development capability to the role shaped by key positions at leading financial technology firms. Most recently he served as Customer Service Manager at Trading Technologies and previously contributed to client and business solutions at Eventus and Fidessa, specializing in derivatives. Contrino was a trader with The New York Mercantile Exchange and holds a BA from Brown University.

    Said Jennifer Nayar, Sterling CEO: “We are committed to our clients’ success, as reflected in the confidence they have in our approach and offerings. As Sterling continues to expand globally, attracting top talent is crucial to ongoing success. Chris brings the expertise and skill set that will aid in strengthening our franchise as we grow regionally, diversify asset classes, broaden client segments, and enhance product offerings.”

    -END-

    About Sterling Trading Tech

    Sterling Trading Tech (Sterling) is a leading provider of professional trading technology solutions for the global equities, equity options and futures markets. With over 100 clients including leading brokers, clearing firms and prop groups in over 20 countries, Sterling provides solutions tailored to clients’ needs. Sterling is committed to providing fast, stable technology along with outstanding customer service. Sterling provides trading platforms, OMS and risk products to its clients.

    Media Contact:

    Magdalena Mayer
     magdalena.mayer@sterlingtradingtech.com
    (312) 346-9600 

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Transcript – Rural Queensland Today with Ben Dobbin

    Source: Australian Executive Government Ministers

    BEN DOBBIN [HOST]: Welcome back to Rural Queensland Today on the Resonate Broadcast Network, it’s my great pleasure to bring in Senator Anthony Chisholm, the Assistant Minister for Regional Development, Ag, Fisheries and Forestry. He’s a Queenslander and it’s great to have him on the show. Good morning, Anthony. Thanks so much for being with us.

    ANTHONY CHISHOLM [ASSISTANT MINISTER]: Good morning, Ben. Good to be with you and your listeners.

    DOBBIN: Mate, a lot going on but some good news. Yesterday you joined the University of Queensland to speak about the Federal Government’s efforts to help students pursue a career in the ag sector through the AgConnections program.

    CHISHOLM: Yeah, we think this will be an important program, Ben. And when you get around and meet with farmers on the land, you know that they’re always struggling to find future workers and I think for a lot of Queenslanders, particularly those from the city, they don’t necessarily think about a career in Ag, they don’t have that exposure. But there’s so many different jobs in agriculture these days, particularly when you consider how much new tech is involved. We want to grow that next generation of workers and think that this is a really good program. The University of Queensland have obviously got a proud history in this regard of connecting the two and ensuring that we have that future production line of workers coming through that are going to experience the ag sector, become passionate about it and go on to have a fabulous career in agriculture.

    DOBBIN: It’s a pretty significant day. You are right with the University of Queensland. It’s a first of its kind that will encourage students to diverse their disciplines. I’ve got a son who is at University of Queensland and all he wants to do is be back on the land at the farm, but he has to go and do a degree and so he’s doing engineering. But this now offers people who can go and get some skills, can go and get a university degree with some hands-on experience through an unbelievable team. But I’ve got to say, is this, is this a band aid from the State Government’s dark days when they closed the Ag colleges? I mean there was always a pathway and I understand this is a state level and you’re a Federal Senator, but I mean this seems to me like, yes, I’m so pleased this is happening, but it could have also been prevented a little bit if the State Government hadn’t gone and shut all these Ag colleges down a few years ago. Is that the reason why UQ and why the Federal Government have stepped in for this?

    CHISHOLM: We’ve also provided support to some of the other universities around the country, including Charles Sturt, ANU, and Charles Darwin University. So, there is some diversity there. It’s funny you mentioned the Ag colleges and I was out in Longreach just before Christmas, and they’ve turned the Longreach college there into a Regional University Study Hub, which will be a great addition. But I understand the point you’re making and from my point of view, who’s got responsibility for workforce issues within agriculture, what I want to see is growing the pie, and this is what I talk to industry about. So, we need people in school thinking about a career in agriculture. We need those who are studying at university thinking about agriculture. We need to look at what we can do in vocational training to ensure that there’s people coming through interested in agriculture. But I think the challenge is exposing people to the industry and then realising that you don’t have to have a family farm, you don’t have to grow up in a farming location. There are so many diverse jobs and a great career and you’ll have so much fun at the same time. That’s what it’s about. So, we understand that there’s going to be a need for people coming in on visas overseas or backpackers of the PALM scheme. All of that is in the mix. But we also want to grow those people who live in Australia and get an opportunity in Ag, and I’m confident that once they get that taste, they’ll really enjoy and want a career in that area.

    DOBBIN: Yeah, this is a very, very good initiative. I’ve got to be honest with you, and everybody needs to be congratulated on this. You also are Assistant Minister for Regional Development. Gee whiz, you’ve got a headache there trying to get the regions right. I mean, we are a little bit behind in this state and you know it too well. And you talked about Longreach, you talked about some of these areas that are growing, but we’ve got some challenges. How do we fast track it and not just be so laser focused on the south east?

    CHISHOLM: Yeah, it’s something that I see as an important responsibility for me. I try and get around the country as much as I can. I’m off to Toowoomba today to help open a bridge out of town there. So, I think it’s about ensuring that we’re working with councils and investing in infrastructure that’s going to make a difference. I think the other challenge in many of these places is housing and the program that we’ve had to support councils to develop their headworks, whether it be sewerage, whether it be guttering and be able to build more houses in what is often the case where they lack builders or lack a market for new houses. So, I think those sorts of things are really important that are going to make a difference in these regional rural communities. I was in Normanton last year and they’ve got some money to develop some land for housing. So, that just shows you that the work that’s going on. We will continue to invest in the Growing Regions Program and the Regional Precincts and Partnership Program that invest in place-based infrastructure as well. But obviously childcare is another really important issue because a lot of people moving to these towns want to know that they’ve got access for childcare. So, I think across a range of measures we’re making progress. But I accept what you’re saying and it can’t happen quick enough and we need to ensure that we’re constantly out there listening, but then acting on that and delivering at the same time.

    DOBBIN: Well, this is a great news story and we’ve led the show with the Ag Skills Accelerator given the green light. You were part of the University of Queensland yesterday, where there is now going to be, as you said, an opportunity for people who haven’t been born and bred in the bush, who can make a choice to choose Ag and go into there and do a university degree and create a future for themselves around this industry. A great news story. Senator, we really appreciate your time this morning. Anthony Chisholm, Assistant Minister for Regional Development, Ag and Fisheries, thanks so much for being with us.

    CHISHOLM: Thanks, Ben. Good to be with you.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese New Year celebrated across world

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

    Chinese New Year celebrated across world

    Updated: January 30, 2025 10:21 Xinhua
    A participant tries on a traditional Chinese costume during an event in celebration of the Chinese New Year at the Confucius Institute of Far Eastern Federal University of Russia, in Vladivostok, Russia, Jan. 29, 2025. The Confucius Institute of Far Eastern Federal University of Russia hosted a Chinese New Year cultural experience event, attracting many participants. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Participants try Chinese calligraphy during an event in celebration of the Chinese New Year at the Confucius Institute of Far Eastern Federal University of Russia, in Vladivostok, Russia, Jan. 29, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Participants paint Beijing Opera masks during an event in celebration of the Chinese New Year at the Confucius Institute of Far Eastern Federal University of Russia, in Vladivostok, Russia, Jan. 29, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    People watch a lion dance performance during the Chinese New Year celebration in the departure hall of Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, on Jan. 29, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    People watch a lion dance performance during the Chinese New Year celebration in the departure hall of Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, on Jan. 29, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Performers present a lion dance during a Spring Festival gala at the Chinese Cultural Center in Cotonou, Benin, Jan. 25, 2025. The 2025 “Happy Chinese New Year” celebrations kicked off here recently, and will last till Feb. 12. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Local Chinese language learners perform Chinese crosstalk during a Spring Festival gala at the Chinese Cultural Center in Cotonou, Benin, Jan. 25, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    A local martial arts lover performs during a Spring Festival gala at the Chinese Cultural Center in Cotonou, Benin, Jan. 25, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Artists of China Conservatory of Music stage a performance in Brussels, Belgium, Jan. 29, 2025. A concert celebrating the Spring Festival was held at Bozar Art Center in Brussels on Wednesday. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Zhang Qianyuan of China Conservatory of Music performs the Suona Concerto “A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix” in Brussels, Belgium, Jan. 29, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Interview – Rural Queensland Today

    Source: Australian Ministers for Education

    BEN DOBBIN [HOST]: Welcome back to Rural Queensland. Today on the Resonate Broadcast Network, it’s my great pleasure to bring in Senator Anthony Chisholm, the Assistant Minister for Regional Development, Ag, Fisheries and Forestry. He’s a Queenslander and it’s great to have him on the show. Good morning, Anthony. Thanks so much for being with us.

    ANTHONY CHISHOLM [HOST]: Good morning, Ben. Good to be with you and your listeners.

    DOBBIN: Mate, a lot going on but some good news. Yesterday you joined the University of Queensland to speak about the Federal Government’s efforts to help students pursue a career in the ag sector through the AgConnections program.

    CHISHOLM: Yeah, we think this will be an important program, Ben. And when you get around and meet with farmers on the land, you know that they’re always struggling to find future workers and I think for a lot of Queenslanders, particularly those from the city, they don’t necessarily think about a career in Ag, they don’t have that exposure. But there’s so many different jobs in agriculture these days, particularly when you consider how much new tech is involved. We want to grow that next generation of workers and think that this is a really good program. The University of Queensland have obviously got a proud history in this regard of connecting the two and ensuring that we have that future production line of workers coming through that are going to experience the ag sector, become passionate about it and go on to have a fabulous career in agriculture.

    DOBBIN: It’s a pretty significant day. You are right with the University of Queensland. It’s a first of its kind that will encourage students to diverse their disciplines. I’ve got a son who is at University of Queensland and all he wants to do is be back on the land at the farm, but he has to go and do a degree and so he’s doing engineering. But this now offers people who can go and get some skills, can go and get a university degree with some hands-on experience through an unbelievable team. But I’ve got to say, is this, is this a band aid from the State Government’s dark days when they closed the Ag colleges? I mean there was always a pathway and I understand this is a state level and you’re a Federal Senator, but I mean this seems to me like, yes, I’m so pleased this is happening, but it could have also been prevented a little bit if the State Government hadn’t gone and shut all these Ag colleges down a few years ago. Is that the reason why UQ and why the Federal Government have stepped in for this?

    CHISHOLM: We’ve also provided support to some of the other universities around the country, including Charles Sturt, ANU, and Charles Darwin University. So, there is some diversity there. It’s funny you mentioned the Ag colleges and I was out in Longreach just before Christmas, and they’ve turned the Longreach college there into a Regional University Study Hub, which will be a great addition. But I understand the point you’re making and from my point of view, who’s got responsibility for workforce issues within agriculture, what I want to see is growing the pie, and this is what I talk to industry about. So, we need people in school thinking about a career in agriculture. We need those who are studying at university thinking about agriculture. We need to look at what we can do in vocational training to ensure that there’s people coming through interested in agriculture. But I think the challenge is exposing people to the industry and then realising that you don’t have to have a family farm, you don’t have to grow up in a farming location. There are so many diverse jobs and a great career and you’ll have so much fun at the same time. That’s what it’s about. So, we understand that there’s going to be a need for people coming in on visas overseas or backpackers of the PALM scheme. All of that is in the mix. But we also want to grow those people who live in Australia and get an opportunity in Ag, and I’m confident that once they get that taste, they’ll really enjoy and want a career in that area.

    DOBBIN: Yeah, this is a very, very good initiative. I’ve got to be honest with you, and everybody needs to be congratulated on this. You also are Assistant Minister for Regional Development. Gee whiz, you’ve got a headache there trying to get the regions right. I mean, we are a little bit behind in this state and you know it too well. And you talked about Longreach, you talked about some of these areas that are growing, but we’ve got some challenges. How do we fast track it and not just be so laser focused on the south east?

    CHISHOLM: Yeah, it’s something that I see as an important responsibility for me. I try and get around the country as much as I can. I’m off to Toowoomba today to help open a bridge out of town there. So, I think it’s about ensuring that we’re working with councils and investing in infrastructure that’s going to make a difference. I think the other challenge in many of these places is housing and the program that we’ve had to support councils to develop their headworks, whether it be sewerage, whether it be guttering and be able to build more houses in what is often the case where they lack builders or lack a market for new houses. So, I think those sorts of things are really important that are going to make a difference in these regional rural communities. I was in Normanton last year and they’ve got some money to develop some land for housing. So, that just shows you that the work that’s going on. We will continue to invest in the Growing Regions Program and the Regional Precincts and Partnership Program that invest in place-based infrastructure as well. But obviously childcare is another really important issue because a lot of people moving to these towns want to know that they’ve got access for childcare. So, I think across a range of measures we’re making progress. But I accept what you’re saying and it can’t happen quick enough and we need to ensure that we’re constantly out there listening, but then acting on that and delivering at the same time.

    DOBBIN: Well, this is a great news story and we’ve led the show with the Ag Skills Accelerator given the green light. You were part of the University of Queensland yesterday, where there is now going to be, as you said, an opportunity for people who haven’t been born and bred in the bush, who can make a choice to choose ag and go into there and do a university degree and create a future for themselves around this industry. A great news story. Senator, we really appreciate your time this morning. Anthony Chisholm, Assistant Minister for Regional Development, Ag and Fisheries, thanks so much for being with us.

    CHISHOLM: Thanks, Ben. Good to be with you.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI: Academician Lingyun Xiang was awarded the International Cultural Exchange Ambassador Certificate by the Ukrainian Ambassador to China

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Beijing, China, Jan. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Recently, Professor Lingyun Xiang, a Foreign Academician of the National Academy of Engineering of Ukraine, was awarded the International Cultural Exchange Ambassador Certificate by the Embassy of Ukraine in China.

    Ukrainian diplomat Gili and the Secretary to Professor Lingyun Xiang, a Foreign Academician of the National Academy of Engineering of Ukraine in China.

    Ukraine, with its capital Kyiv, is located in Eastern Europe along the northern coasts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. It shares borders with Belarus to the north, Russia to the northeast, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west, and Romania and Moldova to the south. Rich in mineral resources, Ukraine covers 603,700 square kilometers, making it the second-largest country in Europe by land area. The country is divided into 24 oblasts (provinces), one autonomous republic (the Republic of Crimea), and two cities with special status (the capital Kyiv and Sevastopol).

    As of September 2022, Ukraine’s total population was 41.13 million (excluding the Crimea region). Ukraine is classified as a developing country with a highly advanced agricultural sector, though its industrial development, particularly in manufacturing, lags. Ukraine ranks as the fifth-largest exporter of IT services in the world. It is the largest market for software development, programming, and IT outsourcing services in Central and Eastern Europe. In 2021, Ukraine’s GDP was approximately $200 billion.

    The National Academy of Engineering of Ukraine (Академія Інженерних Наук України) is one f Ukraine’s highest academic institutions. It originated as the Ukrainian Republic Branch of the Soviet Union Academy of Engineering. In 1998, it became a member of the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS), a global alliance that includes engineering academies from 27 countries, such as the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

    As of December 2023, the National Academy of Engineering of Ukraine has over 160 academicians, more than 130 corresponding members, and over 50 foreign academicians. The current president of the academy is Petro Mihailovich Talanchuk, who previously served as Ukraine’s Minister of Education and Science, President of the National Technical University of Ukraine (formerly Kyiv Polytechnic Institute), a candidate in the 1994 Ukrainian presidential election, and currently an advisor to the President of Ukraine.

    Professor Xiang was elected on July 22, 2024. He is also a recipient of the British King’s Medal and the European Outstanding Achievement Award, a Fellow of the Royal Society of the United Kingdom, a Lifetime Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering of the United Kingdom, and a Foreign Full Member of Academy of Engineering Sciences of Ukraine, a lifelong full-time professor of the European Union University, a lifelong professor (doctoral supervisor) of the National University of Maryland, a Special Term professor of Peking University Boya, a visiting professor of Beijing Union University, a visiting professor of Capital Normal University, a visiting professor of Shaanxi University of Science & Technology.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Will new $10,000 apprentice payments help solve job shortages in construction? Not anytime soon

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pi-Shen Seet, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Edith Cowan University

    In an election pitch last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced new incentive payments of $10,000 for eligible apprentices in residential construction.

    The federal government has committed to an ambitious target of building 1.2 million new homes over the next five years through the National Housing Accord. That means it urgently needs to boost Australia’s construction workforce.

    But a recent strategic review into incentives for Australian apprentices and trainees found cost-of-living pressures were a major barrier to apprenticeship entry and completion.

    Only about half of apprentices currently finish their apprenticeships.

    The new program has been touted as the federal government’s initial response. It will target 62,690 apprentices and cost $627 million.

    But previous attempts to attract new apprentices with cash payments have had mixed results. A similar 2023 scheme to get more tradies into “green jobs” only attracted about 2,200 sign-ups in the first year.

    There are also concerns the new scheme may have unintended consequences, such as diverting talent from important sectors of the new economy – including the previous “green jobs” scheme.



    Read more:
    There may not be enough skilled workers in Australia’s pipeline for a post-COVID-19 recovery

    How will it work?

    From July 1, eligible apprentices in the new Housing Construction Apprenticeship Program will receive five payments of $2,000 each: after six, 12, 24 and 36 months, and upon completion. The payments are staged to encourage apprentices to complete their training.

    Cash payments won’t be the only new financial incentive. There’ll also be a boost to the Living Away From Home Allowance to help cover the costs of relocating, while an increase in the Disability Australian Apprentice Wage Support payment provides financial support to employers who hire apprentices with disability.



    Read more:
    Albanese to promise $10,000 for apprentices in housing construction

    Will the scheme succeed?

    The government’s previous attempts to address chronic labour shortages through cash incentives have had mixed results.

    Introduced in 2023, the New Energy Apprenticeships Program also offers $10,000 in staged payments to apprentices in priority green roles, such as electric vehicle technicians.

    Despite 2,200 apprentices joining in the first year, the program was deemed too restrictive by the industry. That was despite employers themselves receiving $15,000 per apprentice (which is also what is proposed for the construction scheme).



    Read more:
    Yes, we know there is a ‘skills shortage’. Here are 3 jobs summit ideas to start fixing it right away

    As part of the strategic review, the Centre for International Economics was commissioned to conduct an international literature review. It found that financial incentives such as wage or training subsidies and incentives were only “somewhat relevant” to the Australian context, and there was mixed support, at best, for their effectiveness.

    A major factor behind the mixed results may be the crowding-out effect in economic theory.

    This suggests that increasing public spending (by giving financial incentives) could undermine the intended effect by reducing or even eliminating private-sector investment. And it does not address apprehension among employers, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, about taking on more apprentices.

    More than six months after the government expanded eligibility for clean energy work, the green energy sector continues to face significant skills shortages.

    While these payments may help in the long run, their staggered nature over three years won’t provide immediate relief.

    The plan will likely only contribute to the government’s home-building targets by 2029, if and when more Australians enrol and complete their apprenticeships in the construction sector.

    Will this have effects outside the construction industry?

    More strategically, by shifting the focus from “new economy” industries outlined in the Future Made in Australia policy, this scheme risks weakening efforts to transform Australia’s economy.



    Read more:
    Australia has a new National Skills Agreement. What does this mean for vocational education?

    The cash incentive for apprentices in home-building comes at a time when there is intense global competition for skills in “new industries”.

    However, despite the many state and federal government initiatives for fee-free TAFE courses since the COVID pandemic, recently released data indicates a continued trend of long-term decline in Vocational Education and Training (VET) enrolments.

    Albanese was asked about the government’s commitment to technology and digital innovation, with increasing global competition in artificial intelligence.

    He responded by discussing the government’s commitment to the “new economy”.

    However, the construction sector has until now not been identified as an essential part of the new economy’s priority industries by the government.

    Instead, expanding incentives to construction apprentices marks a shift away from the priorities on green energy and new industries, and towards more traditional trades.

    The cash incentives could divert school leavers from considering apprenticeships in key future industries. That is something that schemes such as the new energy program were specifically designed to do in response to multiple skills and training reviews over the past two decades.

    So, despite the lack of evidence that cash incentives work, and the fact they may cause unintended effects, the proposed incentive payments appear to be a pitch addressing cost-of-living/cost-of-building concerns for the upcoming election.

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

    – ref. Will new $10,000 apprentice payments help solve job shortages in construction? Not anytime soon – https://theconversation.com/will-new-10-000-apprentice-payments-help-solve-job-shortages-in-construction-not-anytime-soon-248446

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: As antisemitic attacks reach ‘disturbing’ levels, is strengthening hate crime laws the answer?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keiran Hardy, Associate Professor, Griffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University

    Mike Burgess, head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, has issued a stark warning following the discovery of explosives in a caravan in northwest Sydney, alongside a note bearing the address of a Sydney synagogue.

    We have seen a disturbing escalation in the targeting of Jewish interests, and a disturbing escalation in the severity and recklessness of the targeting.

    In response to the recent spate of antisemitic incidents in Sydney – which include a childcare centre being set alight and graffitied – NSW Premier Chris Minns has also pledged to strengthen the state’s hate laws.

    Changes to these laws would bring NSW in line with other states. However, they will have limited impact on a serious social problem. Both nationally and in the states, many existing laws can be used to prosecute people for these crimes, including incitement to violence on the basis of religion, race or ethnicity.

    Responding quickly to the growing crisis around antisemitic attacks is understandable, but greater long-term investments must also be made to prevent extreme, hateful beliefs from developing in our communities in the first place.

    What crimes are being committed?

    Different laws can be triggered depending on the nature of a particular offence.

    The firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue late last year was treated as an act of terrorism, while a joint counter-terrorism team is investigating the caravan explosives.

    Other hateful acts can be charged as arson, property damage or serious vilification.

    For conduct to be treated as terrorism, it must be done for the purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause.

    Extreme right-wing or neo-Nazi beliefs can certainly satisfy this. But whether an individual case will be treated as terrorism depends on whether there is enough evidence of an underlying ideological motive.

    Serious vilification offences apply when someone incites others to cause harm on the basis of race, religion, sexuality or gender identity.

    Both nationally and in the states, new offences also apply for displaying Nazi symbols. Neo-Nazis who were arrested after a march in Adelaide this month, for example, were charged with various offences, including failing to cease loitering and displaying a Nazi symbol.



    Read more:
    Legal in one state, a crime in another: laws banning hate symbols are a mixed bag

    What is NSW considering changing?

    The biggest change would be to section 93Z of the NSW Crimes Act.

    Section 93Z is a serious vilification offence, but it applies only to the incitement of violence. Equivalent offences in other states are broader because they also include incitement to hatred, serious contempt or severe ridicule.

    In Queensland, this requires threats or inciting threats of physical harm. In Victoria, changes likely to pass in parliament soon would remove a similar harm requirement.

    In NSW, vilification on broader grounds is still unlawful, but it falls under civil law. Complaints can be made to Anti-Discrimination NSW and this may lead to lawsuits and potential compensation – but not criminal prosecution.

    It makes sense for NSW to match section 93Z to equivalent laws in other states. But this would go against the very recent recommendations of the NSW Law Reform Commission.

    In its report last November, the commission concluded that strengthening laws is not always the best way to address underlying social issues. It said the low prosecution rate for section 93Z could be explained by police preferring other, more serious offences for these types of crimes.

    Still, it appears Minns may go ahead with the reforms, saying an antisemitic attack “begins with hateful, racist language”.

    If I can stop it at its source with changes to the law, that’s exactly what we’ll do.

    Would these changes make a difference?

    The proposed changes are quite technical and are unlikely to have a significant impact on the growing threat of antisemitism.

    Widening section 93Z could generate some additional prosecutions for hate speech that falls below inciting violence. But in most cases, other, more serious offences are already available to prosecutors.

    Ultimately, in addition to the ongoing investigations, there needs to be greater investment in efforts to understand extremism in Australian society. This includes developing clearer answers to these questions:

    • why extreme, hateful beliefs are thriving in our communities
    • who is most likely to develop these beliefs and act on them, and
    • how extremist narratives can best be countered, in our communities and online.

    Countering violent extremism programs are improving over time. These include interventions for at-risk youth and broader efforts to educate communities. But investments in these approaches have never kept pace with changes to the criminal law.

    Antisemitism has no place in Australian society, and changing the law in NSW will send a quick message that the government is taking the problem seriously. But taking it seriously also means doing whatever else we can as a society to ensure no one experiences hate or violence for who they are or what they believe.

    Keiran Hardy receives funding from the Australian Research Council for a Discovery Project on conspiracy-fuelled extremism.

    – ref. As antisemitic attacks reach ‘disturbing’ levels, is strengthening hate crime laws the answer? – https://theconversation.com/as-antisemitic-attacks-reach-disturbing-levels-is-strengthening-hate-crime-laws-the-answer-248549

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: NSU and Kim Il Sung University to cooperate in scientific and educational spheres

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    A delegation from Kim Il Sung University, the leading university in the DPRK, visited Novosibirsk State University. During the visit, representatives of the two universities agreed to intensify inter-university cooperation, the priority areas of which are student and faculty mobility, joint scientific conferences and scientific research in the following priority areas – chemistry, mathematics, information technology and new materials. To more effectively organize joint work, the parties will prepare a roadmap (work plan) for the coming year.

    Kim Il Sung University was represented by Rector Kim Seung Chan, deans of the faculties of Materials Science and Chemistry, Director of the Institute for Advanced Technology Development, Director of the Department of International Relations, Head of the Department of Juche Philosophy of the Faculty of Philosophy, and Head of the Department of Russian Language and Literature of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literature. NSU was represented by Rector, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Fedoruk, deans Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics And Faculty of Natural Sciences Igor Marchuk and Vladimir Reznikov, Head of the Education Export Department Evgeny Sagaydak. Also present at the meeting was Svetlana Malina, Head of the Department of Professional Education and Higher Education of the Ministry of Education of the Novosibirsk Region.

    Mikhail Fedoruk, Rector of NSU, mentioned the long-standing historical ties not only between Russia, but also between Novosibirsk and North Korea, stressed that it is a great honor for NSU to be friends with Kim Il Sung University, and expressed readiness to implement joint projects in the educational and scientific spheres in the very near future.

    “In the current historical period, the traditional Korean-Russian friendly relations have turned into a comprehensive strategic partnership. We hope that in the future, cooperation between our two universities will expand to a new, higher level in accordance with the common interests and aspirations of the peoples,” said the rector of the North Korean university, Kim Seung-chan, in his welcoming speech.

    The universities agreed to cooperate in the following areas:

    – organization of student internships from one to three months, conducting research work at NSU and research institutes of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences;

    – joint research in the field of cutting-edge technologies;

    – inviting teachers to teach courses;

    – preparation of joint scientific publications.

    — Novosibirsk State University is one of the leaders in the field of education export and international cooperation. We, as a ministry, support the expansion of cooperation between the two universities and are ready to provide all possible assistance in organizing joint events, conferences and internships, — emphasized Svetlana Malina.

    Among the upcoming events that North Korean university students can take part in are: International scientific student conference of NSU, which has been held practically since the university’s founding, traditionally in April, and will be held for the 63rd time this year; and Big Mathematical Workshop, which is organized by Mathematical center in Akademgorodok and the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of NSU. The workshop has been held for 5 years, usually in the summer, and in 2024 it became international for the first time – students from one of the Chinese universities took part in it. NSU also invited a student delegation from a North Korean university to take part in the events of Interweek, which will be held at the end of April.

    In 2026, Kim Il Sung University celebrates its 80th anniversary, and a delegation from NSU plans to take part in an international scientific conference organized by the North Korean university as part of the anniversary events.

    The two universities are also considering the possibility of jointly preparing schoolchildren for admission to Russian universities on the basis of SUNC NSU.

    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-Evening Report: Even as the tide turned for fur, crocodile leather kept selling in high-end fashion. But for how much longer?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Lamarche-Beauchesne, Senior Lecturer in Fashion Enterprise, Torrens University Australia

    apple2499/Shutterstock

    Dotted across northern Australia are 21 saltwater crocodile farms, home to around 130,000 crocodiles. Their skins are turned into crocodile leather, long sought for use in luxury handbags, belts and other items.

    While fur lost favour due to welfare concerns about animals such as mink, chinchillas and arctic foxes raised for their skins, crocodile leather has kept selling. Australia dominates the global market of saltwater crocodile skins, producing almost 60% of all such skins traded internationally.

    But the industry now faces real headwinds. Major retailers and fashion events in Australia and internationally are phasing out or banning crocodile and other exotic skins due to growing concerns over animal welfare.

    The Northern Territory government’s crocodile farming plan acknowledges shifting consumer demand and increasing scrutiny as the industry’s largest threat.

    Most of the world’s crocodile leather comes from Australian farms.
    Venus Angel/Shutterstock

    Feathers, fur and now skins

    Early animal rights activists in the 19th century focused on feathers due to concern about the enormous environmental damage done by plume hunters killing ostriches and egrets. Only later did activists turn their focus to fur.

    In the early 20th century, countries such as the United States and Britain enacted bans or restrictions on feathers. In this century, sentiment has largely turned against wearing real fur, though faux fur and vintage fur are still popular.

    But even as feathers went out of fashion, new animal products were arriving. By 1928, exotic skins such as crocodile, alligator and snake began commercialisation in Europe and the US. By the 1970s, they were widely used in fashion.

    That looks to be changing.

    By 2026, department store David Jones will phase out all exotic skins, including ostrich, crocodile, alligator, lizard and snake. The move builds on the company’s existing animal welfare policies, which already prohibit the sale of fur, angora rabbit wool and foie gras (duck or goose liver).

    The 2025 Melbourne Fashion Festival will also ban exotic leathers, while London Fashion Week will be the first of the “Big Four” fashion weeks to follow suit.

    In recent years, the kangaroo leather industry has also come under pressure due to concerns over animal welfare. California banned it altogether, and a full US ban is under consideration.

    Feathers are also under increasing scrutiny, with fashion weeks in Copenhagen, Helsinki and Melbourne announcing feather bans starting this year.

    These decisions reflect a growing shift toward ethical fashion, driven by consumer demand and rising awareness of animal welfare.

    Fur has lost its appeal for many consumers.
    ChiccoDodiFC/Shutterstock

    Exotic leather, native species

    Crocodile leather is described as an “exotic” skin, even though saltwater crocodiles are native to Australia.

    Two-thirds of Australia’s skins come from the Northern Territory, while Queensland and Western Australia have smaller industries.

    Crocodile farms operate by harvesting eggs from the wild and raising the animals in captivity. In the wild, they are protected from hunting. But in farms, they are legally considered stock or production animals, which means they lose these protections.

    When we farm animals, it’s common to think of them as resources waiting to be used for our purposes.

    But the fashion backlash suggests another way of thinking is emerging. My research points to a more animal-centric perspective on how animal-derived materials are produced for fashion.

    Crocodile farms emerged as a way to protect these reptiles from being hunted to extinction. But the industry is now under increasing scrutiny.
    RWK007/Shutterstock

    From unregulated hunting to farmed crocodiles

    Skin hunters nearly drove the saltwater crocodile to extinction in Australia. An estimated 300,000 animals were killed for their skins between 1945 and 1970. Saltie populations fell as low as 3,000 animals before authorities acted.

    Freshwater crocodiles, too, were hunted for their skins from 1959. After both species were protected in the 1970s, their populations rebounded.

    Crocodile farming started in Queensland in 1972, and in the Northern Territory in 1979.

    In 1975, the international Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora on trading endangered animals came into effect, in part to regulate the trade of exotic animals in luxury products.

    But this agreement doesn’t rule out uses for fashion. As crocodile experts at the International Union for Conservation of Nature write:

    […] crocodile farming was seen not only as a way to reduce pressure on the wild populations, but also as a means through which commercial incentives for the conservation of crocodilians could be generated.

    As the website of one Australian crocodile farm states, crocodiles are a “natural renewable resource with considerable potential for sustainable commercial use”.

    By 2018, the crocodile farming industry was worth A$26.7 million to the Northern Territory’s economy. Around 100,000 juvenile crocodiles are raised annually on farms. The NT industry plans to expand in coming years, with a target of 50,000 skins annually.

    Trends in fashion heavily influence how crocodiles are farmed. While saltwater crocodiles can live up to 70 years in the wild, it takes three to four years for a crocodile to reach 1.5 metres, at which point their skins can make larger fashion items.

    But in recent years, crocodiles have been slaughtered at around two years. Their smaller skins are used for smaller accessories.

    Welfare concerns

    The crocodile farming industry promotes its sustainability and positive economic impacts on First Nations communities. But this has come under question in recent years, with the release of documentaries featuring ex-crocodile farm workers, while activists from the Farm Transparency Project flew drones over crocodile farms and released footage of slaughtering practices in an effort to increase scrutiny and draw media coverage.

    This image of a crocodile in a Northern Territory farm was taken by activists using a drone.
    Farm Transparency Project, CC BY

    Animal welfare organisations such as the RSPCA have long opposed the practice.

    In 2023, the federal government announced an update of the code of humane treatment of wild and farmed crocodiles to incorporate new science and techniques, according to Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek. The updated code was expected late last year but has not been released.

    In response, NT Crocodile Farmers Association chief Jodi Truman said the industry “supports independent audits to ensure humane treatment”. She added:

    […] animal rights activists have made clear that they are against all farms and the farming of all animals.

    This drone image taken by animal activists shows the slaughter of crocodiles at a NT farm.
    Farm Transparency Project, CC BY

    What’s likely to happen?

    While commercial operators and governments plan to expand, there are now real barriers to the industry’s growth.

    For decades, animal derived products such as fur, feathers and leather have been prized in fashion. But consumers are increasingly less comfortable with how these products are made. That’s the thing about fashion – it changes.

    The author has previously been a member and lower-house candidate for the Animal Justice Party in Victoria.

    – ref. Even as the tide turned for fur, crocodile leather kept selling in high-end fashion. But for how much longer? – https://theconversation.com/even-as-the-tide-turned-for-fur-crocodile-leather-kept-selling-in-high-end-fashion-but-for-how-much-longer-245471

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What is a ‘vaginal birth after caesarean’ or VBAC?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hannah Dahlen, Professor of Midwifery, Associate Dean Research and HDR, Midwifery Discipline Leader, Western Sydney University

    MVelishchuk/Shutterstock

    A vaginal birth after caesarean (known as a VBAC) is when a woman who has had a caesarean has a vaginal birth down the track.

    In Australia, about 12% of women have a vaginal birth for a subsequent baby after a caesarean. A VBAC is much more common in some other countries, including in several Scandinavian ones, where 45-55% of women have one.

    So what’s involved? What are the risks? And who’s most likely to give birth vaginally the next time round?

    What happens? What are the risks?

    When a woman chooses a VBAC she is cared for much like she would during a planned vaginal birth.

    However, an induction of labour is avoided as much as possible, due to the slightly increased risk of the caesarean scar opening up (known as uterine rupture). This is because the medication used in inductions can stimulate strong contractions that put a greater strain on the scar.

    In fact, one of the main reasons women may be recommended to have a repeat caesarean over a vaginal birth is due to an increased chance of her caesarean scar rupturing.

    This is when layers of the uterus (womb) separate and an emergency caesarean is needed to deliver the baby and repair the uterus.

    Uterine rupture is rare. It occurs in about 0.2-0.7% of women with a history of a previous caesarean. A uterine rupture can also happen without a previous caesarean, but this is even rarer.

    However, uterine rupture is a medical emergency. A large European study found 13% of babies died after a uterine rupture and 10% of women needed to have their uterus removed.

    The risk of uterine rupture increases if women have what’s known as
    complicated or classical caesarean scars, and for women who have had more than two previous caesareans.

    Most care providers recommend you avoid getting pregnant again for around 12 months after a caesarean, to allow full healing of the scar and to reduce the risk of the scar rupturing.

    National guidelines recommend women attempt a VBAC in hospital in case emergency care is needed after uterine rupture.

    During a VBAC, recommendations are for closer monitoring of the baby’s heart rate and vigilance for abnormal pain that could indicate a rupture is happening.

    If labour is not progressing, a caesarean would then usually be advised.

    Giving birth in hospital is recommended for a vaginal birth after a caesarean.
    christinarosepix/Shutterstock

    Why avoid multiple caesareans?

    There are also risks with repeat caesareans. These include slower recovery, increased risks of the placenta growing abnormally in subsequent pregnancies (placenta accreta), or low in front of the cervix (placenta praevia), and being readmitted to hospital for infection.

    Women reported birth trauma and post-traumatic stress more commonly after a caesarean than a vaginal birth, especially if the caesarean was not planned.

    Women who had a traumatic caesarean or disrespectful care in their previous birth may choose a VBAC to prevent re-traumatisation and to try to regain control over their birth.

    We looked at what happened to women

    The most common reason for a caesarean section in Australia is a repeat caesarean. Our new research looked at what this means for VBAC.

    We analysed data about 172,000 low-risk women who gave birth for the first time in New South Wales between 2001 and 2016.

    We found women who had an initial spontaneous vaginal birth had a 91.3% chance of having subsequent vaginal births. However, if they had a caesarean, their probability of having a VBAC was 4.6% after an elective caesarean and 9% after an emergency one.

    We also confirmed what national data and previous studies have shown – there are lower VBAC rates (meaning higher rates of repeat caesareans) in private hospitals compared to public hospitals.

    We found the probability of subsequent elective caesarean births was higher in private hospitals (84.9%) compared to public hospitals (76.9%).

    Our study did not specifically address why this might be the case. However, we know that in private hospitals women access private obstetric care and experience higher caesarean rates overall.

    What increases the chance of success?

    When women plan a VBAC there is a 60-80% chance of having a vaginal birth in the next birth.

    The success rates are higher for women who are younger, have a lower body mass index, have had a previous vaginal birth, give birth in a home-like environment or with midwife-led care.

    For instance, an Australian study found women who accessed continuity of care with a midwife were more likely to have a successful VBAC compared to having no continuity of care and seeing different care providers each time.

    An Australian national survey we conducted found having continuity of care with a midwife when planning a VBAC can increase women’s sense of control and confidence, increase their chance to be upright and active in labour and result in a better relationship with their health-care provider.

    Seeing the same midwife throughout your maternity care can help.
    Tyler Olson/Shutterstock

    Why is this important?

    With the rise of caesareans globally, including in Australia, it is more important than ever to value vaginal birth and support women to have a VBAC if this is what they choose.

    Our research is also a reminder that how a woman gives birth the first time greatly influences how she gives birth after that. For too many women, this can lead to multiple caesareans, not all of them needed.

    Hannah Dahlen receives funding from NHMRC, ARC and MRFF.

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

    – ref. What is a ‘vaginal birth after caesarean’ or VBAC? – https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-vaginal-birth-after-caesarean-or-vbac-247572

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –