Category: Universities

MIL-Evening Report: 4,300 tonnes of space junk and rising: another satellite breakup adds to orbital debris woes

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology

Intelsat

A large communications satellite has broken up in orbit, affecting users in Europe, Central Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia, and adding to the growing swarm of space junk clouding our planet’s neighbourhood.

The Intelsat 33e satellite provided broadband communication from a point some 35,000km above the Indian Ocean, in a geostationary orbit around the equator.

Initial reports on October 20 said Intelsat 33e had experienced a sudden power loss. Hours later, US Space Forces-Space confirmed the satellite appears to have broken up into at least 20 pieces.

So what happened? And is this a sign of things to come as more and more satellites head into orbit?

A space whodunnit

There are no confirmed reports about what caused the breakup of Intelsat 33e. However, it is not the first event of its kind.

In the past we’ve seen deliberate satellite destructions, accidental collisions, and loss of satellites due to increased solar activity.

What we do know is that Intelsat 33e has a history of issues while in orbit. Designed and manufactured by Boeing, the satellite was launched in August 2016.

In 2017, the satellite reached its desired orbit three months later than anticipated, due to a reported issue with its primary thruster, which controls its altitude and acceleration.

More propulsion troubles emerged when the satellite performed something called a station keeping activity, which keeps it at the right altitude. It was burning more fuel than expected, which meant its mission would end around 3.5 years early, in 2027. Intelsat lodged a US$78 million insurance claim as a result of these problems.

However, at the time of its breakup, the satellite was reportedly not insured.

Intelsat is investigating what went wrong, but we may never know exactly what caused the satellite to fragment. We do know another Intelsat satellite of the same model, a Boeing-built EpicNG 702 MP, failed in 2019.

More importantly, we can learn from the aftermath of the breakup: space junk.

30 blue whales of space junk

The amount of debris in orbit around Earth is increasing rapidly. The European Space Agency (ESA) estimates there are more than 40,000 pieces larger than 10cm in orbit, and more than 130,000,000 smaller than 1cm.

The total mass of human-made space objects in Earth orbit is some 13,000 tonnes. That’s about the same mass as 90 adult male blue whales. About one third of this mass is debris (4,300 tonnes), mostly in the form of leftover rocket bodies.

Tracking and identifying space debris is a challenging task. At higher altitudes, such as Intelsat 33e’s orbit around 35,000km up, we can only see objects above a certain size.

Visualisation of debris around the Earth.

One of the most concerning things about the loss of Intelsat 33e is that the breakup likely produced debris that is too small for us to see from ground level with current facilities.

The past few months have seen a string of uncontrolled breakups of decommissioned and abandoned objects in orbit.

In June, the RESURS-P1 satellite fractured in low Earth orbit (an altitude of around 470km), creating more than 100 trackable pieces of debris. This event also likely created many more pieces of debris too small to be tracked.

In July, another decommissioned satellite – the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) 5D-2 F8 spacecraft – broke up. In August, the upper stage of a Long March 6A (CZ-6A) rocket fragmented, creating at least 283 pieces of trackable debris, and potentially hundreds of thousands of untrackable fragments.

It is not yet known whether this most recent event will affect other objects in orbit. This is where continuous monitoring of the sky becomes vital, to understand these complex space debris environments.

Who is responsible?

When space debris is created, who is responsible for cleaning it up or monitoring it?

In principle, the country that launched the object into space has the burden of responsibility where fault can be proved. This was explored in the 1972 Convention of International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects.

In practice, there is often little accountability. The first fine over space debris was issued in 2023 by the US Federal Communications Commission.

It’s not clear whether a similar fine will be issued in the case of Intelsat 33e.

Looking ahead

As the human use of space accelerates, Earth orbit is growing increasingly crowded. To manage the hazards of orbital debris, we will need continuous monitoring and improved tracking technology alongside deliberate efforts to minimise the amount of debris.

Most satellites are much closer to Earth than Intelsat 33e. Often these low Earth orbit satellites can be safely brought down from orbit (or “de-orbited”) at the end of their missions without creating space debris, especially with a bit of forward planning.

In September, ESA’s Cluster 2 “Salsa” satellite was de-orbited with a targeted re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, burning up safely.

Of course, the bigger the space object, the more debris it can produce. NASA’s Orbital Debris Program Office calculated the International Space Station would produce more than 220 million debris fragments if it broke up in orbit, for example.

Accordingly, planning for de-orbiting of the station (ISS) at the end of its operational life in 2030 is now well underway, with the contract awarded to SpaceX.

Christopher Fluke works for Swinburne University of Technology. He has previously received funding from the SmartSat CRC, including funding to support a research collaboration with CGI Australia (Space, Defence and Intelligence). He is a member of the International Astronomical Union.

Sara Webb and Tallulah Waterson 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. 4,300 tonnes of space junk and rising: another satellite breakup adds to orbital debris woes – https://theconversation.com/4-300-tonnes-of-space-junk-and-rising-another-satellite-breakup-adds-to-orbital-debris-woes-241790

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: 2024 SF Fleet Week Medical Exchange explores civilian, military medical readiness, innovations, advancements

Source: United States Navy (Medical)

The 14th Annual Peer-to-Peer Medical Exchange took place Wednesday aboard the USS Tripoli (LHA 7), bringing together military and civilian medical professionals during the 2024 San Francisco Fleet Week.

This collaborative event, organized through a partnership between the U.S. Navy, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and the Fleet Week Center for Humanitarian Assistance, focused on advancing medical readiness and exploring innovations critical to healthcare delivery in challenging environments.

Rear Adm. Guido Valdes, commander of Naval Medical Forces Pacific, director of the Defense Health Network Pacific Rim, and the 14th chief of the Navy Medical Corps, opened the event by expressing his gratitude to the City of San Francisco and emphasizing the significance of such collaborations.

“Fleet Week provides an excellent opportunity to strengthen the bonds between our Navy and this vibrant community,” Valdes said. “This exchange allows military and civilian professionals to share knowledge, explore innovations, and advance our shared goal of delivering world-class health care in some of the most challenging environments.”

Valdes also highlighted Navy Medicine’s critical role not only in supporting military operations but also in humanitarian assistance efforts. He referenced the Navy’s recent missions such as Pacific Partnership, which integrates global health engagement and security cooperation with international partners.

“Whether it’s providing life-saving care in combat zones or offering humanitarian assistance after natural disasters, Navy Medicine is always ready to respond,” Valdes added.

The event featured several sessions on topics ranging from the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in medical settings to pre-hospital whole blood transfusion programs and disaster management. Each speaker provided insights into how new technologies and strategies are being employed to enhance healthcare delivery in austere environments.

Capt. Jeffrey Feinberg, who recently commanded the Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy during the Pacific Partnership missions, spoke about the importance of learning from host nations during international missions. He emphasized the value of learning from countries that achieve excellent results despite limited resources.

“We need to adapt their skills and techniques, especially in dealing with situations where resources are scarce,” Feinberg said. “These nations are ingenious, and there’s a lot we can learn.”

Technological advancements, particularly AI, were a central focus of the discussions. Dr. Omar Badawi, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRIC), and chief of Data Sciences for the U.S. Army, expanded on the role of AI in handling mass casualty situations, drawing parallels to Feinberg’s point about resource limitations.

“Imagine a hospital ship suddenly receiving 300 casualties. It would take over 1,200 medics to care for the injured, which isn’t realistic,” Badawi explained. “AI can monitor what’s happening and help guide decisions, especially in austere environments where resources are limited.”

The potential of AI to revolutionize healthcare delivery was further explored by Dr. Christopher Peabody, associate professor, Emergency Medicine, UCSF, and founder and director of UCSF Acute Care Innovation Center, highlighted AI’s role in diagnostics and decision-making. He emphasized the importance of communication and teamwork when integrating AI into medical operations.

“AI is assisting in diagnostics, predicting mortality, and making decisions, but it raises important questions about how it will affect team dynamics,” Peabody said. “We need to ensure that AI is integrated into systems where it complements the teamwork that remains fundamental to patient care.”

Peabody also discussed how AI could be used to automate routine tasks, freeing up nurses and medics for more critical work.

“There are times when we have to use whatever equipment is available, but by integrating analog methods with AI, we can enhance care delivery,” he added.

Disaster management and pre-hospital whole blood transfusions were other key topics at the event. Dr. Chia-Lung Kao, chief executive officer, Regional Emergency Medical Operations Center (REMOC), Taiwan Branch, highlighted the value of international partnerships in disaster management, emphasizing the importance of learning from each other through tabletop exercises and joint operations.

“We have different systems, but by learning and modifying our processes, we can integrate more effectively during real crises,” Kao said.

Dr. CJ Winker, deputy medical director, San Antonio Fire Department, and assistant clinical professor, University of Texas Health San Antonio, Texas, spoke about the revolutionary impact of the pre-hospital whole blood transfusion program, which allows medical personnel to administer life-saving transfusions in the field.

“This program can significantly improve survival rates from combat casualties,” Winker said. “A system of care saves lives, and whole blood is a critical tool in that system.”

He added that AI could one day assist in determining when transfusions are needed, though for now, traditional methods like monitoring blood pressure remain essential.

The Peer-to-Peer Medical Exchange continues to be a vital forum for advancing medical knowledge, improving readiness, and fostering collaboration between military and civilian medical communities.

“The work being done here today will have a lasting impact on both military and civilian healthcare,” Valdes said reaffirming Navy Medicine’s commitment to innovation and partnership.

The 2024 San Francisco Fleet Week, now in its 43rd year, offers the Bay Area and its residents an opportunity to celebrate and honor the contributions of the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces.

MIL Security OSI –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Installation of engineering systems has begun in the building of the educational and scientific center of the Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies of NSU

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

In the building of the educational and scientific center (ESC) Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies NSU, which refers to the objects of the second stage modern campus of NSU, which is being built within the framework of the national project “Youth and Children”, work has begun on installing engineering systems, the first of which was the heating system. By February 15, it is planned to complete the installation of stained glass windows in the building of both the educational and scientific center of the IMMT NSU and the scientific research center of NSU. Active work is underway on installing a curtain wall facade at both sites.

The design for the future building of the NSU Educational and Scientific Center was developed taking into account the university’s plans for the transformation and development of medical education and the launch of new educational programs, such as “Medical Cybernetics” and “Pharmacy”. The building will house 12 practical courses, including biochemistry and molecular biology, histology, microbiology and virology.

The center will also house the largest simulation center in Siberia for practicing the practical skills of future doctors. There will be laboratories for cell technologies and immunotherapy, molecular virology, metabolomic research, molecular pathology, medical chemistry and other areas. The total capacity of the classroom fund will be 700 students.

The building will have quite a lot of “clean rooms”, the design of engineering systems for them has certain specifics. In particular, they involve the use of specialized supply and exhaust ventilation systems that operate autonomously and provide the room with sterile air of a given temperature, humidity and cleanliness.

In the buildings of the educational and scientific center of the NSU IMMT and the scientific research center of NSU, work is also underway to install stained glass windows, which are planned to be completed by mid-February, and a curtain ventilated facade. Facade work on both sites will be completed in April 2025.

At present, the technical readiness of the educational and scientific center is 21.4%, and of the scientific research center – 18.4%. The general contractor for the construction of the second stage facilities is the company “MONOTEK STROY”.

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 –

January 24, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: How we treat catchment water to make it safe to drink
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University

Andriana Syvanych/Shutterstock

Most of us are fortunate that, when we turn on the tap, clean, safe and high-quality water comes out.

But a senate inquiry into the presence of PFAS or “forever chemicals” is putting the safety of our drinking water back in the spotlight.

Lidia Thorpe, the independent senator leading the inquiry, says Elders in the Aboriginal community of Wreck Bay in New South Wales are “buying bottled water out of their aged care packages” due to concerns about the health impacts of PFAS in their drinking water.

So, how is water deemed safe to drink in Australia? And why does water quality differ in some areas?

Here’s what happens between a water catchment and your tap.

Human intervention in the water cycle

There is no “new” water on Earth. The water we drink can be up to 4.5 billion years old and is continuously recycled through the hydrological cycle. This transfers water from the ground to the atmosphere through evaporation and back again (for example, through rain).

Humans interfere with this natural cycle by trapping and redirecting water from various sources to use. A lot happens before it reaches your home.

The quality of the water when you turn on the tap depends on a range of factors, including the local geology, what kind of activities happen in catchment areas, and the different treatments used to process it.

Maroondah dam in Healesville, Victoria.
doublelee/Shutterstock

How do we decide what’s safe?

The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines define what is considered safe, good-quality drinking water.

The guidelines set acceptable water quality values for more than 250 physical, chemical and bacterial contaminants. They take into account any potential health impact of drinking the contaminant over a lifetime as well as aesthetics – the taste and colour of the water.

The guidelines are not mandatory but provide the basis for determining if the quality of water to be supplied to consumers in all parts of Australia is safe to drink. The guidelines undergo rolling revision to ensure they represent the latest scientific evidence.

From water catchment to tap

Australians’ drinking water mainly comes from natural catchments. Sources include surface water, groundwater and seawater (via desalination).

Public access to these areas is typically limited to preserve optimal water quality.

Filtration and purification of water occurs naturally in catchments as it passes through soil, sediments, rocks and vegetation.

But catchment water is subject to further treatment via standard processes that typically focus on:
- removing particulates (for example, soil and sediment)
- filtration (to remove particles and their contaminants)
- disinfection (for example, using chlorine and chloramine to kill bacteria and viruses)
- adding fluoride to prevent tooth decay
- adjusting pH to balance the chemistry of the water and to aid filtration.
This water is delivered to our taps via a reticulated system – a network of underground reservoirs, pipes, pumps and fittings.

In areas where there is no reticulated system, drinking water can also be sourced from rainwater tanks. This means the quality of drinking water can vary.

Sources of contamination can come from roof catchments feeding rainwater tanks as well from the tap due to lead in plumbing fittings and materials.

So, does all water meet these standards?

Some rural and remote areas, especially First Nations communities, rely on poor-quality surface water and groundwater
for their drinking water.

Rural and regional water can exceed recommended guidelines for salt, microbial contaminants and trace elements, such as lead, manganese and arsenic.

The federal government and other agencies are trying to address this.

There are many impacts of poor regional water quality. These include its implication in elevated rates of tooth decay in First Nations people. This occurs when access to chilled, sugary drinks is cheaper and easier than access to good quality water.

What about PFAS?

There is also renewed concern about the presence of PFAS or “forever” chemicals in drinking water.

Recent research examining the toxicity of PFAS chemicals along with their presence in some drinking water catchments in Australia and overseas has prompted a recent assessment of water source contamination.

A review by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) proposed lowering the limits for four PFAS chemicals in drinking water: PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS and PFBS.

The review used publicly available data and found most drinking water supplies are currently below the proposed new guideline values for PFAS.

However, “hotspots” of PFAS remain where drinking water catchments or other sources (for example, groundwater) have been impacted by activities where PFAS has been used in industrial applications. And some communities have voiced concerns about an association between elevated PFAS levels in their communities and cancer clusters.

While some PFAS has been identified as carcinogenic, it’s not certain that PFAS causes cancer. The link is still being debated.

Importantly, assessment of exposure levels from all sources in the population shows PFAS levels are falling meaning any exposure risk has also reduced over time.

How about removing PFAS from water?

Most sources of drinking water are not associated with industrial contaminants like PFAS. So water sources are generally not subject to expensive treatment processes, like reverse osmosis, that can remove most waterborne pollutants, including PFAS. These treatments are energy-intensive and expensive and based on recent water quality assessments by the NHMRC will not be needed.

While contaminants are everywhere, it is the dose that makes the poison. Ultra-low concentrations of chemicals including PFAS, while not desirable, may not be harmful and total removal is not warranted.

Mark Patrick Taylor is a full-time employee of EPA Victoria, appointed to the statutory role of Chief Environmental Scientist. He is also an Honorary Professor at Macquarie University. EPA Victoria has previously received funding from the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action and Victorian water authorities to understand the presence of contaminants waste water. He has previously received funding from the Australian Government, ARC and other government agencies for environmental pollution research.

Antti Mikkonen is a full-time employee of EPA Victoria, in the role of Principal Health Risk Advisor for chemicals. Antti has previously received funding from the Australian Government Department of Education for research to understand PFAS bioaccumulation in livestock and models for risk management.

Minna Saaristo is a full-time employee of EPA Victoria, appointed to the role of Principal Scientist – Ecological Risk and Emerging contaminants. She is affiliate of the School of Biological Sciences at Monash University. EPA Victoria has previously received funding from the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action and Victorian water authorities to understand the presence of emerging contaminants in recycled water. She has previously received funding from the Australian Government, ARC and other government agencies for environmental pollution research.

– ref. How we treat catchment water to make it safe to drink – https://theconversation.com/how-we-treat-catchment-water-to-make-it-safe-to-drink-242206
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: NSU Enters Top 10 of Digital Economy Universities Rankings

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

ANO “Digital Economy” with the support of the Association of Computer and Information Technology Enterprises (APKIT) and the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation prepared a rating of universities in the digital economy. In total, more than 300 universities were assessed in the rating and 63 areas of training and specialties related to IT were considered. The final results were presented for two groups: universities in Moscow and St. Petersburg and separately for universities located in the regions. NSU entered the top 10 of the second group.

The universities were assessed based on official statistics on IT personnel training and a survey of 90 respondents conducted by the Digital Economy ANO. Representatives of leading technology companies participated in the survey. The first group of the final ranking of digital economy universities included 24 universities from Moscow and St. Petersburg. Bauman Moscow State Technical University took first place. The leaders also included HSE, MIPT, Lomonosov Moscow State University, ITMO University, MEPhI, St. Petersburg State University, MIREA and other universities. The second group, which included universities located in the regions, included 30 leaders, including UrFU, NSTU, NSU, TPU, KFU and other universities.

— NSU’s entry into the top 10 of the ranking is a significant result, since this ranking evaluates absolute, not relative indicators. The ranking mainly includes federal universities, which are several times larger than NSU in terms of the number of students. At our university, the IT direction is one of the key ones: for example, if you look at the distribution of budget places based on the results of the 2024 admission campaign, more than 20% are in IT. NSU has a specialized Faculty of Information Technology, while IT is represented in almost all faculties and in all institutes. The Mechanics and Mathematics Faculty has a system programming direction, the Physics Faculty has physical informatics, and the Humanities Institute has fundamental and applied linguistics, — commented NSU Rector, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Fedoruk.

NSU is implementing a number of projects in cooperation with IT companies. For example, the university has joint educational and scientific laboratories with SHIFT and Sber, master’s programs, etc. NSU is also one of the leading scientific and educational centers in the field of artificial intelligence. For more than a year, the AI Center has been operating at the university, with Sber and Rostelecom as key industrial partners.

NSU graduates are in demand in the IT market: according to surveys by the NSU Career Development Center, every fourth graduate (26%) works in the field of information technology (IT, programming, technical support).

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 –

January 24, 2025

MIL-OSI: Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. – Beetaloo Operational Update – Stimulation Campaign & Remaining Shenandoah South Pilot Project

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd.

Beetaloo Operational Update – Stimulation Campaign & Remaining Shenandoah South Pilot Project

24 January 2025 – Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. (TSXV: FO, AIM: FOG) is pleased to announce the commencement of stimulation campaign at the Shenandoah S2-2H ST1 (“S2-2H ST1”) and Shenandoah S2-4H (“S2-4H”) wells in the Beetaloo Sub-Basin, Northern Territory, Australia with Falcon Oil & Gas Australia Limited’s (“Falcon”) joint venture partner, Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited (collectively the “Beetaloo JV partners”).

Key Highlights of the Stimulation Campaign

Stimulation campaign will be completed across:
- S2-2H ST1’s horizontal section of 1,654 metres (5,427 feet) and;
- S2-4H’s horizontal section of 2,977 metres (9,766 feet).
Liberty Energy (NYSE: LBRT) who mobilised equipment and sand to location before the end of last year will carry out the stimulation campaign on behalf of the Beetaloo JV partners.

Shenandoah South Pilot Project (“Pilot”)
For the next drilling phase of the Pilot, which involves the drilling and stimulation of the remaining four wells, Falcon has elected to reduce its participating interest (“PI”) from 5% to 0%.

Key Highlights of the Reduced Participating Interest

The election by Falcon to reduce its PI to 0% in the remaining four wells of the Pilot will significantly reduce it’s 2025 capital expenditure.
Falcon participated in the Shenandoah S-1H well in 2023 at its 22.5% PI which created a Drill Spacing Unit (“DSU”) of 20,480 acres.
Falcon participated in the S2-2H ST1 and the S2-4H wells in 2024 at its reduced 5% PI which created two DSU’s totalling 46,080 acres.
The Beetaloo JV partners are planning on creating an enlarged area around the Pilot, known as the First Strategic Development Area (“FSDA”), which would amalgamate the acreage and PIs from the DSUs mentioned above and any further DSUs that may be created as part of the Pilot
Depending on the ultimate size of the planned FSDA Falcon’s combined participation entitlement in the FSDA post the Pilot could be up to 10%.
Falcon also retains a 22.5% PI in the remaining 4.52 million acres in the Beetaloo, net 1 million acres to Falcon.

Philip O’Quigley, CEO of Falcon commented:

“We are extremely encouraged about the potential of the current stimulation program based on strong gas shows and other data observed whilst drilling both wells. In addition, we are very confident that the experienced US operator, Liberty Energy, will provide us with the greatest opportunity for the best possible outcome from this stimulation program. We look forward to updating the market on the IP30 flow test results as soon as they become available.

Reducing our participation in the next four wells has a minimal impact on our overall interest in the Beetaloo which remains at 22.5%. This demonstrates the optionality afforded by the DSUs, which enable Falcon to strategically and efficiently deploy its capital. This reduction in our participation in the next four wells significantly reduces our 2025 capital expenditure whilst at the same time leaving us very well positioned to capture the overall success of the Beetaloo.

Ends.

CONTACT DETAILS:

Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd.	+353 1 676 8702
Philip O’Quigley, CEO	+353 87 814 7042
Anne Flynn, CFO	+353 1 676 9162

Cavendish Capital Markets Limited (NOMAD & Broker)
Neil McDonald / Adam Rae	+44 131 220 9771

This announcement has been reviewed by Dr. Gábor Bada, Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd’s Technical Advisor. Dr. Bada obtained his geology degree at the Eötvös L. University in Budapest, Hungary and his PhD at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He is a member of AAPG.

About Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd.

Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd is an international oil & gas company engaged in the exploration and development of unconventional oil and gas assets, with the current portfolio focused in Australia. Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd is incorporated in British Columbia, Canada and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

Falcon Oil & Gas Australia Limited is a c. 98% subsidiary of Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd.

For further information on Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. Please visit http://www.falconoilandgas.com

About Beetaloo Joint Venture (EP 76, 98 and 117)

Company	Interest
Falcon Oil & Gas Australia Limited (Falcon Australia)	22.5%
Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited	77.5%
Total	100.0%

Shenandoah South Pilot Project -2 Drilling Space Units – 46,080 acres¹

Company	Interest
Falcon Oil & Gas Australia Limited (Falcon Australia)	5.0%
Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited	95.0%
Total	100.0%

¹Subject to the completion of the SS2H ST1 and SS4H wells on the Shenandoah South pad 2.

About Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited
Tamboran (B1) Pty Limited (“Tamboran B1”) is the 100% holder of Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited, with Tamboran B1 being a 50:50 joint venture between Tamboran Resources Corporation and Daly Waters Energy, LP.

Tamboran Resources Corporation, is a natural gas company listed on the NYSE (TBN) and ASX (TBN). Tamboran is focused on playing a constructive role in the global energy transition towards a lower carbon future, by developing the significant low CO₂ gas resource within the Beetaloo Basin through cutting-edge drilling and completion design technology as well as management’s experience in successfully commercialising unconventional shale in North America.

Bryan Sheffield of Daly Waters Energy, LP is a highly successful investor and has made significant returns in the US unconventional energy sector in the past. He was Founder of Parsley Energy Inc. (“PE”), an independent unconventional oil and gas producer in the Permian Basin, Texas and previously served as its Chairman and CEO. PE was acquired for over US$7 billion by Pioneer Natural Resources Company.

Advisory regarding forward-looking statements
Certain information in this press release may constitute forward-looking information. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information typically contains statements with words such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “projects”, “dependent”, “consider” “potential”, “scheduled”, “forecast”, “outlook”, “budget”, “hope”, “suggest”, “support” “planned”, “approximately”, “potential” or the negative of those terms or similar words suggesting future outcomes. In particular, forward-looking information in this press release includes, details on the commencement of stimulation activities at S2-2H ST1 and S2-4H and the respective horizontal sections; Liberty Energy conducting the stimulation campaign; Falcon’s election to reduce its PI for the remaining four wells in the Pilot and it significantly reducing 2025 capital expenditure; the planned creation of the FSDA and Falcon’s combined participation entitlement in the FSDA post the Pilot could be up to 10% with the planned amalgamation of the acreage and PIs.

This information is based on current expectations that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. The risks, assumptions and other factors that could influence actual results include risks associated with fluctuations in market prices for shale gas; risks related to the exploration, development and production of shale gas reserves; general economic, market and business conditions; substantial capital requirements; uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities of reserves and resources; extent of, and cost of compliance with, government laws and regulations and the effect of changes in such laws and regulations; the need to obtain regulatory approvals before development commences; environmental risks and hazards and the cost of compliance with environmental regulations; aboriginal claims; inherent risks and hazards with operations such as mechanical or pipe failure, cratering and other dangerous conditions; potential cost overruns, drilling wells is speculative, often involving significant costs that may be more than estimated and may not result in any discoveries; variations in foreign exchange rates; competition for capital, equipment, new leases, pipeline capacity and skilled personnel; the failure of the holder of licenses, leases and permits to meet requirements of such; changes in royalty regimes; failure to accurately estimate abandonment and reclamation costs; inaccurate estimates and assumptions by management and their joint venture partners; effectiveness of internal controls; the potential lack of available drilling equipment; failure to obtain or keep key personnel; title deficiencies; geo-political risks; and risk of litigation.

Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive and that these factors and risks are difficult to predict. Actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. Falcon assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to Falcon. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in Falcon’s filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at http://www.sedarplus.com, including under “Risk Factors” in the Annual Information Form.

Any references in this news release to initial production rates are useful in confirming the presence of hydrocarbons; however, such rates are not determinative of the rates at which such wells will continue production and decline thereafter and are not necessarily indicative of long-term performance or ultimate recovery. While encouraging, readers are cautioned not to place reliance on such rates in calculating the aggregate production for Falcon. Such rates are based on field estimates and may be based on limited data available at this time.

The MIL Network –

January 24, 2025

MIL-OSI Economics: Agnico Eagle Announces Successful Take-Up of 94.1% of the Shares of O3 Mining and Mandatory Extension of Offer to February 3, 2025

Source: Agnico Eagle Mines

All-cash offer of $1.67 per share representing a 58% premium to O3 Mining’s closing price on December 11, 2024
Agnico Eagle has satisfied the minimum tender condition and has taken-up and acquired 94.1% of the outstanding O3 Mining shares
Shareholders who have not already tendered should do so as soon as possible to take advantage of the significant offer as their brokers, banks or other intermediaries likely have tendering cut-off times well in advance of the expiry time of 11:59 p.m. (EST) on February 3, 2025
Tender your shares today for prompt payment. Contact Laurel Hill Advisory Group for assistance at 1-877-452-7184 or email assistance@laurelhill.com

(All amounts expressed in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted)

TORONTO, Jan. 24, 2025 /CNW/ – Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE: AEM, TSX: AEM) (“Agnico Eagle“) and O3 Mining Inc. (TSXV: OIII, OTCQX: OIIIF) (“O3 Mining“) are pleased to jointly announce that Agnico Eagle has taken-up and acquired 110,424,431 common shares of O3 Mining (the “Deposited Shares“), representing approximately 94.1% of the outstanding common shares of O3 Mining (the “Common Shares“) on a basic basis, pursuant to its board-supported take-over bid (the “Offer“) for all of the outstanding Common Shares for $1.67 in cash per Common Share. The aggregate consideration payable for the Deposited Shares is $184,408,800. Agnico Eagle will pay for the Deposited Shares by January 28, 2025. All of the conditions of the Offer have been satisfied or waived.

Agnico Eagle has extended the expiry time of the Offer by a mandatory period of 10 days to 11:59 p.m. (EST) on February 3, 2025 (the “Expiry Time“) in order to allow the remaining shareholders of O3 Mining to tender their Common Shares to the Offer and receive the all-cash offer price of $1.67 per Common Share.

O3 Mining’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. José Vizquerra commented: “We are pleased to achieve this excellent and timely outcome for our shareholders who tendered their Common Shares to the Offer. While providing an opportunity for our shareholders to realize immediate value at a significant premium, the transaction will also enable the efficient advancement of the Marban Alliance project by Agnico Eagle, an experienced operator that has the financial strength, mining expertise and community commitment to take the project to its next stage of development.”

Full details of the Offer are contained in Agnico Eagle’s take-over bid circular and in O3 Mining’s directors’ circular, which are available under O3 Mining’s profile on SEDAR+ (http://www.sedarplus.ca) and on O3 Mining’s and Agnico Eagle’s respective websites. Agnico Eagle will file the Notice of Extension extending the Expiry Time to 11:59 p.m. (EST) on February 3, 2025 under O3 Mining’s profile on SEDAR+ (http://www.sedarplus.ca) and on O3 Mining’s and Agnico Eagle’s respective websites and mail the Notice of Extension to shareholders of O3 Mining in accordance with applicable law. These materials contain important information on how to tender to the Offer.

Next Steps and How to Tender Your Shares to Receive Prompt Payment

Following the Expiry Time, Agnico Eagle intends to pursue a second-step transaction to acquire the remaining Common Shares not tendered to the Offer, as described in Agnico Eagle’s take-over bid circular available under O3 Mining’s profile on SEDAR+ (http://www.sedarplus.ca) and on O3 Mining’s and Agnico Eagle’s respective websites.

Remaining O3 Mining shareholders are strongly encouraged to tender their Common Shares to the Offer prior to the Expiry Time to ensure that they promptly receive the offer price of $1.67 per Common Share. O3 Mining shareholders whose Common Shares are held through a broker, bank or other intermediary should immediately contact that intermediary for assistance if they wish to accept the Offer – intermediaries have likely established tendering cut-off times that are prior to the Expiry Time. Shareholders who do not tender prior to the Expiry Time will not receive payment for their Common Shares until the completion of the second-step transaction.

For information on tendering your Common Shares, please contact Laurel Hill Advisory Group toll free at 1-877-452-7184 or by email at assistance@laurelhill.com.

Shareholder type:

How do I tender my Common Shares to the Agnico Eagle Offer?

Beneficial

Most O3 Mining shareholders are beneficial shareholders. This means your Common Shares are held through a broker, bank or other financial intermediary, and you do not have a share certificate or DRS advice.

Contact your bank or your broker immediately and instruct them to tender your Common Shares to the Offer.

Registered

You are a registered shareholder if you hold your Common Shares directly and have a share certificate or DRS advice.

Contact Laurel Hill Advisory Group:
Phone: 1-877-452-7184
Email: assistance@laurelhill.com

For additional information regarding the Offer, please visit: https://www.agnicoeagle.com/Offer-for-O3-Mining/default.aspx and https://o3mining.com/agnico-eagle-mines-limited-offer-for-o3-mining-inc/.

O3 Mining Board Transition

In connection with the successful take-up of the Deposited Shares under the Offer, the board of directors of O3 Mining was reconstituted to include representatives of Agnico Eagle. The O3 Mining board of directors is now comprised of continuing directors Amy Satov and Bernardo Alvarez Calderon and Agnico Eagle representatives Peter Netupsky, Carol Plummer, Jean Robitaille and Chris Vollmershausen. Peter Netupsky is Vice President, Corporate Development of Agnico Eagle; Carol Plummer is Executive Vice President, Sustainability, People & Culture of Agnico Eagle; Jean Robitaille is Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy & Technology Officer of Agnico Eagle; and Chris Vollmershausen is Executive Vice President, Legal, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of Agnico Eagle.

At Agnico Eagle’s request, José Vizquerra and Elijah Tyshynski will continue in their roles as President and Chief Executive Officer and as Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary of O3 Mining, respectively, until the completion of the second-step transaction.

Additional Early Warning Disclosure Regarding O3 Mining

Immediately prior to the take-up of the Deposited Shares under the Offer, Agnico Eagle beneficially owned, and exercised control and direction over, 1,057,753 Common Shares, representing approximately 0.9% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares on a basic basis, and 270,000 Common Share purchase warrants (the “Warrants“) exercisable for an aggregate of 270,000 Common Shares at an exercise price of $1.45 per Warrant. In addition, Agnico Eagle held a convertible senior unsecured debenture in the principal amount of $10,000,000 dated June 19, 2023 (the “Convertible Debenture“). Assuming the full exercise of all Warrants held by Agnico Eagle and the full conversion of the Convertible Debenture immediately prior to the take-up of Common Shares under the Offer, Agnico Eagle would beneficially own, and exercise control and direction over, 6,205,802 Common Shares, representing approximately 5.1% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares on a partially-diluted basis.

Agnico Eagle acquired 110,424,431 Deposited Shares pursuant to the Offer, representing all of the Common Shares validly deposited and not withdrawn as of 11:59 p.m. (EST) on January 23, 2025, for aggregate consideration of $184,408,800 in cash. As a result, as of the date hereof, Agnico Eagle beneficially owns, and exercises control and direction over, an aggregate of 111,482,184 Common Shares, representing approximately 95% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares on a basic basis. Assuming the full exercise of all Warrants held by Agnico Eagle and the full conversion of the Convertible Debenture, Agnico Eagle would beneficially own, and exercise control and direction over, 116,630,233 Common Shares, representing approximately 95.2% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares on a partially-diluted basis.

Early Warning Disclosure Regarding Cartier Resources

Immediately prior to the take-up of the Deposited Shares under the Offer, (i) Agnico Eagle beneficially owned, and exercised control and direction over, 50,749,679 common shares (the “Cartier Shares“) of Cartier Resources Inc. (“Cartier“) and 7,000,000 Cartier Share purchase warrants (the “Cartier Warrants“), representing approximately 15.6% of the issued and outstanding Cartier Shares on a partially-diluted basis assuming the full exercise of the Cartier Warrants held by Agnico Eagle, and (ii) O3 Mining beneficially owned, and exercised control and direction over, 46,273,265 Cartier Shares, representing approximately 12.7% of the issued and outstanding Cartier Shares on a basic basis.

As a result of Agnico Eagle’s acquisition of control of O3 Mining pursuant to the Offer, as of the date hereof, Agnico Eagle is deemed to beneficially own, and exercise control and direction over, an aggregate of 97,022,944 Cartier Shares, representing approximately 26.7% of the issued and outstanding Cartier Shares on a basic basis. Assuming the full exercise of all Cartier Warrants held by Agnico Eagle, Agnico Eagle would be deemed to beneficially own, and exercise control and direction over, 104,022,944 Cartier Shares, representing approximately 28.0% of the issued and outstanding Cartier Shares on a partially-diluted basis.

Agnico Eagle holds its Cartier Shares and Cartier Warrants for investment purposes. Depending on market conditions and other factors, Agnico Eagle may, from time to time, acquire additional Cartier Shares, Cartier Warrants or other securities of Cartier or dispose of some or all of its Cartier Shares, Cartier Warrants or other securities of Cartier that it owns at such time.

Early Warning Disclosure Regarding STLLR Gold Inc.

Immediately prior to the take-up of the Deposited Shares under the Offer, O3 Mining beneficially owned, and exercised control and direction over, 12,458,939 common shares (the “STLLR Shares“) of STLLR Gold Inc. (“STLLR“), representing approximately 10.1% of the issued and outstanding STLLR Shares on a basic basis. Agnico Eagle did not beneficially own, or exercise control or direction over, any STLLR Shares.

Agnico Eagle holds its STLLR Shares for investment purposes. Depending on market conditions and other factors, Agnico Eagle may, from time to time, acquire additional STLLR Shares or other securities of STLLR or dispose of some or all of its STLLR Shares or other securities of STLLR that it owns at such time.

Early warning reports in respect of the foregoing will be filed by Agnico Eagle in accordance with applicable securities laws. To obtain a copy of each early warning report, please contact:

Agnico Eagle Mines Limited
c/o Investor Relations
145 King Street East, Suite 400
Toronto, Ontario M5C 2Y7
Telephone: 416-947-1212
Email: investor.relations@agnicoeagle.com

Agnico Eagle’s head office is located at 145 King Street East, Suite 400, Toronto, Ontario M5C 2Y7. O3 Mining’s head office is located at 155 University Avenue, Suite 1440, Toronto, Ontario M5H 3B7. Cartier’s head office is located at 1740, chemin Sullivan, bureau 1000, Val d’Or, Québec J9P 7H1. STLLR’s head office is located at 181 Bay Street, Suite 4260, Toronto Ontario M5J 2V1.

Advisors

Edgehill Advisory Ltd. is acting as financial advisor to Agnico Eagle. Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP is acting as legal advisor to Agnico Eagle.

Maxit Capital is acting as financial advisor to O3 Mining. Bennett Jones LLP is acting as legal advisor to O3 Mining. Fort Capital is acting as financial advisor to the Special Committee of independent directors of O3 Mining. Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP is acting as legal advisor to the Special Committee.

The Depositary and Information Agent for the Offer is Laurel Hill Advisory Group. If you have any questions or require assistance with tendering to the Offer, please contact Laurel Hill Advisory Group, by phone at 1-877-452-7187 or by e-mail at assistance@laurelhill.com.

About O3 Mining Inc.

O3 Mining Inc. is a gold explorer and mine developer in Québec, Canada, adjacent to Agnico Eagle’s Canadian Malartic mine. O3 Mining owns a 100% interest in all its properties (128,680 hectares) in Québec. Its principal asset is the Marban Alliance project in Québec, which O3 Mining has advanced over the last five years to the cusp of its next stage of development, with the expectation that the project will deliver long-term benefits to stakeholders.

About Agnico Eagle Mines Limited

Agnico Eagle is a Canadian based and led senior gold mining company and the third largest gold producer in the world, producing precious metals from operations in Canada, Australia, Finland and Mexico, with a pipeline of high-quality exploration and development projects. Agnico Eagle is a partner of choice within the mining industry, recognized globally for its leading environmental, social and governance practices. Agnico Eagle was founded in 1957 and has consistently created value for its shareholders, declaring a cash dividend every year since 1983.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation that is based on current expectations, estimates, projections, and interpretations about future events as at the date of this news release. Forward-looking information and statements are based on estimates of management by O3 Mining and Agnico Eagle, at the time they were made, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the Offer, including the anticipated timing of expiration, mechanics, funding, completion, settlement, payment, results and effects of the Offer and the other benefits of the transaction; the advancement of the Marban Alliance project; any second-step transaction, including the timing for any such transaction and Agnico Eagle’s intentions with respect to any such transaction; and Agnico Eagle’s acquisition or disposition of securities of Cartier and/or STLLR in the future. Material factors or assumptions that were applied in formulating the forward-looking information contained herein include, without limitation, the expectations and beliefs of Agnico Eagle and O3 Mining that any second-step transaction will be successful and the ability to achieve goals, including the integration of the Marban Alliance property to the Canadian Malartic land package and the ability to realize synergies arising therefrom. Agnico Eagle and O3 Mining caution that the foregoing list of material factors and assumptions is not exhaustive. Although the forward-looking information contained in this news release is based upon what Agnico Eagle and O3 Mining believe, or believed at the time, to be reasonable expectations and assumptions, there is no assurance that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking information, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, and neither O3 Mining, nor Agnico Eagle nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any such forward-looking information. No assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. O3 Mining and Agnico Eagle do not undertake, and assume no obligation, to update or revise any such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by applicable law. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to be a forecast, projection or estimate of the future financial performance of Agnico Eagle or any of its affiliates or O3 Mining.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/agnico-eagle-announces-successful-take-up-of-94-1-of-the-shares-of-o3-mining-and-mandatory-extension-of-offer-to-february-3–2025–302359489.html

SOURCE Agnico Eagle Mines Limited

MIL OSI Economics –

January 24, 2025

MIL-OSI Russia: The White Hall celebrated Leningrad Victory Day

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

Only Shostakovich can sound on Leningrad Victory Day. No other music can so accurately convey the tragedy and victory of Leningrad.

The music of Dmitry Shostakovich, performed by the Klassika orchestra, was performed in honor of the 82nd anniversary of the breakthrough of the siege of Leningrad and the 81st anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade.

The chamber symphony “In Memory of the Victims of Fascism and War” was originally String Quartet No. 8, in which the composer quoted more than 20 of his own musical themes from works of different years. The premiere took place in Leningrad and caused a huge resonance among musicians and listeners. On January 22, in the White Hall, the orchestra “Classica” presented this one of the most frequently performed works of Dmitry Shostakovich.

With this concert, with this great music, we congratulate everyone on the Leningrad Victory Day! I remember how I fell asleep to war songs as a child – instead of lullabies, they were sung by my mother Rakhil Romanovna, who helped launch balloons in besieged Leningrad. Together, let us remember the residents of besieged Leningrad, who defended the great city at the cost of their lives, – noted maestro Alexander Kantorov.

The concert program also included music from the films “The Fall of Berlin” and “The Gadfly”. It allowed us to feel not only the tragedy of war, but also the strength of the human spirit. The finale of the concert was majestic and touching, when the audience of the White Hall listened to the “Hymn to the Great City” standing.

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 –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic University received a delegation from the Joint University of Moscow State University and the Institute of Polytechnical Problems in Shenzhen

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

A delegation from the MSU-PTI Joint University in Shenzhen, headed by Rector Li Hezhang, visited the Polytechnic University.

During the official meeting at the Resource Center for International Services of the Polytechnic University, prospects for cooperation were discussed. The meeting was held with the participation of the Vice-Rector for International Affairs of SPbPU Dmitry Arsenyev, the Head of the International Cooperation Department Vladimir Khizhnyak, the Head of the International Education Department Evgeniya Satalkina, the Director of the Higher School of International Educational Programs Viktor Krasnoshchekov and the Head of the Department of International Educational Programs and Academic Mobility Olga Yemelyanova.

MSU-PPI Shenzhen University, founded in 2016 with the support of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Beijing Institute of Technology and the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government, implements a variety of educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels. The university trains specialists in key areas such as information technology, mathematics, materials science, biology, chemistry, economics and philology.

The meeting participants outlined the main areas of cooperation, including the development of joint educational programs, academic mobility for students and teachers, including the organization of joint winter and summer schools, joint research and publications. In addition, the mutual inclusion of employees in dissertation councils was discussed.

Scientific research and technological innovation are our priority. We are proud that the university has gathered outstanding minds from all over the world, and students have already published their achievements in prestigious journals. MSU-PPI University in Shenzhen strives to develop international cooperation, observing the instructions of the heads of our states, and actively participates in student and teacher exchanges. Since the university is located in Shenzhen – the city of innovation, and the Polytechnic University is one of the leading technical universities in Russia, this is an opportunity for us to implement joint projects at a completely new high-tech level, – emphasized Professor Li Hezhang.

They also discussed joint research activities of teachers and researchers from both universities in the areas of materials science, chemistry, computer science, artificial intelligence, as well as the participation of the Polytechnic University and Shenzhen University in the Visiting Professor program.

Colleagues began to work out in detail a roadmap for cooperation in the areas discussed during the negotiations and to prepare a cooperation agreement.

Vice-Rector for International Affairs Dmitry Arsenyev summed up the meeting: We strive not only to strengthen educational cooperation, but also to create a platform for the exchange of cultural experience between our countries. Summer and winter schools, joint internships and postgraduate training programs are steps that will help us develop scientific research. The visit of representatives of the MSU-PPI University will be the next stage in strengthening the partnership between Russia and China.

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 –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Kenya’s female freedom fighters were the silent heroes of the anti-colonial movement – here are some of their stories

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Bethany Rebisz, Lecturer in the History of Modern Africa, University of Bristol

Each year in Kenya, familiar faces are feted at the national remembrance of the country’s heroes and heroines. Dedan Kimathi is arguably the most commemorated of figures. As one of the most prominent leaders of the anti-colonial Land and Freedom Army, Mau Mau, he has become a symbol of the bloodshed for independence.

Field Marshal Muthoni Kirima also features. She avoided British capture for 11 years, hiding in the forests of central Kenya, and was the only woman to reach the status of field marshal in the Mau Mau. So it is unsurprising that the then deputy president, Rigathi Gachagua, and other top government leaders attended her funeral in September 2023. Kirima died at the age of 92. The surviving Mau Mau generation is now declining, but many of those who fought or grew up during the 1950s rebellion live on.

While the leaders of the Mau Mau and the political elite now hold a prominent place in Kenya’s national history of independence, this cannot be said of the thousands of civilians who contributed to the anti-colonial cause. These include the unarmed women who sustained the freedom fighters during this fraught period of Kenya’s history.

Historians estimate that between 1952 and 1960, British colonial forces detained 80,000 Kenyans, hanged over 1,000 suspected rebels, and forcibly resettled approximately 1.2 million civilians in colonial “villages”. As its control of the colony dwindled, Britain used brutal measures including torture, forced labour and collective punishment to suppress anti-colonial dissent. It wasn’t until 2013 that Britain finally acknowledged these human rights abuses, having been exposed in the landmark High Court hearings (2011-2012).

These discoveries have instigated a flurry of historical examination from historians and activists to assess British brutality in Kenya. This work has largely focused on the detention camps incarcerating freedom fighters and Britain’s military campaign. But what of the civilians, mainly women and children, whose lives were disrupted and threatened by their forced resettlement into guarded villages? In 2018, I set out to conduct research in Kenya to capture these important stories.

The oral histories of women Britain forcibly resettled in the 1950s offer important insights into life in these villages. They challenge the evidence in the colonial archive. Archival records lack rich or diverse information about the day-to-day experiences of those who lived in the villages.

Brutal history

Between 1954 and 1960, an estimated 1.2 million Kenyans were forcibly removed from their homes and forced into colonial “villages”. This form of collective punishment was to work in tandem with the mass detention of suspected freedom fighters. Torture and forced labour were practised widely.

The High Court hearings forced Britain to release its “migrated archive”, which consisted of over 20,000 files pertaining to 37 of its former colonies. These records had been secretly removed during the process of decolonisation. The archive corroborated survivors’ testimonies of torture, sexual violence and mistreatment in the camps. These new histories of colonial violence expose the limits of international human rights laws in the wars of decolonisation.

For its audience back home and across the world, Britian’s Colonial Office circulated images of the colonial villages, images depicting community, safety and even joy. Photographs of children playing on a make-shift slide, women laughing in a sewing class, a village headman smiling in the local shop. But how well did these depictions represent lived experiences?

Women’s stories

Over the Spring of 2019, I interviewed several women who had at some stage of the 1950s been forcibly resettled. Their ages at the time of interview ranged from 69 to 105 years old.

Most women were put in contact with me during my time spent in the central region of Kenya, building up relationships with community leaders, cultural heritage practitioners, and through friends. The interviews conducted for the project mainly took place in the participant’s homes. Stories and memories shared over a warm mug of chai (tea).

Several themes emerged from the interviews with women who experienced forced resettlement.

Firstly, surveillance. When the British colonial government declared a state of emergency in October 1952, it was concerned by the growing anti-colonial sentiment and initial attacks made by Mau Mau fighters. By 1953 it became apparent to colonial officials that women in the Gikuyu, Embu and Meru regions were playing a significant role in sustaining the forest fight. Much of the Mau Mau strategising took place deep in the forests of Mount Kenya, with women supplying food, ammunition, and intelligence to the armed combatants.

Women were characterised as the eyes and ears of the movement and concentrating them in colonial “villages” ensured the colonial state’s eyes and ears were fixed upon them. As one interviewee explained to me:

everything had changed … you do not play, you do not make a noise … We see the Home Guards up there.

Women and children in the villages knew they were under constant watch from the colonial state and its guards, and they regulated their own behaviour accordingly.

The villages, while depicted in propaganda as lush green spaces with happy villagers, instead followed similar patterns to the detention scheme. Most villages were surrounded by barbed-wire fences, or trenches filled with sharpened sticks.

These were well fortified spaces to keep out the Mau Mau and keep in those who might support them. Security posts were often situated at the top of hillsides facing down on the huts of inhabitants. Security officials monitored all movement.

As one interviewee expressed it:

We looked like caged people. Like people in prison.

The punishments inflicted if rules were broken raise a second theme in these interviews: brutality. Violence and coercion came in several forms. If a family was suspected of continuing to aid forest fighters, guards set the roof of their hut ablaze.

Village-wide curfews were put in place and people were locked inside their homes for extended periods of time. They were denied food. Public beatings were inflicted. People were executed. Many women sustained severe bodily harm when being interrogated at the security post. These punishments often extended to sexual violence.

But the British colonial state could not break the women’s spirit. Women spoke of the food they shared with one another. They recalled caring for children who had been orphaned. Women set up trading networks that sustained the community and prepared them for life post-conflict. Many persisted in their support of the Mau Mau, sneaking food out of the village, breaking the fences so forest fighters could get into the village site, and strategising under nightfall.

With military operations subduing from 1956, Britain slowly began releasing families from the colonial villages. Some women were allocated land elsewhere, others were assigned land that had once been part of that village. For many then, the memories of forced resettlement remain ever present.

Silent heroes

During this research I often received a similar response from women: “you want to speak to my husband, he was in the forest, he was detained, he was one of those heroes”.

Collectively, women who faced forced resettlement for their participation and connection to the liberation movement have tended to marginalise their own significance.

Yet, in many ways, women across the central region of Kenya embodied the conflict. Their day-to-day lives became part of the battlefield. It raises a challenge for scholars to recognise all the experiences of colonialism in Kenya. To extend our anti-colonial histories beyond Mau Mau, also.

– Kenya’s female freedom fighters were the silent heroes of the anti-colonial movement – here are some of their stories
– https://theconversation.com/kenyas-female-freedom-fighters-were-the-silent-heroes-of-the-anti-colonial-movement-here-are-some-of-their-stories-241374

MIL OSI Africa –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Kenya’s female freedom fighters were the silent heroes of the anti-colonial movement – here are some of their stories

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Bethany Rebisz, Lecturer in the History of Modern Africa, University of Bristol

Each year in Kenya, familiar faces are feted at the national remembrance of the country’s heroes and heroines. Dedan Kimathi is arguably the most commemorated of figures. As one of the most prominent leaders of the anti-colonial Land and Freedom Army, Mau Mau, he has become a symbol of the bloodshed for independence.

Field Marshal Muthoni Kirima also features. She avoided British capture for 11 years, hiding in the forests of central Kenya, and was the only woman to reach the status of field marshal in the Mau Mau. So it is unsurprising that the then deputy president, Rigathi Gachagua, and other top government leaders attended her funeral in September 2023. Kirima died at the age of 92. The surviving Mau Mau generation is now declining, but many of those who fought or grew up during the 1950s rebellion live on.

While the leaders of the Mau Mau and the political elite now hold a prominent place in Kenya’s national history of independence, this cannot be said of the thousands of civilians who contributed to the anti-colonial cause. These include the unarmed women who sustained the freedom fighters during this fraught period of Kenya’s history.

Historians estimate that between 1952 and 1960, British colonial forces detained 80,000 Kenyans, hanged over 1,000 suspected rebels, and forcibly resettled approximately 1.2 million civilians in colonial “villages”. As its control of the colony dwindled, Britain used brutal measures including torture, forced labour and collective punishment to suppress anti-colonial dissent. It wasn’t until 2013 that Britain finally acknowledged these human rights abuses, having been exposed in the landmark High Court hearings (2011-2012).

These discoveries have instigated a flurry of historical examination from historians and activists to assess British brutality in Kenya. This work has largely focused on the detention camps incarcerating freedom fighters and Britain’s military campaign. But what of the civilians, mainly women and children, whose lives were disrupted and threatened by their forced resettlement into guarded villages? In 2018, I set out to conduct research in Kenya to capture these important stories.

The oral histories of women Britain forcibly resettled in the 1950s offer important insights into life in these villages. They challenge the evidence in the colonial archive. Archival records lack rich or diverse information about the day-to-day experiences of those who lived in the villages.

Brutal history

Between 1954 and 1960, an estimated 1.2 million Kenyans were forcibly removed from their homes and forced into colonial “villages”. This form of collective punishment was to work in tandem with the mass detention of suspected freedom fighters. Torture and forced labour were practised widely.

The High Court hearings forced Britain to release its “migrated archive”, which consisted of over 20,000 files pertaining to 37 of its former colonies. These records had been secretly removed during the process of decolonisation. The archive corroborated survivors’ testimonies of torture, sexual violence and mistreatment in the camps. These new histories of colonial violence expose the limits of international human rights laws in the wars of decolonisation.

For its audience back home and across the world, Britian’s Colonial Office circulated images of the colonial villages, images depicting community, safety and even joy. Photographs of children playing on a make-shift slide, women laughing in a sewing class, a village headman smiling in the local shop. But how well did these depictions represent lived experiences?

Women’s stories

Over the Spring of 2019, I interviewed several women who had at some stage of the 1950s been forcibly resettled. Their ages at the time of interview ranged from 69 to 105 years old.

Most women were put in contact with me during my time spent in the central region of Kenya, building up relationships with community leaders, cultural heritage practitioners, and through friends. The interviews conducted for the project mainly took place in the participant’s homes. Stories and memories shared over a warm mug of chai (tea).

Several themes emerged from the interviews with women who experienced forced resettlement.

Firstly, surveillance. When the British colonial government declared a state of emergency in October 1952, it was concerned by the growing anti-colonial sentiment and initial attacks made by Mau Mau fighters. By 1953 it became apparent to colonial officials that women in the Gikuyu, Embu and Meru regions were playing a significant role in sustaining the forest fight. Much of the Mau Mau strategising took place deep in the forests of Mount Kenya, with women supplying food, ammunition, and intelligence to the armed combatants.

Women were characterised as the eyes and ears of the movement and concentrating them in colonial “villages” ensured the colonial state’s eyes and ears were fixed upon them. As one interviewee explained to me:

everything had changed … you do not play, you do not make a noise … We see the Home Guards up there.

Women and children in the villages knew they were under constant watch from the colonial state and its guards, and they regulated their own behaviour accordingly.

The villages, while depicted in propaganda as lush green spaces with happy villagers, instead followed similar patterns to the detention scheme. Most villages were surrounded by barbed-wire fences, or trenches filled with sharpened sticks.

These were well fortified spaces to keep out the Mau Mau and keep in those who might support them. Security posts were often situated at the top of hillsides facing down on the huts of inhabitants. Security officials monitored all movement.

As one interviewee expressed it:

We looked like caged people. Like people in prison.

The punishments inflicted if rules were broken raise a second theme in these interviews: brutality. Violence and coercion came in several forms. If a family was suspected of continuing to aid forest fighters, guards set the roof of their hut ablaze.

Village-wide curfews were put in place and people were locked inside their homes for extended periods of time. They were denied food. Public beatings were inflicted. People were executed. Many women sustained severe bodily harm when being interrogated at the security post. These punishments often extended to sexual violence.

But the British colonial state could not break the women’s spirit. Women spoke of the food they shared with one another. They recalled caring for children who had been orphaned. Women set up trading networks that sustained the community and prepared them for life post-conflict. Many persisted in their support of the Mau Mau, sneaking food out of the village, breaking the fences so forest fighters could get into the village site, and strategising under nightfall.

With military operations subduing from 1956, Britain slowly began releasing families from the colonial villages. Some women were allocated land elsewhere, others were assigned land that had once been part of that village. For many then, the memories of forced resettlement remain ever present.

Silent heroes

During this research I often received a similar response from women: “you want to speak to my husband, he was in the forest, he was detained, he was one of those heroes”.

Collectively, women who faced forced resettlement for their participation and connection to the liberation movement have tended to marginalise their own significance.

Yet, in many ways, women across the central region of Kenya embodied the conflict. Their day-to-day lives became part of the battlefield. It raises a challenge for scholars to recognise all the experiences of colonialism in Kenya. To extend our anti-colonial histories beyond Mau Mau, also.

Bethany Rebisz consults for the Museum of British Colonialism, a non-profit platform which facilitates global conversations about British colonialism and its legacies. The research conducted and explored in this article received funding from the UKRI AHRC, Royal Historical Society, and the British Institute of Eastern Africa.

– ref. Kenya’s female freedom fighters were the silent heroes of the anti-colonial movement – here are some of their stories – https://theconversation.com/kenyas-female-freedom-fighters-were-the-silent-heroes-of-the-anti-colonial-movement-here-are-some-of-their-stories-241374

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins Congratulates Distinguished Alumni, Faculty of UMaine School of Forest Resources

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
Published: October 19, 2024

Click HERE, HERE, and HERE for individual photos
Orono, ME – U.S. Senator Susan Collins delivered remarks at an event for alumni and friends of the University of Maine’s School of Forest Resources (SFR). At the event, awards were presented to distinguished alumni and faculty of the SFR.
“UMaine’s School of Forest Resources has long been a leader in forest innovation, and I’m proud to support their efforts, which are critical to Maine’s economy and environment,” said Senator Collins. “This event was a wonderful opportunity to recognize the contributions of Dr. Fernandez, Dr. Gardner, and all the SFR alumni and faculty who have helped to advance forest research and education, strengthening both our state and this vital industry.”
The SFR presented Dr. Ivan Fernandez (UMaine Ph.D. ’81) with their 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award. Dr. Douglas Gardner (UMaine B.S. ’80) was also recognized for his retirement from the SFR faculty. Senator Collins received an honorary SFR Distinguished Alumni Award for her continued support for forest resource research and innovation at the University.
In the past three funding cycles, Senator Collins has secured more than $40 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for forest resource-related projects at the University of Maine. This includes funding for the Advanced Structures and Composites Center, the Forest Biomaterials Innovation Center, the Sawmill Training and Education Center, and the Soil Testing Service Lab.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins Speaks at 11th Annual March Against Domestic Violence

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
Published: October 19, 2024

Click HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE for individual photos
Orono, ME – U.S. Senator Susan Collins spoke at the 11th annual March Against Domestic Violence, which began at the steps of Fogler Library at the University of Maine and continued on to the University Field House. The theme for this year’s March, which comes during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, was “ending domestic violence in our communities.”
“The annual March Against Domestic Violence serves as an important reminder of the work we need to do to protect vulnerable individuals, as domestic violence continues to affect too many families in our state,” said Senator Collins. “I will continue to support and author legislation to strengthen protections for survivors, and I thank everyone involved in organizing this event for their dedication to this critical issue.”
The march is hosted by the Maine Business School (MBS) and organized by MBS Professor Nory Jones. In addition to Senator Collins, speakers at the event included UMaine Dean Robert Dana, Adjutant General of the Maine National Guard Diane Dunn, Executive Director at Partners for Peace Amanda Cost, Deputy UMaine Title IX Coordinator Heather Hogan, and Director of Development and Engagement at Partners for Peace Casey Faulkingham, who read the names of the 15 people who died in Maine as a result of domestic violence this year.
Senator Collins was a co-sponsor of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization Act of 2022, which expanded protections and services for domestic violence survivors and their children. She was also a co-author of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which helps ensure that abusers do not have access to firearms.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Labor retains office at ACT election; US presidential election remains on a knife’s edge

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

The Labor Party has won a seventh consecutive ACT election.

The ACT uses the Hare Clark proportional representation method with five five-member electorates, for a total of 25 seats. A quota is one-sixth of the vote or 16.7%.

For Saturday’s election, the ABC is calling
ten Labor seats, eight Liberals, two Greens, one Independent for Canberra (IfC) and one other independent, with three still undecided.

Labor has won a seventh consecutive term, having governed in the ACT since 2001, often in coalition with the Greens. At the 2022 federal election, the ACT gave Labor a 67–33 two-party win, easily the most pro-Labor jurisdiction. This strong left lean makes it difficult for the Liberals to win ACT elections.

Vote shares were 34.5% Labor (down 3.3% since the 2020 election), 33.0% Liberals (down 0.9%), 12.5% Greens (down 1.0%), 8.5% Independents for Canberra (new) and 11.5% for all Others (down 3.3%). Postal votes have not yet been counted, and these should help the Liberals.

Nearly all pre-poll votes and some election day votes were cast electronically. Provisional preference distributions for these votes were published on election night, with paper ballots to be added to these electronic votes in the coming days.

Analysis of each of the five electorates follows. The final seat result will probably be ten Labor (steady since 2020), ten Liberals (up one), three Greens (down three), one IfC (new) and one other independent (up one). If this occurs, Labor and the Greens will retain their combined majority with 13 of the 25 seats.

In Brindabella, the Liberals won 2.57 quotas, Labor 2.05, the Greens 0.55 and IfC 0.45. Analyst Kevin Bonham says the Liberals are likely to win the last seat after postals are counted.

In Ginninderra, Labor has 2.26 quotas, the Liberals 1.52, the Greens 0.89 and IfC 0.45. Bonham says the Greens and Liberals easily win the final two seats on the provisional distribution.

In Kurrajong, Labor has 2.20 quotas, the Liberals 1.41, the Greens 1.07 and IfC 0.83. IfC easily wins the last seat on the provisional distribution.

In Murrumbidgee, the Liberals have 2.06 quotas, Labor 2.02, independent Fiona Carrick 0.78 and the Greens 0.57. Carrick easily wins the last seat.

In Yerrabi, the Liberals have 2.19 quotas, Labor 1.86, the Greens 0.71 and IfC 0.58. The Greens easily defeat IfC on the provisional distribution.

Harris dips in polls, but US presidential contest remains tight

The United States presidential election will be held on November 5. In analyst Nate Silver’s aggregate of national polls, Democrat Kamala Harris leads Republican Donald Trump by 49.1–46.8, a gain for Trump since last Monday, when Harris led by 49.3–46.5. Harris’ national lead peaked on October 2, when she led by 49.4–45.9.

Joe Biden’s final position before his withdrawal as Democratic candidate on July 21 was a national poll deficit against Trump of 45.2–41.2.

The US president isn’t elected by the national popular vote, but by the Electoral College, in which each state receives electoral votes equal to its federal House seats (population based) and senators (always two). Almost all states award their electoral votes as winner-takes-all, and it takes 270 electoral votes to win (out of 538 total).

Relative to the national popular vote, the Electoral College is biased to Trump, with Harris needing at least a two-point popular vote win to be the narrow Electoral College favourite in Silver’s model.

In Silver’s state poll aggregates, Harris leads by just 0.4 points in Pennsylvania (19 electoral votes) and Wisconsin (ten). She leads by about one point in Michigan (15 electoral votes) and Nevada (six). Trump leads by 0.8 points in North Carolina (16 electoral votes), 1.4 points in Georgia (16) and 1.8 points in Arizona (11).

If Harris holds her current leads in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada, she likely wins the Electoral College by at least 276–262. But Harris’ margins in these states are now very narrow.

While Silver’s model is still effectively a 50–50 toss-up, Trump is now the slight favourite with a 51% chance to win the Electoral College, up from 48% last Monday. Harris’ Electoral College win probability had peaked at 58% on September 27. There’s a 26% chance that Harris wins the popular vote but loses the Electoral College.

While Trump was the favourite in Silver’s model between late August and mid-September, this is his first lead in FiveThirtyEight since early August.

Silver said on Friday that current economic conditions imply Harris should win the national popular vote by about one point, so the contest is trending towards this outcome. But Trump would be likely to win the Electoral College with just a one-point Harris advantage in the popular vote.

Liberals lose Pittwater to teal at NSW state byelections

Byelections occurred Saturday in the New South Wales state Liberal-held seats of Epping, Hornsby and Pittwater. Labor did not contest any of these byelections. In Pittwater, The Poll Bludger’s projections give teal independent Jacqui Scruby a 54.1–45.9 lead over the Liberals, a 4.8% swing to Scruby since the 2023 state election.

Current primary votes are 53.7% Scruby (up 17.3%), 42.4% Liberals (down 2.6%) and 3.9% for a Libertarian. The Greens had won 6.8% in 2023, but did not contest, presumably to stop left-wing votes exhausting under NSW’s optional preferential system.

The other two byelections were easy Liberal holds, with the Liberals beating the Greens by 61.6–38.4 in Hornsby (58.0–42.0 against Labor in 2023). The Liberals won Epping by 65.8–34.2 against the Greens (54.8–45.2 against Labor in 2023).

Federal Morgan poll and NT redistribution

A national Morgan poll, conducted October 7–13 from a sample of 1,697, had a 50–50 tie, unchanged from the September 30 to October 6 Morgan poll.

Primary votes were 37.5% Coalition (steady), 30% Labor (down 1.5), 14% Greens (up 1.5), 6% One Nation (up 0.5), 9% independents (steady) and 3.5% others (down 0.5).

The headline figure uses respondent preferences. By 2022 election preference flows, Labor led by 51–49, a one-point gain for the Coalition.

The Northern Territory has two federal electorates: Lingiari and Solomon. It had been seven years since the last NT redistribution, so a new redistribution was required, and this was released Friday.

ABC election analyst Antony Green said Labor’s margin in Lingiari was increased from 0.9% to 1.7%, but decreased in Solomon from 9.4% to 8.4%. This is a draft redistribution, but there are not expected to be any changes before finalisation.

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

– ref. Labor retains office at ACT election; US presidential election remains on a knife’s edge – https://theconversation.com/labor-retains-office-at-act-election-us-presidential-election-remains-on-a-knifes-edge-241678

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 24, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Indonesia’s new president, Prabowo Subianto, finds democracy ‘very tiring’. Are darker days ahead for the country?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Lindsey, Malcolm Smith Professor of Asian Law and Director of the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society, The University of Melbourne

Former General Prabowo Subianto will be sworn in as Indonesia’s eighth president today. Twenty-five years ago he was a pariah, and for good reason.

He faced accusations of human rights abuses in Papua and East Timor, and in 1998, special forces troops under his command had abducted democracy activists in Jakarta, 13 of whom have never been seen again. Those who did return had been tortured.

The students had been calling for the resignation of President Soeharto, Prabowo’s father-in-law, who finally stepped down in May 1998 after widespread rioting that many believe Prabowo helped engineer. Then, backed by troops under his command, Prabowo tried to storm the presidential palace, gun in hand, to threaten the new president, BJ Habibie.

Prabowo never went on trial for the disappearances of the activists, though he was banned from travelling to the United States for two decades.

And his cherished military career quickly ended – he was dismissed from the army for “misinterpreting orders”. Disgraced, and seen as embodying the violence and repression of Soeharto’s regime, Prabowo went into voluntary exile in Jordan. It seemed he had no future in the democratic Reformasi (reformation) system that began to emerge from the ruins of the repressive New Order.

But Prabowo was far from finished. His rehabilitation and extraordinary climb to the presidency may now signal the end of Indonesia’s fragile, aspirational liberal democracy and a return to the New Order model.

The end of Reformasi?

It is clear enough that Prabowo has no enthusiasm for democracy. He has said, for example, that it “very, very tiring” and “very, very messy and costly”.

Gerindra, the political party he founded and leads, even has, as its number one mission statement, a return to the Constitution “as stipulated on 18 August 1945”. This is the authoritarian original version of the Constitution that Soeharto relied on to rule. It did not guarantee human rights or a separation of powers, and it gave huge power to the president, who was not elected and had no term limit.

This Constitution was amended after Soeharto fell to bring in a liberal, democratic model. So, a return to the original 1945 Constitution would in itself likely end Indonesia’s hard-won, if troubled, democracy.

But Prabowo may not need to go this far to enjoy the sweeping power his former father-in-law exercised. Many of the elements of the New Order are already in place. Much of the work of dismantling Indonesia’s liberal democracy has already been done by the outgoing president, Joko Widodo (Jokowi), whose son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is now Prabowo’s vice president.

For example, a key pillar of the New Order was “dual function”, a doctrine that allowed serving military members to take civilian posts, allowing them to dominate the government. This was abolished after Soeharto fell.

But amendments to the civil service law passed last October again allow active members of the army and police to occupy civilian positions. Proposed amendments to the Indonesian National Army (TNI) Law now being debated could expand this. When questioned about the army’s return to civilian life, the armed forces commander welcomed the changes, saying the army would not be exercising a “dual function” but a “multi-function”.

Likewise, under Soeharto, repressive laws tightly restricted press freedom. Now, a controversial new criminal code that comes into force in 2026 will reinstate prohibitions on criticising the government that the Constitutional Court had previously struck out. A proposed new Broadcasting Law would also ban “broadcasting investigative journalism content”.

Under the New Order, civil society activism was also harshly restricted. In the last ten years under Jokowi, there has been a steady escalation of defamation actions and threats against government critics. And a law passed in 2017 allows the government to dissolve non-governmental organisations without any judicial process. Already, three NGOs have been banned.

Many activists now speak openly of their fear of being targeted and intimidated by government trolls or even the intelligence agencies. Others fear Prabowo will use his links to Muslim civil society organisations to pressure or delegitimise other groups he sees as critics.

Read more:
Journalists in Indonesia are being killed, threatened and jailed. A new draft law could make things even worse

Keeping the elites happy

Prabowo is also following in the footsteps of Soeharto and Jokowi by building a massive coalition in the national legislature, the DPR. More than 80% of members are already on board, with only one party holding out.

Prabowo will also expand his cabinet, allowing him to award places to supporters and co-opt others, including members of civil society. This will further weaken the opposition.

This kind of government of elite “unity” makes politics opaque. Political fights take place behind the scenes, resolved by power plays and deals before measures go to a vote. It would make the national legislature not much more than a rubber stamp, as it was under Soeharto.

This assumes Prabowo can manage Indonesia’s powerful political bosses – especially the feuding former presidents Megawati Soekarnoputri and Jokowi. Together, they now control the two biggest parties in the legislature (PDI-P and Golkar, respectively).

The still hugely popular Jokowi backed his former bitter enemy Prabowo in the February elections because he saw this as a way to maintain influence after he left office. But Prabowo will be reluctant to share real power with anyone for long. His relationship with Jokowi is likely to be one the biggest challenges to his rule.

Dealing with an obstructive court

One of the few remaining obstacles to Prabowo acquiring the sort of dictatorial powers Soeharto exercised is the Constitutional Court, which has the power to strike out laws. Prabowo will not want a non-compliant and obstructive (that is, independent) Constitutional Court. Already politicians are openly discussing the need to “assess its performance”.

If the legislature passes laws to weaken the court, the court could just strike them out, as it has done in the past.

But the court was established by the amendments to the original 1945 Constitution. This means that if government cannot pass laws to weaken the court, stack the court or intimidate independent judges, a return to the 1945 Constitution could be used to eliminate it.

Prabowo would need to feel his rule is secure and that he has the rock-solid support of the elites before doing this, but it is certainly possible. Returning to the original Constitution would simply require a two-thirds vote in the MPR, Indonesia’s highest representative assembly.

Bold promises on the economy

Soeharto’s system was based on a Faustian bargain that allowed him to rule corruptly and oppressively in return for high economic growth and development that lifted millions out of poverty.

Prabowo is likely to adopt the same approach. He campaigned on an annual GDP growth target of 8%, a rate reached under Soeharto, but never by subsequent governments. Jokowi also placed great emphasis on development (infrastructure in particular), but never got much above 5% growth per year.

Many are optimistic about the economy under the new president. Prabowo’s father was a prominent economist and a finance minister. Prabowo has also asked Jokowi’s highly-regarded finance minister, Sri Mulyani, to stay in her role.

However, Prabowo comes to office with some enormously expensive commitments that would make Sri Mulyani’s job extremely difficult. These include his free school lunches program (upwards of US$30 billion, or A$45 billion), which Sri Mulyani has publicly questioned, and Jokowi’s signature new capital city, Nusantara, currently under construction. (The initial phase alone will cost at least US$35 billion, or A$52 billion).

Moreover, Prabowo’s main priority will be to keep the elites happy and maintain his enormous coalition. His supporters and allies – including his brother, tycoon Hashim Djojohadikusumo who has funded his political career – will all demand access to concessions and lucrative appointments for their cronies to make good the vast amounts spent on the February elections. Rational economic policy-making will therefore be highly constrained.

Foreign investment has always been the key to high growth in Indonesia, but despite the constant rhetoric about Indonesia being open for business, it will undoubtedly remain protectionist in practice under Prabowo. That will likely make the 8% GDP annual growth target impossible.

More active foreign relations

Prabowo, who was educated overseas and speaks English fluently, feels comfortable on the global stage. He will want a more prominent place in world affairs for his country, reflecting its vast size and new status as a middle-income country.

As Jokowi’s defence minister, he was active internationally, even attempting to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. And, to his obvious delight, countries like the US that had previously denied him entry have congratulated him on his victory.

Prabowo’s main foreign affairs challenge will be the same as his predecessor’s: managing the difficult relationship with China.

Indonesians are deeply suspicious of China, an attitude driven by a potent mixture of deeply rooted racist attitudes, fear of communism and anxiety about China’s hegemonic ambitions. However, Indonesia is a major recipient of Belt and Road investments and the elite rely heavily on Chinese trade and investment.

Like Jokowi, Prabowo will have to manage this difficult balance.

Back to the future

Indonesian civil society leaders are already talking about the new administration as “New Order Volume II” or “neo-New Order”, and it is easy to see why. All the signs point to a continuation under Prabowo of the process begun under Jokowi: a slide towards something that looks much more like Soeharto’s system than the liberal democracy reformers tried to construct 25 years ago.

There is nothing in Prabowo’s past or his campaign promises to suggest otherwise. Perhaps the only question is how quickly it happens and how far he will go.

Tim Lindsey receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

– ref. Indonesia’s new president, Prabowo Subianto, finds democracy ‘very tiring’. Are darker days ahead for the country? – https://theconversation.com/indonesias-new-president-prabowo-subianto-finds-democracy-very-tiring-are-darker-days-ahead-for-the-country-241256

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Jessica Campbell’s NHL coaching gig marks a pivotal turning point for professional hockey

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Hayley Baker, Assistant Professor, School of Kinesiology, Western University

Jessica Campbell has made history as the first full-time female coach in the National Hockey League, marking a significant milestone in professional hockey.

Campbell was hired by the Seattle Kraken in July, and during the team’s home opener against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 8, the crowd erupted into cheers when she was introduced as part of the team’s coaching staff.

While the Kraken went on to lose to the Blues 3-2, the game was a pivotal turning point for gender equality and coaching in the NHL. Campbell’s appointment as a full-time assistant coach shows there’s a path forward for women who aim to coach at the men’s professional level.

Campbell’s story serves as a reminder of the challenges women coaches face. However, it also demonstrates how achieving a coaching role in a professional league, though difficult, is not impossible.

‘I didn’t know it was possible’

Campbell brings a wealth of knowledge to her new role with the Kraken, from her playing experiences in the NCAA, the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and on Canada’s women’s national team.

Her coaching career began as an assistant with the U18 Canadian women’s national team, and from there she coached in Sweden with the Malmö Redhawks. She then served as an assistant coach for the men’s national team in Germany and the Nürnberg Ice Tigers. Campbell later became the first female coach in the American Hockey League when she was hired by the Coachella Valley Firebirds as an assistant coach.

Even with her breadth of experience, Campbell never envisioned herself as an NHL coach. Instead, she was focused on supporting players through her business, JC Power Skating School.

“I didn’t imagine this path for me. I didn’t see it,” Campbell said in a 2023 interview. “Quite frankly there was no visibility and there weren’t other females doing this work, and so I didn’t know it was possible.”

It was not until more and more NHL players sought out her skating and skill development program that she began to consider coaching in the NHL as a potential career path.

Women coaches in the major leagues

The NHL has been slow on the uptake when it comes to full-time women coaches. The other three major leagues — the National Football League, Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association — have had women in coaching roles for years.

At the start of the 2024 season, there were 15 full-time women coaches in the NFL. In 2023, the MLB had 43 women coaching. Within the NBA, there are currently five female assistant coaches.

Yet, these numbers still reflect an alarming gender disparity. Like Campbell, many women may struggle to envision themselves in coaching positions. This moment encourages us to consider both the importance of women in coaching, and why there continues to be an under-representation of women coaching men’s sports.

Research on women in coaching has continuously highlighted barriers in high performance sport. Women coaches often face stereotypes, discrimination and gendered organizational cultures that hinder their advancement in the field.

To combat these barriers, the NHL has implemented various supports to ensure Campbell will not remain in a league of her own.

The NHL Coaches Association launched a Female Coaches Development Program in 2021 to support the development of women coaching hockey. By providing leadership strategies, skill development, networking and career opportunities, the program aims to normalize women coaching men and expand the pool of available candidates.

Paving the way

While Campbell is the first full-time assistant coach in the NHL, others have had opportunities to guest coach at NHL camps or to be on the bench for pre-season games.

For instance, Kim Weiss, the first woman to coach NCAA Division III men’s hockey, served as a guest coach for the Colorado Avalanche.

Similarly, Kori Cheverie, the first woman to coach a Canadian university men’s hockey team, was a guest coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins and became the first female coach on the bench during an NHL pre-season game.

Along with Campbell, the visibility that each of these women provides can spark meaningful change in the NHL. While Campbell’s coaching debut with the Kraken is breaking down barriers, sustained effort and dedication is required to create a more inclusive sport culture.

Continued emphasis on initiatives like the NHL’s Female Coaches Development program are necessary for both current and aspiring women coaches so girls and women can envision themselves in leadership roles in the future.

As a scholar who has studied the under-representation of women coaches, my hope is that Campbell will not remain an anomaly in the NHL, and eventually we see more women in both assistant and head coaching roles.

Campbell’s new position with the Kraken could spur this change, with her and others enriching the NHL through the abilities, contributions and diverse perspectives that women bring to coaching.

Hayley Baker 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. Jessica Campbell’s NHL coaching gig marks a pivotal turning point for professional hockey – https://theconversation.com/jessica-campbells-nhl-coaching-gig-marks-a-pivotal-turning-point-for-professional-hockey-241191

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: More than money: The geopolitics behind Saudi Arabia’s sports strategy

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Aaron Ettinger, Associate Professor, International Relations, Carleton University

There’s a saying in sports journalism: “The answer to all your questions is money.” But in the case of Saudi Arabia’s massive sports investment programs during the reign of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, money is not the whole story.

In a simple sense, there is a clear profit motive. With US$925 billion in assets in 2023, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund exists to convert oil revenues into even greater national income.

Last year, the country’s Public Investment Fund reported $36.8 billion in profits. Since 2016, it has spent $51 billion on sports properties.

The point is not to turn bin Salman into the world’s greatest sports impresario. Rather, it’s that he’s seeking to improve the economic and geopolitical situation of Saudi Arabia through sports investments while ensuring the long-term survival of the Saudi regime.

Beyond Newcastle United, LIV Golf

Investing in sports is a common way for developing countries to announce their arrival on the global stage. Instead of one-and-done mega events, Saudi Arabia is pursuing a more dispersed and diverse approach.

The Public Investment Fund’s highest profile investments are well known, especially the 2021 purchase of Newcastle United of the English Premier League and the LIV golf tour that challenged the PGA’s decades-long dominance of the sport.

Beyond golf and soccer, Saudi Arabia has also spent dizzying sums on lower profile investments in esports, wrestling and motorsports. In other games, like chess and snooker, the profit motive is less clear.

The logical conclusion is that Saudi Arabia treats its sports investments as a loss leader — an unprofitable activity meant to stimulate more profitable activity somewhere else. In the words of Public Investment Fund’s 2022 annual report, international investment pools “allow Saudi Arabia to extend its global reach and influence.”

But what does that really mean?

‘Sportswashing’

The conventional term for Saudi Arabia’s strategy is sportswashing, the practice of reputation-laundering in the hopes that a cleaner national image will translate into soft power on the world stage.

Read more:
Sportswashing is just about everywhere – but it may be backfiring on the countries that do it

But that explanation doesn’t go far enough. For bin Salman, the suite of sports investments and properties is only a small part of a larger strategy to prepare Saudi Arabia for a 21st century when global oil demand is expected to fall by mid-century and geopolitics will become more complicated.

This is no secret: Saudi Arabia’s official grand strategy — Vision 2030 — envisions the complete modernization of the country’s economy and foreign policy. Saudi Arabia’s sports diplomacy is therefore part of a broader geopolitical strategy to prepare Saudi Arabia for an era of multipolarity, when power is distributed among several states.

Sports diplomacy also normalizes western financial and political engagement with the Saudi regime. Internationally, bin Salman wants to cultivate economic and security relationships with entities whose interests align with those of the Saudi royal family and the Saudi state, thereby ensuring the long-term health of both.

Regular interactions between Saudi Arabia and the West create an understanding that Riyadh is a “normal” place to do business — and if it’s good business, there is no reason to risk the relationship with too much rancour over its authoritarianism and abysmal human rights record. Sports investing, in short, is a Saudi hedge against western abandonment.

The allure of the big payday

To western eyes, the most troubling implication of Saudi sports investment is the normalization of authoritarian capitalism — economic freedom without political freedom — as a feature of the emerging international order.

Along with China, Russia, Singapore and others, Saudi Arabia represents an alternative to western democratic capitalism as a pathway to development.

This would be surprising to a previous generation of scholars and policymakers who once thought that free markets and free societies were a self-reinforcing phenomenon.

But given the staying power of authoritarian capitalism, doing business with dictators and strongmen has become inevitable and even desirable in some cases. In the sports world, few have resisted the charms of a huge payday.

Closely related to authoritarian capitalism is democratic backsliding. Around the world, the quality of democracy and freedom is eroding, and the slow-drip normalization of economic intercourse with authoritarian capitalists is part of that erosion.

Read more:
Could the world’s autocrats successfully plot to defeat the West?

How to proceed?

So can anything be done? Western states have options, but they’re limited.

After all, Saudi Arabia’s investments are legal and eagerly sought after by both private and public sectors.

Western officials can put up resistance to the awarding of mega events to authoritarian states. But mewling about problematic hosts means little unless liberal democracies are prepared to pay the hosting costs themselves, which they are increasingly unwilling to do.

Meanwhile, authoritarians are eager to host mega events and attract the prestige that comes with them. Currently, for example, Saudi Arabia is the sole bidder for the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

Countries could try regulatory intervention to delimit the extent of Saudi influence. National security is often used as a pretext for blocking foreign investments in strategically important sectors, like ports and 5G wireless networks.

Saudi plan is working

But golf and video games do not rise to the level of national security concern, so American regulators are unlikely to step in. Political intervention from the United States Congress or the White House is even less likely. Saudi Arabia is a key part of the American strategy on the Middle East to confront Iran, and quibbling too intensely about human rights or sports investment is not worth the strategic costs.

The genius of Saudi Arabia’s enterprise is that it’s power projection by consent. Investors and fans want what bin Salman is selling, governments have limited recourse and critics are left to grasp at standard, out-dated arguments.

For Saudi Arabia, however, its sports charm offensive is about more than money. It’s about an investment in the future prosperity and security of the kingdom and the longevity of the Saudi dynasty. So far, the plan is working.

Aaron Ettinger 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. More than money: The geopolitics behind Saudi Arabia’s sports strategy – https://theconversation.com/more-than-money-the-geopolitics-behind-saudi-arabias-sports-strategy-240512

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: MEDIA RELEASE: Warnings of Wild West Of Medicinal Cannabis

Source: Family First

Warnings of Wild West Of Medicinal Cannabis

Family First is calling for caution around the use of medicinal cannabis which, when loosely regulated, can result in mental and behavioural disorders due to use of cannabinoids and psychotic episodes.

According to data obtained under the Official Information Act by Family First in August, New Zealand health authorities say that 461 patients have had a primary diagnosis of Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of cannabinoids, psychotic disorder in the last recorded 12-month period (22/23) – rising from 376 in 2019/20 – an increase of 23% over four years.

According to a recent report in Australia, “doctors are warning of a significant increase of people ending up in hospital with psychosis after being prescribed the drug. Their concerns come amid a proliferation of “single-issue” cannabis clinics setting up in Australia, some of them willing to prescribe via telehealth consultations with few checks. Brett Emmerson, Queensland chair of the Royal Australian and New Zealand’s College of Psychiatrists, says the college wants stronger regulations of medicinal cannabis products and prescribing practices.”

This is now a prospect for New Zealand, as reported in Newsroom today. Telehealth provider Dispensed which offers medical cannabis to patients through questionnaires and online appointments wants to set up shop in New Zealand.

It appears that Big Marijuana wants to sneak into New Zealand via the smokescreen of medicinal cannabis – which we always warned would happen. Combined with high-THC products, we are setting up the perfect storm of health and social problems associated with the drug.

The prescriptions for ‘medicinal’ cannabis is increasing in New Zealand, increasing from 22,506 in 2021 to 108,000 last year and 160,000 in the most recent period.

But it appears that the industry is becoming the wild west with high potency THC products being made available. During the Referendum in 2020, Patrick Gower found growers who were manufacturing a concentrated cannabis resin (dab) with an incredibly potent 81 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Dr Marta Rychert, a senior researcher at Massey University who with co-author Associate Professor Chris Wilkins have just published NZ Medical Journal: Implementation of the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme in New Zealand: six emerging trends warn about the increasing prevalence of products high in THC, and the rise of private cannabis clinics.

Dr Rychert says “My hope is that cannabis clinicians prescribe responsibly.” But medicine should never be based on ’hoping’ that clinicians do the right thing, especially when it comes to such a controversial ‘medicine’.

Just last week, two men in Australia with mental health conditions were prescribed medical cannabis by a pharmacist who founded a medicinal cannabis company . One was hospitalised with psychosis, the other took his own life.

There are justified concerns about the prevalence of online prescriptions without adequate patient-doctor interactions. The report says that while medicinal cannabis is legal in Australia for certain conditions like severe childhood epilepsy and cancer-related vomiting, it’s often prescribed for anxiety and insomnia despite lacking evidence of effectiveness.

In 2021, the Faculty of Pain Medicine at the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) said that there is no robust evidence from gold-standard studies that proves cannabinoid products effectively treast chronic non-cancer pain.

A significant study released at the time of the referendum found that “people who smoked marijuana on a daily basis were three-times more likely to be diagnosed with psychosis compared with people who never used the drug. For those who used high-potency marijuana daily, the risk jumped to nearly five-times.” By “high-potency” the researchers meant marijuana with THC content of just 10%+.

A study released in 2017 in the US and published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry found that marijuana use and marijuana use disorders – in which people use the drug in unhealthy or abusive ways – increased at a “significantly greater rate” in states with medical marijuana laws than in states without the laws.

Family First has always supported the expansion of further quality research into the components of the marijuana plant for delivery via non-smoked forms (‘medicinal cannabinoids’ products), and the establishment of a programme that allows seriously ill patients to obtain other non-smoked components of marijuana approved and listed by the Ministry of Health via their GP – but with appropriate regulation around safety and efficacy.

The Health Ministry needs to step up and ensure robust monitoring and enforcement of this new industry.
ENDS

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MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: What makes Chinese students so successful by international standards?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Yongqi Gu, Associate Professor, School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

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There is a belief widely held across the Western world: Chinese students are schooled through rote, passive learning – and an educational system like this can only produce docile workers who lack innovation or creativity.

We argue this is far from true. In fact, the Chinese education system is producing highly successful students and an extremely skilled and creative workforce. We think the world can learn something from this.

In a viral video earlier this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook highlighted the unique concentration of skilled labour that attracted his manufacturing operations to China:

In the US, you could have a meeting of tooling engineers, and I’m not sure we could fill the room. In China you could fill multiple football fields.

To which Tesla CEO Elon Musk quickly responded on X: “True”.

When South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the Shenzhen headquarters of electric vehicle manufacturer BYD earlier this year, he was surprised to learn the company was planning to double its 100,000-strong engineering taskforce within the coming decade.

He might not have been so surprised had he known Chinese universities are producing more than ten million graduates every year – the foundation for a super-economy.

The ‘paradox of the Chinese learner’

Chinese learners achieve remarkable success levels compared to their Western – or non-Confucian-heritage – counterparts.

Since Shanghai first participated in the PISA educational evaluation in 2009, 15‑year-olds in China have topped the league table three out of four times in reading, mathematics and science.

How can a supposedly passive and rote Chinese system outperform its Western counterparts? A number of Australian scholars have been studying this “paradox of the Chinese learner” since the 1990s.

Their research shows those common perceptions of Chinese and other Asian learners are wrong. For example, repetition and meaningful learning are not mutually exclusive. As one Chinese saying goes:

书读百遍其意自现 – meaning reveals itself when you read something many times.

What can Western education learn?

An emphasis on education is a defining feature of Chinese culture. Since Confucianism became the state-sanctioned doctrine in the Han Dynasty (202BCE–220CE), education has entered every fabric of Chinese society.

This became especially true after the institutionalisation of the Keju system of civil service examinations during the Sui Dynasty (581CE–618CE).

Today, the Gaokao university entrance examination is the modern Keju equivalent. Millions of school leavers take the exam each year. For three days every July, Chinese society largely comes to a standstill for the Gaokao.

While the cultural drive for educational excellence is a major motivation for everyone involved in the system, it is not something that is easily learned and replicated in Western societies.

However, there are two principles we believe are central to Chinese educational success, at both the learner and system levels. We use two Chinese idioms to illustrate these.

The first we call “orderly and gradual progress” – 循序渐进. This principle stresses patient, step-by-step and sequenced learning, sustained by grit and delayed gratification.

The second we call “thick accumulation before thin production” – 厚积薄发. This principle stresses the importance of two things:
- a comprehensive foundation through accumulation of basic knowledge and skills
- assimilation, integration and productive creativity only come after this firm foundation.
Technique to art: weekly calligraphy lessons have been mandatory in Chinese primary and middle schools since 2013.
Getty Images

Knowledge, skill and creativity

The epitome of orderly and gradual progress is the way calligraphy is learned. It goes from easy to difficult, simple to complex, imitating to free writing, technique to art. Since 2013, it has been a mandatory weekly lesson in all primary and middle schools in China.

The art of Chinese writing embodies patience, diligence, breathing, concentration and an appreciation of the natural beauty of rhythm. It teaches Chinese values of harmony and the aesthetic spirit.

“Thick accumulation” can be illustrated in the way students study extremely hard for the national Gaokao examination, and also during tertiary education. This way they accumulate the basic knowledge and skills required in a modern society.

“Thin production” refers to the ability to narrow or focus this accumulated knowledge and skill to find and implement creative solutions in the workplace or elsewhere.

Ways of learning

On the face of it, the emphasis on gradual and steady progress, and on accumulation of basic knowledge and skills, may look like a slow, monotonous and uninspiring process – the origin of those common myths about Chinese learning.

In reality, it boils down to a simple argument: without a critical mass of basic knowledge and skills, there is little to assimilate and integrate for productive creativity.

Of course, there are problems with Chinese learning and education, not least the fierce competitiveness and overemphasis on examinations. But our focus here is simply to show how two basic educational principles underpin Chinese advances in science and technology in a modern knowledge economy.

We believe these principles are transferable and potentially beneficial for policymakers, scholars and learners elsewhere.

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. What makes Chinese students so successful by international standards? – https://theconversation.com/what-makes-chinese-students-so-successful-by-international-standards-238325
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Special Representative for Nature appointed in landmark first
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Ruth Davis has been appointed the first UK’s Special Representative for Nature.
The UK government has appointed Ruth Davis OBE as the first Special Representative for Nature. This landmark announcement is being is made as the UN Convention on Biological Diversity COP16 meeting in Colombia marks its first formal day.

Ruth Davis is one of the country’s leading environmental policy experts, with over twenty-five years’ experience working on issues of nature recovery and climate change.

Ms Davis previously advised the government when it hosted COP26, including helping secure an international pledge to end deforestation, which was signed by 145 countries. She played a leading role supporting negotiators and ministers and has previously worked with some of the UK’s leading nature organisations including RSPB and Plantlife. She holds an MSc from Reading University in Plant Sciences and a diploma in Botanical Horticulture from Kew.

Her appointment comes as environment ministers gather in Colombia to discuss conservation and sustainable use of the world’s biological diversity. The Global Biodiversity Framework was agreed at COP15 in Montreal, where over 150 countries signed up to and committed themselves to halting and reversing the international decline of nature.

Miss Davis will begin her role as Special Representative for Nature at the end of this month and will attend COP16 in her current role as an advocate for nature, working alongside the UK delegation led by Environment Secretary, Steve Reed.

This is a joint role between the FCDO and Defra and Ms Davis will report to both the Environment Secretary and the Foreign Secretary.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed said:

We cannot address the nature and climate crises without coordinated global action. That is why we have appointed Ruth as our special representative for nature – a landmark first – who will champion our ambition to put climate and nature at the heart of our foreign policy.

We depend on nature in every aspect of our lives – it underpins our economy, health and society – and yet progress to restore our wildlife and habitats has been too slow. Ruth’s extensive knowledge and expertise will be vital to help us deliver on our commitments to put nature on the road to recovery.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:

One million species are facing extinction, including one third of both marine mammals and coral reefs. And wildlife populations fallen by 73 per cent since 1970, mostly due to a staggering 83 per cent collapse in freshwater species.

The climate and nature emergency is the most profound and universal source of global disorder. I am delighted Ruth Davis is joining to be our first ever UK Special Representative for Nature to help us achieve our goal of a liveable planet for all, now and in the future.

Ruth Davis, the Special Representative for Nature said:

The government has recognised that the nature crisis is of equal gravity to the climate crisis; and that we cannot tackle one without addressing the other. Ecosystems and the species they support are essential to maintain food security, reduce health risks and manage the impacts of rising global temperatures.

I am delighted to be working with colleagues across government, and with partners around the world, to take on this urgent challenge; in particular, ensuring that the rules and incentives that govern the global economy work to protect and restore nature; and that we invest in the commitment, knowledge and passion of local people, who are critical to safeguarding the places where they live.

The announcement of the Special Representative for Nature follows confirmation that Rachel Kyte will take up the role of the UK’s Special Representative for Climate, announced last month.

The Special Representatives will support ministers to raise global ambition on nature recovery and climate change. They will drive engagement with international leaders and build influence on the global stage to meet the UK’s strategic objectives.

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Published 21 October 2024
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Chinese listed companies to receive loans for share buybacks, increasing shareholdings

Source: China State Council Information Office 3

More than 20 Chinese listed companies on Sunday announced that they have signed agreements with financial institutions or obtained commitment letters to secure loans for share buybacks and increasing shareholdings.

The announcements came after China’s central bank launched a special re-lending facility aimed at guiding banks to provide loans to listed companies and their major shareholders for buybacks and increasing shareholdings on Friday.

The initial re-lending scale is 300 billion yuan (about 42.09 billion U.S. dollars) at an interest rate of 1.75 percent. The facility can be applied to various types of companies regardless of their ownership, according to the central bank.

To actively respond to and fully leverage the policy tool introduced by the relevant regulatory body for supporting share buybacks, the company on Oct. 19 signed a credit agreement with the Bank of China to obtain a credit line of no more than 900 million yuan, which will be used for the company’s share buybacks in the A-share market, Sinopec said in an online statement published Sunday.

Sinopec also revealed that its controlling shareholder China Petrochemical Corporation signed an agreement with the bank to obtain a credit line of 700 million yuan. This funding will be used by the corporation to increase its shareholdings in Sinopec within the A-share market.

Other companies that have announced plans to secure loans for share buybacks or increasing shareholdings include China Merchants Port Group Co., Ltd. and Sinotrans Limited.

The re-lending facility offers low-cost funds to financial institutions, which in turn helps to reduce the financing costs for listed companies and major shareholders, said Tian Lihui, head of the Institute of Finance and Development at Nankai University.

It also helps enhance the inherent stability of China’s capital market, maintain the stable operation of the market and boost market confidence, Tian added.

MIL OSI China News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Expanding coal mines – and reaching net zero? Tanya Plibersek seems to believe both are possible

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s recent decision to approve expansion plans for three New South Wales coal mines disappointed many people concerned with stabilising the global climate.

Two of these mines, Narrabri and Mount Pleasant in New South Wales, featured in the high-profile but ultimately unsuccessful Living Wonders court case, intended to force the federal government to take account of climate damage done by coal mine approvals. A lawyer involved in the case said Plibersek’s decision showed a refusal to “recognise their climate harms”.

Why did Plibersek sign off on this? She has argued the mines will abide by domestic industrial emissions rules. As her spokesperson told the ABC:

The emissions from these projects will be considered by the minister for climate change and energy under the government’s strong climate laws.

But these laws apply only to emissions produced in Australia, which in this case will be from extracting and transporting coal and the relatively small amount of coal burned here. Most of the coal will be exported and burned overseas. Australian laws do not count those much larger emissions.

The government is effectively washing its hands of the far larger emissions created when the coal is burned overseas. Since taking office, the Albanese government has approved seven applications to open or expand coal mines. Just this week, NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said his state would keep exporting coal into the 2040s.

This reasoning doesn’t stack up. If we stopped expanding coal mines, coal would get more expensive – and we would accelerate the global shift to clean energy.

How can more coal be compatible with net zero?

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate action, nations must publicly commit to domestic emissions reductions goals and are expected to steadily ramp up ambition.

But these emissions cuts are domestic only – we don’t measure the emissions we enable by exporting coal and gas.

The Albanese government has increased domestic ambition by committing to a 43% reduction on 2005 figures by 2030. This seems to be a substantial advance on the 26-28% commitment made by the previous government. In reality, internal tensions in the Morrison Coalition government handed Labor an unintentional gift.

In 2021, estimates suggested Australia was already on track for a 35% reduction. But internal opposition among Coalition backbenchers stopped Morrison announcing this as a target. As a result, Labor’s change looks about twice as impressive as it should.

Still, progress is happening. Domestically, Australia is now burning less and less coal.

But in terms of exports, the government’s position – clear in Plibersek’s decision as well as the government’s plan to keep gas flowing for decades – is as long as there is a demand for coal and gas from other countries, Australia will be ready and willing to meet it.

Most of the coal unlocked by Plibersek’s decision will go overseas, given NSW exports 85% of its coal to partners such as Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan.

How does the government defend this?

Expanding coal mines while maintaining a public commitment to net zero is a consistent theme between this government and its predecessor, which also committed to net zero. It meets a minimal interpretation of our legal obligations under the Paris Agreement, but maintains the planet’s path towards dangerous warming.

In her statement of reasons given in 2023 as to why the Mount Pleasant mine expansion should be permitted, Plibersek and the Labor government offer several defences.

The first is she is simply acting in accordance with Australian law, as the project would comply with “applicable Commonwealth emissions reduction legislation”. This is a weak reed, to put it mildly. The Albanese government, with the support of Greens and independents, can change the law whenever it chooses.

In reality, the government has steadfastly resisted pressure to include a “climate trigger” in Australia’s environmental approval processes. Their resistance is relatively new – as recently as 2016, Labor policy included a climate trigger for land clearing.

Labor’s second defence has often been dubbed the “drug dealer’s defence”. That is, if Australia didn’t export coal, other producers would take our place. As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has put it:

policies that would just result in a replacement of Australian resources with resources that are less clean from other countries would lead to an increase in global emissions, not a decrease.

As I’ve argued previously, this defence doesn’t work. Coal is subject to a rising cost curve – if we stopped exporting it, new or expanded production from other sources would cost more to extract and hence be priced higher. More expensive coal would, in turn, accelerate the global energy transition. We do have agency – we could choose not to unlock more coal.

Finally, Plibersek claims emissions from burning Mount Pleasant coal – estimated at over 500 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over the mine’s extended lifetime – would not be “substantial” relative to total global emissions. For context, Australia’s total emissions are now less than 500 million tonnes a year.

This “litterbug’s defence” suggest Australia’s emissions – whether produced domestically or exported – are not big enough to make a difference. This is not true – we are now the second largest exporter of emissions globally, after Russia. That is due largely to coal.

Are fossil fuel exports untouchable?

There’s a huge gap between global pledges to cut emissions and the reductions needed to actually achieve the Paris targets. Most countries we export coal and gas to are not yet on a path to achieve the reductions in emissions necessary to stabilise the global climate – though China’s emissions may, remarkably, be about to decline.

That’s why we need to press for decarbonisation at every stage of the energy system, from extraction of coal, oil and gas to the financing of new carbon-based projects as well as at the point where the fuel is burned and emissions produced generated.

The problem for Australia is we sell a lot of coal and gas – more than ever before. So even as solar and wind energy begins to displace coal and gas in domestic power generation, our coal and gas exports seem all but untouchable.

We should be saddened but not surprised at this pattern. The Albanese government seems guided by the principle of doing nothing to generate substantial opposition – and to count on the fact a Dutton Coalition government would do even less.

John Quiggin is a former member of the Climate Change Authority

– ref. Expanding coal mines – and reaching net zero? Tanya Plibersek seems to believe both are possible – https://theconversation.com/expanding-coal-mines-and-reaching-net-zero-tanya-plibersek-seems-to-believe-both-are-possible-241007

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 24, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Human error is the weakest link in the cyber security chain. Here are 3 ways to fix it
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jongkil Jay Jeong, Senior Research Fellow in the School of Computing and Information System, The University of Melbourne

Piotr Zajda/Shutterstock

Despite huge advances in cyber security, one weakness continues to overshadow all others: human error.

Research has consistently shown human error is responsible for an overwhelming majority of successful cyber attacks. A recent report puts the figure at 68%.

No matter how advanced our technological defences become, the human element is likely to remain the weakest link in the cyber security chain. This weakness affects everyone using digital devices, yet traditional cyber education and awareness programs – and even new, forward-looking laws – fail to adequately address it.

So, how can we deal with human-centric cyber security related challenges?

Understanding human error

There are two types of human error in the context of cyber security.

The first is skills-based errors. These occur when people are doing routine things – especially when their attention is diverted.

For example, you might forget to back up desktop data from your computer. You know you should do it and know how to do it (because you have done it before). But because you need to get home early, forgot when you did it last or had lots of emails to respond to, you don’t. This may make you more exposed to a hacker’s demands in the event of a cyber attack, as there are no alternatives to retrieve the original data.

The second type is knowledge-based errors. These occur when someone with less experience makes cyber security mistakes because they lack important knowledge or don’t follow specific rules.

For example, you might click on a link in an email from an unknown contact, even if you don’t know what will happen. This could lead to you being hacked and losing your money and data, as the link might contain dangerous malware.

Many cyber attacks are successful because people click on unknown links in emails and text messages.
ParinPix/Shutterstock

Traditional approaches fall short

Organisations and governments have invested heavily in cyber security education programs to address human error. However, these programs have had mixed results at best.

This is partly because many programs take a technology-centric, one-size-fits-all approach. They often focus on specific technical aspects, such as improving password hygiene or implementing multi-factor authentication. Yet, they don’t address the underlying psychological and behavioural issues that influence people’s actions.

The reality is that changing human behaviour is far more complex than simply providing information or mandating certain practices. This is especially true in the context of cyber security.

Public health campaigns such as the “Slip, Slop, Slap” sun safety initiative in Australia and New Zealand illustrate what works.

Since this campaign started four decades ago, melanoma cases in both countries have fallen significantly. Behavioural change requires ongoing investment into promoting awareness.

The same principle applies to cyber security education. Just because people know best practices doesn’t mean they will consistently apply them – especially when faced with competing priorities or time pressures.

New laws fall short

The Australian government’s proposed cyber security law focuses on several key areas, including:
- combating ransomware attacks
- enhancing information sharing between businesses and government agencies
- strengthening data protection in critical infrastructure sectors, such as energy, transport and communications
- expanding investigative powers for cyber incidents
- introducing minimum security standards for smart devices.
These measures are crucial. However, like traditional cyber security education programs, they primarily address technical and procedural aspects of cyber security.

The United States is taking a different approach. Its Federal Cybersecurity Research and Development Strategic Plan includes “human-centred cybersecurity” as its first and most important priority.

The plan says

A greater emphasis is needed on human-centered approaches to cybersecurity where people’s needs, motivations, behaviours, and abilities are at the forefront of determining the design, operation, and security of information technology systems.

3 rules for human-centric cyber security

So, how can we adequately address the issue of human error in cyber security? Here are three key strategies based on the latest research.
1. Minimise cognitive load. Cyber security practices should be designed to be as intuitive and effortless as possible. Training programs should focus on simplifying complex concepts and integrating security practices seamlessly into daily workflows.
2. Foster a positive cyber security attitude. Instead of relying on fear tactics, education should emphasise the positive outcomes of good cyber security practices. This approach can help motivate people to improve their cyber security behaviours.
3. Adopt a long-term perspective. Changing attitudes and behaviours is not a single event but a continuous process. Cyber security education should be ongoing, with regular updates to address evolving threats.
Ultimately, creating a truly secure digital environment requires a holistic approach. It needs to combine robust technology, sound policies, and, most importantly, ensuring people are well-educated and security conscious.

If we can better understand what’s behind human error, we can design more effective training programs and security practices that work with, rather than against, human nature.

Jongkil Jay Jeong 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. Human error is the weakest link in the cyber security chain. Here are 3 ways to fix it – https://theconversation.com/human-error-is-the-weakest-link-in-the-cyber-security-chain-here-are-3-ways-to-fix-it-241459
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI China: 7th China Now Music Festival ends with Sci-Fi chamber opera

Source: China State Council Information Office 3

Conductor Cai Jindong leads the orchestra at the opening concert of the 7th China Now Music Festival at Carnegie Hall in New York, the United States, Oct. 12, 2024. (Photo by Zack Zhang/Xinhua)

The 7th China Now Music Festival themed “Composing the Future” came to a close Saturday evening in New York City with a concert that fused East-West musical traditions and blended human-made music with artificial intelligence (AI).

The event, held at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall, featured two distinct parts. The first half featured musicians from the Bard East-West Ensemble, performing new works by composers from China’s Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM).

With the rich sounds of traditional Chinese instruments like the pipa and guzheng accompanying Western orchestral instruments, the performance created a unique cultural and musical fusion that resonated with the audience.

The second half showcased AI’s Variation: Opera of the Future, a science fiction chamber opera penned by CCOM professor Hao Weiya.

Performed by Chinese soprano Shi Lin, baritone Hong Zhenxiang, and American soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon, who stunned the audience with her fluent Mandarin, this thought-provoking piece delved into the ethical implications of AI technology merging with human creativity.

The work, part of Hao’s Chinese New Opera series, imagines a world where artificial intelligence surpasses human abilities, prompting the existential question: “Who will ‘we’ be when AI replaces us?”

“We listen to a lot of Beethoven and Mozart, but in the 21st century, we need more young people to pay attention to contemporary music — the music of today,” said Cai Jindong, the festival’s artistic director and conductor, in an interview with Xinhua after the concert.

Reflecting on the festival’s journey, Cai expressed pride in fostering collaboration between Chinese and American musicians. He emphasized musical exchanges offer a way to bridge divides.

“Cultural exchange helps us understand each other better,” Cai said.

American cellist Christine Walevska, a long-time participant in the China Now Music Festival, praised Cai’s approach. “Music is a language everyone understands. This is my seventh time here, and I always love Maestro Cai’s interpretations, especially how he blends traditional Chinese elements with contemporary music,” Walevska told Xinhua.

Dr. Wenyi Xiong, adjunct faculty in Piano Performance at New York University, was equally impressed.

“The orchestration was unique — it’s rare to see a symphony orchestra incorporate guitar alongside the guzheng. It beautifully captured the charm of both Chinese and Western music,” she said.

The China Now Music Festival was co-founded in 2017 by the U.S.-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music, in collaboration with the CCOM.

Now in its seventh year, the festival has drawn over 10,000 live attendees and attracted nearly 100,000 online viewers in past seasons.

The Bard East-West Ensemble, part of the U.S.-China Music Institute at Bard College, has also become a symbol of cross-cultural musical dialogue. The group combines traditional Chinese instruments like the pipa and guzheng with Western orchestral instruments.

MIL OSI China News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Global artists craft dreams in ‘porcelain capital’

Source: China State Council Information Office 3

Dutch designer Johannes Gille crafts ceramic lamp shades in Jingdezhen, the world-famous “porcelain capital” in east China’s Jiangxi.

“Historically, the blue and white porcelain from Jingdezhen had influenced the renowned Delftware in my hometown,” Gille said at the city’s Taoxichuan International Studio. “I collaborate with local artisans to bring traditional blue and white patterns to life, and I can’t wait to showcase these pieces at my design studio in Delft.”

Jingdezhen has long served as a cultural bridge, with its porcelain being a vital commodity on trade routes since the 16th century. Today, the city has evolved into a cultural oasis and attracted a vibrant mix of talent from around the globe.

At times, as many as 5,000 foreign creators work and live in Jingdezhen. The influx of global artisans, often referred to as “Yangjingpiao,” has turned the city into a melting pot of ideas and cultures.

Park Ju-hee from the Republic of Korea has made Jingdezhen her home. Before settling in the city, she worked as an architect in cities like Beijing and Hangzhou after graduating from Tsinghua University.

Her recent ceramic creations are inspired by nature’s changing seasons by adopting the coiling technique.

“Jingdezhen’s environment is ideal for my work,” she said, emphasizing the rich artistic community that fuels her creativity as well as the city’s friendly environment for start-ups.

Gille added that in Europe, custom porcelain molds are significantly more expensive and require more complex arrangements compared to the process in Jingdezhen, where things can be organized with just a few calls.

Spanish ceramic artist Jaume Ribalta has embraced the rural lifestyle on the outskirts of the city.

He rented a farmhouse in Xianghu Town, where he set up his studio. Jaume blends the black-and-white ceramic patterns from his hometown of Barcelona with Jingdezhen’s exquisite blue-and-white technique.

After two and a half years in Jingdezhen, he has handcrafted 50 covered bowls, 40 teacups, and 10 teapots, all of which have sold out, helping him navigate the challenging early stages of his business.

“Contemporary ceramics often see artists working independently, but in Jingdezhen, artisans emphasize collaboration,” Ribalta said.

He noted that every step of the process, from mold making to hand-painting and firing, is open to newcomers, benefiting from the support of dozens of experienced local craftsmen.

In Jingdezhen, the spirit of collaboration among artisans fosters a unique creative environment that is hard to find elsewhere, Ribalta added.

MIL OSI China News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: A year on from the Senate inquiry into concussion, what’s changed and what comes next?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Annette Greenhow, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, Bond University

In September 2023, an Australian Senate committee released a landmark report on concussions and repeated head trauma in contact sports.

The committee made 13 recommendations to improve outcomes for past, present and future players.

The report emphasised shared responsibility and transparency in developing a national approach, with the government to lead nine of the recommendations.

As of October 2024, no official government update has been provided.

We’ve assessed the status of the recommendations – of the publicly available sources, we found evidence of action in some areas but no national strategy in directly addressing the focus of several key recommendations.

As part of this review, we searched the websites of the Australian government’s Department of Health and Aged Care and the Australian Sports Commission/Australian Institute of Sport (ASC/AIS).

We approached the Senate committee secretary and the Department of Health and Aged Care for more information but neither was able to comment.

We acknowledge there is likely more work going on behind the scenes, and these processes take time.

Here’s what we found.

Progress being made

In the past year, there has been progress made with several recommendations including those addressing community awareness, education and guidelines for amateur and youth sports.

The AIS continues to engage in health-led efforts with a suite of resources aimed at increasing community awareness and education.

In June this year, the institute published a new set of return-to-play guidelines specifically targeting community and youth athletes.

This represents a tangible response from a federally funded sporting body.

However, these guidelines must be easily implemented by clubs. To date, there is no indication the government plans to increase funding or resources to clubs to help do so.

The committee also called for national sporting organisations to “further explore rule modifications to prevent and reduce the impact of concussions and repeated head trauma, prioritising modifications for children and adolescents”.

Several major sporting codes have modified their rules and we expect them to remain focused on rule modifications to ensure the longevity of their sports.

General practitioners (GPs) are often the first port of call after a concussion, and the committee recommended the development of standardised guidelines for GPs and first aid responders.

This addresses concerns that GPs may require additional training in treating sport-related brain trauma.

In response, the AIS developed a free, online short course for registered GPs.

Work in progress, or lack of progress?

There appears to be work in progress or a lack of progress elsewhere, including key recommendations for a National Sports Injury Database (NSID) and professional sport data sharing.

The inquiry highlighted how patchy data collection had contributed to evidence gaps in understanding sports injury management and surveillance. The committee’s most urgent recommendation therefore was for the government to establish the NSID.

This would work closely with another recommendation that called for professional sport codes to collect and share de-identified concussion and sub-concussive event data with the NSID.

As of October 2024, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports the NSID is still under development and is not yet ready to receive data.

Other recommendations related to research – establishing an independent research pathway, ongoing funding commitments and a co-ordinated and consolidated funding framework.

These recommendations called for the government’s existing agencies, or a newly created body, to coordinate research on the effects of concussion and repeated head trauma.

No new dedicated sports-related concussion research pathways have emerged since the inquiry.

In terms of funding commitments, in April this year – after former rugby league star Wally Lewis’s National Press Club appearance – Dementia Australia reported the government had pledged $A18 million for concussion and CTE support services and education.

Read more:
Why a portrait of a former NRL great could spark greater concussion awareness in Australia

The May 2024 federal budget allocated $132.7 million to boost sports participation from grassroots to high performance. But this did not address concussion and repeated head trauma, and we haven’t been able to find evidence of a co-ordinated and consolidated funding framework.

Our view is concussion funding pools should be primarily focused on supporting independent research projects. However, sporting bodies clearly need to be involved – they provide access to athlete populations and most people in these organisations have a genuine care for athlete welfare.

Another recommendation called for a national concussion strategy. This should focus on binding return-to-play protocols and rules to protect participants from head injuries.

The recommendation included a role for government and whether any existing government bodies would be best placed to monitor, oversee and/or enforce concussion-related rules and protocols.

In our view, this recommendation involves much more than producing guidelines. It requires a more comprehensive national strategy, with consideration to monitoring compliance and enforcement.

We could not find any evidence indicating the current status of this recommendation.

Increased funding and support for affected athletes were also focus areas.

These recommendations called for a review to address barriers to workers’ compensation and ensure adequate insurance arrangements remain in place.

We could not find any evidence of whether state and territory governments are involved in the reviews of workers compensation to apply to professional athletes.

The committee recommenced the government consider measures to increase donations to brain banks for scientific research.

We couldn’t find any evidence of steps taken to implement this recommendation.

Moving forward

There has been progress in education and guidelines but a lack of the coordinated, transparent approach the committee envisioned.

A formal government response, as demonstrated in Canada and the United Kingdom, is essential to establish trust and chart a clear path forward.

The Australian government, as guardian of the Australian public’s health, has an opportunity to do the same.

Annette Greenhow receives funding from SSHRC Partnership Development Grant. Annette is a Board Member of the Australian and New Zealand Sports Law Association. The views expressed in this article are her own.

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

– ref. A year on from the Senate inquiry into concussion, what’s changed and what comes next? – https://theconversation.com/a-year-on-from-the-senate-inquiry-into-concussion-whats-changed-and-what-comes-next-239929

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 24, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Humanising AI could lead us to dehumanise ourselves

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Raffaele F Ciriello, Senior Lecturer in Business Information Systems, University of Sydney

Shutterstock

Irish writer John Connolly once said:

The nature of humanity, its essence, is to feel another’s pain as one’s own, and to act to take that pain away.

For most of our history, we believed empathy was a uniquely human trait – a special ability that set us apart from machines and other animals. But this belief is now being challenged.

As AI becomes a bigger part of our lives, entering even our most intimate spheres, we’re faced with a philosophical conundrum: could attributing human qualities to AI diminish our own human essence? Our research suggests it can.

Digitising companionship

In recent years, AI “companion” apps such as Replika have attracted millions of users. Replika allows users to create custom digital partners to engage in intimate conversations. Members who pay for Replika Pro can even turn their AI into a “romantic partner”.

Physical AI companions aren’t far behind. Companies such as JoyLoveDolls are selling interactive sex robots with customisable features including breast size, ethnicity, movement and AI responses such as moaning and flirting.

While this is currently a niche market, history suggests today’s digital trends will become tomorrow’s global norms. With about one in four adults experiencing loneliness, the demand for AI companions will grow.

The dangers of humanising AI

Humans have long attributed human traits to non-human entities – a tendency known as anthropomorphism. It’s no surprise we’re doing this with AI tools such as ChatGPT, which appear to “think” and “feel”. But why is humanising AI a problem?

For one thing, it allows AI companies to exploit our tendency to form attachments with human-like entities. Replika is marketed as “the AI companion who cares”. However, to avoid legal issues, the company elsewhere points out Replika isn’t sentient and merely learns through millions of user interactions.

Some AI companies overtly claim their AI assistants have empathy and can even anticipate human needs. Such claims are misleading and can take advantage of people seeking companionship. Users may become deeply emotionally invested if they believe their AI companion truly understands them.

This raises serious ethical concerns. A user will hesitate to delete (that is, to “abandon” or “kill”) their AI companion once they’ve ascribed some kind of sentience to it.

But what happens when said companion unexpectedly disappears, such as if the user can no longer afford it, or if the company that runs it shuts down? While the companion may not be real, the feelings attached to it are.

Empathy – more than a programmable output

By reducing empathy to a programmable output, do we risk diminishing its true essence? To answer this, let’s first think about what empathy really is.

Empathy involves responding to other people with understanding and concern. It’s when you share your friend’s sorrow as they tell you about their heartache, or when you feel joy radiating from someone you care about. It’s a profound experience – rich and beyond simple forms of measurement.

A fundamental difference between humans and AI is that humans genuinely feel emotions, while AI can only simulate them. This touches on the hard problem of consciousness, which questions how subjective human experiences arise from physical processes in the brain.

Science has yet to solve the hard problem of consciousness.
Shutterstock

While AI can simulate understanding, any “empathy” it purports to have is a result of programming that mimics empathetic language patterns. Unfortunately, AI providers have a financial incentive to trick users into growing attached to their seemingly empathetic products.

The dehumanAIsation hypothesis

Our “dehumanAIsation hypothesis” highlights the ethical concerns that come with trying to reduce humans to some basic functions that can be replicated by a machine. The more we humanise AI, the more we risk dehumanising ourselves.

For instance, depending on AI for emotional labour could make us less tolerant of the imperfections of real relationships. This could weaken our social bonds and even lead to emotional deskilling. Future generations may become less empathetic – losing their grasp on essential human qualities as emotional skills continue to be commodified and automated.

Also, as AI companions become more common, people may use them to replace real human relationships. This would likely increase loneliness and alienation – the very issues these systems claim to help with.

AI companies’ collection and analysis of emotional data also poses significant risks, as these data could be used to manipulate users and maximise profit. This would further erode our privacy and autonomy, taking surveillance capitalism to the next level.

Holding providers accountable

Regulators need to do more to hold AI providers accountable. AI companies should be honest about what their AI can and can’t do, especially when they risk exploiting users’ emotional vulnerabilities.

Exaggerated claims of “genuine empathy” should be made illegal. Companies making such claims should be fined – and repeat offenders shut down.

Data privacy policies should also be clear, fair and without hidden terms that allow companies to exploit user-generated content.

We must preserve the unique qualities that define the human experience. While AI can enhance certain aspects of life, it can’t – and shouldn’t – replace genuine human connection.

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. Humanising AI could lead us to dehumanise ourselves – https://theconversation.com/humanising-ai-could-lead-us-to-dehumanise-ourselves-240803

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: NSU students entered the top 115 best students in Russia following the conference “Management of the Future”

MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

Four students Faculty of Economics, NSU — Leonid Chistopolov, Anastasia Karunina, Alena Kozich and Makar Fedorov — entered the top 115 best students in Russia following the results of the XII conference “Management of the Future”, organized by the Graduate School of Management of St. Petersburg State University.

The conference “Management of the Future” has been held since 2012 and attracts the most promising students interested in modern trends in management and business. The selection of participants consists of several stages: filling out a questionnaire with a resume and portfolio, a test of logic and mathematics, as well as a final video interview, which has become one of the most difficult tests for participants.

— I learned about the conference from the previous head of Case Club NSU, who went to the conference last year and shared positive emotions. Therefore, I decided that I definitely needed to participate in the selection in order to meet ambitious students from all over Russia at the conference, hear expert opinions from top executives of large Russian companies on the topic of “Growth at the intersection of competencies” (the topic of this year’s conference), get a job opportunity and, of course, visit St. Petersburg! When I received the coveted letter of passage, of course, I was happy and felt confident in my abilities. And when I learned that three from NSU passed the selection, I realized that it was not in vain that I chose this university three years ago, — shared Anastasia Karunina.

This year, the event brought together more than 100 students from all over the country, providing participants with unique opportunities to communicate with top managers of leading companies and participate in practical cases.

— I decided to participate because I wanted to develop connections, expand my knowledge in the industries where I work, and see the city (I have never been to St. Petersburg). The conference gives me the opportunity to do all of this. When I found out that I had passed the selection, I was happy, — said Leonid Chistopolov.

For university students, this is not only an opportunity to exchange experiences and establish new connections, but also a chance to demonstrate the high level of training at NSU.

We congratulate the guys on such an important achievement and wish them success!

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.

Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

http://vvv.nsu.ru/n/media/nevs/education/NSU students-entered the top-115-best-students-of-Russia-at-the-future-management-conference/

MIL OSI Russia News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Appointments – Members, Companies Auditors Disciplinary Board

Source: Australian Treasurer

The Albanese Government has today appointed Mr Michael Bray, Ms Julie Williams and Mr Matthew Green as part‑time accounting members of the Companies Auditors Disciplinary Board (CADB) for a three‑year period.

The CADB is an independent disciplinary body established by Part 11 of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 (ASIC Act).

CADB receives and reviews applications made to it by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority in respect of registered company auditors under the Corporations Act 2001.

Mr Bray specialises in financial statement audits in specialist industries with complex accounting and auditing issues. He has extensive experience in a number current and previous roles including as a Professor of Practice at Deakin University, a Director at the Australian Business Reporting Leaders Forum and a Special Adviser to the Chief Connectivity and Integrated Reporting Officer of the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation.

Ms Williams has many years experience as a registered liquidator and is well‑versed in the financial regulatory framework, including the Corporations legislation. Her experience includes membership of the board of the Institute of Public Accountants where she chaired the IPA’s disciplinary committee and served as President between 2020 and 2023.

Mr Green is a partner at Forvis Mazars and a registered company auditor. He has a breadth of experience that includes providing audit and assurance services specialising in corporate reporting, accounting and auditing requirements, corporate law and governance, risk assessment and corporate transactions and valuations.

The Government has also reappointed Ms Adeline Hiew as a part‑time business member and Mr Tony Brain and Ms Ann‑Maree Robertson as part‑time accounting members of the CADB.

These appointments will continue the high level of skills and experience available to the CADB, to help ensure that the key sectors of our economy are effectively regulated.

MIL OSI News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Australia’s fertility rate has reached a record low. What might that mean for the economy?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Boymal, Associate Professor of Economics, RMIT University

BaLL LunLa/Shutterstock

Australia’s fertility rate has fallen to a new record low of 1.5 babies per woman. That’s well below the “replacement rate” of 2.1 needed to sustain a country’s population.

On face value, it might not seem like a big deal. But we can’t afford to ignore this issue. The health of an economy is deeply intertwined with the size and structure of its population.

Australians simply aren’t having as many babies as they used to, raising some serious questions about how we can maintain our country’s workforce, sustain economic growth and fund important services.

So what’s going on with fertility rates here and around the world, and what might it mean for the future of our economy? What can we do about it?

Are lower birth rates always a problem?

Falling fertility rates can actually have some short-term benefits. Having fewer dependent young people in an economy can increase workforce participation, as well as boost savings and wealth.

Smaller populations can also benefit from increased investment per person in education and health.

But the picture gets more complex in the long term, and less rosy. An ageing population can strain pensions, health care and social services. This can hinder economic growth, unless it’s offset by increased productivity.

Other scholars have warned that a falling population could stifle innovation, with fewer young people meaning fewer breakthrough ideas.

In the short term, lower birth rates can mean more is able to be spent per-person on services like education.
Jandrie Lombard/Shutterstock

A global phenomenon

The trend towards women having fewer children is not unique to Australia. The global fertility rate has dropped over the past couple of decades, from 2.7 babies per woman in 2000 to 2.4 in 2023.

However, the distribution is not evenly spread. In 2021, 29% of the world’s babies were born in sub-Saharan Africa. This is projected to rise to 54% by 2100.

There’s also a regional-urban divide. Childbearing is often delayed in urban areas and late fertility is more common in cities.

In Australia, we see higher fertility rates in inner and outer regional areas than in metro areas. This could be because of more affordable housing and a better work-life balance.

But it raises questions about whether people are moving out of cities to start families, or if something intrinsic about living in the regions promotes higher birth rates.

Fewer workers, more pressure on services

Changes to the makeup of a population can be just as important as changes to its size. With fewer babies being born and increased life expectancy, the proportion of older Australians who have left the workforce will keep rising.

One way of tracking this is with a metric called the old-age dependency ratio – the number of people aged 65 and over per 100 working-age individuals.

In Australia, this ratio is currently about 27%. But according to the latest Intergenerational Report, it’s expected to rise to 38% by 2063.

An ageing population means greater demand for medical services and aged care. As the working-age population shrinks, the tax base that funds these services will also decline.

An ageing population can mean more pressure on tax-payer funded services like healthcare.
Chinnapong/Shutterstock

Unless this is offset by technological advances or policy innovations, it can mean higher taxes, longer working lives, or the government providing fewer public services in general.

What about housing?

It’s tempting to think a falling birth rate might be good news for Australia’s stubborn housing crisis.

The issues are linked – rising real estate prices have made it difficult for many young people to afford homes, with a significant number of people in their 20s still living with their parents.

This can mean delaying starting a family and reducing the number of children they have.

At the same time, if fertility rates stay low, demand for large family homes may decrease, impacting one of Australia’s most significant economic sectors and sources of household wealth.

Read more:
No savings? No plans? No Great Australian Dream. How housing is reshaping young people’s lives

Can governments turn the tide?

Governments worldwide, including Australia, have long experimented with policies that encourage families to have more children. Examples include paid parental leave, childcare subsidies and financial incentives, such as Australia’s “baby bonus”.

Many of these efforts have had only limited success. One reason is the rising average age at which women have their first child. In many developed countries, including Australia, the average age for first-time mothers has surpassed 30.

As women delay childbirth, they become less likely to have multiple children, further contributing to declining birth rates. Encouraging women to start a family earlier could be one policy lever, but it must be balanced with women’s growing workforce participation and career goals.

Research has previously highlighted the factors influencing fertility decisions, including levels of paternal involvement and workplace flexibility. Countries that offer part-time work or maternity leave without career penalties have seen a stabilisation or slight increases in fertility rates.

Any solutions to falling fertility rates must balance other important factors such as women’s increased workforce participation.
Halfpoint/Shutterstock

The way forward

Historically, one of the ways Australia has countered its low birth rate is through immigration. Bringing in a lot of people – especially skilled people of working age – can help offset the effects of a low fertility rate.

However, relying on immigration alone is not a long-term solution. The global fertility slump means that the pool of young, educated workers from other countries is shrinking, too. This makes it harder for Australia to attract the talent it needs to sustain economic growth.

Australia’s record-low fertility rate presents both challenges and opportunities. On one hand, the shrinking number of young people will place a strain on public services, innovation and the labour market.

On the other hand, advances in technology, particularly in artificial intelligence and robotics, may help ease the challenges of an ageing population.

That’s the optimistic scenario. AI and other tech-driven productivity gains could reduce the need for large workforces. And robotics could assist in aged care, lessening the impact of this demographic shift.

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. Australia’s fertility rate has reached a record low. What might that mean for the economy? – https://theconversation.com/australias-fertility-rate-has-reached-a-record-low-what-might-that-mean-for-the-economy-241577

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 24, 2025

Category: Universities

A space whodunnit

30 blue whales of space junk

Who is responsible?

Looking ahead

Human intervention in the water cycle

How do we decide what’s safe?

From water catchment to tap

So, does all water meet these standards?

What about PFAS?

How about removing PFAS from water?

Brutal history

Women’s stories

Silent heroes

Brutal history

Women’s stories

Silent heroes

Harris dips in polls, but US presidential contest remains tight

Liberals lose Pittwater to teal at NSW state byelections

Federal Morgan poll and NT redistribution

The end of Reformasi?

Keeping the elites happy

Dealing with an obstructive court

Bold promises on the economy

More active foreign relations

Back to the future

‘I didn’t know it was possible’

Women coaches in the major leagues

Paving the way

Beyond Newcastle United, LIV Golf

‘Sportswashing’

The allure of the big payday

How to proceed?

Saudi plan is working

Warnings of Wild West Of Medicinal Cannabis

The ‘paradox of the Chinese learner’

What can Western education learn?

Knowledge, skill and creativity

Ways of learning

Environment Secretary Steve Reed said:

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:

Ruth Davis, the Special Representative for Nature said:

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Are lower birth rates always a problem?

A global phenomenon

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The way forward