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Category: Universities

  • MIL-Evening Report: Big tech says AI could boost Australia’s economy by $115 billion a year. Does the evidence stack up?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Uri Gal, Professor in Business Information Systems, University of Sydney

    Imaginima / Getty Images

    AI is on the agenda in Canberra. In August, the Productivity Commission will release an interim report on harnessing data and digital technology such as AI “to boost productivity growth, accelerate innovation and improve government services”. Shortly afterward, the government will host an Economic Reform Roundtable where AI policy will be up for discussion.

    AI developers are aggressively pursuing influence over the new rules. The Chinese government wants to include AI in trade deals. Meanwhile, as the US government seeks to “win the AI race”, US-based tech companies are making their own overtures.

    The most ambitious intervention has come from ChatGPT developer OpenAI, which recently hired former Tech Council chief executive Kate Pounder as its local policy liaison. Pounder is also a former business partner of Assistant Minister for the Digital Economy Andrew Charlton.

    OpenAI’s AI Economic Blueprint for Australia makes bold projections about the new technology’s impact on the country’s economy, accompanied by a host of policy proposals. However, these claims warrant careful scrutiny, particularly given the company’s clear commercial interests in shaping Australian regulation.

    The gap between promise and evidence

    OpenAI claims AI could boost Australia’s economy by A$115 billion annually by 2030. It attributes most of this to productivity gains in business, education and government. However, the supporting evidence is thin.

    For instance, the report notes Australian workers have lower productivity than their US counterparts and then claims (without evidence) this is because Australia has invested less in digital technologies such as AI. However, it ignores numerous other factors affecting productivity, from industrial structure to regulatory environments.

    The report also describes supposed AI-driven productivity gains in companies such as Moderna and Canva. However, these narratives lack any data about improved organisational or individual performance.

    Perhaps more concerning is the report’s uniformly optimistic tone, which overlooks significant risks. These include organisations struggling with costly AI projects, massive job displacements, worsening labour conditions, and concentrating wealth.

    Most problematically, OpenAI’s blueprint assumes AI adoption and its economic benefits will materialise rapidly across the economy. However, evidence suggests a different reality.

    Economic impact from AI will unfold gradually

    Recent evidence suggests AI’s economic impact may take decades to fully materialise. Studies report some 40% of US adults use generative AI yet this translates to less than 5% of work hours and an increase of less than 1% in labour productivity.

    AI may not spread much faster than past technologies. The limiting factor will be how quickly individuals, organisations and institutions can adapt.

    Even when AI tools are available, meaningful adoption requires time. People must develop new skills, change the way they work, and integrate the new technologies into complex organisations. The economic impacts of earlier general-purpose technologies such as computers and the internet took decades to fully materialise, and there’s little reason to believe AI will be fundamentally different.

    The educational risk

    Like Google, OpenAI is also aggressively pushing for AI adoption in education. It has teamed up with edtech companies and launched a new “study mode” in ChatGPT.

    The push for AI tutoring and automated educational tools raises profound concerns about human development and learning.

    Early evidence suggests over-reliance on AI tools may condition people to depend on them. When students routinely turn to AI, they risk avoiding the mental effort required to build critical thinking skills, creativity and independent inquiry. These capacities form the foundation of a thriving democracy and innovative economy.

    Students who become accustomed to AI-assisted thinking may struggle to develop intellectual independence. This is needed for innovation, ethical reasoning and creative problem-solving.

    AI applications that help teachers personalise instruction or identify learning gaps may be useful. But systems that substitute for students’ own cognitive effort and development should be avoided.

    A multi-partner infrastructure strategy

    Australia’s digital strategy will undoubtedly include significant investment in AI infrastructure such as data centres. One challenge for Australia is to avoid concentrating our investment around a single technology provider. Doing so would be a mistake that could compromise both economic competitiveness and national sovereignty.

    Amazon plans to spend $20 billion on local data centres. Microsoft Azure already has significant local capacity, as does Australian company NextDC. This diversity provides a foundation, but maintaining and expanding it requires deliberate policy choices.

    Maintaining multiple data centre suppliers helps keep computing power that is independent of foreign governments or single companies. This approach will give Australia more bargaining power to ensure lower prices, greener power and local skills quotas.

    Diversification provides regulatory leverage as well. Australia can enforce common security standards knowing no single supplier can threaten an investment strike.

    Australia’s AI future

    AI technology is developing rapidly, driven by large corporations wielding vast amounts of capital and political influence. It presents real opportunities for economic growth and social benefit that Australia can’t afford to squander.

    However, if the government uncritically accepts corporate advocacy, these opportunities may be captured by foreign interests.

    Australia’s approach to AI policy should maintain human-centred values alongside technological advancement. This balance requires resisting the siren call of corporate promises.

    The decisions made today will shape Australia’s future for decades. These choices should be guided by independent analysis, empirical evidence, and a commitment to outcomes for all Australians.

    The Australian government must resist the temptation to let Silicon Valley write our digital future, no matter how persuasive their lobbyists or how impressive their promises. The stakes are simply too high to get this wrong.

    Uri Gal 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. Big tech says AI could boost Australia’s economy by $115 billion a year. Does the evidence stack up? – https://theconversation.com/big-tech-says-ai-could-boost-australias-economy-by-115-billion-a-year-does-the-evidence-stack-up-260705

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tonko Demands DHS Restore Funding for UAlbany Mesonet Weather Detection Program

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Paul Tonko (Capital Region New York)

    ALBANY, NY — Congressman Paul D. Tonko (NY-20), along with Representatives John Mannion (NY-22) and Joe Morelle (NY-25) today sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem urging the Trump Administration reverse its decision to terminate funding for the Exploiting Mesonet for Emergency Preparedness and Response to Weather Extremes (EMPOWER) project.

    In 2023, the DHS awarded the University at Albany $3 million for this grant project to improve emergency management and deliver accurate, real-time forecasting for severe weather. But, earlier this month, that funding was abruptly terminated.

    “Developed in partnership between DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate and the University at Albany, EMPOWER is exactly the kind of forward-looking, science-based emergency management program our nation needs as extreme weather, and natural disasters grow more frequent, intense, and deadly,” the lawmakers write.

    The letter continues, “At the core of EMPOWER’s success is the New York State Mesonet, a state-of-the-art network of 127 weather stations that supplements National Weather Service observations. This is a moment that demands leadership and bold investment in resilience. In just the past few weeks, catastrophic flooding in Texas and record-setting heat across the country have underscored the urgency of strengthening our preparedness. Cutting off funding for a proven emergency response program amid an escalating climate crisis is not just short-sighted, it is dangerous.

    “The stakes are simply too high to abandon tools and technologies that can help save lives.”

    For years, Tonko has worked to strengthen and support the nation’s weather preparedness. Last Congress, he introduced the bipartisan National Mesonet Authorization Act alongside Representative Stephanie Bice (R-OK), legislation that would increase the overall coverage and accuracy of our current National Mesonet program.

    Earlier this month, UAlbany sent a letter inviting DHS Secretary Noem to visit the campus and tour their facilities to lean more about how the university’s essential research supports DHS’s work and mission. UAlbany also sent a letter to the New York congressional delegation requesting support from members in helping to reinstate a $3 million DHS research grant.

    The full letter to DHS Secretary Noem can be found HERE or below:

    Dear Secretary Noem,

    We write to express our strong objection to the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to terminate funding for the Exploiting Mesonets for Emergency Preparedness and Response to Weather Extremes (EMPOWER) project. This action not only undermines years of progress in public safety and emergency preparedness, but it also puts lives at risk. We ask you to reverse this decision and reinstate the $3 million grant supporting this initiative without delay.

    Developed in partnership between DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate and the University at Albany, EMPOWER is exactly the kind of forward-looking, science-based emergency management program our nation needs as extreme weather, and natural disasters grow more frequent, intense, and deadly. It provides emergency managers and first responders with real[1]time, localized data to improve decision-making and response times, giving communities a better chance to prepare for and withstand extreme weather events.

    At the core of EMPOWER’s success is the New York State Mesonet, a state-of-the-art network of 127 weather stations that supplements National Weather Service observations. The Mesonet fills gaps in our national monitoring infrastructure and provides the high-resolution, real-time data that emergency response systems increasingly depend on.

    This is a moment that demands leadership and bold investment in resilience. In just the past few weeks, catastrophic flooding in Texas and record-setting heat across the country have underscored the urgency of strengthening our preparedness. Cutting off funding for a proven emergency response program amid an escalating climate crisis is not just short-sighted, it is dangerous.

    For a modest federal investment, EMPOWER is delivering high-impact results. This administration has emphasized the importance of supporting state and local partners in disaster preparedness EMPOWER embodies that collaboration, demonstrating how strategic partnerships between federal science agencies, academia, and state governments can produce innovative, life-saving solutions.

    We urge you to reinstate full funding for the EMPOWER initiative and ensure that the University at Albany and its partners can continue advancing this critical work. The stakes are simply too high to abandon tools and technologies that can help save lives.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Fast food, screens, and no greens: A recipe for teen health trouble

    Source:

    31 July 2025

    When a cheeseburger costs less than a punnet of strawberries, it’s clear the odds are stacked against healthy choices – especially for teenagers.

    Now, new research from the University of South Australia shows that it’s not just unhealthy eating habits affecting teens, but an alarming clustering of poor lifestyle choices that’s putting the majority of teenagers at serious risk of preventable diseases later in life.

    In a study of more than 293,770 teenagers aged 12-17 – from 73 countries, across five world Health Organization (WHO) regions – researchers assessed habit clustering, including exercise, healthy food consumption and screen time, finding that:

    • 85% did not get enough exercise
    • 80% did not eat enough fruit and vegetables
    • 50% regularly consumed fast food
    • 39% had too many soft drinks
    • 32% spent excessive time on screens.

    Overall, more than 92.5% of teenagers reported two or more unhealthy behaviours, which puts them at increased risk of developing chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

    Specifically, 7% of teenagers reported one unhealthy behaviour; 30% of teenagers had two; 36.5% had three; 21.5% had four; and 4.5% had five unhealthy behaviours. Across all WHO regions, less than 1% of teenagers exhibited no unhealthy behaviours.

    It’s timely research in light of the South Australian government’s new ’LiveLighter’ campaign to tackle obesity.

    Lead researcher, UniSA’s Dr Ming Li, says behaviours that are set up in teenage years lay the groundwork for behaviours in adulthood.

    “The teenage years are a critical window for growth and development – physically, mentally, and emotionally – and they set the foundation for long-term health,” Dr Li says.

    “But with junk food so readily available, and physical activity often replaced by screen time, more teens are picking up multiple unhealthy habits that could lead to serious health issues down the track.”

    The study found distinct differences between regions. Teenagers in higher-income countries – including the Americas and Eastern Mediterranean – were more likely to report a higher number of unhealthy behaviours, with 13% of teenagers in these regions recording all five risk factors.

    While Australian data was not specifically assessed, Dr Ling says that Australian teenagers would likely report multiple unhealthy lifestyle behaviours, skin to those seen in other high-income countries.

    Dr Li says these trends are driven by broader societal shifts.

    “Some of what we see comes down to rapid urbanisation, sedentary school environments, and limited access to safe recreational spaces, particularly in low- and middle-income countries,” Dr Li says.

    “On top of this, taste preferences, household income, and limited availability of fresh produce – especially in disadvantaged areas – make healthy choices harder to access and maintain.”

    While the study reports multiple unhealthy lifestyle behaviours for most teenagers, it also finds some protective factors that can help.

    “When teenagers have supportive families and a supportive peer group, their risk of having four or more unhealthy behaviours reduces by 16% and 4% respectively,” Dr Li says “Similarly, food-secure households also reduce risk by 9%.”

    Dr Li says the findings point to the urgent need for tailored, multilevel strategies that go beyond individual choices to address social and environmental conditions.

    “It’s clear we need systemic action – better school-based physical activity programs, urban design that gives teens access to green spaces, policies that make healthy food affordable, and limits on junk food marketing to children,” Dr Li says.

    “Ultimately, good health needs to be an easier, more accessible choice – not one that requires privilege, planning, and willpower.”

    …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

    Contact for interview:  Dr Ming Li E: Ming.Li@unisa.edu.au
    Media contact: Annabel Mansfield M: +61 479 182 489 E: Annabel.Mansfield@unisa.edu.au

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Applications open for 2026 On Farm Support Science Scholarships | NZ Government

    Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries

    A scholarship programme run by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has started producing the next generation of on-farm advisers to support farmers and growers.

    Ffion White was one of the inaugural recipients of the On Farm Support science scholarship and is now an intern with Ballance Agri-Nutrients in the Manawatū-Whanganui region.

    “I’m getting to work on-farm alongside Ballance’s nutrient specialists. My role is about helping farmers improve their soil, grow better quality pasture and crops, and become more productive and profitable,” Ms White says.

    “The scholarship was hugely beneficial. I had a mentor from MPI’s On Farm Support team who invited me to industry field days and events. It helped me meet people in the sector which came in handy when I started looking for a job.”

    Ms White, who completed a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Massey University, is one of 4 scholarship recipients who have secured primary industry advisory roles. Another is Nerissa Edwards, who now works as a farm consultant with Feilding-based KS Agri.

    “Every day is different. I find it hugely rewarding working with farmers to create individual plans to drive improvements in on-farm efficiency, profitability, and sustainability,” Ms Edwards says.

    “The scholarship enabled me to build connections within the advisory sector. That led to a 6-month internship with KS Agri and eventually a role as a consultant.”

    MPI launched the On Farm Support science scholarships in 2023. MPI’s director of On Farm Support, Vanessa Winning, says applications are now open for next year’s scholarships.

    “Six scholarships, worth a total of $30,000, are on offer for the 2026 academic year to tertiary students enrolled in relevant agriculture, horticulture, science, or viticulture degrees,” Ms Winning says.

    “We’re seeking applications from students who have a genuine interest in pursuing a career in either the agriculture, horticulture, or viticulture advisory sector. Applicants must have completed their first year of study.”

    Ms Winning says there’s strong demand for on-farm advice backed by science and analysis that can support producers to adapt and improve business performance.

    “MPI is backing initiatives that support farmers and growers to sustainably boost productivity and profitability, helping to achieve the Government’s goal of doubling the value of exports by 2034,” Ms Winning says.

    Applications for the scholarships close on 15 September 2025.

    Find out more about the scholarships and eligibility criteria

    For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 008 333 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

    For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Just as NZ began collecting meaningful data on rainbow communities, census changes threaten their visibility

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lori Leigh, Research Fellow in Public Health, University of Otago

    Getty Images

    New Zealand’s 2023 census was the first to collect data on gender identity and sexual orientation, showing one in 20 adults identify as LGBTQIA+.

    But just as reports from this more inclusive census are being released, Minister of Statistics Shane Reti announced a change to existing administrative data collected by government departments as part of their normal business, scrapping a 150-year history of the census.

    Currently, there are no sources of administrative data that include adequate rainbow demographic markers such as sexual orientation, gender, transgender experience or variations of sex characteristics.

    Without high-quality data, the policy reforms needed to address underserved and historically marginalised populations become harder to make. How can we create evidence-based policy with no evidence?

    A snapshot of homelessness in rainbow communities

    The slogan of the 2023 census was “tatau tātou – all of us count”.

    Rainbow communities had been invisible in the census since its inception in 1851. The 2023 Census was a watershed moment, born out of decades of determined activism and advocacy from the community.

    For us, as housing and homelessness researchers, it was particularly important to finally have whole-of-population data about rates of homelessness among LGBTQIA+ communities. Data on housing showed rainbow communities pay higher rents, live in mouldier housing and move more frequently than non-rainbow communities.

    Adding LGBTQIA+ data to the census meant we were the first country in the world to have such data on the housing experiences of these communities. We were applauded internationally by colleagues who have long been wanting similar homelessness and rainbow data from their own national censuses.

    This data will be a great advocacy tool, but it is bittersweet that we will never have such information again.

    History of advocacy

    There is a nearly 50-year history of various community movements, from boycotts to activism, chronicling the queer struggle to be appropriately counted in the census.

    In 1981, a group of Wellington lesbians held a “dykecott” of the New Zealand census to protest their exclusion. This included sending blank census forms to the Human Rights Commission with various explanations essentially saying “no rights, no responsibilities.”

    Then, in the 1990s, the Wellington City Council’s lesbian and gay advisory group came together to lobby Stats NZ about the need for inclusive census data. In 1996, census forms were changed to be able to count same-sex partners.

    In 2002, the former editor of the New Zealand LGBTQIA+ magazine Express Victor van Wetering went so far as to lodge a formal complaint against Stats NZ, stating the agency was in clear breach of the Human Rights Act. He alleged it was failing to meet its statutory requirements.

    Stats NZ’s present and historical stance towards sexual orientation data amounts to a consistent denial that any imperative exists for it to develop a statistical picture of our queer communities. This statistical invisibility deprives queer communities of knowledge and power.

    Advocacy continued throughout the 2000s and 2010s, and in 2018, Stats NZ released their statistical standards for measuring sexual orientation. The possibility of inclusive census data started to become more of a reality.

    The decision to halt the census as we know it means there will be no longitudinal comparative data for rainbow communities. Just as the community has been allowed out of the statistical closet, people will be put back in.

    It had long been argued that accuracy of rainbow data would improve over subsequent censuses. Now we will never know what developments might have emerged.

    A short-lived win

    Community advocates and the Human Rights Commission continued to raise the lack of rainbow data collection at the population level.

    In 2020, the Human Rights Commission released a report which found New Zealand’s data collection processes fail to accurately count the country’s rainbow community members.

    Stats NZ had already started significant work to evaluate and update their sex and gender identity standards. Weeks after the report, the agency committed to what would become the 2023 census. Rainbow community groups applauded, felt finally listened to and called the shift a major win.

    After decades of advocacy, rainbow populations were finally counted in the 2023 Census.
    Instagram/Insideoutkoaro, CC BY-SA

    This sense of pride continues as reports and data are released from the census.

    Research and survey data consistently show rainbow communities in Aotearoa New Zealand experience multiple forms of discrimination. This includes violence, family rejection, bullying and social exclusion.

    These experiences contribute to disproportionately high rates of serious negative outcomes such as suicidality, health inequities, homelessness and substance use. Despite this, we continue to lack data comparing the experiences of rainbow communities with those of the general population.

    As a result, health and social disparities affecting LGBTQIA+ people are systematically under-recognised in government strategies and across health and social service systems. Efforts to address these inequities are also frequently under-resourced and inadequately prioritised.

    Former government statistician Len Cook said:

    There is no time over the past 50 years when the scope and quality of population statistics has been of such importance in public life in Aotearoa New Zealand as now.

    Scrapping the census is a cost-cutting exercise. But what is the real cost of losing data and which communities will disproportionately bear this cost? The decision renders LGBTQIA+ people, once again, invisible.

    Lori Leigh is affiliated with the Trans Health Research Network, Kawe Mahara Queer Archives Aotearoa and receives funding from MBIE’s Endeavour Fund programme as part of their work for the University of Otago, Wellington.

    Brodie Fraser is affiliated with the Trans Health Research Network and currently funded by two MBIE Endeavour Fund programmes, and has previously been funded by the Health Research Council and the University of Otago.

    – ref. Just as NZ began collecting meaningful data on rainbow communities, census changes threaten their visibility – https://theconversation.com/just-as-nz-began-collecting-meaningful-data-on-rainbow-communities-census-changes-threaten-their-visibility-261753

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health experts urge inquiry into tobacco industry influence after heated tobacco tax cut extended – Health Coalition

    Source: Health Coalition Aotearoa

    Health Coalition Aotearoa (HCA) is calling for a public inquiry and urging the Government to rethink its support for heated tobacco products (HTPs), following fresh revelations the Government extended a 50% tax cut on the products for two more years.
    Following on the heels of last week’s revelations about tobacco industry lobbying of politicians, Health Coalition Aotearoa is calling for a public inquiry into tobacco industry influence. HCA is also calling for the Prime Minister to reassign the tobacco and vaping portfolio away from NZ First.
    The heated tobacco products tax break was introduced last year-against the advice of government officials. They pointed out tobacco giant Philip Morris (who have a monopoly on heated tobacco products in Aotearoa New Zealand) would be the main beneficiary.
    “There’s no evidence heated tobacco products help people stop smoking, or that they’re significantly less harmful than cigarettes,” says Dr Jude Ball, Health Coalition Aotearoa spokesperson and University of Otago researcher.
    “Yet the Government, despite committing to a one-year trial, have extended the tax cut by two more years. This decision is favourable to the tobacco industry but not beneficial to public health.
    “This latest decision adds to a worrying trend of Government policy decisions that align with tobacco company interests.
    The Government’s approach to evaluating if heated tobacco products help people quit smoking is unclear. It is highly unusual for a Government to run a trial like this which, by cutting a tax on HTPs, helps the sole seller of heated tobacco products (Philip Morris) to increase their product sales. Especially if there is no evidence that product helps people to quit cigarettes.
    “Tobacco giant Phillip Morris are the sole beneficiaries of this tax cut. It’s a poor use of taxpayer dollars at a time when our health system is already stretched,” says Dr Ball.
    Health Coalition Aotearoa calls on the Government to act with urgency and leadership and:
    • Launch a public inquiry into tobacco industry influence on Government policy.
    • Strip NZ First of the tobacco and vaping portfolio.
    We also support the petition launched by Vape-Free Kids NZ calling on the Prime Minister to strip the tobacco and vaping portfolio from New Zealand First.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall: The USDA is Coming to Kansas City

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Senator Marshall Questions Deputy Secretary of Agriculture About the USDA Reorganization
    Washington – On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), questioned Deputy Secretary of Agriculture,The Honorable Stephen Alexander Vaden, during a recent Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry hearing focused on the recently announced USDA reorganizational proposal.

    Click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full exchange.
    Highlights from the hearing include: 
    On why the USDA relocation to Kansas City makes sense:
    Senator Marshall: “Mr. Vaden, welcome. Glad you’re here today. In your testimony, you were mentioning some of the advantages of moving to some of these communities. And I would just point out that you failed to mention that moving to Kansas City that suddenly you would have the advantage of being a Chiefs fan, rather than suffering through another year here with the Washington Commanders. You failed to mention, to be within an hour of the most storied basketball program in the nation, and just barely two hours away from the first land-grant university in America.
    “And I just would want to give you a chance to talk a little bit more. You think about the Kansas City Metro, within a two-hour drive of the Iowa State University, the Nebraska University, Missouri, Arkansas…. How far away is Auburn? Not too far. So, my point is, you know what? You can’t coach talent. You have to have talent, and within just miles of there, some of the greatest ag research in the world. How important is that to American agriculture to have, let alone the affordability issues you mentioned?”
    Deputy Secretary Vaden: “It’s vital. And I want to add to the mix, NBAF. We haven’t forgotten about that. You haven’t either. I know there’s some unfinished business left there. But when you think about the potential that facility has and the technology and level of research that can go on there that are vital for the future of American agriculture, you’ve pointed to many of the reasons why Kansas City also joined as one of our five hubs.
    “The Department put some thought into this. We want to spark that level of collaboration that you have noted, whether it be with our land grant and non-land grant university partners, whether it be with individual farmers, whether it be with the local Chamber of Commerce in an area that is driven and motivated, even though it may be in an urban setting, by agriculture.
    “I know that you’re well aware that the Federal Reserve has a location in Kansas City, and that we’re looking at the shape of the agricultural economy for inclusion in the Beige Book, so we look to what the Kansas City Fed has to say. USDA will be able to take advantage of all of these synergies, and not only Kansas City, but the other hubs that we have laid out.”
    On the USDA’s right to reinitiate the relocation process:
    Senator Marshall: “Over the past four years, it was reported that only 6% of USDA employees were in the office as well. And more and more, just a crescendo of complaints from my ag producers back home that they could work with their local FSA officer or their conservation officer, but then that report would get somehow clogged here in DC. I want to compliment the White House on the $10 billion that was appropriated in [the] spring; within days, my farmers had the help that they needed.
    “And then, more recently, I think it was a $16 billion, so something is working, right from a standpoint of customer services. And I just can’t help but think when you’re when you have people working for USDA out there, going to church, going to the soccer match, all those type of things with the local farmers and ranchers, is going to be a better service of wealth. So just talk about customer service, how that was going to be impacted by these people, the net, net moving out into the hinterlands, as we call it.”
    Deputy Secretary Vaden: “Well, I don’t consider it the hinterlands, I consider it home, Senator. But with regard to having more people in the field, we agree with you that we think the level of service will improve. Not only do we agree with you, even if we had a disagreement, the Congress has legislated on this point, and this is another matter that drove our consideration of this plan, and that’s looking at USDA reorganization authority, which was granted to us by the Congress in 1953.
    “And if you actually look at the statute, I’m a former judge, so I tend to look at statutes. What does the statute say? The statute says, in carrying out this law, quote, ‘the Secretary shall seek to simplify and make efficient the operation of the Department of Agriculture, to place the administration of farm programs close to the state and local levels,’ close quote from the statute. This is exactly what Congress intended: the maximum amount of USDA resources dedicated out in the field, not in Washington, D.C.”
    Senator Marshall: “Just want to make one last point, President Trump’s tariffs are working. He has made incredible trade deals that are going to open up markets that we never had access to before. We’ve never sold a cheeseburger in all of Europe. Ethanol: 40% of our corn crop goes to ethanol. Suddenly, the EU, UK, and all these countries are going to be buying ethanol as well. We’re seeing manufacturing jobs move back to this country because of these tariffs as well. American agriculture will benefit significantly from long-term trade. Agreements for long-term success as well, and we can’t wait to see what’s next coming out of the White House and the tariffs. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Government releases important review into the Over-Representation of First Nations People in the ACT Criminal Justice System

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    As part of ACT Government’s ‘One Government, One Voice’ program, we are transitioning this website across to our . You can access everything you need through this website while it’s happening.

    Released 30/07/2025 – Joint media release

    The ACT Government has today released the Jumbunna Institute’s final report of its Independent Review into the Over-Representation of First Nations People in the ACT Criminal Justice System.

    This comprehensive report was commissioned by the ACT Government to help address this significant issue in our community.

    The ACT Government thanks the Jumbunna Institute for this extensive and comprehensive report.

    The review contains 99 recommendations that span across the spectrum of ACT Government, including corrective services, community supports, policing, courts and sentencing, the administration of bail, youth justice, child protection, and education.

    The recommendations range across numerous themes including the need to address systemic racism, improved access to data, increased First Nations involvement in governance structures, and increased accountability.

    It has also identified the need to build on and expand important government programs and services that already exist in youth justice, child protection, the Galambany Court, bail support, post-release support and detainee programs.

    The ACT Government remains committed to reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our justice system.

    As this review shows, this is a complex challenge that will require a whole-of-government and community approach.

    Given the large number of recommendations, we will now consider the review thoroughly before providing an interim response in September.

    In developing this report, the Jumbunna Institute undertook extensive consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members and organisations, as well as non-Aboriginal organisations with First Nations programs and staff.

    Key ACT Government stakeholders were also included in the consultation process, including ACT Policing, ACT Corrective Services, ACT Courts and Tribunal and the Education Directorate.

    There is a significant amount of evidence contained in the Final Report of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s lived experience and history. The ACT Government acknowledges the courage of those sharing their perspectives and experiences and is committed to hearing and responding to their contributions.

    Quotes attributable to Attorney-General Tara Cheyne:

    “This review provides an honest and critical assessment of how our justice system affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It reinforces the need to ensure that our laws, institutions and processes deliver justice fairly and equitably for everyone.

    “As Attorney-General, I take seriously the responsibility to lead reforms that uphold human rights, build public trust, and ensure better outcomes for First Nations people. I recognise this report lays bare that for change to occur, the recommendations need to be considered in totality and through their interconnectedness, and all parts and levels of Government need to share a commitment to achieving better outcomes. We will consider the recommendations in full and work closely with community and across government to deliver meaningful change.”

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Suzanne Orr:

    “The over representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within the justice system is one of the starkest examples of where our systems and institutions are failing.

    “While other states and territories may be walking back their commitments for justice reform this report is the start of the ACT walking with community to do much much more.”

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Education, Yvette Berry:

    “This report highlights the need for our education system to be a safe and supportive space for all students, and to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students can thrive.

    “We are committed to embedding cultural safety, inclusive practices, and trauma-informed responses in our schools. Education must play a leading role in breaking cycles of disadvantage and ensuring every young person is supported to succeed.”

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Corrections and Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services, Marisa Paterson:

    “The over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our justice system is unacceptable and must change. This report is an important reminder of work still to be done.”

    “ACT Corrective Services has already begun work to improve outcomes, but this review provides a valuable and necessary roadmap for deeper reform. I am committed to ensuring our correctional system is safe, culturally appropriate, and genuinely rehabilitative.”

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Children, Youth and Families, Michael Pettersson:

    “This report reinforces the urgent need to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in the justice system.

    “We are committed to supporting initiatives to divert young people away from the system and providing a trauma informed and culturally safe response.”

    Quotes attributable to Chris Cunneen, Professor of Criminology at the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, University of Technology Sydney

    “Jumbunna has provided the ACT Government with a comprehensive blueprint for tackling the problem of First Nations over-representation in the criminal legal system.

    “Our report has practical recommendations for reform related to a range of matters involving child protection, youth justice, policing, bail, sentencing, the AMC and post-release support.

    “The report also has proposals aimed at more structural issues including addressing systemic racism and improving processes for First Nations decision-making and government accountability.

    “We particularly acknowledge the wide support and participation we received from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in the ACT.”

    – Statement ends –

    Tara Cheyne, MLA | Suzanne Orr, MLA | Yvette Berry, MLA | Marisa Paterson, MLA | Michael Pettersson, MLA | Media Releases

    «ACT Government Media Releases | «Minister Media Releases

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: State Chief Information Officer Announces the State’s First Chief Privacy Officer

    Source: US State of Oregon

    regon Chief Information Officer Terrence Woods, Director of Enterprise Information Services (EIS), has appointed Nik Blosser as the state of Oregon’s first Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategist. The CPO will be charged with crafting the strategic vision for the state of Oregon relating to privacy, data protection, and AI. As the first-of-a-kind position in Oregon state government, the CPO must make strategic judgements and decisions relating to developing policy and as the AI Strategist, Nik will play a pivotal role in shaping Oregon’s AI landscape.

    “Adding a Chief Privacy Officer and AI Strategist to the team at EIS has been a goal of mine for a few years and I am excited to bring Nik onboard,” said Woods. “Nik will significantly enhance our ability to safeguard data, ensure compliance with privacy regulations, prioritize workforce AI literacy, and lead efforts to promote a culture of awareness across all state agencies, ultimately making Oregon a leader in data protection, privacy management, and AI Governance.”

    Blosser brings a wealth of experience and a distinguished career to his new role. A Stanford University graduate with a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Aeronautical Engineering and English, he has a diverse educational background.

    He has worked in both private and public sectors, with his career highlights including serving as Chair and Board Member of Sokol Blosser Winery for 22 years, one of the oldest family-owned and operated wineries in Oregon. Blosser also held significant roles in the Executive Office of the President, Portland General Electric, The White House, and served as Chief of Staff for Oregon Governor Kate Brown.

    Blosser co-founded Celilo Group Media, Inc., a company focused on sustainable products and services, and has been actively involved in numerous volunteer roles, including board memberships with Literary Arts, Oregon Business & Industry, and the Oregon Environmental Council.

    Nik Blosser’s leadership and dedication to public service and sustainability make him an invaluable asset to EIS and the state of Oregon.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: State Chief Information Officer Announces the State’s First Chief Privacy Officer

    Source: US State of Oregon

    regon Chief Information Officer Terrence Woods, Director of Enterprise Information Services (EIS), has appointed Nik Blosser as the state of Oregon’s first Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategist. The CPO will be charged with crafting the strategic vision for the state of Oregon relating to privacy, data protection, and AI. As the first-of-a-kind position in Oregon state government, the CPO must make strategic judgements and decisions relating to developing policy and as the AI Strategist, Nik will play a pivotal role in shaping Oregon’s AI landscape.

    “Adding a Chief Privacy Officer and AI Strategist to the team at EIS has been a goal of mine for a few years and I am excited to bring Nik onboard,” said Woods. “Nik will significantly enhance our ability to safeguard data, ensure compliance with privacy regulations, prioritize workforce AI literacy, and lead efforts to promote a culture of awareness across all state agencies, ultimately making Oregon a leader in data protection, privacy management, and AI Governance.”

    Blosser brings a wealth of experience and a distinguished career to his new role. A Stanford University graduate with a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Aeronautical Engineering and English, he has a diverse educational background.

    He has worked in both private and public sectors, with his career highlights including serving as Chair and Board Member of Sokol Blosser Winery for 22 years, one of the oldest family-owned and operated wineries in Oregon. Blosser also held significant roles in the Executive Office of the President, Portland General Electric, The White House, and served as Chief of Staff for Oregon Governor Kate Brown.

    Blosser co-founded Celilo Group Media, Inc., a company focused on sustainable products and services, and has been actively involved in numerous volunteer roles, including board memberships with Literary Arts, Oregon Business & Industry, and the Oregon Environmental Council.

    Nik Blosser’s leadership and dedication to public service and sustainability make him an invaluable asset to EIS and the state of Oregon.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Sporty spice: how romance fiction is adding a new dynamic to sports fandom

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kasey Symons, Lecturer of Communication, Sports Media, Deakin University

    Sports fans might love their teams, cheer or curse each game’s result and admire their favourite athletes, but we rarely associate sports with romance.

    However, that may be slowly changing thanks to the recent spike in the popularity of romance fiction, which has created an unlikely sub-genre.

    A genre on the rise

    Romance fiction sales in Australia are up, with an average growth rate of 49% over three years.

    Dedicated romance bookstores are popping all over the world thanks to the visibility of social media communities such as “BookTok” and “Bookstagram” and the avenues digital and self-publishing are creating.

    Sports romance titles are contributing to the growing romance numbers and are helping to attract new and non-traditional fans to sport.

    Sports bringing the spice

    Sports romance fiction is not a new phenomenon. But it has gained popularity in the past few years, predominantly through ice hockey titles.

    Ice hockey romance has a growing, passionate following. Authors such as Elle Kennedy, Hannah Grace, Tessa Bailey and Emily Rath – all New York Times-bestselling writers – bring a wide-reaching visibility to the sub-genre.

    Kennedy’s Off Campus series is currently being developed as a TV series.

    Formula 1 romance fiction also has a strong following, while football (soccer) is popular too. Meryl Wilsner’s soccer-based romance Cleat Cute is also getting the TV treatment through sporting legends Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird’s production company A Touch More.

    You name the sport and there will be a title for you: golf, chess, lacrosse, tennis, basketball, pickleball, Australian rules football, swimming, ballet, baseball and e-sports, the list goes on.

    Something for everyone

    While a majority of sports romance texts reflect heteronormative relationships and depict some of the more stereotypical, idealised body types and aesthetics often associated with the romance genre and athletic bodies, there are also diverse titles. These explore relationships across genders, sexualities, ethnicities, body shapes and different sports.

    The ability to self-publish and reach an audience through social media allows sports romance authors and the creator community to be responsive and representative.

    Authors are motivated to create narratives that reflect their own experiences and identity or contribute perspectives they feel are missing in the sporting landscape.

    Happily ever after?

    What makes these diverse contributions significant is how the authors present their sporting narratives within the romance genre storytelling structure. This means the majority of texts conform to what romance readers call, the “HEA”: the happily ever after.

    While some narratives will have drama, tension and tragedy, the “happily ever after” framework allows for stories and relationships to end on a happy note.

    In sports romance, there are many authors using this approach to challenge social norms, restrictive sporting environments and advocate for inclusion by presenting narratives where these tensions are resolved and everything works out.

    Examples include K.T. Hoffman’s The Prospects, which features a trans man as the protagonist who makes it onto a Major League Baseball team and finds true love. Esha Patel’s Offtrack presents a Middle Eastern woman as the first woman driver for a Formula 1 team this century — who also finds true love. Australian author Abra Pressler’s Love and Other Scores shares the coming out journey of a professional male tennis player while competing at the Australian Open — after he finds true love. You get it.

    The romance genre allows these fictional stories to play out with the authors placing love and care for diverse communities at their centre, showing us a world where the inclusion for these diverse lived experiences are possible in sport.

    Risks and rewards

    There are opportunities for sports organisations to think more creatively about connecting with fans who may be interested in different elements of sporting culture and fandom.

    That could be through sports romance, new forms of narrative storytelling such as docuseries like Netflix’s Drive to Survive, or intersections with pop culture such as Taylor Swift’s recent impact on NFL fandom.

    What is important is understanding the community and serving that community rather than trying to retrofit diverse fans into preexisting fan engagement strategies.

    Sports should understand fans are not a homogeneous group, and not all diverse fans will respond to and connect with this content.

    There are also risks for sports that try to shoehorn non-traditional fans into their space without fully understanding the community, such as when the National Hockey League’s Seattle Kraken targeted the sports romance audience in 2023. The initiative went horribly wrong when the organisation misguidedly promoted social media engagement which led to some users crossing the line and allegedly harassing players.

    But there are rewards when it is done right. Australian Ice Hockey League discovered this after developing a genuine connection with author Emily Rath and facilitating welcoming and safe spaces for romance readers at games. The result? A surge in attendances and fan connection.

    The sports romance genre is a space for sport to pay attention to, and with the second annual Sports Romance Convention taking place in Minneapolis next year, its community will continue to grow.

    Kasey Symons has received funding from the Victorian Government, and national and state sport governing bodies, including the Australian Football League and the National Rugby League. She is also one of the co-founders of Siren: A Women in Sport Collective.

    – ref. Sporty spice: how romance fiction is adding a new dynamic to sports fandom – https://theconversation.com/sporty-spice-how-romance-fiction-is-adding-a-new-dynamic-to-sports-fandom-261569

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Band Members from Partner Nations Participating in Pacific Partnership 2025 Perform at the University of Technology in Lae, Papua New Guinea July 2025 [Image 4 of 8]

    Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

    Issued by: on

    LAE, Papua New Guinea (July 30, 2025) Pacific Partnership 2025 (PP-25) multination musicians perform at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology during PP-25 in Lae, Papua New Guinea, July 30, 2025. Now in its 21st iteration, the Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security and stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist Seaman Mario E. Reyes Villatoro)

    Date Taken: 07.30.2025
    Date Posted: 07.30.2025 20:36
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  • MIL-OSI Security: Band Members from Partner Nations Participating in Pacific Partnership 2025 Perform at the University of Technology in Lae, Papua New Guinea July 2025 [Image 4 of 8]

    Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

    Issued by: on

    LAE, Papua New Guinea (July 30, 2025) Pacific Partnership 2025 (PP-25) multination musicians perform at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology during PP-25 in Lae, Papua New Guinea, July 30, 2025. Now in its 21st iteration, the Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security and stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist Seaman Mario E. Reyes Villatoro)

    Date Taken: 07.30.2025
    Date Posted: 07.30.2025 20:36
    Photo ID: 9228707
    VIRIN: 250730-N-OJ012-1695
    Resolution: 4568×3045
    Size: 1.72 MB
    Location: LAE, PG
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  • MIL-OSI USA: Sens. Markey and Slotkin, Rep. Strickland Introduce Legislation to Boost Funding for Research on Gun Violence Prevention

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Bill Text (PDF)

    Washington (July 30, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Caucus, along with Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Representative Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), reintroduced the Gun Violence Prevention Research Act, legislation that would dedicate $50 million each year for the next five years for gun violence prevention research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

    This legislation arrives at a critical time. After a decades-long prohibition on the CDC’s ability to conduct gun violence prevention research, Congress began to secure $25 million annually for this research in Fiscal Year 2020. However, the Trump administration has effectively dismantled gun violence prevention efforts, decimating the staff at the CDC responsible for this critical research and terminating $158 million—more than half—of federal funding for gun violence prevention programs at the Department of Justice. The Gun Violence Prevention Research Act would help ensure we have the tools to stem the scourge of gun violence in our communities.

    “Stopping the spread of our nation’s gun violence epidemic requires action on the reforms we know are essential and effective,” said Senator Markey. “We must invest more to study the root causes of violence and develop evidence-based solutions. This legislation would allow our nation’s top medical, scientific, and public health researchers to conduct studies that would save lives. It is critical that we chart a path out of this public health crisis.”

    “Gun violence is a uniquely American crisis that continues to impact communities across Michigan and our country,” said Senator Slotkin. “As the first Member of Congress to have two mass shootings in my former House district—Oxford High School and Michigan State University—I’ve seen first-hand the devasting toll gun violence has on our communities. As elected officials, our most basic responsibility is to protect our children from the things that are truly harming them. We must treat this epidemic like the national security threat that it is. And that means using every tool in the toolbox. Let’s get this bill across the finish line.”

    “Make no mistake: gun violence is preventable. Republicans actively choose to watch children, mothers, fathers, and Americans gunned down in deference to the gun lobby,” said Representative Strickland. “We must root out the gun violence crisis in our nation. This legislation will simply treat gun violence as the public health crisis it is, and allow us to research it so we can take steps toward saving lives.”

    Cosponsors of the Gun Violence Prevention Research Act include Senators Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Angus King (I-Maine), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), John Fetterman (D-Penn.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.).

    The Gun Violence Prevention Research Act is endorsed by Brady, Everytown, March For Our Lives, and Giffords.

    In June 2025, Senator Markey reintroduced five gun violence prevention bills, including the 3D Printed Gun Safety Act, Keeping Gun Dealers Honest Act, Gun Violence Prevention Through Financial Intelligence Act, Making America Safe and Secure (MASS) Act, and Protecting Kids from Gun Marketing Act. This package of bills would significantly decrease the pervasive threat of gun violence across the United States by putting an end to the three-dimensional (3D) printing and distribution of “ghost guns,” strengthen accountability measures for irresponsible gun dealers, help banks detect and report suspicious activity related to mass shootings, establish rules that prohibit the marketing of firearms to children, and strengthen state-by-state gun-licensing regulations through federal incentives.

    In April 2025, Senator Markey and Representative Dwight Evans (PA-03) introduced the Resources for Victims of Gun Violence Act, legislation that would help all victims of gun violence—from survivors to their loved ones, coworkers, and classmates—identify and access resources to help meet medical, legal, financial, and other needs.

    Senator Markey first introduced the Gun Violence Prevention Research Act in 2023.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Air-dropping food into Gaza is a ‘smokescreen’ – this is what must be done to prevent mass starvation

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amra Lee, PhD candidate in Protection of Civilians, Australian National University

    Israel partially lifted its aid blockade of Gaza this week in response to intensifying international pressure over the man-made famine in the devastated coastal strip.

    The United Arab Emirates and Jordan airdropped 25 tonnes of food and humanitarian supplies on Sunday. Israel has further announced daily pauses in its military strikes on Gaza and the opening of humanitarian corridors to facilitate UN aid deliveries.

    Israel reports it has permitted 70 trucks per day into the strip since May 19. This is well below the 500–600 trucks required per day, according to the United Nations.

    The UN emergency relief chief, Tom Fletcher, has characterised the next few days as “make or break” for humanitarian agencies trying to reach more than two million Gazans facing “famine-like conditions”.

    A third of Gazans have gone without food for several days and 90,000 women and children now require urgent care for acute malnutrition. Local health authorities have reported 147 deaths from starvation so far, 80% of whom are children.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed – without any evidence – “there is no starvation in Gaza”. This claim has been rejected by world leaders, including Netanyahu ally US President Donald Trump.

    Famine expert Alex de Waal has called the famine in Gaza without precedent:

    […] there’s no case of such minutely engineered, closely monitored, precisely designed mass starvation of a population as is happening in Gaza today.

    While the UN has welcomed the partial lifting of the blockade, the current aid being allowed into Gaza will not be enough to avert a wider catastrophe, due to the severity and depth of hunger in Gaza and the health needs of the people.

    According to the UN World Food Programme, which has enough food stockpiled to feed all of Gaza for three months, only one thing will work:

    An agreed ceasefire is the only way to reach everyone.

    Airdrops a ‘distraction and a smokescreen’

    Air-dropping food supplies is considered a last resort due to the undignified and unsafe manner in which the aid is delivered.

    The UN has already reported civilians being injured when packages have fallen on tents.

    The Global Protection Cluster, a network of non-governmental organisations and UN agencies, shared a story from a mother in Al Karama, east of Gaza City, whose home was hit by an airdropped pallet, causing the roof to collapse:

    Immediately following the impact, a group of people armed with knives rushed towards the house, while the mother locked herself and her children in the remaining room to protect her family. They did not receive any assistance and are fearful for their safety.

    Air-dropped pallets of food are also inefficient compared with what can be delivered by road.

    One truck can carry up to 20 tonnes of supplies. Trucks can also reach Gaza quickly if they are allowed to cross at the scale required. Aid agencies have repeatedly said they have the necessary aid and personnel sitting just one hour away at the border.

    Given how ineffective the air drops have been – and will continue to be – the head of the UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine has called them a “distraction” and a “smokescreen”.

    Malnourished women and children need specialised care

    De Waal has also made clear how starvation differs from other war crimes – it takes weeks of denying aid for starvation to take hold.

    For the 90,000 acutely malnourished women and children who require specialised and supplementary feeding, in addition to medical care, the type of food being air-dropped into Gaza will not help them. Malnourished children require nutritional screening and access to fortified pastes and baby food.

    Gaza’s decimated health system is also not able to treat severely malnourished women and children, who are at risk of “refeeding syndrome” when they are provided with nutrients again. This can trigger a fatal metabolic response.

    Gaza will take generations to heal from the long-term impacts of mass starvation. Malnourished children suffer lifelong cognitive and physical effects that can then be passed on to future generations.

    What needs to happen now

    The UN has characterised the limited reopening of aid deliveries to Gaza as a potential “lifeline”, if it’s upheld and expanded.

    According to Ciaran Donnelly from the International Rescue Committee, what’s needed is “tragically simple”: Israel must fully open the Gaza borders to allow aid and humanitarian personnel to flood in.

    Israel must also guarantee safe conditions for the dignified distribution of aid that reaches everyone, including women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities. The level of hunger and insecurity mean these groups are at high risk of exclusion.

    The people of Gaza have the world’s attention – for now. They have endured increasingly dehumanising conditions – including the risk of being shot trying to access aid – under the cover of war for more than 21 months.

    Two leading Israeli human rights organisations have just publicly called Israel’s war on Gaza “a genocide”. This builds on mounting evidence compiled by the UN and other experts that supports the same conclusion, triggering the duty under international law for all states to act to prevent genocide.

    These obligations require more than words – states must exercise their full diplomatic leverage to pressure Israel to let aid in at the scale required to avert famine. States must also pressure Israel to extend its military pauses into the only durable solution – a permanent ceasefire.

    Amra Lee 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. Air-dropping food into Gaza is a ‘smokescreen’ – this is what must be done to prevent mass starvation – https://theconversation.com/air-dropping-food-into-gaza-is-a-smokescreen-this-is-what-must-be-done-to-prevent-mass-starvation-262053

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: From futuristic design icon to environmental villain – the 80-year history of the plastic chair

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geoff Isaac, Research Fellow, Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney

    The Magis Bell Chair, made from recycled plastic, saves energy during production and transport and produces less waste for recycling or disposal at end of life. Magis

    What springs to mind when you’re asked to think of plastic chairs? Do you picture the ubiquitous lightweight, stackable polypropylene chair sold cheaply in hardware stores worldwide?

    Or perhaps you picture something more glamorous, such as Shiro Kuramata’s Miss Blanche (1988). This limited-edition artwork, featuring imitation roses suspended in acrylic resin, now sells for more than US$500,000 at auction.

    I research industrial design, exploring the symbiotic relationship between technology, commercial design and sustainability. The 80-year history of the plastic chair was the focus of my PhD.

    This humble, ubiquitous object offers unique insights into society’s shifting attitudes to plastic, and the changes to come.

    An 80-year history

    The story of the plastic chair began in the United States in the 1930s, when petrochemical manufacturers DuPont and Röhm & Haas started mass-producing acrylic glass.

    The material, available in rods and sheets, enabled industrial designers to produce a wide range of consumer products using traditional manufacturing techniques.

    Widespread shortages of traditional materials during World War II drove further development of plastics.

    After the war, designers and manufacturers quickly embraced plastics. They were seen as the foundation of a new, plentiful future, allowing the masses to access products previously reserved for the elite. Many household items such as televisions, toys and upholstery became cheaper, thanks to plastics.

    Fibreglass manufacturing advanced during WWII to support the US Navy. This involves weaving strands of glass into a loose mat, which is then placed into a mould. Polyester resin is poured in to bind the fibres together before it hardens into a solid shape. Fibreglass is strong, lightweight, corrosion-resistant and can be moulded into complex shapes.

    The first fibreglass chair designs were Charles and Ray Eames’ Plastic Armchair and Eero Saarinen’s Tulip Chair. Then the Space Age (1957–69) inspired enthusiastic experiments with technicolor-saturated glossy surfaces and futuristic curved shapes, all made possible by fibreglass.

    Designers could handcraft prototypes, perfecting comfort and form. Many designs from this era are still in production and often feature in science fiction films.

    Plastic furniture features many in sci-fi movies (Scandinavian Design 101)

    A shift in public sentiment

    Looking back at Earth from space was a turning point for humanity. The famous Earthrise photo captured the precarious nature of our existence and dependence on finite resources, such as fossil fuels. Oil was used to make most plastic at that time.

    In the 1970s, the price of oil shot up tenfold when Arab nations banned petroleum exports and cut oil production during the Arab–Iraeli War. The Iraq–Iran war followed. In 1981, oil reached US$31 per barrel. Suddenly, plastics were expensive.

    Early plastics also had drawbacks. Colours faded and surfaces scratched, eroding consumer confidence. Disillusioned consumers began to favour traditional materials such as metal and timber. Few noteworthy plastic chair designs appeared during the next two decades.

    In response, the plastics industry changed tactics. If consumers favoured wooden furniture, then woodchips and veneer – held together by polymer adhesives and varnished with polyurethane – offered a cost-effective solution. Plastics were simply camouflaged within an ever-increasing range of products.

    As the environmental impacts of plastics became evident, the industry recognised it had an image problem and launched a major public relations effort around recycling. It worked. By the end of the century, plastics were fashionable again.

    Recycling eases guilt

    From the late 1990s, leading designers enthusiastically embraced injection moulding. This was much cheaper and faster than labour-intensive fibreglass.

    Philippe Starck’s LaMarie for Kartell launched a new trend for translucent chairs. Karim Rashid launched the affordable Oh Chair and Jasper Morrison introduced air injection moulding to the industry with the Air Chair.

    The revival was brief. The limitations of mechanical recycling gradually became more widely understood. Of the 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic produced by 2020, just 9% had been recycled, or more accurately “downcycled” such as by turning PET bottles into polyester for clothing.

    Ocean pollution became a focus when it was shown that by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in our seas. Alarm further intensified over the impact of chemical additives used in plastics and their effects on human health and the ability to reproduce.

    In response, designers and manufactures are now exploring plastics made at least partly from recycled plastics or renewable organic resources such as plants, algae or even carbon dioxide (bioplastics).

    My study of 60 such chairs identified the Bell Chair as the best of the bunch. Made from just 2.8kg of plastic waste, the design minimises the amount of energy required to make and transport the chair.

    These chairs come off the automated production line stacked 12-high for efficient transport. The manufacturer Magis also claims Bell Chairs can be recycled at end-of-life. But the lack of a resin identification code mark, and the inclusion of fibreglass, make it unlikely the product will actually be recycled.

    I thought my study would identify chairs made from bioplastics as delivering superior environmental outcomes. However, designers working with these materials were forced to compensate for inferior material strength by bulking up their designs, or mixing bio-based material with traditional plastics.

    Bulky designs demand higher energy consumption during manufacture and transport, while hybridised materials are problematic as they cannot be recycled and are not biodegradable.

    Siamese Chair, designed by Karim Rashid in 2014. The bioplastic made from acai fruit and bark from Ipe Roxo trees was not strong enough for the legs, and the shell of the chair had to be bulked up. The use of aluminium for the legs and the energy consumed during production and transport meant this 9.8kg chair achieved a weak score in my analysis.
    A Lot of Brasil

    The chair of the future

    Bans on single-use plastics, and measures to reduce plastic packaging and increase recycled content in packaging and products, are beginning to take effect. Manufacturers are also experimenting with renewable plastics in consumer goods.

    But to achieve global emissions-reduction targets, the transition from virgin fossil-based plastics to renewable plastics must accelerate. Government intervention will be crucial where voluntary industry agreements are failing, both at home and abroad.

    It’s likely the plastic chair of the future will be made entirely from renewable organic resources. Creating a more circular plastics economy is not only possible, it’s imperative.



    Read more:
    Curious Kids: why can some plastics be recycled but others can’t?

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

    – ref. From futuristic design icon to environmental villain – the 80-year history of the plastic chair – https://theconversation.com/from-futuristic-design-icon-to-environmental-villain-the-80-year-history-of-the-plastic-chair-257470

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: A modern city block will appear in Preobrazhenskoye according to the KRT project

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    In the Preobrazhenskoye district of the Eastern Administrative District, as part of the integrated territorial development project (ITD), it is planned to reorganize an inefficiently used site with an area of 1.33 hectares. The corresponding draft resolution posted on the Moscow Government website. This was reported by the Minister of the Moscow Government, head of the Moscow Department of Urban Development Policy Vladislav Ovchinsky.

    “According to the KRT project, almost 28.9 thousand square meters of real estate for various purposes are planned to be built in Preobrazhenskoye, including 18.6 thousand for the implementation of the renovation program. A sports and educational building of the Moscow State University of Sports and Tourism with an area of 6.24 thousand square meters, an ambulance substation with an area of 4.02 thousand square meters for 20 parking spaces and a heating substation will be built nearby. The new development will be skillfully integrated into the surrounding landscape,” said Vladislav Ovchinsky.

    The area to be redeveloped is located at the address: Poteshnaya Street, land plot No. 6/2, not far from the Preobrazhenskaya Ploshad station of the Sokolnicheskaya metro line. The area has well-developed infrastructure: a school, shops, a business center, a sports complex and other popular facilities are located nearby.

    Earlier, Sergei Sobyanin spoke aboutthe fifth anniversary of the KRT program in the capital.

    According to the program of integrated development of territories, multifunctional city blocks are being created, where roads, comfortable housing and all necessary infrastructure are being designed on the site of former industrial zones and inefficiently used areas. Currently, 336 KRT projects with a total area of more than 4.2 thousand hectares are at various stages of development and implementation in Moscow. This work is being carried outon behalf of Sergei Sobyanin.

    Parks and squares will be created in a significant part of KRT projects — Sobyanin

    Get the latest news quicklyofficial telegram channel the city of Moscow.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Students of the State University of Management successfully defended their projects at the Student Startup competition

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Official website of the State –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The final hearings of the projects of the sixth stage of the grant support program for startup projects of students of Russian universities “Student Startup”, implemented within the framework of the federal project “Technologies”, have been completed.

    This year, more than 11,000 applications from all over Russia were submitted to the competition. Three projects from the State University of Management, corresponding to the current directions of scientific and technological development of our country, were admitted to the final stage:

    A wireless holter designed for high-precision recording of heart activity and does not cause discomfort to patients when worn (author: Mikhail Zorin); A device for dispensing Vaseline with precise dosing for professional tattoo artists Clynn is an innovative compact pen-shaped applicator with replaceable cartridges, which allows for maximum sterility of the work process (author: Varvara Karamysheva); An online service for automatic verification of scientific papers for compliance with GOST and STO, which allows you to get rid of routine operations and speed up the document processing process (author: Yaroslav Nikitin).

    The results of the competition will be announced in August, the winners will receive a grant of 1 million rubles to implement their project. The operator of the competition is the Innovation Assistance Fund. In 2025, 2,500 people will be able to receive the grant – this is a record number in the history of the competition.

    In 2024, three students from the State University of Management became winners of the Student Startup competition. We wish our young innovators success this year too!

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: GUU student becomes Russian kickboxing champion

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Official website of the State –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    A student from the State University of Management won gold at the All-Russian kickboxing competition “Championship and Championship of Russia among students and schoolchildren”.

    More than 700 participants from 30 regions competed in the tournament.

    Kickboxers competed in 4 disciplines and 5 age categories, which were divided into 57 weight classes.

    A second-year student of the Institute of Public Administration and Law of the State University of Management, Mikhey Irincheev, became the best in the Point Fighting discipline in the 74 kg weight category.

    We congratulate Mikhey, we are proud of his victory and wish him further success in his studies and sports!

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese, African youth design green projects at Beijing dialogue

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

    Young people from China and 12 African countries designed environmental projects during a dialogue in Beijing on Monday, as both sides seek to deepen cooperation on climate and sustainability issues.

    The 5th China-Africa Future Leaders’ Dialogue Achievements Report Meeting and China-Africa Future Leaders’ Dialogue Symposium on Green Development was held at Beijing Library, where Chinese and African participants formed seven working groups to develop what organizers called “small but beautiful” green public welfare projects.

    Representatives from African nations also joined faculty and students from Tsinghua University and environmental experts from the Beijing Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Center for discussions on sustainable development practices.

    The initiative aims to transform young people from passive observers into active champions of environmental cooperation between China and Africa, organizers said.

    Organizers said promising projects identified during the meeting would receive continued support to help convert ideas into tangible results.

    African participants said Beijing’s green development practices provided valuable examples for their home countries, expressing hope that the projects designed during the dialogue would lead to concrete environmental initiatives.

    The event was hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and co-organized by the Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Beijing Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Center, and the People’s Government of Tongzhou District.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Global Africa Commission Proposed as the fourth AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF2025) Opens in Grenada

    Source: APO – Report:

    • US $290M in deals signed, advancing infrastructure, tourism and trade across the Caribbean on Day 1
    • CARICOM leaders to recommend region’s highest honour for Oramah’s role in transforming ties
    • US $250M Resilience Fund, CAPSS rollout, and feasibility of Caribbean EXIM Bank among key initiatives championed

    The fourth AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF2025) opened today in St. George’s under the theme “Resilience and Transformation: Enhancing Africa-Caribbean Economic Cooperation in an Era of Global Uncertainty.”

    In a passionate keynote address, Prof. Benedict Oramah, outgoing President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, declared the region’s readiness to shift from slogans to systems, unveiling a slate of tangible milestones that signal the deepening of Africa-Caribbean economic and cultural integration.

    “In under four years, we’ve ratified the Partnership Agreement in 11 CARICOM countries, providing the Bank a solid legal foundation to operate, support, and invest in their economies,” said Oramah. This, he acknowledged, represents a “sovereign declaration, that the CARICOM States see in Africa, not just its past, but also its future.”

    These bold initiatives, shared by President Oramah during his address, demonstrate Afreximbank’s commitment to transforming Afri-Caribbean cooperation from aspiration into action:

    • Caribbean EXIM Bank: Feasibility studies are underway for a regional EXIM Bank co-created with the CARICOM Secretariat to unlock industrial development and trade.
    • $250M Growth, Resilience, and Sustainability Fund (GRSF): A new blended finance mechanism to support climate adaptation and development. Afreximbank’s Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA) will manage the fund, while concessional financing will be raised jointly with the CARICOM Development Fund.
    • CAPSS Launch (Caribbean Payment & Settlement System): Modelled after Africa’s Pan African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), this digital platform will allow real-time payments across the Caribbean in local currencies, eliminating costly conversions and enabling the upcoming CAPSS Card.
    • Creative & Cultural Investment: $24 million has been committed for a film production and training hub in the OECS through CANEX, while other investments have enabled designers and chefs from Guyana, Trinidad, Jamaica, and Barbados to feature globally.
    • Artificial Intelligence Hub: A new AI and generative tech centre is being launched in partnership with the P.J. Patterson Institute at the University of the West Indies to place Afro-Caribbean talent at the centre of global innovation.

    The ACTIF2025 also serves as President Oramah’s final address at the Forum, as he prepares to hand over leadership to Dr. George Elombi, Afreximbank’s long-serving Executive Vice President nominated as incoming President by shareholders at the Bank’s 32nd Annual Meeting in Abuja in June 2025.

    “At this critical moment in our collective history, I have no shred of doubt that he is the right person to lead us in the next phase of the Bank’s journey. I am convinced that he will give the Bank’s work in this region a renewed impetus,” he stated.

    Looking beyond the Forum, President Oramah urged the establishment of a sovereign Global Africa Commission to drive forward the long-term integration of Africa and the Caribbean. He proposed that the Commission be jointly supported by Afreximbank, the CARICOM Secretariat, and the African Union, and tasked with advancing the trade, cultural, education, and creative agenda of the growing pan-African alliance.

    “What we have done so far is prove the concept, we now need to institutionalise it,” Oramah said. “We should consider creating a Commission that becomes fully responsible for delivering on the Africa-Caribbean and broader Global Africa initiative… This move will give more focus to the initiative, reduce the administrative burden on Afreximbank and create an environment for innovation.”

    In closing, President Oramah declared “In America, America is first. In Europe, Europe is first. In China, China is first. We are the only ones who put ourselves last,” noting that it is time that Africa changes this posture.

    Meanwhile, Hon. Dickon Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada praised the vision and leadership of President Benedict Oramah, describing his presidency as a turning point in the Africa-Caribbean relations.

    Recognising the strategy, integrity and relentless drive employed, PM Mitchell, stated that President Oramah carved out a space for ‘our regions to trade, collaborate, and thrive’. “In the annals of history, you will go down as a pioneer for African people everywhere,” the Caribbean leader declared.

    Prime Minister Mitchell announced a recommendation by the region’s leaders to confer the region’s highest honour to President Oramah; the Order of the Caribbean Community.

    Building on Oramah’s keynote call to institutionalise the Global Africa Initiative through the creation of a permanent Commission, Prime Minister Mitchell voiced full support.

    His message was punctuated by a deeply personal interaction with a young volunteer who asked why Grenada chose to host ACTIF2025; a question he said cut to the heart of the Forum’s purpose.

    “It’s about money. It’s about trade. It’s about investment…  our very survival, prosperity and dignity depends on the economic decisions we make today,” he stated.  “To that young man, I say: our political will to support Global Africa is unwavering. We are not starting from scratch. We are starting from strength. And we will not leave ACTIF2025 with another communiqué, we will leave here with a commitment to act, to build together, to trade together, to succeed together and rise together.”

    In a sobering, yet empowering close, he added “no one is going to save Global Africa but Global Africa itself.”

    More than a dozen sitting and former Heads of State, and Government representatives from Africa and the Caribbean are attending ACTIF2025. Among them are:

    • Hon. Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados
    • Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica
    • Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis
    • Hon. Philip J. Pierre, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia
    • H.E. Kassim Majaliwa, Prime Minister of Tanzania (representing President Samia Suluhu)
    • H.E. Prudence Sebahizi, Minister of Trade and Industry, Rwanda (representing President Paul Kagame)
    • The Most Hon. PJ Patterson, Former Prime Minister of Jamaica
    • H.E Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President, Federal Republic of Nigeria
    • H.E Mahamadou Issoufou, Former President, Republic of Niger

    Meanwhile, five transformative deals totaling over US$290 million were signed on Day 1 of ACTIF2025, showcasing Afreximbank’s deepening investment in trade-enabling infrastructure and economic development across the Caribbean. Among the signings was a US$50 million Heads of Terms with the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis for an Education Construction and Rehabilitation Climate-Linked Facility, and a US$40 million public-private partnership with Gemini Integrated Commodities Trading Company Ltd. to develop a modern commercial port in Saint Kitts. In The Bahamas, two landmark transactions were formalised: a US$100 million Receivables Discounting Facility for the Bahamas Striping Group of Companies to rehabilitate over 200 miles of road infrastructure, and a US$40 million facility with Cat Island Infrastructure Company Ltd. for critical roadworks. Rounding out the signings was a US$61.25 million agreement with Speedbird House Ltd. to finance a 150-room Homewood Suites by Hilton in Bridgetown, Barbados—under Afreximbank’s tourism-linked financing initiative, CONTOUR.

    ACTIF2025 continues through 30 July, with panel discussions, business matchmaking sessions, cultural showcases, and deal signings that reflect the Forum’s commitment to moving from rhetoric to results. More than 1,700 people registered to attend ACTIF2025, reflecting the highest level of interest recorded across all four editions. 

    – on behalf of Afreximbank.

    Media Contact:
    Vincent Musumba
    Communications and Events Manager (Media Relations)
    Email: press@afreximbank.com

    Follow us on: 
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    About Afreximbank:
    African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra- and extra-African trade. For over 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa’s trade, accelerating industrialisation and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A stalwart supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. Working with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, the Bank has set up a US$10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries effectively participating in the AfCFTA. At the end of December 2024, Afreximbank’s total assets and contingencies stood at over US$40.1 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$7.2 billion. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A), Moody’s (Baa2), China Chengxin International Credit Rating Co., Ltd (CCXI) (AAA), Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-) and Fitch (BBB-). Afreximbank has evolved into a group entity comprising the Bank, its equity impact fund subsidiary called the Fund for Export Development Africa (FEDA), and its insurance management subsidiary, AfrexInsure (together, “the Group”). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.

    For more information, visit: www.Afreximbank.com

    Media files

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    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-Evening Report: View from The Hill: Albanese wants international cover before Australia recognises Palestine as a state

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

    Anthony Albanese will recall well when another Labor prime minister was feeling the heat over Palestinian status.

    It was 2012 and then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard was forced into a corner over the stand Australia should take on a motion to give Palestine observer status at the United Nations.

    Gillard and her foreign minister, Bob Carr, clashed over the matter. Gillard wanted to oppose the motion, siding with the United States and Israel. Carr and others pushed back hard, and eventually Australia abstained.

    In his book, Diary of a Foreign Minister, Carr records that in the cabinet debate earlier, “Albanese gave a no-holds-barred robust presentation of the case for voting ‘yes’ or abstaining”.

    Now Albanese, in the wake of France having just declared it will recognise Palestine as a state, faces another, albeit different, iteration of the Palestinian status issue. The circumstances are much more direct and acute. On this occasion, he is arguing for time.

    Carr is still out there advocating. But a more central voice is former minister Ed Husic (who was around in 2012, too, but still on the backbench). The Labor rank and file are strongly pro-Palestine. They are backed by the ALP platform, which calls for Palestine to be recognised as a state.

    Even as a minister in the last parliamentary term, bound by cabinet solidarity, Husic pushed the boundaries when speaking out about the Middle East conflict. Having been dumped from the frontbench in factional manoeuvring after the election, he is free to say bluntly what he thinks. Now he is putting his shoulder to the wheel to advocate recognition.

    In a Guardian article on Monday he reminded his Labor peers and betters “that our party has twice agreed at its highest decision-making forum – the National Conference of the Australian Labor party – to recognise the state of Palestine.

    “The time to do so is absolutely right now.”

    Albanese is caught between his party and his caution.

    It is a fair assumption the prime minister, with his long history of being pro-Palestinian, would like to follow the lead of French President Emmanuel Macron.

    Equally, however, he would want Australia to move in concert with like-minded countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand. Australia has previously banded with these countries in joint statements about the Middle East conflict.

    Albanese said at the weekend Australian recognition of a Palestinian state wasn’t imminent – although last year Foreign Minister Penny Wong opened the way for possible recognition as part of a peace process (rather than only accorded at the end of it).

    The prime minister put a context around recognition. “How do you exclude Hamas from any involvement there? How do you ensure that a Palestinian state operates in an appropriate way which does not threaten the existence of Israel? And so we don’t do any decision as a gesture. We will do it as a way forward if the circumstances are met.”

    In caucus on Tuesday, Husic pressed his point, asking how long the preconditions for statehood could be expected to take. Albanese essentially went through what he’d said before.

    Labor’s Friends of Palestine group is pressing for sanctions, as well as recognition.

    The group’s spokesperson Peter Moss says: “Over the past 21 months, Labor members in branches and conferences have repeatedly urged the government to join 147 UN member states and now France in recognising Palestine.

    “By making recognition contingent on a non-existent peace process, the government has effectively ruled out delivering on policy that has broad public support.

    “We call on the Australian government to implement official platform policy and immediately and unconditionally recognise a Palestinian state on the pre-4 June 1967 borders.”

    In recent weeks more than 80 Labor branches and other party units have passed a strong motion calling for sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel.

    In the last few days, the group wrote to Wong, seeking a meeting to discuss its calls for sanctions and for the Albanese government “to work with international partners to develop a practical plan for the establishment of a free and independent Palestinian State”. No meeting has yet been arranged.

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

    – ref. View from The Hill: Albanese wants international cover before Australia recognises Palestine as a state – https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-albanese-wants-international-cover-before-australia-recognises-palestine-as-a-state-262028

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The first defenses of candidate dissertations took place in the Dissertation Council for Technical Sciences of the NSU Faculty of Information Technologies

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The first two certificates of awarding academic degrees were presented at the Dissertation Council for Technical Sciences Faculty of Information Technology, Novosibirsk State University. Both PhD theses are devoted to computational linguistics: Dmitry Morozov developed a system for assessing the complexity of text using machine learning methods on the example of the Russian language, and Davlater Mengliev developed a hybrid algorithm for recognizing named entities in the Uzbek language. In August, another PhD thesis will be defended, which is devoted to the application of mathematical modeling methods in geophysics.

    — We note the high demand for the Scientific Council for Technical Sciences created at our faculty. Its requirements for dissertation defenses are less formalized than those of the Higher Attestation Commission (HAC), but it sets higher requirements for the quality of publications. Due to these circumstances, our Council will be in demand by a number of employees of both scientific organizations and high-tech companies, for whom the procedure for defending dissertations established by us will be more convenient, but one should not assume that it is simple. This can be confirmed by our first two applicants, who submitted all the necessary documents to the Council and successfully completed all the established and strictly regulated procedures, spoke several times at seminars in front of the scientific community, received high marks for the quality of their work from specially created commissions with the involvement of experts from our Dissertation Council and external experts from several regions of our country and neighboring countries. We are glad that Dmitry Morozov and Davlater Mengliev successfully passed all these tests and their PhD diplomas have the same status as diplomas issued by the Higher Attestation Commission, said Mikhail Lavrentyev, Dean of the NSU Institute of Information Technologies and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

    Head of the Department of Mathematical Modeling of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of NSU, Professor of the Department of Informatics Systems and the Department of General Informatics of the Faculty of Information Technologies of NSU, Doctor of Technical Sciences Vladimir Barakhnin noted that it is no coincidence that the first two defenses of dissertations for the degree of candidate of sciences are related to computer linguistics – this is evidence of the relevance of this topic.

    — As neural networks and large language models develop, so-called glitches become more and more apparent. The abundance of information loaded onto them inevitably generates a wider range of fake information, and these models are simply no longer able to assess the truth of the information. Therefore, direct or combined methods of information processing that contain classical direct approaches remain important. It is they, as many specialists believe, that will be able to correct the work of large language models. These approaches were used in their works by Dmitry Morozov and Davlater Mengliev. In order for the development of neural networks and large language models not to reach a dead end, it is necessary to involve classical methods of computational linguistics, which uses knowledge of language. In this context, this knowledge is the modeling of human thinking. Neural networks model neural connections in the human brain, but not thinking, and thus implement a purely mechanistic approach to the process of information processing, which is unthinkable without human participation, because humans are both the producer and the end consumer of any information. Therefore, language processing should include an understanding of how it is structured, and not be a mechanical collection of information into large language models, explained Vladimir Barakhnin, the scientific supervisor of both degree candidates.

    Dmitry Morozov’s research is particularly relevant because it aims to establish a correspondence between the text and its potential reader. As Vladimir Barakhnin explained, there is currently a large gap between generations: many words in texts that seem quite understandable to representatives of the older generation turn out to be completely unperceivable for young people. In most cases, these are obsolete words, and in order to understand them, schoolchildren have to turn to dictionaries. The algorithms developed by Dmitry Morozov are aimed at ensuring that the information consumer receives information adequate to his level of education. Then his development and enrichment of his vocabulary will occur gradually. The importance of these algorithms lies in their real adaptation to the properties of the information consumer and taking into account his capabilities. The expert’s assessment is mostly subjective, and therefore not very reliable, and the methods of objective control developed in Dmitry Morozov’s dissertation allow for a more thorough educational process in the humanities.

    — The topic of my dissertation is “Text Complexity Assessment Using Machine Learning Methods on the Russian Language.” It is devoted to assessing how well the text will be understood by the reader or how well the reader should be prepared to understand what is written. This is necessary to assess the complexity of various instructions. Such texts should be understandable to people without special education and training. But there is a problem: they are created by people who have special knowledge about the subject of the narrative, and therefore much of what is incomprehensible to outsiders seems obvious to them. It is difficult for them to objectively assess the text they are creating. On the other hand, a person who does not have this knowledge, assessing the complexity of the text, must fully familiarize himself with it and give his own assessment. This takes a lot of time. Therefore, a vast field for automating the process is being formed in this area. We have a variety of pre-trained large language models that can be used within the framework of different algorithmic approaches and assess the complexity of the text automatically. My dissertation details how to use them to construct a description of a text, so that the resulting description can then be converted into an assessment of linguistic complexity, said Dmitry Morozov.

    The young scientist’s development will find application in compiling instructions for complex products. It is also proposed to use this complex to create a collection of texts that would be understandable to schoolchildren of different ages. This is necessary so that linguists can further study their vocabulary, because the various texts read by schoolchildren become an important source of new words in their vocabulary. In this way, they will be able to create different collections of words and predict which of them are known to schoolchildren and which are not, relying not on subjective experience, but on objective data.

    The research of the second candidate for the academic degree Davlater Mengliev, according to his scientific supervisor Vladimir Barakhnin, is a pioneering one for Uzbek computer linguistics, which began to develop relatively recently. According to him, at present, an entire scientific school has begun to take shape at NSU and several postgraduate students from the Republic of Uzbekistan are working on the development of this topic.

    — I devoted my PhD thesis to the development of a hybrid algorithm for recognizing named entities in the Uzbek language. This algorithm allows extracting key information from the text and recognizing it. Similar developments already exist for other languages, but for Uzbek, as well as for all Turkic languages in general, such work has not yet been done. The use of a hybrid approach, which involves the use of not only modern neural networks, but also traditional rule-oriented algorithms, which, together with several architectures, contributed to achieving good results, gives additional relevance to my work. At the moment, my development has been implemented in various organizations of the Republic of Uzbekistan, in particular, in the reception office of the governor of the Khorezm region. With the help of this algorithm, key information is extracted from requests and applications received by the institution and sent to the relevant divisions and departments. Since there are many dialects in the Uzbek language, my work in this direction is not yet complete, — explained Davlater Mengliev.

    Secretary of the scientific seminar of the NSU FIT, within the framework of which pre-defenses of dissertations are held, Alexander Vlasov is confident that the first two defenses of candidate dissertations are the beginning of a long journey both within the faculty and NSU and the Akademgorodok as a whole.

    Material prepared by: Elena Panfilo, NSU press service

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: “Your Graduation”: Polytechnic University Graduates at Russia’s Main Student Festival

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    There are never too many graduations. When the ceremonies at the universities were over, more than 450 active, goal-oriented graduates of 2025 who had distinguished themselves in their studies, social activities and creativity met at the National Center “Russia” in Moscow to once again celebrate this important event in their lives.

    Polytechnic University was represented at the All-Russian student festival by Elizaveta Kuznetsova, a graduate of the Higher School of Linguistics and Pedagogy of the Humanitarian Institute, and Kristina Shakhova, a graduate of the Higher School of Public Administration of the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics and Trade.

    “I learned about the All-Russian Student Graduation and immediately decided to apply to try my hand,” said Elizaveta. “I wrote that I graduated from the university with honors, indicated the publication of scientific articles and volunteer work in the student association TutorForces. In this organization, I was lucky enough to become the deputy head of the SMM department, volunteer in the Unified Center for Registration of Foreign Citizens of SPbPU, participate in organizing events for foreign students and much more! I think that’s why I was invited to the All-Russian Student Graduation.”

    “I became the owner of a unique invitation to the All-Russian Student Graduation!” shared Kristina. “I sent an application, where I noted my achievements in scientific activities: participation in Olympiads, competitions, scientific conferences, publication of articles, defense of competition works in other cities, case championships. I got into the Science section. It was a real celebration, which combined education, creativity and the energy of youth! Honorary speakers spoke, shared valuable knowledge and inspiring stories. Each of us had the opportunity to ask questions and get answers from experts in various fields. In addition to lectures, there was a rich concert program. And at the end of the evening, I received a diploma from the Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of Russia, which was a bright end to this unforgettable event.”

    The “Your Graduation” celebration included many activities: several educational sessions, meetings with mentors and speakers, master classes, the “Letter to a First-Year Student” campaign, and the opening of the “Russian Student Faces” art object. The guests were treated to a performance by musicians Zhenya Trofimov and Roma Rudyka from the “Room of Culture” group, winners of the 2025 Muz-TV award in the “Breakthrough of the Year” nomination.

    The organizers of the All-Russian Student Graduation in 2025 were the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs “Rosmolodezh”, the All-Russian student project “Your Move”, the Presidential Platform “Russia – the Land of Opportunities”, the Russian Society “Knowledge” with the support of the National Center “Russia” and the All-Russian public and state movement of children and youth “Movement of the First”.

    By the way, in 2022, the All-Russian Student Graduation Ceremony will be held from St. Petersburg took place in the Polytechnic University television studio.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Air-dropping food into Gaza is a ‘smokescreen’ – this is what must be done to prevent mass starvation

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Amra Lee, PhD candidate in Protection of Civilians, Australian National University

    Israel partially lifted its aid blockade of Gaza this week in response to intensifying international pressure over the man-made famine in the devastated coastal strip.

    The United Arab Emirates and Jordan airdropped 25 tonnes of food and humanitarian supplies on Sunday. Israel has further announced daily pauses in its military strikes on Gaza and the opening of humanitarian corridors to facilitate UN aid deliveries.

    Israel reports it has permitted 70 trucks per day into the strip since May 19. This is well below the 500–600 trucks required per day, according to the United Nations.

    The UN emergency relief chief, Tom Fletcher, has characterised the next few days as “make or break” for humanitarian agencies trying to reach more than two million Gazans facing “famine-like conditions”.

    A third of Gazans have gone without food for several days and 90,000 women and children now require urgent care for acute malnutrition. Local health authorities have reported 147 deaths from starvation so far, 80% of whom are children.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed – without any evidence – “there is no starvation in Gaza”. This claim has been rejected by world leaders, including Netanyahu ally US President Donald Trump.

    Famine expert Alex de Waal has called the famine in Gaza without precedent:

    […] there’s no case of such minutely engineered, closely monitored, precisely designed mass starvation of a population as is happening in Gaza today.

    While the UN has welcomed the partial lifting of the blockade, the current aid being allowed into Gaza will not be enough to avert a wider catastrophe, due to the severity and depth of hunger in Gaza and the health needs of the people.

    According to the UN World Food Programme, which has enough food stockpiled to feed all of Gaza for three months, only one thing will work:

    An agreed ceasefire is the only way to reach everyone.

    Airdrops a ‘distraction and a smokescreen’

    Air-dropping food supplies is considered a last resort due to the undignified and unsafe manner in which the aid is delivered.

    The UN has already reported civilians being injured when packages have fallen on tents.

    The Global Protection Cluster, a network of non-governmental organisations and UN agencies, shared a story from a mother in Al Karama, east of Gaza City, whose home was hit by an airdropped pallet, causing the roof to collapse:

    Immediately following the impact, a group of people armed with knives rushed towards the house, while the mother locked herself and her children in the remaining room to protect her family. They did not receive any assistance and are fearful for their safety.

    Air-dropped pallets of food are also inefficient compared with what can be delivered by road.

    One truck can carry up to 20 tonnes of supplies. Trucks can also reach Gaza quickly if they are allowed to cross at the scale required. Aid agencies have repeatedly said they have the necessary aid and personnel sitting just one hour away at the border.

    Given how ineffective the air drops have been – and will continue to be – the head of the UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine has called them a “distraction” and a “smokescreen”.

    Malnourished women and children need specialised care

    De Waal has also made clear how starvation differs from other war crimes – it takes weeks of denying aid for starvation to take hold.

    For the 90,000 acutely malnourished women and children who require specialised and supplementary feeding, in addition to medical care, the type of food being air-dropped into Gaza will not help them. Malnourished children require nutritional screening and access to fortified pastes and baby food.

    Gaza’s decimated health system is also not able to treat severely malnourished women and children, who are at risk of “refeeding syndrome” when they are provided with nutrients again. This can trigger a fatal metabolic response.

    Gaza will take generations to heal from the long-term impacts of mass starvation. Malnourished children suffer lifelong cognitive and physical effects that can then be passed on to future generations.

    What needs to happen now

    The UN has characterised the limited reopening of aid deliveries to Gaza as a potential “lifeline”, if it’s upheld and expanded.

    According to Ciaran Donnelly from the International Rescue Committee, what’s needed is “tragically simple”: Israel must fully open the Gaza borders to allow aid and humanitarian personnel to flood in.

    Israel must also guarantee safe conditions for the dignified distribution of aid that reaches everyone, including women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities. The level of hunger and insecurity mean these groups are at high risk of exclusion.

    The people of Gaza have the world’s attention – for now. They have endured increasingly dehumanising conditions – including the risk of being shot trying to access aid – under the cover of war for more than 21 months.

    Two leading Israeli human rights organisations have just publicly called Israel’s war on Gaza “a genocide”. This builds on mounting evidence compiled by the UN and other experts that supports the same conclusion, triggering the duty under international law for all states to act to prevent genocide.

    These obligations require more than words – states must exercise their full diplomatic leverage to pressure Israel to let aid in at the scale required to avert famine. States must also pressure Israel to extend its military pauses into the only durable solution – a permanent ceasefire.

    Amra Lee 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. Air-dropping food into Gaza is a ‘smokescreen’ – this is what must be done to prevent mass starvation – https://theconversation.com/air-dropping-food-into-gaza-is-a-smokescreen-this-is-what-must-be-done-to-prevent-mass-starvation-262053

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: A rare, direct warning from Japan signals a shift in the fight against child sex tourism in Asia

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Ming Gao, Research Fellow of East Asia Studies, Lund University

    Jonas Gratzer/LightRocket via Getty Images

    Japan’s embassy in Laos and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a rare and unusually direct advisory, warning Japanese men against “buying sex from children” in Laos.

    The move was sparked by Ayako Iwatake, a restaurant owner in Vientiane, who allegedly saw social media posts of Japanese men bragging about child prostitution. In response, she launched a petition calling for government action.

    The Japanese-language bulletin makes clear such conduct is prosecutable under both Laotian law and Japan’s child prostitution and pornography law, which applies extraterritorially.

    This diplomatic statement was not only a legal warning. It was a rare public acknowledgement of Japanese men’s alleged entanglement in transnational child sex tourism, particularly in Southeast Asia.

    It’s also a moment that demands we look beyond individual criminal acts or any one nation and consider the historical, racial and structural inequalities that make such mobility and exploitation possible.

    A changing map of exploitation

    Selling and buying sex in Asia is nothing new. The contours have shifted over time but the underlying sentiment has remained constant: some lives are cheap and commodified, and some wallets are deep and entitled.

    Japan’s involvement in overseas prostitution stretches back to the Meiji period (1868-1912). Young women from impoverished rural regions (known as karayuki-san) migrated abroad, often to Southeast Asia, to work in the sex industry, from port towns in Malaya to brothels in China and the Pacific Islands.

    If poverty once pushed Japanese women abroad to sell their bodies, by the second half of the 20th century – fuelled by Japan’s postwar economic boom – it was wealthy Japanese men who began travelling overseas to buy sex.

    Around the 2000s, the dynamic flipped again. In South Korea, now a developed economy, men travelled to Southeast Asia – and later to countries such as Russia and Uzbekistan – following routes once taken by Japanese men.

    Later in the same period, the flow took an even darker turn.

    Japanese and South Korean men began to emerge as major buyers of child sex abroad, particularly across Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands and even Mongolia.

    According to the United States Department of State, Japanese men continued to be “a significant source of demand for sex tourism”, while South Korean men remained “a source of demand for child sex tourism”.

    The UN Office on Drugs and Crime and other organisations have also flagged both countries as key contributors to child sexual exploitation in the region.

    From exporter to destination: Japan’s new role in the sex trade

    A more recent and troubling shift appears to be unfolding within Japan.

    Amid ongoing economic stagnation and the depreciation of the yen, Tokyo has reportedly become a destination for inbound sex tourism. Youth protection organisations have observed a notable rise in foreign male clients, particularly Chinese, frequenting areas where teenage girls and young women engage in survival sex.

    What ties these movements together is not just culturally specific beliefs, such as the fetishisation of virginity or the superstition that sex with young girls brings good luck in business, but power.

    The battle to protect children

    The global campaign to end child sex tourism began in earnest with the founding of ECPAT (a global network of organisations that seeks to end the sexual exploitation of children) in 1990 to confront the rising exploitation of children in Southeast Asia.

    Despite legal frameworks and international scrutiny, the abuse of children remains disturbingly common.

    Several factors converge here: endemic poverty, weak law enforcement and a constant influx of wealthier foreign men. Add to that the digital age of information and communication technologies, where child sex can be advertised, arranged and commodified through encrypted platforms and invitation-only forums, and the crisis deepens.

    While local governments often pledge reform, implementation is inconsistent.

    Buyers, especially foreign buyers, often manage to evade consequences. However, in early 2025, Japan’s National Police Agency arrested 111 people – including high school teachers and tutors – in a nationwide crackdown on online child sexual exploitation, conducted in coordination with international partners.

    Why this moment matters

    The shock surrounding the Laos revelations and the unusually direct response from Japanese authorities offers a rare opportunity to confront the deeper systems at work.

    Sex tourism doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s enabled by uneven development, transnational mobility, weak regulation and social silence. But this moment also shows grassroots activism can force institutional action.

    Japan’s official warning wasn’t triggered by a government audit or diplomatic scandal. It came because Ayako Iwatake saw social media posts of Japanese men boasting about buying sex from children and refused to look away.

    When she delivered the petition to the embassy, it responded quickly. Less than ten days later, the Foreign Ministry issued a public warning, clearly outlining the legal consequences of child sex crimes committed abroad.

    Iwatake’s action is a reminder: it doesn’t take a government to expose a system. It takes someone willing to speak out – even when it’s uncomfortable. As she told Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun:

    It was just too blatant. I couldn’t look the other way.

    It’s commendable that Japan acted swiftly. But a warning alone isn’t enough. Japan should strengthen and expand its international cooperation to combat these heinous crimes.

    A more decisive model can be seen in a recent case in Vietnam, where US authorities infiltrated a livestream child sex abuse network for the first time in that country. Working undercover for months, they coordinated with Vietnamese officials to arrest a mother who had been sexually abusing her daughter on demand for paying viewers abroad.

    The rescue of the nine-year-old victim showed what serious cross-border intervention looks like.

    But for every headline-grabbing scandal, there are hundreds of untold stories.

    The Laos case should be the beginning of a broader reckoning with how sex, money and power move across borders – and who pays the price.

    Ming Gao receives funding from the Swedish Research Council. This research was produced with support from the Swedish Research Council grant “Moved Apart” (nr. 2022-01864). Ming Gao is a member of Lund University Profile Area: Human Rights.

    – ref. A rare, direct warning from Japan signals a shift in the fight against child sex tourism in Asia – https://theconversation.com/a-rare-direct-warning-from-japan-signals-a-shift-in-the-fight-against-child-sex-tourism-in-asia-261554

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: France is set to recognise the state of Palestine and the UK may follow – but what does it really mean?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Malak Benslama-Dabdoub, Lecturer in law, Royal Holloway University of London

    Emmanuel Macron’s pledge to formally recognise the state of Palestine will make France the first G7 country and member of the UN security council to do so. The question is whether others will follow suit. The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, is coming under mounting pressure from many of his MPs, and has recalled his cabinet from their summer recess to discuss the situation in Gaza.

    Starmer is expected to announce a peace plan for the Middle East this week that will include British recognition of Palestinian statehood. Downing Street sources said recognition was a matter of “when, not if”.

    Recognition of statehood is not merely symbolic. The Montevideo convention of 1933 established several criteria which must apply before an entity can be recognised as a sovereign state. These are a permanent population, a defined territory, an effective government and the ability to conduct international relations.

    The process involves the establishment of formal diplomatic relations, including the opening of embassies, the exchange of ambassadors, and the signing of bilateral treaties. Recognition also grants the recognised state access to certain rights in international organisations. For Palestinians, such recognition will strengthen their claim to sovereignty and facilitate greater international support.

    Macron’s announcement was met with enthusiasm in many Arab capitals, as well as among Palestinian officials and supporters of the two-state solution. It was also praised by a number of European leaders as well as several journalists and other analysts as a long-overdue step toward a more balanced approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

    However, the reaction from other major powers was swift and critical. The US called it “a reckless decision” while the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he “strongly condemned” it. Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, called it “counterproductive”.

    Within hours, it was clear that Macron’s announcement had both shifted diplomatic discourse and reignited longstanding divisions.

    France’s decision is significant. It signals a departure from the western consensus, long shaped by the US and the EU, that any recognition of Palestinian statehood must be deferred until after final-status negotiations. The move also highlights growing frustration in parts of Europe with the ongoing violence in Gaza and the failure of peace talks over the past two decades.

    Yet questions remain: what does this recognition actually entail? Will it change conditions on the ground for Palestinians? Or is it largely symbolic?

    So far, the French government has offered no details on whether this recognition will be accompanied by concrete measures. There has been no mention of sanctions on Israel, no indication of halting arms exports, no pledges of increased humanitarian aid or support for Palestinian governance institutions. France remains a key military and economic partner of Israel, and Macron’s announcement does not appear to alter that relationship.

    Nor is this the first time a western country has taken a symbolic stance in support of Palestinian statehood. Sweden recognised the state of Palestine in 2014, becoming the first western European country to do so. It was followed by Spain in 2024.

    However, both moves were largely symbolic and did not significantly alter the political or humanitarian situation on the ground. The risk is that recognition, without action, becomes a gesture that changes little.

    Macron’s statement also raised eyebrows for another reason: his emphasis on a “demilitarised Palestinian state” living side-by-side with Israel in peace and security. While such language is common in diplomatic discourse, it also reflects a deeper tension.

    Palestinians have long argued that their right to self-determination includes the right to defend themselves against occupation. Calls for demilitarisation are often seen by critics as reinforcing the status quo, where security concerns are framed almost exclusively in terms of Israeli needs.

    In the absence of a genuine political process, some analysts have warned that recognition of this kind risks formalising a state in name only – a fragmented, non-sovereign entity without control over its borders, resources or defence. Without guarantees of territorial continuity, an end to the expansion of Israeli settlements and freedom of movement, statehood may remain an abstract concept.

    What would meaningful support look like?

    If France wishes to go beyond symbolism, it has options. It could suspend arms exports to Israel or call for an independent international investigation into alleged war crimes. It could use its influence within the EU to push for greater accountability regarding illegal settlements and the blockade of Gaza. It could also support Palestinian institutions directly and engage with Palestinian civil society.

    Without such steps, recognition risks being viewed as a political message more than a policy shift. For Palestinians, the daily realities of occupation, displacement and blockade will not change with diplomatic announcements alone. What is needed, many argue, is not just recognition but support for justice, rights and meaningful sovereignty.

    France’s recognition of Palestine marks a shift in diplomatic tone and reflects broader unease with the status quo in the Middle East. It has stirred debate at home and abroad, and raised expectations among those hoping for more robust international engagement with the conflict.

    Whether this recognition leads to meaningful changes in policy or conditions on the ground remains to be seen. Much will depend on the steps France takes next – both at the United Nations and through its actions on trade, security and aid.

    Malak Benslama-Dabdoub 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. France is set to recognise the state of Palestine and the UK may follow – but what does it really mean? – https://theconversation.com/france-is-set-to-recognise-the-state-of-palestine-and-the-uk-may-follow-but-what-does-it-really-mean-262095

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Rolling road closures planned for carnival parade

    Source: City of Leicester

    LEICESTER’S Caribbean Carnival and parade returns to the city this weekend and motorists are being advised that there will be temporary road closures in place.

    The popular event will be held on Victoria Park on Saturday 2nd August with a colourful parade bringing the spirit of carnival to Leicester city centre.

    This year, the parade will start at Moat Community College, with speeches outside the Leicester Caribbean Centre at 12.30pm, before heading off into the city centre at around 1pm and then making its way to Victoria Park.

    The parade route includes Maidstone Rd, Sparkenhoe Street, Swain Street, St Georges Way, Charles Street, Humberstone Gate, Clock Tower, Gallowtree Gate, Granby St, Northampton Street, Charles St, London Rd to Granville Road and into Victoria Park.

    Rolling road closures will be in place along the route from around 12.30pm until around 4pm. Temporary parking restrictions will also be in place throughout the day, to allow the parade to pass safely.

    Granville Road and a short section of Regent Road (between University Road and Granville Road) will be closed to traffic from 6am until approximately 10pm on Carnival day.

    Events at the park will continue until 8pm, with parking and waiting restrictions nearby remaining in place throughout the event.

    Drivers should allow extra time for journeys in and around the city centre on Saturday (2 Aug) as a result, including those attending the Red Roses’ final Women’s Rugby World Cup warm-up match against Spain at the Leicester Tigers stadium, on Welford Road. Kick-off is at 3pm.

    For more information about Leicester Caribbean Carnival 2025, or to book tickets, visit www.leicestercarnival.com

    The event is organised by Leicester Caribbean Carnival Committee.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic University proposes using pre-stressed textile-reinforced concrete in construction

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    A group of scientists from the Institute of Civil Engineering of SPbPU, led by Associate Professor of the Higher School of Hydraulic and Power Engineering Oleg Stolyarov, continues to develop lightweight thin-walled building structures made of textile-reinforced concrete with prestressing. In 2024, the project received grant support from the Russian Science Foundation, which made it possible to expand the possibilities for conducting experiments and analyzing data.

    The research group includes associate professors Pavel Mostovykh and Tatyana Koryakovtseva, as well as graduate student and assistant Anna Dontsova.

    Textile-reinforced concrete is a combination of textile reinforcing meshes and fine-grained concrete. The advantages of these elements are the absence of corrosion, lower weight and the ability to create complex shapes. Over the past two decades, this material has found its niche in construction and is used for enclosing structures, coatings, urban infrastructure elements and small architectural forms.

    The aim of the project is to increase the potential of thin-walled structures with fiber reinforcement due to prestressing the reinforcement. Prestressed concrete helps reduce the negative effect of poor tensile properties of concrete, increase the rigidity of the structure, reduce its deformations, increase resistance to crack formation and limit their opening. Structures with prestressed steel reinforcement have significant advantages over non-stressed analogues – smaller deflections and increased resistance to crack formation. A similar principle can be successfully implemented in fiber composites, which opens up new prospects for the use of prestressed textile reinforcement in construction.

    The results of the studies showed that prestressing significantly affects the mechanical properties of concrete composites.

    Thin-walled structures made of textile-reinforced concrete are a revolution in the creation of sustainable, lightweight and bold architectural solutions, says project manager Oleg Stolyarov.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Color against inattention – how students and teachers of RUDN and Altai State University created an app for children with ADHD

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peoples’Friendship University of Russia –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    There are about 1,600,000 children with confirmed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Russia. The necessary therapy is not always available to their families: due to the cost or the lack of specialized centers nearby. Teachers and students of RUDN and Altai State University have developed a special application for such children that increases attentiveness and reduces anxiety using the color photostimulation (CPS) method.

    This year, the ActiMinds project team presented their application at the RUDN.VC 2.0 accelerator, becoming its finalist and receiving investor support. And then the development won the Startup Fest 2025 competition, which was organized by RSUH.

    Project team:

    Saniya Islamova is the project manager, analyst-programmer, first-year master’s student of the Applied Informatics program at the Faculty of Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences of RUDN University. Mikhail Yatsenko is the head of research work, candidate of biological sciences, psychophysiologist, associate professor of the Department of General and Applied Psychology of Altai State University. Tatyana Ustimenko is the director of the Scientific and Production Complex of the Cognitive Science Center. Ivan Brak is a specialist in scientific communication, candidate of biological sciences, neurobiologist, senior lecturer of the Department of the Faculty of Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences of RUDN University. Doruk Meric is a programmer, first-year master’s student of the Applied Informatics program at the Faculty of Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences of RUDN University.

    The essence of development

    The CFS method involves exposing the body to light signals of different colors – red, blue, green (at the user’s choice) – with an optimal blinking frequency.

    Photostimulation helps to rebuild the functional state of the cerebral cortex into an optimal operating mode and activates Brodmann’s area 10, which in turn activates the prefrontal cortex. After all, it is the prefrontal cortex that is involved in providing such cognitive functions as planning, decision-making, awareness and establishment of logical connections between phenomena, theoretical positions, as well as in recalling memories from episodic memory.

    The mobile app developed by the team works in conjunction with VR glasses. The user puts on the glasses, turns on the app, selects the color that will affect him for 2-10 minutes (red, blue or green). And then simply watches the flickering, which looks like a circle, of the selected color.

    What are the advantages of development:

    low cost of 2,500 rubles for a course of therapy consisting of 10 sessions (traditional methods of therapy cost from 20 to 50 thousand rubles); easy to use with a minimum of equipment (smartphone with an installed application plus VR glasses); the effect is already there from the first session; • high safety of use in the absence of epilepsy, heart disease and recent retinal detachment or recent eye surgery; there are statistics, session history, expansion of options is planned; there is communication with the project team via a chat bot and a VK channel.

    A bit of history

    The idea for the project originated at Altai State University back in 2001 during a study of the influence of the level of brain activation on the effectiveness of mental performance.

    “University scientists have found that at a certain level of brain activation, the experiment participants demonstrated high levels of mental performance. As a result, an idea came up to “impose” this activity on the brain in order to improve its performance using the color photostimulation method. During the research, ordinary glasses with black opaque lenses were used, on the inside of which three LEDs were glued in the center – red, green and blue. The glasses, in turn, were connected by wire to a special unit with a liquid crystal screen. It allowed changing the frequency of flickering, brightness and color,” – Saniya Islamova, head of the “ActiMinds” project and a RUDN Master’s student (Applied Informatics, 1st year).

    However, it took 20 years before the idea was developed and tested on a wider audience. Only since 2023 have studies been conducted again on different groups of people – children, students, athletes. At the same time, the development of technology has made it possible to use a smartphone and the first version of a mobile application created by a programmer from Barnaul instead of a block with a screen. And glasses with LEDs have been replaced by VR glasses, which allow you to influence a person’s visual field and prevent him from being distracted from the process of color photostimulation, which significantly increases the effectiveness of therapy sessions.

    Proven effectiveness

    “From February 1 to May 25, 2024, 37 children aged 6 to 7 years voluntarily took part in the study of the method. The experimental group included 24 children, 5 of whom had characteristic signs of attention deficit disorder (ADD) and 6 more – signs of ADHD. The control group consisted of 13 children. Sessions with the color photostimulation method were held four times a week for 10 minutes before correctional and developmental classes in the classrooms. In total, each child completed 10 sessions. In the group of children with ADHD, the speed of completing teacher’s tasks increased by 15%, the number of errors decreased by 2.5 times, and overall productivity increased by 22.5%,” said Elena Abuzova, Director of the MBU DO “DOOTS “Harmony”.

    Expanding the team

    Saniya Islamova joined the project in September 2024 as an administrator, and soon began to manage it. When the team was joined by programmer Meric Doruk in early 2025, it became possible to modernize the application. In two months, Meric created a new version of the service from scratch, it was deployed on PythonAnyWhere hosting. And now the team is switching to the Express.js (backend), Next.js (frontend) frameworks in JavaScript and the PostgreSQL database management system in order to be able to block content to protect against piracy and plagiarism. In addition, unnecessary settings were removed from the service, but an algorithm for creating a personal account and verifying a user using a unique token was added. Investor’s choice With the modernized application, the team took part in the RUDN.VC 2.0 accelerator. The program lasted 70 days, and during this time, Sania and her colleagues held more than 130 meetings with mentor-trackers, attended 8 open lectures from market experts and improved their project. On May 30, at the demo day, Sania defended the team’s work to investors. One of them, the founder of the company “ABV” and ambassador of the “Academy of Innovators” Ivan Shumilov, selected “ActiMinds” for further cooperation. Here is how he assessed the project.

    “The development has potential. It is possible to quickly enter monetization through the “technology plus service” combination. However, we need even more measurements on people to demonstrate the result – before/after. To increase trust on the part of parents, specialists and partners, it is necessary to strengthen the scientific and expert base. Involving people with specialized education, publications, clinical and research experience in the team or expert council will become a strong support. Their conclusions will be able to support the evidence-based nature of the method. The application can also be adapted for other problems, not only ADHD, but also stress, anxiety, and adaptation difficulties. In this way, it will be possible to expand the product line,” – Ivan Shumilov, founder of the company “ABV” and ambassador of the “Academy of Innovators”.

    Best Startup

    After completing the accelerator, the ActiMinds team formulated a commercial proposal for cooperation with private psychologists and neuropsychologists, psychological centers, and also agreed with the RUDN University Faculty of Psychology on joint work from autumn 2025. With such results, the participants of the ActiMinds project applied for the Startup Fest 2025 competition, which was organized by RSUH.

    “In the beginning, there were no particular hopes for winning, since we had to create a website for the project and conduct a marketing campaign. Probably, setting up online advertising was the most difficult, since we were doing it for the first time. After that, we recorded a video with a story about “ActiMinds”, the conducted marketing campaign and its results, and sent an application to the competition. The jury watched the video, and eventually, the student organizers from RSUH wrote to us and invited us to the award ceremony in one of the nominations. And it turned out to be a victory in the main nomination. The victory gave a positive assessment to our project and our teamwork, which does not go in vain!” – Saniya Islamova, head of the “ActiMinds” project and a RUDN University Master’s student (Applied Informatics, 1st year).

    According to Saniya, the recommendations for further development of the project from the organizers and jury of the competition were very valuable. Mikhail Boldyrev, Director of the Center for Project Activities and Communication Technologies at the Russian State University for the Humanities, advised the team to create a website and social networks for the project. Post articles on the topic of ADHD on the portal, collect traffic, and initiate communication with potential users of the application and partners in social networks. Then gradually integrate your own product into the community through expert content. In addition, Mikhail Boldyrev recommended involving doctors in testing the application in order to promote the product through their reviews.

    New goals

    The team has taken the expert’s advice on board, so its immediate plans include creating social networks and a project website to educate and inform parents about the ADHD problem and their method. And also to organize joint work with the psychology departments of RUDN and Moscow State University on research and scientific articles in the new academic year, and to establish commercial cooperation with private neuropsychologists and psychological centers.

    “We also plan to launch our own mobile application for the Android platform, which will work together with VR glasses. In addition to the main function based on the photostimulation method, the service will offer psychological tests, analysis of the user’s speech segment before and after using the DFS method, support and online consultation with a psychologist. The application is planned to be placed on all available marketplaces,” says Saniya Islamova, head of the ActiMinds project and a RUDN University Master’s student (Applied Informatics, 1st year).

    In addition, the ActiMinds team wants to apply for the Student Startup competition from the Social Initiatives Fund and compete for a grant. And hopes for another victory.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –