The proliferation of digital media necessitates the development of students’ digital literacy skills. The study examining primary school students in urban and rural settings found moderate proficiency overall, with notable gaps in information creation and dissemination. Urban–rural disparities in accessing and evaluating digital tools and media messages were identified. Parental education, mediation, and device usage positively influenced literacy, with mediation having the most significant impact. Prioritizing the development of higher-order literacy skills and addressing rural disparities is crucial. Government, enterprise, and institutions are promoting rural students’ literacy and parental involvement. Future research should assess the effectiveness of these measures to enhance overall digital literacy development.

►The National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) will host the 13^th ITER International School (IIS2024), organized by the ITER^*1 Organization and Aix-Marseille University in France, in Nagoya, Japan for one week from 9^th to 13^th December 2024 as the host country organization.  The main subject of this time is “Magnetic fusion diagnostics and data science.”

►This is one of the world’s largest international schools in the field of nuclear fusion research, where more than 200 graduate students, young scientists and engineers from around the world who are interested in fusion research and development will gather together.  This is the second time that Japan has hosted the school, 16 years after the 2^nd IIS was held in Fukuoka in 2008.

►At IIS2024, there will be lectures on the latest status of ITER which is currently under construction in France, as well as on fusion plasma diagnostic technology and data science.

►On the first day of the school, the representatives from organizing institutions will gather together for a press conference at the venue.

New Curtin University research has revealed that the Ninetyeast Ridge ­— the Earth’s longest straight underwater mountain chain ­— formed through a different process than previously believed.

Stretching 5000km along the Indian Ocean’s 90-degree east longitude and nearly matching the length of North America’s Rocky Mountains, the ridge offers crucial new insights into the movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates.