NewzIntel.com

Category: Africa

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Egypt: Halt arbitrary arrest, disappearance and threatened deportation of Ahmadi minority members

    Source: Amnesty International –

    The Egyptian authorities must stop all plans to forcibly return a Syrian asylum seeker who is at risk of deportation to Syria as early as tomorrow and end their ongoing crackdown on members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, Amnesty International and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) said today.

    Between 8 and 14 March 2025, Amnesty International and EIPR documented the arbitrary detention of at least four members of the religious minority solely for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of religion. The men, who include two Syrian brothers registered as asylum seekers with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), were detained at their homes in three different governorates. Three of them were subsequently subjected to enforced disappearance with their fate and whereabouts currently unknown, while one man remains held incommunicado (i.e. without any contact with the outside world).

    “It is outrageous that these men have been targeted and forcibly disappeared simply for not espousing state-sanctioned religious beliefs. The Egyptian authorities have legal obligations to respect and protect the right to freedom of religion of everyone in the country which includes those with religious beliefs not recognized by the state,” said Mahmoud Shalaby, Egypt and Libya Researcher at Amnesty International.

    It is outrageous that these men have been targeted and forcibly disappeared simply for not espousing state-sanctioned religious beliefs.

    Mahmoud Shalaby, Researcher

    “Instead of arbitrarily detaining and forcibly disappearing people for exercising their religious beliefs or threatening to deport them, the Egyptian authorities should immediately disclose the men’s fate and whereabouts and unconditionally release them.”

    Among those targeted is Ahmed Al-Tanawi, a 28-year-old Syrian asylum seeker registered with UNHCR, who is at imminent risk of deportation to Syria.  The security situation in Syria remains volatile and Amnesty International continues to oppose forced returns to the country.

    The latest crackdown on members of the Ahmadi religious minority was triggered when a member of the religious group hung a banner advertising an Ahmadi TV channel on a pedestrian bridge in Giza in early March. Amnesty International and EIPR reviewed a photograph of the banner hanging on the bridge, which showed the frequency of “Mahdi Has Appeared” (Zahra al-Mahdi), a TV channel affiliated with the Ahmadi religion and featured a photo of its leader.

    On 8 March 2025, security forces arrested the individual who hung the banner. He was released later that day without charge, according to Imran Ali, the United Kingdom-based bishop of the Ahmadi religion in Egypt and another Ahmadi man who was in touch with the individual after his release. It appears that the security forces identified three of the Ahmadi men after searching his phone and finding a Telegram group for members of the religious group in Egypt, of which the three of were members, according to Imran Ali and the men’s relatives.

    On 11 March, police officers in plain clothes arrested Ahmed Al-Tanawi and his brother, Hussein Mohammed Hassan Al-Tanawi, also an asylum seeker registered with UNHCR, at their house in 6th of October City in Giza governorate, without presenting an arrest warrant, according to a family member. Ahmed remains held incommunicado at the 6th of October First Police Station, while Hussein’s fate and whereabouts remain unknown. On 15 March, a police officer informally told EIPR’s lawyer that Ahmed was accused of “membership in a terrorist organization”.

    On 25 March, Hussein’s family submitted a complaint to the public prosecution, which was reviewed by Amnesty International and EIPR, to inquire about his whereabouts. The family has yet to receive a response.

    Amnesty International and EIPR learned that on 13 March, authorities transferred Ahmed Al-Tanawi to the General Administration of Passports, Immigration and Nationality in Abbasyia neighbourhood in Cairo, where officials coerced him into signing documents apparently related to his deportation, without allowing him to review them.  On 6 April, police forced Ahmed Al-Tanawi’s family to purchase a ticket for him to Syria, threatening to deprive him of medication for his heart condition. His flight is scheduled for early tomorrow morning, according to his family.

    On 10 March, security forces arrested Omar Mahmoud Abdelmaguid Mohamed Ibrahim, another member of the Ahmadi religious minority, following a violent raid on his home in Cairo. His fate and whereabouts remain unknown. A member of Omar’s family said that since the arrest, his house has been under constant police surveillance. Police officers searched the house again on the same day to arrest Omar’s brother-in-law, Hazem Saied Mohamed Abd El-Moatamed, who had fled. However, he was arrested three days later, on 13 March, in 10th of Ramadan City in Sharqia Governorate, according to one of his relatives. He remains forcibly disappeared. He remains forcibly disappeared.

    Amnesty International and EIPR reviewed copies of complaints submitted by family members of Omar Mahmoud Abdelmaguid Mohamed Ibrahim and Hazem Saied Mohamed Abd El-Moatamed to the prosecution on 25 March, inquiring about their whereabouts. To date, the family has not received a response.

    In separate incidents, at least four other members of the religious minority were arrested throughout March, with their fate and whereabouts currently unknown, according to Imran Ali.  He said that three of them messaged him to say they were about to be arrested. He has not heard back from them since.

    Background

    Religious minorities including Coptic Christians, Shi’a Muslims and Bahá’ís consistently face discrimination in law and/or practice in Egypt. Members of religious minorities, atheists and others not espousing state-sanctioned religious beliefs are summoned and questioned by the National Security Agency or otherwise threatened or harassed, including by their educational institutions and online.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: In “Era of Savage Cuts’, UN Aid Chief Urges Security Council to Provide Security, Resources for Saving as Many Survivors Possible of Russian Airstrikes in Ukraine

    Source: United Nations 4

    Strike in Dnipro Region Last Friday Marks Deadliest Attack Involving Children 

    Russian Federation airstrikes in Ukraine continue to kill and maim civilians — including children at a playground last week — the United Nations top humanitarian official told the Security Council today.  In what he called an “era of savage cuts”, he also appealed to Council members to provide at least the security and resources needed to save as many survivors of this war as possible. 

    “A massive strike in the densely populated city of Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipro region last Friday resulted in multiple civilian casualties,” said Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator addressing the 15-member Council. 

    According to local authorities, 18 civilians were killed — including nine children — and 75 others injured when a children’s playground and nearby residential area were struck.  The Office for the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) in Ukraine, which verified many of the casualties, confirmed it was the single deadliest attack involving children since the start of the war in February 2022. 

    Fighting has also continued unabated in the frontline regions of Kherson, Kharkiv, Donetsk and in the border areas of Sumy, where more than 90 civilian casualties were recorded last week alone.  From 24 February 2022 to 31 March 2025, OHCHR has verified at least 12,910 civilian deaths, including 682 children, and nearly 30,700 injuries across Ukraine, he said.  Meanwhile, 3.7 million people remain internally displaced, with new waves of displacement in the country’s north-east, and nearly 7 million Ukrainian refugees recorded worldwide.  The UN remains unable to access an estimated 1.5 million civilians in Russian-occupied areas of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia. 

    Underscoring the plight of women in this war, he said that since February 2022, pre-term births have accounted for nearly half of all deliveries, putting both mothers and newborns at high risk.  Gender-based violence, including intimate partner violence, has surged by 36 per cent, with displaced and refugee women suffering the most severe mental health challenges and facing critical gaps in protection and care, he warned.  

    Despite Scale of Crisis, $2.6 Billion Ukraine Humanitarian Response Plan for 2025 Only 17 Per Cent Funded 

    Despite the scale of this crisis, only 17 per cent of the $2.6 billion required for the 2025 Ukraine Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan has been secured.  As a result, the UN is prioritizing limited resources for frontline support, emergency response, evacuations, and aid for the displaced — but more funding is urgently needed.  

    “We welcome the announcement of a ceasefire focused on energy infrastructure, as well as negotiations to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea,” Fletcher said.  But as talks continue, so do the bombardments.  Indiscriminate attacks are strictly prohibited under international law, he recalled.  “Even wars have rules,” he also stressed, urging the Council to ensure that “this era of increasingly belligerent, transactional, self-defeating, nationalism is not also remembered as one of callous impunity and brutal indifference, in which the rights of civilians are discarded again and again with a shrug”.  

    Russian Federation’s Representative:  Strike on Kryvyi Rih was Precision Missile strike on Military Meeting of Unit Commanders and Western Instructors 

    In the ensuing discussion, the Russian Federation’s delegate said the strike on Kryvyi Rih was a precision missile strike on a military meeting of unit commanders and Western instructors.  The strike succeeded in damaging the command of the Ukrainian forces, he said, adding that a gathering of service members and Western officers is a legitimate target for his country’s army.  The fact that a military meeting was happening in a civilian area shows that the Ukrainian army is using civilians as human shields, he said, adding that Ukrainian eyewitnesses have confirmed that a cluster munition was not used.  Dismissing the efforts of the “Ukrainian propaganda machine” regarding this and other strikes, he said video clips by ordinary citizens refute their claims. 

    Civilians must stay far away from gatherings of military officers, he said, adding that Ukrainians are not being told the truth — Kyiv is milking the tragedy that it is responsible for.  Nor will the Ukrainians be told of the continuous shelling of Russian border towns, he said.  The goal of Ukraine and Western countries is to undermine the Russian Federation-United States dialogue, he said, adding:  “What you are doing is far too obvious.”  The ceasefire cannot be misused so “Ukraine can lick its wounds and resume its war”, he said, adding that it is essential to do away with the root causes.  No one will be allowed to use the negotiation process to strengthen Ukraine’s military — the demilitarization of that country is essential, he stressed. 

    United States Representative:  Russian President Vladimir Putin Does Not Want to End War

    The United States representative said that in its bilateral engagements between both Russian Federation and Ukraine, the United States had tabled a proposal in March.  While Ukraine was ready to accept, she recalled, Russian Federation representatives insisted on a more limited agreement which would cover only strikes on energy infrastructure and the elimination of the use of force in the Black Sea.  She called on both the Russian Federation and Ukraine to exercise restraint and demonstrate their commitment to peace.  The Russian Federation must bear in mind that strikes like the one on Kryvyi Rih and executions of prisoners of war have the potential to damage peace efforts.  “We will ultimately judge President Putin’s commitment to peace by Russia’s actions,” she stated. 

    “We can see that Putin does not want to end the war; he is looking for ways to preserve the option of reigniting it in any moment with even greater force,” Ukraine’s delegate said.  Moscow has “not moved one inch away from its genocidal and maximalist war aims”.  On the other hand, Ukraine has taken concrete steps towards peace, while the Russian Federation “continues to drag its feet and commit atrocities”.  “Every missile, every strike killing people every day proves that Russia only wants war,” she went on to say.  Moscow has not only failed to cease its attacks on Ukrainian civilians, but it has also significantly escalated the scale of its assaults. 

    On 4 April, a missile landed near a playground, tearing through homes, schools and restaurants, killing 20 people, including nine children.  She rejected Moscow’s falsehoods about alleged military targets in the area.  “All witnesses and footages from cameras inside and outside the local restaurant debunk Russian representatives’ lies and disinformation,” she said.  It confirms that there was no military presence in the restaurant or in the surrounding area at the time of the strike.  Staying silent about the fact that the Russian Federation is killing children with ballistic missiles is wrong and dangerous.  “It only emboldens the scum in Moscow to continue the war and keep ignoring diplomacy,” she said. 

    Several European Speakers Criticize Russian Federation

    Several speakers from Europe strongly criticized the Russian Federation, with Denmark’s delegate stating that Moscow’s deliberate delays and new preconditions raised for even a partial ceasefire seem particularly cynical given reports that the missile that struck Kryvyi Rih was fired from the Black Sea. “Russia has said it only attacks military targets”, but the missile strike on Kryvyi Rih on 4 April hit residential buildings and a playground.  “We heard claims that a high precision strike has been launched to target a military group that was meeting at a restaurant at the time — trying to justify it as a military target,” Slovenia’s delegate said.  But these claims have been disproved. 

    “Russia is not negotiating in good faith; it’s procrastinating, and its goal continues to be the capitulation of Ukraine,” echoed France’s delegate, Council President for April.  But France and other Europeans “are not sitting on our hands” and continue to work to secure a just and lasting peace.  “It is time for the Kremlin to end its aggression against Ukraine and to uphold its obligations under the UN Charter and it is time for President Putin to agree to a full and immediate ceasefire,” added the United Kingdom’s representative. 

    The representative of the European Union, speaking in its capacity as observer, stressed that “there can be no negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine, and no negotiations that affect European security without Europe”.  He reaffirmed the bloc’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.  There is no doubt “who truly seeks peace and who instead is determined to prolong a ruthless war of territorial conquest”, Czechia’s delegate added.  “Moscow is trying to falsely present itself as a victim” and expecting the world to provide security assurances, “preferably at the expense of legitimate security interests of its neighbours”, Poland’s representative also stated. 

    Focus on Plight of Children

    Estonia’s delegate, speaking also for Latvia and Lithuania, said that Moscow has killed over 600 Ukrainian children since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022, while the real numbers might be higher.  That country deserves to be listed in the annexes of the annual Children and Armed Conflicts report for carrying out grave violations against children in Ukraine.  Other Council members, including the delegates of Pakistan, Guyana and Panama, echoed concerns for children living under conflict in Ukraine, with the latter underscoring that “children must never be targets in a war”. 

    Global Impact of War in Ukraine:  Food Insecurity, Energy Crises 

    Some speakers shared ways the war in Ukraine was affecting them with Algeria’s delegate stating that the food insecurity and energy crises resulting from this conflict also hits the civilian population in other regions around the world.  Greece’s delegate pointed out that freedom of navigation in the Black Sea will be a crucial contribution to global food security and supply chains.  The representative of the Republic of Korea expressed concern that the military cooperation between the Russian Federation and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea “is intensifying rather than waning”, as exemplified by last month’s high-level reaffirmation in Pyongyang to implement their Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. 

    Momentum for Peace Talks 

    Other Council members, including the delegate from China, said that although the situation on the battlefield remains complicated, the momentum for peace talks has emerged.  “The window of peace is opening,” he stated, adding that talks must address the root causes of the crisis.  The Ukraine conflict is complex and restoring peace will require persistent efforts. 

    “The path forward requires sustained commitment to diplomatic solutions and unwavering adherence to intentional humanitarian law,” echoed Somalia’s delegate.  His counterpart from Sierra Leone urged negotiators and intermediators to approach ceasefire discussions objectively, mindful of the contextual underpinnings of this conflict. “We call on all parties to negotiate in good faith in the US-led talks, taking into consideration the legitimate concerns involving both parties,” she said.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: US, Ghana host African Land Forces Summit in Accra

    Source: United States Army

    1 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army senior leaders salute the flag of Ghana during the opening ceremony of the African Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025 in Accra, Ghana, April 7, 2025. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Aaliyah Craven) (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Aaliyah Craven) VIEW ORIGINAL
    2 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Virginia Palmer, U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, greets Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Defense Minister of Ghana, before the opening ceremony of the Africa Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025 in Accra, Ghana, April 7, 2025. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (U.S. Army photo by Katherine Sibilla) (Photo Credit: 1st Lt. Katherine Sibilla) VIEW ORIGINAL
    3 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Andrew Gainey, commanding general, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), speaks at the opening ceremony of the African Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025 in Accra, Ghana, April 7, 2025. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Aaliyah Craven) (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Aaliyah Craven) VIEW ORIGINAL
    4 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – More than 40 African Land Force Commanders attended the African Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025 opening ceremony in Accra, Ghana, April 7, 2025. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (Photo Credit: U.S Army photo by Joseph Essandor) VIEW ORIGINAL
    5 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Military leaders from various African countries and the United States converse before the Africa Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025 opening ceremony in Accra, Ghana, April 7, 2025. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (Photo Credit: U.S Army photo by Joseph Essandor) VIEW ORIGINAL
    6 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The Ghana Armed Forces Band performs for military leaders during the Africa Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025 opening ceremony in Accra, Ghana, April 7, 2025. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (Photo Credit: U.S Army photo by Joseph Essandor)
    1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Andrew Gainey, commanding general, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF)greets Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Defense Minister of Ghana, before the opening ceremony of the Africa Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025 in Accra, Ghana, April 7, 2025. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Edem Seshie)
    2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Land force commanders rise to receive the official party during the opening ceremony of the Africa Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025 in Accra, Ghana, April 7, 2025. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Edem Seshie)
    U.S. Army Soldiers salute during the Africa Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025 opening ceremony in Accra, Ghana, April 7, 2025. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Edem Seshie)
    Soldiers from various African countries salute during the Africa Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025 opening ceremony of in Accra, Ghana, April 7, 2025. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Edem Seshie) VIEW ORIGINAL

    ALFS brings together leaders from Africa, Europe and North America to exchange ideas and develop solutions to some of Africa’s most pressing transnational issues. ALFS 2025 intends to build upon previous summits by fostering communication, cooperation and planning among partner nations.

    “Our agenda for the next few days is ambitious,” said Ambassador Virginia Palmer, the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Ghana. “We are here to optimize our land forces’ capability, to foster interoperability, and to build the crisis response capacities needed to support security and stability.”

    In addition to plenary sessions and small-group discussions, summit attendees will experience Ghanaian culture and view a military demonstration by the Ghana Armed Forces.

    About SETAF-AF

    As the U.S. Army’s operational headquarters in Africa, SETAF-AF builds readiness and operational capability with partners and allies, fosters regional security and stability, and strengthens the U.S. Army’s ability to respond to crises and contingencies in support of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, as well as U.S. Africa Command.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Capetonians enjoy a Perfect Blend of Music and Technology at Galaxy KDay

    Source: Samsung

    Galaxy KDay made an extraordinary return on Saturday, 5 April 2025, setting the stage for a sensational celebration of music, technology, and lifestyle at the iconic Meerendal Wine Estate in Cape Town. A highly anticipated event on the entertainment calendar, Galaxy KDAY was a spectacular fusion of high-energy performances, cutting-edge technology, and vibrant cultural experiences, making it the ultimate destination for fans and tech enthusiasts alike.
     
    As per tradition, the event was powered by the collaboration between Samsung and Kfm 94.5, uniting two industry leaders to offer a seamless blend of music and technology. The partnership aimed to create a fully immersive experience, where attendees could enjoy world-class performances while engaging with innovative Samsung mobile technology.
     

     
    Samsung showcased the Galaxy S25 Series, offering concert-goers an exclusive opportunity to experience the latest in AI-powered features that make it a true AI companion. These groundbreaking features, including its advanced Nightography capabilities powered by the new 50MP Ultra-wide camera, enhanced the concert videography experience, enabling fans to capture stunning, high-quality videos even in low-light environments and at more ranges and angles – a true game-changer for concert lovers. Plus, with up to 31 hours of video playback, users can enjoy extended entertainment without worrying about battery life, ensuring they never miss a moment of the action.
     
    The festival brought together some of South Africa’s most celebrated artists, including the iconic Nasty C, the legendary DJ Kent, the dynamic Youngsta CPT, the ever-popular Mi Casa, and more, delivering unforgettable live performances that resonated deeply with the crowd. The line-up of diverse talent celebrated the rich cultural tapestry of South Africa, offering a unique experience that transcended music.
     

     
    “Galaxy KDay represents more than just a concert; it’s a celebration of creativity, culture, and cutting-edge technology. Our partnership with Kfm 94.5 allows us to create an event that pushes boundaries and brings people together to experience the best of both worlds – live music and the latest in mobile tech innovation,” said Kgomotso Mannya, Head of Marketing for Mobile eXperience at Samsung Electronics South Africa.
     
    The cultural vibrancy of Galaxy KDay was evident in every aspect of the event, from the awesome music to the good food and interactive experiences that showcased South Africa’s diverse heritage. The fusion of these elements resulted in an immersive atmosphere, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the day for everyone in attendance.
     
    With an impressive line-up, innovative technology, and a sense of cultural unity, Galaxy KDay 2025 has once again delivered on its promise of premium entertainment and undoubtedly set a new standard for music and tech festivals in South Africa.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CCI approves proposed acquisition of shares of Shriram Asset Management Company Limited by Sanlam Emerging Market (Mauritius) Limited and Shriram Credit Company Limited

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 08 APR 2025 8:05PM by PIB Delhi

    The Competition Commission of India has approved the proposed acquisition of shares of Shriram Asset Management Company Limited by Sanlam Emerging Market (Mauritius) Limited and Shriram Credit Company Limited.

    The proposed combination relates to subscription of equity shares of Shriram Asset Management Company Limited (SAMC) constituting 23% of the expanded voting share capital of SAMC by Sanlam Emerging Market (Mauritius) Limited (SEMM) by way of preferential allotment and further acquisition of up to 26% shareholding of SAMC from the public, as required under Section 3 of Securities and Exchange Board of India (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeover) Regulation, 2011, by way of an open offer to be made by SEMM along with Shriram Credit Company Limited (SCCL).

    SEMM, incorporated in Mauritius, belongs to Sanlam Group, South Africa. SEMM is the existing strategic partner of Shriram Group. It holds 40.70% stake in Shriram Capital Private Limited, which is the ultimate holding company of SAMC.

    SCCL, also a part of Shriram Group, is the subsidiary of Shriram Investment Holdings Private Limited and is presently the promoter and sponsor of SAMC.

    SAMC is also a part of Shriram Group and is engaged in the asset management business and registered with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). SAMC has also obtained license for portfolio management services (PMS) from SEBI, though SAMC has not started PMS business as on date. 

    Detailed order of the Commission will follow.

     

    *****

    NB/AD

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Inaugurates ₹67.7 Cr Projects in IMU Campuses; Lays Foundation for Girls’ Hostel at Kochi

    Source: Government of India

    Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Inaugurates ₹67.7 Cr Projects in IMU Campuses; Lays Foundation for Girls’ Hostel at Kochi

    “India Aims for 5 Lakh Seafarers by 2030, laying the anchor for India’s Pursuance to be Top Global Maritime Nation”: Sarbananda Sonowal

    “Nari Shakti and Yuva Shakti to Propel India Towards Viksit Bharat:” Sarbananda Sonowal

    Posted On: 08 APR 2025 8:39PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) Shri Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated 26 projects worth ₹67.77 crore across six Indian Maritime University (IMU) campuses nationwide, marking a significant push toward strengthening maritime education and empowering women in the sector. The ceremony also included the foundation stone laying for a Girls’ Hostel-cum=Library building at IMU’s Kochi campus.

    Calling the event a “very special occasion,” the Union Minister said it reflected the Government’s collective commitment to transform maritime education. “The maritime sector is the backbone of global trade and economic growth. Under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, India is making rapid strides to emerge as a global maritime powerhouse. These 17 projects mark a significant step in our mission to strengthen India’s maritime education landscape. With modern infrastructure and advanced facilities, we are enabling students to excel and meet global maritime standards,” Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said.

    Shri Sonowal inaugurated 17 key infrastructure projects across IMU campuses in Chennai, Kolkata, Navi Mumbai, Mumbai Port, and Visakhapatnam, including advanced simulators, solar power plants, improved sports facilities, and hostel upgrades—aimed at enriching academic and campus life. The ₹13.11 crore Girls’ Hostel at IMU Kochi will enhance residential facilities for female students, reinforcing Government’s commitment to gender inclusion in maritime education.

    Shri Sarbananda Sonowal highlighted flagship initiatives like the Maritime India Vision 2030, the Sagarmala Programme, and the ‘Maritime Amritkaal Vision 2047’, describing them as central to modernising ports and developing sustainable infrastructure. He pointed out that between 2014-15 and 2023-24, India’s major ports doubled their cargo-handling capacity.

    Highlighting India’s Maritime sector’s growth, the Union Minister said, “Nine Indian ports are now ranked among the top 100 globally”.  He also emphasised the rise in maritime employment, stating that the number of Indian seafarers increased by 170% in the past decade — from 1.17 lakh in 2014 to over 3.17 lakh in 2024. “Our target is to reach five lakh active seafarers by 2030, and we are firmly on that path,” Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said.

    The Union Minister further hailed the progress made in women’s participation in maritime careers, noting a 700% increase in women seafarers—from 1,699 in 2014 to 13,756 in 2024. “This foundation stone for the Girls’ Hostel at IMU Kochi is a step forward in promoting gender equity in the maritime sector.  ‘Nari Shakti’ and ‘Yuva Shakti’ are the backbone of our nation as well as for our aspiration to become a global maritime major. Their active role as nation builders will propel our country to become ‘Viksit Bharat’,” Shri Sonowal said, adding that the IMU actively supports women students through scholarships offered by corporate houses and government agencies.

    The Indian Maritime University (IMU) also received praise from the Minister for expanding its footprint and contributions to workforce development. “With a current enrolment of 7,156 students and over 21,000 alumni since its inception in 2008, IMU has seen an 80% rise in admissions over the past decade. With our rich talent pool, our endeavour to become a global maritime nation is going to be a reality soon. This is very inspiring towards realisation of Atmanirbhar Bharat — the vision of PM Narendra Modi ji,” the Union Minister said.

    Among the newly inaugurated projects are flood mitigation structures, RFID-enabled libraries, solar power installations, and simulators at multiple campuses. These upgrades aim to provide students with a holistic, environmentally sustainable, and technologically advanced learning environment. “The future of global shipping lies in automation, Artificial Intelligence, and green technologies. IMU must incorporate these innovations into its curriculum to prepare our youth for a rapidly evolving industry,” suggested Shri Sonowal, during the event at IMU. He further urged IMU to integrate emerging domains such as shipbuilding, ship recycling, inland water transport, and advanced sailing technologies like hydrofoils into its training programmes. “We want a dedicated, professional human resource base to drive India’s maritime ecosystem forward. IMU must lead this transformation,” he added.

    The Union Minister also commended the faculty and staff of IMU for their unwavering commitment. “Your efforts are invaluable in shaping the future of India’s maritime sector and ensuring we remain at the forefront of global maritime education,” the Union Minister said. In a message to students, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said, “You are the future of India’s maritime vision. The knowledge and skills you gain here will not only shape your careers but also contribute to the growth and prosperity of the nation. With the guidance and experience of our educators, combined with the passion and dedication of our youth, India, under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, is on course to become a leading global maritime power by 2030,” said Sarbananda Sonowal.

    Expressing hope that the newly inaugurated infrastructure would catalyse further excellence in training, research, and industry collaboration, the Union Minister concluded, saying, “this is just the beginning, may this milestone lead to many more achievements for India’s maritime sector”.

    The ceremony was graced by the presence of several dignitaries, including Hibi Eden, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) from Ernakulam, and Dr. Malini V. Shankar, Vice Chancellor of the Indian Maritime University (IMU). The event concluded with an engaging interactive session that brought together experts, faculty, and policymakers to explore the future of maritime education, innovations in seafarer training, and the development of sustainable infrastructure across IMU campuses.

    ***

    GDH/HR

    (Release ID: 2120209) Visitor Counter : 47

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: World Liquid Gas Association Joins Invest in African Energy (IAE) 2025, Driving Africa’s Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Market Growth

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

    PARIS, France, April 8, 2025/APO Group/ —

    Michael Kelly, Chief Advocacy Officer, World Liquid Gas Association (WLGA) will speak at the Invest in African Energy (IAE) 2025 Forum in Paris next month. As a key leader in global energy advocacy, Kelly’s participation will provide valuable insights into the growing role of liquid gas in the global energy transition, particularly within the African context.

    The WLGA is dedicated to promoting the use of liquid gas as a cleaner alternative to conventional fuels, advocating for policy reforms that support the global expansion of this energy source. In Africa, the association’s efforts focus on helping governments and businesses explore liquid gas solutions as part of the broader energy mix, driving both energy access and economic development across the continent. In December 2024, the WLGA launched a new roadmap aimed at expanding access to clean cooking solutions across Africa, specifically through increased availability and uptake of LPG. This comprehensive roadmap not only emphasizes the establishment of a clear regulatory framework to scale the LPG market, but also calls for the implementation of consumer financing and payment plans to address economic barriers and highlights the need for investment in infrastructure and roads.

    IAE 2025 (Invest-Africa-Energy.com) is an exclusive forum designed to facilitate investment between African energy markets and global investors. Taking place May 13-14, 2025 in Paris, the event offers delegates two days of intensive engagement with industry experts, project developers, investors and policymakers. For more information, please visit www.Invest-Africa-Energy.com. To sponsor or participate as a delegate, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com.

    Africa’s LPG sector is experiencing significant growth, with several large-scale projects focused on expanding production, storage and distribution capabilities. Last month, Nigeria commissioned its first modular LPG extraction plant and a 20 MW gas-to-power project, both of which are set to boost domestic gas utilization and enhance energy access. Sahara Group is developing a 12,000-ton LPG storage facility in Ivory Coast, which will increase the country’s LPG storage capacity by 60% and significantly improve imports and distribution for neighboring countries in the region. The company is also in talks with Kenya to construct a 30,000-ton facility for handling and storing LPG.

    Meanwhile, Petredec and South Africa’s state-owned Transnet announced a rail freight project in September 2024, featuring a dedicated train system and a modern LPG intermodal hub and storage facility. This hub will receive bulk LPG via rail, introducing the country’s first scheduled LPG train system. Other high-profile projects include the Dangote Refinery in Nigeria, a $20 billion initiative designed to meet the country’s fuel demands while reducing dependency on imports and introducing LPG into the Nigerian market. These projects reflect Africa’s growing commitment to leveraging its natural gas resources to enhance energy infrastructure, drive economic development and improve access to cleaner, more affordable energy across the continent.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: UBC’s new biomedical engineering building will advance health, biotech

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    From the University of British Columbia:
    https://news.ubc.ca/2025/04/ubc-opens-gordon-b-shrum-biomedical-engineering-building/

    On April 8, 2025, the University of British Columbia officially opened the doors to the Gordon B. Shrum Building, the new home for the School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME). As Canada’s first purpose-built facility for biomedical engineering, the new building brings together researchers, students, and industry partners under one roof to advance biomedical research, education, and innovation.

    The five-storey, 158,000-square-foot facility includes specialized labs, collaborative research spaces, and teaching facilities to support biomedical engineering and life-sciences innovation. Researchers will use the space to develop new medical devices, artificial intelligence-driven diagnostics, and lifesaving treatments. Meanwhile, students will gain hands-on training experience to prepare them for careers in B.C.’s rapidly growing life sciences sector.

    The $139.4-million project was funded through $25 million from the Government of B.C., $114.4 million from UBC, and more than $30 million in philanthropic support for SBME from donors, including the Gordon B. Shrum Charitable Fund, the Conconi Family Foundation, United Therapeutics Corporation, Dr. Jim McEwen, and Paul and Nicole Geyer.

    The building is named in honour of the philanthropic legacy of Gordon B. Shrum, who graduated from UBC in 1958. Shrum, who passed away in 2018, supported novel approaches to addressing community needs. He left nearly all of his estate to charity, leading to gifts with transformational impact on health care, the environment, education, and social justice.

    “We are grateful to the Government of British Columbia and our generous donors for helping make this building a reality,” said Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon, UBC’s president and vice-chancellor. “B.C.’s life sciences sector has emerged as a global leader, and the Gordon B. Shrum Building will play a central role in supporting critical research and the next generation of biomedical engineers who will fuel the sector’s continued growth and bring innovative health solutions to Canadians.”

    Anne Kang, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, said: “This is much more than a building. This is an important milestone in medical innovation and reflects our government’s commitment to improving health care in our province. I am excited for students and the future workers of our medical technology sector to use these state-of-the-art spaces to develop and design the groundbreaking treatment therapies and life-changing medical devices that will improve health outcomes for all British Columbians.”

    Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure, said: “This world-class facility will play a crucial role in shaping the future of biomedical engineering. We’re making record investments like these that drive innovation, support industry and create important jobs right here in British Columbia.”

    Designed by Canadian architecture firm Patkau Architects, the building provides a dedicated home for SBME, replacing its previously scattered locations across UBC’s Vancouver campus.

    “The School of Biomedical Engineering has been transforming health care through cutting-edge research, education, and partnerships since it was established in 2017,” said SBME Director Dr. Peter Zandstra. “This state-of-the-art facility allows us to take our work to the next level—creating an environment where our faculty and partners can collaborate seamlessly and create transformative new health technologies.”

    Complementing forward-looking architecture and collision spaces, the building’s visual centerpiece is a four-storey mural by biomedical artist Jen Ma.  The artwork represents the multiscale nature of SBME’s research, illustrating how biology, medicine, and engineering intersect—from molecular to cellular to systems levels—to advance human health.

    The new facility includes:

    • biomechanics labs that have robots and machinery for crash-testing research to study how head, spine, and hip injuries happen. This research, led by Dr. Peter Cripton, will help develop new ways to prevent serious trauma from falls, sports, and vehicle accidents;
    • the Conconi Family Biodevice Foundry, a first-of-its-kind in Western Canada, made possible by a donation from the Conconi Family Foundation, which provides tools for designing and testing medical devices. Here, Dr. Govind Kaigala and his team are developing lab-on-a-chip devices, miniature medical tools that allow researchers and doctors to detect and diagnose diseases faster;
    • state-of-the-art digital labs where researchers are using the power of artificial intelligence to improve diagnostic accuracy to enhance treatment outcomes. Here, Dr. Ali Bashashati is advancing AI in medical imaging to improve cancer diagnoses, helping doctors detect diseases earlier and with a greater degree of accuracy;
    • wet labs with specialized equipment and advanced microscopes provided by industry partnerships, where researchers like Dr. Nika Shakiba are working in stem-cell engineering to better understand diseases like cancer and diabetes, potentially leading to new cell-based therapies for these conditions;
    • the Jim McEwen Zone for Innovators, Creators, and Entrepreneurs — supported by UBC double alum Dr. Jim McEwen — a space equipped with 3D printers, prototyping tools, and electronic testing equipment, where students and researchers can prototype and develop new medical technologies.

    Philanthropic support is also enabling SBME to recruit research expertise through the Sir Magdi Yacoub Professorship in Tissue Regeneration, made possible by a donation from the United Therapeutics Corporation. This position will drive collaborative research, education, and training in cell differentiation and tissue regeneration, with the goal of making transplantable organs and organ alternatives accessible to everyone who needs them.

    With the opening of the Gordon B. Shrum Building, UBC is growing its impact in B.C.’s life sciences sector — making room for up to 10 new UBC spin-off ventures each year through SBME Innovates at the Biomedical Research Centre. SBME has already secured $10.2 million in partnership funding and helped launch several biomedical start-ups, including ScopeSys and SeraGene.

    “By fusing the fields of medicine, biology and engineering, SBME is bringing new perspectives and a solutions-focused mindset to some of society’s greatest medical challenges,” said Dr. Dermot Kelleher, Vice-President of Health and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. “This new facility will elevate B.C.’s biotech sector to new heights, shaping the talent, research, intellectual property and partnerships needed to translate discoveries into lifesaving medicines.”

    Dr. James Olson, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science, said: “This building is more than just a space for education and research — it’s an engine for innovation that will drive life-altering solutions. By providing cutting-edge facilities and fostering deep industry partnerships, we are empowering our SBME community to bring new health technologies from concept to reality, creating a healthier and more equitable future for all.”

    For Sogand Golshahian, a fourth-year biomedical engineering student specializing in cellular bioengineering and bioinformatics, the new facility represents new opportunities to bridge classroom learning with hands-on experience in biomedical innovation.

    Through SBME’s co-op and research opportunities, Golshahian has been able to apply her skills to real-world projects, from machine learning applications in neuroscience to designing a muscle spasm detection system for intensive care patients in Tanzania.

    “Biomedical engineering offers a unique blend of creativity, innovation, and impact in health care,” she said. “This new facility will provide students with even more opportunities to work at the forefront of medical technology and collaborate with researchers and industry partners to solve global health challenges.”

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Tenney Commends the Arrest of 133 Illegal Aliens in Upstate New York

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22)

    Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today commended the efforts of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and federal law enforcement partners in apprehending 133 illegal aliens across Western, Central, and Northern New York. 

    “President Trump and Border Czar Homan are prioritizing getting the worst of the worst out of our country, and that includes some of the illegal immigrants apprehended in the recent ICE operation in Upstate New York. Under the Biden administration, CBP and ICE were unable to carry out their mission as Sanctuary City Governors and Mayors illegally allowed dangerous criminals to roam free throughout our towns and cities. Now, under President Trump’s America First Agenda, these law enforcement officers are able to perform their critical national security mission, working diligently to make our country safer each and every day. Thank you to the courageous law enforcement officers for your dedication to public safety, and thank you to President Trump for upholding your commitment to getting these illegal immigrants out of our country,” said Congresswoman Tenney.  

    The criminals arrested during this operation include:

    • A 49-year-old illegal alien from Trinidad and Tobago convicted of murder.
    • A 66-year-old illegal alien from the Dominican Republic convicted of course of sexual conduct with a child.
    • A 32-year-old illegal alien from El Salvador convicted of murder and gang assault.
    • A 70-year-old illegal alien from the Dominican Republic convicted of manslaughter and criminal sale of controlled substance.
    • A 50-year-old illegal alien from China convicted of assault.
    • A 42-year-old illegal alien from Mexico convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
    • A 24-year-old illegal alien from Ecuador with several convictions for DWI.
    • A 43-year-old H-2A visa holder from South Africa charged with distribution and possession of child pornography.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Minister Ms Maropene Ramokgopa, is hosting the Minister of State , Ms Mamaka Bility, on a study tour

    Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements-2)

    Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Ms Maropene Ramokgopa, is hosting the Minister of State without Portfolio in the Presidency of the Republic of Liberia, Ms Mamaka Bility, on a study tour to South Africa.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEq7AhTj3hk

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Students Complete Work on 2024-25 Post-Secondary Student Council

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on April 8, 2025

    The 2024-25 Saskatchewan Post-Secondary Student Council has successfully completed its second year, with 24 students providing insights on financing post-secondary education, enhancing student success and improving specific ministry tools.

    “The student council is an important resource for government to hear directly from current post-secondary students on their experiences studying in Saskatchewan,” Advanced Education Minister Ken Cheveldayoff said. “I had the pleasure of meeting several of this year’s council members and I am impressed by their aspirations and passion for post-secondary education.” 

    The council met four times over the 2024-25 academic year, sharing feedback and insights on a variety of higher education topics with government officials. Council members attend a wide range of post-secondary institutions across the province and represent diverse backgrounds and interests. 

    “Serving on Saskatchewan’s Post-Secondary Student Council was both an honour and a privilege,” Campion College Council Member and Student Maliha Jabeen Khan said. “Engaging with students from diverse backgrounds, collaborating with ministry leaders and contributing to discussions that play a role in shaping the future of education was an unforgettable experience. It reinforced the power of student voices in driving meaningful change.”

    Key learnings from the 2024-25 council meetings are used to inform the Ministry of Advanced Education’s work. Feedback from students is also shared with post-secondary institutions and sector partners. 

    “Being part of the Post-Secondary Student Council provided me with the opportunity to share my ideas and suggestions on current student struggles in hopes to assist in creating a positive experience for future students,” Saskatchewan Polytechnic Council Member and Student Trynda Wilderman said. “Additionally, I was able to build meaningful connections with other students and hear about their experiences while in school.”

    Nominations for the 2025-26 council will open in September 2025. Students interested in joining the council in the future can email AEStudentCouncil@gov.sk.ca to be directed to the correct contact at their post-secondary institution. 

    For more information on the Saskatchewan Post-Secondary Student Council, visit: www.saskatchewan.ca/student-council.

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The ‘morning shed’: a brief history of the sometimes dangerous lengths women have gone to to look beautiful

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Louise N Hanson, PhD in Social and Developmental psychology, Durham University

    An advert for the tape worm pills.

    In TikTok’s latest viral beauty trend “the morning shed,” beauty influencers “shed” hair and skin products that have been worn overnight. These include hair styling items, skin masks and creams, and physical products such as chin straps and mouth tape, which are intended to help with breathing through the night and keep away the drooping of the jaw that happens with age.

    While this trend has come under fire for alleged unsustainability and over-consumerism, it is only the latest beauty fad in a long line of time and money consuming “hacks” that women have been undertaking for centuries. From tapeworms to tuberculosis, women have taken part in a laundry list of beauty hacks in order to meet appearance ideals, many of which have been dangerous, painful and even deadly.

    As far back as the ancient Egyptians, women ground up toxic substances to make eyeliner and eye shadow. These were dangerous when inhaled as a powder (such as during the grinding process) and could cause irritation of the skin when applied. And yet somehow, heavy metal poisoning is among the least dangerous of these historic beauty trends.

    Ready to make a change? The Quarter Life Glow-up is a new, six-week newsletter course from The Conversation’s UK and Canada editions. Every week, we’ll bring you research-backed advice and tools to help improve your relationships, your career, your free time and your mental health – no supplements or skincare required. Sign up here to start your glow-up at any time.

    In China, foot binding is an example of a painful and life altering treatment first recorded around the 10th century. The feet were usually bound before the arch of the foot had developed (aged four to nine).

    The process involved forcefully curling the toes towards the sole of the foot until the arch broke then the foot would be tightly bandaged to keep it in this position. Small feel were coveted at the time. Thankfully, this practice was banned in the early 1900s after almost 200 years of opposition from both Chinese and western sources.

    A Chinese woman with bound feet.
    Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

    In Europe, the Renaissance period saw a new wave of beauty hacks, from arsenic baths (which bleach the skin to a near translucent white) to Belladonna drops (literal poison) used on the eyes to induce an aroused or watery-eyed look. Many women who used these tactics ended up poisoned or blind.

    During the reign of Elizabeth I, the “English rose” look was all the rage. Women would blood let for a perfectly pale pallor, or paint their faces with “Venetian ceruse” or “Venetian white” – otherwise known as lead paint. The use of Venetian ceruse is one of the suspected causes of death of Elizabeth I.

    In the Victorian era and early 1900s, women often engaged in dangerous practices to achieve the coveted pale skin, red lip and small waist that was the height of fashion. This aesthetic could be achieved by contracting tuberculosis (a lung infection that was often fatal), taking tapeworm pills, consuming mercury to look forever young, or chewing arsenic wafers to make skin pale.

    My own research has shown that sociocultural pressures to look a certain way are experienced differently across the world. I found that white western women experience some of the highest appearance pressures, followed by east Asian women. Although these decline a little with age for white western women, they persist in Asian women and never reach the lower levels seen elsewhere. I found the lowest levels of sociocultural pressure and the highest levels of body appreciation in Nigeria.

    As the “morning shed” proves, women still go to great lengths to meet culturally shaped standards, particularly under conditions of higher economic inequality – something that is getting worse in many countries. For example, in the United States, cities which have higher economic inequality see higher spend on beauty products and services, such as beauty salons or women’s clothing.

    With the advent of social media, especially short-form content like TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts, the speed at which beauty trends rise and fall has been expedited and globalised. These trends range from the painful lip suction women undertook to get big lips like the celebrity Kylie Jenner, to the normalisation of botox and fillers, to laser hair removal of every unwanted follicle.

    The “morning shed” is just the latest evolution in skin care trends, which started as health-focused, with an emphasis on sun protection and moisturisation. It has since morphed into a study in over-consumption and over-commitment of time and money in the pursuit of staying ever youthful.

    Louise N Hanson 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. The ‘morning shed’: a brief history of the sometimes dangerous lengths women have gone to to look beautiful – https://theconversation.com/the-morning-shed-a-brief-history-of-the-sometimes-dangerous-lengths-women-have-gone-to-to-look-beautiful-253921

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Inaction from Brussels over the arrest of an opposition leader in Turkey may be a strategic mistake

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Seda Gurkan, Assistant Professor in European Studies and International Relations, Institute of Security and Global Affairs, Leiden University

    The European Union faces a pressing problem as it decides how to handle another major slide towards autocracy in Turkey. So far, the signs are not good.

    Over the past decade, core democratic institutions have been systematically eroded in Turkey, under the rule of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has been in power since 2003. Media freedom, independent judiciary and civil society have all been targeted. A major turning point came in 2016, when Turkey abandoned its parliamentary democracy in favour of a hyper-centralised presidential system. Since then, the national parliament has been marginalised and nearly all checks on executive power have been eroded.

    While elections in Turkey have not been fair for many years, they were at least free. According to the international observers, elections were not fair as President Erdoğan and the ruling parties enjoyed “unjustified advantage”. However, elections still could offer voters a “choice between genuine political alternatives” – providing citizens with a sliver of hope for democratic change.

    That era may have ended on March 19, with the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, Istanbul’s mayor. İmamoğlu was on the cusp of being made the opposition’s presidential candidate and was widely seen as Erdoğan’s main electoral rival. He now looks unlikely to be able to stand for president. This is not just a blow to the opposition but potentially indicates the end of free elections in Turkey according to some observers.

    All this has been happening in the EU’s immediate neighbourhood. Indeed, it has been happening in a country that remains, at least nominally, a candidate for EU membership. Yet Brussels has largely remained silent. This silence may prove a strategic mistake.

    Why is the EU silent?

    The EU’s reaction to İmamoğlu’s arrest has been, at best, cautious. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, issued a carefully worded expression of “deep concern”. The spokesperson for the EU echoed a familiar refrain, saying that as a candidate country, Turkey must “uphold democratic values”.

    In their joint statement Kaja Kallas, high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy, and Oliver Várhelyi, commissioner for enlargement, struck a similarly cautious tone. They said Turkey is “expected to apply the highest democratic standards and practices”.

    Only the European parliament, long considered the flagbearer of the EU’s values, adopted a more direct stance. Several political groups openly criticised Turkey during the plenary session on April 1. A delegation led by the European parliament first vice-president Katarina Barley visited İmamoğlu in a symbolic gesture of support.

    But these expressions of concern and acts of solidarity with İmamoğlu have not been matched by any credible action or condemnation potent enough to have a deterrent effect on the Turkish government. As many observers have noted, the EU’s strategic interests have increasingly overshadowed its commitment to democratic principles.

    It is no secret that the EU has never had a coherent strategic vision on Turkey. In a prime example of the transactional nature of the relationship, the EU outsourced refugee challenge to Turkey in 2016 in exchange for financial aid to Ankara. It was a deal driven not by long-term goals but short-term pragmatism.

    Today, in an era of growing geopolitical instability, Turkey has only become a more critical partner for the EU. Ankara commands the second-largest army in Nato, boasts a rapidly advancing defence industry, and has ample experience in peacekeeping and out-of-area operations. These are all increasingly valuable as the US, under Donald Trump, retreats from European security.

    Turkey has also become a key player in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. With strong political and economic ties to the new leadership in Damascus, Turkey started to play a central role in Syria’s reconstruction, as well as in its energy and defence sectors. Working toward the stabilisation and reconstruction of Syria is a shared interest for both Brussels and Ankara. For both sides, potential collapse of Syria involves major security concerns, including further refugee inflows to Turkey, and via Turkey to Europe, the proliferation of armed groups, jihadist terror and the spillover of regional instability.

    And while the containment of Kurdish groups in Syria is a priority for Ankara, the control of ISIS militants in detention in Northern Syria is a priority for the EU. Brussels has recognised Turkey’s “essential role to play in stabilising the region”, adding to the growing list of areas of common interest.

    Add in the fear of destabilisation in the EU’s immediate neighbourhood, and it becomes clearer why Brussels might prefer “stability” under Erdoğan over the uncertainty of post-Erdoğan period.

    The wrong strategy

    But failing to stand up to Turkey now is a mistake – and one with long-term consequences. The EU should care about what is happening in Turkey, not just for the sake of Turkish democracy, but for its own security. How it responds has implications for the credibility of the European project itself.

    Seeking closer security and defence cooperation with Turkey, in the absence of a shared understanding of fundamental values between Ankara and Brussels, is not realistic. As Hungary’s stance toward Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has shown, if there is no agreement on core values, aligning strategic interests becomes increasingly difficult. Turkey is a self-confident and assertive regional power, and it will not hesitate to follow a foreign policy that could ideologically diverge from that of the EU.

    Turkey’s recent foreign policy decisions illustrate this perfectly. Its actions in the eastern Mediterranean, northern Syria before Assad’s fall, Libya and the Caucasus demonstrate its readiness to pursue a more assertive path without consulting western partners. A prime example of this was Turkey’s decision to purchase S-400 missile defence systems from Russia, which created interoperability problems with Nato allies.

    Moreover, autocratic ideas tend to be contagious. When a country follows a more illiberal trajectory, it affects its wider neighbourhood. Turning a blind eye to Turkey’s authoritarian turn while cooperating on security and defence matters risks legitimising Erdoğan’s governance model. This could further strengthen the illiberal axis in the region.

    Finally, the EU risks alienating democrats and younger generations in Turkey. Despite the ups and downs in EU-Turkey relations, Turkish citizens have consistently shown strong support for the EU. Maintaining this momentum is not just an ethical responsibility or a matter of credibility for the EU – it is also a long-term investment in building a more democratic, trustworthy and stable neighbour.

    Seda Gurkan 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. Inaction from Brussels over the arrest of an opposition leader in Turkey may be a strategic mistake – https://theconversation.com/inaction-from-brussels-over-the-arrest-of-an-opposition-leader-in-turkey-may-be-a-strategic-mistake-253982

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: UConn Health Board of Directors Honor the Success of World-Renowned Neurosurgeon Dr. Ketan Bulsara

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Ketan Bulsara, MD, MBA, the inaugural chair of the newly established Department of Neurosurgery at the UConn School of Medicine, has been selected as the recipient of the prestigious 2025 UConn Health Board of Directors Faculty Recognition Award. He will be formally honored during UConn Health’s 54th Commencement ceremony on May 12.

    A world-renowned figure in neurosurgery, Bulsara possesses elite expertise across an extraordinary spectrum of neurological surgical interventions. Having trained under pioneers of neurosurgery, he has contributed to both national and international guidelines and clinical standards. He is one of the initial neurosurgeons worldwide to have completed dual fellowship training in both skull base/cerebrovascular microsurgery and endovascular neurosurgery, a testament to his continued desire to advance his field.

    “It is my pleasure to celebrate and congratulate Dr. Ketan Bulsara on being prestigiously selected as the 2025 Board of Directors Faculty Recognition Award recipient,” said Dr. Bruce T. Liang, dean of the UConn School of Medicine. “His strong leadership, innovative clinical care, impactful research, excellence in teaching, and devoted service to the people of Connecticut have taken neurosurgery in our state and at UConn to new heights.”

    Dr. Ketan Bulsara in a surgical procedure in UConn Health’s high-tech hybrid operating room. (Kristin Wallace/UConn Health Photo)

    Bulsara joined UConn Health in 2017 from Yale as chief of the then Division of Neurosurgery. Since then, he has worked tirelessly to advance neurosurgery’s clinical, research, and educational initiatives.

    He conceptualized the newly created Brain and Spine Institute at UConn Health and partnered with the chairs of Neurology, Radiology, and Orthopedic Surgery. Since his arrival to UConn Health in 2017, Neurosurgery has seen unprecedented clinical growth.  In addition to that, he led the establishment of a neurosurgery residency program which is among only 2% of these elite training programs nationwide. During his UConn tenure, the medical school has successfully matched more medical students into neurosurgery residencies than in any of the previous decades combined. He also established a successful research collaboration with Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine.

    “I am humbled and grateful to receive this award.  UConn Health is a very special place where the faculty, staff, and leadership are committed to providing care second to none while also training the next generation of physicians and transforming healthcare for the future.  I am grateful to be a part of this exceptional organization,” says Bulsara. “I sincerely thank the UConn Health Board of Directors for this special honor.”

    Bulsara has published three books and more than 220 peer-reviewed articles in some of the world’s highest cited journals. His many scientific contributions include identifying the first proteins that lead to successful regeneration in the spinal cord and work on brain and spinal cord arteriovenous malformations establishing that these are not always congenital lesions.  He was inducted into Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society; elected the 43rd chair of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons Joint Section of Cerebrovascular Surgery; and elected to the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons (distinction given to top 1% of academic neurosurgeons), and the Society of Neurological Surgeons (top 1% of neurosurgeon educators). He is only one of 100 advisors in the U.S. to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee.

    Dr. Ketan Bulsara lecturing in the Academic Rotunda at UConn Health (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo).

    Born in India, Bulsara grew up in Central Africa (Zambia) and immigrated to the United States in 1983. He attended Duke Medical School, where at graduation, he was unanimously awarded the “Ideal Physician Award” by his classmates.  He completed his Neurosurgery Residency at Duke University Medical Center during which time he also did an enfolded fellowship in complex upper cervical spine disorder management at the University of Iowa.  Following graduation from residency, Bulsara did further fellowship training at the University of Arkansas whose faculty included the individual designated by organized neurosurgery as the father of microneurosurgery and Neurosurgery’s Man of the Century. Bulsara subsequently returned to Duke to train in endovascular neurosurgery, making him at the time among just a handful of neurosurgeons in the world with this dual training.  In 2017, he completed his MBA at the Yale School of Management prior to joining UConn Health.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Tutankhamun: plain-looking mud trays in pharaoh’s tomb have been key part of complex afterlife rituals

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Claire Isabella Gilmour, PhD Candidate, Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Bristol

    Tutankhamun’s gold burial mask and one of the plain clay trays. Roland Unger/Canva, CC BY

    More than 100 years after the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings, new interpretations of the burial are still emerging. A recent article published in the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology proposes that a set of seemingly plain, functional objects are in fact a key part of the complex rituals which would ensure the transformation and regeneration of the young king in the afterlife.

    Tutankhamun inherited a throne tainted by the shifts in religious and political practices implemented by his father, Akhenaten. His reign had been hallmarked by the move from the capital city of Thebes to a new city, Akhetaten (“the horizon of the Aten”).

    Under Akhenaten, the solar deity Aten was elevated above all others, including the principal state god Amun. This resulted in the king being the sole high priest and beneficiary (along with his family) of the Aten. The resulting disconnection between state and religion severely reduced the power and influence of priests and members of the royal court. But on Akhenaten’s death, these were restored by his son.

    Tutankhamun was named Tutankh-aten (“the living image of Aten”) at birth, but took the name of Amun back when Thebes was restored as the capital city of Egypt after his accession. This time (known as the Amarna period after the modern name of Akhenaten’s city) and its changes mean that it is more challenging to understand matters such as burial practices, religious rites and so on because it was not necessarily a “typical” time.

    Therefore, while we have learned much about funerary practices from Tutankhamun’s tomb, there are objects which are still being reinterpreted.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    The artefacts in focus are a set of four clay trays, approximately 7.5 x 4.0 x 1.2cm, plain in design and apparently quite utilitarian.

    This type of artefact is known from other funerary contexts including elsewhere in the Valley of the Kings. They have been described in various ways as mud trays, earthen dishes or troughs. The lack of consistency in terminology and suggestions on function illustrate the difficulty in understanding their precise role in the tomb.

    Along with the clay trays are a set of wooden staves, just over a metre long, with a slight angle, and covered with gesso (a white pigment and binder mixture) and gold. In spite of the difference in materials, they were assumed by the man who uncovered the tomb, Howard Carter, to be directly associated with the trays. He believed they were probably intended as bases for the staffs to stand upright.

    One of the clay trays.
    Timeless Moon Public Archive

    However, it is clear that they have an even greater function to fulfil as, contextually, everything in the tomb has symbolism and meaning, even down to the wooden boxes for preserved meats, which were intended to sustain Tutankhamun in the afterlife.

    The care with which the trays and staff were laid out on matting indicates that they were important for the king’s burial. We might expect a royal burial to be filled with only the finest objects, made of the most valuable materials by elite craftsmen, with the association of materials such as gold with royalty and divinity. The richness of the rest of Tutankhamun’s burial for the most part fulfils this expectation. But, nevertheless, the ordinariness of the clay trays in the light of such riches confirms rather than refutes their significance.

    The restoration of order

    Following the royal court’s move back to Thebes in the wake of Akhenaten’s death, the restoration of Amun and the other gods was set in motion. The cult centre of Amun at the Temple of Karnak regained its status. The name of Akhenaten and his imagery, along with that of the sun disk, were subjected to a campaign of removal.

    Tutankhamun erected the so-called Restoration Stela with titles and epithets invoking the traditional gods, and statements on “having repaired what was ruined … having repelled disorder”. The upheaval of the Amarna Period was reversed.

    Discussions in academia on the dismantling of Akhenaten’s regime have tended to focus on issues such as name changes and the destruction of his upstart city. But ancient Egyptian religion had countless centuries of recorded tradition and observance, so profound demonstrations of loyalty to the traditional gods were needed.

    Two more clay trays from Tutankhamun’s tomb.
    Timeless Moon Public Archive

    The mud trays are now thought to be part of a wider funerary ritual, which both invoked the god Osiris and permitted the transfiguration of Tutankhamun. As king, he was thought to be the embodiment of the god Horus in life, and to become Osiris in death – rejuvenated and resurrected.

    Osiris is usually shown as a mummified king, with green or black skin to represent the fertility of the land and the new life which comes from it. It is not a coincidence that the trays are made of mud.

    Other aspects of the placement of the trays within the tomb such as specific placement and orientation (including particular symbols in the decoration of the tomb) indicate that the trays had a specific role to play. This may have been as an offering tray for Nile water, once more underlining the role of the river in creating life.

    Tutankhamun and his treasures are so familiar today that it is possible to overlook, or even forget, the fact that once the doors were sealed after his funeral they were meant to never be seen again. Some of his grave goods – particularly those made from gold – have outshone others. However, the ordinariness of the trays among all the riches suggests that they are crucial components of his burial. They confirm Tutankhamun as both renewed in death through Osiris, and the king who restored order to Egypt.

    Claire Isabella Gilmour 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. Tutankhamun: plain-looking mud trays in pharaoh’s tomb have been key part of complex afterlife rituals – https://theconversation.com/tutankhamun-plain-looking-mud-trays-in-pharaohs-tomb-have-been-key-part-of-complex-afterlife-rituals-253479

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: President Cyril Ramaphosa conducts a tour of the facilities at the CSIR

    Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements-2)

    President Cyril Ramaphosa conducts a tour of the facilities at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), an entity of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation.

    The tour aims to showcase the organisation’s key research areas, which support the development of a capable state and the country’s socio-economic development agenda as set out in the National Development Plan.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOllRnKHaOI

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Rivers are increasingly being given legal rights

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    The River Ouse in East Sussex, which has been given rights by Lewes District Council

    By Oluwabusayo Wuraola, Anglia Ruskin University

    A district council in England has passed a motion to grant its local river the rights to flow freely, to be free from pollution and to enjoy its native biodiversity. The move by Lewes District Council in East Sussex to recognise the fundamental rights of the River Ouse is the first of its kind in the UK.

    The Ouse (not to be confused with larger rivers of the same name in Yorkshire and East Anglia) flows southwards for 35 miles into the English Channel and suffers from the usual problems afflicting many rivers in the UK: chemical pollution, sewage dumping and so on.

    As a legal academic who researches exactly these sorts of rights, I was excited to see the news from Lewes (even if the council’s motions ultimately can’t overrule national laws). But simply granting a river some rights isn’t enough. We now need to think about who will actually defend these rights.

    This may mean appointing someone to represent the rights of the river. Who these representatives are, and how they think about nature and conservation, can be as important as the granting of these rights in the first place.

    Appointing representatives who care about their own personal and property interests would be a grave mistake, as would appointing anyone who prioritises the rights of humans to a healthy environment over a more intrinsic right of nature (remember: the idea is that the River Ouse has rights in itself and shouldn’t need to demonstrate its worth to humans).

    As further rivers, lakes, forests and more are granted rights like the Ouse, we’ll need to train up an army of people willing to represent the rights of nature.

    Natural entities should have legal rights

    The law professor Christopher Stone pioneered the rights of nature concept back in the 1970s. He argued that natural entities, like rivers or forests, should have legal rights and that a “guardian” or representative should be appointed to defend those rights in court when they are threatened.

    Some legal systems have adopted this model. For example, in New Zealand, the Whanganui River was granted legal personhood, and two “human faces” were appointed to act and speak on its behalf. Their duties are outlined in a 2017 act, which specifies that these representatives must have the skills, knowledge and experience needed to effectively advocate for the river’s rights.

    But even as rights of nature are being considered in many countries, there is still little consideration of who will represent these rights effectively. For instance, back in 2008 Ecuador became the first country to grant the rights of nature in its constitution. However the constitution states that “all persons” are representatives of the rights of nature. This is simply impractical: we can’t expect every citizen to truly care about the rights of nature.

    Efforts to apply the rights of nature in Ecuador have often failed. Legal challenges can become highly politicised and there is little legal infrastructure beyond general constitutional principles.

    For example, in a case brought after road builders had dumped material into the Vilcabamba River, plaintiffs claimed to represent nature in court. However, they were not genuinely advocating for the river’s rights – their main concern was protecting their downstream property.

    An ecocentric perspective

    Ultimately, defending the rights of nature in court will be a struggle if the nature in question – the river, forest or lake – is not represented by someone with an ecocentric perspective. That means prioritising the intrinsic value of nature itself, rather than focusing on how it can serve human interests.

    Ecocentric advocates have proved to be the most effective defenders of the rights of nature in many court cases. For example, in lawsuits involving Ecuador’s Los Cedros cloud forest and its marine ecosystems, ecocentric arguments helped secure stronger legal protections and even inspired the courts to grant further rights of nature.

    One of the most common legal frameworks involves appointing “all persons”, “a person”, or “a resident” as representatives or protectors. For instance, Uganda’s National Environment Act 2019 states that anyone has the right to bring an action before a court “for any infringement of rights of nature”.

    Similarly, the city of Toledo, Ohio, tried to introduce the Lake Erie bill of rights which stated that the city or any resident could act on behalf of the lake’s ecosystem. (The bill was declared unconstitutional by a federal court in 2020 and did not become the law).

    Having such broad representation can make these legal protections less effective. This is what Stone, the law professor, envisioned back in the 70s: representatives should be trained to view nature as having intrinsic value – the very reason it is granted rights – and to protect it on that basis.

    There are some promising examples. Guardians were appointed to protect the Magpie River in Canada, for instance, after it was granted legal personhood in 2022. Their responsibilities include participating – on behalf of the river itself – in any consultations on projects that might affect the river.

    When the River Atrato in Colombia was also granted legal rights, the court required the formation of a commission (with representatives from the state and local communities) to train and oversee the work of the guardians.

    Moves to give rights to nature are promising. But from Colombia to Canada to Sussex, we’ll need a whole army of nature protectors to actually enforce those rights.

    Oluwabusayo Wuraola, Lecturer in Law, Anglia Ruskin University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

    The opinions expressed in VIEWPOINT articles are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARU.

    If you wish to republish this article, please follow these guidelines: https://theconversation.com/uk/republishing-guidelines

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: African Development Bank Group President Appoints The United Kingdom Parliamentarian Andrew Mitchell as Senior Advisor on a Pro Bono Basis

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

    ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, April 8, 2025/APO Group/ —

    The African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) President, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has appointed the Right Honourable Andrew Mitchell as his Senior Advisor for resource mobilization and policy issues on a pro bono basis.

    Rt. Hon. Mitchell, whose appointment is effective 7 April 2025, will provide strategic advice on emerging global and regional development issues and high-level political stakeholder engagement.

    Returning to a previously held role where he provided pro bono advice to the Bank, Rt. Hon. Mitchell is passionate about Africa’s development and has extensive knowledge and experience in managing the complexities of global resource mobilization.

    Commenting on his appointment, Rt. Hon. Mitchell said, “It is a great pleasure to return to provide pro bono support to the African Development Bank Group’s brilliant team in this advisory role. Under Dr. Adesina’s leadership as President, the Bank has gone from strength to strength, delivering real change and development for people across Africa.”

    The President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr. Adesina, said, “The Rt. Hon. Andrew Mitchell, former Minister of State for Development and Africa of the United Kingdom, has been a great supporter of Africa and the African Development Bank’s work. He will advise and support me on a pro bono basis in our efforts to navigate the complex global dynamics of mobilizing more resources for Africa globally”.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How storytelling, creativity and collaborations can inspire climate action

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Cecilia Manosa Nyblon, Director – We Are the Possible Programme, University of Exeter

    Imagine heading into space, landing on the moon and walking in the dust. As you adjust to the weightlessness, you see something unexpected on the horizon. You’re looking back at the Earth, experiencing the “overview effect”. How would you feel? What would you see, hear, touch, taste and smell?

    We asked these questions when we launched a creative writing workshop to harness the beauty and power of storytelling, education, theatre, and music to inspire a greener, healthier and fairer world for future generations.

    One of us, Cecilia Mañosa Nyblon, brought together a team from the University of Exeter, the Met Office and international experts including marine scientists, poets, soundscape artists, musicians, playwrights and children’s authors who recognise the power of the arts to bridge the gap between science and society.

    In 2021, our team launched We Are the Possible. This international award-winning programme brings together artists, scientists, educators and health professionals to connect hearts and minds. Together, we develop creative content and performances that are presented to policymakers and the public at annual UN climate summits and other public events.

    As Kathleen Jamie, Scotland’s makar (national poet), said during the 2021 UN climate summit in Glasgow: “We can’t have that massive event around nature and environment without a poetry presence there.”

    Since 2021, this programme has engaged more than 16,000 people in the UK, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan. Our projects have reached more than 33 million people worldwide through mainstream media, social media and online platforms. By inspiring global and local audiences, we hope to mobilise communities to care for and protect our planet.

    “We Are the Possible” collaborated with artists, scientists, educators, musicians and schoolchildren to perform at Cop28, the UN climate summit, in Dubai in 2023.

    The project’s creative lead, Sally Flint, weaves the words of climate scientists, health professionals, storytellers, artists, youth, educators and translators into an anthology of 12 poems or stories for the 12 days of each UN climate summit, showing what people value most and what’s at stake in our changing planet.

    In our anthology for Cop28 (the 2023 climate summit in Dubai), Christiana Figueres, the Costa Rican diplomat who spent years negotiating for climate action at the UN summits, shared that “while this remains vital, I have also realised that connecting with people from the heart and with love is the most powerful place to start.”

    Scientists have the data. We have the technological solutions. But governments and leaders are failing to act with urgency. The climate crisis is our biggest communication failure.

    Culture has the power to help people imagine and inspire action through dialogue, images, storytelling and shared experiences. But for far too long, the arts, cultural heritage and creative industries have been absent in climate policy frameworks. In 2024, ministers of culture and education gathered in Abu Dhabi to establish a framework which recognises the transformative power and impact of culture and arts education [for sustainable development]https://www.unesco.org/sites/default/files/medias/fichiers/2024/02/WCCAE_UNESCO%20Framework_EN_0.pdf).

    Since Cop28, our team has been working with our partner, a not-for-profit called the Emirates Literature Foundation, to involve Indigenous poets through visual artforms. This involvement shines a light on the importance of Indigenous knowledge in our climate conversations to heal and restore our planet.

    We have also collaborated with a sustainable theatre company called The Theatre of Others to deliver The Earth Turns and Bright Light Burning. These immersive theatre performances (inspired by We Are the Possible anthologies) and panel discussions involve both policymakers and the public. After one of the performances, Jonathan Dewsbury, director of capital operations and net zero at the UK government’s Department for Education, told us: “If we don’t grab the arts, the poems, the music and embed them into our top policy thinkers, our top decision-makers, we are not going to make the right choices, the right solutions.”

    Carpet weaving is an important part of Azerbaijan’s cultural identity. At Cop29 (the 2024 UN climate summit in Azerbaijan), one group of academics and students at Khazar University in Baku wove a traditional “Chelebi” carpet. This conveyed a message of unity and environmental stewardship through symbolic patterns inspired by We Are the Possible’s anthology.

    Ocean-literate cultures

    Around 50% of countries have no mention of climate change in their school curriculum, according to Unesco. Most teachers (95%) feel that teaching about climate climate change is important but less than 30% say are ready to teach it. Meanwhile, 75% young people around the world say they are frightened about their future.

    Schools Across the Ocean, the education strand of We Are the Possible, is addressing this climate education gap. Led by our colleague, senior lecturer in education Anita Wood, this initiative has already connected more than 2,000 schoolchildren (aged 8-13) and more than 100 teachers in the UK, United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan and other countries.

    Inspiring children to put their words and artwork of hope about the ocean.

    This six-week programme involves providing a toolkit for teachers plus activities and online workshops that engage children in science, art, storytelling and action for the ocean. The goal is for more children to understand why we all need a healthy ocean, develop their sense of agency and inspire others in their local communities to take action too.

    Wendy Wilson, headteacher St Anne’s School in Alderney on the Channel Islands, found that Schools Across the Ocean meant that her students were not just learning about climate change. She said they were also “becoming active, global citizens who are climate literate, empowered and full of hope.”

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

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    We Are the Possible programme has been funded by the University of Exeter, Met Office, British Council, British Embassy Gulf Strategy Fund, British Embassy Azerbaijan, UKRI, AHRC, Knowledge E Foundation,Arts Council England and supported by Emirates Literature Foundation, American University in Cairo, Khorfakkan University, Khazar University, BIMM University, Extreme Hangout, Banlastic, Ocean Generation, Tahrir Cultural Centre, Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter UNESCO City of Literature, Cygnet Theatre, among others.

    We Are the Possible programme has been funded by the University of Exeter, Met Office, British Council, British Embassy Gulf Strategy Fund, British Embassy Azerbaijan, UKRI, AHRC, Knowledge E Foundation, Arts Council England and supported by Emirates Literature Foundation, American University in Cairo, Khorfakkan University, Khazar University, BIMM University, Extreme Hangout, Banlastic, Ocean Generation, Tahrir Cultural Centre, Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter UNESCO City of Literature, Cygnet Theatre, among others.

    – ref. How storytelling, creativity and collaborations can inspire climate action – https://theconversation.com/how-storytelling-creativity-and-collaborations-can-inspire-climate-action-252256

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Tutankhamun: plain-looking mud trays in pharaoh’s tomb have been been key part of complex afterlife rituals

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Claire Isabella Gilmour, PhD Candidate, Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Bristol

    Tutankhamun’s gold burial mask and one of the plain clay trays. Roland Unger/Canva, CC BY

    More than 100 years after the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings, new interpretations of the burial are still emerging. A recent article published in the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology proposes that a set of seemingly plain, functional objects are in fact a key part of the complex rituals which would ensure the transformation and regeneration of the young king in the afterlife.

    Tutankhamun inherited a throne tainted by the shifts in religious and political practices implemented by his father, Akhenaten. His reign had been hallmarked by the move from the capital city of Thebes to a new city, Akhetaten (“the horizon of the Aten”).

    Under Akhenaten, the solar deity Aten was elevated above all others, including the principal state god Amun. This resulted in the king being the sole high priest and beneficiary (along with his family) of the Aten. The resulting disconnection between state and religion severely reduced the power and influence of priests and members of the royal court. But on Akhenaten’s death, these were restored by his son.

    Tutankhamun was named Tutankh-aten (“the living image of Aten”) at birth, but took the name of Amun back when Thebes was restored as the capital city of Egypt after his accession. This time (known as the Amarna period after the modern name of Akhenaten’s city) and its changes mean that it is more challenging to understand matters such as burial practices, religious rites and so on because it was not necessarily a “typical” time.

    Therefore, while we have learned much about funerary practices from Tutankhamun’s tomb, there are objects which are still being reinterpreted.

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    The artefacts in focus are a set of four clay trays, approximately 7.5 x 4.0 x 1.2cm, plain in design and apparently quite utilitarian.

    This type of artefact is known from other funerary contexts including elsewhere in the Valley of the Kings. They have been described in various ways as mud trays, earthen dishes or troughs. The lack of consistency in terminology and suggestions on function illustrate the difficulty in understanding their precise role in the tomb.

    Along with the clay trays are a set of wooden staves, just over a metre long, with a slight angle, and covered with gesso (a white pigment and binder mixture) and gold. In spite of the difference in materials, they were assumed by the man who uncovered the tomb, Howard Carter, to be directly associated with the trays. He believed they were probably intended as bases for the staffs to stand upright.

    One of the clay trays.
    Timeless Moon Public Archive

    However, it is clear that they have an even greater function to fulfil as, contextually, everything in the tomb has symbolism and meaning, even down to the wooden boxes for preserved meats, which were intended to sustain Tutankhamun in the afterlife.

    The care with which the trays and staff were laid out on matting indicates that they were important for the king’s burial. We might expect a royal burial to be filled with only the finest objects, made of the most valuable materials by elite craftsmen, with the association of materials such as gold with royalty and divinity. The richness of the rest of Tutankhamun’s burial for the most part fulfils this expectation. But, nevertheless, the ordinariness of the clay trays in the light of such riches confirms rather than refutes their significance.

    The restoration of order

    Following the royal court’s move back to Thebes in the wake of Akhenaten’s death, the restoration of Amun and the other gods was set in motion. The cult centre of Amun at the Temple of Karnak regained its status. The name of Akhenaten and his imagery, along with that of the sun disk, were subjected to a campaign of removal.

    Tutankhamun erected the so-called Restoration Stela with titles and epithets invoking the traditional gods, and statements on “having repaired what was ruined … having repelled disorder”. The upheaval of the Amarna Period was reversed.

    Discussions in academia on the dismantling of Akhenaten’s regime have tended to focus on issues such as name changes and the destruction of his upstart city. But ancient Egyptian religion had countless centuries of recorded tradition and observance, so profound demonstrations of loyalty to the traditional gods were needed.

    Two more clay trays from Tutankhamun’s tomb.
    Timeless Moon Public Archive

    The mud trays are now thought to be part of a wider funerary ritual, which both invoked the god Osiris and permitted the transfiguration of Tutankhamun. As king, he was thought to be the embodiment of the god Horus in life, and to become Osiris in death – rejuvenated and resurrected.

    Osiris is usually shown as a mummified king, with green or black skin to represent the fertility of the land and the new life which comes from it. It is not a coincidence that the trays are made of mud.

    Other aspects of the placement of the trays within the tomb such as specific placement and orientation (including particular symbols in the decoration of the tomb) indicate that the trays had a specific role to play. This may have been as an offering tray for Nile water, once more underlining the role of the river in creating life.

    Tutankhamun and his treasures are so familiar today that it is possible to overlook, or even forget, the fact that once the doors were sealed after his funeral they were meant to never be seen again. Some of his grave goods – particularly those made from gold – have outshone others. However, the ordinariness of the trays among all the riches suggests that they are crucial components of his burial. They confirm Tutankhamun as both renewed in death through Osiris, and the king who restored order to Egypt.

    Claire Isabella Gilmour 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. Tutankhamun: plain-looking mud trays in pharaoh’s tomb have been been key part of complex afterlife rituals – https://theconversation.com/tutankhamun-plain-looking-mud-trays-in-pharaohs-tomb-have-been-been-key-part-of-complex-afterlife-rituals-253479

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Charles County Man Pleads Guilty to Four Armed Commercial Robberies

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    Greenbelt, Maryland – Today, Daniel Michael Harris, Sr., 43, of Waldorf, Maryland, pleaded guilty to committing an armed robbery while using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

    Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the plea with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office; Chief Malik Aziz, Prince George’s County Police Department; Sheriff Troy D. Berry, Charles County Sheriff’s Office; and Chief Marc Yamada, Montgomery County Police Department. 

    According to his guilty plea, Harris and his co-conspirators planned and committed armed robberies of two businesses in Prince George’s County, one business in Charles County, and one business in Montgomery County.  On March 23, and March 28, 2023, Harris and his co-conspirators robbed two convenience stores in Prince George’s County and stole cash from the registers and several packs of cigarettes.  Harris brandished a pistol-grip shotgun during both robberies.

    Then on April 5, 2023, Harris and his co-conspirators robbed a convenience store in Charles County and stole cash from the registers and the wallet and phone of a store employee.  Harris also brandished a pistol-grip shotgun and held the store employee at gunpoint while pinning a customer into a wall corner with his forearm.

    On April 6, 2023, Harris and his co-conspirators robbed a convenience store in Montgomery County, stealing cash from the register and a store employee’s purse and phone.  Harris also brandished the same pistol-grip shotgun used in the earlier robberies.

    Then on April 12, 2023, a Prince George’s County Police Department officer observed the getaway vehicle used by Harris and his co-conspirators in two of the robberies, resulting in a traffic stop.  The occupants of the vehicle fled and escaped.  Law enforcement recovered several items from the vehicle and submitted the items for Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) testing.  A subsequent DNA report revealed a high stringency match between Harris and a DNA sample from a bottle recovered from the vehicle.

    On November 9, 2023, Charles County Sherriff’s Office detectives obtained and executed a search warrant for Harris’s storage unit.  Detectives accessed the storage unit and identified the clothing items Harris wore and the same pistol-grip shotgun he used during the robberies.

    Harris and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, he faces 13 to 17 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow scheduled the sentencing for Friday, July 18, 2025, at 9:30 a.m.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    U.S. Attorney Hayes praised the FBI, Prince George’s County Police Department, Charles County Sheriff’s Office, and Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan S. McKoy who is prosecuting the case.

    For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Nigeria’s Agro-Revolution: Construction of Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) begins

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

    ABUJA, Nigeria, April 8, 2025/APO Group/ —

    Nigeria’s food and agriculture sector is set to enter a new era of industrialization, as the Nigerian government, the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org), and the State government of Kaduna kickstart the construction of Phase 1 of the Special Agro-industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) program.   

    The groundbreaking ceremony starts in Kaduna on Tuesday, 8 April, where the chief guest, African Development Bank Group President Dr Akinwumi Adesina, will join Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, and the State Governor of Kaduna, Uba Sani. From Kaduna, Dr Adesina will head to Cross River State, where, together with the Federal Government and the State Governor, Bassey Edet Otu, a second groundbreaking ceremony will take place.  

    The $538 million first phase of the Special Agro-industrial Processing Zones program project includes eight states: Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Cross River, Imo, Ogun, Oyo, and the Federal Capital Territory. The program launched in 2022 with $210 million from the African Development Bank and support from the Islamic Development Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms. 

    The Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones program will boost Nigeria’s food production and reduction importation, generate jobs for youth, safeguard the country’s foreign exchange, and transform rural areas from areas of misery into zones of prosperity.  

    Last year, Nigeria spent $4.7 billion importing food.  The Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones program is designed to reverse this trend by unlocking local production potential and strengthening agro-industrial value chains nationwide.  

    This initiative will increase agricultural productivity by over 60%, reduce post-harvest losses and strengthen value chains from farm to market. The cities of Kaduna and Cross River will host the Agro-Industrial Hubs, Agricultural Transformation Centers, and Aggregation Centers in the production zones, which are the foundational building blocks of the SAPZ program.  

    The program has the potential to create more than 60,000 jobs in each of the pioneering states.  The sites were strategically selected for their agricultural potential, infrastructure readiness, and prime geographical location, ensuring they drive Nigeria’s agro-industrial growth. For Kaduna, the focus will be on maize, soybeans, ginger, and tomatoes.  Cross River will leverage its cocoa, cassava, and rice.  Additionally, for both states, the SAPZ sites are located near major universities, such as Ahmadu Bello University in Kaduna and the University of Calabar in Cross River. Proximity to universities will provide access to research, innovation, and skilled human capital, further strengthening the agro-industrial transformation. 

    Several other state governors, federal government officials, and development partners will attend the two groundbreaking ceremonies. With 37% of the African Development Bank Group’s $5.1 billion Nigeria portfolio dedicated to private sector initiatives, Nigeria presents substantial opportunities for partnership in its ongoing development.  

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/SENEGAL – International Colloquium on Religious Diplomacy: An impetus for peace amid global crises

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Dakar (Agenzia Fides) – Yesterday, April 7, the International Colloquium on Religious Diplomacy (CIDiR) opened at the Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) in Dakar and will conclude today, April 8. This international event brings together diplomats, researchers, religious authorities, and civil society representatives to discuss the role of religion in resolving today’s conflicts.The opening ceremony was attended by Msgr. Waldemar Stanisław Sommertag, Apostolic Nuncio to Senegal; André Gueye, Archbishop of Dakar; Chief Rabbi of Paris; representatives of the European Union; and leading Muslim religious figures.The CIDiR is part of an initiative led by Thierno Amadou Tidiane Ba, Caliph of Bambilor, and Professor Ahmadou Aly Mbaye, former Rector of UCAD. Together, they are working to strengthen the links between academic knowledge and religious practices to create a more inclusive diplomacy, rooted in local realities while also capable of responding to global challenges.For Thierno Amadou Tidiane Ba, religious diplomacy, long relegated to the background, is an essential response to the tensions in today’s world: “It is not just an alternative, but a necessity,” he emphasizes. “We all have a role to play in building peace. It is not about learning from states and politicians,” the Muslim representative continues.”Instead, we must participate actively, individually, and intellectually to overcome barriers. Peace begins where the will of the people is expressed, where people across borders and institutions decide to forgive one another and reach out.” Both Msgr. André Gueye and Msgr. Waldemar Stanisław Sommertag emphasized that, at a time when geopolitical crises are increasing, religious diplomacy represents an alternative and complementary lever to traditional state-based approaches. Supported by distinguished moral figures, it plays an essential role in mediation, peacemaking, and intercultural dialogue. The conference will address the following topics in plenary sessions and thematic blocks: The Senegalese model of religious coexistence; The contribution of religions to peace in Africa; and issues of immigration and globalization. The aim of the discussions is to formulate concrete ways to better integrate religious actors into decision-making processes at the local and international levels. (A.TS.W) (Agenzia Fides, 8/4/2025)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/ALGERIA – Diplomatic crisis between Algeria and the three countries of the Sahel Alliance

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Algiers (Agenzia Fides) – A diplomatic crisis is unfolding between Algeria and the three member countries of the Confederation of Sahel States (better known as the Sahel Alliance, AES): Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. In a communiqué issued yesterday, April 7, the Algerian government rejects the accusations made by Mali (and supported by the other two AES countries) that Algeria is allegedly collaborating with terrorist groups operating in the Sahel region.”The junta of putschists ruling in Mali is vainly attempting to make our country a scapegoat for the setbacks and woes of which the Malian people are paying the heaviest price,” the Algerian statement reads. Tensions between the two countries escalated after the Algerian military shot down a Malian drone hunting jihadist groups on the Mali-Algeria border.According to Algerian sources, the drone was shot down on the night of March 31 and April 1 after flying over Algerian territory twice. According to Algiers, this is not the first violation of Algerian airspace by a Malian drone, but the third in just a few months. The first two violations occurred on August 27, 2024, and December 29, 2024, respectively.In response to the downing of the plane, Mali and its allies Niger and Burkina Faso announced they were recalling their respective ambassadors to Algiers. In return, Algiers decided to “apply the principle of reciprocity and recall its ambassadors to Mali and Niger for consultations and postpone the appointment of its new ambassador to Burkina Faso.” Meanwhile, the Algerian government underlined “the inability of the coup plotters” to “wage a real and effective fight against terrorism by entrusting its leadership to mercenaries, from whom Africa has suffered so much in its recent history.” A clear reference to the soldiers of the Russian private military company Wagner, who have long had a presence in Mali. At the same time, Algiers also maintains important military ties with Moscow, which may now have to try to defuse tensions between its strategic partners in this part of the world. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 8/4/2025)
    Share:

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI: MEXC 7th Anniversary Celebration Unveils Milestone Events and 10M USDT Prize Pool

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VICTORIA, Seychelles, April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MEXC, a leading global cryptocurrency exchange, is celebrating its 7th anniversary with a global campaign featuring a 10,000,000 USDT prize pool. The milestone event invites users worldwide to compete, collect, and earn through a dynamic three-part celebration, marking not just MEXC’s seven-year journey, but the start of its next chapter in innovation and community empowerment.

    The MEXC 7th Anniversary Celebration Event will be divided into three exciting arenas: Team PNL Rate Competition, Collect, Assemble & Win, and a Solo Leaderboard Battle. Each arena features a generous prize pool, with a total prize pool of up to 10,000,000 USDT. Through various events and rule structures, MEXC offers opportunities for both individual participants and teams to showcase their trading skills and strategies, ensuring that users with diverse needs can earn substantial rewards.

    Key Timeline

    • Team Leader Registration Period: Apr 7, 2025, 10:00 (UTC) – Apr 13, 2025, 15:29 (UTC)
    • Team Member Registration Period: Apr 7, 2025, 10:00 (UTC) – May 4, 2025, 15:55 (UTC)
    • Competition Period: Apr 13, 2025, 16:00 (UTC) – May 4, 2025, 15:59 (UTC)
    • Extended Draw Period: May 4, 2025, 16:00 (UTC) – May 7, 2025, 15:59 (UTC)

    Three Arenas, One Celebration

    1. Team PNL Rate Competition
    Teams compete based on PNL rate, with the top 10 teams sharing 25% of the total prize pool. Leaders and high-performing members receive boosted rewards. Eligible participants must reach a minimum Futures trading volume of 200,000 USDT.

    2. Collect, Assemble & Win
    In this arena, which offers 40% of the prize pool, participants complete tasks to collect Spot, Futures, and DEX+ fragments and forge them into mystery boxes. Every box contains guaranteed random rewards of up to 7,777 USDT.

    3. Solo Leaderboard Battle
    Here, individual traders compete in two rankings: Daily Trading Volume and PNL. A combined 35% of the prize pool is distributed across the top traders, with a minimum entry volume of 20,000 USDT in USDT-M Futures.

    Beyond the competitive formats, the event also includes exclusive anniversary easter eggs that elevate the overall experience. Both the registration and competition periods span 7 days, a symbolic nod to MEXC’s seven-year milestone anniversary celebration. Long-time users can unlock up to 100 USDT in bonuses — a gesture of appreciation for their continued loyalty. Whether joining as a team or going solo, users can enjoy a more gamified, collaborative event structure that reflects MEXC’s continuous push to innovate and engage its global community.

    Built for More than Seven

    Since its establishment in 2018, MEXC has achieved a series of remarkable milestones: from a startup exchange to becoming the industry leader in liquidity, from the MX token reaching new all-time highs (ATH), to surpassing over 36 million users across more than 170 countries and regions. These achievements not only demonstrate MEXC’s strength in the cryptocurrency trading field but also its determination for continuous innovation and market expansion.

    As MEXC celebrates its 7th anniversary, the platform credits its progress to the trust and support of its users — a driving force behind every milestone. In an industry defined by constant change, that support has empowered MEXC to keep evolving, pushing boundaries, and building with long-term vision.

    “Our journey has always been shaped by our users,” said Tracy Jin, COO at MEXC. “Their belief in what we’re building is what fuels us to keep delivering better products, smarter tools, and a stronger community experience. As we celebrate seven years of growth, this milestone reflects not just our past achievements but also the future we are building together. Every challenge and triumph highlights our commitment to innovation, resilience, and, above all, our global community. Moving forward, we will continue to expand our business and services, focusing on our core strengths: the widest selection of tokens, the fastest listing speed, low trading fees, and high liquidity to provide users with a seamless, low-barrier digital asset trading experience.”

    Now, as it looks ahead to the next chapter, MEXC remains focused on innovation, resilience, and deepening its connection with users across the globe.

    For more details and to participate, visit here.

    About MEXC
    Founded in 2018, MEXC is committed to being “Your Easiest Way to Crypto.” Serving over 36 million users across 170+ countries, MEXC is known for its broad selection of trending tokens, everyday airdrop opportunities, and low trading fees. Our user-friendly platform is designed to support both new traders and experienced investors, offering secure and efficient access to digital assets. MEXC prioritizes simplicity and innovation, making crypto trading more accessible and rewarding.
    MEXC Official Website｜ X ｜ Telegram ｜How to Sign Up on MEXC

    Source

    Contact:
    Lucia Hu
    lucia.hu@mexc.com

    Disclaimer: This press release is provided by MEXC. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in crypto and mining related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector–including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining–complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release.Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.

    Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/15604f1b-192b-4c67-974d-c5266d780d1a

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: African Development Bank, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) Ombudsmen Association meet to strengthen peace, stability and regional integration in West Africa

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

    ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, April 8, 2025/APO Group/ —

    On 28 March 2025 the Director of the Regional Integration Coordination Office of the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org), Joy Kategekwa, received a delegation from the Ombudsmen Association of the member states of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).

    Led by the association’s president, Pascal Essou, Ombudsman of the Republic of Benin, the meeting took place at the Bank’s headquarters in Abidjan. The ombudsmen were keen to obtain the support of the Bank in strengthening the rule of law, regional integration and confidence of citizens in the administrations of the eight WAEMU countries.

    “I would like to thank the Bank for receiving us with such commitment and enthusiasm in order to begin technical discussions with our Association aimed at deepening strategic dialogue and identifying synergies between our action, on the one hand, and the Bank’s strategic priorities, the High 5s, and its regional integration strategy document for West Africa 2020-2025, on the other hand,” Essou said.

    The meeting was attended by ombudsmen for Côte d’Ivoire, Adama Toungara, and for Senegal, Demba Kandji, who are respectively Secretary General and Treasurer of the Association, as well as by WAEMU representative in Côte d’Ivoire, Gustave Diasso, and several of their colleagues.

    Created in 2008 and based in Ouagadougou, the Ombudsmen Association promotes mediation, citizens’ rights, administrative justice and regional integration in its member countries. It also works for the prevention and resolution of conflicts and crises, supporting long-term peace and the universal and effective application of community law in the union’s countries. The association brings together all the ombudsman institutions of eight countries in West Africa’s franc zone: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo.

    During the meeting, the association’s Strategic Plan for 2025-2029, which is structured around five pillars: governance and the rule of law, performance and partnerships, peace and security, research, and institutional development and communication, was shared. The plan will be validated at a high-level round table on resource mobilisation to be held in Dakar on 29 April. The association asked the Bank to contribute to the success of the round table and to mobilise new partners and the resources that are needed to implement the plan.

    The Abidjan meeting also considered possible avenues of support from the African Development Bank such as technical and financial assistance, strategic advice.

    Kategekwa praised the work of ombudsmen in promoting regional integration, strengthening governance, promoting the rule of law, and fostering civic engagement and administrative efficiency in WAEMU member countries.

    She also pointed out that the Strategic Plan of the WAEMU Ombudsmen Association is aligned with the Bank Group’s Strategy for Addressing Fragility and Building Resilience in Africa (2022-2026) (https://apo-opa.co/4i7lPJ4). She emphasised the role of the Transition Support Facility (https://apo-opa.co/42mQSum) and the window for regional public goods (https://apo-opa.co/42yFEnY) as instruments that can be used to leverage resilience in areas of fragility and governance in Africa.

    “I applaud the initiative by the WAEMU Ombudsmen Association to organise a round table on resource mobilisation. The outcome of this meeting will undoubtedly strengthen our common commitment to building a more integrated, peaceful and just West Africa,” she said.

    Kategekwa was accompanied at the meeting by other Bank staff: the Chief Coordinator for Regional Funds Management, Youssouf Koné; the Head of the Transition States Coordination Office, Riadh Ben Messaoud; and Officer for Institutional Capacity Building, Marcel Maglo.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: The Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) of NITI Aayog and New Development Bank’s Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) Sign a Statement of Intent to Strengthen Independent Evaluation in India

    Source: New Development Bank

    New Delhi, India, 7 April 2025: The Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) and the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the New Development Bank (NDB) have signed a statement of intent to enhance cooperation in the field of independent evaluation and capacity-building.

    The statement of intent establishes a framework for strategic and technical collaboration between DMEO and IEO, supporting evidence-based policymaking and improving development effectiveness. The partnership will focus on knowledge exchange, evaluation capacity-building, and awareness initiatives to reinforce India’s evaluation landscape.

    Key areas of cooperation between DMEO and IEO include:

    • Technical assistance: Sharing expertise and best practices in independent evaluation methodologies.
    • Capacity-building: Organising workshops and training programmes to strengthen technical capabilities at national and state levels.
    • Knowledge-sharing: Facilitating exchange of methodologies, tools and evaluation approaches.
    • Awareness and communications: Joint activities to promote M&E, including conferences, stakeholder meetings and learning events.

    In her message on this occasion, Ms. Nidhi Chhibber, Director-General, DMEO, NITI Aayog, stated, “By bringing together the expertise of DMEO, NITI Aayog and IEO, NDB, the partnership will facilitate the sharing of technical knowledge, development of methodologies, and capacity building, leading to a more synergistic and strengthened monitoring & evaluation ecosystem”.

    In his remarks, Mr. Ashwani K. Muthoo, Director General, IEO, NDB, noted, “With 26 projects worth USD 8.6 billion financed in India since 2016, NDB is deeply committed to supporting the country’s development journey. Independent evaluation ensures that these investments yield sustainable results. Through this collaboration with DMEO, we aim to not only enhance evaluation capacity but also contribute to India’s long-term development goals by strengthening accountability, evaluation-based knowledge-sharing and evidence-driven decision-making”.

    NDB’s portfolio in India spans critical sectors such as transport infrastructure (with 55% of its projects focused on this sector), water and sanitation (16%), renewable energy (3%), and COVID-19 emergency assistance (23%). These projects are spread across 13 states and union territories, with four initiatives having a nationwide scope.

    This partnership underscores NDB’s commitment to supporting India’s development agenda and reinforces its role in fostering sustainable and inclusive growth.

    About the New Development Bank

    NDB is a multilateral bank established in 2015 by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) with the aim of mobilising resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS countries and emerging markets and developing countries (EMDCs). In alignment with its members’ development objectives and commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement, NDB prioritises high-impact operations that are climate-smart, disaster-resilient, technology-integrated, and socially inclusive. NDB’s Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) is responsible for independently evaluating the Bank’s policies, strategies, processes, initiatives and operations. IEO also contributes and provides oversight to improve the effectiveness of the Bank’s quality assurance and self-evaluation activities.

    About the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO)

    DMEO was established by the Government of India on 18th September 2015, as an attached office of the NITI Aayog by merging the erstwhile Program Evaluation Office and Independent Evaluation Office. To ensure that DMEO is able to function independently, it has been given separate budgetary allocations and manpower in addition to complete functional autonomy. The Programme Evaluation Organization (PEO) was established by the Government of India in October 1952 with a specific task of evaluating the community development programmes and other intensive area development schemes which were being funded by the Government of India. It worked as a division of the erstwhile Planning Commission and was headed by an Adviser (PEO) who reported to the Member, Planning Commission. PEO had 15 field units (7 Regional Evaluation Offices + 8 Project Evaluation Offices) located across the country. In an effort to accord more functional autonomy to the programme evaluation mechanism in the country, the Government of India established the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) in November, 2010. The IEO was headed by a Director General, equivalent to a Union Minister of State in rank and status.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Global: Recorded executions hit their highest figure since 2015

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Global executions hit their highest figure since 2015, as over 1,500 people were executed across 15 countries in 2024, said Amnesty International today as it released its annual report on the global use of the death penalty.

    According to the report, Death Sentences and Executions 2024, 1,518 executions were recorded in 2024 – the highest number since 2015 (at least 1,634) – with the majority in the Middle East. However, for the second year in a row, countries carrying out executions remained at the lowest point on record.

    The known totals do not include the thousands of people believed to have been executed in China, which remains the world’s lead executioner, as well as North Korea and Viet Nam which are also believed to resort to the death penalty extensively. Ongoing crises in Palestine (State of) and Syria meant that Amnesty International could not confirm a figure.

    The death penalty is an abhorrent practice with no place in
    today’s world.

    Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General

    Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia were responsible for the overall rise in known executions. In total, the trio accounted for a staggering 1,380 recorded executions. Iraq almost quadrupled its executions (from at least 16 to at least 63) and Saudi Arabia doubled its yearly total (from 172 to at least 345), while Iran executed 119 more individuals than last year (from at least 853 to at least 972) – accounting for 64% of all known executions.

    “The death penalty is an abhorrent practice with no place in today’s world. While secrecy continued to shroud scrutiny in some countries that we believe are responsible for thousands of executions, it’s evident that states that retain the death penalty are an isolated minority. With just 15 countries carrying out executions in 2024, the lowest number on record for the second consecutive year, this signals a move away from this cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

    “Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia were responsible for the sharp spike in deaths last year, carrying out over 91% of known executions, violating human rights and callously taking people’s lives for drug-related and terrorism charges.”

    The five countries with the highest number of recorded executions in 2024 were China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Yemen.

    Authorities weaponizing death penalty

    Throughout 2024, Amnesty International witnessed leaders weaponizing the death penalty under the false pretence that it would improve public safety or to instil fear among the population. In the USA, which has experienced a steady upward trend in executions since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, 25 people were executed (against 24 in 2023). Newly electedPresident Trump repeatedly invoked the death penalty as a tool to protect people “from violent rapists, murderers, and monsters”.  His dehumanizing remarks promoted a false narrative that the death penalty has a unique deterrent effect on crime.

    In some countries in the Middle East region, death sentences were used to silence human rights defenders, dissidents, protesters, political opponents, and ethnic minorities.

    Those who dare challenge authorities have faced the most cruel of punishments, particularly in Iran and Saudi Arabia, with the death penalty used to silence those brave enough to speak out.”

    Agnès Callamard

    “Those who dare challenge authorities have faced the most cruel of punishments, particularly in Iran and Saudi Arabia, with the death penalty used to silence those brave enough to speak out,” said Agnès Callamard.

    “In 2024, Iran persisted in their use of the death penalty to punish individuals who had challenged the Islamic Republic establishment during the Woman Life Freedom uprising. Last year saw two of those people – including a youth with a mental disability – executed in connection with the uprising following unfair trials and torture-tainted ‘confessions’, proving how far the authorities are willing to go to tighten their grip on power.”

    Saudi authorities continued to weaponize the death penalty to silence political dissent and punish nationals from the country’s Shi’a minority who supported “anti-government” protests between 2011 and 2013. In August, the authorities executed Abdulmajeed al-Nimr for terrorism-related offences related to joining Al-Qaeda, despite initial court documents referring to his participation in protests.

    The Democratic Republic of Congo announced its intention to resume executions while Burkina Faso’s military authorities announced plans to reintroduce the death penalty for ordinary crimes.

    Over 40% of 2024’s executions were carried out unlawfully for drug-related offences. Under international human rights law and standards, the use of the death penalty must be restricted for the ‘most serious crimes’ – sentencing people to death for drug-related offences does not meet this threshold.

    “Drug-related executions were prevalent in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and, while no confirmation was possible, likely Viet Nam. In many contexts,sentencing people to death fordrug-related offences has been found to disproportionately impact those from disadvantaged backgrounds, while it has no proven effect in reducing drug trafficking,” said Agnès Callamard.

    “Leaders who promote the death penalty for drug-related offences are proposing ineffective and unlawful solutions. States considering introducing capital punishment for drug-related offences, such as the Maldives, Nigeria and Tonga, must be called out and encouraged to put human rights at the centre of their drug policies.”

    The power of campaigning

    Despite a rise in executions, just 15 countries were known to have carried them out – the lowest number on record for the second consecutive year. As of today, 113 countries are fully abolitionist and 145 in total have abolished the death penalty in law or practice.

    In 2024, Zimbabwe signed into law a bill that abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes. For the first time, more than two thirds of all UN member states voted in favour of the tenth General Assembly resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty. Death penalty reforms in Malaysia also led to a reduction by more than 1,000 in the number of people at risk of execution.

    When people prioritize campaigning for an end to the death penalty, it really does work.

    Agnès Callamard

    Furthermore, the world witnessed the power of campaigning. Hakamada Iwao – who spent nearly five decades on death row in Japan – was acquitted in September 2024. This has continued into 2025. In March, Rocky Myers – a Black man sentenced to death in Alabama despite serious flaws in the proceedings – was granted clemency following calls from his family and legal team, a former juror, local activists and the international community.

    “When people prioritize campaigning for an end to the death penalty, it really does work,” said Agnès Callamard. “Despite the minority of leaders determined to weaponize the death penalty, the tide is turning. It’s only a matter of time until the world is free from the shadows of the gallows.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Global: Executions highest on record since 2015 – new death penalty report

    Source: Amnesty International –

    In 2024, global executions surged to 1,518, the highest since 2015 ​

    Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia responsible for 91% of executions

    Known totals do not include thousands of people believed to have been executed in China, which remains the world’s lead executioner

    Countries weaponising death penalty against protesters and there’s a rise in drug-related executions

    ‘Those who dare challenge authorities have faced the cruellest of punishments, particularly in Iran and Saudi Arabia, with the death penalty used to silence those brave enough to speak out’ – Agnès Callamard

    Global executions hit their highest figure since 2015, as over 1,500 people were executed across 15 countries in 2024, said Amnesty International today as it released its annual report on the global use of the death penalty.

    The 48-page report, Death Sentences and Executions 2024, found that 1,518 executions were recorded in 2024 – the highest number since 2015 (at least 1,634) – with the majority in the Middle East. However, for the second year in a row, countries carrying out executions remained at the lowest point on record.

    The known totals do not include the thousands of people believed to have been executed in China, which remains the world’s lead executioner, as well as North Korea and Vietnam which are also believed to resort to the death penalty extensively. Ongoing crises in Palestine (State of) and Syria meant that Amnesty could not confirm a figure.

    Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia were responsible for the overall rise in known executions. In total, the three countries accounted for a staggering 1,380 recorded executions. Iraq almost quadrupled its executions from at least 16 to at least 63 and Saudi Arabia doubled its yearly total from 172 to at least 345, while Iran executed 119 more individuals than last year rising from at least 853 to at least 972 accounting for 64% of all known executions.

    Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said:

    “The death penalty is an abhorrent practice with no place in today’s world. While secrecy continued to shroud scrutiny in some countries that we believe are responsible for thousands of executions, it’s evident that countries that retain the death penalty are an isolated minority. With just 15 countries carrying out executions in 2024, the lowest number on record for the second consecutive year, this signals a move away from this cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

    “Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia were responsible for the sharp spike in deaths last year, carrying out over 91% of known executions, violating human rights and callously taking people’s lives for drug-related and terrorism charges.”

    Authorities weaponising death penalty

    Throughout 2024, Amnesty witnessed leaders weaponising the death penalty under the false pretence that it would improve public safety or to instil fear among the population. In the USA, which has experienced a steady upward trend in executions since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, 25 people were executed (against 24 in 2023). Newly elected President Trump repeatedly invoked the death penalty as a tool to protect people “from violent rapists, murderers, and monsters”. His dehumanising remarks promoted a false narrative that the death penalty has a unique deterrent effect on crime.

    In some countries in the Middle East region, death sentences were used to silence human rights defenders, dissidents, protesters, political opponents, and ethnic minorities.

    Agnès Callamard added:

    “Those who dare challenge authorities have faced the cruellest of punishments, particularly in Iran and Saudi Arabia, with the death penalty used to silence those brave enough to speak out.

    “In 2024, Iran persisted in their use of the death penalty to punish individuals who had challenged the Islamic Republic establishment during the Woman Life Freedom uprising. Last year saw two of those people – including a youth with a mental disability – executed in connection with the uprising following unfair trials and torture-tainted ‘confessions’, proving how far the authorities are willing to go to tighten their grip on power.”

    Saudi authorities continued to weaponise the death penalty to silence political dissent and punish nationals from the country’s Shi’a minority who supported “anti-government” protests between 2011 and 2013. In August, the authorities executed Abdulmajeed al-Nimr for terrorism-related offences related to joining Al-Qaeda, despite initial court documents referring to his participation in protests.

    The Democratic Republic of Congo announced its intention to resume executions while Burkina Faso’s military authorities announced plans to reintroduce the death penalty for ordinary crimes.

    Rise in executions for drug-related offences

    Over 40% of executions in 2024 were carried out unlawfully for drug-related offences. Under international human rights law and standards, the use of the death penalty must be restricted for the ‘most serious crimes’ – sentencing people to death for drug-related offences does not meet this threshold.

    Agnès Callamard said:

    “Drug-related executions were prevalent in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and, while no confirmation was possible, likely Vietnam. In many contexts, sentencing people to death for drug-related offences has been found to disproportionately impact those from disadvantaged backgrounds, while it has no proven effect in reducing drug trafficking.

    “Leaders who promote the death penalty for drug-related offences are proposing ineffective and unlawful solutions. States considering introducing capital punishment for drug-related offences, such as the Maldives, Nigeria and Tonga, must be called out and encouraged to put human rights at the centre of their drug policies.”

    The power of campaigning

    Despite a rise in executions, just 15 countries were known to have carried them out – the lowest number on record for the second consecutive year. As of today, 113 countries are fully abolitionist and 145 in total have abolished the death penalty in law or practice.

    In 2024, Zimbabwe signed into law a bill that abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes. For the first time, more than two thirds of all UN member states voted in favour of the tenth General Assembly resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty. Death penalty reforms in Malaysia also led to a reduction by more than 1,000 in the number of people at risk of execution.

    Furthermore, the world witnessed the power of campaigning. Hakamada Iwao – who spent nearly five decades on death row in Japan – was acquitted in September 2024. This has continued into 2025. In March, Rocky Myers – a Black man sentenced to death in Alabama despite serious flaws in the proceedings – was granted clemency following calls from his family and legal team, a former juror, local activists and the international community.

    Agnès Callamard added:

    “When people prioritise campaigning for an end to the death penalty, it really does work. Despite the minority of leaders determined to weaponise the death penalty, the tide is turning. It’s only a matter of time until the world is free from the shadows of the gallows.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI: MEXC to Launch DEX+ Alpha: Spot the Gems Before the Market

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VICTORIA, Seychelles, April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MEXC, a leading global cryptocurrency exchange, announced the launch of MEXC Alpha on its decentralized trading platform, MEXC DEX+. This innovative product focuses on early-stage, high-potential crypto projects, aiming to help over 34 million users worldwide get ahead of market trends and seize the next big opportunity in the crypto space.

    MEXC DEX+ now fully supports the Solana ecosystem, integrating popular liquidity pools like pump.fun, PumpSwap, and Raydium, offering a wide selection of over 10,000 on-chain assets. DEX+ has also integrated top DEXs from the BSC ecosystem, including PancakeSwap, covering more than 5,000 popular tokens, ranging from DeFi projects to memecoins.

    The crypto market evolves rapidly and unpredictably. For everyday users to stay ahead of the curve and spot promising projects early requires deep industry knowledge combined with significant investments of both time and effort. MEXC DEX+ continues to roll out new features to help users invest with greater precision, which is exactly what MEXC Alpha is designed to do.

    MEXC Alpha highlights early-stage, high-potential projects across multi-chain ecosystems like Solana and BSC, keeping pace with trends in DeFi innovation, memecoin surges, and emerging trends. Backed by expert industry insights and real-time market data, Alpha provides trustworthy investment references. MEXC Alpha is a direct response to user needs: it leverages expert curation and robust technology to lower investment barriers, enabling every user to easily and efficiently select promising targets, invest in early-stage projects, and seize opportunities ahead of the market.

    MEXC Alpha features three core principles: Security, Efficiency, and Simplicity.
    Security: Backed by MEXC’s team of professionals, Alpha leverages industry insights and market data to carefully select and showcase high-potential projects from over 10,000 trending tokens. This helps users quickly identify promising opportunities and boost investment impact.
    Efficiency: Designed to secure the best trading prices and streamline the trading process, Alpha is available on both MEXC’s App and Web platforms, allowing users to monitor markets and seize opportunities anytime, anywhere.
    Simplicity: There’s no need to create a Web3 wallet or manage private keys. Users only need to create an MEXC account and activate the DEX+ wallet. By depositing SOL or BNB, they can start trading on-chain instantly, significantly lowering the entry barrier for everyday users.

    As the crypto market rapidly evolves and trends become increasingly fragmented, everyday users face greater challenges when it comes to research and decision-making. MEXC Alpha, powered by the insights of a professional team and a data-driven selection strategy, provides a simple and efficient trading experience to help users get ahead and discover the next potential 100x gem.

    Alpha is more than just a tool for uncovering valuable investments: it offers listed on-chain projects the opportunity to be featured on MEXC’s Spot or Futures markets. This mechanism shortens the complex path from on-chain discovery to exchange listing, enhancing both project visibility and trading efficiency, while giving early participants a unique edge.

    Join MEXC now, explore Alpha, and embark on your next journey in crypto investing.

    About MEXC

    Founded in 2018, MEXC is committed to being “Your Easiest Way to Crypto”. Serving over 34 million users across 170+ countries and regions, MEXC is known for its broad selection of trending tokens, frequent airdrop opportunities, and low trading fees. Our user-friendly platform is designed to support both new traders and experienced investors, offering secure and efficient access to digital assets. MEXC prioritizes simplicity and innovation, making crypto trading more accessible and rewarding.

    For more information, visit: MEXC Website｜X｜Telegram｜How to Sign Up on MEXC
    For media inquiries, please contact MEXC PR Manager Lucia Hu: lucia.hu@mexc.com

    Source

    Disclaimer: This press release is provided by MEXC. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in crypto and mining related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector–including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining–complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release.Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.

    Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e826fdfc-0c37-4309-baa9-bf1b87919b8b

    The MIL Network –