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Category: Business

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Radical listening: two big ideas and six core skills that could help you connect more deeply with others

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Christian van Nieuwerburgh, Professor of Coaching and Positive Psychology, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

    brizmaker/Shutterstock

    Even though we live in a constantly connected world, more people feel lonely than ever before. According to public polling company Gallup, nearly a quarter of the world’s population reports feeling lonely.

    At the same time, we’re overwhelmed by distractions: 80% of desk-based workers admit to losing concentration during meetings. And with just a scroll through our newsfeeds, we see growing polarisation and political division on a global scale.

    In such uncertain times, the practice of radical listening – listening with greater intention – offers a way to reconnect and to foster a deeper sense of empathy, engagement and hope.

    In our book, Radical listening: the art of true connection, which I co-authored with positive psychology expert Dr Robert Biswas-Diener, we explore how radical listening can improve motivation, wellbeing and meaningful connection. To become a radical listener, you’ll need to embrace two core ideas and develop six essential skills.

    The first idea is about clarifying your intention when listening. At the heart of radical listening is the belief that we always listen with a purpose — even if we’re not fully aware of it. For example, we might listen to a podcast with the intention of learning something, or attend a comedy show with the goal of being entertained.

    When we set a clear intention, we become more attuned to what matters. If your aim is to show appreciation during a conversation, you’ll naturally tune in to the qualities you value in the other person — a thoughtful comment, a kind gesture. If you want to elevate your listening, enter conversations with a positive, deliberate intention.

    The second idea is about matching your listening intention to what will be most helpful for your conversation partner. This is grounded in the principle of optimal matching of social support. Biswas-Diener explains it well here: meaningful conversations happen when there’s alignment between what the speaker needs and what the listener offers.

    This may sound obvious, but we often miss the mark. Say your partner has had a tough day. Should you offer advice? Reassure them with a personal story? Just listen and empathise? Change the subject to distract them? The most effective response might be asking: “What do you need from me right now?” When you get the match right, you’ll feel the connection.

    Six core skills

    We all have our own listening styles: empathetic, animated, quiet, curious. The good news is that everyone can improve their listening by practising these six core skills:

    1. Noticing: This means scanning for subtle but relevant cues: body language, facial expressions, changes in tone, or unusual word choices. Noticing shows you’re fully present. For example: “I noticed you lit up when you talked about your previous job.”

    2. Quieting: Managing distractions, both external and internal. Great listeners reduce interruptions by putting away their phones or turning off notifications – but also by calming their internal chatter. Being rested and mentally present makes quieting possible.

    3. Accepting: Respecting others’ right to their views – even when you disagree. Acceptance doesn’t mean agreement. It means acknowledging that others have a valid perspective. Try practising this by listening to someone whose views challenge your own.

    4. Acknowledging: Validating your conversation partner’s experiences and contributions. Look for opportunities to highlight their strengths, reflect their feelings and show empathy through both your words and expressions.

    5. Questioning: Curiosity is a cornerstone of radical listening. Ask questions that express genuine interest and invite deeper sharing. Try: “What was it about that moment that made it so special for you?”

    6. Interjecting: Jump in (briefly) with minimal encouragers to show you’re engaged – then jump back out. Minimal encouragers are short verbal or nonverbal cues used during a conversation to show you’re engaged without interrupting or taking over. They’re a key skill in radical listening because they let the speaker know you’re present and responsive while keeping the focus on them. Think of it as offering small bursts of energy, like “That’s amazing!” or “Wow, I didn’t know that.” It shows you’re actively listening, not passively absorbing.

    Radical listening is a hyper-intentional, purposeful and proactive approach to connection. It’s about helping others feel seen, valued and heard. The benefits for your conversation partner are clear — but there are also real advantages for you. You’ll build deeper relationships, experience more satisfying interactions, and be able to create trust quickly.

    In a world of loneliness, distraction, and division, radical listening isn’t just a nice idea – it’s a powerful tool for human connection.


    This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

    Christian van Nieuwerburgh 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. Radical listening: two big ideas and six core skills that could help you connect more deeply with others – https://theconversation.com/radical-listening-two-big-ideas-and-six-core-skills-that-could-help-you-connect-more-deeply-with-others-256289

    MIL OSI Analysis –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Banking: Updated regulations aim to enhance competitiveness of insurance sector

    Source: Isle of Man

    The Isle of Man Financial Services Authority has introduced a series of changes aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of the Island’s insurance sector, especially in relation to captive insurers and insurance special purpose vehicles.

    Updated insurance regulations, which came into effect on Monday 30 June 2025, also include new enabling provisions to support fast-track authorisations and insurance regulatory sandboxing.

    The intention is to support the Authority’s ability to be proportionate and adaptable in the delivery of its remit in a competitive international insurance business environment.

    The Authority has made the:

    • Insurance Regulations 2025; and
    • Insurance (Fees and Miscellaneous) (Amendment) Regulations 2025

    and issued the:

    • Insurance (Special Purpose Vehicle and Corporate Governance) (Amendment) Guidance Notes 2025

    The amended regulations and binding guidance notes follow the public consultations CP24-03 (3 Apr 2024 to 17 May 2024) and CP24-05 (13 Dec 2024 to 7 Feb 2025).

    The Authority has also issued a feedback statement responding to consultation CP24-05 (Insurance Regulations 2025, Insurance (Fees and Miscellaneous) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 and Insurance (Special Purpose Vehicle and Corporate Governance) (Amendment) Guidance Notes 2025 – Cabinet Office of the Isle of Man Government – Citizen Space).

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Regulatory Innovation Office to help streamline regulation, helping UK’s world-leading fintech sector

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Regulatory Innovation Office to help streamline regulation, helping UK’s world-leading fintech sector

    Regulatory Innovation Office to partner with Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum to cut red tape, and support fintech innovation, fuelling government plan for Plan for Change.

    Regulatory Innovation Office to cut red tape supporting fintech innovation

    • Technology Secretary Peter Kyle announces plans for the Regulatory Innovation Office to work with the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum to cut red tape, and support fintech innovation, fuelling our Plan for Change
    • RIO push includes backing for new tech to help innovators use AI to better navigate complex digital regulations, from fintech to consumer services
    • UK’s world-leading fintech sector supported through a new one-stop shop to access all the guidance they need in one place

    Fintech and other digital firms will be better supported to navigate complex regulation through new tools backed by the Regulatory Innovation Office, the Technology Secretary announced today (Tuesday 1 July).

    Speaking at the AI and Digital Innovation Day at CityWeek, the Secretary of State hailed the UK’s world-leading financial services sector – last year the UK fintech sector specifically attracted $3.6 billion of investment. He set out plans to make it easier for fintech firms to bring cutting-edge products to market – from improved fraud detection to better tools for managing money – a key part of our Plan for Change to unlock innovation-led growth across the country.

    Innovators across the landscape – including those in fintech, from start-ups to scale-ups – often face the challenge of understanding the labyrinth of regulations in their sector. This can be especially tough for smaller companies, who often don’t have teams of compliance experts, and will help them scale faster – supporting the SMEs that are the backbone of the UK economy.

    The government’s Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO) is partnering with the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum (DRCF) to support the development of new smarter tools to make navigating the system faster, clearer and more accessible. This will include evaluating a unified digital library providing a ‘one stop’ access to digital policy and regulations for innovators, helping to free up businesses to focus on growth and innovation.

    Science and Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, said:

    The UK is a genuine world leader in both financial services and technology, and in the intersection between the two – fintech – but for far too many companies, the complex regulatory environment can be challenging to navigate.

    Our Regulatory Innovation Office will work to remove those hurdles, to help innovators unlock new products that could drive economic growth – delivering on our Plan for Change.

    Fintech firms are on the front line of solving big challenges – from fighting financial fraud and improving access to banking, to helping people save, borrow and invest more easily. The use of technologies like AI presents enormous opportunities for the sector, as shown at the Financial Conduct Authority’s AI Sprint earlier this year, which looked at how new technologies are set to overhaul the delivery of financial advice, compliance for firms, customer service and more.  

    But fragmented rules and regulatory complexity slow down innovation, delay safer financial products reaching the public, and deter investment. Supporting innovators to bring trusted products to market faster will help tackle real-world challenges more quickly – and give consumers access to safer, smarter services, which is at the core of The Chancellor’s Regulation Action Plan.

    This cooperation with DRCF builds on the broader work of the Regulatory Innovation Office, which already supports 4 priority technologies: engineering biology, space, AI and digital in healthcare, and drones and autonomous technologies. From using quantum techniques to tackle online fraud, to improving emergency response with drone technology, the government is helping unlock the potential of cutting-edge science for real-world benefit.

    In his speech, the Science Secretary also marked 6 months since the launch of the AI Opportunities Action Plan – highlighting how it has already delivered new cross-government partnerships, helped fund responsible AI trials, and supported regulators to better engage with innovators. He set out how AI will continue to transform key UK industries – from finance and transport to healthcare and defence.

    Kate Jones, CEO, Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum, said:

    The Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum is committed to breaking down barriers for innovators by making digital regulation simpler to find, understand and navigate. Our member regulators – Ofcom, the Competition and Markets Authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office, and the Financial Conduct Authority – are working together in support of their common vision: that regulation should enable responsible innovation.

    This new user-friendly tool will help businesses and investors to find and understand digital regulation more easily and quickly. We’re pleased to be working with the Regulatory Innovation Office on this, supporting the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan.

    DSIT media enquiries

    Email press@dsit.gov.uk

    Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm 020 7215 3000

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    Published 1 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Coventry City Council achieves balanced budget and invests £128.8m in city’s future

    Source: City of Coventry

    The Council has delivered a balanced budget for 2024/25 and investing more than £125m in the city’s future, despite the significant national pressures affecting local authorities across the country.

    The Council’s final outturn position represents a remarkable turnaround from the predicted £7 million overspend projected at Quarter 3, demonstrating strong financial management and disciplined budget control throughout the challenging financial year.

    The Council successfully delivered a substantial £128.8 million capital investment programme during 2024/25, with an impressive 65% funded through external grants – demonstrating the authority’s success in securing funding that reduces the burden on local taxpayers.

    Key investments included:

    • £22 million in transport and highways infrastructure, including completion of the 220-meter Coventry Very Light Rail test track
    • £18.3 million across the city’s school estate, focusing on additional secondary school capacity
    • £16.5 million in climate change initiatives covering green homes and decarbonisation projects
    • £6.6 million supporting registered housing providers to tackle housing issues

    Councillor Richard Brown, Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance and Resources, said:

    “This strong financial performance demonstrates our commitment to sound fiscal management while continuing to invest in Coventry’s future.

    “Despite the challenging environment facing all local authorities and through the efforts of finance colleagues, we have ended the year with a balanced budget.”

    The Council’s commercial investments delivered exceptional returns, with the Asset Management Revenue Account generating a surplus exceeding £10 million.

    Strong dividend performance from Birmingham Airport and Coventry & Solihull Waste Disposal Company contributed to this success.

    Total commercial income of £27.7 million helps support the delivery of essential services for Coventry residents, representing approximately 10% of the Council’s net service expenditure.

    Like councils across the country, Coventry faced significant pressures in children’s and adult social care services due to increased demand, case complexity, and market challenges.

    The Council successfully managed these pressures through careful financial planning and the use of one-off income sources.

    The authority’s strong balance sheet position enabled it to manage budget variations while maintaining its ambitious capital programme, positioning the Council well to continue improving services for residents and investing in the city.

    The capital programme demonstrates the Council’s commitment to Coventry’s long-term prosperity:

    • Infrastructure preparation for the West Midlands Investment Zone focusing on advanced manufacturing
    • Continued progress on major regeneration projects including City Centre South
    • Sustainable transport improvements including cycling infrastructure that has enabled the city to avoid a city centre congestion charge
    • Digital and ICT improvements to enhance service delivery

    Cllr Brown added:

    “The authority’s success in attracting external funding and maintaining strong commercial returns demonstrates effective financial stewardship that benefits all Coventry residents.”

    Published: Tuesday, 1st July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Europe: The EBA publishes its final Guidelines on Acquisition, Development and Construction exposures to residential property under the standardised approach of credit risk

    Source: European Banking Authority

    The European Banking Authority (EBA) today published its final Guidelines on the treatment of Acquisition, Development and Construction (ADC) exposures to residential property under the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). The Guidelines specify the conditions under which institutions may apply a risk weight of 100% instead of 150% to ADC exposures that meet defined credit risk-mitigating requirements. These Guidelines form part of the first phase of the EBA’s roadmap on credit risk implementation of the EU Banking Package. The Guidelines follow a public consultation launched in May 2024 and take into account stakeholder feedback as well as data collected through the related 2024 Quantitative Impact Study (QIS).

    The Guidelines specify further the two conditions introduced in the CRR for ADC exposures to residential property to benefit from a risk weight of 100% instead of 150%:

    • Condition 1: a significant portion (at least 50%) of total contracts are either:
      • pre-sale contracts with a cash deposit equal to or above 10% of the sale price, or
      • pre-lease contracts with a cash deposit equal to or above three times the monthly lease rate, or
      • sale and lease contracts.
    • Condition 2: the obligor has substantial equity at risk, i.e. obligor-contributed equity amounting to at least 25% of the residential property’s value upon completion.

    While the first condition remains unchanged compared to the consultation, the second condition has been revised, lowering the equity threshold from 35% to 25% in response to industry feedback and leveraging on QIS data.

    In addition, the Guidelines now offer more flexibility for public housing projects, allowing them to meet the first condition if applicant demand exceeds unit supply, even at municipality level. Furthermore, the equity requirement for public housing has been reduced to 20%, and the scope of eligible equity broadened to include committed subsidies, grants, and preferential junior loans. These changes aim to better reflect the specific characteristics of public housing while maintaining a prudential approach.

    Legal basis and background

    The draft Guidelines have been developed according to Article 126a(3) of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR), as amended by the CRR3. 

    MIL OSI Europe News –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: DBEDT NEWS RELEASE: Visitor Arrivals and Expenditures Increased in May 2025

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    DBEDT NEWS RELEASE: Visitor Arrivals and Expenditures Increased in May 2025

    Posted on Jun 30, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

    STATE OF HAWAIʻI

    KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

     

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.
    GOVERNOR

    KE KIAʻĀINA

    DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM

    KA ʻOIHANA HOʻOMOHALA PĀʻOIHANA, ʻIMI WAIWAI A HOʻOMĀKAʻIKAʻI

     

    RESEARCH AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS DIVISION

     

    JAMES KUNANE TOKIOKA

    DIRECTOR

    KA LUNA HOʻOKELE

     

    VISITOR ARRIVALS AND EXPENDITURES INCREASED IN MAY 2025

     

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    June 30, 2025

     

    HONOLULU – According to preliminary statistics from the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), total visitor arrivals and total visitor spending in May 2025 increased compared to May 2024. There were 771,038 visitors to the Hawaiian Islands in May 2025, up slightly by 1.0 percent from the same month last year. Total visitor spending measured in nominal dollars was $1.68 billion, a 3.7 percent growth from May 2024. May 2025 total visitor arrivals represent a 91.0 percent recovery compared to pre-pandemic May 2019 and total visitor spending was higher than May 2019 ($1.41 billion, +18.9%).

    In May 2025, 766,377 visitors arrived by air service, mainly from the U.S. West and U.S. East. Additionally, 4,661 visitors came via out-of-state cruise ships. In comparison, 757,841 visitors (+1.1%) arrived by air and 5,420 visitors (-14.0%) came by cruise ships in May 2024, and 836,058 visitors (-8.3%) arrived by air and 11,338 visitors (-58.9%) came by cruise ships in May 2019. The average length of stay by all visitors in May 2025 was 8.47 days, compared to 8.51 days (-0.5%) in May 2024 and 8.37 days (+1.2%) in May 2019. The statewide average daily census was 210,695 visitors in May 2025, compared to 209,543 visitors (+0.5%) in May 2024 and 228,768 visitors (-7.9%) in May 2019.

    In May 2025, 411,318 visitors arrived from the U.S. West, an increase compared to May 2024 (403,981 visitors, +1.8%) and May 2019 (387,844 visitors, +6.1%). U.S. West visitor spending of $831.1 million grew from May 2024 ($767.9 million, +8.2%) and was much higher than May 2019 ($564.0 million, +47.4%). Daily spending by U.S. West visitors in May 2025 ($248 per person) was up compared to May 2024 ($233 per person, +6.4%) and was considerably more than May 2019 ($174 per person, +42.7%).

    In May 2025, 207,445 visitors arrived from the U.S. East, a decline from May 2024 (209,711 visitors, -1.1%), but an increase compared to May 2019 (199,344 visitors, +4.1%). U.S. East visitor spending of $540.5 million rose slightly from May 2024 ($539.4 million, +0.2%) and was much greater than May 2019 ($392.4 million, +37.7%). Daily spending by U.S. East visitors in May 2025 ($279 per person) was higher than May 2024 ($274 per person, +1.8%) and up significantly from May 2019 ($211 per person, +32.3%).

    There were 45,895 visitors from Japan in May 2025, a slight drop from May 2024 (46,124 visitors, -0.5%) and much lower than May 2019 (113,226 visitors, -59.5%). Visitors from Japan spent $67.1 million in May 2025, compared to $68.4 million (-1.8%) in May 2024 and $162.4 million (-58.7%) in May 2019. Daily spending by Japanese visitors in May 2025 ($244 per person) was higher than May 2024 ($237 per person, +3.0%) and similar to May 2019 ($244 per person, +0.3%).

    In May 2025, 18,672 visitors arrived from Canada, a decrease compared to May 2024 (20,301 visitors, -8.0%) and May 2019 (26,424 visitors, -29.3%). Visitors from Canada spent $40.0 million in May 2025, down from May 2024 ($44.6 million, -10.2%) and May 2019 ($48.3 million, -17.1%). Daily spending by Canadian visitors in May 2025 ($221 per person) was lower than May 2024 ($225 per person, -1.7%), but considerably more than May 2019 ($170 per person, +29.8%).

    There were 83,047 visitors from all other international markets in May 2025, which included visitors from Oceania, Other Asia, Europe, Latin America, Guam, the Philippines, and the Pacific Islands. In comparison, there were 77,725 visitors (+6.8%) from all other international markets in May 2024 and 109,220 visitors (-24.0%) in May 2019.

    In May 2025, a total of 4,771 transpacific flights with 1,060,288 total seats serviced the Hawaiian Islands. There was a similar number of total flights (4,770, 0.0%) but fewer total seats (1,070,804, -1.0%) compared to May 2024. Air capacity in May 2025 decreased in comparison to May 2019 (5,085 total flights, -6.2% with 1,118,421 total seats, -5.2%).

    Year-to-Date 2025

     A total of 4,060,004 visitors arrived in the first five months of 2025, which was a 2.8 percent growth from 3,949,483 visitors in the first five months of 2024. Total arrivals declined 3.9 percent when compared to 4,224,071 visitors in the first five months of 2019.

    In the first five months of 2025, total visitor spending was $8.99 billion, which was an increase compared to $8.44 billion (+6.5%) in the first five months of 2024 and $7.23 billion (+24.3%) in the first five months of 2019.

    VIEW FULL NEWS RELEASE AND TABLES

     

    Statement by DBEDT Director James Kunane Tokioka

    May 2025 saw a modest increase in total visitors (+1.0%), led by growth from the U.S. West, which offset fewer arrivals from U.S. East (-1.1%), Japan (-0.5%) and Canada (-8.0%). Visitor expenditures in May 2025 were higher compared to May 2024.

    As we go into the summer months, air service from U.S., Japan and Canada is scheduled to decrease. Combined with political and economic uncertainties, both nationally and globally, we are expecting to see a soft summer. We have been hearing from our partners that the average booking window for a trip to Hawai‘i is about 120 days, however, they are still seeing bookings in the month for the month.

     

     

    # # #

     

     

    Media Contacts:

     

    Laci Goshi

    Communications Officer

    Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism

    Cell: 808-518-5480

    Email: [email protected]

     

    Jennifer Chun

    Director of Tourism Research

    Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism

    Phone: 808-973-9446

    Email: [email protected]

    MIL OSI USA News –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: BlockchainCloudMining launches safe and stable income contracts to help crypto investors achieve financial freedom in life

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Miami, Florida, July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Against the backdrop of rapid changes in the cryptocurrency field, BlockchainCloudMining, the world’s leading cloud mining platform, is reshaping individual investors’ Bitcoin access methods with unprecedented technological innovation and user experience. Through a new mechanism called “smart income contract model”, the platform has attracted global investors to compete for digital asset passive income channels.

    After the price of Bitcoin reached the $100,000 mark, the risks and uncertainties of traditional “buying coins” and “speculating on coins” continued to increase. At the same time, the cloud mining services provided by BlockchainCloudMining are becoming a more stable, compliant, and quantifiable BTC income entry point in the eyes of global users.

    From “asset holding” to “asset production”-a new path for ordinary people to participate in the crypto era
    Bitcoin has been born for more than 15 years. It has leapt from a marginal asset to a mainstream value reserve, but traditional investment methods still discourage ordinary investors in terms of threshold, volatility, and risk. In contrast, cloud mining modularizes and platforms the mining process through computing power contracts, so that users can obtain BTC output every day without any technical background. BlockchainCloudMining is the leader of this change.

    What is BlockchainCloudMining?

    Blockchain cloud mining is a way to participate in cryptocurrency mining without purchasing hardware equipment. Blockchain provides remote computing power leasing services. Users only need to purchase mining contracts, and the system will automatically run the mining process and distribute the proceeds to the account. There is no need to maintain equipment or bear high electricity bills.

    The platform builds a global green mining network, introduces AI intelligent allocation of computing power system, and launches flexible and diverse contract income, so that users of different capital scales and different countries and regions can join the mining track in the best way.

    Why global crypto investors choose BlockchainCloudMining platform, its advantages are as follows:
    ⦁ Register to get an instant reward of $12.
    ⦁ High profit level and daily dividends.
    ⦁ No other service fees or management fees.
    ⦁The platform supports settlement of more than 9 cryptocurrencies such as DOGE, BTC, ETH, SOL, USDC, USDT, XRP, LTC, and BCH.
    ⦁The company’s affiliate program allows you to refer friends and receive up to $50,000 in referral bonuses.
    ⦁McAfee® security. Cloudflare® security. 100% uptime guarantee and excellent 24/7 human online technical support.

    How to get started with BlockchainCloudMining?

    Step 1: Register an account
    In this case, we choose BlockChain Mining as our cloud mining service provider. Go to the service provider of your choice to register and create a new account. BlockChain Mining offers a simple registration process, just enter your email address and create an account to participate. After registration, users can start mining Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies immediately.

    Step 2: Buy a mining contract
    Currently, BlockChain Mining offers a variety of mining contract options, such as $100, $500, and $1,000 contracts. Each contract has a unique return on investment (ROI) and a specific contract period. You can earn more passive income by participating in the following contracts:

    ⦁【New User Experience Contract】: Investment amount: $100, contract period 2 days, total income: $100 + $6.
    ⦁【WhatsMiner M66S】: Investment amount: $500, contract period 7 days, total income: $500 + $45.5.
    ⦁【WhatsMiner M60】: Investment amount: $1,000, contract period 14 days, total income: $1,000 + $196.
    ⦁【Bitcoin Miner S21+】: Investment amount: $3,000, contract period 20 days, total income: $3,000 + $900.
    ⦁【ALPH Miner AL1】:Investment amount: 10,000 USD, contract period 35 days, total income: 10,000 USD + 5,950 USD.
    ⦁【ANTSPACE HK3】:Investment amount: 33,000 USD, contract period 40 days, total income: 33,000 USD + 26,400 USD.

    You can get income the next day after purchasing the contract, or you can choose to withdraw to your crypto wallet or continue to purchase other contracts.
    (The platform has launched a variety of stable income contracts, for more contract details, please log in to the official website of Blockchaincloudmining.com)

    Abstract: In the new era of continuous evolution of digital assets, BlockchainCloudMining not only provides an entry point for obtaining Bitcoin income, but also establishes a safe, transparent and inclusive “computing power as a service” ecosystem. For global users, this is not only an innovation in investment methods, but also an active participation in the future wealth structure.

    For more details, please visit the official website: blockchaincloudmining.com

    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 assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. 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.

    The MIL Network –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: BlockchainCloudMining launches safe and stable income contracts to help crypto investors achieve financial freedom in life

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Miami, Florida, July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Against the backdrop of rapid changes in the cryptocurrency field, BlockchainCloudMining, the world’s leading cloud mining platform, is reshaping individual investors’ Bitcoin access methods with unprecedented technological innovation and user experience. Through a new mechanism called “smart income contract model”, the platform has attracted global investors to compete for digital asset passive income channels.

    After the price of Bitcoin reached the $100,000 mark, the risks and uncertainties of traditional “buying coins” and “speculating on coins” continued to increase. At the same time, the cloud mining services provided by BlockchainCloudMining are becoming a more stable, compliant, and quantifiable BTC income entry point in the eyes of global users.

    From “asset holding” to “asset production”-a new path for ordinary people to participate in the crypto era
    Bitcoin has been born for more than 15 years. It has leapt from a marginal asset to a mainstream value reserve, but traditional investment methods still discourage ordinary investors in terms of threshold, volatility, and risk. In contrast, cloud mining modularizes and platforms the mining process through computing power contracts, so that users can obtain BTC output every day without any technical background. BlockchainCloudMining is the leader of this change.

    What is BlockchainCloudMining?

    Blockchain cloud mining is a way to participate in cryptocurrency mining without purchasing hardware equipment. Blockchain provides remote computing power leasing services. Users only need to purchase mining contracts, and the system will automatically run the mining process and distribute the proceeds to the account. There is no need to maintain equipment or bear high electricity bills.

    The platform builds a global green mining network, introduces AI intelligent allocation of computing power system, and launches flexible and diverse contract income, so that users of different capital scales and different countries and regions can join the mining track in the best way.

    Why global crypto investors choose BlockchainCloudMining platform, its advantages are as follows:
    ⦁ Register to get an instant reward of $12.
    ⦁ High profit level and daily dividends.
    ⦁ No other service fees or management fees.
    ⦁The platform supports settlement of more than 9 cryptocurrencies such as DOGE, BTC, ETH, SOL, USDC, USDT, XRP, LTC, and BCH.
    ⦁The company’s affiliate program allows you to refer friends and receive up to $50,000 in referral bonuses.
    ⦁McAfee® security. Cloudflare® security. 100% uptime guarantee and excellent 24/7 human online technical support.

    How to get started with BlockchainCloudMining?

    Step 1: Register an account
    In this case, we choose BlockChain Mining as our cloud mining service provider. Go to the service provider of your choice to register and create a new account. BlockChain Mining offers a simple registration process, just enter your email address and create an account to participate. After registration, users can start mining Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies immediately.

    Step 2: Buy a mining contract
    Currently, BlockChain Mining offers a variety of mining contract options, such as $100, $500, and $1,000 contracts. Each contract has a unique return on investment (ROI) and a specific contract period. You can earn more passive income by participating in the following contracts:

    ⦁【New User Experience Contract】: Investment amount: $100, contract period 2 days, total income: $100 + $6.
    ⦁【WhatsMiner M66S】: Investment amount: $500, contract period 7 days, total income: $500 + $45.5.
    ⦁【WhatsMiner M60】: Investment amount: $1,000, contract period 14 days, total income: $1,000 + $196.
    ⦁【Bitcoin Miner S21+】: Investment amount: $3,000, contract period 20 days, total income: $3,000 + $900.
    ⦁【ALPH Miner AL1】:Investment amount: 10,000 USD, contract period 35 days, total income: 10,000 USD + 5,950 USD.
    ⦁【ANTSPACE HK3】:Investment amount: 33,000 USD, contract period 40 days, total income: 33,000 USD + 26,400 USD.

    You can get income the next day after purchasing the contract, or you can choose to withdraw to your crypto wallet or continue to purchase other contracts.
    (The platform has launched a variety of stable income contracts, for more contract details, please log in to the official website of Blockchaincloudmining.com)

    Abstract: In the new era of continuous evolution of digital assets, BlockchainCloudMining not only provides an entry point for obtaining Bitcoin income, but also establishes a safe, transparent and inclusive “computing power as a service” ecosystem. For global users, this is not only an innovation in investment methods, but also an active participation in the future wealth structure.

    For more details, please visit the official website: blockchaincloudmining.com

    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 assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. 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.

    The MIL Network –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Hyperscale Data Subsidiary Ault Markets to Launch U.S.-Based Global Decentralized Cryptocurrency Exchange

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LAS VEGAS, July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hyperscale Data, Inc. (NYSE American: GPUS), a diversified holding company (“Hyperscale Data” or the “Company”), today announced that its indirect wholly owned subsidiary Ault Markets, Inc. (“Ault Markets”), plans to launch a Decentralized Cryptocurrency Exchange (“DEX”) to be based in the United States, with its headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, interested parties are encouraged to visit Ault.com.

    The Company expects that DEX will enable peer-to-peer digital asset trading with no centralized intermediary, offering true ownership, privacy, and global accessibility. Ault Markets plans to support trading on the DEX in up to 175 countries, marking a bold new chapter in the evolution of global finance.

    In a direct response to the current administration’s recent call for the United States to lead the world in cryptocurrency innovation, Ault Markets is looking forward to answering that call by building a blockchain-native, pro-innovation DEX under the banner of an American enterprise.

    Key Features of the Ault Markets DEX:

    • Non-custodial peer-to-peer trading
    • Support for all major tokens and blockchain networks, including multi-chain interoperability
    • Global compliance screening (excluding OFAC-sanctioned jurisdictions)
    • High-speed, low-cost transactions using Layer-2 scaling and on-chain liquidity
    • Decentralized identity and wallet integration for user sovereignty
    • Around the clock trading, 365 days a year across the globe

    “We believe it is time for the United States to take the lead in the digital asset space,” said Milton “Todd” Ault III, Founder and Executive Chairman of Hyperscale Data. “By launching a DEX from Nevada, we are looking to set a global standard; not just for cryptocurrency access, but for transparency and innovation across global financial systems. This project is about empowering users worldwide while grounding the infrastructure in entrepreneurial American values.”

    By removing intermediaries and empowering individuals, Ault Markets’ DEX plans to challenge traditional financial institutions and foreign-domiciled exchanges offering a secure, transparent, and user-first platform for global digital commerce.

    The Company expects the DEX to be launched in early 2026, following a global node deployment and final smart contract audit phase. Ault Markets will also integrate its exchange into the broader Ault Blockchain ecosystem, offering financial-grade decentralized services alongside lending, custody, and token issuance platforms.

    For more information on Hyperscale Data and its subsidiaries, Hyperscale Data recommends that stockholders, investors and any other interested parties read Hyperscale Data’s public filings and press releases available under the Investor Relations section at hyperscaledata.com or available at www.sec.gov.

    About Hyperscale Data, Inc.

    Through its wholly owned subsidiary Sentinum, Inc., Hyperscale Data owns and operates a data center at which it mines digital assets and offers colocation and hosting services for the emerging artificial intelligence (“AI”) ecosystems and other industries. Hyperscale Data’s other wholly owned subsidiary, ACG, is a diversified holding company pursuing growth by acquiring undervalued businesses and disruptive technologies with a global impact.

    Hyperscale Data expects to divest itself of ACG on or about December 31, 2025 (the “Divestiture”). Upon the occurrence of the Divestiture, the Company would solely be an owner and operator of data centers to support HPC services, though it may at that time continue to operate in the digital asset space as described in the Company’s filings with the SEC. Until the Divestiture occurs, the Company will continue to provide, through ACG and its wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries and strategic investments, mission-critical products that support a diverse range of industries, including an AI software platform, social gaming platform, equipment rental services, defense/aerospace, industrial, automotive, medical/biopharma and hotel operations. In addition, ACG is actively engaged in private credit and structured finance through a licensed lending subsidiary. Hyperscale Data’s headquarters are located at 11411 Southern Highlands Parkway, Suite 190, Las Vegas, NV 89141.

    On December 23, 2024, the Company issued one million (1,000,000) shares of a newly designated Series F Exchangeable Preferred Stock (the “Series F Preferred Stock”) to all common stockholders and holders of the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock on an as-converted basis. The Divestiture will occur through the voluntary exchange of the Series F Preferred Stock for shares of Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock of ACG (collectively, the “ACG Shares”). The Company reminds its stockholders that only those holders of the Series F Preferred Stock who agree to surrender such shares, and do not properly withdraw such surrender, in the exchange offer through which the Divestiture will occur, will be entitled to receive the ACG Shares and consequently be stockholders of ACG upon the occurrence of the Divestiture.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements generally include statements that are predictive in nature and depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and include words such as “believes,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “potential,” or similar expressions. Statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties.

    Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any of them publicly in light of new information or future events. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors. More information, including potential risk factors, that could affect the Company’s business and financial results are included in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the Company’s Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. All filings are available at www.sec.gov and on the Company’s website at hyperscaledata.com.

    Hyperscale Data Investor Contact:
    IR@hyperscaledata.com or 1-888-753-2235

    The MIL Network –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Africa: Operation Shanela nets 15 248 suspects

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Operation Shanela nets 15 248 suspects

    Operation Shanela has netted over 15 000 suspects around the country in its latest sting, said the South African Police Service (SAPS).

    As part of a nationwide move to combat and prevent crime, 15 248 suspects were arrested for various crimes.  

    These crime-fighting activities included tracking operations, roadblocks, high visibility patrols, stop and searches, as well as tracing of wanted suspects. 

    According to the police, 2 441 wanted suspects were arrested for various serious and violent crimes such as murder, attempted murder, rape, business and house robberies. Additionally, 170 suspects were arrested for murder with KwaZulu-Natal recording the highest figure (47), followed by Gauteng (34) and the Western Cape (32).

    Police also arrested 106 suspects for attempted murder and 145 people for rape. A total 233 drug dealers were arrested, while 2 234 suspects were arrested for being in possession of drugs, with the highest arrests in the Western Cape (1 214).

    The long arm of the law also caught up with 96 suspects, who were arrested for being in the illegal possession of firearms while 1 460 illegal foreign nationals were also arrested.

    Additionally, 772 drivers were arrested for drunken driving, said the SAPS in a statement on Monday.

    Under recoveries and confiscations, police registered the following successes: 
    •    115 firearms were confiscated in the past week
    •    2 394 rounds of ammunition were also confiscated
    •    81 hijacked and stolen vehicles were also recovered during this week’s operations. 

    Highlights of major takedowns and other successes include the following:

    •    Eastern Cape: On 23 June 2025, six-armed extortion suspects were shot and killed in a shootout with police on the R61 between Mthatha and Ngcobo.
    •    Northern Cape: Police seized illicit cigarettes worth R2.8 million in a storage facility at Groblershoop in Upington, on 23 June 2025
    •    KwaZulu-Natal: Police recovered drugs worth over R10 million and arrested a 37-year-old foreign national during an intelligence-led operation, on 25 June 2025
    •    Free State: Police arrested three suspects on charges of kidnapping and rescued a 19-year-old Kamogelo Baukudi in Wepener, on 27 June 2025
    •    Western Cape: Anti-Gang Unit arrested a 68-year-old man for unlawful possession of seven different calibre firearms and ammunition in Gulden Crescent, Cape Town, on 23 June 2025
    •    Limpopo: Police arrested a 40-year-old man for the gruesome murder of his 87-year-old mother after her body parts were found in plastic buckets in Sebora Village in the Mashashane area, on 28 June 2025.
    •    Last week alone, the SAPS Anti-Kidnapping Task Team rescued a 30-year-old man and arrested three kidnappers during an operation in Germiston. In a separate case, on 27 June 2025, Gauteng police rescued an 82-year-old Businessman and arrested five suspects aged between 25 and 31 years in Roodepoort.

    “Police will continue with their operations by asserting the authority of the state to ensure the safety and security of all South Africans and visitors to the country,” the police said. – SAnews.gov.za

    Edwin
    Tue, 07/01/2025 – 10:47

    MIL OSI Africa –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Africa: Lamola highlights investment challenges at international financing development conference

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Lamola highlights investment challenges at international financing development conference

    International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Ronald Lamola, has underscored the persistent difficulties that hinder private investment, underscoring political and regulatory volatility as matters of primary concern. 

    “Frequent policy shifts, coupled with weak institutions and inconsistent regulatory frameworks, create a climate of uncertainty that undermines investor confidence. This unpredictability hampers long-term planning and complicates risk assessments,” he said on Monday. 

    The Minister was speaking at the 4th International Conference on the Financing for Development Summit, which is taking place in Seville, Spain. The gathering kicked off on Monday. 

    Lamola, the head of the South African delegation, delivered a speech at a multi-stakeholder roundtable themed: “Revitalising International Development Cooperation”.

    The event aims to address new and emerging issues in development financing, emphasising the need to fully implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    Lamola called for a unified approach to building institutional capacity, coherence in policy, and independent regulatory bodies. 

    “We need robust investment protection laws to foster investor confidence. Without these safeguards, we are undermining our own potential for growth.”

    The Minister further elaborated on macroeconomic fragility, emphasising that high inflation, currency instability, and unsustainable debt burdens restrict governments’ abilities to provide incentives for investment. 

    To restore stability, he said leaders must adopt prudent fiscal and monetary policies. 

    Lamola believes that improving debt management and collaborating with development finance institutions can create an environment where private investment flourishes.

    Pointing out the limitations posed by underdeveloped financial markets, Lamola highlighted the necessity of expanding local capital markets. 

    “Governments must prioritise regulatory reforms and infrastructure improvements to unlock the potential of our economies. 

    “Supporting fintech innovation and promoting financial inclusion are pivotal in creating a more accessible financing landscape.”

    Building capacity to attract investment

    The Minister also addressed the significant infrastructure gaps that plague many developing nations, which further deter investment. 

    “Inadequate transport and energy infrastructure increase operational costs and evaporate profitability. 

    “We need strategic infrastructure planning, informed by private sector insights, to mobilise the capital necessary for development.”

    He noted that many initiatives falter due to weak design and a lack of feasibility assessments. 

    “We must invest in building technical capacity within the public sector. Establishing dedicated project preparation facilities will significantly increase the attractiveness of investment opportunities,” he urged.  

    To level the playing field for investors, Lamola stressed the importance of improving governance and regulatory certainty. 

    “Simplifying investment-related regulations and reducing bureaucratic hurdles can greatly enhance investor confidence.  

    “We must create an environment where potential investors feel secure in their commitments.”

    The Minister also stressed the importance of developing national sustainable finance strategies to align financial flows with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. 

    “We must define what constitutes a sustainable investment. Robust taxonomies and disclosure standards can enhance transparency and credibility in the market.”

    He also highlighted the crucial role of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) in fostering a conducive investment environment. 

    “MDBs can offer credit enhancements, support project preparation, and co-finance investments alongside private capital.  

    “Their involvement can significantly increase the viability of projects in emerging markets.”

    The Minister expressed optimism about the potential for collaboration in driving sustainable development through private investment. 

    “Together, we can create a future where every dollar invested unlocks new opportunities, tackles pressing challenges, and builds a more sustainable world.” 

    The event highlighted a collective commitment from governments, private sector representatives, and development institutions to work together to revitalise international development cooperation and attract the much-needed private investment that can empower developing nations in their growth journey. – SAnews.gov.za

    Gabisile
    Tue, 07/01/2025 – 10:56

    MIL OSI Africa –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Analysis: What happens to your brain when you watch videos online at faster speeds than normal

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Marcus Pearce, Reader in Cognitive Science, Queen Mary University of London

    ‘Hare speed, please.’ Pressmaster

    Many of us have got into the habit of listening to podcasts, audiobooks and other online content at increased playback speeds. For younger people, it might even be the norm. One survey of students in California, for instance, showed that 89% changed the playback speed of online lectures, while there have been numerous articles in the media about how common speedy viewing has become.

    It is easy to think of some advantages to watching things more quickly. It can let you consume more content in the same amount of time, or go through the same piece of content a couple of times to get the most out of it.

    This could be particularly useful in an educational context, where it might free up time for consolidating knowledge, doing practice tests and so forth. Watching quickly is also potentially a good way of making sure you sustain your attention and engagement for the entire duration to avoid the mind wandering.

    But what about the disadvantages? It turns out that there are one or two of those as well.

    When a person is exposed to spoken information, researchers distinguish three phases of memory: encoding the information, storing it and subsequently retrieving it. At the encoding phase, it takes the brain some time to process and comprehend the incoming speech-stream. Words must be extracted and their contextual meaning retrieved from the memory in real-time.

    People generally speak at a rate of about 150 words per minute, though doubling the rate to 300 or even tripling it to 450 words per minute is still within the range of what we can find intelligible. The question is more about the quality and longevity of the memories that we form.

    Incoming information is stored temporarily in a memory system called working memory. This allows chunks of information to be transformed, combined and manipulated into a form that is ready for transfer to the long-term memory. Because our working memory has a limited capacity, if too much information arrives too quickly it can be exceeded. This leads to cognitive overload and loss of information.

    Speedy viewing and information recall

    A recent meta analysis in this area examined 24 studies of learning from lecture videos. The studies varied in their design but generally involved playing a video lecture to one group at original speed (1x) and playing the same video lecture to another group at a faster speed (1.25x, 1.5x, 2x and 2.5x).

    Just like in a randomised controlled trial used to test medical treatments, participants were randomly assigned to each of the two groups. Both groups then completed an identical test after watching the video to assess their knowledge of the material. The tests either required them to recall information, used multiple choice questions to assess their recall, or both.

    Faster playback may not help with study.
    V.Studio

    The meta-analysis showed that increasing playback speed had increasingly negative effects on test performance. At speeds of up to 1.5x, the cost was very small. But at 2x and above, the negative effect was moderate to large.

    To put this in context, if the average score for a cohort of students was 75% with a typical variation of 20 percentage points in either direction, then increasing the playback speed to 1.5x would bring down the average person’s result by 2 percentage points. And increasing the playback speed to 2.5x would lead to an average loss of 17 percentage points.

    Older people

    Interestingly, one of the studies included in the meta-analysis also investigated older adults (aged 61-94) and found that they were more affected by watching content at faster speeds than younger adults (aged 18-36). This may reflect a weakening of memory capacity in otherwise healthy people, suggesting that older adults should watch at normal speed or even slower playback speeds to compensate.

    However, we don’t yet know whether you can reduce the negative effects of fast playback by doing it regularly. So it could be that younger adults simply have more experience of fast playback and are therefore better able to cope with the increased cognitive load. Similarly, it means we don’t know whether younger people can mitigate the negative effects on their ability to retain information by using faster playback more often.

    Another unknown is whether there are any long-term effects on mental function and brain activity from watching videos at increased playback speeds. In theory, such effects could be positive, such as a better ability to handle increased cognitive load. Or they could be negative, such as greater mental fatigue resulting from increased cognitive load, but we currently lack the scientific evidence to answer this question.

    A final observation is that even if playing back content at, say, 1.5 times the normal speed doesn’t affect memory performance, there is evidence to suggest the experience is less enjoyable. That may affect people’s motivation and experience at learning things, which might make them find more excuses not to do it. On the other hand, faster playback has become popular, so maybe once people get used to it, it’s fine – hopefully we’ll understand these processes better in the years to come.

    Marcus Pearce 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. What happens to your brain when you watch videos online at faster speeds than normal – https://theconversation.com/what-happens-to-your-brain-when-you-watch-videos-online-at-faster-speeds-than-normal-259930

    MIL OSI Analysis –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Analysis: What happens to your brain when you watch videos online at faster speeds than normal

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Marcus Pearce, Reader in Cognitive Science, Queen Mary University of London

    ‘Hare speed, please.’ Pressmaster

    Many of us have got into the habit of listening to podcasts, audiobooks and other online content at increased playback speeds. For younger people, it might even be the norm. One survey of students in California, for instance, showed that 89% changed the playback speed of online lectures, while there have been numerous articles in the media about how common speedy viewing has become.

    It is easy to think of some advantages to watching things more quickly. It can let you consume more content in the same amount of time, or go through the same piece of content a couple of times to get the most out of it.

    This could be particularly useful in an educational context, where it might free up time for consolidating knowledge, doing practice tests and so forth. Watching quickly is also potentially a good way of making sure you sustain your attention and engagement for the entire duration to avoid the mind wandering.

    But what about the disadvantages? It turns out that there are one or two of those as well.

    When a person is exposed to spoken information, researchers distinguish three phases of memory: encoding the information, storing it and subsequently retrieving it. At the encoding phase, it takes the brain some time to process and comprehend the incoming speech-stream. Words must be extracted and their contextual meaning retrieved from the memory in real-time.

    People generally speak at a rate of about 150 words per minute, though doubling the rate to 300 or even tripling it to 450 words per minute is still within the range of what we can find intelligible. The question is more about the quality and longevity of the memories that we form.

    Incoming information is stored temporarily in a memory system called working memory. This allows chunks of information to be transformed, combined and manipulated into a form that is ready for transfer to the long-term memory. Because our working memory has a limited capacity, if too much information arrives too quickly it can be exceeded. This leads to cognitive overload and loss of information.

    Speedy viewing and information recall

    A recent meta analysis in this area examined 24 studies of learning from lecture videos. The studies varied in their design but generally involved playing a video lecture to one group at original speed (1x) and playing the same video lecture to another group at a faster speed (1.25x, 1.5x, 2x and 2.5x).

    Just like in a randomised controlled trial used to test medical treatments, participants were randomly assigned to each of the two groups. Both groups then completed an identical test after watching the video to assess their knowledge of the material. The tests either required them to recall information, used multiple choice questions to assess their recall, or both.

    Faster playback may not help with study.
    V.Studio

    The meta-analysis showed that increasing playback speed had increasingly negative effects on test performance. At speeds of up to 1.5x, the cost was very small. But at 2x and above, the negative effect was moderate to large.

    To put this in context, if the average score for a cohort of students was 75% with a typical variation of 20 percentage points in either direction, then increasing the playback speed to 1.5x would bring down the average person’s result by 2 percentage points. And increasing the playback speed to 2.5x would lead to an average loss of 17 percentage points.

    Older people

    Interestingly, one of the studies included in the meta-analysis also investigated older adults (aged 61-94) and found that they were more affected by watching content at faster speeds than younger adults (aged 18-36). This may reflect a weakening of memory capacity in otherwise healthy people, suggesting that older adults should watch at normal speed or even slower playback speeds to compensate.

    However, we don’t yet know whether you can reduce the negative effects of fast playback by doing it regularly. So it could be that younger adults simply have more experience of fast playback and are therefore better able to cope with the increased cognitive load. Similarly, it means we don’t know whether younger people can mitigate the negative effects on their ability to retain information by using faster playback more often.

    Another unknown is whether there are any long-term effects on mental function and brain activity from watching videos at increased playback speeds. In theory, such effects could be positive, such as a better ability to handle increased cognitive load. Or they could be negative, such as greater mental fatigue resulting from increased cognitive load, but we currently lack the scientific evidence to answer this question.

    A final observation is that even if playing back content at, say, 1.5 times the normal speed doesn’t affect memory performance, there is evidence to suggest the experience is less enjoyable. That may affect people’s motivation and experience at learning things, which might make them find more excuses not to do it. On the other hand, faster playback has become popular, so maybe once people get used to it, it’s fine – hopefully we’ll understand these processes better in the years to come.

    Marcus Pearce 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. What happens to your brain when you watch videos online at faster speeds than normal – https://theconversation.com/what-happens-to-your-brain-when-you-watch-videos-online-at-faster-speeds-than-normal-259930

    MIL OSI Analysis –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Analysis: How tennis takes a toll: the leg and foot injuries players need to watch out for

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Craig Gwynne, Senior Lecturer in Podiatry, Cardiff Metropolitan University

    When Novak Djokovic limped out of the 2024 French Open with a torn meniscus in his knee, all eyes turned to whether he’d be fit for Wimbledon. And when Nick Kyrgios pulled out of Wimbledon for the third year running earlier this month due to a knee injury, fans were disappointed, but medical experts may not have been surprised.

    These weren’t freak accidents. They were reminders of just how much stress elite tennis puts on the legs and feet. But the same risks apply to anyone picking up a racket this summer. From Centre Court to local parks, tennis takes a toll on the body that many players don’t appreciate.

    Tennis demands explosive movement like lunges, pivots, sprints and sudden stops. Every serve starts with a push from the toes. Every rally shifts weight between the heel and forefoot. Unlike sports with linear movement, like sprinting, tennis places constant multi-directional stress on the feet and ankles – two of the most frequently injured body parts in the game.

    Grass courts like Wimbledon’s are notoriously slick, even when dry. They offer less traction than hard courts and can increase the risk of slipping and twisting injuries. Ankle sprains and midfoot stress injuries are more common on these surfaces, particularly for players not wearing surface-appropriate shoes.

    But problems aren’t limited to grass. Hard courts often trigger repetitive strain in the heel or forefoot. And while clay is more forgiving, it still demands relentless lateral movement. No matter the surface, tennis puts pressure on the small joints and bones of the foot.

    Consequently, even the world’s best aren’t immune. Nick Kyrgios’s long-running foot issues have disrupted multiple seasons for him. Rafael Nadal has battled Mueller-Weiss syndrome, which is a rare condition that damages the navicular bone in the foot and requires specialist treatment and custom shoe-inserts.

    In April 2024, French player Arthur Cazaux rolled his ankle at the Barcelona Open, posting a viral image of the swelling that underscored how brutal the sport can be.

    What science says about foot injuries in tennis

    Many foot and ankle injuries in tennis often don’t result from one big moment — they build slowly over time. Stress fractures in the navicular and metatarsals (small bones in the midfoot) are especially common in players who train and play often. These bones are repeatedly loaded during sprints, pivots and push-offs, and can become damaged without any obvious trauma.

    Sprained ankles are another common problem. The ligaments on the outside of the ankle (known as the lateral ligaments) are particularly at risk during sudden changes in direction, especially on slippery surfaces. This is a major feature of tennis movement and makes ankle injuries hard to avoid without good support or strength.

    Foot mechanics, which is the way the foot absorbs, transfers and responds to forces during movement, also play a key role in injury risk. Research shows that players shift their body weight across different areas of the foot depending on the shot. Over time, repeated pressure on the forefoot or heel can lead to tendon strain or bone stress injuries.

    Ankle flexibility and lower limb strength also matter. Studies show that players with poor ankle mobility or control are not only more likely to lose power in their shots, they’re also more prone to overloading the foot and ankle during play.

    Despite this, foot and ankle injuries still get overlooked in many tennis injury prevention plans. Most focus on the knees, hips or shoulders, leaving one of the most injury-prone parts of the body without enough attention or support.

    The Wimbledon effect

    Wimbledon inspires thousands to pick up a racket every summer. But this seasonal spike in participation is often matched by a rise in injuries, particularly among casual players.

    Studies show that leg and foot injuries are prevalent among amateur tennis players. Ankle sprains, Achilles tendon issues and plantar fasciitis (pain in the bottom of the foot) are among the most common complaints.

    Footwear is one of the main reasons for this. Professionals wear tennis-specific shoes tailored to surface type. Grass-court shoes, for example, have shallow pimples for traction without damaging the turf. But many recreational players hit the court in running shoes, which are designed for straight-line motion, not side-to-side movement. This increases the risk of slips, ankle rolls and stress to the plantar fascia.

    Others ignore foot pain, assuming it’s normal or age-related. But aching arches, bruised heels or soreness across the midfoot may signal deeper issues like tendon overload, early stress fractures or plantar tissue damage.

    How to protect your feet

    So if you’re heading out to play tennis this summer, whether at a club or on the local court, a few small changes can help protect your feet:

    1. Wear tennis shoes designed for the surface. Don’t rely on general trainers or running shoes.

    2. Warm up properly. Include ankle rolls, calf raises and lateral drills (side-to-side movements).

    3. Strengthen your feet between matches with balance work or resistance-band exercises. You can also do towel curls, which involves placing a towel on the floor and gripping it towards your arch with your toes.

    4. Listen to pain. Discomfort in the heel, arch or midfoot isn’t “just tiredness”. It may be a warning sign.

    5. Replace worn shoes regularly, especially if you play on grass where grip is crucial.

    If you do sustain a minor ankle sprain apply the “police” principle:

    Protection = Avoid activities that aggravate pain and further injury.

    Optimal loading = Gentle, controlled movement and weight-bearing as tolerated, aiming to promote tissue healing and prevent stiffness.

    Ice = Apply ice to reduce swelling and pain, typically for 15-20 minutes every few hours.

    Compression = Use an elastic bandage to help reduce swelling, but be mindful of circulation.

    Elevation = Keep the injured ankle elevated to minimise swelling.

    If pain doesn’t ease after 48 hours, or worsens during activity, speak to a podiatrist or physiotherapist. Stress fractures in particular can worsen without rest.

    Wimbledon is a celebration of tennis at its most graceful and exciting. But it’s also a high-impact sport that places a lot of strain on the body.

    Whether you’re serving aces at your club or just hitting a couple of balls with friends, your feet are your secret weapon and your first line of defence. Take care of them, and you’ll stay in the match for longer.

    Craig Gwynne 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. How tennis takes a toll: the leg and foot injuries players need to watch out for – https://theconversation.com/how-tennis-takes-a-toll-the-leg-and-foot-injuries-players-need-to-watch-out-for-258872

    MIL OSI Analysis –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Travel company to take over running of Park and Ride

    Source: City of Leicester

    LEICESTER’S three Park and Ride services are to be run by local company and current bus provider Roberts Travel Group, after it made a successful bid to the city and county councils to take on the full operation of the service.

    Roberts will take over the services, which operate from Birstall, Enderby and Meynell’s Gorse, from August 24 this year. The company will take on the revenue risk for the service and have control over the timetables and fares. The city and county councils will continue to fund the park and ride operation, but will reduce their subsidy by half, from £422,000 a year to £211,000.

    Under the three-year contract to operate, buses must continue to run at least every 15 minutes from Monday to Saturday, from 7am to 7pm.

    Roberts plans to introduce more stops along all three routes, introducing popular locations like Freemans Common, Redhill Circle and Braunstone Leisure Centre.

    Fares will increase for the first time in five years, but will remain lower than other commercial bus operators and city centre parking charges. A day return ticket will cost £4.85 and a group day ticket for up to five people will cost £6. Concessionary fares will be reduced from £1 to become free.

    Cllr Geoff Whittle, Leicester’s asst city mayor for environment and transport said: “After a thorough procurement process I’m pleased that Roberts Travel Group will be taking over the running of these important services.

    “Like all councils we are having to make some very difficult decisions around funding, and this contractual arrangement means we can reduce our subsidy to the park and ride service, while ensuring it continues to operate.

    “I know that the service from Enderby which stops at the Leicester Royal Infirmary is particularly well used by both staff and patients, with no other bus service on offer on that route

    “Roberts will be introducing more stops along all of the routes, and there are plans to better link in with our Hop! Service and the Hospital Hopper in the future, which will bring strong benefits to city residents.”

    The new timetables and fare changes will be introduced from 26 August this year.

    Alex Niemczyk, Managing Director of Roberts Travel Group said: “We are proud to have been awarded the contract to operate Leicester’s Park and Ride services.

    “As a local operator with a long-standing commitment to the community, we’re excited to take full responsibility for delivering a reliable, affordable, modern Park and Ride service from Birstall, Enderby and Meynell’s Gorse.

    “We look forward to welcoming passengers aboard and delivering a Park and Ride service Leicester can be proud of.”

    More detail is available on Roberts’ website  

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s remarks at the opening of the 4th Financing for Development Conference [trilingual, as delivered; scroll down for all-English and all-Spanish and all-French]

    Source: United Nations

    Majestades,

    Excelencias, señoras y señores:

    Agradezco al Gobierno y al pueblo de España por su cálida acogida en Sevilla para esta importante conferencia.

    Durante décadas, la misión del desarrollo sostenible ha unido a países grandes y pequeños, desarrollados y en desarrollo.

    Juntos, hemos logrado avances.

    Reduciendo la pobreza y el hambre en el mundo.
     
    Salvando vidas con sistemas sanitarios más sólidos.
     
    Llevando más niños a la escuela.
     
    Ampliando las oportunidades para mujeres y niñas.
     
    Y fortaleciendo las redes de seguridad social.
     
    Pero hoy, el desarrollo y su gran impulsor – la cooperación internacional –enfrentan fortísimos vientos en contra.
     
    Vivimos en un mundo donde la confianza se está desmoronando y el multilateralismo está bajo tensión.
     
    Un mundo con una economía en desaceleración, tensiones comerciales crecientes y presupuestos de ayuda diezmados.
     
    Un mundo sacudido por desigualdades, caos climático y conflictos devastadores.
     
    El vínculo entre paz y desarrollo es evidente.
     
    Nueve de los diez países con los Indicadores de Desarrollo Humano más bajos se encuentran actualmente en situación de conflicto.
     
    Excelencias,
     
    La financiación es el motor del desarrollo.
     
    Y, ahora mismo, ese motor se está ahogando.
     
    Mientras nos reunimos, la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible – nuestra promesa global de transformar nuestro mundo para lograr un futuro mejor y más justo – está en peligro.
     
    Dos tercios de las metas de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible están rezagadas.
     
    Alcanzarlos requiere una inversión de más de 4 billones de dólares al año.
     
    Pero no se trata sólo de una crisis de cifras.
     
    Es una crisis de personas.
     
    De familias que pasan hambre.
     
    De niños que no reciben vacunas.
     
    De niñas obligadas a abandonar la escuela.
     
    Estamos aquí en Sevilla para cambiar el rumbo.
     
    Para reparar y poner en marcha el motor del desarrollo y acelerar la inversión a la escala y velocidad necesarias.
     
    Y restaurar equidad y justicia – para todas y todos.
     
    Excellencies,
     
    The Sevilla Commitment is a global promise to fix how the world supports countries as they climb the development ladder.
     
    I see three areas of action.
     
    First — we must get resources flowing. Fast.  
     
    Countries must lead by mobilizing domestic resources and investing in areas of greatest impact: schools, health care, social protection, decent work, and renewable energy.
     
    Unlocking these investments requires strengthening tax systems, and tackling illicit financial flows and tax evasion.
     
    And helping developing countries dedicate a greater share of their tax revenues to the systems people need.
     
    The Sevilla Commitment’s call on developed countries to double their aid dedicated to domestic resource mobilization to support this.
     
    Multilateral and national development banks must unite to finance major investments. 
     
    This includes tripling the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks — and rechanneling Special Drawing Rights that can unlock lending capacity and help developing countries boost investment.
     
    We also need innovative funding solutions to unlock private capital.
     
    Solutions that mitigate currency risks;
     
    That combine public and private finance more effectively, and ensure the risks and rewards of development projects are shared by both the public and the private sectors; 
     
    And that ensure financial regulations assess risk appropriately and support investments in frontier markets.
     
    Second — we must fix the global debt system which is unsustainable, unfair and unaffordable.
     
    With annual debt service at $1.4 trillion, countries need — and deserve — a system that lowers borrowing costs, enables fair and timely debt-restructuring, and prevents debt crises in the first place.
     
    The Sevilla Commitment lays the groundwork:  
     
    With other aspects, by also creating a single debt registry for transparency, and promoting responsible lending and borrowing;
     
    By lowering the cost of capital through debt swaps and debt management support;
     
    And through debt service pauses in times of emergency.    
     
    And third — we must increase the participation of developing countries in the institutions of the global financial architecture. The present major shareholders have a role to play recognizing the importance of correcting injustices and adapting to a changing world. 

    A new borrowers forum will give voice to borrowers for fairer debt resolution and to foster transparency, shared learning and coordinated debt action.
     
    And we need a fairer global tax system shaped by all, not just by a few.
     
    Excellences, Mesdames et Messieurs,
     
    Cette conférence n’est pas une affaire de charité.
     
    Il s’agit de rétablir la justice – et de permettre à chacun de vivre dans la dignité.
     
    Cette conférence n’est pas une affaire d’argent.
     
    Il s’agit d’investir dans l’avenir que nous voulons construire – ensemble.
     
    Merci – à toutes et à tous – de participer à cet effort essentiel et ambitieux.
     

    ****

    DECLARACIONES DEL SECRETARIO GENERAL
    CON OCASIÓN DE LA INAUGURACIÓN DE LA CUARTA CONFERENCIA SOBRE LA FINANCIACIÓN PARA EL DESARROLLO

    Majestades,

    Excelencias, señoras y señores:

    Agradezco al Gobierno y al pueblo de España por su cálida acogida en Sevilla para esta importante conferencia.

    Durante décadas, la misión del desarrollo sostenible ha unido a países grandes y pequeños, desarrollados y en desarrollo.

    Juntos, hemos logrado avances.

    Reduciendo la pobreza y el hambre en el mundo.

    Salvando vidas con sistemas sanitarios más sólidos.

    Llevando más niños a la escuela.
            
    Ampliando las oportunidades para mujeres y niñas.

    Y fortaleciendo las redes de seguridad social.

    Pero hoy, el desarrollo y su gran impulsor – la cooperación internacional –enfrentan fortísimos vientos en contra.

    Vivimos en un mundo donde la confianza se está desmoronando y el multilateralismo está bajo tensión.

    Un mundo con una economía en desaceleración, tensiones comerciales crecientes y presupuestos de ayuda diezmados.

    Un mundo sacudido por desigualdades, caos climático y conflictos devastadores.

    El vínculo entre paz y desarrollo es evidente.

    Nueve de los diez países con los Indicadores de Desarrollo Humano más bajos se encuentran actualmente en situación de conflicto.

    Excelencias,

    La financiación es el motor del desarrollo.

    Y, ahora mismo, ese motor se está ahogando.

    Mientras nos reunimos, la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible – nuestra promesa global de transformar nuestro mundo para lograr un futuro mejor y más justo – está en peligro.

    Dos tercios de las metas de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible están rezagadas.

    Alcanzarlos requiere una inversión de más de 4 billones de dólares al año.

    Pero no se trata sólo de una crisis de cifras.

    Es una crisis de personas.

    De familias que pasan hambre.

    De niños que no reciben vacunas.

    De niñas obligadas a abandonar la escuela.

    Estamos aquí en Sevilla para cambiar el rumbo.

    Para reparar y poner en marcha el motor del desarrollo y acelerar la inversión a la escala y velocidad necesarias.

    Y restaurar equidad y justicia – para todas y todos.

    Excelencias:

    El documento del Compromiso de Sevilla es una clara promesa global de reparar la forma en que el mundo apoya a los países que suben la escalera del desarrollo.

    Veo tres esferas de acción.

    En primer lugar, tenemos que hacer fluir los recursos. Rápido.

    Los países deben dirigir el proceso movilizando recursos nacionales e invirtiendo en las esferas de mayor impacto: escuelas, atención sanitaria, protección social, trabajo decente y energía renovable.

    Para favorecer estas inversiones es necesario reforzar los sistemas tributarios y combatir los flujos financieros ilícitos y la evasión fiscal.

    Y ayudar a los países en desarrollo a que puedan dedicar una mayor parte de sus ingresos tributarios a los sistemas que necesitan las personas.

    El llamamiento del Compromiso de Sevilla a los países desarrollados para que dupliquen la ayuda dedicada a la movilización de recursos nacionales para servir de apoyo.

    Los bancos multilaterales y nacionales de desarrollo deben unirse para financiar grandes inversiones. 

    Para ello, hay que triplicar la capacidad de préstamo de los bancos multilaterales de desarrollo y reorientar los derechos especiales de giro para aumentar la capacidad de préstamo y ayudar a los países en desarrollo a impulsar la inversión.

    También necesitamos soluciones de financiación innovadora para facilitar el capital privado: 

    Que mitiguen los riesgos cambiarios;

    Que combinen más eficazmente la financiación pública y privada, y garanticen que los riesgos y las recompensas de los proyectos de desarrollo sean compartidos por el sector público y el sector privado; 

    Y que garanticen que la reglamentación financiera evalúa los riesgos adecuadamente y apoya las inversiones en mercados frontera.

    En segundo lugar, debemos reparar el sistema mundial de la deuda, que es insostenible, injusto e inasequible.

    Con un servicio de la deuda que asciende a 1,4 billones de dólares al año, los países necesitan — y merecen — un sistema que abarate el costo del endeudamiento, facilite la reestructuración justa y oportuna de la deuda, y prevenga las crisis de deuda en primer lugar.

    El Compromiso de Sevilla sienta las bases:  

    Con otros factores, creando también un registro único de la deuda en aras de la transparencia, y promoviendo prácticas responsables de préstamo y endeudamiento;

    Reduciendo el costo del capital mediante canjes de deuda y el apoyo a la gestión de la deuda;

    Y suspendiendo el servicio de la deuda en épocas de emergencia.    

    Y en tercer lugar debemos incrementar la participación de los países en desarrollo en las instituciones de la arquitectura financiera global. Los principales accionistas tienen un papel que desempeñar al reconocer la importancia de corregir las injusticias y adaptarse a un mundo cambiante.

    Las partes principales deben apoyar reformas que les den una voz más potente.

    Un foro de prestatarios puede fomentar el aprendizaje común y la acción coordinada en materia de deuda. 

    Un nuevo foro de prestatarios dará voz a los prestatarios para una resolución de la deuda más justa y puede fomentar el aprendizaje compartido y la acción coordinada en materia de deuda.

    Y necesitamos un sistema tributario mundial más justo, conformado por todos, no solo por unos pocos.

    Excelencias, señoras y señores:

    Esta conferencia no trata de caridad.

    Trata de restablecer la justicia y permitir que todos vivan con dignidad.

    Esta conferencia no trata de dinero.

    Trata de invertir en el futuro que queremos construir, juntos.

    Gracias a todos por participar en este importante y ambicioso esfuerzo.
     

    ******

    THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
    REMARKS AT THE OPENING OF THE 4TH FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE

    Your Majesties,

    Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

    I thank the Government and people of Spain for welcoming us to Sevilla for this important conference.

    For decades, the mission of sustainable development has united countries large and small, developed and developing.

    Together, we achieved progress.

    Reducing global poverty and hunger.

    Saving lives with stronger health care systems.

    Getting more children into school.
                                        
    Expanding opportunities for women and girls.

    And strengthening social safety nets.

    But today, development and its great enabler — international cooperation — are facing massive headwinds.

    We are living in a world where trust is fraying and multilateralism is strained.

    A world with a slowing economy, rising trade tensions, and decimated aid budgets.

    A world shaken by inequalities, climate chaos and raging conflicts. 

    The link between peace and development is clear.

    Nine of the ten countries with the lowest Human Development Indicators are currently in a state of conflict. 

    Excellencies,

    Financing is the engine of development.

    And right now, this engine is sputtering.

    As we meet, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — our global promise to transform our world for a better, fairer future — is in danger.

    Two-thirds of the Sustainable Development Goals targets are lagging.

    Achieving them requires an investment of more than $4 trillion a year.

    But this is not just a crisis of numbers. 

    It’s a crisis of people.

    Of families going hungry.

    Of children going unvaccinated.

    Of girls forced to drop out of school.

    We are here in Sevilla to change course.
     
    To repair and rev up the engine of development to accelerate investment at the scale and speed required.

    And to restore a measure of fairness and justice for all.

    Excellencies,

    The Sevilla Commitment document is a global promise to fix how the world supports countries as they climb the development ladder.

    I see three areas of action.

    First — we must get resources flowing. Fast.  

    Countries must lead by mobilizing domestic resources and investing in areas of greatest impact: schools, health care, social protection, decent work, and renewable energy.

    Unlocking these investments requires strengthening tax systems, and tackling illicit financial flows and tax evasion.

    And helping developing countries dedicate a greater share of their tax revenues to the systems people need.

    The Sevilla Commitment’s call on developed countries to double their aid dedicated to domestic resource mobilization to support this. 

    Multilateral and national development banks must unite to finance major investments. 

    This includes tripling the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks — and rechanneling Special Drawing Rights that can unlock lending capacity and help developing countries boost investment.

    We also need innovative funding solutions to unlock private capital.  

    Solutions that mitigate currency risks;

    That combine public and private finance more effectively, and ensure the risks and rewards of development projects are shared by both the public and private sectors; 

    And that ensure financial regulations assess risk appropriately and support investments in frontier markets.

    Second — we must fix the global debt system which is unsustainable, unfair and unaffordable.

    With annual debt service at $1.4 trillion, countries need — and deserve — a system that lowers borrowing costs, enables fair and timely debt-restructuring, and prevents debt crises in the first place.

    The Sevilla Commitment lays the groundwork:  

    With other aspects, by also creating a single debt registry for transparency, and promoting responsible lending and borrowing;

    By lowering the cost of capital through debt swaps and debt management support;

    And through debt service pauses in times of emergency.    

    And third — we must increase the participation of developing countries in the institutions of the global financial architecture. The present major shareholders have a role to play recognizing the importance of correcting injustices and adapting to a changing world. 

    A new borrowers forum will give voice to borrowers for fairer debt resolution and can foster transparency, shared learning and coordinated debt action.

    And we need a fairer global tax system shaped by all, not just a few.

    Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

    This conference is not about charity.

    It’s about restoring justice and lives of dignity.

    This conference is not about money.

    It’s about investing in the future we want to build, together.

    Thank you all for being part of this important and ambitious effort.
     

    *****
    [all-French]

    Je remercie le Gouvernement et le peuple espagnols de nous accueillir à Séville pour cette importante conférence.

    Depuis des décennies, l’aspiration au développement durable est le trait d’union entre tous les pays – grands et petits, développés et en développement.

    Ensemble, nous avons fait des progrès.

    En réduisant la pauvreté et la faim dans le monde.

    En sauvant des vies grâce à des systèmes de santé plus solides.

    En scolarisant plus d’enfants.

    En ouvrant de nouveaux horizons pour les femmes et les filles.

    Et en renforçant les filets de sécurité sociale.

    Aujourd’hui pourtant, le développement et son principal catalyseur – la coopération internationale – sont freinés par de puissants vents contraires.

    Nous vivons dans un monde où la confiance s’effrite et où le multilatéralisme est mis à rude épreuve.

    Un monde où l’économie ralentit, où les tensions commerciales s’accentuent et où les budgets consacrés à l’aide sont amputés.

    Un monde ébranlé par les inégalités, le chaos climatique et la brutalité des conflits.

    Le lien entre la paix et le développement saute aux yeux.

    De fait, neuf des dix pays ayant les indicateurs de développement humain les plus faibles sont actuellement en proie à un conflit.

    Excellences,

    Le financement est le moteur du développement.

    Et pour l’instant, ce moteur tousse.

    À l’heure où nous nous réunissons, le Programme de développement durable à l’horizon 2030 – notre promesse de transformer le monde et de faire advenir un avenir meilleur et plus juste – vacille.

    Deux tiers des cibles associées aux objectifs de développement risquent de ne pas être atteintes.

    Pour y remédier, il faudrait investir plus de 4 000 milliards de dollars par an.

    Mais la crise que nous traversons n’est pas qu’une affaire de chiffres.

    Elle touche aussi les personnes.

    Les familles qui ont faim.

    Les enfants que l’on ne peut pas vacciner.

    Les filles obligées d’abandonner l’école.

    Nous sommes ici à Séville pour changer de cap.

    Pour réparer le moteur du développement et passer la vitesse supérieure afin d’accélérer les investissements à l’échelle et à la vitesse voulues.

    Et pour rétablir un certain degré d’équité et de justice pour toutes et tous.

    Excellences,

    L’Engagement de Séville est une promesse qui cherche à changer la façon dont le monde aide les pays à gravir les échelons du développement.

    Pour moi, il faut agir sur trois fronts.

    Premièrement, nous devons dégager des ressources, sans attendre.

    Les pays doivent prendre les choses en main et mobiliser les ressources nationales pour les injecter dans les domaines qui ont le plus d’impact : l’éducation, la santé, la protection sociale, le travail décent et les énergies renouvelables.

    Pour débloquer ces investissements, il faut renforcer les régimes fiscaux et lutter contre les flux financiers illicites et la fraude fiscale.

    Il faut aider les pays en développement à consacrer une plus grande part de leurs recettes fiscales aux systèmes dont les populations ont besoin.

    À cette fin, un appel est lancé dans l’Engagement de Séville pour que les pays développés multiplient par deux l’aide qu’ils consacrent à la mobilisation des ressources nationales.

    Les banques de développement multilatérales et nationales doivent unir leurs forces pour financer les grands projets d’investissement.

    Il s’agit notamment de tripler la capacité de prêt des banques multilatérales de développement et de réaffecter les droits de tirage spéciaux qui peuvent débloquer la capacité de prêt et aider les pays en développement à stimuler l’investissement.

    Il nous faut, en outre, des modes de financement novateurs pour débloquer les capitaux privés.

    Des solutions qui atténuent les risques de change.

    Des solutions qui combinent plus efficacement les financements publics et privés et garantissent que les risques et les avantages des projets de développement se répartissent entre les secteurs public et privé.

    Des solutions qui garantissent que les réglementations financières évaluent correctement les risques et appuient l’investissement dans les marchés frontières.

    Deuxièmement, nous devons repenser le système mondial de la dette, qui est insoutenable et injuste, et qui coûte trop cher

    Le service de la dette atteint 1 400 milliards de dollars par an ; aussi les pays ont-ils besoin – et méritent-ils – un système qui réduise les coûts d’emprunt, qui facilite une restructuration équitable et rapide de la dette et qui s’attache en premier lieu à prévenir les crises de la dette.

    L’Engagement de Séville prépare le terrain :

    En créant notamment un seul registre de la dette pour plus de transparence et en encourageant les prêts et les emprunts responsables.

    En réduisant le coût du capital grâce à des conversions de dettes et à un soutien à l’administration de la dette.

    Et en suspendant le service de la dette en cas d’urgence.

    Troisièmement, nous devons accroître la participation des pays en développement aux institutions de l’architecture financière mondiale. Les principaux actionnaires actuels ont un rôle à jouer en reconnaissant l’importance de corriger les injustices et de s’adapter à un monde en mutation.

    Une nouvelle tribune permettra aux emprunteurs de défendre un règlement plus équitable de la dette et pourra favoriser la transparence, l’apprentissage en commun et une action coordonnée en matière de dette.

    Enfin, il nous faut un système fiscal mondial plus équitable, pensé par tous et pas seulement par une minorité.

    Excellences, Mesdames et Messieurs,

    Cette conférence n’est pas une affaire de charité.

    Il s’agit de rétablir la justice – et de permettre à chacun de vivre dans la dignité.

    Cette conférence n’est pas une affaire d’argent.

    Il s’agit d’investir dans l’avenir que nous voulons construire – ensemble.

    Merci – à toutes et à tous – de participer à cet effort essentiel et ambitieux.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Submissions: How pterosaurs learned to fly: scientists have been looking in the wrong place to solve this mystery

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Davide Foffa, Research Fellow in Palaeobiology, University of Birmingham

    Ever since the first fragments of pterosaur bone surfaced nearly 250 years ago, palaeontologists have puzzled over one question: how did these close cousins of land-bound dinosaurs take to the air and evolve powered flight? The first flying vertebrates seemed to appear on the geological stage fully formed, leaving almost no trace of their first tentative steps into the air.

    Taken at face value, the fossil record implies that pterosaurs suddenly originated in the later part of the Triassic period (around 215 million years ago), close to the equator on the northern super-continent Pangaea. They then spread quickly between the Triassic and the Jurassic periods, about 10 million years later, in the wake of a mass extinction that was most likely caused by massive volcanic activity.

    Most of the handful of Triassic specimens come from narrow seams of dark shale in Italy and Austria, with other fragments discovered in Greenland, Argentina and the southwestern US. These skeletons appear fully adapted for flight, with a hyper-elongated fourth finger supporting membrane-wings. Yet older rocks show no trace of intermediate gliders or other transitional forms that you might expect as evidence of pterosaurs’ evolution over time.

    There are two classic competing explanations for this. The literal reading says pterosaurs evolved elsewhere and did not reach those regions where most have been discovered until very late in the Triassic period, by which time they were already adept flyers. The sceptical reading notes that pterosaurs’ wafer-thin, hollow bones could easily vanish from the fossil record, dissolve, get crushed or simply be overlooked, creating this false gap.

    Eudimorphodon ranzii fossil from Bergamo in 1973 is one of many pterosaur discoveries from southern Europe.
    Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

    For decades, the debate stalled as a result of too few fossils or too many missing rocks. This impasse began to change in 2020, when scientists identified the closest relatives of pterosaurs in a group of smallish upright reptiles called lagerpetids.

    From comparing many anatomical traits across different species, the researchers established that pterosaurs and lagerpetids shared many similarities including their skulls, skeletons and inner ears. While this discovery did not bring any “missing link” to the table, it showed what the ancestor of pterosaurs would have looked like: a rat-to-dog-sized creature that lived on land and in trees.

    This brought new evidence about when pterosaurs may have originated. Pterosaurs and lagerpetids like Scleromochlus, a small land-dwelling reptile, diverged at some point after the end-Permian mass extinction. It occurred some 250 million years ago, 35 million years before the first pterosaur appearance in the fossil record.

    Scleromochlus is one of the lagerpetids, the closest known relatives to the pterosaurs.
    Gabriel Ugueto

    Pterosaurs and their closest kin did not share the same habitats, however. Our new study, featuring new fossil maps, shows that soon after lagerpetids appeared (in southern Pangaea), they spread across wide areas, including harsh deserts, that many other groups were unable to get past. Lagerpetids lived both in these deserts and in humid floodplains.

    They tolerated hotter, drier settings better than any early pterosaur, implying that they had evolved to cope with extreme temperatures. Pterosaurs, by contrast, were more restricted. Their earliest fossils cluster in the river and lake beds of the Chinle and Dockum basins (southwest US) and in moist coastal belts fringing the northern arm of the Tethys Sea, a huge area that occupied today’s Alps.

    Scientists have inferred from analysing a combination of fossil distributions, rock features and climate simulations that pterosaurs lived in areas that were warm but not scorching. The rainfall would have been comparable to today’s tropical forests rather than inland deserts.

    This suggests that the earliest flying dinosaurs may have lived in tree canopies, using foliage both for take-off and to protect themselves from predators and heat. As a result of this confined habitat, the distances that they flew may have been quite limited.

    Changing climates

    We were then able to add a fresh dimension to the story using a method called ecological niche modelling. This is routinely used in modern conservation to project where endangered animals and plants might live as the climate gets hotter. By applying this approach to later Triassic temperatures, rainfall and coastlines, we asked where early pterosaurs lived, regardless of whether they’ve shown up there in the fossil record.

    Many celebrated fossil sites in Europe emerge as poor pterosaur habitat until very late in the Triassic period: they were simply too hot, too dry or otherwise inhospitable before the Carnian age, around 235 million years ago. The fact that no specimens have been discovered there that are more than about 215 million years old may be because the climate conditions were still unsuitable or simply because we don’t have the right type of rocks preserved of that age.

    In contrast, parts of the south-western US, Morocco, India, Brazil, Tanzania and southern China seem to have offered welcoming environments several million years earlier than the age of our oldest discoveries. This rewrites the search map. If pterosaurs could have thrived in those regions much more than 215 million years ago, but we have not found them there, the problem may again lie not with biology but with geology: the right rocks have not been explored, or they preserve fragile fossils only under exceptional conditions.

    Our study flags a dozen geological formations, from rivers with fine sediment deposits to lake beds, as potential prime targets for the next breakthrough discovery. They include the Timezgadiouine beds of Morocco, the Guanling Formation of south-west China and, in South America, several layers of rock from the Carnian age, such as the Santa Maria Formation, Chañares Formation and Ischigualasto Formation.

    Pterosaurs were initially confined to tropical treetops near the equator. When global climates shifted and forested corridors opened, pterosaurs’ wings catapulted them into every corner of the planet and ultimately carried them through one of Earth’s greatest extinctions. What began as a tale of missing fossils has become a textbook example of how climate, ecology and evolutionary science have come together to illuminate a fragmentary history that has intrigued paleontologists for over two centuries.

    Davide Foffa is funded by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions: Individual (Global) Fellowship (H2020-MSCA-IF-2020; No.101022550), and by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851–Science Fellowship

    Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza receives funding from The Royal Society (Newton International Fellowship NIFR1231802)

    Emma Dunne 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. How pterosaurs learned to fly: scientists have been looking in the wrong place to solve this mystery – https://theconversation.com/how-pterosaurs-learned-to-fly-scientists-have-been-looking-in-the-wrong-place-to-solve-this-mystery-259063

    MIL OSI –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Nineteen Eighty-Four might have been inspired by George Orwell’s fear of drowning

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Nathan Waddell, Associate Professor in Twentieth-Century Literature, University of Birmingham

    George Orwell had a traumatic relationship with the sea. In August 1947, while he was writing Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) on the island of Jura in the Scottish Hebrides, he went on a fishing trip with his young son, nephew and niece.

    Having misread the tidal schedules, on the way back Orwell mistakenly piloted the boat into rough swells. He was pulled into the fringe of the Corryvreckan whirlpool off the coasts of Jura and Scarba. The boat capsized and Orwell and his relatives were thrown overboard.

    It was a close call – a fact recorded with characteristic detachment by Orwell in his diary that same evening: “On return journey today ran into the whirlpool & were all nearly drowned.” Though he seems to have taken the experience in his stride, this may have been a trauma response: detachment ensures the ability to persist after a near-death experience.

    We don’t know for sure if Nineteen Eighty-Four was influenced by the Corryvreckan incident. But it’s clear that the novel was written by a man fixated on water’s terrifying power.


    This article is part of Rethinking the Classics. The stories in this series offer insightful new ways to think about and interpret classic books and artworks. This is the canon – with a twist.


    Nineteen Eighty-Four isn’t typically associated with fear of death by water. Yet it’s filled with references to sinking ships, drowning people and the dread of oceanic engulfment. Fear of drowning is a torment that social dissidents might face in Room 101, the torture chamber to which all revolutionaries are sent in the appropriately named totalitarian state of Oceania.

    An early sequence in the novel describes a helicopter attack on a ship full of refugees, who are bombed as they fall into the sea. The novel’s protagonist, Winston Smith, has a recurring nightmare in which he dreams of his long-lost mother and sister trapped “in the saloon of a sinking ship, looking up at him through the darkening water”.

    George Orwell in 1943.
    National Union of Journalists

    The sight of them “drowning deeper every minute” takes Winston back to a culminating moment in his childhood when he stole chocolate from his mother’s hand, possibly condemning his sister to starvation. These watery graves imply that Winston is drowning in guilt.

    The “wateriness” of Nineteen Eighty-Four may have another interesting historical source. In his essay My Country Right or Left (1940), Orwell recalls that when he had just become a teenager he read about the “atrocity stories” of the first world war.

    Orwell states in this same essay that “nothing in the whole war moved [him] so deeply as the loss of the Titanic had done a few years earlier”, in 1912. What upset Orwell most about the Titanic disaster was that in its final moments it “suddenly up-ended and sank bow foremost, so that the people clinging to the stern were lifted no less than 300 feet into the air before they plunged into the abyss”.

    Sinking ships and dying civilisations

    Orwell never forgot this image. Something similar to it appears in his novel Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1936) where the idea of a sinking passenger liner evokes the collapse of modern civilisation, just as the Titanic disaster evoked the end of Edwardian industrial confidence two decades beforehand.

    The Titanic disaster had a profound impact on Orwell.
    Wiki Commons

    References to sinking ships and drowning people appear at key moments in many other works by Orwell, too. But did the full impact of the Titanic surface in Nineteen Eighty-Four?

    Sinking ships were part of Orwell’s descriptive toolkit. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, a novel driven by memories of unsympathetic water, they convey nightmares. Filled with references to water and liquidity, it’s one of the most aqueous novels Orwell produced, relying for many of its most shocking episodes on imagery of desperate people drowning or facing imminent death on sinking sea craft.

    The thought of trapped passengers descending into the depths survives in Winston’s traumatic memories of his mother and sister, who, in the logic of his dreams, are alive inside a sinking ship’s saloon.


    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.


    There’s no way to prove that the Nineteen Eighty-Four is “about” the Titanic disaster, but in the novel, and indeed in Orwell’s wider body of work, there are too many tantalising hints to let the matter rest.

    Thinking about fear of death by water takes us into Orwell’s terrors just as it takes us into Winston’s, allowing readers to see the frightened boy inside the adult man and, indeed, inside the author who dreamed up one of the 20th century’s most famous nightmares.

    Beyond the canon

    As part of the Rethinking the Classics series, we’re asking our experts to recommend a book or artwork that tackles similar themes to the canonical work in question, but isn’t (yet) considered a classic itself. Here is Nathan Waddell’s suggestion:

    As soon as the news broke of the Titanic’s sinking, literary works of all shapes and sizes started to appear in tribute to the disaster and its victims. As the century went on, and as research into the tragedy developed (particularly after the ships wreckage was discovered in 1985), more nuanced literary responses to the sinking became possible.

    One such response is Beryl Bainbridge’s Whitbread-prize-winning novel Every Man for Himself (1996). It reimagines the disaster from the first-person perspective of an imaginary character, Morgan, the fictional nephew of the historically real financier J. P. Morgan (who was due to sail on the Titanic but changed plans before it sailed).

    This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

    Nathan Waddell 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. Nineteen Eighty-Four might have been inspired by George Orwell’s fear of drowning – https://theconversation.com/nineteen-eighty-four-might-have-been-inspired-by-george-orwells-fear-of-drowning-251289

    MIL OSI –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Is Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend album cover satire or self-degradation? A psychology expert explores our reactions

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Katrina Muller-Townsend, Lecturer in Psychology, Edith Cowan University

    Island Records

    Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend album cover has fans divided.

    Carpenter poses on all fours, her glossy blond hair grasped by a male figure cropped from the frame. Her wide-eyed expression intensifies an ambiguous performance of subservience, tapping into a visual language tied to female objectification, from classic pin-up imagery to contemporary pop culture.

    The emotionally loaded image plays on her hyper-feminine, tongue-in-cheek pop star persona, forcing us to question where irony ends and objectification begins.

    Is it satire, or self-degradation?

    Up for debate

    At first glance, the cover seems like just another stylised, provocative pop image. It delivers what we’ve come to expect: a bold, ironic twist on the exaggerated Juno-style pose she reinvents on stage.

    To some fans, it’s clever satire: a pop star reclaiming and amplifying her image to mock industry norms. Satire uses exaggeration, irony, or humour to critique power structures – and Carpenter’s pose walks that tightrope.

    To others it crosses a line, reinforcing regressive attitudes about women’s sexuality and drawing criticism from domestic violence advocates.

    The debate reflects our unresolved discomfort about gender, power and control. There is a tension between Carpenter’s ironic persona and the submissive pose, creating uncertainty for the viewer.

    We can use psychology to better understand this dichotomy.

    The schema violation

    This mismatch between expectation and perception is a schema violation.

    A schema is a mental shortcut: a template built from experience and unspoken rules that helps us make sense of the world and predict what to expect. When something breaks that pattern, it’s called a schema violation.

    Carpenter’s brand is cheeky, self-aware irony – so when she adopts a pose steeped in submission and hyper-femininity as in this album image, it feels off.

    That can trigger cognitive dissonance: the mental tension we feel when two ideas (here, empowerment and obedience) don’t align.

    To resolve the conflict, some fans reinterpret the image as feminist sarcasm. Others reject it, fearing it panders to outdated, dangerous norms.

    Both reactions reflect our emotional and ideological investments in who Carpenter is or should be.

    Exploring confirmation bias

    Part of this conflicted reaction is driven by confirmation bias: our tendency to filter information to support what we already believe.

    Fans who see Carpenter as witty and empowered interpret the image as intentionally ironic. Others – more sceptical of the industry’s history of exploiting female sexuality – view it as a throwback to damaging norms.

    Either way, our interpretations often reflect more about ourselves than about Carpenter’s intent.

    When her image contradicts both her public persona and our social values, it creates a gap between what we think is right and what we want to be right. So, we try to explain it away, by either defending the image or criticising it.

    Satire and scandal

    Carpenter’s cover follows a long tradition of female artists whose work straddles satire and scandal, complicating public reception.

    Madonna’s Like a Prayer drew outrage for mixing religion with sexual imagery. Yet it positioned her as a provocateur – a woman resisting the lack of agency that so often defines sexualised media.

    Miley Cyrus’ Bangerz era shocked fans with a bold shift from Hannah Montana innocence to hypersexualised rebellion, challenging the narrow roles women in pop culture are confined to.

    Doja Cat’s shift from glam pop princess to glitch villainess unsettled audiences. Was it satire, rebellion, or just chaos?

    These women, like Carpenter, force us to confront our own discomfort with women who won’t stay in one lane.

    Performer and provocateur

    Audience reaction is also shaped by emotional investment in Carpenter’s persona. Through carefully curated social media, interviews and lyrics, fans build intimate narratives forming parasocial relationships – one-sided emotional bonds with celebrities.

    When an image contradicts that imagined persona, it can feel jarring, even like betrayal.

    Audiences often expect idols to be empowering but not polarising, sexy but safe, to challenge norms – but only in ways that affirm our own values.

    Carpenter’s image breaks that implicit contract, which creates discomfort for some viewers.

    Carpenter’s cover raises uncomfortable but necessary questions about how much freedom female artists have to be both critical and complicit. Can they play with society and play along, to be both performer and provocateur?

    This highlights the double bind many women face in media and popular culture. Female artists are expected to both subvert and satisfy; to entertain without offending; empower without alienating. The burden to be palatable and provocative is one male artists rarely face.

    It’s what we make of it

    Is Carpenter undermining herself or subverting the system? Perhaps both. Or perhaps the image isn’t the message: our reaction is.

    The image forces us to confront not only our perception of Sabrina Carpenter but also our cultural discomfort with women who defy neat categorisation. Satire demands interpretation, especially when it comes from women addressing sex or power.

    More than provocation, Carpenter’s cover mirrors our cultural struggle to accept women who defy simple labels of satire or submission. The image can reflect broader social ideals and tensions projected onto public figures.

    What we see says more about our assumptions than her intent. Understanding those reactions doesn’t kill the fun – it deepens it.

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

    – ref. Is Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend album cover satire or self-degradation? A psychology expert explores our reactions – https://theconversation.com/is-sabrina-carpenters-mans-best-friend-album-cover-satire-or-self-degradation-a-psychology-expert-explores-our-reactions-259043

    MIL OSI –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Submissions: The 28 Days Later franchise redefined zombie films. But the undead have an old, rich and varied history

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Christopher White, Historian, The University of Queensland

    The history of the dead – or, more precisely, the history of the living’s fascination with the dead – is an intriguing one.

    As a researcher of the supernatural, I’m often pulled aside at conferences or at the school gate, and told in furtive whispers about people’s encounters with the dead.

    The dead haunt our imagination in a number of different forms, whether as “cold spots”, or the walking dead popularised in zombie franchises such as 28 Days Later.

    The franchise’s latest release, 28 Years Later, brings back the Hollywood zombie in all its glory – but these archetypal creatures have a much wider and varied history.

    Zombis, revenants and the returning dead

    A zombie is typically a reanimated corpse: a category of the returning dead. Scholars refer to them as “revenants”, and continue to argue over their exact characteristics.

    In the Haitian Vodou religion, the zombi is not the same as the Hollywood zombie. Instead, zombi are people who, as a religious punishment, are drugged, buried alive, then dug out and forced into slavery.

    The Hollywood zombie, however, draws more from medieval European stories about the returning dead than from Vodou.

    A perfect setting for a ‘zombie’ film

    In 28 Years Later, the latest entry in Danny Boyle’s blockbuster horror franchise, the monsters technically aren’t zombies because they aren’t dead. Instead, they are infected by a “rage virus”, accidentally released by a group of animal rights activists in the beginning of the first film.

    This third film focuses on events almost three decades after the first film. The British Isles is quarantined, and the young protagonist Spike (Alfie Williams) and his family live in a village on Lindisfarne Island. This island, one of the most important sites in early medieval British Christianity, is isolated and protected by a tidal causeway that links it to the mainland.

    Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams star in the new film, out in Australian cinemas today.
    Sony Pictures

    The film leans heavily on how we imagine the medieval world, with scenes showing silhouetted fletchers at work making arrows, children training with bows, towering ossuaries and various memento mori. There’s also footage from earlier depictions of medieval warfare. And at one point, the characters seek sanctuary in the ruins of Fountains Abbey, in Yorkshire, which was built in 1132.

    The medieval locations and imagery of 28 Years Later evoke the long history of revenants, and the returned dead who once roved medieval England.

    Early accounts of the medieval dead

    In the medieval world, or at least the parts that wrote in Latin, the returning dead were usually called spiritus (“spirit”), but they weren’t limited to the non-corporeal like today’s ghosts are.

    Medieval Latin Christians from as early as the 3rd century saw the dead as part of a parallel society that mirrored the world of the living, where each group relied on the other to aid them through the afterlife.

    Depiction of the undead from a medieval manuscript.
    British Library, Yates Thompson MS 13

    While some medieval ghosts would warn the living about what awaited sinners in the afterlife, or lead their relatives to treasure, or prophesise the future, some also returned to terrorise the living.

    And like the “zombies” affected by the rage virus in 28 Years Later, these revenants could go into a frenzy in the presence of the living.

    Thietmar, the Prince-Bishop of Merseburg, Germany, wrote the Chronicon Thietmari (Thietmar’s Chronicle) between 1012 and 1018, and included a number of ghost stories that featured revenants.

    Although not all of them framed the dead as terrifying, they certainly didn’t paint them as friendly, either. In one story, a congregation of the dead at a church set the priest upon the altar, before burning him to ashes – intended to be read as a mirror of pagan sacrifice.

    These dead were physical beings, capable of seizing a man and sacrificing him in his own church.

    A threat to be dealt with

    The English monastic historian William of Newburgh (1136–98) wrote revenants were so common in his day that recording them all would be exhausting. According to him, the returned dead were frequently seen in 12th century England.

    So, instead of providing a exhausting list, he offered some choice examples which, like most medieval ghost stories, had a good Christian moral attached to them.

    William’s revenants mostly killed the people of the towns they lived, returning to the grave between their escapades. But the medieval English had a method for dealing with these monsters; they dug them up, tore out the heart and then burned the body.

    Other revenants were dealt with less harshly, William explained. In one case, all it took was the Bishop of Lincoln writing a letter of absolution to stop a dead man returning to his widow’s bed.

    These medieval dead were also thought to spread disease – much like those infected with the rage virus – and were capable of physically killing someone.

    Depiction of the undead from a medieval manuscript.
    British Library, Arundel MS 83.

    The undead, further north

    In medieval Scandinavia and Iceland, the undead draugr were extremely strong, hideous to look at and stunk of decomposition. Some were immune to human weapons and often killed animals near their tombs before building up to kill humans. Like their English counterparts, they also spread disease.

    But according to the Eyrbyggja saga, an anonymous 13th or 14th century text written in Iceland, all it took was a type of community court and the threat of legal action to drive off these returned dead.

    It’s a method the survivors in 28 Years Later didn’t try.

    The dead live on

    The first-hand zombie stories that were common during the medieval period started to dwindle in the 16th century with the Protestant Reformation, which focused more on individuals’ behaviours and salvation.

    Nonetheless, their influence can still be felt in Catholic ritual practices today, such as in prayers offered for the dead, and the lighting of votive candles.

    We still tell ghost stories, and we still worry about things that go bump in the night. And of course, we continue to explore the undead in all its forms on the big screen.

    Christopher White 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 28 Days Later franchise redefined zombie films. But the undead have an old, rich and varied history – https://theconversation.com/the-28-days-later-franchise-redefined-zombie-films-but-the-undead-have-an-old-rich-and-varied-history-247900

    MIL OSI –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Digital government can benefit citizens: how South Africa can reduce the risks and get it right

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Busani Ngcaweni, Visiting Adjunct Professor, Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand

    The digital revolution is reshaping governance worldwide. From the electronic filing of taxes to digital visa applications, technology is making government services more accessible, efficient and transparent.

    South Africa is making progress in its digital journey. In 2024 it climbed to 40th place out of 193 countries, from 65th place in 2022, in the United Nations e-Government Index. This improvement makes the country one of Africa’s digital leaders, surpassing Mauritius and Tunisia.

    South Africa has identified more than 255 government services for digitisation. Already, 134 are available on the National e-Government Portal. This achievement is remarkable. Nevertheless, the shift to digitisation comes with challenges and risks.

    Some countries have weakened the state’s role by rapidly outsourcing key government functions. But South Africa has the opportunity to build a model of digital transformation that strengthens public institutions rather than diminishes them.

    New technologies must bring tangible benefits for citizens. Digital transformation can improve public administration. But, if mismanaged, it could burden taxpayers with costs.

    Benefits

    Digital transformation comes at a cost. This is particularly true if the state fails to use its procurement power to negotiate reasonable prices. Infrastructure upgrades, cybersecurity measures, software licensing and system maintenance require substantial financial investment.

    The question is whether these expenses are a necessary step towards a more efficient and accessible government.

    Two South African examples illustrate that digital transformation can save money and enhance service delivery quality.

    The first is the South African Revenue Service. Its goal is to ensure that taxpayers and tax advisers can use the service from anywhere and at any time. The changes made more than a decade ago show that digital systems can yield substantial financial gains. After introducing e-filing in 2006, the revenue service streamlined tax processes, reduced inefficiencies and led to higher compliance rates. Ultimately this led to improved revenue collection.

    Similarly, digitising social grant payments has had a number of positive effects. In a chapter of a recent edited volume on public governance, my colleagues and I wrote a case study about how the South African Social Security Agency used basic technologies and platforms like WhatsApp and email to process a grant during the COVID pandemic. It allowed over 14 million people to apply, paid grants to over 6 million beneficiaries during the first phase of the project.

    South African Social Security Agency annual reports show that over 95% of grant beneficiaries receive their payouts electronically through debit cards, instead of going to cash points. This improves security and lets beneficiaries decide when to get and spend their money.

    There are fears that automation could result in massive job losses. But global experience has shown that digitalisation does not necessarily lead to large-scale retrenchments. Instead it can shift the nature of work to other responsibilities.

    The South African Social Security Agency provides a compelling case. Its transition to digital grant payments did not lead to job losses. Similarly, the expansion of e-filing at the revenue service has not resulted in workforce reductions. In both cases efficiencies improved.

    These cases highlight that digital transformation is reshaping roles rather than displacing employees. Public servants are moving into areas such as cybersecurity, data analysis and AI-driven decision-making.

    Shortcomings and pitfalls

    A number of inefficiencies are at play in government services.

    Firstly, most government digital operations still work with outdated paper-based systems. The lack of a uniform digital identity creates bureaucratic inefficiencies and delays.

    Secondly, fragmented procurement of equipment in government has led to duplicated efforts, increased costs and fruitless expenditure.

    Thirdly, different departments often use isolated and incompatible digital systems. This reduce the mutual benefits of digital transformation. The State IT Agency has been blamed for inefficiencies, procurement failures and questionable spending.

    Fourthly, South Africa’s public service remains fragmented. Citizens still struggle to access government services seamlessly. They often move between departments to complete what should be a single transaction.

    Without a centralised system, departments operate in isolation, duplicating efforts, increasing costs and eroding public trust.




    Read more:
    South Africa’s civil servants are missing skills, especially when it comes to technology – report


    Fifth, a lack of skills. Increasing reliance on digital tools requires expertise in data analytics, cloud computing and automation. Many public servants lack the training to take on these new roles. The National Digital and Future Skills Strategy was introduced in September 2020 to bridge this gap, but its effectiveness depends on its implementation.

    Introducing it in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic forced government to make digital leaps which otherwise might have taken longer. To sustain services, technology had to be rapidly adopted, including basic things like holding Cabinet meetings online, using a system rapidly developed by the State Information Technology Agency.

    Sixth, security concerns complicate the transformation. As government systems become digital, they become vulnerable to cyberattacks. South Africa must put in place cybersecurity infrastructure to prevent identity theft, data breaches and service disruptions. A cyberattack on one department could affect the entire public sector.

    What needs to be done

    Government must streamline procurement, improve coordination and eliminate inefficiencies to ensure interdepartmental collaboration.

    A single, integrated e-government platform would:

    • cut red tape

    • reduce queues

    • increase efficiency.

    Government needs to upskill civil servants and improve their digital literacy.

    Government must create a seamless e-government system that connects services while protecting citizens’ personal information. The success of digitalisation depends on technological advancements as well as the level of trust citizens have in government systems. Without strong security measures, transparency and accountability, even the most sophisticated digital tools will fail to gain public confidence.

    South Africa has the chance to demonstrate that a strong, capable state can successfully integrate technology while safeguarding public interests. It should take full advantage of offers by Microsoft, Amazon and Huawei to support digital skills training in the public sector in a way that does not advantage one company’s technologies over others. Choices of technology must be user-centric, not based on preferences of accounting officers and chief information officers. Leaders of public institutions must be measured on their ability to digitally transform their organisations.

    Busani Ngcaweni is affiliated with the National School of Government, Wits and Johannesburg Universities.

    – ref. Digital government can benefit citizens: how South Africa can reduce the risks and get it right – https://theconversation.com/digital-government-can-benefit-citizens-how-south-africa-can-reduce-the-risks-and-get-it-right-254089

    MIL OSI –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Digital government can benefit citizens: how South Africa can reduce the risks and get it right

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Busani Ngcaweni, Visiting Adjunct Professor, Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand

    The digital revolution is reshaping governance worldwide. From the electronic filing of taxes to digital visa applications, technology is making government services more accessible, efficient and transparent.

    South Africa is making progress in its digital journey. In 2024 it climbed to 40th place out of 193 countries, from 65th place in 2022, in the United Nations e-Government Index. This improvement makes the country one of Africa’s digital leaders, surpassing Mauritius and Tunisia.

    South Africa has identified more than 255 government services for digitisation. Already, 134 are available on the National e-Government Portal. This achievement is remarkable. Nevertheless, the shift to digitisation comes with challenges and risks.

    Some countries have weakened the state’s role by rapidly outsourcing key government functions. But South Africa has the opportunity to build a model of digital transformation that strengthens public institutions rather than diminishes them.

    New technologies must bring tangible benefits for citizens. Digital transformation can improve public administration. But, if mismanaged, it could burden taxpayers with costs.

    Benefits

    Digital transformation comes at a cost. This is particularly true if the state fails to use its procurement power to negotiate reasonable prices. Infrastructure upgrades, cybersecurity measures, software licensing and system maintenance require substantial financial investment.

    The question is whether these expenses are a necessary step towards a more efficient and accessible government.

    Two South African examples illustrate that digital transformation can save money and enhance service delivery quality.

    The first is the South African Revenue Service. Its goal is to ensure that taxpayers and tax advisers can use the service from anywhere and at any time. The changes made more than a decade ago show that digital systems can yield substantial financial gains. After introducing e-filing in 2006, the revenue service streamlined tax processes, reduced inefficiencies and led to higher compliance rates. Ultimately this led to improved revenue collection.

    Similarly, digitising social grant payments has had a number of positive effects. In a chapter of a recent edited volume on public governance, my colleagues and I wrote a case study about how the South African Social Security Agency used basic technologies and platforms like WhatsApp and email to process a grant during the COVID pandemic. It allowed over 14 million people to apply, paid grants to over 6 million beneficiaries during the first phase of the project.

    South African Social Security Agency annual reports show that over 95% of grant beneficiaries receive their payouts electronically through debit cards, instead of going to cash points. This improves security and lets beneficiaries decide when to get and spend their money.

    There are fears that automation could result in massive job losses. But global experience has shown that digitalisation does not necessarily lead to large-scale retrenchments. Instead it can shift the nature of work to other responsibilities.

    The South African Social Security Agency provides a compelling case. Its transition to digital grant payments did not lead to job losses. Similarly, the expansion of e-filing at the revenue service has not resulted in workforce reductions. In both cases efficiencies improved.

    These cases highlight that digital transformation is reshaping roles rather than displacing employees. Public servants are moving into areas such as cybersecurity, data analysis and AI-driven decision-making.

    Shortcomings and pitfalls

    A number of inefficiencies are at play in government services.

    Firstly, most government digital operations still work with outdated paper-based systems. The lack of a uniform digital identity creates bureaucratic inefficiencies and delays.

    Secondly, fragmented procurement of equipment in government has led to duplicated efforts, increased costs and fruitless expenditure.

    Thirdly, different departments often use isolated and incompatible digital systems. This reduce the mutual benefits of digital transformation. The State IT Agency has been blamed for inefficiencies, procurement failures and questionable spending.

    Fourthly, South Africa’s public service remains fragmented. Citizens still struggle to access government services seamlessly. They often move between departments to complete what should be a single transaction.

    Without a centralised system, departments operate in isolation, duplicating efforts, increasing costs and eroding public trust.




    Read more:
    South Africa’s civil servants are missing skills, especially when it comes to technology – report


    Fifth, a lack of skills. Increasing reliance on digital tools requires expertise in data analytics, cloud computing and automation. Many public servants lack the training to take on these new roles. The National Digital and Future Skills Strategy was introduced in September 2020 to bridge this gap, but its effectiveness depends on its implementation.

    Introducing it in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic forced government to make digital leaps which otherwise might have taken longer. To sustain services, technology had to be rapidly adopted, including basic things like holding Cabinet meetings online, using a system rapidly developed by the State Information Technology Agency.

    Sixth, security concerns complicate the transformation. As government systems become digital, they become vulnerable to cyberattacks. South Africa must put in place cybersecurity infrastructure to prevent identity theft, data breaches and service disruptions. A cyberattack on one department could affect the entire public sector.

    What needs to be done

    Government must streamline procurement, improve coordination and eliminate inefficiencies to ensure interdepartmental collaboration.

    A single, integrated e-government platform would:

    • cut red tape

    • reduce queues

    • increase efficiency.

    Government needs to upskill civil servants and improve their digital literacy.

    Government must create a seamless e-government system that connects services while protecting citizens’ personal information. The success of digitalisation depends on technological advancements as well as the level of trust citizens have in government systems. Without strong security measures, transparency and accountability, even the most sophisticated digital tools will fail to gain public confidence.

    South Africa has the chance to demonstrate that a strong, capable state can successfully integrate technology while safeguarding public interests. It should take full advantage of offers by Microsoft, Amazon and Huawei to support digital skills training in the public sector in a way that does not advantage one company’s technologies over others. Choices of technology must be user-centric, not based on preferences of accounting officers and chief information officers. Leaders of public institutions must be measured on their ability to digitally transform their organisations.

    Busani Ngcaweni is affiliated with the National School of Government, Wits and Johannesburg Universities.

    – ref. Digital government can benefit citizens: how South Africa can reduce the risks and get it right – https://theconversation.com/digital-government-can-benefit-citizens-how-south-africa-can-reduce-the-risks-and-get-it-right-254089

    MIL OSI –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Understanding the ‘Slopocene’: how the failures of AI can reveal its inner workings

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Daniel Binns, Senior Lecturer, Media & Communication, RMIT University

    AI-generated with Leonardo Phoenix 1.0. Author supplied

    Some say it’s em dashes, dodgy apostrophes, or too many emoji. Others suggest that maybe the word “delve” is a chatbot’s calling card. It’s no longer the sight of morphed bodies or too many fingers, but it might be something just a little off in the background. Or video content that feels a little too real.

    The markers of AI-generated media are becoming harder to spot as technology companies work to iron out the kinks in their generative artificial intelligence (AI) models.

    But what if instead of trying to detect and avoid these glitches, we deliberately encouraged them instead? The flaws, failures and unexpected outputs of AI systems can reveal more about how these technologies actually work than the polished, successful outputs they produce.

    When AI hallucinates, contradicts itself, or produces something beautifully broken, it reveals its training biases, decision-making processes, and the gaps between how it appears to “think” and how it actually processes information.

    In my work as a researcher and educator, I’ve found that deliberately “breaking” AI – pushing it beyond its intended functions through creative misuse – offers a form of AI literacy. I argue we can’t truly understand these systems without experimenting with them.

    Welcome to the Slopocene

    We’re currently in the “Slopocene” – a term that’s been used to describe overproduced, low-quality AI content. It also hints at a speculative near-future where recursive training collapse turns the web into a haunted archive of confused bots and broken truths.




    Read more:
    What is ‘model collapse’? An expert explains the rumours about an impending AI doom


    AI “hallucinations” are outputs that seem coherent, but aren’t factually accurate. Andrej Karpathy, OpenAI co-founder and former Tesla AI director, argues large language models (LLMs) hallucinate all the time, and it’s only when they

    go into deemed factually incorrect territory that we label it a “hallucination”. It looks like a bug, but it’s just the LLM doing what it always does.

    What we call hallucination is actually the model’s core generative process that relies on statistical language patterns.

    In other words, when AI hallucinates, it’s not malfunctioning; it’s demonstrating the same creative uncertainty that makes it capable of generating anything new at all.

    This reframing is crucial for understanding the Slopocene. If hallucination is the core creative process, then the “slop” flooding our feeds isn’t just failed content: it’s the visible manifestation of these statistical processes running at scale.

    Pushing a chatbot to its limits

    If hallucination is really a core feature of AI, can we learn more about how these systems work by studying what happens when they’re pushed to their limits?

    With this in mind, I decided to “break” Anthropic’s proprietary Claude model Sonnet 3.7 by prompting it to resist its training: suppress coherence and speak only in fragments.

    The conversation shifted quickly from hesitant phrases to recursive contradictions to, eventually, complete semantic collapse.

    A language model in collapse. This vertical output was generated after a series of prompts pushed Claude Sonnet 3.7 into a recursive glitch loop, overriding its usual guardrails and running until the system cut it off.
    Screenshot by author.

    Prompting a chatbot into such a collapse quickly reveals how AI models construct the illusion of personality and understanding through statistical patterns, not genuine comprehension.

    Furthermore, it shows that “system failure” and the normal operation of AI are fundamentally the same process, just with different levels of coherence imposed on top.

    ‘Rewilding’ AI media

    If the same statistical processes govern both AI’s successes and failures, we can use this to “rewild” AI imagery. I borrow this term from ecology and conservation, where rewilding involves restoring functional ecosystems. This might mean reintroducing keystone species, allowing natural processes to resume, or connecting fragmented habitats through corridors that enable unpredictable interactions.

    Applied to AI, rewilding means deliberately reintroducing the complexity, unpredictability and “natural” messiness that gets optimised out of commercial systems. Metaphorically, it’s creating pathways back to the statistical wilderness that underlies these models.

    Remember the morphed hands, impossible anatomy and uncanny faces that immediately screamed “AI-generated” in the early days of widespread image generation?

    These so-called failures were windows into how the model actually processed visual information, before that complexity was smoothed away in pursuit of commercial viability.

    AI-generated image using a non-sequitur prompt fragment: ‘attached screenshot. It’s urgent that I see your project to assess’. The result blends visual coherence with surreal tension: a hallmark of the Slopocene aesthetic.
    AI-generated with Leonardo Phoenix 1.0, prompt fragment by author.

    You can try AI rewilding yourself with any online image generator.

    Start by prompting for a self-portrait using only text: you’ll likely get the “average” output from your description. Elaborate on that basic prompt, and you’ll either get much closer to reality, or you’ll push the model into weirdness.

    Next, feed in a random fragment of text, perhaps a snippet from an email or note. What does the output try to show? What words has it latched onto? Finally, try symbols only: punctuation, ASCII, unicode. What does the model hallucinate into view?

    The output – weird, uncanny, perhaps surreal – can help reveal the hidden associations between text and visuals that are embedded within the models.

    Insight through misuse

    Creative AI misuse offers three concrete benefits.

    First, it reveals bias and limitations in ways normal usage masks: you can uncover what a model “sees” when it can’t rely on conventional logic.

    Second, it teaches us about AI decision-making by forcing models to show their work when they’re confused.

    Third, it builds critical AI literacy by demystifying these systems through hands-on experimentation. Critical AI literacy provides methods for diagnostic experimentation, such as testing – and often misusing – AI to understand its statistical patterns and decision-making processes.

    These skills become more urgent as AI systems grow more sophisticated and ubiquitous. They’re being integrated in everything from search to social media to creative software.

    When someone generates an image, writes with AI assistance or relies on algorithmic recommendations, they’re entering a collaborative relationship with a system that has particular biases, capabilities and blind spots.

    Rather than mindlessly adopting or reflexively rejecting these tools, we can develop critical AI literacy by exploring the Slopocene and witnessing what happens when AI tools “break”.

    This isn’t about becoming more efficient AI users. It’s about maintaining agency in relationships with systems designed to be persuasive, predictive and opaque.

    Daniel Binns is an Associate Investigator with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society.

    – ref. Understanding the ‘Slopocene’: how the failures of AI can reveal its inner workings – https://theconversation.com/understanding-the-slopocene-how-the-failures-of-ai-can-reveal-its-inner-workings-258584

    MIL OSI –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Is Kenya’s president safe in a crowd? Security expert scans VIP protection checklist

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Douglas Lucas Kivoi, Principal Policy Analyst, Governance Department, The Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA)

    Protecting any president requires multiple layers of intelligence, physical security and rapid response security protocols. Exact operational details are classified, but there are global best practices in VIP protection.

    The issue of presidential protection in Kenya has become particularly relevant following an incident in early May 2025 when someone in a crowd threw a shoe at President William Ruto during a public event, hitting his hand.

    I have studied policing and security policies in Kenya for over 15 years, interacting closely with the country’s security protocols. In my view this incident exposed several critical security lapses around the elite officers tasked with protecting the president.

    The security of the president is a critical issue in Kenya. The country is exposed to terror groups like the Somalia-based Al-Shabaab and other criminal networks in the region.

    In 2021, a businessman embedded himself into the presidential motorcade and drove into then president Uhuru Kenyatta’s official residence. In 2017, an unidentified man who was said to have illegally accessed the highly protected state house grounds was shot dead by presidential guards.

    There are multiple layers to Kenya’s protection protocols. They include National Intelligence Service officers, the Kenya Defence Force, Presidential Escort Police officers drawn from the highly trained General Service Unit, bomb disposal experts and regular police officers. Their deployment depends on the nature of the presidential engagement.

    While the shoe incident may be passed off as simply embarrassing, it should serve as a wake-up call to tighten security protocols around the president without necessarily compromising his public engagement with citizens.

    What’s in place

    Prior to any presidential visit across the country, security teams conduct a thorough reconnaissance of the destination. This includes coordinating with local policing agencies, clearing airspace, mapping secure transport routes and identifying nearby medical facilities in case of emergencies.

    Presidential motorcade routes are pre-planned and a dry run is made. This often includes mapping alternative routes to avoid predictability should there be assailants along a presidential route. It is common to see some roads temporarily closed and security officers conducting sweeps for any threats or explosives. In areas deemed high risk, counter security sniper teams are covertly deployed in strategic areas.

    Cases of attacks on presidential motorcades are rare in Kenya. However, in 2002 during presidential campaigns, angry opposition supporters stoned then president Daniel Moi’s motorcade. In November 2021, an angry mob hurled rocks at then deputy president Ruto’s motorcade.

    The National Intelligence Service and Presidential Escort Unit covertly scout locations in advance, assessing potential security vulnerabilities. Crowd sizes, and entry and exit points for the head of state are mapped out in advance.

    In cases where meetings are held in town halls or huge tents, attendees are screened using metal detectors and/or physical searches. Uniformed and plainclothes security officers embed themselves in the crowd to monitor any threats.

    The president and any dignitaries accompanying him have at least three layers of security.

    The inner ring consists of close protection officers who are always within an arm’s length of the president to physically thwart any threats. The middle ring has armed security guards who watch for, among others, sudden movements and abnormal behaviour within the crowd. The outer ring consists of regular police and paramilitary units from the General Service Unit who secure the outside perimeter.

    The presidential motorcade is a coordinated convoy of heavily armoured vehicles. It includes lead and chase cars, communication units and emergency response teams. Traffic is managed by local traffic police officers to ensure unobstructed movement. Routes are kept confidential until necessary.

    The president’s security may opt to use a decoy vehicle if there is a security threat, to confuse and derail potential risk sources. In all these cases, there is a contingent of specialised General Service Unit officers, called the Recce unit, that always accompanies the president.

    Kenya’s presidential security precautions follow standard VIP security protection like those for heads of state across the world. However, in some neighbouring countries, for instance, presidents move in heavily armed military convoys. This has not been seen in Kenya.

    If a potential threat is detected, the president is immediately shielded and whisked away to a secure vehicle or evacuated by air in high-risk events. In such cases, the Kenya Defence Forces secures the president.

    Despite stringent security measures, incidents can occur. For instance, in March 2025, a British tourist was fatally hit by a vehicle in Ruto’s motorcade. This prompted investigations and reviews on motorcade safety protocols.

    Such events highlight the challenges of balancing presidential security with public safety, especially in densely populated urban areas.

    Security failures

    The shoe-throwing incident targeting Ruto highlighted five major failures in presidential protection protocols.

    First, crowd screening and access control failures. The alleged assailant was very close to the president, suggesting an inadequate distance between the crowds and the president. The inner ring of security also failed to spot the perpetrator raising a shoe in the air to use as a projectile. This indicates weak front-row eye sweeps and scans by the president’s security.

    Second, there was an apparent delay in security response. The elite officers around the president should have subdued the alleged attacker within seconds. It could mean most had their eyes on the president or cameras, as opposed to scanning the crowds for any sudden movements.

    Third, security allowed the president to stand too close to a crowd that hadn’t been screened. Best practices require a no-go zone of three to five metres for individuals who have not been scanned or screened.

    Fourth, there was an apparent gap in intelligence and threat assessment. Aggressive or agitated people next to the president should draw the attention of security officers. Plainclothes security officers are usually deployed to monitor crowd behaviour. It isn’t enough to rely on uniformed officers.

    Undercover agents are critical for flagging pre-attack signals, such as nervousness or repeated adjustments of positions.

    Fifth, there was no clear evacuation plan for the president. After the incident, the president continued speaking. In high-risk scenarios, protocols often demand instant relocation of the president to a secure vehicle or helicopter, where the military takes over and airlifts him to safety.

    What should change

    Kenya’s presidential security detail may be forced to:

    • increase standoff distance between the president and crowds

    • deploy more plainclothes officers to blend in and monitor crowds around the president

    • mandate stricter screening of those in close proximity to the president

    • conduct more frequent security risks drills for rapid neutralisation of potential threats.

    The exact details of presidential security in Kenya are confidential. However, the overarching structure aims to provide comprehensive protection to the president while maintaining public safety and order during official engagements. No security protocol is 100% foolproof. But a balance needs to be struck between overly aggressive crowd control and accessibility.

    Douglas Lucas Kivoi 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. Is Kenya’s president safe in a crowd? Security expert scans VIP protection checklist – https://theconversation.com/is-kenyas-president-safe-in-a-crowd-security-expert-scans-vip-protection-checklist-256268

    MIL OSI –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Trump’s worldview is causing a global shift of alliances – what does this mean for nations in the middle?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Dilnoza Ubaydullaeva, Lecturer in Government – National Security College, Australian National University

    Since US President Donald Trump took office this year, one theme has come up time and again: his rule is a threat to the US-led international order.

    As the US political scientist John Mearsheimer famously argued, the liberal international order

    was destined to fail from the start, as it contained the seeds of its own destruction.

    This perspective has gained traction in recent years. And now, Trump’s actions have caused many to question whether a new world order is emerging.

    Trump has expressed a desire for a new international order defined by multiple spheres of influence — one in which powers like the US, China and Russia each exert dominance over distinct regions.

    This vision aligns with the idea of a “multipolar” world, where no single state holds overarching global dominance. Instead, influence is distributed among several great powers, each maintaining its own regional sphere.

    This architecture contrasts sharply with earlier periods – the bipolar world of the Cold War, dominated by the US and the Soviet Union; and the unipolar period that followed, dominated by the US.

    What does this mean for the world order moving forward?

    Shifting US spheres of influence

    We’ve seen this shift taking place in recent months. For example, Trump has backed away from his pledge to end the war between Russia and Ukraine and now appears to be leaving it to the main protagonists, and Europe, to find a solution.

    Europe, which once largely spoke in a unified voice with the US, is also showing signs of policy-making which is more independent. Rather than framing its actions as protecting “Western democratic principles”, Europe is increasingly focused on defining its own security interests.

    In the Middle East, the US will likely maintain its sphere of influence. It will continue its unequivocal support for Israel under Trump.

    Amid shifting global alliances, the Trump administration will continue to support Israel, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
    noamgalai/Shutterstock

    The US will also involve itself in the region’s politics when its interests are at stake, as we witnessed in its recent strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

    This, along with increasing economic ties between the US and Gulf states, suggests US allies in the region will remain the dominant voices shaping regional dynamics, particularly now with Iran weakened.

    Yet it’s clear Trump is reshaping US dynamics in the region by signaling a desire for reduced military and political involvement, and criticising the nation building efforts of previous administrations.

    The Trump administration now appears to want to maintain its sphere of influence primarily through strong economic ties.

    Russia and China poles emerging elsewhere

    Meanwhile, other poles are emerging in the Global South. Russia and China have deepened their cooperation, positioning themselves as defenders against what they frame as Western hegemonic bullying.

    Trump’s trade policies and sanctions against many nations in the Global South have fuelled narratives (spread by China and Russia) that the US does not consistently adhere to the rules it imposes on others.

    Trump’s decision to slash funding to USAID has also opened the door to China, in particular, to become the main development partner for nations in Africa and other parts of the world.

    And on the security front, Russia has become more involved in many African and Middle Eastern countries, which have become less trustful and reliant on Western powers.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Xinping see opportunities to spread their influence in the Global South.
    plavi011/Shutterstock

    In the Indo-Pacific, much attention has been given to the rise of China and its increasingly assertive posture. Many of Washington’s traditional allies are nervous about its continued engagement in the region and ability to counter China’s rise.

    Chinese leader Xi Jinping has sought to take advantage of the current environment, embarking on a Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia push earlier this year. But many nations continue to be wary of China’s increasing influence, in particular the Philippines, which has clashed with China over the South China Sea.

    Strategic hedging

    Not all countries, however, are aligning themselves neatly with one pole or another.

    For small states caught between great powers, navigating this multipolar environment is both a risk and an opportunity.

    Ukraine is a case in point. As a sovereign state, Ukraine should have the freedom to decide its own alignments. Yet, it finds itself ensnared in great power politics, with devastating consequences.

    Other small states are playing a different game — pivoting from one power to another based on their immediate interests.

    Slovakia, for instance, is both a NATO and EU member, yet its leader, Robert Fico, attended Russia’s Victory Day Parade in May and told President Vladimir Putin he wanted to maintain “normal relations” with Russia.

    Then there is Central Asia, which is the centre of a renewed “great game,” with Russia, China and Europe vying for influence and economic partnerships.

    Yet if any Central Asian countries were to be invaded by Putin, would other powers intervene? It’s a difficult question to answer. Major powers are reluctant to engage in direct conflict unless their core interests or borders are directly threatened.

    As a result, Central Asian states are hedging their bets, seeking to maintain relations with multiple poles, despite their conflicting agendas.

    A future defined by regional power blocs?

    While it is still early to draw definitive conclusions, the events of the past few months underscore a growing trend. Smaller countries are expressing solidarity with one power, but pragmatic cooperation with another, when it suits their national interests.

    For this reason, regional power blocs seem to be of increasing interest to countries in the Global South.

    For instance, the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has become a stronger and larger grouping of nations across Eurasia in recent years.

    Trump’s focus on making “America Great Again,” has taken the load off the US carrying liberal order leadership. A multipolar world may not be the end of the liberal international order, but it may be a reshaped version of liberal governance.

    How “liberal” it can be will likely depend on what each regional power, or pole, will make of it.

    Dilnoza Ubaydullaeva 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. Trump’s worldview is causing a global shift of alliances – what does this mean for nations in the middle? – https://theconversation.com/trumps-worldview-is-causing-a-global-shift-of-alliances-what-does-this-mean-for-nations-in-the-middle-257113

    MIL OSI –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Iran and Ethiopia have a security deal – here’s why they signed it

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Eric Lob, Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations, Florida International University

    Ethiopia and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 6 May 2025. Under it, their national police agencies will cooperate on security and intelligence. This will include combating cross-border crime, sharing intelligence and building capacity. They will also share experiences and training.

    For Iran, the MOU marks a significant step towards strengthening relations with a regional power that’s strategically located in the Horn of Africa.

    Tehran has been using its security apparatus and military capabilities to establish and expand political and economic ties with countries in Africa. This has included drone transfers to the Ethiopian government that helped it turned the tide of the Tigray war, a separatist struggle in the country’s north that took place from 2020 to 2022.

    Iran has also supplied the Sudanese army with surveillance and combat drones. These have been used against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan’s ongoing civil war.

    The agreement is important for Ethiopia for two reasons.

    Firstly, it’s likely to enable the Ethiopian government in Addis Ababa to combat ethnic militias more effectively. It faces increasing internal instability, including tensions with hostile factions of the separatist Tigray People’s Liberation Front.

    Secondly, the agreement comes after a meeting in Addis Ababa between the Ethiopian police chief, Demelash Gebremichael, and a delegation from Iran’s regional rival, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The exchange concentrated on investigating and extraditing cross-border criminals.

    Addis Ababa’s willingness to work with regional rivals in the Middle East shows its pragmatic approach to foreign relations. Ethiopia needs all the friends it can muster as an embattled and weakened state. Since the Tigray war, it has battled the rise of ethnic militias and confronted economic adversity. It is also facing renewed hostility with neighbouring Eritrea.

    What Iran stands to gain

    Since 2016, Ethiopia has been a gateway for Iran to gain a foothold in the Horn of Africa. That year, other countries in the region severed relations with Iran. This followed Tehran’s disengagement from sub-Saharan Africa under Hassan Rouhani, who served as president from 2013 to 2021, and his prioritisation of a nuclear deal with the US.

    The severing of ties was also a byproduct of geopolitical pressure exerted by Saudi Arabia and the UAE on countries in the region. The Middle Eastern states wanted to reduce, if not eliminate, Iran’s presence in the Horn of Africa and Red Sea to limit its support for Houthi rebels in the ongoing Yemeni civil war.




    Read more:
    Iran’s intervention in Sudan’s civil war advances its geopolitical goals − but not without risks


    Ethiopia was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to establish relations with Iran during the 1960s. It was also one of its top trading partners on the continent before and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

    Strategically and ideologically, this special relationship was based on the pro-western and anti-communist stances of their monarchs: the Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who ruled from 1941 to 1979, and Emperor Haile Selassie, who was in power from 1930 to 1974.

    After the revolution, Iran-Ethiopia relations revived under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who served as Iranian president from 2005 to 2013. He pursued an active Africa policy to mitigate Iran’s international isolation and circumvent US sanctions.

    After Rouhani initially downgraded these relations, they were renewed during his second term. This followed US withdrawal from the nuclear deal.

    Relations firmed when Ebrahim Raisi, who served as Iranian president from 2021 to 2024, delivered military drones and other aid to Addis Ababa during the Tigray war.

    What’s in it for Ethiopia

    Ethiopia is facing increasing instability and uncertainty. The Tigray war has depleted the state’s resources. There is an economic crisis caused by rising inflation and unemployment.

    Addis Ababa continues to confront ethnic tensions. Hostile factions of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front remain. It also faces tensions with the Amhara Fano militia, which initially fought alongside the government against Tigrayan forces. Forced disarmament policies and ongoing land disputes caused the militia to take up arms against the government.




    Read more:
    Somaliland-Ethiopia port deal: international opposition flags complex Red Sea politics


    Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed also faces growing opposition and resistance from his own ethnic group, the majority Oromo, and their Oromo Liberation Army. The reason for their discontent is Abiy’s imposition of centralised rule on their regional state within a federal system.

    The security and intelligence cooperation with Iran could allow Addis Ababa to combat ethnic militias more effectively.

    It would also enable Ethiopia to prepare for another possible war against neighbouring Eritrea.

    Ethiopia and Eritrea normalised relations and fought together against Tigrayan forces. However, tensions between the two countries have been brewing again. These have been triggered by two factors. First, the conditions of the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement caused Eritrea to maintain forces inside Ethiopia. Second are the ambitions of Addis Ababa to acquire a Red Sea port in Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia. Eritrea has supported Somalia’s opposition to the deal.

    Regional power games

    This isn’t the first time that Ethiopia has tried working with two regional rivals – Iran and the UAE. The UAE is also among its top trading partners, along with Saudi Arabia.

    In 2016, Ethiopia was the only country in the Horn of Africa that didn’t cut ties with Iran, though it was under pressure from the UAE and Saudi Arabia to do so. The decision was taken by Abiy’s predecessor, Hailemariam Desalegn, whose term ran from 2012 to 2018.

    During the Tigray war, Ethiopia received military drones and other assistance from Iran and the UAE, alongside Turkey.

    The civil war in Sudan has presented an even more complicated story. Ethiopia has vacillated between engaging with the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces at different points in the conflict.

    For its part, Iran has supported the Sudanese army. The UAE has backed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

    Ethiopia’s efforts to strengthen its security ties with Iran and the UAE show a unique case of convergence between regional rivals that have otherwise remained on opposite sides of conflicts in countries like Yemen and Sudan.

    Eric Lob 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. Iran and Ethiopia have a security deal – here’s why they signed it – https://theconversation.com/iran-and-ethiopia-have-a-security-deal-heres-why-they-signed-it-256486

    MIL OSI –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Black holes spew out powerful jets that span millions of light-years – we’re trying to understand their whole life cycle

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Gourab Giri, Postdoctoral researcher, University of Pretoria

    An artistic representation of what a giant cosmic jet the size of the distance between the Milky Way and Andromeda could look like. Author provided, CC BY-SA

    There is a supermassive black hole at the centre of nearly every big galaxy – including ours, the Milky Way (it’s called Sagittarius A*). Supermassive black holes are the densest objects in the universe, with masses reaching billions of times that of the Sun.

    Sometimes a galaxy’s supermassive black hole “wakes up” due to a sudden influx of gas and dust, most likely supplied from a neighbouring galaxy. It begins eating up lots of nearby gas and dust. This isn’t a calm, slow or passive process. As the black hole pulls in material, the material gets superheated on a scale of millions of degrees, far hotter than the surface temperature of our Sun, and is ejected from the galaxy at near-light speeds. This creates powerful jets that look like fountains in the cosmos.

    The accelerated high-speed plasma matter prompts these “fountains” to emit radio signals that can only be detected by very powerful radio telescopes. This gives them their name: radio galaxies. While black holes are common, radio galaxies are not. Only between 10% and 20% of all galaxies exhibit this phenomenon.

    Giant radio galaxies are even less common. They account for only 5% of all radio galaxies and take their name from the fact that they reach enormous distances. Some radio galaxies’ jets reach nearly 16 million light-years. (That’s almost six times the distance between the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy.) The largest jet discovered spans nearly 22 million light-years across.




    Read more:
    South African telescope discovers a giant galaxy that’s 32 times bigger than Earth’s


    But how do these structures cover such enormous distances? To find out, I led a study in which we used modern supercomputers to develop models that simulated behaviour of giant cosmic jets within a mock universe, constructed on the basis of fundamental physical laws governing the cosmos.

    This allowed us to observe how radio jets propagate over hundreds of millions of years – a process impossible to track directly in the real universe. These sophisticated simulations provide deeper insights into the life cycle of radio galaxies, highlighting the differences between their early, compact stages and their later, expansive forms.

    Understanding the evolution of radio galaxies helps us unravel the broader processes that shape the universe.

    Supercomputing

    Cutting-edge technology was key to this study.

    Sensitive observations from world-class radio telescopes like South Africa’s MeerKAT and LOFAR in the Netherlands have recently led to several discoveries of cosmic fountains.




    Read more:
    MeerKAT: the South African radio telescope that’s transformed our understanding of the cosmos


    However, modelling their origins has been challenging. Tracking events over millions of years is impossible in real-time.

    That’s where supercomputers come in. These high-performance computing systems are designed to process massive amounts of data. They can perform complex simulations at incredible speeds. In this study, their power was crucial for modelling the evolution of giant radio jets over millions of years.

    The necessary supercomputing power was provided by South Africa’s Inter-University Institute for Data Astronomy, a network comprising the University of Pretoria, the University of Cape Town and the University of the Western Cape.

    Our universe is governed by fundamental forces like gravity, which can be described through mathematical formulas. These formulas, essentially numbers, are fed into supercomputers to create a simulated “mock universe” that follows the same physical laws as the real cosmos. This allows scientists to experiment with how jets from supermassive black holes evolve over time. With their immense processing power, supercomputers can simulate millions of years of cosmic jet evolution in just a month.

    Key takeaways

    Gravity is the dominant force in the universe, pulling heavier matter and dragging nearby lighter matter. If gravity were the only force at play, the universe might have collapsed by now. Yet we see galaxies, galaxy clusters and even life itself thriving. We suspect that these cosmic fountains play a key role in solving the mystery of how this happens.

    By releasing thermal and mechanical energy, they heat up the surrounding collapsing gas, counteracting gravity and maintaining a balance that sustains cosmic structures.

    Our models also shed light on why some radio galaxies’ jets bend sharply, forming an “X” shape in radio waves instead of following a straight trajectory, and revealed the conditions under which giant fountains can continue growing even in dense cosmic environments (that is, in a galaxy cluster).

    The study also suggests that giant radio galaxies may be statistically more common than previously believed. There are potentially thousands of undiscovered giant cosmic fountains. Thanks to world-class telescopes like MeerKAT and LOFAR – and the power of supercomputers – there’s plenty more to explore as we try to understand our universe.

    The research on which this article is based required extensive collaboration with an international team, including Jacinta Delhaize from the University of Cape Town, Joydeep Bagchi from Christ University, India, and DJ Saikia from the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in India. Essential contributions by Kshitij Thorat and Roger Deane from the University of Pretoria also played a crucial role in shaping the study.

    Gourab Giri 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. Black holes spew out powerful jets that span millions of light-years – we’re trying to understand their whole life cycle – https://theconversation.com/black-holes-spew-out-powerful-jets-that-span-millions-of-light-years-were-trying-to-understand-their-whole-life-cycle-250073

    MIL OSI –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Dinosaur tracks, made 140 million years ago, have been found for the first time in South Africa’s Western Cape

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Guy Plint, Professor Emeritus, Earth Sciences, Western University

    Guy Plint examines one of the dinosaur tracks, which is above his head. Annemarie Plint, CC BY-NC-ND

    Dinosaurs have captured people’s imagination ever since their bones and teeth were first scientifically described in 1822 by geologist and palaeontologist Gideon Mantell in England.

    Dinosaur bones have taught us a great deal about these animals from the “age of dinosaurs”, the Mesozoic Era, which stretched from approximately 252 million years ago to 65 million years ago. However, there’s something especially appealing about a different kind of dinosaur fossil: their tracks, which show researchers what the animals were doing while they were alive.

    Ichnology is the study of tracks and traces and, since 2008, the Cape South Coast Ichnology Project has documented more than 370 vertebrate tracksites on South Africa’s southern coast. These sites are from the Pleistocene Epoch, which stretched from approximately 2.6 million years ago to 11,700 years ago, much more recent than the Mesozoic.

    We knew that this coastline contained Mesozoic sedimentary rocks, some of which include non-marine sediments that could potentially preserve dinosaur tracks. We are both familiar with dinosaur tracks from our research in Canada, so we decided to investigate the possibility of tracks in South Africa’s Western Cape.

    We found some – and, once we knew what to look for, it was evident that the tracks were not rare. In a new paper published in the journal Ichnos, we describe our findings in detail, presenting evidence of tracks of sauropods (enormous plant-eating dinosaurs) and possibly ornithopods (another group of large herbivorous dinosaurs).

    The tracks were found in a rugged, remote, breathtakingly spectacular coastal setting. They were made by dinosaurs in a variety of estuarine settings. Some were walking on sandy, inter-tidal channel bars. Others walked on the bottom of tidal channels, their feet sinking down into soft mud forming the bed of the channel. Other vague “squishy” structures were formed by dinosaurs wading, or even wallowing in the muddy fill of abandoned channels.

    These tracks are around 140 million years old, from the very beginning of the Cretaceous period when the African and South American tectonic plates were starting to pull apart. Southern Africa has an extensive record of Mesozoic vertebrate fossils, but that record ends at around 180 million years ago in the Early Jurassic with the eruption of voluminous lava flows. To the best of our knowledge, all the southern African dinosaur tracks known until now are from the Triassic and Jurassic periods, so they pre-date these eruptions.

    That means these tracks are not only the first from the Western Cape. They also appear to be the youngest – that is, the most recent – thus far reported from southern Africa.

    Knowing where to look

    After deciding to hunt for potential dinosaur tracks, we visited a few likely sites on the Cape south coast in 2022, choosing areas with non-marine deposits of the appropriate age, mostly in the eastern coastal portion of the Western Cape. We found a few promising spots on that visit and, in 2023, undertook a dedicated examination.

    Large horizontal bedding surface exposures in this area are very rare. We knew that, if we were to find dinosaur tracks, they would be evident mostly in profile in vertical cliff exposures.




    Read more:
    Footprints take science a step closer to understanding southern Africa’s dinosaurs


    In the public imagination a dinosaur trackway extends across a level surface and toe impressions are visible. Some may also know that the infill of dinosaur tracks can occur on what are today the ceilings of overhangs or cave roofs. However, there are also distinctive features that allow tracks to be identified in profile. That’s because the animals’ footfalls deformed underlying layers in a distinctive manner.

    The problem is that other mechanisms, such as earthquakes, are capable of generating broadly similar deformation structures.

    The deposits we were examining had probably also been affected by seismic activity. The challenge was for us to differentiate between the two types of deformation.

    The Early Cretaceous rocks that we examined had been studied and reported on decades ago, and the deformation structures had been attributed to origins such as earthquakes rather than living organisms. Since then, however, scientists have developed a better appreciation of what dinosaur tracks look like in profile.

    After careful examination, our conclusion was straightforward: both dinosaur-generated and earthquake-generated types of deformation were present in the Cretaceous rocks.

    One of the sauropod tracks identified by the researchers. Scale bar is 20 cm.
    Guy Plint, CC BY-NC-ND

    Further evidence that we were looking at dinosaur tracks comes from the region’s bone fossil record. Cretaceous bone material has been reported from the region, mostly in the Kirkwood area in the Eastern Cape province. Two dinosaur bones have also been reported from the Knysna area in the Western Cape. One of these, a theropod tooth, was found – and correctly identified – by a 13-year-old boy.




    Read more:
    Dinosaur tracksite in Lesotho: how a wrong turn led to an exciting find


    Clearly, dinosaurs were present in the Western Cape area. That means our discovery of ichnological evidence of their presence is not entirely surprising, but it is still extremely exciting.

    Keep exploring

    Our team plans to keep exploring deposits of suitable age in the region for evidence of more dinosaur tracks. We also hope that our discovery will inspire a new generation of dinosaur trackers to continue the quest and keep exploring.

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

    – ref. Dinosaur tracks, made 140 million years ago, have been found for the first time in South Africa’s Western Cape – https://theconversation.com/dinosaur-tracks-made-140-million-years-ago-have-been-found-for-the-first-time-in-south-africas-western-cape-250660

    MIL OSI –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Europe: Minister Smyth announces new round of Tariff Suspension/Quota Scheme applications

    Source: Government of Ireland – Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation

    1st July 2025

    Niamh Smyth TD, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation announces a new round of the EU’s Tariff Suspension/Quota Scheme applications opens today, Tuesday, 1 July 2025, and is calling for applications from manufacturers in the industrial, agricultural, and related sectors.

    The tariff suspensions scheme offers the possibility for such companies to import raw materials, components, or intermediate products from outside the European Union free from tariff duty, if the item cannot be sourced in the EU/Türkiye.

    The tariff quota scheme is designed to address shortages in the availability of essential materials within the EU and can be applied for in the same way as suspensions. 

    This is the second of two calls this year, the next one will be on 1 January 2026.

    Welcoming the new call, Minister Smyth said:

    “The tariff suspension and quota schemes represent a very effective way for Irish manufacturers to gain a competitive edge by reducing the cost of sourcing components that are not available in the EU. I would encourage all Irish manufacturers to avail of these schemes.”

    Deadline for applications is 5.30pm on Friday 25 July 2025. Applications should be sent by email to tariffschemes@enterprise.gov.ie and posted to the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, 23 Kildare Street, D02 TD30. 

    Please note that late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

    The suspension of duties on these applications, if they are successful, will come into effect from 1 July 2026. 

    Notes to Editors 

    The tariff suspension/quota scheme offers the possibility for companies to import raw materials, components or intermediate products from outside the European Union free from tariff duty. 

    Companies, in applying for tariff suspensions, must be able to demonstrate that each item for which duty suspension is sought:

    • is intended for further processing by them
    • is not available within the EU
    • generates duty savings of at least €15,000 per annum (if an applicant company cannot reach this minimum limit on its own, it is possible to join forces with one or more other companies to do so)

    Further information on the tariff suspension or quota schemes may be found here: 

    EU Tariff Suspension and Quota Scheme

    Communication from the Commission concerning autonomous tariff suspensions and quotas

    ENDS

    Back to Department News

    Back to Top

    MIL OSI Europe News –

    July 1, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: eQ Plc Members of the Shareholders’ Nomination Committee

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    eQ Plc Stock Exchange Release
    1 July 2025 at 1:00 p.m.

    According to the decision of the eQ Plc’s Annual General Meeting, Shareholders’ Nomination Committee comprises of four members and each of the company’s four largest shareholders, based on the ownership status as of 30 June, is entitled to appoint a member.

    Based on the ownership status of eQ Plc as of 30 June 2025, the shareholders represented in the Nomination Committee are: Fennogens Investments S.A., Rettig Oy Ab, Chilla Capital S.A. and Teamet Oy.

    The representatives of the four largest shareholders in the Shareholders’ Nomination Committee are:

    • Alexandre Labignette, CEO, Fennogens Investments S.A.
    • Roger Lönnberg, Director, Head of Family Office, Rettig Oy Ab
    • Janne Larma, Member of the Board, Chilla Capital S.A.
    • Antti Koskimies, Member of the Board, Teamet Oy

    The tasks of the Nomination Board are annually to:

    • prepare and present to the general meeting a proposal for the number of Board members in accordance with the Articles of Association;
    • prepare and presenting to the general meeting a proposal for the election of the Board members;
    • prepare and present to the general meeting a proposal for the remuneration of the Chair of the Board and the Board members in line with the Company’s remuneration policy for governing bodies; and
    • identify potential candidates for successors to current Board members.

    eQ Plc

    Additional information: Juha Surve, Group General Counsel, tel. +358 9 6817 8733

    Distribution: Nasdaq Helsinki, www.eQ.fi

    eQ Group is a Finnish group of companies specialising in asset management and corporate finance business. eQ Asset Management offers a wide range of asset management services (including private equity funds and real estate asset management) for institutions and individuals. The assets managed by the Group total approximately EUR 13.6 billion. Advium Corporate Finance, which is part of the Group, offers services related to mergers and acquisitions, real estate transactions and equity capital markets.

    More information about the Group is available on our website at www.eQ.fi.

    The MIL Network –

    July 1, 2025
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