Category: DJF

MIL-OSI Global: The Supreme Court upholds free preventive care, but its future now rests in RFK Jr.’s hands

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Paul Shafer, Associate Professor of Health Law, Policy and Management, Boston University

The Affordable Care Act has survived its fourth Supreme Court challenge. Ted Eytan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

On June 26, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a 6-3 ruling that preserves free preventive care under the Affordable Care Act, a popular benefit that helps approximately 150 million Americans stay healthy.

The case, Kennedy v. Braidwood, was the fourth major legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act. The decision, written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh with the support of Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor, ruled that insurers must continue to cover at no cost any preventive care approved by a federal panel called the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Members of the task force are independent scientific experts, appointed for four-year terms. The panel’s role had been purely advisory until the ACA, and the plaintiffs contended that the members lacked the appropriate authority as they had not been appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Supreme Court rejected this argument, saying that members simply needed to be appointed by the Health and Human Services Secretary – currently, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – which they had been, under his predecessor during the Biden administration.

This ruling seemingly safeguards access to preventive care. But as public health researchers who study health insurance and sexual health, we see another concern: It leaves preventive care vulnerable to how Kennedy and future HHS secretaries will choose to exercise their power over the task force and its recommendations.

What is the US Preventive Services Task Force?

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force was initially created in 1984 to develop recommendations about prevention for primary care doctors. It is modeled after the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, which was established in 1976.

Under the ACA, insurers must fully cover all screenings and interventions endorsed by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
SDI Productions/E+ via Getty Images

The task force makes new recommendations and updates existing ones by reviewing clinical and policy evidence on a regular basis and weighing the potential benefits and risks of a wide range of health screenings and interventions. These include mammograms; blood pressure, colon cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis screenings; and HIV prevention. Over 150 million Americans have benefited from free coverage of these recommended services under the ACA, and around 60% of privately insured people use at least one of the covered services each year.

The task force plays such a crucial role in health care because it is one of three federal groups whose recommendations insurers must abide by. Section 2713 of the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to offer full coverage of preventive services endorsed by three federal groups: the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and the Health Resources and Services Administration. For example, the coronavirus relief bill, which passed in March 2020 and allocated emergency funding in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, used this provision to ensure COVID-19 vaccines would be free for many Americans.

The Braidwood case and HIV prevention

This case, originally filed in Texas in 2020, was brought by Braidwood Management, a Christian for-profit corporation owned by Steven Hotze, a Texas physician and Republican activist who has previously filed multiple lawsuits against the ACA. Braidwood and its co-plaintiffs argued on religious grounds against being forced to offer preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, a medicine that prevents HIV infection, in their insurance plans.

At issue in Braidwood was whether task force members – providers and researchers who provide independent and nonpartisan expertise – were appropriately appointed and supervised under the appointments clause of the Constitution, which specifies how various government positions are appointed. The case called into question free coverage of all recommendations made by the task force since the Affordable Care Act was passed in March 2010.

In the ruling, Kavanaugh wrote that “the Task Force members’ appointments are fully consistent with the Appointments Clause in Article II of the Constitution.” In laying out his reasoning, he wrote, “The Task Force members were appointed by and are supervised and directed by the Secretary of HHS. And the Secretary of HHS, in turn, answers to the President of the United States.”

Concerns over political influence

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is meant to operate independently of political influence, and its decisions are technically not directly reviewable. However, the task force is appointed by the HHS secretary, who may remove any of its members at any time for any reason, even if such actions are highly unusual.

Kennedy recently took the unprecedented step of removing all members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which debates vaccine safety but also, crucially, helps decide what immunizations are free to Americans guaranteed by the Affordable Care Act. The newly constituted committee, appointed in weeks rather than years, includes several vaccine skeptics and has already moved to rescind some vaccine recommendations, such as routine COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women and children.

Kennedy has also proposed restructuring out of existence the agency that supports the task force, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. That agency has been subject to massive layoffs within the Department of Health and Human Services. For full disclosure, one of the authors is currently funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and previously worked there.

The decision to safeguard the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force as a body and, by extension, free preventive care under the ACA, doesn’t come without risks and highlights the fragility of long-standing, independent advisory systems in the face of the politicization of health. Kennedy could simply remove the existing task force members and replace them with members who may reshape the types of care recommended to Americans by their doctors and insurance plans based on debunked science and misinformation.

Partisanship and the politicization of health threaten trust in evidence. Already, signs are emerging that Americans on both side of the political divide are losing confidence in government health agencies. This ruling preserves a crucial part of the Affordable Care Act, yet federal health guidelines and access to lifesaving care could still swing dramatically in Kennedy’s hands – or with each subsequent transition of power.

Portions of this article originally appeared in previous articles published on Sept. 7, 2021; Dec. 1, 2021; Sept. 13, 2022; April 7, 2023; and April 15, 2025.

Paul Shafer receives research funding from the National Institutes of Health, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Department of Veterans Affairs. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of these agencies or the United States government.

Kristefer Stojanovski receives funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of these agencies or the United States government.

– ref. The Supreme Court upholds free preventive care, but its future now rests in RFK Jr.’s hands – https://theconversation.com/the-supreme-court-upholds-free-preventive-care-but-its-future-now-rests-in-rfk-jr-s-hands-260072

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Despite claims they’d move overseas after the election, most Americans are staying put

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels, Honorary Reader in MIgration and Politics, University of Kent

Not that many people are preparing to leave the U.S. gerenme/E+ via Getty Images

Based on pronouncements in 2024, you might think now is the time to see U.S. citizens streaming out of the country. Months before the 2024 presidential election, Americans were saying they would leave should candidate Donald Trump win the election. Gallup polling in 2024 found that 21% of Americans wanted to leave the United States permanently, more than double the 10% who had said so in 2011.

And indeed in June 2025, a Vermont legislator announced that she was resigning her seat and moving to Canada because of political concerns and economic opportunities. To be sure, people are moving. Even so, as a scholar of American migration overseas, my research finds that the vast majority of Americans are not about to depart for greener shores.

A western Massachusetts group

In October 2024, I surveyed 68 Americans in western Massachusetts, an area with a slight Democratic majority, asking if they wanted to leave the United States for a lengthy period of time, but not necessarily permanently. Over 90% said no, noting that there were factors limiting their mobility, such as financial obligations or having a partner who would not move, and that there were reasons that made them want to stay, such as owning property and having friends nearby.

Just three respondents indicated they were making plans to move, while an additional 11 said they wanted to move “someday.”

Reality strikes

After the November 2024 election, I interviewed seven of those respondents, two of whom had said prior to the election that they might leave the United States. After the election, they all said they planned to stay.

One who had said she wanted to leave acknowledged her reversal, saying: “I may have flippantly said, ‘Oh, if (Trump) gets voted in … I would leave,’ but I can’t see leaving. Part of it is because of my daughter,” who had recently become a mother. She continued, “It’s never crossed my mind seriously enough to even research it.”

Another told me, “I’m not going to let somebody push me out of what I consider my country and my home because he’s a jerk.”

Others spoke of needing to work several more years in order to receive a pension, or having family responsibilities keeping them in the country. None supported the current administration.

On a national level

In two nationally representative surveys, my colleague Helen B. Marrow, a sociologist of immigration, and I found no significant increase in migration aspiration between 2014 and 2019. We also found that respondents mentioned exploration and adventure much more often than political or economic reasons for wanting to move abroad.

Even though the U.S. passport grants visa-free visitor access to more than 180 countries, U.S. citizens still need residence and work visas. At home, they, like others, have family commitments and financial constraints, or may just not want to leave home. More than 95% of the world’s population do not move abroad – and U.S. citizens are no different.

Relocation coaching

In addition to my academic research on overseas Americans, I am also an international relocation coach. I help Americans considering a move abroad navigate the emotional, practical and professional complexities of relocation, whether they’re just starting to explore the idea or actively planning their next steps.

Many of my clients do not want to live in a United States that no longer aligns with their values, while others are concerned about their safety, particularly, but not only, due to racism or homophobia. They are finding jobs overseas, retiring abroad or acquiring a European citizenship through a parent or grandparent. Most recently, American academics seeking to leave are being courted by European universities.

But most are staying

In February 2025, a national poll found that 4% of Americans said they were “definitely planning to move” to another country.

That same month, I followed up with my seven interviewees from western Massachusetts, including one trans man. They all reiterated their choice to remain in the United States. One person, who might move abroad at some point, told me she hadn’t changed her mind about leaving soon: “Leaving doesn’t necessarily mean anything will be better for me, even if it was a financial possibility.”

Two people said that recent political developments actually meant that they were more committed to remaining in the United States. One told me, “Now, more than ever, individuals need to figure out what small actions can be taken to help our fellow Americans get through this dark period.”

But even those “definitely planning on moving” can have other factors intervene. Two clients of mine who were making serious plans had to stop when family members’ health situations changed for the worse.

So how many people are actually leaving? It is clear that a growing number of Americans are considering a move abroad. But far fewer are conducting serious research, seeking professional consultation or actually moving. Drawing on available data, my own academic research and my coaching experience, my educated estimate is that no more than 1% to 2% of U.S. citizens are actively making viable plans to leave the country. Nor are all of those leaving out of protest; many are still motivated by exploration, adventure, employment or to be with a partner.

Even so, that figure is roughly 3 million to 6 million people – which would be a significant increase over the estimated 5.5 million Americans currently living abroad. As with many migration flows, even the movement of a small percentage of a population can still have the potential to reshape both the United States and its overseas population.

Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Despite claims they’d move overseas after the election, most Americans are staying put – https://theconversation.com/despite-claims-theyd-move-overseas-after-the-election-most-americans-are-staying-put-250728

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: What damage did the US do to Iran’s nuclear program? Why it’s so hard to know

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Joshua Rovner, Associate Professor of International Relations, American University

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, describes the U.S. military attack on Iranian nuclear sites, which occurred on June 21, 2025, . AP Photo/Alex Brandon

The U.S. Air Force dropped a dozen ground-penetrating bombs, each weighing 30,000 pounds (13,607 kilograms), in a raid on Iran’s nuclear site at Fordo on June 21, 2025. The attack was an attempt to reach the uranium enrichment facility buried deep inside a mountain. The target, President Donald Trump declared, was “completely and totally obliterated.”

Others were less sure. On June 24, the administration canceled a classified intelligence briefing to members of Congress, leading to frustration among those with questions about White House claims. While Defense Intelligence Agency analysts apparently agree that the strikes did real damage, they dispute the idea that the attack permanently destroyed Iran’s enrichment capability. Reports emerged that their initial analysis found that the strikes had only set Iran back a few months.

Such disagreements are unsurprising. Battle damage assessment – originally called bomb damage assessment – is notoriously difficult, and past wars have featured intense controversies among military and intelligence professionals. In World War II, poor weather and the limits of available technology conspired against accuracy.

Battle damage assessment remained a thorny problem decades later, even after radical improvements in surveillance technology. In the first Gulf War in 1990, for example, military leaders argued with CIA officials over the effects of airstrikes against Iraq’s armored forces.

I am a scholar of international relations who studies intelligence and strategy in international conflicts, and the author of “Fixing the Facts: National Security and the Politics of Intelligence.” I know from history that overcoming the challenges of battle damage assessment is especially hard when the target is a facility hidden under hundreds of feet of earth and rock, as is the case at Fordo.

How the U.S. military’s ‘bunker buster’ bomb works.

Tools of the trade

The intelligence community has a number of tools and techniques that can help with challenges like assessing the damage at Fordo. Imagery intelligence such as satellite photography is the obvious starting point. Before-and-after comparisons might reveal collapsed tunnels or topographical changes, suggesting unseen subterranean damage.

More exotic data collection techniques may be able to help infer the underground effects based on particle and electromagnetic emissions from the site. These platforms provide what is called measurement and signatures intelligence. Specialized sensors can measure nuclear radiation, seismographic information and other potentially revealing information from camouflaged facilities. When combined with traditional imagery, measurement and signatures intelligence can provide a more detailed model of the likely effects of the bombing.

Other sources may prove useful as well. Reporting from human intelligence assets – spies or unwitting informers with firsthand or secondhand knowledge – may provide information on internal Iranian assessments. These may be particularly valuable because Iranian officials presumably know how much equipment was removed in advance, as well as the location of previously enriched uranium.

The same is true for signals intelligence, which intercepts and interprets communications. Ideally, battle damage assessment will become more comprehensive and accurate as these sources of intelligence are integrated into a single assessment.

Pervasive uncertainty

But even in that case, it will still be difficult to estimate the broader effects on Iran’s nuclear program. Measuring the immediate physical effects on Fordo and other nuclear sites is a kind of puzzle, or a problem that can be solved with sufficient evidence. Estimating the long-term effects on Iranian policy is a mystery, or a problem that cannot be solved even with abundant information on hand. It’s impossible to know how Iran’s leaders will adapt over time to their changing circumstances. They themselves cannot know either; perceptions of the future are inherently uncertain.

Regarding the puzzle over Fordo, Trump seems to believe that the sheer volume of explosives dropped on the site must have done the job. As White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt put it: “Everyone knows what happens when you drop 14 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration.”

But the fact that Fordo is buried in the side of a mountain is a reason to doubt this commonsense conclusion. In addition, Iran may have moved enriched uranium and specialized equipment from the site in advance, limiting the effects on its nuclear program.

Trump’s instincts might be right. Or the skeptics might be right. Both make plausible claims. Analysts will need more intelligence from more sources to make a confident judgment about the effects on Fordo and on Iran’s broader nuclear efforts. Even then, it is likely that they will disagree on the effects, because this requires making predictions.

News coverage of the attack on Fordo and White House claims of success.

Politicized intelligence

In a perfect world, policymakers and intelligence officials would wrestle with dueling assessments in good faith. Such a process would take place outside the political fray, giving both sides the opportunity to offer criticism without being accused of political mischief. In this idealized scenario, policymakers could use reasonable intelligence conclusions to inform their decision-making process. After all, there are a lot of decisions about Middle Eastern security left to be made.

But we are not in a perfect world, and hopes for a good faith debate seem hopelessly naïve. Already the battle lines are being drawn. Congressional Democrats are suspicious that the administration is being disingenuous about Iran. The White House, for its part, is going on the offensive. “The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump,” Leavitt declared in a written statement, “and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission.”

Relations between policymakers and their intelligence advisers are often contentious, and U.S. presidents have a long history of clashing with spy chiefs. But intelligence-policy relations today are in a particularly dismal state. Trump bears the most responsibility, given his repeated disparagement of intelligence officials. For example, he dismissed the congressional testimony on Iran from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard: “I don’t care what she said.”

The problem goes deeper than the president, however. Intelligence-policy relations in a democracy are difficult because of the persuasive power of secret information. Policymakers fear that intelligence officials who control secrets might use them to undermine the policymakers’ plans. Intelligence officials worry that the policymakers will bully them into giving politically convenient answers. Such fears led to intelligence-policy breakdowns over estimates of enemy strength in the Vietnam War and estimates of Soviet missile capabilities in the early years of detente.

This mutual suspicion has become progressively worse since the end of the Cold War, as secret intelligence has become increasingly public. Intelligence leaders have become recognizable public figures, and intelligence judgments on current issues are often quickly declassified. The public now expects to have access to intelligence findings, and this has helped turn intelligence into a political football.

What lies ahead

What does all this mean for intelligence on Iran? Trump might ignore assessments he dislikes, given his history with intelligence. But the acrimonious public dispute over the Fordo strike may lead the White House to pressure intelligence leaders to toe the line, especially if critics demand a public accounting of secret intelligence.

Such an outcome would benefit nobody. The public would not have a better sense of the questions surrounding Iran’s nuclear effort, the intelligence community would suffer a serious blow to its reputation, and the administration’s efforts to use intelligence in public might backfire, as was the case for the George W. Bush administration after the war in Iraq.

As with military campaigns, episodes of politicizing intelligence have lasting and sometimes unforeseen consequences.

Joshua Rovner is associate professor of international relations at American University, and nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

– ref. What damage did the US do to Iran’s nuclear program? Why it’s so hard to know – https://theconversation.com/what-damage-did-the-us-do-to-irans-nuclear-program-why-its-so-hard-to-know-260058

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Bali to Biarritz: Surf spot overcrowding and the fight to protect the essence of catching a wave

Source: The Conversation – France – By Jérémy Lemarié, Maître de conférences à l’Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)

Invented in Hawaii, surfing gained popularity in the United States and Australia in the 1950s before becoming a global phenomenon. Now practiced in more than 150 countries, its spread has been driven by media and tourism. Surf tourism involves travelling to destinations to catch waves, either with a surfboard or through activities such as body surfing or bodyboarding. Tourists range from seasoned surfers to beginners eager to learn.

The allure of California

For many, surf tourism evokes exotic imagery shaped by California production companies. Columbia Pictures in 1959 and Paramount Pictures in 1961 introduced surfing to the middle class, showcasing the sport as a gateway to summer adventure and escape. However, it was the 1966 movie The Endless Summer, directed and produced by Bruce Brown, that became a box office success. The film follows two Californians travelling the globe in search of the perfect wave, which they ultimately find in South Africa. Beneath the seemingly lighthearted portrayal of a “surf safari”, it carries undertones of colonial ambition.

In the film, the Californians tell people in Africa that waves are untapped resources ready to be named and conquered. This sense of Western cultural dominance over populations in poorer countries has permeated surf tourism. Since the 1970s, French surfers have flocked to Morocco for its long-breaking waves, Australians have flocked to Indonesia and Californians to Mexico. The expansion of surfing to Africa, Asia and Latin America was enabled by easier international travel and economic disparities between visitors and hosts.

Surfing’s impact on local communities

Indonesia, for instance, became a surfing hotspot after Australian surfers started to explore the waves of Bali and the Mentawai Islands in the 1970s. Once remote regions with modest living standards, these areas saw tourism infrastructure mushroom to meet demand. Today, destinations such as Uluwatu in Bali and Padang Padang in Sumatra attract surfers of all skill levels.

Similarly, Morocco has experienced a surge in surf tourism, with spots such as Taghazout drawing European visitors in search of affordable waves and sunshine. While this has boosted local economies, it has also raised concerns about environmental degradation and the strain of tourism on previously untouched areas.

The challenges of overtourism in coastal areas

Although surfing is often seen as an activity in harmony with nature, mass tourism has created tensions between local surfers and visitors. Overtourism refers to the negative impact of excessive tourist numbers on natural environments and local communities.

One response to overtourism is localism – where local surfers assert ownership of waves, sometimes discouraging or even intimidating outsiders. This has been particularly pronounced in economically dependent surf destinations. For example, in Hawaii during the 1970s and 1980s, local surfers protested against the influx of professional Australian surfers and international competitions. Today, localism persists globally, from Maroubra in Sydney to Boucau-Tarnos in France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. These places are not systematically off-limits to beginners, but major conflicts can arise during peak tourist seasons.

Surf schools, while crucial for teaching newcomers, also exacerbate crowding. During high seasons, beaches such as Côte des Basques in Biarritz become overcrowded, straining relations between experienced surfers, instructors and novices. Beginners, often unaware of surf etiquette and safety rules, contribute to frustrations among seasoned surfers.

A weekly e-mail in English featuring expertise from scholars and researchers. It provides an introduction to the diversity of research coming out of the continent and considers some of the key issues facing European countries. Get the newsletter!

The role of public authorities

In response to these challenges, public initiatives have emerged to promote sustainable surf tourism. For instance, the Costa Rican government has established marine protected areas and regulated tourism activities to preserve a part of the coastal environment. Local authorities have also begun capping the number of surf schools and making access to the practice more difficult.

In southwestern France, municipalities use public service delegations (DSP), temporary occupation authorisations (AOT) and other tools to regulate surf schools operating on public beaches. Environmental awareness programmes have been launched to educate tourists on responsible behaviour toward beaches and oceans.

Gaps in regulation

Despite these measures, many coastal regions face insufficient action to address the environmental and social challenges posed by surf tourism. In Fiji, a 2010 decree deregulated the surf tourism industry, eliminating traditional indigenous rights to coastal and reef areas. This allowed unregulated development of tourism infrastructure, often ignoring long-term ecological impacts.

Similar issues are seen in Morocco, where lax regulations allow foreign investors to exploit coastal land for hotel development, often providing little benefit to local communities.

Yet, there are success stories. In Santa Cruz, California, the initiative Save Our Shores mobilises citizens and tourists to protect beaches through anti-pollution campaigns and regular cleanups.

Surf tourism has brought significant economic benefits to many coastal regions. However, it has also introduced social and environmental challenges, including localism, overcrowding and ecological strain. Managing these issues requires a collaborative approach, with governments, local stakeholders and tourists working together to preserve the sport’s connection to nature.

This article was published as part of the 2024 Fête de la Science, of which The Conversation France was a partner. The year’s theme, “Oceans of Knowledge,” explored the wonders of the marine world.

Jérémy Lemarié is a member of the Fulbright network, as the recipient of the “Chercheuses et Chercheurs” grant from the Franco-American Commission in 2022-2023.

– ref. Bali to Biarritz: Surf spot overcrowding and the fight to protect the essence of catching a wave – https://theconversation.com/bali-to-biarritz-surf-spot-overcrowding-and-the-fight-to-protect-the-essence-of-catching-a-wave-244550

MIL OSI –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Bali to Biarritz: Surf spot overcrowding and the fight to protect the essence of catching a wave

Source: The Conversation – France – By Jérémy Lemarié, Maître de conférences à l’Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)

Invented in Hawaii, surfing gained popularity in the United States and Australia in the 1950s before becoming a global phenomenon. Now practiced in more than 150 countries, its spread has been driven by media and tourism. Surf tourism involves travelling to destinations to catch waves, either with a surfboard or through activities such as body surfing or bodyboarding. Tourists range from seasoned surfers to beginners eager to learn.

The allure of California

For many, surf tourism evokes exotic imagery shaped by California production companies. Columbia Pictures in 1959 and Paramount Pictures in 1961 introduced surfing to the middle class, showcasing the sport as a gateway to summer adventure and escape. However, it was the 1966 movie The Endless Summer, directed and produced by Bruce Brown, that became a box office success. The film follows two Californians travelling the globe in search of the perfect wave, which they ultimately find in South Africa. Beneath the seemingly lighthearted portrayal of a “surf safari”, it carries undertones of colonial ambition.

In the film, the Californians tell people in Africa that waves are untapped resources ready to be named and conquered. This sense of Western cultural dominance over populations in poorer countries has permeated surf tourism. Since the 1970s, French surfers have flocked to Morocco for its long-breaking waves, Australians have flocked to Indonesia and Californians to Mexico. The expansion of surfing to Africa, Asia and Latin America was enabled by easier international travel and economic disparities between visitors and hosts.

Surfing’s impact on local communities

Indonesia, for instance, became a surfing hotspot after Australian surfers started to explore the waves of Bali and the Mentawai Islands in the 1970s. Once remote regions with modest living standards, these areas saw tourism infrastructure mushroom to meet demand. Today, destinations such as Uluwatu in Bali and Padang Padang in Sumatra attract surfers of all skill levels.

Similarly, Morocco has experienced a surge in surf tourism, with spots such as Taghazout drawing European visitors in search of affordable waves and sunshine. While this has boosted local economies, it has also raised concerns about environmental degradation and the strain of tourism on previously untouched areas.

The challenges of overtourism in coastal areas

Although surfing is often seen as an activity in harmony with nature, mass tourism has created tensions between local surfers and visitors. Overtourism refers to the negative impact of excessive tourist numbers on natural environments and local communities.

One response to overtourism is localism – where local surfers assert ownership of waves, sometimes discouraging or even intimidating outsiders. This has been particularly pronounced in economically dependent surf destinations. For example, in Hawaii during the 1970s and 1980s, local surfers protested against the influx of professional Australian surfers and international competitions. Today, localism persists globally, from Maroubra in Sydney to Boucau-Tarnos in France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. These places are not systematically off-limits to beginners, but major conflicts can arise during peak tourist seasons.

Surf schools, while crucial for teaching newcomers, also exacerbate crowding. During high seasons, beaches such as Côte des Basques in Biarritz become overcrowded, straining relations between experienced surfers, instructors and novices. Beginners, often unaware of surf etiquette and safety rules, contribute to frustrations among seasoned surfers.

A weekly e-mail in English featuring expertise from scholars and researchers. It provides an introduction to the diversity of research coming out of the continent and considers some of the key issues facing European countries. Get the newsletter!

The role of public authorities

In response to these challenges, public initiatives have emerged to promote sustainable surf tourism. For instance, the Costa Rican government has established marine protected areas and regulated tourism activities to preserve a part of the coastal environment. Local authorities have also begun capping the number of surf schools and making access to the practice more difficult.

In southwestern France, municipalities use public service delegations (DSP), temporary occupation authorisations (AOT) and other tools to regulate surf schools operating on public beaches. Environmental awareness programmes have been launched to educate tourists on responsible behaviour toward beaches and oceans.

Gaps in regulation

Despite these measures, many coastal regions face insufficient action to address the environmental and social challenges posed by surf tourism. In Fiji, a 2010 decree deregulated the surf tourism industry, eliminating traditional indigenous rights to coastal and reef areas. This allowed unregulated development of tourism infrastructure, often ignoring long-term ecological impacts.

Similar issues are seen in Morocco, where lax regulations allow foreign investors to exploit coastal land for hotel development, often providing little benefit to local communities.

Yet, there are success stories. In Santa Cruz, California, the initiative Save Our Shores mobilises citizens and tourists to protect beaches through anti-pollution campaigns and regular cleanups.

Surf tourism has brought significant economic benefits to many coastal regions. However, it has also introduced social and environmental challenges, including localism, overcrowding and ecological strain. Managing these issues requires a collaborative approach, with governments, local stakeholders and tourists working together to preserve the sport’s connection to nature.

This article was published as part of the 2024 Fête de la Science, of which The Conversation France was a partner. The year’s theme, “Oceans of Knowledge,” explored the wonders of the marine world.

Jérémy Lemarié is a member of the Fulbright network, as the recipient of the “Chercheuses et Chercheurs” grant from the Franco-American Commission in 2022-2023.

– ref. Bali to Biarritz: Surf spot overcrowding and the fight to protect the essence of catching a wave – https://theconversation.com/bali-to-biarritz-surf-spot-overcrowding-and-the-fight-to-protect-the-essence-of-catching-a-wave-244550

MIL OSI –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Bali to Biarritz: Surf spot overcrowding and the fight to protect the essence of catching a wave

Source: The Conversation – France – By Jérémy Lemarié, Maître de conférences à l’Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)

Invented in Hawaii, surfing gained popularity in the United States and Australia in the 1950s before becoming a global phenomenon. Now practiced in more than 150 countries, its spread has been driven by media and tourism. Surf tourism involves travelling to destinations to catch waves, either with a surfboard or through activities such as body surfing or bodyboarding. Tourists range from seasoned surfers to beginners eager to learn.

The allure of California

For many, surf tourism evokes exotic imagery shaped by California production companies. Columbia Pictures in 1959 and Paramount Pictures in 1961 introduced surfing to the middle class, showcasing the sport as a gateway to summer adventure and escape. However, it was the 1966 movie The Endless Summer, directed and produced by Bruce Brown, that became a box office success. The film follows two Californians travelling the globe in search of the perfect wave, which they ultimately find in South Africa. Beneath the seemingly lighthearted portrayal of a “surf safari”, it carries undertones of colonial ambition.

In the film, the Californians tell people in Africa that waves are untapped resources ready to be named and conquered. This sense of Western cultural dominance over populations in poorer countries has permeated surf tourism. Since the 1970s, French surfers have flocked to Morocco for its long-breaking waves, Australians have flocked to Indonesia and Californians to Mexico. The expansion of surfing to Africa, Asia and Latin America was enabled by easier international travel and economic disparities between visitors and hosts.

Surfing’s impact on local communities

Indonesia, for instance, became a surfing hotspot after Australian surfers started to explore the waves of Bali and the Mentawai Islands in the 1970s. Once remote regions with modest living standards, these areas saw tourism infrastructure mushroom to meet demand. Today, destinations such as Uluwatu in Bali and Padang Padang in Sumatra attract surfers of all skill levels.

Similarly, Morocco has experienced a surge in surf tourism, with spots such as Taghazout drawing European visitors in search of affordable waves and sunshine. While this has boosted local economies, it has also raised concerns about environmental degradation and the strain of tourism on previously untouched areas.

The challenges of overtourism in coastal areas

Although surfing is often seen as an activity in harmony with nature, mass tourism has created tensions between local surfers and visitors. Overtourism refers to the negative impact of excessive tourist numbers on natural environments and local communities.

One response to overtourism is localism – where local surfers assert ownership of waves, sometimes discouraging or even intimidating outsiders. This has been particularly pronounced in economically dependent surf destinations. For example, in Hawaii during the 1970s and 1980s, local surfers protested against the influx of professional Australian surfers and international competitions. Today, localism persists globally, from Maroubra in Sydney to Boucau-Tarnos in France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. These places are not systematically off-limits to beginners, but major conflicts can arise during peak tourist seasons.

Surf schools, while crucial for teaching newcomers, also exacerbate crowding. During high seasons, beaches such as Côte des Basques in Biarritz become overcrowded, straining relations between experienced surfers, instructors and novices. Beginners, often unaware of surf etiquette and safety rules, contribute to frustrations among seasoned surfers.

A weekly e-mail in English featuring expertise from scholars and researchers. It provides an introduction to the diversity of research coming out of the continent and considers some of the key issues facing European countries. Get the newsletter!

The role of public authorities

In response to these challenges, public initiatives have emerged to promote sustainable surf tourism. For instance, the Costa Rican government has established marine protected areas and regulated tourism activities to preserve a part of the coastal environment. Local authorities have also begun capping the number of surf schools and making access to the practice more difficult.

In southwestern France, municipalities use public service delegations (DSP), temporary occupation authorisations (AOT) and other tools to regulate surf schools operating on public beaches. Environmental awareness programmes have been launched to educate tourists on responsible behaviour toward beaches and oceans.

Gaps in regulation

Despite these measures, many coastal regions face insufficient action to address the environmental and social challenges posed by surf tourism. In Fiji, a 2010 decree deregulated the surf tourism industry, eliminating traditional indigenous rights to coastal and reef areas. This allowed unregulated development of tourism infrastructure, often ignoring long-term ecological impacts.

Similar issues are seen in Morocco, where lax regulations allow foreign investors to exploit coastal land for hotel development, often providing little benefit to local communities.

Yet, there are success stories. In Santa Cruz, California, the initiative Save Our Shores mobilises citizens and tourists to protect beaches through anti-pollution campaigns and regular cleanups.

Surf tourism has brought significant economic benefits to many coastal regions. However, it has also introduced social and environmental challenges, including localism, overcrowding and ecological strain. Managing these issues requires a collaborative approach, with governments, local stakeholders and tourists working together to preserve the sport’s connection to nature.

This article was published as part of the 2024 Fête de la Science, of which The Conversation France was a partner. The year’s theme, “Oceans of Knowledge,” explored the wonders of the marine world.

Jérémy Lemarié is a member of the Fulbright network, as the recipient of the “Chercheuses et Chercheurs” grant from the Franco-American Commission in 2022-2023.

– ref. Bali to Biarritz: Surf spot overcrowding and the fight to protect the essence of catching a wave – https://theconversation.com/bali-to-biarritz-surf-spot-overcrowding-and-the-fight-to-protect-the-essence-of-catching-a-wave-244550

MIL OSI –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Bali to Biarritz: Surf spot overcrowding and the fight to protect the essence of catching a wave

Source: The Conversation – France – By Jérémy Lemarié, Maître de conférences à l’Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)

Invented in Hawaii, surfing gained popularity in the United States and Australia in the 1950s before becoming a global phenomenon. Now practiced in more than 150 countries, its spread has been driven by media and tourism. Surf tourism involves travelling to destinations to catch waves, either with a surfboard or through activities such as body surfing or bodyboarding. Tourists range from seasoned surfers to beginners eager to learn.

The allure of California

For many, surf tourism evokes exotic imagery shaped by California production companies. Columbia Pictures in 1959 and Paramount Pictures in 1961 introduced surfing to the middle class, showcasing the sport as a gateway to summer adventure and escape. However, it was the 1966 movie The Endless Summer, directed and produced by Bruce Brown, that became a box office success. The film follows two Californians travelling the globe in search of the perfect wave, which they ultimately find in South Africa. Beneath the seemingly lighthearted portrayal of a “surf safari”, it carries undertones of colonial ambition.

In the film, the Californians tell people in Africa that waves are untapped resources ready to be named and conquered. This sense of Western cultural dominance over populations in poorer countries has permeated surf tourism. Since the 1970s, French surfers have flocked to Morocco for its long-breaking waves, Australians have flocked to Indonesia and Californians to Mexico. The expansion of surfing to Africa, Asia and Latin America was enabled by easier international travel and economic disparities between visitors and hosts.

Surfing’s impact on local communities

Indonesia, for instance, became a surfing hotspot after Australian surfers started to explore the waves of Bali and the Mentawai Islands in the 1970s. Once remote regions with modest living standards, these areas saw tourism infrastructure mushroom to meet demand. Today, destinations such as Uluwatu in Bali and Padang Padang in Sumatra attract surfers of all skill levels.

Similarly, Morocco has experienced a surge in surf tourism, with spots such as Taghazout drawing European visitors in search of affordable waves and sunshine. While this has boosted local economies, it has also raised concerns about environmental degradation and the strain of tourism on previously untouched areas.

The challenges of overtourism in coastal areas

Although surfing is often seen as an activity in harmony with nature, mass tourism has created tensions between local surfers and visitors. Overtourism refers to the negative impact of excessive tourist numbers on natural environments and local communities.

One response to overtourism is localism – where local surfers assert ownership of waves, sometimes discouraging or even intimidating outsiders. This has been particularly pronounced in economically dependent surf destinations. For example, in Hawaii during the 1970s and 1980s, local surfers protested against the influx of professional Australian surfers and international competitions. Today, localism persists globally, from Maroubra in Sydney to Boucau-Tarnos in France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. These places are not systematically off-limits to beginners, but major conflicts can arise during peak tourist seasons.

Surf schools, while crucial for teaching newcomers, also exacerbate crowding. During high seasons, beaches such as Côte des Basques in Biarritz become overcrowded, straining relations between experienced surfers, instructors and novices. Beginners, often unaware of surf etiquette and safety rules, contribute to frustrations among seasoned surfers.

A weekly e-mail in English featuring expertise from scholars and researchers. It provides an introduction to the diversity of research coming out of the continent and considers some of the key issues facing European countries. Get the newsletter!

The role of public authorities

In response to these challenges, public initiatives have emerged to promote sustainable surf tourism. For instance, the Costa Rican government has established marine protected areas and regulated tourism activities to preserve a part of the coastal environment. Local authorities have also begun capping the number of surf schools and making access to the practice more difficult.

In southwestern France, municipalities use public service delegations (DSP), temporary occupation authorisations (AOT) and other tools to regulate surf schools operating on public beaches. Environmental awareness programmes have been launched to educate tourists on responsible behaviour toward beaches and oceans.

Gaps in regulation

Despite these measures, many coastal regions face insufficient action to address the environmental and social challenges posed by surf tourism. In Fiji, a 2010 decree deregulated the surf tourism industry, eliminating traditional indigenous rights to coastal and reef areas. This allowed unregulated development of tourism infrastructure, often ignoring long-term ecological impacts.

Similar issues are seen in Morocco, where lax regulations allow foreign investors to exploit coastal land for hotel development, often providing little benefit to local communities.

Yet, there are success stories. In Santa Cruz, California, the initiative Save Our Shores mobilises citizens and tourists to protect beaches through anti-pollution campaigns and regular cleanups.

Surf tourism has brought significant economic benefits to many coastal regions. However, it has also introduced social and environmental challenges, including localism, overcrowding and ecological strain. Managing these issues requires a collaborative approach, with governments, local stakeholders and tourists working together to preserve the sport’s connection to nature.

This article was published as part of the 2024 Fête de la Science, of which The Conversation France was a partner. The year’s theme, “Oceans of Knowledge,” explored the wonders of the marine world.

Jérémy Lemarié is a member of the Fulbright network, as the recipient of the “Chercheuses et Chercheurs” grant from the Franco-American Commission in 2022-2023.

– ref. Bali to Biarritz: Surf spot overcrowding and the fight to protect the essence of catching a wave – https://theconversation.com/bali-to-biarritz-surf-spot-overcrowding-and-the-fight-to-protect-the-essence-of-catching-a-wave-244550

MIL OSI –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: AI is advancing even faster than sci-fi visionaries like Neal Stephenson imagined

Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Rizwan Virk, Faculty Associate, PhD Candidate in Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology, Arizona State University

In Stephenson’s novel ‘The Diamond Age,’ a device called the Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer offers emotional, social and intellectual support. Christopher Michel/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Every time I read about another advance in AI technology, I feel like another figment of science fiction moves closer to reality.

Lately, I’ve been noticing eerie parallels to Neal Stephenson’s 1995 novel “The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer.”

“The Diamond Age” depicted a post-cyberpunk sectarian future, in which society is fragmented into tribes, called phyles. In this future world, sophisticated nanotechnology is ubiquitous, and a new type of AI is introduced.

Though inspired by MIT nanotech pioneer Eric Drexler and Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman, the advanced nanotechnology depicted in the novel still remains out of reach. However, the AI that’s portrayed, particularly a teaching device called the Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer, isn’t only right in front of us; it also raises serious issues about the role of AI in labor, learning and human behavior.

In Stephenson’s novel, the Primer looks like a hardcover book, but each of its “pages” is really a screen display that can show animations and text, and it responds to its user in real time via AI. The book also has an audio component, which voices the characters and narrates stories being told by the device.

It was originally created for the young daughter of an aristocrat, but it accidentally falls into the hands of a girl named Nell who’s living on the streets of a futuristic Shanghai. The Primer provides Nell personalized emotional, social and intellectual support during her journey to adulthood, serving alternatively as an AI companion, a storyteller, a teacher and a surrogate parent.

The AI is able to weave fairy tales that help a younger Nell cope with past traumas, such as her abusive home and life on the streets. It educates her on everything from math to cryptography to martial arts. In a techno-futuristic homage to George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play “Pygmalion,” the Primer goes so far as to teach Nell the proper social etiquette to be able to blend into neo-Victorian society, one of the prominent tribes in Stephenson’s balkanized world.

No need for ‘ractors’

Three recent developments in AI – in video games, wearable technology and education – reveal that building something like the Primer should no longer be considered the purview of science fiction.

In May 2025, the hit video game “Fortnite” introduced an AI version of Darth Vader, who speaks with the voice of the late James Earl Jones.

The estate of James Earl Jones gave Epic Games permission to use the late actor’s voice for an AI Darth Vader.
Jim Spellman/WireImage via Getty Images

While it was popular among fans of the game, the Screen Actors Guild lodged a labor complaint with Epic Games, the creator of “Fortnite.” Even though Epic had received permission from the late actor’s estate, the Screen Actors Guild pointed out that actors could have been hired to voice the character, and the company – in refusing to alert the union and negotiate terms – violated existing labor agreements.

In “The Diamond Age,” while the Primer uses AI to generate the fairy tales that train Nell, for the voices of these archetypal characters, Stephenson concocted a low-tech solution: The characters are played by a network of what he termed “ractors” – real actors working in a studio who are contracted to perform and interact in real time with users.

The Darth Vader “Fortnite” character shows that a Primer built today wouldn’t need to use actors at all. It could rely almost entirely on AI voice generation and have real-time conversations, showing that today’s technology already exceeds Stephenson’s normally far-sighted vision.

Recording and guiding in real time

Synthesizing James Earl Jones’ voice in “Fortnite” wasn’t the only recent AI development heralding the arrival of Primer-like technology.

I recently witnessed a demonstration of wearable AI that records all of the wearer’s conversations. Their words are then sent to a server so they can be analyzed by AI, providing both summaries and suggestions to the user about future behavior.

Several startups are making these “always on” AI wearables. In an April 29, 2025, essay titled “I Recorded Everything I Said for Three Months. AI Has Replaced My Memory,” Wall Street Journal technology columnist Joanna Stern describes the experience of using this technology. She concedes that the assistants created useful summaries of her conversations and meetings, along with helpful to-do lists. However, they also recalled “every dumb, private and cringeworthy thing that came out of my mouth.”

AI wearable devices that continuously record the conversations of their users have recently hit the market.

These devices also create privacy issues. The people whom the user interacts with don’t always know they are being recorded, even as their words are also sent to a server for the AI to process them. To Stern, the technology’s potential for mass surveillance becomes readily apparent, presenting a “slightly terrifying glimpse of the future.”

Relying on AI engines such as ChatGPT, Claude and Google’s Gemini, the wearables work only with words, not images. Behavioral suggestions occur only after the fact. However, a key function of the Primer – coaching users in real time in the middle of any situation or social interaction – is the next logical step as the technology advances.

Education or social engineering?

In “The Diamond Age,” the Primer doesn’t simply weave interactive fairy tales for Nell. It also assumes the responsibility of educating her on everything from her ABCs when younger to the intricacies of cryptography and politics as she gets older.

It’s no secret that AI tools, such as ChatGPT, are now being widely used by both teachers and students.

Several recent studies have shown that AI may be more effective than humans at teaching computer science. One survey found that 85% of students said ChatGPT was more effective than a human tutor. And at least one college, Morehouse College in Atlanta, is introducing an AI teaching assistant for professors.

There are certainly advantages to AI tutors: Tutoring and college tuition can be exorbitantly expensive, and the technology can offer better access to education to people of all income levels.

Pulling together these latest AI advances – interactive avatars, behavioral guides, tutors – it’s easy to envision how an AI device like the Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer could be created in the near future. A young person might have a personalized AI character that accompanies them at all times. It can teach them about the world and offer up suggestions for how to act in certain situations. The AI could be tailored to a child’s personality, concocting stories that include AI versions of their favorite TV and movie characters.

But “The Diamond Age” offers a warning, too.

Toward the end of the novel, a version of the Primer is handed out to hundreds of thousands of young Chinese girls who, like Nell, didn’t have access to education or mentors. This leads to the education of the masses. But it also opens the door to large-scale social engineering, creating an army of Primer-raised martial arts experts, whom the AI then directs to act on behalf of “Princess Nell,” Nell’s fairy tale name.

It’s easy to see how this sort of large-scale social engineering could be used to target certain ideologies, crush dissent or build loyalty to a particular regime. The AI’s behavior could also be subject to the whims of the companies or individuals that created it. A ubiquitous, always-on, friendly AI could become the ultimate monitoring and reporting device. Think of a kinder, gentler face for Big Brother that people have trusted since childhood.

While large-scale deployment of a Primer-like AI could certainly make young people smarter and more efficient, it could also hamper one of the most important parts of education: teaching people to think for themselves.

Rizwan Virk owns shares of investments funds which own stock in various private AI companies such as Open AI and X.ai. He owns public stock in Google and Microsoft. Virk has family members who work for a wearable AI company.

– ref. AI is advancing even faster than sci-fi visionaries like Neal Stephenson imagined – https://theconversation.com/ai-is-advancing-even-faster-than-sci-fi-visionaries-like-neal-stephenson-imagined-257509

MIL OSI –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: AI is advancing even faster than sci-fi visionaries like Neal Stephenson imagined

Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Rizwan Virk, Faculty Associate, PhD Candidate in Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology, Arizona State University

In Stephenson’s novel ‘The Diamond Age,’ a device called the Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer offers emotional, social and intellectual support. Christopher Michel/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Every time I read about another advance in AI technology, I feel like another figment of science fiction moves closer to reality.

Lately, I’ve been noticing eerie parallels to Neal Stephenson’s 1995 novel “The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer.”

“The Diamond Age” depicted a post-cyberpunk sectarian future, in which society is fragmented into tribes, called phyles. In this future world, sophisticated nanotechnology is ubiquitous, and a new type of AI is introduced.

Though inspired by MIT nanotech pioneer Eric Drexler and Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman, the advanced nanotechnology depicted in the novel still remains out of reach. However, the AI that’s portrayed, particularly a teaching device called the Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer, isn’t only right in front of us; it also raises serious issues about the role of AI in labor, learning and human behavior.

In Stephenson’s novel, the Primer looks like a hardcover book, but each of its “pages” is really a screen display that can show animations and text, and it responds to its user in real time via AI. The book also has an audio component, which voices the characters and narrates stories being told by the device.

It was originally created for the young daughter of an aristocrat, but it accidentally falls into the hands of a girl named Nell who’s living on the streets of a futuristic Shanghai. The Primer provides Nell personalized emotional, social and intellectual support during her journey to adulthood, serving alternatively as an AI companion, a storyteller, a teacher and a surrogate parent.

The AI is able to weave fairy tales that help a younger Nell cope with past traumas, such as her abusive home and life on the streets. It educates her on everything from math to cryptography to martial arts. In a techno-futuristic homage to George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play “Pygmalion,” the Primer goes so far as to teach Nell the proper social etiquette to be able to blend into neo-Victorian society, one of the prominent tribes in Stephenson’s balkanized world.

No need for ‘ractors’

Three recent developments in AI – in video games, wearable technology and education – reveal that building something like the Primer should no longer be considered the purview of science fiction.

In May 2025, the hit video game “Fortnite” introduced an AI version of Darth Vader, who speaks with the voice of the late James Earl Jones.

The estate of James Earl Jones gave Epic Games permission to use the late actor’s voice for an AI Darth Vader.
Jim Spellman/WireImage via Getty Images

While it was popular among fans of the game, the Screen Actors Guild lodged a labor complaint with Epic Games, the creator of “Fortnite.” Even though Epic had received permission from the late actor’s estate, the Screen Actors Guild pointed out that actors could have been hired to voice the character, and the company – in refusing to alert the union and negotiate terms – violated existing labor agreements.

In “The Diamond Age,” while the Primer uses AI to generate the fairy tales that train Nell, for the voices of these archetypal characters, Stephenson concocted a low-tech solution: The characters are played by a network of what he termed “ractors” – real actors working in a studio who are contracted to perform and interact in real time with users.

The Darth Vader “Fortnite” character shows that a Primer built today wouldn’t need to use actors at all. It could rely almost entirely on AI voice generation and have real-time conversations, showing that today’s technology already exceeds Stephenson’s normally far-sighted vision.

Recording and guiding in real time

Synthesizing James Earl Jones’ voice in “Fortnite” wasn’t the only recent AI development heralding the arrival of Primer-like technology.

I recently witnessed a demonstration of wearable AI that records all of the wearer’s conversations. Their words are then sent to a server so they can be analyzed by AI, providing both summaries and suggestions to the user about future behavior.

Several startups are making these “always on” AI wearables. In an April 29, 2025, essay titled “I Recorded Everything I Said for Three Months. AI Has Replaced My Memory,” Wall Street Journal technology columnist Joanna Stern describes the experience of using this technology. She concedes that the assistants created useful summaries of her conversations and meetings, along with helpful to-do lists. However, they also recalled “every dumb, private and cringeworthy thing that came out of my mouth.”

AI wearable devices that continuously record the conversations of their users have recently hit the market.

These devices also create privacy issues. The people whom the user interacts with don’t always know they are being recorded, even as their words are also sent to a server for the AI to process them. To Stern, the technology’s potential for mass surveillance becomes readily apparent, presenting a “slightly terrifying glimpse of the future.”

Relying on AI engines such as ChatGPT, Claude and Google’s Gemini, the wearables work only with words, not images. Behavioral suggestions occur only after the fact. However, a key function of the Primer – coaching users in real time in the middle of any situation or social interaction – is the next logical step as the technology advances.

Education or social engineering?

In “The Diamond Age,” the Primer doesn’t simply weave interactive fairy tales for Nell. It also assumes the responsibility of educating her on everything from her ABCs when younger to the intricacies of cryptography and politics as she gets older.

It’s no secret that AI tools, such as ChatGPT, are now being widely used by both teachers and students.

Several recent studies have shown that AI may be more effective than humans at teaching computer science. One survey found that 85% of students said ChatGPT was more effective than a human tutor. And at least one college, Morehouse College in Atlanta, is introducing an AI teaching assistant for professors.

There are certainly advantages to AI tutors: Tutoring and college tuition can be exorbitantly expensive, and the technology can offer better access to education to people of all income levels.

Pulling together these latest AI advances – interactive avatars, behavioral guides, tutors – it’s easy to envision how an AI device like the Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer could be created in the near future. A young person might have a personalized AI character that accompanies them at all times. It can teach them about the world and offer up suggestions for how to act in certain situations. The AI could be tailored to a child’s personality, concocting stories that include AI versions of their favorite TV and movie characters.

But “The Diamond Age” offers a warning, too.

Toward the end of the novel, a version of the Primer is handed out to hundreds of thousands of young Chinese girls who, like Nell, didn’t have access to education or mentors. This leads to the education of the masses. But it also opens the door to large-scale social engineering, creating an army of Primer-raised martial arts experts, whom the AI then directs to act on behalf of “Princess Nell,” Nell’s fairy tale name.

It’s easy to see how this sort of large-scale social engineering could be used to target certain ideologies, crush dissent or build loyalty to a particular regime. The AI’s behavior could also be subject to the whims of the companies or individuals that created it. A ubiquitous, always-on, friendly AI could become the ultimate monitoring and reporting device. Think of a kinder, gentler face for Big Brother that people have trusted since childhood.

While large-scale deployment of a Primer-like AI could certainly make young people smarter and more efficient, it could also hamper one of the most important parts of education: teaching people to think for themselves.

Rizwan Virk owns shares of investments funds which own stock in various private AI companies such as Open AI and X.ai. He owns public stock in Google and Microsoft. Virk has family members who work for a wearable AI company.

– ref. AI is advancing even faster than sci-fi visionaries like Neal Stephenson imagined – https://theconversation.com/ai-is-advancing-even-faster-than-sci-fi-visionaries-like-neal-stephenson-imagined-257509

MIL OSI –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: The Supreme Court upholds free preventive care, but its future now rests in RFK Jr.’s hands

Source: The Conversation – USA (3) – By Paul Shafer, Associate Professor of Health Law, Policy and Management, Boston University

The Affordable Care Act has survived its fourth Supreme Court challenge. Ted Eytan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

On June 26, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a 6-3 ruling that preserves free preventive care under the Affordable Care Act, a popular benefit that helps approximately 150 million Americans stay healthy.

The case, Kennedy v. Braidwood, was the fourth major legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act. The decision, written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh with the support of Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor, ruled that insurers must continue to cover at no cost any preventive care approved by a federal panel called the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Members of the task force are independent scientific experts, appointed for four-year terms. The panel’s role had been purely advisory until the ACA, and the plaintiffs contended that the members lacked the appropriate authority as they had not been appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Supreme Court rejected this argument, saying that members simply needed to be appointed by the Health and Human Services Secretary – currently, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – which they had been, under his predecessor during the Biden administration.

This ruling seemingly safeguards access to preventive care. But as public health researchers who study health insurance and sexual health, we see another concern: It leaves preventive care vulnerable to how Kennedy and future HHS secretaries will choose to exercise their power over the task force and its recommendations.

What is the US Preventive Services Task Force?

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force was initially created in 1984 to develop recommendations about prevention for primary care doctors. It is modeled after the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, which was established in 1976.

Under the ACA, insurers must fully cover all screenings and interventions endorsed by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
SDI Productions/E+ via Getty Images

The task force makes new recommendations and updates existing ones by reviewing clinical and policy evidence on a regular basis and weighing the potential benefits and risks of a wide range of health screenings and interventions. These include mammograms; blood pressure, colon cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis screenings; and HIV prevention. Over 150 million Americans have benefited from free coverage of these recommended services under the ACA, and around 60% of privately insured people use at least one of the covered services each year.

The task force plays such a crucial role in health care because it is one of three federal groups whose recommendations insurers must abide by. Section 2713 of the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to offer full coverage of preventive services endorsed by three federal groups: the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and the Health Resources and Services Administration. For example, the coronavirus relief bill, which passed in March 2020 and allocated emergency funding in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, used this provision to ensure COVID-19 vaccines would be free for many Americans.

The Braidwood case and HIV prevention

This case, originally filed in Texas in 2020, was brought by Braidwood Management, a Christian for-profit corporation owned by Steven Hotze, a Texas physician and Republican activist who has previously filed multiple lawsuits against the ACA. Braidwood and its co-plaintiffs argued on religious grounds against being forced to offer preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, a medicine that prevents HIV infection, in their insurance plans.

At issue in Braidwood was whether task force members – providers and researchers who provide independent and nonpartisan expertise – were appropriately appointed and supervised under the appointments clause of the Constitution, which specifies how various government positions are appointed. The case called into question free coverage of all recommendations made by the task force since the Affordable Care Act was passed in March 2010.

In the ruling, Kavanaugh wrote that “the Task Force members’ appointments are fully consistent with the Appointments Clause in Article II of the Constitution.” In laying out his reasoning, he wrote, “The Task Force members were appointed by and are supervised and directed by the Secretary of HHS. And the Secretary of HHS, in turn, answers to the President of the United States.”

Concerns over political influence

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is meant to operate independently of political influence, and its decisions are technically not directly reviewable. However, the task force is appointed by the HHS secretary, who may remove any of its members at any time for any reason, even if such actions are highly unusual.

Kennedy recently took the unprecedented step of removing all members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which debates vaccine safety but also, crucially, helps decide what immunizations are free to Americans guaranteed by the Affordable Care Act. The newly constituted committee, appointed in weeks rather than years, includes several vaccine skeptics and has already moved to rescind some vaccine recommendations, such as routine COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women and children.

Kennedy has also proposed restructuring out of existence the agency that supports the task force, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. That agency has been subject to massive layoffs within the Department of Health and Human Services. For full disclosure, one of the authors is currently funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and previously worked there.

The decision to safeguard the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force as a body and, by extension, free preventive care under the ACA, doesn’t come without risks and highlights the fragility of long-standing, independent advisory systems in the face of the politicization of health. Kennedy could simply remove the existing task force members and replace them with members who may reshape the types of care recommended to Americans by their doctors and insurance plans based on debunked science and misinformation.

Partisanship and the politicization of health threaten trust in evidence. Already, signs are emerging that Americans on both side of the political divide are losing confidence in government health agencies. This ruling preserves a crucial part of the Affordable Care Act, yet federal health guidelines and access to lifesaving care could still swing dramatically in Kennedy’s hands – or with each subsequent transition of power.

Portions of this article originally appeared in previous articles published on Sept. 7, 2021; Dec. 1, 2021; Sept. 13, 2022; April 7, 2023; and April 15, 2025.

Paul Shafer receives research funding from the National Institutes of Health, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Department of Veterans Affairs. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of these agencies or the United States government.

Kristefer Stojanovski receives funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of these agencies or the United States government.

– ref. The Supreme Court upholds free preventive care, but its future now rests in RFK Jr.’s hands – https://theconversation.com/the-supreme-court-upholds-free-preventive-care-but-its-future-now-rests-in-rfk-jr-s-hands-260072

MIL OSI –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Philadelphia’s $2B affordable housing plan relies heavily on municipal bonds, which can come with hidden costs for taxpayers

Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Jade Craig, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Mississippi

The Parker administration says it will issue $800 million in bonds over the next four years to fund affordable housing. Jeff Fusco/The Conversation, CC BY-NC-SA

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s Housing Opportunities Made Easy initiative, which was included in the city budget passed June 12, 2025, is an ambitious effort to address the city’s affordable housing challenges.

Parker has promised to create or preserve 30,000 affordable housing units throughout the city, at a cost of roughly US$2 billion.

To help fund the plan, the Parker administration says it will issue $800 million in housing bonds over the next three years.

In an April 2025 report on the housing plan, the Parker administration admits that, in light of declining federal investment in affordable housing, proceeds from municipal bonds issued by the local government “have taken on an outsized role” in Philadelphia’s housing programs.

Often, only city treasurers and the finance committees of city councils pay attention to the details behind these municipal bonds.

As a law professor who studies the social impact of municipal bonds, I believe it’s important that city residents understand how these bonds work as well.

While municipal bonds are integral to the city’s effort to increase access to affordable and market-rate housing, they can include hidden costs and requirements that raise prices in ways that make city services unaffordable for lower-income residents.

The Parker administration has vowed to create or preserve 30,000 affordable housing units in Philly through new construction, rehabilitation and expanded rental assistance.
Jeff Fusco/The Conversation, CC BY-SA

How municipal bonds work

Most people are aware that companies sell shares on the stock market to raise capital. State and local governments do the same thing in the form of municipal bonds, which help them raise money to cover their expenses and to finance infrastructure projects.

These bonds are a form of debt. Investors can purchase an interest in the bond and, in exchange, the local government promises to pay the money back with interest in a specified time period. The money from investors functions like a loan to the government.

Municipal bonds are often used so that one generation of taxpayers is not having to bear the full cost of a project that will benefit multiple generations of residents. The cost of building a bridge, for example, which will be in use for decades, can be spread out over 30 years so that residents pay back the loan slowly over time rather than saddle residents with huge tax increases one year to cover the cost.

However, the cost of borrowing pushes up the cost of projects by adding interest payments the same way a mortgage adds to the overall cost of buying a house. Overall, the market and state and local governments have historically viewed this cost as a worthy trade-off.

Some municipal bonds have limits

The Parker administration has several options when it comes to raising capital on the municipal market.

The most common method is through general obligation bonds, which are backed by the city’s authority to impose and collect taxes. Bondholders rely on the city’s “full faith and credit” to assure them that if the city has difficulty paying back the debt, the city will raise taxes on residents to secure the payment.

The city plans to use general obligation bonds to help fund its affordable housing plan, but there are limits on how much it can borrow this way. The state constitution limits Philadelphia’s ability to incur debt to a total of 13.5% of the value of its assessed taxable real estate, based on an average of this amount for the preceding 10 years.

Philadelphia is more affordable than several other big U.S. cities, according to a 2020 report from the Pew Charitable Trusts, but it has a high poverty rate.
Jeff Fusco/The Conversation, CC BY-SA

Philly has another option

The city, however, also has the authority to take on another form of debt: revenue bonds. Revenue bonds rely on specific sources of revenue instead of the government’s taxing power. Jurisdictions issue revenue bonds to fund particular projects or services – usually ones that generate income from fees paid by users.

For example, a publicly owned water utility or electric company relies on water and sewage fees or electricity rates and charges to pay back their revenue bonds. Likewise, a transportation authority will rely on tolls to pay back revenue bonds issued to build a toll road, such as the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Under state law, revenue bonds are “non-debt debts.” They are not debts owed by the city, because the city has not promised to repay the debt through the use of its own taxing powers. Instead, the people who pay the fees to use the service are paying back the debt.

Since states began to place stricter limits on debt in the wake of the Great Depression in the 1930s, cities across the U.S. have increasingly used revenue bonds to get around state debt limits and still fund valuable public services, including affordable housing projects.

When another government entity – rather than the city – issues the bond, and the city pays them a service fee for doing so, it’s a form of what’s called conduit debt. That obligation to pay the service fee to the other government entity is the conduit debt that the city pays out of its general fund.

In Philadelphia, conduit debt includes revenue bonds issued by the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development and Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority.

From fiscal years 2012 to 2021, the city’s outstanding debt from general obligation bonds paid for out of its general fund was between $1.3 billion to $1.7 billion per year. However, the city’s conduit debt outstripped that number every year, ranging from $1.8 billion to nearly $2.3 billion. In more recent years, conduit debt has been less than the city’s debt from general obligation bonds.

The city keeps conduit debt on its books – and is obligated to pay it back – even though it comes from bonds issued by the development authorities, because these debts loop back to the city. In the bonds issued by these agencies, the city actually becomes like a client of the agency. The city is typically obligated to pay the agency service fees as part of a contractual obligation that cannot be canceled.

The revenue on which the development agencies’ bonds rely, the money from which bondholders expect to be paid back, does not come from fees that residents pay out of their own pocket – for example through ticket sales from a sports stadium built with revenue bonds. The money instead comes out of the city’s treasury.

A loophole to affordable housing

Essentially this is a loophole for the city to bypass debt limits set for Philadelphia in the state constitution. Sometimes creativity in government requires using loopholes to get the job done – to get to yes instead of a stalemate.

Consider this analogy. Say your sister takes out a bank loan to buy a car for you because your credit limit is maxed out. She is relying on you to pay her back, and she uses your payment to pay the bank. But if you don’t pay her back, she’s not responsible by law for paying the bank herself. So, it’s your debt, but she is the conduit.

If the city holds itself accountable, it can use conduit debt responsibly to make affordable housing construction a reality.

The mayor’s office did not respond to my questions about whether they plan to use conduit debt issued by a development authority, whether that conduit debt would include service fees, and what funds would be used to pay those fees.

In its quest to increase access to affordable housing, the Parker administration should, in my view, be mindful of limiting the service fees it agrees to pay – which have no legally prescribed limits – and also account for where it will find income to cover these costs. For example, will it come from the sale of city-owned land? Fees charged to developers? Or some other source?

Otherwise, taxpayers may be left to foot a bill that is essentially unlimited.

Read more of our stories about Philadelphia.

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

– ref. Philadelphia’s $2B affordable housing plan relies heavily on municipal bonds, which can come with hidden costs for taxpayers – https://theconversation.com/philadelphias-2b-affordable-housing-plan-relies-heavily-on-municipal-bonds-which-can-come-with-hidden-costs-for-taxpayers-253522

MIL OSI –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Legal wrangling over estate of Jimmy Buffett turns his widow’s huge inheritance into a cautionary tale

Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Reid Kress Weisbord, Distinguished Professor of Law and Judge Norma Shapiro Scholar, Rutgers University – Newark

Musician Jimmy Buffett and his wife, Jane Slagsvol, attend a Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts event in 2018 in New York. Evan Agostini/Invision via AP

Lawyers often tell their clients that everyone should have a will that clearly states who should inherit their assets after they die. But even having a will is not necessarily enough to avoid a costly and contentious legal dispute.

Consider what happened after Jimmy Buffett died of skin cancer at the age of 76 in 2023. The singer and entrepreneurial founder of the Margaritaville brand ordered in his will that his fortune be placed in a trust after his death. To manage the trust, Buffett named two co-trustees: his widow, Jane Slagsvol, and Richard Mozenter, an accountant who had served as the singer’s financial adviser for more than three decades.

In dueling petitions filed in Los Angeles and Palm Beach, Florida, in June 2025, however, Slagsvol – identified as Jane Buffett in her legal filing – and Mozenter are both seeking to remove each other as a trustee.

The outcome of this litigation will determine who gets to administer Buffett’s US$275 million estate.

As law professors who specialize in trusts and estates, we teach graduate courses about the transfer of property during life and at death. We believe that the Buffett dispute offers a valuable lesson for anyone with an estate, large or small. And choosing the right person to manage the assets you leave behind can be just as important as selecting who will inherit your property.

Buffett’s business empire

Buffett’s estate includes valuable intellectual property from his hit songs, including “It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere,” “Oldest Surfer on the Beach” and “Cheeseburger in Paradise.” Buffett’s albums have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and continue to generate some $20 million annually in royalties. Buffett also owned a yacht, real estate, airplanes, fancy watches and valuable securities.

In addition, he owned a 20% stake in Margaritaville Holdings LLC, a brand management company he and Slagsvol founded in the 1990s. Margaritaville owns 30 restaurants and 20 hotels, along with vacation clubs, casinos and cruise ships. It also sells branded merchandise.

According to Slagsvol’s petition, Buffett’s trust was set up to benefit his widow. Slagsvol, who married Buffett in 1977, is one of two trustees of that trust, which is required to have at least one “independent trustee” in addition to her “at all times.” That requirement is stated expressly in Buffett’s trust declaration.

Slagsvol receives all income earned by the trust – an estate-planning technique for giving away property managed by a trustee on behalf of the trust beneficiaries – for the rest of her life. She can also receive additional trust funds for her health care, living expenses and “any other purpose” that the independent trustee – Mozenter, as of July 2025 – deems to be in Slagsvol’s best interests.

The estate plan also created separate trusts for their three children: Savannah, Sarah “Delaney” and Cameron Buffett, who are in their 30s and 40s. Each child reportedly received $2 million upon Jimmy’s death. When Slagsvol dies, she can decide who will receive any remaining assets from among Buffett’s descendants and charities.

The structure of Buffett’s plan is popular among wealthy married couples. It provides lifelong support for the surviving spouse while ensuring that their kids and grandchildren can inherit the remainder of their estate – even if that spouse remarries. This type of trust typically cannot be changed by the surviving spouse without court approval.

If you’re fortunate enough to reach your golden years with a sizable nest egg, it helps your loved ones if you can draft a detailed will. You might also want to consider establishing a trust.
Maskot/Getty Images

Dueling trustee removal petitions

Slagsvol is trying to remove Mozenter as the trust’s independent trustee.

She claims he refused to comply with her requests for financial information, failed to cooperate with her as her co-trustee, and hired a trust attorney who pressured her to resign as trustee. Slagsvol also raised numerous questions about the trust’s income projections and compensation paid to Mozenter for his services.

Mozenter’s petition, filed in Florida, is not available to the public. According to media coverage of this dispute, he seeks to remove Slagsvol as trustee. He claims that, during his decades-long role as Buffett’s financial adviser, the musician “expressed concerns about his wife’s ability to manage and control his assets after his death.”

That led Buffett to establish a trust, Mozenter asserted, “in a manner that precluded Jane from having actual control” over it.

Estate planning lessons

We believe that the public can learn two important estate planning lessons from this dispute.

First, anyone planning to leave an estate, whether modest or vast, needs to choose the right people to manage the transfer of their property after their death.

That might mean picking a professional executor or trustee who is not related to you. A professional may be more likely to remain neutral should any disputes arise within the family, but hiring one can saddle the estate with costly fees.

An alternative is to choose a relative or trusted friend who is willing to do this for free. About 56% of wills name an adult child or grandchild as executor, according to a recent study. Some estates, like Buffett’s trust, name both a professional and a family member. An important consideration is whether the people asked to manage the estate will get along with each other – and with anyone else who is slated to inherit from the estate.

The second lesson is, whether you choose a professional, a loved one or a friend to manage your estate, make clear what circumstances would warrant their removal. Courts are reluctant to remove a handpicked trustee without proof of negligence, fraud or disloyalty. But trustees can be removed when a breakdown in cooperation interferes with their ability to administer the estate or trust.

Some trusts anticipate such conflicts by allowing beneficiaries to replace a professional trustee with another professional trustee. That can resolve some disputes while avoiding the cost of seeking court approval.

Preventing disputes from erupting in the first place can help people avert the costly and embarrassing kind of litigation now ensnaring Jimmy Buffett’s estate.

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

– ref. Legal wrangling over estate of Jimmy Buffett turns his widow’s huge inheritance into a cautionary tale – https://theconversation.com/legal-wrangling-over-estate-of-jimmy-buffett-turns-his-widows-huge-inheritance-into-a-cautionary-tale-259116

MIL OSI –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: The rule of law is key to capitalism − eroding it is bad news for American business

Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Robert Bird, Professor of Business Law & Eversource Energy Chair in Business Ethics, University of Connecticut

Something dangerous is happening to the U.S. economy, and it’s not inflation or trade wars. Chaotic deregulation and the selective enforcement of laws have upended markets and investor confidence. At one point, the threat of tariffs and resulting chaos evaporated US$4 trillion in value in the U.S. stock market. This approach isn’t helping the economy, and there are troubling signs it will hurt both the U.S. and the global economy in the short and long term.

The rule of law – the idea that legal rules apply to everyone equally, regardless of wealth or political connections − is essential for a thriving economy. Yet globally the respect for the rule of law is slipping, and the U.S. is slipping with it. According to annual rankings from the World Justice Project, the rule of law has declined in more than half of all countries for seven years in a row. The rule of law in the U.S., the most economically powerful nation in the world, is now weaker than the rule of law in Uruguay, Singapore, Latvia and over 20 other countries.

When regulation is unnecessarily burdensome for business, government should lighten the load. However, arbitrary and frenzied deregulation does not free corporations to earn higher profits. As a business school professor with an MBA who has taught business law for over 25 years, and the author of a recently published book about the importance of legal knowledge to business, I can affirm that the opposite is true. Chaotic deregulation doesn’t drive growth. It only fuels risk.

Chaos undermines investment, talent and trust

Legal uncertainty has become a serious drag on American competitiveness.

A study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that public policy risks — such as unexpected changes in taxes, regulation and enforcement — ranked among the top challenges businesses face, alongside more familiar business threats such as competition or economic volatility. Companies that can’t predict how the law might change are forced to plan for the worst. That means holding back on long-term investment, slowing innovation and raising prices to cover new risks.

When the government enforces rules arbitrarily, it also undermines property rights.

For example, if a country enters into a major trade agreement and then goes ahead and violates it, that threatens the property rights of the companies that relied on the agreement to conduct business. If the government can seize assets without due process, those assets lose their stability and value. And if that treatment depends on whether a company is in the government’s political favor, it’s not just bad economics − it’s a red flag for investors.

When government doesn’t enforce rules fairly, it also threatens people’s freedom to enter into contracts.

Consider presidential orders that threaten the clients of law firms that have challenged the administration with cancellation of their government contracts. The threat alone jeopardizes the value of those agreements.

If businesses can’t trust public contracts to be respected, they’ll be less likely to work with the government in the first place. This deprives the government, and ultimately the American people, of receiving the best value for their tax dollars in critical areas such as transportation, technology and national defense.

Regulatory chaos also allows corruption to spread.

For example, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits businesses from bribing foreign government officials, has leveled the playing field for firms and enabled the best American companies to succeed on their merits. Before the law was enacted in 1977, some American companies felt pressured to pay bribes to compete. “Pausing” enforcement of the law, as the current presidential administration has done, increases the cost of doing business and encourages a wild west economy where chaos thrives.

When corruption grows, stable and democratic governments weaken, opportunities for terrorism increase and corruption-fueled authoritarian regimes, which oppose the interests of the U.S., thrive. Halting the enforcement of an anti-bribery law, even for a limited time, is an issue of national security.

Legal uncertainty fuels brain drain

Chaotic enforcement of the law also corrodes labor markets.

American companies require a strong pool of talented professionals to fuel their financial success. When legal rights are enforced arbitrarily or unjustly, the very best talent that American companies need may leave the country.

The science brain drain is already happening. American scientists have submitted 32% more applications for jobs abroad compared with last year. Nonscientists are leaving too. Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs has witnessed a 50% increase in Americans taking steps to obtain an Irish passport. Employers in the U.K. saw a spike in job applications from the United States.

Business from other countries will gladly accept American talent as they compete against American companies. During the Third Reich, Nazi Germany lost its best and brightest to other countries, including America. Now the reverse is happening, as highly talented Americans leave to work for firms in other nations.

Threats of arbitrary legal actions also drive away democratic allies and their prosperous populations that purchase American-made goods and services. For example, arbitrarily threatening to punish or even annex a closely allied nation does not endear its citizens to that government or the businesses it represents. So it’s no surprise that Canadians are now boycotting American goods and services. This is devastating businesses in American border towns and hurts the economy nationwide.

Similarly, the Canadian government has responded to whipsawing U.S. tariff announcements with counter-tariffs, which will slice the profits of American exporters. Close American allies and trading partners such as Japan, the U.K. and the European Union are also signaling their own willingness to impose retaliatory tariffs, increasing the costs of operations to American business even more.

Modern capitalism depends on smart regulation to thrive. Smart regulation is not an obstacle to capitalism. Smart regulation is what makes American capitalism possible. Smart regulation is what makes American freedom possible.

Clear and consistently applied legal rules allow businesses to aggressively compete, carefully plan, and generate profits. An arbitrary rule of law deprives business of the true power of capitalism – the ability to promote economic growth, spur innovation and improve the overall living standards of a free society. Americans deserve no less, and it is up to government to make that happen for everyone.

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

– ref. The rule of law is key to capitalism − eroding it is bad news for American business – https://theconversation.com/the-rule-of-law-is-key-to-capitalism-eroding-it-is-bad-news-for-american-business-254922

MIL OSI –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Despite claims they’d move overseas after the election, most Americans are staying put

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels, Honorary Reader in MIgration and Politics, University of Kent

Not that many people are preparing to leave the U.S. gerenme/E+ via Getty Images

Based on pronouncements in 2024, you might think now is the time to see U.S. citizens streaming out of the country. Months before the 2024 presidential election, Americans were saying they would leave should candidate Donald Trump win the election. Gallup polling in 2024 found that 21% of Americans wanted to leave the United States permanently, more than double the 10% who had said so in 2011.

And indeed in June 2025, a Vermont legislator announced that she was resigning her seat and moving to Canada because of political concerns and economic opportunities. To be sure, people are moving. Even so, as a scholar of American migration overseas, my research finds that the vast majority of Americans are not about to depart for greener shores.

A western Massachusetts group

In October 2024, I surveyed 68 Americans in western Massachusetts, an area with a slight Democratic majority, asking if they wanted to leave the United States for a lengthy period of time, but not necessarily permanently. Over 90% said no, noting that there were factors limiting their mobility, such as financial obligations or having a partner who would not move, and that there were reasons that made them want to stay, such as owning property and having friends nearby.

Just three respondents indicated they were making plans to move, while an additional 11 said they wanted to move “someday.”

Reality strikes

After the November 2024 election, I interviewed seven of those respondents, two of whom had said prior to the election that they might leave the United States. After the election, they all said they planned to stay.

One who had said she wanted to leave acknowledged her reversal, saying: “I may have flippantly said, ‘Oh, if (Trump) gets voted in … I would leave,’ but I can’t see leaving. Part of it is because of my daughter,” who had recently become a mother. She continued, “It’s never crossed my mind seriously enough to even research it.”

Another told me, “I’m not going to let somebody push me out of what I consider my country and my home because he’s a jerk.”

Others spoke of needing to work several more years in order to receive a pension, or having family responsibilities keeping them in the country. None supported the current administration.

On a national level

In two nationally representative surveys, my colleague Helen B. Marrow, a sociologist of immigration, and I found no significant increase in migration aspiration between 2014 and 2019. We also found that respondents mentioned exploration and adventure much more often than political or economic reasons for wanting to move abroad.

Even though the U.S. passport grants visa-free visitor access to more than 180 countries, U.S. citizens still need residence and work visas. At home, they, like others, have family commitments and financial constraints, or may just not want to leave home. More than 95% of the world’s population do not move abroad – and U.S. citizens are no different.

Relocation coaching

In addition to my academic research on overseas Americans, I am also an international relocation coach. I help Americans considering a move abroad navigate the emotional, practical and professional complexities of relocation, whether they’re just starting to explore the idea or actively planning their next steps.

Many of my clients do not want to live in a United States that no longer aligns with their values, while others are concerned about their safety, particularly, but not only, due to racism or homophobia. They are finding jobs overseas, retiring abroad or acquiring a European citizenship through a parent or grandparent. Most recently, American academics seeking to leave are being courted by European universities.

But most are staying

In February 2025, a national poll found that 4% of Americans said they were “definitely planning to move” to another country.

That same month, I followed up with my seven interviewees from western Massachusetts, including one trans man. They all reiterated their choice to remain in the United States. One person, who might move abroad at some point, told me she hadn’t changed her mind about leaving soon: “Leaving doesn’t necessarily mean anything will be better for me, even if it was a financial possibility.”

Two people said that recent political developments actually meant that they were more committed to remaining in the United States. One told me, “Now, more than ever, individuals need to figure out what small actions can be taken to help our fellow Americans get through this dark period.”

But even those “definitely planning on moving” can have other factors intervene. Two clients of mine who were making serious plans had to stop when family members’ health situations changed for the worse.

So how many people are actually leaving? It is clear that a growing number of Americans are considering a move abroad. But far fewer are conducting serious research, seeking professional consultation or actually moving. Drawing on available data, my own academic research and my coaching experience, my educated estimate is that no more than 1% to 2% of U.S. citizens are actively making viable plans to leave the country. Nor are all of those leaving out of protest; many are still motivated by exploration, adventure, employment or to be with a partner.

Even so, that figure is roughly 3 million to 6 million people – which would be a significant increase over the estimated 5.5 million Americans currently living abroad. As with many migration flows, even the movement of a small percentage of a population can still have the potential to reshape both the United States and its overseas population.

Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Despite claims they’d move overseas after the election, most Americans are staying put – https://theconversation.com/despite-claims-theyd-move-overseas-after-the-election-most-americans-are-staying-put-250728

MIL OSI –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: What damage did the US do to Iran’s nuclear program? Why it’s so hard to know

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Joshua Rovner, Associate Professor of International Relations, American University

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, describes the U.S. military attack on Iranian nuclear sites, which occurred on June 21, 2025, . AP Photo/Alex Brandon

The U.S. Air Force dropped a dozen ground-penetrating bombs, each weighing 30,000 pounds (13,607 kilograms), in a raid on Iran’s nuclear site at Fordo on June 21, 2025. The attack was an attempt to reach the uranium enrichment facility buried deep inside a mountain. The target, President Donald Trump declared, was “completely and totally obliterated.”

Others were less sure. On June 24, the administration canceled a classified intelligence briefing to members of Congress, leading to frustration among those with questions about White House claims. While Defense Intelligence Agency analysts apparently agree that the strikes did real damage, they dispute the idea that the attack permanently destroyed Iran’s enrichment capability. Reports emerged that their initial analysis found that the strikes had only set Iran back a few months.

Such disagreements are unsurprising. Battle damage assessment – originally called bomb damage assessment – is notoriously difficult, and past wars have featured intense controversies among military and intelligence professionals. In World War II, poor weather and the limits of available technology conspired against accuracy.

Battle damage assessment remained a thorny problem decades later, even after radical improvements in surveillance technology. In the first Gulf War in 1990, for example, military leaders argued with CIA officials over the effects of airstrikes against Iraq’s armored forces.

I am a scholar of international relations who studies intelligence and strategy in international conflicts, and the author of “Fixing the Facts: National Security and the Politics of Intelligence.” I know from history that overcoming the challenges of battle damage assessment is especially hard when the target is a facility hidden under hundreds of feet of earth and rock, as is the case at Fordo.

How the U.S. military’s ‘bunker buster’ bomb works.

Tools of the trade

The intelligence community has a number of tools and techniques that can help with challenges like assessing the damage at Fordo. Imagery intelligence such as satellite photography is the obvious starting point. Before-and-after comparisons might reveal collapsed tunnels or topographical changes, suggesting unseen subterranean damage.

More exotic data collection techniques may be able to help infer the underground effects based on particle and electromagnetic emissions from the site. These platforms provide what is called measurement and signatures intelligence. Specialized sensors can measure nuclear radiation, seismographic information and other potentially revealing information from camouflaged facilities. When combined with traditional imagery, measurement and signatures intelligence can provide a more detailed model of the likely effects of the bombing.

Other sources may prove useful as well. Reporting from human intelligence assets – spies or unwitting informers with firsthand or secondhand knowledge – may provide information on internal Iranian assessments. These may be particularly valuable because Iranian officials presumably know how much equipment was removed in advance, as well as the location of previously enriched uranium.

The same is true for signals intelligence, which intercepts and interprets communications. Ideally, battle damage assessment will become more comprehensive and accurate as these sources of intelligence are integrated into a single assessment.

Pervasive uncertainty

But even in that case, it will still be difficult to estimate the broader effects on Iran’s nuclear program. Measuring the immediate physical effects on Fordo and other nuclear sites is a kind of puzzle, or a problem that can be solved with sufficient evidence. Estimating the long-term effects on Iranian policy is a mystery, or a problem that cannot be solved even with abundant information on hand. It’s impossible to know how Iran’s leaders will adapt over time to their changing circumstances. They themselves cannot know either; perceptions of the future are inherently uncertain.

Regarding the puzzle over Fordo, Trump seems to believe that the sheer volume of explosives dropped on the site must have done the job. As White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt put it: “Everyone knows what happens when you drop 14 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration.”

But the fact that Fordo is buried in the side of a mountain is a reason to doubt this commonsense conclusion. In addition, Iran may have moved enriched uranium and specialized equipment from the site in advance, limiting the effects on its nuclear program.

Trump’s instincts might be right. Or the skeptics might be right. Both make plausible claims. Analysts will need more intelligence from more sources to make a confident judgment about the effects on Fordo and on Iran’s broader nuclear efforts. Even then, it is likely that they will disagree on the effects, because this requires making predictions.

News coverage of the attack on Fordo and White House claims of success.

Politicized intelligence

In a perfect world, policymakers and intelligence officials would wrestle with dueling assessments in good faith. Such a process would take place outside the political fray, giving both sides the opportunity to offer criticism without being accused of political mischief. In this idealized scenario, policymakers could use reasonable intelligence conclusions to inform their decision-making process. After all, there are a lot of decisions about Middle Eastern security left to be made.

But we are not in a perfect world, and hopes for a good faith debate seem hopelessly naïve. Already the battle lines are being drawn. Congressional Democrats are suspicious that the administration is being disingenuous about Iran. The White House, for its part, is going on the offensive. “The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump,” Leavitt declared in a written statement, “and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission.”

Relations between policymakers and their intelligence advisers are often contentious, and U.S. presidents have a long history of clashing with spy chiefs. But intelligence-policy relations today are in a particularly dismal state. Trump bears the most responsibility, given his repeated disparagement of intelligence officials. For example, he dismissed the congressional testimony on Iran from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard: “I don’t care what she said.”

The problem goes deeper than the president, however. Intelligence-policy relations in a democracy are difficult because of the persuasive power of secret information. Policymakers fear that intelligence officials who control secrets might use them to undermine the policymakers’ plans. Intelligence officials worry that the policymakers will bully them into giving politically convenient answers. Such fears led to intelligence-policy breakdowns over estimates of enemy strength in the Vietnam War and estimates of Soviet missile capabilities in the early years of detente.

This mutual suspicion has become progressively worse since the end of the Cold War, as secret intelligence has become increasingly public. Intelligence leaders have become recognizable public figures, and intelligence judgments on current issues are often quickly declassified. The public now expects to have access to intelligence findings, and this has helped turn intelligence into a political football.

What lies ahead

What does all this mean for intelligence on Iran? Trump might ignore assessments he dislikes, given his history with intelligence. But the acrimonious public dispute over the Fordo strike may lead the White House to pressure intelligence leaders to toe the line, especially if critics demand a public accounting of secret intelligence.

Such an outcome would benefit nobody. The public would not have a better sense of the questions surrounding Iran’s nuclear effort, the intelligence community would suffer a serious blow to its reputation, and the administration’s efforts to use intelligence in public might backfire, as was the case for the George W. Bush administration after the war in Iraq.

As with military campaigns, episodes of politicizing intelligence have lasting and sometimes unforeseen consequences.

Joshua Rovner is associate professor of international relations at American University, and nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

– ref. What damage did the US do to Iran’s nuclear program? Why it’s so hard to know – https://theconversation.com/what-damage-did-the-us-do-to-irans-nuclear-program-why-its-so-hard-to-know-260058

MIL OSI –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Sustain report and safety flyer published
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

News story

Sustain report and safety flyer published

Grounding and subsequent loss of the prawn trawler Sustain on Rubha Camas a’ Mhaoraich, Loch Broom, Scotland.
Image courtesy of Graeme Maclennan (MarineTraffic.com).

Today, we have published our accident investigation report into the grounding and subsequent loss of the prawn trawler Sustain (UL 45) on Rubha Camas a’ Mhaoraich, Loch Broom, Scotland on 16 November 2023.

The report, available via this link, contains details of what happened and subsequent actions taken.

A safety flyer to the fishing industry has also been produced with this report.

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Published 3 July 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: We don’t know what happens to the waste we recycle, and that’s a problem

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Faisal Shennib, Environmental Specialist, 24-25 Concordia Public Scholar, PhD Candidate in Individualized Program, Concordia University

There is a glaring lack of tracking for global recycling. Poor waste management is deeply connected to climate change, plastic pollution and global nutrient imbalances globally.

Economies also suffer from the lack of tracking. We extract, process and then landfill and incinerate trillions of dollars of materials per year. Instead, these could be recirculating, creating new jobs and reducing reliance on global trade.

To shift to alternative, circular models, we need better data on local and global waste management.

My research demonstrates that more local waste tracking through digitalization could yield multiple benefits. It could help track hyper-local recycling and reuse, initiatives that are usually considered too small and burdensome to include in national waste tracking efforts.

And compared to national waste tracking, localized waste tracking could also provide more timely and relevant insights on the effectiveness of policies, infrastructure investments and education.

Measuring waste

The units for measuring waste are fairly standard across the world. Quantity of waste is measured by weight (tonnes) and waste performance is the per cent of total waste not sent for landfill and incineration.

However, waste terminology varies across both academia and industry. In some settings, “recycling” may mean that the material was collected for recycling, but not necessarily recycled. A term like “municipal waste” can include waste from offices and businesses — or not. This confusion makes global waste tracking challenging.

Regular global reporting on waste is sorely lacking. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for global action on waste management, but there have been no figures for global recycling in recent UN SDG reports. This is likely due to the lack of available, reliable data.

Reports on global waste are compiled from sources using a wide variety of formats; a source may represent annual or daily waste, and total waste or waste per capita. Data is often from different years, making it useful for trend analysis but not strict comparisons.

Estimations and incomplete data are common; only 39 per cent of populations in developing countries are served by waste collection services. Double-counting is another risk when data comes from varied sources like waste collectors, processors and local governments.

With all these challenges, global waste reports require years to compile, leading to multiyear gaps in published reports.

Insufficient data

Even nations with consistent reporting are not immune to methodological gaps. The European Union and Canada both require annual reporting on waste, but allow for a wide variety of methods in data sourcing, including estimation.

In the United States, annual waste data is reported by states to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on a voluntary basis. No new nationwide reports have been published since 2018.

Another challenge is that reporting focuses on the weight of waste, but there is a lack of data on its composition. Much of what is collected is not recycled due to contamination, the nature of the material or the lack of a local market.

Waste characterization is the process of determining waste composition, and when reporting waste, this information is often optional. In the U.S., few states provide updated characterization studies to the EPA. The EU and Canada require reporting on composition but don’t specify requirements for how to determine the composition.

Reliable waste characterization requires the waste to be audited: sampled, weighed, separated into categories, and then weighed again. It’s a labour-intensive and cost-prohibitive process, which might explain why American states haven’t provided updated waste characterizations to the EPA since 2018.

Estimating recycling stats

The oft-cited fact that nine per cent of global plastics are recycled comes from a 2022 report. It was calculated in several steps, each with significant uncertainties, including how much plastic was produced globally, how long it was used for, and how much was collected and likely to have been recycled.

The nine per cent figure is very much an estimate, representing global plastic waste in 2019. And now, it is an outdated figure.

Global plastic trade is likely 40 per cent higher than previously estimated. And 40 per cent of textiles exported for reuse and recycling are dumped or incinerated.

In South Korea, for example, a country renowned for its waste policies and programs, reports a 73 per cent recycling rate for plastics, while Greenpeace estimates that the rate is 26 per cent because much of what is collected is not recycled.

In Canada, plastic recycling tracking suffers from the same lack of standardization and transparency as recycling in general.

A much-needed global consensus

Material consumption and management is a global problem requiring international collaboration, commitments and adequate tracking.

Consensus on how to define and measure waste data are important, as well as commitments from nations to regularize reporting. The upcoming United Nations Environment Programme session to develop a global plastics treaty might catalyze these steps, at least for plastics.

To track the quality of waste handled, governments should adopt guidelines for waste characterization, like the UN-Habitat’s Waste Wise Cities Tool. Traceability needs to be integrated into waste management methods. Digital solutions like blockchain and artificial intelligence could improve transparency, automate waste tracking and reduce associated costs.

Faisal Shennib 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. We don’t know what happens to the waste we recycle, and that’s a problem – https://theconversation.com/we-dont-know-what-happens-to-the-waste-we-recycle-and-thats-a-problem-254171

MIL OSI –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Antarctic research is in decline, and the timing couldn’t be worse
Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Elizabeth Leane, Professor of Antarctic Studies, School of Humanities, University of Tasmania

Oleksandr Matsibura/Shutterstock

Ice loss in Antarctica and its impact on the planet – sea level rise, changes to ocean currents and disturbance of wildlife and food webs – has been in the news a lot lately. All of these threats were likely on the minds of the delegates to the annual Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, which finishes up today in Milan, Italy.

This meeting is where decisions are made about the continent’s future. These decisions rely on evidence from scientific research. Moreover, only countries that produce significant Antarctic research – as well as being parties to the treaty – get to have a final say in these decisions.

Our new report – published as a preprint through the University of the Arctic – shows the rate of research on the Antarctic and Southern Ocean is falling at exactly the time when it should be increasing. Moreover, research leadership is changing, with China taking the lead for the first time.

This points to a dangerous disinvestment in Antarctic research just when it is needed, alongside a changing of the guard in national influence. Antarctica and the research done there are key to everyone’s future, so it’s vital to understand what this change might lead to.

Why is Antarctic research so important?

With the Antarctic region rapidly warming, its ice shelves destabilising and sea ice shrinking, understanding the South Polar environment is more crucial than ever.

Ice loss in Antarctica not only contributes to sea level rise, but impacts wildlife habitats and local food chains. It also changes the dynamics of ocean currents, which could interfere with global food webs, including international fisheries that supply a growing amount of food.

Research to understand these impacts is vital. First, knowing the impact of our actions – particularly carbon emissions – gives us an increased drive to make changes and lobby governments to do so.

Second, even when changes are already locked in, to prepare ourselves we need to know what these changes will look like.

And third, we need to understand the threats to the Antarctic and Southern Ocean environment to govern it properly. This is where the treaty comes in.

What is the Antarctic Treaty?

The region below 60 degrees south is governed by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, along with subsequent agreements. Together they are known as the Antarctic Treaty System.

Fifty-eight countries are parties to the treaty, but only 29 of them – called consultative parties – can make binding decisions about the region. They comprise the 12 original signatories from 1959, along with 17 more recent signatory nations that produce substantial scientific research relating to Antarctica.

This makes research a key part of a nation’s influence over what happens in Antarctica.

For most of its history, the Antarctic Treaty System has functioned remarkably well. It maintained peace in the region during the Cold War, facilitated scientific cooperation, and put arguments about territorial claims on indefinite hold. It indefinitely forbade mining, and managed fisheries.

Lately, however, there has been growing dysfunction in the treaty system.

Environmental protections that might seem obvious – such as marine protected areas and special protections for threatened emperor penguins – have stalled.

Because decisions are made by consensus, any country can effectively block progress. Russia and China – both long-term actors in the system – have been at the centre of the impasse.

Read more:
Antarctic summer sea ice is at record lows. Here’s how it will harm the planet – and us

What did our report find?

Tracking the amount of Antarctic research being done tells us whether nations as a whole are investing enough in understanding the region and its global impact.

It also tells us which nations are investing the most and are therefore likely to have substantial influence.

Our new report examined the number of papers published on Antarctic and Southern Ocean topics from 2016 to 2024, using the Scopus database. We also looked at other factors, such as the countries affiliated with each paper.

The results show five significant changes are happening in the world of Antarctic research.
- The number of Antarctic and Southern Ocean publications peaked in 2021 and then fell slightly yearly through to 2024.
- While the United States has for decades been the leader in Antarctic research, China overtook them in 2022.
- If we look only at the high-quality publications (those published in the best 25% of journals) China still took over the US, in 2024.
- Of the top six countries in overall publications (China, the US, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and Russia) all except China have declined in publication numbers since 2016.
- Although collaboration in publications is higher for Antarctic research than in non-Antarctic fields, Russia, India and China have anomalously low rates of co-authorship compared with many other signatory countries.
Why is this research decline a problem?

A recent parliamentary inquiry in Australia emphasised the need for funding certainty. In the UK, a House of Commons committee report considered it “imperative for the UK to significantly expand its research efforts in Antarctica”, in particular in relation to sea level rise.

US commentators have pointed to the inadequacy of the country’s icebreaker infrastructure. The Trump administration’s recent cuts to Antarctic funding are only likely to exacerbate the situation. Meanwhile China has built a fifth station in Antarctica and announced plans for a sixth.

Given the nation’s population and global influence, China’s leadership in Antarctic research is not surprising. If China were to take a lead in Antarctic environmental protection that matched its scientific heft, its move to lead position in the research ranks could be positive. Stronger multi-country collaboration in research could also strengthen overall cooperation.

But the overall drop in global Antarctic research investment is a problem however you look at it. We ignore it at our peril.

Elizabeth Leane receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Dutch Research Council, the Council on Australian and Latin American Relations DFAT and HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions). She has received in-kind support from Hurtigruten Expeditions in the recent past. The University of Tasmania is a member of the UArctic, which has provided support for this project.

Keith Larson is affiliated with the UArctic and European Polar Board. The UArctic paid for the development and publication of this report. The UArctic Thematic Network on Research Analytics and Bibliometrics conducted the analysis and developed the report. The Arctic Centre at Umeå University provided in-kind support for staff time on the report.

– ref. Antarctic research is in decline, and the timing couldn’t be worse – https://theconversation.com/antarctic-research-is-in-decline-and-the-timing-couldnt-be-worse-260197
MIL OSI –
July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: What events will take place as part of “Summer in Moscow” in the coming days

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

A performance at the rollerdrome, water painting, evening readings and Moscow Sports Day – this and much more awaits guests of the Summer in Moscow project this week. We tell you where to spend time usefully and what to do at city venues from July 4 to 6.

Rock, Paper, Scissors and Beauty Trucks

A large-scale championship is taking place at city venues “Rock, Paper, Scissors”. Every day, children and adults can compete on Tverskoy Boulevard and in the west of the capital. On July 4, participants are expected on Aviatorov Street (building 5), and on July 5 – on Bolshaya Filevskaya Street (building 9) in the Fili Children’s Park. The sites will be open from 15:00 to 20:00.

The final of the competition in the Western Administrative District will take place on July 6 at the address: Michurinsky Prospekt, Olympic Village, Building 4. Participation is free, registration is not required.

From July 4 to 6, there will be a service for city residents Summer Club “Moscow”on Tverskoy Boulevard. There will be two pop-up stores with domestic clothing and jewelry brands and three beauty trucks. Gifts, surprises, raffles and master classes have been prepared for guests.

Family Etiquette Rules and Lectures on Trends

The department store of Russian designers “Leto” on Revolution Square will also tell about care, beauty and fashion. Everyone will be able not only to try on clothes they like and update their wardrobe, but also to listen to lectures, take part in master classes and even watch performances.

On July 5 from 13:00 to 14:30 there will be a lecture “How Unusual 19th Century Trends Were Transformed into Tableware”. From asparagus tongs to mustache cups”, it will be read by the collector of antique and vintage tableware, founder of the cultural space Ekaterina Maslova. And at 15:00 she will hold a master class “Summer table setting using antique tableware”. Admission is free.

A lecture will be held on July 6 at 15:00 “Rules of Family Etiquette: From Home Improvement to Table Setting”. It will be conducted by etiquette expert Yulia Ryabukhina. The master class will be held at 17:00 “Summer bookmark using herbarium technique”, and at 19:00 guests are invited to watch a mini-performance “Dandelion Wine”. Free admission.

Salsa, bachata and 3D applique

Open dance master classes for the whole family will be held on Chistoprudny Boulevard. On weekends, there will also be a children’s and youth tournament “Summer in Moscow. Dances”, where anyone can become a spectator.

July 4 at 18:00 on the big stage Chistoprudny Boulevarda master class of the dance school “TanzBaza” will take place, and an hour later you can learn bachata there. On the middle stage at 19:00 they will teach salsa. On July 5 from 12:00 to 18:00 on the big stage of Chistoprudny Boulevard there will be a qualifying round of children’s dance competitions, and at 19:00 guests are invited to a master class in modern swing. At the same time, you can learn salsa on the middle stage.

On July 6 at 19:00 on the big stage there will be a master class “Salsa Casino”, dance lessons will also be held on the middle stage at 17:00 and at 19:00. Admission is free.

And in art studio on Strastnoy Boulevard In the coming days, they will teach drawing. On July 4 at 15:00 and 19:00, there will be lessons on creating a painting using the dot mosaic technique, at 16:00 — an interior panel using the pebble mosaic technique, at 17:00 — a three-dimensional painting using the 3D applique technique, at 18:00 — paintings in a geometric style.

On July 5 at 14:00 there will be a master class “Bright Colors” on drawing in a geometric style, at 15:00 – “Gems” on 3D applique, at 16:00 and 19:00 you can depict a summer day using the dot mosaic technique, and at 17:00 – a blooming garden using the pebble mosaic technique. The duration of each lesson is 45 minutes. Guests over five years old are invited to participate. Admission is free.

Day and Night of Moscow Sports

On July 5, Muscovites will experience large-scale sports events. From 11:00 to 21:00, the event will take place “Moscow Sports Day”, and from 20:00 to 23:00 – “Moscow Sports Night”.

The Luzhniki Olympic Complex will feature more than 20 themed zones. There will be demonstration performances, master classes, tournaments, as well as a mass stretching training session conducted by two-time bronze medalist of the World Gymnastics Championships Samira Mustafayeva. Throughout the festival, a concert with performances by famous artists will be held on the main stage.

After 8:00 pm, the celebration will continue on the streets of the capital. The “Moscow Sports Night” will cover many venues in the central part of the city. 60 cycling machines will be installed on Pushkinskaya Square, where mass training sessions will take place accompanied by DJ sets. Flash tournaments and streetball master classes for festival visitors will be held on Tverskaya Street (near the Izvestia newspaper building). In Klimentovsky Lane, there will be an area with a ramp and a pump track for scooter and skateboard riding for children and adults.

On Pyatnitskaya Street you can see demonstration performances of rope skipping. Myasnitskaya Street (the square near the Et Cetera Theatre) will become the center of table tennis, where every visitor will be able to participate or watch the competitions.

In addition, a breakdance area will open on Arbat, where team and individual competitions will take place, as well as demonstration performances by professionals. On Nikolskaya Street, everyone will be able to play table football and hockey, and on Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street (the square near the TASS building) they will be able to try to assemble a puzzle for speed.

Admission is free, but some events may require a membership. pre-registration.

Bouquet of dried flowers, cycle and disco with DJs

An interesting program has also been prepared at the Green Market of the Made in Moscow project on Bolotnaya Square. On July 5 from 13:00 to 18:00 you can learn how to weave for free decorative napkin.

There is also a festival taking place on Bolotnaya Square “Youth Point”. Its program includes the event “The Path to Yourself”, dedicated to psychology. It will be held at the “Sport” site from 15:00 to 17:30. In addition, from 14:30 to 17:30 at the “Development” site there will be a master class on creating a memorable photo with floral inserts. At 18:00 there will be a creative painting lesson, where participants will learn to draw pictures on wooden blanks.

At the “Creative” site, from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm, there will be a master class on creating bouquets of dried flowers, and at 6:00 pm you can join a class on customizing T-shirts.

Events will also take place at the rollerdrome. At 13:00, you are invited to cycle — a class on exercise bikes. And at 14:00, everyone is welcome to a dance workout on the veranda. From 16:00 to 20:00, you can join mini-dates.

Free skating will be organized at the rollerdrome from 10:00 to 11:45, and from 15:00 to 20:10 the performances “Memory Diary” by the ice theater team under the direction of Petr Chernyshev and Tatyana Navka will be shown. At 20:00 a disco with DJs will begin.

On July 6 from 13:00 to 16:00 in the “Green Market” they will be painting candles and plaster products, and at 17:00 you can try to cook perfumed body scrub.

On the same day, at the Youth Point festival in the Sport hub at 14:30, a miniature city beach festival called Express Moscow-Summer will be held. Guests will make a frame in a marine style, take part in a Zumba workout, play beach games, sing hits in karaoke and relax in the chill zone.

From 15:00 to 17:00, the Development hub will host an event that will show the contrast between old and modern Moscow. At 18:00, a master class on painting using the ebru technique will begin. Anyone who wants to will be able to try making drawings on water.

At the “Creative” site, at 15:00, there will be a master class on creating jewelry from beads, and at 18:00, a lesson on customizing shoppers.

There will be free skating at the rollerdrome from 10:00 to 11:45, and from 15:00 to 20:10 the play “The Notebook of Memory” will also be shown.

Yoga, ping pong and meeting tailed creatures

On July 5 and 6, the Bauman Garden will host a traditional charity festival to mark Family, Love and Fidelity Day “City of the caring”Guests of all ages are invited to participate.

From 11:00 to 18:00, more than 170 cats and dogs from Moscow shelters will be waiting for visitors at the Fluffy Friend site. All of them are vaccinated and ready to go to a new family.

Those who wish can help the furry wards of the capital’s non-profit organizations by making a donation using charity service on the mos.ru portal. In addition, you can give pets food. It will be sent to shelters after the festival. Those who already have animals will be able to take memorable photos in the photo zone or get advice from a groomer and veterinarian. And more than 20 creative master classes await guests.

An extensive program with dances, acrobatic stunts and tricks, animal shows and DJ sets will unfold on the stage. Guests will watch cartoons and films in the summer cinema, and take part in meetings with celebrities. On July 5 at 2:00 pm, actress and participant of the show “Women’s Stand-up” Maria Markova will talk about the importance of conscious charity, and on July 6 at the same time, singer Suzanne Varnina will pick up the baton of kindness.

On July 5 at 15:00 there will be a show with cats, and on July 6 at 15:00 — a show with dogs. At 16:00 guests will be treated to an acrobatic show and magic tricks. Both days at 19:00 an evening of live music will begin. Festival guests will also be able to play badminton, ping-pong and do yoga. More details — at link.

A performance about love and a lecture about cinema

The Moskino cinema park also invites you to spend time usefully. On July 5 at 14:00 and 18:00, the Gonzaga Theatre will show the play “Isadora”The production will tell a story about love, poetry, passion and dance, based on the relationship between Sergei Yesenin and Isadora Duncan.

On July 5 at 15:00 there will be lecture Director of the Theatre of Young Muscovites Andrey Zadubrovsky. He will talk about the interaction of actors on the set and their transformation into characters, and share his professional experience.

On July 6, concerts will be held at the Gonzaga Theatre at 12:00, 16:30 and 19:00 quartet “Tomorrow”. The artists will perform songs based on the poems of Sergei Yesenin. The musicians will play electric and acoustic guitars and cajon.

At 15:00 on the same day with lecture Irina Glebova, Dean of the Production Department of the Institute of Cinema and Television of the Russian Institute of Television and Radio Broadcasting, will speak to guests. She will talk about casting actors for the roles of historical characters and immersion in different eras during filming. The visit is included in the price entrance ticket to the cinema park.

Rock Ballads and Open Mic

This summer, you can listen to music in the capital’s parks. A symphony orchestra will play for guests, and singers will perform opera arias. Concerts will be held on July 4 at 19:00 in Pokrovsky Bereg Park, on July 5 at 19:00 in 50th Anniversary of October Park, and on July 6 at 19:00 in the Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve.

You can also listen to live music on July 4 from 19:00 to 20:30 in Raduga Park and on July 5 from 19:30 to 21:00 in Tagansky Park. Listeners will hear various compositions from jazz improvisations to rock ballads and electronic experiments.

Concerts will also be held in the amphitheater of the Polytech Museum Park. On July 5 at 8:00 PM, the Fire Granny group will perform there. And at 8:00 PM, the Territory.Kids festival will take place.

The State Darwin Museum also invites you to immerse yourself in the world of music. On July 5, from 10:30 to 16:00, guests will enjoy a program dedicated to Family, Love and Fidelity Day. Master classes, games and author’s excursions have been prepared for the guests. And if the weather permits, the roof of the museum will be transformed into an improvised concert venue. In the open microphone format, anyone can read poems about love or perform a song.

Evening readings and chess

Citizens are also invited to the project’s events. “Book in the City”. Thus, on July 5 at 16:00 on the site near the Vitali fountain there will be evening readings with the participation of theater and film actor Ivan Stebunov. And on Sretensky Boulevard at 17:00 the actor of the theater “Modern” and master of artistic words Alexey Bagdasarov will perform for the guests. He will read stories by Viktor Dragunsky from the collection “The Magic Power of Art”. Admission is free.

On July 6 from 12:00 to 16:00 on Chistoprudny Boulevard the tournament “Heroes of the Chessboard. Moscow” will be held. The competition has become part of the program “Summer in Moscow” and is held with the support of the Department of Trade and Services of the City of Moscow, the Chess Federation of Russia and the Russian Military Historical Society as part of the project “The country helped chess, chess helped the country”.

The tournament continues the tradition of mass intellectual competitions in the capital. This year, both beginners and titled chess players are taking part.

The leaders of the qualifying games will fight for a place in the final, where the strongest will compete for the main prize. To participate, you will need pre-registration.

Zumba, fitrock and circus divertissements

On July 6, in the picturesque areas of the recreation areas near the water bodies, you can attend classes of the project “Summer. Beach. Moscow Sport” in yoga, stretching, zumba, fitrock and functional training. Join classescan be found in the recreation areas “Levoberezh’ye”, “Troparevo” and “Beloe Ozero”, in Serebryany Bor (beach No. 3), as well as on Shkolnoye Lake (Zelenograd) and in “Strogino Wake Park”.

At 11:00 in Meshchersky Park there will be a fitrock class, and at 14:00 they invite you to a functional training. At 11:00 in the Levoberezhye recreation area there will be a stretching training session, and at 14:00 — a zumba training session. At 11:00 in the Troparevo recreation area there will be a functional training session, and at 14:00 — yoga on the beach. Near Shkolnoye Lake at 11:00 visitors will have a yoga session, and at 14:00 — a functional training session. At 11:00 in the Beloye Ozero recreation area there will be a yoga training session on the beach, and at 14:00 guests are invited to zumba.

At 11:00 a stretching training session will be held at the Strogino Wake Park site, and at 14:00 visitors will enjoy a yoga session on the beach. Guests of Serebryany Bor are invited to yoga at 11:00 a.m., and to functional training at 2:00 p.m.

And on July 4 at 19:00, July 5 and 6 at 14:00 and 18:00 in the park “Yuzhnoye Butovo”, Izmailovsky Park and Moskino cinema park circus divertissements have been prepared for guests. The program includes a show with the participation of artists of the Great Moscow Circus. You can buy a ticket at website.

Get the latest news quickly official telegram channelthe city of Moscow.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/156220073/

MIL OSI Russia News –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Account information services in the anti-money laundering (AML) framework – E-002564/2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002564/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Ralf Seekatz (PPE), Lídia Pereira (PPE)

Article 2(6) of Regulation 2024/1624 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 May 2024 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing[1](the Anti-Money Laundering Regulation, AMLR) clarifies that the activity of account information services (AIS) is not within the scope of the regulation.

In our understanding of the text, the activity of AIS is outside the scope of the regulation, regardless of whether the entity in question exclusively provides AIS or also offers other regulated services.

Can the Commission confirm the interpretation that AIS as an activity is outside the scope of the AMLR, even if it is provided by financial institutions whose additional and regulated activities are otherwise within the scope of the AMLR?

Submitted: 25.6.2025

[1] OJ L, 2024/1624, 19.6.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1624/oj.
Last updated: 3 July 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Measures to combat the increasing availability of new psychoactive substances in the EU – E-002570/2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002570/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Ioan-Rareş Bogdan (PPE)

The recent report published by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) highlights an alarming trend: the significant increase in the availability of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in the European Union.

These substances, which are often synthetic and whose effects are unknown or have not been sufficiently researched, are posing an increasing challenge to public health, health insurance systems and prevention policies in the Member States.

In recent years, the illegal drug market in Europe has become increasingly fragmented and also ever more sophisticated, harnessing online distribution channels, social networks, encrypted trading platforms and express delivery postal services.

Of particular concern is the emergence of new synthetic opioids, some of which can be far more toxic than traditional substances and which are difficult to detect using current monitoring systems.

1.What measures does the Commission intend to take to support Member States in their efforts to swiftly identify and control new psychoactive substances?

2.Is the Commission prepared to propose an updated legislative framework to combat the online distribution of synthetic drugs, particularly through the dark web and social media channels?

3.How does the Commission plan to incorporate this issue into the future European drugs strategy, in view of the rapid developments in the fields of synthetic chemistry and digital trade?

Submitted: 25.6.2025
Last updated: 3 July 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Contradiction of the classification of nuclear energy as transitional energy in the green taxonomy and planned investment in the nuclear illustrative programme up to 2050 – E-002562/2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002562/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
César Luena (S&D), Nicolás González Casares (S&D)

The Commission presented its eighth nuclear illustrative programme (PINC) on 13 June 2025. The plan estimates that around EUR 241 billion in nuclear investment will be needed by 2050 to extend the working life of existing reactors and build new large-scale reactors.

This projection is in contrast with the classification of nuclear energy in the EU taxonomy complementary delegated act, which considers it a transitional activity that is not fully sustainable and is permitted under strict criteria regarding safety, waste management and contribution to cutting emissions. In the taxonomy, nuclear is a temporary solution while cleaner renewable technologies are being developed. This transitional perspective is not consistent with the amount of long-term investment planned in the PINC.

Considering the above:

1.How does the Commission justify so much investment in an energy source that is classified as transitional in the green taxonomy?

2.What is the temporary or technical reason behind classifying nuclear as ‘transitional’ until 2050?

3.What guarantees are in place to ensure such investment would not divert resources away from renewable technologies, which actually are clearly in line with the EU’s long-term climate and economic targets?

Submitted: 25.6.2025
Last updated: 3 July 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Mercosur-EU free trade agreement – E-002486/2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002486/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Anna Bryłka (PfE)

According to media reports, the EU-Mercosur trade agreement is expected to be formally presented by the end of July, once it has been translated and has undergone legal harmonisation. In addition, during European Council President António Costa’s visit to Brazil in May 2025, he stated that he expects that the agreement will be officially ratified by December, under the Danish Presidency of the Council.

In light of the above:

1.When will the Commission propose the ratification of the EU-Mercosur agreement?

2.Could the Commission please provide more information about the form the ratification process will take?

3.Could the Commission please specify which Member States oppose the ratification of the agreement?

Submitted: 20.6.2025
Last updated: 3 July 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: The EIB Group joins the Debt Pause Clause Alliance
Source: European Investment Bank
- Debt pause clauses allow for the postponement of debt servicing during climate, health, or other crises, freeing up resources for response and recovery without compromising long-term economic and social sustainability.
- The initiative, led by Spain and co-led by the EIB, is part of the agreements reached at the IV International Conference on Financing for Development, held in Seville.
- The alliance remains an open and flexible coalition and brings together many countries and major multilateral banks
Spain, with the support of other countries and major multilateral development banks such as the European Investment Bank Group, unveiled the Debt Pause Clause Alliance at the IV International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville.

These clauses allow for the temporary suspension of debt payments in the face of extraordinary events — such as natural disasters, food crises, or health emergencies — offering borrowing countries immediate fiscal space to respond to the crisis without jeopardizing their solvency or their ability to meet social expenses. Their adoption promotes a more resilient and predictable development financing framework in times of crisis.

The alliance is an international coalition that seeks to accelerate the systematic inclusion of these clauses in public and private financial instruments. Additionally, it seeks to develop common principles and standard contractual language, thus generating transparent regulation that mobilizes the private sector.

The co-leaders of the initiative include the Inter-American Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, the African Development Bank, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, the Asian Development Bank, as well as the governments of Barbados, Canada, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom.

The EIB has made Debt Pause Clauses available for contracts on its new operations in 70 countries.

“As the financial arm of the European Union, the EIB is offering solutions to countries and communities to ensure the most vulnerable are not left behind. In the past year, the EIB has made climate resilient debt clauses available to 70 developing countries around the world. Today, we show our commitment to global partnerships for prosperity, win win outcomes and peace,” said Nadia Calviño, president of the European Investment Bank.
MIL OSI Europe News –
July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Poland: EIB Group backs car platform VEHIS to boost SME financing, inclusion and green mobility
Source: European Investment Bank

Vehis
- VEHIS commits to originate PLN 2.6 billion of auto leases for the benefit of Polish SMEs.
- The new lending is enabled by a cash securitisation whereby VEHIS obtains funding from EIB and from an external investor backed by EIF.
- The operation will support financing of low carbon road vehicles and financing of women-led businesses, and contribute to regional development and economic inclusion across Poland.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group is joining forces with Polish car platform VEHIS to expand access to financing for a range of businesses in Poland. The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), will back auto leases by VEHIS so that the company can boost lending to Polish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and Mid-Caps.

The operation will contribute to regional development and economic inclusion across Poland. It will further support gender equality and the green transition through targeted financing for women-led businesses and electric vehicles.

Under the agreement, the EIB will invest PLN 637 million (€150 million) in notes backed by auto leases originated by VEHIS, and the EIF will provide guarantees to a third-party, enabling it to purchase notes for an amount of similar size. The operation aims to generate a new portfolio of SME and Mid-Cap leases totalling PLN 2.6 billion.

At least 30% of the new car financing by VEHIS will go to women-led businesses and at least 10% will support climate action including electric-vehicle leasing.

“This transaction is a great example of how we can use capital markets tools to deliver real impact for small businesses,” said Marjut Falkstedt, Chief Executive of the EIF. “By working with VEHIS, we’re helping to channel funding where it’s needed most — to entrepreneurs driving innovation, inclusion and sustainability across Poland.”

Under the accord, the EIB’s investment will be in the senior class notes of a securitisation of VEHIS auto leases and the EIF guarantees will enable the third party to invest in the senior class and mezzanine class notes of the same transaction.

“Together with the EIB and EIF, we are carrying out the first securitization of a portfolio built under warehouse financing in the history of the Polish market. This is a unique moment of appreciation for us by leading European financial institutions and another important step that will allow us to continue our dynamic growth. Thanks to the cooperation, we will be able to continue active SME financing, including supporting women-led businesses, as well as financing low-emission cars,” said Jan Bujak, CFO of VEHIS.

The operation will also contribute to regional development in Poland by enabling VEHIS to reach more entrepreneurs in underserved market segments and in areas where per capita income is below the European Union average.

“Supporting SMEs is at the heart of what we do at the EIB Group,” commented Teresa Czerwińska, Vice-President of the EIB. “This partnership with VEHIS will not only help businesses grow but also promote gender equality and accelerate the shift to cleaner transport. It’s a smart, targeted investment in Poland’s future.”

Technical note on the securitisation transaction

The transaction is structured as a cash securitisation of a granular portfolio of performing auto leases originated by VEHIS and sold to a securitisation special purpose entity (Issuer). EIB purchases class A1 notes issued by the Issuer. EIF simultaneously, through bilateral financial guarantees agreed with an institutional investor, takes exposure to class A2 notes (ranking pari passu with the mentioned class A1 notes) and to class B notes (characterised by higher credit risk compared to the class A1 and class A2 notes) issued by the Issuer. VEHIS effectively retains credit exposure to the securitised lease exposures by purchasing and retaining the most junior notes (characterised by higher credit risk than the class A and class B notes) issued by the Issuer. The notes and the securitised exposures pay floating interest and are denominated in polish zloty.

The reference portfolio consists of more than 9,000 leases, 100% secured by light vehicles and with c. 90% of lessees in the form of SMEs. The transaction is non-revolving and includes standard credit enhancement features such as subordination, excess spread, use of a cash reserve and a principal deficiency ledger.

Background information

About EIB Group
The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.

The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.

The Group’s latest Investment Survey (EIBIS) showed Poland fares better than European Union peers when it comes to gender equality in business management.

To enhance the positive impact of its activities on gender equality and empower women and girls, the EIB Group has embedded gender equality goals into its business model through a dedicated Strategy on Gender Equality and Women’s Economic Empowerment and a Gender Action Plan. These guide its lending, blending, and advisory work both within and outside the European Union. In 2024, EIB financing for gender equality represented more than €3 billion across over 40 projects. The EIB also applies global gender-lens investing criteria (“2X”) and is committed to promoting gender equality in the workplace. You can find more information here on the EIB gender equality initiatives.

About VEHIS

VEHIS is a car platform that allows customers to select and purchase a vehicle along with the relevant financing options. The offer encompasses all car brands available on the Polish market from key dealers, along with financing options in the form of leasing.

VEHIS provides full support throughout the period of vehicle use, including a special insurance package, GPS monitoring and service support for the car, as well as handling traffic damage claims.

VEHIS advisors working in 18 VEHIS branches across Poland support customers in choosing a car, its financing and insurance. The entire process can be completed online through the website or with the remote assistance of an advisor.

The platform offers a selection of over 10,000 cars at competitive prices from 200 dealers. These offers are updated almost in real time, thanks to IT tools developed by VEHIS.

VEHIS’ strategic investor is Enterprise Investors, one of the oldest and largest private equity firms in Central and Eastern Europe.
MIL OSI Europe News –
July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Secretary for Housing promotes “Well-being design” in Lisbon (with photos)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, began her visit to Lisbon, Portugal, yesterday (July 2, Lisbon time). She first met with the Secretary of State for Housing in the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, Ms Patrícia Gonçalves Costa, to exchange views on the housing policies of the two places. She attended the International Forum on Urbanism (IFoU) held at the Pavilion of Portugal for the previous World Expo afterwards and explored the latest trends of housing planning, design and management, community engagement and more with scholars, industry representatives, professional bodies and students from the Mainland, Europe and the United States. She also took the opportunity to promote Hong Kong’s resident-oriented “Well-being design” concepts and strategies.

Ms Ho attended the IFoU Winter School workshop held in Hong Kong earlier this year, where she shared a vision on public housing projects over the next five years including those in the Northern Metropolis, and how to integrate the eight well-being concepts from the “Well-being design” guide into public housing developments. Speaking at the IFoU, Ms Ho said that she was delighted to be invited again to attend this forum and exchange views with international scholars, political and business sectors and young people on Hong Kong’s public housing design and development.

She stated in the plenary session that public housing construction not only promotes the development of innovative construction technologies, but also enables further exploration of resident-oriented design to build a more interactive, energetic community that enhances intergenerational harmony. The Housing Bureau and the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA) launched the “Well-being design” guide last year, which covers eight well-being concepts, namely “Health & Vitality”, “Green Living and Sustainability”, “Age-Friendliness”, “Intergenerational & Inclusive Living”, “Family & Community Connection”, “Urban Integration”, “Upward Mobility” and “Perception & Image”. It serves as a reference for the future design of new public housing estates and the improvement works of existing estates to create a more comfortable and vibrant living environment for its residents.

Ms Ho said that with 308 000 public housing units to be built in the next 10 years, new public housing estates will have an average of 4 000 to 5 000 units, in which around 10 000 people will reside. The completion of each housing estate is like establishing a new small community, with common areas for various residents’ activities to take place and bring people together. Within a 15-minute living circle, various shops are available to meet the daily needs of residents, and social welfare facilities and schools are provided. Public transportation is available to enable the residents’ commute and help them stay connected with society. The HKHA is also increasing green spaces in the estates through landscaping to promote green, healthy living, and is introducing new technologies to save energy and reduce carbon emissions.

Ms Ho said that Hong Kong can give full play to the role of being a “super connector” through interactions and exchanges in different places: on one hand promoting the HKHA’s evolving design and experiences in construction and management since its establishment over 50 years ago, the application of the “Well-being design” guide and innovative construction technologies to outside of Hong Kong. On the other hand, Hong Kong is gaining a better understanding of the efforts of other places in carbon reduction, energy saving and sustainable development, and more.

The IFoU is an international platform for converging innovative ideas on architecture and urban planning. International conferences and workshops on architecture and urban design are organised in different cities each year, allowing representatives and students from member institutions around the world to exchange ideas. This year’s conference, themed “Future Living” has seven topics, namely “Dwelling”, “Connecting”, “Integrating”, “Adapting”, “Visioning”, “Steering”, and “Sharing”, and was hosted by the University of Lisbon. Participants of the forum explored ideas towards future living environments to foster cross-sectoral co-operation to cope with various challenges, and formulate innovative plans for sustainable development.

After the forum, Ms Ho and the Commissioner for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), Ms Maisie Chan, had dinner with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Portuguese Republic, Mr Zhao Bentang, and briefed him on Hong Kong’s latest housing policies and initiatives, including promoting the development of innovative housing construction technologies by capitalising on the strengths of the GBA; leveraging Hong Kong’s important role as a “super connector” and a “super value-adder” between the Mainland and the rest of the world, serving as a two-way springboard for Mainland enterprises to go global, and for attracting overseas enterprises.

Ms Ho will continue her visit in Lisbon today (July 3, Lisbon time) before departing for Barcelona, Spain.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Shanghai Xuhui Chiangqiao Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo Ensemble to make Hong Kong debut at Chinese Culture Festival 2025 in August (with photos)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The Chinese Culture Festival (CCF) 2025, organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), has invited the Shanghai Xuhui Chiangqiao Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo Ensemble (the ensemble) to make its Hong Kong debut and stage two concerts in early August. As a representative inheritor organisation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Shanghai Municipality, the ensemble’s three representative inheritors of Jiangnan silk and bamboo, along with young professional musicians, will perform a selection of classical pieces from the “Eight Masterpieces of Silk and Bamboo Music” (“Eight Masterpieces”) and other famous compositions. Through century-old string and wind music, they will evoke the authentic cultural essence of the Jiangnan region.

Jiangnan silk and bamboo music is a traditional form of ensemble music popular in the southern Jiangsu, western Zhejiang and Shanghai regions, featuring Chinese string (silk) and wind (bamboo) instruments, such as erhu, yangqin, pipa, sanxian, dizi and sheng. It was inscribed on the first list of Intangible Cultural Heritage at the National Level in 2006. Its artistic style is characterised by qualities including delicacy, lightness, finesse and elegance. With diverse variation techniques such as “slowing down” (expanding the original melody’s rhythm and phrasing) and “ornamentation” (inserting new ornamental notes into the melody), complemented by synergy among the musicians and improvisation, the music presents a fascinating kaleidoscope of sound. The repertoire of Jiangnan silk and bamboo music is vast, with the “Eight Masterpieces” being the most representative of the works.

Zhou Feng (dizi) and Liu Yuehua (erhu), the representative inheritors of Jiangnan silk and bamboo of Shanghai Municipality, and Mi Peirong (yangqin), representative inheritor of Jiangnan silk and bamboo of Xuhui District, together with accomplished performers of sheng, pipa and sanxian will present two concerts featuring compositions from the “Eight Masterpieces”, including “Song of Joy”, “Sanliu” and “Zhonghua Liuban” as well as famous silk and bamboo classics “Song of the Warm Southerly Breeze” and “Song of Yang Ba”. Furthermore, each concert will feature distinctive selections: the first concert will present “Man Liuban” and “Festival March” from the “Eight Masterpieces”, along with the celebrated silk and bamboo piece “Rainbow Skirt Song”. The second concert will feature “Cloud Celebration” and “Best Wishes” from the “Eight Masterpieces”, as well as the beloved “Moonlight on the Spring River”.

The Shanghai Xuhui Chiangqiao Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo Ensemble is dedicated to safeguarding and passing on traditional Jiangnan silk and bamboo music in its pristine form. The ensemble’s members have inherited their musical heritage from previous generations in the family, with decades of performing experience and deep mastery of traditional playing techniques of the musical art form. In 2024, the ensemble was recognised as being among the seventh batch of representative inheritor organisations of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Shanghai Municipality.

The first concert by the Shanghai Xuhui Chiangqiao Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo Ensemble will be held at 8pm on August 2 (Saturday) at the Theatre of Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre. The second concert will be held at 8pm on August 3 (Sunday) at the Theatre of Sheung Wan Civic Centre. Tickets priced at $220 and $280 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). Group booking discounts and package booking discounts are available for purchasing selected CCF stage programmes, the “Chinese Opera Film Shows” of the Chinese Opera Festival (COF) 2025 and the “Legacy and Vision: Conversations with Chinese Cultural Masters” lecture. For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.ccf.gov.hk/en/programme/concert-by-shanghai-xuhui-chiangqiao-jiangnan-silk-and-bamboo-ensemble.

A pre-concert talk entitled “Pure Melodies of Silk Strings: The Elegant Sounds of Jiangnan’s Silk and Bamboo Music” (in Putonghua) will be held at 7pm on August 3 (Sunday) at the Lecture Hall of Sheung Wan Civic Centre. The speakers include Shanghai Conservatory of Music Professor Xiao Mei and Shanghai Normal University Music College Associate Professor Li Ya. They will discuss the development and inheritance of Jiangnan silk and bamboo music and explore the principles of improvisation, guiding audiences to discover its charm and cultural connotations. Admission is free. Limited seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The CCF, presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and organised by the Chinese Culture Promotion Office under the LCSD, aims to promote Chinese culture and enhance the public’s national identity and cultural confidence. It also aims to attract top-notch artists and arts groups from the Mainland and other parts of the world for exchanges in Chinese arts and culture. The CCF 2025 is held from June to September. Through different performing arts programmes in various forms and related extension activities, including selected programmes of the COF, “Tan Dun WE-Festival”, film screenings, exhibitions, as well as community and school activities and more, the festival provides members of the public and visitors with more opportunities to enjoy distinctive programmes that showcase fine traditional Chinese culture, thereby facilitating patriotic education and contributing to the inheritance, transformation and development of traditional Chinese culture in Hong Kong. For more information about programmes and activities of the CCF 2025, please visit www.ccf.gov.hk.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: The fifth house was built in Tekstilshchiki under the renovation program

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

In the Tekstilshchiki district in the south-east of Moscow, a fifth new building has appeared under the renovation program. The single-section residential complex is located at 13a Graivoronovskaya Street. The total area of the building is almost 15 thousand square meters. This was reported by the Minister of the Moscow Government, head of the capital’s Department of Urban Development Policy Vladislav Ovchinsky.

“The building’s living area is 7.9 thousand square meters. There are 140 apartments in the building, four of which are intended for people with limited mobility. The spacious entrance hall has a concierge room, a room for storing strollers and bicycles, and four elevators. In the future, social and household facilities may open on the first non-residential floor. The courtyard has two children’s playgrounds and one sports ground, as well as a quiet recreation area,” Vladislav Ovchinsky specified.

Near the new building there are schools, a clinic and a kindergarten. Nearby are the Stakhanovskaya and Nizhegorodskaya stations of the Nekrasovskaya metro line, as well as the Nizhegorodskaya station of the Moscow Central Circle.

“Mosgosstroynadzor supervised the construction of the house on a land plot of 0.5 hectares at all stages. In total, 28 on-site inspections were organized, as a result of the final control and supervision event, the committee’s inspectors issued a conclusion on the compliance of the building with the approved design documentation,” noted the Chairman of the Committee for State Construction Supervision of the City of Moscow

Anton Slobodchikov.

Earlier, Sergei Sobyanin reported that this year new housing was received under the renovation program more than 18 thousand Muscovites.

The renovation program was approved in August 2017. It concerns about a million Muscovites and provides for the resettlement of 5,176 houses. The Moscow mayor ordered to increase the pace of implementation of the renovation program in twice.

Moscow is one of the leaders among regions in terms of construction volumes. High rates of housing construction correspond to the goals and initiatives of the national project “Infrastructure for life”.

Get the latest news quickly official telegram channel the city of Moscow.

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MIL OSI Russia News –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Registration for the July SUP Festival is now open

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

Registration for the costume festival has begun “Here’s the rub, Moscow!”. It will take place on July 13 as part of the project “Summer in Moscow” in the Muzeon Arts Park and will be timed to coincide with Moscow Transport Day.

“In accordance with the task set by Sergei Sobyanin, we are developing the river area not only as part of the capital’s transport system, but also as a space for recreation and leisure for city residents. In honor of Moscow Transport Day, we will hold a large-scale festival in the Muzeon Arts Park with a swim on SUP boards. We invite everyone,” said the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport and Industry

Maxim Liksutov.

To take part in the SUP swim, you must register atwebsite. There you can also see the detailed program of the event and the rules of participation. If you do not have your own sap, you must indicate this, and it will be provided free of charge (the number is limited).

This year, for the first time, the festival will select Mr. and Miss Sap. After the swim, the results will be announced on the main stage. The winners will receive prizes.

In addition, participants will have competitions for the best costume and the most original board design. There will be an entertainment program, a DJ set, active and board games. Master classes, animation and other entertainment for children are planned. In the photo zone, you can use the services of professional photographers.

Eight kilometers swim will take place along the Vodootvodny Canal from 09:00 to 12:00, registration at the site begins at 06:30, and the event will take to the water at 07:30. Rescuers and ambulance personnel will be on duty at the festival to ensure safety.

Project “Summer in Moscow”— the main event of the season. It brings together the most vibrant events of the capital. Every day, charity, cultural and sports events are held in all districts of the city, most of which are free. “Summer in Moscow” is being held for the second time, and this season will be more eventful: new, original and colorful festivals and events will be added to the traditional ones.

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

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MIL OSI Russia News –

July 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘Let Memory of Srebrenica Strengthen Our Resolve’, Serve as Call to Vigilance, Action, Says Secretary-General, in Message for World Day

Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica, observed on 11 July:

Today marks the thirtieth anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica — the worst atrocity on European soil since the Second World War.

In July 1995, more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were systematically murdered. Thousands of women, children and older persons were forcibly displaced, their lives forever shattered. The intention was the elimination of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica.

We remember the victims and honour the courage of the survivors — including the Mothers of Srebrenica, whose tireless pursuit of justice ensured that the genocide was recognized in both law and history.

This day is not only a moment of reflection. It is a call to vigilance and action.

At a time when hate speech, denial and division are gaining ground, we must stand firm for truth and justice. We must detect early warning signs and respond before violence takes hold. We must respect international law, defend human rights, uphold the dignity of every individual, and invest in reconciliation and peace.

Let the memory of Srebrenica strengthen our resolve, so that “never again” truly means never again.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

July 3, 2025