Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Announcing winners of The Equalizer Challenge

    Source: United Nations Population Fund

    UNFPA Announces Winners of the Equalizer Challenge to Scale Breakthrough Women’s Health Innovations. Winners include an AI health tracker for pregnant women, a digital menopause platform and a speculum that detects cervical cancer.

    New York, 3 July 2025 – UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, today announced the six winners of the Equalizer Challenge: Scaling Women’s Health Innovations. The initiative supports women-led health enterprises in moving beyond the pilot stage and achieving transformative impact at scale.

    Launched in collaboration with MIT Solve, IE University, and Women of Wearables, and enabled by generous support from the Governments of Luxembourg and Germany, the challenge seeks to close the gender health gap by investing in innovations that reach the most underserved.

    The six winners were selected from 350 submissions across 72 countries, with entries spanning six global regions. Each will receive up to US$ 20,000 in catalytic equity-free funding, along with a six-month capacity development programme that includes biweekly mentorship, expert coaching, and strategic connections to global health and investment networks.

    The selected innovations address a wide range of women’s health challenges, including cervical cancer, menopause, maternal mental health, and digital access to sexual and reproductive health care.

    The six winning solutions are:

    • GICMED (Cameroon) – A smart gynecological speculum device that enables early detection and remote diagnosis of cervical cancer and female genital schistosomiasis through telemedicine in low-resource settings.
    • Take Care Mom (Kazakhstan) – An AI-powered platform providing pregnant women with continuous health tracking, early risk detection, and 24/7 expert support to improve maternal and neonatal health and well-being.
    • Maisha Mothers (Kenya) – A mobile-based maternal health innovation by Thalia Psychotherapy that integrates mental health, family planning, and financial wellness into routine antenatal and postnatal care.
    • OMGYNO (Lebanon) – A femtech platform offering anonymous at-home testing, telemedicine services, and sexual and reproductive health education for women in underserved communities across the Middle East and North Africa.
    • SinReglas (Mexico) –  A digital menopause platform, offering personalized care and workplace services responsive to the health needs of millions of women during all stages of their life cycle, including menopause.
    • Smart Scope® CX (India) – An AI-powered portable device from Periwinkle Technologies that enables community health care workers to detect early-stage cervical cancer and certain benign conditions within 60 seconds without the need for electricity or internet, and facilitates remote triaging.

    These women-led solutions were selected for their scale potential and demonstrated impact. The Equalizer Challenge shows UNFPA’s commitment to supporting women-centric health solutions by closing funding gaps, and helping them develop, gain visibility, and reach the market.Through targeted innovation challenges, UNFPA transforms community-led innovations into high-impact, investable solutions spearheaded by women and young people.

    UNFPA Press Contact: media@unfpa.org 

    Disclaimer: UNFPA is providing support for the Equalizer Challenge with a view to furthering the development and availability of women’s health innovations. UNFPA has not or may not have evaluated, assessed, or tested the innovative solutions or products included or presented in this Challenge. In particular, the inclusion or presentation of any solution or product in this Challenge does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by UNFPA.

    MIL OSI United Nations News

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Secures Agreement Reforming Michigan School District’s Seclusion and Restraint Practices

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    Today, the Justice Department announced that it reached an agreement with a Michigan school district to address the discriminatory use of seclusion and restraint against students with disabilities, in violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Under the settlement agreement, the Montcalm Area Intermediate School District will end the use of seclusion, reform its restraint practices, and improve special education services for students with disabilities.

    During the period covered by the investigation, with which the school district fully cooperated, students with disabilities were secluded and/or restrained on more than 2,400 occasions. The Department’s investigation also revealed that the district used seclusion and restraint improperly, including using emergency crisis responses as punishment for normal classroom discipline issues.

    “Students with disabilities should never be discriminated against by experiencing the trauma of seclusion or improper restraint,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Parents have the right to expect that the school systems they entrust with educating their children do not instead punish their children for having a disability.”

    “This school district serves the most vulnerable Michigan students, young children with disabilities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Alexis M. Sanford for the Western District of Michigan. “I commend them for entering into this settlement agreement to provide their students with the care and services they need to get the education they deserve.”   

    Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt, and additional information about the Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section’s work to combat disability discrimination including by improper seclusion and restraint is available at www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section.

    Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at www.civilrights.justice.gov/.

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI USA: UConn Hosts Sustainability Summit for Northeast Higher Education

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Nearly all higher education institutions in the Northeast have demonstrated a commitment to sustainability, and most have an Office of Sustainability. While each university has its own unique challenges in pursuing environmental progress, many of these offices face similar issues – How do we get students prepared for green careers? What’s the most efficient way to run a move-out donation program?

    UConn Office of Sustainability Director, Patrick McKee, welcomes guests to the NECSC Summit.

    That’s where the Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium (NECSC) comes in! The NECSC was established in 2004 to support sustainability officers in advancing progress on university campuses in the northeast and Canadian maritime region. The NECSC is an informal group, but commits to hosting an annual meeting to provide members close networking opportunities, professional development and access to the area’s vibrant sustainability practitioner community. Hosts of the annual gathering are leaders of sustainability in the region.

    Following 2024’s annual summit at Southern New Hampshire University, UConn’s Office of Sustainability and Connecticut College agreed to co-host the event for 2025. The NECSC conference is also an opportunity to highlight the hosts’ sustainability progress and leadership regionally. UConn’s Avery Point Campus was the perfect location – not only is it a gorgeous waterfront campus, it also plays an outsize role in environmental progress for Connecticut.

    In 2021, Avery Point upgraded 121 of their outdoor light fixtures with LED lights which saved 25 tons of carbon dioxide over the course of a year. The Student Center secured LEED Silver Certification in recognition of its energy efficiency in 2023. Avery Point is also home to the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) and Connecticut Sea Grant which act as research hubs for climate resilience, coastal ecosystems, and aquaculture within Long Island Sound. Faculty and students are collaborating with Eversource and Orsted on a $1.25m grant to understand the impact of offshore wind projects on marine habitats, including project Starboard Wind. EcoHusky is the student-run organization that organizes yearly sustainability events for faculty and students including the Earth Day Event, supported by the Office of Sustainability in 2025. EcoHusky was also a part of securing an Environmental and Sustainability Small Grant from the Office of Sustainability in 2022 to install a solar panel and wind turbine on the sailing shed to provide independent, renewable-energy sources for campus buildings. In December of 2024, UConn entered a historical memorandum with CT’s five recognized tribes to establish Avery Point as a Native-American Serving, Nontribal Intuition (NASNTI) to reach at least 10% Native American enrollment and supporting tribal education through academics and community engagement.

    Nearly 100 higher education sustainability staff and faculty members attended the NECSC summit, held June 9-11, 2025. Ranging from Maryland to Maine, attendees hailed from Ivies, state universities and private liberal arts schools. The event kicked off with a keynote address by Dr. Annemarie Seifert, Dean of UConn Avery Point, and was followed by engaging sessions on creating circular economies on campus, geothermal buildings, decarbonization communications and more.

    Leaders of higher ed’s preeminent sustainability networks provided global perspectives on shifting political landscapes for sustainability. Megan Fay Zahniser, Executive Director of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, and Tim Carter, President of Second Nature, urged attendees to work together and with their home communities to push for continued environmental progress.

    Throughout the event, UConn Dining provided excellent food and low-waste catering. Mike White, Executive Director of UConn Dining Services, spoke about their team’s dedication to reducing food waste, using local and organic produce, and UConn’s partnership with Quantum Biopower which converts food scraps into energy. All attendees enjoyed menus featuring cheese from local farms like Cato Corner in Colchester, and greens from Full Moon Farm in Hampton.

    Guests participated in marine research in Long Island Sound with Project Oceanology.

    The NECSC summit concluded with a marine biology excursion on Long Island Sound. Project Oceanology, a nonprofit marine education and research facility, took guests out on a ship to catch, record, and measure sea life from the sound. They also took the crew up the Thames River for a closer look at the offshore wind assembly pier.

    “It is always uplifting to network, share stories, insights, and best practices as we work to collectively make a larger impact on the planet and in the lives of students,” shares Patrick McKee, Director of the UConn Office of Sustainability. “It was a pleasure co-hosting the NECSC Summit at UConn Avery Point, and we look forward to visiting Rutgers in 2026.”

    To learn more about NECSC and join the mailing list, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI: Equasens: Appointment at the head of the Pharmagest Division

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Villers-lès-Nancy (France), July 03, 2025 – 06 :00pm (CET)

    Press Release

    Equasens announces the departure of Damien VALICON, as Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Pharmagest Division

    He will be replaced by François-Pierre MARQUIER as Director of the Pharmagest Division.

    ***

    Equasens Group (Euronext Paris™ – Compartment B – FR 0012882389 –$EQS), announces the departure of Damien VALICON, who held the position of Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Pharmagest Division for 18 months, and the appointment of François-Pierre MARQUIER, who is resuming his operational duties as Director of the Pharmagest Division.

    The appointment of François-Pierre MARQUIER, proposed by Denis SUPPLISSON, Chief Executive Officer of the Equasens Group, will be effective after a transition period. It was approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting on June 25, 2025, chaired by Thierry CHAPUSOT, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

    François-Pierre MARQUIER, who joined Pharmagest in May 2021 as Regional Director for the Ile-de-France region, has headed the Pharmacy France business since January 2023. He will now oversee all the Division’s activities, both in France and the rest of Europe.

    Denis SUPPLISSON, Chief Executive Officer of Equasens Group, states: « François-Pierre has a deep understanding of our business sectors, a precise grasp of our challenges and the sectoral expertise we need to accelerate our European development. »

    Biography François-Pierre MARQUIER – LinkedIn – Graduate of IDRAC Business School and Emlyon Business School (DUA), he began his career in 1996 with DHL as Marketing Manager. In 2000, he joined Cegid Group where he evolved for over 20 years, holding management positions in marketing and sales.
    He joined Equasens Group in May 2021 as Regional Director, before being appointed Director of the Pharmacy France business in January 2023.
    He has represented Pharmagest within FEIMA for over 2 years.

    Upcoming financial communications

    • 31 July 2025:                 Q2 2025 revenue – After the close of trading
    • 26 September 2025:         H1 2025 results

    About Equasens Group Follow us also on LinkedIn

    Founded over 35 years ago, Equasens Group, a leader in digital healthcare solutions, today employs over 1.400 people across Europe.
    Equasens Group’s specialized business applications facilitate the day-to-day work of healthcare professionals and their teams, working in private practice, collaborative medical structures or healthcare establishments. The Group also provides comprehensive support to healthcare professionals in the transformation of their profession by developing electronic equipment, digital solutions and healthcare robotics, as well as data hosting, financing and training adapted to their specific needs.
    And reflecting the spirit of its tagline “Technology for a More Human Experience”, the Group is a leading provider of interoperability solutions that improve coordination between healthcare professionals, their communications and data exchange resulting in better patient care and a more efficient and secure healthcare system.

    Listed on Euronext Paris, Equasens Group (Compartment B – FR 0012882389 – $EQS) applies a two-pronged development strategy combining organic growth with targeted acquisitions at a European level.

    CONTACTS

    Analyst and Investor Relations:
    Chief Administrative and Financial Officer: Frédérique Schmidt
    Tel: +33 (0)3 83 15 90 67 – frederique.schmidt@equasens.com

    Financial communications agency:
    FIN’EXTENSO – Isabelle Aprile

    Tel.: +33 (0)6 17 38 61 78 – i.aprile@finextenso.fr

    Attachment

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Equasens: Appointment at the head of the Pharmagest Division

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Villers-lès-Nancy (France), July 03, 2025 – 06 :00pm (CET)

    Press Release

    Equasens announces the departure of Damien VALICON, as Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Pharmagest Division

    He will be replaced by François-Pierre MARQUIER as Director of the Pharmagest Division.

    ***

    Equasens Group (Euronext Paris™ – Compartment B – FR 0012882389 –$EQS), announces the departure of Damien VALICON, who held the position of Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Pharmagest Division for 18 months, and the appointment of François-Pierre MARQUIER, who is resuming his operational duties as Director of the Pharmagest Division.

    The appointment of François-Pierre MARQUIER, proposed by Denis SUPPLISSON, Chief Executive Officer of the Equasens Group, will be effective after a transition period. It was approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting on June 25, 2025, chaired by Thierry CHAPUSOT, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

    François-Pierre MARQUIER, who joined Pharmagest in May 2021 as Regional Director for the Ile-de-France region, has headed the Pharmacy France business since January 2023. He will now oversee all the Division’s activities, both in France and the rest of Europe.

    Denis SUPPLISSON, Chief Executive Officer of Equasens Group, states: « François-Pierre has a deep understanding of our business sectors, a precise grasp of our challenges and the sectoral expertise we need to accelerate our European development. »

    Biography François-Pierre MARQUIER – LinkedIn – Graduate of IDRAC Business School and Emlyon Business School (DUA), he began his career in 1996 with DHL as Marketing Manager. In 2000, he joined Cegid Group where he evolved for over 20 years, holding management positions in marketing and sales.
    He joined Equasens Group in May 2021 as Regional Director, before being appointed Director of the Pharmacy France business in January 2023.
    He has represented Pharmagest within FEIMA for over 2 years.

    Upcoming financial communications

    • 31 July 2025:                 Q2 2025 revenue – After the close of trading
    • 26 September 2025:         H1 2025 results

    About Equasens Group Follow us also on LinkedIn

    Founded over 35 years ago, Equasens Group, a leader in digital healthcare solutions, today employs over 1.400 people across Europe.
    Equasens Group’s specialized business applications facilitate the day-to-day work of healthcare professionals and their teams, working in private practice, collaborative medical structures or healthcare establishments. The Group also provides comprehensive support to healthcare professionals in the transformation of their profession by developing electronic equipment, digital solutions and healthcare robotics, as well as data hosting, financing and training adapted to their specific needs.
    And reflecting the spirit of its tagline “Technology for a More Human Experience”, the Group is a leading provider of interoperability solutions that improve coordination between healthcare professionals, their communications and data exchange resulting in better patient care and a more efficient and secure healthcare system.

    Listed on Euronext Paris, Equasens Group (Compartment B – FR 0012882389 – $EQS) applies a two-pronged development strategy combining organic growth with targeted acquisitions at a European level.

    CONTACTS

    Analyst and Investor Relations:
    Chief Administrative and Financial Officer: Frédérique Schmidt
    Tel: +33 (0)3 83 15 90 67 – frederique.schmidt@equasens.com

    Financial communications agency:
    FIN’EXTENSO – Isabelle Aprile

    Tel.: +33 (0)6 17 38 61 78 – i.aprile@finextenso.fr

    Attachment

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI: Equasens: Appointment at the head of the Pharmagest Division

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Villers-lès-Nancy (France), July 03, 2025 – 06 :00pm (CET)

    Press Release

    Equasens announces the departure of Damien VALICON, as Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Pharmagest Division

    He will be replaced by François-Pierre MARQUIER as Director of the Pharmagest Division.

    ***

    Equasens Group (Euronext Paris™ – Compartment B – FR 0012882389 –$EQS), announces the departure of Damien VALICON, who held the position of Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Pharmagest Division for 18 months, and the appointment of François-Pierre MARQUIER, who is resuming his operational duties as Director of the Pharmagest Division.

    The appointment of François-Pierre MARQUIER, proposed by Denis SUPPLISSON, Chief Executive Officer of the Equasens Group, will be effective after a transition period. It was approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting on June 25, 2025, chaired by Thierry CHAPUSOT, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

    François-Pierre MARQUIER, who joined Pharmagest in May 2021 as Regional Director for the Ile-de-France region, has headed the Pharmacy France business since January 2023. He will now oversee all the Division’s activities, both in France and the rest of Europe.

    Denis SUPPLISSON, Chief Executive Officer of Equasens Group, states: « François-Pierre has a deep understanding of our business sectors, a precise grasp of our challenges and the sectoral expertise we need to accelerate our European development. »

    Biography François-Pierre MARQUIER – LinkedIn – Graduate of IDRAC Business School and Emlyon Business School (DUA), he began his career in 1996 with DHL as Marketing Manager. In 2000, he joined Cegid Group where he evolved for over 20 years, holding management positions in marketing and sales.
    He joined Equasens Group in May 2021 as Regional Director, before being appointed Director of the Pharmacy France business in January 2023.
    He has represented Pharmagest within FEIMA for over 2 years.

    Upcoming financial communications

    • 31 July 2025:                 Q2 2025 revenue – After the close of trading
    • 26 September 2025:         H1 2025 results

    About Equasens Group Follow us also on LinkedIn

    Founded over 35 years ago, Equasens Group, a leader in digital healthcare solutions, today employs over 1.400 people across Europe.
    Equasens Group’s specialized business applications facilitate the day-to-day work of healthcare professionals and their teams, working in private practice, collaborative medical structures or healthcare establishments. The Group also provides comprehensive support to healthcare professionals in the transformation of their profession by developing electronic equipment, digital solutions and healthcare robotics, as well as data hosting, financing and training adapted to their specific needs.
    And reflecting the spirit of its tagline “Technology for a More Human Experience”, the Group is a leading provider of interoperability solutions that improve coordination between healthcare professionals, their communications and data exchange resulting in better patient care and a more efficient and secure healthcare system.

    Listed on Euronext Paris, Equasens Group (Compartment B – FR 0012882389 – $EQS) applies a two-pronged development strategy combining organic growth with targeted acquisitions at a European level.

    CONTACTS

    Analyst and Investor Relations:
    Chief Administrative and Financial Officer: Frédérique Schmidt
    Tel: +33 (0)3 83 15 90 67 – frederique.schmidt@equasens.com

    Financial communications agency:
    FIN’EXTENSO – Isabelle Aprile

    Tel.: +33 (0)6 17 38 61 78 – i.aprile@finextenso.fr

    Attachment

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New project to protect Cambridge’s chalk streams

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    The Granta, a tributary of the river Cam

    A new project dedicated to studying and preserving Cambridge’s chalk streams is being launched at Anglia Ruskin University’s East Road campus on Wednesday, 16 July.

    It is estimated that 85% of the world’s chalk streams are found in the UK, with the majority located in the south of England and East Anglia. These streams, fed by springs in chalk bedrock, provide clean and clear water that supports a huge variety of wildlife.

    However, once pristine, many local chalk streams are being degraded by a range of factors including water extraction, pollution, the erosion of riverbanks, and invasive species.

    The Greater Cambridge Chalk Stream Project is a collaboration between Cambridge City Council and Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), and is bringing together experts to study the threats faced by local chalk streams, such as Hobson’s Brook and Cherry Hinton Brook in Cambridge, and highlight practical ways to protect them.

    The project kicks off with a free conference at ARU, running from 10am-4pm on 16 July, featuring presentations by leading environmental scientists. Topics will range from groundwater depletion and sediment loading to aquatic biodiversity and emerging contaminants.

    Geologist and ecologist Dr Steve Boreham will focus on the pressure chalk aquifers are facing from water extraction, while Dr Mike Foley of Cam Valley Forum will share insights from his citizen science water quality monitoring work.

    Dr Tory Milner of Keele University will examine the impact of sediment and gravel accumulation on chalk streams, while Professor Angela Gurnell will cover the important role of submerged aquatic plants.

    From ARU, Dr Toby Carter will discuss the connection between brown trout populations and the health of chalk streams, Dr Alvin Helden will demonstrate how monitoring aquatic macroinvertebrates, such as mayflies and caddisflies, can indicate water quality and habitat condition, and Dr Bas Boots will address the risks posed by new pollutants, including PFAS “forever chemicals” and microplastics.

    The conference will also introduce the Greater Cambridge Chalk Stream Project’s citizen science programme, offering opportunities to participate in water quality testing, photography, sediment trapping and the monitoring of riverbank erosion. Taking place weekly over two years, the citizen science monitoring will be co-ordinated by ARU.

    “Chalk streams are globally rare freshwater habitats and we’re fortunate to have them in and around the city. However, many of these precious ecosystems are now significantly degraded and at risk.

    “The Greater Cambridge Chalk Stream Project will investigate local sites to understand habitat loss, biodiversity reduction, and water quality issues. By bringing everyone together, including involving local community volunteers, we hope to obtain detailed information about each stream to help inform Cambridge City Council’s restoration strategies and safeguard our chalk streams for future generations.”

    Emma Dominic, research assistant at ARU for the Greater Cambridge Chalk Stream Project

    To register for the free event at ARU’s East Road campus on Wednesday, 16 July, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/greater-cambridge-chalk-stream-project-gccsp-launch-conference-tickets-1407358650609

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Thousands of items collected in 24-hour litter pick of Aberdeen

    Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

    Hundreds of volunteers collected thousands of items in a 24-hour litter pick across dozens of areas in Aberdeen.

    The annual event – with the aim of making the city more sparklingly clean in the summer months – had 37 separate clean-ups from organisations including primary and secondary schools, community groups, and individuals.

    It involves litter picks starting every hour over 24 hours from midnight to midnight and included Tall Ship volunteers doing a session to ensure the city is ship shape in time for next month’s event.

    Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader Councillor Ian Yuill said: “It’s good that so many groups came out to help keep our city looking sparkling clean. 

    “Council staff work hard to keep our city clean and tidy. Unfortunately they cannot be everywhere at the same time so the action taken by these communities, groups, workplaces, and individuals makes a big difference.”

    Aberdeen City Council Net Zero, Environment and Transport Committee convener Councillor Miranda Radley said: “We’d prefer if people didn’t litter in the first place as it is bad for the environment and makes our city look unattractive. We are all responsible for keeping our city beautiful. This effort can be as simple as picking up litter outside our front gates every day, or a bigger effort such as litter picks carried out by dozens of groups throughout the year.

    “These organised litter-pick events really do make a huge difference to local communities and help foster pride in our beautiful city.”

    The 393 participants in the Aberdeen City Council-organised event managed to fill 197 black bin bags across the 37 clean-ups.

    This year’s event was started by ACC’s library services team at midnight on Wednesday followed by ACC’s environmental services staff, countryside rangers, and tree squads doing the early hours and then by the other groups every hour.

    Areas which benefitted included Morningside, Garthdee, Mastrick, Hazlehead, Summerhill, Tillydrone, Kincorth, Bucksburn, West End, Airyhall, city centre, Heathryfold, Garthdee, Cove, Powis, Torry, Seaton, Rosemount, Stockethill, Donmouth, Northfield, Fittie, and the beachfront.

    Other groups taking part this year included Riverbank School, Kirkhill School, Bucksburn Academy, Bright Horizons, Airyhall School, Phoenix Futures, Hazlehead Primary, Keep Middlefield Clean, Tall Ships volunteers, Charleston School, St Machar Academy, Loirston School, Boat Club, Fresh Community Wellness, Friends of Victoria and Westburn Parks, Ashgrove and Stockethill
    Community Council, ACC Green Champions, Northfield Community Centre, Kincorth and Leggart Community Council, Friends of St Fittick’s Park. Members of the public took part in litter picks at Torry Battery, Fittie, and the beachfront.

    The places the groups picked litter up from included school grounds, pitches, car parks, golf course woods, streets, green spaces, parks, along the River Dee, community centre grounds, and near the Tall Ships site.

    The event is part of the year-round Clean Up Aberdeen campaign which encourages people not to litter in the first place, and also provides equipment for groups wanting to organise a litter pick. For more details, or to get help organising an event, go to Clean Up Aberdeen | Aberdeen City Council.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Neguse, Raskin Lead 170+ Members of Congress in Amicus Brief, Arguing Trump Cannot Dismantle Department of Education

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    July 03, 2025

    The lawmakers argue that only Congress has authority to create, restructure, and abolish federal departments and agencies by constitutional mandate and through a long-established legal precedent. 

    The Department of Education is statutorily mandated and cannot be unilaterally abolished by the President.

    Text of Brief (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), House Assistant Majority Leader Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Representatives Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.) and Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.), led 174 of their colleagues in submitting an amicus brief in NAACP v. US, arguing to the United States District Court District of Maryland that President Trump’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education (ED) violate separation of powers and lack constitutional authority.

    On March 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order instructing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps” to abolish ED. This came after the Trump Administration carried out a series of actions dismantling the Department, including mass firings of ED employees, the termination of contracts for congressionally authorized programs and activities, and the removal of crucial protections for student loan borrowers, while announcing plans to reorganize key ED functions into different departments.

    On March 24, 2025, a coalition of plaintiffs, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Education Association (NEA), the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Maryland Council 3, and others, filed a lawsuit to halt the Trump Administration’s illegal efforts to dismantle ED. The lawsuit argues that dismantling a Congressionally created federal agency requires Congressional approval. 

    The lawmakers wrote: “Since the Department was created, presidents have taken different views of the Department and the role the federal government should play in education policy, but none has attempted what President Trump is attempting here: to unilaterally shutter the department… In short, the ‘President’s power, if any, to issue an order’ abolishing the Education Department ‘must stem either from an act of Congress or from the Constitution itself.’ Here, President Trump’s effort to unilaterally dismantle the Education Department defies the express will of Congress. Defendants lack the power to do what only Congress can do—restructure the federal government by shuttering a government department.”

    In addition to Leader Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senator Warren, the brief was signed by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    The brief was signed by Speaker Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Representatives Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), Wesley Bell (D-Mo.), Donald S. Beyer Jr. (D-Va.), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-Ga.), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Or.), Shontel Brown (D-Ohio), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), Salus O. Carbajal (D-Calif.), André Carson (D-Ind.), Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-La.), Ed Case (D-Haw.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Yvette Clark (D-N.Y.), Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-Mo.), James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Herbert C. Conaway, Jr. (D-N.J.), J.Luis Correa (D-Calif.), Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Jasmine Crockett (D-Tex.), Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), Madeline Dean (D-Pa.), Diana DeGette, (D-Colo.), Suzan K. DelBene (D-Wash.), Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.), Maxine Dexter (D-Or.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Tex.), Sarah Elfreth (D-M.d.), Veronica Escobar (D-Tex.), Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), Cleo Fields (D-La.), Shomari Figures (D-Ala.), Lizzie Fletcher (D-Tex.), Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Laura Friedman (D-Calif.), Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.), John Garamendi (D-Calif.), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-Ill.), Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Sylvia Garcia (D-Tex.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), Pablo José Hernández (D-Puerto Rico), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), Steny H. Hoyer (D-M.d.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Glenn F. Ivey (D-M.d.), Jonathan L.Jackson (D-Ill.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (D-Ga.), Julie Johnson (D-Tex.), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif), William Keating (D-Mass.), Robin L. Kelly (D-Ill.), Timothy M. Kennedy (D-N.Y.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Greg Landsman (D-Ohio), John B. Larson (D-Colo.), George Latimer (D-N.Y.), Summer L. Lee (D-Pa.), Susie Lee (D-Nev.), Teresa Leger Fernández (N.M.), Mike Levin (D-Calif.), Sam T. Liccardo (D-Calif.), Ted W. Lieu (D-Calif.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Stephen F. Lynch (D-Mass.), Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.), John W. Mannion (D-N.Y.), Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), April McClain Delaney (D-M.d.), Jennifer L. McClellan (D-Va.), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Mich.), James P. McGovern (D-Mass.), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.), Robert J. Menendez (D-N.J.), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), Dave Min (D-Calif.), Joseph D. Morelle (D-N.Y.), Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Frank J. Mrvan (D-Ind.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Scott H. Peters (D-Calif.), Brittany Petterson (D-Colo.), Chellie Pingree (D-Me.), Nellie Pou (D-N.J.), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Delia C.Ramirez (D-Ill.), Emily Randall (D-Wash.), Deborah K. Ross (D-N.C.), Andrea Salinas (D-Or.), Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Eric Sorenson (D-Ill.), Melanie A  Stansbury (D-N.M.), Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.), Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.), Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), Bennie G.Thompson (D-Miss.), Mike Thompson (D-Cal.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Norma J. Torres (D-Calif.), Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), Derek T. Tran (D-Calif.), Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.), Juan Vargas (D-Calif), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Eugene Vindman (D-Va.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Maxine Walters (D-Calif.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), Nikema Williams (D-Ga.), Frederica S.Wilson (D-Fla.).

    Senator Warren launched the Save Our Schools campaign in a coordinated effort to fight back against President Trump’s attempts to abolish the Department of Education:

    • On June 10, 2025, Senator Warren met with Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and delivered over 1,000 letters to McMahon that the senator had received from people in all 50 states who were worried about the Secretary’s efforts to dismantle ED.
    • On June 9, 2025, Senator Warren led her colleagues in pushing the Acting Inspector General of ED to open an investigation into new information obtained by her office revealing that DOGE may have gained access to two FSA internal systems, in addition to sensitive borrower data.
    • On May 20, 2025, Senator Warren and 27 other senators pushed for full funding for the Office of Federal Student Aid.
    • On May 20, 2025, Senator Warren and 27 other senators pushed for full funding to the Office of Federal Student Aid.
    • On May 14, 2025, Senator Warren led a Senate forum entitled “Stealing the American Dream: How Trump and Republicans Are Raising Education Costs for Families,” highlighting the consequences of Secretary Linda McMahon’s reckless dismantling of the Department of Education (ED) and President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” for working- and middle-class students and borrowers.
    • On May 13, 2025, Senator Warren agreed to meet with Education Secretary Linda McMahon and promised to bring questions and stories from Americans across the country to highlight how the Trump administration’s attacks on education are hurting American families.
    • On May 6, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren highlighted the consequences of President Trump and Secretary Linda McMahon’s reckless dismantling of the Department of Education for American families in a Senate forum.
    • On April 24, 2025, Senator Warren launched a new investigation into the harms of President Trump’s attacks on the Department of Education, seeking information on the impact of the Trump administration’s actions from the members of twelve leading organizations representing schools, parents, teachers, students, borrowers, and researchers.
    • On April 10, 2025, following a request led by Senator Warren, the Department of Education’s Acting Inspector General agreed to open an investigation into the Trump administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education.
    • On April 2, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Mazie Hirono, along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, sent a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon regarding the Department of Government Efficiency’s proposed plan to replace the Department of Education’s federal student aid call centers with generative artificial intelligence chatbots.
    • On April 2, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren launched the Save Our Schools campaign to fight back against the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education (ED) and highlight the consequences for every student and public school in America.
    • On March 27, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led a letter to Acting Department of Education Inspector General (IG) René Rocque requesting that the IG conduct an investigation of the Trump Administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education.
    • On March 20, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders led a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon regarding the Trump Administration’s decision to slash the capacity of Federal Student Aid to handle student aid complaints.
    • On February 24, 2025, in a response to Senator Warren, Secretary McMahon gave her first public admission that she “wholeheartedly” agreed with Trump’s plans to abolish the Department of Education.
    • On February 11, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim sent Linda McMahon, Secretary-Designate for the U.S. Department of Education, a 12-page letter with 65 questions on McMahon’s policy views in advance of her nomination hearing.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Frost, Jayapal Introduce Legislation to Decriminalize Homelessness, The Housing Not Handcuffs Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Maxwell Frost Florida (10th District)

    June 26, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C.U.S. Representatives Maxwell Frost (FL-10) and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) have introduced legislation on the one-year anniversary of the disastrous City of Grants Pass v. Johnson Supreme Court decision, which allows cities to criminalize homelessness. The Housing Not Handcuffs Act aims to prohibit the criminalization of homeless persons on public lands when there is nowhere else to go. 

    “Since the Grants Pass decision, cities across the country have passed over 200 bills to criminalize homelessness, including in my own district. These policies don’t solve homelessness instead they dehumanize our unhoused, saddle them with criminal records, and make it even harder for them to find stable housing. It’s a vicious cycle that the Housing Not Handcuffs Act seeks to end,” said Rep. Maxwell Frost. “At a time when the cost of living is at an all-time high and Trump’s Big Ugly Bill will only help the rich get richer and the working poor get poorer— we’re fighting to make sure everyone has access to safe, decent, and affordable housing, not handcuffs.”

    “Every single person in the richest country in the world should be able to have a roof over their head and a safe place to sleep, it’s that simple,” said Rep. Jayapal. “There is nowhere in this country where you can pay rent on a minimum wage salary. By criminalizing aspects of homelessness, cities and states across this country are only creating greater barriers for people to access housing — something that is already far too scarce. Fining people who already can’t afford to live makes no sense and will only result in longer-term homelessness.”

    In 2024, homelessness increased by 18 percent nationwide, with a record high of 771,480 people experiencing homelessness. At the same time, there is a nationwide shortage of 200,000 shelter beds and a shortage of 7.1 million affordable and available rental homes. 

    Since the Grants Pass ruling, over 260 anti-homeless laws have been passed by cities and states. Criminalizing homelessness creates greater barriers to accessing housing. Typically, these punishments come with fines, which create further financial strain on people who can already not afford the basics, and may create a criminal record, making it more difficult to get a job or apply for housing. 

    The Housing Not Handcuffs Act will ensure that people who are homeless cannot be criminally or civilly punished for:

    • Living on federal lands unless safe, decent, accessible shelter is available;

    • Asking for or sharing food, water, money, or other donations in public places;

    • Praying, meditating, or practicing religion in public spaces;

    • Occupying a lawfully parked motor vehicle;

    • Storing their possessions and enjoying privacy in their personal property to the same degree as property in a private dwelling.

    The legislation is sponsored by Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (GA-04), Jr (GA-04), Summer Lee (PA-12), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07).

    It is also endorsed by A Way Home America; American Civil Liberties Union; Catalyst Montana; Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund; Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO); Equal Justice Under Law ; Fines & Fees Justice Center; Fund for Empowerment; Funders Together to End Homelessness; Health Students Taking Action Together (H-STAT); Homeless Action Center; Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky; Homeless Rights Advocacy Project; Hygiene4All; Invisible People; Justice in Aging; Juvenile Law Center; Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice; Law Enforcement Action Partnership; Legal Action Center; Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency; Miriam’s Kitchen; Mountain State Justice, Inc.; National Alliance to End Homelessness; National Coalition for the Homeless; National Harm Reduction Coalition; National Health Care for the Homeless Council; National HIV/AIDS Housing Coalition; National Homelessness Law Center, National Housing Law Project; National Low Income Housing Coalition; National Network to End Domestic Violence; National Vehicle Residency Collective ; One Love World ; Open Table Nashville ; People’s Action; Prison Policy Initiative; RESULTS Educational Fund; Sexual Violence Law Center; Southern Poverty Law Center; Street Books; Street Democracy; University of Miami School of Law Human Rights Clinic; VOCAL-TX; Voice of the Experienced; Voters Organized to Educate; Western Regional Advocacy Project.

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    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Neal Statement on the Passing of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA)

    Neal Statement on the Passing of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym

    Washington, D.C., July 2, 2025

    Congressman Richard E. Neal released the following statement on the passing of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, a Granby-native, graduate of Pope Francis Preparatory School, and student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

    “I was heartbroken to hear of the tragic shooting that took the life of Granby-native Eric Tarpinian-Jachym. A rising senior at UMass Amherst, Eric was in D.C. interning on Capitol Hill, pursuing his passion for public service. As a lecturer at UMass, I know firsthand the caliber of students who walk through those doors. Eric embodied what it means to be part of a community committed to learning, growth, and civic engagement.

    “Any parent will tell you there is no greater pain than the pain of losing as a child. As a father, my thoughts and prayers are with Eric’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

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    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Neal Statement on the Passing of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA)

    Neal Statement on the Passing of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym

    Washington, D.C., July 2, 2025

    Congressman Richard E. Neal released the following statement on the passing of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, a Granby-native, graduate of Pope Francis Preparatory School, and student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

    “I was heartbroken to hear of the tragic shooting that took the life of Granby-native Eric Tarpinian-Jachym. A rising senior at UMass Amherst, Eric was in D.C. interning on Capitol Hill, pursuing his passion for public service. As a lecturer at UMass, I know firsthand the caliber of students who walk through those doors. Eric embodied what it means to be part of a community committed to learning, growth, and civic engagement.

    “Any parent will tell you there is no greater pain than the pain of losing as a child. As a father, my thoughts and prayers are with Eric’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

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    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Construction sector expo launched

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The launch ceremony of the Infrastructure x Education Exhibition and the first phase of achievement of the STEAM UP project, jointly organised by the Development Bureau and the Construction Industry Council, was held today.

    This is the first time the construction industry has collaborated with the education sector to organise a large-scale exhibition featuring infrastructure projects in Hong Kong to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) education related to the construction industry, helping students apply STEAM knowledge through the examples of infrastructure projects and encouraging the youngsters to join the construction industry.

    Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn said at the ceremony that she hopes infrastructure can tell the good stories of Hong Kong and share STEAM knowledge via the exhibition, arousing students’ interest towards the construction industry and the exploration of STEAM knowledge.

    A first three-dimensional Infrastructure Map supporting STEAM education was launched at the event, introducing 32 types of infrastructure projects in Hong Kong and related STEAM knowledge. The map will be exhibited in various districts to let the public understand the city’s infrastructure.

    A set of architecture-themed learning and teaching materials of the STEAM UP project, including teachers’ lesson plans and teaching materials as well as story books, games and e-learning platforms, was also rolled out.

    Another eight sets of learning and teaching materials, covering architecture, surveying, planning, landscape architecture and engineering, will be launched progressively for use in classrooms in primary and secondary schools starting from 2025-26 school year.

    Ten thematic zones are set up in the exhibition. In addition to the aforementioned major projects, it also introduces the work, careers and development prospects of in the construction industry. Interactive games with construction robots are also available.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI USA: National Impact for CT AHEC and its Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars from UConn Health

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    “I was amazed to see just how large of an organization AHEC really is,” said Max Marks, UConn School of Dental Medicine student and Urban Service Track/AHEC (UST/AHEC) scholar alum. Marks was one of four UST/AHEC alumni who attended the recent biennial AHEC (Area Health Education Centers) conference in Lexington, Kentucky. The theme of the conference was Racing Toward Health Workforce Solutions. “I could see that all the people at the conference shared a common goal of improving health in their communities, in addition to training the health care providers of tomorrow.”

    The National AHEC Organization (NAO) represents a network of more than 300 AHEC program offices and centers that serve over 85% of United States counties. Connecticut’s AHEC office is located at UConn Health in Farmington. AHEC’s mission is to enhance access to quality health care, particularly primary and preventive care, by improving the supply and distribution of health care professionals.

    Director of the Connecticut AHEC, Petra Clark-Dufner traveled with the UST/AHEC scholar alums from UConn’s medical and dental school to the national AHEC conference (CT AHEC Photo).

    The two-year Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars (UST/AHEC) program is one of the key initiatives of the UConn Health-based AHEC program. UST/AHEC scholars include students from UConn Schools of Pharmacy, Nursing, Medicine, Dental Medicine, Social Work and Quinnipiac University’s Physician Assistant program.

    UConn medical student and UST/AHEC scholar alum, Julia Levin, also attended the conference and appreciates the opportunities extended to her as part of UST/AHEC.  “UST/AHEC prepares future health care professionals to practice medicine beyond the confines of textbooks and lecture halls—by connecting them with their communities and equipping them with the skills, perspective, and compassion needed to become truly effective, empathetic clinicians,” said Levin.

    The director of the Connecticut AHEC, Petra Clark-Dufner, says that “through the Urban Service Track, AHEC Scholars learn with, from and about each other.  In addition to expanding their clinical/patient care toolkit, Scholars learn and apply leadership and communication skills.”

    Student panel at the national AHEC conference (Photo Credit: Abell Media).

    The two UConn UST/AHEC alum that were on stage at the conference were medical student Renee Taylor and dental medicine student Evan Perlroth. They participated in the conference’s student plenary panel entitled “In full stride: Students leading workforce transformation.” Perlroth said that “attending my first national conference and speaking on a panel during a plenary session was a unique experience. It was empowering to share my perspective as an AHEC scholar in front of leaders and other professionals nationally.”

    Barbara O’Neill, UConn School of Nursing UST/AHEC coordinator, adds that the NAO student panel is just one of many examples of how the UST/AHEC program provides a platform for interprofessional collaborative practice and educates students and professionals nationally. “It is important to be reminded that every member of the health care team is valuable, including the health professions student in training,” says O’Neill.

    Perlroth sums up the benefits of the program well. “UST/AHEC has opened my eyes to a whole different side of health care that I was unaware of previously.  Without it, I would not be the health care student and future clinician I am today.”

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: GUU student to compete for victory at International Student Media Conference

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    On July 2, 2025, the III International Student Media Conference, organized by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, started on the territory of the Ethnomir Russian Park-Museum.

    The National University of Management is represented at the event by a foreign student from China, first-year master’s student Zhou Jingfan, studying in the field of “International Business Management”.

    The opening ceremony of the gathering was attended by Deputy Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate Vakhtang Khiklandze and Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo Pavel Shevtsov. The goal of the event was to create a platform for the exchange of experience and knowledge between foreign student journalists and bloggers from 50 Russian universities, to improve the level of professional competencies and to develop international cooperation in the field of media and education.

    Over the course of five days, students will learn about new tools for working in the media space, take part in master classes from leading media industry experts, attend lectures from both Russian and foreign experts, and apply the knowledge they have gained in practice by creating their own media projects dedicated to the culture and values of Russia.

    Based on the results of the completed projects, the best team and winners in individual nominations will be determined, who will have the opportunity to go on a press tour to Teriberka, a village in the Murmansk region on the shore of the Barents Sea.

    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.

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Stein Takes Action on 12 Bills

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governor Stein Takes Action on 12 Bills

    Governor Stein Takes Action on 12 Bills
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    Today Governor Stein signed eight bills into law and vetoed four bills.  

    Governor Stein made the following statement on his vetoes of Senate Bill 558, Senate Bill 227, House Bill 171, and House Bill 805:  

    “At a time when teachers, law enforcement, and state employees need pay raises and people need shorter lines at the DMV, the legislature failed to pass a budget and, instead, wants to distract us by stoking culture wars that further divide us. These mean-spirited bills would marginalize vulnerable people and also undermine the quality of public services and public education. Therefore, I am vetoing them. I stand ready to work with the legislature when it gets serious about protecting people and addressing North Carolinians’ pressing concerns.” 

    Governor Stein made the following statement on signing Senate Bill 600:  

    “This bill enables people to sign up to be organ donors while doing tax returns and keeps patients safe from toxic chemicals. It also helps schools recruit and retain school nurses and gives schools more tools to quickly treat children with severe allergies.” 

    Governor Stein also signed the following bills into law: 

    • House Bill 763
    • Senate Bill 442
    • House Bill 357
    • Senate Bill 125 
    • Senate Bill 655  
    • Senate Bill 307 
    • Senate Bill 133 
    Jul 3, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Security: National Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in 324 Defendants Charged in Fraud Scheme Totaling Over $14.6 Billion

    Source: US FBI

    As a part of the largest Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action in Department of Justice History, The Eastern District of Louisiana Strike Force Announces Charges Against Four Individuals.

    Today, Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced criminal charges against four defendants in connection with alleged schemes to defraud Medicare and other government programs. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.

    “The charges announced yesterday reinforce the combined missions of the Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and our law enforcement partners, to aggressively, and relentlessly, pursue those perpetrators who attempt to victimize our nation’s citizens,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson. “Our office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of fraud, and seek justice for those impacted by Health Care Fraud schemes.”

    “This record-setting Health Care Fraud Takedown delivers justice to criminal actors who prey upon our most vulnerable citizens and steal from hardworking American taxpayers,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Make no mistake – this administration will not tolerate criminals who line their pockets with taxpayer dollars while endangering the health and safety of our communities.”

    The charges announced today by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and illegal drug diversion schemes that involved the submission of over $14.6 billion in alleged false billings and over 15 million pills of illegally diverted controlled substances. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled, to line their own pockets. The  Government, in connection with the 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown,  seized over $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, and other assets.

    The following individuals were charged in the Eastern District of Louisiana:

    • Leland Roberts, 46, of Tifton, Georgia, was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with a scheme to bill Medicare for over $30 million for medically unnecessary genetic testing, and to pay and receive kickbacks. As alleged in the indictment, Roberts, co-owner, chief executive officer of, and (later) consultant to Luminus Diagnostics, a diagnostic laboratory located in Tifton, Georgia, conspired with others to procure orders for genetic testing in exchange for kickbacks, including orders acquired through purported telemedicine. To ensure the false and fraudulent claims would be paid, Roberts and his co-conspirators allegedly designed the genetic testing order forms to be “dummy proof”—with prepopulated diagnosis codes and check-the-box panels—and frequently billed the tests through another laboratory where co-conspirators thought the claims were more likely to be approved, which they concealed via a sham contract. Roberts and his co-conspirators caused the submission of over $30 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for genetic testing, and Medicare paid approximately $4.4 million based on those claims. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas D. Moses of the Eastern District of Louisiana and Trial Attorney Kelly Z. Walters of the Gulf Coast Strike Force.
    • Dr. Marion Lee, 61, of Cordelle, Georgia, was charged by information with conspiracy to defraud the United States in connection with a scheme to bill Medicare approximately $24 million for medically unnecessary genetic testing, and to pay and receive kickbacks. As alleged in the information, Dr. Lee, co-owner of and medical advisor to Luminus Diagnostics, a diagnostic laboratory located in Tifton, Georgia, conspired with others to procure orders for genetic testing in exchange for kickbacks, including orders acquired through purported telemedicine. To ensure the false and fraudulent claims would be paid, Lee and his co-conspirators allegedly designed the genetic testing order forms to be “dummy proof”—with prepopulated diagnosis codes and check-the-box panels—and frequently billed the tests through another laboratory where co-conspirators thought the claims were more likely to be approved, which they concealed via a sham contract, among other deceptive means. Dr. Lee and his co-conspirators caused the submission of over $24 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for genetic testing, and Medicare paid approximately $4 million based on those claims. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas D. Moses of the Eastern District of Louisiana and Trial Attorney Kelly Z. Walters of the Gulf Coast Strike Force.
    • Steven D. Peyroux, 56, of Canton, Georgia, was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and two counts of health care fraud in connection with a scheme to bill Medicare approximately $12.1 million for over-the-counter (“OTC”) COVID-19 tests that were not requested and ineligible for reimbursement. As alleged in the indictment, Peyroux, a chiropractor and purported health care consultant, conspired with others to pay kickbacks in exchange for Medicare beneficiary information nationwide, including names, Medicare identification numbers, and clearly fabricated recordings of individuals posing as beneficiaries and requesting OTC COVID-19 tests, which they used to bill Medicare for OTC COVID-19 tests that were not requested. In an attempt to avoid Medicare scrutiny, the indictment alleged that Peyroux and co-conspirators solicited multiple providers to join the scheme, who they directed to enter into sham agreements and make false statements in response to Medicare audits, to conceal the misconduct. Peyroux and his co-conspirators caused the submission of approximately $12.1 million in false and fraudulent claims, of which Medicare paid approximately $11 million. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas D. Moses of the Eastern District of Louisiana and Trial Attorney Kelly Z. Walters of the Gulf Coast Strike Force.
    • Zoe Francis, 46, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was charged by information with theft concerning programs receiving federal funds in connection with her role in embezzling funds from the Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies (“IWES”), a non-profit organization based in New Orleans that received grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other federal funds. As alleged in the information, Francis, as the chief operating officer of IWES, embezzled the funds for the benefit of herself and family members, including unauthorized expenditures for personal events and Amazon purchases. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas D. Moses of the Eastern District of Louisiana and Trial Attorney Gary A. Crosby II of the Gulf Coast Strike Force.

    “The scale of this Takedown is unprecedented, and so is the harm we’re confronting. Individuals who attempt to steal from the federal health care system and put vulnerable patients at risk will be held accountable,” said HHS-OIG Acting Inspector General Juliet T. Hodgkins. “Our agents at HHS-OIG work relentlessly to detect, investigate, and dismantle these fraud schemes. We are proud to stand with our law enforcement partners in protecting taxpayer dollars and safeguarding patient care.”

    “Stealing from the patients who rely on our government to provide healthcare is despicable,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office. “The FBI will continue working side by side with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana to bring these individuals to justice for their actions.”

    The Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, and Texas Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Columbia, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle, District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Middle, District of Georgia, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Maine, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Northern District of Mississippi, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nevada, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Western District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, District of North Dakota, Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, District of South Carolina, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Washington, and Northern District of West Virginia; and State Attorney Generals’ Offices for Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are prosecuting the cases in the National Health Care Fraud Takedown, with assistance from the Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team.

    Descriptions of each EDLA case and others involved in yesterday’s enforcement action are available at website.

    The Eastern District of Louisiana, in particular, worked with the Department’s Criminal Division and the following law enforcement organizations to investigate and prosecute the cases filed during the enforcement period: the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the United States Secret Service; and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

    An information or indictment is merely an allegation.

    All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Sergei Sobyanin opened the scientific and academic building of the Botkin Medical Scientific and Clinical Center

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Sergei Sobyanin opened the scientific and academic building No. 10 of the Moscow Multidisciplinary Scientific and Clinical Center (MMNCC) named after S.P. Botkin after reconstruction.

    “I would like to congratulate you on the completion of a major reconstruction or revival of the Botkin Hospital. In recent years, 16 buildings have been repaired and reconstructed, and a flagship center has been built. And the Botkin Hospital has received a worthy – worthy of the team and traditions of the Botkin Hospital – material base, thousands of units of new modern equipment. And, of course, medical care provided to both Muscovites and patients from other regions has reached a new quality level. Today, we are completing this reconstruction, comprehensive improvement. We are completing the reconstruction with this wonderful scientific and educational building, which will concentrate dozens of medical departments of the leading medical universities of our country, which will allow doctors to continue their education, and engage in science, and interact with leading professors, doctors of our country and, of course, Botkin Hospital. So I congratulate you on this major stage, on a new stage in the life of Botkin,” said Sergei Sobyanin.

    A robotic school has been created at the S.P. Botkin MMNCC, where specialists can learn to work with modern surgical robots. Today, the clinic has six latest-generation Da Vinci robotic surgical systems, which allows performing 20 operations daily.

    “The Botkin Robotic Center is one of the top ten European centers in terms of volume and range. Where there are six or more machines, and the number, as we do per year, is more than three thousand robotic interventions in urology, oncology, and gynecology. And this, of course, is a very promising direction,” noted the director of the S.P. Botkin MMNCC, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexey Shabunin.

    Leading researcher at the S.P. Botkin Moscow Medical Scientific and Clinical Center Igor Andreytsev clarified that not only young specialists but also experienced surgeons from Moscow and other regions of Russia will be able to study at the robotic school.

    “Historically, we operated first on the urological sphere – this is prostatectomy, this is kidneys. But at present, this is major oncological surgery. We are leaders in robotic surgery of the stomach, pancreas, colorectal surgery, and so on,” said Igor Andreytsev, leading researcher at the S.P. Botkin MMNC.

    Updated case

    The two-story building No. 10 with a basement and attic was built in 1909. In later years, the building was rebuilt several times. The total area of the building is 6.87 thousand square meters. Before the reconstruction, it housed the surgical, nephrology, resuscitation and thoracic surgery departments, which were transferred to the renovated buildings No. 11 and 22.

    The comprehensive reconstruction of building No. 10 began in March 2023. The building is a cultural heritage site, so both repair and restoration work were carried out in it.

    During the reconstruction, the building’s interfloor ceilings were replaced, the roof truss system was updated, new insulation of the attic spaces was installed, and a roof covering of 4.2 thousand square meters was installed. The electrical and water supply networks, heating, sewerage, air conditioning and ventilation systems were completely replaced.

    Three elevators were also installed in the building. The selected models of domestically produced elevators fully meet modern requirements for reliability and comfort, as well as the specifics of the medical institution.

    The interior finishing works were carried out using modern safe materials. At the same time, the features of the premises for various types of educational work were taken into account: lectures, broadcasts from operating rooms, master classes, seminars and scientific conferences.

    The facade of the building, which is included in the subject of protection of the cultural heritage site, was restored (its area is 6.2 thousand square meters). The finishing was done in a way typical for the first half of the 20th century – painting on plaster and brick. The bay windows, brick decor of the facade surfaces, and the attic of the main entrance were preserved.

    Windows and doors are also part of the historical appearance of the building, so their original dimensions, shape and color were preserved during the replacement. Hardwood was used as the material.

     

    The staircase from the early 20th century was restored and repaired. The figured metal railings of the stairways were fully preserved. Specialists also restored the covering of the platforms and corridors from Mettlach tiles.

    The Monier vaults, semicircular arched vaults supported by iron beams, found in the basement and on the first floor, were also preserved. They were plastered and painted.

    The memorial chamber of Vladimir Lenin (where the founder of the Soviet state was treated after the assassination attempt in 1918) has been restored. Its walls have been repaired using a special method for restoring paint layers. Defects in the historical parquet (scratches, abrasions, differences and unevenness of the coating, creaking and loosening) have been eliminated by sanding.

    The renovated building No. 10 houses a scientific and educational cluster — 28 departments of Moscow medical universities. Among them are the First Moscow State Medical University (MSMU) named after I.M. Sechenov, the Russian University of Medicine, the Russian Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education (RMANPO), the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) named after Patrice Lumumba, the Russian National Research Medical University (RNRMU) named after N.I. Pirogov, and the Moscow Regional Research Clinical Institute (MONIKI) named after M.F. Vladimirsky. In addition, the building will house a training center and a scientific and clinical department of the Botkin Medical Research Center.

    “Several dozen departments of medical universities, previously scattered throughout the hospital, have received their own home, where there are all the conditions for training students and residents and conducting scientific research. The training center and scientific and clinical department of the S.P. Botkin MMNCC will also begin working here. A full cycle of scientific and practical activities will be organized: from formulating a problem based on one’s own experience and conducting research to implementing the results in clinical practice and then transferring the experience to colleagues,” Sergei Sobyanin wrote in

    on your telegram channel.

    Source: Sergei Sobyanin’s Telegram channel @mos_sobyanin

    The building contains 72 offices and auditoriums for professors and teachers, as well as 10 conference rooms.

    Lecture halls and auditoriums are equipped with modern media systems with the ability to broadcast online from the operating rooms of the MMNCC. Thanks to this, students have the technical ability to “be present” at the operation and be in direct contact with the surgeon who performs it.

    The building is equipped with modern technology for holding conferences, online broadcasts, clinical analyses and other educational and scientific events. These include computers, telecommunications equipment, switches, monitors, interactive displays, multimedia players, digital screens, loudspeakers and radio microphones. A coworking area has been created for independent work of students.

    It is assumed that about 1.5 thousand students and residents will study in the building at the same time. The staff of the scientific and academic building will be more than 100 people, including six academicians and two professors of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), as well as more than 100 doctors and candidates of medical sciences, who previously worked in different parts of the MMNCC. In the future, it is planned to double the number of professors and teachers working here.

    The concentration of the scientific and teaching potential of the Botkin Hospital in the new building will allow for the organization of a full cycle of scientific and practical activities – from formulating a problem based on one’s own experience and conducting research to implementing the results in clinical practice and subsequent dissemination of the experience to colleagues.

    Constant interaction between clinical and scientific staff will allow real-time analysis of the experience gained and identification of problems, the solution of which requires additional research. The results of the conducted research work will be implemented in the clinical practice of the S.P. Botkin MMNCC and other medical institutions.

    The opening of the scientific and academic building will allow for the active development of new scientific areas – an artificial intelligence laboratory, 3D modeling and bioprinting. In addition, patenting and licensing of scientific and technical achievements, registration of inventions and rationalization proposals are planned here.

    Sergei Sobyanin: Modernization of Building No. 10 of the Botkin Hospital Completed

    Modernization of the S.P. Botkin MMNCC

    In 2019, the Moscow Government approved the development program for the Botkin Hospital. Its main areas are strengthening the material and technical base, training personnel, constructing and renovating buildings, and introducing modern diagnostic and treatment technologies.

    The modernization program included 16 hospital buildings with a total area of over 67 thousand square meters. At present, these works are almost completed.

    A comprehensive reconstruction of the hematology and surgical buildings, ophthalmology, palliative, urology, therapeutic and pathological buildings, nephrology and vascular centers, the center of outpatient oncology care (CAOC), and the food block was completed. A seven-story flagship center with a helipad and nine operating rooms was built and opened.

    In addition, overhead passages were built between buildings No. 22, 28, 30, 33, 20, as well as between buildings No. 10, 16 and No. 10, 21. An underground two-level parking garage for 620 cars was built.

    The territory around the S.P. Botkin MMNCC with an area of almost 18 hectares has been landscaped, it has become more comfortable for employees and patients. The front yard has been tidied up, where two new fountains have been installed instead of the old non-working one. The central park has been renovated, convenient paths have been laid and driveways have been arranged, gazebos, benches, pergolas and urns have been placed in the recreation areas. Almost 140 large linden trees, firs, pines, thujas, rowans, ornamental apple trees and more than 1,500 shrubs of various species have been planted on the territory. In addition, a convenient navigation system has been created and five checkpoints (CP) have been repaired.

    As a result of the modernization, comfortable conditions for patients and medical staff were created in the reconstructed buildings of the Botkin Hospital, and new large city treatment centers were improved and opened. In particular, the Moscow City Ophthalmological Center with 125 beds, including seven operating rooms, was created. In 2024, 31,137 patients were treated in the hospital. In 2025, more than 15 thousand people were admitted to the 24-hour and day hospitals, as well as short-stay hospitals (SSH) and the admission department, and 70 thousand to the outpatient department.

    A powerful modern pathomorphological and molecular biological laboratory has been created. In 2024, more than 250 thousand biopsies were performed here, about 50 thousand immunohistochemical studies were carried out. Over 100 thousand biopsies and about 20 thousand immunohistochemical studies were performed in four months of 2025.

    Specialists have received new opportunities to treat patients with blood diseases, including in the bone marrow transplant department. About a thousand autologous and allogeneic bone marrow transplants have been performed.

    A nephrology center has been opened, where residents of the Central, Northern, and Northwestern Administrative Districts undergo a full cycle of treatment for kidney diseases. For patients of the Western Administrative District, an outpatient oncology care center has been opened, where about 200 thousand oncologist consultations and 40 thousand chemotherapy courses are conducted per year.

    During the first year of operation of the new flagship center, more than 95 thousand patients were admitted and about 13 thousand operations were performed.

    In addition, the Moscow Urology Center, one of the largest robotic urology centers in the country, has been updated. In 2024, 7,600 surgical interventions were performed there, 950 of which were robot-assisted. In 2025, more than four thousand surgical interventions were performed, including 410 robot-assisted.

    The Botkin Hospital also opened a 30-bed purulent traumatology and surgery department with modern operating rooms. In 2024, 1.6 thousand operations were performed there, more than two thousand consultations were given, and 1.7 thousand people were treated.

    Thanks to the modernization, the first specialized high-throughput endoscopic center in Russia for the early diagnosis of oncological diseases was opened in the reconstructed buildings. In 2024, more than 70 thousand studies were conducted there, including about 37 thousand gastro- and 33 thousand colonoscopies. More than half of the studies (57 percent) were performed under anesthesia. In 2025, more than 32 thousand studies have already been conducted, including more than 11 thousand gastro- and 19 thousand colonoscopies. 63 percent of the studies were performed under anesthesia.

    The capacity of the short-stay surgical hospital with 12-bed wards and four operating rooms in the following areas has been increased: surgery, urology, traumatology and orthopedics, otolaryngology, purulent surgery, oncology, and vascular surgery. Patients receive a full cycle of preoperative and inpatient diagnostics and treatment. In 2024, 19 thousand operations were performed in the surgical SCP, in 2025 – 7616.

    In addition, the hospital now has the ability to provide tablet nutrition to 1.8 thousand patients six times a day.

    Sergei Sobyanin opened the flagship center of the Botkin HospitalSobyanin spoke about the first year of work of the new centers of the Botkin HospitalRobotic surgeons, transplantation and research. How Botkin Hospital became a scientific and clinical center

    The largest multidisciplinary hospital

    The S.P. Botkin City Clinical Hospital, founded in 1910, is one of the largest multidisciplinary hospitals in Moscow and Russia. In 2024, it received the status of Moscow multidisciplinary scientific and clinical center.

    It is located in the Begovoy district and occupies 24 buildings, 13 of which are cultural heritage sites. Their total area is 200 thousand square meters.

    The hospital has 19 specialized medical centers. Modern medical care, including high-tech, is provided in such areas as surgery, oncology, anesthesiology, resuscitation, hematology, transplantology, traumatology and orthopedics, urology, gynecology, nephrology, cardiology, neurology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, therapy.

    The hospital’s capacity is 1,560 beds, including 137 intensive care units.

    In 2024, more than 197 thousand inpatients were treated here, more than 107 thousand operations were performed, of which more than 20 thousand were high-tech. In 2025, more than 56 thousand patients were treated in the main hospital, 42 thousand operations were performed.

    The S.P. Botkin MMNCC has a full range of modern expert-class medical equipment, including six Da Vinci surgical complexes, 190 ultrasound machines, nine CT scanners, three MRI scanners, 70 video endoscopic stands and five X-ray endovascular systems, which provide the entire scope of instrumental examination of patients. In total, over 5.4 thousand units of equipment have been purchased over the past five years.

    The hospital employs 4.9 thousand people, which is the largest number of personnel in Moscow on the scale of a single hospital. Medical care is provided by almost 1.5 thousand doctors.

    The institution employs six academicians and two professors of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 16 honored doctors of the Russian Federation, more than 100 professors and doctors of medical sciences and 275 candidates of medical sciences.

    In recent years, the clinic has made significant advances in medical science.

    In 2021, a team of surgeons led by chief physician and academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexei Shabunin was awarded the Russian Government Prize in Science and Technology for the development and implementation of innovative treatment and diagnostic technologies to reduce the mortality rate of patients with pancreatic necrosis in Russia.

    In 2022, a team of specialists from Botkin Hospital became a laureate of the Russian Government Prize in the field of education for the preparation and publication of the first national guide to simulation training.

    In 2023, Alexey Shabunin and the head of the Moscow Urology Center, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Dmitry Pushkar became laureates of the State Prize of the Russian Federation in Science and Technology. The prize was awarded for achievements in the development and implementation of low-trauma treatment methods for cancer patients.

    Since 2021, 2,300 scientific articles have been published, including in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Based on the results of the research work carried out, in 2024 alone, Botkin Hospital received 22 patents for inventions.

    Botkin Hospital Surgeons Save Elderly Patient with Rare Aortic PathologySaving vision: how doctors at the Moscow City Ophthalmological Center of Botkin Hospital workDiagnostics in the capital’s endoscopic centers allows for the detection of oncological diseases at early stages

    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/mayor/tkhemes/13024050/

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Economics: DepEd and Microsoft expand AI-powered literacy initiatives across the Philippines 

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: DepEd and Microsoft expand AI-powered literacy initiatives across the Philippines 

    MIL OSI Economics

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Pupils’ maritime masterpieces to go on Tall Ships display

    Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

    Winning artwork by school pupils taking part in a citywide Tall Ships-inspired drawing competition will go on public display when the spectacular maritime festival sails into Aberdeen in two just weeks’ time.

    The winning works, portraying sailing ships, were selected by judge from the Counci, Aberdeen Inspired and Port of Aberdeen and will go on show in digital display boards along the quayside throughout the Tall Ship Races Aberdeen 2025 celebrations along with a selection from the mammoth 2,500 competition entries in city libraries in the run up to and during the big event.

    Councillor Martin Greig, Chair of the Aberdeen Tall Ships organising committee and Aberdeen City Council’s lead in education and culture, said: “It was wonderful to see the amazing art and design work which the young people produced. We were delighted with every single picture.

    There was a great deal of talent and imagination on display. The drawings and paintings add so much to the Tall Ships celebration. It was a joy to take part in this activity. 

    The winning entries were:

    P1-P3 category

    1st Aymen Jawad (Cults School P1), Runner-up Amalia Grandal Schumann (Ashley Road School P2), 3rdMillán Notivol Garrido (Cults School P3)

    P4-P7 category

    1st Arianna Browne (Scotstown School P6), Runner-up Lola Stephen (Kittybrewster School P7) 3rd  Antony Babiarz (St.Joseph’s Roman Catholic School P5)

    Secondary School category

    1st Marie Schwarz (Cults Academy’s S4), Runner-up Eni Adedeji (Harlaw Academy S2), 3rd Emelly Biesiada (Harlaw Academy S3)

    The Hazlehead School team of Daniel Gholizadeh, Jamie Ferris, Emilie Findlay and Lewis Hamil were awarded first prize for their model ship ‘Drum Destroyer’ in a separate citywide schools’ competition; a Miniature Tall Ships Races challenge based on pupil’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning.  

    The runner-up in the competition was Broomhill School’s Magizhan Sathiyamoorthy with ‘The Sea Keeper’ while in third place was Orchard Brae School’s Jack Johnstone, Lexi Browers and Angel Michie with ‘The Captain’s Sail’

    In addition to seeing their work highlighted throughout the Tall Ships festival, expected to attract some 400,000 visits, the winners will be given a private tour of the TS Royalist which is one of the largest UK vessels taking part in the races.

    Photograph shows Councillor Martin Greig with the competition winners

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Under the leadership of Alexander Novak, a comprehensive program for training personnel for foreign economic activity was reviewed

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, a strategic session entitled “Training Personnel in the Sphere of Foreign Economic Activity (FEA) in Order to Ensure National Development Goals” was held at the All-Russian Foreign Trade Academy. The Ministry of Economic Development presented a large-scale program for training specialists in the sphere of foreign economic activity until 2030.

    “The decree of the President of the country sets strategic guidelines for economic development, and one of the national goals is to increase non-resource and energy exports to $250 billion by 2030. This is approximately twice as much as by the end of 2024. The key factor is the integration of our economy into the global economy. In recent years, there have been significant changes in the structure and geography of foreign economic activity. Russia has actively reoriented trade from Europe and the United States to the markets of friendly countries: China, India, Central Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. All this allows us to strengthen economic integration,” said Alexander Novak, opening the session.

    In connection with the reorientation to the markets of support countries, the creation of new supply chains for critical goods, the formation of international payment instruments and the activation of integration processes, businesses need specialists with the relevant competencies. Sanctions have changed the rules of the game. The market needs specialists who know how to build alternative logistics chains in the context of geopolitical changes, know how to work with crypto payments, understand sanctions risks, know the languages and specifics of the markets of friendly countries.

    In order to achieve the target indicators and implement the President’s instructions, the Ministry of Economic Development has developed a program for training personnel for foreign economic activity. “What we are implementing today is a higher education policy applied to a specific area. The number of exporters has increased many times over, including SMEs. This is what we wanted, what we fought for, and what we need to value, because without personnel we will lose this achievement. Today, foreign economic activity is not just a part of business, but a question of economic sustainability,” emphasized the Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov.

    The head of the Ministry of Education and Science, Valery Falkov, noted that within the framework of the program for training personnel for the sphere of foreign economic activity until 2030, a list of training areas and specialties has been agreed upon.

    “It is important that this approach is in line with the interests of the main competence center – the All-Russian Academy of Foreign Trade, while it does not limit the opportunities of other educational institutions in developing specialized educational programs,” said Valery Falkov.

    He separately thanked Maxim Reshetnikov for the systematic, comprehensive approach to joint work on training personnel for foreign economic activity.

    The program provides for systemic measures to overcome the personnel shortage and eliminate the gap between the needs of business and the capabilities of the educational system. It is aimed at solving the key challenges faced by Russian exporters, including the need to form new logistics chains, develop alternative financial instruments and deeply understand the markets of partner countries.

    “Large and SME exporters have different requirements for the competencies of specialists in the field of foreign economic activity. Thus, large companies conducting multi-billion dollar business with regular shipments, dozens and hundreds of trade operations, as a rule, need narrow experts with deep knowledge in the subject areas of conducting and developing export activities: marketing, sales, compliance, logistics or payments. SMEs are limited in their ability to maintain a staff specifically for the development of foreign economic activity. As a result, they value generalists who simultaneously perform many functions, and also have a “long notebook” with contacts for using effective solutions in logistics, payments, marketing and others,” emphasized Veronika Nikishina, General Director of the Russian Export Center. In her opinion, special training programs should take into account the needs of both large businesses and SMEs. Moreover, it is important that they become the property of specialized universities in all regions.

    The program provides for a large-scale modernization of the educational process. In the coming years, it is planned to develop 180 educational and methodological complexes and online courses in relevant areas of foreign economic activity, professional retraining of 3 thousand university teachers, holding 20 international events to exchange experience with the participation of universities from the BRICS, EAEU and SCO countries, updating federal educational standards taking into account new requirements for specialists.

    The work will be coordinated by a methodological center created for these purposes at the All-Russian Academy of Foreign Trade, which will ensure interaction between educational institutions, business and regional authorities. “The center is being formed as a platform for cooperation between leading universities, business representatives and government bodies. Its work is built in three areas: events for schoolchildren (Olympiads, career guidance, interaction with parents), the introduction of educational modules in universities, attracting businesses to the training of students and teachers, advanced training and retraining of current specialists in foreign economic activity,” noted Victoria Idrisova, Rector of the Russian Academy of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Economic Development.

    According to her, as part of the pilot launch during the 2024/2025 academic year, VAVT prepared 10 educational modules and implemented advanced training programs for more than 70 of its teachers on the most pressing issues on the foreign economic activity agenda.

    During the discussion of the program for training specialists in the field of foreign economic activity, the participants identified a number of key issues that require detailed development. One of them is determining the format of personnel training: will it be a separate specialty or a set of competencies integrated into existing professions. “We are currently working on the foundation that will ensure the sustainability of the economy. The value of the program is not in the speed of delivery, but in finding answers to all questions, because training personnel for foreign economic activity is a strategic task for the country,” emphasized Maxim Reshetnikov.

    After revision, the program will be sent to the Government for approval. It is expected that its implementation will allow up to 25 thousand specialists to graduate annually, possessing relevant skills for work in the conditions of new economic realities. This will be a significant step in strengthening Russia’s human resources potential in the sphere of international cooperation and trade.

    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.

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Ruth First and activist research: the legacy of a South African freedom fighter

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Saleem Badat, Research Professor, UFS History Department, University of the Free State

    Ruth First, born 100 years ago, was a South African freedom fighter, journalist and scholar who worked against the racist system of apartheid during white minority rule. She was assassinated by apartheid forces in her office at the Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique in 1982.

    Her ideas, work and legacy live on. Sociologists Saleem Badat and Vasu Reddy have edited a new book called Research and Activism: Ruth First & Activist Research. We asked them about her and their project.


    Who was Ruth First?

    Heloise Ruth First was born on 4 May 1925 in Johannesburg to Jewish parents who had migrated from eastern Europe to South Africa in the early 1900s. Her parents were founder members of the South African Communist Party.

    She joined the Young Communist League and the Federation of Progressive Students and graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand in 1946 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

    At 21, First joined the left-wing South African newspaper The Guardian. When it was banned, the New Age took its place until it too was banned in 1962. She served as the newspaper’s Johannesburg editor for 17 years.

    In 1963, First was arrested at the University of the Witwatersrand library and held in solitary confinement for 117 days, during which time she was ruthlessly interrogated. The following year she and her three children left South Africa for England on an exit permit, where they joined her partner, the activist and politician Joe Slovo. She would not set foot again in South Africa. Continuing with her activist research in England, she taught at Durham University and then joined Eduardo Mondlane University until hear death.

    Ruth First. Courtesy the Slovo family

    The mid-1940s to early 1960s were tumultuous years in South Africa. With the rise of formal apartheid in 1948, racial segregation was intensified.

    First’s intrepid and penetrating journalistic research exposed her to the brutality of labour exploitation and control on the mines and the farms. It reinforced her understanding of South Africa in Marxist terms.

    She wrote:

    Silence in the face of injustice is complicity.

    For her:

    The will to fight is born out of the desire for freedom.

    She was confident that:

    The power of the people is greater than the power of any government.

    First believed that ignorance is “the enemy of progress and justice” and that knowledge and education are “key to empowering individuals and challenging oppressive systems”. These words ring true in today’s global events driven by right-wing authoritarianism, US imperialism and acts of genocide.

    On learning of her death, former South African President Nelson Mandela recalled:

    I was in prison when Ruth First was assassinated, felt almost alone. Lost a sister in arms  … It is no consolation to know that she lives beyond her grave.

    What is activist research and how is it applied in the book?

    As authors, we revisit Ruth First’s life, work and ideas and its relevance for the current context. We focus especially on the nature of her scholarship and how she navigated the tensions between her activism and her research – whether journalistic or for her books on South West Africa (today’s Namibia), Libya or western investment in apartheid. Other of her acclaimed books included The Barrel of a Gun: Political Power in Africa and the Coup d’etat and, during her Mozambican sojourn, Black Gold: The Mozambican Miner, Proletarian and Peasant.

    In the process we invite renewed critical reflection about her life and work. Inspired by First’s contributions, the book considers how universities and scholars engage with institutions and social movements beyond the university.

    ESI Press

    For example, in the book a research group from Durham University in the UK considers how to balance objectivity (showing no bias) with more politically participatory research methods and how objectivity can be enhanced despite the difficulties faced by activist research.

    Other scholars reflect on the work of the assassinated South African anti-apartheid activist scholar and lecturer Rick Turner on climate change. And on the complexities of undertaking activist research in Marikana with a women’s organisation, Sikhala Sonke. Marikana was the site where South African police opened fire on and killed 34 striking mineworkers in 2012.

    There is examination of a research partnership between University of Cape Town activist scholars and some Khoi-San communities, reflection on the challenges of legal practice and education, and critical analysis of the decolonisation challenges of the KwaZulu-Natal Society of the Arts.

    How do you frame activist research in your book?

    The book shows that there is a difference between engaged research, critical research and activist research.

    Engaged research tries to connect knowledge produced by academics with institutions, movements and experts outside the university to collaboratively address issues and promote cooperation.

    Critical research uses radical critical theory to critique oppression and injustice, to show the gap between what exists today and more just ways of living. However, it does not necessarily connect with political and social movements.

    Ruth First addresses a rally in Trafalgar Square, London in 1960. Courtesy the Slovo family

    First’s research was not only engaged, but also critical in orientation and activist in nature. As activist research it challenged oppression and inequality.

    It both critiqued the status quo in South Africa and elsewhere and tried to change it. It was linked with movements and connected to political activism that was anti-colonial, anti-imperialist, and committed to socialism.


    Read more: Lessons learnt from taking sides as a sociologist in unjust times


    First’s activist research did not confine itself to the academic arena but engaged with larger, wider and more diverse publics. It used this experience to critique dominant and often limited thinking at universities and promoted other ways of producing knowledge. The expertise developed was used to improve scholarship in various ways.

    What do you want readers to take away?

    There is much talk about the “engaged university” and engaged research. However, only certain connections and engagements seem to be valued.

    Prior to democracy in 1994, South African researchers connected with social movements for change. Now this is seldom the case. Universities and scholars largely engage with those with money – the state, business, elites and donors.


    Read more: Regina Twala was a towering intellectual and activist in Eswatini – but she was erased from history


    This raises questions about the roles of researchers in South Africa, whose interests are prioritised and the place of critical and activist research in the engaged university.

    How should Ruth First be remembered?

    We must honour her for her intellectual and practical activism. What matters is not just her knowledge archive, but also her example as both an outstanding interpreter of the world and an activist scholar committed to changing society in the interests of the downtrodden, marginalised and voiceless.

    First was a critical and independent thinker who refused to accept anything as settled and beyond questioning. But that intellect was committed to loyalty to the national liberation movement of which she was an invaluable cadre.


    The views expressed in this piece do not reflect or represent the position of the university to which Badat and Reddy are affiliated.

    – Ruth First and activist research: the legacy of a South African freedom fighter
    – https://theconversation.com/ruth-first-and-activist-research-the-legacy-of-a-south-african-freedom-fighter-257687

    MIL OSI Africa

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Fun with fossils: South African kids learn a whole lot more about human evolution from museum workshops

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Shaw Badenhorst, Associate Professor in Zooarchaeology, University of the Witwatersrand

    South Africa has one of the world’s richest fossil records of hominins (humans and their fossil ancestors). But many misconceptions still exist regarding human evolution, and school textbooks contain inaccuracies.

    South Africans still have some of the lowest rates of acceptance of human evolution, mostly due to conflicting religious views. Religion and the non-acceptance of evolution hinders the understanding of evolution by teachers and learners.

    It doesn’t help that school subjects (evolution being one of them) are often taught in unengaging ways, rather than interactive methods.

    Many studies have shown that collaborations between schools and informal science learning centres, such as natural history museums, can have a positive effect on school learners. Inquiry-based activities at museums have been shown to help learners gain knowledge and meaning about the past. Museum visits foster “thinking skills” through guided conversation and questions asked by educators and learners. New information is gained through reasoning, inference and deduction, which enhance learning.


    Read more: Evolution revolution: how a Cape Town museum exhibit is rewriting the story of humankind


    In 2018, a team of researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand launched workshops on human evolution for grade 12 learners (in the final year of secondary school) in South Africa’s Gauteng province. The aim was to stimulate interest in the palaeosciences and improve learner performance. We worked with learners from 13 schools in the area. The workshops were conducted at the museum of the university’s Evolutionary Studies Institute.

    From tests before and after the workshops, we found that they improved the learners’ understanding and acceptance of concepts related to evolution. More teacher training and school visits to museums and exhibitions could build on this success.

    Workshops on human evolution

    Examining cast hominin skulls at a workshop at a school. Grizelda van Wyk, Author provided (no reuse)

    Our human evolution workshops were conducted with well-resourced and historically disadvantaged schools attending. The grade 12 learners, aged 17 and 18 years, visited the fossil preparatory laboratory, searched for clues in the museum while answering a worksheet, and did activities on human evolution using inquiry-based approaches.


    Read more: What it’s like curating ancient fossils: a palaeontologist shares her story


    These activities included measuring and describing skulls of apes and hominins, comparing hip bones to see whether the creature was able to walk upright on two legs, investigating stone tools, and drawing a phylogenetic tree (a diagram showing how species are descended from each other). Due to financial constraints, some of the workshops were held at the schools themselves.

    The 687 learners wrote a test before and after the workshop to test their knowledge of hominin evolution. Their scores increased from an average of 39% to 61%.

    The location of the workshops (either at the museum or at the school) did not affect the scores, suggesting that workshops can be scaled to reduce costs. Feedback from interviews indicated that learners regarded the workshops as beneficial, enabling them to learn new facts and gain a deeper understanding of human evolution. Teachers echoed the same view.

    One learner said:

    It was pretty enjoyable, and informative and interesting. Especially the part when we asked questions and we actually got answered. It helped us to understand the knowledge more.

    Another said:

    It is always better to physically see things as compared to seeing a picture of it, it is easier to understand it this way.

    A teacher commented that learners

    could literally see exactly what is happening and it is not just talk, they can touch it and they can take part in the experiment, which is not something they are exposed to at school.

    It was apparent that learners understood human evolution better after the workshops. In the preliminary exam paper of Gauteng province, learners who attended the workshops scored nearly double (average 41%) the score of schools that did not attend (average 21%). While the scores are still low, and there is still much room for improvement, the results suggest that a short, hands-on workshop can make a major difference to learners.

    The workshop also increased the acceptance of evolution from 41% to 51%. (It was not the purpose of the workshops to increase acceptance, but rather to improve understanding of the topic.)

    Why the workshops worked

    In our view, the workshops were successful because they used inquiry-based learning, learners working in groups using problem solving and physical handling of fossil casts. This enabled active participation in the learning process.


    Read more: It’s time to celebrate Africa’s forgotten fossil hunters


    With this approach, learners took ownership of the learning process and it developed their curiosity, interest and a desire to learn. The guidance of a subject expert during the workshops enhanced the quality of the workshops and the learning experience. It’s clear that visits to places like natural history museums created connections which helped with understanding concepts such as human evolution in the classroom, and developing an enjoyment of learning.

    What’s next

    We recommend that teachers receive training in human evolution and how to teach this topic. Common misconceptions of teachers can be identified through surveys, and intervention training must be planned around these misconceptions. The Gauteng Department of Education has a free professional development programme offering training to teachers (not publicly available), which can be used for this purpose.


    Read more: Species without boundaries: a new way to map our origins


    Various institutions in Gauteng offer exhibitions on human evolution and fossils, including the University of the Witwatersrand, the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, Maropeng Cradle of Humankind, Sterkfontein Caves and the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre. The provincial education department must promote school visits to these places. Human evolution can be one of the most rewarding topics for learners, especially in a country where the fossil record is right on the doorstep.

    It’s vital for grade 12 learners in South Africa to have a solid understanding of human evolution – it fosters critical thinking about science, identity and our shared African origins. This knowledge not only deepens their appreciation of the continent’s fossil heritage, but also counters misinformation with evidence-based insight.


    This article was prepared with Grizelda van Wyk and in memory of Ian J. McKay.

    – Fun with fossils: South African kids learn a whole lot more about human evolution from museum workshops
    – https://theconversation.com/fun-with-fossils-south-african-kids-learn-a-whole-lot-more-about-human-evolution-from-museum-workshops-259319

    MIL OSI Africa

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Chernyshenko: The first championship in professional skills among SVO participants will be held in 15 in-demand competencies

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    From July 25 to 29, Kazan will host the first championship in professional skills among participants of the special military operation “Abilympics”. It is being held in accordance with the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    “At a meeting with the SVO participants, President Vladimir Putin said that people who have consciously chosen to serve the Fatherland and through this achieve their personal success should gradually occupy certain positions in various areas and directions. Today, it is especially important to help our heroes realize themselves in their chosen specialties and find jobs worthy of such highly qualified, responsible specialists. The first championship in professional skills among SVO participants will be held in 15 in-demand competencies at once. Participants of the national championship “Abilympics” will be able to undergo internships and get jobs in the leading organizations of the country,” said Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.

    More than 400 people will take part in the competition – these are contestants, experts and accompanying persons. Based on the results, 75 finalists will be selected, who will demonstrate their skills in the final of the national championship “Abilympics” in October 2025.

    “The National Championship of Professional Skills “Abilympics” has won recognition from employers, experts and the inclusive community of our country. This is not just a competition, but a symbol of the fortitude, courage and willpower of defenders. “Abilympics” reveals the heroes as true masters of their craft, who, thanks to perseverance and strength of character, are ready to achieve results for the sake of Russia’s development. I am confident that participation in the championship will help veterans conquer new heights in their chosen specialties,” said State Secretary – Deputy Minister of Defense, Chairperson of the State Foundation “Defenders of the Fatherland” Anna Tsivileva.

    The competition will be held at the production and training center of JSC Kazan Helicopters in 15 competencies: Web Development (Programming), UAV Operator, Photographer, Car Repair and Maintenance, Wood Carving, Performing Arts (Vocals), Massage Therapist, Cooking, Industrial Robotics, Assembly and Disassembly of Electronic Equipment, Welding Technologies, Metalworking, Carpentry, Electrical Installation, and CNC Turning.

    “The Professional Skills Championship is an important stage of comprehensive rehabilitation and social adaptation for the SVO participants, an opportunity to acquire sought-after skills and confidence in their professional future. Now it is important to provide comprehensive support to the returned guys – from training and career guidance to assistance in employment, and the Abilympics movement is actively involved in this process. Each of the veterans of the special operation should have the opportunity to realize their potential, find a decent job and continue developing in the chosen field. After all, their experience, discipline and determination are a valuable contribution to the development of our country,” commented Minister of Education Sergey Kravtsov.

    The opening ceremony of the championship is scheduled for July 25 in the concert hall of the Volga Region State University of Physical Education, Sports and Tourism. The award ceremony for the winners will take place on July 29 in the Bashir Rameev IT Park.

    “It is a great honor and responsibility for us to host this championship. Tatarstan has long been the center of major political and sporting events. We see the attention and care that the President of the country Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin shows to the participants of the SVO. And we are ready to create all the necessary conditions so that our veterans of the special military operation can demonstrate their skills,” said the head of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov.

    In addition to the competitive part, the championship includes a business program, which will include a plenary session on the professional development of SVO veterans, round tables on rehabilitation through sports and the role of civil society in supporting SVO participants. Career guidance, excursions and sports events will also be organized for the championship participants.

    In 2025, 228 people from 62 constituent entities of the Russian Federation took part in the regional championships in professional skills among disabled people and people with disabilities “Abilympics” in 43 competencies.

    The organizer of the championship is the Ministry of Education with the support of the Government of Russia and the state fund for supporting participants of the “Defenders of the Fatherland” military military organization, the federal operator is the Institute for the Development of Professional Education, and the regional operator is the government of the Republic of Tatarstan.

    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.

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Yuri Trutnev: The Jewish Autonomous Region will present key investment projects at the exhibition “Far East Street”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Important industry and investment projects, prospects for international business cooperation and plans for infrastructure development will be presented to guests of the Jewish Autonomous Region (JAR) pavilion at the Far East Street exhibition, which will be held as part of the tenth, anniversary Eastern Economic Forum – 2025 in Vladivostok. The exposition focuses on the tourism, industrial, agricultural and logistics potential of the region. The exhibition is organized by the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the Office of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of Russia in the Far Eastern Federal District.

    “A new team has arrived in the Jewish Autonomous Region, headed by Maria Fedorovna Kostyuk. She has actively taken up the work. The region is not easy. It needs to be supported, it needs to be helped. At the same time, there are prerequisites for future development in the region. The built cross-border railway bridge Nizhneleninskoye – Tongjiang creates opportunities for new logistics routes and cargo handling. A powerful transport, logistics and production complex will appear here. This will provide an economic stimulus for the development of the region and the entire Far East, will create jobs – both for blue-collar workers and for highly qualified specialists. Hemostatic tourniquets and other medical equipment are delivered to the front from the region, helping fighters in the SVO zone. On the instructions of the President of Russia, a master plan for Birobidzhan has been developed, and it is planned to create a “Far Eastern quarter”. The pavilion at the exhibition “Far East Street” will tell about how the region is developing, what new directions are emerging in the economy, and what makes the region attractive,” said Deputy Prime Minister – Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the Far Eastern Federal District, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Eastern Economic Forum Yuri Trutnev.

    Visitors to the pavilion will be able to get acquainted with the unique national color, natural beauty and investment potential of the region. The key component of the exhibition will be the rainbow bridge, since the rainbow is the main element of the flag of the Jewish Autonomous Region, a symbol of peace, happiness and goodness. A robot will act as a tour guide, telling guests about the history of the region, its traditions and features.

    A video about the region is planned to be shown on the large screen inside the pavilion. Information about the region’s existing industrial enterprises, investment projects that are in a high state of readiness, and promising offers for potential financial partners will also be posted here. Among them are the production of iron ore concentrate, the extraction of brucite and graphite, projects in the field of power generation, the forestry complex, and a logistics center. Visitors will also be able to see the products of the region’s enterprises and even take them as a souvenir.

    The stand will tell about promising projects, their characteristics, and also present data on the activities of a number of enterprises. In particular, initiatives will be presented on the formation of an agro-industrial park, the arrangement of greenhouses and the cultivation of berries, the construction of a soybean processing plant and a mineral fertilizer plant, the creation of a transshipment terminal and a petrochemical terminal at the Nizhneleninskoye – Tongjiang border crossing. On the touch panel, one can see an investment map and the possibilities of the bridge area with an image of areas already occupied by projects and free for the placement of production facilities, as well as get acquainted with the implementation of the Birobidzhan master plan.

    “Thanks to the implementation of national projects approved by the President, federal programs, with the support of Yuri Petrovich Trutnev, social facilities, cultural institutions are being modernized in our region, new public spaces are appearing. The region is becoming cozier, brighter, more comfortable. And people see it. The Jewish Autonomous Region is a small region, but with great potential. Our unique logistics capabilities, nature, tourist routes are attractive to investors and guests from all over Russia. These advantages will improve people’s lives, create new jobs, and replenish the budget with tax revenues. Every ruble attracted to the region should benefit people, and every project should change their lives for the better,” said Acting Governor of the Jewish Autonomous Region Maria Kostyuk.

    A “live newspaper” will be dedicated to the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the exploits of the heroes of the special military operation. The structure with built-in screens and texts in the style of a printed spread will tell about the participants of the Great Patriotic War and the Special Military Operation from the region.

    Stands dedicated to the region’s tourism opportunities will be located nearby. Among them are the “Jewish Place” brand, the museum and memorial complex on top of the June-Koran hill in Volochayevka, the Bastak nature reserve, the Foma and Zmeinaya Mountain ski resorts, and the resort area of the village of Kuldur. Data on the objects is accompanied by QR codes, which make it possible to learn more about the projects. A separate optical mark leads to the “Far East – Land of Adventure” competition page.

    The cultural zone is designed as a large-scale rack, recreating the atmosphere of a cozy home living room, where guests of the Jewish Autonomous Region can get acquainted with the rich cultural heritage and creative achievements of the region. The trade zone will be represented by products of small and medium-sized businesses. At the stand, you can buy honey, clothes of the Pravda brand, knitwear of the Signalnaya brand, and souvenirs.

    The open area opposite the pavilion will feature a recreation area for guests – swings, poufs, pillows, benches, a kiosk with a coffee machine and soft drinks. Three brucite rocks will be presented as art objects. Five-meter lighting poles in the shape of menorahs will be installed on both sides of the pavilion. The stand will host various master classes, sports and cultural programs, including one on the theme of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

    The violin ensemble will perform famous Jewish folk melodies and world classics. Soloists Vyacheslav Tetyuev and Alexandra Prokina will perform songs in Yiddish. The Kamyshinka folk ensemble and the Russkaya Dusha ensemble will delight the audience with bright stylized compositions and original works. Timur Vedernikov and Katya Kotyonochkina from Moscow will also perform here. A retro program with world and domestic hits of the 70s and 80s is planned separately. In addition, the site will host performances by artists of the Surprise Dance Theater.

    The concert programs will include various activities for spectators, including prize drawings for connoisseurs of Jewish culture.

    The 10th Eastern Economic Forum will be held on September 3–6 at the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok. During these days, the exhibition will be available to forum participants, and on September 7, 8, and 9, it will be open to everyone. The EEF is organized by the Roscongress Foundation.

    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.

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Construction industry joins hands with education sector to promote STEAM education (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The launching ceremony of the Infrastructure x Education Exhibition and the first phase of achievement of the STEAM UP project, jointly organised by the Development Bureau and the Construction Industry Council (CIC), was held today (July 3). This is the first time for the construction industry to collaborate with the education sector to organise a large-scale exhibition featuring infrastructure projects in Hong Kong to promote STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education related to the construction industry, thereby helping students apply STEAM knowledge through practical examples of infrastructure projects and encouraging the younger generation to join the construction industry.

         Speaking at the launching ceremony, the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, said that the construction industry and infrastructure involve many STEAM elements. The construction industry joins hands with the education sector to launch STEAM learning and teaching materials, which can make learning more effective. She hoped that, through this exhibition, infrastructure can tell the good stories of Hong Kong and share STEAM knowledge, which arouses students’ interest towards the construction industry and the exploration of STEAM knowledge.

         Other officiating guests at the launching ceremony were the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mr Ricky Lau; the Under Secretary for Education, Dr Sze Chun-fai; the Chairman of the CIC, Professor Thomas Ho; the Executive Director of the CIC, Mr Albert Cheng; and the Executive Director of Hong Kong Education City, Dr Tenny Lam.

         Hong Kong’s first 3-dimensional Infrastructure Map supporting STEAM education was launched at the ceremony, introducing 32 types of infrastructure projects in Hong Kong and the related STEAM knowledge. The Infrastructure Map will be exhibited in various districts in Hong Kong in the future to let members of the public understand the edges of the infrastructure of Hong Kong.
     
         The first set of architecture-themed learning and teaching materials of the STEAM UP project, including teachers’ lesson plans and teaching materials, as well as story books, games and e-learning platforms for students, was also rolled out at the ceremony, offering all-round support to STEAM education in schools. Another eight sets of learning and teaching materials, covering aspects of architecture, surveying, planning, landscape architecture and engineering, will be launched progressively for use in classrooms in primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong starting from 2025/26 school year.

         Ten thematic zones are set up in the exhibition. In addition to the aforementioned two major projects, the exhibition also introduces the work, career paths and development prospect of various professional fields in the construction industry, helping students plan their careers. Interactive games with construction robots are also available.

         A series of talks are also organised in the exhibition, where speakers from government departments, tertiary institutions, training institutions, professional institutes and trade associations discuss topics covering innovative technology, Building Information Modelling, artificial intelligence, Modular Integrated Construction, Multi-trade integrated Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing, etc.

         The Infrastructure x Education Exhibition is part of the Learning & Teaching Expo 2025 being held from July 2 to 4, at Booth R01, Hall 3B, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Expo Drive, Wan Chai. For more information about the exhibition, please visit: https://www.constructionhk.org/en/infrastructure-education/.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Construction industry joins hands with education sector to promote STEAM education (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The launching ceremony of the Infrastructure x Education Exhibition and the first phase of achievement of the STEAM UP project, jointly organised by the Development Bureau and the Construction Industry Council (CIC), was held today (July 3). This is the first time for the construction industry to collaborate with the education sector to organise a large-scale exhibition featuring infrastructure projects in Hong Kong to promote STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education related to the construction industry, thereby helping students apply STEAM knowledge through practical examples of infrastructure projects and encouraging the younger generation to join the construction industry.

         Speaking at the launching ceremony, the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, said that the construction industry and infrastructure involve many STEAM elements. The construction industry joins hands with the education sector to launch STEAM learning and teaching materials, which can make learning more effective. She hoped that, through this exhibition, infrastructure can tell the good stories of Hong Kong and share STEAM knowledge, which arouses students’ interest towards the construction industry and the exploration of STEAM knowledge.

         Other officiating guests at the launching ceremony were the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mr Ricky Lau; the Under Secretary for Education, Dr Sze Chun-fai; the Chairman of the CIC, Professor Thomas Ho; the Executive Director of the CIC, Mr Albert Cheng; and the Executive Director of Hong Kong Education City, Dr Tenny Lam.

         Hong Kong’s first 3-dimensional Infrastructure Map supporting STEAM education was launched at the ceremony, introducing 32 types of infrastructure projects in Hong Kong and the related STEAM knowledge. The Infrastructure Map will be exhibited in various districts in Hong Kong in the future to let members of the public understand the edges of the infrastructure of Hong Kong.
     
         The first set of architecture-themed learning and teaching materials of the STEAM UP project, including teachers’ lesson plans and teaching materials, as well as story books, games and e-learning platforms for students, was also rolled out at the ceremony, offering all-round support to STEAM education in schools. Another eight sets of learning and teaching materials, covering aspects of architecture, surveying, planning, landscape architecture and engineering, will be launched progressively for use in classrooms in primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong starting from 2025/26 school year.

         Ten thematic zones are set up in the exhibition. In addition to the aforementioned two major projects, the exhibition also introduces the work, career paths and development prospect of various professional fields in the construction industry, helping students plan their careers. Interactive games with construction robots are also available.

         A series of talks are also organised in the exhibition, where speakers from government departments, tertiary institutions, training institutions, professional institutes and trade associations discuss topics covering innovative technology, Building Information Modelling, artificial intelligence, Modular Integrated Construction, Multi-trade integrated Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing, etc.

         The Infrastructure x Education Exhibition is part of the Learning & Teaching Expo 2025 being held from July 2 to 4, at Booth R01, Hall 3B, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Expo Drive, Wan Chai. For more information about the exhibition, please visit: https://www.constructionhk.org/en/infrastructure-education/.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Construction industry joins hands with education sector to promote STEAM education (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The launching ceremony of the Infrastructure x Education Exhibition and the first phase of achievement of the STEAM UP project, jointly organised by the Development Bureau and the Construction Industry Council (CIC), was held today (July 3). This is the first time for the construction industry to collaborate with the education sector to organise a large-scale exhibition featuring infrastructure projects in Hong Kong to promote STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education related to the construction industry, thereby helping students apply STEAM knowledge through practical examples of infrastructure projects and encouraging the younger generation to join the construction industry.

         Speaking at the launching ceremony, the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, said that the construction industry and infrastructure involve many STEAM elements. The construction industry joins hands with the education sector to launch STEAM learning and teaching materials, which can make learning more effective. She hoped that, through this exhibition, infrastructure can tell the good stories of Hong Kong and share STEAM knowledge, which arouses students’ interest towards the construction industry and the exploration of STEAM knowledge.

         Other officiating guests at the launching ceremony were the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mr Ricky Lau; the Under Secretary for Education, Dr Sze Chun-fai; the Chairman of the CIC, Professor Thomas Ho; the Executive Director of the CIC, Mr Albert Cheng; and the Executive Director of Hong Kong Education City, Dr Tenny Lam.

         Hong Kong’s first 3-dimensional Infrastructure Map supporting STEAM education was launched at the ceremony, introducing 32 types of infrastructure projects in Hong Kong and the related STEAM knowledge. The Infrastructure Map will be exhibited in various districts in Hong Kong in the future to let members of the public understand the edges of the infrastructure of Hong Kong.
     
         The first set of architecture-themed learning and teaching materials of the STEAM UP project, including teachers’ lesson plans and teaching materials, as well as story books, games and e-learning platforms for students, was also rolled out at the ceremony, offering all-round support to STEAM education in schools. Another eight sets of learning and teaching materials, covering aspects of architecture, surveying, planning, landscape architecture and engineering, will be launched progressively for use in classrooms in primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong starting from 2025/26 school year.

         Ten thematic zones are set up in the exhibition. In addition to the aforementioned two major projects, the exhibition also introduces the work, career paths and development prospect of various professional fields in the construction industry, helping students plan their careers. Interactive games with construction robots are also available.

         A series of talks are also organised in the exhibition, where speakers from government departments, tertiary institutions, training institutions, professional institutes and trade associations discuss topics covering innovative technology, Building Information Modelling, artificial intelligence, Modular Integrated Construction, Multi-trade integrated Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing, etc.

         The Infrastructure x Education Exhibition is part of the Learning & Teaching Expo 2025 being held from July 2 to 4, at Booth R01, Hall 3B, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Expo Drive, Wan Chai. For more information about the exhibition, please visit: https://www.constructionhk.org/en/infrastructure-education/.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI Africa: North West engages with youngsters in agriculture

    Source: Government of South Africa

    The North West MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Madoda Sambatha, is embarking on a series of engagements with young people in agriculture across the province.

    According to the North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the sessions aim to empower youth to take an active role in shaping the future of the sector, reflecting their commitment to supporting sustainable, youth-led growth in agriculture.

    The first leg of the district engagements kicked off on Monday, 30 June 2025, in Coligny, within the Ngaka Modiri Molema District. 

    The department said that at the heart of this focused intervention is the Youth in Agriculture and Rural Development (YARD) structure, whose elected leadership has been tasked with advancing youth representation and development at all levels of the sector.

    The rollout continues in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District on Friday, 4 July, at Mooilagte Farm in the Naledi Local Municipality. 

    This will be followed by engagements in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District on 11 July at Ga-Matsapola Farm, and in the Bojanala Platinum District on 14 July at the Moses Kotane Local Municipality.

    The initiative brings together key stakeholders, including the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), North West University Business School, the Small Enterprise Finance and Development Agency (SEFDA), AgriSETA, the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), commercial banks, and development finance institutions. 

    “The sessions serve as a gateway for young people to access critical information on funding, skills development, mentorship, and market access tools essential for building resilient and sustainable agri-enterprises.” 

    Held in partnership with local municipalities through the District Development Model (DDM), the engagements aim to ensure that the needs and aspirations of young farmers are integrated into local economic development plans.

    “In addition to dialogue and presentations, each session includes live demonstrations and planting activities, exposing participants to practical techniques and climate-smart agricultural methods.” 

    Addressing youth during the Coligny engagement held on Monday, Sambatha emphasised the department’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for youth in agriculture.

    “This is not a ceremonial exercise; it is a deliberate strategy to reposition young people as central drivers of agricultural growth and rural development. We are here to remove bottlenecks, unlock opportunities, and invest in future producers,“ Sambatha said.

    The department encourages all young people involved in farming, agri-processing, and rural enterprises to take full advantage of these sessions and the wide range of support offered through government and its partners. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/ZIMBABWE – “Training seminar” for judges and prosecutors canceled

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Harare (Agenzia Fides) – Under pressure from legal experts, lawyers, and members of civil society, an order requiring Zimbabwean judges to participate in a series of training courses at the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party has been canceled. According to a government decree, the training courses, scheduled to take place from July 4 to 5, were to be delivered by Fulton Mangwanya, head of the Central Intelligence Organization, and Martin Rushwaya, Chief Secretary to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Cabinet, as well as by Ishmael Mada, Dean of the party’s Ideology School.The mandatory attendance of judges and prosecutors at a seminar at the ruling party’s school and the intervention of the head of the state intelligence agency caused widespread consternation in the country, as there were fears of an undermining of the independence of the judiciary and its politicization.Among the organizations that have intervened against the order is the Catholic Lawyers Association of Zimbabwe, which, in a statement released yesterday, July 2, expressed “deep concerns about the propriety of this so-called induction, which appears to be outside contemporary, salient, established legal and judicial principles in Zimbabwe and the region.”The statement states that it condemns “the politicization of judges’ training and call on all arms of the government to respect the principle of separation of powers and the rule of law, which are embedded in the supreme law of the country.” The Association of Catholic Jurists recalls the articles of the Constitution stating that “independence of the judiciary is not a cosmetic design but a deeply entrenched principle that forms the core of the justice system in Zimbabwe.” “Subjecting judges who must at all times be independent and be seen to be independent to an ideology of one party to the exclusion of others not only compromises the judiciary but attacks its independence and impartiality,” the statement continues. “We note that this is all happening at a time when the public confidence in the judiciary is low, given the widely held public perception that the Judiciary is captured by the Executive.” In this context, the Harare High Court yesterday ordered the arrest of Faith Zaba, editor of the Zimbabwe Independent, for publishing an article harshly critical of the president. The content of the article was described by Public Prosecutor Takudzwa Jambawu as “factually inaccurate and calculated to incite hostility toward the president among Zimbabweans.” (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 3/7/2025)
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