Category: Education

MIL-OSI Russia: From Student to Pro: A Knight’s Move

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

© Maxim Kovalevich

The HSE hosted the student festival “Career Gambit”, organized byHse Chess Club, which became an unconventional platform for dialogue between students and employers. The opponents not only excitedly built game strategies, but also talked about careers and real employment opportunities. It turned out that playing chess is not just an intellectual competition, but also an opportunity to get to know each other better, discuss professional interests and look at future cooperation from a new angle.

The festival brought together more than 100 people, most of whom took part in the tournament, where 16 teams from employer companies and the same number of student teams competed.

Over the course of seven rounds, there were intense battles for the main trophy, which went to the Wildberries team.

The festival gave an opportunity not only for experienced chess players to compete, but also for those who had never sat down at the board to join the world of chess. For them, Pavel Zaitsev, senior coach of the HSE Chess Club, former member of the HSE and RSUH teams, postgraduate student of the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, held a master class and told many interesting facts about the game and the basic rules.

Those who did not participate in the tournament but wanted to try their hand at chess had the opportunity to compete in a simultaneous game with Nikita Buts, FIDE chess master, executive director at Sber, Founder

All festival participants noted that it was an interesting experience that brought together like-minded people from different fields for a common interesting activity and provided students with another opportunity to plan their career trajectory.

“As an amateur, I am pleased that chess is gaining a presence in the HSE intellectual landscape,” said Vice-Rector Salambek Dombaev, a member of the HSE team. “This time, the guys managed to assemble a very interesting lineup of students, HSE employees, and colleagues from the industry. The tournament was a success. Personally, I lost all the games, but I received a boost and motivation to continue improving my skills in the game. I am sure that I am not alone in my desire. I would like to express my gratitude to our student chess association for the excellent organization of the event and the atmosphere. At the Career Gambit festival, I talked to HSE students and was impressed by their level. It was not just a tournament, but a mix of games and career talks. The students caught insights from professionals and learned about internships and opportunities in companies.”

“We are always looking for new formats of interaction between employers and students to ensure effective communication,” shared Olga Gaevskaya, Head of Career Development and Alumni Relations Office. — It is not always possible to find out the answers to the questions that concern students at official meetings. Therefore, when the HSE Chess Club suggested holding a chess tournament between companies and HSE students, we thought — this is what we need!”

The tournament involved 16 HSE partners. These are top-level specialists in their subject areas, and despite the heated competition at the chessboard, the students were able to meet their future potential employers and also play games as if they were solving work problems with their colleagues.

Pavel Salman, Team Lead Computer Vision in the Wildberries PVZ quality control team, captain of the winning team, said that it was valuable for him to sit down at the board after a long break and meet interesting people. “The organization of the event is perfect, it was a pleasure to play,” he says. “I didn’t expect to see so many teams, it turned out to be really large-scale. I wish you to continue growing further, to develop the chess community (it’s really cool!) We will be happy to take part in future tournaments. For our Wildberries team, this is only the second inter-corporate chess competition, and we are glad that we managed to achieve such success in the conditions of competition with such strong teams! From the first rounds, we managed to pull ahead a little in points, but then it became difficult to hold on. Before the last round, about seven pursuers almost caught up with us. I think this is an obvious indicator that many worthy and equal teams gathered, and, perhaps, we were just a little lucky in the end.”

Alexey Demyanenko, Director of Products and Tariffs at PJSC Rostelecom, talked to HSE students at the festival and was impressed by their level. “It wasn’t just a tournament, but a mix of games and career talks. Students caught insights from professionals and learned about internships and opportunities in companies. At Rostelecom, we have a large internship program, but unfortunately, many students don’t know about it yet, which means we need to better inform them about our opportunities. The Rostelecom team took second place, and for us it was a great experience and a chance to practice gaming skills and at the same time share information about a career at Rostelecom. Chess is not only about strategy, but also about pumping up the future! And we pumped up a lot at the chess festival at HSE,” he said.

Alexey Novikov, a representative of T2, was glad to learn that HSE has such a large-scale chess club. “I would like to note the high level of play, and after the tournament there was an opportunity to talk to students about the possibilities of working in the company,” he noted. “It would be great if this format becomes traditional. I wish further development to the chess movement at HSE.”

Aleksandr Chelekhovsky, a teacher and member of the HSE team, enjoys participating in atmospheric tournaments in the atrium. “I don’t really like online games, but I always try to get to our tournaments,” he says. “I met a lot of student and colleague friends who often go to such tournaments. It’s great that many teams from different companies gathered. It seems to me that HSE is making big steps towards expanding and popularizing chess. I am ready to support these steps and continue to participate in the activities of the chess club.”

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 –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: NHS red tape blitz delivers game-changing new cancer treatment
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

NHS red tape blitz delivers game-changing new cancer treatment

Patients to benefit from new era in cancer treatment, as Government slashes red tape to unleash life-saving innovation
NHS patients will be the first in Europe to benefit from a ground-breaking, non-invasive liver cancer treatment, as the Government’s Plan for Change slashes burdensome red tape and drives innovation, establishing Britain’s role as a medical technology powerhouse.

Using ultrasound technology, the device – developed by US-based company HistoSonics – destroys tumours without surgery, scalpels, radiation, with minimal damage to surrounding organs.

Patients stand to benefit from faster recovery times, potentially greater survival rates, fewer potentially dangerous complications, and less hospital stays – helping to cut waits for others – all marking a new era in cancer treatment.

Ongoing research is exploring its potential to transform treatment for other hard-to-reach tumours – including kidney and pancreatic cancers – bringing hope to even more NHS patients in the future.

Treatment is delivered via a single short session – potentially taking no longer than 30 minutes – with limited or no pain, a quick recovery, and can be performed as a day case.

As the Government busts the bureaucracy holding back public services and stifling innovation, Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting granted authorisation for controlled early access to the device via an unmet clinical need authorisation. Available through the UK’s Innovative Devices Access Pathway programme, a government-funded scheme to get cutting-edge health innovations to the market much quicker, NHS patients can benefit from technology years earlier than planned.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

Bureaucracy has become a handbrake on ambition, stopping innovation in its tracks and holding our health service back.

But through our Plan for Change, we are slashing red tape, so game-changing new treatments reach the NHS front line quicker – transforming healthcare.

Regulation is vital to protect patients. However, as the pace of innovation ramps up, our processes must be more agile to help speed the shift from analogue to digital.

Our common sense approach to regulation will streamline approval processes so countless more patients are liberated from life-limiting conditions.

The technology, called histotripsy, is being debuted at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, part of Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) with the first NHS patients being treated using the game-changing device this summer. The technology was procured and installed thanks to a generous donation to the University of Cambridge from the Li Ka Shing Foundation, which has been a longstanding supporter of cancer research at the University.

Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, said:

Through his longstanding support of cancer research at Cambridge, Sir Ka-shing Li continues to make a significant impact on outcomes for cancer patients.

Cutting-edge technology such as this histotripsy machine allows Cambridge to remain at the forefront of understanding and treating cancer, a position we aim to strengthen further with Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital.

The Government’s Plan for Change is focused on securing the UK’s position as a global tech powerhouse – including in healthcare – which fosters innovation to transform the lives of working people and deliver a decade of national renewal.

The move delivers on the Government’s commitment to tackle bureaucracy blocking investment and regulatory complexity that has previously stifled growth.

Roland Sinker, Chief Executive of Cambridge University Hospitals said:

Histotripsy is an exciting new technology that will make a huge difference to patients.

By offering this non-invasive, more targeted treatment we can care for more people as outpatients and free up time for surgeons to treat more complex cases.

The faster recovery times mean patients will be able to return to their normal lives more quickly, which will also reduce pressure on hospital beds, helping us ensure that patients are able to receive the right treatment at the right time.

We are delighted to be receiving this new state of the art machine.

Fiona Carey, Co-chair of the Patient Advisory Group for Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital and kidney cancer patient with advanced disease, said:

This is seriously good news. A new, non-invasive option to treat these cancers is very welcome indeed.

For patients for whom ordinary surgery is no longer an option, this could make all the difference.

James Pound, Interim Executive Director, Innovation and Compliance at MHRA, said:

This is a strong example of smart, agile regulation in action. Working closely with partners through the Innovative Devices Access Pathway, we’ve shown we can get promising technologies to patients faster – without compromising safety.

It’s a major step forward for patients with liver cancer and shows how the UK can be a frontrunner in supporting responsible innovation that meets real clinical need.

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Published 10 June 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Art Gallery unveils nation’s favourite railway artwork
Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

Train Landscape by artist Eric Ravilious has been named as the world’s best-loved railway artwork in the UK, following a global poll organised by Railway 200 and Art UK to mark the 200^th anniversary of the modern railway. The watercolour is in the collection of Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums and has gone on display in Gallery 7 at Aberdeen Art Gallery.

Painted in 1940, it shows the chalk white horse of Westbury, Wiltshire, viewed through the window of a third-class train carriage. Tirzah Garwood, the wife of Eric Ravilious, made the collage using elements from different watercolours Ravilious painted whilst travelling on trains.

Ella Ravilious, granddaughter of Eric Ravilious, said: “I’m thrilled that Train Landscape has been voted best-loved railway artwork, as it captures travel through the British landscape in a third-class carriage in the late 1930s. This painting by my grandfather, Eric Ravilious, was created with the assistance of my grandmother, Tirzah Garwood. Eric rode back and forth on the train, making several watercolours, none of which he was totally happy with. Tirzah collaged the best bits of each painting together to create a successful picture. Train lovers might notice that the chalk figure visible from the train window should be the Long Man of Wilmington rather than the Westbury Horse because it was painted on the Brighton to Eastbourne line.”

Railway 200 explores how a British invention changed the world forever and how the railway continues to shape our lives and livelihoods, presenting a constant source of inspiration to artists. The bicentenary commemorates the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) in 1825 when George Stephenson drove Locomotion No.1 26 miles between Shildon, Darlington and Stockton. Alan Hyde from Railway 200 said: “Like the amazing artworks, this competition has captured the imagination of people around the world, highlighting an enduring connection between art and the railway. We hope that art lovers, rail enthusiasts and others will enjoy the Railway 200 exhibition on the Art UK website, and travel by train to enjoy these wonderful railway-inspired paintings at first hand during rail’s bicentenary.”

Andrew Ellis, Chief Executive of Art UK, said: “Art UK is delighted to have partnered with Railway 200 to connect the public to a truly wonderful selection of railway-inspired artworks held in collections across the UK. This masterful evocation of a sighting of the Westbury White Horse from a railway carriage by Eric Ravilious is an extremely worthy winner that also throws a spotlight on the rich art collection of Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums. We are thrilled that the work will now be on display and we encourage everyone to make the train journey to Scotland and see it.”

Councillor Martin Greig, Aberdeen City Council’s culture spokesman, said: “It’s a tremendous source of pride for all of us here in Aberdeen that the public vote has recognised Train Landscape in this way – to steam into first place ahead of a painting JMW Turner is really quite something. On a personal level, this painting has been a favourite of mine since childhood. It’s just one of the many outstanding treasures visitors to Aberdeen Art Gallery can enjoy free of charge, seven days a week. Art UK does a wonderful job of sharing the country’s public collections online, and we hope that this news will encourage people to travel to Aberdeen to experience Train Landscape in real life, along with all the other outstanding works on display at Aberdeen Art Gallery – just a short walk from the train station!”

Art lovers and rail enthusiasts can now enjoy a curated exhibition of the 20 most popular paintings on the Art UK website at artuk.org until 31 December 2025.

The final order of the top 20 best-loved UK railway artworks:
1. Train Landscape, 1940, by Eric Ravilious (1903–1942), Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums
2. Rain, Steam, and Speed – The Great Western Railway, 1844, by Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851), The National Gallery, London
3. Service by Night, 1955, by David Shepherd (1931–2017), National Railway Museum
4. The Travelling Companions, 1862, by Augustus Leopold Egg (1816–1863), Birmingham Museums Trust
5. Clapham Junction, 1961, by Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996), National Railway Museum
6. By Rail to Wales, by Frank Wootton (1911–1998), National Railway Museum
7. The ‘Coronation Scot’ Ascending Shap Fell, Cumbria, 1937, by Norman Wilkinson (1878–1971), National Railway Museum
8. Talyllyn Railway on the Dolgoch Viaduct, 1967, by Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996), Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum
9. View from a Railway Carriage; Beginning of the Carriage, by Anna Todd (b.1964), Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
10. Blue Train at Bowling Harbour, 1965, by Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996), Glasgow Life Museums
11. Waterloo Station, 1967, by Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996), Science Museum
12. Mallard, 1980s, by Ann Emily Carr (b.1929), Hopetown Darlington
13. A Diesel Train on the Shore of Bassenthwaite Lake, near Keswick, Cumberland, by Barber (active c.1950–1961), National Railway Museum
14. The Opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, 1825, 1949, by Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996), National Railway Museum
15. The Erecting Shop of the North British Locomotive Company’s Hyde Park Works, Glasgow, 1924, by Ralph Gordon Tetley (1910–1985), National Railway Museum
16. Train Crossing Monsal Dale Viaduct, by Norman Wilkinson (1878–1971), National Railway Museum
17. The Day Begins, 1946, by Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996), National Railway Museum
18. The Railway Station, 1862, William Powell Frith (1819–1909), Royal Holloway, University of London
19. Euston Station: Loading the Travelling Post Office, 1948, by Grace Lydia Golden (1904–1993), The Postal Museum
20. ‘Crimson Rambler’, 1992, by Philip D. Hawkins (b.1947), The Postal Museum
Image credit: Michal Wachucik / Abermedia LTD / Art UK
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: ARU expert shapes proposals for economic growth

Source: Anglia Ruskin University

Professor Aled Jones, Director of ARU’s Global Sustainability Institute

Professor Aled Jones of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) has played a key role in a publication that sets out bold recommendations to help boost the UK economy.

The British Academy’s Economic Strategy Programme aims to unlock long-term economic growth and prosperity in the UK and the newly-published policy insights released by the Programme are the result of collaboration between British Academy Fellows, leading academics and economic policymakers.

The project, which began in 2023, has focused on four critical policy areas: International Trade and Geopolitics; Research & Development (R&D) and Innovation; Skills; and Sustainability and Social Value.

Professor Jones, Director of ARU’s Global Sustainability Institute, was invited to join the Sustainability and Social Value Working Group, which has concentrated on improving social outcomes through investment in the UK economy.

An overarching theme across the four policy areas is that a sustainable economic strategy should be underpinned by investment in the institutional, human and physical capital that in turn makes a place ‘investible’ for the private sector.

Among the recommendations of the Sustainability and Social Value Working Group are the need to consider aspects of people’s lives beyond paid work – as these are fundamental to citizens’ wellbeing and a prosperous, well-functioning society – and the importance of incorporating social investment into a whole-systems approach to the economy, highlighting the interconnected nature of the challenges faced.

The policy insight sets out how investment in health, education, wellbeing and social cohesion can provide a foundation to improve economic performance, while also strengthening societal resilience and capacity for change. The experts believe these investments can deliver economic gains through improved productivity in the long run.

“It is great to see the final report being published, highlighting the importance of social investment in health, education, social security and social cohesion to underpin economic resilience.

“Without recognising that good work and social infrastructure is interwoven with solutions to climate change and environmental degradation, the government will not be able to unlock a transformation of the UK economy that delivers prosperity for all.

“A true systems approach, that measures and values what people care about, and care for, can deliver tangible outcomes for communities right across the UK.”

Professor Aled Jones, Director of ARU’s Global Sustainability Institute

The importance of social investment for UK economic strategy is available at https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/5761/The_importance_of_social_investment_for_UK_economic_strategy.pdf

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The risks to consider before going under the knife

Source: Anglia Ruskin University

By James D. Frame, Anglia Ruskin University

A series of ads for Brazilian butt lifts (BBL) on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook were recently banned by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). These ads were found to be misleading and irresponsible, often downplaying serious health risks and pressuring consumers with time-limited offers.

This move highlights growing concerns over how cosmetic surgery is marketed online and the safety of BBL procedures. But BBLs are not the only cosmetic surgeries under scrutiny.

Liposuction has a high rate of post-operative complications, and even non-surgical procedures like lip fillers and liquid BBLs have raised health concerns among experts.

According to recent data from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), there were 27,462 cosmetic procedures performed in 2024 – a 5% rise from 2023. More than nine out of ten (93.5%) of these procedures were performed on women.

Body contouring – including liposuction, abdominoplasty and thigh lifts – are the most popular surgeries, while facial rejuvenation procedures, particularly face and neck lifts, brow lifts and eyelid surgery have all increased in popularity since 2023.

Risk factors

Many of these popular procedures are also among the riskiest. Body contouring surgeries like liposuction, tummy tucks and fat grafting, for example, are major operations that typically take hours and involve general anesthesia.

And the aesthetic outcomes are not always as expected either. Fat removal can sometimes lead to uneven body contours, lumps, or skin irregularities, which may worsen as the body continues to age.

All surgeries carry risks, but complications from cosmetic procedures are often downplayed or misunderstood. These risks can manifest immediately after surgery or even weeks later, ranging from minor issues like infection and scarring to life-threatening conditions such as blood clots or organ failure.

One of the most dangerous risks is pulmonary embolism, which occurs when a blood clot travels to the lungs. In the US, around 18,000 cases of venous thromboembolism (VTE) occur annually among plastic surgery patients, with about 10% resulting in death within just one hour of symptoms appearing.

This already serious threat has become even more pressing in the post-COVID era, as VTE cases are rising. COVID is known to increase the body’s tendency to form blood clots – even in those with mild or no symptoms.

These lingering effects can persist for weeks or months and, when combined with the usual surgical risks like immobility, tissue trauma and inflammation, they significantly increase the likelihood of a life-threatening event like a pulmonary embolism. As a result, people undergoing plastic surgery today may face a higher baseline risk than before the pandemic.

Fat embolism is another potentially deadly complication, often associated with procedures like liposuction or BBLs. This occurs when fat particles enter the bloodstream and travel to vital organs, leading to serious medical emergencies.

After surgery, some patients may wake up disoriented, confused, or with lingering neurological symptoms – signs of a serious medical emergency. Fat embolism can have immediate, life-threatening effects and, in severe cases, can cause permanent brain damage, organ failure, or sudden death.

Procedures like rhinoplasty (nose reshaping) or breast augmentation can come with relatively high rates of dissatisfaction. Implants, in particular, can cause issues like rupture, deflation, capsular contracture (hardening around the implant), or asymmetry. There is also some concern about a rare form of cancer – breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) – linked to certain types of implants.

Even if surgery doesn’t result in major complications, many patients still walk away unhappy. A common issue is that procedures don’t account for how the body continues to age. A facelift or tummy tuck might look great initially, but the natural ageing process can quickly undo or distort those results.

The problem is that many cosmetic procedures fail to account for the inevitable changes our bodies undergo with age. Our bodies change over time – skin loses elasticity, fat distribution shifts and trends evolve. What feels like a good decision in your 20s might look very different in your 40s.

Non-surgical treatments

One of the most troubling issues in the cosmetic industry is the lack of consistent regulation. This is particularly true for non-surgical treatments, where injectable products can be administered by anyone, from trained doctors to self-taught beauty influencers. Cosmetic tourism adds another layer of complexity. Many people travel abroad for cheaper procedures, only to face complications once they return home – with limited recourse or support.

Non-surgical treatments like dermal fillers and Botox have become increasingly popular due to their quick results and minimal downtime. However, they are not without risk.

Modern fillers like hyaluronic acid are generally safer than older materials such as silicone. They’re less likely to cause issues like granulomas – as long as they don’t become infected – and they can even be reversed if needed. However, when injected incorrectly, especially into a blood vessel, fillers can cause serious complications like tissue death, permanent scarring, or even blindness.

Botox injections also carry risks, including muscle paralysis, nerve damage, and uneven facial results – particularly when performed by unqualified practitioners.

Before undergoing any cosmetic procedure – whether surgical or non-surgical – it’s essential to research a qualified practitioner, understand the risks and set realistic expectations.

Cosmetic surgery can be empowering for many people, helping them feel more confident in their own skin. But the decision to alter your appearance permanently should never be taken lightly. Behind the glamour and glossy Instagram stories lies a more serious picture – one where the risks are real and the consequences, sometimes irreversible.

James D. Frame, Professor of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Anglia Ruskin University

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

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

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

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: How far-right ideas in Canada are working their way into mainstream politics

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Lisa Gasson-Gardner, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Mount Royal University

The fortunes of the Conservative Party and its leader Pierre Poilievre in Canada’s April 2025 election seemed to have shifted dramatically after United States President Donald Trump called for Canada to become the 51st state.

Political pundits regarded Mark Carney and the Liberal Party’s victory — along with the failure of Poilievre to retain his own seat — as a “Trump slump” and a repudiation of both Trump’s and Poilievre’s style of politics.

But is that an accurate assessment? The Conservative Party received its largest vote share since Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Exit polling data suggested stronger support for the Conservative Party among people aged 18-34 than among people aged 55 and older.

Although Trump has said Poilievre is “not a MAGA guy,” some political analysts have likened the rhetoric of Poilievre and other Canadian Conservatives to American Republicans who lean towards far-right Christian nationalist politics..

As an inter-religious humanities scholar of the U.S. far right, I have observed alarming parallels between the rise of the far right in mainstream politics in the U.S. and the scene in Canada.

Read more:
A ‘Trump slump’ has lifted the left in Canada and now Australia – what are the lessons for NZ?

Christian nationalism’s role in politics

In the U.S., both scholars and news media have been highlighting the connections between far-right Christian ideology and politics.

Trump’s first presidential term ended with the Jan. 6, 2021 violent attack on the U.S. Capitol. Scholars like Matthew Taylor, author of The Violent Take it by Force, have pointed to Christian nationalism and other far-right ideologies as factors that motivated the rioters.

In February 2025, Trump appointed televangelist Paula White-Cain to head the newly created White House Faith Office. White-Cain’s appointment followed an executive order establishing a task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias.

Thea appointment adds to the the narrative that U.S. Christians are facing persecution, a refrain since at least the 1970s and heightened during Barack Obama’s presidency. Scholars have linked the assertion that “Christianity is under attack” to the rise of Christian nationalism in mainstream politics.

Read more:
Trump may have emboldened hate in Canada, but it was already here

What is Christian nationalism?

American sociologists Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry define Christian nationalism as “a cultural framework that blurs distinctions between Christian identity and American identity, viewing the two as closely related and seeking to enhance and preserve their union.”

It’s tempting to read “Christian idenity” and “American identity” and assume it does not affect Canada.

But Christian nationalist ideologies were present during the so-called Freedom Convoy in Ottawa in 2022. According to Canadian scholars, national identity is blurred in online spaces, allowing U.S. nationalist ideals to take hold in Canada.]

Christian nationalism is not synonymous with Christianity or any specific branch of Christianity, like evangelical Christianity.

According to U.S. sociologist Daniel Miller, Christian nationalism is not a set list of ideological or religious beliefs. Instead, Miller says, Christian nationalism emerges when people identify with “a very narrow, idealized prototype of the ‘real or ‘authentic’ American.”

He says two mechanisms connect people to Christian nationalism. The first is perceived loss of power by the people who historically held power. This is known as a “power devaluation crisis.” The second is a narrative of decline — known as a a “declensionist narrative” — which asserts that American society has declined since the 1960s and needs repair and reclamation.

Poilievre’s signals to Christian nationalists

Poilievre is not open about his religion and does not call for Canada to be a Christian nation. But whether Poilievre intends to stir up Christian nationalists, some of his rhetoric has indicated support for the classic definitions of Christian nationalism.

According to Miller, support for Christian nationalism is not always direct. It can be activated by stoking a crisis of lost power, like the decline of the “traditional” family or by asserting a narrative of decline, like “Canada is broken.”

For example, Poilievre’s 2025 campaign mobilized both of the narrative mechanisms that attract Christian nationalist mentioned by sociologists: a power devaluation crisis and the narrative of decline.

In the lead-up to his 2025 campaign, Poilievre repeatedly called Canada “broken.”. He cited increased crime, addiction, high grocery prices and more as evidence of Canada’s brokenness, accusing the Liberal government of erasing Canada’s past.

When Poilievre calls Canada “broken,” it affirms the world view of Christian nationalists.

Poilievre courts conservative Christians

Another strategy Poilievre reportedly adopted from Trump was his work to court conservative Christians.

In an 2024 interview with The Tyee, religious right scholar Carmen Celestini of Waterloo University said Poilievre had “ramped up” his presence at churches. Additionally, The Globe and Mail reported there were fewer photos ops of Poilievre visiting mosques in 2024.

Of course, visits to churches are not enough to signal alignment with Christian nationalists. And Poilievre has not espoused any Christian evangelical ideals in any public speech.

But it’s still important for Canadians to remain alert about Christian nationalists and their ambitions to become part of mainstream politics.

Canadian Christian nationalism

A study from the U.S. has linked the rise in Christian nationalist ideologies to attacks on religious minorities. The 2024 qualitative data from the study indicates that when politicians rhetorically supported Christian nationalist values, there was a increased violence against minority groups.

According to Statistics Canada, the violent crime rate in Canada rose 13 per cent from 2021-2022.. Police-reported hate crimes increased 32 per cent from 2022 to 2023. Crimes targeting religion rose 67 per cent in 2023, primarily targeting Jewish and Muslim communities.

While I know of no studies showing the rise of the far right is directly leading to violence in Canada, Canadians should be aware of the pattern in the U.S. Research shows that growing Christian nationalists and far-right world views south of the border are, in fact, connected to a rise in violence.

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

– ref. How far-right ideas in Canada are working their way into mainstream politics – https://theconversation.com/how-far-right-ideas-in-canada-are-working-their-way-into-mainstream-politics-238965

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Why more youth are landing in the ER with vomiting from cannabis use
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jamie Seabrook, Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Professor, Department of Paediatrics; Professor, Brescia School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Western University

As cannabis use among youth rises in Canada — and THC potency reaches record highs — emergency departments are seeing a surge in cases of a once-rare condition: cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS).

Characterized by relentless vomiting, abdominal pain and temporary relief through compulsive hot showers or baths, CHS is increasingly affecting adolescents and young adults. Yet few people — including many clinicians — know it exists.

As public health and substance use researchers, and authors of a recent review on CHS in youth, we are struck by how misunderstood and misdiagnosed this condition remains.

A silent side-effect of heavy cannabis use

Canada ranks among the highest globally for youth cannabis use, with 43 per cent of 16-19-year-olds reporting use in the past year. Usage peaks among those 20–24 years, with nearly half (48 per cent) reporting past-year use.

This rise in regular, heavy use coincides with a 400 per cent increase in THC potency since the 1980s. Strains with THC levels above 25 per cent are now common. As cannabis becomes more potent and accessible, clinicians are seeing more cases of CHS, a condition virtually unheard of before 2004.

What is CHS?

CHS unfolds in three phases:
1. Prodromal phase: Nausea and early morning discomfort begin. Users increase cannabis consumption, thinking it will relieve symptoms.
2. Hyperemetic phase: Intense vomiting, dehydration and abdominal pain follow. Hot showers or baths provide temporary relief — a hallmark of CHS.
3. Recovery phase: Symptoms resolve after stopping cannabis entirely.
Diagnosis is often delayed. One reason is because CHS mimics conditions like gastroenteritis or eating disorders, leading to costly CT scans, MRIs and gastric emptying tests. One telltale sign — compulsive hot bathing — is frequently overlooked, despite its strong diagnostic value.

Nausea and early morning discomfort begin in the early stages of CHS.
(Shutterstock)

Why CHS is dangerous for youth

Youth face unique risks. The brain continues to develop until about age 25, and THC exposure during this critical window can impair cognitive functions like memory, learning and emotional regulation. Heavy cannabis use is associated with heightened risks of anxiety, depression, psychosis and self-harm.

Some youth use cannabis to self-medicate for mental health concerns and increase their use when symptoms of CHS appear, mistakenly believing cannabis will help. Others are reluctant to disclose their use due to stigma, fear of judgment or legal consequences.

In our recent review, we found that CHS is frequently misdiagnosed as bulimia nervosa because of the vomiting and unintended weight loss. But unlike bulimia, CHS-related vomiting is involuntary and not motivated by body image concerns. A clue is that those with CHS often return to normal eating and bathing patterns during symptom-free periods, which is not typical for an eating disorder.

Compulsive hot bathing is a telltale sign of CHS.
(Shutterstock)

A burden on the health system and individual

CHS doesn’t just take a toll on youth — it strains the health-care system. Emergency department visits for CHS have spiked in recent years, with a study in Ontario showing a significant rise after cannabis commercialization following legalization in 2018. Repeated ER visits, missed school or work and emotional distress compound the burden. In rare cases, CHS can lead to kidney failure due to severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.

Unfortunately, anti-nausea medications like ondansetron often fail. Studies have shown temporary relief from topical capsaicin or low-dose haloperidol, but no acute treatment consistently works unless cannabis use stops.

What can be done?

The most effective long-term solution to treating CHS is cannabis cessation. For youth who use cannabis to cope with anxiety, quitting can lead to withdrawal symptoms and distress. This makes harm reduction strategies critical: gradual reduction plans, mental health supports and non-judgmental conversations between providers and patients.

Clinicians should systematically screen youth presenting with cyclic vomiting for cannabis use and hot bathing behaviour. Youth are more likely to disclose cannabis use when asked in an empathetic, stigma-free way.

Public health campaigns can play a major role. We need honest, accessible education — in schools, clinics and online — that explains what CHS is, how to recognize it and how to seek help. In our view, the addition of CHS content to youth health curriculums, pediatric training programs and cannabis use screening tools is overdue.

A preventable crisis

CHS is a preventable but growing consequence of chronic cannabis use in young people. As legalization continues to reshape social norms and access, it is essential to ensure that youth — and those who care for them — are informed about the full spectrum of cannabis-related health risks.

This story was co-authored by Morgan Seabrook, an undergraduate research assistant at the Human Environments Analysis Laboratory at Western University.

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

– ref. Why more youth are landing in the ER with vomiting from cannabis use – https://theconversation.com/why-more-youth-are-landing-in-the-er-with-vomiting-from-cannabis-use-258375
MIL OSI – Global Reports –
June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Chatbots can help clinicians become better communicators, and this could boost vaccine uptake

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jaigris Hodson, Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Royal Roads University

Strengthening doctors’ communications skills is a public health benefit. (Shutterstock)

Measles is back. In recent months, outbreaks have re-emerged across North America including 2,968 cases in Canada as of May 31, 2025. At the heart of many of these surges lies missed childhood vaccinations — not just because of access barriers, but also due to conversations that didn’t happen.

Many clinicians want to support their patients in making protective health decisions, but these are not simple conversations. Trust is essential, and clinicians need to accept that these may be complex discussions and learn how to build trust when medical misinformation and misunderstandings are in play.

These conversations are important, but clinicians’ and patients’ time together is often limited, and it’s hard to demonstrate trustworthiness and build trust. That’s where we believe — and evidence suggests — artificial intelligence (AI) can help.

A surprising use for AI

AI is already being used to support diagnostic decisions and streamline administrative tasks in health care. But it also offers promise as a training tool for the human side of care.

We’re part of a team researching how chatbots can be developed to help clinicians practise difficult conversations about vaccines. These tools have the potential to provide low-cost, emotionally engaging and psychologically safe simulations for health professionals like doctors, nurse practitioners and pharmacists.

These kinds of tools are especially valuable in rural and remote areas, where access to in-person workshops or continuing education may be limited. Even for busy clinicians in well-resourced areas, chatbots can offer a flexible way to hone communication skills and to learn about circulating concerns.

Improving communication

Research consistently shows that clinicians can increase vaccine uptake by using better communication strategies. Even brief interventions — such as training in motivational interviewing — have measurable impacts on patient trust and behaviour.

Chatbots provide an opportunity to deliver this kind of training at scale. In recent work, computational social scientist David Rand and colleagues have demonstrated how AI-based agents can be trained to engage in social conversations and generate responses that effectively persuade.

These principles can be applied to the clinician–patient setting, allowing professionals to test and refine different ways of engaging with vaccine hesitancy before stepping into real-world conversations.

In research conducted in Hungary, clinicians reported feeling more confident and prepared after interacting with simulated patients. The opportunity to rehearse responses, receive feedback and explore multiple conversational pathways helped clinicians understand what to say — and how and when to say it.

Simulating conversations between clinicians and patients can help clinicians prepare for actual encounters.
(Shutterstock)

Practising communication

We believe chatbots can be used to train clinicians in a type of presumptive language known as the AIMS method (announce, inquire, mirror and secure trust). Similar approaches, drawing on motivational interviewing, have been tested in Québec, where it has demonstrated success in helping clinicians increase vaccine confidence and uptake among new parents.

This kind of intervention will simulate conversations with patients with vaccine questions, allowing physicians to practice AIMS techniques in a low-stakes environment. For example, the chatbot could play the role of a parent, and the physician would begin by announcing that it is time for the parents to vaccinate their children.

Then, if the “parent” (the chatbot) expresses vaccine hesitancy, the physician would inquire about what is driving the hesitancy. Importantly, when the “parent” responds to the questions, the AIMS approach teaches the physician not to respond directly to the concerns, but instead first mirror the response to show the parent that they are being heard and understood.

Finally, and sometimes after multiple rounds of inquiry and mirroring, the physician can move on to securing the parent’s trust.

Becoming adept at methods of conversational approaches like AIMS takes practice. That’s what a chatbot can offer: repeated, flexible, low-risk rehearsal. Think of it like a flight simulator for conversations.

Staying ahead of misinformation

The landscape of misinformation is constantly shifting. New conspiracy theories, viral videos and misleading anecdotes can gain traction in days. Clinicians shouldn’t have to confront these narratives for the first time during a brief patient visit.

By having the AI model underlying the chatbot constantly trawling the web for the latest misleading claims and updating chatbot scenarios regularly, we can help clinicians recognize and respond to the kinds of misinformation circulating now. This is especially important when trust in institutions is wavering and personalized, empathetic responses are most needed.

Conversations build trust

While we propose chatbots can be used to teach doctors how to address vaccine skepticism, motivational interviewing has already been employed via AI-based chatbots to address smoking cessation, with some promising results.

A similar approach has also been used to encourage the uptake of stress-reduction behaviours. Though the use of chatbots in education is a growing area of inquiry, the specific use of chatbots to train physicians in motivational interviewing approaches is a new field of study.

Using this approach as part of (continuing) clinical education could help better prepare the frontlines to serve as a successful bulwark against vaccine concerns not rooted in science.

In the face of falling vaccination rates and rising distrust, clinicians are on the front lines of public health. We owe them better tools to prepare and build trust.

Trust isn’t built in a moment. It’s built in conversation. And those can be practised.

Jaigris Hodson is on the advisory board of the Clarity Foundation. She receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Heather Lanthorn is a senior advisor to the Clairity Foundation.

David Rand has received funding from Google, Meta, and the Gates Foundation.

Heather Lanthorn is the Senior Advisor to the Clarity Foundation.

– ref. Chatbots can help clinicians become better communicators, and this could boost vaccine uptake – https://theconversation.com/chatbots-can-help-clinicians-become-better-communicators-and-this-could-boost-vaccine-uptake-255045

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: FBI Dallas and the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Announce the Results of Operation Soteria Shield

Source: US FBI

The North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and FBI Dallas’s North Texas Child Exploitation Task Force announce the conclusion of Operation Soteria Shield, a month-long collaborative enforcement effort conducted in April 2025 aimed at rescuing children from online sexual exploitation and bringing perpetrators to justice. This operation was run in conjunction with the National Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and was jointly managed by the FBI Dallas Division, Dallas Police Department, Plano Police Department, Wylie Police Department, and Garland Police Department.

More than 70 Texas law enforcement agencies joined forces throughout the month of April to combat the exploitation of children in the digital space. These agencies leveraged the expertise of highly skilled computer crimes investigators that worked around the clock to identify victims and apprehend offenders engaged in the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material.

Operation Soteria Shield resulted in the rescue of 109 children and the arrest of 244 offenders. In addition to these enforcement actions, investigators seized extensive volumes of digital evidence, including terabytes of illicit data stored on electronic devices that were used in the commission of these crimes. These devices are undergoing forensic analysis and may lead to further arrests and the identification of additional victims.

“Operation Soteria Shield brought together over 70 agencies from across the state of Texas, including police departments, federal agencies, state and federal prosecutors, children’s advocacy centers, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. We had a common goal, which was to rescue children from abuse and exploitation,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “This was not an easy operation, but a necessary one. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to protect the children in our communities, and we will hold child predators accountable for their crimes.”

“Operation Soteria Shield was a massive team effort and a powerful reminder of what we can accomplish when we unite around one clear mission: protecting our kids and holding offenders accountable. I am proud that the Dallas Police Department is the lead agency for the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and am grateful for the many, many agencies who contributed to this successful operation,” said Dallas Police Chief Daniel C. Comeaux.

“Online exploitation of children is one of the most insidious crimes we face as a society. It reaches into every community, crosses every boundary, and leaves lasting harm on its youngest victims. Operation Soteria Shield brought together an unprecedented level of collaboration and resolve to confront this crisis head-on. Through this operation, we not only rescued children from unimaginable abuse, but we also sent a clear message: those who seek to harm our children online will be found and brought to justice. Our work is far from over, but this effort has made our communities safer and brought hope to those who need it most.” Said Plano Police Chief Ed Drain.

“The coordinated efforts of all agencies involved in Operation Soteria Shield serve as a powerful demonstration of unwavering dedication in the battle against online child exploitation. By exposing the darkest corners of the Internet, this operation has targeted predators who seek to harm vulnerable children,” said Wylie Police Chief Anthony Henderson. “The trauma inflicted by these crimes runs deep, affecting not only the victims, but also their families and entire communities. With every arrest made and every child protected, the operation moves us closer to a safer community. Every step forward in this operation reflects a shared commitment to protecting the most vulnerable and ensuring those who seek to exploit children are brought to justice.”

“The Garland Police Department is proud to stand alongside our local, state, and federal partners in the fight against those who exploit our most vulnerable, our children. Operation Soteria Shield was more than an enforcement effort; it was a mission to rescue, protect, and restore hope,” said Garland Police Chief Jeff Bryan. “The scale of this operation sends a strong message: predators will be pursued, and survivors will never stand alone. We are grateful to the FBI, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), and all the agencies involved for their tireless work. This operation demonstrates our shared commitment to the safety of every child in every community.”

Operation Soteria Shield stands as a powerful example of what can be accomplished with coordinated, interagency cooperation. It reflects the shared commitment of law enforcement professionals across Texas to relentlessly pursue those who prey on children and to ensure that survivors are no longer silenced or hiding in the shadows.

The participating agencies also extend their gratitude to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) for their unwavering support. NCMEC analysts provided vital intelligence and case coordination that proved instrumental to the success of this operation.

List of Participating Agencies:

Abilene Police Department, Allen Police Department, Alvarado Police Department, Amarillo Police Department, Arlington Police Department, Army Criminal Investigative Division, Aubrey Police Department, Azle Police Department, Bartonville Police Department, Breckenridge Police Department, Cedar Hill Police Department, Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County, Cleburne Police Department, Colleyville Police Department, Collin County District Attorney’s Office, Collin County Sheriff’s Office, Cooke County Sheriff’s Office, Crowley Police Department, Dalhart Police Department, Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, Dallas Police Department, Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, Denton County Sheriff’s Office, DeSoto Police Department, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, Ellis County Sheriff’s Office, Elm Ridge Police Department, Ennis Police Department, Euless Police Department, Fannin County Sheriff’s Office, Fate Police Department, FBI Dallas Field Office, FBI El Paso Field Office, FBI San Antonio Field Office, Fort Worth Police Department, Frisco Police Department, Garland Police Department, Grand Prairie Police Department, Grand Saline Police Department, Grayson County Sheriff’s Office, Gregg County Sheriff’s Office, Haltom City Police Department, Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Honey Grove Police Department, Hopkins County Sheriff’s Department, Hurst Police Department, Irving Police Department, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Joshua Police Department, Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office, Kaufman Police Department, Lamesa Police Department, Lone Star Police Department, Lubbock Police Department, McKinney Police Department, Midlothian Police Department, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, North Richland Hills Police Department, Office of Inspector General, Plano Police Department, Prosper Police Department, Richardson Police Department, Richardson Police Department SWAT, Rockwall County District Attorney’s Office, Rockwall County Sheriff’s Office, Rockwall Police Department, Rowlett Police Department, Royse City Police Department, Sachse Police Department, San Antonio Police Department, Snyder Police Department, Tarrant County Human Trafficking Task Force, Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, Terrell Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, University of Texas System Police, White Settlement Police Department, Wilmer Police Department, and Wylie Police Department

MIL Security OSI –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI: Huntress Redefines Security Awareness Training With Hands-On Tradecraft Simulations That Put Users in Attackers’ Shoes
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

COLUMBIA, Md., June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Old-school security awareness training (SAT) programs aren’t cutting it against today’s hackers thanks to boring content and one-size-fits-all delivery methods. That’s why Huntress has launched Threat Simulator, a new feature for Huntress Managed SAT that gives users hands-on training with real-world hacker tradecraft.

Paired with engaging, expert-backed episodes, Threat Simulator turns passive learning into active skill-building through quick, game-like simulations. Perfect for experiential learners, these simulations put users in hackers’ shoes, challenging them to carry out simulated attacks to understand the mindsets, methods, and motives of cybercriminals. This unique approach shows just how easily anyone can become a target and how little effort it takes for attackers to succeed, equipping users with lasting awareness of modern threats and teaching them to think like hackers so they can become better defenders.

In 2024, 60% of data breaches had one thing in common: the human element. Whether it’s falling victim to phishing attempts and business email compromise scams or inadvertently installing malware, human error remains a leading cause of breaches. While old-school SAT programs were created to address this, they fall short in reducing human risk. Many are overly simplistic and riddled with clichés, while others are too complex for non-technical learners to grasp. Adding to this, many training programs rely solely on video-based content and are developed by generalists without in-depth knowledge of hacker tradecraft. This results in training that isn’t actionable, relatable, or memorable, and leaves employees unprepared to spot and respond to the threats they’re most likely to face. To tackle the human risk factor, SAT must be practical, engaging, and tailored to modern threats. This requires a layered approach to learning strategies, including immersive learning simulations for experiential learners.

“Traditional security awareness training often fails to prepare users,” said Dima Kumets, Principal Product Manager at Huntress. “With Threat Simulator, we’re changing that. We’ve designed it in collaboration with our security researchers to push beyond basic phishing simulations and immerse users in real-world, hands-on scenarios that emulate hacker tradecraft. By teaching users to adopt the perspective of an attacker, we empower them to recognize and report hacker tradecraft while protecting themselves from becoming victims. This not only sharpens individual cybersecurity awareness but also helps organizations build a more proactive and resilient security culture.”

Key Benefits of Threat Simulator:
Available via Early Access since April, Threat Simulator is already shaking up traditional SAT. While users aren’t required to replay the 5-minute simulation, they frequently choose to do multiple sessions, spending an average of 7.5 to 12 minutes total practicing and refining their skills. Additionally, a survey of 2,000 Early Access users revealed that 90% gained new knowledge about security threats. These early results prove Threat Simulator’s ability to bust the “check-the-box” stigma of traditional SAT with willing participation and meaningful learning.

Users say Threat Simulator is “fun”, “engaging”, and “informative” as it helps learners confidently tackle today’s most prevalent cybersecurity threats. Zvonimir Petric, Director of Managed Services at Campfire Technology Inc., shared, “Threat Simulator is engaging, focused, and actually fun. I suspect the users who engage in this will outperform their peers.” Here’s how it achieves this:
- Training that goes beyond phishing simulations. Traditional SAT often stops at phishing simulations, leaving users unprepared for the full range of threats they face. Threat Simulator changes this by covering a broad range of hacker tradecraft, from open-source intelligence (OSINT) to spear phishing. It delivers training that mirrors real-world threats, building the adaptability needed to respond to attacks in any environment.
- An interactive and immersive learning experience. Threat Simulator breaks free from traditional, passive learning methods with dynamic, hands-on experiences. The interactive, game-like simulations support kinesthetic learners and offer realistic scenarios that require critical thinking and active participation. These immersive exercises grab attention and boost retention to foster critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and a deeper understanding of threats.
- Teaches users to identify hacker tradecraft. Creates lasting behavior changes by turning users into active participants in their organization’s cybersecurity. Through the simulations, learners internalize the realities of how hackers operate and how easily they can become targets. This deeper understanding naturally encourages users to be proactive and vigilant, making for smarter, more secure decisions.
- Real-world scenarios guided by expert insight. All simulations are designed in partnership with the Huntress security team, informed by the real-world hacker tradecraft they see across millions of endpoints and identities. These scenarios are grounded in the most pressing and current threats facing organizations, ensuring learners are always training against the same techniques attackers are actively using.
“Threat Simulator is a gamechanger. The OSINT training gave my staff and our employees a clear understanding of how hackers can gather seemingly innocent information off the web to create a profile for Social Engineering Attacks,” said Eric Nush Director of Technology, CETL, Homer School District 33Ct. “It made us think twice about the types of information we make publicly available on our website. This not only increased our awareness of the possible risks we have, but also inspired us to take several actions—like starting discussions about new procedures for limiting public website content or encouraging data-sensitive positions (HR, Payroll, Business, etc) to double-check their social media for information that can be leveraged by hackers.”

Additional resources:

About Huntress
Huntress is the enterprise-grade, people-powered cybersecurity solution for all businesses, not just the 1%. With fully owned technology developed by and for its industry-defining team of security analysts, engineers, and researchers, Huntress elevates underresourced tech teams whether they work within outsourced IT environments or in-house IT and security teams.

The 24/7 industry-leading Huntress Security Operations Center (SOC) covers cyber threats for outsourced IT and in-house teams through remediation with a false-positive rate of less than 1%. With a mission to break down barriers to enterprise-level security and always give back more than it takes, Huntress is often the first to respond to major hacks and threats while protecting its partners and shares tradecraft analysis and threat advisories with the community as they happen.

As long as hackers keep hacking, Huntress keeps hunting. Join the hunt at www.huntress.com and follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Huntress Contact:
Aaron Deal
press@huntresslabs.com

A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/46f67bae-02af-4874-baad-0056961c44f9

The MIL Network –
June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: 10 killed in Austrian school shooting

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

VIENNA, June 10 (Xinhua) — At least 10 people were killed in a shooting at a school in Austria’s second-largest city of Graz, local media reported on Tuesday.

As local media reported, citing law enforcement agencies, the incident also resulted in double-digit casualties, including injuries among students and teachers.

According to Austria’s largest newspaper, Kronen Zeitung, the shooting took place at the BORG school on Dreierschützengasse in the Lend district at around 10:00 /08:00 GMT/ on Tuesday. Police confirmed that the suspect was a 22-year-old former student at the school. The shooter reportedly committed suicide.

As Kronen Zeitung added, the incident is considered one of the most serious in Austrian history.

Authorities have mobilized police forces in the region, including the deployment of a helicopter. The school has been evacuated and there is currently no threat, local police said on social media X.

Graz, the capital of the federal state of Styria in southern Austria, is known as a student city, with four vocational schools and four universities located here. –0–

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Sly Stone: influential funk pioneer who embodied the contradictions at the heart of American life

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Adam Behr, Senior Lecturer in Popular and Contemporary Music, Newcastle University

There’s immense variety in popular music careers, even beyond the extremes of one-hit wonders and the long-haulers touring stadiums into their dotage. There are those who embody a specific era, burning briefly and brightly, and those whose legacy spans decades.

Straddling both of those, and occupying a distinctive space in popular music history, is Sylvester Stewart, better known as Sly Stone, who died at the age of 82 on Monday June 9.

A pioneer of funk whose sound spread far beyond the genre, his band Sly and the Family Stone synthesised disparate strands of American popular music into a unique melange, tracking the musical and social shifts as the 1960s wore into the 1970s.

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A musical prodigy and multi-instrumentalist from a young age, Stone was born in Texas in 1943 and raised in California, in a religious Pentecostal family. He had put out his first single aged 13 – a locally released gospel song with three of his siblings, who would later join him in Sly and the Family Stone.

A record producer and DJ by his early twenties, he imbibed the music of British acts like The Beatles and Rolling Stones, and applied his eclectic tastes and musical versatility to producing local psychedelic and garage rock acts in the emergent San Francisco scene.

By the time commercial popular culture had flowered into a more exploratory “counterculture” in 1967’s Summer of Love, the ebb and flow of personnel across local bands had coalesced into a line-up including the Stone siblings – Sly, Freddie, and their sister Vaetta, with their other sister Rose joining in 1968. Pioneering socially, as well as aesthetically, Sly and the Family Stone had diversity at its core – a mixed sex, multi-racial and musically varied band.

This was notable for a mainstream act in an America still emerging from the depths of segregation, and riven with strife over the struggle for civil rights. While their first album in 1967 A Whole New Thing enjoyed comparatively little traction, 1968‘s Dance to the Music presaged a run of hits.

Their sonic collision of sounds from across the commercial and social divide – psychedelic rock, soul, gospel and pop – struck a chord with audiences simultaneously looking forward with hope to changing times, and mindful of the injustice that was still prevalent.

Singles like Everyday People, Stand, and I Want to Take You Higher, melded a party atmosphere with social statements. They were calls for action, but also for unity: celebratory, but pushing the musical envelope.

While the band wore its innovations lightly at first, their reach was long. Bassist Larry Graham was a pioneer of the percussive slap bass that became a staple of funk and fusion. And their overall sound brought a looser, pop feel to the funk groove, in comparison to the almost militaristic tightness of that other funk pioneer, James Brown.

Where Brown’s leadership of his group was overt, exemplified by his staccato musical directions in the songs, and the call and response structure, Stone’s band had more of an ensemble feel. Musical lines and solos were overlaid upon one another, often interweaving – more textured rather than in lock-step. It was a sound that would reach an almost chaotic apogée with George Clinton’s Funkadelic later in the 1970s.

The party couldn’t last. As the optimism of the 1960s gave way to division in the 1970s, Stone’s music took a darker turn, even if the funk remained central. The album There’s A Riot Going On (1971), and its lead single It’s Family Affair contained lyrics depicting social ills more explicitly. The music – mostly recorded by Sly himself – was sparser, the vocals more melancholic.

The unity of the band itself was also fracturing, under pressure from Stone’s growing cocaine dependency. The album Fresh (1973) featured classics like In Time and If You Want Me To Stay, but they were running out of commercial road by 1974’s Small Talk, and broke up soon after.

Periodic comebacks were punctuated by a troubled personal life, including, at its nadir, reports of Stone living out of a van in Los Angeles, and arrests for drug possession. By the time he achieved a degree of stability, his star may have faded, but his legacy was secure.

Stone embodied the contradictions of American popular music – arguably even America itself: brash and light-hearted on the one hand, with a streak of darkness and self-destructiveness on the other.

The handclaps and joyous shouts harked back to his gospel roots, but his embrace of electric instruments aligned soul with rock and pop. He was a funk artist who played at the archetypal hippie festival, Woodstock, and a social commentator whose party sounds were shot through with urgency.

He paved the way for the likes of Prince and Outkast, but also informed jazz and fusion. Jazz pioneer Miles Davis acknowledged Stone’s influence on his own turn towards electric and funk sounds in the late 1960s and early 1970s on landmark albums like Bitches Brew.

Sly Stone’s joyful provocations may not have lasted at the commercial centre, but his mark was indelible. His struggles were both personal and social, but his sense of groove, and of a collective voice, demonstrated the value of aligning traditions with new ideas – a musical America that was fractious, but still a family affair.

Adam Behr has received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council

– ref. Sly Stone: influential funk pioneer who embodied the contradictions at the heart of American life – https://theconversation.com/sly-stone-influential-funk-pioneer-who-embodied-the-contradictions-at-the-heart-of-american-life-258616

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: The political opportunism behind Reform UK’s support for abolition of the two-child limit on benefits

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Chris Grover, Professor in Social Policy, Lancaster University

The leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage, recently announced that if in government, his party would abolish the two-child limit on benefits. This social security policy restricts the payment of means-tested benefits to the first two children of a family.

Farage explained the announcement as being pro-natalist – intended to encourage a higher birth rate – as well as being “pro-worker”. Farage said that the abolition of the two-child limit “makes having children just a little bit easier” for “lower paid workers”.

He noted that Reform wanted “to encourage people to have children”. Such arguments are familiar in the European political right, although the UK’s Conservative opposition criticised Reform’s proposal.

To be in government, Reform has two possible routes: to build a coalition of voters for it, or to split left-leaning voters. Its proposal to abolish the two-child limit may be aimed at both.

On the one hand, it might be supported by left-leaning voters who are able to accept Reform’s broader policy agenda. On the other hand, it might be aimed at encouraging left-leaning voters who find Reform’s agenda problematic to move to parties (such as the Greens and Liberal Democrats) who are less equivocal in their commitment to abolishing the two-child limit than the Labour government.

Social security policies winning votes

Social security policies have long been used as part of political strategising. The situation with the two-child limit is complicated, though, because both anti- and pro-natalist views of social security (and it predecessors) have been popular at particular moments.

Political and popular arguments have long been made that supporting the poorest families leads to them having too many children. This, so the argument goes, reproduces, rather than addresses, the poverty they face. Examples can be found, for instance, in the 1834 poor law commission report in relation to “bastardy” and large families, Sir Keith Joseph’s 1970s focus upon the “cycle of deprivation”, as well as “underclass” arguments in the 1980s and 1990s.

The two-child limit was announced in the 2015 budget and introduced in 2017 with the reasoning that “those in receipt of tax credits should face the same financial choices about having children as those supporting themselves solely through work.”

The two-child limit on benefits restricts welfare payments for children to the first two children in a family.
Len44ik/Shutterstock

In contrast, the architect of the British welfare state, William Beveridge, noted in 1942 that children’s allowances (now child benefit) would help “housewives as mothers” in their “vital work in ensuring the adequate continuance of the British race and of British ideals in the world.” The 1945 Labour election victory in support of the welfare state suggests pro-natalist policies can contribute to electoral success.

The expansion of tax credits in the 1990s and 2000s were partly explained in pro-natalist terms. Tony Blair, for instance, noted: “The working tax credit enables half a million mothers to choose to stay at home.” That, in other words, tax credits enabled women to choose having and raising children over paid work.

Recent polling, however, suggests that the anti-natalist two-child limit polls well among voters, especially Reform voters. In 2024, for example, YouGov found 60% of Britons thought the two-child limit should be kept. The figure was 84% for Reform voters.

Targeting voters

The abolition of the two-child limit may have been adopted to increase Reform’s appeal to left-leaning voters. Providing additional support for families through social security may be attractive to voters concerned with social injustice. The two-child limit increases child poverty. Affected families are unable to provide even the most basic needs, such as food, clothing and heating.

Nevertheless, Reform’s proposal is also embedded in caveats and would be paid for through means appealing to its existing voters. So, for example, Farage emphasised that the abolition of the two-child limit would be restricted to only British families. It would not be extended to families “who come into the country and suddenly decide to have a lot of children”.

By keeping the two-child limit for migrant families, Reform’s proposals are consistent with existing immigration and asylum policies. It has been observed in an inquiry by All Party Parliamentary Groups on poverty and on migration that policies like this are, at least in part, “designed to push people into poverty in the hope that it will deter others from moving to the UK.” And, therefore, the abolition of the two-child limit can be seen as part of Reform’s pledge to severely curtail immigration.

Farage also argued that the abolition of the two-child limit would be paid for by other policies that are central to Reform’s electoral agenda. These include stopping asylum seekers being housed in hotels and the abolition of net zero policies. It is also consistent with Reform’s view that jobs in Britain should be filled by British people. This, it believes, will help reduce reliance on migrant labour from overseas.

There is little evidence that the introduction of the two-child limit had the desired impact on lowering poorer households’ birth rates. And it is unclear whether the proposed abolition of the two-child limit rooted in a British-only, pro-natalist agenda is enough to attract left-leaning voters.

These voters might, for example, be more concerned with Reform’s position on immigration and asylum seeking, as well as the social injustice of the undoubted poverty in which families subjected to the two child limit on benefits live.

Reform’s strategy then may be to further encourage those voters to turn from its closest rival – the Labour party – to other political parties. Whichever is the case, the situation will undoubtedly shift if the Labour government does take the step of abolishing the two-child limit.

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

– ref. The political opportunism behind Reform UK’s support for abolition of the two-child limit on benefits – https://theconversation.com/the-political-opportunism-behind-reform-uks-support-for-abolition-of-the-two-child-limit-on-benefits-258042

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Spending review: Rachel Reeves is about to make a £600 billion gamble on growth

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Steve Schifferes, Honorary Research Fellow, City Political Economy Research Centre, City St George’s, University of London

UK chancellor Rachel Reeves faces her biggest test with the government’s departmental spending plans for the three years from next April until the general election. With nearly £600 billion a year to spend, her decisions will impact on every aspect of public life and shape the political weather for years to come.

She believes the key to reviving Labour’s fortunes as its poll ratings tumble lies in boosting economic growth.

So the government has promised that its policies will increase the UK’s anaemic growth rate and enhance productivity. Reeves is looking to capital spending on big projects that will boost the economy, such as the £14.2 billion government investment in a new nuclear power plant at Sizewell in Suffolk.

Last year she revised the government’s fiscal rules to give herself the space to borrow an extra £113 billion over three years to transform Britain’s ageing infrastructure. She has already made it clear that she wants to boost transport investment outside of London, as well as invest in research and development, including green energy.

But there are challenges ahead. In the first place, the effect of infrastructure investment takes a long time to feed through. This is partly because of the lag between planning the projects and when they come on-stream.

It will take time before the full effect will be felt on productivity, which has been growing more slowly than expected. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) suggested in March that the latest government plans for planning reform might increase productivity by just 0.2% in the longer term.

There are also some real trade-offs as to where the increased capital investment will go – and which sectors will benefit most. The chancellor has emphasised her commitment to putting more money into projects outside London and south-east England that have had less public investment in the past.

But London and the south-east is where productivity is highest and where further investment might have a bigger effect on economic growth.

It appears that there may be less funding for social housing, which may threaten the government’s ambitious target of building 1.5 million homes over the parliament. There may also be less available to repair schools and hospitals.

And the plans to boost defence spending on expensive military equipment – such as frigates and fighter planes – will also count as capital spending. As such, it could further reduce the amount available for infrastructure investment.

The departmental trade-offs

Despite the relative abundance of cash for infrastructure, the tighter fiscal rules on day-to-day spending mean that many departments are facing a squeeze on their budgets. The government plans to allow total day-to-day departmental spending on average to rise by just 1.2% per year in real terms during the next three years. This probably spells a real-terms cut for some “unprotected” departments.

This is because the money will not be distributed equally. The Department of Health and Social Care gets 40% of all departmental spending and is likely to be the big winner.

It has already received a big increase in the last spending round, with an 11% increase in capital spending is likely to get even more to realise an ambitious ten-year plan for improving services in the NHS in England.

If health spending were to go up by 2.5% (well under its historic average), this could mean very little increase for many other government departments. And if it is increased by 3.5% this will imply real-terms cuts for other areas.

The situation is made more difficult by the government’s decision to prioritise two other areas: defence and schools. For defence, it is committed to raising spending to 2.5% by 2027 and to 3% in the next parliament.

And for education, Reeves has pledged an extra £4.5 billion per year for more teachers, childcare places and free school meals. The decisions have a strong political dimension, as health and education tend to be the most popular spending priorities among the public.

Boosting the education spend tends to play well with the UK public.
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

The spending review, however, only covers half of total government spending. The more unpredictable part is annually managed expenditure, mainly on benefits and interest payments on government debt.

The Treasury sets an overall target (known as the spending envelope) on how much will be spent in these areas. But it now faces a crunch point over the unpopular decisions to cut disability benefits and keep the two-child benefit cap.

Reeves’ partial U-turn on the winter fuel payment, which will now be paid to 9 million pensioners, will cost an additional £1.25 billion a year but may have been a political necessity.

But a full U-turn on the two other issues will be much more expensive. Taken together, such a change might breach the fiscal rules, which give only £10 billion of “headroom” in a total government budget of more than £1.2 trillion. So while there will be some rowing back, the finances suggest any more major U-turns are unlikely.

To make matters worse, these spending plans are based on an economic forecast made by the OBR in March. This did not include the effect of US president Donald Trump’s tariff plans. Since then, both the IMF and the OECD downgraded their UK growth forecasts for both 2025 and 2026, and despite a recent small upgrade by the IMF, growth is still significantly lower than previously expected.

Even though Britain seems to have secured a deal with the US, the effect of tariffs on global growth will still damage the UK’s prospects as a trading nation.

This will make it harder for the government to meet its fiscal targets in the autumn budget while sticking to the departmental spending plans. The chancellor will then have three options. She can look for more cuts in benefits spending.

She could try to find other sources of tax revenue, for example by tweaking the rules on taxing pensions or extending the freeze on upgrading tax bands. Or, more radically, she could modify the fiscal rules to give herself more flexibility – for example by having only one economic forecast a year, as the IMF has suggested.

Ultimately Labour’s electoral prospects will depend on whether it has succeeded in boosting living standards. While the productivity drive could work, the UK economy remains at the mercy of wider global economic forces.

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

– ref. Spending review: Rachel Reeves is about to make a £600 billion gamble on growth – https://theconversation.com/spending-review-rachel-reeves-is-about-to-make-a-600-billion-gamble-on-growth-258526

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Why ultra wealthy donors like Elon Musk and Zia Yusuf may just be fundamentally incompatible with the politics of the radical right

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sam Power, Lecturer in Politics, University of Bristol

Former chairman Zia Yusuf has rejoined Reform after quitting days previously. Yusuf had said he no longer wanted to work to get the party into government when new MP Sarah Pochin called for a ban on burqas in the UK. However, he seems to have had a change of heart and will return, ostensibly to lead the party’s “department of government efficiency”.

Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s bromance, however, is on much rockier ground. There’s no sign of the world’s richest man reconciling with the US president, his former employer.

These spats, at first glance, might seem like little more than, put politely, teething problems in (relatively) new political operations. Or, a little less politely, the unedifying spectacle of people in or seeking power being completely unable to act like adults.

However, it also points to something more akin to a canary in the coalmine for radical right parties around the world. Their increasing reliance on an ultra-wealthy donor class presents an ideological puzzle that may not be solvable.

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Reform currently operates on what has been described as vibes alone. That is to say, there’s very little meaningful common ground between the people who vote for Reform and the party elite. The only continuity is their sense of anger at the current political system.

This, as we are seeing in election after election, is an incredibly powerful (and compelling) force. The problem is, of course, that you can’t oppose forever. You often end up having to actually do something. All boxers, Mike Tyson will be glad to tell you, have a plan – until they get punched in the face.

And what makes them such a powerful force at the moment, is precisely that which may cause challenges further down the line. At least for me, given it’s my bread and butter research-wise, I see this when I follow the money.

And I’m increasingly asked a lot of questions about the kind of people who are either giving money to Reform – or who Reform are courting (and at the moment it is decidedly the latter which is the case).

My position is that they very broadly fit into three categories. First are disaffected traditional Conservatives who are increasingly seeing a party – in the words of Farage – “worth investing in”. In the donations figures released on June 10, these are represented by bussinessmen Bassim Haidar and Mohammed Amersi.

Then you have a Silicon Valley-reared tech-bro libertarian. This group already runs on a “move fast and break things” philosophy so the idea of an insurgent party which proclaims, on entering parliament, that “the fox is in the henhouse” naturally appeals.

The final pot of money is filled via small donations, ballooning membership and a whole chunk of votes from a disaffected white working-class population to whom the language of economic and cultural grievances resonates.

There are some places where the interests of these groups align – most notably a distaste for government interference and red tape (though not necessarily a smaller state in terms spending on public services). They also share a sense that progressive politics, broadly defined, ought to be pegged back a bit (but with an emphasis on a bit).

They differ on a great deal else, to the extent that you can only really please two out of the three, but never everybody. And, unfortunately, without all three the project starts collapsing. This is what we have been seeing in the fractious relationships between Trump and Musk and Farage and Yusuf.

Two out of three ain’t bad – but it’s not enough

Yusuf (and Musk) are very much representative of the new tech-bro class. And, when Yusuf called questions about banning the burqa “dumb” he was speaking at both an ideological and organisational level.

At the ideological level it is, frankly, a bit rich for his blood, because “philosophically I am always a bit uneasy about banning things which, for example, would be unconstitutional in the United States”.

Organisationally, it pushes Reform much closer to what journalist Fraser Nelson calls “a tactic more akin to the old BNP”. Indeed, Reform started “just asking questions” about burqas at the same time as it started twisting footage to claim that Anas Sarwar, leader of Scottish Labour, wants to prioritise the needs of Pakistanis.

This kind of dog-whistle politics appeals to some, but puts off a lot more, including, I think, some of the (saner) tech-bro right.

Indeed, Ian Ward at Politico perceptively notes that if we want to explain the current Musk-Trump meltdown we should look back to Christmas 2024, when cracks first started appearing over immigration policy.

The tech-bro right are, generally speaking, much less hardline on the flow of people than the Maga-populist right (think Steve Bannon and Tommy Robinson). In fact, they are pro-high skilled immigration as it tends to benefit them and their business interests.

Tech-bros also like the idea of moving fast and breaking things in theory. But when things start moving fast and actually breaking in practice (or Tesla stocks start to plummet), they tend to get a bit freaked out.

In other words, it’s not just that they don’t like government, they don’t like governing and the inevitable compromise that comes with it. When they say move fast and break things, I get the sense what they really mean is “leave me alone so I can make billions in peace”.

This, of course, is quite appealing to traditional hedge-fund conservatives, but is also the politics that literally built the economic grievances that much of the white-working class support for the populist radical right is, in turn, built on.

Two out of three ain’t bad, but you do need all three. So, don’t be surprised if despite Farage’s seemingly genuine affection for Yusuf, it all falls apart again before long.

Ultimately, Reform will need to decide how they are going to spin these plates. The good news is that it might well be that they can, indeed, get by on vibes alone until the next general election. The bad news, unfortunately, is that winning an election is the easy bit. Just ask Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer. After all, everyone has a plan.

Sam Power receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

– ref. Why ultra wealthy donors like Elon Musk and Zia Yusuf may just be fundamentally incompatible with the politics of the radical right – https://theconversation.com/why-ultra-wealthy-donors-like-elon-musk-and-zia-yusuf-may-just-be-fundamentally-incompatible-with-the-politics-of-the-radical-right-258512

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: What the new British zoo standards mean for animal welfare

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Samantha Ward, Associate Professor of Zoo Animal Welfare, Nottingham Trent University

Mila Supinskaya Glashchenko/Shutterstock

If you visit a zoo, you might be captivated by the animals you see — majestic lions, curious meerkats, soaring birds of prey. But this is not always the case. Some zoos don’t always give us that impression of “happy animals” where they can behave naturally and be left alone by visitors if they wish.

The UK, Scottish and Welsh governments recently released new zoo standards for Great Britain. So what does this mean for the future of zoos?

I have been working in and with zoos for over 20 years. I am a bit of a zoo-nerd but that doesn’t mean that I like them all. I am an advocate for good animal welfare in zoos and so I can recognise the ones that are good and not so good.

Britain is one of a few countries such as Belgium, South Korea and New Zealand that have specific zoo legislation. The new British standards will be enforced in 2027, giving below-par zoos two years to up their game.

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I speak here in my role as associate professor of zoo animal welfare at Nottingham Trent University, but I also sit on the UK Zoos Expert Committee and helped to write the new standards. One of the biggest changes is the replacement of the word “should” with “must”. The standards now say: “Zoos must provide appropriate accomodation”. This makes all elements of the guidance much more enforceable.

One of the most common complaints I hear when I say I work with zoos is that the animals don’t have as much space as they do in the wild. That is correct: zoos cannot provide the same amount of space for a lot of species. But good quality space can allow these animals to behave like they would in wild habitats.

One of the most controversial animals when talking about space is elephants. In 2017 the UK government issued updated requirements for them which brought in enclosure-size requirements, something that had never happened for any species in British zoos before.

Under the new standards, zoos will have until 2040 to increase their elephant provisions. Indoor space allocation for a herd of up to four females has been doubled to 600m². This then increases by 100m² for each additional elephant (compared to 80m² in the 2017 requirements).

Bull facilities – zoos that house individual male elephants – need to provide 320m² of indoor space per bull. Outdoor areas for bull and cow elephants must provide a minimum shared space of 20,000m² (or 2.8 UK sized football pitches) for up to five group-living adults. This must be increased by at least 2,500m² for each additional animal over two years old. This is over 30 times larger than the current standards.

The new standards stipulate that zoos must provide more natural habitats that better replicate how elephants live in the wild. There are also requirements for more detailed behavioural monitoring and things that help keep elephants active and engaged in their environment.

Howver, animal welfare charity the RSPCA still feels that these updates are not good enough. It believes that elephants (and some other species) are not suitable for captivity as they have complex cognitive needs and space requirements.

From my perspective, Britain has the most specific (and now) welfare-driven standards for elephants in the world. If Britain were to ban the housing of elephants, we would be shipping them to lower quality habitats, care and monitoring. Is this really what we want for the elephants in British zoos?

What else is changing

Another area where there has been much criticism in the past relates to providing animals from specific climates or environments with the correct conditions, such as reptiles, amphibians, tropical birds and primates. While a high number of animals seem to cope well in the UK’s colder climate, there is research to show that some animals need specialised environments, without which they can suffer from severe health problems, low welfare and even death.

The new standards require zoos to develop detailed environmental management plans for species that rely on artificial life-support systems such as aquariums, vivariums, tropical houses or desert habitats. Animals also cannot be removed from their enclosures for interactions or talks with the public.

These environmental management plans outline the environmental parameters required for that animal to thrive and behave naturally, and they need to be monitored to ensure that provisions do not slip.

Birds of prey have new welfare protections in British zoos.
chrisdorney/Shutterstock

There are also extra requirements for birds of prey. Although controversial, tethering is currently a recognised management practice for birds of prey, including owls, hawks and falcons. You don’t need to be a welfare scientist to understand how a bird might feel about being tethered to a post for long periods of time.

The 2012 standards stipulated that tethered birds should be flown at least four times per week, though there were no time restrictions on how long they could be tethered. The new standards emphasise that birds can only be tethered for a maximum of four hours in a 24 hour period and only as a management tool that benefits the bird (such as training for flight displays, transportation or veterinary treatment).

There is new emphasis on what is known as behavioural enrichment. Whether it’s puzzle feeders for primates, scent trails for big cats or novel objects for parrots, enrichment helps prevent boredom, reduce stress and promote natural behaviour.

Enrichment can be resource intensive and therefore difficult to implement, but the new standards make it a core requirement. Enrichment activities must aim to replicate natural behaviour such as foraging, climbing or problem solving. Zoos are required to document and evaluate these activities, track how animals respond and adjust strategies accordingly.

These updates reflect a deeper understanding of what animals need to thrive, not just survive. As a zoo welfare scientist, I feel there is always more that can be done to improve the welfare of animals in zoos (such as banning touch pools and tethering altogether).

But it is important that zoos and aquariums evaluate the costs (to the animals) and benefits (to the visitors) to make ethical and welfare-based decisions themselves.

These new standards will improve the conditions for animals in zoos, as well as help zoos to make the right decisions about the animals they house and care for.

Samantha Ward is the welfare specialist on the Zoo Experts Committee, part of DEFRA, who helped write the new zoo standards.

– ref. What the new British zoo standards mean for animal welfare – https://theconversation.com/what-the-new-british-zoo-standards-mean-for-animal-welfare-258001

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Why the salmon on your plate contains less omega-3 than it used to – and how the industry can address that

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Richard Newton, Lecturer in Aquaculture, University of Stirling

Maria_Usp/Shutterstock

Farmed Atlantic salmon has become one of the most highly traded food commodities in the world, enjoyed for its versatility as much as for its health benefits. It has long been known that eating oily fish such as salmon is the best way to consume long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. These are essential for brain development, mental health and cognition.

In salmon, omega-3 fatty acids must come from the fish’s diet. For farmed fish, this means fishmeal and fish oil – so–called “marine ingredients” made from ground-up wild fish such as anchovy and fish by-products.

But the global supply of omega-3s is severely limited, whether from farmed or wild seafood. Many of the key fisheries supplying marine ingredients reached full exploitation in the mid-1990s. Since the growth of salmon aquaculture, increasing volumes of the limited marine ingredients supply have been taken up by fish farming.

This has raised concerns over sustainability and inflated the cost of these ingredients. The result has been a steady decline in the proportion of fish oil in farmed salmon diets, which has been replaced by plant oils. But these oils do not contain long-chain omega-3s.

In turn, the amount of omega-3s in a portion of salmon halved between 2006 and 2015. However, the salmon industry increasingly uses omega-3 as a key selling point for its product – two portions of farmed Scottish salmon per week would meet the recommended intake for an adult at current levels.

If the salmon industry is to continue to grow and maintain the omega-3 targets, it must be more efficient. And the seafood industry as a whole must do more to prevent omega-3 losses through its value chains. Part of the efficiency journey has been to produce more fish oil.

This can be done by harnessing the value of fishery and aquaculture byproducts such as trimmings, skins and heads, so that more omega-3s are kept in the food (and feed) system.

There is a growing incentive to use the whole fish – consequently there has been good progress in improving the use of byproducts. It is now estimated that around half of global fish oil supply is sourced from fishery, and particularly aquaculture, processing sources. However, there is still a lot of waste and logistical difficulties in storing and transporting seafood byproducts.

Much of the industry incentive to use byproducts has been economic, as the global shortage of fish oil pushed prices above US$8,000 (£5,900) per tonne in 2024. Evidence from the past 20 years suggests that overall use of wild fish in the European salmon industry has dropped (replaced by plant ingredients), while production has grown several-fold.

Despite improvements and reductions in the use of marine ingredients, the industry still comes under huge pressure from NGOs and conservation groups. They are concerned about the use of fish as feed, which may damage public perceptions of the aquaculture industry.

To assess the use of fish as feed in aquaculture, the “fish in fish out” (Fifo) ratio was conceived, which measures the ratio of fish biomass included in fish feeds to the biomass of fish ultimately produced for consumption. The goal is for more fish to be produced for human consumption than is used as feed, and this would result in a Fifo of less than 1.

New measure for nutrients

Certification bodies such as the Aquaculture Stewardship Council and Best Aquaculture Practices have adopted different forms of the Fifo metric. However, until now, Fifo has not addressed one of the fundamental reasons for including marine ingredients in aquafeeds – providing omega-3s to consumers. It has neither considered the omega-3 content within feed fish, nor in the final product.

Similarly, studies examining nutrient retention in salmon have only looked at that from feed to the farmed fish. The omega-3 lost in the process of turning the fish raw material in feed is not currently measured. By introducing our new measure, the nutrient Fifo (nFifo), nutrients can be followed from wild fish capture, its separation into meal and oil, and through to the final product sold to consumers.

Certification bodies like the Aquaculture Stewardship Council could adopt the new metric for nutrition.
T. Schneider/Shutterstock

The method used in nFifo favours the use of byproduct resources over virgin raw materials, so that diets containing byproducts receive a lower nFifo. In theory, this should promote circular economy initiatives.

This is crucial in the marine ingredients industry. Seafood is highly perishable and the byproducts especially so. But they are also some of the richest sources of omega-3s, such as from herring or mackerel.

However, the cost of retaining, stabilising, storing and transporting byproducts is often prohibitive. This is especially true on board fishing boats, where space is at a premium and byproducts are often dumped at sea.

Introducing metrics that prevent bioresources being wasted is essential for sustainable food production. Current salmon feed contains around 20% to 25% marine ingredients, but only around 5% is from byproducts. This results in a nFIFO of 2.17.

Incorporating only marine ingredients sourced from byproducts reduces that nFifo to below 0.5. Crucially, this still provides the same level of omega-3s to the consumer.

If the seafood industry is serious about sustainable production, it needs to become much more efficient with resources. The nFifo metric links the use of wild fish to omega-3s consumed in farmed salmon for the first time – but it could also be applied to other species and nutrients.

The methodology is similar to that used for environmental impact indicators for climate change, land or water use. It makes it possible to assess the trade-offs of including and substituting marine ingredients in fish diets at different points of production.

For example, while marine ingredients may raise concerns around their impact on fisheries, they have comparatively low carbon footprints and almost no land or water footprints compared to plant ingredients. This could potentially lead to more balanced and sustainable approaches to seafood production.

It is hoped that the nFifo metric and an accessible tool for calculating it (there is one provided on the Blue Food Performance website) will be adopted by certifiers. It could also lead to more complex sustainability indicators becoming mainstream, letting consumers make informed choices about the nutritional and environmental credentials of the products they buy.

Richard Newton is the Chair of the Climate Action Committe for Best Aquaculture Practice and the Stakeholder Advisory Group for Seafood Watch. He has previously received funding in 2019 and 2013 from the International Fishmeal Fishoil Organisation to map supplies of underutilised by-product resources.

Dave Little has received funding from various organisations supporting sustainable aquaculture development and has been affiliated to various organisations working to to improve farmed seafood assurance

– ref. Why the salmon on your plate contains less omega-3 than it used to – and how the industry can address that – https://theconversation.com/why-the-salmon-on-your-plate-contains-less-omega-3-than-it-used-to-and-how-the-industry-can-address-that-258228

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Beards and microbes: what the evidence shows

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Primrose Freestone, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Microbiology, University of Leicester

Bernardo Emanuelle/Shutterstock.com

Beards have long attracted suspicion, sometimes seen as stylish, sometimes as unsanitary. But how dirty are they, really?

Human skin is home to billions of microorganisms – mainly bacteria, but also fungi and viruses – and facial hair provides a unique environment for them to thrive. Research shows that beards, in particular, support a dense and diverse microbial population, which has fuelled a persistent belief that they are inherently unhygienic. The Washington Post recently reported that some toilets contain fewer germs than the average beard.

But are beards truly a hygiene risk? A closer look at the evidence reveals a nuanced picture.

The microbial population on skin varies by location and is influenced by factors such as temperature, pH, humidity and nutrient availability. Beards create a warm, often moist environment where food debris and oils can accumulate – ideal conditions for microbial growth.

These microbes thrive not just because of the warm, moist conditions beards provide, but also because of constant exposure to new contaminants and microbes, especially from hands that frequently touch surfaces and the face.

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Concerns among scientists about beard hygiene date back over 50 years. Early studies showed that facial hair could retain bacteria and bacterial toxins even after washing. This led to the enduring idea that beards act as bacterial reservoirs and could pose an infection risk to others.

For healthcare workers, this has made beards a point of controversy, especially in hospitals where pathogen transmission is a concern. However, hospital-based research has shown mixed results. One study found that bearded healthcare workers had higher bacterial loads on their faces than clean-shaven colleagues.

Another investigation, looking at whether it would be hygienic to evaluate dogs and humans in the same MRI scanner, found that most men’s beards contained significantly more microbes than dog fur, including a greater presence of harmful bacteria. The researchers concluded: “Dogs are no risk to humans if they use the same MRI.”

Dogs and humans can share the same MRI scanner.
Dmytro Zinkevych/Shutterstock.com

However, other studies have challenged the idea that beards increase infection risk. For example, one investigation found no significant difference in bacterial colonisation between bearded and clean-shaven healthcare workers.

The same study also reported that bearded doctors were less likely to carry Staphylococcus aureus, a major cause of hospital infections, and that there was no increase in infection rates among patients treated by bearded surgeons wearing surgical masks.

Beards can sometimes spread skin infections, such as impetigo — a contagious rash often caused by S aureus, which is commonly found in facial hair.

In rare cases, parasites like pubic lice – which usually live in the groin area – can also show up in beards, eyebrows or eyelashes, particularly in cases of poor hygiene or close contact with an infected person.

The case for good beard hygiene

Neglected beards can foster irritation, inflammation and infection. The skin beneath a beard – rich in blood vessels, nerve endings and immune cells – is highly sensitive to microbial and environmental stressors. When sebum, dead skin, food debris and pollutants accumulate, they can irritate the skin and provide fuel for fungal and bacterial growth.

Experts strongly recommend washing your beard and face every day. Doing so removes dirt, oils, allergens and dead skin, helping prevent microbial buildup.

Dermatologists also advise moisturising to prevent dryness, using a beard comb to clear debris, and trimming to control loose hairs and reduce shedding. These steps help maintain not only hygiene but also beard health and appearance.

So, are beards dirty? Like most things, it depends on how well you care for them. With daily hygiene and proper grooming, beards pose little risk and may even be healthier than we once thought.

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

– ref. Beards and microbes: what the evidence shows – https://theconversation.com/beards-and-microbes-what-the-evidence-shows-256917

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: The National Gallery at 200: is this rehang a bold relaunch or rinse and repeat?

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jonathan Conlin, Professor of Modern History, University of Southampton

The National Gallery has recently rehung its entire collection. Taking hundreds of paintings off the wall and replacing them in a new arrangement requires considerable mental and physical labour on the part of curators, conservators and technicians.

A rehang tends to elicit strong reactions from anyone with a stake in the collection – and in the case of a public gallery, “anyone” means “everyone”.
Unsurprisingly then, it has only been done twice at the National Gallery since the second world war.

Last month, I attended a launch party for the gallery’s new Sainsbury Wing entrance. It marked the end of NG200, a year-long programme of events celebrating the gallery’s 200th birthday. As the author of the gallery’s authorised bicentenary history, I had written about the refurbishment, albeit with only computer-generated impressions of what it would look like. Now I could see for myself.

Inside the launch party for the gallery’s new Sainsbury Wing entrance.
Jonathan Conlin, CC BY-SA

Back in 1946, the director of the National Gallery was eager to offer both reassurance about his rehang and the promise of striking new juxtapositions. “The traditional grouping by schools has been largely maintained,” Sir Philip Hendy noted, “but a good many exceptions have been made, partly for the sake of a more harmonious and stimulating ensemble and partly for the sake of historical truth.”

The rehang, Hendy argued, would show how “the spirit of the time is usually more important than national boundaries, and that ideas can transcend both”. A striking example was Hendy hanging Bronzino’s An Allegory With Venus and Cupid (1545) next to Holbein’s The Ambassadors, painted just 12 years earlier.

“I enjoyed the intellectual shocks provided, lavishly, in the juxtaposition of unexpected artists,” wrote one regular visitor from Godalming in Surrey. But she soon found herself wondering if there was “some subtle plan” behind “having the Botticellis all in different rooms, the Venetians just anywhere, and the Rembrandts torn asunder?”

Evacuation of paintings from the National Gallery during the second world war, shortly before the last rehang.
Imperial War Museum

The Bronzino and the Holbein were split up fairly quickly, perhaps in response to criticism from other confused visitors. While they have not been reunited on the same wall, as I stood back from The Ambassadors in room four, I could turn my head to the left and see Venus and Cupid neatly framed by the door to neighbouring room two.

At least, I could have seen it, had Neil MacGregor not been standing in front of it. The National Gallery’s director from 1987 to 2002, MacGregor oversaw the last complete rehang as well as the construction of the Sainsbury Wing, which opened in 1991.

This article is part of our State of the Arts series. These articles tackle the challenges of the arts and heritage industry – and celebrate the wins, too.

At that time, the gallery’s then-head of exhibitions, Michael Wilson, replaced the traditional grouping by schools with the wing system, which organised the hang around three broad pan-European epochs. It was a profound shift, perhaps linked to broader pan-European political visions that would lead to the introduction of a common European currency in 1999.

Former National Gallery trustee Robert Benson (as drawn by John Singer Sargent) believed art should be hung chronologically.
Wiki Commons

This was a world away from the previous arrangement. “Pictures must be hung in historical sequence,” trustee Robert Benson noted in 1914. “A salon carré, or a Tribuna, of masterpieces of all schools is an objective far ahead.”

For Benson, it was clear that the collection could only be understood “school by school”. Each painter “must be appreciated and judged in relation to the chef d’école of whose artistic lineage, or entourage, he forms part”. Collecting works from the “period of eclecticism and decadence” that followed each chef d’école (the initiator or leader of a school of painting) was of secondary importance.

But as a result, in the National Gallery that Benson (a wannabe gallery director) helped create and that MacGregor inherited, there were shocks aplenty as the visitor jumped from one school to another.

Having followed the French school through from Corneille de Lyon’s Man in a Black Biretta (c. 1538-61) through Jacques-Louis David’s Jacobus Blauw (1795) to Cézanne’s Hillside in Provence (c. 1890-1912), you then jumped four or more centuries back to start over again with the Dutch or the Italians.

The redesigned wing

These shocks were compounded by gestures towards period interiors: terrazzo tile for the Italians, dark wood panelling for the Dutch. Opened in 1975, the northern extension’s carpet, suspended ceilings and floating walls were hailed as “a model of discretion and reticence in comparison to the grandeur of the Victorian interiors”.

Under MacGregor’s wing system, “the spirit of the time” came first – nowhere more so than in the Sainsbury Wing, designed to set up a conversation between the artists of the Northern Renaissance and the Italian Renaissance. The system recognised that the Alps had not been a barrier to the exchange of artistic ideas, and had been criss-crossed by many Renaissance artists, including Albrecht Dürer.

The postmodern American architects chosen to design the Sainsbury Wing, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, larded their design with a series of knowing, sometimes mannered quotations from much older buildings.

The redesign of this Grade I-listed building by the American architect Annabelle Selldorf has now opened up Venturi and Scott Brown’s dark, crypt-like ground floor foyer. Squat columns originally intended to create a sense of anticipation have been thinned and in some cases removed. As the Twentieth Century Society noted in its planning objection, “the key sense of compression” (released upon climbing the stair) has been lost.

Artemisia Gentileschi’s Self-Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria has not been hung in a specific women artists room.
National Gallery

A ‘tamer’ rehang

Upstairs in the galleries, theme rooms have been introduced, scattered among the otherwise chronological hang. The choice of themes is tamer than the 2023 rehang of European paintings at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, where some of the themes feel forced – such as “Tiepolo and multiracial Europe”.

The National Gallery has resisted the temptation to devote a gallery to women artists: Artemisia Gentileschi’s Self Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria (c. 1615-17) hangs between Caravaggios in room three, not next to Elizabeth Vigée Le Brun’s Self Portrait in a Straw Hat (1782) in room 15.

Those who admired the way in which MacGregor invited non-believers to engage with Christian art on an emotional level may nonetheless feel that an opportunity has been lost. This is a rehang that could have shocked more than it did.

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

Jonathan Conlin is the author of the National Gallery’s authorised bicentenary history, The National Gallery: A History.

– ref. The National Gallery at 200: is this rehang a bold relaunch or rinse and repeat? – https://theconversation.com/the-national-gallery-at-200-is-this-rehang-a-bold-relaunch-or-rinse-and-repeat-258334

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: The world needs bold, equitable climate action at the 2025 G7 summit
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Sharon E. Straus, Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto

As climate change and disrupted weather patterns impact countries around the world, leaders must act to mitigate the negative effects on public health.

Leaders from six western countries and Japan will soon gather in Kananaskis, Alta., for the Group of Seven (G7) meeting from June 15 to 17, 2025. In the lead-up to this meeting, the Royal Society of Canada hosted the Science 7 (S7). This is an engagement meeting of the leading academies of the G7 member countries.

Following discussion and deliberation, three statements aimed at advancing science for society were published, entitled Advanced Technologies and Data Security, Sustainable Migration and Climate Action and Health Resilience.

One of us (Sharon Straus) oversaw the S7 statement on Climate Action and Health Resilience. This statement draws attention to the health impacts of climate change and recommends several mitigation strategies.

Wide-ranging health impacts

Experts on health and climate change have outlined the growing impact of delayed climate action. The data are clear. Extreme weather events such as heat, floods, droughts and wildfires are having wide-ranging health impacts.

In the 10 years between 2014-2023, there was a 167 per cent increase in heat-related deaths in those aged 65 years and older compared with the 10 years between 1990-99. Extreme weather events also directly impact food and water security, as well as infectious diseases and chronic diseases.

The health consequences of climate change are not only the result of environmental factors. Of equal importance are recent decisions eliminating funding for programs that mitigate the risks of climate change.

Consider for example, the multiple threats to recent progress in eliminating malaria. The World Malaria Report published in December 2024 by the World Health Organization estimated that 2.2 billion malaria cases and 12.7 million malaria deaths were averted between 2000 and 2023.

Now, many countries anticipate a malaria resurgence. Antimalarial drug resistance, mosquito resistance to insecticides, changes in temperature and humidity affecting mosquito survival and the emergence of new mosquito species linked to climate change — combined with the recent abrupt funding freeze from the United States — are leading to a perfect storm.

Economic impact of climate change

The economic burden of climate change, which includes more health-care use, lost productivity, adaptation and mitigation expenses — to say nothing of the costs of rebuilding — is massive.

Much of that burden is borne by those who live in low- and middle-income countries (80 per cent of the world’s population) and who are the lowest contributors to carbon dioxide emissions.

To put this in perspective, in 2021, the United Nations Environment Program estimated the costs of annual adaptation for vulnerable countries at US$70 billion and predicted this would increase to US$140-300 billion by 2030.

In addition to the costs of adaptation aimed at reducing vulnerability to climate change, there are the costs associated with losses resulting from climate change. The 2024 Lancet Countdown estimated that the average annual economic losses due to extreme weather-related events reached US$227 billion between 2019-2023. This value exceeds the gross domestic product of approximately 60 per cent of the world’s economies.

What about Canada?

In Canada, warming is happening at twice the global rate with resulting heat, wildfires and floods. There is also evidence of significant impacts on mental health and chronic diseases, leading to an increased need for health care.

Indigenous communities, older adults and those who have experienced homelessness are disproportionately impacted by climate change. Indigenous Peoples, especially those living in remote and northern areas, are particularly vulnerable.

Currently there are 37 long-term and 40 short-term drinking water advisories in First Nations communities across Canada. The lack of safe, clean drinking water can exacerbate climate-related food and water insecurity and lead to infectious disease transmission.

The number of people experiencing homelessness is growing and many of these individuals are over 50 years old. These older adults are physiologically 15-20 years older than their housed counterparts and are at higher risk of chronic diseases, including those exacerbated by climate change.

Similarly, frail older adults are at higher risk of health effects of climate change. It is worth remembering the impact of poor air quality and lack of air conditioning during the COVID-19 pandemic on those living in long-term care homes.

Climate change costs health-care systems more each year. The Canadian Institute for Climate Choices recently estimated that health-related hospitalizations will increase by 21 per cent by mid-century. Our health systems are not prepared for this.

In addition, the costs of death and reduced quality of life from heat-related climate change is estimated to rise between $3 billion and $3.9 billion by the middle of this century. Factoring in other impacts such as those from air pollution, flooding and wildfires, the total estimated costs are in the tens to hundreds of billions.

S7’s recommendations

The S7 statement on Climate Action and Health Resilience includes seven recommendations. Addressing the disproportionate impact of climate change on populations who are particularly vulnerable and investing in innovative solutions are among them. Particularly critical are societal and political innovations that involve affected communities, including Indigenous communities.

The S7’s climate and health resilience recommendations include:
- Developing and optimizing climate change mitigation strategies to transform health and social services (such as early warning infectious disease systems and biomonitoring).
- Developing new regulations nationally and internationally to transform health, public health and social services, increasing their readiness and safeguarding health from climate change impact.
- Providing economic and regulatory incentives to foster adaptation and resiliency of health systems.
- Investing in innovative solutions (including vaccine development for emerging diseases, wastewater surveillance) to mitigate climate change and its health risks.
The G7 summit is an opportunity to centre climate change discussions and act on the S7 recommendations. Bold investment in innovations that address the health challenges resulting from climate change will benefit us all and drive new economic activity and resilience.

Climate change is a health issue, a social justice issue and an economic issue, and the time to act is now. Scientists, policymakers, clinicians and the public must work together.

Sharon E. Straus receives research funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Public Health Agency of Canada. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Françoise Baylis is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

– ref. The world needs bold, equitable climate action at the 2025 G7 summit – https://theconversation.com/the-world-needs-bold-equitable-climate-action-at-the-2025-g7-summit-256876
MIL OSI – Global Reports –
June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Teens say they can access firearms at home, even when parents lock them up, new research shows

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Katherine G. Hastings, PhD Candidate in Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia

Most households that own firearms have more than one − and owners often don’t secure all of them. StockPlanets/E+ via Getty Images

More than half of U.S. teens living in households with firearms believe they can access and load a firearm at home. Even when their parents report storing all firearms locked and unloaded, more than one-third of teens still believe they could access and load one. These are the main findings of our new study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

We are behavioral scientists investigating youth injury prevention and youth safety. In this study, we analyzed national survey data from nearly 500 parents who owned firearms and their teens. One survey asked the parents to report how many firearms they had in the home and how they stored each one. Another asked their teens to estimate how quickly they could access and load a firearm at home.

While the presence of unlocked and loaded firearms in the home was weakly linked to perceived access among teens, we found that parents’ storage practices alone were a poor predictor of whether teens believed they could access a firearm. What’s more, in households with more than one firearm, locking up more firearms was not at all linked to perceived access among teens if at least one remained unsecured.

In short, just one unlocked firearm can undo the protective benefit of securing all other firearms in the home, our results showed.

Why it matters

In the U.S., firearms are now the leading cause of death among children and teens. In most of these cases, the firearm used belonged to a parent, relative or friend.

Our study focused on teens’ beliefs about firearm access, not their actual access. However, these perceptions may provide important clues around firearm access and use. Prior research shows that teens who believe they can access a firearm are more likely to access and carry one. This is particularly concerning for teens who already have a higher risk for dying by suicide.

One of the most widely supported ways to reduce teen injuries and deaths by firearms is to encourage owners to keep firearms locked and unloaded. However, most firearm-owning households in the U.S. have multiple firearms, and owners often store some firearms securely but not all.

Firearms are the leading cause of death among children and teens.
Kypros/Stock Photos Gun Safe via Getty Images

Despite evidence that securely storing firearms saves lives, efforts to promote that messaging may be less effective when it is not universally applied to all firearms in the home or when teens still know how to access them.

Our study also points to the need for messaging and safety strategies that consider teen behavior amid household firearm dynamics. For example, teens may observe where firearms are stored or know where keys or combinations are kept and unlock firearms in moments of impulsivity or emotional distress. Beyond securely storing firearms, encouraging parents to treat every firearm in the household as a potential source of risk and talking with teens about how to address conflicts and promote mental and emotional well-being may also be protective.

Additionally, our study adds support for universal laws that require securely storing all firearms in homes in which children live and mandating routine assessments of teen firearm access by pediatricians.

What still isn’t known

It is still unclear how teens’ beliefs about their access to firearms affects whether they actually seek them out – or how the variability of parents’ practices on storing firearms affects teen access.

Another important question is how teens’ perceptions of their access to firearms at home may vary depending on cultural backgrounds, geography and different households’ attitudes and beliefs around firearm use.

Additionally, our study looked only at teens ages 14 to 18. Further research is needed to explore these associations among younger children in firearm-owning households.

The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.

Rebeccah Sokol receives funding from the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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

– ref. Teens say they can access firearms at home, even when parents lock them up, new research shows – https://theconversation.com/teens-say-they-can-access-firearms-at-home-even-when-parents-lock-them-up-new-research-shows-256550

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: ECB appoints Thomas Vlassopoulos as Director General Market Infrastructure and Payments
Source: European Central Bank

10 June 2025
- Directorate General Market Infrastructure and Payments oversees and coordinates the operation and development of payment systems and market infrastructure
- It also leads the digital euro project
- Mr Vlassopoulos will replace Ulrich Bindseil, who is leaving the ECB
The Executive Board of the European Central Bank (ECB) has appointed Thomas Vlassopoulos as Director General Market Infrastructure and Payments. Mr Vlassopoulos will replace Ulrich Bindseil, who is leaving the ECB.

Thomas Vlassopoulos is currently Deputy Director General Market Operations, a post he has held since May 2021. He previously headed the Monetary Analysis Division and was also Deputy Head of the Financial Stability Surveillance Division. Mr Vlassopoulos joined the ECB’s Directorate General Economics in 2008, from the Bank of Greece. Mr Vlassopoulos holds a master’s degree in economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The Directorate General Market Infrastructure and Payments (DG-MIP) coordinates and supports the operation and development of Eurosystem market infrastructures (TARGET Services), conducts oversight of payment, clearing and settlement systems, and acts as a catalyst for innovation in retail payments as well as exploring new technologies for wholesale central bank money settlement. It is also leading the digital euro project. Mr Vlassopoulos will be responsible for the strategic direction and management of DG-MIP, steering innovation, project workstreams and operational activities for TARGET Services, the digital euro project as well as retail and wholesale payments. He will chair a range of committees and high-level fora, maintaining working relationships with market participants and other stakeholders.

For media queries, please contact Eszter Miltényi-Torstensson, tel.: +49 171 769 5305.

Notes
MIL OSI Europe News –
June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Presidential Youth Initiative continues to empower SA’s most excluded youth

Source: South Africa News Agency

The Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) is not only curbing youth unemployment but reshaping labour market access for South Africa’s most excluded youth, with government now working to elevate the programme to new heights.

President Cyril Ramaphosa witnessed the impact of the programme on Tuesday when he visited the Sefako Makgatho Primary School in Saulsville, Tshwane, to interact directly with beneficiaries, educators and learners.

“I’m glad to be here and to see you all. When I made the announcement a little while ago that we will be having up to 200 000 of you in all our schools, I did expect that you would all be coming through, and now I can see that you are real people, that you exist.

“We are so delighted to have you as our teacher assistants, you are assisting in our schools [and] a very important area of our nation’s lives, education. You are the ones who are going to be preparing these young people for the future of our country that we all desire,” the President told the young teacher assistants.

The President acknowledged the difficult socio-economic challenges young people face and highlighted government’s efforts to expand opportunities.

“I’m delighted that it is through you, young people, that we are doing this. Yes, I know that your own situation is not the most ideal. We are working very hard to create more permanent positions for you in many, many ways in the economy.

“When government is dealing with these problems, it also initiates programmes like this one. We have up to now brought in almost two million of you as young people into this type of programme.

“I am proud to be working with Ministers and Deputy Ministers in departments, who have taken this whole process of creating job opportunities very seriously,” the President said.

He told the teacher assistants that what they are doing is very important to the country and government continues to invest money in youth initiatives meant to benefit young South Africans.

“We devote a lot of money and effort to education, and you are the products of that. We now need to take you to the next level, and we will work very hard to take you to the next level, where you will get more permanent jobs and better livelihoods, so you can support your own families,” the President said.

He lauded the BEEI as a phenomenal programme, which has been able to employ more than two million young people since its inception. It is an overarching programme that covers over 25 000 schools across the country.

According to President Ramaphosa, the initiative also develops discipline, management, and interpersonal skills among participants. These skills are essential for success in future employment.

“That, to me, is hugely empowering for these young people, and we’ve had more than two million of them, and of course, we would want it to be much longer than what it is now. It’s a question of not having sufficient resources to be able to extend it beyond [that].

“But those who participate are then empowered and beyond this, they are then able to get other jobs, get other opportunities. They are now job ready, as it were, and that is a great benefit of what we are doing here.

The President added that the programme is becoming a world-renowned programme.

“Many other countries are looking at what we are doing here and some of them are going to copycat what we are doing… So, we are trailblazers in many ways,” he said.

President Ramaphosa praised the integrity of the programme, saying it has been “flawlessly executed” with the dedicated leadership within the Presidency and Departments of Basic Education and Employment and Labour.

Two young teacher assistants, who are currently benefiting from the programme, shared the same sentiments with the President, confirming that the initiative has made a huge difference in their lives.

Joshua Given Machete told SAnews that he was grateful for the opportunity to become part of the labour market through the Basic Education Employment Initiative.

“I have benefited by getting employed as a curriculum assistant and I really appreciate the opportunity by our President, as well and the Department of Basic Education for initiating this.

“I work in the classroom, doing basic classroom management while the teachers focus on teaching.

“This programme contributes to human dignity in a sense that you are now able to look after yourself and buy the things you need. Economically, it has made a difference in my life and I’m going to use some of the stipend to further my studies.

“I encourage unemployed young people not to lose hope and keep on applying for programmes such as these. The President has promised that there will be more opportunities,” he said.

Valria Ndleve told SAnews that she is employed as an education assistant at WF Nkomo, helping teachers and learners.

“My job is to assist the teachers and learners in the classroom. This initiative is going to assist me personally and professionally. I am now financially stable and gaining experience at the same time,” she said.

The BEEI is a flagship programme of the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES), designed to address the dual challenges of youth unemployment and support, for the basic education system by placing young people in roles within public schools as education and general school assistant.

The programme is implemented by the Department of Basic Education and administrated by the Industrial Development Corporation.

This visit is part of President Ramaphosa’s programme to engage with youth beneficiaries of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) and Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) flagship programmes in Pretoria.

He began the visit at the Sefako Makgatho Primary School in Saulsville. He then proceeded to South African Creative Industries Incubator (SACCI) in Eersterust and ended at the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) in Pretoria East. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: President reaffirms commitment to global diplomacy

Source: South Africa News Agency

President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to global diplomacy, describing the upcoming G7 Leaders’ Summit as a critical opportunity to strengthen international partnerships and promote the country’s leadership within the G20.

Speaking to members of the media during a visit to Sefako Makgatho Primary School in Saulsville, Pretoria, the President confirmed that South Africa had been officially invited to attend the G7 by Canada, this year’s chair of the summit.

“Yes, we are going to the G7. We’ve been invited by Canada, who are the conveners, who are the head of the G7 this time around. I’m hoping that when we meet the various leaders of the G7, we’ll be able to interact meaningfully with them,” President Ramaphosa said.

The President outlined a number of key bilateral engagements scheduled on the sidelines of the summit, including meetings with the Chancellor of Germany, the Prime Minister of Canada, and the President of the United States, Donald Trump.

“The G7 gives us an opportunity to go and propagate our message, the message about the presidency of South Africa’s G20 and how we want to see great outcomes of the G20. We’re going to use it as a platform to begin to consolidate what we want to have in November when the leaders’ summit takes place here,” the President said on Tuesday.

President Ramaphosa is set to jet off to Canada, Kananaskis from 14-17 June to attend and participate in the G7 Leaders’ Summit.

READ | President Ramaphosa to attend G7 Leaders’ Summit in Canada

Reflecting on the US working visit

Reflecting on his recent visit to the White House in Washington DC, President Ramaphosa dismissed criticism of the trip, saying it was a strategic move to reset relations with one of South Africa’s key trading partners.

“We do confirm that our visit to the White House in the United States was a moment where South Africa set out to reset the relationship with the United States, and I do believe that we have achieved that.

“Many people were very critical of our going there…and some were even suggesting that we were summoned. We were not summoned. In my telephone conversation with President Trump two weeks earlier, I said, I want to come and see you. And immediately conceded to that, and later they gave us a date. So that is not summoning, it is us taking the initiative that we want to go and see him,” the President said.

He said there was engagement that was taking place between the Department of Trade and Industry and Competition and the Department of International Relations. “So, we’ve opened the way for us to engage seriously with the United States. And on the other hand, we were also going to talk about trade matters, and that is now underway,” the President said.

He added that the White House meeting was also used to underscore the importance of President Trump attending the upcoming G20 Summit, which South Africa will host in November.

The President added that President Trump had “immediately conceded” that the G20 is not fully effective without the participation of the United States.

“For us, it’s important as a nation to reposition ourselves in the very turbulent geopolitical architecture or situation that we have, and that is why it was important to go to the United States, as we will go to many other countries, both on our own continent, in the Middle East and in Asia and in Europe as well.

“We are a country that is exposed and has relations with many countries around the world, and where the challenges and problems, we should immediately take action to correct those,” the President said. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: Celebrating National Indigenous History Month at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum
Source: Government of Canada regional news

Released on June 10, 2025

To celebrate National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day, the Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM) is featuring several events to recognize the unique cultures and contributions of the Indigenous people of Saskatchewan.

“National Indigenous History Month is an important opportunity to learn about, share in and appreciate Indigenous culture, traditions and experiences,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Alana Ross said. “The Royal Saskatchewan Museum will celebrate with special programming and events in addition to their world-class exhibits and dynamic and culturally appropriate programing for visitors of all ages.”

National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration – Friday, June 20 (1 to 4 p.m.)

Visitors can pick up a scavenger hunt and take a self-guided tour through the First Nations Gallery. There will be additional drop-in activity stations in and around the Museum, including:
- Beading and adornment station, where visitors can make a friendship bracelet.
- Bison hunting activity, including atlatl throwing.
- Touch table exploring bison artifacts in the Learning Lab.
Several partner organizations will also take part, including:
- The Saskatchewan Archaeological Society will have a Flint knapping demonstration showing how stone tools were made and will have their ArchaeoCaravan onsite.
- Tourism Saskatchewan will provide a guide to Indigenous landmarks and Indigenous led tourism activities.
The RSM Curator of Indigenous Cultural Heritage will hold drop-in sessions in the afternoon to learn more about the museum collections, shared stewardship and more.

Visitors can also check out the Indigenous Cultural Heritage Collection website.

Traditional Knowledge Keepers Workshops

Colour Stories from the Land – Saturday, June 14 (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

Join artist and visual storyteller Melanie Monique Rose for an introduction to make a one-of-a-kind wearable artwork. Participants will learn bundle dye and eco-printing techniques to create their own bandana or scarf.

No experience necessary, open to ages (13+). Beginner to intermediate participants welcome. Registration is $32 per person.

Floral Dot Art Acrylic Painting – Saturday, June 28 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

Join Sadi-Rose Vaxvick for this workshop on acrylic on canvas painting of Néhiyaw (Cree) and Métis florals and dot-art.

Explore the process of creating florals with a short presentation and a tour of the Indigenous Gallery with the RSM’s Indigenous Program Specialist Jadav Cyr.

No experience necessary, open to ages (13+). Beginner to intermediate participants welcome. Materials will be provided. Registration is $25 per person.

Note: both workshops are limited to 12 participants. Visit: the RSM website to register.

These workshops are part of the Friends of the RSM Traditional Knowledge Keepers Program sponsored by Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation.

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For more information, contact:

MIL OSI Canada News –
June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Banking: ICC announces new editions of Advanced Arbitration Academy
Source: International Chamber of Commerce

Headline: ICC announces new editions of Advanced Arbitration Academy
Share this:
The Academy is a one-year programme for senior and upper mid-level arbitration practitioners who aspire to become arbitrators. The exclusive programme includes practical assignments, group work and eight mandatory, in-person workshops where Academy co-chairs and other prominent arbitration experts will share their knowledge and experiences. The comprehensive curriculum covers the entire arbitration process, from constitution of the arbitral tribunal and its jurisdiction to case management, provisional remedies, evidence, hearings, deliberations, scrutiny and awards.

“The idea behind this flagship ICC arbitration training is to develop competent arbitrators across various regions, contributing to a globally representative pool of professionals. Our aim is to enhance the accessibility and quality of arbitration globally.”

Ruslan Mirzayev, Head of Education and Training at ICC Dispute Resolution Services

Each of the four Academies is co-chaired by renowned experts, who will guide participants for the entire duration of the programme. They include Chiann Bao, Matthew Secomb, and May Tai in Asia, Christian Albanesi, Sandra González Vila, and Maria Claudia Procopiak in Latin America, Beata Gessel-Kalinowska Vel Kalisz, Galina Zukova, and Luminita Popa in Central and Eastern Europe, and Niuscha Bassiri, Michael Bühler, and Tina Cicchetti in Western Europe.

Participation at each Academy is limited to around 40 candidates per region, selected through a competitive application process.. While priority is given to applicants from the region, other candidates displaying a genuine interest and reasons for joining the programme may be admitted.

Learn more about the ICC Advanced Arbitration Academies:

Advanced Arbitration Academy for Asia

Advanced Arbitration Academy for Eastern Europe

Advanced Arbitration Academy for Latin America

Advanced Arbitration Academy for Western Europe
MIL OSI Global Banks –
June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: ICC announces new editions of Advanced Arbitration Academy
Source: International Chamber of Commerce

Headline: ICC announces new editions of Advanced Arbitration Academy
Share this:
The Academy is a one-year programme for senior and upper mid-level arbitration practitioners who aspire to become arbitrators. The exclusive programme includes practical assignments, group work and eight mandatory, in-person workshops where Academy co-chairs and other prominent arbitration experts will share their knowledge and experiences. The comprehensive curriculum covers the entire arbitration process, from constitution of the arbitral tribunal and its jurisdiction to case management, provisional remedies, evidence, hearings, deliberations, scrutiny and awards.

“The idea behind this flagship ICC arbitration training is to develop competent arbitrators across various regions, contributing to a globally representative pool of professionals. Our aim is to enhance the accessibility and quality of arbitration globally.”

Ruslan Mirzayev, Head of Education and Training at ICC Dispute Resolution Services

Each of the four Academies is co-chaired by renowned experts, who will guide participants for the entire duration of the programme. They include Chiann Bao, Matthew Secomb, and May Tai in Asia, Christian Albanesi, Sandra González Vila, and Maria Claudia Procopiak in Latin America, Beata Gessel-Kalinowska Vel Kalisz, Galina Zukova, and Luminita Popa in Central and Eastern Europe, and Niuscha Bassiri, Michael Bühler, and Tina Cicchetti in Western Europe.

Participation at each Academy is limited to around 40 candidates per region, selected through a competitive application process.. While priority is given to applicants from the region, other candidates displaying a genuine interest and reasons for joining the programme may be admitted.

Learn more about the ICC Advanced Arbitration Academies:

Advanced Arbitration Academy for Asia

Advanced Arbitration Academy for Eastern Europe

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MIL OSI Economics –
June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Partnering to Provide Dental Care to Special Needs Patients

Source: US State of Connecticut

When the need for high-quality dental care for patients with special health care needs meets a learning opportunity for dental residents, a thriving community partnership is born.

The partnership between the School of Dental Medicine and the Hospital for Special Care (HFSC) epitomizes the benefits of a fruitful community partnership—UConn dental residents get exposure to caring for patients with special health care needs, while hospital patients get access to high-quality dental care.

Located in New Britain, the Hospital for Special Care is the fourth largest, free-standing long-term acute care hospital in the United States and one of only two in the nation serving both adults and children.

Identifying a need for onsite dental care for their medically complex patients, the HFSC contacted the School of Dental Medicine in 2022 to re-establish regular and on-going onsite dental care after discontinuing their clinic. Previously, the hospital and dental school had an arrangement that included a pediatric dentistry faculty member from UConn providing on-site dental care for half day per week.

Nearly two years later, the partnership is thriving. The new arrangement allows HFSC patients to receive timely, and more efficient dental care. It is also more cost-effective, as it has largely eliminated the need for costly medical transportation between New Britain and UConn Health in Farmington for patients in need of dental care.

Dr. Sadaf Salehi and Dr. Basma Essawy in the onsite dental suite at the Hospital for Special Care.

“The ability to provide on-site dental care is more patient-friendly, less costly, and more responsive to the needs of a very medically complex patient population,” said Dr. Steven Lepowsky, dean of the School of Dental Medicine.

“The UConn dental team is truly dedicated to the patients of Hospital for Special Care,” said Jennifer Farley, Chief Quality Officer and Vice President of Organizational Excellence at the Hospital for Special Care. “Since the beginning, the dentists have been aligned with the mission of Hospital for Special Care and are engaged in fulfilling the needs of our patients. We love providing a place for the dental students to develop skills in dentistry for special needs populations. This relationship has been mutually beneficial, and we couldn’t have asked for a better partner.”

Twice a month, a second-year Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) resident, accompanied by Dr. Basma Essawy, clinical assistant professor of general dentistry, staff the dental suite at the Hospital for Special Care.

On a typical day, Essawy and the resident treat patients in the dental suite. At the end of the day, they go bedside to evaluate patients and create a plan of action to care for patients in need of dental care the next time they staff the suite.

These patients have a large range of medically complex conditions, ranging from traumatic brain injuries, to autism, to heart disease.

“I feel really grateful at the end of the day to be able to care for special needs patients,” said Essawy.

Sometimes, situations are emergent. When dental emergencies occur, the presence of the UConn dental on HFSC’s campus is convenient.

Artwork from a grateful patient on display in the dental suite.

“One day, we had an emergency towards the end of the day. They called us we were immediately able to go upstairs and handle that situation,” Essawy recalled. “The patient’s mom was there, and you could see how relieved she was that her son was helped immediately.”

More complex cases, including ones that require oral surgery and sedation, get a referral to the UConn Health Farmington campus.

To date, there have been over 200 patient encounters since the start of the program.

For the UConn residents, the learning experience is invaluable. Dr. Natalie Pesun, a second-year AEGD resident, describes her days at the Hospital For Special Care as a “one day long intensive” for caring for patients with special health care needs.

“There are so many more considerations for special needs patients,” said Pesun. “They are often on more medications, their mouth can’t open as wide, they may have involuntary movements, or it can be harder to explain the treatment. Also, dealing with paperwork side of things, including communicating with conservators and power of attorneys.”

Pesun continues, “I had done a few hospital rotations in dental school, but this is nothing like it. The need for dental care for special needs patients is huge, and if I hadn’t gone through the AEGD residency program at UConn, I don’t know if I’d be comfortable seeing special needs patients. The Hospital for Special Care rotation compliments my residency really well.”

With the partnership being relatively new, Essawy largely credits the success of the program to the teamwork between the Hospital for Special Care and UConn. The HSFC staff, Essawy notes, helps iron out all the challenges to make sure everything is working smoothly. The UConn team gets everything that they need—from an updated dental suite that mimics the one in Farmington, to advice from the Chief Medical Officer to patient coordinators and occupational therapists helping with patient oral desensitization prior to treatment. The support from the hospital staff is crucial.

“As we grow, we will face challenges, but for now we have a great team that allow us to overcome challenges in a short amount of time,” said Essawy. “Everyone is working to make this program successful.”

MIL OSI USA News –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Governor Polis to Lead Colorado Delegation to the 2025 Biennial of the Americas Summit in Vancouver & Lead National Governors Association Education Convening
Source: US State of Colorado

Delegation will Represent Colorado at the Americas Summit Agriculture, Workforce, and Clean Tech Innovation, Convene Governors and Education Leaders

DENVER – To encourage and spur more international cooperation, boost our state’s thriving economy, and discuss best practices in agriculture, workforce, and clean tech innovation, Governor Polis and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) are attending the Americas Summit in Vancouver, Canada. As Chair of the National Governors Association (NGA), Governor Polis will also convene governors and education leaders for the latest in a series of bipartisan events in support of the NGA Chair’s Initiative, Let’s Get Ready: Educating All Americans for Success.

“Colorado is a global economic leader, and our strong international relationships with partners like Canada create good-paying jobs for Coloradans, strengthen international markets for made and grown in Colorado products, and boost investment in our state. While Washington pushes our allies away, Colorado will continue to bolster international trade and cooperation that benefits Coloradans, businesses, and our whole economy. The Biennial of the Americas Summit plays an invaluable role in building and strengthening Colorado’s ties with countries throughout the Western Hemisphere, and this Summit is an opportunity for us to show our allies that Colorado is stepping up as a steady partner,” said Colorado Governor Jared Polis.

The Americas Summit brings together influential leaders from across the Americas to explore critical topics such as sustainability, technological advancement, economic growth and cultural exchange.

“Canada is a top partner for Colorado in both trade and tourism, accounting for 16% of our state’s exports and bringing more than 176,000 visitors. Now more than ever, we must strengthen this important international relationship to help both of our regions thrive and support the Colorado businesses that depend on these international connections,” said OEDIT’s Executive Director, Eve Lieberman.

In addition to attending the Americas Summit, Gov. Polis and OEDIT’s Global Business Development division are hosting additional events to showcase Colorado’s leadership in the advanced industries, the state’s commitment to strong international partnerships, and highlight Colorado’s business strengths:
- A roundtable hosted in partnership with the Colorado-headquartered National Science Foundation (NSF) ASCEND Engine to convene stakeholders in the clean energy/climate tech sector and adjacent technology areas that support decarbonization efforts and community resiliency.
- A convening of Canadian business leaders and Colorado stakeholders to highlight the state’s business advantages, including a nation-leading workforce, central location for global market access and a stable and collaborative ecosystem.
- A roundtable with leaders of British Columbia to explore the impacts of recent trade policy changes between the U.S. and Canada, and explore opportunities for cross-border collaboration at the state and provincial levels.
“International missions ensure that Colorado remains at the forefront with our global partners. The relationships made and strengthened at the Americas Summit enhance our state’s reputation as a global leader in innovation and the advanced industries while identifying new opportunities for cross-border collaboration at the state and provincial levels,” said Michelle Hadwiger, Director of Global Business Development for OEDIT.

OEDIT staff includes representation from the Colorado Tourism Office, the Colorado Creative Industries Office, and the Outdoor Recreation Industry Office. Leadership from the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the Department of Labor and Employment will also be in attendance at the summit.

While in Vancouver, Governor Polis will also lead a convening of the National Governors Association to discuss how states can ensure students are prepared with the skills needed to succeed and highlight his chairman’s initiative, “Let’s Get Ready! Educating All Americans For Success”.

“Funding education that gives students the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the classroom and grow in the workforce is the largest and most important investment Colorado makes each year. This convening provides the opportunity for state and education leaders to share innovative solutions to strengthen student success and achievement,” said Colorado Governor Jared Polis.

The NGA convening includes a visit to Language Nest, for kids ages 0 to three, and Capilano Little Ones Elementary School, where students learn primarily in Squamish, immersing young students in the language and culture at a young age. During the convening, Governor Polis will also moderate panels with Dr. Oon Seng Tan, the Director of the Singapore Center for Character and Citizenship Education, Dr. Timothy Knowels, the President of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and Dr. Vicki Phillips the CEO of the National Center on Education and the Economy.

About OEDIT’s Global Business Development Division

Global Business Development (GBD) is a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. GBD supports Colorado businesses and communities by using a data-driven approach to recruit, support, and retain businesses that contribute to a robust and diversified economy. We align our portfolio of programs, services, and incentives with industries that benefit Colorado companies and elevate the state’s national and international competitiveness. GBD also hosts foreign delegations and participates in trade and investment missions around the world to strengthen global awareness of Colorado. With a highly educated and motivated workforce, a thriving innovation economy, and nation-leading entrepreneurial spirit, Colorado is a top market for business development.

About Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade

The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) works to empower all to thrive in Colorado’s economy. Under the leadership of the Governor and in collaboration with economic development partners across the state, we foster a thriving business environment through funding and financial programs, training, consulting and informational resources across industries and regions. We promote economic growth and long-term job creation by recruiting, retaining, and expanding Colorado businesses and providing programs that support entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes at every stage of growth. Our goal is to protect what makes our state a great place to live, work, start a business, raise a family, visit and retire—and make it accessible to everyone. Learn more about OEDIT.

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MIL OSI USA News –
June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Governor Lamont Celebrates Historic Legislative Session Expanding Access to Early Childhood Education
Source: US State of Connecticut

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today joined with educators, parents, and advocates at a news conference to celebrate the accomplishments achieved during the recently adjourned legislative session in passing legislation that will implement the largest expansion of access to early childhood education in Connecticut history.

At the urging of Governor Lamont, the Connecticut General Assembly approved a suite of bills (Senate Bill 1, House Bill 5003, and House Bill 7288) that will enable thousands of additional children to enroll in high-quality, early childhood education services, which have been unattainable for families.

“This legislative session was a victory for the many parents, families, and early childhood educators who have been advocating for Connecticut to make early childhood education affordable and accessible for all of our kids,” Governor Lamont said. “Access to early childhood education is massively important to any state’s success, not only because these programs provide valuable tools for children that will lead them to professional achievements in the future, but also because being able to enroll your child in care right now means that parents can join the workforce and earn an income that supports their family. The bills that the General Assembly approved this session represent the largest expansion of early childhood education access in Connecticut history, and I thank them for making this a priority and recognizing that this issue is a major part of what will create a stronger, safer, and resilient state.”

A significant amount of the legislation that was approved came from the recommendations of the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Child Care, which brought together voices from across child care providers, businesses, government, and parents to provide a roadmap on the future of early childhood education in Connecticut.

“With this legislation, Connecticut provides an early childhood education model for the nation,” Connecticut Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye said. “It will make child care free or affordable for tens of thousands of families, and provide a portal where parents can find affordable child care in their community. And as the endowment grows, it will reach more communities and more families. Connecticut’s model is different from other states with its focus on affordability for families, equitable wages for early childhood educators, and local community planning for expansion. The passage of this bill is an achievement shared by many here today who worked for this change this year and for decades – from families, to advocates, to businesses, to providers – all share in this success.”

“Connecticut is now a national leader in creating a child care system that truly supports working families and boosts our state’s economy,” Eva Bermúdez Zimmerman, director of Child Care for CT, said. “We applaud Governor Lamont and his fellow leaders in government for hearing the voices of parents, providers, and business leaders who advocated fiercely to make child care a top priority in the halls of the capitol. This is transformative legislation for Connecticut, and we are so proud to help make it a reality.”

“The Endowment bill is the most significant piece of early childhood legislation to pass the General Assembly in my lifetime,” Merrill Gay, executive director of the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance, said. “Thank you, Governor Lamont, for proposing this approach to fix the problem that has plagued early care and education from its inception. Most parents can’t afford what it costs to provide high quality care, and early educators shouldn’t have to subsidize the system by working for poverty wages.”

Establishment of the Early Childhood Education Endowment

Senate Bill 1 establishes a state-managed Early Childhood Education Endowment fund starting on July 1, 2025, that will initially be funded with up to $300 million in unappropriated surplus funding from the fiscal year 2025 budget. This fund will be used to:
- Support the expansion of early childhood education providers by adding tens of thousands of slots in Connecticut’s state-funded system available to enroll additional children;
- Expand opportunities that make early childhood education available at no cost to families enrolled in Early Start CT who earn up to $100,000 per year, and a sliding scale of no more than 7% for families earning more than $100,000 per year.
In future years, the fund will continue to grow with annual funding from budget surpluses and investments.

Finally, in fiscal year 2027 the legislation requires that the state launch a health insurance subsidy pilot program for early childhood educators in partnership with Access Health CT. There will be $10 million available for this subsidy.

Simplifying the ability of families to access early childhood education

To address concerns from families that Connecticut’s current system of early childhood education services is fragmented and challenging to navigate, House Bill 5003 creates the Early Care and Education Program Portal to provide families with a means of accessing real-time information about slot availability. Available for all Connecticut providers and families, the portal will:
- Allow families to submit information for resource and referral and enrollment purposes in early childhood programs;
- Provide the ability for the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood to manage payments to early childhood programs;
- House information on the availability of free or subsidized slots in each town and on a regional and statewide basis;
- Allow early childhood providers to enter slot availability and enrollment information into the portal;
- Be access through a mobile app or internet website; and
- Allow families to apply for child care subsidies or other assistance, including Care 4 Kids.
Supporting construction and renovation of child care facilities

House Bill 7288 – the annual state bond bill – enables the State Bond Commission to authorize up to $80 million in bonds that will be used to support the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood in establishment of the Child Care Facilities Grant Program for Construction and Renovation. This grant program will offer financial assistance for facility improvements for licensed child care centers, group child care homes, and family child care homes.

All three bills are currently undergoing engrossing and final printing in the legislature’s nonpartisan offices. Once that process has been completed, the bills will be transmitted to the Office of the Governor for the governor’s signature. The governor will sign the bills shortly after they have been transmitted to his office.

MIL OSI USA News –
June 11, 2025