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  • MIL-OSI: Fast Payout Online Casinos: Your Guide to Quick and Secure Withdrawals By All iGaming!

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Houston, TX, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  Fast payout online casinos are changing the game by providing players with rapid access to their winnings, often within hours or even instantly. With the growing demand for speed and reliability, these casinos prioritize quick cashouts, allowing you to enjoy your earnings without unnecessary delays. 

    All iGaming, a trusted authority in online gambling reviews, carefully evaluates the fastest payout options, focusing on withdrawal times, payment methods, and the overall trustworthiness of each platform. In this guide, we’ll help you navigate the world of fast payout online casinos, ensuring you can enjoy a seamless and efficient gaming experience.

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    ➡️Why All iGaming is Your Go-To Resource for Fast Payout Casinos

    All iGaming stands out for its unwavering commitment to transparency and player empowerment. Unlike many review sites that may prioritize promotional deals, All iGaming conducts independent, thorough assessments of every fast payout online casino. Their evaluations focus on what matters most to players: rapid withdrawals, secure transactions, and a seamless gaming experience.

    The team at All iGaming recognizes that the ability to access winnings promptly is a top priority for many gamblers. Their reviews delve into the intricacies of each casino’s withdrawal process, ensuring that only the fastest payout online casinos are recommended. By providing unbiased, detailed insights, All iGaming helps players find fast paying online casinos that deliver on their promises, making it an invaluable resource for anyone looking to win real money online instantly.

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    ➡️How All iGaming Ranks the Top Fast Payout Casinos

    All iGaming employs a comprehensive, player-focused evaluation process to identify the fastest payout online casinos. Each platform is assessed across several critical factors that define a superior withdrawal experience. Below is a detailed breakdown of the key criteria:

    Criteria Description
    Withdrawal Processing Times Casinos must process withdrawals within 24 hours or less, with preference for instant or same-day payouts.
    Payment Method Variety Support for fast payment methods like cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum) and e-wallets (PayPal, Skrill) is essential.
    Withdrawal Limits High or no withdrawal limits ensure players can access large winnings without restrictions.
    Verification Efficiency Streamlined KYC processes minimize delays in payout approvals.
    Player Feedback Real player experiences confirm the consistency of advertised payout speeds.
    Technical Reliability Robust platforms ensure glitch-free, rapid transaction processing.
    Licensing and Security Licensed casinos with SSL encryption and 2FA protect player data and funds.

    ✔️Withdrawal Processing Times

    The cornerstone of a fast payout casino is its ability to process withdrawals swiftly. All iGaming prioritizes platforms that offer same day withdrawal online casinos or instant payout casino options, ensuring players can access their funds without unnecessary waiting periods.

    ✔️Payment Method Variety

    The speed of withdrawals heavily depends on the payment methods available. All iGaming evaluates casinos that support cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, which enable near-instant transactions, and e-wallets such as PayPal and Skrill, known for their rapid processing. These options are critical for an easy cash out online casino experience.

    ✔️Withdrawal Limits

    Low withdrawal limits can hinder players, especially those with significant winnings. All iGaming favors casinos with high or no withdrawal caps, ensuring players can access their full earnings in a single transaction, a hallmark of the best online casino fast payout platforms.

    ✔️Verification Efficiency

    Efficient KYC (Know Your Customer) processes are vital to avoid delays. All iGaming assesses how quickly casinos verify player identities, ensuring that verification doesn’t impede the speed of withdrawals in a fast withdrawal online casino.

    ✔️Player Feedback

    Real-world experiences provide valuable insights. All iGaming collects and analyzes player reviews to confirm that a casino’s advertised payout speeds align with actual performance, ensuring reliability in fastest online casino payout claims.

    ✔️Technical Reliability

    A casino’s platform must be robust to handle rapid transactions without errors. All iGaming tests the technical infrastructure of each casino to ensure it supports seamless, quick withdrawals, a key feature of fast payout casinos.

    ✔️Licensing and Security

    Player safety is non-negotiable. All iGaming only recommends casinos licensed by reputable authorities like the Malta Gaming Authority or Curaçao eGaming Commission, with robust security measures such as SSL encryption and two-factor authentication (2FA) to protect player data and funds.

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    ➡️The Value of Choosing a Fast Payout Casino

    Opting for a fast payout online casino offers significant advantages. Rapid withdrawals enhance player trust, as knowing funds are accessible quickly fosters confidence in the casino’s operations. This trust encourages repeat visits and long-term loyalty, making fast payout casinos a preferred choice for many.

    Fast payouts also improve financial flexibility. Whether players wish to reinvest their winnings or use them elsewhere, quick access to funds is essential. This is particularly appealing for those seeking a real cash payout online casino experience.

    Moreover, fast payout casinos often attract a larger player base, creating a competitive environment that drives improvements in game variety, bonuses, and customer service. This competition benefits players, ensuring a richer gaming experience at same day withdrawal casinos.

    ➡️Beyond Reviews: All iGaming Educational Resources

    All iGaming goes beyond rankings, offering a wealth of educational resources to enhance your gambling journey:

    • Payment Method Guides: Detailed insights into the speed, fees, and security of various payment options, helping players choose the best for fast withdrawals.
    • Secure Transaction Tips: Advice on protecting personal and financial information during deposits and withdrawals.
    • Withdrawal Policy Explanations: Clarity on pending times, limits, and verification processes to avoid surprises.
    • Responsible Gambling Tools: Resources for setting budgets, recognizing problem gambling, and accessing support services.

    These resources empower players to make informed decisions, whether they’re navigating an instant cash out casino or exploring the fastest paying online casinos.

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    ➡️Navigating Regulations with Fast Payout Casinos

    Regulatory compliance is crucial for player safety, even in fast payout casinos. All iGaming ensures that every recommended platform holds valid licenses from reputable jurisdictions, such as the Malta Gaming Authority or Curaçao eGaming Commission. These licenses mandate adherence to strict standards for player protection, fair gaming, and anti-money laundering measures.

    All iGaming also provides guides on KYC requirements, tax obligations, and regional regulations, helping players understand the legal landscape of fast withdrawal online casinos and ensuring compliance with local laws.

    ➡️Why Fast Payout Casinos Are Revolutionizing Online Gambling

    Fast payout casinos are transforming the online gambling industry by addressing a long-standing pain point: delayed withdrawals. Traditional casinos often took days or weeks to process payouts, frustrating players and diminishing the excitement of winning. Fast payout online casinos, however, leverage technology to offer instant or same-day withdrawals, setting a new standard for player satisfaction.

    The rise of cryptocurrencies has been a key driver, enabling near-instant transactions that bypass traditional banking delays. E-wallets and advanced payment gateways have further accelerated the process, making instant withdrawal casinos a reality. This shift has forced the industry to prioritize speed, benefiting players with a more seamless and enjoyable experience at fast paying online casinos.

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    ➡️Emerging Trends in Fast Payout Casinos for 2025

    The fast payout casino landscape is evolving rapidly, with several trends shaping the future in 2025:

    • Blockchain Technology: Beyond cryptocurrencies, blockchain offers transparent, secure payment systems. Some casinos are adopting decentralized platforms for even faster, verifiable transactions, enhancing the fastest online casino payout experience.
    • Biometric Verification: Facial recognition and fingerprint scanning are streamlining KYC processes, reducing verification times and speeding up withdrawals.
    • Real-Time Payment Systems: Advanced gateways enable instant transfers, making same day withdrawal online casinos more accessible.
    • AI and Automation: Artificial intelligence automates identity verification and fraud detection, accelerating payout approvals in instant payout casinos.
    • Mobile Optimization: With mobile gaming on the rise, casinos are optimizing platforms for seamless mobile withdrawals, ensuring an online casino with easy withdrawal on smartphones.
    • Digital Wallet Integration: Integration with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other digital wallets offers instant payment capabilities, enhancing the easy cash out online casino experience.

    These innovations promise to make fast payout casinos even more efficient, delivering unparalleled convenience for players seeking to win real money online instantly.

    ➡️Tips for Selecting a Trusted Fast Payout Casino

    All iGaming offers these practical tips to choose a reliable fast payout online casino:

    1. Verify Withdrawal Times: Ensure the casino offers same-day or instant payouts, confirmed by player reviews and independent ratings.
    2. Check Payment Methods: Opt for casinos supporting fast options like cryptocurrencies and e-wallets, avoiding those limited to slow methods like bank transfers.
    3. Review Withdrawal Policies: Understand pending times, minimum/maximum limits, and fees to avoid surprises.
    4. Confirm Licensing: Choose casinos licensed by trusted authorities for guaranteed safety and fairness.
    5. Test Customer Support: Contact support to assess responsiveness, ensuring quick resolution of withdrawal issues.
    6. Rely on Trusted Reviews: Use All iGaming’s unbiased evaluations to find the best fast payout online casinos.

    These steps help players select a fast withdrawal online casino that delivers a secure, efficient experience.

    Final Verdict On Fast Payout Online Casinos

    Fast payout online casinos are redefining the online gambling experience by offering players the convenience of quick access to their winnings. Whether you’re seeking an instant cash out casino, a same day withdrawal casino, or the fastest paying online casinos, the ability to withdraw funds swiftly enhances trust, satisfaction, and financial flexibility. All iGaming, with its expert reviews and player-focused insights, simplifies the process of finding these platforms, ensuring you can enjoy a seamless and rewarding gaming journey.

    The rapid evolution of technology, from blockchain to AI, is set to make fast payout casinos even more efficient in 2025, promising a future where withdrawals are faster and more secure than ever. However, with this convenience comes the responsibility to gamble wisely. All iGaming’s educational resources and responsible gambling tools empower players to set limits, stay informed, and maintain control, ensuring that the thrill of fast payouts remains a positive experience.

    By trusting All iGaming’s recommendations, players can confidently explore the world of fast paying online casinos, knowing they’re backed by a platform dedicated to transparency, safety, and player empowerment. Whether you’re a seasoned gambler or new to online gaming, All iGaming is your partner in discovering the best online casino fast payout options for 2025 and beyond.

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    ➡️About All iGaming

    All iGaming is a trusted, independent source for online gambling reviews, providing impartial evaluations of top casinos based on thorough, player-centered assessments. With a focus on transparency and player empowerment, All iGaming assesses casinos on game variety, bonuses, customer support, and payout speeds. The platform is dedicated to promoting responsible gambling through educational resources, self-assessment tools, and expert guidance to foster healthy gaming habits.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    • What are fast payout online casinos?

    Fast payout online casinos process withdrawals quickly, typically within 24 hours or less, allowing players to access winnings promptly. They are also known as instant withdrawal casinos or same day payout casinos.

    • Which payment methods offer the fastest withdrawals?

    Cryptocurrencies (e.g., Bitcoin, Ethereum) and e-wallets (e.g., PayPal, Skrill) are the fastest, often enabling instant or same-day payouts in a fast withdrawal online casino.

    • How can I verify a casino’s payout speed?

    Check player reviews, independent ratings, and test the withdrawal process with a small amount to confirm the casino’s speed, ensuring it’s a fastest payout online casino.

    • Are fast payout casinos safe?

    Yes, if licensed by reputable authorities and equipped with security measures like SSL encryption and 2FA. All iGaming only recommends safe fast payout casinos.

    • Can I get instant withdrawals at online casinos?

    Many instant payout casinos offer immediate withdrawals, especially those supporting cryptocurrencies, which process transactions almost instantly.

    • What should I look for in a fast payout casino?

    Seek casinos with proven fast payout records, diverse quick payment methods, transparent policies, and positive feedback, ensuring an online casino with easy withdrawal.

    Disclaimer

    The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only. While we strive to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the content, we do not endorse or guarantee the legitimacy of any listed casinos. Online gambling involves financial risk and may be subject to legal restrictions in certain jurisdictions. Please ensure compliance with local laws before engaging in any gambling activities. We encourage responsible gambling and recommend that players exercise caution when participating in online gambling. Always verify the details of any casino and consult legal advisors before making decisions.

    Email:support@alligaming.com

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The food affordability crisis is one reason governments need to step up for school food

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Tina Moffat, Professor, Department of Anthropology, McMaster University

    Despite the hard work and dedication of hundreds of local grassroots organizations across the country to deliver student nutrition programs, there are, too often, not enough funds to purchase the food to meet student needs.

    As described in a study of elementary school parents’ and teachers’ perspectives on school food in southern Ontario, in the city of Hamilton and Peel Region, far too many school food programs cannot adequately meet existing nutritional needs of hungry students. Some teachers described how students, as young as four years old, come to school without enough nutritious food to fuel them through the day.

    As a researcher who examines biological and cultural determinants of human nutrition and food security, I conducted this study with academic colleagues in partnership with the Coalition for Healthy School Food.

    Fortunately, in 2024 the government of Canada announced a new National School Food Program and policy. As of March 10, 2025, the federal government has made school food agreements with all provinces and territories.

    This is an opportunity to reinvent school food across Canada and to catch up to other G7 countries that have long-running traditions of school food programs.

    Perspectives on school food programs

    In our study we asked parents through an online survey and focus group discussions in Hamilton and Peel Region to tell us what they envision for a future national school food program.

    Eighty-three per cent of the respondents were women; respondents self-identfied as South Asian (eight per cent), Black (five per cent), Indigenous (four per cent), Middle Eastern (four per cent), Southeast Asian (three per cent), Latino (three per cent), East Asian (three per cent) and white (70 per cent).

    Forty-three per cent of households were classified as experiencing some level of food insecurity, with 41 per cent having an annual household income of less than $69,999.

    Ninety-six per cent of survey respondents said they want their child to participate in a school food program, and 77 per cent said they would be willing to pay some amount for it. In parent focus groups, and teacher interviews, participants cited such benefits as:

    • Improving the nutritional quality of what students eat;
    • Reducing the consumption of highly processed foods;
    • Improving behaviour, learning, mental health and energy levels;
    • And connections to curriculum like nutrition and food literacy education.

    Participants saw affordability as one of the major barriers to an accessible program. Suggestions for funding models ranged from universal free programs to government-funded programs subsidized by optional parent contributions, and corporate donor funding.



    Read more:
    School gardens and kitchens could grow with Ontario’s proposed food literacy act

    Most parents and teachers were adamant that programs be universally accessible with nutritious and diverse food options for all students regardless of ability to pay.

    Severely underfunded provinces

    Federal funding of $79 million flowed to the provinces and programs in the first year of the government’s National School Food Program, but those funds were quickly used up.

    As noted by the Coalition for Healthy School Food, not all provinces are contributing in the same way towards school food programs to date.

    In Saskatchewan and Ontario, school food is severely underfunded relative to other provinces and territories. Saskatchewan and Ontario’s per capita investments are four times lower than the national median of 63 cents per student per day: Nova Scotia contributes $3.30 whereas Saskatchewan and Ontario are at the bottom of the pack at three and nine cents per student per day respectively. That’s based on an annual average of 190 school days per year across Canada.

    Without significant funding increases from those provincial governments, none of the hopes and dreams for a National School Food Program in Saskatchewan and Ontario will come to fruition.

    Challenges and opportunities ahead

    While the need for more funding is paramount, there are also logistical issues to tackle. Without commercial-grade kitchens in elementary schools, some survey respondents suggested centralized food preparation models by upgrading existing neighbourhood or high school infrastructure, from which meals could be distributed to local schools.



    Read more:
    What needs to happen next for Canada to have a successful school food program

    Others were in favour of contracting local food businesses as providers. A few parents raised the concern that school boards might contract large food conglomerates, resulting in a situation where corporate profit compromises food quality.

    Teachers voiced the need for adequate staffing and volunteer support so as not to unduly burden school staff. Some parents and teachers felt strongly about minimizing packaging waste. As one teacher stated:

    “I would be concerned about the environmental impact, going from trying to conserve and be mindful of what we use, like reusable containers, to a disposable model … I think it would send a poor message to kids who we’re asking to protect their environment.”

    The topic of how much time students have to eat arose frequently in discussions. In Ontario, many schools at the elementary level adhere to a two-break or balanced day model, where students have a “nutrition break” in the morning with recess, and another in early afternoon (instead of two short recesses and a mid-day window for lunch/recess). This may be a reason why parents and some teachers say that kids don’t have enough time to eat.

    Diversity and inclusion

    In addition to logistical operations and accessibility, parents and teachers voiced the need to consider social and cultural diversity and inclusion. They noted the diversity of student dietary requirements and preferences — from food allergies/intolerances and cultural and religious foods to concerns about what respondents referred to as their “picky eaters.”

    Teachers pointed out that halal and/or vegetarian foods must be made available. The oversight of food safety and offering a diversity of healthy food choices was mentioned repeatedly by parents.

    Meals and ingredients could be posted in weekly or monthly menus — like they are in in France, for example — to ensure students and their families are aware of what is being served.

    Programs engaged with students, community

    There was enthusiasm for exposing kids to culturally diverse menu options that would make students from all backgrounds feel included and welcome.

    While some parents were concerned that their kids might not eat foods they’re unfamiliar with, others thought it would be great to expose them to new foods that they might eat at school even if they wouldn’t at home.

    Some parents were excited about the prospect of community involvement, including volunteers but also students in food prep, distribution and cleanup. Beyond the school community, some proposed fostering partnerships with local farms, community gardens and local food providers.

    In sum, participants voiced the need for flexible programs that could be tailored to specific school, family and community needs — with clear communication with all families and school staff about the school food programs’ goals and operations.

    Much more work to do

    We have a tremendous need and opportunity in Canada to strengthen our food system and food security with the National School Food Program.

    We have just begun this project with the commitment of some federal, provincial and municipal funding, but there is much more work to do in developing school food programs in each part of the country.

    The continued food affordability crisis and the threat of tariffs by the United States make it clear how important these programs are.

    No matter how these programs end up evolving, parents and teachers in Hamilton and Peel Region have clearly voiced their desire for equity — school food program accessibility, regardless of family income. They also want to see food offerings meeting students’ diverse dietary requirements, and the inclusion of student, family, educator and local community partners.

    Tina Moffat receives funding from SSHRC.

    – ref. The food affordability crisis is one reason governments need to step up for school food – https://theconversation.com/the-food-affordability-crisis-is-one-reason-governments-need-to-step-up-for-school-food-257868

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Aberdeen’s innovative internship programme shortlisted for national award The University of Aberdeen Careers and Employability Service has been recognised for projects which significantly enhance graduate and student employability through smart use of resources.

    Source: University of Aberdeen

    Aberdeen term two interns at a celebration event

    The University of Aberdeen Careers and Employability Service has been recognised for projects which significantly enhance graduate and student employability through smart use of resources.
    The team has been shortlisted for the highly competitive Employability Impact Award at the upcoming AGCAS (Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services) Awards for Excellence 2025.
    This year’s shortlist for the Employability Impact Award includes just five ambitious initiatives from across the UK — among them the University of Aberdeen’s innovative ABDN Internship programme.
    The ABDN Internship programme includes innovative part-time, term-time paid internships, funded by the University, which see students work for a total of 70 hours over the course of seven weeks on a project set by a local employer.
    The programme also includes Interns with Impact (funded by The Wood Foundation) which are internships exclusively in the third sector as well as a Group Virtual internship which allows students to undertake an internship wherever they are based over the summer.
    The Employability Impact Award aims to honour a single initiative that has meaningfully advanced student or graduate employability, placing emphasis on impact over scale or expenditure.
    Tracey Innes, Head of Careers and Employability at Aberdeen, said: “Being shortlisted for the Employability Impact Award is testament to our team’s dedication to creating high quality and meaningful opportunities for our students. We’re extremely proud of the experiences created for our students.
    “The ABDN Internship programme is a true partnership approach and we’d like to thank our wonderful host organisations as well as funders such as The Wood Foundation and Santander.
    “This prestigious nomination highlights the University of Aberdeen’s ongoing commitment to equipping students and graduates for today’s dynamic job market, leveraging smart, inclusive and effective programmes to foster meaningful career outcomes.”
    The winners will be unveiled at the AGCAS Awards for Excellence ceremony, held during the AGCAS Annual Conference on 17 June 2025 in Newcastle.
    Any organisations interested in finding out more about the ABDN Internship programme or about hosting an internship please visit https://employers.careerhub.abdn.ac.uk/content/internships or contact employers@abdn.ac.uk.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Students of the State University of Management entered the top 50 of the All-Russian competition “Startup as a Diploma”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    The lists of finalists and top 50 of the All-Russian competition “Startup as a Diploma”, operated by the State University of Management, have been published.

    Two graduates from our university made it into the top 50: Danila Yakovlev and Mikhail Zorin.

    Danila took 12th place with the project “Innovative glass pebbles”

    Mikhail took 23rd place with the HolterTECH project and entered the top 50 participants of the competition, which allows him to receive a certificate, as well as an invitation to the final of the competition.

    We sincerely congratulate our students on their excellent results and wish them further success in developing their own projects!

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Nominations open: recognizing infrastructure excellence

    Source: Government of Canada regional news (2)

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Schrier Introduces Bill to Strengthen Diabetes Education and Care

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08) recently reintroduced the bipartisan Expanding Access to Diabetes Self-Management Training Act, which will expand Medicare coverage for diabetes self-management training services. These services reduce diabetes-related deaths and heart attacks, lead to improved self-care, and lower care costs for hospitals. Congresswoman Schrier is joined in introducing this legislation by Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12). This legislation was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME). 

    “I’ve had type 1 diabetes for 40 years and still remember the lessons I learned in 1985 about managing my blood sugars. So I know firsthand the importance of education in navigating this disease. Without a proper understanding of the roles that insulin, food, exercise, medications, and illness have on blood sugar, individuals with diabetes can quickly end up in the hospital,” said Congresswoman Schrier. “We know that self-management training helps people with diabetes live healthy lives, and I am proud to work with my Democratic and Republican colleagues to introduce this important bill and remove barriers to self-management training.”

    The Expanding Access to Diabetes Self-Management Training Act will: 

    • Allow the initial 10 hours of diabetes self-management training (DSMT) to remain available until fully used.
    • Permit DSMT and Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) services to be provided on the same day.
    • Exclude DSMT services from Part B cost-sharing and deductible requirements.
    • Permit physicians and qualified nonphysician practitioners (e.g., podiatrists, emergency department providers, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, or clinical nurse specialists) to refer for DSMT services.
    • Establish a Center for Medicare Innovation demonstration program to test the impact of covering virtual DSMT under the Medicare program. 

    “By providing diabetes patients with these self-management resources, seniors will be empowered to take control of their own health and well-being, and we can help mitigate the negative impact this disease has on them and their families,” said Congressman Gus Bilirakis. “Supporting our seniors in managing chronic conditions like diabetes is not just good policy—it’s a commitment to health, dignity, and independence.”

    “The Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES) extends our sincere appreciation to Representatives Kim Schrier, MD, and Gus Bilirakis for leading efforts to expand access to diabetes education and care for Medicare beneficiaries,” said ADCES President Veronica Brady, PhD, RN, FNP-P, BC-ADM, CDCES. “Diabetes Self-Management Training (DSMT) supports people living with diabetes in improving their health outcomes and preventing complications—benefits that can also contribute to lowering overall health care costs.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoyer Recognizes Educators from the Fifth District at Annual Luncheon

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

    UPPER MARLBORO, MD – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) hosted his annual Educators Luncheon in Upper Marlboro recently to honor 17 exceptional educators, teachers, and education professionals in the Fifth District. Honorees included recipients of several leadership awards, including the Washington Post Finalists for the Teacher of the Year and County Educators of the Year Award Winners.

    “I am proud to celebrate the outstanding educators and support staff who work hard every day for Marylanders in the Fifth District,” said Congressman Hoyer. “America’s teachers continue to face challenges of today with grace and resilience – as they have done for many years. Despite the Trump Administration’s unprecedented attacks on the Department of Education and higher education, I will continue to fight for the funding needed to ensure all our students – no matter their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or disability status – receive equal treatment under the law and in the classroom. I thank them for meeting with me to discuss our shared commitment to the next generation of Marylanders.”
     

    The following education professionals were honored:

    Anne Arundel County
    1. Heather Garris, George Arlotto Leadership Award, Principal of the Year (2023-24)

    Calvert County
    1. Bill Voshell, Calvert County Teacher of the Year (2025)
    2. Rebecca Bowen, Washington Post Principal Finalist (2025)  
    3. Wendy Badgley, Educational Support Professional of the Year (2025)

    Charles County
    1. Alison Cheney, Charles County Teacher of the Year (2025)
    2. Georgia Green, Washington Post Teacher Finalist (2025)
    3. Nicholas Adam, Washington Post Principal Finalist (2025)
    4. Melissa Revell, Outstanding Employee of Charles County Public Schools (2025)
    5. Melanie Sokol, Outstanding Employee of Charles County Public Schools (2025)

    Prince George’s County
    1. Lafiya Tunstall, Prince George’s County Teacher of the Year (2025)
    2. Kathy Russell, Prince George’s County Teacher of the Year (2024)
    3. Dr. Ryan Daniel, National Distinguished Principal (2025), Washington Post Principal of the Year (2024)
    4. Lashawn James, Maryland’s Pupil Personnel Worker of the Year (2025)

    St. Mary’s County
    1. Hunter Martin, Washington Post Teacher Finalist (2025)
    2. Dr. Deborah Dennie, Washington Post Principal Finalist (2025)
    3. Vivian Johnson, St. Mary’s County Public Schools Educational Support Professional of the Year (2025)
    4. Kelly Bridges, Leader of Excellence (2025)

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Wildfire smoke can harm your brain, not just your lungs

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Dr Bhavini Gohel, Clinical Associate Professor, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary

    Wildfires are already burning in parts of Canada, and as they do, many communities are already facing the familiar thick haze as smoke drifts in.

    Smoke from wildfires has already led Environment Canada to issue air quality warnings for much of Ontario. In Toronto, smoke led to the city briefly having the worst air quality in the world.

    Anyone who has experienced wildfire smoke knows how it can leave you with a scratchy throat, stinging eyes and impact your lungs. However, smoke can also affect your brain. Tiny airborne pollutants found in smoke have been linked to increased risk of stroke, dementia and flare-ups in neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS).

    These effects can disproportionately impact older adults, people with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples and those living in low-income communities. This isn’t just about climate. It’s about equity, and health systems need to catch up.

    Canada’s 2023 wildfire season was the worst on record, and as climate change worsens wildfires, it may be a sign of what’s to come.

    Animation of Canada’s 2023 wildfire season by cartographer Peter Atwood, using NASA data to show the daily spread of fires and smoke across the country. (Peter Atwood)

    A direct path to the brain

    Alongside harmful gases and heavy metals, wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter, also known as PM2.5. These tiny particles can travel deep into your lungs, slip into your bloodstream and even reach your brain. Some even bypass the lungs entirely, entering the brain directly through the nose.

    After entering the brain, these toxins can cause inflammation and stress, damage nerve cells and even accelerate cognitive decline. Studies have linked exposure to air pollution to an increased risk of stroke and dementia. Even short-term spikes in smoke exposure, like those during wildfires, lead to a surge in emergency visits for strokes, especially among people over 65.

    A 2022 experiment had thousands of adults participate in an online attention task under smoky conditions. It found that just a three-hour spike in fine particulate matter, typical of a heavy smoke episode, led to measurably worse attention scores. This fits other evidence that breathing smoke makes people mentally foggy, forgetful or fatigued.

    Fine particulate matter in wildfire smoke can reach the brain via the lungs or nose, causing inflammation, neuronal damage, and raising the risk of stroke, dementia, cognitive decline, and MS flare-ups.
    (Muskaan Muse Laroyia)

    Wildfire smoke, dementia and MS

    In 2024, a study found that chronic exposure to wildfire-related air pollution significantly increased the likelihood of someone being diagnosed with dementia. The risk was most pronounced in low-income communities, where people often have less access to clean air, health care and protective measures.

    For people already living with neurological conditions like MS or Parkinson’s disease, the stakes are even higher. Exposure to fine particulate pollution has been linked with increased hospital admissions for MS relapses, particularly in young patients. Other research points to worsening symptoms of epilepsy and cognitive decline under extreme heat and polluted air conditions.

    Despite these mounting risks, neurological health considerations have been largely absent from wildfire preparedness initiatives and public health responses. That needs to change.

    If you want to stay informed about local smoke exposure, tools like AQmap can help you track PM2.5 levels in real time across Canada.

    Some more impacted than others

    Some face far greater risk from wildfire smoke than others, including older adults, those with pre-existing health conditions, people with lower socio-economic status, Indigenous populations, people residing in remote areas and children. This is a health equity issue as much as a medical one.

    Each of these groups faces unique and compounding challenges during smoke events. For example, older adults are more vulnerable to the cardiovascular and neurological effects of smoke. They also face greater barriers to accessing filtered environments.

    People with disabilities or chronic illnesses, including those with neurological conditions, often can’t relocate during smoke events and may rely on power-dependent medical devices that can fail during climate emergencies.

    Low-income families are more likely to live in housing without proper air filtration or cooling. These same communities often face higher baseline rates of neurological disease.

    Indigenous communities, more than 80 per cent of which are located near fire-prone areas, face recurring displacement, interruptions to care and disproportionate exposure to smoke each summer.

    Children and adolescents are particularly susceptible to the harmful neurological effects of wildfires. Because their brains are still developing and they breathe more air per body weight than adults, children are especially vulnerable to harmful pollutants.

    Studies have linked early-life exposure to fine particulate matter with an increased risk of neuro-developmental disorders, lower cognitive function and structural brain changes.

    These populations aren’t just more exposed, they also have fewer resources to respond.

    Rethinking Canada’s health systems

    Recognizing these inequities, we are developing a climate-health equity framework for Canada, with a specific focus on neurological health. Our interdisciplinary team is asking: how can we build health systems that protect vulnerable brains during climate emergencies?

    Health-care workers in Alberta Health Services have designed the Climate-Resilient Acute Care Clinical Operations Framework. This framework supports hospitals in becoming both greener and more resilient, ensuring care can continue during wildfires, floods and extreme heat events.

    Importantly, it also centres the needs of equity-deserving populations, integrating climate adaptation into emergency care, supply chains, staffing and patient communication.

    What needs to change?

    1. Public awareness must expand beyond respiratory health. Neurological effects of smoke should be included in public health messaging, especially for high-risk groups.

    2. Health systems must be climate-ready, with clean air shelters, evacuation protocols and services tailored to meet the needs of neurological patients.

    3. Communities need support, from funding for air filtration to co-ordinated outreach during smoke events. Indigenous-led fire stewardship and community health initiatives should be part of national planning. Supporting Indigenous-led fire stewardship not only strengthens wildfire response but also respects Indigenous sovereignty and traditional ecological knowledge.

    4. Clinicians must be empowered to address climate-related health risks. Training in environmental health, including its impact on the brain, is increasingly essential.

    Wildfire season is back, and with it, an urgent need to protect more than just our lungs. The science is clear: breathing smoky air affects our minds, especially for those already facing health and social vulnerabilities.

    Climate change is a brain health issue. Building a healthier, more equitable future requires us to treat it that way, starting now.

    Dr Bhavini Gohel works for the Canadian Coalition for Green Healthcare.

    Muskaan Muse Laroyia 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. Wildfire smoke can harm your brain, not just your lungs – https://theconversation.com/wildfire-smoke-can-harm-your-brain-not-just-your-lungs-258052

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Young Kim Applauds Department of Education Announcement to Combat Federal Student Aid Fraud

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Young Kim (CA-39)

    Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-40) applauded the Department of Education (Department)’s announcement to launch a nationwide effort to eliminate identity theft and fraud in the federal student aid programs for the fall 2025 semester.

    The Department’s announcement comes after Rep. Kim led a letter calling for a federal investigation into fraudulent community college applications stealing financial aid and abusing federal and state taxpayer dollars.

    Recent reports show that 34 percent of community college applications from the last calendar year were fraudulent.

    “Last year, more than one in every three California community college applications was fake, leading to financial aid fraud stealing $10 million in federal taxpayer dollars and $3 million from our state. This is not only a flagrant waste of taxpayer dollars but also deprives real students in need of receiving student aid they need to receive an education,” said Congresswoman Kim. “I appreciate the Department of Education hearing our call for answers and transparency on behalf of the American people.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: During Pride Month, Davids Introduces Bill Supporting LGBTQI+ Youth Mental Health

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-3)

    Today, during Pride Month, Representative Sharice Davids reintroduced her legislation to improve mental health support for at-risk LGBTQI+ youth. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey of American teenagers found that LGBTQI+ students report significantly worse mental health than other students. Also, nearly 40 percent of gay, lesbian, and bisexual teens said they considered committing suicide in 2023. The Pride in Mental Health Act works to improve physical and mental health in at-risk youth.

    “Children here in Kansas and across the country continue to struggle with mental health challenges, but we are failing many of our most vulnerable children on this issue,” said Davids. “My Pride in Mental Health Act takes a comprehensive and data-driven approach to tackling the mental health crisis among LGBTQI+ youth. By increasing access to mental health support for our children and teens, we can save lives.”

    Specifically, the Pride in Mental Health Act:

    • Increases mental health support for LGBTQI+ youth by updating care standards, developing training for caregivers, identifying school bullying prevention guidelines, and more.
    • Protects at-risk youth by commissioning a report on the mental health and mental health care of LGBTQI+ youth in foster care and other federal social services programs.
    • Directs the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to review and update resources listed on their website that pertain to LGBTQI+ communities.

    The Pride in Mental Health Act has been endorsed by the Congressional Equality Caucus, Human Rights Campaign, GLSEN, National Education Association (NEA), Advocates for Trans Equality, PFLAG National, American Psychological Association (APA), Institute for Health Research & Policy at Whitman-Walker, interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), The Trevor Project, Seattle Indian Health Board, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

    “As someone who faced firsthand the challenges of growing up LGBTQI+ while struggling with their mental health, I know how isolating and overwhelming it can be,” said Representative Ritchie Torres (NY-15). “Across the country, LGBTQI+ youth face alarmingly high rates of depression, suicidal ideation, and disproportionate representation in the foster care system. For too long, we’ve failed to meet their needs with the compassion and support they deserve. That’s why I’m proud to co-lead the Pride in Mental Health Act with Rep. Sharice Davids to confront these disparities head-on and ensure every young LGBTQI+ person has access to the care and support they need to thrive.”

    “Young people across the country are struggling right now with unprecedented levels of depression and mental health challenges, and it is felt most acutely among LGBTQ+ youth,” said Congressman Sorensen (IL-17). “It’s important this Pride Month that we help our vulnerable youth access the mental health care, treatment, and resources they need to live happy and healthy lives as their full selves. I’m proud to work with my fellow Equality Caucus Co-Chairs, Reps. Davids and Torres, to address this crisis head-on. With this legislation, we can improve and save lives.”

    “On behalf of PFLAGers everywhere, I thank Rep. Davids for introducing this important bill providing tools and accountability to SAMHSA,” said Brian K. Bond, CEO, PFLAG National. “Across races, places, genders, and abilities, all people — including LGBTQ+ youth — deserve to thrive as their authentic selves. This bill will ensure access to and measurement of critical behavioral health services, especially for trans youth who are facing unprecedented attacks by people who are seeking to remove the most basic access to healthcare of all kinds.”

    “The LGBTQ+ community faces significant barriers to accessing mental health care,” said Hannah Wesolowski, Chief Advocacy Officer, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). “Ensuring access to early intervention and comprehensive, evidence-based treatment are essential to helping LGBTQ+ individuals with mental health conditions to live well. The Pride in Mental Health Act helps ensure that all individuals affected by mental illness receive the care and support they need and deserve to lead healthy, fulfilling lives within a supportive and inclusive community. NAMI is grateful to Rep. Davids for introducing this legislation and proud to support this important bill.”

    “Passing the Pride in Mental Health Act would provide vital resources to support the mental health of LGBTQ+ young people and shine a necessary spotlight on the serious mental health crisis facing our country,” said Mark Henson, Interim Vice President of Advocacy and Government Affairs, The Trevor Project. “The Trevor Project’s research found that 39% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, yet half of those who wanted mental health care were not able to get it. It’s clear that we need more resources to end suicide among this high-risk group, and this legislation creates a critical avenue for providing the resources, data, and awareness we need to help LGBTQ+ young people across the country lead the happy, healthy lives they deserve.”

    “The reintroduction of the Pride in Mental Health Act is a critical step toward closing the persistent behavioral health gaps experienced by LGBTQ+ youth,” said Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, CEO, American Psychological Association. “Decades of psychological research show that access to affirming, evidence-based care dramatically improves outcomes for LGBTQ+ individuals. This legislation affirms a simple but powerful principle: every young person deserves the support they need to thrive — without fear, stigma, or discrimination. We commend Representative Sharice Davids for her bold leadership and steadfast commitment to the mental health and well-being of LGBTQ+ youth.”

    “LGBTQ+ youth are growing up in a moment of crisis — where their very existence is being debated in legislatures across the country,” said David Stacy, Vice President for Government Affairs, Human Rights Campaign. “They are not just facing the everyday pressures of adolescence, but also the constant drumbeat of rejection and discrimination. Mental health support from affirming, qualified professionals isn’t just helpful — it’s lifesaving. The Pride in Mental Health Act is a crucial response to this national emergency.”

    Davids has focused on improving mental health care since taking office. She visited Tyler’s House KC to help launch their summer mental wellness programming, helped secure funding for mental health programs in Wyandotte and Johnson Counties, and advocated for stronger mental health supports in schools. She also helped acquire grants for local police departments to hire more behavioral health specialists to the force, including the Overland Park Police Department’s new Crisis Action Team. Her legislation to renew federal mental health grant programs for health centers, schools, and law enforcement also passed the U.S. House.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Davids Honors Prairie Village Woman Killed in Antisemitic Attack with Moment of Silence on U.S. House Floor

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-3)

    Today, Representative Sharice Davids led a moment of silence on the U.S. House Floor in honor of Sarah Milgrim, a Prairie Village native, and her partner, Yaron Lischinsky, who were fatally shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum earlier this month. Milgrim was a 2017 graduate of Shawnee Mission East High School and earned her degree from the University of Kansas in 2021.

    Read Davids’ full speech below:

    Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to honor the lives of Sarah Milgrim and her partner, Yaron Lischinsky, who were tragically and senselessly killed in an antisemitic attack outside the Capital Jewish Museum here in D.C.

    Sarah grew up in Prairie Village, Kansas, a community I have the honor of serving in Congress. She graduated from Shawnee Mission East and the University of Kansas. She was a devoted member of Congregation B’nai Jehudah and was dedicated to building understanding and connection between Israel and the United States. Her partner Yaron shared that commitment.

    This hateful and targeted violence is heartbreaking. It’s unacceptable.  Antisemitism has no place in our country, and yet we are seeing a deeply disturbing rise in these acts of hate.

    To Sarah and Yaron, may your memories be a blessing. To the Jewish community in Kansas, Colorado, and across the nation, please know that I am standing with you. We mourn with you. We recommit to creating a world where no one fears for their safety because of who they are. And I can tell you, Sarah was committed to that.

    Mr. Speaker, I now ask my colleagues to please rise and join me in a moment of silence to honor the lives lost.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: House Democrats Challenge Trump’s Unconstitutional Birthright Citizenship Executive Order in Court

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

    Washington, D.C. —  On Friday, House Democrats’ Litigation and Rapid Response Task Force, remaining steadfast in their commitment to fighting against the Trump Administration’s illegal attacks on the constitutional principle of birthright citizenship, filed an amicus brief in the matter of Trump v. Casa, Inc., which is now before the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Trump Administration filed this appeal to overturn a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking the President’s attempt to change the constitutional right to birthright citizenship via executive order. 

    The amicus brief–signed by 170 House Democrats–provides overwhelming evidence that President Trump’s Executive Order violates the Constitution and over a century of Supreme Court rulings, as well as laws enacted by Congress. It also signifies the lawmakers’ commitment to defending birthright citizenship, following their amicus briefs filed in State of Washington v. Trump before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and in the Supreme Court cases Trump v. Washington, Trump v. CASA, Inc., and Trump v. New Jersey.

    The full brief is available HERE.   

    The effort is once again being helmed by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, along with Litigation Task Force Chair Assistant Leader Joe Neguse and Co-Chair, Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin; Representatives Bennie Thompson, Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee, and Pramila Jayapal, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement; as well as Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair Yvette Clarke, Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chair Adriano Espaillat, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Grace Meng, and Congressional Jewish Caucus (CJC) Co-Chairs Jerry Nadler and Brad Schneider.

    See what they had to say below: 

    “Donald Trump and Elon Musk are taking a chainsaw to the United States Constitution. Their disgraceful actions on birthright citizenship violate our nation’s laws and are an assault on the American way of life. House Democrats will continue to push back aggressively against them in the courts, in Congress and in our communities. The Supreme Court of the United States must stand on the side of the Constitution and reject this outrageous effort. I am thankful for the leadership of Rep. Raskin, Rep. Thompson, Rep. Jayapal, Rep. Clarke, Rep. Espaillat, Rep. Meng, Rep. Nadler, Rep. Schneider and Assistant Leader Neguse of the Litigation Working Group and Rapid Response Task Force in standing up for the rule of law,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. 

    “President Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship is unconstitutional, and as our amicus brief makes clear, House Democrats will continue to vindicate our constitution,” said Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse. 

    “Donald Trump’s executive order purporting to eliminate birthright citizenship violates not only the first sentence of the Fourteenth Amendment but decades of Supreme Court interpretation and federal laws enacted by Congress,” said Ranking Member Jamie Raskin. “The Fourteenth Amendment is clear that people born in the United States are American citizens regardless of their parents’ origin or status. A Presidential executive order cannot override the U.S. Constitution to strip millions of Americans born here of their rights and freedoms. We will fight to defend this core principle of Constitutional equality and membership.”

     “We will not allow the Trump administration to redefine what it is to be an American just to fit their extreme anti-immigrant beliefs. Under the Constitution, people born here are United States citizens – no matter who they are, what they look like, or where their families came from. Americans reject what Trump is attempting to do, and the Supreme Court must too,” said Ranking Member Bennie Thompson. 

    “Birthright citizenship is a core piece of our Constitution. Ending it through executive order is simply unconstitutional and a dangerous overreach of executive power,” said Ranking Member Pramila Jayapal. “All persons born on U.S. soil are U.S. citizens, that is what our Constitution dictates and is something President Trump cannot undo by waving a pen. As the first immigrant to serve as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration, Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, I am proud to be co-leading on this amicus brief to stand up for the immigration laws of this country.”

    “Birthright citizenship is enshrined in our Constitution and has been affirmed by the Supreme Court numerous times — including in the landmark United States v. Wong Kim Ark decision. No matter what President Trump says or does, he cannot unilaterally overrule the law of the land by signing a piece of paper. As Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I join my colleagues in standing up for American values and against this unconstitutional executive overreach,” said CAPAC Chair Grace Meng.

    “Birthright citizenship is a moral imperative in the United States because of its origins. It’s about our collective recovery from the evils of slavery, yes, but it’s also about equal opportunity for every American born in this country,” said CHC Chair Adriano Espaillat. “This brief reminds the Supreme Court of the historical weight of the 14th amendment and of the very real costs that would be imposed by additional legal requirements on all growing families by a spurious reinterpretation of this keystone amendment.”

    “Donald Trump is not a king. He cannot dismiss a century and a half of legal and judicial precedent that affirms the plain language of the Fourteenth Amendment of our Constitution with the swipe of a pen. Our Constitution clearly says if you are born here, you are a citizen. I’m hopeful that our highest court will follow the precedent set by its predecessors and send a clear message to the President that his flagrant, illegal overreach will be stopped,” said CJC Co-Chair Brad Schneider.

    “Donald Trump’s divisive and xenophobic policies seek to divide and distract us,” said CJC Co-Chair Jerry Nadler. “We are dealing with a President who believes he is not just above the law, but above the U.S. Constitution.  The 14th Amendment is clear that persons born in the United States are U.S. citizens. And yet, President Trump feels compelled to single-handedly change what has been universally understood about the law since the Amendment was adopted in 1868.  All Americans should be disturbed by Trump’s assertion that he can unilaterally change the Constitution at will to suit his purposes.  This represents an assault on our democracy, and we cannot stand idly by and allow the President to disregard fundamental pillars of the Constitution. That is why I am proud as the Congressional Jewish Caucus Co-chair to join my colleagues in leading this effort.” 

    Background on the Task Force’s Wins:

    The Litigation and Rapid Response Task Force first took the unprecedented step of filing a trial court amicus brief to defend American consumers from predatory lenders and bad actors. They were successful in this case after a federal judge blocked efforts to dismantle the CFPB, citing the group’s argument multiple times throughout the 112-page ruling. The Task Force was also able to effectively prevent the Trump Administration from dismantling the Department of Education, filing another such brief that led to a federal court demanding the immediate rehiring of unlawfully terminated staff. House Democrats have so far filed eight amicus briefs in cases against Administration lawlessness. 

    For more information on House Democrats efforts to protect Americans against the unlawful actions of the Trump Administration, visit litigationandresponse.house.gov. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dialogue between Chinese and Russian experts: complementarity of economic structures of China and Russia opens up huge prospects for cooperation

    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

    BEIJING, June 9 (Xinhua) — The 17th Mingde Strategic Dialogue, organized by the Chongyang Institute for Financial Research of Renmin University of China, was held in the Chinese capital on June 6.

    The discussion on “New Opportunities for Cooperation between Chinese and Russian Enterprises” was attended by Wang Wen, Dean of the Chongyang Institute and Dean of the College of Global Leadership at Renmin University of China, and Anastasia Likhacheva, Dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Politics at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE, Russia), the Zhongguo Qingnianbao newspaper reported.

    Wang Wen noted that economic cooperation between China and Russia has developed slowly over the past decade, but has shown rapid growth over the past three years, increasing by more than 30 percent annually, with trade turnover rising from $190 billion to $240 billion.

    He stressed that the potential for economic cooperation between the two countries is limitless, citing as an example significant opportunities in Russia’s agricultural sector, where most land resources remain undeveloped. In his opinion, investment cooperation between China and Russia in agriculture is extremely promising, as is the development of bilateral partnership in energy, high technology and e-commerce.

    A. Likhacheva agreed with this assessment, pointing to the complementarity of the economic structures of China and Russia, which creates the basis for expanding regional cooperation in various areas. In general, A. Likhacheva noted, Chinese companies are not yet sufficiently familiar with the Russian market, and the key task for stimulating Chinese investment in Russia is to find qualified personnel and reliable partners to identify common ground in cooperation.

    A. Likhacheva added that as China’s rise accelerates, more and more Russian economists and international experts are paying attention to China’s experience of rapid development. Studying Chinese in Russian educational institutions is becoming a fashionable trend. More and more Russian students are showing interest in the Chinese legal system and other aspects of Chinese reality.

    Wang Wen, for his part, expressed the opinion that Chinese students should consider Russia as an attractive destination for education, not limited to world university rankings or choosing exclusively Western countries, and called on the younger generation of the two countries to more actively show mutual interest. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to science and tech R&D package announced ahead of the full Spending Review

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Scientists comment on the £86bn R&D package unveiled by the Chancellor ahead of the Spending Review. 

    Sharon Todd Chief Executive at historic science charity SCI, said:

    “We very much welcome the government’s commitment to putting science at the heart of the forthcoming industrial strategy. At £86bn, this is real money targeted at the right scientific and technological advances, such as new drug treatments and AI.

    “However, what is critical is that a significant proportion of funds are dispensed to actively support the scale up of new technologies to full scale manufacture in the UK. Our research has shown significant ‘innovation leakage’ and the investment we make in science needs to feed back into the economy.”

    Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, UKRI Chief Executive, said:

    “This multi-year settlement confirms the government’s continued commitment to the critical role of research and innovation in delivering a high-productivity, high-growth economy, improving public services and creating high-quality jobs across the UK. 

    “The new Local Innovation Partnerships Fund is a welcome boost for this endeavour, ensuring that local communities across the UK can contribute to and benefit from a thriving research and innovation ecosystem.”

    John-Arne Røttingen, chief executive of Wellcome, the UK’s biggest non-governmental research funder, said:

    ‘The government rightly acknowledges that investing in science and technology is a key way to boost the economy.

    ‘But while it’s positive under the financial circumstances, a flat real-terms science budget, along with continuing barriers such as high visa costs for talented scientists and the university funding crisis, won’t be enough for the UK make the advances it needs to secure its reputation for science in an increasingly competitive world.

    ‘The UK should be aiming to lead the G7 in research intensity, to bring about economic growth and the advances in health, science and technology that benefit us all. We look forward to seeing the full details at the spending review.’

    Dr Tim Bradshaw, Chief Executive of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities commented: 

    “Today’s announcement of £86 billion for research and innovation is a welcome vote of confidence in the UK’s R&D sector, and the role it plays in driving economic growth right across the country. 

    “We know government faces difficult decisions on spending with tight fiscal constraints. We’re therefore pleased to see investment in the critical contributions that science and innovation can make to the lives of people throughout the UK – from breakthrough medicines and next-generation batteries, to AI technologies and advanced manufacturing. We await the full details of the settlement, but it’s encouraging to see recognition of the existing R&D strengths in different parts of the UK, with plans to go further to transform regional prosperity. 

    “Our universities are already delivering in the high-growth sectors that will drive the Industrial Strategy, boost productivity and improve public services. We will continue using our research, innovation and skills as engines for growth, ensuring this new investment pays dividends for the national economy and for local communities for decades to come”. 

    Adrian Smith, President the Royal Society, said:

    “We have to be cautious as there is very little detail in the announcement but it does look like the core science budget could increase by 10% over the next four years. In difficult financial circumstances, that would be a vote of confidence in research and innovation and in the people and ideas that will increase productivity, drive growth and improve lives across the UK.

    “Such an uplift would protect science from real terms cuts in the coming years and hopefully lay the ground for real terms increases once the country’s finances improve.

    “This looks to be a positive outcome, but we must await the full details in the Chancellor’s speech on Wednesday.”

     

    Nicola Perrin, Chief Executive of the Association of Medical Research Charities, said:

    “Given the tough financial climate and many competing priorities, it’s fantastic to see the Government backing research and innovation. This is a smart investment – it will not only drive economic growth and productivity, but will also benefit patients across the country and unlock new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat disease. We look forward to seeing more detail and, most importantly, how this funding will secure the fundamental building blocks that underpin UK R&D.”

    Professor Andrew Morris, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said:

    “This is exactly the kind of long-term thinking our healthcare sector and economy need. The investment signals the UK’s commitment to remaining a global leader in medical research and innovation. By backing science, the Government is investing in a healthier, more prosperous future that will bring economic growth and benefit generations to come.”

     

    Tony McBride, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at the Institute of Physics, said:

    “It’s good to see the government recognise the power of science and innovation to transform lives and grow prosperity in every part of the UK.

    “But to fully harness the transformational potential of research and innovation – wherever it takes place – we need a decade-long strategic plan for science. This must include a plan for the skilled workforce we need to deliver this vision, starting with teachers and addressing every educational stage, to underpin the industrial strategy.

    “We hope that the Chancellor’s statement on Wednesday will set out such a vision.”

     

    Dr Alicia Greated, Executive Director, Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE), said:

    “It is pleasing to see the Government continue to recognise UK R&D as a driving force behind economic growth.  Based on OBR forecasts for inflation, the spending plans announced today would appear to be broadly flat in real terms.  While not the ambitious settlement we called for, in these difficult fiscal circumstances it is positive that the R&D budget has been protected.  However, the detail is important, and we will need to wait for the full spending review announcement on Wednesday before we can offer a considered analysis.”

    Embargoed press release from DSIT entitled ‘Transformative £86bn boost to science and tech to turbocharge economy, with regions backed to take cutting-edge research into own hands’, was under embargo until 00:01 UK time on Sunday 8 June 2025

    Declared interests

    The nature of this story means everyone quoted above could be perceived to have a stake in it. As such, our policy is not to ask for interests to be declared – instead, they are implicit in each person’s affiliation.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Keep Manadon Moving: Tackling delays

    Source: City of Plymouth

    Delays at Manadon. We all know about them, we’ve all felt it.

    Some days it can be absolutely fine; others it’s bit of a gamble. It’s not reliable.

    And that’s just now. In the next few years, as the city grows with ambitious new housing targets, the growth of the hospital and the expansion of the dockyard, it’s going to get worse.

    That’s why we’re bringing forward potential changes to the roundabout, to improve things not just now but in the future.

    The graphic below has been developed from queue length data and shows how traffic queues will look in years to come in scenarios where we continue with the scheme and if we do nothing.

    “The data is clear,” explains Councillor John Stephens, Cabinet Member for Transport. “Doing nothing, sitting on our hands, is simply not a viable option. Manadon needs investment so that we can provide the infrastructure we need for the expected growth of this city.

    “I’d ask everyone who travels through Manadon to get involved in this engagement exercise. Give us your feedback and let us know what you think of the proposals.”

    Manadon is at the heart of Plymouth’s transport network and is a key part of the journey to and from some of the busiest places in the city.

    You’ve got an appointment at Derriford at 10am, but you’re still stuck queuing on the A38 at 9.40am. You thought you’d left enough time. It was fine when you came through Manadon last week but it’s just not moving today. You hope you don’t miss it.

    University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP), who runs Derriford Hospital, the largest specialist teaching hospital in the south west peninsula and the region’s major trauma centre, continues to redevelop their facilities.

    Stuart Windsor, Future Hospital Director, said: “Our Future Hospital Programme is transforming how care is delivered to improve lives across Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall through investing in our healthcare estate.

    “This includes a new purpose-built Emergency Care Building at our Derriford site, which will double the space to care for the increasing numbers of patients with urgent and emergency conditions.

    “Works that improve accessibility to Derriford Hospital will be hugely beneficial for our patients and colleagues, and are an important part of enabling our organisation to delivering its long-term goals.”

    Argyle have got a crunch late-season game to secure promotion and by some miracle, you’ve bagged yourself a ticket. You left the house in good time – enough time for a pasty before the game. But you didn’t account for Manadon. There’s been a shunt somewhere else in the city, and everyone is using Manadon instead. It’s 2.40pm. You’ve still got to find somewhere to park once you get to Home Park. It’s not the start to the afternoon you had planned.

    Meanwhile, every other week for most of the year at least 16,000 people descend on Home Park to cheer on Plymouth Argyle. Many of that crowd make their way through Manadon.

    Christian Kent, Head of Venue, Hospitality & Events at Plymouth Argyle, said: “Supporters will be aware that Plymouth Argyle have worked hard on making Home Park more accessible over the past two seasons with additional transport and parking.

    “The Manadon project ethos and aims are a step in the right direction in ensuring attending matches and events at Home Park is as efficient as possible.

    “We’d very much encourage our fans to engage with the scheme, so the needs of our fanbase are considered.”

    You can view the plans for improvements at Manadon and fill in the online survey at https://keepmanadonmoving.commonplace.is

    Manadon Key Facts
    • 60,000+ journeys pass through the interchange every day.
    • Journeys through Manadon junction regularly take significantly longer than necessary due to congestion.
    • The existing layout was designed for much lower traffic volumes and cannot cope with future demand.
    • By 2040, queues are expected to back onto the A38 daily, creating major safety risks

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Altus Group Celebrates Winners of the 2025 ARGUS University Challenge

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Altus Group Limited (ʺAltus Group”) (TSX: AIF), a leading provider of commercial real estate (“CRE”) intelligence, today announced the winners of its 16th annual ARGUS University Challenge – a milestone that reflects both the longevity of the program and Altus Group’s continued leadership in the CRE sector during its 20th year as a public company.

    The ARGUS University Challenge is an annual global competition organized by Altus Group to immerse university students in the complexities of CRE investment analysis. Students apply ARGUS software to tackle complex CRE investment cases, where they model financial projections, assess risk, and develop investment strategies for hypothetical CRE portfolios. Winners qualify for a scholarship and gain valuable industry exposure, along with the opportunity to showcase their skills to potential employers.

    The 2025 winners were selected from more than 124 students representing 24 universities globally. The teams demonstrated their ability to identify and present compelling investment opportunities using industry-leading ARGUS Enterprise, now part of ARGUS Intelligence – which brings together data and advanced analytics for more powerful decision-making.

    Each team was challenged to analyze a hypothetical real estate scenario and present a comprehensive investment case. Submissions were evaluated by a panel of industry experts on how effectively students applied ARGUS’ valuation modelling, discounted cash flow analysis, and performance forecasting capabilities – tools that shaped CRE performance analysis for over 30 years and are taught at more than 200 academic institutions worldwide.

    “We’re proud to provide students with the opportunity to develop the real-world skills they’ll need as they enter the industry,” said Rich Sarkis, President of ARGUS Software and Data at Altus Group. “This year’s participants demonstrated how quality data and analytics are critical to effective investment decision-making. Our new ARGUS Intelligence platform was built with their generation in mind – designed for a new era of data-savvy professionals who demand deeper insights, faster workflows, and smarter decisions.”

    The 2025 ARGUS University Challenge winners are:

    1st place: IREBS, University of Regensburg

    • Team: Lea Lott, Leon Mayer, Maximilian von Berger, Moritz Kluge, Viola Schadde
    • Professor: Wolfgang Schaefers

    2nd place: University of San Diego

    • Team: Jackson Gebhardt, Jason Santos, Rodrigo Soler, Ryan Groleau, Tom Sears
    • Professor: Charles Tu

    3rd place: NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate

    • Team: Valeria Burga-Cisneros Vega, Lana Alexander, Colin Dallas-Wu, Sam Wimpfheimer, Thomas Jordan
    • Professor: Hillman Lam

    4th place: London School of Economics and Political Science

    • Team: Stuart Teng, Eryu Ma, Jiani Zhang
    • Professor: Rebecca Campbell

    The ARGUS University Challenge is part of Altus Group’s broader commitment to cultivating future CRE leaders. Through its academic program, Altus Group provides software and training to over 200 institutions globally, equipping students with the technical expertise and analytical mindset to thrive in a data-driven market.

    For more information on the ARGUS University Challenge, please visit: https://www.altusgroup.com/education/argus-university-challenge/

    About Altus Group

    Altus connects data, analytics, applications, and expertise to deliver the intelligence necessary to drive optimal CRE performance. The industry’s top leaders rely on our market-leading solutions and expertise to power performance and mitigate risk. Our global team of ~2,000 experts are making a lasting impact on an industry undergoing unprecedented change – helping shape the cities where we live, work, and build thriving communities. For more information about Altus (TSX: AIF) please visit www.altusgroup.com.

    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

    Elizabeth Lambe
    Director, Global Communications, Altus Group
    (416) 641-9787
    Elizabeth.Lambe@altusgroup.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Natrion awarded $250,000 in NSF Energy Storage Engine grants to advance safe and reliable lithium-ion batteries

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BINGHAMTON, N.Y., June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Natrion, a leader in advanced battery technology, has been awarded a $150,000 R&D grant and a $100,000 SuperBoost grant from the National Science Foundation Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York. The funding will accelerate the commercialization of Natrion’s LISIC solid-state electrolyte separator technology, a breakthrough in lithium-ion battery safety, reliability, and thermal stability for electric mobility, grid storage, and aerospace applications.

    Natrion’s proprietary LISIC solid electrolyte separator technology mitigates risks associated with thermal runaway, addressing one of the most significant safety challenges in lithium-ion batteries. By replacing porous separators containing flammable liquid electrolytes with its advanced non-porous solid-state separator, Natrion enhances battery safety while maintaining high energy density and stability. This transformative solution also integrates seamlessly with existing manufacturing processes, enabling cost-effective scaling.

    “The energy storage industry has long sought safer, high-performance alternatives to conventional lithium-ion technology,” said Alex Kosyakov, CEO of Natrion. “This support from the NSF Energy Storage Engine is a game-changer for us, allowing us to accelerate the commercialization of our LISIC separator technology and bring it to real-world applications. By leveraging the world-class testing facilities at Rochester Institute of Technology, we are optimizing our platform for electric vehicles, aerospace, and beyond.”

    The R&D grant will focus on enhancing the LISIC platform’s performance, cost-effectiveness, and manufacturability, while the SuperBoost grant will support rapid prototyping, quality control, and production automation efforts. Natrion will collaborate with RIT’s Battery Development Center, using its state-of-the-art facilities to validate the technology for cylindrical batteries, widely used in electric mobility, electronics, and grid applications.

    The SuperBoost program, a core initiative of the NSF Energy Storage Engine, is designed to accelerate commercialization timelines — reducing the traditional five-plus-year development cycle to under two years. The program provides direct funding, strategic partnerships, and infrastructure access, helping early-stage companies bridge the gap between technological innovation and market deployment.

    Fernando Gómez-Baquero, director of the Translation Pillar at the Energy Storage Engine, highlighted the critical role of Natrion’s advancements in battery safety: “Battery safety is paramount as the world moves toward widespread electrification. Natrion’s LISIC technology directly addresses one of the industry’s greatest challenges — thermal runaway — while enhancing energy density and manufacturability. SuperBoost isn’t just about funding; it’s about ensuring that companies like Natrion have the right ecosystem support to scale and succeed.”

    The NSF Energy Storage Engine is at the forefront of creating a national energy storage ecosystem, leveraging its extensive network of testbeds, infrastructure, and research collaborations to help startups accelerate their path to market.

    Meera Sampath, CEO of the NSF Energy Storage Engine, emphasized the Engine’s role in strengthening the U.S. energy supply chain: “The Engine is committed to fostering technology translation and commercialization through strategic investments like SuperBoost. By leveraging upstate New York’s unparalleled network of testbeds, manufacturing capabilities, and industry partnerships, we are strengthening the energy storage supply chain and positioning the region as a leader in battery innovation. Natrion’s advancements exemplify our mission to accelerate solutions that will drive U.S. energy independence and economic growth.”

    Through the support of the NSF Energy Storage Engine, Natrion is well-positioned to accelerate its technology toward commercial deployment. By leveraging the Engine’s regional resources — including collaborations with RIT’s Battery Development Center and other key partners — the company is advancing its battery technology toward full-scale production. This
    initiative aligns with the Engine’s broader mission to transform upstate New York into America’s Battery Capital, fostering economic growth, national energy security, and technological leadership in next-generation energy storage.

    About Natrion
    Natrion develops advanced battery technologies to deliver safe, scalable, and high-performance energy storage solutions for EVs, aviation, grid storage, and beyond. With a focus on innovation, cost-efficiency, and seamless integration into existing manufacturing, Natrion is redefining the future of energy storage.

    For more information, visit https://www.natrion.co

    Contact:
    Alex Kosyakov
    CEO & Co-Founder akosyakov@natrion.com

    About the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York
    The NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, led by Binghamton University, is a National Science Foundation-funded, place-based innovation program. The coalition of 40+ academic, industry, nonprofit, state, and community organizations includes Cornell University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, Launch-NY and NY-BEST as core partners. The Engine advances next-gen battery technology development and manufacturing to drive economic growth and bolster national security. Its vision is to transform upstate New York into America’s Battery Capital.

    For more information on the Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine, visit https://upstatenyengine.org/.

    Contact:
    Fernando Gómez-Baquero, Ph.D.

    Translation Pillar Director
    NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York
    fernando@cornell.edu

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Ghana’s older people feel left behind and ignored: how to care for them better

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Andrew Kweku Conduah, PhD Candidate, University of Ghana

    Ghana’s national agenda often focuses on the country’s large number of young people. In fact a less noticed demographic transformation is reshaping society: the country’s older population is growing rapidly. According to Ghana Statistical Service estimates,
    people aged 60 and above are projected to make up over 12% of the total population by 2050, more than doubling the 2021 estimate of 6.8%.

    And more of these older adults are ageing alone.

    That’s because of Ghana’s transition from extended to nuclear family systems, coupled with rural–urban and international migration. Traditionally, older Ghanaians aged within multi-generational households, with care provided by children and extended family. But today, migration patterns have intensified, with over 50% of the population living in urban areas, leaving many elders behind in rural communities or isolated in city slums.

    I recently conducted a study across six Ghanaian communities (urban and rural). Drawing from 52 interviews, I explored the emotional, social and economic implications of ageing alone.

    The participants in the study echoed a common theme: the erosion of intergenerational family structures, leaving the elderly socially and emotionally isolated.

    As a 73-year-old widow participant who lives in a city put it:

    My daughter is in Canada. My son lives in Kumasi, but he rarely visits. I live alone, and if I fall sick, I just wait. Sometimes, I pray someone will notice.

    Such stories are no longer anecdotal outliers. Nationally representative data from the Ghana Living Standards Survey and WHO SAGE Ghana Wave 2 also reveal an uptick in solitary living among older adults, particularly widowed women and those without formal pensions. Over 22% of older respondents in urban Ghana reported living alone, a sharp contrast to previous decades, where co-residence with adult children was the norm. Many older Ghanaians don’t have reliable caregivers.

    As a PhD candidate in population studies at the University of Ghana, I focus on health-related quality of life among older adults. This article draws from my doctoral fieldwork in urban and rural Ghana, using qualitative interviews to uncover the lived realities of ageing alone.

    The study highlights a gap in Ghana’s ageing policies: they overlook solitary elders who live without daily family support.

    The paper calls for integrated social protection for older adults living alone. That would include subsidised healthcare, community outreach services, emergency care networks, and community-based mental health interventions.

    What old people had to say

    Focus group discussions revealed that older adults struggle with emotional loneliness, financial anxiety and health system constraints. Despite the presence of pension associations, many older adults feel forgotten. Spiritual activities and reading offer moments of solace, but limited National Health Insurance Scheme coverage, rising living costs, and declining family support deepen the hardship.

    Focus groups revealed that older women were particularly vulnerable due to widowhood, land insecurity and declining support from children. Men, while respected, felt idle and underutilised. Participants spoke of finding strength in farming, faith and fellowship, but felt forgotten in national development planning.

    Ghana’s National Ageing Policy (2010) promises integrated care, but older adults, especially women, are slipping into the cracks of urban anonymity.

    Ageing here is not just biological, it is physical, psychological and economic. My broader research affirms that the majority of older adults in Ghana worked in the informal sector. They therefore have no access to formal pensions or post-retirement income security.

    Participants in my most recent research shared how they felt:

    I was a seamstress all my life. Now my eyes are failing. No pension, no money. I survive on cassava and prayer. – 66-year-old retired woman

    Ageing in Ghana is like walking into a forest — you disappear quietly. No one sees you. — 69-year-old woman

    This statement underscores the gendered experience of ageing, where women often face greater economic and emotional vulnerability due to widowhood, longer life expectancy, and social neglect.

    We are not dying yet. We want to matter again. – 70-year-old man

    We have houses, but not homes anymore. – 75-year-old man

    What next

    The implications of this neglect are staggering. According to the World Health Organization, loneliness and social isolation among the elderly are associated with a 50% increased risk of dementia, depression and premature death. In Ghana, there are added challenges of inaccessible health facilities and cultural stigma about ageing. Yet most people aren’t talking about it.

    Ghana introduced the National Ageing Policy in 2010 to promote the health, security and participation of older people in national development. But many elderly people still live without affordable healthcare, age-friendly infrastructure or a regular income.

    What Ghana needs now is not another grand policy document. It needs practical, community-rooted and state-supported action.

    Decentralised community geriatric care: Train district-level health volunteers in geriatric care, and equip them with basic tools to support older people in their homes.

    Pension and informal sector integration: Extend Ghana’s pension framework to informal sector workers.

    Public awareness campaigns: Reframe ageing in national media not as decline but as contribution, highlighting elder wisdom, resilience, and ongoing social relevance.

    Urban planning for ageing: Incorporate age-friendly elements like ramps, benches, toilets and signage into development plans.

    None of this is charity. It is a strategic investment. In 2021, Ghana spent less than 0.5% of its national health budget on elderly-specific care. That is fiscally short-sighted. Healthier, engaged older adults reduce family burdens, boost social capital, and can even contribute economically by training and mentoring others.

    In the communities I visited, I encountered grassroots interventions worth scaling up: church youth groups providing weekly food support, pensioners’ associations checking in on members, and intergenerational community storytelling sessions that rebuild emotional bonds.

    In Ghana’s Akan tradition, elders are considered living libraries. Their absence from the communal space is not just a social loss, it is a cultural erasure.

    If the elderly are neglected, anyone may wake up on the wrong side of the demographic line one day, wondering if they too will be forgotten.

    Andrew Kweku Conduah 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. Ghana’s older people feel left behind and ignored: how to care for them better – https://theconversation.com/ghanas-older-people-feel-left-behind-and-ignored-how-to-care-for-them-better-257951

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Johannesburg’s problems can be solved – but it’s a long journey to fix South Africa’s economic powerhouse

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Philip Harrison, Professor School of Architecture and Planning, University of the Witwatersrand

    South African president Cyril Ramaphosa met senior leaders of Johannesburg and Gauteng, the province it’s located in, in March 2025 to discuss ways to arrest the steep decline in South Africa’s largest city.

    Ramaphosa announced a two-year-long presidential intervention to tackle some of the city’s most pressing issues. It is to be led by the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group with eight cross-governmental and multi-stakeholder workstreams.

    Johannesburg was established 130 years ago, where the world’s largest-ever gold deposits were discovered. It grew rapidly in the early 20th century and became the country’s economic heartland and largest population centre. Like all South African cities, it was deeply scarred by apartheid policies. People were divided by racially defined groups. Good services and a strong economy benefited a minority, and a black majority were pushed into impoverished ghettos.

    But, for about the first two decades of post-apartheid rule from 1994, Johannesburg led the country with innovation and progressive change. It pioneered the new local government system, institutional reforms, new practice on city strategy and planning, pro-poor service delivery, and modern transport infrastructure.

    Today, however, the city is in a dire state. Over the past decade, roughly coinciding with the arrival of messy coalition governance in 2016, sound political leadership, administrative stability and financial management have crumbled. Underinvestment in infrastructure maintenance has led to collapsing services. Public trust is deteriorating among increasingly frustrated communities. This was evident in local election results. It also shows up in recent data released by the Gauteng City-Region Observatory on public trust in local government.

    The local economy has stagnated. The city’s official unemployment rate of 34.3% is higher than the national average of 32.9%. Mounting joblessness and dwindling incomes have intertwined with depleted trust to knock levels of payment for property rates and service charges. In turn this has deepened the financial and service maintenance crisis.

    Corruption in many parts of the city is an endemic complicating factor.

    The presidential intervention is designed to address this complex interplay between embedded legacies and failings post-apartheid. The workstreams involving city officials and concerned stakeholders are generating ideas for priority actions. There is also a new energy in the city government, with the executive mayor and members of his mayoral committee making turnaround promises.

    This long overdue attention is heartening. But some caution is called for. While some “quick wins” are needed, there will be no easy turnaround. The best prospect is likely to be a process of recovery that will require patience and methodical attention over the long term. A city cannot be repaired in the way an automobile can. A city has a trillion moving parts and is in a constant state of makeover, as dynamics of economy, technology, demography, environment, society, politics, and more, interact and produce change.

    The question is not whether a city is fixed – it can never finally be – but rather what trajectory it is on. For Johannesburg, the question is how to exit the downward spiral and begin the process of reconstruction.

    We are a group who previously worked in the City of Johannesburg as officials, who are now academics with decades of experience observing local governance trends and dynamics, or scholars engaged in civil society coalitions or communities mobilising around the crisis. Some of us have been involved in the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group over the last few months.

    Our view is that there are four areas needing urgent but sustained attention.

    Focus areas

    The first is the need for a joint effort across national, provincial and municipal government to resolve the crisis. We are pleased that this has begun. The political leadership in the city (and of the province) failed to grasp the opportunity provided by the post-2024 election national compromises to put together a broad-based government of local unity to lead reconstruction. There is no option now but to pursue an inter-governmental initiative led by national government with the committed involvement of the other spheres.

    Only genuine collaboration will succeed.

    In this respect, the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group holds promise. But what will be needed is careful, concerted work focused first on short-term priorities. Then, over years, on key structural challenges facing the city.

    Second, the city needs civil society in all its forms to hold a careful balance between keeping up the pressure on municipal government, constantly holding it accountable to its residents, and working with government to help it solve problems. The Joburg Crisis Alliance, Jozi-my-Jozi, WaterCAN and similar initiatives are claiming well-recognised and respected voice in the affairs of the municipality.

    Johannesburg needs a city government that is open to this scrutiny, accepting the need for transparency, and open to the help that civil society can offer.

    To raise the level of accountability and collaboration, a clear programme of restoration has to be communicated openly to the public. Milestones and expenditure requirements need to be set that allow for constant monitoring. There must be open council meetings, and regular online and in-person briefings.

    Also required are new mechanisms for citizen-based monitoring. These may include trained citizen monitors reporting on service delivery. Alternatively, the establishment of a sort of “Citizen’s Council” which meets regularly to receive reports from these monitors and the city administration.

    International examples include the Bürgerrat model. This is now fully institutionalised in parts of Germany and Austria to strengthen local democracy and accountability. In this model, citizens are randomly selected to sit on a council which monitors performance of local government and provides new ideas.

    Another approach could be for civil society organisations to be invited to a Citizen’s Council that would act in support of the oversight processes of the elected Municipal Council.

    Third, there has to be a solution to unstable coalition governments. These seem to be structured to facilitate separate political fiefdoms where spoils can be divided in the allocation of portfolios. At minimum, the presidential intervention must provide for a check and balance on processes where bureaucratic appointments and budgetary allocations may serve the interests of cronyism. For example, there should be transparency and rigour in appointments to the boards of Johannesburg’s municipally owned companies.

    Regulatory reforms are required in the political arena. This should include rules for the distribution of seats on the municipal executive and the election of mayors. Between January 2023 and August 2024 a tiny minority party held the mayoralty because the larger parties could not agree on a mayoral selection or, more cynically, to ensure that the executive mayor could not call large parties to account.

    More importantly, though, there has to be a change in political culture. This is a longer-term process.

    Fourth, the problems run far deeper than what bureaucratic reorganisation can achieve.

    The longer-term project is to build a capable administration with clear political direction and oversight but insulated from personal agendas and factional battles. The administration became confused and demoralised because of the political instability over an extended period. There are, however, still many capable and committed public servants in the city bureaucracy. The focus should be on working with them to rebuild the administration, making it a place where talent and initiative are recognised and rewarded.

    Restored political leadership and a rejuvenated administration is needed for a long term process, extending far beyond the quick wins. This process will involve refurbishing the decaying network infrastructure, restoring financial stability, reestablishing social trust and returning confidence to the city’s economy.

    2025 marks 30 years since the first democratic local elections. National government is looking seriously at sweeping municipal reforms. And the next municipal election – likely to be held at the end of 2026 – is an opportunity to make a deep transformation effort. Citizens can ensure that parties contesting the election place Johannesburg’s recovery at the heart of their agenda.

    Philip Harrison has received funding from South Africa’s National Research Foundation in support of the South African Research Chair in Spatial Analysis and City Planning.

    The Gauteng City-Region Observatory receives core grant funding from the Gauteng Provincial Government.

    Lorena Nunez Carrasco received funding from the National Research Foundation in support of research on the South African response on COVID-19

    Rashid Seedat receives funding from Gauteng Provincial Government for the Gauteng City-Region Observatory. He is affiliated with the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation as a member of the Board of Trustees.

    – ref. Johannesburg’s problems can be solved – but it’s a long journey to fix South Africa’s economic powerhouse – https://theconversation.com/johannesburgs-problems-can-be-solved-but-its-a-long-journey-to-fix-south-africas-economic-powerhouse-256013

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: A quarter of the world’s population are adolescents: major report sets out health and wellbeing trends

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Alex Ezeh, Dornsife Endowed Professor of Global Health, Drexel University

    The Lancet has released its second global commission report on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing. Adolescents are defined as 10- to 24-year-olds. The report builds on the first one, done in 2016. The latest report presents substantial original research that supports actions it recommends to be taken across sectors as well as at global, regional, country and local level. The co-chairs of the commission, Sarah Baird, Alex Ezeh and Russell Viner, together with the youth commissioners lead, Shakira Choonara, give a guide to the report’s findings.

    What were the key findings?

    The report noted significant improvements in some aspects of adolescent health and wellbeing since the 2016 report. These include reductions in:

    • communicable, maternal and nutritional diseases, particularly among female adolescents

    • the burden of disease from injuries

    • substance use, specifically tobacco and alcohol

    • teenage pregnancy.

    It also found that there had been an increase in age at first marriage and in education, especially for young women.

    Despite this progress, adolescent health and wellbeing is said to be at a tipping point. Continued progress is being undermined by rapidly escalating rates of
    non-communicable diseases and mental disorders, accompanied by threats from compounding and intersecting megatrends. These include climate change and environmental degradation, the growing power of commercial influences on health, rising conflict and displacement, rapid urbanisation, and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    These megatrends are outpacing responses from national governments and the international community.

    What’s unique about today’s cohort of adolescents?

    Born between 2000 and 2014, this is the first cohort of humans who will live their entire life in a time when the average annual global temperature has consistently been 0.5°C or higher above pre-industrial levels.

    At roughly 2 billion adolescents, they are the largest cohort of adolescents in the history of humanity. And this number will not be surpassed as populations age and fertility rates fall in even the poorest countries.

    They are the first generation of global digital natives. They live in a world of immense resources and opportunities, with unprecedented connectedness made possible by the rapid expansion of digital technologies. This is true even in the hardest-to-reach places.

    Growing participation in secondary and tertiary education is equipping adolescents of all genders with new economic opportunities and providing pathways out of poverty.

    These opportunities, however, are not being realised for most adolescents. Increasing numbers continue to grow up in settings with limited opportunities. In addition, investments in adolescent health and wellbeing continue to lag relative to their population share or their share of the global burden of disease.

    Investments in adolescents accounted for only 2.4% of the total development assistance for health in 2016-2021. This was despite the fact that adolescents accounted for 25.2% of the global population in that period and 9.1% of the total burden of disease. We use development assistance as a measure because, while governments also invest in adolescents, it’s difficult to account for how much this is. For example, when a government supports a health facility, it serves the entire population.

    Yet, the report provides evidence to show that the return on investments in adolescent health and wellbeing is highly cost-effective and at par with investments in children.

    What’s the news for adolescents in Africa?

    The report recognises the special place of Africa in the global future of adolescents. It notes that, by the end of this century, nearly half of all adolescents will live in Africa.

    Currently, adolescents in Africa experience higher burdens of communicable, maternal and nutritional diseases, at more than double the global average for both male and female adolescents. They also have a higher prevalence of anaemia, adolescent childbearing, early marriage and HIV infection. They are much less likely to complete 12 years of schooling and more likely to not be in education, employment, or training.

    Female adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa have the highest adolescent fertility rate at 99.4 births per 1,000 female adolescents aged 15-19 (the global average is 41.8). They have also experienced the slowest decline between 2016 and 2022.

    Globally, there was progress in reducing child marriage between 2016 and 2022. But in eight countries in 2022, at least one in three female adolescents aged 15–19 years was married. All but one of these eight countries were in sub-Saharan Africa. Niger (50.2%) and Mali (40.6%) had the highest proportion of married female adolescents.

    The practice of child marriage is declining in south Asia and becoming more concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa. As the report notes:

    it continues because of cultural norms, fuelled by economic hardships, insurgency, conflict, ambiguous legal provisions, and lack of political will to enforce legal provisions.

    What should be Africa’s focus areas?

    Beyond adolescent sexual and reproductive health concerns in sub-Saharan Africa, obesity is increasing fastest in the region. This illustrates the vulnerability of adolescents to the power of commercial interests.

    Since 1990, obesity and overweight has increased by 89% in prevalence among adolescents aged 15–19 years in sub-Saharan Africa. This is the largest regional increase.

    The absence of data on adolescents is a problem. Adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa are absent in many data systems. For example, data on adolescent mental health in sub-Saharan Africa is virtually absent.

    Stronger data systems are needed to understand and track progress on the complex set of determinants of adolescent health and wellbeing.

    Another area of concern is the massive inequities within countries, often gendered or by geography. While female adolescents in Kenya are experiencing substantial declines in the burden of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, adolescent males are experiencing increasing burdens. In South Africa, years of healthy life lost to maternal disorders show more than 10-fold differences between the Western Cape and North West provinces.

    Where there’s been strong political leadership, remarkable changes have been seen. Take the case of Benin Republic. The adolescent fertility rate in the country declined from 26% in 1996 to 20% in 2018 and child marriage from 39% to 31% over the same period. Strong political leadership has also led to substantial reductions in female genital mutilation or cutting. This fell from 12% of girls in Benin in 2001 to 2% in 2011–12 among 15–19-year-old girls in Benin Republic. Political leadership also facilitated the expansion, by the national parliament in 2021, of the grounds under which women, girls, and their families could access safe and legal abortion.

    But for every country that takes positive steps to protect the health and wellbeing of adolescents, several others regress.

    The last decade has witnessed regression in several countries. In 2024, The Gambia attempted to repeal a 2015 law criminalising all acts of female genital mutilation or cutting. In 2022, Nigeria’s federal government ordered the removal of sex education from the basic education curriculum.

    What are the recommended courses of action?

    The report calls for a multisectoral approach across multiple national ministries and agencies, including the office of the head of state, and within the UN system.

    Coordination and accountability mechanisms for adolescent health and wellbeing also need to be strengthened.

    Laws and policies are needed to protect the health and rights of adolescents, reduce the impact of the commercial determinants of health, and promote healthy use of digital and social media spaces and platforms.

    Strong political leadership at local, national, and global levels is essential.

    The report also calls for prioritised investments, the creation of enabling environments to transform adolescent health and wellbeing, and the development of innovative approaches to address complex and emerging health threats.

    It calls for meaningful engagement of adolescents in policy, research, interventions and accountability mechanisms that affect them.

    Without these concerted actions, we risk failing our young people and losing out on the investments being made in childhood at this second critical period in their development.

    The current adverse international aid climate is particularly affecting adolescents as much development assistance relates to gender and sexual and reproductive health. Concerted action in addressing adolescent health and wellbeing is an urgent imperative for sub-Saharan Africa.

    Alex Ezeh is a fellow at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (Stias).

    Russell Viner and Sarah Baird 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. A quarter of the world’s population are adolescents: major report sets out health and wellbeing trends – https://theconversation.com/a-quarter-of-the-worlds-population-are-adolescents-major-report-sets-out-health-and-wellbeing-trends-257282

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Johannesburg’s problems can be solved – but it’s a long journey to fix South Africa’s economic powerhouse

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip Harrison, Professor School of Architecture and Planning, University of the Witwatersrand

    South African president Cyril Ramaphosa met senior leaders of Johannesburg and Gauteng, the province it’s located in, in March 2025 to discuss ways to arrest the steep decline in South Africa’s largest city.

    Ramaphosa announced a two-year-long presidential intervention to tackle some of the city’s most pressing issues. It is to be led by the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group with eight cross-governmental and multi-stakeholder workstreams.

    Johannesburg was established 130 years ago, where the world’s largest-ever gold deposits were discovered. It grew rapidly in the early 20th century and became the country’s economic heartland and largest population centre. Like all South African cities, it was deeply scarred by apartheid policies. People were divided by racially defined groups. Good services and a strong economy benefited a minority, and a black majority were pushed into impoverished ghettos.

    But, for about the first two decades of post-apartheid rule from 1994, Johannesburg led the country with innovation and progressive change. It pioneered the new local government system, institutional reforms, new practice on city strategy and planning, pro-poor service delivery, and modern transport infrastructure.

    Today, however, the city is in a dire state. Over the past decade, roughly coinciding with the arrival of messy coalition governance in 2016, sound political leadership, administrative stability and financial management have crumbled. Underinvestment in infrastructure maintenance has led to collapsing services. Public trust is deteriorating among increasingly frustrated communities. This was evident in local election results. It also shows up in recent data released by the Gauteng City-Region Observatory on public trust in local government.

    The local economy has stagnated. The city’s official unemployment rate of 34.3% is higher than the national average of 32.9%. Mounting joblessness and dwindling incomes have intertwined with depleted trust to knock levels of payment for property rates and service charges. In turn this has deepened the financial and service maintenance crisis.

    Corruption in many parts of the city is an endemic complicating factor.

    The presidential intervention is designed to address this complex interplay between embedded legacies and failings post-apartheid. The workstreams involving city officials and concerned stakeholders are generating ideas for priority actions. There is also a new energy in the city government, with the executive mayor and members of his mayoral committee making turnaround promises.

    This long overdue attention is heartening. But some caution is called for. While some “quick wins” are needed, there will be no easy turnaround. The best prospect is likely to be a process of recovery that will require patience and methodical attention over the long term. A city cannot be repaired in the way an automobile can. A city has a trillion moving parts and is in a constant state of makeover, as dynamics of economy, technology, demography, environment, society, politics, and more, interact and produce change.

    The question is not whether a city is fixed – it can never finally be – but rather what trajectory it is on. For Johannesburg, the question is how to exit the downward spiral and begin the process of reconstruction.

    We are a group who previously worked in the City of Johannesburg as officials, who are now academics with decades of experience observing local governance trends and dynamics, or scholars engaged in civil society coalitions or communities mobilising around the crisis. Some of us have been involved in the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group over the last few months.

    Our view is that there are four areas needing urgent but sustained attention.

    Focus areas

    The first is the need for a joint effort across national, provincial and municipal government to resolve the crisis. We are pleased that this has begun. The political leadership in the city (and of the province) failed to grasp the opportunity provided by the post-2024 election national compromises to put together a broad-based government of local unity to lead reconstruction. There is no option now but to pursue an inter-governmental initiative led by national government with the committed involvement of the other spheres.

    Only genuine collaboration will succeed.

    In this respect, the Presidential Johannesburg Working Group holds promise. But what will be needed is careful, concerted work focused first on short-term priorities. Then, over years, on key structural challenges facing the city.

    Second, the city needs civil society in all its forms to hold a careful balance between keeping up the pressure on municipal government, constantly holding it accountable to its residents, and working with government to help it solve problems. The Joburg Crisis Alliance, Jozi-my-Jozi, WaterCAN and similar initiatives are claiming well-recognised and respected voice in the affairs of the municipality.

    Johannesburg needs a city government that is open to this scrutiny, accepting the need for transparency, and open to the help that civil society can offer.

    To raise the level of accountability and collaboration, a clear programme of restoration has to be communicated openly to the public. Milestones and expenditure requirements need to be set that allow for constant monitoring. There must be open council meetings, and regular online and in-person briefings.

    Also required are new mechanisms for citizen-based monitoring. These may include trained citizen monitors reporting on service delivery. Alternatively, the establishment of a sort of “Citizen’s Council” which meets regularly to receive reports from these monitors and the city administration.

    International examples include the Bürgerrat model. This is now fully institutionalised in parts of Germany and Austria to strengthen local democracy and accountability. In this model, citizens are randomly selected to sit on a council which monitors performance of local government and provides new ideas.

    Another approach could be for civil society organisations to be invited to a Citizen’s Council that would act in support of the oversight processes of the elected Municipal Council.

    Third, there has to be a solution to unstable coalition governments. These seem to be structured to facilitate separate political fiefdoms where spoils can be divided in the allocation of portfolios. At minimum, the presidential intervention must provide for a check and balance on processes where bureaucratic appointments and budgetary allocations may serve the interests of cronyism. For example, there should be transparency and rigour in appointments to the boards of Johannesburg’s municipally owned companies.

    Regulatory reforms are required in the political arena. This should include rules for the distribution of seats on the municipal executive and the election of mayors. Between January 2023 and August 2024 a tiny minority party held the mayoralty because the larger parties could not agree on a mayoral selection or, more cynically, to ensure that the executive mayor could not call large parties to account.

    More importantly, though, there has to be a change in political culture. This is a longer-term process.

    Fourth, the problems run far deeper than what bureaucratic reorganisation can achieve.

    The longer-term project is to build a capable administration with clear political direction and oversight but insulated from personal agendas and factional battles. The administration became confused and demoralised because of the political instability over an extended period. There are, however, still many capable and committed public servants in the city bureaucracy. The focus should be on working with them to rebuild the administration, making it a place where talent and initiative are recognised and rewarded.

    Restored political leadership and a rejuvenated administration is needed for a long term process, extending far beyond the quick wins. This process will involve refurbishing the decaying network infrastructure, restoring financial stability, reestablishing social trust and returning confidence to the city’s economy.

    2025 marks 30 years since the first democratic local elections. National government is looking seriously at sweeping municipal reforms. And the next municipal election – likely to be held at the end of 2026 – is an opportunity to make a deep transformation effort. Citizens can ensure that parties contesting the election place Johannesburg’s recovery at the heart of their agenda.

    Philip Harrison has received funding from South Africa’s National Research Foundation in support of the South African Research Chair in Spatial Analysis and City Planning.

    The Gauteng City-Region Observatory receives core grant funding from the Gauteng Provincial Government.

    Lorena Nunez Carrasco received funding from the National Research Foundation in support of research on the South African response on COVID-19

    Rashid Seedat receives funding from Gauteng Provincial Government for the Gauteng City-Region Observatory. He is affiliated with the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation as a member of the Board of Trustees.

    – ref. Johannesburg’s problems can be solved – but it’s a long journey to fix South Africa’s economic powerhouse – https://theconversation.com/johannesburgs-problems-can-be-solved-but-its-a-long-journey-to-fix-south-africas-economic-powerhouse-256013

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: UConn’s Dr. Cato T. Laurencin Honored by the West Indian Foundation

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    The West Indian Foundation praised Dr. Cato T, Laurencin for his longstanding activities, “Your unwavering dedication and commitment have played a significant role in advancing our mission and strengthening our community. Your generosity and consistent support have been a cornerstone of our ability to serve the community. Whenever the West Indian Foundation has faced challenges, you have always stepped forward, ensuring that we can continue our important work. Your selflessness and commitment have made a profound impact, allowing us to grow and extend our reach.”

    Samuel J. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., the nephew of Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, accepted the award on Dr. Laurencin’s behalf. Dr. Samuel Laurencin is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon who trained at UConn.

    Dr. Cato T. Laurencin has a strong connection to the West Indian community as his father was born in St. Lucia. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the West Indian Foundation in 2015. In 2025, Sir Cato T. Laurencin received Knighthood under the auspices of King Charles III of England through the Governor-General of St. Lucia.

    The mission of the West Indian Foundation Inc. is to foster and strengthen a sense of unity within the West Indian community through strategic partnerships in the areas of health, education, business, and culture. The Foundation is dedicated to preserving the identity, history, and unique cultural heritage of the West Indian community while continuing to educate the community at large in these traditions.

    At UConn Laurencin is the University Professor and Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UConn School of Medicine, professor of Chemical Engineering, professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Connecticut. He is chief executive officer of The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering, a cross-university institute created and named in his honor at the University of Connecticut.

    Laurencin is an expert in public health, especially as it pertains to racial and ethnic health and health disparities. Academically, he completed the Program in African American Studies at Princeton University. He is a core professor of Africana Studies at UConn and is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, published by Springer/Nature, the leading journal in the field. He has served as the chair of the National Academy of Sciences Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Laurencin co-founded the W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute, dedicated to addressing racial health disparities, and served as its founding chair of the board. The W. Montague Cobb/NMA Institute and the National Medical Association created the Cato T. Laurencin Lifetime Research Achievement Award which is bestowed at the opening ceremonies of the National Medical Association’s annual meeting. Laurencin is the recipient of the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor of the NAACP. The medal is presented for the “highest or noblest achievement by a living African American during the preceding year or years in any honorable field.”

    Laurencin received the 2014 Greater Hartford Torch of Liberty Award from the Anti-Defamation League in recognition of his commitment to social justice and public service. He received the Community Service Award from the Urban League of Greater Hartford. He has been honored by the Hartford Public School System and the Connecticut State Legislature for his work in the community and has been recognized as a Connecticut Health Care Hero by Connecticut Magazine.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Albanese says the government’s focus on delivering commitments is essential to reinforce faith in democracy

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says his second term government is “focused on delivery” of its commitments, declaring this is important not only for the economy but also for Australians’ faith in our democracy.

    In a speech to the National Press Club on Tuesday, partially released ahead of delivery, Albanese warns that the present era of global uncertainty reaches beyond just economic uncertainty.

    “It is the more corrosive proposition that politics and government and democratic institutions, including a free media, are incapable of meeting the demands of this moment.

    “Some simply dismiss such sentiment. Others cynically seek to harvest it. Our responsibility is to disprove it.

    “To recognise that some of this frustration is drawn from people’s real experience with government – be it failures of service delivery, or falling through the cracks of a particular system.

    “And to counter this, we have to offer the practical and positive alternative.To prove that a good, focused, reforming Labor government can make a real difference to people’s lives.”

    Albanese’s speech comes ahead of his departure later this week for the G7 summit in Canada, where he is expected to meet US President Donald Trump on the sidelines.

    Their talks are set to cover, in particular, the Albanese government’s bid for relief from the Trump tariffs and the president’s desire for Australia to significantly boost its spending on defence.

    Australia is subject to both the general US 10% tariff and the separate tariff on steel and aluminium, which the president has just increased to 50%.

    Australia will put on the table a proposal for arrangements on access to our critical minerals and rare earths, that will favour the US. The government has also been examining a way to give access to US beef, which currently faces an effective ban on biosecurity grounds.

    Albanese has stressed that any change would not compromise Australian biosecurity.

    The Trump administration has flagged it would like to see Australia boost defence spending to 3.5% of GDP. Albanese has said Australia makes its own defence decisions and that spending should be based on capability needs rather than a set percentage.

    Albanese’s stress, in his speech, on “delivery” of commitments is partly to manage expectations in the wake of the government’s massive majority.

    The unexpected election result has led to some pressures on the government to use its position to undertake a more radical agenda than the one it put at the election.

    Albanese says: “Our government’s vision and ambition for Australia’s future was never dependent on the size of our majority.

    “But you can only build for that future vision if you build confidence that you can deliver on urgent necessities.

    “How you do that is important too – ensuring that the actions of today, anticipate and create conditions for further reform tomorrow.”

    He says the government’s second-term agenda has been shaped by Australians’ lives, priorities and values.

    “It is the mission and the measure of a Labor government to give those enduring ideals of fairness, aspiration and opportunity renewed and deeper meaning, for more Australians.

    “To deliver reforms that hold no-one back – and drive progress that leaves no-one behind.

    “This is no small task. It demands we aim high and requires us to build big.”

    He points to the government’s promised big investment in Medicare as well as its commitments on housing and the energy transition.

    “Our vision is for a society that is a microcosm for the world – where all are respected and valued and our diversity is recognised as a strength.

    “Where our international relationships in the fastest growing region of the world in human history benefit us, but also provide a platform for us to play a stabilising global role in uncertain times.”

    Michelle Grattan 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. Albanese says the government’s focus on delivering commitments is essential to reinforce faith in democracy – https://theconversation.com/albanese-says-the-governments-focus-on-delivering-commitments-is-essential-to-reinforce-faith-in-democracy-257331

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • Northeast charts 11-year journey of human-centric development

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

     
    Northeast India has emerged as a model of inclusive and sustainable development over the past 11 years, with remarkable progress in agriculture, healthcare, literacy, and social empowerment. Between 2014 and 2025, targeted government schemes and grassroots participation have helped bridge the development gap between the Northeast and the rest of the country.
     
    Sikkim led the charge by becoming the world’s first 100% organic state. Building on its success, the central government launched the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER), under which over 200,000 farmers transitioned to organic farming between 2015 and 2025. The establishment of 434 Farmer Producer Companies has facilitated access to national and international markets.
     
    Mizoram set another benchmark in May 2025 by becoming India’s first state to achieve 100% functional literacy under the ULLAS (Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society) mission, which focuses on adult education and community learning.
     
    Healthcare infrastructure has also advanced significantly. Assam now houses 15 medical colleges and 15 cancer hospitals, forming the largest cancer care network in South Asia. These facilities, developed over the past decade, have enhanced access to specialized and affordable treatment for millions in the region.
     
    To measure and guide progress, the Ministry of DoNER launched the North East District Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index in collaboration with NITI Aayog and UNDP. This tool tracks district-wise performance on key indicators, helping tailor development policies to local needs.
     
    Together, these milestones represent 11 years of purposeful, people-first growth—transforming the Northeast into a beacon of inclusive and sustainable development.

  • MIL-OSI Global: The path to conserving protected areas in the Amazon lies in uniting public policy with traditional local knowledge

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Everton Silva, Doutorando no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA)

    Despite serving as crucial guardians of biodiversity, traditional communities continue to be systematically excluded from developing and managing protected areas. This often subtle, silent exclusion has fueled persistent, complex socio-environmental conflicts, harming both conservation and the welfare of Indigenous peoples, riverside populations, Afro-Brazilian quilombola communities, and smallholder farmers.

    A recent study, “Socio-environmental Conflicts and Traditional Communities in Protected Areas: A Scientometric Analysis,” published in the Journal for Nature Conservation, mapped how scientific literature has examined these conflicts over time.

    Researchers from the Federal University of Western Pará (UFOPA), the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), the University of International Integration of Afro-Brazilian Lusophony (UNILAB), and the Vale Institute of Technology (ITV) collaborated on the study as part of the National Institute of Science and Technology in Synthesis of Amazonian Biodiversity (INCT-SynBiAm) and the Eastern Amazon Biodiversity Research Program (PPBio-AmOr).

    The team reviewed 263 scientific articles published worldwide between 1990 and August 2024, sourced from Scopus and Web of Science. Their analysis revealed significant gaps in research on this topic and offered recommendations for more just, inclusive, and effective management of protected territories.

    What does science reveal about these conflicts?

    The research shows not only a rise in conflicts involving traditional communities and protected zones, but also their diversity. The main sources of tension are:

    1. Access to subsistence resources: Local prohibitions—often unilaterally enacted—restrict fishing, hunting, gathering, and subsistence agriculture, all vital for food and income. These constraints sever longstanding traditions of sustainable resource use, leading to food insecurity and marginalization.

    For example, in Ethiopia’s Nech Sar National Park, new conservation policies have curtailed local residents’ access to nature, sparking community tension and resistance.

    2. Exclusionary management of protected areas: Community voices are rarely included in decisions about protected area creation or management. The absence of prior consultation and disregard for traditional knowledge often yield policies disconnected from local realities. Such centralized management breeds resentment and undermines conservation; participatory governance is essential to socio-environmental justice.

    A study in Chile involving Aymaras, Atacameñas, and Mapuche-Huilliches communities found that while participatory practices and technical support from the CONAF forest agency improved perceptions, dissatisfaction persists due to initial exclusion. Many continue to assert ancestral land rights and demand meaningful input, highlighting the urgent need to build trust and align conservation with social justice.

    3. Conflicts involving wildlife: Local communities contend with damaged crops, attacks on domestic animals, and even threats to personal safety. Large mammals such as elephants, lions, jaguars, and buffalo are the main culprits. Habitat loss and depleted food sources exacerbate these incidents. Peaceful coexistence requires inclusive, context-specific solutions.

    A study from Ethiopia highlighted rising human-wildlife conflict in Chebera Churchura National Park: crop invasion, livestock predation and disease, and increased risks to human life were all reported.

    4. Territorial disputes and land rights: Many protected areas overlap with territories long used by traditional peoples. Disavowed land rights provoke legal battles, forced displacement, and greater insecurity, compounding social challenges. Formal recognition of collective land title is key to reducing conflict and ensuring autonomy; these disputes exemplify the global fight for territorial justice.

    In Mexico, a recent study documents the impact of land privatization, livestock expansion, plantations, and urbanization in the protected areas of Veracruz, Chiapas, and Morelos. It generated a land market that is disrupting Indigenous and peasant communities and threatening both their territories and forest conservation.

    5. Cultural and socioeconomic disruption: Establishing protected areas can upend ways of life rooted in symbolic, generational relationships with nature. Prohibiting customary practices disrupts rituals, beliefs, and the intergenerational transmission of knowledge, silently eroding local cultures.

    In the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, studies have noted frequent friction between Indigenous groups, recreational visitors, and managing agencies. Issues include access to sacred sites and resources on traditional lands, visitor infrastructure, permitted activities, and even place names.

    6. Lack of recognition and real participation: When communities are denied a voice in decisions, historical inequities deepen, fueling conflict. Despite legal progress, many traditional groups remain excluded from governance. Without meaningful participation, environmental policy fails to address local needs—highlighting the urgent need for community leadership and real power-sharing in conservation.

    Italy’s Monti Sibillini National Park in the Central Apennines offers an instructive case: rural depopulation has coincided with rising friction between environmental managers and locals. Imposed bureaucratic guidelines, unresponsiveness to community aspirations, and challenging collaboration between the park and municipalities have generated mutual frustration and hostility. This underscores the need for “knowledge democracy” and truly participatory stewardship that respects diverse ways of living on the land.

    Within Brazil, the same types of socio-environmental strife observed worldwide are especially acute in national protected areas. Research shows that even in sustainably managed zones like Extractive Reserves, communities regularly face resource restrictions and limited decision-making power—a recipe for lingering resentment and compromised conservation. Centralized authority and denial of customary land rights often lead to drawn-out disputes, mirroring patterns across the Global South.

    These findings highlight Brazil’s urgent need for strong co-management models—mechanisms that value local knowledge and foster territorial justice.

    Such tensions cluster in nature reserves and national parks, where regulatory regimes often disregard local lifeways and worldviews. Although the law guarantees consultation and participation mechanisms like free, prior, and informed consultation, they are often ignored or implemented ineffectively.

    Another key finding: 66.54% of studies focused on non-Indigenous populations, while only 16.73% examined Indigenous peoples exclusively. This imbalance exposes the under-representation of research attentive to the full range of traditional communities.

    Such gaps hinder efforts to understand these peoples’ rich cultural and ecological realities—and in turn, weakens recognition of their expertise and the value of their knowledge for global biodiversity conservation. Scientific consensus now affirms the vital role these communities play in preservation, yet too often they are treated as problems to be managed, not as collaborative partners.

    Why does conservation demand inclusion?

    Ensuring traditional communities participate in planning and stewarding protected lands is not only a matter of justice, but fundamental to effective conservation. Sustainable outcomes depend on their involvement. This study underscores the urgent need for public policies that are both inclusive and tailored to local conditions, embedding traditional knowledge as an indispensable part of conservation solutions, not as an obstacle.

    Worldwide, co-management experiments show that community involvement fosters compliance with conservation rules, improves governance, and delivers stronger socio-environmental benefits.

    Shifting the focus to Amazonian science

    While most studies reviewed focus on countries in the Global South—like Brazil and India—research production is dominated by institutions in the Global North. This reflects persistent “parachute science”: fieldwork by foreign scientists in rich biodiversity zones, often excluding local scientists and communities from the research process. Such projects often leave little local benefit, treating Amazonian residents as data collectors or study subjects.

    To address this, efforts must shift toward empowering Amazonian scientific institutions and researchers, strengthening their role in shaping conservation and research agendas, and realizing epistemic justice. Investments are especially needed in institutions serving remote, often overlooked regions of the Amazon.

    With robust support, these institutions can fill crucial gaps—producing research attuned to local realities, expanding our understanding of Amazonian ecosystems, and inspiring new generations of scientists.

    Researchers living and working in the Amazon possess deep, context-sensitive knowledge of the territory, enabling them to pose more relevant questions and craft solutions suited to regional challenges and opportunities. Their scholarship, in ongoing dialogue with both environment and community, enriches global science and yields practical advances that matter for daily life in the forest.

    Proximity to Indigenous, riverside, and urban populations also enables more authentic community participation in research. When research projects originate from local priorities and perspectives, they strengthen communities, help protect biodiversity, and affirm the possibility of uniting science, social justice, and climate action.

    Leandro Juen has a productivity grant from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), research projects funded by CNPq, the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), the Amazon Foundation for Studies and Research (FAPESPA) and the BRC Biodiversity Consortium.

    Everton Silva, Fernando Abreu Oliveira, Fernando Geraldo de Carvalho, James Ferreira Moura Junior, José Max B. Oliveira-Junior, Karina Dias-Silva e Mayerly Alexandra Guerrero Moreno não presta consultoria, trabalha, possui ações ou recebe financiamento de qualquer empresa ou organização que poderia se beneficiar com a publicação deste artigo e não revelou nenhum vínculo relevante além de seu cargo acadêmico.

    – ref. The path to conserving protected areas in the Amazon lies in uniting public policy with traditional local knowledge – https://theconversation.com/the-path-to-conserving-protected-areas-in-the-amazon-lies-in-uniting-public-policy-with-traditional-local-knowledge-258348

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: NCAA will pay its current and former athletes in an agreement that will transform college sports

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Joshua Lens, Associate Professor of Instruction of Sport & Recreation Management, University of Iowa

    Former Arizona State University swimmer Grant House is one of the plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit filed against the NCAA. Mike Comer/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

    The business of college sports was upended after a federal judge approved a settlement between the NCAA and former college athletes on June 6, 2025.

    After a lengthy litigation process, the NCAA has agreed to provide US$2.8 billion in back pay to former and current college athletes, while allowing schools to directly pay athletes for the first time.

    Joshua Lens, whose scholarship centers on the intersection of sports, business and the law, tells the story of this settlement and explains its significance within the rapidly changing world of college sports.

    What will change for players and schools with this settlement?

    The terms of the settlement included the following changes:

    • The NCAA and conferences will distribute approximately $2.8 billion in media rights revenue back pay to thousands of athletes who competed since 2016.

    • Universities will have the ability to enter name, image and likeness, or NIL, agreements with student-athletes. So schools can now, for example, pay them to appear in ads for the school or for public appearances.

    • Each university that opts in to the settlement can disburse up to $20.5 million to student-athletes in the 2025-26 academic year, a number that will likely rise in future academic years.

    • Athletes’ NIL agreements with certain individuals and entities will be subject to an evaluation that will determine whether the NIL compensation exceeds an acceptable range based on a perceived fair market value, which could result in the athlete having to restructure or forego the deal.

    • The NCAA’s maximum sport program scholarship limits will be replaced with maximum team roster size limits for universities that choose to be part of the settlement.

    Why did the NCAA agree to settle with, rather than fight, the plaintiffs?

    In 2020, roughly 14,000 current and former college athletes filed a class action lawsuit, House v. NCAA, seeking damages for past restrictions on their ability to earn money.

    For decades, college athletics’ primary governing body, the NCAA, permitted universities whose athletics programs compete in Division I to provide their athletes with scholarships that would help cover their educational expenses, such as tuition, room and board, fees and books. By focusing only on educational expenses, the NCAA was able to reinforce the notion that collegiate athletes are amateurs who may not receive pay for participating in athletics, despite making money for their schools.

    A year later, in 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in a separate case, Alston v. NCAA, that the NCAA violated antitrust laws by limiting the amount of education-related benefits, such as laptops, books and musical instruments, that universities could provide to their athletes. The ruling challenged the NCAA’s amateurism model while opening the door for future lawsuits tied to athlete compensation.

    It also burnished the plaintiffs’ case in House v. NCAA, compelling college athletics’ governing body to take part in settlement talks.

    What were some of the key changes that took place in college sports after the Supreme Court’s decision in Alston v. NCAA?

    Following Alston, the NCAA permitted universities to dole out several thousand dollars in what’s called “education benefits pay” to student-athletes. This could include cash bonuses for maintaining a certain GPA or simply satisfying NCAA academic eligibility requirements.

    But contrary to popular belief, the Supreme Court’s Alston decision didn’t let college athletes be paid via NIL deals. The NCAA continued to maintain that this would violate its principles of amateurism.

    However, many states, beginning with California, introduced or passed laws that required universities within their borders to allow their athletes to accept NIL compensation.

    With over a dozen states looking to pass similar laws, the NCAA folded on June 30, 2021, changing its policy so athletes could accept NIL compensation for the first time.

    Will colleges and universities be able to weather all of these financial commitments?

    The settlement will result in a windfall for certain current and former collegiate athletes, with some expected to receive several hundred thousands of dollars.

    Universities and their athletics departments, on the other hand, will have to reallocate resources or cut spending. Some will cut back on travel expenses for some sports, others have paused facility renovations, while other athletic departments may resort to cutting sports whose revenue does not exceed their expenses.

    As Texas A&M University athletic director Trev Alberts has explained, however, that college sports does not have a revenue problem – it has a spending problem. Even in the well-resourced Southeastern Conference, for example, many universities’ athletics expenses exceed its revenue.

    Do you see any future conflicts on the horizon?

    Many observers hope the settlement brings stability to the industry. But there’s always a chance that the settlement will be appealed.

    More potential challenges could involve Title IX, the federal gender equity statute that prohibits discrimination based on sex in schools.

    What if, for example, a university subject to the statute distributes the vast majority of revenue to male athletes? Such a scenario could violate Title IX.

    NCAA President Charlie Baker, who has served in his role since 2023, has overseen major changes in conference governance and athlete compensation.
    David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

    On the other hand, a university that more equitably distributes revenue among male and female athletes could face legal backlash from football athletes who argue that they should be entitled to more revenue, since their games earn the big bucks.

    And as I pointed out in a recent law review article, an athlete or university may challenge
    the new enforcement process that will attempt to limit athletes’ NIL compensation within an acceptable range that is based on a fair market valuation.

    The NCAA and the conferences named in the lawsuit have hired the accountancy firm Deloitte to determine whether athletes’ compensation from NIL deals fall within an acceptable range based on a fair market valuation, looking to other collegiate and professional athletes to set a benchmark range. If athletes and universities have struck deals that are too generous, both could be penalized, according to the terms of the settlement.

    Finally, the settlement does not address – let alone solve – issues facing international student-athletes who want to earn money via NIL. Most international student-athletes’ visas, and the laws regulating them, heavily limit their ability to accept compensation for work, including NIL pay. Some lawmakers have tried to address this issue in the past, but it hasn’t been a priority for the NCAA, as it has lobbied Congress for a federal NIL law.

    Joshua Lens owns The Compliance Group, which provides NCAA compliance consulting services for universities and conferences.

    – ref. NCAA will pay its current and former athletes in an agreement that will transform college sports – https://theconversation.com/ncaa-will-pay-its-current-and-former-athletes-in-an-agreement-that-will-transform-college-sports-256178

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How school choice policies evolved from supporting Black students to subsidizing middle-class families

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Kendall Deas, Assistant Professor of Education Policy, Law, and Politics, University of South Carolina

    Originally developed as a tool to help Black children attend better schools, school voucher programs now serve a different purpose. Drazen via Getty Images

    School voucher programs that allow families to use public funds to pay tuition to attend private schools have become increasingly popular.

    Thirteen states and the District of Columbia currently operate voucher programs.

    In addition, 15 states have universal private school choice programs that offer vouchers, education savings accounts and tax credit scholarships.

    More states are considering school choice and voucher programs as the Trump administration advocates for widespread adoption.

    School vouchers have a long history in the U.S.

    The first vouchers were offered in the 1800s to help children in sparsely populated towns in rural Vermont and Maine attend classes in public and private schools in nearby districts.

    After the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, in which justices ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional, segregationists used vouchers to avoid school integration.

    More recently, school voucher programs have been pitched as a tool to provide children from low-income families with quality education options.

    As a scholar who specializes in education policy, law and politics, I can share how current policies have strayed from efforts to support low-income Black children.

    History of school voucher programs

    Over time, as school voucher policies grew in popularity, they evolved into education subsidies for middle-class families.
    Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

    Research from education history scholars shows that more recent support for school choice was not anchored in an agenda to privatize public schools but rooted in a mission to support Black students.

    Over time, as school voucher policies grew in popularity, they evolved into subsidies for middle-class families to send their children to private and parochial schools.

    School choice policies have also expanded to include education savings account programs and vouchers funded by tax credit donations.

    Vouchers can redirect money from public schools, many of which are serving Black students.

    Impact on public schools

    School voucher programs can negatively impact the quality of public schools serving Black students.
    Connect Images via Getty Images

    States looking to add or expand school choice and voucher programs have adopted language from civil rights activists pushing for equal access to quality education for all children. For example, they contend that school choice is a civil right all families and students should have as U.S. citizens. But school voucher programs can exclude Black students and harm public schools serving Black students in a host of ways, research shows.

    This impact of voucher programs disproportionately affects schools in predominantly Black communities with lower tax bases to fund public schools.

    Since the Brown v. Board ruling, school voucher programs have been linked to racial segregation. These programs were at times used to circumvent integration efforts: They allowed white families to transfer their children out of diverse public schools into private schools.

    In fact, school voucher programs tend to exacerbate both racial and economic segregation, a trend that continues today.

    For example, private schools that receive voucher funding are not always required to adopt the same antidiscrimination policies as public schools.

    School voucher programs can also negatively impact the quality of public schools serving Black students.

    As some of the best and brightest students leave to attend private or parochial ones, public schools in communities serving Black students often face declining enrollments and reduced resources.

    In cities such as Macon, Georgia, families say that majority Black schools lack resources because so many families use the state’s voucher-style program to attend mostly white private schools.

    Moreover, the cost of attending a private or parochial school can be so expensive that even with a school voucher, Black families still struggle to afford the cost of sending children to these schools.

    Vouchers can siphon school funding

    Voucher programs can disproportionately affect funding in majority Black school districts.
    kali9/Getty Images

    Research from the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank based in Washington, D.C., shows that voucher programs in Ohio result in majority Black school systems such as the Cleveland Metropolitan School District losing millions in education funding.

    This impact of voucher programs disproportionately affects schools in predominantly Black communities across the U.S. with lower tax bases to fund public schools.

    Another example is the Marion County School District, a South Carolina system where about 77% of students are Black.

    Marion County is in the heart of the region of the state known as the “Corridor of Shame,” known for its inadequate funding and its levels of poor student achievement. The 17 counties along the corridor are predominantly minority communities, with high poverty rates and poor public school funding because of the area’s low tax base due to a lack of industry.

    On average, South Carolina school districts spent an estimated US$18,842 per student during the 2024-25 school year.

    In Marion County, per-student funding was $16,463 during the 2024-2025 school year.

    By comparison, in Charleston County, the most affluent in the state, per-student funding was more than $26,000.

    Returning voucher policy to its roots

    Rather than focus on school choice and voucher programs that take money away from public schools serving Black students, I argue that policymakers should address systemic inequities in education to ensure that all students have access to a quality education.

    Establishing restrictions on the use of funds and requiring preferences for low-income Black students could help direct school voucher policies back toward their intent.

    It would also be beneficial to expand and enforce civil rights laws to prevent discrimination against Black students.

    These measures would help ensure all students, regardless of background, have access to quality education.

    Kendall Deas 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. How school choice policies evolved from supporting Black students to subsidizing middle-class families – https://theconversation.com/how-school-choice-policies-evolved-from-supporting-black-students-to-subsidizing-middle-class-families-252481

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Lafayette helped Americans turn the tide in their fight for independence – and 50 years later, he helped forge the growing nation’s sense of identity

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Matthew Smith, Visiting Assistant Professor of History, Miami University

    Jean Marie Joseph Bove’s depiction of Lafayette returning to the U.S. The caption says, ‘A great man belongs to the whole universe.’ Blancheteau Collection/Cornell University Library via Wikimedia Commons

    America is nearing the 250th anniversary of its revolutionary birth, the Declaration of Independence. July 4, 2026, will mark a milestone – and a time for reflection.

    Yet as fascination with America’s founding endures, controversy colors how the revolution is taught across the United States. From contested efforts by The New York Times “1619 Project” to put slavery at the center of America’s story, to attempts to limit teaching about race and racism, partisanship surrounds the teaching of American history. Anniversaries can inspire public passion, but they can also open old wounds.

    As an American historian and a naturalized citizen of the United States, I regard the American Revolution with both personal and professional interest. The fact that I grew up in the United Kingdom amuses my students to no end whenever we discuss the Revolutionary War. Sometimes, in my British-accented English, I remind them I did not personally grow up with King George. Teaching history is encouraging students to think critically about the past without dictating what emotions they should feel – patriotic or otherwise.

    Sadly, in the U.S., the sort of objective historical knowledge once taken for granted now appears to be waning. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, just 13% of eighth graders in 2023 ranked “proficient” in American history. A 2010 survey found that 26% of adults could not identify from whom America declared its independence, with China, Mexico and France among the responses.

    America divorcing France would have been news to Gilbert du Motier, better known as the Marquis de Lafayette. His commitment to the new country not only helped secure its independence, but it also helped solidify American identity decades later.

    Key alliance

    A privileged aristocrat who served in both the American and French revolutions, Lafayette went to war at age 19. Commissioning and equipping his own expedition across the Atlantic in 1777, he fought in many battles against the British, including decisive action at Yorktown. Earning George Washington’s confidence, Lafayette attained the rank of major general in the Continental Army.

    ‘The reception of Lafayette at Mount Vernon, home of Washington,’ painted by Herman Bencke around 1875.
    Bencke & Scott/Library of Congress

    Lafayette’s enrollment in the U.S. military predated the 1778 alliance between his home country and the United States. Eventually, France’s alliance turned the tide against Great Britain on land and at sea. By the war’s end, the French had supplied some 12,000 soldiers, 22,000 sailors and dozens of warships to the American cause, plus huge financial resources. When Lafayette volunteered, however, he was one of just a few foreign volunteers – and the most acclaimed.

    “Nowadays,” as historian Sarah Vowell conceded, Americans think of Lafayette as “a place, not a person.” But an abundance of cities, counties and thoroughfares named after the revolutionary hero attest to his former celebrity. During World War I, U.S. troops sailed to France under the slogan “Lafayette here we come,” promising to repay America’s debt of gratitude to France.

    A growing country

    Older Americans may recall the U.S. bicentennial of 1976, marked with much pageantry and even a state visit by Queen Elizabeth II. America’s semicentennial, however – the 50th anniversary of independence – played a far greater role shaping the idea of America in the minds of its citizens.

    Lafayette starred in the buildup to this 1826 commemoration, the first of its kind at the national level. President James Monroe, a fellow veteran of the War of Independence, invited Lafayette to be “the guest of America,” honored as the last living major general of the Continental Army. Beginning in July 1824, at the age of 66, Lafayette embarked on a triumphal tour of all 24 states then comprising the union – nearly double the original 13.

    Lafayette greeting members of the National Guard upon his arrival in New York in 1825, painted by Ken Riley.
    The National Guard/Flickr via Wikimedia Commons

    As Lafayette headed west, borne by horse-drawn carriage, steamboat and canal barge, he journeyed across a changing America. Nowhere was America’s economic and demographic growth more evident than Cincinnati, where a crowd of 50,000 welcomed Lafayette in May 1825. Once a small frontier town, Cincinnati was growing faster than any comparably sized city in the nation: Its population increased from around 15,000 to roughly 115,000 in the quarter century following Lafayette’s visit.

    He addressed his audience with emotion: “The highest reward that can be bestowed on a revolutionary veteran is to welcome him with a sight of the blessings which have issued from our struggle for independence, freedom and equal rights.”

    Lafayette gave human face to America’s national commemoration. He granted citizens of frontier states like Ohio – hitherto excluded from the revolutionary narrative – license to celebrate themselves. High turnouts in western stops such as Cincinnati reflected enthusiasm for grand spectacles. They also reflected the growth of America’s print media, which had advertised his visit, and improved transportation in formerly remote regions of the country.

    Lafayette’s tour culminated with a September 1825 state banquet in Washington, D.C., hosted by the new president, John Quincy Adams. Adams – the son of America’s second president, John Adams – praised “that tie of love, stronger than death,” connecting Lafayette “for the endless ages of time, with the name of Washington.”

    Rose-colored glasses

    The enthusiasm that welcomed Lafayette 200 years ago was authentic. But like all good history lessons, Lafayette’s legacy is open to interpretation.

    ‘Portrait of Lafayette as an Old Man,’ painted by Louise-Adéone Drölling around 1830.
    Musée de l’Armée via Wikimedia Commons

    His grand tour cemented the myth of “the Era of Good Feelings”: a golden age of American political harmony. In reality, the seeds of America’s civil war were already evident. Missouri’s 1820 admission to the union threatened the country’s precarious balance between states that opposed slavery and states that allowed it – a crisis Thomas Jefferson warned was “a fire bell in the night.”

    Likewise, Lafayette’s lionization in the western United States coincided with the ongoing forced removal of Indigenous people. Ohio, for example, forcibly removed its last Native American tribe in 1843.

    Despite the uses and abuses of historical memory and the aversion of modern historians toward hero-worship, Lafayette remains a charismatic figure – a “citizen of two worlds” who championed both abolitionism and women’s rights. I believe his fading public memory indicates a troubling amnesia. America’s anniversary offers the opportunity to reconsider his legacy, alongside revolutionary stories of Americans from all walks of life.

    As Lafayette wrote home following the British army’s surrender in 1781: “Humanity has won its battle. Liberty now has a country.”

    Matthew Smith 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. Lafayette helped Americans turn the tide in their fight for independence – and 50 years later, he helped forge the growing nation’s sense of identity – https://theconversation.com/lafayette-helped-americans-turn-the-tide-in-their-fight-for-independence-and-50-years-later-he-helped-forge-the-growing-nations-sense-of-identity-249455

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: ‘Who controls the present controls the past’: What Orwell’s ‘1984’ explains about the twisting of history to control the public

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Laura Beers, Professor of History, American University

    George Orwell’s ‘1984’ has some lessons for 2025. NurPhoto/Corbis via Getty Images

    When people use the term “Orwellian,” it’s not a good sign.

    It usually characterizes an action, an individual or a society that is suppressing freedom, particularly the freedom of expression. It can also describe something perverted by tyrannical power.

    It’s a term used primarily to describe the present, but whose implications inevitably connect to both the future and the past.

    In his second term, President Donald Trump has revealed his ambitions to rewrite America’s official history to, in the words of the Organization of American Historians, “reflect a glorified narrative … while suppressing the voices of historically excluded groups.”

    Such ambitions are deeply Orwellian. Here’s how.

    Author George Orwell believed in objective, historical truth. Writing in 1946, he attributed his youthful desire to become an author in part to a “historical impulse,” or “the desire to see things as they are, to find out true facts and store them up for the use of posterity.”

    But while Orwell believed in the existence of an objective truth about history, he did not necessarily believe that truth would prevail.

    President Donald Trump signed an executive order to determine whether ‘public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties … have been removed or changed to perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history.’
    Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    Winners write the history

    During World War II, the Nazis broadcast reports on German radio describing nonexistent air raids over Britain.

    Orwell knew about those reports and wrote: “Now, we are aware that those raids did not happen. But what use would our knowledge be if the Germans conquered Britain? For the purposes of a future historian, did those raids happen, or didn’t they?”

    The answer, Orwell wrote, was, “If Hitler survives, they happened, and if he falls, they didn’t happen. So with innumerable other events of the past ten or twenty years. … In no case do you get one answer which is universally accepted because it is true: in each case you get a number of totally incompatible answers, one of which is finally adopted as the result of a physical struggle. History is written by the winners.”

    As Orwell wrote in “1984,” his final, dystopian novel, “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”

    Power, Orwell appreciated, allowed those who possessed it to create their own historical narrative. It also allowed those in power to silence or censor opposing narratives, quashing the possibility of productive dialogue about history that could ultimately allow truth to come out.

    The Ministry of Truth

    The desire to eradicate counternarratives drives Winston Smith’s job at the ironically named Ministry of Truth in “1984.”

    The novel is set in Oceania, a geographical entity covering North America and the British Isles and which governs much of the Global South.

    Oceania is an absolute tyranny governed by Big Brother, the leader of a political party whose only goal is the perpetuation of its own power. In this society, truth is what Big Brother and the party say it is.

    The regime imposes near total censorship so that not only dissident speech but subversive private reflection, or “thought crime,” is viciously prosecuted. In this way, it controls the present.

    But it also controls the past. As the party’s protean policy evolves, Smith and his colleagues are tasked with systematically destroying any historical records that conflict with the current version of history. Smith literally disposes of artifacts of inexpedient history by throwing them down “memory holes,” where they are “wiped … out of existence and out of memory.”

    At a key point in the novel, Smith recalls briefly holding on to a newspaper clipping that proved that an enemy of the regime had not actually committed the crime he had been accused of. Smith recognizes the power over the regime that this clipping gives him, but he simultaneously fears that power will make him a target. In the end, fear of retaliation leads him to drop the slip of newsprint down a memory hole.

    The contemporary U.S. is a far cry from Orwell’s Oceania. Yet the Trump administration is doing its best to exert control over the present and the past.

    Down the memory hole

    The Trump administration has taken unprecedented steps to rewrite the nation’s official history, attempting to purge parts of the historical narrative down Orwellian memory holes.

    Comically, those efforts included the temporary removal from government websites of information about the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb over Hiroshima. The plane was unwittingly caught up in a mass purge of references to “gay” and LGBTQ+ content on government websites.

    As part of efforts to purge references to gay people, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the removal of gay rights advocate Harvey Milk’s name from a Navy ship.
    Screenshot, Military.com

    Other erasures have included the deletion of content on government sites related to the life of Harriet Tubman, the Maryland woman who escaped slavery and then played a pioneering role as a conductor of the Underground Railroad, helping enslaved people escape to freedom.

    The administration also directed the removal of content concerning the Tuskegee Airmen, the group of African American pilots who flew missions in World War II.

    In these cases, public outcry led to the restoration of the deleted content, but other less high-profile deletions have been allowed to stand.

    Over the past several months, many of Trump’s opponents have bemoaned the fecklessness of the Democratic Party in mounting an effective opposition to the president’s agenda.

    Critics on the right and even some on the left denounced as little more than a stunt New Jersey Sen. Corey Booker’s marathon 25-hour speech on the U.S. Senate floor detailing the constitutional abuses of Trump’s first few months.

    But while words are no substitute for action, in the face of a regime that is intent on stifling voices of dissent, from media outlets to law firms, to university campuses, through a combination of formal censorship and informal coercion and bullying, the act of speaking out matters.

    Booker’s protest will be written into the Congressional Record and remain a part of the nation’s contested history.

    So too will the meticulous recounting of the administration’s constitutional abuses in publications such as The Atlantic and The New York Times. The existence of such a record allows the potential for a critical historical narrative to be written in the future.

    But the administration is also looking ahead.

    Repressing thought

    Current proponents of the “anti-woke” agenda at both the federal and state level are focused on reshaping educational curricula in a way that will make it inconceivable for future generations to question their historical claims.

    Orwell’s “1984” ends with an appendix on the history of “Newspeak,” Oceania’s official language, which, while it had not yet superseded “Oldspeak” or standard English, was rapidly gaining ground as both a written and spoken dialect.

    According to the appendix, “The purpose of Newspeak was not only to provide a medium of expression for the worldview and mental habits proper to the devotees of [the Party], but to make all other modes of thought impossible.”

    Orwell, as so often in his writing, makes the abstract theory concrete: “The word free still existed in Newspeak, but it could only be used in such statements as ‘This dog is free from lice’ or ‘This field is free from weeds.’ … political and intellectual freedom no longer existed even as concepts.”

    The goal of this language streamlining was total control over past, present and future.

    If it is illegal to even speak of systemic racism, for example, let alone discuss its causes and possible remedies, it constrains the potential for, even prohibits, social change.

    It has become a cliché that those who do not understand history are bound to repeat it. As George Orwell appreciated, the correlate is that social and historical progress require an awareness of, and receptivity to, both historical fact and competing historical narratives.

    Laura Beers 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. ‘Who controls the present controls the past’: What Orwell’s ‘1984’ explains about the twisting of history to control the public – https://theconversation.com/who-controls-the-present-controls-the-past-what-orwells-1984-explains-about-the-twisting-of-history-to-control-the-public-257798

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Americans still have faith in local news − but few are willing to pay for it

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jennifer Hoewe, Associate Professor, Purdue University

    While many Americans do not trust national news, they still say they have faith in local news. iStock/Getty Images Plus

    Many Americans say they have lost trust in national news – but most still believe they can rely on the accuracy of local news.

    In 2023, trust in national newspapers, TV and radio reached historic lows. Just 32% of Americans said they have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in these news sources. In 1976, by comparison, 72% of Americans said they had a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in mass media, including newspapers, TV and radio.

    And in 2021, the United States ranked last among 46 countries in the trust citizens placed in news outlets.

    Yet even as the local news industry is declining in the U.S. – more than 3,200 local and regional newspapers have closed since 2005 – Americans still place much more trust in local news than they do in national news.

    In 2024, 74% of Americans said they had “a lot of” or “some” trust in their local news organizations, and 85% believed their local news outlets are at least somewhat important to their community.

    I am a former local journalist who studies the effects that media content can have on people. Local news can help people understand what their local government is doing, stay aware of day-to-day events, such as local weather, traffic, sports, schools and crime, and even feel a greater sense of community.

    Despite their trust in local news, many Americans are not willing to pay for it. Only 23% of Americans who say they pay for online news report paying for a local or regional newspaper.

    A boy delivers newspapers on his bike in 1974.
    Media/ClassicStock/Getty Images

    The decline of local news

    News organizations in the U.S. have long relied on commercial business practices – such as advertising from companies and subscriptions from readers – that have not been financially sustainable since the mid-2000s.

    Newspapers’ advertising revenue peaked around 2005 and has since rapidly declined from more than $49 billion a year in 2005 to less than $10 billion in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center. This drop was driven by the rise of the internet.

    As a result, the U.S. has lost more than a third of its local and regional newspapers since 2004.

    Now, “news deserts” have become more common. This term describes places where there are not enough reliable news sources to help people get information about their local communities.

    Of the local newspapers that remain, 80% are weeklies, as opposed to the daily local newspapers that were more common in the past.

    With fewer reporters and editors who closely follow the ins and outs of local and state issues, local newspapers are now less able to hold state and local government officials accountable for their actions.

    Americans also read local newspapers less than they once did. Since 2015, print and digital circulation numbers have dropped 40% for weekday news editions and 45% for Sunday editions among locally focused daily newspapers and their websites.

    Instead, a larger percentage of Americans now turn to their family members, friends and neighbors than their local news outlets for local news.

    Local news unites people, makes them more engaged

    Despite local news’ problems with declining revenue and readership, Americans still trust local news – and this trust crosses partisan lines.

    A 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that both Republicans and Democrats think local journalists are in touch with their local communities. The majority of Democrats and Republicans in this survey agreed that local news media “report news accurately,” “are transparent about their reporting,” “cover the most important stories/issues” and “keep an eye on local political leaders.”

    This might be because local newspapers can focus on issues people encounter in their day-to-day lives rather than on national politics. In many cases, readers are also able to more easily connect with local journalists in their communities and share story ideas or feedback.

    People learn about their elected officials and become more informed about local issues from their local news, making it an important component of developing a well-informed public.

    Local news gives constituents information they need to monitor whether their local leaders are implementing campaign promises. People who regularly follow local news are more likely to participate in politics, including voting in local elections, contacting a local public official and attending a town hall meeting.

    A man reads the New York Post, a local New York City paper, on Nov. 5, 2008, in Grand Central Station.
    Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images

    The current local news environment

    When people no longer have access to local news sources, or they stop following local news coverage, their faith in the integrity of local elections decreases, their ability to assess elected officials is worse, and voter turnout is lower in local elections, compared with those who do follow, read, watch or listen to local news.

    Some Americans started relying more heavily on national news when local newspapers shut down, which research shows led to increases in political polarization. My research found that when people trust a partisan-leaning national news source, for example, they’re very likely to agree with the partisan-slanted news stories published by that source.

    As nonpartisan local newspapers have vanished or downsized, partisan-leaning online local news content has cropped up over the past several years. These sites publish news stories that are focused on local issues but approach it with a partisan bent. As a result, people looking for local news information may take in unreliable information that is presented as local news and interpret it as trustworthy.

    Verifying the origins and intentions of information continues to be paramount for news consumers to make sure they are receiving accurate information – including when it comes to local news.

    While the local news industry continues to face financial problems, research shows that local journalists could consider new content ideas to increase readers’ interest, such as engaging with community members by answering their specific questions.

    Meanwhile, I believe that news consumers should consider whether they are willing to pay for and continuously support the local news they say that they trust. Without that support, their trusted local news source may disappear.

    Jennifer Hoewe 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. Americans still have faith in local news − but few are willing to pay for it – https://theconversation.com/americans-still-have-faith-in-local-news-but-few-are-willing-to-pay-for-it-257878

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –