NewzIntel.com

Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI USA: 05.20.2025 Sen. Cruz Introduces Universal School Choice Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced the Universal School Choice Act. The bill allows for up to $10 billion annually in dollar-for-dollar federal tax credits for individuals and businesses that contribute to nonprofit scholarship granting organizations supporting students’ educational opportunities. It builds on previous legislation filed by Sen. Cruz, the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act. The bill is designed to enhance universal school choice and options for every child, regardless of where they live.
    Sen. Cruz said, “School choice is the civil rights issue of the 21st century. Every child in America deserves access to a quality education that meets their individual needs, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, or zip code. I remain committed to leading this fight until universal school choice has become available to every American, and I call upon my colleagues to expeditiously take up and advance this legislation.”
    The Texas Public Policy Foundation supports this bill.
    Mandy Drogin, Campaign Director at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, “Senator Ted Cruz has been leading the fight for educational freedom and parental rights across America for many years. His bold leadership in advancing the Universal School Choice Act is a game changer — this bill empowers every family, regardless of income or zip code, to choose the best educational path for their children. Senator Cruz understands that true education reform starts with putting parents in the driver’s seat, and his unwavering commitment to school choice is a powerful example for leaders nationwide.”
    Companion legislation was introduced in the House by Reps. Burgess Owens (R-Utah-4) and Byron Donalds (R-Fla.-19).
    Rep. Owens said, “Every child, not just the lucky few in the right zip code, deserves access to a world-class education that meets their unique needs. The Universal School Choice Act is an expanded opportunity for all Americans to invest directly in the future of our children. This bill empowers parents to choose the educational environment that best suits their child’s needs and abilities. It delivers a robust wish list to those who believe in parental choice. I’m grateful to Senator Cruz for his partnership.”
    Rep. Donalds said, “Education is one of the fundamental building blocks for the path to success. For too long, Americans of all backgrounds have been the victim of an archaic, ineffective, and unproductive public school system. It is well passed time break up the public school monopoly, open up competition amongst schools and let American families take control of their children’s educational destiny. I’m proud to work with Senator Cruz and Congressman Owens on brining universal school choice and educational freedom to American families everywhere.”
    Read the full text of the bill here.
    BACKGROUND:
    Senator Cruz has been the leading voice in the Senate on school choice and for parental rights in education.
    Sen. Cruz authored and passed into law the Student Opportunity Amendment as part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This amendment expanded 529 College Savings Plans to include K-12 elementary and secondary school tuition for public, private, and religious schools. It was at the time and remains the most far-reaching federal school choice legislation ever passed.
    Sen. Cruz filed the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act in 2019, 2021 and 2023. The bill would create a federal tax credit for taxpayers who donate to scholarship organizations supporting post-secondary workforce education, including trade schools and apprenticeship programs, and K-12 education. This bill focuses on making quality schooling and workforce education more affordable than ever for all Americans.
    Sen. Cruz introduced the END CRT Act in 2021 and demanded the DOJ not interfere with local school board meetings or threaten the use of federal law enforcement to deter parents’ free speech.
    Sen. Cruz also led the fight to fully reopen schools in 2021 and introduced the Catch Up Our Kids Act, legislation to combat K-12 learning loss.
    Sen. Cruz has led this effort to provide and expand education options available to all students. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Cassidy Pens Op-Ed Calling for Advancement of School Choice in the One Big, Beautiful Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) penned an op-ed in the Washington Examiner highlighting his Education Choice for Children Act (ECCA), a bill to expand education freedom for students and empower parents to make the best decision about their child’s education. ECCA was included in President Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives.  
    “Mothers and fathers should have the freedom to get their child out of a school that is not meeting their needs and into a better one. That could be a private school, charter school, homeschooling, or other options as the parent sees fit. But moms and dads may hesitate to do so because of the higher costs associated with alternative education options,” said Dr. Cassidy.
    “The current education system fails too many children, making it more likely for many that they live stunted lives. Let’s give parents the power to choose the best education for their child and make their American Dream possible,” concluded Dr. Cassidy.
    Read the full op-ed here or below.
    Cassidy: Let’s Advance School Choice in the One Big, Beautiful Bill
    Every student in America deserves a good education, no matter their family’s income or where they live, and no one can make a better choice for a child’s education than a parent.
    My mother was born to a tenant farmer family. Once, she missed an entire year of school because she didn’t have shoes. Her son went to college and became a gastroenterologist and a U.S. senator. That is the power of education. 
    But education is not one-size-fits-all. What works for one child may not work for another. President Donald Trump understands this. He and I have been consistent champions for school choice. This is why he signed an executive order supporting educational choice and empowering parents to make decisions about their child’s education.
    A child should not be trapped in a failing school. Sometimes, a child has a special need that is best addressed in one school more than another. Although I am a product of public schools, and they work for many, too many schools have terrible academic outcomes. Currently, two-thirds of U.S. public school students are unable to read proficiently in fourth grade, and 40% are essentially illiterate.
    At best, illiteracy limits future opportunities. At its worst, it is a major risk factor for committing crimes and being incarcerated. These outcomes are as terrible for the individual as for society.
    The American dream is about opportunity. It is about overcoming adversity. It is about aiming high and the ability to succeed. School choice matters because the difference between adversity and success often comes down to a person’s education. 
    Mothers and fathers should have the freedom to get their child out of a school that is not meeting their needs and into a better one. That could be a private school, charter school, homeschooling, or other options as the parent sees fit. However, mothers and fathers may hesitate to do so because of the higher costs associated with alternative education options. For example, in 2024, the average annual cost of tuition at a private high school was $15,344.
    Cost should not stand in the way of a child’s bright future. That is what my Education Choice for Children Act is all about. The bill expands education freedom and opportunity for students by incentivizing individuals and businesses to fund scholarship awards for students to cover K-12 public and private education expenses. ECCA helps ensure that costs do not keep a child in the wrong school. These scholarships can be used to cover a range of education-related costs, including tuition, books, school supplies, and other educational resources.
    Success does not begin in the classroom. It begins in the right classroom. By helping parents with some of the potential costs that come with choosing the education best suited for their child, ECCA empowers parents to ensure their children are set up for success. 
    The House Ways and Means Committee included ECCA in the tax bill to pass the president’s agenda. With Trump in the White House and a Republican Senate, the ECCA can become law. 
    The current education system fails too many children, making it more likely that many of them will live stunted lives. Let’s give parents the power to choose the best education for their child and make their American dream possible. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Practice AI Urges Attorneys to Embrace AI or Risk Being Left Behind in the Legal Revolution

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., May 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to revolutionize industries across the board, Practice AI today calls on legal professionals to proactively integrate AI into their case workflows and processes. With new challenges and opportunities emerging in the legal sector, failing to adopt these technologies is not just a missed opportunity; it poses significant risks to the future efficiency, competitiveness, and effectiveness of legal practices.

    Recent advancements in AI have reshaped how legal research, document management, and case analysis are conducted. AI-powered solutions now enable law firms to automate routine tasks, sift through vast databases of legal precedents, and deliver insights that enhance decision-making. However, many attorneys remain cautious about the technology, unaware that resistance to change could have serious long-term consequences.

    Preparing for the AI-Driven Future

    Practice AI, in its ongoing mission to modernize legal practice, emphasizes that the integration of AI into legal workflows is essential for law firms looking to stay competitive in an increasingly digital landscape. Attorneys must evolve their practices to harness the efficiency and accuracy offered by AI, rather than cling to traditional methods that may soon prove outdated.

    Key Areas of AI Impact in Legal Practice Include:

    • Enhanced Legal Research and Document Review: AI algorithms can rapidly scan and analyze vast quantities of legal documents, reducing the time and cost associated with manual review and enabling attorneys to focus on complex analysis and strategy.
    • Streamlined Case Management: AI tools can automate administrative tasks, manage case files more efficiently, and provide predictive analytics that inform litigation strategies. This shift not only enhances productivity but also improves client outcomes by ensuring timely and precise legal service.
    • Data-Driven Decision Making: Leveraging AI for data analytics allows law firms to uncover patterns and trends that might otherwise go unnoticed. These insights help attorneys develop robust strategies based on empirical evidence rather than solely on intuition.

    A Call to Embrace Change

    “Attorneys who fail to embrace AI risk being left behind in an era where technology defines the practice of law,” said Hamid Kohan, CEO of Practice AI. “The dangers of not adopting AI can lead to inefficiencies and missed opportunities that may jeopardize client outcomes and erode the competitive edge of even the most established firms.” Kohan’s remarks underscore a critical message for legal professionals: modernization is no longer optional but imperative.

    Kohan further warned, “In a rapidly evolving legal landscape, ignoring the potential of AI isn’t just a missed opportunity; it’s a threat to the very foundation of legal practice. The cost of complacency could be far greater than the investment required to integrate these transformative tools.” These strong statements serve as a clarion call for attorneys to re-evaluate their current practices and consider how AI can be integrated responsibly and effectively.

    Strategic Steps Toward AI Integration

    Practice AI recommends that law firms adopt a multi-pronged approach to effectively incorporate AI into their workflows while mitigating potential risks:

    1. Invest in Training and Continuous Learning:
      Staying current with the latest AI developments is essential. Law firms should invest in regular training sessions, workshops, and online courses to equip their teams with the knowledge and skills needed to work alongside AI technologies. A culture of continuous learning will ensure that attorneys remain at the forefront of innovation.
    2. Upgrade Technological Infrastructure:
      Modern legal practices require robust, scalable technology infrastructure capable of supporting AI applications. Firms should prioritize upgrading hardware, securing reliable cloud services, and ensuring that data storage solutions meet the highest standards of security and compliance. This foundational work is critical for the successful adoption of advanced AI tools.
    3. Adopt Ethical and Transparent AI Practices:
      As AI systems become integral to legal workflows, maintaining ethical standards and protecting client confidentiality must remain top priorities. Law firms are encouraged to work with reputable AI vendors who emphasize transparency in their algorithms and data-handling practices. Regular audits and strict adherence to legal and ethical guidelines will help build trust among clients and regulatory bodies.
    4. Pilot AI Projects for Gradual Integration:
      Rather than implementing AI across the entire practice overnight, law firms should consider launching pilot programs in selected areas. By starting small, attorneys can test the effectiveness of AI tools on specific tasks, such as document review or legal research, allowing for a controlled environment in which to identify challenges and make iterative improvements before scaling up.
    5. Foster Collaboration with Tech Experts:
      Bridging the gap between legal expertise and technological innovation is crucial. Practice AI advises law firms to partner with IT professionals, AI specialists, and legal tech firms. This collaborative approach not only ensures that AI solutions are tailored to the unique needs of legal practice but also fosters an environment where innovative ideas can flourish.
    6. Establish Specialized Roles:
      As AI becomes more integrated into legal workflows, there may be a need for specialized roles such as Chief Innovation Officer or dedicated AI specialists. These professionals can serve as liaisons between the legal team and the technology sector, overseeing the evaluation, integration, and continuous improvement of AI systems within the firm.

    Mitigating Risks and Addressing Misconceptions

    Despite its many benefits, some legal professionals remain skeptical about the adoption of AI due to concerns over job displacement and reliability. Practice AI stresses that AI is intended to augment and not replace the expertise of human attorneys. By automating routine tasks, AI enables legal professionals to dedicate more time to complex problem-solving and strategic client engagement.

    Moreover, building trust in AI systems requires transparency and continuous oversight. Regular performance reviews, clear communication about how AI tools function, and maintaining human oversight in critical decision-making processes are essential steps in ensuring that AI enhances, rather than undermines, the quality of legal services.

    Looking Ahead

    The integration of AI in legal practice is not a temporary trend but a fundamental shift that promises to reshape the industry. As technology continues to evolve, those who proactively embrace AI will be better positioned to deliver high-quality, efficient, and innovative legal services. Practice AI is committed to supporting this transformation through strategic guidance, cutting-edge technology, and a steadfast commitment to ethical practices.

    Attorneys must view the rise of AI as an opportunity; a catalyst for enhanced productivity, improved client outcomes, and a more resilient legal practice. The future of law depends on the willingness of legal professionals to adapt and innovate in response to technological change.

    For media inquiries, please contact:

    Practice AI
    Address: 21731 Ventura Blvd. #175, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
    Phone: (424) 476-5858
    Email: sales@lawpractice.ai

    Visit us on social media:
    Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | X.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Is Donald Trump doing the world a favour by isolating the United States?

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Shaun Narine, Professor of International Relations and Political Science, St. Thomas University (Canada)

    United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs against most of the world tanked stock markets, disrupted the U.S. bond market and destabilized the global economy.

    Trump has economically and politically threatened American allies, shattering the unity of the western world. But Trump’s chaos may have inadvertently produced an opportunity to create a better world.

    Some western commentators argue that the U.S. has been a benevolent superpower.

    That may have been true for a small group of mostly western states that have benefitted from American domination. But much of the Global South was victimized by American military, economic and political interventions.

    Losing dominance?

    The West could be in the midst of losing its dominant position in the global order. This is probably inevitable, but it may not be the tragedy some western commentators assume it to be.

    In most of the world, there is a desire for a more equitable world order that doesn’t feature the moral, racial and cultural double standards of the western-dominated system. A world where American and western power is limited and contained could not only end up being more peaceful but, over time, more prosperous.

    Without the co-operation of the allies alienated by Trump, it may be harder for the U.S. to initiate conflict around the world as it often has since the end of the Cold War.

    In a recent Foreign Affairs article, American political scientist Stacie Goddard argues the emerging multipolar, post-American world will be one in which great powers — primarily the U.S., Russia and China — will divide the globe into “spheres of influence.”

    The U.S. is seeking to maintain disproportionate power in Asia. Closer to home, neighbours of the U.S. have reason to fear American expansionism.

    By contrast, even if it has imperialist ambitions, Russia doesn’t have the military might to dominate Europe. It’s a country of 144 million people with one-sixth the GDP of the European Union. Russia can cause trouble within countries with sizable Russian minorities, but its ability to project power is limited, as demonstrated by its grinding war in Ukraine.



    Read more:
    After another call with Putin, it looks like Trump has abandoned efforts to mediate peace in Ukraine

    China’s stance

    The Chinese have scored a win against Trump’s tariffs with a 90-day tariff pause that’s being hailed as vindication of China’s defiant negotiating strategy. China called Trump’s bluff and won as global stocks soared.



    Read more:
    China-US trade war: the next 90 days are a big deal for Beijing as it seeks long-term solutions

    This has bolstered China’s goal to have a sphere of influence. However, Chinese foreign policy is largely non-interventionist and, compared to the U.S., remarkably restrained.

    China may intimidate its rivals in the South China Sea, Senkaku Islands, and Taiwan, but it does not easily resort to military force. China has not resorted to military force since its war with Vietnam in 1979.

    China is committed to most of the guiding structures of the current international system and values a stable and mutually beneficial global economic order that enables it to focus on and improve its domestic development.

    Its export-oriented economic sectors need customers abroad. Unlike the West, China has a vested interest in helping the Global South develop and prosper in order to create those customers.

    Asian trade alliance?

    The Chinese are using their resources to promote economic and technological development in the Global South.

    As China spreads its renewable energy technologies globally, some of the poorest countries may leapfrog carbon-based fuels and go directly to renewable energy to make development affordable and attainable, and to mitigate climate change.



    Read more:
    What Canada can learn from China on effectively engaging with Africa

    In response to Trump’s tariffs, China, South Korea and Japan have discussed a renewed free-trade arrangement. President Xi Jinping has toured Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia to encourage a common front against American actions.

    Asian states are wary of China, but they remain committed to global trade. The U.S. may be retreating from globalization, but the rest of the world is not, though China’s manufacturing dominance concerns many states.

    Emerging international order

    New institutions may help to manage the evolving world order. The BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates — have created the New Development Bank (NDB). China has created the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

    The United Nations remains the favoured instrument of global diplomacy, even if western states have been accused of undermining its authority and efficacy.

    The European Union will continue as a major global power in the emerging international order, but on a more even footing with the rest of the world.

    Europe is reconsidering its trade war with China. In the words of Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission: “The West as we knew it no longer exists.”

    Western states will undoubtedly continue to try to exercise disproportionate global influence. Canada has suggested that “like-minded states” form an alliance to promote international trade and institutions that remain dominated by western interests. This idea seems designed to continue marginalizing the Global South in the international decision-making process.

    Most Global South states are not high-functioning liberal democracies. Many struggle with the legacies of colonialism while managing an international system dominated by the West that keeps them subservient. Others have created governments that fit their particular circumstances, cultures and levels of development.

    But many weaker countries generally share a commitment to international law that is seemingly stronger than the West. They need a stable, predictable, fairly applied set of global rules more than stronger nations. Ironically, the decline of the U.S. may facilitate a much more genuine and legitimate rules-based international order.

    America’s loosening grip

    Readjusting the world economy away from the U.S. to a more diverse, evenly distributed economic model will be difficult and disruptive.

    Nonetheless, loosening the American grip on global power is an essential first step towards achieving a more just and balanced international order.

    For putting this process in motion, the world may owe Trump a measure of thanks.

    Shaun Narine is affiliated with Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East and Jewish Voice for Peace.

    – ref. Is Donald Trump doing the world a favour by isolating the United States? – https://theconversation.com/is-donald-trump-doing-the-world-a-favour-by-isolating-the-united-states-252671

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Financial firms are driving up rent in Toronto — and targeting the most vulnerable tenants

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Cloé St-Hilaire, PhD Candidate in Planning, University of Waterloo

    In recent years, Canadians have increasingly seen financial firms — such as private equity firms and real estate investment trusts (REITs) — buying up apartment buildings. The largest 25 financial landlords in Canada hold nearly 20 per cent of the country’s private, purpose-built rental stock.

    At the same time, Canada’s housing affordability crisis has exploded. A 2022 report found that in 93 per cent of Canadian neighbourhoods, a full-time minimum wage worker cannot afford a one-bedroom apartment.

    Many observers have connected this financialization of housing to rising unaffordability. But until recently, a lack of data has made it challenging to prove it.

    Our recent study, based on building-level rent and ownership data in the Greater Toronto Area, is the first to decisively show that financial firms charge higher rents and raise them more quickly than other landlords. We also found that financial firms raise rents most aggressively in lower-income areas with more racialized residents.

    Why does financialization raise rents?

    Financialization refers to the growing role of the finance sector in various parts of the economy. In the rental housing market, it involves the purchase of rental buildings by financial firms like asset managers, REITs and pension funds.

    These “financial landlords” treat housing as an investment product, not as a basic human need.



    Read more:
    Housing is both a human right and a profitable asset, and that’s the problem

    Financial landlords act differently from other landlords. Unlike smaller landlords, they are guided by the “shareholder value maximization” principle, which means their primary goal is to maximize returns for their shareholders.

    While smaller landlords are most likely also motivated by profit, they do not have a duty to external investors like financial firms do and they do not have access to the same strategies to manage their properties. Financial landlords have the scale and sophistication to pursue these profits in ways that smaller-scale landlords cannot.

    Research shows that financial landlords in Canada are associated with increased cost burdens for renters, higher eviction filing rates and higher rates of building disrepair. Our study adds to this evidence by showing they also charge higher rents.

    Financial firms openly promote higher rents

    Even before conducting our analysis, we had reason to believe financial firms would charge higher rents, in part because many of them have publicly said so.

    In a 2018 investor presentation, Minto REIT wrote that they charged “the highest in-place rent” among their public peers.

    Similarly, Centurion REIT published a report in 2020 featuring a graph demonstrating that its rent increases were outpacing both inflation and average rents.

    In a 2019 white paper, Canada’s largest private landlord, Starlight Investments, wrote about how their “value add strategy” for upgrading apartments sets them apart from other types of landlords. In the same publication, they reported increasing the monthly rent in one property by $411 — a 31 per cent increase.

    Financial firms charge the highest rent premiums

    Our analysis reveals that financial firms do indeed charge more.

    Our study compared building-level quarterly rent data to average rents from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation for 1,602 buildings between 2022 and 2024.

    We found that when landlords advertise a unit to rent, they typically charge more than the average neighbourhood rent. We call this upcharge a rent “premium” — the dollar or percentage difference between the rent posted for an available unit and the average neighbourhood rent for a unit of the same size.

    We found that financial firms charged the highest premiums across the GTA, posting 44 per cent higher rents — or $670 more — than local averages. By comparison, non-financial chain landlords — those with multiple buildings but not classified as financial firms — charged a 30 per cent, or $477, premium.

    Meanwhile, smaller-scale owners owners of just a few buildings charged a smaller rent premium of 15-22 per cent. We found financial firms charged the highest premiums regardless of whether the building was brand new or in need of repairs.

    Algorithmic pricing and rent inflation

    One of the landlords with the highest rent premiums is private equity firm Woodbourne, which said they used RealPage’s YieldStar platform, an algorithmic pricing software.

    This software is at the centre of a lawsuit alleging more than a dozen landlords and property managers conspired to artificially inflate rents across Canada.

    The use of AI-driven pricing tools in Canada’s rental market is now under investigation by the Competition Bureau.

    Our study also found that, over time, financial firms raised rents more aggressively than other landlords. On average, they increased asking rents by five per cent — or $96 — every quarter. By comparison, smaller-scale landlords owning just one property raised asking rents by 3.6 per cent, or $59.

    Using a regression model, we demonstrated that out of all ownership types, financial ownership was the strongest predictor for higher rents and higher rent premiums. Using our model, we estimated that a tenant would pay 13 per cent more for their unit if it was owned by a financial firm instead of a single property owner.

    Low-income, marginalized tenants are exposed

    Our study also found that the highest rent premiums were being charged in Toronto’s “neighbourhood improvement areas.” These are areas the city has identified as having inequitable social and economic outcomes.

    While we found that all landlords charge higher premiums in these neighbourhoods, financial landlords were the most aggressive, charging a 49 per cent premium compared to 41 per cent elsewhere.

    We also identified a spatial connection between high rent premiums and the number of racialized residents in a neighbourhood: areas with higher rent premiums often had a greater percentage of racialized residents.

    These findings suggest that financial firms are complicit in driving gentrification in marginalized neighbourhoods, targeting areas with lower-income and racialized renters for the most aggressive rent increases.

    Reining in financial landlords

    While financial firms report on record breaking annual returns and “rental uplifts” of 15 per cent, Canada faces a dire housing affordability crisis.

    Financialization is detrimental to the right to adequate housing. We show that financialization is worsening affordability in Toronto: a trend that will continue, especially since financial landlords are the largest acquirers of suites in the city and the country’s largest landlords.

    To address this issue, we support recent policy recommendations aimed at reining in the power of financial landlords. These include better tracking of who landlords are, stricter tenant protections and more social housing.

    If left unchecked, financialization will continue to deepen the affordability crisis, with the greatest harms falling on those who can least afford it.

    Cloé St-Hilaire receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship). She previously received funding from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec.

    Martine August receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Government of Ontario Early Researcher Award.

    – ref. Financial firms are driving up rent in Toronto — and targeting the most vulnerable tenants – https://theconversation.com/financial-firms-are-driving-up-rent-in-toronto-and-targeting-the-most-vulnerable-tenants-255935

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 20 May 2025 News release Director-General’s Award for Global Health given to Professor Awa Marie Coll Seck and Professor Sir Brian Greenwood

    Source: World Health Organisation

    In recognition of their lifetime achievements in global health, specifically in malaria elimination and beyond, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has given his Award for Global Health this year to Professor Awa Marie Coll Seck and Professor Sir Brian Greenwood.  

    The Director-General’s Award for Global Health, established in 2019, was conferred during the High-Level segment on Tuesday, 20 May, at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly and this year included an honorary lifetime achievement award to each recipient.  

    “Their invaluable contributions have helped to alleviate the burden of malaria and other vaccine-preventable diseases and to build sustainable health system capacity in Africa,” said Dr Tedros.

    Noting Professor Coll Seck’s achievements, Dr Tedros said, “While serving as Senegal’s Minister of Health, Professor Awa Marie Coll Seck led landmark reforms, expanded universal access to care and integrated disease control programmes.” 

    In addition to making significant contributions to scientific literature, Professor Coll Seck was, from 2004–2011, the Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria (RMB) partnership, where she mobilized political will to accelerate malaria interventions in low-income countries.  

    She has also been active on several high-profile boards and advisory groups, including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, PATH, and other international NGOs and initiatives working on health financing, vaccines, and health system strengthening. She is currently the President of Forum Galien Afrique.

    Professor Coll Seck was born in Senegal and trained as a physician with a specialization in infectious diseases. She earned her medical degree from the University of Dakar and pursued further specialization in bacteriology and virology in France.

    “I’ve had the privilege of contributing to notable progress but I’ve also borne witness to ongoing challenges and emerging emergencies whether they be in terms of climate, demography or technology. This prize is all the more important in that it symbolizes trust in the values that I defend: solidarity between peoples, science in the service of humanity and the leadership of women in the health system,” said Professor Coll Seck.

    Professor Greenwood is best known for his pivotal work in malaria control. He has also played a central role in shaping global health policy and research strategies, serving on numerous advisory boards, including those of WHO.

    “Over the last five decades, Professor Sir Greenwood performed pioneering research and made major contributions to infectious disease control. His work on malaria has been instrumental in shaping modern approaches to control this devastating disease. His contributions range from the introduction of insecticide-treated bed nets to groundbreaking trials for the RTS,S malaria vaccine, the first vaccine to be recommended for widespread use,” said Dr Tedros.

    Professor Greenwood’s early career focused on infectious disease research in Nigeria and The Gambia, where he lived for decades and led a multidisciplinary programme targeting diseases like malaria, pneumonia, measles, and HIV2. In The Gambia, he demonstrated the effectiveness of insecticide-treated nets in reducing child mortality and morbidity and contributed to malaria control through seasonal antimalarial drug administration.

    In 1996, Professor Greenwood returned to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, continuing his research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He contributed to the successful use of the MenAfriVac vaccine in the African meningitis belt, which helped stop epidemics in Chad. He also advocated for combining seasonal vaccination with seasonal malaria chemoprevention. 

    Reflecting on his career, which began in Nigeria as a young doctor about 60 years ago, Professor Greenwood said, “The pediatric wards were full of measles, meningitis, malaria, polio, there were still even occasions with smallpox coming to hospital. The under-5 child mortality was about 400 per thousand in parts of west Africa. So, how that’s changed in one person’s lifetime. Many of those diseases are not gone but are much reduced and there has been a dramatic improvement in under-5 child mortality. In The Gambia where I also worked, that’s now 40, a 10-fold drop.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Hospitals need to be prepared for war – report

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    Ambulances parked near a hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine

    Hospitals need to learn lessons from Ukraine and Syria as they increasingly become targets for military activity during times of conflict, according to research carried out by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and published by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

    The 96-page guidance document for underground shelters in hospitals, informed by research led by Dr Nebil Achour, is the first of its kind ever published and is based on the experiences of 617 Ukrainian hospitals during the ongoing war and other international health facilities in warzones.

    The research draws on lessons learned from the conflict in Ukraine as well as Syria, and cites an urgent need for renovations, structural upgrades and adherence to standards in hospitals across the world.

    Since the start of the conflict in February 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) has documented more than 2,300 attacks on health care facilities across Ukraine, severely disrupting the delivery of services and endangering the lives of patients and staff.

    Despite the shelling, damaged infrastructure, and lack of essential equipment, health professionals have continued to provide care under emergency conditions.

    Many hospitals have been forced to repurpose older underground shelters, many built during the Cold War, as makeshift health-care facilities to continue serving the population amidst the conflict.

    While the majority (82%) of hospitals in Ukraine have shelters, approximately 70% of hospitals have 20 or fewer beds in their shelters, therefore giving them very limited capacity and ability to deal with mass casualties.

    A quarter of shelters had modifications such as new ventilation systems, water and power supply networks, and showers and toilets. A total of 57% reported minor modifications such as flooring, painting and furniture, and 19% did not report any work at all.

    Findings suggest that there are many difficulties facing the renovation and improvement of shelters, such as shortage of human resources, time, know-how and finance.

    Irina Stanislavovna Tkachenko, medical director at Mykolaiv Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital, stated in the report: “One of our biggest challenges has been converting our old Soviet-era basements into makeshift shelters. These shelters were not originally intended for such use, so we had to quickly adapt them – cleaning out debris, installing water supplies, and creating spaces for incubators and medical equipment.

    “The situation became even more complicated when people from the nearby community sought refuge during air raids. While we couldn’t turn them away, we simply didn’t have enough room to accommodate everyone.”

    Iryna Dyuzhnyk, Deputy Director of General Affairs at Children’s Hospital #5 in Zaporizhzhia, said: “When the war began, we quickly realized that while we had a functioning shelter, it was not in a condition to handle the demands of this situation. We had to act swiftly.

    “With support from international partners and funds allocated by our city council, we were able to transform it into a fully autonomous anti-radiation shelter. Now, it’s supported by a diesel-powered generator, a ventilation system, patient rooms, an operating theatre, sanitary facilities and a stockpile of necessary medical supplies.”

    The WHO report provides actionable steps and a detailed checklist for repurposing existing structures and operating shelters to maintain health services during challenges such as structural damage, infectious diseases, cases of radiation poisoning and significant increase in patient numbers.

    “With political uncertainty growing across the world, this first-ever guidance of its kind is timely. Even countries such as the UK should be prepared to learn lessons from Ukraine and Syria during these times.

    “Our research is designed to assist hospitals and health authorities in enhancing and expanding their underground shelters to offer protection and maintain health services during crises, including those involving chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear events.

    “Hospital shelters are very important in a world of turbulent political environment and high risk of conflicts. These must be designed and operated according to stricter resilience standards to allow health services to continue.

    “Hospital staff, no matter of their professions and hierarchical level, also need to be trained to deal with disasters of all types, natural and manmade.”

    Dr Achour, Associate Professor in Disaster Mitigation at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Nature-Based “Horizontal Levees” Reduce Flood Risk in San Francisco Bay

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Researchers from the University of California, Santa Cruz and USGS have found that these hybrid structures—wetland buffers that slope gently out in front of traditional levees—can reduce the risk of floodwater overtopping by up to 30%, while also supporting valuable marsh habitat.

    Reimagining Levees for a Changing Climate

    Unlike conventional levees, which often rely solely on height and bulk to hold back water, horizontal levees incorporate a gradual, vegetated slope on the water-facing side. This natural buffer helps absorb wave energy, reducing the pressure on the levee itself. The result: a more resilient system that blends engineering with ecosystem restoration.

    To test the effectiveness of these designs, the team used a hydrodynamic model (XBeach non-hydrostatic) to simulate storm-driven waves and flooding in a range of scenarios across San Francisco Bay, both under current sea levels and future projections.

    Their findings showed that as sea levels rise, the risk of levee overtopping during storms will grow significantly. However, horizontal levees with wider and more gradual slopes can significantly reduce this risk. These designs not only buffer storm surge, but also provide new intertidal wetland habitat, which is crucial for ecosystem function and carbon storage.

    Depiction of a horizontal levee (A) and study location in San Francisco Bay (B and C). Transects used in the hydrodynamic simulations are shown by the white lines in (C).

    Maximizing Benefits with Nature-based Design

    The study also offers insight into how to design horizontal levees for maximum impact: broader, gently sloped wetland areas are far more effective at wave attenuation than narrower or steeper versions.

    The benefits of these nature-based systems go beyond flood control. Wetlands can filter pollutants, support fisheries and wildlife populations, and serve as carbon sinks—while also providing scenic green spaces for nearby communities.

    San Francisco Bay, with its mix of dense urban development and tidal marsh ecosystems, is an ideal testing ground for this kind of climate adaptation. The study’s approach could also apply to other wave-exposed urban estuaries around the world.

    With billions of dollars projected to be spent on sea-level rise adaptation over the coming decades, horizontal levees offer a cost-effective and ecologically sound alternative or complement to traditional infrastructure. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Capito Opening Statement at Hearing Reviewing HHS Budget Request

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito
    [embedded content]
    Click here or on the image above to watch Chairman Capito’s opening remarks from the hearing. 
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), held a hearing with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to consider the president’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request, as well as the many priorities of the agency. 
    Below is the opening statement of Chairman Capito as prepared for delivery: 
    “Good morning. This is our first Labor-HHS Subcommittee hearing for fiscal year 2026 and the first hearing in my new role as chair. 
    “Vice Chair Baldwin and I have served together for several years on this committee, and I look forward to continuing to work with you in our new roles.
    “I also want to take a moment to recognize Senators Collins and Murray.  
    “As the Chair and Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee, they are committed to regular order and maintaining our track record of writing and passing bipartisan appropriations bills in a timely manner.  
    “Today’s budget hearing is a first step in that process.
    “Secretary Kennedy, thank you for being here today.  
    “I know that we all share the goal of improving the health of Americans. This hearing is an important opportunity for the subcommittee to hear from you on HHS’s budget proposal and better understand your priorities for fiscal year 2026.
    “You have taken the helm of a large agency with thousands of dedicated career staffers whose work each day makes Americans healthier and safer and ensures our global leadership in science and biomedical research.
    “In your first few months as secretary, you have made many changes at the department that will lead to a healthier America. This committee looks forward to hearing more from you on details of your proposed reorganization for HHS and working together to Make America Healthy Again.
    “HHS has always worked with Congress when considering and designing reorganizations, and I encourage you and your staff to work closely with Congress as you move forward.
    “Your fiscal year 2026 budget proposes a reduction in funding for HHS of over 26%. I commend you and President Trump for taking a careful look at each and every program at the department and I look forward to reviewing your full budget request hopefully very soon. 
    “This committee wants to work with you on improving HHS so that the agency can be more efficient and fund the best science. I am concerned that our country is falling behind in biomedical research – this should be a concern that we all share and make investments in. Investing in biomedical research has proven to save lives while exponentially strengthening the U.S. economy.
    “NIH-funded basic research is also behind many of the 600+ new cancer treatments the FDA has approved over the last 20 years. NIH-funded research led to the development of buprenorphine – a medication treatment for opioid addiction. NIH-funded research led to the development of the first overdose naloxone nasal spray – Narcan.
    “For almost a decade, this committee has increased funding toward the goal of finding treatments and a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. This goal is very personal to me since both of my parents lived with and eventually succumbed to the disease.  
    “These investments have allowed NIH to fund research into a wide variety of potential causes of the disease, and build evidence for prevention based on a healthy lifestyle. NIH-funded research on the amyloid protein led to the development of FDA-approved Alzheimer’s drugs in 2023 and 2024 to slow progression of the disease.  
    “All of this research is important, and I look forward to working with you to continue robust and diversified Alzheimer’s disease research. 
    “Wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars must end, and I applaud you taking a hard look at what federal research dollars are funding. 
    “I encourage you to ensure the fiscal year 2025 funding Congress has already appropriated is spent in a timely manner, in particular for the vital biomedical research which could lead to lifesaving breakthroughs in science. Too many American families are waiting for a cure. We have a responsibility to make sure their taxpayer dollars fund critical research. 
    “You and I have talked about the importance of the NIOSH coal programs to West Virginia and how the work conducted by NIOSH in Morgantown is unique across the federal government. I am pleased that you brought some of these specialized NIOSH employees back to work earlier this month and then, just last week, reversed their RIFs so that their return to the office will not be temporary. 
    “Your decision to return NIOSH staff to the office meant that the Firefighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program could issue the final report on the December 27, 2020 fire that killed a 30-year-old firefighter and injured three others. Senior Airman Logan Young was one of many who responded to the Kearneysville fire. I’m glad NIOSH was able to finish their investigation and issue their recommendations and final report. 
    “While your action last week was a good first step, there are other divisions within NIOSH with specialized staff who conduct essential, unique work. I support the president’s vision to right size our government, but as you and I have discussed, I do not think eliminating NIOSH programs will accomplish that goal. I encourage you to look closely at all of NIOSH’s offices and bring back additional critical staff.
    “West Virginia—my home state—continues to rank above the national average in both new cancer diagnosis and deaths. We are thankful for the work performed by the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and I look forward to learning more about how this important work will be continued under the administration for a Healthy America.
    “Substance abuse challenges also continue to be a real problem facing West Virginia and the nation.
    “SAMHSA grant funding has played an important role in West Virginia, and I want to understand how the budget proposal will impact my state. I look forward to learning more from you today about your vision for these important programs. 
    “Rural health care is a top priority for this body. CDC data show that rural Americans are more likely to suffer from higher rates of diabetes and are more likely to die from cancer, heart disease, and stroke than urban Americans. This is unfortunately especially true in my home state, which also leads the nation in rates of diabetes and heart disease.  
    “Improving rural health outcomes goes hand-in-hand with investing in the health care workforce to meet the physical and mental health needs of Americans. 
    “HRSA has been a trusted Federal partner on rural health issues for decades. HRSA has funded critical rural health capacity building and other initiatives across the country and administers the healthcare workforce programs that help bring medical providers into local communities. You have proposed moving HRSA to the new AHA, and I would like to learn more about how your budget proposal would invest in rural America. 
    “We have a difficult task ahead of us this year, but it is my hope that we will come together, just as we have done in prior fiscal years, to use our limited resources in the most efficient and effective way to support the health and well-being of all Americans. 
    “Secretary Kennedy, I look forward to your testimony.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Saskatchewan Honours Treaties During Recognition Week

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on May 20, 2025

    The Government of Saskatchewan has proclaimed May 18 to 24 as Treaties Recognition Week. Treaties in Saskatchewan represent formal agreements between the Crown and First Nations, defining mutual expectations and responsibilities.

    “Treaties form the foundation for lasting partnerships in our province,” Government Relations Minister and Minister Responsible for First Nations, Métis and Northern Affairs Eric Schmalz said. “By acknowledging that we are all treaty people, we strengthen our commitment to understanding, respect and collaboration between First Nations and non-First Nation communities across Saskatchewan.”

    Treaties Recognition Week promotes awareness of treaties and encourages educational opportunities about treaty rights and relationships. Learning about these collective responsibilities builds stronger, informed relationships between First Nations and non-First Nation peoples, contributing meaningfully to ongoing reconciliation efforts.

    There are six treaties and one significant treaty adhesion in Saskatchewan. In 2024, Treaty 4 marked its 150th commemoration with gatherings held to honour this milestone and reflect on its enduring importance. In 2026, Treaty 6 will reach the same milestone. These anniversaries serve as meaningful opportunities for residents to learn more about the treaty history of our province and how these foundational agreements continue to shape relationships and responsibilities in Saskatchewan today.

    To learn more about Treaties, visit the Office of the Treaty Commissioner’s webpage at otc.ca. 

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Starmer: Year One conference to take place at ARU

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    A street sign at Downing Street

    The Labour History Research Unit at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is hosting the first ever conference to focus on the record to date of Sir Keir Starmer’s government.

    The public event, called Starmer: Year One, is taking place at Anglia Ruskin’s Cambridge campus on Saturday, 14 June, and will feature a number of high-profile speakers, including a former advisor at Number 10 Downing Street.

    Bringing together policy specialists, political scientists, historians and other experts, the conference will examine various aspects of the current Labour government, from its handling of the economy and the Ukraine crisis, to issues such as gender, immigration, and the NHS.

    In addition to analysing and debating the Labour government’s progress, the Labour History Research Unit aims to use the day to develop the first academic study on Sir Keir Starmer’s government.

    Confirmed speakers include Professor Tim Bale (Queen Mary University of London), Dr Emily Stacey (independent researcher), Professor Jonathan Portes (King’s College London), and Dr Kevin Hickson (University of Liverpool).

    Other participants include Jovan Owusu-Nepaul who stood for Labour in Clacton last year against Nigel Farage, and Professor Patrick Diamond, a former head of policy planning at Downing Street.

    “This is the first conference to review the record of the new government and by the time of the event, Labour will have been in power for almost a year.

    “However, the results of May’s local elections show that the political landscape of Britain has continued to shift significantly since last year’s General Election and there is evidence that voters have become disenchanted with the two-party political system.

    “This is a government that promised change in 2024 but its tone so far has proven to be one of caution. Why is this, and what does it tell us about the challenges of governing in the mid-2020s? What is the new political landscape and how should the Starmer government seek to shape it? This Labour History Research Unit event promises to be a ‘must’ for anyone interested in contemporary politics.”

    Rohan McWilliam, Professor of Modern British History and Director of the Labour History Research Unit at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)

    The conference is open to all and tickets cost £25, which includes lunch and refreshments. For further information, visit https://www.aru.ac.uk/arts-humanities-education-and-social-sciences/humanities-and-social-sciences/research/labour-history-research-unit/news/starmer-year-one

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Competition Bureau publishes new guidance for market studies

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    May 20, 2025 – GATINEAU (Québec), Competition Bureau

    Today, the Competition Bureau published the final version of its Market Studies Information Bulletin. This follows a public consultation on a draft Bulletin.

    During its market studies, the Bureau closely looks at a market or industry to examine competition issues and propose solutions. Market studies help the Bureau and policymakers understand competition dynamics in important sectors of the Canadian economy. They also allow us to make recommendations that support competition.

    The Market Studies Information Bulletin answers five broad questions:

    • What steps do we take before launching a market study?
    • How do we launch market studies and decide how long they will take?
    • How do we obtain and use information, including confidential information?
    • What are the outcomes of a market study?
    • How do we follow up and monitor the impact of our market study?

    In December 2023, amendments to the Competition Act created a new framework for undertaking market studies with information-gathering powers. These changes are reflected in the new Market Studies Information Bulletin.

    The Bureau thanks all those who participated in the consultation. Their comments were carefully considered as we finalized the Bulletin.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: IAM Victory at Boeing

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    How did a union of 33,000 aircraft workers win a battle that set a new standard in the aviation industry with a 40% pay increase over four years? What strategies did they use to score a guarantee of building Boeing’s next commercial aircraft? What tactic did they use to defend their ground in a battle for retirement savings, not to give another inch of territory that had already been taken from them?

    “If it ain’t Boeing, I ain’t going.”

    This was the catchphrase during the heyday of commercial aviation in North America from the 1930s through the 1970s. Boeing aircraft were dominating the skies with silver bottom planes that denoted the quality engineering and manufacturing it took to build a transportation marvel.

    A job at Boeing in the Pacific Northwest was a key to the lock on a comfortable middle-class life for many families. And those jobs had been union jobs for generations, thanks to the foresight of early Boeing workers in 1936 who organized with the IAM.

    But the chase for middle-class life started racing uphill in the early 1980s. More recently, staggering inflation put even higher demands on workers’ salaries and compensation with exponential growth in the cost of living. Health insurance, housing, groceries, and energy prices grew faster than wage and benefit increases. The ability to retire with dignity and financial stability was becoming an afterthought. The bar for the middle class wasmoving higher and higher, and someone had to take a stand and choose a battlefield for a fight to begin.

    Thirty-three thousand IAM members from District 751 and W24 were ready.

    These members had been held in limbo for two contract cycles. They weathered two extensions of previous collective bargaining agreements, riddled with threats to move their work elsewhere, while Boeing stopped pension contributions. Meanwhile, since 2010, Boeing has sent $83 billion in profits to Wall Street, according to the Seattle Times. It had told its world-class workforce that cuts to worker compensation were necessary.

    Preparation and planning were key to readiness. Both districts focused on communication; putting the plan up front for all members to see. Face to face discussions, surveys, emails, and dropbox suggestions were used to gauge membership needs. District 751 Aero Mechanic printed road maps of the contracts back to 1952 -showing the history of contract wins and path of growth. W-24 held contract input and listening sessions at Mt. Hood community college.
    Shop stewards encouraged “swag days” when union members would wear the same union gear to mark solidarity.

    “This is our future, our fight, and we are ready for it,” said IAM District 751 President and Directing Business Representative Jon Holden. “We have spent the last decade listening to members tell us what’s important to them and their families. Many changes are necessary to address the membership’s priorities. We are creating a proposal to address a comprehensive list of membership demands.”

    Noted union organizer and author Marshall Ganz once said, “Movements have narratives. They tell stories because they are not just about rearranging economics and politics. They also rearrange meaning. And they’re not just about redistributing the goods. They’re about figuring out what is good.”

    And what a story IAM members working for Boeing in the Pacific Northwest would have to tell.

    “IAM members are the most dedicated, skilled, and experienced aerospace union in the world,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Robert “Bobby” Martinez. “We could not settle for anything less than the respect and family-sustaining wages and benefits that our members at Boeing need and deserve.”

    It was time for a bold move.

    A July 2024 rally at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, the only sports venue in the area with enough capacity to hold the IAM’s Boeing membership in the area, saw a strike sanction vote pass by 99.9%.

    Boeing workers had decided this negotiation cycle was their chance—no more extensions to an existing agreement. Boeing management had made a series of high-profile blunders over the past decade, against the advice of its own workers.

    On Sept. 13, 2024, over 96% of Boeing IAM workers voted no on Boeing’s first contract offer. The path was set. Game on!“Our membership’s ‘no’ vote was a clear mandate. Boeing had to stop undervaluing its workforce,” IAM International President Brian Bryant said after the vote. “Our strength lies in our unity, and we do not back down.”

    Strike lines were set. Burn barrels were put in place. News media covered the strike from Seattle to Europe, where Boeing’s competitor, Airbus, was watching. The fight was on 24/7, and these workers were together.

    And the legacy of some past members stepped up at just the right time.

    IAM District 751 member Keith Olsen passed away from cancer in 2020. He left behind two children, Hawken and Bailey. Their mother, Arlene, saw her children take action no one expected. Bailey, now 16, shared, “When the strike started, my brother Hawken asked, ‘If Dad were alive, would he be out there?’” Bailey continued, “When I said yes, [Hawken] immediately wanted to join. He’s autistic, and the honking and crowds worried me, but he had so much fun. He kept telling everyone, ‘This is for my Dad.’”

    33,000 moms, dads, union brothers, sisters, and siblings knew what was at stake if they folded under pressure.

    A rejection of a Boeing offer on Oct. 23 ratcheted up the stakes. IAM leaders met with workers and listened to their objections to Boeing’s offers. It just wasn’t good enough, was the consensus.

    “Our membership spoke loudly and clearly about what they wanted in this agreement,” said IAM District 751 President and Directing Business Representative Jon Holden. “We stand strong until those needs are addressed.”

    As the strike continued past its 50th day, striking workers’ determination was further tested. Each day, one day longer, one day stronger.
    The strike was rearranging the meaning of solidarity. As Marshall Ganz described it, the narrative was figuring out what was good.

    “That means that we all needed to come together, stay informed, and take action as a group. There’s no way they’re gonna wait us out,” said District W24 President and Directing Business Representative Brandon Bryant. “We’re going to be here as long as it takes. We’ve got plenty of support for a long time.”

    U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal rallied with striking District 751 members on Oct. 15. Sen. Patty Murray and Reps. Adam Smith and Rick Larsen joined a support letter from Cantwell and Jayapal that called on the two sides to “expeditiously work out a fair and durable deal that recognizes the importance of the machinist workforce to Boeing’s future.”

    The continuing strike’s economic impact on the overall U.S. economy did not go unnoticed. The Seattle Times reported that Boeing and its suppliers had lost $9.7 billion by early November.

    Julie Su, then the Acting Labor Secretary, visited Seattle three times and gathered management and union leaders in late October.

    “There was a real history here where the prior leadership of the company had undervalued and undermined the relationship between management and the machinists,” Su told Axios News. “And so the workers felt that.”

    As day 53 of the strike ended, a deal was reached. Solidarity had won a new agreement.

    “This means growth and stability for Boeing workers. Our members went on strike for better wages and working conditions –and they won by staying united and exercising democracy in the workplace,” said IAM Resident General Vice President Jody Bennett said, “They hit the streets, held strong, and have been rewarded with an excellent contract. This dedicated frontline workforce does not just deserve these provisions —they are also overdue. This contract will set a new standard for aerospace across the region, the nation, and the industry.”

    Boeing workers in South Carolina, who are just like our members; facing the same employerand performing the same work, where Boeing moved some production lines to avoid union power in the right to work for less state, saw gains in their compensation packages influenced by the District 751 and W24 fight.

    “Our members fought courageously for what they deserve, and this victory proves the power of collective bargaining,” said IAM International President Brian Bryant. “IAM Boeing workers will help make the case to Boeing South Carolina workers on how we helped raise their wages and benefits at Boeing and the entire industry. We look forward to the conversations on the ground in Charleston about how the IAM can make their workplace stronger.”

    “This experience changed me. It wasn’t just about standing up to the company -it was about standing up for each other, for every worker who deserves respect and fairness. Our strength is our solidarity, and we proved that every day on the line.”, said District 751A member Chris McQueen as she returned to work after the 53 day strike.

    Members knew that standing up meant that more than just their current battle was won, it meant the door was open to change things for the future, together.

    “Education is power, and by equipping our members with the right tools and information, we build a more united and informed union. Together, we are shaping a stronger future for all IAM members and the entire aerospace industry,” said 751 President Holden. “From our family members to the flying public, we want everyone to be proud of this company once again. We are the watchdog with a unique opportunity to make things better for all.”

    Any movement starts with a step, and a step in the right direction tells a new story with new chapters yet to come.

    It was a fight worth winning.

    SIDEBAR
    Historic Agreement:
    IAM District 751 and W24 Members are now the best compensated aerospace workers in the industry.

    * 38% general wage increase over four years, which compounds to 43.65% over the life of the agreement 
    *401(k) employer match of 100% up to 8%-$12,000 ratification bonus 
    *AMPP incentive plan is reinstated, with a guaranteed minimum annual payout of 4%
    *Special company retirement contribution of 4% into 401(k) maintained
    *$105 pension multiplier per year for those vested in the pension plan
    *Call-in language back to current contract
    *New long-term disability plan and big improvement to short term disability plan-Health care cost containment
    *Improved overtime rules
    *Key job security provision for IAM members to build the next Boeing commercial aircraft in the Pacific Northwest
    *Additional Job Security language maintaining the headcount of Facilities and Maintenance members in the Collective Bargaining Agreement

    Share and Follow:

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Best Royalty-Free Music (2025): Pond5 Recognized as Top Audio Resource for Creators by Software Experts

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK CITY, May 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Software Experts, a trusted digital publication covering software solutions and creative tools, has officially recognized Pond5 as a leading resource for royalty-free music in 2025. The decision follows an in-depth evaluation of digital music libraries available to content creators, marketers, educators, and media professionals.

    Best Royalty Free Music:

    • Pond5 – With its expansive catalog of expertly produced tracks, intuitive search tools, and flexible pricing models, it provides a seamless experience for anyone in need of premium music for media production.

    The recognition reflects broader shifts in the creator economy, where demand for accessible, rights-cleared audio assets continues to grow. As video consumption increases across platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn, background music has become a foundational element in digital storytelling. Pond5 has responded to this need with a scalable and user-friendly platform offering a wide selection of music tracks licensed for multi-platform use.

    Pond5 hosts a catalog of over 1.5 million royalty-free music tracks, covering genres including cinematic, corporate, electronic, hip-hop, acoustic, ambient, and experimental. This diverse inventory supports a wide range of applications, from short-form social media clips to full-length documentaries and advertising campaigns.

    The Software Experts review notes that the royalty-free model provided by Pond5 aligns with the operational needs of modern creators. Unlike traditional licensing methods that may involve recurring royalty payments or limited usage rights, Pond5’s approach enables broad, perpetual use of music for a single license fee. This model reduces administrative burdens while ensuring compliance with major platforms’ copyright policies.

    The report highlights that royalty-free music has moved beyond being a niche offering. It is now a core requirement for professionals in film production, e-learning, game design, app development, and podcasting. Platforms like Pond5 provide not just content, but the infrastructure to support fast and safe deployment across these formats.

    Subscription Plans Address Creator Needs Across Different Scales

    A major focus of the recognition was the adaptability of Pond5’s subscription plans, which are structured to accommodate creators at various stages of growth – from freelancers to production companies.

    The platform offers three key subscription options:

    • Music Subscription ($25/month): Grants access to 10 royalty-free music downloads per month.
    • Music & Sound Effects Subscription ($30/month): Offers 10 monthly downloads with access to both music and over 1.7 million sound effects.
    • Footage Plus Subscription ($199/month): Includes 10 monthly downloads from a curated selection of HD/4K footage, music, sound effects, images, and templates.

    Each subscription includes a royalty-free license for unlimited project use with global, perpetual rights and no additional fees. All plans also enjoy remaining download rollovers.

    Annual subscriptions are available and come with a 10% discount on any additional purchases, providing further value to frequent users.

    Pond5’s transparent licensing terms were cited in the report as a practical advantage. Users can access license documentation at the point of purchase, ensuring clarity around content usage. This is especially relevant for creators working under tight deadlines or across multiple distribution channels.

    Search Tools and Workflow Integration Improve Efficiency

    Another factor influencing the Software Experts recognition is the integration of intelligent search and filtering tools. These include filters for mood, genre, instrumentation, duration, tempo (BPM), and keywords, allowing users to quickly locate music that matches specific creative objectives.

    The review also points to Pond5’s support for editing software integration. The platform offers plugins for Adobe Premiere Pro and other creative tools, enabling faster media asset selection and editing directly within production environments. This integration helps streamline the creative process, making music selection a frictionless part of content development.

    Responding to a Changing Creator Landscape

    The rise of decentralized content creation has led to a significant increase in non-traditional media producers – from educators building online courses to entrepreneurs creating branded social content. As a result, there is growing demand for high-quality music that is both legal to use and affordable.

    According to recent industry data, over 80% of digital video creators rely on royalty-free music in their projects. This figure is expected to grow as more professionals adopt remote production workflows and scale their content output. Platforms like Pond5 are positioned to meet this demand by providing accessible licensing models, regularly updated content libraries, and user support systems that adapt to evolving production requirements.

    The Software Experts review emphasizes that Pond5’s ability to consistently add new tracks, coupled with its rigorous content curation, ensures that users have access to fresh and high-quality audio assets throughout the year. Each track submitted to the platform undergoes a quality screening process, reinforcing the brand’s position as a trusted media provider.

    Licensing Simplicity and Legal Assurance

    As copyright enforcement becomes more automated across platforms, creators must ensure that their media assets are fully cleared for use. Pond5’s licensing structure provides clear legal documentation and usage terms, reducing the risk of content being flagged, demonetized, or removed from hosting platforms.

    The review indicates that licensing simplicity is now as critical as the quality of the content itself. Time constraints, legal compliance, and platform monetization policies have made the demand for clear and reliable licenses a non-negotiable part of the content development process.

    Pond5’s licenses cover most use cases, including broadcast, online streaming, mobile apps, corporate presentations, and advertising. This eliminates the need for multiple licenses across different formats and simplifies budgeting for media production.

    Education and Support for Professional Users

    Pond5 also provides support resources and educational materials to help users make informed licensing decisions. For agencies or production teams, enterprise-level solutions are available with volume pricing, team access controls, and dedicated account support.

    These features enable Pond5 to serve not only individual creators but also teams managing complex content pipelines. This level of service is becoming increasingly necessary as content strategy becomes a key part of brand and business growth in sectors such as education, technology, and entertainment.

    Conclusion and Industry Implications

    The Software Experts team evaluated numerous platforms and determined that Pond5 aligns well with the current and future needs of content creators. The platform’s wide-ranging media access, flexible subscriptions, license transparency, and user-first search tools contribute to its recognition as a reliable and forward-facing audio resource.

    This recognition signals a broader shift in how music licensing is being approached in 2025. Rather than treating audio as a static add-on, professional creators are now considering it a foundational layer in content strategy. Solutions that provide clear, scalable access to licensed music—without legal friction—are becoming essential tools in the modern creator’s toolkit.

    The full review is available now at the Software Experts website.

    About Pond5: Pond5 is the world’s largest video-first content marketplace, with over 45 million royalty-free video clips, plus millions of music tracks, sound effects, images, and more. Driven by a commitment to its passionate and growing global community of more than 100,000 professional visual and audio artists, Pond5 provides a platform where creative work can flourish.

    About Software Experts: Software Experts provides news and reviews of consumer products and services. As an affiliate, Software Experts may earn commissions from sales generated using links provided. 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The Coin by Palestinian writer Yasmin Zaher wins the Dylan Thomas Prize – an expert from the judging panel explains why

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Daniel G. Williams, Professor of English Literature, Swansea University

    Yasmin Zaher’s remarkable novel The Coin has won the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize for writers under the age of 40.

    This is not a story that begins at the beginning. Instead, its narrator starts with dirt and an obsession with cleanliness, but suggests later that the coin of the title – an Israeli shekel that she accidentally swallowed on a family road trip in which her parents were killed in a car crash – would have been an equally appropriate place to begin.

    Long forgotten, the swallowed coin begins to make its presence felt, somewhere in her body, following her move to America. The narrator is a wealthy young Palestinian woman, teaching boys at a New York City middle school. Her wealth, however, is in the hands of a brother who controls her allowance. She responds by developing a scheme to resell luxury handbags with a homeless con-artist, known throughout as “Trenchcoat”.

    This is one of several attempts at shaping the world around her: she revels in her sexuality and ability to redefine herself through fashionable clothes and accessories; she teaches her class about black power and takes them on a trip to listen to the “dagger poems” of a black nationalist poet in New Jersey.

    I assume this poet is Amiri Baraka since they eat “Black Dada Nihilismus” burgers, a reference to his poem of the same name. But such acts of resistance, if not futile, are limited. Like the swallowed coin, the levers of control, whether material or psychic, lie out of reach as we witness the narrator’s gradual unravelling.

    It is perhaps appropriate that a novel set in New York should win the prize named after Swansea’s most famous poet. New York both enticed and frightened Dylan Thomas. It was the city in which he died. The city, also, in which he recorded the ground-breaking reading of A Child’s Christmas in Wales.

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

    In that story, as in his earlier Return Journey, his childhood self is a ghostly presence wandering among the “blitzed flat graves” of shops “marbled with snow and headstoned with fences”. The snow hides devastation. The destruction of the city that Thomas knew as a child. The 44 air raids mounted on Swansea between 1940 and 1943 killed 390 people. And it’s the similar loss of people and places, and the suffering in Gaza today, which Zaher’s novel examines.

    Palestine is a persistent and troubling presence in the The Coin. For Dylan the devastation of Swansea was a metonym for a wider world where civilians were increasingly the victims of war. His world is, regrettably, still ours in that sense. The Coin is a profound meditation on our contemporary world and our complicity in the destruction of another place and people.

    In a moving scene, the narrator recalls a Jewish friend, “a very gentle girl who dreamed of becoming a ballerina”. She lived in a house that once belonged to “a Palestinian family that had been expelled in 1948”. The friend tells her about two underground rooms in the garden. One of the rooms, “the poop room”, allows access to the second which contains “a big wooden chest full of treasures and gold”. The narrator keeps “thinking of that secret chamber off the shit room, the wooden chest inside, full of silverware and gold of the family who thought they would return.”

    The swallowed coin. The inaccessible allowance. The wooden chest full of treasures and gold. Unreachable currency functions as a powerful symbolic centre connecting the brief scenes and meditations that constitute this appropriately fragmented novel. Lost somewhere in the narrator’s entrails, removed from economic exchange, the coin belongs with the excrement and detritus of urban life, which is the object of the narrator’s disgusted obsessions.

    New York in this novel is a repository of failed circulation – the filth of the city’s streets offering a gothic underside to the endless flows of capitalism, frustrating the narrator’s obsessive attempts at keeping herself clean. Narratives and circulation end in the stasis of dirt. Palestinian history ends in dispossession. Swallowed coin, inaccessible allowance and a buried treasure chest are symbolic repositories of Palestinian traumatic memory.

    Zaher shows us how the novel form can still offer a unique way of understanding the world, of mapping our contemporary disorientation. It does this not by offering clarity, but by lingering in the spaces where movement, value and meaning break down. This is a novel about circulation – of money, of bodies and of meaning.

    The swallowed coin is itself a kind of resistance, a refusal to go along with the restless movement of capital that defines our world. The coin refuses liquidity and thereby refuses complicity; its removal from the economic system mimics a kind of muted protest. Beneath the novel’s often frenetic and energetic surface hides a resistant counter-politics of inaction.

    Daniel G. Williams was a judge of this years’ Dylan Thomas Prize.

    – ref. The Coin by Palestinian writer Yasmin Zaher wins the Dylan Thomas Prize – an expert from the judging panel explains why – https://theconversation.com/the-coin-by-palestinian-writer-yasmin-zaher-wins-the-dylan-thomas-prize-an-expert-from-the-judging-panel-explains-why-257063

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Sobyanin and Murashko opened the Moscow Medical TechnoCenter after reconstruction

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Sergei Sobyanin and the Minister of Health of the Russian Federation Mikhail Murashko opened the Moscow Medical Technocenter (Engineering Scientific and Practical Center “Gormedtekhnika”) after a comprehensive reconstruction.

    “Moscow has enormous medical capacities – hundreds of thousands of units of very complex medical equipment that require daily attention, operation, repair, and maintenance at a high level of readiness. In fact, the quality of medical care for citizens and their health largely depend on this. And, of course, without creating structures that would deal with this, it is impossible to operate such a volume of equipment in Moscow today. Therefore, we essentially recreated Gormedtekhnika, created the Moscow Medical Technocenter, reconstructed buildings for it, and equipped it with all the necessary technologies. With the support of the Russian Ministry of Health, we provide personnel with higher education from the leading universities of our country – Baumanka, Sechenov University and other universities. This synergy, of course, ensures the reliable operation of the entire technological complex of the Moscow medical system,” said Sergei Sobyanin.

    In turn, the Minister of Health of the Russian Federation Mikhail Murashko noted that more than 300 thousand large medical devices alone are purchased in Russia every year. In order to service this equipment, it is necessary to train specialists who will carry out verification, preventive examinations and necessary repairs. Currently, the country is training specialists with specialized higher and secondary technical education, who are in great demand in the healthcare system. 2.5 thousand organizations have already received licenses for the technical maintenance of medical equipment.

    “Moscow as a leader in the healthcare system, as a city that is implementing the very first new technologies, of course, needs such a division as today, in which we are present. This is an opportunity to train specialists and, if necessary, to tell medical workers in more detail how this or that equipment works already in some technical details, for a better understanding of the diagnostic and treatment process. We believe that what Moscow is doing today, Sergey Semenovich, is an absolutely leading position not only in our country, but also in the world,” said Mikhail Murashko.

    The capital occupies a leading position in the development of healthcare not only in the country, but also in the world. This is facilitated, in particular, by the fact that, on the instructions of the President of Russia, a number of national projects are being implemented today. They provide not only for the supply of equipment to medical institutions, but also for the implementation of tasks related to scientific developments. This includes health-preserving technologies, which require the creation of new drugs and medical products.

    “Of course, this requires competence, this requires specialists, so such a center is definitely in demand, and it has great serious prospects,” concluded Mikhail Murashko.

    The Moscow Medical Technocenter is a unique institution, which has no analogues in Russia, which provides the entire life cycle of medical equipment: from purchase and maintenance to disposal. The motto of the Technocenter is “We treat what people are treated with.”

    The comprehensive reconstruction of the main building of Gormedtekhnika, built in 1978, which houses the Moscow Medical Technocenter, was completed in May of this year. During the work, which took about two and a half years, the six-story building with an area of 13.7 thousand square meters was virtually completely rebuilt and equipped with the latest equipment.

    Thus, repair areas were modernized, including those authorized by key manufacturers of medical equipment. A stand class “Medtechlab” was created with unique equipment for training engineers and students. There are devices for computer (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in section, artificial lung ventilation (ALV), anesthesia and respiratory (ANR) and video endoscopic devices.

    “Our task is not only to cooperate with manufacturers, but also to develop our own capacities. The specialists of the updated Moscow Medical Technocenter will be able to handle even the most complex equipment,” Sergei Sobyanin wrote in

    on his telegram channel.

    Source: Sergei Sobyanin’s Telegram channel @mos_sobyanin

    Comfortable conditions were created for the employees to work. In particular, the assembly hall was reconstructed and re-equipped, the area of the canteen was increased to 100 seats, and the adjacent territory was landscaped.

    History of the Moscow Medical Technocenter

    The Moscow Medical Technocenter (State Autonomous Institution “Engineering Scientific and Practical Center “Gormedtekhnika”) was founded in 1949 as an electromechanical plant for the repair and restoration of medical equipment. In 1965, a city department for sales, installation and repair was created on its basis under the name “Medtekhnika”. One of the tasks of the organization, along with the previous ones, was the supply of medical equipment. In 1972, the enterprise was transformed into the Moscow Experimental Plant of Medical Equipment.

    Gormedtekhnika received the status of an engineering scientific and practical center in 2024. Thus, the repair and service institution became a full-fledged technology center with international certification from leading manufacturers of medical equipment and a base for specialized education in the field of repair and maintenance of relevant equipment.

    In particular, the Moscow Medical TechnoCenter is a licensed service center for repair of Olympus endoscopic equipment and Mindray, Philips, B. Braun medical equipment. Its specialists regularly undergo training from leading manufacturers.

    The institution has licenses for radiation safety and for the implementation of activities for the technical maintenance of all groups of medical devices, as well as accreditation in the field of ensuring the uniformity of measurements and testing of products.

    The main tasks of the Moscow Medical Technocenter

    The main activities of the Moscow Medical TechnoCenter include maintenance, repair, dismantling, relocation and disposal of medical equipment. Its engineers maintain over 147 thousand units of medical equipment of Moscow healthcare institutions. In 2023–2024 alone, specialists restored the functionality of over 24 thousand units of various medical equipment. The average repair period was 15 days. Since 2020, specialists have dismantled over 550 units of heavy equipment.

    “In recent years, city hospitals and clinics

    installed more than 480 thousand units of medical equipment. Everything must work without failures. That is why it is so important to carry out timely and high-quality maintenance and repairs,” Sergei Sobyanin wrote in on your telegram channel.

    Source: Sergei Sobyanin’s Telegram channel @mos_sobyanin

    In addition, the institution is engaged in metrological maintenance, verification of measuring instruments and control of operational parameters of medical devices. Every year, its specialists carry out metrological maintenance of more than 180 thousand units of medical devices. In addition, they carry out acceptance tests of high-tech equipment for radiation diagnostics, therapy and other medical equipment.

    Over the past five years, the volume of medical equipment inspected has exceeded 381 thousand units. Among them are over 1.4 thousand units of heavy equipment, such as X-ray machines, CT scanners, angiographs, magnetic resonance tomographs, and 3.5 thousand ultrasound machines and other high-tech equipment.

    In 2024, a testing laboratory for blood glucose monitoring systems was opened at the Moscow Medical TechnoCenter. It controls the quality of glucometers and test strips. The laboratory is accredited in the national accreditation system. Today, state standard samples of glucose solution are being developed here together with specialists from the All-Russian Research Institute of Physical, Technical and Radiotechnical Measurements.

    The functions of the center also include transportation and storage of medical equipment, as well as its commissioning.

    The Moscow Medical TechnoCenter is the largest centralized customer of medical equipment for the capital’s healthcare system. Specialists purchase high-tech equipment, including as part of programs to modernize outpatient clinics and reconstruct large multidisciplinary hospitals. Thus, in 2023-2025, more than 80 thousand of its units were installed and put into operation.

    Currently, 135 life cycle contracts have been concluded, under which more than seven thousand units of heavy equipment and other high-tech medical equipment have been purchased, including angiographs, MRI, CT, X-ray machines, mammographs, C-arm and ultrasound machines, and endoscopic stands (rigid and flexible).

    More than 3.5 thousand units of equipment under life cycle contracts have been delivered to Moscow clinicsCapital doctors conducted 150 thousand examinations using new ultrasound machinesSobyanin: Hospitals and clinics have begun using more than 220 units of medical equipment

    The Moscow Medical TechnoCenter provides technical support and control over the execution of government contracts for the supply of medical equipment, coordination and control over the execution of preparatory, installation and commissioning works, storage, delivery and transfer of medical equipment in accordance with the required conditions, as well as conducting control and technical tests. The area of warehouse premises used for these purposes is 35.8 thousand square meters.

    In addition, the institution is an expert center for the acceptance of equipment for the healthcare system. From 2022 to 2024, its engineers inventoried and labeled about 150 thousand units of medical equipment.

    Another area of the center’s activity is the examination of the technical condition of medical equipment for its licensing and write-off. It is carried out every year to ensure a continuous process of updating medical equipment.

    In addition, the technocenter is engaged in the design and development of medical equipment and its operating conditions. A design department has been created on the basis of the institution, where prototypes of innovative products are developed and prepared for their mass production. Among the projects currently being implemented are:

    — the Proximus-250 lifting and rail system for transporting patients, which will be in demand in intensive care, traumatology, neurology and other departments;

    — electric portable aspirator Torr-30 for equipping ambulances — a device with a reduced noise level and a high vacuum level, adapted for operation in low temperature conditions (down to minus 30 degrees).

    The technology center also monitors food supplies to more than 200 milk distribution points to provide for preferential categories of city residents: pregnant women and nursing mothers, as well as children under three years old, children from large families (from three to seven years old), with chronic diseases (from three to 15 years old), and disabled children (from three to 18 years old).

    Since 2021, this social support measure has been transferred to a digital format – the mos.ru portal has online services “Submitting an application to receive food at a milk kitchen” and “Ordering food at a milk kitchen, choosing a milk distribution point and a schedule for receiving food.”

    For over two years, food has been provided by electronic referral without the need for monthly visits to the clinic and issuing of a paper prescription. As a result, the number of visits to medical institutions and milk distribution points not related to receiving products has been reduced by eight million per year.

    Training of engineering personnel

    The Moscow Medical TechnoCenter employs over 1,500 specialists, including over 300 engineers. This is one of the sites for practical training of students from Moscow colleges and universities. The main partners include the First Moscow State Medical University named after I.M. Sechenov, Moscow State Technical University named after N.E. Bauman, Russian Technological University, Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University), and National Research University “MPEI”. In 2020–2025, over 230 students completed their internships here.

    Since 2022, the targeted career project “Engineer Trainee” has been implemented, thanks to which 53 young specialists have come to work at the institution.

    Over the years of the technology center’s work, an electronic library has been formed – the so-called knowledge base, containing a wide range of educational materials.

    Experienced engineers who work for Moscow’s medical organizations also undergo practical training here. In 2020–2025, more than 3.1 thousand specialists took part in various advanced training programs.

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

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

    HTTPS: //vv.mos.ru/mayor/tkhemes/12778050/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: IOM and 115 Aid Organizations Call for Immediate Action to Pull Yemen Back From Brink Of Catastrophe

    Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)

    Geneva/ Sana’a, 20 May 2025 – After more than a decade of severe crisis and conflict, people in Yemen are facing what may be their toughest year so far. Conflict, economic collapse and climate shocks continue to drive humanitarian needs. Aid is drying up due to severe funding cuts. Airstrikes have resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties and damaged critical infrastructure.

    As leaders gather tomorrow for the seventh Humanitarian Senior Officials Meeting (SOM VII), UN agencies and international and national NGOs operating in Yemen call on the international community to take urgent, collective action to prevent catastrophic conditions from taking hold.

    Almost five months into 2025, the Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is less than 10 per cent funded, preventing critical aid delivery to millions of people across the country, including women and girls, displaced communities, children, refugees, migrants and other vulnerable and marginalized groups who are bearing the brunt of the crisis.

    Despite funding shortfalls and other challenges such as insecurity, access constraints and the continued detention of humanitarian personnel by the de facto authorities, aid agencies are on the ground and delivering. With support from donors, we are fighting hunger, disease and deprivation, and providing life-saving assistance and services including protection, education, shelter and clean water. Local NGOs and civil society organizations play a critical role in these efforts, often serving as the first and sometimes only responders in remote and hard-to-reach areas, having gained the trust of communities over years of engagement.

    Time and again, we have seen how donor support saves lives. Their generous contributions have prevented famine, alleviated suffering and protected the most vulnerable. Today, this solidarity is even more critical. We urgently appeal to donors to scale up flexible, timely, and predictable funding for the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. Without immediate action, the vital gains achieved through years of dedicated assistance could be lost.

    We also urge the international community to seize the opportunity presented by the SOM to help Yemenis rebuild their lives in dignity. In addition to sustained humanitarian aid, development assistance must be scaled up to prevent communities from sliding into more acute levels of humanitarian needs, ensure access to essential services and generate economic and livelihood opportunities.

    Strengthened engagement is also essential to stop the conflict that has destroyed so many lives and put Yemen back on a path toward peace and recovery. In the meantime, it is critical to minimize the impacts of conflict on civilians, and we appeal for action to ensure respect for international humanitarian law, including protection of civilians and humanitarian access to all those in need.

    Now more than ever, swift and resolute support is crucial to prevent Yemen from sliding deeper into crisis and move towards a lasting peace.

    Signatory Organizations

    •  Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
    •  International Organization for Migration (IOM)
    •  United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
    •  United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)
    •  United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
    •  United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
    •  United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
    •  United Nations Resident Coordinator / Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC)
    •  World Food Progamme (WFP)
    •  World Health Organization (WHO)
    •  Accept International
    •  Action For Humanity
    •  Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)
    •  Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development
    •  Caritas Poland
    •  Center for Civilians In Conflict (CIVIC)
    •  Concern Worldwide
    •  Danish Refugee Council (DRC)
    •  Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe
    •  Gift of the Givers Foundation
    •  International Rescue Committee (IRC)
    •  INTERSOS
    •  Médecins du Monde (MdM)
    •  MedGlobal
    •  Medical and Healthcare Action for Development
    •  Mercy Corps
    •  Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)
    •  Oxfam
    •  Polish Humanitarian Action
    •  Première Urgence – Aide Médicale Internationale
    •  Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) – Yemen Office
    •  Relief International
    •  Save the Children International
    •  Solidarités International
    •  Triangle Génération Humanitaire
    •  ZOA International
    •  Abductees Mothers Association (AMA)
    •  Abs Development Organization (ADO)
    •  Adan Network for Humiliation work (ANHW)
    •  Ahdaf Assosiation for Development & Work Humanitarian (ADWH)
    •  Al Baraka Foundation for Development (ABDF)
    •  Al Nokhbah Agriculture Cooperative Association (AAC)
    •  Alakhar Center for Peace and Development (ACPD)
    •  Al-Atta Institution for Social Development and Charity (AISDC)
    •  Aljood Foundation For Development (AFD)
    •  Altadhamon Foundation For Development (AFD)
    •  Al-Talib Society for Development (TSD)
    •  Altwasul for Human Development
    •  Al-Walaa Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Work (AWF)
    •  Al-Wed Development Foundation (WDF)
    •  Assistance for Response and Development (ARD-Y)
    •  Banan Benevolent Corporation for Development
    •  Basamat Development Foundation (BDF)
    •  Bena Charity for Humanitarian Development (BCFHD)
    •  Best Future Foundation (BFF)
    •  Building Foundation for Development (BFD)
    •  Child Protection Care Organization (CPCO)
    •  Coalition of Humanitarian Relief (CHR)
    •  DEEM for Development Organization
    •  Diversity Organization
    •  Empower Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Response (EFSD)
    •  Enqath Foundation for Development (EFD)
    •  Estijabah Foundation for Humanitarian Aid and Relief (EFHAR)
    •  Experts Organization For Development
    •  Field Medical Foundation (FMF)
    •  For Human Development Foundation (FHD)
    •  Future Pioneers Foundation for Training and Development (FPF)
    •  HETEEN Developmental and Charitable Foundation
    •  Human Access for Partnership and Development
    •  Humanitarian Organization for Women and Children (WKF)
    •  Iqra Development Association (IDA)
    •  Jannat Development Foundation (JDF)
    •  Jeel Albena Association for Humanitarian Development (JAAHD)
    •  Joodn Organization for Development and Peace (JODP)
    •  Khudh Beyadi Foundation Development (KBFD)
    •  Life Makers Meeting Place Organization (LMMPO)
    •  Light Foundation for Development
    •  Maali Foundation for Development (MFD)
    •  Medical Mercy Foundation Yemen (MMF)
    •  Mona Relief and Development Organization
    •  Mwatana Organization for Human Rights
    •  Nahda Makers Organization (NMO)
    •  Namaa Development Foundation (NDF)
    •  National NGOs Forum
    •  National Union for the Development of the Poorest
    •  Neda’a Foundation for Development (NFD)
    •  Rawabi Al-Nahdah Developmental Foundation (RADF)
    •  Rawafid Social Charity Foundation (RSD)
    •  Rawahel Foundation for Development (RFD)
    •  Read Foundation Yemen (RFY)
    •  Reduction of Humanitarian Disaster Organization (RHD)
    •  Relief and Development Peer Foundation (RDP)
    •  Reyadah for Development Foundation
    •  Safe Road for Peace and Development (SRPD)
    •  Sawaed Al-Khair Humanitarian Foundation (SKHF)
    •  School Feeding and Humanitarian Relief Project (SFHRP)
    •  Shibam Social Association for Development (SSAD)
    •  Social Coexistence Foundation (SCF)
    •  SOS Foundation For Development
    •  Sustainable Development Foundation (SDF)
    •  Tamdeen Youth Foundation (TYF)
    •  Together Foundation For Human Development (TFHD)
    •  Yamany Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Work (YDH)
    •  Yanabia Al-Khair Charity Foundation (YKF)
    •  Yemen Al-Khair for Relief and Development (YARD)
    •  Yemen Development Foundation (YDF)
    •  Yemen Displacement Response Consortium (YDR)
    •  Yemen Family Care Association (YFCA)
    •  Yemen General Union of Sociologists, Social Workers and Psychologists (YGUSSWP)
    •  Yemen Ghawth Foundation for Humanitarian Work (YRFH)
    •  Yemen International Agency for Development (YIAD)
    •  Yemen Karam Organization (YEKO)
    •  Yemen Red Crescent Society (YRCS)
    •  Yemen Women Union (YWU)
    •  Youth Association for the Development of Popular Neighborhoods
    •  Youth of Aden Ambition Foundation (APYF)
       

    For more information, please contact IOM Media Centre 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI: Bel Appoints Lynn Hutkin as Chief Financial Officer

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WEST ORANGE, N.J., May 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Board of Directors of Bel Fuse Inc. (Nasdaq: BELFA and BELFB) (“Bel” or the “Company”) today announced the appointment of Lynn Hutkin as Bel’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) effective immediately following Bel’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held May 27, 2025. She will be responsible for Bel’s financial strategies and will lead the global finance organization, including planning, treasury, tax, reporting and investor relations. In her new role Ms. Hutkin is succeeding Farouq Tuweiq, Bel’s current CFO, who as previously announced will vacate his CFO role immediately following Bel’s 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held May 27, 2025, upon Mr. Tuweiq’s assumption of the President and CEO role on that same date.

    Ms. Hutkin joined Bel in 2007 and has held roles with increasing responsibilities, most recently serving in the role of Vice President of Financial Reporting and Investor Relations along with her designation as Principal Accounting Officer for Bel, which she will continue in her new role (together with her newly added designation as Principal Financial Officer). In addition to her primary roles, throughout her tenure at Bel, she has also been a leader in a variety of other areas including mergers and acquisitions, bank financing, corporate insurance and employee benefit programs. Ms. Hutkin started her career at Arthur Andersen within the audit group and subsequently held roles of increasing responsibility within finance at companies ranging from an IT consulting start-up to a $250 million publicly-traded courier company prior to joining Bel. Ms. Hutkin earned her B.S. of Accountancy from Bentley University and is an active CPA in the State of New Jersey.

    “I am excited to continue working with Lynn and to build upon the accomplishments we have achieved since we began working together in 2021,” said Farouq Tuweiq, Bel’s current CFO. “Bel has gone through a number of transformational steps over the past four years and Lynn has been integral in strengthening best practices at Bel and enhancing financial discipline, financial reporting and internal procedures and controls throughout the organization.”

    “I’m beyond honored to step into the CFO role and very excited for the new journey ahead,” said Lynn Hutkin. “I look forward to the continued partnership with Farouq and our talented team in attaining our future goals.”

    About Bel
    Bel (www.belfuse.com) designs, manufactures and markets a broad array of products that power, protect and connect electronic circuits. These products are primarily used in the defense, commercial aerospace, networking, telecommunications, computing, general industrial, high-speed data transmission, transportation and eMobility industries. Bel’s portfolio of products also finds application in the automotive, medical, broadcasting and consumer electronics markets. Bel’s product groups include Power Solutions and Protection (front-end, board-mount, industrial and transportation power products, module products and circuit protection), Connectivity Solutions (expanded beam fiber optic, copper-based, RF and RJ connectors and cable assemblies), and Magnetic Solutions (integrated connector modules, power transformers, power inductors and discrete components). The Company operates facilities around the world.

    Company Contact:
    Farouq Tuweiq
    Chief Financial Officer
    ir@belf.com

    Investor Contact:
    Three Part Advisors
    Jean Marie Young, Managing Director or Steven Hooser, Partner
    631-418-4339
    jyoung@threepa.com; shooser@threepa.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: GDE condemns alleged assault by seven girl learners on fellow pupil

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has expressed deep concern at a recent incident where a group of seven girl learners from Bedfordview High School, Kensington High School, Queens High School, and Phoenix College allegedly assaulted a fellow Bedfordview High girl learner in Yeoville.

    The incident reportedly took place on Saturday, 10 May 2025. 

    “According to information at our disposal, the victim reported this matter to the school on Monday, 12 May 2025, and alleged that the unfortunate group attack took place at a one of the houses in Yeoville, where the learners reside. 

    “A disturbing video capturing the group assault on the victim by the perpetrating learners has since gone viral on social media. The perpetrators, who are a group of seven girl learners, include four learners from Bedfordview High School (three in Grade 8 and one in Grade 9), one learner from Queens High School (Grade 9), one learner from Kensington High School (Grade 8), and one learner from Phoenix College (Grade 10). 

    “All implicated learners were swiftly suspended by their respective schools and appeared at the Magistrates Court on Monday, 19 May 2025, facing charges of common assault. 

    “The schools have begun internal investigations into the misconduct of the learners involved, in line with the codes of conduct and applicable disciplinary procedures from both schools

    “Psycho-social support will be provided by the department to all affected learners, including the victim. The GDE strongly condemns such acts of violence among learners. Violent behaviour among learners, whether within school grounds or beyond, is unacceptable and will carry serious consequences that may affect learners’ education and long-term prospects. 

    “We reaffirm that fostering safe, respectful, and supportive learning environments is a top priority for the department.”

    The department called on parents and guardians to play an active role in shaping the values and conduct of their children. 

    “Building a non-violent society starts at home. Parents must work hand-in-hand with schools and the department to instil discipline, empathy, and accountability in our learners. Together, we can cultivate a society of respect towards education institutions, which will ensure that Gauteng schools remain safe spaces for quality learning and teaching.”   

    The GDE urged all learners to speak out against bullying and any form of violence, whether directed at them or at their peers. 

    “Silence only protects the aggressor, and that can lead to more misconduct.” 

    Learners are encouraged to report incidents to a trusted teacher, school leadership, their parents or guardians, or the nearest Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) district office.   

    For additional support, learners can freely contact the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) at 0800 567 567 or reach out to Childline South Africa on 116. Both are free, confidential, and available 24/7.   

    Incidents of bullying or violence can also be reported directly to the GDE via WhatsApp on 060 891 0361 or through the GDE Contact Centre on 0800 000 789. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Working Group to assess impact of US fund withdrawal  

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Tuesday, May 20, 2025

    Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Professor Blade Nzimande has announced the 12 members of the Working Group on Science, Technology, and Innovation Funding (STI-WG).

    The aim of the working group is to advise the Minister on the implications and impact of the recent withdrawal of funding by the United States of America (USA) government from key research and development programmes in South Africa.

    The Working Group comprises  the following persons:
    •    Dr Derrick Swartz – NMU, Working Group Chairperson
    •    Prof Ari Sitas – Acting Director, Institute of African Alternatives, Cape Town
    •    Prof Sarah Mosoetsa – CEO, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)
    •    Dr Mlungisi Cele – CEO, National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI)
    •    Prof Francis Petersen – Chair, Universities South Africa
    •    Prof Thokozani Majozi – President and Chair, Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)
    •    Prof Sibusiso Moyo – Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Stellenbosch University
    •    Prof Ntobeko Ntusi – CEO, South African Medical Research Council
    •    Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo – CEO, National Research Foundation
    •    Prof Sibongile Muthwa – Vice-Chancellor, Nelson Mandela University
    •    Prof Xolisa Mtose – Vice-Chancellor, University of Zululand
    •    Dr Thulani Dlamini – CEO, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

    Minister Nzimande on 2 May 2025, announced that he was in the process of appointing a working group.

    The terms of reference of the Working Group are to analyse the impact and implications of the USA withdrawal of funds to South African public research and innovation.

    Other terms of the working group are: 
    •    To analyse the current geo-political risks related to STI and how South Africa should position itself to deal with the current situation
    •    To propose policy and strategic responses to enhance the long-term security and sustainability of the STI system and the role of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) members of the Working Group

    “The Working Group is expected to provide the Minister with its first draft report within four weeks after assumption of the task, and the final report is expected by 30 June 2025,” said the DSTI on Monday. – SAnews.gov.za 
     

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Issa Announces Service Academy Appointments

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-50)

    Escondido – Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48) has announced six outstanding students from California’s 48th Congressional District received appointments to the U.S. Service Academies.

    Issa said, “On behalf of our community, I congratulate these remarkable young students on their distinguished appointments.  I trust they will go on to serve this country with courage and commitment. We are all eager to see the illustrious leaders they will become.”

    Each year, members of the U.S. House and Senate nominate high school seniors from their community for admission to the U.S. Air Force, Merchant Marine, Military and Naval academies. Nominees were reviewed by a skilled panel of local community members.

    Congressman Issa hosted a congratulatory breakfast with the students and their family as well as military community members.

    Feature Photo (from Left to Right): Sawyer Dann, Maximus Cruz, Timothy Ryu, Kelsey Ko.     Not pictured: Jeff Bunch, Elyor Muhammadiyev.

    Air Force Academy

    Kelsey Ko

    Kelsey resides in Temecula and will graduate from the ICL Academy.  She is the Team Captain of her tennis team and earned the MVP award for her outstanding play.  Kelsey is also a member of the National Honor Society.

    Sawyer Dann

    Sawyer resides in Poway and will graduate from Classical Academy High School.  He participates in varsity Track and Field, Soccer and Football. Sawyer is a member of the National Honor Society and he is an Eagle Scout.

    U.S. Military Academy/West Point

    Jett Bunch

    Jett resides in Murrieta and will graduate from Vista Murrieta High School.  He plays varsity Rugby and Football, where he is Team Captain for each.  He is his distinguished Class President.

    Timothy Ry

    Timony resides in Poway and graduated from Poway High School.  He attended the US Naval Sea Cadets program.  He participated in Track and Field and Color Guard.

    Elyor Muhammadiyev

    Elyor is from Murrieta and a 2023 graduate of Murrieta High School.  He participated in the Naval Sea Cadet program.

    Merchant Marine Academy

    Maximus Cruz

    Maximus is from Julian and attends Julian Union High School. Maximus serves as Student Council Treasurer and he plays varsity Football and Baseball.   

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NIST Moonlight Data Will Help Satellites Get a More Accurate Look at Earth

    Source: US Government research organizations

    NASA’s ER-2 taking off with the air-LUSI moonlight collection equipment on board.

    Credit: NASA photo/Ken Ulbrich

    Weather forecasting, mineral prospecting and farming all could improve from a trove of data the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently gathered about moonlight, late at night and far above the clouds.

    NIST’s measurements of the Moon’s brightness — 10 times more accurate than previously available data — are a valuable commodity for engineers, who can use the data to calibrate the visual sensors aboard Earth-observing satellites. Proper calibration can help ensure that these satellites are accurately recording the actual amounts and colors of light from the ground, water and vegetation far below. NIST obtained its new set of moonlight measurements by deploying its equipment on a high-altitude NASA aircraft. 

    “Our goal with this data release is to help the satellite industry develop better models of lunar irradiance,” said Joe Rice, the NIST group leader for the project. “Using the data will help ensure that scientists have a more accurate understanding of what images of Earth from orbit actually mean.”

    Before a satellite can take reliable visuals of the planet, the satellite’s sensors need to be calibrated to make sure they are recording accurate data. Without this vital step, a sensor might indicate that a swath of territory is a different shade or intensity of color than it really is, leading farmers or prospectors to base their decisions on the inaccuracy.

    Measuring Moonlight from the Edge of the Atmosphere

    Researchers want to accurately measure the spectrum of moonlight so that the Moon can be used as a reference to calibrate satellite imagers. However, measuring this spectrum from the ground is challenging because the atmosphere distorts the moonlight, shifting the spectrum. This animation illustrates the NIST team’s solution, which is to place the measurement equipment in a high-altitude plane called the ER-2 and take the spectrum measurement above 95% of Earth’s atmosphere. Credit: Sean Kelley/NIST

    Sometimes engineers calibrate satellites before launch, but it costs time, money and effort, partly because a rocket ride to space puts a lot of stress on a satellite. The acceleration of launch subjects a satellite to forces that are the equivalent of many times Earth’s gravity, and powerful vibrations during flight shake and rattle the instruments vigorously, potentially undoing the effects of the calibrations.

    Larger satellites might carry devices that allow them to self-calibrate after launch, but such devices add weight and use up valuable real estate. And not all satellites are large enough even to have this option. In cubesats, built from a few cubic modules that are 10 centimeters to a side, volume is at a premium.

    An easier approach is to use light from the Moon, which has reflectance properties that change very little over time and therefore offers a consistent benchmark. From time to time, a satellite sensor may take an image that includes the Moon, and the sensor can be calibrated to the different wavelengths of light reflecting from its surface.

    Land-based telescopes have trouble getting accurate details of the Moon’s irradiance because our planet’s constantly changing atmosphere introduces too much uncertainty. So NIST physicist John Woodward and his colleagues arranged to mount a special telescope on a NASA ER-2 aircraft that flies at 70,000 feet, or 21 kilometers, which is higher than 95% of the atmosphere. The mission, called the Airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance Mission (air-LUSI), flew from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center. After several years of engineering and test flights, the project began gathering data in 2022 and conducted its most recent measurements in early 2025.

    The air-LUSI telescope during a calibration. The light on the other side of the room is an “artificial moon,” a stable source of light that has already been well characterized.

    Credit: NASA photo/Ken Ulbrich

    The new dataset allows distinct improvements over previous lunar irradiance models, which were good at measurements that could show how a sensor’s performance was changing over time but made it difficult to know if and how the Earth itself was changing. The new data not only reduces the uncertainty inherent in ground-based data, but it is also directly tied to the International System of Units (SI), making it easier to apply. 

    “This dataset is 10 times more accurate than the data people previously had to use,” said Woodward. “It will permit a distinct improvement over the other ways we have calibrated satellites.”

    The dataset, now available through NIST’s data portal, is in the netCDF format widely used by the scientific community. It contains irradiance measurements along with the time, location and uncertainty associated with them. It includes information about the instrument NIST used, to help people make useful comparisons with their own sensors’ performance. Also available are details of how to read and display the data along with guidance to help users get started working with it.

    Woodward said he was optimistic about the future use of the dataset. One reason is because accurate, consistent calibration among satellites would enable observers on the ground to spot trends more effectively. 

    “Satellites are expensive national assets, and you want them to be as useful as possible,” he said. “If we calibrate them using the Moon, satellite observations could become more valuable. For example, we’d know whether the color of farmland had changed because rain had improved crop health, rather than because two different satellites took two different images at different times.” 

    The air-LUSI project is a collaboration between scientists and engineers from NASA, NIST, the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and Ontario’s McMaster University.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Samsung Interactive Displays Elevate Classroom Engagement in South Holland School District 150

    Source: Samsung

    Samsung Electronics America announces South Holland School District 150, an elementary school district south of Chicago serving nearly 900 students, has upgraded its classrooms with Samsung Interactive Displays. This upgrade is part of an effort to foster greater student engagement and dynamic teaching through technology, starting with a one-year pilot in 13 McKinley Elementary and Junior High School classrooms.
    Transforming classrooms with Samsung Interactive Displays
    South Holland School District sought to replace its legacy interactive whiteboards due to their limited functionality, challenges with wireless connectivity to other classroom devices and smaller screens that made it difficult for all students to view content. While attending the Illinois Education and Technology Conference, district representatives discovered that Samsung Interactive Displays offered a cost-effective, versatile solution that could overcome these limitations, enhance interactive learning and provide an intuitive experience for both educators and students.
    “We love the connectivity, flexibility and size of the boards, with all the space students and teachers now have to work with,” said Myra Lolkema, Certified Education Technology Leader (CETL), Director of Technology at South Holland School District 150. “The Interactive Display ticked all the boxes to be an effective tool for our classrooms.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How mindfulness therapy could help those left behind by depression treatment

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Thorsten Barnhofer, Professor of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, School of Psychology, University of Surrey

    Yuri A/PeopleImages.com/Shutterstock

    For some people, depression is like an unwanted guest who moves in and refuses to leave. Even with therapy and medication, the heavy fog of low mood, exhaustion and hopelessness never fully lifts for long. For around 30% of people with depression, this is a daily reality.

    It’s not just a personal burden. Difficult-to-treat depression affects families, workplaces and communities – and carries a huge cost for society.

    In England, the NHS Talking Therapies programme is the first place many adults turn when they’re struggling with depression or anxiety. In 2023-24, it supported more than 1.26 million people. Yet, for all its reach, around half of those who complete treatment still feel depressed by the end. And if the therapy hasn’t worked, there are often no further options available.

    Most people in this situation are sent back to their GP. A small number may be referred to more specialist mental health services, but those are typically reserved for the most severe cases. That leaves a significant number of people in limbo – still unwell, but without a clear route to further care.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    This is part of a wider problem in mental health services: the so-called “missing middle”. These are people whose needs are too complex for primary (GP) care, but not severe enough for secondary services. As a result, they fall through the cracks.

    For many of these people, medication is often the only treatment on offer. But our study, with colleagues, suggests that a different approach, using mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), could offer a way forward.

    Promising results

    We worked with more than 200 patients who had completed NHS Talking Therapies but were still experiencing symptoms of depression. Half were offered an eight-week MBCT course, delivered in small online groups. The others continued with their usual care.

    MBCT blends traditional cognitive therapy (which aims to reduce negative thinking patterns) with intensive mindfulness training. Participants learn how to stay present, recognise harmful thought spirals early, and respond to difficult emotions with greater awareness and compassion. Most importantly, they gain skills they can use for the rest of their lives.

    The results were promising. People who took part in the mindfulness programme reported bigger improvements in their depressive symptoms than those who didn’t. Six months later, the benefits had not only lasted – they had consolidated and slightly strengthened.

    What’s more, those in the MBCT group used fewer health and social care services overall. The programme was also inexpensive to run, costing less than £100 per person. In a time when health systems are under extreme financial pressure, that’s a big deal. Our research suggests MBCT is not just effective, it’s cost-saving too.

    When depression doesn’t respond to standard treatment, it can upend lives. People may struggle to work, maintain relationships, or care for their families. Children are especially affected when a parent has long-term depression. Without the right support, things often get worse – and the costs, both personal and financial, continue to grow.

    MBCT is already being used for relapse prevention – and there is a trained workforce to deliver it. Consisting of just eight group-based sessions, it is accessible and designed to equip people with practical tools. We believe it can offer hope to those who do not benefit sufficiently from existing services, and should be made available to more people.

    Beyond the promise of MBCT itself, this research offers a wider message: we need to invest in psychological therapies for people in the “missing middle”. These are people who are often overlooked but stand to gain the most from targeted, practical support.

    In times of tight budgets, the idea that we can improve lives and save money is more than compelling – it’s necessary. This is a clear opportunity to improve outcomes, reduce strain on overstretched services, and help people move forward with their lives.

    Thorsten Barnhofer is the author of a book on mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). He regularly provides workshops on mindfulness-based interventions. He is co-investigator of a programme grant evaluating an adapted MBCT course for adolescents experiencing depression and is among the investigators for the NIHR Research for Patient Benefit-funded trial described in this article.

    Barney Dunn receives funding from the National Institute of Health Research for mental health treatment trials at the University of Exeter, including the Research for Patient Benefit Funding for the RESPOND trial discussed in this article. He co-directs an NHS commissioned psychological therapies service, which delivers Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy.

    Clara Strauss is co-lead for Sussex Mindfulness Centre (SMC), part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, and has received funding to conduct MBCT research from NIHR and other funders, funding to deliver MBCT courses and funding to train MBCT therapists within SMC.

    – ref. How mindfulness therapy could help those left behind by depression treatment – https://theconversation.com/how-mindfulness-therapy-could-help-those-left-behind-by-depression-treatment-256547

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Labour governments have always struggled with immigration – here’s what Keir Starmer could learn from them

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Erica Consterdine, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, Lancaster University

    The government has outlined its plans to reduce net migration to the UK. The proposals are generally restrictive: scrapping social care visas, tightening work visas, longer residency requirements, tougher English tests and restructuring student visas.

    While Reform’s recent success at the local elections hardened Keir Starmer’s rhetoric in announcing the changes, the thrust of this policy was to be expected. But will the political calculation pay off?

    Immigration has long been a headache for Labour. It is a topic that cuts across the party’s ideological factions – its protectionist roots, its universalist values, and its market-friendly third way leanings. Each of these calls for a different approach on immigration.

    Labour’s record on immigration is historically patchy. Previous Labour governments have been responsible for some of the most deplorable immigration acts, including the racially discriminatory 1968 act, which restricted non-white immigration in a betrayal of Kenyan Asians fleeing persecution.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    The British public then was far more illiberal on immigration than it is today. Trade unions were historically anti-immigrant, perceiving foreign labour as a threat to wages and job displacement. Labour, like their Tory counterparts, mostly operated on a bipartisan consensus of limiting immigration, on the idea that this was better for cohesion.

    This is exemplified in the Hattersley equation (named for former MP Roy Hattersley), a bipartisan political consensus that lasted from the postwar years up until Thatcher’s government. The compromise was between restrictive immigration policy and liberal integration measures (the Race Relations Act) to appease Labour’s liberal base.

    New Labour embraced the Thatcherite, neoliberal agenda, with Tony Blair declaring that there is no alternative to globalisation and therefore immigration. Framing immigration as an economic good, and humanitarian mobility as the bogeyman, Labour’s regime radically transformed the immigration system from one of the most restrictive in Europe to one of the most liberal labour regimes. But this was never for the benefit of migrants – it was simply economic calculation.

    We know what happened next: the political battleground, the cursed net migration target, Brexit and the lurches to the right ever since. In opposition, Labour has never been able to resolve this.

    Starmer’s approach

    A sticking point since 2010 has been traditionally working-class Labour constituents, viewed as “left behind” due to globalisation, and who now make up the red wall. The narrative goes that these voters have drifted rightwards due to dissatisfaction with immigration.

    But overall, Labour voters are still more positive than Conservatives towards immigration. A regressive policy on migrant rights could lose Labour some of its voter base.

    What’s more, net migration is likely to decrease over Labour’s term anyway, due to changes made by the last government and the tailing off of unprecedented migration from bespoke humanitarian schemes, like the one for Ukrainians. Arguably, Starmer’s reforms weren’t strictly necessary.

    Starmer could have framed the same policies around a softer rhetoric, one that embraces multicultural Britain while making the case for reforming the labour market. The enemy could have easily been cast as the Conservative government that neglected investment in the people at the expense of global corporations.

    Data from the Institute of Public Policy Research suggests that the UK public has become softer on immigration, but they want fairness. The easy way out here was to praise the benefits that immigration can bring while emphasising the need for control to maximise those benefits.

    Denigrating the current system as a “squalid chapter” of history is playing to Reform voters – arguably a foolish move, given that evidence shows you can’t beat the far right at its own game.

    Will the proposals work?

    If these proposals do reduce migration, it will come at a high cost for the country, not least in the consequences for the higher education and social care sectors. It may even increase irregular migration, as more people go underground in their attempts to reach Britain.

    The crux of the government’s problem is promising to reduce immigration in a system dependent on labour market flexibility. The proposals would make the UK extortionately expensive for both applicants and the employers who sponsor them, and make it economically unviable for the sectors that rely on foreign labour to recruit.

    A more social democratic immigration policy would invest in training, skills and wages of domestic workforces, while providing rights to the migrants who already reside here.

    Labour’s policy does not do this. It curtails rights significantly, for example in the doubling of the waiting period to apply for the right to stay indefinitely, and the plans to review how the right to family life is applied. Both of these are arguably counterproductive to the aims of integration and out of step with other countries.

    The theory behind the government reforms is that migrant workers will be replaced by the economically inactive domestic labour force – a win-win. Aside from the suspect simplicity of this equation, it will require more than sticks on employers and migrants. It necessitates a radical overhaul of the system, the economic model and a more interventionist state to move towards a coordinated market economy, one with more organisation and regulation on the labour market.

    Despite the government’s significant majority, a disciplined cabinet and an infighting opposition, the government appears reluctant to make such dramatic change, wedded to the existing paradigms of neoliberal free markets in a quest for growth in stagnating economies. If it wants its plans to work, Labour will have to be bolder and provide carrots to go with the sticks.

    Erica Consterdine 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. Labour governments have always struggled with immigration – here’s what Keir Starmer could learn from them – https://theconversation.com/labour-governments-have-always-struggled-with-immigration-heres-what-keir-starmer-could-learn-from-them-256737

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: After another call with Putin, it looks like Trump has abandoned efforts to mediate peace in Ukraine

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham

    After a two-hour phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on May 19, US president Donald Trump took to social media to declare that Russia and Ukraine will “immediately start negotiations” towards a ceasefire and an end to the war. He did, however, add that the conditions for peace “will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be”.

    With the Vatican, according to Trump, “very interested in hosting the negotiations” and European leaders duly informed, it seems clear that the US has effectively abandoned its stalled mediation efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

    It was always a possibility that Trump could walk away from the war, despite previous claims he could end it in 24 hours. This only became more likely on May 16, when the first face-to-face negotiations between Ukraine and Russia for more than three years predictably ended without a ceasefire agreement.

    When Trump announced shortly afterwards that he would be speaking to his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts by phone a few days later, he effectively mounted the beginning of a rearguard action. This was further underlined when, shortly before the Trump-Putin call, Vice-President J.D. Vance, explicitly told reporters that the US could end its shuttle diplomacy.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    The meagre outcomes of the talks between Russia and Ukraine – as well as between Trump and Putin – are not surprising. Russia is clearly not ready for any concessions yet. It keeps insisting that Ukraine accept its maximalist demands of territorial concessions and future neutrality.

    Putin also continues to slow-walk any negotiations. After his call with Trump, he reportedly said that “Russia will offer and is ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum on a possible future peace agreement”, including “a possible ceasefire for a certain period of time, should relevant agreements be reached.”

    The lack of urgency on Russia’s part to end the fighting and, in fact, the Kremlin’s ability and willingness to continue the war was emphasised the day before the Trump-Putin call. Russia carried out its largest drone attack against Ukraine so far in the war, targeting several regions including Kyiv.

    There has been no let-up in the fighting since. And the fact that Putin spoke to Trump while visiting a music school in the southern Russian city of Sochi does not suggest that a ceasefire in Ukraine is high on the Russian leader’s priority list.

    A large part of the Kremlin’s calculation seems to be its desire to strike a grand bargain with the White House on a broader reset of relations between the US and Russia. It is signalling clearly that this is more important than the war in Ukraine and might even happen without the fighting there ending.

    This also appears to be driving thinking in Washington. Trump foreshadowed an improvement in bilateral relations by describing the “tone and spirit” of his conversation with Putin as “excellent”. He also seemed pleased about the prospects of “large-scale trade” with Russia.

    Abandoning European allies

    Trump is on record as saying that there would be no progress towards peace in Ukraine until he and Putin get together. But it is worth bearing mind that very little movement towards a ceasefire in Ukraine – let alone a peace agreement – occurred after the last phone call between the two presidents in February.

    Part of this lack of progress has been Trump’s reluctance to put any real pressure on Putin. And despite agreement in Brussels and preparations in Washington for an escalation in sanctions against Russia, it is unlikely that Trump will change his approach.

    In this context, the sequence in which the calls occurred is telling. Trump and Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, had a short call before the former spoke with Putin. Zelensky said he told Trump not to make decisions about Ukraine “without us”.

    But rather than presenting Putin with a clear ultimatum to accept a ceasefire, Trump apparently discussed future relations with Putin at great length before informing Zelensky and key European allies that the war in Ukraine is now solely their problem to solve.

    This has certainly raised justifiable fears in Kyiv and European capitals that, for the sake of a reset with Russia, the US might yet completely abandon its allies across the Atlantic.

    However, if a reset with Russia at any cost really is Trump’s strategy, it is bound to fail. As much as Putin seems willing to continue with his aggression against Ukraine, Zelensky is as unwilling to surrender. Putin can rely on China’s continued backing while Zelensky can count on support from Europe.

    Supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine is essential for China to keep Moscow on side in its rivalry with the US. And for Europe, supporting Ukraine has become an existential question of deterring and containing a revisionist Russia hell-bent on restoring a Soviet-style sphere of influence in central and eastern Europe.

    In a world that has been in flux since Trump’s return to the White House, these are some of the emerging constants. And they make a US-Russia reset highly improbable.

    Even if it were to happen, it would not strengthen Washington’s position with Beijing. Walking away from Ukraine and Europe now will deprive the US of the very allies it will need in the long term to prevail in its rivalry with China.

    By abandoning his mediation between Moscow and Kyiv, Trump may have broken the deadlock in his efforts to achieve a reset with Russia. But getting this deal over the line will be a pyrrhic victory.

    Stefan Wolff is a past recipient of grant funding from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, the United States Institute of Peace, the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK, the British Academy, the NATO Science for Peace Programme, the EU Framework Programmes 6 and 7 and Horizon 2020, as well as the EU’s Jean Monnet Programme. He is a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Political Studies Association of the UK and a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.

    – ref. After another call with Putin, it looks like Trump has abandoned efforts to mediate peace in Ukraine – https://theconversation.com/after-another-call-with-putin-it-looks-like-trump-has-abandoned-efforts-to-mediate-peace-in-ukraine-257021

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why do protestors use disruptive, confrontational tactics? New research shows they’re not just a last resort

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Mete Sefa Uysal, Lecturer in Social & Political Psychology, University of Exeter

    HJBC/Shutterstock

    Public protests are on the rise globally, from climate marches and university occupations to roadblocks and mass political demonstrations. These actions may sometimes include confrontational tactics such as civil disobedience, disruption and, at times, violent resistance.

    At Columbia University in the US, for instance, pro-Palestine student protests recently captured global attention for their tactics. They ranged from non-confrontational actions such as gatherings and sit-ins to campus encampments and occupations aimed at disrupting daily activities, which eventually led to confrontations with police.

    Actions like these often spark debate. Are activists acting strategically, or simply reacting out of desperation and rage? Our new research sheds light on this question. Contrary to popular belief, people do not only turn to confrontational protest because they are desperate or lack political alternatives.

    Confrontational protests are frequently portrayed negatively. They are often associated with extremism, disorder, or desperation. So it’s long been a mystery why people choose such confrontational forms of protest, especially given more conventional options like petitions or authorised rallies offer broader public support and visibility.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    In our surveys of 3,833 people across three countries – Germany, Turkey and the UK – we found that people choose confrontational action when they believe it is effective and legitimate for achieving their group’s political goals.

    That said, in some protests, confrontational tactics may emerge spontaneously as a self-defence, driven by immediate threats. But it is not simply an emotional outburst or a last resort: it can be a strategic choice.

    This challenges a widely discussed idea in social and political psychology called the “nothing-to-lose” hypothesis. According to this view, people are driven to confrontational protest when they see non-confrontational action (such as voting, petitioning, or authorised marches) as ineffective. This is often because they have little political trust or are oppressed. Our studies ultimately tested this hypothesis.

    We found that most people rated non-confrontational actions as more effective than confrontational ones. But they still saw confrontational tactics as worthwhile if they also seemed effective and justifiable.

    Interestingly, we discovered that low political trust – a lack of belief that the political system works fairly – did not predict confrontational protest. In fact, it was only weakly linked to perceived effectiveness and legitimacy of such tactics.

    While previous theories suggested that people with nothing to lose would be the ones most drawn to radical action, our findings paint a more complex picture. People don’t necessarily need to lose all faith in the political system before considering disruptive protest. Rather, they judge whether a specific tactic will advance their cause and align with their collective moral values.

    Just Stop Oil protestors with hands glued to the frame of da Vinci’s The Last Supper.
    wikipedia, CC BY-SA

    We also found that when people think that protests are more likely to be met with state violence, they are more likely to view confrontational tactics as legitimate and effective. In other words, when crowds foresee push-back, they recalibrate their strategies rather than withdrawing altogether from activism.

    Constructive disruption

    This research matters now more than ever. From climate movement and pro-Palestine rallies in many countries to anti-government and pro-democracy protests in the US, Turkey, Serbia and Argentina, we are witnessing a global wave of protest crowds.

    Understanding what drives people to disruptive and confrontational actions can help both policymakers and the public make sense of protest in today’s divided world. This may be a better option than moralising about good versus bad forms of protests, which serves to silence and criminalise disruptive and confrontational actions.

    The former UK home secretary Suella Braverman labelled climate protesters “extremists” and pro-Palestinian protests “hate marches”. She also proposed harsher crackdowns. But such an approach is only likely to make the protests more disruptive.

    Similarly, several government responses to UK parliamentary reports on protest policing distinguish “right to peaceful protest” from any kind of disruptive and confrontational activism. They also highlight that the legal definition of “serious disruption” has been widened.

    But viewing all disruptive protests as being outside of legal boundaries is likely to create pushback among activists and limit the potential constructive social influence of such protests.

    We argue that it’s time to rethink how we talk about confrontational and disruptive protests. Rather than viewing them as irrational, extreme or born of despair, we should understand it as part of a wider repertoire of political action.

    Here, labelling a set of protests through binary, moralised terms can lead to overlooking and silencing a crucial and effective protest strategy: constructive disruption. Constructive disruption relies on carefully balancing non-violent but disruptive actions. This can apply pressure for change while signalling positive intent that encourages a conciliatory response to protest.

    As a group of social psychologists recently showed, constructive disruption could generate support even among those who are most resistant.

    If we recognise that such tactics are often grounded in a sense of justice and strategic reasoning, we can move away from moralistic judgements and toward democratic dialogue by better engaging with the underlying demands that drive them.

    As protest movements continue to shape political life around the world, we believe it’s time to take their strategies seriously – not just their slogans.

    Mete Sefa Uysal received funding from the International Society of Political Psychology Scholar Under Threat Fund for a part of this study.

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

    – ref. Why do protestors use disruptive, confrontational tactics? New research shows they’re not just a last resort – https://theconversation.com/why-do-protestors-use-disruptive-confrontational-tactics-new-research-shows-theyre-not-just-a-last-resort-256716

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New Director of Public Health Appointed for the Isle of Wight 20 May 2025 The Isle of Wight Council has announced the appointment of a new Director of Public Health

    Source: Aisle of Wight

    The Isle of Wight Council has announced the appointment of a new Director of Public Health who will lead the Island’s Public Health service as it transitions to a fully independent model.

    Following a national recruitment process, Kate Harvey has been appointed to this crucial statutory role and will join the council’s senior leadership team in the coming months.

    The appointment follows a decision by the council’s Cabinet earlier this year not to renew the long-standing partnership with Hampshire County Council for public health services beyond August 2025. This change reflects the council’s commitment to strengthening local leadership, improving health outcomes, and delivering a public health service tailored specifically to the needs of Island communities.

    Kate brings to the role a wealth of experience across health protection, health improvement and system leadership, including partnership working across the NHS, local authorities, and the voluntary and community sector. Her career has been defined by a strong focus on reducing health inequalities and improving the building blocks for good health.

    Kate said: “I am delighted to be joining the Isle of Wight Council at such an important time for the Public Health service. The opportunity to lead a locally focused, place-based approach to health and wellbeing is one I truly value. I look forward to working with colleagues across the council and with our many partners to ensure we deliver the best possible public health outcomes for Island residents.”

    The new director will oversee a growing team of specialists as part of the council’s enhanced Public Health structure — a move designed to ensure robust leadership and continued improvements in service delivery.

    Wendy Perera, the council’s chief executive, said:

    “We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Simon Bryant, Director of Public Health for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, for his dedicated leadership over many years. Simon has played an instrumental role in shaping and guiding the Island’s public health function, providing stability, expertise and strong partnership working throughout his tenure.”

    “We look forward to welcoming Kate to the senior management team at the council. Her substantial knowledge and skills will lead the way in shaping a service tailored precisely to the needs of those it supports. Putting our residents and our community at the heart of what we do is essential to providing an excellent service for them. In Kate, we have an inspirational director who is committed to driving forward our vision, with a passion to support our communities into the future.”

    Councillor Debbie Andre, Cabinet member for adult social care and public health, said: “There are some challenging issues to deal with in the coming months, but the appointment of Kate means we will be in an excellent place to address these issues. Kate brings the right mix of leadership, experience, and passion to help us deliver excellent public health outcomes and ensure that we are responsive to the Island’s specific needs.”

    Here Kate discusses her vision and plans for the future:

    Can you introduce yourself and share a bit about your background in public health?

    I am originally from the Isle of Wight and am thrilled to be returning to work in a place so dear to my heart.  After starting my career in the voluntary sector, I’ve worked in senior public health roles in Local Government and the NHS for over 10 years, in London, Dorset and most recently Southampton. I also worked closely with the University of Southampton to support the creation and use of high-quality evidence to inform decisions that can improve health and reduce inequalities.  This breadth of experience will be invaluable on the Island. Working together for the residents that we serve offers the best potential for the Island to become a fairer and healthier place for all.

    What is your vision for public health on the Isle of Wight?

    I’m thrilled to be joining the Isle of Wight as the new Director of Public Health. I’m very much looking forward to working with residents, communities and colleagues within and outside of the council to improve health and wellbeing. The strength of our local Public Health team and legacy of the partnership with Hampshire, mean that it is an ideal time to be launching the Island’s own public health service. I’m particularly excited about the opportunities to work with residents and the communities that are the heart of the Island to improve the building blocks for good health and reduce inequalities.

    What unique challenges do you think the Isle of Wight faces in terms of public health? How do you plan to address these challenges?

    The beautiful Island has many strong communities, a vibrant voluntary sector and clear sense of place. Despite so many strengths, not everyone has the same opportunity for good health and wellbeing. Providing the Island’s own public health leadership is an exciting opportunity to work more closely with residents, communities and local partners to improve the building blocks for good health and reduce inequalities so that the Island can be a fairer and healthier place for all.

    Subject to the appointment process, Kate is expected to take up the post at the end of August, allowing for a smooth transition ahead of the end of the Hampshire partnership.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Mayor welcomes EY new office at Ebrington

    Source: Northern Ireland – City of Derry

    Mayor welcomes EY new office at Ebrington

    20 May 2025

    Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Lilian Seenoi Barr has warmly welcomed the official opening of EY’s new office in the Ebrington Plaza. Mayor Barr said it was a significant business investment and highlighted the growing appeal of Derry and the wider North West region as a vibrant business hub.

    She acknowledged that this investment also marks a crucial step in EY’s ambitious expansion plans across Northern Ireland.

    EY, a leading global professional services organisation, supports businesses across a diverse range of industries and sectors, offering expertise in areas such as Audit, Corporate Finance, Tax and Law, Consulting, AI, and Data Analytics. The establishment of this new location will accommodate up to 120 professionals, a blend of newly recruited talent and existing EY Northern Ireland staff.

    Mayor Barr said:  “This is a truly significant day for our city. The arrival of a globally recognised firm like EY to Ebrington Plaza is a powerful vote of confidence in the talent and potential that Derry Strabane and the wider North West region has to offer. This investment will not only create valuable, high-quality jobs but will also enrich our local business ecosystem by bringing in a wealth of expertise and opportunities.”

    “The new office in Derry will play a vital role in EY’s broader strategy to strengthen its regional presence within Northern Ireland. Furthermore, it reinforces EY Northern Ireland’s commitment made at the Northern Ireland Investment Summit in September 2023 to generate 1,000 new jobs across the region over the next five years.

    “Derry City and Strabane District Council is delighted that EY has chosen Derry as a key location for their expansion. Their commitment to creating new jobs and delivering market-leading services from this base aligns perfectly with our city’s ambitions for economic growth and prosperity set out in our Strategic Growth Plan. We look forward to a strong and collaborative partnership with EY as they embed themselves in our community.”

    The Mayor added: “This significant investment by EY in our city is fantastic news for the people of the North West. It will deliver a wide range of exciting job opportunities right here in Derry, whether you’re just starting your career or looking to take the next step. This commitment truly highlights the immense talent we have coming through our local schools, the North West Regional College, and Ulster University, ensuring a bright future for our community.”

    The Mayor concluded by wishing EY every success in their new venture at Ebrington Plaza and reiterated the city’s commitment to supporting their growth and integration into the local business landscape.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The Mashuk Development Center will teach university employees how to develop the KVN movement

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    On May 19, 2025, the Mashuk Knowledge Center launched an educational seminar, “School of Creative Leaders,” which brought together vice-rectors and specialists responsible for the development of the KVN movement in higher education institutions.

    The project is organized by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation together with the Methodological Center for the Study and Strengthening of the KVN Movement in Higher Education Institutions (KVN Center), created at the State University of Management.

    At the opening of the program, the participants were greeted via video link by Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Olga Petrova and Deputy General Director of the television creative association “AMiK”, Director of the KVN Center Viktor Vdovichenko.

    Vice-Rector of the State University of Management Pavel Pavlovsky told why the country needs KVN and what the KVN Center at the State University of Management does.

    Also speaking to the participants were the adviser of the department for ensuring the implementation of youth policy and educational activities of the Department of State Youth Policy and Educational Activities of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, Daria Gul, and the general director of the Mashuk Knowledge Center, Anton Serikov.

    The school is a comprehensive educational program aimed at developing the professional competencies of specialists responsible for the KVN movement in universities.

    The training will last three days: from May 19 to May 22, 2025. During the events, participants will gain practical skills in organizing and developing KVN teams, master modern methods of creating humorous content and learn how to effectively integrate KVN into the educational system of higher education.

    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 –