NewzIntel.com

Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA’s NICER Maps Debris From Recurring Cosmic Crashes

    Source: NASA

    Lee esta nota de prensa en español aquí.
    For the first time, astronomers have probed the physical environment of repeating X-ray outbursts near monster black holes thanks to data from NASA’s NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) and other missions.
    Scientists have only recently encountered this class of X-ray flares, called QPEs, or quasi-periodic eruptions. A system astronomers have nicknamed Ansky is the eighth QPE source discovered, and it produces the most energetic outbursts seen to date. Ansky also sets records in terms of timing and duration, with eruptions every 4.5 days or so that last approximately 1.5 days.
    “These QPEs are mysterious and intensely interesting phenomena,” said Joheen Chakraborty, a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. “One of the most intriguing aspects is their quasi-periodic nature. We’re still developing the methodologies and frameworks we need to understand what causes QPEs, and Ansky’s unusual properties are helping us improve those tools.”

    [embedded content]
    Watch how astronomers used data from NASA’s NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) to study a mysterious cosmic phenomenon called a quasi-periodic eruption, or QPE.NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

    Ansky’s name comes from ZTF19acnskyy, the moniker of a visible-light outburst seen in 2019. It was located in a galaxy about 300 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. This event was the first indication that something unusual might be happening.
    A paper about Ansky, led by Chakraborty, was published Tuesday in The Astrophysical Journal.
    A leading theory suggests that QPEs occur in systems where a relatively low-mass object passes through the disk of gas surrounding a supermassive black hole that holds hundreds of thousands to billions of times the Sun’s mass.
    When the lower-mass object punches through the disk, its passage drives out expanding clouds of hot gas that we observe as QPEs in X-rays.
    Scientists think the eruptions’ quasi-periodicity occurs because the smaller object’s orbit is not perfectly circular and spirals toward the black hole over time. Also, the extreme gravity close to the black hole warps the fabric of space-time, altering the object’s orbits so they don’t close on themselves with each cycle. Scientists’ current understanding suggests the eruptions repeat until the disk disappears or the orbiting object disintegrates, which may take up to a few years.

    “Ansky’s extreme properties may be due to the nature of the disk around its supermassive black hole,” said Lorena Hernández-García, an astrophysicist at the Millennium Nucleus on Transversal Research and Technology to Explore Supermassive Black Holes, the Millennium Institute of Astrophysics, and University of Valparaíso in Chile. “In most QPE systems the supermassive black hole likely shreds a passing star, creating a small disk very close to itself. In Ansky’s case, we think the disk is much larger and can involve objects farther away, creating the longer timescales we observe.”
    Hernández-García, in addition to being a co-author on Chakraborty’s paper, led the study that discovered Ansky’s QPEs, which was published in April in Nature Astronomy and used data from NICER, NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and Chandra X-ray Observatory, as well as ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) XMM-Newton space telescope.
    NICER’s position on the International Space Station allowed it to observe Ansky about 16 times every day from May to July 2024. The frequency of the observations was critical in detecting the X-ray fluctuations that revealed Ansky produces QPEs.
    Chakraborty’s team used data from NICER and XMM-Newton to map the rapid evolution of the ejected material driving the observed QPEs in unprecedented detail by studying variations in X-ray intensity during the rise and fall of each eruption.
    The researchers found that each impact resulted in about a Jupiter’s worth of mass reaching expansion velocities around 15% of the speed of light.

    The NICER telescope’s ability to frequently observe Ansky from the space station and its unique measurement capabilities also made it possible for the team to measure the size and temperature of the roughly spherical bubble of debris as it expanded.
    “All NICER’s Ansky observations used in these papers were collected after the instrument experienced a ‘light leak’ in May 2023,” said Zaven Arzoumanian, the mission’s science lead at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “Even though the leak – which was patched in January – affected the telescope’s observing strategy, NICER was still able to make vital contributions to time domain astronomy, or the study of changes in the cosmos on timescales we can see.”
    After the repair, NICER continued observing Ansky to explore how the outbursts have evolved over time. A paper about these results, led by Hernández-García and co-authored by Chakraborty, is under review.
    Observational studies of QPEs like Chakraborty’s will also play a key role in preparing the science community for a new era of multimessenger astronomy, which combines measurements using light, elementary particles, and space-time ripples called gravitational waves to better understand objects and events in the universe.
    One goal of ESA’s future LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission, in which NASA is a partner, is to study extreme mass-ratio inspirals — or systems where a low-mass object orbits a much more massive one, like Ansky. These systems should emit gravitational waves that are not observable with current facilities. Electromagnetic studies of QPEs will help improve models of those systems ahead of LISA’s anticipated launch in the mid-2030s.
    “We’re going to keep observing Ansky for as long as we can,” Chakraborty said. “We’re still in the infancy of understanding QPEs. It’s such an exciting time because there’s so much to learn.”

    By Jeanette KazmierczakNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
    Media Contact:Claire Andreoli301-286-1940claire.andreoli@nasa.govNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: GUU Spring Ball: Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of “The Great Gatsby”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    On May 14 at 17:00 the Spring Ball will be held at the State University of Management.

    This year, the magical atmosphere of the novel “The Great Gatsby” was chosen for the holiday.

    Student couples will showcase their dancing skills in several group dances, as well as present individual performances.

    The winners will be determined by a jury consisting of:

    Deputy Director of the IEF for educational work Valeria Ivanova Deputy Director of the IEF for educational work Vladimir Popov Chairman of the IEF Student Council Tatyana Kalko Chairman of the IEF Student Council Ramazan Rakhmanov Curator of the IEF 2024, choreographer of the Spring Ball 2024 Alisa Zueva

    The celebration will take place in the lobby of the Central Control and Information Center on May 14 at 17:00.

    Hurry up to take a seat in the auditorium and become part of an elegant and romantic story.

    Subscribe to the tg channel “Our State University” Announcement date: 05/14/2025

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Jiangsu Normal University delegation visits Polytechnic

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University and Jiangsu Normal University continue to strengthen their strategic partnership, which started in 2015. The Polytechnic was visited by a representative delegation from China, which included Vice-Rector of Jiangsu Normal University Dong Xiaochen, Secretary of the SPbPU-CPU Joint Engineering Institute Yin Yanping, Director of the Electrical Institute of CPU Duan Na and Deputy Director of the Joint Engineering Institute Wang Li.

    Over the years of cooperation, the Joint Engineering Institute SPbPU-CPU, opened in 2016, has trained more than a thousand graduates in the fields of electronics, mechanical engineering, infocommunication technologies and communication systems. The annual student intake is 200-250 people, and the total number of students exceeds 2000. At the Russian Language Center based at the CPU, Chinese students are jointly taught by teachers from our universities.

    Representatives of the universities discussed plans to expand cooperation at the meeting. SPbPU proposed to include new areas: artificial intelligence, digital technologies in construction, intelligent systems for managing production processes, energy, including nuclear and digital, where the university has unique experience.

    The key challenge remains the level of Russian language proficiency among Chinese students. To achieve this goal, it is planned to strengthen knowledge control by sending more SPbPU teachers to China to conduct classes and assessments.

    As part of the development of our long-term partnership, we strive to optimize educational programs so that they meet modern standards and requirements. Particular attention is paid to strengthening the language base: we propose to gradually improve the level of proficiency in Russian by involving SPbPU experts in student assessment, – noted Vice-Rector of Jiangsu Normal University Dong Xiaochen.

    The parties agreed to expand the areas and implement new educational models.

    We were the first to create such an institute. We are confident that we will remain leaders in international educational partnership. Our task is to maintain the quality of training, relying on the unique competencies of our universities, – emphasized the Vice-Rector for International Affairs of SPbPU Dmitry Arsenyev.

    The development of the Joint Engineering Institute opens up new opportunities for strategic partnership in the field of high technologies, combining advanced educational methods and research potential.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: HARRISBURG – Growing Tomorrow’s Workforce – Shapiro Administration to Host Area K-8 Students for Hands-On Agriculture Career Inspiration, Exploration

    Source: US State of Pennsylvania

    June 07, 2025 – Harrisburg, PA

    ADVISORY – HARRISBURG – Growing Tomorrow’s Workforce – Shapiro Administration to Host Area K-8 Students for Hands-On Agriculture Career Inspiration, Exploration

    Agriculture Secretary and Acting Education Secretary Dr. Carrie Rowe will join area K-8 students for a highlights tour of Farm City Day – a day of hands-on agriculture career inspiration and exploration at the PA Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. The event is part of the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to creating opportunities for meaningful careers for all Pennsylvania students and growing the skilled workforce ag employers need to keep Pennsylvania a national ag leader in the future.

    Throughout two school days, more than 1,300 students from Carlisle, Central Dauphin, Conewago, Harrisburg, Lower Dauphin, Muhlenberg, Reading, Schuylkill Valley, Susquehanna, Warrior Run, and West Shore School Districts, as well as private, charter, and homeschool students from across southcentral PA will encounter horses, rabbits, lambs, and pigs up close, and learn about careers from dairy farming and beekeeping to sustainable forestry, plant science, and animal care.

    WHAT:
    2025 Farm City Day – media availability and brief highlight tour

    WHO:
    Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding
    Acting Education Secretary Dr. Carrie Rowe
    Educators and students from across southcentral Pennsylvania

    WHEN:
    Wednesday, May 7, 11:30 a.m.

    WHERE:
    PA Farm Show Complex & Expo Center, 2300 N. Cameron Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110
    (Enter Main Hall via Maclay St. Lobby entrance)

    RSVP:
    Media wishing to attend should RSVP to Shannon Powers, shpowers@pa.gov.

    Contact:
    shpowers@pa.gov, 717.603.2056

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Secures Preliminary Injunction in Lawsuit to Protect Vital Education Funding

    Source: US State of California

    Tuesday, May 6, 2025

    Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a statement on the decision by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York granting a preliminary injunction to prevent the federal government from rescinding access to hundreds of millions of dollars in vital education funding while litigation proceeds. In California alone, over $200 million in previously awarded and obligated funding is at stake – funding that school districts are already putting to use for programs such as afterschool and summer learning initiatives, the purchase of educational technology, and the provision of mental health services and support.  

    “The Trump Administration continues to break the law, and we continue to hold him accountable,” said Attorney General Bonta. “I’m pleased by the court’s decision today allowing vital education funding to continue to flow into our schools while our case continues. We will not stop fighting to ensure these unlawful, nonsensical funding cuts never see the light of day. Our students deserve nothing less.”

    BACKGROUND 

    On March 28, 2025, Education Secretary Linda McMahon notified state departments of education that the U.S. Department of Education had unilaterally rescinded access to previously awarded and obligated education funding that is currently being used by school districts to support the academic recovery of students following the COVID-19 pandemic. These programs and services address, among other things, the impact of lost instructional time; students’ academic, social, and emotional needs; and the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on economically-disadvantaged students,  including homeless children and children in foster care.  

    On April 10, 2025, Attorney General Rob Bonta and a coalition of states challenged the Department of Education’s actions. The states argue that the Department’s decision to rescind access to this funding is arbitrary and capricious in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act, exceeds the Department’s statutory and regulatory authority under the law, and will cause immediate and devastating harm to school districts in California and across the nation.

    A copy of the court’s order is available here.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Travel Advisory: Weekday Closures of School Street in Lincoln Begin May 19

    Source: US State of Rhode Island

    As part of ongoing improvements to School Street in Lincoln, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will temporarily close School Street, from Old River Road (Route 126) to Main Street in Albion, weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. effective Monday morning, May 19.

    During these daytime closures, water and sewer lines will be replaced, existing sidewalks and curbing will be brought into Americans with Disabilities (ADA) compliance, and the road will be repaved. Local traffic will be permitted.

    During the closure times, signed detours will be in place for through traffic between Mendon Road (Route 122) and Old River Road. They will remain in place through the end of the year. The suggested detours for School Street include:

    � From Old River Road Northbound Toward Albion: Use Old River Road to Main Street to Mendon Road to Albion Road to return to School Street.

    � From Old River Road South Toward Albion: Use Old River Road to George Washington Highway (Route 116) to Mendon Road to Albion Road to return to School Street.

    � From Albion Road toward Old River Road: Use Mendon Road and follow the detour through Manville or the detour via George Washington Highway.

    RIDOT has been in close coordination with the Town of Lincoln to coordinate their utility work with RIDOT’s sidewalk and paving project.

    All construction projects are subject to changes in schedule and scope depending on needs, circumstances, findings and weather.

    The School Street Improvement Project is made possible by RhodeWorks. RIDOT is committed to bringing Rhode Island’s infrastructure into a state of good repair while respecting the environment and striving to improve it. Learn more at www.ridot.net/RhodeWorks.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: North Dakota Development Fund Invests Nearly $2.3M in Q1 Projects

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    The North Dakota Department of Commerce announced today that four companies were approved for a total of $2.35 million in loan funds through the North Dakota Development Fund Inc. during the first quarter of 2025.

    “These investments reflect our ongoing commitment to fostering economic growth, meeting community needs, and creating jobs across North Dakota,” said Commerce Deputy Director – Economic Development & Finance / Head of Investments and Innovation Shayden Akason. “Through the Development Fund, we’re proud to support businesses that are moving the state forward.”

    Loan highlights:

    • After School Latch Key Program Inc., doing business as TL Childcare, received a $247,500 loan to purchase a building and expand its child care operations.
    • Valor Victoria Ltd. was approved for a $500,000 loan for working capital.
    • Charge On Together Center LLC in Jamestown received a $600,572 loan for building renovations to expand its child care operations.
    • Small Wonders Preschool Childcare Center Inc. in Fargo was approved for two $500,000 loans to support renovations and construction of new child care facilities at two separate locations.

    Established in 1991, the North Dakota Development Fund provides flexible financing for new or expanding businesses. The fund also manages the Child Care Loan Program, which supports providers addressing critical workforce needs.

    For more information about the Development Fund, visit belegendary.link/North-Dakota-Development-Fund.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New children’s books coming to Beaverton, Hillsboro and Tigard Oregon Department of Human Services offices

    Source: US State of Oregon

    span dir=”ltr”>Staff from the Beaverton Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Self Sufficiency and Oregon Eligibility Partnership programs, as well as some community volunteers, recently held a “book party.”

    The party wasn’t the kind of party that’s about food, drinks and dancing. It was more about placing stickers in 980 books for pre-Kindergarten children. The Washington County Early Learning Hub donated the books as well as three new bookcases. The stickers provided information about Washington County Early Learning Hub resources for children and families. Community Partnership Coordinators, Kaylie Camp and Aubrey Stark, along with Oregon Eligibility Supervisor, Callie Herzig, led the stickering event. It included 10 volunteers from Just Create Community.

    The books will be shared with two other ODHS Washington County offices, Tigard and Hillsboro Self-Sufficiency as well as in the ODHS Mobile Van.

    Angela Day, Operations and Policy Analyst for the Self-Sufficiency and Child Welfare programs coordinated the books and bookshelves donation with the Washington County Early Learning Hub,

    “Community engagement is important. We are working hard to engage with our community. One of the ways we are doing this is by having items available we can give out to families. Serving families and bringing literacy to children is beneficial for our community,” Day said.

    Sandra Garcia Fresh, Operations and Policy Analyst; for Self-Sufficiency and Child Welfare programs also participated in the stickering event.

    “The books create a more welcoming environment. Sometimes our offices all look the same. We have welcoming murals on the walls now, why not extend it to books. What’s better than having books available to read in your own language,” she said.

    The books come in a variety of languages including: Arabic, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Pashto, Russian, Spanish, Somali, Ukrainian and Vietnamese. There are also a variety of cultures represented in the books.

    “Families wait for services in our lobby with their children. These books provide entertainment for young children. Parents can use them to interact with their kids while waiting. All this further promotes literacy for children in Oregon. By having books available in multiple languages, we are enhancing accessibility for more families in our community. Over the last year, we have taken steps to make our offices more family oriented and trauma informed, this is another way for us to do that and build relationships with the community members that we serve. My stepmom always said “reading is a window into the world. If you learn to read, you can do anything” Callie Herzig, Oregon Eligibility Supervisor, said.

    Begoña Rodriguez Liern is the Director of the Early Learning Washington County Hub (ELWC), which donated the books and bookshelves. The hubs are designated to create an efficient early learning system to ensure that all children, from prenatal to age eight, receive the necessary opportunities and supports for success in school. ELWC used Birth through Five funds to support this initiative.

    “Serving the diverse population from Washington County required some digging to get the books we wanted on specific topics such as inclusion, and STEAM, (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math). It is important for ELWC to support the children’s process around language acquisition as well as supporting the preservation of their native language. We also wanted to gussy up the offices, so they’d look more family-friendly, so we decided to give those spaces a lift up,” Rodriguez Liern said.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Pillen Announces Appointments to Boards and Commissions

    Source: US State of Nebraska

    . Pillen Announces Appointments to Boards and Commissions

    LINCOLN, NE – Governor Jim Pillen is announcing appointments made to boards and commissions December 31, 2024, through March 31, 2025.

    The list of current board and commission openings can be found on the Governor’s website (https://governor.nebraska.gov/board-comm-req), along with instructions on completing an application.

    Advisory Committee on Aging
    Ira Nathan, Omaha 
    Marilyn Alber, Blue Hill 
    Alma Varela, Hastings 
    Gloria Aron, Lincoln 
    Richard Brandow, Laurel 
    Linda Schweitzer, Comstock

    Aeronautics Commission
    Edward Dunn, Grant

    Board of Early Childhood Education Endowment 
    Rony Ortega, South Sioux City 
    Eric Buchanan, Lincoln

    Board of Landscape Architects
    Dennis Bryers, Omaha

    Board of Public Roads Classifications and Standards
    Bathan Sorben, Waverly 
    Kyle Anderson, Valley

    Capitol Commission 
    John Wightman, Jr

    Crime Commission – Nebraska
    Aaron Hanson, Omaha

    Coalition for Juvenile Justice
    Steve Solorio, Lincoln 
    Erika Schwarting, Omaha 
    Lincoln Arneal, Lincoln 
    Ingrid Gansebom, Osmond 
    Adama Sawadogo, Omaha 
    Candice Novak, Omaha 
    Denise Mathei, Hastings 
    Jorge Garcia, Milford

    Commission on African American Affairs 
    Terri Crawford, Omaha 
    Ted Lampkin, Omaha 
    Jo Anna LeFlore-Ejike, Omaha 
    Johnny Nesbit, Omaha

    Commission for Deaf & Hard of Hearing 
    Roy Christensen, Lincoln

    Committee on Pacific Conflict 
    Jason Jackson, Lincoln

    Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision 
    Greg London, Papillion

    Nebraska Game and Parks Commission 
    Stephen D. Mossman, Lincoln 
    Kurt Arganbright, Valentine 
    Lisa Roskens, Omaha

    Nebraska Investment Council 
    Brian Christensen, Columbus

    Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation 
    Steve Mattoon, Sidney

    Nebraska Real Property Appraiser Board 
    Adam Batie, Kearney

    Nebraska State Historical Society Board 
    Jacquelyn Morrison, Papillion

    Nuclear and Hydrogen Industry Work Group 
    Lenette Sprunk, Columbus

    Power Review Board 
    Dennis Grennan, Columbus

    Public Employees Retirement Board 
    Jacob Curtiss, Waverly

    Rural Health Advisory Committee 
    Diva Wilson, MD, Papillion

    State Board of Landscape Architects 
    Dennis Bryers, Omaha

    State Colleges Board of Trustees 
    Connie Edmond, Lincoln 
    Robert Engles, Auburn

    State Electrical Board 
    James Brummer 
    Tyler Ritz, Kearney

    State Fair Board 
    Anna Castner Wightman, Omaha

    State Records Board 
    Jason Jackson, Lincoln

    Tourism Commission
    Courtney Dentlinger, Norfolk
    David Wolf, Scottsbluff
    David Fudge, North Platte
    Paul Younes, Kearney
    Debra Kelly, O’Niell
    Rachel Kreikemeier, Beatrice

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on violations of religious freedom in Tibet – B10-0254/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
    pursuant to Rule 150 of the Rules of Procedure

    Engin Eroglu, Oihane Agirregoitia Martínez, Petras Auštrevičius, Malik Azmani, Dan Barna, Helmut Brandstätter, Benoit Cassart, Olivier Chastel, Bernard Guetta, Svenja Hahn, Ľubica Karvašová, Moritz Körner, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Nathalie Loiseau, Karin Karlsbro, Jan‑Christoph Oetjen, Marie‑Agnes Strack‑Zimmermann, Lucia Yar, Dainius Žalimas
    on behalf of the Renew Group

    NB: This motion for a resolution is available in the original language only.

    Document selected :  

    B10-0254/2025

    Texts tabled :

    B10-0254/2025

    Texts adopted :

    B10‑0254/2025

    Motion for a European Parliament resolution on Violations of religious freedom in Tibet

    (2025/2692(RSP))

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to its previous resolutions on China,

    – having regard to Rules 150 of its Rules of Procedure,

    1. whereas under the authoritarian rule of the CCP under Xi Jinping the Chinese government intensified a policy of Sinicization and assimilation of Tibetan Buddhism that includes widespread persecution, political-re-education, disinformation about Tibet, falsification of its history destruction of religious sites, such as in Drago County, mass surveillance, cultural and linguistic suppression, population control and mass relocation as laid out in several legal provisions, including the PRC Patriotic Education Law, and Xi’s remarks at the 7th Tibet Work Forum of August 2020;
    2. whereas Tibetan Buddhists, who are systemically targeted by Chinese authorities, face forced disappearances and physical abuse, represent the largest religious group among political prisoners in China; whereas Tulku Hungkar Dorje, a 56-year-old Tibetan Buddhist leader who disappeared in China eight months ago, reportedly died under mysterious circumstances in Chinese custody in Vietnam in late March 2025 and swiftly cremated his body in Vietnam without the consent of his family;
    3. whereas the defence of universal human rights should be at the centre of the EU’s engagement with China;
    1. Strongly condemns the PRC’s violations of universal human rights in Tibet, including targeting individuals striving for the preservation of Tibetan language, culture and environment; opposes to any effort by the Chinese government to select Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leaders, including the Dalai Lama.

     

    1. Urges the Chinese government to immediately end its oppressive assimilation policy in Tibet and elsewhere, allow free and peaceful religious practice, and to release all religious and political prisoners, including the Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family who were abducted by Chinese authorities in May 1995;

     

    1. Calls for the EU and the Member States to adopt sanctions against high-ranking officials and entities involved in human rights violations in Tibet, and warn China that its actions in Tibet will have consequences for the development of all areas of EU-China relations;

     

     

    1. Recalls that the PRC is an authoritarian one-party dictatorship that restricts freedoms of speech, religion, assembly and cultural expression, particularly of ethnic and religious minority groups, including Tibetans; notes that these actions are fundamentally contrary to the universal values enshrined in the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

     

    1. calls for an independent investigation into the death of Tulku Hungkar Dorje; and urges the EU to come up with targeted measures to investigate and prevent China’s transnational repression against diaspora groups;

     

    1. Recalls the importance of the EU raising the issue of human rights violations in China, particularly the situation in Tibet, at all political and human rights dialogues with the Chinese authorities; calls on the EU and the Member States to counter disinformation about Tibet;

     

    1. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Chinese Mission of the PRC in Brussels, the Chinese MFA, the VP/HR, the Commission, the Member States and the United Nations;

     

     

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic University opens preparatory faculty in China

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University opened a new joint program at the SCO Institute of Trade and Economics in Qingdao (Shandong Province) to prepare Chinese applicants for admission to Russian universities. At the signing ceremony, our university was represented by the Director of the Center for Russian as a Foreign Language of the Higher School of International Educational Programs, Alexey Pavlov, and the SCO Institute was represented by its Director, Zheng Shi.

    We have been cooperating with the Higher School of International Educational Programs of SPbPU for two years now with the help of our regular partner Globus International Ltd. And now we are opening a center where schoolchildren will not only study, but will also have the opportunity to take the Russian language exam according to the TRKI system. This is very important for Chinese applicants and their parents, – said Mr. Zheng Shi.

    For his part, Alexey Pavlov noted: I have personally observed the huge interest of Chinese schoolchildren in studying at Russian universities. I am confident that our center will have a long and successful career. Qualified teachers from the Higher School of International Educational Programs of the Polytechnic University will participate in both the preparation of Chinese applicants and in the advanced training of Chinese teachers of Russian as a foreign language.

    Director of the Higher School of International Trade and Economics Viktor Krasnoshchyokov called the opening of the center a logical stage of fruitful cooperation with the SCO Trade and Economic Institute.

    Improving the quality of training for Chinese applicants is our top priority. The Higher School’s methodologists are constantly improving the methodology for teaching Russian outside the language environment, he emphasized.

    The strongest school of engineering education of the Polytechnic University enjoys well-deserved authority in China. We strive to fulfill the high standards set by the state for the number of foreign students, while not reducing, but constantly improving the quality of their training. This is impossible without the introduction of innovative forms and technologies of training, one of which is the creation of remote preparatory departments, – summed up the Vice-Rector for International Affairs of SPbPU Dmitry Arsenyev.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: “We are facing changes in sanctions and counter-sanctions procedures”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    Higher School of Economics launches new DPO program “The State and Business in the Age of Sanctions: Strategies for Successful Development”, where training is provided by leading experts in the field of analysis of sanctions risks and trends from relevant government agencies, businesses, and academies. Its students will be able to study in detail the risks for Russian companies and their foreign partners, including those related to export restrictions.

    The additional professional education program “State and Business in the Age of Sanctions: Strategies for Successful Development” was presented during the scientific and practical seminar “State and Business in the Age of Sanctions: Trends and Risks of 2025”, organized within the framework of the HSE Academic Personnel Reserve project “New World Order”.

    Seminar moderator, leading research fellow at the Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies (CCEIS) at the National Research University Higher School of Economics Leo Sokolshchik said that it is intended for those who work with foreign counterparties and are interested in forming customized strategies for successful development. The program will study key sanctions trends and risks of 2025, their impact on business, the economy and political strategy of states.

    Leo Sokolshchik

    The training program includes a survival guide for Russian businesses, information on legal ways to work with foreign partners and the formation of sustainable international business partnerships in the context of sanctions risks. The sanctions policies of the US, EU and China, as well as Russia’s response measures, will be examined in detail.

    At the same time, the program is practice-oriented: the training structure involves immersion in real cases and situations that one may encounter in professional activities. Studying on the course will not only increase the level of professional competencies, but will also allow you to expand your network of professional contacts.

    The teachers of the continuing education program include leading experts and practitioners in the field of international restrictions and export control: Ivan Timofeev, Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council; Dmitry Kiku, Deputy Director of the Department for Control over External Restrictions of the Ministry of Finance of Russia; Maria Roskoshnaya, Head of Export Control and Support of Foreign Economic Activity at Yandex; Vladimir Morozov, Leading Advisor of the Department of International and Regional Cooperation of the Accounts Chamber; Vasily Kashin, Director of the Center for Cemistry and International Studies, an expert on China and its relations with foreign partners; Yegor Prokhin, a visiting lecturer at HSE and a practitioner who has worked in international business with China and the countries of Southeast Asia for over 10 years; Inna Yanikeyeva, a lecturer at the National Research University Higher School of Economics and a specialist in cyber sanctions.

    At the seminar, the program’s teachers held their master classes. RIAC Director General Ivan Timofeev presented a master class on the topic “Trends in Anti-Russian Sanctions in 2025: the Split of the West and New Risks.” He noted that it should be remembered that sanctions are a foreign policy instrument that is implemented non-linearly; escalation and normalization do not mean their immediate strengthening and weakening. Now, for the first time in three years, a window of opportunity has opened, allowing us to talk about a probable easing of sanctions, but risks remain. In his opinion, one should be cautious about forecasts about a possible agreement, since the negotiations are taking place behind closed doors. If they fail, escalation is possible.

    Ivan Timofeev noted: currently, most of the bills on sanctions in the US Congress are aimed against China and Iran, but if any of the initiatives against Russia is adopted, this will strengthen the regime of anti-Russian sanctions. Escalation is also possible along the EU line, but most likely, it will be accompanied by seizures and quotas on some types of products.

    At the same time, voluntary control or self-regulation in advanced industries is increasing. Thus, in recent years, there has been a noticeable rapprochement between representatives of the regulator and business. The Alliance of AI Companies, together with the FSTEC of Russia, created and signed the Declaration on the Responsible Export of Artificial Intelligence Technologies and Software Based on Them. The Declaration establishes ethical principles and standards of conduct that developers should follow when exporting their own civil AI solutions. The standards include general principles and rules and specific recommendations on interactions with foreign counterparties and authorized government agencies.

    Maria Roskoshnaya drew attention to changes in the work of specialists. Previously, it was enough for them to know their niche and work algorithm, but now, due to the frequent emergence of new challenges, they have to regularly monitor changes in the export control of key partners. For example, when implementing a deal with China or the UAE, it is mandatory for experts to analyze the export control legislation of these countries. In addition, it is important to monitor innovations in counter-sanction regulation, including bans on the purchase of certain products, as well as on making payments in certain countries.

    “We are facing changes in sanctions and counter-sanction procedures. It is important to expand the range of knowledge, not limited to technical details and knowledge of the final recipients and final destination of the goods. For businesses, this means finding optimal logistics routes, opportunities for making payments without restrictions, combining the interests of logisticians, lawyers and financiers,” the expert said.

    She noted that difficulties may arise when continuing to interact with companies that left Russia after 2022. These aspects are currently monitored by counter-sanction compliance services, when it is necessary to justify and argue for continued cooperation with companies from unfriendly jurisdictions.

    At the master class “EU Sanctions in 2025: Strategies for Russia”, Vladimir Morozov explained that the possibility of using sanctions as a tool for achieving foreign policy goals is embedded in the legal foundations of the EU. They can be used for a wide range of reasons – from accusations of violating international law to the goals of protecting human rights. He called an important feature of EU sanctions their adoption at the supranational level with national supervision of their implementation, which gives rise to contradictions and certain difficulties in their implementation. The diversity of regimes, as well as national legislation and law enforcement practices, makes it difficult to navigate EU sanctions.

    Europe often seeks to counteract secondary sanctions from other countries, including the United States, by allowing restrictions against third countries, individuals and companies to be ignored. However, European companies often seek to take into account sanctions risks and implement “overcompliance” in this area, not wanting to lose the American market and the ability to make payments in dollars.

    Photo: iStock

    Since 2022, the European Commission has been playing an increasingly important role in introducing restrictions, and national institutions are experiencing increasing pressure from supranational institutions, including in tightening penalties for violating sanctions. If administrative liability was previously possible, now it is regarded as a criminal offense. The expert drew attention to the difference in approaches to punishments and investigations. The largest number of them is noted in Poland. The largest number of prison sentences is in the Netherlands, but for a short or suspended term. In Germany, the number of sentences is small, but the terms reach 7 years, and in Finland there are many successful investigations, but the punishments are mainly limited to a fine of 11,000 to 15,000 euros.

    The current stage of the EU sanctions policy development is characterized by gradual de-targeting of sanctions, i.e. the desire to inflict maximum damage, as well as active coordination of its own measures with partners, primarily with the United States. If in 2014-16 the EU measures lagged behind the American ones, then since 2022 they have been mostly synchronized. Another trend in European policy has been the active use of the secondary sanctions mechanism. In particular, in 2024 an amendment was adopted, according to which restrictions are imposed against companies and individuals from third countries who worked with Russian sanctioned persons and companies.

    Vladimir Morozov named the EU’s readiness to maintain the priority of political goals over economic feasibility as key factors and risks of the continuation, strengthening and, on the contrary, easing of sanctions, given that Europe has suffered greater losses than the US during the sanctions war with Russia.

    Egor Prokhin, in his master class “Formation of Sustainable Business Partnerships in the Context of Sanction Risks,” noted that over the past decades, sanctions have achieved their goals in about one third of cases. According to him, the greatest success was achieved against small states with insufficiently diversified and import-dependent economies.

    Sanctions, along with challenges, also open up new opportunities, noted Yegor Prokhin. The loss of sales markets in Europe and other Western countries has become an incentive to reorient towards developing markets in Asia.

    In conclusion, he emphasized that in order to establish successful cooperation with foreign companies on the Russian market, it is necessary to adapt business strategies taking into account the current sanctions restrictions. In his opinion, such an approach should be comprehensive and include: analysis of companies, their beneficiaries and legal relations for sanctions risks; assessment of industry and territorial sanctions applicable to the planned cooperation; development of solutions and tools for optimizing commercial interactions under restrictions.

    Additionally, he recommended creating “road maps” for partners to manage sanctions risks and developing alternative action scenarios aimed at minimizing the potential negative impact on business partnerships.

    If the parties manage to reach a truce, American businesses will influence the administration to soften the sanctions, without officially lifting them, but introducing certain exceptions for transportation restrictions and bans on bank transactions.

    “For a number of industries, the easing of sanctions will have a positive effect on their development, while for others, on the contrary, it will have a negative effect,” Ivan Timofeev noted. He is confident that if the negotiations are successful, the process of easing sanctions will be long and may take more than a decade. Lev Sokolshchik emphasized that the lifting of sanctions may turn into a risk for certain sectors of the domestic economy.

    Maria Roskoshnaya held a master class “Export control: instructions for use. How not to break the rules and not lose markets.” She noted that export control is now considered more broadly than in the traditional sense – in particular, advanced industrial developments and even luxury goods are now subject to special supervision. The range of transactions subject to regulation is also growing – in addition to the usual tangible exports, experts often deal with supervision of the export of technology and software. The share of intangible exports is also growing, especially in high-tech industries, and the forms of transactions are also unusual. For example, it is often necessary to identify open source software or software, access to which is provided under the SaaS model. The state can regulate and restrict, and sometimes prohibit the export and international exchange of know-how, industrial products or raw materials, the lack of which can negatively affect the domestic market.

    Russia continues to participate in the development and modification of framework legislation at the international level, since it is a member state of all regimes except the Australian Group (our country has observer status there). It should be understood that each member state of the international export control regime forms a national control system, harmonizing it with the international base. Now we can observe a tendency to strengthen non-proliferation control precisely in the area of finalizing national legislative measures and initiatives.

    At the same time, voluntary control or self-regulation in advanced industries is increasing. Thus, in recent years, there has been a noticeable rapprochement between representatives of the regulator and business. The Alliance of AI Companies, together with the FSTEC of Russia, created and signed the Declaration on the Responsible Export of Artificial Intelligence Technologies and Software Based on Them. The Declaration establishes ethical principles and standards of conduct that developers should follow when exporting their own civil AI solutions. The standards include general principles and rules and specific recommendations on interactions with foreign counterparties and authorized government agencies.

    Photo: iStock

    Maria Roskoshnaya drew attention to changes in the work of specialists. Previously, it was enough for them to know their niche and work algorithm, but now, due to the frequent emergence of new challenges, they have to regularly monitor changes in the export control of key partners. For example, when implementing a deal with China or the UAE, it is mandatory for experts to analyze the export control legislation of these countries. In addition, it is important to monitor innovations in counter-sanction regulation, including bans on the purchase of certain products, as well as on making payments in certain countries.

    “We are facing changes in sanctions and counter-sanction procedures. It is important to expand the range of knowledge, not limited to technical details and knowledge of the final recipients and final destination of the goods. For businesses, this means finding optimal logistics routes, opportunities for making payments without restrictions, combining the interests of logisticians, lawyers and financiers,” the expert said.

    She noted that difficulties may arise when continuing to interact with companies that left Russia after 2022. These aspects are currently monitored by counter-sanction compliance services, when it is necessary to justify and argue for continued cooperation with companies from unfriendly jurisdictions.

    At the master class “EU Sanctions in 2025: Strategies for Russia”, Vladimir Morozov explained that the possibility of using sanctions as a tool for achieving foreign policy goals is embedded in the legal foundations of the EU. They can be used for a wide range of reasons – from accusations of violating international law to the goals of protecting human rights. He called an important feature of EU sanctions their adoption at the supranational level with national supervision of their implementation, which gives rise to contradictions and certain difficulties in their implementation. The diversity of regimes, as well as national legislation and law enforcement practices, makes it difficult to navigate EU sanctions.

    Europe often seeks to counteract secondary sanctions from other countries, including the United States, by allowing restrictions against third countries, individuals, and firms to be ignored. However, European companies often seek to take into account sanctions risks and implement “overcompliance” in this area, not wanting to lose the American market and the ability to make payments in dollars.

    Since 2022, the European Commission has been playing an increasingly important role in introducing restrictions, and national institutions are experiencing increasing pressure from supranational institutions, including in tightening penalties for violating sanctions. If administrative liability was previously possible, now it is regarded as a criminal offense. The expert drew attention to the difference in approaches to punishments and investigations. The largest number of them is noted in Poland. The largest number of prison sentences is in the Netherlands, but for a short or suspended term. In Germany, the number of sentences is small, but the terms reach 7 years, and in Finland there are many successful investigations, but the punishments are mainly limited to a fine of 11,000 to 15,000 euros.

    Photo: iStock

    The current stage of the EU sanctions policy development is characterized by gradual de-targeting of sanctions, i.e. the desire to inflict maximum damage, as well as active coordination of its own measures with partners, primarily with the United States. If in 2014-16 the EU measures lagged behind the American ones, then since 2022 they have been mostly synchronized. Another trend in European policy has been the active use of the secondary sanctions mechanism. In particular, in 2024 an amendment was adopted, according to which restrictions are imposed against companies and individuals from third countries who worked with Russian sanctioned persons and companies.

    Vladimir Morozov named the EU’s readiness to maintain the priority of political goals over economic feasibility as key factors and risks of the continuation, strengthening and, on the contrary, easing of sanctions, given that Europe has suffered greater losses than the US during the sanctions war with Russia.

    Egor Prokhin, in his master class “Formation of Sustainable Business Partnerships in the Context of Sanction Risks,” noted that over the past decades, sanctions have achieved their goals in about one-third of cases. According to him, the greatest success was achieved against small states with insufficiently diversified and import-dependent economies.

    Sanctions, along with challenges, also open up new opportunities, noted Yegor Prokhin. The loss of sales markets in Europe and other Western countries has become an incentive to reorient towards developing markets in Asia.

    In conclusion, he emphasized that in order to establish successful cooperation with foreign companies on the Russian market, it is necessary to adapt business strategies taking into account the current sanctions restrictions. In his opinion, such an approach should be comprehensive and include: analysis of companies, their beneficiaries and legal relations for sanctions risks; assessment of industry and territorial sanctions applicable to the planned cooperation; development of solutions and tools for optimizing commercial interaction in the context of restrictions.

    Additionally, he recommended creating “road maps” for partners to manage sanctions risks and developing alternative action scenarios aimed at minimizing the potential negative impact on business partnerships.

    All opinions presented in the material are exclusively the personal position of the seminar participants and the author.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic joined the memorial event at Piskarevsky Memorial

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    On May 6, students, teachers and staff of the Polytechnic University took part in a memorial event at the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery. They laid flowers at the Motherland monument and the mass grave of the Polytechnic students.

    The participants of the action gathered at the Monument to the Fallen Polytechnicians, where they were addressed by the Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Communication Technologies of SPbPU, Maxim Pasholikov.

    Today we remember the heroism of Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War. I hope that this event will become traditional for us. Some of you have already visited Piskarevskoye Cemetery, the largest memorial burial ground in the world, where more than half a million people are buried. Of these, only ten percent are military personnel, the rest are residents of the besieged city. An open book is engraved on one of the gravestones. Among those buried there are our polytechnicians, who were engaged in science, studied and were the heart of the Polytechnic Institute during the war. Every year on May 9, my family and I lay flowers at Piskarevskoye Cemetery. On this day, many Leningraders and St. Petersburgers come here to honor the memory of the fallen. Sometimes there are so many flowers that you can’t even see the memorial and the slabs. I would like you to have such a tradition, – shared Maxim Pasholikov.

    The participants of the event were presented with St. George ribbons and flowers. After that, the polytechnicians walked several kilometers to the Piskarevsky Memorial.

    Piskarevskoye Cemetery became the main burial place for the victims of the Leningrad siege. During the Great Patriotic War, trenches were dug on the cemetery’s territory for unmarked mass graves, where more than 470 thousand people were buried. The memorial began to be developed in 1955: the mounds of mass graves were raised, flowers and trees were planted. Later, a six-meter bronze statue of a woman holding an oak wreath was installed, which became a symbol of maternal grief and the memory of the dead. Her gaze is directed towards the mass graves.

    Students, teachers and staff laid flowers and a wreath with the inscription “From the Polytechnicians” at the Motherland monument.

    After that we went to grave #176, where the students and employees of our university, victims of the siege, found their final resting place. They were buried under a stone with an image of an open book, on which the date “1942” was carved.

    During the hardest, frostiest and hungriest winter of 1941-1942, students belonged to the category of the population supplied with food at a minimum, that is, they received those same 125 grams of bread during the blockade. And the mortality rate among them was very high. Several hundred of our students are buried in grave No. 176. This is a memorial place for all polytechnicians, – said Ivan Kolomeitsev.

    The participants of the procession laid flowers on the gravestone and honored the memory of the victims.

    The first person to visit the Piskarevskoye Cemetery was a third-year student at the Institute of Metallurgical and Technical Sciences, Andrei Ushakov.

    I moved to St. Petersburg from the Moscow region. For two and a half years, I have not been able to visit the memorial. But I am glad that such an event, organized by our university, helps to fill this gap. The residents of Leningrad accomplished a real feat, having endured the siege for 900 days. It is very important to remember this, because the tragic events had a huge impact on world history and the history of our country, – Andrey Ushakov noted.

    Third-year student of the Institute of Mathematics, Economics and Telecommunications Anastasia Nikitina is a third-generation St. Petersburg resident. Their family also has a tradition of laying flowers at the Broken Ring memorial on May 9.

    The memory of the heroism of the city where I was born and live is very dear to me. I think it is important that today we have gathered together to lay flowers at the Piskarevskoye Memorial. I admire that the Polytechnic pays great attention to preserving the memory of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. For example, my mother and I watch the student video blog “Memory of Glory is Alive” with great interest. The stories on the information pedestals located on the territory of the university are also informative, – said Anastasia Nikitina.

    Deputy Director of the Institute of Mechanics and Technology Maxim Ivanov annually takes part in the “Immortal Regiment” campaign with his family and tries to visit the Piskarevskoye Cemetery.

    My parents have been telling me about the contribution of Polytechnicians to the Victory since childhood. After all, they met at the Polytechnic and studied together at the mechanical engineering department. It is important that our university has another campaign dedicated to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. It is nice to see that many students are participating in it. After all, we are passing on the memory of our ancestors, which should live forever, – shared Maxim Ivanov.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Elena Ezhelina: “I am delighted with the Polytechnic University!”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    Top manager of Gorelectrotrans Elena Ezhelina studies in the direction of “System and digital engineering in high-tech industries” at the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering”. Elena came to the master’s program for knowledge that will help her develop a systemic model of enterprise management in order to optimize its work and make it more resilient to large-scale changes. About her work, studies at the Polytechnic University and new opportunities Elena told us about it in our traditional column “Persona”.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Scalise Highlights Republican Work on Reconciliation

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Scalise (1st District of Louisiana)

    WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), and Chairman Roger Williams (R-Texas) to discuss the progress Republicans have made on reconciliation which will champion small businesses, avoid tax hikes for 95% of Americans, unleash American energy production to bolster the economy, and strengthen our military. Leader Scalise touted our Committee Chairmen’s wins, as eight of 11 Committees will have completed their reconciliation markups by the end of the week.

    Click here or the image above to view Leader Scalise’s full remarks. 
    On protecting small businesses through reconciliation:“It was great to hear from our Chairman of the Small Business Committee, Roger Williams. Nobody understands the value of small businesses, the importance of promoting small businesses in America better than Roger. And as chairman, he has ushered in policies and bills through that committee to allow small businesses to thrive.“If you look at the work we’re doing with the one big, beautiful bill, the reconciliation package, this is a bill that will grow more small businesses across America. It’ll create more jobs across America. It’ll create stability. If you think about the idea that if Congress were to take no action this year, there would be a four-and-a-half trillion dollar tax increase on American families. Over 95% of Americans would see a tax increase. And yet, every Democrat in Washington will be voting no on that package and would like to see every family pay more in taxes. There are so many other provisions that are so critical to getting our economy back on track, to lowering inflation, to lowering the cost of things at the grocery store, at the gas pump, that are in this bill. And we are still moving through.”On House and Senate Republicans unifying around President Trump’s agenda:“Last week, I applaud, seven Committees in Congress did their work, completely finished their work on reconciliation here in the House. Today, the Natural Resources Committee will take up their portion of the bill. That’ll be eight committees out of 11 that will already be done with all of their work this week. Then next week, the final three committees, Agriculture, Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means, will take up and finish their work to get this big, beautiful bill not only through the House process, but over to the Senate. The Speaker and I met with [Chairman] Jason Smith and [Chairman] Brett Guthrie last week in the White House with President Trump to go through some of the final details that we are getting agreement on. We’ve been working incredibly closely with the White House and with the Senate every step of the way because this bill is critically important to American families. This bill is a big piece of carrying through that Trump agenda, the mandate that the American people gave us when they elected not just Donald Trump in the White House, but a Republican House and a Republican Senate to go deliver for the families who have been struggling for way too long.”On wins in the one big, beautiful bill:“We do that with this one big, beautiful bill. Everything from tax stability in the tax code so that nobody sees a tax increase, bringing trillions of dollars of private investment back into the economy, opening up more energy production in America to reverse some of the damage Joe Biden did. Everywhere from ANWR in Alaska, some of the great work that Congressman Begich just came into Congress, vowing to fight for the citizens of Alaska and open up more areas for production there. That’s going to be in this bill. All the way down to the Gulf of America, opening up more areas for lease sales and production in the Gulf as well. All of those things are going to be in the bill. More defense funding, more border security, giving protection and technology to our border patrol agents. All of that is in the bill, too. Confronting the debt ceiling, dealing with rules and regulatory reform, all in this powerful bill. What the Education and Workforce Committee did to protect students from higher student debt. We actually protect students so that they’re not saddled with high student loans when they graduate from college. That’s in this bill as well, standing up and holding accountable the universities that were failing kids for so many years, saddling them with $200,000, $300,000 in debt without the ability to pay it back.“So many good provisions. We’re going to be bringing that bill to the floor once it’s all finished next week, and then we compile it in Budget Committee and bring it as one big, beautiful bill to the House floor and then pass it on to the Senate so that they can continue this work.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: SPbGASU student Zlata Zolotykh took part in the all-Russian event “Victory Waltz”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering –

    SPbGASU student Zlata Zolotykh took part in the All-Russian event “Victory Waltz”. The event is held with the support of the Association of Student Patriotic Clubs “I am proud”. Paying tribute to the memory and respect of the heroes, students of St. Petersburg universities performed a waltz in military uniforms and dresses of that time. The event took place in several locations in St. Petersburg. Our participant joined it on April 29 in the Picture Hall of the Vitebsk Railway Station, where the event was held with the support of Russian Railways.

    “Victory Day is a very important date for me. Even at school, I actively participated in events dedicated to this memorable day, especially in dance performances. Two of my great-grandfathers were participants in the war. Stepan Dmitrievich Ivanov, a sergeant, was a driver of a motorized brigade of the Leningrad Front. Vasily Sergeevich Pivovarov, a home front worker. The memory of them is carefully preserved in our family and passed down from generation to generation,” Zlata said.

    Having learned that our university could participate in this event, Zlata agreed without hesitation. It was a great honor for a student to honor the memory of those who fought for their homeland in the Great Patriotic War through dance.

    The preparation took place at the Saint Petersburg University of Management Technologies and Economics for two weeks. Zlata’s partner was SPbUTUE student Georgy Moguchenok. During the preparation and at the performance itself, the dance couple was noted as one of the best.

    “I am not currently involved in dancing, but I have eight years of dance experience behind me, and I am very glad that I was able to immerse myself in this atmosphere again, especially on the occasion of such a great day,” said Zlata.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Stefanik Delivers U.S. Department of Education Investigation into Title IX Violations at Saratoga Springs City School District

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (21st District of New York)

    Stefanik Delivers U.S. Department of Education Investigation into Title IX Violations at Saratoga Springs City School District | Press Releases | Congresswoman Elise Stefanik

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  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: New York Post: Trump Admin Probes NY School for Defying Federal Order Banning Transgender Athletes in Girls Sports

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (21st District of New York)

    ICYMI: New York Post: Trump Admin Probes NY School for Defying Federal Order Banning Transgender Athletes in Girls Sports | Press Releases | Congresswoman Elise Stefanik

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  • MIL-OSI China: Xi’s upcoming visit to deepen China-Russia ties, bolster global peace

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    The Guard of Honor of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) participate in a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade, which marks the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, in Moscow, Russia, May 3, 2025. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

    At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Russia from Wednesday to Saturday and attend in Moscow the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War.

    More than 80 years ago, the peoples of China, the Soviet Union and other countries fought side by side and secured victory in the World Anti-Fascist War, opening a new chapter in human history.

    As the world is undergoing accelerating changes unseen in a century, the international community demands greater global efforts to face common challenges, and to build a community with a shared future.

    Xi’s upcoming visit is expected to inject new momentum into the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. Moreover, it will demonstrate the two major countries’ commitment to working with the rest of the world to safeguard the outcomes of the victory in World War II, uphold international fairness and justice, and maintain world peace and stability.

    LONG-LASTING FRIENDSHIP

    History and reality show that China and Russia are good neighbors that cannot be moved away, and true friends who share weal and woe, support each other and achieve common development, Xi said in his phone conversation with Putin in February.

    The coming visit marks Xi’s 11th trip to Russia since he became Chinese president. The two heads of state have met more than 40 times on different occasions over the years. Their close communication provides strategic guidance, under which China-Russia relations have matured into a resilient and stable partnership characterized by deepening political trust, closer strategic alignment and sustained practical cooperation.

    In 2024, bilateral trade rose to 244.8 billion U.S. dollars, making China the largest trading partner of Russia for 15 consecutive years. In December 2024, the China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline was fully completed. Cooperation in emerging sectors such as the digital economy, e-commerce, bio-medicine, scientific and technological innovation, as well as green energy continues to expand.

    The two countries’ long-lasting friendship has grown increasingly popular among the two peoples. The mutual visa exemption agreement for group tours has encouraged more robust two-way travel. Hundreds of cultural events have been held in succession with the framework of the China-Russia Year of Culture.

    Andrey Denisov, first deputy chair of Russia’s Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs and former Russian ambassador to China, said the strategic guidance of the two heads of state is a key factor in ensuring the steady and long-term development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.

    The two leaders are expected to hold extensive and in-depth discussions on both bilateral cooperation and multilateral issues, and the Russian side has high expectations for that, he added.

    INDELIBLE CONTRIBUTION

    Over 80 years ago, China and Russia, as the main battlefields in Asia and Europe during World War II, made tremendous sacrifices and indelible contribution to the final victory.

    In a signed article published by the Russian Gazette newspaper ahead of his visit to Russia in 2015, Xi quoted Russian historian Vasily Klyuchevsky as saying, “If we lost the memory of our past, our mind and soul would be lost in the darkness,” in a bid to express his remembrance of the history of the World Anti-Fascist War and earnest expectations for the two nations to join hands to maintain world peace and stability.

    The bitter lessons drawn from World War II have taught mankind that the strong preying on the weak, the law of the jungle, warlike or hegemonic policies, the winner-takes-all mindset and zero-sum game do not benefit coexistence, peace or development of mankind, Xi wrote in the article.

    Su-25 attack aircrafts fly over Red Square during the Victory Day military parade, which marks the 79th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War, in Moscow, Russia, on May 9, 2024. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)

    Noha Bakir, a professor of political science at American University in Cairo, said China and Russia, drawing lessons from history, shoulder the important responsibility of safeguarding international stability and cooperation amid today’s complex global landscape.

    By studying, restoring and spreading the true history, people can better understand World War II and the post-war international order, thus they will resist the attempts to distort historical facts, he added.

    Andrey Fesyun, deputy director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University, said that under the guidance of the two heads of state, China and Russia will further jointly advocate the correct historical view of World War II, and work together to maintain global strategic stability, so as to make the due contributions of responsible major countries to the advancement of international fairness and justice.

    SPEARHEADING PROGRESS

    Eighty years ago, representatives from multiple countries, including China and the Soviet Union, gathered in the U.S. city of San Francisco, and signed the Charter of the United Nations, laying the cornerstone of the post-war international order.

    The preamble to the charter solemnly states the commitment “to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security.”

    China and Russia have natural responsibilities to make joint efforts to steer and promote global governance in a direction that meets the expectations of the international community and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, said Xi when meeting with Putin in March 2023. And it was during Xi’s first visit to Russia in 2013 as Chinese president that he first proposed the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

    As permanent members of the UN Security Council and major countries in the world, China and Russia have been working closely on the world stage. Beijing and Moscow firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order underpinned by international law, as well as the fundamental norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. They are also advocates of true multilateralism.

    Media staff work at the press center of the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Oct. 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

    The two nations have also joined hands to promote political solutions to international and regional hot-spot issues. They have strengthened communication and coordination within multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), BRICS and the Group of 20, and are jointly committed to advancing a multipolar world and the democratization of international relations.

    Adhere Cavince, a Kenyan scholar on international relations, said that China and Russia collaborate through platforms like the SCO and BRICS, which has not only promoted a multipolar world, but also empowered the Global South with a greater voice in global governance and a bigger role in shaping the rules on major international issues.

    Ilgar Velizade, head of the South Caucasus Club of Political Scientists from Azerbaijan, said that the growing strength of multilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the SCO and BRICS represents a powerful embodiment of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

    If countries engage in an active, constructive and sustainable dialogue focused on common interests, the world will be safer, the global economy more sustainable and humanity’s future far more promising, he said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Full text of Xi’s signed article in Russian media

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday published a signed article titled “Learning from History to Build Together a Brighter Future” in the Russian Gazette newspaper ahead of his arrival in Russia for a state visit and attendance at the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War.

    The following is the full text of the article:

    Learning from History to Build Together a Brighter Future

    H.E. Xi Jinping

    President of the People’s Republic of China

    This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War, and the World Anti-Fascist War. It also marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN). In this season when “apple and pear trees are blossoming,” I will soon pay a state visit to Russia and attend the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War, joining the heroic Russian people in honoring the history and the fallen heroes.

    Ten years ago around this time, I came to Russia to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the victory. During that visit, I made a special arrangement to meet with 18 representatives of Russian veterans who endured the blood and fire of battlefields during the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War and the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Their unyielding resolve and indomitable bearing left an indelible impression on me. In the past few years, General M. Gareyev, Major General T. Shchudlo and other veterans passed away. I pay my deepest tribute to them and to all veterans-from generals to the rank and file-for their extraordinary service and heroic feats in securing the victory over fascists around the world. We will never forget them. Heroes never perish; their noble spirit lives forever.

    During the World Anti-Fascist War, the Chinese and Russian peoples fought shoulder to shoulder and supported each other. In the darkest hours of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Soviet Volunteer Group, which was part of the Soviet Air Force, came to Nanjing, Wuhan and Chongqing to fight alongside the Chinese people, bravely engaging Japanese invaders in aerial combat-many sacrificing their precious lives. At the critical juncture of the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War, Yan Baohang, a legendary intelligence agent of the Communist Party of China (CPC) who was hailed as the “Richard Sorge of the East,” provided the Soviet Union with primary-source intelligence. In the crucible of the war-torn years, the Soviet Union provided China with large quantities of weapons and equipment. China, for its part, shipped much-needed strategic supplies to the Soviet Union. The two countries jointly established a supply line spanning the treacherous Gobi Desert. It was an international lifeline, vital for our mutual support in fighting fascists. The strong camaraderie between our two nations, forged in blood and sacrifice, surges onward unceasingly, mighty as the Yellow River and the Volga. It is an eternal wellspring nourishing our everlasting friendship.

    Eighty years ago, the forces of justice around the world, including China and the Soviet Union, united in courageous battles against their common foes and defeated the overbearing fascist powers. Eighty years later today, however, unilateralism, hegemonism, bullying, and coercive practices are severely undermining our world. Again humankind has come to a crossroads of unity or division, dialogue or confrontation, win-win cooperation or zero-sum games. In War and Peace, the great writer Leo Tolstoy observed, “History is the life of nations and of humanity.” Indeed, historical memory and truth will not fade with the passage of time. They serve as inspirations that mirror the present and illuminate the future. We must learn from history, especially the hard lessons of the Second World War. We must draw wisdom and strength from the great victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, and resolutely resist all forms of hegemonism and power politics. We must work together to build a brighter future for humanity.

    — We must uphold a correct historical perspective on WWII. China and the Soviet Union were the principal theaters of that war in Asia and Europe respectively. The two countries served as the mainstay of resistance against Japanese militarism and German Nazism, making pivotal contribution to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression began the earliest and lasted the longest. United as one under the banner of the Chinese united front against Japanese aggression, which was advocated and established by the CPC, the Chinese people launched a relentless struggle against and defeated the brutal Japanese militarists. With immense sacrifice, they carved out an immortal epic of heroic resistance and ultimate victory against Japanese aggression. In the European theater, the Soviet Red Army advanced like an iron tide with unwavering fortitude and valor, crushed Nazi Germany’s ambitions and liberated millions from its brutal occupation, writing an epic of victory in the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War.

    History teaches us that light will always overcome darkness, and that justice will ultimately prevail over evil. The International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg and the International Military Tribunal for the Far East condemned the convicted war criminals to perpetual infamy. The justice and integrity of the two landmark trials, their historic significance, and their contemporary relevance stand beyond challenge. Any attempt to distort the historical truth of WWII, deny its victorious outcome, or defame the historic contribution of China and the Soviet Union is doomed to fail. Neither of our two nations will tolerate any act to reverse the course of history-nor will the people of the whole world.

    — We must resolutely uphold the postwar international order. The most significant decision by the international community around the end of WWII was to establish the UN. China and the Soviet Union were among the first to sign the UN Charter. Our permanent membership in the UN Security Council is a product of history, earned through blood and sacrifice. The more turbulent and complex the international situation becomes, the more we must uphold and defend the authority of the UN, firmly uphold the UN-centered international system, the international order underpinned by international law, and the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and steadily promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.

    This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the restoration of Taiwan. Taiwan’s restoration to China is a victorious outcome of WWII and an integral part of the postwar international order. A series of instruments with legal effect under international law, including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, have all affirmed China’s sovereignty over Taiwan. The historical and legal fact therein brooks no challenge. And the authority of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 brooks no challenge. No matter how the situation on the Taiwan island evolves or what troubles external forces may make, the historical trend toward China’s ultimate and inevitable reunification is unstoppable.

    China and Russia have all along firmly supported each other on issues bearing on our respective core interests or major concerns. Russia has reiterated on many occasions that it strictly adheres to the one-China principle, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, it opposes any form of “Taiwan independence,” and it firmly supports all measures of the Chinese government and the Chinese people to achieve national reunification. China highly commends Russia’s consistent position.

    — We must firmly defend international fairness and justice. Now, the global deficits in peace, development, security and governance continue to widen unabated. To address these deficits, I have proposed to build a community with a shared future for mankind and put forward the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative as a way forward to steer the reform of the global governance system toward greater fairness and justice.

    The world needs justice, not hegemonism. History and reality have proven that to meet global challenges, it is important to uphold the vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit. It is also important to choose dialogue over confrontation, build partnerships over alliances, and pursue win-win cooperation over zero-sum games. It is equally important to practice true multilateralism, accommodate the legitimate concerns of all parties, and safeguard international norms and order. We firmly believe that people around the world will choose to stand on the right side of history and the side of fairness and justice.

    China and Russia are both major countries with significant influence in the world. The two nations are constructive forces for maintaining global strategic stability and for improving global governance. Our bilateral relationship is founded upon a clear historical logic, sustained by strong internal drive, and rooted in profound cultural heritage. Our relationship is neither directed against nor swayed by any third party. Together we must foil all schemes to disrupt or undermine our bonds of amity and trust, and we must not be baffled by transient matters or unsettled by formidable challenges. We must leverage the certainty and resilience of our partnership of strategic coordination to jointly accelerate the shift toward a multipolar world and build a community with a shared future for mankind.

    China and Russia are both great nations with splendid civilizations. The Chinese and Russian peoples are both great peoples defined by heroic legacies. Eighty years ago, our peoples won the anti-fascist war through heroic struggles. Eight decades later today, we must take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard our sovereignty, security, and development interests. We should be guardians of historical memory, partners in national development and rejuvenation, and champions of global fairness and justice, and work together to forge a brighter future for humanity.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Tibetan cultural heritage exhibition returns to Beijing

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

    The second edition of a major Tibetan intangible cultural heritage exhibition opened on April 29 at Beijing’s Beihai Park, featuring over 500 handicrafts and cultural products from Rangtang county in Sichuan province.

    Organizers and guests pose for a group photo at the opening of a Tibetan intangible cultural heritage exhibition in Beihai Park, Beijing, April 29, 2025. [Photo courtesy of the Rangtang Intangible Cultural Heritage Center]

    The exhibition, jointly hosted by the county government and Beijing Tourism Group, runs through early June at the former imperial garden, which is marking its 100th anniversary of opening to the public.

    This year’s exhibition has more than doubled in size, featuring over 500 works in 22 categories compared with last year’s event, which showcased 200 exhibits across 11 categories and drew more than 120,000 visitors.

    The exhibition highlights masterpieces of traditional craftsmanship from Rangtang county in Sichuan’s Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture. Featured works include traditional painting, metalwork, ceramics, weaving and dyeing, embroidery, and wood and stone carving.

    A standout feature of the exhibition is the innovative “Thangka + Porcelain Painting” series, where over a dozen artists skilled in traditional Tibetan Buddhist scroll painting spent three years in Jingdezhen, a world-famous porcelain city in Jiangxi province. There, they merged Thangka art with ceramic techniques to create the “Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Guanyin” porcelain panel collection.

    Visitors can also watch master artisans demonstrate traditional painting and weaving techniques through live workshops. A new section showcasing contemporary adaptations of Buddhist motifs into fashion accessories aims to attract younger audiences.

    The exhibition is organized by the Rangtang Intangible Cultural Heritage Center, founded by Jamyang Lodro Rinpoche, a national-level inheritor of a Tibetan Buddhist music genre. Starting with a single facility offering free painting classes to disadvantaged children in 2010, the initiative has grown to 47 training centers teaching traditional skills ranging from medicine to ceramics, with additional branches in major cities including Shanghai.

    Jamyang Lodro, founder of the Rangtang Intangible Cultural Heritage Center, speaks to China.org.cn while introducing artworks on display at a Tibetan intangible cultural heritage exhibition in Beihai Park, Beijing, April 30, 2025. [Photo/China.org.cn]

    The remote Rangtang county, once among China’s poorest regions, has turned to its cultural heritage to drive economic development after years of isolation and industrial underdevelopment. The initiative has revived community pride, trained over 1,000 young people, and advanced poverty relief and rural revitalization while promoting heritage preservation and cultural tourism.

    The centers have trained 174 representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage over the past decade. To provide career opportunities for these artisans, the county has also launched an innovation park that develops heritage-based products ranging from paintings to herbal care items.

    The county now sells Thangka paintings, ceramic art, Tibetan medicinal baths and herbal care items nationally and internationally, generating annual sales exceeding 10 million yuan ($1.4 million). The initiative has boosted incomes for more than 3,000 local farmers and herders.

    The heritage centers have held exhibitions in cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Hangzhou, featuring more than 100 works that blend traditional craftsmanship with modern design. In 2023, the government designated Rangtang as a national pilot zone for cultural industry-driven rural revitalization.

    Jamyang Lodro told China.org.cn that while most students at the centers come from farming and herding families, many have become accomplished artists through specialized training programs lasting up to eight years. The center offers full scholarships and living stipends to ensure students from poor backgrounds can complete their training.

    Rangtang’s centers have partnered with top institutions, including Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, the Central Conservatory of Music and various museums. These partnerships have broadened students’ skills while connecting Qinghai–Xizang Plateau traditions with the wider world. The trainees now serve as bridges between traditional culture and modern industries, helping integrate ancient arts into the contemporary creative economy.

    Artworks on display at a Tibetan intangible cultural heritage exhibition in Beihai Park, Beijing, April 30, 2025. [Photo/China.org.cn]

    Jamyang Lodro says each piece represents a personal journey: young people who overcame difficult backgrounds to transform their lives through art and tradition.

    “It’s about loving and understanding life itself,” he said, emphasizing his vision of not only nurturing their skills but also their inner being. “They came to know themselves better through these traditional arts and discovered their true selves.”

    He emphasized that Chinese arts must maintain their authenticity when shared internationally. “Through all our works, we clearly show them who we are. We turn inward, not outward. If your artworks merely mimic Western art, international audiences won’t respect you. We have our own philosophy, inner meaning and artistic traditions. We have our own charm. That’s what they respect. From there, we can have cultural dialogue.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: University Research – Vape shops cluster around schools – UoA

    Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

    Almost half of New Zealand schools are within a short walking distance of a specialist vape retailer, despite a law aimed at preventing vape stores near schools.

    Embargoed to NZT 1201AM Wednesday 7 May: Almost half of schools across Aotearoa New Zealand have a specialist vape store within a 10-minute walk, despite recent legislation aimed at preventing this.

    New research, which overlays vape stores on school locations, shows 44 percent of schools have a vape store within a one-kilometre radius and 13 percent have a dedicated store within 300 metres.

    “That means a lot of our young people are getting multiple exposures on a daily basis to vape stores and vape marketing, to the attractive window displays and to the omnipresence of vaping, as a constantly available and easy thing to engage with,” says Ronan Payinda, a fourth-year medical student at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, who led the study.

    Payinda says he saw the explosion of vaping while he was at school in Northland and felt that, as a society, Aotearoa New Zealand was failing to grapple with its potentially serious health effects.

    Since 2020, it has been illegal to sell vapes to people under 18.

    However, in 2021, more than a quarter (26 percent) of secondary school students reported having vaped in the previous week.

    In 2023, the government passed legislation banning specialist vape stores from opening within 300 metres of schools and marae: however, existing vape shops were allowed to continue operating.

    The law was a response to reports of teens, parents, schools and teachers struggling with the epidemic of vaping.

    Payinda says this study, published today [NZT 7 May] in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health shows that stronger regulations are needed. Read the study. [Goes live 7 May, PDF available]

    “We are not putting the right protections in place to ensure that a whole new generation of young people aren’t chained to addictions for the rest of their lives,” Payinda says.

    The study looked only at specialist vape stores, whereas corner stores, petrol stations and other outlets, which sell a more limited range of vapes, are more popular with young people who reported no great difficulty making the illegal purchases.

    Further, the researchers found inequity in the location of vape stores.

    “We stratified these results by the level of deprivation of each community and found that there was a strong association between the level of poverty a community was suffering and the proximity of the vape stores to their schools.

    Among the most affluent fifth of schools, seven percent had a specialist vape store within a 300-metre radius. Among the poorest quintile, 40 percent of schools had a specialist vape store within 300 metres.

    Research in the US has found exposure to e-cigarette marketing via retail stores increases the likelihood of vape use among middle and high-school students.

    The long-term health effects of youth vaping are not yet known, but strong associations are emerging, Payinda says.

    The American Heart Association (AHA) says, in a statement, vapes can impair sleep quality, may affect mental health and may lead to nicotine dependence.

    Available studies suggest adolescents who vape may have lower lung function and be susceptible to respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic bronchitis and pneumonia.

    Smoking cigarettes can lead to heart disease. So, while comparable long-term data for vaping are lacking, the AHA report raises concerns about the possibility of heart disease in later years.

    The number of stores selling vapes within one kilometre of schools shows there is a need for more rigorous vaping policy, Payinda says.

    “We need to implement regulations to prevent young people from not just being exposed to vaping products but also accessing them and becoming addicted to them in the long term,” Payinda says. “We need to get more serious about protecting our young people.”

    About the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
    “Vape shops on the way to school: geographical analysis of the proximity of Specialist Vape Retailers to New Zealand schools” will be published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health at 12:01am 7 May 2025.
    Please credit the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health as the source of the research. 
    The Journal is the official publication of the Public Health Association of Australia.
    All articles are open access and can be found here: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/australian-and-new-zealand-journal-of-public-health

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Heritage – Welcome to the first Ōtautahi Festival of Archaeology

    Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and the Christchurch Archaeology Project are joined by the heritage organisations, archaeology companies and museums of Ōtautahi to offer a fantastic range of archaeology themed activities at Te Whare Waiutuutu Kate Sheppard House in honour of New Zealand Archaeology Week.

    Try your hand at excavation, take part in archaeology themed activities and talk to archaeologists about their artefacts and work. Discover what it takes to be an archaeologist in this hands-on free family event.

    The festival is free and open to families and archaeology fans of all ages. Dr Katharine Watson of the Christchurch Archaeology Project says, “This is a chance to bring along any questions for archaeologists about what they do, the things they find, as well as any questions about archaeology as a career.”

    Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga has art activities inspired by experimental archaeology. Make sure to wear old clothes as you might get dirty while practising your excavation skills. Canterbury Museum’s stall will be displaying hands-on collection items and testing your knowledge of middens. Pūtaringamotu Riccarton House & Bush have artefacts discovered onsite, and will be holding story time sessions, complete with magnifying glasses and explorer hats. Test your knowledge of key Māori sites in Ōtautahi via an activity linked to Ngāi Tahu Archive’s Kā Huru Manu online atlas. And bring your library card so you can check out archaeology and history books at Christchurch City Library’s stall.

    There will be professional archaeologists onsite from Christchurch Archaeology Project, Underground Overground and the Department of Conservation. They will be displaying artefacts discovered on recent excavation sites in central Christchurch. Touch and hold these taonga and find out more about what has been discovered under our city. You’ll also have the chance to try on real archaeologist’s gear and equipment.

    Event organiser, Rosemary Baird, Senior Outreach Advisor for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, is excited about this new archaeology festival.

    “All our partners have been so creative in coming up with fun ideas for the day. We also have a Junior Archaeologist activity booklet that kids can get stamped at each activity. Once you have four stamps you can create your own Ōtautahi Festival of Archaeology badge with Canterbury Museum’s badge making machine. Event sponsors Charlies are providing free juice pouches for all visitors.”

    Te Whare Waiutuutu Kate Sheppard House suffrage museum will be open to paying visitors between 11am-3pm. The National Portrait Gallery’s exhibtion Background Matters: Portraiture and Place in Aotearoa, is also showing onsite. Entry to the art exhibition is free.

    Event information:

    Date: 11am-3pm, Saturday 10 May.

    Venue: Te Whare Waiutuutu Kate Sheppard House, 83 Clyde Road.

    Cancellation policy: The event is under tent cover and will go ahead unless the weather is very bad. Check the Facebook event or Eventbrite listing for cancellation.

    Cost: Free, koha appreciated.

    Parking: There is no parking onsite. Free parking is available in the University of Canterbury’s Arts Road carpark, which is a 5-minute walk from the property. Otherwise, take the 120 bus, which stops outside on Clyde Road.

    ABOUT HERITAGE NEW ZEALAND POUHERE TAONGA

    Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga is the leading national historic heritage agency for Aotearoa New Zealand, operating as an autonomous Crown Entity. Our mission is to identify, protect, and promote heritage – Kia mōhiotia atu, kia tiakina, kia hāpaingia ā tātau taonga tuku iho.

    We actively engage with communities, foster partnerships, and provide valuable resources to support those who are passionate about exploring, learning, and connecting with our rich cultural heritage. For more information, please visit our website at www.heritage.org.nz

    ABOUT NEW ZEALAND ARCHAEOLOGY WEEK 2025

    This will be the ninth New Zealand Archaeology Week. The New Zealand Archaeological Association is working to increase public awareness and highlight the importance of protecting our archaeological heritage by promoting the work of New Zealand archaeologists both at home and abroad.

    New Zealand Archaeology Week 2025 will comprise of a variety of events around Aotearoa and content shared online. These events are being hosted by consultant archaeologists, museums, heritage organisations and iwi and will include public talks, historic walks, community events and displays across a number of regions.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Govt for the rich is failing the unemployed

    Source: It’s time to fix the secondary teacher shortage

    The latest job market statistics show that unemployed people are being failed by a Government more focused on punishing the poor than creating jobs.

    “This Government for the rich is failing unemployed people and fuelling poverty,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Social Development and Employment, Ricardo Menéndez March.

    “The economy belongs to us, we can build it for us. We can ensure people have stable employment and incomes instead of slashing jobs and cutting back on support for those trying to find work. 

    “The Ministry of Social Development has recently admitted their frontline capacity is oversubscribed and unable to properly support people due to the punitive sanctions regime the Government has brought in. 

    “There’s no evidence that sanctions work in helping people into jobs, and it’s clear the Government has no plan for supporting those who are struggling the most. 

    “As the unemployment rate remains high, the Government is preparing an austerity Budget and rushing through legislation to stop pay equity claims, while also passing new laws to create more arbitrary sanctions on beneficiaries.

    “All of this is part of the plan to fund tax cuts for the rich and profit from the poverty growing in our communities. 

    “The Green Party will repeal all benefit sanctions and lift income support to ensure unemployed people are supported to find work. We will build an economy that works for all of us, not just a wealthy few. We look forward to sharing this vision with Aotearoa soon with our Green Budget,” says Ricardo Menéndez March.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Choosing singlehood? Here are 5 tips for thriving while being single

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Yuthika Girme, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University

    Many people spend their 20s and 30s figuring out who they are and building a life as an independent adult. At the same time, society often tells them they should be looking for love, settling down and starting a family. These milestones are still widely seen as markers of adulthood and success.

    But what does this mean for the growing number of singles in their 20s and 30s?

    In Canada, singlehood among young adults has been steadily increasing. Despite these changing trends, cultural narratives continue to centre romantic relationships as the ideal. Being single is still often seen as a temporary stage, rather than a legitimate or fulfilling way of life.

    As an associate professor, I lead the Singlehood Experiences and Complexities Underlying Relationships lab at Simon Fraser University. My research focuses on understanding when single and coupled people can thrive and be happy.

    Here is what I’ve learned over the years about the experiences of single adults in their 20s and 30s.

    Ready to make a change? The Quarter Life Glow-up is a new, six-week newsletter course from The Conversation’s UK and Canada editions. Every week, we’ll bring you research-backed advice and tools to help improve your relationships, your career, your free time and your mental health – no supplements or skincare required. Sign up here to start your glow-up at any time.

    Singlehood is increasingly common

    In Canada, 59.8 per cent of 25- to 29-year-olds and 37.6 per cent of 30 to 34-year-olds report not being in a married or common-law relationship.

    The proportion of 20- to 34-year-olds who are not in such relationships increased to 60.3 per cent in 2021 from 50.5 per cent in 1996.

    Even among those who eventually want a committed relationship, many are delaying these decisions. The average age of marriage in Canada has increased by almost eight years since the 1970s, to 31.2 years old in 2020 from 23.3 years old in 1971.

    These trends may reflect a variety of factors: a greater focus on career development, wanting to prioritize travel, having difficulties with dating or simply a preference for singlehood during early adulthood.

    They may also reflect an increasing number of people who identify as “single at heart” and consciously choose to remain single because they value their freedom and solitude.

    The pressure to partner persists

    Despite the growing number of people in their 20s and 30s who are single, whether by choice or circumstance, the societal pressure to partner up and settle down persists. This is largely because our society focuses heavily on coupling, marriage and having children.

    Certainly, wanting romantic partnership and a family are common and valid life choices. But placing romantic relationships on a pedestal can come at the expense of singlehood.

    Single people are often viewed as incomplete simply because they do not have a partner. A research study I conducted with colleagues shows that single people often feel excluded, left out and pitied for being single, which can undermine their well-being. They may also face negative stereotypes, such as being seen as selfish, heartless, loners or antisocial.



    Read more:
    Would you be happy as a long-term single? The answer may depend on your attachment style

    These cultural narratives don’t just come from society — single people can internalize them, too, which can have negative consequences.

    In another research study, we examined what we call “relationship pedestal beliefs” — the extent to which people believe they need to be in a romantic relationship to be truly happy. We found that singles who endorse these beliefs are more likely to fear being single, and in turn, report lower life satisfaction.

    How to be a thriving single?

    How can singles lead happy, secure and satisfying lives, despite facing societal messages about the importance of romantic relationships?

    To explore this question, my colleagues and I reviewed the existing literature on singlehood to better understand when singles are coping versus thriving. We found that, while some single people struggle with solo living and the desire to partner, many are happy and thriving.

    Here are some factors associated with happy singlehood:

    1. Feeling secure with yourself. Single people who are secure and feel comfortable trusting and depending on close relationships are some of the happiest singles. They report the highest levels of life satisfaction and emotion regulation skills. Secure singles are open to the idea of romantic partnership, but are also happy and comfortable being single.

    2. Having supportive friendships. Single people tend to invest in their friendships more than partnered people. Single people who invest in their friendships feel like they belong, report higher self-esteem and are happier with their single status.

    Single people tend to invest in their friendships more than partnered people.
    (Shutterstock)

    1. Being able to meet your needs for intimacy. Single people still have sexual and intimacy needs. Research show that when single adults are able to meet these needs, they are happier being single and desire romantic relationships less. At the same time, sexually satisfied singles are more likely to enter romantic relationships over time.

    2. Being older. As people approach their 40s, they are happier with being single. This is likely because singles in midlife learn to invest in their single lives and are less likely to feel the pressure to conform to societal expectations.

    3. Holding values that prioritize freedom, fun and creativity. Research shows single people who personally value freedom, fun and creativity report greater happiness.

    Being single in one’s 20s and 30s can be a prominent time for people to focus on their self-development, careers, aspirations and relationships with family, friends and community. These are important building blocks to a happy live — regardless of whether people lead their lives single or choose to partner.

    Yuthika Girme receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

    – ref. Choosing singlehood? Here are 5 tips for thriving while being single – https://theconversation.com/choosing-singlehood-here-are-5-tips-for-thriving-while-being-single-254669

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WA joins 11 states seeking answers from federal consumer bureau over restitution delays

    Source: Washington State News

    SEATTLE — Washington Attorney General Nick Brown and leaders from 11 other states today are pressing the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to issue long-delayed restitution to victims of a predatory tech sales program.

    In a letter sent today to the CFPB’s acting director, the multistate coalition details how a court order against Prehired LLC for illegal, deceptive and abusive practices resulted in $4.2 million in restitution for some 660 consumers nationwide, yet unexplained delays at the agency level are keeping those checks from being distributed. The court order came in November 2023 and the states worked with the CFPB toward allocating the funds. The CFPB announced the allocation in May 2024.

    States received regular updates throughout 2024 regarding the federal government’s progress on distributing these funds to Prehired’s victims. But in February of this year, the CFPB stopped providing information about the process.

    “Prehired’s victims include consumers from each of our respective states…and nearly every other state in the nation,” the letter reads. “The CFPB committed to provide relief to these consumers when it made the allocation from the Civil Penalty Fund. During these increasingly difficult economic times, hundreds of Americans look to your leadership to deliver on this commitment.”

    Washington state sued the South Carolina company and its founder in 2022 for violating Washington’s Consumer Protection Act, Private Vocational Schools Act, and Collection Agency Act. The state alleged Prehired used deceptive marketing tactics to lure Washingtonians into paying up to $30,000 for Prehired’s unlicensed online sales training program. Most students could not afford to pay, and Prehired offered them income-share loans, which it represented were not loans.

    The company “guaranteed” students would land tech sales jobs paying $60,000 or more. Meanwhile, the company demanded monthly payments from students who were earning far less. When students failed to pay on massive debt from the program, Prehired pursued aggressive collection techniques such as filing lawsuits and initiating arbitration proceedings against students across the country.

    The state later joined other state attorneys general along with the CFPB in a consumer protection enforcement action against Prehired, resulting in the court order that Prehired return $4.2 million to those who made payments on the company’s loans.

    The letter urges the CFPB to respond with a timeframe in which the agency plans to distribute the funds to victims as expected, saying the states and impacted consumers deserve an explanation as to why justice has been delayed.

    Joining Washington in the letter are the states of Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, and the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation.

    A copy of the letter is available here.

    -30-

     

    Washington’s Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the state’s largest law firm, the Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington’s 39 counties. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.

    Media Contact:

    Email: press@atg.wa.gov

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  • MIL-OSI Global: Friedrich Merz confirmed as Germany’s chancellor – but betrayal by MPs in a secret ballot means he starts from a position of weakness

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ed Turner, Reader in Politics, Co-Director, Aston Centre for Europe, Aston University

    Friedrich Merz has been confirmed as Germany’s new chancellor after a close shave left his future in doubt.

    Merz lost a first round of voting among MPs gathered to confirm his role, and may never know who among his own coalition betrayed him. After the shock of the morning vote, a second vote was called and whoever was blocking his path appears to have stood down.

    Merz’s CDU/CSU had struck a coalition deal with the social democratic SPD. Ministers were nominated and ready to take office and Merz’ election as chancellor was scheduled for the morning of May 6. But for much of the morning, this looked uncertain.

    Candidates for chancellor regularly fall short of the number of votes they’d expect to receive (from MPs in their own party and from their coalition partner), and there have been some close-run races, such as Helmut Kohl in 1994, who made it through by just one vote. But this was the first time a candidate has lost the vote.

    Merz fell dramatically short in the first round, receiving only 310 votes. That’s six below the overall majority he needed, and 18 below the number of MPs in his own CDU/CSU/SPD coalition. Germany’s constitution requires this ballot to be secret so we don’t know and may never find out who voted against Merz.

    In the second round of votes, hastily organised after Merz’s failure in the first, 325 votes, more than 316 required. There were 289 votes against, one abstention and three invalid votes.

    Merz will now hope the first vote can be dismissed as “false start” and that life will quickly move on.

    Why did this happen?

    There are four groups of MPs who might have, in secret, voted against Merz in the first round. It’s possible that all four were represented in the group – and we will never know for sure.

    The first is those CDU/CSU parliamentarians who were unhappy with Merz. In particular, just days after his election when he argued for balanced budgets, he pushed through a reform of Germany’s constitutional restrictions on government debt to allow extra defence and infrastructure spending. This irked fiscal hawks, some of whom may have decided to send him a message during the vote.

    The second is those CDU/CSU MPs who had hoped for ministerial office and missed out. The was inevitable, especially since Merz secured fewer cabinet positions than had been expected for his own party. The third group would be made up for SPD MPs who missed out on a ministerial post or were unhappy at choices of ministers.

    Fourth, suspicion will fall on some of the leftwing MPs who have policy disagreements with Merz. His decision to vote with the far-right AfD on immigration policy before the election caused great anger. There are internal SPD critics who feel the coalition agreement makes too many concessions to Merz, particularly on immigration.

    One message about the new government is clear: it had hoped to be more united than its predecessor, the three-party coalition which was frequently consumed by public quarrelling and in the end collapsed over budget policy. Those ambitions have fallen at the first hurdle.

    We should not overstate the risks to government stability. Most votes happen in public, not secret, so MPs are much more likely to tow the government line from here on. And chancellors have often governed with smaller majorities for an extended period.

    However, this debacle is a bad omen. If Merz turns things around quickly, this episode can be forgotten. But if he doesn’t this early blow to his authority will embolden the AfD, which will point to the apparent dysfunction of mainstream parties and capitalise on public dissatisfaction. Nor will this blow to Merz’s authority help him realise his ambition to show leadership in Europe.

    Merz’s poll standing was already weak, and these events risk causing further damage. His first days in the job will now be even more difficult than he expected.

    Ed Turner receives funding from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

    – ref. Friedrich Merz confirmed as Germany’s chancellor – but betrayal by MPs in a secret ballot means he starts from a position of weakness – https://theconversation.com/friedrich-merz-confirmed-as-germanys-chancellor-but-betrayal-by-mps-in-a-secret-ballot-means-he-starts-from-a-position-of-weakness-255992

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: AI therapy may help with mental health, but innovation should never outpace ethics

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ben Bond, PhD Candidate in Digital Psychiatry, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

    Pavlova Yuliia/Shutterstock

    Mental health services around the world are stretched thinner than ever. Long wait times, barriers to accessing care and rising rates of depression and anxiety have made it harder for people to get timely help.

    As a result, governments and healthcare providers are looking for new ways to address this problem. One emerging solution is the use of AI chatbots for mental health care.

    A recent study explored whether a new type of AI chatbot, named Therabot, could treat people with mental illness effectively. The findings were promising: not only did participants with clinically significant symptoms of depression and anxiety benefit, those at high-risk for eating disorders also showed improvement. While early, this study may represent a pivotal moment in the integration of AI into mental health care.

    AI mental health chatbots are not new – tools like Woebot and Wysa have already been released to the public and studied for years. These platforms follow rules based on a user’s input to produce a predefined approved response.

    What makes Therabot different is that it uses generative AI – a technique where a program learns from existing data to create new content in response to a prompt. Consequently, Therabot can produce novel responses based on a user’s input like other popular chatbots such as ChatGPT, allowing for a more dynamic and personalised interaction.

    This isn’t the first time generative AI has been examined in a mental health setting. In 2024, researchers in Portugal conducted a study where ChatGPT was offered as an additional component of treatment for psychiatric inpatients.

    The research findings showed that just three to six sessions with ChatGPT led to a significantly greater improvement in quality of life than standard therapy, medication and other supportive treatments alone.

    Together, these studies suggest that both general and specialised generative AI chatbots hold real potential for use in psychiatric care. But there are some serious limitations to keep in mind. For example, the ChatGPT study involved only 12 participants – far too few to draw firm conclusions.

    In the Therabot study, participants were recruited through a Meta Ads campaign, likely skewing the sample toward tech-savvy people who may already be open to using AI. This could have inflated the chatbot’s effectiveness and engagement levels.

    Ethics and Exclusion

    Beyond methodological concerns, there are critical safety and ethical issues to address. One of the most pressing is whether generative AI could worsen symptoms in people with severe mental illnesses, particularly psychosis.

    A 2023 article warned that generative AI’s lifelike responses, combined with the most people’s limited understanding of how these systems work, might feed into delusional thinking. Perhaps for this reason, both the Therabot and ChatGPT studies excluded participants with psychotic symptoms.

    But excluding these people also raises questions of equity. People with severe mental illness often face cognitive challenges – such as disorganised thinking or poor attention – that might make it difficult to engage with digital tools.

    Ironically, these are the people who may benefit the most from accessible, innovative interventions. If generative AI tools are only suitable for people with strong communication skills and high digital literacy, then their usefulness in clinical populations may be limited.

    There’s also the possibility of AI “hallucinations” – a known flaw that occurs when a chatbot confidently makes things up – like inventing a source, quoting a nonexistent study, or giving an incorrect explanation. In the context of mental health, AI hallucinations aren’t just inconvenient, they can be dangerous.

    Imagine a chatbot misinterpreting a prompt and validating someone’s plan to self-harm, or offering advice that unintentionally reinforces harmful behaviour. While the studies on Therabot and ChatGPT included safeguards – such as clinical oversight and professional input during development – many commercial AI mental health tools do not offer the same protections.

    That’s what makes these early findings both exciting and cautionary. Yes, AI chatbots might offer a low-cost way to support more people at once, but only if we fully address their limitations.

    Effective implementation will require more robust research with larger and more diverse populations, greater transparency about how models are trained and constant human oversight to ensure safety. Regulators must also step in to guide the ethical use of AI in clinical settings.

    With careful, patient-centred research and strong guardrails in place, generative AI could become a valuable ally in addressing the global mental health crisis – but only if we move forward responsibly.

    Ben Bond receives funding from Research Ireland.

    – ref. AI therapy may help with mental health, but innovation should never outpace ethics – https://theconversation.com/ai-therapy-may-help-with-mental-health-but-innovation-should-never-outpace-ethics-255090

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Tove Jansson: lessons in life from her beloved Moomin characters

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Barbara Tesio-Ryan, ECDS Postdoctoral Fellow in European Languages, University of Edinburgh

    This year marks the 80th anniversary of The Moomins, the Finnish/Swedish trolls that have delighted generations of children, becoming a cultural phenomenon in their own right. While posterity will likely remember her as the inventor of Moomins, Tove Jansson was in fact a strikingly multi-talented creative force.

    Born in Helsinki in 1914, the daughter of artists, Jansson grew up surrounded by creativity, allowing her to develop her own in many different ways. During a career that spanned over 70 years, her work included illustrations, cartoons, paintings, murals, theatre productions, children’s books and beautifully crafted novels.

    The main thing in life is to know your own mind.

    Snufkin, Moominsummer Madness

    In 1929, aged 15, Jansson began her career as a cartoonist. Her illustrations were first published in Garm, the Finnish satirical magazine for which she later became the in-house illustrator.

    Her work as a cartoonist, before and during the war, gave her an outlet to be outspoken and express her militant anti-fascism and opposition to the war. For a woman at that time to assert her views so boldly and publicly was an act of defiance in itself, and she later recalled how liberating it had been to be able to be “so beastly to Hitler and Stalin” through her daring cartoons.

    This is part of a series of articles celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Moomins. Want to celebrate their birthday with us? Join The Conversation and a group of experts on May 23 in Bradford for a screening of Moomins on the Riviera and a discussion of the refugee experience in Tove Jansson’s work. Click here for more information and tickets.

    No one was spared, and her cartoons captured the megalomania of the main political figures of the time, as well as the impact of the war on everyday life. During the strenuous war years, Jansson refined her craft as an illustrator, and also, crucially, learned the importance of laughter in ushering light into the darkness. This is a skill that would characterise her entire output, both as an artist and as a writer.

    Everything looks worse in the dark, you know.

    Moominmama, The Moomins and the Great Flood

    She used humour as a tool to both critique and understand life and the world around her. Through the act of making art, Jansson brought light and lightness when life got darker.

    While Jansson had been sketching some variation of Moomintrolls her whole life, it was during the war that she began creating their Moominvalley world and imagining stories for them.

    In 1991, she wrote that the Moomins had come to her as an escape from the horrors of the war: “Perhaps it was understandable that I suddenly felt an urge to write something that was to begin with ‘once upon a time’.”

    When her first Moomin book, Småtrollen och den stora översvämningen (The Moomins and the Great Flood), was published in 1945, Finland had been through the second world war, as well as the “winter war” and the “continuation war” with Russia. So, while it was published during a time of peace, darkness surrounded the origin of the Moomins.

    This dichotomy of light and darkness pervades all the Moomin books. Often a catastrophe is waiting to happen, or has just happened, and how the Moomins react to those events is central to the story itself. This is what makes those books so universal and so timeless.

    The Moomins are so special because they are normal. Not everyone is a hero and not every day is great. There is space for both sadness and joy in Jansson’s tales, and this is why we keep reading them, because they are just like life itself.

    It would be awful if the world exploded. It is so wonderfully splendid.

    Snufkin, Comet in Moominland

    In the first two Moomin books, Moomins and the Great Flood, and Comet in Moominland, natural catastrophes mirror the horrors of the war and postwar era (such as the atomic bomb). Environmental disasters are also ongoing threats to the the creatures of Moominvalley.

    These are often, and mainly, brought by the sea, and can be fully appreciated only by someone like Jansson who lived between coastal and island landscapes most of her life. The natural landscape of Finland and Sweden, Jansson’s two homelands, are an essential part of her art.

    Moominvalley in particular is a decidedly Nordic landscape, and was in fact inspired by her grandparents’ house on the island of Blidö, and by the Pellinki archipelago. It was here that Jansson spent many happy summers with her family, and later, with her partner Tuulikki Pietilä.

    There is a humbleness to be learned in living by the sea, and a respect for the power of nature that Jansson captured beautifully in so many of her creations, such as The Summer Book.

    In Moominpappa at Sea, where Moominpappa goes on an existential journey to find his purpose in life again, the relationship to the sea also becomes pivotal to his personal development: “There was the sea – his sea – going past, wave after wave, foaming recklessly, raging furiously, but, somehow, tranquil at the same time. All Moominpappa’s thoughts and speculations vanished. He felt completely alive from the tips of his ears to the tip of his tail. This was a moment to live to the full.”

    The Moomins’ unconditional love and respect for nature also translates beautifully into an acceptance of all of life’s diversity. The Moomin’s universe is one where everyone is welcomed and loved for whoever they are and however they feel.

    One of the biggest teachings of Jansson’s work for any reader at any age, is that all feelings are valid, and learning to accept this simple and profound truth makes life so much easier. As Moominpappa says: “For if you’re not afraid, how can you really be brave?”

    You seem to be yourself again. Actually, you’re nicer that way.

    Mymble, Moominvalley in November

    Jansson’s motto, labora et amare (work and love), did indeed mark her existence. She worked incessantly and loved fiercely. Well ahead of her time, Jansson lived her sexuality with a freedom that was truly revolutionary for her time (Finland, like many other countries, decriminalised homosexuality only in 1971).

    What characterised this artist’s life and career was the ambition and the courage to live differently. To create and to love without boundaries and without fear. And this is perhaps Jansson and her Moomins’ most important legacy.

    Barbara Tesio-Ryan 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. Tove Jansson: lessons in life from her beloved Moomin characters – https://theconversation.com/tove-jansson-lessons-in-life-from-her-beloved-moomin-characters-255280

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The UK is falling behind in tackling microplastic pollution – here are three ways the government can catch up

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Antaya March, Director – Global Plastics Policy Centre, University of Portsmouth

    SIVStockStudio/Shutterstock

    Microplastics – fragments of plastic smaller than 5mm – are accumulating in the environment. They’re found in soil, water, food, even in human lungs, placentas and blood. These plastic particles shed from items we use daily, such as synthetic clothes, tyres, plastic packaging and paint.

    Scientists, medical professionals and environmental bodies have raised growing concern about the potential impacts of microplastics on environments and human health. Studies suggest that microplastics could affect soil health, reduce food productivity and compromise ecosystem functioning. As a result, economic growth may be hindered.

    Some nations are acting. French regulations require that filters are put on new washing machines to capture microfibres. The EU has recently targeted microplastic inputs from artificial turf and paint and has passed rules to limit microplastic discharges in wastewater treatment.

    US states are beginning to regulate microplastic contamination in drinking water. In fact, California has set some of the world’s first safe water testing requirements for microplastic contamination.

    Yet, the UK hasn’t kept pace. There is still no national plan to reduce emissions. There are no legal targets for reducing microplastic pollution, no limits and no timeline for action. The only regulation to date (a 2017 ban on microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics) addresses just a fraction of the problem. Microbeads only account for less than 5% of the microplastics ending up in the environment.

    With evidence building and risks mounting, the UK urgently needs a more coordinated response. Drawing on insights from leading UK scientists and policy experts, here are three ways the UK can begin to close the gap.

    1. A national roadmap

    The UK has no coordinated plan to reduce microplastic pollution. Microplastics are mentioned in several UK government strategies – such as the Plan for Water and Environmental Improvement Plan – but these don’t have clear targets, timelines or regulatory action.

    A national roadmap can tackle the problem more effectively by expanding the narrow scope of the microbeads ban to cover major sources of both primary (intentionally manufactured) and secondary microplastics (produced from the breakdown of larger plastics).

    To make this feasible, design standards for plastic products need to focus on reducing microplastics shedding upstream, rather than relying on clean-up alone.

    As with any effective regulation, measurable targets to reduce microplastics entering the environment can be paired with a programme for monitoring – so human exposure and microplastic levels in air, water and soil can be tracked to assess whether policies are working.

    2. Regulate the biggest sources

    The ban on microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics was an important early step, but it only scratches the surface. Most microplastic pollution comes from larger, less visible sources: car tyres, synthetic textiles, paint and fertilisers made from sewage sludge. These everyday sources account for most microplastic emissions, yet remain largely unregulated in the UK.



    Read more:
    Car tyres shed a quarter of all microplastics in the environment – urgent action is needed

    By making manufacturers responsible for the highest levels of microplastic pollution, a widespread industry shift can be achieved. That includes setting standards to reduce fibres shedding from textiles and requiring filters in washing machines, addressing tyre wear and road runoff in the transport sector and phasing out the use of contaminated sludge and plastic mulch films in agriculture. These are not distant or unrealistic goals. Many could be achieved by updating existing waste, water and environmental regulations.

    Paint is a big source of microplastics.
    r.classen/Shutterstock

    To date, the government has eschewed precaution and tended to shelve action where evidence of harm is still emerging. While research continues to evolve, existing scientific evidence provides a strong basis for meaningful policy actions today. What’s missing is a shift in focus – from marginal sources to the main drivers – and the political will to prioritise real reductions over symbolic moves.

    3. Tackle plastic production

    Most microplastics begin as larger plastic products that slowly break down over time. We need to reduce how much plastic is produced and used in the first place.

    The UK government’s stated aims for creating an economy in which less resources are used overall there is greater reuse of existing resources (otherwise known as a circular economy) focus on reducing waste and improving material use, but they don’t yet address how overproduction of plastics contributes to microplastic pollution.

    Setting targets to cut the volume of single-use plastic on the market would help prevent microplastics polluting the environment. Simplifying how products are designed and labelled can also enable safer disposal, reuse or recycling and reduce how much plastic breaks up.

    At the same time, alternatives (including biodegradable or bio-based plastics) must be carefully assessed. Without proper oversight, these substitutes risk repeating many of the same problems. Reducing plastic demand remains one of the most effective ways to tackle the microplastics crisis at its root. Consumers can also help by supporting policies that reduce plastic use and choosing to buy products that don’t produce as many microplastics.

    With microplastics now pervasive across ecosystems, waiting for more evidence risks further accumulation. Setting clear targets and strengthening regulation in the sectors that contribute most to emissions is essential.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Antaya March receives funding from the Flotilla Foundation.

    Stephanie Northen receives funding from the Flotilla Foundation.

    – ref. The UK is falling behind in tackling microplastic pollution – here are three ways the government can catch up – https://theconversation.com/the-uk-is-falling-behind-in-tackling-microplastic-pollution-here-are-three-ways-the-government-can-catch-up-255465

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –