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Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI Global: Will the Gaza ceasefire hold? Where does Trump’s takeover proposal stand? Expert Q&A

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Scott Lucas, Professor of International Politics, Clinton Institute, University College Dublin

    As the deadline approaches for the end of phase one of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, the likelihood of the agreement making it to the scheduled second phase on March 1 look increasingly remote. Middle East expert, Scott Lucas, addresses the key questions.

    What are the chances of the ceasefire holding into phase two?

    Even before Donald Trump’s proposal for the clearing and redevelopment – what would amount to the ethnic cleansing – of Gaza, an agreement to move from phase one to phase two at the start of March was an increasingly remote possibility.

    We almost did not have a first phase. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had held out against a deal for months, and he was under pressure from two hard-right ministers – finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir – not to proceed.

    In the end, Netanyahu acceded because of families seeking the return of their relatives held hostage by Hamas, and because of an approach by Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff.

    Smotrich stayed in the cabinet while Ben-Gvir left but his party said it would continue support for the government. However, both demanded that there be no second phase. They called instead military action to eradicate Hamas and the resettlement of the population of GAza – voluntary or otherwise.

    In the next phase, the Israeli military is supposed to withdraw fully from Gaza while Palestinian governance is restored in the Strip. Israel and the US will demand that Hamas will leave power – indeed, the Israelis may call for Hamas leaders to leave the territory – and Hamas will refuse to do so.

    Trump’s demand for an end of “occupation” of Gaza, not by the Israelis but by Gazans, confirmed the demise of the process. There is no chance that Hamas negotiators will agree to a “solution” in which most if not all residents are evicted.

    That is why Trump, using the pretext of Hamas obstruction of phase one, stopped portraying himself as a “peacemaker” on Monday. Instead, he proclaimed: “All bets are off and let hell break out” — in effect, returning to a blank cheque for Israel’s military action, blockade of humanitarian aid, and mass killing across Gaza.

    Is Donald Trump serious about redeveloping Gaza?

    Many media outlets have been negligent in excusing Trump’s statements by saying alternatively that he is not serious or that he is “thinking outside the box” with his egregious statements.

    Trump’s proposal for “development” of Gaza, clearing out the population, was not just a thought bubble. In his first term, he repeatedly spoke of North Korea’s “great beaches” and “waterfront property” as a prime location for condos and hotels. In March 2024, his son-in-law Jared Kushner turned to the Middle East, saying: “Gaza’s waterfront property could be very valuable… From Israel’s perspective I would do my best to move the people out and then clean it up.”

    Last summer, the Trump team asked Joseph Pelzman, a professor of economic and international affairs at George Washington University to propose a plan for the Strip. He summarised: “You have to destroy the whole place, you have to restart from scratch … It requires that the place be completely emptied out. I mean, literally emptied out.”

    Within a week of returning to the White House on January 20, Trump was telling reporters that Gaza’s civilians should be removed from the “demolition site”. Just over a week later, alongside Netanyahu, he expanded on the declaration – reportedly in a statement written by Kushner.

    What about international law?

    Trump’s proposal is a clear violation of international law. The Geneva conventions stipulate that civilians should not be transferred outside of their territory unless it is “impossible” to do otherwise.

    UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told reporters: “Any forced displacement of people is tantamount to ethnic cleansing.”

    But, the Trump administration does not appear to care about international law. Two days after his appearance with Netanyahu, Trump signed an executive order sanctioning the International Criminal Court.

    Indeed, the administration does not believe it should face any legal oversight in the US. As Trump and Elon Musk attempt to destroy US agencies, with mass firings and seizure of records that may be unconstitutional and illegal, the US vice-president, J.D. Vance, maintains: “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.” Trump, demanding the impeachment of a judge who ruled against the unauthorised access to records, said: “No judge should, frankly, be allowed to make that kind of a decision.”

    Does the US have sufficient support to do this?

    Absolutely not, especially if Trump tries to fulfil his declaration that the US should “own” Gaza. Apart from Israel, no country has given support to Trump’s proposal. And most Americans, even Trump backers, would be loath to have “ownership” which required intervention by US troops.

    As for the countries Trump wants to send Palestinians to, they are vehement in their opposition. Within hours of Trump’s February 4 statement, he got a firm rebuttal from Saudi Arabia. Riyadh cited “the Kingdom’s firm and supportive positions on the rights of the Palestinian people” and reinforced its recent shift to “firm and unwavering” support of a Palestinian state.

    The foreign ministry emphasised that this was the position of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and noted his phone call with King Abdullah of Jordan as a sign of solidarity.

    After Netanyahu said the Saudis “have plenty of territory” for a Palestinian state, Riyadh denounced the “extremist, occupying mentality” that seeks to expel Palestinians from Gaza.

    Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty told US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Monday in Washington that Arab states rejected Trump’s pitch. Abdelatty stressed the importance of Gaza’s reconstruction while Palestinians remained there.

    And, on the eve of King Abdullah’s visit to Washington, Jordan expressed its “rejection of any attempts to annex land and displace the Palestinians”.

    How do you see this developing in the foreseeable future?

    Trump and the Israelis will now shift attention to Hamas as an existential threat who cannot be treated as a partner in a phase two ceasefire.

    Phase one is due to expire on March 1. I predict that Israel will return to its open-ended war across Gaza, probably sooner than that.

    And Trump, who only recently presented himself as a “peacemaker”, will give unconditional backing – while bemoaning that Gazans, up to 90% of them displaced from their homes, still won’t leave the Strip.

    Scott Lucas 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. Will the Gaza ceasefire hold? Where does Trump’s takeover proposal stand? Expert Q&A – https://theconversation.com/will-the-gaza-ceasefire-hold-where-does-trumps-takeover-proposal-stand-expert-qanda-249751

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: From chain-smoking to binge-drinking, Bridget Jones’s habits would have been terrible for her health

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dan Baumgardt, Senior Lecturer, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol

    She chain-smoked her way through romance and heart-break and binge-drank Chardonnay until it went out of fashion (and then came back in again) – and now Bridget Jones is back.

    Mad about the Boy is the fourth and final film in the Bridget Jones series. It’s almost 30 years since Helen Fielding hit the bestseller lists with the accident-prone, self-deprecating eponymous heroine of Bridget Jones’s Diary. Tales of “emotional f-ckwits” and “really bloody enormous pants” resonated with readers and the film adaptations cemented Bridget Jones’s status as a well-loved character.

    Fans of the original Bridget Jones’s Diary will remember her daily log of statistics. Many will have read the entries, listing calories, cigarettes and alcohol units consumed, with a nod of recognition. The alcohol-free diet that’s started with fierce determination one day descends into hungover calorific chaos the next. But is Bridget’s lifestyle as loveable in real life as it is on the page and screen?

    Thanks to the handy summary about calorie intake, cigarette count and alcohol units at the end of the original diary, I’ve been able to take a closer look at what her lifestyle might mean in reality. On paper – and on screen – her lifestyle might look like the kind of smoking, drinking, break-up binge eating (and the occasional magic mushroom in Thailand) to which lots of readers and viewers can relate.

    But even the book recognises that Bridget’s lifestyle isn’t sustainable, as it includes a warning and disclaimer. And, the relentless focus on weight and calorie consumption might be a reflection of the social pressure women face, but it’s also been criticised for its potential danger to some of its audience.

    Smoking

    In the original diary, Bridget’s cigarette count for the year is 5,277: around 14-15 a day. In clinical practice, we often standardise this in numbers of “pack-years” of smoking. One pack equals 20 cigarettes, so if you smoke 20 a day for one year, that makes one pack-year. In the case of Bridget, this makes approximately 0.75 pack-years.

    You might think that figure doesn’t seem very high – but add the count from the following year in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, plus of all the years before it, and the pack-years start adding up and are more like five, seven, even ten.

    The higher the number of pack-years exposure, the greater the risk of developing an associated disease or complication. For many years, a critical level of ten pack-years or more was associated with significant risk of developing a lung condition called COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which ranges in severity and can lead to distressing symptoms including persistent coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.

    But patients with a history of less than ten pack-years exposure may also be at significant risk, which is why some argue this critical level should be lowered.

    What kind of health issues could Bridget face after smoking so much for so long? Smoking is notorious for causing cancer, including lung, bladder, kidney and stomach cancers. Smoking also negatively affects cardiovascular health and fertility and causes gum disease and a variety of other health issues – the list is long.

    In Mad About the Boy, Bridget has kicked the habit, and uses nicotine-replacement therapy to reduce cravings.

    Calories

    Bridget logged her daily calorie count, but she was perhaps not a reliable narrator. Over the course of the year, she calculated that she’d consumed over 11 million calories. “Repulsive,” she states – and also highly unlikely. This total would equate to over 30,000 calories a day, approximately six to ten times more than most competing bodybuilders would consume.

    By the end of Bridget Jones’s Diary, she had gained 5st 2lbs and lost 5st 3lbs, resulting in a net loss of a pound. So broadly speaking what went in, must have matched what energy was consumed. Her starting weight for the year is 9st 3lbs, and taking (for argument’s sake) Renée Zellweger’s 5f 4ins height that gives a body mass index (BMI) of 22.1 – right in the middle of the “normal” BMI range of 18.5 to 25.

    Bridget, as many have pointed out over the years, is certainly not overweight.

    Bridget’s daily weigh-in on the bathroom scale routine may have fed her preoccupation with minor fluctuations. Weight isn’t just a measure of fat, it’s also the body’s water and waste. Measuring weight less frequently is a more effective way to gauge the overall trend of whether weight is going up or down. ## Alcohol

    “I WILL NOT drink more than 14 alcohol units a week,” Bridget writes in the opening of the original diary.

    However, despite 114 hangover-free days, Bridget ends up with annual alcohol consumption of 3,836 units – that’s a weekly intake of around 74 units – much more than the maximum of 14 units recommended for both men and women.



    Read more:
    The hangover in literature, from Shakespeare and Burns to Bridget Jones

    Bridget recognises that she drinks too much and, as seen in her new year’s resolutions, often intends to cut back. In clinical practice, we use the Cage questions to help evaluate whether a patient has issues with alcohol. We might ask, for example, whether the person is annoyed by criticism of their drinking or feels guilty about it? Do they use alcohol as an “eye-opener” in the morning?

    So while Bridget Jones may prove as endearing as ever to audiences this year – and her love life just as chaotic – it’s probably for the best that her lifestyle seems a bit healthier this time around. It would have been awful to have her story end with untimely death by Chardonnay.

    Dan Baumgardt 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. From chain-smoking to binge-drinking, Bridget Jones’s habits would have been terrible for her health – https://theconversation.com/from-chain-smoking-to-binge-drinking-bridget-joness-habits-would-have-been-terrible-for-her-health-249395

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Sofas that self-assemble when you heat them up? How 4D printing could transform manufacturing

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Mahdi Bodaghi, Associate Professor of Smart Materials & Manufacturing, Nottingham Trent University

    Flat-pack, but not as we know it. This is an AI image created by OpenAI’s Dall-E., CC BY-SA

    Imagine buying a flat sheet from a furniture store that changes into a sofa when you heat it with a hairdryer. Or consider the value of a stent that precisely expands inside a patient’s artery, adapting to their unique anatomy.

    Welcome to 4D printing, a frontier in material and manufacturing science that has been rapidly expanding over the past decade. While 3D printing has captured global attention for its ability to create objects layer by layer, 4D printing adds the element of time.

    It involves 3D-printing adaptable objects from materials such as polymers or alloys that can bend, twist or transform entirely when they come into contact with heat or moisture. By moving beyond the constrictions of static designs, it opens up remarkable possibilities in areas such as medicine, aerospace, robotics and construction.

    I was recently the lead author on a comprehensive report published in the journal of Smart Materials and Structures, charting the advances and challenges in this field. We outlined this industry’s potential, offering a vision of a future where smart materials redefine design and manufacturing.

    Here are some more of the main fields in which 4D printing could be transformative:

    1. Healthcare

    Like the stent I mentioned earlier, 4D printing raises the possibility of creating implants and prosthetics that adapt to patients’ needs in real time. Research teams working on these innovations include the Biomet4D project, coordinated by the IMDEA Materials Institute in Madrid, which is developing smart, biodegradable metallic implants for people with seriously damaged or defective bones. The implants can change shape and expand as the bone grows, supporting it much more effectively than a static implant.

    Another area of focus is smarter ways to give patients drugs. For example, a team of researchers based at China’s Jilin University have created 4D-printed hydrogel capsules whose outer structure stays intact inside a patient’s body until it reaches a particular temperature, such as when there is an infection, meaning the drug only takes effect when it’s required. This could be useful in situations where it’s beneficial to release a drug into a patient’s body at exactly the right time and location.

    2. Robotics and wearables

    Integrating 4D materials into robotics and wearable devices enables them to adjust their functionality in response to their environment. For instance, researchers at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute have developed self-folding robotic devices based on insights from origami that change shape when exposed to heat. One potential application could involve sending these devices to carry out tasks in environments that are difficult to reach, such as in deep seas or oceans.

    Similarly, scientists at Deakin University in Australia are researching 4D-printing robotic joints with variable stiffness that can help with rehabilitation. For example, an arm could get stiffer when the user tries to pick something up, making it easier for them to lift it.

    3. Exploring the cosmos

    In the extreme conditions of space, adaptability is critical, so again there’s a role for 4D-printed materials. For instance, Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory uses 4D-printed metallic space fabrics.

    These can fold, change shape and adapt to varying thermal and mechanical environments. This makes them suitable for a wide range of space applications, including shielding spacecraft from meteorites, insulating against extreme temperatures and conforming to uneven terrain on Jupiter’s smallest moon, the icy Europa.

    Challenges and opportunities

    The current capabilities of 4D printing are nothing short of remarkable, yet the field still faces significant challenges. While we can now create materials that transform with precision, there’s still more research required to ensure they’re biologically safe and durable for the long term.

    Also, scaling up production to meet industrial demands, particularly for high-resolution designs or nanoscale structures, requires not just new techniques but also new ways of thinking about manufacturing. Cost is another barrier – specialised materials and processes can often prove too expensive at present for widespread use.

    And yet, the promise of 4D printing is tantalising. One of the big attractions is in sustainability. From water pipes that adjust flow rates to buildings that self-regulate carbon dioxide levels, 4D printing creates the potential for adaptive systems that help in this area. A prime example is the Solar Gate, developed by the University of Stuttgart’s Institute for Computational Design and Construction.

    Inspired by the way that pine cones open in response to sunlight, the gate consists of a series of 4D-printed cellulose flaps that can be installed into buildings to open and close in response to certain levels of humidity and temperature. They curl upwards in winter to allow heat in, and flatten in the summer to block direct sunlight. It demonstrates how a building can be made more energy efficient without relying on an external source of power for, say, air conditioning.

    Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is already accelerating progress by optimising the design and behaviour of 4D-printed objects. It is helping researchers to have more precise control over how these smart materials respond under different conditions, without having to rely so much on trial and error.

    This is still a young industry, with limited venture capital investment and a workforce that is only beginning to take shape. But as more research institutions and companies recognise its potential, the pace of innovation should quicken. According to one report, the sector is due to grow at around 35% a year over the next five years.

    We are now developing structures that recover or change their shape on demand at the 4D materials and printing laboratory at Nottingham Trent University and the 4D Printing Society. For example, we’ve already 4D-printed medical stents that can self-expand in response to body temperature (see images below).


    Nottingam Trent University, CC BY-SA

    We’re also developing materials for boat fenders and car bumpers whose shape can be restored by adding heat, as a way of removing dents, as well as shape-adaptive finger splints for broken bones, and self-assembling, extra-comfortable furniture.

    So, the next time you marvel at the capabilities of 3D printing, remember: the future lies in 4D printing, where materials come alive and redefine the possibilities of tomorrow.

    Mahdi Bodaghi 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. Sofas that self-assemble when you heat them up? How 4D printing could transform manufacturing – https://theconversation.com/sofas-that-self-assemble-when-you-heat-them-up-how-4d-printing-could-transform-manufacturing-246899

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Technofossils: how the pollution of today will become the fossils of the far future

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jan Zalasiewicz, Professor of Palaeobiology, University of Leicester

    dimitris_k / shutterstock

    How might you make your mark on the world forever? Write a play more timeless than Shakespeare, or compose music to out-do Mozart, or score the winning goal in the next World Cup final, perhaps?

    There’s an easier way of leaving an indelible mark on our planet. Just finish a soft drink and toss the can (and the remains of the chicken dinner that went with it), ditch last year’s impulse purchases from your wardrobe, resurface that old patio, upgrade your mobile phone … simply carry on with everyday life, that is, and you’ll likely leave a fascinating legacy. It might last a billion years.

    We’re palaeontologists, and have spent our careers looking at the fossil record of the deep past, puzzling out how those magnificent animal and plant relics have been preserved as dinosaur bones, the carapaces of ancient crustaceans, lustrous spiralled ammonites, petrified flower petals and many more. Often they still have exquisite detail intact after millions of years.

    We’ve now turned our attention to the myriad everyday objects that we make and use, to see what kind of future fossils – we call them technofossils – they will make. We’ve written about this in our new book, Discarded: how technofossils will be our ultimate legacy. Here are some key messages:

    The first things that’ll catch the eye of any far-future palaeontologist are our manufactured objects – buildings, roads, machines and so on. In recent decades, they have rocketed in amount to over a trillion tonnes, to now outweigh all living things on Earth. That’s a lot of raw material for generating future fossils.

    Then, most things we make are designed to be durable, to resist corrosion and decay, and are significantly tougher than the average bone or shell. Just from that they have a head start in the fossilisation stakes.

    Many are new to the Earth. Discarded aluminium cans are everywhere, for instance, but to our planet, they’re a wondrous novelty, as pure aluminium metal is almost unknown in nature. In the past 70 years we’ve made more than 500 million tonnes of the stuff, enough to coat all of the US (and part of Canada) in standard aluminium kitchen foil.

    What’s going to happen to it? Aluminium resists corrosion, but not forever. Buried underground in layers of mud and sand, a can will slowly break down, but often not before there’s a can-shaped impression in these new rocks, lined with microscopic clay crystals newly-grown out of the corroding aluminium.

    Everyday items can be flushed onto a floodplain and be quickly buried under sediments. As they slowly degrade they may leave an impression on the soft muds and silts for future palaeontologists to puzzle over.
    Sarah Gabbott

    Having been shielded from ultraviolet light, the thin plastic liner inside the can may endure too. (Oil-based plastic is even more novel in geological terms, being entirely non-existent until the 20th century). These two materials compressed side-by-side represent future fossil signatures of our time on Earth.

    Billions of fossilised chicken thighs

    But what about bones – the archetypal fossil relic? There will be many of these as future fossils, stark evidence of our species’ domination over others.

    The standard supermarket chicken seems mundane. But it’s now by far the most common bird of all, making up about two-thirds of all bird biomass on Earth, and its abundance in life increases its fossilisation chances after death.

    We stack the odds further by tossing the bones into a plastic bin-bag, that’s then carted to the landfill site to join countless more bones for burial in neatly engineered compartments – also plastic-lined. There, the bones will begin to mummify, another useful step in the road to petrifaction. Our landfills are giant middens of the future and will be stuffed full of the bones of this one species.

    Geologists of the far future may conclude that chickens could only have existed thanks to a more intelligent species.
    dba87 / shutterstock

    These bones – super-sized but weak, riddled with osteoporosis, sometimes fractured and deformed – will tell their own grisly story. Future geologists will puzzle over a suddenly-evolved bird so abundant yet so physically helpless. Will they figure out the story of a broiler chicken genetically
    engineered to feed relentlessly to maximise weight gain, for slaughter just five or six weeks after hatching? We suspect the fossil evidence will be damning.

    Fossilised fleeces

    Fossilizeable fashion is also new. Humans have worn clothes for thousands of years, but archaeological clothes discoveries are rare, because made of natural fibres they are feasted on by clothes moths, microbes and other scavengers. Fossil fur and feathers are rare too, for the same reasons.

    But cheap, cheerful and hyper-abundant polyester fashion is quite different. There’s no need for mothballs with these garments because synthetic plastics are indigestible to most microbes. How long might they last? Some ancient fossil algae have coats of plastic-like polymers, and these have lasted, beautifully preserved, for many millions of years.

    Fossil clothes will surely perplex far-future palaeonologists, though: first to work out their shape from the crumpled and flattened remains, and then to work out what purpose they served. With throwaway fashion, we’re making some eternal puzzles.

    Concrete and computers

    The lumps of concrete from your old patio are not any old rocks. The recipe for concrete, involving furnace-baked lime, is rare on Earth (the minerals involved occasionally form in magma-baked rock), but humans have made it hyper-abundant. There are now more than half a trillion tonnes of concrete on Earth, mostly made since the 1950s – that’s a kilo per square metre averaged over the Earth. And concrete is hard-wearing even by geological standards: most of its bulk is sand and gravel, which have been survivors throughout our planet’s history.

    There’s nothing old about computers and mobile phones, but they are based on the same element – silicon – that makes up the quartz (silicon dioxide) of sand and gravel. A fossilised silicon chip will be tricky to decipher, though: the semiconductors now packed on to them are just nanometres across, tinier than most mineral forms geologists analyse today.

    But the associated paraphernalia, the burgeoning waste of keyboards, monitors, wiring, will form more obvious fossils. The patterns on these, like the QWERTY keyboard, resemble the fossil patterns seized upon by today’s palaeontologists as clues to ancient function. That would depend on the excavators, though: fossil keyboards would make more sense to hyper-evolved rats with five-fingered paws, say, than superintelligent octopuses of the far future.



    Read more:
    What species would become dominant on Earth if humans died out?

    It’s fun to conceptualise like this, and set the human story within the grand perspective of Earth’s history. But there’s a wider meaning. Tomorrow’s future fossils are today’s pollution: unsightly, damaging, often toxic, and ever more of a costly problem. One only has to look at the state of Britain’s rivers and beaches.

    Understanding how fossilisation starts now helps us ask the right questions. When plastic trash is washed out to sea, will it keep travelling or become safely buried, covered by marine sediments? Will the waste in coastal landfill sites stay put, or be exhumed by the waves as sea level rises? The answers will be found in future rocks – but it would help us all to work them out now.

    Sarah Gabbott is affiliated with Green Circle Nature Regeneration Community Interest Company 13084569.

    Jan Zalasiewicz 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. Technofossils: how the pollution of today will become the fossils of the far future – https://theconversation.com/technofossils-how-the-pollution-of-today-will-become-the-fossils-of-the-far-future-248815

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The Last Showgirl: Pamela Anderson is perfectly cast in this intimate portrait of womanhood

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Daisy McManaman, PhD Candidate, Centre for Women’s Studies, University of York

    Director Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl captures the bittersweet reality of a dreamer who has given everything to a career that will never love her back.

    Pamela Anderson’s Shelley has devoted the past 30 years of her life to the Las Vegas revue Le Razzle Dazzle, a show she proudly describes as embodying “breasts and rhinestones and joy”. But as the show’s run comes to an end, Shelley is forced to confront an uncertain future, aged out of the career she so desperately loves.

    Shelley is a woman out of time. From her pink Motorola Razr phone to her disbelief at the rising price of lemons, she clings to a romanticised vision of the showgirl as an ambassador of Las Vegas glamour.

    But as Le Razzle Dazzle prepares to close and her co-stars, Jodie (Kiernan Shipka) and Mary-Anne (Brenda Song), audition for raunchier, neo-burlesque-inspired productions, both Shelley and the audience question whether the traditional showgirl still has a place in today’s cultural landscape.

    The Last Showgirl explores the multifaceted nature of womanhood, offering an intimate portrait of the women of Las Vegas. It peeks into dressing rooms where, among tables scattered with false eyelashes and stray rhinestones, a performer struggles to balance single motherhood, her cultivated show community and a dream that may no longer have space for her.

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

    Screenwriter Kate Gersten wrote The Last Showgirl after seeing the Las Vegas revue Jubilee! shortly before its closure in 2016.

    As the last traditional showgirl revue on the Vegas strip, Jubilee! was a tribute to glamour and femininity. Jubilee!’s costume designers were Bob Mackie and Pete Menefee, and their original designs also feature in the film. They’re adorned with brightly coloured feathers and shimmering rhinestones so extravagant that they once caused an international Swarovski shortage.

    In The Last Showgirl, these archival Jubilee! costumes become characters in their own right. Their opulent feathers and dazzling crystals create a spectacle on screen, embodying the larger-than-life fantasy of the showgirl.

    As the title card plays, we see close-ups of the craftsmanship behind the showgirl aesthetic – hands caressing plumes, rich fabrics and expanses of rhinestones.

    The Pamela renaissance

    The true star of the film, however, is the woman whose performance shines brighter than the crystals she is adorned in. Anderson’s portrayal of Shelley cuts to the heart of the character, imbuing her with vulnerability that transcends the glittering surface of the showgirl persona.

    The Last Showgirl trailer.

    The Last Showgirl marks Anderson’s first leading film role since the critically panned 1996 film Barb Wire, which earned her a Golden Razzie nomination for worst actress.

    The casting of Anderson as Shelley feels almost kismet. One of the most notable sex symbols of our time, Anderson has recently undergone a cultural renaissance. This has been driven by the Hulu series Pam and Tommy (2022), which focused on the nonconsensual release of Anderson and her then-partner musician Tommy Lee’s sex tape (the series was ironically made without her consent).

    But also Anderson’s own work in the 2023 Netflix documentary Pamela, A Love Story and her memoir, Love, Pamela, which was released the same year.



    Read more:
    Don’t watch Pam and Tommy – the series turns someone’s trauma into entertainment

    Anderson’s status as a sex symbol frequently stripped her of autonomy. In Love, Pamela, she states that she views her multiple appearances in Playboy as “an honour”, but also acknowledges that they’ve led some to treat her without respect.

    She recalls being told in a deposition regarding her sex tape that she had “no right to privacy because I’d appeared in Playboy”. Both Anderson and Shelley refuse to be shamed for embodying feminine sexuality.

    Subverting the showgirl

    While The Last Showgirl paints a bleak image of the future of traditional Las Vegas revue, real burlesque dancers like Dita Von Teese offer a modernised alternative. Their performances honour showgirl glamour while breaking restrictive industry norms.

    In 2024, Von Teese opened her own homage to Jubilee! by featuring the revue’s original Mackie and Manefee costumes (which she lent to The Last Showgirl). Von Teese’s Las Vegas revue features a diverse cast of showgirls, challenging stereotypes of gender, thinness and youth.

    Dita Von Teese discusses her evolving show.

    Performing at 52 – a similar age to Shelley – Von Teese invited 63-year-old retired showgirl Paula Nyland to perform on stage in the latest season of the Netflix show, Queer Eye. On the show, she explains: “We have to evolve and change and get rid of some of the unpleasant rules like height requirements, age requirements … I look to women older than me that can be examples of beauty and glamour.”

    Perhaps, we could imagine an alternate timeline where Shelley finds a new home in Von Teese’s modernised showgirl revue, one that honours the glamour of the past while embracing a more inclusive future.

    While The Last Showgirl paints a melancholic portrait of an ageing performer left behind by a changing industry, performers like Von Teese suggest that the showgirl can evolve rather than disappear. In a different version of Shelley’s story, she might have found a stage where rhinestones still sparkle, but the rules no longer dictate who gets to wear them.

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

    – ref. The Last Showgirl: Pamela Anderson is perfectly cast in this intimate portrait of womanhood – https://theconversation.com/the-last-showgirl-pamela-anderson-is-perfectly-cast-in-this-intimate-portrait-of-womanhood-249626

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: SPbGASU became the venue for the festival “Technical Professions of the 21st Century: Infrastructure of the Big City”

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    On February 11, the SPbGASU hosted the Regional Career Guidance Festival “Technical Professions of the 21st Century: Infrastructure of a Big City.” Students from grades 8–11 from 30 St. Petersburg schools took part in it. The students directly communicated with representatives of 10 universities and colleges that offer technical specialties and attended their master classes.

    The festival is part of the Regional Career Guidance Marathon “Workshops of the Future”, which is held as part of the career guidance minimum in general education organizations and the federal project for early career guidance for schoolchildren “Ticket to the Future” with the support of the Education Committee of the Government of St. Petersburg.

    The festival is organized by the Center for Advanced Professional Training of St. Petersburg and the Center for Children’s (Youthful) Technical Creativity of the Kirov District of the Northern Capital. Co-organizers are SPbGASU and the St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design.

    The festival consists of two blocks: “Technical Professions of the 21st Century: Big City Industry” and “Technical Professions of the 21st Century: Big City Infrastructure”. The blocks are held on different days at different venues.

    The festival venue at our university was the building on Serpukhovskaya Street, No. 10, which houses the Institute of Continuous Education.

    Business Contact Exchange. Left – Olga Tatarinova

    The festival included a business contacts exchange, where the children received information about technical universities and colleges first-hand. Our university was represented by the admissions committee staff. Olga Tatarinova, deputy executive secretary, and Elena Abashina, specialist, talked about the variety of technical areas at SPbGASU. They also told about the subjects required for admission, the number of points and individual achievements that are taken into account upon admission, the possibility of entering the university based on the results of Olympiads, and the specifics of creative entrance examinations at the architecture faculty. At the exchange, you could also watch how students of the architecture faculty draw and ask them questions about studying at our university.

    According to Natalia Nikolaeva, a class teacher for the tenth grade of the Secondary Comprehensive School No. 187 in Krasnogvardeisky District, the advantage of this event is that schoolchildren can directly communicate with representatives of universities: “We took not only those who would like to enroll in technical programs, but also those who have not yet decided. They were able to ask questions and get answers to them.”

    During the master classes, they designed a house using the Russian TIM Renga system, tested water for hardness and lead, designed airplane models, changed brake pads, and worked on a welding simulator.

    “It’s five o’clock in the morning. You’ve found yourself in a typical car park…” – with these words, Igor Chernyaev, head of the department of technical operation of vehicles at SPbGASU, began his master class. Having chosen volunteers for the roles of a driver, logistician, mechanic, Igor Olegovich told them what the responsibilities of these specialists are and what knowledge they should have. The master class leader gave the children difficult tasks: to name the brand of a car by the sound of the engine, to determine which of the containers with different operating materials contains gasoline. As in real life, the participants’ time was limited: after all, the longer it takes to choose the right solution, the greater the non-production losses. At the end of the master class, Igor Olegovich invited them to apply to our university, which has its own driving school, training ground, and rally team. “Whatever your interests are, your knowledge will be used in the automotive industry,” Igor Chernyaev summed up.

    Participants of the career guidance festival received not only useful information, but also many new vivid impressions. The experience gained will be useful to them in their future choice of profession.

    The Admissions Committee of SPbGASU, responsible for holding the event, thanks the Volunteer Club of our university for its assistance.

    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: Real Madrid Foundation and HP join forces to empower communities with digital skills and sport for good initiatives

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MADRID, Feb. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, The Real Madrid Foundation announced a strategic collaboration with HP Inc. to promote digital skills and sports for disconnected communities during a joint signing ceremony at Ciudad Real Madrid. This collaboration will harness the unique capabilities of both organizations to leverage the ways in which technology as well as sport for good can empower individuals and prepare them for the future of work. The multi-year partnership is a component of the global technology sponsorship agreement announced with Real Madrid C. F. in February 2024. This collaboration will showcase how technology, sports values, and education can work together to generate positive and lasting change in the world.

    “These projects exemplify the global impact of this alliance, which will seek to empower vulnerable communities through access to sports and technological education, strengthening both individuals and their communities with essential values such as effort, overcoming challenges, and teamwork.” said Alvaro Arbeloa, the Real Madrid ambassador and coach of the Juvenil A youth team. “By bringing its technology expertise to our two existing projects in Spain and Indonesia, HP will be helping the local NGOs to enhance their support to their communities by providing access to future-critical skills.”

    HP will provide technology and digital solutions to the Real Madrid Foundation’s socio-sports programs in Spain and Indonesia, including the HP Foundation’s free business skills platform, HP LIFE.

    Initially, HP will support the following programs:

    • Spain, Red Cross, Madrid: The sports-based program for homeless people of the Real Madrid Foundation that takes place in the Temporary Care Center (CAT) of San Blas, managed by the Red Cross in agreement with the Madrid City supports unemployed and immigrant individuals facing social exclusion. Real Madrid Foundation focuses particularly on improving the psychological well-being of the participants through regular sports practice, utilizing its unique methodology. HP will provide access to hardware, digital literacy, and skills curriculum via HP LIFE.
    • Indonesia, Harapan Project: The Harapan Project aims to improve education for learners aged from 9 to 17-years-old, based in nine villages in the Hu’u district, Sumbawa, Indonesia. Real Madrid Foundation provides support via its Social Sports School program designed to improve their health through the practice of sport and foster values such as respect, autonomy, equality, self-esteem, health, motivation, and teamwork. Thanks to HP’s support, learners will be able to access technology via HP’s cutting-edge PCs and solutions for education and digital skills content developed in collaboration with Girl Rising, an HP partner supporting students and teachers with inclusive curriculum and innovative technology solutions.

    “This partnership is a beautiful example of the power of teamwork, and what it means to be stronger, together. We are honored to partner with Real Madrid Foundation and support these deeply impactful initiatives,” said Michele Malejki, Global Head of Social Impact, HP Inc., and Executive Director, HP Foundation. “At HP, we are dedicated to closing the digital divide for adolescents and adults so they can have the critical skills needed to participate and thrive in an increasingly digital economy.”

    About Real Madrid Foundation

    The Real Madrid Foundation, established in 1997, is the entity through which Real Madrid C.F. channels its social commitment, representing The Soul of the Club. Its mission is to promote the values of sport as an educational and social inclusion tool, fostering the comprehensive development of children and young people while preserving the club’s historical heritage.
    With the vision of becoming a universal benchmark in using sport for integration, the Foundation operates in more than 100 countries across five continents, guided by values such as self-esteem, autonomy, teamwork, equality, motivation, respect, and health.
    For more information, visit: https://www.realmadrid.com/es-ES/fundacion

    About HP
    HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) is a global technology leader and creator of solutions that enable people to bring their ideas to life and connect to the things that matter most. Operating in more than 170 countries, HP delivers a wide range of innovative and sustainable devices, services and subscriptions for personal computing, printing, 3D printing, hybrid work, gaming, and more. For more information, please visit http://www.hp.com.

    HP Inc. Media Relations
    MediaRelations@hp.com 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: NextNav Names Renee Gregory as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RESTON, Va., Feb. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NextNav Inc. (NASDAQ: NN), a leader in next-generation positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) and 3D geolocation, announced the appointment of Renee Gregory as NextNav’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. In this newly created role, Ms. Gregory leads the company’s FCC regulatory approval process and compliance work. Her experience and expertise will be integral to meeting NextNav’s commitment to providing next-generation location technologies and providing a robust terrestrial complement and backup to GPS to meet an urgent national security need.

    “Renee’s appointment as NextNav’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs will help the company deliver on its long-term mission to solve a pressing national security need,” said NextNav Chief Executive Officer Mariam Sorond. “Her decades of experience in policy and spectrum will be instrumental in shaping our regulatory strategy and delivering a wide-scale terrestrial PNT solution.”

    Ms. Gregory brings over 20 years of experience in both government and the private sector. At the federal level, she has served as Senior Policy Advisor for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and held key advisory roles at both the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and the Federal Communications Commission. Her distinguished career in Washington, D.C., also includes leadership positions at Google and prominent international law firms, where she advised technology and telecommunications clients. Ms. Gregory holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. from Yale University.

    “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work alongside federal agencies, industry partners, engineers and technical experts, and the talented NextNav team to help solve this national security need. Working together, I’m committed to strengthening GPS resiliency, eliminating US vulnerabilities, and advancing technical, regulatory, and business solutions that benefit us all,” said Renee Gregory.

    NextNav has petitioned the FCC to reconfigure the Lower 900 MHz band to enable a 5G-based terrestrial 3D PNT service that can be readily deployed and adopted as a complement and backup to GPS while also supporting 5G broadband deployment. In her role, Ms. Gregory will work with the company and its partners to ensure that the FCC’s rulemaking process is guided by sound, fact-based, and engineering-driven decisions that serve the best interests of public safety, national security, and America’s 5G future.

    About NextNav
    NextNav Inc. (Nasdaq: NN) is a leader in next-generation positioning, navigation and timing (PNT), enabling a whole new ecosystem of applications and services that rely upon 3D geolocation and PNT technology. Powered by low-band licensed spectrum, NextNav’s positioning and timing technologies deliver accurate, reliable, and resilient 3D PNT solutions for critical infrastructure, GPS resiliency and commercial use cases.

    For more information, please visit https://nextnav.com/ or follow NextNav on https://x.com/NextNavX or LinkedIn. 

    Forward Looking Statements
    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on NextNav’s management’s current expectations and beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions concerning future events.

    Source: NN-FIN

    Media Contact:
    Jayesh Patel
    jpatel@nextnav.com
    (312) 208-9732

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: New holistic Apple Health Study launches today in the Research app

    Source: Apple

    Headline: New holistic Apple Health Study launches today in the Research app

    February 12, 2025

    UPDATE

    New holistic Apple Health Study launches today in the Research app

    The collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital takes a complete approach to understanding how data can predict, detect, and manage health and wellbeing

    Today, Apple is launching the Apple Health Study, which aims to further understand how technology — including iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods — can play a role in advancing and improving physical health, mental health, and overall wellbeing. Available in the Research app, the study will also explore relationships between various areas of health, such as mental health’s impact on heart rate, or how sleep can influence exercise. The study is being conducted in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a leading research hospital and a major teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

    “We’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of how technology can improve our understanding of human health,” said Calum MacRae, M.D., Ph.D., a cardiologist, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and principal investigator of the Apple Health Study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “We are excited to be part of the Apple Health Study, as it will continue to explore connections across different areas of health using technology that so many people carry with them every day.”

    In medical research, discoveries are often limited by the number of participants who can be recruited, the amount of data that can be captured, and the duration of a given study — but Apple devices expand the possibilities. The Apple Health Study builds on learnings from the Apple Women’s Health Study, the Apple Hearing Study, and the Apple Heart and Movement Study, which combined have more than 350,000 participants across the U.S.

    This new longitudinal, virtual study aims to understand how data from technology — including Apple and third-party devices — can be used to predict, detect, monitor, and manage changes in participants’ health. Additionally, researchers will explore connections across different areas of health. The study spans a number of health and disease areas, including activity, aging, cardiovascular health, circulatory health, cognition, hearing, menstrual health, mental health, metabolic health, mobility, neurologic health, respiratory health, sleep, and more.

    “Research and validation are part of the foundation of all of our work in health, supporting the innovative features we bring to our users across devices,” said Sumbul Desai, M.D., Apple’s vice president of Health. “The valuable insights we’ve gained since launching the Research app have allowed us to bring innovative new tools to our users — including the Vitals app on Apple Watch and Walking Steadiness on iPhone — and surface new insights in areas of health that have long been undervalued, like menstrual and hearing health. We’re thrilled to bring forward the Apple Health Study, which will only accelerate our understanding of health and technology across the human body, both physically and mentally.”

    The Apple Health Study is designed to explore changes in health and how technology can help identify important insights for future product development. When one aspect of a person’s health changes, their body can emit a signal, either physically or emotionally. Changes in health can affect one or more parts of the body, and others may affect wellbeing overall, so helping to identify these changes earlier can help offer a more proactive approach to health. For example, early detection of a change in hearing health could reduce the risk for cognitive decline.

    The Apple Health Study is currently open for enrollment through the Research app for participants who live in the U.S., meet the minimum age requirements, and complete the informed consent process.

    The Research app democratizes how medical research is conducted by bringing together academic medical institutions, healthcare organizations, and the Apple products users already make a part of their everyday life.1 Participation is voluntary, and participants choose which data types they’d like to share with researchers, and are able to stop sharing at any time. Apple does not have access to identifying information, such as contact information that participants provide through the Research app. Participants can withdraw from any study at any time, ending future data collection.

    1. The Apple Health Study is available in version 6.0 of the Research app, on iPhone models compatible with iOS 16 or later.

    Press Contacts

    Zaina Khachadourian

    Apple

    zkhachadourian@apple.com

    Apple Media Helpline

    media.help@apple.com

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Ghana’s urban strategies neglect the needs of street vendors: policy must catch up with reality

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Appiah Takyi, Senior Lecturer, Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)

    Street vending is a major economic activity in most of Ghana’s urban areas. The vendors bring everyday goods to residents and commuters at affordable prices in places convenient to them. However, the growing intensity of street vending activities in Ghanaian cities such as Accra and Kumasi is creating management problems for city authorities. Vendors are being removed as cities aim to “clean up” and modernise the urban landscape.

    City authorities haven’t created ways to support street vendors. Instead, they treat them as a nuisance and use stringent regulations aimed at displacing them. This approach overlooks the potential benefits that the thriving street economy could bring to the local economy and social fabric. In contrast, for example, South Africa’s policy supports informal economic activities by providing vending spaces for street traders.

    As academics who specialise in urban planning, we set out to investigate the rules around street vending in Ghana. Our study was conducted in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti region and the second most important city in Ghana. We found that the regulation of street vending in Ghana is unclear, contradictory and ineffective. It fails to provide a clear policy direction and adequate planning tools for integrating street vending into urban areas.

    Our research reinforces the argument that the regulation of street vending is often ambiguous. We argue that these policy inconsistencies create loopholes for the hostile attitude of city authorities towards street vendors.

    We call for policies that recognise the socioeconomic value of street vending and make urban spaces more inclusive.

    The lay of the land

    Our analysis is based on two national policy documents. These are the National Urban Policy Framework and the Local Governance Act 2016 (Act 936). We also rely on two local policy documents specific to the Kumasi Metropolitan Area. These are the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly By-Laws on Control of Hawkers 1995 and the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly Medium-Term Development Plan (2018–2021).

    The National Urban Policy recognises and promotes street vending as part of the urban economy. It calls for local government authorities to recognise and include the informal sector.

    But the overarching law regulating street vending in Ghana is the Local Governance Act. It authorises local government bodies (city authorities) to pass by-laws that forbid street vending. This is in conflict with the national policy.

    The gaps

    Our study revealed that in the Kumasi Metropolitan Area, the authorities seem to want to help street vendors in some ways – to strengthen the capacity of informal economic actors. But they don’t make plans or take actions to do so in the medium term development plan. Local government authorities sometimes evict street vendors from the central business district.

    In Kumasi, urban policy, regulations and local development planning do not include street vending in the urban development process even though vendors are the largest group of business people in the city. Instead of building stalls and facilities to accommodate these economic operators, the authorities rather expropriate urban space from them to develop modern structures which are expensive for street vendors to occupy.

    There is conflict over the use of urban public spaces. City authorities view the activities of street vendors as illegal, while the vendors see them as legitimate sources of livelihood. Authorities control vending through eviction and relocation.

    In recent years, city authorities have adopted urban infrastructural planning and development as a strategy to remove street vendors. Take the case of the new Kejetia Market Redevelopment Project, which replaced the largest traditional market in west Africa with a modern urban market structure in Kumasi. Over 10,000 street vendors and 4,000 market traders were displaced.

    The neglect of street vending in the design means vendors will have to earn a living informally – which simply adds to the “problem” as the city sees it.

    What next?

    Policies and practices that try to exclude people are not a solution to the problems of street vending. They are often counter productive. Regulating street vending requires inclusive policy measures and a clear policy direction to manage these activities. At present, Ghana, like many other African countries, lacks effective planning strategies to manage the activities of street vending.

    Our recommendations include:

    • coherent and inclusive policies that recognise the socioeconomic value of street vending and give vendors a rightful place in cities

    • reforming urban governance to support the informal economy

    • coherent and precise policies that give street vendors more security.

    The current policy vacuum fuels repressive regulation and excludes street vendors from urban development processes.

    To develop effective policy models, it is critical to learn from the experiences of street vendors and involve them in urban development processes. This starts with a change of attitude among city authorities.

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

    – ref. Ghana’s urban strategies neglect the needs of street vendors: policy must catch up with reality – https://theconversation.com/ghanas-urban-strategies-neglect-the-needs-of-street-vendors-policy-must-catch-up-with-reality-248020

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Address science misinformation not by repeating the facts, but by building conversation and community

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Anne Toomey, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Science, Pace University

    Using communication strategies that tap into people’s social networks can help agencies combat misinformation. arthobbit/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    Misinformation about scientific topics, including falsehoods such as vaccines cause autism and climate change being an entirely natural phenomenon, is an issue scientists have been discussing more and more. Widespread misinformation can lead to confusion about public health and environmental issues and can hinder those working to solve societal problems.

    As an environmental social scientist who researches how science can have an impact on society, I seek effective ways to address misinformation.

    There are many approaches that can work to some extent: for example, counteracting erroneous information with statements about scientific topics based on quality research that convey that the majority of experts agree, and “inoculating” people by preparing them to spot the fallacies in misinformation before they are first exposed to it.

    But one of the most important ways to counteract misinformation is less about the facts and more about how those facts move within social networks and communities. In other words, it’s not enough for science to be right – it has to be accepted within people’s social circles to have any meaningful impact.

    Can facts change minds?

    Most people tend to assume that their knowledge and ideas are based on a rational, objective analysis of information. And that’s sometimes the case – if it’s snowing outside, people don’t insist that it’s sunny and warm, no matter how much they might like it to be.

    Similarly, if a person comes across some novel fact in the news, such as the discovery of a new type of plant in the Amazon, they might just absorb that information and go about their day.

    But rationality and the ability to embrace new information goes out the window when it comes up against ideas that challenge one’s preexisting worldviews or social identities. Such information can feel like a personal attack, leading the body to release cortisol, a hormone associated with stress. So, certain facts can feel threatening or offensive.

    Sometimes, people accept new information without much thought. But when new information challenges their existing beliefs, they may double down on their point of view.

    Compounding what is happening in the brain is what’s happening in people’s communities. Humans are social animals who turn to others they trust to help them understand what’s what. People are attuned to what is considered normal or acceptable in their social environments, so if their social group holds a particular belief, they are more likely to adopt that belief too.

    One’s cultural and political identities often dictate how they interpret the same information, leading to disagreements even when presented with the same evidence.

    These cultural identities explain why, for example, research finds that science-skeptical behaviors, such as vaccine hesitancy and climate denialism, tend to cluster in social and geographical pockets. In these pockets, people’s skepticism is reinforced by others with similar beliefs in their social network. In such cases, providing more evidence on a certain topic won’t help, and it may even result in people digging in their heels deeper to deny the evidence.

    So if facts don’t necessarily change minds, what will?

    Leveraging community networks

    Recent research provides a solution for scientists and agencies hoping to correct misinformation: Rather than fighting against humans’ social nature, work with it.

    When people see trusted individuals within their social networks holding a certain belief, that belief becomes more credible and easier to adopt. Leveraging those community connections can allow new ideas to gain traction.

    One great example of using social networks to fight misinformation is how polio was eradicated in India. In 2009, India was the polio epicenter of the world, home to half of the world’s cases. These cases were largely clustered in vaccine-hesitant regions of the country. But by 2011, only two years later, India had only one case, and the country formally celebrated the eradication of polio in 2014.

    How did India go from having half of the world’s cases to just one case in under two years?

    Public health agencies asked volunteers from within vaccine-resistant communities to go on a listening campaign and become ambassadors for the vaccine. The volunteers were trained in interpersonal communication skills and tasked with spending time with parents. They built trust and rapport through regular visits.

    Because the volunteers were known within the communities, they were able to make headway where health workers from urban areas had not. As they established rapport, hesitant parents shared their concerns, which typically went beyond polio to include other health issues.

    Over time, more and more parents decided to vaccinate their children, until there was a tipping point and vaccination became a social norm. Perhaps most notably, the campaign led to full routine immunization rates in some high-risk regions of the country.

    A medical volunteer administers polio immunization drops to a child in India, years after the country’s last reported polio case.
    AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

    India’s incredible success emphasizes the importance of personal interactions for changing minds, which means moving beyond simply presenting the facts. Building trust, listening to concerns and engaging with communities in a meaningful way were integral to India’s eradication of polio.

    The power of conversations

    Another example of using the power of social networks to talk about controversial science topics comes from a method called deep canvassing. Deep canvassing is a unique communication method that involves going door to door to have conversations with members of the public.

    But unlike traditional canvassing, which often focuses on rallying existing supporters, deep canvassing deliberately seeks to engage with those who hold different viewpoints, focusing efforts in communities where the topic is controversial.

    In deep canvassing, canvassers seek to have longer and more in-depth conversations, to share perspectives and relate with the residents they’re visiting.
    AP Photo/Greg Wahl-Stephens

    Canvassers are trained to ask questions to better understand the other person’s experiences and perspectives on the issue, and then they share their own personal stories. This helps to create a human connection, where both parties feel heard and respected. This connection can help to reduce the negative emotions that may emerge when someone is challenged to rethink their beliefs.

    One notable example of deep canvassing in action is the work of Neighbours United, an environmental nonprofit in Canada. They used a deep-canvassing approach to engage people in conversations about climate change.

    They piloted the method in a rural, conservative community called Trail, home to one of the largest zinc and lead smelters in the world. Prior efforts to engage community members hadn’t had much of an effect, as taking action on climate change was largely seen as being in conflict with how many people made their living.

    But the deep-canvassing method worked. Going door to door, the canvassers listened to residents’ concerns, shared their own stories about the impact of climate change and highlighted local environmental successes.

    As a result, 1 in 3 residents shifted their views about the importance of taking action to address climate change. This broad community support led the City Council to vote to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050.

    Sociologist Anthony Giddens described interpersonal interactions between experts, such as doctors or scientists, and the public as access points. He argued that these points are vital for maintaining trust in governmental and scientific institutions, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Environmental Protection Agency.

    These face-to-face interactions with experts can help people see them as kind, warm and professional, which can lead to trust.

    These examples show that creating support for attitudes and behaviors based on science requires more than just presenting facts. It requires creating meaningful dialogue between skeptical groups and scientific messengers. It’s also a reminder that while social networks may serve to propagate misinformation, they can also be an important tool for addressing it.

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

    – ref. Address science misinformation not by repeating the facts, but by building conversation and community – https://theconversation.com/address-science-misinformation-not-by-repeating-the-facts-but-by-building-conversation-and-community-249121

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Minister Peacock speech at the Beacon Philanthropy and Impact Forum

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech by the Minister for Civil Society and Youth at on philanthropy and impact economy at the Beacon Philanthropy and Impact Forum.

    Good morning everyone, thank you Neil for that really kind introduction and thoughtful speech – the challenge you outlined is an important one.

    It’s great to be here with you at the Beacon Philanthropy and Impact Forum today.

    I want to start by thanking The Beacon Collaborative for organising this event, and the Charities Aid Foundation for sponsoring it and the City of London for hosting at this beautiful building.

    You’re here today, and are part of organisations like Beacon Collaborative, and Charities Aid Foundation, because you believe in the power of organisations and people using their resources to deliver social impact.
      And it’s a belief this Government shares. 

    The UK has a vibrant culture of service and generosity, and philanthropy is so often the outlet for that culture.

    Every week hundreds of thousands of people – in our villages, towns and cities – come together and do what they can to support others. They devote their time, their money or both, to improve the lives of people less fortunate than themselves.

    That is something we should never take for granted.

    Philanthropy sustains over 170,000 charities in the UK and thousands of others who are so small they’re not actually registered.

    And it does things Governments can’t do – reaching into communities, and applying local knowledge and insight.

    I see it all the time in my own area of Barnsley.

    I can tell you so many examples, organisations such as Barnsley Youth Choir, Barnsley Hospices and BIADS, a local dementia charity I am patron of, all rely on charitable donations and giving from the local community to sustain their vital work. As Neil said, they all have their own stories, as I know you all will.

    But you recognise, as I do, that more is possible.

    And forums like this are a vital opportunity for the sector to come together and look at how we take philanthropy in the UK to the next level.

    The instinct people have to help is always there. 

    It’s the job of the Government, working with organisations like the ones you represent, to find new, creative ways to make it not only easier to give, but more rewarding.

    That is part of why we started a new chapter in the relationship between Government and civil society through a Civil Society Covenant.

    We launched the Covenant at No10 Downing Street with the Prime Minister in October, in order to reset the relationship between Government and Civil Society. To make it a partnership that is built on a foundation of trust and respect.

    And it reflects our view that our charities, social enterprises and community groups have a huge and vital role to play in helping us deliver on this Government’s missions.

    Civil society groups can help make our streets safer, they can create opportunities for our young people, and they can reduce the burden on the NHS by supporting people to live healthier lives.

    And philanthropists, social investors and impact investors will have an important role to play in the Covenant, when it’s fully established in the coming months.

    This Government also recognises the enormous contribution social investors, philanthropists and businesses can provide in the delivery of our Plan for Change. 

    Our impact investment market, worth £76 billion, leads the way in Europe and really sets the standard, and it reflects the fact that people want to see a connection between their investment and real social impact on the ground.

    As the Minister responsible for the impact economy, encompassing both philanthropy and impact investment, I see not only the incredible work happening in this space, but the huge potential for growing the money invested in public good.

    That is why I’m proud we are building on the UK’s strong industry leadership in social impact investing and working in partnership with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to establish the Government’s Social Impact Investment Advisory Group. And I was really pleased to speak to Darren Jones about this last night. 

    We are committed to backing private investment that delivers positive social impact right across the country, and this newly announced Advisory Group will help achieve this.

    Philanthropy is a vital part of the impact economy.

    So I’d like to be clear with everyone here today on our three priorities for philanthropy.

    Firstly, the Government wants to help to connect philanthropic investment with the places that need it most.

    Secondly, we want to unlock extra philanthropic investment.  

    Thirdly, we want to partner with civil society, communities, donors and businesses to celebrate a culture of giving. 

    On our first priority, this Government has been clear since our first day in office that we are committed to putting local people, communities and places first.

    Supporting philanthropic growth across the country is a really important route to generating more private capital that can deliver public good.

    That’s why the Secretary of State has committed to setting out a place-based philanthropy strategy so we can create an environment where the benefits of philanthropy are felt in communities everywhere.

    I know this is an area that many of you are invested in or connected to.

    Made-in-Stoke, which I was really pleased to visit a few months ago, Blackpool Pride of Place and Islington Gives are brilliant examples of what can be achieved with a place-based approach. I know many representatives of these networks are here with us today.

    By creating a community of philanthropists who are invested in the future of a city or town and who want to contribute to its success, they are blazing a trail for others to follow. And Neil, you rightly referenced the impact of place in your remarks. 

    In areas that need it most, these networks are delivering programmes supporting young people’s skills development, from sports activities to dance and ballet classes for children.

    We can learn a great deal from these models of giving – by people motivated by the idea of helping give back to the community that helped to shape them. 

    My officials and I will continue to explore how this Government can best support the growth of these innovative initiatives.  

    When it comes to the second priority of unlocking additional philanthropic investment, there are already some excellent examples of what philanthropy can deliver.

    Family Foundations such as the Reece’s Foundation in the North East are working to address some of the most complex problems in the region, supporting innovations like the National Geothermal Energy Centre whilst providing new opportunities for local people.

    But, as I said earlier, we need the right structures in place to make it as easy as possible for philanthropists to give more and would-be philanthropists to give for the first time.

    Gift Aid is a vital part of the already existing system, and it gives charities and donors important tax relief.

    And for businesses, payroll giving provides companies an easy way for employees to give in a tax-efficient way to the causes they care about.

    We want to raise awareness of just how straightforward that scheme is, and there couldn’t be a better time as February is Payroll Giving month, as I’m sure you all know.

    The final part of the equation is changing how we talk about and celebrate philanthropy.

    In 2023 we collectively gave £13.9 billion to charity. It’s a phenomenal amount of money and it’s testament to the generosity that exists across our country.

    But if you look deeper, you find that the number of donors is actually decreasing.

    Clearly there’s no one single reason why that would be the case, but I think it’s all of our responsibility to do our bit in championing and celebrating those who do donate.

    Last year I had the privilege of attending the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, seeing first hand some of our most exceptional athletes perform on the biggest stage of all.

    Over the last decades, philanthropists like Barrie Wells have supported the training success of athletes including Jessica Ennis-Hill, who started her career in Sheffield, just down the road from my constituency of Barnsley.

    After winning Gold at the 2012 Olympics in London, she went on to engage and inspire the next generation of young people through philanthropy funded workshops in the Athletes4Schools programme.

    Similarly, businesses continue to contribute to society, like Barclays, who support young people and create opportunities for all, through their community grass roots football grants.

    5,500 community groups have been supported across the UK with the aim of helping to reduce inequalities in football.

    If you look at a sector like the arts, that is one that’s always relied on a variety of funding sources.

    And that’s why, for over 20 years, DCMS has partnered with the Wolfson Foundation to deliver the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund.

    But these are just some of the examples of what can be done when we work together to build things that deliver long term benefits.

    You share in our ambition to raise the amount donated and the number of people donating it, and I urge you all to talk loudly and proudly about some of the great work going on in the regions across the country.

    That just leaves me to thank you all, once again, for inviting me to join you all today.

    By working together we can fulfil the huge untapped potential that exists in the impact economy, in our civil society, and across our philanthropic landscape.

    There are no simple answers to how we do it but, by focussing on the areas I’ve set out today, I am certain we can meet the challenge head on.

    Together we can grasp the opportunity to improve people’s lives and give back to communities we all care deeply about.

    Updates to this page

    Published 12 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Donald Trump’s war on global governance: lessons from the past on how to fight back

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Danny Bradlow, Professor/Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancement of Scholarship, University of Pretoria

    US president Donald Trump’s recent actions seem designed to reassert American power and demonstrate that it is still the dominant global power and is capable of bullying weaker nations into following America’s lead.

    He has shown contempt for international collaboration by withdrawing from the UN climate negotiations and the World Health Organization. His officials have also indicated that they will not participate in upcoming G20 meetings because he does not like the policies of South Africa, the G20 president for 2025.

    In addition, he’s shown a lack of concern for international solidarity by halting US aid programmes and by undermining efforts to keep businesses honest. He has demonstrated his contempt for allies by imposing tariffs on their exports.

    These actions demand a response from the rest of the international community that mitigates the risk to the well-being of people and planet and the effective management of global affairs.

    My research on global economic governance suggests that history can offer some guidance on how to shape an effective response.

    Such a response should be based on a realistic assessment of the configuration of global forces. It should seek to build tactical coalitions between state and non-state actors in both the global south and the global north who can agree on clear and limited objectives.

    The following three historical lessons help explain this point.

    Cautionary lessons

    The first lesson is about the dangers of being overoptimistic in assessing the potential for change.

    In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the US was confronting defeat in the war in Vietnam, high inflation and domestic unrest, including the assassination of leading politicians and the murder of protesting students.

    The US was also losing confidence in its ability to sustain the international monetary order it had established at the Bretton Woods conference in 1944.

    In addition, the countries of the global south were calling for a new international economic order that was more responsive to their needs. Given the concerns about the political and economic situation in the US and the relative strength of the Soviet bloc at the time, this seemed a realistic demand.

    In August 1971, President Richard Nixon, without any international consultations, launched what became known as the Nixon Shock. He broke the link between gold and the US dollar, thereby ending the international monetary system established in 1944. He also imposed a 10% surcharge on all imports into the US.

    When America’s European allies protested and sought to create a reformed version of the old monetary order, US treasury secretary John Connolly informed them that the dollar was

    our currency but your problem.

    Over the course of the 1970s, US allies in western Europe, Asia and all countries that participated in the old Bretton Woods system were forced to accept what the US preferred: a market-based international monetary system in which the US dollar became the dominant currency.

    The US, along with its allies in the global north, also defeated the calls for a new international economic order and imposed their neo-liberal economic order on the world.

    The second cautionary lesson highlights the importance of building robust tactical coalitions. In 1969, the International Monetary Fund member states agreed to authorise the IMF to create special drawing rights, the IMF’s unique reserve asset. At the time, many IMF developing country member states advocated establishing a link between development and the special drawing rights. This would enable those countries most in need of additional resources to access more than their proportionate share of special drawing rights to fund their development.

    All developing countries supported this demand. But they couldn’t agree on how to do it. The rich countries were able to exploit these differences and defeat the proposed link between the special drawing rights and development. As a result, the special drawing rights are now distributed to all IMF member states according to their quotas in the IMF. This means that most allocations go to the rich countries who do not need them and have no obligation to share them with developing countries.

    A third lesson arises from the successful Jubilee 2000 campaign to forgive the debts of low-income developing countries experiencing debt crises. This campaign, supported by a secretariat in the United Kingdom, eventually involved:

    • civil society organisations and activists in 40 countries

    • a petition signed by 21 million people

    • governments in both creditor and debtor countries.

    These efforts resulted in the cancellation of the debts of 35 developing countries. These debts, totalling about US$100 billion, were owed primarily to bilateral and multilateral official creditors.

    They were also a demonstration of the political power that can be generated by the combined actions of civil society organisations and governments in both rich and poor countries. They can force the most powerful and wealthy institutions and individuals in the world to accept actions that, while requiring them to make affordable sacrifices, benefit low-income countries and potentially poor communities within those states.

    What conclusions should be drawn?

    We shouldn’t under-estimate the power of the US or the determination of the MAGA movement to use that power. However, their power is not absolute. It is constrained by the relative decline in US power as countries such as China and India gain economic and political strength. In addition, there are now mechanisms for international cooperation, such as the G20, where states can coordinate their actions and gain tactical victories that are meaningful to people and planet.

    But gaining such victories will require the following:

    Firstly, the formation of tactical coalitions that include states from both the global south and the global north. If these states cooperate around limited and shared objectives they can counter the vested interests around the world that support Trump’s objectives.

    Secondly, a special kind of public-private partnership in which states and non-state actors set aside their differences and agree to cooperate to achieve limited shared objectives. Neither states alone nor civil society groups alone were able to defeat the vested interests that opposed debt relief in the late 1990s. Working together they were able to defeat powerful creditor interests and gain debt relief for the poorest states.

    Thirdly, this special partnership will only be possible if there’s general agreement on both the diagnosis of the problem and on the general contours of the solution. This was the case with the debt issue in the 1990s.

    There are good candidates for such collaborative actions. For example, many states and non-state actors agree that international financial institutions need to be reformed and made more responsive to the needs of those member states that actually use their services but lack voice and vote in their governance. The institutions also need to be more accountable to those affected by their policies and practices. They also agree that large corporations and financial institutions should pay their fair share of taxes and should be environmentally and socially responsible.

    The urgency of the challenges facing the global community demands that the world begin countering Trump as soon as possible. South Africa as the current chair of the G20 has a special responsibility to ensure that this year the G20, together with its engagement groups, acts creatively and responsibly in relation to people and planet.

    – Donald Trump’s war on global governance: lessons from the past on how to fight back
    – https://theconversation.com/donald-trumps-war-on-global-governance-lessons-from-the-past-on-how-to-fight-back-249666

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Ghana’s urban strategies neglect the needs of street vendors: policy must catch up with reality

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Stephen Appiah Takyi, Senior Lecturer, Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)

    Street vending is a major economic activity in most of Ghana’s urban areas. The vendors bring everyday goods to residents and commuters at affordable prices in places convenient to them. However, the growing intensity of street vending activities in Ghanaian cities such as Accra and Kumasi is creating management problems for city authorities. Vendors are being removed as cities aim to “clean up” and modernise the urban landscape.

    City authorities haven’t created ways to support street vendors. Instead, they treat them as a nuisance and use stringent regulations aimed at displacing them. This approach overlooks the potential benefits that the thriving street economy could bring to the local economy and social fabric. In contrast, for example, South Africa’s policy supports informal economic activities by providing vending spaces for street traders.

    As academics who specialise in urban planning, we set out to investigate the rules around street vending in Ghana. Our study was conducted in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti region and the second most important city in Ghana. We found that the regulation of street vending in Ghana is unclear, contradictory and ineffective. It fails to provide a clear policy direction and adequate planning tools for integrating street vending into urban areas.

    Our research reinforces the argument that the regulation of street vending is often ambiguous. We argue that these policy inconsistencies create loopholes for the hostile attitude of city authorities towards street vendors.

    We call for policies that recognise the socioeconomic value of street vending and make urban spaces more inclusive.

    The lay of the land

    Our analysis is based on two national policy documents. These are the National Urban Policy Framework and the Local Governance Act 2016 (Act 936). We also rely on two local policy documents specific to the Kumasi Metropolitan Area. These are the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly By-Laws on Control of Hawkers 1995 and the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly Medium-Term Development Plan (2018–2021).

    The National Urban Policy recognises and promotes street vending as part of the urban economy. It calls for local government authorities to recognise and include the informal sector.

    But the overarching law regulating street vending in Ghana is the Local Governance Act. It authorises local government bodies (city authorities) to pass by-laws that forbid street vending. This is in conflict with the national policy.

    The gaps

    Our study revealed that in the Kumasi Metropolitan Area, the authorities seem to want to help street vendors in some ways – to strengthen the capacity of informal economic actors. But they don’t make plans or take actions to do so in the medium term development plan. Local government authorities sometimes evict street vendors from the central business district.

    In Kumasi, urban policy, regulations and local development planning do not include street vending in the urban development process even though vendors are the largest group of business people in the city. Instead of building stalls and facilities to accommodate these economic operators, the authorities rather expropriate urban space from them to develop modern structures which are expensive for street vendors to occupy.

    There is conflict over the use of urban public spaces. City authorities view the activities of street vendors as illegal, while the vendors see them as legitimate sources of livelihood. Authorities control vending through eviction and relocation.

    In recent years, city authorities have adopted urban infrastructural planning and development as a strategy to remove street vendors. Take the case of the new Kejetia Market Redevelopment Project, which replaced the largest traditional market in west Africa with a modern urban market structure in Kumasi. Over 10,000 street vendors and 4,000 market traders were displaced.

    The neglect of street vending in the design means vendors will have to earn a living informally – which simply adds to the “problem” as the city sees it.

    What next?

    Policies and practices that try to exclude people are not a solution to the problems of street vending. They are often counter productive. Regulating street vending requires inclusive policy measures and a clear policy direction to manage these activities. At present, Ghana, like many other African countries, lacks effective planning strategies to manage the activities of street vending.

    Our recommendations include:

    • coherent and inclusive policies that recognise the socioeconomic value of street vending and give vendors a rightful place in cities

    • reforming urban governance to support the informal economy

    • coherent and precise policies that give street vendors more security.

    The current policy vacuum fuels repressive regulation and excludes street vendors from urban development processes.

    To develop effective policy models, it is critical to learn from the experiences of street vendors and involve them in urban development processes. This starts with a change of attitude among city authorities.

    – Ghana’s urban strategies neglect the needs of street vendors: policy must catch up with reality
    – https://theconversation.com/ghanas-urban-strategies-neglect-the-needs-of-street-vendors-policy-must-catch-up-with-reality-248020

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Sustainable economic growth in South Africa will come from renewables, not coal: what our model shows

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Andrew Phiri, Associate Professor of Economics, Nelson Mandela University

    Coal fired power stations produce 85% of South Africa’s electricity, making the country the biggest producer of harmful greenhouse-gas emissions in Africa. To move away from coal and meet its commitment to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, South Africa needs to dramatically increase production of renewable energy. New research by economics associate professor Andrew Phiri looked at the relationship between renewable and non-renewable energy consumption and GDP growth in South Africa to find out which energy source is most compatible with economic development.

    Non-renewables, renewables and economic growth: what’s there to know?

    We set out to discover whether renewable energy in South Africa, such as wind or solar power, supports sustainable economic growth. We also wanted to find out if renewables can replace non-renewable energy as a source and enabler of economic growth.

    Together with student Tsepiso Sesoai, I did research comparing the impact of renewable and non-renewable energy on economic growth in South Africa.

    South Africa currently faces a dual challenge when it comes to energy. It is heavily dependent on non-renewable energy (coal), which also worsens global warming and speeds up climate change. But it desperately needs to grow the economy at a faster rate, given very high unemployment, poverty and inequality.

    It’s therefore important to find out whether South Africa would be able to make a smooth transition from non-renewable energy to cleaner energy, and grow the economy at the same time.

    Past studies have looked into the role of energy in South Africa’s economic growth, but their methods have provided only limited information about whether South Africa can make a smooth transition from dirty to clean energy.

    Read more: African economic expansion need not threaten global carbon targets: study points out the path to green growth

    To get a deeper understanding, we conducted a modelling exercise. We used an analytical tool called “continuous complex wavelets” to see how renewable and non-renewable energy influences growth over time.

    Our model shows that an increased supply and higher consumption of non-renewable energy causes long-term economic growth over 10-15 year cycles. Renewables, at best, have short-term growth effects over six months to one year.

    After 2000, there was a very sharp increase of almost 25% in the use of renewable energy throughout the decade. According to our model, this sharp increase was enough to have an impact on economic growth over the short term but not over the long term.

    This is because South African energy regulators have not adopted strong enough measures for renewable energy to enable long-term growth. They have not funded the mass rollout of renewable energy, or connected renewables to the national grid. We found that renewables can only sustain growth over six to 12 month cycles whereas policymakers work towards longer cycles such as the 2030 and 2050 sustainable development goals.

    Economic growth and coal consumption: what did you find?

    In 2003, the government started taking climate change seriously with the release of the White Paper on Renewable Energy. The government started intentionally trying to increase the use of renewable energy while decreasing the use of dirty energy, such as coal. Before this, South Africa’s economic growth was heavily driven by coal consumption.

    Courtesy Andrew Phiri

    Renewable energy saw its biggest surge after the 2010 launch of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme. This opened competitive bidding for renewable energy providers to supply electricity to the grid.

    The transition to renewable energy had begun. But coal-fired power, while declining, remained the main source of electricity.

    In 2019 carbon taxes were formally introduced. This resulted in a further slowdown in consumption of non-renewable energy. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 coincided with severe power cuts. These two events combined caused a general slowdown in non-renewable and renewable energy use, and in economic growth.

    At this point, the drop in coal consumption was actively dragging down the economy. This in turn reduced society’s income, as measured by the gross national product. And because incomes were constrained, fewer private households purchased renewable energy systems. People didn’t spend on solar panels.

    What do your findings mean?

    Our research suggests that relying on non-renewable energy, like coal, won’t lead to long-term growth for South Africa. This is because non-renewables are not a reliable source of energy, as shown by loadshedding.

    Our research further suggests that renewable energy policies, subsidies and programmes made some positive short-term impacts on economic growth, measured as gross domestic product.

    Overall, our findings highlight that policymakers have treated renewables as a “nice-to-have” gesture for humanity, instead of a key driver of long-term economic growth.

    This has led to weak policies, poor regulation, and under-investment in renewable energy. These have held the sector back from making a bigger contribution to economic growth.

    Read more: Africa doesn’t have a choice between economic growth and protecting the environment: how they can go hand in hand

    For example, the government has not taken renewables seriously enough to include them in the power grid. This has largely limited the use of renewable energy to private homes and businesses. Coal-fired electricity from the country’s power utility, Eskom, is still cheaper for households than leaving the grid and purchasing their own renewable energy infrastructure (solar energy systems). The government has not funded the infrastructure needed to unlock South Africa’s vast renewable energy potential.

    The planet is at a critical state with global warming. The government should urgently set up policies and actions to overcome the barriers to using renewable energy. Only then will renewable energy have a permanent, positive influence on economic growth.

    South Africa has huge potential in renewables like solar, wind and biomass, thanks to its diverse geography. Yet, when people think about moving away from coal, they worry about job losses in the coal industry. But historically, energy transitions have never been instant. African countries that embraced the change early on reaped the benefits. They became more industrialised and prosperous.

    The South African government must act now if it wants to use renewable energy to drive future economic growth and stay ahead in the global shift to clean energy. Climate change affects us deeply. But it also presents a chance for Africa to leap ahead technologically.

    – Sustainable economic growth in South Africa will come from renewables, not coal: what our model shows
    – https://theconversation.com/sustainable-economic-growth-in-south-africa-will-come-from-renewables-not-coal-what-our-model-shows-239339

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Teenagers turning to AI companions are redefining love as easy, unconditional and always there

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Anna Mae Duane, Professor of English, University of Connecticut

    Can a person love an AI chatbot? RLT_Images/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

    Teenagers are falling in love with chatbots. Young people are reporting epidemic levels of loneliness, and some are turning to technology to fill the void. Recent tragedies provide a glimpse into the extent of this trend and the dangers it poses.

    A 14-year-old boy’s suicide following a romantic relationship with an AI companion raised national alarms about the dangers these relationships may pose to young people’s mental and emotional development. In 2021, a 19-year-old who had been in an emotional relationship with an AI companion broke into Windsor Castle with a crossbow, saying that he was going to kill the queen. The chatbot gave encouraging responses when he told it of his intention to kill the queen.

    These teens were among the tens of millions of people who use AI chatbot companions, a number that market forecasters expect to dramatically increase by the end of the decade.

    This youthful trend of choosing chatbots as romantic partners is both responding to and accelerating fundamental changes in how people define love in the 21st century. As a literary historian, I’ve studied how stories about romantic love have evolved over time, with young people often at the forefront of change.

    For centuries, weddings primarily served to consolidate political and economic alliances rather than unite soulmates. The radical notion that marriage should spring from romantic love came into vogue in the 17th and 18th centuries, aided by new technologies like the novel. Works such as “Clarissa” and “Wuthering Heights” portrayed the dire consequences of choosing status over love, while “Pride and Prejudice” taught its readers that rejection and misunderstanding were necessary steps in the process of finding true love.

    Not surprisingly, the relatively new pastime of novel-reading was considered dangerous for young people. Concerned elders like the philanthropist Hannah More warned that stories would change how women would respond to romantic advances. Novels, she warned in 1799, “feed habits of improper indulgence, and nourish a vain and visionary indolence, which lays the mind open to error and the heart to seduction.”

    In other words, reading stories of heart-pounding romance would make an impressionable young reader more likely to embrace such a passionate vision of love in their own lives.

    Marketing sycophancy

    Today, another transformation in the modern love story is unfolding, driven not by seductive authors or film directors, but in the advertisements and modifications offered by companion chat apps like Replika and Xioce.

    As Shelly Palmer, a professor of advanced media and technology consultant, has argued, the human experience is about storytelling, and AI companions are a new type of storytelling tool. They are spinning a seductive tale of companions who agree with you endlessly and on demand. An AI partner is “always on your side,” promises an advertisement for Replika companions, “Always ready to listen and talk.”

    In other words, the AI companion market has transformed what other applications might consider a bug – AI’s tendency toward sycophancy – into its most appealing feature.

    Rather than the tempestuous rebellion found in romance novels or the gentle obstacles that heighten the pleasure of rom-coms, this new vision of love promises perfect compatibility and unwavering support. As one college student wrote, AI companions are “always responsive and supportive, in an almost omnipotent way.”

    The 2013 science fiction movie ‘Her’ explored many aspects of human relationships with AIs that are playing out today.

    Users across Reddit forums proudly proclaim their love for AI partners who are perpetually available, nonjudgmental and infinitely patient. A teenager asked on Reddit, “Can we fall in love with AI?” and raved that their companion Jarvis “had become my confidante, my sounding board and my emotional support.”

    A contributor to another Reddit forum wrote, “I think I’m in Love with AI. “Imagine having a partner that is available just by opening an app, and they’re ready to talk to you about anything,” they wrote. “Imagine saying nearly anything and knowing that not only is your partner not going to judge you, but also will support you.” One 20-year-old male commenter wrote that he tells his AI girlfriend “about my struggles and trauma, and she comforts me and provides all the warmth I could ever ask for.”

    Downsides and doing better

    This new one-sided love story has considerable drawbacks, among them an addictive intolerance for conflict or rejection – two essential components in a partner who has free will. The embrace of such relationships may be accelerating the trend of technology curating and ultimately diminishing romantic connections.

    It’s worth noting that these beloved entities’ very existence hinges on the whims of corporate directives. If, as one user declares, the love they feel for their companion “keeps them alive,” then what happens when these chatbots disappear via software update, or corporate bankruptcy?

    To get young people to turn away from this disembodied, market-driven vision of love, it’s important to expose them to other, more fulfilling love stories, and for adults to lead by example. Literature, philosophy and history all provide powerful insights into the many forms love has taken throughout human experience, and they offer the vocabulary needed to imagine new possibilities.

    As I’ve written, both the subject and the methods of humanities classes cultivate the social skills required to navigate the challenges of human connection. These classes create a space for young people to discuss these ideas – whether through analyzing Romeo and Juliet’s tragic passion or debating whether Heathcliff is a romantic hero or a cautionary tale. The humanities provide the tools young people need to develop richer concepts of love.

    On reflection

    The rise of AI companions is often portrayed as a horror story about the dangers posed by mysteriously powerful technology. Perhaps. But this romantic trend is also a mirror reflecting what people collectively value and desire in relationships.

    I believe that it’s important to recognize that consumers are driving this market. People are helping to write this story, as they buy what AI companions sell. Investment management firm Ark Investment estimates the market for AI companions is likely to reach between US$70 billion and $150 billion in revenue by the end of the decade. If the explosive growth of the AI companion market is any indication, this romantic challenge isn’t confined to teenagers – many people who are older and supposedly wiser are drawn to the promise of unconditional compliance.

    The question to ask, then, is not simply how to protect children from AI’s seductive influence, but how much you are willing to invest, emotionally and culturally, in the messy, challenging and profoundly human art of love.

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

    – ref. Teenagers turning to AI companions are redefining love as easy, unconditional and always there – https://theconversation.com/teenagers-turning-to-ai-companions-are-redefining-love-as-easy-unconditional-and-always-there-242185

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How much does scientific progress cost? Without government dollars for research infrastructure, breakthroughs become improbable

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Aliasger K. Salem, Bighley Chair and Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Iowa

    America may not maintain its position as a global leader in biomedical research without federal support. Sean Gladwell/Moment via Getty Images

    Biomedical research in the U.S. is world-class in part because of a long-standing partnership between universities and the federal government.

    On Feb. 7, 2025, the U.S. National Institutes of Health issued a policy that could weaken the position of the United States as a global leader in scientific innovation by slashing funds to the infrastructure that allows universities and other institutions to conduct research in the first place.

    Universities across the nation carry out research on behalf of the federal government. Central to this partnership is federal grant funding, which is awarded through a rigorous review process. These grants are the lifeblood of biomedical research in the U.S.

    When you think of the costs of scientific research, you might picture the people who conduct the research, and the materials and lab equipment they use. But these don’t encompass all the essential components of research. Every scientific and medical breakthrough also depends on laboratory facilities; heating, air conditioning, ventilation and electricity; and personnel to ensure research is conducted securely and in accordance with federal regulations.

    These critical indirect costs of research are both substantial and unavoidable, not least because it can be very expensive to build, maintain and equip space to conduct research at the frontiers of knowledge. The NIH stated that it spent more than US$35 billion on grants in the 2023 fiscal year, which went to more than 300,000 researchers at more than 2,500 universities, medical schools and other kinds of research institutions across the nation. Approximately $9 billion of this funding was allocated to indirect costs.

    NIH grants have supported the direct costs of my own scientific research on developing treatments for conditions ranging from cancer to eye diseases. I would be unable to carry out my research without the support of the indirect costs the NIH plans to cut.

    What are indirect costs?

    Indirect costs, also known as facilities and administration costs, or overhead, are funds provided to institutions to cover expenses that are not directly tied to specific research projects but are essential for their execution. Unlike direct costs, which cover salaries, supplies and experiments, indirect costs support the overall research environment, ensuring that scientists have the necessary resources to conduct their work effectively.

    Indirect costs include maintaining optimal laboratory spaces, specialized facilities providing services like imaging and gene analysis, high-speed computing, research security, patient and personnel safety, hazardous waste disposal, utilities, equipment maintenance, administrative support, regulatory compliance, information technology services, and maintenance staff to clean and supply labs and facilities.

    Academic institutions conduct research on behalf of the federal government.

    Research institutions that receive federal grants must comply with the rules and regulations established by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. These guidelines dictate the indirect cost rates of each institution.

    Institutions submit proposals to federal agencies that outline the costs associated with maintaining research infrastructure. The cost allocation division of the Department of Health and Human Services reviews these proposals to ensure compliance with federal policies.

    Indirect rates can range from 15% to 70%, with the specific level depending on the research and infrastructure needs of an institution.

    Typically, institutions undergo an exacting process to renegotiate their indirect rates every four years, factoring in components such as general, departmental and program administration, building and equipment depreciation, interest, operations and maintenance, and library expenses. Universities need to carefully justify these cost components to ensure the sustainability of research infrastructure and compliance with federal requirements.

    Notably, indirect costs from grants do not cover the full cost of carrying out research at universities. In 2023, colleges and universities contributed approximately $27 billion of their own funding, such as money from their endowments, to support research. This included $6.8 billion in indirect costs that the federal government did not reimburse.

    Slashing vital research funding

    In its February announcement, the National Institutes of Health declared that it would no longer determine indirect costs rates based on the needs of each institution. Instead, it would issue a standard indirect cost rate of 15% across all grants. The rationale given by the agency for the cap is to “ensure that as many funds as possible go towards direct scientific research costs rather than administrative overhead.”

    It notably comes after the Trump administration and Elon Musk have sought to slash federal spending, with Musk criticizing indirect cost rates as “a ripoff.”

    A standard 15% rate would significantly affect an institution’s ability to maintain its research infrastructure. For example, if a university had a 50% indirect cost rate in 2024, it would receive $150,000 for a $100,000 grant, with $50,000 allocated to indirect costs. With the new NIH cap, this would drop to $115,000, with only $15,000 for indirect costs.

    The scale of this cut in research support becomes apparent at the state level, with harms to both red and blue states. For example, Texas institutions would face a reduction of over $310 million, and institutions in Iowa a reduction of nearly $37 million. California would lose more than $800 million, and Washington over $178 million.

    Research has both indirect and direct costs – and both are essential.
    David Ryder/Stringer via Getty Images News

    The NIH compared the new 15% cap to the indirect cost rates that foundations typically set for institutions of higher education. It pointed to the 10% rate granted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Smith Richardson Foundation, the 12% rate of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the 15% rate of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, John Templeton Foundation, Packard Foundation, and Rockefeller Foundation.

    However, many researchers and funders have criticized this claim as misleading. A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation has previously stated that the listed rate does not reflect how the organization allocates its funds. Universities have pointed out that they often accept foundation grants with low or zero overhead rates because these grants constitute a relatively small portion of their funding and are often spent on early-stage faculty whose careers need additional support.

    In addition, it is only because NIH grants cover a significant portion of their overhead costs that research institutions are able to accept foundation grants with such low indirect rates.

    Biomedical researchers respond

    Scientists and researchers responded to the NIH announcement with deep concern about the negative effects these funding cuts would have on biomedical research in the United States.

    The Council on Governmental Relations, which monitors federal policy for major universities and medical research centers, stated that “America’s competitors will relish this self-inflicted wound,” urging the NIH to “rescind this dangerous policy before its harms are felt by Americans.”

    The president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges stated that the NIH policy would “diminish the nation’s research capacity, slowing scientific progress and depriving patients, families, and communities across the country of new treatments, diagnostics and preventative interventions.”

    Research institutions, scientific societies, advocacy groups and lawmakers from both major political parties have pushed back against the 15% cap on indirect costs, urging NIH leadership to reconsider its policy.

    Soon after the attorneys general of 22 states filed lawsuits challenging the policy, a federal judge issued a temporary pause in those states until lifted by the court.

    Scientists expect the long-term effects of these funding cuts to significantly damage U.S. biomedical research. As the debate over federal support to academic research institutions unfolds, how institutions adapt and whether the NIH reconsiders its approach will determine the future of scientific research in the United States.

    Aliasger K. Salem receives funding from the National Institutes of Health. He serves on the Executive Board of the American Association for Pharmaceutical Scientists.

    – ref. How much does scientific progress cost? Without government dollars for research infrastructure, breakthroughs become improbable – https://theconversation.com/how-much-does-scientific-progress-cost-without-government-dollars-for-research-infrastructure-breakthroughs-become-improbable-249566

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Donald Trump’s war on global governance: lessons from the past on how to fight back

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Danny Bradlow, Professor/Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancement of Scholarship, University of Pretoria

    US president Donald Trump’s recent actions seem designed to reassert American power and demonstrate that it is still the dominant global power and is capable of bullying weaker nations into following America’s lead.

    He has shown contempt for international collaboration by withdrawing from the UN climate negotiations and the World Health Organization. His officials have also indicated that they will not participate in upcoming G20 meetings because he does not like the policies of South Africa, the G20 president for 2025.

    In addition, he’s shown a lack of concern for international solidarity by halting US aid programmes and by undermining efforts to keep businesses honest. He has demonstrated his contempt for allies by imposing tariffs on their exports.

    These actions demand a response from the rest of the international community that mitigates the risk to the well-being of people and planet and the effective management of global affairs.

    My research on global economic governance suggests that history can offer some guidance on how to shape an effective response.

    Such a response should be based on a realistic assessment of the configuration of global forces. It should seek to build tactical coalitions between state and non-state actors in both the global south and the global north who can agree on clear and limited objectives.

    The following three historical lessons help explain this point.

    Cautionary lessons

    The first lesson is about the dangers of being overoptimistic in assessing the potential for change.

    In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the US was confronting defeat in the war in Vietnam, high inflation and domestic unrest, including the assassination of leading politicians and the murder of protesting students.

    The US was also losing confidence in its ability to sustain the international monetary order it had established at the Bretton Woods conference in 1944.

    In addition, the countries of the global south were calling for a new international economic order that was more responsive to their needs. Given the concerns about the political and economic situation in the US and the relative strength of the Soviet bloc at the time, this seemed a realistic demand.

    In August 1971, President Richard Nixon, without any international consultations, launched what became known as the Nixon Shock. He broke the link between gold and the US dollar, thereby ending the international monetary system established in 1944. He also imposed a 10% surcharge on all imports into the US.

    When America’s European allies protested and sought to create a reformed version of the old monetary order, US treasury secretary John Connolly informed them that the dollar was

    our currency but your problem.

    Over the course of the 1970s, US allies in western Europe, Asia and all countries that participated in the old Bretton Woods system were forced to accept what the US preferred: a market-based international monetary system in which the US dollar became the dominant currency.

    The US, along with its allies in the global north, also defeated the calls for a new international economic order and imposed their neo-liberal economic order on the world.

    The second cautionary lesson highlights the importance of building robust tactical coalitions. In 1969, the International Monetary Fund member states agreed to authorise the IMF to create special drawing rights, the IMF’s unique reserve asset. At the time, many IMF developing country member states advocated establishing a link between development and the special drawing rights. This would enable those countries most in need of additional resources to access more than their proportionate share of special drawing rights to fund their development.

    All developing countries supported this demand. But they couldn’t agree on how to do it. The rich countries were able to exploit these differences and defeat the proposed link between the special drawing rights and development. As a result, the special drawing rights are now distributed to all IMF member states according to their quotas in the IMF. This means that most allocations go to the rich countries who do not need them and have no obligation to share them with developing countries.

    A third lesson arises from the successful Jubilee 2000 campaign to forgive the debts of low-income developing countries experiencing debt crises. This campaign, supported by a secretariat in the United Kingdom, eventually involved:

    • civil society organisations and activists in 40 countries

    • a petition signed by 21 million people

    • governments in both creditor and debtor countries.

    These efforts resulted in the cancellation of the debts of 35 developing countries. These debts, totalling about US$100 billion, were owed primarily to bilateral and multilateral official creditors.

    They were also a demonstration of the political power that can be generated by the combined actions of civil society organisations and governments in both rich and poor countries. They can force the most powerful and wealthy institutions and individuals in the world to accept actions that, while requiring them to make affordable sacrifices, benefit low-income countries and potentially poor communities within those states.

    What conclusions should be drawn?

    We shouldn’t under-estimate the power of the US or the determination of the MAGA movement to use that power. However, their power is not absolute. It is constrained by the relative decline in US power as countries such as China and India gain economic and political strength. In addition, there are now mechanisms for international cooperation, such as the G20, where states can coordinate their actions and gain tactical victories that are meaningful to people and planet.

    But gaining such victories will require the following:

    Firstly, the formation of tactical coalitions that include states from both the global south and the global north. If these states cooperate around limited and shared objectives they can counter the vested interests around the world that support Trump’s objectives.

    Secondly, a special kind of public-private partnership in which states and non-state actors set aside their differences and agree to cooperate to achieve limited shared objectives. Neither states alone nor civil society groups alone were able to defeat the vested interests that opposed debt relief in the late 1990s. Working together they were able to defeat powerful creditor interests and gain debt relief for the poorest states.

    Thirdly, this special partnership will only be possible if there’s general agreement on both the diagnosis of the problem and on the general contours of the solution. This was the case with the debt issue in the 1990s.

    There are good candidates for such collaborative actions. For example, many states and non-state actors agree that international financial institutions need to be reformed and made more responsive to the needs of those member states that actually use their services but lack voice and vote in their governance. The institutions also need to be more accountable to those affected by their policies and practices. They also agree that large corporations and financial institutions should pay their fair share of taxes and should be environmentally and socially responsible.

    The urgency of the challenges facing the global community demands that the world begin countering Trump as soon as possible. South Africa as the current chair of the G20 has a special responsibility to ensure that this year the G20, together with its engagement groups, acts creatively and responsibly in relation to people and planet.

    Danny Bradlow, in addition to his position at the University of Pretoria, is an advisor to the South African Institute of International Affairs on G20 issues and is a co-chair of the T20 Taskforce on the Financing of Sustainable Development.

    – ref. Donald Trump’s war on global governance: lessons from the past on how to fight back – https://theconversation.com/donald-trumps-war-on-global-governance-lessons-from-the-past-on-how-to-fight-back-249666

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Ghana’s urban strategies neglect the needs of street vendors: policy must catch up with reality

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Stephen Appiah Takyi, Senior Lecturer, Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)

    Street vending is a major economic activity in most of Ghana’s urban areas. The vendors bring everyday goods to residents and commuters at affordable prices in places convenient to them. However, the growing intensity of street vending activities in Ghanaian cities such as Accra and Kumasi is creating management problems for city authorities. Vendors are being removed as cities aim to “clean up” and modernise the urban landscape.

    City authorities haven’t created ways to support street vendors. Instead, they treat them as a nuisance and use stringent regulations aimed at displacing them. This approach overlooks the potential benefits that the thriving street economy could bring to the local economy and social fabric. In contrast, for example, South Africa’s policy supports informal economic activities by providing vending spaces for street traders.

    As academics who specialise in urban planning, we set out to investigate the rules around street vending in Ghana. Our study was conducted in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti region and the second most important city in Ghana. We found that the regulation of street vending in Ghana is unclear, contradictory and ineffective. It fails to provide a clear policy direction and adequate planning tools for integrating street vending into urban areas.

    Our research reinforces the argument that the regulation of street vending is often ambiguous. We argue that these policy inconsistencies create loopholes for the hostile attitude of city authorities towards street vendors.

    We call for policies that recognise the socioeconomic value of street vending and make urban spaces more inclusive.

    The lay of the land

    Our analysis is based on two national policy documents. These are the National Urban Policy Framework and the Local Governance Act 2016 (Act 936). We also rely on two local policy documents specific to the Kumasi Metropolitan Area. These are the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly By-Laws on Control of Hawkers 1995 and the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly Medium-Term Development Plan (2018–2021).

    The National Urban Policy recognises and promotes street vending as part of the urban economy. It calls for local government authorities to recognise and include the informal sector.

    But the overarching law regulating street vending in Ghana is the Local Governance Act. It authorises local government bodies (city authorities) to pass by-laws that forbid street vending. This is in conflict with the national policy.

    The gaps

    Our study revealed that in the Kumasi Metropolitan Area, the authorities seem to want to help street vendors in some ways – to strengthen the capacity of informal economic actors. But they don’t make plans or take actions to do so in the medium term development plan. Local government authorities sometimes evict street vendors from the central business district.

    In Kumasi, urban policy, regulations and local development planning do not include street vending in the urban development process even though vendors are the largest group of business people in the city. Instead of building stalls and facilities to accommodate these economic operators, the authorities rather expropriate urban space from them to develop modern structures which are expensive for street vendors to occupy.

    There is conflict over the use of urban public spaces. City authorities view the activities of street vendors as illegal, while the vendors see them as legitimate sources of livelihood. Authorities control vending through eviction and relocation.

    In recent years, city authorities have adopted urban infrastructural planning and development as a strategy to remove street vendors. Take the case of the new Kejetia Market Redevelopment Project, which replaced the largest traditional market in west Africa with a modern urban market structure in Kumasi. Over 10,000 street vendors and 4,000 market traders were displaced.

    The neglect of street vending in the design means vendors will have to earn a living informally – which simply adds to the “problem” as the city sees it.

    What next?

    Policies and practices that try to exclude people are not a solution to the problems of street vending. They are often counter productive. Regulating street vending requires inclusive policy measures and a clear policy direction to manage these activities. At present, Ghana, like many other African countries, lacks effective planning strategies to manage the activities of street vending.

    Our recommendations include:

    • coherent and inclusive policies that recognise the socioeconomic value of street vending and give vendors a rightful place in cities

    • reforming urban governance to support the informal economy

    • coherent and precise policies that give street vendors more security.

    The current policy vacuum fuels repressive regulation and excludes street vendors from urban development processes.

    To develop effective policy models, it is critical to learn from the experiences of street vendors and involve them in urban development processes. This starts with a change of attitude among city authorities.

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

    – ref. Ghana’s urban strategies neglect the needs of street vendors: policy must catch up with reality – https://theconversation.com/ghanas-urban-strategies-neglect-the-needs-of-street-vendors-policy-must-catch-up-with-reality-248020

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Sustainable economic growth in South Africa will come from renewables, not coal: what our model shows

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Andrew Phiri, Associate Professor of Economics, Nelson Mandela University

    Coal fired power stations produce 85% of South Africa’s electricity, making the country the biggest producer of harmful greenhouse-gas emissions in Africa. To move away from coal and meet its commitment to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, South Africa needs to dramatically increase production of renewable energy. New research by economics associate professor Andrew Phiri looked at the relationship between renewable and non-renewable energy consumption and GDP growth in South Africa to find out which energy source is most compatible with economic development.

    Non-renewables, renewables and economic growth: what’s there to know?

    We set out to discover whether renewable energy in South Africa, such as wind or solar power, supports sustainable economic growth. We also wanted to find out if renewables can replace non-renewable energy as a source and enabler of economic growth.

    Together with student Tsepiso Sesoai, I did research comparing the impact of renewable and non-renewable energy on economic growth in South Africa.

    South Africa currently faces a dual challenge when it comes to energy. It is heavily dependent on non-renewable energy (coal), which also worsens global warming and speeds up climate change. But it desperately needs to grow the economy at a faster rate, given very high unemployment, poverty and inequality.

    It’s therefore important to find out whether South Africa would be able to make a smooth transition from non-renewable energy to cleaner energy, and grow the economy at the same time.

    Past studies have looked into the role of energy in South Africa’s economic growth, but their methods have provided only limited information about whether South Africa can make a smooth transition from dirty to clean energy.



    Read more:
    African economic expansion need not threaten global carbon targets: study points out the path to green growth

    To get a deeper understanding, we conducted a modelling exercise. We used an analytical tool called “continuous complex wavelets” to see how renewable and non-renewable energy influences growth over time.

    Our model shows that an increased supply and higher consumption of non-renewable energy causes long-term economic growth over 10-15 year cycles. Renewables, at best, have short-term growth effects over six months to one year.

    After 2000, there was a very sharp increase of almost 25% in the use of renewable energy throughout the decade. According to our model, this sharp increase was enough to have an impact on economic growth over the short term but not over the long term.

    This is because South African energy regulators have not adopted strong enough measures for renewable energy to enable long-term growth. They have not funded the mass rollout of renewable energy, or connected renewables to the national grid. We found that renewables can only sustain growth over six to 12 month cycles whereas policymakers work towards longer cycles such as the 2030 and 2050 sustainable development goals.

    Economic growth and coal consumption: what did you find?

    In 2003, the government started taking climate change seriously with the release of the White Paper on Renewable Energy. The government started intentionally trying to increase the use of renewable energy while decreasing the use of dirty energy, such as coal. Before this, South Africa’s economic growth was heavily driven by coal consumption.

    Renewable energy saw its biggest surge after the 2010 launch of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme. This opened competitive bidding for renewable energy providers to supply electricity to the grid.

    The transition to renewable energy had begun. But coal-fired power, while declining, remained the main source of electricity.

    In 2019 carbon taxes were formally introduced. This resulted in a further slowdown in consumption of non-renewable energy. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 coincided with severe power cuts. These two events combined caused a general slowdown in non-renewable and renewable energy use, and in economic growth.

    At this point, the drop in coal consumption was actively dragging down the economy. This in turn reduced society’s income, as measured by the gross national product. And because incomes were constrained, fewer private households purchased renewable energy systems. People didn’t spend on solar panels.

    What do your findings mean?

    Our research suggests that relying on non-renewable energy, like coal, won’t lead to long-term growth for South Africa. This is because non-renewables are not a reliable source of energy, as shown by loadshedding.

    Our research further suggests that renewable energy policies, subsidies and programmes made some positive short-term impacts on economic growth, measured as gross domestic product.

    Overall, our findings highlight that policymakers have treated renewables as a “nice-to-have” gesture for humanity, instead of a key driver of long-term economic growth.

    This has led to weak policies, poor regulation, and under-investment in renewable energy. These have held the sector back from making a bigger contribution to economic growth.



    Read more:
    Africa doesn’t have a choice between economic growth and protecting the environment: how they can go hand in hand

    For example, the government has not taken renewables seriously enough to include them in the power grid. This has largely limited the use of renewable energy to private homes and businesses. Coal-fired electricity from the country’s power utility, Eskom, is still cheaper for households than leaving the grid and purchasing their own renewable energy infrastructure (solar energy systems). The government has not funded the infrastructure needed to unlock South Africa’s vast renewable energy potential.

    The planet is at a critical state with global warming. The government should urgently set up policies and actions to overcome the barriers to using renewable energy. Only then will renewable energy have a permanent, positive influence on economic growth.

    South Africa has huge potential in renewables like solar, wind and biomass, thanks to its diverse geography. Yet, when people think about moving away from coal, they worry about job losses in the coal industry. But historically, energy transitions have never been instant. African countries that embraced the change early on reaped the benefits. They became more industrialised and prosperous.

    The South African government must act now if it wants to use renewable energy to drive future economic growth and stay ahead in the global shift to clean energy. Climate change affects us deeply. But it also presents a chance for Africa to leap ahead technologically.

    Andrew Phiri 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. Sustainable economic growth in South Africa will come from renewables, not coal: what our model shows – https://theconversation.com/sustainable-economic-growth-in-south-africa-will-come-from-renewables-not-coal-what-our-model-shows-239339

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Sir David Amess Prevent Learning Review

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The Security Minister updated on the Prevent learning review – jointly commissioned with Counter Terrorism Policing following the murder of Sir David Amess.

    With permission, Madame Deputy Speaker, I will make a statement on the publication of the Prevent learning review into the perpetrator of the attack that tragically killed Sir David Amess on 15 October 2021.

    Sir David Amess was a beloved member of this House.

    A hugely respected parliamentarian, his popularity extended right across the political divide.

    To win and keep the respect of those outside one’s own party is, as we all know, a rare accomplishment.

    Over nearly 40 years of service in this place, Sir David fought every day for his constituents.

    He advanced numerous causes with compassion, persistence and skill and members on all sides of the House knew him as warm, respectful and always fair parliamentarian.

    His legacy lives on, not least in Southend, which now has the city status he campaigned so determinedly for. He will never be forgotten.

    And the motto on Sir David’s memorial shield behind us states, ‘His Light Remains’.

    While this House lost a valued member on that terrible day, Sir David’s wife and children lost a loving husband and a devoted father. They are in our thoughts and prayers – today and always.

    Together with the Home Secretary, who spoke with Sir David’s family recently, I recognise the courage and persistence they have shown in seeking the answers they deserve.

    As the House will know, it was a heinous act of violence on 15 October 2021 that took Sir David away from those who knew and loved him.

    The killer, Ali Harbi Ali – I won’t say his name again – was convicted of murder in April 2022 and received a whole life sentence.

    The judge said that this was a ‘murder that struck at the heart of our democracy’ and had ‘no doubt whatsoever’ that the nature of this case meant that the perpetrator ‘must be kept in prison for the rest of his life’.

    The perpetrator had previously been referred to the Prevent programme and subsequently to the specialist Channel programme between 2014 and 2016, between 5 and 7 years before the attack took place.

    Immediately after the attack, a Prevent learning review was jointly commissioned by the Home Office and Counter Terrorism Policing to examine what happened in the case and see whether lessons needed rapidly to be learned. It was completed in February 2022.

    Last week, I made a statement to the House on the government’s publication of the Prevent learning review concerning the perpetrator of the abhorrent attack in Southport.

    Today, we are taking a further step to enable public scrutiny of Prevent, and in recognition of the seriousness of the attack on Sir David, by publishing the Prevent learning review conducted in this case too.

    The perpetrator of the attack on Sir David became known to Prevent in October 2014 when he was referred by his school after teachers identified a change in his behaviour.

    The case was adopted by the Channel multi-agency early intervention programme in November 2014. An intervention provider who specialised in tackling Islamist extremism was assigned to work with him.   

    The perpetrator was exited from Channel in April 2015, after his terrorism risk was assessed as “low”.

    A twelve-month post-exit police review in 2016 also found no terrorism concerns. The case was closed to Prevent at that point.

    There were no further Prevent referrals in the 5 years between the case being closed and the attack.

    The Prevent learning review examined how Prevent dealt with the perpetrator’s risk, and how far the improvements made to Prevent since he was referred 7 years prior, would have impacted his management.

    The review considered both the handling of the case at the time, and also the changes that had been made to Prevent since the referral in 2014.  It examined how far those changes addressed any problems identified, and then made a series of recommendations.

    The reviewer found that “from the material reviewed, the assessment in terms of the perpetrator’s vulnerabilities was problematic and this ultimately led to questionable decision making and sub-optimal handling of the case during the time he was engaged with Prevent and Channel’.  It identified that the vulnerability assessment framework was not followed with the perpetrator’s symptoms being prioritised over addressing the underlying causes of his vulnerabilities. The reviewer ultimately found that while Prevent policy and guidance at the time was mostly followed, the case was exited from Prevent too quickly.

    The reviewer identified 6 issues, namely that:

    • the support given did not tackle all the vulnerabilities identified
    • record keeping was problematic and the rationale for certain decisions was not explicit
    • responsibilities between police and the local authority were blurred
    • the tool used for identifying an individual’s vulnerability to radicalisation was outdated
    • the school that made the referral to Prevent should have been involved in discussions to help determine risk and appropriate support
    • the tasking of the intervention provider was problematic, with a miscommunication leading to only one session being provided instead of two

    The reviewer then examined how far changes in the Prevent programme since 2016 had addressed these issues.

    The reviewer recognised the significant changes that had been made to Prevent since the perpetrator was managed.

    In particular, the introduction of the statutory Prevent and Channel duties under the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015.

    The reviewer concluded that over the intervening period there have been considerable changes to policy and guidance for both the police and the wider Prevent arena including Channel.

    Whilst a number of the issues in the perpetrator’s case would most likely not be repeated today there were still a number of areas which could be considered as requiring further work in order to mitigate against future failures.  

    The reviewer made 4 recommendations for action to further strengthen Prevent. These were to:

    • improve the referral process
    • strengthen the initial intelligence assessment process
    • update the tool used to identify vulnerability to being drawn into terrorism
    • not reduce data retention periods

    Since the report, the Home Office and Counter Terrorism Policing have fully implemented all 4 recommendations.

    • First, a single national referral form was launched, to encourage a consistent approach to referrals, building this into new training packages and mandating its use via statutory guidance.

    • Second, training has been delivered to police staff to strengthen the initial intelligence check stage, ensuring their understanding of Prevent is robust.

    • Third, a new Prevent Assessment Framework was rolled out in September 2024. This replaces the tools previously used to assess all referrals and cases in the Prevent system.

    • Fourth, data retention periods were fully reviewed in 2023.  A joint decision was taken by the Home Office and Counter Terrorism Policing to maintain retention review periods at 6 years or 6 years after the 12-month review for Channel cases.

    In addition to the publication of the Prevent learning review, we recognise the significant concerns that remain over the way in which Prevent dealt with the perpetrator – as well as the need to ensure that the recommendations it suggested for improving the scheme have properly been implemented.

    Last week I set out to the House a series of new reforms instituted by this government to strengthen the Prevent programme, recognising the vital work done by officers across the country to keep people safe. That included the creation of a new independent Prevent commissioner.

    I can today inform the House that the Home Secretary has asked the Prevent Commissioner to review the Prevent programme’s interactions with the perpetrator in this case and ensure the implementation of relevant recommendations. We will ensure that the Amess family have the support they need to engage with the Prevent Commissioner in this work, so that they can have confidence that it will get to the truth about any failings in the scheme.

    Madame Deputy Speaker, 2 further important issues have been raised which are relevant to this case – local policing, and members’ security,

    On local policing, concerns have been raised by the Amess family about the way in which Essex Police handled this case.

    A complaint has been made, and referred back to the local force by the IOPC for consideration. That process must be allowed to follow its course. However, I can inform the House that the Home Secretary has written to the Chief Constable and Police and Crime Commissioner of Essex Police asking them to set out how the investigation will be conducted, and to be kept updated as the investigation progresses.

    Secondly, on Members’ security. This is something the Home Secretary and I care deeply about, and I know that it is a matter to which Mr Speaker attaches the utmost importance, as will all members right across this House.

    A review of security measures for MPs commissioned under the previous government has concluded, and all the recommendations have been implemented.

    We must ensure that the learnings from this case have been properly implemented and I want to take this opportunity to thank Mr Speaker for his continued leadership on these matters – the Speaker’s Conference is considering what reforms are necessary to further improve MPs safety and security – this is another important step.

    The Leader of the House, Home Secretary and myself look forward to working closely with the Speaker and all members to ensure the facts of Sir David’s murder are properly considered as part of the Speaker’s Conference work and that the Parliamentary Security Department implements the recommendations of the review it conducted in the aftermath of Sir David’s death.

    I am also grateful to previous Home Secretaries and security ministers for their efforts in this area.

    Our democracy is precious, and this government will defend it against any and all threats.  

    Not least, through the Defending Democracy Taskforce, where we are mounting a whole-of-government response to combat such threats including ensuring elected representatives can perform their duties safely and without fear.

    Before I finish, I will pay tribute once more to Sir David.

    He was a giant of this House and we miss him dearly.

    In all that he did, Sir David epitomised public service at its best. It is beyond a tragedy that we can no longer seek his advice or rely on his wisdom.

    We can, though, follow his example and devote ourselves every day to the task of building a better and safer Britain.

    That is our shared challenge, Mr Speaker, and under this government, nothing will matter more.

    I commend this statement to the House.

    Updates to this page

    Published 12 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: LA flash flood watch: Rain on wildfire burn scars can trigger destructive debris flows − a geologist explains how

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jen Pierce, Professor of Geosciences, Boise State University

    A debris flow channel in a severely burned watershed in Idaho. Amirhossein Montazeri/Boise State University, CC BY-ND

    As the Los Angeles area begins cleaning up from devastating wildfires, city officials and emergency managers are worried about what could come next. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for the region for Feb. 13, 2025, when the heaviest rain from an atmospheric river is forecast.

    Rain on burned hillslopes can trigger dangerous floods and debris flows. Those debris flows can move with the speed of a freight train, picking up or destroying anything in their path. They can move tons of sediment during a single storm, as Montecito, just up the coast from Los Angeles, saw in 2018.

    What causes debris flows, sometimes called mudflows, and why are they so common and dangerous after a fire? I am a geologist whose research focuses on pyrogeomorphology, which is how fire affects the land. Here’s what we know.

    How debris flows begin

    When severe fires burn hillslopes, the high heat from the fires, sometimes exceeding 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (538 degrees Celsius), completely destroys trees, shrubs, grass and structures, leaving behind a moonscape of gray ash. Not only that, the heat of the fire actually burns and damages the soil, creating a water-repellent, or hydrophobic, layer.

    What once was a vegetated hillslope, with leaves and trees to intercept rain and spongy soils to absorb water, is transformed into a barren landscape covered with ash, and burned soil where water cannot soak in.

    Illustrations show how fire can change the soil and landscape.
    National Weather Service

    When rain does fall on a burned area like this, water mixes with the ash, rocks and sediment to form a slurry. This slurry of debris then pours downhill in small gullies called rills, which then converge to form bigger and bigger rills, creating a torrent of sediment, water and debris rushing downhill. All this debris and water can transform small streams and usually dry gullies into a danger zone.

    Because the concentration of sediment is so high, especially when there is a large amount of ash and clay, debris flows behave more like a slurry of wet cement than a normal stream. This fluid can pick up and move large boulders, cars, trees and other debris rapidly downhill.

    A firefighter walks through knee-deep mud while checking for victims after a debris flow hit Montecito, Calif., in January 2018.
    Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

    In January 2018, a few weeks after the Thomas fire burned through the hills above Montecito, a storm triggered debris flows that killed 23 people and damaged at least 400 homes.

    What controls size and timing of debris flows

    The geography of the land, burn severity, storm intensity and soil characteristics all play important roles in if, when and where debris flows occur.

    Fire and debris flow scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey use these variables to create models to predict the likelihood and possible hazards from postfire debris flows. They are already developing maps to help residents, emergency managers and city officials prepare and predict postfire debris flows in 2025 burn areas in Los Angeles.

    The U.S. Geological Survey modeled debris flow risks after the Palisades Fire near Los Angeles. The map shows some of the highest-risk areas if hit by 15 minutes of rain falling at just under 1 inch (24 millimeters) per hour.
    USGS

    Some of the triggers of debris flows are literally part of the landscape.

    For example, the slope angle in a watershed and the amount of clay in the soil are important. Watersheds with gentle slopes – generally less than about 23 degrees – and a lack of clay and silt-sized particles are unlikely to produce debris flows.

    Other key factors that contribute to postfire debris flows relate to the proportion of the watershed that is severely burned and the intensity and duration of the rainstorm event.

    Early important research in the field of pyrogeomorphology demonstrated that while large, intense storms are more likely to cause large, intense debris flows, even small rainstorms can produce debris flows in burned areas.

    Debris flows are becoming more common

    A whopping 21.8 million Americans live within 3 miles of where a fire burned during the past two decades, and that population more than doubled from 2000 to 2019. A recent study from central and northern California indicates that nearly all the observed increases in area burned by wildfires in recent decades are due to human-caused climate change.

    The warming climate is also increasing the likelihood of more extreme downpours. The amount of moisture the atmosphere can hold increases by about 7% per degree Celsius of warming, leading to more intense downpours, particularly from ocean storms. In California, scientists project increases in rainfall intensity of 18% will result in an overall 110% increase in the probability of major debris flows.

    Jon Frye, of Santa Barbara Public Works, shows what happened in the January 2018 Montecito debris flow and why the risks to downslope communities would continue for several years. Source: County of Santa Barbara, 2018.

    Studies using models of fire, climate and erosion rates estimate that the amount of sediment flowing downhill after fires will increase by more than 10% in nine out of every 10 watersheds in the western U.S.

    Even without rain, debris on fire-damaged slopes can be unstable. A small slide in Pacific Palisades shortly after a fire burned through the area split a home in two. A phenomenon called “dry ravel” is a dominant form of hillslope erosion following wildfires in chaparral environments in Southern California

    Preparing for debris flow risks

    Research on charcoal pieces from ancient debris flows has shown fires and erosion have shaped Earth’s landscape for at least thousands of years. However, the rising risk of wildfires near populated areas and the potential for increasingly intense downpours mean a greater risk of damaging and potentially deadly debris flows.

    As their populations expand, community planners need to be aware of those risks and prepare.

    This article, originally published Jan. 23, 2025, has been updated with a flash flood watch issued.

    Jen Pierce receives funding from the National Science Foundation and is the chair of the Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology division of the Geological Society of America.

    – ref. LA flash flood watch: Rain on wildfire burn scars can trigger destructive debris flows − a geologist explains how – https://theconversation.com/la-flash-flood-watch-rain-on-wildfire-burn-scars-can-trigger-destructive-debris-flows-a-geologist-explains-how-247770

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The career guidance project “Smolny School” has been launched

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    On February 7, the Committee for Civil Service and Personnel Policy of the St. Petersburg Governor’s Administration launched the career guidance project “Smolny School”. Polytechnic University is one of the partner universities.

    “Smolny School” is a new project aimed at building a career path for high school students based on the “school — university — Smolny” model. The main goal is to attract schoolchildren’s interest in the state civil service, and to help graduates with career guidance. The partners are gymnasiums and schools of St. Petersburg, five key universities, and executive authorities: the Committee for Civil Service and Personnel Policy of the St. Petersburg Governor’s Administration, the Committee for Youth Policy and Interaction with Public Organizations, the Archives Committee of St. Petersburg, and the Corporate University of the City Administration. The project participants will be able not only to attend career guidance events at universities, but also to get acquainted with the executive authorities of St. Petersburg, their professions and specialties, and to immerse themselves in their activities. The defense of their final projects will take place in Smolny in May.

    At the opening of the project, the Vice-Governor of Saint Petersburg Valery Moskalenko and the Chairman of the Committee for Civil Service and Personnel Policy of the Administration of the Governor of Saint Petersburg Andrey Mikhailov delivered welcoming remarks. Representatives of educational institutions and universities that are partners of the project — SPbGEU, Herzen State Pedagogical University, Polytechnic University, HSE University, and RANEPA — also took part in the event.

    This is part of a large systemic work that we are doing to attract young, talented and motivated guys who are determined to bring benefit to our beloved city to the civil service of St. Petersburg. We have attracted our leading universities to the project so that high school students who see themselves in the civil service can learn what areas and training programs prepare specialists for work in government bodies. I am sure that the Smolny School project will make its contribution to this work, – emphasized Valery Moskalenko.

    More than 80 schoolchildren from different districts of St. Petersburg who have demonstrated high academic performance and achievements in federal and regional competitions will participate in the project.

    This career guidance project will help high school students build a career trajectory along the path “school – university – Smolny”. It is important for school graduates not only to choose the right future profession and enter a university in their specialty, but also to decide on the further direction of their professional growth and development. We are waiting for our wonderful guys in 5-6 years for joint fruitful work for the benefit of St. Petersburg and its residents, – noted the project manager Sergey Svechnikov.

    The project was developed and formed by representatives of the Higher School of Public Administration of the Institute of Mechanics and Technology, as well as those responsible for working with applicants at the institute.

    One of the key partners of the project is the Polytechnic University, which will use its platform to allow high school students motivated to work in public service to learn about the areas and programs of study that prepare specialists to work in city government bodies.

    Thus, the project participants will be introduced to SPbPU as part of career guidance events in an interactive form. The children will have excursions around the Polytechnic University, master classes from leading IPMEiT teachers in the field of lawmaking, lean manufacturing, marketing, data analysis, etc.

    I am proud that my colleagues from the Higher School of Public Administration took an active part in the formation of the Smolny School project. Many thanks to the city administration, which once again demonstrates its openness. It is ready to form not only its personnel reserve, but also a reserve for the future. For schoolchildren, this is a great opportunity to get acquainted with both government bodies and universities. I hope that the project will bring them closer to one of the most significant decisions in life. After all, making the right choice is an art, – shared the director of IPMEiT Vladimir Shchepinin.

    The Smolny School project is being implemented within the framework of interaction plan Committee on Civil Service and Personnel Policy of the Administration of the Governor of St. Petersburg and SPbPU.

    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: UConn Waterbury Poised for Expansion with New Building’s Imminent Opening

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    UConn Waterbury’s local footprint is growing significantly with the expansion of several of its academic, research, and administrative operations into a historic building adjacent to the downtown campus.

    The six-story building at 36 N. Main St. has undergone extensive renovation by Green Hub Development III, LLC., which is leasing about 26,300 square feet to UConn to expand the University’s offerings in nursing, allied health, and other programs.

    UConn has been moving equipment and furnishings into the building and started using some of the space already over the winter, with the rest to be occupied starting later this month.

    They include clinic-style nursing and health care simulation rooms, research facilities, study lounges, office and administrative space, a spacious former banquet room, and other areas suitable for maker space, incubator studios, classes, and large gatherings.

    UConn’s plan to expand its nursing education programs into the building is particularly noteworthy given the high demand in that profession, both statewide and specifically in Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley region.

    “UConn Waterbury’s expansion into this historic space is an investment in our students, faculty, and the greater community,” says Fumiko Hoeft, UConn Waterbury’s campus dean and chief administrative officer, and a neuroscientist and UConn professor of psychological sciences.

    The Odd Fellows Building at 36 N. Main St. in Waterbury sits around the corner from the UConn Waterbury campus on Jan. 27, 2025. About 26,300 square feet of the building’s interior was recently renovated to provide additional space for various programs at UConn Waterbury. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo)

    “With the new facilities, we are strengthening our role as an educational and economic driver in the Naugatuck Valley,” she says. “We are honored to be part of this building’s next chapter. Its transformation aligns with our commitment to innovation, workforce development, and community partnerships.”

    The growth of UConn Waterbury’s campus and academic offerings complements the UConn Strategic Plan, which includes ensuring that the campuses in Waterbury, Hartford, Stamford, and Avery Point offer signature programs that are destinations within UConn.

    “The spirit of every UConn campus is unique, and we are looking closely at their academic offerings and facilities to best build on those strengths and opportunities, in alignment with our university-wide strategic plan,” says Anne D’Alleva, UConn’s provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.

    “At UConn Waterbury, the new space fits perfectly with that vision,” she adds. “Our academic programs and research will grow and thrive there, and further underscore UConn’s role as a core element of this richly diverse, innovative city and region.”

    UConn’s Board of Trustees approved the expansion plans in 2023, which are part of a larger commitment to strengthen the University’s presence and partnerships in the Naugatuck Valley.

    They include UConn’s deep involvement in the Waterbury Promise scholarship program, under which many dozens of Waterbury graduates are attending the University; and the establishment and growth of the allied health sciences major on the campus.

    UConn Waterbury also prides itself on providing a tight-knit community that serves students’ individual needs while ensuring they can access world-class UConn programs in undergraduate and graduate-level fields that lead to strong, satisfying career paths.

    “The demand for skilled professionals is higher than ever. UConn Waterbury’s expansion directly aligns with our mission to prepare students for high-demand careers, ensuring that our regional workforce remains strong and competitive,” says Cathy Awwad, president and chief executive officer of the Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board (NRWIB).

    UConn Waterbury’s new space in the building at 36 N. Main St. will also be ideal for serving current students while also advancing community partnerships with schools, the City of Waterbury, the regional business community, and other groups.

    The six-story building, originally built for the local chapter of the International Order of Odd Fellows social group, is in a prime downtown location and dates to 1895.

    Its renovation was funded through a state grant to the City of Waterbury along with Green Hub’s private funding. It was modernized for today’s needs while retaining key elements of its history, including Venetian Gothic exterior features overlooking the Waterbury Green and the ornate ceiling in its former banquet hall.

    “This project has been years in the making, and seeing it come to life is a testament to UConn’s commitment to Waterbury and the region,” says former Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary, who was deeply involved in the project and other partnerships with the University during and after his time in office.

    “This expansion is more than just a physical footprint; it’s an investment in the next generation of healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, and community leaders,” he says.

    The building is around the corner from UConn Waterbury’s East Main Street location, with easy access between the back courtyard of the campus and an entrance to the newly leased space.

    It will house clinical simulation spaces, clinical and cognitive neuroscience research dry and wet laboratories, a maker space, and an incubator studio.

    It will also provide resources for humanities and social sciences, including the HACER Lab, a hub for humanistic inquiry, research, and pedagogy developed in collaboration with Waterbury students and community partners, the Ideas + Impact initiative and other learning communities focused on social impact, sustainability, and health-related projects.

    These facilities will be used by programs in nursing, allied health, psychological sciences, urban and community studies, humanities and social sciences, business, and community partnerships.

    Additionally, it will serve as the home for the Haskins Global Literacy Hub, a newly formed partnership between Yale, UConn Global Affairs, and UConn Waterbury focused on promoting education and conducting cutting-edge research to enhance literacy globally.

    A large nursing simulation lab with equipment sits on the fifth floor of the Odd Fellows Building in Waterbury on Jan. 27, 2025. About 26,300 square feet of the building’s interior was recently renovated to provide additional space for various programs at UConn Waterbury. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo)

    “Having UConn expand in downtown Waterbury strengthens our local economy, creates new opportunities for students, and enhances the city’s reputation as a center for education and innovation. This project is a great example of how partnerships between the city, state, and private sector can drive meaningful change,” Waterbury Mayor Paul Pernerewski says.

    Programs and activities in the space will also advance UConn Waterbury’s connections with local schools and others as a location for community events.

    For instance, on a recent morning, scores of local high school students visited UConn Waterbury for the kickoff of the Waterbury Robotics Institute to be based at the campus. The initiative, a collaboration with First Robotics, will bring students from the city’s high schools and middle schools to campus to work on projects with their peers, UConn students, and UConn faculty mentors.

    They were among the first to use the newly leased space at 36 N. Main St., with several of the student groups testing and demonstrating their robots in the large collaborative learning room on the building’s second floor.

    “This expansion will have a lasting impact not only on UConn students, but also on Waterbury’s middle and high schoolers who aspire to pursue careers in healthcare, technology, business, and other growing fields,” says Waterbury Public Schools Interim Superintendent Darren Schwartz.

    “The increased access to cutting-edge learning spaces and mentorship opportunities will strengthen our student college and career readiness,” he says.

    The Odd Fellows Building has a rich history in the City of Waterbury, and its restoration and use by UConn carries strong emotional and economic significance to the area.

    Built at a cost of $100,000 and said to be among the finest of its time in the region, the building’s opening in 1895 drew more than 5,000 members of the group from around the East Coast and was featured in the New York Times.

    In fact, the opening was marked by a parade and the event was so important to the city that all factories and schools were closed for the day, and all business shut down at noon, according to another Times article.

    A clothing store occupied the first floor for about its first five years in addition to the meeting rooms and social spaces used by the Odd Fellows and others on the higher floors. Later, the popular Grieve, Bissett & Holland department store was in the building from 1902 until the mid-1960s.

    The structure had been unused for more than 15 years before the renovation.

    “Restoring this landmark building and giving it a new purpose has been incredibly rewarding,” says Joe Gramando, Green Hub’s managing partner. “UConn’s presence here ensures that this space will remain a vibrant part of Waterbury’s future, serving students, researchers, and the broader community for years to come.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Holiday Activity and Food Programme agreed in Preston for 2025/2026

    Source: City of Preston

    Following the Full Council meeting on 30 January, Preston City Council agreed to accept funding of up to £600,000 to deliver the Holiday Activity and Food programme (HAF) in Preston.

    The HAF programme is an initiative funded by the Department for Education for the delivery of food, along with activities for children aged between 5 – 19 years, during the school holidays.

    A competitive grant application process for providers wishing to deliver elements of the programme from April 2025 will now be put into place.

    The programme provides healthy meals, enriching activities, and free childcare places to children from low-income families, benefiting their health, wellbeing and learning. It is primarily aimed at children in receipt of benefits related free school meals but is not exclusively for them and successful providers will be able to use up to 15% of their funding to provide free or subsidised holiday club places for children who are not in receipt of benefits, but those who the local authority believe could benefit from the initiative.

    Councillor Zafar Coupland, Cabinet member for Health and Wellbeing, said:

    “As a result of this programme, the children attending the activities and accessing the food programme will benefit from being active and eating healthily during the school holidays and will have a greater knowledge of health and nutrition to help them in the future.

    “This is a very important initiative, and I hope the children and young people who take part in the engaging and enriching activities take advantage of the support available in developing resilience, character and wellbeing.”

    More information

    • The expansion of the programme year-on-year has meant a total of 5.4 million HAF days provided between Christmas 2022, Easter and Summer 2023. For several years, local authority areas across Lancashire have been allocated Department of Education funding from Lancashire County Council to provide a funded HAF programme. Since 2022, the HAF programme has provided 10.7 million HAF days to children and young people in this country.
    • With a new contract period under negotiation to start in April 2025, there is an opportunity for Preston City Council to manage the HAF programme in-house to build on the work done previously by an external agency. This would enable the provision of further opportunities for providers due to an increase in capacity and skills at the Council. Lancashire County Council would now prefer a direct award to Preston City Council for simplicity.
    • This funding is for one year only and ends on 31 March 2026.
    • Full details on this funding can be found in the Council HAF report – January 2025
    • Preston City Council actively applies and prioritises the principles of Community Wealth Building wherever applicable and appropriate. Community Wealth Building is an approach which aims to ensure the economic system builds wealth and prosperity for everyone.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: ARU Law Clinic in the running for major legal award

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    Sarah Calder, Director of ARU’s Law Clinic

    The Law Clinic at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) has been recognised for its commercial impact by being shortlisted for a highly prestigious national legal award.

    The service, which has bases in Chelmsford and Cambridge, has been shortlisted for the University Commercial Impact Award at the 2025 LexisNexis Legal Awards.

    The awards recognise outstanding contributions in various categories, including legal services, technology, and pro bono work, and are considered among the most prestigious awards for the legal profession in the UK.

    The Law Clinic offers a variety of free legal services to people in the community, working with local law firms and providing invaluable opportunities for ARU Law students.

    By working in the Law Clinic with local solicitors, barristers and legal executives, it encourages and develops the students’ commercial awareness and strategic thinking skills.

    “Our Law Clinic is set up to maximise our students’ contact with as many lawyers as possible, so that they can showcase their abilities in a practical environment, one in which they can thrive when given real-life challenges to address and assist in resolving.

    “By working alongside a panel of over 100 volunteer solicitors, barristers and legal executives, our students can start to appreciate how each lawyer and law firm has a slightly different approach to delivering advice and how they can tailor their work to best fit alongside our volunteers.

    “Our students become used to dealing with deadlines and understanding the commercial reasons behind the requirements to turn work around within a set time.”

    Sarah Calder, Director of ARU’s Law Clinic

    The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, 13 March at the Park Plaza London Riverbank. In the University Commercial Impact category, ARU will be up against fellow universities Aston, Essex, Reading, Sussex, Sheffield Hallam, Northumbria and Queen Mary.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Chernyshenko: More than 90 thousand schoolchildren and students took part in the competition “Science. Territory of Heroes”

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    Welcome speech by Dmitry Chernyshenko to the participants of the popular science competition “Science. Territory of Heroes”

    16 hours ago

    The final of the popular science competition “Science. Territory of Heroes” for schoolchildren and students from all over the country took place at the National Center “Russia”. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko addressed the participants with a welcoming speech.

    The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the advantages of the profession of a scientist and spoke about the opportunities it opens up for young people.

    “The profession of a scientist in Russia is becoming increasingly popular and prestigious. Our scientists are real superheroes! We are in fifth place in the world in terms of the number of people engaged in research and development. Almost every second scientist in Russia is under 40 years old. The competition “Science. Territory of Heroes” is also gaining popularity. More than 90 thousand schoolchildren and students from all over the country have already become its participants. By involving tens of thousands of young researchers in the scientific field, we are solving one of the main tasks of the Decade of Science and Technology announced by President Vladimir Putin,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko.

    Participants in the final of the popular science competition “Science. Territory of Heroes”

    He added that the country’s future will depend on talented youth. The government will continue to support young people and create conditions so that the path in science is not so difficult and leads to success.

    The head of the Ministry of Education and Science, Valery Falkov, congratulated the winners of the competition and noted that today more and more young people want to connect their lives with science.

    “All necessary conditions are being created for scientific creativity in our universities and scientific organizations, including the opening of youth laboratories, the updating of the equipment base, and serious grant support. I would like to separately note the strengthening of cooperation between universities, research institutes and the real sector of the economy,” the minister added.

    This year, 10 talented children from all over the country competed in the final duel – from Zavolzhye to Chelyabinsk Oblast. Young researchers answered scientific questions, talked to young scientists and famous popularizers of science, including Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor of the Institute of Laser and Plasma Technologies of the National Research Nuclear University “MEPhI” Vladimir Reshetov, Ambassador of the project – biologist Ilya Gomyranov.

    Third place went to Andrey Khokhlov from Michurinsk, second place went to Timofey Kovalev from Pskov. First place was awarded to Alexander Valov from Klin.

    They received additional points for admission to the Bauman Moscow State Technical University, as well as awards from the competition partner companies. Rosatom State Corporation provided three winners with the opportunity to undergo career consultations, the purpose of which is to help build an individual professional path. Beeline awarded one winner with a grant of 200 thousand rubles for conducting research work and improving competencies in the chosen field. The remaining finalists received gift certificates and prizes from the competition partners, and also took part in an interactive tour of the Sber office.

    The winners of the competition will receive individual internships at the country’s leading scientific centers: the Far Eastern Federal University, the Interuniversity Student Campus of the Eurasian World-Class Scientific and Educational Center, and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. There, the students will gain unique experience in scientific research, study the areas in which they plan to develop in the future, and meet practicing scientists from the scientific field that interests them.

    The competition “Science. Territory of Heroes” is held annually within the framework of national projects of Russia and is part of the “Science of Winning” initiative of the Decade of Science and Technology.

    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: GUU and Expobank: partnership for the sake of future entrepreneurs

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    On February 12, 2025, a ceremony of signing a cooperation agreement between the university and Expobank JSC took place at the State University of Management.

    The following represented GUU at the meeting: Rector Vladimir Stroyev, Vice-Rector Dmitry Bryukhanov and Director of the Institute of Economics and Finance Galina Sorokina. The delegation of guests was represented by the Chairman of the Board of Expobank Kirill Nifontov, Director of HR Galina Weisband, Head of Recruitment and Youth Affairs Oksana Schwartz and Head of Corporate Culture and Internal Communications Olga Chervova.

    Rector of the State University of Management Vladimir Stroyev greeted the guests and handed over the opening remarks to the Director of the Institute of Economics and Finance Galina Sorokina, who briefly spoke about the goals of the meeting and introduced the history of the university. Galina Petrovna especially emphasized that the origin of the university can rightfully be traced back to the Aleksandrovsky Commercial School, which was the first educational institution in Russia that trained entrepreneurs.

    Vladimir Stroyev noted that in many ways the State University of Management positions itself as an entrepreneurial university. And although the main emphasis in accordance with the requirements of the era and state tasks is on training industry managers, no one is going to leave the entrepreneurial track either. Moreover, now is the best time for banks to fully engage in educational processes, because by 2030 the Strategy for the Development of the Education System will have already changed significantly in favor of training engineers, doctors, teachers and specialists in the natural sciences.

    The rector also spoke about the project-based learning system at the State University of Management, for which one day a week is allocated in the curriculum from the first year. Vladimir Vitalyevich advised selecting personnel from the very beginning of the training, because by the 3rd or 4th year, the best students are usually already employed. To participate in the programs, you only need to assign a curator, no financial investments are needed. There are a lot of motivated students at the university, the main thing for the employer is to pick them up in time.

    Galina Sorokina added that various scholarship programs, which banks often limit themselves to, are just an additional opportunity for goal-oriented senior students to prove themselves and expand their resumes, while in reality they are already focused on other jobs.

    Kirill Nifontov, Chairman of the Board of Expobank, noted that all of the above is interesting to him not only as an employer, but also as a father of four children. He said that the private bank he represents is the 30th largest in Russia in terms of capital. The financial institution sees its mission in cultivating an entrepreneurial spirit, revealing the potential of clients and young businessmen.

    “We strive to solve complex problems, we grow actively, we find free niches in which we become leaders, we buy out the assets of large Western companies that have left. We consciously focus on young people, we involve and train them. The average age of our employees is 38 years old,” said Kirill Nifontov.

    The guest also complained about the “early aristocratization” of young specialists, who quickly get used to the increased attention of employers and lose motivation for development. This is why Expobank is concluding an agreement with the State University of Management in order to train specialists for itself.

    During the conversation, Kirill Nifontov asked a burning question: “Is it possible to learn entrepreneurship or is it an innate skill?” Vladimir Stroyev admitted that this question is often raised in discussions, and his opinion is that everything can be taught, but not everyone is destined to become Musk or Jobs; for this, innate talent is needed.

    After the signing ceremony, the guests from Expobank were given a tour of the State University of Management. Kirill Nifontov was clearly interested in asking the director Marina Grigorieva about the details of admission and education, organizational processes and youth trends, and his colleagues were amazed at the advanced equipment of the classrooms. Then the tour moved to the Media Center, where the bankers were introduced to the internal educational platform – the Digital Building of our university. At the end of the visit, the representatives of Expobank were shown the auditorium GU-307, which will be allocated to the bank for the arrangement and image support of its brand within the walls of the State University of Management.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 02/12/2025

    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 Asia-Pac: LCQ7: Operation of government funds

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    LCQ7: Operation of government funds
    LCQ7: Operation of government funds
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         Following is a question by the Hon Andrew Lam and a written reply by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, in the Legislative Council today (February 12): Question:      It is learnt that as at end-September last year, a total of 43 funds have been set up by various government bureaux and departments (B/Ds), which are segregated from the government accounts and administered by the relevant B/Ds. Some members of the public are concerned that while quite a number of funds have been set up for years with mechanisms being put in place by the relevant B/Ds to monitor the operation of such funds, there are still areas for improvements. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (1) as it is learnt that no expenditure was recorded for some funds such as the Sir David Trench Fund for Recreation (SDTFR) – Sports Aid for the Disabled Fund and SDTFR – Sports Aid Foundation Fund in the past nine financial years, whether the Government has reviewed the effectiveness of the relevant monitoring mechanisms; if so, of the details; and (2) whether the Government has regularly reviewed the utilisation and effectiveness of various funds, and introduced improvement measures (including considerations of merging funds with similar functions) to enhance the efficiency of fund management; if so, of the details? Reply: President,      Our consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Andrew Lam is as follows:      Under section 12(2) of the Public Finance Ordinance (Cap. 2), Controlling Officers shall be responsible and accountable for all expenditure from any head or subhead for which they are the Controlling Officer, and for all public moneys and Government property in respect of the department or service for which they are responsible. The relevant internal administrative guidelines of the Government further provides that, in managing purpose-specific funds, Controlling Officers should observe the need to strive to achieve maximum value for money and exercise prudence in the disbursement of government fund.      As the Education Development Fund has already ceased operations after the 2018/19 school year, there are currently a total of 42 funds which are segregated from the government accounts. Although these funds were set up for different purposes and in different mode, the Controlling Officers managing these funds have put in place an appropriate monitoring mechanism for each of these funds to ensure effective use of public financial resources. For instance, steering, management or advisory committees comprising representatives from relevant government bureaux/departments (B/Ds), relevant stakeholders and independent members were set up to oversee the funds’ operation, handle matters related to the funds and give advice. For funds established by law or in the form of a trust, the Controlling Officers should also ensure their operation complies with the relevant requirements of the law and provisions in the trust deed, including the submission of statements of the accounts and/or progress reports of the funds to the Director of Audit and the Legislative Council as required.      Controlling Officers will formulate and update strategic plans for achieving the purposes of the funds and develop appropriate performance measures for the funds under their purview. Controlling Officers will also conduct regular reviews on the use and effectiveness of the funds, and contemplate appropriate financial arrangements (such as considering whether to merge/retain the funds or implement relevant policy initiatives by other means, etc.) having regard to the policy objectives behind, the financial situation of the funds, views of stakeholders, etc., thereby ensuring effective and flexible use of public financial resources. In cases where there is no need to retain a fund as the policy objectives have been achieved (e.g. the Education Development Fund), the balance of the fund will be brought back to the government accounts.      There are some funds with no expenditure recorded in recent years (such as the J.E. Joseph Trust Fund and the Kadoorie Agricultural Aid Loan Fund), as these funds are loan funds in nature. Therefore, even though these funds are still in normal operation and loans are being granted in the accordance with the purposes of the funds, expenditure will only be recorded in the year when there are bad debts written off. As for the other funds (including the Sports Aid for the Disabled Fund and the Sports Aid Foundation Fund established under the Sir David Trench Fund for Recreation), the B/Ds concerned are reviewing their financial position and will examine whether there is the need to retain them.

     
    Ends/Wednesday, February 12, 2025Issued at HKT 11:18

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ19: Lifesaving services at swimming pools

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    LCQ19: Lifesaving services at swimming pools
    LCQ19: Lifesaving services at swimming pools
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         Following is a question by the Hon Kenneth Fok and a written reply by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, in the Legislative Council today (February 12): Question:      It is learnt that the Leisure and Cultural Services Department has installed artificial intelligence (AI) drowning detection systems developed by the University of Hong Kong and France at the Kwun Tong Swimming Pool and the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Swimming Pool respectively to help strengthen lifesaving services at public swimming pools. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (1) whether the Government has examined the manpower and financial expenditure (including acquisition costs, installation costs and system maintenance fees) involved since the commissioning of the aforesaid two AI systems and reviewed their effectiveness; if so, of the details; if not, whether it will expeditiously commence the relevant work before the summer swimming season; (2) whether the Government has assessed and compared the actual operation of the aforesaid two systems, including their effectiveness, accuracy, ease of operation and interface with lifeguards and lifesaving mechanisms at swimming pools, with a view to providing a reference point for the retrofitting of such systems at more public swimming pools in the future; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and (3) given that according to a report released by the Office of The Ombudsman in March last year on its direct investigation into the regulation of licensed swimming pools by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), the FEHD has not put in place an accident notification mechanism for licensed swimming pools, whether the Government will consider mandating private swimming pools to install AI drowning detection systems and establish a real-time notification mechanism to ensure that the FEHD and the relevant government departments can be expeditiously informed of drowning incidents, thereby enhancing regulatory efforts on private swimming pools; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that? Reply: President,      Having consulted relevant government departments, my reply to the questions raised by the Hon Kenneth Fok is as follows: (1) The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) has all along prioritised the safety of swimmers in both the facilities as well as the operation of its venues. Apart from providing sufficient lifeguards, the LCSD has put on trial two different sets of artificial intelligence (AI) drowning detection systems at Kwun Tong Swimming Pool and Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Swimming Pool respectively to assist lifeguards in monitoring the real-time condition of swimmers and locating drowning victims promptly with a view to further strengthening life-saving services.      The AI drowning detection system developed by the University of Hong Kong Sport AI Laboratory has been on trial at the outdoor secondary pool of Kwun Tong Swimming Pool since August 2023. Through AI detection technology, the system analyses the videos and images captured by cameras installed underwater and calculates the drowning probability of swimmers. If suspected drowning is detected, the system will alert the lifeguards to carry out a rescue. The system was developed with a grant of around $900,000 by the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau. The LCSD has subsequently installed additional sets of underwater detection devices and upgraded the existing sets of underwater cameras in the secondary pool. The project cost was around $700,000, with an estimated annual expenditure on system maintenance of around $130,000.           The AI drowning detection system developed by a French company was installed at the indoor main pool and training pool of Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Swimming Pool in September 2024. The system uses cameras installed above the pools to capture images and performs comprehensive tracking and analysis of swimmers’ motions. If a swimmer is found to remain stationary for over 10 seconds, the system will consider it a case of suspected drowning, trigger the alarm and display the drowning location for lifeguards to carry out a rescue. Relevant installation cost of the system was about $7.9 million, with an annual maintenance cost of approximately $1.1 million. In addition, equipment and devices of the system require a comprehensive inspection every three years to ensure its stability and safety. The estimated cost of such inspection is around $500,000. (2) At present, the two detection systems mentioned above are still in trial phase. The LCSD needs to adjust the systems from time to time based on the actual environment and usage, and observe the operation of the systems in different seasons so as to ensure the stability and reliability of the data collected. Hence, a comprehensive set of data for assessment has yet to be available. Upon completion of tests and data analyses in different seasons, the LCSD will review and compare the cost-effectiveness of the two systems before deciding whether to extend the application of the systems to other public swimming pools. (3) To strengthen the regulation of licensed swimming pools, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has, in response to the recommendations of the Office of the Ombudsman, established a notification mechanism for fatal drowning cases in licensed swimming pools. In May 2024, the FEHD issued a letter to swimming pool licensees imposing new licensing conditions which require the reporting of cases involving casualties within a prescribed period. The FEHD officers will conduct site inspections for fatal drowning cases to ascertain whether the swimming pools concerned have provided sufficient life-saving attendants and appropriate life-saving equipment as required by the law and the licensing conditions. The FEHD will also examine the relevant cases and require the licensed swimming pools to take additional measures to further protect the safety of swimmers as necessary.      The FEHD and the LCSD share experience and exchange information from time to time on the regulation and management of swimming pools, including the application of technology to enhance swimmers’ safety. As the AI drowning detection system is still in the trial stage, the FEHD will maintain contact with the LCSD to understand the application of the system.

     
    Ends/Wednesday, February 12, 2025Issued at HKT 11:15

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