NewzIntel.com

Category: Europe

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four men sentenced following Met investigation into death of man in Croydon

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Four men have been sentenced to a total of 67 years in prison following a Met Police investigation into the death of 22-year-old Lavaun Witter in Croydon.

    On 5 February 2021, officers were called to Wisbeach Road at around 20:08hrs, after a member of the public found Lavaun collapsed and seriously injured.

    He sadly died at the scene after sustaining a stab wound to the leg.

    An investigation was launched by the Met’s Specialist Crime South Unit. Enquiries revealed that prior to his death, Lavaun’s flat had been broken into by four men. The men, who were armed with long knives and swords, demanded drugs and slashed through an internal door.

    Lavaun and a 16-year-old boy were stabbed before running from the scene but Lavaun collapsed a short distance away.

    CCTV enquiries quickly identified the suspects as Tyreece Riggon, Julian Russell, Tyreece Wolfries-Parkin and Alex Pasley.

    On 18 February 2021, officers raided an address linked to Riggon and he and Russell were arrested. A subsequent search of an address linked to Russell recovered a Louis Vuitton bag belonging to Lavaun.

    Wolfries-Parkin and Pasley were also arrested in the following weeks.

    All were charged with Lavaun’s murder as well as attempted murder and attempted grievous bodily harm of the 16-year-old.

    Detective Chief Inspector Mike Nolan, Senior Investigating Officer in the case said:

    “These men were prepared to use extreme levels of violence and take Lavaun’s life to gain possession of drugs they believed were inside the property.

    “Lavaun was defenceless against the four men who were each armed with large knives, including a Samurai sword.

    “Levaun’s death devastated his family and his community. I commend the bravery and strength they have shown throughout this lengthy investigation.”

    A trial at the Old Bailey began on 17 July 2023 and Julian Russell (18.09.1998) of Sanfield Road, CR7 and Tyreece Wolfries- Parkins, (06.10.2002) were found guilty of murder. Alex Pasley (01.10.1995) of Paxton Grove, Coulsdon was found guilty of manslaughter.

    A re-trial began on 4 November 2024 and on Thursday, 12 December, Tyreece Riggon, 24 (29.09.2000) of Armistice Gardens, SE25 was found guilty of attempted GBH. Pasley was also found guilty of attempted GBH in relation to the attack on the 16-year-old boy.

    The group appeared at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, 19 February for sentencing.

    Julian Russell was sentenced to life in prison, to serve a minimum of 24 years in prison minus the four years spent on remand.

    Tyreece Wolfries- Parkins was sentenced to life imprisonment to serve a minimum term of 20 years minus the time spent on remand.

    Alex Pasley was sentenced to 17 years in prison and Tyreece Riggon was sentenced to six years, both minus four years spent on remand.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Alexis Mac Allister Announces as Jeton’s Latest Brand Ambassador

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LONDON, UK, Feb. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Jeton, global payment services provider, announces a three-year partnership with global football icon Alexis Mac Allister. The 25-year-old Argentine football player is a midfielder for Premier League Club Liverpool and represents Argentina’s national team. The agreement between the global payment services provider and the footballer will appoint Mac Allister to serve as Jeton’s brand ambassador and represent the brand in various marketing campaigns. Jeton will be authorised to use Mac Allister’s professional name, image, likeness, and biography as part of the partnership.

    “I’m pleased to be Jeton’s brand ambassador,” stated Alexis Mac Allister. ‘I look forward to representing the brand and sharing its values with my fanbase and football lovers worldwide.”

    ‘We are very happy and excited to work closely with Mac Allister. We have strategized these partnerships based on what our customers expect from Jeton and how we can exceed their expectations. We hope to build stronger relations among the football community and reach out to football lovers all around the world through partnerships they desire. As exemplified by our recent partnership with Japanese football player Kou Itakura, we believe we are one step closer to achieving our objectives. We can’t wait to embark on this journey alongside Alexis Mac Allister.’ said Executive Director of Jeton.

    Jeton is known for its ongoing partnerships, marketing activities and close relations with football clubs and the community. The global payment services brand has a long-lasting relationship with West Ham United FC as their official e-Wallet partner and have previously partnered with other notable football clubs such as Aston Villa FC and Hull City AFC. Jeton has recently expanded its reach into the Asian market by partnering with Japanese football player Kou Itakura.

    About Jeton

    LA Orange CY Limited, trading as Jeton, is authorised by the Central Bank of Cyprus under the Electronic Money Law of 2012 and 2018 (Law 81(I)/2012) for distributing or redeeming electronic money (e-money), with Licence No: 115.1.3.66. LA Orange CY Limited has been incorporated in the Republic of Cyprus under the provisions of the Companies Law (Cap 113) with registration number HE 424807, with its registered office address at 116 Gladstonos, M. Kyprianou House, 3rd and 4th Floor, 3032, Limassol, Cyprus.

    © 2024 | LA Orange Limited, trading as Jeton, is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011 for distributing or redeeming electronic money (e-money) and providing certain payment services on behalf of an e-money institution, with FCA registration number 902088. LA Orange Limited is registered in England and Wales, Company Number 11535714, with its registered office address at The Shard Floor 24/25, 32 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9SG, United Kingdom.

    Jeton Bank Limited is licensed and authorised by the Financial Services Unit, Ministry of Finance of the Commonwealth of Dominica, licensed as a banking institution under the international Banking Act, fully authorised to provide services to clients worldwide, under the prudential supervision of the Financial Services Unit. Jeton Bank Limited is registered in the Commonwealth of Dominica, Company Number 2022/C0175, with its registered address at 1st Floor, 43 Great George Street, Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica, Post Code: 00109-8000. – LEI Code: 894500XGIX3R4HCIOC29.

    Social Links

    Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/jetonpayments/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jetonpayments

    X:  https://x.com/jetonpayments

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JetonPayments

    Media contact

    Brand: Jeton

    Contact: Media team

    Email: marketing@jeton.com

    Website: https://www.jeton.com/

    SOURCE: Jeton

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Boost for Stoke-on-Trent’s bus revolution

    Source: City of Stoke-on-Trent

    New bus routes being introduced in Stoke-on-Trent will make it easier for people to get to shops, hospitals, visitor attractions and key employment sites.

    The changes affect 14 services, being phased in from Sunday 23 February, and will help to meet the ongoing demand from passengers for more evening and weekend services.

    They are being introduced as part of Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) which is transforming the local transport network.

    The new journeys include brand-new services 500 and 501 which link Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station, Hanley Bus Station, Festival Park, Etruria Valley and Wolstanton Retail Park.

    Another brand-new service, service 27A, links Bentilee, Anchor Road and Longton to Trentham Lakes and Radial Park in Stoke, while service 40 has been extended on Saturdays to include the World of Wedgwood in Barlaston.

    Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for transport, infrastructure and regeneration at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “We’re bringing buses back. We’re making them work for working people, getting them to and from work, connecting them to family and friends and making everyday life easier.

    “Local people have told us they need better connections to jobs, shops, and hospitals – and we’ve listened. That’s why we’re introducing new and improved routes linking places like Etruria Valley, Trentham Lakes, Festival Park, Wolstanton Retail Park, Haywood Hospital and the World of Wedgwood.

    “Here in Stoke-on-Trent, we are leading the nation in the bus revolution. In just 12 months, we’ve improved 28 services across all six towns, providing more evening and weekend buses, creating new routes where they’re needed most and making sure no community is left behind. And people are seeing the difference. They’re telling us they’re noticing more buses on the roads, running later than they have in years.

    “This is about getting the basics right – buses that turn up on time, go where people need them while supporting jobs, families and our local economy. We are determined that everyone – from students to pensioners – feels the benefits of our Bus Service Improvement Programme.”

    Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan is being funded by £31.6 million of funding from the Department for Transport (DfT).

    In December, following extensive lobbying efforts by councillors and local MPs, the city council was awarded additional government funding of almost £10 million to continue with its efforts to improve the local bus network and build on the success of the scheme in the coming years.

    The new routes, which will operate until at least March 2026, are:

    • Service 2 (Hanley – Birches Head) – new evening services Monday to Saturday, operated by First Potteries.

    • Service 5 (Hanley – Abbey Hulton) – new early morning buses from Abbey Hulton into Hanley, Monday to Saturday, along with new evening services, all operated by First Potteries.

    • Service 7A (Hanley – High Lane – Fegg Hayes) – new evening service along High Lane, serving Haywood Hospital, Monday to Saturday, operated by First Potteries.

    • Service 8 (Hanley – Norton – Ball Green) – new late evening services to Ball Green, Monday to Friday, operated by First Potteries.

    • Service 9 (Fegg Hayes – Bradeley – Hanley – Newcastle) – new evening service along Chell Heath Road, Monday to Saturday, and a new Sunday daytime service along Chell Heath Road, operated by First Potteries.

    • Service 23 (Hanley – Blurton – Newstead) – new late evening services to Blurton, Monday to Saturday, operated by First Potteries.

    • Service 27A (Bentilee – Longton – Trentham Lakes) – new service running at shift-change times, every day of the week, operated by D&G Bus.

    • Service 36 / 36A (Meir – Longton – Hanley – Tunstall – Kidsgrove) – new Sunday evening service, operated by First Potteries.

    • Service 38 / 39 (Hanley – Festival Park – Newcastle) – new late evening service every day, operated by First Potteries.

    • Service 40 (Hanley – Mount Pleasant – Longton – Wedgwood) – new Saturday daytime service for Mount Pleasant, also providing a new link to World of Wedgwood, operated by First Potteries.

    • Service 501– new link to Wolstanton Retail Park and the Etruria Valley development site from Stoke and Hanley, Monday to Saturday, operated by First Potteries.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Delivering warmer homes and lower energy bills to tenants

    Source: Scotland – City of Edinburgh

    From today, tenants in nine homes in Edinburgh will benefit from major energy upgrades to improve living standards and lower energy bills.

    The homes, located in the southeast of the city, boast an Energy Performance Certificate ‘B’ rating after a series of improvements including External Wall Insulation (EWI) and window upgrades.

    They are now undergoing monitoring to assess energy consumption, tenant comfort, and overall performance. Data gathered from the homes will provide valuable insight into the effectiveness of these measures and help determine the feasibility of rolling out similar upgrades across other Council housing stock.

    Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener Lezley Marion Cameron said:

    I warmly welcome what’s been achieved in collaboration with our partners, AtkinsRéalis and Anderson Bell + Christie, on this transformative retrofit project. The energy improvements are already delivering real benefits for tenants – lower energy bills, increased comfort, and more sustainable homes.

    The data we’re collecting will be instrumental in scaling up this work to happen across other Council homes in Edinburgh, contributing towards our Net Zero 2030 target. While the work involved is complex, the long-term benefits – for our tenants, communities, and our city’s environment – are undeniable.

    Anderson Bell + Christie Director Jonathan McQuillan said:

    This project signals a real shift change in how Scottish social housing landlords are approaching their obligations to improve the energy and quality of homes ahead of the Scottish Government deadline – taking a co-ordinated, architectural viewpoint to ensure the measures put in place and undertaken are tailed to each and every building to ensure its effectiveness for many generations to come.

    The City of Edinburgh Council have been pioneering in their thinking and as a result of the pilot, on which we spent two years investigating and garnering the right data, the majority of their stock can now be retrofitted with confidence. The improvement works support future measures such as district heating systems, making them ‘net zero-ready’.

    The project adopted a ‘whole house approach’ to implement advanced retrofit standards for the nine pilot homes. The properties were selected following an in-depth review of 52 building types which involved comprehensive surveys, including asbestos checks, air-tightness testing, and extensive energy modelling.

    Published: February 21st 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council to buy former student flats to help meet temporary housing need

    Source: City of Leicester

    THE city council is to buy a block of former student flats to provide much-needed temporary accommodation for single people and couples who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

    The purchase of the building on York Street will bring 134 self-contained units into the council’s ownership, and will save the council £2.6m a year on the rent it currently pays to other landlords in the city.

    The building will help to accommodate many of the single people in the city who are classed as having priority need, and are currently in bed and breakfast or hotel accommodation.

    Built in 2019, the seven-storey building comprises of 132 self-contained, ensuite bedsits, and two one- bedroomed flats which are wheelchair accessible with large wet rooms.  All of the units have fitted kitchens with integral appliances and fitted furniture. The building also has onsite laundry facilities and bike storage.

    Chris Burgin, the council’s director of housing said: “We don’t want people to be in unsuitable B&B accommodation for any length of time, but with increasing numbers of people facing homelessness we have few options available to us.

    “This building will provide good quality units with cooking and washing facilities which are not available in hotels and B&Bs, and will house people for between three and 18 months before they move on to permanent accommodation.”

    The council has set aside £45m to increase the supply of good quality council accommodation including family housing in the city.

    Deputy city mayor Cllr Elly Cutkelvin said: “The purchase of the Yoho building is a small part of our plans to ensure that no-one has to stay in unsuitable temporary accommodation without access to the facilities they need.

    “It is also part of our wider plan to provide 1,500 new affordable homes for the city by 2027, and deliver more than 1,600 new properties. All of these properties will go to those most in need.”

    The cost of the purchase will be made public once the commercial deal has been finalised.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Guilty Verdict in Georgia Tax Fraud Case, Defendant’s Second Federal Fraud Conviction

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBANY, Ga. – A Southwest Georgia resident with a prior federal conviction for tax fraud in Florida was found guilty by a federal jury seated in Albany of a fraudulent tax filing scheme.

    Reginald Knight, 52, of Arlington, Georgia, was found guilty of one count of making and subscribing a false tax return on Feb. 19, following a two-day trial that began on Feb. 18. Knight faces a maximum of three years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $100,000 fine. Chief U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner is presiding over the case. A sentencing date will be determined by the Court.

    “The defendant was claiming millions in refunds for a business that never generated income or incurred any losses, fabricating these claims in yet another attempt by the defendant to steal from taxpayers,” said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker. “We are grateful to the IRS investigators who collaborated with our office to help bring a repeat fraudster to justice.”

    “The guilty verdict serves as a notice to unscrupulous tax preparers that filing fraudulent tax returns will lead them to a criminal court date,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Lisa Fontanette, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation special agents will continue to investigate and recommend prosecution for those individuals who commit tax crimes.”

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Knight filed a tax return with the IRS on March 13, 2018, falsely claiming $3,211,907 in wages, $2,586,551 in withholdings, $1,848,000 in Schedule C (Form 1040) losses and claimed a refund of $2,165,154. As part of the scheme, Knight fabricated W-2s and Schedule Cs for two separate business entities; however, neither business ever generated the income, paid the withholdings or suffered the losses Knight claimed on his return. The financials Knight submitted on the signed tax form were entirely fabricated. The IRS did not issue a refund. The IRS began investigating Knight in 2021, discovering that Knight filed tax returns with similarly exorbitant financials for the non-operating business for tax years 2014, 2015 and 2016; the IRS did not issue a refund for tax years 2014 and 2015. The IRS did issue a $745,953 refund to Knight for tax year 2016 on June 7, 2017. Knight used the refund from the false claim to pay for the construction of a new home in Albany, made transfers to his investment account, purchased a vehicle and paid for personal living expenses totaling $442,667.30. The IRS recovered $315,466.97.

    Knight has a prior federal conviction in the Southern District of Florida for one count of Conspiracy to Defraud the Government through False Claim for a Tax Refund and False Claim for a Tax Refund on Nov. 22, 2005, and was sentenced to serve five months in prison per charge, to be served concurrently.

    The IRS Criminal Division and IRS Special Enforcement Program are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica Hansis is prosecuting the case for the Government.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Fairer Aberdeen Fund marks anniversary with showcase event

    Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

    The Fairer Aberdeen Fund marked 10 years of supporting organisations to tackle poverty and deprivation across the city in a showcase event today (Friday 21 February).

    Those attending the showcase event were able to hear from projects which have benefited from funding on how they have supported individuals and communities, and watch a selection of short films on the work that they have been carrying out. 

    Councillor Alex McLellan, Convener of Finance and Resources Committee, who is also Chair of the Fairer Aberdeen Board, said: “There is so much positive work being done by the Fairer Aberdeen Funded organisations across Aberdeen to support people and families.

    “Our Fairer Aberdeen funded partners are dealing are helping people struggling wtih the cost-of-living crisis 10 years on from the start of the fund, highlighting that poverty remains a huge issue in our city.” 

    Over the last year, 38 initiatives were delivered across the city by 26 voluntary and third sector organisations, that have supported over 50,000 people to access support for employability, financial inclusion, family support, youth work, mental health, learning and volunteering. 

    The keynote speaker for the event was Ruth Boyle, Policy and Campaign Manager at The Poverty Alliance, and featured talks from Cameron McCready, CEO of Homestart Aberdeen and Graeme Kinghorn, CEO of Mental Health Aberdeen, who highlighted their work tackling social isolation and improving mental health across the city.

    Cameron McCready, CEO of Homestart Aberdeen said: “Poverty in Aberdeen affects families in many ways, from financial insecurity to social isolation. With the support of FAF, we’ve been able to provide early intervention services that strengthen family wellbeing and build stronger, more connected communities.”

    Graham Kinghorn, CEO of Mental Health Aberdeen said: “The Fairer Aberdeen Fund is vital in tackling poverty and inequality, supporting essential services from mental health to financial advice and employability. Continued investment is crucial to strengthening communities and improving lives.”

    Organisations supported by the Fund have included Station House Media Unit (SHMU), Community Food Initiatives North East (CFINE) and Pathways. 

    The Fairer Aberdeen Fund is allocated by Aberdeen City Council and is dispersed by the Fairer Aberdeen Board to third sector organisations, charities and voluntary groups.  

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Woman convicted of murdering two young children

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    A woman has been convicted of murder after her two young children were found dead in their east London home.

    Kara Alexander, 47 (23.12.77), of Cornwallis Road, Dagenham was found guilty at Kingston Crown Court on Friday, 21 February.

    She will be sentenced on Friday, 11 April.

    Detective Chief Inspector Paul Waller, who led the investigation, said: “Our thoughts are with the family, especially the boys’ father who found them dead when he went to collect them for the weekend after Kara Alexander had failed to return his messages.

    “No parent should have to go through such a horrific experience, and then have to listen to the detailed evidence highlighting what led up to these events.

    “I would also like to praise those who were first on scene – our colleagues and the paramedics – who also experienced this traumatic event first hand.

    “This has been a difficult investigation for everyone involved. This guilty verdict cannot turn back the clock but it does provide the children’s family with some form of resolution.”

    Emergency services were called at around 14:00hrs on 16 December 2022, after the bodies of two young children were found by their father in their shared bunkbed inside the house in Dagenham.

    Alexander ran from the address following the discovery but was arrested nearby a short time later.

    Two-year-old Elijah Thomas and five-year-old Marley Thomas were both pronounced dead at the scene.

    Post-mortem examinations established that both boys’ cause of death was interference with the normal mechanics of breathing, through smothering and/or immersion in water.

    An investigation was launched, led by detectives from the Specialist Crime Command.

    A search of the house and garden found no evidence of forced entry. The curtains were closed and the house was in darkness.

    Detectives reviewed footage from local CCTV cameras and doorbells which showed Alexander and the children running a number of errands in the days before 16 December 2022. The last time all three were captured together was on the afternoon of 15 December 2022.

    Forensic analysis of Alexander’s phone, which had been found in a filled sink, showed that it had been in regular use up until 16 December but on the day the children were found, no calls were made or messages sent. This led detectives to believe that she had intentionally been avoiding people following their deaths.

    Alexander was charged on 19 December 2022 with two counts of murder.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: STEALTHGAS INC. Reports Fourth Quarter and Twelve Months 2024 Financial and Operating Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ATHENS, Greece, Feb. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — STEALTHGAS INC. (NASDAQ: GASS), a ship-owning company serving the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sector of the international shipping industry, announced today its unaudited financial and operating results for the fourth quarter and twelve months ended December 31, 2024.

    OPERATIONAL AND FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

    • All-time record Net Income of $69.9 million for the twelve month period of 2024, a 34.7% increase compared to the same period last year. Strong profitability continued for the fourth quarter, with Net income of $14.2 million corresponding to a basic EPS of $0.38.
    • Revenues increased by 27.3% compared to the same period of last year to $43.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2024.
    • Further increased period coverage. About 70% of fleet days for 2025 are secured on period charters, with total fleet employment days for all subsequent periods generating over $200 million (excl. JV vessels) in contracted revenues.
    • Continued reducing leverage, making $108.2 million in debt repayments during the twelve month period of 2024 and $34.4 million in the current quarter of 2025. Currently, 26 out of 28 vessels in the fully owned fleet are unencumbered.
    • Maintaining ample cash and cash equivalents (incl. restricted cash) of $84.5 million as of December 31, 2024 enabling the Company to further reduce debt.

    Fourth Quarter 2024 Results1:

    • Revenues for the three months ended December 31, 2024 amounted to $43.5 million compared to revenues of $34.1 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023, based on an average of 27.6 vessels and 27.0 vessels owned by the Company, respectively, as the vessels remaining in the fleet earned higher revenues due to better market conditions.
    • Voyage expenses and vessels’ operating expenses for the three months ended December 31, 2024 were $3.2 million and $13.6 million, respectively, compared to $3.3 million and $12.9 million, respectively, for the three months ended December 31, 2023. The $0.7 million increase in vessels’ operating expenses was mainly due to increase in crew costs and maintenance expenses, while the voyage expenses remained stable between 2024 and 2023.
    • Drydocking costs for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 were $1.9 million and $0.03 million, respectively. Drydocking expenses during the fourth quarter of 2024 mainly relate to the completed drydocking of three vessels, compared to no drydocking of vessels in the same period of last year.
    • General and administrative expenses for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 were $3.0 million and $1.7 million, respectively. The change is mainly attributed to the increase in stock-based compensation expense.
    • Depreciation for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was $6.6 million and $5.6 million, respectively, a $1.0 million increase is mainly related to the increase in average number of vessels owned by the Company and to the partial replacement of some of the older vessels with newer and larger ones which have a higher cost.
    • Interest and finance costs for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, were $1.4 million and $2.3 million, respectively. The $0.9 million decrease from the same period of last year is primarily due to continued debt prepayments.
    • Interest income for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, were $1.1 million and $1.0 million, respectively.
    • Equity earnings in joint ventures for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was a gain of $0.5 million and $0.9 million, respectively. The $0.4 million decrease was primarily due to decrease in number of vessels in joint ventures.
    • As a result of the above, for the three months ended December 31, 2024, the Company reported net income of $14.2 million, compared to net income of $8.9 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023. The weighted average number of shares outstanding, basic, for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was 35.3 million and 35.3 million, respectively.
    • Earnings per share, basic, for the three months ended December 31, 2024 amounted to $0.38 compared to earnings per share, basic, of $0.25 for the same period of last year.
    • Adjusted net income was $16.4 million corresponding to an Adjusted EPS, basic, of $0.44 for the three months ended December 31, 2024 compared to Adjusted net income of $10.3 million corresponding to an Adjusted EPS, basic, of $0.29 for the same period of last year.
    • EBITDA for the three months ended December 31, 2024 amounted to $21.2 million. Reconciliations of Adjusted Net Income, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income are set forth below.
    • An average of 27.6 vessels were owned by the Company during the three months ended December 31, 2024 compared to 27.0 vessels for the same period of 2023.

    Twelve months 2024 Results:

    • Revenues for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, amounted to $167.3 million, an increase of $23.8 million, or 16.6%, compared to revenues of $143.5 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, as the vessels remaining in the fleet earned higher revenues due to better market conditions.
    • Voyage expenses and vessels’ operating expenses for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 were $11.7 million and $49.8 million, respectively, compared to $13.2 million and $53.1 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023. The $1.5 million decrease in voyage expenses was mainly due to the decrease in spot days, while the $3.3 million decrease in vessels’ operating expenses was mainly due to the decrease in the average number of owned vessels in our fleet.
    • Drydocking costs for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 were $5.3 million and $2.6 million, respectively. The costs for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 mainly related to the completed drydocking of seven vessels, while the costs for the same period of last year mainly related to the completed drydocking of three of the larger handysize vessels.
    • General and administrative expenses for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 were $10.3 million and $5.3 million, respectively. The change is mainly attributed to the increase in stock-based compensation expense.
    • Depreciation for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, was $26.1 million, a $2.4 million increase from $23.7 million for the same period of last year, as the Company partly replaced some of the older vessels with newer and larger vessels which have a higher cost.
    • Impairment loss for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was nil and $2.8 million, respectively. The impairment loss for the year ended December 31, 2023, related to two vessels for which the Company had entered into separate agreements to sell to third parties.
    • Gain on sale of vessels for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 was $0.05 million compared to $7.6 million for the same period last year. The decrease is attributed to the sale of four of the Company’s vessels during the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 compared to the sale of two vessels during the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, which had been classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2023.
    • Interest and finance costs for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 were $9.1 million and $10.0 million, respectively. The $0.9 million decrease from last year is primarily due to continued debt prepayments.
    • Interest income for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was $3.4 million and $3.7 million, respectively. The $0.3 million decrease is mainly attributed to decrease in interest rates and over the corresponding period.
    • Equity earnings in joint ventures for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was a gain of $15.6 million and a gain of $12.3 million, respectively. The $3.3 million increase from the same period of last year is mainly due to a profitable sale of one of the Medium Gas carriers owned by one of our joint ventures.
    • As a result of the above, the Company reported a net income for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 of $69.9 million, compared to a net income of $51.9 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023. The weighted average number of shares outstanding, basic, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was 35.2 million and 37.2 million, respectively.
    • Earnings per share, basic, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 amounted to $1.91 compared to earnings per share, basic, of $1.38 for the same period of last year.
    • Adjusted net income was $77.3 million, corresponding to an Adjusted EPS, basic, of $2.11 per share, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 compared to adjusted net income of $50.5 million, or $1.34 per share, for the same period of last year.
    • EBITDA for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 amounted to $101.6 million. Reconciliations of Adjusted Net Income, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income are set forth below.
    • An average of 27.2 vessels were owned by the Company during the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, compared to 29.3 vessels for the same period of 2023.

      As of December 31, 2024, cash and cash equivalents (including restricted cash) amounted to $84.5 million and total debt amounted to $84.9 million.

      1  EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS are non-GAAP measures. Refer to the reconciliation of these measures to the most directly comparable financial measure in accordance with GAAP set forth later in this release.

    Fleet Update Since Previous Announcement

    The Company announced the conclusion of the following chartering arrangements (of three or more months duration):  

    • A twelve months time charter for its 2024 built LPG carrier Eco Wizard, until Dec 2025.
    • A twelve months time charter for its 2020 built LPG carrier Eco Alice, until Feb 2026.
    • A twelve months time charter for the JV-owned 2007 built LPG carrier Gas Haralambos, until Dec 2025.
    • A three months time charter for the 2012 built LPG carrier Gas Husky, until April 2025.

    As of February 2025, the Company has total contracted revenues of approximately $200 million.

    As of February 2025, the Company has circa 70% of fleet days secured under period contracts and contracted revenues of approximately $107 million for the remainder of the year.

    On January 21, 2025, the previously announced sale of the Gas Shuriken was concluded and the vessel was delivered to its new owners.

    Share Repurchase Program Increase

    Today the Board of Directors authorized a $5 million increase to the existing $25 million common stock repurchase program for a total aggregate amount of $30 million. Shares of common stock may be purchased, from time to time, in open market or privately negotiated transactions, at times and prices that are considered to be appropriate by the Company, and the program may be suspended or discontinued at any time. As of the date hereof, the Company has repurchased an aggregate of approximately $19.4 million.

    CEO Harry Vafias Commented

    It is with great pride that we announce today for the third consecutive year record annual profits. After a successful fourth quarter we concluded 2024 reporting net income of $70 million for the year, a 35% increase, far outpacing the underlying market improvement for our vessels. We are delivering on our strategic priorities, modernizing the fleet, securing revenues and de-risking the business, aiming to bring strong value to StealthGas shareholders. We can now say we are net debt free, after having further reduced our debt in the current quarter. We are close to completing our deleverage that will bring a long term advantage to the fleet and the Company is in a solid footing. As successful as we have been we are established in the shipping markets long enough not to forget that we operate in a volatile sector where fortunes can be made and lost quite rapidly. We are optimistic for the future albeit evermore cautiously not least because the current global geopolitics that can have a strong influence on shipping markets are for the time being quite opaque with too many developing situations. Finally, in order to give further value back to our shareholders, we are renewing our share repurchases and increasing up to $10.5 million the amount available to us for this task.

     Conference Call details:

    On February 21, 2025 at 10:00 am ET, the company’s management will host a conference call to discuss the results and the company’s operations and outlook.

    Conference call participants should pre-register using the below link to receive the dial-in numbers and a personal PIN, which are required to access the conference call.

    https://register.vevent.com/register/BIa607c71e1abf4ac08816dfc43bd8d733

    Slides and audio webcast:
    There will also be a live and then archived webcast of the conference call, through the STEALTHGAS INC. website (www.stealthgas.com). Participants to the live webcast should register on the website approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the webcast.

    About STEALTHGAS INC.

    StealthGas Inc. is a ship-owning company serving the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sector of the international shipping industry. StealthGas Inc. has a fleet of 31 LPG carriers, including three Joint Venture vessels in the water. These LPG vessels have a total capacity of 349,170 cubic meters (cbm). StealthGas Inc.’s shares are listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market and trade under the symbol “GASS.”

    Visit our website at www.stealthgas.com

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Matters discussed in this release may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance and may include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, management’s examination of historical operating trends, data contained in our records and other data available from third parties. Although STEALTHGAS INC. believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond our control, STEALTHGAS INC. cannot assure you that it will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. Important factors that, in our view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including changes in charter hire rates and vessel values, charter counterparty performance, changes in demand that may affect attitudes of time charterers to scheduled and unscheduled drydockings, shipyard performance, changes in STEALTHGAS INC’s operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, ability to obtain financing and comply with covenants in our financing arrangements, actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, domestic and international political conditions, the conflict in Ukraine and related sanctions, the conflict in Israel and Gaza, potential disruption of shipping routes due to ongoing attacks by Houthis in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden or  accidents and political events or acts by terrorists.

    Risks and uncertainties are further described in reports filed by STEALTHGAS INC. with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

    Fleet List        
    For information on our fleet and further information:
    Visit our website at www.stealthgas.com

    Fleet Data:
    The following key indicators highlight the Company’s operating performance during the periods ended December 31, 2023 and 2024.

    FLEET DATA Q4 2023   Q4 2024   12M 2023   12M 2024  
    Average number of vessels (1) 27.0   27.6   29.3   27.2  
    Period end number of owned vessels in fleet 27   28   27   28  
    Total calendar days for fleet (2) 2,484   2,542   10,698   9,944  
    Total voyage days for fleet (3) 2,441   2,446   10,566   9,677  
    Fleet utilization (4) 98.3 % 96.2 % 98.8 % 97.3 %
    Total charter days for fleet (5) 2,207   2,265   9,544   8,930  
    Total spot market days for fleet (6) 234   181   1,022   747  
    Fleet operational utilization (7) 96.8 % 95.0 % 96.6 % 95.4 %
                     

    1) Average number of vessels is the number of owned vessels that constituted our fleet for the relevant period, as measured by the sum of the number of days each vessel was a part of our fleet during the period divided by the number of calendar days in that period.
    2) Total calendar days for fleet are the total days the vessels we operated were in our possession for the relevant period including off-hire days associated with major repairs, drydockings or special or intermediate surveys.
    3) Total voyage days for fleet reflect the total days the vessels we operated were in our possession for the relevant period net of off-hire days associated with major repairs, drydockings or special or intermediate surveys.
    4) Fleet utilization is the percentage of time that our vessels were available for revenue generating voyage days, and is determined by dividing voyage days by fleet calendar days for the relevant period.
    5) Total charter days for fleet are the number of voyage days the vessels operated on time or bareboat charters for the relevant period.
    6) Total spot market charter days for fleet are the number of voyage days the vessels operated on spot market charters for the relevant period.
    7) Fleet operational utilization is the percentage of time that our vessels generated revenue, and is determined by dividing voyage days excluding commercially idle days by fleet calendar days for the relevant period.

    Reconciliation of Adjusted Net Income, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EPS:

    Adjusted net income represents net income before loss/gain on derivatives excluding swap interest paid/received, impairment loss, net gain/loss on sale of vessels and share based compensation. EBITDA represents net income before interest and finance costs, interest income and depreciation. Adjusted EBITDA represents net income before interest and finance costs, interest income, depreciation, impairment loss, net gain/loss on sale of vessels, share based compensation and loss/gain on derivatives.

    Adjusted EPS represents Adjusted net income divided by the weighted average number of shares.

    EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted EPS are included herein because they are a basis, upon which we and our investors assess our financial performance. They allow us to present our performance from period to period on a comparable basis and provide investors with a means of better evaluating and understanding our operating performance.

    EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted EPS are not recognized measurements under U.S. GAAP. Our calculation of EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted EPS may not be comparable to that reported by other companies in the shipping or other industries. In evaluating Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income and Adjusted EPS, you should be aware that in the future we may incur expenses that are the same as or similar to some of the adjustments in this presentation.

    (Expressed in United States Dollars,
    except number of shares)    		 Fourth Quarter Ended
    December 31st,    		 Twelve months Periods
    Ended December 31st,
      2023 2024 2023 2024
    Net Income – Adjusted Net Income        
    Net income 8,889,046   14,198,527   51,936,829   69,862,177  
    Plus/(Less) loss/(gain) on derivatives 255,736   —   (237,618 ) (99,286 )
    (Less)/Plus swap interest (paid)/received 216,432   —   1,027,127   208,127  
    (Less)/Plus (gain)/loss on sale of vessels, net —   —   (7,645,781 ) (46,384 )
    Plus impairment loss —   —   2,816,873   —  
    Plus share based compensation 940,216   2,206,295   2,589,405   7,326,807  
    Adjusted Net Income 10,301,430   16,404,822   50,486,835   77,251,441  
             
    Net income – EBITDA        
    Net income 8,889,046   14,198,527   51,936,829   69,862,177  
    Plus interest and finance costs 2,344,430   1,425,886   9,956,712   9,062,562  
    Less interest income (952,287 ) (1,052,786 ) (3,712,239 ) (3,416,221 )
    Plus depreciation 5,565,955   6,598,549   23,707,797   26,076,687  
    EBITDA 15,847,144   21,170,176   81,889,099   101,585,205  
             
    Net income – Adjusted EBITDA        
    Net income 8,889,046   14,198,527   51,936,829   69,862,177  
    Plus/(Less) loss/(gain) on derivatives 255,736   —   (237,618 ) (99,286 )
    (Less)/Plus (gain)/loss on sale of vessels, net —   —   (7,645,781 ) (46,384 )
    Plus impairment loss —   —   2,816,873   —  
    Plus share based compensation 940,216   2,206,295   2,589,405   7,326,807  
    Plus interest and finance costs 2,344,430   1,425,886   9,956,712   9,062,562  
    Less interest income (952,287 ) (1,052,786 ) (3,712,239 ) (3,416,221 )
    Plus depreciation 5,565,955   6,598,549   23,707,797   26,076,687  
    Adjusted EBITDA 17,043,096   23,376,471   79,411,978   108,766,342  
             
    EPS – Adjusted EPS        
    Net income 8,889,046   14,198,527   51,936,829   69,862,177  
    Adjusted net income 10,301,430   16,404,822   50,486,835   77,251,441  
    Weighted average number of shares, basic 35,300,965   35,345,251   37,166,449   35,237,059  
    EPS – Basic 0.25   0.38   1.38   1.91  
    Adjusted EPS – Basic 0.29   0.44   1.34   2.11  
     
    StealthGas Inc.
    Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
    (Expressed in United States Dollars, except for number of shares)
      Quarters Ended
    December 31,    		   Twelve month Periods Ended
    December 31,
      2023   2024   2023   2024
               
    Revenues              
    Revenues 34,139,248     43,467,117     143,527,769     167,262,185  
                   
    Expenses              
    Voyage expenses 2,878,732     2,679,927     11,429,716     9,594,880  
    Voyage expenses – related party 426,108     535,991     1,779,488     2,063,228  
    Vessels’ operating expenses 12,690,873     13,404,725     52,206,248     48,961,137  
    Vessels’ operating expenses – related party 207,500     212,500     911,250     875,002  
    Drydocking costs 27,696     1,855,672     2,641,706     5,312,614  
    Management fees – related party 1,048,800     1,089,040     4,531,920     4,258,240  
    General and administrative expenses 1,657,671     3,010,733     5,331,029     10,309,693  
    Depreciation 5,565,955     6,598,549     23,707,797     26,076,687  
    Impairment loss —     —     2,816,873     —  
    Net gain on sale of vessels —     —     (7,645,781 )   (46,384 )
    Total expenses 24,503,335     29,387,137     97,710,246     107,405,097  
                   
    Income from operations 9,635,913     14,079,980     45,817,523     59,857,088  
                   
    Other (expenses)/income              
    Interest and finance costs (2,344,430 )   (1,425,886 )   (9,956,712 )   (9,062,562 )
    (Loss)/gain on derivatives (255,736 )   —     237,618     99,286  
    Interest income 952,287     1,052,786     3,712,239     3,416,221  
    Foreign exchange (loss)/gain (27,829 )   25,598     (190,722 )   (70,692 )
    Other expenses, net (1,675,708 )   (347,502 )   (6,197,577 )   (5,617,747 )
                   
    Income before equity in earnings of investees 7,960,205     13,732,478     39,619,946     54,239,341  
    Equity earnings in joint ventures 928,841     466,049     12,316,883     15,622,836  
    Net Income 8,889,046     14,198,527     51,936,829     69,862,177  
                   
    Earnings per share              
    – Basic 0.25     0.38     1.38     1.91  
    – Diluted 0.25     0.38     1.37     1.90  
                   
    Weighted average number of shares              
    – Basic 35,300,965     35,345,251     37,166,449     35,237,059  
    – Diluted 35,430,883     35,409,350     37,236,951     35,333,160  
     
    StealthGas Inc.
    Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
    (Expressed in United States Dollars)
      December 31,   December 31,  
      2023   2024  
             
    Assets        
    Current assets        
    Cash and cash equivalents 77,202,843     80,653,398  
    Trade and other receivables 4,506,741     6,156,300  
    Other current assets 130,589     193,265  
    Claims receivable 55,475     55,475  
    Inventories 1,979,683     3,891,147  
    Advances and prepayments 1,409,418     733,190  
    Restricted cash 659,137     —  
    Assets held for sale 34,879,925     —  
    Fair value of derivatives —     387,630  
    Total current assets 120,823,811     92,070,405  
             
    Non current assets        
    Advances for vessel acquisitions 23,414,570     —  
    Operating lease right-of-use assets 99,379     —  
    Vessels, net 504,295,083     608,214,416  
    Other receivables 48,040     370,053  
    Restricted cash 5,893,721     3,867,752  
    Investments in joint ventures 39,671,603     27,717,238  
    Deferred finance charges 1,105,790     —  
    Fair value of derivatives 1,858,677     —  
    Total non current assets 576,386,863     640,169,459  
    Total assets 697,210,674     732,239,864  
             
    Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity        
    Current liabilities        
    Payable to related parties 955,567     388,130  
    Trade accounts payable 9,953,137     10,994,434  
    Accrued liabilities 5,681,144     4,922,587  
    Operating lease liabilities 71,173     —  
    Deferred income 5,386,126     4,304,667  
    Current portion of long-term debt 16,624,473     23,333,814  
    Total current liabilities 38,671,620     43,943,632  
             
    Non current liabilities        
    Operating lease liabilities 28,206     —  
    Deferred income 1,928,712     213,563  
    Long-term debt 106,918,176     61,555,855  
    Total non current liabilities 108,875,094     61,769,418  
    Total liabilities 147,546,713     105,713,050  
             
    Commitments and contingencies        
             
    Stockholders’ equity        
    Capital stock 453,434     370,414  
    Treasury stock (44,453,836 )   —  
    Additional paid-in capital 446,938,868     409,912,934  
    Retained earnings 145,993,681     215,855,858  
    Accumulated other comprehensive income 731,814     387,608  
    Total stockholders’ equity 549,663,961     626,526,814  
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity 697,210,674     732,239,864  
     
    StealthGas Inc.
    Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
    (Expressed in United States Dollars)
     
      Twelve month Periods Ended
    December 31,
      2023   2024
       
    Cash flows from operating activities      
    Net income for the year 51,936,829     69,862,177  
           
    Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash      
    provided by operating activities:      
    Depreciation 23,707,797     26,076,687  
    Amortization of deferred finance charges 1,345,941     711,378  
    Amortization of operating lease right-of-use assets 99,379     99,379  
    Share based compensation 2,589,405     7,326,807  
    Change in fair value of derivatives 789,509     108,841  
    Proceeds from disposal of interest rate swaps —     1,018,000  
    Equity earnings in joint ventures (12,316,883 )   (15,622,836 )
    Dividends received from joint ventures 14,589,215     20,570,036  
    Impairment loss 2,816,873     —  
    Gain on sale of vessels (7,645,781 )   (46,384 )
    Changes in operating assets and liabilities:      
    (Increase)/decrease in      
    Trade and other receivables 238,627     (1,971,610 )
    Other current assets 139,925     (62,676 )
    Inventories 1,365,189     (1,664,736 )
    Changes in operating lease liabilities (99,379 )   (99,379 )
    Advances and prepayments (728,005 )   676,228  
    Increase/(decrease) in      
    Balances with related parties (1,532,943 )   (555,589 )
    Trade accounts payable (1,813,377 )   628,898  
    Accrued liabilities (100,515 )   (758,558 )
    Deferred income 2,058,409     (2,796,608 )
    Net cash provided by operating activities 77,440,215     103,500,055  
           
    Cash flows from investing activities      
    Insurance proceeds 126,666     —  
    Proceeds from sale of vessels, net 80,109,781     34,679,584  
    Acquisition and improvements of vessels (85,201 )   (106,169,013 )
    Maturity of short term investments 26,500,000     —  
    Return of investments from joint ventures 4,688,785     7,007,164  
    Net cash provided by/(used in) investing activities 111,340,031     (64,482,265 )
           
    Cash flows from financing activities      
    Proceeds from exercise of stock options 747,500     356,250  
    Stock repurchase (19,080,455 )   (338,176 )
    Deferred finance charges paid (988,166 )   (22,167 )
    Advances from joint ventures 11,847     —  
    Advances to joint ventures —     (11,847 )
    Loan repayments (154,870,215 )   (108,236,401 )
    Proceeds from long-term debt —     70,000,000  
    Net cash used in financing activities (174,179,489 )   (38,252,341 )
           
    Net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 14,600,757     765,449  
    Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period 69,154,944     83,755,701  
    Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of year 83,755,701     84,521,150  
    Cash breakdown      
    Cash and cash equivalents 77,202,843     80,653,398  
    Restricted cash, current 659,137     —  
    Restricted cash, non current 5,893,721     3,867,752  
    Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash shown in the statements of cash flows 83,755,701     84,521,150  

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: SADA Recognized as a 2025 Google Public Sector AI and ML, Data Analytics, Maps & Geospatial, Security, and Work Transformation Expertise Partner

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RESTON, Va., Feb. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SADA, An Insight company, a leading services and solutions Google Cloud consultancy driving transformative change for its customers, has received five Google Public Sector Partner Expertise Badges in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI and ML), Data Analytics, Maps & Geospatial, Security, and Work Transformation.

    In 2024, SADA achieved significant milestones in these badge areas, demonstrating its commitment to driving impactful results for public sector organizations. These accomplishments include helping state governments centralize and modernize online services with cloud-native applications, enhancing digital infrastructure for executive offices, optimizing government technology ecosystems, and supporting cutting-edge research capabilities.

    Notably, SADA helped the Chicopee Police Department (CPD) to modernize its operations and enhance public safety. By implementing Google Workspace, SADA helped CPD reduce paperwork, achieve 100% compliance with CJIS standards, streamline communication, and enable real-time alerts, ultimately freeing up officers to focus on core policing activities and better serve their community. This success story highlights SADA’s ability to use Google Cloud’s technology to help drive meaningful change in the public sector.

    SADA is being recognized for its proven delivery capabilities within these five solution areas across Google Public Sector. These achievements underscore SADA’s commitment to helping public sector organizations modernize their operations, enhance citizen services, improve their security posture, and transform how they work. SADA’s expertise in these key areas translates to tangible benefits for organizations, including:

    • AI/ML: SADA can help agencies leverage AI/ML to improve decision-making, automate processes, and personalize citizen experiences. Examples include predictive analytics for resource allocation, AI-powered chatbots for citizen inquiries, and machine learning models for fraud detection.
    • Data Analytics: SADA empowers public sector organizations to unlock the power of their data with advanced analytics solutions. This includes data warehousing, business intelligence, and data visualization, enabling agencies to gain valuable insights, improve operational efficiency, and make data-driven decisions.
    • Maps & Geospatial: SADA’s geospatial expertise enables agencies to leverage location data for enhanced planning, improved emergency response, and better management of critical infrastructure. SADA serves organizations with Google Maps solutions. Its teams have foundational technical knowledge in Maps APIs, providing services to organizations needing support in analyzing spatial data and developing location-based services.
    • Security: SADA helps public sector organizations strengthen their security posture with comprehensive solutions that protect sensitive data, prevent cyberattacks, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. These solutions include security assessments, vulnerability management, and incident response planning.
    • Work Transformation: SADA enables public sector agencies to modernize their workplaces and improve employee productivity with Google Workspace solutions. This includes streamlining communication and collaboration and automating workflows.

    “These Google Public Sector Partner Expertise badges validate our team’s dedication to providing cutting-edge solutions that address the unique challenges faced by public sector organizations and the meaningful outcomes we’re helping drive for those organizations who are committed to serving their constituents,” said Michelle Ambrose, SVP Strategic Partnerships and International GTM at SADA.

    SADA will share how it has helped the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development spearhead a groundbreaking digital transformation to enhance services for employers and job seekers in an upcoming session at Google Cloud Next, which will take place April 9-11 in Las Vegas, NV. To learn more and register for the event, visit sada.com/next.

    About SADA, An Insight company
    SADA, An Insight company, is a market leader in professional services and an award-winning solutions provider of Google Cloud. Since 2000, SADA has been committed to helping customers in healthcare, media, entertainment, retail, manufacturing, and the public sector solve their most complex challenges so they can focus on achieving their boldest ambitions. With offices in North America, India, and Armenia providing sales and customer support teams, SADA is positioned to meet customers where they are in their digital transformation journey. SADA is a 7x Google Cloud Partner of the Year award winner with 11 Google Cloud Specializations and was recognized as a Niche Player in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Public Cloud IT Transformation Services. Learn more at www.sada.com.

    Media Contact
    Stephanie Krivacek
    press@sada.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why Germany’s far right hates the Bauhaus movement

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Katrin Schreiter, Senior Lecturer in German and History, King’s College London

    Shutterstock/meunierd

    At a time of political tension in Germany, the Bauhaus – arguably one of most influential architecture, art and design schools in the world – has become the target of far-right attacks.

    Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, a member of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and a member of the regional parliament of Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany, has blamed his area’s economic problems on Bauhaus modernism.

    His unlikely diagnosis came in response to the regional conservative CDU government’s “think modern” campaign, which seeks to attract investment into the area and cites the Bauhaus movement as an example of locally grown excellence.

    Tillschneider asserts that for the area’s economic stagnation to be resolved “we do not need to think modern, we need to think conservatively.” He rejects Bauhaus ideas as diffused with communist ideology. With these attacks, Tillschneider has started a quasi-re-enactment of a historical culture war over German national identity and social anxieties.

    Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius.
    Wikipedia/Louis Held

    Founded in 1919 by architect Walter Gropius in the German city of Weimar, the Bauhaus and its staff shared a programme of material utopianism. This was expressed via an explorative workshop concept that departed from traditional modes of teaching.

    Such avant-garde practices moved the Bauhaus politically to the left, which would make it vulnerable to ideological attack throughout the Weimar republic, Germany’s first (and failed) democracy.

    In the contentious debate about national identity that followed the end of the monarchy in 1918, Bauhaus artists inhabited an uncomfortable position between two schools of thought among the educated elite.

    One side had opened up to modern aesthetics (such as impressionism and expressionism). The other – the conservatives – instead embraced an artistic nationalism that had manifested with German unification in 1871.

    They saw “true art” as coming from the people and in turn educating them as loyal citizens. Aesthetically, conservatives found these values expressed in Weimar classicism. Curiously, given the emphasis on art by the people, this was a rather exclusive, high-brow form of literature, theatre and visual arts.

    Bauhaus ideas, instead, were anti-bourgeois, avant-garde and experimental, while at the same time postulating the importance of creating art for everyone to access and enjoy. Such democratisation of style, however, was difficult to achieve, and most of what the Bauhaus produced remained unaffordable to the masses. Nevertheless, these clashing visions politicised culture during the interwar years.

    The reconstructed Bauhaus school in Dessau.
    Wikipedia/Lelikron, CC BY-SA

    In 1925, the school had to move from Weimar to Dessau (in Saxony-Anhalt) after it lost its funding. This was the fallout of a dispute with the conservative political parties that ruled the city at the time.

    In Dessau, the Bauhaus teachers built a school building that followed their modern aesthetic principles. Despite repeated attempts by Gropius to depoliticise the Bauhaus by pointing to its aesthetic pluralism, internal debates about the place of architecture in society and politics continued.

    The point of contention was the concept of “New Objectivity” (Neue Sachlichkeit) which found expression in Neues Bauen: modularised construction which introduced the industrialised pre-fabrication of building parts in a turn away from traditional crafts.

    Eventually, Gropius left the Bauhaus and in his place came the openly socialist architect Hannes Meyer. After taking over as director in 1928, he repoliticised the school and moved it back to the left.

    In the heated political climate of the late Weimar republic, the Bauhaus encountered a new existential threat. When the Nazis took over in local elections in 1931, they requested the destruction of the Bauhaus school.

    The Bauhaus moved again in 1932, this time to Berlin, where it continued as a private institution to avoid renewed conflict with the ever more powerful Nazis. Nevertheless, when Adolf Hitler seized power in early 1933, the school and its staff became victims of the Nazis’ anti-socialist measures.

    The Bauhaus school closed on July 20 1933 and its staff dispersed, often to faraway places. Many went to the United States, where they continued in the legacy of the “Bauhaus spirit” by joining the international modernism movement that became the defining Western aesthetic in the 1950s.

    Although the artistic influences and expressions had remained diverse throughout the lifetime of the school, postwar discourse has streamlined it to simple geometric shapes, a preference for the colours white, blue, red and yellow, and an emphasis on horizontal lines and perspectives.

    The Nazis had labelled Bauhaus aesthetics as “degenerate”. In the cold war era, the socialist East German government called out Bauhaus modernism and its disciples as cosmopolitan in the pejorative sense.

    They were accused of abandoning German national heritage for the sake of international “formalism”, elevating form – as pertaining to function – over cultural content. Tillschneider has put it even more provocatively: “They denied man’s connection to land and his cultural roots”. While a huge interpretative overstretch, these statements do not come as a surprise.

    This year marks the centennial of the move to Dessau, where the school building still stands proudly as a Unesco world heritage site. Tillschneider used this moment to perpetuate the culture war that the AfD has become known for over the past decade.

    He is equating the CDU to an oversimplified depiction of the Bauhaus legacy – one that is anti-crafts, anti-bourgeois and internationalist – he implies his political rivals are against German tradition and culture. These are the nativist sentiments that fuel the AfD. It is a strategy of cheap wins at the expense of the electorate’s anxieties about Germany’s cultural and national identity.

    Katrin Schreiter 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. Why Germany’s far right hates the Bauhaus movement – https://theconversation.com/why-germanys-far-right-hates-the-bauhaus-movement-250416

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What is the AfD? Germany’s far-right party, explained

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Léonie de Jonge, Professor of Research on Far-Right Extremism, Institute for Research on Far-Right Extremism (IRex), University of Tübingen

    In the weeks ahead of the German election, the far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) consistently polled around 20%. For the first time, the AfD poses a challenge to mainstream parties’ longstanding strategy of isolating the far right.

    The rise of the AfD is striking, given the country’s history of authoritarianism and National Socialism during the 1930s and 1940s. For decades, far-right movements were generally stigmatised and treated as pariahs. Political elites, mainstream parties, the media and civil society effectively marginalised the far right and limited its electoral prospects.

    The AfD’s breakthrough in the 2017 federal election shattered this status quo. Winning 12.6% of the vote and securing 94 Bundestag seats, it became Germany’s third-largest party — unlocking viable political space to the right of the centre-right party CDU/CSU for the first time in the postwar era.

    Want more politics coverage from academic experts? Every week, we bring you informed analysis of developments in government and fact check the claims being made.

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    The AfD was founded in 2013 by disaffected CDU members. This included economics professors Bernd Lucke and Joachim Starbatty, and conservative journalists Konrad Adam and Alexander Gauland. It began as a single-issue, anti-euro party advocating Germany’s exit from the Eurozone.

    Dubbed a “party of professors”, it gained credibility through the support of academics and former mainstream politicians, lending it an “unusual gravitas” for a protest party. While nativist elements were arguably present from the start, the AfD was not initially conceived as a far-right party.

    When it first ran for the Bundestag in 2013, its four-page manifesto focused exclusively on dissolving the Eurozone. At the time, the party advocated political asylum for the persecuted and avoided harsh anti-immigrant or anti-Islam rhetoric, cultivating more of a “bourgeois” image.

    This helped the AfD build what political scientist Elisabeth Ivarsflaten has called a reputational shield — a legacy used to deflect social stigma and accusations of extremism.

    Initially, the AfD distanced itself from far-right parties in neighbouring countries. However, successive leadership changes between 2015 and 2017 saw the party adopt a more hardline position, particularly on immigration, Islam and national identity. By 2016, its platform had largely aligned with those of populist radical right parties elsewhere.

    Far-right views

    Today, the party can unequivocally be classified as far right. This umbrella term captures the growing links between “(populist) radical right” (illiberal-democratic) and “extreme right” (anti-democratic) parties and movements. Ideologically, the far right is characterised by nativism and authoritarianism.

    Nativism is a xenophobic form of nationalism, which holds that non-native elements form a threat to the homogeneous nation-state. In Germany, nativism carries a historical legacy. “Völkisch nationalism” was one of the core ideas of the 19th and early 20th centuries that was broadly adopted by National Socialism to justify deportations and, ultimately, the Holocaust.

    Völkisch ideology is based on the essentialist idea that the German people are inextricably connected to the soil. Thus, other people cannot be part of the völkisch community.

    The AfD has evolved into a far-right party by continuously radicalising its positions. It acted like a Trojan horse, importing völkisch nationalist ideology into the parliamentary and public arena, which used to be blocked by the gatekeeping mechanisms of German democracy.

    The AfD carved out a niche for itself by advocating stricter anti-immigration policies. This came in response to the so-called “refugee crisis”, when then-Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed more than a million asylum seekers into Germany. At its campaign kickoff rally in January 2025, AfD’s chancellor candidate Alice Weidel vowed to implement “large-scale repatriations” (or “remigration”) of immigrants.

    The party advocates a return to a blood-based citizenship, insisting that, with very few exceptions for well-assimilated migrants, citizenship can only be determined by ancestry and bloodline rather than birthright.

    Additionally, the party upholds the white, nuclear family as an ideal and has pledged to dismiss university professors accused of promoting “leftist, woke gender ideology”. The party also calls for the immediate lifting of sanctions against Russia and opposes weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

    In recent years, the party has embraced the far-right strategy of flooding the media and public discourse with controversy, misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric, to dominate attention and transgress traditional political norms.

    A striking example is former AfD-leader Alexander Gauland’s 2018 claim that the 12 years of Nazi rule were “mere bird shit in over 1,000 years of successful German history”. With this remark, he sought to reframe modern Germany as a continuation of its pre-1933 history, while downplaying the significance of the Nazi era.

    Normalising the AfD

    Until recently, the far right was consistently excluded by mainstream political parties. It was a founding myth of the old Federal Republic of Germany that democratic forces do not cooperate with the far right. At least on the parliamentary level, this worked quite well as a part of Germany’s “militant democracy”.

    However, the political firewall — the Brandmauer — has started to crumble. The AfD has since celebrated the election of its first mayors at the local level.

    The success of the AfD has especially been fuelled by the narrative of a “refugee crisis” in Germany. Harsh political rhetoric about migration has contributed to the party’s electoral success, as well as mainstream adoption of some of its positions.

    Oddly enough, the AfD is especially successful in rural, remote areas with low levels of migration. It is weak in more globalised, university-oriented urban areas.



    Read more:
    German party leaders are united against immigration – but there is little evidence for a key part of their argument

    Ahead of the 2025 elections, Friedrich Merz, the lead candidate of the CDU, broke a longstanding political taboo when his proposal to tighten asylum policies narrowly passed in the Bundestag with backing from the AfD. Meanwhile, German media have increasingly treated AfD representatives as legitimate political contenders.

    Once marginalised in political debates, they are now regularly invited to talk shows. And they have received international legitimacy from figures such as US vice-president J.D. Vance, and X owner Elon Musk.

    This election may give an indication of how far the AfD’s normalisation will go and how it will affect Germany’s political future. Beyond electoral success, the main question will be to what extent mainstream parties will incorporate far-right ideas in their political agenda.

    What is already clear, however, is that the political landscape has shifted. The boundaries that once kept the far right at the margins are no longer as firm as they once were

    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. What is the AfD? Germany’s far-right party, explained – https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-afd-germanys-far-right-party-explained-250218

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Your pupils change size as you breathe – here’s why this new discovery is important

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Martin Schaefer, Postdoctoral Researcher in Cognitive Neuroscience and Behavioral Psychology, Karolinska Institutet

    sruilk

    You have probably heard the saying that the eyes are the windows to the soul, but now it turns out that they are also connected to how we breathe. Scientists have long studied the size of our pupils to understand attention, emotion and even medical conditions. But now, new research has surprisingly revealed that they change size in sync with our breathing.

    Our pupils are never static; they constantly adjust in response to both external and internal factors. The most well known is that they control how much light enters the eye, just like a camera aperture.

    You can easily test this yourself: look into a mirror and shine a light into your eye, and you’ll see your pupils shrink. This process directly affects our visual perception. Larger pupils help us to detect faint objects, particularly in our peripheral vision, while smaller pupils enhance sharpness, improving tasks like reading.

    Indeed, this reflex is so reliable that doctors use it to assess brain function. If a pupil fails to react to light, it could signal a medical emergency such as a stroke.

    Doctors will check patients’ pupils to see if they’ve had a stroke.
    Doodeez

    However, it is not just light that our pupils respond to. It’s also well established that our pupils constrict when focusing on a nearby object, and dilate in response to cognitive effort or emotional arousal.

    As the German pupil-research pioneer Irene Loewenfeld once said: “Man may either blush or turn pale when emotionally agitated, but his pupils always dilate.”

    For this reason, pupil size is often used in psychology and neuroscience research as a measure of mental effort and attention.

    The fourth response

    For many decades, these three kinds of pupil response were the only ones that scientists were sure existed. Now, myself and our team of researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and the University of Groningen in the Netherlands have confirmed that breathing is a fourth.

    In what will now be known as “pupillary respiratory phase response”, pupils tend to be largest during exhalation and smallest around the start of inhalation. Unlike other pupil responses, this one originates exclusively in the body and of course happens constantly. Equally uniquely, it covers both dilation and constriction.

    There had in fact been anecdotal hints of a connection between breathing and our pupils for more than 50 years. But when the team reviewed past studies the evidence was inconclusive at best. Given how widely pupil size is used in both medicine and research, we realised it was crucial to investigate this further.

    We confirmed through a series of five experiments with more than 200 participants that pupil size fluctuates in sync with breathing, and also that this effect is remarkably robust. In these studies, we invited the participants to our lab and recorded their pupil size and breathing pattern while they were relaxing or performing tasks on a computer screen.

    We systematically varied the other key pupil-response factors throughout the study – lighting, fixation distance and mental effort required for tasks. In all cases, the way that breathing affects the pupils remained constant.

    Whichever way you breathe, the effect on pupil size remains the same.
    LuckyStep

    Additionally, we examined how different breathing patterns affected the response.

    Participants were instructed to breathe solely through their nose or mouth and to adjust their breathing rate, as well as slowing it down and speeding it up. In all cases, the same pattern emerged: pupil size remained smallest around the onset of inhalation and largest during exhalation.

    What now

    This discovery changes the way we think about both breathing and vision. It suggests a deeper connection between breathing and the nervous system than we previously realised. The next big question is whether these subtle changes in pupil size affect how we see the world.

    The fluctuations are only fractions of a millimetre, which is less than the pupil response to light, but similar to the pupil response to mental effort or arousal. The size of these fluctuations is theoretically large enough to influence our visual perception. It may therefore be that our vision subtly shifts within a single breath between optimising for detecting faint objects (with larger pupils) and distinguishing fine details (with smaller pupils).

    In addition, just as the pupillary light response is used as a diagnostic tool, changes in the link between pupil size and breathing could be an early sign of neurological disorders.

    This research is part of a broader effort to understand how our internal bodily rhythms influence perception. Scientists are increasingly finding that our brain doesn’t process external information in isolation – it integrates signals from within our bodies, too. For example, information from our heart and gastric rhythms have also been suggested to enhance or hinder the processing of incoming sensory stimuli.

    If our breathing affects how our pupils change, could it also shape how we perceive the world around us? This opens the door to new research on how bodily rhythms shape perception – one breath at a time.

    Martin Schaefer is affiliated with Karolinska Institutet.

    – ref. Your pupils change size as you breathe – here’s why this new discovery is important – https://theconversation.com/your-pupils-change-size-as-you-breathe-heres-why-this-new-discovery-is-important-250435

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why Keir Starmer may gamble on increasing Britain’s defence spending

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Peter Bloom, Professor of Management, University of Essex

    leshiy985/Shutterstock

    Amid rising tensions around the world, the UK government faces pressure to increase defence spending. External threats and uncertainty over the nature of peace talks with Russia over Ukraine have been in the spotlight. But there are also broader political and economic interests shaping these decisions.

    The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, must navigate commitments to Nato, expectations from allies and the influence of the defence industry. All the while, the squeeze on domestic spending and public scepticism loom large.

    The UK’s total military spending for 2024-2025 is expected to be £64.4 billion, with a rise to £67.7 billion in 2025-26. This is equal to 2.3% of the entire UK economy (GDP). It would continue the trend of making the UK one of the highest military spenders in Europe. But it’s still not enough as far as the US president, Donald Trump, is concerned.

    In 2023-2024, the UK’s Ministry of Defence spent its budget across several key areas. Around one-third went towards investment in things such as equipment, infrastructure and technology. Another big area of spending was personnel costs, accounting for around one-fifth of the spend.

    In recent years, UK military spending has fluctuated, reflecting a balance between modernisation, deterrence and operational readiness. One of the most significant areas of investment has been in the UK’s nuclear deterrent (Trident).

    At the same time, cyber defence has become a growing focus, with £1.9 billion allocated to counter threats such as increased cyber attacks and misinformation campaigns from foreign governments and political extremists. The UK has also committed to expanding its next-generation air capabilities.

    Britain’s recent escalation in defence investment mirrors a global surge in military spending. In 2024, worldwide defence expenditures reached an unprecedented US$2.46 trillion (£1.95 trillion), marking a 7.4% real-term increase from the previous year.

    This trend is particularly pronounced in Europe, where nations are bolstering their military capabilities in response to geopolitical tensions such as the war in Ukraine. Germany’s defence budget experienced a significant 23.2% real-term growth, making the country the world’s fourth-largest defence spender.

    In the UK, Labour has pledged to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, aligning with Nato expectations. It also serves as a response to concerns about the country’s military readiness. This could require several billion pounds more annually, raising questions about how this would be funded.

    Publicly, the party presents this commitment as a necessary investment in the UK’s global standing and ability to deter aggression. However, you can argue that there is more at play.

    Political and economic pressures

    Starmer’s government inherited a complex set of geopolitical challenges, from European security concerns to the UK’s international relationships post-Brexit. Nato commitments remain a significant driver of defence spending, particularly as European allies anticipate shifts in US foreign policy under the second Trump presidency.

    The UK must also respond to regional tensions beyond Europe, due to its military alliances in the Indo-Pacific and its arms trade relationships with Middle Eastern states.

    Domestically, Labour’s commitment to raising defence spending is not just about security – it is also a political calculation. Starmer wants to dispel any perceptions that Labour is weak on defence.

    However, it comes at a time of fiscal constraint. Any new defence commitments must compete with demands for public investment in healthcare, education and infrastructure. Without additional taxation or significant budget cuts, Labour may struggle to meet its defence spending targets without compromising other commitments.

    Beyond geopolitical necessity, increased military spending benefits the UK’s powerful military-industrial complex (the relationship between the country’s military and its defence industry). Major defence contractors such as BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and Lockheed Martin UK secure billions in government contracts.

    The so-called “revolving door” between government and defence firms frequently sees former military officials and politicians taking on lucrative roles in private-sector defence companies.

    The cross-party consensus on expanding Britain’s defence industry, now embraced by trade unions and political commentators, reflects a narrow vision of economic security that overlooks more sustainable alternatives.

    The sector’s 200,000 jobs are frequently claimed to justify increased military spending. But investment in renewable energy infrastructure and domestic energy production could both boost employment and address fundamental security challenges exposed by the Ukraine crisis.

    The reliance on foreign energy sources can be weaponised by adversarial states, as reflected in the continued reliance of EU countries on Russia for their energy needs. By investing in domestic renewable energy infrastructure, the UK can insulate itself from geopolitical energy threats. Stable energy supplies can underpin both economic resilience and military readiness.

    But there is a disconnect between strong government protection for arms manufacturers and relatively limited support for green technology development. This, even as climate change poses an escalating threat to national stability.

    Labour faces a difficult balancing act. Increasing defence spending helps solidify the party’s credibility on national security. But domestically, it risks alienating voters who favour investment in social welfare over military expansion.

    Additionally, higher military expenditure could make tax hikes or borrowing necessary. Both pose political hazards. And there is a real risk that increased spending will disproportionately benefit corporate defence giants rather than the public.

    Starmer hopes increased defence spending will show that he is serious about European security.
    Fred Duval/Shutterstock

    Internationally, Starmer aims to signal Britain’s continued reliability as a Nato ally amid uncertainties about the US commitment to European security. This positioning becomes especially significant given the UK’s post-Brexit need to demonstrate its global relevance and military capability.

    Labour’s drive to increase defence spending is also shaped by economic imperatives that extend beyond immediate security needs. The party faces pressure to expand a major sector of British manufacturing. At stake are not just defence capabilities but jobs, regional development and industrial strategy.

    The government now finds itself caught between competing pressures. The commitment to military expansion reflects not just geopolitical imperatives but also domestic political calculations and economic concerns, which appear to be equally influential. And it raises fundamental questions about how national security priorities are truly determined in an era of multiple challenges.

    Peter Bloom 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. Why Keir Starmer may gamble on increasing Britain’s defence spending – https://theconversation.com/why-keir-starmer-may-gamble-on-increasing-britains-defence-spending-250447

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: EU Archives: Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the new 20 euro banknote, the Treaty of Nice

    Source: European Commission (video statements)

    Have you ever wondered what the European Union was up to 50 years ago? Dive with us into the European Commission’s audiovisual archives and discover important anniversaries with our new weekly AV history teaser!

    Upcoming anniversaries in the teaser. Click on the links for the complete material for each anniversary:
    · 1975: The Signature of the Lomé I Convention (https://europa.eu/!YJ87GY)
    · 2001: Signature of the Treaty of Nice (https://europa.eu/!vN88Mg)
    · 2015: Unveiling of the new 20 euro banknote (https://europa.eu/!Vp33Rx)
    · 2022: Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine (https://europa.eu/!xbThrb)

    Watch on the Audiovisual Portal of the European Commission: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-267996
    Follow us on:
    -X: https://twitter.com/EU_Commission
    -Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/europeancommission/
    -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanCommission
    -LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/european-commission/
    -Medium: https://medium.com/@EuropeanCommission

    Check our website: http://ec.europa.eu/

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwx9KulS22o

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Nalchik hosted the visiting sites of the “Future Managers Tournament”

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    On February 19 and 20, 2025, in the capital of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, Nalchik, visiting sites of the State University of Management Olympiad for schoolchildren in social studies “Tournament of Future Managers” were held.

    17 students from grades 10-11 gathered to solve the tasks of the in-person round at the leading educational institutions of the republic – Lyceum No. 2 and School No. 9.

    For more than 2 hours, schoolchildren solved social studies tasks based on the school curriculum.

    The winners and prize winners of the Olympiad will receive 4 additional points to the total points of the Unified State Exam when entering the State University of Management. This is especially important for the participating students, because they plan to enter the first management university.

    Preliminary results of the in-person stage will be published on March 25, as soon as the expert jury has completed its review of the works.

    Let us recall that Moscow schoolchildren took part in the Tournament last weekend, and on February 26 the in-person stage will take place in Rostov-on-Don.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 21.02.2025

    Турнир будущих управленцев»….” data-yashareImage=”https://guu.ru/wp-content/uploads/photo_5312547629877556649_y.jpg” data-yashareLink=”https://guu.ru/%d0%b2-%d0%bd%d0%b0%d0%bb%d1%8c%d1%87%d0%b8%d0%ba%d0%b5-%d0%bf%d1%80%d0%be%d1%88%d0%bb%d0%b8-%d0%b2%d1%8b%d0%b5%d0%b7%d0%b4%d0%bd%d1%8b%d0%b5-%d0%bf%d0%bb%d0%be%d1%89%d0%b0%d0%b4%d0%ba%d0%b8/”>

    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 Global: A Palestinian film is an Oscars favorite − so why is it so hard to see?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Drew Paul, Associate Professor of Arabic, University of Tennessee

    Directors Basel Adra, left, and Yuval Abraham on stage at the 62nd New York Film Festival on Sept. 29, 2024. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

    For many low-budget, independent films, an Oscar nomination is a golden ticket.

    The publicity can translate into theatrical releases or rereleases, along with more on-demand rentals and sales.

    However, for “No Other Land,” a Palestinian film nominated for best documentary at the 2025 Academy Awards, this exposure is unlikely to translate into commercial success in the U.S. That’s because the film has been unable to find a company to distribute it in America.

    “No Other Land” chronicles the efforts of Palestinian townspeople to combat an Israeli plan to demolish their villages in the West Bank and use the area as a military training ground. It was directed by four Palestinian and Israeli activists and journalists: Basel Adra, who is a resident of the area facing demolition, Yuval Abraham, Hamdan Ballal and Rachel Szor. While the filmmakers have organized screenings in a number of U.S. cities, the lack of a national distributor makes a broader release unlikely.

    Film distributors are a crucial but often unseen link in the chain that allows a film to reach cinemas and people’s living rooms. In recent years it has become more common for controversial award-winning films to run into issues finding a distributor. Palestinian films have encountered additional barriers.

    As a scholar of Arabic who has written about Palestinian cinema, I’m disheartened by the difficulties “No Other Land” has faced. But I’m not surprised.

    The role of film distributors

    Distributors are often invisible to moviegoers. But without one, it can be difficult for a film to find an audience.

    Distributors typically acquire rights to a film for a specific country or set of countries. They then market films to movie theaters, cinema chains and streaming platforms. As compensation, distributors receive a percentage of the revenue generated by theatrical and home releases.

    The film “Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat,” another finalist for best documentary, shows how this process typically works. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024 and was acquired for distribution just a few months later by Kino Lorber, a major U.S.-based distributor of independent films.

    The inability to find a distributor is not itself noteworthy. No film is entitled to distribution, and most films by newer or unknown directors face long odds.

    However, it is unusual for a film like “No Other Land,” which has garnered critical acclaim and has been recognized at various film festivals and award shows. Some have pegged it as a favorite to win best documentary at the Academy Awards. And “No Other Land” has been able to find distributors in Europe, where it’s easily accessible on multiple streaming platforms.

    So why can’t “No Other Land” find a distributor in the U.S.?

    There are a couple of factors at play.

    Shying away from controversy

    In recent years, film critics have noticed a trend: Documentaries on controversial topics have faced distribution difficulties. These include a film about a campaign by Amazon workers to unionize and a documentary about Adam Kinzinger, one of the few Republican congresspeople to vote to impeach Donald Trump in 2021.

    The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, of course, has long stirred controversy. But the release of “No Other Land” comes at a time when the issue is particularly salient. The Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing Israeli bombardment and invasion of the Gaza Strip have become a polarizing issue in U.S. domestic politics, reflected in the campus protests and crackdowns in 2024. The filmmakers’ critical comments about the Israeli occupation of Palestine have also garnered backlash in Germany.

    Locals attend a screening of ‘No Other Land’ in the village of A-Tuwani in the West Bank on March 14, 2024.
    Yahel Gazit/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

    Yet the fact that this conflict has been in the news since October 2023 should also heighten audience interest in a film such as “No Other Land” – and, therefore, lead to increased sales, the metric that distributors care about the most.

    Indeed, an earlier film that also documents Palestinian protests against Israeli land expropriation, “5 Broken Cameras,” was a finalist for best documentary at the 2013 Academy Awards. It was able to find a U.S. distributor. However, it had the support of a major European Union documentary development program called Greenhouse. The support of an organization like Greenhouse, which had ties to numerous production and distribution companies in Europe and the U.S., can facilitate the process of finding a distributor.

    By contrast, “No Other Land,” although it has a Norwegian co-producer and received some funding from organizations in Europe and the U.S., was made primarily by a grassroots filmmaking collective.

    Stages for protest

    While distribution challenges may be recent, controversies surrounding Palestinian films are nothing new.

    Many of them stem from the fact that the system of film festivals, awards and distribution is primarily based on a movie’s nation of origin. Since there is no sovereign Palestinian state – and many countries and organizations have not recognized the state of Palestine – the question of how to categorize Palestinian films has been hard to resolve.

    In 2002, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rejected the first ever Palestinian film submitted to the best foreign language film category – Elia Suleiman’s “Divine Intervention” – because Palestine was not recognized as a country by the United Nations. The rules were changed for the following year’s awards ceremony.

    In 2021, the cast of the film “Let It Be Morning,” which had an Israeli director but primarily Palestinian actors, boycotted the Cannes Film Festival in protest of the film’s categorization as an Israeli film rather than a Palestinian one.

    Film festivals and other cultural venues have also become places to make statements about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and engage in protest. For example, at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017, the right-wing Israeli culture minister wore a controversial – and meme-worthy – dress that featured the Jerusalem skyline in support of Israeli claims of sovereignty over the holy city, despite the unresolved status of Jerusalem under international law.

    Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev wears a dress featuring the old city of Jerusalem during the Cannes Film Festival in 2017.
    Antonin Thuillier/AFP via Getty Images

    At the 2024 Academy Awards, a number of attendees, including Billie Eilish, Mark Ruffalo and Mahershala Ali, wore red pins in support of a ceasefire in Gaza, and pro-Palestine protesters delayed the start of the ceremonies.

    So even though a film like “No Other Land” addresses a topic of clear interest to many people in the U.S., it faces an uphill battle to finding a distributor.

    I wonder whether a win at the Oscars would even be enough.

    Drew Paul 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. A Palestinian film is an Oscars favorite − so why is it so hard to see? – https://theconversation.com/a-palestinian-film-is-an-oscars-favorite-so-why-is-it-so-hard-to-see-249233

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: From ancient emperors to modern presidents, leaders have used libraries to cement their legacies

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Myrsini Mamoli, Lecturer of Architecture, Georgia Institute of Technology

    The Library of Celsus was a famous landmark in its time – and today. Myrsini Mamoli

    Here in Atlanta, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum has been part of my daily life for years. Parks and trails surrounding the center connect my neighborhood to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park downtown and everything in between.

    At the end of December 2024, thousands of people walked to the library to pay their respects to the former president as he lay in repose. The cold, snow and darkness of the evening were a stark contrast to the warmth of the volunteers who welcomed us in. Our visit spiraled through galleries exhibiting records of Carter’s life, achievements and lifelong work promoting democracy around the world.

    U.S. presidents have been building libraries for more than 100 years, starting with Rutherford B. Hayes. But the urge to shape one’s legacy by building a library runs much deeper. As a scholar of libraries in the Greek and Roman world, I was struck by the similarities between presidential and ancient libraries – some of which were explicitly designed to honor deceased sponsors and played a significant role in their cities.

    Trajan’s library

    The Ulpian Library, a great library in the center of Rome, was founded by Emperor Trajan, who ruled around the turn of the second century C.E. Referenced often by ancient authors, it could have been the first such memorial library.

    Trajan’s Column now stands at the center of Rome.
    AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito

    Today, someone visiting Rome can visit Trajan’s Column, a roughly 100-foot monument to his military and engineering achievements after conquering Dacia, part of present-day Romania. A frieze spirals from bottom to top of the column, depicting his exploits. The monument now stands on its own. Originally, however, it was nestled in a courtyard between two halls of the Ulpian Library complex.

    Most of what scholars know about the library’s architecture comes from remains of the west hall, an elongated room almost 80 feet long, whose walls were lined with rectangular niches and framed by a colonnade. The niches were lined with marble and appear to have had doors; this is where the books would have been placed. Writers from the first few centuries C.E. describe the library having archival documents about the emperor and the empire, including books made of linen and books bound with ivory.

    Trajan dedicated the column in 113 C.E. but died four years later, before the library was complete. Hadrian, his adoptive son and successor, oversaw the shipment of Trajan’s cremated remains back to Rome, where they were placed in Trajan’s Column. Hadrian completed the surrounding library complex in 128 C.E. and dedicated it with two identical funerary inscriptions to his adopted parents, Trajan and Plotina. Scholars Roberto Egidi and Silvia Orlandi have argued that Trajan’s remains could later have been transferred from the column into the library hall.

    Memorial model

    Either way, I would argue that Trajan’s decision to have his remains included in the library complex, instead of in an imperial mausoleum, established a model adopted by other officials at a smaller scale. In the eastern side of the Roman empire – what is now Turkey – at least two other library-mausoleum buildings have been identified.

    One is the library at Nysa on the Maeander, a Hellenistic city named for the nearby river. Under the floor of its entry porch is a sarcophagus with the remains of a man and a woman, possibly the dedicators, that dates to the second century C.E., the time of Hadrian’s reign.

    The ruins of the library at Nysa on the Maeander.
    Myrsini Mamoli

    Another is the Library of Celsus, the most recognizable ancient library today, found in the ancient city of Ephesus. Named after a regional Roman consul and proconsul during the reign of Trajan, the building was founded by Celsus’ son, designed as both a place of learning and a mausoleum.

    The library’s ornate, sculpted facade contained life-size female statues, making it an immediately recognizable landmark. Inscriptions identify the statues as the personifications of Celsus’ character, elevating him into a role model: virtue, intelligence, knowledge and wisdom.

    Upon entering the room, the funerary character of the library became quite literal. The hall was designed like the Ulpian Library, but a door gave access to a crypt underneath. This held the marble sarcophagus with the remains of Celsus, the patron of the library. The sarcophagus itself was visible from the hall, if one stood in front of the central apse and looked down through two slits in the podium.

    An endowment covered the library’s operational expenses in ancient times, as well as annual commemorations on Celsus’ birthday, including the wreathing of the busts and statues and the purchasing of additional books.

    The life-size statues on the facade of the Library of Celsus.
    Myrsini Mamoli

    Power and knowledge

    These two provincial libraries highlight how sponsors hoped to be associated with the virtues a library fosters. Books represent knowledge, and by dedicating a library, one asserted his possession of it. Providing access to learning was an instrument of power on its own.

    Beyond the handful of memorial libraries, many other ancient Roman public libraries were great cultural centers, including the Forum of Peace in Rome, dedicated by Emperor Vespasian; the Library of Hadrian in Athens; and the Gymnasium in Side, a city in present-day Turkey.

    The most magnificent libraries combined access to manuscripts and artworks with spaces for meetings and lectures. Several had great leisure areas, including landscaped sculptural gardens with elaborate water features and colonnaded walkways. Literary sources and material evidence testify to the treasures that were held there: busts of philosophers, poets and other accomplished literary figures; statues of gods, heroes and emperors; treasures confiscated as spoils of war and exhibited in Rome.

    A model of how Hadrian’s Library may have looked, complete with a landscaped courtyard.
    Joris/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    Like the Ulpian Library itself, they continued the long tradition of Hellenistic public libraries, established by the most famous library of antiquity: the Library of Alexandria. Founded and lavishly endowed by the Hellenistic kings of Egypt, the Ptolemies, the building was meant to portray the king as a patron of intellectual activities and a powerful ruler, collecting knowledge from conquered civilizations.

    In ancient Greece and Rome, anybody who could read had access to public libraries. Rules of use varied: For example, literary sources imply that the Ulpian Library in Rome was a borrowing library, whereas an inscription from the Library of Pantainos in Athens explicitly forbid any book to be taken out.

    But these buildings were also meant to shape their sponsors’ legacies, portraying them as benevolent and learned. Presidential libraries in the United States today follow the same principle: They become monuments to the former presidents, while giving back to their local communities.

    Myrsini Mamoli 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. From ancient emperors to modern presidents, leaders have used libraries to cement their legacies – https://theconversation.com/from-ancient-emperors-to-modern-presidents-leaders-have-used-libraries-to-cement-their-legacies-248423

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: We study mass surveillance for social control, and we see Trump laying the groundwork to ‘contain’ people of color and immigrants

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Brittany Friedman, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California

    Black and Latino communities are disproportionately affected by mass surveillance, studies show. Vicente Méndez/Getty Images

    President Donald Trump has vowed to target his political enemies, and experts have warned that he could weaponize U.S. intelligence agencies to conduct mass surveillance on his targets.

    Mass surveillance is the widespread monitoring of civilians. Governments typically target specific groups – such as religious minorities, certain races or ethnicities, or migrants – for surveillance and use the information gathered to “contain” these populations, for example by arresting and imprisoning people.

    We are experts in social control, or how governments coerce compliance, and we specialize in surveillance. Based on our expertise and years of research, we expect Trump’s second White House term may usher in a wave of spying against people of color and immigrants.

    A man apprehended in an immigration raid on Jan. 28, 2025, sits in a holding cell in New York City.
    Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images

    Spreading moral panic

    Trump is already actively deploying a key tactic in expanding mass surveillance: causing moral panics. Moral panics are created when politicians exaggerate a public concern to manipulate real fears people may have.

    Take Trump on crime, for example. Despite FBI data showing that crime has been dropping across the U.S. for decades, Trump has repeatedly claimed that “crime is out of control.” Stoking fear makes people more likely to back harsh measures purportedly targeting crime.

    Trump has also worked to create a moral panic about immigration.

    He has said, for example, that “illegal” migrants are taking American jobs. In truth, only 5% of the 30 million immigrants in the workforce as of 2022 were unauthorized to work. And in his Jan. 25, 2025, presidential proclamation on immigration, Trump likened immigration at the southern border to an “invasion,” evoking the language of war to describe a population that includes many asylum-seeking women and children.

    The second step in causing moral panics is to label racial, ethnic and religious minorities as villains to justify expanding mass surveillance.

    Building on his rhetoric about crime and immigration, Trump frequently connects the two issues. He has said that migrants murder because they have “bad genes,” echoing beliefs expressed by white supremacists. During the 2016 campaign, Trump’s coinage “bad hombre” invoked stereotypes of dangerous migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to steal jobs and sell drugs.

    The president has similarly connected Black communities with crime. At an August 2024 rally in Atlanta, Georgia, Trump called the majority-Black city “a killing field.” The month prior, he said the same thing about Washington, D.C.

    Primary targets

    History shows that in the U.S. moral panics are most likely to target Latino, Indigenous and Black communities as a precursor to surveillance and subjugation.

    In the 18th century, Colonial politicians passed legislation likening the Indigenous people of the American colonies to “savages” and passed laws identifying Indigenous tribes as political enemies to be assimilated. If “killing the Indian” out of people didn’t work, they were to be tracked down and removed from the population through imprisonment or death.

    Another early form of moral panics escalating to spying and mass surveillance were southern slave patrols, which emerged in the early 1700s after pro-slavery politicians proclaimed that Black escapees would terrorize white communities. Slave patrols tracked down and captured not only Black escapees but also free Black people, whom they sold into bondage. They also imprisoned any person, enslaved or not, suspected of sheltering escapees.

    Once a group of people becomes the subject of moral panics and targeted for government surveillance, our research shows, the effects are felt for generations.

    Black and Indigenous communities are still arrested and incarcerated at disproportionately high rates compared with their percentage in the U.S. population. This even affects children, with Indigenous girls imprisoned at four times the rate of white girls, and Black girls at more than twice the rate of white girls.

    Low-tech methods

    These 21st-century numbers reflect decades of targeted surveillance.

    In the 1950s, the FBI under Director J. Edgar Hoover created the counter-intelligence programs COINTELPRO, allegedly for investigating communists and radical political groups, and the Ghetto Informant Program. In practice, both programs broadly targeted people of color. From Martin Luther King Jr. to U.S. Rep. John Lewis, Black activists were identified as a threat, spied on, investigated and sometimes jailed.

    A 1964 letter from J. Edgar Hoover expressing his dislike for Martin Luther King Jr.
    Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images

    President Lyndon Johnson’s “war on crime,” a sweeping set of federal changes that militarized local police in urban communities, continued this mass surveillance in the 1960s. Later came the “war on drugs,” which an aide to President Richard Nixon later said was designed explicitly to target Black people.

    In subsequent decades, politicians would stir up new moral panics about Black communities – remember the “crack babies” who never really existed? – and use fear to justify police surveillance, arrests and mass incarceration.

    These early examples of mass surveillance lacked the technology that enables spying today, such as CCTV and hacked laptop cameras. Nonetheless, past U.S. administrations have been remarkably effective at achieving social control by creating moral panics then deploying mass surveillance to contain the “threat.” They enlisted droves of police officers, recruited informants to infiltrate groups and locked people away.

    These textbook surveillance methods are still routinely used now.

    Police fusion centers

    For many Americans, the term “mass surveillance” evokes the Department of Homeland Security, which was founded after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This national agency, which forms part of a federal intelligence apparatus of more than 20 agencies focused on surveillance, has played a key role in mass surveillance since 2001, especially of Muslim Americans.

    But it has local help in the form of police units known as fusion centers. These units feed identification information and physical evidence such as video footage to federal agencies such as the FBI and CIA, according to a 2023 whistleblower report from Rutgers Law School.

    The New Jersey Regional Operations Intelligence Center, for example, is a police fusion center overseeing New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. It employs advanced military technology to gather massive amounts of personal data on people perceived as potential security threats. According to the Rutgers report, these “threats” are highly concentrated in Black, Latino and Arab communities, as well as areas with a high concentration of political organizing, such as Black Lives Matter groups and immigrant aid organizations.

    The New Jersey police fusion approach leads to increased arrest rates, according to the report, but there’s no real evidence that it prevents crime or terrorism.

    Guantanamo and black sites

    Given Trump’s pledges to further militarize border enforcement and expand U.S. jails and prisons, we anticipate a rise in spending on fusion centers and other tools of mass surveillance under Trump. The moral panics he’s been stirring up since 2015 suggest that the targets of government surveillance will include immigrants and Black people.

    Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event on April 2, 2024, in Grand Rapids, Mich.
    Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    Sometimes, victims of mass surveillance go missing.

    The Guardian reported in 2015 that Chicago police had been temporarily “disappearing” people at local and federal police “black sites” since at least 2009. At these clandestine jails, under the guise of national security, officers questioned detainees without attorneys and held them for up to 24 hours without any outside contact. Many of the victims were Black.

    Another infamous black site was housed at the Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba, where the CIA detained and secretly interrogated suspected terrorists following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

    Trump seems to be reviving the Guantanamo black site, flying about 150 Venezuelan migrants to the base since January 2025. It’s unclear whether the U.S. government can lawfully detain migrants there abroad, yet deportation flights continue.

    The administration has not shared the identities of many of the people imprisoned there.

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

    – ref. We study mass surveillance for social control, and we see Trump laying the groundwork to ‘contain’ people of color and immigrants – https://theconversation.com/we-study-mass-surveillance-for-social-control-and-we-see-trump-laying-the-groundwork-to-contain-people-of-color-and-immigrants-221073

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s moves to strip employment protections from federal workers threaten to make government function worse – not better

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By James L. Perry, Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs Emeritus, Indiana University

    Federal workers’ jobs may become more precarious than in the past. mathisworks/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

    On top of efforts to fire potentially tens of thousands of federal workers, an early executive order from President Donald Trump’s second term seeks to reclassify the employment status of as many as 50,000 other federal workers – out of more than 2 million total – to make them easier for the president to fire as well.

    The order has already been challenged in court by two federal workers’ unions and other interest groups, though no judge has yet issued any orders. The Trump administration is drafting rules to put the order into effect.

    The Conversation U.S. politics editor Jeff Inglis spoke to James Perry, a scholar of public affairs at Indiana University, Bloomington, to understand what the order is trying to achieve and how it would affect federal workers, the government and the American public. What follows is an edited transcript of the discussion.

    Andrew Jackson, depicted here giving a speech, believed the president should be in control of most federal workers.
    PHOTOS.com / Getty Images Plus

    What is the standard situation for government employees?

    In the 1820s and 1830s, President Andrew Jackson popularized the idea that the president could, and should, hire supporters into government jobs. But by the early 1880s, there was concern on the parts of both Democrats and Republicans that the victor would control a lot of workers who would serve the president, not the American people whose tax dollars paid their salaries.

    So the parties came together in 1883 to pass the Pendleton Act stipulating that government workers are hired based on their skills and abilities, not their political views. That law was updated in 1978 with the Civil Service Reform Act, which added more protections for workers against being fired for political reasons.

    Those rules cover about 99% of staff in the federal civil service. Currently, there are just about 4,000 political appointees. I’ve seen various estimates that this new executive order would shift at least 50,000 positions from career positions to the political-appointments list.

    Some states, such as Mississippi, Texas, Georgia and Florida, have moved to strip employment protections from state government employees, turning protected employees into at-will workers, who can be fired at any time for any reason. These are largely red states, with strong control by Republican governors. Supporters of this move at the federal level argue that at-will employment can work in federal civil service.

    This argument is not backed by strong evidence. The evidence supporters offer is that human resources directors, who are often appointees of the governor who changed the statute, claim no one has complained about the change in policy. But that doesn’t include people who are likely to have a different perspective.

    It could be that nobody is talking about people being fired for political reasons in these states because they are afraid of getting fired themselves.

    What does this executive order change, and why?

    The rationale for the new policy is that the administration wants to get rid of federal workers whom leaders perceive as either intransigent or insubordinate – or who they fear might oppose Trump’s policy initiatives. This sets up a conflict between how government workers see their duties and how Trump appears to view them.

    Federal employees interviewed by sociologist Jamie Kucinskas during Trump’s first term say they are obligated to look beyond the president’s bidding: They took an oath to the Constitution when they started their jobs, and their salaries and benefits are paid for with taxpayer dollars.

    Trump, by contrast, says workers in the executive branch must answer to him and follow his orders.

    Trump and others have tried to cloak this effort in language about removing workers who perform poorly at their jobs. That concern is legitimate. The Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, which surveys hundreds of thousands of federal workers every year about various aspects of their work and working conditions, indicates that in 2024, 40% of those surveyed said people who perform poorly are not fired and do not improve.

    But taking action against only 50,000 of the 2 million-plus federal employees isn’t going to address such a wide problem.

    There’s a stereotype that in government it can be hard to discipline or fire workers who are not competent at their jobs. The flip side of that stereotype is, however, false: Private businesses are not better at holding poor performers accountable. Survey evidence shows the private sector has just as much difficulty as the government with getting workers to perform effectively.

    There’s room for legitimate disagreement about how far federal employees have to go to comply with presidential directives. The people who think loyalty is the key to merit still might not agree on whether that loyalty is owed to the person sitting in the Oval Office or to the Constitution.

    Protests against the Trump administration have been widespread, including against its policies aimed at federal workers.
    AP Photo/Sejal Govindarao

    How does this affect government workers?

    It’s not clear which positions might be targeted. The order calls them “policy influencing positions,” but drawing the line between policy and administration isn’t always easy.

    It’s also not clear whether the change will stick. When the George W. Bush administration reduced job protections for Department of Homeland Security employees in 2005, a major federal workers’ union sued the administration and won.

    In the first round of this effort under the first Trump administration, it seemed that most of the people affected would be at the top of the federal hierarchy, probably mostly based in Washington, D.C.

    Most of the workers in the federal civil service, though, are not there. They work for the Social Security Administration, giving out checks in Bloomington, Indiana, or other departments and offices around the country. It would be very difficult to classify them as influencing political policy or advocating for policies.

    But there are people who are not Senate-confirmed who do have an influence on policy. For instance, at the Department of Justice, assistant and deputy assistant secretaries have influence on civil rights policy or other policies that affect the president’s ability to pursue his agenda. The February 2025 resignation of Danielle Sassoon from her role as U.S. attorney in New York is an example of legitimate divergence between an appointee and the president’s policy direction.

    Any workers who lost their protections would likely feel threatened with losing their job and their livelihood. They might, out of fear, be more responsive to the dictates of their superiors.

    That might sound good – that if you do what your boss says, you’re doing a good job. But it’s different if your obligations are to the public interest and the Constitution.

    How does this affect everyday Americans?

    Large majorities of Americans believe government workers are serving the public over themselves. And as many as 87% of Americans say they want a merit-based, politically neutral civil service.

    The U.S. has attracted to government service workers who are good at their jobs and able to remain politically neutral at work. Saying that’s no longer important would change the relationship between government workers and their jobs. And it would hurt the nation as a whole if government cannot attract the best and the brightest, or if it sends the best and the brightest packing because they are not comfortable with their work situation, or if they stay but their performance declines.

    James L. Perry 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. Trump’s moves to strip employment protections from federal workers threaten to make government function worse – not better – https://theconversation.com/trumps-moves-to-strip-employment-protections-from-federal-workers-threaten-to-make-government-function-worse-not-better-248086

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Making sex deadly for insects could control pests that carry disease and harm crops

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Bill Sullivan, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University

    In the toxic male technique, genetically engineered male insects would implant semen containing toxic venom into the female insects during mating. Madugrero/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    Insects do a lot more harm than ruining picnics. Some insects spread devastating diseases, while others cause staggering economic losses in agriculture. To control some of these pests, scientists are developing males that make sex a deadly event.

    The stakes are high. Mosquitoes carry viruses such as dengue, West Nile and Zika, as well as parasites that cause malaria. Researchers estimate that mosquitoes have caused the deaths of 52 billion people overall – nearly half of all the humans that have ever lived.

    Other insects cause major crop damage, jeopardizing the food supply and driving up prices. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 20% to 40% of global crop production is lost to pests annually at a cost of US$70 billion.

    Pesticides have been the front-line defense against insects, but many bugs have evolved resistance to these chemicals. Some pesticides can indiscriminately kill beneficial insects, harm the environment and endanger human and animal health. Some researchers worry that certain pesticides can cause cancer or have damaging effects on human nervous and endocrine systems.

    I’m a microbiology researcher studying infectious disease. New solutions that do not harm humans and the environment to control disease-carrying insects and agricultural pests could lead to fewer people contracting dangerous diseases. In the past few years, a variety of genetic engineering approaches have emerged as promising tactics to combat problematic insects.

    Genetically modified insects

    To avoid the problems associated with pesticides, scientists have devised new approaches that genetically alter the insects themselves in ways that cause their population to crash or render them incapable of transmitting disease – a strategy called genetic biocontrol.

    Genetic biocontrol entails genetically modifying insects to curb their populations.

    The idea to suppress an insect population by flooding it with sterile males has been around for decades. Since the 1950s, scientists have been using radiation to create infertile male mosquitoes. These sterile males mate with females but produce no offspring. Since females are engaged in a lot of unproductive mating, the overall population tends to decline.

    In the past two decades, genetic engineering has been used to introduce dominant lethal genes into insect populations. In this approach, the offspring of genetically modified males inherit a gene that kills them before they reach reproductive age. A field trial in Brazil found that this strategy reduced the target mosquito population up to 95%. Another approach on the horizon involves releasing insects genetically modified to be poor carriers of pathogens that cause disease.

    Despite these advances, a key shortcoming to current genetic biocontrol methods is that they take time. At least one generation needs to be born before the population suppression begins. This means the female insects continue to be a disease vector or agricultural pest until they die a natural death. An ideal technique would neutralize the females immediately, especially during outbreaks.

    A faster approach

    Biologists Samuel Beach and Maciej Maselko at Macquarie University in Australia sought to solve this dilemma by genetically engineering male insects to make poisonous semen. The poisonous semen would kill the female quickly, reducing the population faster than previous biocontrol methods.

    To test this idea, the team used fruit flies called Drosophila melanogaster, which are easy to genetically modify and study in the lab.

    The Brazilian wandering spider, Phoneutria nigriventer.
    Rodrigo Tetsuo Argenton/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    The researchers transferred venom genes from the Brazilian wandering spider (Phoneutria nigriventer) and the Mediterranean snakelocks sea anemone (Anemonia sulcata) into the genomes of fruit flies.

    The genetically modified fly produces and stores venom proteins in its male accessory gland – a fly’s prostate – along with other seminal fluid proteins. Upon mating, the fly deposits the venomous semen into the female’s reproductive tract. The researchers named this approach the toxic male technique.

    The Mediterranean snakelocks anenome, Anemonia viridis.
    Diego Delso

    After mating, the seminal toxins seep into the female’s body and attack her central nervous system. The toxins bind to proteins called ion channels on cellular membranes, which nerve cells use to communicate with one another. This quickly leads to paralysis and respiratory arrest. You could say these genetically engineered Romeos literally take her breath away.

    The lifespan of female flies that mated with toxic males decreased – up to 64%. A computer simulation of the toxic male technique for Aedes aegypti, a mosquito that transmits several viruses, predicted that this approach could work better than current methods.

    Safety and effectiveness

    While promising and innovative, there are some important challenges that researchers developing the toxic male technique will need to overcome. For example, the technique has been shown to work only in fruit flies. Whether it will work in mosquitoes or other insect pests remains an open question.

    In addition, the technique reduced the female lifespan by only 37% to 64%. To improve the rate of killing, the researchers suggested that other venom formulations might work better. Researchers could try thousands of venom genes from spiders, snakes, scorpions and centipedes. Each new venom they try will require tests to ensure the modified males tolerate them – if they become weak, unmodified males may outcompete them for mating opportunities.

    As with all genetic biocontrol methods, this technique may be too expensive to implement for low-income countries. Nations would need to finance the costs of breeding and deploying the mosquitoes safely.

    Insects also pollinate plants and serve as food sources for other animals, such as bats. If these insects vanish, the ecosystem could face unforeseen adverse effects. Monitoring these potential effects on the environment will also be expensive.

    Other researchers are experimenting with using venom toxins to control parasites that female insects spread through biting. Called paratransgenesis, this technique alters an insect’s gut bacteria to produce a toxin that kills the parasite, leaving the insect unharmed. Since the insect population remains unaltered, paratransgenesis may pose less risk to ecosystems.

    Insects tend to adapt quickly to the methods humans use to control them, so it is advantageous to have multiple strategies at our disposal. The toxic male technique may one day become a valuable new weapon in the arsenal to combat insect pests.

    Bill Sullivan receives funding from the National Institutes of Health.

    – ref. Making sex deadly for insects could control pests that carry disease and harm crops – https://theconversation.com/making-sex-deadly-for-insects-could-control-pests-that-carry-disease-and-harm-crops-248723

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: I’m Still Here: a vibrant testament to female resilience that mourns Brazil’s dark past

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Belén Vidal, Reader in Film Studies, King’s College London

    Director Walter Salles’s first feature film since 2012, the Oscar-nominated I’m Still Here is a return to home ground, and a return to strength, for the Brazilian auteur. At 68, Salles reconnects with his youth, telling a story in which he does not figure, but takes up the role of witness to the pain of others.

    I’m Still Here is adapted from the autobiographical novel Ainda Estou Aqui by Salles’s contemporary, the writer Marcelo Rubens Paiva. The novel recounts Paiva’s father’s disappearance in 1971, under the repressive dictatorship of Emílio Garrastazu Médici, through the memories of the author’s mother, Eunice Paiva.

    In Salles’s film, the Paivas lead an enchanted life in a house facing Leblon beach in Rio de Janeiro, until the long arm of the military regime wrecks their dream.

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    Beloved family head, Rubens (Selton Mello), an engineer and congressman secretly collaborating with the underground opposition, is kidnapped by state police under the pretence of a routine interrogation. It then befalls his wife Eunice (Fernanda Torres) to sustain family life and give their children a sense of future while trying to find out what happened to her husband.

    It’s the second act of the film, particularly the harrowing yet restrained sequences of Eunice’s days-long detention, that reveal the stakes of the story. Her traumatic experience in jail and increasingly desperate search for her husband afterwards is framed as a transformative journey. It’s one that will culminate 25 years later, when the memory of the disappeared is reinstated in the official archives of the nation’s history.

    I’m Still Here adopts a linear style of storytelling and classical three-act structure (stability, disruption, reparation) that serves historical closure, reinforced by the display of the Paiva family’s photographic archive in the closing credits.

    This familiar convention takes on a special poignancy in I’m Still Here, where the private archive is a powerful alternative to a discredited “official” media narrative. The reconstruction of everyday life conveys endurance and resistance. This in turn brings to the fore the gendered dynamics of the Paiva household.

    Rubens’s underground political activity against the regime means that he leads a double life to which Eunice, for all her loving closeness to her husband, remains ignorant of. This is sorely tested when Rubens disappears. With him the main source of income, it leaves Eunice and the children to cobble together a new existence in São Paulo.

    Adopting Eunice’s perspective throughout, the film observes how her relationship with her eldest daughters begins to fracture as they find different ways of coping with traumatic loss and an uncertain future. However, the film stays clear of melodrama, leaving Eunice to internalise the process instead.

    In the lead role, the prolific 59-year-old actor Fernanda Torres carries the film as effortlessly in fitted pencil skirts and chic geometric patterns of late 1960s fashion. Her screen chemistry with the slightly younger Selton Mello – they are the perfect couple while happiness lasts – is palpable.

    Torres’s controlled, nuanced performance navigates the family’s shift in fortunes with measured calm and steely determination, even as she gradually comes to terms with the fact that she’s on her own.

    In this way, the film is a clear-cut tribute to a “feminine” politics of resilience. This matches the preference for a linear biopic over focus on fraught alliances and betrayals that may have determined the course of 1970s political life in Brazil.

    Despite its stark subject matter and suffering heroine, the retro pleasures of I’m Still Here form one of the film’s strongest aspects. The measure of the family’s loss is given by a sweeping first act. Despite the all too readable signs of what’s to come (the film opens with Eunice enjoying a solitary swim in crystalline waters, disturbed by the sound of helicopters hovering above), the viewer is invited to live in the joyous present of the Paiva household.

    The dynamic camerawork captures the energy of the children, connecting the space of the beach with the open-doors house where Eunice and Rubens act as genial hosts for their friends.

    Through references to the vibrant tropicália musical movement the film celebrates and mourns not only the centrality of music to Brazilian cultural life, but the tastes of a cosmopolitan, white liberal middle class (to which Salles also belongs) whose lives and aspirations were cut short by the dictatorship.

    Torres’s real-life mother, the decorated Brazilian actress Fernanda Montenegro, plays the older Eunice in the film’s closing scenes. The match is near perfect, as they both command the same intense yet guarded look.

    Eunice’s character arc signifies the nation’s rise to consciousness. She goes back to study in her forties, becoming a lawyer working on behalf of the rights of indigenous women and in support of the families of the disappeared.

    This personal engagement in justice and reparation is blighted by dementia. In 2014, the nonagenarian Eunice played by Montenegro is a silent, wheelchair-bound Alzheimer sufferer. This epilogue, shot in bleached digital textures vividly contrasts with the vibrant memories captured in the (recreated) Super-8 films shot by the Paivas.

    As Brazil pulls itself together after the twin catastrophes of COVID and Bolsonarism, I’m Still Here’s cautionary tale for the present may be curtailed by the fact that its emotional core is placed so firmly in mourning its past, depicted as a idyllic moment of happiness and optimism before Brazil was robbed of its future.

    Belén Vidal receives funding for her research project AGE-C. Ageing and Gender in European Cinema, Co-investigator which is funded by VolkswagenStiftung, 2023-2026.

    – ref. I’m Still Here: a vibrant testament to female resilience that mourns Brazil’s dark past – https://theconversation.com/im-still-here-a-vibrant-testament-to-female-resilience-that-mourns-brazils-dark-past-250194

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: City food business and director ordered to pay more than £11,000 following rat infestation

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    Environmental health officers investigated Sweet Elohim Afro Market in Lichfield Street after a member of the public contacted them with concerns.

    Officers discovered rat droppings throughout the store, which was selling fruit and vegetables in open boxes as well as other food in packets, tins and jars.

    Evidence of the significant infestation was also found where the open food was handled and ready to eat packaged food was stored.

    Officers immediately closed the premises, and it was only allowed to re-open once it was determined that the immediate risk to health had been removed.

    Georgina Konadu, director of Sweet Elohim Afro Market, pleaded guilty to 2 breaches of The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 at Dudley Magistrates Court on Wednesday 12 February, 2025.

    The same charges were brought against the business, and guilty pleas were also entered. The offences took place in November, 2023.

    The business was fined £2,680, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £1,072 and £4,584 in costs. Konadu was fined £1,000, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £400 and £1,500 in costs.

    Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, cabinet member for resident services at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “Our residents should be able to trust that the places where they buy food have the highest standards of hygiene and cleanliness.

    “In this thoroughly unpleasant case, evidence of the rat infestation was found throughout the premises. This caused a risk of significant illness in customers, and we had no choice but to close the premises until it was deemed safe.

    “We do not take the decision to prosecute or close a business lightly. It is however necessary when public safety has been compromised and I hope it serves as a strong reminder to other businesses that these issues are taken seriously.

    “We are grateful to the member of the public who contacted us and enabled our environmental health officers to swiftly close the premises. If any residents have concerns about food businesses in the city, please report details to us at environmental.health@wolverhampton.gov.uk.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Stop notice served to prevent further unauthorised works at Earlsdon property

    Source: City of Coventry

    The Council has taken the action to serve a Stop Notice and Enforcement Notice to prohibit further works being undertaken on the site of a former Natwest Bank in Earlsdon.

    The Council’s Planning Enforcement Team served a Temporary Stop Notice (TSN) following unauthorised demolition of 34-36 Earlsdon Street at the beginning of January.

    Since then, the Local Authority has been listening to the concerns of local residents and working hard with ward cllrs to find a solution.

    The existing TSN required all unauthorised works of construction / development and / or demolition to cease immediately. The legislation only permits a TSN to have effect for a maximum period of 56 days and consequently the Notice expires at midnight on Tuesday 25 February 2025.

    Unfortunately, to date no valid planning application has been received for the rebuilding of 34-36 Earlsdon Street and so the Council considers it necessary to take the further action to ensure that no further unauthorised works happen on site until planning permission has been the granted.

    This is the first time in around 20 years that the Council has served a Stop Notice.  

    Legislation does not permit a further TSN to be served which is why the Council has therefore served a Stop Notice and Enforcement Notice to prohibit further works being undertaken on site.

    Andrew Walster, Director of City Services at the Council, said: “We have been listening to the concerns of residents and working with ward councillors to find a solution, but so far, we have not received any future plans from the property owners.

    “This is frustrating for everyone concerned and we are determined to find a way forward. That’s why we have taken the step of servicing a Stop Notice.

    “The Earlsdon area was designated a conservation area, and the demolition work carried out so far has had a serious impact on the character of the neighbourhood.”

    Friday, 21st February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Speed limit changes21 February 2025 Starting the week of Monday 24 February, several speed limit reductions will be implemented across the Island. This work has been part of the Island Speed Limit Review for St Mary and in partnership… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    21 February 2025

    Starting the week of Monday 24 February, several speed limit reductions will be implemented across the Island. This work has been part of the Island Speed Limit Review for St Mary and in partnership with the Roads Committees of St Mary, St Peter, and St Lawrence. 

    Reduced from 40mph to 30mph 

    La Grande Rue, La Rue Rondin and leads into Le Mont de Ste Marie, La Rue de la Frontière which leads into St Lawrence’s Les Chanolles des Six Rues. 

    Reduced from 40mph to 20mph

    The estate known as St Mary’s Village which includes Le Clos de I’Arsenal.

    Roads given Green Lane status 

    • La Chève Rue 
    • The northern end of La Grande Rue by The Priory
    • La Rue à Georges
    • La Rue Bechervaise
    • La Rue du Douet 
    • La Rue ès Boeufs
    • La Rue ès Viberts (in both St Mary & St Peter)
    • La Rue du Couvent (in both St Mary & St Lawrence) 
    • Le Jardin du Couvent 
    • Le Clos des Buis 
    • Le Mont Remon (St Peter) 
    • La Verte Rue (St Lawrence).

    These adjustments aim to improve safety and reflect the Island’s commitment to responsible traffic management. ​

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Mark Cuban Foundation and Cosmosphere Bring Free AI Bootcamp to Hutchinson Area Teens

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HUTCHINSON, Kan., Feb. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Time is running out to apply to participate in the Mark Cuban Foundation Artificial Intelligence (AI) Bootcamp hosted by Cosmosphere International Science Education Center and Space Museum in Hutchinson. Applications for the no-cost bootcamp are closing March 12.

    The program aims to provide students with a foundational understanding of artificial intelligence and its applications to future careers. Students can select from six tracks: healthcare, arts and entertainment, business and entrepreneurship, computer science, sports science, or education and career readiness. Driven by the belief that fostering interest in AI at a young age is crucial for preparing the next generation for their future, the AI Bootcamps are introductory and accessible to students in 9-12 grade with an interest in technology. Students do not need any familiarity with computer science or programming to attend.

    This free AI Bootcamp is hosted for underserved high school students with a transparent focus on recruiting girls, students of color, first generation college students, and those from low to moderate income households. The AI Bootcamp Program provides students with lunch and a snack, transportation assistance, and technology equipment during bootcamp.

    “As AI continues to become an undeniable force in all of our lives, it’s crucial that we open the door to this knowledge, especially to young people who want to explore it,” said Mark Cuban, founder. “While technology expands and becomes more advanced, it becomes more critical that we ensure our students are prepared when they apply for schools or jobs in the future. Thanks to our work with the Cosmosphere International Science Education Center and Space Museum, the bootcamp will offer an avenue to explore this fascinating field of technology to any student, no matter their means.”

    This year’s bootcamp, taking place in Hutchinson, KS on March 17-19, is hosted and staffed by the Cosmosphere, a space museum with one of the largest collections of U.S. and Soviet space artifacts. It features the Apollo 13 command module, an SR-71 Blackbird, a planetarium, and hands-on exhibits for all ages.

    The Cosmosphere International Science Education Center and Space Museum is one of more than 25 host companies selected to host camps across the U.S.

    “At the Cosmosphere, we’re passionate about igniting curiosity in young minds and empowering the next generation of innovators. This AI bootcamp, in partnership with the Mark Cuban Foundation, represents a tremendous opportunity to do just that,” said JoAnna Strecker, Cosmosphere Vice President of Education. “We’re grateful to the Mark Cuban Foundation for their support in making this dream a reality, and we can’t wait to see the incredible things these students will achieve.”

    There are just 2 weeks left until the March 12 deadline. Do not miss your chance—submit your application now, as spaces are limited.

    Apply for the bootcamp at: markcubanai.org.

    Watch Mark Cuban’s message about Mark Cuban Foundation’s AI bootcamps and access the full media kit here.

    To learn more, visit markcubanai.org.

    This bootcamp is facilitated with support from Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp Program’s media partner, Notified, a globally trusted technology partner for investor relations, public relations and marketing professionals.

    About Mark Cuban Foundation’s AI Bootcamp Initiative

    The Mark Cuban Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private non-profit led by entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban. The AI Bootcamps Program at MCF seeks to inspire young people with emerging technology so that they can create more equitable futures for themselves and their communities. Over 3 consecutive Saturdays underserved 9th – 12th grade students learn what AI is and isn’t, where they already interact with AI in their own lives, the ethical implications of AI systems, and much more. Learn more about the no-cost AI Bootcamp program at markcubanai.org.

    About Cosmosphere International Science Education Center and Space Museum

    The Cosmosphere International Science Education Center and Space Museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate. Located at 1100 North Plum in Hutchinson, KS, its collection includes U.S. space artifacts second only to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and the largest collection of Russian space artifacts outside of Moscow. This unique collection allows the Cosmosphere to tell the story of the Space Race better than any museum in the world while offering fully immersive education experiences that meet Next Generation Science Standards. The Cosmosphere also features the Carey Digital Dome Theater, offering daily documentary showings, a digital Planetarium, Dr. Goddard’s Rocket Lab Experience, where visitors experience live science demonstrations, and CosmoKids, an interactive STEAM area for children accompanied by an adult.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: The medical humanitarian needs in Ukraine remain as urgent as ever

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    • The strength of the Ukrainian healthcare system in the face of extreme violence is clear.
    • But as the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, the need for sustained medical and mental health support is greater than ever.
    • MSF continues to work in Ukraine, close to the frontlines and further afield, but more support is required.

    Kyiv – Three years after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, dramatically escalating an international armed conflict that began in 2014, people continue to bear the burden of the war’s devastation as seen through their lost lives, lost limbs, and lost homes. The resulting medical humanitarian needs are clearer than ever. The strain on Ukraine’s medical services has only increased, exacerbated by frequent attacks on hospitals, ambulances and medical structures.

    Since 2022, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has seen more patients with war-related trauma in need of early rehabilitation, namely post-amputation physiotherapy. There is also an increase in the number of patients requiring treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. In areas close to the frontlines, daily shelling means that some of the most vulnerable, including older people and people with chronic conditions, have extremely limited access to medical care.

    Inna Didych, MSF physiotherapist, is working with Andrii, a 27-year-old patient who is preparing for prosthetics after sustaining injuries during fighting on the frontlines in Ukraine. Andrii lost his right arm, leg, and nearly all of his vision. Ukraine, October 2023.
    Pavlo Sukhodolskyi/Voice if America

    MSF runs an early rehabilitation project with centres in Cherkasy and Odesa, where people receive early post-operative physiotherapy, mental health support and nursing care following incidents of violent trauma. MSF treated 755 patients in 2023 and 2024. From one year to the next, there was a 10 per cent increase in the number of patients requiring post-operative care for leg amputations.

    In 2024, half of all patients in the project were diagnosed with either post-traumatic stress disorder, or depression. The need for mental health support in Ukraine is significant. In addition to the centres in Cherkasy and Odesa, MSF has established a project focused on post-traumatic stress disorder in Vinnytsia.

    “The ferocity of this war has not diminished, and the medical humanitarian needs have only grown more complex,” says Thomas Marchese, MSF’s head of programmes in Ukraine. “Even if the war were to end tomorrow, hundreds of thousands of people would require years of long-term physiotherapy, or counselling for post-traumatic stress disorder. Ensuring this care requires an ongoing humanitarian commitment.”

    Inessa Bondarenko attends group activities and sessions organised by MSF in Ndamyanka. She is from Kharkiv. Her husband stayed there but she fled. Her daughter is a refugee in Germany. She lives with two cats in a shelter in Ndamyanka, which MSF helped to build. Ukraine, October 2023.
    Nuria Lopez Torres

    Today, Ukraine’s healthcare system faces immense pressure, balancing emergency responses with the ongoing needs of patients affected by the war. For three years, drone and missile attacks have been a daily occurrence, in some cases striking cities more than 1,000 kilometres from the frontline. Medical facilities and systems have been forced to adapt to treating patients in bunkers or basements, as well as to frequent power cuts from attacks on energy infrastructure.

    In response to this, MSF operates ambulances, transferring patients from overburdened hospitals near the frontline to medical facilities in central and western Ukraine with greater capacity. Over the past three years, MSF ambulances have transferred more than 25,000 patients, more than half of whom had injuries caused by violent trauma.

    In 2024, MSF mobile clinic and ambulance teams working near the frontlines saw a significant increase in referrals for patients with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular issues, diabetes, and cancer. In 2023, these cases accounted for 24 per cent of all referrals, rising to 33 per cent in 2024. However, regular shelling and strikes mean that the access of MSF’s teams is not guaranteed. Many of those living with chronic conditions are older, and less mobile, in some areas, people have begun living in their basements or in bunkers, due to the intense shelling.

    View of a destroyed hospital ward in Vysokopilla town, Kherson Oblast. Ukraine, January 2023.
    Colin Delfosse

    “For some of the most vulnerable people, relocating isn’t an option,” says Marchese. “Not everyone is able to leave their homes and start their life again, but the continued fighting means that these people are frequently cut off from medical care, just as MSF medical teams are sometimes unable to travel to certain areas due to ongoing shelling.”

    As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, MSF’s teams witness how the medical humanitarian crisis deepens every day. The strength of the Ukrainian health system in the face of extreme violence is clear, but the need for sustained medical care and mental health support is greater than ever.

    Even if the war were to end tomorrow, the long-term effects on people —physical and psychological— will linger for years to come. Ukraine’s infrastructure has also sustained staggering damage, with hospitals coming under direct attack. Hundreds of thousands of people will require ongoing care, rehabilitation, and therapy for trauma long after the last bomb falls. MSF continues to work in Ukraine, close to the frontlines and further afield, but more support is required.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Amnesty International responds to B.C. court ruling in Indigenous land defenders’ trial

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Amnesty International will consider prisoner-of-conscience designations in the cases of three Indigenous land defenders in Canada whose convictions were upheld by a British Columbia court.

    Sleydo’ (Molly Wickham), a Wing Chief (Cas Yikh house) of the Gidimt’en Clan of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, Shaylynn Sampson, a Gitxsan woman with Wet’suwet’en family connections, and Corey “Jayohcee” Jocko, a Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk), had asked the court to void their convictions on constitutional grounds. They argued that their arrests during – and detention after – a highly militarized November 2021 police raid on unceded Wet’suwet’en territory violated their rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

    On Tuesday, a British Columbia judge ruled that the conduct, including anti-Indigenous racist statements, of some Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)/Community Industry Response Group (C-IRG) members during the raid did indeed violate the defenders’ Charter rights. The ruling validates both the experiences of these land defenders and the broader experience of colonial violence that Indigenous Peoples have faced for more than 100 years from the RCMP. However, the judge refused to stay all charges against the defenders and said he would instead consider reduced sentences.

    Amnesty International is reviewing the implications of Tuesday’s decision. Should they receive a sentence that arbitrarily deprives them of their liberty, Amnesty will designate the affected land defenders as prisoners of conscience.

    “We are heartened by Justice Tammen’s stern condemnation of the racist and violent treatment Sleydo’, Shaylynn Sampson and Corey ‘Jayohcee’ Jocko endured during their arrests. Unfortunately, the systematic racism that led to their arrests remains unaddressed”

    -Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada’s English-speaking section

    “We are heartened by Justice Tammen’s stern condemnation of the racist and violent treatment Sleydo’, Shaylynn Sampson and Corey ‘Jayohcee’ Jocko endured during their arrests,” said Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada’s English-speaking section. “Unfortunately, the systematic racism that led to their arrests remains unaddressed. B.C. and Canada must take immediate steps to stop the criminalization of Indigenous land defenders in the first place. No one should be intimidated, harassed, or arrested, let alone convicted in a criminal court case, for exercising their constitutionally protected rights and protecting the natural environment we all share.

    France-Isabelle Langlois, general director of Amnistie internationale Canada francophone, declared: “Peaceful actions were taken by the Indigenous land defenders with the aim of protecting natural ecosystems that lessen the impacts of climate change. In this global context of the climate crisis, to punish them is preposterous, to say the least, no matter how small the sentence. These actions need to be widely applauded rather than scrutinized by the Court.

    “The Court’s decision to uphold the convictions of the three land defenders is part of a broader context of shrinking civic space in Canada, where Indigenous land defenders, environmentalists, and human right defenders are frequently the victims of political or police repression,” she added. “It is disappointing that we must remind the country and its institutions of their obligations under international law since Canada prides itself on being a leader in human rights.”

    “Peaceful actions were taken by the Indigenous land defenders with the aim of protecting natural ecosystems that lessen the impacts of climate change. In this global context of the climate crisis, to punish them is preposterous, to say the least, no matter how small the sentence. These actions need to be widely applauded rather than scrutinized by the Court”

    -France-Isabelle Langlois, general director of Amnistie internationale Canada francophone

    Amnesty International has vehemently condemned the criminalization of Wet’suwet’en and other land defenders opposed to the construction of Coastal GasLink (CGL) liquefied natural gas pipeline through the Nation’s unceded, ancestral territory. Construction on the 670-kilometre pipeline began without the free, prior and informed consent of the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs, on behalf of their clans. This violates Canadian and international human rights law and standards, including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was legislated into Canadian law on June 21, 2021.

    Based in part on witness testimony of four large-scale RCMP raids on Wet’suwet’en territory, Amnesty’s 2023 report ‘Removed from our land for defending it’: Criminalization, Intimidation and Harassment of Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders found that Wet’suwet’en land defenders and their supporters were arbitrarily detained for peacefully defending their land against the construction of the CGL pipeline and exercising their Indigenous rights and their right to peaceful assembly.

    In June and July 2022, the B.C. Prosecution Service (BCPS) charged 20 land defenders, including Sleydo’, Sampson and Jocko, with criminal contempt for disobeying an injunction order to stay away from pipeline construction sites, an order that unduly restricted the human rights of the land defenders and the Indigenous rights of the Wet’suwet’en Nation. Seven of the 20 land defenders pleaded guilty because of restrictive bail conditions, as well as the familial, psychological and financial impacts that the criminal proceedings imposed on them. Five other defenders had their charges dropped, and five more are awaiting trial.

    “This whole process has been a violation of my rights and responsibilities as an Indigenous person and my responsibility to the health and wellness of future generations and the Yintah,” Sleydo’ said during a news conference after the decision was handed down on Tuesday afternoon. “The colonial courts are not where our ability to live out our laws and ways of life should be determined. And yet here we are, over three years later, in a showdown between Wet’suwet’en law and colonial law after years of police violence and repression by the C-IRG, with no accountability. I refuse to allow the colonial courts to dehumanize and criminalize me. I belong to my land, my ancestors, and my people.

    “I am a mother, a daughter, a sister, an auntie, a good friend, and a leader. I am a singer, a hunter, a teacher, and a revolutionary. I am following the footsteps of my ancestors, and I carry their teachings with me in everything that I do.”

    “This whole process has been a violation of my rights and responsibilities as an Indigenous person and my responsibility to the health and wellness of future generations and the Yintah. (…) I refuse to allow the colonial courts to dehumanize and criminalize me. I belong to my land, my ancestors, and my people”

    -Sleydo’

    If Amnesty International names Sleydo’, Sampson and Jocko prisoners of conscience, it will be the second time the organization has applied that designation to a person held by Canada. In July 2024, Amnesty declared another Wet’suwet’en land defender – Likhts’amisyu Clan Wing Chief Dsta’hyl – a prisoner of conscience after the British Columbia court sentenced him to 60 days of house arrest. Like Sleydo’, Sampson and Jocko, Chief Dsta’hyl was charged and later convicted for allegedly violating the terms of the B.C. court injunction banning land-defence actions near the CGL pipeline, including in areas of the Wet’suwet’en Nation’s territory.

    “If the Canadian state decides to unjustly criminalize and confine Sleydo’, Shaylynn, and Corey, Amnesty International will not hesitate to designate them as prisoners of conscience,” said Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International. “Canada is on the sadly long list of countries in the Americas where land defenders remain at risk for their essential work.”

    “If the Canadian state decides to unjustly criminalize and confine Sleydo’, Shaylynn, and Corey, Amnesty International will not hesitate to designate them as prisoners of conscience. Canada is on the sadly long list of countries in the Americas where land defenders remain at risk for their essential work”

    -Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International

    The criminalization of Wet’suwet’en land defenders has sparked an international outcry and calls for Canada to respect Indigenous rights. Last year, Sleydo’, Sampson and Jocko were a featured case in Write for Rights, Amnesty International’s annual global letter-writing campaign. Since the fall, thousands of people around the world have sent letters and signed petitions calling on Canada to drop the charges against the three defenders.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Russia: What Next? | World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025

    Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)

    In 2024 Russia overtook Japan as the world’s fourth largest economy in purchasing power parity terms, yet there is a deteriorating fiscal context and faltering economic stability as a sharp downturn looms.

    On foreign policy, Moscow has doubled down on efforts to consolidate a counterweight to the G7, even as it faces setbacks in the Middle East.

    How will Russia and its place in the world fare in 2025?

    Speakers: Ravi Agrawal, Valdis Dombrovskis, Elisabeth Svantesson

    The 55th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum will provide a crucial space to focus on the fundamental principles driving trust, including transparency, consistency and accountability.

    This Annual Meeting will welcome over 100 governments, all major international organizations, 1000 Forum’s Partners, as well as civil society leaders, experts, youth representatives, social entrepreneurs, and news outlets.

    The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.

    World Economic Forum Website ► http://www.weforum.org/
    Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/worldeconomicforum/
    YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/wef
    Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/worldeconomicforum/
    X ► https://twitter.com/wef
    LinkedIn ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-economic-forum
    TikTok ► https://www.tiktok.com/@worldeconomicforum
    Flipboard ► https://flipboard.com/@WEF

    #Davos2025 #WorldEconomicForum #wef25

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5GbGmQrnHY

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Vyacheslav Bugaev: “The Polytechnic University has one of the strongest schools of information security, that’s why I entered here”

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    On February 19, in honor of the 126th anniversary of SPbPU, the traditional student ball was held in the Fundamental Library, where the best students and postgraduates were awarded. The medal of the best graduate of 2025 was received by Vyacheslav Bugaev, who graduated with honors from the Institute of Computer Science and Cybersecurity.

    During his studies, Vyacheslav achieved impressive results. In 2019, a student of the Polytechnic University registered the computer program “NGAL

    In 2024, Vyacheslav was awarded the highest award of the Polytechnic University – the “For Merit” badge. Interview with the best graduate of the Polytechnic University of 2025 Vyacheslav Bugayev Read in our regular column “Person”.

    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 –