Category: Europe

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Audiences

    Source: The Holy See

    Audiences, 01.07.2025

    This morning, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience:
    – Archbishop Odelir José Magri, M.C.C.J., of Chapecó, Brazil;
    – Archbishop Gil Antônio Moreira of Juiz de Fora, Brazil;
    – Archbishop Gilberto Alfredo Vizcarra Mori, S.J., of Trujillo, Peru;
    – Bishop Giovanni d’Ercole, F.D.P., emeritus of Ascoli Piceno, Italy;
    – His Eminence Cardinal Pedro Ricardo Barreto Jimeno, S.J., emeritus of Huancayo, Peru, president of the Ecclesial Conference of Amazonia (CEAMA);
    – His Eminence Cardinal Jaime Spengler, O.F.M., archbishop of Porto Alegre, Brazil, president of the Latin American Episcopal Conference (CELAM), with: His Eminence Cardinal Filipe Neri António Sebastião do Rosário Ferrão, archbishop of Goa and Damão, India, president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC); His Eminence Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, O.F.M. Cap., archbishop of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM); Bishop Lizardo Estrada Herrara, O.S.A., titular of Ausuccura, auxiliary of Cuzco, Peru, secretary general of CELAM; Msgr. Josef Sayer:
    – His Eminence Cardinal Blase Joseph Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, United States of America;
    – Members of the Ordinary Synod of Bishops of the Syriac Patriarchal Church of Antioch.

    MIL OSI Europe News

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Statement on behalf of the 14th Tata Steel / Port Talbot Transition Board

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Statement on behalf of the 14th Tata Steel / Port Talbot Transition Board

    The fourteenth Tata Steel / Port Talbot Transition Board met on 26th June 2025.

    The Secretary of State for Wales, Rt Hon Jo Stevens MP, in her role as Chair of the Transition Board sought endorsement from the Board for the development of an £11.67 million Economic Growth and Investment Fund.  £6.67 million will be provided by UK Government and £5 million from Tata Steel UK. This joint funding is aimed to boost inward business investment in the region and to support longer-term growth by supporting businesses and helping to create new jobs. A period of engagement will take place to design the fund over the coming weeks, with the fund going live in the autumn.

    Today’s release of money marks the full allocation of the UK Government’s £80 million contribution from the Tata Steel / Port Talbot Transition Board fund. This funding has been delivered in just under a year, clearly demonstrating this Government’s commitment to the community impacted by Tata Steel UK’s transition to greener steelmaking. We are already seeing the positive impact of this investment to those impacted. The Board will continue to monitor the progress of the funds and ensure the right support continues to be administered to the region.

    The Board also received updates on:

    • Tata Steel UK’s decarbonisation programme;
    • The Department of Business and Trade’s plans for a steel strategy;
    • Mental health and well-being;
    • The Transition Board funds that have already been announced.

    Those in attendance included: Rt Hon Jo Stevens MP, Secretary of State for Wales; Rebecca Evans MS, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy & Planning in the Welsh Government; Alex Norris MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for MHCLG; Cllr Steven Hunt, Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council; Frances O’Brien, CEO of Neath Port Talbot Council; Rajesh Nair, CEO of Tata Steel UK; Chris Jaques, Chief HR Officer, Tata Steel UK; Stephen Kinnock, MP for Aberafan Maesteg; David Rees, MS for Aberavon; Tom Giffard, MS & Luke Fletcher MS for the region of South Wales West; Anne Jessopp CBE, Sarah Williams-Gardener & Katherine Bennett CBE, independent members of the Board; Alun Davies, National Officer for Steel & Metals, Community Union; Tom Hoyles, Politics, Press and Research Officer, GMB Wales & Jason Bartlett Regional Officer of Unite the Union Wales.

    Updates to this page

    Published 1 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Community Energy in Focus: Just Transition Lab Leads Regional Conversation Last Friday, a diverse group of community members, renewable energy practitioners, academics, and policy-makers gathered at the University of Aberdeen for “Community Renewables in the North East of Scotland: Looking Back, Moving Forward”, a timely event focused on advancing community-led energy initiatives in the region. The event explored how communities…

    Source: University of Aberdeen

    Last Friday, a diverse group of community members, renewable energy practitioners, academics, and policy-makers gathered at the University of Aberdeen for “Community Renewables in the North East of Scotland: Looking Back, Moving Forward”, a timely event focused on advancing community-led energy initiatives in the region. The event explored how communities can play a central role in Scotland’s energy transition.
    Organised by the University’s Just Transition Lab and Centre for Energy Law, the event was the outcome of the collaboration under the Just Transition Communities Project (JTCP). The JTCP, commissioned by the Scottish Government, is designed to support a fair and inclusive transition in the North East of Scotland. Led by the North East Scotland Climate Action Network Hub (NESCAN Hub), the project brings together with partners including the Just Transition Lab.
    The event opened with a session on community energy and the just transition, featuring insights from Fraser Stewart of Regen, alongside Daria Shapovalova and Tayo Gbemi from the Just Transition Lab. Their contributions addressed the role of community energy in achieving a Just Transition in the UK, and in the North East of Scotland specifically.
    This was followed by a panel offering institutional perspectives, with Rachel Yule from Local Energy Scotland sharing the latest developments. Emma Murphy from Aberdeen City Council and Christine Webster from Aberdeenshire Council participated in the panel sharing the local authorities’ experiences and strategies for supporting community energy.
    After a networking lunch, the final session brought together practitioners from the region’s most notable community energy projects. Speakers from Donside Hydro and Udny Wind shared practical lessons, challenges, and successes from their work, offering valuable insights into what it takes to build and sustain community-led renewable initiatives.
    Throughout the day, participants discussed the growing momentum behind community energy, fueled by recent funding announcements from the Scottish Government and Great British Energy. However, the event also highlighted the persistent barriers, particularly in urban areas, such as lack of appropriate funding, limited capacity, and institutional challenges.
    The event concluded with a shared commitment to strengthening collaboration, building local capacity, and ensuring that the benefits of the energy transition are equitably distributed across all communities in the North East.

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    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Cost of Primary Care Services to reduce by £1001 July 2025 ​​​​From 1 July 2025, Islanders will benefit from a new £10 subsidy on appointments with Nurses, Pharmacists, Paramedics, Health Care Assistants, and for telephone consultations in general practice.… Read more

    Source: Channel Islands – Jersey

    01 July 2025

    ​​​​From 1 July 2025, Islanders will benefit from a new £10 subsidy on appointments with Nurses, Pharmacists, Paramedics, Health Care Assistants, and for telephone consultations in general practice. 

    This follows previous reductions in the cost of GP appointments, which saw £20 removed in 2023 and £30 in 2024, to make primary care more affordable for Islanders. 

    Reducing GP service fees is a government priority helping to ease financial pressures on households and supporting Islanders to access GP care early, without fear of high costs.

    The expanded subsidy does not apply to out-of-hours services provided by Jersey Doctors on Call, as well as patients in the Health Access Scheme who pay fixed reduced fees for GP services. 

    The Minister for Social Security, Deputy Lyndsay Feltham, said: “I’m pleased to introduce this new support, which extends financial relief to patients accessing a broader range of primary care professionals, including nurses and telephone consultations. 

    “I’m grateful to general practice for working with us to deliver this important expansion. Together, we are working to strengthen a high-quality, accessible, and flexible primary care system for all Islanders.” 

    Dr Gordon Callander from the Primary Care Body said: “Costs for providing healthcare continue to rise. Practices continue to do all they can to minimise the impact on patients.

    “Many practices now offer consultations with other healthcare professionals who can often meet patients’ needs. It is great that the important work of practice nurses, healthcare assistants, paramedics and pharmacists is recognised by Employment, Social Security and Housing ​to allow the evolution of services offered to patients. 

    “In addition, the use of remote consultations by phone or video has proved invaluable to a number of patients. We are grateful to government for recognising and encouraging new ways of working which reflect modern General Practice.”​

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Air quality isn’t just bad in cities – here’s why and how we’re tracking pollution from upland fires

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rebecca Brownlow, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, Sheffield Hallam University

    Peatland burns over the reservoir in Langsett, a village in South Yorkshire. Wendy Birks, CC BY-NC-ND

    Early one October afternoon in 2023, thick grey smoke drifted across Sheffield’s western skyline. As much of the city became blanketed, residents turned to social media to complain about “bonfire smoke”, while others were forced to leave the city due to breathing difficulties.

    However, this smoke did not originate within the city. It was drifting in from the Peak District, more than nine miles away, where controlled heather burning was taking place on the moorlands. For around six hours, levels of fine particulate matter (known as PM2.5), tiny airborne pollutants known to harm human health, exceeded 40 micrograms per cubic metre of air (µg/m³) and peaked at 70µg/m³, well above the guidelines recommended by the World Health Organization.

    This single incident points to the wider and largely invisible problem of the routine burning of the UK’s uplands. This can be a serious source of air pollution, but because most official air pollution monitoring concentrates on urban areas, the effects are overlooked. This is why we have started monitoring upland fires and the pollution they cause.

    Prescribed burning is a longstanding land management practice often used to control vegetation for grouse shooting or livestock grazing. It happens across a range of upland landscapes. Many of the areas being burned sit on deep peat, an organic-rich soil made from layers of slowly decomposed plant material formed over thousands of years in waterlogged conditions.

    Peatlands are incredibly important. They are one of the most carbon-rich ecosystems on the planet. In the UK, they cover around 12% of the land area and store an estimated 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon. This is equivalent to all the forests of Germany, France and the UK combined. Most of the UK’s peat is found in Scotland, but notable areas in England include the Peak District and North York Moors. However, their value goes well beyond carbon.

    Around 70% of Britain’s drinking water comes from upland areas that are largely peatland, and healthy peatlands help reduce flooding by slowing the flow of water from hills to towns and cities. They also provide vital habitats for birds, insects and rare plants, forming the UK’s largest area of semi-natural habitat.




    Read more:
    Wildfire smoke can harm human health, even when the fire is burning hundreds of miles away – a toxicologist explains why


    Despite their ecological importance, more than 80% of English peatlands are classified as degraded, often through historic air pollution, draining, overgrazing and, importantly, repeated burning.

    One hidden consequence of that burning is air pollution. These burns are often viewed as isolated rural events, but their effect on regional air quality can be substantial. On that day in Sheffield, pollution levels briefly rivalled those seen across the city during bonfire night, a well-known peak in urban air pollution.

    In response to that October event, our research team launched a new pilot monitoring network across part of the Peak District national park. This FireUp project combines air quality sensors, satellite data and community observations to detect and measure pollution from upland fires.

    Planned burning event in the Peak District captured via Copernicus Sentinel-2 data (2024), retrieved from Copernicus SciHub and processed by European Space Agency.
    CC BY

    By using a mix of technologies and local reporting, we have documented spikes in PM2.5 pollution that would have otherwise been missed. Our system offers a clearer picture of when and where fires occur, and how far their smoke spreads, opening the door for better planning and stronger protections for public health. But the problem is not just a lack of data, it is also a failure of regulation. England’s current upland burning regulations are limited on four fronts.

    Heather and grass burning regulations introduced in 2021 prohibit burning only on peat deeper than 40cm inside designated sites. That means 60% of upland peat is excluded from these protections.

    With more than 95% of PM2.5 monitors located in urban areas, smoke from moorland fires in remote rural locations is rarely registered on official networks.

    The resources for organisations responsible for enforcing regulations have shrunk over the last decade. Natural England, one of the government’s statutory bodies responsible for environmental protection, has experienced a 4% decrease in funding for 2024-25 compared to the previous year.

    Prosecutions for illegal burning are exceptionally rare, with satellite analyses pointing to a higher level of unlicensed activity than official records suggest.

    In short, narrow legal scope, limited monitoring coverage and under-resourced enforcement leave many prescribed burns undetected and unaccounted for, along with the health and environmental risks they carry.

    Our FireUp system improves fire detections and helps quantify the effects of air pollution from these burns. As the UK government reviews regulations as part of the 2025 heather and grass burning consultation for England, and as upland fire risk increases, this kind of evidence is essential, not just to track what is happening, but to help shape a healthier and better future for the UK’s uplands.

    Our next step is to develop a citizen science app that makes it easier for people to report peatland fire incidents and upland burning to help improve regulation and log the effects of changes in air quality.


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

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


    James is a member of the Welsh Government Clean Air Advisory Panel, and Promoting Awareness of Air Quality Delivery Group. James also sits on the Scottish Government’s Air Quality Advisory Group.

    Maria Val Martin receives funding from UKRI and is a member of the DEFRA Air Quality Expert Group.

    Rebecca Brownlow 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. Air quality isn’t just bad in cities – here’s why and how we’re tracking pollution from upland fires – https://theconversation.com/air-quality-isnt-just-bad-in-cities-heres-why-and-how-were-tracking-pollution-from-upland-fires-258034

    MIL OSI Analysis

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Regulatory Innovation Office to help streamline regulation, helping UK’s world-leading fintech sector

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Regulatory Innovation Office to help streamline regulation, helping UK’s world-leading fintech sector

    Regulatory Innovation Office to partner with Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum to cut red tape, and support fintech innovation, fuelling government plan for Plan for Change.

    Regulatory Innovation Office to cut red tape supporting fintech innovation

    • Technology Secretary Peter Kyle announces plans for the Regulatory Innovation Office to work with the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum to cut red tape, and support fintech innovation, fuelling our Plan for Change
    • RIO push includes backing for new tech to help innovators use AI to better navigate complex digital regulations, from fintech to consumer services
    • UK’s world-leading fintech sector supported through a new one-stop shop to access all the guidance they need in one place

    Fintech and other digital firms will be better supported to navigate complex regulation through new tools backed by the Regulatory Innovation Office, the Technology Secretary announced today (Tuesday 1 July).

    Speaking at the AI and Digital Innovation Day at CityWeek, the Secretary of State hailed the UK’s world-leading financial services sector – last year the UK fintech sector specifically attracted $3.6 billion of investment. He set out plans to make it easier for fintech firms to bring cutting-edge products to market – from improved fraud detection to better tools for managing money – a key part of our Plan for Change to unlock innovation-led growth across the country.

    Innovators across the landscape – including those in fintech, from start-ups to scale-ups – often face the challenge of understanding the labyrinth of regulations in their sector. This can be especially tough for smaller companies, who often don’t have teams of compliance experts, and will help them scale faster – supporting the SMEs that are the backbone of the UK economy.

    The government’s Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO) is partnering with the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum (DRCF) to support the development of new smarter tools to make navigating the system faster, clearer and more accessible. This will include evaluating a unified digital library providing a ‘one stop’ access to digital policy and regulations for innovators, helping to free up businesses to focus on growth and innovation.

    Science and Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, said:

    The UK is a genuine world leader in both financial services and technology, and in the intersection between the two – fintech – but for far too many companies, the complex regulatory environment can be challenging to navigate.

    Our Regulatory Innovation Office will work to remove those hurdles, to help innovators unlock new products that could drive economic growth – delivering on our Plan for Change.

    Fintech firms are on the front line of solving big challenges – from fighting financial fraud and improving access to banking, to helping people save, borrow and invest more easily. The use of technologies like AI presents enormous opportunities for the sector, as shown at the Financial Conduct Authority’s AI Sprint earlier this year, which looked at how new technologies are set to overhaul the delivery of financial advice, compliance for firms, customer service and more.  

    But fragmented rules and regulatory complexity slow down innovation, delay safer financial products reaching the public, and deter investment. Supporting innovators to bring trusted products to market faster will help tackle real-world challenges more quickly – and give consumers access to safer, smarter services, which is at the core of The Chancellor’s Regulation Action Plan.

    This cooperation with DRCF builds on the broader work of the Regulatory Innovation Office, which already supports 4 priority technologies: engineering biology, space, AI and digital in healthcare, and drones and autonomous technologies. From using quantum techniques to tackle online fraud, to improving emergency response with drone technology, the government is helping unlock the potential of cutting-edge science for real-world benefit.

    In his speech, the Science Secretary also marked 6 months since the launch of the AI Opportunities Action Plan – highlighting how it has already delivered new cross-government partnerships, helped fund responsible AI trials, and supported regulators to better engage with innovators. He set out how AI will continue to transform key UK industries – from finance and transport to healthcare and defence.

    Kate Jones, CEO, Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum, said:

    The Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum is committed to breaking down barriers for innovators by making digital regulation simpler to find, understand and navigate. Our member regulators – Ofcom, the Competition and Markets Authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office, and the Financial Conduct Authority – are working together in support of their common vision: that regulation should enable responsible innovation.

    This new user-friendly tool will help businesses and investors to find and understand digital regulation more easily and quickly. We’re pleased to be working with the Regulatory Innovation Office on this, supporting the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan.

    DSIT media enquiries

    Email press@dsit.gov.uk

    Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm 020 7215 3000

    Updates to this page

    Published 1 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Coventry City Council achieves balanced budget and invests £128.8m in city’s future

    Source: City of Coventry

    The Council has delivered a balanced budget for 2024/25 and investing more than £125m in the city’s future, despite the significant national pressures affecting local authorities across the country.

    The Council’s final outturn position represents a remarkable turnaround from the predicted £7 million overspend projected at Quarter 3, demonstrating strong financial management and disciplined budget control throughout the challenging financial year.

    The Council successfully delivered a substantial £128.8 million capital investment programme during 2024/25, with an impressive 65% funded through external grants – demonstrating the authority’s success in securing funding that reduces the burden on local taxpayers.

    Key investments included:

    • £22 million in transport and highways infrastructure, including completion of the 220-meter Coventry Very Light Rail test track
    • £18.3 million across the city’s school estate, focusing on additional secondary school capacity
    • £16.5 million in climate change initiatives covering green homes and decarbonisation projects
    • £6.6 million supporting registered housing providers to tackle housing issues

    Councillor Richard Brown, Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance and Resources, said:

    “This strong financial performance demonstrates our commitment to sound fiscal management while continuing to invest in Coventry’s future.

    “Despite the challenging environment facing all local authorities and through the efforts of finance colleagues, we have ended the year with a balanced budget.”

    The Council’s commercial investments delivered exceptional returns, with the Asset Management Revenue Account generating a surplus exceeding £10 million.

    Strong dividend performance from Birmingham Airport and Coventry & Solihull Waste Disposal Company contributed to this success.

    Total commercial income of £27.7 million helps support the delivery of essential services for Coventry residents, representing approximately 10% of the Council’s net service expenditure.

    Like councils across the country, Coventry faced significant pressures in children’s and adult social care services due to increased demand, case complexity, and market challenges.

    The Council successfully managed these pressures through careful financial planning and the use of one-off income sources.

    The authority’s strong balance sheet position enabled it to manage budget variations while maintaining its ambitious capital programme, positioning the Council well to continue improving services for residents and investing in the city.

    The capital programme demonstrates the Council’s commitment to Coventry’s long-term prosperity:

    • Infrastructure preparation for the West Midlands Investment Zone focusing on advanced manufacturing
    • Continued progress on major regeneration projects including City Centre South
    • Sustainable transport improvements including cycling infrastructure that has enabled the city to avoid a city centre congestion charge
    • Digital and ICT improvements to enhance service delivery

    Cllr Brown added:

    “The authority’s success in attracting external funding and maintaining strong commercial returns demonstrates effective financial stewardship that benefits all Coventry residents.”

    Published: Tuesday, 1st July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Laptop recycling at Sellafield helps to bridge the digital divide

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    News story

    Laptop recycling at Sellafield helps to bridge the digital divide

    A collaborative laptop recycling scheme, is helping to bridge the digital divide across our local communities.

    Cockermouth School, West Cumbria, a revisited recipient of IT equipment

    Passing on a previously used laptop might seem like a simple act of generosity—but at Sellafield, when it comes to boosting educational attainment, our laptop recycling scheme is helping bridge the digital divide across our local communities.

    The initiative, in partnership with our IT supplier Atos and Information Services Organisation (ISO), is now in its fourth year of repurposing decommissioned laptops—which are no longer suitable for Sellafield’s secure network—into vital educational tools for schools, charities, and community groups.

    Over the past 18 months, our social impact team has revisited recipients to understand the real-world impact of these donations. The results speak volumes.

    Thanks to partnerships with Western Excellence in Leadership and Learning (WELL) Programme and Laptops for Kids in Warrington, schools have introduced new courses in graphic design, film, photography, and engineering. These opportunities are helping disadvantaged students build confidence, develop digital skills, and thrive in a technology-driven world.

    Teachers, too, are seeing the benefits. With access to reliable, modern devices, they can focus more on teaching and less on troubleshooting outdated equipment—saving time and reducing frustration.

    The scheme’s reach extends beyond the classroom. Local charities have used donated laptops to support young people researching opportunities like the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, while others have transitioned from bulky desktop setups to lightweight laptops.

    This shift has enabled them to repurpose space for adult learning and job-seeking support, amplifying the scheme’s community impact.

    Our commitment to social value continues to drive innovation in how surplus assets can be used for public good proving that sustainability and community development can go hand in hand.

    Pam Collis and Emma Graham, from the ISO team within Sellafield Ltd, who introduced this process within ISO, explain the importance:

    We all recognise the vital role modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays in the workplace, and the same holds true for school classrooms.

    The future workforce needs access to the right tools, software, and equipment to develop their skills and progress. Without this access, they risk being left behind.

    This potential for a digital divide is something we were determined to address through our social impact commitments.

    By sharing ICT equipment that no longer meets our needs, we realised we could tackle digital poverty and boost digital literacy.

    While we donate the devices, our supply chain partner Atos cleans, repairs, and prepares them for reuse, ensuring our data is securely removed. It’s truly a collaborative effort.

    Our social impact team collaborates with projects and groups to make sure these devices reach those who need them most. And it’s not just schools, local charities and community groups can benefit as well.

    Updates to this page

    Published 1 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chinese Foreign Ministry: China hopes for stability and development in Thailand

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) — As a friendly neighbor, China hopes Thailand will maintain stability and development, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Tuesday.

    She made the statement at a regular departmental press conference, answering a question related to the fact that the Constitutional Court of Thailand suspended Prime Minister Phetongthan Shinawatra from her duties on Tuesday.

    “This is Thailand’s internal matter. I will not comment on it,” Mao Ning said. “As a friendly neighbor, China hopes Thailand will maintain stability and development,” she added. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Wang Huning met with the Vice-Chairman of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) — Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), met with Marinko Kavara, vice-speaker of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), in Beijing on Tuesday.

    Wang Huning said that in recent years, under the strategic leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping and the BiH Presidency, the two countries have maintained strong political mutual trust and close people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and achieved fruitful results in trade and economic cooperation.

    Wang Huning noted that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and BiH. China is ready to cooperate with BiH to implement the important consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries, as well as to deepen cooperation with BiH on the basis of equality, mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win.

    Wang Huning added that the CPPCC National Committee is willing to make new contributions to promoting the development of bilateral relations.

    M. Kawara highly praised the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind and the Belt and Road Initiative put forward by Xi Jinping.

    M. Kawara said that BiH firmly adheres to the one-China principle and is ready to deepen practical cooperation with China in various fields to promote new development of bilateral relations. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: /China Spotlight/ Young Generation Z Farmers in China Embrace Smart Farming

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    TAIYUAN, July 1 (Xinhua) — From AI-powered data analytics platforms to drones roaming the skies, young Generation Z farmers in China are actively adopting modern farming methods, redefining the very essence of being a farmer.

    Zoomers are generally defined as people born between 1995 and 2009 who grew up with access to the internet and digital technologies from an early age.

    Born and raised in a farming family in Yicheng County, north China’s Shanxi Province, 21-year-old Wang Huan still remembers the hardships of traditional farming in the pre-drone era of his childhood.

    “Back then, my family members had to carry tanks on their backs, manually spraying pesticides and fertilizers in the scorching summer sun. It seemed like there would be no end to the work,” he says.

    For Wang Huan, now an experienced drone pilot, the technology has revolutionized his life and work. He says a drone can spread two tons of fertilizer in just over a day, compared to four to five days it used to take farmers to do the same amount of work.

    In addition to drones, the young farmer also mastered other modern agricultural equipment: combines, seeders and balers.

    Stories like these are common across rural China. Ding Zehui, a native of Wanrong County in Shanxi Province, returned to his hometown after graduating from college last year to become a farmer.

    The 22-year-old joined a local cooperative that provides agricultural machinery rental services. He also convinced his family to buy an unmanned seed drill equipped with a Beidou navigation system, as it can operate around the clock, greatly improving the accuracy and efficiency of sowing.

    “Agricultural machinery is becoming more sophisticated, with air-conditioned cabins and more convenient controls. This has significantly improved working conditions,” the young man noted.

    As momentum for rural revitalization and agricultural modernization gathers pace in China, a new generation of tech-savvy young farmers like Wang Huan and Ding Zehui are aggressively adopting artificial intelligence, big data, advanced technology and smart machines to transform traditional farming methods once based on simple tools and backbreaking physical labor.

    Official data shows that the comprehensive mechanization rate of cultivation, planting and harvesting of agricultural crops in China has exceeded 75 percent. Moreover, as of 2024, more than 2.2 million units of agricultural machinery across the country have been equipped with the Beidou navigation system, helping them achieve world-leading levels of efficiency and precision in operation.

    The rise of smart farming is also giving farming a new, attractive image that is attracting young Chinese to the field. Unlike older generations, who often viewed farming as a humble, physically demanding job, today’s young Gen Z farmers bring a greater sense of pride and purpose to the job.

    “When you see a sea of wheat ready to be harvested at the end of a hard day’s work, no words can describe the sense of satisfaction you feel at that moment,” says Ding Zehui.

    Hashtags like “Zoomer tractor drivers” and “Zoomers transform their farm” regularly trend on Chinese social media, while creative videos like “drone farmer’s diary” and “AI pig farming vlog” go viral, racking up countless views. Last year, a video of young Chinese farmer Gao Yinghao arriving at his own wedding in a combine harvester caused a wave of admiration online.

    Wang Shumin, Wang Huan’s father and head of a local agricultural cooperative, said three of his son’s classmates, inspired by his example, joined the cooperative this year and quickly learned to operate various types of farm machinery.

    “They learn quickly, are genuinely passionate about farming and aren’t afraid of hard work,” he said. “Their results have exceeded my expectations.” -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: US Tightens Policy on Cuba

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    HOUSTON, July 1 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed a memorandum to tighten policies toward Cuba, including restrictions on some financial transactions and travel.

    According to a White House fact sheet, the memo prohibits tourist travel by U.S. citizens to Cuba, requires mandatory records of all travel-related transactions for at least five years and regular compliance audits.

    The Trump administration seeks to end economic practices that disproportionately benefit the Cuban government, military, intelligence, and security services.

    The memorandum prohibits direct or indirect financial transactions with entities controlled by the Cuban military, such as Grupo de Administracion Empresarial SA /GAESA/ and its subsidiaries. A growing number of Cubans and entities are now prohibited from doing business with Americans as the decades-long U.S. economic embargo intensifies.

    D. Trump has always taken a tough stance on Cuba. On the first day of his second term, he returned the island nation to the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, reversing the decision of his predecessor, Joseph Biden.

    In the final days of his first presidential term in 2021, D. Trump called Cuba a “state sponsor of terrorism.”

    Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla called the memorandum “criminal behavior that violates the human rights of the entire nation.”

    “The presidential memorandum against Cuba, released today by the US government, intensifies the aggression and economic blockade that punishes the entire Cuban people and is the main obstacle to our development,” Minister X wrote on social media. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Six killed, several injured in Indian factory blast

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    NEW DELHI, July 1 (Xinhua) — At least six people, including two women, were killed and several others injured in a powerful blast at a fireworks factory in India’s southern Tamil Nadu state, local police said by telephone.

    The blast, which led to a massive fire, took place at a factory in a village in Virudunagar district. Bodies of six people have been recovered so far and the injured have been admitted to a local hospital.

    The rescue operation is ongoing. The cause of the explosion is being investigated. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Europe: The EBA publishes its final Guidelines on Acquisition, Development and Construction exposures to residential property under the standardised approach of credit risk

    Source: European Banking Authority

    The European Banking Authority (EBA) today published its final Guidelines on the treatment of Acquisition, Development and Construction (ADC) exposures to residential property under the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR). The Guidelines specify the conditions under which institutions may apply a risk weight of 100% instead of 150% to ADC exposures that meet defined credit risk-mitigating requirements. These Guidelines form part of the first phase of the EBA’s roadmap on credit risk implementation of the EU Banking Package. The Guidelines follow a public consultation launched in May 2024 and take into account stakeholder feedback as well as data collected through the related 2024 Quantitative Impact Study (QIS).

    The Guidelines specify further the two conditions introduced in the CRR for ADC exposures to residential property to benefit from a risk weight of 100% instead of 150%:

    • Condition 1: a significant portion (at least 50%) of total contracts are either:
      • pre-sale contracts with a cash deposit equal to or above 10% of the sale price, or
      • pre-lease contracts with a cash deposit equal to or above three times the monthly lease rate, or
      • sale and lease contracts.
    • Condition 2: the obligor has substantial equity at risk, i.e. obligor-contributed equity amounting to at least 25% of the residential property’s value upon completion.

    While the first condition remains unchanged compared to the consultation, the second condition has been revised, lowering the equity threshold from 35% to 25% in response to industry feedback and leveraging on QIS data.

    In addition, the Guidelines now offer more flexibility for public housing projects, allowing them to meet the first condition if applicant demand exceeds unit supply, even at municipality level. Furthermore, the equity requirement for public housing has been reduced to 20%, and the scope of eligible equity broadened to include committed subsidies, grants, and preferential junior loans. These changes aim to better reflect the specific characteristics of public housing while maintaining a prudential approach.

    Legal basis and background

    The draft Guidelines have been developed according to Article 126a(3) of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR), as amended by the CRR3. 

    MIL OSI Europe News

  • MIL-OSI Security: NATO to participate at World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan

    Source: NATO

    From 1 to 12 August, NATO will participate in the 2025 edition of the World Expo in Japan. Taking place in Osaka, Kansai, the theme for this year’s Expo is “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”, with the sub-themes of “Saving Lives”, “Empowering Lives” and “Connecting Lives”. This landmark event is expected to welcome over 28 million visitors, making it one of the largest global gatherings after the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games.

    With a long tradition dating back to 1851, World Expos (also known as World’s Fairs) are grand international exhibitions where countries unite to showcase their cultures, technologies and innovations, fostering global cooperation and exchanging new ideas. Since 2000, they have taken place once every five years.

    Osaka’s Expo is taking place over several months, from 13 April to 13 October. The “NATO Days” will take place in August aligning appropriately with the “Peace, Human Security and Dignity Week.” Although NATO is not an official Expo participant, it will collaborate closely with NATO member countries hosting pavilions at the event — a partnership facilitated by the Mission of Japan to NATO and coordinated through Norway and Romania, NATO’s Contact Point Embassies for Japan.

    This collaboration is a prime example of NATO’s broad framework of partnership with Japan. Since the early 1990s, NATO and Japan have been working together on a range of global security challenges, enhancing political dialogue and practical cooperation, and upholding and strengthening the rules-based international order. This complements the firm relationships between NATO and its other partners in the Indo-Pacific region: Australia, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand.

    NATO’s engagement activities during the “Peace, Security and Dignity Week” will emphasise the importance of multilateralism and cooperative security in addressing today’s complex challenges, including cyber security, hybrid threats, information threats, the Women, Peace and Security agenda, emerging technologies, and industrial cooperation. The events will also showcase NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Programme, promoting joint scientific research, technological innovation and knowledge exchange.

    Like many other countries and organisations who will be represented in Osaka by mascots, NATO will be travelling to Japan with a new version of its long-term unofficial mascot, the NATO Hedgehog. Hedgehogs are peaceful animals, but formidable and resilient when attacked, making them the perfect representation of NATO’s role as a defensive alliance.

    The provisional agenda for NATO’s participation at the Expo can be found below. Sign-up links for events requiring registration will be shared in late July. Any questions may be addressed to Dr Pietro De Matteis, Programme Officer for the Indo-Pacific.

    1 August

    • Romanian Pavilion: Opening of the “Home Beyond the Dawn: Contemporary Art Exhibit”. This exhibition features works by Ukrainian artists and is organised by the European Union in collaboration with Romania. The exhibition will be open until 12 August.

    5 August – Ukrainian National Day at Expo 2025

    • Romanian Pavilion: 15:30–16:30 – Panel discussion with Ukrainian artists of the “Home Beyond the Dawn: Contemporary Art Exhibit” on the topic: “Art as an instrument for resistance and solidarity in times of war”.
       
    • Belgian Pavilion:
      • 17:00–18:00 (provisional) – Panel discussion on “Women (artists) at war” to contribute to the celebration of Ukraine National Day at World Expo Osaka celebrated on 5 August.
      • 20:00–21:00 (provisional) Cultural event with Ukrainian DJ Reset at the Belgian Pavilion organised by the European Union in collaboration with the Belgian Pavilion and Ukraine.
         
    • Expo Guest House:19:00–20:30 – Official Reception linked to the Ukraine National Day at Expo Guest House (by invitation only).

    7 August

    • Nordic Pavilion: 10:00–13:30 NATO Conference Day 1: “NATO’s Contribution to Preserving Peace & Stability” at the shared pavilion of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The conference will provide an opportunity to discuss NATO’s engagement and its commitment to peace, security and international cooperation with representatives from the diplomatic community, international organisations, academia, think-tanks and youth.
       
    • Nordic Pavilion: 19:00–21:00 (provisional) – Networking Reception

    8 August

    • Nordic Pavilion: 10:00–13:30 –NATO Conference Day 2 – Continuation of the conference “NATO’s Contribution to Preserving Peace & Stability”
       
    • Nordic Pavilion: 14:30–16:30 (provisional) – “Youth for peace & security”. Activities involving young people from Japan and NATO member countries in partnership with Japanese universities.
       
    • Czech Pavilion: 13:00–18:00 –NATO Industry Day: Designing Future Security for Our Lives”. This event will present NATO’s approach to industrial cooperation and foster connections with businesses, startups and young entrepreneurs from NATO member and partner countries.
       
    • Czech Pavilion: 19:00–21:00 – NATO Days Closing reception: A Spectacle of Air and Water show

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Security: NATO to participate at World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan

    Source: NATO

    From 1 to 12 August, NATO will participate in the 2025 edition of the World Expo in Japan. Taking place in Osaka, Kansai, the theme for this year’s Expo is “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”, with the sub-themes of “Saving Lives”, “Empowering Lives” and “Connecting Lives”. This landmark event is expected to welcome over 28 million visitors, making it one of the largest global gatherings after the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games.

    With a long tradition dating back to 1851, World Expos (also known as World’s Fairs) are grand international exhibitions where countries unite to showcase their cultures, technologies and innovations, fostering global cooperation and exchanging new ideas. Since 2000, they have taken place once every five years.

    Osaka’s Expo is taking place over several months, from 13 April to 13 October. The “NATO Days” will take place in August aligning appropriately with the “Peace, Human Security and Dignity Week.” Although NATO is not an official Expo participant, it will collaborate closely with NATO member countries hosting pavilions at the event — a partnership facilitated by the Mission of Japan to NATO and coordinated through Norway and Romania, NATO’s Contact Point Embassies for Japan.

    This collaboration is a prime example of NATO’s broad framework of partnership with Japan. Since the early 1990s, NATO and Japan have been working together on a range of global security challenges, enhancing political dialogue and practical cooperation, and upholding and strengthening the rules-based international order. This complements the firm relationships between NATO and its other partners in the Indo-Pacific region: Australia, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand.

    NATO’s engagement activities during the “Peace, Security and Dignity Week” will emphasise the importance of multilateralism and cooperative security in addressing today’s complex challenges, including cyber security, hybrid threats, information threats, the Women, Peace and Security agenda, emerging technologies, and industrial cooperation. The events will also showcase NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Programme, promoting joint scientific research, technological innovation and knowledge exchange.

    Like many other countries and organisations who will be represented in Osaka by mascots, NATO will be travelling to Japan with a new version of its long-term unofficial mascot, the NATO Hedgehog. Hedgehogs are peaceful animals, but formidable and resilient when attacked, making them the perfect representation of NATO’s role as a defensive alliance.

    The provisional agenda for NATO’s participation at the Expo can be found below. Sign-up links for events requiring registration will be shared in late July. Any questions may be addressed to Dr Pietro De Matteis, Programme Officer for the Indo-Pacific.

    1 August

    • Romanian Pavilion: Opening of the “Home Beyond the Dawn: Contemporary Art Exhibit”. This exhibition features works by Ukrainian artists and is organised by the European Union in collaboration with Romania. The exhibition will be open until 12 August.

    5 August – Ukrainian National Day at Expo 2025

    • Romanian Pavilion: 15:30–16:30 – Panel discussion with Ukrainian artists of the “Home Beyond the Dawn: Contemporary Art Exhibit” on the topic: “Art as an instrument for resistance and solidarity in times of war”.
       
    • Belgian Pavilion:
      • 17:00–18:00 (provisional) – Panel discussion on “Women (artists) at war” to contribute to the celebration of Ukraine National Day at World Expo Osaka celebrated on 5 August.
      • 20:00–21:00 (provisional) Cultural event with Ukrainian DJ Reset at the Belgian Pavilion organised by the European Union in collaboration with the Belgian Pavilion and Ukraine.
         
    • Expo Guest House:19:00–20:30 – Official Reception linked to the Ukraine National Day at Expo Guest House (by invitation only).

    7 August

    • Nordic Pavilion: 10:00–13:30 NATO Conference Day 1: “NATO’s Contribution to Preserving Peace & Stability” at the shared pavilion of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The conference will provide an opportunity to discuss NATO’s engagement and its commitment to peace, security and international cooperation with representatives from the diplomatic community, international organisations, academia, think-tanks and youth.
       
    • Nordic Pavilion: 19:00–21:00 (provisional) – Networking Reception

    8 August

    • Nordic Pavilion: 10:00–13:30 –NATO Conference Day 2 – Continuation of the conference “NATO’s Contribution to Preserving Peace & Stability”
       
    • Nordic Pavilion: 14:30–16:30 (provisional) – “Youth for peace & security”. Activities involving young people from Japan and NATO member countries in partnership with Japanese universities.
       
    • Czech Pavilion: 13:00–18:00 –NATO Industry Day: Designing Future Security for Our Lives”. This event will present NATO’s approach to industrial cooperation and foster connections with businesses, startups and young entrepreneurs from NATO member and partner countries.
       
    • Czech Pavilion: 19:00–21:00 – NATO Days Closing reception: A Spectacle of Air and Water show

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Lamola highlights investment challenges at international financing development conference

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Lamola highlights investment challenges at international financing development conference

    International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Ronald Lamola, has underscored the persistent difficulties that hinder private investment, underscoring political and regulatory volatility as matters of primary concern. 

    “Frequent policy shifts, coupled with weak institutions and inconsistent regulatory frameworks, create a climate of uncertainty that undermines investor confidence. This unpredictability hampers long-term planning and complicates risk assessments,” he said on Monday. 

    The Minister was speaking at the 4th International Conference on the Financing for Development Summit, which is taking place in Seville, Spain. The gathering kicked off on Monday. 

    Lamola, the head of the South African delegation, delivered a speech at a multi-stakeholder roundtable themed: “Revitalising International Development Cooperation”.

    The event aims to address new and emerging issues in development financing, emphasising the need to fully implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    Lamola called for a unified approach to building institutional capacity, coherence in policy, and independent regulatory bodies. 

    “We need robust investment protection laws to foster investor confidence. Without these safeguards, we are undermining our own potential for growth.”

    The Minister further elaborated on macroeconomic fragility, emphasising that high inflation, currency instability, and unsustainable debt burdens restrict governments’ abilities to provide incentives for investment. 

    To restore stability, he said leaders must adopt prudent fiscal and monetary policies. 

    Lamola believes that improving debt management and collaborating with development finance institutions can create an environment where private investment flourishes.

    Pointing out the limitations posed by underdeveloped financial markets, Lamola highlighted the necessity of expanding local capital markets. 

    “Governments must prioritise regulatory reforms and infrastructure improvements to unlock the potential of our economies. 

    “Supporting fintech innovation and promoting financial inclusion are pivotal in creating a more accessible financing landscape.”

    Building capacity to attract investment

    The Minister also addressed the significant infrastructure gaps that plague many developing nations, which further deter investment. 

    “Inadequate transport and energy infrastructure increase operational costs and evaporate profitability. 

    “We need strategic infrastructure planning, informed by private sector insights, to mobilise the capital necessary for development.”

    He noted that many initiatives falter due to weak design and a lack of feasibility assessments. 

    “We must invest in building technical capacity within the public sector. Establishing dedicated project preparation facilities will significantly increase the attractiveness of investment opportunities,” he urged.  

    To level the playing field for investors, Lamola stressed the importance of improving governance and regulatory certainty. 

    “Simplifying investment-related regulations and reducing bureaucratic hurdles can greatly enhance investor confidence.  

    “We must create an environment where potential investors feel secure in their commitments.”

    The Minister also stressed the importance of developing national sustainable finance strategies to align financial flows with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. 

    “We must define what constitutes a sustainable investment. Robust taxonomies and disclosure standards can enhance transparency and credibility in the market.”

    He also highlighted the crucial role of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) in fostering a conducive investment environment. 

    “MDBs can offer credit enhancements, support project preparation, and co-finance investments alongside private capital.  

    “Their involvement can significantly increase the viability of projects in emerging markets.”

    The Minister expressed optimism about the potential for collaboration in driving sustainable development through private investment. 

    “Together, we can create a future where every dollar invested unlocks new opportunities, tackles pressing challenges, and builds a more sustainable world.” 

    The event highlighted a collective commitment from governments, private sector representatives, and development institutions to work together to revitalise international development cooperation and attract the much-needed private investment that can empower developing nations in their growth journey. – SAnews.gov.za

    Gabisile

    MIL OSI Africa

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: New special tribunal for Ukraine will pave the way for holding Russian leaders to account for the invasion

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Andrew Forde, Assistant Professor – European Human Rights Law, Dublin City University

    A special tribunal has been established by the international human rights organisation the Council of Europe (CoE) and the Ukrainian government to try crimes of aggression against Ukraine which could be used to hold Vladimir Putin and others to account for the February 2022 invasion and war crimes committed since.

    The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, signed an agreement with CoE secretary general, Alain Berset, on June 25, setting up the special tribunal. Subject to it securing the necessary political backing and budget the tribunal will be established within the framework of the CoE (which is not part of the European Union.

    Work on the first phase of the court could progress in 2026. In his speech to the Council of Europe parliamentary assembly in Strasbourg, Zelensky was cautious in his optimism but stressed that the agreement was “just the beginning”.

    “It will take strong political and legal cooperation to make sure every Russian war criminal faces justice – including Putin,” he said. He knows, through years of hard experience as he travelled the world seeking help from Ukraine’s allies, that political support can be fleeting.

    A new Nuremberg?

    Inspired by ad hoc courts established after major conflicts such as the Nuremberg tribunal after the second world war or, more recently the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
    in the 1990s, the Ukraine has been established with the aim of holding to account the perpetrators of the first full-scale armed conflict in Europe in the 21st century.

    The prohibition against the crime of aggression is a basic principle of international law, and a key part of the UN charter.

    In principle, the crime of aggression should be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court (ICC). But as Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute which underpins the court, that option was ruled out. Similarly, Russia’s veto on the UN security council meant that it would be impossible in practice to practically set up a court under the mandate of the UN – as the ICTY was in 1993.

    The Ukraine special tribunal, which was developed by a Core Group, made up of states plus the EU and the Council of Europe, seeks to fill an obvious accountability gap. If the illegal invasion is left unpunished, it would set a dangerous precedent.

    Such impunity would embolden Russia and inspire others with revanchist ambitions, undermining an already shaky international order. The US, which was instrumental in setting up the Core Group under the presidency of Joe Biden, withdrew in March 2025 when Donald Trump took office.

    The statute of the special tribunal sets out that the court will be based on Ukrainian law and will have a strong link to the country’s legal system. Ukraine’s prosecutor-general will play a key role in the proceedings, referring evidence for further investigation by the tribunal. But it will be internationally funded with international judges and prosecutors, and strong cooperation with the International Criminal Court. It is likely to be based in the Hague – although this has yet to be confirmed.

    The need for accountability for the illegal invasion of Ukraine was stressed in a resolution of the UN general assembly in February 2023 as the war headed into its second year. The resolution, which calls for “appropriate, fair and independent investigations and prosecutions at the national or international level” to “ensure justice for all victims and the prevention of future crimes” was approved by an overwhelming majority of 141 states. Any country in the world can join this core group to support its establishment.

    Holding leaders accountable

    Unlike previous international courts, the caseload is likely to be extremely narrow. There are likely to be dozens of charges rather than hundreds or thousands, which is perhaps reassuring in terms of managing costs.

    The tribunal will focus on those “most responsible” including the so-called “troika”: the president Vladimir Putin, prime minister Mikhail Mishustin and the minister for foreign affairs Sergey Lavrov. Charges may also be levelled against the leadership of Belarus and North Korea for their role in aiding, abetting and actively participating in the war of aggression. But don’t expect Kim Jong-un or Alexander Lukashenko in the dock anytime soon.

    The Court has opted for a novel approach to a longstanding customary rule by noting that heads of state are not functionally immune from prosecution. But it adds that indictments won’t be confirmed until such time as the suspect is no longer in office.

    Trials can take place in absentia if the accused fails to attend and all reasonable steps taken to apprehend them have failed. But, like the ICC, the court will still rely on states to apprehend and physically transfer indicted individuals in due course. This will inevitably limit the chances of seeing any of the key individuals actually in a court, something that has also dogged the ICC.

    The fact that a tribunal has now been set up is a major development in international criminal justice. But it is now in a sort of purgatory, existing and not existing at the same time. To become operational, another treaty known as an enlarged partial agreement must be signed by interested states. This will have to be ratified by many national parliaments, depending on their constitutions. This process could take years.

    But simply by creating the framework for the tribunal, the Council of Europe has demonstrated its commitment to ensuring accountability. In a further development, the European Court of Human Rights delivers its long-awaited judgment in the case of Ukraine and the Netherlands v Russia on July 9.

    This concerns “complaints about the conflict in eastern Ukraine involving pro-Russian separatists which began in 2014, including the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, and the Russian military operations in Ukraine since 2022”. The judgement will add further momentum to these accountability efforts.

    Symbolic as it may seem, this week’s agreement creates a real opportunity for the international community to send a message that impunity for international aggression is intolerable – not just for the victims, but for all who believe in the rule of law.

    Andrew Forde is affiliated with Dublin City University (Assistant Professor, European Human Rights Law). He is also, separately, affiliated with the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Commissioner).

    ref. New special tribunal for Ukraine will pave the way for holding Russian leaders to account for the invasion – https://theconversation.com/new-special-tribunal-for-ukraine-will-pave-the-way-for-holding-russian-leaders-to-account-for-the-invasion-260022

    MIL OSI Analysis

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Class and masculinity are connected – when industry changes, so does what it means to ‘be a man’

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sophie Lively, PhD Candidate in Human Geography, Newcastle University

    Tero Vesalainen/Shutterstock

    On July 3, I’ll be discussing Youth, Masculinity and the Political Divide at an event with The Conversation and Cumberland Lodge at Newcastle University (get your tickets here).

    Young people involved in the panel have brought up class and the decline of industry as topics for discussion. This is particularly fitting, given my ongoing PhD research exploring masculinity and the contemporary lives of working-class men in Tyneside.

    Tyneside is an area in north-east England which was once a major centre of Britain’s Industrial Revolution. Its coal mining, shipbuilding and heavy engineering industries were seen as the backbone of the region, upheld by a large industrial skilled working class.

    As with many northern towns, widespread deindustrialisation, predominantly around the 1970s and 1980s, dramatically changed the area. At its peak, Swan Hunter – a globally recognised shipyard and significant employer in Wallsend (North Tyneside) and the surrounding area – employed up to 12,000 people. By 2005, the year before its closure, only 357 direct workers were employed.

    The process of deindustrialisation affected not just the type of work that was done, but how men in the region saw themselves. As I am currently researching, the effects of this ring true today.



    Boys and girls are together facing an uncertain world. But research shows they are diverging when it comes to attitudes about masculinity, feminism and gender equality.

    Social media, politics, and identity all play a role. But what’s really going on with boys and girls? Join The Conversation UK and Cumberland Lodge’s Youth and Democracy project at Newcastle University for a discussion of these issues with young people and academic experts. Tickets available here.


    Like other regions in Britain, Tyneside shifted from mostly masculine manual labour to a largely “feminised” service sector. Informal work, subcontracting and part-time work proliferated while rates of trade unionism declined.

    Changes in industry and understandings of social class have a surprising amount to do with how we think about masculinity. Paul Willis’ 1977 seminal study Learning to Labour explores how the links between social class and masculinity are forged early in life.

    Our ideas about masculinity are produced, reinforced and upheld through institutions such as schools, the workplace and media. There is no singular “form” of masculinity – men perform it in many different ways. There is, however, hegemonic masculinity. This is the most dominant form of masculinity in a society at any given time, valued above other forms of gender identities that do not match up to the dominant ideal.

    “Traditional” views of masculinity were particularly prevalent during the height of industry in the area. These views centred around ideas of men as providers and ideas of toughness. Value was placed on a willingness (or need) to do physical and often hazardous labour.

    The demise of “masculine” labour in areas such as Tyneside disrupted not only economic stability but also male identity and pride. As broader socioeconomic shifts unfolded across England, many working class men found themselves outside of those traditional masculine ideals around labour.

    This has been well documented, particularly in ethnographic work such as Anoop Nayak’s 2006 study Displaced Masculinities. This key text explored how working-class boys navigate “what it is to be a ‘man’ beyond the world of industrial paid employment”.

    Class and identity in a changing world

    Early findings from my research suggest that today, class (and working-class identity) is not as salient in mens’ everyday lives. Participants in my study have spoken about class, but it does not overtly feature in how they make sense of their identities. As one man put it: “Class means you have to use yourself to earn money. Your labour, that’s what I understand by it, but I’ve never thought about class much.”

    The quayside in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
    Philip Mowbray/Shutterstock

    What happens to men when an area’s strong working-class identity declines, but there is no narrative to replace it? There is a risk that harmful ideas about masculinity step in to fill a gap left by declining industry and continued economic inequality. We have seen this in extensive research in the US about masculinity, class and the appeal of the far right.

    This is why class must be part of the discussion around the rise of the “manosphere” – online communities and influencers sharing content about masculinity that can veer into misogyny. Class politics also presents a positive and unifying alternative.

    It is imperative that working-class areas and the people within them aren’t portrayed as somehow inherently susceptible to, or represented by, the narratives of the manosphere. Indeed, the men I have spoken to have not been particularly pulled in by the manosphere. However they do recognise the feeling of being overlooked and not measuring up to idealised “standards” about masculinity.

    The “manosphere” preys on this, tapping into boys’ and young men’s fears around masculinity and their (perceived) social status. Narrow portrayals of what success looks like puts immense pressure on young people to live up to unattainable standards.

    As I have written before, mansophere content often relies on messages around hyper-individualism that ignore the broader effects of class, the economy and political views.

    Manosphere messaging that “most men are invisible” and that the system is now “rigged against men” fits neatly with young boys’ and men’s anxieties about not having the same place or opportunities in society that previous generations of men might have had.

    Without honest discussion about working-class communities and the effects of deindustrialisation on identity, this messaging may become alluring in postindustrial towns.

    Sophie Lively receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council as part of the Northern Ireland and North East Doctoral Training Partnership.

    ref. Class and masculinity are connected – when industry changes, so does what it means to ‘be a man’ – https://theconversation.com/class-and-masculinity-are-connected-when-industry-changes-so-does-what-it-means-to-be-a-man-258857

    MIL OSI Analysis

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Holiday Activity programme sets out summer of fun for Manchester’s kids

    Source: City of Manchester

    A range of free holiday activities are on offer for eligible families this summer.

    Through the Holiday Activity and Food programme (HAF) there is a huge number of things to help keep the kids active during the summer break.

    From arts and crafts, sporting events and other physical activities there is a host of entertaining things to do, making sure no one gets bored over the holidays.

    Funded through the Department for Education, HAF’s goal is to ensure that some of the most vulnerable children and young people in Manchester – aged between 5-16 years old – get the support they need when the school term is over.

    The HAF is primarily for families whose children are in receipt of free school meals – but eligibility can be checked via the MCRactive website.

    During the previous financial year via the HAF, Manchester City Council has supported 29,224 children in accessing 3,971 holiday sessions. Additional support is also on offer for children with special educational needs as well as children in care and young carers.

    A free and nutritious meal is also provided as part of this programme ensuring that no child has to endure holiday hunger.

    A range of families will be eligible for HAF – details of which can be found by visiting the MCRactive website here – mcractive.com/haf – where you can register for free.

    The Council knows that the HAF can make a huge difference for the families who take part. 98% of the children who take part say they came home having met a new friend, and parents have provided feedback telling us that their child comes home feeling more engaged and less likely to spend time using electronic equipment.

    On top of the HAF programme parents and families can find an extensive range of other free or low-cost activities that are taking place in Manchester this summer by visiting our Loads to Do website. They can enjoy great events like Parktastic, a new series of free, drop-in play sessions run by the council and its youth delivery partners taking place at parks all over the city.

    There is also a range of support available for anyone in Manchester who has been struggling due to the cost-of-living crisis, with a free advice line operating to anyone in need of additional help. Details can be found here.

    Councillor Julie Reid, Executive Member for Early Years, Children and Young People said: “We know the holidays can be a real pinch point for families which is why schemes such as the HAF programme are so important.

    “Providing free activities can be a real boost for children of all ages throughout the holidays, allowing them to meet new friends and try out new things – both hugely significant in terms of their personal wellbeing and mental health.

    “A huge amount of work has taken place in recent years to address the inequality around early years development and we’re proud to be able to have schemes in place that will help us achieve this aim.

    “There are a lot of great events that will be running over the summer holidays with a free meal or snack included, so if you have not already been contacted to take part I’d urge families to have a look at our Loads to Do website and see what they think their child would enjoy over the break.”


    Manchester as a Child Friendly City

    Manchester is determined to make the city the very best place for children and young people to grow up in. A place where children’s rights are understood, respected and actioned in the everyday life of the city and in decision making. A place also where children and young people are given a voice and where their ideas and opinions matter.

    In 2023 it therefore set itself the target of becoming a UNICEF recognised Child Friendly City.

    The city’s bid to be recognised by UNICEF as a Child Friendly City will see the council and local partners putting children’s rights into practice over a time frame of three to five years, as they work together towards the shared goal.

    As part of this the council, in consultation with children and young people, has had to identify areas of particular focus – known as ‘badges’ – that it must work towards before it can be recognised as a UNICEF Child Friendly City.

    The top three badges identified by Manchester’s children and young people for the city to focus on are: Safe and Secure, Place, and Healthy. In addition to these the city must also focus on a further three core badges – Culture, Co-operation and leadership, and Communication – and has also set itself the extra challenge of including a seventh badge, Equal and Included, as a cross-cutting golden thread through all its work in each of the different badge areas.

    With over 200 languages spoken in Manchester and as the only city outside London to have residents in each of the 90 listed ethnic groups in the census, city leaders agreed that the Equal and Included priority should as a necessity underpin all of the work undertaken towards becoming a Child-Friendly City.

    For more information visit childfriendlymanchester.co.uk

    Making Manchester Fairer

    Making Manchester Fairer is a five-year action plan initiated by the Manchester City Council aimed at addressing health inequalities and improving fairness in the city. The plan focuses on eight key themes:

    1. Early years, children, and young people
    2. Poverty, income, and debt
    3. Work and employment
    4. Prevention of ill health and preventable death
    5. Homes and housing
    6. Places, transport, and climate change
    7. Tackling systemic and structural racism and discrimination
    8. Communities and power

    This initiative is part of a broader Anti-Poverty Strategy that seeks to produce evidence-based recommendations to tackle poverty and its consequences.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Travel company to take over running of Park and Ride

    Source: City of Leicester

    LEICESTER’S three Park and Ride services are to be run by local company and current bus provider Roberts Travel Group, after it made a successful bid to the city and county councils to take on the full operation of the service.

    Roberts will take over the services, which operate from Birstall, Enderby and Meynell’s Gorse, from August 24 this year. The company will take on the revenue risk for the service and have control over the timetables and fares. The city and county councils will continue to fund the park and ride operation, but will reduce their subsidy by half, from £422,000 a year to £211,000.

    Under the three-year contract to operate, buses must continue to run at least every 15 minutes from Monday to Saturday, from 7am to 7pm.

    Roberts plans to introduce more stops along all three routes, introducing popular locations like Freemans Common, Redhill Circle and Braunstone Leisure Centre.

    Fares will increase for the first time in five years, but will remain lower than other commercial bus operators and city centre parking charges. A day return ticket will cost £4.85 and a group day ticket for up to five people will cost £6. Concessionary fares will be reduced from £1 to become free.

    Cllr Geoff Whittle, Leicester’s asst city mayor for environment and transport said: “After a thorough procurement process I’m pleased that Roberts Travel Group will be taking over the running of these important services.

    “Like all councils we are having to make some very difficult decisions around funding, and this contractual arrangement means we can reduce our subsidy to the park and ride service, while ensuring it continues to operate.

    “I know that the service from Enderby which stops at the Leicester Royal Infirmary is particularly well used by both staff and patients, with no other bus service on offer on that route

    “Roberts will be introducing more stops along all of the routes, and there are plans to better link in with our Hop! Service and the Hospital Hopper in the future, which will bring strong benefits to city residents.”

    The new timetables and fare changes will be introduced from 26 August this year.

    Alex Niemczyk, Managing Director of Roberts Travel Group said: “We are proud to have been awarded the contract to operate Leicester’s Park and Ride services.

    “As a local operator with a long-standing commitment to the community, we’re excited to take full responsibility for delivering a reliable, affordable, modern Park and Ride service from Birstall, Enderby and Meynell’s Gorse.

    “We look forward to welcoming passengers aboard and delivering a Park and Ride service Leicester can be proud of.”

    More detail is available on Roberts’ website  

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s remarks at the opening of the 4th Financing for Development Conference [trilingual, as delivered; scroll down for all-English and all-Spanish and all-French]

    Source: United Nations

    Majestades,

    Excelencias, señoras y señores:

    Agradezco al Gobierno y al pueblo de España por su cálida acogida en Sevilla para esta importante conferencia.

    Durante décadas, la misión del desarrollo sostenible ha unido a países grandes y pequeños, desarrollados y en desarrollo.

    Juntos, hemos logrado avances.

    Reduciendo la pobreza y el hambre en el mundo.
     
    Salvando vidas con sistemas sanitarios más sólidos.
     
    Llevando más niños a la escuela.
     
    Ampliando las oportunidades para mujeres y niñas.
     
    Y fortaleciendo las redes de seguridad social.
     
    Pero hoy, el desarrollo y su gran impulsor – la cooperación internacional –enfrentan fortísimos vientos en contra.
     
    Vivimos en un mundo donde la confianza se está desmoronando y el multilateralismo está bajo tensión.
     
    Un mundo con una economía en desaceleración, tensiones comerciales crecientes y presupuestos de ayuda diezmados.
     
    Un mundo sacudido por desigualdades, caos climático y conflictos devastadores.
     
    El vínculo entre paz y desarrollo es evidente.
     
    Nueve de los diez países con los Indicadores de Desarrollo Humano más bajos se encuentran actualmente en situación de conflicto.
     
    Excelencias,
     
    La financiación es el motor del desarrollo.
     
    Y, ahora mismo, ese motor se está ahogando.
     
    Mientras nos reunimos, la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible – nuestra promesa global de transformar nuestro mundo para lograr un futuro mejor y más justo – está en peligro.
     
    Dos tercios de las metas de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible están rezagadas.
     
    Alcanzarlos requiere una inversión de más de 4 billones de dólares al año.
     
    Pero no se trata sólo de una crisis de cifras.
     
    Es una crisis de personas.
     
    De familias que pasan hambre.
     
    De niños que no reciben vacunas.
     
    De niñas obligadas a abandonar la escuela.
     
    Estamos aquí en Sevilla para cambiar el rumbo.
     
    Para reparar y poner en marcha el motor del desarrollo y acelerar la inversión a la escala y velocidad necesarias.
     
    Y restaurar equidad y justicia – para todas y todos.
     
    Excellencies,
     
    The Sevilla Commitment is a global promise to fix how the world supports countries as they climb the development ladder.
     
    I see three areas of action.
     
    First — we must get resources flowing. Fast.  
     
    Countries must lead by mobilizing domestic resources and investing in areas of greatest impact: schools, health care, social protection, decent work, and renewable energy.
     
    Unlocking these investments requires strengthening tax systems, and tackling illicit financial flows and tax evasion.
     
    And helping developing countries dedicate a greater share of their tax revenues to the systems people need.
     
    The Sevilla Commitment’s call on developed countries to double their aid dedicated to domestic resource mobilization to support this.
     
    Multilateral and national development banks must unite to finance major investments. 
     
    This includes tripling the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks — and rechanneling Special Drawing Rights that can unlock lending capacity and help developing countries boost investment.
     
    We also need innovative funding solutions to unlock private capital.
     
    Solutions that mitigate currency risks;
     
    That combine public and private finance more effectively, and ensure the risks and rewards of development projects are shared by both the public and the private sectors; 
     
    And that ensure financial regulations assess risk appropriately and support investments in frontier markets.
     
    Second — we must fix the global debt system which is unsustainable, unfair and unaffordable.
     
    With annual debt service at $1.4 trillion, countries need — and deserve — a system that lowers borrowing costs, enables fair and timely debt-restructuring, and prevents debt crises in the first place.
     
    The Sevilla Commitment lays the groundwork:  
     
    With other aspects, by also creating a single debt registry for transparency, and promoting responsible lending and borrowing;
     
    By lowering the cost of capital through debt swaps and debt management support;
     
    And through debt service pauses in times of emergency.    
     
    And third — we must increase the participation of developing countries in the institutions of the global financial architecture. The present major shareholders have a role to play recognizing the importance of correcting injustices and adapting to a changing world. 

    A new borrowers forum will give voice to borrowers for fairer debt resolution and to foster transparency, shared learning and coordinated debt action.
     
    And we need a fairer global tax system shaped by all, not just by a few.
     
    Excellences, Mesdames et Messieurs,
     
    Cette conférence n’est pas une affaire de charité.
     
    Il s’agit de rétablir la justice – et de permettre à chacun de vivre dans la dignité.
     
    Cette conférence n’est pas une affaire d’argent.
     
    Il s’agit d’investir dans l’avenir que nous voulons construire – ensemble.
     
    Merci – à toutes et à tous – de participer à cet effort essentiel et ambitieux.
     

    ****

    DECLARACIONES DEL SECRETARIO GENERAL
    CON OCASIÓN DE LA INAUGURACIÓN DE LA CUARTA CONFERENCIA SOBRE LA FINANCIACIÓN PARA EL DESARROLLO

    Majestades,

    Excelencias, señoras y señores:

    Agradezco al Gobierno y al pueblo de España por su cálida acogida en Sevilla para esta importante conferencia.

    Durante décadas, la misión del desarrollo sostenible ha unido a países grandes y pequeños, desarrollados y en desarrollo.

    Juntos, hemos logrado avances.

    Reduciendo la pobreza y el hambre en el mundo.

    Salvando vidas con sistemas sanitarios más sólidos.

    Llevando más niños a la escuela.
            
    Ampliando las oportunidades para mujeres y niñas.

    Y fortaleciendo las redes de seguridad social.

    Pero hoy, el desarrollo y su gran impulsor – la cooperación internacional –enfrentan fortísimos vientos en contra.

    Vivimos en un mundo donde la confianza se está desmoronando y el multilateralismo está bajo tensión.

    Un mundo con una economía en desaceleración, tensiones comerciales crecientes y presupuestos de ayuda diezmados.

    Un mundo sacudido por desigualdades, caos climático y conflictos devastadores.

    El vínculo entre paz y desarrollo es evidente.

    Nueve de los diez países con los Indicadores de Desarrollo Humano más bajos se encuentran actualmente en situación de conflicto.

    Excelencias,

    La financiación es el motor del desarrollo.

    Y, ahora mismo, ese motor se está ahogando.

    Mientras nos reunimos, la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible – nuestra promesa global de transformar nuestro mundo para lograr un futuro mejor y más justo – está en peligro.

    Dos tercios de las metas de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible están rezagadas.

    Alcanzarlos requiere una inversión de más de 4 billones de dólares al año.

    Pero no se trata sólo de una crisis de cifras.

    Es una crisis de personas.

    De familias que pasan hambre.

    De niños que no reciben vacunas.

    De niñas obligadas a abandonar la escuela.

    Estamos aquí en Sevilla para cambiar el rumbo.

    Para reparar y poner en marcha el motor del desarrollo y acelerar la inversión a la escala y velocidad necesarias.

    Y restaurar equidad y justicia – para todas y todos.

    Excelencias:

    El documento del Compromiso de Sevilla es una clara promesa global de reparar la forma en que el mundo apoya a los países que suben la escalera del desarrollo.

    Veo tres esferas de acción.

    En primer lugar, tenemos que hacer fluir los recursos. Rápido.

    Los países deben dirigir el proceso movilizando recursos nacionales e invirtiendo en las esferas de mayor impacto: escuelas, atención sanitaria, protección social, trabajo decente y energía renovable.

    Para favorecer estas inversiones es necesario reforzar los sistemas tributarios y combatir los flujos financieros ilícitos y la evasión fiscal.

    Y ayudar a los países en desarrollo a que puedan dedicar una mayor parte de sus ingresos tributarios a los sistemas que necesitan las personas.

    El llamamiento del Compromiso de Sevilla a los países desarrollados para que dupliquen la ayuda dedicada a la movilización de recursos nacionales para servir de apoyo.

    Los bancos multilaterales y nacionales de desarrollo deben unirse para financiar grandes inversiones. 

    Para ello, hay que triplicar la capacidad de préstamo de los bancos multilaterales de desarrollo y reorientar los derechos especiales de giro para aumentar la capacidad de préstamo y ayudar a los países en desarrollo a impulsar la inversión.

    También necesitamos soluciones de financiación innovadora para facilitar el capital privado: 

    Que mitiguen los riesgos cambiarios;

    Que combinen más eficazmente la financiación pública y privada, y garanticen que los riesgos y las recompensas de los proyectos de desarrollo sean compartidos por el sector público y el sector privado; 

    Y que garanticen que la reglamentación financiera evalúa los riesgos adecuadamente y apoya las inversiones en mercados frontera.

    En segundo lugar, debemos reparar el sistema mundial de la deuda, que es insostenible, injusto e inasequible.

    Con un servicio de la deuda que asciende a 1,4 billones de dólares al año, los países necesitan — y merecen — un sistema que abarate el costo del endeudamiento, facilite la reestructuración justa y oportuna de la deuda, y prevenga las crisis de deuda en primer lugar.

    El Compromiso de Sevilla sienta las bases:  

    Con otros factores, creando también un registro único de la deuda en aras de la transparencia, y promoviendo prácticas responsables de préstamo y endeudamiento;

    Reduciendo el costo del capital mediante canjes de deuda y el apoyo a la gestión de la deuda;

    Y suspendiendo el servicio de la deuda en épocas de emergencia.    

    Y en tercer lugar debemos incrementar la participación de los países en desarrollo en las instituciones de la arquitectura financiera global. Los principales accionistas tienen un papel que desempeñar al reconocer la importancia de corregir las injusticias y adaptarse a un mundo cambiante.

    Las partes principales deben apoyar reformas que les den una voz más potente.

    Un foro de prestatarios puede fomentar el aprendizaje común y la acción coordinada en materia de deuda. 

    Un nuevo foro de prestatarios dará voz a los prestatarios para una resolución de la deuda más justa y puede fomentar el aprendizaje compartido y la acción coordinada en materia de deuda.

    Y necesitamos un sistema tributario mundial más justo, conformado por todos, no solo por unos pocos.

    Excelencias, señoras y señores:

    Esta conferencia no trata de caridad.

    Trata de restablecer la justicia y permitir que todos vivan con dignidad.

    Esta conferencia no trata de dinero.

    Trata de invertir en el futuro que queremos construir, juntos.

    Gracias a todos por participar en este importante y ambicioso esfuerzo.
     

    ******

    THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
    REMARKS AT THE OPENING OF THE 4TH FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE

    Your Majesties,

    Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

    I thank the Government and people of Spain for welcoming us to Sevilla for this important conference.

    For decades, the mission of sustainable development has united countries large and small, developed and developing.

    Together, we achieved progress.

    Reducing global poverty and hunger.

    Saving lives with stronger health care systems.

    Getting more children into school.
                                        
    Expanding opportunities for women and girls.

    And strengthening social safety nets.

    But today, development and its great enabler — international cooperation — are facing massive headwinds.

    We are living in a world where trust is fraying and multilateralism is strained.

    A world with a slowing economy, rising trade tensions, and decimated aid budgets.

    A world shaken by inequalities, climate chaos and raging conflicts. 

    The link between peace and development is clear.

    Nine of the ten countries with the lowest Human Development Indicators are currently in a state of conflict. 

    Excellencies,

    Financing is the engine of development.

    And right now, this engine is sputtering.

    As we meet, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — our global promise to transform our world for a better, fairer future — is in danger.

    Two-thirds of the Sustainable Development Goals targets are lagging.

    Achieving them requires an investment of more than $4 trillion a year.

    But this is not just a crisis of numbers. 

    It’s a crisis of people.

    Of families going hungry.

    Of children going unvaccinated.

    Of girls forced to drop out of school.

    We are here in Sevilla to change course.
     
    To repair and rev up the engine of development to accelerate investment at the scale and speed required.

    And to restore a measure of fairness and justice for all.

    Excellencies,

    The Sevilla Commitment document is a global promise to fix how the world supports countries as they climb the development ladder.

    I see three areas of action.

    First — we must get resources flowing. Fast.  

    Countries must lead by mobilizing domestic resources and investing in areas of greatest impact: schools, health care, social protection, decent work, and renewable energy.

    Unlocking these investments requires strengthening tax systems, and tackling illicit financial flows and tax evasion.

    And helping developing countries dedicate a greater share of their tax revenues to the systems people need.

    The Sevilla Commitment’s call on developed countries to double their aid dedicated to domestic resource mobilization to support this. 

    Multilateral and national development banks must unite to finance major investments. 

    This includes tripling the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks — and rechanneling Special Drawing Rights that can unlock lending capacity and help developing countries boost investment.

    We also need innovative funding solutions to unlock private capital.  

    Solutions that mitigate currency risks;

    That combine public and private finance more effectively, and ensure the risks and rewards of development projects are shared by both the public and private sectors; 

    And that ensure financial regulations assess risk appropriately and support investments in frontier markets.

    Second — we must fix the global debt system which is unsustainable, unfair and unaffordable.

    With annual debt service at $1.4 trillion, countries need — and deserve — a system that lowers borrowing costs, enables fair and timely debt-restructuring, and prevents debt crises in the first place.

    The Sevilla Commitment lays the groundwork:  

    With other aspects, by also creating a single debt registry for transparency, and promoting responsible lending and borrowing;

    By lowering the cost of capital through debt swaps and debt management support;

    And through debt service pauses in times of emergency.    

    And third — we must increase the participation of developing countries in the institutions of the global financial architecture. The present major shareholders have a role to play recognizing the importance of correcting injustices and adapting to a changing world. 

    A new borrowers forum will give voice to borrowers for fairer debt resolution and can foster transparency, shared learning and coordinated debt action.

    And we need a fairer global tax system shaped by all, not just a few.

    Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

    This conference is not about charity.

    It’s about restoring justice and lives of dignity.

    This conference is not about money.

    It’s about investing in the future we want to build, together.

    Thank you all for being part of this important and ambitious effort.
     

    *****
    [all-French]

    Je remercie le Gouvernement et le peuple espagnols de nous accueillir à Séville pour cette importante conférence.

    Depuis des décennies, l’aspiration au développement durable est le trait d’union entre tous les pays – grands et petits, développés et en développement.

    Ensemble, nous avons fait des progrès.

    En réduisant la pauvreté et la faim dans le monde.

    En sauvant des vies grâce à des systèmes de santé plus solides.

    En scolarisant plus d’enfants.

    En ouvrant de nouveaux horizons pour les femmes et les filles.

    Et en renforçant les filets de sécurité sociale.

    Aujourd’hui pourtant, le développement et son principal catalyseur – la coopération internationale – sont freinés par de puissants vents contraires.

    Nous vivons dans un monde où la confiance s’effrite et où le multilatéralisme est mis à rude épreuve.

    Un monde où l’économie ralentit, où les tensions commerciales s’accentuent et où les budgets consacrés à l’aide sont amputés.

    Un monde ébranlé par les inégalités, le chaos climatique et la brutalité des conflits.

    Le lien entre la paix et le développement saute aux yeux.

    De fait, neuf des dix pays ayant les indicateurs de développement humain les plus faibles sont actuellement en proie à un conflit.

    Excellences,

    Le financement est le moteur du développement.

    Et pour l’instant, ce moteur tousse.

    À l’heure où nous nous réunissons, le Programme de développement durable à l’horizon 2030 – notre promesse de transformer le monde et de faire advenir un avenir meilleur et plus juste – vacille.

    Deux tiers des cibles associées aux objectifs de développement risquent de ne pas être atteintes.

    Pour y remédier, il faudrait investir plus de 4 000 milliards de dollars par an.

    Mais la crise que nous traversons n’est pas qu’une affaire de chiffres.

    Elle touche aussi les personnes.

    Les familles qui ont faim.

    Les enfants que l’on ne peut pas vacciner.

    Les filles obligées d’abandonner l’école.

    Nous sommes ici à Séville pour changer de cap.

    Pour réparer le moteur du développement et passer la vitesse supérieure afin d’accélérer les investissements à l’échelle et à la vitesse voulues.

    Et pour rétablir un certain degré d’équité et de justice pour toutes et tous.

    Excellences,

    L’Engagement de Séville est une promesse qui cherche à changer la façon dont le monde aide les pays à gravir les échelons du développement.

    Pour moi, il faut agir sur trois fronts.

    Premièrement, nous devons dégager des ressources, sans attendre.

    Les pays doivent prendre les choses en main et mobiliser les ressources nationales pour les injecter dans les domaines qui ont le plus d’impact : l’éducation, la santé, la protection sociale, le travail décent et les énergies renouvelables.

    Pour débloquer ces investissements, il faut renforcer les régimes fiscaux et lutter contre les flux financiers illicites et la fraude fiscale.

    Il faut aider les pays en développement à consacrer une plus grande part de leurs recettes fiscales aux systèmes dont les populations ont besoin.

    À cette fin, un appel est lancé dans l’Engagement de Séville pour que les pays développés multiplient par deux l’aide qu’ils consacrent à la mobilisation des ressources nationales.

    Les banques de développement multilatérales et nationales doivent unir leurs forces pour financer les grands projets d’investissement.

    Il s’agit notamment de tripler la capacité de prêt des banques multilatérales de développement et de réaffecter les droits de tirage spéciaux qui peuvent débloquer la capacité de prêt et aider les pays en développement à stimuler l’investissement.

    Il nous faut, en outre, des modes de financement novateurs pour débloquer les capitaux privés.

    Des solutions qui atténuent les risques de change.

    Des solutions qui combinent plus efficacement les financements publics et privés et garantissent que les risques et les avantages des projets de développement se répartissent entre les secteurs public et privé.

    Des solutions qui garantissent que les réglementations financières évaluent correctement les risques et appuient l’investissement dans les marchés frontières.

    Deuxièmement, nous devons repenser le système mondial de la dette, qui est insoutenable et injuste, et qui coûte trop cher

    Le service de la dette atteint 1 400 milliards de dollars par an ; aussi les pays ont-ils besoin – et méritent-ils – un système qui réduise les coûts d’emprunt, qui facilite une restructuration équitable et rapide de la dette et qui s’attache en premier lieu à prévenir les crises de la dette.

    L’Engagement de Séville prépare le terrain :

    En créant notamment un seul registre de la dette pour plus de transparence et en encourageant les prêts et les emprunts responsables.

    En réduisant le coût du capital grâce à des conversions de dettes et à un soutien à l’administration de la dette.

    Et en suspendant le service de la dette en cas d’urgence.

    Troisièmement, nous devons accroître la participation des pays en développement aux institutions de l’architecture financière mondiale. Les principaux actionnaires actuels ont un rôle à jouer en reconnaissant l’importance de corriger les injustices et de s’adapter à un monde en mutation.

    Une nouvelle tribune permettra aux emprunteurs de défendre un règlement plus équitable de la dette et pourra favoriser la transparence, l’apprentissage en commun et une action coordonnée en matière de dette.

    Enfin, il nous faut un système fiscal mondial plus équitable, pensé par tous et pas seulement par une minorité.

    Excellences, Mesdames et Messieurs,

    Cette conférence n’est pas une affaire de charité.

    Il s’agit de rétablir la justice – et de permettre à chacun de vivre dans la dignité.

    Cette conférence n’est pas une affaire d’argent.

    Il s’agit d’investir dans l’avenir que nous voulons construire – ensemble.

    Merci – à toutes et à tous – de participer à cet effort essentiel et ambitieux.

    MIL OSI United Nations News

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Haiti on the brink: Gangs fill power vacuum as current solutions fail a nation in crisis

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Greg Beckett, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Western University

    Haiti is facing a multifaceted crisis unlike any in the country’s modern history.

    Haiti recently marked the one-year anniversary of Haiti’s Presidential Transitional Council’s (CPT) new government — an internationally backed effort to restore governance in the country after Prime Minister Ariel Henry was ousted by gangs.

    But rather than charting a path to stability, the CPT remains mired in dysfunction as Haiti’s crisis deepens with no end in sight. Armed gangs now control most of the capital, more than a million Haitians have been displaced and half the country faces acute food insecurity.

    Criminal gangs have taken control of most of the capital city of Port-au-Prince and significant parts of the country. Since 2021, gangs have killed more than 15,000 people and forcibly displaced over a million people.

    Beyond the security situation, there is a dire humanitarian emergency as more than half the country faces severe food insecurity.

    The United Nations says the country may be reaching a point of no return and risks falling into “total chaos.”

    Haitian friends tell me their whole country feels as blocked as the barricaded streets and choke points used by the gangs to control the capital.

    A security crisis paralyzing everything

    The impasse is undoubtedly shaped by entrenched gang violence. Armed groups have been used by political players for political ends in Haiti for decades.

    But now, new, well-organized armed gangs have emerged as political entities in their own right.

    For example, the G9 Alliance, the most notorious of gangs — actually a federation of gangs — is led by former police officer Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier.

    Chérizier presents himself on social media as a revolutionary figure fighting the elites, but in the streets of Port-au-Prince most, see him as a violent criminal.

    Last year, the G9 merged with rivals to form a coalition called Viv Ansamn (Live Together). Led by Chérizier and others, the group forced Prime Minister Ariel Henry from power. Henry had become prime pinister after the assassination of Haiti’s last elected head of state, President Jovenel Moïse, in July 2021, despite himself being implicated in the assassination.

    Both Henry and Moïse were accused of paying gangs to maintain control.

    Viv Ansamn’s takeover of the capital confirms gangs have become an autonomous political force. They have since expanded their power through their control over fuel supplies, critical infrastructure and key choke points.

    It’s telling that the gangs have become so powerful despite the presence of a UN-approved, Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission. The mission has been in Haiti since shortly after Henry was forced out of power.

    But with limited scope and funding from donor countries, including the United States, Canada and Ecuador, the mission has failed to achieve any major successes. Indeed, by the UN’s own estimates, gang violence continues to have a “devastating impact” on the population, despite the presence of the mission.

    Last month, the U.S. government designated Viv Ansamn and Gran Grif, Haiti’s two most powerful armed gangs, as terrorist organizations. Canada and others have also imposed sanctions on politicians and gang leaders, and perhaps this could lead to more sanctions against those who most directly benefit from the crisis. But for residents of Port-au-Prince, little has changed on the ground, where many feel the gangs are holding the country hostage.

    Democratic vacuum with no clear path forward

    A common saying in Haiti goes like this: peyi’m pa gen leta, my country has no state. Once a criticism of a particular government, it now feels literal. Haiti has no elected national officials.

    The CPT was established by the Organization of American States after Henry’s ousting, but has has done little to restore democracy. Elections are impossible under the current security conditions.

    Instead, the CPT has become another obstacle to resolution. Mired in internal conflict, some members have been accused of bribery. With no framework for political compromise, the council reflects a system where some key players actually benefit from the political impasse.

    Governing structures that can’t govern

    Haiti is now in uncharted territory. The CPT operates in a legal vacuum, making decisions without a clear mandate or authority.

    Still, the council is moving forward with a controversial plan to rewrite the Haitian constitution. The proposed changes will fundamentally alter Haiti’s government structure, including abolishing the senate and the prime minister, allowing presidents to hold consecutive terms, changing election procedures and allowing dual citizens and Haitians living abroad to run for office.

    This constitutional reform highlights the paradox at the heart of Haiti’s crisis: an institution with questionable legitimacy is attempting to redesign the very framework that would determine its own authority.

    These aren’t just procedural problems: they represent fundamental questions about who has the authority to govern and how decisions get made in a country where democratic institutions have always been fragile.

    International responses miss the mark

    International groups, including the UN, the Organization of American States and the Core Group that includes the United States, Canada and France, have overseen Haiti’s politics for decades. But their influence has often backfired. Many in Haiti see the international community as directly responsible for the current crisis.

    Whatever internal problems have given rise to the current crisis, the role played by the international community in Haiti has undoubtedly contributed to the impasse.

    The MSS mission is a stop gap at best and a liability at worst. It is insufficient for the scale of the crisis.

    Some observers have called for a full UN peacekeeping mission, but there is little support for it and such a mission would likely face resistance within Haiti given the country’s fraught history with international interventions.

    Can the international community undo the damage it has already done? And can Haiti make it through the impasse without the international community?

    Beyond the impasse: What needs to change

    There are no easy solutions. Addressing gang violence without legitimate governing institutions won’t create lasting stability. Yet the path to a legitimate government remains unclear as organizing elections without basic security is unrealistic.

    The international community must stop treating Haiti as a series of separate crises requiring separate responses. The current piecemeal approach treats symptoms while ignoring the underlying causes that block political resolutions.

    For Haitians, the stakes could not be higher. The question isn’t whether change is needed, but whether the international community and Haitian leaders can move beyond the impasse before the situation deteriorates even further.

    Greg Beckett receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    ref. Haiti on the brink: Gangs fill power vacuum as current solutions fail a nation in crisis – https://theconversation.com/haiti-on-the-brink-gangs-fill-power-vacuum-as-current-solutions-fail-a-nation-in-crisis-257948

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: How pterosaurs learned to fly: scientists have been looking in the wrong place to solve this mystery

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Davide Foffa, Research Fellow in Palaeobiology, University of Birmingham

    Ever since the first fragments of pterosaur bone surfaced nearly 250 years ago, palaeontologists have puzzled over one question: how did these close cousins of land-bound dinosaurs take to the air and evolve powered flight? The first flying vertebrates seemed to appear on the geological stage fully formed, leaving almost no trace of their first tentative steps into the air.

    Taken at face value, the fossil record implies that pterosaurs suddenly originated in the later part of the Triassic period (around 215 million years ago), close to the equator on the northern super-continent Pangaea. They then spread quickly between the Triassic and the Jurassic periods, about 10 million years later, in the wake of a mass extinction that was most likely caused by massive volcanic activity.

    Most of the handful of Triassic specimens come from narrow seams of dark shale in Italy and Austria, with other fragments discovered in Greenland, Argentina and the southwestern US. These skeletons appear fully adapted for flight, with a hyper-elongated fourth finger supporting membrane-wings. Yet older rocks show no trace of intermediate gliders or other transitional forms that you might expect as evidence of pterosaurs’ evolution over time.

    There are two classic competing explanations for this. The literal reading says pterosaurs evolved elsewhere and did not reach those regions where most have been discovered until very late in the Triassic period, by which time they were already adept flyers. The sceptical reading notes that pterosaurs’ wafer-thin, hollow bones could easily vanish from the fossil record, dissolve, get crushed or simply be overlooked, creating this false gap.

    Eudimorphodon ranzii fossil from Bergamo in 1973 is one of many pterosaur discoveries from southern Europe.
    Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

    For decades, the debate stalled as a result of too few fossils or too many missing rocks. This impasse began to change in 2020, when scientists identified the closest relatives of pterosaurs in a group of smallish upright reptiles called lagerpetids.

    From comparing many anatomical traits across different species, the researchers established that pterosaurs and lagerpetids shared many similarities including their skulls, skeletons and inner ears. While this discovery did not bring any “missing link” to the table, it showed what the ancestor of pterosaurs would have looked like: a rat-to-dog-sized creature that lived on land and in trees.

    This brought new evidence about when pterosaurs may have originated. Pterosaurs and lagerpetids like Scleromochlus, a small land-dwelling reptile, diverged at some point after the end-Permian mass extinction. It occurred some 250 million years ago, 35 million years before the first pterosaur appearance in the fossil record.

    Scleromochlus is one of the lagerpetids, the closest known relatives to the pterosaurs.
    Gabriel Ugueto

    Pterosaurs and their closest kin did not share the same habitats, however. Our new study, featuring new fossil maps, shows that soon after lagerpetids appeared (in southern Pangaea), they spread across wide areas, including harsh deserts, that many other groups were unable to get past. Lagerpetids lived both in these deserts and in humid floodplains.

    They tolerated hotter, drier settings better than any early pterosaur, implying that they had evolved to cope with extreme temperatures. Pterosaurs, by contrast, were more restricted. Their earliest fossils cluster in the river and lake beds of the Chinle and Dockum basins (southwest US) and in moist coastal belts fringing the northern arm of the Tethys Sea, a huge area that occupied today’s Alps.

    Scientists have inferred from analysing a combination of fossil distributions, rock features and climate simulations that pterosaurs lived in areas that were warm but not scorching. The rainfall would have been comparable to today’s tropical forests rather than inland deserts.

    This suggests that the earliest flying dinosaurs may have lived in tree canopies, using foliage both for take-off and to protect themselves from predators and heat. As a result of this confined habitat, the distances that they flew may have been quite limited.

    Changing climates

    We were then able to add a fresh dimension to the story using a method called ecological niche modelling. This is routinely used in modern conservation to project where endangered animals and plants might live as the climate gets hotter. By applying this approach to later Triassic temperatures, rainfall and coastlines, we asked where early pterosaurs lived, regardless of whether they’ve shown up there in the fossil record.

    Many celebrated fossil sites in Europe emerge as poor pterosaur habitat until very late in the Triassic period: they were simply too hot, too dry or otherwise inhospitable before the Carnian age, around 235 million years ago. The fact that no specimens have been discovered there that are more than about 215 million years old may be because the climate conditions were still unsuitable or simply because we don’t have the right type of rocks preserved of that age.

    In contrast, parts of the south-western US, Morocco, India, Brazil, Tanzania and southern China seem to have offered welcoming environments several million years earlier than the age of our oldest discoveries. This rewrites the search map. If pterosaurs could have thrived in those regions much more than 215 million years ago, but we have not found them there, the problem may again lie not with biology but with geology: the right rocks have not been explored, or they preserve fragile fossils only under exceptional conditions.

    Our study flags a dozen geological formations, from rivers with fine sediment deposits to lake beds, as potential prime targets for the next breakthrough discovery. They include the Timezgadiouine beds of Morocco, the Guanling Formation of south-west China and, in South America, several layers of rock from the Carnian age, such as the Santa Maria Formation, Chañares Formation and Ischigualasto Formation.

    Pterosaurs were initially confined to tropical treetops near the equator. When global climates shifted and forested corridors opened, pterosaurs’ wings catapulted them into every corner of the planet and ultimately carried them through one of Earth’s greatest extinctions. What began as a tale of missing fossils has become a textbook example of how climate, ecology and evolutionary science have come together to illuminate a fragmentary history that has intrigued paleontologists for over two centuries.

    Davide Foffa is funded by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions: Individual (Global) Fellowship (H2020-MSCA-IF-2020; No.101022550), and by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851–Science Fellowship

    Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza receives funding from The Royal Society (Newton International Fellowship NIFR1231802)

    Emma Dunne 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. How pterosaurs learned to fly: scientists have been looking in the wrong place to solve this mystery – https://theconversation.com/how-pterosaurs-learned-to-fly-scientists-have-been-looking-in-the-wrong-place-to-solve-this-mystery-259063

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Air India crash in Ahmedabad sends reverberations to Canadian families of Air India Flight 182

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Chandrima Chakraborty, Professor, English and Cultural Studies; Director, Centre for Global Peace, Justice and Health, McMaster University

    The June 12 Air India crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, with 230 passengers and 12 crew members aboard is sending deep reverberations through a group of Canadians who know all too well the shock, grief and horror of losing loved ones in hauntingly similar circumstances.

    They are the families of those killed in the bombing of Air India Flight 182 en route from Canada to India 40 years ago this month.

    I work closely with these families as a researcher and advocate. I began interviewing these families in 2014 and have witnessed firsthand their pain, advocacy and emotional turmoil of living in the shadow of a historical event.

    As reports of the Ahmedabad crash came in, the WhatsApp account of the Air India Flight 182 families immediately flooded with expressions of shock, concern, sympathy and memories triggered by the latest incident.

    On June 23, 1985, Flight 182 was brought down by terrorist bombs created and planted on Canadian soil. The devastating mid-air explosion occurred over the Atlantic Ocean near Ireland. It killed all 329 passengers and crew, including 268 Canadians. The crew and most of the passengers were of Indian origin.

    Investigations into the causes of the crash of Air India Flight 171, en route to London’s Gatwick airport, shortly after take-off are still underway. At least 279 people died in the crash, which also impacted people on the ground.

    Acknowledging losses as significant

    A recent public conference at McMaster University commemorated the 40th anniversary of Flight 182, bringing together Indian and Canadian families, researchers, creative artists and community members.

    Book cover for ‘Remembering Air India The Art of Public Mourning,’ edited by Chandrima Chakraborty, Amber Dean and Angela Failler.
    University of Alberta Press

    The conference dealt with critical themes, including the challenge of Flight 182 families recovering from their losses within a climate of broad indifference among their fellow Canadians.

    Regardless of what may have caused the more recent crash in western India, these Canadian families know the shock and loss that a new set of victims’ families are facing, and how important it is to support them.

    Hopefully, the home countries of last week’s crash victims — most of them Indian and British citizens, with at least one Canadian reported to have been aboard — will regard their deaths as significant losses. If so, this would be unlike what the 1985 victims’ families experienced in Canada.

    A little-mourned Canadian tragedy

    In Canada, we have a national day to remember on June 23, 1985. The bombing has been called a Canadian tragedy in a public inquiry report.

    Yet according to a 2023 Angus Reid poll, “nine out of 10 Canadians say they have little or no knowledge of the worst single instance of the mass killing of their fellow citizens.” That essentially means the bombing has yet to penetrate the consciousness of everyday Canadians or evoke shared grief or public mourning.

    The families continue to carry the torch of remembrance as they organize annual memorial vigils every June 23. Few others attend. Many victims’ relatives have died since 1985. Some spouses, siblings or parents are now in their 80s, wondering why the bombing is still not widely discussed in schools or in public discourse.

    The grinding and unsatisfying criminal proceedings, the belated public inquiry and the welcome but lukewarm apology by the Canadian government 25 years after the fact have all contributed to the failure of this tragedy to adhere more solidly to the Canadian consciousness. In fact, many continue to deny the Canadian significance of Flight 182 and view the bombing as a foreign event.

    A torch of remembrance

    At last month’s conference, my research team launched the Air India Flight 182 archive to counter this collective amnesia and lack of acknowledgement.

    Canadian archival consultant and writer Laura Millar has said that archives act as “touchstones to memory” and can aid the process of transforming individual memories into collective remembering. Adopting NYU professor Carol Gilligan’s ethics of care for the archive, we have been consulting with families to find ways to share their grief with the public.

    The Flight 182 memory archive — both physical and digital — serves as a repository for artefacts, first-person narratives, memorabilia and creative works related to the tragedy produced by family members. Family donations of artefacts such as dance videos and pilot wings redirect notions of archives away from a documental deposit. Hopefully, they can move the public to learn and care for the impacts of the Flight 182 bombing.

    The archive is a publicly accessible record of the tragedy, where scholars and everyday citizens can learn about the victims and their families.

    Since the past involves both the present and the future, the archive will enable a meaningful recognition of marginalized voices and histories. It can offer a form of memory justice for those who would otherwise be forgotten by sustaining memory from generation to generation.

    While the archive articulates the demand from families that the bombing of Flight 182 and its aftermath be incorporated into Canadian national consciousness, establishing this archive alone will not be enough to elevate the memory of Flight 182 to the place it deserves.

    But at least it establishes a rich, permanent academic and personal legacy for the community of mourners, and for the Canadian and global public to find it, use it and learn from its many lessons.

    Families of those on board the 1985 flight are preparing to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the terror bombing of Flight 182 that has devastated their lives.

    As we learn more about the tragic Air India Flight 171 crash on June 12, the lessons of Flight 182 will hopefully prevent a new set of families from feeling the pain of indifference on top of the unimaginable agony of loss they’re already experiencing.

    Chandrima Chakraborty receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    ref. Air India crash in Ahmedabad sends reverberations to Canadian families of Air India Flight 182 – https://theconversation.com/air-india-crash-in-ahmedabad-sends-reverberations-to-canadian-families-of-air-india-flight-182-258991

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: The 28 Days Later franchise redefined zombie films. But the undead have an old, rich and varied history

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Christopher White, Historian, The University of Queensland

    The history of the dead – or, more precisely, the history of the living’s fascination with the dead – is an intriguing one.

    As a researcher of the supernatural, I’m often pulled aside at conferences or at the school gate, and told in furtive whispers about people’s encounters with the dead.

    The dead haunt our imagination in a number of different forms, whether as “cold spots”, or the walking dead popularised in zombie franchises such as 28 Days Later.

    The franchise’s latest release, 28 Years Later, brings back the Hollywood zombie in all its glory – but these archetypal creatures have a much wider and varied history.

    Zombis, revenants and the returning dead

    A zombie is typically a reanimated corpse: a category of the returning dead. Scholars refer to them as “revenants”, and continue to argue over their exact characteristics.

    In the Haitian Vodou religion, the zombi is not the same as the Hollywood zombie. Instead, zombi are people who, as a religious punishment, are drugged, buried alive, then dug out and forced into slavery.

    The Hollywood zombie, however, draws more from medieval European stories about the returning dead than from Vodou.

    A perfect setting for a ‘zombie’ film

    In 28 Years Later, the latest entry in Danny Boyle’s blockbuster horror franchise, the monsters technically aren’t zombies because they aren’t dead. Instead, they are infected by a “rage virus”, accidentally released by a group of animal rights activists in the beginning of the first film.

    This third film focuses on events almost three decades after the first film. The British Isles is quarantined, and the young protagonist Spike (Alfie Williams) and his family live in a village on Lindisfarne Island. This island, one of the most important sites in early medieval British Christianity, is isolated and protected by a tidal causeway that links it to the mainland.

    Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams star in the new film, out in Australian cinemas today.
    Sony Pictures

    The film leans heavily on how we imagine the medieval world, with scenes showing silhouetted fletchers at work making arrows, children training with bows, towering ossuaries and various memento mori. There’s also footage from earlier depictions of medieval warfare. And at one point, the characters seek sanctuary in the ruins of Fountains Abbey, in Yorkshire, which was built in 1132.

    The medieval locations and imagery of 28 Years Later evoke the long history of revenants, and the returned dead who once roved medieval England.

    Early accounts of the medieval dead

    In the medieval world, or at least the parts that wrote in Latin, the returning dead were usually called spiritus (“spirit”), but they weren’t limited to the non-corporeal like today’s ghosts are.

    Medieval Latin Christians from as early as the 3rd century saw the dead as part of a parallel society that mirrored the world of the living, where each group relied on the other to aid them through the afterlife.

    Depiction of the undead from a medieval manuscript.
    British Library, Yates Thompson MS 13

    While some medieval ghosts would warn the living about what awaited sinners in the afterlife, or lead their relatives to treasure, or prophesise the future, some also returned to terrorise the living.

    And like the “zombies” affected by the rage virus in 28 Years Later, these revenants could go into a frenzy in the presence of the living.

    Thietmar, the Prince-Bishop of Merseburg, Germany, wrote the Chronicon Thietmari (Thietmar’s Chronicle) between 1012 and 1018, and included a number of ghost stories that featured revenants.

    Although not all of them framed the dead as terrifying, they certainly didn’t paint them as friendly, either. In one story, a congregation of the dead at a church set the priest upon the altar, before burning him to ashes – intended to be read as a mirror of pagan sacrifice.

    These dead were physical beings, capable of seizing a man and sacrificing him in his own church.

    A threat to be dealt with

    The English monastic historian William of Newburgh (1136–98) wrote revenants were so common in his day that recording them all would be exhausting. According to him, the returned dead were frequently seen in 12th century England.

    So, instead of providing a exhausting list, he offered some choice examples which, like most medieval ghost stories, had a good Christian moral attached to them.

    William’s revenants mostly killed the people of the towns they lived, returning to the grave between their escapades. But the medieval English had a method for dealing with these monsters; they dug them up, tore out the heart and then burned the body.

    Other revenants were dealt with less harshly, William explained. In one case, all it took was the Bishop of Lincoln writing a letter of absolution to stop a dead man returning to his widow’s bed.

    These medieval dead were also thought to spread disease – much like those infected with the rage virus – and were capable of physically killing someone.

    Depiction of the undead from a medieval manuscript.
    British Library, Arundel MS 83.

    The undead, further north

    In medieval Scandinavia and Iceland, the undead draugr were extremely strong, hideous to look at and stunk of decomposition. Some were immune to human weapons and often killed animals near their tombs before building up to kill humans. Like their English counterparts, they also spread disease.

    But according to the Eyrbyggja saga, an anonymous 13th or 14th century text written in Iceland, all it took was a type of community court and the threat of legal action to drive off these returned dead.

    It’s a method the survivors in 28 Years Later didn’t try.

    The dead live on

    The first-hand zombie stories that were common during the medieval period started to dwindle in the 16th century with the Protestant Reformation, which focused more on individuals’ behaviours and salvation.

    Nonetheless, their influence can still be felt in Catholic ritual practices today, such as in prayers offered for the dead, and the lighting of votive candles.

    We still tell ghost stories, and we still worry about things that go bump in the night. And of course, we continue to explore the undead in all its forms on the big screen.

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

    ref. The 28 Days Later franchise redefined zombie films. But the undead have an old, rich and varied history – https://theconversation.com/the-28-days-later-franchise-redefined-zombie-films-but-the-undead-have-an-old-rich-and-varied-history-247900

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Somaliland’s 30-year quest for recognition: could US interests make the difference?

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Aleksi Ylönen, Professor, United States International University

    More than three decades after unilaterally declaring independence from Somalia, Somaliland still seeks international recognition as a sovereign state. Despite a lack of formal acknowledgement, the breakaway state has built a relatively stable system of governance. This has drawn increasing interest from global powers, including the United States. As regional dynamics shift and great-power competition intensifies, Somaliland’s bid for recognition is gaining new currency. Aleksi Ylönen has studied politics in the Horn of Africa and Somaliland’s quest for recognition. He unpacks what’s at play.


    What legal and historical arguments does Somaliland use?

    The Somali National Movement is one of the main clan-based insurgent movements responsible for the collapse of the central government in Somalia. It claims the territory of the former British protectorate of Somaliland. The UK had granted Somaliland sovereign status on 26 June 1960.

    The Somali government tried to stomp out calls for secession. It orchestrated the brutal killing of hundreds of thousands of people in northern Somalia between 1987 and 1989.

    But the Somali National Movement declared unilateral independence on 18 May 1991 and separated from Somalia.

    With the collapse of the Somali regime in 1991, the movement’s main enemy was gone. This led to a violent power struggle between various militias.

    This subsided only after the politician Mohamed Egal consolidated power. He was elected president of Somaliland in May 1993.

    Egal made deals with merchants and businessmen, giving them tax and commercial incentives to accept his patronage. As a result, he obtained the economic means to consolidate political power and to pursue peace and state-building. It’s something his successors have kept up with since his death in 2002.

    What has Somaliland done to push for recognition?

    Successive Somaliland governments continue to engage in informal diplomacy. They have aligned with the west, particularly the US, which was the dominant power after the cold war, and the former colonial master, the UK. Both countries host significant Somaliland diaspora communities.

    The US and the UK have for decades flirted with the idea of recognising Somaliland, which they consider a strategic partner. However, they have been repeatedly thrown back by their respective Somalia policies. These have favoured empowering the widely supported Mogadishu government to reassert its authority and control over Somali territories.

    This Somalia policy has been increasingly questioned in recent years, in part due to Mogadishu’s security challenges. In contrast, the Hargeisa government of Somaliland has largely shown it can provide security and stability. It has held elections and survived as a state for the last three decades, though it has faced political resistance and armed opposition.




    Read more:
    Somaliland elections: what’s at stake for independence, stability and shifting power dynamics in the Horn of Africa


    As new global powers rise, Somaliland administrations have pursued an increasingly diverse foreign policy, with one goal: international recognition.

    Hargeisa hosts consulates and representative offices of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Taiwan, the UK and the European Union, among others.

    The government has also engaged in informal foreign relations with the United Arab Emirates. The Middle Eastern monarchy serves as a business hub and a destination of livestock exports. Many Somalilanders migrate there.

    Somaliland maintains representative offices in several countries. These include Canada, the US, Norway, Sweden, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Taiwan. Hargeisa has alienated China because it has collaborated with Taiwan since 2020. Taiwan is a self-ruled island claimed by China.

    On 1 January 2024, Somaliland’s outgoing president Muse Bihi signed a memorandum of understanding with Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed for increased cooperation. Bihi implied that Ethiopia would be the first country to formally recognise Somaliland. The deal caused a sharp deterioration of relations between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu.

    Abiy later moderated his position and, with Turkish mediation, reconciled with his Somalia counterpart, President Hassan Mohamud.

    What’s behind US interest in Somaliland?

    The US, like other great powers, has been interested in Somaliland because of its strategic location. It is on the African shores of the Gulf of Aden, across from the Arabian Peninsula. Its geographical position has gained currency recently as Yemeni Houthi rebels strike maritime traffic in the busy shipping lanes. Somaliland is also well located to curb piracy and smuggling on this global trade route.

    The US Africa Command set up its main Horn of Africa base at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti in 2002. This followed the 11 September 2001 attacks.




    Read more:
    Somaliland’s quest for recognition: UK debate offers hint of a sea change


    In 2017, China, which had become the main foreign economic power in the Horn of Africa, set up a navy support facility in Djibouti. This encouraged closer collaboration between American and Somaliland authorities. The US played with the idea of establishing a base in Berbera, which hosts Somaliland’s largest port.

    With Donald Trump winning the US presidential election in 2024, there were reports of an increased push for US recognition of Somaliland. This would allow the US to deepen its trade and security partnerships in the volatile Horn of Africa region.

    Since March 2025, representatives of the Trump administration have engaged in talks with Somaliland officials to establish a US military base near Berbera. This would be in exchange for a formal but partial recognition of Somaliland.

    What are the risks of US recognition of Somaliland?

    Stronger US engagement with Somaliland risks neglecting Somalia.

    Mogadishu depends on external military assistance in its battle against the advancing violent Islamist extremist group, Al-Shabaab. It also faces increasing defiance from two federal regions, Puntland and Jubaland.

    US recognition would reward Hargeisa for its persistent effort to maintain stability and promote democracy. However, it could encourage other nations to recognise Somaliland. This would deliver a blow to Somali nationalists who want one state for all Somalis.

    Aleksi Ylönen is affiliated with the Center for International Studies, Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, and is an associate fellow at the HORN International Institute for Strategic Studies.

    ref. Somaliland’s 30-year quest for recognition: could US interests make the difference? – https://theconversation.com/somalilands-30-year-quest-for-recognition-could-us-interests-make-the-difference-255399

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Trump’s worldview is causing a global shift of alliances – what does this mean for nations in the middle?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Dilnoza Ubaydullaeva, Lecturer in Government – National Security College, Australian National University

    Since US President Donald Trump took office this year, one theme has come up time and again: his rule is a threat to the US-led international order.

    As the US political scientist John Mearsheimer famously argued, the liberal international order

    was destined to fail from the start, as it contained the seeds of its own destruction.

    This perspective has gained traction in recent years. And now, Trump’s actions have caused many to question whether a new world order is emerging.

    Trump has expressed a desire for a new international order defined by multiple spheres of influence — one in which powers like the US, China and Russia each exert dominance over distinct regions.

    This vision aligns with the idea of a “multipolar” world, where no single state holds overarching global dominance. Instead, influence is distributed among several great powers, each maintaining its own regional sphere.

    This architecture contrasts sharply with earlier periods – the bipolar world of the Cold War, dominated by the US and the Soviet Union; and the unipolar period that followed, dominated by the US.

    What does this mean for the world order moving forward?

    Shifting US spheres of influence

    We’ve seen this shift taking place in recent months. For example, Trump has backed away from his pledge to end the war between Russia and Ukraine and now appears to be leaving it to the main protagonists, and Europe, to find a solution.

    Europe, which once largely spoke in a unified voice with the US, is also showing signs of policy-making which is more independent. Rather than framing its actions as protecting “Western democratic principles”, Europe is increasingly focused on defining its own security interests.

    In the Middle East, the US will likely maintain its sphere of influence. It will continue its unequivocal support for Israel under Trump.

    Amid shifting global alliances, the Trump administration will continue to support Israel, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
    noamgalai/Shutterstock

    The US will also involve itself in the region’s politics when its interests are at stake, as we witnessed in its recent strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

    This, along with increasing economic ties between the US and Gulf states, suggests US allies in the region will remain the dominant voices shaping regional dynamics, particularly now with Iran weakened.

    Yet it’s clear Trump is reshaping US dynamics in the region by signaling a desire for reduced military and political involvement, and criticising the nation building efforts of previous administrations.

    The Trump administration now appears to want to maintain its sphere of influence primarily through strong economic ties.

    Russia and China poles emerging elsewhere

    Meanwhile, other poles are emerging in the Global South. Russia and China have deepened their cooperation, positioning themselves as defenders against what they frame as Western hegemonic bullying.

    Trump’s trade policies and sanctions against many nations in the Global South have fuelled narratives (spread by China and Russia) that the US does not consistently adhere to the rules it imposes on others.

    Trump’s decision to slash funding to USAID has also opened the door to China, in particular, to become the main development partner for nations in Africa and other parts of the world.

    And on the security front, Russia has become more involved in many African and Middle Eastern countries, which have become less trustful and reliant on Western powers.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Xinping see opportunities to spread their influence in the Global South.
    plavi011/Shutterstock

    In the Indo-Pacific, much attention has been given to the rise of China and its increasingly assertive posture. Many of Washington’s traditional allies are nervous about its continued engagement in the region and ability to counter China’s rise.

    Chinese leader Xi Jinping has sought to take advantage of the current environment, embarking on a Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia push earlier this year. But many nations continue to be wary of China’s increasing influence, in particular the Philippines, which has clashed with China over the South China Sea.

    Strategic hedging

    Not all countries, however, are aligning themselves neatly with one pole or another.

    For small states caught between great powers, navigating this multipolar environment is both a risk and an opportunity.

    Ukraine is a case in point. As a sovereign state, Ukraine should have the freedom to decide its own alignments. Yet, it finds itself ensnared in great power politics, with devastating consequences.

    Other small states are playing a different game — pivoting from one power to another based on their immediate interests.

    Slovakia, for instance, is both a NATO and EU member, yet its leader, Robert Fico, attended Russia’s Victory Day Parade in May and told President Vladimir Putin he wanted to maintain “normal relations” with Russia.

    Then there is Central Asia, which is the centre of a renewed “great game,” with Russia, China and Europe vying for influence and economic partnerships.

    Yet if any Central Asian countries were to be invaded by Putin, would other powers intervene? It’s a difficult question to answer. Major powers are reluctant to engage in direct conflict unless their core interests or borders are directly threatened.

    As a result, Central Asian states are hedging their bets, seeking to maintain relations with multiple poles, despite their conflicting agendas.

    A future defined by regional power blocs?

    While it is still early to draw definitive conclusions, the events of the past few months underscore a growing trend. Smaller countries are expressing solidarity with one power, but pragmatic cooperation with another, when it suits their national interests.

    For this reason, regional power blocs seem to be of increasing interest to countries in the Global South.

    For instance, the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has become a stronger and larger grouping of nations across Eurasia in recent years.

    Trump’s focus on making “America Great Again,” has taken the load off the US carrying liberal order leadership. A multipolar world may not be the end of the liberal international order, but it may be a reshaped version of liberal governance.

    How “liberal” it can be will likely depend on what each regional power, or pole, will make of it.

    Dilnoza Ubaydullaeva 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. Trump’s worldview is causing a global shift of alliances – what does this mean for nations in the middle? – https://theconversation.com/trumps-worldview-is-causing-a-global-shift-of-alliances-what-does-this-mean-for-nations-in-the-middle-257113

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Iran and Ethiopia have a security deal – here’s why they signed it

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Eric Lob, Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations, Florida International University

    Ethiopia and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 6 May 2025. Under it, their national police agencies will cooperate on security and intelligence. This will include combating cross-border crime, sharing intelligence and building capacity. They will also share experiences and training.

    For Iran, the MOU marks a significant step towards strengthening relations with a regional power that’s strategically located in the Horn of Africa.

    Tehran has been using its security apparatus and military capabilities to establish and expand political and economic ties with countries in Africa. This has included drone transfers to the Ethiopian government that helped it turned the tide of the Tigray war, a separatist struggle in the country’s north that took place from 2020 to 2022.

    Iran has also supplied the Sudanese army with surveillance and combat drones. These have been used against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan’s ongoing civil war.

    The agreement is important for Ethiopia for two reasons.

    Firstly, it’s likely to enable the Ethiopian government in Addis Ababa to combat ethnic militias more effectively. It faces increasing internal instability, including tensions with hostile factions of the separatist Tigray People’s Liberation Front.

    Secondly, the agreement comes after a meeting in Addis Ababa between the Ethiopian police chief, Demelash Gebremichael, and a delegation from Iran’s regional rival, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The exchange concentrated on investigating and extraditing cross-border criminals.

    Addis Ababa’s willingness to work with regional rivals in the Middle East shows its pragmatic approach to foreign relations. Ethiopia needs all the friends it can muster as an embattled and weakened state. Since the Tigray war, it has battled the rise of ethnic militias and confronted economic adversity. It is also facing renewed hostility with neighbouring Eritrea.

    What Iran stands to gain

    Since 2016, Ethiopia has been a gateway for Iran to gain a foothold in the Horn of Africa. That year, other countries in the region severed relations with Iran. This followed Tehran’s disengagement from sub-Saharan Africa under Hassan Rouhani, who served as president from 2013 to 2021, and his prioritisation of a nuclear deal with the US.

    The severing of ties was also a byproduct of geopolitical pressure exerted by Saudi Arabia and the UAE on countries in the region. The Middle Eastern states wanted to reduce, if not eliminate, Iran’s presence in the Horn of Africa and Red Sea to limit its support for Houthi rebels in the ongoing Yemeni civil war.




    Read more:
    Iran’s intervention in Sudan’s civil war advances its geopolitical goals − but not without risks


    Ethiopia was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to establish relations with Iran during the 1960s. It was also one of its top trading partners on the continent before and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

    Strategically and ideologically, this special relationship was based on the pro-western and anti-communist stances of their monarchs: the Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who ruled from 1941 to 1979, and Emperor Haile Selassie, who was in power from 1930 to 1974.

    After the revolution, Iran-Ethiopia relations revived under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who served as Iranian president from 2005 to 2013. He pursued an active Africa policy to mitigate Iran’s international isolation and circumvent US sanctions.

    After Rouhani initially downgraded these relations, they were renewed during his second term. This followed US withdrawal from the nuclear deal.

    Relations firmed when Ebrahim Raisi, who served as Iranian president from 2021 to 2024, delivered military drones and other aid to Addis Ababa during the Tigray war.

    What’s in it for Ethiopia

    Ethiopia is facing increasing instability and uncertainty. The Tigray war has depleted the state’s resources. There is an economic crisis caused by rising inflation and unemployment.

    Addis Ababa continues to confront ethnic tensions. Hostile factions of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front remain. It also faces tensions with the Amhara Fano militia, which initially fought alongside the government against Tigrayan forces. Forced disarmament policies and ongoing land disputes caused the militia to take up arms against the government.




    Read more:
    Somaliland-Ethiopia port deal: international opposition flags complex Red Sea politics


    Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed also faces growing opposition and resistance from his own ethnic group, the majority Oromo, and their Oromo Liberation Army. The reason for their discontent is Abiy’s imposition of centralised rule on their regional state within a federal system.

    The security and intelligence cooperation with Iran could allow Addis Ababa to combat ethnic militias more effectively.

    It would also enable Ethiopia to prepare for another possible war against neighbouring Eritrea.

    Ethiopia and Eritrea normalised relations and fought together against Tigrayan forces. However, tensions between the two countries have been brewing again. These have been triggered by two factors. First, the conditions of the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement caused Eritrea to maintain forces inside Ethiopia. Second are the ambitions of Addis Ababa to acquire a Red Sea port in Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia. Eritrea has supported Somalia’s opposition to the deal.

    Regional power games

    This isn’t the first time that Ethiopia has tried working with two regional rivals – Iran and the UAE. The UAE is also among its top trading partners, along with Saudi Arabia.

    In 2016, Ethiopia was the only country in the Horn of Africa that didn’t cut ties with Iran, though it was under pressure from the UAE and Saudi Arabia to do so. The decision was taken by Abiy’s predecessor, Hailemariam Desalegn, whose term ran from 2012 to 2018.

    During the Tigray war, Ethiopia received military drones and other assistance from Iran and the UAE, alongside Turkey.

    The civil war in Sudan has presented an even more complicated story. Ethiopia has vacillated between engaging with the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces at different points in the conflict.

    For its part, Iran has supported the Sudanese army. The UAE has backed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

    Ethiopia’s efforts to strengthen its security ties with Iran and the UAE show a unique case of convergence between regional rivals that have otherwise remained on opposite sides of conflicts in countries like Yemen and Sudan.

    Eric Lob 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. Iran and Ethiopia have a security deal – here’s why they signed it – https://theconversation.com/iran-and-ethiopia-have-a-security-deal-heres-why-they-signed-it-256486

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Black holes spew out powerful jets that span millions of light-years – we’re trying to understand their whole life cycle

    Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Gourab Giri, Postdoctoral researcher, University of Pretoria

    An artistic representation of what a giant cosmic jet the size of the distance between the Milky Way and Andromeda could look like. Author provided, CC BY-SA

    There is a supermassive black hole at the centre of nearly every big galaxy – including ours, the Milky Way (it’s called Sagittarius A*). Supermassive black holes are the densest objects in the universe, with masses reaching billions of times that of the Sun.

    Sometimes a galaxy’s supermassive black hole “wakes up” due to a sudden influx of gas and dust, most likely supplied from a neighbouring galaxy. It begins eating up lots of nearby gas and dust. This isn’t a calm, slow or passive process. As the black hole pulls in material, the material gets superheated on a scale of millions of degrees, far hotter than the surface temperature of our Sun, and is ejected from the galaxy at near-light speeds. This creates powerful jets that look like fountains in the cosmos.

    The accelerated high-speed plasma matter prompts these “fountains” to emit radio signals that can only be detected by very powerful radio telescopes. This gives them their name: radio galaxies. While black holes are common, radio galaxies are not. Only between 10% and 20% of all galaxies exhibit this phenomenon.

    Giant radio galaxies are even less common. They account for only 5% of all radio galaxies and take their name from the fact that they reach enormous distances. Some radio galaxies’ jets reach nearly 16 million light-years. (That’s almost six times the distance between the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy.) The largest jet discovered spans nearly 22 million light-years across.




    Read more:
    South African telescope discovers a giant galaxy that’s 32 times bigger than Earth’s


    But how do these structures cover such enormous distances? To find out, I led a study in which we used modern supercomputers to develop models that simulated behaviour of giant cosmic jets within a mock universe, constructed on the basis of fundamental physical laws governing the cosmos.

    This allowed us to observe how radio jets propagate over hundreds of millions of years – a process impossible to track directly in the real universe. These sophisticated simulations provide deeper insights into the life cycle of radio galaxies, highlighting the differences between their early, compact stages and their later, expansive forms.

    Understanding the evolution of radio galaxies helps us unravel the broader processes that shape the universe.

    Supercomputing

    Cutting-edge technology was key to this study.

    Sensitive observations from world-class radio telescopes like South Africa’s MeerKAT and LOFAR in the Netherlands have recently led to several discoveries of cosmic fountains.




    Read more:
    MeerKAT: the South African radio telescope that’s transformed our understanding of the cosmos


    However, modelling their origins has been challenging. Tracking events over millions of years is impossible in real-time.

    That’s where supercomputers come in. These high-performance computing systems are designed to process massive amounts of data. They can perform complex simulations at incredible speeds. In this study, their power was crucial for modelling the evolution of giant radio jets over millions of years.

    The necessary supercomputing power was provided by South Africa’s Inter-University Institute for Data Astronomy, a network comprising the University of Pretoria, the University of Cape Town and the University of the Western Cape.

    Our universe is governed by fundamental forces like gravity, which can be described through mathematical formulas. These formulas, essentially numbers, are fed into supercomputers to create a simulated “mock universe” that follows the same physical laws as the real cosmos. This allows scientists to experiment with how jets from supermassive black holes evolve over time. With their immense processing power, supercomputers can simulate millions of years of cosmic jet evolution in just a month.

    Key takeaways

    Gravity is the dominant force in the universe, pulling heavier matter and dragging nearby lighter matter. If gravity were the only force at play, the universe might have collapsed by now. Yet we see galaxies, galaxy clusters and even life itself thriving. We suspect that these cosmic fountains play a key role in solving the mystery of how this happens.

    By releasing thermal and mechanical energy, they heat up the surrounding collapsing gas, counteracting gravity and maintaining a balance that sustains cosmic structures.

    Our models also shed light on why some radio galaxies’ jets bend sharply, forming an “X” shape in radio waves instead of following a straight trajectory, and revealed the conditions under which giant fountains can continue growing even in dense cosmic environments (that is, in a galaxy cluster).

    The study also suggests that giant radio galaxies may be statistically more common than previously believed. There are potentially thousands of undiscovered giant cosmic fountains. Thanks to world-class telescopes like MeerKAT and LOFAR – and the power of supercomputers – there’s plenty more to explore as we try to understand our universe.

    The research on which this article is based required extensive collaboration with an international team, including Jacinta Delhaize from the University of Cape Town, Joydeep Bagchi from Christ University, India, and DJ Saikia from the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in India. Essential contributions by Kshitij Thorat and Roger Deane from the University of Pretoria also played a crucial role in shaping the study.

    Gourab Giri 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. Black holes spew out powerful jets that span millions of light-years – we’re trying to understand their whole life cycle – https://theconversation.com/black-holes-spew-out-powerful-jets-that-span-millions-of-light-years-were-trying-to-understand-their-whole-life-cycle-250073

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