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Category: housing

  • MIL-OSI Global: What food did the real St Patrick eat? Less corned beef and cabbage, more oats and stinky cheese

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Regina Sexton, Food and culinary historian, University College Cork

    Every St Patrick’s day, thousands of Americans eat corned beef and cabbage as a way of connecting to Ireland. But this association sits uncomfortably with many Irish people.

    That’s because the dish, while popular in the past, has nothing to do with St Patrick himself. St Patrick (also known as Patricius or Pádraig) was born in Roman Britain in the 5th century. He is the patron saint of Ireland and in later biographies, legend and folklore, he is depicted as almost single-handedly converting the Irish to Christianity, and breaking the power of the druids.

    The entangled mix of history, myth and folklore that has been attached to the saint makes it difficult to isolate historical fact from hagiographical and folklore embellishments. So what, if anything, do the celebratory foods of today have to do with the real St Patrick? And would he have eaten any of those same foods himself?

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    The real St Patrick

    The little we know about the real Patrick comes from two, probably 5th-century, short Latin texts written by the saint himself. Those are the Confessio, which is believed to be Patrick’s autobiography, and the Epistola, a letter of excommunication to the soldiers of a British king Coroticus, after they killed and enslaved some of his converts.

    A St Patrick’s Day greeting card from 1909.
    Missouri History Museum

    In these texts, food is only mentioned in the context of hunger and the miraculous appearance of pigs that are slaughtered to sustain starving travellers.

    Other important biographies of St Patrick were written in the 7th and somewhere between the 9th and 12th century. The two 7th-century Latin texts were written by churchmen, Muirchú and Tírechán. The author of the later biography, The Tripartite Life of Saint Patrick, is not known, but it was written partly in Latin and partly in Irish. These hagiographies (writing on the lives of saints) were works in legend-building with little connection to the real Patrick.

    They do, however, give us a glimpse of the food culture of early medieval Ireland, when Patrick lived. They make references to dairy produce, salmon, bread, honey and meats, including beef, goat and a “ram for a king’s feast”.

    Herb gardens are discussed alongside details of the cooking culture with mention of copper cauldrons, kitchens and cooking women. Grain and dairy foods would have most common, with white meats abundant in summer, and grain – especially oats – associated with the winter and early spring.

    It is these foods, along with cultivated cabbage and onion-type vegetables and wild greens and fruit, that most likely would have sustained Patrick.

    Delicious miracles

    Food is frequently the subject of Saint Patrick’s miracles. As a child, he is said to have turned snow into butter and curds. On his missionary work, he was said to have changed water to honey, and cheese into stone and back to cheese again. In another miracle, he turned rushes into chives to satisfy a pregnant woman’s craving.

    The bountiful fish stocks of certain rivers are also attributed to the saint’s blessing. One such example is the River Bann in Northern Ireland which was known for its salmon.

    The food in Patrick’s world had a defined Irish signature. There is an emphasis in the hagiographies on a range of fresh, cultured and preserved dairy produce and the use of byproducts such as whey-water.

    Corned beef and cabbage has become a popular St Patrick’s Day meal, but bears little connection to the real Patrick.
    Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock

    The extensive and later abandoned Irish cheese-making tradition is referenced in mention of curds and fáiscre grotha (pressed curds). The differentiation between new milk and milk may indicate a skills-based culture of working with dairy in the preparation of a family of thickened, soured and fermented milks. The associated communities, of which Patrick would have been part, probably had a taste for highly flavoured and cultured milk and cheese products.

    These foods are typical of a self-sufficient agrarian economy, producing food that was suited to Irish soil and climatic conditions including wild and managed woodland, coastline and farmland. It is this vision of an untouched Ireland that continues to inspire Irish food culture today.

    Regina Sexton 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. What food did the real St Patrick eat? Less corned beef and cabbage, more oats and stinky cheese – https://theconversation.com/what-food-did-the-real-st-patrick-eat-less-corned-beef-and-cabbage-more-oats-and-stinky-cheese-251746

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Cuts and caps to benefits have always harmed people, not helped them into work

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ruth Patrick, Professor in Social Policy, University of York

    fizkes/Shutterstock

    Keir Starmer’s government is expected to announce a host of cuts to sickness and disability support in the coming days. The UK’s ageing and increasingly unwell population has led to what has been described as “unsustainable” and “indefensible” spending on benefits.

    As researchers of poverty and welfare reform, we find it both shocking and sadly unsurprising that, after more than a decade of cuts to social security, the government seems to have once again decided that austerity is the answer to the economic pressures they are facing.

    We have spent many years documenting the real harms created by reforms to social security. It was disappointing to hear Starmer describe Britain’s social security system as an expensive way to “trap” people on welfare, rather than helping them find work.

    The expected proposals are intended to incentivise people into work, by reducing the generosity of support offered to people claiming disability-related benefits. But in reality, many of the measures already implemented to reduce spending by cutting or capping benefits have pushed people further away from the labour market.

    The relationship between welfare and work is more complex than it first appears. Around 37% of people on universal credit are currently in work.

    Approximately 23% of those out of work are engaging with advisers whose job is to support them back into the labour market. The majority of the rest of universal credit claimants are people who are not expected to be in work – often people who have health challenges that make it difficult for them to work most jobs.

    The UK’s social security payments cover a much smaller proportion of the average wage than most other countries in Europe.

    A single person’s allowance on universal credit is £393.45 per month if they are 25 or over, while under-25s receive £311.68. This averages out at less than £100 a week to meet all essential living costs, bar support with housing.

    Disabled people received additional support in the form of personal independence payments (Pip) or disability living allowance if you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, and adult or child disability payments in Scotland.

    This support is designed to help people meet the additional costs that come with disabilities and long-term health conditions. It is not means-tested, and is available to people in employment as well as those not currently working.

    Ministers are expected to make it more difficult to access Pip, freezing its value so this does not rise with inflation, and to reduce the amount of universal credit received by those judged unable to work. These proposals are likely to face strong opposition from many Labour MPs.

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    Currently, if people are not able to engage in paid work for long periods, they are entitled to an additional payment through universal credit. This amount – equivalent to approximately £400 a month – could go down. The problem is that this is already not enough to live on, and often necessitates going without essentials, such as food or electricity.

    Families with dependent children receive additional support through child elements of universal credit, and through child benefit. But this support is subject to caps – the controversial and poverty-producing two-child limit, and the benefit cap, which restricts the support any household can receive where no one is working or claiming disability benefits.

    Our research has shown that these restrictions do not work. The two-child limit is not helping families get into work, and nor is it affecting whether families have more children.

    The benefit cap harms mental health, pushes people deep into poverty, and increases economic inactivity. Both policies are punitive and, in our view, need to be removed.

    Other reforms to disability-related social security have left people hungry, pushed people into economic inactivity, increased depression, and may have even raised the suicide rate.

    Getting Britain working?

    The government is trying to solve the wrong problem. They are focusing on those who are out of work, when it is increasingly clear that one big reason people with disabilities are not in employment is because work environments have fewer roles they can fill.

    While spending on disability-related support has gone up in recent years, the overall welfare bill has not. On top of that, the proportion of people who are not in work and who are claiming disability-related social security is actually about the same as it has been for the last 40 years. Indeed, the fact it is so low, given population ageing, could be read as good news.

    Research shows cutting access to benefits does not necessarily get people into work.
    Shutterstock

    There have also been wider changes in the labour market. There has been a rapid decline in “light work”, like lift attendants, cinema ushers, or low-physical exertion roles in factories. As work environments have become more intense, people with disabilities have found it increasingly difficult to stay in work.

    So, what would work to entice more people into work? The truth is we know far more about what does not work than what does.

    The best evidence we have right now suggests that making it more difficult to claim social security and placing more strenuous work-search requirements on claimants will simply push people with poor health (particularly mental ill-health) further away from the labour market.

    The welfare narrative

    Behind the cuts currently being trailed is a popular but ill-founded logic which views social security as the cause of the country’s economic woes. Welfare itself is seen as the problem, with whole generations supposedly left parked on what is depicted as too-easy-to-claim and too-generous support.

    But this narrative grossly misrepresents what it’s actually like to try and claim social security. It is, in fact, notoriously complex. Often, this complexity is intentional.

    Making accessing social security difficult is not necessarily (or always) about meanness, but this “nasty strategy” is a product of a system that assumes that many people are not eligible for the support they claim.

    The system has always assessed eligibility for benefits, but the way these assessments have been done in recent years has often been experienced as degrading and dehumanising. On the flip side, some have claimed that people are not being assessed regularly enough, and suggest that some people who have claimed benefits in the past may now be fit to work.

    Where this is true is unclear, but the failure to reassess is also a product of cuts to this system – so taking more money out will not address this problem either.

    Britain’s social security system has been stripped to the bones: it provides neither security nor enough support to those who receive it, and is ripe for reform. But the reform required is not of the type Labour is proposing, which will succeed only in further decimating what little remains of our social security safety net.

    This article was co-published with LSE Blogs at the London School of Economics.

    Ruth Patrick receives funding for her research from organisations including Nuffield Foundation, The Robertson Trust, Trust for London, Abrdn Financial Fairness Trust and Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Ruth is a member of the Labour Party.

    Aaron Reeves has received funding from the European Research Council, Nuffield Foundation, and the Wellcome Trust.

    – ref. Cuts and caps to benefits have always harmed people, not helped them into work – https://theconversation.com/cuts-and-caps-to-benefits-have-always-harmed-people-not-helped-them-into-work-252110

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The government has revealed its plans to get Britain building again. Some of them might just work

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Graham Haughton, Professor, Urban and Environmental Planning, University of Manchester

    SARAWUT KAEWKET/Shutterstock

    The UK government has published its planning and infrastructure bill, a cornerstone of its strategy for growth. The bill aims to “get Britain building again and deliver economic growth” and includes the hugely ambitious target of building 1.5 million homes in England over this parliament.

    The bill is ambitious in scope – 160 pages long and very technical. But what does it promise exactly?

    On infrastructure, it outlines reforms to limit vexatious repeat use of judicial review to block development. There are also some measures for a stronger electricity grid to ease the move towards renewable energy. While the plan to reward people living near new pylons with £250 off their bills grabbed headlines, just as important are measures for energy storage to level out peaks in demand and supply.

    On the planning side, planning departments will be allowed to charge more to those making applications. This should speed up decisions by funding more planning officer roles. But there are no measures to increase funding for drawing up local plans. This is important because councils often fall behind schedule in producing these. And where there is no up-to-date plan, there is a danger that developers will push through controversial proposals.

    The bill also provides for more decisions to be delegated to planning officials rather than planning committees – this means council staff rather than elected representatives. This already happens for smaller planning applications, so is not entirely new. But it does raise concerns about democratic scrutiny.

    The government argues that local democracy will not be undermined, as planning officers will be making their decisions in the context of democratically approved local plans as well as national legislation. But this could be misleading, unless planning authorities have the funds to update local plans regularly.

    There are also changes to existing development corporation legislation, to support the building of new towns. Particularly welcome is the responsibility on development corporations – government organisations dealing with urban development – to consider climate change and design quality. This is in order to hit net-zero targets and avoid cookie-cutter housing estates.

    Other measures are aimed at ensuring appropriate infrastructure is built to serve these new towns.



    Read more:
    Why building new towns isn’t the answer to the UK’s housing crisis

    There are changes planned too on when compulsory purchase orders can be used to buy sites that are broadly to be used for the public good. This could be for affordable homes, health or education facilities, for instance. It would work by reducing payments to the actual value of the land rather than its “hope value” (when landholders hold out for price rises once planning permission is granted).

    There is also a commitment to creating a nature restoration fund, which the government hopes will overcome some of the delays to approving new housing caused by potential threats to wildlife.

    The fund will aim to unblock development in general rather than specific sites, as happens at the moment, and will pool contributions from developers to fund nature recovery. Where there are concerns for wildlife, experts will develop a long-term mitigation plan that will be paid for by the fund while allowing the development to go ahead in the meantime.

    Will it work?

    As a professor of urban and environmental planning, the question for me is will the bill encourage development to progress more speedily? Almost certainly – probably mostly in terms of bringing forward improvements to critical national infrastructure schemes such as the electric grid. For residential development, some incremental speeding up is likely as developers crave certainty in planning decisions.

    But on their own, these measures are unlikely to be enough to provide the 1.5 million new homes set out in the government’s target. They offer nothing to tackle critical bottlenecks in terms of both labour and materials. It is also difficult to see the target being met without much more government involvement – by building social housing in particular.

    Will the bill result in better quality development? There is surprisingly little in the plans about improving design quality, other than in development corporation areas. This is disappointing, and a missed opportunity to ensure that developers raise their game in residential building and neighbourhood quality.

    And might it override local democracy? Arguably yes, but in practice not as much as some critics might argue. Most of the reforms are finessing existing practices, such as delegated powers to planning officers. Much depends on what the national government guidance turns out to be.

    The biggest concern is that it might increase invisible political pressures on planning officers by councillors and senior officials. It would have been good to have seen more measures to protect their independence and professional judgement.

    Hopefully the bill will speed up delivery of nationally important schemes for critical infrastructure. This means things like modernising the electricity grid and removing repeated use of judicial review to block a development. These elements should create jobs sooner and support economic growth.

    Where the bill will make absolutely no difference is in improving living standards for people with older homes. This bill is focused on new builds and has little to offer those hoping for support in retrofitting ageing housing stock with more energy-efficient features or creating green spaces in areas where new development is increasingly in demand.

    Development should be compatible with nature restoration.
    Nick Beer/Shutterstock

    Despite some of the ministerial bluster about removing red tape, much of the content of this bill is not about removing planning regulations. It is much more about improving them. Some measures will work better than others, but overall, given the government’s electoral mandate to deliver growth and protect the environment, this is a reasonable balancing act.

    It’s unlikely to deliver much growth in its own right, but as an enabler of growth, it is promising. More worrying is whether it will lead to poor-quality housing built at pace and massive scale to inadequate energy-efficiency and design standards. This would fail to deliver on net-zero and biodiversity ambitions. It is very much a minor win for facilitating growth, but for nature it is nothing more than maintaining the status quo.

    Graham Haughton 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 government has revealed its plans to get Britain building again. Some of them might just work – https://theconversation.com/the-government-has-revealed-its-plans-to-get-britain-building-again-some-of-them-might-just-work-252231

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: FEMA Extends Deadline for Wildfire Assistance

    Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)

    Attention LA County homeowners and renters: If the January wildfires impacted you in anyway, there’s still time to apply for federal disaster assistance. The deadline has been extended to March 31, 2025.

    FEMA assistance can help with rental costs, temporary housing, home repairs, personal property losses, and other expenses not covered by insurance. FEMA grants do not need to be repaid and will not affect Social Security, Medicaid, or other benefits.

    Before applying, be sure to file any insurance claims for damage to your home, personal property, or vehicles—FEMA assistance cannot duplicate insurance payments.

    To apply:
    Visit DisasterAssistance.gov
    Use the FEMA mobile app
    Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362
    Visit a Disaster Recovery Center:
    540 W. Woodbury Rd., Altadena
    10850 Pico Blvd., Los Angeles

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3rBd-YNXg0

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK and China restart meaningful climate change dialogue

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    UK and China restart meaningful climate change dialogue

    Energy Secretary calls for action and cooperation from China to tackle the climate emergency.

    • Energy Secretary visits Beijing to urge continued action from China – the world’s biggest emitter – to tackle the climate emergency   
    • Miliband expected to say there is no route to keeping future generations safe from climate threat without engaging China in responsible climate leadership
    • UK and China agree to secure and pragmatic cooperation and lesson sharing on climate and clean energy – delivering on government’s Plan for Change to re-engage with China on issues that matter to the British people

    Pragmatic cooperation with China will help keep British people safe from the climate crisis, as UK and Chinese ministers are set to meet in Beijing for the first formal talks to accelerate climate action in nearly 8 years.  

    As the government pursues its mission to become a clean energy superpower under the Plan for Change, The Energy Secretary will meet with China’s National Energy Administrator Minister Wang Hongzhi and China’s Ecology and Environment Minister Huang Runqiu in Beijing to commit to pragmatic engagement on the climate crisis, cooperating with China to reduce global emissions. 

    The UK is expected to launch a formal Climate Dialogue with Chinese counterparts, inviting Chinese ministers to London later this year, and for the first time institutionalising climate change talks between both countries moving forward. 

    China is the world’s largest investor and supplier of renewable energy but it remains the world’s largest emitter responsible for more emissions than the US, EU, India, and UK combined. China’s contribution to climate action is therefore crucial to tackling one of the biggest global challenges the world faces.   

    The Energy Secretary will also use the visit to engage frankly with China on UK concerns on issues like forced labour in supply chains, human rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, and China’s ongoing support for Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.  

    The climate crisis is an existential threat to our way of life in Britain. Extreme weather is changing the lives of people and communities across country; from thousands of acres of farmland being submerged due to storms like Bert and Daragh, to record numbers of heat-related deaths in recent summers. In turn, China are feeling the effects with temperatures in Beijing remaining above 35°C for a record breaking 28 days last year.  

    The government’s Plan for Change is restoring the UK’s role as a responsible climate leader, and re-engaging with the world’s second largest economy will remain critical in delivering both climate and energy security for Britain and across the world.   

    Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:  

    We can only keep future generations safe from climate change if all major emitters act. It is simply an act of negligence to today’s and future generations not to engage China on how it can play its part in taking action on climate. 

    That is why I will be meeting Chinese ministers for frank conversations about how both countries can fulfil the aims of the Paris Climate Agreement, to which both countries are signed up.  

    Our Plan for Change and clean energy superpower mission is about energy security, lower bills, good jobs and growth for the British people. It is with this mission that we can also influence climate action on a global stage, fight for our way of life and keep our planet safe for our children and grandchildren.

    The Energy Secretary will refresh an outdated 10-year-old UK Clean Energy Partnership with China – which will now provide clarity on areas where the UK government can securely collaborate with China on areas of mutual benefit – such as new emerging technologies, including hydrogen and carbon capture and storage. The UK will also share expertise on phasing out coal, having closed its last coal-fired power station last year.

    This will establish a formal agreed platform with China to engage with them on potential UK and global energy security concerns, and creating a channel to challenge them on areas where we disagree, such as forced labour in supply chains.

    This further boosts already robust national security controls in our critical infrastructure such as the National Security and Investment Act – providing a strengthened mechanism to protect the UK’s national security, which is the first duty of government.

    This is part of the government’s commitment to a long-term, strategic and pragmatic relationship with China, rooted in UK and global interests – cooperating where we can, competing where we need to, and challenging where we must. 

    As an open economy, the UK welcomes investment from a wide range of countries and investors on the basis is supports the UK’s mission for growth securely and pragmatically. The government will not hesitate to use established powers to protect national security in energy infrastructure whenever concerns are identified. These discussions complement the government’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower, delivering energy security and bringing down bills for good. The expected rise in the price cap shows once again the cost of remaining reliant on the unstable global fossil fuel markets that are driving price increases. 

    Three years on from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, wholesale gas prices have now risen by 15% compared to the previous price cap period, which is directly affecting the cost of generating power and heating of homes. Moving to a power system based on homegrown, clean energy will reduce the UK’s reliance on volatile markets and protect billpayers.  

    To achieve this, government has set out the most ambitious reforms of the UK’s energy system in a generation. Within its first eight months in office, the government has lifted the onshore wind ban, established Great British Energy, approved nearly 3GW of solar, delivered a record-breaking renewables auction and kickstarted the carbon capture and hydrogen industries in the UK – helping to deliver energy security, grow the economy and deliver clean, cheap energy.    

    Notes to editors

    The last time an Energy Secretary visited Beijing for a formal climate and energy dialogue was in 2017. COP26 President Alok Sharma visited Tianjin in 2021 ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow.

    However, both our formal partnerships with China on climate and clean energy both date back to 2015. And this visit signals a shift in the dial in re-engaging with China and updating relationships in line with the current global landscape.

    Updates to this page

    Published 14 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: First uncrewed mine countermeasures vessel delivered to UK Royal Navy, supporting British jobs and boosting British security

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    First uncrewed mine countermeasures vessel delivered to UK Royal Navy, supporting British jobs and boosting British security

    British defence jobs have been boosted and British sailors will be better protected following delivery of the first end-to-end autonomous UK mine hunting vessel, known as ‘Ariadne’, which will boost as Royal Navy capabilities.

    • UK’s first vessel for detecting and destroying sea mines has been delivered to the Royal Navy.  

    • More than 200 UK jobs have been supported through the investment with Thales UK and its supply chain.   

    • The new technology enables mines to be detected rapidly and eliminates the need for sailors to enter dangerous mined areas.  

    British defence jobs have been boosted and British sailors will be better protected following delivery of the first end-to-end autonomous UK mine hunting vessel, known as ‘Ariadne’, which will boost as Royal Navy capabilities.  

    The vessel was designed and manufactured in the UK under a £184 million deal with Thales UK, which supports more than 200 jobs across Somerset, Plymouth, Portsmouth, and Scotland. This represents another example of the government delivering on its Plan for Change, by supporting jobs, boosting economic growth, whilst improving the UK’s defence capabilities.  

    The autonomous system, which includes the Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) RNMB ARIADNE, enables the Royal Navy to locate and destroy sea mines faster and more efficiently, without putting personnel at risk.  

    RNMB ARIADNE is 12 metres long, the same size as an average bus, and can be deployed from a harbour or mother ship to hunt the seabed for mines using the Thales TSAM system, one of the world’s most sophisticated towed sonars. It is likely to be used both at home and overseas.  

    This announcement comes following the Prime Minister’s commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP from 2027, with a clear ambition to hit 3% of GDP in the next Parliament.   

    Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, Rt Hon Maria Eagle MP, said: 

    This delivery marks a significant milestone in our mine-hunting capabilities and the autonomous technology will keep Britain and our Royal Navy sailors safer by identifying & removing mines.   

    It has also supported hundreds of skilled jobs across UK industry – a clear demonstration that defence is an engine for economic growth.

    The programme forms part of a joint UK-France initiative with a total contract value of £361 million, managed by the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR).  

    The delivery is part of the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S)-led Mine Hunting Capability Programme, which aims to transition from conventional Mine Counter Measures Vessels to Maritime Autonomous Systems.  

    Rear Admiral Steve McCarthy, Director of Maritime Environment at DE&S, said:  

    This is a significant first delivery for the Royal Navy and is a proud moment for all those involved in bringing this transformative capability into service. This project contributes to the growth and prosperity of our nation and will strengthen UK security through enhanced maritime operations.  

    Following successful trials of the prototype vessel RNMB APOLLO in the Firth of Clyde in September 2024, Royal Navy personnel will now undertake training with Thales’ support before conducting a thorough Operational Evaluation and beginning to deploy MMCM systems on active duty.  

    Phil Siveter, CEO of Thales in the UK, said: 

    We are incredibly proud to deliver this world-first autonomous mine hunting system to the UK Royal Navy. With the introduction of AI and advanced sensor technology, this innovation represents a new era in maritime defence technology and demonstrates our unwavering commitment to providing cutting-edge solutions that enhance the capabilities of our defence forces. The Royal Navy will now have a powerful tool to safeguard national interests and maintain security at sea.  

    The Royal Navy plans to gradually phase out conventional crewed mine hunting vessels as additional autonomous systems are delivered over the next five years or so. This transition represents a fundamental shift in naval operations, creating additional skilled employment opportunities in the maritime technology sector while establishing the UK as a leader in autonomous maritime systems.

    Updates to this page

    Published 14 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Preston Co-Operative Development Network Cooking Programme in Conjunction with Kind Communities CIC

    Source: City of Preston

    Since minoritised communities are traditionally under-served by mainstream enterprise schemes, Preston Co-operative Development Network (PCDN) in conjunction with Kind Communities CIC, designed and delivered a structured enterprise training programme for female cooks from underrepresented communities.

    The programme was funded by Preston City Council through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

    The ‘Lady Boss’ programme engaged with a group of 10 non-registered, home- based female cooks from minority communities, interested in gaining the requisite food safety qualification, registering with the local authority for food safety purposes, and incorporating as a business.

    70% of the group came from Preston’s most deprived wards, and 60% were non- native English speakers. To ensure language and cultural barriers were overcome, and legal and technical concepts understood, the programme was led by a multi-lingual PCDN Consultant and completely female led, in accordance with the group’s preferences.

    The 6 full-day programme consisted of workshops followed by facilitator-guided small group support, with mentors who had faced and successfully overcome the same challenges as group participants. By the end of the programme, all members had achieved Level 2 Food Safety certification, and 70% had successfully started trading.

    Adeela, a course participant said:

    ‘The amount the course has covered, and the support and training received has really helped me build my confidence.’

    Sangeetha, an attendee said:

    ‘I was able to understand how to start a home business and really enjoyed every weekly session.’

    Maria who also did the course said:

    ‘The trainer was very friendly. She explained everything very nicely and shared her own experience which was also helpful for us.’

    The initial aim of the programme was to encourage individual business set up and growth. As a result, the group has expressed its hope of collaboratively purchasing ingredients, cooking and catering.

    The group catered for Preston City Council’s International Women’s Day event, working together to cook and serve a three-course meal for 50 people. As testimony to their culinary skills, two Preston based organisations have asked them to cater at upcoming events. It is hoped that if the success continues, the group may explore forming a co-operative. Further support and training will be provided by PCDN to facilitate this.

    Councillor Nweeda Khan – Cabinet Member for Communities and Social Justice said:

    “This is a wonderful initiative, and it has been a pleasure to see how Lady Boss participants have not only grown in skills and knowledge but also in confidence and I look forward to seeing where this journey takes them next.”

    The Lady Boss programme highlights the importance of understanding and responding to societal changes. The message of co-operatives and co-operation is one that resonates widely across the population, and needs to become more inclusive to include historically disenfranchised groups.

    The UK Shared Prosperity Fund from the UK government provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.

    For more information, visit: GOV.UK – UK Shared Prosperity Fund: prospectus.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council leaders unite to raise awareness of social care careers

    Source: City of Portsmouth

    Council leaders from children and adult social care have joined forces during Social Work Week to highlight the rewarding careers in the sector.

    This initiative is part of a national campaign led by Social Work England, taking place from 17 – 21 March, aimed at raising awareness of the wide-ranging opportunities within the social care sector.

    Councillor Nick Dorrington, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education at Portsmouth City Council, said:

    “Social care practitioners support families across the city on a daily basis in a range of different roles. This makes for a dynamic and interesting career that will see you work with some of the more vulnerable people in society to enable change and improve outcomes.

    “We need more professionals who can step up and make a difference in Portsmouth. Social Work Week provides an opportunity to showcase the full range of jobs and the significant impact made by those who work within them.”

    Portsmouth City Council provides a range of opportunities for those wishing to take a step into the profession with extensive training and development pathways.

    This includes apprenticeships to upskill existing staff members as well as employment programmes such as the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) programme and the Step Up to Social Work scheme.

    Councillor Matthew Winnington, Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing, Health and Care at Portsmouth City Council, added:

    “Through this national awareness campaign, we want to showcase the rewards and challenges of working in this sector.

    “Our hopes for the future in Portsmouth are centred on building a robust and resilient social care workforce. By attracting passionate and dedicated individuals to the profession, we can ensure that our community continues to flourish.”

    As part of the week, Foster Portsmouth, a council service that supports foster families in the city, will be celebrating their community and foster carers.

    The service will be encouraging people to start their fostering journey, providing information on the extensive local support networks provided by social workers and the other professionals who make up their ‘team around the child’, the application process and the financial assistance that is available.

    Careers in adult social care

    Adult social care is about supporting people to live their best lives possible, whether it’s providing a bit of help to get back on their feet after a fall or supporting them to keep their independence and stay in their home.

    Debbie Lucas, a social work apprentice at Portsmouth City Council said: “I feel lucky to be working in adult social care as a social work apprentice. It’s a brilliant job, working with people in a wide range of situations and settings within the community. Learning the skills to make a difference to people’s lives, there’s no better feeling.”

    If you want to make a difference, you can find out more about careers in social care on the Portsmouth City Council website at portsmouth.gov.uk/workincare.

    Careers in children’s social care 

    Social workers who support children, young people and their families provide a restorative approach using Portsmouth’s unique model of family practice.

    Liam Mills, an advanced social worker at Portsmouth City Council said: “We pride ourselves on being creative and relationship focused. I am enjoying my new role as an advanced social worker. It’s incredibly rewarding to be part of the conversation on improving our practice and fostering a culture of learning.”

    If you are an experienced social worker looking at your next steps, you can search for children social care jobs on the Stronger Futures website.

    Learn more about Foster Portsmouth

    Discover the team who support foster carers and the extensive range of services available.

    Claire Young, an experienced social worker in children’s social care at Portsmouth City Council said:

    “It is really rewarding to help people prepare to offer safe, happy, loving homes for the children we care for.”

    If you are interested in becoming a foster carer, visit the Foster Portsmouth website today.

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Home Park/Life Centre travel advice for this Saturday

    Source: City of Plymouth

    People travelling to, through and from Milehouse tomorrow (Saturday 15 March) are warned the area will be busy, due to the Plymouth Argyle home game against Derby County and the Two Counties Swimming Gala at the Plymouth Life Centre.

    Our advice to anyone planning to visit Home Park, the Life Centre or Central Park is to allow extra time for their journeys, use public transport and park in the city centre where possible.

    The Milehouse Park and Ride and Plymouth Life Centre car parks are likely to be full by mid-morning.

    Argyle fans should check the PAFC Travel Guide for advice on getting to and from the ground.

    In addition to the match-day shuttle buses operated by Plymouth Citybus, there are a number of bus services that run along Alma Road and Outland Road, providing easy access to Central Park, Home Park and the Life Centre. Details of these services can be found on our bus journey planning page.

    Outland Road

    34        Plymouth Citybus                every 30 minutes
    61        Plymouth Citybus                every 30 minutes    

    Alma Road

    10        Plymouth Citybus                every two hours
    11        Plymouth Citybus                every two hours
    12        Plymouth Citybus                every hour

    16        Plymouth Citybus                every 30 minutes
    43        Plymouth Citybus                every 30 minutes
    50        Plymouth Citybus                every 30 minutes
    2          Stagecoach South West     every 20 minutes
    70        Plymouth Citybus                every hour

    If you need to travel by car, consider car sharing with friends or family. Please use car parks in or around the city centre and do not park irresponsibly on site or in neighbouring streets. Our parking enforcement team will be patrolling the area and issuing penalty charge notices.

    Beryl e-bikes also offer a convenient and eco-friendly travel option and there are docking stations near the Life Centre.

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Central Winchester Regeneration takes a major step forward

    Source: City of Winchester

    Central Winchester Regeneration (CWR) has taken a major step forward, following approval of the Development Delivery Plan and £4.5million capital grant of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL).

    The Development Delivery Plan produced by ‘Jigsaw by Partnerships and Places’ – Winchester City Council’s ambitious delivery partner – was approved this week by the council’s Cabinet.

    The Plan sets out the project stages of this exciting regeneration programme and is supported by significant CIL investment to enable initial infrastructure works.

    Cllr Martin Tod, Leader and Cabinet Member for Asset Management, Winchester City Council, said:

    “Central Winchester Regeneration is a vital opportunity to bring new life to the heart of our city – new homes – new jobs – new businesses – and do so in a way that’s true to the city and true to today.  It’s a top priority for the council and the decisions we’ve taken are the last big step before we get to the planning application.

    The plan we’ve agreed lays out all the details of the delivery plan, infrastructure plan, public realm plan and phasing plan needed for Jigsaw to move ahead.  They’ve delivered to the demanding standards we set them.”

    Jigsaw by Partnerships & Places is a partnership between Genr8 Kajima Regeneration Limited (Kajima and Genr8 Developments) and igloo Regeneration with Thriving Investments (part of the Places for People group). The partnership is dedicated to optimising social and economic value by collaborating with local people and businesses throughout and beyond the duration of projects. 

    The Development Delivery Plan sets out how Jigsaw will design and deliver the scheme in line with the council’s development brief as specified in the formal Development Agreement. It also outlines how the Jigsaw team have spent the last year talking to local people and businesses from across the district to hear their views and aspirations for the site. 

    Matt Woolgar, Development Director at Partnerships & Places, said:

    “We are delighted to see the Development Delivery Plan approved and this vital regeneration project moving forward. We are passionate about creating places that truly reflect the needs and aspirations of local communities, and the extensive engagement over the past year has been invaluable in shaping our approach.

    “Together with our Jigsaw partners, working with Winchester City Council and the people of Winchester, we are committed to delivering a vibrant, sustainable, and inclusive development that enhances the city’s rich heritage while supporting its future prosperity.”

    Both Jigsaw and Winchester City Council are committed to engaging local people and businesses throughout the life of the project. The CWR project team has arranged another public information event on Wednesday 2 April 2025 from 6 – 7.30pm in The Wintonian Room at The Guildhall, Winchester. Everyone is welcome to attend.

    This event will give local people an opportunity to watch a brief presentation on the approved Development Delivery Plan, understand what happens next and meet members of the Project Team. To book your place, please complete our online form.

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Walking, wheeling and cycling plan set for approval

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    The council’s cabinet will be asked to support the Black Country Walking, Wheeling and Cycling Plan at its meeting on 19 March.

    The collaborative blueprint involves all 4 Black Country councils and is for an interconnected network of active travel routes across the region.

    It will make walking, cycling and wheeling – such as using a wheelchair, or electric mobility scooter – a more attractive option, particularly for short journeys.

    Projects include safe segregated cycle lanes, better footpaths, intelligent lighting, more cycle parking, conveniently located pedestrian crossings and more accessible routes for users of wheelchairs and specially adapted cycles.

    In a consultation on the plan 86% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that it would be valuable to have a walking, wheeling and cycling network in the Black Country.

    Councillor Qaiser Azeem, Cabinet Member for Transport and Green City at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “The travel options we provide for people have an impact on everything from traffic congestion and air pollution to the local economy and our health.

    “Establishing a network of walking, wheeling and cycling routes aligns with the priorities we have set out in Wolverhampton to create well-connected neighbourhoods with healthy inclusive communities, while helping towards the city wide goal of becoming net zero by 2041.”

    In Wolverhampton active travel schemes in the plan include:

    • Bentley Bridge to Darlaston
    • Fordhouses to Heath Town
    • City Centre to Lower Penn
    • City Centre to Perton
    • Smestow Valley Leisure Route
    • Ring Road
    • West Park to Whitmore Reans
    • Park Village
    • i54

    It is anticipated most of the funding to develop and deliver projects will come from external grants.

    City of Wolverhampton Council and Walsall Council are currently working together to create a new cycle route from Noose Lane to Pinson Road, along the A454 Willenhall Road and Somerford Place. This £2.5m project is funded through the Active Travel Fund, provided by the Department for Transport and the Further City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) – specifically outlined for transport schemes such as this.

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council secures more than £3.4m funding for warmer homes

    Source: City of York

    Published Friday, 14 March 2025

    Council leaders have confirmed that City of York Council will receive more than £3.4m of funding thanks to two separate grants.

    The funding, announced this week by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, will be used to upgrade around 280 homes over the next three years, to reduce carbon emissions and fuel poverty and improve the comfort and health of Council homes.

    The first grant of around £1.4m will be used to improve the energy efficiency of around 140 Council homes via the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund.

    The second grant of around £2m will be used to improve the energy efficiency of around 140 homes for lower-income home owners through the Warm Homes: Local Grant Scheme.

    These works build on improving 73 Council homes to which 141 energy-efficiency measures have been installed. And they add to the 211 homes of lower-income owners to which have been added 241 new energy efficiency measures. The measures include loft, flat roof, external wall and cavity wall insulation, air source heat pumps, smart heating controls and solar photovoltaic panels to generate electricity.

    To support eligible owners and landlords of draughty, listed buildings or of homes in conservation areas, the council’s Local Energy Advice Demonstrator (LEAD) Project has given 452 pieces of advice since November 2023. This project’s funding ends on 31 March 2025, so find out more here or call 01904 555520 or email here. 

    Cllr Michael Pavlovic, Executive Member for Housing at City of York Council, said:

    “We know that making York’s homes warmer and better-insulated is a huge benefit to residents; financially and in terms of the positive impact on their wellbeing.

    “With rising energy costs and continued concerns around climate change, it’s essential that these improvements are made as soon as possible so that residents will see the benefits for years to come.

    “For free advice, assessment and coordination of energy saving measures, York residents who aren’t eligible for the LEAD scheme, should contact YorEnergy by calling 01904 211221 or emailing: hello@yorenergy.co.uk.”

    Further details about how to apply for the next phase of retrofit works will be announced as soon as possible. Meanwhile, more information can be found here. 

    An update on the Council’s retrofit programme was discussed at Executive on Tuesday, 11 March 2025.

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council seeks Oxford’s views on key development issues

    Source: City of Oxford

    Friday, 14 March 2025

    Oxford City Council is inviting residents, businesses and other organisations to share their views by taking a survey on key development issues as it prepares its new Local Plan.

    The Local Plan 2042 will guide all planning decisions in Oxford for the next 17 years. It will set out how and where housing can be built, support fair economic growth and protect the city’s unique heritage, culture and environment. 

    As part of its preparation the Council is reviewing all consultation material, background studies and evidence underpinning its work to date.  

    The purpose of this early engagement is to ensure the Council drafts policies in step with views on the following key issues: 

    The Council will hold two rounds of statutory public consultation later this year as it finalises the plan before examination by the Planning Inspectorate in 2026. 

    Take part  

    The early engagement survey will be open for six weeks on the Council’s consultation website from Monday 17 March. 

    Comment 

    “We’re working on our new Local Plan and we want to make sure our priorities are still relevant for people, businesses and other organisations in Oxford. That’s why we’re carrying out an early engagement survey now, ahead of statutory consultation later this year. 

    “Help us shape the future of our city – come and have your say on our consultation website.” 

    Councillor Louise Upton, Cabinet Member for Planning

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Diverse team represents city in major energy conference

    Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

    A ‘Team Aberdeen’ of academics, students and energy business experts joined Aberdeen City Council representatives this week at the world’s premier energy conference in Houston.

    The Aberdeen delegation at the CERAWeek Conference comprised representatives  from the Council, including Council Co-leader Councillor Christian Allard, the Net Zero Technology Centre, Peterson Energy Logistics, Robert Gordon University, and the University of Aberdeen.

    Councillor Allard was present during two panel sessions at the conference and the diverse group worked to underline Aberdeen’s credentials as one of the world’s leading energy cities.

    Robert Gordon University student Lara Pedrosa, whose participation at the conference along with fellow Msc students Alex Sinclair and Erin Koon was made possible with the support of the SRM Foundation, said before the event:  “Absolutely thrilled to be part of the NEXTGen cohort.”

    “I’m looking forward to understanding how energy leaders are using data and AI to aid energy transition and what may be applicable to Aberdeen in its own journey.

    “I’m excited to engage with experts and academics from a range of disciplines centred around energy transition.  I am extremely grateful to the SRM Foundation and Robert Gordon University for creating this opportunity and supporting me throughout the week.”

    Councillor Allard said: “The world faces the pressing challenges of climate change and the need for sustainable and secure energy solutions. The importance of collaboration in the energy transition has never been more critical.

    “We seek to innovate, implement, and scale the technologies and practices that will drive a cleaner, more resilient energy future investment in the city, bringing the world of oil gas and renewable energy together for a just transition as well as bringing people back to Offshore Europe in Aberdeen in September.

    “No single organisation will achieve Net Zero on their own, all of the energy sector is mobilised to achieve this in Aberdeen.  It’s collaboration from the public and private sector, like we’re seeing here in Houston this week, and a ‘Team Aberdeen’ approach that will ensure we meet our Net Zero and Climate goals.”

    As a founding member of the World Energy Cities Partnership (WECP), Aberdeen attends CERAWeek in Houston to participate in the conference and the annual WECP Board Working Group.

    The world cities of the partnership are home to many of the world’s largest energy companies which are leading initiatives to build a lower-carbon energy future, developing the full range of energy sources to power the world today and into tomorrow.
     

    Photograph shows: Aberdeen City Council Co-leader, Councillor Christian Allard (2nd from left) with mayors from the World Energy Cities Partnership

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Green, growing and successful: latest numbers add up for Edinburgh

    Source: Scotland – City of Edinburgh

    Edinburgh remains one of the most prosperous and green places to live in the UK, according to findings collated by the City of Edinburgh Council. 

    The 18th annual Edinburgh by Numbers is based on data from a variety of sources including the ONS, National Records of Scotland and the Scottish Household Survey.

    Looked at together, the figures reveal that residents in the Scottish capital are 1.5 times more likely to take up cycling and running – with most (74%) able to enjoy local green spaces within a five minute walk from home.

    With 144 parks making up almost half of the city (49%), 92% of people surveyed are satisfied with local green spaces and Edinburgh has almost halved greenhouse gas emissions over the last decade (by 40.9% since 2012).

    Highlighting the city’s economic resilience, Edinburgh has retained its position as the UK’s most economically productive city outside of London with some of the highest wages, skilled workers and employment.

    Tourism continues to recover from the pandemic, with hotel occupancy rates at their highest in 6 years (81.4%) and 5 million visitors staying overnight in Edinburgh, and air and travel also rebounding.

    The city is growing almost three times faster than the rest of Scotland and house prices are valued at the highest in the country. In 10 years, our population has grown by 8.4% to 523,250 people but for the first time, fewer babies are being born.

    Further statistics reveal:  

    • Edinburgh’s weather is changing, with April to June now the wettest months
    • Finance leads Edinburgh’s local economy, generating £7.2 billion – that’s as much as the next three largest sectors combined
    • Satisfaction with public transport is very high at 86% of those surveyed, well above Scotland’s 64% average
    • There are more university students in Edinburgh than school pupils (together, they make up 161,000 of the population)
    • 75.8% of workers have a degree, which is far higher than other UK cities
    • Audiences are eager to return to top rated visitor attractions and events with visitors flocking to Edinburgh Castle (1.9m visitors) the National Museum of Scotland (2.19 million visitors) and the festivals (4.59 million in person and online attendees).

    Council Leader Jane Meagher said: 

    This edition of Edinburgh by Numbers reminds us of the strength and success of our capital city, which continues to punch far above its weight as a place to live, work, invest in and visit.

    Thanks to our fantastic parks and air quality, ‘Auld Reekie’ is no more. We’re leading the way in climate consciousness and outdoor living – with the data pointing to more of us cycling and running, high satisfaction rates with public transport and positive scores for wellbeing.

    We know that the results of Edinburgh by Numbers are hotly anticipated by professionals from across the tourism sector at home and abroad, and the outlook for hospitality is healthy – people are flocking back to the city’s main attractions and festivals and 5 million visitors are staying overnight. That’s 40% of Scotland’s total overnight tourism with hotel occupancy rates their highest in six years (81.4%).

    So, we’re getting outdoors and we’re enjoying our city and, in this report, there is much to celebrate. That said, these numbers also speak to the challenges Edinburgh faces. Drawn by good jobs and a good quality of life, migration means our population is growing three times faster than other Scottish cities. We’re living longer, but the birth rate has dropped. Many residents are struggling with the cost of living – meaning poverty and homelessness remain two of the biggest challenges of our time.

    All of this leads to unprecedented demand for homes and public services. Initiatives such as our affordable housebuilding programme, Visitor Levy, climate adaptation and better connectivity around the city will give us more resources and solutions for sustainably managing Edinburgh’s continued economic success and growth.

    Denise Hamilton, Head of Communications at Cycling Scotland, commented:

    “It’s really encouraging to see 68% of short trips now being made on foot or by bike in Edinburgh. New dedicated cycle routes, like the City Centre West to East Link and Leith Walk, are showing big increases in the proportion of journeys being cycled, compared with other transport. 

    “As Edinburgh continues to build its planned citywide network of safe, on-street cycle lanes, it’s likely more and more people will choose to get around by bike and benefit from being active, saving money and getting to their destination quickly. And everyone living in or visiting Edinburgh can enjoy cleaner air and less congestion.”

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Problem properties undergo “heavenly” transformation

    Source: City of Liverpool

    Two properties in Liverpool which were closed due to anti-social behaviour linked to organised crime have been transformed.

    Over the last two years, the council’s Private Sector Housing team have worked in partnership with Merseyside Police to tackle organised crime within rental properties across Liverpool.

    Under the Council’s Landlord Licensing scheme, the owners of privately rented properties have a duty to ensure that their tenants behave responsibly.

    The Council works to support and advise landlords who have issues with their tenants, and when all other options have been exhausted, this can include the eviction of problematic tenants.

    Houses on Goldie Street, in Anfield, and Geraint Street, in Toxteth, were closed in August 2022 and April 2024 respectively under the Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Crime and Policing Act 2014. The action was taken due to drug related issues associated with the properties were having a detrimental impact on the local community.

    Using powers granted under the Council’s Landlord Licensing scheme, the anti-social behaviour team were able to aid the landlords in evicting the highly problematic tenants.

    The properties were refurbished to a high standard, and they were subsequently let out to new tenants to prevent a repeat of the problems that had previously occurred.

    Over the last month, the Private Sector Housing team have revisited both properties to carry out compliance inspections, finding both to be a safe standard with the current tenants are delighted to be making their home there.

    One resident in Geraint Street told council officers that anti-social behaviour used to severely impact her wellbeing but now describes life on the street as “heavenly”.

    On Goldie Street, a local resident noted that what was once a troubled street is now “family-orientated” adding: “It’s nice to have a family living there and the children are back playing out in the street.”

    Cllr Laura Robertson-Collins, Cabinet member for neighbourhoods and community safety, said: “All of our residents have a right to live in thriving communities where they feel safe and secure, but sadly we know that some don’t.

    “The work that has been under taken on these streets in Anfield and Toxteth has made a positive difference to the lives of local people.

    “It is a clear demonstration of the positive benefits of our Landlord Licensing scheme in bringing partners together to support landlords to evict difficult tenants.”

    Anfield councillor, Billy Marrat, who referred the issue to the Private Sector Housing Team, said: “The house has been turned around and so has the street, with residents stating they are free to go about their ways and not in fear of being intimidated by drug and crack addicts.

    “The residents can actually invite their friends and relatives around now, just as any other family would.

    “I am really grateful to all the agencies involved and it shows what can be done with a bit of intelligence and the right actions taken.”

    Chief Inspector Sarah Rotherham from Merseyside Police, said: “The successful closures send a clear message that we will not tolerate properties to become hubs for crime and antisocial behaviour.

    “By working closely with our local authority partners through the landlord licensing scheme, we are ensuring that problem premises are shut down, and our communities remain safe places to live.”

    • To contact the Private Sector Housing team about issues related to privately rented properties, email privatesector.housing@liverpool.gov.uk or contact them online.

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council takes a further step to improve neighbourhood housing

    Source: City of Coventry

    Coventry City Council looks set to adopt a planning policy which will manage the construction or conversion of homes into Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO).

    A report will go to Council later this month when it is hoped a HMO Development Plan Document (DPD) will be formally adopted.

    It will provide the necessary policy basis to help applicants so that they are clear about what is expected when bringing forward HMO proposals in the city.

    It will also mean stricter rules. Anyone seeking planning permission for a HMO will need to review a checklist of conditions, from parking availability to managing litter and waste, before they can consider putting in a planning request.

    In September 2023 the Council approved an Article 4 direction to restrict the scope of new HMO developments across a number of neighbourhoods in the city and the adoption of the Homes in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) Development Plan Document (DPD) adds further powers to the Council.

    The adoption of the HMO Development Plan will provide a detailed framework for assessing planning applications.

    Cllr Naeem Akhtar, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, said: “HMOs provide housing for many people, but they can also cause a lot of problems especially in local areas where there is a high concentration of HMOs.

    “I regularly listen and talk to people with concerns about the impact of HMOs where they live. That’s because, with lots of people living together, it can bring with it disruption, more litter and waste and there can be extra pressure on parking and noise.

    “We also want to prevent potentially harmful concentrations of HMOs and ensure that high standards of accommodation, amenities, and a positive range of housing choices are created across the city.

    “By managing areas more effectively, we will encourage more homes for families and having the HMO Development Plan Document in place will help us do this.”

    Where an application for new HMO is made, it must show that it is appropriate and be well-integrated within the local area.

    The HMO Development Plan Document also advocates for higher quality housing and management which helps to promote good relations between our communities.

    The areas where new HMO developments require planning permission and where the HMO DPD policies will be applied include: Cheylesmore, Earlsdon, Foleshill, Lower Stoke, Radford, St. Michaels, Sherbourne, Wainbody, Whoberley, Westwood and Upper Stoke.

    A report outlining the details of the HMO Development Plan Document will go to full Council on Tuesday 25 March.

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Coming up next week at the London Assembly W/C 17 March

    Source: Mayor of London

    PUBLICATIONS

    Unlocking Development in London

    Planning and Regeneration Committee

    The Planning and Regeneration Committee will publish a report on how to unlock more housing development in the capital.

    MEDIA CONTACT: Josh Hunt on 07763 252 310 / [email protected]

    Environmental Impact of Heathrow

    Environment Committee

    The Environment Committee will be writing to Heathrow Airport following up on a previous commitment from the airport to provide information on the potential environmental impacts of any runway expansion project.

    MEDIA CONTACT: Tony Smyth on 07763 251 727 / [email protected]

    PUBLIC MEETINGS                                                                     

    Monday 17 March

    Internal Audit Reports

    Audit Panel – The Chamber, City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, 2pm

    The Audit Panel will examine a number of recent reports published by the GLA’s audit function.

    The guests are:

    • Fay Hammond – Chief Finance Officer, GLA
    • David Esling – Head of Audit Assurance – Risk Management, MOPAC
    • Mark Woodley – Group Audit Lead, MOPAC;
    • Simon Powell – Assistant Director, Land and Development, GLA
    • Kabir Choudhury – Senior Property Manager, TfL
    • Rory McKenna – Monitoring Officer, GLA

    MEDIA CONTACT: Alison Bell on 07887 832 918 / [email protected]

    Tuesday 18 March

    HMICFRS Inspection and Q&A with the Deputy Mayor for the Fire Service

    Fire Committee – The Chamber, City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, 10am

    The Fire Committee will ask the Deputy Mayor responsible for the Fire Service, HM Inspector Lee Freeman KPM, and senior representatives from the London Fire Brigade about issues arising from the recent His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) inspection report on LFB.

    A question-and-answer session with the LFB and Deputy Mayor will follow covering diversifying the workforce, training, evacuation of high-rise buildings and the Professional Standards Unit.

    The guests are:

    Panel 1 – HMICFRS Inspection:

    • Jules Pipe CBE, Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and the Fire Service
    • His Majesty’s Inspector Lee Freeman KPM, HMICFRS.
    • Jonathan Smith, Deputy Commissioner and Operational Director for Preparedness and Response, LFB
    • Charlie Pugsley, Deputy Commissioner and Operational Director for Prevention, Protection and Policy, LFB

    Panel 2 – Q&A:

    • Jules Pipe CBE, Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and the Fire Service
    • Jonathan Smith, Deputy Commissioner and Operational Director for Preparedness and Response, LFB
    • Charlie Pugsley, Deputy Commissioner and Operational Director for Prevention, Protection and Policy, LFB
    • Sally Hopper, Director for People, LFB

    MEDIA CONTACT: Josh Hunt on 07763 252 310 / [email protected]

    Wednesday 19 March

    Climate Budgeting and Green Financing

    Budget and Performance Committee – The Chamber, City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, 10am

    The Budget and Performance Committee will meet to examine the impact of the Mayor’s Climate Budget and Green Finance Fund, and the impact this has had on achieving London’s net zero 2030 target.

    The guests are:

    Panel 1:

    • Heidi Sørensen, Head of the Agency for Climate, City of Oslo
    • Professor Carly McLachlan, the Director of The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at Manchester University
    • Mark Johnson, Public Sector Lead, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants

    Panel 2:

    • Fay Hammond, Chief Finance Officer, GLA
    • Pete Daw, Head of Climate Change, GLA
    • Megan Life, Assistant Director of Environment and Energy, GLA
    • Sam Longman, Head of Sustainability and Corporate Environment, Transport for London
    • Kenroy Quellennec-Reid, Head of Impact Investment and Analysis, London Treasury, GLA

    MEDIA CONTACT: Tony Smyth on 07763 251 727 / [email protected]

    Thursday 20 March

    Mayor’s Question Time

    The Chamber, City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, 10am

    The Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan will face questions from London Assembly Members. 

    Topics will include:

    • Europe
    • Supporting an animal-friendly London
    • London’s Theft Epidemic
    • The London Growth Plan

    MEDIA CONTACT: Alison Bell on 07887 832 918 / [email protected]

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: ILO Governing Body: UK Statement on the occupied Arab territories

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Speech

    ILO Governing Body: UK Statement on the occupied Arab territories

    POL/5: UK Statement for the Enhanced programme of development cooperation for the occupied Arab territories. Delivered at the 353th ILO Governing Body in Geneva.

    Thank you Chair

    1. At each Governing Body meeting since the 7th of October, the UK has spoken of the horrors experienced by Palestinians and Israelis. The hostages have endured unimaginable suffering at the hands of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. For the people of Gaza who have lost lives, homes or loved ones, this conflict has been a living nightmare. We need all parties to uphold the ceasefire and ensure it leads to a sustainable peace and the reconstruction of Gaza.

    2. We thank the Office for your update to the POL5 document and, as ever, I’d like to commend the ongoing actions of the ILO staff in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the continued roll out and expansion of the ILO’s emergency response programme.

    3. We remain deeply concerned about the continued, profound impact on the economy across the Occupied Palestinian Territories with GDP decreased by 26% in the OPTs and 82% in Gaza. There are significant job losses, but for those in work, conditions have significantly worsened with low wages, poor safety standards, and lack of social protection.

    4. Since 7 October 2023, 200,000 permits for Palestinian workers in Israel have been revoked, further impacting the economy and contributing to rising poverty. We urge the government of Israel to reinstate these permits without delay.

    5. Economic stability is squarely in the interest of both parties. The UK also calls on Israel to fully implement the 1994 Paris Protocol and to reduce barriers to trade, helping the Palestinian private sector to recover.

    6. We also note with concern that the implementation of the Knesset legislation on UNRWA not only risks upending the humanitarian response, but threatens thousands of jobs across the OPT. We urge the government of Israel to work with international partners, including the UN, to ensure continuity of UNRWA’s operations; no other entity or UN Agency currently has the capacity or infrastructure to replace their mandate and experience.

    7. Chair, the UK believes that economic development programmes are the key to enabling Palestinians to preserve their economy, encourage private investment and restart economic growth. So, we encourage the international community to continue to provide this. UK support to date includes agricultural productivity, private sector investment and facilitation between Palestinians and Israelis in water, energy, trade. It included £10m in financial aid and Technical Assistance to strengthen the PA’s ability to deliver services, maintain stability, and deliver reform.

    To conclude, Chair, the UK supports the decision as amended by Oman on behalf of the Arab Group.  

    Thank you.

    Updates to this page

    Published 14 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/JAPAN – Manga comics bring the stories of hidden Christians to life

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Friday, 14 March 2025

    Tokyo (Agenzia Fides) – How can the treasure of a testimony of faith that took place centuries ago, of which only a few traces remain in historical documents, be passed on to new generations? Manga comics were used for this purpose, since the story to be told to today’s boys and girls took place in Japan.Read by an ever-growing audience all over the world, manga comics have long fascinated young and old alike. In addition to the adventures of unusual superheroes, the comics, drawn in their distinctive format, now also tell the stories of real men and women who, even in times of persecution, held fast to their faith in Christ: the Japanese “hidden Christians.” A phenomenon that began in the 17th century, when Christianity was banned and all missionaries were expelled.Without priests and without churches, Japanese Catholics organized themselves: the village chief led the community, established religious solemnities according to the liturgical calendar, and safeguarded the holy books. The catechist taught the children; those who knew the baptismal formulas administered the First Sacrament; a messenger visited families to announce Sundays, Christian feasts, and days of fasting and abstinence.The drawings are by manga artist Kan Takahama, who will present her project in Italy from March 17 to 20 as part of a series of conferences organized by the Japanese Embassy to the Holy See and the Archdiocese of Lucca. The conferences are taking place in Rome and Lucca as part of meetings organized to mark the 440th anniversary of the “Tensho Embassy.” It was in March 1585 that a delegation from Japan first arrived in Rome to be officially received by the Pope. The name of the Embassy refers to the date of its creation according to the Japanese calendar of the time, i.e., the tenth year of the Tensho era.The idea of sending a group of young Japanese representatives to Europe originated with Alessandro Valignano, an Italian Jesuit who had been engaged in missionary work in the Far East since 1573. He personally selected two boys from three of the largest Christian daimyō families in Japan at the time. The daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates and feudal lords who ruled most of Japan from the 10th century until the beginning of the Meiji period in the mid-19th century thanks to their vast hereditary landholdings.They were joined by two other young noblemen and a small group of companions, including the Jesuit priest Diogo de Mesquita, who served as guide and interpreter. With this journey, which lasted a total of eight years (1582 to 1590), Valignano wanted to raise awareness of Japan among the European church at the time and counter certain stereotypes about the Japanese country.And the story of the cartoonist is also connected to this history. Takahama is from Amakusa, the place where the Society of Jesus founded a college for the training of Japanese priests in 1591, and where the young men represented at the Tensho embassy continued their studies upon their return to Japan, thanks in part to Gutenberg’s printing press, which was introduced with the return of the embassy representatives from Europe. Thanks to them, the first books with Christian themes were printed in Japan.The Amakusa region, along with Nagasaki, became a place where Christians found refuge from persecution for 250 years. Despite the absence of priests, they continued to profess their faith in Christ. Today, these places are recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. Takahama accidentally discovered old documents about the persecution of Christians in her home’s archives. She has researched how to read these documents and attempted to decipher them. She is also carefully collecting oral traditions not included in the documents, thus continuing her research into the history of the local “hidden Christians.”This was the basis for the work “Shishi to Botan” (“Lion and Peonies”). The story was inspired by another true story, the revolt of oppressed Christian peasants in 1638. The revolt was led by the Christian samurai Amakusa Shiro and bloodily suppressed. But how can historical research be translated into manga comics? This question will be addressed in the lectures given by manga artist Takahama on March 17 and 18 in Rome (at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical Salesian University) and on March 20 in the rooms of the Archbishop’s Residence in Lucca. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 14/3/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: See you in the funny papers: How superhero comics tell the story of Jewish America

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Miriam Eve Mora, Managing Director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, University of Michigan

    A five-story replica of a stamp of Superman in 1998 in Cleveland, home of the superhero’s creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File

    Nearly a hundred years ago, a hastily crafted spaceship crash-landed in Smallville, Kansas. Inside was an infant – the sole survivor of a planet destroyed by old age. Discovering he possessed superhuman strength and abilities, the boy committed to channeling his power to benefit humankind and champion the oppressed.

    This is the story of Superman: one of the most recognizable characters in history, who first reached audiences in the pages of Action Comics in 1938 – what many fans consider the most important single comic in history.

    As a historian of American immigration and ethnicity – and a lifelong comics fan – I read this well-known bit of fiction as an allegory about immigration and the American dream. It is, at its core, the ultimate story of an immigrant in the early 20th century, when many people saw the United States as a land with open gates, providing such orphans of the world an opportunity to reach their fullest potential.

    Taken in and raised by a rural family under the name Clark Kent, the baby was imbued with the best qualities of America. But, like all immigrant stories, Kent’s is a two-parter. There is also the emigrant story: the story of how Kal-El – Superman’s name at birth – was driven from his home on Planet Krypton to embrace a new land.

    That origin story reflects the heritage of Superman’s creators: two of the many Jewish American writers and artists who ushered in the Golden Age of comic books.

    Jewish history…

    A card from 1909, found in the Jewish Museum of New York, depicts Jewish Americans welcoming Jews emigrating from Russia.
    Heritage Images/Hulton Archive via Getty Images

    The American comics industry was largely started by the children of Jewish immigrants. Like most publishing in the early 20th century, it was centered in New York City, home to the country’s largest Jewish population. Though they were still a very small minority, immigration had swelled the United States’ Jewish population more than a thousandfold: from roughly 3,000 in 1820 to roughly 3,500,000 in 1920.

    Comic books had not yet been devised, but strip comics in newspapers were a regular feature. They began in the late 19th century with popular stories featuring recurring characters, such as Richard F. Outcault’s “Yellow Kid” and “the Little Bears” by Jimmy Swinnerton.

    A few Jewish creators were able to break into the industry, such as Harry Hershfield and his comic “Abie the Agent.” Hershfield’s success was exceptional in three ways: He broke into mainstream newspaper comics, his titular character was also Jewish, and he never adopted an anglicized pen name – as many other Jewish creators felt they must.

    Shoppers and vendors outside of haberdasheries on Hester Street in a Jewish neighborhood of New York’s Lower East Side around 1900.
    Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images

    Generally, however, Jews were barred from the more prestigious jobs in newspaper cartooning. A more accessible alternative was the cheaper, second-tier business of reprinting previously published works.

    In 1933, second-generation Jewish New Yorker Max Gaines – born Maxwell Ginzburg – began a new publication, “Funnies on Parade.” “Funnies” pulled together preexisting comic strips, reproducing them in saddle-stitched pamphlets that became the standard for the American comics industry. He went on to found All-American Comics and Educational Comics.

    Another publisher, Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, founded National Allied Publications in 1934 and published the first comic book to feature entirely new material, rather than reprints of newspaper strips. He joined forces with two Jewish immigrants, Harry Donenfeld and Jack Leibowitz. At National, they created and distributed Detective and Action Comics – the precursors to DC, which would become one of the two largest comics distributors in history.

    It was at Action Comics that Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two second-generation immigrants from a Jewish neighborhood in Cleveland, found a home for Superman. It would also be where two Jewish kids from the Bronx, Bob Kane and Bill Finger – born Robert Kahn and Milton Finger – found a home for their character, Batman, in 1939.

    Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, creators of Superman, pictured in the 1940s.
    New Yorker/Wikimedia Commons

    The success of these characters inspired another prominent second-generation Jewish New Yorker, pulp magazine publisher Moses “Martin” Goodman, to enter comics production with his line, “Timely Comics.” The 1939 debut featured what would become two of the early industry’s most well-known superheroes: the Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch. These characters would be mainstays of Goodman’s company, even when it became better known as Marvel Comics.

    Thus were born the “big two,” Marvel and DC, from humble Jewish origins.

    …and Jewish stories

    The creation and popularization of superhero comics isn’t Jewish just because of its history. The content was, too, reflecting the values and priorities of Jewish America at the time: a community influenced by its origins and traditions, as well as the American mainstream.

    Some of the most foundational early comics echo Jewish history and texts, such as Superman’s story, which parallels the Jewish hero Moses. The biblical prophet was born in Egypt, where the Israelites were enslaved, and soon after Pharaoh ordered the murder of all their newborn sons. Similarly, Superman’s people, the Kryptonians, faced an existential threat: the destruction of their planet.

    Moses’ life is saved when his mother floats him down the Nile in a hastily constructed and tarred basket. Kal-El, too, is sent away to safety in a hastily constructed craft. Both boys are raised by strangers in a strange land and destined to become heroes to their people.

    Comics also reflected the feelings and fears of Jews in a moment in time. For example, in the wake of Kristallnacht – the 1938 night of widespread organized attacks on German Jews and their property, which many historians see as a turning point toward the Holocaust – Finger and Kane debuted Batman’s Gotham City. The city is a dark contrast to Superman’s shining metropolis, a place where villains lurked around every corner and reflected the darkest sides of modern humanity.

    Some comic artists and writers used their platform to make political statements. Jack Kirby – born Kurtzberg – and Hymie “Joe” Simon, creators of Captain America, explained that they “knew what was going on over in Europe. World events gave us the perfect comic-book villain, Adolf Hitler, with his ranting, goose-stepping and ridiculous moustache. So we decided to create the perfect hero who would be his foil.” The comic debut of Captain America in 1941 featured a brightly colored cover with the brand-new hero punching Adolf Hitler in the face.

    In later generations, characters penned by Jewish authors continued to grapple with issues of outsider status, hiding aspects of their identity, and maintaining their determination to better the world in spite of rejection from it. Think of Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and X-Men. All of these were created by Stan Lee – another Jewish creator, born Stanley Martin Lieber – who was hired into Timely Comics at just 17 years old.

    With so many of the most popular comics written by New York Jews, and centered in the city, much of New York’s Yiddish-tinged, recognizably Jewish language made its way onto the pages. Lee’s Spider-Man, for example, frequently exclaims “oy!” or calls bad guys “putz” or “shmuck.”

    In later years, Jewish authors such as Chris Claremont and Brian Michael Bendis introduced or took over mainstream characters who were overtly Jewish – reflecting an emerging comfort with a more public Jewish ethnic identity in America. In X-Men, for example, Kitty Pryde recounts her encounters with contemporary antisemitism. Magneto, who is at times friend but often foe of the X-Men, developed a backstory as a Holocaust survivor.

    History is never solely about retelling; it’s about gaining a better understanding of complex narratives. Trends in comics history, particularly in the superhero genre, offer insight into the ways that Jewish American anxieties, ambitions, patriotism and sense of place in the U.S. continually changed over the 20th century. To me, this understanding makes the retelling of these classic stories even more meaningful and entertaining.

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

    – ref. See you in the funny papers: How superhero comics tell the story of Jewish America – https://theconversation.com/see-you-in-the-funny-papers-how-superhero-comics-tell-the-story-of-jewish-america-248218

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Saudi Arabia’s role as Ukraine war mediator advances Gulf nation’s diplomatic rehabilitation − and boosts its chances of a seat at the table should Iran-US talks resume

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Fellow for the Middle East at the Baker Institute, Rice University

    Saudi Arabia is 2,000 miles from Ukraine and even more politically distant, so at first glance it might seem like it has nothing to do with the ongoing war there. But the Gulf state has emerged as a key intermediary in the most serious ceasefire negotiations since Russia invaded its neighbor three years ago.

    While it is U.S. officials who are undoubtedly leading the efforts for an agreement, it is the Saudi capital of Riyadh that has been staging the crucial talks.

    In a flurry of diplomatic activity on March 10, 2025, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s top political authority, hosted separate meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz.

    The following day, senior Saudi officials facilitated face-to-face meetings between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations.

    The resulting agreement, which is now being mulled in Moscow, is all the more notable given that it followed a diplomatic breakdown just weeks before at the Oval Office between Zelenskyy, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

    Whether the proposed interim 30-day ceasefire materializes is still uncertain. On March 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he agreed with the proposal in principle, but he added that a lot of the details needed to be sorted out.

    Should a deal be reached, there is every reason to believe it will be inked in Saudi Arabia, which has hosted not only the latest U.S.-Ukrainian talks but earlier rounds of high-level Russian-U.S. meetings.

    But why is a Gulf nation playing mediator in a conflict in Eastern Europe? As an expert on Saudi politics, I believe the answer to that lies in the kingdom’s diplomatic ambitions and its desire to present a more positive image to the world. And in the background is the goal of better positioning the nation in the event of diplomatic maneuvers in its own region, notably in regards to any talks between U.S. and Iran.

    The diplomatic convertion of MBS

    Saudi Arabia’s growing diplomatic role has been a feature of the kingdom’s foreign policy since 2022.

    Crown Prince Mohammed, who that year succeeded his father as prime minister, views Saudi Arabia as the convening power in the Arab and Islamic world.

    Accordingly, officials in the kingdom have been directed to lead regional diplomacy over a number of pressing issues, including the conflicts in Gaza and Sudan.

    At the same time, Saudis have started the process of reconciliation with Iran, which has long been perceived as the chief regional rival to Saudi influence.

    This turn to diplomacy marks a shift away from the confrontational policies adopted by the crown prince during his rise to power in Saudi Arabia between 2015 and 2018. Policies such as Saudi Arabia’s military intervention in Yemen, its blockade of Qatar, the detention of Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri and the conversion of the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh into a makeshift prison all fed an image of the young prince as an impulsive decision-maker. Then in 2018 came the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

    This approach brought little in the way of stability. Rather, it left the country ensnared in an unwinnable war in Yemen, a fruitless row with Qatar, and diplomatic isolation by Western officials.

    A friend to Ukraine and Russia

    In regards to the war in Ukraine, Saudi Arabia’s intermediary role is helped by a perception of the kingdom as a neutral nation on the conflict.

    Saudi officials, in common with their counterparts in the other Gulf states, have long sought to avoid taking sides in the emerging era of great power competition and strategic rivalry. As such, the kingdom has maintained working relations with both Russia and pro-Western Ukraine since the outbreak of war in Europe.

    In 2022, for example, Saudi Arabia and Russia – both leaders of OPEC+ – coordinated oil production cuts to cushion Moscow from the effects of global sanctions the West imposed after it invaded Ukraine. Yet just months later, Saudi Arabia invited Zelenskyy to address an Arab League summit in the Saudi city of Jeddah.

    It was a prelude to a 2023 international summit, also in Jeddah, which brought together representatives from 40 countries to discuss the ongoing war.

    Despite failing to produce a breakthrough, the meeting illustrated the convening reach of the crown prince and his intention to act as a diplomatic go-between in the Ukraine-Russia war.

    Saudi Arabia and neighboring United Arab Emirates later facilitated occasional prisoner exchanges between the two countries – rare diplomatic successes in three years of conflict.

    Staging ground for diplomacy

    Direct engagement in high-stakes international diplomacy over the largest war in Europe since 1945 is undoubtedly a step up in Saudi ambitions. But the country’s efforts aren’t purely altruistic. Riyadh believes there’s mileage to be gained in such diplomatic endeavors.

    The advent of a Trump presidency has fit Saudi desires. Trump has made his desire to be seen as a dealmaker and peacemaker clear, but he needs a neutral venue in which the hard work of diplomacy can flourish.

    Just weeks into the new U.S. administration, the Saudi capital hosted the first meeting between a U.S. secretary of state and Russian foreign minister since Russia invaded in 2022.

    It yielded an agreement to “re-establish the bilateral relationship” and establish a consultation mechanism to “address irritants” in ties.

    The two rounds of dialogue in Riyadh – first with Russia, then Ukraine – have positioned the Saudi leadership firmly in the diplomatic process. It has also gone some way to rehabilitate Mohammed bin Salman’s image.

    The sight of the crown prince warmly greeting Zelenskyy contrasted sharply with the images from a fractious White House meeting that went around the world, presenting the crown prince as a statesmanlike figure.

    Turning to Tehran

    Such positive optics would have seemed inconceivable as recently as 2019, when the crown prince was shunned and then presidential candidate Joe Biden labeled the country a “pariah” state.

    Changing this negative global perception of Saudi Arabia is crucial if the kingdom is to attract the tens of millions of visitors that are pivotal to the success of the “giga-projects” – sports, culture and tourism events that the Saudis hope will drive its economy and allow the kingdom to be less economically dependent on fossil fuel exports.

    Whereas easing tensions with Iran and supporting Yemen’s fragile truce are about derisking the kingdom’s vulnerability to regional volatility, facilitating diplomacy over Ukraine is a relatively cost-free way to reinforce the changing narratives about Saudi Arabia.

    After all, any breakdown in the Russia-U.S.-Ukraine negotiations is unlikely to be blamed on the Saudis.

    Indeed, Saudi officials may view their engagement with U.S. officials over Ukraine as the prelude to further diplomatic cooperation. And this will be especially true if Crown Prince Mohammed is able to establish himself as an indispensable partner in the eyes of Trump.

    Saudi officials were excluded from the last major talks between Iran and the U.S., which also involved several other major world powers and led to the 2016 Iran nuclear deal. Trump withdrew from the deal shortly after assuming office for the first time in 2017, and U.S.-Iranian relations have been moribund since then.

    The U.S. administration has already mooted the idea of a resumption of negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear capabilities.

    Placing Saudi Arabia in the middle of any attempts to secure a new nuclear agreement that would replace or supersede that earlier deal would be a high-risk move, given the intensity of feeling on both the U.S. and Iranian sides and the uneasy coexistence between Tehran and Riyadh.

    But doing so would give the kingdom what it most desires: a seat at the table.

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

    – ref. Saudi Arabia’s role as Ukraine war mediator advances Gulf nation’s diplomatic rehabilitation − and boosts its chances of a seat at the table should Iran-US talks resume – https://theconversation.com/saudi-arabias-role-as-ukraine-war-mediator-advances-gulf-nations-diplomatic-rehabilitation-and-boosts-its-chances-of-a-seat-at-the-table-should-iran-us-talks-resume-252035

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Who are the Baloch Liberation Army? Pakistan train hijacking was fuelled by decades of neglect and violence

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sameen Mohsin Ali, Lecturer in International Development, University of Birmingham

    Pakistan’s army has freed hundreds of hostages from a passenger train that was seized by armed militants in the south-western province of Balochistan on Tuesday, March 11. A number of those on board were military officials and police personnel travelling from Balochistan’s capital, Quetta, to Peshawar further north.

    The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) quickly claimed responsibility for the hijacking. In a written statement sent to the Guardian, the group said its actions were “a direct response to Pakistan’s decades-long colonial occupation of Balochistan and the relentless war crimes committed against the Baloch people”.

    Ever since 1948, when Balochistan became a province of Pakistan months after partition from India, this territory has been marginalised by the Pakistani state. The authorities have struggled to accommodate the diverse ethnic and linguistic groups within Balochistan, leading to several rounds of insurgency.

    During the recent hijack, the BLA demanded that Pakistan’s military release Baloch activists, missing people and political prisoners, and threatened to kill many of the hostages if the authorities did not comply. The subsequent military operation, which lasted two days, resulted in the deaths of all 33 militants, as well as 21 hostages and four army personnel.

    The brazen nature and scale of the attack has raised difficult questions for the Pakistani state about how it addresses escalating discontent and militancy in Balochistan.

    Who are the BLA?

    The BLA is a separatist group that emerged in the early 2000s. It is considered a terrorist organisation by the Pakistani authorities and several western countries.

    Unlike more moderate Baloch nationalist groups, which are committed to remaining part of the Pakistani state despite longstanding grievances with it, the BLA aims to achieve an independent Balochistan.

    Some of the grievances expressed by the Baloch include a lack of representation both in the federal government and the armed forces. Baloch nationalists also allege the Pakistani state has exploited the province’s coal, gold, copper and gas resources while providing very little for the Baloch people in return.

    Revenues from the Saindak gold and copper mine, for example, are largely shared between the Chinese company that operates it and the Pakistani government. The Balochistan provincial government only receives around 5% of the mine’s revenue.

    Chaghi, the mineral-rich district of Balochistan that hosts the Saindak mine, remains one of the most underdeveloped areas of the country. Local people employed at the mine claim they are only offered menial jobs and work in unsafe conditions.

    Balochistan’s persistent underdevelopment means a poor quality of life for its citizens. It consistently ranks as the Pakistani province with the lowest human development index (HDI) rating, scoring 0.421 in 2017. This index is a summary rating between 0 (low) and 1 (high) based on measures of health, education and standard of living. Punjab has the highest HDI rating at 0.732.

    Balochistan is located in south-west Pakistan.
    Calligraphy786 / Shutterstock

    The separatist movement in Balochistan intensified after Nawab Akbar Bugti, a prominent Baloch nationalist leader, was killed in a military operation in 2006. The BLA was soon banned by the Pakistani government, and the military’s operations intensified in the province.

    Baloch human rights defenders and activists have persistently accused Pakistan’s security forces of harassment and relying on excessive force. Protesters believe there have been thousands of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, which the Pakistani authorities have denied.

    The issue has been raised by human rights organisations both in Pakistan and abroad. Families of missing people have filed cases against the government with the Pakistan Supreme Court, and disappearances have been investigated through special commissions of inquiry.

    Supreme Court rulings have held the state responsible for enforced disappearances. While some missing people have been traced as a result of these rulings and inquiries, the International Commission of Jurists notes that “there has been no apparent effort made to fix responsibility for this heinous crime”.

    Attacking foreign investments

    The BLA’s tactics have typically involved carrying out attacks against state installations. However, in recent years, attacks against Chinese citizens and infrastructure have become the group’s focus.

    Balochistan has a strategically important coastline, providing access to the Indian Ocean. China has invested heavily in the region as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, including in a deep-sea port at Gwadar. But these investments have failed to benefit local people, fuelling accusations by many in the province that the Pakistani state is systematically neglecting their needs.

    The BLA’s suicide squad was responsible for an attack that injured three Chinese engineers working in the Balochistan city of Dalbandin in 2018. Later that year, BLA militants attacked the Chinese consulate in Karachi – though Chinese nationals remained safe in that attack.

    The group seems to have no difficulty attracting young and well-educated Baloch people, who see the state’s actions and Chinese presence in Balochistan as exploitative. In 2022, a female graduate student carried out a suicide attack on behalf of the BLA that killed three Chinese teachers at the University of Karachi.

    The BLA’s activities have expanded substantially in recent years. It has conducted more than 150 attacks in the past year alone, including on Quetta railway station and on a convoy carrying Chinese workers near Karachi airport.

    However, experts have noted that the train hijacking was unprecedented in scale. It represents a significant escalation by the BLA in terms of the planning, resources and intelligence required to execute such an operation.

    The Pakistani government and military appear to have mishandled Balochistan’s security situation. But they have also failed to address the growing resentment and alienation that is driving people to groups like the BLA.

    According to Farzana Sheikh, an associate fellow at Chatham House, Pakistan’s military continues to favour “a heavy-handed security response to deal with what is widely judged to be a political crisis”.

    Accusations of state exploitation and neglect will not go away until the Pakistani state radically alters its stance on Balochistan, starting by ensuring accountability for perpetrators of human rights violations. Only then can trust be rebuilt with the people of this province who, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, live in “a climate of fear”.

    Sameen Mohsin Ali 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. Who are the Baloch Liberation Army? Pakistan train hijacking was fuelled by decades of neglect and violence – https://theconversation.com/who-are-the-baloch-liberation-army-pakistan-train-hijacking-was-fuelled-by-decades-of-neglect-and-violence-252120

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The White House press pool became a way to control journalists – Trump is taking this to new levels

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Colin Alexander, Senior Lecturer in Political Communications, Nottingham Trent University

    The recently appointed White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, has begun her tenure combatively, aggressively defending the Trump administration’s policies and, at times, mimicking Donald Trump’s methods of dealing with the mainstream news media.

    Faced recently with a legitimate question by an Associated Press (AP) reporter who challenged Trump’s introduction of tariffs against several countries, she accused the reporter of doubting her knowledge of economics. She then dismissed him, saying: “I now regret giving a question to the Associated Press.”

    AP is one of the key media organisations reporting on the White House. The largest news agency in the US, its stories are carried by news groups around the world. But recently, AP was ejected from the “press pool” that covers White House business

    It was excluded in mid-February for refusing to call the Gulf of Mexico “the Gulf of America”, after Trump changed its name by executive order. This was followed by an announcement that the White House would take greater control of the press pool and choose which outlets would be given most access to the president. This is likely to be based on favourable coverage rather than quality of reporting.

    To appreciate how significant this is, it is important to first state the fundamental purpose of journalism in a democratic society, which is to hold the powerful to account. This is known as its “watchdog” function.

    The work of Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in exposing the Watergate scandal during the 1970s is often held up as the gold standard of watchdog journalism. It ultimately led to the resignation of Richard Nixon as president and the imprisonment of his lawyer, John Dean.

    “Pooling” describes the process by which a prominent organisation or individual attempts to oversee journalistic scrutiny by managing access. King Charles, for example, also operates a press pool.

    It works in two stages. First, news organisations or individual journalists apply to be members of the pool. Then, a handful of journalists from the pool are selected each day or week for access. These journalists – through their pool contract – are required to share the information they gather with the other journalists in the pool, which often leads to a genericisation of the content.

    Thus, while political organisations or elite individuals might claim the pooling system is used as a benign and fair tool to manage consistent press interest, in reality it is a weapon of communications control.

    The White House’s press pool was first established under President Dwight Eisenhower as a reflection of the growing number of journalists based in Washington. But in the modern era, the use of pooling was most controversial during and after the first Gulf War of the early 1990s.

    Rather than roaming the battlefields of Iraq and Kuwait, most western reporters spent the conflict at the media centre in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, some 250 miles from the Kuwait border. Here they were fed the information that the US military wanted the public to know. A small number of pooled journalists were then occasionally accompanied by US troops to the battlefield in what was a clear case of censorship by access and perspective limitation.

    This military-media power dynamic – and the subsequent mismatch between the actuality of the war and the reporting of it – led the French philosopher Jean Baudrillard to declare in a 1991 essay, published by Liberation and The Guardian, that “The Gulf war did not take place”.

    General “Stormin” Norman Schwarzkopf’s famous “luckiest man in Iraq” briefing is indicative of the close relationship that developed between military and media professionals during the conflict. Schwarzkopf showed journalists footage taken through the crosshairs of a US bomber of an Iraqi private car driving over a bridge moments before a US airstrike destroys it. You can hear the journalists laughing with Schwarzkopf as they watch this lucky escape.

    Legacy of Vietnam

    Despite widespread understanding that scrutiny is an important part of public officialdom, the legacy of the Vietnam War – a conflict the US was perceived both at home and around the world to have lost – led to a significant amount of distrust of journalists. US media analyst Daniel Hallin referred to Vietnam as the “uncensored war”. By this he meant that journalists enjoyed an unprecedented amount of freedom – exacerbated by the relatively new medium of television, which brought stark images of war directly into people’s living rooms.

    By February 1968, the US military’s daily briefings from the Rex Hotel in Saigon had become known as the “five o’clock follies”, on account of the gulf between official claims of the war’s “progress” and what was being reported by journalists who had ventured into the field. The military consistently presented a positive narrative – in stark contrast to the esteemed CBS reporter Walter Cronkite’s analysis that: “To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion.”

    Vietnam could have been an opportunity for governments to think about their obligation to truth and the requirement to be more ethical in their approach. Instead, the feeling in Washington was that unfavourable press coverage had lost the war, and that journalists needed to be curtailed.

    Controlling the message

    The recent decision by the Trump administration to take over selection of pool journalists from the notionally independent White House Correspondents’ Association is unsurprising. The approach is consistent with the first Trump presidency’s refusal to answer questions from journalists who tried to carry out the press’s watchdog function.

    It also fits with Trump’s electioneering approach during 2024 when he shunned traditional news outlets, focusing instead on social media and appearing on the podcasts of Joe Rogan and Andrew Schulz, for example.

    To this end, the White House’s decision amounts to a power grab against the institution of modern journalism – even if much of the US media has been in thrall to the powerful ever since Vietnam.

    Colin Alexander 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 White House press pool became a way to control journalists – Trump is taking this to new levels – https://theconversation.com/the-white-house-press-pool-became-a-way-to-control-journalists-trump-is-taking-this-to-new-levels-250960

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: As Mark Carney is sworn in, America’s democratic decline has critical lessons for Canadian voters

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Matthew Lebo, Professor, Department of Political Science, Western University

    Prime Minister Mark Carney and his cabinet have been sworn in, ending Justin Trudeau’s time in office and paving the way for a spring election. Canadians are soon heading to the polls as they watch American democracy crumble.

    United States President Donald Trump recently argued “he who saves his country does not violate any Law” as he ignores Congress and the courts, governs by executive order and threatens international laws and treaties.



    Read more:
    Is Donald Trump on a constitutional collision course over NATO?

    Once stable democratic institutions are failing to hold an authoritarian president in check.

    What lessons are there to protect Canadian democracy as the federal election approaches?

    Elites lead the way

    First, it’s important to delve into how so many Americans have become tolerant of undemocratic actions and politics in the first place. It’s not that Republican voters first became more extreme and then chose a representative leader. Rather, public opinion and polarization are led by elites.

    Republican leaders moved dramatically to the right, and the primary system allowed the choice of an extremist. Republican voters then aligned their opinions with his. Trump’s disdain for democratic fundamentals spread quickly. Partisans defending their team slid away from democratic values.

    Canada’s more centrist ideological spectrum is not foolproof against this type of extremism. Public opinion can be moved when our leaders take us there.

    Decline can start slowly and then accelerate. America’s democratic backsliding in the first weeks of Trump’s second presidency follows the erosion of democratic norms over decades. Republican attacks on institutions, the opposition, the media and higher education corrosively undermined public faith in the truth, including election results.

    Trust in government is holding steady in Canada, however. That provides an important guardrail for Canadian democracy.

    The dangers of courting the far right

    There are also lessons for our political parties. To maximize their seats, Republicans accepted extremists like Marjorie Taylor Greene, but soon needed those types of politicians for key votes.

    The so-called Freedom Caucus, made up of MAGA adherents, forced the choice of a new, more extreme, leader of the House of Representatives. This provides a clear lesson that history has shown many times: it is dangerous for the party on the political right to accommodate the far right, which can quickly take control.

    Once established within the ruling party, extremists can hold their party hostage.

    At a recent meeting of the Munich Security Conference, Vice-President JD Vance pushed European parties to include far-right parties, and Elon Musk outright endorsed the far-right Alternative for Germany party.

    Austria recently avoided the inclusion of the far right in its new coalition, and now Germany is working to do the same. As Canada’s Conservatives look for every vote, courting far-right voters and candidates risks destabilizing the system.

    Can it happen in Canada?

    How safe is Canada’s Westminster-style parliamentary democracy?

    The fusion of legislative and executive power in parliamentary systems like Canada’s seems prone to tyranny. America’s Constitutional framers thought so when they designed a system with separate legislative, executive and judicial branches that could check each other’s power.

    They clearly did not imagine party loyalty negating the safeguards that protect democracy from an authoritarian-minded president. The Constitution gives Congress the power to legislate and impeach, limits the executive’s power to spend and make appointments, gives the judiciary power to hold an executive accountable and contains the 25th amendment allowing cabinet to remove a president.

    But when one party controls the legislative and executive branches during a time of hyper-partisanship, these mechanisms may not constrain an authoritarian. Today, Republican loyalty has eroded these checks and balances and American courts are struggling to step up to their heightened role.

    Although counter-intuitive, parliamentary systems like Canada’s are usually less susceptible to authoritarianism than presidential ones because the cabinet or the House of Commons can turn against a lawless leader.

    Still, if popular, authoritarian leaders can still retain their party’s support — and then things can slide quickly. The rightward pull of extremists seen in the U.S. House would be more dangerous here since the Canadian House of Commons includes our executive.

    Guarding against xenophobia

    Lastly, Canada should be wary of xenophobic rhetoric.

    “America First” is not simply shopping advice. It began as an isolationist slogan during the First World War but was soon adopted by pro-fascists, American Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan. These entities questioned who is really American and wanted not only isolationism, but racist policies, immigration restrictions and eugenics.

    Trump did not revive the phrase accidentally. It’s a call to America’s fringes. Alienating domestic groups is a sure sign of democratic decline.

    “Canada First” mimics that century-long dark theme in America. In combination with contempt for the opposition, it questions the right of other parties to legitimately hold power if used as a message by one party.

    Also, asserting that “Canada is broken” — as Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre often does — mimics Trump’s talk of American carnage, language and imagery he uses to justify extraordinary presidential authority.

    Such language erodes citizens’ trust in democratic institutions and primes voters to support undemocratic practices in the name of patriotism. Canadian parties and politicians should exit that road.

    Ultimately, institutions alone do not protect a country from the rise of authoritarianism. Democracy can be fragile. As a federal election approaches in Canada, it’s important to know the warning signs of extremism and anti-democratic practices that are creeping into our politics.

    Matthew Lebo 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. As Mark Carney is sworn in, America’s democratic decline has critical lessons for Canadian voters – https://theconversation.com/as-mark-carney-is-sworn-in-americas-democratic-decline-has-critical-lessons-for-canadian-voters-251544

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: When algorithms take the field – inside MLB’s robo-umping experiment

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Arthur Daemmrich, Professor of Practice in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University

    MLB’s automated ball-strike technology could be used in big league games as soon as 2026. Rich Schultz/Getty Images

    Baseball fans tuning into spring training games may have noticed another new wrinkle in a sport that’s experienced a host of changes in recent years.

    Batters, pitchers and catchers can challenge a home plate umpire’s ball or strike call. Powered by Hawk-Eye ball-tracking technology, the automated ball-strike system replays the pitch trajectory to determine whether the umpire’s call was correct.

    To minimize disruptions, Major League Baseball permits each team a maximum of two failed challenges per game but allows unlimited challenges as long as they’re successful. For now, the technology will be limited to the spring exhibition games. But it could be implemented in the regular season as soon as 2026.

    Count future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer among the skeptics.

    “We’re humans,” the Toronto Blue Jays hurler said after a spring training game in which he challenged two calls and lost both to the robo umps. “Can we just be judged by humans?”

    Technological advances that lead to fairer, more accurate calls are often seen as triumphs. But as co-editors of the recently published volume “Inventing for Sports,” which includes case studies of over 20 sports inventions, we find that new technology doesn’t mean perfect precision – nor does it necessarily lead to better competition from the fan perspective.

    Cue the cameras

    While playing in a cricket match in the 1990s, British computer scientist Paul Hawkins fumed over a bad call. He decided to make sure the same mistake wouldn’t happen again.

    Drawing on his doctoral training in artificial intelligence, he designed an array of high-speed cameras to capture a ball’s flight path and velocity, and a software algorithm that used the data to predict the ball’s likely future path.

    He founded Hawk-Eye Innovations Ltd. in 2001, and his first clients were cricket broadcasters who used the technology’s trajectory graphics to enhance their telecasts.

    By 2006, professional tennis leagues began deploying Hawk-Eye to help officials adjudicate line calls. Cricket leagues followed in 2009, incorporating it to help umpires make what are known as “leg before wicket” calls, among others. And professional soccer leagues started using the technology in 2012 to determine whether balls cross the goal line.

    A technician uses the Hawk-Eye system as part of a broadcast trial for the technology during the 2005 Masters Tennis tournament in London.
    Julian Finney/Getty Images

    Reaction to Hawk-Eye has been mixed. In tennis, players, fans and broadcasters have generally embraced the technology. During a challenge, spectators often clap rhythmically in anticipation as the Hawk-Eye official cues up the replayed trajectory.

    “As a player, and now as a TV commentator,” tennis legend Pam Shriver said in 2006, “I dreamed of the day when technology would take the accuracy of line calling to the next level. That day has now arrived.”

    But Hawk-Eye isn’t perfect. In 2020 and 2022, the firm publicly apologized to fans of professional soccer clubs after its goal-line technology made errant calls after players congregated in the goal box and obstructed key camera sight lines.

    Perfection isn’t possible

    Critics have also raised more fundamental concerns.

    In their 2016 book “Bad Call,” researchers Harry Collins, Robert Evans and Christopher Higgins reminded readers that Hawk-Eye is not a replay of the ball’s actual position; rather, it produces a prediction of a trajectory, based on the ball’s prior velocity, rotation and position.

    The authors lament that Hawk-Eye and what they term “decision aids” have undermined the authority of referees and umpires, which they consider bad for the games.

    Ultimately, there are no purely objective standards for fairness and accuracy in technological officiating. They are always negotiated. Even the most precise officiating innovations require human consensus to define and validate their role. Technologies like photo-finish cameras, instant replay and ball-tracking systems have improved the precision of officiating, but their deployment is shaped – and often limited – by human judgment and institutional decisions.

    For example, today’s best race timing systems are accurate to 0.0001 seconds, yet Olympic sports such as swimming, track and field, and alpine skiing report results in increments of only 0.01 seconds. This can lead to situations – such as Dominique Gisin and Tina Maze’s gold medal tie in the women’s downhill ski race at the 2014 Sochi Olympics – in which the timing officials admitted that their equipment could have revealed the actual winner. But they were forced to report a dead heat under the rules established by the ski federation.

    With slow-motion instant replays, determining a catch or a player’s intention for a personal foul can actually be distorted by low-speed replay, since humans aren’t adept at adjusting to shifting replay speeds.

    One of the big issues with baseball’s automated ball-strike system has to do with the strike zone itself.

    MLB’s rule book defines the strike zone as the depth and width of home plate and the vertical distance between the midpoint of a player’s torso to the point just below his knees. The interpretation of the strike zone is notoriously subjective and varies with each umpire. For example, human umpires often call a strike if the ball crosses the plate in the rear corner. However the automated ball-strike system uses an imaginary plane that bisects the middle – not the front or the rear – of home plate.

    There are more complications. Since every player has a unique height, each has a unique strike zone. At the outset of spring training, each player’s height was measured – standing up without cleats – and then confirmed through a biomechanical analysis.

    Eddie Gaedel, the shortest player in major league baseball history, had a much smaller strike zone than his peers. He drew a walk in his only at-bat.
    Bettmann/Getty Images

    But what if a player changes their batting stance and decides to crouch? What if they change their cleats and raise their strike zone by an extra quarter-inch?

    Of course, as has been the case in tennis, soccer and other sports, Hawk-Eye can help rectify genuinely bad calls. By allowing teams to correct the most disputed calls without eliminating the human element of umpiring, MLB hopes to strike a balance between tradition and change.

    Fans have the final say

    Finding a balance between machine precision and the human element of baseball is crucial.

    Players’ and managers’ efforts to work the umpires to contract or expand the strike zone have long been a part of the game. And fans eagerly cheer or jeer players and managers who argue with the umpires. When ejections take place, more yelling and taunting ensues.

    Though often unacknowledged in negotiations between leagues and athletes, fan enthusiasm is a key component of whether to adopt new technology.

    For example, innovative “full-body” swimsuits contributed to a wave of record-breaking finishes in the sport between 2000 and 2009. But uneven access to the newest gear raised the specter of what some called “technological doping.” World Aquatics worried that as records fell simply due to equipment innovations, spectators would stop watching and broadcast and sponsorship revenue would dry up. The swimming federation ended up banning full-body swimsuits.

    When managers argue balls and strikes, it can make for great TV.

    Of course, algorithmic officiating differs from technologies that enhance performance and speed. But it runs a similar risk of turning off fans. So MLB, like other sports leagues, is being thrust into the role of managing technological change.

    Assessing technologies for their immediate and long-term impact is difficult enough for large government agencies. Sports leagues lack those resources, yet are nonetheless being forced to carefully consider how they introduce and regulate various innovations.

    MLB, to its credit, is proceeding incrementally. While the logical conclusion to the current automated ball-strike experiment would be fully electronic officiating, we think fans and players will resist going that far.

    The league’s challenge system is a test. But the real umpires will ultimately be the fans.

    Arthur Daemmrich receives funding from the National Science Foundation and The Lemelson Foundation.

    For the research underlying this article, Eric S. Hintz and the Smithsonian Institution received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Lemelson Foundation, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Nike, Inc., the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, the Shō Foundation, ConocoPhillips, and the Hopper-Dean Family Fund.

    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed are the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views
    of the National Science Foundation or any other funder.

    – ref. When algorithms take the field – inside MLB’s robo-umping experiment – https://theconversation.com/when-algorithms-take-the-field-inside-mlbs-robo-umping-experiment-251094

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The push to restore semiconductor manufacturing faces a labor crisis − can the US train enough workers in time?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Michael Moats, Professor of Metallurgical Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology

    Semiconductors power nearly every aspect of modern life – cars, smartphones, medical devices and even national defense systems. These tiny but essential components make the information age possible, whether they’re supporting lifesaving hospital equipment or facilitating the latest advances in artificial intelligence.

    It’s easy to take them for granted, until something goes wrong. That’s exactly what happened when the COVID-19 pandemic exposed major weaknesses in the global semiconductor supply chain. Suddenly, to name just one consequence, new vehicles couldn’t be finished because chips produced abroad weren’t being delivered. The semiconductor supply crunch disrupted entire industries and cost hundreds of billions of dollars.

    The crisis underscored a hard reality: The U.S. depends heavily on foreign countries – including China, a geopolitical rival – to manufacture semiconductors. This isn’t just an economic concern; it’s widely recognized as a national security risk.

    That’s why the U.S. government has taken steps to invest in semiconductor production through initiatives such as the CHIPS and Science Act, which aims to revitalize American manufacturing and was passed with bipartisan support in 2022. While President Donald Trump has criticized the CHIPS and Science Act recently, both he and his predecessor, Joe Biden, have touted their efforts to expand domestic chip manufacturing in recent years.

    Yet, even with bipartisan support for new chip plants, a major challenge remains: Who will operate them?

    Minding the workforce gap

    The push to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the U.S. faces a significant hurdle: a shortage of skilled workers. The semiconductor industry is expected to need 300,000 engineers by 2030 as new plants are built. Without a well-trained workforce, these efforts will fall short, and the U.S. will remain dependent on foreign suppliers.

    This isn’t just a problem for the tech sector – it affects every industry that relies on semiconductors, from auto manufacturing to defense contractors. Virtually every military communication, monitoring and advanced weapon system relies on microchips. It’s not sustainable or safe for the U.S. to rely on foreign nations – especially adversaries – for the technology that powers its military.

    For the U.S. to secure supply chains and maintain technological leadership, I believe it would be wise to invest in education and workforce development alongside manufacturing expansion.

    Building the next generation of semiconductor engineers

    Filling this labor gap will require a nationwide effort to train engineers and technicians in semiconductor research, design and fabrication. Engineering programs across the country are taking up this challenge by introducing specialized curricula that combine hands-on training with industry-focused coursework.

    Clean rooms, a vital part of semiconductor factories, are also where the next generation of tech innovators conduct research. Here, a Ph.D. candidate is seen in an air shower room before entering a clean room at Tokyo University on May 1, 2024.
    Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images

    Future semiconductor workers will need expertise in chip design and microelectronics, materials science and process engineering, and advanced manufacturing and clean room operations. To meet this demand, it will be important for universities and colleges to work alongside industry leaders to ensure students graduate with the skills employers need. Offering hands-on experience in semiconductor fabrication, clean-room-based labs and advanced process design will be essential for preparing a workforce that’s ready to contribute from Day 1.

    At Missouri University of Science of Technology, where I am the chair of the materials science and engineering department, we’re launching a multidisciplinary bachelor’s degree in semiconductor engineering this fall. Other universities across the U.S. are also expanding their semiconductor engineering options amid strong demand from both industry and students.

    A historic opportunity for economic growth

    Rebuilding domestic semiconductor manufacturing isn’t just about national security – it’s an economic opportunity that could benefit millions of Americans. By expanding training programs and workforce pipelines, the U.S. can create tens of thousands of high-paying jobs, strengthening the economy and reducing reliance on foreign supply chains.

    And the race to secure semiconductor supply chains isn’t just about stability – it’s about innovation. The U.S. has long been a global leader in semiconductor research and development, but recent supply chain disruptions have shown the risks of allowing manufacturing to move overseas.

    If the U.S. wants to remain at the forefront of technological advancement in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and next-generation communication systems, it seems clear to me it will need new workers – not just new factories – to gain control of its semiconductor production.

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

    – ref. The push to restore semiconductor manufacturing faces a labor crisis − can the US train enough workers in time? – https://theconversation.com/the-push-to-restore-semiconductor-manufacturing-faces-a-labor-crisis-can-the-us-train-enough-workers-in-time-245516

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: When humans use AI to earn patents, who is doing the inventing?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By W. Keith Robinson, Professor of Law, Wake Forest University

    Only humans can be awarded patents, but AIs can do a lot of the work to earn them. lineartestpilot/iStock via Getty Images

    The advent of generative artificial intelligence has sent shock waves across industries, from the technical to the creative. AI systems that can generate viable computer code, write news stories and spin up professional-looking graphics have inspired countless headlines asking whether they will take away jobs in technology, journalism and design, among many other fields.

    And these new ways of doing work and making things raise another question: In the era of AI, what does it mean to be an inventor?

    Among technologists who build digital tools or programs, it is increasingly common to use AI as part of design and development processes. But as deep learning models flex their technical muscles more and more, even highly skilled researchers who are using AI in their work have begun to express concerns about becoming obsolete.

    There is much debate about whether AI can augment human creativity, but emerging data suggests that the technology can boost research and development where creativity typically plays an important role. A recent study by MIT economics doctoral student Aidan Toner-Rodgers found that scientists using AI tools increased their patent filings by 39% and created 17% more prototypes than when they worked without such tools.

    While this study indicates that AI seemed to help humans be more productive, it also showed there was a downside: 82% of the surveyed researchers felt less satisfied with their jobs since implementing AI in their workflows. “I couldn’t help feeling that much of my education is now worthless,” one researcher said.

    This emerging dynamic leads to a related question: If a scientist uses AI in order to build something new, does the output still qualify as an invention? As a legal scholar who studies technology and intellectual property law, I see the growing power of AI shifting the legal landscape.

    Natural persons

    In 2020, the United States Patent and Trademark Office refused to list the AI system DABUS, which purportedly designed a food container and a flashing emergency beacon, as an inventor on patent applications. Subsequent court rulings clarified that under current U.S. law, only humans can be listed as inventors, but they left open the question of whether inventions developed by scientists with the help of AI qualify for patent protection.

    The concept of inventorship and legal protections for inventions have deep roots in the U.S. The Constitution explicitly protects the “exclusive rights” of authors and inventors “to their respective writings and discoveries,” reflecting the framers’ strong conviction that the state should protect and encourage original ideas.

    The first U.S. patent, granted in 1790 and signed by George Washington.
    United States Patent and Trademark Office

    U.S. law today defines an inventor as a natural person who has conceived of a complete and operative invention that can be used without extensive research or experimentation. An inventor must do more than follow routine instructions – they must make an intellectual contribution in producing something novel.

    That contribution can be a key idea that sparks the invention or a crucial insight that turns the concept into a working product. If a person’s input is routine or just explains what’s already known, they are not an inventor.

    Role of AI

    To what extent can or should AI become part of the invention process? The release of AI applications such as ChatGPT in 2022 introduced the public to large language models and sparked renewed debate about whether and how AI should be used in the inventive process. That same year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit heard a case that tested whether AI could be named as an inventor on a patent application.

    The court concluded that under U.S. law, inventors must be human beings. The ruling reaffirmed the idea that Congress intended to encourage human beings, not machines, to invent. This idea remains foundational to current patent policy.

    In light of the court’s decision, in 2024 the United States Patent and Trademark Office updated its guidance to clarify the role of AI in the inventive process. The guidance reaffirms that an inventor must be human. However, the Patent and Trademark Office explained that the policy did not preclude inventors from using AI tools to assist in the research and development of inventions. This approach acknowledges how the rapid development of AI technologies has allowed researchers to make exciting breakthroughs.

    Policymakers seem to understand that if the U.S. is to continue to lead the world in innovation, the mythology of a sole inventor toiling away in a garage and relying on pure intellect must evolve to account for the value of AI tools that research has proven make humans more productive.

    Nevertheless, since only human beings can be named as inventors on a patent, current policy does not quite answer the question of who or what should get credit for doing the work. Despite a growing trend where researchers are expected to disclose whether they’ve used AI tools, for example in academic papers, the U.S. patent system makes no such demand.

    Regardless of AI’s role in the research and development process, a U.S. patent will list only the names of human inventors so long as those humans made a significant contribution to the invention. As a result, current policy is not concerned with how to recognize the contributions of AI. AI is considered a tool like a microscope or a Bunsen burner.

    Personal ingenuity in the age of AI

    Given this shifting legal landscape, I see that U.S. innovation policy is at a crossroads. The Patent and Trademark Office’s guidance reaffirming human inventorship and simultaneously embracing AI as an innovation tool is only a year old. It is unclear how the Trump administration’s forthcoming action plan to “enhance America’s global AI dominance” will affect this guidance.

    Some observers expect the rate of scientific discovery to increase dramatically with the assistance of AI tools. But if the majority of those same productive researchers enjoy their jobs less, is the act of inventing being encouraged as the framers envisioned?

    Current U.S. policy attempts to strike a balance and recognize the concept of personal ingenuity, stemming from the principle that for an invention to be patented in the U.S., a human must have led the way. Yet the guidance also implicitly acknowledges that AI can lend a helping hand in modern research and development. Whether and how policymakers maintain this balance – and how leaders in industry and science respond – will help shape the next chapter of American innovation.

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

    – ref. When humans use AI to earn patents, who is doing the inventing? – https://theconversation.com/when-humans-use-ai-to-earn-patents-who-is-doing-the-inventing-248216

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why parents of ‘twice-exceptional’ children choose homeschooling over public school

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Rachael Cody, Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Education, Oregon State University

    More Americans are homeschooling their kids. Chris Hondros/Newsmakers via Getty Images

    Homeschooling has exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly since the pandemic. But researchers are still exploring why parents choose to homeschool their children.

    While the decision to homeschool is often associated with religion, a 2023 survey found that the two top reasons people cited as most important were a concern about the school environment, such as safety and drugs, and a dissatisfaction with academic instruction.

    I studied giftedness, creativity and talent as part of my Ph.D. program focusing on students who are “twice exceptional” – that is, they have both learning challenges such autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder as well as advanced skills. A better understanding of why parents choose homeschooling can help identify ways to improve the public education system. I believe focusing on twice-exceptional students can offer insights beyond this subset of the homeschooled population.

    What we know about homeschooling

    The truth is researchers don’t know much about homeschooling and homeschoolers.

    One problem is regulations involving homeschooling differ dramatically among states, so it is often hard to determine who is being instructed at home. And many families are unwilling to talk about their experiences homeschooling and their reasons for doing so.

    But here’s what we do know.

    The share of children being homeschooled has surged since 2020, rising from 3.7% in the 2018-2019 school year to 5.2% in 2022-2023 – the latest data available from the National Center for Education Statistics. Over 3 million students were homeschooled in 2021-22, according to the National Home Education Research Institute.

    And the population of homeschoolers is becoming increasingly diverse, with about half of families reporting as nonwhite in a 2023 Washington Post-Schar School poll. In addition, homeschooling families are just as likely to be Democrat as Republican, according to that same Post-Schar survey, a sharp shift from previous surveys that suggested Republicans were much more likely to homeschool.

    As for why parents homeschool, 28% of those surveyed in 2023 by the Institute of Education Sciences said the school environment was their biggest reason, followed by 17% that cited concerns about academic instruction. Another 17% said providing their kids with moral or religious instruction was most important.

    But not far behind at 12% was a group of parents who prioritized homeschooling for a different reason: They have a child with physical or mental health problems or other special needs.

    This group would include parents of twice-exceptional children, who may be especially interested in pursuing homeschooling as an alternative method of education for three reasons in particular.

    Some families have devoted significant resources, such as by creating home libraries, to homeschool their children.
    AP Photo/Charles Krupa

    1. The ‘masking’ problem

    These parents may notice that their child’s needs are being overlooked in the public education system and may view homeschooling as a way to provide better individualized instruction.

    Students who are twice exceptional often experience what researchers call the “masking” phenomenon. This can occur when a child’s disabilities hide their giftedness. When this occurs, teachers tend to provide academic support but hesitate to give these children the challenging material they may require.

    Masking can also occur in reverse, when a student’s gifts tend to hide disabilities. In these cases, teachers provide challenging material, but they do not provide the needed accommodations that allow the gifted child to access the materials. Either way, masking can be a problem for students and parents who must advocate for teachers to address their unique range of academic needs.

    While either type of masking is challenging for the student, it may be particularly frustrating for parents of twice-exceptional students to watch classroom teachers focus only on their child’s weaknesses rather than helping them develop their advanced abilities.

    2. Individualized instruction

    By the time a child enters school, parents have spent years observing their child’s development, comparing their progress with that of others their age. They’re also likely to be aware of their child’s unique interests.

    While this may not be true for all parents, those who choose to homeschool may do so because they feel they have more of an ability and interest in catering to their child’s unique needs than a classroom teacher who is tasked with teaching many students simultaneously. Parents of students who demonstrate exceptional ability have expressed concerns about their child’s future educational opportunities in a public school setting.

    Additionally, parents may become exhausted by their efforts to advocate for their child’s unique needs in the school system. Parents of students who demonstrate advanced abilities often pull their children out of public school after repeated efforts to improve communication between home and school.

    3. Behavioral and emotional needs

    Gifted students who have emotional or behavioral disabilities may find it difficult to demonstrate their abilities in the classroom.

    All too often, teachers may be more focused on disciplining these students rather than addressing their academic needs. For example, a child who is bored with the class material may be loud and attempt to distract others as well.

    Rather than recognizing this as signaling a need for more advanced material, the teacher might send the child to a separate area in the classroom or in the school to refocus or as punishment. Parents may feel better equipped than teachers to address both their child’s challenging behaviors and their gifted abilities, given the knowledge they have about their child’s history, interests, strengths and areas needing improvement.

    Supporting students’ needs

    Gaining a better understanding of the motivations driving parents to take their children out of the public school system is an important step toward improving schools so that fewer will feel the need to take this path.

    Additionally, strengthening educators’ and policymakers’ understanding about twice-exceptional homeschooled students may help communities provide more support to their families – who then may not feel homeschooling is the only or best option. My research shows that many schools can do a better job providing these types of students and their parents with the support they need to thrive.

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

    – ref. Why parents of ‘twice-exceptional’ children choose homeschooling over public school – https://theconversation.com/why-parents-of-twice-exceptional-children-choose-homeschooling-over-public-school-244385

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The psychology behind anti-trans legislation: How cognitive biases shape thoughts and policy

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Julia Standefer, Ph.D. Student in Psychology, Iowa State University

    Protesters fill the Iowa state Capitol to denounce a bill that will strip the state civil rights code of protections based on gender identity. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

    A state law signed Feb. 28, 2025, removes gender identity as a protected status from the Iowa Civil Rights Act, leaving transgender people vulnerable to discrimination. The rights of transgender people – those who present gender characteristics that differ from what has historically been expected of someone based on their biological sex traits – are under political attack across the United States. There are now hundreds of anti-trans bills at various points in the legislative process.

    But why?

    Reasons given usually center on protecting children, protecting cisgender women’s rights in bathrooms and sports competitions, and on removing funding for gender-affirming care. Some efforts appear to stem from fear-driven motives that are not supported by evidence.

    Bias against trans people may not always feel like bias. For someone who believes it to be true, saying there can only be biological men who identify as men and biological women who identify as women may feel like a statement of fact. But research shows that gender is a spectrum, separate from biological sex, which is also more complex than the common male-female binary.

    We are social psychologists who study and teach about the basic social, cognitive and emotion-based processes people use to make sense of themselves and the world. Research reveals psychological processes that bias people in ways they usually aren’t aware of. These common human tendencies can influence what we think about a particular group, influence how we act toward them, and prompt legislators to pass biased laws.

    Root of negative views of transgender people

    Social psychology theory and research point to several possible sources of negative views of transgender people.

    Part of forming your own identity is defining yourself by the traits that make you unique. To do this, you categorize others as belonging to your group – based on characteristics that matter to you, such as race, age, culture or gender – or not. Psychologists call these categories in-groups and out-groups.

    There is a natural human tendency to have inherent negative feelings toward people who aren’t part of your in-group. The bias you might feel against fans of a rival sports team is an example. This tendency may be rooted deep in evolutionary history, when favoring your own safe group over unknown outsiders would have been a survival advantage.

    A trans person’s status as transgender may be the most salient thing about them to an observer, overshadowing other characteristics such as their height, race, profession, parental status and so on. As a small minority, transgender people are an out-group from the mainstream – making it likely out-group bias will be directed their way.

    Anti-trans feeling may also result from fear that transgender people pose threats to one’s personal or group identity. Gender is part of everyone’s identity. If someone perceives their own gender to be determined by their biological sex, they may perceive other people who violate that “rule” as a threat to their own gender identity. Part of identity formation is not just out-group derogation but in-group favoritism. A cisgender person may engage in “in-group boundary protection” by making sure the parameters of “gender” are well defined and match their own beliefs.

    Once you hold negative feelings about someone in an out-group, there are other social psychological processes that may solidify and amplify them in your mind.

    The illusion of a causal connection

    People tend to form illusory correlations between objects, people, occurrences or behaviors, particularly when those things are infrequently encountered. Two distinctive things happening at the same time makes people believe that one is causing the other.

    Some superstitions result from this phenomenon. For example, you might attribute an unusual success such as winning money to wearing a particular shirt, which you now think of as your lucky shirt.

    If a person only ever hears about negative events when they see or hear about a transgender person, an immigrant or a member of some other minority group, then an illusory correlation can form between the negative events and the minority group. That connection is the starting point for prejudice: automatic, negative feelings toward a group of people without justification.

    Of course, it is possible that individuals from the group in question have committed some offense. But to take one individual’s bad deed and attribute it to an entire group of people isn’t justified. This kind of extrapolation is the natural human tendency of stereotyping, which can bias people’s actions.

    ‘That’s exactly what I thought’

    Human minds are biased to confirm the beliefs they already hold, including stereotypes about trans people. A few interconnected processes are at play in what psychologists call confirmation bias.

    First, there’s a natural tendency to seek out information that fits with what you already believe. If you think a shirt is lucky, then you’re more likely to look for positive things that happen when you wear it than you are to look for negative events that would seem to disconfirm its luckiness.

    If you think transgender people are dangerous, you are more likely to conduct an internet search for “transgender people who are dangerous” than “transgender people are victims of crime.”

    There’s a second, more passive process in play as well. Rather than actively seeking out confirming information, people also simply pay attention to information that confirms what they thought in the first place and ignore contradictory information. This can happen without you even realizing.

    People also tend to interpret ambiguous events in line with their beliefs – “I must be having a good day, despite some setbacks, because I’m wearing my lucky shirt.” That confirmation bias could explain someone with anti-trans attitudes thinking “that transgender person holding hands with a child must be a pedophile” instead of “that transgender mother is showing love and care for her kid.”

    Finally, people tend to remember things that confirm their beliefs better than things that challenge them.

    Confirmation bias can strengthen an illusory correlation, making it even more likely to influence subsequent actions – whether compulsively wearing a lucky shirt to an anxiety-inducing appointment or not hiring someone because of discriminatory thoughts about the group they belong to.

    Moving past biases

    Awareness of biases is the first step in avoiding them. Setting bias aside allows people to make fair decisions, based on accurate information, and in line with their values.

    However, this is not an easy task in the face of another social psychological process called group polarization. This phenomenon occurs when individuals’ beliefs become more extreme as they talk and listen only to people who hold the same beliefs they do. Think of the social media bubbles that result from interacting only with people who share your perspective.

    Efforts to stifle or prohibit educators’ and librarians’ ability to teach and discuss gender and sexuality topics, openly and fairly, add another challenge. Education through access to impartial, evidence-based information can be one way to help neutralize inherent bias.

    Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr, who is transgender, in discussion with a colleague.
    AP Photo/Tommy Martino

    As a final, hopeful point, social psychological research has identified one strategy for overcoming intergroup conflict: forming close contacts with individuals from the “other” group. Having a friend, loved one or trusted and valued colleague who belongs to the out-group can help you recognize their humanity and overcome the biases you hold against that out-group as a whole.

    A relevant and recent example of this scenario came when two transgender state representatives convinced their fellow lawmakers to vote against two extreme anti-trans bills in Montana by making the issue personal.

    All of these decision-making biases influence everyone, not just the lawmakers currently in power. And they can be quite complex, with particular in-group and out-group memberships being hard to define – for instance, factions within religious groups who disagree on particular political issues.

    But understanding and overcoming the biases everyone falls prey to means that optimal decisions can be made for everyone’s well-being and economic vitality. After all, psychology research has repeatedly demonstrated that diversity is good for the bottom line while it simultaneously promotes an equitable and inclusive society. Even from a solely financial perspective, discrimination is bad for all Americans.

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

    – ref. The psychology behind anti-trans legislation: How cognitive biases shape thoughts and policy – https://theconversation.com/the-psychology-behind-anti-trans-legislation-how-cognitive-biases-shape-thoughts-and-policy-251691

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