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Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI Global: Rethinking engineering education: Why focusing on learning preferences matters for diversity

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Sharon Tettegah, Professor of Creative Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara

    Retention and recruitment efforts designed to boost diversity in engineering programs often fall short of their goals. gorodenkoff/Getty Images

    For decades, colleges, government agencies and foundations have experimented with recruitment and retention efforts designed to increase diversity in engineering programs.

    However, the efforts have not significantly boosted the number of women, students of color, individuals with disabilities and other underrepresented groups studying and earning degrees in STEM and engineering fields.

    Latino, Black, Native American and Alaska Native students are underrepresented among science and engineering degree recipients at the bachelor’s degree level and above. The groups are also underrepresented among STEM workers with at least a bachelor’s degree.

    Women are also underrepresented in the STEM workforce and among degree recipients in engineering and computer and information sciences.

    I study equity and social justice in STEM learning. In my recent study, I found that more students from diverse backgrounds could excel in engineering programs if course content were tailored to a wider variety of learning preferences.

    Why it matters

    Focusing on learning preferences could boost diversity in engineering courses and careers.
    Morsa Images/Getty Images

    During my time as a program officer at the National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency that supports science and engineering, I reviewed plenty of research focused on broadening participation and diversifying student enrollment in STEM fields.

    Progress can stall on efforts to boost diversity because college instructors do not consider the synergistic relationship between the content and the learner.

    Teachers are the mediators, and it is students’ experiences with the curriculum that matter.

    It was long a common belief that students have different learning styles. These included kinesthetic, learning through hands-on experiences and physical activity; auditory, learning by listening to information; and visual, learning by seeing information.

    More recent research does not support the idea that teaching students according to their learning style leads to improved learning.

    That’s why I prefer the term “learning preferences” rather than learning styles. We all have preferences – whether for ice cream flavors, home decor or how we receive information, including how we learn.

    Learning preferences are broader and more flexible, allowing multiple ways of engaging with content.

    For example, let’s say a teacher always presented equations in a classroom and the student just could not get it. However, it was the only way the information was presented. To the individual learner, they have failed. Some people would say, “These kids can’t learn,” and subsequently counsel the student out of the class.

    Then, years are spent repeating the same cycle.

    Students should have opportunities to connect with engineering content in multiple ways.
    10’000 hours/Getty Images

    However, educators can broaden their viewpoints if they look at the students as customers. If a customer is shopping for a shirt, they look for one that catches their eye. Ultimately, they find one they like.

    Instructors need to take the same approach when trying to help students understand what is happening in class. For instance, if I have trouble with equations, I should be provided with options to engage with the lesson in ways that align with my learning preferences.

    What’s next?

    Learning styles have been heavily researched. However, content preferences have not been well explored.

    In a truly democratic education system, curriculum design should reflect the voices of all stakeholders and not just those in positions of power, namely instructors.

    Using data mining and artificial intelligence, educators have a variety of options for creating content for the various preferences a learner may want or need. For example, if a student prefers other representational content, such as word problems, graphics or simulations, AI can create diverse representations so that the learner is exposed to a variety of representations.

    I argue that future studies need to consider the use of technologies such as adaptive learning applications to understand students’ learning preferences.

    Prioritizing diverse learning perspectives in STEM could help create a more inclusive and responsive learning environment.

    The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.

    Sharon Tettegah received funding from the National Science Foundation for this work. Award Abstract # 1826632
    Coordinating Curricula and User Preferences to Increase the Participation of Women and Students of Color in Engineering

    – ref. Rethinking engineering education: Why focusing on learning preferences matters for diversity – https://theconversation.com/rethinking-engineering-education-why-focusing-on-learning-preferences-matters-for-diversity-251095

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump treats laws as obstacles, not limits − and the only real check on his rule-breaking can come from political pressure

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Andrew Reeves, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Weidenbaum Center, Washington University in St. Louis

    At his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025, Donald Trump swore to ‘preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.’ Morry Gash/POOL/AFP, Getty Images

    Lately, the headlines have been clear: President Donald Trump is headed for a showdown with the courts. If he ignores their rulings, the courts have few tools and limited power to make him comply.

    But the real contest is not legal. It is political.

    As a political scientist who studies presidential behavior and public responses to unilateral action, I have spent my career examining the boundaries of executive power.

    Those limits, aimed at constraining the president, are set in law.

    The Constitution outlines the powers of Congress and the president in articles 1 and 2. It formally gives Congress the power of the purse and requires the president to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.”

    Statutes dictate how agencies operate, how appointments are made and how funds must be spent. Courts interpret and enforce these rules.

    These legal constraints reflect the founders’ concern with unchecked executive power. That concern is embedded in the country’s political origins – the Declaration of Independence was a direct rebuke to royal overreach.

    But law alone has never been enough to prevent presidents from abusing their power. The law’s force depends on political will. Presidents often follow the law not simply because they must, but to avoid backlash from Congress, the media or the public.

    What the United States is witnessing in 2025 is not just a president testing the system. It is a transformation of the presidency into a fully political institution. The president acts until political resistance becomes strong enough to stop him.

    President Donald Trump criticizes judges whose decisions he doesn’t like.

    Testing the limits

    These political constraints are informal and fluid.

    They arise from public opinion, media scrutiny, pressure from party leaders and other elected officials, and the threat of electoral consequences. While legal rules rely on institutions, political limits depend on reputation, norms and the willingness of others to resist.

    Trump’s presidency operates within this second framework. Legal boundaries are still present, but they are often treated by his administration as optional and without deference.

    Trump, for example, has sidelined the Office of Legal Counsel, the executive branch’s source of legal guidance. His focus appears to be not on legality, process or constraint, but on headlines, polling and control of the narrative.

    Courts still issue rulings, but their power depends on a broader political culture of compliance, and that culture is weakening.

    Trump is not the first president to test the limits of authority. But the pace and scale of his defiance are without precedent. He appears to be betting that pushing boundaries will continue to pay off.

    Lag between law and action

    The legal challenges facing Trump are real.

    In his first 100 days back in office, he took aggressive steps on federal spending, appointments to key executive branch positions, tariffs and deportations. Trump has announced he will not enforce legislation that the Supreme Court confirmed was constitutional. Many of these actions have already triggered legal challenges.

    These are not isolated incidents. Taken together, they reveal a broader pattern.

    Trump appears to treat legal rules not as limits but as obstacles to be negotiated or ignored. One recent scholarly paper has described Trump’s approach as “legalistic noncompliance,” where the administration uses the language of law to give the appearance of compliance while defying the substance of court orders.

    The executive branch can move quickly. Courts cannot. This structural mismatch gives Trump a significant advantage. By the time a ruling is issued, the political context may have changed or public attention may have moved on.

    Judges have begun to notice. In recent weeks, courts have flagged not only legal violations but also clear signs of intentional defiance.

    Still, enforcement is slow, and Trump continues to behave as though court rulings are little more than political talking points.

    Politics the only real check

    Trump is not guided by precedent or legal tradition. If there is a limit on presidential power, it is political. And even that constraint is fragile.

    In a February 2025 national survey by the Weidenbaum Center, a research institute that I head at Washington University, just 21% of Americans said the president should be able to enact major policy without Congress. The public does not support unchecked presidential power: A further 25% of respondents, including more than one-third of Republicans, neither agreed nor disagreed that a president should have this type of unchecked power. Of those with an opinion, a solid 72% of Americans oppose unilateral presidential action, including 90% of Democrats, 76% of independents and 42% of Republicans.

    These findings align with nine earlier national surveys conducted during the Obama and Trump administrations. Jon Rogowski and I report these results in our book, “No Blank Check.”

    But one important shift stands out in the recent survey. Support for unilateral executive action among the two-thirds of Republicans who expressed an opinion has reached an all-time high, with 58% of them endorsing presidential action without Congress. That is more than 16 points higher than in any previous wave.

    Despite that rise in partisan support, Trump’s broader political position remains weak.

    His approval ratings remain underwater. His policies on tariffs and federal spending cuts are unpopular. Consumer confidence is falling.

    Congressional Republicans continue to offer public support, but many are watching their own polling numbers closely as the midterms approach.

    If the economy falters and public opinion turns more sharply against the president, political resistance could grow. I believe that’s when legal rules may begin to matter again – not because they carry new force, but because violating them would carry higher political costs.

    Real test still ahead

    So far, no judge has held the Trump administration in contempt of court. But the signs of erosion are unmistakable. Trump recently accused the Supreme Court of “not allowing me to do what I was elected to do” after it temporarily blocked his administration’s effort to deport migrants with alleged ties to Venezuelan gangs. Treating the judiciary as just another political adversary and ignoring its rulings risks an even deeper constitutional crisis.

    The most meaningful check on presidential power will be political.

    Courts rely on the broader political system for enforcement. That support can take many forms: elected officials speaking out in defense of the rule of law; Congress using its oversight and funding powers to uphold court rulings; bureaucrats refusing to implement unlawful directives; and a press and public that demand compliance. Without that support, even the clearest legal decisions may be ignored.

    The legal fights unfolding today are serious and must be watched closely. But Trump is not focused on the courts. He is focused on politics – on how far he can go, and whether anyone will make him stop.

    Andrew Reeves is affiliated with Washington University in St. Louis and the Hoover Institution.

    – ref. Trump treats laws as obstacles, not limits − and the only real check on his rule-breaking can come from political pressure – https://theconversation.com/trump-treats-laws-as-obstacles-not-limits-and-the-only-real-check-on-his-rule-breaking-can-come-from-political-pressure-255834

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: GUU and RUDN University open “Horizons of Opportunities” for foreign students

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    On May 20, 2025, a seminar for foreign students was held at the State University of Management. During the seminar, foreign students were introduced to a unique educational initiative – the Horizons of Opportunities project, developed with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.

    “Horizons of Possibilities” is a program of additional education for foreign students of 2-3 years of bachelor’s degree, 1 year of master’s degree, 1-2 years of postgraduate studies of Russian universities. The program is aimed at identifying and supporting the most promising foreign students who, after graduation, plan to develop cooperation with Russia in the political, informational and business fields.

    Alana Zangieva, a specialist at the RUDN International Youth Center, held a presentation of the Horizons of Possibility project, introducing foreign students of the State University of Management to the main areas of the program’s activities and the conditions for participation in it, as well as successful cases of its graduates from previous years.

    Foreign students of the State University of Management have shown interest in the work of the International School of Humanitarian Cooperation, whose students can gain practical skills for implementing their own business projects with Russia and employment in the Russian labor market.

    In conclusion, the students thanked the speaker for the informative information and wished success to the Horizons of Possibilities program.

    The event was organized by the State University of Management and the International Youth Center of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Graphitic Energy and Technip Energies Form Collaboration to Scale Clean Hydrogen Technology

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN ANTONIO, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Graphitic Energy (“Graphitic”), formerly known as C-Zero, has entered into a strategic collaboration with the Claremont office of Technip Energies USA to jointly develop and deploy Graphitic’s innovative methane pyrolysis technology. This innovative process utilizes natural gas to produce clean hydrogen and graphite, a crystalline form of carbon used in batteries, lubricants, refractories, and high-temperature industrial processes. The agreement between Technip Energies and Graphitic includes funding dedicated to testing campaigns to support technology advancement. Later this year, the two companies also plan to enter into a licensing collaboration agreement to accelerate the deployment of Graphitic’s technology around the world.

    Graphitic Energy’s groundbreaking methane pyrolysis technology enables the production of clean hydrogen and solid carbon with no direct CO2 emissions. The process is low-electricity-intensive and can be scaled to produce 100,000 metric tons of hydrogen per year in a single process train. The collaboration will leverage Technip Energies’ leading positions in hydrogen generation and fluidized bed technology.

    “Technip Energies is excited to enter into this cooperation with Graphitic Energy and bring forward our recognized hydrogen production experience and fluidized bed expertise to standardize plants globally for the production of hydrogen and synthetic graphite with minimal direct CO2 emissions. The standardized designs will allow for lower pre-investment costs, accelerated implementation time, high predictability on project economics, and reduced overall capital costs. This cooperation underscores Technip Energies’ commitment to delivering sustainable, innovative, cost-effective low-carbon solutions, strengthening our technology portfolio,” said Mario Tommaselli, Senior Vice President Gas & Low Carbon Energies at Technip Energies.

    Unlike other low-carbon hydrogen production paths, Graphitic’s process economics do not require government subsidies to be cost-competitive, and the company can profitably deliver both hydrogen and graphite at current market prices. In addition, the company’s technology can be sited anywhere natural gas or LNG are available, without the need to source renewable electricity or perform geological CO2 sequestration.

    “Graphitic’s technology enables the production of two critical products from natural gas.  We’ve taken it from an idea, through the lab scale, and into a large pilot generating tonnes of graphitic material.  Collaborating with Technip Energies will enable us to get to market faster and provide interested parties with high-quality engineering packages,” said Graphitic’s Co-Founder and CEO Zach Jones.

    In March 2025, Graphitic commissioned its pilot plant in San Antonio, TX. This state-of-the-art facility is capable of producing several hundred kilograms of hydrogen and up to 1,000 kg of solid carbon per day, with continuous 24/7 operations. It is expected to operate through the end of 2025. The company’s pilot is supported by a recent $15 million extension of its series A funding, bringing its total investment to over $65 million.

    About Technip Energies

    Technip Energies is a global technology and engineering powerhouse. With leadership positions in LNG, hydrogen, ethylene, sustainable chemistry, and CO2 management, we are contributing to the development of critical markets such as energy, energy derivatives, decarbonization, and circularity. Our complementary business segments, Technology, Products and Services (TPS) and Project Delivery, turn innovation into scalable and industrial reality.

    Through collaboration and excellence in execution, our 17,000+ employees across 34 countries are fully committed to bridging prosperity with sustainability for a world designed to last.

    Technip Energies generated revenues of €6.9 billion in 2024 and is listed on Euronext Paris. The Company also has American Depositary Receipts trading over the counter.

    For further information: www.ten.com

    About Graphitic Energy

    Headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA with plant operations in San Antonio, TX, Graphitic Energy has developed a novel methane pyrolysis process for sustainably using natural gas to produce hydrogen and graphite. This delivers low-cost, clean hydrogen alongside high-value, graphitic carbon. Unlike current hydrogen generation technologies, Graphitic’s process converts abundant natural gas into hydrogen and solid carbon with virtually no direct CO2 emissions. The company has raised over $65 million from investors including Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Energy Capital Ventures, Trafigura, SK Gas, Eni, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, ENGIE, and AP Ventures.

    For more information, visit www.graphitic.com

    Contact Information:
    Sydney Bartone, Business Development Manager
    Sydney.bartone@graphitic.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/92634266-17b9-442c-a832-6dc1f35868e6

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Bilibili Inc. Announces Pricing of Upsized Offering of US$600 Million Convertible Senior Notes

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SHANGHAI, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bilibili Inc. (“Bilibili” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: BILI and HKEX: 9626), an iconic brand and a leading video community for young generations in China, today announced the pricing of its upsized offering (the “Notes Offering”) of US$600 million in aggregate principal amount of convertible senior notes due 2030 (the “Notes”). The Notes have been offered to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The Company has granted the initial purchasers in the Notes Offering an option to purchase up to an additional US$90 million principal amount of the Notes, exercisable for settlement within a 30-day period beginning on, and including, the date on which the Notes are first issued.

    The Company plans to use the net proceeds from the Notes Offering to enhance its content ecosystem to facilitate user growth, facilitate IP asset creation, and unleash its inherent potential. The Company also plans to use the net proceeds from the Notes Offering to improve its overall monetization efficiency, fund the Concurrent Repurchase (as defined below), fund future repurchases (from time to time) under its share repurchase program, and for other general corporate purposes.

    When issued, the Notes will be senior, unsecured obligations of the Company. The Notes will mature on June 1, 2030, unless repurchased, redeemed or converted in accordance with their terms prior to such date. Holders may convert their Notes at their option at any time prior to the close of business on the seventh scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date. The initial conversion rate of the Notes is 42.1747 Class Z ordinary shares per US$1,000 principal amount of Notes (which is equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately HK$185.63 per Class Z ordinary share and represents a conversion premium of approximately 27.1% above the closing price HK$146.00 per Class Z ordinary share of the Company on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on May 21, 2025) and a premium of approximately 32.5% to the clearing share price of the Concurrent Delta Offering of HK$140.10 per Class Z ordinary share of the Company, and is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events described below. Upon conversion, subject to certain procedures and conditions set forth in the terms of the Notes, the Company will cause to be delivered the Company’s Class Z ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share. Holders may elect to receive the Company’s American depositary shares (“ADS”), each representing one Class Z ordinary share, in lieu of Class Z ordinary shares deliverable upon conversion.

    The Company may redeem for cash all or any part of the Notes on or after June 6, 2028 if the last reported sale price of the Class Z ordinary shares has been at least 130% of the conversion price for the Notes then in effect for at least 20 trading days, whether or not consecutive, during any 30 consecutive trading day period preceding the date on which the Company provides notice of redemption (including the last trading day of such period) ending on, and including, the trading day immediately preceding the date on which the Company provides notice of redemption (the “Optional Redemption”). In addition, the Company may redeem for cash all but not part of the Notes at any time if less than 10% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes originally issued remains outstanding at such time (the “Cleanup Redemption”). The Company may also redeem the Notes upon the occurrence of certain tax-related events (the “Tax Redemption”). Holders of the Notes may require the Company to repurchase for cash all or part of their Notes in cash on June 1, 2028, or in the event of certain fundamental changes. In connection with certain corporate events or if the Company issues a notice of Optional Redemption, Cleanup Redemption or Tax Redemption, it will, under certain circumstances, increase the conversion rate for holders who elect to convert their Notes in connection with such corporate event or such Optional Redemption, Cleanup Redemption or Tax Redemption.

    The Notes will bear interest at a rate of 0.625% per year, payable semiannually in arrears on June 1 and December 1 of each year, beginning on December 1, 2025.

    The Company also announced the pricing of the previously announced concurrent offering of its 10,281,240 Class Z ordinary shares that are being borrowed from non-affiliate third parties and offered in a separate underwritten offering by Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C. and Morgan Stanley Asia Limited (the “Underwriters” and the “Concurrent Delta Offering”, respectively), each acting severally on behalf of itself and/or its respective affiliates, at HK$140.10 per Class Z ordinary share. The Underwriters will use the resulting short position to facilitate hedging transactions by certain investors subscribing for the Notes, who employ a convertible arbitrage strategy (the “Convertible Arbitrage Investors”). The Company has been advised that each Underwriter is concurrently entering into off-market privately negotiated derivative transactions relating to the Class Z ordinary shares, enabling Convertible Arbitrage Investors to establish their initial short positions in the Class Z ordinary shares to hedge market risk in the Notes. The number of Class Z ordinary shares subject to the Concurrent Delta Offering generally corresponds to such initial short positions of the Convertible Arbitrage Investors. No new Class Z ordinary shares will be issued in the Concurrent Delta Offering. Any securities sold in the Concurrent Delta Offering are being offered and sold through a concurrent SEC-registered offering pursuant to a separate prospectus supplement and an accompanying base prospectus. The Company will not receive any proceeds from the Concurrent Delta Offering. The Notes Offering and the Concurrent Delta Offering are contingent upon each other.

    The Company will use part of the proceeds from the Notes Offering for the Concurrent Repurchase. The Concurrent Repurchase enables investors to establish some of their initial short positions in the Class Z ordinary shares to hedge market risk in the Notes and reflects the Company’s confidence in its long-term strategy and growth. The repurchased shares will be cancelled.

    Other Matters

    The Notes, the Class Z ordinary shares deliverable upon conversion of the Notes or the ADSs deliverable in lieu thereof have not been registered under the Securities Act, or any state securities laws. They may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. persons, except in reliance on the exemption from registration under the Securities Act.

    This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase any of these securities, nor shall there be a sale of the securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful.

    This press release contains information about the pending Notes Offering, and there can be no assurance that the Notes Offering will be completed.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “aims,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “confident,” “potential,” “continue,” or other similar expressions. Among other things, the terms of the Notes, whether the Company will complete the Notes Offering, a description of various hedging activities, and statements about Bilibili’s beliefs and expectations, contain forward-looking statements. Bilibili may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its interim and annual reports to shareholders, in announcements, circulars or other publications made on the website of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the “Hong Kong Stock Exchange”), in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including but not limited to statements about Bilibili’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: results of operations, financial condition, and stock price; Bilibili’s strategies; Bilibili’s future business development, financial condition and results of operations; Bilibili’s ability to retain and increase the number of users, members and advertising customers, provide quality content, products and services, and expand its product and service offerings; competition in the online entertainment industry; Bilibili’s ability to maintain its culture and brand image within its addressable user communities; Bilibili’s ability to manage its costs and expenses; PRC governmental policies and regulations relating to the online entertainment industry, general economic and business conditions globally and in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. All information provided in this announcement and in the attachments is as of the date of the announcement, and the Company undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

    About Bilibili Inc.

    Bilibili is an iconic brand and a leading video community with a mission to enrich the everyday lives of young generations in China. Bilibili offers a wide array of video-based content with All the Videos You Like as its value proposition. Bilibili builds its community around aspiring users, high-quality content, talented content creators and the strong emotional bonds among them. Bilibili pioneered the “bullet chatting” feature, a live comment function that has transformed our users’ viewing experience by displaying the thoughts and feelings of audience members viewing the same video. The Company has now become the welcoming home of diverse interests among young generations in China and the frontier for promoting Chinese culture across the world.

    For more information, please visit: http://ir.bilibili.com.

    For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

    In China:

    Bilibili Inc.
    Juliet Yang
    Tel: -86-21-2509-9255 Ext. 8523
    Email: ir@bilibili.com

    Piacente Financial Communications
    Helen Wu
    Tel: -86-10-6508-0677
    Email: bilibili@tpg-ir.com

    In the United States:

    Piacente Financial Communications
    Brandi Piacente
    Tel: -1-212-481-2050
    Email: bilibili@tpg-ir.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Bilibili Inc. Announces Pricing of Offering of Class Z Ordinary Shares in Connection with Hedging Transactions of Certain Convertible Notes Investors and Terms of Concurrent Repurchase

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SHANGHAI, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bilibili Inc. (“Bilibili” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: BILI and HKEX: 9626), an iconic brand and a leading video community for young generations in China, today announced the pricing of the separate SEC-registered underwritten offering of its Class Z ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share (the “Concurrent Delta Offering”).

    Concurrently, the Company announced pricing of the upsized offering (the “Notes Offering”) of US$600 million in aggregate principal amount of convertible senior notes due 2030 (the “Notes”) pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Company intends to grant the initial purchasers in the Notes Offering a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional US$90 million in principal amount of the Notes.

    In connection with the Notes Offering, the Company announced the Concurrent Delta Offering, under which 10,281,240 of the Company’s Class Z ordinary shares, that have been borrowed from non-affiliate third parties are being offered in a separate underwritten offering by Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Morgan Stanley Asia Limited (the “Underwriters”), each acting severally on behalf of itself and/or its respective affiliates, at HK$140.10 per Class Z ordinary share. The Underwriters will use the resulting short position to facilitate hedging transactions by certain investors subscribing for the Notes, who employ a convertible arbitrage strategy (the “Convertible Arbitrage Investors”). The Company has been advised that each Underwriter is concurrently entering into off-market privately negotiated derivative transactions relating to the Class Z ordinary shares, enabling Convertible Arbitrage Investors to establish their initial short positions in the Class Z ordinary shares to hedge market risk in the Notes. The number of Class Z ordinary shares subject to the Concurrent Delta Offering generally corresponds to such initial short positions of the Convertible Arbitrage Investors. No new Class Z ordinary shares will be issued in the Concurrent Delta Offering. The Company will not receive any proceeds from the Concurrent Delta Offering. The Notes Offering and the Concurrent Delta Offering are contingent upon each other.

    The Company will use part of the proceeds from the Notes Offering for the Concurrent Repurchase. The Concurrent Repurchase enables investors to establish some of their initial short positions in the Class Z ordinary shares to hedge market risk in the Notes and reflects the Company’s confidence in its long-term strategy and growth. The repurchased shares will be cancelled.

    The Company has filed an automatic shelf registration statement on Form F-3 (including a prospectus) with the SEC. The Concurrent Delta Offering will be made only by means of a prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and other documents that the Company has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the Company and the Concurrent Delta Offering. You may obtain these documents by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, a copy of the prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus may be obtained from Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, Attention: Prospectus Department, Email: Prospectus-ny@ny.email@gs.com, Telephone: 1 (866) 471-2526; or Morgan Stanley Asia Limited, c/o Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 180 Varick Street, New York, New York 10014, Attention: Prospectus Department, Email: prospectus@morganstanley.com, Telephone: 1 (866) 718-1649.

    Other Matters

    This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase any of these securities, nor shall there be a sale of the securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful.

    This press release contains information about the pending Concurrent Delta Offering and Concurrent Repurchase, and there can be no assurance that the Concurrent Delta Offering and Concurrent Repurchase will be completed.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “aims,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “confident,” “potential,” “continue,” or other similar expressions. Among other things, the terms of the Notes, whether the Company will complete the Notes Offering, whether the Concurrent Delta Offering and/or Concurrent Repurchase will be completed, a description of various hedging activities, and statements about Bilibili’s beliefs and expectations, contain forward-looking statements. Bilibili may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its interim and annual reports to shareholders, in announcements, circulars or other publications made on the website of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the “Hong Kong Stock Exchange”), in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including but not limited to statements about Bilibili’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: results of operations, financial condition, and stock price; Bilibili’s strategies; Bilibili’s future business development, financial condition and results of operations; Bilibili’s ability to retain and increase the number of users, members and advertising customers, provide quality content, products and services, and expand its product and service offerings; competition in the online entertainment industry; Bilibili’s ability to maintain its culture and brand image within its addressable user communities; Bilibili’s ability to manage its costs and expenses; PRC governmental policies and regulations relating to the online entertainment industry, general economic and business conditions globally and in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. All information provided in this announcement and in the attachments is as of the date of the announcement, and the Company undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

    About Bilibili Inc.

    Bilibili is an iconic brand and a leading video community with a mission to enrich the everyday lives of young generations in China. Bilibili offers a wide array of video-based content with All the Videos You Like as its value proposition. Bilibili builds its community around aspiring users, high-quality content, talented content creators and the strong emotional bonds among them. Bilibili pioneered the “bullet chatting” feature, a live comment function that has transformed our users’ viewing experience by displaying the thoughts and feelings of audience members viewing the same video. The Company has now become the welcoming home of diverse interests among young generations in China and the frontier for promoting Chinese culture across the world.

    For more information, please visit: http://ir.bilibili.com.

    For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

    In China:

    Bilibili Inc.
    Juliet Yang
    Tel: -86-21-2509-9255 Ext. 8523
    Email: ir@bilibili.com

    Piacente Financial Communications
    Helen Wu
    Tel: -86-10-6508-0677
    Email: bilibili@tpg-ir.com

    In the United States:

    Piacente Financial Communications
    Brandi Piacente
    Tel: -1-212-481-2050
    Email: bilibili@tpg-ir.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Universities face getting stuck with thousands of obsolete robots – here’s how to avoid a research calamity

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Carl Strathearn, Lecturer in Computer Science, Edinburgh Napier University

    For more than a decade, the French robotics company Aldebaran has built some of the most popular robots used in academic research. Go to most university robotics departments and you’ll find either Pepper, the iconic three-wheeled humanoid robot, or its smaller two-legged sibling, Nao.

    These fast became the robots of choice for many academics for all research into the capabilities and potential of social robots. They are quick to set up and easy to use out of the box, without the need for any programming skills or engineering knowledge.

    With base prices at around £17,000 for Pepper and £8,000 for Nao – typically plus a few thousand pounds more for extras, online training sessions, service plans, warranties and so on – the robots could be purchased via university research grants.

    With Pepper robots also appearing in customer service jobs, for example in HSBC banks across the US, buyers were attracted by the lure of long-term educational and financial benefits from a state-of-the-art tech supplier. Aldebaran says it has sold approximately 37,000 machines worldwide (20,000 Naos and 17,000 Peppers).

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    However, the company stopped developing Pepper robots in 2021, having struggled to sell as many as it had hoped, and was offloaded by long-time Japanese owner Softbank.

    In February of this year, Alderbaran filed for bankruptcy and restructured amid ongoing financial difficulties. Currently looking for a buyer, it has halved its staff numbers, though it is still making Nao (and a serving assistant on wheels called Plato).

    The uncertainty around the company’s future has stoked fears that it will become impossible to get its robots repaired in future, and that Aldebaran could stop supporting the AI cloud network that the machines need to access to be able to function.

    What does this mean for the future of robotics research in universities?

    Besides fears about Aldebaran’s future, there have long been issues with Pepper and Nao’s durability. They both have rigid, fragile plastic shells, and the machines sometimes overheat. This means they have to be left to cool down after 20-30 minutes, which has often interfered with experiments and data-gathering – as documented in this 2022 study of Nao.

    A spokesperson for Aldebaran agreed that motors can overheat, depending on their use and environment. They said the next generation of Nao, currently in development, has taken this into account in its design.

    For repairs, the only option is Aldebaran or an authorised reseller, or you risk voiding your warranty. This typically involves shipping overseas, which can be slow and costly – more so if the replacement parts are out of stock.

    One of us (Emilia) encountered this during the COVID pandemic. Nao’s batteries need to be used regularly to keep functioning, which led the university’s machine to fail because it was inaccessible during lockdowns. Aldebaran couldn’t supply replacement batteries quickly, which halted research projects at the university for many months and meant that important submission deadlines were missed.

    Meanwhile, software upgrades for Pepper stopped when the company halted development in 2021 (sales stopped in 2024). This robot’s limited processing capabilities make it troublesome to run the large language models (LLMs) that power interfaces like ChatGPT (although these can be run in conjunction with a computer with modifications).

    Nao does have an AI edition that can handle LLMs, though this too requires external modifications. Nao’s upgrades also seem to have been limited, which in our experience appears to have made them more error-prone too. Both robots are already considerably less useful for research purposes in our opinion.

    Finally, Nao and Pepper were not built with adaptability in mind. Unlike more recent machines like the 3D-printed InMoov, made by French designer Gael Langevin, there’s no way of customising their components or appearance.

    Their fixed expressions, gestures and plastic body make them difficult to adapt to different user needs or applications, such as helping at home or in healthcare. This again reduces their usefulness from a research point of view.

    Addressing these concerns, the Aldebaran spokesperson said:

    Spare parts availability on Nao is very good, [barring] the normal supply chain issues, and these were exacerbated during COVID like the rest of the commercial world. Pepper is more limited as it has not been in production for some time, but we are generally able to solve any customer issues.

    Nao is still very active as a product, with production continuing along with software upgrades. We recently launched Nao Activities, a major software upgrade that provides generative AI capabilities for Nao.

    The spokesperson added that are were no plans to switch off AI cloud support for Nao or Pepper, and that the robots are not difficult to use in robotics research, “testament of which is the thousands of units being used in that environment”.

    What can be done?

    If Pepper and Nao do become unusable for research, universities will have to either scrap them or try to redevelop them with custom parts and components. It’s possible they could be hacked and gutted, replacement parts could be 3D-printed, new microprocessors installed and the software made local and open source, which may be enough to get the robots back up and working again.

    However, it probably makes sense for researchers to look forwards instead. But towards what? At a time when university finances are very tight, there may be a reluctance to buy new machines with potentially limited shelf lives. Robots from alternative providers such as Futhat and Unitree are supported by similar cloud-based AI systems.

    Some institutions may consider reallocating vital funding to other departments, with a significant impact across robotics research and education. Universities are at the heart of robotics research, upholding high ethical standards and rigorously testing machines without the conflicts of interest that manufacturers can have.

    Universities can also bring together diverse disciplines like computer science, engineering and cognitive science, fostering collaboration that encourages innovation. With the UK number one globally for research quality in this field, these are the training grounds for the next generation of roboticists at a time when there is a growing skills shortage.

    A different way forward would be for universities to start building and programming robots from scratch. For the cost of a new research robot, say £15,000, you could buy several high-spec 3D printers, hardware and components.

    This wouldn’t be about building entire humanoid robots but prototypes of key aspects such as facial expressiveness or skin, human gestures or emotions. This would allow students to gain important hands-on engineering and programming skills, while conducting novel research exploring current gaps in the field.

    It would make personalising them easier and repairing them quicker and cheaper, if you could 3D-print parts or use parts that could be easily replaced off-the-shelf.

    If universities are to remain relevant in this rapidly evolving field, it’s vital that they learn from their difficulties with Pepper and Nao. At a time when robots are starting to be perceived as reliable and cost-effective support for people, this is a cautionary tale for all.

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

    – ref. Universities face getting stuck with thousands of obsolete robots – here’s how to avoid a research calamity – https://theconversation.com/universities-face-getting-stuck-with-thousands-of-obsolete-robots-heres-how-to-avoid-a-research-calamity-256829

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why is it so hard for young people to get jobs?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Farooq Mughal, Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor), Management Strategy & Organisation, University of Bath

    antoniodiaz/Shutterstock

    For generations, young people have been told the path to opportunity is clear. Study hard, get a degree, and success will follow. This promise – central to the idea of “meritocracy” – has shaped the aspirations and investments of millions (though in reality, access to university and employment is also shaped by factors like family income, schooling and geography).

    Today, however, many graduates in the UK and elsewhere find they are struggling to land a job – and it’s a problem which extends far beyond roles that match their qualifications. In some cases, graduates are being turned down for roles in supermarkets or warehouses – not because they’re unqualified, but because they’re seen as overqualified, too risky or surplus to requirements.

    In terms of the UK economy, this isn’t just a problem of job shortages. It signals a deeper breakdown in the social contract – the long-held promise that education leads to opportunity. And it exposes how the connection between learning and labour is coming undone.

    As the focus of employers, higher education providers and the state has shifted towards the notion of “employability” – the skills and attitudes that help people get and keep jobs – labour markets have become highly competitive and spoilt for choice.

    At the same time, it’s worth remembering that while employment remains a key concern, the value of education extends far further – shaping personal growth and civic engagement, for example.


    This article is part of Quarter Life, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.

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    Five tips from an expert for choosing a self-help book that will actually work

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    Employability places the burden squarely on young people to become work-ready while ignoring the wider barriers they face. These include hiring algorithms, labour market saturation as graduate numbers remain high while vacancies dry up, and uneven access to opportunity.

    Even with degrees and internships, many young people are finding themselves locked out of meaningful work. Research I undertook with colleagues on education-to-work transitions shows how graduates often invest heavily in becoming employable through a mix of soft skills, adaptability and professionalism. But these efforts now rarely guarantee a job.

    Instead, graduates frequently enter a labour market that is both oversaturated and under-responsive. Over the past two decades, the number of graduates in the UK has grown sharply. This surge has intensified competition, pushing many into roles below their qualification level.



    Read more:
    Britain has almost 1 million young people not in work or education – here’s what evidence shows can change that

    The UK government’s Get Britain Working white paper recognises this disconnect. It also highlights the legacy effects of the COVID pandemic, especially among young people aged 16–24 who are not in education, employment or training (Neets) – of which there are now estimated to be 987,000, and rising.

    But while the government’s proposed youth guarantee scheme offers basic training and apprenticeships, it does little for those already in the labour market.

    What’s blocking the way?

    Despite the emphasis on developing skills, many young people – both graduates and non-graduates – struggle to progress in the labour market. For example, the number of entry-level roles in retail, hospitality and logistics is shrinking due to rising costs, automation and algorithmic hiring systems that privilege some over others.

    Recent increases to employer national insurance contributions and the national minimum wage are putting pressure on payrolls, reducing already limited opportunities for young people.

    UK chancellor Rachel Reeves’s 2024 budget contained some shocks for employers.
    Fred Duval/Shutterstock

    This highlights the limits of the popular narrative that effort always leads to reward. The idea that young people just need to try harder collapses under the weight of such constraints.

    Businesses are also facing tight margins, as well as the problems that come with high staff turnover due to a lack of career development opportunities, as rising costs make it harder to invest in staff. But our research shows that even highly motivated graduates – those who network, gain skills, take internships and are adaptable – can struggle to get a foot in the door.

    The UK employment rights bill, which is making its way through parliament, is designed to curb exploitative labour market practices. But professional bodies and trade associations warn that some employers may respond by cutting staff and reducing flexible work.

    While reforms such as reframing the purpose of Jobcentres are critical in making unemployment seem unattractive, they are likely to fall short of creating sustained opportunities.

    Policy paradox

    All of this reveals a paradox. In trying to clamp down on job precarity, the UK government may be shutting young people out of the entry points they need, skilled or otherwise. Well-intentioned policies such as the youth guarantee and employment rights bill risk failure when the labour market often rewards privilege over merit.

    Today’s labour market can penalise young people twice over. First, they’re expected to be employable with the right skillset. Yet even when they are, many find the door shut.

    In my view, the way forward is to create new, accessible roles that reflect a broader duty of care on the part of employers, universities and policymakers. This includes building skills pathways along the lines of the Youth Futures Foundation programme, which works in deprived areas to create pathways that connect young people with support and jobs.

    It also means embedding hiring practices that ensure a closer focus on someone’s potential, such as blind recruitment or diverse hiring panels.

    Incentivising employers to hire and value young talent could be transformative, as could forging partnerships between universities and industry which focus on building the skills needed for employment.

    Government initiatives such as the Trailblazers scheme, which identifies young people at risk of falling out of education or employment, are a good start. But they could be more effective alongside a combination of digital tools that bring together mobile apps for tracking career progress, a skills dashboard, and AI career advice.

    Restoring the social contract means sharing responsibility. Our research finds that employers should regularly review how they assess talent and design career pathways.

    Universities should collaborate with industry to ensure graduate skills align with employer expectations. And the government must address deep-seated inequalities shaped by region, class, race and institutional prestige.

    Ignoring these issues mean they will continue to largely dictate who gets in, who gets ahead, and who gets left out. A collective responsibility ensures that education is recognised not just as a route to employment, but as a cornerstone of a fair, thoughtful and inclusive society.

    Farooq Mughal works for the University of Bath. He is also a Trustee and Director in a non-executive capacity for the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution.

    – ref. Why is it so hard for young people to get jobs? – https://theconversation.com/why-is-it-so-hard-for-young-people-to-get-jobs-256532

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Men on social media are cutting their eyelashes to appear more ‘masculine’ – here’s why it’s a bad idea

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Adam Taylor, Professor of Anatomy, Lancaster University

    Eyelashes help protect our us from infections and debris. FCG/ Shutterstock

    Social media is full of bizarre and questionable trends. The latest involves men trimming or shaving off their eyelashes in order to appear more “masculine”.

    This is yet another instance where leaving the body to look after itself is probably for the best. Our lashes aren’t just aesthetic. They play an important role in protecting our eyes. Trimming them could put you at greater risk of experiencing infections.

    Eyelashes are classed as terminal hair. This means they’re present since birth. We have between 90 and 160 eyelahes on our upper eyelid and around 75 to 80 on our lower lids. They also grow pretty quickly too – at a rate of between 0.12-0.14mm a day.

    While most people focus on the aesthetics of the eyelashes – with plenty of products out there claiming to change their colour, length and thickness – eyelashes actually have important functional roles. They keep dirt and particles out of the eyes, and also deflect air away from the cornea.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    This helps stop the outer surface from drying out – preventing irritation and making it so we don’t have to blink as much to keep our eyes moist. The ideal length of an eyelash is about one-third the width of the eye.

    Trimming your eyelashes is going to increase the risk of infection. There’s even a risk you may catch an infection while trimming the lashes themselves. Since lashes catch particles on them, if a trimmed lash falls back into your eye it could lead to an infection.

    There are cases of this happening even when an eyelash has fallen out naturally, leading to infections and ending up inside compartments of the eye. Rogue eyelashes and the particles on them can cause anything from conjunctivitis (better known as “pink eye”) though to blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelid).

    At the base of the lashes are the meibomian glands. These produce an oily substance rich in fat, called meibum. This substance prevents tears from evaporating quickly, keeping the surface of the eye moist. These secretions also run along the lashes, keeping them healthy and helping to catch small particles so they don’t get into the eye.

    Cutting your eyelashes will reduce the ability to keep particles out of the eye and potentially disturb how well the meibomian glands function, as there’s less eyelash for meibum to sit on and catch particulates. This disruption increases the risk of infections such as keratitis (inflammation of the cornea).

    Other common eyelid infections that can occur are styes or chalazions.

    Styes result from an infection in the base of the eyelash (hair) follicle. It presents as a swollen, tender, red lump that may have yellow discharge coming out of it and crustiness along the eyelid. The most common cause of a stye is a staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria that lives on the skin and in the nose of many people.

    A chalazion is the blockage of the meibomian gland, these swellings are usually painless and not tender to touch. They are most commonly seen on the upper eyelid.

    Trimming the lashes could lead to infections, such as styes.
    Tolmachov Vision/ Shutterstock

    Any interference with your eyelashes and their length increases the risk of particles getting into the eye and causing an infection or blocking the glands.

    Our eyelashes and their length also play an important role in closing our eyes when needed to protect the eyeball. This reflex is activated when the lashes “feel” something touch their very sensitive nerve fibres. Trimming your eyelashes reduces the time that this reflex has to go from detection by the eyelashes, to the brain and then back to the muscles of the eyelid to close it and protect the eyeball. If you cut your eyelashes, you may be at greater risk of things getting in your eye – such as bugs or dust.

    Should you ever trim your lashes?

    There are some conditions that cause the eyelashes to grow abnormally. And in some cases, they may need to be removed or trimmed to prevent infections.

    For instance, some people have abnormally long eyelashes – termed trichomegaly. This is considered where length is more than 12mm or the eyelashes are abnormally curly, pigmented or thick.

    It isn’t known if naturally longer lashes increase the chance of eye problems – but extending your lashes artificially increases infection risk due to the chemicals used in the adhesives.

    Certain drugs may also cause eyelashes to grow excessively – such as the anti-epilepsy drug topiramate.

    Some people can have double rows of eyelashes – actress Elizabeth Taylor was one. This condition is typically caused by a rare condition called distichiasis, which affects one in 10,000 people. Some people can even grow a third and fourth row of eyelashes.



    Read more:
    The risks of eyelash extensions aren’t pretty, from cornea erosion to cancer-causing glue

    Distichiasis causes red, watery or irritated eyes, alongside pain, light sensitivity and even scarring of the cornea. Treatment can be anything from plucking the additional lashes through to cryotherapy (freezing the eyelash follicles to prevent future growth) or laser ablation to prevent them growing back entirely.

    Trichiasis causes the eyelashes to grow inwards towards the eye. Inward growing eyelashes can cause irritation of the eyeball and, if untreated, permanent damage. It can also cause blepharitis.

    In this case, a person would need to use epilation to remove the eyelashes (though they will grow back in four to six weeks). A more permanent solution is laser removal to prevent the eyelashes from regrowing.

    Eyelashes play an important part in protecting our eyes. They’re best left alone to do their thing, and should only be removed if a medical condition is causing them to grow abnormally or leading to irritation. But in those instances, it’s best to seek a doctor’s help to avoid causing yourself any harm.

    Adam Taylor 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. Men on social media are cutting their eyelashes to appear more ‘masculine’ – here’s why it’s a bad idea – https://theconversation.com/men-on-social-media-are-cutting-their-eyelashes-to-appear-more-masculine-heres-why-its-a-bad-idea-256363

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The psychology of climate traps and how to avoid them

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lucrezia Nava, Assistant Professor, Climate Psychology, Carbon Dioxide Removals, Business School, University of Exeter

    Victor Guerrero Diez/Shutterstock

    Each year, the world loses around 5 million hectares of forest, with 95% of this deforestation occurring in tropical regions. South America is a major hotspot, with Brazil in particular facing severe forest loss — much of it driven by cattle ranching, which accounts for more than 70% of all Amazon deforestation.

    Many of these clearings are carried out by farmers, particularly smallholders, who are trying to cope with intensifying drought and other effects of climate change. This leads to a paradox: the people most exposed to climate threats are often pushed by survival pressures to make choices that further degrade the environment.

    Imagine standing in a field of dry, cracked soil, watching the crops you planted with hope fail to grow. It hasn’t rained in months. You know that planting trees could help protect your land and water sources in the long run. But you need food next week.

    So instead, you clear some forest to sell timber and raise a few cows — a choice that might get you through the season, even if it further reduces soil moisture and water retention on your own farm.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    As one farmer told me: “The problem is: does the agricultural producer die now, or does he die later? Now, he dies of hunger. Later, he dies of thirst. He prefers to die later of thirst.”

    This is what my team of environmental researchers calls a “climate trap”: a vicious cycle where short-term survival decisions deepen long-term climate vulnerability. Our recent study investigates this phenomenon among smallholder cocoa producers in the south of the Brazilian state of Bahia.

    We tracked more than 3,000 farms over four years and conducted dozens of interviews with farmers. One of our most striking findings was that those most affected by droughts were less likely to employ adaptive strategies such as reforestation, and more likely to make environmentally harmful choices such as clearing forest for pasture.

    This contrasts sharply with research from high-income countries, where more exposure to climate risks typically encourages protective action. Why the difference?

    The answer, according to our research, lies in emotion. Many farmers spoke of fear and hopelessness. One told us: “We plant, replant and it dies. Plant, replant, it dies. There’s no rain! Everything we took care of, everything we watered, everything we did with love. It’s no use!”

    These emotions influence decisions. When fear and hopelessness set in, people naturally narrow their focus to the short term — what can I control today?

    Climate shocks such as drought trigger emotional distress, which can lead to environmentally harmful choices that increase vulnerability.
    Scott Book/Shutterstock

    The future becomes too uncertain, too frightening to plan for. As one farmer explained: “Today, I work more in the short term. I’m worried about today’s drought, okay? I’m not starting to think about next year’s drought or in two years’ time.”

    Even when farmers understand that long-term strategies like reforestation would help, those solutions can feel unattainable under emotional and economic stress.

    We call this a maladaptive feedback loop: climate shocks trigger emotional distress, which limits long-term thinking, leading to environmentally harmful choices that further increase vulnerability to future shocks. And the cycle repeats.

    Learning from the loop

    Climate traps are real and probably more widespread than many people realise. Similar dynamics have been reported in parts of Africa, Asia and across the developing world. These are the communities facing the brunt of climate change with the fewest resources to respond.

    To spot climate traps, businesses and governments need to recognise when short-term incentives are driving long-term harm. If a decision solves an immediate problem but increases climate risk over time, it may be part of a trap.

    They need to watch out for indicators such as repeated deforestation after droughts, or a shift from sustainable crops to quick-fix options such as cattle pasture. In areas heavily affected by climate change, these responses often signal a deeper cycle of short-term survival and long-term vulnerability.

    Also, listen out for resignation. Phrases like “there’s no point” and “we just survive however we can” or “there’s nothing we can do except pray for a change” may signal emotional fatigue — which points to a loss of agency and diminished belief in the usefulness of long-term action.

    When people no longer believe their efforts can make a difference, even the best technical solutions are likely to be ignored.

    Climate adaptation is about more than just providing technical solutions. In our study, producers were well aware of the pros and cons of their practices. The real barriers were emotional.

    We believe interventions need to address fear and hopelessness directly — through the use of safety nets, financial buffers and community-led support systems, as well as narratives that rebuild a sense of control and agency. Reducing hopelessness requires not just money but presence. Trusted advisors, peer learning networks and visible examples of successful adaptation can all help.

    Avoiding climate traps isn’t easy. But for climate adaptation to succeed — especially where it’s needed most — we have to stop treating emotions as a side issue. They’re central. The solutions we offer must speak to both the mind and the heart.

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

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

    Lucrezia Nava 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 psychology of climate traps and how to avoid them – https://theconversation.com/the-psychology-of-climate-traps-and-how-to-avoid-them-255832

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McClellan Statement on the Passing of Gerry Connolly

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (Virginia 4th District)

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) issued the following statement after news of Congressman Gerry Connolly’s (VA-11) passing: 

    “Today, Fairfax County, our Commonwealth, and our country lost a dedicated public servant who always put his community first and fought for pragmatic policies that would improve the lives of his constituents. Gerry embodied public service, devoting decades of his life to serving our nation: as a congressional staffer, member and Chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, and Congressman.

    “Gerry put his faith in action as a servant leader. He loved his neighbors and this fragile government by, of and for the people. He passionately provided a voice for the voiceless as he sought to ease any suffering he saw. No matter the challenges facing him or his constituents, he never lost his sense of humor or the twinkle of joy in his eyes. 

    “Throughout my time in elected office, Gerry has been a defining and passionate voice in Virginia politics. I am grateful to have been able to call him a friend, mentor, and colleague. I will always treasure our talks on the House floor and will miss him greatly. 

    “Dave and I extend our deepest condolences and prayers to Gerry’s beloved wife, Smitty; their daughter, Caitlin; his friends and loved ones; his devoted congressional staff; and all those whose lives he touched. May they be comforted by their memories of him and the knowledge of the countless lives he touched and made better. 

    “He has earned his rest. Godspeed, Gerry.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chinese Foreign Minister Meets Afghan Acting Foreign Minister in Beijing /detailed version-1/

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, May 21 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Beijing on Wednesday.

    Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, welcomed A.H. Muttaqi’s visit, which coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He stressed that China and Afghanistan, as traditional friendly neighbors, always support and understand each other.

    “China respects the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, as well as the independent choice of the Afghan people,” Wang said, stressing that China will continue to support the Afghan government in achieving long-term peace and stability in the country at an early date.

    Wang Yi added that China is willing to work with the Afghan side to develop traditional friendship, strengthen political mutual trust and deepen practical cooperation so as to bring more benefits to the two countries and their peoples, and contribute to regional peace and stability.

    According to him, China is ready to increase cooperation with Afghanistan in the areas of economy and trade, agriculture, energy, mining, poverty reduction, disaster prevention, personnel training, healthcare, law enforcement and security.

    The Chinese side intends to increase imports of high-quality Afghan products and provide all possible support in restoring Afghanistan’s economy and improving the living conditions of its population, the minister said.

    A.H. Muttaqi, in turn, thanked China for its valuable assistance in developing Afghanistan and improving the living conditions of the Afghan people over a long period of time, as well as for its advocacy of justice for Afghanistan in the international arena.

    He stressed that the Afghan government values the traditional friendship between Afghanistan and China, attaches great importance to relations with China in its foreign policy, and will continue to firmly adhere to the one-China principle and firmly oppose interference in China’s internal affairs.

    A. H. Muttaqi noted that the Afghan side is ready to deepen mutual trust with China and contribute to achieving greater positive results in cooperation in various areas. “Afghanistan attaches great importance to China’s security issues and will under no circumstances allow Afghan territory to be used for activities that threaten China’s security,” he stressed.

    Afghanistan is ready to step up cooperation with China in the security sphere, jointly combat violent crimes and ensure security and stability in the region, added A.H. Muttaqi. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: HTX Celebrates Crypto Loans 2.0 Launch with Unprecedented Lending Benefits

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HTX, a leading global cryptocurrency exchange, unveiled its next-generation “Crypto Loans 2.0” product on May 19. This enhanced version brings a refined structure and superior user experience, featuring multi-asset collateral, a smart dynamic Loan-to-Value (LTV) model, instant fund access, flexible repayment options, and zero fees. To mark this significant launch, HTX has rolled out two exclusive promotions: “Borrow & Earn” #7, where users can share a massive 5,000,000,000 $HTX prize pool, and the “Millions in Rewards Plus Margin Power-up” event, which provides BTC loan interest rates as low as 0.09% and an extra 10% discount on USDT loans.

    Unlock Multiple Benefits with HTX Loan Products

    To celebrate the grand launch of Crypto Loans 2.0 and commemorate the 15th anniversary of Bitcoin Pizza Day, HTX is simultaneously launching “Borrow & Earn” #7 and an exclusive limited-time margin promotion, delivering substantial rewards to our valued users.

    “Borrow & Earn” #7 runs from May 19 at 02:00 (UTC) to June 2 at 15:59 (UTC), featuring a total prize pool of 5,000,000,000 $HTX. Users simply need to borrow USDT using the Crypto Loans Flexible product during the event to earn a share of the $HTX prize pool, based on the interest paid — the more interest paid, the greater the rewards. Rewards will be credited to winners’ Spot accounts within 7 working days after the event ends.

    Concurrently, HTX has launched an exclusive margin promotion, “Millions in Rewards Plus Margin Power-up”, active from May 20 at 10:00 (UTC) to June 2 at 10:00 (UTC). For a single USDT loan of $1,000,000 or more, users can enjoy an extra 10% interest rate discount! This brings the annual interest rate down to as low as 3.9% (or 0.01% daily). There is no limit on borrowing frequency and each qualifying loan benefits from this generous discount.

    Don’t miss the Pizza Day 15th Anniversary Bonus! During the event, the top 10 users by cumulative loan volume will share 264,000,000 $HTX (worth $500). Register via the provided link to participate. Leverage these ultra-low interest rates to maximize potential returns and aim for substantial gains.

    Optimized Borrowing Experience with Multi-Asset Collateral

    Loan efficiency and asset liquidity have always been two major user-focused concerns. As a key highlight of this upgrade, HTX’s “Crypto Loans 2.0” introduces a multi-asset collateral mechanism, supporting over 20 mainstream cryptocurrencies as collateral assets, including USDT, BTC, ETH, TRX, DOGE, XRP, SOL, and AVAX. This significantly boosts users’ asset utilization efficiency.

    To further enhance the borrowing experience, HTX has expanded its loanable assets to include SOL, TON, and USDC, with USDC also available as a collateral option. Unlike the traditional single-asset collateral model, the multi-asset collateral mechanism allows users to unlock liquidity from their holdings while effectively reducing the risk of forced liquidation due to single-asset volatility.

    Another standout feature of this upgrade is HTX’s limited-time offer: an ultra-low 0.09% annual interest rate for BTC Flexible Loans, with borrowing limits up to 100 BTC. This remarkable rate represents a 555-fold reduction from the previous annual rate of over 5.0%, making it an exceptional deal. For example, borrowing BTC equivalent to approximately 1,000,000 USDT would incur a mere 2.37 USDT in daily interest — a truly remarkable saving.

    Crypto Loans 2.0 also offers the following advantages:

    • Smart Dynamic LTV Mechanism: Interest rates adjust in real time based on market conditions, ensuring industry-leading competitiveness. Annualized interest rates for Flexible Loans include 3.9% for USDT, 2.4% for ETH, and as low as 0.09% for BTC.
    • Flexible Term Options: Supports flexible configuration for both flexible and fixed terms (7/30/45/90 days).
    • Instant Fund Access & Flexible Repayment: Borrowed funds are delivered instantly, interest accrues every hour, and users enjoy the freedom to repay at any time, ensuring optimal fund efficiency.
    • Institutional-Grade Risk Control: Supports overcollateralized loans with leverage capped under 1X and tiered liquidation to safeguard accounts. Users retain all remaining collateral assets.
    • Personalized 1-on-1 VIP Service: Delivers customized loan limits, flexible currency selections, and special discounted interest rates for SVIP users.

    Crypto Loans 2.0 is now live! Users can access it via the HTX website by clicking “Loans” > “Crypto Loans”, or through the HTX App by tapping “More” > “Crypto Loans”. Here’s how to get started:

    HTX’s Crypto Loans 2.0 leads the industry with its ability to boost capital efficiency, lower liquidation risk, provide flexible investment options, and allow multi-asset collateral. Moving forward, HTX will continue to enhance its lending products, pushing the platform’s financial services toward greater efficiency, lower barriers, and broader diversification. Try Crypto Loans 2.0 now to enjoy seamless borrowing, ultra-low interest rates, and access to massive prize pools. Make every digital asset your strategic liquidity advantage on the road to financial freedom.

    About HTX

    Founded in 2013, HTX has evolved from a virtual asset exchange into a comprehensive ecosystem of blockchain businesses that span digital asset trading, financial derivatives, research, investments, incubation, and other businesses.
    As a world-leading gateway to Web3, HTX harbors global capabilities that enable it to provide users with safe and reliable services. Adhering to the growth strategy of “Global Expansion, Thriving Ecosystem, Wealth Effect, Security & Compliance,” HTX is dedicated to providing quality services and values to virtual asset enthusiasts worldwide.
    To learn more about HTX, please visit HTX Square or https://www.htx.com/, and follow HTX on X, Telegram, and Discord.

    For further inquiries, please contact Ruder Finn Asia ,glo-media@htx-inc.com.

    Disclaimer: This is a paid post and is provided by HTX. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility. Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page.

    Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/14b88ed3-a6c4-4385-a159-c4c19897c5fe

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/890afb12-c1fa-4228-aace-ec265f82d5c3

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: XBP Europe to Update Investors at the Emerging Growth Conference on May 22, 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LONDON and SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — XBP Europe Holdings, Inc. (“XBP Europe” or “the Company”) (NASDAQ: XBP), a pan-European integrator of bills, payments, and related solutions and services seeking to enable the digital transformation of its clients, is pleased to announce that it will be giving an update at the Emerging Growth Conference on May 22, 2025.

    This live, interactive online event will give shareholders and the investment community the opportunity to interact with the Company’s CEO, Andrej Jonovic, who will take questions from the audience. Please submit your questions in advance to Questions@EmergingGrowth.com, or ask your questions during the event.

    XBP Europe Holdings, Inc. will be presenting at 4:10 PM Eastern time for 12 minutes.

    Please register here to ensure you are able to attend the conference and receive any updates that are released:
    https://goto.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1709483&tp_key=7518636947&sti=xbp 

    If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available on EmergingGrowth.com and on the Emerging Growth YouTube Channel, http://www.YouTube.com/EmergingGrowthConference. The link to the presentation will be posted on our website at https://investors.xbpeurope.com/.

    About the Emerging Growth Conference
    The Emerging Growth conference is an effective way for public companies to present and communicate their new products, services and other major announcements to the investment community from the convenience of their office, in a time efficient manner.

    The Conference focus and coverage includes companies in a wide range of growth sectors, with strong management teams, innovative products & services, focused strategy, execution, and the overall potential for long term growth. Its audience includes potentially tens of thousands of Individual and Institutional investors, as well as investment advisors and analysts.

    All sessions will be conducted through video webcasts and will take place in the Eastern time zone.

    About XBP Europe
    XBP Europe is a pan-European integrator of bills, payments and related solutions and services seeking to enable digital transformation of its more than 2,000 clients. The Company’s name – ‘XBP’ stands for ‘exchange for bills and payments’ and reflects the Company’s strategy to connect buyers and suppliers, across industries, including banking, healthcare, insurance, utilities and the public sector, to optimize clients’ bills and payments and related digitization processes. The Company provides business process management solutions with proprietary software suites and deep domain expertise, serving as a technology and services partner for its clients. Its cloud-based structure enables it to deploy its solutions across the European market, along with the Middle East and Africa. The physical footprint of XBP Europe spans 15 countries and approximately 30 locations and a team of approximately 1,500 individuals. XBP Europe believes its business ultimately advances digital transformation, improves market wide liquidity by expediting payments, and encourages sustainable business practices. For more information, please visit: www.xbpeurope.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    Certain statements included in this press release are not historical facts but are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “may”, “should”, “would”, “plan”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “predict”, “potential”, “seem”, “seek”, “continue”, “future”, “will”, “expect”, “outlook” or other similar words, phrases or expressions. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding future events, estimated or anticipated future results and benefits, future opportunities for XBP Europe Holdings, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, the “Company”) and its industry, and other statements that are not historical facts. These statements reflect the current expectations of Company management and are not guarantees of actual performance. Actual results may differ materially due to a number of risks and uncertainties, including without limitation: (1) legal proceedings against the Company or others; (2) the Company’s inability to meet the continued listing standards of Nasdaq or another securities exchange; (3) disruptions from the proposed acquisition of Exela Technologies BPA, LLC (“BPA”) and related bankruptcy proceedings of BPA and certain of its subsidiaries’; (4) failure to realize benefits from the November 2023 business combination with CF Acquisition Corp. VIII; (5) acquisition-related costs; (6) changes in laws or regulations; (7) adverse effects from economic, business, or competitive factors; (8) market volatility due to geopolitical and economic factors; (9) challenges in achieving profitability, retaining clients, managing growth, or recruiting and retaining personnel; and (10) other risks and uncertainties set forth in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 19, 2025, as amended, and subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). In addition, forward-looking statements represent the Company’s expectations, plans or forecasts as of the date of this communication. Subsequent events may alter these assessments, and they should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this release.

    For more XBP Europe news, commentary, and industry perspectives, visit: https://www.xbpeurope.com/
    And please follow us on social:
    X: https://X.com/XBPEurope
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/XBPEurope/
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xbp_europe/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/xbp-europe/

    The information posted on XBP Europe’s website and/or via its social media accounts may be deemed material to investors. Accordingly, investors, media and others interested in XBP Europe should monitor XBP Europe’s website and its social media accounts in addition to XBP Europe’s press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts.

    Source: XBP Europe Holdings, Inc.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The West v China: Fight for the Pacific – Episode 1: The Battlefield

    Al Jazeera

    How global power struggles are impacting in local communities, culture and sovereignty in Kanaky, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands and Samoa.

    In episode one, The Battlefield, tensions between the United States and China over the Pacific escalate, affecting the lives of Pacific Islanders.

    Key figures like former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani and tour guide Maria Loweyo reveal how global power struggles impact on local communities, culture and sovereignty in the Solomon Islands and Samoa.

    The episode intertwines these personal stories with the broader geopolitical dynamics, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of the Pacific’s role in global diplomacy.

    Fight for the Pacific, a four-part series by Tuki Laumea and Cleo Fraser, showcases the Pacific’s critical transformation into a battleground of global power.

    This series captures the high-stakes rivalry between the US and China as they vie for dominance in a region pivotal to global stability.

    The series frames the Pacific not just as a battleground for superpowers but also as a region with its own unique challenges and aspirations.

    Republished from Al Jazeera.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australia’s Wong condemns ‘abhorrent, outrageous’ Israeli comments over blocked aid

    Asia Pacific Report

    Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong has released a statement saying “the Israeli government cannot allow the suffering to continue” after the UN’s aid chief said thousands of babies were at risk of dying if they did not receive food immediately.

    “Australia joins international partners in calling on Israel to allow a full and immediate resumption of aid to Gaza,” Wong said in a post on X.

    “We condemn the abhorrent and outrageous comments made by members of the Netanyahu government about these people in crisis.”

    Wong stopped short of outlining any measures Australia might take to encourage Israel to ensure enough aid reaches those in need, as the UK, France and Canada said they would do with “concrete measures” in a recent joint statement.


    An agreement has been reached in a phone call between UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar, reports Al Jazeera.

    According to the Palestinian news agency WAM, the aid would initially cater to the food needs of about 15,000 civilians in Gaza.

    It will also include essential supplies for bakeries and critical items for infant care.

    ‘Permission’ for 100 trucks
    Earlier yesterday, a spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office in Geneva said Israel had given permission for about 100 aid trucks to enter Gaza.

    However, the UN also said no aid had been distributed in Gaza because of Israeli restrictions, despite a handful of aid trucks entering the territory.

    “But what we mean here by allowed is that the trucks have received military clearance to access the Palestinian side,” reports Tareq Abu Azzoum from Deir el-Balah, central Gaza.

    “They have not made their journey into the enclave. They are still stuck at the border crossing. Only five trucks have made it in.”

    Israel’s Gaza aid “smokescreen” showing the vast gulf between what the Israeli military have actually allowed in – five trucks only and none of the aid had been delivered at the time of this report. Image: Al Jazeera infographic/Creative Commons

    The few aid trucks alowed into Gaza are nowhere near sufficient to meet Gaza’s vast needs, says the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF.

    Instead, the handful of trucks serve as a “a smokescreen” for Israel to “pretend the siege is over”.

    “The Israeli authorities’ decision to allow a ridiculously inadequate amount of aid into Gaza after months of an air-tight siege signals their intention to avoid the accusation of starving people in Gaza, while in fact keeping them barely surviving,” said Pascale Coissard, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Khan Younis.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: RELEASE: Senator Mullin Champions Secretary Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again Agenda at Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator MarkWayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma)

    RELEASE: Senator Mullin Champions Secretary Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again Agenda at Hearing

    Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, applauded Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts to Make America Healthy Again at the subcommittee hearing, “A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request for the Department of Health and Human Services”. Highlights of Senator Mullin’s exchange on a range of topics, including wasteful NIH funding, are below.

    The full exchange can be found here. 
    On America’s health crisis: 
    Sen. Mullin: “Earlier, you said… HHS over the last four years had increased by 38% is that correct?” 
    Sec. Kennedy: “That’s right, Senator Mullin.” 
    Sen. Mullin: “So, what has the taxpayers got in return over the last four years? 
    Sec. Kennedy: “They got a worse chronic health crisis and the unhealthiest, sickest, population in the globe.”  
    On the increase of the HHS budget in recent years: 
    Sen. Mullin: “So, your total budget for 2024, I think, was around $1.7 trillion. Is that correct?” 
    Sec. Kennedy: “Yes.” 
    Sen. Mullin: “So, we’ve had a 10% increase across that, we’ve received nothing in return?” 
    Sec. Kennedy: “We’ve had a 38% increase in four years with nothing in return.”  
    On wasteful NIH funds: 
    Sen. Mullin: “And we have my Democrat colleagues that are complaining about cutting spending at the same time we have NIH recipients, because we’ve heard our colleagues on the left side really complain about you cutting NIH funding, because they call it research, but is it really research? I mean, let me just throw some numbers out here for you. Harvard received $488 million in NIH, and 69% went to indirect costs, meaning didn’t go to research. Yale received $646 million and 67.5% of their NIH money went to indirect costs, meaning didn’t go to research.” 
    Sen. Mullin: “You have Johns Hopkins University got $858 million 67.5% went to indirect costs, meaning 67.5% of $858 million did not go to research. University of California, San Francisco received $815 million in NIH money and 59% went to indirect costs. But I’m sure there’s no room to cut NIH money for research? I mean, who would think we probably have room for that?” 
    Sec. Kennedy: “There’s room to cut the research both through the indirect cost, which the total cost was $9 billion last year in indirect. So that’s, you know, that’s $9 billion that did not go to research.” 
    Sen. Mullin: “$9 billion that went to other things, like flowers at the University President’s house.”  
    On Secretary Kennedy’s work to Make America Healthy Again: 
    Sen. Mullin: “You know, only in the American government do we think throwing money at the problem will eventually fix it. So, thank you for staying strong and actually getting the taxpayers the money that they spent for something that it’s supposed to be spent for, and that’s to make us healthier, so thank you for being strong in this.”  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: ‘Shine your light’: responding to challenges facing the charity sector

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    ‘Shine your light’: responding to challenges facing the charity sector

    Charity Commission Chief Executive David Holdsworth delivers keynote speech at Charity Times’ Annual Conference 2025.

    Thank you Srabani and good morning everyone / bore da pawb.

    It’s a privilege to be speaking to at this conference for the first time as the Commission’s CEO, after rejoining the organisation last summer.

    I probably don’t need to explain to this audience why I returned to work with the charity sector.

    Current operating environment and challenges 

    The Charity Commission stands at a unique vantage point, where the perspectives of charities, government, the public and donors meet.

    From this position, we see three trends.

    First, an incredibly challenging economic environment for the sector.

    Like other sectors, charities face inflationary pressures and rising operational costs.

    But charities are also dealing with increased demands for their services.

    The cumulative impact of these trends on charities is, in some cases, extremely challenging.

    Second, charities, like other organisations, are contending with rapid technological and social change.

    Some tech innovations, notably in the space of AI, offer tools that can help charities do more with less and increase their impact.

    But looking ahead, these technologies potentially challenge the very role of organisations and institutions in the traditional sense.

    Notably when coupled with changing attitudes, especially among younger people, whose allegiances are increasingly to causes, not ‘bricks and mortar’ or brands and institutions and where technology platforms offer alternatives of direct giving to those in need.  

    Thirdly – global conflicts, geo political shifts and instability. The shocking invasion of Ukraine and conflicts in the middle east have seen demands on and need of charity increase significantly. Whilst at the same time the once seemingly immovable, solid post war geo political system is shifting, creating uncertainty and instability. This makes responding to increased global need more difficult and challenging to navigate.

    Impact and Potential

    Despite those challenges the sector has never been more important – and let’s be clear what charities achieve for society is astonishing, both in terms of scale and impact.

    Based on Annual Returns submitted to the Commission for 2023’s accounts, the sector had an annual income of over £96 billion – up around 7% on the previous year.

    We registered just over 5,000 new charities last year, having assessed a record 9,840 applications – a 9% increase on the previous year.

    And there are around 700,000 trustees who collectively steward the sector though good times and bad, and whose work often goes unrecognised and uncelebrated – though we at the Commission are all too aware of their service and contribution.

    But numbers alone don’t tell of the human impact of charity. Of the positive difference charities make in transforming or enriching communities, our environment, our wildlife, heritage, culture as well as saving and improving countless individual lives.

    It is that impact that charities, their amazing trustees, volunteers and employees have – that we must not lose sight of – nor let the challenges shroud.

    There are so many examples to tell.

    Like the Felix Project which had a landmark year, providing 38 million meals through its network of 1,264 community organisations and schools by growing its network of collaborations. Building on that success it has launched its Multibank, which has seen 1.46 million non-food essential items distributed to try and ensure no Londoner in need goes without.

    Welsh Women’s Aid and its partners helped 739 survivors access refuge-based support. That is life-saving intervention happening every day, across the country – offering not just physical shelter but a sense of home and safety when people need it most.

    That the osprey – that magnificent bird of prey – which was once driven to near extinction in the UK – is now thriving, with over 250 nesting pairs living in Britain today, is thanks to charities.

    And it is thanks to charity that, on average, two lives are saved at sea every single day by RNLI volunteers.  

    Also I know from my last CEO role at the Animal and Plant Health Agency, thanks to animal welfare charities’ campaigning work over decades, the UK now has one of the most advanced legal frameworks protecting animal health and welfare.

    These a just a few examples of what has been made possible by the charity sector.

    Potential and Opportunity

    So whilst I don’t underestimate for one moment the challenges charities face – and which I have seen first hand on my many visits – I would urge you not to let those challenges dim nor shroud the huge impact you are having, everyday.

    I also firmly believe that as Albert Einstein once said:

    in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

    Arguably, the bigger the challenge, the greater the opportunity. Ideas previously rejected as too radical; innovation that once felt too big; conversations which felt too challenging can suddenly feel possible – and necessary.

    Take for example, the city I call home, Liverpool. Which is incidentally also the Commission’s main home, where most of our staff are based.

    I grew up in Liverpool in the 1980s. It was a time when the city felt like it had lost its way, with ever increasing challenges and ever dwindling opportunity and resources.

    Today my home city is transformed. And that transformation happened through collaboration – a combination of philanthropic investments, national and local government investment, alongside renewed community action notably in the arts, culture and tourism which acted as catalysts for wider renewal.

    Each individual project mattered, but what made for game-changing transformation was the cumulative impact of collaborative and complementary efforts from a number of actors. And that is true across the sector today.

    Take for example, Fareshare. Working collaboratively, supporting other charities in their network, they’ve helped distribute 92% more food over the last year, and made their budgets go 78% further.

    This resulted in them distributing a whopping 135 million meals, reaching nearly 1 million people.

    If you’ll allow me to return once more to my hometown.

    In late 2024, Zoe’s Place, a hospice in Liverpool which provides care to children, faced an uncertain future. The community of Liverpool, supported by business leaders and politicians, as well as a fellow charity the Institute of our Lady of Mercy, fellow hospice Claire’s Place and regional media collectively rallied to save Zoe’s Place, with the Commission playing a key facilitating role.

    Now, ownership has been transferred to the newly registered Liverpool Zoe’s Place. The charity’s trustees have also finalised plans to build the charity’s new home, securing the continuation of the former charity’s legacy.

    The hospice had been helping families through the unimaginable since 1995 – to see that vital service disappear would have been gutting for the community, and a huge blow to the families who rely on the organisation’s support.

    Instead, by reawakening their community’s passion and pride in the service, the charity will now continue to provide that support for years to come.

    In addition to this kind of public appeal, forging new corporate partnerships is another option being explored by many charities. Indeed, the Charities Aid Foundation estimates that UK businesses contribute around £4 billion to the sector.

    Take one example – a mere stone’s throw from here: national homelessness charity, Shelter.

    The organisation has partnered with clothing brand, Lucy and Yak. Last year they held a successful pop-up shop in Kings Cross, and now, they’ve launched donation boxes in several Lucy and Yak shops across the country encouraging customers to donate clothing.

    Shelter has responded to competition facing charity shops with the rise of preloved selling platforms in an agile and innovative way. Through this partnership, they’ve added a funding stream to their ‘bow’ and potentially reached new supporters.

    But I appreciate that public appeals and new corporate partnerships won’t work for everyone.  

    As a result of the Covid pandemic, many charities needed to re-evaluate their financial resilience and ability to weather further storms – many had dipped into their reserves, while others had little to fall back on.

    With the same desire to ensure services do not come to an end, some charities with similar goals turned to mergers – combining resources to create something more sustainable.

    For example, Community Integrated Care, one of the largest social care providers in the UK, merged with Inspire, a social care provider based in Scotland, in 2023. The charities saw how funding shortfalls, economic pressures and workforce shortages were impacting social care more broadly and chose to secure their future together rather than struggle through apart. And it paid off.

    Community Integrated Care’s income increased by £22 million in the year after the merger, and the charities reported publicly that the merger was a good strategic fit. These charities found strength in unity while continuing to provide that sense of belonging their beneficiaries depend on.

    Mergers are not the answer for all – and I don’t underestimate the work that can be involved in navigating a successful transition. But where you decide a merger is the best way forward, the Commission is on hand.

    Conclusion: strength in collaboration

    I’ve touched upon a few examples today to evidence my underlying confidence in this sector’s collective power. Just as no home is built by a single pair of hands, no lasting social change comes from isolated efforts.

    Our dear late Queen, Elizabeth II, once said:

    On our own, we cannot end wars or wipe out injustice, but the cumulative impact of thousands of small acts of goodness can be bigger than we imagine.

    In the year of the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe and Victory in Japan we should remember those words and that out of darkness can come something brighter and better than before.

    From the darkness of tyranny, fascism and unfathomable loss came a renewed determination for peace, democracy and equality. That which charities had long fought for then came forward in the form of the NHS, welfare state, expansion of access to higher education, and workers’ rights.

    While the challenges facing society may be less existential, I believe this sector can again play a transformational role across communities, across government, local and national, with businesses and philanthropists to once again tackle our biggest issues with joint purpose.

    There is no greater charity sector in the world than here and my message is clear.

    Keep shining a light, charities.

    Shine a light on your charitable purpose.

    Shine a light of hope, and of refuge to those in need.

    Shine a light on your innovation and impact.

    And always remember that you not only stand on the shoulders of giants, but you too are now building that better brighter future for the next generation.

    Thank you. I look forward to hearing your thoughts, and taking your questions.

    Updates to this page

    Published 21 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK stands ready to send more aid to Gaza as Minister pledges further support

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    UK stands ready to send more aid to Gaza as Minister pledges further support

    Minister for Development announces new UK support for Gaza on first visit in her role to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

    • extra UK aid announced today will support organisations on the ground seeking to get food, water and medicine to those who need it
    • Minister Chapman will call Israel’s decision to allow just a basic amount of food into Gaza ‘abominable’ after an ‘indefensible’ 11-week blockade.
    • on her first visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in her role, the Minister also emphasises the need to release all Israeli hostages held by Hamas and works towards a two-state solution

    Vulnerable Gazans must urgently be given full access to aid, UK Minister for Development, Jenny Chapman said today [Wednesday 21 May] on her first visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in her role. 

    Following the Government’s calls, together with partners, for restrictions on aid access to be lifted, the UK has announced £4m of new UK humanitarian support for Gazans as the Minister reaffirms the UK’s commitment to driving peace in the region.

    The visit comes the day after Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced new sanctions hitting violent West Bank settlers, paused free trade agreement negotiations with Israel and called the Government of Israel’s actions ‘egregious’ and ‘intolerable’. 

    On her visit the Development Minister will say the limited restart of aid deliveries into Gaza is ‘simply not enough’ and she will urge the Israeli government to allow the unhindered provision of aid. She will say the blockade has been appalling and indefensible, particularly following an IPC report noting the entire population of Gaza is experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity.

    The Minister will announce new UK support during a visit to a Red Crescent centre, highlighting that the UK stands ready to provide the urgent aid to those who desperately need it, while expressing frustration much of it cannot yet reach them.

    Backing up words with action, the new UK support would cover essential medicines and medical supplies for up to 32,000 people, safe drinking water for up to 60,000 people, and food parcels for up to 14,000 people.

    Minister for Development, Jenny Chapman said:

    The lack of aid reaching ordinary Gazans is appalling. The Israeli government’s failure to allow full humanitarian access to aid workers is abhorrent. Far too few trucks are crossing into Gaza. The UN has warned nearly half a million Palestinians, including children, are facing starvation.

    The UK is clear – Israel will not achieve security through prolonging the suffering of the Palestinian people.

    I have heard first hand from aid workers today of the abominable impact of this behaviour on real families. The UK has today pledged new support for Gazans but the brutal reality is most of it is stuck in limbo.

    We need to see an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, a surge of aid, and a path towards long-term peace.

    During the first day of her visit (Wednesday, May 21), Minister Chapman has met with Palestinian Justice Minister Sharhabeel al-Zaeem, and talked to UNRWA representatives on resolving the challenges in getting aid to Palestinian communities.

    Tomorrow, she is due to meet the families of hostages cruelly held by Hamas, where she will highlight the importance of an immediate ceasefire and a negotiated end to the conflict which secures their urgent release. This is the only way to deliver long-term stability in the region, and at home, as part of the Government’s Plan for Change.

    Background

    • The £4 million contribution announced today will be made to the British Red Cross to deliver humanitarian relief in Gaza through their partner the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. This support has been allocated from the £101 million set aside for the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) in financial year 2025-26, announced during the official visit of Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa to the UK.
    • UK support to the OPTs since October 7, 2023, has so far provided 405,000 patient consultations across Gaza, food aid to at least 647,000 people, and improved water, sanitation and hygiene services to almost 300,000 people. 
    • Photos from the visit will be available on FCDO Flickr
    • See here for the Foreign Secretary’s statement announcing sanctions on West Bank violence network and the pause on negotiations for a free trade agreement.
    • See here for joint statement from the leaders of the UK, France and Canada on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank delivered on 19/05/2025.
    • See here for joint statement from UK and 26 other humanitarian partners delivered on 19/05/2025.

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    Email the FCDO Newsdesk (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 21 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Sobyanin opened the Yuzhnoye electric depot of the Zamoskvoretskaya metro line

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Sergei Sobyanin opened a new electric depot “Yuzhnoye” of the Zamoskvoretskaya line. Its commissioning became the final stage of the formation of the largest in Russia and one of the largest in Europe complexes for the repair, maintenance and operation of metro cars.

    On behalf of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin presented the Moscow Metro with the Order “For Valiant Labor”, which recognized the great merits of the metro workforce in strengthening and developing the capital’s transport complex. The award was timed to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the metro.

    In addition, 10 new “Moscow-2024” trains ceremoniously entered the Zamoskvoretskaya line. Together with metro employees and invited guests, Sergei Sobyanin rode on the lead train from the depot to the Krasnogvardeyskaya station.

    “This year, the Moscow Metro turns 90. It is a respectable age, but the Moscow Metro demonstrates a very young, energetic life, developing, adding new lines, new stations, first-class trains, electric depots, developing in a way that probably no other metro in the world is developing. Today, a new electric depot “Yuzhnoye” is being opened, the largest and most modern in Russia. The Zamoskvoretskaya line of the metro is being replenished with 10 new trains, the most modern. This year, in honor of the metro’s anniversary, in honor of its merits, the President of the Russian Federation signed a decree on awarding the Moscow Metro team with the Order for Labor Valor. This is a well-deserved award. The Moscow Metro is the most intensive in the world, the most accurate, the most reliable, the safest, the cleanest and the most beautiful. And the most beloved by Muscovite passengers,” said Sergei Sobyanin.

    The Mayor of Moscow congratulated the entire staff of the capital’s metro, metro builders and everyone who is related to the metro on the award and anniversary.

    The head of the Moscow Metro, Viktor Kozlovsky, in turn, thanked the President of Russia for the award and Sergei Sobyanin for his assistance and constant participation in the development of the metro.

    “I would like to say a huge thank you to the President of our country, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, for the high assessment of our work, our many thousands of people, and personally to you, Sergey Semenovich, for your constant participation, for the development of the Moscow Metro. For the work that you do. The Moscow Metro is ready to continue to fulfill any tasks at a high level,” said Viktor Kozlovsky.

    Thanks to the unprecedented construction of new lines and stations, more than 90 percent of Muscovites now live in the service area of the rail frame stations. For comparison: in 2010, this figure was 70 percent. On weekdays, the metro carries more than 8.2 million passengers. The Moscow metro has become a world leader in important indicators. Thus, the accuracy of the schedule is 99.9 percent, the traffic intensity reaches 90-second intervals during rush hours on the most popular lines, a variety of payment methods and customer services are available, which leads to a high level of passenger loyalty.

    Development of the capital’s metro

    In 2010, city residents built most of the routes through the center. As a result, transfer stations here were overloaded almost all day long, and at peak times, passengers managed to get on far from the first train.

    Thanks to the development of the Moscow Metro infrastructure – the opening of new stations and the renewal of rolling stock – every year the trips become faster and more comfortable, many additional transfers and route options appear, the carriages become noticeably freer even during rush hours. There are no more overloaded sections in the metro.

    The first stage of the Moscow metro opened on May 15, 1935. It included 11.2 kilometers of lines and 13 stations – from Sokolniki to Park Kultury with a branch to Smolenskaya. Shortly before that, on November 10, 1934, the Severnoye electric depot began operating.

    Today, together with the Moscow Central Circle (MCC), the metro has 302 stations (271 metro stations and 31 MCC stations), as well as 23 electric depots, including the Brateevo car repair complex.

    Since 2011, 123 stations have been built and reconstructed in Moscow — their total number has increased by almost 1.7 times. New lines have started operating: Nekrasovskaya, Solntsevskaya and Troitskaya. Sokolnicheskaya, Lyublinsko-Dmitrovskaya, Zamoskvoretskaya and a number of other metro lines have been extended. Two new rings (MCC and Big Circle Line) provide convenient transfers and transit along routes without entering the center. In Soviet times, it took almost 40 years to build a network of such a scale.

    More than 130 kilometers of the capital’s metro tunnels were laid in five yearsSergei Sobyanin opened full service on the Troitskaya metro line

    The Moscow Metro employs over 65,000 workers (almost a third of whom are women), with an average age of 43. The company is represented by more than 200 professions and specialties. The metro workforce includes more than 100 dynasties with a total work experience of over 15 thousand years.

    In recent years, the city has been paying special attention to the renewal of its rolling stock. Moscow is the leader among European and American megacities in terms of the rate of renewal of its metro cars. Today, the Moscow Metro fleet has over 6.7 thousand cars of various models, with over 77 percent of them being of the current generation. Since 2010, the average age of metro cars has decreased almost twofold — from 20 to 12 years. By the end of 2025, another 272 Moscow-2024 cars are to be added to the fleet, and in 2030, the share of new trains will be about 90 percent, meaning that modern trains will serve passengers on all metro lines. In addition, the share of domestic components in Moscow-2024 trains has reached almost 95 percent.

    Trains created according to the technical specifications of the Moscow Metro are a standard for the metros of other cities and countries. In addition to the capital of Russia, trains based on the Moscow train are supplied to the metros of four cities – Kazan (Russia), Baku (Azerbaijan), Tashkent (Uzbekistan) and Minsk (Belarus).

    Most trains in the Moscow metro are serviced under a life cycle contract. These are the Oka, Moskva, Moskva-2020 and Moskva-2024 type trains. The manufacturer’s service company is responsible for timely and high-quality maintenance, train diagnostics, washing and daily cleaning, as well as the readiness of the trains to go on the line.

    Electric depot as part of the metro

    In addition to performing their main function – parking, scheduled maintenance and washing of rolling stock, electric depots are the basic enterprises of the Moscow Metro for the repair of electric trains and auxiliary production, and also serve to accommodate personnel and equipment of various services. In fact, the electric depot is the technological heart of the metro.

    Without the construction of new electric depots, the development of the metro is impossible; they are as important a part of the infrastructure as stations and tunnels.

    Since 2011, 13 electric depots have been built and reconstructed as part of the Moscow Metro development program. Thus, eight new ones appeared: Aminyevskoye, Brateevo, Likhobory, Mitino, Nizhegorodskoye, Rudnevo, Solntsevo and Yuzhnoye (Brateevo-2). They service trains on six lines, are equipped with all the necessary equipment and are ready for technical maintenance, periodic and unscheduled repairs of cars. Another five electric depots have been reconstructed. These are Vladykino, Vykhino, Pechatniki, Planernoye and Sokol.

    This year, the city plans to complete construction of the Stolbovo (Salaryevo) depot on the Sokolnicheskaya Line. Three more depots are to appear by 2030: Ilyinskoye for the Rublevo-Arkhangelskaya Line, Biryulevskoye for the Biryulevskaya Line, and Troitskoye for the Troitskaya Line.

    Sergei Sobyanin: The first metro train arrived at the Stolbovo electric depot under constructionWhere trains spend the night: how metro cars are serviced and repaired at the Krasnaya Presnya depot

    Electric depot “Yuzhnoye”

    The Yuzhnoye electric depot is the largest in Russia and one of the largest complexes in Europe for the repair, maintenance and operation of wagons.

    The Zamoskvoretskaya Line is one of the longest and most popular in the Moscow metro. From 24 stations on the green line, you can make 19 transfers to other metro lines, the Moscow Central Circle (MCC) and the Moscow Central Diameters (MCD). More than 880 thousand trips are made on the line every day. At the most popular times, trains run at intervals of 1.6 minutes.

    The last 10 years have been a time of dynamic development of the Zamoskvoretskaya line. From 2015 to 2018, new stations “Tekhnopark”, “Khovrino” and “Belomorskaya” were opened, which improved transport accessibility of five districts of the capital: Khovrino, Levoberezhny, Zapadnoye Degunino, Nagatinsky Zaton and Danilovsky.

    In 2023, new tunnels were built in record time on the Kantemirovskaya-Tsaritsyno section. Last year, the first Moskva-2024 train entered service on the Zamoskvoretskaya Line, which marked the beginning of the rolling stock renewal process.

    Passengers on the Zamoskvoretskaya Line are transported by 78 trains (624 cars), including 30 trains (240 cars) “Moscow-2024”. On May 21, 2025, another 10 of these most modern trains in the world entered service. Thus, more than 50 percent of the rolling stock on the Zamoskvoretskaya Line has been updated. The process on the green line is planned to be completed in 2025-2026. Both modern Russian “Moscow-2024” trains and the newest “Moscow-2026” trains will run on it. More than 1.8 million residents of 21 districts through which the Zamoskvoretskaya Line passes will receive new and modern rolling stock – their trips will become much more comfortable.

    Until 2021, the trains of the Zamoskvoretskaya line were serviced by the Sokol (since 1938), Zamoskvoretskoye (since 1969) and Brateevo (since 2014) electric depots.

    However, in 2021, the Zamoskvoretskoye depot was transferred to service the rolling stock of the Big Circle Line of the metro, and now it fully serves the needs of the BCL, and also temporarily accepts trains of the Troitskaya Line.

    To replace the decommissioned capacities in the south of Moscow, a new electric depot, Yuzhnoye (Brateevo-2), was built next to the existing depot. As a result, the largest in Russia and one of the largest in Europe infrastructure complexes for the maintenance, repair and operation of metro cars was formed.

    “Together with the wagon repair plant, the Yuzhnoye electric depot has surpassed the previous record holder, the Mitino depot, in terms of scale. 46 buildings and structures have been built in Yuzhnoye, and the most modern and technologically advanced equipment has been installed: servicing of trains on the Zamoskvoretskaya line will be fast and high-quality. At the same time, the neighboring wagon repair plant will focus on major and medium repairs of wagons from all over the metro,” Sergei Sobyanin wrote in his

    telegram channel.

    Source: Sergei Sobyanin’s Telegram channel @mos_sobyanin

    In the new Yuzhnoye depot, on a site of 13.6 hectares, buildings and structures with a total area of 77.3 thousand square meters were constructed, including a storage and repair building, a motor depot and an electrical centralization post, a compressor station, a warehouse, an administrative and household building and other structures – a total of 46 buildings for various purposes.

    The total length of the tracks at the Yuzhnoye depot is about 6.2 kilometers, which can be compared with the section between the Krylatskoye and Strogino stations, the longest in the Moscow Metro.

    After reaching its design capacity, the enterprise will create approximately 1.3 thousand jobs.

    Along with the modern carriages, a service company from the manufacturer arrived at the Yuzhnoye depot, which will service the new rolling stock (trains Moscow-2024 and Moscow-2026) under a life cycle contract for 30 years of operation.

    The staff was provided with the most favorable conditions for efficient work and good rest.

    The administrative building has a canteen for 160 people. The locomotive crews’ rest rooms are organized like hotel rooms, and the blocks are equipped with bathrooms. Separate comfortable rooms are provided for female drivers.

    There are currently 130 female drivers and assistant drivers working in the Moscow Metro. In addition, about 50 women are undergoing training in the profession. It is planned that female drivers will soon begin working on the Zamoskvoretskaya Line.

    The medical service includes pre-trip examination rooms, a doctor, a medical psychologist, a treatment room, a vaccination room, and a recovery room.

    There are also a sports hall and a gym with a physical education instructor’s office, an assembly hall and utility rooms (laundry, ironing, storage rooms for special clothing).

    After the commissioning of the Yuzhnoye depot, it took over the functions of servicing the Zamoskvoretskaya line, including the new Moscow-2024 series trains, which began carrying passengers in March 2024.

    At the same time, the Brateevo depot will become the main car repair complex of the Moscow Metro. Its capacity allows repairing the rolling stock of the Zamoskvoretskaya line, as well as carrying out technically complex repairs of cars of the Nomernoy and Rusich types from other metro lines. In total, up to 850 cars, 8.5 thousand wheels and more than 6.4 thousand engines per year – a record for similar facilities in Russia.

    The wagon repair complex will not only be the largest, but also the most modern, with a high level of automation – a conveyor for moving wheel pairs, electric bogies, and CNC machines.

    In terms of its scale, the new infrastructure complex, consisting of the Yuzhnoye depot and a wagon repair plant, has surpassed the previous record holder, the Mitino electric depot, which until now was the largest in Russia in terms of capacity. The total area of the complex is 32.2 hectares. The capacity of the complex allows servicing up to 2.4 thousand wagons per year.

    Main characteristics of the new infrastructure complex

    Depot “Yuzhnoye”:

    — capacity — 34 seats for trains;

    — night storage — 25 places;

    — washing — 12 compositions per day;

    — operational maintenance — 30 trains per day;

    — technical maintenance — four trains per day;

    — turning of wheel pairs — three cars per day;

    — current repairs — three trains per month;

    — jobs — about 1.3 thousand;

    — the total length of the tracks is 6.2 kilometers.

    Wagon repair complex “Brateevo”:

    — capacity — 11 seats for trains;

    — the total length of the tracks is 7.1 kilometers;

    — major repairs — 300 cars per year;

    — average repairs — 550 cars per year;

    — repair of traction electric motors — 6.4 thousand units per year;

    — wheel sets — 8.5 thousand pieces per year;

    — motor-compressors — two thousand pieces per year.

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

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/mayor/tkhemes/12781050/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Environment Agency secures over £526K in Proceeds of Crime case

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Environment Agency secures over £526K in Proceeds of Crime case

    An illegal enterprise in catalytic converters has brought confiscation orders for £526,215.04, at a Proceeds of Crime Award hearing.

    Converters

    The case led by the Environment Agency was concluded at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday 16 May 2025.

    The ruling was made against Long Sutton-based Platinum Group Metals Recycling Ltd and director Edvars Stancik.

    Recorder John Hardy KC ruled that Stancik, 30, had made a benefit of £4,312,925.70 from his criminal activity while his company made a benefit of £4,344,827.60.

    The court heard assets of £495,280.88 were available from the company made up of cash in a bank account and seized catalytic converters.

    Stancik’s only asset was £30,934.16 from equity in a house he sold before his trial, the court was told.

    Recorder Hardy ordered those amounts to be confiscated and ruled that £100,111.65 should be paid to the Environment Agency to cover costs.

    At a previous hearing (4 September 2024), the company and Stancik were found guilty of running an illegal waste site at Long Sutton.

    The court heard that, between December 2019 and September 2021, Stancik, 30, acted as a director of the company and traded in catalytic convertors on a colossal scale. 

    A jury heard that neither Stancik nor his company had obtained an environmental permit before buying and selling thousands of catalytic converters.

    Stancik stored the devices in containers in Long Sutton and were stored in an irresponsible manner giving rise to health risks.

    A warrant for the arrest of Stancik, who is believed to be living in Lithuania, has been issued.  He has been given 3 months to pay or face 5 years in jail.

    The Environment Agency continues to investigate ways of retrieving further proceeds.

    Peter Stark, Environment Agency Enforcement Team Leader, said:

    “Waste criminals should be aware how seriously we take their offending, including the benefit they obtain from their illegal activities.

    “Offenders won’t get away with concealing information or their assets, and due to the EA’s hard work, justice has been served.

    “Waste crime can be a blight on the environment, communities and to legitimate businesses.

    “We will continue to work with professional partners like Lincolnshire Police in this case to prevent, disrupt, investigate, and stop waste offending.

    “If anyone suspects that a company or its directors are doing something wrong, contact our 24/7 hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or report it anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

    The charges:

    Platinum Group Metals Recycling Ltd.

    • Operating a regulated facility, namely a waste operation, otherwise than in accordance with an environmental permit, contrary to Regulation 12(1)(a) and 38(1)(a) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016. (Relating to the site at St Thomas Court, Long Sutton).

    • Operating a regulated facility, namely a waste operation, otherwise than in accordance with an environmental permit, contrary to Regulation 12(1)(a) and 38(1)(a) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016. (Relating to the site at Lime Walk, Long Sutton)

    • Keeping controlled waste contrary to section 33(1)(c) and (6) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.) (Relating to the site at St Thomas Court, Long Sutton)

    • Keeping controlled waste contrary to section 33(1)(c) and (6) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. (Relating to the site at Lime Walk, Long Sutton)

    Edvars Stancik

    • Causing a company to operate a regulated facility otherwise in accordance with an environmental permit contrary to Regulation 12(1)(a) and 38(1)(a) by virtue of Regulation 41(1) and 41(3) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016. (Relating to the site at St Thomas Court, Long Sutton)

    • Causing a company to operate a regulated facility otherwise in accordance with an environmental permit contrary to Regulation 12(1)(a) and 38(1)(a) by virtue of Regulation 41(1) and 41(3) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016. (Relating to the site at Lime Walk, Long Sutton)

    • Causing a company to commit an offence, contrary to section 33(1)(c), 33(6) by virtue of s157(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. (Relating to the site at St Thomas Court, Long Sutton)

    • Causing a company to commit an offence, contrary to section 33(1)(c), 33(6) by virtue of s157(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. (Relating to the site at Lime Walk, Long Sutton)

    Background Information

    Catalytic converters are components in car exhausts.  They contain small amounts of precious metals contained within a metal case making them valuable.

    However, catalytic converters also contain carcinogenic fibres which, if ingested, can cause serious and irreversible lung disease. 

    The dangerous fibres can attach to shoes and clothing and be transported from one place to another.

     It is therefore extremely important that catalytic converters are handled only under the strict conditions of an environmental permit, supervised by the Environment Agency.

    Updates to this page

    Published 21 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: 19th-century Catholic teachings, 21st-century tech: How concerns about AI guided Pope Leo’s choice of name

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Nathan Schneider, Assistant Professor of Media Studies, University of Colorado Boulder

    An 1878 photograph of Pope Leo XIII and members of his court, taken by Jules David. Wikimedia Commons

    When Robert Francis Prevost chose the papal name Leo XIV, it could have meant many things. There were 13 Leos before him: The first, Leo the Great, was a fifth-century theologian who helped heal the doctrinal divisions among early Christians; Leo X, a member of the powerful Medici family, helped provoke the Protestant Reformation with his lavish lifestyle and sale of indulgences.

    Two days after his election, the new pope affirmed the most likely inference: that his name was a tribute to the most recent Leo, Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903. Less obvious, however, was what inspired his choice: the rise of artificial intelligence.

    As the new pope told the College of Cardinals on May 10, 2025, he was inspired by his namesake’s teachings about economic justice during another time of radical technological change. Leo XIII applied Catholic tradition to the Industrial Revolution in a historic encyclical called Rerum Novarum, which became the founding document of modern Catholic economics.

    “In our own day,” Leo XIV said, “the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor.”

    I am a scholar of economic thought around technology and religion, and so the invocation of the previous Leo had immediate resonance for me. What lessons is the current pope drawing from his predecessor? What would Leo XIII say about AI?

    19th-century teachings

    Some might imagine that the answer is some kind of outright rejection. The Catholic Church has a sometimes earned reputation for denouncing the modern world in favor of its centuries-old traditions.

    One aspect of the reign of Leo XIII, who became pope in 1878, was an attack on modern individualism, which he denounced as “Americanism.” But his relationship with modernity was far from simply rejecting it. Leo XIII was the first pope captured on film, for instance, and he blessed the camera that recorded him.

    Leo XIII was the first pope to appear on film.

    In Rerum Novarum, which appeared in 1891, Leo responded to the roiling struggles between Gilded Age capitalists and the industrial workers they systematically exploited. The “teeming masses of the laboring poor” received “a yoke little better than that of slavery itself,” he wrote.

    The 19th-century pope refused to endorse either the capitalists’ wait-and-see promise of progress or the communists’ longing for a dictatorship of the proletariat. Instead, he offered a vision that became the cornerstone of modern Catholic social teaching.

    Leo XIII’s prescription for the Industrial Revolution of his time was to embrace private property, like the capitalists, but to spread it out far more widely among workers. Rerum Novarum contends it is “just and right that the results of labor should belong to those who have bestowed their labor.” If workers become owners, he explained, they can have a part in stewarding the gifts of God.

    Leo XIII’s writings have formed the foundation of modern Catholic social thought.
    L’Illustrazione Italiana via Wikimedia Commons

    The pope further called for public policy that would spread wealth and power in the industrial economy through widespread ownership: “The law, therefore, should favor ownership, and its policy should be to induce as many as possible of the people to become owners.”

    This was a radical position then, as it is now. Following Leo XIII’s call, many Catholics searched for ways to share ownership of industry more widely. This movement gave birth to cooperative businesses around the world, from the North American credit union system to the Mondragon Corporation in the Basque region of Spain, an industrial behemoth owned and governed by its workers.

    But for most of the world, Leo’s plea was forgotten in the capitalist-versus-communist Cold War.

    21st-century tech

    Today, we inhabit yet another Gilded Age. Wealth inequality in the United States has reached similar levels as in Leo XIII’s time, once again thanks to technological disruptions that funnel the benefits to a small elite. AI threatens to put the platform economy on steroids, upending work with the bots that only a few companies can afford to build.

    Policy debates about AI tend to be limited to what the big tech CEOs should or shouldn’t do. The Biden administration was poised to enshrine a few powerful companies as the arbiters of AI, handing them and the government power to determine what is and isn’t ethical. Now, the Trump administration is pulling out all the stops to compete with China. “The AI future is not going to be won by hand-wringing about safety,” Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic, told a major AI summit soon after taking office. “It will be won by building.”

    Channeling Leo XIII to confront the AI revolution, however, means looking past prevailing ideas, as he did in his time. His teachings suggest that the people who create and use AI should be the ones who actively own and govern it.

    This could take many forms. For instance, already there are workers organizing to shape how AI is deployed in their workplaces. In other contexts, cooperative businesses such as Land O’Lakes have worked with farmer-owners to use the data that farm machines produce to improve their practices. People do not have to be merely passive users of AI tools; when they have well-organized democratic power through unions and co-ops, they can make the technology more accountable to them.

    AI companies themselves can spread ownership and governance more widely. Fears about the dangers that powerful AI could pose if it gets out of hand have already prompted some founders to adopt unusual corporate structures. Anthropic, the company behind the AI assistant Claude, is a public-benefit corporation, which means that it can prioritize long-term social benefit above shareholder profits. OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, is owned by a nonprofit – an arrangement that has resisted efforts to turn it into a more conventional kind of company.

    Dario Amodei, CEO and co-founder of Anthropic, middle, speaks on a panel at an event about AI safety in 2024.
    AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

    But these structures still assume that AI’s future should be in the hands of an aristocracy of business and technical elites. Leo XIII, on the other hand, argued that everyone who participates in an enterprise should have a stake in it.

    For AI, that could include not only company employees but also the users who train the models, the communities that share their water and power with data centers, the workers who mine the raw materials for high-performance chips, and the creators who contribute to the systems’ knowledge.

    Early research has suggested that ordinary people are very concerned about turning power over to machines that they do not yet understand. They see consequences of AI in their lives that engineers in Silicon Valley are less likely to consider, from racial discrimination to workplace surveillance. Also, as a wonderful story by the science fiction writer Cadwell Turnbull suggests, people will likely use and trust AI more if they know it is truly accountable to them.

    In January 2025, the Vatican released a document calling for a “renewed appreciation of all that is human” in the age of AI. It warned against what Pope Francis called the “technocratic paradigm”: the mindset that gives up humans’ role as stewards of God’s creation and hands power over to systems, whether they are stock markets or computer programs.

    By taking the name Leo, I believe the new pope is suggesting something similar. The important question is not whether new technologies are good or bad. What matters far more is whether we can learn to share the responsibility of stewardship – whether we can all be partners in what this new industrial revolution is making possible.

    Nathan Schneider identifies as a Roman Catholic.

    – ref. 19th-century Catholic teachings, 21st-century tech: How concerns about AI guided Pope Leo’s choice of name – https://theconversation.com/19th-century-catholic-teachings-21st-century-tech-how-concerns-about-ai-guided-pope-leos-choice-of-name-256645

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Welfare reform: Speech to the IPPR by Work and Pensions Secretary

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Welfare reform: Speech to the IPPR by Work and Pensions Secretary

    Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP speech to the IPPR setting out the case for welfare reform.

    I’m very grateful to my former employer IPPR for hosting us and to all of you for taking the time to come along, I’m especially grateful to Dominic for sharing his experiences, and I thought that was really important to hear today – about the benefits work brings to you, and the struggles you have faced, and your hopes for the future.

    I want to talk about the Government’s welfare reforms.

    How they will transform people’s lives, as part of our Plan for Change.

    [Political content removed]

    How these reforms will help ensure our welfare state is sustainable for the future.

    [Political content removed]

    Now Getting Britain Working is central to the Government’s Plan for Change.

    It is vital to delivering higher living standards in every part of Britain. 

    And it’s vital to achieving the number one mission of this Government, which is growing the economy.

    But Getting Britain Working is about so much more than this.

    It’s about giving people the dignity and self respect that we know good work brings.

    The purpose and belonging that Dominic spoke about so powerfully.

    It’s about improving the health of the nation, because we know good work is good for people’s mental and physical health – and can help reduce pressure on the NHS.

    And Getting Britain Working is critical to driving down child poverty and ensuring every child starts school ready to learn – perhaps the single most important step to transforming equality and opportunity in this country.

    And the scale and urgency of our task is there for all to see. 

    Nearly 1 in 10 people of working age are now on at least one sickness or disability benefit.  

    A near record 2.8 million people are out of work due to long-term sickness. 

    1 million young people are not in education, employment or training – that’s more than 1 in 8 of our young people – with all the long-term consequences this brings for their future health, job prospects and earnings potential.

    And 300,000 people with health conditions are falling out of work every single year, piling up even greater problems for the future.

    The result is millions of people who could work written off and denied the chance to build a better life …

    … with all these challenges far worse in parts of the Midlands and the North, whose economies were decimated in the 80s and 90s when whole industries closed, and who have never been given the investment, support and opportunity they need to recover.

    [Political content removed]

    … with the benefits bill for sickness and disability up £20 billion since the pandemic and set to rise by a further £18 billion by the end of this Parliament, unless we change course. 

    And the truth is … it doesn’t have to be this way.

    We are the only economy in the G7 whose employment rate still hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels.

    And spending on sickness and disability benefits in most other comparable countries is either stable or falling since the pandemic … yet ours continues to inexorably rise.  

    [Political content removed]

    And there is nothing inevitable about Britain’s future path, if we have the courage and conviction to act.

    We must start shifting so much spending from the costs of “failure” to investing in the jobs, skills and public services that people need to build a better life.

    This requires leadership and it requires reform. 

    Now the truth is, welfare reform is never easy. And it is rarely popular. 

    [Political content removed]

    So we will reform the welfare state.

    [Political content removed]

    Changing it to meet the social and demographic challenges of today and tomorrow and delivering the fairness, equality and opportunity people need and deserve.

    [Political content removed]

    Reforming the welfare state to offer them the same rights and chances to work as anybody else.

    When the welfare state was created, average life expectancy was 65, and the most common cause of illness and death was infectious diseases and accidents. 

    Now, average life expectancy is around 80. And 1 in 7 babies born today is likely to live to 100.

    Back then, disability was the exception. Now, 1 in 4 of us self-reports as disabled. And 1 in 3 of us will have a long-term health condition.

    But the welfare state has simply not kept pace with these changes.

    Our benefit system in particular forces too many sick and disabled people into a binary choice of can or can’t work – when we know many people’s physical and mental health conditions fluctuate, and many sick and disabled people want to and need to work.

    The system then writes people off, and traps them … without offering any help or support.

    The number of people on the health top up of Universal Credit is set to rise by 50 per cent to 3 million by the end of the decade. 

    And the number of people on Personal Independence Payments is set to more than double to 4.3 million.

    There are now 1,000 new PIP awards every single day. That’s the equivalent of adding a city the size of Leicester every single year.

    This is not sustainable or fair – for the people who need support and for taxpayers.

    So unless we reform the system to help those who can work to do so…

    Unless we get social security spending on a more sustainable footing…

    And unless we ensure public money is focused on those with the greatest need and is spent in ways that have the best chance of improving people’s lives…

    …the risk is the welfare state won’t be there for people who really need it in future.

    That is why we are grasping the nettle of welfare reform. 

    Not for the sake of it, but to ensure the welfare state lasts for generations to come.

    Now we have already made huge strides in getting Britain working and growing again. 

    We are improving the quality of work and making work pay, with our landmark Employment Rights Bill.

    We are creating more good jobs in every part of the country – from clean energy to construction and through our modern industrial strategy.

    And we are investing an additional £26 billion this year to drive down NHS waiting lists, because getting people back to health is crucial to getting them back to work.

    But we also need big changes in our system of social security and employment support to deliver greater fairness and opportunity.

    Our plans are based on three clear objectives. 

    First, overhauling the system to help those who can work, get into work and stay in work.

    Last autumn our Get Britain Working white paper kicked off the biggest reforms to employment support in a generation, backed by and additional £240 million…

    … overhauling our Jobcentres to create a new national jobs and careers service, and shift the focus away from benefit administration alone.

    … investing in 16 new trailblazing programmes across the country – led by Mayors and local areas – to join up work, health and skills support, ensure every young person is earning or learning and to tackle the scar of economic inactivity.

    This year, we announced a further £1 billion a year in our new ‘Pathways to Work’ offer.

    Along with programmes like WorkWell, Connect to Work – which is being rolled out to the whole of England and Wales by December – and freeing up 1,000 work coaches to support sick and disabled people….

    …. Pathways to Work will guarantee a comprehensive offer of health, work and skills support for anyone who needs it. 

    … rolling out from next April when our benefit changes start to come in… 

    …. the biggest ever package of support for sick and disabled people.

    To underpin these changes in employment support, we are also creating a more pro-active, pro-work system. 

    We are consulting on a new Unemployment Insurance to provide a higher rate of time-limited income protection for people who lose their job but have paid into the system.

    We are scrapping the failed Work Capability Assessment [Political content removed] to help end the binary can/can’t work divide.

    We are reforming Universal Credit to encourage people to find work, and not stay on benefits…

    … reducing the health top up for new claims from April 2026, alongside active help to find work.

    …. and bringing in a sustained above inflation increase to the standard allowance in Universal Credit for the first time ever, delivering a cash increase of £725 a year by the end of the Parliament. 

    We’re introducing a new ‘right to try work’ by legislating to guarantee that work in and of itself will never lead to someone being called in for a benefit assessment to give people the confidences to take the plunge and try work. 

    To underpin our Youth Guarantee we are consulting on delaying access to the health top up in Universal Credit until someone is aged 22, with the savings reinvested into work support and training opportunities. 

    And we will support employers to recruit and retain more disabled people and people with health conditions through our Keep Britain Working review, led by the former boss of John Lewis, Sir Charlie Mayfield.  

    The second objective of our plans is to protect those who cannot work. 

    Those with the most severe, life-long conditions that will never improve and who can never work will have their Universal Credit protected – including young people aged under 22. 

    And we will guarantee they will never be reassessed in future, removing totally unnecessary stress, anxiety and uncertainty.

    To improve trust, we will also fundamentally overhaul our safeguarding approach to ensure all our processes and training are of the highest possible quality and to protect and support vulnerable people.

    Our third objective is to focus Personal Independence Payments on those with higher needs and to review the PIP assessment to ensure it is fair and fit for purpose.

    I know the concerns that have been raised about our proposals. I am listening carefully to all the points people raise.

    But 9 out of 10 people claiming PIP at the point when the changes come into force in November 2026 will not be affected by the end of the Parliament.

    And even with the changes we are making…

    … there will still be 750,000 more people receiving PIP by the end of this Parliament than there were at the start.

    … and spending will be £8 billion higher than it is now: rising faster than GDP, and faster than spending on public services.

    In making our changes, we are preserving PIP as a vital cash benefit that makes a contribution towards the extra cost of living with a disability. [Political content removed]

    We are consulting on how best to support those who will no longer be eligible, including so their health and care needs are met. 

    We will improve the experience of those going through the PIP assessment, switching back to more face-to-face assessments and recording them as standard.

    And we have begun the first review of the PIP assessment, in more than a decade – including the descriptors, and in consultation with disabled people and the organisations that represent them – to ensure it is fair and fit for purpose. 

    Taken together, our measures will reform the system to support those who can work to do so, to protect those who cannot, and to help ensure our welfare state lasts for generations to come.

    I want to finish by saying this.

    When I travel around the country, I know the places with the highest levels of economic inactivity and the largest number of people on sickness and disability benefits…

    … are the same places with the worst health, lowest life expectancy and fewest opportunities.

    The villages, towns and cities, especially in parts of the Midlands and North whose economies have still not recovered from the 80s and 90s, where economic demand remains weakest.

    Places that are full of talent and ambition but which need the investment – in jobs, infrastructure, skills, and public services – to build a better life for themselves and their communities.

    People in this country rightly demand change.

    [Political content removed]

    They need real hope built on real solutions.

    [Political content removed]

    Change of this scale isn’t easy.

    But it is possible.

    [Political content removed]

    That we will create the jobs, opportunities and public services people want and deserve. 

    Because a future dependent on benefits alone is not good enough for people in Blackpool, Birkenhead or Blaenau Gwent. 

    I am confident we will deliver. 

    Because all the evidence shows hundreds of thousands of sick and disabled people want to work.

    When they have a government that is on their side and provides the right support, they get work. 

    And that this can transform their lives. 

    Our task is urgent. 

    [Political content removed]

    So now let’s get on with the job.

    ENDS

    Updates to this page

    Published 21 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Record pension scheme funding means up to £160 billion ready to boost growth

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Record pension scheme funding means up to £160 billion ready to boost growth

    The reforms will support the Government’s Plan for Change by boosting economic growth and securing the financial future of millions of UK savers.

    • Funding levels in the Defined Benefit (DB) pension sector have hit a record high, with three in four now in surplus and deficit payments down by over £10 billion a year
    • Increased resilience follows years of businesses creating security for members through building a larger surplus.
    • New freedoms to safely release surplus funding will unlock investments and benefit savers as part of the Government’s Plan for Change.

    Working people, pension scheme members and businesses are set to benefit from record highs in pension scheme funding. 

    The majority of DB schemes are now running at a surplus which means the value of their assets exceed that of the promised pension benefits due to members.

    Thanks to the forthcoming Pension Schemes Bill – trustees and employers will soon be able to safely release part of this surplus to boost investment and benefit scheme members. 

    Funding levels for DB pension schemes, sometimes known as “Final Salary” pensions, are current in their strongest ever financial position with the number of DB schemes sufficiently financed tripling since 2010. 

    Minister for Pensions, Torsten Bell, said:

    The record funding levels for Defined Benefit pension schemes is excellent news for Britain’s employers and workers.

    Fast falling deficit payments offer employers a cashflow boost of over £10 billion a year, that can support higher wages and investment. 

    And growing scheme surpluses can also be used productively. Currently some trustees are held back from sharing the benefits of a surplus, but our plans will allow all schemes to safely do so, delivering greater investment across firms and benefits for savers.

    In 2019, just 600 Defined Benefit schemes were financed sufficiently, meaning businesses could meet the costs associated with their schemes without dipping into operational budgets – by 2024 that figure had tripled to over 1,800.

    Because of this robust financial position, the additional payments businesses have had to pay to plug pension deficits has fallen from £16 billion in 2010 to under £5 billion in 2024. This is delivering an immediate cashflow benefit to firms and should support higher levels of investment and wages. 

    The funding position of schemes in deficit has improved significantly, from a collective deficit of £500bn in 2019 to a deficit of just £140bn in 2024. Schemes running at a surplus have seen their collective surplus now rise to more than £160bn. Currently, many schemes cannot access their surplus – but the forthcoming Pension Schemes Bill will allow Pension trustees and the sponsoring employers to safely release some surplus to invest back into their businesses and unlock more money for pension scheme members. The upcoming changes will focus on member protection, and trustees will continue to be required to fulfil their duties towards scheme beneficiaries. 

    These changes form part of a package of reforms in the upcoming Pension Schemes Bill that will secure the financial future of millions of UK savers and drive long-term economic prosperity.

    Additional Information

    Updates to this page

    Published 21 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 21 May 2025 Departmental update Message by the Director of the Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals at WHO – May 2025

    Source: World Health Organisation

    Kate O’Brien, Director of the Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals at WHO

    In a time when vaccine preventable disease outbreaks are surging and the health of millions is in jeopardy, World Immunization Week 2025 served as a powerful reminder of what is “Humanly Possible”. Vaccines stand as proof that less disease, more life, is achievable through collaboration. Decades of collective efforts between governments, aid agencies, scientists, healthcare workers, communities and parents got us to where we are today –– a world where vaccines save at least 6 lives every minute and protect people of all ages against more than 30 life-threatening diseases.  

    Despite incredible progress, we must confront a painful reality: trust in vaccines is under threat, outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases are rising, and funding reductions, may leave millions without vital immunizations. 

    There is a growing issue of misinformation and misrepresentation about vaccines. False claims, distortion of scientific evidence, and vaccine revisionism are undermining decades of progress. This is not just wrong — it’s dangerous. It threatens public trust, puts lives at risk, and jeopardizes the immunization programmes that have protected millions for decades.  

    WHO is a scientific organization, committed to using high-quality scientific evidence to inform vaccine development and recommendations. High-quality clinical trials and rigorous safety assessments are at the core of vaccine development and authorization for use. We call on the global immunization community – including world leaders, national governments and medical providers – to stand firm in following the evidence to inform policies and decisions. It is vital that parents and people who are due for vaccination have accurate information about disease vaccines are designed to prevent and about the safety, performance and impact of vaccinations. 

    WHO is actively supporting countries and partners on vaccine confidence by developing tools to counter misinformation, promoting the proven safety and effectiveness of vaccines, and strengthening the bridge between science and public trust. But this is not a task for WHO alone. Leaders across sectors — from ministries of health to faith leaders and community influencers — should speak clearly and consistently about why vaccines matter and how they are safe. 

    This week, WHO Member States are gathering for the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA), where the progress report on the Global Road Map for Defeating Meningitis by 2030, will be discussed by all Member States. This marks an important moment to reaffirm our collective commitment to eliminating meningitis as a public health threat, with a focus on equitable vaccine access, rapid diagnostics, early detection, and outbreak prevention. 

    On May 20, Member States at the 78th WHA formally adopted the world’s first Pandemic Agreement—a milestone after three years of negotiations prompted by the global impacts of COVID-19. The agreement aims to strengthen global cooperation, equity, and preparedness, including fair access to vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments. But its success depends on more than commitments—it must reinforce what already works: public trust, science, strong immunization systems, and timely, accurate information. As recent outbreaks of measles, cholera, and polio remind us, no agreement can protect us if confidence in vaccines falters or health systems are too fragile to respond. 

    Over 100 side events are being held on the remits of the WHA including: 

    • “Outsmarting Outbreaks: Innovation, Integration, and Investment” – Tuesday, 20 May 2025, will explore how smarter systems, better surveillance, and collective action can stop outbreaks before they start. 
    • “Integrating Solutions to Defeat Malaria, Meningitis, and Polio” – Tuesday, 20 May 2025, will highlight how disease programs can work together to maximize efficiency and reach vulnerable communities. 
    • “New perspectives for the world without tuberculosis” – Wednesday, 21 May 2025, will review progress toward the End TB Strategy, highlight national innovations in TB care, and emphasize the need for integration, funding, and political commitment to eliminate TB by 2030. 
    • “Tuberculosis in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations” – Thursday, 22 May 2025, will spotlight the challenges of TB programming in crisis settings and explore innovative, integrated approaches to strengthen TB responses in fragile contexts. 
    • “The Power of Prevention: Immunizing for a Safer, Healthier World” – Friday, 23 May 2025, will emphasize the urgent opportunity to eliminate measles and rubella through system strengthening and the introduction of universal rubella vaccination. 
       

    A common thread connects these critical issues: sustained progress relies on strong, equitable, and trusted immunization systems. The stakes are high. Misinformation is on the rise. WHO is undergoing reform. And the immunization community is being asked to do more with fewer resources. 

    But we are prepared. We have the knowledge. We have the tools. Now, we need unity — to act together, grounded in evidence — to safeguard vaccines and the future they enable. 

    Let’s use this World Health Assembly as a moment to double down on what works, confront the threats that risk reversing our hard-won gains, and reaffirm the promise of immunization for all. 

    It is humanly possible to ensure even more children, adolescents, adults – and their communities – are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases.  

    Click here for the full list of official side events, and here for other side events and convenings occurring around the 78th World Health Assembly.

    Click here to subscribe to the Global Immunization Newsletter.

    “,”datePublished”:”2025-05-21T11:25:40.0000000+00:00″,”image”:”https://cdn.who.int/media/images/default-source/headquarters/initiatives/gap-f/highland-children-in-viet-nam.jpg?sfvrsn=9edc81d1_4″,”publisher”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”World Health Organization: WHO”,”logo”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https://www.who.int/Images/SchemaOrg/schemaOrgLogo.jpg”,”width”:250,”height”:60}},”dateModified”:”2025-05-21T11:25:40.0000000+00:00″,”mainEntityOfPage”:”https://www.who.int/news/item/21-05-2025-message-by-the-director-of-the-department-of-immunization–vaccines-and-biologicals-at-who—may-2025″,”@context”:”http://schema.org”,”@type”:”NewsArticle”};
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    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI: Gabelli U.S. Treasury Money Market Fund Achieves Top Ranking by iMoneyNET™ (EPFR)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RYE, N.Y., May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Gabelli Funds, LLC is proud to announce that the Gabelli U.S. Treasury Money Market Fund (the “Fund”) (NASDAQ: GABXX) has earned two top honors from iMoneyNet™ (EPFR). The Fund was ranked #1 Money Market Fund in the 100% U.S. Treasury Retail category as of March 31, 2025, and also achieved the highest 12-month total return among 95 funds in the Government Retail category as of April 30, 2025. With $5.6 billion in assets under management, this recognition underscores the Fund’s commitment to a low-cost, tax-efficient strategy focused solely on U.S. Treasury securities, reinforcing its position as a leading choice for investors seeking safety, liquidity, and attractive after-tax returns.

    Since its launch in 1992, the Gabelli U.S. Treasury Money Market Fund has consistently ranked among the top in its category, led by Co-Portfolio Managers Judith Raneri and Ronald Eaker for over 32 years. “For more than three decades, investors have relied on the Gabelli U.S. Treasury Money Market Fund for safety, liquidity, and competitive yield—especially during periods of market volatility,” said Judith Raneri. “Our consistent performance reflects a disciplined investment strategy and a strong commitment to delivering a stable, high-quality cash management solution,” added Ron Eaker.

    The Gabelli U.S. Treasury Money Market Fund, managed by Gabelli Funds, LLC (a subsidiary of GAMCO Investors, Inc., OTCQX: GAMI), invests solely in U.S. Treasury securities. With expenses capped at 0.08% and tax-exempt dividends, the Fund provides a secure, liquid, and tax-efficient cash management solution.

    For more information regarding the Fund, visit our website or call:

    Judith A. Raneri Ronald S. Eaker
    914-921-5417 914-921-5413

    iMoneyNet™ (a service of EPFR) is a leading source of money market fund data and analysis, widely recognized as an authoritative benchmark for institutional and retail investors worldwide.

    An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Although the Fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund. There is no guarantee that the Fund can achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s sponsor has no legal obligation to provide financial support to the Fund, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Fund at any time. Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the fund carefully before investing. The prospectus contains more complete information about this and other matters and should be read carefully before investing. You can obtain a prospectus by calling Gabelli Funds, LLC at 1-800-GABELLI (1-800-422-3554).

    Distributed by G.distributors, LLC, a registered broker dealer and member of FINRA.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ed61c4f3-8b80-41ca-a30e-7401c02353f8.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Secretary-General of ASEAN shares insights with Vietnamese media ahead of 46th ASEAN Summit

    Source: ASEAN – Association of SouthEast Asian Nations

    In an exclusive interview with Vietnamese Media, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, shared that the upcoming 46th ASEAN Summit will deliberate on a wide-range of political, economic, and social issues that are vital to ASEAN Community building. Amidst geopolitical and economic dynamics, SG Dr. Kao emphasized ASEAN’s unwavering commitment to an open, rules-based multilateral trading system, highlighting efforts to deepen intra-regional integration and enhance partnership with different partners and stakeholders with a view to bolstering the region’s economic resilience, stability and long-term competitiveness.

    The post Secretary-General of ASEAN shares insights with Vietnamese media ahead of 46th ASEAN Summit appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese FM meets Afghan acting foreign minister in Beijing

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

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Afghan Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Beijing on Wednesday.

    Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, welcomed Muttaqi’s visit to China on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Afghanistan. He called the two countries traditional friendly neighbors that understand and support each other.

    China respects Afghanistan’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the independent choices made by the Afghan people, Wang said, noting that China will, as always, support the government of Afghanistan in achieving long-term peace and stability in the country at an early date.

    China stands ready to carry forward traditional friendship, enhance political mutual trust and deepen practical cooperation with the Afghan side, to bring more benefits to the two countries and the two peoples, and contribute to regional peace and stability, Wang added.

    Wang said that China is willing to expand cooperation with Afghanistan in areas such as economy and trade, agriculture, energy and minerals, poverty reduction, disaster prevention and mitigation, talent cultivation, healthcare, law enforcement and security.

    He said China will import more quality products from Afghanistan, and provide support and assistance within its capacity for Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development as well as the improvement of people’s lives.

    Echoing Wang’s remarks, Muttaqi expressed his gratitude to China for providing long-term valuable assistance to Afghanistan’s national development and improvement of people’s lives, and for upholding justice for Afghanistan in the international arena.

    He said that the Afghan government values the traditional friendship between Afghanistan and China, places friendship with China in an important position in its foreign policy, and will continue to firmly abide by the one-China principle and oppose interference in China’s internal affairs.

    Muttaqi noted that the Afghan side is willing to deepen mutual trust with China and push for more positive achievements in their cooperation across various fields. The Afghan side attaches great importance to China’s security concerns and will never allow any force to use Afghan territory to engage in activities that harm China.

    Afghanistan is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in the security field, combat violent crimes, safeguard China’s interests in Afghanistan, and jointly maintain regional security and stability, Muttaqi added. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Towards Safer Communities: Co-ordinated action to end violence against women and domestic violence

    Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE

    Headline: Towards Safer Communities: Co-ordinated action to end violence against women and domestic violence

    The meeting brought together key institutional actors to identify urgent measures, align mandates, and ensure co-ordinated engagement of ministries, parliaments, relevant institutions, and international partners. (OSCE) Photo details

    SARAJEVO, 21 May 2025 – In a decisive step toward strengthening protections for survivors of domestic violence and violence against women, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Mission) convened a meeting today in Sarajevo to advance the implementation of the new legal framework in the Federation of BiH (FBiH).
    The meeting brought together key institutional actors to identify urgent measures, align mandates, and ensure co-ordinated engagement of ministries, parliaments, relevant institutions, and international partners. Participants included representatives from the FBiH Ministries of Justice, Interior, Labour and Social Policy, and Health, as well as the FBiH Parliament’s Committees for Security and Gender Equality.
    The FBiH Government has recently enacted critical legislation, including the Strategy for Prevention and Fight against Domestic Violence (2024–2027) and the Law on Protection against Domestic Violence and Violence against Women. These measures represent a major advancement in aligning domestic policies with international standards and improving protection and support services for survivors.
    “We welcome the Government’s commitment to amending the Criminal Code to strengthen protections for women and children and hope to see its swift adoption by the FBiH Parliament,” said Thomas Busch, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH. “Despite this progress, serious acts of violence persist. That’s why we must now focus on full implementation—to prevent abuse, protect victims, and ensure accountability.”
    To ensure effective implementation of the law, the following actions were agreed:

    Development and adoption of the relevant bylaws

    Given the mid-September 2025 deadline for the adoption of 14 bylaws as stipulated by the Law on Protection against Domestic Violence and Violence against Women in Federation of BiH (Law), and recognizing that the development and adoption processes will require close coordination and cooperation among various stakeholders at Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and cantonal levels of governance, as well as the need to ensure coherence and alignment between the bylaws and the relevant laws;
    Given the planned or requested support in the development of the bylaws provided by international organizations, including, inter alia, Delegation of European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina, UN Agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina including UN Women in Bosnia and Herzegovinian, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and recognizing that certain key ministries have already initiated the drafting or consultation processes regarding the bylaws; and
    Given existing coordination mechanisms amongst ministries in the context of implementing the GREVIO recommendations, the FBiH Strategy for Prevention and Protection Against Domestic Violence 2024–2027, and/or establishment of the Commission for Monitoring the Implementation of this Law as stipulated by the Law, which could be leveraged for technical-level coordination, and that the first coordination meeting at the technical level is planned for end of the May.

    The following are recommended for:

    Relevant ministries:
    Establish a body or task force, composed of representatives from key FBiH ministries, to formalize existing co-ordination and oversee the process of drafting, reviewing, and harmonizing the bylaws;
    Ensure efficient, transparent and inclusive consultation processes with relevant cantonal ministries, experts and professionals on bylaws; and
    Secure timely adoption of coherent, bylaws that align with international standards and ensure the effective operationalization of the Law.

    Chairs of committees:
    By the end of 2025, organize a joint committees’ session to share experiences and practices in the implementation of the Law including to present prepared bylaws and share plans for capacity building of professionals;
    Engage in promotional activities related to the implementation of the Law and bylaws, including with relevant cantonal committees.

    The Mission:
    Provide support to relevant ministries for the horizontal and vertical harmonization of the bylaws within and with the relevant legal framework(s); and
    Facilitate regular dialogue amongst key stakeholders including organizations and members of the international community, particularly ministers and chairs of committees, to review progress, ensure consistency, efficiency, and alignment throughout the process.

    2. Capacity building of professionals on the Law and relevant bylaws

    Given existing and planned support provided by various international organizations, including various project of European Union such as EU4Police, UN Agencies including UN Women in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the continuous support of the Mission, to Ministries of Interior and the and FBiH Ministry of Labor and Social Policy (MLSP) in strengthening the capacities of professionals;
    Given planned budget allocations by the FBiH Ministry of Interior (MoI) for the development of the capacity of the FBiH Police Academy and by the FBiH MLSP for the capacity building of professionals engaged in the institutional response to domestic and gender-based violence, as well as additional capacity-building activities planned under the FBiH Strategy for Prevention and Protection against Domestic Violence 2024–2027; and
    Given the validated training modules and programs developed by the FBiH MoI, FBiH MLSP, and the FBiH Minsitry of Health (MoH), as well as opportunities to ensure budget and institutional sustainability of these programs at FBiH and cantonal level where appropriate,

    The following are recommended for:

    Relevant ministries:
    Assess existing capacity-building programs, including training modules and materials, to determine their adaptability, validation, and suitability for training professionals on the Law and relevant bylaws;
    Identify the number and ranks of professionals to be trained, estimate the necessary costs, and develop an implementation timeline in co-ordination with relevant cantonal ministries; and
    Propose mechanisms to ensure the sustainability of mandatory training programs and the necessary budget, targeting an adequate timeframe for the training of professionals working on prevention and response in cases of violence, based on improved validated training programs, in order to achieve comprehensive, unified, and harmonized procedures in cases of domestic and violence against women, and
    Secure funding for the implementation of those programs through public budgets and with the international project support.

    Chairs of committees:
    Advocate with relevant committees’ counterparts at the cantonal level to secure institutional and budgetary support for the implementation of the Law;
    Advocate for the allocation of necessary funding for the work of parliamentary committees, which would include support for field visits, sessions and debates relevant to the committees’ respective legislative and oversight activities;
    Advocate for strengthening of co-operation and co-ordination of the FBiH Parliament’s committees with corresponding committees across different levels of government, which contributes to expanding committees’ capacities, positive dialogue and safeguarding stability. 

    The Mission:

    Continue to provide programmatic and political support to key ministries and institutions across different levels of governance, focusing on building the capacity of professionals and advocating for sustainable policy solutions; and
    Continue to provide programmatic and political support to relevant parliamentary committees across different level of governance, including in relation to their legislative and oversight mandates as well as co-operation and co-ordination among parliamentary committees.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: OSCE boosts solar energy skills to support Kyrgyzstan’s clean energy transition

    Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE

    Headline: OSCE boosts solar energy skills to support Kyrgyzstan’s clean energy transition

    To help drive Kyrgyzstan’s transition to clean energy and meet its growing demand for renewables, the OSCE organized a joint initiative in Bishkek focused on both high-level policy dialogue and technical training. This effort was carried out in partnership with the Kyrgyz State Technical University (KSTU) and the Bulan Institute for Peace Innovations.
    On 19 May, over 70 participants – including representatives from government, academia, the private sector, international organizations, and civil society – gathered at KSTU for a roundtable discussion titled “Integration of Renewable Energy Sources into the Energy System of the Kyrgyz Republic and Prospects for RES Development.” The event explored key policy, regulatory, and technical challenges related to scaling up renewable energy – particularly solar and wind power – and examined ways to improve grid integration and expand access to clean energy across the country.
    High-level officials delivered opening remarks, including Dinara Kemelova, Special Representative of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic on Mountain Regions Development; Emilbek Ysmanov, First Deputy Minister of Energy; and  Nicolas Faye,  Ambassador of France to the Kyrgyz Republic.
    Alongside the policy discussions, the OSCE, together with KSTU and the Bulan Institute, launched the first of two hands-on training courses on solar photovoltaic system installation and maintenance. The course brought together 24 electricians from various parts of  Kyrgyzstan – including many from rural and remote areas – to gain practical skills in solar system design, installation, and safety. Notably, the active participation of women in the training marked a positive step toward greater gender equality in the energy sector. A second training is scheduled for June 2025.
    “This initiative goes beyond solar panels – it’s about giving people the skills to shape their own energy future,” said Giulia Manconi, OSCE Senior Energy Security Adviser. “By investing in skills development, we’re not only helping Kyrgyzstan unlock its solar potential, but also creating meaningful jobs, promoting local value, and ensuring an inclusive transition to renewable energy that supports the country’s broader energy and climate goals.”
    By building local expertise, this initiative lays the foundation for the creation of a dedicated Solar Training Centre at KSTU, providing long-term support for Kyrgyzstan’s clean energy transition and offering a model that can be replicated across the region.
    This activity is part of the OSCE project on Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Energy Sector in Central Asia, funded by Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Norway and Poland.

    MIL OSI Europe News –