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Category: Science

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Shakespeare can help us put meaning back in money

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Paul Yachnin, Tomlinson Professor of Shakespeare Studies, McGill University

    From greed for resources and money to technology run amok and a politics of domination, hatred and fear of others, our world sometimes seems to be on a course of assured destruction.

    How can our society not only avert disaster, but move toward a better path forward, driven not only by money-making (the accumulation of wealth, power and status), but also by meaning-making (the search for deeper purpose for ourselves in community with others and with the natural world)?

    As scholars who have respectively studied Shakespeare and health and economics — along with a team of thinkers in economics, health policy, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and a number of theatre and literary artists and humanities scholars — we’re building a project called Reimagining Shakespeare, Remaking Modern World Systems.

    Shakespeare and the arts can help researchers see the way toward new ways of thinking through our period of massive disruption, especially since the world in Shakespeare’s time, like our world now, was riven by social, political, ecological and epidemic crises.



    Read more:
    After the plague, Shakespeare imagined a world saved from poison, slander and the evil eye

    Making meaning with audiences

    Why Shakespeare? In some ways, Shakespeare was the Jeff Bezos of his time.

    Unlike the billionaire entrepreneur Bezos, who founded Amazon and is now its executive chair, Shakespeare didn’t sell everything under the sun. However, like Bezos, who innovated new ways of packaging stories for people via books and movies, for example, Shakespeare repackaged existing stories and authored plays as a leader of the creation of a new money-making industry.

    Shakespeare’s new industry was different from TV streaming in important ways. Theatre, which fosters real-time, embodied and collective experiences, never operates on a one-way supplier-to-buyer axis.

    Shakespeare’s theatre made money — he became a wealthy man — but his theatre always also made meaning in collaboration with its audiences, educating playgoers and stimulating conversations about about state politics, money and power and about the care of other people and of the natural world.

    Shakespeare as social entrepreneur

    Shakespeare was a social entrepreneur whose work strengthened the convergence of money-making and meaning-making. Shakespeare showed all kinds of people how they might play creatively with the systems that ruled their world.

    Shakespeare didn’t dismantle the systems, but what the characters in the plays say and do opens up fissures in those systems that invite characters like Rosalind in As You Like It or Imogen in Cymbeline to wriggle through, toward the possible restoration of freedom that allows them to do things differently.

    The divine right of kings was the foundation of the political system in Shakespeare’s time.

    In Richard II, John of Gaunt says to the Duchess of Gloucester that there is nothing he can do to avenge the murder of her husband (King Richard’s uncle) because while the king orchestrated the murder, he is above the law.

    Shakespeare’s play, which dramatizes the history of the deposition and assassination of King Richard, does not dismantle the system of monarchy as it stood in Shakespeare’s time — the divine right of kings remains in place. But it dramatizes how the characters are able to do what they need to do for the good of the state by finding their way through the cracks in the political system.

    Recognition of mortality

    Theatrical art like Shakespeare’s also leads us away from the fatuous life goal of the endless accumulation of wealth.

    In King Lear, Shakespeare shows us how money-making can become divorced utterly from meaning-making and how money and meaning have to be brought back into convergence. At the start, Lear is wedded to wealth, power and prestige.

    Even his daughters are required to declare publicly their worshipful love and loyalty to him. By virtue of his uncrowning, the suffering that follows for him, and his recognition of his own mortality, he learns to see other people as people, including his truly loving daughter Cordelia. He also learns how his meaningfulness as a man can come back to him only once he embraces the equitable distribution of resources among all the people of Britain.

    Not that Shakespeare is the only one offering insights into how to address the multiple crises that the world is facing. Many others have brought forward new ideas about how to “green” the world of finance or how to restore human values to a sense of value calculated exclusively in monetary terms.

    But something more is needed now to move us toward a healthier and more just future, and the makers of art are the ones who can provide it.

    Money poisonous when ill-used

    Consider one moment from Shakespeare’s play, Timon of Athens. The once fabulously wealthy Timon has squandered money on scores of men whom he thought were friends. Here the character Flavius distributes the money he has saved from his employment as Timon’s steward to the other household servants, all of them now unemployed.

    He insists that they take their share, and he reflects on the poisonous power of money when it is not used to support meaningful community:

    Good fellows all,

    The latest of my wealth I’ll share amongst you.

    Let each take some;

    Nay, put out all your hands—not one word more:

    (The servants embrace, and part several ways)

    O, the fierce wretchedness that glory brings us!

    Who would not wish to be from wealth exempt,

    Since riches point to misery and contempt?

    Who would be so mock’d with glory? or to live

    But in a dream of friendship?

    In Timon, Shakespeare shows us that money must not be stripped of a search for a meaningful life in community with others. Money without meaning conjures a mere dream of friendship, a fantasy world that must finally give way to a reality of misery and contempt.

    If that is what we want, bring on the dollars — so much money, we won’t know where to spend it all — and away with art!

    By bringing Shakespeare into conversations about finance, health, climate and AI, our research collaboration aims to help change the prevailing rationale of western modernity that positions money-making as the core driver of individual and collective progress.

    Paul Yachnin receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada.

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

    – ref. How Shakespeare can help us put meaning back in money – https://theconversation.com/how-shakespeare-can-help-us-put-meaning-back-in-money-250903

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why it’s a critical time for Canada to renew its commitment to global health co-operation

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Kelley Lee, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Global Health Governance; Scientific Director, Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society, Simon Fraser University

    As the United States moves to end longstanding commitments to global health co-operation — punctuated by its withdrawal from World Health Organization (WHO) — a new report by the joint Expert Panel of the Royal Society of Canada and Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, which we co-chaired, offers guidance on how Canada can strategically position itself in this fast-changing context.

    Traditionally, Canada has taken pride in being a good global health citizen through distinct contributions as a middle power. Active participation in multilateral institutions such as the WHO, close co-operation with like-minded states and research partnerships led by low- and middle-income countries have defined Canada’s global health brand.

    Since the early 2000s, Canada has also initiated and funded major initiatives on reproductive, maternal and child health, nutrition and the control of infectious diseases. The International Development Research Centre and Grand Challenges Canada, alongside researchers and civil society organizations, have generated further tangible benefits for the health and well-being of populations worldwide, while also elevating Canada’s standing on the world stage.

    Pandemic stress test

    However, the COVID-19 pandemic has since triggered seismic changes in the global health landscape. The pandemic itself stress-tested Canada’s global health role, earning the country mixed reviews.

    While the federal government provided billions of dollars to collectively fight SARS-CoV-2, through initiatives such as the COVAX Facility and ACT-Accelerator (Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator), these important contributions were overshadowed by Canada’s failure to champion global vaccine equity. Rather than bringing countries together, the pandemic prompted many to prioritize national interests.

    Since the end of the emergency phase, governments have struggled to agree to a pandemic treaty and there has been a shift in attention to other pressing needs. Calls to decolonize global health have instead been met with a decline in financial commitments by the U.S. and other donor countries.

    This concerning shift in the global health landscape signals an important need for Canada to reflect on its role in global health. Key findings of our panel’s report directly challenge the outdated notion that global health is simply about development assistance.

    Instead, we identify where domestic and global health needs intersect in an interconnected world of shared risks and opportunities. We conclude that domestic health and well-being cannot be advanced without a robust commitment to global health co-operation. The key is to urgently identify these win-wins as points of navigation in an era of what’s known as polycrisis.

    Priority issues

    To renew Canada’s global health role, the panel identifies four priority issue areas that bring together domestic and global health needs:

    • Champion an accelerated and equity-focused universal health coverage strategy with particular emphasis on primary care and the rights of women and girls;

    • Advance a One Health security approach to pandemic readiness that emphasizes the interconnectedness of all life, need for primary prevention and central importance of sustainability and equity; spans upstream risks as well as downstream preparedness and response measures; and builds core capacities such as a standing emergency workforce;

    • Renew Canadian leadership in health promotion and protection by advancing a well-being economy focused on serving people and the planet, rather than the generation of wealth as an end goal; and prevents the harms and promotes the benefits from for-profit businesses, their activities and the economic systems that sustain them, known as the commercial determinants of health;

    • Initiate a Canadian Emergency Workforce for Health Innovation Program to urgently tackle the domestic and global health workforce crisis including a commitment to zero poaching of international health-care workers by 2035.

    Taking action

    Microscopic view of H5N1 avian influenza particles. The growing threat from highly pathogenic avian flu offers a clear example of how a retreat from global health co-operation directly weakens the capacity of all countries to protect domestic populations.
    (CDC and NIAID), CC BY

    The panel recommends that three strategic actions are needed to take forward these priority issue areas:

    • A Canadian Global Health Strategy that sets out a renewed rationale for global health engagement, key priorities for federal, provincial/territorial and local levels of government, targeted investments and clear metrics to monitor progress;

    • A coherent and targeted plan to bolster public and private investments in science and innovation for critical priorities such as the health workforce, One Health Security, along with research capacity in Indigenous communities and the developing world; and

    • A commitment to ensuring Canadian capacity to engage in global health decision-making, diplomacy and partnerships through the appointment of a Global Health Ambassador; establishment of a Canadian Global Health Hub (CG2H) that brings together available expertise, talent and resources; and a training program for our next-generation of leaders.

    The growing threat from highly pathogenic avian influenza and the health impacts of climate change are looming examples of how a retreat from global health co-operation at this time would directly weaken Canada’s capacity to protect health and well-being at home.

    From the World Health Organization’s tracking of the ever-changing influenza virus to the rapid development and deployment of medical countermeasures and the joint tackling of the causes of global warming, a retreat behind national borders makes little sense. Building on a storied history of engagement that supersedes partisan politics, there is no time to lose for Canada to strategically renew its role in global health.

    Kelley Lee receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, New Frontiers in Research Fund, Canadian Biomedical Research Fund, Canada Foundation for Innovation, and British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

    Tim Evans is a Board member of the not-for-profit group CanWaCH.

    – ref. Why it’s a critical time for Canada to renew its commitment to global health co-operation – https://theconversation.com/why-its-a-critical-time-for-canada-to-renew-its-commitment-to-global-health-co-operation-251894

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Investment in adult education paves pathways to high-priority careers

    Adults looking to upgrade their academic skills to access high-priority post-secondary career programs will continue to benefit from tuition-free Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English Language Learning (ELL) pathway programs across B.C.

    The Province is investing nearly $4 million to support delivery of 23 pathways at 11 public post-secondary institutions and Native Education College (NEC) between April 1, 2025, and Aug. 31, 2026. The pathway programs are offered in addition to existing ABE and ELL programming available throughout the province, which became tuition-free in 2017.

    The ABE and ELL pathway programs were launched in 2022 and provide opportunities for domestic students to upgrade English, math, and science skills to meet prerequisites for entry into high-priority post-secondary career programs, in areas such as health care, early childhood education, skilled trades and technology.

    The programs help students transition into post-secondary education and skills training and set them up for success by helping them integrate into post-secondary life, tailoring programs to students’ target careers or disciplines, and offering career guidance and additional academic support.

    The 11 public post-secondary institutions and NEC each offer unique approaches that reflect their region, student population and programming. For example, institutions may customize their pathways to meet the needs of Indigenous students, students living in rural areas, or newcomer students.

    Learn More:

    To learn more about ABE and ELL programs, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/adult-education/adult-upgrading

    To read B.C.’s 2024 Labour Market Outlook, visit: https://www.workbc.ca/sites/default/files/2025-02/BC%20LMO%20Report%202024.pdf

    Two backgrounders follow.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI: Viridien Announces its First Quarter 2025 Financial Results on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, after Market Close

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Paris, France – March 27, 2025

    First Quarter 2025 financial results and conference call

    Viridien will announce its first quarter 2025 financial results on Tuesday, April 29, after market close.

    • The press release and the presentation will be made available on our website www.viridiengroup.com at 5.45 pm (CET).
    • An English language analysts conference call is scheduled the same day at 6.00 pm (CET).

    Participants should register for the call here to receive a dial-in number and code or participate in the live webcast from here.

    A replay of the conference call will be made available the day after for a period of 12 months in audio format on the Company’s website www.viridiengroup.com.

    Erratum: Please note that the Q4 & FY 2024 press release and presentation, published on February 27, 2025 have been amended. The new versions are available on our website :

    Download Full Press Release

    Download Presentation

    About Viridien:

    Viridien (www.viridiengroup.com) is an advanced technology, digital and Earth data company that pushes the boundaries of science for a more prosperous and sustainable future. With our ingenuity, drive and deep curiosity we discover new insights, innovations, and solutions that efficiently and responsibly resolve complex natural resource, digital, energy transition and infrastructure challenges. Viridien employs around 3,400 people worldwide and is listed as VIRI on the Euronext Paris SA (ISIN: FR001400PVN6).

    Contacts

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Gender-based and Sexual Violence: A Research Survey Led by Université Paris Cité and Sciences Po

    Source: Universities – Science Po in English

    In 2024, more than 5,000 students from Université Paris Cité and Sciences Po participated in the SAFEDUC survey: the first survey conducted in these two higher education institutions on students’ exposure to gender-based and sexual violence (GBSV).

    ACCESS THE SAFEDUC 2024 REPORT

    The survey provides a better understanding of the contexts in which these violences occur and how the academic and personal trajectories of students can be impacted. Find out some of its key results.

    Women, sexual minorities, and gender minorities most likely to report experiencing violence

    It is primarily women who report having suffered from gender-based or sexual violence since the start of their higher education:

    • More than half (57%) report having experienced sexual harassment since the beginning of their studies, compared to 30% of male students,
    • Nearly one in three female students (32%) reports having suffered a physical or sexual assault (groping, sexual blackmail, etc.), compared to 18% of male students,
    • One in ten female students (10%) reports having been raped or attempted to be raped, compared to 3% of male students.

    Non-heterosexual individuals, whether gay, lesbian, or bisexual, are also more exposed to gender-based and sexual violence:

    • Over a third of homosexual or bisexual respondents (37%) report having suffered a physical or sexual assault, compared to 23% of heterosexual individuals,
    • 12% of homosexual or bisexual individuals report having been victims of rape or attempted rape, compared to 6% of heterosexual individuals.

    Non-binary individuals also appear to be disproportionately exposed to violence during their student life, compared to men.

    Violence mostly committed by men

    The perpetrators of the reported gender-based and sexual violence are predominantly men. Students who reported having suffered a physical or sexual assault in the 12 months prior to the survey indicate that in more than 4 cases out of 5 (88%), the perpetrator was one or more men. Similarly, more than 9 out of 10 reported rape or attempted rape cases (93%) were committed by one or more men.

    Violence mostly committed in private settings

    Although the incidents of violence reported by students at Université Paris Cité and Sciences Po predominantly occurred in private settings, some acts of violence take place in professional or academic contexts:

    • 10% of sexual harassment incidents that occurred in the past 12 months (harassment, stalking, etc.) took place in the context of employment, internship, or a research setting,
    • 11% of physical or sexual assaults (groping, sexual coercion, etc.) occurred within the university.

    Significant impact on victims’ lives

    Gender-based and sexual violence has a significant impact on the lives of victims. It affects their involvement in studies and their social life at university and outside. Violence involving a physical and sexual dimension, in particular, degrades the victims’ romantic and sexual lives and also harms their health.

    A survey to better understand and act

    The SAFEDUC survey aims to gather data on the extent of sexist and sexual violence in higher eduction, in order to enable higher education institutions to implement effective institutional policies to prevent such violence. This survey has been designed to be replicated in other higher education and research institutions.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The world is in crisis – what role should our universities play?

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Vinita Srivastava, Host + Exec. Producer, Don’t Call Me Resilient | Senior Editor, Culture + Society

    It’s hard not to categorize our present global moment as a crisis. And just when we think things can’t get worse — they do.

    Across the globe, we’re witnessing a rise in far-right movements and governments.

    Just a few weeks ago, the AfD party in Germany secured second place. This marks the first time a far-right party has gained this level of power in the country since the Second World War. Germany is not alone in this trend: Italy, Hungary, Finland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Croatia are now led by far-right governments.

    And it may come as no surprise that many of these new leaders are increasingly hostile towards universities.

    In India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, universities have the lowest academic freedom since the 1940s. In Brazil, former president Jair Bolsonaro claimed that public universities transform students into leftists, gays, drug addicts and perverts.

    Meanwhile in the United States, Vice President JD Vance has called universities the enemy for allegedly teaching that America is “an evil, racist nation.” (Vance was echoing President Richard Nixon who called professors and the press the enemy. President Donald Trump even signed an executive order demanding higher education institutions dismantle their DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) programs. He’s also pulled federal funding from universities that allow “illegal protests”, and he’s demanded that Columbia University’s Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies Departments be independently reviewed.

    But, despite this hostility, universities — and students — have historically been springboards for progressive change. It was student protests 25 years ago that helped lead to the downfall of apartheid in South Africa. More recently, in Bangladesh, student protests helped topple the country’s authoritarian leader. This past year, students across the world have worked to raise public awareness of acts of genocide in Gaza.

    Meanwhile, here in Canada, universities are facing financial pressure because of reductions in international student permits. This drop in revenue has caused alarming budget constraints at universities, revealing a deep reliance on international students as a revenue source.

    This has led to existential questions about our universities. With today’s world in crisis, what should the role of the university be? And why are our public universities so underfunded? And how can they continue to serve their communities?

    Theses are big questions, ones that seemed fitting to tackle on our final episode of Don’t Call Me Resilient recorded live in front of an audience at the University of British Columbia. Joining us to tackle them was Annette Henry, a professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at UBC who is cross-appointed to the Institute for Race, Gender, Sexuality and Social Justice. Her work examines race, class, language, gender and culture in education for Black students and educators in Canada.

    We also spoke with Michelle Stack, an associate professor in UBC’s Department of Educational Studies whose work looks at educational policy, university rankings and equity and education.

    At a time when critical conversations in higher education are under attack worldwide, can Canadian universities rise to the challenge and be a force for good?

    Read more:

    Universities should stand up for integrity and public trust in university teaching

    How Commonwealth universities profited from Indigenous dispossession through land grants

    Universities should respond to cuts and corporate influence with co-operative governance

    Cops on campus: Why police crackdowns on student protesters are so dangerous

    Student protests: How the university perpetuates colonial violence on campus

    This episode was coproduced by Ateqah Khaki (associate producer), Marisa Sittheeamorn (student journalist) and Jennifer Moroz (consulting producer). Our sound engineer was Alain Derbez, with onsite assistance from Josh Mattson. Thank you to UBC’s Global Journalism Innovation Lab and its crew, The UBC School of Journalism and the Social Science Research Council of Canada for their generous support.

    – ref. The world is in crisis – what role should our universities play? – https://theconversation.com/the-world-is-in-crisis-what-role-should-our-universities-play-250235

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: National Register Adds 11 North Carolina Historic Places

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: National Register Adds 11 North Carolina Historic Places

    National Register Adds 11 North Carolina Historic Places
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    The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources announces the addition of multiple sites across the state to the National Register of Historic Places. The newly recognized sites include a mix of districts, individual properties, and updated documentation, highlighting the state’s rich architectural and historical heritage. They include one boundary increase, two additional documentations, three new historic districts, and five individual properties. They were reviewed by the North Carolina National Register Advisory Committee, subsequently nominated by the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Officer, and forwarded to the Keeper of the National Register for consideration for listing in the National Register.

    “It’s good news for North Carolina when we add properties to the National Register of Historic Places,”  said Secretary Pamela B. Cashwell, N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. “Preservation of these treasured places spurs local economic development and showcases the varied history of our state.”

    The listing of a property in the National Register places no obligation or restriction on a private owner using private resources to maintain or alter the property. Over the years, various federal and state incentives have been introduced to assist private preservation initiatives, including tax credits for the rehabilitation of National Register properties. As of January 1, 2025, there have been 4,391 completed historic rehabilitation projects with private investments of almost $3.85 billion statewide.

    In Central North Carolina

    Harriet Tubman YWCA, Durham, Durham County, listed 12/6/2024

    The locally significant Harriet Tubman YWCA in Durham, North Carolina, meets National Register of Historic Places Criterion A in the areas of Black ethnic heritage, social history, and civil rights and Criterion C for architecture. Located within the vibrant African American neighborhood known as Hayti, the building was a vital community center during the third quarter of the twentieth century. Many employees, volunteers, and program participants engaged in social and political advocacy in Durham and beyond, employing coordinated civil disobedience and legal action in myriad campaigns against racial, political, economic, and social injustice. The Harriet Tubman YWCA also epitomizes the functional Modernism often manifested in mid-twentieth-century buildings conceived in an economical manner that allowed for rapid construction, flexible use, ease of maintenance, and future expansion. The building is characterized by angular form, horizontal massing, and large metal-frame windows. The period of significance begins in 1953 with the main block’s completion and ends in 1978, when the Harriet Tubman YWCA closed.

    John Fisher House, Salisbury (vicinity), Rowan County, listed 12/10/2024

    The John Fisher House in rural Rowan County meets Criterion C for listing in the National Register of Historic Places for its local architectural significance. The Greek Revival-style farmhouse of vernacular hall-and-parlor form demonstrates the use of architectural pattern books of the period, especially Asher Benjamin’s popular Practical House Carpenter, to provide consistent decorative treatment on both exterior and interior. Although the John Fisher House is a country dwelling of modest size — only one-and-a-half stories — it is replete with pattern book detailing. Part of its significance lies in its demonstration of the sustained influence and use of architectural pattern books for building country houses, especially in the North Carolina Piedmont, during the mid-nineteenth century. The period of significance for the unusually well-preserved house with its high degree of physical integrity is ca. 1848, the date of construction noted by family tradition that fits within Fisher’s 1842 purchase of the land on which the house stands and the 1850 U. S. census, which provides information strongly suggesting that the house had been built by that time.

    Johnson’s Drive-In, Siler City, Chatham County, listed 2/5/2025

    The locally significant Johnson’s Drive-In in Siler City, North Carolina, epitomizes the proliferation of roadside quick-service restaurants in conjunction with the mid-twentieth-century development of a motorist-focused service industry along newly developed highway corridors, thus meeting National Register Criterion A for commerce. The restaurant is thought to be the first to offer both curbside and indoor dining on US 64 between Asheboro and Raleigh, a distance of approximately seventy-two miles. The building functioned as a three-dimensional billboard, with its proximity to the road, large plate-glass windows, and brightly lit interior. While the traditional gable-roofed style of the 1946 building resembled a house, the Modernist 1960 addition distinguished the restaurant from competitors and brought an urban commercial aesthetic to the small town. Notably, the establishment was not segregated, an anomaly in the Jim Crow South. All seating and facilities were available to Black and white customers, who used the same entrances. The period of significance is 1946-1975, the approximate date curbside service was discontinued.

    Mount Pleasant Historic District (Additional Documentation), Mount Pleasant, Cabarrus County, listed 12/4/2024

    The 1986 Mount Pleasant Historic District nomination claimed significance at the local level under Criterion A for commerce and industry as an example of a textile village with a small commercial core, its modest size primarily due to its lack of direct railroad connections. The 1986 nomination also identified significance at the local level under Criterion C for architecture as a collection of residential, religious, commercial, and industrial buildings representing nearly every major style popular during the period of significance, 1840 to 1935. The Additional Documentation serves to extend the period of significance through c.1976 to encompass the continued residential, commercial, and industrial growth within the Mount Pleasant Historic District through the mid-twentieth century. It also includes high integrity examples of these building types from the period 1935-c.1976. The Additional Documentation is locally significant for architecture, commerce, and industry and also serves to supplement context for commerce and industry before 1935, as well as providing context in all areas of significance for the post-1935 period.

    Robert and Frances S. Loewenstein House, Greensboro, Guilford County, listed 12/12/2024

    The Edward and Frances S. Loewenstein House is significant at the local level under Criterion C for Architecture and Engineering as an outstanding example of Modernist-style architecture in Greensboro. The house is also significant at the local level under Criterion B in the area of Architecture for its association with prominent architect Edward Loewenstein. Designed by Loewenstein as his personal residence, the house exhibits key tenets of Modernist architecture and design innovations engineered by Loewenstein for the building include canted exterior walls, the angle of which was carefully calculated maximize solar gain in winter and minimize direct light in summer and skylights fitted both with shutters to reduce light infiltration and light bulbs to provide diffused light on cloudy days and at night. In 1953, he joined with Robert A. Atkinson, Jr. to form the firm of Loewenstein-Atkinson. As supporters of the Civil Rights movement, the firm hired African American engineers and architects, when segregation was the norm. While Modernist designs were a small percentage of Loewenstein’s residential commissions, they are among the best in the region. Designs also included schools, office buildings, and shopping centers. The Period of Significance is 1954 to 1970.

    St. Joseph AME Church (Additional Documentation), Durham, Durham County, listed 1/2/2025

    St. Joseph African Methodist Episcopal Church possesses statewide significance under Criterion A for Black ethnic heritage, social history, and civil rights. Located within the African American neighborhood known as Hayti, the building was historically a vital community center as it is today. The construction of the 1891 sanctuary and 1952 education building and parsonage exemplifies the Black community’s resilience, growth, and prosperity. The building served as a forum for mid-20th-century civil rights movement planning and training sessions, meetings, and rallies. The church also possesses local significance under Criterion C as an intact example of Gothic Revival-style late-nineteenth-century ecclesiastical architecture. Designed by Philadelphia architect Samuel L. Leary and built with brick supplied by prominent Black Durham businessman Richard Burton Fitzgerald, the 1891 church is Durham’s second-oldest and the city’s most intact historic African American sanctuary of any denomination. The period of significance begins in 1891 when construction commenced and ends in 1976 when the congregation moved.

    South Benbow Road Historic District, Greensboro, Guilford County, listed 12/9/2024

    The South Benbow Road Historic District is significant at the local level under Criterion A for Black Ethnic Heritage and Civil Rights as a significant concentration of properties that share historical associations with the advancement of African American Civil Rights in Greensboro. One of a number of early-to-mid-20th century neighborhoods formed in east Greensboro in response to the growth of North Carolina A&T University and Bennett College, both Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), the district was developed as a consequence of, and in response to, systemic and de facto segregation in Greensboro. The district is also significant at the local level under Criterion A for Community Planning and Development. It is comprised of several smaller developments that followed Olmstedian planning principles, which called for curvilinear streets that follow the natural terrain, help slow traffic, and provide varied views as one moves through the area. Significant at the local level under Criterion C for Architecture, it is primarily residential, but also includes a small number of religious and medical buildings. Several homes and churches in the district were designed by prominent African American architects. The period of significance is c. 1946 – c. 1976.

    In Eastern North Carolina

    Hertford West Historic District, Hertford, Perquimans County, listed 2/11/2025

    Settlement in the Hertford West Historic District area began around the turn of the twentieth century, a period of industrial development and population growth sparked by the coming of the railroad to Hertford. Queen Anne houses number among the district’s oldest dwellings. The Woodland Circle development was built in the district in 1944 to provide housing for the nearby naval base in the Minimal-Traditional style. Following WWII, more Minimal-Traditional and later Ranch houses were built in the district. The Hertford West Historic District is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion C in the architecture area of significance for the quality and diversity of its historic architecture with representatives of numerous styles popular in the early and middle decades of the twentieth century. The district is also eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A in the Community Planning and Development area of significance as the principal vector of community expansion in Hertford during the twentieth century. Orthogonal streets, an extension of the town’s original grid plan, and curvilinear subdivisions characterize the district. The period of significance extends from 1900-71.

    Shelter Neck Historic District, Burgaw (vicinity), Pender County, listed 12/10/2024

    Shelter Neck Historic District, containing a chapel, school, and dormitory built in the first decade of the 20th century, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places at the local level of significance under Criterion A in the areas of Education and Social History. The Boston-based National Alliance of Unitarian Women built the church in 1900 as the first Unitarian building constructed in the state. Working side by side, educated urban women and male Unitarian ministers quickly established a school for day and boarding students in which a classical education was bolstered by industrial training that included handcrafts and instruction in agriculture, as well as exposure to the arts. Settlement schools like the one established at Shelter Neck were part of a social reform program inspired by the settlement movement. The period of significance is 1900-26, the year the Alliance of Unitarian Women closed the school. The property meets Criteria Consideration A as its significance stems from its role in educating local children and as a vehicle for social reform in a rural eastern North Carolina county.

    In Western North Carolina

    Hopkins Chapel AME Zion Church, Asheville, Buncombe County, listed 12/17/2024

    Hopkins Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church is locally significant under National Register Criteria A and C as an important African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Zion congregation in Asheville following the Civil War and an excellent example of Gothic Revival church architecture designed by renowned architect Richard Sharp Smith and built by master brick mason James Vester Miller. Free Black congregants from Asheville’s Central Methodist Church, dissatisfied with their treatment by white members of that church staged a protest march through Asheville and began worshipping independently at a brush arbor in the East End section of town and formally organized in 1868. After steady deterioration of the church’s 1883 second sanctuary, construction of an exquisite new Gothic Revival sanctuary began in 1910 and was completed in 1911. The period of significance for Hopkins Chapel begins in 1910, when construction of the present church building began, and ends in 1974.

    Marshall High School (Additional Documentation and Boundary Increase), Marshall, Madison County, listed 1/14/2025

    Marshall High School was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2008, with a period of significance beginning in 1926 when the school was built, and continuing through 1957, the 50-year cut-off for when the nomination was completed. This Additional Documentation and Boundary Increase extends the period of significance through 1974 when a consolidated Madison County High School building was built and Marshall High School closed. It adds into the boundary the adjacent Marshall High School Gymnasium, completed in 1956 to the west of the school building, and which was not included in the original nomination due to a separate owner objection at the time. The gymnasium is historically related to the school building and the inclusion of the additional building expands upon the school’s educational significance. It is locally significant under Criterion A for its contributions to the educational history of Marshall, North Carolina through the early 1970s. Included within this Additional Documentation and Boundary Increase is an updated description of the high school building, taking into account the renovation work completed under the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards in 2008.

    NOTE TO EDITORS — The above images are available in a higher resolution on the Dropbox Site.

    About the National Register of Historic Places
    The National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s official list of buildings, structures, objects, sites, and districts worthy of preservation for their significance in American history, architecture, archaeology, and culture. The National Register was established by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 to ensure that as a matter of public policy, properties significant in national, state, and local history are considered in the planning of federal undertakings, and to encourage historic preservation initiatives by state and local governments and the private sector. The Act authorized the establishment of a State Historic Preservation Office in each state and territory to help administer federal historic preservation programs.

    In North Carolina, the State Historic Preservation Office is a unit of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Dr. Darin Waters, the Department’s Deputy Secretary of Archives, History, and Parks, is North Carolina’s State Historic Preservation Officer. The North Carolina National Register Advisory Committee, a board of professionals and citizens with expertise in history, architectural history, and archaeology, meets three times a year to advise Dr. Waters on the eligibility of properties for the National Register and the adequacy of nominations.

    The National Register nominations for the recently listed properties may be read in their entirety on the NC Listings in the National Register of Historic Places page of the State Historic Preservation Office website. For more information on the National Register, including the criteria for listing, visit the NC State Historic Preservation Office National Register page.

    About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
    The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.

    The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
    Mar 27, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: NEC X Unveils Elev X! Ignite Batch 13: Six Disruptive Startups Driving Innovation in Fintech, AgTech, Lifesciences Tech and More

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PALO ALTO, Calif., March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NEC X, the Silicon Valley venture studio backed by NEC’s advanced technologies and global businesses, today announced the six visionary startups selected for Batch 13 of its Elev X! Ignite program – a cohort that reflects surging demand for innovation in agriculture, healthcare, compliance, financial services and enterprise tech.

    Elev X! continues to experience record-breaking growth, with applications jumping 64% year over year and increasing 37% since the last cohort, highlighting the program’s growing influence and ability to attract high-potential startups from around the world.

    “Elev X! provides a collaborative environment where bold ideas become impactful solutions. Our record-breaking growth shows that startup founders and investors alike recognize the unmatched value NEC X delivers,” said Shintaro Matsumoto, President and CEO of NEC X. “We’re helping bold innovators accelerate faster, and the startups in Batch 13 are poised to make a meaningful impact – whether it’s transforming wine production, automating debt collection, streamlining biotech compliance or enhancing enterprise decision-making with conversational AI.”

    Introducing the Elev X! Ignite Batch 13 Startups:

    • Bazzuka AI – AI agent for debt collections to save costs and boost recovery for collection teams.
    • EnterpriseChai – The insight engine that thinks & acts for your GTM teams.
    • Lokatial – AI-powered compliance platform streamlines regulatory workflows for pharma and life sciences companies, reducing compliance costs by up to 60%.
    • Otani – AI-driven assistant enhances VC investment decisions with data-driven evaluations, improving efficiency in early-stage deal assessments.
    • Vigneron.AI – AI platform helps wine growers analyze data for proactive vineyard management, enhancing agricultural efficiency and wine quality.
    • Yadag – AI-powered seasonal staffing platform that helps farms hire, onboard and manage workers through WhatsApp—automating paperwork, visa processing and compliance. Over 30K workers sign-ups and growing.

    Each startup benefits from NEC X’s extensive support ecosystem, including access to NEC’s global network of 45,000 patents, curated workshops, investor readiness training, expert advisors and connections across 55+ international markets.

    Graduates of Elev X! programs have gone on to raise funding, gain early traction and bring transformative solutions to market. Recent alumni include Chekable, Clikr, GPx, Multitude Insights, Qualitative Intelligence, Reveleum, Verdi and more.

    Applications for the upcoming cohort, Batch 14, will open in May 2025. For more information about Elev X! Programs, click here.

    About NEC X
    NEC X is an innovation powerhouse and curator of disruptive startups backed by the global technology leadership of NEC. Leveraging 125 years of IT and network technologies expertise, NEC X’s startup-focused approach transforms visionary ideas into commercial successes that revolutionize how we work and live. Since its inception in 2018, NEC X has helped launch and grow more than 130 startups.

    Their Silicon Valley programs – Elev X! Ignite and Elev X! Boost – equip early-stage startup founders with the tools to fast-track their tech development and adoption. Elev X! fuels startup success from inception to launch, connecting innovators with NEC’s 45,000 patents; global network of partners, mentors and advisors; reach into 55+ international markets; and $8 billion R&D ecosystem.

    For more information, visit https://nec-x.com and https://www.elev-x.com.

    About NEC Corporation

    NEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of “Orchestrating a brighter world.” NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential.

    For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.

    NEC is a registered trademark of NEC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Other product or service marks mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners. ©2025 NEC Corporation.

    Media Contact:

    Robert Brownlie
    Bob Gold & Associates
    310-320-2010
    necx@bobgoldpr.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e46b8ab4-1ef7-4daa-9865-93a342383119

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Hassan, Shaheen, Goodlander Urge Department of Justice to Protect Retention Incentives for FCI Berlin Workforce

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), along with U.S. Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), are urging the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to reverse a recent decision to cut retention incentives provided to several federal corrections facilities across the country, including at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Berlin. In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Associate Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Shaheen, Hassan and Goodlander highlight that the decision would worsen persistent staffing shortages that threaten FCI Berlin’s operational capacity and security. 

    The lawmakers wrote, in part: “FCI Berlin has had a 25 percent retention incentive authorized since 2023. As the nationwide staffing crisis makes it difficult to recruit new officers, these retention incentives have been instrumental in ensuring that the facility is able to retain and adequately pay existing staff, keeping the facility operational. However, even despite this critical assistance, FCI Berlin’s custody department is currently staffed at only 64 percent, with far reaching consequences as stretched-thin correctional officers must take on unreasonable amounts of overtime to help maintain the daily operations of the facility.” 

    They continued: “There is no doubt that the abrupt reduction in retention benefits will have real financial impacts on those who bravely serve FCI Berlin and its population. We urge you to find a solution to provide the highly professional and dedicated staff at FCI Berlin with the compensation they deserve for their work and, at a minimum, allow this facility and others facing chronic understaffing to continue to receive their full retention incentives as originally authorized.” 

    The lawmakers concluded: “Now more than ever, we remain committed to working with you to ensure FCI Berlin has the resources and support it requires to continue its integral work in our state.” 

    Read the full text of the letter here. 

    Shaheen has long advocated on behalf of FCI Berlin. In 2011, Shaheen fought to get FCI Berlin open. During the 2019 government shutdown, Shaheen spoke on the Senate floor about the damaging impacts the shuttered federal government had on FCI Berlin staff members. In 2023, Shaheen was instrumental in ensuring corrections officers, medical personnel and support staff at the facility received access to these critical retention incentives. Further, during her time as Chair of the Senate Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, Shaheen repeatedly secured language in annual government funding legislation calling attention to the BOP staffing crisis nationwide.  

    Last month, Shaheen offered an amendment to the Republican budget resolution that would have raised pay for Federal Bureau of Prisons correctional officers in New Hampshire and across the country. Additionally, Shaheen offered an amendment to last week’s continuing resolution that would have preserved retention incentives at federal correctional facilities ahead of this weekend’s impending cut. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Statement on Trump’s Sweeping New Illegal Cuts to Critical National Security Initiatives

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Trump seeks to gut funding to: combat global narcotics trade, support allies’ defenses, strengthen American competitiveness, and more

    Illegal move threatens billions of dollars more for Americans’ housing, NASA, and other critical programs

    Washington, D.C. — Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair, issued the following statement on illegal cuts President Trump sought to make on Monday to critical investments in America’s national security and competitiveness, which were enacted into law under the yearlong continuing resolution (CR) he signed earlier this month.

    “In the latest installment of the president’s campaign to defy our laws and jeopardize our national security in the process, President Trump is attempting to choke off critical investments to combat the flow of fentanyl globally, slash support for the defense of American allies, weaken the competitiveness of U.S. businesses, set back next-generation weather forecasting, and much more. Trump is even slashing investments to help communities that are too often left behind finally get ahead–and his illegal move threatens billions of dollars more in funding to help people keep a roof over their head.

    “Cutting off these resources will devastate ongoing national security initiatives that advance our interests across the globe, and I trust Presidents Xi and Putin thank Trump for this latest gift he has delivered them.

    “What President Trump has just done is wrongheaded, counterproductive, and unlawful, and I hope my colleagues in Congress join me in working to protect these investments and ensure the law is followed.”

    In the fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills, Congress included $12.5 billion in emergency funding for key priorities as allowed by the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) agreement. Congress routinely includes funds designated as emergency, which are not subject to statutory spending caps, in its spending laws—in both annual funding bills and legislation like the disaster relief package passed in December. House Republicans’ yearlong fiscal year 2025 continuing resolution, which was approved by nearly every Republican Member of Congress and signed into law earlier this month, continued the vast majority of emergency funding included in the fiscal year 2024 appropriations laws.

    When statutory caps on discretionary funding are in effect—as they are now under the FRA—Congress has been careful to ensure emergency funding it provides is also designated by the president as emergency funding in order to prevent a sequester of discretionary funding under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, which would result in across-the-board cuts. This is a decades-old practice that has been followed without incident under Democratic and Republican presidents alike. But the law is very clear: the President must certify all or none of the emergency funds provided by Congress. Presidents cannot pick and choose which funds to designate as emergency and keep flowing, as President Trump has now unlawfully done by certifying some but not all of the emergency funding provided for fiscal year 2025. House Republicans’ fiscal year 2025 CR cites fiscal year 2024 appropriations laws that state emergency funding shall be made available “only if the President subsequently so designates all such amounts and transmits such designations to the Congress.” Section 1110 of the fiscal year 2025 CR continues these requirements, which the President is now flouting–effectively seeking to exercise a line-item veto of emergency funding that he simply does not have.

    President Trump’s illegal cuts will seriously harm ongoing national security initiatives that keep our country safe and competitive. 

    In refusing to designate $2.934 billion of the $12.4 billion in emergency funding provided under House Republicans’ yearlong CR, President Trump is attempting to choke off critical investments that keep America and our allies safe. This includes:

    • $115 million cut to the State Department’s work combatting international fentanyl and narcotics trade, human trafficking, and other crimes across the globe that impact American communities and other U.S. national security interests.
    • $275 million cut to foreign military financing that enables eligible partner nations to purchase U.S.-made weapons, promoting U.S. interests and security cooperation.
    • $1.5 billion cut (-17%) to lifesaving U.S. humanitarian assistance.
    • $310 million cut (-40%) to U.S. assistance in Europe and Eurasia, which is critical to counter-Russia efforts.
    • $300 million cut to economic growth programs that Congress established to increase investment in secure supply chains, digital connectivity and security, and other critical sectors, including to enhance the competitiveness of U.S. businesses.
    • $50 million cut to the International Trade Administration’s work to strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. industry abroad and ensure fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements. These resources play a critical role in U.S. efforts to counter the People’s Republic of China, Russia, and other competitors and adversaries.
    • $20 million cut (-10.5%) to the Bureau of Industry and Security’s vital work advancing U.S. national security through vigilant export controls and the promotion of continued U.S. leadership in technology. These resources play a critical role in U.S. efforts to counter the People’s Republic of China, Russia, and other competitors and adversaries.
    • $30 million cut (-7.5%) to the Economic Development Administration’s investments in economically distressed communities across the U.S. and its ongoing work to build durable regional economies across the country.
    • $100 million cut to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) procurement, acquisition, and construction budget, which—among other things—funds the procurement of next-generation weather radars and satellites that play an indispensable role in providing the American people with accurate weather forecasting.
    • $234 million cut (-100%) to the National Science Foundation’s equipment and facilities construction budget, which funds essential upgrades to and construction of new, cutting-edge scientific facilities. This funding supports the new Leadership-Class Computing Facility based in Texas to facilitate and support domestic AI research, the Antarctic Infrastructure Recapitalization, and other projects advancing American innovation, discovery, and security.

    President Trump’s illegal attempt to cherry-pick what emergency funding moves–when the law clearly states that the President must certify all or none of the emergency funding provided by Congress–threatens the availability of the entire $12.4 billion in emergency funding provided for fiscal year 2025, which includes more than $9 billion in funding for other critical programs. None of the emergency funding is available to be spent under the law until the President designates all of it. This includes funding for: 

    • Critical rental assistance that serves more than 7 million people, ensuring they keep a roof over their heads at a time when homelessness and housing unaffordability have hit an all-time high;
    • Salaries of Drug Enforcement Administration agents who are combatting the fentanyl crisis;
    • Ongoing NASA missions, including the Artemis mission to return Americans to the Moon;
    • More.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: The battle for Khartoum: tracking Sudan’s war over two years

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Kagure Gacheche, Commissioning Editor, East Africa

    Sudan has been engulfed in brutal conflict since 15 April 2023, when tensions between the country’s two most powerful military factions erupted into civil war.

    The conflict stems from a long-standing power struggle over military control and integration. Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began in the capital, Khartoum, and quickly spread across the country. International efforts to broker peace since have largely failed.

    The conflict, which has been going on for two years now, has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian emergencies.

    An estimated 30 million Sudanese civilians are in need of aid. Brutal attacks, looting and destruction of infrastructure have become commonplace. Millions of people lack access to essential medical care. Food shortages and economic collapse have worsened the suffering.

    The war has also triggered a massive displacement crisis, with more than 14 million people forced to flee their homes. Many have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, while others remain trapped in dangerous conditions within Sudan.

    As the conflict drags on, the toll on Sudan’s people continues to grow. Estimates of those killed vary widely, from 20,000 to 62,000, but the actual figure could be much larger.

    With no clear resolution in sight, Sudan’s crisis is one of the most urgent and devastating conflicts in the world. At The Conversation Africa, we have worked with academics who have tracked the conflict since 2023.

    Weapons flow

    Early on, it was clear that both the Sudanese army and the paramilitary force had a sufficient supply of weapons to sustain a protracted conflict. The country was already awash with firearms. It is ranked second – after Egypt – among its regional neighbours in total firearms estimates. Khristopher Carlson, part of a research project tracking small arms and armed violence in Sudan, noted that the two Sudanese forces might have different fighting methods but were adequately equipped to trade fire. The army’s superiority was its air force and heavy arsenal on the ground. The paramilitary force relied on nimble mobile units equipped primarily with small and light weapons.

    Read more: Sudan is awash with weapons: how the two forces compare and what that means for the war

    External interference

    This proliferation of weapons has been compounded by financial and military support from external states. Various foreign players – Chad, Egypt, Iran, Libya, Qatar and Russia – have picked a side to support. However, the influence of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates has been particularly problematic. Political scientist Federico Donelli explained that the two nations viewed Sudan as a key nation because of its location. Following President Omar al-Bashir’s ouster in 2019, the two monarchies bet on different factions within Sudan’s security apparatus. This external support exacerbated internal competition. Riyadh maintained close ties with army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Abu Dhabi aligned itself with the head of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Dagalo, or Hemedti.

    Read more: Middle Eastern monarchies in Sudan’s war: what’s driving their interests

    Regional dynamics

    The support from international players in Sudan’s war has had a damaging effect on regional dynamics. The Sudanese army recently accused the United Arab Emirates of supplying the Rapid Support Forces with weapons through Chad. At a ceremony for an officer killed in a drone strike carried out by paramilitary forces, a senior army official said Chad’s airports would be “legitimate targets” should retaliatory action become necessary. This heightened the risk of a spillover of the Sudanese conflict. Sudan shares borders with seven countries in an unstable region, including Chad, South Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia. Economics professor and legal expert John Mukum Mbaku warned that a spillover of the fighting could devastate the region economically, socially and politically.

    Read more: Sudan’s conflict will have a ripple effect in an unstable region – and across the world

    Protecting civilians

    The conflict has put millions of civilians in Sudan in the crossfire. A UN report in September 2024 called for an independent force to protect civilians; Sudan’s officials rejected the proposal. However, peace talks have yet to achieve a lasting ceasefire. Sudan had a peacekeeping force between 2007 and 2020, followed by a UN-led political mission that exited in February 2024. Since then, there has been no security presence in Sudan responsible for protecting civilians. Peacekeeping researcher Jenna Russo noted the need for a regional or international peace force that could create “green zones”. This would help protect areas where displaced persons were sheltering and facilitate humanitarian aid.

    Read more: Sudan’s civilians urgently need protection: the options for international peacekeeping

    What’s been missing?

    High-level peace talks brokered by the African Union and the UN to negotiate a ceasefire have largely been unsuccessful, putting civilians at constant risk. Talks held in Switzerland and Jeddah have had little impact. Philipp Kastner, a peace scholar, highlighted that the countries hosting or supporting these talks were pursuing competing interests in Sudan, which affected their impartiality. Progress to negotiate an end to the war would be unlikely if external military support to the warring parties continued unabated. Civilians would continue to pay the price.

    Read more: Sudan at war: the art of peace talks and why they often fail

    – The battle for Khartoum: tracking Sudan’s war over two years
    – https://theconversation.com/the-battle-for-khartoum-tracking-sudans-war-over-two-years-253242

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Global: With 23andMe filing for bankruptcy, what happens to consumers’ genetic data?

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Julia Creet, Professor of English, York University, Canada

    23andMe has filed for bankruptcy, raising questions about future ownership of the genetic data of its 15 million customers. (Shutterstock)

    The announcement that 23andMe is filing for bankruptcy and has put its genetic genealogy database up for sale has sent its customers into a bit of a privacy tizzy. On March 21, California Attorney General Bob Bonta issued a consumer alert with detailed instructions about how to delete one’s data.

    23andMe and its databases are located in California; regardless of where customers live, privacy is then governed by California law and some weak U.S. federal laws. Canadian privacy laws have no sway in this case.

    CBC’s The National provides information to customers looking to delete their genetic data from the 23andMe databases.

    Rise of consumer genetic testing

    It’s worth backing up a bit to see how 23andMe built its brand, what makes the database valuable and who might be in the market to buy the database if Anne Wojcicki, its founder, is unsuccessful in her bid to buy back the company herself.

    I have been studying the development of the industry of family history for the last 20 years. Genetic genealogy rose to prominence in the early 2000s, with the development of the science and early databases by committed genealogists and the market demand for locating ancestors.



    Read more:
    The mythical quest for our ancestors is big business

    23andMe’s innovation was to use this burgeoning lust for ancestors as a way to build a new kind of direct-to-consumer database, one that looked at inherited markers for diseases afforded by the potent combination of genetic and genealogical information.

    They weren’t the first to hit on this idea. deCODE Genetics in Iceland had already built a national database of braided genealogical and genetic information for the same purpose. Within 10 years, it too went bankrupt and sold its database.

    Ahead of government

    23andMe was the first to market the idea in North America when Wojcicki founded the company in 2006.

    Wojcicki claimed a high mission: to liberate health information from the hands of the medical industry and put it directly into the hands of consumers. Her business model made it clear that the direct-to-consumer genetics industry was always in the business of doing an end run around government and university databases that were governed by much stricter privacy laws.

    23andMe ran into trouble with the FDA in 2013 for providing medical information without any medical supervision, a wrinkle that took two years for the company to iron out. But the more lucrative end of the business was always the sale of the accumulated data to the pharmaceutical industry.

    23andMe pitched its research arm as the greater good, and 80 per cent of its consumers opted in to share their information for research purposes. The database has always been monetized for secondary uses. In its profile of 23andMe in 2017, Nature quoted cardiologist Euan Ashley at Stanford University, California: “They have quietly become the largest genetic study the world has ever known.”

    A rapid unravelling

    Five years ago, the company and the genetic genealogy industry as a whole started to unravel almost as quickly and precipitously as it had risen. Sales of direct-to-consumer genetic genealogy kits plummeted, given a combination of privacy concerns and market saturation.

    The advent of law enforcement incursions into genetic genealogy databases gave consumers a fright, and woke them up to the possible unanticipated third-party uses of commercial databases.

    Almost a decade later, governments are still trying to figure out how to set up guardrails on the use of genealogy databases for law enforcement, a practice that has become widespread across the U.S. and Canada.

    Currently, the Information and Privacy Office of Ontario is actively working to develop regulations that are acceptable to all stakeholders since, once again, the greater good argument of catching cold-case killers holds considerable sway over the right to privacy of consumers.

    Nonetheless, the issue of third-party uses has had a marked effect on the popularity of what seemed like a benign pastime, the search for ever-more-distant relations.

    Industry expansion

    Over the years, 23andMe expanded by buying health services and pharmaceutical holding companies. But in 2023, a massive data breach exposed the vulnerabilities of the company, particularly its genealogical information.



    Read more:
    23andMe’s struggles are a sign that direct-to-consumer DNA testing needs stronger oversight

    In addition to the 1.5 million users whose profiles were breached, hackers accessed the personal information of about 5.5 million people who opted in to 23andMe’s DNA Relatives feature.

    Stolen data included customers’ names, birth years, relationship labels, percentage of DNA shared with relatives, ancestry reports and self-reported locations.

    Fully a third of 23andMe’s users’ genealogical information had been scraped by the hackers. And here we see the real vulnerability in the entire industry: Anyone who has submitted a DNA sample and built family connections has exposed everyone in their family line.

    This seems to be a classic case of closing the barn door after the horses have already bolted.

    Like 23andMe, deCODE was a high flier in the genetics space having built a genealogical database that included almost all Icelanders, who invested heavily in the company. The company went bankrupt during the financial crisis of 2008, and it sold its database to American pharmaceutical company Amgen. Amgen in turn sold part of it to a Chinese company.

    Corporate dealings

    So who are the likely buyers for 23andMe?

    Wojcicki herself, if she can somehow raise the capital, which seems unlikely. Any big pharmaceutical company, including international buyers (in 2018, 23andMe signed a US$300 million deal with GlaxoSmithKline). Chinese biotechnology company BGI might well bid on the company, as China is seemingly on a mission to collect DNA from around the globe.

    Other potential buyers include: Google, who were early investors and thus already part owners; Ancestry.com, which, with its own genetic genealogy testing arm, would make it one of the of the largest privately held genetic genealogy databases in the world; and an outlier, Dutch life sciences firm Qiagen.

    Qiagen acquired California-based forensic genomics company Verogen in 2023. Verogen had previously acquired the geneaology database GEDmatch (one of the earliest grassroots ancestor DNA matching sites) for the purposes of creating a one-stop forensics genealogy shop for law enforcement.

    Changing privacy

    Each time a database is sold, privacy provisions are subject to change. Even though Wojcicki is promising to protect the privacy of costumers currently in the database, she might not have much control in the long run.

    So what should 23andMe’s customers do? Should they delete what data they can? Absolutely. Will it make much difference in the end? Probably not.

    What is now manifestly apparent is that the industry of direct-to-consumer genetics has far outpaced the ability of governments to regulate the information, so consumers are suddenly nervous.

    We should have paid attention at the very beginning of this dubious exercise in the privatization of personal data. Now we have to live with all that relatedness as a valuable commodity over which we have little say.

    Julia Creet receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada and previously from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

    – ref. With 23andMe filing for bankruptcy, what happens to consumers’ genetic data? – https://theconversation.com/with-23andme-filing-for-bankruptcy-what-happens-to-consumers-genetic-data-253071

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Coffee enemas probably won’t detox your system – they’re more likely to cause you serious damage

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dipa Kamdar, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Kingston University

    AJR_photo/Shutterstock

    What do King Charles and Gwyneth Paltrow have in common? Give up? They’ve both at one point or another caused coffee colonic-related controversies.

    In a 2004 speech to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists on complementary therapies and cancer care, the then Prince of Wales’s comments on Gerson therapy – a health programme, marketed as an alternative treatment for cancer, that includes regular coffee enemas as a way to clear toxins from the body – seemed to endorse the unproven regimen. The prince’s opinion drew criticism from medical experts.

    Wellness influencer Gwyneth Paltrow, on the other hand, promoted a DIY coffee enema kit on Goop, her lifestyle website – again drawing criticism from specialists who urged Goop fans to “keep the coffee out of your rectum and in your cup”.



    Read more:
    Gwyneth Paltrow’s new Goop Lab is an infomercial for her pseudoscience business

    Despite the expert critique, coffee enemas continue to be a social media wellness trend offered in many alternative health clinics as a method to cleanse the colon and detoxify the body. More worryingly, coffee enemas are still recommended by some influencers as an alternative treatment for cancer and other serious illnesses.

    So, why does the popularity of this controversial trend persist despite the bad press? Do the benefits of a coffee enema outweigh the risks?

    An enema clears the bowel of faecal matter. Usually, the procedure involves inserting a nozzle attached to a pouch containing fluid into the rectum so the liquid can be squeezed in. In conventional medicine, enemas are used to clear the bowel before surgery, for severe cases of constipation or sometimes as part of a bowel management scheme – in people with inflammatory bowel diseases, for example.

    It’s claimed by some coffee enema advocates that, before the advent of modern painkillers, Florence Nightingale used coffee enemas as a form of pain management in soldiers during the Crimean War, and doctors used them in the second world war.

    Gerson therapy

    But despite the advances in medicine and technology since Nightingale was nursing injured soldiers, coffee enemas continue to be promoted as a health practice.

    Gerson therapy continues to be highly publicised as an alternative option to chemotherapy. Patients follow a strict organic vegetarian diet, which can include up to 13 glasses of fruit juice and up to five coffee enemas daily.



    Read more:
    Apple Cider Vinegar: how social media gave rise to fraudulent wellness influencers like Belle Gibson

    The Gerson Institute claims the enemas can increase gut movement which helps to empty bowels. Coffee enemas are believed to help the body expel toxins from the liver and gut, which is thought to relieve pain.

    Coffee contains compounds kahweol and cafestol, thought to boost an enzyme which helps remove harmful substances from the body. These substances are turned into bile salts and expelled from the body. The caffeine in coffee is thought to stimulate the liver and widen the bile ducts to increase the flow of bile and help remove toxins.

    Several studies show there is no evidence to prove this regime works to cure cancer and it is not supported by any reputable cancer organisations. But it’s possible the placebo effect might help some patients feel better. A review showed there were more reports about the side effects of coffee enemas than their efficacy. Some people, for instance, experienced proctocolitis – inflamed rectum and colon – and rectal burns.

    Self-cleaning

    Because of the amount of waste that is expelled from the gut, coffee enemas can remove potassium from the body. This can lead to electrolyte imbalance, dehydration, muscle weakness and nausea. In severe cases, it can cause irregular heartbeats and lung problems. Using any enemas regularly for a long time can cause the bowel muscle to weaken, which is linked to constipation and inflammation of the bowel. In some cases, enemas may damage the balance of good bacteria in the gut, which can cause cramping, diarrhoea and bloating and increase the risk of infection.

    There no need for DIY enemas of any kind: the gut is self-cleaning. Regular digestion and bowel movements means the body gets rid of waste naturally. A high-fibre diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and seeds should be enough for good digestive health and could even reduce the risk of cancer. Current advice suggests we consume at least 30g of fibre daily. Most adults, however, have an average of only 19g of fibre daily. Drinking plenty of water is also crucial to gut health. Research suggests that eating fermented foods, such as kimchi, kefir and kombucha, can help the good bacteria in the gut and aid with digestion.

    Drinking coffee is more likely to be beneficial for health than coffee enemas. Studies show that moderate coffee intake is linked to lower risk of heart disease, for example.

    Social media can be a useful way to learn about health but it’s important to check who is giving this information – do they have credentials to back up their claims? It’s always best to check with your doctor or specialist before embarking on any alternative or complementary therapies.

    Dipa Kamdar 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. Coffee enemas probably won’t detox your system – they’re more likely to cause you serious damage – https://theconversation.com/coffee-enemas-probably-wont-detox-your-system-theyre-more-likely-to-cause-you-serious-damage-252412

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How corroding sea structures can provide vital habitats for marine life

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Tamsin Dobson, Applied Marine Scientist and Biocorrosion Lead, Plymouth Marine Laboratory

    Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock

    Rust can be incredibly annoying if it appears on your new bicycle or car, but if you are a free-floating baby marine animal (larvae), it could be your dream home.

    When metal ends up in the sea, two things happen. The metal will rust (or corrode). Then it will become biofouled – that means it gets covered with marine slime, with seaweed and marine animals, such as barnacles and sea squirts, attaching onto the surfaces.

    Biofouling and corrosion are fundamentally linked. Corroded surfaces are more likely to be biofouled and biofouling worsens corrosion. That’s why rich and diverse ecosystems often develop around shipwrecks and offshore renewable energy structures, such as wind turbines.

    Corrosion happens when a metal structure’s chemical elements (usually in the form of charged “ions”) react with a chemical element in seawater. What we call rust is iron reacting with oxygen and the brown colour is iron oxide (a molecule containing iron and oxygen).

    Seawater corrosion of metal releases metal ions into the water. In high concentrations, some are potentially toxic to marine life. For example, copper can prevent juvenile barnacles from developing hard calcium-rich outer shells. Luckily, the potentially toxic components (such as heavy metals like mercury and lead) only appear in very low concentrations in most structural metals. In fact, the presence of the corroding structure will usually create an environmental benefit.

    Biofouling and corrosion on a welded sample of nickel aluminium bronze after it has been submerged for 18 months in seawater off the coast of Plymouth, UK.
    Tamsin Dobson, CC BY-NC-ND

    We are both marine scientists fascinated by how corroded structures affect larval dispersal and species distribution. While one of us (Tamsin Dobson) researches the effects of marine corrosion and biofouling on marine engineering applications, the other (Molly James) is a marine ecosystems modeller exploring both larval dispersal and pollutant pathways.

    Dobson’s research showed that biofouling organisms can worsen corrosion. Larger biofouling organisms (such as barnacles and sea squirts) will attach to the surface using special cement or glue that they secrete.

    Underneath the organism, the amount of oxygen starts to reduce as the organisms continue to respire (consuming food and oxygen to release energy and carbon dioxide). Because that oxygen cannot be replenished from the surrounding seawater, metal chlorides react with hydrogen in the water, producing hydrochloric acid. This acid is highly corrosive. There are also many biofouling bacteria that play a role in corroding metals.

    Marine life can more easily attach to the rough surfaces of corroded metal compared to new, smooth, polished metal. Think about climbing a cliff – it’s much easier when there are lots of craggy hand and foot holds to cling to. The crevices provided by corrosion also protect biofouling organisms from surrounding seawater currents. As corrosion develops further, the roughness provides bigger crevices for those organisms to grow in.

    When marine biofouling creatures attached to corroded marine structures reproduce or spawn, their tiny babies (larvae) are released into the seawater and carried by ocean currents. Eventually, they may settle on other marine structures, creating a web of connected habitats. The more corroded marine structures in an area, the more potential new homes for the marine larvae to attach to and grow on.

    Habitat hotspots

    James’s recent research used computer models to show how ocean currents and wind patterns act like highways, carrying larvae between the structures, helping to establish vibrant and interconnected marine communities. The existing structures in the North Sea have unintentionally created five distinct communities of marine life – larvae released from one of the North Sea structures will remain in the community that the structure is within.

    The same modelling demonstrates that marine larvae float on seawater currents and tides, spreading out in some areas and coming together in other areas known as “hotspots”. These hotspots are the perfect places for building artificial reefs or establishing protected zones where fishing practices or underwater developments are limited.

    By providing suitable habitats (like a patch of corroded metal) in hotspots, these areas could enhance the survival of marine biofouling organisms, giving them a safe place to settle and grow into adults. In turn, this provides more food for young marine animals that feed on the biofouling organisms and their larvae, therefore improving ocean health and building the resilience of the marine ecosystem.

    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 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    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. How corroding sea structures can provide vital habitats for marine life – https://theconversation.com/how-corroding-sea-structures-can-provide-vital-habitats-for-marine-life-244446

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The battle for Khartoum: tracking Sudan’s war over two years

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Kagure Gacheche, Commissioning Editor, East Africa

    Sudan has been engulfed in brutal conflict since 15 April 2023, when tensions between the country’s two most powerful military factions erupted into civil war.

    The conflict stems from a long-standing power struggle over military control and integration. Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began in the capital, Khartoum, and quickly spread across the country. International efforts to broker peace since have largely failed.

    The conflict, which has been going on for two years now, has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian emergencies.

    An estimated 30 million Sudanese civilians are in need of aid. Brutal attacks, looting and destruction of infrastructure have become commonplace. Millions of people lack access to essential medical care. Food shortages and economic collapse have worsened the suffering.

    The war has also triggered a massive displacement crisis, with more than 14 million people forced to flee their homes. Many have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, while others remain trapped in dangerous conditions within Sudan.

    As the conflict drags on, the toll on Sudan’s people continues to grow. Estimates of those killed vary widely, from 20,000 to 62,000, but the actual figure could be much larger.

    With no clear resolution in sight, Sudan’s crisis is one of the most urgent and devastating conflicts in the world. At The Conversation Africa, we have worked with academics who have tracked the conflict since 2023.

    Weapons flow

    Early on, it was clear that both the Sudanese army and the paramilitary force had a sufficient supply of weapons to sustain a protracted conflict. The country was already awash with firearms. It is ranked second – after Egypt – among its regional neighbours in total firearms estimates. Khristopher Carlson, part of a research project tracking small arms and armed violence in Sudan, noted that the two Sudanese forces might have different fighting methods but were adequately equipped to trade fire. The army’s superiority was its air force and heavy arsenal on the ground. The paramilitary force relied on nimble mobile units equipped primarily with small and light weapons.



    Read more:
    Sudan is awash with weapons: how the two forces compare and what that means for the war

    External interference

    This proliferation of weapons has been compounded by financial and military support from external states. Various foreign players – Chad, Egypt, Iran, Libya, Qatar and Russia – have picked a side to support. However, the influence of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates has been particularly problematic. Political scientist Federico Donelli explained that the two nations viewed Sudan as a key nation because of its location. Following President Omar al-Bashir’s ouster in 2019, the two monarchies bet on different factions within Sudan’s security apparatus. This external support exacerbated internal competition. Riyadh maintained close ties with army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Abu Dhabi aligned itself with the head of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Dagalo, or Hemedti.



    Read more:
    Middle Eastern monarchies in Sudan’s war: what’s driving their interests

    Regional dynamics

    The support from international players in Sudan’s war has had a damaging effect on regional dynamics. The Sudanese army recently accused the United Arab Emirates of supplying the Rapid Support Forces with weapons through Chad. At a ceremony for an officer killed in a drone strike carried out by paramilitary forces, a senior army official said Chad’s airports would be “legitimate targets” should retaliatory action become necessary. This heightened the risk of a spillover of the Sudanese conflict. Sudan shares borders with seven countries in an unstable region, including Chad, South Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia. Economics professor and legal expert John Mukum Mbaku warned that a spillover of the fighting could devastate the region economically, socially and politically.



    Read more:
    Sudan’s conflict will have a ripple effect in an unstable region – and across the world

    Protecting civilians

    The conflict has put millions of civilians in Sudan in the crossfire. A UN report in September 2024 called for an independent force to protect civilians; Sudan’s officials rejected the proposal. However, peace talks have yet to achieve a lasting ceasefire. Sudan had a peacekeeping force between 2007 and 2020, followed by a UN-led political mission that exited in February 2024. Since then, there has been no security presence in Sudan responsible for protecting civilians. Peacekeeping researcher Jenna Russo noted the need for a regional or international peace force that could create “green zones”. This would help protect areas where displaced persons were sheltering and facilitate humanitarian aid.



    Read more:
    Sudan’s civilians urgently need protection: the options for international peacekeeping

    What’s been missing?

    High-level peace talks brokered by the African Union and the UN to negotiate a ceasefire have largely been unsuccessful, putting civilians at constant risk. Talks held in Switzerland and Jeddah have had little impact. Philipp Kastner, a peace scholar, highlighted that the countries hosting or supporting these talks were pursuing competing interests in Sudan, which affected their impartiality. Progress to negotiate an end to the war would be unlikely if external military support to the warring parties continued unabated. Civilians would continue to pay the price.



    Read more:
    Sudan at war: the art of peace talks and why they often fail

    – ref. The battle for Khartoum: tracking Sudan’s war over two years – https://theconversation.com/the-battle-for-khartoum-tracking-sudans-war-over-two-years-253242

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Sudan army takes back Khartoum: tracking the war over two years

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Kagure Gacheche, Commissioning Editor, East Africa

    Sudan has been engulfed in brutal conflict since 15 April 2023, when tensions between the country’s two most powerful military factions erupted into civil war.

    The conflict stems from a long-standing power struggle over military control and integration. Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began in the capital, Khartoum, and quickly spread across the country. International efforts to broker peace since have largely failed.

    The conflict, which has been going on for two years now, has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian emergencies.

    An estimated 30 million Sudanese civilians are in need of aid. Brutal attacks, looting and destruction of infrastructure have become commonplace. Millions of people lack access to essential medical care. Food shortages and economic collapse have worsened the suffering.

    The war has also triggered a massive displacement crisis, with more than 14 million people forced to flee their homes. Many have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, while others remain trapped in dangerous conditions within Sudan.

    As the conflict drags on, the toll on Sudan’s people continues to grow. Estimates of those killed vary widely, from 20,000 to 62,000, but the actual figure could be much larger.

    With no clear resolution in sight, Sudan’s crisis is one of the most urgent and devastating conflicts in the world. At The Conversation Africa, we have worked with academics who have tracked the conflict since 2023.

    Weapons flow

    Early on, it was clear that both the Sudanese army and the paramilitary force had a sufficient supply of weapons to sustain a protracted conflict. The country was already awash with firearms. It is ranked second – after Egypt – among its regional neighbours in total firearms estimates. Khristopher Carlson, part of a research project tracking small arms and armed violence in Sudan, noted that the two Sudanese forces might have different fighting methods but were adequately equipped to trade fire. The army’s superiority was its air force and heavy arsenal on the ground. The paramilitary force relied on nimble mobile units equipped primarily with small and light weapons.

    Read more: Sudan is awash with weapons: how the two forces compare and what that means for the war

    External interference

    This proliferation of weapons has been compounded by financial and military support from external states. Various foreign players – Chad, Egypt, Iran, Libya, Qatar and Russia – have picked a side to support. However, the influence of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates has been particularly problematic. Political scientist Federico Donelli explained that the two nations viewed Sudan as a key nation because of its location. Following President Omar al-Bashir’s ouster in 2019, the two monarchies bet on different factions within Sudan’s security apparatus. This external support exacerbated internal competition. Riyadh maintained close ties with army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Abu Dhabi aligned itself with the head of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Dagalo, or Hemedti.

    Read more: Middle Eastern monarchies in Sudan’s war: what’s driving their interests

    Regional dynamics

    The support from international players in Sudan’s war has had a damaging effect on regional dynamics. The Sudanese army recently accused the United Arab Emirates of supplying the Rapid Support Forces with weapons through Chad. At a ceremony for an officer killed in a drone strike carried out by paramilitary forces, a senior army official said Chad’s airports would be “legitimate targets” should retaliatory action become necessary. This heightened the risk of a spillover of the Sudanese conflict. Sudan shares borders with seven countries in an unstable region, including Chad, South Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia. Economics professor and legal expert John Mukum Mbaku warned that a spillover of the fighting could devastate the region economically, socially and politically.

    Read more: Sudan’s conflict will have a ripple effect in an unstable region – and across the world

    Protecting civilians

    The conflict has put millions of civilians in Sudan in the crossfire. A UN report in September 2024 called for an independent force to protect civilians; Sudan’s officials rejected the proposal. However, peace talks have yet to achieve a lasting ceasefire. Sudan had a peacekeeping force between 2007 and 2020, followed by a UN-led political mission that exited in February 2024. Since then, there has been no security presence in Sudan responsible for protecting civilians. Peacekeeping researcher Jenna Russo noted the need for a regional or international peace force that could create “green zones”. This would help protect areas where displaced persons were sheltering and facilitate humanitarian aid.

    Read more: Sudan’s civilians urgently need protection: the options for international peacekeeping

    What’s been missing?

    High-level peace talks brokered by the African Union and the UN to negotiate a ceasefire have largely been unsuccessful, putting civilians at constant risk. Talks held in Switzerland and Jeddah have had little impact. Philipp Kastner, a peace scholar, highlighted that the countries hosting or supporting these talks were pursuing competing interests in Sudan, which affected their impartiality. Progress to negotiate an end to the war would be unlikely if external military support to the warring parties continued unabated. Civilians would continue to pay the price.

    Read more: Sudan at war: the art of peace talks and why they often fail

    – Sudan army takes back Khartoum: tracking the war over two years
    – https://theconversation.com/sudan-army-takes-back-khartoum-tracking-the-war-over-two-years-253242

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: First fossil hyena tracks found in South Africa – how expert animal trackers helped

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Charles Helm, Research Associate, African Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience, Nelson Mandela University

    “The art of tracking may well be the origin of science.” This is the departure point for a 2013 book by Louis Liebenberg, co-founder of an organisation devoted to environmental monitoring.

    The connection between tracking in nature, as people have done since prehistory, and “western” science is of special interest to us as ichnologists. (Ichnology is the study of tracks and traces.) We learned our skills relatively late in life. But imagine if we had learned as children and if, as adults, we tracked as if our lives depended on it? What additional visual and cognitive talents would we bring to our field work as scientists?

    Our mission is to find and document the fossilised tracks and traces of creatures that existed during part of the Pleistocene Epoch, between 35,000 and 400,000 years ago, on the Cape coast of South Africa. Since 2008, through the Cape South Coast Ichnology project, based in the African Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience at Nelson Mandela University, more than 370 vertebrate tracksites have been identified. They have substantially complemented the traditional record of body fossils. Examples include trackways of giant tortoises and giraffe.

    Given the challenges inherent in identifying such tracks, we wondered how hunters who’ve been tracking all their lives would view our work, and how age-old indigenous expertise might align with our approach.

    Fortunately we could call on experts with these skills in southern Africa. The Ju/’hoansi (pronounced “Juun-kwasi”) San people of north-eastern Namibia are perhaps the last of southern Africa’s indigenous inhabitants who retain the full suite of their ancient environmental skills. The Nyae Nyae conservancy in which they live gives them access to at least some of their historical land with its remaining wildlife. They still engage in subsistence hunting with bow and poisoned arrow and gather food that’s growing wild.

    A handful among them have been recognised as Indigenous Master Tracker, a title created by Liebenberg’s CyberTracker initiative in recognition of their top-flight hunter-gatherer status. And so, late in 2023, the Master Trackers #oma (“Komma”) Daqm and /uce (“Tchu-shey”) Nǂamce arrived in Cape Town.

    /uce Nǂamce and #oma Daqm beside a Pleistocene vertebrate tracksite they had identified on an aeolianite slab (reproduced with permission of Richard Webb). Author provided (no reuse)

    We were not the first to think along these lines. Ju/’hoansi Master Trackers have assisted scientists in the interpretation of hominin tracksites in French caves, and prehistoric tracks in the rock art record in Namibia. However, we knew that our often poorly preserved tracksites in aeolianites (cemented dunes) might present a stiffer challenge.

    Our purpose was to compare our own interpretations of fossil trackways with those of the Master Trackers, and possibly find some we had overlooked. As we’ve set out in a recently published paper with the Ju/’hoansi trackers and our colleague Jan De Vynck as co-authors, they did exactly this, confirming the first fossil hyena trackway ever to be found.

    Swapping techniques

    The Late Pleistocene is not that far distant from the present (a mere 125,000 years), and many of the species that made tracks on the Cape south coast then are still with us. Some are extinct but have recognisable tracks, like the giant long-horned buffalo and giant Cape zebra.

    We knew, though, that tracking in Kalahari sand, like the Ju/’hoansi do, is not the same as tracking on Pleistocene rock surfaces. Many of our tracks are preserved on the undersides of ceilings and overhangs, or are evident in profile in cliff exposures. Our track-bearing surfaces are usually small, and present no associated signs. We can’t follow the spoor for any distance. We don’t know at what time of day the tracks were made or the role of dew, and we have never succeeded in actually tracking down our quarry. Coprolites – fossilised droppings – are seldom found conveniently beside the tracks of the depositor.

    We showed our new colleagues known fossil tracksites, without providing our own interpretations. #oma and /uce discussed these between themselves and presented their conclusions about what had made the tracks and how the animal had been behaving. We then shared our insights and our 3D photogrammetry data where applicable, and reached joint conclusions.

    Soon they were identifying freshly exposed tracksites without our input, and were providing fascinating, new interpretations for sites which had puzzled us. For example, they saw ostrich tracks which we had missed, beside ostrich egg remnants, and concluded that we were probably looking at a fossilised ostrich nest. On another occasion they pointed out the distinctive track pattern of a scrub hare on the hanging wall of an eroded piece of cliff.

    First fossilised hyena trackway

    One of the most memorable experiences involved a 400,000-year-old trackway on a rock surface at Dana Bay, identified a few years earlier by local geologists Aleck and Ilona Birch. This rock had only been transiently exposed for a few days in the past decade, usually being covered by beach sand.

    The rock containing the fossil hyena trackway was only exposed for a few days in the past decade (reproduced with permission from Aleck Birch). Author provided (no reuse)

    Our earlier interpretation had been that the trackmaker might have been a hyena, probably the brown hyena.

    We were vindicated when our master tracker colleagues independently reached the identical conclusion. Examining our digital 3D images together fortified our collective judgement.

    3D photogrammetry model of a portion of the hyena trackway, showing how the forefoot impressions are clearly larger than those of the hindfoot. Author provided (no reuse)

    This was a big deal: it was the first fossil hyena trackway to be confidently identified, as previous examples had involved only individual tracks or poorly preserved possible trackway segments. Hyena trackways are distinctive: the forefoot tracks are substantially larger than those of the hindfoot.

    Different ways of seeing

    Both of us are privileged to have university degrees and institutional affiliations. But there is another way in which acumen can be measured: the ability to use the ancient methods of discernment and pattern recognition to support and feed one’s family and community through tracking, hunting and gathering.

    What we have demonstrated, we believe, is a novel confluence of old and new ways to reveal fascinating features of the past. We use geological understanding, satellite technology, paleontological databases, tracking manuals and sophisticated dating methods. But hunter-gatherers see what escapes us and our drones: obscure strokes and enigmatic configurations on time-beaten surfaces. They tap an alternative knowledge base, both culturally received and cultivated from childhood.

    The follow-through challenge must be to develop this partnership for mutual discovery and reward, understanding the past to better equip us for our uncertain future.

    – First fossil hyena tracks found in South Africa – how expert animal trackers helped
    – https://theconversation.com/first-fossil-hyena-tracks-found-in-south-africa-how-expert-animal-trackers-helped-251377

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese premier meets French FM

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

    BEIJING, March 27 — Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Thursday in Beijing.

    In the current international situation, China and France — as independent, mature and responsible major countries — should strengthen communication and coordination to inject more stability and certainty into the common development of the two countries and the world, Li said.

    He said China is willing to work with France to follow the strategic guidance of their two heads of state, maintain close high-level exchanges, expand mutually-beneficial cooperation, and strengthen multilateral coordination on issues including climate change response to bring more benefits to the two peoples and the world.

    Li noted that as staunch defenders of free trade and multilateralism, China and France, with closely intertwined economic interests, should work together to resist protectionism and unilateralism, continue strengthening cooperation with an open attitude, and give full play to their complementary advantages to add impetus to the economic development of the two countries continuously.

    China has always regarded France as an important cooperation partner and stands ready to work with the country. While strengthening long-standing cooperation on aviation, aerospace and nuclear energy, they should continuously tap into cooperation potential in emerging and future industries such as the digital economy, artificial intelligence and biotechnology to foster and strengthen new economic drivers, Li said.

    China hopes that France will create a fair, equitable and predictable development environment for Chinese enterprises investing in the country, he added.

    This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the EU. China is ready to use this as an opportunity to deepen bilateral relations, and address concerns through dialogue and consultation on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefits, Li said, expressing the hope that France will play a positive role in this regard.

    Barrot said that in the face of increasing uncertainties in today’s world, France and China — as permanent members of the UN Security Council — should shoulder their important, joint responsibility of safeguarding multilateralism.

    France attaches great importance to its relations with China and is willing to work with China to actively implement the important consensus reached by their two heads of state, expand mutually beneficial cooperation in such fields as trade, investment, science and technology, and to tackle climate change and other global challenges, Barrot said.

    France always adheres to strategic independence, and opposes trade protectionism and trade wars. France supports the EU and China strengthening dialogue and cooperation in the economic and trade fields, addressing the concerns of both sides in a proper manner, and exploring more positive agendas, he said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: A key event in the world of sociology: the XV International Grushin Conference has started at the State University of Management

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    On March 27, the State University of Management hosted the opening of the XV International Grushin Sociological Conference, held by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM).

    The main theme of the anniversary conference is “Human-centredness vs. socio-centredness: individualization and interaction in the modern world.”

    The event is attended by representatives of leading research organizations, universities, government bodies and business structures. In total, more than 1,500 people have registered for the three days of the event.

    The meeting was opened by the General Director of VTsIOM, Valery Fedorov.

    “Our conference has been held regularly since 2010, even the pandemic did not stop us from meeting, albeit online. This year, more than 1,500 people will participate both in person and remotely – this is the core of our community. The Grushin Conference is one of the key events in the field of sociology, we are supported by many opinion leaders and universities. This year, we are at the GUU for the first time and we sincerely thank the university team for the excellent organization,” said Valery Fedorov.

    The rector of the State University of Management, Vladimir Stroev, gave a welcoming speech.

    “It is a great honor for our university to host the anniversary sociological conference. We train young specialists in various fields, including sociologists, and attach great importance to this science. The State University of Management has its own sociological center, where employees and students conduct various studies related to internal and external processes. Also, the Center for Sociological Research “14-35″ operates on the basis of our university. By the way, our active participation in sociological research began with the suggestion of VTsIOM, when we began working on a joint study of student life, interests and moods of young people. Since then, we have been closely interacting in the field of sociology,” Vladimir Vitalyevich noted.

    Also taking part in the plenary session were futurologist, transhumanist, representative of the Russian transhumanist movement, the NeuroCode project Danila Medvedev, expert in creative industries, designer of the social environment, strategist-urbanist of the Artemy Lebedev Studio Oleg Pitetsky, director of the School of Anthropology of the Future of the Presidential Academy of RANEPA, scientific director of the Academy for the Development of Human Potential of SberUniversity Alexander Asmolov, first vice-rector of the National Research University Higher School of Economics Vadim Radaev, scientific director of the ZIRCON Research Group Igor Zadorin and head of the department of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation for monitoring and analysis of social processes Andrei Demin.

    The experts discussed the development of approaches to the role of man in society, the formation of social design, the historical influence of different eras on the attitude towards man and development priorities, as well as the adoption of human-centrism as a standard of behavior for business and the state.

    After the plenary session, the work continued in thematic sections, which examined a wide range of topics, from integration processes among young people and training personnel for the research industry to the impact of neural networks on all spheres of life and the possibilities of using artificial intelligence.

    The conference’s general information partner TASS held a section, the participants of which discussed the directions of media development in the modern world and whether the media will be able to once again unite society, form a cultural code and the civil identity of Russians.

    Let us recall that the XV International Grushinskaya Sociological Conference is being held from March 27 to 28 on the territory of the State University of Management, and on March 29 the event will continue online. You can register for the third day of the conference and find out more about the program on its official website.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 03/27/2025

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Ecological disruptions are a risk to national security

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Bradley J. Cardinale, Professor, Ecosystem Science and Management, Penn State

    Illegal deforestation is one way terrorist groups fund their activities. Amaury Falt-Brown/AFP via Getty Images

    When the natural environment is stretched beyond its ability to meet basic human needs for food, clean air, drinkable water and shelter, it is not just a humanitarian concern for the world community. Research shows that these crises are a matter of national security for the U.S. and other countries.

    The Pentagon and the U.S. intelligence community have long paid close attention to the influence of climate change on national security. Although recent intelligence reports of the Trump administration have omitted any mention of climate change, prior intelligence reports have shown how climate change can generate flash points for global conflict, affect how troops and equipment work, and influence which defense locations are vulnerable.

    The effects of ecological disruptions on national security get less attention. But they, too, can cause social and political instability, economic strife and strained international relations. Ecological disruptions occur when ecosystems that provide natural resources are compromised and can no longer meet basic human needs. Examples include overfishing, human disease and environmental crime.

    Protecting access to fish

    Some 3.2 billion people worldwide rely on fisheries as a major source of protein. Overexploitation of ocean fisheries is a common root of international conflict.

    From the 1950s to the 1970s, intermittent conflict broke out between British and Icelandic fishermen over the Icelandic cod fisheries, which had been depleted by overfishing. The Icelandic government sought to ban British trawlers from a broader area around the country’s coast, but the British continued to fish. The result was standoffs between fishing boats and Icelandic gunboats, and even the intervention of the British Royal Navy.

    These “Cod Wars” broke diplomatic relations between Iceland and the United Kingdom for a time. Iceland even threatened to withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and close a U.S. military base in Iceland. The U.K. ultimately agreed to abide by a 200-mile territorial limit on fishing around Iceland. Decades later, in 2012, the British government issued an apology and offered £1,000 each in compensation to 2,500 British fishermen for the loss of jobs and livelihoods that resulted from abiding by the 200-mile limit.

    More recently, China’s rampant overfishing of its own coastal waters has meant expanding fishing in the South China Sea and using fishing fleets to assert new territorial claims. Indonesia has responded by blowing up more than 40 Chinese vessels accused of fishing illegally in its waters and stealing more than US$4 billion per year in Indonesian profits.

    The United States, Australia, New Zealand and Britain have stepped up naval patrols against illegal fishing in the waters of Pacific island nations. Conflicts have arisen with Chinese coast guard vessels that routinely escort fishing fleets entering other countries’ waters without permission.

    China’s fishing fleets have also expanded their activities off the coasts of Africa and South America, depleting fish stocks and creating political instability in those regions, too. In 2024, the U.S. Coast Guard and Argentine navy began joint exercises to combat illegal Chinese fishing in the Atlantic Ocean.

    Public health crises

    The best-known examples of ecologically related public health crises that jeopardize national security involve what are called zoonotic diseases, which spread from animals to humans as a result of close contact between people and wildlife. More than 70% of the world’s emerging infectious diseases – uncommon or newly identified infectious diseases – stem from contact with wild animals.

    The risks of animal-to-human disease transmission are especially high for those who handle or eat wild meat.

    A recent example is the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 global pandemic. Epidemiological and genetic studies suggest that SARS-CoV-2 first spilled over to humans from wild animals sold in the Huanan live animal market in Wuhan, China. Although the specific animal that served as the original host is still under investigation, bats and other mammals are considered likely natural reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2 because they harbor other coronaviruses with closely related genomes.

    Following the zoonotic spillover event, the pathogen spread rapidly across the globe, killing more than 7 million people and causing acute disruptions not only to global markets and supply chains but also to social cohesion and political stability. Countries with high COVID-19 mortality rates had elevated levels of civil disorder and fatalities caused by political violence as the trust of citizens in the ability of governments to protect them eroded.

    Many other zoonotic diseases caused by human-wildlife contact, such as Zika, Ebola, SARS and West Nile virus, have similarly generated international political and economic crises that have activated security measures within the U.S. government.

    Environmental crime

    International Anti-Poaching Foundation rangers, seen here demonstrating a patrol in Zimbabwe, seek to protect natural resources from criminals.
    Gianluigi Guercia/AFP via Getty Images

    Illegal poaching and trade of wildlife and forest products is valued at $91 billion to $258 billion per year. That makes environmental crime one of the world’s largest crime sectors, comparable with drug trafficking, at $344 billion, and human trafficking, at $157 billion.

    Exorbitant black market prices for rare wildlife specimens and body parts provide funding for terrorist groups, drug cartels and criminal organizations.

    Illegal logging helps finance terrorist groups such as Al-Shabaab in Somalia, where trade in charcoal has become a critical revenue source. Money from illegally cut trees turned into charcoal and sold to markets in the Middle East has funded al-Shabab-linked suicide bombings in Mogadishu, the 2013 Westgate mall attack in Nairobi that killed 67 Kenyan and non-Kenyan nationals, and the 2015 massacre of 147 university students in Garissa, Kenya.

    Those and other terrorist activities funded through environmental crime have contributed to the destabilization of countries throughout the Horn of Africa.

    These examples make clear how ecological disruptions to nature increase national security risks.

    National security is not just a matter of military strength. It also depends on the ability of a nation to maintain productive and stable ecosystems, resilient biological communities and sustainable access to natural resources. Sovereign nations already develop and protect physical infrastructure that is essential to security, such as roads, communication networks and power grids. The natural world plays an equally vital role in social and political stability and, we believe, deserves more attention in planning for national security.

    Bradley J. Cardinale has received funding from the US National Science Foundation, US Department of Energy, US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and US Department of Agriculture.

    Emmett Duffy has received funding from the US National Science Foundation, US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Lenfest Ocean Program.

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

    – ref. Ecological disruptions are a risk to national security – https://theconversation.com/ecological-disruptions-are-a-risk-to-national-security-248754

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Wild marmots’ social networks reveal controversial evolutionary theory in action

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Conner Philson, Executive Director, UCSB Natural Reserve System, University of California, Santa Barbara

    A small group of wild yellow-bellied marmots near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Colorado. D.T. Blumstein

    It probably feels obvious that having a close friend can influence your well-being. But do the groups that you’re a part of also affect your well-being? For example, does the culture of your work colleagues influence your productivity?

    It may seem like the answer is also an obvious “yes.” But the idea that a group’s composition or structure can affect the individuals in it has been among the most controversial ideas in biology.

    This phenomenon, called multilevel selection, is an extension of natural selection: the process by which organisms with traits better suited to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. Over generations, these advantageous traits – behavioral, morphological or physiological – become more common in the population.

    In the traditional view of how evolution works, natural selection acts on an individual organism’s traits. For instance, mammals with more friends typically live longer lives and have more offspring. The trait under selection in this case is the number of social connections.

    Multilevel selection proposes that at the same time selection is happening on the traits of individuals, selection also acts on the traits of groups. Here’s an example: Living in a more social and interconnected group may be beneficial for the members of that group, meaning the group’s traits are under selection. In nature, this means individuals in well-connected groups may live longer lives and have more offspring because well-connected groups may be better at finding limited resources or detecting predators. The traits of the group as a whole are what’s under selection in this case.

    Multilevel selection could even select for traits that seem at odds at the individual and group levels. For instance, it could mean that selection favors individuals that are more reserved while at the same time favoring groups that are very social, or vice versa.

    Multilevel selection has been a controversial idea since Charles Darwin first suggested that groups likely affect individuals in his 1871 book “The Descent of Man.”

    The only evidence for multilevel selection acting simultaneously on individuals’ social relationships and on social groups comes from laboratory experiments. Experiments like these are vital to the scientific process, but without evidence for multilevel selection in wild animals, the 154-year-old debate rages on. As two field biologists interested in the evolution of behavior, we investigated multilevel selection in the wild by studying yellow-bellied marmots.

    Our newly published study provides support for this contested concept, suggesting that the structure of the groups marmots are members of may matter for survival just as much as, if not more than, the friendly one-on-one relationships they have with other marmots.

    Conner Philson observing the marmots’ social behavior.
    G. Johnson

    Spying on marmots’ social lives

    It’s taken a century and a half to answer the question of multilevel selection because you need an incredible amount of data to have an adequate sample size to address it.

    Scientists at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Crested Butte, Colorado, have been studying the marmots nearby since 1962. This research is the second-longest study of individually identifiable wild mammals in the world.

    Each year, the team ensures that all marmots are individually marked. We trap them so we can give them unique ear tags and paint a mark on their back that lets us identify them from afar. Then trained “marmoteers,” as we call them, spend about 1,000 hours a year watching these chunky cat-sized rodents through binoculars and spotting scopes.

    Since 2003, the team has paid particular attention to the marmots’ social interactions and relationships. Our analysis of multilevel selection was based on 42,369 unique affiliative social interactions – behaviors such as playing and grooming – between 1,294 individuals from 180 social groups, with group sizes ranging from two to 35 marmots. We also tracked how long marmots lived – up to 16 years in some cases – and how many offspring individual animals had each year.

    Using this data, we mapped out the marmots’ social networks. Our goal was to identify how many social relationships each marmot had, who was connected to whom, and the overall structure of each group.

    From year to year, marmots formed different small social networks, connecting with various other individuals.
    Maldonado-Chaparro et al, Behavioral Ecology, 2015.

    Understanding all these marmot connections let us ask two crucial questions. First, how do social relationships affect individual survival and reproduction – that is, what individual traits are under selection? Second, how do social groups affect individual survival and reproduction – in other words, what group traits are under selection?

    Importantly, we didn’t ask these two questions in isolation – we asked them at the same time. After all, marmots are influenced simultaneously by both their social relationships and the social groups they’re part of. Our statistical approach, which researchers call contextual analysis, tells us how much social relationships and social groups matter relative to each other.

    New evidence changes the debate

    It can be tricky to distinguish how group-level selection differs from traditional individual-level selection. It’s like a more complex version of thinking about the relationships that affect an individual. Instead of just your own behavior affecting you, your group – a product of many individuals – is affecting you.

    Our new analysis shows that there is indeed multilevel selection for social behavior in the wild. We found that not only do both social relationships and social groups affect individual animals’ survival and reproduction, but social groups matter just as much, if not more. We calculated the selection gradient, a measure of how strong the selection is on a trait, to be 0.76 for individual traits, while for group traits it was 1.03.

    Four juvenile yellow-bellied marmots play together.
    D.T. Blumstein

    Interestingly, the type of impact on survival and reproduction wasn’t always the same across the two levels. In some cases, selection favored marmots with fewer social relationships while favoring marmots living in more social and connected groups. In human terms, think of an introvert at a really bustling party.

    Evolution and multilevel selection are complex natural processes, so these types of complicated findings are not unexpected.

    Multilevel selection is relevant for human groups, too, which come in many forms, whether friend groups, local communities, businesses we frequent or work at, economies or even entire nations. Our marmot study suggests it’s not uniquely human for groups at every level to have consequences for individual success.

    This work was supported by the UCLA, American Society of Mammalogists, Animal Behaviour Society, Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the University of Ottawa, National Geographic Society, and the U.S. National Science Foundation.

    Daniel T. Blumstein received funding from UCLA, the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL), the National Geographic Society, and the U.S. National Science Foundation. He is the President of the Board of Trustees at the RMBL where the research was conducted.

    – ref. Wild marmots’ social networks reveal controversial evolutionary theory in action – https://theconversation.com/wild-marmots-social-networks-reveal-controversial-evolutionary-theory-in-action-252710

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI China: View of Ming’antu observing station in China’s Inner Mongolia

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

    View of Ming’antu observing station in China’s Inner Mongolia

    Updated: March 27, 2025 20:47 Xinhua
    An aerial drone photo taken on March 25, 2025 shows the monitoring facilities of the second phase of the Chinese Meridian Project at the Ming’antu observing station of the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Zhengxiangbai Banner, Xilin Gol League, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An aerial drone photo taken on March 25, 2025 shows the monitoring facilities of the second phase of the Chinese Meridian Project at the Ming’antu observing station of the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Zhengxiangbai Banner, Xilin Gol League, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [Photo/Xinhua]
    This photo taken on March 24, 2025 shows the antennae for the Chinese Spectral Radioheliograph (CSRH), an imaging telescope array, at the Ming’antu observing station of the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Zhengxiangbai Banner, Xilin Gol League, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An aerial drone photo taken on March 25, 2025 shows the monitoring facilities of the second phase of the Chinese Meridian Project at the Ming’antu observing station of the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Zhengxiangbai Banner, Xilin Gol League, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [Photo/Xinhua]
    This photo taken on March 24, 2025 shows the antennae for the Chinese Spectral Radioheliograph (CSRH), an imaging telescope array, at the Ming’antu observing station of the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Zhengxiangbai Banner, Xilin Gol League, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [Photo/Xinhua]
    This photo taken on March 24, 2025 shows the monitoring facilities of the second phase of the Chinese Meridian Project at the Ming’antu observing station of the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Zhengxiangbai Banner, Xilin Gol League, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [Photo/Xinhua]
    This photo taken on March 24, 2025 shows the Ming’antu observing station of the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Zhengxiangbai Banner, Xilin Gol League, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI: Haivision Unveils Falkon X2: Pushing the Boundaries of 5G Video Transmission for Live Broadcasting

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MONTREAL, March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Haivision (TSX:HAI), a leading global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and visual collaboration solutions, proudly introduces Falkon X2, the game-changing 5G mobile video transmitter that pushes the boundaries of live broadcast contribution with pristine 4K UHD video, ultra-low latency, and maximum portability.

    Designed for broadcasters who thrive on delivering the highest-quality live coverage of sports, breaking news, and events from even the most remote corners of the globe, Falkon X2 sets a new standard for reliability, versatility, and innovation in live production. Dual-modem, quad-antenna 5G technology with state-of-the-art 2×2 MIMO support ensures seamless connectivity, long range, and maximum efficiency, even under challenging conditions.

    From its sleek, lightweight design to its intuitive touchscreen interface, Falkon X2 is engineered with field teams in mind—making live streaming easier, faster, and incredibly dynamic. Whether camera-mounted or carried in a backpack, this cutting-edge transmitter liberates storytellers to focus on the action with full freedom of movement, while its integrated rechargeable battery supports hours of uninterrupted transmission.

    Beyond portability, Falkon X2 redefines operational efficiency with remote management, enabling master control teams to take the reins from anywhere, while on-site broadcasters focus on capturing the moments that matter most. And with capabilities like 4:2:2 10-bit HDR video and both SDI and HDMI inputs, Falkon X2 is set to empower visual storytelling in its most vivid and engaging form.

    “We are thrilled to introduce the Falkon X2, which sets a new standard in live video transmission over bonded cellular,” said Jean-Marc Racine, Chief Product Officer at Haivision. “With the Falkon X2, broadcasters now have a highly efficient solution to deliver pristine live video over any network while maximizing the benefits of the latest 5G infrastructure. These products embody our commitment to innovation and excellence for live video contribution over any network.”

    The key advantages of Haivision Falkon X2:

    • Ultra-low latency live transmission: Send live video over cellular networks, including public and private 5G.
    • Pristine quality video: Up to 4K/UHD resolutions and 4:2:2 10-bit color precision.
    • Easy to use: Built-in touchscreen user interface and responsive, browser UI for computer or mobile device.
    • Built for mobility: Lightweight design supporting HEVC and H.264 encoding. Portable and camera-mountable with internal battery.
    • Advanced feature-rich, capabilities: Recording and file forwarding for when live streaming is not possible. Intercom, video returns, and data bridge to facilitate communications with field teams.
    • Total production freedom: Remote cloud controls and built-in user-friendly interfaces.

    Come see Haivision and Falkon X2 at the 2025 NAB Show and experience how you can take your live broadcasts to another level. See the Haivision website for more information or book a one-on-one meeting with a Haivision video expert at NAB here: haivision.com/events/nab-2025/.

    About Haivision

    Haivision is a leading global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and visual collaboration solutions. Our connected cloud and intelligent edge technologies enable organizations globally to engage audiences, enhance collaboration, and support decision-making. We provide high-quality, low-latency, secure, and reliable live video at a global scale. Haivision open-sourced its award-winning SRT low-latency video streaming protocol and founded the SRT Alliance to support its adoption. Awarded four Emmys® for Technology and Engineering from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Haivision continues to fuel the future of IP video transformation. Founded in 2004, Haivision is headquartered in Montreal and Chicago with offices, sales, and support located throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. To learn more, visit Haivision at www.haivision.com.

    Jennifer Gazin
    514.334.5445 ext 8309
    jgazin@haivision.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: GCM Grosvenor Hires Martin Laguerre as Co-Head of Global Diversified Private Equity

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GCM Grosvenor, a global alternative asset management solutions provider, today announced the hiring of Martin Laguerre as Co-Head of Global Diversified Private Equity. Mr. Laguerre brings 25 years of investment experience spanning private equity, capital solutions, and infrastructure, with a strong track record of direct deal execution, portfolio management, and capital allocation across global markets. In his new role, he will serve as co-head alongside Bernard Yancovich, who also leads the firm’s diversified private equity practice.

    Mr. Laguerre most recently served as a Senior Advisor at Warburg Pincus. Prior to Warburg Pincus, he was Global Head of Private Equity and Capital Solutions at Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), where he led a global team overseeing a C$55 billion portfolio of private markets investments.

    Mr. Laguerre also held investment and leadership roles at CPP Investments and General Electric. He began his career in investment banking roles with DLJ/Credit Suisse and Lehman Brothers.

    “We are thrilled to welcome Martin to the firm and our investments leadership team,” said Fred Pollock, Chief Investment Officer at GCM Grosvenor. “His deep global alternative investment expertise and understanding of institutional investor priorities will strengthen our private equity platform. Martin’s leadership will play a key role in enhancing our ability to deliver solutions for our clients.”

    At GCM Grosvenor, Mr. Laguerre will focus on enhancing the firm’s three-decade legacy of private equity investing, leveraging the firm’s deep sourcing network. The firm currently has $30 billion of assets under management in private equity.

    “I am eager to join GCM Grosvenor and collaborate with its talented investment team,” said Martin Laguerre. “The firm’s deep expertise in private markets and its commitment to delivering strong investment outcomes for clients make this an exciting opportunity. I look forward to contributing to its continued success.”

    Mr. Laguerre holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and Management Science from McGill University, the Chartered Financial Analyst© designation from the CFA Institute and an MBA in Finance and International Business from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago.

    About GCM Grosvenor 

    GCM Grosvenor (Nasdaq: GCMG) is a global alternative asset management solutions provider with approximately $80 billion in assets under management across private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and absolute return investment strategies. The firm has specialized in alternatives for more than 50 years and is dedicated to delivering value for clients by leveraging its cross-asset class and flexible investment platform. 

    GCM Grosvenor’s experienced team of approximately 550 professionals serves a global client base of institutional and individual investors. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, with offices in New York, Toronto, London, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul and Sydney. For more information, visit: gcmgrosvenor.com. 

    Media Contact 
    Tom Johnson and Abigail Ruck 
    H/Advisors Abernathy 
    tom.johnson@h-advisors.global / abigail.ruck@h-advisors.global 
    212-371-5999 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: GeoRedox Announces New Stimulated Geologic Hydrogen Approach and Strategic Partnership with Sage Geosystems

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BOSTON, March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GeoRedox Corporation (GeoRedox) announced today it’s launching its Advanced Weathering Enhancement (AWE) technology to produce stimulated geologic hydrogen (SGH) at low-cost and at scale. Additionally, the company announced a new partnership with Sage Geosystems (Sage) to cooperate in the design, construction, and operation of an advanced field demonstration to produce SGH and to collaborate in future production projects. The partnership will include sharing of related technical expertise, data, and resources necessary for project planning and implementation.

    This effort builds on recent progress created by discoveries around the world of sizable deposits of geologic hydrogen that have accumulated in the earth’s crust through naturally occurring processes. Using advanced drilling and subsurface engineering techniques adapted from the oil and gas industry in combination with GeoRedox’s AWE technology, the collaboration with Sage seeks to accelerate those processes in much more widely distributed source rocks. The approach has the potential to enable the production of ultra-low-cost, carbon-free geologic hydrogen close to existing industrial hydrogen markets, and to provide hydrogen at large-scale carbon-free liquid fuel production in the future.

    According to ARPA-E, U.S. Department of Energy, while the supply of naturally accumulating hydrogen, in and of itself, can enhance the U.S. energy economy, reduced iron minerals within the Earth’s crust have the theoretical potential to produce even more hydrogen from reactions within the subsurface. Using stimulated mineralogical processes could yield larger quantities of hydrogen than what are produced naturally. Thus, engineering the production of subsurface hydrogen could yield a substantial source of clean energy.

    “This collaboration brings together unmatched breadth and depth of experience in geoscience and advanced subsurface engineering to make stimulated geologic hydrogen a reality,” said GeoRedox President Robert Stoner. “Our demonstration project will simultaneously validate our geochemical and thermodynamic models and at the same time show that we can deliver commercially compelling outcomes in real-world settings. We expect our hydrogen to compete unsubsidized in the 100-megaton existing global hydrogen market – and that’s just a beginning.”

    “Stimulated geologic hydrogen represents a new use case for the cutting-edge technologies we’ve developed at Sage,” said Cindy Taff, CEO of Sage. “Our work with GeoRedox positions Sage on the ground floor of a new global opportunity that we expect to grow alongside our Pressure Geothermal businesses.”

    GeoRedox’s partnership with Sage to develop stimulated geologic hydrogen signals a significant step forward in the use of subsurface knowledge and resources to create a secure new global energy economy.

    Construction of the field demonstration site is expected to begin in 2026.

    About GeoRedox Corporation
    GeoRedox Corporation is a Boston-based early-stage technology developer founded in 2024 by a group of scientists and engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) based in Boston, Massachusetts. It has developed proprietary technology for producing ultralow cost stimulated geologic hydrogen from a wide variety of rocks and formations. For more information, visit www.georedox.com.

    About Sage Geosystems
    Sage Geosystems is a leader in the next-generation geothermal industry, pioneering the use of Pressure Geothermal. Pressure Geothermal leverages both the heat and the pressure of the earth to enable three applications: energy storage, power generation and district heating. Sage is enabling geothermal to be deployable globally. For more information, visit www.sagegeosystems.com

    Contact: 
    Marjorie Bonga
    marjorie@teamsilverline.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Catapult Launches Vector 8 – The Future of Athlete Monitoring

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Boston, MA, March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Catapult (ASX:CAT), the global leader in sports technology for professional teams, announced today the launch of Vector 8—representing a significant leap forward in athlete performance monitoring. Vector 8 empowers teams to make precise, real-time decisions through an unprecedented live experience, streamline operations with faster, more efficient workflows, and gain clearer insights into athlete performance through a completely reimagined user experience.

    The Vector 8 athlete monitoring system features a state-of-the-art wearable device powered by the most advanced microprocessors and inertial sensors in sport, the fastest and most computationally powerful smart dock ever built, and a receiver/relay network that delivers unmatched athlete and area coverage—supporting up to 120 athletes across a 400 x 400 meter field.

    “Vector 8 is the result of years of relentless innovation by our world-class team of data scientists, engineers, and sports scientists. This breakthrough represents a new era in athlete monitoring—delivering unmatched speed, precision, and usability. We’ve built a solution that not only saves teams significant time but fundamentally enhances their ability to make smarter, faster decisions in the moments that matter most,” said Matt Bairos, Chief Product Officer, Catapult. 

    Key benefits of Vector 8:

    • Speed: Accelerated insights and substantial time savings. A direct-to-cloud connection allows coaches to upload and analyze massive datasets up to 20x faster than previous solutions. Coaching staff can simultaneously view, edit, and analyze reports across multiple users and devices in real time.
    • Efficiency: Teams will spend less time managing data and more time coaching athletes. IoT-powered system management eliminates operational overhead, while pre-generated reports are available immediately after each session—allowing coaches to begin analysis the moment they leave the field. Vector 8’s open platform seamlessly integrates third-party biometric sensors into the Catapult performance ecosystem. By leveraging its robust infrastructure, Vector 8 streamlines data capture and enhances the depth of real-time analysis, empowering teams with more efficient workflows and richer performance insights.
    • Real-Time Decisions: Coaches can assess athlete performance the moment it happens, powered by a live engine that delivers AI-driven, sport-specific data in any environment. With centimeter-level accurate GPS, built-in two-way (device-to-device) communication, and automatic cloud integration with Catapult’s Pro Video suite during games and training, Vector 8 provides the clearest picture of athlete performance and readiness to date—enabling coaches to deliver immediate, informed feedback to their athletes.

    Catapult Vector 8 will be available for American Football teams beginning April 2025, rolling out for all major sports through the 2025 season. For more information, visit www.catapult.com/vector8.    

    About Catapult 

    Catapult exists to unleash the potential of every athlete and team on earth. Operating at the intersection of sports science and analytics, Catapult products are designed to optimize performance, avoid injury, and improve return to play. Catapult works with more than 4,400 elite teams in over 40 sports across more than 100 countries globally. To learn more about Catapult or to inquire about accessing performance analytics for a team or athlete, visit us at catapult.com. Follow us at @CatapultSports on social media for daily updates.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Plymouth City Council and Homes England launch new City Centre Vision

    Source: City of Plymouth

    Vision outlines shared ambition to provide 10,000 new homes in the city centre 

    Plymouth’s city centre could see up to 10,000 new homes built over the next decade as part of a new working relationship with Homes England.

    The Council and Homes England have produced a new ‘Plymouth City Centre Vision’ which sets out a shared ambition to provide 10,000 new homes in the city centre and surrounding area.

    The vision recognises that there will be around £4.4 billion of Government investment in HM Naval Base Devonport over the next 10 years and that this will stimulate the demand for new homes, with Babcock requiring 5,500 new employees and a further 2,000 construction jobs being created in the Dockyard.

    It also recognises that Plymouth’s city centre currently has a very low level of housing with only 1,000 homes, compared to 8,000 homes for typical cities of Plymouth’s size.

    Council Leader Tudor Evans said: “This is huge and very, very exciting. We have talked about creating more homes in the city centre for a few years now, but this will help catapult words and plans into bricks, mortar and homes.

    “The regeneration of the city centre has a major role to play in supporting the Growth Alliance Plymouth programme to deliver new housing, new skills provision and, through regeneration, to transform perceptions of the city centre.

    “We have been working with Homes England to establish Plymouth as a priority place for investment and to bring forward plans to deliver 10,000 new homes as part of a “new town in the city”. We have a memorandum of understanding that describes the strategic objectives of our partnership, including the exploration of a potential joint venture.”

    The aim is to establish a new residential core in the city centre to stimulate market activity and maximise public and private investment to deliver transformational change, which will address the current housing shortage as well as deliver new homes for new workers.

    Eamonn Boylan, Homes England Chief Executive, said: “The partnership between Plymouth City Council and Homes England is a brilliant example of how the public sector can unite to promote and accelerate housing delivery. The Agency will work with the council and other key stakeholders in the Growth Alliance Plymouth programme to bring forward ambitious development plans, including a shared a vision for up to 12,000 new homes across a prioritised pipeline of sites.”

    Steve Hughes, Chief Executive of the Plymouth City Centre Company, said: “This is great news and yet another sign of growing confidence in our city centre which is definitely on the up.”

    The announcement has also been welcomed by members of the Growth Alliance Plymouth (GAP), the partnership established last year between Babcock, The Royal Navy and City Council to work across the city with Government to put in place the infrastructure, workforce and support for the wider business ecosystem to drive inclusive growth and address housing shortages and entice relocation of skilled workforces to the area.

    John Gane, Managing Director for Babcock’s Devonport site, said: “As a core partner of Growth Alliance Plymouth (GAP), Babcock, working alongside the Royal Navy and Plymouth City Council, is helping to optimise the city’s growth potential and drive regeneration, ensuring Plymouth is an attractive and prosperous city for people to live and work in. We are serious about the future of Plymouth and securing bids such as the Homes England investment, it is already clear the extent of influence this GAP partnership can have.”

    The Council has a successful track record of working with Homes England on projects including major estate regeneration schemes such as North Prospect and Barne Barton, as well as forward funding of land assembly for projects like Bath Street and the West End. This partnership will bring together the land, funding and expertise of both organisations, as well as seeking private sector partner(s) to deliver residential and commercial projects that build on the many successful projects that the Council has completed, such as the Box, the Barcode and the ongoing investment in Armada Way.

    Homes England has identified Plymouth as one of a number of priority places where it will work particularly closely with partners to transform struggling town centres into vibrant neighbourhoods with homes, jobs, leisure facilities and new public realm.

    Homes England’s Board and Executive visited Plymouth in November 2024 to see first-hand the scale of investment being made in the Dockyard and the opportunities for housing delivery in the city centre.

    Further work will now be carried out by the Council and Homes England on the detail of how and where these homes could be and what infrastructure would be required to support their delivery.

    The Council and Homes England have strengthened their partnership in the last 18 months, setting up a strategic regeneration and infrastructure board, and combining resources to produce a delivery plan that aims to deliver up to 12,000 new homes across the city and other parts of the city over a 15-year period. This includes exploring new models of partnership and co-investment that will unlock and accelerate housing delivery.

    Homes England and Plymouth City Council are also collaborating on the Civic Centre. The project will see the creation of the new City College Plymouth’s Blue Green Skills Hub within the basement, ground and first floor of the Civic Centre. This will deliver 60 new courses to 2,000 students.

    Councillor Tudor Evans said: “The Civic Centre is an iconic building and its transformation will signal confidence to the wider market that Plymouth is serious about regeneration.

    “This is a large and complex project – perhaps the biggest we have delivered and is only possible due to the commitment of some of our key City partners. We are enormously grateful to all who believe in us, believe in this scheme and believe in Plymouth.”

    Part of Homes England’s role is to introduce potential development partners who have a track record of delivering high quality residential projects. The Council has already had discussions with a number of these partners about the role that they might play in the delivery of new homes across Plymouth city centre.

    Last March, Cabinet agreed to enter into an agreement to lease with City College Plymouth, allocate £8.5m Levelling Up Fund grant and the purchase of the building from Urban Splash for £1.

    The project to refurbish the Civic Centre has also benefitted from grant funding from the Future High Streets Fund. Now, subject to approvals, additional grant funding is under consideration by Homes England to help complete the transformation.

    The Council and College are progressing design proposals, including workshop space in the basement, teaching space on the ground and first floors of the north and south block and public-facing spaces.

    The Civic Centre has planning consent for 144 apartments in the tower and a range of commercial space in the podium, with parking and plant in the basement. The consent includes demolishing some of the 1970s extensions on the west side of the building. City College is looking to take all of the commercial space and the changes to the existing consent means a new planning application will need to be submitted.

    Jackie Grubb, Chief Executive of City College Plymouth said: “This new campus provides a fantastic opportunity to ensure Plymouth’s residents are equipped with the skills needed to support the growth of the defence, marine and other sectors of the economy.

    “Almost half of the courses will be linked to the ‘blue and green’ economy – marine, nuclear and net zero, equipping students with the skills to work in sectors such as offshore wind, sustainable construction and environmental science.”

    Luke Pollard MP, Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said: “I’ve been proud to work with the City Council and Government Ministers in securing funding. By working together we are creating a beacon to attract investors to our city, with more demand for shops, cafes, restaurants and entertainment.

    “It’s a team effort to deliver for Plymouth and convert an eyesore into new homes. 

    “We promised thousands of new homes will be built in the city centre and this is the start of us delivering on that promise.” 

    Within the building itself, contactors Gwella continue the strip out work that began under Urban Splash. Various concrete repair and strengthening works still need to be carried out, but the extent of this is not yet known. An extensive structural survey will take place to get a clear picture of concrete repairs needed.

    The Council will employ a principal contractor for the main refurbishment works, which are expected to start next Spring and will involve removing existing cladding. Re-cladding the building and other refurbishment work would start at the end of 2026 and be completed by May 2028.

    Once the ‘shell and core’ of the space to be occupied by City College Plymouth is complete, it will be handed over to the college to fit out. This is programmed to take up to 15 months. The Council has appointed a team of designers, professional advisers and consultants already working on the project, including structural engineers, mechanical and electrical engineers and planning consultants.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Canadians are anxious as they ponder how to vote this election. Which leader can ease their fears?

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Lori Turnbull, Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University, Dalhousie University

    This federal election is being described as the most consequential in modern Canadian history. The country is in a tariff and trade war with its closest ally, the United States, and President Donald Trump is threatening Canada’s sovereignty.

    No wonder Canadians are feeling anxious and fearful. And in times of crisis, people tend to look extra hard for leaders they can trust.

    Liberal Leader Mark Carney, a rookie in politics but an internationally respected economist, is enjoying a wave of momentum. Due to his stints as governor of the Bank of Canada during the 2008-09 financial crash and the Bank of England during Brexit, he’s well-qualified to manage economic roller-coasters. Can his impressive CV help calm the fears of Canadians?

    Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, on the other hand, has been connecting with supporters by giving voice to their worries about the economy, jobs, crime and the housing crisis. He’s made people feel heard, but he’s also been accused of building his brand appeal by stoking — rather than soothing — Canadians’ fears about the future.

    Carney’s track record as a fixer could give him the edge now that the election campaign is in full swing and Canada’s fears are being amplified.

    Liberals wildly unpopular

    Before Justin Trudeau announced his plans to leave politics, the next federal election was shaping up to be a showdown between Trudeau and Poilievre, two career politicians with likeability problems and a palpable mutual resentment.

    Each of them often used fear as a tool to warn Canadians about the dangers of electing the other. The mood in the country was sour.

    In July 2024, an Abacus Data poll indicated only 23 per cent of Canadians felt the country was headed in the right direction. The affordability crisis was weighing on people, as 45 per cent of respondents reported having a hard time keeping up with daily expenses due to rising prices.

    The long-standing consensus around the benefits of immigration was crumbling due to the lack of suitable housing for everyone.



    Read more:
    Canada at a crossroads: Understanding the shifting sands of immigration attitudes

    A third of Canadians also self-identified as “political orphans” who felt that none of the political parties truly represented them.

    Most of the public was blaming the Liberals for the broad mismanagement of various important complex policy files, and the Conservatives were the largest beneficiaries of voter frustration. They looked like they had the next election in the bag.

    Dramatically altered landscape

    It’s now March 2025 and the political playing field looks wildly different. Though the aforementioned issues remain salient, Trudeau has resigned and Carney has erased the lead in public support that Poilievre and the Conservatives held not long ago.

    Most polls suggest the parties are in a dead heat while others have Carney pulling ahead. In the hope of winning enough votes to form a majority government — in Carney’s own words, he’s asked the public for a “strong, positive mandate” — he is running on a platform aimed at the political centre to offer a home to those political orphans.

    Carney’s pitching tax cuts, pipeline projects, reduced trade barriers between the provinces and balanced operational spending while running deficits for investments that would grow the economy. He’s done away with the unpopular consumer carbon tax.

    Given that Carney is pulling the Liberals back to the centre, and that there is actually overlap between the Conservatives and the Liberals — both spent the first full day of the campaign promising income tax cuts — it seems the real choice in this election is about leadership rather than dramatically different policy platforms.

    It’s no surprise that Carney’s unique professional experience elevates his bid to be prime minister in the current political climate. So far, he’s been a calm presence amid a volatile and developing storm. Despite Conservative efforts to try to diminish him, his credentials speak for themselves.

    This helps him to build trust among voters. At any other time, his snippiness with the media when asked about his financial holdings might cost him some political capital, but in the current moment, he will likely be given a pass.



    Read more:
    Can Mark Carney truly connect with Canadian voters? Canada will now find out

    Poilievre no longer has Trudeau for a target

    As British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan once explained, politics is about “events, dear boy, events.”

    Much to the certain chagrin of Conservatives, the polls suggest this moment was custom-made for Carney.

    Trump’s attacks and threats against Canadian sovereignty tee up Carney’s pitches for Canada’s economic independence perfectly. His campaign material basically writes itself, and his economic gravitas makes him a solid messenger.

    Carney is both reassuring Canadians in this moment of anxiety as well as tapping into Canadian pride, in his own words and through celebrity proxies like comedian Mike Myers who are helping him reach audiences who tuned out Trudeau a long time ago.

    Mike Myers appears with Mark Carney in this ad on Carney’s YouTube channel.

    This is not to count out Poilievre. With the Conservative base firmly behind him, he could be poised to form a government or keep Carney to a minority.

    But the question on the ballot is no longer about Trudeau — it’s about who Canadians trust to lead them through a disruptive and unpredictable time.

    Poilievre has been working tirelessly for years to position himself as the person for the job.

    But the peculiar circumstances of the moment — and the fear and anxiety that Canadians are having trouble shaking amid Trump’s continuing threats — might drive many voters towards the non-politician whose track record as a fixer gives people the reassurance they are looking for.

    Lori Turnbull 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. Canadians are anxious as they ponder how to vote this election. Which leader can ease their fears? – https://theconversation.com/canadians-are-anxious-as-they-ponder-how-to-vote-this-election-which-leader-can-ease-their-fears-252701

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to the wildfires in South Korea

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Scientists comment on wildfires in South Korea. 

    Dr Kimberley Simpson, Fellow in nature-based climate solutions at the University of Sheffield’s School of Biosciences, said:

    “Wildfires in California this past January and the ongoing fires in South Korea share several similarities. Both were preceded by unusually warm, dry conditions that left vegetation highly flammable, and both were intensified by strong winds that spread the flames and hampered firefighting efforts.

    “Only three months into 2025, we’ve already witnessed record-breaking wildfire activity in multiple regions. As climate change drives rising temperatures and alters rainfall patterns, the conditions that give rise to these devastating fires are becoming more frequent.”

    Declared interests:

    Dr Kimberley Simpson None

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI China: China releases top 10 scientific advances of 2024

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

    BEIJING, March 27 — The National Natural Science Foundation of China released the country’s top 10 scientific advances of 2024 during the opening ceremony of the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) Annual Conference in Beijing on Thursday.

    The advances were mainly achieved in the fields of mathematics, physics, astronomy, information science, chemistry, materials science, energy, earth and environmental science, and life and medical science.

    The list includes the Chang’e-6 mission’s returned samples, which revealed volcanic activity on the far side of the moon dating back 2.8 billion years, the realization of intelligent reasoning and training using large-scale photonic computing chips, and the discovery of key evidence that supermassive black holes affect the formation and evolution of their host galaxies.

    The annual selection of China’s top 10 scientific advances began in 2005, said Dou Xiankang, director of the foundation.

    This year’s top 10 advancements were chosen from over 700 groundbreaking basic research achievements.

    The 2025 ZGC Forum runs from March 27 to 31, focusing on cutting-edge fields from large AI models to quantum technology.

    MIL OSI China News –