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Category: Science

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: I’m a statistics professor who became embroiled in the world of online chess drama

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jeffrey S. Rosenthal, Professor of Statistics, University of Toronto

    As a mild-mannered statistics professor, it’s not often that I get
    contacted directly by the CEO of a multi-million-dollar company, much less regarding allegations of cheating and malfeasance among world champions.

    But that’s precisely what happened last summer. Erik Allebest, CEO of the world’s largest online chess site, Chess.com, asked me to investigate former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik’s concerns about the long winning streaks of top player Hikaru Nakamura.

    Kramnik argued that these streaks had very low probability and were therefore very suspicious and “interesting.” He didn’t quite accuse Hikaru of cheating, but the implication was clear. Feelings were running high, with Kramnik’s supporters posting angry comments (often in Russian) about cheating as many Chess.com players and Hikaru partisans dismissed the accusations.

    Who was right? Who was wrong? Who could say?

    Allebest asked me to conduct an independent, unbiased statistical analysis to see just how unlikely those chess winning streaks actually were.

    Now, I am no stranger to public statistical disputes, having published a
    best-selling book about everyday probabilities and conducted the statistical analysis for the high-profile lottery retailer scandal. But could statistical analysis really help to clarify this simmering controversy on the world’s biggest chess stage?

    Statistician Jeffrey Rosenthal responds to questions about statistics for WIRED in a video that has received 2.4 million views since February 2022.

    Calculating probabilities

    To sort this out, I first had to calculate the probability of each player winning or tying each game. Different players can have very different abilities, and more advanced players have a greater chance of defeating less experienced opponents. But just how great?

    Chess.com assigns a chess rating to each player after each game, and these ratings were shared with me. My analysis suggested that a certain logistic — or s-shaped — curve function provided an accurate estimate of each game’s probabilities.

    Furthermore, deviations from this probability in successive game results were approximately independent, so the influence of one game on the next could be safely ignored. This gave me a clear probability of each player winning each game.

    I could then analyze those winning streaks that had provoked so much ire. It turned out that Hikaru, unlike most other top players, had played lots of games against much weaker players. This gave him a very high probability of winning each game. But even so, should he have such long winning streaks, sometimes more than 100 games in a row?

    Testing randomness

    To check this, I conducted some Monte Carlo simulations, which repeat a test with random variations.

    I wrote computer programs to randomly assign wins and losses and draws to each of Hikaru’s games, according to the probabilities from my model. I had the computer measure the most surprising winning streaks each time. This allowed me to measure how Hikaru’s actual streaks stacked up against what we should expect.

    I found that in many of the Monte Carlo simulations, the
    simulated results included streaks just as unlikely as the actual ones.
    This demonstrated that Hikaru’s chess results were just about what might
    be expected. He had such a high probability of winning each game, and had played so many games on Chess.com, that such long winning streaks were likely to emerge according to the rules of probability alone.

    Responses to findings

    I wrote up a brief report of my findings, and sent it to Chess.com.
    It ran a news item on its site, which elicited many comments, mostly supportive.

    Hikaru then posted his own video commentary, also supporting my analysis. But meanwhile, Kramnik posted a 29-minute video criticizing my research.

    Kramnik did include some substantive points, so I wrote an addendum to my report to address his concerns and show that they would not effect the conclusion. I also converted my report into a formal paper, which I submitted to a research journal.

    I then got busy with my teaching duties and put the chess controversies
    out of my mind until I received a response in December. It consisted of three referee reports and editor comments, with detailed comments totalling six single-spaced pages.

    I also then discovered that Kramnik had posted a second 59-minute video critiquing my addendum and raising additional points, too.

    I addressed Kramnik’s and the referees’ additional points while revising my article for publication. My paper was finally published in the Harvard Data Science Review.

    I was glad to have my findings published in a prestigious statistics journal, thus giving them a formal stamp of approval. And perhaps, at long last, to settle this particular champion-level chess controversy.

    Jeffrey S. Rosenthal receives research funding from NSERC of Canada, but received no compensation from Chess.com or anyone else for this work.

    – ref. I’m a statistics professor who became embroiled in the world of online chess drama – https://theconversation.com/im-a-statistics-professor-who-became-embroiled-in-the-world-of-online-chess-drama-256294

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  • MIL-OSI Analysis: The dangers of romanticising Britain’s 1976 heatwave

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stephanie Brown, Lecturer in Criminology, University of Hull

    As I scrolled through social media on a hot afternoon in late June, a meme caught my attention. A black and white photo. A smiling young woman with water up to her knees. She appeared to be in a fountain, with many others dipping their legs in the water.

    The caption read “On this day in 1976, the British heatwave started. It would last until the 27th August, during which time Britain would experience extreme temperatures and widespread droughts. And we all had a wonderful summer and survived.”

    This immediately struck me: it was a boiling hot day. As I sat at my office desk keeping hydrated with a fan pointed directly at my face, I felt the rage burning inside me. How could people be so irresponsible? Heat can be dangerous. But the implication of the meme was clear: if people managed back then, surely today’s warnings about heatwaves, climate change, and public health are exaggerated. These rose-tinted memories obscure a darker truth.

    I am a historical criminologist. This meme had the rare effect of deeply troubling both of my areas of expertise.

    As a historian, this meme concerns me because it perpetuates the myth of the “good old days”. A selective, nostalgic vision of the past that smooths over complexity and hardship in favour of a comforting, idealised narrative. Flattening history into feelgood folklore, erasing the social inequalities and governmental failures.

    It echoes a broader cultural tendency: from “Make America great again” to the “Blitz spirit”, representing Britain’s nostalgia for wartime resilience, a romanticised past is often used by politicians to legitimise political ideas in the present. But history is not a comfort blanket. It is a critical tool.

    My work explores how institutions respond to crisis and how narratives of success or failure are constructed. In 1976, advice for dealing with the water shortage was to share a bath with the wife and drive a dirty car. Areas without domestic tap water had to use communal street pipes.

    The government did not appoint a minister for drought until the end of August, despite mounting evidence from meteorologists and public health officials. Emergency measures were piecemeal and unevenly applied.

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    The suggestion that “we all had a wonderful summer and survived” is misleading. It was reported that “200 people a day were apparently dying who would not have died if the weather had been normal”. During the peak of the heatwave, deaths increased by 28% in the southeast England and 33% in Greater London.

    As a criminologist, I know that it is not only natural deaths that can increase during a hot weather. The number of violent deaths also increased in 1976 as well as in other heatwaves. Thermic law is the concept that violent crime is higher in hotter seasons. These patterns might be explained by temperature-aggression theory: that hot weather can cause an increase in aggressive behaviours.

    For other criminologists, it is not the temperature itself that causes increased violence, but how people’s behaviour changes due to the heat. For example, people are taking time off work or school, socialising, and drinking. Unstructured time and spaces, combined with alcohol and a holiday feel all lead to increases in violence.

    Misrepresenting risk

    By sentimentalising the summer of 1976, we strip away its lessons. Worse, we risk repeating its mistakes. One Conservative MP described people concerned about the 2022 heatwave as “snowflakes” and “cowards”. Quite an odd response after the British public was asked to “protect the NHS” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    This protection apparently did not extend to looking after each other in a heatwave. In fact, heatwaves are largely an invisible risk. We are told not to fuss, but there is often little communication on how to keep safe.

    A lack of policy and examples of political scepticism connect with a key theme in the comments under that meme: climate change denial. If we had a heatwave in 1976 then what we are experiencing now is nothing new, right? Wrong.

    The heatwave in 1976 was bad: thousands died, fires raged, and water ran dry. But it was also an anomaly; a hot summer in a relatively cool decade. Heatwaves are now more frequent, more intense and longer lasting. Temperatures reached over 40°C in 2022, while the maximum in 1976 was 4°C-5°C cooler.

    Still, each time a weather warning is issued, it is met with a wave of derision. There is the same online discourse as is expressed in this meme. This attitude is not just flippant, it is dangerous. It undermines vital public messaging, discourages precautionary action, and fuels complacency among those least at risk, while leaving the most vulnerable even more exposed.

    History can offer crucial perspective. But only if we treat it honestly. That means moving beyond memeified memories of the past and reckoning with the complexity of what really happened. It means challenging the stories we tell ourselves. Many did live through the 1976 heatwave. But many also died: quietly, invisibly and avoidably. Their stories are not part of the nostalgia. They should be.

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

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

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

    – ref. The dangers of romanticising Britain’s 1976 heatwave – https://theconversation.com/the-dangers-of-romanticising-britains-1976-heatwave-260046

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  • MIL-OSI Analysis: How tea, chocolate and apples could help lower your blood pressure

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Christian Heiss, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Head of Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Surrey

    Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock

    We’re constantly told to “eat healthy” – but what does that actually mean? Even doctors sometimes struggle to offer clear, practical advice on which specific foods support health, why they work and what real benefits people can expect.

    A growing body of research is starting to offer some answers. Along with colleagues, I have researched whether a group of plant compounds called flavan-3-ols could help lower blood pressure and improve blood vessel function. The results suggest these everyday compounds may have real potential for protecting heart health.

    Flavan-3-ols – sometimes called flavanols or catechins – are natural plant compounds that belong to the flavonoid family. They’re part of what gives plants their colour and helps protect them from sunlight and pests.

    For us, they show up in some of our most familiar foods: cocoa, green and black tea, grapes, apples and even some berries. That slightly tart or bitter note you taste in dark chocolate or strong tea? That’s flavan-3-ols at work.

    Scientists have long been interested in their health effects. In 2022, the Cosmos trial (Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study), which followed over 21,000 people, found that cocoa flavanols, but not multivitamin supplements, reduced deaths from cardiovascular disease by 27%. Our study set out to dig even deeper, focusing specifically on their effects on blood pressure and endothelial function (how well blood vessels dilate and respond to blood flow).

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    We analysed data from 145 randomised controlled trials involving more than 5,200 participants. These studies tested a range of flavan-3-ol-rich foods and supplements, including cocoa, tea, grapes, apples and isolated compounds like epicatechin, and measured their effects on two key cardiovascular markers: blood pressure and flow-mediated dilation (FMD): a measure of how well the inner lining of blood vessels functions.

    The studies ranged from short-term (a single dose) to longer-term interventions lasting weeks or months. On average, participants consumed about 586 mg of flavan-3-ols daily; roughly the amount found in two to three cups of tea, one to two servings of dark chocolate, two tablespoons of cocoa powder, or a couple of apples.

    Regular consumption of flavan-3-ols led to an average drop in office blood pressure of 2.8 mmHg systolic (the top number) and 2.0 mmHg diastolic (the bottom number).

    But for people who started with elevated blood pressure or diagnosed hypertension, the benefits were even greater with reductions of up to 6–7 mmHg systolic and 4 mmHg diastolic. That’s comparable to the effects of some prescription blood pressure medications and could significantly lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

    We also found that flavan-3-ols improved endothelial function, with an average 1.7% increase in FMD after sustained intake. This benefit appeared even in participants whose blood pressure was already normal, suggesting these compounds may help protect blood vessels through multiple pathways.

    Side effects were uncommon and typically mild, usually limited to minor digestive issues, suggesting that adding flavan-3-ol-rich foods to your diet is generally safe.

    Supporting cardiovascular health

    While the benefits were most pronounced in those with high blood pressure, even people with normal readings saw improvements in vascular function. This suggests flavan-3-ols may help prevent cardiovascular problems before they begin.

    High blood pressure is one of the major drivers of heart disease worldwide, even at levels that don’t qualify as full-blown hypertension (140/90 mmHg or higher). Recent guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology now recognise that even “elevated” blood pressure (120–139 systolic and 70–89 diastolic) carries increased risk.

    Lifestyle changes, particularly diet and exercise, are recommended by doctors as first-line strategies. But patients and even healthcare providers often lack clear, specific guidance on which foods truly make a difference. Our findings help fill this gap by showing that boosting flavan-3-ol intake through everyday foods may offer a simple, evidence-based way to support cardiovascular health.

    What about supplements?

    Some studies tested supplements or isolated flavan-3-ol compounds, but these generally showed smaller effects than whole foods like tea or cocoa. This may be because other beneficial compounds in whole foods work together, enhancing absorption and effectiveness.

    At present, it appears both safer and more effective to focus on getting flavan-3-ols from foods rather than high-dose supplements, especially for people taking medications, since interactions are not fully understood.

    The studies we reviewed suggest that 500–600 mg of flavan-3-ols daily may be enough to see benefits. You could reach this by combining two to three cups of green or black tea, one to two servings (about 56g) of dark chocolate or two to three tablespoons of cocoa powder, two to three apples, plus other flavan-3-ol-rich fruits like grapes, pears and berries

    Eating apples, pears, grapes and berries could help support your heart health.
    Oksana Klymenko/Shutterstock

    Small daily swaps, then, like trading a sugary snack for an apple and a piece of dark chocolate or adding an extra cup of tea, could gradually improve your heart health over time. Because flavan-3-ol content can vary between foods, monitoring your blood pressure at home may help you see if it’s making a difference for you.

    More research is needed, particularly in people with diabetes, where the results were less consistent. We also need to better understand how flavan-3-ols interact with medications and whether even greater benefits can be achieved when combined with other healthy habits.

    But the evidence is now strong enough to recommend flavan-3-ol-rich foods as part of a heart-healthy diet. As clinicians seek practical, affordable lifestyle strategies for patients, these findings bring us closer to the idea of using food as medicine.

    Of course, flavan-3-ols aren’t a magic fix. They won’t replace medication for everyone. But combined with other healthy habits, they may offer a meaningful – and delicious – boost to cardiovascular health. And unlike many health fads, this isn’t about exotic superfoods or expensive powders. It’s about foods many of us already enjoy, used a little more intentionally.

    Christian Heiss has received funding from Lipton Teas & Infusions, Ageless Science, iThera, the Medical Research Council, the EPSRC, European Partnership on Metrology, co-financed from European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme and UK Research and Innovation. He is member of the board of the European Society of Vascular Medicine, president of the Vascular, Lipid and Metabolic Medicine Council of the Royal Society of Medicine, and chairperson-elect of the ESC WG Aorta and Peripheral Vascular Diseases.

    – ref. How tea, chocolate and apples could help lower your blood pressure – https://theconversation.com/how-tea-chocolate-and-apples-could-help-lower-your-blood-pressure-256631

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  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Action is the antidote to ecological grief and climate anxiety – an ecotherapist explains

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Louise Taylor, Early Career Researcher and Ecotherapist, Queen’s University Belfast

    Brussels, Belgium. 21st February 2019. High school and university students stage a protest against the climate policies of the Belgian government. Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock.com

    There’s a popular quote by the 13th-century poet and spiritual teacher Rumi: “The cure for the pain is in the pain.” This line often echoes through my mind when I’m working with clients, especially those experiencing ecological grief and climate anxiety.

    As an ecotherapist – a therapist guided by nature and nature-based therapeutic approaches – and environmental researcher, I work with people who are navigating the emotional weight of ecological breakdown.

    Ecotherapy helps people reconnect with the natural world as a way to support mental and emotional wellbeing. It might involve walking in green spaces, mindfulness practices in nature, working with natural materials, or nature-based rituals.

    Whether it’s planting a garden, sitting under a tree, or engaging in conservation efforts, ecotherapy helps people feel more grounded, more connected and more resilient both emotionally and spiritually.

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    In my practice, I’ve noticed that younger people are more likely to experience climate anxiety, while older generations tend to experience ecological grief. The difference is subtle but important. Anxiety often relates to what lies ahead and a sense of powerlessness. Grief is about what has already been lost.

    This emotional divide makes sense when we consider what has happened to the natural world over recent decades. Older adults have witnessed the loss of species, habitats and biodiversity in real time. Many have rich memories and relationships with landscapes that no longer exist as they once did. Meanwhile, younger generations face the terrifying uncertainty of a rapidly changing climate and an increasingly unstable future.

    Both grief and anxiety are valid, but they are not the same.

    I have explored these experiences in depth while researching nature connection, mental health and how the climate and ecological crisis is reshaping this relationship.

    At the outset, I assumed that greater connection with nature would always lead to improved mental wellbeing. But that wasn’t the full picture.

    What I found instead was that deepening our connection with the natural world can indeed foster healing, but it can also sharpen our awareness of the damage being done. This heightened sensitivity can trigger emotional pain, despair and even a decline in mental wellbeing.

    Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist Carl Jung once said, “There is no coming to consciousness without pain.” That’s exactly what climate-anxious and ecologically grieving people are expressing: the deep psychological toll of recognising the scale of the crisis we’re facing. For some, it affects their ability to function, to enjoy their lives and to maintain relationships.

    How to stay well

    The question I kept returning to in my work was this: how do we stay well in a time of collapse? My research pointed to one consistent answer: action.

    Engaging in pro-environmental actions emerged as the most effective way people coped with emotional strain. These weren’t merely acts of activism — they became spiritual practices, grounded in care, connection and meaning. Through these actions, people began to reclaim a sense of power and purpose in the face of overwhelming ecological loss.

    For many, this was also a path back to what eco-philosophers call the ecological self: the part of us that extends beyond the individual and identifies with the living world.

    This self isn’t driven by ego or personal gain, but by the impulse to build relationships, nurture communities and support the flourishing of all life. It represents an expanded way of being; one that understands health and healing as collective, not just personal.

    Importantly, these actions don’t have to be large-scale. They might involve growing your own herbs or vegetables, for instance, or joining a local conservation effort, forming a community group to protect waterways or green spaces, or participating in climate strikes and land defence work. What matters is that the action is relational: rooted in reciprocity and care.

    The conclusion of my research was clear: in the face of ecological distress, mental wellbeing is sustained not by thoughts, but by meaningful action.

    Healing through action

    In Northern Ireland, where I live and work, I’ve seen a growing grassroots environmental movement. Communities are stepping up to protect landscapes under threat, from campaigns to defend the Sperrin Mountains from gold mining, to local resistance against the pollution that’s devastating Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in Ireland and the UK.

    This is unpaid, often invisible labour, but it’s powerful. It gives people a way to process their emotions, to feel less helpless and to turn grief into agency.

    Many environmentalists talk about “saving the planet”. But the truth is, the Earth will go on. What’s under threat is us: our ways of life, our communities, our ability to thrive. The dread we feel is rooted in the enormity of this realisation.

    To stay well while caring deeply about the Earth means learning to live with this pain, and still choosing to act. It requires us to show up, to be present and to tend to both the human and non-human world with care and reciprocity. As we do, we become more empowered and less overwhelmed.

    If you are struggling with climate anxiety or ecological grief, know this: the goal isn’t to suppress your feelings. The goal is to acknowledge them, and then use them as fuel for meaningful action.

    Don’t underestimate small acts. The way forward isn’t to wait for hope: it’s to create it through connection, courage and commitment.

    In a time of ecological uncertainty, wellness doesn’t come from thinking differently. It comes from doing differently.

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

    – ref. Action is the antidote to ecological grief and climate anxiety – an ecotherapist explains – https://theconversation.com/action-is-the-antidote-to-ecological-grief-and-climate-anxiety-an-ecotherapist-explains-260428

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  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Obesity care: why “eat less, move more” advice is failing

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lucie Nield, Senior Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Sheffield

    New Africa/Shutterstock

    For years, people living with obesity have been given the same basic advice: eat less, move more. But while this mantra may sound simple, it’s not only ineffective for many, it can be deeply misleading and damaging.

    Obesity is not just about willpower. It’s a complex, chronic, relapsing condition and affects around 26.5% of adults in England, and 22.1% of children aged ten–11 in England.

    A new report estimates the rapidly growing number of people that are overweight or obese costs the UK £126 billion a year. This includes £71.4 billion in reduced quality of life and early mortality, £12.6 billion in NHS treatment costs, £12.1 billion from unemployment and £10.5 billion in informal care.

    Food campaigners and health experts have called for urgent government action, including expanding the sugar tax to more products, restricting junk food advertising and mandating reformulation of ultra processed foods. As Henry Dimbleby, author of a government-commissioned independent report called the National Food Strategy, warned: “We’ve created a food system that’s poisoning our population and bankrupting the state.”

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    Without significant policy change, these costs are projected to rise to £150 billion a year by 2035. Despite this, much of the UK’s approach continues to frame obesity as a lifestyle issue that can be tackled by emphasising personal responsibility. But this framing ignores the bigger picture.

    We now understand that obesity is multifactorial. Genetics, childhood experiences, cultural norms, economic disadvantage, psychological health, mental illness and even the kind of job you have all play a role. These aren’t things you can simply change with a Fitbit and salad.

    This broader perspective isn’t new. In 2007, the UK government’s Foresight report mapped out the complex web of factors behind rising obesity rates, describing how modern environments actively promote weight gain.

    This “obesogenic environment” refers to the world we live in. Its one where high-calorie, low-nutrient foods are cheap and everywhere, and where physical activity has been engineered out of everyday life, from car-centric cities to screen-dominated leisure time.

    Outdated obesity advice isn’t working.

    These environments don’t affect everyone equally. People in more deprived areas are significantly more exposed to conditions that drive obesity, such as food deserts (areas with limited access to affordable, nutritious food), poor public transport and limited green space. In this context, weight gain becomes a normal biological response to an abnormal environment.

    Why “eat less, move more” falls short

    Despite growing awareness of these systemic issues, most UK obesity strategies still centre on individual behaviour change, often through weight management programmes that encourage people to cut calories and exercise more. While behaviour change has a place, focusing on it exclusively creates a dangerous narrative: that people who struggle with their weight are simply lazy or lack willpower.

    This narrative fuels weight stigma, which can be incredibly harmful. Yet data shows a clear link between higher rates of obesity and deprivation, especially among children.

    It’s clear many people still don’t understand the role of structural and socioeconomic factors in shaping obesity risk. And this misunderstanding leads to judgement, shame and stigma, especially for children and families who are already vulnerable.

    What should good obesity care look like?

    Instead of outdated advice and blame, we need a holistic, stigma-free and science-informed approach to obesity care, one that reflects current Nice guidelines and the Obesity Health Alliance’s recommendations. There are several things that need to be done.

    First, we should recognise obesity as a chronic disease. Obesity is not a failure of willpower. It’s a relapsing, long-term medical condition. Like diabetes or depression, it requires structured, ongoing support, not short-term fixes or crash diets.

    Second, we need to tackle weight stigma head-on. Weight-based discrimination is widespread in schools, workplaces and even healthcare settings. We need training for professionals to reduce bias, promote inclusive care and adopt person-centred, non-stigmatising language. Discriminatory practices must be challenged and eliminated.

    Third, deliver personalised, multidimensional support. Treatment plans should be tailored to each person’s life, including their cultural background, psychological history and social context. This includes shared decision-making, regular follow-up and integrated mental health support.

    And fourth, focus on changing the environment, not just people. We must shift the focus to the systems and structures that make healthy choices so hard. That means investing in affordable, nutritious food; improving access to physical activity; and tackling inequality at its roots.

    Time for a systemic shift

    Obesity isn’t just about what people eat or how often they exercise. It’s shaped by biology, experience and the environment we build around people. Framing it as a personal failure not only ignores decades of evidence – it actively harms the very people who need support.

    If we want to reduce stigma, improve health outcomes – and avoid a £150bn crisis – then the “eat less, move more” era must come to an end. What we need instead is a bold, compassionate, evidence-based systems approach – one that sees the whole person and the world they live in.

    Lucie Nield receives funding from NIHR.

    Catherine Homer receives funding from NIHR. She is affiliated with Royal Society of Public Health.

    – ref. Obesity care: why “eat less, move more” advice is failing – https://theconversation.com/obesity-care-why-eat-less-move-more-advice-is-failing-254628

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: How the Catholic Church helped change the conversation about capital punishment in the United States

    Source: The Conversation – USA (3) – By Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

    Helen Prejean has been one of the most high-profile opponents of the death penalty for decades. Brooks Kraft LLC/Sygma via Getty Images

    Thirty years ago, the film “Dead Man Walking” had its debut in movie theaters around the United States. It was a box office hit, and critics lavished it with praise. Lead actress Susan Sarandon won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Sister Helen Prejean, the spiritual adviser to a death row inmate played by Sean Penn.

    But the film’s impact went far beyond the artistic realm. It exposed a mass audience to a perspective on the death penalty informed by the Catholic faith of a devout, if somewhat unconventional, nun.

    The actual Sister Helen had published her memoir, “Dead Man Walking,” two years before, raising her profile as an activist against the death penalty. Recalling her experience outside the execution chamber of Elmo Patrick Sonnier, one of the people she counseled, Prejean later wrote, “I touched him in the only way I could. I told him: ‘Look at my face. I will be the face of Christ, the face of love for you.’”

    She made it her mission to show that “everybody’s worth more than the worst thing they’ve ever done in their life.” As she once told an interviewer, “Jesus said, ‘Love your enemy.’ Jesus didn’t say, ‘Execute the hell out of the enemy.’”

    That belief was featured prominently in the film and offered a counterpoint to the popular tough-on-crime rhetoric of the 1990s. Back then, 80% of the American public supported capital punishment.

    Today, that is no longer true. Support for the death penalty has declined to around 50%.

    As a death penalty scholar, I have studied those changes. The church’s anti-death penalty teaching has helped provide both a moral foundation and political respectability for those working to end the death penalty.

    The 1995 film was inspired by Prejean’s memoir.

    Church teachings

    But that teaching is relatively new in the church, dating back to the past half-century. For most of its history, the Catholic Church did not oppose the death penalty.

    During the Middle Ages, the church endorsed the execution of heretics and held firm that secular authorities could and should put people to death for serious crimes. And in the early 20th century, Vatican City’s penal code permitted the death penalty for anyone who attempted to kill a pope. Pope Paul VI changed that in 1969.

    When John Paul II became pope a decade later, he pushed the church further away from its historic embrace of the death penalty, calling it “cruel and unnecessary.” And in 2018, under Pope Francis, the Vatican revised the section on capital punishment in the Catechism, the summary of Catholic doctrine.

    The death penalty “is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,” and deprives “the guilty of the possibility of redemption,” the new version says. This teaching committed the church to work for its abolition.

    In his 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti, Francis stated that the death penalty is “inadequate from a moral standpoint and no longer necessary from that of penal justice.” In 2024, he again called for “the abolition of the death penalty, a provision at odds with Christian faith and one that eliminates all hope of forgiveness and rehabilitation.”

    Impact in the US

    The changed situation of capital punishment in this country is largely attributable to a change in the strategy and tactics of the abolitionist movement. Instead of talking about the death penalty in abstract terms, activists began to focus on the day-to-day realities of its administration.

    Today, advocates in what I have called the “new abolitionism” focus on the prospect of executing the innocent, racial discrimination in capital sentencing, and the financial costs associated with the death penalty. Among Catholics working to end the death penalty, however, the moral questions about state killing have long been a central focus.

    The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops focused on morality in its own campaign to end capital punishment, which was launched in 2005. And from time to time, popes have made special appeals to government officials in the U.S., asking them to spare the life of someone awaiting execution.

    A seminarian attends a public hearing in Connecticut in 2011 on legislation to replace capital punishment with life in prison for certain murders.
    AP Photo/Jessica Hill

    Legal historian Sara Mayeux argues that Catholic anti-death penalty activism in the U.S. has been less intense than anti-abortion work. Nevertheless, the impact of the church is reflected in the fact that in the past 50 years, Catholic support for capital punishment fell more than it did among evangelicals, mainline Protestants, Black Protestants and other religious groups.

    In December 2024, as the term of President Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, was coming to a close, the Catholics Mobilizing Network, which advocates against capital punishment, called on the president to commute the sentences of the 40 people then on federal death row. Francis, too, publicly prayed for their sentences to be commuted.

    Biden did so for 37 federal death row inmates, changing their sentences to life in prison without parole.

    Anti-death penalty superstar

    As the church’s official position against capital punishment has evolved, Prejean has been a consistent voice asking Americans to recognize and respond to the humanity of all those touched by murder. She is, in words I am sure she would resist, a superstar in the movement, thanks to her countless public appearances, interviews, protests and actions to lobby legislators.

    Sister Helen Prejean talks to detainees during a discussion of ‘Dead Man Walking’ at Department Of Corrections Division 11 in Chicago.
    AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

    In 2021, she wrote, “I’m on fire to abolish government killing because I’ve seen it far too close-up, and I have a pretty good idea by now how it works – or doesn’t.”

    Thirty years ago, “Dead Man Walking” gave its viewers a chance to see capital punishment “close-up.” It didn’t preach or hit anyone over the head with an overtly abolitionist message. Instead, it asked viewers to see the death penalty from many sides and make up their own minds about whether anyone should be put to death, even for the most horrible crimes.

    Between then and now, America has undertaken precisely the kind of conversation about capital punishment that the film exemplified and inspired.

    Austin Sarat 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. How the Catholic Church helped change the conversation about capital punishment in the United States – https://theconversation.com/how-the-catholic-church-helped-change-the-conversation-about-capital-punishment-in-the-united-states-260481

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: How the Catholic Church helped change the conversation about capital punishment in the United States

    Source: The Conversation – USA (3) – By Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

    Helen Prejean has been one of the most high-profile opponents of the death penalty for decades. Brooks Kraft LLC/Sygma via Getty Images

    Thirty years ago, the film “Dead Man Walking” had its debut in movie theaters around the United States. It was a box office hit, and critics lavished it with praise. Lead actress Susan Sarandon won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Sister Helen Prejean, the spiritual adviser to a death row inmate played by Sean Penn.

    But the film’s impact went far beyond the artistic realm. It exposed a mass audience to a perspective on the death penalty informed by the Catholic faith of a devout, if somewhat unconventional, nun.

    The actual Sister Helen had published her memoir, “Dead Man Walking,” two years before, raising her profile as an activist against the death penalty. Recalling her experience outside the execution chamber of Elmo Patrick Sonnier, one of the people she counseled, Prejean later wrote, “I touched him in the only way I could. I told him: ‘Look at my face. I will be the face of Christ, the face of love for you.’”

    She made it her mission to show that “everybody’s worth more than the worst thing they’ve ever done in their life.” As she once told an interviewer, “Jesus said, ‘Love your enemy.’ Jesus didn’t say, ‘Execute the hell out of the enemy.’”

    That belief was featured prominently in the film and offered a counterpoint to the popular tough-on-crime rhetoric of the 1990s. Back then, 80% of the American public supported capital punishment.

    Today, that is no longer true. Support for the death penalty has declined to around 50%.

    As a death penalty scholar, I have studied those changes. The church’s anti-death penalty teaching has helped provide both a moral foundation and political respectability for those working to end the death penalty.

    The 1995 film was inspired by Prejean’s memoir.

    Church teachings

    But that teaching is relatively new in the church, dating back to the past half-century. For most of its history, the Catholic Church did not oppose the death penalty.

    During the Middle Ages, the church endorsed the execution of heretics and held firm that secular authorities could and should put people to death for serious crimes. And in the early 20th century, Vatican City’s penal code permitted the death penalty for anyone who attempted to kill a pope. Pope Paul VI changed that in 1969.

    When John Paul II became pope a decade later, he pushed the church further away from its historic embrace of the death penalty, calling it “cruel and unnecessary.” And in 2018, under Pope Francis, the Vatican revised the section on capital punishment in the Catechism, the summary of Catholic doctrine.

    The death penalty “is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,” and deprives “the guilty of the possibility of redemption,” the new version says. This teaching committed the church to work for its abolition.

    In his 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti, Francis stated that the death penalty is “inadequate from a moral standpoint and no longer necessary from that of penal justice.” In 2024, he again called for “the abolition of the death penalty, a provision at odds with Christian faith and one that eliminates all hope of forgiveness and rehabilitation.”

    Impact in the US

    The changed situation of capital punishment in this country is largely attributable to a change in the strategy and tactics of the abolitionist movement. Instead of talking about the death penalty in abstract terms, activists began to focus on the day-to-day realities of its administration.

    Today, advocates in what I have called the “new abolitionism” focus on the prospect of executing the innocent, racial discrimination in capital sentencing, and the financial costs associated with the death penalty. Among Catholics working to end the death penalty, however, the moral questions about state killing have long been a central focus.

    The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops focused on morality in its own campaign to end capital punishment, which was launched in 2005. And from time to time, popes have made special appeals to government officials in the U.S., asking them to spare the life of someone awaiting execution.

    A seminarian attends a public hearing in Connecticut in 2011 on legislation to replace capital punishment with life in prison for certain murders.
    AP Photo/Jessica Hill

    Legal historian Sara Mayeux argues that Catholic anti-death penalty activism in the U.S. has been less intense than anti-abortion work. Nevertheless, the impact of the church is reflected in the fact that in the past 50 years, Catholic support for capital punishment fell more than it did among evangelicals, mainline Protestants, Black Protestants and other religious groups.

    In December 2024, as the term of President Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, was coming to a close, the Catholics Mobilizing Network, which advocates against capital punishment, called on the president to commute the sentences of the 40 people then on federal death row. Francis, too, publicly prayed for their sentences to be commuted.

    Biden did so for 37 federal death row inmates, changing their sentences to life in prison without parole.

    Anti-death penalty superstar

    As the church’s official position against capital punishment has evolved, Prejean has been a consistent voice asking Americans to recognize and respond to the humanity of all those touched by murder. She is, in words I am sure she would resist, a superstar in the movement, thanks to her countless public appearances, interviews, protests and actions to lobby legislators.

    Sister Helen Prejean talks to detainees during a discussion of ‘Dead Man Walking’ at Department Of Corrections Division 11 in Chicago.
    AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

    In 2021, she wrote, “I’m on fire to abolish government killing because I’ve seen it far too close-up, and I have a pretty good idea by now how it works – or doesn’t.”

    Thirty years ago, “Dead Man Walking” gave its viewers a chance to see capital punishment “close-up.” It didn’t preach or hit anyone over the head with an overtly abolitionist message. Instead, it asked viewers to see the death penalty from many sides and make up their own minds about whether anyone should be put to death, even for the most horrible crimes.

    Between then and now, America has undertaken precisely the kind of conversation about capital punishment that the film exemplified and inspired.

    Austin Sarat 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. How the Catholic Church helped change the conversation about capital punishment in the United States – https://theconversation.com/how-the-catholic-church-helped-change-the-conversation-about-capital-punishment-in-the-united-states-260481

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ will have Americans paying higher prices for dirtier energy

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Daniel Cohan, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University

    Congress passed Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill on July 3, 2025. Kevin Carter/Getty Images

    When congressional Republicans decided to cut some Biden-era energy subsidies to help fund their One Big Beautiful Bill Act, they could have pruned wasteful subsidies while sparing the rest. Instead, they did the reverse. Americans will pay the price with higher costs for dirtier energy.

    The nearly 900-page bill that President Donald Trump signed on July 4, 2025, slashes incentives for wind and solar energy, batteries, electric cars and home efficiency while expanding subsidies for fossil fuels and biofuels. That will leave Americans burning more fossil fuels despite strong public and scientific support for shifting to renewable energy.

    As an environmental engineering professor who studies ways to confront climate change, I think it is important to distinguish which energy technologies could rapidly cut emissions or need a financial boost to become viable from those that are already profitable but harm the environment. Unfortunately, the Republican bill favors the latter while stifling the former.

    The Spring Creek Mine in Decker, Mont., is just one mine in the Powder River Basin, the most productive coal-producing region in the U.S.
    AP Photo/Matthew Brown

    Cuts to renewable electricity

    Wind and solar power, often paired with batteries, provide over 90% of the new electricity added nationally and around the world in recent years. Natural gas turbines are in short supply, and there are long lead times to build nuclear power plants. Wind and solar energy projects – with batteries to store excess power until it’s needed – offer the fastest way to satisfy growing demand for power. Recent technological breakthroughs put geothermal power on the verge of rapid growth.

    However, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act rescinds billions of dollars that the Inflation Reduction Act, enacted in 2022, devoted to boosting domestic manufacturing and deployments of renewable energy and batteries.

    It accelerates the phaseout of tax credits for factories that manufacture equipment needed for renewable energy and electric vehicles. That would disrupt the boom in domestic manufacturing projects that had been stimulated by the Inflation Reduction Act.

    Efforts to build new wind and solar farms will be hit even harder. To receive any tax credits, those projects will need to commence construction by mid-2026 or come online by the end of 2027. The act preserves a slower timeline for phasing out subsidies for nuclear, geothermal and hydrogen projects, which take far longer to build than wind and solar farms.

    However, even projects that could be built soon enough will struggle to comply with the bill’s restrictions on using Chinese-made components. Tax law experts have called those provisions “unworkable,” since some Chinese materials may be necessary even for projects built with as much domestic content as possible. For example, even American-made solar panels may rely on components sourced from China or Chinese-owned companies.

    Princeton University professor Jesse Jenkins estimates that the bill will mean wind and solar power generate 820 fewer terawatt-hours in 2035 than under previous policies. That’s more power than all U.S. coal-fired power plants generated in 2023.

    That’s why BloombergNEF, an energy research firm, called the bill a “nightmare scenario” for clean energy proponents.

    However, one person’s nightmare may be another man’s dream. “We’re constraining the hell out of wind and solar, which is good,” said U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican who is backed by the oil and gas industry.

    Federal tax credits for homeowners who install solar panels will now expire at the end of 2025.
    AP Photo/Michael Conroy

    Electric cars and efficiency

    Cuts fall even harder on Americans who are trying to reduce their carbon footprints and energy costs. The quickest phaseout comes for tax credits for electric vehicles, which will end on Sept. 30, 2025. And since the bill eliminates fines on car companies that fail to meet fuel economy standards, other new cars are likely to guzzle more gas.

    Tax credits for home efficiency improvements such as heat pumps, efficient windows and energy audits will end at the end of 2025. Homeowners will also lose tax credits for installing solar panels at the end of the year, seven years earlier than under the previous law.

    The bill also rescinds funding that would have helped cut diesel emissions and finance clean energy projects in underserved communities.

    Federal tax credits for buying electric vehicles will end on Sept. 30, 2025.
    AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

    Support for biofuels and fossil fuels

    Biofuels and fossil fuels fared far better under the bill. Tens of billions of dollars will be spent to extend tax credits for biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.

    Food-based biofuels do little good for the climate because growing, harvesting and processing crops requires fertilizers, pesticides and fuel. The bill would allow forests to be cut to make room for crops because it directs agencies to ignore the effects of biofuels on land use.

    Meanwhile, the bill opens more federal lands and waters to leasing for oil and gas drilling and coal mining. It also slashes the royalties that companies pay to the federal government for fuels extracted from publicly owned land. And a new tax credit will subsidize metallurgical coal, which is mainly exported to steelmakers overseas.

    The bill also increases subsidies for using captured carbon dioxide to extract more oil and gas from the ground. That makes it less likely that captured emissions will only be sequestered to combat climate change.

    Summing it up

    With fewer efficiency improvements, fewer electric vehicles and less clean power on the grid, Princeton’s Jenkins projects that the law will increase household energy costs by over $280 per year by 2035 above what they would have been without the bill. The extra fossil fuel-burning will negate 470 million tons of anticipated emissions reductions that year, a 7% bump.

    The bill will also leave America’s clean energy transition further behind China, which is deploying more solar and wind power and electric vehicles than the rest of the world combined.

    No one expected President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to escape unscathed with Republicans in the White House and dominating both houses of Congress, even though many of its projects were in Republican-voting districts. Still, pairing cuts to clean energy with support for fossil fuels makes Trump’s bill uniquely harmful to the world’s climate and to Americans’ wallets.

    This article includes some material previously published on June 10, 2025.

    Daniel Cohan receives research funding from the Carbon Hub at Rice University. He previously received research funding from Project InnerSpace, the Mitchell Foundation, the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

    – ref. ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ will have Americans paying higher prices for dirtier energy – https://theconversation.com/big-beautiful-bill-will-have-americans-paying-higher-prices-for-dirtier-energy-260588

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ will have Americans paying higher prices for dirtier energy

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Daniel Cohan, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University

    Congress passed Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill on July 3, 2025. Kevin Carter/Getty Images

    When congressional Republicans decided to cut some Biden-era energy subsidies to help fund their One Big Beautiful Bill Act, they could have pruned wasteful subsidies while sparing the rest. Instead, they did the reverse. Americans will pay the price with higher costs for dirtier energy.

    The nearly 900-page bill that President Donald Trump signed on July 4, 2025, slashes incentives for wind and solar energy, batteries, electric cars and home efficiency while expanding subsidies for fossil fuels and biofuels. That will leave Americans burning more fossil fuels despite strong public and scientific support for shifting to renewable energy.

    As an environmental engineering professor who studies ways to confront climate change, I think it is important to distinguish which energy technologies could rapidly cut emissions or need a financial boost to become viable from those that are already profitable but harm the environment. Unfortunately, the Republican bill favors the latter while stifling the former.

    The Spring Creek Mine in Decker, Mont., is just one mine in the Powder River Basin, the most productive coal-producing region in the U.S.
    AP Photo/Matthew Brown

    Cuts to renewable electricity

    Wind and solar power, often paired with batteries, provide over 90% of the new electricity added nationally and around the world in recent years. Natural gas turbines are in short supply, and there are long lead times to build nuclear power plants. Wind and solar energy projects – with batteries to store excess power until it’s needed – offer the fastest way to satisfy growing demand for power. Recent technological breakthroughs put geothermal power on the verge of rapid growth.

    However, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act rescinds billions of dollars that the Inflation Reduction Act, enacted in 2022, devoted to boosting domestic manufacturing and deployments of renewable energy and batteries.

    It accelerates the phaseout of tax credits for factories that manufacture equipment needed for renewable energy and electric vehicles. That would disrupt the boom in domestic manufacturing projects that had been stimulated by the Inflation Reduction Act.

    Efforts to build new wind and solar farms will be hit even harder. To receive any tax credits, those projects will need to commence construction by mid-2026 or come online by the end of 2027. The act preserves a slower timeline for phasing out subsidies for nuclear, geothermal and hydrogen projects, which take far longer to build than wind and solar farms.

    However, even projects that could be built soon enough will struggle to comply with the bill’s restrictions on using Chinese-made components. Tax law experts have called those provisions “unworkable,” since some Chinese materials may be necessary even for projects built with as much domestic content as possible. For example, even American-made solar panels may rely on components sourced from China or Chinese-owned companies.

    Princeton University professor Jesse Jenkins estimates that the bill will mean wind and solar power generate 820 fewer terawatt-hours in 2035 than under previous policies. That’s more power than all U.S. coal-fired power plants generated in 2023.

    That’s why BloombergNEF, an energy research firm, called the bill a “nightmare scenario” for clean energy proponents.

    However, one person’s nightmare may be another man’s dream. “We’re constraining the hell out of wind and solar, which is good,” said U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican who is backed by the oil and gas industry.

    Federal tax credits for homeowners who install solar panels will now expire at the end of 2025.
    AP Photo/Michael Conroy

    Electric cars and efficiency

    Cuts fall even harder on Americans who are trying to reduce their carbon footprints and energy costs. The quickest phaseout comes for tax credits for electric vehicles, which will end on Sept. 30, 2025. And since the bill eliminates fines on car companies that fail to meet fuel economy standards, other new cars are likely to guzzle more gas.

    Tax credits for home efficiency improvements such as heat pumps, efficient windows and energy audits will end at the end of 2025. Homeowners will also lose tax credits for installing solar panels at the end of the year, seven years earlier than under the previous law.

    The bill also rescinds funding that would have helped cut diesel emissions and finance clean energy projects in underserved communities.

    Federal tax credits for buying electric vehicles will end on Sept. 30, 2025.
    AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

    Support for biofuels and fossil fuels

    Biofuels and fossil fuels fared far better under the bill. Tens of billions of dollars will be spent to extend tax credits for biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.

    Food-based biofuels do little good for the climate because growing, harvesting and processing crops requires fertilizers, pesticides and fuel. The bill would allow forests to be cut to make room for crops because it directs agencies to ignore the effects of biofuels on land use.

    Meanwhile, the bill opens more federal lands and waters to leasing for oil and gas drilling and coal mining. It also slashes the royalties that companies pay to the federal government for fuels extracted from publicly owned land. And a new tax credit will subsidize metallurgical coal, which is mainly exported to steelmakers overseas.

    The bill also increases subsidies for using captured carbon dioxide to extract more oil and gas from the ground. That makes it less likely that captured emissions will only be sequestered to combat climate change.

    Summing it up

    With fewer efficiency improvements, fewer electric vehicles and less clean power on the grid, Princeton’s Jenkins projects that the law will increase household energy costs by over $280 per year by 2035 above what they would have been without the bill. The extra fossil fuel-burning will negate 470 million tons of anticipated emissions reductions that year, a 7% bump.

    The bill will also leave America’s clean energy transition further behind China, which is deploying more solar and wind power and electric vehicles than the rest of the world combined.

    No one expected President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to escape unscathed with Republicans in the White House and dominating both houses of Congress, even though many of its projects were in Republican-voting districts. Still, pairing cuts to clean energy with support for fossil fuels makes Trump’s bill uniquely harmful to the world’s climate and to Americans’ wallets.

    This article includes some material previously published on June 10, 2025.

    Daniel Cohan receives research funding from the Carbon Hub at Rice University. He previously received research funding from Project InnerSpace, the Mitchell Foundation, the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

    – ref. ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ will have Americans paying higher prices for dirtier energy – https://theconversation.com/big-beautiful-bill-will-have-americans-paying-higher-prices-for-dirtier-energy-260588

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: INNOPROM-2025: New Horizons of Industrial Development

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The 15th anniversary industrial exhibition INNOPROM continues its work in Yekaterinburg. Today the pavilions opened their doors to all categories of visitors, and the flow of guests has noticeably increased. The trend of this year’s exhibition is the demonstration of advanced developments that have already proven their effectiveness in real production conditions.

    The delegation of the Polytechnic University takes part in key events of the business program, where current issues of industrial development, innovative technologies and scientific and technical cooperation are discussed.

    Thus, at the Polytechnic stand, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Federal State Autonomous Institution “Digital Industrial Technologies” and Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.

    The document, which envisages cooperation between the parties in order to implement joint expert and analytical activities aimed at highlighting the results and stimulating the development and effective application of advanced digital and production technologies, artificial intelligence technologies in industrial sectors of the Russian Federation economy, was signed by the director of the organization Eduard Shantayev and the chief designer for the key scientific and technological development area of SPbPU “System Digital Engineering”, director of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering” Alexey Borovkov.

    Alexey Borovkov also took part in the events of the INNOPROM business program, including the session “Fast. Complex. Precise. How additive technologies accelerate industrial development.” The participants discussed the prospects for industry growth due to increased demand for additive technologies and materials, tools for interaction between business, science and the state, as well as successful cases of implementing such technologies in industry.

    During his speech, Alexey Ivanovich spoke about a world-class project carried out in the interests of the Fuel Division of the Rosatom State Corporation – the development of a digital twin of a VVER-1000 fuel assembly (FA) with an anti-debris filter and mixing grids.

    The optimized design of the anti-debris filter and the geometry of the mixing grids of the fuel assembly was developed in six months and, in contrast to the original product, is 10 times more efficient, the speaker emphasized.

    Alexey Borovkov also presented the developments of the Polymer Composite Materials laboratory of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering”, including demonstrators of overprinting and induction welding technologies for thermoplastic composite materials, as well as automated laying out of thermoplastic unidirectional prepregs.

    According to Alexey Borovkov, overprinting technology is ideal for working with engineering polymers due to the absence of a number of technological limitations and is of great interest for integration into large technological chains: laying out – stamping – printing.

    An award ceremony was held at the Polytechnic stand. For his great contribution to the development of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, the General Director of the Union of Defense Industry Enterprises of the Sverdlovsk Region Vladimir Shchelokov received the “For Merits” badge of distinction. The honorary award was presented to him by the Scientific Secretary of SPbPU Dmitry Karpov.

    SPbPU is an active member of the Union. The University improves the quality of personnel training in the military-industrial complex, as well as in the field of scientific research and educational services. The Union participates in the implementation of federal target programs and technology platforms to achieve leadership in the leading high-tech sectors of the economy: aviation and engine building, rocket and space industry, nuclear power complex, shipbuilding, electronic and radio-electronic industry and others. The Union includes more than 100 enterprises and organizations.

    It is a great honor for me to receive this award. I would like to express my gratitude for the fruitful cooperation with the Polytechnic University. A distinctive feature of your university is the ability to implement projects, and visual confirmation of this can be seen at the exhibition stand. There is much to learn from the Polytechnic University. And I am sincerely proud of our friendship, – said Vladimir Shchelokov.

    In turn, Vladimir Shchelokov awarded the director of the Center for Scientific and Technological Partnership and Targeted Training of SPbPU Oleg Ipatov with a commemorative medal “80 Years of the Great Victory”.

    This year, INNOPROM pays special attention to machines, units, machine tools and robotic systems that are actively used in various industries today. The technological potential of SPbPU is presented at a separate stand. Here, visitors can get acquainted with innovative developments that have undergone practical testing and are ready for implementation in industrial production.

    At the exhibition, a team from the Laboratory of Light Materials and Structures (LLMS) of IMMiT demonstrated electric arc 3D printing. Right before the eyes of the audience, a “Laval nozzle” was created – a gas channel of a special profile designed to accelerate the gas flow to supersonic speeds.

    The printing technology is based on melting metal wire using an electric arc. This approach allows for high-speed production of products: up to 2.2 kg/h for aluminum alloys and up to 6 kg/h for steel. The key advantage is the absence of restrictions on the shape of the part: the manipulator easily moves along the rail system and follows the growth of the product, which allows for the implementation of the concept of an open production cell.

    The laboratory carries out a full cycle of implementation of additive technologies – design and launch of 3D printing installations, personnel training, technical support and production support.

    Mikhail Kuznetsov, Head of the Laser and Additive Technologies Research Laboratory at the Institute of Metallurgy and Metallurgy at St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, spoke about the laboratory’s work at INNOPROM: At the exhibition, we presented the “Nomad” laser cladding complex, samples made using laser welding and additive technologies. Of particular interest are the hip joint cups. The samples were made as part of R&D in close cooperation with the Armalit JSC company with the participation of the Vreden Institute of Traumatology and are evidence of how modern solutions can effectively work to address the challenges of import substitution and technological sovereignty of the country. We held a number of productive meetings with industry representatives and engineering centers from different regions of Russia. It is especially valuable that enterprises from a wide variety of industries, from aircraft manufacturing to medicine, are interested in our technologies. This indicates a high degree of versatility and applied significance of our solutions.

    The Polytechnic University was also represented in the international agenda of the forum. Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Higher School of Computer Technology and Information Systems of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Leading Researcher of the Gazpromneft-Polytech Scientific and Educational Center, Analyst in the project “Automation of Seismic Data Processing Using Artificial Neural Networks” Sergey Khlopin took part in the round table “Russian-Chinese Scientific and Technical Cooperation in the Field of Development and Implementation of High Technologies”. As part of the session “Projects and Technologies in the Field of Intellectual Production”, he made a report “Current Models for the Implementation of Digital Technological Projects in the Field of Geological Exploration”. Sergey Vladimirovich spoke about the cooperation between SPbPU and Chinese partners.

    Sergey Khlopin, commenting on the results of his speech, noted: This year, INNOPROM-2025 became a platform for demonstrating the start of the work process of Gazpromneft-Polytech REC specialists in the field of AI application for geological exploration. One of the key tasks that the models being created will be aimed at solving in the future is the labor-intensive manual processing of seismic information. In tests, the model shows accuracy comparable to classical methods on linear data, but significantly exceeds them in cases with nonlinear dependencies, which are more common in practice. However, the project has just started, so the team faces various difficulties during development. Neural networks do not always give the correct result. We are solving the problem of the relevance of the data received.

    Since 2018, Polytech has implemented more than 20 contracts for research and development work with 12 of the largest industrial and research companies in China. The most active cooperation is in the field of telecommunications and IT technologies, aviation industry, automotive industry and new materials. During the discussion of the interaction of the Gazpromneft-Polytech REC with an industrial partner, Sergey Khlopin demonstrated the successful experience of implementing a scientific project aimed at the practical application of the results of industrial operation. He also emphasized the importance of further developing cooperation and expressed confidence in the formation of reliable partnerships with representatives of the PRC in an alliance with an industrial partner.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: AI and art collide in this engineering course that puts human creativity first

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Francesco Fedele, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

    A Georgia Tech University course links art and artificial intelligence. Yuichiro Chino/Moment via Getty Images

    Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

    Title of course:

    Art and Generative AI

    What prompted the idea for the course?

    I see many students viewing artificial intelligence as humanlike simply because it can write essays, do complex math or answer questions. AI can mimic human behavior but lacks meaningful engagement with the world. This disconnect inspired the course and was shaped by the ideas of 20th-century German philosopher Martin Heidegger. His work highlights how we are deeply connected and present in the world. We find meaning through action, care and relationships. Human creativity and mastery come from this intuitive connection with the world. Modern AI, by contrast, simulates intelligence by processing symbols and patterns without understanding or care.

    In this course, we reject the illusion that machines fully master everything and put student expression first. In doing so, we value uncertainty, mistakes and imperfection as essential to the creative process.

    This vision expands beyond the classroom. In the 2025-26 academic year, the course will include a new community-based learning collaboration with Atlanta’s art communities. Local artists will co-teach with me to integrate artistic practice and AI.

    The course builds on my 2018 class, Art and Geometry, which I co-taught with local artists. The course explored Picasso’s cubism, which depicted reality as fractured from multiple perspectives; it also looked at Einstein’s relativity, the idea that time and space are not absolute and distinct but part of the same fabric.

    What does the course explore?

    We begin with exploring the first mathematical model of a neuron, the perceptron. Then, we study the Hopfield network, which mimics how our brain can remember a song from just listening to a few notes by filling in the rest. Next, we look at Hinton’s Boltzmann Machine, a generative model that can also imagine and create new, similar songs. Finally, we study today’s deep neural networks and transformers, AI models that mimic how the brain learns to recognize images, speech or text. Transformers are especially well suited for understanding sentences and conversations, and they power technologies such as ChatGPT.

    In addition to AI, we integrate artistic practice into the coursework. This approach broadens students’ perspectives on science and engineering through the lens of an artist. The first offering of the course in spring 2025 was co-taught with Mark Leibert, an artist and professor of the practice at Georgia Tech. His expertise is in art, AI and digital technologies. He taught students fundamentals of various artistic media, including charcoal drawing and oil painting. Students used these principles to create art using AI ethically and creatively. They critically examined the source of training data and ensured that their work respects authorship and originality.

    Students also learn to record brain activity using electroencephalography – EEG – headsets. Through AI models, they then learn to transform neural signals into music, images and storytelling. This work inspired performances where dancers improvised in response to AI-generated music.

    The Improv AI performance at Georgia Tech on April 15, 2025. Dancers improvised to music generated by AI from brain waves and sonified black hole data.

    Why is this course relevant now?

    AI entered our lives so rapidly that many people don’t fully grasp how it works, why it works, when it fails or what its mission is.

    In creating this course, the aim is to empower students by filling that gap. Whether they are new to AI or not, the goal is to make its inner algorithms clear, approachable and honest. We focus on what these tools actually do and how they can go wrong.

    We place students and their creativity first. We reject the illusion of a perfect machine, but we provoke the AI algorithm to confuse and hallucinate, when it generates inaccurate or nonsensical responses. To do so, we deliberately use a small dataset, reduce the model size or limit training. It’s in these flawed states of AI that students step in as conscious co-creators. The students are the missing algorithm that takes back control of the creative process. Their creations do not obey AI but reimagine it by the human hand. The artwork is rescued from automation.

    What’s a critical lesson from the course?

    Students learn to recognize AI’s limitations and harness its failures to reclaim creative authorship. The artwork isn’t generated by AI, but it’s reimagined by students.

    Students learn chatbot queries have an environmental cost because large AI models use a lot of power. They avoid unnecessary iterations when designing prompts or using AI. This helps reducing carbon emissions.

    The Improv AI performance on April 15, 2025, featured dancer Bekah Crosby responding to AI-generated music from brain waves.

    What will the course prepare students to do?

    The course prepares students to think like artists. Through abstraction and imagination they gain the confidence to tackle the engineering challenges of the 21st century. These include protecting the environment, building resilient cities and improving health.

    Students also realize that while AI has vast engineering and scientific applications, ethical implementation is crucial. Understanding the type and quality of training data that AI uses is essential. Without it, AI systems risk producing biased or flawed predictions.

    Francesco Fedele 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. AI and art collide in this engineering course that puts human creativity first – https://theconversation.com/ai-and-art-collide-in-this-engineering-course-that-puts-human-creativity-first-256673

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: ​​​​​​​‘Do not invest in US gas exports’ Greenpeace warns EU, backed by new report

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    ‘Do not invest in US gas exports’ Greenpeace warns EU, backed by new report

    Brussels – As European leaders and companies are pushing for increased imports of US liquefied gas (LNG), a new report by Greenpeace USA, Earthworks, and Oil Change International highlights the climate threats and financial risks posed by five major new liquefied gas export projects proposed for the US Gulf Coast, most of them still awaiting a final investment decision.[1]

    “What we found was crystal clear – any further investment in LNG is not compatible with a livable climate,” said Andres Chang, Senior Research Specialist at Greenpeace USA and lead author of the report. “The massive growth in infrastructure along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast has already created significant public health and ecosystem impacts, threatening entire coastal communities. But it doesn’t stop there. We believe this report shows that, if built, these projects would put global climate goals even further out of reach.”

    The report analyses five major US LNG projects – Venture Global CP2, Cameron LNG Phase II, Sabine Pass Stage V, Cheniere Corpus Christi LNG Midscale 8-9, and Freeport LNG Expansion – and finds that each would fail the climate test derived from models in the US Department of Energy’s 2024 LNG Export public interest studies.[2] Each would increase greenhouse gas emissions by edging out renewable energy and driving up global fossil fuel use, undermining the world’s ability to meet the Paris Agreement targets and driving more frequent and intense extreme weather events. The report suggests that future US administrations could therefore revoke export authorisations issued under current US President Trump.

    Pressured by Trump and facing the threat of sweeping tariffs, the EU Commission is proposing increased LNG imports.[3] It has also agreed to look into direct public investments by the EU and its member states in gas export facilities outside the EU – including potentially the five US LNG projects analysed in this report – in its Affordable Energy Action Plan released in February 2025.[4]

    “Increasing US gas imports will deepen Europe’s dependence on the US, making the EU and national governments even more vulnerable to Trump’s political extortion. EU leaders must break free from fossil fuel dependency and take control of Europe’s future by investing in a renewable, secure and peaceful energy system. A ban on all new fossil fuel projects in the EU would be the right first step, certainly not funding projects abroad,” said Thomas Gelin, Greenpeace EU climate and energy campaigner.

    Another result of Trump’s pressure is the calls by some Member States and other EU policymakers to weaken the EU methane regulation, which was adopted just last year, in order to continue importing US liquefied gas despite the fact that its production – mostly coming from fracking – is associated with particularly high methane emissions.[5][6]

    “This report adds to a rapidly growing body of evidence that financing U.S. LNG is not a sound decision for insurers, investors, or purchasers – something the EU and America’s Asian allies must keep in mind as President Trump pressures them to increase their imports of U.S. LNG under threat of sweeping tariffs. Countries with climate commitments, such as those in the EU, should be very wary of the climate cost of importing US LNG,” said Dr Dakota Raynes, Senior Manager of Research, Policy, and Data at Earthworks.

    European energy companies have already signed long-term purchase agreements for four of the projects analysed in the report. These contracts extend well beyond 2035, the year by which Europe must phase-out fossil gas if it is serious about meeting its international climate commitments. These companies include SEFE (Germany), BASF (Germany), GASTRADE S.A. (Greece), DTEK (Ukraine), TotalEnergies (France), PKN Orlen (Poland), Gap (Portugal) and Equinor (Norway) – several of which are fully or partially state-owned.[7] 

    “Fossil fuel dependency has long externalized its true costs, forcing communities to bear the burden of pollution, sickness, and economic instability,” says James Hiatt, founder and director of For a Better Bayou. “For decades the oil and gas industry has known about the devastating health and climate impacts of its operations, yet it continues to expand, backed by billions in private and public financing. These harms are not isolated – they’re systemic, and they threaten all of us. This report is a call to conscience. It’s time we stop propping up deadly false solutions and start investing in a transition to energy systems that sustain life, not sacrifice it.”

    Greenpeace calls on EU leaders to stop new long-term purchase agreements for liquefied gas and drop the proposal for direct financial investments in gas export facilities. Instead, the EU should impose a ban on all new fossil fuel projects, including new liquefied gas import terminals, stop all public investments in fossil fuel infrastructure and agree to end fossil gas by 2035 at the latest.

    ENDS

    Notes

    Read the full report: Failing the climate test: LNG projects awaiting final investment decision do not stand up to US Government analysis

    Read the European media briefing

    Watch the press conference recording

    [1] At the time of drafting of the report, all five were awaiting a final investment decision. On June 24, 2025, Cheniere Corpus Christi LNG announced a positive final investment decision.

    [2] December 2024 | ENERGY, ECONOMIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF US LNG EXPORTS

    [3] Trump says EU must buy $350B of US energy to get tariff relief – POLITICO

    [4] Action Plan for Affordable Energy 

    [5] The Member States are: Bulgaria, Czechia, Greece, Hungaria, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

    [6] Liquefied natural gas carbon footprint is worse than coal | Cornell Chronicle

    [7] Source: Sierra Club US LNG Export Tracker, date as of 4 June 2025

    Contacts

    Greenpeace International Press Desk: [email protected], +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)

    Katie Nelson, Senior Communications Specialist, Greenpeace USA, [email protected], +1 (678) 644-1681, (GMT -8)

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI: Charli Capital Announces Proposed Transaction for Strategic Reverse Takeover

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CharliAI Inc. d/b/a Charli Capital (“Charli Capital” or the “Company”), a leading provider of AI-driven infrastructure for capital markets, today announced it has entered into a binding letter agreement (“Letter Agreement”) with 1348514 B.C. Ltd. (“ShellCo”), a reporting issuer in British Columbia and Alberta. The Letter Agreement outlines the proposed acquisition of Charli Capital by ShellCo, resulting in a reverse takeover of ShellCo, subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals (the “Proposed Transaction”).

    Charli Capital is transforming capital markets with its breakthrough “Multidimensional AI” platform, delivering real-time, automated insights across both public and private markets. Purpose-built and designed for private investors, family offices, advisors, and fund managers, Charli Capital’s technology is engineered to:

    • Accelerate Diligence & Surface Smart Deals: AI-powered investor relations tools and instant scorecards for alternative investments.
    • Deliver Always-On Market Intelligence: Unified, automated access to financials, valuations, forecasts, and comparable data for both public and private companies.
    • Unlock Private Market Opportunity: Addressing the inefficiencies in private market data, Charli Capital empowers investors with actionable intelligence and transparency in a sector where 99% of companies are private and data is often fragmented or inaccessible.

    Charli Capital’s platform is built on years of advanced R&D in Agentic AI, data science, and leading-edge digital twin technologies to outperform traditional solutions in accuracy, reasoning, and speed.

    “The Proposed Transaction marks a pivotal milestone for Charli Capital,” said Kevin Collins, CEO of Charli Capital. “By becoming a public company through this reverse merger with ShellCo, we will significantly increase awareness of Charli Capital among key stakeholders, accelerate the scale of our AI-powered platform, and deliver next-generation market intelligence to a broader audience of investors, advisors, and institutions.”

    Eric Massie, CEO and Director of ShellCo, added, “We are excited to partner with Charli Capital, whose innovative technology and vision align with our commitment to delivering value to shareholders and the broader capital markets ecosystem.”

    The Proposed Transaction positions Charli Capital to accelerate its mission of democratizing access to private and public market intelligence, and is also expected to:

    • Enhance transparency and trust for stakeholders.
    • Expand access to growth capital.
    • Enable broader adoption of Charli Capital’s AI-driven solutions in the global investment community.

    Overview of Proposed Transaction

    • Reverse Takeover Structure: ShellCo will acquire all issued and outstanding equity securities of Charli Capital, resulting in Charli Capital becoming the public entity.
    • Binding Agreement: The Letter Agreement creates binding obligations on both parties, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

    About Charli Capital
    Charli Capital is redefining the future of private investing with a first-of-its-kind dual-sided network, powered by Charli’s multidimensional AI. Our platform empowers investors to uncover hidden opportunities, access high-quality deal flow, and engage in a new era of data-driven, intelligent capital allocation. Charli Capital is where next-generation investment decisions begin.

    Cautionary Statements

    As noted above, completion of the Proposed Transaction is subject to a number of conditions. There can be no assurance that the Proposed Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.

    Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular of the Company to be prepared in connection with the Proposed Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Proposed Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon.

    This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

    Forward-Looking Information and Statements

    This news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information.

    Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward looking terminology such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will be taken”, “will continue”, “will occur” or “will be achieved”. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the Company will complete the Proposed Transaction; becoming a public company will enhance transparency and trust for stakeholders, expand access to growth capital, and enable broader adoption of Charli’s AI-driven solutions in the global investment community; the resulting issuer will carry out the business of Charli; and the Proposed Transaction will significantly increase awareness of Charli Capital among key stakeholders, accelerate the scale of its AI-powered platform, and deliver next-generation market intelligence to a broader audience of investors, advisors, and institutions.

    Forward-looking information in this news release are based on certain assumptions and expected future events, namely: the Company will have the ability to complete the Proposed Transaction; becoming a public company will give the Company the ability to enhance transparency and trust for stakeholders, expand access to growth capital, and enable broader adoption of Charli’s AI-driven solutions in the global investment community; the resulting issuer will have the ability to carry out the business of Charli; and the Proposed Transaction will have the ability to significantly increase awareness of Charli Capital among key stakeholders, accelerate the scale of its AI-powered platform, and deliver next-generation market intelligence to a broader audience of investors, advisors, and institutions.

    These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: the Company will not complete the Proposed Transaction; becoming a public company will not give the Company the ability to enhance transparency and trust for stakeholders, expand access to growth capital, nor enable broader adoption of Charli’s AI-driven solutions in the global investment community; the resulting issuer will not have the ability to carry out the business of Charli; and the Proposed Transaction will not significantly increase awareness of Charli Capital among key stakeholders, accelerate the scale of its AI-powered platform, nor deliver next-generation market intelligence to a broader audience of investors, advisors, and institutions.

    Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.

    Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and reflect the Company’s expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change thereafter. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

    For media inquiries, please contact:

    Fatema Bhabrawala
    Director of Media Relations
    fbhabrawala@allianceadvisors.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: My city was one of hundreds expecting federal funds to help manage rising heat wave risk – then EPA terminated the grants

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Brian G. Henning, Professor of Philosophy and Environmental Studies and Science, Gonzaga University

    The Pacific Northwest heat wave of 2021 left cities across Washington state sweltering in dangerous temperatures. AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

    In June 2021, a deadly heat wave pushed temperatures to 109 degrees Fahrenheit (43 Celsius) in Spokane, Washington, a northern city near the Idaho border where many homes weren’t built with central air conditioning.

    As the heat lingered for over a week, 19 people died in Spokane County and about 300 visited hospitals with signs of heat-related illnesses.

    Scientists say it’s not a matter of if, but when, another deadly heat wave descends on the region. To help save lives, the city teamed up with my university, Gonzaga, to start preparing for a hotter future.

    A chart of all deaths, excluding COVID-19, shows the extraordinary impact the 2021 heat dome had in Washington.
    ‘In the Hot Seat’ report, 2022

    We were excited and relieved when the community was awarded a US$19.9 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to help it take concrete steps to adapt to climate change and boost the local economy in the process. The grant would help establish resilience hubs with microgrids and help residents without air conditioning install energy-efficient cooling systems. The city doesn’t have the means to make these improvements on its own, even if they would save lives and money in the long run.

    Less than a year later, the Trump administration abruptly terminated the funding.

    Spokane’s grant wasn’t the only one eliminated – about 350 similar grants that had been awarded to help communities across the country manage climate changes, from extreme heat and wildfire smoke to rising seas and flooding, were also terminated on the grounds that they don’t meet the White House’s priorities. Many other grants to help communities have also been terminated.

    Many of the communities that lost funding are like Spokane: They can’t afford to do this kind of work on their own.

    Why cities like Spokane need the help

    Like many communities in the American West, Spokane was founded in the late 19th century on wealth from railroads and resource extraction, especially gold, silver and timber.

    Today, it is a city of 230,000 in a metro area of a half-million people, the largest on the I-90 corridor between Minneapolis and Seattle. In many ways, Spokane could be on the cusp of a renaissance.

    In January 2025, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced a $48 million grant to develop a tech hub that could put the Inland Northwest on a path to become a global leader in advanced aerospace materials. But then, in May, the Trump administration rescinded that grant as well.

    The lost grants left the economy – and Spokane’s ability to adapt fast enough to keep up with climate changes – uncertain.

    Heat waves are becoming a growing risk in Spokane, known for its river and falls that tumble near downtown.
    Roman Eugeniusz/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    This is not a wealthy area. The median household income is nearly $30,000 less than the state average. More than 13 out of every 100 people in Spokane live in poverty, above the national average, and over 67% of the children are eligible for free or reduced lunch.

    The city is a light blue island in a dark red sea, politically speaking, with a moderate mayor. Its congressional district has voted Republican by wide margins since 1995, the year that then-House Speaker Tom Foley lost his reelection bid.

    Lessons from the 2021 heat dome

    The 2021 heat wave was a catalyzing event for the community. The newly formed Gonzaga Institute for Climate, Water and the Environment brought together a coalition of government and community partners to apply for the EPA’s Climate and Environmental Justice Community Change Grant Program. The grants, funded by Congress under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, were intended to help communities most affected by pollution and climate change build adaptive capacity and boost the safety of their residents.

    A key lesson from the 2021 heat dome was that temporary, or pop-up, cooling centers don’t work well. People just weren’t showing up. Our research found that the best approach is to strengthen existing community facilities that people already turn to in moments of difficulty.

    Half the $19.9 million award was for outfitting five resilience hubs in existing libraries and community centers with solar arrays and battery backup microgrids, allowing them to continue providing a safe, cool space during a heat wave if the power shuts down.

    The locations and plans for five resilience hubs to serve Spokane, and the infrastructure they would receive.
    Gonzaga Institute for Climate, Water and the Environment

    Another $8 million in grant funding was meant to provide 300 low- to moderate-income homeowners with new high-efficiency electric heat pump heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, providing more affordable utility bills while improving their ability to cool their homes and reducing fossil fuel emissions.

    Communities are left with few options

    Now, this and other work is at risk in Spokane and cities and towns like it around the country that also lost funding.

    According to the Trump administration, the program – designed to help hundreds of communities around the country become safer – was “no longer consistent with EPA funding priorities.”

    A class action lawsuit was recently filed over the termination of the grants by a coalition that includes Earth Justice and the Southern Environmental Law Center. If the case is successful, Spokane could see its funding restored.

    Meanwhile, the city and my team know we have to move fast, with whatever money and other resources we can find, to help Spokane prepare for worsening heat. We formed the Spokane Climate Resilience Collaborative – a partnership between community organizations, health officials and the city – as one way to advance planning for and responding to climate hazards such as extreme heat and wildfire smoke.

    As concentrations of heat-trapping gasses accumulate in the atmosphere, both the frequency and severity of heat waves increase. It is only a matter of time before another deadly heat dome arrives.

    Brian G. Henning receives funding from the Environmental Protection Agency.

    – ref. My city was one of hundreds expecting federal funds to help manage rising heat wave risk – then EPA terminated the grants – https://theconversation.com/my-city-was-one-of-hundreds-expecting-federal-funds-to-help-manage-rising-heat-wave-risk-then-epa-terminated-the-grants-259009

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Trump administration’s lie detector campaign against leakers is unlikely to succeed and could divert energy from national security priorities

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Brian O’Neill, Professor of Practice, International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology

    The Department of Homeland Security and FBI are reportedly using polygraphs aggressively to identify dissenters. standret/Getty Images

    The Trump administration has recently directed that a new wave of polygraphs be administered across the executive branch, aimed at uncovering leaks to the press.

    As someone who has taken roughly a dozen polygraphs during my 27-year career with the CIA, I read this development with some skepticism.

    Polygraphs carry an ominous, almost mythological reputation among Americans. The more familiar and unofficial term – lie detector tests – likely fuels that perception. Television crime dramas have done their part, too, often portraying the device as an oracle for uncovering the truth when conventional methods fail.

    In those portrayals, the polygraph is not merely a tool – it’s a window into the soul.

    Among those entering government service, especially in national security, the greater anxiety is not the background check but passing the polygraph. My advice is always the same: Don’t lie.

    It’s the best – and perhaps only – guidance for a process that most assessments have concluded is a more subjective interpretation than empirical science.

    Why the polygraph persists

    Polygraphs are “pseudo-scientific” in that they measure physiological responses such as heart rate, blood pressure and perspiration. The assumption is that liars betray themselves through spikes in those signals. But this presumes a kind of psychological transparency that simply doesn’t hold up. A person might sweat and tremble simply from fear, anger or frustration – not deceit.

    There also are no specific physiological reactions associated with lying. The National Academy of Sciences in 2003, and the American Psychological Association in a 2004 review, concluded that the polygraph rests more on theater than fact. Recent assessments, published in 2019, have reached the same conclusion.

    Accordingly, polygraph results are not generally admissible in U.S. courts. Only a handful of states – such as Georgia, Arizona and California – permit their use even under limited conditions. And they typically require that both parties agree to admission and a judge to approve it. Unconditional admissibility remains the exception, not the rule.

    And yet, inside many national security agencies, polygraphs remain central to the clearance process – a fact I observed firsthand during my time overseeing personnel vetting and analytic hiring within the intelligence community.

    While not treated as conclusive, polygraph results often serve as a filter. A candidate’s visible discomfort – or the examiner’s subjective judgment that a response seems evasive – can stall or end the hiring process. For instance, I know that government agencies have halted clearances after an examiner flagged elevated reactions to questions about past drug use or foreign contacts, even when no disqualifying behavior was ultimately documented.

    The FBI’s J. Edgar Hoover headquarters building in Washington in 2016.
    AP Photo/Cliff Owen

    In some cases, an examiner’s suggestion that a chart shows an anomaly has led otherwise strong applicants to volunteer details they hadn’t planned to share – such as minor security infractions, undeclared relationships, or casual drug use from decades earlier – that, while not disqualifying on their own, reshape how their trustworthiness is perceived.

    The polygraph’s power lies in creating the conditions under which deception is confessed.

    A predictable pattern

    No administration has been immune to the impulse to investigate leaks. The reflex is bipartisan and familiar: An embarrassing disclosure appears in the press – contradicting official statements or exposing internal dissent – and the White House vows to identify and punish the source. Polygraphs are often part of this ritual.

    During his first term, Trump intensified efforts to expose internal dissent and media leaks. Department guidelines were revised to make it easier for agencies to obtain journalists’ phone and email records, and polygraphs were reportedly used to pressure officials suspected of talking to the press. That trend has continued – and, in some areas, escalated.

    Recent policies at the Pentagon now restrict unescorted press access, revoke office space for major outlets and favor ideologically aligned networks. The line between legitimate leak prevention and the surveillance or sidelining of critical press coverage has grown increasingly blurred.

    At agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, polygraphs are reportedly being used more frequently – and more punitively – to identify internal dissenters. Even “cold cases,” such as the leak of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs opinion ahead of its overturning of Roe v. Wade, have been reopened, despite prior investigations yielding no definitive source.

    Government reaction varies

    Not all leaks are treated the same. Disclosures that align with official narratives or offer strategic advantage may be quietly tolerated, even if unauthorized. Others, especially those that embarrass senior officials or reveal dysfunction, are more likely to prompt formal investigation.

    In 2003, for example, the leak of CIA officer Valerie Plame’s identity – widely seen as retaliation for her husband’s criticism of the Iraq War – triggered a federal investigation. The disclosure embarrassed senior officials, led to White House aide Scooter Libby’s conviction for perjury, later commuted, and drew intense political scrutiny.

    Lewis Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, rides in the backseat of a limousine on Oct. 27, 2005, in McLean, Va.
    Win McNamee/Getty Images

    Leaks involving classified material draw the sharpest response when they challenge presidential authority or expose internal disputes. That was the case in 2010 with Chelsea Manning, whose disclosure of diplomatic cables and battlefield reports embarrassed senior officials and sparked global backlash. Government reaction often depends less on what was disclosed than on who disclosed it – and to what effect.

    A narrow set of disclosures, such as those involving espionage or operational compromise, elicit broad consensus as grounds for prosecution. But most leaks fall outside that category. Most investigations fade quietly. The public rarely learns what became of them. Occasionally, there is a vague resignation, but direct accountability is rare.

    What the future holds

    Trump’s polygraph campaign is not likely to eliminate leaks to the press. But they may have a chilling effect that discourages internal candor while diverting investigative energy away from core security priorities.

    Even if such campaigns succeed in reducing unauthorized disclosures, they may come at the cost of institutional resilience. Historically, aggressive internal enforcement has been associated with declining morale and reduced information flow – factors that can hinder adaptation to complex threats.

    Some researchers have suggested that artificial intelligence may eventually offer reliable tools for detecting deception. One recent assessment raised the possibility, while cautioning that the technology is nowhere near operational readiness.

    For now, institutions will have to contend with the tools they have – imperfect, imprecise and more performative than predictive.

    As a former US intelligence officer, I am required to submit any written draft, before sharing it with other persons, for prepublication review. I submitted this draft to CIA’s Prepublication Review Board, which responded on 11 June: “No classified information was identified. Therefore, no changes are required for publication or sharing with others.”

    – ref. Trump administration’s lie detector campaign against leakers is unlikely to succeed and could divert energy from national security priorities – https://theconversation.com/trump-administrations-lie-detector-campaign-against-leakers-is-unlikely-to-succeed-and-could-divert-energy-from-national-security-priorities-259128

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI: Banzai Appoints Dean Ditto as Chief Financial Officer

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SEATTLE, July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Banzai International, Inc. (NASDAQ: BNZI) (“Banzai” or the “Company”), a leading marketing technology company that provides essential marketing and sales solutions, today announced the appointment of Dean Ditto, CPA, as Chief Financial Officer of the Company, effective July 14, 2025. Mr. Ditto replaces Interim Chief Financial Officer, Alvin Yip, who will continue with the Company in the role of Chief Accounting Officer.

    Dean Ditto has over 30 years’ experience as a strategic financial leader with a track record of implementing critical business initiatives that drive profitable growth at both public and private companies. Prior to joining Banzai, Mr. Ditto was Chief Financial Officer of Akerna Corp. a SaaS technology company where he led a corporate restructuring plan that produced cost savings of $6 million annually. Previously, he was CFO of Mydecine Innovations Group, Inc., a biotech and life sciences company, where he raised $40 million through public and private offerings to support drug and IP development and operations. As CFO of Sigue Corporation, a closely-held Fintech provider, Mr. Ditto worked to improve the business planning, budgeting and financial analysis processes. He has also served in financial leadership roles at OSI Systems, Dental Lab Holdings, KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Countrywide Home Loans, Giant Bicycle USA, and Ford Motor Company. Mr. Ditto holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Management from Albion College, and holds a Master of Business Administration from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

    “On behalf of our board and management team, I would like to welcome Dean to the position. We are privileged to have someone of his caliber and financial skill set serve as our CFO,” said Joe Davy, Founder and CEO of Banzai. “I would like to thank Alvin for his contribution in leading us to this inflection point, and welcome Dean’s capabilities in scaling public technology companies. His achievements as well as expertise in financial management of listed companies will make a significant addition to the strategic operation and development of Banzai going forward.”

    Mr. Ditto added, “I am excited to be appointed as CFO as we prepare Banzai for the future in a rapidly evolving market. I look forward to working with Joe, the executive team, and the finance team as we continue to execute on our strategic and financial priorities focused on value-added growth and our commitments to all shareholders.”

    About Banzai

    Banzai is a marketing technology company that provides AI-enabled marketing and sales solutions for businesses of all sizes. On a mission to help their customers grow, Banzai enables companies of all sizes to target, engage, and measure both new and existing customers more effectively. Banzai has over 90,000 customers including RBC, Dell Technologies, New York Life, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Thinkific, and ActiveCampaign. Learn more at www.banzai.io. For investors, please visit https://ir.banzai.io.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements often use words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “target,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “propose,” “plan,” “project,” “forecast,” “predict,” “potential,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar variations and expressions. Forward-looking statements are those that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Examples of forward-looking statements may include, among others, statements regarding Banzai International, Inc.’s (the “Company’s”): future financial, business and operating performance and goals; annualized recurring revenue and customer retention; ongoing, future or ability to maintain or improve its financial position, cash flows, and liquidity and its expected financial needs; potential financing and ability to obtain financing; acquisition strategy and proposed acquisitions and, if completed, their potential success and financial contributions; strategy and strategic goals, including being able to capitalize on opportunities; expectations relating to the Company’s industry, outlook and market trends; total addressable market and serviceable addressable market and related projections; plans, strategies and expectations for retaining existing or acquiring new customers, increasing revenue and executing growth initiatives; and product areas of focus and additional products that may be sold in the future. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity and development of the industry in which the Company operates may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Therefore, investors should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially include changes in the markets in which the Company operates, customer demand, the financial markets, economic, business and regulatory and other factors, such as the Company’s ability to execute on its strategy. More detailed information about risk factors can be found in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q under the heading “Risk Factors,” and in other reports filed by the Company, including reports on Form 8-K. The Company does not undertake any duty to update forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.

    Investor Relations
    Chris Tyson
    Executive Vice President
    MZ Group – MZ North America
    949-491-8235
    BNZI@mzgroup.us
    www.mzgroup.us

    Media
    Nancy Norton
    Chief Legal Officer, Banzai
    media@banzai.io

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chinese universities deepen educational cooperation with Central Asian countries

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    XI’AN, July 9 (Xinhua) — When Dilnaz from Kazakhstan received her master’s degree in late June this year, her entire student life in China flashed before her eyes. During her two years of master’s studies, she had the opportunity to study at two campuses of Northwestern Polytechnical University (NWPU): one in Almaty and the other in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province (Northwest China), a distance of more than 3,000 kilometers.

    Studying in two countries was an amazing and unforgettable experience, Dilnaz said. It was made possible by the launch of an international education program two years ago at SZPU, a renowned engineering university in China.

    Let us recall that in May 2023, within the framework of the first China-Central Asia summit, an agreement was signed between NWPU and the Kazakh National University named after Al-Farabi /KazNU/ to open a Kazakhstani branch of NWPU. Already in October of the same year, eight Kazakhstani students, including Dilnaz, became the first master’s students of this branch in Almaty. They studied in the specialties of materials science, information and communication engineering, computer science and technology, which are the strongest disciplines at NWPU.

    In recent years, as China deepens cooperation with Central Asian countries under the Belt and Road Initiative, education has become a key area of bilateral cooperation. A number of Chinese universities have opened branches in Central Asian countries, giving new impetus to the development of higher education cooperation between China and Central Asia.

    For example, in July 2024, a branch of Beijing Language and Culture University was officially opened in Kazakhstan, and in the same month, a branch of Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University was opened in Tashkent, which became the first Chinese university branch in Uzbekistan. In May of this year, Xi’an University of Architecture and Civil Engineering and Osh Technological University of Kyrgyzstan (OshTU) signed an agreement in Xi’an to establish an architectural institute at OshTU.

    In the more than 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the five Central Asian countries, bilateral relations have achieved leaps and bounds, as evidenced by the continuous strengthening of political mutual trust and the intensification of trade and economic exchanges and people-to-people contacts, which has created conditions for the opening of branches of Chinese universities in Central Asian countries, noted Gu Wei, a research fellow at the Institute of International Studies of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

    According to her, the entry of Chinese universities into the international arena with the establishment of foreign branches meets the needs of Central Asian countries in training highly qualified personnel and will contribute to the deepening of cooperation between China and Central Asian countries.

    In May 2025, SZPU, together with KazNU, established the China-Kazakhstan Elite Engineering Institute, signing an agreement on joint training of bachelors in artificial intelligence under the “2 2” scheme with the issuance of double diplomas. This project became a new breakthrough for the two universities in the field of training specialists, creating a new architecture of high-level international cooperation.

    “These achievements clearly demonstrate the deep coordination and joint development of the parties in the field of training specialists and scientific and innovative activities, actively promoting cultural mutual enrichment and scientific cooperation,” noted Vice-Rector of SZPU Yue Xiaokui.

    As the Minister of Education of the People’s Republic of China Huai Jinpeng reported in May at the first Meeting of Ministers of Education “China-Central Asia”, at present more than 18 thousand young people from Central Asia are studying in Chinese universities. -0-

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Continuing the Quest for Clays

    Source: NASA

    Written by Eleanor Moreland, Ph.D. Student Collaborator at Rice University

    For the past month and a half, Perseverance has been exploring the Krokodillen plateau in search of clay-bearing rocks. An earlier blog discussed that these rocks could hold clues to Mars’ watery past, and Perseverance has been exploring multiple potential locations to find a suitable target to sample. When a coring target could not be found at the previous outcrop, the Science Team decided to return to the “Main Topsail” locality. In a single drive to this area, Perseverance drove 411.7 meters (1,350.7 feet, or just over a quarter mile) — the longest driving distance ever accomplished by a robotic vehicle on another planet. Go, Percy, go! 
    Back in the region near “Main Topsail” and “Salmon Point,” the team attempted to abrade and sample the clay-bearing rocks at a few different targets. These rocks, however, are proving very breakable and difficult to sample and abrade. Perseverance has experienced challenging fine-grained rocks before, such as during the fan front campaign inside Jezero crater. In that scenario and this one, the Science and Engineering teams work together diligently to find the highest priority targets and find rocks that could withstand the abrasion and coring processes. In this case, the team has decided to return to the site of a previous abrasion, “Strong Island,” to sample the rock we have already abraded and analyzed. This abrasion showed the strong clay signature the team is looking to sample, and we will make another coring attempt this week. 

    This past week, the Perseverance team hosted two very special visitors, Madeline and Joshua, and had the unique honor of fulfilling their wishes through the Make-A-Wish foundation. During their visits to JPL, Madeline and Joshua were named honorary Mars 2020 Operations Team Members. They visited the test rovers in the JPL Mars Yard, watched data arrive from the rover with the Perseverance operations team, and attended a rover planning meeting, collaborating with the science and engineering team members on campus. Madeline and Joshua will forever be connected to the Mars 2020 mission, as each selected the name of one of our planning targets. Madeline’s target, “Jigging Cove,” was a target for Mastcam-Z and SuperCam “all techniques” analysis, including LIBS, VISIR, and RMI. Joshua’s selection, “Gallants,” will be used for the next coring target. Carrying forward the resilience shown by Madeline and Joshua, Perseverance will attempt to sample this clay-rich bedrock before continuing the investigation along the Jezero crater rim. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Peter Kyle’s speech at Google Cloud Summit London

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Peter Kyle’s speech at Google Cloud Summit London

    Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology, Peter Kyle, delivered a speech at Google Cloud Summit London on Wednesday 9 July 2025.

    Thank you for having me, and thanks also for acknowledging the GOV.UK App, which I’m sure you’ve all downloaded.

    If you haven’t already, then you should be doing so now. And I don’t if you’re looking down at your phones while I’m speaking, if what you’re doing is downloading the GOV.UK App – which is already outselling the Bible on the app store, I’m reliably told.

    When I came into office a year ago, I was told to deliver an App, with a digital wallet, with a chatbot, and with a digital driving licence attached to it, I was told it couldn’t be done in one parliament, that it couldn’t be done in one 5 year period.

    My response was I’m sure Google and others don’t take that long to design and deploy their technology. Let me see a timeline.

    The timeline came back to me a week later, and it was now 3 years.

    We did all of this, the start of the deployment of GOV.UK App, within one year of government.

    Within 15 months, all of those services I’ve just outlined will be deployed and put to the benefit of citizens right around the country.

    And that for me is a source of huge pride, because we’ve used technology to wrap services around individual citizens needs.

    Right now, as all of you know, too often citizens are being wrapped around the needs of services themselves.

    And this is a profound change as we go forward.

    Now, sometimes I’m accused of being “too close to big tech”.

    And I could have no better place to have this argument out on the table with you now.

    In May, The Guardian criticised me for meeting with the sector 70% more than my predecessor. Now, to this crime, I plead guilty.

    In truth that was just 28 times over the course of a 6-month period, that equates to around twice a week over that time.

    As Technology Secretary I simply will not apologise for meeting with technology companies – that is the job.

    Just as meeting with the families of victims of social media, regulators, founders, overseas governments and the creative sector, it’s all part and parcel of what I’m paid to do on behalf of the people’s government.

    But I don’t do these meetings just because I’m paid to do it.

    I do them because they matter:

    keeping children safe or from social media – it matters;

    making sure Britain is the best prepared for developments at the frontier of AI – that matters;

    and securing better deals for the taxpayer for the billions of pounds spent every year on software, cloud services, devices and information technology – that matters.

    So today, I’m here to acknowledge our agreement for an entirely new way of working with Google – and how that will impact our public services.

    It’s an agreement that recognises our value as the UK government as a huge client to their organisation.

    And how important their technology is to help us deliver the changes to public services to make them more in-touch and more in-tune with citizens. And better value for money for taxpayers.

    The agreement signals and signifies our determination to exploit the full potential of a partnership between government and Google, with much more collaboration between their UK AI lab, DeepMind, and my own AI developers in my department, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology with a new digital centre of government.

    We’ve already used Gemini to build “Extract”, a specialist AI tool to help councils convert decades-old, handwritten planning documents and maps into data in minutes.

    It could be pivotal in our plans to stop bureaucracy from holding up the construction and ultimately help us build 1.5 million homes that we’ve pledged over this parliament.

    We know that tools using the same technology are capable of transforming Whitehall itself, the NHS, and other essential services that millions of people across our country rely on.

    So, with more hands-on support, I can’t wait to see what our 2 teams deliver together.

    Google are also aiming to train up 100,000 public sector professionals with the skills that they need to use this technology by 2030.

    That’s going to help us hit the target the Prime Minister set earlier this year, where we’ve committed to double the number of digital experts across government…

    …essential to shaking up decades old processes and making public services work in the way people expect services to work in the 2020s – whether that’s in the NHS, policing, benefits or tax.

    And, perhaps most importantly, we are looking to the sector to help shake off the legacy technology that costs the taxpayer an absolute fortune and leaves us vulnerable to outages and to cyberattacks.

    More than one in 4 public sector systems run on this “ball and chain” tech – rising to 70% in some police forces and NHS trusts.

    With contracts signed decades ago, and a high costs of exit, we’ve seen a few tech companies really taking liberties with the public sector.

    In the worst cases, contracts have made it impossible for public sector organisations to move on. They’ve locked up their data up in vulnerable, archaic servers…

    …only to have the price of maintaining the tech hiked up, year-on- year, with no sign of light at the end of the tunnel.

    Now, as Technology Secretary, I am determined to break free from these costly chains once and for all.

    Through agreements like this we can transition public sector organisations trapped by the ball and chain of legacy products and services, and to migrate to the cloud.

    That move alone will liberate public service organisations and use the latest technology, and more freely explore the wider market moving forward. That is what I am determined to do.

    All in all, this partnership could see Google invest hundreds of millions of pounds in Britain’s public sector technology.

    Helping to deliver my ambition to bring the public services people use every day, drag it into the 21st century.

    Without deals like this in place, we had hundreds of public sector organisations…

    …police forces, NHS trusts, local councils, government departments and many, many more…

    They were simply just going it alone in negotiations with big tech companies.

    And they just don’t have the experience and market clout they need to drive the best deal for taxpayers.

    They end up paying the full shop-front rate or even being entirely mis-sold tech that doesn’t work for them in the first place.

    But they’re all buying on behalf of the same client: you, the British taxpayer.

    And that taxpayer is footing the bill for an annual £21 billion for buying the same technology time and time again.

    That’s why I’m determined to secure a new deal for buying tech for the British taxpayer.

    For too long, too many governments haven’t done enough to build the positive business relationships that Britain needs to prevent the taxpayer being short changed when it comes to procuring tech – from healthcare services, policing systems right through to benefits processes, and bin collections, right down to street sweeping.

    Just as with Google on this strategy, when I negotiate with Tech companies, I am negotiating on behalf of the British taxpayer.

    Britain will be using technology in more areas and more than ever before.

    So, my message to big technology companies is clear: bring us your best ideas, bring us your best tech, and bring it at the best price.

    In return, you’ll get access to the biggest client in the country, one that will be increasingly intelligent and increasingly digital.

    And as we start to operate as a more intelligent buyer of technology, new opportunities are going to emerge.

    The first one that I’m pushing for, is to make sure that, whenever possible, UK technology companies- large and small – get a fair shot at winning a contract.

    Our upcoming marketplace – the national digital exchange – will make sure more and more UK tech companies can get their slice of the £21 billion pie.

    That means more money for companies operating here in the UK, workers and founders.

    It will help us to achieve the economic growth upon which Britain’s future prosperity lies. And it will improve the public services on which British citizens depend.

    Now I want to acknowledge the foresight of Google in signing this key agreement, and I want more to follow. I want it to stimulate many similar co-operation agreements with the full range of international and domestic technology companies.

    That is in the interests of higher economic growth, more jobs, better public services and greater value for taxpayers.

    Thank you very much for having me along today.

    Updates to this page

    Published 9 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ5: Application of legal technology and artificial intelligence

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

         Following is a question by the Hon Maggie Chan and a reply by the Acting Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, in the Legislative Council today (July 9):

    Question:

         It is learnt that the Department of Justice has been actively promoting the application of legal technology (lawtech) and artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal sector. There are views that the Government should actively develop AI tools (e.g. large language model developed by the Hong Kong Generative AI Research and Development Center) for application in areas of the common law, so as to enhance the operational efficiency and competitiveness of the legal sector. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

    (1) whether it has currently developed large language models for application in areas of the common law; if so, of the specific details and the implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that;

    (2) whether it has plans to organise lawtech and AI summits or international exhibitions with the Mainland on a regular basis, so as to promote exchanges and co-operation between the Mainland and Hong Kong in lawtech; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether it has plans to introduce lawtech from the Mainland and apply it in areas of Hong Kong common law, as well as promote the Mainland’s AI legal service products to Hong Kong and overseas; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

    (3) of the measures in place to ensure that small and medium-sized law firms in Hong Kong can benefit from the development of lawtech and AI, such as providing technical support, introducing a tax allowance for “lawtech equipment” and subsidising their procurement of lawtech-related equipment?

    Reply:

    President,

    (1) The Hong Kong Generative Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Center (HKGAI), an inter-school co-operative research centre led by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, has developed the first local large language model (LLM) based on DeepSeek technology with full parameter fine-tuning – “HKGAI V1”. The HKGAI has developed multiple vertical applications for various public service sectors based on this local LLM, including the generative artificial intelligence (AI) document assistance application “HKPilot” and the legal-related “LexiHK”. The Department of Justice (DoJ) is currently participating in the pilot use of “HKPilot” and is considering participating in the trial of “LexiHK” after reviewing its effectiveness. At the same time, the Faculty of Law of the Chinese University of Hong Kong has recently collaborated with an AI software company to develop a legal information AI model based on the Cantonese LLM to facilitate the digital transformation of the legal system and industry. WiseLaw Digital Technology, a company incubated by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, has also recently announced its innovation achievement in legal AI products. The DoJ will collaborate with the HKGAI and other relevant government departments or institutions based on the trial results, market technology development, the needs of the legal sector and the community, and related resource considerations to examine and promote the further application of AI in the legal sector, especially LLMs related to Hong Kong law.

    (2) The DoJ attaches great importance on the development of areas of lawtech and AI, and believes that forums and exhibitions provides an important platform for fostering exchange and co-operation. Currently, the DoJ is actively preparing related activities, aiming to hold the first large-scale activity open to global participants, creating a diverse and open exchange platform to promote the sharing of wisdom and experience from various regions.

         We note that there are currently a number of well-developed lawtech enterprises in Mainland China. Since Mainland lawtech is now primarily designed for the Mainland legal system, it may not be directly applicable to Hong Kong’s common law market. However, we strongly encourage Mainland lawtech enterprises to set up in Hong Kong to explore the local legal market, develop AI products suitable for the Hong Kong common law market, and use Hong Kong as a springboard to develop markets in other common law jurisdictions overseas.

    (3) To promote the development of lawtech, the DoJ established the Consultation Group on Lawtech Development (Consultation Group) in January 2025, and invited the industry and various stakeholders to jointly study and formulate policy measures related to lawtech. The Consultation Group members include representatives from the legal and dispute resolution sectors, law schools, and the lawtech industry, including representatives from small and medium-sized law firms, ensuring that the policies will suit the needs of practitioners.

         The Consultation Group notes in particular the challenges faced by small and medium-sized law firms in promoting the use of lawtech. In addition to economic factors, we understand that small and medium-sized law firms often have limited understanding of lawtech, and traditional practice models tend to rely less on technology, which affects their willingness to adopt new technologies.

         In response to this situation, the DoJ has accepted the suggestion of the Consultation Group and plans to promote the use of technology in the legal industry progressively in three stages:

    (1) Phase 1: Lawtech awareness and education

         The aim of the first stage of the policy on promoting lawtech is to change certain ingrained mindsets and practices within the legal profession by raising their awareness of lawtech, and helping them to understand the benefits of the use of lawtech that can bring to the profession and the risk management awareness that the profession should have. To this end, the DoJ is organising a series of lawtech-related roundtables and events to raise the profession’s understanding of lawtech and to facilitate the exchange and sharing of information between the profession and lawtech experts to enable them to plan for viable adoption of lawtech.

         The DoJ is also aware of the importance of educating law students about lawtech, and will work with stakeholders in legal education and training to strengthen training related to lawtech in legal education curricula through the Standing Committee on Legal Education and Training platform. The DoJ plans to draft and publish a roadmap to assist the legal profession in embarking on their path to technology applications. The DoJ also plans to issue ethical and security guidelines for the legal profession to follow when using lawtech.

    (2) Phase 2: Promoting the profession’s engagement with lawtech products

         The DoJ intends to organise an exhibition of lawtech products to enable the legal profession to access and experience a variety of lawtech products available in the market and to identify lawtech solutions suitable for their business development.

         In addition, we are considering conducting a market survey to consolidate a list of lawtech products available in the market in order to provide more comprehensive information to the legal sector for reference.

    (3) Phase 3: Promoting the use of lawtech in the legal profession

         The DoJ will encourage local and overseas lawtech enterprises to establish and grow in the local market, thereby fostering Hong Kong’s lawtech ecosystem. The DoJ will review the effectiveness of the above strategies and take policy measures to promote the use of lawtech in the legal profession as appropriate. The DoJ will also review the existing legal framework from time to time in order to better support and regulate the development of innovative and emerging legal technologies.

         Through these strategies, we hope to effectively enhance the awareness and use of lawtech by the legal profession, thereby enhancing the efficiency and quality of professional services and strengthening Hong Kong’s position as an international legal services and dispute resolution centre in the Asia-Pacific region.

         Thank you, President.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Speech by FS at Korea-Hong Kong Business Luncheon (English only) (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

         Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the Korea–Hong Kong Business Luncheon held in Seoul, Korea, today (July 9): 
     
    Mr Joo Yong-tae (Deputy Mayor for Economy, Seoul), Mr Kevin Lee (Director of the International Trade Division of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

         Annyeonghaseyo. Good afternoon. It is both a pleasure and honour to be here with you today in Seoul.
     
         Let me begin by extending my warmest greetings and heartfelt appreciation to the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and our ETO (Economic and Trade Office) colleagues for organising this luncheon.
     
    Hong Kong: good for business
     
         Allow me to start by offering a brief snapshot of where Hong Kong stands today.
     
         Hong Kong has been back on a path of growth following the global challenges of the pandemic.  In 2024, we recorded a GDP growth of 2.5 per cent. This year, despite continued global uncertainties from tariff war to geopolitical tensions, our economy recorded a 3.1 per cent growth in the first quarter. Our merchandise exports continued to register strong double-digit growth.
     
         Foreign businesses continue to cast a vote of confidence in our city. In 2024, the number of overseas and Mainland companies operating in Hong Kong reached an all-time high at nearly 10 000.  American and European companies rose by around 10 per cent, while Korean companies rose by 9 per cent year on year.  
     
         Hong Kong continues to shine in international rankings. We are among the world’s top three global financial centres. The latest IMD (International Institute for Management Development) World Competitiveness Ranking places us as the third most competitive economy worldwide. Last October, the Fraser Institute reaffirmed our position as the world’s freest economy. These accolades are no coincidence. They are the result of persistent hard work to drive our competitiveness forward, backed by transparent, consistent and predictable policies, market openness and global connectivity.
     
         A critical foundation of our success is a stable and secure environment. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law. It restores law and order in Hong Kong and provides confidence to the international business community. Indeed, a survey by the American Chamber of Commerce (in Hong Kong) in January this year showed that (more than) 80 per cent of its members expressed confidence in Hong Kong’s rule of law.  And 70 per cent reported that the National Security Law had no impact on their business operations.
     
         Under the “one country, two systems” framework, Hong Kong continues to be an open, diverse and international city. We are a free port, uphold a freely convertible currency pegged to the US dollar, ensure the free flow of capital, goods, information and talent, and practise the common law system.
     
         President Xi Jinping and the Central Government of China have made clear that the “one country, two systems” framework is here to stay for the long term. 
     
         Investor confidence is reflected in hard data. Our stock market, for example, rose by 18 per cent last year, and has gained another 20 per cent this year. Initial public offerings (IPOs) on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange have raised about US$16 billion so far this year, making Hong Kong the top IPO venue globally to date. The total bank deposits grew by 7 per cent last year and another 7 per cent this year, now exceeding US$2.3 trillion, six times our GDP.
     
    The Greater Bay Area
     
         Meanwhile, Hong Kong is the international gateway to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, or GBA, which is an economic powerhouse with 87 million people and a combined GDP of US$2 trillion. With a per capita GDP of US$23,000, or US$40,000 on a purchasing power parity basis, the GBA is not just a manufacturing base, but also a sophisticated, high-growth consumer market.
     
         The region is deeply interconnected. High-speed rail puts us just 15 minutes from Shenzhen and 45 minutes from Guangzhou. With seven international airports and a combined annual passenger throughput of over 200 million, the GBA sits within a five-hour flight radius of half the world’s population. Hong Kong International Airport, the world’s busiest cargo airport, now operates with a third runway and is gearing up to handle 120 million passengers and 10 million tonnes of cargo annually by 2035.
     
         The GBA is also a cradle of innovation. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou science and technology cluster ranks second globally in innovation, and has done so for five consecutive years. Hong Kong excels in basic research, anchored by five universities ranked among the world’s top 100. Three of them are in the global top 20 for data science and AI; our two medical schools are ranked among the top 40. Meanwhile, Shenzhen and Guangzhou lead in commercialisation and advanced manufacturing. Together, the GBA is like fusing the financial power of New York with the innovation energy of Silicon Valley.
     
    Opportunities for Korean businesses
     
         So, what does this mean for Korean businesses?
     
         First, Hong Kong’s financial markets offer unparalleled connectivity and liquidity. We serve as a two-way platform, connecting international capital with Mainland markets and vice versa. Through our Connect Schemes, including Stock Connect, Bond Connect, and ETF (Exchange-traded Fund) Connect, and more, Mainland investors can access Hong Kong’s markets, while global investors can access the Mainland through Hong Kong.
     
         The recent surge in our stock market reflects two important trends. First, the rebalancing act of international investors to diversify risks out of global economic uncertainty, particularly in the US; and second, optimism about China’s technology prowess demonstrated by DeepSeek and others. Korean investors have already taken note. And they are apt in taking actions. In February this year, we saw the highest level of Korean investment into our stock market in over three years.
     
         Beyond the stock market, asset and wealth management is another area where we are seeing rapid growth. Hong Kong now manages over US$4 trillion in assets. With a growing ecosystem of related financial services, we are on track to become the world’s largest cross-border wealth management hub by 2028. For Korean firms in private banking and asset management, the opportunities are significant. Indeed, many American and European asset and wealth managers have been expanding their hiring and office accommodation in the city.
     
         Hong Kong also serves as a powerful springboard for Korean goods, not just into the GBA or the Chinese Mainland, but across the entire ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region. As a duty-free port with seamless customs clearance and unmatched connectivity, Hong Kong offers Korean exporters a fast, cost-effective and reliable route to high-growth markets. From electronics and cosmetics to food products and fashion, Hong Kong is your launchpad.
     
         In innovation and technology, Hong Kong is making strategic and forward-looking moves. We are placing particular emphasis on the development of key sectors such as artificial intelligence and biotech. In addition to our world-class research capabilities, Hong Kong is where Mainland and international data converge. This is a distinct competitive advantage for data-intensive industries.  
     
         Our close collaboration with other cities in the GBA is further accelerating this momentum.  Along our boundary with neighbouring Shenzhen, we are developing a joint innovation and technology park, where we are piloting innovative policies to facilitate the seamless flow of data, talent, capital and even biosamples. We have also established joint clinical trial centres to expedite drug development and streamline cross-boundary regulatory approvals. For Korean tech and pharmaceutical firms seeking expansion and collaboration opportunities, Hong Kong is your ideal location. 
     
    The pleasures of life
     
         Beyond business, Hong Kong is a city alive with culture, diversity, and global connectivity. We are a true melting pot of East and West.  Korean culture, from K-pop to kimchi, has found a warm and enthusiastic following in Hong Kong.  And we are glad that more and more Korean visitors are coming to our city to see for themselves our vibrancy. In the first half of this year, Hong Kong welcomes more than half a million of Korean visitors, a 25 per cent increase year on year.
     
         The pleasures of life are part of our fabric. With more than 200 Michelin-recognised restaurants, hiking trails minutes from the city, and a coastline that rivals the best in the region, Hong Kong offers not only opportunity, but quality of life. Above all, Hong Kong remains one of the safest cities in the world, a place you can walk freely, day or night.
     
         And we are just getting started. The newly opened Kai Tak Sports Park offers a world-class, multipurpose venue for sport and entertainment events. In January next year, we’re excited to welcome BLACKPINK to our stage. And who knows, NewJeans and aespa may not be far behind!
     
         Ladies and gentlemen, I hope I’ve been able to offer you a fresh perspective on Hong Kong, not just as a financial centre or trade hub, but as a dynamic, welcoming city filled with opportunity, energy and creativity. A city where Korean businesses, investors and talents can thrive.
     
         If I may, let me now share a short video that captures the vibrancy, openness and possibilities of Hong Kong today.
     
         That is Hong Kong – dynamic and welcoming. A city that means business, and a city that celebrates life. We look forward to welcoming you soon, to Hong Kong.
     
         Kamsahamnida. Thank you very much.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • Arizona fossils reveal an ecosystem in flux early in the age of dinosaurs

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Scientists have unearthed in Arizona fossils from an assemblage of animals, including North America’s oldest-known flying reptile, that reveal a time of transition when venerable lineages that were destined soon to vanish lived alongside newcomers early in the age of dinosaurs.

    The remains of the pterosaur, roughly the size of a small seagull, and the other creatures were discovered in Petrified Forest National Park, a place famous for producing fossils of plants and animals from the Triassic Period including huge tree trunks. The newly found fossils are 209 million years old and include at least 16 vertebrate species, seven of them previously unknown.

    The Triassic came on the heels of Earth’s biggest mass extinction 252 million years ago, and then ended with another mass extinction 201 million years ago that wiped out many of the major competitors to the dinosaurs, which achieved unquestioned supremacy in the subsequent Jurassic period. Both calamities apparently were caused by extreme volcanism.

    The fossils, entombed in rock rich with volcanic ash, provide a snapshot of a thriving tropical ecosystem crisscrossed by rivers on the southern edge of a large desert.

    Along with the pterosaur were other new arrivals on the scene including primitive frogs, lizard-like reptiles and one of the earliest-known turtles – all of them resembling their relatives alive today. This ecosystem’s largest meat-eaters and plant-eaters were part of reptile lineages that were flourishing at the time but died out relatively soon after.

    While the Triassic ushered in the age of dinosaurs, no dinosaurs were found in this ecosystem, illustrating how they had not yet become dominant.

    “Although dinosaurs are found in contemporaneous rocks from Arizona and New Mexico, they were not part of this ecosystem that we are studying,” said paleontologist Ben Kligman of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, who led the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

    “This is peculiar, and may have to do with dinosaurs preferring to live in other types of environments,” Kligman added.

    This ecosystem was situated just above the equator in the middle of the bygone supercontinent called Pangaea, which later broke apart and gave rise to today’s continents.

    Pterosaurs, cousins of the dinosaurs, were the first vertebrates to achieve powered flight, followed much later by birds and bats. Pterosaurs are thought to have appeared roughly 230 million years ago, around the same time as the earliest dinosaurs, though their oldest-known fossils date to around 215 million years ago in Europe.

    The newly identified pterosaur, named Eotephradactylus mcintireae, is thought to have hunted fish populating the local rivers. Its partial skeleton includes part of a tooth-studded lower jaw, some additional isolated teeth and the bones of its elongated fingers, which helped form its wing apparatus.

    Its wingspan was about three feet (one meter) and its skull was about four inches (10 cm) long. It had curved fangs at the front of its mouth for grabbing fish as it flew over rivers and blade-like teeth in the back of the jaw for slicing prey. The researchers said Eotephradactylus would have had a tail, as all the early pterosaurs did.

    Eotephradactylus means “ash-winged dawn goddess,” recognizing the nature of the rock in which it was found and the position of the species near the beginning of the pterosaur lineage. Mcintireae recognizes Suzanne McIntire, the former Smithsonian fossil preparator who unearthed it.

    The turtle was a land-living species while the lizard-like reptile was related to New Zealand’s modern-day Tuatara. Also found were fossils of some other reptiles including armored plant-eaters, a large fish-eating amphibian and various fish including freshwater sharks.

    The ecosystem’s biggest predators were croc relatives perhaps 20 feet (six meters) long, bigger than the carnivorous dinosaurs inhabiting that part of the world at the time. On land was a four-legged meat-eating reptile from a group called rauisuchians. In the rivers dwelled a semi-aquatic carnivore from a group called phytosaurs, built much like a crocodile but with certain differences, such as nostrils at the top of the head rather than the end of the snout.

    Rauisuchians, phytosaurs and some other lineages represented in the fossils disappeared in the end-Triassic extinction event. Frogs and turtles are still around today, while pterosaurs dominated the skies until the asteroid impact 66 million years ago that ended the age of dinosaurs.

    “The site captures the transition to more modern terrestrial vertebrate communities,” Kligman said.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Need to revise the strategy for tackling sheep pox and goat pox in areas of Greece – E-002700/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002700/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Sakis Arnaoutoglou (S&D)

    Sheep pox and goat pox continue to affect Greek livestock farming, with recurrent outbreaks and devastating effects in regions such as Chalkidiki. Despite the strategy implemented by the Greek Ministry of Rural Development, which is based on measures to kill infected animals and establishing protection zones, the diseases continue to spread. There have been recent reports of recurrent cases, which shows that the current approach is not sufficient. The economic losses for farms are enormous, and many are forced to permanently abandon production, while assistance from national or EU support tools is insufficient to cover damages or restock livestock.

    The absence of a prevention strategy and the insistence on measures to suppress the spread of the diseases, without adaptation to local conditions, raises questions about the need to reassess practices and seek alternative science-based response strategies, drawing on technical support from European authorities.

    Can the Commission therefore say:

    • 1.How does it assess the effectiveness of existing strategies intended to address sheep pox and goat pox, especially in areas with recurrent outbreaks?
    • 2.Does the Commission intend to assist Greece by providing technical support or guidance on the assessment and adoption of alternative prevention and control methods that respond to the particular geographical and epidemiological circumstances?
    • 3.Is it considering amending or increasing flexibility in the implementing acts of the EU regulation in order to take into account the specificities of local markets?

    Submitted: 2.7.2025

    Last updated: 9 July 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Two non-executive directors appointed

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

    News story

    Two non-executive directors appointed

    The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announces 2 new Non-Executive Board members.

    A new Lead Non-Executive Board Member, Ravi Gurumurthy, and a Non-Executive Board Member, Sue Ferns, have been appointed at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). 

    The new board members will provide independent advice, support and challenge on the department’s work, as it drives forward its mission for clean power. They bring a range of experience across the public and private sectors, alongside a wealth of knowledge on ensuring a prosperous net zero bringing new investment and thousands of jobs. 

    Ravi Gurumurthy is the Chief Executive of Nesta, the UK’s innovation foundation, which designs, tests and scale solutions to society’s biggest challenges from sustainability to health. Ravi has had an extensive career in innovation and government, including leading on the world’s first legally binding climate legislation. 

    Sue Ferns is Senior Deputy General Secretary at Prospect, responsible for the union’s work across the energy, science, climate and environment sectors. Sue is also a member of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Executive Committee, where she leads the General Council on energy, environment and sustainability. She also represents the TUC on the Net Zero Council, a partnership between government, business and civil society which supports delivery of the clean energy superpower mission. 

    Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: 

    Ravi and Sue are two of the foremost figures in the clean energy sector and their extensive knowledge and experience will be an invaluable asset to the department as we deliver our mission as part of the Plan for Change, bringing energy security, lower bills and good jobs for the nation.

    Ravi Gurumurthy said: 

    I’m delighted to join DESNZ at a critical time for the delivery of its mission.  We are seeing huge innovation in our energy system, with new technologies and business models emerging. In the coming weeks, I look forward to working with colleagues across the department to reduce bills, improve energy security, and support economic growth as we make the transition to net zero.

    Sue Ferns said: 

    Clean power will bring thousands of good, long-term jobs, for a diverse and skilled workforce, so I am pleased to be able to join DESNZ at this crucial time to support the delivery of its mission.

    Ravi and Sue have been appointed for 3 years, from 1 May 2025. They join existing Non-Executive Board Member Vikas Shah.

    Biographies:

    Updates to this page

    Published 9 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The Faculty of Information Technology of NSU has graduated the first master’s students of two new programs

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Yesterday, the first Master’s students graduated from two new programs Faculty of Information Technology NSU, launched in 2023, are “Internet of Things” and “Artificial Intelligence and Data Science”. The programs are distinguished by their interdisciplinary nature and in-depth training, which allows solving a wide range of problems in in-demand IT areas.

    The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of physical objects that can be connected using various technologies and sensors to collect and analyze data. This data can be used to optimize processes, improve quality of life, and manage resources. The development of IoT opens up new opportunities for business, industry, transportation, healthcare, and many other areas. However, to realize all these opportunities and benefits, a qualified team of specialists is needed who have deep knowledge in a wide range of areas, from programming and data analytics to communications technology and security, and also understand the operation of the sensors themselves and the subject area in which they are used.

    — IoT is one of the trends in the development of modern IT. When preparing to create and design solutions for the Internet of Things, a master’s student must demonstrate a whole range of knowledge. Firstly, it is necessary to learn how to work in conditions of limited computing performance and electricity, since Internet of Things devices must provide a long battery life. Secondly, in order for your system to work, a computer is not enough, you must ensure the transfer of this data. Thirdly, where we deal with data, the task arises to ensure its safety and protection. I will give an example from the healthcare sector. We all know smart watches that measure the pulse, count the number of steps, etc. In order for them to perform tasks, for example, monitoring the health of the elderly, it is necessary to implement more complex Internet of Things tools. The question arises: since this is personal, medical data, it is necessary to provide for its correct protection. Thus, in order to work in the IoT field, you need to be able to solve a whole range of problems and be an expert in different sections of modern information technology. Within the framework of the new direction, we are training exactly such specialists, — the dean of the NSU FIT, Corresponding Member, spoke about the features of the program. RAS Mikhail Lavrentiev.

    The new program is also distinguished by the fact that during their studies, master’s students participate in the implementation of projects that are carried out on order or in cooperation with businesses working in the IoT area. Thus, the university’s partner in organizing the new master’s program was the company “Laboratory of the Internet of Things”, which develops ground equipment for satellite systems, as well as the company YADRO.

    Denis Enes, a graduate of the Master’s program “Internet of Things” at the NSU Institute of Information Technologies, shares his impressions of the training:

    – I graduated from the NSU FIT Bachelor’s degree program in Computer Science and Systems Engineering. At the same time, a new program appeared in the FIT Master’s program – Internet of Things. I wanted to study something new, so I applied. The workload was heavy, especially in the first year, so it was difficult to combine study and work. However, it was worth the effort: as a result, I acquired knowledge that was different from what I received in my Bachelor’s degree, so now I have more opportunities for further career development.

    In the second program, “Artificial Intelligence and Data Science,” students received the necessary knowledge to work with artificial intelligence. They learned to develop intelligent solutions by participating in real company projects, as well as to apply AI and Data Science technologies in information and analytical activities for a wide range of areas of the digital economy.

    — We have developed a program that allows our master’s students to understand what artificial intelligence is, what needs to be done to make its systems work, how to construct a database, how to estimate the size of the required hardware base that will support the system. So, now AI is increasingly penetrating into people’s everyday lives — these are solutions for automatic face recognition when entering an office or an entrance, recognizing car numbers to open a barrier, garage, etc. Such systems require a minimal hardware base. We are preparing students for the fact that it is necessary not only to build an artificial intelligence system, but to understand what is sufficient to solve a specific range of problems, — explained Mikhail Lavrentyev.

    The new educational program is actively supported by partners, including Postgres Professional, YADRO, institutes of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and other companies.

    Graduates of the Artificial Intelligence and Data Science program talk about their learning experiences and future plans.

    Ilya Stetsky:

    — Studying on the program was very interesting and useful. If before admission I thought that neural networks were something narrow, then during the master’s program this area was presented more broadly, from different sides, I discovered different areas of AI application. In general, the training was comprehensive and deep. In the future, I plan to work in the field of real-time data stream processing.

    Chinese student Aisaiti Baishan:

    — I am very glad that I spent these two years in Akademgorodok! Before NSU, I studied at Chongqing University. I decided to enroll here because NSU is very famous in China, everyone knows that it has a high level of education, including in mathematics and IT, and professional teachers. I plan to return home to China and continue my postgraduate studies. I received my diploma and now I want to thank everyone for these two years at the university!

    Material prepared by: Varvara Frolkina, NSU press service

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Joint projects of SPbPU and KRSU: contribution to the development of scientific potential

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Another working visit of the Polytechnic University delegation to the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University (KRSU) took place. This time, the participants discussed joint events aimed at developing the scientific potential of KRSU. The delegation of SPbPU included the head of the Project Office “Slavic Universities” Nikita Golovin, associate professor of the Higher Engineering Physics School of the Institute of Economics and Technology Viktor Malyugin, representatives of the Higher School of Hydraulic Engineering and Power Engineering of the Institute of Scientific Research – Professor Natalia Politaeva and Associate Professor Alexander Chusov, as well as the head of the Quality Control Department Maxim Dyuldin.

    The program of the visit focused on two main areas: the development of a comprehensive plan for the development of the High-Mountain Observatory of Atmospheric Physics of KRSU (VGOFAP) and the joint implementation of applied projects in the interests of KRSU’s industrial partner, Alliance Altyn LLC.

    The high-mountain observatory is located in the north-east of Kyrgyzstan and is a unique scientific laboratory conducting scientific research in the field of atmospheric physics, ecology, climate change, interaction of geospheres, geodynamics and seismology. To get acquainted with the scientific equipment and areas of research, the Polytechnic delegation visited the observatory and assessed the capabilities of the infrastructure.

    The Polytechnics also held a field meeting with the Vice-Rector for International, Scientific and Innovative Activities of KRSU and the Director of the Observatory Leonid Sverdlik, where they discussed the observatory’s development directions and possible applied projects. Dean German Lotsev, Deputy Dean for Research Natalia Ershova and Director of the Scientific and Technical Center Dmitry Glazunov participated in the meeting on behalf of KRSU. The Polytechnic representatives proposed solutions to problems aimed at maintaining a safe environmental situation in the Issyk-Kul Lake area and in Bishkek.

    In particular, they discussed a project to measure the parameters of dust aerosol flows (concentration, quantitative and granulometric composition of dust particles, direction and speed of dust flow transfer) based on the observatory, as well as dustiness within Bishkek (comparative diagnostics method). To do this, it is necessary to modernize the infrastructure and place additional equipment on the territory of KRSU in Bishkek. It is possible to use the existing mobile environmental laboratory of KRSU. The project will result in recommendations for improving the environmental situation. It is planned to involve specialists from the Civil Engineering Institute and the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications in the work.

    The Polytechnic delegation visited the scientific station of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Bishkek, which conducts research into modern geodynamic processes as a basis for earthquake forecasting, seismological research based on the digital telemetry seismological network in the territory of the Bishkek forecasting polygon and a number of other works related to seismic processes in the region. For KRSU, the scientific center is a partner for student practices and internships, as well as in conducting scientific work, including jointly with the High-Mountain Observatory of Atmospheric Physics of KRSU.

    The station’s director, Anatoly Rybin, introduced the polytechnicians to the laboratories, main areas of work and results. SPbPU professor Viktor Malyugin shared with his Kyrgyz colleagues proposals for the implementation of a joint (with KRSU and the RAS) applied project to develop fiber-optic sensors for measuring seismic activity and predicting catastrophic situations. Its goal is to measure displacements and stress distribution in the Issyk-Ata fault area (Bishkek is located in a seismically dangerous region, and most of the city is in the 8-9-point zone). In the future, it will be possible to use the measurement results to predict seismic activity in the region. It is planned to involve specialists from the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications and the Institute of Power Engineering.

    The final stage of the visit was an extended meeting of representatives of the two universities. The parties confirmed their interest in developing the infrastructure of the KRSU VGOFAP and implementing scientific and educational projects on its basis. The participants also discussed cooperation between the research groups of the universities and interaction with industrial partners. According to the roadmap of joint events of SPbPU—KRSU, by the end of 2025 they will develop a comprehensive plan for the development of the KRSU High-Mountain Observatory of Atmospheric Physics and determine the range of work, including the modernization of the scientific infrastructure.

    In addition, a meeting was held with the industrial partner of KRSU “Alyans Altyn” to coordinate joint projects. At the first stage, SPbPU specialists will participate in the implementation of developments in three areas:

    implementation of lean manufacturing principles to optimize processes, reduce losses and improve the efficiency of all departments (PISh CI SPbPU); automation and digitalization of production and management processes to improve efficiency, reduce costs and ensure transparency (Higher School of UKFS IKNK SPbPU); implementation of technologies and practices aimed at reducing the negative impact on the environment, based on environmental monitoring data (ISI SPbPU).

    The meeting participants discussed the conclusion of contracts for R&D, as well as the involvement of students and young scientists in applied developments and industrial projects. The polytechnics shared their experience of cooperation with large industrial companies and gave recommendations on contractual work with Alliance Altyn. The parties agreed to consider in more detail the issue of opening a specialized scientific and educational center at KRSU together with a partner company.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: GPTBots.ai Showcases Business AI Agent Solutions at The MarTech Summit Hong Kong, Helping Enterprises Bridge the AI Adoption Gap

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HONG KONG, July 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As enterprises worldwide race to adopt AI, GPTBots.ai made its mark at The MarTech Summit Hong Kong, Asia’s premier marketing technology conference attended by world-renowned brands such as JPMorgan, Yahoo, Nike, and DBS, alongside leading Hong Kong enterprises including Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Disneyland, and The Hong Kong Jockey Club.

    With 85% of enterprises prioritizing AI adoption in 2024 (Gartner), yet struggling with implementation gaps, GPTBots.ai demonstrated how its no-code AI Agent platform turns complex AI concepts into deployable solutions—without coding or data science teams.

    Spotlight: Real-World AI in Action
    At the summit, GPTBots.ai engaged with forward-thinking organizations, including:
    A Top Hong Kong University: Their admissions team explored AI-powered chatbots to streamline student inquiries and application processes, aiming to:

    • Automate 80% of FAQs (e.g., program requirements, deadlines).
    • Guide applicants through form-filling with smart error detection.
    • Free staff to focus on students’ in-depth support.

    A Leading Hong Kong Airline: Their tech team discussed internal efficiency AI Agents for:

    • AI search to make enterprise knowledge instantly accessible and empower every role.
    • Reducing IT helpdesk tickets by 50% via self-service troubleshooting.

    Why GPTBots.ai Stood Out

    • Enterprise-Ready: Built to adapt to your business, no matter the size or complexity.
    • Proven at Scale: Powers AI Agents for financial services, healthcare, and retail giants.
    • End-to-End Capabilities: From strategy to deployment, we manage every step of your AI journey.

    “The gap isn’t AI potential—it’s practical adoption,” said Tanya Quan, Marketing Director at GPTBots.ai. “We’re helping enterprises skip the lab and go straight to ROI.”

    About GPTBots.ai
    GPTBots.ai is an enterprise AI agent platform that empowers businesses to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and drive growth. Offering end-to-end AI solutions across customer service, knowledge search, data analysis, and lead generation, GPTBots enables enterprises to harness the full potential of AI with ease. With seamless integration into various systems, and support for scalable, secure deployments, GPTBots is dedicated to reducing costs, accelerating growth, and helping businesses thrive in the AI era.

    To learn how GPTBots can accelerate your AI transformation, visit gptbots.ai.

    Media Contact:
    Contact: marketing@gptbots.ai
    Website: www.gptbots.ai

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9039b0e4-6355-4e0c-83d2-ca91953120f9

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Doing business in conflict zones: what companies can learn from Lafarge’s exit from Syria

    Source: The Conversation – France – By Nathalie Belhoste, Associate professor, EM Lyon Business School

    The world experienced over 60 armed conflicts in 2024, a “historically high” number according to scholars in the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University. Consequently, the risks faced by multinational companies (MNCs) operating in conflict-torn regions, especially the Middle East and North Africa, have significantly intensified. Israel’s recent airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities are another reminder of the escalating violence and instability that are causing loss of life and threatening businesses.

    In response to the increase in international crises and armed violence, the United Nations Global Compact has urged companies and investors to adopt more responsible practices in conflict-affected and high-risk areas, so as to position themselves as crucial actors in providing peace and stability.

    The role of business in conflict zones

    The debate over the role of business in conflict zones is not new but is gaining traction among scholars and practitioners alike. Questions include whether companies can leverage their influence to support peacebuilding efforts, and whether some firms may exploit unstable environments to maximize profit and thus exacerbate conflict.

    MNCs tend to respond to conflict by adopting one of the following strategies:

    1) an exit strategy (ie withdrawing from a conflict zone)

    2) a business-as-usual strategy that merely complies with changing local conditions and regulations

    3) a take-advantage strategy of profiteering from a war economy

    4) or a proactive engagement strategy aimed at contributing to public security

    But, if an MNC decides to stay and continue operating in a conflict zone, it can hardly be guided by a single strategy. Moreover, since strategies evolve in response to unfolding events, their adaptation may lead to unforeseen consequences and possibly far-reaching negative impacts.

    This is clearly demonstrated by our recent study on the case of Lafarge in Syria. Lafarge Cement Syria (LCS), the local subsidiary of the former French multinational construction company Lafarge, continued operating during the Syrian civil war from 2011 until 2014, while most foreign companies withdrew in response to escalating violence and political instability. To maintain production at its Jalabiya plant in northeast Syria, LCS managers established arrangements with various armed groups, including the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the al-Nusrah Front (ANF) – “both US-designated foreign terrorist organisations” – providing financial payments called “protection money” and purchasing raw material from suppliers under their control.

    The MNC’s stay-at-all-cost strategy in an active civil war zone culminated in a forced withdrawal from Syria – the night before ISIS took full control over the LCS factory – and subsequent, ongoing legal proceedings in France against Lafarge and LCS for alleged financing of terrorism (at least €13 million paid to armed groups including ISIS), violation of international sanctions against Syria, complicity in crimes against humanity, and endangering the lives of others. In early 2024, a French court dropped the charge against Lafarge of endangering the lives of its Syrian employees.

    In 2022, Lafarge and its Syrian subsidiary pleaded guilty in a US federal court to conspiring to provide material support to foreign terrorist organisations. Lafarge agreed to pay a $778 million fine. The guilty plea came seven years after “what was originally billed as a merger of equals” between Lafarge and its Swiss rival Holcim. The year after LafargeHolcim, amid a growing scandal over the allegations, renamed itself Holcim Ltd.


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    A ‘downward spiral’

    In our study, we examined how some Lafarge and LCS managers navigated Syria’s shifting wartime landscape by analysing the relational, informational and financial strategies they used to engage with various non-state armed groups to sustain operations. Our findings reveal that over the four-year period from 2011 to 2014, a series of short-term, cost-benefit decisions produced a “downward spiral” of strategic responses. Rather than ensuring the company’s survival in an active conflict zone, these strategies increased its dependence on regime-connected intermediaries and war profiteers, and entangled it in the darkness of the Syrian war economy. Ultimately, this led to consequences that extended far beyond mere business failure.

    Four key factors shaped this downward spiral. The first is the diversity and fluidity of non-state armed actors with whom the company engaged. LCS paid “protection money” to a range of armed groups – including Kurdish military factions, insurgent groups and militias – prior to the emergence of jihadist organisations, particularly ISIS, in the vicinity of its cement factory. Initially, threats posed by jihadist groups were overshadowed by the complex, shifting alliances and rivalries among local actors vying for control over the resources in the region.

    The second factor that shaped the downward spiral is the gradual collapse of state authority in Syria, especially in the region near the factory. When the factory began production in 2010, its operations took place in a zone under the control of the Syrian government. This was a certain guarantee of security provided by the regime, which wanted to ensure the continuous payment of LCS local taxes. But after the outbreak of the civil war in 2011, the government started losing control in many parts of the country, including northeast Syria. Faced with this institutional vacuum, LCS managers took security into their own hands by establishing arrangements with various armed groups to safeguard their business.

    The third factor is the level of the subsidiary’s exposure to the conflict. At first, the plant’s exposure to violence was low because of its geographical distance from the heart of the conflict. However, by mid-2012, and especially in 2013, fighting intensified close to the factory, which sat near the strategic M4 highway linking eastern Syria to Turkey and Iraq. The highway was a key route used by the company’s suppliers, but also by local rebel and militia groups.

    The fourth factor relates to the vulnerability of infrastructure and local supply chains. With $680 million invested in the cement plant’s construction and big hopes for a post-war reconstruction boom in the region, Lafarge was determined to protect its assets and access to critical resources. This imperative, coupled with ambitions to merge with Holcim as early as 2013 (the merger was completed in 2015), drove the company to prioritize continued production, even if it meant aligning with local warlords.

    These four factors and their respective dynamics pushed Lafarge and LCS to adopt increasingly unconventional and ethically questionable strategies. In adapting to the unfolding conflict and increasing violence, the company made a series of compromises that ultimately led to negotiations and arrangements with ISIS.

    What lessons should MNCs draw from this case?

    Lafarge’s dismal experience in war-torn Syria highlights a pattern of “organisational shortsightedness” that often affects MNC managers operating in conflict zones. As security deteriorates, firms may become entangled with local power brokers, adapting incrementally to survive, until they are so embedded that withdrawal becomes impossible. To break this cycle, companies must rigorously assess the potential fallout of their strategies and avoid entanglements with armed factions altogether. Moreover, to survive in conflict zones, MNC subsidiary managers need to gain country-specific knowledge and experience, and consider context complexity and dynamics as constituent elements of their strategies.

    Our research serves as a cautionary tale. It warns decision-makers of the dangers of deploying financial and relational strategies in conflict zones that may increase a company’s dependence on non-state armed groups. Such business practices risk compromising objective decision-making and obscuring legal and ethical boundaries and can ultimately backfire. To avoid this, managers should design a responsible withdrawal strategy at the beginning of an armed conflict to ensure employees’ safety. Managers must also adopt ethical and conflict-sensitive practices in strict compliance with the actions for businesses operating in conflict zones recommended by the UN Global Compact.



    À lire aussi :
    Will multinational companies flock to Syria? Maybe, if foreign aid arrives first

    We also encourage corporate leaders to develop “critical geopolitical awareness” by gaining more contextual knowledge and integrating a multilevel political risk analysis into their strategies. This would provide them with a deeper understanding of the complexity and dynamics of an armed conflict and the relevant actors they need to engage with or avoid. Only with informed leadership can managers effectively and responsibly navigate the complex and often hazardous landscape of doing business in conflict zones.

    Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.

    – ref. Doing business in conflict zones: what companies can learn from Lafarge’s exit from Syria – https://theconversation.com/doing-business-in-conflict-zones-what-companies-can-learn-from-lafarges-exit-from-syria-260604

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI China: China rolls out sweeping employment push for record number of college graduates

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

    Students attend a campus job fair held at Qinghai College of Architectural Technology in Xining, northwest China’s Qinghai Province, April 23, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    China has unveiled a tiered strategy to boost employment prospects for the nation’s 2025 college graduates, a number which is expected to reach a record 12.22 million this year.

    Key national moves include job channel expansion, skills enhancement, and targeted support for disadvantaged students.

    A recent recruitment fair at Guangxi Medical University in south China demonstrated the campaign’s scale, featuring both provincial and national employers across sectors like health care, AI and education.

    “Large fairs like this help us engage directly with employers,” said Huang Chenxi, a student seeking administrative hospital work.

    The number of college graduates in China has been rising steadily, surpassing the 10-million mark for the first time in 2022, when 10.76 million students entered the job market.

    This upward trend has continued, with the number of graduates expected to reach a record 12.22 million this year — an increase of 430,000 compared to last year.

    The key to boosting graduate employment is expanding channels and creating more job opportunities.

    To that end, government authorities have intensified policy support, specifically targeting job retention and creation in private enterprises and small-to-medium-sized businesses.

    In a recent policy innovation, China has for the first time extended its one-time job expansion subsidies — previously available only to enterprises — to include social organizations, incentivizing employers of all types to hire graduates.

    The Chinese government has also been launching “100 counties for 100 universities” recruitment drives since June to bridge information gaps between local enterprises and universities.

    Last month, an event in Ningbo in east China’s Zhejiang Province offered over 7,000 jobs, and another event in Nanning in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region offered over 15,000 jobs. More fairs are also planned for other parts of the country.

    To thrive in today’s rapidly evolving labor market, graduates need more than just degrees — they need industry-relevant skills.

    “New industries, business models and economic paradigms represent a crucial driver of innovation-led development, injecting fresh vitality into China’s economy,” said Wang Peng, an associate researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences.

    “These emerging sectors have created significant employment growth opportunities and are increasingly serving as primary channels absorbing college graduates into the workforce,” Wang noted, highlighting their growing importance in China’s employment landscape.

    Responding to the evolving needs of emerging industries, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has launched a national program to enhance student preparedness. Over 2,600 “micro-major” programs and more than 1,100 professional training courses have been established to sharpen students’ knowledge and competencies in high-demand fields prior to graduation.

    A national employment services platform for college graduates has undergone a digital overhaul, and is now equipped with AI and big-data-powered tools.

    Enhanced algorithms and closer coordination with social recruitment platforms and universities have made it more efficient: To date, the platform has hosted 111 online job fairs and posted over 20 million job openings for the graduating class of 2025.

    Complementing national efforts, provinces across China are also implementing localized solutions. In northeast China’s Jilin Province, for example, 69 human resources officials have been assigned to support 69 local universities, offering tailored guidance and services.

    As we enter July and the graduation season reaches its peak, particular attention is being paid to those who have yet to secure jobs — especially those from underprivileged backgrounds.

    Backed by funding from the Ministry of Finance, the MOE has organized 1,124 dedicated job fairs, offering more than 1.1 million targeted positions for the 2025 graduate cohort.

    Looking ahead, uninterrupted support will continue via the national employment platform. In one example of such support, a special online campaign linking research assistant positions and livestreamed job fairs will remain active through the end of August.

    Together, these efforts reflect China’s commitment to helping graduates move from classrooms to careers, and to ensuring their talents find the opportunities they deserve.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Systems Analysis, AI and Big Data: Results of the Scientific Conference at SPbPU

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The XXIX International Scientific and Practical Conference “System Analysis in Design and Management” (SAEC-2025) was held at the Polytechnic University.

    The event was organized by the scientific and pedagogical school “System Analysis in Design and Management” based on the Higher School of Computer Technologies and Information Systems of the Institute of Computer Science and Cybersecurity of SPbPU with the support of the Southern Federal University and the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.

    The conference was attended by about 300 representatives of universities and research organizations from Russia and 19 foreign countries. 114 reports were presented, in addition to plenary sessions, there were seven scientific sections, two round tables, a discussion track and a visiting session in Taganrog (Southern Federal University).

    The plenary sessions were chaired by Violetta Volkova, professor at the Higher School of Computer Science and Information Technologies, Vladimir Kozlov, professor at the Higher School of Computer Science and Information Technologies, and Svetlana Shchepetova, professor at the Department of Modeling and Systems Analysis at the Financial University.

    On the first day of the conference, its scientific secretary, Associate Professor Svetlana Shirokova read out the opening remarks of the Chairman of the Program Committee, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Igor Kalyaev. Professor Peres Krichtin Fabio Luis, Special Coordinator for International Relations with the Russian Federation, delivered a welcoming speech via video link on behalf of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

    The following people gave reports on global problems of developing the methodology of systems analysis, data dimensionality, spatial planning and design of the environment of the future, system principles of model integration, systems analysis and development of weapons systems, as well as the peculiarities of the development of Russian higher education in modern conditions: President of the Southern Federal University, Academician of the Russian Academy of Education Marina Borovskaya; Head of the Scientific Direction “Mesoeconomics, Microeconomics, Corporate Economics” of the Central Economics and Mathematics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Director of the Department of Modeling and Systems Analysis of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Head of the Department of Institutional Economics of the State University of Management, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Georgy Kleiner; Head of the Department of Mathematical Modeling of Nonlinear Processes of the Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Full Member of the Academy of Military Sciences; Professor of St. Petersburg State University Vladimir Khalin. The rationale for the need to open the specialty “System Analysis, Management and Information Processing” was presented in the report by Vladimir Kozlov, Violetta Volkova and Associate Professor Artem Efremov.

    At the end of the plenary session, the director of the Center for Technological Support of Education at Moscow Polytechnic University, Ilya Volnov, gave a report entitled “The Method of Analogies and Synthesis of the Sphere Approach.”

    Lively discussions arose in the section “Philosophical, methodological and general theoretical problems of systems theory and systems analysis”. The reports characterizing the current state of the sciences on systems and methods of systems analysis were discussed, including the report of the head of the department of philosophy of information and cognitive processes of the Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Andrei Kolesnikov on arithmotronics; a joint report of professor of the University “Narxoz” (Almaty, Kazakhstan) Mafura Uandykova and professor of the Financial University Svetlana Shchepetova on the problem of interaction between the system and the individual in the era of digitalization; a joint report of professor of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Fabio Luis Peres Krichtin and his colleagues from the Polytechnic School, research laboratories of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and the Federal University Fluminense (Niteroi, Brazil).

    On the second day, the following scientific sections were held: “Mathematical Methods and Models of Systems Analysis in Technical and Socio-Economic Systems”, “Information and Cyber-Physical Systems”, “Measuring Information Technologies”, “System Analysis in the Management of Enterprises, Territorial Complexes, Research and Other Organizations”, “Transport Systems”, “System Analysis in the Educational Process and Management of Higher Education”.

    Employees of the SPbPU Digital Engineering School organized two round tables. Under the leadership of Marina Bolsunovskaya, Associate Professor of the Higher School of Computer Science and Information Systems, Head of the Laboratory of Industrial Systems of Stream Data Processing at the SPbPU School, a round table was held on Data Analysis in Complex Technical and Production Systems. Under the leadership of Alexey Gintsyak, Head of the Laboratory of Digital Modeling of Industrial Systems at the SPbPU School of Project Activity and Innovations in Industry, a round table was held on Integration of Methods of Systems Analysis and Artificial Intelligence in Economics and Construction.

    The discussion track on the problem of “Ideology of engineering complex systems in the conditions of increasing chaos of pre-singularity” (the moderator is the methodological director of the National Association of Enterprise Architects, a full member of the RMA Evgeny Zinder) attracted great interest. For example, a student of MIREA – Russian Technological University and junior specialist of the company “Uveon – Cloud Technologies” Nikolay Leonov presented evidence of the usefulness of using the XGBoost method for predicting security incidents in information systems.

    Also giving presentations and participating in discussions were Sergey Vasiliev, a lecturer at the TOP Computer Academy, Roman Khursin, an analyst at Ravelin LLC, Yuri Lyamin, an associate professor at the Department of Applied Informatics and Security at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Elena Romanova, a senior lecturer at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Kirill Skripkin, an associate professor at the Lomonosov Moscow State University, and Maxim Smirnov, a member of the NAAP Council.

    At the final plenary session, Boris Sokolov, Chief Researcher at the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, presented a report on the development and use of digital twins of complex objects based on the qualimetry of models and polymodel complexes. Professor Igor Arefyev and Associate Professor Olga Afanasyeva of the St. Petersburg Mining University spoke about the use of artificial intelligence to build cognitive models of weakly structured problems of system analysis. Professor Violetta Volkova, in collaboration with Yuri Cherny, Head of the Center for the Study of Informatics Problems at the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, prepared a report entitled “A Look at the Problem of Big Data from the Point of View of A. A. Denisov’s Philosophy and Theory of the Information Field.”

    The meeting in Taganrog was devoted to the topic “Cognitive Modeling of Complex Systems and Artificial Intelligence”. There, Zinaida Avdeeva, a senior research fellow at the V. A. Trapeznikov Institute of Control Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, expressed an important idea for complex open systems that forecasts should begin with an analysis of the current state of the system, reflected in regulatory documents, and presented a cognitive analysis of the main ones.

    At the end of the conference, its participants proposed organizing a permanent seminar and information portal, where they could continue discussing the development directions of systems sciences, and primarily the problems of target setting, big data and artificial intelligence.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –