NewzIntel.com

Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: St Albans Feastival: thousands turn up for City Centre street party despite downpours

    Source: St Albans City and District

    Publication date:

    Thousands of people braved challenging weather to enjoy a six-hour-long street party that celebrated the District’s food and drink businesses.

    They refused to let occasional showers spoil the fun at the St Albans Feastival, a family-friendly event organised by St Albans City and District Council with the support of partners.

    St Peter’s Street was closed to traffic for the event on Sunday 22 September which was kicked off by the Mayor, Councillor Jamie Day, with the help of Deputy Mayor, Cllr Jenni Murray, and the Rev Mark Dearnley of St Peter’s Church

    Among the many attractions were around 100 market stalls offering an astonishing variety of food and drink products from local businesses.

    There was also a live cookery theatre, sponsored by SA Law, featuring displays of culinary skills by local chefs.

    Live music was provided on a stage, sponsored by St Albans City Centre BID. There were many free interactive activities including edible flower growing, traditional wooden games, crazy golf and a football shoot-out.

    To make the event accessible, British Sign Language interpreters were at the cookery stage and other locations to help communicate activities. There were accessible viewing zones, reserved seating for those less able to stand and accessible toilets. 

    Chris Traill, the Council’s Strategic Director for Community and Place Delivery, said:

    Congratulations to all those who were not put off by the weather and turned up in their thousands. I’m sure they will agree that it was worth it.

    The rain, which unfortunately was torrential at one point, didn’t dampen their spirits and the crowds created the Feastival’s usual thrilling atmosphere.

    Our events team anticipated the conditions and had arranged for many of the activities to be sheltered by gazebos.

    As a Council, we are committed to making events accessible to all and measures were taken to ensure that was very much the case.

    The District’s hospitality businesses are vital to the local economy and it was heartening to see so many people out there sampling many of their products.

    Vivien Cannon, BID Manager, said:

    Rain didn’t stop play. Well done to all the stall holders and event delivery team ensuring visitors were welcomed to yet another successful Feastival event.

    Marilyn Bell, Partner and Head of Family at SA Law, said:

    The St Albans Food and Drink Festival is a highlight for the SA Law team every year.

    Despite the unfortunate downpour yesterday, the event was well organised, well-attended, and a delight to be a part of. It was great to see a wide range of food being offered, activities for all ages, as well as a great turnout at the Cookery Theatre where local chefs gave live demonstrations of their excellent recipes. 

    We are proud to support the Council and the wonderful community events they put on.

    The event is part funded by the Government’s UK Prosperity Fund which awarded the District’s community events team £210,000 over three years.

    Photos: scenes from the 2024 St Albans Feastival by Stephanie Belton including, first below, Cllr Jamie Day, Mayor of St Albans City and District, centre, with Cllr Jenni Murray, Deputy Mayor, and the Rev Mark Dearnley.

    Media contact: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer: 01727 819533, john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.

    Note to Editors: 

    The UK Shared Prosperity Fund provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK, investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus

    .

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Chikunga hopeful of Women’s Forum recognition 

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, says she is confident that the BRICS Women’s Forum will be recognised at this year’s Kazan Summit Declaration, scheduled to take place next month.

    Chikunga made the remark as Russia prepares to host the BRICS Summit to be held in Kazan, from 22 to 24 October, after the country assumes the BRICS chairmanship in 2024.

    This as the Minister led the discussions at the BRICS Women Affairs meeting held in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

    READ | Chikunga arrives in Russia for BRICS Women Affairs Meeting

    The meeting saw BRICS Member States discussing cooperation prospects in the fields of women’s leadership and enhancing the role of women in finance, agriculture, innovation, healthcare, creative industries, tourism, environmental safety, and the inclusive economy.

    Speaking at the BRICS Women’s Forum, which included the BRICS Ministerial Women’s Affairs Meeting on Friday, Chikunga congratulated the Russian Federation on assuming the Chairship of BRICS 2024, and the sterling work that it has undertaken to date.

    “As you are aware, this forum of Ministers was first initiated in 2023 during South Africa’s Chairship of BRICS. It is indeed encouraging to witness its growth under the stewardship of the Russian Federation’s 2024 Chairship, and it will undoubtedly flourish under the future Chairship of fellow BRICS member states.

    “We applaud Russia’s choice of the theme ‘Women, Governance, and Leadership’ as a timely intervention that ensures this forum continues to amplify the voices, interests, and full representation of women across BRICS member states, promoting their meaningful participation at all levels of governance and decision-making.”

    Chikunga also reflected on some of the key points that emerged during hybrid BRICS Ministers for Women Affairs held in December 2023, where the forum was recognised as a fundamental platform to elevate equality, women’s rights, economic autonomy, and empowerment; and to address major concerns related to women across the BRICS countries.

    The forum also promotes mainstreaming of women’s issues across BRICS’ processes, priority areas, declarations and agreements; and provides a platform for the exchange of knowledge and best practices in advancing the current and future wellbeing of women and girls across BRICS.

    “Our meeting recognised the tremendous progress that successive BRICS summits have produced in the areas of global governance, development, peace and security, energy, climate change, and social issues. We noted, however, that discussions in these areas would be further enriched by a ministerial meeting dedicated to women affairs.

    “There was consensus on the potential of this forum to accelerate the implementation of existing commitments, principles, goals, and actions outlined in various international instruments on women. These include the Beijing Platform for Action (1995), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW – 1979), UN Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace, and Security, as well as the UN [United Nations] Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” Chikunga explained.

    The meeting further agreed to support the acceleration of the implementation of the African Union Agenda 2063, with a particular focus on Aspiration 6, which promotes women’s empowerment.

    Asserting women’s interests

    The Ministers also highlighted the need to assert women’s interests across the broader BRICS agenda, strengthen multilateralism, and synergise with the work of the BRICS Business Women’s Alliance to accelerate the mainstreaming of socio-economic priorities for greater inclusivity and equity.

    “We acknowledge that this goal will be further enriched when we leverage our collective strength as the Global South, alongside robust people-to-people exchanges and cooperation within BRICS nations and across the African continent.

    “A key highlight of the Johannesburg II Declaration was the recognition of the vital role of women and youth in trade and their potential to act as catalysts for industrialisation, infrastructure development, food security, agricultural modernization, sustainable growth, healthcare, and addressing climate change,” she said.

    The Johannesburg II Declaration is a document that encapsulates significant BRICS viewpoints on matters of global economic, financial and political significance.

    READ | BRICS adopts Johannesburg II Declaration

    – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI China: China makes notable progress via equipment, consumer goods renewal program: official

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

    China makes notable progress via equipment, consumer goods renewal program: official

    BEIJING, Sept. 23 — China has made noteworthy progress in promoting large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-ins this year, an official said on Monday.

    China unveiled an action plan to implement the renewal program in March 2024 in an effort to expand domestic demand and shore up the economy, and stepped up policy support in July with an extra funds injection of 300 billion yuan (about 42.53 billion U.S. dollars) via ultra-long special treasury bonds.

    Zhao Chenxin, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, cited a string of positive results achieved by the program, highlighting increased equipment manufacturing investment and robust sales of automobiles and home appliances, when addressing a press conference on Monday.

    In the first eight months of 2024, China’s investment in equipment and tool purchases had increased by 16.8 percent year on year — well above the 3.4 percent increase in total fixed-asset investment.

    Retail sales of passenger vehicles in August rose by 10.8 percent compared with the previous month, while new energy vehicle (NEVs) sales increased by 17 percent month on month in August. The market share of NEVs remained above 50 percent for a second consecutive month. Sales of home appliances and audio and video products returned to growth last month, up 3.4 percent year on year.

    Thanks to the renewal program, many enterprises are optimistic about the prospects of sectors related to equipment and consumer goods, leading to brisk investment, Zhao said.

    The program, riding on the great potential of green and digital transition, will provide more impetus to economic sustainability and transformation efforts, Zhao added.

    China’s drive to promote equipment upgrades covers a wide range of areas including industrial equipment, environmental infrastructure, operating vessels, new energy buses and agricultural machinery, while consumer goods trade-ins involve products ranging from automobiles to home appliances and electric bicycles.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi congratulates Dissanayake on assuming presidency of Sri Lanka

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

    BEIJING, Sept. 23 — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a message to Anura Kumara Dissanayake to congratulate him on his inauguration as president of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

    Xi hailed China and Sri Lanka as traditional friendly neighbors, saying that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 67 years ago, China and Sri Lanka have always understood and supported each other, setting a good example of friendly coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries of different sizes.

    Xi said that he prizes the development of China-Sri Lanka relations, and stands ready to work with President Dissanayake to carry forward the traditional friendship, and enhance political mutual trust.

    He also pledged to work with the Sri Lankan leader to facilitate more fruitful high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and make steady and long-term progress of China-Sri Lanka strategic cooperative partnership featuring sincere mutual assistance and ever-lasting friendship so as to better benefit the people of the two countries.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Clinical trial hub set for Q4

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The University of Hong Kong’s LKS Faculty of Medicine is designated to operate the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute (GBAICTI) due to come into full operation in the fourth quarter, the Health Bureau announced today.

    The institute is expected to operate fully at the Central Government-Aided Emergency Hospital in the Hetao area upon completion of the construction of its temporary office and biobank therein.  

    The institute will be moved into one of the wet laboratory-enabled buildings, which is expected to complete construction later in the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation & Technology Park, with a view to enhancing Hong Kong’s innovation and technology ecosystem in a proactive manner.

    The Chief Executive put forward in the Policy Address last October the establishment of the GBAICTI in the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science & Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone, or the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation & Technology Park.

    The bureau established the GBAICTI Limited in the second quarter of this year and designated the University of Hong Kong’s LKS Faculty of Medicine through an open tender process in the third quarter to operate the institute.

    The GBAICTI Limited is wholly owned by the Government to oversee the work of the operator and effectively supervise the operations of the institute.

    The bureau said clinical trials are an important process in translating basic research on drug and medical device innovation into marketing authorisation and clinical application.

    The GBAICTI will serve as a one-stop clinical trial support platform to co-ordinate and integrate clinical trial resources in Hong Kong’s public and private sectors, including universities, the Hospital Authority and private healthcare facilities, to give impetus to the development of clinical trials on all fronts.

    Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau said the establishment of the GBAICTI in the strategic location of the Hetao area can combine the strengths of Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area (GBA) to provide more efficient services to multinational pharmaceutical enterprises, Mainland innovative biopharmaceutical enterprises, hospitals and research institutions.

    It can also encourage them to conduct clinical trials in Hong Kong and the GBA, thereby expediting the translation of research results.

    This is made possible as the GBAICTI can leverage the Hetao area’s development positioning for technology innovation and institutional innovation, as well as the related cross-boundary facilitation measures, Prof Lo explained.

    “We hope that this will attract more pharmaceutical and medical device enterprises within and outside Hong Kong to conduct clinical trials in Hong Kong to further enhance the city’s capacity, recognition and status in terms of clinical trials and support a progressive transition to a primary evaluation approach for drug registration in Hong Kong.”

    The GBAICTI in the Hong Kong Park and the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Centre in the Shenzhen Park of the Hetao co-operation zone will join forces to synergise the development of clinical trials, and drive co-operation among the clinical trial networks of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Mainland, in particular the GBA.

    The two parks will also co-ordinate clinical trial work of both places to comply with national and international standards.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI: ODYSIGHT.AI RECEIVES REPEAT PURCHASE ORDER FROM NASA FOR ITS COMPREHENSIVE VISUALIZATION SOLUTION, TO SUPPORT ITS HIGH-SPEED AERONAUTICAL FLIGHT TESTING

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    OMER, Israel, Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Odysight.ai Inc. (OTCQB: ODYS), a pioneer in AI driven Predictive Maintenance (PdM) and Condition-Based Monitoring (CBM), is pleased to announce the receipt of a new purchase order for the Company’s vision-based system by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to support its high-speed aeronautical flight testing on aerospace vehicles. This repeat order from NASA demonstrates the unique value and quality of Odysight.ai’s innovative solutions.

    Colonel (Res.) Yehu Ofer, CEO of Odysight.ai stated: “This order showcases the trust NASA places in Odysight.ai, and is a strong endorsement of our technology’s effectiveness. We are proud that NASA chose to integrate our solutions to support high-speed aeronautical flight testing and believe this further demonstrates the substantial value we deliver to our customers. We look forward to expanding our partnership with NASA.”

    Inbal Kreiss, board member of Odysight.ai and currently Chief of Innovation at the Systems, Missiles and Space Division of the Israeli Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) and Chairwoman of RAKIA, Israel’s Scientific and Technological Mission to the International Space Station, stated, “It is highly unusual for NASA to select a supplier as a single source for repeated space missions and thus the selection of Odysight.ai’s system by NASA is a clear validation of the exceptional quality of Odysight.ai’s capabilities.”

    Odysight.ai’s visual sensing-based systems provide state-of-the-art solutions, ranging from bespoke cameras to advanced AI algorithms for diagnostics and prognostic health management applications. Odysight.ai’s groundbreaking technology is designed to empower users to autonomously monitor and manage the health of their assets without the need for specialized technicians, providing crucial support for the aerospace sector by enabling Predictive Maintenance (PdM) and Condition Based Monitoring (CBM) of aerial vehicles. This technology enhances sustainment, operational availability and platform safety, offering superior capabilities, including an onboard Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS).

    About Odysight.ai

    Odysight.ai is pioneering the Predictive Maintenance (PdM) and Condition Based Monitoring (CBM) markets with its visualization and AI platform. Providing video sensor-based solutions for critical systems in the aviation, transportation, and energy industries, Odysight.ai leverages proven visual technologies and products from the medical industry. Odysight.ai’s unique video-based sensors, embedded software, and AI algorithms are being deployed in hard-to-reach locations and harsh environments across a variety of PdM and CBM use cases. Odysight.ai’s platform allows maintenance and operations teams visibility into areas which are inaccessible under normal operation, or where the operating ambience is not suitable for continuous real-time monitoring. For more information, please visit: https://www.odysight.ai or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 relating to future events or our future performance. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding future collaboration with NASA. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Those statements are based on information we have when those statements are made or our management’s current expectation and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward- looking statements. Factors that may affect our results, performance, circumstances or achievements include, but are not limited to the following: (i) market acceptance of our existing and new products, including those that utilize our micro Odysight.ai technology or offer Predictive Maintenance and Condition Based Monitoring applications, (ii) lengthy product delays in key markets, (iii) an inability to secure regulatory approvals for the sale of our products, (iv) intense competition in the medical device and related industries from much larger, multinational companies, (v) product liability claims, product malfunctions and the functionality of Odysight.ai’s solutions under all environmental conditions, (vi) our limited manufacturing capabilities and reliance on third-parties for assistance, (vii) an inability to establish sales, marketing and distribution capabilities to commercialize our products, (viii) an inability to attract and retain qualified personnel, (ix) our efforts obtain and maintain intellectual property protection covering our products, which may not be successful, (x) our reliance on a single customer that accounts for a substantial portion of our revenues, (xi) our reliance on single suppliers for certain product components, including for miniature video sensors which are suitable for our Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor technology products, (xii) the fact that we will need to raise additional capital to meet our business requirements in the future and that such capital raising may be costly, dilutive or difficult to obtain, (xiii) the impact of computer system failures, cyberattacks or deficiencies in our cybersecurity, (xiv) the fact that we conduct business in multiple foreign jurisdictions, exposing us to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, logistical, global supply chain and communications challenges, burdens and costs of compliance with foreign laws and political and economic instability in each jurisdiction and (xv) political, economic and military instability in Israel, including the impact on our operations of the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas and other terrorist organizations from the Gaza Strip and Israel’s war against them. These and other important factors discussed in Odysight.ai’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 26, 2024 and our other reports filed with the SEC could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Odysight.ai undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

    Company Contact:

    Einav Brenner, CFO
    info@odysight.ai

    Investor Relations Contact:

    Miri Segal
    MS-IR LLC
    msegal@ms-ir.com
    Tel: +1-917-607-8654

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Colonialism and apartheid stripped black South Africans of land and labour rights – the effects are still felt today

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Marthinus van Staden, Associate Professor of Labour Law, University of the Witwatersrand

    Land dispossession among South Africa’s majority black population remains a thorny issue 30 years into democracy. Labour law scholar Marthinus van Staden’s new research examines the historical relationship between land dispossession and labour control in South Africa. It explores how the systematic seizure of indigenous people’s land during colonisation and apartheid reduced them from landowners to labourers, under exploitative conditions, and how the effects continue to linger. We asked him to explain.

    What is the history of land dispossession and labour control in South Africa?

    The history spans several centuries, beginning with Dutch colonisation in the mid-17th century. It intensified under British rule from the late 18th century. Early colonial policies were inconsistent, but gradually evolved into more systematic land grabs and labour regulations.

    The discovery of minerals – primarily gold and diamonds – in the 1880s heightened the demand for cheap black labour.

    The 19th century saw other significant developments, including the abolition of slavery and the introduction of pass laws. Pass laws required black people to carry identity documents that restricted their movement, employment and settlement.

    The 1913 Natives Land Act severely restricted black land ownership. It prevented black people from owning or renting land in 93% of South Africa, which was reserved for white ownership. Many black farmers who had previously owned or rented land in what had been designated “white areas” were forced to become labourers on white-owned farms. Or they had to move to “reserves” the state had set aside.

    This was followed by a series of laws implementing urban segregation and expanding “native reserves”.

    The apartheid era of formalised racial segregation, from 1948 to 1994, saw the most extreme measures of land dispossession and labour control. The creation of the homeland system relegated black South Africans to 10 economically unviable areas, along ethnic lines. Black people in homelands were mostly forced to work in “white” South Africa, where they lacked legal rights as workers.

    It wasn’t until 1979 that black trade unions were allowed to register. This allowed them to operate openly and bargain with employers and the government for improved wages and working conditions.

    Trade unions served as important political actors. They increased black workers’ political voice and influence. In fact, all labour legislation before 1981 had the distinguishing feature of excluding black workers from its ambit of protection.

    Only after apartheid ended in 1994 did efforts begin to address the legacy of land dispossession and unfair labour practices through restitution and reforms. Land reform processes have been criticised for being ineffectual.

    What effect did dispossession have?

    Dispossession created a large pool of cheap labour for white-owned farms and industries. Without access to land for subsistence or commercial farming, black South Africans had little choice but to work for low wages in the capitalist economy. The employment contract, transplanted from colonial law, became a tool for exerting control over these workers. It reinforced their subordinate status.

    The common law contract of employment, with its inherent element of employer control, was applied to the formerly independent indigenous people now forced into wage labour.

    The homelands ensured a continuous supply of cheap black migrant labour. This system of land deprivation and labour control not only served the economic interests of the white minority. It also reinforced racial hierarchies.

    The socio-economic consequences continue. Black workers are still more likely to be unemployed – or in precarious work – than whites.

    Why does this matter today?

    The legacy of land dispossession and labour control continues to shape South Africa’s social, economic and political landscape. It’s a critical consideration in efforts to build a more just and equitable society.

    This history has created deep-rooted economic disparities. The concentration of land ownership and wealth in the hands of the white minority remains largely intact, perpetuating socio-economic inequality.

    The ongoing struggle for land restitution and reform is directly linked to this history. Addressing the legacy of dispossession is crucial for economic justice and social stability.

    Understanding this history is essential for developing effective policies to address poverty, unemployment and uneven development.

    It is also vital for national reconciliation and building a more equitable society. It underpins current debates about social justice, reparations and the transformation of economic structures.

    Which practical, remedial policies must be carried out?

    The historical link between land loss and subjugation by means of the controls inherent to the contract of employment makes land reform a necessary first step to reversing this process.

    The government has put in place formal mechanisms to halt racialised land ownership. However, land restitution and reform programmes need to be enhanced and accelerated.

    They should include restoring land rights where possible, and providing support for sustainable land use. This would address both the economic and emotional aspects of historical dispossession.

    Legislation such as the Labour Relations Act and the Employment Equity Act have done much to strengthen protections for workers’ rights, particularly for those in precarious employment situations. However, the ways in which these laws continue to endorse a global north conception of the employment relationship, which emphasises control, must be rethought.

    They must be reformed to promote equality, dignity and fair labour practices. Reforms should involve more collaborative models and addressing the socio-economic impacts to redress historical injustices.

    Targeted economic development initiatives are needed in historically disadvantaged areas, including former homelands. These could include infrastructure development, skills training programmes, and support for small businesses to create economic opportunities.

    These remedial policies should be part of an all-encompassing strategy to address historical injustices, and create a more equitable South African society.

    – Colonialism and apartheid stripped black South Africans of land and labour rights – the effects are still felt today
    – https://theconversation.com/colonialism-and-apartheid-stripped-black-south-africans-of-land-and-labour-rights-the-effects-are-still-felt-today-238243

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI: Xunlei Announces Appointment of Two New Directors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Xunlei Limited (“Xunlei” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: XNET), a leading technology company providing distributed cloud services in China, today announced that the board of directors of the Company has appointed Mr. Hui Duan and Mr. Xiaosong Li as members of the board of directors of the Company, effective today.

    Mr. Hui Duan had served as a director of Xunlei from April 2020 to September 2023. He currently serves as the Chief Technology Officer of Beijing Itui Technology Co., Ltd. Prior to that, Mr. Duan founded his own company that provided SaaS tools and services from October 2015 to 2017. From April 2008 to April 2015, Mr. Duan served various management positions at Xunlei including vice president and the chief executive officer of a major subsidiary of Xunlei. Mr. Duan received his EMBA degree from China Europe International Business School in 2015, and bachelor’s degree in computer science from Peking University in 2001.

    Mr. Xiaosong Li has been serving as the Vice President of AGI Business at Xunlei since December 2023. From March 2018 to November 2023, he held the position of technology partner at Beijing Itui Technology Co., Ltd., where he was responsible for leading research and development in the field of artificial intelligence. From March 2008 to March 2018, he gained valuable experience working at Baidu Search Ads (Phoenix Nest), where he progressively advanced his career and ultimately served as the Chief Architect. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in software engineering from Northwestern Polytechnical University in 2005 and a master’s degree in computer system architecture from Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2008.

    Mr. Jinbo Li, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Xunlei, stated, “On behalf of the board of directors, I extend our warmest welcome to Hui Duan and Xiaosong Li for joining the Board. We look forward to working closely with them, leveraging their industry expertise and exceptional management experiences, to create value for our shareholders in the future.”

    About Xunlei

    Founded in 2003, Xunlei Limited (Nasdaq: XNET) is a leading technology company providing distributed cloud services in China. Xunlei provides a wide range of products and services across cloud acceleration, shared cloud computing and digital entertainment to deliver an efficient, smart and safe internet experience.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This press release contains statements of a forward-looking nature. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward-looking statements by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates” and similar statements. Among other things, the management’s quotes in this press release, as well as the Company’s strategic, operational and acquisition plans, contain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about the Company and the industry. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to: the Company’s ability to continue to innovate and provide attractive products and services to retain and grow its user base; the Company’s ability to keep up with technological developments and users’ changing demands in the internet industry; the Company’s ability to convert its users into subscribers of its premium services; the Company’s ability to deal with existing and potential copyright infringement claims and other related claims; the Company’s ability to react to the governmental actions for its scrutiny of internet content in China and the Company’s ability to compete effectively. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that its expectations will turn out to be correct, and investors are cautioned that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results. Further information regarding risks and uncertainties faced by the Company is included in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of the press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law.

    Investor Relations
    Xunlei Limited
    Email: ir@xunlei.com 
    Tel: +86 755 6111 1571
    Website: http://ir.xunlei.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Arkansas Governor, Local and Community Leaders Congratulate Standard Lithium, Equinor for U.S. Department of Energy Provisional Grant up to US$225 million

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LEWISVILLE, Ark., Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Standard Lithium Ltd. (“Standard Lithium”) (TSXV:SLI) (NYSE American:SLI), a leading near-commercial lithium development company and Equinor, a global energy leader, is pleased to share that its jointly-owned U.S. subsidiary, SWA Lithium LLC has been selected for up to US$225 million award negotiation from the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”). The conditional award, overseen by the DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains, is one of the largest ever awarded to a U.S. critical minerals project and part of the second wave of funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This DOE funding is aimed at expanding domestic manufacturing of all segments of the battery supply chain and increasing production of critical minerals in the U.S. 

    “Arkansas is proud of its all-of-the-above energy strategy, with a rich production history of oil, natural gas, bromine, and now, lithium,” said Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders. “Lithium has the potential to supercharge South Arkansas’ economy – and this announcement from Standard Lithium moves us closer to that goal.”

    “Congratulations to SLI and its partners, and what an exciting investment in Arkansas,” said Arkansas Secretary of Energy and Environment, Shane Khoury. “This award helps ensure that Arkansas stays on track to become a world leader in lithium production and promotes lithium extraction in a proven and cleaner manner.”

    “The announcement by Standard Lithium today is exciting news for south Arkansas,” said Arkansas State Senator Matt Stone. “The $225 million grant from the Department of Energy will firmly establish Arkansas as an energy leader and pave the way for hundreds of jobs for our State.”

    “Standard Lithium’s Department of Energy grant marks a pivotal investment in South Arkansas, empowering local communities while strengthening our nation’s future,” said Arkansas State Senator Ben Gilmore. “This initiative not only fosters economic growth but also plays a crucial role in breaking our dependence on China and securing a resilient supply chain for lithium and beyond.”

    “Congratulations to the SLI/Equinor team,” said Arkansas Secretary of Commerce Hugh McDonald. “Arkansas is excited to see the validation of the lithium industry growth opportunities that will benefit thousands of Arkansans. This award and others solidify Arkansas’ significant role in securing North America’s lithium supply chain.”

    “South Arkansas College is excited about this news for our long-term partner Standard Lithium, and we will continue to support them in any way possible in the future,” said President of SouthArk College, Dr. Stephanie Tully-Dartez.

    “This is great news for the people of South Arkansas and a significant investment in our future and in our nation’s future by helping to break dependence on foreign sources and supply chain for critical minerals,” said Former Arkansas House Speaker Matthew Shepherd. “Not only will this investment directly create hundreds of jobs, it will indirectly create numerous opportunities for improved healthcare, childcare, and workforce development and have a lasting positive impact on South Arkansas and beyond.”

    “UA -Pulaski Tech is proud to be an educational partner on the workforce training component of this enormous investment in domestic production, securing of supply chains and jobs in Arkansas,” said Dr. Summer Deprow, Chancellor of the University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College. 

    “Congratulations Standard Lithium on receiving this outstanding award,” said Lafayette County Judge, Valarie Clark. “Lafayette County is grateful for the opportunity to support this great company in their future endeavors.”

    “I am very proud of Standard Lithium and their persistence in receiving the funding that has been procured by their organization,” said Columbia County Judge, Doug Fields. “I know personally the challenge there is to obtain funding for a project! I’m proud to give my full support to Standard Lithium, and their endeavors to provide new jobs, new infrastructure, and to see them support the community in much-needed ways, not to mention the boost to our economy! Congratulations to Standard Lithium!”

    About the South West Arkansas Project

    The South West Arkansas Project (“SWA” or the “Project”) is located in Lafayette and Columbia Counties, Arkansas, and is being developed in partnership with Equinor, which holds a 45% non-operating interest in the Project. SWA’s Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource of 1.4 Mt and 0.4 Mt lithium carbonate equivalent, with an average lithium concentration of 437 mg/L, has some of the highest reported lithium brine concentrations in North America. The design engineers working on behalf of the Company are developing Front-end Engineering Design (“FEED”) and a Definitive Feasibility Study (“DFS”) that contemplates total production of up to 45,000 tonnes per annum of lithium carbonate, to be developed in two phases of 22,500 tonnes per annum each.

    SWA’s direct lithium extraction and lithium carbonate facilities are planned to be located on a 118-acre property in rural Lafayette County, approximately 7 miles south of Lewisville, Arkansas. The Project is expected to create up to 300 construction jobs and 100 direct jobs and dedicate millions of dollars to community impact efforts that will benefit the local area through infrastructure improvements, community health initiatives, educational partnerships, and workforce development programs.

    The Company completed a Preliminary Feasibility Study for the project in 2023, and a DFS and FEED are currently underway.

    Qualified Person

    Steve Ross, P.Geol., a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, and Vice President Resource Development for the Company, has reviewed and approved the relevant scientific and technical information in this news release.

    About Standard Lithium

    Standard Lithium is a leading near-commercial lithium development company focused on the sustainable development of a portfolio of large, high-grade lithium-brine properties in the United States. The Company prioritizes projects characterized by the highest quality resources, robust infrastructure, skilled labor, and streamlined permitting. Standard Lithium aims to achieve sustainable, commercial-scale lithium production via the application of a scalable and fully integrated Direct Lithium Extraction (“DLE”) and purification process. The Company’s flagship projects are located in the Smackover Formation, a world-class lithium brine asset, focused in Arkansas and Texas. In partnership with global energy leader Equinor ASA, Standard Lithium is advancing the South West Arkansas project, a greenfield project located in southern Arkansas, and actively exploring promising lithium brine prospects in East Texas. Additionally, the Company is advancing the Phase 1A project in partnership with LANXESS Corporation, a brownfield development project located in southern Arkansas. Standard Lithium also holds an interest in certain mineral leases in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California.

    Standard Lithium is jointly listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and the NYSE American under the trading symbol “SLI”. Please visit the Company’s website at https://www.standardlithium.com.

    About Equinor

    Equinor is an international energy company committed to long-term value creation in a low-carbon future. Equinor’s portfolio of projects encompasses oil and gas, renewables and low-carbon solutions, with an ambition of becoming a net-zero energy company by 2050. Headquartered in Norway, Equinor is the leading operator on the Norwegian continental shelf and is present in around 30 countries worldwide. Our partnership with Standard Lithium to mature DLE projects builds on our broad US energy portfolio of oil and gas, offshore wind, low carbon solutions and battery storage projects.

    For more information on Equinor in the US, please visit: Equinor in the US – Equinor

    Media Contacts:

    Allysa Iverson 
    Standard Lithium Ltd.
    a.iverson@standardlithium.com

    Ola Morten Aanestad 
    Equinor
    oaan@equinor.com

    Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

    This news release may contain certain “Forward-Looking Statements” within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “target”, “plan”, “forecast”, “may”, “schedule” and other similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to intended development timelines, future prices of commodities, accuracy of mineral or resource exploration activity, reserves or resources, regulatory or government requirements or approvals, the reliability of third party information, continued access to mineral properties or infrastructure, fluctuations in the market for lithium and its derivatives, changes in exploration costs and government regulation in Canada and the United States, and other factors or information. Such statements represent the Company’s current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Translation: ASIA/ARAB EMIRATES – Bishop Martinelli closes the Jubilee of the Martyrs of Arabia: they are our roots

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    AVOID

    Abu Dhabi (Agenzia Fides) – The Jubilee dedicated to Saint Aretas and Companion Martyrs of Arabia was also a precious opportunity to rediscover the long history of Christianity in Arabia, a history “rooted in the apostolic testimony and watered by the blood of the martyrs”. A source from which the composite and vital community of millions of Catholics spread across the various countries of the Arabian Peninsula can now draw. This was underlined, looking at the present and the future, by Bishop Paolo Martinelli ofm.Cap, Apostolic Vicar of southern Arabia, celebrating yesterday, Sunday 22 September, the closing liturgy of the Jubilee Year in the territories of the Vicariate. A solemn mass celebrated in Abu Dhabi, in St. Joseph’s Cathedral, with the closing of the Holy Door, which saw the participation of more than 3 thousand Catholics. The Jubilee, which began on 23 October 2023 (see Fides 20 and 24/10/2023 ), was experienced jointly by the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia (including the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Oman) and the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia (led by Bishop Aldo Berardi O.SS.T. and including Barhain, Qatar , Kuwait and Saudi Arabia). The closing ceremony of the Jubilee in the Vicariate of South Arabia was brought forward because Bishop Martinelli will be busy in Rome in October for the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. In the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia the similar closing ceremony is scheduled for October 23rd. The communion experienced between the Catholic communities of the Arabian Peninsula through the experience of the Jubilee journey – Bishop Martinelli remarked in his homily – «is one of the reasons why these saints are so important to us. We come from many different countries, we have different liturgical rites and different spiritual traditions. Everyone cherishes devotion to the saints of their own culture and we can long for them here. But Saint Aretas and his companions are saints of this land of Arabia where we live now. Therefore they are our saints, whom we can all celebrate together as one Church, the Church of Arabia”. “By coming to this country as migrants – insisted the Apostolic Vicar – we become an integral part of the history of this Church of Arabia , rooted in the apostolic testimony and watered by the blood of the martyrs”.Saint Aretas and his Companions, venerated in all the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, were Arab Christians from the ancient city of Najran (in present-day Saudi Arabia) martyred in the year 523 after Christ.Arethas, whose Arabic name was Al-Harith bin Ka’b, was born in 427 AD. and was governor of the predominantly Christian city until his martyrdom at the venerable age of ninety-five. In the 6th century, the king of Himyar (in present-day Yemen), Dhu Nuwas, began a systematic persecution of Christians in southern Arabia, burning churches, forcing people to convert and putting to death those who refused to renounce their faith in Christ. Priests, deacons, nuns and entire families – men, women and children – were burned alive. According to tradition, the relics of Saint Aretas and her fellow martyrs of Najran were deposited in a cube-shaped shrine which became a popular pilgrimage center for Arab Christians during late antiquity. The sanctuary was destroyed in the 7th century when Christians were expelled from southern Arabia. The relics of Saint Aretas eventually found their way to Mount Athos in Greece. Their return to the Arabian Peninsula after almost fourteen centuries was experienced as an extraordinary blessing for the current Christian communities in the Gulf. On 29 August 2023, Pope Francis issued the Decree announcing the Jubilee of Saint Aretas and Companions in the Arabian Peninsula. The Decree granted a Plenary Indulgence to the faithful who at any time undertake a pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia in Awali, Bahrain, to the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, or to the Parish of St. Areta.For the end of the Jubilee, Bishop Martinelli also wrote the Pastoral Letter “Gioia e Giubileo” (“Joy and Jubilee”) published yesterday, Sunday 22 September. In the Letter, the Apostolic Vicar of southern Arabia retraces the Jubilee Year of Saint Aretas, describing the spiritual fruits she brought to the Vicariate, and invites prayer following Pope Francis’ appeal in view of the Jubilee 2025. In the Letter , Bishop Paul announces that the feast of Saint Aretas will now be celebrated every year on October 24, to ask that the memory of the Arab martyrs continue to inspire and accompany the path of the Catholic communities vitally present in the Arabian Peninsula. «They are a deep root of the tree in which we find ourselves today. We are called to inhabit this land with faith.” After having celebrated the holy martyrs of Arabia for an entire year, now “It is easier to recognize that «being Christian in the Gulf means belonging to this Church of the Gulf. We are not just faithful from different churches: here we all form the Catholic Church of Arabia together”, writes the Bishop. Looking to the next Jubilee 2025, the Bishop invites everyone “to prepare well for the Holy Year 2025 by entering into the spirit of prayer” , and summarizes the gestures and practices that unite prayer, the Sacraments and the reading of the Word in the spiritual life of the people of God. A summary in which he refers to the Our Father prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours, personal prayer, the Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration. Prayer – underlines Bishop Martinelli – is the request to keep alive the desire for God in daily life: «Your desire is your prayer» says Saint Augustine, quoted in the Pastoral Letter of the Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia. While the Catholic community of the Gulf passes from one jubilee to another, Archbishop Paul’s letter gratefully recalls the gifts received and shared during the Jubilee of the Martyrs of Arabia, and at the same time suggests the way forward in the future. The Jubilee has reunited the entire Church of the Arabian Peninsula at its ancient sources. “Individuals, families, groups, young people, associations and movements, children and elderly: they all came to celebrate the victory of these holy martyrs of Arabia through their pilgrimage to the Holy Door” – During the Jubilee year, every parish in the Emirates United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman had the opportunity to host the relics of Saint Aretas. Many admitted that they only knew the Holy Martyrs of Arabia thanks to the Jubilee. «Every day – recalled a woman among the testimonies collected and disseminated by the Apostolic Vicariate – the priest shared the agonies endured by Saint Aretas and his companions, and told how their suffering was transformed into a beautiful crown for our Lord Jesus Christ. This touched me deeply, because I realized how easily we worry and get lost over small things.” (GV) (Agenzia Fides 23/9/2024).Share:

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI: BIO-key Expands Deployment with Province of British Columbia, Adds 10,000 Biometric Users for Sign-on and Physical Access Control

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia and HOLMDEL, N.J., Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BIO-key® International, Inc. (NASDAQ: BKYI), an innovative provider of workforce and customer identity and access management (IAM) solutions featuring Identity-Bound Biometrics (IBB) for phoneless, tokenless, passwordless and phish-resistant authentication experiences, announced that its long-time customer, the province of British Columbia, has placed new orders with BIO-key. 10,000 users will be added to their existing deployment of WEB-key software, integrated with Broadcom’s SiteMinder infrastructure to streamline and strengthen access to a series of new applications via SAML 2.0 federation standards.

    BIO-key has worked closely with the province’s cybersecurity team to integrate BIO-key’s state-of-the-art, cloud-enabled biometric authentication platform with its existing authentication infrastructure to deliver advanced and secure biometric access to systems, applications and facilities across the organization.

    Since 2012, BIO-key’s secure biometric authentication platform has been integrated with the province’s authentication infrastructure to provide the strongest biometric ID without requiring phones or tokens. In 2017, the province expanded the platform to incorporate physical access control using the same fingerprint biometric for door access. This differentiated approach delivers secure sign in and streamlined access to facilities for users who roam among different workstations and locations without requiring added costs and risks of “what-you-have” token and card solutions that only verify that the card or token is present, not the user. BIO-key credentials derive from the individual themselves, so access cannot be shared, delegated, phished or forgotten.

    Jim Sullivan, BIO-key’s SVP Strategy and Chief Legal Officer, said, “The British Columbia government has been a leader in providing secure biometric authentication with BIO-key solutions for more than a decade. They recognize that unique ‘roving user’ scenarios call for uncompromising yet user-friendly security. We are pleased to be the trusted provider of the highest level of security, by ensuring only the right user accesses the most sensitive information. BIO-key has a long history providing highly secure, robust and cost-efficient solutions in government, defense, finance, retail and other highly-regulated industries. Today, we are finding that BIO-key’s superior user experience, through phoneless, tokenless and passwordless solutions, translates very well to many enterprise use cases, particularly where we bring multi-factor authentication to roving workforces.”

    About BIO-key International, Inc. (www.BIO-key.com)
    BIO-key is revolutionizing authentication and cybersecurity with biometric-centric, multi-factor identity and access management (IAM) software securing access for over forty million users. BIO-key allows customers to choose the right authentication factors for diverse use cases, including phoneless, tokenless and passwordless biometric options. Its hosted or on-premise PortalGuard IAM solution provides cost-effective, easy-to-deploy, convenient, and secure access to computers, information, applications, and high-value transactions.

    BIO-key Safe Harbor Statement
    All statements contained in this press release other than statements of historical facts are “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Act”). The words “estimate,” “project,” “intends,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “believes” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are made based on management’s beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management pursuant to the “safe-harbor” provisions of the Act. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those included within or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, our history of losses and limited revenue; our ability to raise additional capital; our ability to protect our intellectual property; changes in business conditions; changes in our sales strategy and product development plans; changes in the marketplace; continued services of our executive management team; security breaches; competition in the biometric technology industry; market acceptance of biometric products generally and our products under development; our ability to execute and deliver on contracts in Africa; our ability to expand into Asia, Africa and other foreign markets; our ability to integrate the operations and personnel of Swivel Secure into our business; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; delays in the development of products and statements of assumption underlying any of the foregoing as well as other factors set forth under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to disclose any revision to these forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.


    Investor Contacts
    William Jones, David Collins
    Catalyst IR
    BKYI@catalyst-ir.com
    212-924-9800

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Climate Tech VC Cerulean Ventures Closes Fund I at Climate Week NYC 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cerulean Ventures, a climate tech venture capital firm operating in the trillion dollar annual climate finance sector, closed a $10M pre-seed fund focused on software for hard problems in climate tech. The fund invests in highly-scalable software and technology focused on biodiversity, natural capital and climate-positive profitable business practices.

    Cerulean Ventures was launched with the support of its anchor investor, One Small Planet, strategic investors, Regen Foundation and Regen Network, and several global family offices focused on scaling proven, profitable solutions to address climate change.

    “As tech founders themselves, Jahed and Matthew have the unique experience of bridging complex technology to massive markets,” said Jack Wielebinski, Chief Investment Officer of One Small Planet. “We are proud to support Cerulean’s thesis to invest in software businesses that connect the global economy for nature-positive outcomes.”

    As a team, the General Partners work directly with founders at the earliest stages to develop business operations, set go-to-market strategies and plan for financial success to reach critical funding and business milestones. Matthew Stotts was the founder of a top technology marketing consultancy in Silicon Valley and a co-founder of a financial technology business. Jahed Momand was the co-founder of a developer operations SaaS company and held product leadership roles at a number of top Silicon Valley enterprise software companies. Together they worked on sustainable finance, regenerative agriculture and indigenous land stewardship through the Regen Network. They began investing through Cerulean Ventures in 2022.

    Matthew and Jahed’s work with the Cerulean Ventures portfolio of climate tech entrepreneurs deepens the general partners’ years of work on nature-based solutions, biodiversity, decarbonization, circular materials, waste-to-value, decentralized energy and global networks for coordinating climate finance and accounting. Cerulean’s portfolio of investments include highly-scalable software and data for sustainable supply chains, financial technology for carbon and energy markets, and several innovations in climate finance.

    Four major focus areas for Cerulean Ventures Fund I include: Carbon, Energy, Sustainable Supply Chains and Climate FinTech

    Earthbanc leads the carbon markets
    Earthbanc has built the world’s first vertically integrated, full-stack, nature-based carbon removal company. Leading global multinationals, such as AstraZeneca, work with Earthbanc to scale carbon removal through native, biodiverse and regenerative agroforestry that delivers proven nature-based carbon removals through its proprietary, MRV software in the field, machine learning, and market linkages for agricultural and horticultural produce.

    Earthbanc CEO Tom Duncan: “Our vision at Earthbanc is nothing less than enabling regenerative agriculture, forestry and carbon removal to scale up across 2.5 billion hectares of degraded lands. We make this achievable by building mobile and web software for projects and clients to leverage deep learning and MRV, and we structure capital to enable it to flow into land restoration. Cerulean helped us form capital with the right investors early, and that freed us up to focus on building a truly transformative nature-tech company.”

    Jasmine Energy is opening a global renewable energy market
    Jasmine Energy has digitized and synchronized the United States market for renewable energy credits, which has historically been disaggregated and difficult to access. With an ambitious view of a global tradeable market of credits that incentivize renewable energy investment, Jasmine Energy is critical to the energy transition.

    “Cerulean was one of the first believers in our vision of a globally-coordinated renewable energy market,” said Nathalie Capati, co-founder and CEO of Jasmine Energy. “Few investors have the insight or commitment to support founders building a climate-positive software company that takes on massively complex markets. Cerulean has gone above and beyond in its support for Jasmine.”

    CommonShare is driving sustainable supply chains
    CommonShare is using AI to enable sustainable procurement across all supply chains, making them transparent and fair through a global network of brands, retailers, suppliers, verifiers, and standards owners that promotes clear communication and cross-company collaboration. In a landmark partnership with Bureau Veritas (BV), they will enable origin mapping and purchase order traceability across BV’s Fortune 500 clients, helping them comply with CSRD and EUDR compliance and radically reduce environmental impacts through sustainable procurement.

    “We enjoyed working with the Cerulean team. They were one of the few VCs who understood what we’re doing, which gave them the ability to move fast on diligence and help us focus on building in an entirely new market. Their founder-focused perspective was exactly what we were looking for in a pre-seed partner.” – Martin Smith, Founder & CEO CommonShare.

    Regen is building a global blockchain for good
    Regen Network and its foundation seek to bring the use, regeneration and protection of land and natural resources into balance with indigenous peoples and local communities through an equitable distribution of value, knowledge and stewardship. The blockchain network and technology tools Regen has built enable finance to flow to biodiversity protection, old-growth forests, critical watersheds and irreplaceable natural resources.

    “Jahed and Matthew were early contributors to the Regen Network, a community of hundreds that now spans every continent on Earth,” said Gregory Landua, CEO of Regen Network Development PBC. “We’re excited to see Ceruluean’s contributions to nature-positive technology for the benefit of people and the planet.”

    About Cerulean Ventures
    https://cerulean.vc/

    Cerulean Ventures invests in pre-seed and seed stage Climate FinTech, SaaS and blockchain businesses tapping into the network effects of nature, renewable energy and climate-positive economies. Cerulean finds earth-scale (global) technology opportunities in areas like renewable energy, blue carbon, reforestation, biodiversity and regenerative agriculture, as well as decarbonization, circularity and sustainability across industry, manufacturing, transportation, construction, and supply chains.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: NANO Nuclear Energy Forms NANO Nuclear Space to Explore Use of Advanced Portable Microreactors in Space Applications

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Committed to exploring new markets, NANO Nuclear Energy is assessing the potential for deploying its advanced technologies in space applications

    New York, N.Y., Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) (“NANO Nuclear” or “the Company”), a leading advanced nuclear energy and technology company focused on developing portable, clean energy solutions, today announced the launch of a new subsidiary, NANO Nuclear Space Inc. (NNS), to explore the potential commercial applications of the Company’s developing micronuclear reactor technology in space.

    NNS will utilize NANO Nuclear’s world class scientific and engineering teams to examine the adaptation of NANO Nuclear technologies to contribute towards humanity’s drive to expand beyond low earth orbit. NNS will focus on optimizing “ZEUS”, a solid core battery reactor, and “ODIN”, a low-pressure coolant reactor, for applications such as power systems for extraterrestrial projects and human sustaining environments, and potentially propulsion technology for long haul space missions. NNS’ initial focus will be on cis-lunar applications, referring to uses in the space region extending from Earth to the area surrounding the Moon’s surface.

    Innovative technologies, like the Annular Linear Induction Pump (ALIP) technology developed by Carlos O. Maidana, Ph.D., which was recently acquired by NANO Nuclear, will be leveraged to optimize cooling and heat transfer capabilities and address challenges in high-efficiency thermal fluid management in high temperature applications, including energy generation and even propulsion.

    Figure 1 – Rendition of Proprietary NANO Nuclear Space Inc. ‘ODIN’ Microreactor Optimized for Cis-Lunar Operations

    “NANO Nuclear was made to innovate. Our plans have always included space applications as a potential fit of our micronuclear reactor technologies. With the resources we have in hand, we are now able to launch NANO Nuclear Space to explore the many potential applications of our technology in the growing private commercial, as well as government sponsored, space industry,” said Jay Yu, Founder and Chairman of NANO Nuclear Energy. “Space exploration has long been integral to our nation’s history, driving the development of technologies that have profoundly impacted life both on Earth and beyond its atmosphere. The possibilities for future exploration are abundant, and our world-class technical team is committed to developing innovative solutions, all firmly grounded in safety. NNS also enables us to seek new partnerships and collaborations and potentially unlock novel funding opportunities for research and development that can revolutionize our core products.”

    Figure 2 – A NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. subsidiary, NANO Nuclear Space will adapt its advanced nuclear technologies for space applications.

    With a focus on the vast commercial potential of space, NNS will pioneer systems designed to address the particular operational challenges of cis-lunar space while supporting sustainable human presence and unlocking space resources for economic development. By concentrating on cis-lunar space, the hub of commercial space activity, NNS aims to capitalize on opportunities from satellite services to in-orbit manufacturing and lunar resource extraction.

    “Since the inception of NANO Nuclear, I have been determined to expand our vision to include cis-lunar space and explore beyond Earth’s bounds,” said James Walker, Chief Executive Officer and Head of Reactor Development of NANO Nuclear Energy. “Space exploration in the 20th century was a catalyst for widespread technological progress and I am confident further activities in cis-lunar space will bring even more opportunities to improve daily life for people around the world. The diverse applications of microreactors in space, whether for habitation, exploration, or propulsion, present unprecedented opportunities for our exceptional technical team to drive innovation.”

    About NANO Nuclear Energy, Inc.

    NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) is an advanced technology-driven nuclear energy company seeking to become a commercially focused, diversified, and vertically integrated company across four business lines: (i) cutting edge portable microreactor technology, (ii) nuclear fuel fabrication, (iii) nuclear fuel transportation and (iv) nuclear industry consulting services. NANO Nuclear believes it is the first portable nuclear microreactor company to be listed publicly in the U.S.

    Led by a world-class nuclear engineering team, NANO Nuclear’s products in technical development are “ZEUS”, a solid core battery reactor, and “ODIN”, a low-pressure coolant reactor, each representing advanced developments in clean energy solutions that are portable, on-demand capable, advanced nuclear microreactors.

    Advanced Fuel Transportation Inc. (AFT), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is led by former executives from the largest transportation company in the world aiming to build a North American transportation company that will provide commercial quantities of HALEU fuel to small modular reactors, microreactor companies, national laboratories, military, and DOE programs. Through NANO Nuclear, AFT is the exclusive licensee of a patented high-capacity HALEU fuel transportation basket developed by three major U.S. national nuclear laboratories and funded by the Department of Energy. Assuming development and commercialization, AFT is expected to form part of the only vertically integrated nuclear fuel business of its kind in North America.

    HALEU Energy Fuel Inc. (HEF), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is focusing on the future development of a domestic source for a High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel fabrication pipeline for NANO Nuclear’s own microreactors as well as the broader advanced nuclear reactor industry.

    For more corporate information please visit: https://NanoNuclearEnergy.com/

    For further information, please contact:

    Email: IR@NANONuclearEnergy.com
    Business Tel: (212) 634-9206
    PLEASE FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES HERE:
    NANO Nuclear Energy LINKEDIN
    NANO Nuclear Energy YOUTUBE
    NANO Nuclear Energy TWITTER

    Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

    This news release and statements of NANO Nuclear’s management in connection with this news release or related events contain or may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In this context, forward-looking statements (including statements regarding the future operations of NNS and the potential for applications of the Company’s technology in space exploration) mean statements related to future events, which may impact our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “plans”, “believes”, “potential”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “would” or “may” and other words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this news release and represent management’s current views and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, events or results and involve significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond our control. For NANO Nuclear, particular risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the following: (i) risks related to our U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) nuclear fuel manufacturing submission and the development of new or advanced technology, including difficulties with design and testing, cost overruns, development of competitive technology, (ii) our ability to obtain contracts and funding to be able to continue operations, (iii) risks related to uncertainty regarding our ability to technologically develop and commercially deploy a competitive advanced nuclear reactor technology, (iv) risks related to the impact of government regulation and policies including by the DOE and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, including those associated with the recently enacted ADVANCE Act, and (v) similar risks and uncertainties associated with the business of a start-up business operating a highly regulated industry. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this news release. These factors may not constitute all factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in any forward-looking statement, and the NANO Nuclear therefore encourages investors to review other factors that may affect future results in its filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov and at https://ir.nanonuclearenergy.com/financial-information/sec-filings. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a predictor of actual results. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this news release, except as required by law.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: World’s top 1% own more wealth than 95% of humanity, as “the shadow of global oligarchy hangs over UN General Assembly,” says Oxfam

    Source: Oxfam –

    • Over a third of world’s biggest 50 corporations —worth $13.3 trillion— now run by a billionaire or has a billionaire as a principal shareholder.
    • Global South countries own just 31 percent of global wealth, despite being home to 79 percent of global population.
    • Oxfam urges multilateral action to advance new global framework on tax, cancel debts and rewrite intellectual property rules for pandemics.

    The richest 1 percent have more wealth than the bottom 95 percent of the world’s population put together, new Oxfam analysis of UBS data reveals today ahead of the annual UN High-Level General Debate.

    Billionaires are exerting new levels of control over economies, with a billionaire either running or the principal shareholder of more than a third of the world’s top 50 corporations. The combined market capitalization of these corporations is $13.3 trillion.

    Oxfam’s briefing paper “Multilateralism in an Era of Global Oligarchy” warns that multilateral efforts to respond to critical global challenges, including the climate crisis and persistent poverty and inequality, are being undermined by the ultra-wealthy and mega-corporations fueling inequality within and between countries.

    Despite being home to 79 percent of the world’s population, Global South countries own just 31 percent of global wealth.

    “The shadow of global oligarchy hangs over this year’s UN General Assembly. The ultra-wealthy and the mega-corporations they control are shaping global rules to serve their interests at the expense of people everywhere. The iconic UN podium is increasingly feeling diminished in a world in which billionaires are calling the shots,” said Amitabh Behar, Oxfam International’s Executive Director.

    The paper describes a “movement toward a global oligarchy,” where the ultra-rich, often through their increasingly monopolistic corporations, shape global political decision-making and rules to enrich themselves while thwarting vital global progress.

    The top 1 percent own 43 percent of all global financial assets. Just two corporations control 40 percent of the global seed market. The “big three” US-based asset managers —BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard— hold $20 trillion in assets, close to one-fifth of all investable assets in the world.

    “While we often hear about great power rivalries undermining multilateralism —it is clear that extreme inequality is playing a massive role. In recent years the ultra-wealthy and powerful corporations have used their vast influence to undermine efforts to solve major global problems such as tackling tax dodging, making Covid-19 vaccines available to the world and canceling the albatross of sovereign debt,” said Behar.

    Oxfam details three recent examples of extreme inequality eroding multilateral efforts —and where civil society and Global South leaders have offered inequality-busting solutions:

    • Powerful corporations undermining tax cooperation. The OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Sharing (BEPS) fell short of realizing its potential, with new rules for profit allocation that will deliver only tiny extra revenues for lower-income countries of as little as 0.026 percent of their GDP. The exclusion of financial services from OECD rules is a carve-out attributed to lobbying from countries with large banking and financial sectors. Global South countries, led by African countries, are instead advancing negotiations for a fairer tax convention at the UN that, along with Brazil’s leadership at the G20, offer a pathway for fairly taxing the super-rich and mega-corporations.
       
    • Big Pharma resisting efforts to break up their monopolies over Covid-19 vaccine technologies to unlock supply. Monopoly control over vaccine production was highly profitable during the pandemic. In 2021 alone, the seven largest manufacturers generated an estimated $50 billion in net profit from the sale of Covid-19 vaccines, resulting in huge payouts to rich shareholders and the emergence of new vaccine billionaires. The CEO of Pfizer Albert Bourla described the call to share Covid-19 vaccine technologies as “dangerous nonsense.” The failure to equitably share vaccines contributed to as many as 1.3 million excess deaths worldwide. A new pandemic treaty with strong provisions to suspend patents and allow for easier transfers of technology offers promise.
       
    • Private creditors exacerbating the global debt crisis. Low-income countries spend nearly 40 percent of their annual budgets on debt service, over 60 percent more than they spend on education, health, and social protection combined. Over half of low- and middle-income countries’ external debt is owed to private lenders like banks and hedge funds. Some of these creditors are “vulture funds,” which purchase distressed debt on the cheap and exploit legal mechanisms to be repaid in full, reaping outsized profits.

    “Only a solidarity-based multilateralism can reverse the movement toward global oligarchy. Some world leaders are showing they recognize this and are stepping up to fight inequality —but we need many more to demonstrate this courage,” said Behar.

    “Ultimately, a fairer world and international order —where corporations pay their fair share, global public health is prioritized, and where all countries can invest in their own people— benefits us all. This is not new, and it’s long what leaders especially from the Global South have called for.”  
     

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Colonialism and apartheid stripped black South Africans of land and labour rights – the effects are still felt today

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Marthinus van Staden, Associate Professor of Labour Law, University of the Witwatersrand

    Land dispossession among South Africa’s majority black population remains a thorny issue 30 years into democracy. Labour law scholar Marthinus van Staden’s new research examines the historical relationship between land dispossession and labour control in South Africa. It explores how the systematic seizure of indigenous people’s land during colonisation and apartheid reduced them from landowners to labourers, under exploitative conditions, and how the effects continue to linger. We asked him to explain.

    What is the history of land dispossession and labour control in South Africa?

    The history spans several centuries, beginning with Dutch colonisation in the mid-17th century. It intensified under British rule from the late 18th century. Early colonial policies were inconsistent, but gradually evolved into more systematic land grabs and labour regulations.

    The discovery of minerals – primarily gold and diamonds – in the 1880s heightened the demand for cheap black labour.

    The 19th century saw other significant developments, including the abolition of slavery and the introduction of pass laws. Pass laws required black people to carry identity documents that restricted their movement, employment and settlement.

    The 1913 Natives Land Act severely restricted black land ownership. It prevented black people from owning or renting land in 93% of South Africa, which was reserved for white ownership. Many black farmers who had previously owned or rented land in what had been designated “white areas” were forced to become labourers on white-owned farms. Or they had to move to “reserves” the state had set aside.

    This was followed by a series of laws implementing urban segregation and expanding “native reserves”.

    The apartheid era of formalised racial segregation, from 1948 to 1994, saw the most extreme measures of land dispossession and labour control. The creation of the homeland system relegated black South Africans to 10 economically unviable areas, along ethnic lines. Black people in homelands were mostly forced to work in “white” South Africa, where they lacked legal rights as workers.

    It wasn’t until 1979 that black trade unions were allowed to register. This allowed them to operate openly and bargain with employers and the government for improved wages and working conditions.

    Trade unions served as important political actors. They increased black workers’ political voice and influence. In fact, all labour legislation before 1981 had the distinguishing feature of excluding black workers from its ambit of protection.

    Only after apartheid ended in 1994 did efforts begin to address the legacy of land dispossession and unfair labour practices through restitution and reforms. Land reform processes have been criticised for being ineffectual.

    What effect did dispossession have?

    Dispossession created a large pool of cheap labour for white-owned farms and industries. Without access to land for subsistence or commercial farming, black South Africans had little choice but to work for low wages in the capitalist economy. The employment contract, transplanted from colonial law, became a tool for exerting control over these workers. It reinforced their subordinate status.

    The common law contract of employment, with its inherent element of employer control, was applied to the formerly independent indigenous people now forced into wage labour.

    The homelands ensured a continuous supply of cheap black migrant labour. This system of land deprivation and labour control not only served the economic interests of the white minority. It also reinforced racial hierarchies.

    The socio-economic consequences continue. Black workers are still more likely to be unemployed – or in precarious work – than whites.

    Why does this matter today?

    The legacy of land dispossession and labour control continues to shape South Africa’s social, economic and political landscape. It’s a critical consideration in efforts to build a more just and equitable society.

    This history has created deep-rooted economic disparities. The concentration of land ownership and wealth in the hands of the white minority remains largely intact, perpetuating socio-economic inequality.

    The ongoing struggle for land restitution and reform is directly linked to this history. Addressing the legacy of dispossession is crucial for economic justice and social stability.

    Understanding this history is essential for developing effective policies to address poverty, unemployment and uneven development.

    It is also vital for national reconciliation and building a more equitable society. It underpins current debates about social justice, reparations and the transformation of economic structures.

    Which practical, remedial policies must be carried out?

    The historical link between land loss and subjugation by means of the controls inherent to the contract of employment makes land reform a necessary first step to reversing this process.

    The government has put in place formal mechanisms to halt racialised land ownership. However, land restitution and reform programmes need to be enhanced and accelerated.

    They should include restoring land rights where possible, and providing support for sustainable land use. This would address both the economic and emotional aspects of historical dispossession.

    Legislation such as the Labour Relations Act and the Employment Equity Act have done much to strengthen protections for workers’ rights, particularly for those in precarious employment situations. However, the ways in which these laws continue to endorse a global north conception of the employment relationship, which emphasises control, must be rethought.

    They must be reformed to promote equality, dignity and fair labour practices.
    Reforms should involve more collaborative models and addressing the socio-economic impacts to redress historical injustices.

    Targeted economic development initiatives are needed in historically disadvantaged areas, including former homelands. These could include infrastructure development, skills training programmes, and support for small businesses to create economic opportunities.

    These remedial policies should be part of an all-encompassing strategy to address historical injustices, and create a more equitable South African society.

    Marthinus van Staden 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. Colonialism and apartheid stripped black South Africans of land and labour rights – the effects are still felt today – https://theconversation.com/colonialism-and-apartheid-stripped-black-south-africans-of-land-and-labour-rights-the-effects-are-still-felt-today-238243

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Translation: AFRICA/DR CONGO – Appointment of the Bishop of Isiro-Niangara

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    Monday, September 23, 2024

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father Francis has appointed Bishop of Isiro-Niangara, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, HE Mgr. Dieudonné Madrapile Tanzi, until now Bishop of the Diocese of Isangi, transferring him from the same See. Dieudonné Madrapile Tanzi was born on 18 August 1958 in Niangara. He received priestly ordination on 25 August 1985 for the Diocese of Isiro-Niangara. He has held the following positions and carried out further studies: Formator in the Minor Seminary of Rungu (1985-1986); Professor and spiritual animator in the Interdiocesan Major Seminary of Philosophy Saint Augustin, Kisangani (1986-1996); Vicar General of the Diocese of Isiro-Niangara (1996-2001); Diocesan Administrator of Isiro-Niangara (2001-2003); Rector of the National Marian Shrine of Blessed Anuarite (2003-2006); Doctorate in Missiology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University, Rome (2006-2013); Chaplain of the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence, Work of Don Guanella, Rome; Professor of Pastoral Theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University (2012-2016). Since 12 July 2024 he has been Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Isiro-Niangara. He was elected Bishop of Isangi on 2 April 2016 and consecrated on 10 July 2016. (EG) (Agenzia Fides 23/09/2024) Share:

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Global: Britain is finally abolishing hereditary peers from the House of Lords – a constitutional expert on the historical reforms that built up to this moment

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Meg Russell, Professor of British and Comparative Politics and Director of the Constitution Unit, UCL

    Flickr/House of Lords, CC BY-NC-ND

    Having made a pre-election pledge to do so, the government is moving forward with the House of Lords (hereditary peers) bill, a piece of legislation that will remove the remaining hereditary peers from the House of Lords.

    The bill is almost certain to pass through parliament, ending a centuries-old tradition of hereditary membership in the House of Lords. But who are these hereditary peers, and how did they come to sit in parliament in the first place? Some of the answers may be surprising.

    The House of Lords has ancient roots – though it has changed very fundamentally over the years. The original precursor of the English (and subsequently UK) parliament was a single-chamber body, bringing together the powerful in the land to advise the monarch. It is difficult to put a date on when this began but it included representatives of the nobility and the church.

    Initially, there was no presumption that those invited to participate in one session of parliament would be invited to the next, but gradually arrangements became more fixed. The “temporal” (as opposed to “spiritual”) members of parliament became the holders of hereditary titles, which would be passed down through their family line. Over time, the members of what became the House of Commons split off, with the two chambers regularly sitting separately from the 14th century.

    Pitt The Younger, a big fan of handing out peerages.
    Wikipedia/Bonhams

    Some modern preoccupations about the House of Lords can be traced back centuries. By the time of Charles I, there were already concerns that too many new peerages were being created and that the chamber was growing too large. There was even talk of money changing hands in some cases. As early as 1719, a bill was proposed to cap the size of the House of Lords, and allow new peerage creations only when existing lines died out. That bill was, however, unsuccessful.

    By the late 18th century, the monarch was following prime ministerial advice in creating peerages. William Pitt the Younger became a prolific distributor of titles, roughly doubling the number of Lords temporal from 212 to 314. In the mid-19th century, the House of Lords stood at around 450 members, and by the early 20th century, it exceeded 600 members. Immediately before it was reformed by Tony Blair’s government in 1999, its size was double that.

    The reforms begin

    In the late 19th century, under prime ministers William Gladstone and Lord Salisbury, there were deliberate moves to broaden the peerage and move it away from landed interests. Titles were awarded to industrialists, former diplomats, military personnel and civil servants. Notable appointees in this period included the artist Frederic Leighton, the surgeon Joseph Lister, and the former House of Commons clerk Thomas Erskine May. This helped to boost the “crossbenches” in the Lords, and build the chamber’s reputation for expertise.

    Nonetheless, in another pattern familiar today, around two-thirds of those appointed were former MPs. Prominent among them were those who had held high office – routinely including former prime ministers and speakers of the House of Commons.

    The hereditary nature of titles created an obvious difficulty with size – that a seat created for a person did not die with them, but was passed to their (exclusively male) successors. Every peerage awarded (with a small exception for those with legal expertise under the Appellate Jurisdictions Act 1876) was a hereditary peerage, and large numbers continued to be created.

    While some lines died out due to lack of male successors, pressure grew for the creation of life peerages rather than allowing members to pass their seat in the Lords on. The first bill to allow such appointments was introduced in 1849, but it was not until the Life Peerages Act 1958 that change finally occurred.

    By 1957, the year before the act, half of members (who by now exceeded 800) owed their hereditary peerages to 20th-century creations. Among them were the descendants of Asquith, Lloyd George, Stanley Baldwin and Field Marshal Montgomery. Even Labour’s Clement Attlee (who, upon assuming office in 1945, faced a House of Lords containing just 16 Labour members) was given a hereditary peerage in 1955. His grandson still serves in the House of Lords.

    Want more politics coverage from academic experts? Every week, we bring you informed analysis of developments in government and fact check the claims being made.

    Sign up for our weekly politics newsletter, delivered every Friday.

    After 1958, the creation of new hereditary peerages became much rarer. It was, notably, only at this point that women entered the chamber for the first time – and only in 1963 that women inheriting the few hereditary titles not travelling purely down the male line were allowed to take seats in the chamber. An interesting anomaly was Margaret Thatcher’s bestowal of a hereditary peerage on her former home secretary and de facto deputy prime minister, Willie Whitelaw, in 1983 – the first such awarded for 18 years. Having only daughters, Whitelaw did not pass his peerage on.

    The reform implemented by the Blair government in 1999 was originally intended to sweep away all of the hereditary peers. But while over 650 departed, a deal between the parties allowed 92 to remain – with replacements when these peers died or retired largely filled by a bizarre system of byelections, where the only eligible candidates were hereditary peers.

    These byelections were recently halted in expectation of the bill, leaving 88 hereditary peers currently serving in the chamber. All of them are men, 45 are Conservative (and only four Labour), while 43 (49%) hold peerages created only in the 20th century.

    This group is anomalous, and long overdue reform. It is also less historic in certain respects than many might assume.

    Meg Russell has in the past received funding from the ESRC for her research on the House of Lords.

    – ref. Britain is finally abolishing hereditary peers from the House of Lords – a constitutional expert on the historical reforms that built up to this moment – https://theconversation.com/britain-is-finally-abolishing-hereditary-peers-from-the-house-of-lords-a-constitutional-expert-on-the-historical-reforms-that-built-up-to-this-moment-239073

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Our digital 3D models of huge coral reefs could help revive these precious ecosystems

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Tim Lamont, Research Fellow, Marine Biology, Lancaster University

    As a team of marine biologists, assessing the health of thousands of square metres of coral reef can be a daunting prospect. Often, we have to monitor some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, and there’s a strict time limit due to the safety regulations associated with Scuba diving.

    Accurately measuring and classifying even small areas of reefs can involve spending many hours underwater. And with millions of reefs around the world that need monitoring in the face of looming threats to their existence, speed is critical.

    But now, a digital revolution for coral reef monitoring could be underway, enabled by recent advances in low-cost camera and computing technology. Our new study shows how creating 3D computer models of entire reefs – sometimes known as digital twins – can help us monitor these precious ecosystems faster, more accurately and in greater detail than ever before.

    We worked at 17 study sites in central Indonesia – some reefs were degraded, others were healthy or restored. We followed the same protocol at rectangular areas measuring 1000m² in each location, using a technique called “photogrammetry” to create 3D models of each reef habitat.

    One of us Scuba dived and swam 2m above the coral back and forth in a “lawnmower” pattern across every square metre of this reef, while carrying two underwater cameras programmed to take photos of the seabed twice per second. Within just half an hour, we’d taken 10,000 high-resolution, overlapping pictures that covered the entire area.

    Later, we booted up a high-performance computer, and with the help of specialist experts from an underwater science tech company called Tritonia Scientific, we processed these images into accurate 3D representations for each of the 17 sites. The resulting models surpass traditional monitoring methods in speed, cost and the ability to consistently reproduce accurate measurements.

    Our research paper applies this technique to assess the success of the world’s largest coral restoration project. Mars Coral Reef Restoration Project is located at Bontosua Island on the Spermonde Archipelago in South Sulawesi, Indonesia.

    Our findings show that, when well-managed, coral restoration efforts can bring back many elements, including the complexity of reef structure across large areas. By comparing the 3D models, we can see how complex the surface structure of the coral reef looks and measure its details at different scales – these aspects would be far too tricky for divers to accurately measure underwater.

    3D model video visualisation of a 50m×20m reef restoration area.

    In an earlier 2024 study, our team applied photogrammetry to measure coral growth rates at the level of individual colonies. By capturing detailed 3D models before and after a year of growth, we revealed that restored reefs can achieve growth rates comparable to healthy natural ecosystems.

    This finding is particularly significant, as it highlights the potential for restored reefs to recover and function similarly to untouched reef environments.



    Read more:
    Restored coral reefs can grow as fast as healthy reefs after just four years – new study

    Beyond coral reefs

    Photogrammetry is becoming a widely adopted tool across various fields, both on land and in the ocean. Beyond coral reefs, it is used to monitor forests with drones, develop detailed architectural and urban planning models, and monitor soil erosion and landscape changes.

    In marine environments, photogrammetry is a powerful tool for monitoring and measuring environmental changes such as variations in coral cover, shifts in species diversity and alterations in reef structure. It has also been used to develop cost-effective methods for measuring coral reef rugosity (the bumpiness or texture of the reef’s surface).

    Greater rugosity generally indicates more complex habitats, which can support a wider variety of marine life and reflect healthier reef systems. Additionally, it measures the complexity of different shapes and structures within the reef. These methods provide crucial baselines that help scientists like us track changes over time and design effective conservation strategies.

    Although this method is cheaper and quicker than traditional fieldwork, there are still significant financial barriers. The necessary equipment and software can range from several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the specific equipment and software used, and mastering these techniques takes time. It may be some time before these methods become standard for most field biologists.

    Beyond coral reef monitoring, photogrammetry is increasingly being used in virtual reality and augmented reality development, enabling the creation of immersive, lifelike environments for education, entertainment and research. For example, The US agency National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s coral reef virtual reality offers an engaging way to explore coral reefs through virtual reality.

    In the future, photogrammetry could revolutionise environmental monitoring by offering faster, more accurate baselines and assessments of ecosystem changes such as coral bleaching and shifts in biodiversity. Advances in machine learning and cloud computing are expected to further automate and enhance photogrammetry, increasing its accessibility and scalability, and establishing its role as an essential tool in conservation science.


    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 35,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Tim Lamont receives funding from the Royal Commission of the Exhibition of 1851, the Natural Environment Research Council and the Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

    Rindah Talitha Vida receives funding from Friends of Lancaster University in America through the Global Impact Small Grants and research studentship funding from Sheba Hope Advocate Program.

    Tries Blandine Razak 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. Our digital 3D models of huge coral reefs could help revive these precious ecosystems – https://theconversation.com/our-digital-3d-models-of-huge-coral-reefs-could-help-revive-these-precious-ecosystems-237711

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Grangemouth job losses are a stark reminder of the cost of a greener industrial future

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Phil Tomlinson, Professor of Industrial Strategy, Co-Director Centre for Governance, Regulation and Industrial Strategy (CGR&IS), University of Bath

    Grangemouth refinery has been in operation for more than 100 years. dvlcom – www.dvlcom.co.uk/Shuttershotck

    The recent announcement that Grangemouth oil refinery in central Scotland will close next year marks a notable moment in the energy transition towards net zero.

    As countries strive to meet climate targets and reduce their use of fossil fuels, the tensions between preserving jobs in “dirty” industries and creating new “green” jobs are becoming increasingly stark.

    Grangemouth, operated by Petroineos (a joint venture between PetroChina and INEOS), has been producing oil and chemical products for more than a century. It is Scotland’s only oil refinery and a major supplier of fuel to domestic and international markets.

    Its closure marks an abrupt end of an era for the local economy, which until now has been heavily dependent on the refinery. Around 400 jobs are thought to be at risk – although trade unions have warned that nearly 3,000 jobs could be affected in the wider local economy and supply chains.

    The closure reflects broader trends in the fossil fuel sector, with falling demand and governments prioritising climate action. The UK government is committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

    To achieve this, there must be dramatic reductions in fossil fuel consumption such as in transport and heating. Many energy-intensive industries (including steel and ceramics) are also shifting towards renewable energy sources, leading to the gradual phasing out of refineries such as Grangemouth.

    Green jobs: a path to the future?

    The growth of renewable sectors offers new job creation opportunities. Green jobs in renewable energy, energy efficiency and environmental conservation are seen as critical in developing a sustainable economy. But as yet, they are not always available in the regions where jobs in long-established industries are being lost.

    The new government hopes to create 650,000 jobs in the UK by 2030, working with business through a combination of its Green Prosperity Plan and proposed National Wealth Fund. These jobs will be critical in sectors such as offshore wind, hydrogen production and electric vehicle manufacturing.

    The closure of fossil fuel-dependent sites such as Grangemouth highlights the importance of a “just transition”. This is a framework pushed by trade unions where workers in polluting industries are offered clear pathways to secure jobs in a post-carbon economy.

    Governments, business and unions need to cooperate to ensure these new green jobs are not only available to workers facing redundancy, but also provide similar levels of pay and working conditions as the jobs being lost.

    Despite the promise of new green jobs, the immediate reality for workers in “dirty industries” is much more uncertain. For those employed in refining, oil drilling, or making internal combustion engine cars, the idea of transitioning to green jobs in some regions can seem remote.

    Production may disappear or require far fewer workers. Also, the skills of displaced workers do not always match those required for new green jobs. And retraining programmes are not always available or accessible.

    For communities such as Grangemouth, with a population of 17,000, the economic shock of losing a major employer can be catastrophic. Jobs in oil refineries are relatively well paid and once offered long-term stability. Replacing these with green jobs offering the same benefits is challenging.

    Renewable industries can take years to take root. Yet, in the here and now, displaced workers face the prospect of unemployment. There is a tension between the urgent need to address the climate emergency and the impetus to protect jobs and livelihoods.

    Policies for a just transition

    To address these tensions, governments need industrial policies to support a “just transition” to ensure that no one is left behind, as economies shift away from fossil fuels.

    This includes programmes to allow displaced oil workers to retrain and become equipped with the skills for new green jobs. Governments, businesses and unions will need to collaborate to deliver on this – with a focus on local needs. Several local authorities are already being proactive – using national and local funding and working with training providers to retrain workers in roles ranging from heat pump installers to electric vehicle technicians.

    For Grangemouth, new targeted investment will be needed to help diversify the local economy. Government funding for renewable energy projects, infrastructure development and support for small businesses and startups could and should help.

    Workers facing redundancy from polluting industries should be helped to retrain in greener sectors like heat pump installation.
    Virrage Images/Shutterstock

    On this, the UK and Scottish governments have provided £100 million of joint funding for Project Willow, a feasibility study looking at the Grangemouth plant’s next steps.

    Local supply chains will also need to diversify into new markets. For instance, elsewhere some auto sector firms are diversifying into making wind turbines and heat pumps as they adjust to the challenges of net zero.

    In the short term, displaced workers facing unemployment will need more generous social security. Better unemployment benefits, healthcare and housing support – perhaps repackaged as part of a lifetime learning allowance – will be essential. They could safeguard workers (and their families) as they retrain for the new green jobs.

    The closure of the Grangemouth refinery is an abrupt reminder of the complexities of transitioning to a green economy. While green jobs represent the future, they cannot simply replace traditional jobs overnight. There is an urgent need for a proactive industrial strategy to facilitate industry and regional diversification, alongside new investment in training and infrastructure.

    For Grangemouth (and communities facing similar challenges, such as at Port Talbot in south Wales), the road ahead may be uncertain. But with innovative approaches – like that of Gamesa in Spain, which has recruited staff from the car industry and used their expertise to streamline its wind turbine production – a “just transition” will be possible.

    Phil Tomlinson receives funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for Made Smarter Innovation: Centre for People-Led Digitalisation.

    David Bailey receives funding from the ESRC’s UK in a Changing Europe programme.

    – ref. Grangemouth job losses are a stark reminder of the cost of a greener industrial future – https://theconversation.com/grangemouth-job-losses-are-a-stark-reminder-of-the-cost-of-a-greener-industrial-future-239132

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: We’re in a golden age for body horror films – as Demi Moore’s The Substance proves

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Xavier Aldana Reyes, Reader in English Literature and Film, Manchester Metropolitan University

    In the 1980s, film scholar Barbara Creed coined the term the “monstrous-feminine”. It refers to the way that female monsters are typically portrayed as threatening and disgusting for reasons connected to their bodies and their sexuality. New film The Substance takes a leaf out of Creed’s book by proposing a feminist critique of female experience through the visceral language of the body horror, a sub-genre preoccupied with the transformation, destruction or grotesque exaggeration of the human body.

    The Substance is a film about a fading Hollywood star who will go to any lengths to stay beautiful. After having her TV aerobics show cancelled, Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) resorts to a mysterious serum that can create a “better” version of her – a younger double she can inhabit a few days at a time.

    As the pull of success and the return of public recognition lure Sparkle away from her older, now abandoned self, horrendous mutations ensue. It seems poignant that the protagonist of this dark parable should be played by Moore, an actor whose looks have long been scrutinised.

    In the October issue of Sight and Sound, the film’s director, Coralie Fargeat, explains that it’s not intended as a caricature, but “a mirror of society’s misogynistic mentality”. It really is “that gross … that violent in the real world,” she argues.

    Many agree with her. In a review for Film International, film critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas goes as far as to call The Substance a “documentary”, due to its “emotional fidelity”. That is, its ability to make literal the disconnection between body and consciousness caused by ageing, which impacts women particularly negatively.

    The trailer for The Substance.

    A growing body of films

    The Substance is not the only major film in 2024 to be marketed, either fully or in part, as “body horror”. This is surprising because body horror originally emerged as a niche, often independently produced, sub-genre.

    Body horror’s gruesome aesthetic and themes of corporeal decay, transformation and mutilation can be off-putting for many viewers. Yet films like Love Lies Bleeding, Tiger Stripes and I Saw the TV Glow (which all had wide releases in 2024) have turned to the sub-genre. Their directors have been drawn to its ability to tell timely stories about the way corporeality, identity and social interactions cannot be separated.

    These films are largely about marginalised or maladjusted people. They show how our personal actions and sense of identity are always affected by the availability of role models and the limitations imposed on people by governmental, educational, religious and familial forces. For example, the teenage protagonist in Tiger Stripes rebels against the expectations that, because she is a girl, she should cover her hair, show modesty and be courteous.

    From Poor Things and Infinity Pool (both 2023) to Hatching (2022) and Titane (2021), the 2020s are shaping up into something of a new golden age for body horror.

    Novelist A.K. Blakemore has written of the rise of “femcore” – a literary trend of “ultraviolent body-horror”. Eliza Clark’s Boy Parts (2020), Alison Rumfitt’s Brainwyrms (2023), Monika Kim’s The Eyes Are the Best Part (2024) and the anthology Of the Flesh (2024) are included under this label.

    And there’s a similar trend emerging in streaming shows, from the episode The Outside from Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (2022) to Alice Birch’s remake of David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers (2023).

    A sub-genre with substance

    One of the key things that characterises this contemporary wave of body horror is the influx of directors who identify as women and as queer.

    There were far fewer women and queer directors in the late 1970s and 1980s, when body horror gained popularity thanks to films like The Evil Dead (1981), The Fly (1986) and Hellraiser (1987), than there are now. This decade has made big moves towards inclusion, and the film industry has been greatly impacted by social movements like Me Too, Trans Lives Matter and Black Lives Matter, even if much work is yet to be done.

    Body horror is particularly appealing to creators who would have previously found it difficult to make a living in the world of commercial filmmaking. Filmmakers (including Rose Glass, Amanda Nell Eu, Jane Schoenbrun, Hanna Bergholm, Julia Ducournau, Michelle Garza Cervera, Natalie Erika James, Alice Maio Mackay, Nia DaCosta and Coralie Fargeat) have found a valuable lexicon for feminist, trans-activist and anti-racist messages in the sub-genre. Many of them talk about their work as highly personal – if not based on their direct experience.

    The body horror sub-genre is attuned to the violence of social exclusion and discrimination. Its metamorphic, painful, insidious and carnal nightmares help articulate the concerns of a new generation of artists for whom corporeality, and sometimes simply being visible, has become a political statement.

    David Cronenberg closed his classic body horror film Videodrome (1983) with the emblematic line: “Long live the new flesh!” He needn’t have worried. It’s here to stay.


    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    Xavier Aldana Reyes 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. We’re in a golden age for body horror films – as Demi Moore’s The Substance proves – https://theconversation.com/were-in-a-golden-age-for-body-horror-films-as-demi-moores-the-substance-proves-239229

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Graphene at 20: still no sign of the promised space elevator, but here’s how this wonder material is quietly changing the world

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Stephen Lyth, Strathclyde Chancellor’s Fellow, Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Strathclyde

    High Level Specialist

    Twenty years ago this October, two physicists at the University of Manchester, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, published a groundbreaking paper on the “electric field effect in atomically thin carbon films”. Their work described the extraordinary electronic properties of graphene, a crystalline form of carbon equivalent to a single layer of graphite, just one atom thick.

    Around that time, I started my doctorate at the University of Surrey. Our team specialised in the electronic properties of carbon. Carbon nanotubes were the latest craze, which I was happily following. One day, my professor encouraged a group of us to travel to London to attend a talk by a well-known science communicator from the University of Manchester. This was Andre Geim.

    We were not disappointed. He was inspiring for us fresh-faced PhD students, incorporating talk of wacky Friday afternoon experiments with levitating frogs, before getting on to atomically thin carbon. All the same, we were sceptical about this carbon concept. We couldn’t quite believe that a material effectively obtained from pencil lead with sticky tape was really what it claimed to be. But we were wrong.

    The work was quickly copied and reproduced by scientists across the globe. New methods for making this material were devised. Incredible claims about its properties made it sound like something out of a Stan Lee comic. Stronger than steel, highly flexible, super-slippery and impermeable to gases. A better electronic conductor than copper and a better thermal conductor than diamond, as well as practically invisible and displaying a host of exotic quantum properties.

    Graphene was hailed as a revolutionary material, promising ultra-fast electronics, supercomputers and super-strong materials. More fantastical claims have included space elevators, solar sails, artificial retinas, even invisibility cloaks.

    Just six years after their initial work, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, further fuelling the enthusiasm around this wonder stuff. Since then, hundreds of thousands of academic papers have been published on graphene and related materials.

    But not everyone is on board. Skim through the comments section of any popular article on the material, and you’ll quickly find the sceptics. We have endured decades of empty promises about the real-world impact of graphene, they complain. Where are the game-changing products to enrich our lives or save the world from climate change, they ask.

    So has graphene been a resounding success or a damp squib? As is so often the case, the reality is somewhere in between.

    Graphene’s ups and downs

    In terms of public perception, it’s fair to say that graphene has been held to an impossible standard. The popular media can certainly exaggerate science stories for clicks, but academics – including myself – are not immune from over-egging or speculating about their pet projects either. I’d argue this can even be useful, helping to drive new technologies forward. Equally, though, there can be a backlash when progress looks disappointing.

    Having said that, disruptive technologies such as cars, television or plastic all required decades of development. Graphene is still a newcomer in the grand scheme of things, so it’s far too early to reach any conclusions about its impact.

    What has quietly occurred is a steady integration of graphene into numerous practical applications. Much of this is thanks to the Graphene Flagship, a major European research initiative coordinated by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. This aims to bring graphene and related materials from academic research to real-world commercial applications, and more than 90 products have been developed over the past decade as a result.

    These include blended plastics for high-performance sports equipment, more durable racing tyres for bicycles, motorcycle helmets that better distribute impact forces, thermally conductive coatings for motorcycle components, and lubricants for reducing friction and wear between mechanical parts.

    Safer motorbike helmets are just one of many ways in which graphene is coming to market.
    n_defender

    Graphene is finding its way into batteries and supercapacitors, enabling faster charging times and longer life spans. Conductive graphene inks are now used to manufacture sensors, wireless tracking tags, heating elements, and electromagnetic shielding for protecting sensitive electronics. Graphene is even used in headphones to improve the sound quality, and as a more efficient means of transmitting heat in air-conditioning units.

    Graphene oxide products are being used for desalination, wastewater treatment and purification of drinking water. Meanwhile, a range of graphene materials can be bought off the shelf for use in countless other products, and major corporations including SpaceX, Tesla, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and Apple are all rumoured or known to be using them to develop new products.

    From promise to practicality

    The impact of graphene on materials science is undeniable. The impact on consumer products is tangible, but not as visible. Once a material is embedded in a working product, there is little need to keep mentioning it, and proprietary concerns can make companies reluctant to get into details in any case. Consumers can therefore be blissfully unaware that their car, mobile phone, or golf club contains graphene, and most probably don’t care, as long as it works.

    As production methods improve and costs decrease, we can expect graphene to become ever more widely adopted. Economies of scale will make it more accessible, and the range of applications is likely to continue to expand.

    Personally, after two decades, I still get excited when I try it out for something new in the lab. While I may be guilty of having contributed to the initial hype, I remain optimistic about graphene’s potential. I’m still waiting for my ride on a space elevator, but in the meantime, I’ll take comfort in the fact that graphene is already helping to shape a better future – quietly and steadily.

    Stephen Lyth 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. Graphene at 20: still no sign of the promised space elevator, but here’s how this wonder material is quietly changing the world – https://theconversation.com/graphene-at-20-still-no-sign-of-the-promised-space-elevator-but-heres-how-this-wonder-material-is-quietly-changing-the-world-239223

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Blinken delivers remarks at the Freedom Online Coalition Ministerial Event – 11:00 AM

    Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

    Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken delivers remarks at the Freedom Online Coalition Ministerial Event on AI for Humanity: Charting the Global Course for Human Rights-Based Governance in New York City, New York, on September 23, 2024.
    ———-
    Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.

    The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.

    Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at www.state.gov and on social media!
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/statedept
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/StateDept
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/statedept
    Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/statephotos/

    Subscribe to the State Department Blog: https://www.state.gov/blogs
    Watch on-demand State Department videos: https://video.state.gov/
    Subscribe to The Week at State e-newsletter: http://ow.ly/diiN30ro7Cw

    State Department website: https://www.state.gov/
    Careers website: https://careers.state.gov/
    White House website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/
    Terms of Use: https://state.gov/tou

    #StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRobgVHr19w

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Blinken hosts a G7+ Ministerial Meeting on Ukraine Energy Sector Support – 9:45 AM

    Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

    Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken hosts a G7+ Ministerial Meeting on Ukraine Energy Sector Support in New York City, New York, on September 23, 2024.

    ———-
    Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.

    The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.

    Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at www.state.gov and on social media!
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/statedept
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/StateDept
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/statedept
    Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/statephotos/

    Subscribe to the State Department Blog: https://www.state.gov/blogs
    Watch on-demand State Department videos: https://video.state.gov/
    Subscribe to The Week at State e-newsletter: http://ow.ly/diiN30ro7Cw

    State Department website: https://www.state.gov/
    Careers website: https://careers.state.gov/
    White House website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/
    Terms of Use: https://state.gov/tou

    #StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL4tTyzS4gU

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Blinken delivers remarks at the Advancing Sustainable Development – 2:10 PM

    Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

    Secretary Blinken delivers remarks at the Advancing Sustainable Development through Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy AI event in New York City, New York., on September 23, 2024.
    ———-
    Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.

    The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.

    Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at www.state.gov and on social media!
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/statedept
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/StateDept
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/statedept
    Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/statephotos/

    Subscribe to the State Department Blog: https://www.state.gov/blogs
    Watch on-demand State Department videos: https://video.state.gov/
    Subscribe to The Week at State e-newsletter: http://ow.ly/diiN30ro7Cw

    State Department website: https://www.state.gov/
    Careers website: https://careers.state.gov/
    White House website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/
    Terms of Use: https://state.gov/tou

    #StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJlzUU4ySd0

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Blinken participates at the High-Level Meeting – 4:00 PM

    Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

    Secretary Blinken participates at the High-Level Meeting to Launch the Friends of Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty in New York City, New York, on September 23, 2024.
    ———-
    Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.

    The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.

    Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at www.state.gov and on social media!
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/statedept
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/StateDept
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/statedept
    Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/statephotos/

    Subscribe to the State Department Blog: https://www.state.gov/blogs
    Watch on-demand State Department videos: https://video.state.gov/
    Subscribe to The Week at State e-newsletter: http://ow.ly/diiN30ro7Cw

    State Department website: https://www.state.gov/
    Careers website: https://careers.state.gov/
    White House website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/
    Terms of Use: https://state.gov/tou

    #StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN8-gnA1-Xc

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: This Week in NJ – September 20th, 2024

    Source: US State of New Jersey

    Governor Murphy Announces $180 Million Awarded to Nonprofit Groups and Local Governments Through Lead Remediation and Abatement Program

    At the Governor’s Conference on Housing and Economic Development, Governor Murphy announced that his Administration will soon commit $180 million to nonprofit organizations and local governments across the state through the Department of Community Affairs’ (DCA) Lead Remediation and Abatement Program (LRAP). These funds help grantees conduct lead-safe repairs in homes where adults and children are exposed to lead-based paint. Once DCA obligates the final $40 million this month, it will have awarded all of the Murphy Administration’s historic investment made in the State Fiscal Year 2022 and 2023 budgets to address the threat of childhood lead poisoning.

    “We are providing grants to communities up and down our state — from Paterson to Vineland — so we can ensure that every one of our children is protected from the dangers of lead-based paint,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “This funding will directly benefit thousands of households and is a perfect example of how safe housing is at the heart of our Administration’s vision for making New Jersey the best place, anywhere in America, to raise a family.”

    “DCA is incredibly proud to administer a grant program that is protecting New Jersey’s families and children from the detrimental effects of lead poisoning,” said DCA Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez. “By collaborating with nonprofit groups and local governments, we are providing residents with the information and financial assistance they need to live free of lead-based paint in their homes.”

    READ MORE

    Murphy Administration Announces Opening of Income-Based Charge Up+ EV Incentive

    Governor Phil Murphy and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU)  announced the opening of Charge Up+, an additional income-based incentive of $2,000 available through the State’s Charge Up New Jersey electric vehicle (EV) incentive program. The announcement follows the launch of Year Five of Charge Up New Jersey in July 2024.

    “I’m thrilled to announce this additional step toward ensuring every New Jerseyan can choose clean transportation, regardless of their income,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “My administration continues to prioritize lowering emissions and improving air quality in our communities, no matter the zip code, by making EVs more affordable and accessible to all.”

    “Through the introduction of Charge Up+, the Murphy Administration is once again building upon the success of its highly popular EV incentive program,” said NJBPU President Christine Guhl-Sadovy. “Combined with the Charge Up base incentive and federal EV tax credit, this additional incentive will further expand the number of New Jersey families who can reap the environmental and economic benefits of clean transportation.”

    Through Year Five of the Charge Up New Jersey program, all eligible vehicles up to a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $55,000 can receive a $2,000 base incentive. Residents can take advantage of this incentive directly at the car dealership or showroom and apply the incentive instantly to their purchase or lease at the point of sale. Charge Up New Jersey also offers a $250 rebate for the purchase and installation of a qualifying Level 2 charger through the In-Home EV Charger Incentive.

    The additional income-based incentive of $2,000 will be available to prequalified income-eligible applicants for a total of $4,000. Customers who are eligible for the Charge Up+ incentive must prequalify before visiting the dealership to ensure that the full $4,000 can be applied to their purchase or lease.

    READ MORE

    DCF Awards Funding to Expand Universal Home Visiting Initiative in New Jersey

    As part of the State’s efforts to expand Family Connects NJ — New Jersey’s universal nurse home visitation program — the Department of Children and Families (NJDCF) has awarded contracts to two partner-agencies to make free nurse visits available to every family with a newborn in an additional six counties. Beginning January 2025, this lifesaving program will continue in Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Mercer, and Middlesex Counties, and expand to Somerset, Sussex, Passaic, Hudson, Bergen, and Ocean Counties. 

    The law establishing a universal nurse home visitation program was signed by Governor Murphy in July 2021, making New Jersey the second state in the nation to advance a universal home visitation program specifically designed to support parents and families welcoming a newborn through childbirth, adoption, or foster care placement, as well as families that have experienced the tragedy of stillbirth or neonatal loss. Family Connects NJ is a key component to First Lady Tammy Murphy’s Nurture NJ initiative, which aims to make New Jersey the safest, most equitable state in the nation to deliver and raise a baby.

    Hypertensive pregnancy disorders are a leading cause of preventable pregnancy-related deaths in New Jersey, and the New Jersey Maternal Mortality Review Committee has found that the majority of pregnancy-related deaths occur postpartum. In fact, in March of this year, a total of 14% of nurse home visits—more than 1 in 10—resulted in a referral of a mother or an infant to the emergency room for follow-up on something that couldn’t wait for the regular checkup, with the most common reason being post-partum hypertension. This is critical since post-partum hypertension is a life-threatening complication commonly associated with stroke, heart failure, and kidney failure.

    In January, the program launched in five counties — Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Mercer and Middlesex.

    “Having a strong support system during the early days of parenthood is crucial. When new parents bring their baby home for the first time, it can be overwhelming. It takes a village to raise a child, and through Family Connects NJ, the State of New Jersey is committing to be part of that village while families adjust to life with a newborn,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “This innovative home visitation program raises the bar for postpartum care by ensuring both new mothers and their babies can access the care and resources they need. I’m pleased to see this successful, life-saving program expand into more New Jersey counties, enabling more families to benefit from critical support.”

    “Family Connects NJ is the most robust universal nurse home visitation program in the nation, providing the support new mothers need to ensure they and their families are healthy and thriving in the crucial weeks post birth,” said First Lady Tammy Murphy. “I am thrilled to continue our planned expansion of this vital program as we enter six additional counties starting in January.  Family Connects NJ will help cement New Jersey as the gold standard and the safest, most equitable place in the nation to deliver and raise a baby.”

    READ MORE

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Here we go, from Coleraine to Sandy Row – TUV hail fundraising efforts for the Cancer Fund for Children by Coleraine and Belfast Rangers Supporters Clubs

    Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland

    TUV Vice Chairman and East Londonderry representative, Councillor Allister Kyle said:

    “I am very proud to be associated with the phenomenal efforts of both Glasgow Rangers Supporters clubs who managed to raise £50,000 for the Cancer Fund for Children through the Emmie Smillie Foundation

    “The comradeship of the two clubs shows how great goals can be achieved when likeminded people come together. The money was primarily raised by a sponsored cycle from Coleraine to Belfast which was watched by Rangers fans on the popular channel GersTV

    “The money will go to good use at Daisy Lodge, Newcastle, County Down, where there purpose-built therapeutic centre is located. Under the careful stewardship of Cancer Fund for Children families can avail of support from right across the island of Ireland who are affected by cancer.

    “The completely self-funded unit is dependent on donations. It is set up to allow families to spend quality time together in a safe and supportive environment, far removed from the pressures of cancer treatment and hospital wards. It also offers both privacy and the opportunity to meet and gain support from other families.

    “I welcome talk of future fundraising for this and other very worthwhile causes and certainly look forward to getting more involved. Too many times our heritage, culture and social life is demonised by many, and the good news stories are pushed to the side, but here we have people rising to the fore just as the founding fathers of our football club did for in a selfless way for the betterment of others.”

    KOB RSC, South Belfast chairman Sam Chestnutt said:

    “Raising this money for such a worthy cause has been a real privilege for us and our visit to Daisy Lodge was such a humbling experience that many of us will not easily forget. Our 67 mile cycle was tough, but it was nothing in comparison to what those affected by cancer experience and we are just glad that we could contribute to the efforts of Cancer Fund for Children in this way.

    “Both clubs worked hard and put a lot of time and energy into raising £50,000 but we couldn’t have done it without the support and encouragement of our local communities, friends both here in NI and further afield and everyone else who contributed in any way.

    “We look forward to future fundraising opportunities and are committed to doing our bit to assist those in need.”

    Coleraine True Blues Chairman John Gamble said:

    “We’re absolutely delighted to hit the milestone of £50,000. At the start of the project we didn’t think we would be as successful. I am really proud of the effort put in by my club and our friends in the city, and it means so much more to us now when we’ve seen the amazing work that goes on in Daisy Lodge and how our fundraising will be put to good use.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnicians took part in the final of the high-tech championship

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    From September 17 to 21, the final of the high-tech championship was held in Veliky Novgorod. It gathered students from colleges and technical schools from 80 regions of Russia and 16 foreign countries at the Innovative Scientific and Technological Center “Intellectual Electronics – Valdai”.

    The tournament is held as part of the All-Russian Championship Movement for Professional Skills. In addition to the competitive part, a business program was prepared with the participation of representatives of federal and regional authorities, businesses, and educational institutions. Experts discussed the introduction of modern technologies, qualifications, and training of future specialists, taking into account global trends. The panel discussion “Russia’s Human Resources Potential: Forming Future Specialists for Technological Leadership” raised issues of necessary competencies for graduates, attracting them to industrial enterprises, and integrating personnel training systems with business. One of the speakers at the session was Dmitry Tikhonov, Vice-Rector for Continuing and Pre-University Education at SPbPU.

    He noted that the key focus is now on practice: university graduates must be ready to solve real business problems. Therefore, educational programs are in demand, where students solve cases from enterprises, work on specialized software, have the opportunity to do an internship in partner companies. Enterprises that are involved in the educational process also have advantages – it is much easier for them to recruit for the necessary positions and adapt employees. Currently, SPbPU implements corporate Master’s programs and professional training in the 3rd and 4th years for internships and employment.

    Dmitry Vladimirovich also spoke at the foresight session “Consortium: a driver for the formation of future competencies.”

    “Our task together with enterprises is to be able to adapt real tasks and research for schoolchildren as well,” the vice-rector is confident. “This must be done promptly and taking into account the level of training. Therefore, the university’s efforts are also aimed at career guidance for schoolchildren, holding competitions, olympiads, conferences and full-fledged educational programs for them.”

    Director of the Center for Continuing Professional Education of the Advanced Engineering School “Digital Engineering” SPbPU Sergey Salkutsan participated in several sessions. One of them touched upon the topic of technological sovereignty in the field of unmanned aircraft systems. Sergey Vladimirovich presented two developments – simulators “Lean Production” and “New Industrial Challenge” for testing various technological solutions. Also at one of the sessions, the director of the Center for Continuing Professional Education of the Advanced Engineering School SPbPU shared the experience of training personnel for the high-tech industry at the Polytechnic University using the example of master’s programs with industrial partners.

    At the session “Technological teams: you can’t buy them, you can’t grow them,” Sergey Salkutsan spoke about how SPbPU PISh forms student teams for various projects and emphasized

    the importance of an interdisciplinary approach and the presence of competencies among team members to achieve the best result. And Deputy Head of the Directorate of Continuous Education and Marketing Communications Ivan Kurta shared the experience of industry partnership at the Polytechnic University in the context of additional professional education. This approach allows students, employees and teachers to obtain the most relevant industry knowledge directly from employees of large enterprises and build their own development trajectory.

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

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://vvv.spbstu.ru/media/nevs/education/polytechnics-took-participation-in-the-finals-of-the-high-tech-championship/

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: 6 Things to Know About Taking Climate Action

    Source: Samsung

    Real talk – every one of us can make choices to tackle climate change and take better care of the environment. Whether it’s by reducing energy consumption or opting for eco-conscious products, small changes can add up to make a big difference. As part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability, Samsung is helping you make those choices easier with innovative technology designed to minimize your environmental impact.
    In this edition of our “Things to Know” series, we’re unveiling six essential tips to live more sustainably using Samsung technology—perfectly timed for Climate Week NYC. Let’s dive in:
    1. Use SmartThings Energy to Monitor & Reduce Consumption
    Ever wonder which appliance is using the most energy? SmartThings Energy in the SmartThings app will easily help you figure it out, so you can start trimming down your home’s carbon footprint (and your energy bill!). Plus, the app’s energy-saving tips and automated features make it an absolute breeze to take action and stay efficient—no guesswork required.
    Specifically, our AI Energy Mode power-saving feature can help you reduce energy consumption through real-time monitoring and AI-based energy-saving adjustments. For example, SmartThings Energy can notify you if your refrigerator door is left open, saving both energy and money. And if you’re in New York or California, you can even earn rewards for energy efficiency with SmartThings Flex Connect.
    2. Switch to ENERGY STAR Certified Appliances
    Samsung offers more ENERGY STAR® appliances than ever before, with 50% of eligible products1 earning the certification as of late 2024. Curious how much you could save? Switching to ENERGY STAR appliances could knock up to $450 off your energy bills each year! And here’s a fun fact: if every household in the U.S. used ENERGY STAR certified electric cooktops, we could prevent nearly 1.75 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions annually. How’s that for a win-win?
    In fact, Samsung is the first and only brand to earn SHEMS certification (Smart Home Energy Management Systems) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR program. If you’re looking to minimize your carbon footprint and maximize your savings, head to Samsung.com for deals on some of our latest eco-innovations, including:
    Get a minimum $300 trade-in credit on any good condition smartphone when you buy a qualifying Certified Re-Newed device.2

    3. Cook Smarter with Induction Technology
    In case you missed it, the Inflation Reduction Act made history in 2022 as the biggest investment in climate and energy ever in the U.S., and Samsung is all in! Our Smart Induction Cooktop even snagged the title of the first in the industry to win the EPA Emerging Technology Award in 2021—because it’s not just about cooking; it’s about cutting energy use and lowering emissions, too.
    Fast forward to today, Samsung is proud to offer 11 induction cooking products, all ENERGY STAR certified. Plus, rebates through the Inflation Reduction Act can make upgrading to energy-efficient cooking appliances more affordable if available in your state.
    Not sure about induction cooking? Swing by Samsung 837 in the Meatpacking District on September 24 for a live demo by Chef Christian Petroni and a discussion moderated by Jaeki Cho with Chefs Esther Choi, Priyanka Naik and Eric Adjepong about the benefits of induction cooking. RSVP here.
    4. Trade-In & Trade Up for Sustainability
    More circularity, less waste, and a serious glow-up? Yes, please! Samsung’s Certified Re-Newed program breathes new life into used smartphones for a more circular economy. Each device gets a brand-new battery, goes through a rigorous 147-point Quality Inspection to ensure like-new standards and is backed by a 1-year warranty. Plus, all parts are 100% genuine Samsung to keep things running smoothly.
    You can also trade in smartphones, wearables, tablets, buds, TVs, and even some non-Samsung devices and score exclusive promos on newer models. It’s the perfect way to ditch your old tech without adding to the waste pile, all while staying ahead of the curve with the latest gear!

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Foreign affairs lecture held

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of West Asian & North African Affairs Deputy Director General Yang Xin delivered a lecture titled “China-Middle East Relations” at the Civil Service College today.

    The lecture is part of a series on the country’s foreign affairs organised by the college in collaboration with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    Addressing the talk, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung said that Hong Kong, as a key link for the Belt & Road Initiative, can capitalise on its unique advantages under “one country, two systems” to actively participate in and contribute to the initiative, adding that Hong Kong will give full play to its roles as a super connector and super value-adder.

    She highlighted that possessing the advantages of being an international city and enjoying the support of mature professional services, Hong Kong has been promoting co-operation with Middle East countries in a wide range of areas such as finance, innovation and technology, business, transportation and energy in recent years. The city has also been playing a bridging role in connecting the Mainland and the Middle East region.

    The civil service chief noted that today’s talk enabled civil servants to understand how Hong Kong can seize opportunities from the country’s overall development and promote deeper and broader co-operation with the Middle East, thereby better supporting national strategies.

    Mrs Yeung pointed out that the series on the country’s foreign affairs has been well received since its launch. She noted that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and in celebration of this important day, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will organise a series of celebratory activities. Among the activities organised by the Civil Service Bureau, training on the country’s foreign affairs is one of the key initiatives.

    About 100 senior officials and civil servants in the directorate and senior ranks attended the talk at the college today. 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –