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Category: Universities

  • MIL-OSI: CIRI Announces 2025 Annual General Meeting Voting Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, June 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI) is pleased to report that, at its Annual Meeting of Shareholders held on June 19, 2025, 15 nominees were elected as Directors. Scott Parsons, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & Investor Relations, Alamos Gold Inc., was appointed Chair for a two-year term, and Adam Borgatti, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & Investor Relations, Aecon Group Inc., was appointed Past Chair for a one-year term.

    “Scott’s blend of capital markets, investor relations and corporate development experience will be beneficial as CIRI responds to the evolving needs of investor relations professionals. His expertise, coupled with his strong leadership skills, will serve CIRI well as we continue to advance the stature of the profession,” commented Adam Borgatti, Past Chair, CIRI Board of Directors.

    Scott Parsons, Chair, CIRI Board of Directors, commented: “I am very excited to be taking on the role of Chair. With the support of Nathalie and the rest of this talented and diverse Board, I look forward to contributing to CIRI’s strategic direction, continuing to raise the awareness of investor relations in Canada and further promoting CIRI’s mandate to contribute to the transparency and integrity of the Canadian capital market.”

    Scott Parsons is joined by four new Directors: Annemarie Brissenden, Director, Investor Relations, Refined Substance.; Brenda Dayton, Vice President, Investor Relations, Bunker Hill Mining Corporation; Stacey Pavlova, Vice President, Investor Relations & Communications, Faraday Copper Corp.; and Sarah Zapotichny, Vice President, Western Canada, Peterson Capital.

    “It gives me great pleasure to announce that four accomplished individuals – Brenda, Annemarie, Stacey and Sarah – will be joining the CIRI Board. They bring extensive investor relations and capital markets expertise that will be an asset to the organization as we work together to advance the investor relations profession,” commented Scott Parsons, Chair, CIRI Board.

    Annemarie Brissenden is an experienced investor relations professional and accomplished communicator who is passionate about empowering shareholders to make educated investment decisions. Over the past 25 years as an investor relations professional, she has played lead roles in several financings, an initial public offering and a spin-out. She has advised on shareholder activism, rebranded several public companies and worked on a transformative corporate merger. Annemarie is currently a member of CIRI’s Issues Committee, contributes to CIRI’s IR leader publication, and has served on two not-for-profit boards. She is a Certified Professional in Investor Relations (CPIR) and has a degree in English Literature (with Distinction) from McGill University.

    Brenda Dayton is an accomplished executive with experience in corporate governance, communications and investor relations within the mining sector. Currently, Brenda serves as Vice President, Investor Relations at Bunker Hill Mining Corp., where she develops and executes marketing strategies to enhance the company’s visibility and market recognition, and manages direct communications with shareholders, stakeholders and media organizations. Brenda holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Calgary, where she received the Charles S. Noble Leadership Award and the Outstanding Graduate Award. She has completed advanced studies in negotiation, mining, capital markets and corporate governance, including the Canadian Securities Course and the Women Get on Board – Getting Board Ready Program.

    Stacey Pavlova is a finance professional with 15 years of experience in the mining industry, specializing in investor relations, corporate communications, finance, and metal sales. She is currently Vice President, Investor Relations and Communications at Faraday Copper Corp., a TSX-listed exploration company advancing its flagship Copper Creek Project in the United States. In this role, Stacey leads the company’s strategic communications and investor engagement, supporting capital markets initiatives and corporate growth. Stacey serves on the Board of Directors of NiCAN Ltd., a TSX-V listed nickel exploration company, and has held several leadership roles with the Canadian Investor Relations Institute, including Board Member, Audit Committee Member, and Chair of the British Columbia Chapter. She holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and earned her Master’s in Finance from the University of Denver.

    Sarah Zapotichny has over 20 years of experience in investor relations and corporate communications. In her current role as VP of Western Canada at Peterson Capital, she provides capital markets retail advisory to public companies across a diverse range of industries. Sarah holds a BA (Hons) in Criminology and Psychology from Simon Fraser University and has specialized training in Mediation and Third-Party Intervention from the Justice Institute of British Columbia. She has also completed the Canadian Securities Course (CSC) and the Certified Professional in Investor Relations (CPIR) program from the Rotman School of Management. Sarah serves as Chair of the Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI), Alberta Chapter, where she champions excellence in investor relations and is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of business leaders.

    The following 15 individuals will serve as Directors of CIRI:

    Adam Borgatti, CFA, CPIR, ICD.D Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & Investor Relations, Aecon Group Inc.
    Annemarie Brissenden, CPIR Director, Investor Relations, Refined Substance
    Brenda Dayton Vice President, Investor Relations, Bunker Hill Mining Corporation
    Bruno Di Genova, MBA Vice President, Sales, Digicast
    David Frost, LLB Partner, McCarthy Tétrault LLP
    Kevin Hallahan, CPA, CMA Vice President, Marketing & Investor Relations, Linamar Corporation
    Claire Mahaney, CFA Vice President, Investor Relations & ESG, Primaris Real Estate Income Trust
    Jennifer McCaughey, F.CIRI Director, Investor Relations, Calian Group Ltd.
    Nathalie Megann, CPIR, ICD.D President & CEO, CIRI
    Scott Parsons, CFA Senior Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Development, Alamos Gold Inc.
    Stacey Pavlova, CFA Vice President, Investor Relations and Communications, Faraday Copper Corp.
    Mahsa Rejali, MBA Vice President, Corporate Development & Investor Relations, Cineplex Inc.
    Quentin Weber, CPIR Senior Advisor, Investor Relations, WSP Global Inc.
    Ann Wilkinson Vice President, Investor Relations, Mineros SA
    Sarah Zapotichny Vice President, Western Canada, Peterson Capital
       

    The Board looks forward to engaging with fellow members and continuing to deliver value through professional development events, resources, networking opportunities and issues education and advocacy.

    Curtis Pelletier, Director, Investor Relations, Graham Corporation, is retiring from the Board. Curtis has dedicated his time volunteering for the organization and has made a tremendous contribution.

    “I want to thank our outgoing Board member – Curtis Pelletier – for his active involvement on the CIRI Board. He has been instrumental in advancing CIRI’s mandate, and his counsel will be missed,” said Scott Parsons, Chair, CIRI Board of Directors.

    About CIRI
    CIRI is a professional, not-for-profit association of executives responsible for communication between public corporations, investors and the financial community. CIRI contributes to the transparency and integrity of the Canadian capital markets by advancing the practice of investor relations, the professional competency of its members and the stature of the profession. With over 300 members and four Chapters across the country, CIRI is the voice of IR in Canada. For further information, please visit CIRI.org. 

    For further information, please contact:
    Nathalie Megann, CPIR, ICD.D
    President & CEO
    Canadian Investor Relations Institute
    (416) 364-8200 ext. 101
    nmegann@ciri.org

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: A chance discovery of a 365-million-year-old fossil reveals a new type of ray-finned fish

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Conrad Daniel Mackenzie Wilson, PhD candidate in Earth Sciences, Carleton University

    An artist’s rendition of the newly discovered fish, _Sphyragnathus tyche_. (C. Wilson), CC BY

    In 2015, two members of the Blue Beach Fossil Museum in Nova Scotia found a long, curved fossil jaw, bristling with teeth. Sonja Wood, the museum’s owner, and Chris Mansky, the museum’s curator, found the fossil in a creek after Wood had a hunch.

    The fossil they found belonged to a fish that had died 350 million years ago, its bony husk spanning nearly a metre on the lake bed. The large fish had lived in waters thick with rival fish, including giants several times its size. It had hooked teeth at the tip of its long jaw that it would use to trap elusive prey and fangs at the back to pierce it and break it down to eat.

    For the last eight years, I have been part of a team under the lead of paleontologist Jason Anderson, who has spent decades researching the Blue Beach area of Nova Scotia, northwest of Halifax, in collaboration with Mansky and other colleagues. Much of this work has been on the tetrapods — the group that includes the first vertebrates to move to land and all their descendants — but my research focuses on what Blue Beach fossils can tell us about how the modern vertebrate world formed.

    Blue Beach Fossil Museum curator Chris Mansky below the fossil cliffs.
    (C. Wilson), CC BY

    Birth of the modern vertebrate world

    The modern vertebrate world is defined by the dominance of three groups: the cartilaginous fishes or chondrichthyans (including sharks, rays and chimaeras), the lobe-finned fishes or sarcopterygians (including tetrapods and rare lungfishes and coelacanths), and the ray-finned fishes or actinopterygians (including everything from sturgeon to tuna). Only a few jawless fishes round out the picture.

    This basic grouping has remained remarkably consistent — at least for the last 350 million years.

    Before then, the vertebrate world was a lot more crowded. In the ancient vertebrate world, during the Silurian Period (443.7-419.2 MA) for example, the ancestors of modern vertebrates swam alongside spiny pseudo-sharks (acanthodians), fishy sarcopterygians, placoderms and jawless fishes with bony shells.

    Armoured jawless fishes had dwindled by the Late Devonian Period (419.2-358.9 MA), but the rest were still diverse. Actinopterygians were still restricted to a few species with similar body shapes.

    By the immediately succeeding early Carboniferous times, everything had changed. The placoderms were gone, the number of species of fishy sarcopterygians and acanthodians had cratered, and actinopterygians and chondrichthyans were flourishing in their place.

    The modern vertebrate world was born.

    A shortnose chimaera, belonging to the chondrichthyan group of vertebrates.
    (Shutterstock)

    A sea change

    Blue Beach has helped build our understanding of how this happened. Studies describing its tetrapods and actinopterygians have showed the persistence of Devonian-style forms in the Carboniferous Period.

    Whereas the abrupt end-Devonian decline of the placoderms, acanthodians and fishy sarcopterygians can be explained by a mass extinction, it now appears that multiple types of actinopterygians and tetrapods survived to be preserved at Blue Beach. This makes a big difference to the overall story: Devonian-style tetrapods and actinopterygians survive and contribute to the evolution of these groups into the Carboniferous Period.

    But significant questions remain for paleontologists. One point of debate revolves around how actinopterygians diversified as the modern vertebrate world was born — whether they explored new ways of feeding or swimming first.

    Comparing the jawbones of Sphyragnathus, Austelliscus and Tegeolepis.
    (C. Wilson), CC BY

    The Blue Beach fossil was actinopterygian, and we wondered what it could tell us about this issue. Comparison was difficult. Two actinopterygians with long jaws and large fangs were known from the preceding Devonian Period (Austelliscus ferox and Tegeolepis clarki), but the newly found jaw had more extreme curvature and the arrangement of its teeth. Its largest fangs are at the back of its jaw, but the largest fangs of Austelliscus and Tegeolepis are at the front.

    These differences were significant enough that we created a new genus and species: Sphyragnathus tyche. And, in view of the debate on actinopterygian diversification, we made a prediction: that the differences in anatomy between Sphyragnathus and Devonian actinopterygians represented different adaptations for feeding.

    Front fangs

    To test this prediction, we compared Sphyragnathus, Austelliscus and Tegeolepis to living actinopterygians. In modern actinopterygians, the difference in anatomy reflects a difference in function: front-fangs capture prey with their front teeth and grip it with their back teeth, but back-fangs use their back teeth.

    Since we couldn’t observe the fossil fish in action, we analyzed the stress their teeth would experience if we applied force. The back teeth of Sphyragnathus handled force with low stress, making them suited for a role in piercing prey, but the back teeth of Austelliscus and Tegeolepis turned low forces into significantly higher stress, making them best suited for gripping.

    We concluded that Sphyragnathus was the earliest actinopterygian adapted for breaking down prey by piercing, which also matches the broader predictions of the feeding-first hypothesis.

    Substantial work remains — only the jaw of Sphyragnathus is preserved, so the “locomotion-first” hypothesis was untested. But this represents the challenge and promise of paleontology: get enough tantalizing glimpses into the past and you can begin to unfold a history.

    As for the actinopterygians, research indicates they survived and diversified during Devonian times and had shifting roles during the birth of the modern vertebrate world — at least until more fossils are found that could determine whether that’s the case.

    Conrad Daniel Mackenzie Wilson receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Ontario Student Assistance Program, and the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

    – ref. A chance discovery of a 365-million-year-old fossil reveals a new type of ray-finned fish – https://theconversation.com/a-chance-discovery-of-a-365-million-year-old-fossil-reveals-a-new-type-of-ray-finned-fish-254246

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA Astronaut Zena Cardman

    Source: NASA

    NASA astronaut Zena Cardman inspects her spacesuit’s wrist mirror in this portrait taken at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on March 22, 2024. Cardman will launch to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission. This will be her first spaceflight.
    Cardman was selected by NASA as a member of the 2017 “Turtles” Astronaut Class. The Virginia native holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology and a Master’s of Science in Marine Sciences from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her research focused primarily on geobiology and geochemical cycling in subsurface environments, from caves to deep sea sediments. Cardman’s experience includes multiple Antarctic expeditions. Since completing initial training, Cardman has supported real-time station operations and lunar surface exploration planning.
    This photo was one of the winners of NASA’s 2024 Photos of the Year.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War will be one of the main themes of the exhibition “Far East Street” within the framework of the EEF-2025

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    11 regions of the Far East and federal ministries will present their key projects at the exhibition “Far East Street”, which will be held as part of the Eastern Economic Forum – 2025. Among the main topics are the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the victory over militarist Japan, support for a special military operation, the implementation of city master plans, and advanced technological developments.

    From September 3 to 6, the exhibition will be available to forum participants, and on September 7 and 8, it will be open to everyone. The exhibition is organized by the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the Office of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of Russia in the Far Eastern Federal District.

    “The exhibition “Far East Street” shows participants and guests of the Eastern Economic Forum qualitative changes in the economy and social sphere. This is a unique opportunity to introduce thousands of guests from dozens of countries of the world to the cultural features and unique traditions of various peoples, to attract investors and tourists to these territories. Everyone who comes to the EEF will be able to not only learn about the technological achievements of the Far Eastern regions, but also watch performances by creative groups, learn about the features of Kamchatka, Chukotka, Buryatia, Yakutia and other regions. Each region talks about its features, what it is proud of, presents plans for the future. This year, each Far Eastern region will pay special attention to two topics – the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and support for a special military operation. On “Far East Street” you can learn about the exploits of our fathers and grandfathers, about those guys who are defending the independence of the Motherland today, and about the support that the Far East provided then and provides now,” the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized. – Plenipotentiary Representative of the President in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev.

    Currently, the appearance of the pavilions and the content of the exhibits are being updated.

    “The Far East Street exhibition is a vivid embodiment of the dynamic development of the macro-region, its economic potential and rich cultural heritage. The EEF is becoming a platform where the successes of the implementation of state policy to strengthen the Far East as a strategic center of national development are demonstrated. New opportunities for investment, tourism and international cooperation are created here, which is fully consistent with the course for sustainable growth and prosperity of Russia in the Asia-Pacific region. This will traditionally be reflected in the expositions of the regions,” said Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of Russia, Executive Secretary of the Organizing Committee for the Preparation and Holding of the Eastern Economic Forum.

    The Kuril landing operation on Shumshu, which took place in August-September 1945, was the last major episode of the Soviet-Japanese War and the end of World War II. The operation was aimed at liberating the Kuril Islands, which at that time were under the control of Japan. An installation dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War will be placed inside the Sakhalin Region pavilion. The exhibition “Roads of Victory” will tell about the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk operation and the landing on Shumshu. It is planned to show a film about the expedition to the island, videos about the reconstruction of battles in the Kholmsky and Smirnykhovsky districts. The Tourism zone will present new programs: military-historical tours “Battle for Shumshu” and “Liberation of the South of Sakhalin”, seasonal offers for winter and summer recreation, as well as gastronomic tours and the project “Far East – Land of Adventures”. In a separate zone “UAV and BEK” data on the implementation of unmanned aircraft systems will be presented. This topic will be dedicated to a separate exposition aimed at promoting Sakhalin’s achievements in this area.

    In the Khabarovsk Krai pavilion, the combined zone “Everything for Victory” and “Aircraft and Shipbuilding” will tell about the industrial potential of the region, about the parade dedicated to the victory over militarist Japan and the end of World War II, on September 3. It is planned to use models of aircraft and ships as exhibition samples, and samples of products for the needs of the SVO will be demonstrated in holographic niches.

    A special place in the Magadan Region exposition will be given to the historical heritage – the role of Kolyma in the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, as well as its contribution to ensuring the country’s success during the special military operation. The small pavilion of the Magadan Region will house the “Kolyma – from Victory to Victory” zone, which will introduce visitors to facts about the contribution of Kolyma residents to the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and support for the SVO.

    An interactive stand in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War will be installed next to the Amur Region pavilion. Here visitors will be able to see unique historical materials, photographs, and veterans’ memories. Interactive elements will be presented that will allow you to delve deeper into the events of those years.

    The “Air Defense, Civil Defense and Emergencies” zone of the Primorsky Krai pavilion will be represented by a stand in the form of three vertical screens and will tell about the region’s contribution to the military-industrial complex of Russia, ensuring information and security of the population and participation in a special military operation. The stand can be controlled using a joystick. The section will show animated videos telling about Primorye residents – heroes of the Great Patriotic War. About 200 thousand residents of Primorsky Krai took part in the military operations of the Great Patriotic War – both on the European fronts and in China and the Korean Peninsula, where they fought against the Kwantung Army of Japan. Their feat became an integral part of the overall victory. It will also tell about modern fighters participating in the Air Defense. The format of the materials varies – from documentary biographies to artistic sketches reflecting the strength of spirit, courage and dedication of the people.

    The exploits of Yakutians in the Great Patriotic War and the special military operation will also be presented at the exhibition “Far East Street”. Snipers from Yakutia, such as Fyodor Okhlopkov and Ivan Kulbertinov, were known for their outstanding results and received wide recognition. In honor of Fyodor Okhlopkov, the All-Russian Long-Range Shooting Tournament is being held in Yakutia. In addition, the entire country knows the crew of the “Alyosha” tank, which performed a heroic feat during the SVO. Yakut enterprises supply electric enduro motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and other equipment to the front lines. In particular, for their active civic position and assistance in the special military operation, the companies “Timir AT” and “Yakt-Sokol” were awarded the public and business prize “Star of the Far East” in the nomination “Everything for Victory”.

    The “80 Years of Victory” zone in the Zabaikalsky Krai pavilion will be dedicated to the achievements of the Great Patriotic War, as well as the heroes of the special military operation. The exposition will use augmented reality technologies with biographical materials about the participants of these events.

    The Buryatia exposition will be presented in two pavilions. An outdoor exhibition area, an area for holding master classes, and a new space will appear – a spiritual cleansing area. A Buryat yurt will be installed here, inside which the Center for Eastern Medicine will operate. As part of the exposition, those wishing to will be able to compete in national sports and take part in the games of the peoples of Buryatia. A separate exposition will be placed demonstrating Buryatia’s contribution to the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and support for a special military operation.

    The attention of visitors to the exhibition “Far East Street” will be attracted by the interactive museum of Kamchatka military glory, installed in the “Will of Man” zone of the regional pavilion. Guests will be able to learn about the exploits of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War and the special military operation.

    The Jewish Autonomous Region will dedicate a “living newspaper” to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the exploits of the heroes of the special military operation. The structure with built-in screens and texts in the style of a printed spread will tell about fellow countrymen – participants of the Great Patriotic War and the Special Military Operation.

    The Chukotka exposition is dedicated to three significant dates: 95 years of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, 80 years of the Great Victory, and 10 years of the Eastern Economic Forum. The exposition will include a “Chukotka for Victory” zone, which will show video materials about Chukotka’s contribution to the victory during the Great Patriotic War. There will also be an interactive wall with images of defenders of the Fatherland: a pilot, a reindeer herder, and a soldier. The central element of the zone will be an art object dedicated to the participants of the special military operation.

    The unified exposition of the Ministry for the Development of the Far East and Arctic and the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation “Developing the Far” will be dedicated to the mechanisms of state investment support operating in the macroregion, as well as socially significant programs implemented on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, aimed at improving the quality of life of people. Thematic multimedia expositions “Travel”, “Study”, “Work” and “Live” will tell about the dynamics of the development of the economy of Far Eastern cities, opportunities for obtaining higher and professional education, tourist routes and hospitality facilities for recreation and new experiences. Each thematic zone will be equipped with multimedia equipment and filled with text and video content.

    Participants of the All-Russian travel competition “The Far East – Land of Adventures” will share their personal experiences of traveling around the Far East with the guests of the exhibition – in the pavilion you can see their video diaries, study the routes they have taken and get inspired for new trips.

    Traditionally, the Ministry of Sports will present its expositions on the “Far East Street”. The “Sport is the Norm of Life” pavilion will become a platform for discussing current topics in the industry, and sports activities can be enjoyed in the “GTO Arena” pavilion.

    The exhibition will open the “House of the Falcon” pavilion. It is also planned to expand the “Arab Village” exposition, which won recognition from participants last year and was timed to coincide with the international forum “Day of the Falcon”.

    The central venue will traditionally host cultural program events with the participation of representatives from all Far Eastern regions.

    The 10th anniversary Eastern Economic Forum will be held from September 3 to 6 on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok. The organizer of the EEF is the Roscongress Foundation.

    The Roscongress Foundation is a socially oriented non-financial development institution and a major organizer of national and international congress, exhibition, business, public, youth, sporting and cultural events, created in accordance with the decision of the President of Russia.

    The Foundation was established in 2007 to promote the development of economic potential, advance national interests and strengthen Russia’s image. The Foundation comprehensively studies, analyses, formulates and covers issues on the Russian and global economic agenda. Provides administration and facilitates the promotion of business projects and the attraction of investments, promotes the development of social entrepreneurship and charitable projects.

    The Foundation’s events bring together participants from 209 countries and territories, more than 15,000 media representatives work annually at Roscongress venues, and more than 5,000 experts in Russia and abroad are involved in analytical and expert work.

    The Foundation interacts with UN structures and other international organizations. It develops multi-format cooperation with 226 foreign economic partners, associations of industrialists and entrepreneurs, financial, trade and business associations in 89 countries of the world, with 358 Russian public organizations, federal and regional executive and legislative bodies of the Russian Federation.

    Official telegram channels of the Roscongress Foundation: in Russian – T.Ta/Roscongress, in English – T.Ta/Roscongress, in Spanish – T.Ta/RoscongressP, in Arabic – T.Ta/Roscongressarabik. Official website and information and analytical system of the Roscongress Foundation: Roscongress.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Highlights – Hearing on the ICJ and ICC decisions on Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the EU role – Committee on Foreign Affairs

    Source: European Parliament

    AFET hearing on the ICJ and ICC.jpeg © Image used under license from Adobe Stock

    On Tuesday, 15 July 2025, from 11:00 to 12:30 in Brussels (room Antall 2Q2), the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) will hold a public hearing on the implications of the decisions of the ICJ and ICC on the EU’s role in supporting a peaceful solution for the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. This hearing intends to clarify the overall situation and to provide both legal and political insights in the search for constructive EU positions on the matter.

    The experts invited are Gleider Hernández, Professor of Public International Law, KU Leuven and Michael Meier, Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law Center (GULC) and Associate Fellow. Geneva Centre for Security Policy.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NREL Publishes Method for Recycling All Components in Carbon Fiber Composites

    Source: US National Renewable Energy Laboratory

    Technology Helps Overcome Affordability Barriers to Wider Use and Manufacturing of a High-Value Material Found in Aircraft, Bicycles, Cars, and More

    Ajinkya Pal (left), Sydney Reiber, Stephen Dempsey, and Ciaran Lahive are part of a team of researchers from the BOTTLE consortium at NREL that is developing a robust method to break down composite carbon fibers, keeping the waste out of landfills. Photo by Joe DelNero, NREL

    Deconstructing epoxy resins with hot acetic acid has the potential to provide a scalable and affordable solution for recycling a material used in a range of high-value consumer products, according to new research from the Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment (BOTTLE) consortium.

    Carbon fiber composites (CFCs) are high-strength, low-weight materials made from epoxy-amine resins that encase long carbon fibers. CFCs enable lighter and more efficient bicycles, planes, and automobiles and are a critical component of the pressure vessels used for compressed natural gas shipping and storage. However, the cost and energy-intensive production of CFCs limits their application, and there is a near total lack of scalable and economically viable recycling methods for these important materials.

    CFCs are generally made with epoxy-amine resins, similar in chemistry to many epoxies commonly found in hardware stores. These composites form a stiff and resistant plastic, but also one that cannot be dissolved or melted. While the resins are relatively cheap, the fibers they surround are not, so the resulting composites are quite expensive—many CFCs can cost well over $50 per pound.

    “For a reasonable analogy, imagine a cake,” said Stephen Dempsey, a postdoctoral researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and one of the first authors of the study. “Once the egg, flour, and sugar are in the batter and that cake is baked, it’s basically impossible to get them back out. It is similar here: The resin is chemically interlocked, and the bonds are quite strong. We have to do something intense to get the fibers out, but we also must be careful not to degrade the chemicals in the resin beyond what’s necessary, as that would waste all the time, energy, and raw materials that went into making them in the first place.”

    But even then, there is a bit more complexity than in baking, because these resins are often made of highly complex mixtures of molecules. Some of these compounds are common, and shared across many industries that use CFCs, but others are not. In addition, it is currently challenging to identify exactly what the resin chemistry is before recycling. A recycling method for CFCs must therefore be extremely robust and capable of handling diverse resin formulations.

    The BOTTLE team’s solution ended up being surprisingly simple. Hot acetic acid, the same compound that is found in vinegar, can cleave all the key bonds within these resins. Former NREL postdoctoral researcher Ciaran Lahive (now at University of Manchester), and co-first author on this study, demonstrated this reaction during an intensive reaction screening effort for another project.

    The team learned something remarkable: Not only do the polymer networks in the resin solubilize rapidly, but the acetic acid also stabilizes their chemical components, enabling high yields of reusable chemical building blocks. Extensive optimization work from NREL interns Katie Stevenson (now at Columbia University) and Sydney Reiber (now at the University of Graz) led to a process effective on end-of-life waste from a variety of industries.

    Importantly, the researchers also determined there was no impact on the strength of the recycled carbon fibers (rCF), which is critical to ensuring they retain their value after being extracted from the composite. To demonstrate this, they took 80 grams of a scrap mountain-bike frame made of composite material and deconstructed it. Using the carbon fibers they had just extracted, they then made new composites that exhibited more than twice the strength-to-weight ratio of steel.

    Not only is the cost of rCF predicted to be quite low compared to virgin fiber, with a price of just $1.50 per kilogram, but the energy consumption is also practically zero when factoring in the recovered epoxy building blocks. The process is not limited to CFC only—glass fiber composites like those found in turbine blades, boat hulls, or automobile bumpers and hoods could also be treated.

    “Long-term, this technology could be used to create value from challenging composite waste streams that are currently piling up in landfills,” said BOTTLE CEO Gregg Beckham, the senior author of the study and a senior research fellow at NREL. “Current technologies are not yet able to make a dent in that waste stream, but we think that this process could be useful for this application as well.”

    The discovery holds the potential to energize the U.S. composite manufacturing industry.

    “If we can scale this process and deploy it in the real world, we see no reason that whole panels on cars or trains couldn’t be made of rCF composites instead of steel or aluminum,” Dempsey said.

    The paper, “Acetolysis of epoxy-amine resins for carbon fiber-reinforced polymer recycling,” appears in the journal Nature. The other coauthors from NREL are William Michener, Hannah Alt, Kelsey Ramirez, Erik Rognerud, Clarissa Lincoln, Ryan Clarke, Nicholas Rorrer, and Katrina Knauer.

    Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office and Bioenergy Technologies Office, the work was performed as part of the BOTTLE consortium. Additional funding was provided as part of a BOTTLE funding opportunity announcement with the University of Delaware’s Center for Composite Materials.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Hidden gems of LGBTQ+ cinema: A League of Their Own was always queer

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Kate McNicholas Smith, Lecturer in Television Theory, University of Westminster

    Sports comedy drama film, A League of Their Own, directed by Penny Marshall, was released in 1992. In the same year, professor and film critic B Ruby Rich coined the term “new queer cinema” to describe a wave of independent films which represented LGBTQ+ people in new and unapologetic ways.

    Meanwhile on television, the decade saw some groundbreaking representations of LGBTQ+ characters. In 1997, US actor and TV presenter Ellen DeGeneres famously came out on and off screen.

    Yet, as a teenager coming of age (and coming out) in late 1990s Britain, Section 28 (a law prohibiting the “promotion” of homosexuality by local authorities and schools) was still firmly in place and representation felt scarce. So, I did what queer audiences have always done and found representation in interpretation, reimagining and reading the subtext.

    Queer viewers have long found pleasure and queer possibilities in popular culture. There are many examples of stars and screen characters who are not necessarily LGBTQ+ themselves but have come to be distinctly associated with queer culture. Take singer and actress Judy Garland, who is widely recognised as a gay icon (as depicted in the 2019 biographical film Judy).

    So big was her LGBTQ+ fandom that she likely inspired the historical code term “a friend of Dorothy”. This code references The Wizard of Oz, in which Garland plays Dorothy, and was used within the LGBTQ+ community to discreetly identify each other.

    This article is part of a series highlighting brilliant films that should be more widely known and firmly part of the canon of queer cinema .

    Film theorist Patricia White traces such viewing practices back to the introduction of the Motion Picture Production (or Hays) Code. The Code heavily restricted what could be shown on screen and prohibited LGBTQ+ representation, but in doing so encouraged audiences to engage in queer codes and subtexts.

    A League of Their Own tells the fictionalised true story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. In 1988, Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) is attending a celebration of the women at the Baseball Hall of Fame. We quickly flash back to 1943 and the formation of the league.

    The second world war is in full thrust and the men are away fighting, which threatens the shut down of major league baseball. However, Chicago Cubs owner Walter Harvey persuades his fellow owners to bankroll a women’s league.

    Making up the newly formed Rockford Peaches, there’s Davis as Dottie and Lori Petty as Kit, Dottie’s frustrated younger sister. Also on the team are “tomboy” Marla Hooch (Megan Cavanagh), “all the way” Mae Mordabito, played by Madonna (who once declared “I think everybody has a bisexual nature”), and Doris Murphy, played by lesbian comic, actor and talk show host, Rosie O’Donnell (although O’Donnell didn’t come out publicly until 2002).



    Read more:
    Hidden gems of LGBTQ+ cinema: Saving Face is a complicated romcom that tenderly depicts the experiences of queer Asians

    While the film remains determinedly heterosexual, the possibilities for queer readings abound. Characters like Dottie and Mae offer glamorous high femme looks and personas, while Kit and Marla represent outsiders who don’t quite fit in. The close relationship, styling and characterisations of best friends Doris and Mae (and the extra connotations of the actors) evoke a coded butch/femme couple. No surprise then that I am not alone in my love for the film. A League of their Own became a cult queer classic.



    Read more:
    Hidden gems of LGBTQ+ cinema: celebrating the wonderful slippery queerness of Penda’s Fen

    There may be, as reluctant Rockford Peaches manager Jimmy (Tom Hanks) shouts in one of the film’s most quoted lines, “no crying in baseball” – but the film never fails to leave me in tears.

    Everytime I watch Dottie leaving the league to return to her husband Bob – a narrative resolve that firmly forecloses the queer possibilities of the character – my heart is broken. The melancholy of the ending perhaps reflects the seeming impossibility of a queer future – both in 1940s US and to me at school in 1990s Britain. Of course, queerness was far from impossible in either decade, although it was often, as in the film, hidden from those who did not know where to look for it.

    Rockford Peach Dorothy “Dottie” Kamenshek was one of the inspirations for the fictional Dottie – she was also a lesbian and later married fellow player Margaret Wenzell. Another player in the women’s league at the time, Peoria Redwings catcher Terry Donahue, kept her relationship with Pat Henschel a secret for almost 70 years. In 2020, Netflix documentary, A Secret Love, told their story.

    Maybelle Blair, who also played for a time with the Peoria Redwings, came out publicly at 95 years old in 2022. She reflected on the women of the league: “Out of 650, I bet you 400 was gay.”

    In 2022, Amazon Prime released a television adaptation of A League of Their Own, co-created by Will Graham and Abbi Jacobson (Broad City). Like queer fan fiction come to life, the television show rewrites the central characters as canonically queer.

    What’s more, unlike the film, the series offers a diverse take on the racism and homophobia, as well as the sexism, of the era. This time round, the central characters included Maxine Chapman (Chanté Adams) – a black lesbian player who is rejected from the racially segregated league – and her black transmasculine uncle Bertie (Lea Robinson).

    In one episode, the queer teammates visit a lesbian bar run by none other than Rosie O’Donnell, now a 1940s butch with a wife. To gain entry they are asked: “Are you a friend of Dorothy’s?”

    Thus, the queer subtext of A League of Their Own, which so captured my queer teen heart, emerged firmly into view in the television adaptation, which was sadly cancelled after only one series. Watching the series, however, was validating, as what secretly made the film mean so much to me was made visible. Queerness in the show, like in my own life, was no longer an impossibility.

    Kate McNicholas Smith 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. Hidden gems of LGBTQ+ cinema: A League of Their Own was always queer – https://theconversation.com/hidden-gems-of-lgbtq-cinema-a-league-of-their-own-was-always-queer-257061

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Neurodiverse kids at camp: How programs can become places where all children belong

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Nicole Neil, Associate professor, Faculty of Education, Western University

    For many families, summer camp is a rite of passage representing friendship, fun and freedom. But for families of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, it can be a season of rejection, stress and exclusion.

    While other children pack their bags for campfires and canoeing, many children with disabilities are told there’s no space for them, not because they don’t belong, but because the camp isn’t prepared. This is a reality faced by families of children with disabilities.

    That’s why colleagues and I created the Inclusive Camp Hub (inclusivecamp.ca), a free, research-informed platform to help camps become places where every child can participate.

    Why we needed to act

    In Canada, about one in 11 children are diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disability, such as autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and intellectual disabilities. And yet, despite legal protections like the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, many camps report difficulties in creating inclusive environments.

    Our research into inclusion in community settings, such as camps and museums, revealed consistent barriers: staff lacked training, resources were scarce and families were left with few options. As a result, children with neurodevelopmental disabilities were excluded from the same joyful, formative experiences their peers enjoyed.

    These barriers have real consequences. Families often struggle to find respite during the summer, and children miss out on opportunities for social development, peer interaction and community belonging.

    Building the Hub

    Well-trained and supportive staff play a crucial role in fostering inclusion in camps. Interviews with families revealed the importance of staff who are kind, responsive and equipped to support a wide range of needs. It was clear that staff training needed to be a central focus of our work.

    We designed The Inclusive Camp Hub to feature practical tools grounded in research from inclusive education to focus on staff training modules, tip sheets and real-world strategies that are easy to implement.

    In studying and following a module about Universal Design for Learning, for example, camp directors or staff can consider strategies for providing multiple means of representation, engagement and expression — while ensuring physical spaces and materials are universally accessible.

    Less awareness of cognitive accessibility

    While many community settings have made strides in improving physical accessibility, adding ramps, accessible washrooms and mobility-friendly spaces, there has been far less attention paid to cognitive accessibility.

    This includes designing environments that support different ways to participate, such as by making routines predictable and by making activities flexible enough to accommodate different ways of learning.

    In developing the Inclusive Camp Hub, we drew on evidence-based practices identified in our research.

    These include staff training, peer-mediated interventions and behavioural supports such as reinforcement systems and prompting. Reinforcement systems are structured ways to encourage behaviour by offering rewards or positive outcomes when those behaviours happen. Prompting means giving a child cues, like pictures, words or gestures, to help them complete a task such as using a visual schedule to show what comes next.

    We also found that families with children with neurodevelopmental disabilities valued hands-on, multi-sensory learning experiences, clear signage, quiet spaces and staff who are kind and responsive. By incorporating these strategies into our training site, we aimed to make inclusion achievable and sustainable for camps of all types.

    A model camp

    To test and refine our approach to inclusion, we launched a model inclusive camp, called the S3 camp, at Western University.

    We welcomed children ages nine to 14 — with and without neurodevelopmental disabilities — and focused on STEM activities, disability awareness and, most importantly, a sense of belonging.

    The camp was staffed by students in a school psychology program, as well as education and STEM-field students who received specialized training and used inclusive design tools from the Hub. They learned how to create accessible activities, use behavioural supports, support communication differences and foster inclusive group dynamics.

    The results were promising. We saw campers who had difficulty at other camps fully engaged in activities. Staff reported feeling more confident and capable in supporting children with disabilities, and parents said their children came home happy, proud and excited to return the next year.

    Why camp inclusion matters

    At first glance, summer camps might seem like a luxury — a fun experience rather than a critical developmental one. But camps offer more than just fun: they are powerful spaces for growth, learning and connection.

    Research shows that children in inclusive settings experience improved social skills, stronger peer relationships and increased self-esteem. They learn through play, build friendships and develop a sense of belonging, all which are foundational for healthy development.

    These benefits extend to all campers. Neurotypical children gain empathy, communication skills and a broader understanding of diversity

    Looking forward

    Inclusive Camp Hub is now expanding its reach, with plans to partner with more camps and extend its impact while continuing to refine our tools based on feedback from families, staff and community organizations.

    Camp leaders can take the first step by exploring the free tools and training available through the Hub. Families and advocates can continue to ask questions, share their experiences and push for environments where all children are welcomed and supported.

    As a researcher, I’ve spent years studying inclusion. But nothing compares to seeing it in action, watching a child find joy, friendship and confidence at camp. Every child deserves a summer of belonging.

    Nicole Neil’s work is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

    – ref. Neurodiverse kids at camp: How programs can become places where all children belong – https://theconversation.com/neurodiverse-kids-at-camp-how-programs-can-become-places-where-all-children-belong-258793

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lawmakers Seek to Close VA Loophole That Funnels Billions to Private Medicare Insurers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    June 23, 2025
    A bipartisan group of lawmakers is aiming to close a loophole that allows large healthcare insurers to charge Medicare billions of dollars to cover veterans who get some or all of their treatment through the taxpayer-funded U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health system.
    The group introduced legislation Monday in the House and Senate that would permit the VA to charge private health insurers in the Medicare Advantage system for medical care that it provides for the insurers’ members.
    The bill was sparked by a December Wall Street Journal investigation, said Rep. Lloyd Doggett, a Texas Democrat and sponsor of the new House legislation. The investigation found the federal government paid insurers an estimated $44 billion from 2018 through 2021 to cover veterans in Medicare Advantage plans who were also getting healthcare through the VA.
    “These big health insurers found a nifty way to profit from veterans,” Doggett said. “They collect the payments and the taxpayers pay for the care.”
    The Journal’s investigation found that more than a million aging and disabled veterans were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, which charged the government for their care even though many use the VA for much of their healthcare.
    Under a decades-old law, the VA is prohibited from billing Medicare Advantage insurers for the care it provides their members, even though the VA can and does bill non-Medicare insurers. In Medicare Advantage, insurers get paid a lump sum by the federal government for each member, meaning they get paid even when their members don’t use any services.
    “It is essentially double dipping,” said Rep. Greg Murphy (R., N.C.), a co-sponsor of the bill. “This is one of those issues that crosses party lines.”
    The House bill was also co-sponsored by Rep. David Schweikert (R., Ariz) and California Rep. Mark Takano, the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. 
    Congress must not allow “Medicare Advantage insurers to bill for veteran care they didn’t provide,” said Schweikert, who also called for broader changes to Medicare Advantage. “There is more to uncover and much more to fix,” he said.
    The Senate version is backed by lawmakers including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R., La.) and Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, according to congressional staffers.
    “It’s a mistake to let Medicare Advantage plans exploit a costly loophole and pocket taxpayer money at the expense of veteran care,” Warren said in a statement.
    The Journal, using figures provided by researchers at Brown University and the Providence VA, found that the VA spent about $17 billion caring for veterans who were Medicare Advantage members in 2021. That amounted to about 17% of the VA’s healthcare expenditures that year.
    Insurer Humana leads the industry in Medicare Advantage plans covering veterans, the Journal reported in December. The company, like others in the industry, offers veteran-branded plans under the name Humana Honor, including many that offer cash-like rebates to seniors who sign up. 
    Humana said in a statement that “given the aging population of veterans and increasing complexity of their healthcare needs, we strongly support increased coordination between [Medicare] and VA to better ensure beneficiaries have seamless access to healthcare coverage they have earned through the VA and Medicare.”
    The VA encourages veterans to sign up for some form of Medicare, even if they have access to VA health, in part because Medicare gives them the choice of going to a non-VA doctor or hospital. Medicare Advantage plans are attractive to many veterans because they offer perks that go beyond what Medicare requires, ranging from dental benefits to gym memberships.
    By:  Mark Maremont, Christopher WeaverSource: Wall Street Journal

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Stein Announces Software Company BuildOps Will Create 291 Jobs in Raleigh

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governor Stein Announces Software Company BuildOps Will Create 291 Jobs in Raleigh

    Governor Stein Announces Software Company BuildOps Will Create 291 Jobs in Raleigh
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    Governor Josh Stein announced today that BuildOps, Inc., a company offering a software platform for commercial trade contractors will create 291 jobs in Raleigh. The company will invest $771,200 to establish an operations hub in Wake County. 

    “North Carolina offers companies like BuildOps a deep pool of tech talent,” said Governor Josh Stein. “North Carolina’s education and workforce training programs deliver the skilled people companies rely on to succeed in today’s competitive marketplace. We welcome this veteran-owned business to North Carolina.”  

    Founded in 2018 with headquarters in Los Angeles, BuildOps has developed a software-as-a-service platform built specifically to serve commercial trade contractors, providing project management, service, dispatching, and invoicing solutions. The company’s customers include HVAC, plumbing, mechanical and electrical contractors, among others. The company’s project in Raleigh will establish the company’s third operations hub, joining hubs in Los Angeles and Toronto that serve the company’s rapidly growing customer base. 

    “We’re thrilled to establish our newest operations hub in Raleigh, a city known for its exceptional talent pool, innovation-driven ecosystem, and strong commitment to business growth,” said Alok Chanani, Co-Founder and CEO for BuildOps. “This expansion is an important step in our ongoing mission to revolutionize the commercial trade industry, and we look forward to becoming an integral part of the thriving Raleigh community.”   

    “North Carolina’s tech sector has grown by 25% since 2018, outpacing the national average,” said Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. “The state’s strong concentration of IT professionals has fostered an environment that attracts companies like BuildOps seeking the specialized, talented workforce North Carolina provides.”  

    Although wages will vary depending on the position, the average salary for the new positions will be $110,997, compared with an average wage in Wake County of $76,643. The new positions will bring an annual payroll impact to the community of more than $30 million per year. 

    The company’s project in North Carolina will be facilitated, in part, by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee earlier today. Over the course of the 12-year term of this grant, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by more than $701.7 million. Using a formula that takes into account the new tax revenues generated by the new jobs, the JDIG agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $1,839,000, spread over 12 years. State payments only occur following performance verification by the departments of Commerce and Revenue that the company has met its incremental job creation targets. 

    The project’s projected return on investment of public dollars is 78 percent, meaning for every dollar of potential cost, the state receives $1.78 in state revenue. JDIG projects result in positive net tax revenue to the state treasury, even after taking into consideration the grant’s reimbursement payments to a given company.  

    Because BuildOps chose a location in Wake County, classified by the state’s economic tier system as Tier 3, the company’s JDIG agreement also calls for moving $613,000 into the state’s Industrial Development Fund – Utility Account. The Utility Account helps rural communities finance necessary infrastructure upgrades to attract future business. Even when new jobs are created in a Tier 3 county such as Wake, the new tax revenue generated through JDIG grants helps more economically challenged communities elsewhere in the state. 
    “I’m pleased to see a fast-growing company like BuildOps plant their flag in Raleigh,” said Senator Jay Chaudhuri. “We know what it takes to help IT companies grow and our community will help them be successful in our region.”  

    “Congratulations to the many economic development organizations and allies that demonstrated great teamwork to win this project for Raleigh and the greater Research Triangle region,” said Representative Cynthia Ball. “We look forward to seeing BuildOps reach the next phase of their growth here in North Carolina, serving their customers and bringing well-paying new jobs to the area.”  

    Partnering with the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of N.C. on this project were the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, N.C. Commerce’s Division of Workforce Solutions, N.C. State University, Capital Area Workforce Development Board, Wake Technical Community College, the City of Raleigh, and Raleigh Economic Development and Wake County Economic Development, programs of the Greater Raleigh Chamber.  

    Jun 24, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: To make buy-now-pay-later fair for consumers, regulators need to understand why shoppers use it

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Anita Lifen Zhao, Associate Professor of Marketing at the School of Management, Swansea University

    fornStudio/Shutterstock

    Many consumers – especially gen Z and millennials – use buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) to split or defer payments. The types of purchases made with BNPL can range from groceries and takeaway deliveries to luxury items.

    Nearly 40% of regular BNPL users consider shopping a leisure activity. Easily accessing such credit could increase consumption in this group. It is, therefore, unsurprising that the UK BNPL market is projected to triple from 2021 levels by 2030.

    With timely repayments, this short-term credit option is free from interest and fees. As an unregulated service, BNPL requires minimal financial checks, ensuring that most purchases will be swiftly approved.

    A buyer can acquire items quickly without paying the full amount upfront – the BNPL provider pays the retailer for the goods and recoups the amount from the buyer through instalments.

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

    So how do BNPL providers make their money? While they may charge customers late fees and account costs, their primary revenue comes from taking a percentage of each BNPL transaction from the retailer and a service fee. This business model is standard for payment services.

    But retailers often pay much more for BNPL transactions – sometimes three times more than traditional credit card processing. So to ensure they make a profit, BNPL providers deftly encourage consumers to shop with retailers that use their services.

    BNPL is a form of embedded finance – meaning that it seamlessly integrates payments into retailer sites. More than half of retailers are seeing better conversion (more people going on to buy after browsing) when they offer BNPL. This also allows many retailers to expand their market, as BNPL makes products accessible to more consumers.

    But there’s a catch. With higher BNPL fees, nearly one in three retailers pass these costs on to customers through higher product prices at the checkout. Consumers face higher prices, and yet BNPL promotes affordability.

    A marriage made in heaven?

    In this scenario, BNPL acts only as a credit product. But in reality it is more than that. Several providers have created shopping platforms promoting retailers and offering easy repayment management.

    This combination of easy funds, appealing shopping experiences and technology-enabled repayment distinguishes BNPL. Our research indicates that BNPL could reshape retail landscapes by weakening competition.

    Many BNPL providers offer user-friendly websites and apps, exceeding traditional financial service expectations and influencing key psychological determinants of BNPL use, such as viewing it as a way to save money or being psychologically distanced from the act of borrowing.

    As revealed in our most recent study, these platforms are visually appealing, highlight various brands and offer targeted discounts. BNPL is easy to navigate, expands budgets and provides access to credit to those who might otherwise struggle. While BNPL appears to democratise credit, its opaque nature can also present pitfalls.

    The package can promote consumer spending, debt and over-consumption. Consequently, there has been a rise in late fees. More than half of BNPL users have incurred a fee, one in three have missed a payment and three in four are at risk of needing debt advice. Others have borrowed to repay BNPL debt.

    BNPL options can make the buying process seamless.
    Tada Images/Shutterstock

    This escalates when consumers have multiple agreements across providers, complicating debt management. Many BNPL users feel vulnerable, weighing long-term savings against marketing that encourages spending. Their ability to manage this vulnerability affects their financial health, wellbeing and self-image.

    As concerns about BNPL debt rise, regulators in countries such as the UK are addressing its financial service aspects. However, they often overlook providers’ techniques for targeting consumers and supporting their shopping habits.

    Potential regulation focuses on financial attributes, including affordability checks, but neglects the technological mechanisms that keep customers using BNPL.

    Our research suggests that BNPL’s success rests on its effective use of technology, particularly artificial intelligence and its algorithms. They streamline the loan process, enable repayments to be tailored to each consumer, help shoppers find what they’re looking for and identify retailers, brands and products that a user might like. BNPL providers are technology-based retail platforms as much as financial institutions.

    BNPL in numbers

    To protect consumers, legislation like that proposed in the UK must address the technological heart of BNPL and the risks of algorithmic marketing when designing retail sites. These risks could include targeted retailer and product promotions that nudge buying behaviour, or building a customer’s reliance on delaying payments.

    Proposed regulation focuses on the individual credit agreement between a user and provider. This overlooks cumulative BNPL spending and its persistence. What’s needed is a holistic approach considering that consumers often enter multiple agreements at once. This affects shopping habits, budgeting and repayment behaviour.

    Only by addressing this will consumers be appropriately protected. But rethinking BNPL will also mean thinking again about who might be a vulnerable consumer. Traditional demographic factors fail to capture BNPL users’ psycho-social characteristics – things like materialism, impulsiveness and financial literacy. These are more influential than demographic markers on their usage and repayment behaviour.

    Regulators need to understand who is using BNPL and why. Only then will they appreciate BNPL’s full scope and market impact and be able to enable consumers to have a healthy relationship with credit.

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

    – ref. To make buy-now-pay-later fair for consumers, regulators need to understand why shoppers use it – https://theconversation.com/to-make-buy-now-pay-later-fair-for-consumers-regulators-need-to-understand-why-shoppers-use-it-259487

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How restoring river catchments can minimise drought and flood risks

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Neil Entwistle, Professor of River Science and Climate Resilience, University of Salford

    Elenitsa/Shutterstock

    As Britain’s first heatwave of 2025 hits with temperatures climbing above 30°C, Yorkshire has joined the northwest in official drought status.

    This spring has been the driest in the UK since 1893. May’s rainfall was 43% lower than the long-term average. Fish rescues have already taken place in Shropshire as rivers dried up. Low water levels have made it difficult for boats to navigate along some canals.

    Water companies in regions such as Hampshire, Yorkshire and Cumbria are encouraging residents to conserve water.

    Years of drainage, overgrazing and peatland degradation have turned much of the UK’s uplands into fast-draining systems. Rainfall that once infiltrated slowly now rushes off hillsides, filling rivers quickly, before vanishing just as fast.

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

    Even after a year of exceptional rain and flooding, the soils and ecosystems that should be buffering us against drought are depleted. This recent spell of dry weather has exposed just how fragile the system has become.

    The UK government reconvened the national drought group – a coalition of its most senior decision-makers, Environment Agency, water companies, plus key farming and environmental groups – on June 5 to address growing concerns as reservoir levels which are at 77% of capacity nationally.

    Water availability remains under pressure across much of England. Sources in the northwest Pennines, Haweswater and Thirlmere in the Lake District, which supply much of the northwest, are currently at around 50% of capacity. Normally, they would be around 75% full. In Yorkshire, these water levels are currently around 60%.

    The reservoir at Anglezarke in Lancashire is drying out.
    Neil Entwistle, CC BY-NC-ND

    But landscapes can be restored in ways that reduce both flood risk and the effects of drought. At Smithills Estate near Bolton, the Mersey Forest (Cheshire and Merseyside’s community forest), conservation charity Woodland Trust and the Environment Agency have spent the last decade restoring 1,700 hectares of upland.

    They have blocked old drainage channels, rewetted peat bogs, planted trees, improved soil structure and adapted farming. These changes (often referred to as natural flood management) allow the land to hold water longer, slow its release, and sustain the flow of water in rivers during dry periods that can help water conservation and reduce the risk of floods.

    Restoring rivers

    We both grew up in the shadow of the moorlands around Rivington and Smithills in Bolton. We built our careers restoring rivers and their catchments and want to prevent “water-stressed” situations where water demand exceeds the available supply. We continue to study the implications and resilience of natural flood management here in the UK and overseas.

    At Smithills, restored bogs act like sponges, soaking up rain and releasing it gradually. Newly planted woodland supports biodiversity, encourages water infiltration and provides shade, which reduces evaporation. Natural flood management has slowed water down across the catchment, helping to reduce peak flows during storms by 27.3% and has boosted river flows during dry spells by storing and slowly releasing water by 27.1%.

    Tree trunks slow down the flow of water.
    Neil Entwistle, CC BY-NC-ND

    Tree trunks laid across the gullies have kept areas of Smithills wet throughout spring, creating valuable habitat and supporting water resilience in the landscape. We’re working with partners to monitor natural flood management benefits and expand restoration, while also exploring new questions.

    These include how the structures influence greenhouse gas emissions through wetting and drying cycles, affect sediment capture and storage, and how their function changes over time. This research is helping to shape how nature-based solutions are understood, valued and adopted more widely.

    Mitigation (tackling the root causes) and adaptation (adjusting systems and behaviours) to water stresses require landowners, water companies, local authorities, regulators, environmental groups and communities to work together to deliver shared outcomes.

    But this effort needs to be matched by an understanding that changes in how land is managed too. If the landscape continues to shed water rapidly, reservoirs will struggle to recover even when rain does arrive. We need to slow the flow of water and rejuvenate the lost natural processes at large scales through restoration.

    Farmers are grazing cattle on the heath.
    Neil Entwistle, CC BY-NC-ND

    The UK will face water shortages within the next decade unless urgent action is taken. The recent Independent Water Commission, set up by the UK government to recommend a major overhaul of the water sector’s planning, regulation and infrastructure, highlights the importance of nature-based solutions, such as restoring natural processes like river flow and wetland function, alongside natural capital investment.

    This involves putting money and resources into the protection, restoration or enhancement of nature, to secure long-term benefits such as clean air, water purification or flood protection.

    Nature-based solutions can be scaled up quickly, plus they benefit people and the environment. Local communities can also get involved in meaningful restoration work. At Smithills, volunteers plant trees and help monitor the benefits of natural flood management, including changes in water quality, water levels and biodiversity. Farmers are exploring regenerative grazing.

    Schools use the estate for environmental learning. This is not only about resilience – it is about reconnecting people with the natural landscapes that surround them.

    To avoid routine hosepipe bans, protect biodiversity and secure food and water supply into the future, land needs to be at the centre of the UK’s drought strategy. Restoring bogs, woodlands and soils is not a luxury. It is essential infrastructure in a changing climate.

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

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

    Neil Entwistle has received previous funding from British Council, Universities UK, NERC for work related to river restoration and climate resilience. He also works for a boutique fund manager, to fund and deploy solutions to some of the most pressing Nature-related challenges our economy faces today.

    Neil Macdonald receives funding from DEFRA through the Natural Flood Management Programme (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/natural-flood-management-programme).

    – ref. How restoring river catchments can minimise drought and flood risks – https://theconversation.com/how-restoring-river-catchments-can-minimise-drought-and-flood-risks-258840

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: UK plan to cut energy bills for industrial firms threatens to leave small businesses out in the cold

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sam Hampton, Researcher, Environmental Geography, University of Oxford

    The UK government aims to cut energy bills for large businesses by up to a quarter over four years, thanks to a £2 billion investment within its new industrial strategy. The aim is to make British manufacturers of steel, cars, chemicals, glass and other industrial sectors more competitive with foreign firms.

    UK businesses pay some of the highest energy prices in Europe. Under the new scheme, roughly 7,000 energy-intensive businesses will be exempt from paying green levies on their electricity bills. These levies raise funds to support the deployment of renewable energy and to enact energy-efficiency measures like the insulation of low-income households.

    The exemption should make it a bit easier for British companies to switch from fossil fuels to electricity by making the latter cheaper – an important step in the decarbonisation of the economy to tackle climate change. And it may lower costs enough to bring them within orbit of prices paid elsewhere in Europe.

    However, heavy industry in the UK is already largely shielded from many of the levies applied to the average energy bill. The British Industry Supercharger scheme, which since April 2024 has exempted energy-intensive industries from renewable energy policy costs and provided discounted network charges, is set to save British manufacturers between £320 million and £410 million in 2025 alone.

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    The supercharger scheme fully exempts eligible firms from paying several costs linked to encouraging renewable energy investment and production. Industrial energy users covered under this scheme also enjoy a 60% reduction in network charges, compared with businesses outside the scheme.

    The government’s new “modern industrial strategy” sets out plans to raise this discount to 90% from 2026.

    Modelling conducted before the government’s announcement suggested that, if the major green levies on electricity were removed, average non-domestic electricity bills could fall by around 15%.

    While significant, this reduction is unlikely to fully resolve the competitiveness challenges facing most businesses, as even discounted energy prices would remain high by international standards.

    There are other limitations with the strategy. To start, more could be done to encourage firms to switch from fossil fuels to electricity by not just cutting electricity levies but shifting some onto gas bills.

    The cost of expanding and upgrading the grid to support more electrification and renewables is another concern. These investments in power lines and wind farms will be essential, but they won’t come cheap. Reducing the contribution made by big businesses to these costs means the burden for these essential upgrades will fall on smaller businesses and households.

    There are several options for addressing these challenges, however. One is to make energy demand more flexible, by financially incentivising businesses to use electricity when its supply from renewable sources is generally greater.

    Another way to cut network costs for businesses is to offer grid connection arrangements with a less secure electricity supply. These arrangements include allowing the network operator to reduce maximum capacity during times of grid congestion, and sharing a connection with several other businesses.

    Most importantly, the UK needs to move away from a system where the cost of gas sets the price of electricity most of the time, even though less than half of the country’s electricity now comes from gas. This can be achieved by expanding renewable energy storage (in the form of grid-scale batteries for example), so that grid operators are less reliant on gas power plants to fill gaps in electricity supply from wind and solar.

    Reform to Britain’s energy market and its pricing structure would make a real difference too, though this will also require significant investment in grid infrastructure and careful regulatory change.



    Read more:
    How gas keeps the UK’s electricity bills so high – despite lots of cheap wind power

    No relief for smaller businesses

    While the government’s priority is energy savings for larger businesses, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) typically pay the highest rates for their energy. This is even despite most smaller firms being exempt from green levies.

    Energy-intensive sectors, such as hospitality and retail, remain highly vulnerable to energy costs. Average non-domestic electricity prices increased by over 75% between 2021 and 2024, while gas prices more than doubled. This has contributed to a surge in business failures: in June 2024, company insolvencies were 17% higher than a year earlier, reaching the third highest monthly total since 2000.

    Unfortunately, support for SMEs is heading in the wrong direction. Having funded a pilot energy advice service in the West Midlands, the government’s June spending review did not include funding to expand support for energy efficiency or renewable installations to SMEs nationwide. This leaves millions of smaller businesses exposed to high energy prices, without help to cut costs or emissions.

    The government’s new strategy may help some of the UK’s largest manufacturers compete internationally. But without targeted support for smaller firms, the benefits could be unevenly shared. The UK’s wider economy will continue to struggle with high energy costs and business failures as a result.

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

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

    Sam Hampton receives funding from the Economics and Social Research Council.

    Jan Rosenow is affiliated with the Regulatory Assistance Project.

    – ref. UK plan to cut energy bills for industrial firms threatens to leave small businesses out in the cold – https://theconversation.com/uk-plan-to-cut-energy-bills-for-industrial-firms-threatens-to-leave-small-businesses-out-in-the-cold-259707

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Brazil’s dangerous flirtation with counterterrorism

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By James Fitzgerald, Associate Professor of Terrorism Studies, Dublin City University

    American pop star Lady Gaga delivered a free concert to over 2.1 million revellers on Copacabana beach in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro in May. Those attuned to security concerns saw a policing and public safety nightmare.

    And shortly after the concert, Rio de Janeiro’s civil police secretary, Felipe Curi, announced that the worst realisation of this nightmare had almost come to pass. An improvised bomb attack targeting fans had been thwarted thanks to police intelligence.

    A loose group of conspirators from across Brazil, gelled across chat apps and other social media by anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments, planned to murder civilians. The intention was to send a political message about resisting what they see as “indecency” and “social decadence”.

    Given the setting, volume of media coverage and possibility of a panicked stampede, Brazil had surely avoided the worst terrorist attack in its history.

    For an attack to qualify as “terrorism”, it must be carried out for explicitly political purposes – motives akin to reshaping society violently or agitating for self-determination through force.

    Yet, a month after the thwarted Copacabana attack, the main conversation about terrorism in Brazil is focused on mistaken efforts to label criminal groups as terrorists.

    In late May, Brazil’s Congress fast tracked a bill that would broaden the definition of terrorism to include the actions of criminal organisations and militias. This is on the basis that their routine practices of “imposing territorial control” are designed to spread “social or widespread terror”. The bill is overly vague and extremely dangerous.

    Brazilian organised crime

    Equating organised crime and the violence it produces with “terrorism” is somewhat understandable. Organised gangs in Brazil, such as Comando Vermelho (CV) and Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), control vast expanses of territory, and civilians ultimately pay the price.

    However, as endemic as organised crime is in Brazil, these groups strive for self-enrichment. Their violence is used solely to either protect or enhance this goal. Neither CV nor PCC have any political motive that would qualify their actions as terrorism.

    The government already has legal ways to deal with criminal groups, but it has been hard to achieve lasting, positive results using these methods.

    Should the actions of criminal organisations be reclassified as terrorism, a new suite of measures will become available to the state’s repressive apparatus. This will be true for the current government and future administrations.

    New measures to fight terrorism are practically guaranteed to erode democratic and procedural norms. Armed with a remit to eradicate terrorism, states have repeatedly shown that they exacerbate the very cycles of violence they aim to erase.

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    French-Algerian philosopher Jacques Derrida identified the essence of this dilemma in 2003. In an interview reflecting on the 9/11 attacks on the US, Derrida said that the primary threat of terrorism was not just in the violence itself, but in how societies respond to it.

    The US’s disastrous “war on terror”, for example, led to a consequential wave of violence worldwide. It is estimated to have killed over 500,000 civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. And western countries that joined the fray have suffered jihadist attacks in return.

    Governments also adopted new measures to deal with security issues inside their own countries. Potential terrorists were apprehended through surveillance, with the new goal of counterterrorism being to intervene before violence is able to occur.

    States of emergency, which significantly curtail civil liberties, were routinely imposed in the aftermath of high-profile terrorist attacks. This included a state of emergency after the November 2015 attacks in Paris that gave the authorities power to search any premises without judicial oversight.

    The implementation of this logic continues today. At the time of writing, denunciations of Israel’s assault on Gaza continue to be spuriously tied to support for “terrorism”.

    Hamas is a terrorist organisation. But that should not see Palestinian civilians – nor supporters of their rights – labelled as potential terrorists. Yet student protesters in the US have been threatened with deportation, financial ruin and even imprisonment.

    The term “terrorism” contains within it a power to dress state repression as a proportionate response to emergency. In El Salvador, we have seen how counterterrorism is being applied as an emergency means to solve the country’s organised crime problem.

    Nayib Bukele’s government has sent countless criminals to the Terrorism Confinement Centre mega-prison in Tecoluca. It has also condemned many innocent civilians to a parallel fate, with little-to-no chance of redress or due process.

    The tragic consequences of state crackdowns against those spuriously labelled as “terrorists” lingers in the historical memory of Brazil. This new bill moves to the Senate at a time of renewed culturing reckoning with the consequences of Brazil’s repressive campaigns under the military dictatorship of 1964 to 1985.

    Brazil should recognise its fortune in never having truly adopted the discourse of the war on terror. Now, it should not adopt an evolved discourse of counterterrorism to address the very serious – but very separate – problem of organised crime.

    In the name of order and progress, and with an eye towards civilians who would ultimately pay the price, this bill cannot be allowed to become law.

    James Fitzgerald 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. Brazil’s dangerous flirtation with counterterrorism – https://theconversation.com/brazils-dangerous-flirtation-with-counterterrorism-258347

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: New industrial strategy brings Rachel Reeves’ securonomics to life – but will it protect Britain from more supply chain shocks?

    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

    Peter Titmuss/Shutterstock

    Brexit, COVID, the war in Ukraine and now Trump’s tariffs have all highlighted how vulnerable life in the UK is to disruptions in trade. Everyday items that people rely on can be subject to major shortages, delays and price rises, due to something as simple as a ship getting stuck in a canal.

    This is because the UK is hugely reliant on other countries to provide much of what it needs. Medical supplies, cars, electronics and fruit are just a few of Britain’s favourite things that it tends to buy in from elsewhere.

    Global supply chains deliver lower prices and wider choice to consumers but they are also often highly complex. In the car industry for example, components may move within and between companies and cross national boundaries many times, before ending up in the final assembled vehicle. This can make them vulnerable.

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    In response to the disruption of recent years, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has long been arguing for what she calls “securonomics” – investing in domestic energy sources and resilient networks. So perhaps it was no surprise that the British government’s new industrial strategy plans emphasise the importance of supply chain security.

    A new industrial competitiveness scheme for example, is designed to cut energy costs for the UK’s most energy intensive firms, which manufacture things like steel, ceramics and glass. This should help domestic supply capacity.



    Read more:
    UK plan to cut energy bills for industrial firms threatens to leave small businesses out in the cold

    A reported £600 million has also been allocated to develop the UK’s logistics industry. And there is a proposal for a “national supply chain centre” to identify weaknesses, enhance domestic capability and build strategic international partnerships. Vulnerabilities and dependencies will also be more closely monitored.

    Another focus will be to diversify critical supply chains by reducing the UK’s dependence on single supplier nations (such as China for rare earth elements or semiconductors). One option should be strengthening alliances with friendly nations (known as “friendshoring”) with the aim of embedding supply chains in places that can be relied upon.

    The recently announced trade deals with the US and India, and signs of greater cooperation with the EU do offer some promise in this area. Trade deals help with supply chain cooperation, but could go further and include resilience initiatives (such as creating joint stockpiles of things like critical minerals) to reduce disruption in the future.

    An increased supply of cyber security.
    metamorworks/Shutterstock

    Manufacturing from home

    On the domestic front, the UK could still do more to incentivise “reshoring” (bringing some manufacturing or production of goods back to the UK). Reversing decades of decline in these sectors would be challenging, and require a long-term investment in domestic capacity and skills. But it could also deliver a boost to jobs and growth, potentially in parts of the UK which need it most.

    Given recent geopolitics, the government has also prioritised strengthening the defence supply chain, allocating £173 million of new funding on defence infrastructure and skills. Developments are are at an early stage, but the recent UK-EU security and defence partnership is a welcome start. And more work will be needed to make UK-EU collaboration on building a resilient defence industry across Europe a reality.

    Supply chains within that industry (and others, such as healthcare) can be vulnerable to cyberattacks and economic coercion from malicious groups and hostile foreign states. So enhancing cybersecurity in logistics and infrastructure will also be critical.

    This will mean better protection for ports, customs systems and logistics software. There is some limited additional funding on offer for this, but more will be required, which in turn will open up new opportunities for firms in the cyber industry. Indeed, a “cyber cluster” of businesses is already emerging in central England from the government defence and technology campus at Porton Down in Wiltshire across to GCHQ – the national centre for intelligence and security – in Gloucestershire.

    But with still much to do, overall Reeves has been right to stress the importance of supply chains. They are crucial to people’s jobs and homes, the medicines they need and the food they eat. And supply chain security is not just an economic issue. It is a strategic imperative for safeguarding the UK, its businesses and the welfare of its citizens.

    The tone of the new industrial strategy reflects Reeves’s “securonomics” rhetoric. But how far this goes in actually strengthening supply chains and boosting their resilience remains open to question, especially in the context of limited resources and a chancellor keen to build a reputation for fiscal prudence.

    Phil Tomlinson receives funding from the Innovation and Research Caucus (IRC).

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

    Paddy Bradley is affiliated with the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise based at Newcastle University.
    He is Chair of TransWilts Community Interest Company which aims to increase public use of trains and buses in the Wiltshire area.
    He is Chair of Governors of Wiltshire College and University Centre.

    – ref. New industrial strategy brings Rachel Reeves’ securonomics to life – but will it protect Britain from more supply chain shocks? – https://theconversation.com/new-industrial-strategy-brings-rachel-reeves-securonomics-to-life-but-will-it-protect-britain-from-more-supply-chain-shocks-258410

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: US attack on Iran lacks legal justification and could lead to more nuclear proliferation

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By David Hastings Dunn, Professor of International Politics in the Department of Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham

    After a stern warning from Donald Trump, Israel and Iran appear finally to be observing a US-brokered ceasefire announced by Donald Trump overnight on June 23. But just as it remains unclear what the state of the conflict is, many other uncertainties remain when it comes to the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

    We still don’t know the extent to which Iran’s stock of enriched uranium and the capability to use it have been destroyed. But leaving aside such practical considerations, the US bombing raid also constituted an attack on the prevailing international legal order.

    In some ways, the US actions echo the 1981 Israeli strike on Osirak when the Israeli Air Force attacked and partially destroyed Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor, killing ten Iraqi soldiers and one French technician.

    However, the US attack can be seen as more serious because it has been launched in a far more fragile and geopolitical environment. Moreover, the state violating the legal rules is the erstwhile guardian of the legal order –– the USA.

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    The attacks appear to be the logical follow through of Trump’s withdrawal from the joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA) in 2018. This was the Obama-era agreement that significantly limited Iran’s enrichment of nuclear material. For Trump, that negotiated deal was imperfect, as it relied on ongoing Iranian restraint. His decision to unleash US bombers was designed to end the nascent Iranian nuclear threat once and for all.

    But such unilateral actions rarely result in such black and white results. And this situation shows every indication of being no different. It is for this reason that negotiated solutions and agreed legal frameworks are generally regarded as better long-term solutions than military force.

    A significant inhibition on the use of force to remove nuclear threats has been its lack of justification under international law. When the administration of George W Bush decided to launch its invasion of Iraq in 2003, the US, UK and Australian governments that spearheaded the invasion relied on the express legal justification that Iraq was already in breach of existing UN security council resolutions that required it to be disarmed of all weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

    For his part, Trump relied on the argument that Iran’s nuclear facilities already posed an imminent threat to US security. This argument had been undermined by none other than Trump’s director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, just weeks previously.

    Gabbard testified before Congress in March that the US “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorised the nuclear weapons programme he suspended in 2003”.

    Tulsi Gabbard delivers the annual threat assessment in March 2025.

    Trump, who has a habit of ignoring his intelligence community, dismissed Gabbard’s assessment saying, “I don’t care what she said. I think they’re very close to having it”.

    No legal justification

    One thing that is striking about the June 22 US bombing campaign is the cursory attention given to any substantive legal justification. It’s a distinct contrast to Bush’s attempts – however much this strained the law to breaking point – to justify his 2003 use of force.

    The US ambassador to the United Nations, Dorothy Camille Shea, made only the most limited of references to the legality of the action in her speech to the UN security council a day after the US strikes.

    George W Bush’s ‘Mission accomplished’ speech.

    In our book Drones, Force, and Law we demonstrate how the defining mark of an international society is that states recognise the need to give an account of their behaviour in terms of the accepted legal rules.

    Even when policymakers know that they are breaking established interpretations of the law, they rarely admit this publicly. They seek to offer a legal justification – however strained and implausible – that is in conformity with the rules.

    If a state openly admitted that it was violating the law, giving a justification for its conduct only in terms of that state’s values and beliefs, then it would be treating others with contempt. It would, to quote the respected Australian international relations theorist, Hedley Bull, “place in jeopardy all the settled expectations that states have about one another’s behaviour”.

    This is exactly what Trump is doing by not seeking to expressly justify the US’ use of force in legal terms. This invites others to mount a broader assault on international law itself as something that is both fragile and hypocritical in the hands of the powerful.

    Unintended consequences

    The US has justified its attack as aimed at preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. But a perverse consequence of the attack is that it is likely to further erode the norm against proliferation. There are two key arguments here.

    The first is that all three Iranian facilities attacked were, before Israel initially attacked Iran on June 12, under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. So, by attacking these installations, the US – like Israel four decades ago with its attack against Osirak – was signalling that it had no confidence in the multilateral mechanisms of non-proliferation. It was essentially saying that it has to rely on unilateral action.

    The second consequence is that a strike aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons may instead push it – and others – to accelerate weaponisation efforts. These US attacks may confirm for many the earlier lessons from Iraq, as well as subsequently in Libya and Ukraine. States without nuclear weapons are vulnerable to regime change or military action.

    If this is the lesson that is drawn by those who live in dangerous neighbourhoods and who are increasingly worried about their security, then the US action could serve as a further spur to nuclear proliferation.

    Trump has shown a worrying propensity to ignore legal constraints on his power both domestically and internationally. This action, less than six months into his administration, is an alarming harbinger of his contempt for the internationally agreed legal rules restricting the use of force.

    David Hastings Dunn has previously received funding from the ESRC, the Gerda Henkel Foundation, the Open Democracy Foundation and has previously been both a NATO and a Fulbright Fellow.

    Nicholas Wheeler has formally received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council and the Open Society Foundations.

    – ref. US attack on Iran lacks legal justification and could lead to more nuclear proliferation – https://theconversation.com/us-attack-on-iran-lacks-legal-justification-and-could-lead-to-more-nuclear-proliferation-259638

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Is your cat vocal or quiet? The explanation could be in their genes

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Grace Carroll, Lecturer in Animal Behaviour and Welfare, School of Psychology, Queen’s University Belfast

    savitskaya iryna/Shutterstock

    If you’ve ever shared your home with more than one cat, you’ll know how different their personalities can be. One might chirp for food, purr loudly on your lap and greet visitors at the door. Another might prefer quiet observation from a distance.

    So why do some cats become chatty companions while others seem more reserved?

    A recent study led by wildlife researcher Yume Okamoto and their colleagues at Kyoto University suggests that part of the answer may lie in cat genes.

    Cat owners from across Japan were asked to complete a questionnaire about their cat (the Feline Behavioural Assessment and Research Questionnaire), and to take a cheek swab from their pet to provide a DNA sample. The survey included questions about a range of cat behaviour, including purring and vocalisations directed at people.

    The researchers in the recent Japanese study focused on the cats’ androgen receptor (AR) gene, located on the X chromosome. This gene helps regulate the body’s response to hormones such as testosterone and contains a section where a DNA sequence is repeated. AR is an essential part of vertebrate biology.

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    The most ancient form of AR appeared in the common ancestor of all jawed vertebrates, over 450 million years ago. AR controls the formation of male reproductive organs, secondary sexual characteristics and reproductive behaviour. The number of these sequences alters how responsive the gene is. Shorter repeats make the receptor more sensitive to androgens. In other species, including humans and dogs, shorter repeats in the AR gene have been linked with increased aggression and extraversion.

    Among 280 spayed or neutered cats, those with the short AR gene variant purred more often. Males with the variant also scored higher for directed vocalisations such as meowing to be fed or let out. Females with the same genotype, however, were more aggressive towards strangers. Meanwhile, cats with the longer, less active version of the gene tended to be quieter. This variant was more common in pedigree breeds, which are typically bred for docility.

    Could you resist this kitten’s meowing?
    digidreamgrafix/Shutterstock

    Domestication is generally thought to have increased vocal behaviour in cats, so it may seem odd that the version of the gene linked to increased communication and assertiveness is the one also found in wild species such as lynx.

    But this study doesn’t tell a straightforward narrative about how cat domestication selects for sociable traits. Instead, it points to a more complex picture. One where certain ancestral traits like aggression may still be useful, especially in high-stress or resource-scarce domestic environments.

    Some animals spend a lot of time around humans because they are attracted by our resources rather than bred as companion animals or farmed. Urban gulls offer an interesting example of how close proximity to humans doesn’t always make animals more docile. In cities, herring and lesser black-backed gulls (both often referred to as seagulls) have become bolder and more aggressive.

    Researchers at Liverpool John Moores University found that urban gulls were less fearful of humans and more prone to squabbling compared to their rural counterparts. In urban areas, where food is highly contested, being assertive gets results. Gulls are often vilified in the UK press during breeding season as urban villains, swooping down to snatch your lunch or chase pedestrians. This suggests that life alongside humans can sometimes favour more confrontational behaviour.

    The parallels with cats raise broader questions about how environment and genes shape behaviour. Okamoto and colleagues’ findings may reflect a trade-off. Traits linked to the short AR variant, such as greater vocalisation or assertiveness, might offer advantages in gaining human attention in uncertain or competitive settings. But these same traits may also manifest as aggression, suggesting that domestication can produce a mix of desirable and challenging traits.

    It’s worth bearing in mind that this kind of variation between individuals is fundamental to the evolution of species. Without variation in behaviour, species would struggle to adapt to changing environments. For cats, this means there may be no single ideal temperament, but rather a range of traits that prove useful under different domestic conditions.

    From cats to gulls, life alongside humans doesn’t always produce gentler animals. Sometimes, a little pushiness pays off.

    Grace Carroll 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. Is your cat vocal or quiet? The explanation could be in their genes – https://theconversation.com/is-your-cat-vocal-or-quiet-the-explanation-could-be-in-their-genes-259402

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Dementia: are younger generations really less likely to develop the disorder, as a recent study has claimed?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Clarissa Giebel, Senior Research Fellow in the Institute of Population Health, NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North West Coast, University of Liverpool

    The study revealed that dementia cases decreased for each subsequent generation. AtlasStudio/ Shutterstock

    Dementia affects over 57 million people worldwide – and this number is only projected to grow. By 2030, 78 million people are estimated to have dementia. By 2050, it’s projected that number will reach 139 million people.

    Despite this, a surprising new study has suggested that dementia risk has actually declined with each generation. However, there are good reasons to be sceptical of this finding.

    The researchers analysed data from 62,437 people aged 70 and over. Data was collected from three longitudinal cohort studies on ageing, including one conducted in the US, one in Europe and one from England.

    To conduct their analysis, the researchers compared probable dementia diagnoses from people born in eight different generation cohorts. The people in the first cohort were born in 1890-1913, while those in the most recent cohort were born in 1944-48.

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    The researchers employed an algorithm that suggested probable dementia diagnosis. This was based on participants’ demographic characteristics, as well as their cognitive performance and everyday functioning skills (including how well they were able to perform daily functions, such as washing and feeding, and how well they could remember things). These are standard assessment tools used in clinical practice to diagnose dementia.

    To then validate the algorithm’s projections on probable dementia cases, the predictions were compared against a sub-sample of participants from the US Aging, Demographics and Memory study who had a clinical diagnosis of dementia.

    The participants in this study had undergone a rigorous three- to four-hour cognitive assessment. The algorithm used to create dementia projections showed an over 85% agreement with clinical diagnosis data from that sub-sample data.

    Once dementia status was calculated, the authors computed two models to ascertain the relationship between age, cohort and dementia onset. They also included gross domestic product (GDP) in their analyses, as there’s a correlation between GDP and health – with research showing that people in higher-income nations tend to be healthier than those living in lower-income nations.

    Dementia cases fell across the generations – with those born between 1944and 1948 having the lowest risk.
    Halfpoint/ Shutterstock

    Their findings revealed that dementia cases decreased for each subsequent generation. For instance, in the US, the algorithm indicated that 25% of people born between 1890-1912 developed dementia, while only 15% of those born in the most recent cohort (1939-1943) developed dementia.

    In England, almost 16% of people born between 1924-28 were indicated to have developed dementia, compared with around 15% in those born between 1934-38. This effect was also apparently more pronounced for women than for men.

    It remains unclear why dementia cases fell across the generations, with more recent cohorts having reduced dementia cases.

    Projected diagnoses

    What does this mean? And how does this compare against existing projections?

    While the authors used a large sample from three established ageing research cohorts, the findings are based on data from high-income countries only.

    It’s well known that dementia can be better diagnosed and cared for in high-income countries, where there are more and better healthcare services and professionals. Dementia is hugely stigmatised in low- and middle-income countries as well. As a result, many people are not as aware of dementia as people living in high-income societies.

    This means people in lower-income countries may know less about the associated risk factors for dementia and are less likely to receive a diagnosis and support. This is particularly relevant given the fact that most people with dementia reside in low- and middle-income countries.

    With a lack of cohort data on older adults and dementia cases in low- and middle-income countries, the findings from this study do not provide representative projections on dementia diagnoses globally.

    It’s also important to consider the methods the authors used in their study. The authors used a prediction model. Although this model had high agreement with clinical diagnosis, there are still cases of dementia that will have been missed out as a result.

    Similarly, the authors did not distinguish between dementia subtypes in their modelling. Dementia is just an umbrella term. About 60-70% of dementia cases are actually Alzheimer’s disease.

    But there are also many rarer subtypes – such as Lewy Body dementia or semantic dementia. Each subtype brings with it different symptoms. A generic model is unlikely to pick up each subtype dementia case correctly.

    All these factors may possibly explain how the study came to their conclusions.

    Dementia cases worldwide are actually predicted to increase. As such, the findings from this study should be considered with caution. It may not be the case that dementia prevalence continues to fall for more recently born generations.

    Part of the reason for these projections is due to the fact that people are living longer and growing older. Dementia primarily affects people aged over 65, so with more people living to be over 65 this means that more people will be at risk of developing the disorder.

    The world population is growing, too. So naturally we’re going to see more people living with dementia – particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where people may have less knowledge of dementia symptoms and may be less able to address the modifiable risk factors linked to greater risk, due to poor healthcare infrastructure.

    We know that overall, people from more socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds experience greater health inequalities – and these health inequalities may contribute to increased risk of dementia. But as this factor was not taken into account in the study, it’s difficult to know whether there really will be any differences in the projected number of dementia cases in younger generations.

    Clarissa Giebel receives funding from the ESRC and the NIHR. She sits on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Lewy Body Society.

    – ref. Dementia: are younger generations really less likely to develop the disorder, as a recent study has claimed? – https://theconversation.com/dementia-are-younger-generations-really-less-likely-to-develop-the-disorder-as-a-recent-study-has-claimed-258429

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why Nice was right to say no – for now – to new Alzheimer’s drugs

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Paul Atkinson, Senior Research Fellow, History of Health and Medicine, University of Liverpool

    The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has declined to recommend two new Alzheimer’s drugs for routine NHS use in England. While disappointing for some families affected by dementia, this decision reflects a cautious and evidence-based approach that protects patients and public funds.

    The drugs in question – lecanemab, made by Eisai, and donanemab made by Eli Lilly – have received significant attention, with headlines hailing them as “breakthrough” treatments and “miracle” drugs. However, Nice has a long history of closely scrutinising new dementia drugs – and, as in previous cases, it has raised important questions about how much benefits these medicines actually provide.

    The main claim is that these drugs can delay the progression of Alzheimer’s by about four to six months in people with early-stage disease. That’s not nothing – but it’s also not the dramatic shift some headlines imply.

    It’s also important to distinguish between clinical trial results and how treatments perform in everyday care. Trial conditions are controlled and selective, whereas the NHS treats a much broader mix of patients.

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

    There are other factors to consider, too. These drugs come with risks – including the potential for brain swelling and bleeding – and require invasive testing, such as lumbar puncture or regular brain scans, before and during treatment. The infusions must also be delivered at a hospital infusion over many months. For some patients, that burden may outweigh the modest benefit.

    Another issue is that we don’t yet know whether the benefits last beyond the 18-month trial period. Nice must base its decisions on long-term projections, using well established tools such as the quality-adjusted life year to weigh the health benefits against the cost to the NHS. These decisions often involve complex models – and reasonable people may interpret the evidence differently.

    Cost plays a role too. In the US, the drugs are priced at up to £25,000 per patient per year. While companies can offer discounts to the NHS, Nice must still consider whether the same money might do more good elsewhere in the health system.

    In this case, Nice concluded that the benefits of the new Alzheimer’s treatments are still too small to justify the additional costs at the current price point – a decision supported by some experts.

    Tom Dening, professor of dementia research at the University of Nottingham, described the benefits as “minimal” and warned they could distract from other priorities, such as providing good care and support for people already living with dementia.

    A person receiving the treatment would need to go for regular infusions.
    Laura v.d. Broek/Shutterstock.com

    Heated debate

    Nonetheless, the debate has become heated. Some drug companies have argued that the UK system is flawed, suggesting that even offering their drug for free would not be enough to secure approval. But this misunderstands how Nice works. Evaluating the full cost – not just of the drug, but of scans, infusions and monitoring – is not a flaw, it’s part of responsible decision-making.

    There are echoes here of earlier disputes from the 2000s when companies tried to publicly pressure Nice to change its decisions. However, history suggests that this strategy rarely works. Ministers have consistently supported Nice’s independence, and the agency’s record shows that it usually says “yes” – or at least yes under certain conditions – even to very expensive drugs, where the evidence supports their use.

    The current decision is still technically a “final draft”. Both companies have until July 3 to comment or appeal. In 2007, Eisai took Nice to court – and lost. This time, an appeal is more likely.

    Understanding the principles behind Nice’s decision helps put this outcome in context. These are not decisions taken lightly. They reflect a careful balance of evidence, risk, cost and benefit to patients – and, crucially, a commitment to fairness in how NHS resources are used.

    Paul Atkinson received funding from the Wellcome Trust for the research on which this article draws.

    Sally Sheard has received funding from Wellcome, NIHR, UKRI and the PGH Foundation.

    – ref. Why Nice was right to say no – for now – to new Alzheimer’s drugs – https://theconversation.com/why-nice-was-right-to-say-no-for-now-to-new-alzheimers-drugs-259475

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Non-traditional sports like pickleball and bouldering are helping Canadians get active this summer

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Sarah Woodruff, Professor, Director of the Community Health, Environment, and Wellness Lab, University of Windsor

    While gym memberships and traditional sports will always have their place, more people are choosing leisure activities that are fun, flexible and social. (Shutterstock)

    On a warm summer Canadian evening, you might hear the pop-pop of a pickleball game, spot someone scaling a climbing wall at a community centre or catch players rallying on a padel court — a fast-growing racquet sport that looks like a mix between tennis and squash.

    What may once have seemed like fringe hobbies are now part of a growing movement. Canadians are seeking alternative ways to stay physically active, connect socially and improve their mental and physical well-being.

    While gym memberships and traditional sports will always have their place, more people are choosing leisure activities that are fun, flexible and social.

    Activities like pickleball, climbing, padel, disc golf, cricket, ultimate frisbee and stand-up paddleboarding are gaining momentum, offering a fresh approach to fitness that suits all ages, skill levels and motivations.

    Why are these activities booming?

    The COVID-19 pandemic played a big role in reshaping how people get physically active. With gyms closed and organized sports on hold, people turned to parks, driveways and community spaces for movement.

    What began as temporary adjustments soon evolved into permanent shifts for some. Many people realized that being active didn’t have to be rigid or repetitive; it could be more social and genuinely enjoyable. TikTok videos and Instagram reels showcasing everything from “how to videos” to “beginner fails” have also helped pique curiosity and increase participation in these activities.

    According to Pickleball Canada, 1.54 million Canadians are playing the sport in 2025 — a 57 per cent increase in participation over the past three years. Meanwhile, Padel, which is already popular in Europe and Latin America, is gaining ground in major Canadian cities like Toronto and Vancouver because of how accessible and easy to learn it is.

    Sales increases in paddleboards, the debut of sport climbing at the Tokyo 2020/2021 Olympics and the increase in popularity of spikeball (also known as roundnet) all signal a broader shift toward fun, accessible and social forms of physical activity.

    More than just exercise

    The physical and mental health benefits of being physically active are well established, and yet many Canadians are still not active enough to meet the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines. The guidelines recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity per week, perform muscle-strengthening activities twice a week, limit sedentary time and aim for seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night.

    Alternative sports may help address this gap by offering new routes into physical activity. Beyond the well-known physical health benefits, such as cardiovascular health, strength, agility and co-ordination, these activities are equally effective at supporting mental health and social well-being.

    For example, a recent study by Canadian researchers looked at 28 studies that investigated health and/or well-being of adult pickleball players. The results suggested positive social and psychological effects — in addition to health and fitness benefits — were evident, particularly for older adults.



    Read more:
    Light exercise can yield significant cognitive benefits, new research shows

    Sports like pickleball, padel and ultimate frisbee thrive on social connection, as players and partners often chat, laugh, build relationships and have potlucks or social time afterwards, all which help build community and foster a sense of belonging.

    Other activities, such as bouldering and climbing, encourage mental concentration, resilience and problem-solving, as routes are often designed to be attempted several times before being successful. This helps get people stronger and more confident, as they learn to keep trying even when something feels hard at first. This sense of progress and enjoyment keeps people motivated.

    When an activity is fun, social and rewarding, people are more likely to stick with it over time. When people want to be active, rather than feeling like they have to, they’re more likely to reap the long-term benefits of being active. This is known as intrinsic motivation, a key factor for maintaining long-term physical activity because people are more likely to do something they genuinely like.

    Because these alternative sports are fun, low-pressure and easy to try at any level, they offer a great starting point for anyone, regardless of age, experience or ability.

    Embracing the movement

    Across Canada, cities are increasingly investing in these growing recreational activities. Municipal parks and empty buildings are rapidly being repurposed for new pickleball and padel courts. According to an industry journal, the number of climbing gyms across Canada increased from 136 in 2021 to 169 in 2024.

    Part of the appeal lies in accessibility. These types of activities are beginner-friendly. Unlike many traditional sports where skills and speed are expected upfront, there is no need to be in peak physical shape or have the best gear. Most people can try these activities with little more than a pair of shoes and a rental.

    These activities are also adaptable and low-impact, making them accessible to a wide range of participants. They’re often intergenerational and focused more on enjoyment than competition.

    Just as importantly, they support physical literacy — the confidence and competence to stay active throughout one’s life. Building physical literacy early and sustaining it throughout adulthood is a cornerstone of long-term health promotion and chronic disease prevention.

    If you’ve been meaning to try one of these activities, this summer might be your chance. After all, fitness doesn’t have to be a chore; sometimes it starts with just showing up and saying yes to something different.

    Sarah Woodruff receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and We Spark Health Institute.

    – ref. Non-traditional sports like pickleball and bouldering are helping Canadians get active this summer – https://theconversation.com/non-traditional-sports-like-pickleball-and-bouldering-are-helping-canadians-get-active-this-summer-258771

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Mann, Schmidt, Sens. Marshall, Moran, Mullin Introduce Landmark Legislation to Reform Haskell University

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Tracey Mann (Kansas, 1)

    Legislation would transfer governance from Bureau of Indian Education to Haskell Board of Regents

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Tracey Mann (KS-01) and Derek Schmidt (KS-02), alongside U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), introduced legislation that would federally charter Haskell Indian Nations University, transferring governance from the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) to the Haskell Board of Regents, while maintaining federal funding and assistance for the university.

    In December, Rep. Mann and Sen. Moran released an initial draft of the legislation. Throughout the last five months, the Members solicited and reviewed feedback from the Native American, Lawrence, and higher education communities to make certain the legislation would effectively address issues at Haskell and best serve Native students and staff.

    “As a one-of-a-kind, historic institution established to meet the educational needs of students of federally recognized tribes, Haskell Indian Nations University should be a crown jewel for both Native Americans and Kansas,” said Rep. Mann. “For far too long, the U.S. Department of Interior and the Bureau of Indian Education have mismanaged the university, turned a blind eye to misconduct to the detriment of its students, and failed to comply with federal oversight. Our legislation offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect Haskell’s rich heritage and culture by transferring its governance to a Board of Regents nominated by Tribal communities and removing BIE from its governing structure. I am grateful for the tribal members, Haskell students, staff, and alumni, and the Haskell Board of Regents who weighed in to help us get this bill right. Today begins a new chapter that empowers Haskell to thrive and serve tribal communities in the way it was always meant to serve.”

    “Haskell University once provided Native American students the opportunity to receive a high-quality, tuition-free education in an environment that understood and prioritized indigenous heritage and culture,” said Sen. Moran. “Over the last few years, the university has been neglected and mismanaged by the Bureau of Indian Education. The bureau has failed to protect students, respond to my congressional inquiries or meet the basic infrastructure needs of the university. It is clear that the best path forward is for the university to be led by an independent Board of Regents nominated by the Tribal community and no longer obstructed by the BIE. I am grateful for the input I have received from the Haskell Board of Regents, tribal members and Haskell University students and staff to make certain Haskell, as the sole Tribal Nations University in the country, receives the reforms necessary to best serve the Native American community in Kansas and across the country.”

    “For over 140 years, Haskell University has provided Native American students with an educational setting rooted in Tribal heritage,” said Sen. Marshall. “However, for too long, the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Education have failed Haskell students through chronic mismanagement, lack of oversight, and ignoring instances of serious misconduct. To protect and preserve Haskell’s mission and future, governance of the university should shift to an independent Board of Regents nominated by the Tribal community.”

    “Haskell Indian Nations University is a Kansas gem that has yet to reach its full potential,” said Rep. Schmidt. “By transferring control of the university to the Haskell Board of Regents, our legislation would strengthen accountability by entrusting management of the university to those closest to it. I’m proud to join my colleagues in this critical effort.”

    “The BIE has failed the students of Haskell University and improvements are long overdue,” said Sen. Mullin. “With Oklahomans leading the way in highest attendance for first-time and first-year students, and as a Cherokee myself, I am proud to join my colleagues on this critical legislation.”

    “I am thankful that Sen. Moran and Rep. Mann have introduced this legislation to strengthen Haskell as a federally chartered university to further the federal government’s treaty and trust responsibility to Indian people,” said Joseph Rupnick, Chairman of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. “I look forward to discussions in the new year with Tribal leaders and Haskell alums, faculty and students so that this bill can safeguard Haskell’s future and its funding.”

    “For decades, Haskell Indian Nations University has served as a unique institution dedicated to advancing Native students and strengthening Tribal nations,” said Dalton Henry, President of the National Haskell Board of Regents. “Yet, persistent challenges under federal oversight have limited its potential. Shifting oversight from the Bureau of Indian Education to a Native-led Board of Trustees affirms that Tribal Nations are best positioned to guide Haskell’s future. This is how we secure Haskell’s legacy, not just for today’s students, but for the next seven generations. We thank Senator Moran and Congressman Mann who have taken on this effort.”

    “NIEA’s top priority is always Education Sovereignty. When Tribes, students, and communities say that something needs to change, and that the leaders and the community are ready to take charge, we will always support that initiative,” said Jason Dropik, NIEA Executive Director. “We applaud Senator Moran and Congressman Mann for undertaking this effort in support of Native students across the country.”

    “We support the efforts to establish Haskell Indian Nations University as a federally chartered education institution independent of federal agencies,” said Bonnie S. Lowe, President & CEO of The Chamber of Lawrence, Kansas. “The students, faculty and staff deserve the opportunity to study, live and work in a university that is supported to meet its astounding potential. These efforts are important steps toward ensuring the University’s success for generations of students to come.”

    “NCAI supports the independence of the HINU Board of Trustees in governing HINU, we feel this legislation aligns with the broader goals of Tribal self-determination by empowering Tribal representatives to have a direct role in the success of HINU,” said National Congress of American Indians Executive Director Larry Wright, Jr. “We are committed to working with Congress to unlock educational opportunities and career pathways that will empower the next generation to thrive.”

    “The American Indian Higher Education Consortium is proud to support the Haskell Indian Nations University Improvement Act because this legislation honors the priorities of the Haskell Board of Regents and respects Tribal self-determination,” said Moriah O’Brien, Vice President of Congressional & Federal Relations of American Indian Higher Education Consortium. “Specifically, the legislation reaffirms the federal government’s trust and treaty responsibility for post-secondary education; reaffirms that high quality, culturally relevant education is essential for the survival and strengthening of Tribal Nations; provides a charter to the University; and rightfully empowers the Haskell Board of Regents with decision-making authority in lieu of their current advisory-only capacity. Thank you to Senator Moran and Representative Mann for their leadership on this important issue.”

    “I am proud to support the Haskell Indian Nation University Improvement Act,” said Tribal Chief Cyrus Ben, Mississippi Band of Choctaw of Indians. “Haskell holds a special place in the hearts of many of our Tribal students—past, present, and future—who attend with deep pride and commitment. This Act will strengthen the University by establishing a federally charted corporation with an independent Board of Trustees. These changes will provide Haskell with the stability, autonomy, and leadership it needs to thrive. Thank you, Senator Moran and Congressman Mann for introducing this much needed legislation.”  

    “As a proud Haskell alumna, I’ve witnessed the strength of our students and the chronic neglect Haskell has faced for far too long. This bill is a vital step toward restoring dignity and sovereignty,” said Brittany Kathleen Hall, Former President, Haskell Board of Regents. “By placing leadership with an independent, Tribal-nominated board, we honor our ancestors’ vision for Indigenous education. Our students deserve more than broken promises—they deserve action and let’s work together to create that and build a stronger community for Indian Country and Lawrence, KS.”

    Haskell University is the only four-year, postsecondary institution under the governance of the BIE and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Over the last several years, the agencies have failed to respond to congressional inquiries and address concerns raised by the Tribal community—including delays and redactions in a report on a sexual harassment investigation. Additionally, Haskell University’s infrastructure is outdated, non-ADA compliant, and contains obsolete technology. Haskell University faces high dropout rates and a lack of resources for essential programs.

    Text for the legislation can be found here, and a section-by-section summary of the legislation can be found here.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Mann, Schmidt, Sens. Marshall, Moran, Mullin Introduce Landmark Legislation to Reform Haskell University

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Tracey Mann (Kansas, 1)

    Legislation would transfer governance from Bureau of Indian Education to Haskell Board of Regents

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Tracey Mann (KS-01) and Derek Schmidt (KS-02), alongside U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), introduced legislation that would federally charter Haskell Indian Nations University, transferring governance from the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) to the Haskell Board of Regents, while maintaining federal funding and assistance for the university.

    In December, Rep. Mann and Sen. Moran released an initial draft of the legislation. Throughout the last five months, the Members solicited and reviewed feedback from the Native American, Lawrence, and higher education communities to make certain the legislation would effectively address issues at Haskell and best serve Native students and staff.

    “As a one-of-a-kind, historic institution established to meet the educational needs of students of federally recognized tribes, Haskell Indian Nations University should be a crown jewel for both Native Americans and Kansas,” said Rep. Mann. “For far too long, the U.S. Department of Interior and the Bureau of Indian Education have mismanaged the university, turned a blind eye to misconduct to the detriment of its students, and failed to comply with federal oversight. Our legislation offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect Haskell’s rich heritage and culture by transferring its governance to a Board of Regents nominated by Tribal communities and removing BIE from its governing structure. I am grateful for the tribal members, Haskell students, staff, and alumni, and the Haskell Board of Regents who weighed in to help us get this bill right. Today begins a new chapter that empowers Haskell to thrive and serve tribal communities in the way it was always meant to serve.”

    “Haskell University once provided Native American students the opportunity to receive a high-quality, tuition-free education in an environment that understood and prioritized indigenous heritage and culture,” said Sen. Moran. “Over the last few years, the university has been neglected and mismanaged by the Bureau of Indian Education. The bureau has failed to protect students, respond to my congressional inquiries or meet the basic infrastructure needs of the university. It is clear that the best path forward is for the university to be led by an independent Board of Regents nominated by the Tribal community and no longer obstructed by the BIE. I am grateful for the input I have received from the Haskell Board of Regents, tribal members and Haskell University students and staff to make certain Haskell, as the sole Tribal Nations University in the country, receives the reforms necessary to best serve the Native American community in Kansas and across the country.”

    “For over 140 years, Haskell University has provided Native American students with an educational setting rooted in Tribal heritage,” said Sen. Marshall. “However, for too long, the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Education have failed Haskell students through chronic mismanagement, lack of oversight, and ignoring instances of serious misconduct. To protect and preserve Haskell’s mission and future, governance of the university should shift to an independent Board of Regents nominated by the Tribal community.”

    “Haskell Indian Nations University is a Kansas gem that has yet to reach its full potential,” said Rep. Schmidt. “By transferring control of the university to the Haskell Board of Regents, our legislation would strengthen accountability by entrusting management of the university to those closest to it. I’m proud to join my colleagues in this critical effort.”

    “The BIE has failed the students of Haskell University and improvements are long overdue,” said Sen. Mullin. “With Oklahomans leading the way in highest attendance for first-time and first-year students, and as a Cherokee myself, I am proud to join my colleagues on this critical legislation.”

    “I am thankful that Sen. Moran and Rep. Mann have introduced this legislation to strengthen Haskell as a federally chartered university to further the federal government’s treaty and trust responsibility to Indian people,” said Joseph Rupnick, Chairman of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. “I look forward to discussions in the new year with Tribal leaders and Haskell alums, faculty and students so that this bill can safeguard Haskell’s future and its funding.”

    “For decades, Haskell Indian Nations University has served as a unique institution dedicated to advancing Native students and strengthening Tribal nations,” said Dalton Henry, President of the National Haskell Board of Regents. “Yet, persistent challenges under federal oversight have limited its potential. Shifting oversight from the Bureau of Indian Education to a Native-led Board of Trustees affirms that Tribal Nations are best positioned to guide Haskell’s future. This is how we secure Haskell’s legacy, not just for today’s students, but for the next seven generations. We thank Senator Moran and Congressman Mann who have taken on this effort.”

    “NIEA’s top priority is always Education Sovereignty. When Tribes, students, and communities say that something needs to change, and that the leaders and the community are ready to take charge, we will always support that initiative,” said Jason Dropik, NIEA Executive Director. “We applaud Senator Moran and Congressman Mann for undertaking this effort in support of Native students across the country.”

    “We support the efforts to establish Haskell Indian Nations University as a federally chartered education institution independent of federal agencies,” said Bonnie S. Lowe, President & CEO of The Chamber of Lawrence, Kansas. “The students, faculty and staff deserve the opportunity to study, live and work in a university that is supported to meet its astounding potential. These efforts are important steps toward ensuring the University’s success for generations of students to come.”

    “NCAI supports the independence of the HINU Board of Trustees in governing HINU, we feel this legislation aligns with the broader goals of Tribal self-determination by empowering Tribal representatives to have a direct role in the success of HINU,” said National Congress of American Indians Executive Director Larry Wright, Jr. “We are committed to working with Congress to unlock educational opportunities and career pathways that will empower the next generation to thrive.”

    “The American Indian Higher Education Consortium is proud to support the Haskell Indian Nations University Improvement Act because this legislation honors the priorities of the Haskell Board of Regents and respects Tribal self-determination,” said Moriah O’Brien, Vice President of Congressional & Federal Relations of American Indian Higher Education Consortium. “Specifically, the legislation reaffirms the federal government’s trust and treaty responsibility for post-secondary education; reaffirms that high quality, culturally relevant education is essential for the survival and strengthening of Tribal Nations; provides a charter to the University; and rightfully empowers the Haskell Board of Regents with decision-making authority in lieu of their current advisory-only capacity. Thank you to Senator Moran and Representative Mann for their leadership on this important issue.”

    “I am proud to support the Haskell Indian Nation University Improvement Act,” said Tribal Chief Cyrus Ben, Mississippi Band of Choctaw of Indians. “Haskell holds a special place in the hearts of many of our Tribal students—past, present, and future—who attend with deep pride and commitment. This Act will strengthen the University by establishing a federally charted corporation with an independent Board of Trustees. These changes will provide Haskell with the stability, autonomy, and leadership it needs to thrive. Thank you, Senator Moran and Congressman Mann for introducing this much needed legislation.”  

    “As a proud Haskell alumna, I’ve witnessed the strength of our students and the chronic neglect Haskell has faced for far too long. This bill is a vital step toward restoring dignity and sovereignty,” said Brittany Kathleen Hall, Former President, Haskell Board of Regents. “By placing leadership with an independent, Tribal-nominated board, we honor our ancestors’ vision for Indigenous education. Our students deserve more than broken promises—they deserve action and let’s work together to create that and build a stronger community for Indian Country and Lawrence, KS.”

    Haskell University is the only four-year, postsecondary institution under the governance of the BIE and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Over the last several years, the agencies have failed to respond to congressional inquiries and address concerns raised by the Tribal community—including delays and redactions in a report on a sexual harassment investigation. Additionally, Haskell University’s infrastructure is outdated, non-ADA compliant, and contains obsolete technology. Haskell University faces high dropout rates and a lack of resources for essential programs.

    Text for the legislation can be found here, and a section-by-section summary of the legislation can be found here.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: “It is important to rely on facts, not to contradict yourself, not to be false and to be honest.”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    Ksenia Rozhkova works in the labor market, learns foreign languages to better understand the world, and loves going to the theater. In an interview with the Young Scientists of the Higher School of Economics project, she spoke about non-cognitive characteristics, her father’s influence on Hamlet, and myths surrounding the master’s degree.

    How I got started in science

    Neither science nor economics were in the original plan. I studied music as a child and was going to be a pianist until the fifth grade. Then I wanted to become a journalist, a screenwriter, and won Olympiads in philology and literature. My interests lay in the humanities, although I was also interested in mathematics.

    In the tenth grade, it was time to decide on my future life, and I ended up in the evening economics and mathematics school at Moscow State University. Before that, I thought that economics was an uninteresting field where everything was exclusively about banks, money, accounting. It seemed terribly burdensome to me. But during my studies, my attitude towards economics began to change. I realized that it is a complex science that allows us to clearly structure the social reality around us.

    In my second year at HSE, when I was almost ready to write term papers in the field of finance, my path was blocked by a faculty initiative. In my year, all the groups in our course were assigned to a separate topic. It was impossible to change it. Someone got macroeconomics, someone got economic history, and we got the labor market. I looked at the list of possible academic supervisors and chose Sergei Yuryevich Roshchin.

    We wrote to each other, and I came to the Labor Market Research Laboratory. At first, everything was complicated and unclear. I remember when I first came to a scientific seminar in the laboratory, there was a very active discussion, methods and results were discussed. Apart from the name, I didn’t understand anything. But I was quite stubborn, and Sergey Yuryevich was patient and charming, so the work got going. And in my third year, I returned myself.

    Of course, a researcher does not exist in a vacuum. His formation is greatly influenced by the people around him – other researchers, teachers. In this regard, I was very lucky with my colleagues both in the laboratory and in the Department of Applied Economics, where I now teach.

    What am I studying?

    I work in applied economics. This is primarily labor economics, but with forays into education economics and occasional forays into health economics. For example, my dissertation is on the influence of non-cognitive characteristics on various socioeconomic outcomes and human behavior.

    Economists have been studying education and its returns for decades. By receiving an education, a person acquires or develops various skills. First of all, these are cognitive skills, that is, those related to intelligence. Basic ones are the ability to read, count, and write. More complex ones are, for example, knowledge of foreign languages and programming skills.

    And there are non-cognitive skills that cannot be measured by IQ tests. These are various behavioral and psychological attitudes – how a person thinks and behaves in different circumstances and how this affects the decisions he makes. I studied how a person’s non-cognitive characteristics are related to his work results, that is, salary and employment, education and even life expectancy and bad habits.

    To measure this, economists use methods from psychologists, in particular such a tool as the “Big Five.” Each person can be described in terms of five fairly broad characteristics. These are openness to new experiences, conscientiousness, extroversion, neuroticism and friendliness. These characteristics are formed at an early age: they are partly predetermined genetically, but to a very large extent they are shaped by the environment in which a person grows up, his family and other circumstances.

    Accordingly, non-cognitive characteristics are closely linked to the issue of investment in education. It has been shown that targeted policies to develop productive characteristics early on can help children achieve better results in the future.

    Parallel area of research

    In our lab, for the past five years, I have been working on the graduate labor market—measuring which educational characteristics bring what returns in the labor market, and how they influence career trajectories and opportunities.

    We work with unique data from the Graduate Employment Monitoring. This is a project of the Ministry of Labor and Rostrud — a huge array of data on all people who have received an education in Russia since 2016. Thanks to this data, we have the opportunity to focus on areas that were previously unknown.

    For example, we have obtained the first assessment of the return on a master’s degree in Russia. We have found out what differences there are between the early career trajectories of full-time and part-time graduates and how the level of selectivity of a university affects salaries. This is a very interesting and practice-oriented area of research.

    Is there a return on a master’s degree?

    There are many myths surrounding the Master’s degree. For example, it is believed that employers do not delve into the differences between bachelors and masters and do not understand what these qualification levels are. That some believe that a bachelor’s degree is enough, while others think that it is necessary to go to a master’s degree. Or that a master’s degree is only needed in order to then go and defend a PhD thesis. These myths arise because there is little data on this topic.

    We have shown that the return on a master’s degree is significant. It is present in the first year after graduation, and it increases as you advance in your career — more for women than for men. The highest return, of course, is for degrees from the most prestigious universities, but this is true for other educational institutions as well.

    What I am proud of

    Looking back, I am most proud of the fact that I got into HSE. It was not obvious. I did well on the Unified State Exam, but not brilliantly. Preparing for exams is a lot of stress. And the fact that it was HSE that ultimately became the main turning point, which predetermined many trajectories of my future life.

    Now I try not to dwell on what has been done. If you have achieved something, it is great, but there is still a lot of work ahead. So if the research is written, submitted to a journal and published, I am happy and move on.

    How we measure non-cognitive skills

    We work with data from the Russian Monitoring of the Economic Situation and Health of the Population, which has been conducted in Russia by the Higher School of Economics since 1994. Various data on households and their members are collected annually. In 2016, the questionnaire included questions about the “big five”. There are 24 of them, and a person evaluates himself on a scale from 1 to 4. Questions, for example, are: how able are you to remain calm in a stressful situation? how much do you prefer to work rather than rest? Every five years, the same people are surveyed on these characteristics.

    What I wrote about in my first article on non-cognitive skills

    The material for this article in Voprosy Ekonomiki was my bachelor’s thesis. It was one of the first publications in Russia on this topic, so the formation of the research field took place simultaneously with the writing of my article.

    Partly it was of a survey nature. Research, for example, shows that on average the characteristics of the “big five” are more pronounced in women. They are almost always, on average, more conscientious, open, extroverted, friendly and neurotic, that is, emotionally unstable.

    Our main task was to see how this is related to the level of salaries in Russia. The basic assumption was that conscientious people should receive more. As well as emotionally stable people, because this quality is necessary for working in a managerial position. Accordingly, people who have less emotional stability are less likely to get into these positions and will earn less.

    How Non-Cognitive Characteristics Explain the Gender Gap

    These characteristics are most valuable at the top of the salary distribution, where management positions are concentrated.

    Because of their lower risk-taking and less emotional stability, women are less likely to end up in higher-paying positions. This, in turn, contributes to the widening of the gender gap.

    In general, the gender gap is influenced by many factors at the same time. This is vertical segregation: women are concentrated in the positions of senior specialists, not managers. This is horizontal segregation, when, even during their studies, women are distributed among specialties that lead to caring for other people (education, health care, and others), where salaries are lower than in finance or the IT sector. There are also a number of family and psychological characteristics. The topic is very complex, and the further a person moves up the career ladder, the less the gap can be justified by objective parameters.

    What I dream about

    I have a small, utilitarian and completely unrealistic dream. I would really like the process of publishing articles in journals to be fast. So that the article does not lie on the editorial desk for six months waiting for its fate to be decided and then does not have to wait another six months for publication. But I understand that this is impossible, due to the fact that there is more research, and the editorial forces are limited.

    Science is the art of telling compelling stories. To do this, you need to be very knowledgeable about the material. You need to look around carefully and understand how certain processes work so that you can substantiate the data. It is important to rely on facts, not contradict yourself, not be false, and be honest.

    If I hadn’t become a scientist

    I wanted to write, and I could have become a journalist. But for a researcher it is also very important to be able to write a lot, convincingly and well.

    I would like to run a Telegram channel, but I lack self-discipline and time. I would write about the theater. I love it as a spectator. My mother brought me to the theater, and she taught me that in the theater people do not relax, but think. Sometimes this is the process of unraveling the director’s ideas, sometimes an internal process of reflection. Theater is interesting because it is alive, and it often happens that performances die before they are removed from the repertoire. But if the performance is good, if there is live energy between the viewer and the actors, you can watch it endlessly.

    What kind of theatre do I like?

    I try not to miss premieres. I like it when directors approach the material in an unconventional way, trying to get something non-obvious.

    I like the Theatre of Nations. The last thing I saw there was the play “Sato” by Philipp Gurevich. It’s interesting material, and I think that there is a lot that can be pulled out of this story on the verge of magical realism, but it wasn’t fully expressed in the play.

    The theme running through Gurevich’s productions is the importance of family for a child and for the formation of personality. I was very impressed by Hamlet, which he staged for students at the Moscow Art Theatre School. In Hamlet, he emphasizes the importance of parental influence by having Hamlet speak in the words of his father. And it is likely that the sad outcome is predetermined by the family environment.

    Who would I like to meet?

    With Rachmaninov. He is my favorite composer. But I would not ask him questions, I would just watch the process of composing music.

    How my typical day is structured

    I don’t have a clear routine. Sometimes colleagues tell me that they have one day for research, one for teaching, one for something external. I like this concept, but it doesn’t work for me because something always gets in the way.

    The best research is written either late at night or early in the morning, when no one is bothering you and you can concentrate. It’s great to be creative at night, to come up with ideas, to think up something new, and in the morning – to edit, to bring it into a digestible form.

    Do I get burnout?

    About four years ago, I participated in a talent pool program. I had to tell my respected colleagues what I did during the program and what I achieved.

    I had a very productive year: I completed my master’s degree, entered graduate school, and published several articles and analytical materials. When I listed all of this, one of my colleagues said, “This is all great, of course, but I hope you don’t burn out.”

    I was surprised by this wish. It would seem that I have a job, a lot of it, and it is different, I can switch between projects. It is very interesting, I like the process. How can I burn out with such input? In addition, I had before my eyes the example of my scientific supervisor, who manages to solve a hundred things at once, and it is simply awkward to burn out next to him.

    Now I understand better what my colleague meant. It seems to me that burnout is not exactly about fatigue or about a person working a lot and not resting, but about an internal discrepancy between expectations and reality. You didn’t just work a lot and get tired, you worked a lot, and in the end, the research you wrote received one rejection, then a second rejection, then a third rejection. No one is immune from periods when something doesn’t work out, but it can be difficult to fight disappointment.

    What else am I interested in?

    I like foreign languages. I am quite fluent in English and Spanish. When Covid started, I suddenly started learning Turkish. And life took on new colors, because, as it turned out, there are a lot of Turkic roots in words and names. It was as if I had reached a new level of understanding the world.

    And two years ago I started learning Chinese, just out of interest. It was a truly meditative activity, especially when I had to write out hieroglyphs line by line. Of course, I am an expert in hobbies that require a lot of time and effort. But Chinese surpassed everything I did in terms of the level of time investment required to maintain the level achieved. It’s like in sports: if you don’t practice for two days, you have to start over. Now Chinese doesn’t fit into my work schedule a little, but I believe that I will return to it someday.

    What was the last thing I read?

    “My Name is Red” by Orhan Pamuk.

    Advice to young scientists

    When an opportunity arises, don’t wait until you’re ready. You’re never fully ready for anything, so take advantage of opportunities and figure things out as you go.

    This is consistent with one of my favorite quotes from Milorad Pavic’s book “Last Love in Constantinople.” I don’t remember it word for word, but the gist is this: if you move in the direction in which your fear grows, then you are moving in the right direction.

    Favorite place in Moscow

    I was born and raised in Moscow and I love it very much. It is an incredible city. I love walking around VDNKh, and also around the center of Moscow. My special tender love is Chistye Prudy and its surroundings. I went to high school in Milyutinsky Lane, we studied in the building of the former girls’ school of the Roman Catholic Church of Peter and Paul. Then I studied in Pokrovka for my master’s degree, and now I work there. An important part of my life has always been connected with this area.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Office of Sustainability Awards Environmental and Social Sustainability Grants to Student-Led Projects

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    UConn, consistently one of the top ten most sustainable universities in the United States, will be getting even better at upholding sustainable practices with the help of seven student-led projects this year.

    These innovative projects are funded by the Environmental and Social Sustainability Grants (ESSG) Program through the Office of Sustainability. Creative student-faculty teams applied for funding to support campus programs that enhance environmental and social sustainability while engaging students and community members. Applicants shared ideas spanning education, research, authentic community engagement, and campus operations. This is the fourth round of ESSG funding since 2021, which has helped launch the Swap Shop (now Thrift Den), a composting privy at Spring Valley Student Farm, and efforts to combat food insecurity via hydroponic farming.

    “The ESSG program is just one of the Office of Sustainability’s growing suite of experiential learning programs available to all UConn students. In alignment with UConn’s strategic goals, we are excited to be able to award these funds to empower students to take action on addressing real-world challenges that impact the wellness of people and the planet. Faculty and staff mentors play an instrumental role in ensuring the success of these projects and we’re also incredibly grateful for their support,” said Patrick McKee, Director of the Office of Sustainability.

    Seven projects were awarded funds due to their interdisciplinary nature and ability to advance sustainability and equity.

    Harnessing Phosphorus

    Phosphorus is a key piece in fertilizing crops and producing food. This project aims to explore sustainable, easy ways of getting phosphorus out of wastewater to make it easier, cheaper, and less climate-intensive for farmers to grow food in underprivileged areas.

    • Student: Brenny Alcantara ’27 (CLAS)
    • Staff Mentor: Katie Milardo, Associate Director, Energy & Water Conservation

    The Grove of Generosity: Sustainable Food Forest for Students

    A food forest to create community for people, plants and wildlife on the Storrs campus. Using native plants, this project will provide habitat, food for all, and space to make connections between people and nature.

    • Students: Olivia Ballaro ’26 (CAHNR), Ella May ’27 (CAHNR), Howard Truax ’26 (CAHNR)
    • Faculty Mentor: Phoebe Godfrey, Professor in Residence, Sociology

    Sustainability Practicum: Designing a UConn Hartford Service-Learning Course

    This project will create materials for a UConn Hartford geography service-learning course titled “Sustainability Practicum,” designed to develop student leaders of environmental & social sustainability in collaboration with & in service of Keney Park Sustainability Project, a nonprofit developing sustainable community-based food systems in urban North Hartford.

    • Students: Thomas Bonitz, Ph.D. Candidate in Geography
    • Faculty Mentor: Dr. Carol Atkinson-Palombo, Professor in Geography

    Project Racoon

    Project Raccoon is a student-led initiative that collects redeemable bottles and cans to reduce waste, increase recycling, and fund student scholarships. With this grant, the program will expand to over 50+ bins and engage more volunteers.

    • Student: Abigail Koval ’26 (BUS), Anny Zheng ’26 (COE), Jennifer Weng ’26 (COE), Virginia Weng ’26 (COE)
    • Staff Mentor: Cody Ryan, Innovation Zone Supervisor

    Seeds2Sustain: Hartford & Stamford Campuses

    Seeds2Sustain is a program designed to help students address food insecurity on a personal level by using hydroponics. Over 9 weeks, students are taught about the evolution of food production, food insecurity, hydroponics, nutrition, cooking and more to gain a solid foundation of knowledge.

    • Students: Lucy Ledesma ‘26 (BUS, COE), Audrey Larson ‘25 (COE)
    • Faculty Mentor: Johnathan Moore, Executive Director, Digital Frontiers Initiative, Director of OPIM Innovate Labs 

    Disasters in Society: Working Towards Resilient & Sustainable Futures through Experiential Learning & Service

    This project captures Asheville’s recovery from Hurricane Helene, highlighting student engagement and hands-on learning in disaster resilience. Through storytelling and service, they aim to expand access to fieldwork and promote support for sustainability-focused education.

    • Students: Lisel Nee ’26 (COE), Melia Marshall, MPP Candidate, Daniel Kraemer, Ph.D. Candidate in Geography, Brandon Soto, Masters of Energy and Environmental Management Candidate
    • Faculty Mentor: Dr. Carol Atkinson-Palombo, Professor in Geography

    Sustainable Dairy Wastewater Treatment Using Microalgae at UConn

    This project addresses the challenge of dairy wastewater from the UConn barns, which can be a significant source of pollution if not properly managed. By using microalgae to treat wastewater, we can convert it into a sustainable biomass that can be used as poultry feed. This approach not only helps clean and recycle wastewater but also aligns with circular bioeconomy principles, turning waste into valuable resources. This initiative advances UConn’s environmental goals and contributes to a more sustainable campus ecosystem.

    • Students: Azeem Sarwar ’27 (COE), Syed Zahid Ahmad, Ph.D. Candidate in Mechanical Engineering
    • Faculty Mentors: Dr. Yu Lei, Professor in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Dr. Yongku Cho, Associate Professor in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

    Over $37,000 will be awarded in total to support these student-lead projects.

    Thomas Bonitz, a grantee pursuing a Ph.D. in Geography says, “As an aspiring educator, I am thrilled to work on designing a “sustainability practicum” course for the UConn Hartford campus. There is obvious educational and community value getting students out of the traditional classroom setting to learn from and contribute to real-world efforts to practice sustainability.” His project exemplifies UConn’s dedication to promoting student success and providing service to Connecticut communities.

    “I look forward to moving onto the next stage for my Harnessing Phosphorus project and being able to work with more resources. I’ve been working on this project independently since my first semester at UConn, so receiving this grant and finding support from new mentors is a reminder of how far I’ve come. It’s great to see the University also believes in my project’s potential,” shares Brenny Alcantara ’27 (CLAS) who will be working on ways to make fertilizer more accessible, less likely to cause algae blooms, and decrease the carbon footprint of a critical agricultural ingredient.

    Students will present their project findings and impacts this fall at the Climate Change Cafe poster symposium in December.

    For more details on the Environmental and Social Sustainability Small Grants Program, please visit: https://sustainability.uconn.edu/environmental-social-sustainability-small-grants-program/

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Next President of Society of Clinical Psychology is from UConn

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    “Congratulation to Dr. Damion Grasso on his election as President of the Society of Clinical Psychology,” shares Department of Psychiatry Professor and Chair Dr. David C. Steffens. “There is little doubt that his term as President will be successful.”

    The Society of Clinical Psychology (Division 12 of the American Psychological Association) is the professional home of clinical and health service psychologists.

    Grasso, an elected fellow of the Division 12 of the APA, has always had a strong, longstanding commitment to the Society of Clinical Psychology. Since graduate school he served as a campus representative for the Society. Over time, he took on several leadership roles – most recently as Secretary on the Board and co-chair of the Committee on Science and Practice. As the Committee’s co-chair, Grasso has played an instrumental role in advancing SCP’s efforts to evaluate and inventory empirically supported psychological treatments (ESTs).

    As President, Grasso plans to prioritize these efforts by expanding SCP’s capacity to engage and inform the public with resources designed to promote ESTs, establish an informed consumer-base, and caution against the growing trend for non-efficacious and potentially harmful approaches.

    SCP’s mission is to promote the integration of clinical psychological science and practice in education, research, application, advocacy, and public policy. Also, the Society seeks to engage students and clinical and health service psychologists at any stage of their career in support of this mission.

    “I am honored to serve as the president-elect of the Society of Clinical Psychology. Since graduate school, the Society has been my professional home, connecting me with mentors and pioneers in our field I wouldn’t have otherwise come to know. This community has truly helped shape my career,” says Grasso. “My intent is to pay it forward and grow our community of students and early career professionals so that we can support the next generation of clinical psychologists – especially during these challenging times.”

    Grasso serves UConn Health, Connecticut’s only public academic medical center, caring for patients as a licensed clinical psychologist and associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UConn School of Medicine with a secondary appointment in its Department of Pediatrics.

    Additionally, his research broadly focuses on understanding biobehavioral mechanisms involved in trauma- and stress-related disorders in children and effective strategies for assessing and treating trauma-related impairment. He co-leads the UConn Health Family Adversity and Resilience Research (FARR) Program and provides evidence-based psychotherapy interventions for treating trauma-related disorders in the UConn Health Psychological Trauma Clinic.

    Grasso graduated from Skidmore College with his undergraduate degree in psychology, earned his master’s degree in general psychology at Wesleyan University, completed his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Delaware, and his clinical internship was performed at the Medical University of South Carolina.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: sonnen Pioneers Canada’s First Home Battery-Based VPP Embedded in a Master Planned Community

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. and EDMONTON, Alberta, June 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, sonnen, a global leader in energy storage and virtual power plant (VPP) technology, launched its first VPP in Canada at Blatchford Lands, a master planned community designed for net-zero living and a reduced environmental footprint. Landmark Homes, a recognized leader in sustainable and innovative home construction and the builder behind Blatchford Lands, collaborated with sonnen, along with utility provider EPCOR, electric retail provider Solartility and the University of Alberta. Together, these energy leaders developed the VPP that can be considered the vanguard of a newly decentralized and digitalized clean energy system for the future of Canada.

    With this inaugural VPP launch into Canada, sonnen once again sets the standard for innovation in solar powered battery storage systems deployed across master planned communities as a virtual power plant. The Blatchford Lands VPP is the first of its kind on scope and scale for Canada. As a primer for broad adoption throughout the EPCOR service territory, this project constitutes the beginning of renewable energy and grid coordination’s evolution. sonnen, with its partners, is providing the community and its residents with emergency back-up power, daily management of peak energy use and demand response, among other grid services, for the overall management of the electric grid.

    As a prototype, the Blatchford Lands VPP begins with 100 sonnen batteries deployed throughout the master planned community, representing nearly a half a megawatt (MW) of power and over two megawatt hours (MWh) of storage capacity that will support the Canadian energy grid. Following this initial deployment, sonnen plans to launch VPPs throughout Alberta and into other Canadian regions, with potential to reach over 3,000 individual sites, providing more than18 MW of energy and 60 MWHs of grid support over the next 3 years.

    “What has been achieved at Blatchford Lands is extremely special, and even beyond many of the VPP market designs in America,” said Blake Richetta, Chairman and CEO of sonnen Inc. USA. “sonnen proudly stands behind our Canadian colleagues and customers, as our sister market, and as the closest of friends to the American people.”

    sonnen, Solartility and the University of Alberta envision this highly innovative master planned community VPP project to become a replicable model for communities across the province and throughout Canada. This model can also be replicated in select U.S. markets, like Texas, where sonnen recently announced a Virtual Power Plant Power Purchase Agreement (VPA) and launched behind-the-meter, battery-enabled VPPs.

    “Canada has developed into a rich and innovative VPP market thanks to the pioneering efforts and support from great partners,” said Geoff Ferrell, Senior Vice President – Global C&I and VPP Project Business of sonnen Inc. USA. “The coming together of builders like Landmark Homes, the utility EPCOR, retail providers like Solartility, and academics like those at the University of Alberta, are working together to build this innovative VPP program at Blatchford Lands and beyond.”

    With awards from Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA), the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA), the Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC), among others, Blatchford Lands has been recognized for its commitment to sustainability and innovative community planning. Residents can enjoy diverse housing options equipped with renewable energy sources for heating and cooling—all in a centrally located neighborhood that once served as Edmonton’s municipal airport, now reimagined as a model for sustainable urban development.

    Blatchford Lands is the latest sonnen VPP to launch at a master planned community, following wildly successful deployments at Soleil Lofts and Soleil Tech Park in Utah, Pearl Homes’ nationally renowned Hunters Point in Cortez Florida, and Mandalay Homes in Arizona, among other projects.

    ABOUT sonnen
    sonnen is a global leader in smart energy storage systems for residential use and a pioneer in residential battery-based virtual power plants. The sonnen VPP is recognized as a model for the decentralized, digitalized, and decarbonized energy system of the future. As one of the most experienced and rapidly growing VPP energy storage companies worldwide, sonnen has earned numerous international awards for its technological achievements. The sonnenCommunity, a network of visionaries worldwide, utilizes sonnen’s products and services to promote clean and affordable energy for all. With offices in Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, and the USA, sonnen is a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell. Learn more at: https://sonnenusa.com

    Media Contact
    sonnen@fischtankpr.com
    FischTank PR

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Kenya police brutality – it will take more than laws and public anger to change behaviour

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Oscar Gakuo Mwangi, Adjunct Associate Professor, Departnent of Social Sciences, Pwani University

    Kenya has once again been reminded of brutality within its police force. Two events in mid-June 2025 pointed to the grave challenge that Kenya must confront to reform the service.

    The first was the death in police custody of a teacher and blogger. A few days later a bystander at the scene of a protest in Nairobi was shot and severely injured by police.

    The use of excessive force to disperse and arrest peaceful demonstrators has got worse since the nationwide protests by young Kenyans in June 2024. Police have also been behind disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

    Excesses by the National Police Service have prompted action in the past. Repressive laws have been repealed and mechanisms are in place to identify, report and punish police excesses.

    Wide-ranging policing reforms mandated by the 2010 constitution have also been carried out since 2013. As part of these reforms, the Independent Police Oversight Authority was set up to investigate police wrong-doing. The conviction and dismissal rates are low, however, because of defective prosecutions, poor investigations, witnesses fearing retribution or victimisation, lack of evidence, and lengthy court trials.

    I am a political scientist with a focus on Kenya’s security sector. It is my view that the quest to change police behaviour in Kenya must go beyond the rule book, recriminations and repeated political proclamations of police reform.

    In my view real change will come about only if the state, firstly, puts funds into the recurrent and development expenditures of the police. The aim should be to ensure these institutions are able to enforce compliance and accountability. Secondly, the state needs to strengthen its partnership with local-level civil society organisations affected by policy brutality. And lastly, it must set up digital channels that people can confidently use to lodge their complaints.

    Funding gaps

    The National Police Service is underfunded. This has constrained its ability to maintain law and order. It has:

    • inadequate and poorly maintained equipment and gear

    • insufficient monthly fuel allocations for patrols and other critical functions

    • poor training and operational physical facilities.

    Added to these constraints are dehumanising working conditions and deplorable living conditions. This undermines their morale and ability to deliver quality services.

    Another blow to police morale is the entrenched culture of corruption. Corrupt practices skew recruitment, transfers, deployments, promotions and procurement.

    At the same time, the police service is expected to deal with a host of domestic and global security challenges. These include cybercrimes, cross-border security, violent extremism and terrorism.

    Money needs to be allocated to improve facilities, equipment and gear. This should also enhance its logistical and technological capabilities, and provide affordable and decent housing and medical cover for its officers.

    Providing adequate resources can also counter the culture of corruption, which is often driven by poor renumeration and working conditions.

    Budget allocations should sustain police reforms. This should include:

    Partnerships with communities

    Community policing in Kenya makes a significant contribution to local-level security. This form of policing is citizen-centred with an emphasis on addressing crime risk factors by encouraging citizen participation.

    Also known by its Kiswahili name, Nyumba Kumi, meaning “Ten Households”, the key strategy is anchoring community policing at the household level. Despite several problems associated with formulation and implementation, community policing in Kenya has improved local-level police-community relations in some areas of the country.

    The community policing strategy is aimed at addressing emerging security needs such as infiltration by terrorist groups. It serves the whole of Kenya in terms of local-level security and is viewed as one of the key areas of police reform and a shift to democratic policing.

    Community involvement can address the lack of trust between citizens and police officers due to police bias or brutality. But this is a gradual process that happens through daily interactions between communities and the police.

    Public participation channels

    Public participation is enshrined in Kenya’s constitution as one of the principles and values of good governance. By establishing a complaints and redress mechanism, public participation can become an integral component of promoting effective handling of complaints.

    The constitution has created different institutions to address public complaints. These include the Commission on Administrative Justice (Office of the Ombudsman), Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, and the Independent Police Oversight Authority. Some of these have digital public complaints systems, which provide more confidentiality and better access for people.

    Other channels of handling complaints include civil society actors and the media. Civil society organisations provide civic education and mobilise citizens to take part in monitoring and evaluation government’s performance.

    Making these channels more effective could help absorb public anger that could turn into violence.

    Conclusion

    Police brutality in Kenya has arisen through historical, social, economic and political factors. Mitigating it therefore requires a long-term, combined top-down and bottom-up approach.

    Genuine political support from the country’s political leaders is essential to instil positive attitudes about Kenya’s political and security institutions. It also requires genuine support from local-level or grassroots communities. This, in turn, entails communities trusting each other and building social cohesion.

    Oscar Gakuo Mwangi 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. Kenya police brutality – it will take more than laws and public anger to change behaviour – https://theconversation.com/kenya-police-brutality-it-will-take-more-than-laws-and-public-anger-to-change-behaviour-259327

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Kenya police brutality – it will take more than laws and public anger to change behaviour

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Oscar Gakuo Mwangi, Adjunct Associate Professor, Departnent of Social Sciences, Pwani University

    Kenya has once again been reminded of brutality within its police force. Two events in mid-June 2025 pointed to the grave challenge that Kenya must confront to reform the service.

    The first was the death in police custody of a teacher and blogger. A few days later a bystander at the scene of a protest in Nairobi was shot and severely injured by police.

    The use of excessive force to disperse and arrest peaceful demonstrators has got worse since the nationwide protests by young Kenyans in June 2024. Police have also been behind disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

    Excesses by the National Police Service have prompted action in the past. Repressive laws have been repealed and mechanisms are in place to identify, report and punish police excesses.

    Wide-ranging policing reforms mandated by the 2010 constitution have also been carried out since 2013. As part of these reforms, the Independent Police Oversight Authority was set up to investigate police wrong-doing. The conviction and dismissal rates are low, however, because of defective prosecutions, poor investigations, witnesses fearing retribution or victimisation, lack of evidence, and lengthy court trials.

    I am a political scientist with a focus on Kenya’s security sector. It is my view that the quest to change police behaviour in Kenya must go beyond the rule book, recriminations and repeated political proclamations of police reform.

    In my view real change will come about only if the state, firstly, puts funds into the recurrent and development expenditures of the police. The aim should be to ensure these institutions are able to enforce compliance and accountability. Secondly, the state needs to strengthen its partnership with local-level civil society organisations affected by policy brutality. And lastly, it must set up digital channels that people can confidently use to lodge their complaints.

    Funding gaps

    The National Police Service is underfunded. This has constrained its ability to maintain law and order. It has:

    • inadequate and poorly maintained equipment and gear

    • insufficient monthly fuel allocations for patrols and other critical functions

    • poor training and operational physical facilities.

    Added to these constraints are dehumanising working conditions and deplorable living conditions. This undermines their morale and ability to deliver quality services.

    Another blow to police morale is the entrenched culture of corruption. Corrupt practices skew recruitment, transfers, deployments, promotions and procurement.

    At the same time, the police service is expected to deal with a host of domestic and global security challenges. These include cybercrimes, cross-border security, violent extremism and terrorism.

    Money needs to be allocated to improve facilities, equipment and gear. This should also enhance its logistical and technological capabilities, and provide affordable and decent housing and medical cover for its officers.

    Providing adequate resources can also counter the culture of corruption, which is often driven by poor renumeration and working conditions.

    Budget allocations should sustain police reforms. This should include:

    Partnerships with communities

    Community policing in Kenya makes a significant contribution to local-level security. This form of policing is citizen-centred with an emphasis on addressing crime risk factors by encouraging citizen participation.

    Also known by its Kiswahili name, Nyumba Kumi, meaning “Ten Households”, the key strategy is anchoring community policing at the household level. Despite several problems associated with formulation and implementation, community policing in Kenya has improved local-level police-community relations in some areas of the country.

    The community policing strategy is aimed at addressing emerging security needs such as infiltration by terrorist groups. It serves the whole of Kenya in terms of local-level security and is viewed as one of the key areas of police reform and a shift to democratic policing.

    Community involvement can address the lack of trust between citizens and police officers due to police bias or brutality. But this is a gradual process that happens through daily interactions between communities and the police.

    Public participation channels

    Public participation is enshrined in Kenya’s constitution as one of the principles and values of good governance. By establishing a complaints and redress mechanism, public participation can become an integral component of promoting effective handling of complaints.

    The constitution has created different institutions to address public complaints. These include the Commission on Administrative Justice (Office of the Ombudsman), Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, and the Independent Police Oversight Authority. Some of these have digital public complaints systems, which provide more confidentiality and better access for people.

    Other channels of handling complaints include civil society actors and the media. Civil society organisations provide civic education and mobilise citizens to take part in monitoring and evaluation government’s performance.

    Making these channels more effective could help absorb public anger that could turn into violence.

    Conclusion

    Police brutality in Kenya has arisen through historical, social, economic and political factors. Mitigating it therefore requires a long-term, combined top-down and bottom-up approach.

    Genuine political support from the country’s political leaders is essential to instil positive attitudes about Kenya’s political and security institutions. It also requires genuine support from local-level or grassroots communities. This, in turn, entails communities trusting each other and building social cohesion.

    Oscar Gakuo Mwangi 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. Kenya police brutality – it will take more than laws and public anger to change behaviour – https://theconversation.com/kenya-police-brutality-it-will-take-more-than-laws-and-public-anger-to-change-behaviour-259327

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Kenya police brutality – it will take more than laws and public anger to change behaviour

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Oscar Gakuo Mwangi, Adjunct Associate Professor, Departnent of Social Sciences, Pwani University

    Kenya has once again been reminded of brutality within its police force. Two events in mid-June 2025 pointed to the grave challenge that Kenya must confront to reform the service.

    The first was the death in police custody of a teacher and blogger. A few days later a bystander at the scene of a protest in Nairobi was shot and severely injured by police.

    The use of excessive force to disperse and arrest peaceful demonstrators has got worse since the nationwide protests by young Kenyans in June 2024. Police have also been behind disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

    Excesses by the National Police Service have prompted action in the past. Repressive laws have been repealed and mechanisms are in place to identify, report and punish police excesses.

    Wide-ranging policing reforms mandated by the 2010 constitution have also been carried out since 2013. As part of these reforms, the Independent Police Oversight Authority was set up to investigate police wrong-doing. The conviction and dismissal rates are low, however, because of defective prosecutions, poor investigations, witnesses fearing retribution or victimisation, lack of evidence, and lengthy court trials.

    I am a political scientist with a focus on Kenya’s security sector. It is my view that the quest to change police behaviour in Kenya must go beyond the rule book, recriminations and repeated political proclamations of police reform.

    In my view real change will come about only if the state, firstly, puts funds into the recurrent and development expenditures of the police. The aim should be to ensure these institutions are able to enforce compliance and accountability. Secondly, the state needs to strengthen its partnership with local-level civil society organisations affected by policy brutality. And lastly, it must set up digital channels that people can confidently use to lodge their complaints.

    Funding gaps

    The National Police Service is underfunded. This has constrained its ability to maintain law and order. It has:

    • inadequate and poorly maintained equipment and gear

    • insufficient monthly fuel allocations for patrols and other critical functions

    • poor training and operational physical facilities.

    Added to these constraints are dehumanising working conditions and deplorable living conditions. This undermines their morale and ability to deliver quality services.

    Another blow to police morale is the entrenched culture of corruption. Corrupt practices skew recruitment, transfers, deployments, promotions and procurement.

    At the same time, the police service is expected to deal with a host of domestic and global security challenges. These include cybercrimes, cross-border security, violent extremism and terrorism.

    Money needs to be allocated to improve facilities, equipment and gear. This should also enhance its logistical and technological capabilities, and provide affordable and decent housing and medical cover for its officers.

    Providing adequate resources can also counter the culture of corruption, which is often driven by poor renumeration and working conditions.

    Budget allocations should sustain police reforms. This should include:

    Partnerships with communities

    Community policing in Kenya makes a significant contribution to local-level security. This form of policing is citizen-centred with an emphasis on addressing crime risk factors by encouraging citizen participation.

    Also known by its Kiswahili name, Nyumba Kumi, meaning “Ten Households”, the key strategy is anchoring community policing at the household level. Despite several problems associated with formulation and implementation, community policing in Kenya has improved local-level police-community relations in some areas of the country.

    The community policing strategy is aimed at addressing emerging security needs such as infiltration by terrorist groups. It serves the whole of Kenya in terms of local-level security and is viewed as one of the key areas of police reform and a shift to democratic policing.

    Community involvement can address the lack of trust between citizens and police officers due to police bias or brutality. But this is a gradual process that happens through daily interactions between communities and the police.

    Public participation channels

    Public participation is enshrined in Kenya’s constitution as one of the principles and values of good governance. By establishing a complaints and redress mechanism, public participation can become an integral component of promoting effective handling of complaints.

    The constitution has created different institutions to address public complaints. These include the Commission on Administrative Justice (Office of the Ombudsman), Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, and the Independent Police Oversight Authority. Some of these have digital public complaints systems, which provide more confidentiality and better access for people.

    Other channels of handling complaints include civil society actors and the media. Civil society organisations provide civic education and mobilise citizens to take part in monitoring and evaluation government’s performance.

    Making these channels more effective could help absorb public anger that could turn into violence.

    Conclusion

    Police brutality in Kenya has arisen through historical, social, economic and political factors. Mitigating it therefore requires a long-term, combined top-down and bottom-up approach.

    Genuine political support from the country’s political leaders is essential to instil positive attitudes about Kenya’s political and security institutions. It also requires genuine support from local-level or grassroots communities. This, in turn, entails communities trusting each other and building social cohesion.

    – Kenya police brutality – it will take more than laws and public anger to change behaviour
    – https://theconversation.com/kenya-police-brutality-it-will-take-more-than-laws-and-public-anger-to-change-behaviour-259327

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • Tunnel projects worth Rs 3 lakh crore to be built in next 10 years as part of big infra push: Gadkari

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said that the government has drawn up plans to build tunnel projects worth Rs 2.5–3 lakh crore over the next 10 years as part of the country’s infrastructure development.

    Speaking at the inauguration of the International Workshop on ‘Sustainable Tunnelling for Better Life’ at MIT World Peace University (MIT-WPU), the minister said, “India is entering a golden era of infrastructure development, with tunnels playing a crucial role in connectivity, safety, and sustainability.”

    Gadkari highlighted the need to reduce construction costs without compromising quality. “That means using new technologies and sustainable fuels like CNG, ethanol, hydrogen, and electric alternatives to diesel. We should also refurbish old tunnelling machines, import used ones from European countries like Austria, Norway, and Spain, and eventually manufacture our own,” he explained.

    The minister pointed out that India’s geology varies by region, so research and training are essential. Industry experts and experienced engineers should guide students alongside faculty.

    “My ministry is ready to support this initiative with equipment and training. Together, with innovation, research, and commitment, we can make India self-reliant in tunnelling technology and infrastructure development,” Gadkari said.

    He also lauded MIT-WPU for taking the first step towards research in sustainable tunnelling technology, which is the need of the hour for a developing country like India.

    Earlier, Gadkari inaugurated the International Workshop on ‘Sustainable Tunnelling for Better Life’ at MIT-WPU. The two-day event was organised in collaboration with the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association’s Committee on Education and Training (ITA-CET).

    The workshop brought together global experts from India, Europe, the UK, and the US.

    A key highlight of the event was the inauguration of the Centre of Excellence for Tunnelling and Underground Construction at MIT-WPU — India’s first-of-its-kind facility featuring a Tunnel Monitoring Laboratory and a Drilling and Blasting Laboratory. The Centre of Excellence, set up in collaboration with Sandvik and Tata Projects Ltd, aims to support advanced research and training in underground construction technologies.

    The workshop featured technical sessions, keynote addresses, and panel discussions led by eminent experts such as Arnold Dix (Past President, International Tunnelling Association) and other noted figures in the field.

    Dix said, “This Centre of Excellence is of global importance, as it addresses the disconnect between engineering expertise and practical skills. Too often, young workers are placed at risk because they lack the training needed to safely construct what has been so carefully designed.”

    —IANS