Category: Universities

MIL-OSI: Cellec Technologies awarded $100,000 NSF SuperBoost Grant to advance safe, reliable, and extreme-temperature lithium-ion battery technology

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cellec Technologies has been awarded a $100,000 SuperBoost grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, supporting the commercialization of its 0V-stable Z-safe™ technology to enhance lithium-ion battery safety and performance in extreme conditions.

The funding will accelerate the development of Cellec’s multi-functional 18650 cylindrical cell, which remains electrochemically stable at 0 volts state-of-charge (SoC) and operates in temperatures ranging from -20°C to 70°C. By integrating semi-solid electrolyte systems, this innovation aims to meet growing industry demand for safer, more reliable battery solutions in EVs, aerospace, and defense applications.

National security and defense applications are a key focus for Cellec’s work, particularly as the United States seeks to strengthen domestic supply chains and enhance operational resilience. The company’s Z-safe™ technology is positioned to play a critical role in supporting electrified platforms that require rapid charging, extended cycle life, and stable performance under extreme conditions.

“Battery safety and reliability in extreme conditions remain critical challenges across multiple industries,” said Christopher Schauerman, CEO of Cellec Technologies. “With support from the Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine, we can accelerate the development and commercialization of our Z-safe™ technology, ensuring that our next-generation batteries meet the growing demands for safety, durability, and extreme-temperature performance.”

The SuperBoost program, a key initiative of the Energy Storage Engine, is designed to accelerate commercialization timelines, reducing traditional technology development cycles from five or more years to less than two years. By providing funding and connecting startups with leading testbeds, manufacturing infrastructure, and research institutions, the program strengthens upstate New York’s position as a leader in energy storage innovation.

As part of this initiative, Cellec will conduct rigorous testing and validation cycles to prepare its technology for commercialization. Fernando Gómez-Baquero, director of the Translation Pillar at the NSF Energy Storage Engine, highlighted the significance of these efforts. “Cellec Technologies is addressing one of the most urgent challenges in battery safety and performance,” he said. “By integrating its proprietary Z-safe™ technology with advanced electrolyte systems, Cellec is pioneering innovations that could redefine the energy storage industry. We are excited to support their journey through the SuperBoost program as they bring this critical technology to market.”

The Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York is committed to expanding the national energy storage ecosystem by advancing battery innovation and manufacturing. Meera Sampath, CEO of the Engine, emphasized the broader mission of the program: “The Engine plays a pivotal role in fostering a strong, interconnected network of battery innovators and manufacturers. Cellec’s advancements in extreme-temperature resilience and battery safety align perfectly with our goal of strengthening the U.S. battery supply chain, advancing national security interests, and positioning upstate New York as a leader in energy storage technology.”

With this support, Cellec Technologies will advance its electrode and electrolyte development, conduct rigorous testing, and validate its next-generation battery technology for commercial applications. These efforts will play a critical role in expanding the availability of safe, high- performance energy storage solutions for EVs, aerospace, and defense.

About Cellec Technologies

Cellec Technologies is a leading battery technology company focused on improving safety, reliability, and sustainability in lithium-ion energy storage. Its patented 0V-stable Z-safe™ technology and semi-solid electrolyte systems enable lithium-ion batteries to function safely and effectively in extreme-temperature environments. Cellec’s innovations support electric vehicles, aerospace, defense, and grid storage applications.

For more information, visit www.cellectech.com.

Contact:
Christopher Schauerman
CEO, Cellec Technologies
Email: chris@cellectech.com

About the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York

The NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, led by Binghamton University, is a National Science Foundation-funded, place-based innovation program. The coalition of 40+ academic, industry, nonprofit, state, and community organizations includes Cornell University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, Launch-NY and NY-BEST as core partners. The Engine advances next-gen battery technology development and manufacturing to drive economic growth and bolster national security. Its vision is to transform upstate New York into America’s Battery Capital.

For more information on the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, visit https://upstatenyengine.org/.

Contact:
Fernando Gómez-Baquero, Ph.D.
Translation Pillar Director
NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York
fernando@cornell.edu

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4b7eea4b-fc3c-4345-a9a9-3bc91d4147f8

The MIL Network –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to modelling study on the impact of a weakened AMOC on the European climate

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

June 11, 2025

A modelling study published in Geophysical Research Letters looks at the impact of a weakened AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation) on European climate.

Prof Richard Allan, Professor of Climate Science, University of Reading, said:

“Although scientists are moderately confident that the North Atlantic ocean overturning circulation will not fizzle out this century, given the dire consequences for global weather patterns it is important to test the ground for these unlikely but high impact possibilities, in the same way that we insure our homes against improbable calamity.

“Since warm upper ocean currents keep Europe milder than it would otherwise be, the simulations of an abrupt shut down in this circulation show temperatures drop like a stone in winter, while less influence in summer means hot extremes still worsen with greenhouse gas heating. Such marked winter cooling in the North Atlantic and Europe in contrast to a background of greenhouse gas warming across the rest of the world would also play havoc with wind patterns and weather systems over the continent and more widely across the globe.

“The new study is by no means the last word since it only considers one modelling centre’s simulations that may not be realistic and are not expected to play out in the real world over next few decades. But even the mere possibility of this dire storyline unfolding over coming centuries underscores the need to forensically monitor what is happening in our oceans and to continue building momentum across all sectors of society to cut greenhouse gas emissions which are driving our climate into dangerous, uncharted territory.”

Prof Jon Robson, Research Fellow at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Reading, said:

“A collapse in the strength of the AMOC would have serious implications, including for people living in Europe. This research adds to a growing worry that a collapse in the strength of the AMOC could mean sharp drops in European winter temperatures and increases in winter storminess across Northern Europe, even in a globally warming climate.

“There remains, however, a long list of questions, including whether such a collapse is likely in the real world, how quickly it could unfold, and what the precise impacts would be. It is critical that we continue to deepen our understanding of such events and their implications using all available approaches and across a range of simulations.

“Ultimately, continued greenhouse gas emissions only heightens the risks that we could unwittingly trigger such a calamity, further underlining the importance of reaching net zero.

Dr Karsten Haustein, Climate Scientist, Leipzig University, said:

“I believe their statement is a bit too assertive. I’d rather say ‘A strongly reduced AMOC state and intermediate global warming…could have a profound cooling effect on Northwestern Europe with more intense cold extremes.’

“There’s a strong north-south gradient in how much the cold extremes intensify. The UK (as well as Ireland, Iceland) and Scandinavia are most affected, with little change for countries south of the North and Baltic Sea.

“Most importantly though, it is absolutely vital to stress that warm extremes continue to increase. In other words, summer temperatures continue to go up, with heatwaves remaining or becoming the main threat linked to climate change. Accordingly, the seasonality of temperature extremes strongly increases over NW Europe, as the authors rightly point out.

“In short, the climate in NW Europe is potentially becoming more continental, with colder winter and hotter summer extremes. Not great either, but a rather different message compared to their statement.

“The study builds on existing evidence, but takes it a step further. Now greenhouse gas induced anthropogenic warming is included in the analysis, allowing to assess their balancing effect compared to scenarios without additional warming. The methods and model data are solid. Since only one climate model is used, they run two different experiments to account for the range of uncertainty (high and low freshwater flux forcing). Based on the results, it is fair to say that a collapse of the AMOC is still not a certain outcome under moderate warming conditions (RCP4.5).

“In fact, their results indicate that moderate warming might not be enough for an AMOC collapse, which – even if it does occur – does not necessarily rescue NW Europe from intensified summer heat.

Dr Alejandra Sanchez-Franks, Senior Research Scientist in Physical Oceanography, Marine Physics and Ocean Climate (MPOC), National Oceanography Centre, said:

“While these modelling studies are of great value to our community, it is important to be aware that our observational ocean records have not yet captured a tipping point, so the results of this study and their immediate impact on the real world must be interpreted with caution.”

Dr Dafydd Gwyn Evans, Senior Research Scientist in Physical Oceanography, National Oceanography Centre, said:

“This is an interesting study that provides some useful information from a theoretical point of view, but we shouldn’t use the conclusions of this study to inform us as to how the AMOC and European climate will respond to potential short term AMOC changes. The study uses an idealised experiment with unrealistic freshwater changes to force an AMOC collapse. Very importantly, the author’s conclusions refer to the European climate 200 years after an AMOC change and do not describe what will happen to European temperatures and sea-ice in the years/decades following an AMOC collapse. Therefore, the study does not serve to tell us how an AMOC tipping point / collapse will affect us immediately.”

Dr Bablu Sinha, Leader of Climate and Uncertainty, Marine Systems Modelling (MSM), National Oceanography Centre, said:

“The results are physically plausible and in line with what we know from previous modelling studies and physical reasoning. We have always expected there to be opposing effects from greenhouse warming versus AMOC shutdown but as far as I know this is the first study that tries to quantify that (suggesting that moderate greenhouse warming would not be enough to outweigh the AMOC related cooling), even though there are many caveats. The study also highlights the important influence of sea ice changes on the climate impacts.”

Dr Jenny Mecking, Research Scientist, National Oceanography Centre, said:

“Given that observational data is limited theoretical climate modelling approaches need to be taken to properly investigate this topic. Van Westen and Baatsen motivate the need for more detailed investigation into the combined impacts of global warming and AMOC decline on European extreme temperatures.”

‘European Temperature Extremes under Different AMOC Scenarios in the Community Earth System Model’ by Rene M. van Westen and Michiel L.J. Baatsen was published in Geophysical Research Letters at 2pm UK time on Wednesday 11 June 2025.

Declared interests

Richard Allan: “no conflicts of interest”

Jon Robson: “I do not have any interests to declare”

Karsten Haustein: “No conflict of interest”

For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: The exhibition “Traditional Values of Russia” opened at the State University of Management: a look through the prism of KVN

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

On the eve of Russia Day, a holiday of unity, patriotism and pride for our country, we invite you to a unique exhibition where traditional Russian values come to life in bright, sincere and kindly ironic works of participants of the program “KVN – School of Leaders”. This project was created with the support of the State University of Management, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, TTO “AMiK” and the Knowledge Center “Mashuk”.

What awaits you at the exhibition?

— Pictures painted with humor and warmth – the view of young KVN leaders on the culture and identity of Russia; — Creative understanding of eternal truths through the prism of humor and sincerity; — A unique opportunity to see how art and KVN unite in the name of patriotism.

Ivan Sokolov, a specialist at the Center for the Development of the KVN Movement in Higher Education Institutions, recently opened at the State University of Management, spoke about the exhibition. “Seeing how the program participants were able to express their understanding of traditional values through humor and creativity was truly inspiring. This exhibition is a clear indication that KVN can be not only entertainment, but also an effective tool for developing a civic position among young people. It is especially symbolic to organize this exhibition on the eve of Russia Day.”

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 –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Family homesteads with tangled titles are contributing to rural America’s housing crisis

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jennifer Pindyck, Assistant Professor of Architecture, Auburn University

Rural Studio helps families build new housing on land with tangled titles, meaning there’s no clear owner. Auburn University Rural Studio. Photo by Timothy Hursley, CC BY-SA

Imagine your parents leave you and your siblings a share of land that’s been in your family for generations. Several of your relatives already live on the land, and you’d like to do the same; but you can’t get a loan to build or renovate a home without permission from all the relatives who also share ownership. And at any moment, another heir could sell their share, triggering a court-ordered sale that could force you off the land – and lose everything you’ve invested in.

This is the reality of what’s known as heirs’ property: land passed down informally, without clear wills or deeds, which results in a “tangled” or “clouded” title.

It’s more common than you might think in the U.S., especially in rural areas, and it presents significant challenges to long-term housing stability.

Research shows that within 44 states and the District of Columbia, there are an estimated 508,371
heirs’ properties, with an assessed value of US$32 billion. (There wasn’t reliable enough data in six states.)

It’s more of an issue in some states, such as Alabama. But it’s also a problem in cities such as New York City and Philadelphia.

Because it’s so difficult to finance home construction on this land, sell it or leverage it, heirs’ property can leave families vulnerable to exploitation and perpetuate cycles of poverty. Despite these challenges, many families have nonetheless lived together and supported one another on shared land for generations.

As faculty and collaborators with Auburn University’s Rural Studio, we study heirs’ property and its role in shaping housing access. Based in Hale County, Alabama, Rural Studio has completed over 200 projects – many of them homes built on heirs’ property – providing critical housing for families facing complex land ownership challenges.

Land with no clear owner

The lack of a clear will or deed often happens due to inadequate access to – and distrust of – the legal system.

Once the land is passed down to the next generation, the heirs are known as “tenants in common,” meaning they own an undivided interest in the entire property. As the property continues to pass down from generation to generation, the number of tenants in common increases exponentially.

When a couple passes down land to their children – and then those kids pass it down to their kids – the number of heirs dramatically increases.
Auburn University Rural Studio, CC BY-SA

Without clear title, no single person or group can make decisions about the property. Every heir must legally sign off on any action, which makes it nearly impossible to secure traditional forms of financing, obtain insurance, access disaster relief, or use the land as collateral.

Those living on the land often pay their share of property taxes, but distant or unaware heirs might not, which puts the entire property at risk of being lost through a tax lien sale. This leaves families with property in “tangled” status exposed to predatory land acquisition practices that often lead to land loss.

Any tenant in common can sell their share to an outside party. These outside parties – either individuals or companies – can then request a court to order what’s called a partition by sale, which can push every other owner off the land.

Imagine three siblings inherit a piece of land from their parents and are now tenants in common. One sibling sells their share to a real estate investor. That investor then goes to court and requests a partition by sale. The court then orders the entire property sold and the proceeds split among the owners, effectively forcing the other two siblings off the land, even if they wanted to keep it.

Such tactics are especially common in the Black Belt region of the U.S., which covers Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina; as such, they disproportionately affect Black Americans.

Why family-owned land matters

Our research in Hale County, Alabama, finds that Black families in particular have supported one another for generations while living on heirs’ property.

These multigenerational kinship networks rely on one another for child care, elder care, food, transportation and shared utility costs. But the value of this sort of living situation goes beyond social and economic benefits. The land can be woven into family lore or be steeped in the history of the surrounding area.

So, despite the legal and financial challenges, many extended families will do whatever they can to continue living together on their land. Even a small stake in heirs’ property offers connection to the past and a place to return home in the future.

Family members often live in different homes spread across heirs’ property, which often exists in a legal gray area.
Auburn University Rural Studio, CC BY-SA

These informal kinship networks can provide support and resilience in ways that traditional forms of land and homeownership do not. Putting all of the people who own the land on the title – what’s known as “clearing title” – is not only costly and time-consuming, but it also often requires dividing up the property into smaller parcels, which can prevent some family members from living on the land altogether.

Meanwhile, traditional legal and financial products – think mortgages and land-use agreements with farmers – tend to be structured with sole ownership in mind. Most banks and institutions simply won’t lend to heirs’ property with tangled titles.

There have been recent efforts to protect these informal arrangements. The Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act, which has been enacted in 25 states, ensures due process and sets up safeguards against immediate partition by sale actions.

For example, if a suit is brought by a co-owner, a fair market value appraisal – or an agreed-upon value by all parties – must be conducted. The other shareholders of the land also have the option to buy out the shareholder bringing the suit. Under the statute, additional partition methods may be considered. And if a sale is required, it’s done on the open market.

Many organizations are working to address issues related to heirs’ property and tangled titles. Most of the work centers on clearing title, establishing shared land agreements and teaching landowners how to avoid having their property fall into a tangled title situation. For example, the Florida Housing Coalition, Housing Assistance Council and the Alabama Heirs Property Alliance are actively engaged in community education, legal support, data mapping and policy advocacy.

Build first, ask permission later

Many rural families on heirs’ property have limited pathways to homeownership. Financial constraints, limited access to quality housing options and lot restrictions have often forced residents to settle for older, substandard, manufactured homes. Small utility sheds have even begun to replace broken-down trailer homes in many rural areas.

Utility sheds are increasingly being used as homes across the U.S. South.
Auburn University Rural Studio, CC BY-SA

There’s clearly a need for safe, durable housing that enables these families to build generational wealth. And that’s where Rural Studio comes in.

Building new housing or renovating existing structures means dealing with a web of zoning laws, building codes and land development ordinances, which are all tied to financing and lending systems. While many efforts to address heirs’ property aim to change legal policies, we approach this issue through housing.

We use what we call a “build first” strategy. Using funds from research grants and donations, we simply start building on heirs’ properties with the permission of families. In the process, we show that if tangled titles were no longer an obstacle, much more housing could be built.

One of our recent Rural Studio projects is the 18×18 House, a compact, multistory home built for a young man living on heirs’ property in Alabama.

The 18X18 House is a multistory home that was on heirs’ property in Alabama.
Auburn University Rural Studio. Photo by Timothy Hursley, CC BY-SA

The home is nestled between several other family members’ homes. We had to work around existing electrical lines, a septic field, roads and steep topography. Despite these site constraints, the house is an ideal starter home: big enough for the young man and a future partner to live comfortably on the family plot. If he ever decides to leave, other family members can move in.

Rather than focusing on one-off products, our goal with the 18×18 House is to develop replicable housing prototypes that respond to the realities of intergenerational living on family land. We also hope that tangible housing will help policymakers understand the value of reform.

The question isn’t whether design can respond to these challenges, but how it can lead by pushing antiquated regulatory and legal frameworks to evolve.

Jennifer Pindyck receives funding from Fannie Mae, Wells Fargo and the Center for Architecture, in partnership with AIA New York. She is affiliated with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and is a registered architect in the state of Georgia.

Christian Ayala Lopez work is funded through a diverse range of organizations such as Fannie Mae, USDA, and Center for Architecture NY. He is affiliated to Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, and member of Florida Housing Coalition.

Rusty Smith receives funding from Fannie Mae, USDA, Wells Fargo and Regions Bank. He is affiliated with the Housing Assistance Council, the American Institute of Architects, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Innovation Incubator, the EPA Collegiate/Underserved Community Partnership and the Bipartisan Policy Center.

– ref. Family homesteads with tangled titles are contributing to rural America’s housing crisis – https://theconversation.com/family-homesteads-with-tangled-titles-are-contributing-to-rural-americas-housing-crisis-254679

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: You’re probably richer than you think because of the safety net – but you’d have more of that hidden wealth if you lived in Norway

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Robert Manduca, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Michigan

You may be wealthier than you realize. Deagreez/iStock via Getty Images Plus

How wealthy are you?

Like most people, you probably would do some math before answering this question. You would add up the money in your bank accounts, the value of your investments and any equity in a home you own, then subtract your debts, such as mortgages and car loans.

But many economists believe this approach, known as calculating your net worth, leaves out a big chunk of your wealth: the benefits you’ll get in the future from Social Security, if you live in the United States, or similar government benefits programs that help retirees pay their bills in other countries.

As a sociologist who studies income and wealth inequality, I wanted to figure out just how much government safety net programs are worth to their recipients, and whether they truly can substitute for private savings.

A $40 trillion trove

A team of researchers recently estimated that future Social Security payments amounted to more than US$40 trillion as of 2019 – about $123,000 for everyone in the U.S. That huge number, which is not adjusted for inflation, was nearly one-third of the $110 trillion of Americans’ collective net worth in that year.

In a recent peer-reviewed study, published in April 2025 in Socio-Economic Review, I found that even this expanded definition of wealth leaves some important things out: unemployment insurance, the child tax credit and other widely available benefits. People who have access to these programs don’t have to dip into their savings as much when unexpected costs come up.

Social Security is by far the largest of these programs. As of 2019, the typical worker nearing retirement had banked about $412,000 in future Social Security benefits, I found – nearly as much as the $472,000 in private retirement savings such workers had. This estimate doesn’t include Social Security benefits to orphans, widows or people with disabilities.

The value of Social Security retirement benefits varies according to workers’ income and work history, ranging from $271,000 for the poorest 10% of recipients to $669,000 for the richest 10%.

Benefits from smaller safety net programs can also add up. Because some programs differ by state, I analyzed California and Texas, the two largest states. In California, I calculated that the average 45-year-old worker can count on almost $12,000 in unemployment insurance over 26 weeks, while in Texas the same worker would be eligible for more than $15,000 over the same period.

Meanwhile, under current law, many families having a child in 2025 can expect to receive about $29,000 through the federal child tax credit over the course of that kid’s lifetime.

Texas doesn’t mandate paid family leave, but California requires that each parent receive eight weeks of their salary. That’s worth another $13,000 to a family earning $90,000 a year – the median in my study – and more if the parents have higher incomes.

Where there’s even more hidden wealth

These somewhat hidden sources of wealth are worth far more in many other countries, especially Scandinavian ones. Norway provides a useful contrast.

The typical Norwegian worker retires with more than $510,000 in public pension wealth, I calculated. The exact amount they collect will vary depending on what they’ve earned and how long they live, as is the case with Social Security. But, unlike in the U.S., if they get sick, Norwegians are eligible for a up to a year of paid sick leave – worth about $57,000 to the median worker.

Norwegians can get unemployment insurance benefits for almost two years, amounting to $70,000 for the average worker, depending on their wages. And the combination of Norway’s child benefit and parental leave is worth between $60,000 and $80,000 from the time each child is born until they turn 18, depending on the parents’ exact income.

In the past few years, researchers have estimated the wealth value of public pensions – though not other government benefits – in several countries, including Australia, Austria, Germany, Poland and Switzerland, among others.

In many nations, this value rivals or exceeds that of all stocks, real estate and other private assets held by their residents combined.

Because so many people are eligible for Social Security or its equivalent public pension programs in other countries, there is also much less inequality in total retirement wealth than in standard measures of net worth.

Wealth vs. income

Wealth is much more unequally distributed than income just about everywhere. In the United States, for example, the richest 5% of the population has 32% of all income, but 70% of all wealth.

Wealth inequality has grown over time, and the Black-white wealth gap in the United States is particularly large. While typical Black families have incomes that are about 56% of what white families earn, they own only 18% as much wealth as the typical white family.

For these reasons, many politicians, scholars and activists have proposed ambitious policies to reduce inequality in private wealth, such as a wealth tax. Another idea gaining in popularity is to start issuing “baby bonds,” which give each newborn a prefunded savings account.

Wealth embedded in government benefits offers a complementary method of addressing wealth inequality. Even today, when Social Security and similar pension programs in other places are counted alongside private savings, inequality in retirement wealth is much lower than in privately held wealth alone.

Less flexible source of wealth

To be sure, the wealth you’re eventually due through Social Security and other government programs isn’t the same as the private assets you might own.

You can’t sell or borrow against your future Social Security benefits to meet an unexpected expense or make a down payment on a home. And if you die before reaching retirement age, you won’t receive any payments from the Social Security system yourself, although your spouse or heirs may be eligible for survivor benefits.

Also, government programs are not set in stone. Eligibility requirements can change, and benefit levels can be cut.

For instance, if the Social Security trust fund is depleted, retirees could see their benefits decline. But private wealth is also never guaranteed to last: Stock values can fluctuate wildly, and inflation erodes the value of any cash you’ve saved over time.

For these reasons, having a combination of private savings and government benefits offers the most promising way for everyone to prepare for their future. This can also help society address wealth inequality.

Robert Manduca has received funding from the Washington Center for Equitable Growth.

– ref. You’re probably richer than you think because of the safety net – but you’d have more of that hidden wealth if you lived in Norway – https://theconversation.com/youre-probably-richer-than-you-think-because-of-the-safety-net-but-youd-have-more-of-that-hidden-wealth-if-you-lived-in-norway-255833

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: How your air conditioner can help the power grid, rather than overloading it

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Johanna Mathieu, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, University of Michigan

Could this common home machinery help usher in more renewable energy? Holden Henry/iStock / Getty Images Plus

As summer arrives, people are turning on air conditioners in most of the U.S. But if you’re like me, you always feel a little guilty about that. Past generations managed without air conditioning – do I really need it? And how bad is it to use all this electricity for cooling in a warming world?

If I leave my air conditioner off, I get too hot. But if everyone turns on their air conditioner at the same time, electricity demand spikes, which can force power grid operators to activate some of the most expensive, and dirtiest, power plants. Sometimes those spikes can ask too much of the grid and lead to brownouts or blackouts.

Research I recently published with a team of scholars makes me feel a little better, though. We have found that it is possible to coordinate the operation of large numbers of home air-conditioning units, balancing supply and demand on the power grid – and without making people endure high temperatures inside their homes.

Studies along these lines, using remote control of air conditioners to support the grid, have for many years explored theoretical possibilities like this. However, few approaches have been demonstrated in practice and never for such a high-value application and at this scale. The system we developed not only demonstrated the ability to balance the grid on timescales of seconds, but also proved it was possible to do so without affecting residents’ comfort.

The benefits include increasing the reliability of the power grid, which makes it easier for the grid to accept more renewable energy. Our goal is to turn air conditioners from a challenge for the power grid into an asset, supporting a shift away from fossil fuels toward cleaner energy.

Adjustable equipment

My research focuses on batteries, solar panels and electric equipment – such as electric vehicles, water heaters, air conditioners and heat pumps – that can adjust itself to consume different amounts of energy at different times.

Originally, the U.S. electric grid was built to transport electricity from large power plants to customers’ homes and businesses. And originally, power plants were large, centralized operations that burned coal or natural gas, or harvested energy from nuclear reactions. These plants were typically always available and could adjust how much power they generated in response to customer demand, so the grid would be balanced between power coming in from producers and being used by consumers.

But the grid has changed. There are more renewable energy sources, from which power isn’t always available – like solar panels at night or wind turbines on calm days. And there are the devices and equipment I study. These newer options, called “distributed energy resources,” generate or store energy near where consumers need it – or adjust how much energy they’re using in real time.

One aspect of the grid hasn’t changed, though: There’s not much storage built into the system. So every time you turn on a light, for a moment there’s not enough electricity to supply everything that wants it right then: The grid needs a power producer to generate a little more power. And when you turn off a light, there’s a little too much: A power producer needs to ramp down.

The way power plants know what real-time power adjustments are needed is by closely monitoring the grid frequency. The goal is to provide electricity at a constant frequency – 60 hertz – at all times. If more power is needed than is being produced, the frequency drops and a power plant boosts output. If there’s too much power being produced, the frequency rises and a power plant slows production a little. These actions, a process called “frequency regulation,” happen in a matter of seconds to keep the grid balanced.

This output flexibility, primarily from power plants, is key to keeping the lights on for everyone.

Power plants, like this one in Utah, adjust their output to match demand from electricity customers.
Jason Finn/iStock / Getty Images Plus

Finding new options

I’m interested in how distributed energy resources can improve flexibility in the grid. They can release more energy, or consume less, to respond to the changing supply or demand, and help balance the grid, ensuring the frequency remains near 60 hertz.

Some people fear that doing so might be invasive, giving someone outside your home the ability to control your battery or air conditioner. Therefore, we wanted to see if we could help balance the grid with frequency regulation using home air-conditioning units rather than power plants – without affecting how residents use their appliances or how comfortable they are in their homes.

From 2019 to 2023, my group at the University of Michigan tried this approach, in collaboration with researchers at Pecan Street Inc., Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley, with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy.

We recruited 100 homeowners in Austin, Texas, to do a real-world test of our system. All the homes had whole-house forced-air cooling systems, which we connected to custom control boards and sensors the owners allowed us to install in their homes. This equipment let us send instructions to the air-conditioning units based on the frequency of the grid.

Before I explain how the system worked, I first need to explain how thermostats work. When people set thermostats, they pick a temperature, and the thermostat switches the air-conditioning compressor on and off to maintain the air temperature within a small range around that set point. If the temperature is set at 68 degrees, the thermostat turns the AC on when the temperature is, say, 70, and turns it off when it’s cooled down to, say, 66.

Every few seconds, our system slightly changed the timing of air-conditioning compressor switching for some of the 100 air conditioners, causing the units’ aggregate power consumption to change. In this way, our small group of home air conditioners reacted to grid changes the way a power plant would – using more or less energy to balance the grid and keep the frequency near 60 hertz.

Moreover, our system was designed to kept home temperatures within the same small temperature range around the set point.

Smart thermostats could have frequency regulation capabilities available to interested consumers, to help balance the electricity grid.
Danielle Mead/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Testing the approach

We ran our system in four tests, each lasting one hour. We found two encouraging results.

First, the air conditioners were able to provide frequency regulation at least as accurately as a traditional power plant. Therefore, we showed that air conditioners could play a significant role in increasing grid flexibility. But perhaps more importantly – at least in terms of encouraging people to participate in these types of systems – we found that we were able to do so without affecting people’s comfort in their homes.

We found that home temperatures did not deviate more than 1.6 Fahrenheit from their set point. Homeowners were allowed to override the controls if they got uncomfortable, but most didn’t. For most tests, we received zero override requests. In the worst case, we received override requests from two of the 100 homes in our test.

In practice, this sort of technology could be added to commercially available internet-connected thermostats. In exchange for credits on their energy bills, users could choose to join a service run by the thermostat company, their utility provider or some other third party.

Then people could turn on the air conditioning in the summer heat without that pang of guilt, knowing they were helping to make the grid more reliable and more capable of accommodating renewable energy sources – without sacrificing their own comfort in the process.

Johanna Mathieu works for the University of Michigan. She has received funding from the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, ARPA-E, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. She is affiliated with the IEEE.

– ref. How your air conditioner can help the power grid, rather than overloading it – https://theconversation.com/how-your-air-conditioner-can-help-the-power-grid-rather-than-overloading-it-256858

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: A field guide to ‘accelerationism’: White supremacist groups using violence to spur race war and create social chaos

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Art Jipson, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Dayton

Demonstrators clash with counterdemonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 12, 2017. AP Photo/Steve Helber

A man named Regan Prater was charged with arson for the burning of Highlander Center in New Market, Tennessee, on May 7, 2025. The nonprofit has a long history of involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. The FBI stated in a court document that Prater participated in neo-Nazi Telegram group chats online.

Earlier this year, Brandon Clint Russell, founder of Atomwaffen Divison, also known as the National Socialist Resistance Front, a onetime neo-Nazi terrorist organization, according to the Department of Justice, was convicted of conspiracy to damage an energy facility in Baltimore.

In the fall of 2024, a 24-year-old man, Skyler Philippi, targeted the Nashville power grid with an explosive drone. Federal authorities allege that Philippi was motivated by white supremacist ideologies and affiliated with the extremist group the National Alliance.

In my research on right-wing extremism over 30 years, a disturbing pattern has emerged: White supremacists and white nationalists are increasingly willing to use violence targeting critical infrastructure in an effort to destabilize society.

Since the Ku Klux Klan’s resurgence in 1915, white supremacists have pushed for white control of society. In particular, white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups have long advocated violence to establish a white ethnostate, a proposed political entity or nation-state where residency and citizenship are exclusively limited to whites.

In the past several years, extremists have started using the term “accelerationism” to describe their desire to create social chaos and societal collapse that leads to a race war and the destruction of liberal democratic systems, paving the way for a white ethnostate.

What is accelerationism?

The motivating idea behind accelerationism is that social chaos creates an opportunity for extremists to create a racially or ideologically “pure” future.

Scholars who study extremism have used the term “accelerationism” since the 1980s, but it wasn’t widely associated with right-wing extremist violence until the late 2010s. People calling themselves “eco-fascists,” for example, often endorse mass violence as a means to reduce population and spark societal collapse.

Accelerationism is often connected to the white replacement theory, a white nationalist conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that there is a deliberate plot to diminish the influence and power of white people by replacing them with nonwhite populations.

While not all extremists who advocate violent confrontation use the label, the calls for violent disruption strive for the same results. Brenton Harrison Tarrant, the Australian white supremacist who perpetrated the Christchurch mosque shootings on March 15, 2019, in New Zealand, labeled an entire section of his online manifesto Destabilization and Accelerationism: Tactics for Victory.

Members of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement salute and shout ‘sieg heil’ during a rally in front of the State House in Trenton, N.J., on April 16, 2011.
AP Photo/Mel Evans

This primer provides an overview of some of the key groups that have embraced accelerationist thinking, posing significant threats to public safety, democratic institutions and social cohesion.

The Order

One of the first American groups to embody this ideology was The Order – also known as Brüder Schweigen, or the Silent Brotherhood – which continues to influence newer generations of extremist organizations, both directly and indirectly.

Robert Jay Mathews, who founded The Order in 1983, was inspired by the apocalyptic vision laid out in the novel “The Turner Diaries.” The 1978 book by William Luther Pierce – under the pseudonym Andrew Macdonald – calls for a violent, apocalyptic race war to overthrow the U.S. government and exterminate Jews, nonwhite people and political enemies. Pierce founded the National Alliance – a neo-Nazi, white supremacist organization advocating for a white ethnostate and violent revolution – in 1974.

The call for violent insurrection and radical societal overhaul has since served as a blueprint for white supremacists and right-wing extremists.

The Order believed the U.S. federal government was under the control of Jews and other minority groups, and it aimed to overthrow it to create a white ethnostate. The Order funded its activities through robberies, including US$3.6 million taken from an armored car near Ukiah, California, on July 19, 1984.

Its criminal and violent actions escalated to murder, most notably the 1984 assassination of Jewish radio host Alan Berg in Denver by Order member Bruce Pierce.

Atomwaffen Division (AWD)

The Atomwaffen Division, one of the most violent neo-Nazi accelerationist groups in the U.S., was officially founded in October 2015 by Brandon Clint Russell, a former Florida National Guardsman.

Russell had been active on a neo-Nazi web forum IronMarch.org since 2014 and announced the group’s formation on the site. He used the handle “Odin” to connect with other far-right extremists.

AWD quickly gained notoriety for its violent, neo-Nazi ideology, advocating for a race war and the collapse of the U.S. government through terrorism. The group drew inspiration from the writings of white supremacist James Mason, particularly his collection of essays titled “Siege.”

AWD’s activities included recruiting members on university campuses and among military personnel, engaging in paramilitary training, and promoting accelerationist violence. The group has been linked to multiple murders and plots in the United States and has inspired offshoots in Europe and other regions.

By 2020, AWD unraveled due to law enforcement pressure, prosecutions and internal splits. Though not fully gone, it effectively stopped operating under its name. Members helped form the National Socialist Order, which continues to promote Mason’s “Siege” and violent accelerationism.

Active Club Network

Active clubs are loosely organized, often regional groups of white supremacists and neofascists who combine fitness, combat training and ideology to promote violence and white nationalist goals. Members protest Pride and multicultual events and recruit members through fighting and combat sports. Active clubs and similar extremist networks use a multipronged recruitment strategy, combining online reach via Telegram and other social media with in-person, fighting-based community-building to attract new members.

Neo-Nazi counterdemonstrators shout angrily at the marchers from behind police barricades during the Lesbian and Gay Pride March on Fifth Avenue in New York, on June 25, 1995.
AP Photo/Kathy Willens

Emerging in 2017 from the street-fighting “Rise Above Movement” in Southern California and gaining prominence in the 2020s through the rise of The Active Club Network, or ACN, this movement demonstrated a shift from online-only, far-right groups to groups willing to fight.

Beginning in December 2020, The Active Club Network formed as a loosely affiliated, decentralized web of white supremacist, fascist and accelerationist groups that operate under a shared banner promoting physical training, brotherhood and militant white nationalism.

The Base

Founded around 2018, The Base represents one of the most explicit modern expressions of white nationalist accelerationism: as it is known by members, its “Siege Culture.”

Founded by Rinaldo Nazzaro, an American living in Russia who used the name Roman Wolf, the group recruited ex-military and survivalists preparing for collapse through self-sufficiency, aiming to spark a race war. The Base was directly influenced by James Mason’s book “Siege.”

The Base operates as a decentralized network of cells trained in paramilitary tactics, sabotage and guerrilla warfare. Their online propaganda explicitly calls for violent action to destabilize society.

Its members have been involved in plots to murder anti-fascist activists, poison water supplies, derail trains and attack critical infrastructure. In 2020, multiple members were arrested before they could carry out an armed assault at a pro-gun rally in Richmond, Virginia, where they planned to attack police officers and civilians.

Although several members have been arrested and convicted on a variety of crimes, including conspiracy to commit murder, civil disorder, firearm charges, vandalism and other violent crimes, The Base illustrates a fundamental feature of accelerationism: “leaderless resistance,” or a lack of a centralized leadership, which helps it survive and thrive. Its ideology and tactics are spread through online forums dedicated to white supremacist propaganda.

Patriot Front

Founded in 2017 by Thomas Rousseau, Patriot Front is a white supremacist group that emerged from a split with Vanguard America following the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Vanguard America was a white supremacist group that opposed multiculturalism and whose members believed America should be an exclusively white nation.

The goals of the organizers of the Unite the Right rally included unifying the American white nationalist movement and opposing the proposed removal of the statue of Robert E. Lee, the general who led the Confederate troops of slave states during the Civil War, from Charlottesville’s former Lee Park. The rally sparked a national debate over Confederate iconography, racial violence and white supremacy.

The Patriot Front defines itself as an organization of “American nationalists.” According to the Anti-Defamation League, since 2019 the Patriot Front has been responsible for a majority of white supremacist propaganda distributed in the United States, using flyers, posters, stickers, banners and the internet to spread its ideology.

The group frequently participates in localized “flash demonstrations” where it marches near city halls. Such demonstrations have also increasingly made it one of the United States’ most visible white supremacist groups. In 2024, Patriot Front held demonstrations on patriotic holidays such as Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day.

Although the group claims loyalty to America, the Patriot Front’s ultimate goal is to form a new state that advocates for the “descendants of its creators” – namely, white men.

Understanding the motivations and tactics of accelerationist groups and individuals, I believe, is critical to recognizing and countering the dangers they represent.

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

– ref. A field guide to ‘accelerationism’: White supremacist groups using violence to spur race war and create social chaos – https://theconversation.com/a-field-guide-to-accelerationism-white-supremacist-groups-using-violence-to-spur-race-war-and-create-social-chaos-255699

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: We surveyed 1,500 Florida kids about cellphones and their mental health – what we learned suggests school phone bans may have important but limited effects

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Justin D. Martin, Associate Professor of Digital Communication and Journalism, University of South Florida

The debate over banning smartphones in schools rages as more students are bringing phones to schools. Thomas Barwick/DigitalVision via Getty Images

In Florida, a bill that bans cellphone use in elementary and middle schools, from bell to bell, recently sailed through the state Legislature.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law on May 30, 2025. The same bill calls for high schools in six Florida districts to adopt the ban during the upcoming school year and produce a report on its effectiveness by Dec. 1, 2026.

Parents are divided on the issue. According to a report from Education Week, many parents want their kids to have phones for safety reasons – and don’t support bans as a result.

But in the debate over whether phones should be banned in K-12 schools – and if so, how – students themselves are rarely given a voice.

We are experts in media use and public health who surveyed 1,510 kids ages 11 to 13 in Florida in November and December 2024 to learn how they’re using digital media and the role tech plays in their lives at home and at school. Their responses were insightful – and occasionally surprising.

Adults generally cite four reasons to ban phone use during
school: to improve kids’ mental health, to strengthen academic outcomes, to reduce cyberbullying and to help limit kids’ overall screen time.

But as our survey shows, it may be a bit much to expect a cellphone ban to accomplish all of that.

What do kids want?

Some of the questions in our survey shine light on kids’ feelings toward banning cellphones – even though we didn’t ask that question directly.

We asked them if they feel relief when they’re in a situation where they can’t use their smartphone, and 31% said yes.

Additionally, 34% of kids agreed with the statement that social media causes more harm than good.

And kids were 1.5 to 2 times more likely to agree with those statements if they attended schools where phones are banned or confiscated for most of the school day, with use only permitted at certain times. That group covered
70% of the students we surveyed because many individual schools or school districts in Florida have already limited students’ cellphone use.

How students use cellphones matters

Some “power users” of cellphone apps could likely use a break from them.

Twenty percent of children we surveyed said push notifications on their phones — that is, notifications from apps that pop up on the phone’s screen — are never turned off. These notifications are likely coming from the most popular apps kids reported using, like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.

This 20% of children was roughly three times more likely to report experiencing anxiety than kids who rarely or never have their notifications on.

They were also nearly five times more likely to report earning mostly D’s and F’s in school than kids whose notifications are always or sometimes off.

Our survey results also suggest phone bans would likely have positive effects on grades and mental health among some of the heaviest screen users. For example, 22% of kids reported using their favorite app for six or more hours per day. These students were three times more likely to report earning mostly D’s and F’s in school than kids who spend an hour or less on their favorite app each day.

They also were six times more likely than hour-or-less users to report severe depression symptoms. These insights remained even after ruling out numerous other possible explanations for the difference — like age, household income, gender, parent’s education, race and ethnicity.

Banning students’ access to phones at school means these kids would not receive notifications for at least that seven-hour period and have fewer hours in the day to use apps.

Phones and mental health

However, other data we collected suggests that bans aren’t a universal benefit for all children.

Seventeen percent of kids who attend schools that ban or confiscate phones report severe depression symptoms, compared with just 4% among kids who keep their phones with them during the school day.

This finding held even after we ruled out other potential explanations for what we were seeing, such as the type of school students attend and other demographic factors.

We are not suggesting that our survey shows phone bans cause mental health problems.

It is possible, for instance, that the schools where kids already were struggling with their mental health simply happened to be the ones that have banned phones. Also, our survey didn’t ask kids how long phones have been banned at their schools. If the bans just launched, there may be positive effects on mental health or grades yet to come.

In order to get a better sense of the bans’ effects on mental health, we would need to examine mental health indicators before and after phone bans.

To get a long-term view on this question, we are planning to do a nationwide survey of digital media use and mental health, starting with 11- to 13-year-olds and tracking them into adulthood.

Even with the limitations of our data from this survey, however, we can conclude that banning phones in schools is unlikely to be an immediate solution to mental health problems of kids ages 11-13.

Grades up, cyberbullying down

Students at schools where phones are barred or confiscated didn’t report earning higher grades than children at schools where kids keep their phones.

This finding held for students at both private and public schools, and even after ruling out other possible explanations like differences in gender and household income, since these factors are also known to affect grades.

There are limits to our findings here: Grades are not a perfect measure of learning, and they’re not standardized across schools. It’s possible that kids at phone-free schools are in fact learning more than those at schools where kids carry their phones around during school hours – even if they earn the same grades.

We asked kids how often in the past three months they’d experienced mistreatment online – like being called hurtful names or having lies or rumors spread about them. Kids at schools where phone use is limited during school hours actually reported enduring more cyberbullying than children at schools with less restrictive policies. This result persisted even after we considered smartphone ownership and numerous demographics as possible explanations.

We are not necessarily saying that cellphone bans cause an increase in cyberbullying. What could be at play here is that at schools where cyberbullying has been particularly bad, phones have been banned or are confiscated, and online bullying still occurs.

But based on our survey results, it does not appear that school phone bans prevent cyberbullying.

Overall, our findings suggest that banning phones in schools may not be an easy fix for students’ mental health problems, poor academic performance or cyberbullying.

That said, kids might benefit from phone-free schools in ways that we have not explored, like increased attention spans or reduced eyestrain.

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

– ref. We surveyed 1,500 Florida kids about cellphones and their mental health – what we learned suggests school phone bans may have important but limited effects – https://theconversation.com/we-surveyed-1-500-florida-kids-about-cellphones-and-their-mental-health-what-we-learned-suggests-school-phone-bans-may-have-important-but-limited-effects-256970

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Politics based on grievance has a long and violent history in America

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Peter C. Mancall, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A statue of Christopher Columbus, toppled by protesters, is loaded onto a truck on the grounds of the state capitol on June 10, 2020, in St Paul, Minn. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Recently, President Donald Trump declared that he is “bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes.” He hopes to make up for the removal of commemorative statues important to “the Italians that love him so much.”

But Columbus Day had not been scrapped or reduced to ashes. Although President Joe Biden issued a proclamation for Indigenous Peoples Day in October 2024, on the same day he also declared a holiday in honor of Christopher Columbus.

Nonetheless, Trump posted in April 2025, “Christopher is going to make a major comeback.” By using Columbus’ name, which means “Christ-bearer,” a president who covets the praise of faith leaders yoked the explorer to his campaign promise: “For those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.”

By reasserting the importance of Columbus, the president took a stand against the toppling and vandalism of statues of Columbus. In this case, his act of retribution for his supporters focused on the holiday, which he could declare more easily than returning icons of a fallen man to empty pedestals.

Trump’s statement invoked the politics of grievance – a sense of resentment or injustice fueled by perceived discrimination – that have characterized his actions for years.

The list of targets for his retribution, which have included Harvard University, elite law firms and former allies he believes have betrayed him, now exceeds 100, according to an NPR review.

As a historian of early America, I am familiar with how grievance marked the colonial era. Throughout this period, grievance fueled rage and violence.

European grievance in America

Europeans who arrived in the Americas following Columbus’ 1492 journey claimed the territories in the Western Hemisphere through an obsolete legal theory known as the “doctrine of discovery.”

Spanish, English, French, Dutch and Portuguese rulers, according to this notion, owned portions of the Americas, regardless of the claims of Indigenous peoples. This presumption of ownership justified, in their minds, the use of violence against those who resisted them.

In 1598, for example, Spanish soldiers patrolling the pueblo of Acoma in New Mexico demanded food from local residents, whom the colonizers saw as their subordinates. The town’s inhabitants, believing the request excessive, fought instead, killing 11 Spaniards.

In response, the governor of New Mexico, a territory almost entirely populated by Indigenous peoples, ordered the systematic amputations of the hands or feet of residents whom the soldiers thought had participated in the attack. They also enslaved hundreds in the town. Roughly 1,500 residents of Acoma died in the conflict, according to the National Park Service, a response seemingly driven more by grievance than strategy.

English colonizers proved just as quick to deploy extraordinary violence if they believed Native Americans deprived them of what they thought was theirs.

In March 1622, soldiers from the Powhatan Confederation – composed of Algonquian tribes from present-day Virginia – launched a surprise attack to protest encroachments on their lands, killing 347 colonists.

The English labeled the event a “barbarous massacre,” using language that dehumanized the Powhatans and cast them as villainous raiders. An English pamphleteer named Edward Waterhouse castigated these Indigenous people as “wyld naked Natives,” “Pagan Infidels” and “perfidious and inhumane.”

Opechancanough was paramount chief of the Powhatan Confederacy in present-day Virginia from 1618 until his death in 1646.
mikroman6/Getty Images

War began almost immediately. Colonial soldiers embraced a scorched-earth strategy, burning houses and crops when they could not locate their enemies. On May 22, 1623, one group sailed into Pamunkey territory to rescue captives.

Under a ruse of peaceful negotiation, they distributed poison to some 200 Native residents. By doing so, the colonial soldiers, driven by grievance more than law, ignored their own rules of war, which forbade the use of poison in war.

Grievance drove colonists against each other

Even among colonists, grievance promoted violence.

In 1692, residents of Salem, Massachusetts, believed their misfortunes were the work of the devil. Their anxieties and anger led them to accuse others of witchcraft.

As historians who have studied the Salem witch trials have argued, many of the accusers in agricultural Salem Village – modern-day Danvers – harbored resentments against neighbors who had closer ties to nearby Salem Town, which was more commercial.

The aggrieved found a spokesman in the Rev. Samuel Parris, whose own earlier failure in business had led him to look for a new path forward as a minister. Parris’ anger about his earlier disappointments fueled his indignation about what he saw as inadequate economic support from local authorities.

In a sermon, he underscored his financial irritation by emphasizing Judas’ betrayal of Jesus for “a poor & mean price,” as if it was the amount that mattered. The resentful residents and their bitter minister fueled the largest witch hunt in American history, which left at least 20 of the accused dead.

The painting ‘Trial of George Jacobs of Salem for Witchcraft’ in 1692 by T.H. Matteson.
Tompkins Harrison Matteson/Library of Congress via AP

The most obvious forerunner of today’s grievance-fueled politics was a rebellion in the spring and summer of 1676 by backcountry colonists in Virginia who battled their Jamestown-based colonial government. They were led by Nathaniel Bacon, a tobacco farmer who believed that provincial officials were not doing enough to protect outlying farms from attacks by Susquehannocks and other Indigenous residents.

Bacon and his followers, consumed by their “declaration of grievances,” petitioned the local government for help. When they did not get the result they wanted, they marched against Jamestown. They set the capital alight and chased Gov. William Berkeley away.

Bacon succumbed to dysentery in October, and the movement collapsed without its charismatic leader. Berkeley survived but lost his position.

The rebellion has become etched into history as a violent attack against governing authorities that foreshadowed the 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol.

When President Trump invokes alleged insults to one community to satisfy the yearnings of his followers, he and his allies run the risk of once again stoking the passions of the aggrieved.

Acts of grievance come in different forms, depending on historical and political circumstance. But the urge to reclaim what someone thinks should be theirs can lead to deadly violence, as earlier Americans repeatedly discovered.

Peter C. Mancall has received support from the University of Southern California, the Huntington Library, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Oxford University to support his research on early America.

– ref. Politics based on grievance has a long and violent history in America – https://theconversation.com/politics-based-on-grievance-has-a-long-and-violent-history-in-america-257202

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Ghana and Zambia have snubbed Africa’s leading development bank: why they should change course

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Misheck Mutize, Post Doctoral Researcher, Graduate School of Business (GSB), University of Cape Town

The governments of Ghana and Zambia recently took a decision that could have serious consequences for other African countries. The decision relates to arrangements on how the two countries will repay the debt they owe to Africa Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).

They have both taken decisions to relegate Afreximbank to a commercial lender from a preferred creditor. This means that the terms on which Afreximbank has lent money to these two countries will change. And it will lose certain protections. For example preferred creditors are repaid first, before any other lenders.

This protects preferred creditors’ balance sheets and enables them to continue lending during crisis periods when others cannot. In contrast, commercial banks get paid later or might not get paid at all. This higher risk factor means that they charge higher rates.

Based on decades of researching Africa’s capital markets and the institutions that govern them it’s my view that the long-term consequences of this precedent are detrimental. If other African borrowers follow suit, treating loans from African multilateral development banks as ordinary commercial debt during restructuring, it will erode the viability of these institutions. Investors who fund Afreximbank through bonds and capital markets may reassess its risk profile, pushing up its cost of funding and making future lending less affordable.

The ultimate losers will be African countries themselves, especially those with limited access to international capital. Afreximbank, along with other African financial institutions, is a lifeline for trade finance, infrastructure development, and crisis response. Undermining its legal protections weakens the continent’s capacity for self-reliant development.

Afreximbank was created under the auspices of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in 1993. It was set up with a public interest mandate to develop African trade and promote integration. Its legal status and structural features place it closer to international multilateral development banks than to private creditors, justifying its treatment as a preferred creditor.

The decision by Accra and Lusaka signals lack of confidence in African financial institutions. It suggests that they do not trust them to the same extent as global institutions like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. These are treated as preferred creditors, on the assumption that they will lend to countries in crisis or distress when commercial lenders retreat.

The actions of Ghana and Zambia set a dangerous precedent by sidelining African financial institutions in favour of external creditors. That risks weakening Africa’s financial institutions and undermining the very concept of African solutions to African problems. Investors will become more sceptical and pessimistic, demanding more interest.

The continent needs to develop an ability to independently design, finance and implement its economic development policies without support from external financial institutions. Afreximbank helps to achieve this through financing African-designed infrastructure and counter-cyclical lending.

Ghana and Zambia still have an opportunity to correct course. In my view they should do so for the sake of the bank, its member states and the future of African economic sovereignty.

The background

Ghana and Zambia have both defaulted on their external bonds in the last four years. Zambia in October 2020 and Ghana in December 2022. This forced them to negotiate new sustainable terms with creditors.

During their respective debt negotiations, both countries have announced that they would include African multilateral development banks such as Afreximbank and the Trade and Development Bank in the debt restructuring.

This followed private and bilateral creditors contesting unequal distribution of restructuring burdens, where they face losses while some multilateral institutions are shielded. The International Monetary Fund and World Bank, which are preferred creditors, do not fund infrastructure, they only offer balance of payments support.

The decision by Ghana and Zambia to relegate Afreximbank was made during an ongoing comprehensive debt restructuring. Ghana and Zambia have been negotiating with creditors for over a year in an attempt to resolve their sovereign debt crises.

The two countries were complying with International Monetary Fund supported restructuring terms. Bilateral creditors were also demanding fair burden sharing with African multilateral banks.

Afreximbank: not just another lender

Ghana and Zambia don’t have a legal leg to stand on.

Afreximbank’s preferred creditor status is not an informal privilege but derives from Article VX(1) of its founding agreement. The agreement has been signed and ratified by member states into national laws, including Ghana and Zambia.

This status is further reinforced by the bank’s diplomatic immunities and privileges and its ability to operate across African jurisdictions under protected legal frameworks. The role of Afreximbank, therefore, goes beyond that of a traditional commercial bank.

Preferred creditor status protects development finance institutions in a number of ways. The biggest protection is that lenders are prioritised for repayment. This protects their balance sheets, enabling them to continue lending when others cannot.

A preferred creditor status is accorded for a reason. It is to ensure that development finance institutions can lend in times of distress with confidence, on the guarantee that they will be repaid ahead of other creditors. Country actions that violate this principle disrupt the implicit covenant that enables counter-cyclical financing. This is breaking the financial lifeline that countries might need when nobody else is willing to help them. This is precisely the kind of support that Ghana and Zambia relied on during their respective debt crises in December 2022 and October 2020, respectively.

A bank that has consistently stepped up

It is worth recalling that during the COVID-19 pandemic (2019–2021) and again when global markets closed access to Eurobond issuances for African countries, investors didn’t want to lend African countries for fear of defaulting. Afreximbank was one of the few institutions that continued to lend to African sovereigns. This included US$750 million to Ghana and US$45 million to Zambia.

When Ghana, Zambia and other commodity export-dependent countries faced acute foreign currency shortages and tightening global liquidity caused by the 2015/16 commodity crisis of low prices, Afreximbank did not hesitate to deploy resources.

Zambia has also benefited significantly from Afreximbank’s trade and development finance in energy, agriculture and healthcare. These are areas that many commercial banks view as too risky or low-margin.

For Zambia and Ghana to classify Afreximbank in the same category as hedge funds, bondholders or purely commercial lenders, is ahistorical and unwarranted.

Restructuring loans from Afreximbank risks inadvertently raising the cost of capital for African countries. If Afreximbank can no longer be shielded under preferred creditor status norms, it may be forced to adopt more conservative lending practices, charge higher risk premiums or retreat from high-risk markets altogether.

The knock-on effect is reduced access to affordable, timely financing for countries that need it most.

Afreximbank has rejected the idea that its loans ought to be restructured.

Ghana and Zambia should correct course

Ghana and Zambia still have an opportunity to correct course. They can reaffirm Afreximbank’s preferred creditor status, exclude it from restructuring tables meant for commercial creditors, and honour their legal commitments.

In doing so, they would not only preserve their reputations as reliable debtors but also strengthen the broader fabric of African financial solidarity.

African countries must be cognisant that no one else will build their institutions for them. If they do not defend and respect them, they cannot expect the rest of the world to do so. The credibility, sustainability and legitimacy of Africa’s financial independence depends, in large part, on how they treat the institutions they have built.

The decision to treat Afreximbank and the Trade and Development Bank like commercial lenders is short-sighted and self-defeating. It must be reversed.

– Ghana and Zambia have snubbed Africa’s leading development bank: why they should change course
– https://theconversation.com/ghana-and-zambia-have-snubbed-africas-leading-development-bank-why-they-should-change-course-258467

MIL OSI Africa –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Ten British AI breakthroughs set to cut bills and heat homes more efficiently
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

Press release

Ten British AI breakthroughs set to cut bills and heat homes more efficiently

Millions of families could see warmer homes and lower energy bills, as ministers back ten new AI innovations which will help make the UK a clean energy superpower through the government’s Plan for Change.
Manchester Prize finalists announced.

Ten AI pioneers are being supported to develop AI solutions which slash energy bills and accelerate the UK’s clean energy superpower ambitions.

Technologies include AI-powered heat mapping drones and smart panels that warm homes from the outside.

Winners will compete for £1 million Manchester Prize, helping to unlock AI innovation and growth to deliver the government’s Plan for Change.

Millions of families could see warmer homes and lower energy bills, as ministers back ten new AI innovations which will help make the UK a clean energy superpower through the government’s Plan for Change.

The ten finalists for the second round of the Manchester Prize include revolutionary technologies that could transform how Britain tackles climate change, while cutting costs for working families.

Among them is a system using AI to design bespoke panels, turning bricks into radiators to warm homes from the outside in, keeping a comfortable inside temperature all year round and simplifying the installation of heat pumps in older homes while reducing costs.

Another team uses AI-enabled drones to map heat loss across entire neighbourhoods, helping councils identify exactly which homes need urgent insulation upgrades – which could save households hundreds on their annual energy bill.

The Manchester Prize, funded by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology and delivered by Challenge Works (part of the Nesta group), is rewarding UK-led AI breakthroughs that support the public good, including growing the economy, improving public services and helping to create a just transition to Net Zero for everyone.

Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle said:

AI is opening up transformative new ways to tackle climate change and support the UK’s ambition to become a clean energy superpower.

That includes using the technology to keep our homes warm, while also supporting projects which will use AI to slash carbon emissions in our cement and steel industries – sectors which account for 16% of global emissions.

This is how we deliver our Plan for Change – harnessing innovation to solve major challenges, cut energy bills, and improve lives across Britain.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:

Clean power is the economic opportunity of the 21st century and these projects will help households and businesses take advantage of lower bills, in a smarter and faster way than ever before.

From specially designed radiator walls to a smart power grid that flicks on and off as we need, AI has the potential to help every home in Britain to feel the benefits of warmer homes and homegrown clean energy.

Julia King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge, chair of the Manchester Prize judging panel said:

We are at a critical juncture in the journey to net zero, the next decade is make or break if the world is to keep global temperatures from exceeding 1.5C by 2050. Global emissions need to halve by 2030 compared to 1990 levels if we are to stay on track, while electricity production will need to double by 2050 to meet the demands of an electrified economy – clean energy innovation is essential.

The rapid advancement of AI means we have tools like never before to achieve the goal of decarbonising the economy while supporting individuals, communities and businesses to thrive.

Other finalists include AI technologies to help the logistics industry cut its emissions, and AI being used to ensure the energy grid remains balanced at all times – as more and more of our energy supplies comes from wind and solar.

The ten teams behind the advanced AI solutions have each received £100,000 in seed funding, plus £60,000 worth of compute credits to help train and scale their models. They will also benefit from non-financial support including investor readiness guidance and access to a network of experts, positioning them for success in the pursuit of the £1 million grand prize in spring 2026. The winning solution will demonstrate not only technical innovation, but also an evidenced road map to near-term (2030) adoption, scale and impact.

These shortlisted finalists will now follow in the footsteps of Polaron – the inaugural winners of the Manchester Prize which speeds up the development of advanced materials used in all walks of life – from wind turbines to electric batteries.

The winning innovation will be announced early next year, taking home the grand prize of £1 million to bring their cutting-edge ideas to life.

It builds on the AI Opportunities Action Plan, the UK government’s blueprint to accelerate the use of AI across the economy. By harnessing cutting-edge solutions like these, AI is driving breakthroughs in industry, transforming public services, and improving the lives of citizens across the country.

Notes to Editors

About the first Manchester Prize

The Manchester Prize is a multi-million-pound challenge prize from the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to reward UK-led breakthroughs in artificial intelligence for public good. It is rewarding innovations that will help to transform the lives of the people across the UK and continue to secure the UK’s place as a global leader in cutting edge innovation.

In its second year, the Manchester Prize will reward UK-led breakthroughs in artificial intelligence that will accelerate action towards the UK’s ambitious clean energy and net zero goals – manchesterprize.org.

About Challenge Works

Challenge Works is a global leader in designing and delivering high-impact challenge prizes that incentivise cutting-edge innovation for social good. It is part of UK innovation foundation agency Nesta. For more than a decade, it has run more than 97 prizes, distributed more than £210 million in funding and engaged with 16,000 innovators.

Manchester Prize (year 2) finalists

Agent Net Zero

Agent Net Zero by University of Sheffield and AMRC. Agent Net Zero is an innovative AI system that helps industrial companies become more sustainable by analysing their environmental impact in real-time. The system continuously monitors energy usage and emissions by connecting to various data sources across operations. Using advanced AI techniques, Agent Net Zero identifies environmental hotspots and automatically suggests practical improvements. This gives businesses clear, actionable insights to reduce their carbon footprint while maintaining productivity and competitiveness, essentially providing a “sustainability assistant” that works 24/7 to help companies achieve their net-zero goals.

BiofuelAi

BiofuelAi by University of Surrey. BiofuelAi brings cutting-edge AI and machine learning to the biofuel industry, optimising complex, variable processes in real time. Traditional biogas production often relies on operator intuition due to unpredictable biological systems because biofuels are made from multiple material inputs. BiofuelAi solves this with advanced predictive models that create a digital twin of each site, enabling whole-system optimisation – from daily feedstock recipes to long-term acquisition strategies. Developed by AI and sustainability experts, the platform boosts efficiency, profitability, and environmental impact, offering a scalable solution for cleaner, data-driven energy production worldwide.

Carbon Re

Carbon Re by Carbon Re. Cement forms the foundation of our modern world but it has a sustainability problem – it is responsible for around 8% of global CO₂ emissions. Carbon Re is tackling this challenge by building AI process control software to cut emissions in cement production. Acting like self-driving for industrial plants, Carbon Re optimises industrial processes in real-time, helping manufacturers cut both costs and carbon while transitioning to low-carbon operations. A joint spin out of University College London and the University of Cambridge, Carbon Re was founded to deliver immediate climate impact for heavy industry.

Cavolo

Cavolo by Kale AI. Cavolo uses advanced AI to make city deliveries more efficient and eco-friendly. The system helps businesses switch from traditional delivery vans to Light Electric Vehicles (LEVs), which are more efficient in busy cities. By using AI, Cavolo optimises delivery routes in real-time, reducing traffic, energy use, and emissions. The technology helps make urban logistics faster and greener, allowing businesses to deliver goods quickly while saving time and reducing their environmental impact.

Deep.Optimiser-PhyX

Deep.Optimiser-PhyX by Deep.Meta. Deep.Meta is tackling carbon emissions in the steel industry with an AI-powered Digital Twin – a smart digital replica of the production process that combines physics and machine learning to optimise furnace operations. By using real-time sensor data and material science, Deep.Meta more accurately predicts steel slab temperatures and improves scheduling, boosting energy efficiency and significantly cutting emissions. Unlike black-box AI, which can discourage adoption, Deep.Meta’s explainable, physics-based models offer clear reasoning, building trust with users. Founded by experts in metallurgy and machine learning, Deep.Meta is already partnering with global steelmakers and aims to scale through broader industry collaboration.

DRIVE

DRIVE (Deep Re-enforcement learning for Intelligent Vehicle and Energy optimisation) by Flexible Power Systems. Flexible Power Systems (FPS) helps big fleets like vans, trucks, and buses switch to electric by managing vehicles, chargers, and schedules with smart software. FPS uses advanced AI called Deep Reinforcement Learning to solve complex, fast-changing problems – like where and when to charge – more quickly and efficiently. After training in a virtual world, the AI can make smart decisions in real time. First used in EV fleets, this technology could also help with bigger energy challenges in the future.

EnergyWall

EnergyWall by Underheat, in partnership with University of Salford. EnergyWall upgrades a building’s walls, gently warming or cooling homes from the outside, turning bricks into radiators that maintain a comfortable internal temperature all year round. Using AI to analyse a building and off-site manufacturing, it designs and installs pipe systems into insulation panels for the walls of a building, making retrofitting buildings with heat pumps faster, cheaper, and less disruptive. This approach is ideal for social housing, helping reduce carbon emissions, cut energy bills, and tackle condensation that causes mould. It’s a smarter, scalable way to decarbonise heating and fight fuel poverty across the UK.

Green Loops

Green Loops by University of Wolverhampton, in partnership with ABCircular GmbH Berlin. Green Loops tackles the challenge of recycling end-of-life photovoltaic (PV) cells by creating high-efficiency solar panels from recycled materials. It uses machine learning to analyse the optical properties of materials and structures of solar cells. Using highly conductive artificially engineered MXene-based metamaterials, Green Loops optimises the design of solar cells to enhance energy performance while reducing manufacturing costs. With the growing e-waste problem from old solar panels, the technology helps reduce waste, supports a circular economy, and makes solar energy more sustainable and accessible.

Grid Stability

Grid Stability by University of Manchester. For electricity grids to function, there must be balance between the electricity going into the grid and the electricity leaving it. Grid Stability Monitor uses AI and machine learning to quickly analyse power grid stability as more low-carbon technologies like wind, solar, EVs and heat pumps connect. It replaces slow, complex simulations with rapid, AI-driven assessments, enabling real-time monitoring, faster decision-making, and more confident planning. This helps grid operators maintain reliability while scaling up clean energy solutions and cutting emissions.

Rapid Thermal Performance Assessment algorithms (RaThPAs)

Rapid Thermal Performance Assessment algorithms (RaThPAs) by Kestrix. Kestrix uses AI and thermal drones to map heat loss across entire neighbourhoods, acting as fast, 3D energy surveys from the sky. This helps stakeholders like utilities, councils and housing providers plan energy upgrades with fewer costly, time-consuming site visits. Like a “Google Maps of heat loss,” the system shows where buildings are leaking heat and recommends fixes. With a team of experts in computer vision and physics, Kestrix aims to speed up home retrofits, in turn cutting emissions, saving households money, and making homes warmer and healthier at scale.

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Published 11 June 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Upcoming US Law Webinars – July 2025

Source: US Global Legal Monitor

We hope you will join us in July for the next offering of our Orientation to Legal Research webinars, focusing on U.S. federal legislative history, followed by the next entry into the Orientation to Law Library Collections webinars. The Orientation to Law Library Collections Webinar is designed for patrons who are familiar with legal research and would instead prefer an introduction to the collections and services specific to the Law Library of Congress. It will cover digital resources available through the Law Library’s website as well as those available on-site. Within this webinar, there will be a guest presentation as part of the 50 State Outreach Project by staff from the Connecticut State Library. Deborah Schander, state librarian, and Lindsay Cawley, reference services unit head, will present from the Connecticut State Library during the webinar. The Connecticut State Library presenters note that

“[t]he Connecticut State Library is an independent and non-partisan Executive Branch agency of the State of Connecticut. Founded in 1854, the State Library is home to the State Archives, Office of the Public Records Administrator, Museum of Connecticut History, the Division of Library Development and the Connecticut Library for Accessible Books, and Reference Services, which is comprised of three specific subject areas: History & Genealogy, Law & Legislation, and Government Information. Since its founding, the Connecticut State Library has served as the principal law library for the State of Connecticut. Today, the agency’s Law & Legislation unit continues to serve as the permanent home of Connecticut General Assembly official transcripts and legislative bill files and a repository of statutes, laws, and court opinions from all 50 states and federal jurisdictions. Open to both residents and users beyond state borders, the State Library serves the employees and officials of all three branches of state government, students, teachers, researchers, town governments, and anyone seeking information within its collections.”

We hope you will join us for these informative and interesting webinars!

Orientation to Legal Research: Federal Legislative History

Date: Thursday, July 10, 2025, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EDT

Content: This webinar is designed to give a basic introduction to legal sources and research techniques. This entry in the series provides an overview of U.S. federal legislative history resources, including information about the methods of identifying and locating them. In tackling this area of research, the focus will largely be on finding these documents online.

Instructor: Sarah Friedman. Sarah Friedman is a legal reference librarian at the Law Library of Congress. Sarah holds a B.A. in English literature and criticism from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and a J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law.

Register here.

Orientation to Law Library Collections Webinar Featuring the Connecticut State Library

Date: Thursday, July 24, 2025, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EDT

Content: This webinar is designed for patrons who are familiar with legal research and would instead prefer an introduction to the collections and services specific to the Law Library of Congress. Some of the resources attendees will learn about include the Law Library’s research guides, digital collections, and the Guide to Law Online, among others.

Instructor: Sarah Friedman. Sarah Friedman is a legal reference librarian at the Law Library of Congress. Sarah holds a B.A. in English literature and criticism from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and a J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law.

Register here.

To learn about other upcoming classes on domestic and foreign law topics, visit the Legal Research Institute. Please request ADA accommodations at least five business days in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or [email protected].

Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.

MIL OSI USA News –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Adopting sustainable farming practices to strengthen the beef sector in Botswana

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

The Nata-Gweta Block Beef Producers have been urged to invest in compliance, certification, and quality assurance frameworks that meet both regional and international standards. This would enable them to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which presents significant opportunities for Botswana’s beef sector and the livelihoods it supports.

Officiating at the Nata-Gweta Block Beef Producers Association (NGBBPA) Farmer Field Day in Zoroga Village on Saturday, 24 May, FAO Representative in Botswana, Carla Mucavi, emphasized the importance of preparing local farmers to meet these standards and fully benefit from a market of over 1.3 billion potential consumers.

Mucavi noted that although agriculture currently contributes less than 2% to Botswana’s GDP, it sustains over 80% of rural households and remains one of the nation’s most culturally and economically significant sectors. “The beef industry is not just about commerce; it is a symbol of national pride and rural resilience,” she said.

She commended the NGBBPA for uniting communal and ranch-based farmers into a strategic alliance that advocates for improved market access, enhanced animal health services, sustainable rangeland management, and the revitalization of Botswana’s cattle industry.

Importantly, Mucavi challenged prevailing narratives about rural vulnerability. “Farmers must not be viewed merely as victims of climate change, but as proactive agents of transformation,” she said. “FAO remains steadfast in supporting Botswana’s transition to climate-smart agriculture, strengthening early warning systems, and promoting sustainable land and water management.”

She highlighted the worsening impacts of climate change in Botswana, including prolonged and more frequent droughts, erratic rainfall, and rising temperatures, all of which contribute to declining soil fertility, reduced water availability, and increased risks of crop failure and livestock losses.

Beyond the climate conversation, Mucavi highlighted the urgent need to rebrand agriculture as an engine of youth empowerment and women’s inclusion. “Agriculture must be repositioned as a pathway to entrepreneurship and wealth creation, not a sector of last resort,” she asserted. She further added that young people and women bring digital skills, creativity, and bold thinking, appealing to stakeholders to create platforms, mentorship, access to land, finance, and training to help them realize their full potential.

NGBBPA Chairperson Gosata Mosweu echoed her sentiments, sharing that the association had recently secured an 18-hectare farm to establish a livestock feed production and packaging facility as part of a broader value addition initiative. This, he noted, would reduce dependency on external feed sources and enhance local production capacity.

The association is working closely with the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture and the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) to acquire skills in fodder production and innovative agricultural techniques. “We are also building strong networks with crop producers in the region and commercial farmers in Pandamatenga to source raw materials,” said Mosweu. “We welcome FAO’s continued support as we strive to build resilience and sustainability within our block.”

Representing the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture, Obert Mabuta, the District Agricultural Coordinator for the Tutume District, emphasized the importance of selective breeding for climate adaptation and productivity. He urged farmers to focus on livestock breeds that yield higher returns and can withstand the region’s harsh conditions.

He also stressed the need for sustainable pastoral practices. “Yes, the rains have been good this year,” he said, “but they also bring other challenges such as increased wildlife movement. We must remain vigilant develop firebreaks, raise community awareness, and prioritize environmental protection to safeguard food security.”

Mabuta applauded the association for organizing networking platforms where farmers share knowledge and gain practical skills. “These sessions are invaluable in building capacity and confidence among producers,” he concluded.

The Nata-Gweta Block Beef Producers Association (NGBBPA), established in 2007, hosts its annual Farmer Field Day in Zoroga Village, Tutume District. The event brings together both communal and ranch-based farmers to promote improved market access, enhanced animal health services, sustainable rangeland management, and the revitalization of Botswana’s cattle industry. The event was attended by community leaders from the region, farmers and private sector operating the in the agriculture sector.

– on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Regional Office for Africa.

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MIL OSI Africa –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Mikhail Mishustin appointed Viktor Gulin as head of Rostransnadzor

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

Document

Order dated June 9, 2025 No. 1511-r

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has appointed Viktor Gulin as head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Transport (Rostransnadzor). The order to this effect has been signed.

Viktor Gulin was born in 1976 in the village of Kukarino, Mozhaisk district, Moscow region.

In 1998 he graduated from Moscow State University of Railway Engineering.

After graduating from the university, he worked as a foreman, a production section foreman, then as deputy head of the Lobnya locomotive depot for repairs, and as technical director of Tverskoy Express LLC.

In 2008, Viktor Gulin moved to Rostransnadzor, where he worked in various positions. In 2019, he became deputy head of the service. In April 2025, after the head of Rostransnadzor Viktor Basargin retired, Viktor Gulin was appointed acting head of the department.

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 –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Thompson Announces Appointment of Archie Walker to the United States Military Academy

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Glenn Thompson (5th District Pennsylvania)

COUDERSPORT, Pa. – U.S. Representative Glenn “GT” Thompson today announced that Ms. Archie Walker, of Lock Haven, Pa. has accepted a fully qualified appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

Walker is a senior at Central Mountain High School. She is the daughter of Jennifer and Greg Walker of Lock Haven and she has three siblings: Jackson, Lucy, and Lane Walker.

“Archie is an accomplished young woman striving to make a difference in her country,” Rep. Thompson said. “She has proven herself on the field and in the classroom. I have no doubt that her determination will serve her well at the Military Academy, and I wish her the very best in this next chapter.”

Walker is currently serving as the Vice President of the Rotary Club. She is a three-year varsity athlete in soccer, a dual-enrollment student at Commonwealth University, and a member of the National Honor Society.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Financial News: Russian Universities Launch Curriculums in Behavioural Economics and Economic Psychology

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Central Bank of Russia –

Master’s programs, as well as research tracks, online courses, and continuing education programs will start this fall. Graduates will build models and predict people’s economic behavior taking into account the influence of cognitive biases, and assess the risks of business decisions or regulatory initiatives.

The pilot project is being carried out by the Bank of Russia, the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, the Ministry of Finance of Russia and Rosfinmonitoring. Six leading Russian universities have joined it: Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, the National Research University Higher School of Economics, the New Economic School, St. Petersburg State University and Tomsk State University.

“The trick of this project is its diversity: the pilot participants are different, the formats are different, and the approaches are different too. Already in the process, in practice, we will understand what is most in demand among both students and employers. We want a strong scientific school of behavioral economics to emerge as a result, so that a community of specialists in this field will appear, where those who research and those who need this research will interact,” said Mikhail Mamuta, Head of the Service for the Protection of Consumer Rights and Ensuring the Availability of Financial Services of the Bank of Russia.

Representatives of the largest banks, financial companies and marketplaces, relevant ministries and departments took part in the discussion of educational programs. Companies are ready to assist in training personnel, accept students for internships, go to universities and analyze real situations of relationships between organizations and consumers.

The pilot was created to work out the interaction between educational institutions and employers. Based on its results, a decision will be made on how and in what format to develop this project in the higher education system.

Preview photo: Lightspring / Shutterstock / Fotodom

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

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

HTTPS: //vv. KBR.ru/Press/Event/? ID = 24703

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ15: Development of pet-related industries

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

LCQ15: Development of pet-related industries
Question:

It has been reported that the number of households keeping pets has increased in recent years, with pet-related industries developing rapidly. However, there are views pointing out that Hong Kong still has room for improvement in veterinary medical care and pet-friendly public facilities, as well as in data management and policies regarding the pet industry. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) as it is learnt that a number of private shopping centres have introduced pet-inclusive facilities, such as pet accesses and pet rest areas, to attract spending from pet owners and thereby further unleash the potential of the pet economy, whether the Hong Kong Housing Authority will consider drawing on the relevant experience to implement pet-friendly measures in the shopping centres of the public housing estates under its purview; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(2) as it has been reported that public or charity-run veterinary organisations have been established one after another in Taiwan, such as in Taoyuan City and New Taipei City, to provide basic veterinary medical services at transparent charges, which not only enhance pet health protection but also boost the pet economy, whether the HKSAR Government has conducted studies or policy planning regarding the establishment of public or semi-public veterinary medical facilities; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(3) as there are views that maintaining pet-related data can help understand the risks of pet epidemics and diseases, as well as the market structure and potential of the pet industry, whether the Government will establish a territory-wide pet data management platform to systematically collect relevant data, including the number of pets, breed distribution, keeping and vaccination records, and pet disease trends, so as to provide a scientific basis for the formulation of policies on pet-friendliness and developing the pet economy policies; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

Having consulted the Housing Bureau, the reply to the question from the Hon Rock Chen is as follows:

(1) As pet keeping has become increasingly common in Hong Kong, there has been more attention in society to bringing animals to enter different premises and use public facilities. In general, the Government needs to take into account different factors when considering whether to further relax existing arrangements, including the nature of individual facilities, whether ancillary facilities are in place and the degree of social acceptance, in order to achieve the policy objective of facilitating people and animals to co-exist harmoniously.

The shopping centres under the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) are mainly “neighbourhood shopping centres” located in public housing estates/courts. These shopping centres provide local residents with shopping convenience, with the aim of catering for their basic needs in daily life. All along, guide dogs accompanying the visually impaired have been allowed to enter the HA’s shopping centres. The HA has further implemented some pet-friendly policies, such as allowing pets to enter shopping centres if they are placed in pet carrier bags or pet strollers and that no hygiene and environmental nuisance will be caused. The HA will keep in view the development and needs of the community for pet-friendly spaces and facilities, and design “neighbourhood shopping centres” that are in line with the actual situation.

On the other hand, the Domain located in Yau Tong is a large-scale regional shopping centre under the HA. Coupled with spacious indoor space, outdoor activity areas, wide passageways and multiple entrances at different locations, it is more equipped with the requisites for development into a pet-friendly mall than typical “neighbourhood shopping centres” located in housing estates. The HA will review whether it is appropriate to further provide pet-friendly measures in the Domain, such as installing relevant human-pet friendly facilities to appeal to pet owners for boosting consumption and visitor flow.

(2) The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has been carrying out publicity and public education to remind the public to consider carefully before deciding to keep pets, to assess whether one could fulfil the duties of pet ownership in meeting the pets’ basic needs in diet, environment, daily care, healthcare, etc.

On veterinary services, the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Hong Kong (VSB) established under the Veterinary Surgeons Registration Ordinance (Cap. 529), is currently responsible for the regulation, registration and disciplinary control of veterinary surgeons, so as to ensure a high standard of veterinary services in Hong Kong. The VSB learns about the overall veterinary services through data gathered in the regulation of the veterinary profession. The number of registered veterinary surgeons (RVS) has been consistently on the rise since 2015, from 823 in 2015 to 1 364 in April this year, representing an increase of 65 per cent. RVS comprises many specialties, such as small animal internal medicine and surgery, dermatology, cardiology, neurology and veterinary pathology, and therefore animal owners should be able to find appropriate veterinary services for their pets. To meet unexpected medical expenses, members of the public may also purchase pet insurance products available in the market as appropriate.

Apart from private veterinarians, the City University of Hong Kong and some animal welfare organisations (such as the Hong Kong Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) also provide veterinary services and hence the Government currently has no plan to separately establish public medical facilities for pets.

(3) To safeguard public health and prevent the spread of animal diseases, the AFCD monitors and regulates animal activities in accordance with the law, and assesses the risk of pet animal diseases. The AFCD regulates the import of live animals through a permit system under the Public Health (Animals and Birds) Regulations (Cap. 139A) and the Rabies Regulation (Cap. 421A), so as to prevent the introduction of animal diseases into Hong Kong. Furthermore, the AFCD regulates the local animal activities through various licences, for example, regulating the animal trading and dog breeding activities through the Animal Trader Licence and Dog Breeder Licence respectively under the Public Health (Animals and Birds) (Trading and Breeding) Regulations (Cap. 139B), and to require dog keepers to have their dogs vaccinated against rabies, implanted with a microchip, and to apply for a dog licence under the Rabies Regulation, for the prevention of rabies.

The Government last conducted a Thematic Household Survey on pet ownership among households across Hong Kong in 2018. The AFCD and the Census and Statistics Department will conduct another survey later this year to gather the latest data on trends and preferences in pet ownership of Hong Kong families. These findings will assist the trade to learn about the latest trend of pet ownership, for their provision of products and services according to market demand.
Issued at HKT 12:15

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CategoriesMIL-OSI

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ4: Quarantine arrangements for imported cats and dogs

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by Professor the Hon Priscilla Leung and a reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (June 11):

Question:

     The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has updated the quarantine arrangements for cats and dogs this month. Cats and dogs imported from the Mainland that meet the relevant quarantine requirements (including obtaining satisfactory results from testing conducted by recognised laboratories on the Mainland and having an animal health certificate issued by Mainland official veterinarians) will have their quarantine period significantly reduced from the current 120 days to 30 days upon arrival in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
Reply:
     Rabies is a contagious disease that causes fatality to mammals (including humans) and no specific treatment is available at present. To prevent the introduction of animal diseases such as rabies into Hong Kong, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) regulates the import of live animals through a permit system, and controls the import of cats and dogs under the Public Health (Animals and Birds) Regulations (Cap. 139A) and the Rabies Regulation (Cap. 421A) to protect public and animal health. Under effective control measures, Hong Kong has long been widely recognised as a rabies-free place by other places. Animals of Hong Kong generally face less stringent quarantine requirements when entering other places.

     On the quarantine arrangements of imported cats and dogs, the AFCD classifies places into different groups according to different risk of rabies, with reference to information about the surveillance of animal diseases from the World Organisation for Animal Health. Group I and Group II places are respectively rabies-free places and places where rabies cases are few and under effective control. Since these places are considered of lower risk of rabies, the imported cats and dogs are exempted from quarantine upon fulfilling specified requirements. Places that do not meet the requirements of Group I or Group II, or where their situations cannot be determined, will be included in Group III. Cats and dogs imported from these places are required to undergo a quarantine of not less than 120 days before December 2024.

    Since December 2024, the AFCD has divided Group III into Group A and B according to the results of risk assessment. Quarantine period for cats and dogs of Group IIIA is significantly shortened from 120 days to 30 days upon their arrival in Hong Kong, provided that they meet the relevant quarantine requirements including that the animals must be vaccinated against rabies, conducted a valid rabies neutralising antibody titre test, had an animal health certificate issued or endorsed by a government veterinary officer of the place of export. The Macao Special Administrative Region, Lithuania and the Mainland have been included in Group IIIA successively. As regards Group IIIB places, since the risk of rabies is higher or uncertain, and the incubation period of rabies can be up to several months, the quarantine period for cats and dogs imported from those places is maintained at not less than 120 days.

     The reply to the question from Professor the Hon Priscilla Leung is as follows:

(1) As mentioned just now, as long as cats and dogs imported from the newly added Group IIIA places (including the Mainland) meet the relevant quarantine requirements and hold an animal health certificate issued by an official veterinarian from the Mainland, the quarantine period upon arrival in Hong Kong will be significantly reduced from 120 days to 30 days. Because of this change, the cost of quarantine facilities that the owners of these cats and dogs have to pay has been greatly reduced to one-quarter of the previous cost, at the same time, the turnover rate of quarantine facilities will increase to four times than that of the past. The waiting time for quarantine facilities will be reduced correspondingly, and the usage effectiveness will be increased significantly.

     As regards the quarantine arrangements, the current international practice is to isolate cats and dogs in officially supervised quarantine facilities to ensure that the animals will not have direct or indirect contact with other animals during the quarantine period, so as to avoid the transmission of animal disease into the community. As the mortality rate of rabies is close to 100 per cent, and animals have the opportunity to come into contact with other people or animals when they are quarantined in private premises, this will bring to them higher risk. Hence from a risk management perspective, home quarantine arrangement is not appropriate. The Department will continue to make reference to the latest animal disease situation announced by the World Organisation for Animal Health, and timely optimise the quarantine requirements for imported cats and dogs, taking into account factors such as international practices, operational experience and risk assessment.

(2) To facilitate animal owners to bring their pet cats and dogs to Hong Kong, the Government has not only optimised the quarantine requirements for cats and dogs, but also increased the number of quarantine facilities. The new quarantine facilities at the Kowloon Animal Management Centre under the AFCD have been put into service in May this year. The quarantine facilities provided for cats and dogs have increased from 21 and 20 to 34 and 30 respectively. Further, taking into account that the shortened quarantine period has increased the turnover speed to four times than that of the past, the handling capacity of the AFCD’s quarantine facilities could be increased by as much as six to seven times than that of the past. In addition, the AFCD encourages private animal welfare organisations to provide quarantine facilities for cats and dogs, and is reviewing the application of the Hong Kong Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). It is expected that the quarantine facility will be put into service in the middle of this year. The Department will also provide information and assistance to other private animal welfare organisations interested in operating quarantine facilities for cats and dogs. On the basis of the above improvement measures, it is expected that the quarantine facilities will be able to meet the demand.

     As regards the number and testing quality of recognised Mainland laboratories, after discussions with the Mainland authorities and taking into account the regional distribution and level of recognition of the laboratories in the Mainland, the AFCD has recognised four Mainland laboratories in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Changchun for conducting rabies antibody titre tests for cats and dogs. All four laboratories are recognised by the Mainland authorities and the European Union, hence the quality of testing is assured. The AFCD will closely monitor the situation and will discuss with the Mainland authorities to adjust the list of approved laboratories when necessary.

(3) The Veterinary Surgeons Board of Hong Kong (VSB) is a statutory body established under the Veterinary Surgeons Registration Ordinance (Cap. 529), and is responsible for the regulation, registration and disciplinary control of veterinary surgeons, to ensure a high standard of veterinary services in Hong Kong. The VSB learns about the overall veterinary services through data gathered in the regulation of the veterinary profession.

     The number of registered veterinary surgeons (RVS) has been consistently on the rise since 2015, from 823 in 2015 to 1 364 in April this year, representing an increase of 65 per cent. Moreover, RVS comprises many specialties, such as small animal internal medicine and surgery, dermatology, cardiology, neurology and veterinary pathology. Apart from private veterinary clinics, the City University of Hong Kong and some animal welfare organisations, such as the SPCA, also provide veterinary services, therefore animal owners should be able to find appropriate veterinary services for their pets.

     Thank you, President.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ11: Academic staff members of universities funded by University Grants Committee

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Following is a question by Professor the Hon Chow Man-kong and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (June 11):

Question:

Regarding the academic staff members of universities funded by the University Grants Committee, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) whether it knows the numbers of newly-joined academic staff members (including but not limited to (i) senior academic staff, (ii) junior academic staff, (iii) academic supporting staff, (iv) administrative, technical and other staff, and (v) technical research staff) of the eight universities funded by the University Grants Committee (the eight universities) in each of the past three academic years, as well as their respective percentages in the academic staff members of the respective ranks, together with a breakdown by (A) university, (B) academic programme/department (including but not limited to (I) Medicine, Dentistry and Health, (II) Sciences and (III) Education and Continuing Education), and (C) background of relevant academic staff members (i.e. (a) holders of Hong Kong Permanent Identity Cards, and (b) holders of visas granted by the Immigration Department under the Top Talent Pass Scheme, General Employment Policy and Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates, etc);

(2) whether it knows the numbers of academic staff members of the eight universities who left the service (including but not limited to those mentioned in (i) to (v) in (1)) in each of the past three academic years, as well as their respective percentages in the academic staff members of the respective ranks, together with a breakdown by (A) to (C) mentioned in (1));

(3) regarding the departure situation mentioned in (2), whether it knows the reasons for departure of the academic staff members of the eight universities in each of the past three academic years (e.g. retirement, transfer to another local university, change of profession and other reasons), and whether it has analysed their departure trends, together with a breakdown by university; and

(4) as there are views that as the United States (US) has further tightened its visa policy on non-US academics as well as research and development (R&D) personnel, and the relevant countries in the European Union have also introduced measures one after another to “trawl talent”, whether the authorities will introduce stronger and more effective measures to attract such people to engage in R&D work in Hong Kong, so as to develop Hong Kong into an international hub for high-calibre talent; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

Our reply to Professor the Hon Chow Man-kong’s question is as follows:

Hong Kong’s overall competitiveness in education ranks among the top five in the world, and our post-secondary education is highly internationalised and diversified. To date, five University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities have been ranked among the top 100 in the world, six are ranked among the top 50 in Asia, a number of them have been ranked among the top universities in the world’s most international universities ranking, and they have excellent research talent, which make them attractive to students and scholars from all over the world. The universities are recruiting globally following their institutional development strategies and their teaching and research needs, so as to continuously enhance their global competitiveness. Under the leadership of the Committee on Education, Technology and Talents led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, the Government will continue to promote Hong Kong as an international hub for high-calibre talent, co-ordinate and drive the integrated development of education, technology and talent, expand connections, formulate policies to attract and cultivate talent, and foster the co-ordinated development of technologies, so as to strengthen Hong Kong’s position as an international post-secondary education hub and an international innovation and technology centre.

Over the past years, with the Government’s increased investment in higher education and the introduction of various support measures, the staff number in academic departments of the UGC-funded universities has increased by 4.5 per cent from 13 548 in the 2021/22 academic year (AY) to 14 161 in the 2023/24 AY, with an increase of 8.5 per cent in the number of senior and junior academic staff from 4 974 to 5 398. The number of leaving academic staff has also dropped from 399 to 378. Overall, Hong Kong’s higher education institutions are proactively pursuing the goal of capacity expansion and quality enhancement, and have achieved certain success in recruiting and retaining talent.

The actual numbers of staff in the academic departments of universities by staff grade, university and departmental cost centre group are at Annex I. The numbers of senior/junior academic staff joining and leaving are at Annex II and Annex III respectively. We do not have a breakdown of the number of intake and departure of academic supporting staff, administrative, technical, and other staff and technical research staff, as well as a breakdown of the background of the staff or the reasons for departure, such as retirement, completion of contract, transfer to other local universities, etc.

In the light of the changes in the global higher education landscape, the Education Bureau (EDB) has promptly called on all universities in Hong Kong to introduce facilitation measures for affected students and scholars with a view to safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests, while attracting top talent in accordance with their diversified admissions and talent policies. The EDB is pleased to see that local universities are responding proactively and closely monitoring the situation, fully utilising the Government’s facilitation initiatives that support the capacity expansion and quality enhancement of post-secondary institutions in Hong Kong.

We will continue to keep a close eye on the development and accordingly consider support measures for them in a holistic approach so as to give full play to Hong Kong’s role as an international post-secondary education hub. Apart from the recruitment measures of the institutions, the Government attracts more top talent to pursue their studies in Hong Kong through a range of initiatives, including doubling the cap on non-local students in publicly funded post-secondary institutions to 40 per cent, increasing scholarship quotas, and gradually increasing the number of places under the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme. We remain committed to pursuing various policies and initiatives, fostering networks and partnerships at the national, regional, and; international levels, and will continue to work collaboratively with stakeholders to promote the “Study in Hong Kong” brand. These efforts align with the national strategies to invigorate the country through science and education, cultivate high-calibre talent, and advance innovation and development, thereby contributing to meeting the needs of our nation.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: FUI MAU TUPAI SIMANU RE-APPOINTED BY CABINET

Source:

Share this:

[Government Press Secretary]- Fui Mau Tupai Simanu will remain as Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Works, Transport, and Infrastructure (MWTI) for the next three years.

A Master in Engineering Management from the University of Technology Sydney, Australia, Fui’s re-appointment was sealed by Cabinet this week.

Fui is a dedicated public servant having worked in Government for more than 30 years.

He started as a senior lecturer at the former Samoa Polytechnic and continued to serve his country later on in his public service career as Chief Engineer with the Electric Power Corporation (EPC) for over 10 years.

Share this:

June 11, 2025

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: Appendix cancer rising among younger generation – new study

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Justin Stebbing, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University

sasirin pamai/Shutterstock.com

Appendix cancer is a condition that, until recently, was so rare that most people never gave it a second thought. For decades, it was the kind of disease that doctors might encounter only once or twice in a career, and it was almost always found in older adults.

But now a surprising and concerning trend is emerging: appendix cancer is being diagnosed more often, and it’s increasingly affecting people in their 30s, 40s and even younger. This shift has left many experts puzzled and searching for answers.

The appendix is a small, finger-shaped pouch attached to the large intestine. Its purpose in the body is still debated, but it’s best known for causing appendicitis, a painful inflammation that often requires emergency surgery. What’s less well known is that cancer can develop in the appendix, usually without any warning signs.

A new study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, has shown that the number of appendix cancer cases has increased dramatically among people born after the 1970s. In fact, the incidence has tripled or even quadrupled in younger generations compared with those born in the 1940s.

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While the overall numbers are still small (appendix cancer affects just a handful of people per million each year) the rapid rise is striking. Even more notable is that about one in three cases now occurs in adults under 50, a much higher proportion than seen in other types of gastrointestinal cancers.

So, what’s behind this surge? No one knows for sure, but one of the first suspects is the dramatic change in lifestyle and environment over the past several decades. Obesity rates have soared since the 1970s, and being overweight is a known risk factor for many cancers, including those of the digestive system.

At the same time, diets have shifted toward more processed foods, sugary drinks, and red or processed meats, all of which have been linked to increased cancer risk in other parts of the gut.

Physical activity has also declined, with more people spending long hours sitting at desks or in front of screens.

Another possibility is that we are being exposed to new environmental factors that previous generations didn’t face. The industrialisation of food production, the widespread use of plastics and chemicals, and changes in water quality might all play a role. However, the evidence is still in its early stages.

Hard to detect

What makes appendix cancer especially challenging is how difficult it is to detect. Unlike colon cancer, which can sometimes be found early through screening colonoscopies, appendix cancer usually flies under the radar.

The symptoms, if they appear at all, are vague and easy to dismiss. People might experience mild abdominal pain, bloating or changes in bowel habits, which are common complaints for many benign conditions. As a result, most cases are only discovered after surgery for suspected appendicitis, when it’s often too late for early intervention.

Despite the rise in cases, there is no routine screening test for appendix cancer. The disease is simply too rare to justify widespread screening, and the appendix can be difficult to visualise with standard imaging or endoscopy. This means that both patients and doctors need to be extra vigilant.

If someone experiences persistent or unusual abdominal symptoms, especially if they’re under 50, it’s important not to ignore them. Early investigation and prompt treatment can make a significant difference in outcomes.

The increase in appendix cancer among younger adults is part of a broader trend seen in other gastrointestinal cancers, such as those of the colon and stomach. These cancers, too, are being diagnosed more often in people under 50, suggesting that shared risk factors may be at work.

The reasons for this shift are complex and probably involve a mix of genetics, lifestyle, environment and perhaps even changes in our gut microbiome – the bacteria in our intestines that live with us.

Over the past few decades, antibiotics have been used more frequently, both in medicine and in agriculture. This widespread use can alter the balance of bacteria in our guts, which might influence cancer risk. Some recent research suggests that early-life exposure to antibiotics could have long-term effects on the digestive system, but more studies are needed to confirm this link.

Could early-life exposure to antibiotics have something to do with the rise in appendix cancer?
luchschenF/Shutterstock.com

For now, the best advice is to focus on prevention and awareness. Maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet rich in fruit, vegetables and whole grains, and staying physically active are all steps that can lower the risk of many types of cancer.

Avoiding tobacco and limiting alcohol intake are also important. While these measures can’t guarantee protection against appendix cancer, they are proven strategies for overall health.

Researchers are working hard to unravel the mystery of why appendix cancer is rising so rapidly among younger generations. Understanding the causes will be crucial for developing better ways to prevent, detect and treat this rare but increasingly important disease.

In the meantime, raising awareness among healthcare providers and the public is essential. By recognising the signs and taking action when symptoms arise, we can improve the chances of catching appendix cancer early and giving patients the best possible outcomes.

The story of appendix cancer’s rise is a reminder that even rare diseases can become more common when our environment and lifestyles change. It’s also a call to action for further research and for all of us to pay attention to our bodies, seek medical advice when something feels off, and support efforts to understand and combat this puzzling trend.

Justin Stebbing 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. Appendix cancer rising among younger generation – new study – https://theconversation.com/appendix-cancer-rising-among-younger-generation-new-study-258607

MIL OSI Analysis –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: A traffic-light system for dogwalkers could protect breeding birds, seal pups and other wildlife

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sarah Crowley, Senior Lecturer in Human and Animal Geography, University of Exeter

Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

Like millions of people, we have experienced the physical and mental health benefits, as well as the simple enjoyment, of a daily dog walk. However, amid the UK’s growing population of dogs (around 13.5 million at the latest estimate), recent reports have highlighted growing concern about how dogs affect wildlife and ecosystems.

Potential issues include disturbance or active chasing of wildlife, spreading of diseases and parasites, and water pollution from flea and tick treatments.

By collaborating with more than 40 organisations from the Wildlife Trusts to the Dogs Trust, we have created a new guide to explain and help manage the effects of dog walking on biodiversity, based on current evidence.

The Renew programme, a research collaboration between the University of Exeter and the National Trust, takes a “people in nature” approach to address complex challenges like this. We reviewed the existing scientific literature and mapped the relationship between current dog densities and England’s protected habitats.

We found that dog walking can have negative environmental consequences including substantial effects of disturbance, pollution and disease in some places.

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We then discussed these findings in workshops with specialists in dog behaviour, biodiversity conservation and land management. We explored what dog walkers and landowners can do to minimise the disturbance of wildlife and ecosystems, while still enabling public access to natural spaces for people and their dogs.

One of our key findings was that different organisations and landowners take very different approaches to managing dog walking on their sites, which is inconsistent and can be confusing for dog walkers. There are also multiple voluntary codes for responsible dog walking, including the countryside code, the Kennel Club’s canine code, the National Trust’s canine code, and Forestry England’s dog code.

While these codes often share central principles, they differ in specific guidance and level of detail. To address this, land managers could take a more standardised approach to managing dog walking – based on a shared code for dog walkers, and different zones of access for land managers.

A green pawprint sign would indicate where dogs don’t have to be kept on leads.
Soloviova Liudmyla/Shutterstock

We recommend such a zoning approach should employ a traffic-light system, highlighted by coloured pawprints. Green zones would welcome dogs without restriction and ideally provide dog-friendly facilities.

Amber zones would require “paws on paths” (that is, keeping dogs on marked trails) and, in the presence of livestock, dogs on leads. Red zones would indicate sensitive sites in which dogs aren’t allowed, such as areas of lowland heath where birds nest on the ground or beaches where young seal pups are resting.

Zone colours might change depending on the time of year – this is already common on beaches, which often have seasonal dog restrictions. As long as the signage is clear, our idea is that wherever a dog walker finds themselves, they will know what is expected of them.

More zones, less disturbance

Some organisations and sites, including Dorset Dogs and the Holkham Hall estate in Norfolk, already use zoning approaches to reduce incidences of wildlife disturbance. But as was recently demonstrated by the legal battle over wild camping on Dartmoor, public access to land is a sensitive topic in the UK. Restrictions meet resistance because they can impinge on what for many is considered a basic freedom – to access the outdoors with one’s dog.

Consequently, meaningful engagement with dog owners and local communities when designing zoning is vital. Perhaps counterintuitively, simply increasing restrictions on access to land may actually exacerbate disturbance from dog walking, as people, dogs and protected areas become crowded together in the same landscapes.

A zoning approach that also involves creating new green pawprint zones for off-lead dog walking, where access elsewhere is restricted, would ensure that no access to wild places is lost overall.

The effects of dog walking on the environment are linked to broader social and cultural factors, including people’s knowledge and skills when it comes to managing their dogs’ behaviour. But other factors include the availability of facilities such as dog poo bins, and the widespread use of “spot-on” flea and tick treatments – pesticides that are applied directly to the fur and can contaminate the environment more than medication given orally.

In our Paws for Thought workshops, the research team found that emphasising how the health of people, animals and ecosystems are all interconnected resonated with our participants more than focusing on wildlife protection alone.

Dogs are vital companions for many of us – but unfortunately, their presence and behaviour can cause problems for other species. Rather than demonising dogs and their owners as environmental threats, collaborative, evidence-based approaches can help create accessible spaces for people, dogs and wildlife.

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

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Sarah Crowley works at the University of Exeter and receives funding from the UKRI as part of the Renew programme.

David Bavin receives funding from UKRI and National Trust.

Professor Matthew Heard receives funding from UKRI and National Trust.

– ref. A traffic-light system for dogwalkers could protect breeding birds, seal pups and other wildlife – https://theconversation.com/a-traffic-light-system-for-dogwalkers-could-protect-breeding-birds-seal-pups-and-other-wildlife-258035

MIL OSI Analysis –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: South Korea is finally reckoning with its decades-long foreign adoption scandal

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Youngeun Koo, Assistant Professor, Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University

Kim Tak-un was four years old when he was adopted by a Swedish family in 1974. Originally from South Korea, Tak-un had lived with his single father, a labourer who moved frequently for work. One day in the summer of 1974, while staying with his aunt, Tak-un wandered outside and disappeared.

Local police considered him abandoned and referred him to an adoption agency, which arranged his adoption to Sweden within five months. When his father realised his son was missing, he searched everywhere, only to discover – too late – that Tak-un had already been sent overseas. Devastated, he demanded Tak-un’s return. When the adoption agency failed to respond, he went public with the story.

In March 2025, South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission released initial findings from its investigation into the country’s 72-year-old international adoption programme. The full report is expected in the next few weeks as the investigation is now completed.

Based on more than 360 cases submitted by Korean adoptees from 11 countries, the commission uncovered widespread human rights violations, including falsified documents, lack of parental consent, and cases of child switching – shaking up adoptees and their families.

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Since the end of the Korean War (1950–1953), South Korea has sent over 200,000 children abroad, becoming the world’s largest country for adoption, even as it grew into an advanced economy.

Existing studies have shown that international adoption from South Korea began as a response to the large number of mixed-heritage children born to Korean mothers and US soldiers during the war.

It is estimated that thousands of such children were born, and South Korea’s first president, Syngman Rhee, ordered their overseas placement on the grounds that they were “unfit” for a nation imagined as ethnically homogeneous.

However, international adoption did not end once this perceived “emergency” was over. From the mid-1960s onward, it expanded to include children from other vulnerable backgrounds, including those affected by poverty, family breakdown, and out-of-wedlock births. This, and the role of international adoption, is explored in my upcoming book.

This was closely tied to the policies pursued by South Korea’s military regimes. The most important figure was Park Chung Hee, a military general who came to power through a 1961 coup and ruled until his assassination in 1979.

His regime prioritised rapid economic growth, relegating social welfare to the lowest priority. Childcare was treated as an individual, not a state, responsibility. As I point out in my earlier research, public systems to categorise and care for children – whether abandoned, lost, or runaway – were extremely limited, and authorities largely placed the burden on parents to retrieve their separated children. This is probably why, after only cursory checks, authorities referred Tak-un to an adoption agency.

Tak-un’s case attracted media attention in Sweden as well. However, in an interview with Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, the Swedish national board of health and welfare – which oversaw the Korean adoption programme – dismissed the claims, stating they were “99 percent certain” the story was false and insisting that Korean social workers had followed proper procedures.

The trust that Swedish authorities placed in South Korean adoption procedures may have been because of the way the Korean social workers presented their work. As the first generation of Koreans trained in US-style professional social work, they framed international adoption as being about the child, the importance of a family, and emotional wellbeing.

The research for my upcoming book shows that while they may have genuinely believed in international adoption as a valid form of child welfare, there were also practical reasons why this happened. With virtually no public funding for child welfare, many saw international adoption – where adoptive parents covered the costs of care – as an ideal way to apply their training.

In interviews with me, now-retired social workers acknowledged flaws in South Korea’s broader child welfare system, such as the inability to verify a child’s true status. Yet, without public resources to build a reliable system or prioritise family reunification, they often treated international adoption as a first, rather than a last, resort.

Moreover, the prevailing belief at the time that “normal” middle-class families offered the most stable environment for a child’s development provided further moral justification for sending children abroad.

Western authorities often interpreted Korean social workers’ professionalism as evidence of shared liberal child welfare values and placed strong trust in their procedures. When serious flaws surfaced – as in Tak-un’s case – they were frequently dismissed as exceptions rather than signs of deeper systemic problems.

Even when the facts were confirmed in 1975, Swedish authorities still refused to return the child. The Swedish consul-general in Seoul at the time, Lars Berg, argued that it was in Tak-un’s “best interest” to remain in Sweden, rather than be sent back to “an uncertain fate of the father without work and residence”.

This reflected, in part, Sweden’s domestic realities: like many western societies at the time, Sweden faced a shortage of adoptable children, and international adoption had become an important way to meet the wishes of prospective parents.

In the early 1970s, nearly half of all internationally adopted children arriving in Sweden came from South Korea. Which meant that when issues like Tak-un’s emerged, Swedish authorities prioritised the rights of adoptive parents, framing their defence in the language of child welfare.

Sweden’s Adoption Commission has just released its own report on June 2, examining the country’s international adoption practices, including those involving South Korea. Echoing my research findings, it recommended an end to allowing Swedes to adopt children from abroad.

So, what became of Tak-un? Ultimately, South Korean officials acquiesced to the Swedish authorities, and the Korean adoption agency was cleared of any wrongdoing. Tak-un never returned. The last trace in the archives is his birth father’s plea to hear from him.

I located Tak-un, who now goes by his Swedish name and lives in a small town in Sweden. Despite attempts to reach him, he didn’t respond. It remains uncertain whether his father’s message ever reached him or if he knows anything about his early life in Korea.

This silence is not merely personal. A system that claimed to act for the child’s welfare instead routinely erased adopted children’s pasts, ignored their birth families and decided their futures for them. Tak-un’s story isn’t just a painful exception – it is a haunting reminder of what was lost in the name of care.

This project has been supported by funding from the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), the Korea Foundation, the Academy of Korean Studies, the Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies at Seoul National University, the Clarke Chambers Travel Fellowship at the University of Minnesota, and the Presbyterian Historical Society Research Fellowship.

– ref. South Korea is finally reckoning with its decades-long foreign adoption scandal – https://theconversation.com/south-korea-is-finally-reckoning-with-its-decades-long-foreign-adoption-scandal-255135

MIL OSI Analysis –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: How I uncovered a potential ancient Rome wine scam

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Conor Trainor, Ad Astra Research Fellow / Assistant Professor, University College Dublin

Dan Henson/Shutterstock

Before artificial sweeteners, people satisfied their cravings for sweetness with natural products, including honey or dried fruit. Raisin wines, made by drying grapes before fermentation, were particularly popular. Historical records show these wines, some known as passum, were enjoyed in the Roman Empire and throughout medieval Europe. The most famous of raisin wine of the period was Malmsey, with varities of this type produced across the Mediterranean.

Today, the popularity of raisin wines has declined, although some still are held in very high esteem. The best-known of these are Italy’s appassimento (literally “withering”) wines, such as Amarone. High-quality modern raisin wines from the Veneto region of Italy are left to dry for three months before being pressed and undergoing fermentation, a time-consuming process.

Ancient sources describe similar techniques for producing raisin wines. Columella, a Roman agricultural writer, noted that drying and fermentation together took at least a month. The Roman author, Pliny the Elder, mentioned a process in which grapes were partially dried on the vine, then further dried on racks before being pressed eight days later.

For the past ten years, I have been studying the process of how this wine was created at the archaeological site of Knossos in Crete. While famous for its earlier, Minoan, remains, Crete was renowned throughout the Roman empire for producing high-end sweet raisin wine, which was traded far and wide.

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High-quality raisin wines required patience and time but it seems as if Knossos’s wine producers might not have been following these traditional methods.

What my archaeological investigations of a wine production site, as well as at wine shipping container (amphora) production sites at Knossos, is that Cretan wine-producers may have been deceiving their Roman-era customers with a knock-off version of passum.

Crete’s winemaking legacy

Remains of a wine production facility in Knossos present a picture of winemaking practices a generation or so before the Romans conquered Crete. More intriguingly, ongoing studies of excavated Roman-era pottery kilns revealed a repeated pattern of four key artefacts being produced in one region of Knossos: amphorae for transporting wine, amphora stands for filling them, large ceramic mixing bowls, and ceramic beehives.

Crete, the largest Greek island, has been producing wine for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence from Myrtos suggests winemaking as early as 2170 BCE. Its strategic location between Greece and North Africa made it a valuable asset and in 67 BCE, after a brutal three-year campaign, the Romans conquered the island.

Following the conquest, Crete’s economy underwent major changes. The Romans established a colony at Knossos, transformed the governance system, and significantly expanded wine production. Rural activity surged, and archaeologists have found large numbers of amphorae (clay jars used for transporting wine) suggesting that Cretan wine was exported in huge quantities.

Romans bought so much Cretan wine partly because of shipping routes. Grain shipments that helped feed the people of Rome frequently stopped at Crete en route from Alexandria to Italy, allowing merchants to load additional cargo. But demand was also driven by the reputation of Cretan raisin wine, which was considered a luxury product, much like Italy’s appassimento wines today. Beyond taste, it was also valued for supposed medicinal properties. The Roman army physician Pedanius Dioscorides wrote in his famous five-volume medical work Materia Medica that the wine cured headaches, expelled worms and even promoted fertility.

The sudden rise in demand for sweet Cretan wine in Rome and on the Bay of Naples in the early days of empire may have encouraged winemakers to speed up production.

Pliny the Elder described one shortcut for making raisin wine – boiling grape juice in large pots. However, the mixing basins found at Knossos show no evidence of heating. This suggests another possibility: adding honey to wine before packaging. The beehives, excavated from Roman-era pottery kilns and identifiable by their rough interior surfaces designed for honeycomb attachment, hint at a connection between winemaking and honey. Similar discoveries at other Greek sites suggest that honey and wine may have been mixed before shipping.

This method would have been quicker and cheaper than drying grapes for weeks. But if Cretan producers were substituting honey for traditional drying techniques, was this truly raisin wine? And, were Roman consumers aware? The vast quantities of Cretan wine imported into Rome suggest that buyers weren’t too concerned either way. Based on the sheer volume of now-empty wine amphoras from Crete that have been found in archaeological sites in Rome, I suspect that the populous of Rome likely cared less about authenticity than we do today.

Conor Trainor receives funding from University College Dublin, the British School at Athens, and previously for this research, the University of Warwick.

– ref. How I uncovered a potential ancient Rome wine scam – https://theconversation.com/how-i-uncovered-a-potential-ancient-rome-wine-scam-258215

MIL OSI Analysis –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: GUU attracted the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences to develop a unified system for forecasting processes in agribusiness

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

On June 11, 2025, a delegation from the State University of Management visited the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SPb FRC RAS).

The working tour of the scientific team of the State University of Management continues in Saint Petersburg. Earlier we reported on meetings with the management of the Leningrad Region Committee for Transport and the BGTU “VOENMEKH”.

The State University of Management was represented at the meeting by Vice-Rector Maria Karelina, Chief Researcher of the Scientific Research Coordination Department Alexey Terentyev (a leading scientist in the field of developing decision-making models under uncertainty), Director of the Engineering Project Management Center Vladimir Filatov, Researcher of the Center Dmitry Rybakov and Junior Researcher of the Reverse Engineering Laboratory Nikita Akinshin.

Scientists and specialists of the State University of Management visited the Laboratory of Information Technologies in Systems Analysis and Modeling. The laboratory works on the development, research and implementation of methodological, methodological and technological foundations for the automation and intellectualization of processes of complex modeling of complex systems at various stages of their life cycle, and also conducts scientific research in the following areas:

Integrated modeling of the functioning of complex technical objects (STO); Planning the functioning of STO; Parallel structural and functional synthesis of STO; Data analysis; Development of automated systems for intelligent monitoring and management of the life cycle of STO; Development of digital twins based on information and analytical support.

During the visit, a joint meeting was held with scientists from the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences – leading researcher Stanislav Mikoni and young scientist of the research center Andrey Zakharov. The parties discussed the development of joint R&D in the field of digital twins, unmanned vehicles and predictive analytics. A special vector of joint work was defined as interaction within the framework of the implementation of a large scientific project by research teams of the State University of Management and the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences in order to create a unified system that predicts technological and economic processes in agribusiness.

The joint meeting of representatives of the State University of Management and the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences took place within the framework of the signed agreement – in May, the rector of the State University of Management Vladimir Stroyev and the director of the St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrey Ronzhin signed an agreement on cooperation in the educational and scientific spheres.

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 –

June 12, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Alley Theatre to host Prestigious International Conference

Source: Northern Ireland – City of Derry

Alley Theatre to host Prestigious International Conference

11 June 2025

The 8th International Flann O’Brien Conference is set to bring a vibrant gathering of scholars and enthusiasts of Flann O Brien’s work to Strabane’s Alley Theatre from June 25th to 27th, 2025.

This prestigious event, hosted in Strabane for the first time, will delve into this year’s theme: An Fód Dúchais: Home, Heritage, and origins.

Jointly hosted by the International Flann O’Brien Society and Strabane History Society the conference marks a significant return to O ’Nolan’s birth town, Strabane. The town, with its unique geographical and historical position perfectly embodies themes of fluidity and contested spaces — concepts central to O’Brien’s satirical and often surreal literary output.

On Tuesday, June 24th, schools are invited to a free theatrical performance of “Flann O’Brien” by Justin Logue at 11am, followed by an informal pre-conference gathering of conference delegates at Farmer’s Home, Railway Street, Strabane.

This international gathering promises to be a rich exploration of Flann O’Brien’s literary genius, offering insights into his enduring relevance and the unique cultural landscape that shaped his extraordinary imagination.

The conference will feature three distinguished keynote speakers: Dr. Tobias W. Harris (Birkbeck, University of London); Dr. Michael Pierse (Queen’s University Belfast) and Dr. Emily Ridge (University of Galway).

The conference commences on Wednesday, June 25th, with a Walking Tour of Flann O’Brien’s Strabane led by members of The Alley Theatre team, scripted by Strabane History Society offering our international delegates a unique perspective on the town that influenced O ‘Nolan’s work. The day will also include a keynote address by Dr. Emily Ridge titled ‘Dul Siar, Dul Siar: The Ever-Receding West in An Béal Bocht’, followed by an Official Opening with a Civic Reception and performances led by local artists to welcome delegates to Strabane.

Attendees can look forward to a diverse range of academic panels throughout the three days, covering topics such as “Old and New,” “Science and Health,” “Technology and Media,” and “Social Contexts & Formative Communities.”

Thursday, June 26th, will feature a keynote address by Dr. Tobias Harris, ‘Ag Fuineadh Ama: Opening Closed Ground in the Works of Brian Ó Nualláin’, and a special Film Screening showcasing “Babble” (2008) by David O’Kane and “Re-enactment” (2009) by Eamon O’Kane, both inspired by O’Nolan’s work.

The evening will conclude with a Book launch for Flann O’Brien and the European Avant-Garde, 1934–45 (Bloomsbury Academic, 2025) and the launch of Micheál Ó Nualláin Art Exhibit by Anna Uí Nualláin in the museum services space at The Alley Theatre gallery. In the main gallery, O’Kane Family will also launch “Strange Enlightenments”; responses to the work of Brian O’ Nolan featuring artwork by Eddie O’Kane, Joanna O’Kane, Eamon O’Kane, Matthew O’Kane and David O’Kane which will be showcased throughout the summer months.

The final day, Friday, June 27th, includes a keynote address by Dr. Michael Pierse on ‘False Alternatives and Grim Absurdities: Flann O’Brien’s Social Critique of Independent Ireland in At Swim-Two-Birds and An Béal Bocht’.

Each lunchtime internationally renowned singer and songwriter Brian Hassan will provide music on our café stage.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Cllr Ruairí McHugh said it was a huge honour for the Alley Theatre to host a conference of this calibre. Extending his best wishes to everyone involved in the event he said he hoped it would be a huge success.

He acknowledged the role played by officers of Derry City and Strabane District Council in working to bring this event to the Alley Theatre, while also showcasing what Strabane has to offer in what will be a great visitor experience and a chance for the local community to capture a taste of Flann O Brien from an academic perspective from his town of birth.

For further information and programme details please visit www.alley-theatre.com or contact Alley box office 02871384444 or visit. Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 10.00am – 4.30pm

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: The largest genome database in Russia has been compiled as part of the genetic initiative “100,000 I”

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

The Center for Whole Genome Sequencing of Biotechnology Campus LLC (hereinafter referred to as the Center) has fulfilled the plan for collecting biomaterials within the framework of the national genetic initiative “100,000 I”. The total number of samples has exceeded 100,000 units, of which more than 80,000 have already been decoded and entered into the project database. Full processing of the collected genomes will be completed by the end of the year.

The 100,000 I project is being implemented by the Center within the framework of the Federal Scientific and Technical Program for the Development of Genetic Technologies, the main technological partner of which is PJSC NK Rosneft. The main objective of the initiative is to decipher and systematize the genomes of Russian residents to identify hereditary predisposition to serious diseases.

At the current stage of research, scientists have already identified the genetic causes of diseases in more than 10,000 patients. Bioinformatics analysis has identified thousands of unique genetic variants associated with 500 different rare (orphan) diseases.

In addition, based on the analysis of more than 50,000 genomes of the initiative’s volunteers, reference data on the genetic diversity of the Russian population has been formed – the so-called “genomic landscape”. These data will become the starting point for further work, which scientists will be able to rely on to identify new patterns in human DNA.

Additionally, samples of over 5,000 representatives of 50 different nationalities of the Russian Federation were analyzed. To assess the frequency of genetic variants that lead to severe genetic diseases, in certain regions, for example, in Yakutia or in the regions of the North Caucasus Federal District, expanded studies of representatives of individual ethnic communities are being conducted. Their results will form the basis for genetic screening programs for healthy family planning and prevention of hereditary pathologies.

The implementation of the “100,000 I” initiative makes a significant contribution to the development of personalized medicine and prevention of hereditary diseases in the country. The center cooperates with leading medical and genetic research centers, including: Dmitry Rogachev National Medical Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Academician B.V. Petrovsky Russian Scientific Center of Surgery, Academician N.P. Bochkov Medical and Genetic Research Center, Ufa Federal Research Institute and many others.

Rosneft pays special attention to the development of the scientific and educational part of the project. Together with Rosneft, master’s programs in genetics have been developed and launched at Moscow State University and Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology: “Genomics and Human Health” and “Algorithmic Biology”, respectively. During the training, students of the programs undergo practical training at the Center’s sites, and after successfully mastering the specialty and graduating, they have the opportunity to find employment there. The formation of a personnel reserve and the development of the scientific infrastructure of the project create the basis for further progress in the field of genetic technologies in Russia.

Specialists from the Biotechnology Campus regularly participate in educational events. In particular, in 2023-2024 they gave lectures and presentations at the Rosneft pavilion as part of the international exhibition and forum Russia at VDNKh.

Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft June 11, 2025

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

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI: EBC Financial Group Launches over a 100 U.S. ETF CFDs, Strengthening Diversification for Global Clients

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

LONDON, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — EBC Financial Group (EBC) has announced the launch of over 100 new U.S.-listed Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) CFDs, expanding its multi-asset product suite and offering global client’s deeper access to diversified, thematic trading opportunities. The rollout highlights EBC’s ongoing commitment to delivering institutional-grade tools across asset classes, underpinned by flexibility, transparency, and efficiency.

The new offering includes ETFs listed on the NYSE and NASDAQ, issued by leading asset managers such as Vanguard, iShares (BlackRock), and State Street Global Advisors. Thematic coverage spans a wide range of global macro and sectoral narratives.

“This expansion reflects our vision to bridge intelligent product design with market relevance,” said David Barrett, CEO of EBC Financial Group (UK) Ltd. “The new products are a natural evolution for traders seeking targeted exposure with greater strategic flexibility. At EBC, we’re building an ecosystem that empowers both precision and performance.”

Thematic Access Meets Tactical Flexibility

The additional ETF-linked instruments cover a variety of market exposures, including geographic allocations like the iShares MSCI Brazil ETF; fixed income-focused strategies such as the iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond Fund; and sector- or commodity-based indices including the United States Oil Fund LP and the Vanguard Health Care ETF. Other themes include dividend-related baskets, mid-cap equities, and style-based index tracking.

These developments reflect wider industry interest in instruments that mirror trends in asset allocation without direct ownership of the underlying securities. Across many markets, sector-tilted and style-based index products are gaining relevance as participants seek flexible ways to align with global narratives.

Historically, ETFs tracking specific economic cycles—such as commodity recoveries or emerging market rebounds—have demonstrated performance differentiation. The iShares MSCI Brazil ETF, for example, notably outperformed the S&P 500 during the post-pandemic recovery period in 2021, highlighting how thematic instruments can diverge from broad indices depending on market cycles.

These additions serve as both stand-alone trade ideas and complementary instruments alongside EBC’s existing product lineup, enabling advanced portfolio structuring and thematic trading.

Smarter Exposure: Leverage, Shorting, and Cost Efficiency in One Product

Compared to direct ETF investments, it presents several key advantages as traders benefit from a simplified cost structure, with no traditional fund management fees or broker commissions. The flexibility to take both long and short positions allows for strategic trading regardless of market direction, while the use of leverage enhances capital efficiency and return potential. These trades are executed in real time via EBC’s recognised platforms, providing seamless access to market opportunities.

During key market cycles, for example the post-pandemic V-shaped recovery of 2021—certain thematic ETFs, like the iShares MSCI Brazil ETF, significantly outperformed broader indices such as the S&P 500. Our portfolio enables traders to participate in similar trends, adapting quickly to shifting market dynamics with precision and speed.

Getting Started

These products can be accessed by registering on www.ebc.com to begin simulated or live trading.

About EBC Financial Group
Founded in London’s esteemed financial district, EBC Financial Group (EBC) is a global brand known for its expertise in financial brokerage and asset management. Through its regulated entities operating across major financial jurisdictions—including the UK, Australia, the Cayman Islands, Mauritius, and others—EBC enables retail, professional, and institutional investors to access a wide range of global markets and trading opportunities, including currencies, commodities, shares, and indices.

Recognised with multiple awards, EBC is committed to upholding ethical standards and is licensed and regulated within the respective jurisdictions. EBC Financial Group (UK) Limited is regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA); EBC Financial Group (Cayman) Limited is regulated by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA); EBC Financial Group (Australia) Pty Ltd, and EBC Asset Management Pty Ltd are regulated by Australia’s Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC); EBC Financial (MU) Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Commission Mauritius (FSC).

At the core of EBC are a team of industry veterans with over 40 years of experience in major financial institutions. Having navigated key economic cycles from the Plaza Accord and 2015 Swiss franc crisis to the market upheavals of the COVID-19 pandemic. We foster a culture where integrity, respect, and client asset security are paramount, ensuring that every investor relationship is handled with the utmost seriousness it deserves.

As the Official Foreign Exchange Partner of FC Barcelona, EBC provides specialised services across Asia, LATAM, the Middle East, Africa, and Oceania. Through its partnership with United to Beat Malaria, the company contributes to global health initiatives. EBC also supports the ‘What Economists Really Do’ public engagement series by Oxford University’s Department of Economics, helping to demystify economics and its application to major societal challenges, fostering greater public understanding and dialogue.

https://www.ebc.com/

Media Contact:
Savitha Ravindran
Global Public Relations Manager
s avitha.ravindran@ebc.com

Michelle Siow
Brand & Communications Director
michelle.siow@ebc.com

The MIL Network –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: How can NSU students avoid being scammed?

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

What fraudulent schemes are used against NSU students?

1) Calls from fake “government” agencies with a stern warning or request to reissue documents, receive a parcel, or “save State Services from hacking.”

How to resist: do not answer calls from unknown numbers or calls in messengers with avatars that imitate the logos of government agencies. Remember that a government agency will NEVER call you on your personal number and ask you to hurry up with documents.

If you can log into your personal account on the State Services portal, then it is NOT hacked. And if a document change is really required, the notification will come in electronic and official format.

2) Fraud with dormitory rooms for locals and out-of-towners: scammers ask for an advance payment for a “dead soul,” for a family room, or to “definitely reserve a place in a new dormitory.”

How to resist: remember that dormitory places can only be obtained OFFICIALLY. The NSU Student Dormitory Administration never charges money for registering a student in a dormitory and, moreover, does not ask for any prepayments for “room reservations”.

— I would like to remind students and their parents that Novosibirsk State University has a set of internal regulations that are strictly observed. We accommodate out-of-town students in 100% of cases according to the standard check-in procedure, the same applies to married couples — separate family blocks are provided for them in the student campus. Payment for rent and utilities is made only according to the official agreement that the student concluded during check-in.

Booking rooms in advance and for large sums of money is illegal! No one provides such services either on behalf of the NSU Student Dormitory Administration or on behalf of the university. Moreover, we check the lists of students living in the dormitories every week to prevent violations of the internal regulations.

On my own behalf, I will say that for me the main identifier of fraud is any correspondence, call or other pressure in a messenger, because no official structure conducts correspondence in online services via the Internet. Any call made by phone should also be assessed critically, because technologies using artificial intelligence are now capable of much, – commented the head of the NSU Student Dormitory Department Sergey Aleksandrovich Gusev.

Remember the basic safety rules:

— If they call “from the accounting department” or the dean’s office, it’s better to approach them in person and find out what is really required of you.

— NEVER give your personal information to strangers: passport, SNILS (insurance certificate).

— Don’t fall for tricks and don’t let scammers hack your personal account on the “Gosuslugi” portal — ONLY scammers ask for a code to log in or change your password.

— Set a self-ban on loans in your personal account on “Gosuslugi”. It takes two minutes, and you have already blocked the scammers from taking out a microloan in your name if there is a leak of personal data.

— NEVER manually transfer money to strangers on demand.

— Fraudsters are excellent psychologists. Even if you think that you will not be able to say anything important, it is better to immediately stop the dialogue and write a statement to the police about malicious actions against you.

Don’t rely only on yourself.

During exam periods, the level of nervous tension increases tenfold, and scammers skillfully take advantage of your vulnerable state.

Every NSU student can seek psychological help from the Psychological Support Department, as well as from volunteers from the pre-psychological help club “You are not alone”.

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 –

June 11, 2025
MIL-OSI: NVIDIA Partners With Europe Model Builders and Cloud Providers to Accelerate Region’s Leap Into AI
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
- Model Builders Across Europe — Including France, Italy, Poland, Spain and Sweden — to Deliver Sovereign Models With NVIDIA Nemotron
- AI Models Tailored to Local Languages and Culture Coming to Perplexity, Delivered as NVIDIA NIM Microservices and Hosted on Regional AI Infrastructure From NVIDIA Cloud Partners
PARIS, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NVIDIA GTC Paris at VivaTech — NVIDIA today announced that it is teaming with model builders and cloud providers across Europe and the Middle East to optimize sovereign large language models (LLMs), providing a springboard to accelerate enterprise AI adoption for the region’s industries.

Model builders and AI consortiums Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Bielik.AI, Dicta, H Company, Domyn, LightOn, the National Academic Infrastructure for Supercomputing in Sweden (NAISS) together with KBLab at the National Library of Sweden, the Slovak Republic, the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the University College of London, the University of Ljubljana and UTTER are teaming with NVIDIA to optimize their models with NVIDIA Nemotron™ techniques to maximize cost efficiency and accuracy for enterprise AI workloads, including agentic AI.

Model post-training and inference will run on AI infrastructure in Europe from NVIDIA Cloud Partners (NCPs) participating in the NVIDIA DGX Cloud Lepton™ marketplace.

The open, sovereign models will provide a foundation for an integrated regional AI ecosystem that reflects local languages and culture. Europe’s enterprises will be able to run the models on Perplexity, an AI-powered answer engine used to answer over 150 million questions per week. Companies will also be able to fine-tune the sovereign models on local NCP infrastructure through a new Hugging Face integration with DGX Cloud Lepton.

“Europe’s diversity is its superpower — an engine of creativity and innovation,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. “Together with Europe’s model builders and cloud providers, we’re building an AI ecosystem where intelligence is developed and served locally to provide a foundation for Europe to thrive in the age of AI — transforming every industry across the region.”

Optimizing Model Accuracy and Inference Savings With NVIDIA Nemotron
Europe — the world’s third largest economic region — is home to industries spanning manufacturing, robotics, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, finance, energy and creative.

To accelerate the region’s AI-driven transformation, NVIDIA partners are delivering their open LLMs with support for Europe’s 24 official languages. Several models also specialize in national language and culture, such as those from H Company and LightOn in France, Dicta in Israel, Domyn in Italy, Bielik.AI in Poland, the University of Ljubljana and the Slovak Republic models, BSC in Spain, NAISS and KBLab in Sweden, TII in the United Arab Emirates and the University College London in the U.K.

The LLMs will be distilled with NVIDIA Nemotron model-building techniques — including neural architecture search — as well as reinforcement learning and post-training with NVIDIA-curated synthetic data. These optimizations will reduce operational costs and boost user experiences by generating tokens faster during inference. The Nemotron post-training workloads will run on DGX Cloud Lepton hosted by European NCPs including Nebius, Nscale and Fluidstack.

Developers will be able to deploy the sovereign models as NVIDIA NIM™ microservices running on AI factories — on premises and across cloud service provider platforms — using a new NIM microservice that supports more than 100,000 public, private and domain-specialized LLMs hosted on Hugging Face.

Adding Europe’s Sovereign AI Insights to Perplexity
Supporting AI diversity for enterprises across the region, Perplexity will integrate the sovereign AI models into its answer engine, which is used by European enterprises, publishers and organizations, including telecommunications and media giants. Perplexity uses LLMs to improve accuracy in search queries and AI outputs. The answer engine draws from credible sources in real time to accurately answer questions with in-line citations, perform deep research and complete assistive tasks.

“Perplexity’s goal is to provide accurate, trustworthy answers to any question from any person, wherever they are,” said Aravind Srinivas, cofounder and CEO of Perplexity. “Bringing NVIDIA-optimized sovereign AI models to Perplexity empowers innovation in Europe with AI built and running in the region.”

Availability
The first distilled models from Europe’s model builders are expected to be available later this year.

Watch the NVIDIA GTC Paris keynote from Huang at VivaTech and explore GTC Paris sessions.

About NVIDIA
NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) is the world leader in accelerated computing.

For further information, contact:
Allie Courtney
NVIDIA Corporation
+1-408-706-8995
acourtney@nvidia.com

Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: together with Europe’s model builders and cloud providers, NVIDIA building an AI ecosystem where intelligence is developed and served locally to provide a foundation for Europe to thrive in the age of AI — transforming every industry across the region; the benefits, impact, performance, and availability of NVIDIA’s products, services, and technologies; expectations with respect to NVIDIA’s third party arrangements, including with its collaborators and partners; expectations with respect to technology developments; and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections based on management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: global economic and political conditions; NVIDIA’s reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, package and test NVIDIA’s products; the impact of technological development and competition; development of new products and technologies or enhancements to NVIDIA’s existing product and technologies; market acceptance of NVIDIA’s products or NVIDIA’s partners’ products; design, manufacturing or software defects; changes in consumer preferences or demands; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of NVIDIA’s products or technologies when integrated into systems; and changes in applicable laws and regulations, as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the most recent reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on the company’s website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

Many of the products and features described herein remain in various stages and will be offered on a when-and-if-available basis. The statements above are not intended to be, and should not be interpreted as a commitment, promise, or legal obligation, and the development, release, and timing of any features or functionalities described for our products is subject to change and remains at the sole discretion of NVIDIA. NVIDIA will have no liability for failure to deliver or delay in the delivery of any of the products, features or functions set forth herein.

© 2025 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, DGX Cloud Lepton, NVIDIA Nemotron and NVIDIA NIM are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability and specifications are subject to change without notice.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f5fb6261-43d3-4e35-ba55-37a8fbeca57c.

The MIL Network –
June 11, 2025