Category: Universities

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Hong Kong Customs hosts 26th World Customs Organization Asia/Pacific Regional Heads of Customs Administrations Conference (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Hong Kong Customs hosts 26th World Customs Organization Asia/Pacific Regional Heads of Customs Administrations Conference       
         The Conference is the highest-level meeting held annually in the A/P region, which has gathered more than 120 heads of Customs organisations and senior officials from the region, along with delegates from the WCO’s regional entities. The Secretary General of the WCO, Mr Ian Saunders, was also in attendance.
          
         The Conference started with a welcoming speech by the Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Mr Chan Tsz-tat, in the capacity of the WCO Vice-Chairperson for the A/P Region. While highlighting that the Conference serves as an important platform for discussing regional policies and formulating the future of the customs community, Mr Chan encouraged participants to share ideas and experiences, propose customs initiatives and stay updated with the latest customs developments. He hoped that the commitment and dedication of the A/P family would foster regional co-operation in addressing evolving global challenges. Other speakers, including Mr Saunders, also shared valuable insights on the future development of the WCO.
          
         The Conference features discussions on various customs initiatives and actions pertinent to the A/P region, enabling participants to share ideas and make decisions to enhance connectivity and trade facilitation amongst regional members, thereby promoting the development of customs affairs in the region. In addition, the Conference was enriched by wonderful performances from the Hong Kong Baptist University Affiliated School Wong Kam Fai Secondary and Primary School Chinese Drum Team at the welcome reception, as well as the Good Hope School Chinese Orchestra prior to the start of the first day Conference, demonstrating the vibrant Chinese culture and showcasing the talent, positive energy and potential of Hong Kong’s young generation.
    Issued at HKT 20:37

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI Global: Are independent vets really better? The real issue isn’t necessarily who owns them

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rachel Williams, Reader in Human Resource Management, Cardiff University

    maxbelchenko/Shutterstock

    Taking your pet to the vet might feel different these days, and there’s a reason for that. About 60% of UK practices are now owned by just six big companies, raising concerns about cost, care and competition.

    But ownership is only part of the picture. After four years researching life inside vet practices, I’ve found that what really shapes the experience – for vets and pet owners alike – is how each clinic is managed.

    Although it is the head offices of these large companies that determine business strategies, it is local managers who implement the policies. The way they choose to do this can significantly affect the experiences of vets and their clients.

    Until 1999, UK vet practices had to be owned by qualified vets. Most were small, local and privately run.


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    But that changed when the Veterinary Surgeons Act was amended to allow wider ownership. This opened the door for venture capitalists, healthcare companies and multinational corporations, like Mars and Nestlé, to expand into the veterinary sector. They quickly bought up small vet practices and soon dominated the market.

    This domination has led to concerns of an excessive focus on profit rather than affordable veterinary care, leading to high costs for owners and stressful performance targets for vets. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been investigating the veterinary sector since September 2023 because of this.

    Veterinary practices are either owned by individuals, joint ventures between corporations and vets, or wholly owned by large corporations. Those in the first category tend to be known colloquially as “independents” and the rest as “corporates”.

    Much of the narrative in the media has concentrated on the dichotomy between independents and corporates. There’s a suggestion that corporates charge excessive fees and pressurise vets to sell additional services.

    But my research, which included 97 interviews with 25 vets, suggests that the profession is far more nuanced than this. I spoke with a vet who described the most stressful, target-driven environment not in a corporate, but in an independent practice.

    In contrast, several vets working for corporates had remained in the same practice since they graduated. They experienced supportive working environments, high standards of care and no pressure to meet targets.

    Another vet had switched between corporate and independent practices and believed that it was easier to provide affordable care in the independent practices due to lower prices and greater autonomy. But they left one independent practice as they were uncomfortable with the standard of care offered. “Independent good, corporate bad” is not always the case.

    shutterstock.
    Vaillery/Shutterstock

    Management matters

    I found that practice management shapes the experiences of vets and clients far more than ownership. Even within the same corporate, there are significant differences in how managers implement policies and support their teams.

    Whereas in one practice a manager may turn a blind eye when a vet supports a client by missing a minor item from a bill, in another they may be reminded to bill correctly. Vets described staying in practices where they felt valued and supported, where they could provide appropriate care for their patients and where they could keep learning.

    High professional standards and compassionate management cultures were important. But other vets described crying at the end of the day when the relentless workload and lack of support meant they could not care for their patients as they wished. They spoke out and nothing changed until eventually they left.

    Vets may not agree with all elements of the corporate business strategy, but they are more likely to remain with a practice due to the actions of local managers than due to decisions made at the corporate headquarters.




    Read more:
    Rising vet fees leave pet owners facing tough choices – and vets often bear the brunt


    What about pet owners? A survey by the CMA as part of their investigation found that most people choose a vet based on location and quality of care, not cost.

    However, the research also found that many owners were not aware that their vet practices were corporates. Only two of the six corporates use distinct corporate names and branding for their practices, with the others often only mentioning corporate ownership in their small print. This lack of transparency may lead to owners choosing a practice because they incorrectly believe it is independent, a situation that concerns the CMA.

    There are real challenges facing the veterinary profession, from rising costs to staff burnout and workforce shortages. But pitting independents against corporates risks missing the point. The conversation needs to be shifted away from who owns the practice and towards how they’re run on the ground. What matters is whether vets are supported to provide the kind of care they trained for, and whether managers are equipped to lead teams with compassion, fairness and professionalism.

    After all, that’s what benefits everyone, whether it be the vets, the clients or the animals.

    Rachel Williams 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. Are independent vets really better? The real issue isn’t necessarily who owns them – https://theconversation.com/are-independent-vets-really-better-the-real-issue-isnt-necessarily-who-owns-them-256035

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Global: Batteries that absorb carbon emissions move a step closer to reality – new study

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Daniel Commandeur, Surrey Future Fellow, School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, University of Surrey

    Future power. Sweetie Khatun

    What if there were a battery that could release energy while trapping carbon dioxide? This isn’t science fiction; it’s the promise of lithium-carbon dioxide (Li-CO₂) batteries, which are currently a hot research topic.

    Lithium-carbon dioxide (Li-CO₂) batteries could be a two-in-one solution to the current problems of storing renewable energy and taking carbon emissions out of the air. They absorb carbon dioxide and convert it into a white powder called lithium carbonate while discharging energy.

    These batteries could have profound implications for cutting emissions from vehicles and industry – and might even enable long-duration missions on Mars, where the atmosphere is 95% CO₂.

    To make these batteries commercially viable, researchers have mainly been wrestling with problems related to recharging them. Now, our team at the University of Surrey has come up with a promising way forward. So how close are these “CO₂-breathing” batteries to becoming a practical reality?


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    Like many great scientific breakthroughs, Li-CO₂ batteries were a happy accident. Slightly over a decade ago, a US-French team of researchers were trying to address problems with lithium air batteries, another frontier energy-storage technology. Whereas today’s lithium-ion batteries generate power by moving and storing lithium ions within electrodes, lithium air batteries work by creating a chemical reaction between lithium and oxygen.

    The problem has been the “air” part, since even the tiny (0.04%) volume of CO₂ found in air is enough to disrupt this careful chemistry, producing unwanted lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃). As many battery scientists will tell you, the presence of Li₂CO₃ can also be a real pain in regular lithium-ion batteries, causing unhelpful side reactions and electrical resistance.

    Nonetheless the scientists noticed something interesting about this CO₂ contamination: it improved the battery’s amount of charge. From this point on, work began on intentionally adding CO₂ gas to batteries to take advantage of this, and the lithium-CO₂ battery was born.

    How it works

    Their great potential relates to the chemical reaction at the positive side of the battery, where small holes are cut in the casing to allow CO₂ gas in. There it dissolves in the liquid electrolyte (which allows the charge to move between the two electrodes) and reacts with lithium that has already been dissolved there. During this reaction, it’s believed that four electrons are exchanged between lithium ions and carbon dioxide.

    This electron transfer determines the theoretical charge that can be stored in the battery. In a normal lithium-ion battery, the positive electrode exchanges just one electron per reaction (in lithium air batteries, it’s two to four electrons). The greater exchange of electrons in the lithium-carbon dioxide battery, combined with the high voltage of the reaction, explains their potential to greatly outperform today’s lithium-ion batteries.

    In terms of the benefits to carbon emissions, by our rough calculations, 1kg of catalyst could absorb around 18.5kg of CO₂. Since a car driving 100 miles emits around 18kg-20kg of CO₂, that means such a battery could potentially offset a day’s drive.

    However, the technology has a few issues. The batteries don’t last very long. Commercial lithium-ion packs routinely survive 1,000–10,000 charging cycles; most LiCO₂ prototypes fade after fewer than 100.

    They’re also difficult to recharge. This requires breaking down the lithium carbonate to release lithium and CO₂, which can be energy intensive. This energy requirement is a little like a hill that must be cycled up before the reaction can coast, and is known as overpotential.

    You can reduce this requirement by printing the right catalyst material on the porous positive electrode. Yet these catalysts are typically expensive and rare noble metals, such as ruthenium and platinum, which is a significant barrier to commercial viability.

    Our team has found an alternative catalyst, caesium phosphomolybdate, which is far cheaper and easy to manufacture at room temperature. This material made the batteries stable for 107 cycles, while also storing 2.5 times as much charge as a lithium-ion. And we significantly reduced the energy cost involved in breaking down lithium carbonate, for an overpotential of 0.67 volts, which is only about double what would be necessary in a commercial product.

    Our research team is now working to further reduce the cost of this technology by developing a catalyst that replaces caesium, since it’s the phosphomolybdate that is key. This could make the system more economically viable and scalable for widespread deployment.

    We also plan to study how the battery charges and discharges in real time. This will provide a clearer understanding of the internal mechanisms at work, helping to optimise performance and durability.

    Lithium-carbon dioxide batteries could help humans to colonise Mars.
    Forelse Stock

    A major focus of upcoming tests will be to evaluate how the battery performs under different CO₂ pressures. So far, the system has only been tested under idealised conditions (1 bar). If it can work at 0.1 bar of pressure, it will be feasible for car exhausts and gas boiler flues, meaning you could capture CO₂ while you drive or heat your home. Demonstrating that this works will be an important confirmation of commercial viability, albeit we would expect the battery’s charge capacity to reduce at this pressure.

    If the batteries work at 0.006 bar, the pressure on the Martian atmosphere, they could power anything from an exploration rover to a colony. At 0.0004 bar, Earth’s ambient air pressure, they could capture CO₂ from our atmosphere and store power anywhere. In all cases, the key question will be how it affects the battery’s charge capacity.

    Meanwhile, to improve the battery’s number of recharge cycles, we need to address the fact that the electrolyte dries out. We’re currently investigating solutions, which probably involve developing casings that only CO₂ can move into. As for reducing the energy required for the catalyst to work, it’s likely to require optimising the battery’s geometry to maximise the reaction rate – and to introduce a flow of CO₂, comparable to how fuel cells work (typically by feeding in hydrogen and oxygen).

    If this continued work can push the battery’s cycle life above 1,000 cycles, cut overpotential below 0.3 V, and replace scarce elements entirely, commercial Li-CO₂ packs could become reality. Our experiments will determine just how versatile and far-reaching the battery’s applications might be, from carbon capture on Earth to powering missions on Mars.

    Daniel Commandeur receives funding from the Royal Society. He is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Christians in Science.

    Siddharth Gadkari receives funding from UKRI.

    Mahsa Masoudi 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. Batteries that absorb carbon emissions move a step closer to reality – new study – https://theconversation.com/batteries-that-absorb-carbon-emissions-move-a-step-closer-to-reality-new-study-256915

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Security: IAEA Database Reveals Scale of Issue with Dietary Self-Reporting

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

    A new equation is helping scientists check the reliability of people’s reports about what they eat, supporting better nutrition research.

    A new equation, developed using data from an IAEA nutrition database, is helping researchers assess the accuracy of self-reported dietary information in studies and surveys.

    This equation, developed using machine learning, has revealed that close to a third of records in two widely used nutritional datasets were likely to be misreported, according to a recent scientific article published in Nature Food.

    This revelation underlines the need for better methods to measure what people really eat.

    Nutritional epidemiology, a field that examines the link between diet and human diseases, commonly relies on tools such as questionnaires and food diaries to assess dietary intake. However, these methods are prone to misreporting, as participants may inaccurately estimate portion sizes, misremember what they ate, intentionally misstate their consumption, or even alter their eating habits during the reporting period.

    “Many nutritional epidemiology studies that try to link dietary exposure to disease outcomes are based on unreliable data, which can explain why many findings contradict each other,” said John Speakman, one of the paper’s authors and a professor at the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology in China and the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom.

    While the issue of misreporting and its impact on metabolic research has been recognized since the 1980s, studies continue to use these tools due to their perceived utility and the lack of practical and accessible alternatives for collecting dietary data.

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Global: What the strength of your grip can tell you about your overall health

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lawrence Hayes, Lecturer in Physiology, Lancaster University

    A strong grip can tell you many things about your health. XArtProduction/ Shutterstock

    Predicting your risk of a range of health outcomes – from type 2 diabetes to depression and even your longevity – is as simple as testing how tight your grip is.

    Grip strength refers to the power generated by the muscles of the hand and forearm to perform actions such as grabbing, squeezing an object or even shaking hands. This action involves a complex interplay between the various muscle groups located in the forearm, as well as the muscles within the hand itself.

    Grip strength is a very cheap, easy and non-invasive measure of muscle strength. This test has been used since the mid-1950s as a measure of overall health. Since then, the simple test has been firmly established as a reliable marker of various aspects of health – with some researchers even suggesting grip strength can be used to determine a person’s risk of everything from type 2 diabetes to depression.

    The standard method for measuring grip strength involves using a handheld dynanometer – an instrument which can measure a person’s power. This test is usually done while a person is sitting down. With their forearm bent at a 90-degree angle and wrist held in a neutral position, the person then squeezes the dynamometer as hard as they can – usually three separate times for one minute each.


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    The average of the highest readings from each hand, or sometimes just the dominant hand, is then recorded as the person’s grip strength. This can be measured in both kilograms or pounds. A grip strength value of under 29kg for men and 18kg for women is typically considered low. You can pick up a handgrip dynamometer for under £5 should you wish to test at home.

    Not only is grip strength a trusted indicator of overall health, it’s also strongly correlated with overall muscle strength and lean body mass across a person’s lifespan.

    Moreover, the stronger a person’s grip is, the more independent they will be in their daily life as they get older. This means they’ll be able to perform normal daily activities without assistance, such as rising from a chair and moving around the house.

    A substantial body of evidence also shows low grip strength is not only linked with greater susceptibility of a wide range of chronic diseases – including cancer and cardiovascular disease – but greater risk of early death due to these chronic disease, as well.

    Researchers have also observed links between low grip strength and greater risk of depression, anxiety and diabetes, to name a few.

    There’s also a significant association between grip strength and a person’s lifespan. In this study, people who died before the age of 79 were 2.5 times less likely than those who lived to be 100 to be in the top 33% for grip strength when they were middle aged.

    Grip strength is actually a proxy measure of overall muscle strength.
    Microgen/ Shutterstock

    However, in a 12-year prospective study published in 2022, the authors reported that baseline hand grip strength was the same in participants that died between the beginning and end of the study as in those who survived. But walking speed, speed of standing up from a chair and leg press strength were all worse in the people that died than in t that survived. This tells us is that there are better predictors of longevity than grip strength – such as total body muscle mass and leg strength.

    So why is it that such a simple measure can tell us about the risk of so many diseases, and ultimately death? The answer is that grip strength is a proxy measure of total muscle strength and size. This means that grip strength alone is not a cause of early mortality or disease, but is correlated with a cause of early mortality or disease (such as low muscle mass or muscle strength of the legs).

    Muscle mass is crucial for overall health. It plays an integral role in our metabolism. For example, muscle helps regulate blood sugar by removing glucose from circulation. This may explain why muscle mass protects against developing diabetes.

    Muscle also releases chemicals called myokines, which act upon other tissues and organs in the body – such as fat, our bones, the gut, liver and even our skin and brain. These myokines generally appear to have a protective effect on all of these tissues. This suggests muscle provides more than just the power we need to move our bodies.

    Improving your grip strength

    Unless you’re a rock climber or otherwise need a strong grip, there’s not much point working specifically on improving your grip strength. Although grip strength is linked with longevity and disease, this is because grip strength is an estimate of total body strength.

    As such, if you want to improve your health and strength, you should focus on training your leg strength. Leg strength is particularly important for health and fitness as it permits movement and helps you continue doing tasks independently in your daily life. Research also shows a correlation between leg strength and a person’s risk of chronic disease and their longevity.

    You can also add in other movements such as deadlifts, press-ups and pull-ups to build strength in your core, back and arms.

    Grip strength values serve as a very cheap and easy measure of a person’s overall health. It’s a cost-effective tool for measuring health but there are better ways to improve health with exercise.

    Lawrence Hayes has received funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Chief Scientist Office (CSO), the RS Macdonald Charitable Trust, and the Physiological Society.

    ref. What the strength of your grip can tell you about your overall health – https://theconversation.com/what-the-strength-of-your-grip-can-tell-you-about-your-overall-health-256271

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Global: Disaster authoritarianism: how autocratic regimes deal with earthquakes

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Nimesh Dhungana, Lecturer in Disasters and Global Health, Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, University of Manchester

    An earthquake that struck south-east Asia in late March is thought to have killed more than 3,000 people in Myanmar, a country ruled by a military junta that has blocked humanitarian aid and continued waging war on quake-ravaged rebel territory.

    I am interested in how authoritarian regimes handle disasters and whether they disrupt or reinforce the ruling elite’s agenda. My research has led me to Tibet, which has endured Chinese occupation since 1951 and suffered a 7.1-magnitude earthquake in early January 2025.

    Beijing controls the access of independent media and international observers in Tibet. What we know about the disaster’s impact is largely based on initial reporting by the Chinese media, which has claimed the loss of 126 lives and damage to roads and communication networks.

    Tibetan sources have, however, contended that there has been much greater destruction, including to a number of monasteries and nunneries across the region.


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    Following the earthquake, the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, ordered “all-out search and rescue efforts” and pledged a rapid recovery. The constrained political environment has meant that Chinese relief agencies and the Chinese state-run media have controlled the narrative, praising Beijing’s capacity for “speed and compassion” in mobilising rescue efforts while using the disaster to highlight China’s record of “good governance and putting people and their lives first”.

    These accounts not only fail to report on the civic responses to disaster, such as mutual aid networks organised by Tibetans both locally and internationally, but they tend to overlook the immediate concerns of the affected communities.

    Survivors and activists using social media to challenge Chinese media narratives of purported success in rescue and relief efforts have faced censorship and outright hostility from the Chinese authorities. A previous study, looking at the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, found that communities that were considered a challenge to Chinese authority had their demands for relief suppressed.

    Firefighters shift rubble in Shigatse on January 7 2025.
    China News Service, CC BY-SA

    The earthquake has sparked further concerns among Tibetans that Chinese authorities will use the disaster to tighten their grip on the region.

    The situation is reminiscent of the April 2010 earthquake that struck Tibet’s Yushu region, claiming more than 2,600 lives and causing significant disruption to local life. The earthquake enabled China to push its vision of modernity and development in Tibet amid allegations of corruption in relief distribution and forced relocations.

    The aftermath revealed a divergence between the Chinese interpretation of recovery and what many Tibetans saw as essential for preserving and promoting their unique cultural identity.

    In their study of the Zimbabwean state’s response to tropical cyclone Idai in 2019, anthropologist Denboy Kudejira described this phenomenon as “disaster authoritarianism”: when an authoritarian regime exploits a disaster to reassert its power. Akin to China’s model, the Zimbabwean government restricted the involvement of non-state groups in longer-term recovery efforts.

    The relative lack of attention journalists and politicians abroad pay to Tibet makes this problem more acute. For instance, the wildfires in Los Angeles erupted at the same time as the earthquake, but garnered greater and more sustained media attention that mounted scrutiny on responsible agencies. By contrast, the Tibet earthquake quickly faded from the news.

    ‘Confrontational politics emerging’

    For Tibetans, challenging disaster authoritarianism is part of a delicate political struggle. Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, called the disaster “a natural phenomenon and not the result of human activities”, while urging Tibetans not to be “angry with the Chinese”. This appears to reflect his long-held wisdom that antagonising Chinese authorities will invite further hardship for communities enduring political marginalisation.

    Others are more sceptical. Some people inside Tibet have questioned the official number of casualties reported by Beijing and pushed Chinese authorities to clarify the scale of the tragedy.

    There are signs of more confrontational politics emerging. The International Campaign for Tibet, which lobbies for self-determination for Tibetans, has labelled the disaster “the silent earthquake” and accused Chinese authorities of censoring the true nature of suffering.

    Another rights group, the Tibetan Rights Collective, has highlighted China’s interventions in Tibet that have made the region more geologically unstable, including the building of hydropower dams and roads. Recent research shows that China’s push to build infrastructure in the region has increased the risk of disasters, such as floods and landslides, for downstream communities in south Asia.

    Research a colleague and I conducted during the pandemic showed that community groups can compensate for gaps in state-led disaster responses, and alert where help is needed. But this depends on public participation and grassroots organising that, in authoritarian contexts such as Tibet and Myanmar, is heavily restricted.

    The climate crisis is increasing the risk of disasters at the same time as there is widespread fear of increasing authoritarianism globally. We should all worry about how these two trends might interact.

    Nimesh Dhungana 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. Disaster authoritarianism: how autocratic regimes deal with earthquakes – https://theconversation.com/disaster-authoritarianism-how-autocratic-regimes-deal-with-earthquakes-248188

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Global: Do we see colour the same way? What scientists can learn from artists

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sasha Rakovich, Senior Lecturer in Physics, King’s College London

    TSViPhoto/Shutterstock

    As many people sit at the wheel of their car, they are certain they know what colour is. It’s the red traffic light in front of them, the garish yellow hatchback in the next lane, or the green verge banking to their right.

    Colour, as many people understand it, is the property of a thing. That light is green. The sky is blue. But scientifically, that’s not quite true. No one can experience the exact same colour as you do. Colour is a perceptual experience created by our brains.

    It’s the interaction between a material, light and the mind. The way a material absorbs and scatters light affects what reaches our eyes. And colour needs to be processed by the brain.

    The shape of objects and the context in which you encounter them can also shape the way you perceive colour. If you’ve ever picked a paint colour that looked perfect in the shop but turned into something entirely difference once on your walls, you’ve already encountered this phenomenon.


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    This notion of colour as experience was recently shown in a study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, who used lasers to manipulate participants’ eyes into seeing a new colour – a blue-green they call olo.

    To achieve this, the scientists used lasers to activate specific photoreceptor cells in the retina that detect green wavelengths of light, called M cones. We also have S and L cones, types of photoreceptors that detect short blue, and longer red wavelengths of light respectively. Everyone has slight variations in the number and sensitivity of these cones, so we each experience colour a little differently.

    Outside the lab, the reflected light that comes into our eyes illuminates large areas of the retina, which stimulates multiple cone types. The wavelengths perceived by the M and L cones overlap by over 85%. This means that under natural conditions, the two are always activated together, but in varying degrees.

    By targeting just the M cones, the scientists at Berkeley have in essence created a pure colour. Olo doesn’t have context or material conditions. It will look the same to different people.

    But this isn’t the only example which shows the place of the brain in colour perception.

    The most common type of red-green colour blindness, deuteranomaly, occurs when the M and L cones overlap more than they should. This reduces people’s ability to distinguish between colours in that range, without affecting sharpness or brightness.

    Language may play a role in colour perception, influencing how easily or accurately we discriminate between colours, especially when languages differ in how they categorise or label colour distinctions. This highlights the gulf between an objective property and the processing of the brain.

    The difference between the subjective experience of colour and the fixed, physical means of producing it means that most artists’ search for “pure” paint will fail. British artist Stuart Semple recently claimed he’d recreated olo in paint form. He called the paint yolo. But when people look at it, M and L cones will be activated at the same time. A “pure” paint is still impossible.

    Semple’s Black 3.0, along with other ultra-black materials, is marketed as a “pure” black paint. It absorbs nearly all light, using a high concentration of light-absorbing pigments and a matte binder to minimise reflections. But instead of offering a pure colour, it removes colour altogether – delivering a universal experience of “black” by eliminating visual stimulus.

    Colour is never static.
    gkkhjn/Shutterstock

    In truth, artists have known colour is a matter of perception for quite some time. The modernist artist Mark Rothko was notoriously meticulous about how his work was displayed. Rothko insisted that his work be hung low, with as little white wall visible as possible, in dim light.

    He was shaping the experience of colour his work presented to the onlooker by controlling brightness, contrast and the surroundings. Rothko, like the scientists at Berkeley, recognised that colour is an interaction between material, light and observer. It is not just about manipulating what we don’t see, but about engineering what we do.

    I have been running a public engagement programme, Transcending the Invisible, which brings together scientists and artists to explore scientific ideas through art. What I’ve been struck by most is that scientists and artists

    ref. Do we see colour the same way? What scientists can learn from artists – https://theconversation.com/do-we-see-colour-the-same-way-what-scientists-can-learn-from-artists-256142

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Global: Is it better to shower in the morning or at night? Here’s what a microbiologist says

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Primrose Freestone, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Microbiology, University of Leicester

    Showering is an important part of an good hygiene routine. Valerii_k/ Shutterstock

    It’s a question that’s long been the cause of debate: is it better to shower in the morning or at night?

    Morning shower enthusiasts will say this is the obvious winner, as it helps you wake up and start the day fresh. Night shower loyalists, on the other hand, will argue it’s better to “wash the day away” and relax before bed.

    But what does the research actually say? As a microbiologist, I can tell you there actually is a clear answer to this question.


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    First off, it’s important to stress that showering is an integral part of any good hygiene routine — regardless of when you prefer to have one.

    Showering helps us remove dirt and oil from our skin, which can help prevent skin rashes and infections.

    Showering also removes sweat, which can quell body odour.

    Although many of us think that body odour is caused by sweat, it’s actually produced by bacteria that live on the surface of our skin. Fresh sweat is, in fact, odourless. But skin-dwelling bacteria – specifically staphylococci – use sweat as a direct nutrient source. When they break down the sweat, it releases a sulphur-containing compound called thioalcohols which is behind that pungent BO stench many of us are familiar with.

    Day or night?

    During the day, your body and hair inevitably collect pollutants and allergens (such as dust and pollen) alongside their usual accumulation of sweat and sebaceous oil. While some of these particles will be retained by your clothes, others will inevitably be transferred to your sheets and pillow cases.

    The sweat and oil from you skin will also support the growth of the bacteria that comprise your skin microbiome. These bacteria may then also be transferred from your body onto your sheets.

    Showering at night may remove some of the allergens, sweat and oil picked up during the day so less ends up on your bedsheets.

    However, even if you’ve freshly showered before bed, you will still sweat during the night – whatever the temperature is. Your skin microbes will then eat the nutrients in that sweat. This means that by the morning, you’ll have both deposited microbes onto your bed sheets and you’ll probably also wake up with some BO.

    A night shower can help rinse away the day’s dirt and grime, but you might not smell as fresh the next morning.
    leungchopan/ Shutterstock

    What particularly negates the cleaning benefits of a night shower is if your bedding is not regularly laundered. The odour causing microbes present in your bed sheets may be transferred while you sleep onto your clean body.

    Showering at night also does not stop your skin cells being shed. This means they can potentially become the food source of house dust mites, whose waste can be allergenic. If you don’t regularly wash your sheets, this could lead to a build-up of dead skin cell deposits which will feed more dust mites. The droppings from these dust mites can trigger allergies and exacerbate asthma.




    Read more:
    Your bed probably isn’t as clean as you think – a microbiologist explains


    Morning showers, on the other hand, can help remove dead skin cells as well as any sweat or bacteria you’ve picked up from your bed sheets during the night. This is especially important to do if your sheets weren’t freshly washed when you went to bed.

    A morning shower suggests your body will be cleaner of night-acquired skin microbes when putting on fresh clothes. You’ll also start the day with less sweat for odour-producing bacteria to feed on – which will probably help you smell fresher for longer during the day compared to someone who showered at night. As a microbiologist, I am a day shower advocate.

    Of course, everyone has their own shower preference. Whatever time you choose, remember that the effectiveness of your shower is influenced by many aspects of your personal hygiene regime – such as how frequently you wash your bed sheets.

    So regardless of whether your prefer a morning or evening shower, it’s important to clean your bed linen regularly. You should launder your sheets and pillow cases at least weekly to remove all the sweat, bacteria, dead skin cells and sebaceous oils that have built up on your sheets.

    Washing will also remove any fungal spores that might be growing on the bed linen – alongside the nutrient sources these odour producing microbes use to grow.

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

    ref. Is it better to shower in the morning or at night? Here’s what a microbiologist says – https://theconversation.com/is-it-better-to-shower-in-the-morning-or-at-night-heres-what-a-microbiologist-says-256242

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Global: Britain is already becoming an ‘island of strangers’ – but immigration isn’t the driver

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Michael Skey, Lecturer in Media and Communications, Loughborough University

    Matthew Troke/Shutterstock

    Keir Starmer’s recent speech on immigration has generated a good deal of controversy. In announcing a government white paper to cut legal migration, the prime minister said: “Nations depend on rules – fair rules. Sometimes they’re written down, often they’re not, but either way, they give shape to our values … Without them, we risk becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together.”

    As someone who has researched what gives people a sense of national belonging, I would argue there is evidence that Britain has become an “island of strangers” in the sense that people live increasingly isolated lives. But the problem has very little to do with migration.


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    New public opinion research from think tank More in Common has found that 50% of Britons feel disconnected from society around them, while 44% say they sometimes feel like “strangers in their own country.” This feeling of alienation was strongest among Asian Britons.

    Some evidence suggests a relationship between diversity (ethnic and racial diversity) and lack of social cohesion, rather than migration. The More in Common polling found that 53% of those polled say multiculturalism benefits the UK’s national identity, while 47% say it harms it. But the evidence is mixed, and studies find that it is inequality, not diversity, that has the biggest effect.

    Rather than portraying the problem as solely because of immigration, the prime minister might usefully focus on other significant factors that have made people feel like strangers.

    First is the dramatic loss of community spaces and assets in recent decades in the face of local government cuts and rising property prices. Government austerity has led to a decrease in funding for local authorities of around 50% between 2010 and 2020.

    My own research in this area shows the significance of places like community centres in allowing young people from different backgrounds to come together. When they do, they feel a greater sense of belonging in their communities. Some research has also shown a link between austerity cuts to youth services and rising knife crime.

    Over the last three decades, places and spaces where people come together to participate in activities and engage with those from different backgrounds have been decimated.

    Between 2018 and 2023 in London alone, 46 community spaces permanently shut down. The public service union Unison estimates that “funding cuts have led to the closure of more than two-thirds of council-run youth centres in England and Wales since 2010”.

    Almost 800 libraries were closed during the 2010s, and more continue to disappear each year. Leisure centres are also at risk. A 2023 report by the Local Government Association suggests that 40% of council areas will lose some or all of their leisure centre services in the next two years.

    The undermining of publicly-owned community spaces has been matched in the private sector. The pub – a key marker of community identity for many – has been subject to increasing pressure.

    A recent report from industry body the BBPA claimed that “nearly 300 pubs closed across England and Wales in 2024 – an equivalent of six a week”. The group pointed to rising costs and the fact that consumer habits are changing, with younger people drinking far less.

    A lonely island

    The loss of community assets means people have fewer places to engage with others on a regular basis. There is also evidence that the pandemic and online isolation have driven high rates of loneliness affecting all age groups and generations.

    According to the Campaign to End Loneliness, in 2022 nearly 50% of UK adults reported feeling lonely occasionally, sometimes, often or always. And around 7% experience chronic loneliness.

    While levels of isolation and loneliness have gone up for all generations, it is notable that a report for the Centre for Social Justice found the problem is worst for 18- to 24-year-olds, with 29% of this age group saying they “feel a fundamental separateness from other people and the wider world”.

    Britain’s younger generations are struggling with loneliness.
    Jaromir Chalabala/Shutterstock

    When it comes to discussing community and cohesion in contemporary Britain, it is interesting that only certain groups (usually particular kinds of migrants and their offspring) are the focus. We can see this in wider political and media debates, where such groups are blamed for living separate lives or not integrating.

    I’ve written about this idea before, finding that minority groups “broadly replicate the ethnic majority in terms of their attitudes towards British identity and institutions”. More recent survey data supports this. Figures for various ethnic groups are remarkably consistent when it comes to feeling they belong in Britain – Asian (85%), black (86%) and white (84%).

    Class divide

    The idea that people in Britain are increasingly living separate lives – or in what Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, calls a segregated society – is rarely discussed in terms of inequality or class.

    And yet, the More in Common polling found that financial insecurity is one of the strongest predictors of whether Britons feel disconnected from society.

    Income inequality in Britain is widening. Recent figures show that in 2022 alone, “incomes for the poorest 14 million people fell by 7.5%, while incomes for the richest fifth saw a 7.8% increase”. Moreover, research shows a link between lower economic status and higher rates of loneliness and social isolation.

    It is perhaps these growing divisions that should really be the focus of any government strategy. Focusing on local initiatives designed to protect, or expand, community assets such as libraries and youth and outreach centres appears a much more productive means of ensuring that Britain’s isn’t completely transformed into an island of strangers.

    Michael Skey receives funding from the Arts & Humanities Research Council

    He is a member of Amnesty International

    ref. Britain is already becoming an ‘island of strangers’ – but immigration isn’t the driver – https://theconversation.com/britain-is-already-becoming-an-island-of-strangers-but-immigration-isnt-the-driver-256724

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Security: CISA Welcomes Madhu Gottumukkala as the New Deputy Director

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    WASHINGTON – The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is proud to announce the appointment of Madhu Gottumukkala as its new Deputy Director. In this role, he will help lead CISA’s mission to understand, manage, and reduce risk to the cyber and physical infrastructure that the American people rely on every day. 

    Prior to his appointment as the CISA Deputy Director, Dr. Gottumukkala served as Commissioner and Chief Information Officer for South Dakota’s Bureau of Information and Technology, overseeing statewide technology and cybersecurity initiatives. He assumed this role after serving as South Dakota’s second-ever chief technology officer, focused on innovation through the adoption of emerging technologies, while increasing efficiency by replacing outdated legacy systems.

    “I am honored to be appointed by Secretary Noem to serve as Deputy Director of CISA. As a former state and local leader, I have seen firsthand the exceptional work CISA does in advancing our nation’s cybersecurity and infrastructure resilience,” said Gottumukkala. “I look forward to building on that foundation by fostering collaboration and strengthening resilience across all levels of government and the private sector. Together, through trusted partnerships, transparency, and shared responsibility, we can better manage systemic risks and safeguard the critical functions that ensure our nation’s safety and prosperity.”

    “CISA is excited to welcome Madhu to the team. As we work around the clock to safeguard our nation’s most critical infrastructure, Madhu brings a unique blend of technical expertise and real-world experience that will enhance our mission,” said CISA Senior Official Performing the duties of the Director Bridget Bean. “His deep understanding of both the complexities and practical realities of infrastructure security will strengthen CISA in its role as the nation’s lead cyber defense agency and the national coordinator for infrastructure resilience today and into the future.”

    With over 24 years of experience in information technology (IT), Dr. Gottumukkala has held leadership roles spanning both the public and private sectors, including work across the wireless and telecom, unified communications, and health technology industries. He currently serves on the Advisory Committee of the College of Business and Information Systems at Dakota State University.

    Dr. Gottumukkala holds a Ph.D. in Information Systems from Dakota State University, an MBA in Engineering and Technology Management from the University of Dallas, an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a B.E. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Andhra University.

    For more information about CISA’s leadership team, please visit the official CISA website at CISA Leadership | CISA

    ###

    About CISA 

    As the nation’s cyber defense agency and national coordinator for critical infrastructure security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency leads the national effort to understand, manage, and reduce risk to the digital and physical infrastructure Americans rely on every hour of every day.

    Visit CISA.gov for more information and follow us on XFacebookLinkedIn, Instagram

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Meet four developers leading the way with AI agents

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Meet four developers leading the way with AI agents

    Agents can get past the fragmentation of data that come from clinician notes, notes from the staff that deals with insurance, notes from nurses, images such as CT scans that are very different from pathology slides, and more, Keyes says.

    “It’s really hard to get a chat model to do this,” he says. But agents can focus on a specialized task, with the healthcare agent orchestrator directing requests to the appropriate agent. Getting started is really easy. Stanford Health Care set up the initial agents from Azure AI Foundry Agent Catalog and deployed into Microsoft Teams for testing in about 10 minutes, Keyes says.

    The data organizer brings in clinical notes, labs, medications and genomic data, all of which come in different formats, and structures the information into a succinct abstract, with citations so the clinician can quickly verify it or go to see the relevant section in depth.

    Keyes recalls being with other medical trainees and his attending physician asking for a radiology report in the electronic health record. “And it’s like, click, click, click, click, click, click – 100 different clicks versus ‘oh, it’s right here in front of me.’’’ When he checked the agent’s citations against the actual notes, they were correct.

    The radiology agent reads radiology images using the leading specialized AI models on Azure AI Foundry, and the pathology agent analyzes the whole-slide images and provides relevant pathology findings. Another agent identifies which clinical trials the patient is eligible for.

    The medical research agent uses reasoning models to search over scientific papers on cancer, again giving links for quick retrieval of the full documents.

    At the end of the process, a report creation agent summarizes the key components of the patient’s case to be discussed at the tumor board, turning it into a Word document or PowerPoint.

    Preparing a single patient’s case for a tumor board could take Keyes several hours; in testing, AI agents might make the work 10 times faster, he says. Stanford Health Care has more than a dozen tumor boards serving about 4,000 patients, so the time savings would multiply quickly.

    “The agents will enable the work to be done easier, faster and more efficiently, which really matters when you’re talking about meetings with 10 clinicians in them, where time is really precious,” Keyes says. Time is precious, too, for the patients.

    “I think in a lot of industries when they think agentic, they get very excited about, ‘it’s going to work very autonomously. It’s going to be making decisions, and I can just look at what it’s doing every once in a while.’ That is not really what we’re envisioning. We do want the clinicians in charge of a patient’s care. We always want them to be able to check.”

    “I would be excited at the idea of AI helping my doctors to be the best version of themselves and to liberate them from some of the time-consuming components of documentation so they can spend more time with me the patient,” he says.

    MIL OSI Economics

  • MIL-OSI USA: In 14-Page Letter, Warren Demands IRS Nominee Explain Record of Corruption and Fraud, Support for Tax Policies that Hurt Working Families

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    May 19, 2025
    Warren asks former Congressman Billy Long to commit to resisting Trump’s attempts to politicize agency
    “I am deeply concerned about your ability to lead an agency as critical as the IRS and ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share, hardworking Americans can file their taxes and claim refunds, and the agency protects taxpayer privacy and retains its independence and non-partisan integrity.”
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, wrote to Billy Long, nominee for Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), with concerns over his record of supporting regressive tax policies, his acceptance of “campaign donations” from tax-dodging companies, his work promoting fraudulent tax credits, and more. Long will face senators, including Warren, at his hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on May 20, 2025. 
    Long served as a Missouri congressman from 2011 through 2023. His time in Congress ended after an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2022. He was nominated by President Trump to lead the IRS in December 2024, despite his lack of tax policy experience, and his conflicts of interest. 
    Senator Warren concerns include: 
    Long’s potential politicization of the IRS, given President Trump’s promise to use the agency against his political opponents, including, most recently, Harvard University, after the university refused to cave to the Administration’s demands to change their hiring and other practices. Senator Warren asked Long to commit to preserving the agency’s independence and non-partisan stance. 
    “[T]he IRS is a non-political and non-partisan institution, created to meet the needs of the American public, not the political whims of the President…If confirmed, you will be responsible for maintaining that independence…However, I have serious doubts that you will do so,” said Senator Warren. 
    Long’s slim tax policy experience and record of supporting regressive tax policies. Long’s record in Congress includes supporting the abolition of the IRS itself, along with the Fair Tax Act, which would overhaul the entire tax system and replace it with a regressive, 30 percent sales tax. The bill would have also slashed taxes for the rich and increased taxes for lower and middle-income taxpayers.
    “As head of the IRS, you will play an integral role in writing and enforcing tax rules, directly affecting who pays their fair share…I am concerned that your lack of experience in a role directly related to administering the tax code, paired with your focus on cutting taxes for the wealthy as a U.S. Representative, make you a dangerous pick for this position,” wrote Senator Warren. 
    Long accepting donations from tax-dodging companies, posing major ethical concerns and calling into question his fitness for the role of IRS Commissioner. Following his nomination to lead the IRS, companies, including ones tied to an allegedly fraudulent tax credit scheme referred to the IRS for criminal investigation by Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Wyden, donated to Long’s failed 2022 Senate campaign. All of these companies donated to Long more than two years after he had lost the election, and the donations were enough to cover Long’s outstanding personal campaign debt of $130,000. In May 2025, Senator Warren demanded answers from these companies for these donations to Long. 
    “It is implausible to suggest that those were legitimate contributions to an ongoing campaign—one cannot run in the 2022 election more than two years later. Instead, these companies appear to be attempting to earn your indulgence and cash in on those contributions, if you are confirmed, in the form of favorable treatment and regulatory decision-making from the IRS,” said Senator Warren. 
    Long’s record of promoting the fraud-ridden Employee-Retention Tax Credit. After leaving Congress in 2023, Billy Long worked as a tax consultant, repeatedly pushing businesses to file for the ERTC, a refundable tax credit designed to support businesses that struggled as a result of COVID-19 pandemic. Long bragged about securing a $3 million faulty refund, and falsely claimed “everybody qualifies” for the credit. In January 2025, Senator Warren pressed Long to explain his involvement in this scheme.  
    “Given the widespread issues caused by ERTC mills and your role in their questionable practices, taxpayers deserve a better understanding of your work promoting these credits,” wrote Senator Warren. 
    Long’s promotion of fake “Tribal Tax Credits.” The Treasury Department and the IRS have confirmed that “tribal tax credits” do not exist. Long is affiliated with firms promoting selling these fake credits, which donated to Long’s failed Senate campaign. 
    Senator Warren asked Long to explain his role in the allegedly fraudulent tax scheme, and whether he would recuse himself from matters related to these fake tax credits. 
    Long’s potential continuation of cuts to the IRS’s Workforce. Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have repeatedly targeted the IRS through mass firings at the agency. The firings have disproportionately targeted people working in collections, despite the IRS collecting 96 percent of federal revenue and the agency already being understaffed. 
    “This presents a serious problem that, if confirmed, you will have to address. A functional IRS is the backbone of a strong federal government,” said Senator Warren. 
    Senator Warren asked Long to be prepared to answer her questions at his hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on May 20, 2025. 

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Minister ‘seeks to cause alarm’ over online abuse

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips, speaking at the IPPPRI25 conference on 19 May. Photograph by Richard Cranefield

    The Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips, says she “seeks to cause alarm” to ensure the public understand the damage to society being caused by increasing levels of online child sexual abuse.

    Speaking today [19 May] at the annual conference of Anglia Ruskin University’s International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute (IPPPRI), Phillips said that political change often reflects public opinion.

    Referencing the young average age of perpetrators of child-on-child abuse, Phillips said: “I don’t think we’ve scared people about this enough. What I know as a politician is that politics reacts to what the public genuinely ask it to. On child sexual abuse, we need to do quite a lot of work to take the public on a journey with this. Getting the public onside is a really important thing.

    “I want to cause alarm. I seek to cause alarm on this subject. It is dangerous and it is frightening. We have a lot to do.”

    Phillips also stressed that domestic legislation will “never be enough” to tackle a global issue, but believes the UK’s new online safety act “will improve the global conversations more than anything else”.

    Phillips added: “The online safety act is not the end of the conversation, it is the foundation. We will not hesitate to strengthen the law further to ensure the safety our children and the British public. Tech companies should hear, loud and clear, that if their technology hides child abuse, that is on them and it has to change.

    “I think [technology companies] can manage to find child abuse that is being shared secretly, and should put as much investment into that as into the algorithms that pop up on my children’s phone.”

    Phillips also said work needs to be done to improve the systems in place to protect victims: “I have worked for years with adults who were abused as children and children who were being directly abused themselves. I have seen how systems failed them, I have seen how systems continue to fail them and are not designed with them at the heart.

    “Abuse of power against those who are most vulnerable leaves lifelong trauma and scars at huge cost both to the exchequer and society. Almost all of the most problematic cases I have ever handled stem from somebody being abused as a child and having nowhere to turn.”

    The three-day Anglia Ruskin University conference features an array of international speakers covering areas such as deepfakes, the dark web, gaming platforms, and threats posed by artificial intelligence.

    This year’s event, the largest of its kind in the UK, places particular emphasis on prevention, early intervention and the vital role of education in safeguarding, and brings together academics, law enforcement, policymakers and advocates united by the common goal of protecting children online.

    “As our world becomes ever more connected, the digital landscape presents new risks for children – risks that require urgent attention, innovative thinking and sustained collaboration. At IPPPRI, we are proud to be at the forefront of research and action in this critical space.”

    Professor Samantha Lundrigan, Director of IPPPRI at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Manchester’s Aviva Studios scoops prestigious RIBA architecture award

    Source: City of Manchester

    Manchester’s landmark cultural space Aviva Studios, designed by OMA, has scooped a prestigious award as one of only four buildings in the region to be recognised with a 2025 RIBA North West Award.

    The award means the multi-purpose arts venue, also voted last year by TIME as one of the top 50 places to visit in the world – the only UK entry on the list – will now be considered by RIBA for a National Award later in the year.

    Designed by international architects OMA, the building’s development was led by the city council with further backing from HM Government and Arts Council England.

    The RIBA jury praised the success of the building’s architects in navigating the various constraints of the site, alongside the river Irwell and with a road bisecting the site.

    They said: “Sandwiched between listed railway arches, the River Irwell, the Science and Industry Museum and a rash of new apartment blocks that form the regeneration of the former Granada TV Studios, this was not the most obvious of locations for a major arts building.”

    Jury members were also particularly impressed with the ‘technical virtuosity’ demonstrated by the architects in resolving the conflicting requirements of the building that might at any one time see an orchestra performing in one space, alongside a nightclub in another, while ensuring total acoustic separation between the two events.

    The RIBA award is not the first time Aviva Studios has been recognised for the uniqueness of the building and what it offers. Last year it was recognised by TIME as one of the world’s 50 greatest places to visit – the only UK entry on the list, sitting alongside places in Hawaii, Australia, Morocco, China, Chile, India and far beyond.

    The building is operated by Manchester-based Factory International who are responsible both for year-round programming at Aviva Studios and the biennial Manchester International Festival.

    Councillor Garry Bridges, Deputy Leader Manchester City Council, said: “Aviva Studios has already made a big impact on the cultural scene in Manchester.  Being recognised by RIBA with a regional award is brilliant news and testament to the building’s unique design.  Architects OMA have helped us create a landmark new building for culture and the arts in the UK right here in the heart of Manchester – a building that is winning plaudits across the world and attracting thousands of new visitors to the city.”

    Each of the RIBA regional award winners were selected by an expert jury who visited all shortlisted projects.

    RIBA North West Jury Chair Dominic Wilkinson, Principal Lecturer Liverpool John Moores University, said: “The award winning projects from the North West region present a diverse example of the positive impact architecture can have on the lives of its users, with everything from medical buildings with highly challenging client requirements to single family houses enriching the lives of its owners. Public and private sectors are represented with schemes of all sizes and complexities.  

    “The winners ranging from large cultural venues delivering world class innovative creative programmes to state of the art education facilities training future engineers, illustrate the value for clients and the public in commissioning quality architecture. These projects taken together along with the larger selection of shortlisted schemes demonstrate a positive future for architecture in the region.”

    Speaking on all the UK Award winners, RIBA President, Muyiwa Oki, said: “This year’s winners exemplify architecture’s power to transform—turning spaces into places of connection, creativity, and care. Spanning the length of the UK and diverse in form and function, our 2025 winners show a deep sensitivity to place and a strong coherence of thought between all teams involved. Individually these projects inspire and uplift, but collectively, they remind us that architects do far more than design buildings, they shape the way we live, work and connect.” 

    RIBA North West Award winners will now be considered for a highly coveted RIBA National Award in recognition of their architectural excellence, which will be announced on 10 July. The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year will be drawn from the RIBA National Award-winning projects later in the year.

    Read the full citation by RIBA on Aviva Studios here

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Stein Announces Second Hurricane Helene Budget Proposal

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governor Stein Announces Second Hurricane Helene Budget Proposal

    Governor Stein Announces Second Hurricane Helene Budget Proposal
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    Today Governor Josh Stein visited Carolina Domes in Union Mills to propose additional funding for the Hurricane Helene recovery effort. Governor Stein recommends an additional $891 million to help western North Carolina rebuild.

    “Western North Carolina is coming back strong, but there is much more work to do,” said Governor Josh Stein. “I urge the General Assembly to pass a second round of funding so that the rebuilding and recovery efforts can continue as quickly and effectively as possible.”

    Governor Stein’s budget proposal includes: 

    • $260 million to spur economic recovery by supporting businesses and local governments and promoting western North Carolina’s tourism industry.
    • $239 million to strengthen critical infrastructure by repairing damaged schools, expanding debris clean-up, and investing in projects to safeguard against future disasters.
    • $113 million to advance housing recovery and provide assistance to families who have struggled with rent, mortgage, and utility bills.
    • $105 million to rehabilitate waterways and land used by farmers as well as fund wildfire prevention and response.
    • $23 million to address food insecurity in western North Carolina and the needs of affected community colleges.
    • $152 million for required state matching of federal disaster programs, investments in communication and disaster system improvements, and existing requirements that are not funded by state or federal dollars. 

    The Stein administration continues to be laser-focused on rebuilding western North Carolina. During Small Business Week, Governor Stein and North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Lee Lilley highlighted small businesses in Marshall that were impacted by Helene. He also announced that the Dogwood Health Trust, the Duke Endowment, and the State of North Carolina have distributed $55 million to more than 2,000 businesses in western North Carolina.

    The State of North Carolina also launched an additional $55 million state infrastructure program allowing local governments to apply for up to $1 million to rebuild public infrastructure that small business rely on, such as sidewalks and sewers. The Governor also joined the commencement ceremonies of Appalachian State University, Western Carolina University, and Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College to honor the graduates’ resiliency in the wake of Hurricane Helene. 

    Read Governor Stein’s full Helene recovery budget proposal here. (Please note figures above are rounded to the nearest whole number.)  

    May 19, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Global: UK and EU sign new trade, fishing and defence deal – what do economists think?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Maria Garcia, Senior Lecturer in International Relations, University of Bath

    The UK and EU have announced a range of historic and wide-ranging new agreements touching on trade, defence and borders.

    Since the 2016 Brexit vote, COVID and conflict have changed the global economic landscape dramatically – with consumers feeling the effects every day. So the time could be ripe for a “reset” of relations between the UK and its largest trading partner.

    Beyond trade, the two sides have agreed to negotiate further on a youth mobility scheme. And in future, travellers with UK passports will be able to use e-gates and avoid lengthy queues in some European countries.

    But the agreement is also fraught with political risk, as opposition parties circle to capitalise on the vexxed question of tighter UK-EU relations. We asked a panel of experts for their analysis of the announcements.

    Fisheries agreement unlocks path to ‘reset’

    Maria Garcia, Senior Lecturer in International Relations, University of Bath

    These were the first steps towards the much-vaunted Labour UK-EU “reset”. The announcement of agreements between the UK and EU covered security, energy and fisheries.

    But the announcement falls short of key UK priorities for the reset, which includes a series of measures to facilitate trade with what is still the UK’s largest trade partner and market. The bloc represented 48% of UK goods exports, 36% of services exports, and 51% of goods imports in 2024.

    Fisheries represent roughly 5% of UK agriculture, fisheries and forestry exports, and 0.03% of the UK economy. That may be a smaller slice of GDP than many people might think. But given the regional concentration of the fishing industry, it is vitally important to those communities. The situation is the same in EU countries.

    Fisheries was a difficult issue to tackle in the negotiations for the 2021 UK-EU trade and cooperation agreement (TCA). Under the TCA, the EU agreed to phase out 25% of its catch share in British waters.

    And there was an understanding on permits to fish species subject to fishing quotas that would allow fleets to fish in each others’ waters. The terms of this were due to expire in June 2026.

    French president Emmanuel Macron insisted that without a deal on fisheries he would not accept other areas of the reset. And North Sea countries joined the call to negotiate a deal on fish. This represented a difficult ask for the UK government, given fierce criticism from opposition parties.

    This agreement settles access to fisheries for the next 12 years. Despite its limited economic impact in absolute terms, the political significance should not be underestimated. It is a clear signal of the Starmer government’s commitment to move forward in the relationship with the EU – particularly relevant at a time of complicated global trading relations.

    Other proposed measures include waiving the requirement to submit safety declarations, agreement on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and a veterinary agreement to facilitate agricultural trade. These matters are included in the newly published memo in which the UK and EU commit to work towards agreement on SPS. However, there is no announcement as to when this might be finalised.

    But the settlement on fisheries means an important hurdle has been overcome on the path towards the reset.

    Big boost for the UK’s top food export

    Mausam Budhathoki, PhD Researcher, Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling

    This UK-EU agreement has major implications for the Scottish salmon industry, a vital part of Scotland’s economy. In 2024, salmon exports hit a record £844 million, with France accounting for 55% of the total. Salmon is the UK’s top food export, and as such stands to benefit from the reduced customs checks and paperwork outlined in the deal. This will ease access to EU markets.

    Since Brexit, the industry has faced export delays, higher costs and an estimated loss of £80 million–£100 million in EU sales due to new regulatory hurdles. The UK government projects the agreement could add £9 billion to the economy by 2040, with agrifood sectors like salmon farming gaining. Yet, the deal extends EU fishing rights in UK waters until 2038, which may disrupt marine ecosystems essential to salmon farming.

    Although salmon are farmed in sea pens, they rely on clean, stable marine environments that could be affected by increased fishing activity. The agreement also remains politically sensitive. Future UK-EU disputes or changes could bring revisions, creating uncertainty for long-term planning and investment. While the deal offers clear trade benefits, the industry must balance growth opportunities with environmental and political risks.

    The agreement will ease the export process for UK goods to Europe.
    john abrams/Shutterstock

    Defence deal could boost UK economy as well as security

    Conor O’Kane, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Bournemouth University

    The deal looks like the beginning of a path to closer economic ties between the UK and EU, reversing a trend of UK disengagement from Europe following Brexit.

    Growth in the UK economy has been sluggish in recent years, and exporters are facing uncertainty as a result of recent US trade policies. So any opportunity for UK firms to have easier access to EU markets has to be seen as a positive for economic growth.

    Faster economic growth will be absolutely key for UK chancellor Rachael Reeves to meet her “fiscal rules” (reducing national debt and only borrowing money for investment). It will also help to avoid further cuts to government spending. UK borrowing is currently above what the Office for Budget Responsibility was projecting only a year ago.

    The agreement on security and defence is one area of particular interest where growth is concerned. According to the UK government, the agreement “paves the way” for the participation of UK firms in the EU’s €150 billion (£126 billion) joint procurement programme to rearm Europe.

    The EU is stepping up its security spending in light of the Trump administration’s desire to reduce its support for Nato, and there is real potential for the UK defence industry to benefit.

    Mausam Budhathoki receives funding from the EATFISH project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (Grant 956697)..

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

    ref. UK and EU sign new trade, fishing and defence deal – what do economists think? – https://theconversation.com/uk-and-eu-sign-new-trade-fishing-and-defence-deal-what-do-economists-think-257052

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Global: Governors are leading the fight against climate change and deforestation around the world, filling a void left by presidents

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Mary Nichols, Distinguished Counsel for the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, University of California, Los Angeles

    Forests like the Amazon play vital roles in balancing the environment, from storing carbon to releasing oxygen. Silvestre Garcia-IntuitivoFilms/Stone/Getty Images

    When the annual U.N. climate conference descends on the small Brazilian rainforest city of Belém in November 2025, it will be tempting to focus on the drama and disunity among major nations. Only 21 countries had even submitted their updated plans for managing climate change by the 2025 deadline required under the Paris Agreement. The U.S. is pulling out of the agreement altogether.

    Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Chinese President Xi Jinping and the likely absence of – or potential stonewalling by – a U.S. delegation will take up much of the oxygen in the negotiating hall.

    You can tune them out.

    Trust me, I’ve been there. As chair of the California Air Resources Board for nearly 20 years, I attended the annual conferences from Bali in 2007 to Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, in 2023. That included the exhilarating success in 2015, when nearly 200 nations committed to keep global warming in check by signing the Paris Agreement.

    In recent years, however, the real progress has been outside the rooms where the official U.N. negotiations are held, not inside. In these meetings, the leaders of states and provinces talk about what they are doing to reduce greenhouse gases and prepare for worsening climate disasters. Many bilateral and multilateral agreements have sprung up like mushrooms from these side conversations.

    This week, for example, the leaders of several state-level governments are meeting in Brazil to discuss ways to protect tropical rainforests that restore ecosystems while creating jobs and boosting local economies.

    What states and provinces are doing now

    The real action in 2025 will come from the leaders of states and provinces, places like Pastaza, Ecuador; Acre and Pará, Brazil; and East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

    While some national political leaders are backing off their climate commitments, these subnational governments know they have to live with increasing fires, floods and deadly heat waves. So, they’re stepping up and sharing advice for what works.

    State, province and local governments often have jurisdiction over energy generation, land-use planning, housing policies and waste management, all of which play a role in increasing or reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

    Their leaders have been finding ways to use that authority to reduce deforestation, increase the use of renewable energy and cap and cut greenhouse gas emissions that are pushing the planet toward dangerous tipping points. They have teamed up to link carbon markets and share knowledge in many areas.

    In the U.S., governors are working together in the U.S. Climate Alliance to fill the vacuum left by the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle U.S. climate policies and programs. Despite intense pressure from fossil fuel industry lobbyists, the governors of 22 states and two territories are creating policies that take steps to reduce emissions from buildings, power generation and transportation. Together, they represent more than half the U.S. population and nearly 60% of its economy.

    Tactics for fighting deforestation

    In Ecuador, provinces like Morona Santiago, Pastaza, and Zamora Chinchipe are designing management and financing partnerships with Indigenous territories for protecting more than 4 million hectares of forests through a unique collaboration called the Plataforma Amazonica.

    Brazilian states, including Mato Grosso, have been using remote-sensing technologies to crack down on illegal land clearing, while states like Amapá and Amazonas are developing community-engaged bioeconomy plans – think increased jobs through sustainable local fisheries and producing super fruits like acaí. Acre, Pará and Tocantins have programs that allow communities to sell carbon credits for forest preservation to companies.

    Global Forest Watch uses satellite data to track forest cover change. Green shows areas with at least 30% forest cover in 2000. Pink is forest loss from 2003-2023. Blue is forest gain from 2000 to 2020.
    Global Forest Watch, CC BY

    States in Mexico, including Jalisco, Yucatán and Oaxaca, have developed sustainable supply chain certification programs to help reduce deforestation. Programs like these can increase the economic value in some of foods and beverages, from avocados to honey to agave for tequila.

    There are real signs of success: Deforestation has dropped significantly in Indonesia compared with previous decades, thanks in large part to provincially led sustainable forest management efforts. In East Kalimantan, officials have been pursuing policy reforms and working with plantation and forestry companies to reduce forests destruction to protect habitat for orangutans.

    It’s no wonder that philanthropic and business leaders from many sectors are turning to state and provincial policymakers, rather than national governments. These subnational governments have the ability to take timely and effective action.

    Working together to find solutions

    Backing many of these efforts to slow deforestation is the Governors’ Climate and Forests Task Force, which California’s then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger helped launch in 2008. It is the world’s only subnational governmental network dedicated to protecting forests, reducing emissions and making people’s lives better across the tropics.

    Today, the task force includes 43 states and provinces from 11 countries. They cover more than one-third of the world’s tropical forests. That includes all of Brazil’s Legal Amazon region, more than 85% of the Peruvian Amazon, 65% of Mexico’s tropical forests and over 60% of Indonesia’s forests.

    From a purely environmental perspective, subnational governments and governors must balance competing interests that do not always align with environmentalists’ ideals. Pará state, for example, is building an 8-mile (13 kilometer) road to ease traffic that cuts through rainforest. California’s investments in its Lithium Valley, where lithium used to make batteries is being extracted near the Salton Sea, may result in economic benefits within California and the U.S., while also generating potential environmental risks to air and water quality.

    Each governor has to balance the needs of farmers, ranchers and other industries with protecting the forests and other ecosystems, but those in the task force are finding pragmatic solutions.

    Pará State Gov. Helder Barbalho arrives for the Amazon Summit in August 2023. Eight South American countries agreed to launch an alliance to fight deforestation in the Amazon at the meeting.
    Evaristo SA / AFP via Getty Images

    The week of May 19-23, 2025, two dozen or more subnational leaders from Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Indonesia and elsewhere are gathering in Rio Branco, Brazil, for a conference on protecting tropical rainforests. They’ll also be ironing out some important details for developing what they call a “new forest economy” for protecting and restoring ecosystems while creating jobs and boosting economies.

    Protecting tropical forest habitat while also creating jobs and economic opportunities is not easy. In 2023, data show the planet was losing rainforest equivalent to 10 soccer fields a minute, and had lost more than 7% since 2000.

    But states and cities are taking big steps while many national governments can’t even agree on which direction to head. It’s time to pay attention more to the states.

    Mary Nichols is affiliated with the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, which cosponsors the Governors’ Climate and Forests Task Force.

    ref. Governors are leading the fight against climate change and deforestation around the world, filling a void left by presidents – https://theconversation.com/governors-are-leading-the-fight-against-climate-change-and-deforestation-around-the-world-filling-a-void-left-by-presidents-256988

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Global: 1 in 5 Gazans face starvation. Can the law force Israel to act?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Donald Rothwell, Professor of International Law, Australian National University

    As Israel continues to pound Gaza with airstrikes, killing scores of people a day, the two-month ceasefire that brought a halt to the violence earlier this year feels like a distant memory.

    Israel’s overall military and political objective in Gaza hasn’t changed after 19 months of war: it is still seeking the absolute defeat of Hamas and return of the remaining Israeli hostages.

    But it is unclear how Hamas will ever be militarily defeated unless there is a complete and unconditional surrender and the laying down of all arms. This appears unlikely, despite the success of Israel’s so-called “decapitation strategy” targeting the Hamas leadership.

    And Hamas continues to hold an estimated 57 Israeli hostages in Gaza, of which up to 24 are believed to still be alive. The group is insisting on guarantees that Israel will end the war before releasing any more hostages.

    An ongoing blockade for 18 years

    Israel announced Sunday it will allow a “basic” amount of food to enter Gaza after a nearly three-month blockade of the strip. It was not clear when or how the aid would resume amid “extensive” new ground operations the military said Sunday it had also just begun.

    Israel first imposed a land, sea and air blockade of Gaza in 2007 after Hamas came to power. These restrictions have severely limited the movement of people and vehicles across the border, as well as the amount of food, medicine and other goods that have been permitted to go into and out of Gaza.

    These controls increased significantly after Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. They’ve been maintained at heightened levels ever since.

    The January ceasefire temporarily increased the flow of food, medical aid and other support into Gaza. However, this came to an end in early March when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut off aid again to pressure Hamas to extend the ceasefire and release more hostages. Hostilities resumed soon after.

    The United Nations’ humanitarian efforts in Gaza have now come to a “near-standstill”. On May 13, Tom Fletcher, the UN emergency relief coordinator, addressed the UN Security Council, stating:

    For more than 10 weeks, nothing has entered Gaza – no food, medicine, water or tents. […] Every single one of the 2.1 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip face the risk of famine. One in five faces starvation.

    Israel denies there are food shortages in Gaza. It has said it wouldn’t permit any trucks to enter the strip until a new system is in place to prevent Hamas from siphoning supplies.

    International law is clear

    Both the 1949 Geneva Conventions and customary international law make clear:

    The use of starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare is prohibited.

    In addition, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) makes starvation of civilians a war crime.

    Under international humanitarian law, Fletcher noted, Israel has the responsibility to ensure aid reaches people in territory it occupies. However, Israel’s method of distributing aid, he said, “makes aid conditional on political and military aims” and “makes starvation a bargaining chip”.

    What have the courts found?

    International courts have not ignored Israel’s obligations on this front.

    In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Hamas leader Mohammed Deif (one of the masterminds of the October 7 attack), in addition to Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

    In relation Netanyahu and Gallant, the ICC’s pre-trial chamber found:

    there are reasonable grounds to believe that both individuals intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies.

    As Israel is not a party to the Rome Statute, there is no obligation on the government to act on the arrest warrants. Both men remain free to travel as long as they do not enter the territory of a Rome Statute party. (Even then, their arrest is not guaranteed.)

    The ICC warrants will remain in effect unless withdrawn by the court. The arrest in March of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte highlighted that while ICC investigations may take time, those accused of crimes can eventually be brought before the court to face justice.

    This is especially so if there is a change in political leadership in a country that allows an arrest to go ahead.

    Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is hearing another case in which South Africa alleges Israel has committed genocide against the Palestinian population in Gaza.

    The case began with high-profile hearings last year when the court issued provisional measures, or orders, requiring Israel to refrain from engaging in any genocidal acts.

    The most recent of those orders, issued last May, called on Israel to immediately halt its offensive in Rafah (in southern Gaza) and maintain the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt to allow “unhindered provision at scale of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance”.

    These orders remain in effect. Yet, Rafah today is a “no-go zone” that Gazans have been ordered to evacuate. And Israel’s blockade of the strip and restrictions on aid and food entering the territory have clearly been in defiance of the court.

    Late last month, the ICJ began hearings to form an opinion on Israel’s duties to allow aid to enter Gaza. Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, criticised the ICJ’s hearings as “another attempt to politicise and abuse the legal process in order to persecute Israel”.

    The court’s advisory opinion on this issue is not expected for several months. A final decision on South Africa’s broader case may take years.

    So, what can be done?

    Reflecting on the situation in Gaza, Fletcher observed at the UN:

    This degradation of international law is corrosive and infectious. It is undermining decades of progress on rules to protect civilians from inhumanity and the violent and lawless among us who act with impunity. Humanity, the law and reason must prevail.

    Yet, while the Security Council continues to have the situation in Gaza under review, it has proven incapable of acting decisively because of US support for Israel.

    The Biden Administration was prepared to use its veto power to block binding Security Council resolutions forcing Israel to respond to the humanitarian crisis. The Trump Administration would no doubt do the same.

    However, as Duterte’s arrest shows, international law sometimes does result in action. The finding by another UN body last week that Russia was responsible for the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014 is another case in point.

    As the Dutch foreign minister pointed out in that case, the finding sends a message that “states cannot violate international law with impunity”.

    Donald Rothwell receives funding from Australian Research Council

    ref. 1 in 5 Gazans face starvation. Can the law force Israel to act? – https://theconversation.com/1-in-5-gazans-face-starvation-can-the-law-force-israel-to-act-256695

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s lifting of Syria sanctions is a win for Turkey, too – pointing to outsized role middle powers can play in regional affairs

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Hyeran Jo, Associate Professor of Political Science, Texas A&M University

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa meet in Turkey on April 11, 2025. TUR Presidency/ Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images

    President Donald Trump announced while in Saudi Arabia on May 14, 2025, that the United States would lift sanctions on Syria. The turnaround was a huge victory for the government of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa as he attempts to consolidate power nearly six months on from his movement’s stunning toppling of the longtime regime of Bashar al Assad.

    But it wasn’t all down to Syria lobbying on its own behalf. In announcing the policy shift, Trump largely attributed the shift to his Saudi hosts as well as Turkey. Both nations are longtime Assad foes who quickly championed al-Sharaa and have been pushing the U.S. to normalize ties with Syria’s new government.

    Turkey, whose resources and land have been heavily affected by instability in neighboring Syria, was particularly instrumental in pushing Trump to accept the post-Assad government, even over objections from Israel.

    As experts in international relations and Turkish law and politics, we believe the developments in Syria point to the outsized role a small-to-middle power like Turkey can have in regional and international matters. That is particularly true in the Middle East, where world powers such as the U.S. are perceived to have a declining and at times unpredictable influence.

    An opening in Syria

    After 13 years of devastating civil war, Syria faces a slew of large challenges, including the immediate task of state building. Not only is violence still readily apparent in Syria itself – as the recent killing of Alawites, allegedly by government forces, or fighters aligned with them, showed – but neighboring Israel has also repeatedly attacked positions in Syria in an attempt to weaken the new government. To Israel’s government, a strong, militarized Syria would pose a threat, particularly in regard to the unstable border at the Golan Heights.

    Despite the issues that confront Syria’s new government, it has nonetheless demonstrated a remarkable aptitude for gaining international acceptance – a notable fact given al-Sharaa’s leadership ties to the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a formerly al-Qaeda linked group listed as one of the U.S. foreign terrorist organizations since 2014.

    Turkey presses its influence

    In this context, Turkey’s hand has been especially important.

    Since Trump took office, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has pressed the American president to lift sanctions. The two men had struck up a strong relationship during the first Trump administration, with the U.S. president declaring himself to be a “big fan” of the Turkish leader.

    Turkey’s behind-the-scenes diplomacy can be seen as part of its broader effort to fill the vacuum left by Assad’s fall. Doing so not only bolsters Erdogan’s position as a regional player, but it also advances his domestic agenda.

    Turkey has moved quickly on numerous fronts in charting the future course of Syria by pursuing economic and security projects in the country. First and foremost, Turkey has upped its investment in Syria.

    Also, as it did in Libya and Somalia, Turkey has contributed to the training and equipping of new Syrian security forces.

    In the northeast Syrian province of Idlib, Turkey is funding education, health care and electricity, and the Turkish lira is the de facto currency across northwestern Syria.

    The roots of these engagements lie in Turkey’s interest in managing its own security situation.

    Since 1984, Turkey has been fighting Kurdish separatist groups, most notably the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which is aligned with the Kurdish YPG militia in northeast Syria – one of the groups that fought Assad’s forces during Syria’s civil war.

    A Syrian Kurd waves the flag of YPG near Qamishli’s airport in northeastern Syria on Dec. 8, 2024.
    Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images

    Assad’s fall led to Russia’s retreat from Syria. Meanwhile, Iranian influence, too, has waned as a result of not only Assad’s departure, but also the military downgrading of Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon. And the U.S. no longer actively supports the Kurdish YPG militia in northeast Syria.

    Into this void of external influence, Turkey quickly seized an opportunity to reshape the security landscape.

    Ankara, which still controls large chunks of territory in Syria’s northeast from the fight against Assad and Syrian Kurdish groups, agreed to a Syrian plan to incorporate the YPG, the armed wing of the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, into the new Syrian army.

    The Turkish perspective has long been that the fight against the PKK can succeed in the long run only with stability on Syrian soil. Now, the PKK is trying to reach peace with the Turkish government, but whether the SDF in Syria will disarm and disband is far from certain. As such, having a strong, stable Syrian government in which a Kurdish majority is accommodated may be in Ankara’s best interests.

    Meanwhile, al-Sharaa’s success in rebuilding Syria after the civil war would also help Turkey on another front: the issue of Syrian refugees.

    Turkey currently hosts around 3.2 million refugees from Syria – the most of any country. The sheer number and length of stay of these displaced people have put a strain on Turkey’s economy and social relations, leading to clashes between Turks and Syrian refugees.

    There is also a broad consensus in Turkey that the Syrian refugee problem in Turkey can be solved only through a comprehensive return strategy.

    Although naturalized Syrians in Turkey make up an important constituency within the voter base of Erdogan’s ruling AK Party, the only solution currently envisaged by the Turkish president and his allies is repatriation. For this, rapid and stable development of infrastructure and the housing stock in Syria is considered essential.

    Donald Trump looks on as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greets Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on May 14, 2025. The confab also had Turkish fingerprints all over it.
    Bandar Aljaloud/Saudi Royal Palace via AP

    Prospects for small-to-middle powers

    Turkey’s strategic opportunity in Syria is not without clear risks, however. The incursions by the Israeli military illustrates the challenge Turkey faces in advancing its own interests in Syria. It is notable that Trump’s announcement on sanctions was seemingly made without the knowledge – and against the wishes – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    Additionally, Turkey is looking to finesse a growing role in the region into strengthening its position over the long-running dispute in Cyprus. The island, which lies a couple of hundred miles off Syria’s coast, is divided into two regions, with Greek Cypriots in the south and a breakaway Turkish Cypriot north – with only Turkey recognizing the self-declared state in the north. Turkey is trying to regulate maritime jurisdiction in the eastern Mediterranean through an agreement with Syria, but the plan is stalled since the European Union supports Greece’s position in Cyprus.

    The Turkish moves in Syria are nonetheless being broadly felt elsewhere. Arab nations like Saudi Arabia and Qatar support the post-Assad arrangement in Syria and see their own interests being served alongside Turkey’s, although the rivalry of the Sunni world is at stake.

    The lifting of sanctions by the U.S. will have long-term political impacts beyond short-term economic impacts. Syria has little direct trade with the U.S., only exporting its agricultural products and antiques. But the appearance of political legitimacy and recognition is a diplomatic win for Turkey, as well as for Syria. The political opening brings with it the promise of future investment in Syria.

    Turkey’s dealing with Syria showcases how small-to-middle powers can chart the waters of statecraft in their own way. The days of international affairs being dominated by superpowers appear to be over – as many have long predicted. And in Syria, Turkey is providing a blueprint for how small-to-middle powers can work that to their advantage.

    Hyeran Jo receives funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY). The article was made possible in part by the CCNY grant (G-PS-24-62004, Small State Statecraft and Realignment). She is also a senior fellow at the Center on Armed Groups and a member of an expert advisory group at the Institute for Integrated Transitions. The statements made and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the author.

    Ece Göztepe Çelebi receives funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY). The article was made possible in part by the CCNY grant (G-PS-24-62004, Small State Statecraft and Realignment). She is a Turkish and Comparative Constitutional Law professor at the Law Faculty of Bilkent University (Ankara/Turkey). The statements made and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the author.

    ref. Trump’s lifting of Syria sanctions is a win for Turkey, too – pointing to outsized role middle powers can play in regional affairs – https://theconversation.com/trumps-lifting-of-syria-sanctions-is-a-win-for-turkey-too-pointing-to-outsized-role-middle-powers-can-play-in-regional-affairs-254162

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Global: Joe Biden has prostate cancer with bone spread – an oncologist explains what you need to know

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

    ArChe1993/Shutterstock

    Former US President Joe Biden, aged 82, has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, marking a serious escalation in the disease.

    The diagnosis was made after he sought medical help for worsening urinary symptoms – a decision that likely saved his life. A small nodule on his prostate led to further investigation, revealing a high-grade cancer with a Gleason score of nine out of ten. This score indicates one of the most aggressive and fast-growing types of prostate cancer.

    Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide, especially affecting those over the age of 50. The prostate is a walnut-sized gland located just below the bladder, responsible for producing seminal fluid. While many prostate cancers grow slowly and may never cause serious harm, some – like Biden’s – are far more dangerous, capable of spreading quickly, often before symptoms are even noticed.

    The Gleason score is a critical tool used to grade prostate cancer based on how abnormal the cancer cells appear under a microscope. It ranges from six to ten, with higher scores indicating more aggressive disease.

    A score of nine suggests that the cancer cells are highly abnormal and likely to spread rapidly, requiring immediate and intensive treatment.

    In Biden’s case, the cancer has already metastasized – or spread – beyond the prostate, to the bones. This places him in stage four, the most advanced stage of prostate cancer. While not curable at this point, it is still treatable and can be managed with a combination of therapies aimed at slowing the disease’s progression and alleviating symptoms.

    A significant detail in Biden’s diagnosis is that the cancer is hormone-sensitive. Prostate cancer cells typically rely on male hormones such as testosterone to grow. Hormone-sensitive cancers can respond well to treatments that block or lower hormone levels – a common first step in managing the disease. This therapy may be combined with chemotherapy, targeted medications, and drugs that help reduce the risk of complications from bone metastases, such as fractures or severe pain.

    Early prostate cancer often has no symptoms, which is why regular screening is crucial, especially for older men or those with a family history of the disease.

    When symptoms do appear, they might include frequent urination (especially at night), difficulty starting or maintaining urine flow, or a feeling that the bladder hasn’t fully emptied. More advanced cancer may manifest as pain in the hips, back, or pelvis, as well as fatigue or unexplained weight loss – all of which contributed to Biden’s decision to seek medical attention.

    While the news of Biden’s diagnosis has been met with concern, it has also sparked a wave of bipartisan support. Messages have poured in from political allies and opponents alike, including President Donald Trump. Beyond the personal response, Biden’s condition has reignited public discussions about prostate cancer – particularly around access to screening, the importance of early detection, and disparities in treatment outcomes.

    The reality is stark: one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. For many, it may never become life-threatening. But for others, it can be aggressive and fast-moving, underscoring the importance of vigilance and regular check-ups.

    Biden’s case is a sobering reminder that cancer doesn’t discriminate based on fame or status. It also serves as a testament to the power of listening to your body and seeking help when something feels wrong. Thanks to advancements in medical research, treatment options today are more effective than ever, offering patients a better quality of life – even in the face of a serious diagnosis.

    As Biden begins treatment, his journey may inspire more men to talk to their doctors, get tested and take their health seriously. With the right care and support, life with prostate cancer – even at stage four – is still worth living, and still full of moments that matter.

    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. Joe Biden has prostate cancer with bone spread – an oncologist explains what you need to know – https://theconversation.com/joe-biden-has-prostate-cancer-with-bone-spread-an-oncologist-explains-what-you-need-to-know-257037

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The 3rd All-Russian round of the competition of final qualifying works “Motorways. Transport infrastructure facilities” has started at SPbGASU

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Andrey Zazykin opens the competition

    The 3rd All-Russian round of the competition of final qualifying works “Motorways. Transport infrastructure facilities” has started at the Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering.

    The opening was addressed by the Dean of the Automobile and Road Faculty Andrey Zazykin. Andrey Vyacheslavovich called on the jury members to continue to consider SPbGASU as a platform for the final stages of this competition, which does not lose its relevance, despite the large number of other student competitions. He also spoke about the faculty, which turns 78 this year, about its achievements and development prospects.

    “The ADF base in Krasnoe Selo houses one of the most modern service stations in St. Petersburg, a student design bureau, a mechanical section, and a five-axis milling machine was recently launched. The plans include equipping hangars for laboratories for road and bridge workers. A laboratory for bridge workers is especially necessary, because St. Petersburg is the capital of bridges,” said Andrei Vyacheslavovich.

    The competition will be held from 19 to 24 May in the training areas 08.03.01, 08.04.01 Construction, training profiles: “Motorways and airfields”, “Road bridges and tunnels”; in the specialties 08.05.01 Construction of unique buildings and structures, specialization “Construction of highways, airfields and special structures”; and 08.05.02 Construction, operation, restoration and technical cover of motorways, bridges and tunnels, specialization “Construction (reconstruction), operation and technical cover of motorways”.

    The works of students from construction universities from Moscow, Kazan, Vologda, Krasnoyarsk, Belgorod, Ivanovo, Rostov-on-Don, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Volgograd and other cities are participating.

    The competition is held in 20 nominations. Each graduation work will be reviewed by members of the jury, which includes representatives of universities, and assessed using a point system. Points are awarded for the achievements of contestants in testing the results of their work, such as publications of articles, educational and methodological literature, participation in exhibitions, competitions, olympiads, reports at conferences, the presence of patents for inventions and utility models.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Ukrainian demining personnel trained with OSCE and EU support

    Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE

    Headline: Ukrainian demining personnel trained with OSCE and EU support

    Ukrainian specialists are practicing their skills in the disposal of explosive objects during a mine action training course supported by the OSCE and the EU. (Fabian Kaluza / OSCE) Photo details

    Seventeen representatives from Ukraine’s demining agencies underwent a two-and-a-half month training to obtain an international qualification in explosive ordnance disposal. Organized by the OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine with support from the European Union, the training programme concluded on 18 May and included a combination of theoretical and practical exercises in line with the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS).
    Experienced demining practitioners from the Ministry of Defense, the State Emergency Service, and the National Police participated in the training, enhancing their skills in safely disposing of explosive remnants of war such as mines, shells and unexploded or abandoned ordnance.
    “These experts already have significant and diverse professional experience obtained on the ground here in Ukraine. This blend of local expertise and international standards will contribute to improving the work of Ukrainian agencies in clearing lands from explosive remnants of war. It will help make the process more efficient and safer – both for deminers and people in the affected areas,” said Ambassador Petr Mares, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairmanship – Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.
    The training provided in-depth knowledge of safe demining protocols, and hands-on exercises with a variety of explosive objects such as booby-traps. Trainees also learned how to properly organize and monitor the disposal process to ensure safety, prevent damage to third-party property and minimize environmental impact. As most of participants are team leaders or trainers themselves, they will also share the knowledge with colleagues.
    “We recognize that the most important asset in mine action is the people who will carry out the work of demining in the field. This training is essential for state mine action operators to carry out their vital role in Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery,” said Arturo Rodriguez Tonelli, Regional Programme Manager EU Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI).    
    “This course is an important step forward for me and my colleagues. We not only got in-depth knowledge, but also expanded our horizons on how to plan and conduct operations at a higher and more complex level. Special attention to issues of safety gave us a new professional set of tools to act effectively and responsibly,” said Oleksandr Kyseliov, an instructor from Vinnytsia Professional Training School of Lviv University of Life Safety who participated in the course.
    Since the start of full-scale war in 2022, demining operators had to discover and destroy over 920,000 explosive objects in a country with 139,000 square kilometers with suspected contamination according to the National Mine Action Authority of Ukraine.  
    The training is part of the project “Support to Environmental Rehabilitation with Focus on Building National Humanitarian Mine Action Capacities of Ukraine”, implemented with primary financial support of the European Union and contributions from the OSCE participating States and partners. See full list of the Programme’s donors.

    MIL OSI Europe News

  • MIL-OSI Global: The new Carney government must tackle Canada’s outdated system of intergovernmental relations

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jennifer Wallner, Associate Professor, School of Political Studies, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

    Throughout the recent federal election campaign, political leaders outlined their vision for Canada’s future. Responding to a dramatically changing geopolitical climate, party platforms contained ambitious policy proposals about how to reposition the country for the challenges that lie ahead.




    Read more:
    Getting ready for what’s next: 4 scenarios for Canada’s future in a Trumpian world


    But the leaders were silent about how a new federal government would navigate the division of powers among various levels of government in order to bring their proposals to life.

    Canada’s Constitution separates powers between Ottawa and the provinces based on the principle of divided sovereignty. No order of government is subordinate to the other and, in principle, all governments can act autonomously in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

    Life would be easy if the problems we faced adhered to the 1867 Constitution Act. Most challenges, however, transcend the individual categories of jurisdiction. Collaboration among jurisdictions is therefore essential to meet the individual and collective needs of Canadians.

    From apprenticeships to energy corridors, childcare to caregiving, most policy areas require sustained and substantive co-ordination to succeed. Often, like in case of housing and climate change, this must also include municipalities.

    In addition, intergovernmental co-ordination must finally reflect a nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous peoples.

    How exactly to work together?

    Nonetheless, the significance of intergovernmental relations in implementing policy continues to be overlooked, including by the victorious Liberals.

    The Liberal Party’s Canada Strong platform refers eight times to nation-building projects. But it fails to acknowledge the need to transform intergovernmental relations for 21st century challenges.

    Instead, the Constitution is seemingly perceived as a minor inconvenience, not as a key governance challenge: “We will work with the provinces and territories,” the policy says, seemingly hoping that somehow things will work out.

    Federal leaders seem oblivious to the fact that Canada is one of the most decentralized federations worldwide. The provinces exercise fiscal and jurisdictional autonomy exceeding those of other countries. In the meantime, the decisions of individual provinces and territories have implications that stretch far beyond their own borders.

    Take natural resources.

    Natural resources fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of provinces and, increasingly, the territories. But their development profoundly affects economic and environmental policy.

    If one province or territory unilaterally decimates the natural resources of their region, it’s not just that specific province or territory that bears the consequences. This is just one of many sectors in need of collective consideration so that all of Canada benefits.




    Read more:
    ‘Elbows up’ in Canada means sustainable resource development


    Ottawa isn’t really the ‘leader’

    There is a simple truth here: orders of government in Canada are not completely autonomous over their areas of jurisdiction. The federal government does not have the legitimate authority to compel provincial-territorial action; in the meantime, provinces and territories have little means to influence federal policy according to the needs and wants of their constituents.

    Rather than tackling this institutional problem, the federal government often asserts itself as the leader
    Alternatively, the federal government evokes an ad hoc “Team Canada” approach in response to imminent crises, like the re-negotiation of the former NAFTA agreement in 2017 and today’s threats and tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump.




    Read more:
    Why Alberta’s Danielle Smith is rejecting the Team Canada approach to Trump’s tariff threats


    Neither option, however, addresses the deeper problem: intergovernmental relations in Canadian federalism are notoriously weak and lack the legitimacy and transparency to bring about effective collective action.

    Canadian and international research shows that a robust institutional framework is critical for nurturing the key ingredient for effective and legitimate intergovernmental relations: Reciprocity.

    Regular policy meetings among governments and senior level public servants, especially when backed by sufficient administrative and political support, promotes shared norms and understandings, enhancing the potential for long-term policy solutions.

    Royal commission?

    If this type of regular collaboration is entrenched, it would be more difficult to obstruct meaningful collective action that respects Canada’s political integrity.

    Reciprocity is at odds with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s threats to create a national unity crisis if a list of demands isn’t met. It is also at odds with Ottawa’s penchant under former prime minister Justin Trudeau to use federal tax dollars to pursue policy objectives that were within provincial jurisdiction.

    As Mark Carney’s new government gets to work, Canadians must question not only the fiscal soundness of its proposals, but also their feasibility considering the deep divisions in Canadian federalism.

    Without taking tangible steps to reimagine Canada’s outdated system of intergovernmental relations or developing a road map for institutional reform, the lasting policy changes that are needed to reposition Canada in an increasingly hostile environment are unlikely to materialize.

    About 100 Canadian academics recently argued in an open letter, Canada needs to establish a royal commission for securing Canada’s future. As past experience has shown, this approach has great potential, but it must be developed in partnership among federal, provincial and territorial governments, including those of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples.

    Jörg Broschek receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

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

    ref. The new Carney government must tackle Canada’s outdated system of intergovernmental relations – https://theconversation.com/the-new-carney-government-must-tackle-canadas-outdated-system-of-intergovernmental-relations-256432

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Sex and disability: Nigerian women share their stories

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Obasanjo Bolarinwa, Senior lecturer, York St John University

    Imagine feeling invisible simply because of your body. Now imagine that invisibility extends into how society treats your desires, your safety, and your rights.

    That is the everyday reality for many women with disabilities in developing countries, where 80% of people with disabilities live. And it’s an issue the policymakers must address to promote inclusive policies that reach the most marginalised.

    We are global health researchers and authors of a recent qualitative study that explores the sexual experiences of women with disabilities in Lagos, Nigeria.

    Despite growing global interest in sexual and reproductive health, the voices of women with disabilities have remained largely unheard, especially in low- and middle-income countries such as Nigeria.

    Our research aims to break this silence.

    The women in our study told us they had sexual needs and desires like any other women, but they faced particular challenges such as societal stigma, inadequate access to reproductive health services, widespread misconceptions about contraception and sexual harassment. They suggested how more accessible health services and better legal protection could help them.

    How we did our study

    We spoke to 24 women in Lagos between the ages of 20 and 45. Sixty-seven percent of participants had physical disabilities, while 33% had visual impairments.

    Participants were recruited through local networks and came from a range of educational, employment and marital backgrounds. They were asked open-ended questions in interviews conducted in English, Yoruba or Pidgin.

    We focused on how disability influenced their sexual activity, autonomy, contraceptive use, engagement in risky sexual behaviours, and experiences of sexual violence.

    What we learnt

    Our research found that the women were mostly sexually active and understood their sexual rights.

    However, they faced major barriers:

    • physical limitations

    • poor access to affordable contraceptives

    • misinformation

    • vulnerability to sexual violence, with limited support available

    • widespread stigma that made it difficult for them to express their sexuality freely and safely.

    ‘We are not asexual’

    Many participants rejected the stereotype that they were “asexual” or uninterested in sex. They emphasised they had sexual needs and desires just like any other woman.

    Some participants expressed that being disabled made certain sex positions painful or physically impossible.

    A woman who was in her thirties told us that her husband complained that she couldn’t “do different styles”.

    Other women expressed sadness, frustration, or even guilt for not being able to satisfy their partners, leading to feelings of rejection and abandonment.

    Accessing modern contraceptives was another major issue.

    Some of the women said they were afraid of using contraceptives because of health myths – like the fear that birth control might worsen their disability or cause infertility.

    Others struggled to go to pharmacies because of their limited mobility and obstacles such as being unable to use stairs.

    Several women said they had experienced harassment, assault or rape, often linked to their vulnerability and social isolation.

    One woman described her sexual assault.

    If I were not disabled and nothing was wrong with me, the one that happened to me would not happen. Because of my leg, I didn’t have any energy to shout, and the people that were supposed to assist me did not show up. If I had legs and was complete, the thing that happened to me will not happen.

    A visually impaired woman said she couldn’t defend herself or even recognise her attacker when she was abused.

    Another said:

    If I had legs, that thing would not have happened to me.

    A number of women also spoke about the fear of being blamed or shamed about their sexual harassment experience. Others said people in their communities believed they had no right to complain.

    It’s not all bad

    Still, it wasn’t all despair. The women in the study had clear and actionable suggestions.

    They called for accessible health facilities, better education for men about disability and sex, and more media campaigns to challenge stigma.

    They wanted laws that specifically protected them against sexual harassment and health systems that included them in terms of physical accessibility and financial subsidy.

    Some called for free or subsidised contraceptives or door-to-door services for those unable to travel.

    One participant simply asked for a walking aid so she could visit the hospital when she needed to.

    We are not invisible

    The findings highlight the need for accessible, affordable sexual and reproductive health services tailored to women with disabilities.

    This includes disability-friendly healthcare, public education to challenge stereotypes, stronger legal protections, and initiatives that empower women to assert their rights.

    Society needs to stop pretending that women with disabilities are invisible. They are here. They are sexually active. And they have a right to love, pleasure, safety and choice.

    – Sex and disability: Nigerian women share their stories
    – https://theconversation.com/sex-and-disability-nigerian-women-share-their-stories-254405

    MIL OSI Africa

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Adm. Munsch Delivers Keynote Address at NDSU 2025 Commencement and Speaks at Two NDSU ROTC Commissioning Ceremonies

    Source: United States Navy

    FARGO, North Dakota – Adm. Stuart B. Munsch, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa and commander of NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command Naples, concluded a successful visit to Fargo, May 17, where he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from North Dakota State University (NDSU) and delivered remarks at both the university’s commencement and two U.S. military ROTC commissioning ceremonies.

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK child sexual abuse survivors lack support – report

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    Over 640 victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation in the UK have shared their stories in a global effort to raise awareness about the realities of sexual violence against children, the challenges of disclosure and recovery, and its enduring impact on their lives.

    Their voices are amplified through a powerful report published by the Finnish child-rights organisation Protect Children in collaboration with the International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute (IPPPRI), part of Anglia Ruskin University.

    At IPPPRI25, the research institute’s annual conference dedicated to tackling online harms, Protect Children is publishing insights from 643 victims and survivors of childhood sexual violence perpetrated in the UK. The responses have been analysed by researchers from IPPPRI.

    The groundbreaking report reveals unprecedented information about crimes of sexual violence against children in the UK, shedding light on the critical gaps in the local systems for preventing child sexual abuse and exploitation, and for supporting those affected.

    The evidence was collected through an innovative Global Our Voice Survivor Survey that aims to hear and amplify the long-silenced voices and wisdom of those who endured sexual violence in childhood. Utilising a novel methodology, the survey has successfully reached out to over 23,000 victims and survivors worldwide.

    “Today at IPPPRI25, we are presenting, together with Protect Children, important findings focused on how research can inform real-world practice in responding to child sexual abuse and exploitation globally. We must understand the systemic factors that enable sexual violence against children so that we can act.”

    Professor Samantha Lundrigan, Director of IPPPRI at Anglia Ruskin University

    Despite the severe and long-lasting impacts of child sexual abuse and exploitation, more than half of victims and survivors in the UK reported not receiving any support.

    “Much of the abuse described by the UK respondents happened decades ago and we know that the nature of child sexual abuse has changed, with so many young people now being victimised online. We must recognise the harm suffered by victims and survivors and ensure access to long-term support services.”

    Lea Kamitz, Dawes Postdoctoral Research Fellow at IPPPRI, Anglia Ruskin University

    The presenting researchers unveil a concerning lack of response to child sexual abuse in the UK. Despite severe and long-lasting emotional, physical, and psychological impacts, more than half of survivors have not received any support to cope with these. The results were compared between the Five Eyes countries*, revealing that survivors in the UK were the least likely to receive support.

    Another distressing insight highlights that over a half of the surveyed victims and survivors were first subject to sexual violence when they were 3 to 9 years old. Furthermore, victims and survivors reported suffering multiple forms of sexual abuse during their childhood ranging from inappropriate touching while clothed to the most severe forms of sexual abuse and exploitation.

    Nine out of 10 survivors said that the perpetrator was someone they knew from before, with almost half reporting the perpetrator lived in the same household.

    “The voices of survivors are a resounding call to action.

    “I have learned from my patients that disclosure and healing from child sexual abuse is an ongoing and often invisible struggle and for many, simply surviving is an act of immense strength – and that truth demands our support, our compassion, and sustained change.”

    Executive Director of Protect Children, Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen, who has a lifetime of experience working as a psychotherapist with survivors of childhood sexual violence

    The researchers emphasised that 21% of survivors have never disclosed the abuse. Childhood sexual violence is already a very hidden form of criminality and it is further complicated by the challenges of disclosure. The disclosure may take up years or even decades – the striking proportion of two in five victims and survivors in the UK shared that it took them more than 21 years.

    The insights from survivors form a call to action, urging communities, policymakers, and societies worldwide to recognise their pain and resilience and to come together in the mission to end child sexual abuse and exploitation.

    One survivor of childhood sexual violence in the UK, who took part in the Global Our Voice Survivor Survey, said: “I feel a bit sad for the child I was, but I am very glad to be able to give evidence of my experience to help inform others and build knowledge internationally about sexual abuse of children.”

    “We cannot continue to fail victims and survivors seeking justice and support; we must ensure they receive the recognition, reparation, and support they deserve. We cannot undo the damage that has already been done, but we must ensure that no more children have to suffer further violence. All children should live a childhood free from any form of abuse.”

    Eva Díaz Bethencourt, Specialist and Human Rights Lawyer at Protect Children

    The powerful report presented by Protect Children and IPPPRI underscores the urgent need for stronger trauma-informed prevention and response systems in the UK. The full report is available here: https://www.suojellaanlapsia.fi/en/post/our-voice-survivors-in-the-uk-1

    * The Global Our Voice Survivor Survey was developed by Protect Children, and the data analysis of the report “Our Voice Survivors in the UK: Experiences of Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation”, was conducted in collaboration with IPPPRI. The report analyses the data collected from 643 respondents who suffered childhood sexual abuse in the UK and 624 in other Five Eyes countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, US). The Five Eyes alliance is an intelligence-sharing partnership among these nations, which also collaborates closely in law enforcement and child protection efforts.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Lyagin Run: The Polytechnic Honored the Hero’s Memory

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    On May 17, the Polytechnic Park hosted the traditional track and field race in memory of Hero of the Soviet Union Viktor Lyagin. The event dedicated to the graduate of our institute has been held since 1972. For several years now, the race at the Polytechnic has rightfully been considered a large-scale city event.

    The race was opened by the Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Communication Technologies of SPbPU Maxim Pasholikov.

    The strength of the Polytechnic University is in its people, its Heroes and traditions. Anyone who finds themselves in the university family is involuntarily immersed in our culture and environment, which shapes their personality. The run named after Hero of the USSR Viktor Lyagin, which has been held for over 55 years, is a vivid confirmation of this. The event not only bears the name of an outstanding intelligence officer, a graduate of the university, but also cultivates willpower. After all, everyone who accepts this sports challenge, overcoming themselves, develops, achieves their goal and becomes a hero for themselves, their family and immediate environment, being an example. Through the prism of such traditions, we learn to achieve results in simple things, which over time becomes a habit, and we no longer see the possibility of behaving differently, – noted Maxim Pasholikov.

    Viktor Lyagin’s grandson, Aleksey Esipov, was present at the race and thanked the Polytechnic for preserving the memory of the hero.

    This sporting event is dedicated to my grandfather, intelligence officer and outstanding polytechnician Viktor Lyagin. Viktor Aleksandrovich became a successful engineer, thanks to which he was appointed head of scientific and technical intelligence. He had great prospects, but the war began. He was sent to Nikolaev, where his group carried out the most significant sabotage. Viktor Aleksandrovich himself was an athlete and paid great attention to volleyball and weightlifting, – Alexey Esipov emphasized.

    By the will of fate, the family of Alexey Esipov met for the first time with relatives Alexey and Natalya Kochkarev, with whom they had lost contact for many years. This year, the Kochkarev couple came to the race for the first time, and a fateful meeting took place.

    I decided to honor the memory of the outstanding polytechnician in this way and pay tribute to his contribution to the common victory. My family has many ties to the Polytechnic. My father was an associate professor at the power engineering faculty, worked at the Hydro Tower. My mother worked at the metallurgy faculty. I graduated from the Polytechnic and then worked here. Therefore, we are hereditary polytechnicians, – said Alexey Kochkarev.

    Our paths diverged. But what a coincidence! It was at the Polytechnic that I met my relatives again, – Alexey Esipov was surprised.

    Alexey Esipov came to the race with his daughter Tatyana Leonchenkova and granddaughter Alina. The girl is in the third grade, enjoys football and swimming. Viktor Lyagin’s great-great-granddaughter decided to participate in the race dedicated to his memory.

    Perhaps Alina’s athletic abilities were inherited from her great-great-grandfather. We love the Polytechnic University and visit it often. We plan to enroll Alina in programming classes. It is important that the university carefully preserves the memory of the Great Patriotic War. No one is forgotten, and nothing is forgotten. This is truly the very memory that is very dear, – shared Tatyana Leonchenkova.

    Time flew by while chatting. And then the participants were called to a warm-up led by Kristina Kapinus, a member of the Russian Nordic walking team. After that, experienced athletes and newcomers checked their equipment and went to the start. To the encouraging shouts of the spectators, the runners covered a distance of five kilometers.

    The participants of the children’s race also received no less support – boys and girls ran 800 meters.

    Yulia Kurakina took first place, Grigory Khrustalev finished second, and Alexander Kabanov showed the third time.

    Yulia Kurakina started running only a year ago, and her first place came as a surprise to her family.

    I play chess, dance, and running is just a hobby, Yulia shared.

    At the competition, Yulia was supported by her mother Svetlana. She said: We visited the Polytechnic for the first time and were pleasantly surprised by the friendly atmosphere and warm relations between the participants.

    Nine-year-old Vasilisa Ambrazhey won the hearts of the audience with her willpower and incredible fortitude. She participated in the race for the first time and successfully overcame the adult distance. Then Vasilisa ran half a circle to meet her mother and support her at the finish line. But the girl did not stop there – she took part in the children’s race together with her brother Fyodor.

    I have been swimming since I was three and doing acrobatics since I was six. Before, I only ran at school during physical education classes. So, at the Polytechnic, I covered such a serious distance for the first time, Vasilisa shared.

    Her mother, Natalia Rybakova, works as a leading specialist at the Center for Continuing Professional Education of the Advanced Engineering School “Digital Engineering”.

    We enjoyed spending Saturday morning in the Polytechnic University park. Such events are very useful, as they allow you to participate in the life of the university, get to know your colleagues from a new side and get involved in sports, – noted Natalia Rybakova.

    In the men’s race the results were as follows:

    Evgeny Chuchmanov – 17.17; Maxim Vankov – 17.18; Alexander Mirolyubov – 17.18.5.

    Evgeniy Chuchmanov is a 2nd year Bachelor’s student at the Civil Engineering Institute. He has been a professional skier since childhood.

    Running is an integral part of preparation for skiing competitions. When I entered the Polytechnic, I decided not to limit myself to competing for the biathlon-skiing team. So running became my hobby. At today’s competition, I did not strive for victory, but during the race I realized that I could compete with my rivals. It was a wonderful event that filled me with pride for the university. It is nice that the teachers emphasize the importance of a healthy lifestyle by their example, – said Evgeniy.

    Results of the women’s race:

    Maria Kiseleva – 21.10;
    Tatyana Bevza — 21.32;
    Alena Aleshina — 22.11.

    Maria Kiseleva, a specialist at the Department of Support of Educational Programs of the Center for Continuing Professional Education, is a regular participant in the race. Last year, she took fourth place. She seriously prepared for this start: she trained five times a week and participated in various running events.

    I am so glad that I won! Polytechnic combines patriotism, love for one’s country, sports, science and much more. I love my native university with all my heart, – shared Maria Vladimirovna.

    The joint finish of mother and daughter took place in the Aleshiny family. Director of the Higher School of Power Engineering Alena Aleshina, having taken third place in the adult distance, supported her youngest daughter in her race.

    I am participating in this event for the third year in a row. The great weather, the warm and friendly atmosphere in the Polytechnic Park added positive emotions. I am glad that I was able to improve my time by a whole minute compared to last year. Both my daughters participated in the children’s distance. Lera is almost 11 years old, and she managed on her own, and Sasha is still little, so we ran the second lap together. The race at the Polytechnic is dedicated to the memory of Viktor Lyagin, a famous Soviet intelligence officer and a graduate of the Polytechnic. Thus, this event is more of a tribute to memory than a sporting event, and you participate in it at the call of your heart. Thank you to the Polytechnic for continuing the tradition, – shared Alena Aleshina.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Global: Sex and disability: Nigerian women share their stories

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Obasanjo Bolarinwa, Senior lecturer, York St John University

    Imagine feeling invisible simply because of your body. Now imagine that invisibility extends into how society treats your desires, your safety, and your rights.

    That is the everyday reality for many women with disabilities in developing countries, where 80% of people with disabilities live. And it’s an issue the policymakers must address to promote inclusive policies that reach the most marginalised.

    We are global health researchers and authors of a recent qualitative study that explores the sexual experiences of women with disabilities in Lagos, Nigeria.

    Despite growing global interest in sexual and reproductive health, the voices of women with disabilities have remained largely unheard, especially in low- and middle-income countries such as Nigeria.

    Our research aims to break this silence.

    The women in our study told us they had sexual needs and desires like any other women, but they faced particular challenges such as societal stigma, inadequate access to reproductive health services, widespread misconceptions about contraception and sexual harassment. They suggested how more accessible health services and better legal protection could help them.

    How we did our study

    We spoke to 24 women in Lagos between the ages of 20 and 45. Sixty-seven percent of participants had physical disabilities, while 33% had visual impairments.

    Participants were recruited through local networks and came from a range of educational, employment and marital backgrounds. They were asked open-ended questions in interviews conducted in English, Yoruba or Pidgin.

    We focused on how disability influenced their sexual activity, autonomy, contraceptive use, engagement in risky sexual behaviours, and experiences of sexual violence.

    What we learnt

    Our research found that the women were mostly sexually active and understood their sexual rights.

    However, they faced major barriers:

    • physical limitations

    • poor access to affordable contraceptives

    • misinformation

    • vulnerability to sexual violence, with limited support available

    • widespread stigma that made it difficult for them to express their sexuality freely and safely.

    ‘We are not asexual’

    Many participants rejected the stereotype that they were “asexual” or uninterested in sex. They emphasised they had sexual needs and desires just like any other woman.

    Some participants expressed that being disabled made certain sex positions painful or physically impossible.

    A woman who was in her thirties told us that her husband complained that she couldn’t “do different styles”.

    Other women expressed sadness, frustration, or even guilt for not being able to satisfy their partners, leading to feelings of rejection and abandonment.

    Accessing modern contraceptives was another major issue.

    Some of the women said they were afraid of using contraceptives because of health myths – like the fear that birth control might worsen their disability or cause infertility.

    Others struggled to go to pharmacies because of their limited mobility and obstacles such as being unable to use stairs.

    Several women said they had experienced harassment, assault or rape, often linked to their vulnerability and social isolation.

    One woman described her sexual assault.

    If I were not disabled and nothing was wrong with me, the one that happened to me would not happen. Because of my leg, I didn’t have any energy to shout, and the people that were supposed to assist me did not show up. If I had legs and was complete, the thing that happened to me will not happen.

    A visually impaired woman said she couldn’t defend herself or even recognise her attacker when she was abused.

    Another said:

    If I had legs, that thing would not have happened to me.

    A number of women also spoke about the fear of being blamed or shamed about their sexual harassment experience. Others said people in their communities believed they had no right to complain.

    It’s not all bad

    Still, it wasn’t all despair. The women in the study had clear and actionable suggestions.

    They called for accessible health facilities, better education for men about disability and sex, and more media campaigns to challenge stigma.

    They wanted laws that specifically protected them against sexual harassment and health systems that included them in terms of physical accessibility and financial subsidy.

    Some called for free or subsidised contraceptives or door-to-door services for those unable to travel.

    One participant simply asked for a walking aid so she could visit the hospital when she needed to.

    We are not invisible

    The findings highlight the need for accessible, affordable sexual and reproductive health services tailored to women with disabilities.

    This includes disability-friendly healthcare, public education to challenge stereotypes, stronger legal protections, and initiatives that empower women to assert their rights.

    Society needs to stop pretending that women with disabilities are invisible.
    They are here. They are sexually active. And they have a right to love, pleasure, safety and choice.

    Obasanjo Bolarinwa works for York St. John University, United Kingdom.

    Blessing Babalola works for Federal University Oye-Ekiti.

    CLIFFORD O ODIMEGWU works for the University of the Witwatersrand.

    Aliu Mohammed 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. Sex and disability: Nigerian women share their stories – https://theconversation.com/sex-and-disability-nigerian-women-share-their-stories-254405

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Global: For a Canadian in London, King Charles’ Royal Garden Party inspires sustainability education

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Janice Denoncourt, Associate Professor in Intellectual Property and Innovation Law, Nottingham Trent University

    On a glorious afternoon recently, I had the good fortune to attend a specially themed Education and Skills Garden Party hosted at Buckingham Palace in London to celebrate the contributions of educators in the United Kingdom and beyond.

    As a Canadian citizen living and working in education in the United Kingdom, I was invited to attend by the High Commission of Canada in London.

    The occasion provided a relaxing yet exciting opportunity to reflect on my involvement embedding sustainability into education related to innovation and intellectual property (IP) rights law.

    Royal Gardens as oasis

    King Charles has been a lifelong supporter of sustainability education, which is a new addition to the curricula. For me, the Royal garden and lake beautifully highlighted concerns with sustainability.

    The King’s Royal garden at the Palace is an oasis in the city of London, alive with foliage and wildlife that guests may stroll around and explore. According to the event leaflet: “A survey of the Garden by the London Natural History Society revealed a wealth of flora and fauna, some quite rare species.”

    Garden parties are a special way for members of the Royal Family to speak to a broad range of people, all of whom have made a positive impact on their community. Today these events are a way to recognize and reward public service.

    A network of sponsors is used to invite guests, including lord-lieutenants, societies and associations, government departments and local government, as well as representatives of various churches and other faiths.

    Charles first marked the issue of pollution in 1970 when he was a 21-year-old student. The King continues to champion his lifelong passion regarding the importance of the health of the environment and living sustainably.

    ‘The garden party at Buckingham Palace for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee,’ painting by Frederick Sargent, 1887.
    (Royal Collection (U.K.) 407255/Wikipedia)

    Why intellectual property and sustainability?

    Since 2004, I have been an innovation, intellectual property rights and business law educator. My research group contributed to a publication called The Guide to The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), developed to explore the connections between the United Nation’s 17 SDGs, sustainable development and IP.

    Intellectual property is of concern because we need to envision and build a common future with innovation and creativity. How sustainability challenges are overcome depends on the commercialization of new green technology catalysts.

    However, this process is complex. Choosing between solar versus wind, or hydro, geothermal or tidal energy technologies involves making difficult choices. IP rights, such as patents, provide practical scientific information about new green technologies. This information helps society to prioritize public, private and alternative financing to support climate change mitigation and adaptation.

    Canadian firms have patented numerous climate change mitigation technologies.

    For example, the Toronto-based WhalePower has significantly advanced fluid dynamics and has filed Canadian, European Union, United States, Chinese and Indian patents to protect its new technology. Their award-winning invention, inspired by the bumpy flippers of humpback whales, results in more efficient and reliable wind turbine blades.




    Read more:
    Here’s why UK tides are soon going to play a much bigger part in powering your home


    This “tubercle” technology, named for a rounded point of a bone, also has applications for hydroelectric turbines and for revolutionizing fan design. These blades, featuring tubercles (bumps) on the leading edge, reduce aerodynamic drag and improve performance. WhalePower also generates revenue by licensing its patented technology to other companies to use in wind turbines.

    Patents encourage knowledge sharing

    Patents encourage knowledge sharing, because the way the invention works must be disclosed, rather than kept secret.

    For example, new tidal energy inventors can read Whalepower’s patents and be inspired to further advance the new technology with additional incremental innovations.

    A granted patent is published for free online and digitally tagged using globally recognized classification codes to facilitate easy searching by scientists, investors and financiers. The data collected on the patent register is also used to design new climate innovation research studies and inform policy-making.

    In this manner, IP often stimulates investment by providing the legal rights needed to justify longer-term investment in a changing landscape of innovation.

    Long-term investment into green technology is a form of environmental stewardship that I discuss in more detail in my article “Companies and UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goal 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.” IP rights support firms like Whalepower by enabling knowledge tools that can bring sustainable development goals closer to fruition.

    Patent attorneys and Earthshot Prize

    The significant role of IP rights in promoting sustainability gained a higher profile when the United Kingdom’s Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) became an Official Nominator for the annual Earthshot Prize launched by Prince William’s Royal Foundation in 2020.

    CIPA helps to identify and nominate solutions for the environmental challenges that the prize aims to address. One nominated solution that uses DNA sequencing and nature’s own colours to create sustainable dyes to reduce the use of water and harmful chemicals in the fashion industry, Colorifix, was a runner-up in the 2023 edition.




    Read more:
    Can marketing classes teach sustainability? 4 key insights


    CIPA provides crucial IP rights checks to finalists, ensuring that their innovations have no outstanding IP issues. This partnership is an example of how the Royal Family works together with CIPA to use the power of IP to help solve sustainability challenges.

    As the King stated when he was Prince of Wales in 2017: “Mine is not a new commitment, but perhaps you will allow me to restate my determination to join you in continuing to do whatever I can, for as long as I can, to maintain not only the health and vitality of the ocean and all that depends upon it, but also the viability of that greatest and most unique of living organisms — nature herself.”

    Janice Denoncourt is affiliated with the British Association for Canadian Studies (BACS)..

    ref. For a Canadian in London, King Charles’ Royal Garden Party inspires sustainability education – https://theconversation.com/for-a-canadian-in-london-king-charles-royal-garden-party-inspires-sustainability-education-256869

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Global: The rise of psychedelic capitalism: Work harder and be happy about it?

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Kevin Walby, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Winnipeg

    Once stigmatized and outlawed, psychedelics are moving from the counterculture to the mainstream. From Prince Harry’s use of psilocybin to National Football League quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ adventures with ayahuasca, our media is awash with accounts of their professed benefits.

    Hundreds of universities around the world are now engaging in psychedelic research. And psychedelic legalization initiatives are taking hold.

    Psychedelics are becoming big business. Just as private capital flooded the cannabis sector years ago, a psychedelic gold rush is underway.

    Wealthy entrepreneurs are investing in the psychedelic industry while biotechnology start-ups are raising capital and running clinical trials on novel psychedelic molecules. Venture capitalists are eyeing the prospects of a new lucrative mass market.

    The authors of this article have a new book out: ‘Psychedelic Capitalism’ published by Fernwood.
    (Fernwood)

    Three causes for concern

    To date, most debates about psychedelics have offered little critical analysis of their relationship to the political economy of modern capitalism and broader power structures. In our new book Psychedelic Capitalism, we make three central claims about the so-called psychedelic renaissance.

    First, the medicalization of psychedelics is likely to restrict access and reinforce existing health and social inequalities.

    Second, the corporatization of psychedelics will enable economic elites to dominate the market while appropriating the vast reservoir of knowledge built up by Indigenous communities, public institutions and underground researchers.

    And third, rather than representing progressive drug reform, the limited legalization of select psychedelics for medical use will help to entrench and sustain the drug war and the criminalization of most drug use.

    Ignoring community knowledge

    Across North America, we’re seeing a medicalization of psychedelics, where a range of problems are presented as treatable by these substances. This is happening in a way that boosts corporate control of the process and pushes aside community and Indigenous knowledge.

    We have seen this scenario play out in Australia. Substances such as psilocybin and MDMA are legally available, but only through a doctor’s prescription and at great financial cost — raising questions about equity, access and who these therapies are for.

    Framing psychedelics as pharmaceutical commodities and individualized health-care solutions reinforces the prohibitionist narrative that these substances are unsuitable for use outside of the medical context. This narrative shifts attention away from how medicalized use might perpetuate a neoliberal ideology — locating mental “disorder” within an individual, rather than addressing more systemic causes such as poverty, inequality and social exclusion.

    It also disregards centuries of traditions created by Indigenous community use, as well as the values of the psychedelic underground.

    A system built on expensive individual therapy, medically trained gatekeepers and hyper-controlled clinical access is not the model that most advocates have envisioned.

    A pill-only model for productivity and happiness

    The foundations of psychedelic capitalism were largely created by public innovation at the public’s expense and are now in the process of being taken over by private capital.

    Psychedelic conferences increasingly resemble corporate trade shows. The psychedelic tourism industry continues to expand and cater to elite clients. For-profit companies like Mind Medicine and Compass Pathways are eliminating psychotherapy from their treatment protocols and embracing a “pill-only” model favoured by Big Pharma.

    Psychedelics, including microdosing and psychedelic-assisted therapy, are marketed as a way for the general population to extract more work out of their already overworked lives, and to be happy about it in the process.

    Companies are competing to capture intellectual property to harness profits from existing compounds and erect legal barriers around new chemicals and their applications.

    The for-profit ketamine industry already offers a glimpse into the future of corporatized psychedelic therapy. This includes a lack of attention to risks, deceitful marketing and little consideration to therapeutic care.

    There has been a surge of new patent applications (and granted patents) in the U.S. on substances such as psilocybin, LSD, DMT, 5-MeO DMT and mescaline that seek to secure exclusivity, monopolize supply chains and privatize knowledge that already exists in the public domain.

    Psychedelics have been swept up into the well-rehearsed capitalist playbook where private players are fabricating exclusionary rights over what are ultimately the products of collective human struggle and intellectual achievement.

    Medical legalization of psychedelics

    The medicalized approach to psychedelic mainstreaming also connects to drug law and policy.

    Across North America, the biomedical approach is the main influence on drug law and the primary avenue for psychedelic access in most jurisdictions. This approach is widely supported by psychedelic capitalists who have a financial stake in medical legalization and want to limit legal access to anything outside of the medical-pharma frame.

    In the United States, places like Oregon and Colorado have more holistic legal models that include elements of community control to prevent corporate capture. But most state initiatives remain limited in scope and are centred around medicalized therapy, particularly for military veterans. Even in Oregon, which has been lauded for its progressive drug policies, there has been an unmistakable drift toward medicalization.

    Canada’s cannabis industry exemplifies how processes of legalization can become intertwined with the interests of corporate-dominated industries.

    As Michael Devillaer, professor of psychiatry and behavioural neurosciences and author of Buzz Kill (2024), has explained, the cannabis industry has prioritized profit maximization, product promotion and increased consumption at the expense of public health concerns.

    What is best for public interest?

    As the medical legalization of psychedelics deepens, we are likely to see the intensification of criminal penalties for recreational and other uses.

    In fact, police seizures of psychedelics like psilocybin in the U.S. have increased in recent years. Global arrests for the transportation of compounds such as ayahuasca, iboga and peyote have also increased.

    These problems are likely to be exacerbated by systems of bifurcated scheduling, where a drug product is placed in a different class from the active ingredient or substance.

    For example, if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were to approve psilocybin for depression or MDMA for PTSD, it is likely that only FDA-approved medicinal psilocybin and MDMA products would be rescheduled, while the substances themselves would continue to be prosecuted as restricted narcotics.

    It is in the public interest to move beyond a myopic focus on medical legalization to a more open, decriminalized model of public access. An approach like this would not only mitigate the threats associated with corporate capture, it would also reduce the harms associated with criminalization and the war on drugs.

    Community-controlled decriminalization is a better path to mainstreaming psychedelics than relinquishing power to the medical industry and pharmaceutical cartels that provide monopolized services to primarily affluent customers.

    And treating drug use and dependence as a public health issue and incentivizing harm reduction and support services for at-risk populations would go a long way to mitigating the tragedies of the drug war.

    Kevin Walby receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

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

    ref. The rise of psychedelic capitalism: Work harder and be happy about it? – https://theconversation.com/the-rise-of-psychedelic-capitalism-work-harder-and-be-happy-about-it-253003

    MIL OSI – Global Reports