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Category: Universities

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australia doesn’t have a federal Human Rights Act – but the election clears the way for overdue reform

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Maguire, Professor in Human Rights and International Law, University of Newcastle

    Master1305/Shutterstock

    The Albanese government has achieved an historic re-election, substantially building its majority in the House of Representatives. Much has already been written about the potential for a more ambitious legislative program on the back of this result.

    That agenda should include substantive human rights reform. The government has the opportunity in its second term to enhance the protections we all deserve by legislating a national Human Rights Act.

    Australia’s human rights framework

    Australia presents itself – and is largely ranked – as a global leader in protecting civil and political rights.

    It has a strong history of commitment to the UN’s human rights agenda, including as a party to seven core human rights treaties. Australia is also an enthusiastic participant in international human rights monitoring processes, including the Universal Periodic Review.

    Yet Australia also receives persistent international criticism, notably in relation to the rights of Indigenous peoples, refugees and asylum seekers.

    Australia has a dualist legal system. The Australian government can consent to treaty obligations that are binding on state parties, but those obligations are not absorbed into domestic law. This limits Australia’s capacity to meet its human rights obligations, because many are unenforceable under domestic law.

    Instead, Australia has built a patchwork human rights system. The Constitution affords only minimal rights protections, including the right to vote and the right to a trial by jury for certain offences.

    Only Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland have passed human rights legislation. But state laws do not include comprehensive protection for all the human rights protected by the treaties Australia has signed.

    Recently in Queensland, the LNP government rejected the recommendations of a review into the state’s Human Rights Act that would have enhanced the right to adequate housing and the right to be free from gender-based violence.

    At the federal level, parliament has a process for human rights scrutiny of legislation, but has not passed a comprehensive national human rights law.

    The path forward

    Between 2019 and 2023, the Australian Human Rights Commission conducted a national inquiry, Free & Equal. Its final report recommended major reforms including the passage of a Human Rights Act.

    A separate inquiry by the parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights also proposed national human rights laws. These inquiries provided model legislation for parliament’s consideration.

    A Human Rights Act would remedy gaps in Australia’s compliance with its international obligations. Importantly for Australians, an act would provide comprehensive and enforceable protection for the rights we are all entitled to.

    Where does the government stand?

    Labor’s national platform notes Australia is an outlier due to its lack of comprehensive human rights legislation. It commits a federal Labor government to:

    consider whether our commitment to the implementation of human rights standards could be enhanced through a statutory Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities, or similar instrument.

    In its first term, the Albanese government acted quickly to ensure that the Australian Human Rights Commission retained global A-status accreditation. It also conducted the promised parliamentary review into Australia’s human rights framework. However, it is yet to respond to the recommendations of that review.

    The prospects of human rights law reform seemed slim in the immediate aftermath of the Voice referendum. The government appeared hesitant to make policy commitments in Indigenous affairs.

    Yet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss argued the referendum outcome highlighted the urgency of reform that would realise “even the most basic human rights” of Indigenous people.

    The time is right

    An argument can be made that the values expressed as central to the government’s second term agenda are tightly aligned with the values of the international human rights framework.

    In his speech on election night, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

    Today, the Australian people have voted for Australian values. For fairness, aspiration and opportunity for all. For the strength to show courage in adversity and kindness to those in need.

    He went on to highlight areas of need to ensure that every Australian has “the opportunity to be their best”, which included:

    • fair pay for workers and a right to disconnect
    • secure housing
    • equal pay and social equity for women
    • access to quality education for all students
    • the National Disability Insurance Scheme
    • protection for a healthy environment
    • equal rights for First Nations people
    • Medicare.

    These are all matters of central concern to the electorate. We may not talk about them all the time in human rights language, but they are also human rights issues.

    Australia is a party to human rights treaties that protect fair working conditions, an adequate standard of living and a right to health, women’s rights, the right to education, the rights of people with disabilities and Indigenous peoples, and the right to a healthy environment.

    The ground has been laid for comprehensive human rights reform in Australia. This project could unite “Australian values” of fairness and equity with protection of human rights in Australian law.

    We all stand to gain from opening our national conversation to human rights principles.

    Amy Maguire holds an Australian Research Council fellowship. Her industry partner is the Australian Human Rights Commission.

    – ref. Australia doesn’t have a federal Human Rights Act – but the election clears the way for overdue reform – https://theconversation.com/australia-doesnt-have-a-federal-human-rights-act-but-the-election-clears-the-way-for-overdue-reform-255863

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fischer to Agriculture Secretary: Nebraska Right Fit to Relocate Parts of U.S. Department of Agriculture

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer
    Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, questioned Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on her plans relocate parts of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), like the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). During the hearing, Fischer advocated for Nebraska to be considered, given the proximity to land grant institutions, lower cost of living, and a strong existing relationship with the USDA’s ARS facilities in the state.Fischer also raised concerns about the need to address overregulation to reduce the high maintenance costs of USDA’s ARS facilities, and whether the USDA would ensure that improvements made to these facilities are affordable.In addition, Fischer emphasized the importance of preserving the customer service experience at the Farm Service Agency (FSA), highlighting the value of in-person interactions with clients.

    Click the image above to watch a video of Fischer’s questioning
    Click here to download audio
    Click here to download video
    Fischer Questions Rollins:Fischer: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Secretary Rollins, it is so good to see you here today. Thank you. I share your desire to realign and reprioritize resources across USDA, to put our ranchers and our farmers first. This is especially important for USDA’s Agricultural Research Service to ensure that we are funding innovative and high impact research that benefits our farmers and ranchers. I’ve been working to secure funding for an ARS facility that’s focused on innovative precision agriculture research that is co-located at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and I look forward to continuing to work with you on that facility to ensure we can have high impact, high priority research taking place there. You have also talked about having more USDA’s workforce located closer to the people that they serve. And while no official announcements have been made, I think this would be a great step, and I know Nebraska would be a great location to relocate parts of USDA, like the Ag Research Service, giving our proximity to a number of strong land grant institutions, lower cost of living, and strong existing relationship with the agency at the facilities I mentioned beforehand. Can you talk about your plans for relocating parts of USDA to the heartland, and how do you anticipate relocation efforts could save taxpayer dollars and create greater efficiencies for the agency itself?
    Rollins: We are very close. I’ll say, in the coming weeks, you will hear a lot more about these plans. And I have really, I’m so grateful because I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from you and from others about potential locations around the country. What I’m most excited about in this realignment, though, is exactly how you outlined it, Senator, that we have to move. This is a customer service oriented agency, and why do we have so many people in Washington, DC? And then you bring the forest part into that, and then the nutrition into that, and it just doesn’t make as much sense. It would also be cheaper for the taxpayer, and the customer service agent will be closer to the people that they serve. So we are very in the weeds on that today, and an announcement is forthcoming.
    Fischer: I appreciated your comments to Senator Moran about the FSA and keeping those local offices open. I am very well aware in rural communities across my state how important it is that, that farmers have that in person access. And while we may be using technology in many areas, there’s still, I think, at this point in time, needs to be that face-to-face contact.Rollins: I agree.
    Fischer: So thank you for that as well. In Nebraska, we are also so proud of the work that’s being done at USDA’s Meat Animal research center at Clay Center, that is a strong relationship that the Center has with our livestock producers in the state. Last month, both Nebraska Cattlemen and Nebraska Pork Producers talked to me about how they valued the research that’s being done there. The President’s budget does call for cuts to ARS funding, but I think it’s also important for us to make sure that the dollars that we do spend on research and facilities gets stretched as far as it can. Due to over regulation, you’ve touched on that in some of your answers, a lot of burdensome contracting requirements out there. Simple maintenance and upkeep costs end up costing sometimes three to four times more than they should. And this is especially true for unique research centers like USMARC at Clay Center, who operate. They are working farms. They are working ranches. They handle livestock on a daily basis. So would you agree that research done in collaboration with the livestock industry at USMARC’s working farm and ranch is important? And would your team work with mine to ensure that the improvements that we make to ARS facilities don’t end up dramatically costing more than it would for the private sector to operate those?
    Rollins: I will, Senator, and I appreciate that and the great research that happens in Nebraska. A quick note on ARS, while we are decreasing the budget, it’s 2.1 billion currently under the President’s budget. From Friday, it goes down to 1.9 billion. That’s about a seven and a half percent decrease. And that’s really focused on just some facilities that are way behind on repair and just out of date and not meeting the mark, obviously not yours in Nebraska. So that is, that is a very targeted decrease in funding that shouldn’t affect, we remain highly, highly focused on the priorities of ARS and ensuring those are funded.
    Fischer: You know, I hope you can also look at that over regulation that we have with contracting that I mentioned. Because a lot of times just those really simple maintenance, it does end up costing more and more and more. Where if we can, you know, you always hear about government regulation and how burdensome it is, and there’s some good examples that we need to get rid of those good examples and make sure that we’re dealing with common sense and in the real world to meet those lower costs that should be available.
    Rollins: And the most important thing you can do is send us, have your team send us those examples, and we’ll, we’ll get on it right away.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trump HHS Nominee Dodges Cantwell Questions on Admin’s Proposed $18B in Medical Research Cuts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
    05.06.25
    Trump HHS Nominee Dodges Cantwell Questions on Admin’s Proposed $18B in Medical Research Cuts
    During his Finance Committee hearing, James O’Neill pleads ignorance when asked about Trump’s massive budget cut proposal for NIH: “I haven’t had a chance to review the details”; White House proposal released Friday would slash 40% of NIH research funding and “reform” its priorities to align with Trump
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, pressed James O’Neill – President Trump’s nominee to serve as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) — on the Trump administration’s latest budget proposal that would wipe out $18 billion from the National Institute of Health (NIH), the federal agency tasked with lifesaving medical research.
    “Mr. O’Neill, do you support the proposed $18 billion cuts to NIH funding?” asked Sen. Cantwell.
    O’Neill responded: “Senator, I had no involvement in the development of any proposed budgets. I think it’s important to pursue gold standard research, and anything we can do to improve NIH, ensure that it’s promoting gold standard research, ensuring that it’s funding research that replicates seems completely reasonable to me.”
    Sen. Cantwell: “You mean the proposed cuts seem reasonable because there’s some stuff we’re doing that isn’t gold standard?”
    O’Neill: “Senator, I believe the President’s proposal for NIH suggests combining some separate institutes of NIH into single institutes, where the functions belong together to reduce duplication.”
    Sen. Cantwell: “That would cut $18 billion?”
    O’Neill: “Senator, I haven’t had a chance to review the details that went into the budget. All I can say is I did not participate in that decision.”
    Sen. Cantwell: “Okay, well, I’m looking for a little bit of philosophy here. I come from a part of the world where we like innovation. We certainly like NIH investment in that because we look at it and say, ‘How are we going to reduce these unbelievable costs of a Baby Boomer population reaching retirement and having huge demand?’ So places like the University of Washington have done incredible work on Alzheimer’s research. So we’re going to strive to solve these huge health care costs by innovation, not by shortcutting innovation.”
    On Friday, President Trump released a budget proposal that would cut NIH research funding by $17.97 billion and “reform” the agency so that its remaining $27 billion for research aligns with his administration’s priorities. The budget also proposes more than $3.5 billion in cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
    In Washington state, NIH funding supports over 12,000 jobs and more than $3 billion in economic activity.
    Last month, National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Sethuraman Panchanathan resigned after the White House directed the NSF to accept a 55% cut in funding – part of “a deliberate dismemberment of America’s innovation engine,” Sen. Cantwell said at the time.
    In February, Sen. Cantwell joined the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. expressing serious alarm over the Trump Administration’s decisions that threatened to undermine America’s life-saving biomedical research infrastructure, in violation of federal law. The letter followed her strong opposition to RFK Jr.’s nomination, which she articulated in a speech on the Senate floor:
    “Now we are at the possibility of the beginning of another crisis, the avian flu. This crisis is yet another reminder of the importance of medical research and collaboration,” Sen. Cantwell said in her February floor speech. “Does it make sense to cut science at the time we might have another pandemic? Does it make sense to continue to cut the collaborative efforts of research?”
    Video of Sen. Cantwell’s Q&A today is available HERE, audio HERE, and a full transcript is HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley Applauds White House Announcement of Four Outstanding Missourians to the Federal Bench

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)

    Tuesday, May 06, 2025

    Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) applauded President Trump’s decision to appoint four outstanding Missourians to fill court vacancies on the Eastern District of Missouri. Senator Hawley has been working with the White House since the beginning of the year to ensure appointments to Missouri vacancies are prioritized.
    “This country needs good district court judges now more than ever,” said Senator Hawley. “We need judges that are committed to the rule of law and upholding the Constitution, and I’m ecstatic to see President Trump nominate these outstanding individuals to the federal bench.”
    The four nominees include:
    Joshua Divine, Solicitor General of the State of Missouri and former Chief Counsel to Senator Hawley. He attended Yale Law School and clerked for United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
    Maria Lanahan, Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the State of Missouri. She attended the University of Chicago School of Law and clerked for the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
    The Honorable Cristian Stevens, Judge for the Missouri Court of Appeals – Eastern District and former First Assistant Attorney General of Missouri. He attended the University of Missouri School of Law and clerked for the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
    Zachary Bluestone, Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Missouri and former Deputy Solicitor General of Missouri. He graduated from Harvard Law School and clerked for the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
    The nominees will undergo the full confirmation process within the United States Senate before taking their respective seats to the bench.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NREL Researcher Craig Turchi Brings Small Business Experience to Big Concentrating Solar Projects

    Source: US National Renewable Energy Laboratory

    Turchi’s Years at a Tech Startup Gave Him a Savvy Outlook on Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Systems Analysis and Innovation

    NREL researcher Craig Turchi soaks up the sunshine along the banks of the Gunnison River in Colorado. Turchi is the manager of the Thermal Energy Science and Technologies group in NREL’s Center for Energy Conversion and Storage Systems. His love for nature led him to work in solar technologies after completing his Ph.D. in chemical engineering at North Carolina State University. At NREL, his work has focused on a range of issues in concentrating solar technologies, from systems analysis to reducing water use at concentrating solar power plants in desert environments. Photo from Craig Turchi

    Honesty is the best policy, and from his early days at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Craig Turchi embraced that policy in his work as a chemical engineer in concentrating solar power (CSP).

    In fact, fresh out of his Ph.D. program and working at his first job, he was not afraid to tell the U.S. Department of Energy the truth about a solar detoxification reactor his team was working on: Based on the reaction rates he had modeled, it was not going to work—at least, not as currently planned.

    It was his first CSP project at the laboratory in the early 1990s, when NREL was called the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI). The reactors used sunlight concentrated from parabolic mirrors into fluid-filled tubes to break down contaminants in water, using titanium dioxide as a catalyst. Concentrating the sunlight sped up reaction rates, but for this chemistry, it also reduced the reaction efficiency. Turchi knew the efficiency results meant the cost would not add up. The team pivoted.

    “We followed the science,” he said. “You’re initially pursuing things based on hope in many cases, but when the data come in, you have to follow the science.”

    This first research result at SERI earned him a reputation as a straight shooter that stayed with him for 35 years as he built a career in CSP and thermal energy science.

    “That scientific integrity is something everyone looks up to,” said Guangdong Zhu, CSP subprogram lead at NREL and Thermal and Hybrid Energy Systems group manager. “As researchers, we should focus on simply assessing the results based on scientific justification. For Craig, this comes naturally. His evaluation is never going to be influenced by any other factors.”

    Turchi now serves as the Thermal Energy Science and Technologies group manager in NREL’s Energy Conversion and Storage Systems (ECaSS) Center, and he led NREL’s CSP subprogram from 2022 until 2024, when he passed the baton to Zhu. He also serves as the partnership director for the Heliostat Consortium, a U.S. Department of Energy consortium led by NREL and Sandia National Laboratories in partnership with the Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute.

    His leadership extends beyond his work at the laboratory. An avid outdoorsman, Turchi is known around NREL for leading paddling trips on Colorado’s and Utah’s scenic rivers. He and his wife, Jeannette, along with their daughter also help run a food bank at their church through Food Bank of the Rockies, where they serve 150–200 people once a month.

    “I find that very fulfilling, and it’s a nice counterpoint to writing reports at a computer to go out and physically do something and see the immediate benefit happening in your community,” he said. “I think it’s very important to give back.”

    Bringing Small Business Experience to Systems Analysis Research

    Turchi returned to NREL in 2008 after working at two small technology companies. Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL

    Turchi started working at SERI in 1990 but left in 1996 for a position with a startup that did not fully launch. He then joined a small company called ADA Technologies, where he served as a principal investigator and program leader for 10 years.

    At ADA, Turchi obtained his first patents. He was particularly proud of a product he created to separate amalgam for dental offices. At the time, when dentists placed or removed silver fillings, which are nominally 50% mercury, tiny bits of the filling would get suctioned out and end up in city sewer systems—where the mercury could eventually be released. His system trapped the amalgam bits at the dental office for recycling, keeping mercury from accumulating to harmful levels in bays and estuaries.

    Upon his return to NREL in 2008, he found that his time in the startup world translated well at the laboratory. He had honed his proposal-writing skills when working at ADA. He also brought new experiences when he returned, including an eye for innovation and a keen business sensibility. That outlook, paired with his truth-seeking ethos as an engineer, helped him build a robust research program in CSP systems analysis. The program allowed NREL to fill a niche that had been missing in the industry.

    “NREL started doing a lot of systems analysis,” said Mark Mehos, an emeritus NREL researcher who hired Turchi back to NREL in 2008. “And the U.S. Department of Energy really appreciated the robustness of Craig’s analysis. He was very thorough, he was very honest, and he didn’t hold back. If the analysis seemed to show that this was the right path or the wrong path, Craig didn’t have any qualms about sharing that.”

    CSP is a flexible technology. It can be used to generate electricity, create thermal energy for long-duration energy storage, or create thermal energy for a range of industrial processes that require heat, such as those used in food processing or desalination. That flexibility means there are a lot of factors to consider when analyzing costs, and making an honest assessment is crucial. As early-career researchers joined Turchi’s team, they learned from his rigorous approach to research and analysis.

    “He’s the real CSP guru—Craig keeps things grounded with his practical mindset,” said Judith Vidal, Building Thermal Energy Science group manager. Vidal got her start at NREL as a postdoc for Turchi in CSP. “His advice stuck with me: Always approach things with economic sensibility.”

    Vidal’s research emphasis is no longer in CSP, but those lessons still apply.

    “Since many of our projects are applied research, you always have to keep cost-effectiveness in mind,” she said. “But I also learned from him that sometimes, simply saying ‘This is too expensive’ pushes you to think differently in the lab—to optimize, to explore new directions. It challenges you. This is how Craig shaped me as a young researcher.”

    Craig Turchi received the NREL Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Performance on April 2, 2015. Turchi has won other awards at NREL as well, including one for his strategic guidance on advancing thermal systems research and development in 2015 and one for bringing $10 million in funding to NREL for Generation 3 CSP research in 2018. Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL

    Applying a New Power Cycle to CSP

    In addition to his main body of work in systems analysis and related topics, Turchi was looking for brand-new areas of research when he returned to NREL. A power cycle that was becoming popular in nuclear energy circles, but not solar, caught his attention: the supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) power cycle.

    “There was a renaissance in this power cycle development after a study came out that showed it could be valuable at nuclear power plants,” Turchi said. “It’s a type of power cycle development that had been looked at decades ago, and it kind of got stuck on a back shelf. No one really looked at it.”

    Turchi saw potential for supercritical CO2 power cycles to replace the steam turbines in traditional CSP systems, potentially unlocking greater efficiencies.

    This initial curiosity about supercritical CO2 for CSP has grown into a major path forward for the CSP industry—Generation 3 CSP. In Gen 3 CSP, arrays of mirrors called heliostats concentrate sunlight onto a central receiver to collect and store heat at high temperature (over 700°C). This heat is transferred to supercritical CO2 to generate power in a closed-loop Brayton cycle. Sandia National Laboratories now has a Gen 3 Particle Pilot Plant at its National Solar Thermal Test Facility to study supercritical CO2 as the working fluid in a plant with particle energy storage.

    Turchi won two NREL awards for his work on the supercritical CO2 power cycle for CSP. But nowadays, he is more focused on elevating other researchers’ work.

    “As you progress in your career, you either remain an expert in some area, or in my experience, you broaden out into what the interesting areas are in your field, and you help others develop,” Turchi said. “I think as a group manager, that’s your role. It’s very rewarding when you see those people succeed.”

    Learn more about NREL’s concentrating solar power research.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA’s IXPE Reveals X-ray-Generating Particles in Black Hole Jets

    Source: NASA

    The blazar BL Lacertae, a supermassive black hole surrounded by a bright disk and jets oriented toward Earth, provided scientists with a unique opportunity to answer a longstanding question: How are X-rays generated in extreme environments like this?
    NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) collaborated with radio and optical telescopes to find answers. The results (preprint available here), to be published in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters, show that interactions between fast-moving electrons and particles of light, called photons, must lead to this X-ray emission. 

    Scientists had two competing possible explanations for the X-rays, one involving protons and one involving electrons. Each of these mechanisms would have a different signature in the polarization of X-ray light. Polarization is a property of light that describes the average direction of the electromagnetic waves that make up light.
    If the X-rays in a black hole’s jets are highly polarized, that would mean that the X-rays are produced by protons gyrating in the magnetic field of the jet or protons interacting with jet’s photons. If the X-rays have a lower polarization degree, it would suggest that electron-photons interactions lead to X-ray production.  
    IXPE, which launched Dec. 9, 2021, is the only satellite flying today that can make such a polarization measurement. 
    “This was one of the biggest mysteries about supermassive black hole jets” said Iván Agudo, lead author of the study and astronomer at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía – CSIC in Spain. “And IXPE, with the help of a number of supporting ground-based telescopes, finally provided us with the tools to solve it.”
    Astronomers found that electrons must be the culprits through a process called Compton Scattering. Compton scattering (or the Compton effect) happens when a photon loses or gains energy after interacting with a charged particle, usually an electron. Within jets from supermassive black holes, electrons move near the speed of light. IXPE helped scientists learn that, in the case of a blazar jet, the electrons have enough energy to scatter photons of infrared light up to X-ray wavelengths. 
    BL Lacertae (BL Lac for short) is one of the first blazars ever discovered, originally thought to be a variable star in the Lacerta constellation. IXPE observed BL Lac at the end of November 2023 for seven days along with several ground-based telescopes measuring optical and radio polarization at the same time. While IXPE observed BL Lac in the past, this observation was special. Coincidentally, during the X-ray polarization observations, the optical polarization of BL Lac reached a high number: 47.5%. 
    “This was not only the most polarized BL Lac has been in the past 30 years, this is the most polarized any blazar has ever been observed!” said Ioannis Liodakis, one of the primary authors of the study and astrophysicist at the Institute of Astrophysics – FORTH in Greece. 
    IXPE found the X-rays were far less polarized than the optical light. The team was not able to measure a strong polarization signal and determined that the X-rays cannot be more polarized than 7.6%. This proved that electrons interacting with photons, via the Compton effect, must explain the X-rays. 

    Steven Ehlert
    Project Scientist for IXPE at Marshall Space Flight Center

    “The fact that optical polarization was so much higher than in the X-rays can only be explained by Compton scattering”, said Steven Ehlert, project scientist for IXPE and astronomer at the Marshall Space Flight Center. 
    “IXPE has managed to solve another black hole mystery” said Enrico Costa, astrophysicist in Rome at the Istituto di Astrofísica e Planetologia Spaziali of the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofísica. Costa is one of the scientists who conceived this experiment and proposed it to NASA 10 years ago, under the leadership of Martin Weisskopf, IXPE’s first principal investigator. “IXPE’s polarized X-ray vision has solved several long lasting mysteries, and this is one of the most important. In some other cases, IXPE results have challenged consolidated opinions and opened new enigmas, but this is how science works and, for sure, IXPE is doing very good science.”
    What’s next for the blazar research?
    “One thing we’ll want to do is try to find as many of these as possible,” Ehlert said. “Blazars change quite a bit with time and are full of surprises.”
    More about IXPE
    IXPE, which continues to provide unprecedented data enabling groundbreaking discoveries about celestial objects across the universe, is a joint NASA and Italian Space Agency mission with partners and science collaborators in 12 countries. IXPE is led by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. BAE Systems, Inc., headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, manages spacecraft operations together with the University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder. Learn more about IXPE’s ongoing mission here:
    https://www.nasa.gov/ixpe
    Elizabeth LandauNASA Headquarterselizabeth.r.landau@nasa.gov202-358-0845
    Lane FigueroaMarshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.lane.e.figueroa@nasa.gov256.544.0034 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA’s NICER Maps Debris From Recurring Cosmic Crashes

    Source: NASA

    Lee esta nota de prensa en español aquí.
    For the first time, astronomers have probed the physical environment of repeating X-ray outbursts near monster black holes thanks to data from NASA’s NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) and other missions.
    Scientists have only recently encountered this class of X-ray flares, called QPEs, or quasi-periodic eruptions. A system astronomers have nicknamed Ansky is the eighth QPE source discovered, and it produces the most energetic outbursts seen to date. Ansky also sets records in terms of timing and duration, with eruptions every 4.5 days or so that last approximately 1.5 days.
    “These QPEs are mysterious and intensely interesting phenomena,” said Joheen Chakraborty, a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. “One of the most intriguing aspects is their quasi-periodic nature. We’re still developing the methodologies and frameworks we need to understand what causes QPEs, and Ansky’s unusual properties are helping us improve those tools.”

    [embedded content]
    Watch how astronomers used data from NASA’s NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) to study a mysterious cosmic phenomenon called a quasi-periodic eruption, or QPE.NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

    Ansky’s name comes from ZTF19acnskyy, the moniker of a visible-light outburst seen in 2019. It was located in a galaxy about 300 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. This event was the first indication that something unusual might be happening.
    A paper about Ansky, led by Chakraborty, was published Tuesday in The Astrophysical Journal.
    A leading theory suggests that QPEs occur in systems where a relatively low-mass object passes through the disk of gas surrounding a supermassive black hole that holds hundreds of thousands to billions of times the Sun’s mass.
    When the lower-mass object punches through the disk, its passage drives out expanding clouds of hot gas that we observe as QPEs in X-rays.
    Scientists think the eruptions’ quasi-periodicity occurs because the smaller object’s orbit is not perfectly circular and spirals toward the black hole over time. Also, the extreme gravity close to the black hole warps the fabric of space-time, altering the object’s orbits so they don’t close on themselves with each cycle. Scientists’ current understanding suggests the eruptions repeat until the disk disappears or the orbiting object disintegrates, which may take up to a few years.

    “Ansky’s extreme properties may be due to the nature of the disk around its supermassive black hole,” said Lorena Hernández-García, an astrophysicist at the Millennium Nucleus on Transversal Research and Technology to Explore Supermassive Black Holes, the Millennium Institute of Astrophysics, and University of Valparaíso in Chile. “In most QPE systems the supermassive black hole likely shreds a passing star, creating a small disk very close to itself. In Ansky’s case, we think the disk is much larger and can involve objects farther away, creating the longer timescales we observe.”
    Hernández-García, in addition to being a co-author on Chakraborty’s paper, led the study that discovered Ansky’s QPEs, which was published in April in Nature Astronomy and used data from NICER, NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and Chandra X-ray Observatory, as well as ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) XMM-Newton space telescope.
    NICER’s position on the International Space Station allowed it to observe Ansky about 16 times every day from May to July 2024. The frequency of the observations was critical in detecting the X-ray fluctuations that revealed Ansky produces QPEs.
    Chakraborty’s team used data from NICER and XMM-Newton to map the rapid evolution of the ejected material driving the observed QPEs in unprecedented detail by studying variations in X-ray intensity during the rise and fall of each eruption.
    The researchers found that each impact resulted in about a Jupiter’s worth of mass reaching expansion velocities around 15% of the speed of light.

    The NICER telescope’s ability to frequently observe Ansky from the space station and its unique measurement capabilities also made it possible for the team to measure the size and temperature of the roughly spherical bubble of debris as it expanded.
    “All NICER’s Ansky observations used in these papers were collected after the instrument experienced a ‘light leak’ in May 2023,” said Zaven Arzoumanian, the mission’s science lead at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “Even though the leak – which was patched in January – affected the telescope’s observing strategy, NICER was still able to make vital contributions to time domain astronomy, or the study of changes in the cosmos on timescales we can see.”
    After the repair, NICER continued observing Ansky to explore how the outbursts have evolved over time. A paper about these results, led by Hernández-García and co-authored by Chakraborty, is under review.
    Observational studies of QPEs like Chakraborty’s will also play a key role in preparing the science community for a new era of multimessenger astronomy, which combines measurements using light, elementary particles, and space-time ripples called gravitational waves to better understand objects and events in the universe.
    One goal of ESA’s future LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission, in which NASA is a partner, is to study extreme mass-ratio inspirals — or systems where a low-mass object orbits a much more massive one, like Ansky. These systems should emit gravitational waves that are not observable with current facilities. Electromagnetic studies of QPEs will help improve models of those systems ahead of LISA’s anticipated launch in the mid-2030s.
    “We’re going to keep observing Ansky for as long as we can,” Chakraborty said. “We’re still in the infancy of understanding QPEs. It’s such an exciting time because there’s so much to learn.”

    By Jeanette KazmierczakNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
    Media Contact:Claire Andreoli301-286-1940claire.andreoli@nasa.govNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: GUU Spring Ball: Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of “The Great Gatsby”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    On May 14 at 17:00 the Spring Ball will be held at the State University of Management.

    This year, the magical atmosphere of the novel “The Great Gatsby” was chosen for the holiday.

    Student couples will showcase their dancing skills in several group dances, as well as present individual performances.

    The winners will be determined by a jury consisting of:

    Deputy Director of the IEF for educational work Valeria Ivanova Deputy Director of the IEF for educational work Vladimir Popov Chairman of the IEF Student Council Tatyana Kalko Chairman of the IEF Student Council Ramazan Rakhmanov Curator of the IEF 2024, choreographer of the Spring Ball 2024 Alisa Zueva

    The celebration will take place in the lobby of the Central Control and Information Center on May 14 at 17:00.

    Hurry up to take a seat in the auditorium and become part of an elegant and romantic story.

    Subscribe to the tg channel “Our State University” Announcement date: 05/14/2025

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Jiangsu Normal University delegation visits Polytechnic

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University and Jiangsu Normal University continue to strengthen their strategic partnership, which started in 2015. The Polytechnic was visited by a representative delegation from China, which included Vice-Rector of Jiangsu Normal University Dong Xiaochen, Secretary of the SPbPU-CPU Joint Engineering Institute Yin Yanping, Director of the Electrical Institute of CPU Duan Na and Deputy Director of the Joint Engineering Institute Wang Li.

    Over the years of cooperation, the Joint Engineering Institute SPbPU-CPU, opened in 2016, has trained more than a thousand graduates in the fields of electronics, mechanical engineering, infocommunication technologies and communication systems. The annual student intake is 200-250 people, and the total number of students exceeds 2000. At the Russian Language Center based at the CPU, Chinese students are jointly taught by teachers from our universities.

    Representatives of the universities discussed plans to expand cooperation at the meeting. SPbPU proposed to include new areas: artificial intelligence, digital technologies in construction, intelligent systems for managing production processes, energy, including nuclear and digital, where the university has unique experience.

    The key challenge remains the level of Russian language proficiency among Chinese students. To achieve this goal, it is planned to strengthen knowledge control by sending more SPbPU teachers to China to conduct classes and assessments.

    As part of the development of our long-term partnership, we strive to optimize educational programs so that they meet modern standards and requirements. Particular attention is paid to strengthening the language base: we propose to gradually improve the level of proficiency in Russian by involving SPbPU experts in student assessment, – noted Vice-Rector of Jiangsu Normal University Dong Xiaochen.

    The parties agreed to expand the areas and implement new educational models.

    We were the first to create such an institute. We are confident that we will remain leaders in international educational partnership. Our task is to maintain the quality of training, relying on the unique competencies of our universities, – emphasized the Vice-Rector for International Affairs of SPbPU Dmitry Arsenyev.

    The development of the Joint Engineering Institute opens up new opportunities for strategic partnership in the field of high technologies, combining advanced educational methods and research potential.

    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 Russia: Polytechnic University opens preparatory faculty in China

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University opened a new joint program at the SCO Institute of Trade and Economics in Qingdao (Shandong Province) to prepare Chinese applicants for admission to Russian universities. At the signing ceremony, our university was represented by the Director of the Center for Russian as a Foreign Language of the Higher School of International Educational Programs, Alexey Pavlov, and the SCO Institute was represented by its Director, Zheng Shi.

    We have been cooperating with the Higher School of International Educational Programs of SPbPU for two years now with the help of our regular partner Globus International Ltd. And now we are opening a center where schoolchildren will not only study, but will also have the opportunity to take the Russian language exam according to the TRKI system. This is very important for Chinese applicants and their parents, – said Mr. Zheng Shi.

    For his part, Alexey Pavlov noted: I have personally observed the huge interest of Chinese schoolchildren in studying at Russian universities. I am confident that our center will have a long and successful career. Qualified teachers from the Higher School of International Educational Programs of the Polytechnic University will participate in both the preparation of Chinese applicants and in the advanced training of Chinese teachers of Russian as a foreign language.

    Director of the Higher School of International Trade and Economics Viktor Krasnoshchyokov called the opening of the center a logical stage of fruitful cooperation with the SCO Trade and Economic Institute.

    Improving the quality of training for Chinese applicants is our top priority. The Higher School’s methodologists are constantly improving the methodology for teaching Russian outside the language environment, he emphasized.

    The strongest school of engineering education of the Polytechnic University enjoys well-deserved authority in China. We strive to fulfill the high standards set by the state for the number of foreign students, while not reducing, but constantly improving the quality of their training. This is impossible without the introduction of innovative forms and technologies of training, one of which is the creation of remote preparatory departments, – summed up the Vice-Rector for International Affairs of SPbPU Dmitry Arsenyev.

    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 Russia: “We are facing changes in sanctions and counter-sanctions procedures”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    Higher School of Economics launches new DPO program “The State and Business in the Age of Sanctions: Strategies for Successful Development”, where training is provided by leading experts in the field of analysis of sanctions risks and trends from relevant government agencies, businesses, and academies. Its students will be able to study in detail the risks for Russian companies and their foreign partners, including those related to export restrictions.

    The additional professional education program “State and Business in the Age of Sanctions: Strategies for Successful Development” was presented during the scientific and practical seminar “State and Business in the Age of Sanctions: Trends and Risks of 2025”, organized within the framework of the HSE Academic Personnel Reserve project “New World Order”.

    Seminar moderator, leading research fellow at the Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies (CCEIS) at the National Research University Higher School of Economics Leo Sokolshchik said that it is intended for those who work with foreign counterparties and are interested in forming customized strategies for successful development. The program will study key sanctions trends and risks of 2025, their impact on business, the economy and political strategy of states.

    Leo Sokolshchik

    The training program includes a survival guide for Russian businesses, information on legal ways to work with foreign partners and the formation of sustainable international business partnerships in the context of sanctions risks. The sanctions policies of the US, EU and China, as well as Russia’s response measures, will be examined in detail.

    At the same time, the program is practice-oriented: the training structure involves immersion in real cases and situations that one may encounter in professional activities. Studying on the course will not only increase the level of professional competencies, but will also allow you to expand your network of professional contacts.

    The teachers of the continuing education program include leading experts and practitioners in the field of international restrictions and export control: Ivan Timofeev, Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council; Dmitry Kiku, Deputy Director of the Department for Control over External Restrictions of the Ministry of Finance of Russia; Maria Roskoshnaya, Head of Export Control and Support of Foreign Economic Activity at Yandex; Vladimir Morozov, Leading Advisor of the Department of International and Regional Cooperation of the Accounts Chamber; Vasily Kashin, Director of the Center for Cemistry and International Studies, an expert on China and its relations with foreign partners; Yegor Prokhin, a visiting lecturer at HSE and a practitioner who has worked in international business with China and the countries of Southeast Asia for over 10 years; Inna Yanikeyeva, a lecturer at the National Research University Higher School of Economics and a specialist in cyber sanctions.

    At the seminar, the program’s teachers held their master classes. RIAC Director General Ivan Timofeev presented a master class on the topic “Trends in Anti-Russian Sanctions in 2025: the Split of the West and New Risks.” He noted that it should be remembered that sanctions are a foreign policy instrument that is implemented non-linearly; escalation and normalization do not mean their immediate strengthening and weakening. Now, for the first time in three years, a window of opportunity has opened, allowing us to talk about a probable easing of sanctions, but risks remain. In his opinion, one should be cautious about forecasts about a possible agreement, since the negotiations are taking place behind closed doors. If they fail, escalation is possible.

    Ivan Timofeev noted: currently, most of the bills on sanctions in the US Congress are aimed against China and Iran, but if any of the initiatives against Russia is adopted, this will strengthen the regime of anti-Russian sanctions. Escalation is also possible along the EU line, but most likely, it will be accompanied by seizures and quotas on some types of products.

    At the same time, voluntary control or self-regulation in advanced industries is increasing. Thus, in recent years, there has been a noticeable rapprochement between representatives of the regulator and business. The Alliance of AI Companies, together with the FSTEC of Russia, created and signed the Declaration on the Responsible Export of Artificial Intelligence Technologies and Software Based on Them. The Declaration establishes ethical principles and standards of conduct that developers should follow when exporting their own civil AI solutions. The standards include general principles and rules and specific recommendations on interactions with foreign counterparties and authorized government agencies.

    Maria Roskoshnaya drew attention to changes in the work of specialists. Previously, it was enough for them to know their niche and work algorithm, but now, due to the frequent emergence of new challenges, they have to regularly monitor changes in the export control of key partners. For example, when implementing a deal with China or the UAE, it is mandatory for experts to analyze the export control legislation of these countries. In addition, it is important to monitor innovations in counter-sanction regulation, including bans on the purchase of certain products, as well as on making payments in certain countries.

    “We are facing changes in sanctions and counter-sanction procedures. It is important to expand the range of knowledge, not limited to technical details and knowledge of the final recipients and final destination of the goods. For businesses, this means finding optimal logistics routes, opportunities for making payments without restrictions, combining the interests of logisticians, lawyers and financiers,” the expert said.

    She noted that difficulties may arise when continuing to interact with companies that left Russia after 2022. These aspects are currently monitored by counter-sanction compliance services, when it is necessary to justify and argue for continued cooperation with companies from unfriendly jurisdictions.

    At the master class “EU Sanctions in 2025: Strategies for Russia”, Vladimir Morozov explained that the possibility of using sanctions as a tool for achieving foreign policy goals is embedded in the legal foundations of the EU. They can be used for a wide range of reasons – from accusations of violating international law to the goals of protecting human rights. He called an important feature of EU sanctions their adoption at the supranational level with national supervision of their implementation, which gives rise to contradictions and certain difficulties in their implementation. The diversity of regimes, as well as national legislation and law enforcement practices, makes it difficult to navigate EU sanctions.

    Europe often seeks to counteract secondary sanctions from other countries, including the United States, by allowing restrictions against third countries, individuals and companies to be ignored. However, European companies often seek to take into account sanctions risks and implement “overcompliance” in this area, not wanting to lose the American market and the ability to make payments in dollars.

    Photo: iStock

    Since 2022, the European Commission has been playing an increasingly important role in introducing restrictions, and national institutions are experiencing increasing pressure from supranational institutions, including in tightening penalties for violating sanctions. If administrative liability was previously possible, now it is regarded as a criminal offense. The expert drew attention to the difference in approaches to punishments and investigations. The largest number of them is noted in Poland. The largest number of prison sentences is in the Netherlands, but for a short or suspended term. In Germany, the number of sentences is small, but the terms reach 7 years, and in Finland there are many successful investigations, but the punishments are mainly limited to a fine of 11,000 to 15,000 euros.

    The current stage of the EU sanctions policy development is characterized by gradual de-targeting of sanctions, i.e. the desire to inflict maximum damage, as well as active coordination of its own measures with partners, primarily with the United States. If in 2014-16 the EU measures lagged behind the American ones, then since 2022 they have been mostly synchronized. Another trend in European policy has been the active use of the secondary sanctions mechanism. In particular, in 2024 an amendment was adopted, according to which restrictions are imposed against companies and individuals from third countries who worked with Russian sanctioned persons and companies.

    Vladimir Morozov named the EU’s readiness to maintain the priority of political goals over economic feasibility as key factors and risks of the continuation, strengthening and, on the contrary, easing of sanctions, given that Europe has suffered greater losses than the US during the sanctions war with Russia.

    Egor Prokhin, in his master class “Formation of Sustainable Business Partnerships in the Context of Sanction Risks,” noted that over the past decades, sanctions have achieved their goals in about one third of cases. According to him, the greatest success was achieved against small states with insufficiently diversified and import-dependent economies.

    Sanctions, along with challenges, also open up new opportunities, noted Yegor Prokhin. The loss of sales markets in Europe and other Western countries has become an incentive to reorient towards developing markets in Asia.

    In conclusion, he emphasized that in order to establish successful cooperation with foreign companies on the Russian market, it is necessary to adapt business strategies taking into account the current sanctions restrictions. In his opinion, such an approach should be comprehensive and include: analysis of companies, their beneficiaries and legal relations for sanctions risks; assessment of industry and territorial sanctions applicable to the planned cooperation; development of solutions and tools for optimizing commercial interactions under restrictions.

    Additionally, he recommended creating “road maps” for partners to manage sanctions risks and developing alternative action scenarios aimed at minimizing the potential negative impact on business partnerships.

    If the parties manage to reach a truce, American businesses will influence the administration to soften the sanctions, without officially lifting them, but introducing certain exceptions for transportation restrictions and bans on bank transactions.

    “For a number of industries, the easing of sanctions will have a positive effect on their development, while for others, on the contrary, it will have a negative effect,” Ivan Timofeev noted. He is confident that if the negotiations are successful, the process of easing sanctions will be long and may take more than a decade. Lev Sokolshchik emphasized that the lifting of sanctions may turn into a risk for certain sectors of the domestic economy.

    Maria Roskoshnaya held a master class “Export control: instructions for use. How not to break the rules and not lose markets.” She noted that export control is now considered more broadly than in the traditional sense – in particular, advanced industrial developments and even luxury goods are now subject to special supervision. The range of transactions subject to regulation is also growing – in addition to the usual tangible exports, experts often deal with supervision of the export of technology and software. The share of intangible exports is also growing, especially in high-tech industries, and the forms of transactions are also unusual. For example, it is often necessary to identify open source software or software, access to which is provided under the SaaS model. The state can regulate and restrict, and sometimes prohibit the export and international exchange of know-how, industrial products or raw materials, the lack of which can negatively affect the domestic market.

    Russia continues to participate in the development and modification of framework legislation at the international level, since it is a member state of all regimes except the Australian Group (our country has observer status there). It should be understood that each member state of the international export control regime forms a national control system, harmonizing it with the international base. Now we can observe a tendency to strengthen non-proliferation control precisely in the area of finalizing national legislative measures and initiatives.

    At the same time, voluntary control or self-regulation in advanced industries is increasing. Thus, in recent years, there has been a noticeable rapprochement between representatives of the regulator and business. The Alliance of AI Companies, together with the FSTEC of Russia, created and signed the Declaration on the Responsible Export of Artificial Intelligence Technologies and Software Based on Them. The Declaration establishes ethical principles and standards of conduct that developers should follow when exporting their own civil AI solutions. The standards include general principles and rules and specific recommendations on interactions with foreign counterparties and authorized government agencies.

    Photo: iStock

    Maria Roskoshnaya drew attention to changes in the work of specialists. Previously, it was enough for them to know their niche and work algorithm, but now, due to the frequent emergence of new challenges, they have to regularly monitor changes in the export control of key partners. For example, when implementing a deal with China or the UAE, it is mandatory for experts to analyze the export control legislation of these countries. In addition, it is important to monitor innovations in counter-sanction regulation, including bans on the purchase of certain products, as well as on making payments in certain countries.

    “We are facing changes in sanctions and counter-sanction procedures. It is important to expand the range of knowledge, not limited to technical details and knowledge of the final recipients and final destination of the goods. For businesses, this means finding optimal logistics routes, opportunities for making payments without restrictions, combining the interests of logisticians, lawyers and financiers,” the expert said.

    She noted that difficulties may arise when continuing to interact with companies that left Russia after 2022. These aspects are currently monitored by counter-sanction compliance services, when it is necessary to justify and argue for continued cooperation with companies from unfriendly jurisdictions.

    At the master class “EU Sanctions in 2025: Strategies for Russia”, Vladimir Morozov explained that the possibility of using sanctions as a tool for achieving foreign policy goals is embedded in the legal foundations of the EU. They can be used for a wide range of reasons – from accusations of violating international law to the goals of protecting human rights. He called an important feature of EU sanctions their adoption at the supranational level with national supervision of their implementation, which gives rise to contradictions and certain difficulties in their implementation. The diversity of regimes, as well as national legislation and law enforcement practices, makes it difficult to navigate EU sanctions.

    Europe often seeks to counteract secondary sanctions from other countries, including the United States, by allowing restrictions against third countries, individuals, and firms to be ignored. However, European companies often seek to take into account sanctions risks and implement “overcompliance” in this area, not wanting to lose the American market and the ability to make payments in dollars.

    Since 2022, the European Commission has been playing an increasingly important role in introducing restrictions, and national institutions are experiencing increasing pressure from supranational institutions, including in tightening penalties for violating sanctions. If administrative liability was previously possible, now it is regarded as a criminal offense. The expert drew attention to the difference in approaches to punishments and investigations. The largest number of them is noted in Poland. The largest number of prison sentences is in the Netherlands, but for a short or suspended term. In Germany, the number of sentences is small, but the terms reach 7 years, and in Finland there are many successful investigations, but the punishments are mainly limited to a fine of 11,000 to 15,000 euros.

    Photo: iStock

    The current stage of the EU sanctions policy development is characterized by gradual de-targeting of sanctions, i.e. the desire to inflict maximum damage, as well as active coordination of its own measures with partners, primarily with the United States. If in 2014-16 the EU measures lagged behind the American ones, then since 2022 they have been mostly synchronized. Another trend in European policy has been the active use of the secondary sanctions mechanism. In particular, in 2024 an amendment was adopted, according to which restrictions are imposed against companies and individuals from third countries who worked with Russian sanctioned persons and companies.

    Vladimir Morozov named the EU’s readiness to maintain the priority of political goals over economic feasibility as key factors and risks of the continuation, strengthening and, on the contrary, easing of sanctions, given that Europe has suffered greater losses than the US during the sanctions war with Russia.

    Egor Prokhin, in his master class “Formation of Sustainable Business Partnerships in the Context of Sanction Risks,” noted that over the past decades, sanctions have achieved their goals in about one-third of cases. According to him, the greatest success was achieved against small states with insufficiently diversified and import-dependent economies.

    Sanctions, along with challenges, also open up new opportunities, noted Yegor Prokhin. The loss of sales markets in Europe and other Western countries has become an incentive to reorient towards developing markets in Asia.

    In conclusion, he emphasized that in order to establish successful cooperation with foreign companies on the Russian market, it is necessary to adapt business strategies taking into account the current sanctions restrictions. In his opinion, such an approach should be comprehensive and include: analysis of companies, their beneficiaries and legal relations for sanctions risks; assessment of industry and territorial sanctions applicable to the planned cooperation; development of solutions and tools for optimizing commercial interaction in the context of restrictions.

    Additionally, he recommended creating “road maps” for partners to manage sanctions risks and developing alternative action scenarios aimed at minimizing the potential negative impact on business partnerships.

    All opinions presented in the material are exclusively the personal position of the seminar participants and the author.

    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 Russia: Polytechnic joined the memorial event at Piskarevsky Memorial

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    On May 6, students, teachers and staff of the Polytechnic University took part in a memorial event at the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery. They laid flowers at the Motherland monument and the mass grave of the Polytechnic students.

    The participants of the action gathered at the Monument to the Fallen Polytechnicians, where they were addressed by the Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Communication Technologies of SPbPU, Maxim Pasholikov.

    Today we remember the heroism of Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War. I hope that this event will become traditional for us. Some of you have already visited Piskarevskoye Cemetery, the largest memorial burial ground in the world, where more than half a million people are buried. Of these, only ten percent are military personnel, the rest are residents of the besieged city. An open book is engraved on one of the gravestones. Among those buried there are our polytechnicians, who were engaged in science, studied and were the heart of the Polytechnic Institute during the war. Every year on May 9, my family and I lay flowers at Piskarevskoye Cemetery. On this day, many Leningraders and St. Petersburgers come here to honor the memory of the fallen. Sometimes there are so many flowers that you can’t even see the memorial and the slabs. I would like you to have such a tradition, – shared Maxim Pasholikov.

    The participants of the event were presented with St. George ribbons and flowers. After that, the polytechnicians walked several kilometers to the Piskarevsky Memorial.

    Piskarevskoye Cemetery became the main burial place for the victims of the Leningrad siege. During the Great Patriotic War, trenches were dug on the cemetery’s territory for unmarked mass graves, where more than 470 thousand people were buried. The memorial began to be developed in 1955: the mounds of mass graves were raised, flowers and trees were planted. Later, a six-meter bronze statue of a woman holding an oak wreath was installed, which became a symbol of maternal grief and the memory of the dead. Her gaze is directed towards the mass graves.

    Students, teachers and staff laid flowers and a wreath with the inscription “From the Polytechnicians” at the Motherland monument.

    After that we went to grave #176, where the students and employees of our university, victims of the siege, found their final resting place. They were buried under a stone with an image of an open book, on which the date “1942” was carved.

    During the hardest, frostiest and hungriest winter of 1941-1942, students belonged to the category of the population supplied with food at a minimum, that is, they received those same 125 grams of bread during the blockade. And the mortality rate among them was very high. Several hundred of our students are buried in grave No. 176. This is a memorial place for all polytechnicians, – said Ivan Kolomeitsev.

    The participants of the procession laid flowers on the gravestone and honored the memory of the victims.

    The first person to visit the Piskarevskoye Cemetery was a third-year student at the Institute of Metallurgical and Technical Sciences, Andrei Ushakov.

    I moved to St. Petersburg from the Moscow region. For two and a half years, I have not been able to visit the memorial. But I am glad that such an event, organized by our university, helps to fill this gap. The residents of Leningrad accomplished a real feat, having endured the siege for 900 days. It is very important to remember this, because the tragic events had a huge impact on world history and the history of our country, – Andrey Ushakov noted.

    Third-year student of the Institute of Mathematics, Economics and Telecommunications Anastasia Nikitina is a third-generation St. Petersburg resident. Their family also has a tradition of laying flowers at the Broken Ring memorial on May 9.

    The memory of the heroism of the city where I was born and live is very dear to me. I think it is important that today we have gathered together to lay flowers at the Piskarevskoye Memorial. I admire that the Polytechnic pays great attention to preserving the memory of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. For example, my mother and I watch the student video blog “Memory of Glory is Alive” with great interest. The stories on the information pedestals located on the territory of the university are also informative, – said Anastasia Nikitina.

    Deputy Director of the Institute of Mechanics and Technology Maxim Ivanov annually takes part in the “Immortal Regiment” campaign with his family and tries to visit the Piskarevskoye Cemetery.

    My parents have been telling me about the contribution of Polytechnicians to the Victory since childhood. After all, they met at the Polytechnic and studied together at the mechanical engineering department. It is important that our university has another campaign dedicated to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. It is nice to see that many students are participating in it. After all, we are passing on the memory of our ancestors, which should live forever, – shared Maxim Ivanov.

    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 Russia: Elena Ezhelina: “I am delighted with the Polytechnic University!”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

    Top manager of Gorelectrotrans Elena Ezhelina studies in the direction of “System and digital engineering in high-tech industries” at the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering”. Elena came to the master’s program for knowledge that will help her develop a systemic model of enterprise management in order to optimize its work and make it more resilient to large-scale changes. About her work, studies at the Polytechnic University and new opportunities Elena told us about it in our traditional column “Persona”.

    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 Russia: SPbGASU student Zlata Zolotykh took part in the all-Russian event “Victory Waltz”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering –

    SPbGASU student Zlata Zolotykh took part in the All-Russian event “Victory Waltz”. The event is held with the support of the Association of Student Patriotic Clubs “I am proud”. Paying tribute to the memory and respect of the heroes, students of St. Petersburg universities performed a waltz in military uniforms and dresses of that time. The event took place in several locations in St. Petersburg. Our participant joined it on April 29 in the Picture Hall of the Vitebsk Railway Station, where the event was held with the support of Russian Railways.

    “Victory Day is a very important date for me. Even at school, I actively participated in events dedicated to this memorable day, especially in dance performances. Two of my great-grandfathers were participants in the war. Stepan Dmitrievich Ivanov, a sergeant, was a driver of a motorized brigade of the Leningrad Front. Vasily Sergeevich Pivovarov, a home front worker. The memory of them is carefully preserved in our family and passed down from generation to generation,” Zlata said.

    Having learned that our university could participate in this event, Zlata agreed without hesitation. It was a great honor for a student to honor the memory of those who fought for their homeland in the Great Patriotic War through dance.

    The preparation took place at the Saint Petersburg University of Management Technologies and Economics for two weeks. Zlata’s partner was SPbUTUE student Georgy Moguchenok. During the preparation and at the performance itself, the dance couple was noted as one of the best.

    “I am not currently involved in dancing, but I have eight years of dance experience behind me, and I am very glad that I was able to immerse myself in this atmosphere again, especially on the occasion of such a great day,” said Zlata.

    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 China: Xi’s upcoming visit to deepen China-Russia ties, bolster global peace

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    The Guard of Honor of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) participate in a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade, which marks the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, in Moscow, Russia, May 3, 2025. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

    At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Russia from Wednesday to Saturday and attend in Moscow the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War.

    More than 80 years ago, the peoples of China, the Soviet Union and other countries fought side by side and secured victory in the World Anti-Fascist War, opening a new chapter in human history.

    As the world is undergoing accelerating changes unseen in a century, the international community demands greater global efforts to face common challenges, and to build a community with a shared future.

    Xi’s upcoming visit is expected to inject new momentum into the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. Moreover, it will demonstrate the two major countries’ commitment to working with the rest of the world to safeguard the outcomes of the victory in World War II, uphold international fairness and justice, and maintain world peace and stability.

    LONG-LASTING FRIENDSHIP

    History and reality show that China and Russia are good neighbors that cannot be moved away, and true friends who share weal and woe, support each other and achieve common development, Xi said in his phone conversation with Putin in February.

    The coming visit marks Xi’s 11th trip to Russia since he became Chinese president. The two heads of state have met more than 40 times on different occasions over the years. Their close communication provides strategic guidance, under which China-Russia relations have matured into a resilient and stable partnership characterized by deepening political trust, closer strategic alignment and sustained practical cooperation.

    In 2024, bilateral trade rose to 244.8 billion U.S. dollars, making China the largest trading partner of Russia for 15 consecutive years. In December 2024, the China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline was fully completed. Cooperation in emerging sectors such as the digital economy, e-commerce, bio-medicine, scientific and technological innovation, as well as green energy continues to expand.

    The two countries’ long-lasting friendship has grown increasingly popular among the two peoples. The mutual visa exemption agreement for group tours has encouraged more robust two-way travel. Hundreds of cultural events have been held in succession with the framework of the China-Russia Year of Culture.

    Andrey Denisov, first deputy chair of Russia’s Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs and former Russian ambassador to China, said the strategic guidance of the two heads of state is a key factor in ensuring the steady and long-term development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.

    The two leaders are expected to hold extensive and in-depth discussions on both bilateral cooperation and multilateral issues, and the Russian side has high expectations for that, he added.

    INDELIBLE CONTRIBUTION

    Over 80 years ago, China and Russia, as the main battlefields in Asia and Europe during World War II, made tremendous sacrifices and indelible contribution to the final victory.

    In a signed article published by the Russian Gazette newspaper ahead of his visit to Russia in 2015, Xi quoted Russian historian Vasily Klyuchevsky as saying, “If we lost the memory of our past, our mind and soul would be lost in the darkness,” in a bid to express his remembrance of the history of the World Anti-Fascist War and earnest expectations for the two nations to join hands to maintain world peace and stability.

    The bitter lessons drawn from World War II have taught mankind that the strong preying on the weak, the law of the jungle, warlike or hegemonic policies, the winner-takes-all mindset and zero-sum game do not benefit coexistence, peace or development of mankind, Xi wrote in the article.

    Su-25 attack aircrafts fly over Red Square during the Victory Day military parade, which marks the 79th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War, in Moscow, Russia, on May 9, 2024. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)

    Noha Bakir, a professor of political science at American University in Cairo, said China and Russia, drawing lessons from history, shoulder the important responsibility of safeguarding international stability and cooperation amid today’s complex global landscape.

    By studying, restoring and spreading the true history, people can better understand World War II and the post-war international order, thus they will resist the attempts to distort historical facts, he added.

    Andrey Fesyun, deputy director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University, said that under the guidance of the two heads of state, China and Russia will further jointly advocate the correct historical view of World War II, and work together to maintain global strategic stability, so as to make the due contributions of responsible major countries to the advancement of international fairness and justice.

    SPEARHEADING PROGRESS

    Eighty years ago, representatives from multiple countries, including China and the Soviet Union, gathered in the U.S. city of San Francisco, and signed the Charter of the United Nations, laying the cornerstone of the post-war international order.

    The preamble to the charter solemnly states the commitment “to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security.”

    China and Russia have natural responsibilities to make joint efforts to steer and promote global governance in a direction that meets the expectations of the international community and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, said Xi when meeting with Putin in March 2023. And it was during Xi’s first visit to Russia in 2013 as Chinese president that he first proposed the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

    As permanent members of the UN Security Council and major countries in the world, China and Russia have been working closely on the world stage. Beijing and Moscow firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order underpinned by international law, as well as the fundamental norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. They are also advocates of true multilateralism.

    Media staff work at the press center of the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Oct. 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

    The two nations have also joined hands to promote political solutions to international and regional hot-spot issues. They have strengthened communication and coordination within multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), BRICS and the Group of 20, and are jointly committed to advancing a multipolar world and the democratization of international relations.

    Adhere Cavince, a Kenyan scholar on international relations, said that China and Russia collaborate through platforms like the SCO and BRICS, which has not only promoted a multipolar world, but also empowered the Global South with a greater voice in global governance and a bigger role in shaping the rules on major international issues.

    Ilgar Velizade, head of the South Caucasus Club of Political Scientists from Azerbaijan, said that the growing strength of multilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the SCO and BRICS represents a powerful embodiment of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

    If countries engage in an active, constructive and sustainable dialogue focused on common interests, the world will be safer, the global economy more sustainable and humanity’s future far more promising, he said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Tibetan cultural heritage exhibition returns to Beijing

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

    The second edition of a major Tibetan intangible cultural heritage exhibition opened on April 29 at Beijing’s Beihai Park, featuring over 500 handicrafts and cultural products from Rangtang county in Sichuan province.

    Organizers and guests pose for a group photo at the opening of a Tibetan intangible cultural heritage exhibition in Beihai Park, Beijing, April 29, 2025. [Photo courtesy of the Rangtang Intangible Cultural Heritage Center]

    The exhibition, jointly hosted by the county government and Beijing Tourism Group, runs through early June at the former imperial garden, which is marking its 100th anniversary of opening to the public.

    This year’s exhibition has more than doubled in size, featuring over 500 works in 22 categories compared with last year’s event, which showcased 200 exhibits across 11 categories and drew more than 120,000 visitors.

    The exhibition highlights masterpieces of traditional craftsmanship from Rangtang county in Sichuan’s Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture. Featured works include traditional painting, metalwork, ceramics, weaving and dyeing, embroidery, and wood and stone carving.

    A standout feature of the exhibition is the innovative “Thangka + Porcelain Painting” series, where over a dozen artists skilled in traditional Tibetan Buddhist scroll painting spent three years in Jingdezhen, a world-famous porcelain city in Jiangxi province. There, they merged Thangka art with ceramic techniques to create the “Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Guanyin” porcelain panel collection.

    Visitors can also watch master artisans demonstrate traditional painting and weaving techniques through live workshops. A new section showcasing contemporary adaptations of Buddhist motifs into fashion accessories aims to attract younger audiences.

    The exhibition is organized by the Rangtang Intangible Cultural Heritage Center, founded by Jamyang Lodro Rinpoche, a national-level inheritor of a Tibetan Buddhist music genre. Starting with a single facility offering free painting classes to disadvantaged children in 2010, the initiative has grown to 47 training centers teaching traditional skills ranging from medicine to ceramics, with additional branches in major cities including Shanghai.

    Jamyang Lodro, founder of the Rangtang Intangible Cultural Heritage Center, speaks to China.org.cn while introducing artworks on display at a Tibetan intangible cultural heritage exhibition in Beihai Park, Beijing, April 30, 2025. [Photo/China.org.cn]

    The remote Rangtang county, once among China’s poorest regions, has turned to its cultural heritage to drive economic development after years of isolation and industrial underdevelopment. The initiative has revived community pride, trained over 1,000 young people, and advanced poverty relief and rural revitalization while promoting heritage preservation and cultural tourism.

    The centers have trained 174 representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage over the past decade. To provide career opportunities for these artisans, the county has also launched an innovation park that develops heritage-based products ranging from paintings to herbal care items.

    The county now sells Thangka paintings, ceramic art, Tibetan medicinal baths and herbal care items nationally and internationally, generating annual sales exceeding 10 million yuan ($1.4 million). The initiative has boosted incomes for more than 3,000 local farmers and herders.

    The heritage centers have held exhibitions in cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Hangzhou, featuring more than 100 works that blend traditional craftsmanship with modern design. In 2023, the government designated Rangtang as a national pilot zone for cultural industry-driven rural revitalization.

    Jamyang Lodro told China.org.cn that while most students at the centers come from farming and herding families, many have become accomplished artists through specialized training programs lasting up to eight years. The center offers full scholarships and living stipends to ensure students from poor backgrounds can complete their training.

    Rangtang’s centers have partnered with top institutions, including Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, the Central Conservatory of Music and various museums. These partnerships have broadened students’ skills while connecting Qinghai–Xizang Plateau traditions with the wider world. The trainees now serve as bridges between traditional culture and modern industries, helping integrate ancient arts into the contemporary creative economy.

    Artworks on display at a Tibetan intangible cultural heritage exhibition in Beihai Park, Beijing, April 30, 2025. [Photo/China.org.cn]

    Jamyang Lodro says each piece represents a personal journey: young people who overcame difficult backgrounds to transform their lives through art and tradition.

    “It’s about loving and understanding life itself,” he said, emphasizing his vision of not only nurturing their skills but also their inner being. “They came to know themselves better through these traditional arts and discovered their true selves.”

    He emphasized that Chinese arts must maintain their authenticity when shared internationally. “Through all our works, we clearly show them who we are. We turn inward, not outward. If your artworks merely mimic Western art, international audiences won’t respect you. We have our own philosophy, inner meaning and artistic traditions. We have our own charm. That’s what they respect. From there, we can have cultural dialogue.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: University Research – Vape shops cluster around schools – UoA

    Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

    Almost half of New Zealand schools are within a short walking distance of a specialist vape retailer, despite a law aimed at preventing vape stores near schools.

    Embargoed to NZT 1201AM Wednesday 7 May: Almost half of schools across Aotearoa New Zealand have a specialist vape store within a 10-minute walk, despite recent legislation aimed at preventing this.

    New research, which overlays vape stores on school locations, shows 44 percent of schools have a vape store within a one-kilometre radius and 13 percent have a dedicated store within 300 metres.

    “That means a lot of our young people are getting multiple exposures on a daily basis to vape stores and vape marketing, to the attractive window displays and to the omnipresence of vaping, as a constantly available and easy thing to engage with,” says Ronan Payinda, a fourth-year medical student at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, who led the study.

    Payinda says he saw the explosion of vaping while he was at school in Northland and felt that, as a society, Aotearoa New Zealand was failing to grapple with its potentially serious health effects.

    Since 2020, it has been illegal to sell vapes to people under 18.

    However, in 2021, more than a quarter (26 percent) of secondary school students reported having vaped in the previous week.

    In 2023, the government passed legislation banning specialist vape stores from opening within 300 metres of schools and marae: however, existing vape shops were allowed to continue operating.

    The law was a response to reports of teens, parents, schools and teachers struggling with the epidemic of vaping.

    Payinda says this study, published today [NZT 7 May] in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health shows that stronger regulations are needed. Read the study. [Goes live 7 May, PDF available]

    “We are not putting the right protections in place to ensure that a whole new generation of young people aren’t chained to addictions for the rest of their lives,” Payinda says.

    The study looked only at specialist vape stores, whereas corner stores, petrol stations and other outlets, which sell a more limited range of vapes, are more popular with young people who reported no great difficulty making the illegal purchases.

    Further, the researchers found inequity in the location of vape stores.

    “We stratified these results by the level of deprivation of each community and found that there was a strong association between the level of poverty a community was suffering and the proximity of the vape stores to their schools.

    Among the most affluent fifth of schools, seven percent had a specialist vape store within a 300-metre radius. Among the poorest quintile, 40 percent of schools had a specialist vape store within 300 metres.

    Research in the US has found exposure to e-cigarette marketing via retail stores increases the likelihood of vape use among middle and high-school students.

    The long-term health effects of youth vaping are not yet known, but strong associations are emerging, Payinda says.

    The American Heart Association (AHA) says, in a statement, vapes can impair sleep quality, may affect mental health and may lead to nicotine dependence.

    Available studies suggest adolescents who vape may have lower lung function and be susceptible to respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic bronchitis and pneumonia.

    Smoking cigarettes can lead to heart disease. So, while comparable long-term data for vaping are lacking, the AHA report raises concerns about the possibility of heart disease in later years.

    The number of stores selling vapes within one kilometre of schools shows there is a need for more rigorous vaping policy, Payinda says.

    “We need to implement regulations to prevent young people from not just being exposed to vaping products but also accessing them and becoming addicted to them in the long term,” Payinda says. “We need to get more serious about protecting our young people.”

    About the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
    “Vape shops on the way to school: geographical analysis of the proximity of Specialist Vape Retailers to New Zealand schools” will be published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health at 12:01am 7 May 2025.
    Please credit the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health as the source of the research. 
    The Journal is the official publication of the Public Health Association of Australia.
    All articles are open access and can be found here: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/australian-and-new-zealand-journal-of-public-health

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Heritage – Welcome to the first Ōtautahi Festival of Archaeology

    Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and the Christchurch Archaeology Project are joined by the heritage organisations, archaeology companies and museums of Ōtautahi to offer a fantastic range of archaeology themed activities at Te Whare Waiutuutu Kate Sheppard House in honour of New Zealand Archaeology Week.

    Try your hand at excavation, take part in archaeology themed activities and talk to archaeologists about their artefacts and work. Discover what it takes to be an archaeologist in this hands-on free family event.

    The festival is free and open to families and archaeology fans of all ages. Dr Katharine Watson of the Christchurch Archaeology Project says, “This is a chance to bring along any questions for archaeologists about what they do, the things they find, as well as any questions about archaeology as a career.”

    Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga has art activities inspired by experimental archaeology. Make sure to wear old clothes as you might get dirty while practising your excavation skills. Canterbury Museum’s stall will be displaying hands-on collection items and testing your knowledge of middens. Pūtaringamotu Riccarton House & Bush have artefacts discovered onsite, and will be holding story time sessions, complete with magnifying glasses and explorer hats. Test your knowledge of key Māori sites in Ōtautahi via an activity linked to Ngāi Tahu Archive’s Kā Huru Manu online atlas. And bring your library card so you can check out archaeology and history books at Christchurch City Library’s stall.

    There will be professional archaeologists onsite from Christchurch Archaeology Project, Underground Overground and the Department of Conservation. They will be displaying artefacts discovered on recent excavation sites in central Christchurch. Touch and hold these taonga and find out more about what has been discovered under our city. You’ll also have the chance to try on real archaeologist’s gear and equipment.

    Event organiser, Rosemary Baird, Senior Outreach Advisor for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, is excited about this new archaeology festival.

    “All our partners have been so creative in coming up with fun ideas for the day. We also have a Junior Archaeologist activity booklet that kids can get stamped at each activity. Once you have four stamps you can create your own Ōtautahi Festival of Archaeology badge with Canterbury Museum’s badge making machine. Event sponsors Charlies are providing free juice pouches for all visitors.”

    Te Whare Waiutuutu Kate Sheppard House suffrage museum will be open to paying visitors between 11am-3pm. The National Portrait Gallery’s exhibtion Background Matters: Portraiture and Place in Aotearoa, is also showing onsite. Entry to the art exhibition is free.

    Event information:

    Date: 11am-3pm, Saturday 10 May.

    Venue: Te Whare Waiutuutu Kate Sheppard House, 83 Clyde Road.

    Cancellation policy: The event is under tent cover and will go ahead unless the weather is very bad. Check the Facebook event or Eventbrite listing for cancellation.

    Cost: Free, koha appreciated.

    Parking: There is no parking onsite. Free parking is available in the University of Canterbury’s Arts Road carpark, which is a 5-minute walk from the property. Otherwise, take the 120 bus, which stops outside on Clyde Road.

    ABOUT HERITAGE NEW ZEALAND POUHERE TAONGA

    Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga is the leading national historic heritage agency for Aotearoa New Zealand, operating as an autonomous Crown Entity. Our mission is to identify, protect, and promote heritage – Kia mōhiotia atu, kia tiakina, kia hāpaingia ā tātau taonga tuku iho.

    We actively engage with communities, foster partnerships, and provide valuable resources to support those who are passionate about exploring, learning, and connecting with our rich cultural heritage. For more information, please visit our website at www.heritage.org.nz

    ABOUT NEW ZEALAND ARCHAEOLOGY WEEK 2025

    This will be the ninth New Zealand Archaeology Week. The New Zealand Archaeological Association is working to increase public awareness and highlight the importance of protecting our archaeological heritage by promoting the work of New Zealand archaeologists both at home and abroad.

    New Zealand Archaeology Week 2025 will comprise of a variety of events around Aotearoa and content shared online. These events are being hosted by consultant archaeologists, museums, heritage organisations and iwi and will include public talks, historic walks, community events and displays across a number of regions.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Choosing singlehood? Here are 5 tips for thriving while being single

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Yuthika Girme, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University

    Many people spend their 20s and 30s figuring out who they are and building a life as an independent adult. At the same time, society often tells them they should be looking for love, settling down and starting a family. These milestones are still widely seen as markers of adulthood and success.

    But what does this mean for the growing number of singles in their 20s and 30s?

    In Canada, singlehood among young adults has been steadily increasing. Despite these changing trends, cultural narratives continue to centre romantic relationships as the ideal. Being single is still often seen as a temporary stage, rather than a legitimate or fulfilling way of life.

    As an associate professor, I lead the Singlehood Experiences and Complexities Underlying Relationships lab at Simon Fraser University. My research focuses on understanding when single and coupled people can thrive and be happy.

    Here is what I’ve learned over the years about the experiences of single adults in their 20s and 30s.

    Ready to make a change? The Quarter Life Glow-up is a new, six-week newsletter course from The Conversation’s UK and Canada editions. Every week, we’ll bring you research-backed advice and tools to help improve your relationships, your career, your free time and your mental health – no supplements or skincare required. Sign up here to start your glow-up at any time.

    Singlehood is increasingly common

    In Canada, 59.8 per cent of 25- to 29-year-olds and 37.6 per cent of 30 to 34-year-olds report not being in a married or common-law relationship.

    The proportion of 20- to 34-year-olds who are not in such relationships increased to 60.3 per cent in 2021 from 50.5 per cent in 1996.

    Even among those who eventually want a committed relationship, many are delaying these decisions. The average age of marriage in Canada has increased by almost eight years since the 1970s, to 31.2 years old in 2020 from 23.3 years old in 1971.

    These trends may reflect a variety of factors: a greater focus on career development, wanting to prioritize travel, having difficulties with dating or simply a preference for singlehood during early adulthood.

    They may also reflect an increasing number of people who identify as “single at heart” and consciously choose to remain single because they value their freedom and solitude.

    The pressure to partner persists

    Despite the growing number of people in their 20s and 30s who are single, whether by choice or circumstance, the societal pressure to partner up and settle down persists. This is largely because our society focuses heavily on coupling, marriage and having children.

    Certainly, wanting romantic partnership and a family are common and valid life choices. But placing romantic relationships on a pedestal can come at the expense of singlehood.

    Single people are often viewed as incomplete simply because they do not have a partner. A research study I conducted with colleagues shows that single people often feel excluded, left out and pitied for being single, which can undermine their well-being. They may also face negative stereotypes, such as being seen as selfish, heartless, loners or antisocial.



    Read more:
    Would you be happy as a long-term single? The answer may depend on your attachment style

    These cultural narratives don’t just come from society — single people can internalize them, too, which can have negative consequences.

    In another research study, we examined what we call “relationship pedestal beliefs” — the extent to which people believe they need to be in a romantic relationship to be truly happy. We found that singles who endorse these beliefs are more likely to fear being single, and in turn, report lower life satisfaction.

    How to be a thriving single?

    How can singles lead happy, secure and satisfying lives, despite facing societal messages about the importance of romantic relationships?

    To explore this question, my colleagues and I reviewed the existing literature on singlehood to better understand when singles are coping versus thriving. We found that, while some single people struggle with solo living and the desire to partner, many are happy and thriving.

    Here are some factors associated with happy singlehood:

    1. Feeling secure with yourself. Single people who are secure and feel comfortable trusting and depending on close relationships are some of the happiest singles. They report the highest levels of life satisfaction and emotion regulation skills. Secure singles are open to the idea of romantic partnership, but are also happy and comfortable being single.

    2. Having supportive friendships. Single people tend to invest in their friendships more than partnered people. Single people who invest in their friendships feel like they belong, report higher self-esteem and are happier with their single status.

    Single people tend to invest in their friendships more than partnered people.
    (Shutterstock)

    1. Being able to meet your needs for intimacy. Single people still have sexual and intimacy needs. Research show that when single adults are able to meet these needs, they are happier being single and desire romantic relationships less. At the same time, sexually satisfied singles are more likely to enter romantic relationships over time.

    2. Being older. As people approach their 40s, they are happier with being single. This is likely because singles in midlife learn to invest in their single lives and are less likely to feel the pressure to conform to societal expectations.

    3. Holding values that prioritize freedom, fun and creativity. Research shows single people who personally value freedom, fun and creativity report greater happiness.

    Being single in one’s 20s and 30s can be a prominent time for people to focus on their self-development, careers, aspirations and relationships with family, friends and community. These are important building blocks to a happy live — regardless of whether people lead their lives single or choose to partner.

    Yuthika Girme receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

    – ref. Choosing singlehood? Here are 5 tips for thriving while being single – https://theconversation.com/choosing-singlehood-here-are-5-tips-for-thriving-while-being-single-254669

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Friedrich Merz confirmed as Germany’s chancellor – but betrayal by MPs in a secret ballot means he starts from a position of weakness

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ed Turner, Reader in Politics, Co-Director, Aston Centre for Europe, Aston University

    Friedrich Merz has been confirmed as Germany’s new chancellor after a close shave left his future in doubt.

    Merz lost a first round of voting among MPs gathered to confirm his role, and may never know who among his own coalition betrayed him. After the shock of the morning vote, a second vote was called and whoever was blocking his path appears to have stood down.

    Merz’s CDU/CSU had struck a coalition deal with the social democratic SPD. Ministers were nominated and ready to take office and Merz’ election as chancellor was scheduled for the morning of May 6. But for much of the morning, this looked uncertain.

    Candidates for chancellor regularly fall short of the number of votes they’d expect to receive (from MPs in their own party and from their coalition partner), and there have been some close-run races, such as Helmut Kohl in 1994, who made it through by just one vote. But this was the first time a candidate has lost the vote.

    Merz fell dramatically short in the first round, receiving only 310 votes. That’s six below the overall majority he needed, and 18 below the number of MPs in his own CDU/CSU/SPD coalition. Germany’s constitution requires this ballot to be secret so we don’t know and may never find out who voted against Merz.

    In the second round of votes, hastily organised after Merz’s failure in the first, 325 votes, more than 316 required. There were 289 votes against, one abstention and three invalid votes.

    Merz will now hope the first vote can be dismissed as “false start” and that life will quickly move on.

    Why did this happen?

    There are four groups of MPs who might have, in secret, voted against Merz in the first round. It’s possible that all four were represented in the group – and we will never know for sure.

    The first is those CDU/CSU parliamentarians who were unhappy with Merz. In particular, just days after his election when he argued for balanced budgets, he pushed through a reform of Germany’s constitutional restrictions on government debt to allow extra defence and infrastructure spending. This irked fiscal hawks, some of whom may have decided to send him a message during the vote.

    The second is those CDU/CSU MPs who had hoped for ministerial office and missed out. The was inevitable, especially since Merz secured fewer cabinet positions than had been expected for his own party. The third group would be made up for SPD MPs who missed out on a ministerial post or were unhappy at choices of ministers.

    Fourth, suspicion will fall on some of the leftwing MPs who have policy disagreements with Merz. His decision to vote with the far-right AfD on immigration policy before the election caused great anger. There are internal SPD critics who feel the coalition agreement makes too many concessions to Merz, particularly on immigration.

    One message about the new government is clear: it had hoped to be more united than its predecessor, the three-party coalition which was frequently consumed by public quarrelling and in the end collapsed over budget policy. Those ambitions have fallen at the first hurdle.

    We should not overstate the risks to government stability. Most votes happen in public, not secret, so MPs are much more likely to tow the government line from here on. And chancellors have often governed with smaller majorities for an extended period.

    However, this debacle is a bad omen. If Merz turns things around quickly, this episode can be forgotten. But if he doesn’t this early blow to his authority will embolden the AfD, which will point to the apparent dysfunction of mainstream parties and capitalise on public dissatisfaction. Nor will this blow to Merz’s authority help him realise his ambition to show leadership in Europe.

    Merz’s poll standing was already weak, and these events risk causing further damage. His first days in the job will now be even more difficult than he expected.

    Ed Turner receives funding from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

    – ref. Friedrich Merz confirmed as Germany’s chancellor – but betrayal by MPs in a secret ballot means he starts from a position of weakness – https://theconversation.com/friedrich-merz-confirmed-as-germanys-chancellor-but-betrayal-by-mps-in-a-secret-ballot-means-he-starts-from-a-position-of-weakness-255992

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: AI therapy may help with mental health, but innovation should never outpace ethics

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ben Bond, PhD Candidate in Digital Psychiatry, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

    Pavlova Yuliia/Shutterstock

    Mental health services around the world are stretched thinner than ever. Long wait times, barriers to accessing care and rising rates of depression and anxiety have made it harder for people to get timely help.

    As a result, governments and healthcare providers are looking for new ways to address this problem. One emerging solution is the use of AI chatbots for mental health care.

    A recent study explored whether a new type of AI chatbot, named Therabot, could treat people with mental illness effectively. The findings were promising: not only did participants with clinically significant symptoms of depression and anxiety benefit, those at high-risk for eating disorders also showed improvement. While early, this study may represent a pivotal moment in the integration of AI into mental health care.

    AI mental health chatbots are not new – tools like Woebot and Wysa have already been released to the public and studied for years. These platforms follow rules based on a user’s input to produce a predefined approved response.

    What makes Therabot different is that it uses generative AI – a technique where a program learns from existing data to create new content in response to a prompt. Consequently, Therabot can produce novel responses based on a user’s input like other popular chatbots such as ChatGPT, allowing for a more dynamic and personalised interaction.

    This isn’t the first time generative AI has been examined in a mental health setting. In 2024, researchers in Portugal conducted a study where ChatGPT was offered as an additional component of treatment for psychiatric inpatients.

    The research findings showed that just three to six sessions with ChatGPT led to a significantly greater improvement in quality of life than standard therapy, medication and other supportive treatments alone.

    Together, these studies suggest that both general and specialised generative AI chatbots hold real potential for use in psychiatric care. But there are some serious limitations to keep in mind. For example, the ChatGPT study involved only 12 participants – far too few to draw firm conclusions.

    In the Therabot study, participants were recruited through a Meta Ads campaign, likely skewing the sample toward tech-savvy people who may already be open to using AI. This could have inflated the chatbot’s effectiveness and engagement levels.

    Ethics and Exclusion

    Beyond methodological concerns, there are critical safety and ethical issues to address. One of the most pressing is whether generative AI could worsen symptoms in people with severe mental illnesses, particularly psychosis.

    A 2023 article warned that generative AI’s lifelike responses, combined with the most people’s limited understanding of how these systems work, might feed into delusional thinking. Perhaps for this reason, both the Therabot and ChatGPT studies excluded participants with psychotic symptoms.

    But excluding these people also raises questions of equity. People with severe mental illness often face cognitive challenges – such as disorganised thinking or poor attention – that might make it difficult to engage with digital tools.

    Ironically, these are the people who may benefit the most from accessible, innovative interventions. If generative AI tools are only suitable for people with strong communication skills and high digital literacy, then their usefulness in clinical populations may be limited.

    There’s also the possibility of AI “hallucinations” – a known flaw that occurs when a chatbot confidently makes things up – like inventing a source, quoting a nonexistent study, or giving an incorrect explanation. In the context of mental health, AI hallucinations aren’t just inconvenient, they can be dangerous.

    Imagine a chatbot misinterpreting a prompt and validating someone’s plan to self-harm, or offering advice that unintentionally reinforces harmful behaviour. While the studies on Therabot and ChatGPT included safeguards – such as clinical oversight and professional input during development – many commercial AI mental health tools do not offer the same protections.

    That’s what makes these early findings both exciting and cautionary. Yes, AI chatbots might offer a low-cost way to support more people at once, but only if we fully address their limitations.

    Effective implementation will require more robust research with larger and more diverse populations, greater transparency about how models are trained and constant human oversight to ensure safety. Regulators must also step in to guide the ethical use of AI in clinical settings.

    With careful, patient-centred research and strong guardrails in place, generative AI could become a valuable ally in addressing the global mental health crisis – but only if we move forward responsibly.

    Ben Bond receives funding from Research Ireland.

    – ref. AI therapy may help with mental health, but innovation should never outpace ethics – https://theconversation.com/ai-therapy-may-help-with-mental-health-but-innovation-should-never-outpace-ethics-255090

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Tove Jansson: lessons in life from her beloved Moomin characters

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Barbara Tesio-Ryan, ECDS Postdoctoral Fellow in European Languages, University of Edinburgh

    This year marks the 80th anniversary of The Moomins, the Finnish/Swedish trolls that have delighted generations of children, becoming a cultural phenomenon in their own right. While posterity will likely remember her as the inventor of Moomins, Tove Jansson was in fact a strikingly multi-talented creative force.

    Born in Helsinki in 1914, the daughter of artists, Jansson grew up surrounded by creativity, allowing her to develop her own in many different ways. During a career that spanned over 70 years, her work included illustrations, cartoons, paintings, murals, theatre productions, children’s books and beautifully crafted novels.

    The main thing in life is to know your own mind.

    Snufkin, Moominsummer Madness

    In 1929, aged 15, Jansson began her career as a cartoonist. Her illustrations were first published in Garm, the Finnish satirical magazine for which she later became the in-house illustrator.

    Her work as a cartoonist, before and during the war, gave her an outlet to be outspoken and express her militant anti-fascism and opposition to the war. For a woman at that time to assert her views so boldly and publicly was an act of defiance in itself, and she later recalled how liberating it had been to be able to be “so beastly to Hitler and Stalin” through her daring cartoons.

    This is part of a series of articles celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Moomins. Want to celebrate their birthday with us? Join The Conversation and a group of experts on May 23 in Bradford for a screening of Moomins on the Riviera and a discussion of the refugee experience in Tove Jansson’s work. Click here for more information and tickets.

    No one was spared, and her cartoons captured the megalomania of the main political figures of the time, as well as the impact of the war on everyday life. During the strenuous war years, Jansson refined her craft as an illustrator, and also, crucially, learned the importance of laughter in ushering light into the darkness. This is a skill that would characterise her entire output, both as an artist and as a writer.

    Everything looks worse in the dark, you know.

    Moominmama, The Moomins and the Great Flood

    She used humour as a tool to both critique and understand life and the world around her. Through the act of making art, Jansson brought light and lightness when life got darker.

    While Jansson had been sketching some variation of Moomintrolls her whole life, it was during the war that she began creating their Moominvalley world and imagining stories for them.

    In 1991, she wrote that the Moomins had come to her as an escape from the horrors of the war: “Perhaps it was understandable that I suddenly felt an urge to write something that was to begin with ‘once upon a time’.”

    When her first Moomin book, Småtrollen och den stora översvämningen (The Moomins and the Great Flood), was published in 1945, Finland had been through the second world war, as well as the “winter war” and the “continuation war” with Russia. So, while it was published during a time of peace, darkness surrounded the origin of the Moomins.

    This dichotomy of light and darkness pervades all the Moomin books. Often a catastrophe is waiting to happen, or has just happened, and how the Moomins react to those events is central to the story itself. This is what makes those books so universal and so timeless.

    The Moomins are so special because they are normal. Not everyone is a hero and not every day is great. There is space for both sadness and joy in Jansson’s tales, and this is why we keep reading them, because they are just like life itself.

    It would be awful if the world exploded. It is so wonderfully splendid.

    Snufkin, Comet in Moominland

    In the first two Moomin books, Moomins and the Great Flood, and Comet in Moominland, natural catastrophes mirror the horrors of the war and postwar era (such as the atomic bomb). Environmental disasters are also ongoing threats to the the creatures of Moominvalley.

    These are often, and mainly, brought by the sea, and can be fully appreciated only by someone like Jansson who lived between coastal and island landscapes most of her life. The natural landscape of Finland and Sweden, Jansson’s two homelands, are an essential part of her art.

    Moominvalley in particular is a decidedly Nordic landscape, and was in fact inspired by her grandparents’ house on the island of Blidö, and by the Pellinki archipelago. It was here that Jansson spent many happy summers with her family, and later, with her partner Tuulikki Pietilä.

    There is a humbleness to be learned in living by the sea, and a respect for the power of nature that Jansson captured beautifully in so many of her creations, such as The Summer Book.

    In Moominpappa at Sea, where Moominpappa goes on an existential journey to find his purpose in life again, the relationship to the sea also becomes pivotal to his personal development: “There was the sea – his sea – going past, wave after wave, foaming recklessly, raging furiously, but, somehow, tranquil at the same time. All Moominpappa’s thoughts and speculations vanished. He felt completely alive from the tips of his ears to the tip of his tail. This was a moment to live to the full.”

    The Moomins’ unconditional love and respect for nature also translates beautifully into an acceptance of all of life’s diversity. The Moomin’s universe is one where everyone is welcomed and loved for whoever they are and however they feel.

    One of the biggest teachings of Jansson’s work for any reader at any age, is that all feelings are valid, and learning to accept this simple and profound truth makes life so much easier. As Moominpappa says: “For if you’re not afraid, how can you really be brave?”

    You seem to be yourself again. Actually, you’re nicer that way.

    Mymble, Moominvalley in November

    Jansson’s motto, labora et amare (work and love), did indeed mark her existence. She worked incessantly and loved fiercely. Well ahead of her time, Jansson lived her sexuality with a freedom that was truly revolutionary for her time (Finland, like many other countries, decriminalised homosexuality only in 1971).

    What characterised this artist’s life and career was the ambition and the courage to live differently. To create and to love without boundaries and without fear. And this is perhaps Jansson and her Moomins’ most important legacy.

    Barbara Tesio-Ryan 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. Tove Jansson: lessons in life from her beloved Moomin characters – https://theconversation.com/tove-jansson-lessons-in-life-from-her-beloved-moomin-characters-255280

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The UK is falling behind in tackling microplastic pollution – here are three ways the government can catch up

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Antaya March, Director – Global Plastics Policy Centre, University of Portsmouth

    SIVStockStudio/Shutterstock

    Microplastics – fragments of plastic smaller than 5mm – are accumulating in the environment. They’re found in soil, water, food, even in human lungs, placentas and blood. These plastic particles shed from items we use daily, such as synthetic clothes, tyres, plastic packaging and paint.

    Scientists, medical professionals and environmental bodies have raised growing concern about the potential impacts of microplastics on environments and human health. Studies suggest that microplastics could affect soil health, reduce food productivity and compromise ecosystem functioning. As a result, economic growth may be hindered.

    Some nations are acting. French regulations require that filters are put on new washing machines to capture microfibres. The EU has recently targeted microplastic inputs from artificial turf and paint and has passed rules to limit microplastic discharges in wastewater treatment.

    US states are beginning to regulate microplastic contamination in drinking water. In fact, California has set some of the world’s first safe water testing requirements for microplastic contamination.

    Yet, the UK hasn’t kept pace. There is still no national plan to reduce emissions. There are no legal targets for reducing microplastic pollution, no limits and no timeline for action. The only regulation to date (a 2017 ban on microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics) addresses just a fraction of the problem. Microbeads only account for less than 5% of the microplastics ending up in the environment.

    With evidence building and risks mounting, the UK urgently needs a more coordinated response. Drawing on insights from leading UK scientists and policy experts, here are three ways the UK can begin to close the gap.

    1. A national roadmap

    The UK has no coordinated plan to reduce microplastic pollution. Microplastics are mentioned in several UK government strategies – such as the Plan for Water and Environmental Improvement Plan – but these don’t have clear targets, timelines or regulatory action.

    A national roadmap can tackle the problem more effectively by expanding the narrow scope of the microbeads ban to cover major sources of both primary (intentionally manufactured) and secondary microplastics (produced from the breakdown of larger plastics).

    To make this feasible, design standards for plastic products need to focus on reducing microplastics shedding upstream, rather than relying on clean-up alone.

    As with any effective regulation, measurable targets to reduce microplastics entering the environment can be paired with a programme for monitoring – so human exposure and microplastic levels in air, water and soil can be tracked to assess whether policies are working.

    2. Regulate the biggest sources

    The ban on microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics was an important early step, but it only scratches the surface. Most microplastic pollution comes from larger, less visible sources: car tyres, synthetic textiles, paint and fertilisers made from sewage sludge. These everyday sources account for most microplastic emissions, yet remain largely unregulated in the UK.



    Read more:
    Car tyres shed a quarter of all microplastics in the environment – urgent action is needed

    By making manufacturers responsible for the highest levels of microplastic pollution, a widespread industry shift can be achieved. That includes setting standards to reduce fibres shedding from textiles and requiring filters in washing machines, addressing tyre wear and road runoff in the transport sector and phasing out the use of contaminated sludge and plastic mulch films in agriculture. These are not distant or unrealistic goals. Many could be achieved by updating existing waste, water and environmental regulations.

    Paint is a big source of microplastics.
    r.classen/Shutterstock

    To date, the government has eschewed precaution and tended to shelve action where evidence of harm is still emerging. While research continues to evolve, existing scientific evidence provides a strong basis for meaningful policy actions today. What’s missing is a shift in focus – from marginal sources to the main drivers – and the political will to prioritise real reductions over symbolic moves.

    3. Tackle plastic production

    Most microplastics begin as larger plastic products that slowly break down over time. We need to reduce how much plastic is produced and used in the first place.

    The UK government’s stated aims for creating an economy in which less resources are used overall there is greater reuse of existing resources (otherwise known as a circular economy) focus on reducing waste and improving material use, but they don’t yet address how overproduction of plastics contributes to microplastic pollution.

    Setting targets to cut the volume of single-use plastic on the market would help prevent microplastics polluting the environment. Simplifying how products are designed and labelled can also enable safer disposal, reuse or recycling and reduce how much plastic breaks up.

    At the same time, alternatives (including biodegradable or bio-based plastics) must be carefully assessed. Without proper oversight, these substitutes risk repeating many of the same problems. Reducing plastic demand remains one of the most effective ways to tackle the microplastics crisis at its root. Consumers can also help by supporting policies that reduce plastic use and choosing to buy products that don’t produce as many microplastics.

    With microplastics now pervasive across ecosystems, waiting for more evidence risks further accumulation. Setting clear targets and strengthening regulation in the sectors that contribute most to emissions is essential.

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

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

    Antaya March receives funding from the Flotilla Foundation.

    Stephanie Northen receives funding from the Flotilla Foundation.

    – ref. The UK is falling behind in tackling microplastic pollution – here are three ways the government can catch up – https://theconversation.com/the-uk-is-falling-behind-in-tackling-microplastic-pollution-here-are-three-ways-the-government-can-catch-up-255465

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why a hotline is needed to help bring India and Pakistan back from the brink of a disastrous war

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Syed Ali Zia Jaffery, Deputy Director at the Center for Security, Strategy and Policy Research, University of Lahore

    Two weeks after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, in Indian-administered Kashmir, that claimed 26 lives, India and Pakistan are getting perilously close to a dangerous military confrontation.

    Pakistan carried out two missile tests in three days over the weekend of May 3-5, while India announced that it will conduct on Wednesday May 7 its largest civil defence drill since the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

    The countries have closed their borders and shut down their airspace to each other and have suspended all trade. With both countries possessing nuclear weapons, the rising tension makes managing escalation particularly urgent.

    A key factor in the de-escalation of past crises has been Washington’s role as a third-party crisis manager. While the recent call for restraint from the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, shows US concerns over the gathering crisis, there are considerable uncertainties surrounding what role the US is prepared to play in de-escalation.

    US president Donald Trump remarked after the attack that he is “sure they’ll figure it out one way or the other … There’s great tension between Pakistan and India, but there always has been”, which appears to put the onus of de-escalation on New Delhi and Islamabad.

    What is needed now is robust, real-time crisis communication between the two nations. Instead, both sides appear ready to ratchet up tensions further, with inflammatory rhetoric, enhanced military preparedness and skirmishing along the so-called line of control which separates the two countries in Kashmir.

    The need to give reassurance to each party through empathetic communication is particularly important in the India-Pakistan context. First, the risks of escalation between India and Pakistan are greater than they were in 2019 after the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist bombing, which killed 40 Indian troops at Pulwama near to Kashmir’s main town of Srinagar.

    India identified the Pakistani state as responsible for the attack and responded with airstrikes against what it claimed was a JeM training camp at Balakot in north-western Pakistan. The absence of a trusted channel of communication brought both countries closer than ever to a missile exchange.

    Mike Pompeo, then secretary of state in the first Trump administration, claimed in a 2023 memoir that both sides had readied their nuclear deterrents. Whatever the veracity of Pompeo’s claims, it’s clear that mutual restraint is critical to avoiding miscalculations.

    But Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s delegation of greater operational freedom to the Indian military after the Pahalgam attack has raised concerns that India’s use of force could be more extensive than in 2019. Modi has vowed to pursue and punish the terrorists and their abetters “to the ends of the Earth”, a pledge that raises domestic political costs for him and his government if there is no military follow-through.

    Lessons from the Cuban missile crisis

    One important lesson from past nuclear standoffs – especially the Cuban missile crisis – is that leaders of adversarial nuclear states can sometimes forge empathetic channels of communication that help pull their countries back from the brink. There was no established hotline in October 1962. But US president John F. Kennedy and his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, exchanged a series of letters in which they acknowledged and expressed their shared vulnerability to nuclear war.

    There was no talk of nuclear jingoism or the manipulation of nuclear threats. Instead, as one of us (Nicholas) has argued in a study co-authored with US academic Marcus Holmes, the nuclear shadow that hung over the two leaders encouraged the development of mutual empathy and a bond of trust that were both critical to the peaceful resolution of the crisis.

    Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev and US president John F Kennedy established a leader-to-leader hotline in 1963.
    US State Department

    Kennedy and Khrushchev could have responded to the condition of mutual nuclear vulnerability with brinkmanship, and turned the crisis into what Thomas Schelling – one of the most prominent US nuclear strategists and an advisor to the Kennedy administration – called a “competition in risk-taking”. But instead, they recognised that competitive manipulations of risk could only lead to mutual disaster, which enabled them to avert a potential nuclear exchange.

    Indian and Pakistani leaders could take their cue from this episode. A recent report by the nuclear thinktank Basic (co-edited by Nicholas) urged policymakers to avoid viewing crises as “zero-sum tests of will”. Instead, they should see them as opportunities for cooperation to avert catastrophe.

    Why an India-Pakistan hotline is vital

    But the absence of a trusted confidential line of communication between the leaders of India and Pakistan is a major barrier to empathetic communication. It prevents the two reaching a proper appreciation of shared vulnerabilities that is so critical to crisis de-escalation. As Basic recommended in a 2024 report, the most important contribution to crisis de-escalation between the two countries would be to establish a leader-to-leader hotline.

    Schelling called the US-Soviet hotline agreement of 1963
    the “best single example” of a measure that increased confidence in mutual restraint on both sides, and virtually ruled out what he called the “anxiety to strike first”.

    Such a hotline between the highest levels of Indian and Pakistani diplomacy would be an important step towards preventing these crises from spinning out of control. More crucially, it could play a pivotal role in managing crises when they do occur, offering a vital channel for reassurance and de-escalation.

    Crucially, real-time, reliable and empathetic communication would allow each side to clarify the other’s intent, signal reassurance, correct misperceptions and demonstrate restraint.

    India and Pakistan should not see these mechanisms as concessions or signs of weakness, but as instruments for enhancing mutual security between two nuclear adversaries. In a nuclear age where the margin for error is vanishingly small, overconfidence and brinkmanship must give way to prudence and restraint.



    Read more:
    Moscow-Washington nuclear hotline has averted war in the past – but cool heads will be needed in Trump’s White House and Putin’s Kremlin

    Syed Ali Zia Jaffery is Deputy Director, Center for Security, Strategy and Policy Research, University of Lahore, and Associate Editor, Pakistan Politico Ali was a Visiting Fellow at the Stimson Center, Washington, D.C. Ali regularly writes on strategic issues for national and international publications, to include Routledge, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, South Asian Voices , The National Interest, The Atlantic Council, Asia-Pacific Leadership Network (APLN), CSIS, The Diplomat, Dawn, and 9DashLine, among others. Ali is an alumnus of Woodrow Wilson Center’s Nuclear Proliferation International History Project’s Nuclear History Boot Camp. He is also an alumnus of the International School on Disarmament and Research on Conflicts( ISODARCO). Ali often shares his perspectives on major strategic developments on national and international media. Ali is associated with the British American Security Information Council (BASIC) both as part of its Programme on Nuclear Responsibilities and the Emerging Voices Network. His research interests lie in the fields of nuclear deterrence, strategic stability, and geopolitics. He taught undergraduate level courses on foreign policy, national security, arms control& disarmament, and non-proliferation from 2018 until 2023. He is also a Graduate Research Assistant at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.

    Nicholas John Wheeler is a non-resident Senior Fellow at BASIC where he works on the Nuclear Responsibilities Programme with special reference to South Asia.

    – ref. Why a hotline is needed to help bring India and Pakistan back from the brink of a disastrous war – https://theconversation.com/why-a-hotline-is-needed-to-help-bring-india-and-pakistan-back-from-the-brink-of-a-disastrous-war-255727

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Are kids resilient? Societies and families need to offer supports and relationships to nurture resilience

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Elena Merenda, Assistant Program Head of Early Childhood Studies, University of Guelph-Humber

    “Kids are resilient.” You have heard this before, right? You might have even said it, with the best of intentions.

    Resilience sometimes seems like a buzzword and is used in ill-defined ways. If adults praise children’s resilience without addressing their needs, this leaves children vulnerable to harm.

    Resilience doesn’t mean being unaffected by adversity — it means having the tools, relationships and supports to cope with it.

    Part of my role as a child development specialist with expertise in therapeutic play, as well childhood loss and grief, is consulting work with families and educators. I see children acting out in classrooms, withdrawing at home or having difficulties processing and regulating emotions and behaviours. Finding the right supports for a child often means many things.

    Offering children the environments and relationships that build resilience includes:

    In the everyday, children need adults who are well enough to care for them and present enough to notice their struggles.

    Many families with deep needs

    The 2024 National Report Card on Child and Family Poverty from Campaign 2000, a network of organizations committed to ending child and family poverty in Canada, reveals that in 2022, nearly one in five children were growing up in poverty.

    The child poverty rate rose by two and a half percentage points from the previous year, representing the largest annual increase in child poverty on record. Lone-parent households, most of them led by women, are disproportionately affected, with one in five relying on social assistance.



    Read more:
    Child poverty is on the rise in Canada, putting over 1 million kids at risk of life-long negative effects

    As financial insecurity deepens and government supports like the Canada Child Benefit lose their effectiveness due to high costs of living, parents are under formidable financial pressure that impacts their parenting capacity and personal wellness.

    Mental health gaps

    Mental Health Research Canada’s 2023 report, Exploring the Mental Health Landscape of Canadian Parents, reveals that younger parents, especially those under 30, are facing self-reported elevated levels of anxiety and depression since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The data also suggests that parents of children under two years of age are more likely to receive a new mental health diagnosis, likely due to decreased contact with health-care providers during the pandemic.

    What happens when parents are overwhelmed? Children feel it, and they need support to bounce back from it.

    The pressures parents face are not isolated. In a 2025 study on the perceptions of kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 educators in Ontario regarding their students’ developmental and academic skills and their own mental health during the 2021 to 2022 school year, teachers reported increased anxiety and slower developmental progress in children.



    Read more:
    From full-day learning to 30 minutes daily: The effects of school closures on kindergarteners

    Healthy development can’t be taken for granted

    If we only skim headlines that children displayed resilient capacities during the pandemic without looking deeper at how the pandemic also impeded healthy development, we are missing the full picture.

    It is only through longitudinal study — examining how kids are doing across time — that we’ll be able to fully understand impacts. For example, data from the Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth shows about one in five youth who felt their mental health was good in 2019 no longer felt that way four years later.



    Read more:
    Pandemic babies’ developmental milestones: Not as bad as we feared, but not as good as before

    The 2023 Raising Canada Report, based on research conducted by researchers at the University of Calgary and McGill University and published by the non-profit organization Children First Canada, reports on violence, poverty, mental health struggles and online sexual exploitation affecting Canadian children.

    The report reveals there were 40 child homicides in 2022, and rates of hospital visits for self-harm and suicide attempts among youth have doubled over the past decade.

    These alarming reports suggest many families and children are struggling, lacking the resources they need to process their experiences and heal.

    Building your child’s and your own resilience

    Parental burnout is real — and compassion for oneself is the first step in supporting children.

    A few minutes of undistracted time with your child matters.
    (Shutterstock)

    Here are a few strategies parents can try to use, even when worn down:

    Focus on connection. A few minutes of undistracted time with your child — reading a book, going for a walk or simply talking without a phone nearby — builds connection and safety. When children feel a sense of safety and connection with their parent, they are more likely to share their thoughts and emotions. When children feel safe enough to verbalize their emotions, they are more inclined to process challenging times.

    Name and normalize emotions. Help your child build emotional vocabulary by labelling feelings for them in your day-to-day interactions. Saying things like “I noticed you looked frustrated when your Lego broke. That’s OK. It’s hard when things don’t go as planned” helps children to learn how to identify and name their emotions which is the first step in taming emotions.

    Model self-regulation, and when you feel overwhelmed, label your feelings. Try saying, “I’m feeling really worried right now, so I’m going to take a few deep breaths.” This teaches children that big feelings are a normal human experience. It also models for children healthy coping strategies.

    Ask for help and accept support. Parenting shouldn’t be done alone. Ask for help. Find a community of like-minded parents who can talk through big and small moments with you. Let your child see that it’s OK to ask for help — this is how you build resilience.

    Elena Merenda 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 kids resilient? Societies and families need to offer supports and relationships to nurture resilience – https://theconversation.com/are-kids-resilient-societies-and-families-need-to-offer-supports-and-relationships-to-nurture-resilience-253789

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chinese and Russian students from Moscow music universities performed the music of Victory

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    Moscow, May 6 (Xinhua) — Chinese and Russian students from Moscow music universities performed at a concert dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory on May 5 as part of the 14th Moscow Spring Festival. They performed Chinese and Russian songs from the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet People against Fascism.

    The concert program, compiled by Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Zuo Zhenguan, included musical masterpieces of China and Russia. Chinese and Russian students from the Gnessin Academy of Music, the Moscow Conservatory named after P. I. Tchaikovsky, the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts /GITIS/ and the Moscow State Pedagogical University performed excerpts from the legendary cantata by Xian Xinghai “Yellow River”, arias from operas by modern composers Luan Kai and Zhang Zhuo, as well as works by the classic Russian musician Sergei Rachmaninoff and Soviet songs about the war.

    The concert took place with the active support of the Russian-Chinese Friendship Society, the Center for Russian-Chinese Musical Relations, the Center for International Humanitarian Cooperation and Development, and the Chinese Embassy in the Russian Federation. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Currency controls and debt in Argentina: the stakes are high if Milei’s latest economic gamble doesn’t pay off

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Matt Barlow, Lecturer International Political Economy, University of Glasgow

    Matias Lynch/Shutterstock

    In April, Argentina’s president Javier Milei partially lifted the capital and currency controls that had been in place since 2011. The move was possible with the support of a US$20 billion (£15 billion) IMF bailout and means Argentinians may now buy unlimited dollars again.

    Announcing the move in the capital Buenos Aires, Milei was flanked by American treasury secretary Scott Bessent. Milei took the opportunity to liken it to US president Donald Trump’s “liberation day”.

    While he is often associated with Trump for his abrasive rhetoric and right-wing populist support base, Milei’s liberation day was intended to reduce the role of the state in the economy – unlike the US’s approach of deepening it.

    The latest iteration of currency controls was implemented by then-president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to try to shore up the deteriorating value of the Argentinian peso.

    The controls, known locally as el cepo (the clamp), meant that citizens and businesses were limited in the amount of foreign currency they could purchase. At the same time, they were constrained in moving money out of Argentina. This was designed as a safeguard against capital flight, but in effect it stifled inward investment.

    These measures, coupled with a centrally controlled foreign exchange rate, created a lucrative black market for US dollars. Citizens were eager to exchange cash pesos for the traditionally safer US dollar.

    The currency controls were previously lifted by another advocate for market-friendly policies, president Mauricio Macri in 2015. But they were reimposed in 2019 at the end of his term to address a fall in value of the peso.

    Unlike Macri’s broad-brush removal, Milei is phasing out the controls. He is doing so in the context of less economic volatility and a more stable national budget.

    The measures announced this time mean that rather than being fixed, the peso will be able to float between a value of 1,000–1,400 pesos (64p-87p) per US dollar. Milei’s previous policy was a crawling peg, which meant that the peso was pegged to the dollar, but it was prevented from depreciating by more than 1% each month.

    However, this was costly. The central bank had to provide the liquidity and has spent US$2.5 billion since mid-March propping up the official rate of the peso.

    Floating it means its value is determined by the currency markets. This exposes it to volatility, but the currency band provides some security and the central bank can go back to focusing on building its reserves.

    For international companies, future capital can be repatriated out of Argentina (which had been a major barrier to investment). Under the previous restrictions, any profits made by international firms could not be moved out of the country.

    And while Argentinians can now buy unlimited dollars through banks, there is still a US$100 restriction on exchanging physical cash.

    Milei’s gamble

    Analysts have called Milei’s move bold and brave, but also described it as a high-stakes gamble. Recent attempts to do the same thing ended in capital flight, near bankruptcy and ultimately the re-imposition of controls.

    But it was also a step that he promised on the campaign trail in 2023. Back then, Milei argued that economic stability and deregulation were essential to attract investment into Argentina.

    So while the Trump administration looks inwards, Milei is opening Argentina to the private sector – especially in relation to its vast natural resources including shale oil and gas, and lithium.

    Extraction of Argentina’s shale oil and gas has slowed in recent years, but attracting foreign investment in infrastructure has been high on Milei’s priority list. Business, including US energy giant Chevron, seems cautiously optimistic.

    And increased foreign investment in Argentina’s lithium mining sector has raised hopes that the country could be a linchpin in the global energy transition. But at the same time it is deepening Argentina’s dependency on finite commodities.

    But what does all this mean for Argentinians right now? For many old enough to remember, it might seem like deja vu. Opening Argentina up to the forces of the market, reducing the regulatory role of the state and privatising major state assets while borrowing more from the IMF has precedent.

    It was the same approach followed by president Carlos Menem in the 1990s. This had initial success but over the course of the decade resulted in economic disaster, unsustainable debt (leading to the 2001 IMF debt default) and pushed nearly 60% of the population into poverty.

    The US$20 billion IMF loan package (alongside other borrowing) provides Argentina’s central bank with capital to lift the currency restrictions. Adding to the IMF debt burden (which already stood at more than US$40 billion in March 2025) has so far been well received by the markets.

    But market-friendly policies being well received by the markets is surely to be expected. What might the social costs be, however?

    Milei’s programme of deep austerity included cuts to salaries and welfare payments. These initially pushed poverty levels up to 53%, their highest point in two decades. Recent figures show that, while still frighteningly high, falling inflation has helped bring this down to 38%.

    But these figures mask the desperate reality of many. Reductions in state spending and the removal of subsidies mean that income levels for workers and pensioners are below 2023 levels. Many are taking on additional and more precarious work, and soup kitchens are proving essential.

    So for many citizens, the news about the partial lifting of currency controls is a moot point. For these people, buying dollars is not remotely feasible.

    One thing Argentinians are broadly united in is their disdain for the IMF. Borrowing from it has pushed Argentina to the brink previously – Milei will be hoping that by jettisoning one anvil, his deal with the IMF won’t chain him to a heavier one.

    Matt Barlow 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. Currency controls and debt in Argentina: the stakes are high if Milei’s latest economic gamble doesn’t pay off – https://theconversation.com/currency-controls-and-debt-in-argentina-the-stakes-are-high-if-mileis-latest-economic-gamble-doesnt-pay-off-255733

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Premenstrual dysphoric disorder harms relationships for both sufferers and their partners – new study

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sophie Hodgetts, Assistant Professor in Psychology, Durham University

    Until now, little has been known about the effect PMDD can have on relationships. simona pilolla 2/ Shutterstock

    An estimated 2% of people who menstruate are thought to have premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). The condition causes severe emotional, mental and physical symptoms in the week or two before a person’s menstrual cycle – including brain fog, stomach cramps, bloating, mood swings, anger, sadness, low self-worth, anxiety and even thoughts of suicide.

    Although PMDD symptoms usually stop when the period starts, the condition can still make everyday life difficult. Research shows that PMDD is associated with people having a poor quality of life, missing work or school and withdrawing from social activities. The repercussions that PMDD has on a person’s life often persist beyond the symptomatic phase of the person’s cycle.

    Yet despite the prevalence of PMDD, little is known about how it affects life at home, as no studies have been done.

    My recent research is the first to shed light on how PMDD impacts life and relationships – from the perspective of both those with PMDD and their partners. Our findings showed that both PMDD sufferers and their partners experienced similarly poor life and relationship quality.

    My coauthor and I ran two studies that both used online surveys.

    In the first study, we asked people with PMDD to complete two questionnaires. The first was designed to tell us about their quality of life. They answered questions about four different areas of their life: their physical health, psychological health, social relationships and living conditions.

    The second questionnaire was designed to tell us about their relationship with their spouse by asking questions about different components of their relationship (including love, trust, intimacy, commitment and passion), as well as their overall satisfaction with the relationship. We compared their responses to a control group of people of menstruation age who did not have PMDD.

    Our results showed significantly lower quality of life in people with PMDD compared to people in the control group. This difference was evident in all four of the areas of life that we studied. We also found that participants with PMDD consistently reported lower quality of life when it came to their psychological health, social relationships and living conditions – regardless of their menstrual cycle phase.

    Relationship quality, too, was significantly lower for those with PMDD compared to the control group when it came to trust, intimacy and passion. However, when it came to love and commitment, people with PMDD and those without the condition reported similar levels of satisfaction.

    PMDD and partners

    In the second study, we compared the responses of people who are in a relationship with someone who has PMDD, with those who are in a relationship with someone who menstruates but does not have PMDD.

    Our study found PMDD is associated with poor relationship quality for both those with the condition and their partners.
    Roman Chazov/Shutterstock

    We used the same questionnaire as the previous study to investigate relationship quality. To study quality of life, we used a standard questionnaire that was designed for people who provide care or support for an adult. This asked questions about different areas of life that are relevant for familial carers, such as their support for caring, caring choices, any stress they experience, money matters, personal growth, sense of value, ability to care and satisfaction.

    We found that PMDD partners also had lower life quality compared to the control group. This difference was evident in every area of life except money matters (where both groups had similarly low scores). When it came to relationship quality, results from the PMDD partners echoed those from the PMDD patients – both reported lower relationship satisfaction in all areas except for love and commitment.

    Our study shows that PMDD is associated with poor life and relationship quality for both those with the condition and their partners. This highlights the need for support that goes beyond prescription drugs and managing symptoms. This support also needs to be available to the loved ones and partners of people with PMDD who provide care and support.

    These findings suggest that future research should aim to develop PMDD-specific interventions that support both the person with PMDD and their partner. My future research plans are to delve deeper into the aspects of relationships affected by PMDD. For instance, I am planning a follow-up study involving interviews and focus groups with PMDD sufferers and their loved ones, to better identify areas for intervention and inform the development of supportive strategies.

    There are many reasons why this kind of support is important. For instance, we know from research into other mood disorders (such as depression and anxiety) just how crucial good interpersonal relationships are for successfully managing these conditions in the long term.

    We also know that the partners and spouses of people with a mental illness often find themselves acting as a familial caregiver for their partner. Studies of other mood disorders have shown that familial caregivers are at a higher risk of developing mental illnesses themselves, when compared to the general population. Supporting familial caregivers is known to improve life for all involved.

    My research shows that PMDD isn’t just a problem for patients. It impacts daily life and relationship quality for both people in a relationship. This study provides a first step. Now that we have a better understanding of the wider effect that PMDD has, we can start to investigate how to support both people.

    Sophie Hodgetts 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. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder harms relationships for both sufferers and their partners – new study – https://theconversation.com/premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-harms-relationships-for-both-sufferers-and-their-partners-new-study-255083

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: ‘Milkshake tax’: there’s growing evidence that expanding the UK’s sugar levy could help tackle obesity

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By David M. Evans, Professor of Sociotechnical Futures, University of Bristol Business School, University of Bristol

    Luis Molinero/Shutterstock

    The UK government is considering expanding its sugar tax on fizzy drinks to include milkshakes and other sweetened beverages, as part of new proposals announced in April 2025. The Treasury confirmed it plans to move forward not only with broadening the tax but also with lowering the sugar threshold that triggers it from 5g to 4g of sugar per 100ml.

    The changes, dubbed by critics as the “milkshake tax”, would end the current exemption for dairy-based drinks, as well as plant-based alternatives such as oat and rice milk. Chancellor Rachel Reeves first signalled the potential expansion in the 2024 budget, suggesting the soft drinks industry levy (SDIL), to give it its official name, could be widened to cover a broader range of high-sugar drinks.

    Based on our research into dietary change, conducted as part of the H3 project on food system transformation, we see this as a welcome and timely development.

    Not everyone shares this optimism. Opponents of what they see as “nanny state” interventionist policies argue that the SDIL has failed to deliver any real improvements to public health. In a UK newspaper’s straw poll, for example, 88% of respondents claimed the sugar tax has not significantly reduced obesity rates. Shadow Chancellor Melvyn Stride described the proposed expansion as a “sucker punch” to households, particularly given the ongoing cost of living crisis.

    Scepticism around these proposals is not surprising. Many people, regardless of political affiliation, are wary of additional taxation. And indeed, there is evidence suggesting that fiscal tools such as taxes and subsidies can be blunt instruments. They are also often regressive, placing a disproportionate burden on lower-income households.

    These concerns are valid – but they don’t quite apply to the SDIL.

    Crucially, the SDIL is not a tax on consumers. It is levied on manufacturers and importers, who are incentivised to reduce the sugar content of their products to avoid the charge. According to Treasury figures, since the introduction of the SDIL, 89% of fizzy drinks sold in the UK have been reformulated to fall below the taxable threshold.

    For instance, the Japanese multinational brewing and distilling company group Suntory invested £13 million in reformulating drinks like Ribena and Lucozade, removing 25,000 tonnes of sugar, making the products exempt from the levy. This means households aren’t priced out of soft drinks – they can simply choose reformulated and presumably cheaper versions.

    It’s true that the UK is still grappling with a serious obesity problem. In England alone, 29% of adultsand 15% of children aged two to 15 are obese.

    But the SDIL is having an effect. Excessive sugar consumption is consistently associated with rising obesity rates in the UK and globally. There has been a clear reduction in the sales of sugar from soft drinks, and the SDIL is reported to have generated £1.9 billion in revenue since its introduction in 2018.

    Early signs suggest health benefits, too. One study found a drop in obesity rates among 10 to 11-year-old girls following the levy’s implementation. Another analysis suggests that the greatest health benefits will be seen in more deprived areas, and that it may actually help to narrow some health inequalities for children in England.



    Read more:
    Child obesity is linked to deprivation, so why do poor parents still cop the blame?

    Shifting responsibilty

    The government’s 2016 announcement of the sugar tax gave manufacturers time to reformulate products before the tax’s introduction in 2018.

    Of course, the SDIL is no silver bullet. There are many contributing factors to the obesity epidemic, ranging from genetic predisposition to “obesogenic” environments – social contexts that promote unhealthy eating and sedentary behaviour, such as areas with a lot of fast food restaurants, limited access to healthy food options and a lack of pavements, parks, or safe places to exercise.

    Questions remain about the negative health effects of reformulated drinks, some of which still contain high levels of sweeteners or additives. And in the broader context of the need for food system transformation, focusing solely on soft drinks may be too narrow an approach.



    Read more:
    Are artificial sweeteners okay for our health? Here’s what the current evidence says

    But the SDIL’s success lies not just in outcomes but in its design. It shifts responsibility from individuals to industry, encouraging systemic change rather than simply blaming people for making “bad” choices. The government’s 2016 announcement of the levy gave manufacturers a two-year head start, allowing them to reformulate and get their products to market before it took effect in 2018.

    It’s also telling that the idea of taxing milkshakes has sparked such outrage, while most people now accept the high taxation of tobacco. That’s because smoking, as a public health issue, has matured: its risks are well understood and widely acknowledged. Obesity, meanwhile, is still catching up, despite posing similar health threats, including as a leading cause of cancer.

    In the UK, there’s still a strong social stigma around discussing diet and weight. But given the scale and urgency of the obesity crisis, it could be time to overcome this reluctance. Effective change will require bold, systemic policies – not just public awareness campaigns – but multipronged and targeted interventions that reshape the economic and cultural environments in which people make food choices.

    Expanding the SDIL may not be a cure-all, but the evidence so far suggests it’s a smart step in the right direction.

    David M. Evans receives funding from the UKRI Strategic Priorities Fund (grant ref: BB/V004719/1).
    He is affiliated with Defra (the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) as a member of their Social Science Expert Group.

    Jonathan Beacham receives funding from the UKRI Strategic Priorities Fund (grant ref: BB/V004719/1).

    – ref. ‘Milkshake tax’: there’s growing evidence that expanding the UK’s sugar levy could help tackle obesity – https://theconversation.com/milkshake-tax-theres-growing-evidence-that-expanding-the-uks-sugar-levy-could-help-tackle-obesity-255646

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Aspartame: the artificial sweetener is calorie-free but not risk-free – a nutritionist explains

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Hazel Flight, Programme Lead Nutrition and Health, Edge Hill University

    Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock

    Sugar — sweet, satisfying, and everywhere. From fresh fruit and honey to processed table sugar and drinks, it sneaks into nearly everything we eat. While delicious, sugar delivers what nutritionists call “empty calories” — energy without any essential nutrients. And with overconsumption linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and dental problems, it’s no wonder health authorities are urging us to cut back.

    The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting added sugar to less than 10% of daily calorie intake, while the BMJ suggests even lower: no more than six teaspoons (25g) per day for women and nine teaspoons (38g) for men.

    In response, many people are turning to non-nutritive sweeteners — sugar alternatives that deliver sweetness without the calories. These include popular options like aspartame, sucralose, stevia and monk fruit extract. Found in many diet drinks, sugar-free snacks and low-calorie foods, these sweeteners are designed to help manage weight and blood sugar levels.

    But not all that tastes sweet is sweet in effect. Let’s zoom in on one of the most controversial sugar substitutes: aspartame.

    Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that was discovered in 1965 and is 180–200 times sweeter than sugar. It was first regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1974 and approved for use in dry foods in 1981. Today, it’s estimated to be found in over 6,000 food and drink products and 600 pharmaceutical items.

    Aspartame was initially embraced as a tool to help reduce obesity and support diabetics, offering a sweet fix without the sugar spike. But despite decades of use, its safety is still the subject of intense scientific and public debate.

    Potential benefits

    Aspartame has a similar taste to sugar, albeit much more intense, but comes with almost no calories, making it attractive for those who’re weight-conscious. With obesity rates soaring globally, even small calorie savings can matter.

    Aspartame does not raise blood glucose levels, making it a preferred choice for those managing type 2 diabetes. However, other research has found potential associations with metabolic syndrome and diabetes risk, suggesting that aspartame should be used as part of a controlled diet rather than a straight swap for sugar.

    While assessments suggest that aspartame is safe within current intake guidelines, concerns persist.

    Potential risks

    Some people may experience side-effects like headaches, dizziness, or mood changes. There’s emerging evidence linking aspartame to neurodegeneration, strokes and even dementia.

    Aspartame can increase levels of phenylalanine and aspartic acid in the brain, which is a serious concern for people with phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare inherited disorder where the body cannot break down phenylalanine. This causes it to accumulate in the blood and brain, potentially leading to brain damage. People with PKU must avoid aspartame completely.

    One study reported symptoms after consuming aspartame including irritability, migraines, anxiety and insomnia, especially with excessive consumption.

    In 2023, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified aspartame) as “possibly carcinogenic”, though it remains approved for consumption within existing safety limits. Some studies suggest a link to cancer, but conclusions remain mixed.



    Read more:
    Aspartame: popular sweetener could be classified as a possible carcinogen by WHO – but there’s no cause for panic

    It’s also advised that pregnant women avoid aspartame, as research suggests it may affect the placenta’s structure and function.

    Artificial sweeteners, despite being calorie-free, may trick the brain into craving more sweetness. This could lead to increased appetite and weight gain rather than weight loss. In fact, several studies have found a positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and obesity.

    Gut health matters

    Emerging evidence suggests that aspartame and other sweeteners may disrupt the gut microbiome, the community of bacteria that play a key role in digestion, immunity and even mood. This disruption can negatively affect digestive health and immune function, potentially increasing the risk of infections and other health issues.



    Read more:
    Artificial sweetener could harm your gut and the microbes that live there – new study

    Aspartame may offer a tempting sugar-free fix, but it’s not without its risks. The World Health Organization advises against using non-sugar sweeteners for weight control and research continues to reveal complex links between aspartame and chronic diseases, from neurological issues to gut health concerns.

    Hazel Flight 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. Aspartame: the artificial sweetener is calorie-free but not risk-free – a nutritionist explains – https://theconversation.com/aspartame-the-artificial-sweetener-is-calorie-free-but-not-risk-free-a-nutritionist-explains-254318

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –