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Category: Universities

  • MIL-OSI USA: Merrie Monarch Travelers Reminded of ʻŌhiʻa Quarantine Restrictions

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    Merrie Monarch Travelers Reminded of ʻŌhiʻa Quarantine Restrictions

    Posted on Apr 17, 2025 in Main

    April 17, 2025
    NR25-09

    HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture (HDOA) is reminding travelers attending the Merrie Monarch Festival next week that quarantine restrictions remain on the transport of ʻōhiʻa from Hawai`i Island due to the fungal plant disease, rapid ʻōhiʻa death (ROD), which is devastating to native forests. The Merrie Monarch Festival takes place in Hilo from April 20 to 26.

    The quarantine has been in place since 2015 and restricts the movement of ʻōhiʻa plants and plant parts, including flowers, leaves, seeds, stems, twigs, cuttings, untreated wood, logs, mulch, green waste and frass (sawdust from boring insects) and any soil from Hawai`i Island. Even if the ʻōhiʻa originated from another island, it may not be transported off of the island. Transport of such items is only allowed with a permit issued by the HDOA Plant Quarantine Branch (PQB).

    PQB inspectors will be stationed at airports in Hilo and Kona on Sunday and Monday, April 27 and 28, to collect any ʻōhiʻa material, which will be respectfully returned to the native forests on Hawai‘i Island. During last year’s Merrie Monarch travel period, Hilo PQB inspectors intercepted 27 lei poʻo (head lei).

    At the event, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience will provide hoʻihoʻi baskets to collect any ʻōhiʻa. Baskets will also be stationed at the Hilo and Kona airport PQB offices.

    A travel alert flyer has been posted on the HDOA website at: https://hdoa.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/ROD-Travel-Alert-Sign-12x18_09_FINAL.pdf

    The Hawaiʻi Board of Agriculture issued an emergency quarantine in August 2015 to stop the spread of the plant fungus from Hawaiʻi Island to other islands. A permanent quarantine rule was established in 2016. Any person who violates the quarantine rule may be charged with a misdemeanor and fined not less than $100 with a maximum fine of $10,000. For a second offense committed within five years of a prior conviction under this rule, the person or organization shall be fined not less than $500 and not more than $25,000.

    The Merrie Monarch Festival draws dozens of hula hālau and hundreds of spectators to Hawai‘i Island. It is important to note that the very act of harvesting ʻōhiʻa may spread the disease, as spores may be carried in soil and by harvesting tools, vehicles, shoes and clothing to uninfected areas.

    ROD was first noticed in 2010 in Puna. In 2014, the fungus was initially identified as Ceratocystis fimbriata by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Daniel K. Inouye Agricultural Research Service. Recent research has reclassified Ceratocystis fimbriata into two distinct species that are new to science, Ceratocystis lukuohia and Ceratocystis huliohia. It is estimated that at least one million ʻōhiʻa trees have been killed by ROD just on Hawai‘i Island alone.

    The disease was detected on Kauaʻi in 2018 and on O‘ahu in 2019. Also in 2019, one ʻōhiʻa tree on Maui was infected and destroyed and ROD has not been detected on the island since. It is not known how or where the disease entered the state.

    Travelers seeking more inspection information may contact HDOA’s Plant Quarantine offices:

    Hilo – 808-961-9393                       Honolulu – 808-837-8413
    Kona – 808-326-1077                     Maui – 808-872-3848
    Kauaʻi – 808-241-7135

    More information on ROD may be found at:

    # # #

    lei poʻo turned in at Hilo airport

    Ohia inspection at Hilo International Airport

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Festival “Polytechnic Graduates to Students”: friendly advice and useful experience

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    The third one was held at SPbPU festival “Polytechnic graduates – to students” organized by the Center for Fundraising and Work with Alumni. The new meeting brought new emotions: the speakers shared memories of their studies and first work experience, gave valuable advice to the younger generation, entertained them with quizzes and gave gifts for correct answers.

    The meeting was opened by Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Communication Technologies Maxim Pasholikov.

    “Today’s festival brought together graduates from 2006 to 2024, many of whom are active members of the Polytechnic Ambassadors community,” said Maxim Pasholikov. “It is important for students to communicate with the ambassadors as with senior colleagues who have already established themselves in their fields of activity, but are still quite young and have not yet reached the heights of their careers. Each such meeting brings new useful acquaintances, some of the students find a place for a future internship or work. Graduates, from the height of their experience, can draw the attention of the guys to knowledge and skills that are especially relevant when applying for a job and at work. Graduates are also interested in watching and listening to each other. This is how joint projects, ideas and undertakings are formed, which unite different people under the auspices of the Polytechnic.”

    This time, the students had ten guests — ten interesting speakers with their unique stories of professional development in various fields of activity — from work in government agencies to their own business. For example, shipbuilding was represented by the head of the production preparation bureau of the chief technologist department of the Kronstadt Marine Plant, a 2014 graduate Dmitry Gomonov and project manager at Severnaya Verf, 2017 graduate Georgy Kremlev.

    Also connected with this area is the work of 2016 graduate Evgeniya Lastochkina – she is an engineer in the laboratory “Metal Science of Steels with Special Physical Properties” of the scientific and production complex “Structural Steels and Functional Materials for Marine Engineering” of the Central Research Institute of Structural Materials “Prometey” of the National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”.

    “Polytech was my first step on my adult life path,” said Evgeniya. “It was Polytech that contributed to the fact that I now work in such a cool company. I thank the university for giving me the opportunity to gain knowledge that I apply in production. And the best way to practice communication skills is… on business trips.”

    Evgeniya continues her studies – now in postgraduate studies in the field of “Materials Technology”. In science, she deals with low-magnetic steels, but she tries to develop not only in this area, for example, she tried herself as a lecturer during thematic shifts for high school students, which are organized by the Kurchatov Institute.

    Yaroslav Velikiy, a 2024 graduate and senior engineer at the Setl Stroy testing laboratory of the Setl Group holding, is also studying in the Polytechnic’s postgraduate program. He got a job in 2022 and simultaneously studied for a master’s degree. Having told the guys about his company, Yaroslav told them how to get an internship there.

    The IT sphere was represented by Kirill Vasiliev, Head of the New Business Projects Practice “Corporate Entrepreneur” of Gazpromneft – Information Technology Operator, 2011 graduate, and Ksenia Saitova, IT recruiter of Positive Technologies, 2020 graduate. Speaking about her career experience, Ksenia emphasized that it was her active student life at the Polytechnic that helped her find a job, write a resume, solve various cases and write projects.

    “It seems to me that my generation was less conscious in choosing a university, then there was propaganda that a diploma was not so important, but I can say that this is not entirely true. It is not so important to get an education in the right field, the foundation that the university provides is important,” Ksenia believes. “The Polytechnic University has a lot of opportunities, many student organizations, where some guys then come to work. I graduated from the Humanities Institute, the Advertising and Public Relations program, received relevant modern knowledge, we were given the opportunity to do an internship in large companies. As far as I know, the university still holds a Career Forum, this is also very helpful.”

    Denis Lykov, Class of 2014, Lean Manufacturing and Supply Chain Manager at H

    Head of the Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Instrumentation and Automation Systems Sector of the Operations Department of the Restoration and Storage Center (RSC) “Staraya Derevnya” of the State Hermitage Museum Kirill Tambovtsev introduced himself as a “Polytechnic graduate of 2004, 2006, 2011 and 2023.” This is not his first time participating in the festival, and he structured his current performance in the form of questions and answers. The quiz was well received by the audience, as it allowed some of them to show off their knowledge (or intuition) and win prizes.

    While most of the speakers talked about their careers in hired work, 2007 graduate Andrey Sharkov and 2014 graduate Alexander Kiyanitsa shared their entrepreneurial experience. Andrey Sharkov is known as the founder of a chocolate manufacturing company, and now he has a new business – glamping.

    No matter what anyone says about the importance of education and each discipline, until you encounter real tasks, it will be an abstraction. Therefore, you need to start some activity as soon as possible to understand how these disciplines work in real life, and not in theory. Then you will be able to make a conscious focus on those disciplines that are most important to you, interesting and in demand by the market, – Andrey believes.

    Unlike Andrey, who started doing business while still a student, engineer Alexander Kiyanitsa first graduated with honors from the electromechanical faculty of the Polytechnic University, then worked for a company for hire for several years, and only in 2017, in partnership with several colleagues (also Polytechnic students), he founded a company for the development and production of household electrical appliances-electricity storage devices VOLTS. Having analyzed and systematized his experience, he shared with students his conclusions that will help future entrepreneurs avoid mistakes. For example: start working for hire as early as possible in the field in which the student plans to do business. This really helped me get a feel for this industry, understand where I want to develop, in what specific context, and where to move next, – says Alexander.

    The second is to fight the inner perfectionist. Time is fast now, and speed greatly affects the final result. We fell into the trap when we wanted to make the most perfect product possible, we were afraid to bring it to the market. This is a typical mistake. The faster you bring the product, the faster you will understand whether the market needs it.

    Third, look for investors at exhibitions. Exhibitions helped us, especially international ones, in which we actively participated, exhibited the product, and this helped us attract money. Once at an exhibition in Helsinki, we invited a representative of the Emirates Fund, and we were invited to the Emirates, we opened a representative office there, received investments, and now it is a fairly powerful hub for work on the world market.

    Fourth, be patient and move step by step systematically towards the goals you set for yourself.

    This year, the Polytechnic University Graduates to Students festival had a new host — a first-year student of the GI (jurisprudence), a member of the youth council of the Dobro.Center “Harmony” Artem Kuzmin. He coped with the task perfectly and later shared his impressions: By the will of fate, I became the host of the festival, which I did not know before. And I am happy that I was able to meet such outstanding graduates, who were also students not long ago and achieved such heights. I got an exceptional experience and heard living motivational stories that inspire. I was simply charged with success and study, thanks to the organizers.

    Photo archive

    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: “BioTech-2025”: Scientists Discuss Innovations in Biotechnology

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    The 2nd All-Russian scientific and practical conference with international participation “BioTech-2025” was held at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.

    Guests from Kazan, Ulan-Ude, Tambov, Yekaterinburg, Kaliningrad and the Republic of Belarus gathered at the Higher School of Biotechnology and Food Production of the Institute of Biomedical Systems and Biotechnology. An excursion to the SPbPU History Museum was organized for them.

    The participants were greeted by the Director of the Institute of Biotechnology and Biotechnology Andrey Vasin, who noted that biotechnology is one of the priority areas of scientific and technological development of the country, therefore the specialty of biotechnologist is very popular among applicants.

    The Chairperson of the Organizing Committee, Director of the Higher School of Biotechnology and Food Production Yulia Bazarnova emphasized that the exchange of experience and knowledge between young specialists will accelerate the development of innovative solutions and technologies, and that such meetings contribute to the birth of new ideas and projects.

    Leading researchers in the field of food security, biomedicine and environmental biotechnology, as well as representatives of the conference partners, the companies Alkor Bio and Partiya Eda, spoke at the plenary session.

    Oksana Pavlova, associate professor of Grodno State University, spoke about the long-term cooperation between Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno. She noted that the long-term experience of interaction confirms the high efficiency in the development of the international educational space and indicates significant potential for further expansion of scientific and pedagogical exchange formats.

    Irina Cheglakova, Head of the Department for the Development of Biologically Active Supplements at Alkor Bio Group of Companies, presented the development prospects for one of the areas of the modern food industry and medicine — the creation and production of dietary supplements. Irina Potoroko, Professor at the South Ural State University, gave a report on food security.

    Several final reports were made by SPbPU scientists. Professor of the Higher School of Social and Economics Marina Karpenko spoke about the various effects of manganese, which is toxic, but at the same time a vital microelement for human health and development. Prospects and methods of using microalgae to solve environmental problems were presented by Professor of the Higher School of Social and Economics Natalia Politaeva. She spoke about a method for obtaining biohydrogen from spent microalgae, which were previously used to purify wastewater from the food industry. According to experts, this approach will simultaneously provide access to renewable environmentally friendly fuel and reduce the impact of industrial wastewater on the environment.

    In conclusion, leading technologists of the Food Party company, graduates of the Higher School of Business and Food Safety Vladimir Gnilitsky and Kristina Bogdanova shared their experience in the development of new dishes and the introduction of the latest methods of processing products to preserve their freshness.

    In addition, meetings of the sections “Food Systems and Nutrition”, “Molecular and Cellular Biotechnology”, “Biotechnology for Plant Growing”, “Methods of Molecular Diagnostics and Environmental Biotechnology” were held.

    The conference moderator, senior lecturer at the Higher School of Business and Public Policy Anna Sevastyanova, emphasized that the event provides a unique opportunity for young scientists to get acquainted with the experience of experienced researchers – professors, associate professors and leading employees of various scientific organizations.

    It was interesting to listen to the reports on various problems related to biotesting of different environments: air, water and soil. After the presentations, it became clear that microalgae are a certain “favorite” in this topic. The use of biotechnology to increase crop yields and product quality also aroused keen interest. I would like to thank the organizers for the opportunity to exchange experiences, – shared 4th year student Andrey Voynov.

    Based on the results of the conference, a collection of materials will be compiled.

    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-Evening Report: What was HMNZS Manawanui doing before it sank? Calls for greater transparency

    By Susana Leiataua, RNZ National presenter

    There are calls for greater transparency about what the HMNZS Manawanui was doing before it sank in Samoa last October — including whether the New Zealand warship was performing specific security for King Charles and Queen Camilla.

    The Manawanui grounded on the reef off the south coast of Upolu in bad weather on 5 October 2024 before catching fire and sinking. Its 75 crew and passengers were safely rescued.

    The Court of Inquiry’s final report released on 4 April 2025 found human error and a long list of “deficiencies” grounded the $100 million vessel on the Tafitoala Reef, south of Upolu, where it caught fire and sank.

    Equipment including weapons and ammunition continue to be removed from the vessel as its future hangs in the balance.

    The Court of Inquiry’s report explains the Royal New Zealand Navy was asked by “CHOGM Command” to conduct “a hydrographic survey of the area in the vicinity of Sinalei whilst en route to Samoa”.

    When it grounded on the Tafitoala Reef, the ship was following orders received from Headquarters Joint Forces New Zealand. The report incorrectly calls it the “Sinalei Reef”.

    Sinalei is the name of the resort which hosted King Charles and Queen Camilla for CHOGM — the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting — which began in Samoa 19 days after the Manawanui sank from 25-26 October 2024. The Royals arrived two days before CHOGM began.

    Support of CHOGM
    Speaking at the release of the court’s final report, Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding described the Manawanui’s activity on the south coast of Upolu.

    “So the operation was done in support of CHOGM — a very high-profile security activity on behalf of a nation, so it wasn’t just a peacetime operation,” he said.

    “It was done in what we call rapid environmental assessment so we were going in and undertaking something that we had to do a quick turnaround of that information so it wasn’t a deliberate high grade survey. It was a rapid environmental assessment so it does come with additional complexity and it did have an operational outcome. It’s just, um you know, we we are operating in complex environments.

    “It doesn’t say that we did everything right and that’s what the report indicates and we just need to get after fixing those mistakes and improving.”

    Sinalei Resort . . . where the royal couple were hosted. Image: Dominic Godfrey/RNZ Pacific

    The report explained the Manawanui was tasked with “conducting the Sinalei survey task” “to survey a defined area of uncharted waters.” But Pacific security fellow at Victoria University’s Centre for Strategic Studies at Victoria University Iati Iati questions what is meant by “in support of the upcoming CHOGM”.

    “All we’ve been told in the report is that it was to support CHOGM. What that means is unclear. I think that needs to be explained. I think it also needs to be explained to the Samoan people, who initiated this.

    “Whether it was just a New Zealand initiative. Whether it was done for CHOGM by the CHOGM committee or whether it was something that involved the Samoa government,” Iati said.

    What-for questions
    “So a lot of the, you know, who was behind this and the what-for questions haven’t been answered.”

    Iati said CHOGM’s organising committee included representatives from Samoa as well as New Zealand.

    “But who exactly initiated that additional task which I think is on paragraph 37 of the report after the ship had sailed, the extra task was then confirmed. Who initiated that I’m not sure and I think that needs to be explained. Why it was confirmed after the sailing that also needs to be explained.

    “In terms of security, I guess the closest we can come to is the fact that you know King Charles was staying on that side and Sinalei Reef. It may have something to do with that but this is just really unclear at the moment and I think all those questions need to be addressed.”

    The wreck of the Manawanui lies 2.1 nautical miles — 3.89km — from the white sandy beach of the presidential suite at Sinalei Resort where King Charles and Queen Camilla stayed during CHOGM.

    Just over the fence from the Royals’ island residence, Royal New Zealand Navy divers were coming and going from the sunken vessel in the early days of their recovery operation, and now salvors and the navy continue to work from there.

    AUT Law School professor Paul Myburgh said the nature of the work the Manawanui was carrying out when it ran aground on the reef has implications for determining compensation for people impacted by its sinking.

    Sovereign immunity
    “Historically, if it was a naval vessel that was the end of the story. You could never be sued in normal courts about anything that happened on board a naval vessel. But nowadays, of course, governmental vessels are often involved in commercial activity as well,” he said.

    “So we now have what we call the restrictive theory of sovereign immunity which states that if you are involved in commercial or ordinary activity that is non-governmental you are subject to the jurisdiction of the courts, so this is why I’ve been wanting to get to the bottom of exactly what they were doing.

    “Who instructed whom and that sort of thing. And it seems to me that in line with the findings of the report all of this seems to have been done on a very adhoc basis.”

    RNZ first asked the New Zealand Defence Force detailed questions on Friday, April 11, but it declined to respond.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: More than a thousand Polytechnic employees have been trained in Astra Linux

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    The Polytechnic University has completed training for employees on the Astra Linux Special Edition 1.7 OS program, designed for novice users of the domestic operating system and those who are switching to it from Windows OS. The organizer is the Directorate of Continuing Education and Industry Partnership of SPbPU.

    More than 1,100 Polytechnic employees took part in the program, which confirms the high interest and relevance of the topic of transition to domestic software.

    The training has become a significant step in the digital transformation of the university. We strive to provide high-quality training for employees so that they can work confidently in the new conditions. In the near future, a second stream of training is planned, courses on Russian office packages and other opportunities within the framework of the Corporate Academy of the University project, – noted Vice-Rector for Continuing and Pre-University Education Dmitry Tikhonov.

    The training was conducted online with a flexible schedule for each participant. The course materials included interactive presentations, videos demonstrating processes in the system, as well as practical tasks and simulation cases.

    The Department of Multimedia Systems and Import Substitution actively supports the initiative of the Directorate of Continuing Education and Industry Partnership on the digital transformation of the Polytechnic University using domestic software.

    In parallel with the online course, we have created a special platform for practical training of skills in real conditions. Users can connect to remote workstations with the pre-installed Astra Linux operating system. This allows you to consolidate the acquired knowledge in an environment as close as possible to real professional activity and contributes to more effective mastering of domestic software, – emphasized the head of the Department of Multimedia Systems and Import Substitution Alexey Chernetsov.

    The transition to Astra Linux is connected with the implementation of the state strategy to ensure technological sovereignty and reject imported solutions. For universities, this is especially important not only as users, but also as scientific and educational organizations that shape the digital culture in the country. Mastering the new operating system allows employees to work in a safe, modern environment that meets the requirements for information protection and digital independence.

    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: “The World Is Becoming More Complex and Less Predictable”: What Scientists Say About the Future

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    The future is now more difficult for researchers to predict, and events that are less predictable are becoming increasingly important. But there is good news: scientists are convinced that humanity will adapt to any changes. This was discussed at the conference that was launched as part of XXV Yasinsky (April) International Scientific Conference International Symposium “Foresight in a rapidly changing world“.

    Rapid technological progress, alarming climate change, rapid digitalization, rising inflation and stagflation are causing major changes. “The world is becoming more complex and less predictable,” said a leading expert Foresight Center ISSEK HSE University Yulia Milshina. According to her, rapid changes cause nervousness and depression among the population. Some researchers associate their emergence with the development of digital technologies and a sense of insecurity.

    “The digital transformation of education and labor systems is not keeping up with the times, creating a mismatch between human capital and market demands,” says Yulia Milshina. Demographic statistics are also alarming. “The increase in the age of the population, in contrast to its size, in developed countries poses a threat to the pension and health care systems,” she adds.

    At the same time, there has been an exponential growth in the number of scientific publications devoted to the so-called wild cards (random factors) recently. These include poorly predictable events that may prove to be extremely important. An early warning system for such random events is important in order to formulate approaches to reducing the negative consequences of the implementation of wild cards, explained Yulia Milshina. If in 2022 there were more than 50 such events, then in 2025 there will be more than 300.

    The global financial crisis has served as a trigger for the research community to take low-probability, high-impact events more seriously, she stressed. Unpredictability makes traditional forecasting difficult. “Despite increased awareness, we remain vulnerable to unforeseen circumstances,” the expert notes. The new social world requires integrated strategies that can adapt to rapid developments. Therefore, more sophisticated tools are being developed “to anticipate, assimilate and adapt to such disruptive changes.”

    Senior Research Fellow Laboratories of Innovation Economy HSE ISSEK Alena Nefedova spoke about the system ifora — an intelligent platform for analyzing big data and megatrends, developed by the HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge.

    Among the megatrends that will influence the future, Alena Nefedova named climate change, increased attention to the physical and psycho-emotional state of a person, the transformation of the education system, and global changes in the labor market. At the same time, the development of interdisciplinary research is becoming very important in science itself, she emphasized.

    “Universities began interdisciplinary research in the mid-20th century in collaboration with industry. By the 1970s, interdisciplinarity was recognized as vital to strengthening universities as key players in innovation ecosystems,” Alena Nefedova noted. Digitalization is also increasingly influencing scientific activity. “We have virtual forums, we have virtual labs, we have international projects, we have an open science project, and this helps to exchange scientific data and developments,” she added.

    Fabienne Goux-Bodiment from the Research Center for the Future (France) noted that the world has changed dramatically. “One of the catalysts for these changes is carbon. We see that large-scale use of carbon leads to global warming and climate change. Another catalyst is silicon. Thanks to silicon, we have generative artificial intelligence, and it can compete with humans,” she said. And finally, the third important trend that is currently observed, according to Fabienne Goux-Bodiment, is general chaos. In particular, it is noticeable in the economy and geopolitics. But change is “not some kind of anomaly, it is a natural process of human evolution and, in fact, life in general,” she reassured. Society is thus evolving, and technology accelerates this evolution. We can move, “make a quantum leap into a completely new state,” the researcher is sure. “One world essentially dies, and a new world appears, albeit not immediately,” says Fabienne Goux-Bodiment. But because we have resistance to change, this process slows down. However, we are still entering an era of acceleration.

    The world will not be as we know it now, but this transition does not mean the end of humanity, says the futurologist. “First, it is not the first time that humanity has gone through major changes. Second, the human race as a whole adapts quickly. In addition, this time we know what is happening. We are aware of it. This means that we can do something,” Fabienne Goux-Bodiment reassured.

    Now, according to the researcher, a new mentality is being formed. “More and more people recognize that the way we think, manage and produce goods no longer meets the requirements of the times. This is not just some unnoticeable change. The younger generation is not just asking themselves what they want to do, but thinking about what kind of world they would like to create together with their like-minded people. “Pessimism is not a solution. We must experiment, create new formats,” Fabienne Goux-Bodiment is sure.

    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: Students of the State University of Management held a seminar for the Day of United Actions in Memory of the Genocide of the Soviet People

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    On April 17, 2025, a seminar dedicated to the Day of United Actions in Memory of the Victims of the Genocide of the Soviet People by the Nazis and their Collaborators during the Great Patriotic War was held at the Institute of Economics and Finance of the State University of Management.

    This memorable date is celebrated throughout the country on April 19. It was on April 19, 1943 that the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was issued “On measures of punishment for German-fascist villains guilty of murder and torture of the Soviet civilian population and captured Red Army soldiers, for spies, traitors to the homeland from among Soviet citizens and for their accomplices.” This decree became the legal basis for investigative actions to establish the crimes of the Nazis against citizens of the Soviet Union.

    The Extraordinary State Commission for the Establishment and Investigation of the Crimes of the Nazi Invaders collected 250,000 testimonies about the occupiers’ crimes and compiled 56,000 reports on them. It was calculated that the enemy destroyed 1,710 cities and towns, burned more than 70,000 villages, and destroyed about 6 million buildings, thus depriving 25 million people of shelter. The damage to the national economy of the USSR amounted to 679 billion rubles.

    Today it is especially important to preserve the memory of the victims of that war, in order to prevent the development of neo-fascism. For this purpose, the IFE held a thematic seminar in the form of reports by first-year students on the eve of the memorable date. A total of nine reports were made at the seminar.

    The first of them was dedicated to the unofficial symbol of fascist atrocities against the civilian population – the village of Khatyn, burned down along with all its inhabitants. In her report “Khatyn: An Unhealed Wound of the Belarusian Land”, student Alla Korobkova spoke about the terrible events of the spring of 1943. Each time, talking about the tragedy of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War, the students also recalled modern events, because exactly 81 years after the Khatyn tragedy, on March 22, 2024, a terrible terrorist attack occurred in the Crocus City Hall.

    The echo of modern times was also heard in the report by Elizaveta Kotova and Diana Popova, “The Feat of Youth in the Fight against Genocide of the Peoples of the USSR.” In their report, the girls told about the feat of the Young Guard. Krasnodon, where the guys lived and fought the fascists, is still in the frontline zone today. Diana Popova noted after the seminar: “The event dedicated to the victims of genocide makes us think about the heroism and responsibility of the Soviet people. Its unity and endurance should still find a response in the hearts of people and especially the younger generation.”

    Mikhail Semakov Mikhail in his report “Babi Yar Concentration Camp: Symbol of Nazi Terror in the Occupied Territory of the USSR” spoke about the terrible tragedy of 1941, when the Nazis and local collaborators shot about 150 thousand people, with more than 30 thousand people killed in the first two days of mass shootings.

    Anna Feshchenko and Anna Evtyukhina in their report drew attention to the living conditions of civilians in the occupied lands: hunger, terror and deprivation. During the discussion of the report, the children recalled the Salaspils children’s concentration camp – a blood factory, where about 3,500 liters of blood were pumped out of children kept in inhumane conditions over three years.

    In addition to stories about the atrocities of the fascists, the children noted the fortitude and heroism of the Soviet people. Thus, Nikolai Stroyev in his report “Resistance and Survival: How Soviet Citizens Fought Genocide During the Great Patriotic War” noted the fact that genocide did not break the Soviet people, but on the contrary, raised them to fight the invaders.

    Dmitry Kamchatov and Diana Mikhailova spoke about the trial of fascist ideologists at the Nuremberg Trials. Diana Mikhailova noted: “The students conveyed important historical information with dignity, awakening deep respect for the past. The event left a strong impression and emphasized the need to preserve the memory of tragic events.”

    The seminar continues the series of events held by the IEF for the 80th anniversary of the Victory. Students noted the importance of the meetings. Dmitry Kamchatov said: “Events of a social and educational nature are in demand more than ever. The very fact of holding such meetings shows the involvement of students in cultural programs. During today’s meeting, speakers and listeners mastered important material on the topic. It is worth noting the active participation of the IEF Directorate in the discussion and coverage of this topic in the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland.”

    Let us recall that last week we celebrated the Day of Liberation of Prisoners of Nazi Concentration Camps.

    The crimes committed by the fascist occupiers have no statute of limitations, and we have no right to forget them.

    #Scientific regiment

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 04/18/2025

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Complex Russia: HSE scientists present index of economic complexity of state financial support

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    Industrial policy is becoming one of the important instruments of structural change in the world to increase the competitiveness of national economies. In order to assess what kind of state support certain sectors receive, Yuri Simachev and Anna Fedyunina from Center for Structural Policy Research HSE University has developed an index of economic complexity of state financial support. The study is presented at XXV Yasinsky (April) International Scientific Conference.

    The conference included a round table discussion entitled “New Industrial Policy: Between Technological Sovereignty and International Cooperation”. Experts from universities and research centers discussed the report by Anna Fedyunina and Yuri Simachev entitled “Priorities and Instruments of Modern Industrial Policy: Subsidies for a Complex Economy”.

    The study notes that attention to the implementation of active industrial policy has increased significantly worldwide, which has become an important tool for increasing the competitiveness of national economies. Thus, references to industrial policy in the media have increased 8 times since the 2000s. The authors note that the most important prerequisites for increased attention to industrial policy instruments are increased competition between developed and developing countries in the markets for complex products, regionalization and expanded use of trade protection instruments, and strengthening of the tasks of technological sovereignty.

    Scholars define modern industrial policy as an attempt by the state to facilitate the flow of resources into specific sectors that the state considers important for future economic growth. In addition, industrial policy aims to improve the business environment and/or the structure of economic activity by sector, technology, and should ensure that, through intervention, the prospects for economic growth and public good are better than those without such intervention.

    It is important that developed countries, contrary to popular belief, also actively use industrial policy. The share of such measures in trade policy increased in developed economies from 11% in 2010 to 53% in 2022, and in emerging market and developing countries — from 9 to 22%. Subsidies have become the key instrument of industrial policy; today, they account for about half of all measures formalized in regulations. Moreover, subsidies are used more often by developed countries, since they have greater financial resources. OECD countries spend an average of 1.4% of GDP on grants and tax breaks and an additional 1.8% of GDP on financial instruments: loans, guarantees, and investments (of which 1.1% of GDP is accounted for by export financing programs).

    Yuri Simachev and Anna Fedyunina developed an index of economic complexity of state financial support (IESFS), which reflects the complexity of product groups/activities receiving state support: the higher the IESFS, the more technologically complex the sectors supported. The study showed that, in general, those countries with a more complex economy tend to provide more assistance to relatively simple (within the country’s economy) sectors for the purpose of equalization and greater sustainability, while those countries with a simpler (less competitive) economy are more motivated to develop more complex sectors.

    Russia is characterized by the highest relative complexity of state support (which is comparable with Vietnam and China) in the group of countries with similar economic complexity. Iran, under sanctions, has placed its bets on developing its own technologies. Mexico and Malaysia are among those lagging behind in the “complexity” of state support, since their economies are connecting and use the effects of friend-shoring (transfer of production activities from other countries). For the United States, with its leadership in economic complexity, support for relatively simple sectors that provide employment (for example, metallurgy) is politically significant.

    “Developed countries are redistributing the rents of technological leadership to achieve sectoral convergence, while emerging market countries are trying to find new sectoral and technological opportunities for rapid growth to escape the middle-income trap and reduce the distance with leading countries,” the researchers conclude.

    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.

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Cybersecurity Day at Polytechnic University

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University became a platform for a rich program in the field of information security and digital technologies. Polytechnic was visited by representatives of companies from the Educational League of Vendors — Positive Technologies and Cyberprotect.

    Director of the IT and BA SEC Gazprom Neft Irina Rudskaya, Director of the Higher School of Business Engineering Igor Ilyin and Acting Director of the Higher School of Public Administration Olga Nadezhina met with representatives of the Cyberprotect company – Head of the Educational Department Yulia Chernikina and Lead Manager for Work with Educational Organizations Sarkis Shmavonyan. The guests got acquainted with the work of the Scientific and Educational Center and discussed prospects for cooperation.

    Also on this day, events for students were held in the Polytechnic Tower.

    Positive Technologies held a lecture and master class from the head of educational projects of the company Dmitry Fedorov. Cyberprotect organized a lecture, which was given by the HR director Elena Kalatsey and Sarkis Shmavonyan.

    We are sincerely glad to see representatives of leading IT companies within the walls of the Polytechnic University. Cooperation with Cyberprotect, Positive Technologies and other participants of the Educational League of Vendors helps to create a lively and rich educational environment in which students can not only gain knowledge, but also build a career in interaction with the professional community. I thank my colleagues for the visit, warm communication and inspiring lectures. I am sure that many new joint initiatives await us ahead, – noted Irina Rudskaya.

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: From Theory to Practice: SKB Kontur and NSU Will Open the Door to the World of IT Technologies for Students

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    The Rector of Novosibirsk National Research State University Mikhail Fedoruk and the Operations Director of SKB Kontur Svetlana Strelnikova took part in the ceremonial signing of the cooperation agreement.

    The partnership between SKB Kontur and NSU is an opportunity to exchange experience, knowledge, hold conferences, presentations and other events in the IT sphere. The agreement also gives students the opportunity to immerse themselves in a real IT environment: practices, internships, mentoring from company specialists and participation in joint projects.

    Students of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics and the Faculty of Information Technology are already taking the course C developed by Kontur

    Svetlana Strelnikova, Operations Director of SKB Kontur:

    — The agreement is a new stage of our cooperation. I am sure that it will become the basis for expanding our joint projects in the field of education and scientific and technical cooperation. SKB Kontur is always happy to welcome young specialists. We do not stand still, but grow and develop. This means that we are interested in participating in the training of talents, ready to share our knowledge and experience with them. Cooperation with NSU will allow us to cultivate highly qualified specialists, many of whom, I hope, will join our team in the future.

    Mikhail Fedoryuk, Rector of Novosibirsk National Research State University:

    — Novosibirsk University has traditionally been a “training ground” for the country’s scientific system, and close cooperation with the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences has helped us successfully cope with this task. In recent years, we have been actively developing new areas of training personnel for the manufacturing sector of the economy – specialists in information technology and artificial intelligence, robotics and space instrumentation, etc. In this work, we use a similar approach, developing cooperation with companies – leaders in various sectors of the economy, which improves the quality of training of our graduates and their demand in the market. The agreement with SKB Kontur is another important stage in the implementation of this strategy for us.

    Since 2008, SKB Kontur has been actively developing IT education: it pays grants and scholarships, conducts internships and organizes classes at the industrial development school. Together with the Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin, it is modernizing the Fundamental Informatics and Information Technology, Digital Humanities, as well as the educational programs Business Informatics and Digital Technologies in Business. Together with ITMO University, it is developing additional education programs, conducting internships and scholarship competitions for the best students of the university.

    The partnership between SKB Kontur and NSU is a new step in the development of IT education, aimed at solving the problem of personnel shortage for the Digital Economy.

    The signing took place within the framework of the thirteenth conference “Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language” (AINL), which is being held at NSU this year. AINL is the largest Eastern European conference on artificial intelligence and text processing.

    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: HICOOL 2025 sets records in projects registration, participants

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    The HICOOL 2025 Global Entrepreneurship Competition has hit a new milestone, attracting 10,055 startup projects and 13,150 participants from 139 countries and regions – a 36% increase from last year in both projects and participants.
    This year’s competition has expanded from seven to 12 tracks, with high-tech sectors like integrated circuits, quantum information, and 5G/6G elevated to top-level categories. Notably, entries in the integrated circuits track more than doubled, up 107% year on year.
    International participation continues to grow, with 5,588 projects, or 56% of the total, submitted from overseas. A total of 3,886 foreign participants registered, many of whom graduated from top universities around the world such as MIT, Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, Peking University, and Tsinghua University.
    The competition kicks off in May and June, with preliminary rounds held in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Over the coming months, startups will compete through multiple rounds, with 200 winners ultimately selected across various award categories.
    Since its launch in 2020, HICOOL has become a platform for discovering and supporting global entrepreneurial talent. To date, it has helped incubate 16 unicorns as well as 157 specialized and sophisticated enterprises that produce new and unique products, and supported 154 winning projects in raising over 44.6 billion yuan (US$6.11 billion) in follow-up funding.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic at the expert platform of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia: strengthening Russian-African cooperation

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    The Polytechnic University took part in a strategic meeting of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation dedicated to the development of the Russian-African Network University (RAFU). Representatives of the Polytechnic University presented a report on the activities of the consortium, noting key achievements and plans to strengthen cooperation with African countries. The meeting was held in the board room of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia with the participation of more than 50 RAFU universities, including Moscow State University, MGIMO, RUDN University, MPEI, RSUH, MGRI.

    Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Konstantin Mogilevsky emphasized the role of SPbPU in the development of the project in his speech: Two years ago, at the Russia-Africa economic forum, the baton of coordinating RAFU was passed to St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. During this time, the consortium has made a qualitative leap: today it includes 90 Russian and 45 African organizations from 15 countries. The Summer Multidisciplinary University, which we are holding for the fourth time, has become a key project. However, it is important to move forward – to develop higher education programs, network formats and double degrees. SPbPU, which has serious experience in this area, can become a driver of such changes.

    Vice-Rector for International Affairs of SPbPU Dmitry Arsenyev focused on the transformation of RAFU into a multifunctional platform: We consider RAFU not only as an educational project, but also as a tool for accessing scientific, personnel and youth resources. Over two years, we have managed to expand the geography, create a working project office and hold dozens of events. The next step is the integration of network programs and quotas, which will enhance the practical benefits of the consortium for Russian-African relations.

    Head of the RAFU project office Maksym Zalyvsky presented the consortium’s achievements. An important step was the update RAFU website, which has evolved into a working tool with 14 sections, an online catalog of 120 courses, and regularly updated news. To promote the consortium brand, RAFU days were held in Mali and Morocco, where information centers were opened, as well as large-scale sessions at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Youth Festival, and the Russia-Africa Summit.

    Maxim Zalyvskiy paid special attention to the Summer Multidisciplinary University of RAFU, which in four years has increased the number of participants from 100 to 300 people, and the geography – from 10 to 33 countries. The program has shifted focus from cultural and historical tracks to professional internships and advanced training with the participation of industrial partners, such as the Mali Artificial Intelligence Center. In 2025, 20 educational programs are planned, some of which will be associated with a project dedicated to the development of a concept for reforming higher engineering education in Mali. Russian universities are participating in the development of a concept for the creation and curricula of educational programs for the new Polytechnic University of Bandiagara in priority areas of development of Mali. The speaker especially noted the initiative creation of network master’s programs with universities in Egypt, Algeria, Zimbabwe and other countries, as well as the development of ten joint Russian-African projects in 2024, which the Russian Ministry of Education and Science annually supports with grants.

    The participants of the meeting discussed initiatives to allocate quotas for African students within the framework of network programs and the significant role of the project in developing cooperation with African countries. They emphasized the importance of RAFU as an effective tool for interaction and made proposals for optimizing the consortium’s work aimed at increasing its practical impact.

    The universities participating in RAFU highly appreciated the work of SPbPU as the coordinator of the consortium. Polytechnic will continue to expand the partner network and introduce new formats of cooperation aimed at the sustainable development of the regions of Russia and Africa.

    Summing up the meeting, Konstantin Mogilevsky proposed creating scientific laboratories for assessing colonial damage on the basis of leading universities participating in the RAFU consortium — a project capable of strengthening the expert status of the association. The participants also agreed to hold regular meetings of the RAFU presidium to develop strategic decisions, operational planning and strengthen partnerships with African countries.

    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.

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: GUU and “Small Business of Moscow”: opportunities for future entrepreneurs

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    On April 17, 2025, students of the State University of Management met with representatives of the business lounge of the State Budgetary Institution “Small Business of Moscow” Nadya Oleynikova and Alexey Nekrasov.

    The event was held within the framework of the agreement between the State University of Management and the Museum of Entrepreneurs, Patrons and Philanthropists (Moscow). The organizers were the Project Start club of the Department of Industrial Organization Management with the support of the project office of the Institute of Industry Management and the management of the institute.

    Businessman Alexey Nekrasov spoke about the opportunities of the organization “Small Business of Moscow” for small and medium-sized businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs, which, with the support of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovative Development of Moscow, allow children to organize their startups and begin their path in business. This information interested many students.

    The guys also talked to Nadya Oleynikova, a former producer of Channel One, speaker and moderator of federal and regional platforms, lecturer at the Russian State Social University and co-author of the book “Women’s Business”. Nadya told how she got to Channel One, became an organizer of the Olympic Games, created her own business on maternity leave, overcame her fears and became a federal speaker and the best lecturer. Her inspiring story of victories and failures left a bright mark in the hearts of the event participants.

    At the end of the meeting, the children asked their questions to the speakers and talked to them personally.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 04/18/2025

    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: From a project competition to university development: GUU students discussed plans for 2025

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    On April 16, the State University of Management held a General Conference of Students, where projects were presented for participation in the All-Russian Competition of Youth Projects among Higher Education Institutions in 2025 from Rosmolodezh.

    About 300 representatives of student government, including members of the GUU Youth Committee, the Student Council, and the headman, got acquainted with fourteen projects that will be presented as part of a comprehensive application from the State University of Management.

    In addition to the presentation of projects, the participants discussed the key tasks of the formation and development of an educational organization within the framework of youth policy and educational work of the State University of Management.

    As a result, the following criteria were identified within the target model:

    an increase in the proportion of student activists at the University; an increase in the number of traditional events that promote the development of a sense of belonging to the history and culture of the University; an increase in the number of foreign students involved, as well as full-time and part-time students, in the University’s events; an updated infrastructure of the University that meets modern requirements not only of educational standards, but also promotes the development of youth initiatives; improving intercultural and interethnic interaction among University students, drawing attention to the culture and traditions of the regions of Russia; an increase in the proportion of students involved in volunteer projects and in systematic physical education and sports.

    We express our gratitude to everyone who showed their social activity and took part in this significant event for all students, because all the goals and objectives are aimed at you, our dear students!

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 04/18/2025

    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.

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: The prospects for the development of investment and construction activities in Russia were discussed at the State University of Management

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    On April 16, the State University of Management hosted the annual round table “Prospects for the Development of Investment and Construction Activities in Russia”, organized by the Department of Economics and Management in Construction with the participation of the NP NO TCA.

    The event was attended by representatives of small and medium-sized businesses in the investment and construction sector, heads of engineering, consulting companies and the Scientific and Research Center “Construction”.

    The round table included several sessions, including “Small and medium-sized businesses in construction: prospects and challenges” and “Experience and prospects of interaction between representatives of the real sector of the economy and the department: a practice-oriented approach, trends in the development of investment and construction activities and their impact on personnel training.”

    The official opening of the event began with a greeting to the participants of the round table from the Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, a graduate of the State University of Management Tatyana Ilyushnikova, in which she noted that the growth of small and medium-sized businesses in the investment and construction complex in recent years is associated with their high flexibility and rapid adaptation to modern economic conditions. The Deputy Minister emphasized that small and medium businesses are becoming an increasingly important sector of the economy and a key factor in the sustainability of regions.

    Andrey Tarakanov, Director of the Department for the Development of Small and Medium-Sized Entrepreneurship and Tax Incentives of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, spoke about the tasks of the SME sector for the period 2025-2030.

    “The President has set a goal: by 2030, real income per employee of small and medium-sized businesses should grow faster than GDP by 20%. This should be done by strengthening the role of small businesses in structural changes in the economy and in the development of the technological agenda,” noted Andrei Tarakanov.

    The President of the National Association of Technological and Price Auditors Anna Lupashko gave a report on the capabilities of the FGIS services “Unified Digital Platform “National Spatial Data System”.

    In the second session, the head of the Department of Economics and Management in Construction, Olga Astafieva, reflected on the experience of interaction between representatives of the real sector of the economy and the department.

    “As part of project-based learning, students perform work at the request of our partners. Today, the round table presented the results of the interaction between the Scientific and Research Center “Construction” and the department, within which our students developed a methodology for assessing the commercial potential of an innovative project in construction. Based on the methodology, it is possible to identify factors of project attractiveness, forecast project development opportunities, assess risks and possible financial losses,” Olga Astafieva noted.

    During the round table, it was emphasized that the implementation of such practices will allow the formation of practical skills and competencies in cooperation with companies in the investment and construction complex, including small and medium-sized businesses.

    At the end of the meeting, the participants noted the importance and necessity of developing the department’s educational programs: “Economics and Management of Investment and Construction Activities” (bachelor’s degree), “Management of Investment and Construction Business” and “Investment and Construction Business Engineering” (master’s degree) for the development and strengthening of human resources.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 04/18/2025

    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 China: Strongest evidence yet of possible life detected on distant exoplanet

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Astronomers have reported the strongest evidence to date of potential biological activity beyond our solar system, following the detection of key molecules in the atmosphere of the distant exoplanet K2-18b, located approximately 124 light-years from Earth.

    K2-18b – 8.6 times as massive and 2.6 times as large as Earth – orbits in the habitable zone of a cool red dwarf star in the constellation Leo. Previous studies had already revealed the presence of methane and carbon dioxide in its atmosphere.

    The latest findings, published Thursday in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, mark the first time carbon-based molecules have been identified in the atmosphere of an exoplanet located in a habitable zone.

    Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a team of astronomers led by the University of Cambridge detected the chemical fingerprints of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and/or dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) in the planet’s atmosphere. These sulfur-based compounds, on Earth, are produced exclusively by living organisms – primarily marine microbial life such as phytoplankton – making them promising biosignatures in the search for extraterrestrial life.

    While an unknown chemical process might be responsible for producing these molecules on K2-18b, the discovery represents the most compelling evidence so far that life could exist on a planet beyond our solar system.

    “Decades from now, we may look back at this point in time and recognize it was when the living universe came within reach,” said Professor Nikku Madhusudhan from Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy, who led the research. “This could be the tipping point, where suddenly the fundamental question of whether we’re alone in the universe is one we’re capable of answering.”

    Although the discovery marks a major milestone in astrobiology, scientists emphasize the importance of rigorous verification. Madhusudhan noted that while the findings are exciting, more data is needed before any claims about extraterrestrial life can be made.

    Currently, the observations have reached the “three-sigma” level of statistical significance, indicating only a 0.3 percent probability that the findings are due to chance. However, to meet the standard threshold for scientific discovery, the results must achieve five-sigma significance, reducing the chance to less than 0.00006 percent.

    Researchers estimate that an additional 16 to 24 hours of follow-up observation with JWST may be required to reach this benchmark.

    While cautiously optimistic, Madhusudhan acknowledged that unknown chemical processes on K2-18b could also explain the presence of DMS and DMDS. He and his colleagues plan to pursue further theoretical and experimental work to investigate whether these molecules could be produced non-biologically at the levels currently observed.

    “Our work is the starting point for all the investigations that are now needed to confirm and understand the implications of these exciting findings,” said co-author Savvas Constantinou, also from Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Labor’s poll surge continues in YouGov, but it’s barely ahead in Freshwater

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

    Labor increased its lead again in a YouGov poll, but Freshwater put the party ahead by just 50.3–49.7. This article also covers the final WA upper house results for the March 8 election.

    A national YouGov poll, conducted April 11–15 from a sample of 1,506, gave Labor a 53–47 lead, a 0.5-point gain for Labor since the April 4–10 YouGov poll. It’s Labor’s biggest lead in YouGov for 18 months. Primary votes were 33% Labor (up one), 33% Coalition (down 0.5), 7% One Nation (down 1.5), 2% Trumpet of Patriots (up one), 9% independents (steady) and 3% others (steady).

    Using 2022 election preference flows would give Labor about a 54.5–45.5 lead from these primary votes. YouGov is applying preference flows from its previous poll that was conducted from late February to late March.

    However, recent polls that use respondent preferences suggest the gap in the Coalition’s favour between respondent and 2022 preference flows has dropped to nearly zero. This means YouGov’s current preference assumptions may be too pro-Coalition. Analyst Kevin Bonham has more on this.

    In contrast to voting intentions, leaders’ ratings moved to Peter Dutton and against Anthony Albanese. Albanese’s net approval was down four points to -6, with 49% dissatisfied and 43% satisfied. Dutton’s net approval was up five points to -10. Albanese had a 48–38 better PM lead over Dutton (48–37 previously).

    I’ve said before that changes in leaders’ ratings may indicate the next change in voting intentions in a poll, though this doesn’t always follow.

    While YouGov shows Labor’s surge continuing, the Freshwater poll below only gave Labor a 50.3–49.7 lead. However, this was still a gain for Labor from the post-budget Freshwater poll. Freshwater has the Coalition primary vote at 39%, four points higher than in any other poll in the past week.

    Here is the poll graph. I’m using the unrounded two-party numbers for Freshwater’s last two polls, improving Labor from a 51–49 deficit in the post-budget poll to a 50.6–49.4 deficit. There’s a big difference between this week’s Freshwater and all other national polls taken in the past week.

    Freshwater poll has very narrow Labor lead

    A national Freshwater poll for The Financial Review, conducted April 14–16 from a sample of 1,062, had a 50–50 tie by respondent preferences, a one-point gain for Labor since the Freshwater poll conducted after the March 25 budget. Before rounding, Labor led by 50.3–49.7.

    Primary votes were unchanged at 39% Coalition, 32% Labor, 12% Greens and 17% for all Others. By 2022 election flows, this poll would give about a 50–50 tie.

    Albanese’s net approval was up one point to -10, while Dutton’s was steady at -11. Albanese led as preferred PM by 46–41 (46–45 previously).

    The Coalition’s lead over Labor on cost of living has been cut from a high of 14 points last October to two points in this poll. The Coalition held a 17-point lead on economic management last November, which has been reduced to six points. Cost of living remained the most important issue, with 73% citing it as a top issue.

    Resolve poll on tax and housing policies

    To gauge the popularity of Labor and the Coalition’s housing policy announcements at their April 13 campaign launches, a Resolve poll for Nine newspapers was conducted April 14–15 from a sample of 801. This poll didn’t report voting intentions, which were assessed in the April 9–13 Resolve poll.

    By 40–34, voters preferred Labor’s tax policy to the Coalition’s, which were both announced the week of the March 25 budget. By 40–27, they preferred Labor’s housing policy.

    JWS polls of Greens-held Brisbane seats

    The Greens hold three seats in Brisbane: Ryan (by 52.6–47.4 vs the Liberal National Party), Brisbane (by 53.7–46.3) and Griffith (by 60.5–39.5). The Poll Bludger reported Thursday that JWS polls for Australian Energy Producers gave the LNP a 57–43 lead over Labor in Ryan with the Greens a distant third on primary votes.

    In Brisbane, Labor led the LNP by 51–49 with the Greens once again a distant third. In Griffith, Labor led the LNP by 51–49, but the LNP led the Greens by 53–47.

    Seat polls conducted by JWS Research have had very strong results for the Coalition. While the Greens could lose these seats to Labor, I believe the massive swings to the LNP shown here are unrealistic. I expect inner city seats to be good for left-wing parties relative to the national swing.

    Redbridge poll: Labor close to majority

    A national poll by Redbridge and Accent Research, using MRP methodology and reported by the News Corp tabloids, was conducted from February 3 to April 1 from a sample of 9,953. Labor was still polling poorly in February before they started to lift from early March.

    The most likely outcome was 72 of the 150 House of Representatives seats for Labor, four short of a majority, 63 for the Coalition and 15 for all Others. The previous MRP poll by Redbridge and Accent Research in December had the most likely outcome as 71 Coalition seats to 65 for Labor.

    Unemployment rate steady at 4.1%

    The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported Thursday that the unemployment rate was 4.1% in March, unchanged from February, with over 32,000 jobs added. The employment population ratio (the percentage of eligible Australians that are employed) was steady at 64.1% after dropping from a near-record high of 64.4% in January.

    WA upper house final result

    The button was finally pressed on Wednesday to electronically distribute preferences for the upper house for the March 8 Western Australian state election. The upper house used a reformed system with 37 members elected statewide by proportional representation with preferences. A quota was just 1/38 or 2.63%.

    Labor won 16 of the 37 seats (down six on 2021 when they won their first WA upper house majority on a massive landslide), the Liberals won ten seats (up three), the Nationals two (down one), the Greens four (up three), One Nation two (up two), Legalise Cannabis one (down one), Australian Christians one (up one) and Animal Justice one (up one). Overall, left-wing parties won the upper house by 22–15 over right-wing parties.

    Final primary votes gave Labor 15.54 quotas, the Liberals 10.3, the Nationals 2.1, the Greens 4.2, One Nation 1.45, Legalise Cannabis 1.1, Australian Christians 1.0, an independent group 0.51 and Animal Justice 0.46.

    After distribution of preferences, One Nation’s second candidate had 0.83 quotas Labor’s 16th candidate 0.70 quotas, Animal Justice’s top candidate 0.66 quotas and Sophia Moermond, the independent group’s top candidate, 0.63 quotas. Owing to exhaustion, the top three were elected to the last three seats short of a quota.

    Adrian Beaumont 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. Labor’s poll surge continues in YouGov, but it’s barely ahead in Freshwater – https://theconversation.com/labors-poll-surge-continues-in-yougov-but-its-barely-ahead-in-freshwater-254708

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Shooting in Florida State University leaves multiple people injured

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    At least six people were hospitalized on Thursday as a shooting took place in Florida State University campus in Tallahassee, Florida, according to media reports.

    “An active shooter has been reported in the area of Student Union,” said an alert by Florida State University at noon.

    Florida State University asked people continue to shelter in place as of 1 pm Eastern time while police have responded to an active shooter.

    A suspect is already in custody following the shooting, said a report by CNN, citing two law enforcement sources with direct knowledge of the situation.

    All classes and university events including athletics events scheduled for Thursday have been cancelled and individuals should avoid coming to the Tallahassee main campus, said Florida State University.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Strong Chinese economy in Q1 demonstrates resilience, say pundits

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    China’s economy delivered a strong start in the first quarter, demonstrating steady performance and resilience, economists and observers have said.

    The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 5.4 percent year on year to 31.8758 trillion yuan (about 4.42 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of 2025, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Wednesday.

    Describing China’s improved GDP as “excellent news,” Professor John Bryson from the University of Birmingham in Britain, told Xinhua that China has been shifting away from a focus on exports combined with infrastructure investment to a more balanced approach that includes an increase in consumer demand within China.

    “This process of rebalancing means that some of the drivers of national economic growth are being localized,” Bryson said, adding that the outcome of this rebalancing exercise is seen with the release of the latest GDP figures.

    A rebalanced Chinese economy with more local consumer demand represents one approach to ensuring national economic sustainability, Bryson said.

    China’s GDP grew 5 percent year on year in 2024 and the country has targeted its full-year economic growth at around 5 percent for this year. The strong performance of the Chinese economy in the first quarter of 2025 shows its resilience, positioning the country to better weather global uncertainties.

    Despite the ongoing global economic headwinds and U.S. tariff pressures, China’s focus on domestic demand expansion and consumption promotion through policies like trade-in programs appears to be bolstering its economic resilience and stability, said Moteb Alshammary, chief of staff of Hisense Electronics in Saudi Arabia.

    “The Chinese economy possesses significant internal strength, capable of navigating external uncertainties,” Alshammary added.

    A series of measures taken by the Chinese government have enabled China’s economy to maintain rapid and stable growth, said Irfan Karsli, head of the Istanbul-based tourism agency Ligarba Travel. “In the field of consumption, the Chinese government has implemented many preferential policies, which have brought real benefits to the people and also driven the production and sales of various industries in China.”

    Seeing the Chinese economy as a “stabilizer” of global economic growth, experts believe that China’s sustained economic growth has a profound impact on the world economy.

    James Shikwati, a Kenyan economist, said that in the context of international trade friction and the U.S. tariffs, China’s economic growth is of great significance in boosting world confidence and promoting the world economy.

    The Chinese economy is important to the rest of the world, said Dawie Roodt, a senior economist at South African wealth management company Efficient Group, adding that China will help maintain global economic growth by continuing to expand domestic demand and boost consumption.

    In the views of Abu Bakr al-Deeb, advisor to the Cairo-based Arab Center for Research and Studies, China’s sustained economic expansion and its persistent efforts to integrate itself into the global economy have generated opportunities for nations worldwide.

    “The size of China’s domestic market presents a matchless consumer base as this vast market translates into substantial potential for companies across many industries,” the expert noted.

    By maintaining policy stability and action predictability, China has emerged as a pivotal force in overcoming global turbulence, said Marcos Pires, a professor at the Department of Political and Economic Sciences at Sao Paulo State University in Brazil, adding that amid a landscape of global uncertainties, China serves as a safe harbor and predictable anchor for nations and businesses alike.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: UN celebrates Chinese language in New York

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    The United Nations this week launched its 16th Chinese Language Day series — “Poetic China: Rhymes and Romance” — at UN headquarters, offering an immersive cultural experience that blends Chinese tea culture, calligraphy and poetry.

    Curated to draw wisdom and inspiration from China’s classical heritage, the two-week celebration seeks to rally cultural strength and a shared vision amid global challenges and change.

    To celebrate the opening on Tuesday, the UN Staff Recreation Council Chinese Book Club hosted an evening reception that drew diplomats, UN staff and international guests.

    Keynote speakers included Cherith Norman Chalet, assistant secretary-general for General Assembly and Conference Management; Chen Li, consul general of China in New York; Zu E, a nationally recognized, intangible cultural heritage representative inheritor; and Ning Hongliang, deputy curator of the National Museum of Chinese Writing.

    Chalet described Chinese Language Day as a vivid expression of the UN’s commitment to multilingualism and thanked the organization’s Chinese-language professionals, whose expertise keeps the UN’s work moving forward “in six languages, advancing peace and understanding”.

    Chen described Chinese as a “golden key” for mutual learning among civilizations, a “new driver” for innovation and a “bridge of hearts” connecting people. Noting that more countries are listing Chinese among their critical languages, he urged learners to master it, share the Confucian wisdom of “harmony without uniformity”, and help create a future of “shared beauty”.

    Ning introduced Between the Lines – The Civilization Codes in Chinese, an exhibition curated by the National Museum of Chinese Writing. Centered on the story of an ancient warrior living during the Shang Dynasty in the 14th century BC, the exhibition illustrates how Chinese characters encode the ideal of “harmony among all nations”.

    Representing the featured artists in the exhibition, Zu noted that the landscapes, flora, fauna and figures portrayed convey both a yearning for harmonious lives and a sincere wish for world peace and human well-being.

    The reception, hosted by Chinese Book Club President Yuxi Zhang and Vice-President Tinghua Zhou, also featured a tea ceremony by Lanfei Tea, a live calligraphy demonstration by master calligrapher Xia Pengcheng, and the unveiling of three bilingual books to enrich cross-cultural dialogue: Classic Poetry and the 24 Solar Terms by Professor Yao Xishuang, Belt and Road in the Eyes of Ambassadors by Sun Chao, and From China With Love: 20 Ancient Chinese Poems in English Translation edited by Ji Chen.

    This two-week series of Chinese Language Day events featured lectures and immersive cultural experiences. On Thursday, linguist Yao will guide audiences through classical poems tied to the 24 solar terms, while tea craftsman Yang Juncheng will explain the cultural depth of Chinese tea.

    On April 24, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine will host an open day showcasing traditional Chinese medicine through talks, exhibitions and interactive sessions.

    By weaving together exhibitions, lectures, music, poetry and interactive encounters, the series highlights both the historical depth and contemporary vitality of Chinese culture. It also underscores the importance of Chinese as one of the UN’s six official languages, adding a rich humanistic dimension to the organization’s 80th anniversary commemorations.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: NSU has completed the installation of the main technological equipment on the 4th and 5th floors of the flow auditorium building

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    In the building of the NSU flow auditoriums, which is one of the second-stage facilities modern campus of NSU, which is being built within the framework of the national project “Youth and Children”, active work is underway to install technological equipment. The main work on the 4th and 5th floors has already been completed; some of the equipment in the multifunctional space on the 1st floor has also been installed – an interactive screen, a stage, shelves, decorative elements. Most of the flow auditoriums and many classrooms are equipped with desks and furniture.

    — We are already at the final stage of equipping the building of the flow auditoriums, in the new academic year it will be ready to receive students. The modern building will allow NSU to increase the capacity of the educational areas at its disposal by 25%. The building will also become an exhibition complex for demonstrating the achievements and technologies developed by the NSU Center for Artificial Intelligence. The concept of a “smart library” will be implemented here, services for ordering documents and submitting applications, for booking auditoriums and premises, “smart parking” and much more will be introduced, — commented NSU Rector Mikhail Fedoruk.

    The multifunctional space is located on the 1st floor, its area is about 2.5 thousand square meters, it includes a free-plan area, a scientific library, and quiet areas. The design concept is based on minimalism, calm colors, bright accents, and natural materials. This space can be adapted to changing conditions and various operating requirements. A stage has already been installed, which, when there are no performances, turns into a part of the space where the guys can sit freely on ottomans.

    The multifunctional space has an information station and a large interactive screen, which has also already been installed. It is equipped with work and reading areas, quiet areas where you can lie on sofas. There are special acoustic panels that completely or partially muffle the sound. There are places for storing chairs, which will be in demand during cultural events.

    Construction of two other second-stage facilities of the NSU campus is also ongoing: the educational and scientific center of the Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies (construction readiness – 28%) and the NSU research center (construction readiness – 25%).

    The general contractor for the construction of the second stage of the facilities is the company “MONOTEK STROY”.

    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-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 18, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 18, 2025.

    Labor’s poll surge continues in YouGov, but they’re barely ahead in Freshwater
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Labor increased their lead again in a YouGov poll, but Freshwater put them ahead by just 50.3–49.7. This article also covers the final WA upper house results

    Why Kinshasa keeps flooding – and why it’s not just about the rain
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gode Bola, Lecturer in Hydrology, University of Kinshasa The April 2025 flooding disaster in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, wasn’t just about intense rainfall. It was a symptom of recent land use change which has occurred rapidly in the city, turning it into

    Grattan on Friday: Peter Dutton’s tax indexation ‘aspiration’ has merit – so why didn’t we hear about it before?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Peter Dutton, now seriously on the back foot, has made an extraordinarily big “aspirational” commitment at the back end of this campaign. He says he wants to see a move to indexing personal income tax – an assault on the

    Keith Rankin Essay – Barbecued Hamburgers and Churchill’s Bestie
    Essay by Keith Rankin. Operation Gomorrah may have been the most cynical event of World War Two (WW2). Not only did the name fully convey the intent of the war crimes about to be committed, it, also represented the single biggest 24-hour murder toll for the European war that I have come across. On the

    Public toilets could be the jewels in our cities’ crowns – if only governments would listen
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Tietz, Senior Lecturer in Industrial Design, UNSW Sydney A New South Wales Senate inquiry into public toilets is underway, looking into the provision, design and maintenance of public toilets across the state. Whenever I mention this inquiry, however, everyone nervously laughs and the conversation moves on.

    Bad news – why Australia is losing a generation of journalists
    Shrinking budgets and job insecurity means there are fewer opportunities for young journalists, and that’s bad news, especially in regional Australia, reports 360info ANALYSIS: By Jee Young Lee of the University of Canberra Australia risks losing a generation of young journalists, particularly in the regions where they face the closure of news outlets, job insecurity,

    Why do scientists want to spend billions on a 70-year project in an enormous tunnel under the Swiss Alps?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tessa Charles, Accelerator Physicist, Monash University An artist’s impression of the tunnel of the proposed Future Circular Collider. CERN The Large Hadron Collider has been responsible for astounding advances in physics: the discovery of the elusive, long-sought Higgs boson as well as other new exotic particles, possible

    Could you accidentally sign a contract by texting an emoji? Here’s what the law says
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer McKay, Professor in Business Law, University of South Australia Parkova/Shutterstock Could someone take you to court over an agreement you made – or at least appeared to make – by sending a “👍”? Emojis can have more legal weight than many people realise. A search of

    Why healthy eating may be the best way to reduce food waste
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trang Nguyen, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Centre for Global Food and Resources, University of Adelaide Stokkete, Shutterstock Australians waste around 7.68 million tonnes of food a year. This costs the economy an estimated A$36.6 billion and households up to $2,500 annually. Much of this food is wasted at

    Why can’t I keep still after intense exercise?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ken Nosaka, Professor of Exercise and Sports Science, Edith Cowan University Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock Do you ever feel like you can’t stop moving after you’ve pushed yourself exercising? Maybe you find yourself walking around in circles when you come off the pitch, or squatting and standing and squatting

    ‘We get bucketloads of homework’: young people speak about what it’s like to start high school
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katherine Stevens, PhD Candidate, Education, Murdoch University Rawpixel.com Starting high school is one of the most significant transitions young people make in their education. Many different changes happen at once – from making new friends to getting used to a new school environment and different behaviour and

    How to tackle the ‘gender play gap’: 4 ways to encourage young women back into sport
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Kay, PhD Candidate at the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University matimix/Shutterstock Women’s sport has recently enjoyed unprecedented success in Australia. We have seen the Matildas sell out 16 successive home games, a world-record attendance for a women’s Test cricket match at the

    Want straighter teeth or a gap between? Don’t believe TikTok – filing them isn’t the answer
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland After decades of Hollywood showcasing white-picket-fence celebrity smiles, the world has fallen for White Lotus actor Aimee Lou Wood’s teeth. Wood was bullied for her looks in her youth and expressed gratitude for

    1 in 6 New Zealanders is disabled. Why does so much health research still exclude them?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachelle Martin, Senior Lecturer in Rehabilitation & Disability, University of Otago Getty Images Disabled people encounter all kinds of barriers to accessing healthcare – and not simply because some face significant mobility challenges. Others will see their symptoms not investigated properly because it’s assumed a problem is

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Biolight—Living Light

    Source: Panasonic

    Headline: Biolight—Living Light

    Megumi Mizoguchi
    Design Division,Panasonic Corporation

    Noriyuki Hatsugai
    Green Transformation Division,Technology Sector,Panasonic Holdings Corporation

    Takashi Kanno
    Green Transformation Division,Technology Sector,Panasonic Holdings Corporation

    Satoshi Sasaki
    Department of Medical Technology,School of Health Sciences,Tokyo University of Technology

    Bringing Together People, Organizations, and Expertise to Unlock New Possibilities
    Mizoguchi: The idea of combining light and biological organisms came from an independent research project I pursued, which was encouraged by the Transformation Design Center where I work. While my background is in biology, most of my work at the company has involved physics and chemistry, so when it came to my own research, I wanted to bring the focus back to biology.
    Hatsugai: Before joining the company, I was also involved in the field of biology, researching ways to use biologically generated light, like luminescent proteins, as tools. That experience naturally led me to explore luminescent bacteria as a potential theme for commercialization.
    Mizoguchi: When I told my supervisor I wanted to explore the fusion of light and biology, he introduced me to Mr. Hatsugai. We quickly realized we were working on similar themes and hit it off right away, so we decided to team up on the project.
    Hatsugai: At the time, though, my bacterial strain did not emit much light…hardly enough to call it “light” at all. That led me to dig deeper, and through my research, I came across the work of Professor Sasaki.
    Sasaki: I was thrilled when I got a message saying, “I’m interested in luminescent bacteria!” I’ve studied bacteria for many years, but since their light output isn’t strong enough for practical lighting, I always felt it would be hard to bring them into real-world use. The chance to collaborate with Panasonic gave me hope, and I quickly shared one of my brightest strains with them.

    Mizoguchi: When we first met, Professor Sasaki had a tiny vial of glowing bacteria tucked into his shirt pocket—it made me smile. His deep passion for his research was evident, and I thought to myself, “If it’s with him, we can definitely make living light a reality.”
    Hatsugai: Professor Sasaki provided more than just the bacterial strain; he also gave us invaluable guidance on adjusting key conditions for culturing, like nutrients and oxygen levels. Thanks to his advice, we were able to get the bacteria to emit light in a large tank. Together with Mr. Kanno, who handles the equipment, we’ve taken on the challenge of keeping the glow going as long as possible. Throughout the six-month Expo, we’re confident that visitors will be able to witness the glowing bacteria at any time.
    Kanno: I joined the team in April 2024. With a background in electrical engineering, this was my first time developing equipment for use in biology. It’s been full of surprises and challenges, but there were moments when my ideas—coming from outside the field of biology—helped broaden the project’s scope. That sense of contribution has made this challenge deeply rewarding.
    Mizoguchi: I believe the real strength of this project came from combining different perspectives, namely biology, which is Mr. Hatsugai’s and my specialty, Panasonic’s core strength in engineering, Professor Sasaki’s expertise from outside the organization, and Mr. Kanno’s fresh ideas from a different field. Through this blend of diverse skills and backgrounds, we were able to spark new ideas and tackle even the toughest challenges.

    Working with Living Organisms is Challenging—But That’s What Makes It So Fascinating
    Sasaki: It has been two years since I was first approached about the project, and today was the first time I saw the actual setup. I was truly impressed to see the bacteria glowing steadily in such a large volume of liquid.
    Hatsugai: Since we’re working with living organisms, fine-tuning the conditions was incredibly challenging. Too much or too little food or oxygen would throw everything off. Even when we got the balance just right, changes in the surrounding environment could still cause the bacteria to stop glowing. There was even one time when they wouldn’t glow at all…until Ms. Mizoguchi walked into the lab, and suddenly, they lit up!
    Mizoguchi: It really felt like we were having a dialogue with the bacteria as we worked through the research. Unlike machines, they couldn’t be controlled precisely. While that was frustrating at times, I think it’s also what made us feel such a strong connection and dedication to the project.
    Kanno: If we focused only on making the culturing process work, the equipment ended up looking unappealing. Since this was meant to be an exhibit for a broad audience, we made sure to prioritize the visual design as well, developing the equipment with both function and form in mind.
    Sasaki: Keeping luminescent bacteria glowing in a large tank over a long period is highly challenging. Over the years, I’ve had people from various industries approach me with ideas such as using them in stage productions or trying to raise them, but none of those concepts ever came to life. Panasonic, however, brought something different: not only the technical expertise to make it happen, but the drive and momentum to move the project forward with real force.

    Experimenting with Biolight

    Creating a Gentle, Formative Experience to Light Up Children’s Hearts
    Kanno: I’m excited that we get to showcase a project we all worked on together at the Expo, a venue that’s so open to the public. I originally became an engineer at Panasonic because I wanted to contribute to society through technology, and this project feels like a direct opportunity to fulfill that dream.
    Hatsugai: Our company has a long history of lighting up daily life in Japan, something many people still remember from the old television commercial songs. As one of the country’s leading lighting manufacturers, we believe our mission is to develop lighting solutions that coexist with the natural environment with a view to the future. While there’s still a long way to go in terms of advancing the technology for commercialization, we see the Expo as a decisive first step toward introducing a new concept of light to society.
    Mizoguchi: As Mr. Hatsugai mentioned, we’re exploring a new kind of light that coexists with nature and offers more than just illumination. We want to create an experience that warms children’s hearts. We hope to give them a gentle, formative memory they’ll carry with them and recall unexpectedly, even years later.
    Sasaki: The light from luminescent bacteria sways gently and quietly touches the heart. That’s what makes it so special. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, our university was affected by scheduled blackouts, and I once took the bacterial strains home to keep them safe. I brought the container into my bedroom and saw my young daughter peacefully asleep, her face softly lit by the gentle glow. In that moment, I felt a deep sense of calm. I truly believe that the flickering, tender light of living organisms can move people in ways words never could.

    Mizoguchi: The theme of the Earth area is a “720° cycle” between people and nature. Rather than focusing solely on technology for either people or nature, I believe that the true 720° cycle emerges from the mutual exchange of abundance, where people and nature connect, support, and circulate with each other. I hope that children visiting the pavilion will grasp the importance of this connection not through words, but through the experience itself.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Tours WSU-Vancouver Life Sciences Building, Filling Workforce Gaps in Southwest WA

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ***PHOTOS, B-ROLL HERE***
    Vancouver, WA — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, toured Washington State University’s Vancouver campus to see their recently-completed Life Sciences Building, which has been in the works for nearly a decade and specifically works to fill workforce gaps in Southwest Washington, particularly in medicine and nursing. During the visit, Senator Murray heard from students and educators about how the new building allows WSU-Vancouver to expand biology offerings—which were previously limited by a lack of lab space—and provide a new undergraduate degree in chemistry. The Life Sciences Building houses classrooms, lab space for biology and chemistry, and clinical health programs, including biology, chemistry, neuroscience, and nursing.  
    The opening of the Life Sciences Building also freed up space in the existing Science and Engineering Building for a new five-year partnership between the U.S. Forest Service’s Office of International Programs (USFS IP) and WSU Vancouver to combat illegal logging—where students will use state-of-the-art equipment purchased by the USFS IP to assist the Forest Service in detecting illegal timber imports and support the U.S. timber industry by ensuring legitimate trade practices. Right now, U.S. industries lose an estimated $4 billion each year as a direct result of illegal logging. Space in the Science and Engineering Building is currently being renovated for this work, and Forest Service staff will work out of these offices and labs on WSU Vancouver’s campus.  This new partnership is expected to create several new educational opportunities and research outcomes for undergraduate and graduate students and allow WSU to hire new staff. WSU is also a key partner in USFS IP’s Invasive Species Program, which funds research to manage non-native forest pests and pathogens that threaten the health of U.S. forests and grasslands.
    However, Trump and Elon Musk’s mass firings and steep cuts to critical services across the federal government are putting this work in jeopardy—Trump and Musk have already pushed out more than 3,000 U.S. Forest Service employees and their upcoming Reduction In Force (RIF) plans are likely to gut USFS IP and could put the agency’s partnerships with WSU at risk.
    “As a proud Coug, it was great getting to see firsthand how WSU is advancing life science programs for students in Vancouver and filling workforce needs for greater Southwest Washington. Thanks to these new resources and programs, more students will be equipped to become nurses, doctors, and scientists ensuring Washington state continues to lead the way on everything from medical research to preventing invasive species from threatening our forests,” said Senator Murray. “Right now, President Trump is doing everything he can to attack education across the country and abolish the Department of Education that provides really critical support for students at WSU and all over Washington state. Trump’s attacks on the Forest Service also threaten critical partnerships with WSU on everything from combating illegal logging to managing invasive species. I will continue fighting as hard as I can to protect the funding and resources our students and schools like WSU need to thrive.”  
    Last year, the Department of Education distributed over $100 million in federal financial aid and support to help students across Washington attend and complete college.
    “Senator Murray’s visit provided an opportunity to showcase the vital role federally funded research plays in advancing our mission—from driving cutting-edge discoveries that promote health, innovation and economic vitality in our region to expanding access and supporting student success,” said Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education Christine Portfors.
    A senior member and former chair of the HELP Committee, Senator Murray has championed students and families at every stage of her career—fighting to help ensure every child in America can get a high-quality public education. Among other things, Senator Murray negotiated the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), landmark legislation that she got signed into law, replacing the broken No Child Left Behind Act. As a longtime appropriator, she has successfully fought to boost funding to support students and invest in our nation’s K-12 schools, and she has secured significant increases to the Pell Grant so that it goes further for students pursuing a higher education. Senator Murray also successfully negotiated the FAFSA Simplification Act, bipartisan legislation to reform the financial aid application process, simplify the FAFSA form for students and parents, and significantly expand eligibility for federal aid.
    Earlier this month, Senator Murray led a letter to Secretary Linda McMahon demanding a reversal of a new policy the Department of Education announced recently that suddenly upended departmental policy and imposed new red tape on states, which will prevent them from accessing pandemic relief funds they are counting on to support students’ learning. Senator Murray also led a letter demanding detailed answers from the Department of Education about the mass firings and other detrimental actions which risk major reductions in support for and oversight of federal investments in our nation’s K-12 schools and institutions of higher education and threaten vital support for students with disabilities, access to Pell Grants and other financial aid, oversight of student loan servicers, scrutiny of for-profit colleges, and more. The letter follows an earlier March 6 letter Senator Murray sent alongside colleagues demanding answers about the chaotic, harmful actions taken by ED since January—which the Department has yet to respond to.
    During Secretary Linda McMahon’s confirmation hearing, Senator Murray pressed McMahon on whether she will ensure approved funding gets out to serve students as the law requires and whether she would protect students’ data from DOGE. She also asked McMahon to name a single requirement of ESSA—and McMahon couldn’t name any. Ahead of McMahon’s confirmation, Senator Murray spoke out on the Senate floor against her nomination and sounded the alarm over President Trump and Elon Musk’s plans to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
    A fact sheet outlining how the Department of Education supports students in Washington state is HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China reinforces documentary heritage protection with new UNESCO designations

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    The Bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng is pictured in Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province, April 17, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    China has shown the world its unrelenting commitment to protecting humanity’s shared cultural legacy with three new documentary heritage items added to the Memory of the World (MoW) Register of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Thursday.

    With the latest additions — the Bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng, the Steles of Shaolin Temple (566-1990) and Trilingual Inscription (TribhashaSellipiya) — China now has 18 entries in the international register, which was launched by UNESCO in 1992 to facilitate preservation of the world’s documentary heritage, enable universal access to documentary heritage worldwide and enhance public awareness.

    Dubbed the world’s first “sound-producing music textbook,” the Bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng, dating back more than 2,400 years, is currently on display at the Hubei Provincial Museum in central China. The bronze percussion instrument weighs nearly 5 tonnes, and comprises 65 bianzhong, or chime bells.

    The bells, which are arranged across three tiers and eight groupings at the exhibition, featured 3,755 inscribed Chinese characters — the only known systematic musical treatise from the 5th century B.C.

    In 2024, the museum reported more than 5 million visits. During peak periods, daily visits to the bianzhong exhibition exceeded 30,000 people, said Zhang Xiaoyun, curator of the museum.

    To better preserve such documentary heritage, in 1984, the museum commissioned a full set of replicated chime bells to be used for performances and research, allowing the ancient instrument to resonate beyond museum walls. Three years later, the museum established a bianzhong performance troupe, with its members having performed to over 10 million live spectators worldwide.

    For more than 40 years, specialists in archaeology, metallurgy, acoustics, astronomy, ancient writing, chemistry, music and other fields from across the globe have researched the chime bells and their inscriptions.

    UNESCO’s recognition is also reflected through the continuous conservation work at the Shaolin Temple in the central Henan Province, where 499 ancient steles chronicle the extensive exchanges and interactions between the temple — the birthplace of kung fu — and ancient officials, celebrities, overseas Buddhists and secular society between 556 and 1990.

    The steles distributed at the temple and its surrounding areas are protected according to each monument’s condition and location. “We have installed glass cases around fragile inscriptions or protective railings around exposed pieces,” said Yang Hongrui, the temple’s chief archivist.

    According to Yang, the temple has collaborated with institutions to digitally archive the entire collection and establish a digital archives exhibition hall.

    “During its trial operation last September, the digital archives exhibition hall, spanning approximately 100 square meters, drew overwhelming crowds, averaging 14 visitors per minute with some staying for up to two to three hours,” Yang said.

    Yang added that to celebrate its inclusion in the MoW Register, the hall will officially open to the public ahead of May, and there are plans for international touring exhibitions of these archival treasures at the temple’s 168 overseas cultural centers.

    Similar to the Shaolin steles, Trilingual Inscription (TribhashaSellipiya), jointly submitted by China and Sri Lanka, also provides evidence of China’s interactions with other civilizations.

    The monument, brought to Sri Lanka over 600 years ago by renowned Chinese navigator Zheng He during his third voyage, is held by the national museum in Colombo as one of the most precious collections. It is a testament to cultural exchanges between China and the outside world, as inscriptions written in Chinese, Persian and Tamil recorded ceremonial offerings to a sacred mountain shrine by Zheng’s fleet.

    “The joint efforts underscore the mutual respect and commitment to cultural preservation that Sri Lanka and China have cultivated over the years. Such recognition will undoubtedly encourage further collaborations in fields such as archaeology, education and tourism,” Ruwan Ranasinghe, Sri Lanka’s deputy minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, told Xinhua.

    China made its first application to the MoW Register in 1997, establishing itself as one of the earliest participants and the first nation to create a dedicated national committee for the program.

    “The inclusion in the MoW Register underscores the remarkable richness of Chinese archival heritage. This designation highlights the nation’s wealth of documentary resources worthy of preservation,” said professor Chen Shaofeng from Peking University. He noted that authorities can focus on more ethnic minority documents for future UNESCO nominations.

    To date, China has officially recognized 198 items or groups of archival heritage at the national level. The National Archives Administration of China has further urged provincial-level archives authorities to develop regional catalogues to expand and refine the global memory preservation framework. 

    This undated file photo shows a stele in Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng City, central China’s Henan Province. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Visitors look at the Trilingual Inscription at the Colombo National Museum in Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 17, 2025.  [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Learning Chinese language opens a lot of doors, says South African student

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    “Learning the Chinese language opens a lot of doors for me,” said Sasha-Leigh Allen, a South African student participating in a vibrant celebration to mark the 2025 International Chinese Language Day.

    The celebration, themed “Chinese Language: Together for a Bright Future,” was held on Thursday at the Iziko Learning Center in Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa. More than 100 representatives from the political, business, and academic sectors of China and South Africa, along with faculty and students from universities across Cape Town, came together to celebrate the beauty of the Chinese language.

    Co-hosted by the Confucius Institute at the University of the Western Cape and the Iziko Museums of South Africa, the event offered rich Chinese cultural experiences, featuring “101 Wishes: The Beauty of Chinese Characters” Exhibition, Guzheng (Chinese plucked zither) performance, traditional Chinese tea tasting, and Chinese calligraphy practice.

    In his opening remarks, Bongani Ndhlovu, acting chief executive officer of the Iziko Museums of South Africa, emphasized the multiple layers of significance that Chinese Language Day carries. “Language is not only the carrier of meaning, but also that through it, our values, our cultures, our traditions, our heritage are embedded in each (of us),” he said.

    His remarks were echoed by Tang Chang’an, deputy consul general of the Chinese Consulate-General in Cape Town. “Chinese is more than a language — it is a bridge connecting civilizations, fostering understanding, and promoting cultural change across the world,” said Tang.

    In his speech, Tang noted that the Chinese language reflects the wisdom of a 5000-year-old civilization rooted in values of peace, harmony, and cooperation. “In today’s interconnected world, cultural and linguistic exchanges play a crucial role in building mutual respect and friendship among nations,” he said.

    “Let us take this opportunity to use language as a bridge to deepen mutual understanding, friendship, and cooperation. Together, we can build a more just and inclusive world,” he added.

    Sasha-Leigh Allen, a sophomore at the University of the Western Cape who attended the event, has been studying the Chinese language for nearly two years. “I believe that Chinese characters are an art, an art that in the beginning is very difficult to understand, but when you go up close, it’s very simplistic and beautiful,” she told Xinhua.

    “When I learned Chinese characters, it made me more open-minded to understand the Chinese language, Chinese people, their culture, the way they speak, and the different kinds of meanings,” she said, adding that she also encouraged her friends to learn the language.

    Allen went on to talk about the potential benefits that learning the Chinese language could bring to her future career.

    “Personally, for me, learning Chinese characters opens a lot of doors for me, especially in my career. Hopefully, if I’m able to continue learning Han Zi (Chinese characters), it will help a lot,” she said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Labor’s poll surge continues in YouGov, but they’re barely ahead in Freshwater

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

    Labor increased their lead again in a YouGov poll, but Freshwater put them ahead by just 50.3–49.7. This article also covers the final WA upper house results for the March 8 election.

    A national YouGov poll, conducted April 11–15 from a sample of 1,506, gave Labor a 53–47 lead, a 0.5-point gain for Labor since the April 4–10 YouGov poll. It’s Labor’s biggest lead in YouGov for 18 months. Primary votes were 33% Labor (up one), 33% Coalition (down 0.5), 7% One Nation (down 1.5), 2% Trumpet of Patriots (up one), 9% independents (steady) and 3% others (steady).

    Using 2022 election preference flows would give Labor about a 54.5–45.5 lead from these primary votes. YouGov is applying preference flows from its previous poll that was conducted from late February to late March.

    However, recent polls that use respondent preferences suggest the gap in the Coalition’s favour between respondent and 2022 preference flows has dropped to nearly zero. This means YouGov’s current preference assumptions may be too pro-Coalition. Analyst Kevin Bonham has more on this.

    In contrast to voting intentions, leaders’ ratings moved to Peter Dutton and against Anthony Albanese. Albanese’s net approval was down four points to -6, with 49% dissatisfied and 43% satisfied. Dutton’s net approval was up five points to -10. Albanese had a 48–38 better PM lead over Dutton (48–37 previously).

    I’ve said before that changes in leaders’ ratings may indicate the next change in voting intentions in a poll, though this doesn’t always follow.

    While YouGov shows Labor’s surge continuing, the Freshwater poll below only gave Labor a 50.3–49.7 lead. However, this was still a gain for Labor from the post-budget Freshwater poll. Freshwater has the Coalition primary vote at 39%, four points higher than in any other poll in the past week.

    Here is the poll graph. I’m using the unrounded two-party numbers for Freshwater’s last two polls, improving Labor from a 51–49 deficit in the post-budget poll to a 50.6–49.4 deficit. There’s a big difference between this week’s Freshwater and all other national polls taken in the past week.

    Freshwater poll has very narrow Labor lead

    A national Freshwater poll for The Financial Review, conducted April 14–16 from a sample of 1,062, had a 50–50 tie by respondent preferences, a one-point gain for Labor since the Freshwater poll conducted after the March 25 budget. Before rounding, Labor led by 50.3–49.7.

    Primary votes were unchanged at 39% Coalition, 32% Labor, 12% Greens and 17% for all Others. By 2022 election flows, this poll would give about a 50–50 tie.

    Albanese’s net approval was up one point to -10, while Dutton’s was steady at -11. Albanese led as preferred PM by 46–41 (46–45 previously).

    The Coalition’s lead over Labor on cost of living has been cut from a high of 14 points last October to two points in this poll. The Coalition held a 17-point lead on economic management last November, which has been reduced to six points. Cost of living remained the most important issue, with 73% citing it as a top issue.

    Resolve poll on tax and housing policies

    To gauge the popularity of Labor and the Coalition’s housing policy announcements at their April 13 campaign launches, a Resolve poll for Nine newspapers was conducted April 14–15 from a sample of 801. This poll didn’t report voting intentions, which were assessed in the April 9–13 Resolve poll.

    By 40–34, voters preferred Labor’s tax policy to the Coalition’s, which were both announced the week of the March 25 budget. By 40–27, they preferred Labor’s housing policy.

    JWS polls of Greens-held Brisbane seats

    The Greens hold three seats in Brisbane: Ryan (by 52.6–47.4 vs the Liberal National Party), Brisbane (by 53.7–46.3) and Griffith (by 60.5–39.5). The Poll Bludger reported Thursday that JWS polls for Australian Energy Producers gave the LNP a 57–43 lead over Labor in Ryan with the Greens a distant third on primary votes.

    In Brisbane, Labor led the LNP by 51–49 with the Greens once again a distant third. In Griffith, Labor led the LNP by 51–49, but the LNP led the Greens by 53–47.

    Seat polls conducted by JWS Research have had very strong results for the Coalition. While the Greens could lose these seats to Labor, I believe the massive swings to the LNP shown here are unrealistic. I expect inner city seats to be good for left-wing parties relative to the national swing.

    Redbridge poll: Labor close to majority

    A national poll by Redbridge and Accent Research, using MRP methodology and reported by the News Corp tabloids, was conducted from February 3 to April 1 from a sample of 9,953. Labor was still polling poorly in February before they started to lift from early March.

    The most likely outcome was 72 of the 150 House of Representatives seats for Labor, four short of a majority, 63 for the Coalition and 15 for all Others. The previous MRP poll by Redbridge and Accent Research in December had the most likely outcome as 71 Coalition seats to 65 for Labor.

    Unemployment rate steady at 4.1%

    The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported Thursday that the unemployment rate was 4.1% in March, unchanged from February, with over 32,000 jobs added. The employment population ratio (the percentage of eligible Australians that are employed) was steady at 64.1% after dropping from a near-record high of 64.4% in January.

    WA upper house final result

    The button was finally pressed on Wednesday to electronically distribute preferences for the upper house for the March 8 Western Australian state election. The upper house used a reformed system with 37 members elected statewide by proportional representation with preferences. A quota was just 1/38 or 2.63%.

    Labor won 16 of the 37 seats (down six on 2021 when they won their first WA upper house majority on a massive landslide), the Liberals won ten seats (up three), the Nationals two (down one), the Greens four (up three), One Nation two (up two), Legalise Cannabis one (down one), Australian Christians one (up one) and Animal Justice one (up one). Overall, left-wing parties won the upper house by 22–15 over right-wing parties.

    Final primary votes gave Labor 15.54 quotas, the Liberals 10.3, the Nationals 2.1, the Greens 4.2, One Nation 1.45, Legalise Cannabis 1.1, Australian Christians 1.0, an independent group 0.51 and Animal Justice 0.46.

    After distribution of preferences, One Nation’s second candidate had 0.83 quotas Labor’s 16th candidate 0.70 quotas, Animal Justice’s top candidate 0.66 quotas and Sophia Moermond, the independent group’s top candidate, 0.63 quotas. Owing to exhaustion, the top three were elected to the last three seats short of a quota.

    Adrian Beaumont 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. Labor’s poll surge continues in YouGov, but they’re barely ahead in Freshwater – https://theconversation.com/labors-poll-surge-continues-in-yougov-but-theyre-barely-ahead-in-freshwater-254708

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Interim chief medical officer of health appointed

    Alberta’s government welcomes Dr. Sunil Sookram as interim Chief Medical Officer of Health, effective immediately. This temporary appointment ensures continuity while arrangements are finalized for a longer-term appointment. Additional updates will be shared in the coming weeks as the process progresses.

    “Dr. Sookram has served Albertans through emergency medicine throughout his career. He brings a wealth of experience to this interim role. I appreciate his willingness to serve in this capacity on a temporary basis as we work to finalize the candidate for the interim Chief Medical Officer of Health position. I also wish to thank Dr. Mark Joffe for his service and dedication over the past three years.”

    Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health

    Dr. Sookram currently serves as facility medical director and chief of medical staff at Strathcona Community Hospital. He is also a clinical professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Alberta and practises as an emergency physician at the University of Alberta Hospital. He brings years of front-line experience and leadership to the interim role. He also has recent experience working within Alberta Health. Through this period of transition Dr. Sookram will also be supported by Zone Medical Officers of Health at Alberta Health Services.

    “I’m happy to serve as Alberta’s interim chief medical officer of health. I look forward to working with the government, my colleagues and health partners to promote and protect the health of all Albertans.”

    Dr. Sunil Sookram, interim chief medical officer of health

    The Chief Medical Officer of Health plays a key role in monitoring and supporting public health, advising on disease control, and helping guide population health efforts across the province. The position acts as a liaison between the government and Alberta Health Services, medical officers of health and executive officers in administering the act.

    Current measles information

    As of April 17, there have been 89 confirmed measles cases in Alberta. Of those, 83 individuals are now past the period of communicability.

    Measles is an extremely contagious disease that spreads easily through the air. While outbreaks can happen, they are preventable. The measles vaccine is highly effective and offers strong protection against infection and complications from the disease. Albertans can protect themselves, their loved ones and people around them by ensuring their measles immunizations are up to date.

    In Alberta, the MMR primary series is administered at 12 months and 18 months of age. In January 2021, Alberta changed its immunization schedule for the second dose of measles-containing vaccine from four to six years to 18 months, primarily to support children entering daycare, pre-school programs and kindergarten.

    As of April 17, all infants six to 12 months travelling outside of Canada are eligible for a null dose. In addition, infants six to 12 months travelling to or through areas where measles is spreading in Canada are also eligible. This includes:

    1. Alberta: Central Zone, South Zone, and Areas 1 and 8 in North Zone
    2. Ontario: Southwestern region

    If you have any questions about measles or immunizations, please contact your primary care provider such as your doctor, pharmacist, midwife, nurse practitioner or public health nurse.

    If you don’t know you or your child’s immunization history, text “vaccine record” to 88111, call Health Link at 811, or call your local public health or community health centre.

    Related information

    • Measles
    • Measles exposures in Alberta

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI: Gregory W. Buckley Elected President of Adams Natural Resources Fund

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BALTIMORE, April 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Adams Natural Resources Fund, Inc. (NYSE: PEO), one of the nation’s oldest closed-end funds, today announced that Gregory W. Buckley has been elected President of the Fund.

    Mr. Buckley has been an Executive Vice President and a portfolio manager of ADX since April 20, 2023. He will continue to serve as a member of the portfolio management team that is currently headed by CEO James P. Haynie.

    Mr. Buckley joined Adams Natural Resources Fund in September 2013 as a senior equity analyst covering the energy and utilities sectors. He was promoted to Vice President-Research in April 2015. He is also a Vice President-Research of Adams Diversified Equity Fund, Inc., PEO’s affiliate, since 2019. “Greg has done an excellent job since joining the PEO portfolio management team and has exhibited the dedication and insight that I believe will make him valuable as President of the Fund,” said Mr. Haynie.

    Mr. Buckley began covering the energy sector in 1999 and prior to joining Adams Funds worked at BNP Paribas as an Equity Analyst and Portfolio Manager. His experience also includes managing a long/short Energy fund at Citadel LLC and working as an Energy Analyst at Pioneer Investments.

    Mr. Buckley holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Villanova University and an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina.

    Adams Natural Resources Fund, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected closed-end funds and is the longest-tenured closed-end fund specializing in energy and natural resources stocks.

    About Adams Funds
    Since 1929, Adams Funds has consistently helped generations of investors reach their investment goals. Adams Funds is comprised of two closed-end funds, Adams Diversified Equity Fund, Inc. (NYSE: ADX) and Adams Natural Resources Fund, Inc. (NYSE: PEO).The Funds are actively managed by an experienced team with a disciplined approach and have paid distributions for more than 90 years across many market cycles. The Funds are committed to paying a minimum annual distribution rate of 8% of NAV paid evenly each quarter throughout the year, providing reliability for long-term shareholders. A portion of any distribution may be treated as paid from sources other than net income, including but not limited to short-term capital gain, long-term capital gain, and return of capital. The final determination of the source of all distributions for tax reporting purposes in a calendar year, including the percentage of qualified dividend income, will be made after year-end. Shares can be purchased through our transfer agent or through a broker. For more information about Adams Funds, please visit: adamsfunds.com.

    For further information: adamsfunds.com/about/contact │800.638.2479

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Gabe Vasquez Draws Hundreds to Las Cruces and Silver City Town Halls, Reaffirms Commitment to Listening to New Mexicans

    Source: US Representative Gabe Vasquez’s (NM-02)

    SILVER CITY, NM – On Tuesday, April 15 and Wednesday, April 16, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) hosted in-person Town Halls in Las Cruces and Silver City, welcoming hundreds of attendees who raised many of the key issues facing New Mexico during the conversation. 

    Vasquez heard from constituents on a wide range of urgent local concerns, many of which relate to policy changes under the new Administration. Across both Town Halls, Vasquez heard from seniors worried about changes to Social Security, families who may be affected by SNAP reductions, and students worried about immigration enforcement without due process. Constituents in both communities loudly endorsed removing unelected billionaire Elon Musk from having access to sensitive taxpayer data.

    Vasquez also highlighted the successes of his first term, including returning more than $4.5 million in federal benefits to New Mexicans, being recognized as one of the most effective members of Congress, and championing bipartisan legislation such as the Public Lands in Public Hands Act.

    “We’re facing unprecedented challenges that require leadership and action, and I heard that loud and clear from constituents in my district,” said Vasquez. “Every decision I make in Washington is rooted in the problems facing our families and our communities and I’ll continue to lift up their voices as their Congressional representative.”

    Las Cruces Town Hall: Held at Doña Ana Community College.

    Silver City Town Hall: Hosted at Western New Mexico University.

    The Las Cruces town hall took place at Doña Ana Community College, while the Silver City event was held at Western New Mexico University. Both events were attended by local leaders and community organizations.

    Vasquez remains committed to transparency, accessibility, and service. These town halls are part of his ongoing commitment to showing up and staying connected to the people of New Mexico’s Second Congressional District.

    Constituents with additional questions or concerns are encouraged to reach out to the Congressman’s office directly.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –