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Category: Universities

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The Academic Council discussed the development of the corporate information system and the tasks of the Office of Technological Leadership

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    The meeting of the Academic Council on the last day of March traditionally began with a formal part.

    Rector of SPbPU Andrey Rudskoy awarded the “For Merit” badge of distinction to the CEO of the BuildHouse company, a 1988 graduate of the metallurgical faculty, Alexey Evstratov, noting his contribution to strengthening the university’s image, forming and replenishing the target capital of the Endowment Fund, promoting the development of the Polytechnic Museum, and involving graduates in university events and charity events.

    Andrey Rudskoy also presented the “For Merit” badges to Mikhail Volkov, Deputy General Director of the Zvezda plant for general issues; Dmitry Sachava, Head of the Advanced Technologies Marketing Department of the Computer Engineering Center; Dmitry Shamansky, Leading Specialist of the Advanced Technologies Marketing Department of the Computer Engineering Center; Nina Suratova, Head of the Scientific Literature Department and Curator of the University’s Information and Library Complex; and Natalia Sokolova, Director of the Information and Library Technologies Center.

    Vice-Rector for Digital Transformation, 1978 Physics and Mechanics Faculty graduate Alexey Borovkov was awarded a commemorative medal and gratitude from the university for facilitating the development of the Endowment Fund.

    For her great personal contribution to the development of the Endowment Fund and the Polytechnic Ambassadors’ Community and in connection with the anniversary, the university’s gratitude was received by the executive director of the fund, associate professor of the Higher School of Nuclear and Thermal Energy of the Institute of Power Engineering and the Higher Engineering and Economics School of the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics and Trade, and a 1992 graduate of the Faculty of Economics and Production Management, Olga Novikova.

    The ceremonial part continued with the presentation of diplomas for conferring scientific degrees. Aleksey Chechevikin received a diploma of candidate of technical sciences. Diplomas of candidates of economic sciences were received by employees and postgraduate students of the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics and Trade: Ekaterina Mikhel (scientific supervisor – Professor Andrey Zaytsev); Victoria Brazovskaya (scientific supervisor – associate professor Svetlana Gutman); Daria Kryzhko (scientific supervisor – Professor Irina Rudskaya); Chen Leifei (scientific supervisor – Professor Alexander Babkin); Ivan Samokhvalov (scientific supervisor – Professor Vladimir Glukhov); Vitaly Nikolaenko (scientific supervisor – Professor Olga Kalinina); Vyacheslav Melekhin (scientific supervisor – Professor Mikhail Afanasyev).

    Andrey Rudskoy presented certificates of conferring the academic title of “professor” to Elena Aleksandrova, chief research fellow at the Higher School of Cybersecurity, and Olga Vlasova, director of the Scientific and Educational Center “Fundamentals of Medical and Biomedical Technologies”.

    Certificates for conferring the academic title of associate professor were received by: Maria Bortkovskaya, Konstantin Greshnevikov, Mikhail Enuchenko, Alexey Kultyshev, Anatoly Novik, Irina Ptukhina, Sergey Rozov, Nina Rumyantseva and Dmitry Sharapov.

    SPbPU Academic Secretary Dmitry Karpov announced that by order of the President of the Russian Federation, employees of the Advanced Engineering School “Digital Engineering” under the leadership of Alexey Borovkov were awarded a scholarship from the Defense Industry Complex for scientists, designers, technologists and other engineering and technical workers of organizations implementing the state defense order in 2024.

    Another achievement of the SPbPU PISh is the resolution of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences dated June 25, 2024, based on the results of the competitive selection among student works in the field of “Mechanical Engineering, Mechanics and Control Processes” to a master’s student of the Advanced Engineering School “Digital Engineering” Lilia Nezhinskaya awarded the medal of the Russian Academy of Sciences with a prize for young scientists. Lilia’s scientific supervisor is Alexey Borovkov.

    A letter of thanks from the Ministry of Education and Science for their contribution to the development of practice-oriented education in the Russian Federation within the framework of the Service Learning program was presented to Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Communication Technologies Maxim Pasholikov and Director of the Humanities Institute Natalia Chicherina.

    Victor Dashonok, Academic Program Development Specialist for the RISC-V Alliance, presented letters of gratitude for organizing and conducting the course “RISC-V Ecosystem: Development and System Programming” to Vera Loboda, Director of the Higher School of Electronics and Microsystems Engineering, Associate Professor Mikhail Enuchenko, Associate Professor Dmitry Budanov, as well as Pavel Drobintsev, Director of the Higher School of Software Engineering, and Assistant Nadezhda Stepina.

    Several Polytechnic University employees were awarded SPbPU honorary certificates. Head of the Department for Support of Scientific Projects and Programs Natalia Leontyeva was recognized for high professional achievements and effective work, and Chief Specialist of the Quality Control Department Igor Sechin was recognized for many years of work and high professionalism.

    Leading Manager of the Protocol and Organizational Service Anastasia Kedo, leading specialist Galina Kolmykova and specialist Maria Pagurskaya were awarded for their active participation in the implementation of particularly important projects and the holding of events at a high professional level that enhance the image of the university.

    Polytechnic athletes were also awarded honors.

    Coaches of the Student Sports Club “Black Bears-Polytech” Stepan Verbitsky, Evgeny Chupalov and Anatoly Dimitropulo, as well as students Dmitry Gultyaev, Pavel Timofeev and Petr Shlokkin presented the Polytech team, which brought from the XI tournament of the Association of Football Federations “North-West” among youth teams named after Anatoly Turchak first place cup and gold medals.

    On March 16, the Polytechnicians performed brilliantly at the Saint Petersburg University Dance Sport Championship. The university’s honor was defended by the pairs Anastasia Nazarova and Arseniy Bauman (1st place), Stefania Aldoshina and Gleb Gusev (1st place), Sofia Gordeeva and Arseniy Afonin (2nd and 3rd places). The team’s coach is Askar Isabaev.

    Students Kamilla Khakimova, Grigory Gavrilash and Maxim Telepanov took second place at the Saint Petersburg Student Sambo Competition. Coach: Grigory Galkin.

    After the congratulatory part, the members of the Academic Council moved on to the agenda of the meeting. Vice-Rector for Information Technology Andrey Lyamin spoke about the development of the university’s corporate information system.

    “The strategic goal of developing information technologies at the university is to strengthen the university’s position in the field of science, education and innovation by creating a global digital scientific and educational ecosystem, as well as dynamic and sustainable development to ensure Russia’s technological leadership,” noted Andrey Lyamin. “Information technologies at the university are developing in several directions: information infrastructure and information security, corporate and accounting information systems, portals and web resources.”

    Andrey Vladimirovich covered each area in detail, provided statistical and analytical data. He noted that special attention is paid at SPbPU to building a unified user support service (caliper@spbst.ru), in 2024, 9,685 requests were received there, user satisfaction was 4.9 out of 5. Andrei Vladimirovich also reported that a set of measures carried out by SPbPU to work with its own web portals brought the Polytechnic website tofirst place in the February ranking of media activity of Russian universities.

    The Academic Council meeting discussed personnel changes at the university. On April 1, Maria Vrublevskaya assumed the post of Vice-Rector for Personnel Policy, and Oleg Rozhdestvensky headed the SPbPU Office of Technological Leadership. Oleg Igorevich presented a report to the members of the Academic Council on the tasks of the new structural unit. He recalled that on October 29, 2024, a strategic session was held under the chairmanship of the head of the Russian government Mikhail Mishustin on the development of educational organizations that provide training for engineering personnel and scientific developments for technological leadership. Based on its results, 40 universities were to formulate development strategies until 2030–2036. SPbPU developed such a strategy, and on its basis, the University Development Program was created at the beginning of 2025, which Polytechnic successfully defended. Within the framework of this program, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Education and Science, the Office of Technological Leadership is being created.

    Oleg Rozhdestvensky spoke in detail about the management structure for the implementation of the SPbPU Development Program and answered questions.

    The members of the Academic Council also voted to award the academic title of associate professor to representatives of the Humanities Institute: Darina Barinova, Juntao Wang, Elena Krylova and Evgenia Tsimerman.

    Scientific Secretary Dmitry Karpov reported on monitoring the implementation of the decisions of the Academic Council.

    Among the current issues discussed at the meeting were the approval of tuition fees for the 2025/2026 academic year for different categories of citizens; approval of chief designers of key scientific and technological areas; the results of the 2024 competition of educational and scientific publications; prevention of offenses and the prevention of illegal actions among young people; the introduction of a working program for the education of students and the implementation of youth policy, etc. The meeting also approved the new corporate style of the university.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Career Successes of Recent Grads Underscore Strong ROI of a UConn Education

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    UConn’s newest alumni continued to excel after receiving their diplomas, with about 92% of recent graduates holding full-time jobs, continuing their education, or following other pursuits of their choosing within six months after graduating.

    The large majority also stayed in Connecticut, securing jobs with employers that cover the gamut from entrepreneurial start-ups and community-based small businesses to the biggest names in manufacturing, insurance, health care, and finance.

    While applying the skills they learned at UConn to support those industries, they also are augmenting Connecticut’s economy with strong starting salaries that are reinvested in their communities through housing, purchasing goods and services, and other spending.

    UConn’s most recent cohort of graduates earned annual starting salaries of nearly $65,000 on average – up about $5,200 from the previous year – with some exceeding $80,000 in high-demand fields such as nursing and computer science.

    The employment and salary figures for the recent graduates underscore the strong return on investment in a UConn education, and the University’s work to provide a highly educated workforce that supports and advances Connecticut’s innovation economy.

    “Every number represents a student who chose to enroll at UConn, drawn by its outstanding academic programs, rich research and entrepreneurship opportunities, and nurturing campus community – qualities that they believe will set them on the path to success. Year after year, UConn proves it is committed to fulfilling that promise,” says President Radenka Maric.

    At the national level, about 85% of the most recent cohort of college graduates report being employed, in graduate education, or in other pursuits of their choosing within six months of receiving their degree.

    UConn comfortably outpaces that at 92% reporting positive outcomes, tying with last year’s record high.

    Encouraging outcomes for current students

    The successful outcomes were evident across UConn, with the most recent alumni from Storrs and the regional campuses demonstrating strong results and overwhelmingly reporting that their jobs are related to their current career goals.

    The newest alumni outcomes also serve as an encouraging example for the thousands of UConn undergraduates slated to receive their diplomas in May and who either are interviewing for jobs, already have an offer in hand, or are considering graduate education.

    It also aligns with UConn’s Strategic Plan, which includes commitments to strengthen life and career readiness competencies in academic and experiential activities, and to position students for career and life success once they leave the University.

    The data on students’ post-graduation progress comes from the annual Undergraduate First Destination Survey, in which UConn participates along with most other colleges and universities through National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) survey protocols.

    The survey information and other details – including top employers of UConn graduates, their average starting salaries, employment locations and other details – can be found on the UConn Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills website.

    UConn’s work to engage its students through career services has repeatedly shown its effectiveness in their career readiness, resulting in post-graduation success. &#8212 Associate Provost James Lowe

    The most recent figures capture data on UConn undergraduates who received their degrees in August 2023, December 2023, and May 2024. The website also includes a tool to find specific information by school and college, academic major, and other attributes.

    Of the graduates in those cohorts, about 92% were in activities of their choosing within six months of graduating: working full time, pursuing graduate education, enlisted in military service, or engaged in other pursuits.

    Of those, about 58% were employed and 33% were pursuing higher education. The rest were either serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, engaged with non-profit organizations, or in other activities of their choosing. The remaining 8% includes people pursuing certifications or credentials needed for their specific career paths, and others still seeking opportunities.

    Many of the graduates increased their marketability by engaging in internships, job fairs, career counseling, and other experiential learning experiences through UConn’s Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills.

    Nutmeggers building their careers at home

    For some, like Stamford native Sarah Velez ’24 (BUS), those experiences led directly to job offers.

    Velez, who was selected in 2022 as a Spectrum Scholar, interned at the company starting in summer 2023 to learn from people across different marketing areas and broaden her understanding of various career paths available.

    With those skills and her UConn education, Velez landed a full-time position at Spectrum as a marketing associate, which she started after her graduation from UConn in May 2024.

    “This exposure, combined with hands-on experience and mentorship support, helped me narrow down my interests and develop the skills I need to succeed in my current role,” says Velez, who matriculated at UConn Stamford.

    Like Velez, many of the recent graduates were loyal to their home state when the time came to consider jobs and graduate school.

    About 76% of Connecticut natives who graduated from UConn stayed in the state for jobs, up 7 percentage points from just two years earlier. And, about 77% of in-state students who decided to pursue graduate degrees enrolled in Connecticut institutions, predominantly at UConn.

    Career services pay dividends for Huskies 

    They also often can be found giving back to their alma mater, including by representing their new employers at career fairs coordinated by the UConn Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills.

    In fact, about 300 employers participated in UConn’s All-University Fair in fall 2023, for which the University provided regional students with free transportation to and from the flagship campus.

    More than 4,300 students met over two days with employers at that event, the largest number to date to participate in a career fair.

    Thousands also took advantage of the chance to share their resumes, learn about internships, and have professional head shots taken on site in the new Iris Air photobooth. That booth, which is sponsored by General Dynamics Electric Boat, also is available to students for free use anytime at the Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills office in the Wilbur Cross Building.

    In the past year, average annual salaries were $14,500 higher for recent UConn graduates who had used career services than those who hadn’t, and they were much more likely to secure jobs either directly or very related to their career goals.

    “UConn’s work to engage its students through career services has repeatedly shown its effectiveness in their career readiness, resulting in post-graduation success,” says UConn Associate Provost James Lowe, who is also executive director of the Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills.

    The center’s mission is to deliver comprehensive, innovative, and inclusive programs and services for all students, he adds. That includes an extensive host of nationally recognized and award-winning offerings to ensure students are well prepared for life after UConn. It also entails cultivating connections to campus and community partners, promoting opportunities for students to contribute to the state, national, and global communities.

    UConn career consultants work throughout the year with students to help them articulate the skills they learned in part-time jobs on campus or elsewhere, and to show potential employers how that real-world experience boosts their qualifications for jobs.

    According to a national Gallup Poll, 60% of students utilize their university provided career services. At UConn, the number is 85% — a full 25% points above the national average.

    “Our enviable student engagement levels are a direct result of a meticulously curated marketing plan coupled with targeted programmatic offerings that address the career readiness needs of our students no matter what phase of the career journey they are in,” Lowe says.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Compass Diversified Announces Appointment of Matthew Blake as CEO of Arnold Magnetics

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WESTPORT, Conn., April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Compass Diversified Holdings (NYSE: CODI) (“CODI” or the “Company”), an owner of leading middle market branded consumer and industrial businesses, today announced that Matthew Blake has been named Chief Executive Officer of its subsidiary, Arnold Magnetic Technologies Corporation (“Arnold”), a leading global manufacturer of high-performance electric motors, magnets, and thin metals, effective March 31, 2025. Concurrent with his appointment, Blake will join Arnold’s Board of Directors. After a successful nine-year tenure as CEO, Dan Miller will be concluding his time at Arnold after a planned transition period ending April 30, 2025.

    “On behalf of Compass and Arnold, I want to extend our sincere gratitude to Dan for his dedication and service in building Arnold into the industry leader it is today,” said Elias Sabo, CEO of CODI. “Under his leadership, Arnold has strengthened its position as a leading solutions provider, successfully navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and oversaw the company’s recent plant relocation. We wish him all the best. I also want to welcome Matt to both Arnold and Compass Diversified. With leadership experience spanning multiple facets of industrial manufacturing, I believe he is the ideal choice to lead Arnold in its next phase of growth.”

    Blake brings broad global operations experience across a range of industrial end-markets. He has a track record of driving growth, operational excellence and strategic execution. Most recently, he was the Chief Operations Officer at DwyerOmega, a manufacturer and global provider of precision measurement solutions. Prior to DwyerOmega, he held various leadership roles at Alpha Packaging, Cleaver-Brooks, and ESAB Welding & Cutting Products. Blake holds a Master of Science in Engineering and Global Operations Management from Clarkson University, as well as an MBA from Webster University.

    Ryan Thorp, Chairman of Arnold’s Board of Directors added: “We are extremely grateful for Dan’s stewardship of Arnold in continuing to grow and diversify the business and position it for continued success. I’d also like to welcome Matt to Arnold. Matt possesses a wealth of industrial experience and I am sure he will build on Arnold’s impressive performance.”

    Dan Miller added: “It has been an honor to lead Arnold and work alongside such a talented and committed team. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together and wish the company continued success under Matt’s leadership.”

    “I am excited at the privilege of leading the exceptional team at Arnold and building upon its strong foundation,” said Matthew Blake, incoming CEO of Arnold. “I look forward to driving continued success and creating value for our customers and shareholders.”

    About Compass Diversified (“CODI”)

    Since its IPO in 2006, CODI has consistently executed its strategy of owning and managing a diverse set of highly defensible, middle-market businesses across the branded consumer, industrial, healthcare, and critical outsourced services sectors. The Company leverages its permanent capital base, long-term disciplined approach, and actionable expertise to maintain controlling ownership interests in each of its subsidiaries, maximizing its ability to impact long-term cash flow generation and value creation. The Company provides both debt and equity capital for its subsidiaries, contributing to their financial and operating flexibility. CODI utilizes the cash flows generated by its subsidiaries to invest in the long-term growth of the Company and has consistently generated strong returns through its culture of transparency, alignment and accountability. For more information, please visit compassdiversified.com.

    About Arnold Magnetic Technologies

    Based in Rochester, NY, Arnold serves a variety of markets including aerospace and defense, general industrial, motorsport/automotive, oil and gas, medical, energy, reprographics and advertising specialties. Over the course of more than 125 years, Arnold has successfully evolved and adapted its products, technologies, and manufacturing presence to meet the demands of current and emerging markets. Arnold produces high performance permanent magnets (PMAG), turnkey electric motors (“Ramco”), precision foil products (Precision Thin Metals or “PTM”), and flexible magnets (Flexmag™) that are mission critical in motors, generators, sensors and other systems and components. Arnold has expanded globally and built strong relationships with its customers worldwide.

    Forward Looking Statements

    This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements with regard to the expectations related to the future performance of Arnold and CODI. Words such as “believes,” “expects,” “will,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “continue,” “projects,” “potential,” “assuming,” and “future” or similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to the inherent uncertainties in predicting future results and conditions, some of which are not currently known to CODI. In addition to factors previously disclosed in CODI’s reports filed with the SEC, the following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements: changes in the economy, financial markets and political environment; risks associated with possible disruption in CODI’s operations or the economy generally due to terrorism, natural disasters, social, civil and political unrest or the COVID-19 pandemic; future changes in laws or regulations (including the interpretation of these laws and regulations by regulatory authorities); and other considerations that may be disclosed from time to time in CODI’s publicly disseminated documents and filings. Further information regarding CODI and its subsidiaries and factors which could affect the forward-looking statements contained herein can be found in CODI’s annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Except as required by law, CODI undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    Investor Relations

    Compass Diversified
    irinquiry@compassdiversified.com

    Gateway Group
    Cody Slach
    949.574.3860
    CODI@gateway-grp.com

    Media Relations

    Compass Diversified
    mediainquiry@compassdiversified.com

    The IGB Group
    Leon Berman
    212.477.8438
    lberman@igbir.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Plymouth Rock Home Assurance Appoints Kevin Zygmunt as Chief Operating Officer

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BOSTON, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Plymouth Rock Home Assurance Corporation has appointed Kevin Zygmunt as its Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately. Zygmunt, most recently led the home insurance vertical for EverQuote where he was also tasked with heading up planning and operations. In his new role, Kevin will oversee operations for the Marketing, Underwriting, Service, and Claims teams for the Home group.

    “Kevin’s experience in strategic management and marketing are an ideal match for Plymouth Rock,” commented Bill Martin, President and CEO, Plymouth Rock Home Assurance Corporation. “We hire talented leaders with rare intelligence and energy to make things happen. We are achieving great things, and Kevin acts as a force multiplier.”

    Prior to joining EverQuote, Kevin spent 5 years at the Boston Consulting Group where his work spanned multiple industries and practice areas. He did his undergraduate work at Bucknell University and holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management.

    “I am honored to take on the role of COO at Plymouth Rock Home Assurance and to join an extremely talented team who focuses on putting the needs of the customer first. I am looking forward to building upon the operational foundations that the leadership team has already put in place and contributing to Plymouth Rock’s further growth and success.”

    Kevin is married with 4 children and in his spare time enjoys spending time with family, traveling, golfing and coaching kids’ sports.

    About Plymouth Rock
    Plymouth Rock was established to offer its customers a higher level of service and a more innovative set of products and features than they would expect from an insurance company. Plymouth Rock’s innovative approach puts customers’ convenience and satisfaction first, giving them the choice to do business the way they want—online, with a mobile app, by phone, or by contacting their Plymouth Rock agent. Customers can chat, text, or email to get answers quickly and easily. Plymouth Rock Assurance® and Plymouth Rock® are brand names and service marks used by separate underwriting, managed insurance, and management companies that offer property and casualty insurance in multiple states. Taken together, the companies write and manage more than $2.3 billion in auto and home insurance premiums across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

    Each underwriting and managed insurance company is a separate legal entity that is financially responsible only for its own insurance products. You can learn more about us by visiting plymouthrock.com.

    Contacts
    Media Relations
    617-428-1949
    mediarelations@plymouthrock.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d0f062de-c552-4748-9bc8-813475383a0f

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Labor will urge Fair Work Commission to give real wage rise to three million workers

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    The Labor party on Wednesday will urge the Fair Work Commission to grant a real wage increase to Australian workers on awards.

    This goes further than Labor’s recommendations in earlier years, which have been for real wages not to go backwards.

    In the new submission, Labor will say that the increase should be “economically sustainable.” It says a rise in minimum and award wages should be consistent with inflation returning sustainably to the Reserve Bank’s target band of 2% to 3%.

    The move sets up a debate between the government and opposition about what are responsible wage increases.

    The submission says: “Labor believes workers should get ahead with a real wage increase. Despite heightened global uncertainty and volatility, the Australian economy has turned a corner. Inflation is now less than one third of its peak, unemployment remains low, there are over 1 million additional people employed than in May 2022, and interest rates have started to come down.

    “Economic growth rebounded at the end of last year and the private sector is now a key contributor to growth. Importantly, real wages growth has now returned and is forecast to continue across 2024-25 and 2025-26. A soft landing in our economy looks more and more likely.”

    More than 2.9 million workers have their pay set by an award and are directly affected by the commission’s Annual Wage Review. The national minimum wage is presently $24.10 an hour, which is $915.90 for a 38 hour week, equivalent to $47,626.80 a year.

    The submission points out that women are disproportionately represented in jobs that are under awards and low paid.

    The government argues that its position is both economically responsible and fair, and will ensure low paid workers can get ahead as inflation moderates. It says that if its recommendation is accepted, this will help about three million workers, including cleaners, retail workers and early childhood educators.

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recalled that during the 2022 campaign he was asked if he supported a wage increase for low paid workers.

    After he said “absolutely”, the Liberals had said this would wreck the economy,

    “Since then we’ve seen wages going up, inflation coming down and interest rates starting to fall. This campaign will again advocate for workers to get a pay rise to not only help them deal with the pressures of today, but to get ahead in the future.”

    Treasurer Jim Chalmers said: “The choice at this election is between a Labor government which has been creating jobs, getting wages moving again, rebuilding living standards and rolling out responsible cost-of-living help versus a Coalition that wants Australians working longer for less.”

    In its submission Labor says an economically sustainable real wage increase would complement the measures the government has introduced to ease cost-of-living pressures.

    Michelle Grattan 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 will urge Fair Work Commission to give real wage rise to three million workers – https://theconversation.com/labor-will-urge-fair-work-commission-to-give-real-wage-rise-to-three-million-workers-253560

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Planned blackouts are becoming more common − and not having cash on hand could cost you

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jay L. Zagorsky, Associate Professor Questrom School of Business, Boston University

    Are you prepared for when the power goes out? To prevent massive wildfires in drought-prone, high-wind areas, electrical companies have begun preemptively shutting off electricity. These planned shutdowns are called public safety power shutoffs, abbreviated to PSPS, and they’re increasingly common. So far this year, we’ve seen them in Texas, New Mexico and California.

    Unlike regular power failures, which on average last only about two hours while a piece of broken equipment is repaired, a PSPS lasts until weather conditions improve, which could be days. And these shutoffs come at a steep price. In 2010 alone, they cost California over US$13 billion. A 2019 analysis of shutoffs in Placer County, California, found that they harmed 70% of local businesses.

    I am a business school professor who studies how people pay for things, including during emergencies. As I point out in my new book “The Power of Cash: Why Using Paper Money is Good for You and Society,” many people have abandoned paper money and switched to electronic payments such as credit cards and mobile apps. This can become a big problem during an emergency, since these systems need electricity to operate. The switch to electronic payments is making the world less resilient in the face of increasing numbers of major natural disasters.

    So if a public safety power shutoff strikes and you don’t have any cash, you may be doubly vulnerable. On the other hand, keeping cash can protect you – and not just you and your family, but also local businesses and your community. After all, keeping the economy moving during shutoffs reduces the financial damage they cause.

    Why do they keep turning off the power, anyway?

    It’s all about risk.

    The world has experienced a number of very destructive wildfires recently. In 2025, large parts of Los Angeles burned to the ground, with over 18,000 buildings destroyed or damaged. In 2023, wildfires in Hawaii killed over 100 people. Massive wildfires have also occurred recently in South Korea, Portugal and Australia.

    Governments, people whose houses burned and insurance companies are all looking for someone to blame and pay for the damage. Climate change, which is increasing the world’s average temperatures and drying out trees and grass, is setting the conditions. Since Mother Nature cannot be sued, utilities make handy scapegoats with deep pockets. Electrical utilities are sued because their power lines, transformers and other equipment often start blazes.

    So to prevent lawsuits as well as fires, power companies are increasingly turning off the power when the conditions are ripe for a catastrophic blaze. There’s no uniform set of standards for when to impose a shutdown, but in general, power companies do it when there are hot, dry and windy conditions. For example, a PSPS is triggered in Hawaii if there’s a drought, wind gusts are over 45 miles per hour and relative humidity is under 45%.

    Power shutoffs are a relatively new idea. They were proposed in California in 2008 and first allowed in 2012.

    Since then, power companies across the entire western U.S. from Texas to Hawaii have adopted these plans. Shutoff plans also stretch from southern border states such as Arizona to northern border states such as Idaho and Montana.

    Shutting off the power is a huge problem, since it causes massive disruption to communities. People depend on power to run medical equipment, work and keep communities safe. Even people with a desperate need for electricity, such as those on medical life support, are not immune to a safety shutoff.

    How to prepare for a PSPS

    As the world warms, the chance of being caught in a preemptive power shutoff increases. What can you do to minimize the impact?

    Having solar panels won’t protect you: Utilities shut off customers with solar panels to block those panels from pushing power onto the grid, since the whole goal is to shut off the grid. The only way for you to still have power is to buy a battery storage system and a transfer switch, which allows you to take your system completely off the grid. But this is very expensive.

    Getting a portable generator is only a partial solution for a multiday shutoff, since most last only six to 18 hours on a single tank of gas. Plus, generators run very hot, which creates its own fire risk.

    Another way to minimize the impact of both a power shutoff and a wildfire is to create a small disaster relief kit, or “go bag.” Creating one is relatively inexpensive. It should contain key items such as water, your medicines, some shelf-stable food – and importantly, some cash. Even some government websites forget to mention this.

    It’s also important to use paper money before a shutoff happens. I have all too frequently seen gas station attendants, supermarket checkout clerks and restaurant servers have no idea how to handle cash.

    Recently at my local supermarket, for example, I paid with a $20 bill. The cashier had to ask another employee which kinds of coins to use to make change. If people don’t know how to handle cash during normal times, it ceases to be useful during emergencies.

    As the world warms, public safety power shutoffs will occur more frequently. The shutoffs clearly highlight the trade-off between economic and social disruption versus preventing dangerous wildfires. These shutoffs show there are no easy solutions – only hard choices.

    There are a few sensible and easy steps to take to reduce the impact of these shutoffs. One is to understand that during one of the very moments you might really need to spend money, modern payment systems fail. Holding and frequently using old-fashioned cash is a simple and low-cost way to protect yourself and your family.

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

    – ref. Planned blackouts are becoming more common − and not having cash on hand could cost you – https://theconversation.com/planned-blackouts-are-becoming-more-common-and-not-having-cash-on-hand-could-cost-you-253319

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: GOP lawmakers eye SNAP cuts, which would scale back benefits that help low-income people buy food at a time of high food prices

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Tracy Roof, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Richmond

    A shopper who gets SNAP benefits shops for groceries at a supermarket in Bellflower, Calif., on Feb. 13, 2023. AP Photo/Allison Dinner

    Congress may soon consider whether to cut spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the main way the government helps low-income Americans put food on the table. The Conversation U.S. asked Tracy Roof, a political scientist who has researched the history of government nutrition programs, to explain what’s going on and why the effort to reduce spending on SNAP benefits, which can be used to purchase groceries, could falter.

    Why does it look like the federal government may cut SNAP spending?

    Conservative critics of SNAP believe that the U.S. spends too much on the program, which cost the federal government US$100 billion in the 2024 fiscal year.

    Federal spending on SNAP, however, has been falling since it peaked at $119 billion in 2022, before extra pandemic-related benefits ended.

    Some Republican lawmakers are calling for new changes that would cut spending on the program.

    Is there a SNAP budget?

    No.

    Today, SNAP helps nearly 42 million people put food on the table, including 1 in 5 children. Americans can usually qualify for SNAP benefits if their income is under 130% of the federal poverty line. In 2025, that would be $41,795 for a family of four and they have limited savings. Some eligibility guidelines can vary by state.

    The rules are complex. Most adults under the age of 60 are subject to work requirements if they are “able-bodied” and not caring for a child or incapacitated adult. If adults between the ages of 18 and 54 don’t log at least 20 hours of work or another approved activity, their benefits can be cut off. Immigrants without authorization to reside in the U.S. aren’t eligible for SNAP.

    Despite those restrictions on who can get SNAP benefits, there is no set limit to what the federal government can spend on the program. As more people become eligible due to their low incomes and therefore obtain benefits during economic downturns, this spending automatically increases. When the economy improves, it usually declines.

    States administer the program under federal government guidelines. The federal government covers the full cost of benefits low-income people receive through the program, but the states cover roughly half of the administrative costs.

    How can the federal government try to cut SNAP spending?

    There are two main paths to program cuts.

    One is through the farm bill, a legislative package Congress typically renews every four or five years that sets policies for SNAP and programs that support farmers’ incomes. The most recent farm bill expired in 2023. Congress has passed multiple one-year extensions on the measure because lawmakers have been unable to pass a new one.

    The latest extension will expire on Sept. 30, 2025.

    The other option is through the so-called budget reconciliation process underway in Congress. Right now, the primary Republican plan calls for extending $4.5 trillion in tax cuts passed in the first Trump administration and making up to $2 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade.

    The House took the first step in this process by narrowly passing a budget blueprint on Feb. 25. This plan requires the House Agriculture Committee to cut $230 billion in spending over 10 years. While it does not force the committee to cut SNAP specifically, the program accounts for $1 trillion of the $1.3 trillion spent over a decade that the committee oversees – leaving few alternatives.

    What kinds of changes might cut costs?

    Most Republicans appear to favor changing how benefits are calculated and imposing stricter work requirements.

    Today, the value of SNAP benefits that participants in the program can get are calculated based on the “thrifty food plan,” a blueprint for a low-cost, nutritionally adequate diet. A family of four, for example, can get benefits of up to $939 a month if they have no income.

    The Biden administration updated that plan in 2021 in a way that increased monthly SNAP benefits by 23%, not counting the short-term pandemic adjustments to the program. Republican lawmakers want to prevent future changes to the thrifty food plan that might again sharply increase benefits.

    Another proposal would roll back the 2021 change in the thrifty food plan. This would cut current benefits and save $274 billion over a decade. One hitch is that House Agriculture Committee Chair G.T. Thompson has promised no cuts to monthly SNAP benefits.

    Many Republicans would like to stiffen the work requirements by requiring work of recipients who are up to age 65 or are the parents of children who are more than six years old. They also could limit the ability of states to make exceptions in places that don’t have enough jobs.

    Other options include limiting states’ flexibility to offer benefits to people with incomes that are a little higher than 130% of the federal poverty level, capping the monthly benefit for larger households to the amount available to a family of six, and shifting more of the program’s costs to the states.

    Other proposals would crack down on fraud and benefit overpayments. Those steps would be likely to achieve a tiny fraction of the spending reductions the GOP seeks.

    How popular do you think these changes would be?

    The food insecurity rate, which reflects the number of people who worry about getting enough to eat or who report skipping meals or buying less nutritious food because of costs, has been high in recent years. Polls show most Americans support increasing SNAP benefits, not cutting them.

    Angry constituents have recently turned out to protest potential benefit cuts to programs such as Medicaid and SNAP at town hall meetings held by members of Congress.

    Food prices are climbing, and there are growing concerns that a recession could be around the corner. As in earlier downturns, that would probably mean that more people would be eligible for SNAP benefits.

    Food banks, already struggling to meet demand and facing federal spending cuts, have warned they will not be able to fill gaps caused by reduced SNAP spending or new limits on benefits.

    What are some of the obstacles in the way of huge cuts?

    Getting the House and the Senate to agree on a budget bill that curbs SNAP spending will be very tricky, to say the least.

    Republicans have a very small majority in the House and they would need almost every vote. There are seven House Republicans from areas where over 20% of all residents get SNAP benefits, making it hard for them to vote for changes that would reduce or restrict the program’s scale.

    Other House Republicans, especially those expressing concerns about the national debt, are likely to insist that this spending be cut. It is unclear who will win this tug-of-war.

    There’s another complication. If substantial SNAP cuts are made in the current budget process, it could make reaching a compromise on a new farm bill even harder than it’s been in recent years. And while the budget can be passed without any votes from Democrats in Congress, the farm bill will require some bipartisan support.

    Tracy Roof has previously received funding from Virginia Humanities and several foundations associated with presidential archives to study the history of the food stamp program.

    – ref. GOP lawmakers eye SNAP cuts, which would scale back benefits that help low-income people buy food at a time of high food prices – https://theconversation.com/gop-lawmakers-eye-snap-cuts-which-would-scale-back-benefits-that-help-low-income-people-buy-food-at-a-time-of-high-food-prices-208556

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: America the secular? What a changing religious landscape means for US politics

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By David Campbell, Packey J. Dee Professor of American Democracy, University of Notre Dame

    Conventional wisdom about nonreligious Americans’ voting misses some important distinctions. Sarah Rice/Getty Images

    After climbing for decades, the percentage of Americans with no religion has leveled off. For the past few years, the share of adults who identify as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” has stood at about 29%, according to a major study the Pew Research Center released Feb. 26, 2025.

    But this hardly means that the “nones,” or their impact on American life, are going away. In fact, their sheer size makes it likely that they will increase in political prominence.

    It will presumably come as no surprise that many secular voters lean to the political left. It may, however, be surprising to learn that a fairly large number of nonreligious voters supported President Donald Trump in the 2020 and 2024 elections.

    If the above paragraph is a head-scratcher, that is because “nonreligious” and “secular” are often treated as two ways of saying the same thing. But as political scientists who study religion – and the lack thereof – we have found that there is a fundamental difference between the two. While conventional wisdom holds that religious voters are Republicans and nonreligious voters are Democrats, the reality is more complicated.

    Nonreligious vs. secular

    So, what is the difference between people who are nonreligious vs. those who are secular?

    The nonreligious tend to define themselves by what they are not: for example, not belonging to a religion, not attending worship services, not believing in God. In our surveys, many people without a religious affiliation do not cite any particular worldview or philosophy when asked what guides their life.

    Secular people, on the other hand, define themselves by what they are: someone who has embraced a humanistic and even scientific worldview. That is, when asked about where they find truth, they turn to sources such as science and philosophy instead of scripture and religious teachings. Often, they identify as atheist, agnostic or humanist.

    There are secular people, however, who also embrace some aspects of faith. Religiosity and secularity are not in a zero-sum relationship: more of one does not necessarily mean less of the other. In our research, we found many cases of people who belong to a religious congregation yet have a secular worldview: This describes many Jews, mainline Protestants and even Catholics, for example.

    4 groups

    To get a better sense of Americans’ views, for over a decade we have worked on developing questions to identify people with a secular outlook, while also asking about religious commitment, such as how often someone attends services. Our findings culminated in the 2021 book “Secular Surge: A New Fault Line in American Politics.”

    Based on the results, we can divide the U.S. population into four groups: Religionists, Nonreligionists, Secularists and Religious Secularists.

    The Religionists category includes people of all faiths. At 41%, this is the largest group in the United States, but they do not form a majority.

    Secularists make up 27% of the population – larger than the percentage of any single religious tradition. Evangelical Christians, for example, are 23% of the U.S. population, according to Pew, and Catholics are 19%.

    Another 14% of Americans are what we call Religious Secularists: people who identify with and participate in a religious community, yet have a secular worldview. They might attend worship services but consider their religion more as an expression of their culture than a source of teachings to inform their daily decision-making. Some Religious Secularists may describe themselves as agnostic or even atheist.

    Finally, 18% of Americans are Nonreligionists: These are people we described above as not having any religion in their lives, but neither do they have a secular worldview. They are defined by what they are not, not what they are.

    Political views

    These four groups vary in whether they are politically engaged – and if so, whom they support.

    In our book about America’s “secular surge” we used data from a nationwide survey in 2017. In 2021, we conducted a second wave of that survey.

    According to data from that survey that we analyzed for this article, Religionists and Secularists are about equally likely to get involved in politics: roughly 30% of both groups reported doing something political in the past 12 months, such as attending a rally, volunteering for a candidate or donating money. Nonreligionists were much less likely: only 17%.

    In fact, no matter the form of civic engagement – voting, volunteering – Nonreligionists were consistently the least likely to be involved. Only 30% of Nonreligionists report belonging to any sort of club or organization, while for the rest of the population, it is closer to 50%.

    In the same 2021 survey, we asked people to rate various politicians on a 0-100 scale, with a higher number meaning a more positive view.

    On average, Religionists rated Trump a 61, the highest of the four groups; Secularists give him the lowest score, at 14. Nonreligionists gave Trump 47 points.

    It would be wrong, however, to call the Nonreligionists an ideologically conservative group.

    Consider their ratings of Bernie Sanders, who caucuses with the Democratic Party but describes himself as a democratic socialist. For three of the groups, support for Sanders was the mirror opposite of their feelings toward Trump, a Republican. Secularists, for instance, gave the Vermont senator a relatively high score of 66, on average; Religionists’ feelings toward him are much cooler, at 32 points.

    By contrast, Nonreligionists gave a nearly identical rating to Trump and Sanders. Given that the two men are at opposite ideological poles, how could Nonreligionists rate them the same? We suspect it is because both figures challenge the status quo.

    In 2024, the Trump campaign worked to mobilize “low-propensity voters”: political jargon for people with the low levels of civic engagement often found among Nonreligionists. Not only are they politically disengaged, they are the most likely to combine being young, male, white and without a college degree.

    A ‘secular left’?

    Secularists, too, are disproportionately young and white. But in other ways they are very different from Nonreligionists. Secularists typically have a college degree and are evenly balanced between women and men. Typically, they are also liberal and highly engaged in politics.

    So how will they shape American politics? The answer may depend on whether Secularists cohere into a movement – a secular left to parallel the religious right.

    Today, highly religious conservatives are a vocal group within American politics, the core of the Republican Party. A generation ago, however, they were a disparate group of people from different Christian denominations, from Baptists to Pentecostals. Many of the religious groups that now march in common cause once had sharp disagreements.

    It remains to be seen whether secular voters will organize in a similar way. Either way, it is safe to say America’s religious composition has changed significantly.

    Don’t assume, however, that a turn away from religion necessarily means a sharp turn toward the political left. We’d caution that the story is more complicated. For now, secular voters lean to the left – but nonreligious voters are up for grabs.

    David Campbell and Geoffrey Layman received funding from the National Science Foundation.

    Geoffrey C. Layman and David E. Campbell received funding from the National Science Foundation.

    – ref. America the secular? What a changing religious landscape means for US politics – https://theconversation.com/america-the-secular-what-a-changing-religious-landscape-means-for-us-politics-249892

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Land reparations are possible − and over 225 US communities are already working to make amends for slavery and colonization

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Sara Safransky, Associate Professor, Department of Human and Organizational Development, Vanderbilt University

    Ever since the United States government’s unfulfilled promise of giving every newly freed Black American “40 acres and a mule” after the Civil War, descendants of the enslaved have repeatedly proposed the idea of redistributing land to redress the nation’s legacies of slavery.

    Land-based reparations are also a form of redress for the territorial theft of colonialism.

    Around the world, politicians tend to dismiss calls for such initiatives as wishful thinking at best and discrimination at worst. Or else, they are swatted away as too complex to implement, legally and practically.

    Yet our research shows a growing number of municipalities and communities across the U.S. are quietly taking up the charge.

    We are geographers who since 2021 have been documenting and analyzing over 225 examples of reparative programs underway in U.S. cities, states and regions. Notably, over half of them center land return.

    These efforts show how working locally to grapple with the complexity of land-based reparations is a necessary and feasible part of the nation’s healing process.

    The Evanston effect

    Evanston, Illinois, launched the country’s first publicly funded housing reparations program in 2019.

    In its current form, Evanston’s Restorative Housing Program has provided disbursements to more than 200 recipients. All are Black residents of Evanston or direct descendants of residents who experienced housing discrimination between 1919 and 1969. Benefits include down payment assistance and mortgage assistance as well as funds to make home repairs and improvements.

    The goal is to redress the harm Evanston caused during these 50-plus years of racial discrimination in public schools, hospitals, buses and segregated residential zoning. During that same period, banks in Evanston, as in other U.S. cities, also refused to give Black residents mortgages, credit or insurance for homes in white neighborhoods.

    “I always said you can keep the mule,” program beneficiary Ron Butler told NBC News in 2024. “Give me the 40 acres in Evanston.”

    Reparations that focus on land, housing and property are about more than making amends for centuries of racial discrimination. They help to restore people’s self-determination, autonomy and freedom.

    Following Evanston’s lead, in 2021 a group of 11 U.S. mayors created Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity, a coalition committed to developing pilot reparations programs. Members include Los Angeles, Austin and Asheville.

    The cities act as sites to generate ideas about how reparation initiatives could be scaled up nationally. Each mayor is advised by committees made up of representatives from local Black-led organizations.

    Colonial reparations

    In recent years the city of Eureka, in Northern California, has been returning some territory to its Native inhabitants.

    Indigenous people often call this process rematriation; it’s part of a broader effort to restore sovereignty and sacred relationships to their ancestral lands.

    In 2019, after years of petitioning by members of the Wiyot people, the Eureka City Council returned 200 acres of Tuluwat Island, a 280-acre island in Humboldt Bay where European settlers in 1860 massacred about 200 Wiyot women and children.

    “It’s a sovereignty issue, a self-governance issue,” said Wiyot tribal administrator Michelle Vassel in a November 2023 radio interview.

    Minneapolis’ sale of city lots to the Red Lake Nation for $1 in 2023 is another example of how city governments can make amends for past Indigenous displacement and removal. Plans to develop the low-cost lots include a cultural center for Red Lake people, an opioid treatment center and potentially housing.

    The Red Lake Reservation once included 3.3 million acres. The 1889 Dawes Act forced the Red Lake Band to cede all but 300,000 acres. The federal government later returned some land, but today the reservation is still only a quarter of its original size.

    Reparations are critical to racial equity

    These initiatives may sound like a drop in the bucket considering the vast harms committed over centuries of slavery and colonization. Yet they prove that governments can craft targeted, achievable and meaningful policies to address colonialism and enslavement.

    The state of Minnesota transferred Upper Sioux Agency State Park back to the Dakota people in 2023 in an effort to make amends for a war and historic slaughter there.
    AP Photo/Trisha Ahmed

    They also tackle a frequent critique of reparations, which is that slavery and colonialism happened centuries ago. Yet their effects continue to harm Black and Native communities generations later. Today, white households in the U.S. have roughly nine times the wealth of typical Black households.

    One explanation for this racial disparity is that Black households earn 20% less than their white counterparts. But a more meaningful driver is what scholars call the “intergenerational transmission chain” – that is, the role that gifts and inheritance play in wealth generation.

    That’s why reparations – with both land and money – are so critical to creating racial equity.

    Still, reparations programs do raise a host of complex, practical questions. Which kinds of historic racial injustice take priority, and what form should repair take? Who qualifies for the benefits?

    Community-based land reparations

    Reparations don’t have to come from the government.

    In recent years, more than a hundred community-based organizations across the U.S. have introduced their own initiatives to redistribute land and wealth to make amends for past injustices.

    Makoce Ikikcupi, in the Minnesota River Valley, is a community reparations program led by Dakota peoples. Since 2009, the group has been collecting funds to buy back portions of the Dakota homeland. One revenue source is voluntary contributions from descendants of Europeans who colonized that land. This fundraising strategy is sometimes called “real rent” or “back rent.”

    The group purchased its first 21-acre parcel of land in 2019, where it is building traditional earth lodges, with plans for several self-sustaining Dakota villages.

    “We consider our donation…‘back rent,’” reads the testimony of one monthly contributor, Josina Manu, on the group’s webpage. He calls the reclamation of Dakota land a “vital” step “towards creating a just world.”

    Fair compensation for eminent domain

    Many communities are also working together to repair the legacies of anti-Black racism.

    In the 1960s, the city of Athens, Georgia, used eminent domain to build dormitories for the University of Georgia. Paying below market value, it demolished an entire Black neighborhood called Linnentown.

    In early 2021, following petitioning from former Linnentown residents who’d lost their homes, the City Council unanimously passed a resolution recognizing their neighborhood’s destruction as “an act of institutionalized white racism and terrorism resulting in intergenerational Black poverty.”

    Because Georgia law prohibits government entities from making payments to individuals, a community group stepped in to organize compensation.

    The result is Athens Reparations Action, a coalition of churches and community organizations. Formed in 2021, it had raised $120,000 by 2024 to distribute among the 10 families who are Linnentown survivors and descendants.

    Backlash

    Our research also tracks legal challenges to the reparations initiatives we are studying.

    Conservative groups such as Judicial Watch have filed dozens of retaliatory lawsuits against several of them, including Evanston’s Restorative Housing Program. A 2024 class action complaint alleges that the program discriminates based on race, violating the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.

    These legal challenges are part of the broader front of conservative-led assaults on voting rights, affirmative action and critical race theory. Like reparations, all are efforts to grapple with the U.S.’s historical mistreatment of Black, Indigenous and other people of color.

    Attacking those initiatives is an attempt to preserve what scholar Laura Pulido calls “white innocence.” We expect more of them under a second Trump term already defined by its assault on antidiscrimination policies and programs.

    So far, none of Trump’s decrees has targeted reparations specifically. For now, reparations are still legal and constitutional – and possible.

    Sara Safransky has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, the Wenner-Gren Foundation, and the American Council of Learned Societies, however, I have not received funding from these organizations for the research project discussed in this article. The only grant I’ve received to fund this research is an internal grant from Vanderbilt University.

    Elsa Noterman has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the British Academy. However, I have not received funding from these organizations for the research project discussed in this article. The only grant I have received to fund this research is an internal grant from Queen Mary University of London.

    Madeleine Lewis has received research funding from the Society for Community Research and Action. However, that funding is not related to the research project mentioned in the article.

    – ref. Land reparations are possible − and over 225 US communities are already working to make amends for slavery and colonization – https://theconversation.com/land-reparations-are-possible-and-over-225-us-communities-are-already-working-to-make-amends-for-slavery-and-colonization-246106

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: HSE Opens Applications for Online Master’s Programs

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    The admissions campaign for 32 master’s programs of the HSE online campus started on April 1, five of which are opening enrollment for the first time. We tell you more about which programs are available for study entirely online.

    The Higher School of Economics is the leader among universities in the Russian Federation and the CIS in terms of the number of educational programs implemented online and the number of students studying in them. Since the launch of the country’s first English-language online Master’s degree program, Master of Data Science, in 2020, the number of students admitted to the first year has increased 12-fold.

    In December 2024, HSE was among the 11 global universities that are leaders in online education according to the Online Learning Rankings 2024 of Times Higher Education magazine, and also became the only Russian university to win gold.

    In 2025, five more new programs will be added to the portfolio, most of which are cross-disciplinary and meet the needs of emerging markets.

    The program “Applied Linguistics: Foreign Language Teaching and Translation in the Digital Environment” includes two specializations to choose from. Students can study digital methods of teaching foreign languages or the development of educational programs EdTech and professionally oriented automated translation and language localization. The program “Instructional Design: Theory and Practice of Learning”, which is close in scope, will train specialists capable of designing educational experiences and developing programs, courses and training materials.

    Another new online program, “Chinese Language in Intercultural Business Communication,” is aimed at training personnel with knowledge of the Chinese language, cultural and social aspects, as well as business approaches for effective interaction with partners from China in order to build business, scientific, and educational contacts between the countries.

    The Digital Marketing program will provide future masters with knowledge and skills at the intersection of marketing, data analysis and digital technologies for the implementation of advertising campaigns in the digital environment. And graduates of the Digital Engineering for Computer Games program will have competencies in developing games and gaming software with in-depth knowledge of engine features.

    A total of 32 programs became available for submission of documents from April 1, most of which are implemented entirely online, and for three, in addition to the online track, an offline track is also available. Applicants can choose an unlimited number of educational programs. The acceptance of documents for the online master’s program will last until August 8 or September 15, depending on the chosen program.

    Master’s programs with application deadline until August 8, 2025:

    «Big data analytics“;

    «Artificial Intelligence in Marketing and Product Management“;

    «Artificial intelligence“;

    «Applied Linguistics: Foreign Language Teaching and Translation in the Digital Environment“, HSE University – St. Petersburg (new program);

    «Applied social psychology“;

    «Design and development of high-load information systems“, National Research University Higher School of Economics – Saint Petersburg;

    «Psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy» (offline and online tracks);

    «Psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic business consulting» (offline and online tracks);

    «Digital Engineering for Computer Games» (new program);

    «Economic analysis“.

    Programs for which application submission is available until September 15, 2025:

    «Investments in financial markets“;

    «Data Engineering“;

    «Interactive design“;

    «IT lawyer“, HSE University – Perm;

    «Cybersecurity“;

    «Chinese Language in Intercultural Business Communication» (new program);

    «Master of Science in Data Science“;

    «Marketing management“;

    «Instructional Design: Theory and Practice of Learning» (new program);

    «Management in creative industries“;

    «Innovative Business Management“;

    «Organization and Project Management“, HSE University – Nizhny Novgorod;

    «Strategic Communications Management“;

    «Digital Product Management“;

    «Digital Urbanism and City Analytics“;

    «Digital Marketing“, HSE University – Nizhny Novgorod (new program);

    “Artifice to the intelligentsian Andi Computer Vision”, National Research University Higher School of Economics – Nizhny Novgorod;

    “Date analysts And Social Statistix“;

    “Lay those“;

    “Master of Busineses Analytics“;

    “Master of the Finance“;

    “Master of OF InterNATIONAL BUSINESS” (offline and online tracks).

    For each program is installed list of entrance examinations, the most common format is a portfolio competition. All of them are held remotely. Training is carried out according to standards: 2 years are allocated for a master’s degree. Upon completion of the final qualifying work, graduates will receive a state diploma indicating full-time education in Russian and English. You can sign up for a consultation to learn more about the programs, the possibility of obtaining an educational loan, and ask other questions at page.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Jay Bhattacharya Begins Tenure as 18th Director of the National Institutes of Health

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 2

    News Release
    Tuesday, April 1, 2025

    Jayanta “Jay” Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D., took office today as the 18th Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). President Trump nominated Dr. Bhattacharya for the position on Nov. 26, 2024, and the U.S. Senate confirmed him on March 25, 2025.
    As Director, Dr. Bhattacharya will oversee the nation’s medical research agency. Dr. Bhattacharya will play an instrumental role in shaping the agency’s activities and outlook and ensuring they align with the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission.
    “Under Dr. Bhattacharya’s leadership, NIH will restore its commitment to gold-standard science,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “I’m excited to work with Dr. Bhattacharya to ensure NIH research aligns with our Administration’s priorities — especially tackling the chronic disease epidemic and helping to Make America Healthy Again.”
    “Chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity continue to cause poor health outcomes in every community across the United States. Novel biomedical discoveries that enhance health and lengthen life are more vital than ever to our country’s future,” said Dr. Bhattacharya. “As NIH Director, I will build on the agency’s long and illustrious history of supporting breakthroughs in biology and medicine by fostering gold-standard research and innovation to address the chronic disease crisis.”
    A renowned doctor, researcher and health economist, Dr. Bhattacharya held a tenured professorship in the medical school at Stanford University in California. Dr. Bhattacharya’s research has focused on population aging and chronic disease, particularly on the health and well-being of vulnerable populations. During the pandemic, Dr. Bhattacharya coauthored the Great Barrington Declaration, which called for opening schools and lifting lockdowns while better protecting older populations who were most vulnerable to the disease. 
    Encouraging different perspectives will be central to Dr. Bhattacharya’s approach to leading NIH as part of his larger mission to restore public trust in science. Alongside Secretary Kennedy, he will champion innovative, cutting-edge research that fuels near-term solutions for patients while balancing investments in basic science.
    Dr. Bhattacharya earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from Stanford University. He then completed medical school and earned a Ph.D. in economics at Stanford University. He replaces Matthew J. Memoli, M.D., who has served ably as the Acting NIH Director since Jan. 22, 2025.
    About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
    NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®
    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Mansfield Is Updating Its 10-Year Plan, and These Sophomores Want the UConn Community to Help

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    We encounter surveys all the time.

    On the bottom of a purchase receipt. While scrolling through social media feeds. On flyers with QR codes, and inside official-looking letters that show up in mailboxes.

    But how often do you actually take one of those surveys?

    What incentives would encourage you to take a survey?

    And would it be enough just knowing that your feedback on a survey could help shape the direction of a community or even an entire town – like the one that you live in, or work in, each and every day?

    A group of sophomores from the Innovation House Learning Community at UConn are hoping that a mix of incentives, outreach, enthusiasm, and good old-fashioned civic mindedness will encourage members of the UConn community to take a survey that will do just that: help shape the direction of the Connecticut town that UConn Storrs calls home.

    ‘Our Strategic Plan’

    “Anyone who thinks people will respond to a survey vastly, vastly overestimates,” says Michael Stankov ’17 (CLAS) ’18 MS, an environmental planner and inland wetlands agent for the town of Mansfield. “People don’t like surveys. They don’t do them.”

    But if you can effectively encourage people to take them, surveys still represent a good way to get valuable information and feedback from a large number of people.

    Mansfield Tomorrow is the town of Mansfield’s 10-year strategic plan.

    Which is why Stankov and his supervisor, Jennifer Kaufman – Mansfield’s director of planning and development – have spent a good portion of the past six months developing, promoting, and encouraging participation in a town-wide survey to help support the 2025 update to Mansfield’s plan of conservation and development.

    “Every town in Connecticut needs to update their plan of conservation and development, and that has to be done every 10 years,” explains Kaufman. “In Mansfield, our plan of conservation and development also serves as our strategic plan. Not only does it include items such as land use, where we want to grow, and what we want to preserve, it also includes other things, like budgetary considerations for our town council.”

    Mansfield’s last strategic plan, developed in 2015, is a wide-ranging 458-page document known as Mansfield Tomorrow, and it lays out priorities for the town that range from the amenities that influence people choosing to live in Mansfield to the economic and physical development of the community.

    The 2025 plan isn’t meant to be a complete rewrite, but rather an update that reflects changes in priorities and strategies that will naturally occur over the course of a decade, Kaufman says. An ad hoc committee as well as three working groups have been active since last fall, garnering feedback from the Mansfield community to help contribute to the update.

    “We have the town-wide survey that we’ve sent out,” Kaufman says. “We’ve done a mailing to everyone that has a mailbox in town. We’re having a public workshop. We’re going to the Senior Center for pop-up events. I’m going to the library’s story time, the library’s game night. We’re going to be doing door-to-door door hangers.

    “So, we feel like we’ve got the town’s community engagement, the town’s people.”

    But the engagement they haven’t really been able to get?

    It’s from UConn.

    ‘Very Intentional’

    In the fall of 2025, UConn Storrs will house an estimated 13,800 students, Kaufman explains, and under census guidelines, those students residing on campus at UConn are considered Mansfield residents.

    “In addition, besides people who are living in on-campus housing, we have about 4,000 students who live in the community in apartments, in single-family homes, and in condos,” she says. “So, the UConn population, while they only live in our town for four years, they’re a key part of the population. And they’re not necessarily plugged in to come to a town meeting, or they may not be using our library, or coming to our Mansfield Community Center, or going to the Senior Center.”

    And even beyond the students who live on and around the Storrs campus, there are thousands of additional members of the UConn community – including faculty and staff – who commute to Mansfield; who visit the downtown area; who enjoy Mansfield restaurants or frequent Mansfield businesses; or who make use of Mansfield’s parks, trails, and recreation services.

    The town wants to hear from those people, too.

    “It’s all too easy to fragment our lives into – ‘I live in a town and that’s the only town that I should have input in,’” says Stankov. “But we live in communities that are complex and that cross lots of towns, so we need to hear what people who don’t just live and pay taxes here want, because that helps us understand how to provide more services for more people.”

    But while UConn represents more than half Mansfield’s population, engagement from UConn in the 2015 strategic planning process wasn’t what Kaufman and Stankov would hope, and they want to change that this time around.

    “We’re trying to be very intentional about our outreach to the UConn population,” Kaufman says. “We need to kind of crack that nut of how we can reach out to the UConn community.”

    “Because of our weak penetration of the UConn bubble in 2015, we’ve really doubled down on trying to make sure that we understand what folks at UConn are thinking of,” says Stankov.

    But how do you get busy students – not to mention faculty and staff, who might not even live in town – to pay attention to and take a municipal survey?

    That’s where 18 undergraduates from Innovation House are playing an important part.

    ‘What Students Think’

    Innovation House is a multidisciplinary community that brings together entrepreneurial-minded students and offers mentorship opportunities and exposure to programs that help support entrepreneurship.

    That multidisciplinary nature is what drew Alishia Thompson ’27 (SFA), a digital media and design student from Putnam, to the community.

    “I wanted a mix of a bunch of different people from different majors and schools in the University and from all sorts of different backgrounds,” Thompson says.

    Michael Bossi ’27 (BUS), a business management major from Bristol, was drawn to the community through an interest in innovation and entrepreneurship.

    “I love thinking strategically about business and really just any kind of problem that you have to think critically to solve,” Bossi says. “That’s just always what’s been fun to me. That’s why I went into business management in the first place as well, and that led me to the Innovation House this past year.”

    For Carter Gay ’27 (CLAS), a double major in mathematics and physics from Canton, Innovation House seemed to align with his interests.

    Mansfield’s strategic plan sets out the town’s vision for not just conservation and development but for all of the municipality’s priorities.

    “You get to be part of a community of people, and they all live on the same floor,” Gay says. “I thought that was kind of cool. In the building where the housing is, there’s a maker’s space in the bottom, that’s pretty cool.”

    Despite their difference in majors, the three students – and many of their fellow sophomores in Innovation House – have something in common beyond their interest in innovation.

    None of them had ever really thought much about municipal planning.

    Last year, the Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation took over responsibility for the Innovation House Learning Community. Kathy Rocha, the institute’s associate director, and Katie Britt, it’s director of leadership development, co-teach a required course with the community’s sophomore class that’s focused on the design thinking process – ideation, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

    “The plan for this semester was to come up with a project based in our area, in the Mansfield area, that the students could work on creatively to solve a problem,” says Rocha. “We didn’t know what the problem was, but it was a general idea.

    “I was talking with David Ouimette, and I told him about this, and he asked me if I had ever met Jennifer Kaufman. And I hadn’t. He said you should reach out to her.”

    So, she did.

    “Kathy made contact with me at the beginning of the semester,” says Kaufman, “and she said, ‘Hey, I want to work on a project for the town.’ And we said, ‘This is great.’”

    As the semester has progressed, Stankov has visited the class a few times, taking feedback from the students about how they thought the Mansfield Tomorrow survey might be improved, and learning about and helping them refine their plans for how to engage with other member of the UConn community encourage participation in the survey.

    “The goal is to figure out what students think about the surrounding area, whether that be that there’s not enough stores, not enough shops, or there’s not enough housing, there’s not enough public walkways, that sort of thing,” says Gay. “How we can develop the area better, not only to suit the needs of everybody, but really to help UConn students?”

    ‘Our Whole Story’

    The students, who divided themselves into teams focused on each different UConn demographic – students, faculty, and staff – have developed creative plans utilizing their diverse experiences and skills in order to engage the UConn community on Mansfield’s behalf.

    With the ideation phase of their project complete, they’ll soon be shifting into action, putting flyers around campus and asking their own professors and the University staff they work with to complete the survey, which is online and only takes five-to-10 minutes, before working on broader outreach to faculty and staff.

    In addition to the gift-card giveaways that the town has for anyone who completes the survey, some student-only incentives will be on offer as well, including a UConn jersey, a basketball signed by Coach Auriemma, and gift cards to Barnes & Noble.

    And, they’ll be out on campus on April 1 and 2 offering free cookies to any student who takes the survey.

    Conn sophomores in the Innovation House will be sharing flyers around campus at events detailing incentives for students to complete the Mansfield Tomorrow survey.

    “We all agreed that, if there’s one thing we know that can get college students to participate in things, it’s free food,” Thompson says.

    Every response, says Bossi, adds to crucial data that the town needs to help guide its decision-making.

    “Our goal is to help the town of Mansfield, really, and more measurable in our class is to get as many responses as possible,” Bossi says. “My goal is to shoot for the stars with the amount of responses we can get – I want thousands of responses on that survey, from every demographic.”

    Thousands of responses might be a lofty goal, says Stankov – hundreds might be more realistic. For Kaufman, their overarching aim is to strike a balance between understanding the needs of the UConn community and building a plan that addresses the whole of Mansfield’s population.

    “We value the UConn community – we, personally, have great relationships with people at UConn, like Nathan Fuerst, John Armstrong, and Phil Hunt – and I think the town and the University, over the past few years, have really done a great job in working together,” Kaufman says. “We know that UConn students make up over half of our residents, and so we are, again, being intentional so that we’ll be able to tell that as just a part of our whole story.”

    ‘Such An Impact’

    Though it’s unlikely that most of the Innovation House students – including Bossi, Gay, and Thompson – will go on to pursue a career in municipal planning, the learning opportunities from this project go far beyond any future plans, explains Rocha.

    “It’s about creative thinking,” she says. “They’re working on collaboration with each other, as well as with the town of Mansfield. Adaptability – they’ve had to be very flexible in what they’re doing. And then finally, it’s the execution, the project management, and that’s the one that students really don’t often get a chance to do.

    “They get into all of this stuff, and then putting together the plan and seeing the plan through –that’s a big one.”

    That aspect of the project hasn’t been lost on Thompson, the digital media and design major.

    “While I’m not necessarily going to be a municipal planner in my future, there’s still a lot of skills and aspects of this that are really critical for a job in the DMD department, especially in the animation field,” Thompson says. “Animation is all about collaboration, communication, and teamwork and, in some cases, leadership as well. This project and this program, that we’re trying to – it is literally asking for all of those skills.”

    For Gay, the math and physics major, and for Bossi, the business management major, participating in the project has given them a new empathy for the work that town officials are doing and a new appreciation for the role that they get to play in the process.

    “I think it’s really meaningful, because it’s something real,” Gay says. “In a lot of classes, you’ll do something like this, and it’ll be a ‘mock’ something, not real. But this is legitimate, real-world. And the town really just wants information on how they can improve and help make things better.”

    “I can even see myself skipping out on a survey like this,” says Bossi. “But I really, truly do mean – from the bottom of my heart – that this whole project is done with very good intentions. We aren’t seeking a financial gain; we’re just seeking to help the place that houses all of our students. Mansfield houses UConn, and taking just five minutes or less to fill out a survey can make such an impact.”

    All members of the UConn Storrs community – students, faculty, and staff, regardless of town of residence – are encouraged to contribute to Mansfield’s strategic planning by completing the Mansfield Tomorrow survey at MansfieldTomorrow.org.

    UConn students are invited to join the Innovation House class on Fairfield Way on April 1, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and in the Student Union on April 2, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., to take the Mansfield Tomorrow survey, get a free cookie, and be entered for a chance to win a raffle prize.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Study Finds Brain Training Also Helps Caregivers of Dementia Patients

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN FRANCISCO, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — While a particular brain training app —BrainHQ from Posit Science — has already been shown to prevent cognitive decline and improve brain health in older adults, researchers at the University of Rochester and Stanford University have now found that the same app can improve cognitive health in family members who are providing care to loved ones with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias.

    “Anyone who has been a family caregiver knows how mentally demanding and exhausting that vital role is,” observed Dr. Henry Mahncke, CEO of Posit Science. “We applaud the independent researchers who designed and ran this new study for taking these issues seriously and for recognizing that the benefits of BrainHQ shown in studies of other populations could also address the brain health challenges experienced by caregivers.”

    According to the Alzheimer’s Association, each year more than 11 million Americans are providing an estimated 18.4 billion hours of unpaid care (valued at more than $346 billion) to people living with dementia.

    The chronic stress of caregiving, this new study notes, is known to be associated with many health risks for caregivers, including accelerated cognitive aging (declines in attention, processing speed, and memory), greater risks of ill health and mortality, as well as diminished emotional well-being. Family caregivers are often older adults themselves, with challenges in adapting to the ongoing stressors of caregiving. Such stressors include watching a family member’s declining functional ability and increasing neuropsychiatric symptoms (apathy, mood disturbance, and agitation), as well as behavioral changes. Those stressors are often compounded by feelings of loss of a significant relationship with a loved one, as well as by family conflict around care.

    In this randomized controlled study published in Innovation and Aging, a peer-reviewed journal of the Gerontological Society of America, the researchers reported they had enrolled 195 caregivers (aged 55-85) and randomized them into either the intervention group, which was assigned five exercises organized as a regimen on the BrainHQ app, or into an active control group, which was assigned educational videos (e.g., public television series on cooking, travel, or history, and other documentaries) that participants self-selected from a study website. Participants in both groups were asked to engage in their assigned activity for 30 minutes per session, across 3 sessions per week, for 8 weeks (12 hours, in total).

    All participants were assessed (at baseline, after 8 weeks, and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups) on measures of processing speed and attention, working memory under stress, and emotion reactivity to laboratory and caregiving stressors.

    The researchers found that the BrainHQ group had significantly improved processing speed and attention performance as compared to the active control group, and these differences persisted through the 6-month follow-up. In the 6-month follow-up, working memory performance under stress was significantly better among the BrainHQ compared to the active control group. At 12 months, caregivers in the BrainHQ group reported less negative emotion in response to behavioral symptoms of their care recipient. There were no group differences on acute emotion reactivity to the laboratory stressor at any time point.

    The researchers conclude, “Evidence from this clinical trial suggests that with continued development, targeted, neuroplasticity-based cognitive training has strong potential to strengthen stress adaptation and emotional resilience in caregivers of a family member with ADRD” [Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias].

    BrainHQ exercises have shown benefits in more than 300 studies. Such benefits include gains in cognition (attention, speed, memory, decision-making), in quality of life (depressive symptoms, confidence and control, health-related quality of life) and in real-world activities (health outcomes, balance, driving, workplace activities). BrainHQ is offered by leading health and Medicare Advantage plans, by leading medical centers, clinics, and communities, and by elite athletes, the military, and other organizations focused on peak performance. Consumers can try a BrainHQ exercise for free daily at https://www.brainhq.com.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Farmers of Salem Proudly Spotlights Employee Jenni Eber for Her Generous Charitable Giving Work

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WILMINGTON, Del., April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Property and Casualty insurer, Farmers of Salem, is proud to support employee involvement in community activities that improve the quality of life in those communities where our employees live. Today, we spotlight Jenni Eber, Claims Customer Service Supervisor, who will be celebrating her 20-year career with Farmers later this year.

    Jenni has always had a close relationship with military veterans. Her brother, Glenn Cherry Jr, is a Navy veteran. It has always been his dream to retire, run a farm and help his military brothers and sister. Jenni says, “My love language has always been Acts of Service.” So, it was natural for the close brother and sister to team up in 2017 and give their time and energy to Gallant Heart of NJ (GH). Glenn is a founding member, and Jenni is currently the COO.

    GH hopes to bring awareness to the aftercare of our military veterans. They often attend veteran sponsored events and chip in wherever needed. “Being involved for some years now, I still struggle with the words, but I feel more passionate than ever to help in any way I can.” Jenni continued, “The basic premise is to reduce veteran suicide.” 

    Gallant Heart is a non-profit that focuses on providing leisure activities to our nation’s heroes. The non-profit prides itself on creating a supportive environment for veterans and first responders to experience camaraderie, brotherhood and relaxation through hunting and social events. It is our mission to provide a cost-free experience and to play a role in their continued healing and quality of life.

    Each GH founding member involves their children to ensure the acts of service live beyond expectations. This past summer Jenni took her 14-year-old daughter, Blair and her field hockey teammates to a Veterans picnic. They served the veterans lunch, escorted them to locations they needed to go, and cleaned up the entire event with a smile. “It was very eye opening for them, and I’m extremely grateful I was able to provide that opportunity.”

    The organization recently completed their 2025 Flagship Event: The Wounded Veteran Pheasant Hunt. The weekend event hosted 24 Purple Heart recipients and/or 100% disabled veterans. This is an all-inclusive program for wounded and injured veterans which utilizes the therapeutic effects of the outdoors, camaraderie, and social engagement to help improve everyday quality of life. All food, equipment, lodging, and travel was provided.

    Regarding Jenni’s career at Farmers, she stated: “I’ve worked my way up in the claims department, starting as a part time clerk. I now handle Property Loss claims and manage our Customer Service Representatives. I truly love my job, as I’ve said before, Acts of Service is my love language. Knowing that I’m helping people in their time of need is truly fulfilling.”

    “When I started at Farmers, I was a 24-year-old in college. Now I’m married, with two beautiful kids, and have a beautiful home, all while building a career with Farmers of Salem. I’ve also been able to coach sports for over 20 years and never missed a school event due to Farmers of Salem believing in putting family first.”

    For more information about Gallant Heart of NJ, visit wwwgallantheartnj.org

    About Farmers of Salem
    Founded in 1851, Farmers of Salem provides insurance coverage to homeowners and businesses in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland through a network of independent agents. Rated A- Excellent by A.M. Best Company and has received a Financial Stability Rating of A Exceptional by Demotech, Inc. We pride ourselves in providing Superior Service with Personal Attention.

    Farmers of Salem provides compensated Volunteer Time Off (VTO) to full-time employees for use during their regular workday. Farmers’ recognizes volunteering provides employees with a valuable opportunity to meaningfully support their chosen charitable missions and is very proud of their employee’s service to others.

    For more information about Farmers of Salem, visit farmersofsalem.com

    As a mutual corporation, fundamentally rooted in serving our community, we engage in corporate philanthropy, giving annually to an array of organizations and causes. Through our giving, in local markets where we have a presence, Farmers of Salem has supported educational development, physical education, and health and wellness programs that provide communities in most need with essential services, opportunities to improve the quality of their lives and provide them with assets to create a better future.

    A partial list of events and organizations that Farmers of Salem supports annually:

    • Autism Delaware
    • Serviam Girls Academy
    • Vehicles for Veterans
    • Salem County Humane Society
    • Habitat for Humanity
    • VFW Post #253
    • Operation Legacy
    • Keeping Hope Alive, Inc.
    • Temple University 
    • Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts
    • Holiday Service Project – Thanksgiving Food Baskets – Salvation Army
    • Make A Wish
    • American Red Cross
    • American Cancer Society
    • Longwood Gardens
    • Bo Lends a Paw Pet Pantry
       
    Contact: Kim Lorenzini
      856-628-0150
      klorenzini@fosnj.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/422aee69-f48d-4b0e-a4ae-4e587dea06dd

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: NANO Nuclear Energy Bolsters its Regulatory Licensing Team with the Addition of Veteran Nuclear Professional Brent Hamilton as Director of Quality Assurance

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    New York, N.Y., April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) (“NANO Nuclear” or “the Company”), a leading advanced nuclear energy and technology company focused on developing clean energy solutions, today announced the appointment Brent Hamilton as its Director of Quality Assurance.

    This appointment continues a series of important additions to NANO Nuclear’s engineering, scientific and regulatory licensing personnel as the Company seeks to progress its proprietary, advanced nuclear micro reactor designs through construction, demonstration, regulatory licensing and ultimately commercialization.

    Mr. Hamilton has over 26 years of quality control, quality engineering, and quality assurance experience, primarily in nuclear construction for commercial nuclear, Department of Energy projects, and nuclear fuel manufacturing. In these roles, he gained extensive experience in the development of Quality Management Systems and their implementation. Each were focused on meeting key regulatory licensing regulatory requirements, including those included as part 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B; 10 CFR Part 70; 10 CFR Part 830; DOE O 414.1D; and/or CSA N286. His experience and knowledge are expected to be of great benefit in the identification of critical project attributes and the development of processes to validate them.

    “It is an honor to assume this role and contribute my expertise in implementing robust quality assurance programs for NANO Nuclear’s reactors in development,” said Brent Hamilton, Director of Quality Assurance of NANO Nuclear. “My background spans multiple nuclear initiatives, and I firmly believe that the U.S. nuclear industry’s future depends on innovative, dedicated teams like the one at NANO Nuclear. I look forward to helping ensure that all of NANO Nuclear’s technologies are built to the highest quality standards as we advance our plans.”

    Figure 1 – NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. Appoints Brent Hamilton as its Director of Quality Assurance.

    Mr. Hamilton is expected to bring invaluable insight and guidance as NANO Nuclear’s reactor development projects move forward. Mr. Hamilton has held quality leadership positions in projects such as: early site work for the Plutonium Processing Facility at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL); development of manufacturing scale processes for TRISO fuel and establishment of a pilot facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and construction of the Spent Fuel Handing Project (SFHP) for the Naval Reactors Facility in Idaho. Mr. Hamilton has spent many years involved with the construction of the AP1000 reactor projects in Georgia and South Carolina and the Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride Conversion Facility in Kentucky.

    “NANO Nuclear is rapidly expanding its roster with veteran nuclear energy professionals who have in-depth experience working closely with the U.S. Department of Energy, and Brent’s arrival reflects that trend and our commitment to retaining the best talent we can,” said Jay Yu, Founder and Chairman of NANO Nuclear. “His expertise aligns perfectly with our vision to advance our reactor designs to the next stage of development and I’m confident he will be a key contributor to NANO Nuclear’s growth.”

    “Brent is a highly experienced professional who brings a comprehensive understanding of nuclear reactor development, particularly our newly acquired KRONOS MMR™ Energy System and portable LOKI MMR™ from his tenure at Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation,” said James Walker, Chief Executive Officer of NANO Nuclear. “His continuity in this area will be essential as we work to quickly move our reactors through the next stages of development. I am pleased to welcome a professional of his caliber to our expanding team.”

    About NANO Nuclear Energy, Inc.

    NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) is an advanced technology-driven nuclear energy company seeking to become a commercially focused, diversified, and vertically integrated company across five business lines: (i) cutting edge portable and other microreactor technologies, (ii) nuclear fuel fabrication, (iii) nuclear fuel transportation, (iv) nuclear applications for space and (v) nuclear industry consulting services. NANO Nuclear believes it is the first portable nuclear microreactor company to be listed publicly in the U.S.

    Led by a world-class nuclear engineering team, NANO Nuclear’s reactor products in development include patented KRONOS MMR™ Energy System, a stationary high-temperature gas-cooled reactor that is in construction permit pre-application engagement U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in collaboration with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U. of I.), “ZEUS”, a solid core battery reactor, and “ODIN”, a low-pressure coolant reactor, and the space focused, portable LOKI MMR™, each representing advanced developments in clean energy solutions that are portable, on-demand capable, advanced nuclear microreactors.

    Advanced Fuel Transportation Inc. (AFT), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is led by former executives from the largest transportation company in the world aiming to build a North American transportation company that will provide commercial quantities of HALEU fuel to small modular reactors, microreactor companies, national laboratories, military, and DOE programs. Through NANO Nuclear, AFT is the exclusive licensee of a patented high-capacity HALEU fuel transportation basket developed by three major U.S. national nuclear laboratories and funded by the Department of Energy. Assuming development and commercialization, AFT is expected to form part of the only vertically integrated nuclear fuel business of its kind in North America.

    HALEU Energy Fuel Inc. (HEF), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is focusing on the future development of a domestic source for a High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel fabrication pipeline for NANO Nuclear’s own microreactors as well as the broader advanced nuclear reactor industry.

    NANO Nuclear Space Inc. (NNS), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is exploring the potential commercial applications of NANO Nuclear’s developing micronuclear reactor technology in space. NNS is focusing on applications such as the LOKI MMR™ system and other power systems for extraterrestrial projects and human sustaining environments, and potentially propulsion technology for long haul space missions. NNS’ initial focus will be on cis-lunar applications, referring to uses in the space region extending from Earth to the area surrounding the Moon’s surface.

    For more corporate information please visit: https://NanoNuclearEnergy.com/

    For further NANO Nuclear information, please contact:

    Email: IR@NANONuclearEnergy.com
    Business Tel: (212) 634-9206

    PLEASE FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES HERE:

    NANO Nuclear Energy LINKEDIN

    NANO Nuclear Energy YOUTUBE

    NANO Nuclear Energy X PLATFORM

    Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

    This news release and statements of NANO Nuclear’s management in connection with this news release contain or may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In this context, forward-looking statements mean statements related to future events, which may impact our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “plans”, “believes”, “potential”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “would” or “may” and other words of similar meaning. In this press release, forward-looking statements include those related to the anticipated benefits to NANO Nuclear of the appointment of Mar. Hamilton, as well as the Company’s regulatory plans in general, as described herein. These and other forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this news release and represent management’s current views and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, events or results and involve significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond our control. For NANO Nuclear, particular risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the following: (i) risks related to our U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) or related state or non-U.S. nuclear fuel licensing submissions, (ii) risks related the development of new or advanced technology and the acquisition of complimentary technology or businesses, including difficulties with design and testing, cost overruns, regulatory delays, integration issues and the development of competitive technology, (iii) our ability to obtain contracts and funding to be able to continue operations, (iv) risks related to uncertainty regarding our ability to technologically develop and commercially deploy a competitive advanced nuclear reactor or other technology in the timelines we anticipate, if ever, (v) risks related to the impact of U.S. and non-U.S. government regulation, policies and licensing requirements, including by the DOE and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, including those associated with the recently enacted ADVANCE Act, and (vi) similar risks and uncertainties associated with the operating an early stage business a highly regulated and rapidly evolving industry. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this news release. These factors may not constitute all factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in any forward-looking statement, and NANO Nuclear therefore encourages investors to review other factors that may affect future results in its filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov and at https://ir.nanonuclearenergy.com/financial-information/sec-filings. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a predictor of actual results. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this news release, except as required by law.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Canada a 51st state? Here’s how American annexation could actually favour Canada

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Felix Arndt, Professor and John F. Wood Chair in Entrepreneurship, University of Guelph

    When United States President Donald Trump first floated the idea of annexing Canada, many observers rolled their eyes. The common assumption was that this proposal, like much of Trump’s bombast, amounted to little more than a fleeting soundbite.

    Yet, amid continuing public remarks about Canada becoming the 51st state and suggestions of genuine intent, the idea has become part of a broader conversation about North America’s future.

    The idea of the U.S. merging with Canada outright has not been received well in Canada, especially because Trump’s threats have been accompanied by economic warfare aimed at forcing Canada into submission. After all, the U.S. already has 50 states. Canada, with its population of about 40 million and its immense geographic size, would be an outsized “51st” by any comparison.

    But any serious analysis of this proposition quickly reveals that annexation would be far more complicated — and far less one-sided — than the label “51st state.”

    Our analysis is premised on an assumption that the U.S. remains a democratic system that has not turned into a pseudo-monarchy, in keeping with a Trump social media post in early February proclaiming “long live the King.”

    The most important takeaway from our analysis is that a unified country would need to inaugurate a new president and Parliament. The path towards the integration of the countries would have to start with closer economic integration, not the alienation currently in place.

    A multi-state reality

    As we argue in our newest self-published book Make America Greater? A Scenario of a Friendly Canada-U.S. Merger, Canada would not simply become part of the U.S. as a single state under the provisions of the American Constitution.

    Based on population and the distribution of power in U.S. Congress, Canada’s 10 provinces and three northern territories would almost certainly be carved into multiple states, perhaps nine or more.

    This is no small detail.

    America’s unique electoral arithmetic grants each state two senators, while seats in the House of Representatives depend on population size. With around 40 million new citizens, a unified North America would reshape the balance of power in both the Senate and the House.



    Read more:
    Canada as a 51st state? Republicans would never win another general election

    Critically, the new country formed via unification might end up looking far more like Canada than many Americans imagine.

    Why? Canadian voters lean more centrist — or even centre-left — than the average American does. Over time, that could tilt congressional priorities in favour of policies reflecting Canada’s taste for universal health care, stricter gun control and robust social welfare.

    The longstanding political tug-of-war in the U.S. could see its centre of gravity shift, likely to the chagrin of some more conservative segments of the existing union.

    Tariffs, politics and tensions

    Officials on both sides of the border are already locked in a dance of retaliatory tariffs.

    Each new measure escalates anxieties, threatening to derail one of the world’s largest bilateral trading relationships.

    Some might argue that if tariffs are putting negative pressures on the economy and roiling the markets, perhaps deeper integration — or even full-blown unification — could serve as a release valve. But the path towards a friendly merger is best taken step-by-step and starts with stronger economic integration, not alienation.



    Read more:
    Canada’s response to Trump’s tariffs was strategic, but there is room for improvement

    Forging a genuine union goes well beyond removing trade barriers. Canada and the U.S. differ on far more than just economics: from bilingualism laws to gun regulations, from health care to environmental policy, the two countries embody contrasting visions of how society should function.

    Canadians would expect to preserve elements of their social contract that many regard as superior to American norms — particularly their single-payer health-care system and comparatively strict firearms restrictions.

    A process genuinely aimed at integrating the two countries would take this into account. It would extend the United States-Mexico-Canada trade deal further to strengthen economic integration, elevate the rights of French and Spanish speakers in the U.S. in order to signal compatible cultural values and extend Medicare to show an appreciation of the common denominators of the two societies.

    Trump’s current rhetoric, however, does not seem to indicate a genuine desire for a unification.

    Why a merger could favour Canada

    As surprising as it seems, our analysis suggests that a unified North America could lean Canada’s way over time.

    Even if the American Electoral College were reimagined — or scrapped — Canadian provinces transformed into states would wield significant power, influencing everything from budget allocations to Supreme Court appointments.



    Read more:
    As Joe Biden becomes president, here’s an easy proposal for Electoral College reform

    What’s more, cultural convergence has an asymmetrical pull. Younger Americans show a growing appetite for social safety nets, while Canadians remain broadly wedded to their publicly funded health-care model.

    Over a few election cycles, these forces could converge into a more expansive welfare regime, something that would astonish traditional conservatives across the current 50 states.

    A combined North America would boast one of the largest economies on Earth, including abundant natural resources and technological innovation.

    The promise of frictionless trade, a single currency and vast internal markets might delight big business and certain multinational interests. Yet the path would be fraught.

    Constitutional arrangements, Indigenous rights, linguistic protections and environmental regulations — all areas in which Canadian norms diverge significantly from American precedents — would have to be reconciled.

    Canadians, proud of their universal healthcare, progressive climate policies and lower rates of gun violence, would worry about being subsumed by a more rambunctious, militarized neighbour. Americans, meanwhile, would fear they would be forced to adopt new taxes and policies at odds with their historic emphasis on individual freedoms.

    A country more closely resembling Canada

    Regardless of whether Trump’s annexation talk proves more than just bluster, the notion of a friendly U.S.–Canada merger invites reflection. It reminds us that North America’s two largest nations remain economically interlocked and geographically co-located, though culturally distinct.

    With tariffs in place and cross-border tensions mounting, creative solutions are worth examining, even if a merger can — at best — be seen as a long-term vision.

    A genuine offer of a merger would require that Canadians to be assured that if such a union did transpire, their voices might echo far more loudly than expected in the halls of Washington, D.C.

    And Americans — facing shifting demographics and changing societal values — may discover that the annexation Trump initiated could bring surprises that tilt the new country much closer to its northern neighbour’s ideals than to the status quo below the 49th parallel.

    Felix Arndt is an author of a book referred to in this article.

    Barak Aharonson is an author of a book with a similar topic.

    – ref. Canada a 51st state? Here’s how American annexation could actually favour Canada – https://theconversation.com/canada-a-51st-state-heres-how-american-annexation-could-actually-favour-canada-251547

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Cannabis retail expansion in Canada came with only a small uptick in the number of consumers

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Michael J. Armstrong, Associate Professor, Operations Research, Brock University

    Ever since recreational cannabis was legalized across Canada in 2018, researchers have been studying what that decision changed for Canadians.

    We’ve learned, for example, that some patients immediately left the medical cannabis system, presumably to use recreational products instead. Conversely, legalization appeared to have no effect on Canadian alcohol sales.

    We’ve similarly seen how cannabis retailing has evolved since it became legal.

    Retailers suffered from product shortages during legalization’s first six months, but steadily expanded soon after. Canada went from having some 210 stores in April 2019 to 3,500 in April 2023. The ensuing competition pushed prices down 28 per cent during that period.

    Meanwhile, provincial governments have tried various regulatory approaches. Some initially restricted the number of stores to avoid tempting non-users. Québec still has 10 times fewer stores per capita than Ontario does as a result. Other provinces have set minimum prices to discourage people from overindulging. For example, Ontario won’t let wholesale prices drop below $2.28 per gram.

    These developments in business and government policy prompted my latest research. I wanted to understand what effect retail expansion had on cannabis use. To do this, I analyzed consumer responses on government surveys collected between 2019 to 2023. I then compared these responses to the recreational cannabis consumer price index and the numbers of licensed stores in each province.

    Did Canadians consume cannabis more widely, more frequently and at younger ages as it became more accessible and affordable? The answer was mostly no.

    More women and older adult consumers

    The percentage of men who used cannabis stayed around 28 per cent between 2019 and 2023 — despite retailers’ massive store growth and notable price cuts.

    But usage did grow slightly among women — rising from 21 per cent in 2019 to 23 per cent in 2023. My analysis suggests this was related to the increasing affordability of cannabis, not its retail convenience. More women consumed cannabis when prices fell, not when more shops opened.

    A similar contrast appeared between younger and older adults. Cannabis use among Canadians aged 25 and over crept upward from 21 to 23 per cent. That increase again seemed related to falling prices rather than expanding stores. Meanwhile, usage among those aged 16 to 24 varied year-to-year, but remained around 46 per cent.

    The average age of first-time use consequently rose from 19.2 in 2019 to 20.8 years old in 2023. This finding also seemed correlated with both falling prices and expanding stores.

    Same frequency, more edibles

    One thing that didn’t change much was frequency of use. About one-quarter of cannabis consumers used it five or more days per week in both 2019 and 2023.

    However, their product preferences shifted. The percentage who smoked dried cannabis decreased while the percentage of consumers who consumed edibles increased. Some consumers used both types of products, or used other products entirely — such as vapes. Both changes seemed related to prices rather than the number of retail stores. Consumers seemingly traded-up from basic dried cannabis to processed edibles as prices fell.

    So overall, Canada’s substantial retail developments came with only modest usage growth.

    The apparent relationships between usage and price might partly be coincidental. Product selection and quality also improved, so they likely contributed too. But falling prices do seem to be a plausible explanation for the increased cannabis consumption that was seen.

    The lack of relationship between stores and usage might seem surprising. After all, Canada experienced a 16-fold explosion in stores between 2019 and 2023. But this finding correlates with what my previous research found; it showed that between 2018 and 2020, there was a similar non-relationship between retail expansion of cannabis stores and usage.



    Read more:
    Cannabis store openings in Canada only slightly affected the number of users

    So, perhaps the main effect of retail stores was to draw existing users away from illegal dealers, rather than to tempt new ones.

    I suspect retailers probably influenced usage somewhat in their local neighbourhoods. For example, someone who walked by a new store daily on their way to work might have decided to try cannabis. But this effect would have been too small to appear in province-level measurements.

    Price restriction

    The findings from my study suggests some tentative lessons for regulators.

    If opening more stores has minimal impact on usage, there’s little need to limit their numbers. Provinces don’t need to ration store licenses, and municipalities (like Markham and Oakville in Ontario) don’t need to ban them.

    But since price declines tempt more consumers, it’s important for policymakers to prevent prices from getting too low.

    Other countries who are considering legalizing cannabis may want to consider these points, too.

    For example, medical cannabis use is surging in Australia, much like it was in Canada a decade ago. And Australia’s Green Party is campaigning for recreational legalization in the upcoming federal election. If that election produces a coalition government, legalization might be on its agenda. They could look at our policies and hopefully improve on them.

    Meanwhile in Germany, the previous government legalized recreational use, but not sales. So, Germans must grow their own plants or join a club that does. Commercial products are sold only through the country’s medical cannabis system. Unsurprisingly, medical use is soaring there. Based on what my research suggests, Germany will likely see similar usage growth, whether it allows stores or not. But allowing stores would mean consumers could buy products from licensed sources instead of illicit dealers.

    Canada’s cannabis legalization was controversial at the time. But some Canadians say it has become a memorable part of Justin Trudeau’s complicated legacy. Now that he’s no longer prime minister, that’s something he and his biographers can contemplate.

    Michael J. Armstrong 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. Cannabis retail expansion in Canada came with only a small uptick in the number of consumers – https://theconversation.com/cannabis-retail-expansion-in-canada-came-with-only-a-small-uptick-in-the-number-of-consumers-252008

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The results of the conference “Reconstruction and Restoration of Architectural Heritage” were summed up at SPbGASU

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Presidium of the round table “Additional professional education in restoration”. From left to right: Chairperson of the Russian Association of Restorers, Acting Director of the State Autonomous Cultural Institution of the Leningrad Region “International Restoration Center” Tatyana Chernyaeva; Professor of the Urban Planning Department of SPbGASU Sergey Semenov; First Vice-Rector of SPbGASU Svetlana Golovina; Director of the Higher Engineering School of RUT (MIIT) Boris Igolnikov; General Director of REMMERS LLC Andrey Babich

    The anniversary 5th National (All-Russian) scientific and practical conference with international participation “Reconstruction and Restoration of Architectural Heritage” (RRAN-2025) was held at the Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering from March 24 to 28.

    The conference was attended by representatives of the Russian Ministry of Culture, state bodies for the protection of monuments, higher education institutions training architect-restorers, restoration specialists from all over Russia and abroad. The partners of the conference were the Committee for State Control, Use and Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments (KGIOP) of the Government of St. Petersburg and the Non-Commercial Partnership “Russian Association of Restorers (Rosregionrestavratsiya)”. The conference was held with the participation of the companies “Friedlander Paints”, OOO “REMMERS” and OOO “RUNIT”.

    Plenary session

    At the plenary session “Features of Preservation and Development of Restoration Professions,” those gathered discussed prospects for cooperation, outlined development paths for the industry, and discussed new challenges facing restoration architects.

    Mikhail Mamoshin, chief architect and project manager at Mamoshin Architectural Workshop LLC, spoke about the reconstruction of the Church of the Holy Blessed Princes Boris and Gleb in St. Petersburg. The church was built in 1866–1882 and operated until 1934. Then, for over 40 years, it was used for other purposes, and in 1975, the building was demolished to make way for a new route for the Sinopskaya Embankment. Interest in the reconstruction of this site arose after the publication of an album dedicated to the lost churches of the Northern capital, which was prepared at the Department of Architectural and Urban Heritage of St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering by Professor Sergei Vladimirovich Semenov and Associate Professor Nadezhda Aleksandrovna Akulova. Later, the Foundation for Assistance to the Restoration of Historical and Cultural Sites in St. Petersburg, with the support of the Union of Architects of St. Petersburg, published the book “The Lost Churches of St. Petersburg”. In 2019, the foundation announced its decision to recreate this temple. The team led by Mikhail Mamoshin was entrusted with carrying out the design work.

    Yulia Bogacheva, Deputy Chairperson of the Committee for State Control, Use and Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments, gave a report entitled “Heritage Protection and Digitalization”. The audience learned about the KGIOP archive, the funds of which were formed in the 1930s and include documents from the beginning of the 18th century to the present day. In 2015–2017, 2,700 storage units were digitized and placed in the committee’s information system. Olga Olegovna reviewed the main digital systems and technologies used in the implementation of control (supervisory) activities, and emphasized the need for a modern comprehensive solution integrated with regional and federal geographic information systems (GIS). According to the speaker, digital transformation is impossible without the creation of a geographic information system of cultural heritage sites (GIS OKN). The implementation of the project will improve the quality and efficiency of recording, identifying, preserving, using, popularizing and state protection of cultural heritage sites (historical and cultural monuments) in St. Petersburg, and automate information exchange. The KGIOP representative also spoke about plans to develop solutions based on information regulation technologies (IRT) together with SPbGASU for analyzing and assessing the condition of architectural monuments, monitoring the condition of monuments, etc.

    Ekaterina Tribelskaya, head of the architecture department at the Moscow State Academic Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov at the Russian Academy of Arts, presented the architecture department of her university, noting that they are attentive and careful about preserving cultural heritage sites, and research them as part of coursework and diploma theses.

    Anna Smirnova, CEO of Kraski Friedlander LLC, gave a presentation entitled “Brand Cities. Cultural Heritage and Identity in Historical Cities.” The speaker listed the reasons why a city needs its own brand: this will attract investment and tourists, support traditions, create conditions for business development, and much more. In addition, this will preserve important historical foundations of color perception and preserve the identity of the environment.

    Yulia Yankovskaya, Head of the Urban Planning Department at SPbGASU, gave a report entitled “Compositional and Artistic Aspects of Architectural and Urban Planning Design – History and Modernity.” Yulia Sergeevna said that the Russian architectural school has always focused on compositional and artistic training. This is our global brand, which our Western and Eastern colleagues are guided by. Its outstanding representatives worked at SPbGASU – Yuri Kurbatov (1934-2020) and Vladimir Antoshchenkov (1933-2024). Unfortunately, according to Yulia Yankovskaya, this brand has recently begun to lose ground.

    In her presentation, Yulia Sergeevna showed the evolution of compositional training in architecture and architectural education and the development of ideas about extra-leftist form-building in the 20th–21st centuries, emphasizing that this is also a legacy that needs to be known, preserved and developed.

    In addition, Yulia Sergeevna drew the attention of the audience to two new topics discussed at the conference. One of them is monumental art in architecture and urban development. A round table and exhibition at the Faculty of Architecture, which will last until April 4.

    The conference program, in addition to five main sections in a number of areas, also included two round tables, two master classes, a lecture block, and two days of visiting restoration sites in St. Petersburg and its suburbs.

    Round table “Additional professional education in restoration”

    The round table began with a ceremony to sign an agreement on interuniversity cooperation between the Russian University of Transport and SPbGASU. The document was signed by Boris Igolnikov, Director of the Higher Engineering School of the Russian University of Transport (RUT (MIIT)) and Svetlana Golovina, First Vice-Rector of SPbGASU.

    The parties intend to exchange experience and information, organize internships for students and postgraduates, and hold joint events. Boris Igolnikov reported that the two universities are already actively interacting. The signing of the agreement will allow this interaction to reach a new level.

    Round table “Architecture, art, technology – integration mechanisms in a historical city”

    The focus of the participants of the round table “Architecture, art, technology – integration mechanisms in a historical city” was the digitalization of architectural and urban planning activities, which is being actively implemented at the state level, and its impact on the creative process of the architect and artist.

    Those gathered also considered the role of the architect-restorer, the architect-urban planner, who combines the compositional-artistic historical and creative principles, which are important to take into account when preserving and developing the environment, which is especially important when designing and organizing space and allows for the life of a modern person.

    Participants noted the need for proper management of this process, the inclusion of an urban architect and a restoration architect, the need to correctly set boundaries between areas where digitalization is important and necessary, and those where creative search remains a priority.

    Section “Experience of practical restoration and modern materials (synthesis of science and practice)”

    At the section “Experience of Practical Restoration and Modern Materials (Synthesis of Science and Practice)”, participants presented modern technologies for adapting architectural monuments, ensuring the possibility of their effective and safe operation, taking into account modern requirements. Alexey Kharitonov, associate professor of the Department of Construction Materials Technology and Metrology of SPbGASU, moderator of the section, reported that these technologies provide for minimal intervention in historical structures and materials, as they are based on the continuity of traditional construction techniques.

    “We exchanged experience in selecting restoration materials and technological schemes for conducting work using completed projects as an example. The participants were very interested in discussing the problem of capillary water suction in brick walls: completely new and scientifically substantiated ideas about the mechanism of moistening the walls of buildings and structures made of brickwork were presented. Draft national standards were presented, designed to regulate the requirements for the quality of work on the restoration of brickwork and plaster finishing,” said Alexey Kharitonov.

    Section “Monumental art in urban planning”

    At this section, experts discussed the issues of integrating works of monumental art into architecture and urban planning. If this process is well-established within the framework of restoration and reconstruction of historical monuments, then when including such works of art in modern architecture, the interaction of the architect and the monumental artist often turns out to be insufficient. Experts see the reason for this in the exclusion of this aspect from the educational process of architectural and artistic and architectural and construction universities. As a consequence, there is a lack of cooperation skills and, moreover, an understanding of the role of monumental art in modern architecture and the urban environment.

    “Our colleagues from the Department of Architecture at the V. I. Surikov Moscow State Academic Art Institute told us about training in this type of interaction (work between architects and sculptors as part of a third-year course project and a diploma project (in the latter case, it is optional)). Such interaction is not observed in other educational institutions, so the initiative of the Department of Urban Development at St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering to include the works of students of monumental painting in projects to transform the urban environment is very important. It is necessary to develop this area both in object design and in architectural-environmental and urban development design,” said Yulia Yankovskaya, moderator of the section.

    Master classes

    The highlights of the conference were the master classes from the company “Friedlander Paints”: “Lime paint as part of a systematic approach to restoration based on the principle of “like to like”” and “Restoration of brick and stonework”. Experienced professionals demonstrated work on restoring the surfaces of architectural monuments, shared advice on working with materials and tools, and original paint application techniques.

    The construction company REMMERS presented an exhibition stand at the conference, telling about its restoration projects, and the magazine Vestnik Restoratsii, which it publishes. The publication was of great interest to the conference participants and students of SPbGASU.

    Visiting restoration sites

    Thematic excursions were organized for the conference participants. In the Yusupov Palace on the Moika Embankment, they viewed the ceremonial interiors that had recently undergone restoration. In the building of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, they got acquainted with the progress of the restoration work that was being completed. They viewed restoration objects in one of the palace and park suburbs of St. Petersburg – in Peterhof.

    During the conference, specialists were also able to undergo advanced training.

    Those gathered came to a general consensus on the need to create a single center for the development of restoration technologies.

    Following the conference, a collection of scientific articles will be published.

    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: “Main Variables”: “Samokat” and Vyshka to Hold Joint Fashion Show

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    “Supporting new talents and creating bright projects that can influence the fashion industry is what we always strive for,” says Anzor Kankulov, Head of the Fashion Department at the HSE School of Art and Design. “And it is especially important for us to collaborate with partners who share our philosophy and see value in young designers, their fresh, unexpected outlook on things and their willingness to offer something new. We have extensive experience of successful collaborations that become landmark events, attract attention and move the industry forward. And we are glad that we are now creating a joint project with a brand that, like us, believes in the power of new ideas, innovative design and young names. This time, our collaboration is inspired by the city — its dynamics, variability, ability to transform and develop. The city is a space where changes happen, where people develop and achieve their goals. These ideas — development, movement, search for something new — became key in the concept of the collection. Our designers interpreted this image in different ways: some through architectural forms, some through fluid silhouettes, and some through unexpected combinations of textures and materials. The result is a collection that reflects the energy of the city and its endless possibilities. Soon you will be able to see the results of this collaboration, and we are sure that they will inspire you!

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Discovery Alert: Four Little Planets, One Big Step

    Source: NASA

    Four rocky planets much smaller than Earth orbit Barnard’s Star, the next closest to ours after the three-star Alpha Centauri system. Barnard’s is the nearest single star.

    Barnard’s Star, six light-years away, is notorious among astronomers for a history of false planet detections. But with the help of high-precision technology, the latest discovery — a family of four — appears to be solidly confirmed. The tiny size of the planets is also remarkable: Capturing evidence of small worlds at great distance is a tall order, even using state-of-the-art instruments and observational techniques.

    Watching for wobbles in the light from a star is one of the leading methods for detecting exoplanets — planets orbiting other stars. This “radial velocity” technique tracks subtle shifts in the spectrum of starlight caused by the gravity of a planet pulling its star back and forth as the planet orbits. But tiny planets pose a major challenge: the smaller the planet, the smaller the pull. These four are each between about a fifth and a third as massive as Earth. Stars also are known to jitter and quake, creating background “noise” that potentially could swamp the comparatively quiet signals from smaller, orbiting worlds.
    Astronomers measure the back-and-forth shifting of starlight in meters per second; in this case the radial velocity signals from all four planets amount to faint whispers — from 0.2 to 0.5 meters per second (a person walks at about 1 meter per second). But the noise from stellar activity is nearly 10 times larger at roughly 2 meters per second.
    How to separate planet signals from stellar noise? The astronomers made detailed mathematical models of Barnard’s Star’s quakes and jitters, allowing them to recognize and remove those signals from the data collected from the star.
    The new paper confirming the four tiny worlds — labeled b, c, d, and e — relies on data from MAROON-X, an “extreme precision” radial velocity instrument attached to the Gemini Telescope on the Maunakea mountaintop in Hawaii. It confirms the detection of the “b” planet, made with previous data from ESPRESSO, a radial velocity instrument attached to the Very Large Telescope in Chile. And the new work reveals three new sibling planets in the same system.

    These planets orbit their red-dwarf star much too closely to be habitable. The closest planet’s “year” lasts a little more than two days; for the farthest planet, it’s is just shy of seven days. That likely makes them too hot to support life. Yet their detection bodes well in the search for life beyond Earth. Scientists say small, rocky planets like ours are probably the best places to look for evidence of life as we know it. But so far they’ve been the most difficult to detect and characterize. High-precision radial velocity measurements, combined with more sharply focused techniques for extracting data, could open new windows into habitable, potentially life-bearing worlds.
    Barnard’s star was discovered in 1916 by Edward Emerson Barnard, a pioneering astrophotographer.

    An international team of scientists led by Ritvik Basant of the University of Chicago published their paper on the discovery, “Four Sub-Earth Planets Orbiting Barnard’s Star from MAROON-X and ESPRESSO,” in the science journal, “The Astrophysical Journal Letters,” in March 2025. The planets were entered into the NASA Exoplanet Archive on March 13, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ARMD Solicitations (ULI Proposals Invited)

    Source: NASA

    This ARMD solicitations page compiles the opportunities to collaborate with NASA’s aeronautical innovators and/or contribute to their research to enable new and improved air transportation systems. A summary of available opportunities with key dates requiring action are listed first. More information about each opportunity is detailed lower on this page.
    University Leadership InitiativeStep-A proposals due by June 26, 2025.
    University Student Research ChallengeProposals for Cycle 3 are due by June 26, 2025.

    Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations
    GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
    Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations is using this request for information to identify technologies that address current challenges facing the wildland firefighting community. NASA is seeking information on data collection, airborne connectivity and communications solutions, unmanned aircraft systems traffic management, aircraft operations and autonomy, and more. This will support development of a partnership strategy for future collaborative demonstrations.
    Interested parties were requested to respond to this notice with an information package no later than 4 pm ET, October 15, 2023, that shall be submitted via https://nari.arc.nasa.gov/acero-rfi. Any proprietary information must be clearly marked. Submissions will be accepted only from United States companies.
    View the full RFI Announcement here.

    Advanced Air Mobility Mission
    GENERAL ADVANCED AIR MOBILITYANNOUNCEMENT OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATIONThis request for information (RFI) is being used to gather market research for NASA to make informed decisions regarding potential partnership strategies and future research to enable Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). NASA is seeking information from public, private, and academic organizations to determine technical needs and community interests that may lead to future solicitations regarding AAM research and development.
    This particular RFI is just one avenue of multiple planned opportunities for formal feedback on or participation in NASA’s AAM Mission-related efforts to develop these requirements and help enable AAM. 
    The respond by date for this RFI closed on Feb. 1, 2025, at 6 p.m. EST.
    View the full RFI announcement here.

    NASA Research Opportunities in Aeronautics
    NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) uses the NASA Research Announcement (NRA) process to solicit proposals for foundational research in areas where ARMD seeks to enhance its core capabilities.
    Competition for NRA awards is open to both academia and industry.
    The current open solicitation for ARMD Research Opportunities is ROA-2023 and ROA-2024.
    Here is some general information to know about the NRA process.

    NRA solicitations are released by NASA Headquarters through the Web-based NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES).
    All NRA technical work is defined and managed by project teams within these four programs: Advanced Air Vehicles Program, Airspace Operations and Safety Program, Integrated Aviation Systems Program, and Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program.
    NRA awards originate from NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia, Ames Research Center in California, Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, and Armstrong Flight Research Center in California.
    Competition for NRA awards is full and open.
    Participation is open to all categories of organizations, including educational institutions, industry, and nonprofits.
    Any updates or amendments to an NRA is posted on the appropriate NSPIRES web pages as noted in the Amendments detailed below.
    ARMD sends notifications of NRA updates through the NSPIRES email system. In order to receive these email notifications, you must be a Registered User of NSPIRES. However, note that NASA is not responsible for inadvertently failing to provide notification of a future NRA. Parties are responsible for regularly checking the NSPIRES website for updated NRAs.

    ROA-2024 NRA Amendments

    Amendment 1
    (Full text here.)
    Amendment 1 to the NASA ARMD Research Opportunities in Aeronautics (ROA) 2024 NRA has been posted on the NSPIRES web site at https://nspires.nasaprs.com.
    The announcement solicits proposals from accredited U.S. institutions for research training grants to begin the academic year. This NOFO is designed to support independently conceived research projects by highly qualified graduate students, in disciplines needed to help advance NASA’s mission, thus affording these students the opportunity to directly contribute to advancements in STEM-related areas of study. AAVP Fellowship Opportunities are focused on innovation and the generation of measurable research results that contribute to NASA’s current and future science and technology goals.
    Research proposals are sought to address key challenges provided in Elements of Appendix A.8.
    Notices of Intent (NOIs) are not required.
    A budget breakdown for each proposal is required, detailing the allocation of the award funds by year. The budget document may adhere to any format or template provided by the applicant’s institution.
    Proposals were due by April 30, 2024, at 5 PM ET.

    Amendment 2UPDATED ON MARCH 31, 2025
    (Full text here.)
    University Leadership Initiative (ULI) provides the opportunity for university teams to exercise technical and organizational leadership in proposing unique technical challenges in aeronautics, defining multi-disciplinary solutions, establishing peer review mechanisms, and applying innovative teaming strategies to strengthen the research impact.
    Research proposals are sought in six ULI topic areas in Appendix D.4.
    Topic 1: Safe, Efficient Growth in Global Operations (Strategic Thrust 1)
    Topic 2: Innovation in Commercial High-Speed Aircraft (Strategic Thrust 2)
    Topic 3: Ultra-Efficient Subsonic Transports (Strategic Thrust 3)
    Topic 4: Safe, Quiet, and Affordable Vertical Lift Air Vehicles (Strategic Thrust 4)
    Topic 5: In-Time System-Wide Safety Assurance (Strategic Thrust 5)
    Topic 6: Assured Autonomy for Aviation Transformation (Strategic Thrust 6)
    This NRA will utilize a two-step proposal submission and evaluation process. The initial step is a short mandatory Step-A proposal, which is due June 26, 2025. Those offerors submitting the most highly rated Step-A proposals will be invited to submit a Step-B proposal. All proposals must be submitted electronically through NSPIRES at https://nspires.nasaprs.com. An Applicant’s Workshop will be held on Thursday April 30, 2025; 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET (https://uli.arc.nasa.gov/applicants-workshops/workshop9) (Page will be live closer to the event.)
    An interested partners list for this ULI is at https://uli.arc.nasa.gov/partners. To be listed as an interested lead or partner, please send electronic mail to hq-univpartnerships@mail.nasa.gov with “ULI Partnerships” in the subject line and include the information required for the table in that web page.

    Amendment 3
    (Full text here)
    Commercial Supersonic Technology seeks proposals for a fuel injector design concept and fabrication for testing at NASA Glenn Research Center.
    The proposal for the fuel injector design aims to establish current state-of-the-art in low NOx supersonic cruise while meeting reasonable landing take-off NOx emissions. The technology application timeline is targeted for a supersonic aircraft with entry into service in the 2035+ timeframe.
    These efforts are in alignment with activities in the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate as outlined in the NASA Aeronautics Strategic Implementation Plan, specifically Strategic Thrust 2: Innovation in Commercial High-Speed Aircraft.
    Proposals were due by May 31, 2024 at 5 pm EDT.

    Amendment 4UPDATED ON JANUARY 16, 2025
    (Full text here)
    University Student Research Challenge seeks to challenge students to propose new ideas/concepts that are relevant to NASA Aeronautics.  USRC will provide students, from accredited U.S. colleges or universities, with grants for their projects and with the challenge of raising cost share funds through a crowdfunding campaign.  The process of creating and implementing a crowdfunding campaign acts as a teaching accelerator – requiring students to act like entrepreneurs and raise awareness about their research among the public.
    The solicitation goal can be accomplished through project ideas such as advancing the design, developing technology or capabilities in support of aviation, by demonstrating a novel concept, or enabling advancement of aeronautics-related technologies.
    Notices of Intent are not required for this solicitation.
    Proposals for Cycle 3 are due June 26, 2025.
    Proposals can also be submitted later and evaluated in the second and third cycles.
    The USRC Q&A/Info Session and Proposal Workshop will be held on the days/times below. Please join us on TEAMS using the Meeting Link, or call in via +1 256-715-9946,,317928116#.

    USRC Cycle
    Information Session/Q&A Date
    Proposal Due Date

    Cycle 1
    Sept. 20, 2024 at 2 pm ET
    Nov. 7, 2024

    Cycle 2
    Jan. 27, 2025 at 2 pm ET
    March 13, 2025

    Cycle 3
    May 12, 2024 at 2 pm ET
    June 26, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Politics with Michelle Grattan: Kos Samaras on polls and the people who’ll decide this election

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    The demography that makes up the Australian electorate is changing and as voters desert the major parties polls are becoming harder to read.

    Kos Samaras is a director of the political consultancy firm Redbridge, which undertakes both quantitative research and focus groups. Samaras now views campaigns from the outside but in the past, as a former Labor Party official, he’s experienced them from the insisde too.

    On the state on the polls he says,

    They’re going to switch around a bit, but we are seeing some trends now that are quite obvious, and that is the consolidation of the Labor primary [vote]. Labor has been successful in bringing back some of those people that did move away from them to minor parties over the last 18 months in some key areas around the country.

    On why Labor is doing better compared to the Coalition, Samaras says Labor starting early was key,

    That’s why it’s important that when you are running a campaign, you must start very early and you must start before the writ is issued and that [is] why Labor has been in that space aggressively now for some time. And this is where I think Dutton and his team have really missed the mark. They’ve waited until the writ to start their campaign. They’ve allowed a vacuum to be created. Labor has filled it with their narrative and their story and their mission, and it’s bearing fruit.

    On the Trump effect and how that will play in this election, Samaras says Dutton should try to distance himself from the US president,

    We do think that the Trump factor is having an impact, and we could see that in other countries as well. Canada is a really good example of that.

    It’s hard for Labor to convince Australians that Dutton is like Trump, but Dutton has throughout this campaign made some errors, particularly on issues around dual citizenship, cuts to the public service. These policies just kind of remind people that he’s not Trump, because he’s an established player, but he does have some element to him that is similar and that can only hurt him.

    Now that Gen X and the millennials have overtaken the baby boomers as voters, Samaras say of these younger voters,

    They want the system turned on its head. They actually want to see significant reform, and at the moment, they’re just getting band-aids, and that’s fundamentally the problem. Now they may indeed a portion of them eventually just vote for one or the other of the major parties and there will be a number of them that do that. But I wouldn’t exactly describe that as enthusiastic support.

    Michelle Grattan 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. Politics with Michelle Grattan: Kos Samaras on polls and the people who’ll decide this election – https://theconversation.com/politics-with-michelle-grattan-kos-samaras-on-polls-and-the-people-wholl-decide-this-election-253531

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Inside an urban terror network: book reveals how police finally cracked Pagad gang violence in Cape Town

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Irvin Kinnes, Associate Professor of Criminology, University of Cape Town

    A campaign against gangsterism in Cape Town, South Africa led by the People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad) turned violent in the mid-1990s when a group known as Pagad G-Force began what became known as an urban terrorism campaign. Lives on the Line, written by security analyst David Africa, is the true story of the secret team in the country’s crime intelligence division that waged a six-year battle against the terror group – and won. The terror campaign was brought to a standstill in 2002. Criminology professor Irvin Kinnes sets out why it’s a riveting read, a bold tell-all account by a brave author.

    What was the backdrop to the terror campaign?

    In 1995, one year after the country’s first democratic elections, a new law was passed creating the newly constituted South African Police Service. It was a tough year because the elements of the old order in the police service had great difficulty accepting the new democratic dispensation. But they had to collaborate with the people that they had tortured, jailed and, in some cases, maimed as a result of their role in political oppression in support of apartheid.

    The new centurions (police guardians of the new order) of democracy were not yet in place. A system of dual power emerged in the police, where some of the commanders that were appointed were former members of the liberation movements. They were seen as “plastic cops” because they did not train in the police academies around the country, but in the bush. Some subsequently attended various training academies. They were all integrated with other homeland police agencies from the Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda and Ciskei states and other “independent” homelands that had existed under apartheid. In total, 11 agencies combined to form the newly created and democratic police service in 1995.

    After 1994, many of the apartheid social controls such as restrictions on people’s movement, racially divided settlement and the death penalty were abolished. People were jubilant, hyper aware of their newly found rights.

    The police were not prepared to deal with such a rights-aware population. In addition, freedom also unleashed huge social challenges such as crime and particularly drug and gang crimes. In the immediate aftermath of the political negotiations that ended apartheid and prior to the elections, crime rates surged, especially in 1993. Not all of the crime was criminal: some of the events related to political crime with mass movements and political parties clashing with each other and with the police.

    The urban terror campaign, as labelled by members of the South African Police Service, extended from 1996-2002. This was also known as the Cape Flats war (referred to as the Pagad troubles by Africa) and was triggered by the campaign of the People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad). The organisation was initially made up of largely ordinary citizens across the religious divide, but later became almost exclusively Muslim led, and so was the G-Force.

    Pagad led several marches on the Cape Flats against drug dealers and gangsters. These marches resulted in the death on 4 August 1996 of one of the co-leaders of the Hard Living gang, Rashaad Staggie, by a huge crowd of Pagad members who were escorted by the police’s Public Order Unit.

    The execution resulted in a tit-for-tat killing between gang members and Pagad members.

    What was Pagad G-Force? What led to its formation?

    The Pagad G-Force were a group of men inside Pagad. They operated clandestinely outside its circle of influence of its public structures, but sometimes with its tacit support. Many of the members of the G-Force had received military training both inside and outside the borders of the country.

    Some people claimed they were trained in Afghanistan and Iran, and they were operators who were armed and could manage themselves against some of the threats that gang leaders had made against them. They were a tightly knit unit that was able to retain secrecy in most of their operations, guarding it against police infiltration – a battle they ultimately lost, as Africa’s book shows.

    The unit was accused of executing up to 30 senior gang leaders and drug dealers. Pagad would lead public marches against them and often publicly warned them to stop their drug dealing. This was followed by the homes of drug dealers being attacked. In many instances they were killed.

    What does the book reveal about why it took so long to end the terror campaign?

    There have been books that have attempted to document the Cape Flats war from different perspectives. But Africa tells the story from the inner sanctum of the state security apparatus that initially failed and eventually succeeded in penetrating the G-Force, Pagad and other formations.

    His book provides significant insights that makes other books on the subject pale in comparison. Fighting terrorism (urban or other) requires patience and deliberate skilled analysis of data, patterns and personalities. It requires skills of analysis built up over many years of sifting through behaviours and actions of individuals and organisations perpetrating such crimes.

    For the first time, we are made privy to the ideological reasoning and political thinking, strategising and implementation of police operations that was decidedly different from the old state thinking of actions against adversaries they were investigating.

    This was painstaking work and the level of co-operation between the new centurions of democracy in the police under the leadership of Africa and the old order. The old-order guardians were the same men and women in the old South African Police Force that had defended the apartheid government and did not trust the new police investigators from the liberation movements. They still had control of the police service in 1996. This was a recipe for creative and disruptive tensions, mistrust and outright sabotage of each other’s operations.

    What was the author’s involvement in the police efforts?

    The author was the head of a covert police intelligence team whose exclusive focus was to bring down the Pagad G-Force. He was central in conceptualising a new approach of working in a decontaminated group of intelligence officers made up of former liberation movement officers. Their job was to analyse information and turn it into actionable intelligence products that could be used to act against the Pagad G-Force.

    What was different about this approach was they produced court-ready evidence which police detectives could use in courts against the accused Pagad bombers. He led the fight for the new covert unit to have the necessary resources, support from their colleagues when it was required and most importantly, the support of the then national commissioner, Jackie Selebi.

    In this fight, Selebi quite clearly took sides and fully supported the actions of Africa and his colleagues to defeat Pagad’s G-Force. Africa makes this clear in his book and emphasises the support that was provided by Selebi.

    What are the key takeaways from the book about fighting similar campaigns of violence?

    The book puts together all the actors nationally and provincially and accords them the historical roles in each of their fields of expertise. It unravels the networks they spun to target, isolate, recruit and turn suspected G-Force operators.

    This look from within the war machine against Pagad raises many questions for any reader.

    It is a book for anyone who wants to understand the fight against terror, globally, regionally and locally, and what it really takes to bring people who commit such acts to justice.

    Lives on the Line confirms why it is so difficult to investigate organised crime and urban terrorists today.

    – Inside an urban terror network: book reveals how police finally cracked Pagad gang violence in Cape Town
    – https://theconversation.com/inside-an-urban-terror-network-book-reveals-how-police-finally-cracked-pagad-gang-violence-in-cape-town-253447

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Press conference following Council of Ministers meeting no. 121

    Source: Government of Italy (English)

    28 Aprile 2025

    Council of Ministers meeting no. 121 was held at Palazzo Chigi today. Following the meeting, Vice-President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani, Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi, Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso, Minister of University and Research Anna Maria Bernini, Minister of Education and Merit Giuseppe Valditara, and Special Government Commissioner for the area of the Municipality of Caivano Fabio Ciciliano held a press conference to illustrate the measures approved.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Greece: EIB supports student housing and campus upgrades of the University of Crete

    Source: European Investment Bank

    EIB

    • EIB to co-finance with a €95 million loan, the construction and operation of student housing and new academic facilities
    • Campuses in cities of Heraklion and Rethymno will benefit from 2,833 new rooms to accommodate up to 4,846 students
    • EIB also providing technical assistance for energy efficiency, climate adaptation, PPP best practices and project management

    The University of Crete in Greece will benefit from €95 million in European Investment Bank (EIB) financing to help build affordable student housing and upgrade campus facilities as part of a pioneering Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project awarded to the AKTOR Group.

    The EIB financing, which is backed by the InvestEU programme, will co-finance the expansion of the university’s campuses in two locations, Heraklion and Rethymno, with 2,833 rooms and apartments to be built, creating up to 4,846 beds. In total, the project will involve the construction of more than 109,000 square meters of student housing and academic spaces, including a new 800-seat amphitheatre at the Rethymnon campus.

    The new buildings created will also be highly energy efficient, performing better than the Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) in Greece, as well as include climate adaptation measures.  

    “Investing in university infrastructure is not just about building new facilities—it’s about shaping the future of education, fostering innovation, and strengthening the social fabric of our communities,” said EIB Vice-President, Yannis Tsakiris. “Greek universities must have the resources to attract and nurture the next generation of talent, and this project is a crucial step in that direction. At the same time, the shortage of affordable and sustainable student housing is a growing challenge across Europe. With this new financing for the University of Crete, we are not only addressing this urgent need but also delivering on our commitment to support education, sustainability, and economic growth. This investment is a tangible example of how the EIB is turning vision into action, ensuring that students have access to modern, energy-efficient spaces where they can learn, live, and thrive.

    ”We are envisioning, planning, and—through important synergies such as the one with the EIB and AKTOR—implementing a broad and coherent plan for the upgrading of public universities,” said Sofia Zacharaki, Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports.“Ensuring access to quality, free housing for thousands of students, in both new and renovated student residences across the country, is a cornerstone of this plan. Through beneficial public-private partnerships for the Greek state, with a total budget of 700 million euros, we are creating new student residences, increasing the number of available beds to 21,000 from the current 12,457, while also undertaking extensive renovations of existing facilities. It is essential—and this is exactly what is being delivered through the project involving student residences and new academic spaces in Crete—that there is long-term provision and commitment to maintenance and technical management, so that, over time, both taxpayers’ money and the smooth functioning of the public university’s legacy are safeguarded, always for the benefit of Greek families, students, learning, and progress.”

    Unlocking sustainable development via PPP

    The University of Crete procured the project through a 30-year PPP agreement, with the contract awarded to the AKTOR Group of Companies and implemented through its subsidiary Talaia Estia SA. The total long-term financing of €190 million is co-financed equally by the EIB and Piraeus Bank.

    Further to the financial contribution EIB has provided technical assistance focused on three pillars:

    • enhancement of the technical specifications associated with energy efficiency, lifecycle global warming potential calculations, climate change adaptation measures and compliance to the EU Taxonomy technical screening criteria
    • cooperation with the Greek PPP Unit in the ongoing development of the contractual framework in accordance with best practices and the experience gained from similar previous projects
    • provision of best practice tools and capacity building for the University’s PPP contract management team to manage the Partnership Agreement during its 30-year tenor, delivered with InvestEU advisory funding support.

    “Collaboration between public and private sectors and institutional banks, such as the EIB, can improve the daily life of citizens, produce sustainable innovations and solve important problems, supporting social progress,” explained AKTOR Group Chairman and CEO, Alexandros Exarchou. “We undertake this ambitious project with great responsibility as it will be the first of its kind in Greece and we aim to mobilize our resources to deliver state-of-the-art facilities that will stand as an example of high quality, green and modern infrastructure. Our youth is our future, and they deserve the finest environment that will allow them to evolve. At AKTOR Group, our mission is to contribute to progress and prosperity through our actions and investments, and we are committed to a sustainable future and creating value for our shareholders and society.”

    ”We are very proud to co-finance this project as we consider education as a key factor for sustainable development,” added Piraeus Executive General Manager, and Head of CIB, Theodore Tzouros. “Piraeus plays a leading role in supporting infrastructure projects, as part of its strategic commitment to contribute to the economic growth and the prosperity of Greek society. This student housing and academic facilities project at the University of Crete has a strong social impact as it will support the students who need affordable housing and will serve the needs of the local community.”

    Tackling the affordable housing issue with concrete solutions

    The lack of affordable and sustainable housing, especially for students, is a growing challenge across Europe, particularly in regions with strong tourism-driven real estate markets such as Crete. This investment will not only expand student accommodation capacity but will also enhance access to higher education for students from lower-income backgrounds, and strengthen the university’s competitiveness, as well as its academic and social impact.

    The announcement comes after the EIB Group announced at the EIB Forum its action plan to support housing, which includes a new housing one-stop-shop portal to provide advice and finance to support innovation in the construction sector, build affordable homes and invest in energy efficiency and the renovation of housing stock across Europe. The EIB Group is planning investments of around €10 billion over next two years with the aim of delivering 1.5 million new or renovated housing units across Europe.

    Background information  

    EIB 

    The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, high-impact investments outside the European Union, and the capital markets union.  

    The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.  

    All projects financed by the EIB Group are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement, as pledged in our Climate Bank Roadmap. Almost 60% of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects directly contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and a healthier environment.  

    Fostering market integration and mobilising investment, the Group supported a record of over €100 billion in new investment for Europe’s energy security in 2024 and mobilised €110 billion in growth capital for startups, scale-ups and European pioneers. Approximately half of the EIB’s financing within the European Union is directed towards cohesion regions, where per capita income is lower than the EU average.

    High-quality, up-to-date photos of our headquarters for media use are available here.

    Greece: EIB supports student housing and campus upgrades of the University of Crete
    Greece: EIB supports student housing and campus upgrades of the University of Crete
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    Download original
    Greece: EIB supports student housing and campus upgrades of the University of Crete
    Greece: EIB supports student housing and campus upgrades of the University of Crete
    ©EIB
    Download original

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: NSU Judokas Take Third Place at Universiade

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    Judo is another sport of the 48th Universiade of Higher Education Institutions of the Novosibirsk Region, which added a fourth bronze medal to NSU’s team standings. More than 130 athletes from 12 universities took part in the competition in 8 weight categories for men and 7 categories for girls.

    In the individual competition, our students won 5 medals in different weight categories.

    Second places were taken by:

    Nikita Biryuchkov (GGF)

    Sofia Lisitsa (GI)

    Sofia Balashova (FIT)

    Ksenia Burkova (MMF)

    Third place went to Arina Polyachenkova (IFP)

    Also competing as part of the NSU team were:

    Egor Vlasov, Polina Lobankova and Ivan Perfilov (EF)

    Ivan Rogov and Ksenia Pogorelova (GGF)

    Vladimir Tkachev and Andrey Kirilenko (MMF)

    Artem Urukov and Egor Semenov (FF)

    Alexey Seleznev and Artem Chuvashov (FIT)

    Vladimir Mokichev and Evgenia Malakhovskaya (FEN)

    Leonid Grobivkin (GI), Gleb Zhilin (IIR), Sergey Budyakov (IFP) and Ivan Zaguzin (IMPZ)

    Congratulations to athletes and coaches Anastasia Pyankova and Sergey Tsvetkov on their successful performance!

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Inside an urban terror network: book reveals how police finally cracked Pagad gang violence in Cape Town

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Irvin Kinnes, Associate Professor of Criminology, University of Cape Town

    A campaign against gangsterism in Cape Town, South Africa led by the People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad) turned violent in the mid-1990s when a group known as Pagad G-Force began what became known as an urban terrorism campaign. Lives on the Line, written by security analyst David Africa, is the true story of the secret team in the country’s crime intelligence division that waged a six-year battle against the terror group – and won. The terror campaign was brought to a standstill in 2002. Criminology professor Irvin Kinnes sets out why it’s a riveting read, a bold tell-all account by a brave author.

    What was the backdrop to the terror campaign?

    In 1995, one year after the country’s first democratic elections, a new law was passed creating the newly constituted South African Police Service. It was a tough year because the elements of the old order in the police service had great difficulty accepting the new democratic dispensation. But they had to collaborate with the people that they had tortured, jailed and, in some cases, maimed as a result of their role in political oppression in support of apartheid.

    The new centurions (police guardians of the new order) of democracy were not yet in place. A system of dual power emerged in the police, where some of the commanders that were appointed were former members of the liberation movements. They were seen as “plastic cops” because they did not train in the police academies around the country, but in the bush. Some subsequently attended various training academies. They were all integrated with other homeland police agencies from the Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda and Ciskei states and other “independent” homelands that had existed under apartheid. In total, 11 agencies combined to form the newly created and democratic police service in 1995.

    After 1994, many of the apartheid social controls such as restrictions on people’s movement, racially divided settlement and the death penalty were abolished. People were jubilant, hyper aware of their newly found rights.

    The police were not prepared to deal with such a rights-aware population. In addition, freedom also unleashed huge social challenges such as crime and particularly drug and gang crimes. In the immediate aftermath of the political negotiations that ended apartheid and prior to the elections, crime rates surged, especially in 1993. Not all of the crime was criminal: some of the events related to political crime with mass movements and political parties clashing with each other and with the police.

    The urban terror campaign, as labelled by members of the South African Police Service, extended from 1996-2002. This was also known as the Cape Flats war (referred to as the Pagad troubles by Africa) and was triggered by the campaign of the People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad). The organisation was initially made up of largely ordinary citizens across the religious divide, but later became almost exclusively Muslim led, and so was the G-Force.

    Pagad led several marches on the Cape Flats against drug dealers and gangsters. These marches resulted in the death on 4 August 1996 of one of the co-leaders of the Hard Living gang, Rashaad Staggie, by a huge crowd of Pagad members who were escorted by the police’s Public Order Unit.

    The execution resulted in a tit-for-tat killing between gang members and Pagad members.

    What was Pagad G-Force? What led to its formation?

    The Pagad G-Force were a group of men inside Pagad. They operated clandestinely outside its circle of influence of its public structures, but sometimes with its tacit support. Many of the members of the G-Force had received military training both inside and outside the borders of the country.

    Some people claimed they were trained in Afghanistan and Iran, and they were operators who were armed and could manage themselves against some of the threats that gang leaders had made against them. They were a tightly knit unit that was able to retain secrecy in most of their operations, guarding it against police infiltration – a battle they ultimately lost, as Africa’s book shows.

    The unit was accused of executing up to 30 senior gang leaders and drug dealers. Pagad would lead public marches against them and often publicly warned them to stop their drug dealing. This was followed by the homes of drug dealers being attacked. In many instances they were killed.

    What does the book reveal about why it took so long to end the terror campaign?

    There have been books that have attempted to document the Cape Flats war from different perspectives. But Africa tells the story from the inner sanctum of the state security apparatus that initially failed and eventually succeeded in penetrating the G-Force, Pagad and other formations.

    His book provides significant insights that makes other books on the subject pale in comparison. Fighting terrorism (urban or other) requires patience and deliberate skilled analysis of data, patterns and personalities. It requires skills of analysis built up over many years of sifting through behaviours and actions of individuals and organisations perpetrating such crimes.

    For the first time, we are made privy to the ideological reasoning and political thinking, strategising and implementation of police operations that was decidedly different from the old state thinking of actions against adversaries they were investigating.

    This was painstaking work and the level of co-operation between the new centurions of democracy in the police under the leadership of Africa and the old order. The old-order guardians were the same men and women in the old South African Police Force that had defended the apartheid government and did not trust the new police investigators from the liberation movements. They still had control of the police service in 1996. This was a recipe for creative and disruptive tensions, mistrust and outright sabotage of each other’s operations.

    What was the author’s involvement in the police efforts?

    The author was the head of a covert police intelligence team whose exclusive focus was to bring down the Pagad G-Force. He was central in conceptualising a new approach of working in a decontaminated group of intelligence officers made up of former liberation movement officers. Their job was to analyse information and turn it into actionable intelligence products that could be used to act against the Pagad G-Force.

    What was different about this approach was they produced court-ready evidence which police detectives could use in courts against the accused Pagad bombers. He led the fight for the new covert unit to have the necessary resources, support from their colleagues when it was required and most importantly, the support of the then national commissioner, Jackie Selebi.

    In this fight, Selebi quite clearly took sides and fully supported the actions of Africa and his colleagues to defeat Pagad’s G-Force. Africa makes this clear in his book and emphasises the support that was provided by Selebi.

    What are the key takeaways from the book about fighting similar campaigns of violence?

    The book puts together all the actors nationally and provincially and accords them the historical roles in each of their fields of expertise. It unravels the networks they spun to target, isolate, recruit and turn suspected G-Force operators.

    This look from within the war machine against Pagad raises many questions for any reader.

    It is a book for anyone who wants to understand the fight against terror, globally, regionally and locally, and what it really takes to bring people who commit such acts to justice.

    Lives on the Line confirms why it is so difficult to investigate organised crime and urban terrorists today.

    Irvin Kinnes 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. Inside an urban terror network: book reveals how police finally cracked Pagad gang violence in Cape Town – https://theconversation.com/inside-an-urban-terror-network-book-reveals-how-police-finally-cracked-pagad-gang-violence-in-cape-town-253447

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: GUU at the exhibition “Postupi 25/26”: all about programs, internships and employment prospects

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    On March 29, the State University of Management took part in the regional educational exhibition “Postupi 25/26”, which was held in Vidnoye with the support of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Moscow Region.

    In total, the exhibition was visited by 3,500 people, most of whom were schoolchildren in grades 8-11. The event was attended by 50 leading universities and colleges in Moscow and the Moscow region.

    The State University of Management presented its unique bachelor’s degree programs.

    Throughout the day, consultations were held by the Rector’s Advisor Nikolai Mikhailov, the Head of the Department for Organizing the Admission of Applicants Ezizkhan Dzhumaev and an employee of the Career Guidance Center Natalya Smirnova.

    Schoolchildren actively asked questions of interest to them and received complete answers about admission, education and the SUM campus.

    We wish good luck to future applicants and will be glad to see them among the students of the State University of Management!

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 04/01/2025

    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: The GUU team won bronze at a prestigious logistics tournament in English

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

    Students of the State University of Management became prize winners of the XI International Student Tournament in Logistics in English LOGISTIC OPEN TOURNAMENT – 2025.

    The first management was presented by a team of 3rd year students of the program “Logistics and Supply Chain Management”, which included Georgy Ermoshin, Karina Ismailova, Elizaveta Moiseenko, Sergey Koshelev, Vladislav Naavgust.

    The experts were representatives of the following companies: RST, Transit, Okey, KhimPartners LLC, Teva, ALTRA FORWARDING LLC, Sellwell, PROVE GROUP LLC, Major Cargo Service.

    At the first stage, the participating teams solved a practical business case from the company NOYTECH Logistics RUS.

    The second round of the tournament tested the participants for their readiness for the realities of business: in the format of blitz negotiations, they sought compromises in difficult situations – overload, loss of goods, financial risks… The jury members assessed not only linguistic training, but also the ability to persuade, argue and find a way out of difficult situations.

    The GUU team coped with the tasks with dignity and deservedly took third place.

    We congratulate our talented students and wish them further professional success!

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 04/01/2025

    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: MIL Report – Five best articles in Russian for 31.03.2025

    MIL Analysis: Here are the top five Russian language articles published today. The analysis includes five key articles prioritized at the moment.

    In today’s analysis, credit and loans are trending toward new restrictions and changes. Consumer demand in loans and credit is growing.

    The State University of Management provides foreign students with the opportunity to get acquainted with the culture of Russia. In addition, scientists at NSU are working topically with the computerization of the tomograph.

    Rosneft continues to actively support various organizations for the benefit of animals and people across Russia.

    You can read one of the articles below.

    1. Financial news: From April 1, the restriction of the TCOP on consumer loans and credits is renewed (28.03.2025).

    The full credit cost (FCP) under consumer credit (loan) agreements concluded or amended from April 1, 2025, shall not exceed the average market value for the relevant category of credit (loan) by more than one third. Limitation of the CCP will help to control the growth of loan rates, which will ensure the protection of people’s interests.

    2. Financial news: MFIs’ loan portfolio grew by more than 40% in 2024.

    The loan portfolio of microfinance organizations reached RUB 624 billion last year, a growth stimulated by increased consumer demand.

    More than half of the loans were medium-term, the value of the full cost of the loan is close to bank rates. Such loans were issued, among other things, to purchase goods on marketplaces. The share of the most expensive short-term loans “up to salary” decreased from 34% to 25% over the year.

    3. Cultural adaptation of foreigners: GUU students visited the Museum of Time and Clock.

    Students of the State University of Management, who came to study in Russia from Vietnam, India, China, Nepal and Ethiopia, visited the Museum of Time and Clock.

    4. NSU scientists for the first time in the Urals studied ancient bone knives on a computer tomograph.

    In the Laboratory of Nuclear and Innovative Medicine of the Faculty of Physics of NSU the research of archeological finds from the museum collections of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences is carried out using a computer tomograph. Until recently, this device was used by research workers of the laboratory in preclinical studies of non-trophic therapy to examine animals and solve similar problems. However, the technical capabilities of the CT scanner allow to examine not only biological but also non-biological objects. Computed tomography of composite bone and horn composite implements of the late Pleistocene-early Holocene is currently underway.

    5. With Rosneft’s support, an accreditation center was modernized at Medakadamiya Yugra.

    “Samotlorneftegaz”, one of the largest production assets of Rosneft, provided financial support for modernization of one of the key units of Khanty-Mansiysk State Medical Academy – Simulation and Accreditation Center. The project was implemented under an agreement between Rosneft and the Government of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra.

    Learn more about MIL’s content and data services by visiting milnz.co.nz.

    Regards MIL!

    MIL OSI Russia News –