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How rising living costs are changing the way we date, live and love

Source: ForeignAffairs4

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Melise Panetta, Lecturer of Marketing in the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University

Young adults in their 20s and 30s face an altered social landscape where financial realities influence their relationships. (Rene Ranisch/Unsplash)

If it feels like rising prices are affecting your dating life or friendships, you’re not imagining it. Around the world, economic pressures are taking a significant toll on personal relationships.

From strained romantic partnerships to postponed life milestones, financial uncertainty is changing the way people connect and relate to with one another.

Young adults in their 20s and 30s, in particular, are facing an altered social landscape where even the most fundamental aspects of relationships are being influenced by financial realities.

Dating today can feel like a mix of endless swipes, red flags and shifting expectations. From decoding mixed signals to balancing independence with intimacy, relationships in your 20s and 30s come with unique challenges. Love IRL is the latest series from Quarter Life that explores it all.

These research-backed articles break down the complexities of modern love to help you build meaningful connections, no matter your relationship status.

Financial stress and relationship strain

Money has long been one of the biggest sources of conflict in relationships, but today’s economic landscape has made financial stress an even greater burden.

In Canada, a staggering 77 per cent of couples report financial strain, and 62 per cent say they argue over money. The rising cost of rent, food and everyday expenses has forced many couples to make difficult financial decisions, sometimes at the expense of their relationship.

These concerns are not unique to Canadian couples. A study in the United Kingdom found that 38 per cent of people in a relationship admit to having a secret account or “money stashed away” that their partner doesn’t know about. And in the United States, couples surveyed reported having 58 money-related arguments per year.

Money has long been one of the biggest sources of conflict in relationships.
(Shutterstock)

Even more concerning, financial instability is affecting how long relationships last. A recent RBC poll found 55 per cent of Canadians feel they need to be in a relationship to afford their lifestyle.

The economic barriers to independence are particularly pronounced for those contemplating separation or divorce. Traditionally, a breakup meant one partner moving out, but now more divorced and separated couples are finding themselves cohabitating simply because they can’t afford to live alone.

Understanding how to maintain a healthy relationship when facing financial troubles is essential for couples to navigate these difficult times.

Postponing major life decisions

The cost-of-living crisis is also delaying key life milestones for young adults worldwide. A Statistics Canada survey found that 38 per cent of young adults have postponed moving out due to economic uncertainty, an increase from 32 per cent in 2018.

This issue is not only delaying the journey to independent adulthood, it is also reversing it. For example, in the United Kingdom, one in five young adults who moved out have had to move back into their family home due to the cost of living crisis.

Housing affordability plays a major role in these delays. With housing prices soaring in Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and elsewhere, home ownership feels out of reach for many. For instance, 55 per cent of young Canadians report the housing crisis is fuelling their decision to delay starting a family.

The cost-of-living crisis is also delaying key life milestones for young adults worldwide. Real estate signs seen in Calgary in May 2023.
(Shutterstock)

These delays have cascading effects on individuals and on broader societal trends, including lower fertility rates and shifts toward smaller families.

Dating in a cost-conscious era

One side effect of the rising cost of living is that couples are moving in together sooner than they might have otherwise in order to split living expenses. Others are adopting a more pragmatic approach to dating and bringing up topics like financial stability, job security and housing much earlier in their relationships.

A dating trend known as “future-proofing” is also spreading. According to Bumble’s annual trend report, 95 per cent of singles say their worries about the future are impacting who they date and how they approach relationships. Top concerns include finances, job security, housing and climate change.

Read more:
The price of love: Why millennials and Gen Zs are running up major dating debt

At the same time, financial strain is leading to simpler and cheaper date nights. More than half of Canadians say the rising cost of living is affecting dating. Many people are opting for budget-friendly activities like coffee dates, picnics or home-cooked meals instead of expensive dinners or weekend getaways.

In the U.K., inflation and other day-to-day expenses have also made 33 per cent of the nation’s young singles less likely to go on dates. Around one-quarter of them say it has made them less likely to seek out a romantic partner altogether.

Financial strain is leading fewer people to go on expensive, extravagent date nights.
(Shutterstock)

These costs are forcing single Americans to adjust their dating plans. With 44 per cent of single Americans reporting adjusting a date for financial reasons, and 27 per cent outright cancelling plans due to financial pressures, it is clear that the cost of living is fundamentally changing how Americans date.

Also, with 38 per cent of dating Canadians saying the costs associated with dating have negatively impacted their ability to reach their financial goals, some are even skipping dating altogether.

The cost of friendship

Friendships, too, are feeling the pinch. Gone are the days of casually grabbing dinner or catching a concert on the weekend. Nearly 40 per cent of Canadians, 42 per cent of Britons and 37 per cent of Americans have cut back on social outings due to financial constraints.

While this may seem like a small sacrifice, the decline in social interactions carries serious consequences. Regular social engagement is critical for mental health, resilience and career development. The more social activities are reduced, the greater the risk of loneliness and isolation — two factors that can significantly impact emotional well-being.

For many, socializing now means opting for budget-friendly alternatives. However, even with creative adjustments, financial pressures are making it harder to maintain strong social ties.

The changing landscape of connection

If you’re in your 20s or 30s, you’ve probably felt the way the economic realities of today are reshaping what relationships look like. Rising costs are influencing everything, from who you live with, how you date and when — or if — you take major life steps.

Maybe you’ve moved in with a partner sooner than planned to split rent, swapped nights out for budget-friendly hangs or put off milestones like starting a family. You’re not alone. Financial pressures are redefining how we connect with each other.

Finding ways to maintain strong relationships under economic stress is essential. Research shows providing emotional support to your partner, employing positive problem-solving skills and engaging in open communication are key maintaining high-quality relationships.

Melise Panetta 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. How rising living costs are changing the way we date, live and love – https://theconversation.com/how-rising-living-costs-are-changing-the-way-we-date-live-and-love-252709

July 17, 2025
‘Alligator Alcatraz’ showcases Donald Trump’s penchant for visual cruelty

Source: ForeignAffairs4

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Marycarmen Lara Villanueva, PhD Candidate, Department of Social Justice Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

The United States government recently announced the opening of a massive immigrant detention facility built deep within the Florida Everglades that’s been dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a media briefing that “there is only one road leading in … and the only way out is a one-way flight.”

For some taking in her remarks, the moment felt dystopian. According to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the facility is surrounded by swamps and alligators and is equipped with more than 200 security cameras, 8,500 metres of barbed wire and a security force of 400 personnel.

Accounts from some of the first detainees at the facility have shed light on the inhumane conditions. They’ve described limited access to water and fresh air, saying they received only one meal a day and that the lights are on 24/7.

Apparently designed to be an immigration deterrence and a display of cruelty, Alligator Alcatraz is much more than infrastructure. It is visual policy aimed to stage terror as a message while making Trump’s authoritarian and fascist politics a material reality.

Contributing to this fascist visual apparatus, AI-generated images of alligators wearing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hats have circulated widely on social media. Some have questioned whether these images were satire or state propaganda.

A screenshot of a June 2025 Homeland Security post on X, formerly Twitter.

Surveillance, migration, debilitation

In a moment of growing right-wing rhetoric and support for anti-immigrant violence, understanding how visual regimes operate, and what they attempt to normalize, is important.

Read more:
Nearly 54% of extreme conservatives say the federal government should use violence to stop illegal immigration

Surveillance and deterrence technologies used along the U.S.–Mexico border for decades were intentionally designed to restrict the movement of undocumented migrants. According to Human Rights Watch, this has resulted in more than 10,000 deaths.

Since 1994, U.S. Border Patrol has been accused of directing migrants away from urban crossings along the southern border, intentionally funnelling them into harsh and inhospitable terrain like the Sonora Desert.

The desert serves as a deterrent to prevent immigrants from reaching their destiny. American theorist Jasbir Puar’s concept of debility is useful in making sense of the strategic process whereby the state works not to kill, but to weaken, as a form of slow violence that wears people down over time. The desired outcome is deterrence.

On the southern U.S. border, severe dehydration and kidney failure can be outcomes of this debilitating process, potentially resulting in disability or death.

Infrastructures of violence

Sarah Lopez, a built environment historian and migration scholar in the U.S., describes the architecture of migrant immobilization as existing on a continuum with prison design. She’s highlighted the increasingly punitive conditions of immigration detention facilities, such as small dark cells or the absence of natural light.

French architect and writer Léopold Lambert explains that architecture isn’t just about buildings, but about how space is used to organize and control people. He coined and developed the term weaponized architecture to describe how spaces are designed to serve the political goals of those in power.

Colonialism, capitalism and modernity are closely connected, and architecture has played a key role in making them possible. Alligator Alcatraz sits at the intersection of all three, intentionally created to invoke danger and isolation. In other words, it’s cruel by design.

As Leavitt put it, the facility is “isolated and surrounded by dangerous wildlife and unforgiving terrain.” The Trump administration has essentially transformed land into infrastructure and migrants into disposable threats.

Terrorizing the marginalized

State-sanctioned “unforgiving terrains” are not new, and the use of alligators to terrorize people of colour isn’t new either.

The grotesque history of Black children being used as “alligator bait” in Jim Crow-era imagery is well-documented.

So when Trump publicly fantasized about alligators eating immigrants trying to escape the new detention centre, it came as no surprise to those familiar with the long racist visual history linking alligators to representations of Black people.

This logic is redeployed in the form of a racial terror that is made visible, marketable and even humorous in mainstream political discourse.

Visuality and migration

“Visuality” is a key term in the field of visual and cultural studies, originally coined by Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle and reintroduced in the early 2000s by American cultural theorist Nicholas Mirzoeff. It can be understood as the socially, historically and culturally constructed ways of seeing and understanding the visual world.

Visual systems have historically been used to justify western imperial and colonial rule by controlling how people see and understand the world.

While Alligator Alcatraz is a brand-new detention facility, it draws from a longer visual and spatial history of domination.

The AI-generated images of alligators wearing ICE hats can be seen as part of a broader visual system that makes racialized violence seem normal, justified and even funny. In this absurd transformation, the alligator is reimagined as a legitimate symbol of border enforcement.

Migrant death by water

The spectacle of Alligator Alcatraz, with its swampy inhospitable landscape, cannot be divorced from the long visual history of migrant death by water that’s relied on the circulation of images to provoke outrage — and sometimes state action.

Examples include the iconic image of Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian child whose lifeless body washed ashore in Turkey in 2015, and the devastating photo of Oscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his two-year-old daughter who both drowned crossing the Rio Grande in 2019.

These images sparked global concern, but they also reinforced the idea that migrant lives only matter when they end in death — as if borders only become visible when they cause deaths.

Alligator Alcatraz was built in eight days. The fact that a detention camp — or what some have called a concentration camp — can be assembled almost overnight, while basic human needs like clean drinking water or emergency warning systems go unmet for years, speaks volumes about where political will and government priorities lie.

Marycarmen Lara Villanueva 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. ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ showcases Donald Trump’s penchant for visual cruelty – https://theconversation.com/alligator-alcatraz-showcases-donald-trumps-penchant-for-visual-cruelty-260566

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: What is peer review? The role anonymous experts play in scrutinizing research before it gets published

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Joshua Winowiecki, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Michigan State University

Reviewer 1: “This manuscript is a timely and important contribution to the field, with clear methodology and compelling results. I recommend publication with only minor revisions.”

Reviewer 2: “This manuscript is deeply flawed. The authors’ conclusions are not supported by data, and key literature is ignored. Major revisions are required before it can be considered.”

These lines could be pulled from almost any editorial decision letter in the world of academic publishing, sent from a journal to a researcher. One review praises the work, while another sees nothing but problems. For scholars, this kind of contradiction is common. Reviewer 2, in particular, has become something of a meme: an anonymous figure often blamed for delays, rejections or cryptic critiques that seem to miss the point.

But those disagreements are part of the peer-review process.

A world of memes – like this one shared on Reddit – has sprung up about the ridiculous feedback provided by a mythical Reviewer #2.
Reddit/r/medicalschool

As a clinical nurse specialist, educator and scholar who reviews studies in nursing and health care and teaches others to do so critically as well, I’ve seen how peer review shapes not just what gets published, but what ultimately influences practice.

Peer review is the checkpoint where scientific claims are validated before they are shared with the world. Researchers and scholars submit their findings to academic journals, which invite other scholars with similar expertise – those are the peers – to assess the work. Reviewers look at the way the scholar designed the project, the methods they used and whether their conclusions stand up.

The point of peer review

This process isn’t new. Versions of peer review have been around for centuries. But the modern form – anonymous, structured and managed by journal editors – took hold after World War II. Today, it is central to how scientific publishing works, and nowhere more so than health, nursing and medicine. Research that survives review is more likely to be trusted and acted upon by health care practitioners and their patients.

Millions of research papers move through this process annually, and the number grows every year. The sheer volume means that peer review isn’t just quality control, it’s become a bottleneck, a filter of sorts, and a kind of collective judgment about what counts as credible.

In clinical fields, peer review also has a protective role. Before a study about a new medication, procedure or care model gains traction, it is typically evaluated by others in the field. The point isn’t to punish the authors – it’s to slow things down just enough to critically evaluate the work, catch mistakes, question assumptions and raise red flags. The reviewer’s work doesn’t always get credit, but it often changes what ends up in print.

So, even if you’ve never submitted a paper or read a scientific journal, peer-reviewed science still shows up in your life. It helps shape what treatments are available, what protocols and guidelines your nurse practitioner or physician uses, and what public health advice gets passed along on the news.

This doesn’t mean peer review always works. Plenty of papers get published despite serious limitations. And some of these flawed studies do real harm. But even scholars who complain about the system often still believe in it. In one international survey of medical researchers, a clear majority said they trusted peer-reviewed science, despite frustrations with how slow or inconsistent the process can be.

What actually happens when a paper is reviewed?

Before a manuscript lands in the hands of reviewers, it begins with the researchers themselves. Scientists investigate a question, gather and analyze their data and write up their findings, often with a particular journal in mind that publishes new work in their discipline. Once they submit their paper to the journal, the editorial process begins.

At this point, journal editors send it out to two or three reviewers who have relevant expertise. Reviewers read for clarity, accuracy, originality and usefulness. They offer comments about what’s missing, what needs to be explained more carefully, and whether the findings seem valid. Sometimes the feedback is collegial and helpful. Sometimes it’s not.

Peer reviewers’ comments can help researchers revise and strengthen their work.
AJ_Watt/E+ via Getty Images

Here is where Reviewer 2 enters the lore of academic life. This is the critic who seems especially hard to please, who misreads the argument, or demands rewrites that would reshape the entire project. But even these kinds of reviews serve a purpose. They show how work might be received more broadly. And many times they flag weaknesses the author hadn’t seen.

Review is slow. Most reviewers aren’t paid, with nearly 75% reporting they receive no compensation or formal recognition for their efforts. They do this work on top of their regular clinical, teaching or research responsibilities. And not every editor has the time or capacity to sort through conflicting feedback or to moderate tone. The result is a process that can feel uneven, opaque, and, at times, unfair.

It doesn’t always catch what it is supposed to. Peer review is better at catching sloppy thinking than it is at detecting fraud. If data is fabricated or manipulated, a reviewer may not have the tools, or the time, to figure that out. In recent years, a growing number of published papers have been retracted after concerns about plagiarism or faked results. That trend has shaken confidence in the system and raised questions about what more journals should be doing before publication.

Imperfect but indispensable

Even though the current peer-review system has its shortcomings, most researchers would argue that science is better off than it would be without the level of scrutiny peer review provides. The challenge now is how to make peer review better.

Some journals are experimenting with publishing reviewer comments alongside articles. Other are trying systems where feedback continues after publication. There are also proposals to use artificial intelligence to help flag inconsistencies or potential errors before human reviewers even begin.

These efforts are promising but still in the early stages of development and adoption. For most fields, peer review remains a basic requirement for legitimacy, while some, such as law and high-energy physics, have alternate methods of communicating their findings. Peer review assures a reader that a journal article’s claim has been tested, scrutinized and revised.

Peer review doesn’t guarantee truth. But it does invite challenge, foster transparency, offer reflection and force revision. That’s often where the real work of science begins.

Even if Reviewer 2 still has notes.

Joshua Winowiecki 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. What is peer review? The role anonymous experts play in scrutinizing research before it gets published – https://theconversation.com/what-is-peer-review-the-role-anonymous-experts-play-in-scrutinizing-research-before-it-gets-published-258255

MIL OSI Analysis –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: Examining mushrooms under microscopes can help engineers design stronger materials

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Mohamed Khalil Elhachimi, PhD Student in Mechanical Engineering, Binghamton University, State University of New York

White button mushrooms are one of the types studied to inform stronger materials. DigiPub/Moment via Getty Images

Pick up a button mushroom from the supermarket and it squishes easily between your fingers. Snap a woody bracket mushroom off a tree trunk and you’ll struggle to break it. Both extremes grow from the same microscopic building blocks: hyphae – hair-thin tubes made mostly of the natural polymer chitin, a tough compound also found in crab shells.

As those tubes branch and weave, they form a lightweight but surprisingly strong network called mycelium. Engineers are beginning to investigate this network for use in eco-friendly materials.

Filaments called hyphae are a mushroom’s support structures both above and below ground, and the mycelium network links multiple mushrooms together.
Milkwood.net/Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA

Yet even within a single mushroom family, the strength of a mycelium network can vary widely. Scientists have long suspected that how the hyphae are arranged – not just what they’re made of – holds the key to understanding, and ultimately controlling, their strength. But until recently, measurements that directly link microscopic arrangement to macroscopic strength have been scarce.

I’m a mechanical engineering Ph.D. student at Binghamton University who studies bio-inspired structures. In our latest research, my colleagues and I asked a simple question: Can we tune the strength of a mushroomlike material just by changing the angle of its filaments, without adding any tougher ingredients? The answer, it turns out, is yes.

2 edible species, many tiny tests

In our study, my team compared two familiar fungi. The first was the white button mushroom, whose tissue uses only thin filaments called generative filaments. The second was the maitake, also called hen-of-the-woods, whose tissue mixes in a second, thicker type of hyphae called skeletal filaments. These skeletal filaments are arranged roughly in parallel, like bundles of cables.

The two types of mushrooms used in the study: The white button mushroom is monomitic, shown on the left, meaning it has only one type of hyphae. The maitake is shown on the right, and is dimitic, meaning it has two types of hyphae.
Mohamed Khalil Elhachimi

After gently drying the caps and stems to remove any water, which can soften the material and skew the results, we zoomed in with scanning electron microscopes and tested the samples at two very different scales.

First, we tested macro-scale compression. A motor-driven piston slowly squashed each mushroom while sensors recorded how hard the sample pushed back – the same way you might squeeze a marshmallow, only with laboratory precision.

Then we pressed a diamond tip thinner than a human hair into individual filaments to measure their stiffness.

The white mushroom filaments behaved like rubber bands, averaging about 18 megapascals in stiffness – similar to natural rubber. The thicker skeletal filaments in maitake measured around 560 megapascals, more than 30 times stiffer and approaching the stiffness of high-density polyethylene – the rigid plastic used in cutting boards and some water pipes.

The two mushrooms tested include the maitake, left, and the button mushroom.
Lance Cheung/USDA and edenpictures/Flickr, CC BY

But chemistry is only half the story. When we squeezed entire chunks, the direction we squeezed in mattered even more for the maitake. Pressing in line with its parallel skeletal filaments made the block 30 times stiffer than pressing across the grain. By contrast, the tangled filaments in white mushrooms felt equally soft from every angle.

A digital mushroom and twisting the threads

To separate geometry from chemistry, we converted snapshots from the microscope into a computer model using a 3D Voronoi network – a pattern that mimics the walls between bubbles in a foam. Think of ping-pong balls crammed in a box: Each ball is a cell, and the walls between cells become our simulated filaments.

We assigned those filaments by the stiffness values measured in the lab, then virtually rotated the whole network to angles of 0 degrees, 30 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees and completely random.

Horizontal (0 degrees) filaments flexed like a spring mattress. Vertical (90 degrees) filaments supported weight almost as firmly as dense wood. Simply tilting the network to 60 degrees nearly doubled its stiffness compared with 0 degrees – all without changing a single chemical ingredient.

The researchers modeled structures with different fiber orientations to see which are the strongest: (a) represents a horizontal fiber orientation, (b) a 30-degree fiber orientation, (c) a 60-degree fiber orientation, (d) a vertical fiber orientation, and (e) a random fiber orientation.
Mohamed Khalil Elhachimi

Basically, we found that orientation alone could turn a mushy sponge into something that stands up to serious pressure. That suggests manufacturers could make strong, lightweight, biodegradable parts – such as shoe insoles, protective packaging and even interior panels for cars – simply by guiding how a fungus grows rather than by mixing in harder additives.

Greener materials – and beyond

Startups already grow “leather” made from mycelium – the threadlike fungal network – for handbags, and mycelium foam as a Styrofoam replacement.

Guiding fungi to lay their filaments in strategic directions could push performance much higher, opening doors in sectors where strength-to-weight ratio is king: think sporting goods cores, building-insulation panels or lightweight fillers inside aircraft panels.

The same digital tool kit also works for metal or polymer lattices printed layer by layer. Swap the filament properties in the model, let the algorithm pick the best angles, and then feed that layout into a 3D printer.

One day, engineers might dial up an app that says something like, “I need a panel that’s stiff north-south but flexible east-west,” and the program could spit out a filament map inspired by the humble maitake.

Our next step is to feed thousands of these virtual networks into a machine learning model so it can predict – or even invent – filament layouts that hit a targeted stiffness in any direction.

Meanwhile, biologists are exploring low-energy ways to coax real fungi to grow in neat rows, from steering nutrients toward one side of a petri dish to applying gentle electric fields that encourage filaments to align.

This study taught us that you don’t always need exotic chemistry to make a better material. Sometimes it’s all about how you line up the same old threads – just ask a mushroom.

Mohamed Khalil Elhachimi 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. Examining mushrooms under microscopes can help engineers design stronger materials – https://theconversation.com/examining-mushrooms-under-microscopes-can-help-engineers-design-stronger-materials-260477

MIL OSI Analysis –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Banking: Inflation increased to 2 percent in June 2025

Source: Bank of Botswana

Headline inflation increased from 1.9 percent in May to 2 percent in June 2025, remaining below the lower bound of the medium-term objective range of 3 – 6 percent and was lower than the 2.8 percent recorded in June 2024. The marginal increase in inflation between May and June 2025 was mainly on account of the acceleration in the rate of annual price changes of a few categories of goods and services, notably Transport and Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & other Fuels. Similarly, the 16 percent trimmed mean inflation and inflation excluding administered prices increased from 1.8 percent and 3.7 percent to 2 percent and 3.9 percent, respectively, between May and June 2025.

Inflation for domestic tradeables decreased from 4.5 percent to 4.3 percent between May and June 2025, mainly on account of the deceleration in the rate of annual price changes of some food items in this category, including sorghum meal, white bread flour, and samp. Conversely, inflation for imported tradeables increased from 0.8 percent to 1.1 percent over the same period, mainly on account of the increase in the price of most alcoholic beverages and vehicles. Overall, all tradeables inflation increased from 1.8 percent to 2 percent between May and June 2025. Meanwhile, inflation for non-tradeables was unchanged at 2 percent in the same period.

MIL OSI Global Banks –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Apply for the 2026 Criminal Defence Direct Contract
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

News story

Apply for the 2026 Criminal Defence Direct Contract

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is inviting tenders for Criminal Defence Direct (CDD) Contracts to deliver 24/7 telephone-based legal advice.
The LAA is inviting tenders for two new CDD Contracts to deliver 24/7 telephone-based legal advice from 4 May 2026. These services support individuals detained at police stations in England and Wales for non-indictable offences.

Key Dates

Tender opens: 16 July 2025

Deadline for questions: 30 July 2025 (5pm)

TUPE data request deadline: 30 July 2025 (5pm)

Tender submission deadline: 28 August 2025 (11:59pm)

Who Can Apply

The tender is open to any organisation that meets the LAA’s Conditions of Participation.

How to Apply

Applicants must submit a complete tender via two platforms:

Central Digital Platform (CDP) for supplier registration and core information,

LAA eTendering System for the CDD Tender Response. A share code linking the CDP response must be included in the Qualification envelope of the CDD Tender Response.

For full details of the procurement process please read the Application Guide which is available at 2026 Criminal Defence Direct (CDD) – GOV.UK

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Published 16 July 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Grants Awarded to Support Veteran Facilities

Source: US State of New York

overnor Kathy Hochul today announced $1 million in grants to 16 veterans organizations across New York State through the third round of the Veterans’ Nonprofit Capital Program. These grants will support capital improvements to facilities that serve the state’s veterans, service members and their families.

“Our veterans, who have courageously served to protect our country, need and deserve to have access to safe, quality facilities to gather with family and loved ones,” Governor Hochul said. “This investment will not only allow for critical infrastructure upgrades, but it will also allow veterans to come together and bond with their community and families.”

The grants, administered by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) in partnership with the Department of Veterans’ Services, provide reimbursement for capital improvement projects ranging from $25,000 to $75,000. Veterans organizations will use the funding for critical infrastructure upgrades including new roofs, HVAC systems, electrical improvements, ADA-compliant modifications and renovations to kitchens and common areas.

Recipients are located across six regions: Capital Region (4), Central New York (1), Finger Lakes (4), Long Island (2), Mid-Hudson (1) and Western New York (4). Projects include roof replacements, parking lot reconstruction, generator installations and facility accessibility improvements. A list of awards is located here.

Dormitory Authority of the State of New York President and CEO Robert J. Rodriguez said, “DASNY is proud to administer this program alongside our partners at the Department of Veterans’ Services, delivering on Governor Hochul’s continued commitment to supporting veterans. These capital improvements will help ensure that veterans have access to safe, modern facilities where they can gather, receive services, and maintain the important connections forged through their service to our nation.”

New York State Department of Veterans’ Services General Counsel Jonathan Fishbein said, “Round three of the Veterans’ Nonprofit Capital Program was one of our strongest to date, both in the quality of applications received and in the range of services supported across the state. These grants are making a real difference on the ground. DVS remains deeply committed to ensuring that Veterans, Service Members, and Military Families in every corner of New York have access to strong, stable, and growing networks of support. Governor Hochul continues to deliver much-needed support for all who served.”

The Veterans’ Nonprofit Capital Program provides funding for architecture, design, engineering, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation or expansion of eligible facilities, and purchase of eligible furnishings or equipment. Since its inception, the program has awarded $4.6 million to veterans organizations statewide.

About the NYS Department of Veterans’ Services

The New York State Department of Veterans’ Services proudly serves New York’s Veterans, Service Members and Military Families, connecting them with benefits, services and support. All who served should contact the Department at 888-838-7697 or via its website — veterans.ny.gov — to meet in-person or virtually with an accredited Veterans Benefits Advisor to receive the benefits they have earned. Follow DVS on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.

About DASNY

Founded in 1944, DASNY is New York State’s capital project development authority. It finances and constructs sustainable and resilient science, health and education institutions that help New York thrive. It is one of the largest issuers of tax-exempt bonds in the nation with an outstanding bond portfolio of approximately $60.1 billion as of March 31, 2025. DASNY is also a prolific public builder with a construction pipeline of approximately 1,000 projects valued at more than $13 billion as of March 31, 2025. To learn more about DASNY, visit www.dasny.org.

MIL OSI USA News –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Three MS-13 Members Charged with Racketeering Conspiracy Involving Murder

Source: US State of North Dakota

Three alleged members of the notorious gang La Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, made their initial appearance in the District of Maryland yesterday for their role in a racketeering conspiracy, including murder and drug trafficking.

“As alleged, the defendants are MS-13 members who carried out a brutal and senseless murder in exchange for promotions within the gang and drugs,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Their actions furthered MS-13’s reign of terror across communities in Maryland. The Criminal Division will continue to pursue charges against MS-13 members and associates and will not relent until this dangerous gang is eradicated from our streets.”

“The brutal retaliatory murder of this victim is a chilling reminder of the MS-13 gang’s callous disregard for human life,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland. “Those who assault and kill others must be brought to justice and ultimately held accountable for their actions. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland will continue to work relentlessly with our law enforcement partners to dismantle violent criminal organizations that terrorize our communities.”

“The FBI and our partners are committed to using every tool available to prevent violent criminals from terrorizing the communities they live in,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “We will not let up. We will relentlessly pursue those who engage in violent activity like murder and drug trafficking until they are held accountable.”

According to court documents, on July 4, 2024, Maxwell Ariel Quijano-Casco, 24, of El Salvador; Daniel Isaias Villanueva-Bautista, 19, of El Salvador; and Josue Mauricio Lainez, 21, of Hyattsville, Maryland, allegedly killed a homeless man as part of their involvement with MS-13. On July 5, 2024, a passerby called 911 after seeing the victim sitting in a blue 2008 Dodge Caravan that was parked in a used car lot in Hyattsville, Maryland. When the police arrived, they found the deceased victim, who appeared to have been stabbed in the neck. Investigators obtained video surveillance from a nearby business that captured the incident.

The surveillance video shows that at approximately 11:35 p.m Quijano-Casco and another person approach the victim. The video shows the victim wielding what looks like a metal pole at Quijano-Casco, at which point Quijano-Casco and the other person flee on foot and the victim returns to the Dodge Caravan. About 15 minutes later, Quijano-Casco returns with co-defendants Villanueva-Bautista, Lainez, and another person. At approximately 11:48 p.m., the video surveillance shows all four of them approaching the blue Dodge Caravan.

The surveillance video then shows Quijano-Casco, Villanueva-Bautista, Lainez, and the unnamed person opening the van’s rear sliding driver’s side door, reaching inside, and moving as if striking someone.

The victim does not exit the blue Dodge Caravan after the attack.

On Aug. 23, 2024, Prince George’s County Police arrested Quijano-Casco and Villanueva-Bautista. Quijano-Casco was in possession of a black Ruger P95DC semi-automatic handgun and about eight grams of cocaine at the time of his arrest. Quijano-Casco and Villanueva both admitted that they were present for the altercation where the victim was murdered. Quijano-Casco allegedly admitted to Prince George’s County Police to stabbing the individual.

Quijano-Casco, Villanueva-Bautista, and Lainez are each charged with racketeering conspiracy, including the July 4, 2024, murder. If convicted, Quijano-Casco, Villanueva-Bautista, and Lainez face a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI and Prince George’s County Police Department are investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Christina Taylor of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Crespo for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MIL OSI USA News –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Independence Attorney Sentenced for Tax Evasion

Source: US FBI

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Mo., attorney has been sentenced to federal prison for evading payment of $794,540 in income taxes, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jeffrey P. Ray today.

John C. Carnes, 70, pleaded guilty to tax evasion on Nov. 25, 2024, and was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs. Carnes was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $794,540.

According to court documents, Carnes admitted that he willfully attempted to evade paying his personal income taxes for tax years 2012 through 2018. Carnes kept his income in his attorney trust accounts, then withdrew cash from his attorney trust accounts to pay for personal and business expenses. An attorney trust account is a bank account in which a lawyer has a fiduciary duty to hold property of clients or third persons, including prospective clients. It is for funds that are in a lawyer’s possession in connection with representation, separate from the lawyer’s own property.

Carnes had two trust fund accounts. He withdrew $444,527 in cash from one account from 2016 through 2019, and he withdrew $144,364 from the second account from 2013 through 2015. Carnes used the cash to gamble and pay personal expenses.

Carnes deposited $232,000 in fees received for services provided in the sale of the former Rockwood Golf Course property in November 2017 and the Missouri City Power Plant project, and other income, into his attorney trust accounts.

The total tax loss to the IRS for tax years 2012 through 2018, because of Carnes’s tax evasion, totaled $618,949. In addition, relevant conduct consists of unpaid federal income tax for the tax years 1990-1993, 1996-2003, and 2005, totaling $175,590. The total relevant conduct is $238,513, resulting in a total tax loss of $794,540.

From 2009 to 2020, the IRS continuously engaged in various forms of investigative and enforcement activity regarding Carnes’s outstanding tax liabilities.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rudolph R. Rhodes IV and Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.

MIL Security OSI –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Springfield Man Sentenced to 95 Months for Illegally Possessing Firearm

Source: US FBI

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for unlawfully possessing a firearm.

Michael G. Caldwell, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Stephen R. Bough to 95 months in federal prison without parole, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

Caldwell pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a felon on Aug. 29, 2024.

On April 2, 2024, officers with the Springfield Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a Dodge Charger driven by Caldwell. As the Charger slowed to pull over, officers observed Caldwell making furtive movements and reaching near the center console.

The officers removed Caldwell from the vehicle and Caldwell physically resisted arrested. After a brief struggle, the officers were ultimately able to detain him. When detectives searched the Charger, they found a Ruger pistol between the center console and front passenger seat. Officers also seized $1,610 in cash from Caldwell.

The Ruger pistol linked Caldwell to a shooting that occurred in the Springfield, Missouri area, on March 21, 2024, in that the shell casings from that shooting were a presumptive match to the shell casings from the Ruger seized from Caldwell. In addition, cell site data from a cell phone seized from Caldwell on April 2, 2024, confirmed that Caldwell’s cell phone was at the shooting.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who is convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Caldwell has prior felony convictions for robbery, possession of a controlled substance, and delivery of a controlled substance.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Wan. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

MIL Security OSI –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Kansas City Man Indicted for Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine

Source: US FBI

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Ramon Arambula, 44, was indicted by a federal grand jury for possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

Today’s indictment alleges that on July 9, 2025, Arambula possessed cocaine with the intent to distribute. This charge stems from a vehicle stop conducted on a vehicle being operated by Arambula on July 9. After a drug detection K-9 gave a positive alert on the vehicle, officers recovered 5 brick-shaped packages that contained cocaine. The total amount of cocaine seized was approximately 5,892 grams.

The charge contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan A. Baker. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Kansas City Missouri Police Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Jackson County Drug Task Force and Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

KC Metro Strike Force

This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

MIL Security OSI –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Southwest Missouri Man Sentenced for Unlawful Possession of Stolen Firearm

Source: US FBI

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Bolivar, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for unlawfully possessing a firearm.

Timothy E. Parker, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Stephen R. Bough to 48 months in federal prison without parole, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

On Sept. 25, 2024, Parker pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

On Sept. 23, 2023, deputies with the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a U-Haul that Parker was driving. Instead of stopping, Parker initially fled the area. Eventually, Parker pulled the vehicle over and when contacted and searched, the deputies located a loaded Taurus G3C pistol concealed in a chest sling holster. Deputies also seized a backpack belonging to Parker that contained a 50-round box of ammunition, a Kydex style gun holster, a lock picking set, and 2.42 grams of methamphetamine during the stop. Police records indicated that the pistol and holster had been reported as stolen earlier that month.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who is convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Parker has prior felony convictions for property damage, forgery, burglary, driving stolen motor vehicles, and resisting arrest.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

MIL Security OSI –

July 17, 2025

MIL-OSI: AIXA Miner Launches New Green Cloud Mining Contracts with Boosted Daily Returns

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Denver, USA, July 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AIXA Miner, a trusted name in global cloud mining solutions, today announced the rollout of upgraded Litecoin, Dogecoin, and Bitcoin mining contracts featuring a 2.5% increase in daily returns. The performance gains coincide with AIXA Miner’s transition to 100% green energy across its 200+ data centers worldwide.

“We initiated a green mining model to reduce environmental impact and improve operational efficiency,” said a company spokesperson for AIXA Miner. “By leveraging low-cost renewable energy, we’ve been able to cut mining costs by up to 50%, enabling higher returns for our users.”

Scaling Sustainable & Profitable Cloud Mining

Founded in 2020, AIXA Miner has grown rapidly by aligning sustainability with profitability in cloud mining. The company operates globally distributed mining centers powered exclusively by solar and wind energy, helping reduce carbon emissions while optimizing crypto mining yields—particularly for Bitcoin.

This cost-effective approach has made AIXA Miner one of the most profitable platforms for crypto mining participants, attracting over 2 million new users following the announcement of increased returns.

New Mining Contract Options: Short-Term with High ROI

AIXA Miner offers a range of short-term mining contracts to suit various investment sizes. Each contract delivers fixed daily income and allows for full capital withdrawal at term completion.

Contract Amount	Duration	Daily Income	Total Income	Daily Interest Rate
$550	5 days	$7.32	$36.58	1.33%
$1,500	10 days	$20.40	$204.00	1.36%
$2,600	12 days	$37.18	$446.16	1.43%
$6,300	15 days	$95.13	$1,426.95	1.51%
$15,700	17 days	$285.74	$4,857.58	1.82%
$25,000	20 days	$515.00	$10,300.00	2.06%
$57,000	15 days	$1,350.90	$20,263.50	2.37%
$87,000	20 days	$2,366.40	$47,328.00	2.72%
$127,000	12 days	$3,987.80	$47,853.60	3.14%
$235,000	15 days	$12,925.00	$193,875.00	5.50%

AIXA Miner also offers a free Litecoin mining contract for new users, which includes a $20 welcome credit that allows immediate onboarding and platform testing.

Affiliate & VIP Incentives

To further enhance user experience and earning potential, AIXA Miner provides a three-tier affiliate program, rewarding users with up to 5% commissions on referred investments. VIP memberships offer one-time bonuses and increased ROI for users with active contract levels of $50,000 and above. For example, VIP Level 3 users receive an additional 0.11% ROI bonus and a $613 reward on qualifying investments.

How to Get Started With AIXA Miner With a Smartphone: Three Simple Steps

Install the app: Visit the AIXAminer.com website and download the AIXA Miner mobile app (Android/iOS).
Sign up with a username and password and a valid email address to activate the free trial and gain access to the mining platform.
Select the mining contract, connect the user crypto wallet, and start earning.

And that is all! The app allows users to track their earnings daily and provides options to withdraw or reinvest their profits at will.

About AIXA Miner

AIXA Miner is a cloud-based cryptocurrency mining platform founded in 2020. Specializing in AI-optimized, eco-friendly mining operations, AIXA Miner enables individuals worldwide to generate passive income through transparent, automated crypto mining services. AIXA Miner’s upgraded mining contracts are now available globally via its official website: www.aixaminer.com. The platform offers transparent earnings dashboards, same-day payouts (once the minimum is reached), and a range of contract durations to suit both beginner and seasoned crypto participants.

The MIL Network –

July 17, 2025

MIL-OSI: AIXA Miner Launches New Green Cloud Mining Contracts with Boosted Daily Returns

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Scaling Sustainable & Profitable Cloud Mining

New Mining Contract Options: Short-Term with High ROI

AIXA Miner offers a range of short-term mining contracts to suit various investment sizes. Each contract delivers fixed daily income and allows for full capital withdrawal at term completion.

Contract Amount	Duration	Daily Income	Total Income	Daily Interest Rate
$550	5 days	$7.32	$36.58	1.33%
$1,500	10 days	$20.40	$204.00	1.36%
$2,600	12 days	$37.18	$446.16	1.43%
$6,300	15 days	$95.13	$1,426.95	1.51%
$15,700	17 days	$285.74	$4,857.58	1.82%
$25,000	20 days	$515.00	$10,300.00	2.06%
$57,000	15 days	$1,350.90	$20,263.50	2.37%
$87,000	20 days	$2,366.40	$47,328.00	2.72%
$127,000	12 days	$3,987.80	$47,853.60	3.14%
$235,000	15 days	$12,925.00	$193,875.00	5.50%

AIXA Miner also offers a free Litecoin mining contract for new users, which includes a $20 welcome credit that allows immediate onboarding and platform testing.

Affiliate & VIP Incentives

How to Get Started With AIXA Miner With a Smartphone: Three Simple Steps

Install the app: Visit the AIXAminer.com website and download the AIXA Miner mobile app (Android/iOS).
Sign up with a username and password and a valid email address to activate the free trial and gain access to the mining platform.
Select the mining contract, connect the user crypto wallet, and start earning.

And that is all! The app allows users to track their earnings daily and provides options to withdraw or reinvest their profits at will.

About AIXA Miner

The MIL Network –

July 17, 2025

MIL-OSI: NextNRG Signs Letter of Intent for Two Healthcare Facility Smart Microgrid Projects in Los Angeles County

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Strategic expansion into essential healthcare sector demonstrates NextNRG’s energy-agnostic technology and own-and-operate model

Projects establish NextNRG as dedicated energy provider under long-term contracts to facilities requiring mandatory continuous power

MIAMI, July 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NextNRG, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXXT), a pioneer in AI driven energy innovation transforming how energy is produced, managed, and delivered through its Next Utility Operating System®, smart microgrids, wireless EV charging, and mobile fuel delivery, today announced it has signed a letter of intent to develop critical energy infrastructure for two healthcare facilities operated by Sunnyside Nursing and Post-Acute Care (Sunnyside) and Topanga Terrace Rehabilitation & Subacute (Topanga) in Los Angeles, California.

NextNRG will own and operate the complete smart microgrid systems and sell electricity directly to both facilities under separate 28-year Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), establishing predictable long-term revenue streams in the essential healthcare sector where continuous, reliable power is not just preferred but mandatory. The PPA for the Sunnyside facility will generate revenue at $0.25 per kWh with a 2% annual escalator, while the Topanga facility will generate revenue at $0.22 per kWh with a 2% annual escalator, providing NextNRG with contracted cash flows extending through 2053.

NextNRG will design, build, own and operate comprehensive smart microgrid systems for each facility, then sell electricity from these NextNRG-owned grids to the healthcare facilities. The energy infrastructure will incorporate generation through solar and renewable sources, as well as battery storage for enhanced reliability. All components will be integrated into comprehensive smart microgrids powered by NextNRG’s proprietary UOS (Utility Operating System) and SmartGrid technology. Each system will feature up to 830 kWh DC of solar photovoltaic capacity and 2.2 MWh of battery energy storage with ground-mounted solar arrays.

By combining batteries with generators, NextNRG will significantly reduce the risk of power outages while ensuring compliance with HCAI (Healthcare Access and Information) requirements. The healthcare facilities gain operational resilience and access to tax incentives, while NextNRG establishes a strategic foothold in the highly regulated and lucrative healthcare sector.

“These projects represent our strategic entry into the healthcare market, where energy reliability is mandatory rather than optional,” said Michael D. Farkas, Founder and CEO of NextNRG. “The 28-year contracted revenue from selling electricity generated by our owned infrastructure provides exceptional visibility and stability, while demonstrating our software’s ability to manage and optimize power from any source. This energy-agnostic functionality positions us to capture significant opportunities across the healthcare sector, where facilities require uninterrupted power for life-safety systems and patient care.”

The projects showcase NextNRG’s proprietary technology platform designed to optimize and manage diverse energy inputs through advanced artificial intelligence, including traditional grid power, renewable sources, solar, and emerging technologies. This energy-agnostic capability provides maximum flexibility for healthcare facilities while demonstrating NextNRG’s ability to serve as a complete energy solution provider rather than just a renewable energy company.

Healthcare facilities represent a particularly compelling market opportunity for NextNRG’s own-and-operate model. Hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare facilities prioritize energy reliability and long-term cost predictability, making them ideal candidates for long-term PPA arrangements. The healthcare sector’s essential nature and regulatory requirements create a stable customer base with predictable energy needs and willingness to pay for enhanced reliability.

The addressable market for NextNRG’s smart microgrid solutions in the healthcare sector is substantial, with 15,300 nursing homes and 32,231 assisted living facilities across the United States. These facilities are subject to stringent regulatory requirements mandating backup power systems to ensure continuous operation of life-safety equipment, HVAC systems, and critical care infrastructure. NextNRG’s comprehensive smart microgrids provide a superior alternative to traditional diesel generators, offering cleaner, more reliable backup storage while meeting all applicable healthcare regulations and emergency preparedness standards. NextNRG’s TAM in healthcare microgrids is roughly $3.2 billion in annual revenue opportunity today, growing into the $7–8 billion range by the early 2030s, driven by resilient infrastructure needs, AI integration, and regulatory tailwinds.

“The healthcare sector represents a massive market opportunity where our ownership model and technology create significant value,” added Mr. Farkas. “These facilities cannot afford power interruptions, and our comprehensive smart microgrid solutions powered by machine learning provide the energy security they require while generating stable, long-term cash flows for NextNRG from our owned energy assets. We see substantial potential to replicate this ownership and energy sales model across thousands of healthcare facilities nationwide.”

These projects build on NextNRG’s recent momentum, including its partnership with Hudson Sustainable Group, inclusion in the Russell 2000® and Russell 3000® indexes, and record-breaking revenue growth with preliminary May 2025 revenue of $6.6 million representing 148% year-over-year growth. The healthcare market expansion complements NextNRG’s established mobile fueling operations across six U.S. states with 144 active delivery trucks.

The agreement advances NextNRG’s strategy of deploying next-generation energy infrastructure through its integrated ecosystem of AI-optimized solutions, establishing the company as a leader in intelligent energy management and delivery across essential service sectors.

About NextNRG, Inc.

NextNRG Inc. (NextNRG) is Powering What’s Next by implementing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into renewable energy, next-generation energy infrastructure, battery storage, wireless electric vehicle (EV) charging and on-demand mobile fuel delivery to create an integrated ecosystem.

At the core of NextNRG’s strategy is its Next Utility Operating System®, which leverages AI and ML to help make existing utilities’ energy management as efficient as possible; and the deployment of NextNRG smart microgrids, which utilize AI-driven energy management alongside solar power and battery storage to enhance energy efficiency, reduce costs and improve grid resiliency. These microgrids are designed to serve commercial properties, healthcare campuses, universities, parking garages, rural and tribal lands, recreational facilities, and government properties, expanding energy accessibility while supporting decarbonization initiatives.

NextNRG continues to expand its growing fleet of fuel delivery trucks and national footprint, including the acquisition of Yoshi Mobility’s fuel division and Shell Oil’s trucks, further solidifying its position as a leader in the on-demand fueling industry. NextNRG is also integrating sustainable energy solutions into its mobile fueling operations. The company hopes to be an integral part of assisting its fleet customers in their transition to EV, providing fuel delivery while advancing efficient energy adoption. The transition process is expected to include the deployment of NextNRG’s innovative wireless EV charging solutions.

To find out more visit: www.nextnrg.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statement describing NextNRG’s goals, expectations, financial or other projections, intentions, or beliefs is a forward-looking statement and should be considered an at-risk statement. Words such as “expect,” “intends,” “will,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those related to NextNRG’s business and macroeconomic and geopolitical events. These and other risks are described in NextNRG’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. NextNRG’s forward-looking statements involve assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove correct, could cause its results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although NextNRG’s forward-looking statements reflect the good faith judgment of its management, these statements are based only on facts and factors currently known by NextNRG. Except as required by law, NextNRG undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements for any reason. As a result, you are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements.

Investor Relations Contact

NextNRG, Inc.
Sharon Cohen
SCohen@nextnrg.com

The MIL Network –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI: Navient to announce second quarter 2025 results, host earnings webcast July 30

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

HERNDON, Va., July 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Navient (Nasdaq: NAVI) will host an audio webcast to review its second quarter 2025 financial results on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The results are scheduled to be released the same day by 7:00 a.m. on Navient.com/investors. In addition to being available on the company’s investor website, the results will be filed with the SEC on a Form 8-K available at SEC.gov.

The webcast and presentation slides also will be available on Navient.com/investors. Analysts and investors who wish to ask questions are requested to pre-register anytime ahead of the webcast or at least 15 minutes ahead of start time to receive their personal dial-in access details. Others who wish to join in listen-only mode do not need to pre-register and may simply visit the company’s investor website to access the webcast.

A replay of the webcast will be available approximately two hours after the event’s conclusion.

About Navient
Navient (Nasdaq: NAVI) helps students and families confidently manage the cost of higher education. We create long-term value for customers and investors through responsible lending, flexible refinancing, trusted servicing oversight, and decades of portfolio management expertise. Our employees thrive in a culture of belonging, where they are supported and proud to deliver meaningful outcomes. Learn more at Navient.com.

Contact:
Media: Cate Fitzgerald, 317-806-8775, catherine.fitzgerald@navient.com
Investors: Jen Earyes, 703-984-6801, jen.earyes@navient.com

The MIL Network –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI: Kochav Defense Acquisition Corp. Announces the Separate Trading of its Class A Ordinary Shares and Rights, Commencing July 21, 2025

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

New York, NY, July 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Kochav Defense Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: KCHVU) (the “Company”) announced today that, commencing July 21, 2025, holders of the units sold in the Company’s initial public offering may elect to separately trade the Company’s Class A ordinary shares and rights included in the units. The Class A ordinary shares and rights that are separated will trade on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbols “KCHV” and “KCHVR,” respectively. Those units not separated will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “KCHVU.”

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities of the Company, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Kochav Defense Acquisition Corp.

The Company is a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. While the Company may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry or geographical location, it intends to focus on the defense and aerospace industries.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may include, and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company may include, “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. Statements regarding possible business combinations and the financing thereof, and related matters, as well as all other statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management team, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company’s management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors detailed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are qualified in their entirety by this paragraph. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company’s registration statement and prospectus for the Company’s initial public offering filed with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.

Company Contact

Kochav Defense Acquisition Corp.
Menny Shalom
ms@kochav.co

The MIL Network –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI: Arctic Pablo Coin Launches 32nd Presale Phase at Icebound Estates With $2.93M Raised and Deflationary Token Burn Model

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

LONDON, July 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Crypto investors are taking notice as Arctic Pablo Coin ($APC) reaches a major milestone in its ongoing presale campaign, now entering its 32nd location, Icebound Estates. With over $2.93 million already raised and a price point of $0.0005 per token, the project’s cinematic storyline and deflationary mechanics are fueling rapid community growth and investor participation.

Built on the Binance Smart Chain (BSC), Arctic Pablo Coin blends meme coin energy with a structured presale format, complete with weekly token burns and 66% APY staking. According to the official roadmap, unsold tokens from each presale location are permanently burned, introducing a deflationary dynamic designed to benefit early supporters.

The Presale Opportunity
At the current presale stage, an investment of $15,000 secures 30 million APC tokens. If the project reaches its projected listing price of $0.008, this stake would be valued at $240,000—highlighting the earning potential being cited by members of the community and crypto forums. An ambitious long-term target of $0.10 has been floated by supporters, though developers emphasize long-term sustainability over speculation.

Staking Now Live With 66% APY
Staking is already live, offering holders an annual percentage yield of 66%. Rewards are subject to a two-month vesting period following token launch, designed to promote investor stability. All staking mechanics and burn events are verifiable on-chain, aligning with the team’s focus on transparency and long-term value.

Cross-Chain Access and Payment Support
Arctic Pablo Coin supports contributions in BNB, ETH, USDT, BTC, SOLANA, and XRP—lowering entry barriers for retail and global participants. The project has also received recognition across several Telegram and X (Twitter) communities for its immersive narrative-driven campaign, which includes weekly “location reveals” that tie into its thematic rollout.

Upcoming Milestones
Following the Icebound Estates stage, additional locations are expected to be unveiled throughout Q3 and Q4 2025, each contributing to the progressive burn model and presale structure. A public listing is scheduled for later this year, with exchange partnerships currently under negotiation.

Official Links
Website: https://www.arcticpablo.com/
Telegram: https://t.me/ArcticPabloOfficial
Twitter/X: https://x.com/arcticpabloHQ

About Arctic Pablo Coin
Arctic Pablo Coin ($APC) is a meme-inspired crypto asset on Binance Smart Chain, designed with a deflationary presale model, staking rewards, and a gamified narrative format. The project aims to provide an engaging alternative to traditional meme coins by integrating storytelling, transparency, and long-term value strategies.

Let’s dive into what makes Arctic Pablo Coin, Dogecoin, and Baby Doge each a viral sensation, and why Arctic Pablo Coin just might be the next legend.

Contact:
Arctic Pablo
Team@arcticpablo.com

Disclaimer: This content is provided by Arctic Pablo. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page.

Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

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The MIL Network –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI: Say goodbye to cryptocurrency speculation anxiety! Decryption: Get a stable daily income of $9 to $19,494 through ETHRANSACTION cloud mining
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

New York City, NY, July 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Watching the market late at night, heartbeats soaring with the K-line – this is the daily life of retail investors in cryptocurrency trading. When Bitcoin broke through $120,000 and Ethereum fluctuated violently, countless people lost all their money due to leverage liquidation. However, a group of “lazy investors” quietly made money: the numbers on their mobile phone screens jumped steadily every day, $9, $50, and even $9,000… What’s the secret? The answer is ETHRANSACTION, a cloud mining platform that sweeps the world.

Why did 8 million users give up cryptocurrency trading and choose ETHRANSACTION?

Traditional cryptocurrency trading is like a casino, and ETHRANSACTION has reshaped the rules – turning fluctuations into daily cash flow. With three core advantages, the platform has become a safe haven for retail and team investors:

Absolutely stable daily income:
Regardless of market ups and downs, ETHRANSACTION contracts automatically pay dividends every day. For example:

$100 trial contract: $18 profit in 2 days, $9 per day

$33,000 advanced contract: daily profit up to $613.8, principal doubled in 40 days

Users do not need to analyze the market, and the profit is credited to the account on time like wages, completely saying goodbye to “roller coaster anxiety”.

“Lazy Revolution” with zero threshold

✅ No hardware required: abandon mining machines and sky-high electricity bills, and rent cloud computing power with one click;

✅ 3-step start: register → select contract → wait for profit, 24-hour automatic settlement;

✅ Mobile first: view profit in real time, withdraw cash at any time, and the interface is simpler than food delivery APP.

AI-driven mining hegemony:
ETᕼRANSACTION deeply implants artificial intelligence into ASIC mining machines and GPU chips to achieve:

Dynamic optimization of computing power, efficiency improvement of 30%;

Professional team on duty for operation and management throughout the day, with failure rate close to zero;

Intelligent switching of high-return currencies (supporting BTC, ETH, XRP and other 10+ currencies), and the profit will never fall behind.

Green computing power: How can mining be more environmentally friendly?
ETHRANSACTION’s global mines are rewriting the history of high energy consumption:

100% renewable energy power supply: self-built wind, hydro, and solar power plants, excess power fed back to the city power grid;

Carbon neutral certification: annual carbon reduction of a single mine ≈ 740,000 trees planted, with both benefits and ecology.

“The mine is not only a computing power center, but also a green energy hub.” – Platform energy architect revealed

A safer crypto asset fortress than a bank:

When hackers ravaged the cryptocurrency field, ETHRANSACTION built an “impossible to break” defense system:

Fund insurance: Cooperated with London L&G Insurance Company, user assets are fully insured;

Information encryption: McAfee® security system + Cloudflare® protection, 100% zero-accident operation;

Take action now: seize the most certain profit opportunity in the bull market
New user exclusive benefits: Sign up and get a $19 experience bonus, and start a zero-cost trial of earning $0.9 a day immediately!

The path to wealth only takes 3 steps:
· Register an account: 30 seconds to complete, no download required;
· Choose a contract: from $100 short-term contracts to $570,000 whale plans, flexible matching;
· Wait for income: the system automatically settles income every 24 hours and arrives on time.

The era of passive income has arrived:
When others are struggling on the edge of liquidation, ETHRANSACTION users are drinking coffee and collecting interest. Whether it is an office worker, housewife or retiree, you only need a mobile phone to own a “digital money printing machine”.

“The bull market does not wait for anyone, but you can always be one step ahead of the market.” – The platform is the key to unlocking wealth for investors in 2025; take action now to visit the official website https://ethransaction.vip/ and start your daily income plan!

Media Details:Email: info@ethransaction.vip/Website: https://ethransaction.vip/

Attachment
- ETHRANSACTION
The MIL Network –
July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI: Bitcoin Swift Announces Final Countdown to $15 Token Launch as 64-Day Presale Nears Completion
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Early participants already receiving automated mining rewards as protocol integrates AI, programmable mining, and privacy-focused governance

LUXEMBOURG, July 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitcoin Swift (BTC3), a new blockchain protocol combining programmable mining rewards, AI-enhanced governance, and hybrid consensus architecture, has officially entered the final phase of its 64-day presale. With less than three months remaining before its public token launch at $15, the project reports that early presale participants have already begun earning returns through its automated reward cycle.

Designed to offer a more dynamic alternative to prolonged token sales, Bitcoin Swift’s presale is divided into ten short stages. At the end of each stage, buyers begin receiving mining rewards via a smart contract-powered Proof-of-Yield system — a model that distributes value immediately, not months after launch.

“The $15 launch is not just a price target — it’s a milestone in delivering infrastructure that already works,” said a Bitcoin Swift core contributor. “Every stage has been about giving participants a tangible return on their early support.”

Technology Built for Active Participation

Bitcoin Swift’s infrastructure is grounded in a hybrid Proof-of-Work and Proof-of-Stake consensus, with SHA-256 miners producing blocks and validators checkpointing every 100 blocks for security and finality. The network incorporates:
- AI-powered oracles that monitor energy use and validator performance
- Programmable mining rewards that increase for clean energy usage
- WASM-based smart contracts with adaptive logic
- zk-SNARK privacy systems to protect user data while enabling verifiable credentials
This infrastructure has passed security audits by Spywolf and Solidproof, and several project contributors have voluntarily completed KYC (Know Your Customer) verification for added transparency.

Governance Powered by AI and Identity

Bitcoin Swift features a decentralized governance engine where proposals are scored by AI before entering a quadratic voting system. Reputation, not just token weight, plays a role — with decentralized identity (DID) proofs enabling more equitable participation.

Users in the community can shape protocol parameters, such as mining reward scaling or validator eligibility, with decisions enforced through immutable validator checkpoints.

Roadmap and Enterprise-Ready Launch Ahead

Following its token launch, Bitcoin Swift plans to implement a series of upgrades focused on enterprise and institutional adoption. Key roadmap items include:
- AI smart contracts with real-time learning
- zk-SNARK shielded ledgers for confidential DeFi
- DID-based authentication for Web3 applications
- Governance simulation tools for proposal testing
- MPC audits and privacy-enhanced compliance mechanisms
The $15 public launch is expected to bring these technologies into full operational status, enabling Bitcoin Swift to enter the next phase of its rollout with robust infrastructure, an engaged community, and a working reward economy.

About Bitcoin Swift

Bitcoin Swift (BTC3) is a next-generation blockchain protocol designed to combine AI governance, programmable mining rewards, and privacy-first tools in a single, decentralized ecosystem. Its core mission is to deliver a high-performance, self-improving network where participants are rewarded from the outset through transparent, on-chain logic.

Participants in the Bitcoin Swift ecosystem are not just passive observers. Through decentralized tools and transparent discussion in the Telegram community, users help shape the protocol’s evolution on a daily basis.

For more information, visit: https://bitcoinswift.com

Contact:
Luc Schaus
support@bitcoinswift.com

Disclaimer: This content is provided by Bitcoin Swift. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page.

Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/84a7538e-2a00-4337-87e4-80dc0b05f778

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b920dee8-1ae4-4f76-9e2b-9f9cc461d55b

The MIL Network –
July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI: Topnotch Crypto’s new commission-free Bitcoin cloud mining allows users to embrace the future of digital assets without worries
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

London, UK, July 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — With increasing global acceptance, energy efficiency innovation and green data center construction, the future of cryptocurrency mining is brighter.Topnotch Crypto has officially launched its groundbreaking zero-commission Bitcoin cloud mining platform, opening digital wealth opportunities to users worldwide. With no hidden fees, no complicated hardware, and no technical barriers, this platform is redefining access to cryptocurrency.

The Global Crypto Market Is Heating Up

As Bitcoin market sentiment rises and Ethereum regaining investor confidence, the crypto space is buzzing. Amid this revival, Topnotch Crypto stands out with its user-centric mining model, which aims to provide users with an efficient, transparent, and zero-commission trading environment.

No Equipment. No Setup. Just Click and Start Mining

The traditional days of costly GPUs, electricity bills, and hours of setup are over. Topnotch Crypto makes mining Bitcoin as easy as signing up. Users can start earning crypto instantly from any smartphone, tablet, or computer with internet access.

All new users receive a $15 welcome bonus, instantly activating their first mining contract and putting profits in motion from day one.

0% commission, less burden on users

Most mining platforms charge fees that eat into your profits — but not here. All commissions are waived to ensure that users enjoy a barrier-free, low-threshold mining experience.

This transparent and profitable model ensures crypto enthusiasts, whether beginners or veterans, can grow their digital assets without cuts or conditions.

Efficient, real-time contract execution

Topnotch Crypto’s smart mining dashboard enables real-time contract activation. This means your mining efforts are always aligned with the most profitable network conditions. You can track your earnings live, activate contracts instantly, and optimize your income with total control.

Whether you’re mining for a week or scaling long-term, Topnotch Crypto puts you in charge.

Designed for Global Access and Inclusion

Topnotch Crypto believes in democratizing digital finance. That’s why its platform is:
- Mobile-first and browser-ready
- Available in multiple languages
- Compatible with all major devices
No matter where you live, you can mine Bitcoin without borders. This inclusive system enables users in emerging economies and underserved areas to earn real crypto daily — without infrastructure or investment hurdles.

Why Users Trust Topnotch Crypto
- Zero Commissions: Keep every coin you mine
- No Hardware Required: Fully cloud-powered mining
- Sign up for $15 bonus: Start mining without spending a dime
- Real-Time Contracts: Track, manage, and earn instantly
- Multi-Device Access: Works on phones, tablets, and PCs
- Military-Grade Security: Encrypted user data and wallet protection
- 24/7 Support: Dedicated help at every step
Daily Passive Income, Made Simple

Once you activate your contract, Topnotch Crypto mines for you around the clock. That means consistent daily returns with no manual intervention. Your earnings accumulate automatically, and you can withdraw or reinvest at any time.

This makes it ideal for users seeking stable, passive income through crypto.

Ready for the Halving? Increase Your Earnings Now

As Bitcoin’s next halving approaches, mining rewards will get tighter. Competition is rising. But Topnotch Crypto gives users an edge with free access, full earnings, and flexible contract options.

Whether you’re preparing for long-term gains or short-term profits, now is the time to join a platform built for the future of mining.

Join the Mining Revolution with Topnotch Crypto

Topnotch Crypto offers more than just mining — it delivers freedom, transparency, and opportunity. By eliminating fees and streamlining access, the platform empowers users to earn more and control their crypto future.

Sign up now to claim your bonus and start mining instantly.

Official Website: https://topnotchcrypto.com/

Click to download the APP

Media Contact: info@topnotchcrypto.com

Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release does not constitute an investment solicitation, nor does it constitute investment advice, financial advice, or a trading recommendation. Cryptocurrency mining and staking involve risks and may result in the loss of funds. It is strongly recommended that you perform due diligence before investing or trading in cryptocurrencies and securities, including consulting a professional financial advisor.

Attachment
- Topnotch Crypto
The MIL Network –
July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

July 16, 2025

Scientists comment on the Government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan.

David Seymour, Director of Data Partnerships, Health Data Research UK, said:

“The ambition in these new government plans is much needed, but it is colliding with a system full of potholes that disrupt, delay and damage vital health data research.

“Our life sciences sector holds the key to faster discovery of treatments, better patient care, prevention of diseases and the essential economic growth required to fund a revitalised NHS. Yet in access to health data, researchers and innovators are gridlocked by legal, governance and contractual complexity, coupled with a lack of people with the capacity and authority to unblock barriers and make decisions. This is the harsh reality that undermines our boldest plans.

“While major investments in the genomics revolution and Health Data Research Service are welcome, there is a real danger of ‘planning blight,’ where the focus on designing the future system stops us from improving the performance of the current system. The most radical thing we can do is get the basics right. This means a relentless focus on maximising the value of our existing world-class data assets – the likes of the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) research service, UK BioBank, Genomics England and Our Future Health – enriched through data linkage and novel data collection.

“Fixing today’s ‘potholes’ isn’t a distraction from the long-term vision – it’s the only way to make it happen. Anything less holds back the UK’s global competitiveness and fails patients and the public.”

Prof Bryan Williams, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, British Heart Foundation, said:

“A thriving life science sector is key to unlocking the next generation of treatments and cures for some of the UK’s biggest killers, including cardiovascular disease. It’s great to see the Government recognising this in today’s plan, which will help researchers grasp this moment of immense scientific opportunity.

“We welcome the pledge to continue investing in science which drives life-changing discoveries in medicine, whilst ensuring that patients benefit quickly from those discoveries. The commitment to shift health research funding towards making advances in prevention is also very encouraging.

“As key funders of UK research and development, charities like the British Heart Foundation are vital in helping to achieve this plan’s vision. We look forward to working in close partnership with Government and the wider sector to fully deliver the improvements needed.”

Prof Patrick Chinnery, Executive Chair, Medical Research Council, said:

“The new Life Sciences Sector Plan sets out a bold vision to transform how one of the UK’s most dynamic and globally competitive sectors delivers for our economy and for people around the world.

“The Medical Research Council is committed to playing a central role in realising this vision by accelerating the translation of curiosity-driven research into innovations that support disease prevention, earlier diagnosis and better treatments.

“In partnership with researchers, charities and industry, we will help more people live healthier, more productive lives, and attract further investment to strengthen the UK’s life sciences sector.”

Nicola Perrin MBE, Chief Executive, Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC), said:

“We’re pleased to see life sciences recognised as a priority sector for the UK. This is a triple win for the economy, for the NHS and for patients. It will benefit people across the country and unlock new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat disease.

“We welcome the positioning of research at the heart of the Life Sciences Sector Plan, from the earliest stages of discovery science and beyond. We also welcome the focus on ensuring that the NHS embraces new discoveries and innovations – these will only have an impact if they get to patients quickly and effectively.

“It’s reassuring to see a clear focus on implementation and accountability in the plan. This will help to ensure urgent action and real change. Medical research charities must be key delivery partners – they support R&D that focuses on patients, addresses areas of unmet need and accelerates impact.”

Dr Iain Foulkes, Executive Director of Research and Innovation, Cancer Research UK, said:

“The Life Sciences Sector Plan sets out promising ambitions to make the UK a global leader in science, but it doesn’t do enough to tackle the challenges holding back clinical research.

“We need government, industry and charities to work together so that people get faster access to the most promising new cancer treatments.

“The Plan rightly highlights the delays in setting up commercial clinical trials in the UK, but it overlooks the fact that non-commercial trials – often led by charities or the NHS – are facing the same issues. These trials are being held back by slow and complicated processes, excessive red tape, and a lack of capacity across the system.

“Government action is needed to strip away these barriers and build more time for research in NHS staff contracts.”

Prof Andrew Morris CBE FRSE PMedSci, President, Academy of Medical Sciences, said:

“The Government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan delivers a robust framework that industry, academia and the NHS have long needed to help unlock the full potential of one of the UK’s most important sectors.

“As we highlighted in our Future-proofing UK Health Research report, a coordinated and people-centred approach is essential to secure a sustainable future for life sciences research and deliver maximum health benefits for people everywhere. With over £2bn of funding and clear accountability mechanisms, this plan provides actionable commitments that can drive economic growth, improve the UK’s standing on a world stage and transform health equity.

“The six headline actions align closely with priorities the Academy of Medical Sciences has consistently championed, including cutting clinical trials times, strengthening health data infrastructure, and streamlining regulation and procurement. These measures have the potential to transform how we develop and deploy new treatments, placing people at the heart of the UK health research system whilst maximising discovery science and the research potential of the NHS.

“Recognising that the NHS must become a thriving site of research is key to improving health and prosperity in the UK and driving health outcomes globally. The plan’s effectiveness will depend on sustained coordination across all sectors and funders, and engagement with patients and the public, to enable the UK’s life sciences sector to flourish and deliver health benefits for people everywhere.”

Plan: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687653fb55c4bd0544dcaeb1/Life_Sciences_Sector_Plan.pdf; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/life-sciences-sector-plan

Press release: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/life-sciences-sector-plan-to-grow-economy-and-transform-nhs

Declared interests

The nature of this story means everyone quoted above could be perceived to have a stake in it. cAs such, our policy is not to ask for interests to be declared – instead, they are implicit in each person’s affiliation.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Leeds reaffirms its commitment to LGBT+ inclusive support in time for Pride weekend

Source: City of Leeds

The event is expected to attract over 60,000 people as the city centre is transformed with a colourful parade on Sunday 20 July.

For this year’s celebration, which is the largest free Pride in the UK, Leeds City Council is reaffirming its commitment to LGBT+ inclusive support.

The council first set out its aim for Leeds to be an LGBT+ inclusive city in 2018, and this was renewed last year with the launch of the 2024-2029 LGBT+ Inclusive Leeds plan.

The council’s LGBT+ hub provides a forum for the LGBT+ community to speak to, hear from and provide feedback to council services, partners in the statutory and voluntary sectors and the business sector, about how they shape their services and policies.

For more information on the council’s work to make Leeds an LGBT+ Inclusive City and the LGBT+ hub, visit LGBT+ Hub | Leeds.gov.uk.

This year’s Pride parade will be kicking off at 12.15pm on Sunday opposite Leeds Town Hall before making its way down to Lower Briggate.

As every year, the council has contributed an access bus to ensure the Pride event is open to everyone. The bus will take part in the parade where spaces have been booked in advance.

Councillor Fiona Venner, Leeds City Council’s executive member for equality, health and wellbeing said: “We love seeing everyone coming together for Pride in Leeds, it’s a brilliant celebration of equality and of our vibrant LGBT+ community.

“As always, we are working hard for Leeds to be a truly LGBT+ safe and inclusive city. The council recently launched an anti-discrimination campaign in recognition that alongside other forms of discrimination, homophobia, biphobia and transphobia remain a real issue.”

Accessibility information:

There will be a raised access platform in Millennium Square (also known as Accessible Viewing Area (AVA)), reserved for disabled people and their carers. Next to the AVA there is a changing places toilet and other disabled toilets. There are also accessible toilets in the permanent toilet provision under Millennium Square. Down at Lower Briggate there is also an AVA with its own dedicated accessible toilet provision.

Read more about accessibility at the event at https://leedspride.com/accessibility/.

For more information about Leeds Pride, visit https://leedspride.com/.

For more information about the anti-discrimination campaign, visit https://www.leeds.gov.uk/strongerleeds.

ENDS

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: I. Repin’s canvases will soon meet the Chinese public

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

BEIJING, July 16 (Xinhua) — Crates designed to store and transport exhibits that will be displayed at the upcoming exhibition of works by Russian artist Ilya Repin at the National Museum of China (NMC) in Beijing were unveiled on Wednesday after being transported long-distance to the Chinese capital.

In front of the press present, two canvases by I. Repin were carefully unpacked and checked – the sketch “Barge Haulers on the Volga” and “Rest. Portrait of Vera Repina, the Artist’s Wife”. Representatives from the two organizations shared with the media the history of these paintings and their features.

“Before Repin, there were Russian artists who tried to paint a picture on the theme of barge haulers’ labor, but none of them managed to reveal it on such a full scale as Repin did. He was the first Russian artist who touched upon a very important, interesting and curious topic. We are very glad that it was in China that this topic found such a response,” said Svetlana Kapyrina, head of the painting department of the second half of the 19th – early 20th century at the State Tretyakov Gallery.

At the exhibition, the creative team dedicated to the creation of “Barge Haulers on the Volga” will demonstrate portrait sketches of barge haulers, script sketches, oil sketches and other materials related to this most recognizable famous painting in China. This will provide viewers with a unique opportunity to deeply immerse themselves in the history of the birth of this masterpiece and feel how I. Repin step by step transformed the initial idea into a work that conquered the whole world, the NMC statement notes.

Moving on to the portrait of the artist’s wife, Svetlana Kapyrina said: “My colleagues and I thought many years ago whether there were other examples in world art where a sleeping wife poses for her husband. However, when we x-rayed this painting, we saw that she had one /open/ eye – she was not sleeping.”

“She got tired while posing and fell asleep, and the artist, with tenderness and love, did not wake her up,” added S. Kapyrina.

As one of the main events within the framework of the China-Russia Cross Years of Culture, this exhibition, jointly organized by the NMC and the State Tretyakov Gallery with the support of the State Russian Museum, will open on July 23 and run until January 11, 2026.

With 92 works to be displayed, the exhibition will be the largest and most representative exhibition of its kind ever held in China. It is worth noting that such famous masterpieces by Repin as “Tsarevna Sophia”, “Religious Procession in Kursk Province”, “They Didn’t Expect Him” and “Sadko” will be brought to China and presented to the Chinese public for the first time.

During the exhibition, NMK will also hold a number of thematic events, including lectures, educational excursions for teenagers and young people, and a visit to the exhibition via live broadcast. -0-

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

.

MIL OSI Russia News –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: In May 2025, China’s total electricity consumption increased by 4.4 percent.

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

BEIJING, July 16 (Xinhua) — China’s total electricity consumption stood at 809.6 billion kWh in May 2025, up 4.4 percent year on year, data from the National Energy Administration showed.

According to the agency, electricity consumption in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors of the country’s economy amounted to 11.9 billion kWh, 541.4 billion kWh, 155 billion kWh, increasing by 8.4 percent, 2.1 percent and 9.4 percent, respectively, while the volume of electricity consumption by the urban and rural population increased by 9.6 percent year-on-year to 101.3 billion kWh.

In January-May 2025, the total volume of electricity consumption in the country reached 3.97 trillion kWh, increasing by 3.4 percent year-on-year. -0-

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

.

MIL OSI Russia News –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: HSE Online Campus Graduates First Bachelors

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: State University “Higher School of Economics” –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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July 16

Headings

The article mentions

Persons

Bisyarina Nina Pavlovna

Bondarenko Ivan Valerievich

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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MIL OSI Russia News –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: Small penises are still the butt of the joke in film and TV

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Neil Cocks, Associate Professor in the Department of English Literature, University of Reading

Gen V (2023-present), the recent iteration of the wildly successful superhero satire The Boys (2019), thrives on scenes of bodily outrage. One such episode concerns a young woman who is able to shrink – an ability triggered by self-induced vomiting.

Her boyfriend persuades her to use her powers during sex and we see her touching his penis, which is now taller than she is. We also understand why the boyfriend is so insistent about her transformation: relatively speaking, he has a small penis.

In Companion (2025), a film about a young man who has an abusive sexual relationship with a self-conscious robot, a small penis is also mocked. When the robot gains autonomy, and has an intelligence boost, she confronts and shames the abusive man, claiming that he is motivated in his violent and controlling behaviour by “a below average-sized penis”.

What interests me about these works, as a researcher of sexuality and film, is that they are otherwise committed to questioning reductive ideas about the body. Yes, in the universe of The Boys there is undoubted glee at all the exploding heads and superpowered, murderous buttocks, but the keynote is pathos.

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The girl who changes her shape through vomiting is arguably representing bulimic experience and there are characters whose superpowers can be understood to negotiate, for example, self-harm and dysmorphia. But when it comes to a man with a small penis, it’s a different story. His body is understood to directly influence both his actions and sense of morality.

Likewise, in Companion, which is in so many senses a meditation on the fraught relationship between mind and body, the small penis of the young man is understood to be the obvious source of his repressive actions.

In both cases, the audience is expected to laugh at the abuser because of his small penis. The small penis is framed as both a signifier and cause of abusiveness.

‘We are still so medieval about penis size’

It could be argued that in Companion and Gen V, the small penis itself is not what is being mocked. The men involved in both are young, white and heterosexual. The idea is, perhaps, that mocking those with small penises is acceptable, because in this the creators are really questioning white, heterosexual and male power structures, and that the inadequacy of that power, its mythic nature, is exposed.

One difficulty in this is that as only power held by men with small penises is mocked, the power of the well endowed, regardless of racial or sexual identity, is naturalised.

Equally, those people of colour or queer people who have small penises might implicitly be included in the mockery, with the implication that they are somehow the beneficiaries of power structures, misuse this power, and have obvious, biologically rooted motivations in so doing.

The trailer for Gen V.

Gen V qualifies the laughter – the girl , talking later to a friend, makes clear that there is nothing wrong in having a small penis, just “don’t be a dick about it”. But the only small-penised character we see is, of course, being “a dick”.

There have been a number of television shows that focus on penis size, but each explores the pathos of having a large penis: Hung (2009), The Hard Times of RJ Berger (2010), Sex Education (2019). Imagine an equivalent concerning a character with a small – or even simply not large – penis.

As journalist Caitlin Moran wrote in a 2023 Guardian article introducing her book, What About Men:

We are still so medieval about penis size that we see male genitalia as being inimical to a man’s soul. Remember when Stormy Daniels told the world that Donald Trump’s penis was ‘smaller than average – a dick like the mushroom character in Mario Kart’. And we were all like: ‘Yes, it makes sense the horrible man has a small, weird mushroom penis.’ The whole world joined in on that one.

Let us instead question the relationship between biology and destiny. And let this action be taken not to frame heterosexual white men as a disadvantaged group, but for the good of us all. Our bodies are ours to negotiate, with ourselves, and with our significant others, as well as those others that find in them indifference, or more troubling affects.

As Gen V and Companion suggest, in recent science fiction stories that otherwise reimagine the body, the small penis can only be imagined as shameful. It is taken to be an obvious motivation for abusive behaviour. Such an understanding helps no one. As the science fiction genre is especially well placed to question common-sense ideas about the human and its form, it would be a good place to begin.

Neil Cocks 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. Small penises are still the butt of the joke in film and TV – https://theconversation.com/small-penises-are-still-the-butt-of-the-joke-in-film-and-tv-256748

MIL OSI Analysis –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: Alpha males are surprisingly rare among primates – new research

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Louise Gentle, Principal Lecturer in Wildlife Conservation, Nottingham Trent University

Female lemurs are often dominant. Miroslav Halama/Shutterstock

Is it true that male animals are dominant over females? Previous studies have often found male-biased power in primates and other mammals.

A new study, investigating physical encounters between members of the same species in 121 primates (around a quarter of all primate species) found that half of all aggressive contests were between males and females. But males won these contests in only 17% of primate populations, with females dominating in 13% – making it almost as likely for females to dominate males.

The remaining 70% of primate populations showed no clear-cut dominance of one sex over the other. This study may have shown different results to previous research because it assessed individual contests rather than categorising species based on their social structure and physical attributes.

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The new study found male dominance, where males have a greater ability to influence the behaviour of the opposite sex, to be prevalent in primate species where the males are much larger than the females. This enables males to gain dominance through physical force or coercion. It was also widespread in species where males have weapons and mate with lots of females.

This is typical of African and Asian monkeys and the great apes, such as gorillas. Weighing in at around 200kg, a silverback male can be twice the size of the females within his troop. Male gorillas also have large canine teeth that can seriously injure or even kill other gorillas.

Male dominance often twins with weapons throughout the animal kingdom, – horns, antlers, claws or tusks. The largest antlers ever known were those of the now extinct Irish elk, spanning lengths up to 3.5m.

The Irish elk is extinct but once had huge antlers.
Fotokon/Shutterstock

Female dominance

Female power was seen in primate species that had a scarcity of females, one exclusive sexual partner, similar sized males and females but did not have bodily weapons, according to the new study. These are all factors that give females more choice over who to mate with.

Female dominance was also seen in species where fighting with a male was less risky for the dependent offspring of females. For example, some primates “park” their young on their own in nests while foraging, rather than carrying them around. If a mother is holding her baby when she’s attacked, she may submit to protect her young.

Finally, matriarchal societies were common in species that live primarily in trees, which makes it easier to flee an attacker.

Female-dominated species were more likely in lorises, galagos and lemurs. So, contrary to the film Madagascar where King Julien is the king of the lemurs, females are, in fact, in charge. In the ring-tailed lemurs, females control access to food and mates, and maintain the dominance hierarchy where males are often at the bottom.

This is also true of bonobos, the closest relatives of humans. Although male bonobos are larger, females form coalitions to overcome the physical power of the males and force them into submission. This show of solidarity has also been shown in humans.

Think of how the suffragettes campaigned for women’s rights to vote in the UK. Or more recently, how women demanded new safety measures after Sarah Everard was murdered by Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens in 2021.

Galagos, also known as bushbabies, tend to live in female dominant societies.
Jurgens Potgieter/Shutterstock

Although female dominance has been documented less often in the wider animal kingdom, there are some examples that defy expectations. Spotted hyenas have a matriarchal society where females dominate the clans. They even have a pseudo-penis that they erect to indicate submission to more dominant individuals.

Read more:
Sex and power in the animal kingdom: seven animals that will make you reconsider what you think you know

Naked mole rats have a queen that gives birth to all of the young while her offspring find food and defend the nest. The males are subordinate to the queen, but so too are the other females. In fact, the queen bullies the other members of her colony so much that the females are all rendered sterile through stress.

But what about the 70% of primate species that were found to show no dominant sex bias in the new study? These were largely the South American monkeys such as marmosets, tamarins and capuchins, that are generally small, live in trees, are social and omnivorous.

They also tended to have a prehensile tail that helps them grasp things. The ecology of these species fall in the middle of the male and female dominated species, with size difference and weapons being neither extreme nor absent, mating systems being neither polygamous nor monogamous, and the frequency of females being nether abundant nor rare.

The absence of a definitive sex-bias in dominance found in the majority of primate species may be a result of the rarity of contests between males and females, or because males and females were both equally likely to win. Nevertheless, dominance varied within species. For example the percentage of intersexual contests won by female patas monkeys ranged from 0% to 61%, depending on the population studied.

What does this mean for humans?

Human traits are not skewed towards those of male-dominated societies in other primates. We may not live in trees but males do not have natural weapons. Males are not always bigger than females, females do not tend to outnumber males and our sexual habits are varied.

Humans are actually more aligned to the 70% of species that show no clear distinction in sex biases, where species of either sex can become dominant. Let’s see which way evolution takes us.

Louise Gentle works for Nottingham Trent University.

– ref. Alpha males are surprisingly rare among primates – new research – https://theconversation.com/alpha-males-are-surprisingly-rare-among-primates-new-research-260472

MIL OSI Analysis –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: Measles isn’t just dangerous – it may erase your immune system

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Antony Black, Lecturer, Life Sciences, University of Westminster

INSAGO/Shutterstock

Blindness, pneumonia, severe diarrhoea and even death – measles virus infections, especially in children, can have devastating consequences. Fortunately, we have a safe and effective defence. Measles vaccines are estimated to have averted more than 60 million deaths between 2000 and 2023.

Yet despite this success, measles cases are rising sharply in the UK and around the world. This global surge is the result of several factors, from vaccine hesitancy to missed immunisation campaigns, leaving many children unprotected and vulnerable.

But there’s more at stake than just measles itself. Emerging research suggests that the measles vaccination may offer surprising additional health benefits. Children who receive the vaccine have been shown to have a significantly lower risk of infections from diseases unrelated to measles.

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One explanation for this broader benefit is the idea of “measles amnesia.” This refers to the ability of the measles virus to erase parts of the body’s immune memory.

Our immune system contains various cells that protect us from infections. Some produce antibodies that neutralise viruses, while others detect and destroy infected cells. Immune memory allows the body to “remember” past infections and mount faster responses in the future.

However, measles infection may reduce the number and diversity of these memory cells – leaving children vulnerable to a wide range of diseases they had previously developed immunity to. In other words, the virus doesn’t just make children ill in the short term, it may also undo years of immune protection.

In one study, researchers found that between 11% and 73% of antibodies targeting other diseases were lost after a measles infection in unvaccinated children. This immune depletion was not observed in children who had received the vaccine, suggesting that vaccination protects against this damaging effect.

This broad loss of immune protection may explain why measles outbreaks are often followed by spikes in other infectious diseases. Ongoing studies are exploring the impact of measles amnesia in regions such as West Africa, where measles and other infections remain widespread.

A vaccine that does more?

Another theory for the vaccine’s broader benefit is known as the “non-specific effect”. Unlike measles amnesia, which explains how the virus weakens immunity, the non-specific effect suggests that the measles vaccine actively strengthens the immune system against a wide range of pathogens.

Recent research has shown that measles vaccination may enhance the function of certain immune cells, making them more effective at fighting off other diseases. Some scientists believe this effect, rather than protection against amnesia alone, could be the primary reason why vaccinated children have better overall health outcomes.

The measles vaccine is a live attenuated vaccine, which means it uses a weakened version of the virus to stimulate a strong immune response. Live vaccines, including the BCG vaccine for tuberculosis, are known to provide broad immune training effects, which may explain this non-specific protection.

Forgotten the dangers

In the 1960s, before widespread vaccination, measles caused around 2.6 million deaths per year. It’s hard to imagine today, but that’s partly the problem.

As measles became rare, society began to forget how serious it is. We forgot how contagious it is (one infected person can spread the virus to up to 90% of nearby unvaccinated people) and we forgot how effective vaccination is (two doses provide more than 90% long-term protection).

And in some circles, this fading memory has been replaced by something more dangerous: mistrust. Misinformation, vaccine myths, and anti-vaccine rhetoric are spreading, just like the virus itself.

So, whether the additional protection offered by the vaccine is due to prevention of immune amnesia, a non-specific immune boost, or both, the takeaway is the same: Vaccinate children against measles. Because when we protect them from measles, we may also be protecting them from so much more.

Antony Black 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. Measles isn’t just dangerous – it may erase your immune system – https://theconversation.com/measles-isnt-just-dangerous-it-may-erase-your-immune-system-261136

MIL OSI Analysis –

July 17, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: Zonal pricing is dead – here’s how the UK should change its electricity system instead

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Cassandra Etter-Wenzel, DPhil Candidate in Energy Policy, University of Oxford

Marcin Rogozinski/Shutterstock

The UK government has decided against setting different prices for electricity based on the locations of consumers.

Zonal pricing would have categorised Britain into distinct zones, each with wholesale electricity prices that reflect how much power is generated locally, and how much demand there is for it. It would have raised prices in areas with lots of demand but low generation, like London, and lowered them where supply outstrips demand, such as in the turbine-rich Scottish Highlands.

This might have caused an immediate increase in the energy bills of already vulnerable households in some high-demand, low-generation areas, such as Tower Hamlets in London and Blackpool in north-west England.

But the idea was to encourage the construction of renewable energy to meet high demand in higher-priced zones, and prompt big electricity consumers to move to where electricity is cheaper. It was also intended to ease the need for new infrastructure to transmit electricity over long distances, like pylons. Australia, Norway and several EU nations already use this method.

The ultimate goal of zonal pricing was to make the price of electricity more accurately reflect generation and transmission costs. However, one thing has significantly inflated electricity prices in recent years, which this pricing method wouldn’t have addressed on its own: gas.

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Gas is expensive, even more so since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Britain’s electricity system operator brings power plants onto the system to meet demand in order of the lowest to highest marginal costs.

The point at which supply meets demand forms the wholesale price of electricity. Renewable sources, like wind and solar, have zero or very low marginal costs. But most of the time the wholesale price is set by gas plants, because they can readily fill a gap in supply but have high and erratic marginal costs (largely tied to what they pay for fuel).

We need another, cheaper technology to set the wholesale price of electricity. Batteries, which can store electricity over several hours, and options capable of storing energy for longer, such as compressed air and low-carbon hydrogen, could be just the thing.

The idea is simple: batteries can be charged at times when there is a lot of surplus electricity generation (on a bright, windy day, for example) and discharge it at times of peak demand (or when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow). This would entail grid operators (and ultimately, consumers) not having to pay gas plants to fire up when renewable generation cannot meet the shortfall.

Unfortunately, batteries comprised just 6% of Britain’s total electricity capacity in 2024. Investment in energy storage has lagged behind what the government forecasts is necessary to meet its 2030 clean power goals, but it is at least increasing.

Research shows that the more money that is invested in batteries, the more associated costs come down. If used instead of gas to stabilise the grid, energy storage could significantly lower the wholesale cost of the UK’s energy over time, and with the right balance of policies, household bills too. This would require subsidies to cover some of the cost of making and installing batteries, and planning mandates to build new renewables alongside new batteries.

Affordable and fair

The government could also try alternatives to zonal pricing. Wholesale electricity prices could reflect the “strike” price in renewable energy contracts. This is the price at which developers have agreed to build clean electricity generation projects, like wind farms. This would mean that gas no longer sets the wholesale price, but stable, predictable prices agreed years in advance, which would help to regulate the retail costs consumers pay.

Solar arrays installed on farmland in Devon, southern England.
Pjhpix/Shutterstock

These types of reforms can help set efficient energy prices, which the government usually talks about as the price needed to encourage investment in new energy technologies. But just because prices are efficient, it doesn’t mean they’re fair. Some households struggle to afford their energy bills even when markets are working efficiently. So, when prices change to encourage cleaner energy, it can hit them harder.

The government should implement new policies and expand eligibility for existing measures to take the burden off energy-poor households. These include social tariffs, which offer discounted rates to vulnerable consumers, and discounts for blocks of electricity use when renewables are generating a lot of it.

Transition funds could help poorer households meet bills, while schemes to encourage home insulation and other improvements could see more homes with rooftop solar panels and battery storage.

This support, combined with increasing investment in energy storage and renewables, will lower the wholesale price of electricity over time – and make energy more affordable (and fair) for everyone.

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

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Anupama Sen has previously received funding from the Quadrature Climate Foundation and Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.

Cassandra Etter-Wenzel and Sam Fankhauser do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Zonal pricing is dead – here’s how the UK should change its electricity system instead – https://theconversation.com/zonal-pricing-is-dead-heres-how-the-uk-should-change-its-electricity-system-instead-260985

MIL OSI Analysis –

July 17, 2025

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July 16, 2025

‘We are still so medieval about penis size’

Female dominance

A vaccine that does more?

Forgotten the dangers

Affordable and fair