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Category: AM-NC

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed & Whitehouse Press Trump Admin. on Reversal of Medical Debt Rule

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Nearly 15 million Americans were poised to see their credit scores rise by an average of 20 points under a Biden Administration rule that would have removed medical bills from consumer credit reports.  But the Trump Administration reversed course and joined credit reporting agencies in opposing the rule.  On Friday, a Trump-appointed judge in Texas overturned the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) efforts to leave medical debt off consumer credit reports.

    Now, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are teaming up with U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and 26 other senators in pressing the Trump Administration for answers regarding the CFPB’s decision to vacate the medical debt rule finalized in January 2025.  

    100 million people in America — including 41 percent of adults – are burdened by over $220 billion in medical debt, according to KFF Health News.

    The American Medical Association contends that medical debt isn’t an accurate barometer of people’s ability to repay other loans, because most bills are a one-time or short-term expense from a hospital stay or accident. 

    Warnock, Warren, Reed, Whitehouse and their colleagues are demanding the CFPB share any data the agency relied on in deciding to petition a court to vacate the rule and any communications it had with entities during the process that would profit from its decision.

    “On April 30, 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) asked a court to vacate the agency’s recently released rule to remove medical debt from consumer credit reports. We write to request the information you relied on in making that determination, including any communications with collection agencies that stand to profit from it,” the 30 U.S. Senators wrote.

    “Medical debt collections information is often inaccurate, and studies show that it is not useful in determining a consumer’s ability to repay other debts…Almost half of all medical bills contain at least one error, and almost half of nonprofit hospitals have routinely and mistakenly billed patients who were eligible for free or discounted care,” they continued.

    At the conclusion of the letter, the senators emphasize the need for transparency into the agency’s decision-making process.

    “On April 30, the CFPB filed a joint motion with the industry groups that oppose the rule, petitioning the court to vacate it – lining the pockets of corporations off the backs of American consumers. Given the substantial evidence that the CFPB’s rule was well-considered and would help consumers without reducing the accuracy of their credit scores, we write to request that the CFPB make public all information relied on by the agency in its decision to drop the rule, including any communications with the debt collection industry,” the senators closed.

    Senator Reed is a member of the Senate Banking Committee and has strongly criticized the Trump Administration’s efforts to diminish and downsize the CFPB. In May, President Trump withdrew his nominee for the CFPB.  Currently, OMB Director Russell Vought serves as acting director of the agency and has failed to take action to ensure the CFPB protects Americans from predatory medical debt collection practices.

    In addition to Senators Warnock, Warren, Reed, and Whitehouse, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Adam Schiff (D-CA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tina Smith (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Angus King (I-ME), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV).

    Full text of the letter follows:

    Dear Acting Director Vought,

    On April 30, 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) asked a court to vacate the agency’s recently released rule to remove medical debt from consumer credit reports. We write to request the information you relied on in making that determination, including any communications with debt collection agencies that stand to profit from it.

    Medical debt collections information is often inaccurate, and studies show that it is not useful in determining a consumer’s ability to repay other debts. One major credit scoring company, VantageScore, has stopped using medical debt in its newer models entirely. Almost half of all medical bills contain at least one error, and almost half of nonprofit hospitals have routinely and mistakenly billed patients who were eligible for free or discounted care. People often receive collection notices for debts they did not owe, in the wrong amount, or that should have been covered by insurance—but still end up experiencing long-lasting damage to their credit scores.

    Listing medical debt on a person’s credit report drives down their credit score, which hurts their ability to purchase a car, buy a home or rent an apartment, get utility service, start a business, or access other banking services. This has profound effects on families that can last generations. To make matters worse, medical debt is the most common reason debt collectors contact consumers; the debt collection industry makes one-fourth of its annual revenue from health care debt. Including medical debt on credit reports makes consumers more vulnerable to predatory debt collection practices.

    Medical debt on credit reports also blocks working families from access to credit that they would be able to repay.The CFPB found that people who had all their medical debts completely removed from their credit reports experienced an average credit score increase of 20 points, in some cases elevating families into a higher credit score tier.

    In response to growing data that medical debt is not a good indicator of creditworthiness, states across the country have acted to ban the inclusion of medical debt on credit reports. And on January 7, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a final rule to remove medical debt from consumer credit reports. The rule would remove an estimated $49 billion in medical bills from the credit reports of 15 million Americans, prohibit credit reporting companies from sharing medical debt information with lenders, and bar lenders from considering medical debt in underwriting decisions. It was designed to help the millions of Americans who are struggling to make ends meet, by lowering costs and increasing access to affordable credit for working families without affecting the predictive value of their credit reports. The rule would also help reduce the effects of structural racism and other prejudices. People of color are disproportionately harmed by the inclusion of medical debt on credit reports. Meanwhile, adults with a disability and new moms are more than twice as likely to carry medical debt.

    Despite the critical importance of the medical debt rule, on April 30, the CFPB filed a joint motion with the industry groups that oppose the rule, petitioning the court to vacate it—lining the pockets of corporations off the backs of American consumers. Given the substantial evidence that the CFPB’s rule was well-considered and would help consumers without reducing the accuracy of their credit scores, we write to request that the CFPB make public all information relied on by the agency in its decision to drop the rule, including any communications with the debt collection industry, by July 28, 2025. We specifically request that CFPB publicly publish all data about how medical debt relates to key economic indicators, including:

    • Barriers to home and car ownership, including challenges getting loans or not being approved to rent or lease,
    • Paying higher premiums for auto, homeowner’s and other types of insurance,
    • Losing job opportunities as a result of credit reporting on background checks,
    • Obstacles to starting small businesses because of challenges with securing loans,
    • Paying more for everyday services such as household utilities or cell phone contracts

    We are particularly concerned about the outsize impact that medical debt has on the credit scores of seniors, veterans, new parents, people with disabilities, cancer patients and survivors, and small business owners.

    Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Marat Khusnullin: A polyclinic has been restored at the central city hospital of Svetlodarsk in the DPR

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    In Donbass and Novorossiya, the Russian construction complex continues to work on the restoration and major repairs of healthcare facilities, after which residents will be able to receive medical care there in modern conditions. Thus, the renovated polyclinic in Svetlodarsk of the Donetsk People’s Republic is ready to receive up to 500 patients daily, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin reported.

    “A lot of work is being done in the reunited regions to create a social infrastructure that will improve the quality of life and provide services in comfortable conditions. The program for the socio-economic development of Donbass and Novorossiya has a comprehensive approach and includes not only the construction and restoration of buildings, but also tools for attracting specialists who will work, among other things, in the healthcare sector. Speaking about facilities, in Svetlodarsk, for example, a major overhaul of the outpatient clinic at the central hospital was completed. In total, we have about 300 such restored and updated facilities in the reunited regions. Among other things, medical workers are attracted to work in them under the programs “Zemsky Doctor” and “Zemsky Paramedic”. There are more than 100 such specialists today,” said Marat Khusnullin.

    The Deputy Prime Minister added that during the major repairs of the 7,000 sq. m. building, under the supervision of specialists from the Single Customer in Construction, the roof, windows and doors were replaced, the interior was finished and the engineering systems were modernized.

    “Implementation of programs to support reunited regions remains one of the key priorities of the Russian Ministry of Construction. Particular attention is paid to the development of social infrastructure, including healthcare. From 2022 to 2024, residents were issued 3.6 million compulsory medical insurance policies, which guarantees citizens all the possibilities of the compulsory medical insurance system. This is an important step in integrating historical regions into a single social space of the country,” said Deputy Minister of Construction and Housing and Public Utilities Almaz Khusainov.

    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 –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Mikhail Mishustin held a strategic session on the development of the aviation industry

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    M. Mishustin: “Our country has sufficient technological potential, all the resources to make a radical breakthrough in the field of aircraft manufacturing and, as a result, provide our citizens with guaranteed opportunities for convenient flights – comfortable, safe.”

    Opening remarks by Mikhail Mishustin:

    Good afternoon, dear colleagues!

    Mikhail Mishustin held a strategic session on the development of the aviation industry

    15 hours ago

    Today we will look at important issues in the development of the aviation industry.

    The President has set large-scale tasks for the industry to update the fleet of Russian airlines. Without a doubt, our country needs a modern air fleet based on its own technological solutions and a powerful production base.

    In the context of sanctions and external restrictions, the creation of a full range of domestic equipment is necessary for the reliable development of connectivity between our regions and the achievement of the strategic goal of increasing the aviation mobility of citizens by one and a half times by 2030.

    Of course, for this purpose new comfortable airport complexes are also being actively built, airfield infrastructure is being modernized, air traffic control systems are being improved, which contributes to the expansion of the route network. And as a result, flights on domestic routes are becoming more convenient for more people.

    In order to ensure the independence of Russian civil aviation, a specialized federal project has been formed – “Production of Aircraft and Helicopters”. It has become part of the national project of technological leadership “Industrial Support of Transport Mobility”, which was launched, let me remind you, at the beginning of this year. It is planned to allocate a total of 765 billion rubles from the federal budget for its implementation over six years.

    First of all, to create aircraft, competitive engines, electronic equipment, various technical systems. And the entire list of science-intensive equipment. We are talking about developing truly unique products that do not yet have Russian analogues, the production of which must be mastered.

    Of course, here we are counting on the high efficiency and coordinated actions of our research centers, design bureaus, industry enterprises and many thousands of related companies that are involved in cooperation chains.

    I will highlight several key challenges that aviation industry enterprises will have to overcome.

    First of all, it is necessary to bring to successful completion the experimental design work on all implemented programs.

    There are preliminary results. In particular, yesterday the operation of the onboard radio-electronic equipment was successfully tested during the flight tests of our flagship MS-21. For the first time, a laboratory based on the Yak-40 with a VK-800 engine took to the air, which will be installed on local aircraft – “Baikal” and the joint aircraft with the Belarusians “Osvey”.

    According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the certification of the updated Superjet with the PD-8 engine is expected to be completed no later than December of this year. Just recently, let me remind you, it flew from Komsomolsk-on-Amur to Zhukovsky. As did the regional airliner Il-114, which we examined in detail last week while visiting the Innoprom exhibition in Yekaterinburg.

    And the MS-21 and Baikal should be ready for serial production – according to the plans we have – in October and December of next year, respectively.

    I would like to draw the attention of my colleagues to the fact that specific deadlines need to be set for each type of aircraft. Including for import-substituted versions of the well-known Tu-214 and Il-96-300 models. As well as for our other projects, such as Ladoga and Osvey. And also for promising helicopters of various classes: from the lightest – Mi-34, Ansat, Ka-62 to the heavy ones – Mi-38, Mi-171. It is important that the final economic and flight-technical characteristics of the new Russian equipment correspond to the parameters agreed upon with the airlines.

    Another equally serious task is related to the implementation of investment projects to expand production capacity at all enterprises of the cooperation, taking into account the high cost of credit resources today.

    In order to provide systemic support for the construction and modernization of plant facilities, the Government approved a comprehensive program for the development of the aviation industry until 2030 three years ago.

    Taking into account new challenges, it needs to be revised. It is also necessary to update the aircraft delivery schedules by year, based on the current situation.

    I would like to emphasize that we cannot allow any delays that could hinder the growth of passenger traffic. This is a top priority.

    Dear colleagues!

    I propose to analyze in detail the current status of each project, the results achieved, as well as the existing challenges, and to develop solutions that will allow us to reach large-scale production of a full cycle of aircraft.

    Our country has sufficient technological potential and all the resources to make a radical breakthrough in the field of aircraft manufacturing and, as a result, provide our citizens with guaranteed opportunities for convenient flights – comfortable and safe.

    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 –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Alexander Novak: Joint work of Russia and Nigeria within OPEC makes a decisive contribution to ensuring predictability of the oil market

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexander Novak met with the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs of Nigeria Olawale Edun.

    “Russia values the friendly nature of Russian-Nigerian relations, which are based on the principles of mutual respect and similar approaches to current issues on the international and regional agenda. We see Abuja as a promising partner on the African continent,” said Alexander Novak, opening the negotiations.

    The parties discussed full-cycle cooperation in the oil and gas industry: from geological exploration to field development, interaction in the energy sector, industrial equipment supplies, and in the financial and banking sector.

    Particular attention was paid to issues of interaction and coordination of efforts within the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) and OPEC. The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized Russia’s commitment to promoting the legitimate interests of gas exporters in global energy markets.

    “Our joint work within OPEC makes a decisive contribution to ensuring stability and predictability of the global oil market. The decisions taken are based on real market indicators and trends and are aimed at balancing it in the face of economic challenges. We believe that our collective actions within OPEC and OPEC meet long-term national interests and contribute to strengthening the economies of our countries,” added Alexander Novak.

    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 –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Chernyshenko: 61% of our citizens are involved in regular physical education and sports

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    “Despite external challenges, the industry has been steadily developing. As of June 2025, almost 61% of our citizens are involved in regular physical education and sports. This is the main indicator of the effectiveness of state policy, which was determined by our head of state. Let me remind you that, according to the instructions of President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, it should be at least 70% by 2030,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko.

    Last year, Russia hosted 645 international and almost 3 thousand national competitions, and held more than 2.3 thousand training camps in Olympic sports. Particular attention was paid to the development of new international formats. Russia hosted the BRICS Games and the Future Games (united participants from 116 countries in 21 phygital disciplines).

    The Deputy Prime Minister named support for adaptive sports and veterans of the SVO as a key area of work. This topic was the focus of the meeting of the Council under the President. In 2024, 11 sports competitions were held for veterans of the SVO. In May of this year, the final of the Victory Cup in phygital sports was organized for them. On the instructions of the head of state, complex multi-stage competitions will be held for SVO participants, a comprehensive support system, infrastructure for training and rehabilitation will be built.

    In 2025, a comprehensive state program was launched, within the framework of which at least 350 sports facilities will be built annually, and support for children’s sections, coaches, and mass adaptive sports will be strengthened.

    “According to Rosstat, the total expenditure on sports in the country is about 700 billion rubles. One of the key tasks is to consolidate all these resources in the sports sphere, including extra-budgetary funds,” noted Dmitry Chernyshenko.

    In addition, it is necessary to conduct an analysis of the impact of extra-budgetary sources on achieving the indicators of this comprehensive state program. The Ministry of Sports is preparing a system for rating regions by efficiency in the field of physical culture and sports. It is also important to regularly conduct research on the satisfaction of our citizens with the conditions for engaging in physical culture and sports in the regions.

    “The return of Russian athletes to the world arena is our primary task. 67 international federations allow our athletes to compete in their events. Almost 4,000 Russians in 28 Olympic sports have been allowed to participate in international tournaments under the auspices of the federations. Our plans for 2025 include participation in 29 world championships and other major competitions,” said Mikhail Degtyarev.

    In 2024, unified federations were created for gymnastics, water sports, canoeing, baseball and softball.

    As the Minister noted, one of the most important instruments for strengthening the system will be the Russian Sports Fund, created this year on the instructions of the President. In 2024, the total amount of deductions from gambling on sports exceeded 35 billion rubles.

    Special attention is given to our historical regions. The Russian Ministry of Sports will finance capital repairs, construction and reconstruction of sports facilities. Plans up to 2027 include, among other things: construction of 35 FOKOTs and 15 modular sports facilities, equipping 66 sports institutions with equipment.

    The Ministry of Sports has approved a list of 24 most accessible sports for organizing free sections and preferential conditions for children from low-income families. An order has been issued by the Ministry of Sports banning application fees for athletes under 18 years of age at interregional and all-Russian competitions.

    The GTO complex is an important tool for engaging in sports. 2.7 million people met the standards in 2024, more than 1 million received a gold badge.

    On the instructions of the President of Russia, the “Zemsky Trainer” program was launched.

    Dmitry Chernyshenko and Mikhail Degtyarev presented state and departmental awards in the field of sports. Among them were the Order of Honor, medals of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 1st and 2nd class, and others, awarded in accordance with the decree of the President.

    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 –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Marat Khusnullin: In the Zabaikalsky Krai, repairs have been completed on 30 km of the federal highway R-297 “Amur” Chita – Khabarovsk

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    On the federal highway R-297 “Amur” Chita – Khabarovsk in the Zabaikalsky Krai, work has been completed to bring four sections of the road with a total length of 30 km up to standard. This was reported by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin.

    “This year marks 15 years since the federal highway R-297 “Amur” was launched. This is the only route between two major transport hubs and administrative centers of the country’s regions – Chita and Khabarovsk. As an eastward extension of the federal highway R-258 “Baikal” Irkutsk – Ulan-Ude – Chita, the road connects the western part of Russia with the Far East, and also provides access to the A-360 “Lena” highway to Yakutia and the Magadan Region. Of course, any road surface requires maintenance and timely renewal. And in order for motorists to remain comfortable, repairs have been completed on four sections of R-297 with a total length of 30 km – the road surface has been renewed, culverts have been repaired, and the barrier fence, signal posts and road signs have been restored,” said Marat Khusnullin.

    The work was carried out under three government contracts on the following sections: km 115–km 125 near the settlement of Naryn-Talacha in the Karymsky District, km 270–km 275 and km 295–km 297, as well as km 323–km 337 in the Chernyshevsky District.

    Additionally, on the section between km 323 and km 337 near Zhireken, a rest area was renovated and sunshades were installed to prevent the occurrence of subsidence or so-called Amur waves, which are formed as a result of the thawing of permafrost soils at the base of the road.

    “The Amur Federal Highway is one of the most important elements of the Russian transport system. The average annual traffic intensity on this highway is growing every year. Thus, in 2022 it was about 2.5 thousand cars per day, and in 2024 – already more than 3.2 thousand vehicles. That is why we are constantly working to improve the transport characteristics of the road, including the use of innovative technologies and materials that can increase the durability and safety of the highway,” said Azamat Ilimbetov, head of the Federal State Institution “Zabaikalye Federal Highway Administration”, which carried out the repair of the highway.

    Work to bring the route up to standard continues. By the end of 2026, more than 138 km of the R-297 “Amur” highway from Chita to the border with the Amur Region are planned to be repaired (including 30 km already commissioned). This year, a total of 84 km are planned to be commissioned.

    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 –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Marat Khusnullin: In the Zabaikalsky Krai, repairs have been completed on 30 km of the federal highway R-297 “Amur” Chita – Khabarovsk

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    On the federal highway R-297 “Amur” Chita – Khabarovsk in the Zabaikalsky Krai, work has been completed to bring four sections of the road with a total length of 30 km up to standard. This was reported by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin.

    “This year marks 15 years since the federal highway R-297 “Amur” was launched. This is the only route between two major transport hubs and administrative centers of the country’s regions – Chita and Khabarovsk. As an eastward extension of the federal highway R-258 “Baikal” Irkutsk – Ulan-Ude – Chita, the road connects the western part of Russia with the Far East, and also provides access to the A-360 “Lena” highway to Yakutia and the Magadan Region. Of course, any road surface requires maintenance and timely renewal. And in order for motorists to remain comfortable, repairs have been completed on four sections of R-297 with a total length of 30 km – the road surface has been renewed, culverts have been repaired, and the barrier fence, signal posts and road signs have been restored,” said Marat Khusnullin.

    The work was carried out under three government contracts on the following sections: km 115–km 125 near the settlement of Naryn-Talacha in the Karymsky District, km 270–km 275 and km 295–km 297, as well as km 323–km 337 in the Chernyshevsky District.

    Additionally, on the section between km 323 and km 337 near Zhireken, a rest area was renovated and sunshades were installed to prevent the occurrence of subsidence or so-called Amur waves, which are formed as a result of the thawing of permafrost soils at the base of the road.

    “The Amur Federal Highway is one of the most important elements of the Russian transport system. The average annual traffic intensity on this highway is growing every year. Thus, in 2022 it was about 2.5 thousand cars per day, and in 2024 – already more than 3.2 thousand vehicles. That is why we are constantly working to improve the transport characteristics of the road, including the use of innovative technologies and materials that can increase the durability and safety of the highway,” said Azamat Ilimbetov, head of the Federal State Institution “Zabaikalye Federal Highway Administration”, which carried out the repair of the highway.

    Work to bring the route up to standard continues. By the end of 2026, more than 138 km of the R-297 “Amur” highway from Chita to the border with the Amur Region are planned to be repaired (including 30 km already commissioned). This year, a total of 84 km are planned to be commissioned.

    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 –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Chernyshenko: The Republic of Abkhazia has joined the Student Tourism program.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Student tourism has become one of the topics sounded at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 10, 2025.

    This season, a new international direction has been added to the Student Tourism program – now students, young scientists, postgraduates and residents studying in Russia will be able to choose the Republic of Abkhazia for their trip.

    “The Student Tourism program is growing: 260 universities from 85 regions of Russia have joined it in four years. Participants travel not only around our country, but also abroad. Young people can travel to Armenia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, and now also to Abkhazia. In turn, more than 1,000 foreign students will visit Russian regions to get acquainted with the domestic education system and scientific agenda. Such trips contribute to strengthening cooperation between our countries and increasing the number of foreign students, as President Vladimir Putin instructed us to do,” said Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.

    The youth and student tourism program (Student Tourism) was launched on the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin. It allows university students aged 18 to 35 to travel, staying in the dormitories of partner universities. Thus, the program assumes the effective use of infrastructure, when the dormitories, which can be vacated during the summer holidays, are occupied by students who come from other regions. The opportunity to communicate with peers is especially important here.

    The goal of the program is to create a single space for the cultural, personal, scientific and professional development of Russian youth, as well as familiarization with the domestic education system and science. You can apply for participation on the platform studturizm.rf.

    According to the head of the Ministry of Education and Science, Valery Falkov, the program contributes to the formation of a favorable educational environment and opens up new prospects for cultural and scientific exchange.

    “Today, participants of “Student Tourism” can travel to 117 cities in Russia, as well as choose travel destinations beyond its borders. The guys have access to more than 1.1 thousand scientific infrastructure facilities, special educational modules and popular science routes have been launched,” he added.

    The involvement of the Abkhaz State University (ASU) in the Student Tourism program started with an international blog tour in Sukhumi. It was organized in July by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science together with the International Youth Center of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba. Presentations of educational opportunities, meetings with university representatives, master classes, and cultural and excursion events were held at ASU. Students and representatives of media centers of Russian universities took part in the blog tour.

    Head of the Student Tourism program Svetlana Nekhorosheva notes: “We at Student Tourism believe that students can easily, safely and affordably travel around Russia and the world. Abkhazia is an important partner in the development of youth exchanges and cultural dialogue. The accession of the Abkhaz State University opens up new prospects for students from both countries.”

    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 –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: Results of monitoring maximum interest rates of credit institutions (07/15/2025)

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Central Bank of Russia –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    1 When determining the maximum interest rate for each credit institution:

    — maximum rates on deposits available to any client (including potential ones) without restrictions and preconditions are taken into account. Deposits for selected categories of clients (pensioners, children) and purposes (for social and humanitarian purposes, etc.) are not considered;

    — rates with capitalization of interest on the deposit are not taken into account;

    — rates that apply under certain conditions (regular turnover on a bank card, constant minimum balance on a bank card, etc.) are not taken into account;

    — combined deposit products, i.e. deposits with additional conditions, are not considered. Such additional conditions for calculating an increased interest rate may be, for example, the purchase of investment units for a certain amount, opening an investment account, registration of an investment or savings life insurance program, connection of an additional service package, etc.;

    — deposits whose term is divided into periods with different rates are not considered.

    The average maximum interest rate indicator is calculated as the arithmetic mean of the maximum interest rates of 10 credit institutions.

    2 PJSC Sberbank (1481) – www.sberbank.ru, VTB Bank (PJSC) (1000) – www.vtb.ru, GPB Bank (JSC) (354) – www.gazprombank.ru, JSC Alfa-Bank (1326) – alfabank.ru, JSC Rosselkhozbank (3349) – www.rshb.ru, JSC “Bank Dom.RF” (2312) – domrfbank.ru, PJSC “Moscow Credit Bank” (1978) – mkb.ru, JSC “TBank” (2673) – www.tbank.ru, PJSC “Promsvyazbank” (3251) – psbank.ru, PJSC “Sovcombank” (963) – sovcombank.ru. The monitoring was conducted by the Department of Banking Regulation and Analytics of the Bank of Russia using information provided on the specified websites. The published indicator is indicative.

    3 Average maximum interest rates on deposits: for a term of up to 90 days – 17.22%; for a term of 91 to 180 days – 17.39%; for a term of 181 days to 1 year – 16.93%; for a term of over 1 year – 15.08%.

    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 –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The State Duma approved in the first reading the bill on investment programs in the housing and communal services sector.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Ministry of Economic Development (Russia) – Ministry of Economic Development (Russia) –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    At a meeting on Tuesday, July 15, State Duma deputies supported in the first reading a systemic bill that will help increase investment in the housing and utilities sector and modernize the utilities infrastructure.

    The bill was prepared in the context of fulfilling the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin to attract budget and private funds in the amount of 4.5 trillion rubles for the modernization of critical infrastructure by 2030.

    “The bill introduces a rule for resource supplying organizations to approve investment programs. We also link these programs with depreciation already taken into account in the current tariffs. In the absence of legislatively established directions for depreciation, it is impossible to track what purposes it is spent on (major repairs, covering current expenses, or placing funds on deposits), since this remains at the discretion of the resource supplying organization,” Deputy Minister of Economic Development Mikhail Kaminsky noted at the plenary session.

    Depreciation charges in the housing and utilities sector are part of the cost of fixed assets that organizations include in their costs to compensate for their wear and tear. Depreciation is already included in the tariffs that the population pays for housing and utilities services, while depreciation can also be used for purposes not related to the modernization of housing and utilities facilities, which leads to insufficient funding of investment programs and accelerated wear and tear of infrastructure.

    Now the direction of depreciation to finance investment programs will become mandatory. This will allow the investment resource already included in the tariff to be used for the development of the industry. According to Mikhail Kaminsky, today no more than 10% of organizations have investment programs.

    The mechanism of regulatory agreements, which will be extended to the heat supply sector and fine-tuned in water supply, will help support investments in the regions of the Russian Federation. The agreement will establish the procedure for determining and changing tariffs for the heat supply organization, and will record the obligations of the subject of the Russian Federation, the municipality to set tariffs for the entire term of the agreement. This is necessary to attract private investment and provide regions and municipalities with the opportunity to provide budget support measures to resource supply organizations.

    “We are thus providing the opportunity to record long-term mutual obligations of resource supplying organizations, regions and municipalities: organizations will receive long-term tariffs that take into account investment programs for a period of at least five years, and regions and municipalities will receive modernized infrastructure facilities,” Mikhail Kaminsky clarified.

    The bill also introduces a unified approach to monitoring the implementation of investment programs. Currently, regional state control over investment programs is carried out within the framework of tariff regulation. Now the bodies authorized to do so, which are determined by the region itself, will work according to the rules of the basic law on control. In particular, they will receive the right to inspect the implementation of investment program activities.

    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 –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Alexander Novak held a meeting on the implementation of the national project “Efficient and Competitive Economy”

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak held a meeting on the implementation of the national project “Efficient and Competitive Economy”.

    It was attended by representatives of federal and regional authorities, the Federal Assembly, the Bank of Russia, public business associations, the state corporation VEB.RF and the Moscow Exchange.

    Representatives of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economic Development reported on the current status of the implementation of the federal projects “Development of the financial market” and “Increasing investment activity”, respectively, which are part of the national project.

    The Ministry of Finance is conducting an information campaign to raise awareness among citizens about the possibilities of investing in long-term instruments. This will increase the number of users of long-term savings programs with state support.

    The agency also continues to work to reduce administrative barriers to attract foreign investors willing to invest in the Russian economy.

    The President set a goal to increase the volume of investment in fixed assets by 60% by 2030 compared to 2020 parameters, as well as to improve the investment climate. A representative of the Ministry of Economic Development reported that dozens of projects in the field of private-public partnership and in the field of technological sovereignty are already being implemented with the support of the state and the active participation of businesses. 40 major investment projects are being implemented within the framework of the project financing factory. The process of concluding new agreements on the promotion and protection of capital continues, investors are actively using the federal tax deduction.

    The Deputy Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Finance, together with industry business associations and investment banks, to continue working to achieve the key indicators of the national project “Efficient and Competitive Economy” and the federal projects included in it in a timely manner.

    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 –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker, NJ Democrats Demand ED Release Funding for K-12, Adult Education Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker
    WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) led his Democratic colleagues in the New Jersey delegation in a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought and Department of Education (ED) Secretary Linda McMahon to demand clarity regarding the Trump Administration’s unlawful decision to withhold nearly $7 billion in Congressionally Appropriated funding for K–12 and adult education programs nationwide, including over $162 million from the state of New Jersey. 
    “On June 30, 2025, just one day before these funds were supposed to become available, the Department of Education abruptly informed states that they would not receive funding as scheduled on July 1… No timeline was given for when states could expect a resolution. Typically, the Department provides state educational agencies with the formula program allocation tables and access to draw down those funds by July 1, which allows states and districts to plan, budget, and begin spending for the upcoming school year. This decision is financially destabilizing school districts across the country and directly jeopardizes the operation of the upcoming school year,” the lawmakers wrote. 
    “The withholding of these funds will have a widespread and detrimental impact on school communities throughout New Jersey, with disproportionate harm to high-need districts. The funds currently frozen represent almost 13 percent of the total federal K-12 funding that New Jersey schools received last year. Compounding this issue, New Jersey public school districts finalized their budgets for the 2025-2026 school year this past spring. Any loss of expected funding will create budget shortfalls, forcing districts to cut essential programs designed to serve students, their families, and educators,” the lawmakers continued. 
    “Congress lawfully appropriated these funds to address critical education needs, including student achievement, after-school enrichment, teacher training, and adult literacy. Withholding these funds is a reckless decision that jeopardizes the education of millions of students, resulting in layoffs, program delays, disrupted planning cycles, and delayed hiring. This also deprives students, especially those in high-need districts, of key academic support. Our schools, teachers, families, and adult learners cannot afford continued uncertainty. We look forward to your prompt response and the immediate release of the funds,” the lawmakers concluded. 
    To see a district by district breakdown of how the cuts will affect schools across America, click here. 
    The letter is cosigned by U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) and U.S. Representatives Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05), Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ-06), Robert Menendez (D-NJ-08), LaMonica McIver (D-NJ-10), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12), Herbert Conaway Jr. (D-NJ-03), Donald Norcross (D-NJ-01), Nellie Pou (D-NJ-09), and Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11). 
    To read the full text of the letter, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Global demand for meat and dairy set to rise, but climate and nutrition gaps remain

    Source: United Nations 2

    However, persistent nutritional gaps and mounting environmental pressures reveal a complex path ahead, according to a new study by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) – an influential international policy forum.

    The Agricultural Outlook 2025-2034, released on Tuesday, projects a six per cent increase in global per capita consumption of animal-source foods by 2034 – beef, pork, poultry, fish, dairy and other animal products.  

    The trend is most pronounced in lower middle-income countries, where intake is expected to rise by 24 per cent, far outpacing the global average.  

    “These projections point to better nutrition for many people in developing countries,” said Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the FAO.

    OECD‑FAO

    Agricultural Outlook 2025‑2034

    Increased incomes, better diets – but not for all

    The surge in consumption in middle-income economies is attributed largely to rising disposable incomes, changing dietary preferences and urbanisation. In these countries, daily per capita intake of animal-sourced foods is projected to reach 364 kilocalories, surpassing the 300 kcal benchmark.

    At the same time, consumption in low-income countries will remain low – reaching just 143 kcal per day, less than half the amount deemed necessary for a healthy diet – highlighting stark inequalities in access to nutrient-rich diets and the challenges ahead to ensure everyone is food secure.

    Mr. Qu urged greater efforts to ensure people in the lowest-income countries also benefit from improved nutrition and food security.

    Production expanding but emissions rising

    To meet rising demand, global agricultural and fish production is projected to increase by 14 per cent over the next decade, largely driven by productivity gains in middle-income nations.

    Output of meat, dairy and eggs is expected to grow by 17 per cent, while total livestock inventories are projected to expand by seven per cent.

    However, these gains come at an environmental cost: direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture are set to rise by six per cent by 2034, despite improvements in emissions intensity.

    As production becomes more efficient, the emissions generated per unit of output will decline, but the overall footprint will still grow unless additional measures are taken.

    OECD‑FAO

    Agricultural Outlook 2025‑2034

    Other key findings

    • Cereal yields to grow 0.9 per cent annually, with harvested area expanding just 0.14 per cent per year – half the pace of the last decade
    • By 2034, 40 per cent of cereals will go directly to human consumption, 33 per cent to animal feed, and the rest to biofuels and industry
    • Biofuel demand set to rise 0.9 per cent annually, led by Brazil, India and Indonesia
    • Sub-Saharan Africa’s beef herd projected to grow 15 per cent, though productivity remains just one-tenth of North America’s
    • India and Southeast Asia will drive 39 per cent of global consumption growth by 2034; China’s share falling to 13 per cent from 32 per cent
    • High-income countries to see drop in per capita fats and sweeteners intake due to health trends and policy shifts

    A win-win: More nourishment, fewer emissions

    The report outlines a scenario in which nourishment improves for all, and agricultural emissions are reduced by as much as seven per cent below current levels by 2034.

    Achieving this dual outcome would require major investments to improve productivity, alongside widespread adoption of existing low-emission technologies such as precision farming, improved livestock feed and prioritising nutritional production.

    Future progress will depend on a blend of policy coordination, technological innovation and targeted investments – especially in countries where the gap between demand and nutritional value is stark.

    “We have the tools to end hunger and boost global food security,” said Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the OECD.

    “Well-coordinated policies are needed to keep global food markets open, while fostering long-term productivity improvements and sustainability in the agriculture sector.”

    Pivotal role for global trade

    The Outlook also reiterates the importance of trade, given that 22 per cent of all calories eaten will have crossed international borders by 2034.

    “International trade will remain indispensable to the global agri-food sector,” the report stressed.

    “Multilateral cooperation and a rules-based agricultural trade are essential to facilitating these trade flows, balancing food deficits and surpluses across countries, stabilising prices and enhancing food security, nutrition and environmental sustainability.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Scores killed in Sudan’s Kordofan region as fighting intensifies

    Source: United Nations 2

    Amid ongoing communication disruptions in the area, confirming the exact civilian death toll remains difficult, but reports indicate that at least 300 people – including children and pregnant women – were killed in attacks on villages in Bara locality, North Kordofan State, between 10 and 13 July.

    During the same period, a series of attacks – including an air strike on a school sheltering displaced families – reportedly killed more than 20 people, in the villages of Al Fula and Abu Zabad in West Kordofan State.  

    OCHA is also alarmed by reports of renewed shelling in Al Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, “deepening fears and insecurity among civilians,” the humanitarian coordination agency reported.  

    Tragic civilian toll

    With thousands of people reportedly killed since the beginning of the conflict between former military allies-turned rivals over two years ago, the crisis in Sudan continues to take a devastating toll on civilians. 

    “These incidents are yet another tragic reminder of the relentless toll the conflict is taking on civilians across Sudan,” OCHA reported.

    The office emphasises that civilians and civilian infrastructures – including schools, homes, shelters and humanitarian assets – must never be targeted, and called on all parties to the conflict to “fully respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.”

    Toll from displacement

    Described as “the largest as well as the fastest growing displacement crisis globally,” by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in February 2025, displacement continues amid the fighting.

    People fleeing North Kordofan, as well as El Fasher in North Darfur State, continue to seek shelter in the rest of Sudan, including Northern State, with humanitarian partners on the ground reporting more than 3,000 displaced people arriving in the locality of Ad-Dabbah since June.

    Although some have received food assistance, the steady influx of newly displaced families is putting additional strain on already stretched resources.  

    With the rainy season approaching, OCHA warned that further hardship is likely, particularly as heavy rain and strong winds destroyed shelters and food supplies for about 2,700 displaced people in eastern Sudan this past Sunday. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker, Clarke, Kelly, Watson Coleman Reintroduce Bicameral Legislation to Tackle Uterine Fibroids Through Research and Education

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) along with U.S. Representatives Yvette Clarke (D-NY-09), Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12), reintroduced the bicameral Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act, legislation that would expand research and raise awareness through public education programs to support women suffering from uterine fibroids. The legislation is named after the late U.S. Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio, who championed this issue.
    “Millions of Americans, including nearly 25% of Black women, will suffer from uterine fibroids by the age of 25,” said Senator Booker. “We must act to prevent, diagnose, and treat fibroids so that affected women can find relief. This legislation will raise awareness, expand research, and improve access to evidence-based care for women struggling with uterine fibroids.”
    “The health crisis Black women across this nation confront every day will not end unless meaningful, targeted action is taken to do so. Today, my colleagues and I have introduced this legislative package as an unprecedented and historic step towards ensuring those who are at-risk or suffering from fibroids and uterine cancer have the support, resources, and care they need to navigate the painful diagnoses far too many have faced throughout their lives. With these four bills, we are not only putting the uterine health of millions first, but we are also carrying on the torch lit by a long line of lawmakers, advocates, and leaders who refused to stand by while women struggle in silence. I am proud to fight for the health equity they have long been denied but have always deserved,” said Congresswoman Clarke.
    “Uterine fibroids can be debilitating, but symptoms are often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or dismissed while treatment remains out of reach,” said Congresswoman Kelly. “I’m proud to support this legislation to better understand uterine fibroids and develop more effective treatments for everyone — especially for Black women, who are three times more likely to develop uterine fibroids. We must continue to raise awareness, empower women to make their own health choices, and increase funding and research to treat fibroids.”
    “This bill is crucial for understanding, treating, and preventing uterine fibroids,” said Congresswoman Watson Coleman. “Fibroids impact Black women at substantially higher rates, and the current body of medical research is wholly insufficient. This is a serious public health issue that impacts millions of women, contributing to greater overall lifetime stress and decreasing our quality of life. More must be done to address this issue which has gone overlooked for too long. I’m proud to join my colleagues in advancing this bill to raise awareness, provide resources, and mandate research to help relieve suffering for women and girls everywhere.”
    July marks Fibroid Awareness Month, an opportunity to raise awareness for uterine fibroids, which are noncancerous growths of the uterus that impact an estimated 26 million women nationwide. Symptoms of this devastating condition include severe menstrual bleeding, anemia, pregnancy complications and loss, and infertility.
    In addition to the pain and discomfort they cause, uterine fibroids cost the health care system an estimated $5.9 billion to $34.4 billion every year. Despite their prevalence and impact, preventing, diagnosing, and treating uterine fibroids is very difficult. This condition often goes undiagnosed, and even when it is accurately diagnosed, treatment is usually invasive and can lead to infertility. Black women are particularly impacted by this condition as they tend to develop uterine fibroids earlier, have larger and a greater number of fibroids, and have more severe symptoms and complications.
    Specifically, the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act would:
    Expand and intensify research on uterine fibroids and authorize $30 million a year for fiscal years 2024 through 2028 for that effort.
    Require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to collect data on services provided to people diagnosed with uterine fibroids under Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
    Create a public education program for uterine fibroids.
    Promote evidence-based care for uterine fibroids among health care providers.
    The full text of the legislation can be found here.
    The Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act is being introduced within a legislative package aimed at advancing uterine health initiatives. The package also includes the Uterine Fibroid Intervention and Gynecological Health Treatment (U-FIGHT) Act, the Uterine Cancer Study Act, and the Uterine Fibroids Awareness Month Resolution.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Issa Legislation to Streamline Firefighter Hiring Unanimously Passes Natural Resources Committee

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-50)

    WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Darrell Issa’s bill, Direct Hire to Fight Fires (H.R. 435), passed the House Natural Resources Committee with unanimous consent. 

    “Wildfires are a known menace in my home region of San Diego and Riverside Counties, and the names of history’s worst fires still echo in our memories: The Cedar Fire, the Harris Fire, the Witch Creek Fire, and the devastating Valley Fire,” said Rep. Issa. “Today’s unacceptably slow hiring process means critical positions used to combat fires go unfilled and blazes burn that much longer. We need this common-sense federal hiring process to bring this available resource where it is needed the most.”

    The legislation grants permanent authority to federal firefighting agencies to streamline the hiring of essential firefighting roles so that no critical position is left unfilled due to bureaucratic red tape.

    “Wildfire season is no longer a specific time of year—it’s now a year-round battle waged by our brave and dedicated wildland firefighters. Devastating wildfires continue to rage on our federal lands as we work today in Congress, and there is no time to waste when it comes to hiring qualified men and women to fight them,” said Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04), Chairman, House Committee on Natural Resources. “Thanks to this thoughtful legislation from Congressman Issa, the hiring process for wildland firefighters will be more efficient and expeditious. I’d like to thank him for his leadership on this issue, and I look forward to helping usher this bill through the legislative process.” 

    Read the bill text for Direct Hire to Fight Fires here.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker, Senate Judiciary Democrats Demand Hearing with Whistleblower Ahead of Bove Nomination Vote

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker joined all of his Democratic colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee in calling for Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to schedule a hearing to have Erez Reuveni, the former Acting Deputy Director for the Office of Immigration Litigation at the Department of Justice, testify under oath about the recent disclosures of serious misconduct allegations against judicial nominee Emil Bove, including directing Department of Justice attorneys to ignore a court order. Last week, Mr. Reuveni provided the Committee  documentation that corroborates the allegations. The Senators called for the hearing before the Judiciary Committee vote on Bove’s nomination, which is set to take place on Thursday, July 17.
    In a letter to Grassley, the Senators wrote: “We respectfully request that you call Erez Reuveni to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee prior to the Committee’s vote on the nomination of Emil J. Bove III to be a U.S. Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Mr. Reuveni has made credible allegations against Mr. Bove, which, if true, clearly disqualify him for a lifetime appointment to the federal bench. Thus, it is imperative that the Committee hear from Mr. Reuveni, under oath, before we vote on Mr. Bove’s nomination.”
    The Senators then cited Mr. Reuveni’s document production related to J.G.G. v. Trump, Abrego Garcia v. Noem, and D.V.D. v. DHS, writing: “Documentation provided by Mr. Reuveni demonstrates that he unsuccessfully attempted to secure government compliance with court orders in three separate cases being overseen by Mr. Bove in his role as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General.”
    The Senators concluded by highlighting the importance of understanding Mr. Bove’s role in these concerning episodes before voting on his judicial nomination and requested testimony, writing: “Mr. Bove repeatedly gestured at but never invoked deliberative process privilege at his hearing and in answers to written questions, undermining our ability to assess whether Mr. Bove engaged in the alleged misconduct and continuing executive branch officials’ use of ‘non-assertion’ assertions of privilege to defy congressional inquiries.  Calling Mr. Reuveni to testify under oath will allow members of this Committee to appraise the veracity of his claims while defending the Committee’s prerogative to assess Mr. Bove’s qualifications…It is critical that this Committee understands the full scope of Mr. Bove’s actions at the Justice Department prior to voting on his nomination to a lifetime appointment on the federal bench. Given that Mr. Reuveni is willing to testify regarding this matter, we urge you to invite him before the Committee before proceeding to a vote on Mr. Bove’s nomination.”
    To read the full text of the letter, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New Warren Report Exposes Potential Trump Corruption, Bribery Through Presidential Library Donations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    July 15, 2025

    Warren analysis reveals at least half a billion dollars in monetary contributions, gifts, in-kind donations flowing into Trump Presidential Library

    Donations come while Trump makes critical decisions that may impact donors; raises serious concerns about bribery, influence-peddling

    Report (PDF) 

    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released a new report exposing how companies, special interests, and foreign governments may be pledging donations to President Trump’s future Presidential Library as a corrupt tool to secure favorable outcomes from his administration. 

    “Donald Trump may be using his presidential library as a tool for corruption and bribery while still in office. We could be seeing giant companies like Paramount and Meta and foreign countries like Qatar pay Trump off in plain sight,” said Senator Warren. “Government should work for the American people, not just whichever giant company or foreign government can dump the most money into the president’s future library.”

    Senator Warren’s new analysis reveals that companies seeking favorable outcomes from the Trump administration have pledged to funnel at least $63 million into Trump’s future presidential library. Other gifts and in-kind donations — including a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar, expensive candlelight dinners at Mar-a-Lago, leftover inauguration donations, and more — bring the total value of gifts flowing into Trump’s library to at least half a billion dollars. 

    Presidential Libraries are used to honor a president’s legacy and allow scholars and the public to learn about their time in office. This new report details how giant corporations, special interests, and at least one foreign government are promising donations to President Trump’s future library while his administration makes decisions on mega-mergers, the preservation of a U.S. military base in Qatar, Big Tech regulation, and more. 

    Just weeks ago, Paramount settled President Trump’s lawsuit against CBS’s 60 Minutes for $16 million, with the money funneling straight into Trump’s library. Paramount is currently vying for approval by the Trump administration of its proposed megamerger with Skydance.

    In December 2024, ABC News settled a defamation lawsuit with Donald Trump by agreeing to pay $15 million toward his Presidential Library.

    Past presidents have also accepted suspicious donations while in office — such as the Clinton Foundation accepting a $450,000 donation from a woman pushing for a presidential pardon for her ex-husband, which President Clinton later granted, or a Bush Administration advisor soliciting Presidential Library donations in exchange for arranging meetings with top administration officials.

    “But Trump is doing so at a magnitude that makes glaringly clear the need for common-sense guardrails around donations,” said Senator Warren’s report. 

    Unlike donations to presidential campaigns or inaugural committees, there are almost no restrictions on donations to Presidential Libraries. Even while in office, presidents can solicit unlimited, undisclosed donations from anyone — including foreign nationals, lobbyists, federal contractors, individuals seeking presidential pardons, and corporations with business before federal agencies.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Rethinking London’s future: Zoë Garbett AM response to the Mayor’s London Plan consultation

    Source: Mayor of London

    In response to the Mayor’s publication of the London Plan consultation, Zoë Garbett AM has released a bold set of planning proposals aimed at reshaping the current London Plan to confront the city’s worsening housing emergency and environmental challenges.

    In a city riddled with deep inequality and rising poverty, Garbett’s response sets out a clear call for change.

    Drawing from the experiences and voices of London’s grassroot organisations and campaigners, community leaders, housing justice organisers, disability rights groups and policy experts, this response is rooted in listening to what Londoners really want, and how we can create a city that works for everyone.

    Key proposals in the report include:

    • Social housing must be central to development – not treated as an afterthought or burden – with barriers to its delivery removed.
    • The Green Belt must be protected, not sacrificed in favour of short-term, profit driven schemes that erode London’s much needed green spaces and wildlife.
    • A reversal of the growth-at-all costs mentality with a renewed focus on the principle of good growth.
    • Well-connected transport networks should be the default standard across London.
    • Recognising the importance of ‘emerging heritage’ where we can protect culturally significant spaces created by London’s older and newer diaspora communities – spaces that are too often overlooked or under threat.
    • Valuing and protecting London’s ‘real-life economy’ made up of market stall traders, independent retailers and creators who are embedded in our communities.

    Addressing the need for the consultation, Zoë Garbett, Green Party London Assembly Member said:

    “Each day, London becomes more and more unequal and the divide between those with power and those without grows wider.

    “Private developers are marching through London’s communities unchecked, tearing down places of cultural importance and bulldozing over our green spaces, with the interest of Londoners so far down their priority list.

    “With every tower that rises, their bottom lines come first, while the majority of Londoners are pushed out, priced out and ignored.

    “This cannot continue. We desperately need a radical shift in how we think about land, housing, our green spaces and who London is really for.

    “Our city’s future can’t be decided behind closed doors, it has to be created with the people who live here.

    “I’m looking forward to seeing how the Mayor responds to the recommendations proposed.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: CMS Expands Access to Lifesaving Gene Therapies Through Innovative State Agreements

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services

    CMS Expands Access to Lifesaving Gene Therapies Through Innovative State Agreements
    Participating states to test outcomes-based payments for sickle cell disease treatments, improving care while lowering long-term costs

    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today that 33 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, will participate in the Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) Access Model, a bold new approach to delivering cutting-edge treatments for people on Medicaid living with sickle cell disease. Participating states represent approximately 84% of Medicaid beneficiaries with the condition, significantly expanding access to transformative care. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Wyden, Baldwin Tell Social Security: Stop Lying to Stroke Trump’s Ego

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    July 15, 2025

    Senate Democrats Call on SSA Commissioner Bisignano to Retract False Claims About Social Security Taxes That Could Confuse, Hurt Seniors

    “Rather than focusing on improving customer service, you are using your position as Commissioner to stroke Donald Trump’s ego and peddle lies on his behalf.”

    Text of Letter (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) led eight Senate Democrats in demanding that the Social Security Administration (SSA) stop peddling lies about the Republican budget bill using the agency’s email platform, which reaches tens of millions of Americans. 

    “We are appalled that the agency distributed misleading and blatantly inaccurate information regarding tax changes affecting older Americans, transforming the agency into a partisan megaphone for Donald Trump while sowing confusion and distrust in Social Security among Americans,” wrote the senators.

    On July 3, SSA issued a press release and sent a mass email to all “mySocial Security” account users falsely announcing that the Republican budget bill would cut taxes on Social Security benefits for 90% of beneficiaries — in addition to providing older Americans with a tax deduction. But the Republican bill does not amend, reduce, or eliminate federal taxes on Social Security benefits. While the bill provides a temporary deduction for some older Americans, fewer than half of Americans will benefit from this deduction — very much shy of the 90% of Americans that SSA claims. The bill also does not include any provisions to change the tax filing requirements for Social Security recipients. 

    Days later, the SSA quietly updated its press release to correct the false claim, but it did not send a follow-up email to the millions of users who received the initial email.

    Commissioner Bisignano’s lies on behalf of Trump could mislead millions of American seniors who depend on Social Security benefits. The initial email may leave recipients expecting both a deduction and a tax break and could result in millions of Americans’ falsely believing they don’t have to file taxes on Social Security. Inaccurate information could lead to Americans making benefit claims against their best interests or even missing payments on taxes they owe.

    Commissioner Bisignano has abandoned his promise to the Finance Committee and to the American people that, under his leadership, SSA would not become a partisan agency subject to the whims of Trump. 

    “We urge you to retract SSA’s July 3 statement and issue a correction — on SSA’s website and via email for ‘my Social Security’ account users — clarifying the federal tax treatment of Social Security benefits,” concluded the senators. 

    Other senators signing on to the letter include Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.).

    Senate Democrats’ Social Security War Room is a coordinated effort to fight back against the Trump administration’s attack on Americans’ Social Security. The War Room coordinates messaging across the Senate Democratic Caucus and external stakeholders; encourages grassroots engagement by providing opportunities for Americans to share what Social Security means to them; and educates Senate staff, the American public, and stakeholders about Republicans’ agenda and their continued cuts to Americans’ Social Security services and benefits.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Male pedestrian in critical condition after being hit by vehicle near Burnie

    Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

    Male pedestrian in critical condition after being hit by vehicle near Burnie

    Wednesday, 16 July 2025 – 6:42 am.

    A male pedestrian is in a critical condition after being hit by a vehicle on the Bass Highway, Round Hill, near Burnie overnight.Police and emergency services were called to attend the crash about 11.10pm after a vehicle travelling in an easterly direction collided with a male pedestrian who was on the roadway.Police, Tasmania Ambulance and State Emergency Services attended the scene where the east bound lane was closed for a period of time and traffic diverted.The male pedestrian was taken to the North-West Regional Hospital in Burnie for treatment for life threatening injuries and is currently in a critical condition.The sole occupant and driver of the vehicle received a minor injury and was also treated at the North-West Regional Hospital but later released.Further specialist police units from Western Crash Investigation Services and Western Forensics attended the scene with investigations into the crash continuing.Police are seeking any information from members of the public who may have witnessed or captured a male dressed in dark clothing on the Bass Highway near the Round Hill Lighthouse prior to the crash occurring in particular dash cam footage.Police would like to thank those members of the public who assisted at the crash prior to emergency services arrival.Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at crimestopperstas.com.au. Information can be provided anonymously.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Zoë Garbett AM responds to the Mayor’s green belt proposal: This won’t solve London’s housing crisis

    Source: Mayor of London

    In response to the Mayor’s recent announcement to build on the green belt, Green Party London Assembly Member Zoë Garbett said:

    “The Mayor’s green belt proposal talks about affordable homes, but that’s just developer-speak for housing that’s still out of reach for most people. There’s no guarantee of 100% social housing in this plan, just vague promises dressed up as affordability.

    “If we’re serious about fixing this crisis right now, we need to be honest about what actually works. That means freezing Right to Buy to stop the loss of desperately needed social homes. It means cracking down on long-term empty homes, with thousands of properties left unoccupied while families are forced to sleep in temporary accommodation. It means regulating Airbnb-style short lets that are hollowing out communities and driving up rents. And it means implementing rent controls so we can break this cycle of unaffordability and take back control of our housing.

    “While the Mayor drags his feet and banks on developers to fix the housing crisis, across London, homelessness is on the rise, people are being pushed into precarious and dangerous living situations, primary schools are closing and communities are being torn apart as more and more people are being priced out of their neighbourhoods. We are far beyond a housing crisis. The system is completely broken.

    “Yet instead of tackling the root causes, we’re being sold the false promise that building on the green belt will somehow solve our city’s housing crisis.

    “This project will just recreate the same broken housing model that’s left so many Londoners struggling – high rents, empty homes and landlords buying up more social housing.

    “Not only will this fail to solve London’s housing crisis, but it’s also a devastating blow to the environment and our green spaces, especially during a climate emergency. Not exactly what you’d expect from the self-declared ‘greenest Mayor’ ever.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: American Academy of Nursing Announces its 2025 Fellows Including Three UConn School of Nursing Faculty

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    UConn School of Nursing faculty Mallory Perry-Eaddy, Ph.D., RN, CCRN, Tiffany Kelley, Ph.D., MBA, RN, NI-BC, FNAP, and Gee Su Yang, Ph.D., RN, will be inducted as 2025 Fellows into the American Academy of Nursing this fall.

    “The induction of Mallory, Tiffany, Gee Su, and our distinguished UConn Nursing alumni into the American Academy of Nursing represents a profound acknowledgment of their scholarly excellence and transformative impact on the nursing profession,” says Victoria Vaughan Dickson, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Dean of the School of Nursing. “Their exemplary contributions to advancing health equity, shaping clinical practice, and informing health policy resonate on both national and global levels, embodying the highest ideals of academic and professional nursing leadership.”

    The newest Fellows represent 42 states, the District of Columbia, and 12 countries. Their extensive expertise will enrich the thought leadership of the over 3,200 Academy Fellows who together advance the Academy’s mission of improving health and achieving health equity by impacting policy through nursing leadership, innovation, and science.

    The inductees will be recognized at the Academy’s annual Health Policy Conference, taking place on October 16-18, 2025, in Washington, DC. This year’s conference theme is “Impact Through Integrity and Trust: Our Role as Navigators and Translators” which will focus on shaping the future of healthcare and fulfilling the Academy’s vision of “Healthy Lives for All People.”

    “I cannot emphasize enough at this pivotal time in history the vital importance of recognizing this extraordinary and sizeable group of nurse leaders. With rich and varied backgrounds from practice, policy, research, entrepreneurship, and academia, they have been instrumental in using nursing’s holistic approach to improve the health of patients and communities throughout the world,” said Academy President Linda D. Scott, Ph.D., RN, NEA-BC, FADLN, FNAP, FAAN. “Induction into the Academy represents the highest honor in nursing. Earning the FAAN (Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing) credential is a prestigious recognition of one’s accomplishments and signifies the power of nursing to transform health and enact positive outcomes.”

    Mallory Perry-Eaddy, Ph.D., RN, CCRN (Contributed Photo)

    Mallory Perry-Eaddy, Ph.D., RN, CCRN

    Perry-Eaddy is an assistant professor whose research focuses on pediatric critical care outcomes as they relate to inflammation and social determinants of health.

    Perry-Eaddy has been with the school for many years, receiving her BSN, Certificate in Pain Management, MS, and Ph.D. from the UConn School of Nursing. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania.

    In 2022, she was named a National Institute of Health (NIH) PRIDE Functional and Translational Genomics Scholar, and in 2021, she was named a NIH K99/R00 MOSAIC Scholar where she is currently completing her R00.

    She is an active member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators, American Thoracic Society and the Society of Critical Care Medicine where she is an editorial board member for Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. She is also an invited advisory board member to the Sepsis Alliance.

    “I am deeply honored and grateful to be inducted as a Fellow into the American Academy of Nursing. This recognition affirms my commitment to advancing the science of pediatric critical care, with a focus on improving long-term outcomes for children after sepsis and critical illness,” said Perry-Eaddy. “Through my research, and as a Fellow, I aim to elevate survivor-centered care, address health disparities, and inform policy that supports recovery beyond the intensive care unit (ICU). I am excited to join this esteemed community of nurse leaders and to contribute to shaping the future of nursing and child health.”

    Tiffany Kelley, Ph.D., MBA, RN, NI-BC, FNAP (Contributed Photo)

    Tiffany Kelley, Ph.D., MBA, RN, NI-BC, FNAP

    Kelley is an in-residence professor and co-director of the Nursing and Engineering Innovation Center at UConn School of Nursing. She earned her Ph.D. from Duke University, MS and MBA from Northeastern University, and BSN from Georgetown University.

    Kelley joined UConn in 2018 where she was appointed to serve as the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation Visiting Associate Professor for Innovations and New Knowledge, a first-of-its-kind role. Her goal was to develop and execute a strategic plan to integrate innovation into the core education across all degree programs. Outcomes of her pioneering initiatives have enabled her to co-direct the creation of a Nursing and Engineering Innovation Center and assist in the design of a unique Makerspace for the new School of Nursing building, further solidifying nursing’s innovation leadership at UConn.

    Kelley’s impact in nursing spans across the nation and globe through her collective academic, intrapreneurial, inventive, and entrepreneurial roles in innovation, informatics, and associated leadership in nursing. Over the last 20 years, she has relentlessly worked to advance the nursing profession by expanding the boundaries of what is possible in nursing through her own journey in creating a novel pathway that straddles academia and industry while also educating and mentoring nurses and nursing students on how to create and develop their own intrapreneurial and entrepreneurial innovative solutions.

    Her national and international recognition of impact is shown through her receipt of American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Award, induction into the National Academies of Practice in Nursing as a Distinguished Fellow, and an invitation from Singapore’s Ministry of Health in 2024 to serve as a Health Manpower Development Visiting Expert on Innovation, Informatics, and Digital Health.

    “Our future needs nurses who reimagine nursing and healthcare to create positive changes that address human health problems in this rapidly evolving digital age. We have not yet fully realized the benefits of digital health innovative tools on advancing nursing practice, workforce operations, and global health,” said Kelley. “As a Fellow, I aim to further my reach and serve as an exemplar for amplifying nurse-led innovation and digital health while leading others to do the same.”

    Gee Su Yang, Ph.D., RN (Contributed Photo)

    Gee Su Yang, Ph.D., RN

    Yang is an assistant professor at UConn and is recognized for her work in cancer survivorship, particularly in addressing cognitive impairment, sleep disturbances, pain, fatigue, and depressive symptoms, as well as symptom management strategies using multi-omics approaches. She has garnered numerous grants from organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, Oncology Nursing Foundation, Rockefeller University, American Nurses Foundation, American Society for Pain Management Nursing, Connecticut Breast Health Initiative, and the UConn Clinical Research and Innovation Seed Program.

    She has played a central role in planning and conducting clinical cancer research focused on the adverse toxicities and symptoms of cancer treatment to optimize benefits from treatment. She actively engages with cancer survivors, oncologists, and community partners to enhance research participation, raise awareness, and promote education on cancer survivorship.

    Her work pioneered investigations into the adverse effects and symptoms of emerging treatments, such as immunotherapy and targeted therapy, as well as their behavioral and gut mechanisms in the precision health symptom science field.

    In acknowledgment of the impact of her work, she was recognized as a prestigious Heilbrunn Nurse Scholar by the Rockefeller University Heilbrunn Family Center for Research Nursing for her immunotherapy-associated symptom research and its potential to advance the field. In addition, she was selected as a Butler-Williams Scholar by the National Institute on Aging to support her immunotherapy study in older adults.

    Yang has also been tapped to serve as a review panelist for NIH study sections, the Oncology Nursing Foundation, UConn Research Excellence Program, and many more. Her work contributes to the growth of nurses and advocacy for scientific and professional development by influencing policy changes in research, supporting recognition of nurses’ achievements, and reviewing numerous conference abstracts, manuscripts, and scholarship applications in several professional societies.

    “Being inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing is a great honor and recognition that motivates me to strengthen my program of research in precision health symptom science to advance scientific discoveries and benefit cancer survivors,” said Yang.

    Congratulating our Fellows

    Alumni Judith Hahn Ph.D. ‘14, Barbara Jacobs Ph.D. ‘02, Wendy Lord BS ’94, Lisa Sundean Ph.D. ’17, and Amy D’Agata MS ’04, Ph.D. ’15, were also selected as 2025 fellows, following a competitive, rigorous application process.

    The School of Nursing would like to congratulate these newest Fellows as influential nursing leaders who are advancing health equity for all.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Aquarium Leads Monthlong Campaign Inspiring the Community to Refuse Single-Use Plastic

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Aquarium Leads Monthlong Campaign Inspiring the Community to Refuse Single-Use Plastic

    Aquarium Leads Monthlong Campaign Inspiring the Community to Refuse Single-Use Plastic
    jejohnson6

    FORT FISHER

    Gentle nudges, reminders and inspiration are all part of how the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (NCAFF) is enlisting the community to choose to refuse single-use plastic during Plastic Free July. Dedicating a month to sustainability can be just the jumpstart folks need to begin their green journey. From skipping the straw to refusing single-use plastic bags, the Aquarium is along for the ride. The Aquarium is a division of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources which oversees the state’s resources for the arts, history, libraries and nature.

    “By sharing ideas and inspiration, we hope that our community will discover there are some green ideas they can easily incorporate into their lives,” said Deyanira Romo Rossell, communications manager and green team member, NCAFF. “Whether you have already made strides toward refusing single-use plastic or are just beginning, there is something for you in our monthlong Plastic Free July campaign.”
    Greenspiration for Plastic Free July

    It’s all about choosing to refuse single-use plastic by being prepared with a greener alternative. Here are a few of the tips:

    • Refuse plastic cutlery. Opt for reusable utensils at parties, for lunch at work and even when picking up takeout.
    • Ditch disposable to-go cups and lids. Carry your own tumbler to load up on tea or coffee at your favorite cafe.
    • Avoid plastic produce bags. Bring your own produce bags to the grocery store, farmers market or produce stand and keep reusing them.
    • Get away from single-use plastic grocery bags. Keep reusable bags at the ready in your car, bike basket or any mode of transportation you use to get to the grocery store or farmers’ market.
    • Skip the Straw! Or find alternatives to plastic straws, including reusable stainless steel, glass, silicone or biodegradable/compostable made of bamboo, agave or wheat.  

    The Aquarium also walks the walk with composting bins for visitors on the food deck and in office areas for staff and volunteers. Everyone, from visitors to volunteers has access to the Aquarium water refill stations. The food vendor, SharkBites uses compostable cups, dinnerware and utensils for meals and drinks. The drink vending machines only dispense aluminum cans. The community is encouraged to follow along on NCAFF Facebook, Instagram, and Threads to find more clever tricks and clean ideas on how to live a greener life. Followers will find new greenspiration every day in July!

    About the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher  
    The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher is just south of Kure Beach, a short drive from Wilmington on U.S. 421 and less than a mile from the Fort Fisher ferry terminal. The Aquarium is one of three Aquariums and a pier that make up the North Carolina Aquariums, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The mission of the Aquarium is to inspire appreciation and conservation of our aquatic environments. The Aquarium features a 235-000-gallon sand tiger shark habitat, an albino alligator, a bald eagle, a loggerhead sea turtle habitat and two families of mischievous Asian small-clawed otters.

    Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission: $15 ages 13-61; $13 children ages 3-12; $14 seniors (62 and older) and military with valid identification; NC EBT card holders*: $3. Free admission for children 2 and younger and N.C. Aquarium Society members and N.C. Zoo members. *EBT rate is applicable to a maximum of four tickets.

    About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
    The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.

    The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
    Jul 14, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Aquarium Leads Monthlong Campaign Inspiring the Community to Refuse Single-Use Plastic

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Aquarium Leads Monthlong Campaign Inspiring the Community to Refuse Single-Use Plastic

    Aquarium Leads Monthlong Campaign Inspiring the Community to Refuse Single-Use Plastic
    jejohnson6

    FORT FISHER

    Gentle nudges, reminders and inspiration are all part of how the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (NCAFF) is enlisting the community to choose to refuse single-use plastic during Plastic Free July. Dedicating a month to sustainability can be just the jumpstart folks need to begin their green journey. From skipping the straw to refusing single-use plastic bags, the Aquarium is along for the ride. The Aquarium is a division of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources which oversees the state’s resources for the arts, history, libraries and nature.

    “By sharing ideas and inspiration, we hope that our community will discover there are some green ideas they can easily incorporate into their lives,” said Deyanira Romo Rossell, communications manager and green team member, NCAFF. “Whether you have already made strides toward refusing single-use plastic or are just beginning, there is something for you in our monthlong Plastic Free July campaign.”
    Greenspiration for Plastic Free July

    It’s all about choosing to refuse single-use plastic by being prepared with a greener alternative. Here are a few of the tips:

    • Refuse plastic cutlery. Opt for reusable utensils at parties, for lunch at work and even when picking up takeout.
    • Ditch disposable to-go cups and lids. Carry your own tumbler to load up on tea or coffee at your favorite cafe.
    • Avoid plastic produce bags. Bring your own produce bags to the grocery store, farmers market or produce stand and keep reusing them.
    • Get away from single-use plastic grocery bags. Keep reusable bags at the ready in your car, bike basket or any mode of transportation you use to get to the grocery store or farmers’ market.
    • Skip the Straw! Or find alternatives to plastic straws, including reusable stainless steel, glass, silicone or biodegradable/compostable made of bamboo, agave or wheat.  

    The Aquarium also walks the walk with composting bins for visitors on the food deck and in office areas for staff and volunteers. Everyone, from visitors to volunteers has access to the Aquarium water refill stations. The food vendor, SharkBites uses compostable cups, dinnerware and utensils for meals and drinks. The drink vending machines only dispense aluminum cans. The community is encouraged to follow along on NCAFF Facebook, Instagram, and Threads to find more clever tricks and clean ideas on how to live a greener life. Followers will find new greenspiration every day in July!

    About the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher  
    The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher is just south of Kure Beach, a short drive from Wilmington on U.S. 421 and less than a mile from the Fort Fisher ferry terminal. The Aquarium is one of three Aquariums and a pier that make up the North Carolina Aquariums, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The mission of the Aquarium is to inspire appreciation and conservation of our aquatic environments. The Aquarium features a 235-000-gallon sand tiger shark habitat, an albino alligator, a bald eagle, a loggerhead sea turtle habitat and two families of mischievous Asian small-clawed otters.

    Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission: $15 ages 13-61; $13 children ages 3-12; $14 seniors (62 and older) and military with valid identification; NC EBT card holders*: $3. Free admission for children 2 and younger and N.C. Aquarium Society members and N.C. Zoo members. *EBT rate is applicable to a maximum of four tickets.

    About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
    The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.

    The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
    Jul 14, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island to Celebrate Shark and Ray Awareness Day July 14

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island to Celebrate Shark and Ray Awareness Day July 14

    N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island to Celebrate Shark and Ray Awareness Day July 14
    jejohnson6

    As film lovers enjoy the 50th anniversary of Jaws, Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film about a frightful shark, the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island is celebrating Shark and Ray Awareness Day to inspire appreciation and conservation of these important ocean species. The Aquarium is part of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

    On Monday, July 14 the public is invited to join the Aquarium for special event activities to learn about sharks and rays and how to protect them. On this special day, visitors can become “Ocean Wanderers” and “Fin-fluencers” by participating in fun knowledge quest scavenger hunts throughout the Aquarium. Together with Aquarium educators, visitors can learn about shark migration and conservation, sharks that travel across the world, and sharks that call North Carolina home. Visitors who follow riddles to complete fact-finding scavenger hunts will receive a prize. Guests can play a Spot-A-Shark game and are encouraged to photograph a shark and share positive messages about sharks on social media. Shark and Ray Awareness Day activities are included with regular Aquarium admission.

    Hannah Catherman, education curator at the Aquarium said, “Educating the public about the importance of sharks and rays within the marine ecosystem is an integral part of our conservation messaging.  We are excited to bring the world of sharks and rays to the community and inspire future generations of ocean stewards!”

    In addition to special knowledge quests and crafts, the Aquarium will be offering regularly scheduled shark and ray-themed programming, including behind-the-scenes experiences at the Aquarium’s 285,000-gallon Graveyard of the Atlantic shark habitat, Shipwreck Stories, shark and stingray feedings, and sensory-friendly experiences with stingrays at the popular touch pools in the Sea Senses gallery. A daily calendar of events is available on the Aquarium website. Founded in 1976, the Aquarium is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026.

    Shark and Ray Awareness Day
    Monday, July 14, 2025
    10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
    N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island

    About the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island

    Located on the Outer Banks in Manteo, N.C., the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island is part of N.C. Aquariums, which includes four attractions along North Carolina’s coast and is a division of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The 63,000 square-foot facility on 16 acres overlooks the Croatan Sound and houses over 2,200 animals. Over 319,000 guests visit the Aquarium each year to see the 285,000-gallon “Graveyard of the Atlantic” shark and ocean habitat, visit the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation (S.T.A.R.) Center, and learn why North Carolina’s waterways are so special. As an educational attraction, the mission of N.C. Aquariums is to inspire appreciation and conservation of our aquatic environments. The Aquarium is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. For more information, visit www.ncaquariums.com/roanoke-island

    About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
    The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.

    The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
    Jul 14, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: North Carolina Zoo Mourns the Passing of Director Pat Simmons

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: North Carolina Zoo Mourns the Passing of Director Pat Simmons

    North Carolina Zoo Mourns the Passing of Director Pat Simmons
    jejohnson6

    It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the passing of Pat Simmons, Director and CEO of the North Carolina Zoo on July 14, 2025. Simmons had courageously battled cancer for nearly five years.

    Pat Simmons was a highly respected zoo director within the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Simmons had more than 41 years of experience leading AZA-accredited zoos: the Akron Zoo in Ohio from 1985 to 2014 and the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro from 2015 to 2025. She was Chairwoman of the Board of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in 2012, and was appointed to the Board of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) from 2015 to 2021.

    Simmons was nationally and internationally recognized in the zoo and aquarium industry, receiving numerous awards and appointments in support of wildlife conservation, sustainability, and women in leadership roles.

    Simmons was renowned as a visionary leader. She spearheaded Vision (2016) and Master Planning (2018 and 2024-2025) for the North Carolina Zoo. Out of these plans, Simmons established an upcoming decade of growth for the Zoo, starting with Asia. The 12.5-acre Asia region will open in June 2026, the first major expansion at the North Carolina Zoo since 1994. Australia, the next continent, is fully funded and slated to open in 2029. The replacement Aviary/Amazon (which is partially funded) completes this period of continent expansion at the North Carolina Zoo. These vibrant new habitats, which will feature some of the world’s most extraordinary animals and plants, will be cherished for generations to come.

    Cheryl Armstrong, the Executive Director of the North Carolina Zoo Society, remarked, “Pat laughed easily and often and extended her warmth toward everyone. The Zoo Society family will always remain grateful for the wisdom, caring, and friendship Pat Simmons shared with us. As much as we will miss her, we know the good she achieved during her lifetime will not stop now. The kindness, integrity, and moxie that Pat instilled in the people who knew her will survive long into the future to help make the world a better place for all its inhabitants.”

    Pat Simmons’ mission was to inspire people to be stewards of the natural world and protect the diversity of animals and plants. Towards this, Simmons prioritized the interconnections between humans, plants, and animals through modern habitat design, award-winning educational programming, and memorable guest experiences. Under Simmons’ leadership, the North Carolina Zoo’s lauded wildlife conservation program has flourished on a global scale. The North Carolina Zoo also took the top award for Sustainability from the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) in 2021. In 2024, the North Carolina Zoo became a certified Botanical Garden through Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BCGI), a longtime dream for the Zoo.

    “The North Carolina Zoo is internationally recognized as one of the very best—and that didn’t happen by accident. It is due in large part to the thoughtful and innovative leadership of Pat Simmons,” said N.C. Secretary of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Pamela B. Cashwell. “To say she’s beloved at the Zoo and beyond is an understatement. On behalf of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, we extend our deepest condolences to her family and friends and thank her on behalf of our state.”

    To know Simmons was to love her. She was a force to be reckoned with, and she made a significant impact during her tenure at the North Carolina Zoo. Those who worked with Simmons described her as immensely funny, smart, and loved by many. She was a sought-after mentor and counselor, helping many find their true passion. Her legacy in the zoo community will carry on through those she touched throughout her lifetime.

    The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the North Carolina Zoo extend our sincere and deepest condolences to the Simmons Family. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and all she knew throughout her life.

    About the North Carolina Zoo  
    At the North Carolina Zoo, we celebrate nature. As the world’s largest natural habitat Zoo, we inspire a lifelong curiosity about animals in the hundreds of thousands of people who visit our Zoo each year. Our dedicated team of experts provides exceptional, compassionate care for the more than 1,700 animals and 52,000 plants that call our Park home. We also lead efforts locally and globally to protect wildlife and wild places because we believe nature’s diversity is critical for our collective future. The North Carolina Zoo invites all of our guests to witness the majesty of the wild in the heart of North Carolina and welcomes everyone to join in our mission to protect nature’s diversity. Visit NCZoo.org to begin your life-changing journey.

    About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
    The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.

    The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
    Jul 15, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: North Carolina Zoo Mourns the Passing of Director Pat Simmons

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: North Carolina Zoo Mourns the Passing of Director Pat Simmons

    North Carolina Zoo Mourns the Passing of Director Pat Simmons
    jejohnson6

    It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the passing of Pat Simmons, Director and CEO of the North Carolina Zoo on July 14, 2025. Simmons had courageously battled cancer for nearly five years.

    Pat Simmons was a highly respected zoo director within the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Simmons had more than 41 years of experience leading AZA-accredited zoos: the Akron Zoo in Ohio from 1985 to 2014 and the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro from 2015 to 2025. She was Chairwoman of the Board of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in 2012, and was appointed to the Board of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) from 2015 to 2021.

    Simmons was nationally and internationally recognized in the zoo and aquarium industry, receiving numerous awards and appointments in support of wildlife conservation, sustainability, and women in leadership roles.

    Simmons was renowned as a visionary leader. She spearheaded Vision (2016) and Master Planning (2018 and 2024-2025) for the North Carolina Zoo. Out of these plans, Simmons established an upcoming decade of growth for the Zoo, starting with Asia. The 12.5-acre Asia region will open in June 2026, the first major expansion at the North Carolina Zoo since 1994. Australia, the next continent, is fully funded and slated to open in 2029. The replacement Aviary/Amazon (which is partially funded) completes this period of continent expansion at the North Carolina Zoo. These vibrant new habitats, which will feature some of the world’s most extraordinary animals and plants, will be cherished for generations to come.

    Cheryl Armstrong, the Executive Director of the North Carolina Zoo Society, remarked, “Pat laughed easily and often and extended her warmth toward everyone. The Zoo Society family will always remain grateful for the wisdom, caring, and friendship Pat Simmons shared with us. As much as we will miss her, we know the good she achieved during her lifetime will not stop now. The kindness, integrity, and moxie that Pat instilled in the people who knew her will survive long into the future to help make the world a better place for all its inhabitants.”

    Pat Simmons’ mission was to inspire people to be stewards of the natural world and protect the diversity of animals and plants. Towards this, Simmons prioritized the interconnections between humans, plants, and animals through modern habitat design, award-winning educational programming, and memorable guest experiences. Under Simmons’ leadership, the North Carolina Zoo’s lauded wildlife conservation program has flourished on a global scale. The North Carolina Zoo also took the top award for Sustainability from the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) in 2021. In 2024, the North Carolina Zoo became a certified Botanical Garden through Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BCGI), a longtime dream for the Zoo.

    “The North Carolina Zoo is internationally recognized as one of the very best—and that didn’t happen by accident. It is due in large part to the thoughtful and innovative leadership of Pat Simmons,” said N.C. Secretary of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Pamela B. Cashwell. “To say she’s beloved at the Zoo and beyond is an understatement. On behalf of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, we extend our deepest condolences to her family and friends and thank her on behalf of our state.”

    To know Simmons was to love her. She was a force to be reckoned with, and she made a significant impact during her tenure at the North Carolina Zoo. Those who worked with Simmons described her as immensely funny, smart, and loved by many. She was a sought-after mentor and counselor, helping many find their true passion. Her legacy in the zoo community will carry on through those she touched throughout her lifetime.

    The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the North Carolina Zoo extend our sincere and deepest condolences to the Simmons Family. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and all she knew throughout her life.

    About the North Carolina Zoo  
    At the North Carolina Zoo, we celebrate nature. As the world’s largest natural habitat Zoo, we inspire a lifelong curiosity about animals in the hundreds of thousands of people who visit our Zoo each year. Our dedicated team of experts provides exceptional, compassionate care for the more than 1,700 animals and 52,000 plants that call our Park home. We also lead efforts locally and globally to protect wildlife and wild places because we believe nature’s diversity is critical for our collective future. The North Carolina Zoo invites all of our guests to witness the majesty of the wild in the heart of North Carolina and welcomes everyone to join in our mission to protect nature’s diversity. Visit NCZoo.org to begin your life-changing journey.

    About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
    The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.

    The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
    Jul 15, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: 🇮🇱 Zion Oil & Gas Update: July 15, 2025

    Source: Zion Oil and Gas

    Headline: Zion Oil & Gas Update: July 15, 2025

    July 15, 2025

    Dear Zion Shareholders and Supporters,

    On June 10 we completed flowback operations at our Megiddo Jezreel #1 well in Israel and have since temporarily shut it in and demobilized our crew. We did this, and the last of our out-of-country crew left, just hours before the 12-day war with Iran began.

    Over the past several weeks we have been analyzing the initial gas composition data. These results confirm that our targeted perforation and stimulation were successful: Gas reached the surface and showed characteristics consistent with a productive reservoir.

    At this point we are considering two ways of moving forward. The first is to sidetrack the well laterally using our rig. The second is to deploy coil tubing. Both approaches are being evaluated in terms of technical feasibility and overall cost. We expect to begin equipment procurement and scheduling by the end of July.

    I ask for your continued patience and prayers for both our operations and the people of Israel. Our team remains confident in our progress and focused on the vision ahead.

    For a fuller understanding where we are operationally, I invite you to listen to a full 20minute audio conversation with our COO, Monty Kness, and VP of Investor Relations and Marketing, Andrew Summey – CLICK HERE.

    Thank you for your support for Israel and Zion. We continue to ask for your prayers since we know they make a difference for Israel and our work.

    Warm regards,
    Rob Dunn
    CEO
    Zion Oil & Gas, Inc.

    The LORD bless you out of Zion, And may you see the good of Jerusalem All the days of your life.”
    Psalm 128:5

    MIL OSI Global Banks –