NewzIntel.com

Category: coronavirus

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Myanmar: Inhumane military attacks in earthquake areas hindering relief efforts – Amnesty International

    Source: Amnesty International

    Myanmar’s military must refrain from deliberate air strikes and other forms of attack on civilian targets in areas impacted by last week’s 7.7-magnitude earthquake, Amnesty International said today as it called for aid to more quickly reach people in the epicentre of the disaster.

    Testimony gathered by Amnesty International in the days following the earthquake corroborates reports that the military has continued its campaign of deadly air strikes, adding to the strain of recovery efforts and the fear and anxiety of survivors.

    “Myanmar’s military, along with all other actors involved in earthquake relief efforts, must ensure that human rights principles are fully respected and that the humanitarian needs of survivors are the top priority,” Amnesty International’s Myanmar Researcher Joe Freeman said.

    “You cannot ask for aid with one hand and bomb with the other. Carrying out air strikes and attacking civilians in the same region where the earthquake struck is inhumane and shows a blatant disregard for human rights.” 

    At least 2,065 people have been killed and more than 3,900 injured as a result of the earthquake, according to military-controlled media in Myanmar. The rapid spike in figures from day to day as well as communication challenges have prompted fears of a much larger toll.

    The earthquake epicentre is in Sagaing, a sprawling region in central Myanmar. Significant damage is also being reported in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-biggest city, the capital Naypyitaw and parts of Shan State and Bago Region.

    The air strikes, which have become a daily fact of life in Myanmar since the 2021 coup, have now hit areas near the focus of earthquake recovery efforts, and in other conflict zones such as Karen and Karenni States.

    The sound is ‘like a chainsaw’

    Since the coup, the military has fought fierce battles with armed resistance groups in Sagaing and in central Myanmar generally, carrying out unlawful air strikes, extrajudicial executions and large-scale burning of homes. In some instances, groups fighting against the military have also been accused of abuses.

    Amnesty International spoke to a Myanmar nurse in Nwe Khwe village, which is in Sagaing Region’s Chaung-U township, and a local rescue worker in the same township.

    The rescue worker described taking cover from attacks after the earthquake, which included several on Tuesday morning (1 April) and one on the day of the earthquake. These were carried out with manned motorized paragliders, referred to locally as “paramotor attacks,” a new tactic of the Myanmar military in central Myanmar that requires fewer resources like jet fuel.

    “I was in an underground shelter. [During attacks] I can hear the sound of the engine crossing over my village. The paramotor attack noise is like a chainsaw,” the rescue worker said. “It becomes like our daily life, surviving the air strikes. I don’t know why it doesn’t stop yet.”

    The nurse, who is affiliated with the Civil Disobedience Movement which opposes the military through protests and boycotts, also said a paramotor attack occurred in the evening after the earthquake, as well as one on 31 March. There were no fatalities from the paramotor attacks this time, largely because of established early warning systems.

    “I am not mentally well, everybody in the village is frightened because of the attacks and the earthquake,” she said.

    The opposition National Unity Government, which oversees armed People’s Defense Forces created in the aftermath of the 2021 coup to fight the military, announced a two-week suspension of hostilities starting on 30 March. On 1 April a separate but aligned armed faction, the Three Brotherhood Alliance, announced a one-month humanitarian pause except in the case of defensive actions.

    ‘The situation is like Covid-19’

    Contrary to previous natural disaster responses that Amnesty has documented, Myanmar’s military has issued a rare appeal for international aid, and Amnesty has received information that aid is getting through to some affected areas. But the picture is mixed, complicated by internet outages and reports of deliveries being blocked or held up.

    In Sagaing town, the capital of the Sagaing Region, Amnesty spoke to three residents. It also reviewed a report on recovery efforts from a coordinating group drawn from Myanmar civil society, which said that in Sagaing town there are rising needs for body bags and quicklime powder, torches, medical supplies and mosquito repellant coils.

    It also said that the military, which largely controls the town, was imposing “strict surveillance” for light vehicles en route to Sagaing from Mandalay. Soldiers are inspecting deliveries, and checks can take longer if they come from other areas in Sagaing that have more connections to resistance groups.

    The residents said most of the town had been damaged and that people do not have regular access to drinking water, food, shelter, medicine, adequate medical treatment or electricity, with some using small solar panels. They said people are sleeping on streets, using mats, tarpaulin and mosquito nets.

    “The Myanmar Red Cross is here, and local civil societies based in Sagaing are active and they are functioning. But I don’t see international groups coming into town,” one resident said on 31 March. “They cannot buy food and drinking water because there is no supplier in the town.”

    Another town resident who was helping deliver aid locally said people need dry rations such as canned food and packaged noodles, and that local groups were using their own equipment to carry out search and rescue work.

    International agencies had reportedly been granted access to deliver aid to Sagaing, but no one Amnesty spoke to at the time had seen them in the town as of 31 March.

    A pregnant woman described scenes of horror in the local hospital after the earthquake.

    “The situation in the hospital [Sagaing General Hospital] was just like Covid-19, there are tons of dead bodies in the hospital, without knowing who they are and who they belong to. The hospital just put them in the crematorium.”

    The woman said she was told she needs a c-section but that it needs to be done in Mandalay, which she can’t reach. As of 31 March, she was staying out in the open area of the hospital compound.

    “Human rights are most in jeopardy in situations of crisis and emergency. The Myanmar military and other parties to the conflict must address the immediate and essential needs of all affected communities and ensure that rescue and relief efforts are carried out without discrimination,” Joe Freeman said.

    “Priority in the provision of international aid – such as safe and potable water, food and medical supplies – and financial aid should be given to the most vulnerable or marginalized groups of the population.”

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Myanmar: Military cannot ‘ask for aid with one hand and bomb with the other’

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Myanmar’s military must refrain from deliberate air strikes and other forms of attack on civilian targets in areas impacted by last week’s 7.7-magnitude earthquake, Amnesty International said today as it called for aid to more quickly reach people in the epicentre of the disaster.

    Testimony gathered by Amnesty in the days following the earthquake corroborates reports that the military has continued its campaign of deadly air strikes, adding to the strain of recovery efforts and the fear and anxiety of survivors.

    Joe Freeman, Amnesty International’s Myanmar Researcher, said:

    “You cannot ask for aid with one hand and bomb with the other. Carrying out air strikes and attacking civilians in the same region where the earthquake struck is inhumane and shows a blatant disregard for human rights.

    “Human rights are most in jeopardy in situations of crisis and emergency. The Myanmar military and other parties to the conflict must address the immediate and essential needs of all affected communities and ensure that rescue and relief efforts are carried out without discrimination.

    “Priority in the provision of international aid – such as safe and potable water, food and medical supplies – and financial aid should be given to the most vulnerable or marginalised groups of the population.”

    Death toll

    At least 2,065 people have been killed and more than 3,900 injured as a result of the earthquake, according to military-controlled media in Myanmar. The rapid spike in figures from day to day as well as communication challenges have prompted fears of a much larger toll.

    The earthquake epicentre is in Sagaing, a sprawling region in central Myanmar. Significant damage is also being reported in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-biggest city, the capital Naypyitaw and parts of Shan State and Bago Region.

    The air strikes, which have become a daily fact of life in Myanmar since the 2021 coup, have now hit areas near the focus of earthquake recovery efforts, and in other conflict zones such as Karen and Karenni States.

    The sound is ‘like a chainsaw’

    Since the coup, the military has fought fierce battles with armed resistance groups in Sagaing and in central Myanmar generally, carrying out unlawful air strikes, extrajudicial executions and large-scale burning of homes. In some instances, groups fighting against the military have also been accused of abuses.

    Amnesty spoke to a Myanmar nurse in Nwe Khwe village, which is in Sagaing Region’s Chaung-U township, and a local rescue worker in the same township.

    The rescue worker described taking cover from attacks after the earthquake, which included several on this morning(1 April) and one on the day of the earthquake. These were carried out with manned motorised paragliders, referred to locally as “paramotor attacks,” a new tactic of the Myanmar military in central Myanmar that requires fewer resources like jet fuel.

    The rescue worker told Amnesty:

    “I was in an underground shelter. [During attacks] I can hear the sound of the engine crossing over my village. The paramotor attack noise is like a chainsaw,” the rescue worker said. “It becomes like our daily life, surviving the air strikes. I don’t know why it doesn’t stop yet.”

    The nurse, who is affiliated with the Civil Disobedience Movement which opposes the military through protests and boycotts, also said a paramotor attack occurred in the evening after the earthquake, as well as one on 31 March. There were no fatalities from the paramotor attacks this time, largely because of established early warning systems.  She said:

    “I am not mentally well, everybody in the village is frightened because of the attacks and the earthquake.”

    The opposition National Unity Government, which oversees armed People’s Defense Forces created in the aftermath of the 2021 coup to fight the military, announced a two-week suspension of hostilities starting on 30 March. A separate but aligned armed faction, the Three Brotherhood Alliance, announced a one-month humanitarian pause except in the case of defensive actions, from today.

    ‘The situation is like Covid-19’

    Contrary to previous natural disaster responses that Amnesty has documented, Myanmar’s military has issued a rare appeal for international aid, and Amnesty has received information that aid is getting through to some affected areas. But the picture is mixed, complicated by internet outages and reports of deliveries being blocked or held up.

    In Sagaing town, the capital of the Sagaing Region, Amnesty spoke to three residents. It also reviewed a report on recovery efforts from a coordinating group drawn from Myanmar civil society, which said that in Sagaing town there are rising needs for body bags and quicklime powder, torches, medical supplies and mosquito repellant coils.

    It also said that the military, which largely controls the town, was imposing “strict surveillance” for light vehicles en route to Sagaing from Mandalay. Soldiers are inspecting deliveries, and checks can take longer if they come from other areas in Sagaing that have more connections to resistance groups.

    The residents said most of the town had been damaged and that people do not have regular access to drinking water, food, shelter, medicine, adequate medical treatment or electricity, with some using small solar panels. They said people are sleeping on the streets, using mats, tarpaulin and mosquito nets.

    One resident said:

    “The Myanmar Red Cross is here, and local civil societies based in Sagaing are active and they are functioning. But I don’t see international groups coming into town. They cannot buy food and drinking water because there is no supplier in the town.”

    Another town resident who was helping deliver aid locally said people need dry rations such as canned food and packaged noodles, and that local groups were using their own equipment to carry out search and rescue work.

    International agencies had reportedly been granted access to deliver aid to Sagaing, but no one Amnesty spoke to at the time had seen them in the town as of 31 March.

    A pregnant woman described scenes of horror in the local hospital after the earthquake. She said:

    “The situation in the hospital [Sagaing General Hospital] was just like Covid-19, there are tons of dead bodies in the hospital, without knowing who they are and who they belong to. The hospital just put them in the crematorium.”

    The woman said she was told she needs a c-section but that it needs to be done in Mandalay, which she can’t reach. As of 31 March, she was staying out in the open area of the hospital compound.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UN-backed forum seeks to boost resilience of world’s Least Developed Countries

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    SDGs

    Policymakers, researchers, the private sector and other stakeholders are meeting in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, over the next three days to chart a path toward sustainable development and resilience for the world’s Least Developed Countries (LDCs). 

    The third edition of the LDC Future Forum, which opened on Monday, focusses on how these 44 nations can better withstand systemic shocks, including the adverse effects of climate change and other global crises.

    The objective is to develop actionable solutions that will contribute to sustainable development and resilience building in these countries. 

    Challenges and commitments 

    The forum aligns with Priority 5 of the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA), a decade-long initiative adopted in 2022 that aims to renew and strengthen commitments between LDCs and their development partners.

    Priority 5 concerns addressing climate change, environmental degradation, recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and building resilience against future shocks for risk-informed sustainable development. 

    LDC countries often grapple with limited domestic resources, hindering their ability to weather economic downturns, natural disasters and health emergencies, according to the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS). 

    Moreover, accessing international capital markets is difficult due to low creditworthiness and perceived risks. 

    Women’s voices critical 

    The forum will feature a High-level Dialogue focusing on the critical need for financing to bolster LDCs’ resilience in the face of various challenges.  Special emphasis will be on gender equality as the participation of women and girls in the discussions will be critical to developing holistic and inclusive solutions. 

    Rabab Fatima, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, highlighted the significance of the event. 

    She noted that for the first time the forum is taking place in an LDC, “offering a unique opportunity to galvanize global support for the world’s most vulnerable countries as they navigate the challenges of an ever-changing global landscape.”  

    The forum was organized by UN-OHRLLS together with the Governments of Finland and Zambia, in collaboration with the UN University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Foundation for Studies and Research on International Development (FERDI). 

    Private sector participation 

    Highlights include four thematic sessions addressing key areas: climate-smart agriculture practices to improve food security and ensure sustainable agricultural development, sustainable water and energy solutions to enhance resilience, circular economy and green industrialization to promote diversification and resilience and targeted social protection programs to strengthen resilience to multiple shocks. 

    A High-level Dialogue will focus on financing strategies to support more resilient economies in LDCs, addressing the critical need for resources to combat economic instability, natural disasters and health emergencies.  

    Additionally, private sector representatives will participate in a Fireside Chat to examine how businesses can drive the transition toward a circular economy, fostering sustainable development and resilience in LDCs.  

    Discussions will centre on strategies for transitioning to a circular economy, building local capacity and skills, ensuring supply chain sustainability and promoting women’s participation in corporate sustainability planning. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How memes spread conspiracy theories – and what to consider before sharing one

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Emily Godwin, Senior Research Associate in Digital Marketing and Virtual Environments, University of Bristol, and PhD Candidate in Conspiracy Theories, University of Bath

    “I am become meme,” declared Elon Musk at the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference, just after hoisting a chainsaw – a gift from Argentina’s president, Javier Milei – above his head. The tech billionaire and head of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) was correct. Within hours, images of the moment had spread across social media, spawning countless edits, humorous remixes and sharp commentary.

    This moment was more than just a spectacle. It exemplified how, in a digital age where the battle for attention is paramount, memes are a key part of political conversation. While memes might seem purely entertaining, my research confirms their influence goes deeper, shaping and intensifying political views and attitudes in significant ways.

    The power of memes lies in their ability to distil complex ideas into instantly recognisable forms. They rely on established visual templates, which eliminate the need for lengthy explanations and communicate to the viewer how they should think about the topic of the meme.

    Distracted boyfriend (in which a man looks over his shoulder at an attractive woman to the annoyance of his girlfriend) is a perfect example. It succinctly communicates the universal experience of being tempted by one option while neglecting another – applicable to everything from consumer preferences to political allegiances.

    Distracted boyfriend meme.
    Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock

    However, this simplification can quickly become problematic when memes portray distorted or misleading views of reality.

    Harmful stereotypes, misinformation and conspiracy theories have all found their way into meme format. Memes can transmit dangerous ideas, cloaked in humour that makes them more palatable.

    Conspiracy theories and memes

    Conspiracy theories prove especially adaptable to the meme format. Their narratives rely heavily on simple “us v them” portrayals of enlightened truth-seekers standing up against powerful conspirators and an unaware or passive public.

    My analysis of hundreds of memes from COVID conspiracy communities on Reddit revealed a striking pattern: the same templates appeared repeatedly, reinforcing this simplistic but powerful dichotomy.

    Many memes portrayed conspiracy believers as enlightened truth-seekers. “Lisa Simpson’s Presentation”, showing the comic cartoon character confidently presenting to an audience, was commonly used to share claims that challenged mainstream narratives about science, medicine and the government.

    Other memes portrayed authorities as powerful manipulators. “Daily Struggle/Two Buttons”, showing a character sweating over which of two contradictory buttons to press, was commonly used to suggest that health officials and media outlets deliberately switched between opposing vaccination narratives when convenient.

    Most prevalent were portrayals of an unaware or passive public, with “NPC Wojak” – a grey, expressionless figure named after video game “non-playable characters” – presenting a visual shorthand. Those who followed public health advice and mandates were portrayed as mindless automatons, incapable of critical thinking or independent judgment.

    These kinds of meme did not just reflect existing beliefs – they actively shaped and intensified them. Through repeated exposure, these ideas became normalised and accepted as truth. Memes created a feedback loop where existing suspicions were validated, amplified and spread to others – with real-world effects.

    During the pandemic, conspiracy theories that were shared widely via memes led to real-world action, from vaccine refusal to violent global protests against public health mandates.

    The accessible humour of memes served as an entry point, attracting audiences who might have initially engaged with the content as “just jokes”, but subsequently adopted increasingly extreme perspectives.

    Elon Musk, before ‘becoming meme’.
    Joshua Sukoff/Shutterstock

    Think before sharing

    Given their power to influence political views and attitudes and to spread misinformation, it is important to think critically before sharing a meme. Here are some key pointers:

    1. Think about the hidden message

    Memes often use humour or exaggeration, but consider the underlying message. Is it simplifying a complex issue or distorting reality? Remember that memes can disguise the extremity of viewpoints, making them appear more familiar and acceptable.

    2. Identify who’s behind it

    Consider the source or origin of the meme. Who might benefit from spreading this message? Is it associated with extreme or conspiratorial communities? If you are unsure, a quick check on Know Your Meme or a reverse image search can provide helpful context.

    3. Check for implicit assumptions

    Memes often operate through implicit assumptions about society, expertise and evidence that go unstated. Ask yourself: what core beliefs must someone accept for this meme to make sense? For example, a meme mocking people who “trust the science” might contain the unstated assumption that scientific consensus is merely opinion, rather than evidence-based conclusion.

    4. Think about emotional manipulation

    Memes rely heavily on emotional reactions – often humour, anger, or outrage – to encourage rapid sharing. Before clicking “share”, reflect on whether you’re being manipulated emotionally into spreading an idea you wouldn’t openly support.

    5. Consider potential harm

    Ask yourself if sharing the meme could contribute to harm, whether by reinforcing harmful stereotypes, or spreading misinformation or conspiracy theories. Humour can disguise the impact of these ideas, making them seem acceptable when they aren’t.

    6. Remember that context matters

    A meme may seem funny or insightful on its own – but within wider conversations, it can take on new meanings. Consider how it might be interpreted alongside other messages circulating in similar spaces. Could it be contributing to a pattern of misinformation, division or trivialisation?

    Ultimately, becoming mindful of the memes we share isn’t about losing a sense of humour, it’s about gaining control over the ideas we help circulate. Before you click share, take a second to think – every meme you spread can affect how people see the world.

    Emily Godwin receives funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for her position as a PhD Candidate at the University of Bath.

    – ref. How memes spread conspiracy theories – and what to consider before sharing one – https://theconversation.com/how-memes-spread-conspiracy-theories-and-what-to-consider-before-sharing-one-252780

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: Triller Group Executives to Attend Exclusive Mar-a-Lago Luncheon Ahead of TikTok Ban

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    As TikTok ban nears, Triller makes moves to capture market share for its short-form video platform

    Los Angeles, CA, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Triller Group Inc. (“Triller” or “the Company is set to participate in an exclusive luncheon at President Donald J. Trump’s Palm Beach, Florida club Mar-a-Lago. Triller Group CEO Wing Fai Ng and CFO Mark Carbeck will represent the company at this prestigious gathering, marking Triller’s first official engagement at the esteemed venue.

    The luncheon presents a strategic opportunity for Triller to connect with new investors, forge key relationships, and explore potential growth avenues ahead of the impending TikTok ban, currently slated for April 5, 2025. As the Company continues to expand its influence in the digital and creator-driven economy, securing strong partnerships remains a top priority.

    “The Mar-a-Lago luncheon is the perfect forum for Triller to connect and engage with industry leaders who share our vision for innovation and disruption in the digital space,” said Wing Fai Ng, CEO of Triller Group. “This gathering gives us the opportunity to showcase Triller’s unique position at the intersection of AI, entertainment, and social media.”

    With a global footprint and a strong commitment to empowering creators, Triller continues to revolutionize digital engagement. The Company looks forward to leveraging this event to strengthen its financial strategy and drive future success.

    About Triller Group Inc.

    (Nasdaq: ILLR) Triller Group Inc. is a technology powerhouse with a portfolio of high-growth businesses poised to break through in the Creator Economy. Triller App is the most creator-focused social platform offering discovery, monetization, and ownership. Supported by Triller Platform, it serves as a cutting-edge social media platform designed for creators, offering innovative tools for content creation, marketing, and brand partnerships. It enables creators to connect with fans, monetize their work, and build meaningful relationships with brands.

    Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) stages live and streaming combat sports events that are rapidly gaining popularity with fans globally. With a focus on exciting matchups and high-energy performances, BKFC has established itself as the fastest-growing combat league in the industry. TrillerTV is Triller Group’s premier live streaming platform, showcasing a diverse array of in-house and third-party sports and entertainment content. With its robust infrastructure, TrillerTV is committed to delivering high-quality live events that captivate audiences and drive subscriber growth.

    Additionally, AGBA serves as a one-stop financial supermarket, providing independent distribution of a wide range of financial products and services. By connecting consumers with essential financial solutions, AGBA enhances Triller Group’s ecosystem, making it easier for users to access the tools they need for financial success.

    Together, these diverse businesses form a unique and integrated ecosystem that positions Triller Group at the forefront of innovation in social media, live entertainment, combat sports, and financial services. For more information about our businesses, visit www.trillercorp.com and www.agba.com.

    # # #

    Investor & Media Relations:
    Bethany Lai
    ir@triller.co

    Breanne Fritcher
    triller@wachsman.com

    Safe Harbor Statement

    This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. When the Company uses words such as “may,” “will,” “intend,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “estimate” or similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters, it is making forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations discussed in the forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, the following: the Company’s goals and strategies; the Company’s future business development; product and service demand and acceptance; changes in technology; economic conditions; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against us following the consummation of the business combination; expectations regarding our strategies and future financial performance, including its future business plans or objectives, prospective performance and opportunities and competitors, revenues, products, pricing, operating expenses, market trends, liquidity, cash flows and uses of cash, capital expenditures, and our ability to invest in growth initiatives and pursue acquisition opportunities; reputation and brand; the impact of competition and pricing; government regulations; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in Hong Kong and the international markets the Company plans to serve and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing and other risks contained in reports filed by the Company with the SEC, the length and severity of the recent coronavirus outbreak, including its impacts across our business and operations. For these reasons, among others, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional factors are discussed in the Company’s filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward–looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Installation of Covid Memorial art trail gets underway

    Source: Scotland – City of Edinburgh

    Work is now underway on the creation of a Covid memorial art trail in the Wardie Bay area of Edinburgh, designed to honour the experiences and resilience of the local community during the pandemic.

    The art trail along McKelvie Parade is intended to arouse curiosity and invite those using the space to pause and be present.

    The project, funded entirely by the Scottish Government and Greenspace Scotland through the Remembering Together initiative, is part of a national effort to reflect the diverse impacts of Covid across Scotland’s 32 local authorities. Across Scotland, local communities have engaged with commissioned artists and creative organisations to develop unique memorials that capture the collective and individual experiences of the pandemic.

    For Edinburgh, Greenspace Scotland has been working in collaboration with artist Skye Loneragan, supported by Artlink and the City of Edinburgh Council. The project has explored experiences of the pandemic, with the goal of highlighting the challenges faced by disabled people, while also celebrating their resilience and potential.

    Culture and Communities Convener Val Walker, said:

    Creating this Covid memorial pathway in Wardie Bay is an important step in acknowledging the shared experiences and challenges faced by our communities during the pandemic. This project provides a meaningful space for reflection for us all, and particularly for individuals with learning disabilities and their carers, who were disproportionately affected. Through collaboration with local artists and community groups, we are ensuring that these voices are not only heard but commemorated. This pathway will stand as a testament to the resilience, compassion, and strength shown by all during those difficult times.

    During Phase 1 of the project Skye, supported by artist Stewart Ennis collaborated with participants from the Maple Project and Lung Ha Theatre and reached out to the wider community through public interventions on the Granton Western Breakwater (Wardie Jetty). Participants were invited to share their memories, thoughts, and feelings about the pandemic and to develop ideas around how we process loss and create spaces for people to come together and reflect.

    The creative process focused on making sure the final art trail design was relevant, inclusive, and reflective of the varied experiences of the community. Concepts that emerged during the engagement phase include themes such as “getting away from it all but having somewhere to come back to,” “the tidal flow of the pandemic,” and “making hard things soft and rough things smooth.”

    The art trail at McKelvie Parade is a combination of several interventions along the route that arouse curiosity and invite those using the space to pause and be present. Art pieces have been created to reflect the tidal flow of the pandemic and include Leith West breakwater stones inscribed with words people told artists they would gift themselves if there were another pandemic (cash, giggles, music). The trail is book-ended by halved stone boulders placed apart and includes a smoothed patch of stone seawall with the invitation ‘Lean on me’, poetry at the entrance to the Bay, a Someone Missing bench co-created with a wheelchair user who described feeling held if there were grooves in the pavement, and a Something Missing Half with 2m distanced Stone seed. The trail includes twin milestone plaques that describe Time as a Feeling, and Distance as a relationship to friends and family.

    Lead artist Skye Loneragan said:

    Processing loss is so important. Covid often kept us (and still keeps many of us), at a distance with those we loved and might have been losing, or parts of ourselves we lost, or something and somewhere we love and might be unable to reach. This project deliberately seeks to work with people whose experiences are often excluded and I am always interested in how we can nurture our collective sanity, together, our interconnected well-being, through the huge diversity of life experiences that make up what is.

    Construction is expected to be complete by Friday 4 April.
     
     

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic – E-001040/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001040/2025/rev.1
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Gerald Hauser (PfE)

    In the official answer to my parliamentary question (11265/J), Austria’s Minister of the Interior, Gerhard Karner (ÖVP), stated that four pandemic simulation and preparation exercises had been run in the USA this millennium (Atlantic Storm, CLADE X, Event 201 and Spars Pandemic 2025-2028)[1]. In October 2019, in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security simulated a pandemic with a SARS-related coronavirus (Event 201). Moderna’s CEO, Stéphane Bancel, publicly stated that he informed his staff in 2019 that a pandemic would occur in 2020 and that Moderna would have to produce billions of doses of vaccines[2].

    • 1.As of when did the Commission and its agencies (in particular the EMA and the ECDC) know that a pandemic would occur in 2020?
    • 2.Did the Commission and its agencies participate in the above-mentioned simulation exercises or any other such exercises?
    • 3.In what form (human, financial, material, ideological, etc.) did the Commission provide support for simulation exercises to prepare for a pandemic?

    Submitted: 11.3.2025

    • [1] https://www.parlament.gv.at/gegenstand/XXVII/AB/11010
    • [2] https://www.weforum.org/meetings/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2023/sessions/state-of-the-pandemic/
    Last updated: 1 April 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Fly tipping blitz campaign and community lounge partnership shortlisted for national awards

    Source: City of Stoke-on-Trent

    Published: Tuesday, 1st April 2025

    An innovative community partnership that has helped more than 4,000 people access vital support and a council service leading a blitz on fly-tipping are up for awards that recognise local government.

    Environmental Services is nominated for ‘Best Council Services Team’ at the MJ Achievement Awards 2025, while the Communities Together scheme is up for the ‘Community Engagement Award’.

    The first relates to the IDIOT (Illegal Dumping in Our Towns) campaign, which was launched in 2023 after fly tipping emerged as a major concern during that year’s local elections. It pledged rapid responses to clearing dumped waste, tougher enforcement and educating the community.

    The initial aim was to clear 1,000 fly tipping incidents in the first 100 days and this was achieved in half the time. This initial crackdown resulted in 2,395 clearances of illegal waste, as well as 523 fixed penalty notices.

    By the end of 2024, 7,661 reported fly tipping incidents were cleared and the average time when responding to these fell to just 3.3 days on average (previously 13.1 days).

    This was an 84 per cent increase in reports on the previous 16 months – with the much-improved visual appearance of the city and the upsurge of civil pride amounts to a resounding success.

    In addition, Communities Together has evolved from the community and city council’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, becoming a local partnership programme to set up locations where people can easily access help, advice and support.

    There are now 18 community lounges across Stoke-on-Trent, with each one tailored to the unique needs and characteristics of their location – effectively helping reduce health inequalities.

    Through this more focused and preventative approach, Communities Together has helped reduce the stigma around seeking help, promoted independence and reduced pressure on other services.

    Since April 2024, the community lounges have helped 4,019 residents in a wide range of areas:

    • 1,273 people received emergency food provision
    • 783 people had help with financial matters
    • 737 people has help with housing
    • 196 people received mental health support
    • 159 people received help with homelessness

    Councillor Jane Ashworth, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “Having two projects receiving national recognition at the MJ Awards is an amazing achievement and a reflection of the hard work so many of the city council and our partners have put in to accomplish this.

    “By promoting community cohesion, we have been able to help and support residents in a variety of ways, whilst also helping communities look and feel healthier through the crackdown on fly tipping.

    “Congratulations to all involved on their hard work and dedication and wishing you the best of luck at the upcoming MJ Awards ceremony.”

    The winners of the MJ Awards will be announced at a ceremony at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge on Friday 20th June 2025.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Gender in Focus: African Development Bank’s support ignites the entrepreneurial spirit within Zimbabwean women

    Source: African Development Bank Group

    Turning Crisis into Opportunity: How Two Zimbabwean Women Entrepreneurs Are Building Thriving Businesses

    When the Covid-19 pandemic brought much of the world to a standstill, Yollanda Mambeu saw an opportunity in the crisis. Amid the strict lockdowns that shuttered countless businesses, she launched her dream venture —a cake shop in a high-density suburb of Mutare, Zimbabwe’s third-largest city.

    Since then, her ovens have rarely cooled. What began as a modest baking business has expanded into a thriving enterprise. Today, Mambeu supplies a wide range of baking products and accessories, from cake-making tools and spices to balloon stands, cake toppers, and edible image printing. She also offers baking lessons to aspiring entrepreneurs, aged 20 to 40, in smaller towns around Mutare.

    Mambeu now earns an average of $4,000 in monthly profit, with peaks of up to $5,000 during national holidays and festive periods. She attributes her success to training received under the Sustainable Enterprise Development of Women and Youth – Business Growth for Young Entrepreneurs project, funded by the African Development Bank. The programme, which promotes entrepreneurship and job creation, has reached 984 beneficiaries to date—over 68% of them women.

    Mambeu took part in two key training programmes: Sustainable and Resilient Enterprise and Improve Your Business, both funded by the Bank’s Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Multi-Donor Trust Fund and delivered by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe.

    “Before the training, I struggled with market visibility and branding,” she said. “I learned how to position my business, and now everything is branded—from shop windows to refrigerators. People immediately know what we offer. That change boosted our monthly profits from $1,000 to $4,000.”

    In January 2024, Mambeu formally registered her business as Yoyo’s Yummy Cakes and Baking Supplies and began advertising on local radio. The strategy paid off—by September, her customer base had quadrupled to 1,200 clients.

    Her growing brand has attracted the attention of large corporates. One of Zimbabwe’s largest milk producers appointed her as a brand ambassador, supplying her with baking milk. She now provides confectioneries to a commercial bank, the national revenue authority, and a local NGO, among other clients. To meet rising demand, she invested $2,500 in heavy-duty baking equipment and is planning to open both a bakery and a wholesale outlet.

    Mambeu’s story is echoed by Violet Mhute, a 44-year-old entrepreneur based in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city. Like Mambeu, she benefited from Bank-supported training—this time to help women entrepreneurs break into the male-dominated leather industry.

    Mhute founded Soko Genuine Leather in 2008 but initially struggled to establish herself in Zimbabwe’s $32 million leather sector. For years, she exported semi-processed hides to South Africa and the UK for low returns. Now, her business boasts a catalogue of high-quality leather goods—shoes, sandals, wallets, and belts—sold across Africa and beyond.

    “Entering the leather industry as a woman was tough. Accessing the right information was a constant battle,” Mhute said. “But the training gave me the tools and confidence to navigate those challenges.”

    With support from the African Development Bank and government policies that support local value addition, Mhute shifted from exporting raw materials to selling premium finished products. Her goods are now certified by the Standards Association of Zimbabwe, enabling her to participate in international expos and tap into new markets, including the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and the UK.

    She was also trained on how to expand her business under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework. The impact has been significant: monthly profits rose from $800 to $3,100.

    Violet Mhute, founder of Soko Genuine Leather, a leather production company.

    Mhute says she now employs five young people in her growing leather business.

    Dr. Martha Phiri, Director of Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development at the African Development Bank, says the success stories of Mambeu and Mhute reflect the Bank’s sustained commitment to private sector development—particularly micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

    “These efforts prioritize inclusion, with targeted support for underserved groups such as women and youth, ensuring equitable access to resources and opportunities,” said Phiri. “Through the Bank’s initiatives, we empower women entrepreneurs by providing technical assistance, skills training, and business development support.”

    Both Mambeu and Mhute say they are optimistic about the future and aim to grow their businesses further while creating jobs for others.

    “My dream goes beyond expanding my business,” said Mhute. “I want to establish an entrepreneurship institute that will help others break through the barriers in male-dominated industries—just as I have.”

    Since its launch in 2017, the Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-Donor Trust Fund has been a key catalyst for entrepreneurs like Mambeu and Mhute. The fund supports the African Development Bank’s Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy, providing grants to empower youth-led start-ups and MSMEs operating in both the formal and informal sectors.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: 100 million milestone leaves NZ increasingly isolated

    Source: ACT Party

    “Data collected by Bloomberg shows the milestone of 100 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine administered worldwide has been passed, leaving big questions for the Government about where New Zealand will stand relative to other countries as the worldwide programme continues,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

    “If the medical regulator gives the all-clear to New Zealand’s first vaccine today it won’t change anything, we still won’t have any vaccine for months.

    “A very effective spin campaign is being waged whereby commentators well-disposed to the Government tell us we should actually be thankful to be at the back of the queue for rolling out coronavirus vaccines.

    “We’re being told we’ve done so well we can afford to wait, but the opposite is true.

    “Despite well publicised issues with supply, there are almost as many people being vaccinated every day across the planet as there are people in New Zealand – 4.25 million in the latest count – and the figure is rising daily.

    “A week ago in was little more than 3 million.

    “Being at the back of the queue for vaccination means being at the back of the queue re-integrating with the countries we want to travel to, trade with and invest in.

    “It’s inevitable that by the middle of the year there will be essentially open borders between the countries that have moved fastest to vaccinate, and that network will grow exponentially.

    “A Covid-19 vaccination passport will become your ticket to freedom, yet New Zealanders are going to be forced to watch on, locked down in a largely Covid free country.

    “Just how is that a good outcome?

    “Shouldn’t our Government have done a better job of prioritising our recovery from the pandemic?”

    ENDS

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: $10m a month wasted on redundant contact tracing

    Source: ACT Party

    “ACT can reveal that taxpayers are footing the bill for pointless contact tracing that should have been scrapped when Omicron made it redundant,” says ACT’s Leader David Seymour.

    “Written parliamentary questions show the Government is still spending $10.2 million a month on contact tracing, despite contact tracers being unable to reach enough potential contacts or fast enough to ever be of any use in light of Omicron’s higher transmissibility.

    “The Government’s response to COVID has become increasingly costly and ineffective as the virus has evolved they’ve failed to change with it. Now we’re stuck with redundant policies that were designed for a different variant and exist only as a financial burden.

    “The reality is that most people don’t even report their positive results anyway.

    “$10 million would fund 33 cystic fibrosis patients with Trifakta for a year, 71,000 mental health counselling sessions, and is ten times more than what Hospice NZ needs – but this Government seems to think it is better off spent on empty call centres that are providing no benefit to New Zealanders.

    “ACT says that any COVID restrictions or services that aren’t protecting our health system in any tangible way should just go. They’re a needless expense at a time when reckless Government spending is fuelling out of control domestic inflation.

    “Getting rid of contact tracing would save taxpayers millions and is an important symbol that we’re moving on and getting our way of life back. It should be done immediately.”

    The Written Parliamentary Question can be found here.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: 24 day isolation rule non-announcement unprofessional and unworkable

    Source: ACT Party

    “New COVID isolation rules for Omicron are unworkable, and the way they were dumped on the Ministry of Health website on a Friday afternoon is unprofessional,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

    “Late on Friday, rules appeared on the Ministry of Health website to the effect that a person who tests positive must isolate for 14 days, and household members must isolate for a further 10 days.

    “The way this has been announced, or rather not announced, echoes the cancellation of the 20 January MIQ lottery. That lottery was cancelled on the website of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, that was deleted and later confirmed in the form of a tweet. This is not leadership of communication in the middle of a pandemic.

    “A Government prepared for Omicron would make clear announcements, rather than slipping critical details about isolation onto websites on Friday afternoon. Instead they have buried the rules on the Ministry of Health website with no formal announcement.

    “The rules announced are unworkable, they will lead to a domino effect where a household can be down for a month. The Ministry of Health website says ‘The isolation period for COVID-19 cases in the community is at least 14 days, including 72 hours symptom-free,’ and ‘Your household members will need to remain in isolation for at least 10 days after you have been released as a case. This means they will need to be in isolation for longer than you as the case will [sic].’

    “The effect is that if you test positive, members of your household may have to isolate for 24 days. People who cannot afford that will have a strong incentive not to get tested, defeating the purpose of the policy. If the advice is taken seriously, it will cripple the health workforce and supply chains more generally.

    “New Zealand’s advantage with COVID is that we can learn from other countries, but we are doing the opposite here. Other countries are loosening their isolation requirements to keep hospitals opening and supermarkets shelves full, but we are tightening ours.

    “By contrast, isolation rules in the UK were changed on Monday so that all people in the household of a case can leave isolation after five days if they have negative tests on two consecutive days. They have done this because their previous isolation rules devastated supply chains.

    “In New South Wales, cases are required to isolate for 14 days but critical workers can leave earlier. Unlike New Zealand, New South Wales does not automatically deem household members as close contacts and require them to isolate. It allows people to use their judgement.

    “The Government badly needs to front on this issue. It needs to explain why these rules are put in place, and why it believes the benefits of an isolation regime stricter than any other country bar China is justified. It should release the modelling it has relied on in an open and transparent way, the way this Government once promised to act.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How to talk with children about Canada-U.S. tensions

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jean-François Bureau, Professor, School of Psychology, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

    Mainstream public discourse in the first months of 2025 have been dominated by tensions between Canada and United States. These include references to Canada becoming annexed as the 51st American state and the trade war, with threats and the application of tariffs by the U.S. and counter-tariffs by Canada.

    While this political climate brings uncertainty at an international level, it comes with fear of job loss for many Canadians at a time when the cost of living is already straining many families’ finances.



    Read more:
    Canadians are feeling increasingly powerless amid economic struggles and rising inequality

    These topics may appear to be concerns for adults, but children may also feel the effects. As psychology researchers studying parent-child relationships and child mental health, we believe it is important to consider children’s potential fears and anxiety in the current political climate.

    Here, we explain why it’s important to address this topic with children, and how parents can do so in a reassuring and informative manner.

    Children’s concerns and emotions

    While the economy and politics could seem like topics that children would not really care about, recent research suggests that many children and youth actually worry about these topics.

    Back in 2020, American parents of children aged six to 17 years old were asked to rate their child’s anxiety about political news, in terms of voting issues covered in media since the 2016 election. According to the study by psychology researcher Nicole E. Caporino and colleagues, 36 per cent of children worried about the U.S. getting into war, and 37 per cent worried about their family’s finances.

    Studies suggest children worry about issues affecting their families.
    (Shutterstock)

    Similarly, studies elsewhere suggest children and youth worry about issues affecting their families. Based on these numbers, we can assume that many Canadian children also worry about the current Canada-U.S. political climate.

    Of course, it’s worth remembering not all families experience political and economic events in the same way. For example, children whose families face economic precarity are likely already living with stressors affecting their households like unemployment or food insecurity. Current tensions may also exacerbate children’s existing concerns.

    Given that children may be concerned and worried, some parents may intuitively seek to avoid the topic with children to avoid provoking more distress. However, discussing a stressful event can actually decrease the distress felt towards it.

    When children are able to talk about what concerns them with their parents, they learn important emotional regulation and coping skills. For example, they learn how to identify and understand their emotions, and how to regulate those emotions. Discussions between parents and children also help foster a climate of trust, in which children feel like they can rely on their parents in moments of need.

    Noticing, tackling children’s anxiety and fears

    Children may not always have the words to articulate their concerns in the same way that adults do. Parents should watch for anxiety symptoms in their children, which may manifest in various ways, including having mood changes, being more irritable or sad, having difficulty sleeping, being more clingy than usual, or withdrawing from activities. There are also signs that may be harder to spot.

    We present five ways to address the situation with your children:

    1. Use direct questions to understand how children feel. Direct questions can help understand how children feel. For example, you may ask: “What have you heard about what’s happening?” or “How do you feel about it?” These questions can help understand what specifically is scary to them.

    Children could be worried about no longer seeing family in the U.S., or some may even fear a military clash.
    (Shutterstock)

    This is especially important given that children tend to worry about different things than adults. For example, younger children with family in the U.S. may worry they will no longer be able to see their family members anymore. Older children may be worried about a parent losing a job, the country’s economic instability or environmental impacts. Some children may even fear a military clash.

    2. Be sensitive to how the conflict is presented. In the media, it is common to refer to the diplomatic and economic tensions as a “trade war.” While adults understand that trade wars do not involve military attacks, this concept is much more abstract for children.

    Hearing the word “war” may trigger difficult images for them, including armed soldiers, weapons and devastation. This is especially true for children with lived experience of war, political conflict or displacement.



    Read more:
    Coronavirus isn’t the end of ‘childhood innocence,’ but an opportunity to rethink children’s rights

    It’s important to reframe the conflict in ways that children can understand. For example, parents can compare the conflict between two children. Parents might say: “You know when there are two children upset with each other at school, and they have a big disagreement. Sometimes it can take a lot of time to find a solution that works for everyone. The conflict between Canada and the U.S. is a bit like that. It could take a lot of time and trouble to find a solution.”

    3. Avoid misinformation. When discussing these topics, parents should seek to clarify any misinformation and provide reassurance. They should also help ensure children receive information from credible sources rather than social media or peers, who may sensationalize or misinterpret events. Providing factual but age-appropriate explanations is a key ingredient in mitigating fear and uncertainty.

    4. Focus on co-operation and opportunities instead of boycotting.

    Many Canadian families are choosing to boycott American products. In order to ease the emotional burden on children, it can be helpful to reframe the boycott as an opportunity for co-operation. For instance, parents can highlight how they are trying to support local businesses.

    Similarly, for families with resources to travel, changes in travel plans can be framed as a way to discover new places. A parent might frame it as: “This year, instead of going to the beach, we’re going to be exploring some incredible places closer to home. We’re going to have so much fun trying new things!” This approach creates curiosity and control, not anxiety. It can also be beneficial for children’s development to learn to be more flexible with change.



    Read more:
    When Canadian snowbirds don’t flock south, the costs are more than financial

    5. Create a sense of normalcy and routine. As important as it is to validate children’s fears, it is equally important to help them maintain a sense of normalcy. Families should strive to balance discussions about the trade war and its potential ramifications with more light, mundane topics. Similarly, limiting the time that children watch the news or when it is audible can help limit further concerns from developing.

    Routines are also beneficial for children’s development and well-being. Maintaining a predictable schedule, such as a bedtime routine, can help children feel safe and less anxious. Focus on adding fun and soothing activities to the daily routine. This lets children know life goes on.

    Navigating turbulent times

    As the trade war with the U.S. plays out, parents should consider how it may impact their children’s emotions and sense of safety. Even serious conflicts such as this one don’t last forever, and solutions will come.

    In the meantime, parents can help children cope with these challenging times by offering age-appropriate explanations and encouraging resilience.

    Jean-François Bureau receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Consortium National de Formation en Santé.

    Audrey-Ann Deneault receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Centre de recherche universitaire sur les jeunes et les familles.

    – ref. How to talk with children about Canada-U.S. tensions – https://theconversation.com/how-to-talk-with-children-about-canada-u-s-tensions-252435

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How to talk to children about the Canada-U.S. tensions

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jean-François Bureau, Professor, School of Psychology, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

    Mainstream public discourse in the first months of 2025 have been dominated by tensions between Canada and United States. These include references to Canada becoming annexed as the 51st American state and the trade war, with threats and the application of tariffs by the U.S. and counter-tariffs by Canada.

    While this political climate brings uncertainty at an international level, it comes with fear of job loss for many Canadians at a time when the cost of living is already straining many families’ finances.



    Read more:
    Canadians are feeling increasingly powerless amid economic struggles and rising inequality

    These topics may appear to be concerns for adults, but children may also feel the effects. As psychology researchers studying parent-child relationships and child mental health, we believe it is important to consider children’s potential fears and anxiety in the current political climate.

    Here, we explain why it’s important to address this topic with children, and how parents can do so in a reassuring and informative manner.

    Children’s concerns and emotions

    While the economy and politics could seem like topics that children would not really care about, recent research suggests that many children and youth actually worry about these topics.

    Back in 2020, American parents of children aged six to 17 years old were asked to rate their child’s anxiety about political news, in terms of voting issues covered in media since the 2016 election. According to the study by psychology researcher Nicole E. Caporino and colleagues, 36 per cent of children worried about the U.S. getting into war, and 37 per cent worried about their family’s finances.

    Studies suggest children worry about issues affecting their families.
    (Shutterstock)

    Similarly, studies elsewhere suggest children and youth worry about issues affecting their families. Based on these numbers, we can assume that many Canadian children also worry about the current Canada-U.S. political climate.

    Of course, it’s worth remembering not all families experience political and economic events in the same way. For example, children whose families face economic precarity are likely already living with stressors affecting their households like unemployment or food insecurity. Current tensions may also exacerbate children’s existing concerns.

    Given that children may be concerned and worried, some parents may intuitively seek to avoid the topic with children to avoid provoking more distress. However, discussing a stressful event can actually decrease the distress felt towards it.

    When children are able to talk about what concerns them with their parents, they learn important emotional regulation and coping skills. For example, they learn how to identify and understand their emotions, and how to regulate those emotions. Discussions between parents and children also help foster a climate of trust, in which children feel like they can rely on their parents in moments of need.

    Noticing, tackling children’s anxiety and fears

    Children may not always have the words to articulate their concerns in the same way that adults do. Parents should watch for anxiety symptoms in their children, which may manifest in various ways, including having mood changes, being more irritable or sad, having difficulty sleeping, being more clingy than usual, or withdrawing from activities. There are also signs that may be harder to spot.

    We present five ways to address the situation with your children:

    1. Use direct questions to understand how children feel. Direct questions can help understand how children feel. For example, you may ask: “What have you heard about what’s happening?” or “How do you feel about it?” These questions can help understand what specifically is scary to them.

    Children could be worried about no longer seeing family in the U.S., or some may even fear a military clash.
    (Shutterstock)

    This is especially important given that children tend to worry about different things than adults. For example, younger children with family in the U.S. may worry they will no longer be able to see their family members anymore. Older children may be worried about a parent losing a job, the country’s economic instability or environmental impacts. Some children may even fear a military clash.

    2. Be sensitive to how the conflict is presented. In the media, it is common to refer to the diplomatic and economic tensions as a “trade war.” While adults understand that trade wars do not involve military attacks, this concept is much more abstract for children.

    Hearing the word “war” may trigger difficult images for them, including armed soldiers, weapons and devastation. This is especially true for children with lived experience of war, political conflict or displacement.



    Read more:
    Coronavirus isn’t the end of ‘childhood innocence,’ but an opportunity to rethink children’s rights

    It’s important to reframe the conflict in ways that children can understand. For example, parents can compare the conflict between two children. Parents might say: “You know when there are two children upset with each other at school, and they have a big disagreement. Sometimes it can take a lot of time to find a solution that works for everyone. The conflict between Canada and the U.S. is a bit like that. It could take a lot of time and trouble to find a solution.”

    3. Avoid misinformation. When discussing these topics, parents should seek to clarify any misinformation and provide reassurance. They should also help ensure children receive information from credible sources rather than social media or peers, who may sensationalize or misinterpret events. Providing factual but age-appropriate explanations is a key ingredient in mitigating fear and uncertainty.

    4. Focus on co-operation and opportunities instead of boycotting.

    Many Canadian families are choosing to boycott American products. In order to ease the emotional burden on children, it can be helpful to reframe the boycott as an opportunity for co-operation. For instance, parents can highlight how they are trying to support local businesses.

    Similarly, for families with resources to travel, changes in travel plans can be framed as a way to discover new places. A parent might frame it as: “This year, instead of going to the beach, we’re going to be exploring some incredible places closer to home. We’re going to have so much fun trying new things!” This approach creates curiosity and control, not anxiety. It can also be beneficial for children’s development to learn to be more flexible with change.



    Read more:
    When Canadian snowbirds don’t flock south, the costs are more than financial

    5. Create a sense of normalcy and routine. As important as it is to validate children’s fears, it is equally important to help them maintain a sense of normalcy. Families should strive to balance discussions about the trade war and its potential ramifications with more light, mundane topics. Similarly, limiting the time that children watch the news or when it is audible can help limit further concerns from developing.

    Routines are also beneficial for children’s development and well-being. Maintaining a predictable schedule, such as a bedtime routine, can help children feel safe and less anxious. Focus on adding fun and soothing activities to the daily routine. This lets children know life goes on.

    Navigating turbulent times

    As the trade war with the U.S. plays out, parents should consider how it may impact their children’s emotions and sense of safety. Even serious conflicts such as this one don’t last forever, and solutions will come.

    In the meantime, parents can help children cope with these challenging times by offering age-appropriate explanations and encouraging resilience.

    Jean-François Bureau receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Consortium National de Formation en Santé.

    Audrey-Ann Deneault receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Centre de recherche universitaire sur les jeunes et les familles.

    – ref. How to talk to children about the Canada-U.S. tensions – https://theconversation.com/how-to-talk-to-children-about-the-canada-u-s-tensions-252435

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How viruses blur the boundaries of life

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Heshmat Borhani, Lecturer in Bioinformatics, University of Nottingham

    Cryptographer/Shutterstock

    When people talk about the coronavirus, they sometimes describe this invisible entity as if it has a personality and even a conscience. If you ask a biology or medical student what a virus is, they will tell you that a virus is not a living organism, or at most that it exists at the border between living and dead – a kind of walking dead.

    For biologists who specialise in virology, however, this view is not clear-cut. Scientists still disagree on whether viruses are truly alive or not.

    What scientists can agree on is that a virus adapts to new conditions, evolves and sometimes harms humans. It is also an infectious agent that can only replicate within a host organism such as bacteria, plants or animals.

    The boundary between being alive and dead is a concept with no specific criteria. So to help you think about whether viruses are alive, I will talk you through some of the different definitions of life in science.

    Throughout history, scientists have debated the definition of life and researchers from different fields still disagree. This debate shapes scientific understanding and influences public health decisions – for example, defining whether viruses are “alive” affects how we design vaccines and strategies to stop their spread.

    Biologists may refer you to Erwin Schrödinger’s definition of life. Schrödinger was an Austrian Nobel-prize winning physicist who published a book in 1944 called What is Life? He was one of the first scientists to try to define life and is perhaps better known in popular culture for his “Schrödinger’s cat” thought experiment.

    He proposed that life is a form of negative “entropy”, a scientific concept that explains how disordered something is. A physical system will always increase in entropy/disorder unless we insert energy to change this process. Schrödinger thought living things create and maintain order by using energy.

    For example, a messy bedroom doesn’t clean itself, but a person can tidy it. Organisms do something similar at the molecular level. DNA is highly structured, allowing it to store genetic information. Proteins fold into specific shapes to function properly. In contrast, after an organism dies, its molecules break down, increasing disorder.

    Schrödinger later revised his view – around the 1950s – suggesting that life depends on free energy. Free energy is the energy that drives chemical reactions in living things. This marked a shift from focusing on order (negative entropy) to emphasising energy as essential for life.

    The coronavirus took on a personality for many people.
    creativeneko/Shutterstock

    In the mid-20th century, scientists switched from defining life to describing its key characteristics. Studying organisms such as bacteria, plants and animals, they identified common traits, setting a precedent still followed today.

    Rather than seeking a single definition, researchers classify entities based on these traits. To decide whether a virus is alive, researchers assess how well it meets these criteria.

    According to biology, the smallest unit of life is the cell. A cell is an independent unit which makes functional molecules (such as proteins and enzymes). Cells can use their own molecules to replicate genetic material independently. A virus also has genetic material but needs to use the host cell’s enzymes to make functional molecules or replicate its genetic material.

    Put simply, a virus does not replicate or function independently. So by the biological definition, a virus cannot be categorised as a living organism.

    But from a genetic and evolutionary point of view a living organism is defined by its ability to reproduce. A person who does not have children is still considered to be alive as they are part of the gene pool and descended from people who did have children. From this view a virus is alive, since it can produce similar offspring.

    Some scientists also focus on metabolism and energy production as criteria for life. Metabolism includes catabolism (breaking down molecules like sugars during digestion) and anabolism (building molecules like muscle tissue), linking energy and material. These reactions require molecular structures to generate or use energy – structures viruses lack.

    Does that mean viruses aren’t alive? An amoeba, for instance, uses nutrients and enzymes to sustain itself, while viruses rely entirely on a host. From this perspective, viruses don’t meet the metabolic criteria for life. However, some argue that since viruses hijack a host’s metabolism to replicate, they show life-like behaviour.

    If we consider nutrients to be sources of free energy, a cell uses energy from the environment to build what it needs. As the cell absorbs energy from the environment, it builds and maintains its internal structures – like proteins and membranes.

    It also releases a byproduct – carbon dioxide – that contributes to disorder in the external environment. Viruses also do this. They make their structures by using the external environment, a host cell in this case. The viruses’ byproducts may be what makes us sick.

    As we explore the complexities of biology, it becomes clear that defining life itself is anything but straightforward. Viruses display both life-like and non-living traits, which influences how we approach treatments like antiviral drugs designed to block their replication inside host cells.

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

    – ref. How viruses blur the boundaries of life – https://theconversation.com/how-viruses-blur-the-boundaries-of-life-230802

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Doctor shortages have hobbled health care for decades − and the trend could be worsening

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Rochelle Walensky, Bayer Fellow in Health and Biotech, American Academy in Berlin, Senior Fellow in the Women and Public Policy Program, Harvard Kennedy School

    Specialists across numerous fields of medicine are in short supply. sudok1/iStock via Getty Images

    Americans are increasingly waiting weeks or even months to get an appointment to see a health care specialist.

    This delay comes at a time when the population of aging adults is rising dramatically. By 2050, the number of adults over 85 is expected to triple, which will intensify the strain on an already stretched health care system. We wrote about this worsening challenge and its implications for the health care workforce in a January 2025 report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

    We are health care scholars who are acutely aware of the severe shortfall of specialists in America’s health care system. One of us, Rochelle Walensky, witnessed the consequences of this shortage firsthand as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from January 2020 to June 2023, during the critical early years of the pandemic.

    The COVID-19 pandemic brought the physician and overall health care workforce shortage to the forefront. Amid the excess daily deaths in the U.S. from COVID-19, many people died of potentially preventable deaths due to delayed care for heart attacks, deferred cancer screenings and overwhelmed emergency departments and intensive care units.

    Even before the pandemic, 80% of U.S. counties lacked a single infectious disease physician. Before going to the CDC, I – Dr. Walensky – was chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital. When COVID-19 hit our hospitals, we were in desperate need of more infectious disease expertise. I was just one of them.

    At the local level, these infectious disease-trained subspecialists provide essential services when it comes to preventing and controlling transmissible outbreaks, carrying out diagnostic testing, developing treatment guidelines, informing hospital capacity planning and offering resources for community outreach. Each of these experts plays a vital role at the bedside and in systems management toward effective clinical, hospital and community responses to infectious disease outbreaks.

    Uneven health care outcomes and access

    For decades, experts have warned of an impending decline in the physician workforce.

    Now, Americans across all regions, specialties and socioeconomic backgrounds are experiencing that decline firsthand or personally.

    The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis projects a national shortage of 140,000 physicians by 2036, with that shortfall spanning multiple specialties, including primary care, obstetrics, cardiology and geriatrics.

    However, some geographic areas in the country – especially some of those with the poorest health – are disproportionately affected. The brunt of the effect will be felt in rural areas: An estimated 56% shortage is predicted in nonmetro areas, versus only 6% in metro areas.

    States such as Massachusetts, New York and Maryland boast the highest density of physicians per 100,000 people, while states such as Idaho, Mississippi and Oklahoma rank among those with the lowest. And even in states with the highest physician density, demand may still overwhelm access.

    Although doctor shortages do not necessarily cause poor health outcomes, regions with fewer physicians tend to have lower life expectancy. The mean life expectancy in Mississippi is six years lower than that of Hawaii and more than four years below the national average. This underscores the substantial differences in health outcomes depending on where you live in the U.S.

    Notably, areas with fewer doctors also see higher rates of chronic conditions such as chronic pulmonary disease, diabetes and poor mental health. This crisis is further exacerbated by the aging baby boomer population, which places increasing demand on an already strained health care system due to rising rates – especially among those over 85 – of multiple chronic diseases, complex health care needs and the concurrent use of multiple medications.

    Rural areas have always had lower access to medical care compared with urban centers, and this divide could get far worse with the looming physician shortage.
    Chalabala/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    How the US reached this point

    Some of these workforce challenges stem from the unintended consequences of policy changes that were originally aimed at improving the rigor of medical education or curtailing a once-anticipated physician glut.

    For example, the 1910 Flexner Report was commissioned to restructure American medical education with the goals of standardizing curricula and improving quality. While the report succeeded at those goals, it was shortsighted in important ways. For instance, it recommended closing rather than strengthening 89 of the 155 existing medical schools at the time. This created medical school deserts that persist in some U.S. regions to this day.

    Additionally, the report further divided the study of medicine, focused on disease, from the study of public health, which is focused on health care systems, populations and society. This separation has led to siloed communication and data systems that continue to hinder coordinated responses to public health crises.

    Decades after the Flexner Report, in 1980, policymakers anticipated a physician oversupply based on medical school enrollment projections and government investments in the medical workforce. In response, funding constraints were introduced by Congress to limit residency and fellowship training slots available after medical school.

    But by the early 2000s, discussions shifted to concerns about physician shortages. Despite the calls for reforms to address the issues more than a decade ago, the funding and training constraints have remained largely unchanged. These have created a persistent bottleneck in postgraduate medical training that requires acts of Congress to reverse.

    Primary care doctors provide continuity for patients; without them, people tend to experience more complex health care needs and poorer outcomes.

    Forces shaping the physician bottleneck

    In the wake of the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, states with restrictive abortion policies are now facing an emerging and troubling workforce challenge: It may get more difficult to recruit and retain tomorrow’s medical school grads.

    Research surveys suggest that 82% of future physicians, not just obstetricians, prefer to train and work in states that uphold abortion access. While it may seem obvious that obstetricians would want to avoid the increasing liabilities associated with the Dobbs decision, another point is less obvious: Most medical trainees are between the ages of 25 and 35, prime childbearing years, and may themselves want access to a full range of obstetric care.

    And given that 20% of physicians are married to other physicians and an additional 25% to other health professionals, marriage within the health care workforce may also play a substantial role. A physician choosing not to practice in one of the 14 states with limited abortion access, many of which already rank among the poorest in health outcomes and lowest in physician densities, may not only take their expertise but also their partner’s elsewhere.

    Shifting the trajectory

    The doctor shortage requires a combination of solutions, starting with addressing the high cost of medical education and training. Medical school enrollment has increased by only 10% over the past decade, far insufficient to address both the shortage today and the projected growth of the aging population needing care.

    In addition, many students carry large amounts of debt, which frequently limits who can pursue the profession. And existing scholarship and compensation programs have been only modestly effective in incentivizing providers to work in high-need areas.

    In our New England Journal of Medicine report, we laid out several specific strategies that could help address the shortages and the potential workforce crisis. For instance:

    Rather than the traditional medical education model – four years of broad medical training followed by three to seven years of residency – medical schools could offer more specialized training pathways. These streamlined programs would focus on the skills needed for specific medical specialties, potentially reducing training duration and costs.

    Reforming physician compensation could also help address imbalances in the health care system. Specialists and subspecialists typically earn substantially more than primary care doctors, despite the high demand for primary care. Raising primary care salaries and offering incentives, such as student loan forgiveness for physicians in high-need areas, could encourage more doctors to practice where they are needed most.

    Additionally, addressing physician burnout is crucial, particularly in primary care, where administrative burdens such as billing and charting contribute to stress and attrition. Reducing these burdens, potentially through novel AI-driven solutions, could allow doctors to focus more on patient care and less on paperwork.

    These are just an assortment of strategies we propose, and time is of the essence. One thing is certain: The U.S. urgently needs more doctors, and everyone’s health depends on it.

    Dr Rochelle P. Walensky is the Bayer Fellow in Health and Biotech, American Academy in Berlin. She reported receiving personal fees from Madryn Asset Management for serving as a senior policy advisor, Consonance Capital for serving as a senior advisory board member, and Doris Duke Foundation for serving as a trustee; consulting fees from Infectious Diseases Society of America; and nonfinancial support from The Carter Center for being a member of the board of directors outside the submitted work.

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

    – ref. Doctor shortages have hobbled health care for decades − and the trend could be worsening – https://theconversation.com/doctor-shortages-have-hobbled-health-care-for-decades-and-the-trend-could-be-worsening-251222

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How viruses blur the the boundaries of life

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Heshmat Borhani, Lecturer in in Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Nottingham

    Cryptographer/Shutterstock

    When people talk about the coronavirus, they sometimes describe this invisible entity as if it has a personality and even a conscience. If you ask a biology or medical student what a virus is, they will tell you that a virus is not a living organism, or at most that it exists at the border between living and dead – a kind of walking dead.

    For biologists who specialise in virology, however, this view is not clear-cut. Scientists still disagree on whether viruses are truly alive or not.

    What scientists can agree on is that a virus adapts to new conditions, evolves and sometimes harms humans. It is also an infectious agent that can only replicate within a host organism such as bacteria, plants or animals.

    The boundary between being alive and dead is a concept with no specific criteria. So to help you think about whether viruses are alive, I will talk you through some of the different definitions of life in science.

    Throughout history, scientists have debated the definition of life and researchers from different fields still disagree. This debate shapes scientific understanding and influences public health decisions – for example, defining whether viruses are “alive” affects how we design vaccines and strategies to stop their spread.

    Biologists may refer you to Erwin Schrödinger’s definition of life. Schrödinger was an Austrian Nobel-prize winning physicist who published a book in 1944 called What is Life? He was one of the first scientists to try to define life and is perhaps better known in popular culture for his “Schrödinger’s cat” thought experiment.

    He proposed that life is a form of negative “entropy”, a scientific concept that explains how disordered something is. A physical system will always increase in entropy/disorder unless we insert energy to change this process. Schrödinger thought living things create and maintain order by using energy.

    For example, a messy bedroom doesn’t clean itself, but a person can tidy it. Organisms do something similar at the molecular level. DNA is highly structured, allowing it to store genetic information. Proteins fold into specific shapes to function properly. In contrast, after an organism dies, its molecules break down, increasing disorder.

    Schrödinger later revised his view – around the 1950s – suggesting that life depends on free energy. Free energy is the energy that drives chemical reactions in living things. This marked a shift from focusing on order (negative entropy) to emphasising energy as essential for life.

    The coronavirus took on a personality for many people.
    creativeneko/Shutterstock

    In the mid-20th century, scientists switched from defining life to describing its key characteristics. Studying organisms such as bacteria, plants and animals, they identified common traits, setting a precedent still followed today.

    Rather than seeking a single definition, researchers classify entities based on these traits. To decide whether a virus is alive, researchers assess how well it meets these criteria.

    According to biology, the smallest unit of life is the cell. A cell is an independent unit which makes functional molecules (such as proteins and enzymes). Cells can use their own molecules to replicate genetic material independently. A virus also has genetic material but needs to use the host cell’s enzymes to make functional molecules or replicate its genetic material.

    Put simply, a virus does not replicate or function independently. So by the biological definition, a virus cannot be categorised as a living organism.

    But from a genetic and evolutionary point of view a living organism is defined by its ability to reproduce. A person who does not have children is still considered to be alive as they are part of the gene pool and descended from people who did have children. From this view a virus is alive, since it can produce similar offspring.

    Some scientists also focus on metabolism and energy production as criteria for life. Metabolism includes catabolism (breaking down molecules like sugars during digestion) and anabolism (building molecules like muscle tissue), linking energy and material. These reactions require molecular structures to generate or use energy – structures viruses lack.

    Does that mean viruses aren’t alive? An amoeba, for instance, uses nutrients and enzymes to sustain itself, while viruses rely entirely on a host. From this perspective, viruses don’t meet the metabolic criteria for life. However, some argue that since viruses hijack a host’s metabolism to replicate, they show life-like behaviour.

    If we consider nutrients to be sources of free energy, a cell uses energy from the environment to build what it needs. As the cell absorbs energy from the environment, it builds and maintains its internal structures – like proteins and membranes.

    It also releases a byproduct – carbon dioxide – that contributes to disorder in the external environment. Viruses also do this. They make their structures by using the external environment, a host cell in this case. The viruses’ byproducts may be what makes us sick.

    As we explore the complexities of biology, it becomes clear that defining life itself is anything but straightforward. Viruses display both life-like and non-living traits, which influences how we approach treatments like antiviral drugs designed to block their replication inside host cells.

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

    – ref. How viruses blur the the boundaries of life – https://theconversation.com/how-viruses-blur-the-the-boundaries-of-life-230802

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Ghana’s e-levy: 3 lessons from the abolished mobile money tax

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Max Gallien, Research Fellow, Institute of Development Studies

    The first budget speech of Ghana’s new government on 11 March painted a picture of an economy in crisis, facing high debt and fiscal mismanagement. The finance minister, Cassiel Ato Forson, acknowledged that key International Monetary Fund performance targets would be missed and announced drastic spending cuts.

    However, most Ghanaians just wanted to know whether the minister would announce the scrapping of the country’s electronic transfer levy (or e-tax), as he’d indicated he would.

    He did, a decision parliament endorsed unanimously the next day.

    The e-levy, a fee on mobile money transactions, was introduced in 2022. Ghanaians immediately united around the issue in fierce opposition, a sentiment that grew as the tax took effect.



    Read more:
    Ghana’s e-levy is unfair to the poor and misses its revenue target: a lesson in mobile money tax design

    Both major parties had campaigned for its removal in the run-up to elections held in December 2024.

    How did the e-levy become so unpopular, and what will repealing it mean?

    Over three years, researchers from the International Centre for Tax and Development worked with partners in Ghana to study the e-levy as part of our Digitax research programme. This study generated knowledge and evidence at the interface of digital financial services, digital identities and tax.

    The e-levy’s intense politicisation and complex design made it an interesting case of a wider trend of mobile money taxes in the region. We learned more about the e-levy’s impact on informal sector workers in Accra, knowledge and sentiments, registered merchant exemptions and mobile money usage.

    Based on this research, three key lessons emerge.

    Firstly, like other taxes on mobile money, the e-levy has come to be an important source of revenue in Ghana, even if it did not live up to initial optimistic estimates of its potential.

    Secondly, beyond the revenue it raised directly, the real potential of the e-levy – and loss if it is completely abolished – lay in the data it produced. It was enabling the Ghana Revenue Authority to uncover users with significant incomes who were not registered for income tax.

    Thirdly, the new consensus against the e-levy has arisen because important stakeholders such as mobile money providers and public opinion were not adequately managed from the start.

    A difficult birth

    Much like its departure, the e-levy was announced during a time of fiscal distress. Mobile money transactions had expanded rapidly, particularly after COVID-19, making it an attractive tax target, especially for the informal sector.

    Given this growth in the digital financial sector coupled with the need for revenue, the e-levy targeted the value of electronic financial transactions.

    Introduced in the 2022 budget at 1.75%, with a 100 cedi (US$10) daily exemption, it was met with strong resistance. The budget was rejected, protests erupted, and negotiations ensued. The government attempted to win public support through town hall meetings, eventually reducing the rate to 1.5% and adding exemptions.

    It went ahead with implementation in May 2022, however.

    Negative sentiment persisted, fuelled by confusion and concerns about its implementation.

    The government framed the tax as being essential for national development and investment attraction. But efforts to justify the necessity and benefit of the tax seemed to fall short.



    Read more:
    New data on the e-levy in Ghana: unpopular tax on mobile money transfers is hitting the poor hardest

    Several International Centre for Tax and Development studies, nationally representative and one focusing on informal markets, found an overwhelming sense of dissatisfaction among Ghanaians.

    The studies also showed the grievances had less to do with the tax and its rates per se and more to do with how people viewed government and its trustworthiness to collect and spend money.

    Did Ghana’s e-levy work?

    New taxes are often unpopular, but that alone should not determine their fate.

    Other key indicators of performance include:

    Revenue: The e-levy met only 12% of the initial revenue target of GH₵6.96 billion (US$380 million). But, based on our research, we have concluded that this reflects poor forecasting rather than implementation failure. It still contributed about 1% of total tax revenue, which equated to about US$129 million annually.

    Mobile money usage: Many critics feared negative effects on financial inclusion. However, one study of this impact shows that while transactions initially dropped, they soon rebounded and continued to grow. Another International Centre for Tax and Development study found that exempted payments values and volumes increased, with registered merchants who benefited from this exemption developing greater trust in government policies.

    Equity and distributional effects: Despite exemptions, an International Centre for Tax and Development study focusing on the intended target of the e-levy, the informal sector, found that the e-levy as a whole was highly regressive. While the poorest were somewhat protected by the 100 cedi daily threshold, low-income mobile money users still bore the greatest tax burden. Additionally, with the high rate of inflation in Ghana, the unchanged daily threshold became less effective with time.

    This result is striking given that in its design, the e-levy is potentially less regressive than most mobile money taxes in Africa.

    Will it be missed?

    Given public hostility, its removal may be widely celebrated. However, it leaves a revenue gap that must be addressed. Ghana’s fiscal history suggests this could lead to new, potentially unpopular taxes.

    The bigger loss may be the dismantling of systems built to administer the e-levy. These new advances in tax administration allowed the country’s revenue authorities to track high-volume users who were not registered for income tax, offering a path towards more efficient taxation.

    As governments face mounting revenue pressures in an era of high debt and declining aid, careful attention must be paid to the politics of tax reform. Perhaps the e-levy’s greatest flaw was the haste with which it was introduced, without adequate stakeholder engagement. Uganda faced similar backlash from rushed mobile money taxation in 2018.

    Evidence shows that perceptions affect how users respond to taxes, and first impressions can be hard to overcome. So, it is essential to make sure they are seen as fair and appropriate from the start, so that they are sustainable.

    Max Gallien is a Research Lead at the International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD). Through the ICTD, the research described in this article has been supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation and the Gates Foundation.

    Martin Hearson is a Research Director at the International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD). Through the ICTD, the research described in this article has been supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation and the Gates Foundation.

    Mary Abounabhan is a Researcher at the International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD) Through the ICTD, the research described in this article has also been supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation and the Gates Foundation.

    – ref. Ghana’s e-levy: 3 lessons from the abolished mobile money tax – https://theconversation.com/ghanas-e-levy-3-lessons-from-the-abolished-mobile-money-tax-253285

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s tariffs could push grocery prices even higher, but there are steps Canada could take to protect consumers

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Mathew Iantorno, Doctoral Candidate, Faculty of Information,, University of Toronto

    The first months of Donald Trump’s presidency have been defined by a single word: tariffs. He has framed tariffs as a panacea to the woes of the American economy, promising they will restore the country’s manufacturing sector and reduce the national deficit.

    As the United States’ largest trading partner, Canada’s smaller economy is poised to suffer the most from a prolonged trade war. Although the price of all consumer goods will be affected, the grocery aisle has become a particular battleground.

    Canadians have remained defiant, with vows to “buy Canadian” already spurring rapid drops in the sale of American products.

    But with calls for the country to strengthen its economic backbone and reduce dependence on the U.S., perhaps it’s also time to consider rebooting Canada’s grocery sector to better serve Canadians as well.



    Read more:
    Canada is now in a trade war with the U.S. — here’s what you need to know to prepare for it

    Canada’s supermarket problem

    Rising grocery bills have been an ongoing concern for Canadians long before Trump’s inauguration. Today, an estimated 18 per cent of Canadians are struggling with food insecurity owing to persistent inflation and the rising cost of living. Food banks saw a record number of monthly visits in 2024 as a result.

    Yet, even as consumers feel the squeeze, Canada’s grocery giants have been posting record profits. Loblaw Companies Limited, whose supermarkets hold a dominant 28 per cent share of the sector, has become the poster child for this trend.

    In the final quarter of 2022, as Canadians were grappling with rapid inflation on their grocery bills, Loblaw posted $529 million in profits — up 30 per cent from the previous year.

    This has led customers to accuse Loblaw and other large grocery chains of profiteering, provoking both a 100,000 signature petition against “greedflation” and a month-long boycott of Loblaw chains. All this while Loblaw was still reeling from a bread price-fixing scandal yielding a $500 million antitrust settlement.



    Read more:
    Food giants reap enormous profits during times of crisis

    In response to the mounting concerns, the federal government met with the heads of Loblaw, Sobeys, Metro, Costco and Walmart in 2023 to discuss stabilizing grocery prices in Canada. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would threaten and later implement amendments to the Competition Act through Bill C-56, although these reforms were focused less on immediately lowering grocery bills and more on giving new tools to Canada’s competition watchdog.

    Investing in the future

    Another area of concern is the initiatives supermarket chains such as Loblaw and Metro have been investing their profits in.

    Since 2020, supermarkets in Canada have invested heavily in self-checkout aisles. While initially a concession to the social distancing measures of the COVID-19 pandemic, these kiosks have become a ubiquitous — and often unwelcome — part of the retail experience for both workers and consumers.

    Beyond the concern that self-checkouts pressure customers to perform more work, they have also increased the precarity of supermarket employees. These technologies generally reduce total worker hours and eliminate well-paying full-time positions, all with an eye towards boosting profit margins.



    Read more:
    The rise of robo-retail: Who gets left behind when retail is automated?

    Loblaw has also invested in automating their fleet of delivery vehicles, jeopardizing jobs in the logistics sector at a time when Canada’s unemployment rate, already struggling to recover, is expected to rise due to Trump’s tariffs.

    There is also the looming concern of dynamic pricing. Following the lead of American grocery stores such as Kroger, chains run by Loblaw, Metro and Sobeys have begun to implement electronic price tags. These tags enable retailers to instantaneously update prices based on supply and demand, similar to surge pricing on ride-sharing apps like Uber.

    Electronic price labels seen at a Walmart in Los Angeles in 2024.
    (Shutterstock)

    While online commentators were quick to mock fast food chain Wendy’s for potentially using dynamic pricing to charge more for a Frosty on a hot day, this practice becomes more problematic as the availability of family staples like baby formula, which already experiences perennial scarcity, are affected by the trade war.

    The sector won’t reform itself

    There is little reason to believe Canada’s grocery industry will reform itself. Many of the pro-consumer and pro-worker initiatives put forth by these chains have amounted to little more than public relations moves.

    The much-lauded COVID hero pay for front-line grocery workers disappeared only months into the pandemic, despite pressure from unions and MPs during the Omicron wave.

    Loblaw’s widely publicized price freeze on No Name products was similarly criticised for its short duration and for merely repackaging seasonal price freezes as a pro-consumer initiative.

    When Loblaw froze prices on No Name products in 2022, its competitor Metro quickly pointed out that seasonal price freezes are in fact a standard industry practice. (CBC News)

    The company’s promise to create a discounted version of its already discounted grocery chain No Frills drew further scepticism, with the stock being entirely sourced from Loblaw brands that generate higher revenue for the company.

    The question remains: what concrete measures can be implemented to safeguard Canadian grocery bills as our country navigates this next crisis?

    Lowering grocery bills for Canadians

    A report from the Broadbent Institute suggests the idea of a windfall profit tax, which would incentivize grocery companies to invest excess profits into price reductions or higher wages.

    A more durable reform would involve creating a central bank-style regulatory entity to oversee the grocery industry, instead of relying on industry-born measures such as Canada’s recently introduced grocery code of conduct.



    Read more:
    The new Grocery Code of Conduct should benefit both Canadians and the food industry

    Federal or provincial legislation could be also passed that places guardrails on dynamic pricing in the grocery aisle, if not banning the controversial practice altogether. Government grants and tax incentive programs could be withheld from companies that invest heavily into automating workforces so the government isn’t inadvertently subsidizing job losses.

    The Competition Bureau’s 2023 report highlights another key issue: there is a need for all levels of government to shift from subsidizing large chains and encourage the growth of independent grocers in the Canadian market, driving down prices for consumers through meaningful, local competition.

    Trump’s trade war has filled Canadians with a newfound pride and motivation to buy local to support the economy. Perhaps it’s time our grocery chains showed the same commitment to the people they serve.

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

    – ref. Trump’s tariffs could push grocery prices even higher, but there are steps Canada could take to protect consumers – https://theconversation.com/trumps-tariffs-could-push-grocery-prices-even-higher-but-there-are-steps-canada-could-take-to-protect-consumers-252879

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Spring Covid-19 vaccine roll out to start in the Black Country

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    Similar to last year’s spring Covid-19 vaccine roll out, those eligible for a vaccine include:

    • adults aged 75 years and over
    • residents in a care home for older adults
    • individuals aged 6 months and over who have a weakened immune system.

    Those who turn 75 years old between 1 April and 17 June, 2025 can also have the jab.

    Appointments can be booked now via the NHS website, the NHS App or by calling 119, with first appointments available from Tuesday 1 April until Tuesday 17 June.

    Sally Roberts, Chief Nursing Officer for the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB), said: “The vaccine has been our most effective tool against Covid-19, saving countless lives and helping thousands of people to stay out of hospital.

    “However, protection against Covid-19, from either catching the virus or from a previous vaccination, can fade over time and the circulating strain of the virus can change. That’s why if you are at higher risk of severe illness from the virus, it is important that you top up your protection and come forward for a vaccine this spring.

    “If you know you’re eligible, you don’t need to wait to be contacted, you can book an appointment via the NHS website, the NHS App or by calling 119 today.”

    While having the spring vaccine around 6 months after your last dose is the usual timeframe, eligible people can have it as soon as 3 months after a previous Covid-19 vaccine dose.

    If you are eligible, you can get protection from a spring Covid-19 vaccination even if you have not taken up a Covid-19 vaccine offer in the past.

    For more information about the spring Covid-19 vaccine, visit the NHS website.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Viksit Bharat Youth Parliament 2025 to Kick Off in New Delhi from April 1st to 3rd, 2025

    Source: Government of India

    Viksit Bharat Youth Parliament 2025 to Kick Off in New Delhi from April 1st to 3rd, 2025

    A Landmark Moment in Youth-Led Nation-Building and Governance

    From Debate to Resolution: Youth to Deliberate on One Nation, One Election and Viksit Bharat

    Youth to Experience Parliamentary Proceedings Firsthand: A Transformative Insight into Governance

    Posted On: 30 MAR 2025 3:25PM by PIB Delhi

    Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, under the leadership of Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, is organizing the Viksit Bharat Youth Parliament from 1st – 3rd April 2025. This event, a reimagination of the traditional Youth Parliament, serves as a powerful platform to connect young individuals with politics and public policy, fostering their engagement in governance and nation-building.

    For the first time since COVID-19, all District Nodal Rounds (300) were conducted in person, ensuring greater participation and direct engagement. Over 75,000 young people from every State and Union Territory submitted their video entries through the MY Bharat portal, showcasing their enthusiasm and commitment to shaping the nation’s future. The entire selection process was conducted digitally, reflecting the growing integration of technology in governance initiatives.

    The Viksit Bharat Youth Parliament is structured into three key stages:

    District Nodal Rounds:

    • The discussion on One Nation, One Election reached every town and village through massive dialogues held at 300 district nodes.
    • To qualify, candidates uploaded a 1-minute video answering the question: “What does Viksit Bharat mean to you?”

    State Rounds:

    • Held in over 17 State assemblies and other government establishments, these rounds marked a historic milestone in bridging the gap between youth and governance.
    • Sessions were presided over by State Speakers and Governors, lending credibility and significance to youth discussions.

    National Round (1st – 3rd April 2025):

    • The top 3 candidates from each State/UT (totaling 108 youth) have been selected to participate at the national level.
    • Participants will engage in high-level discussions and activities, including
    1. Question Hour: Focused on One Nation, One Election and Viksit Bharat, culminating in a resolution.
    2. Masterclass: Conducted by a senior Member of Parliament, equipping youth with essential oratory and leadership skills.
    3. Parliamentary Experience: Attending sessions in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for firsthand exposure to governance.
    4. PM Sangrahalaya Visit: Providing insights into India’s political journey and leadership stories.
    5. Awards Ceremony: On 3rd April, the Viksit Bharat Youth Parliament Awards and National Youth Awards will be conferred.

    The Viksit Bharat Youth Parliament is more than just a programme—it is a transformative movement. The ideas and discussions generated through this initiative will extend far beyond Central Hall, resonating across the nation and paving the way for a new era of youth-led policy engagement and national progress.

    *****

    Himanshu Pathak

    (Release ID: 2116802) Visitor Counter : 132

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Commissioner puts children’s rights in the spotlight

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Jodie Griffiths-Cook wants to help children and young people access information they can trust and understand.

    ACT Children and Young People Commissioner Jodie Griffiths-Cook is on a mission to help Canberra’s children and young people understand their rights.

    In her role – which is independent from government and part of the ACT Human Rights Commission – she consults and speaks with kids every day.

    “My role principally involves being able to engage directly with children and young people and find out what is important to them, then using that to try to influence public policy and create change that will hopefully make Canberra a better place for children and young people generally,” Jodie said.

    She does this in a variety of ways, including creating simply written resources that can be used in schools and more broadly.

    She regularly updates a dedicated section of the commission’s website with targeted, trustworthy information for kids, teens and young people.

    Jodie also distributes the monthly Rights in ACTion newsletter to further inform ACT children and young people about their rights and wellbeing.

    From school visits to Instagram posts, finding ways to tailor sometimes complex information for different age groups is important.

    “Children and young people have a right to access information they can trust and understand,” she said.

    “It really humanises things when you’re able to speak in a language that is clearly understood by kids.”

    The Covid lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 highlighted a particular need for this.

    “We saw a lot of communications going out to adults but very little being targeted to children and young people. For us, that really started the process of thinking mindfully about what we can do to shift that, both in terms of direct communications and modelling – trying to encourage others to do the same,” she said.

    “If we actually think about some of the decision-making that happens – so many of our decisions impact young people in ways that we perhaps don’t consider,” she said.

    Having been Commissioner for eight years now, Jodie says the discussions she has with children and young people are most rewarding.

    “Some of those conversations are just absolute gold when it comes to what young people already intrinsically understand about their rights and about those sometimes competing rights that we all grapple with,” she said.

    “I can almost take off my own commissioner hat and give it to some of them!”

    Particularly engaged young people can also get directly involved with the commission. This in turn provides important feedback.

    “We started a new youth advisor role, pitched for young people aged 16–25 years who have left school. We bring young people in for six months where they are looking for opportunities that will help them decide and pursue their career direction. From them we get a lot of intel about the kind of language to use, and the kind of things that are of interest to young people. We also take in work experience students in years 9-12,” she said.

    A range of child-friendly resources to help children and young people understand the Human Rights Act will be launched in March this year – on the Act’s 20th anniversary.

    Visit actkids.act.gov.au for more information.

    Jodie wants all Canberra children and young people to know her door is always open – whatever they have to say.

    Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:


    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Ghana’s e-levy: 3 lessons from the abolished mobile money tax

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Max Gallien, Research Fellow, Institute of Development Studies

    The first budget speech of Ghana’s new government on 11 March painted a picture of an economy in crisis, facing high debt and fiscal mismanagement. The finance minister, Cassiel Ato Forson, acknowledged that key International Monetary Fund performance targets would be missed and announced drastic spending cuts.

    However, most Ghanaians just wanted to know whether the minister would announce the scrapping of the country’s electronic transfer levy (or e-tax), as he’d indicated he would.

    He did, a decision parliament endorsed unanimously the next day.

    The e-levy, a fee on mobile money transactions, was introduced in 2022. Ghanaians immediately united around the issue in fierce opposition, a sentiment that grew as the tax took effect.

    Read more: Ghana’s e-levy is unfair to the poor and misses its revenue target: a lesson in mobile money tax design

    Both major parties had campaigned for its removal in the run-up to elections held in December 2024.

    How did the e-levy become so unpopular, and what will repealing it mean?

    Over three years, researchers from the International Centre for Tax and Development worked with partners in Ghana to study the e-levy as part of our Digitax research programme. This study generated knowledge and evidence at the interface of digital financial services, digital identities and tax.

    The e-levy’s intense politicisation and complex design made it an interesting case of a wider trend of mobile money taxes in the region. We learned more about the e-levy’s impact on informal sector workers in Accra, knowledge and sentiments, registered merchant exemptions and mobile money usage.

    Based on this research, three key lessons emerge.

    Firstly, like other taxes on mobile money, the e-levy has come to be an important source of revenue in Ghana, even if it did not live up to initial optimistic estimates of its potential.

    Secondly, beyond the revenue it raised directly, the real potential of the e-levy – and loss if it is completely abolished – lay in the data it produced. It was enabling the Ghana Revenue Authority to uncover users with significant incomes who were not registered for income tax.

    Thirdly, the new consensus against the e-levy has arisen because important stakeholders such as mobile money providers and public opinion were not adequately managed from the start.

    A difficult birth

    Much like its departure, the e-levy was announced during a time of fiscal distress. Mobile money transactions had expanded rapidly, particularly after COVID-19, making it an attractive tax target, especially for the informal sector.

    Given this growth in the digital financial sector coupled with the need for revenue, the e-levy targeted the value of electronic financial transactions.

    Introduced in the 2022 budget at 1.75%, with a 100 cedi (US$10) daily exemption, it was met with strong resistance. The budget was rejected, protests erupted, and negotiations ensued. The government attempted to win public support through town hall meetings, eventually reducing the rate to 1.5% and adding exemptions.

    It went ahead with implementation in May 2022, however.

    Negative sentiment persisted, fuelled by confusion and concerns about its implementation.

    The government framed the tax as being essential for national development and investment attraction. But efforts to justify the necessity and benefit of the tax seemed to fall short.

    Read more: New data on the e-levy in Ghana: unpopular tax on mobile money transfers is hitting the poor hardest

    Several International Centre for Tax and Development studies, nationally representative and one focusing on informal markets, found an overwhelming sense of dissatisfaction among Ghanaians.

    The studies also showed the grievances had less to do with the tax and its rates per se and more to do with how people viewed government and its trustworthiness to collect and spend money.

    Did Ghana’s e-levy work?

    New taxes are often unpopular, but that alone should not determine their fate.

    Other key indicators of performance include:

    Revenue: The e-levy met only 12% of the initial revenue target of GH₵6.96 billion (US$380 million). But, based on our research, we have concluded that this reflects poor forecasting rather than implementation failure. It still contributed about 1% of total tax revenue, which equated to about US$129 million annually.

    Mobile money usage: Many critics feared negative effects on financial inclusion. However, one study of this impact shows that while transactions initially dropped, they soon rebounded and continued to grow. Another International Centre for Tax and Development study found that exempted payments values and volumes increased, with registered merchants who benefited from this exemption developing greater trust in government policies.

    Equity and distributional effects: Despite exemptions, an International Centre for Tax and Development study focusing on the intended target of the e-levy, the informal sector, found that the e-levy as a whole was highly regressive. While the poorest were somewhat protected by the 100 cedi daily threshold, low-income mobile money users still bore the greatest tax burden. Additionally, with the high rate of inflation in Ghana, the unchanged daily threshold became less effective with time.

    This result is striking given that in its design, the e-levy is potentially less regressive than most mobile money taxes in Africa.

    Will it be missed?

    Given public hostility, its removal may be widely celebrated. However, it leaves a revenue gap that must be addressed. Ghana’s fiscal history suggests this could lead to new, potentially unpopular taxes.

    The bigger loss may be the dismantling of systems built to administer the e-levy. These new advances in tax administration allowed the country’s revenue authorities to track high-volume users who were not registered for income tax, offering a path towards more efficient taxation.

    As governments face mounting revenue pressures in an era of high debt and declining aid, careful attention must be paid to the politics of tax reform. Perhaps the e-levy’s greatest flaw was the haste with which it was introduced, without adequate stakeholder engagement. Uganda faced similar backlash from rushed mobile money taxation in 2018.

    Evidence shows that perceptions affect how users respond to taxes, and first impressions can be hard to overcome. So, it is essential to make sure they are seen as fair and appropriate from the start, so that they are sustainable.

    – Ghana’s e-levy: 3 lessons from the abolished mobile money tax
    – https://theconversation.com/ghanas-e-levy-3-lessons-from-the-abolished-mobile-money-tax-253285

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Texas Insurance Broker Sentenced in Scheme to Defraud Paycheck Protection Program

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NASHVILLE – Shelby Lynn Hill, 54, of Crystal Beach, Texas, was sentenced earlier this week to one year and a day in prison for fraudulently obtaining and misusing Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, announced Robert E. McGuire, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. Hill also was ordered to repay $264,645 in restitution and a forfeiture money judgment, and she will be on supervised release for one year after she serves her sentence. Hill pled guilty in June 2024 to one count of wire fraud.

    Hill obtained several fraudulent PPP loans while living in Crossville, Tennessee. According to court documents and evidence presented to the court, Hill fraudulently obtained a $220,645 PPP loan for a fictitious business, Plateau Angus Farms, in 2020. She claimed to be the owner and operator of a cattle farm in Crossville. Hill told the PPP lender that Plateau Angus Farms employed 14 people and that its monthly payroll expenses exceeded $88,000. Hill submitted fake documents, including Forms W-2, and Tennessee Secretary of State records, as proof of her business. Hill received a $42,700 PPP loan for a second fictitious company, Premium Persians of the Plateau. She also misused the PPP loan proceeds awarded to a third company, Shelby Lynn Hill, MD PLLC, using a portion of the PPP loan to begin installation of a personal swimming pool.

    Hill was employed as a health insurance broker at the time she applied for the PPP loans. Some of the individuals she listed as employees on the Plateau Angus Farms PPP loan application were potential health insurance customers. Hill admitted that she was not authorized to use their names or personal identifiers to obtain PPP loans.

    The Paycheck Protection Program was created under the CARES Act and was intended to incentivize small businesses to keep their employees on payroll during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The PPP program was administered and guaranteed by the Small Business Association, a federal government entity.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cookeville Resident Agency, Nashville Field Office, investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie N. Toussaint prosecuted the case.

    # # # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Cuts to science research funding cut American lives short − federal support is essential for medical breakthroughs

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Deborah Fuller, Professor of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Washington

    Divesting from the next generation of researchers means cutting the lifeblood of science and medicine. J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images

    Nearly every modern medical treatment can be traced to research funded by the National Institutes of Health: from over-the-counter and prescription medications that treat high cholesterol and pain to protection from infectious diseases such as polio and smallpox.

    The remarkable successes of the decades-old partnership between biomedical research institutions and the federal government are so intertwined with daily life that it’s easy to take them for granted.

    However, the scientific work driving these medical advances and breakthroughs is in jeopardy. Federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation are terminating hundreds of active research grants under the current administration’s direction. The administration has also proposed a dramatic reduction in federal support of the critical infrastructure that keeps labs open and running. Numerous scientists and health professionals have noted that changes will have far-reaching, harmful outcomes for the health and well-being of the American people.

    The negative consequences of defunding U.S. biomedical research can be difficult to recognize. Most breakthroughs, from the basic science discoveries that reveal the causes of diseases to the development of effective treatments and cures, can take years. Real-time progress can be hard to measure.

    Medical breakthroughs are built on years of painstaking research.
    Scott Olson/Getty Images

    As biomedical researchers studying infectious diseases, viruses and immunology, we and our colleagues see this firsthand in our own work. Thousands of ongoing national and international projects dedicated to uncovering the causes of life-threatening diseases and developing new treatments to improve and save lives are supported by federal agencies such as the NIH and NSF.

    Considering a few of the breakthroughs made possible through U.S. federal support can help illustrate not only the significant inroads biomedical research has made for preventing, treating and curing human maladies, but what all Americans stand to lose if the U.S. reduces its investment in these endeavors.

    A cure for cancer

    The hope and dream of curing cancer unites many scientists, health professionals and affected families across the U.S. After decades of ongoing NIH-supported research, scientists have made significant progress in realizing this goal.

    The National Cancer Institute of the NIH is the world’s largest funder of cancer research. This investment has led to advances in cancer treatment and prevention that helped reduce the overall U.S. cancer death rate by 33% from 1991 to 2021.

    Basic science research on what causes cancer has led to new strategies to harness a patient’s own immune system to eliminate tumors. For example, all 12 patients in a 2022 clinical trial testing one type of immunotherapy had their rectal cancer completely disappear, without remission or adverse effects.

    Cuts in NIH funding will directly affect patients.

    Another example of progress is the 2024 results of an ongoing clinical trial of a targeted therapy for lung cancer, showing an 84% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death. Similarly, in a study of women who were immunized against the human papillomavirus at age 12 or 13, none developed the disease later. Since the widespread adoption of HPV vaccination, cervical cancer deaths have dropped 62%.

    Despite these incredible successes, there is still a long way to go. In 2024, over 2 million people in the U.S. were estimated to be newly diagnosed with cancer, and 611,720 were expected to die from the disease.

    Without sustained federal support for cancer research, progress toward curing cancer and reducing its death rate will stall.

    Autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases

    Nearly every family is touched in some way by autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases. Government-funded research has enabled major advances to combat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

    For example, approximately 1 in 5 Americans have arthritis, an autoimmune disease that causes joint swelling and stiffness. A leading cause of disability and economic costs in the U.S., there is no cure for arthritis. But new drugs in development are able to significantly improve symptoms and slow or prevent disease progression.

    Researchers are also gaining insight into what causes multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the protective covering of nerves and can result in paralysis. Scientists recently found a link between multiple sclerosis and Epstein-Barr virus, a pathogen estimated to infect over 90% of adults around the world. While multiple sclerosis is currently incurable, identifying its underlying cause can provide new avenues for prevention and treatment.

    The NIH’s BRAIN Initiative has invested more than $3 billion in neuroscience research since it began in 2013.
    Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

    Alzheimer’s disease causes irreversible nerve damage and is the leading cause of dementia. In 2024, 6.9 million Americans ages 65 and older were living with Alzheimer’s. Most treatments address cognitive and behavioral symptoms. However, two new drugs developed with NIH-supported research and clinical trials were approved in July 2023 and July 2024 to treat early-stage Alzheimer’s. Federal funding is also supporting the development of blood tests for earlier detection of the disease.

    None of these breakthroughs are a cure. But they represent important steps forward on the path toward ultimately reducing or eliminating these devastating ailments. Lack of funding will slow or block further progress, leading to the continued rise of the incidence and severity of these conditions.

    Infectious diseases and the next pandemic

    The world’s capacity to combat infectious disease will also be weakened by cuts to U.S. federal support of biomedical research.

    Over the past 50 years, medical and public health advances have led to the eradication of smallpox globally and the elimination of polio in the U.S. HIV/AIDS, once a death sentence, is now a disease that can be managed with medication. Moreover, a new version of treatments called preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, offers complete protection against HIV transmission when taken only twice per year.

    Similarly, the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the critical role biomedical research plays in responding to public health threats. Increased federal support of science during this time allowed the United States to emerge with new drugs, vaccine platforms with the potential to treat a variety of chronic diseases, and insights on how to effectively detect and respond to pandemic threats.

    The ongoing avian influenza outbreak and its spillover into American dairy herds and poultry farms is another pandemic threat looming on the horizon. Rather than build upon infrastructure for outbreak surveillance and preparedness, grants that would allow scientists to better understand long COVID-19, vaccines and other pandemic-related research are being cut. Decreased funding of biomedical research will hamper the U.S.’s ability to respond to the next pandemic, putting everyone at risk.

    Research across the country has ground to a halt as grants remain in limbo or have been terminated altogether.
    Scott Olson/Getty Images

    Losses from defunding biomedical research

    The National Institutes of Health contributed over $100 billion to support research that ultimately led to the development of all new drugs approved from 2010 to 2016 alone. Over 90% of this funding was for basic research into understanding the causes of disease that provides the foundation for new treatments.

    Under the new directive to eliminate projects that support or use terms associated with diversity, equity and inclusion, the NIH and other federal agencies have made deep cuts to biomedical research that will directly affect patient lives.

    Already, nearly 41% of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime, and nearly 11% with Alzheimer’s. About 1 in 5 Americans will die from heart disease, and nearly 1.4 million will be rushed to an emergency room due to pneumonia from an infectious disease.

    Defunding biomedical research will result in a cascade of effects. There will likely be fewer clinical trials, fewer new treatments and fewer lifesaving drugs. Labs will likely shut down, jobs will be lost, and the process of discovery will stall. The U.S.’s health care system, economy and standing as the world’s leader in scientific innovation will likely decline.

    Moreover, when the pipelines of scientific progress are turned off, they will not so easily be turned back on. These consequences will affect all Americans and the rest of the world for decades.

    University shortfalls directly resulting from cuts to research support will dramatically reduce the capacity of American institutions to educate and provide opportunities for the next generation. Funding cuts have led to the shuttering or heavy reduction of training programs for future scientists.

    Graduate students and postdoctoral trainees are the lifeblood of biomedical research. Supporting these young people committed to public service through research and health care is also an investment in medical advancements and public health. But the uncertainty and instability resulting from the divestment of federally funded programs will likely severely deplete the biomedical workforce, crippling the United States’ ability to deliver future biomedical breakthroughs.

    By cutting biomedical research funding, Americans and the rest of the world stand to lose new cures, new treatments and an entire generation of researchers.

    Deborah Fuller receives funding from the National Institutes Health. The personal views expressed here are those of the authors.

    Patrick Mitchell receives funding from the National Institutes of Health. The personal views expressed here are those of the authors.

    – ref. Cuts to science research funding cut American lives short − federal support is essential for medical breakthroughs – https://theconversation.com/cuts-to-science-research-funding-cut-american-lives-short-federal-support-is-essential-for-medical-breakthroughs-252150

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Nearly 60,000 drink and drug tests conducted in seasonal crackdown

    Source: United Kingdom National Police Chiefs Council

    Double number of drivers arrested than previous years

    • 8,648 arrests made for drink and drug driving offences 
    • Positive results for drink driving remain below 10% 
    • Breath tests following a collision show nearly 15% motorists testing positive for alcohol, at its highest since 2019 
    • Drug wipes result in positive test results of over 42% 

    Police officers proactively undertook 58,675 roadside tests for drink and/or drugs on drivers across the UK over the festive period in 2024 (1 Dec 2024 – 1 Jan 2025) as part of the nationally coordinated Operation Limit crackdown which sees 45 police forces across England, Wales and Northern Ireland working together.  

    Intelligence and hotspot-led, roadside breath tests for alcohol saw nearly 10% of drivers testing positive (9.7%) with drug wipes resulting in 42.2% positive tests.  

    Shockingly, 2,782 drivers were arrested for both drink and drug driving offences, almost double the number from previous years’ national operations. While many tests during Op Limit are proactive stops, tests following a collision showed 14.5% motorists testing positive for alcohol, the highest in these circumstances since 2019. Unfortunately this trend aligns with data from the Department for Transport (DfT) which also shows a rise in alcohol-related collisions.  

    The figures prompt warnings from senior officers about the risks of driving under the influence, a ‘selfish and reckless’ decision that costs too many lives each year.  

    Men continue to be disproportionately represented, making up 85% of the offences for driving under the influence of drink or drugs and 79% of offenders were 25 years of age or older.  

    Chief Superintendent Marc Clothier is National Police Chiefs’ Council Operational Lead for Operation Limit. He said: 

    “In 2023, 19.6% of fatal collisions were assigned at least one drink or drugs related factor. That’s pretty much 20% of road deaths caused by drink or drugs, with a significant number occurring in December – two facts which are completely unacceptable and which make Op Limit so important.  

    “Now in its third year of running as a national operation, the Christmas drink and drug driving crackdown brings together all police forces in a positive coordinated effort to tackle this driving behaviour. 

    “The statistics of positive results and the demographics of offenders remain consistent and what is encouraging is to see the dedication and innovation which policing puts into this operation across the country. Many forces collaborate on a regional level, working cross border and strengthening their resources as a result.  

    “In addition, we are seeing the numbers of collisions in December specifically as a result of drink or drug driving reduce each year, remaining consistently at the levels experienced during Covid when far less drivers were on the roads. While there will be many factors impacting this fall, we can certainly draw a link between policing’s increased focus and enforcement activity to tackle drink and drug driving over this time of year.   

    “The decision to get behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol or drugs is reckless and selfish and it will not be tolerated. Not only do you risk your own life but you seriously endanger everyone else on the road and the tragic impact of your decision will be felt by individuals, families, friends and whole communities.” 

    Collisions in December where drink and drug driving is a factor 

    Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) lead for drink and drug driving, Police and Crime Commissioner for Durham, Joy Allen said:   

    “With responsibility for supporting victims, PCCs see and deal with the devastating impact of drink and drug driving. 

    “The Operation Limit results show that more intensive enforcement works. We want to see more resource invested in roads policing and the appropriate use of tougher penalties for drink and drug driving, including immediate bans and full cost recovery of the costs from offenders, to act as a greater deterrent and protect the public.” 

    Key statistics not included in report 
    • A total of 8,203 drivers were caught drink or drug driving during the period of enforcement activity, with 60% (4,940) drink drive offences detected and 40% (3,263) drug drive offences detected. A total of 74,456 vehicles were stopped during this campaign with 50,948 breath tests administered, resulting in 4,940 drivers testing positive, failed or refused to provide. 
    • A total of 7,112 breath tests were administered following a collision, with 1,030 drivers committing a drink drive offence following a collision. 14.5% motorists tested positive for alcohol following a collision. This percentage is the highest it has been since 2019. 
    Contextual data  

    Drug driving: 

    • In 2022, most drivers with detected drugs had illegal substances in their system (127), followed by query drugs (61) and prescribed drugs (27). Query drugs refer to substances that may have been administered medically after a collision but also have potential for abuse.  
    • Illegal drugs were primarily found in deceased drivers aged 20 to 39, while medicinal drugs were more common in those aged 30 and older.  
    • Among drivers aged 70 and above, medicinal drugs were detected more often than illegal drugs, though the overall numbers in this group were small.  
    • The five most frequently detected substances were cocaine, benzoylecgonine (a cocaine metabolite), cannabis, morphine, and ketamine, highlighting cocaine and cannabis as the most common illegal drugs in road fatalities.  
    • From 2014 to 2022, approximately two-thirds of casualties in drug-impaired collisions were fatalities. Of these, 91% were drivers with drugs detected in their system, indicating that most fatalities were drug-impaired drivers themselves. The majority of other casualties were passengers of the impaired driver. 

    Drink driving 

    • The central estimate of fatalities for 2022 is the highest level since 2009, and an increase compared to the previous year.  
    • The central estimate of the number of deaths in collisions with at least one driver over the alcohol limit for 2022 is 300. This represents about 18% of all deaths in reported road collisions in 2022.  
    • Overall, an estimated 6,800 people were killed or injured when at least one driver was over the drink-drive limit. This represents an increase of 1% from 6,740 in 2021. 
    • DfT collisions data where drink/drugs were reported as a key factor:  

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Assessing the Enabling Environment for Disaster and Pandemic Risk Financing: A Country Diagnostics Tool Kit

    Source: Asia Development Bank

    Designed as a tool kit, it considers the impacts of COVID-19, analyzes the enabling environment for disaster risk financing, and considers the role capital markets, insurance, and other risk transfer instruments can play. Providing questionnaires and resources to calculate financial protection against disasters and identify gaps, the publication shows how a layered risk strategy can help bolster financial resilience and protect development gains.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Education – Ara graduation speaker shares triumph over ‘tricky times’

    Source: Ara Institute of Canterbury

    Jessica Westley and Shaun Raddock signed up for matching qualifications during Covid lockdowns while raising four “wonderful, energetic, neurodiverse children” then aged 3 to 13.
    Four years later, Jessica took centre stage to share her study experience at Ara Institute of Canterbury’s autumn graduation, with Shaun, just two papers behind her cheering her on.
    She paid tribute to the ‘incredibly understanding tutors and department heads’ who helped her achieve her Bachelor of International Tourism and Hospitality Management degree.
    “Those who have experience with neurodiversity know that every day can be a challenge, however, with their support we’ve managed to navigate the tricky times and appreciate the easier moments better,” she told those gathered.
    She said the degree was geared towards her ultimate dream to own and manage a tiny home tourist venture. “The boost to my confidence that achieving study awards and this qualification has given me is huge – proving to myself and my children that no matter your age or past experiences, if you set your mind to something, you can achieve anything.”
    Staff, students but also Ara’s partners and stakeholders in local industry were front of mind for Ara Executive Director Darren Mitchell.
    “We sincerely thank you for your ongoing support as we seek to transform lives through vocational education,” he said. “I know these graduates will be super keen to get out there and show our community how talented they really are.”
    Well over 900 attended Ara’s two Autumn ceremonies in the Wolfbrook Arena including hundreds receiving bachelor’s degrees, dozens of post-graduate qualifications, 19 master’s degrees and hundreds more diplomas and certificates.
    The biggest cohort was in Health Practice with 233 nurses, midwives, medical imaging professionals and other related graduates now equipped to contribute to New Zealand’s vital healthcare sector.
    They include Ara’s largest ever contingent of Māori and Pacific midwives, four of whom have already set up Ōhua Midwives, a practice specialising in the care of whānau Māori.
    One of the group, Toni Wiesler, said their plans formed while in their second year of study.
    “We all wanted to work together but couldn’t find a way and then we had a ‘lightbulb moment’ to start our own practice which was exciting and terrifying all at once.”
    Wiesler said the classmates added plans to the Ōhua Midwives kete over time and by the end of their study they were ready to go.
    “We had to rise above the doubts, but it was the best decision we ever made. We are looking to grow, and we can’t wait.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBC Advances Pair of Commonsense Bills to Crack Down on Fraudsters, Support Rural Small Businesses

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

    Published: March 27, 2025

    WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, led by Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), advanced a pair of bipartisan bills to crack down on fraud and expand rural small businesses’ access to critical resources.
    “The Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship continues to enact commonsense solutions to help Main Street,” said Chair Ernst.
    Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Ernst’s Assisting Small Businesses Not Fraudsters Act prevents criminals convicted of defrauding the Small Business Administration (SBA) from receiving future assistance from the agency. 
    “After the previous administration failed to pursue pandemic fraud, we are making up for lost time by holding criminals accountable,” said Chair Ernst.
    “Covid-era programs meant to support small businesses were repeatedly taken advantage of by fraudsters, depriving businesses of much-needed relief. I’m leading this effort to ensure that those convicted of defrauding the SBA will no longer be able to access future financial assistance from taxpayers,” said Young. 
    The Coordinated Support for Rural Small Businesses Act led by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and John Kennedy (R-La.) increases coordination between the SBA and U.S. Department of Agriculture to support rural small businesses.
    “In towns across Iowa, small businesses are the lifeblood of the local economies. This bipartisan measure will streamline coordination between government agencies and help ensure that these job creators have access to the resources they need to succeed,” Chair Ernst.
    “Louisiana’s small businesses provide good paying jobs to folks throughout our state and support local economic growth. I’m thankful to my colleagues for advancing this bill to improve support for job creators and I look forward to full Senate consideration,” said Kennedy. 
    Background:
    A recent Government Accountability Office report exposed jaw-dropping incompetence by the Biden SBA in pursuing fraudsters that stole more than $200 billion in pandemic relief designated for small businesses.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Florida Man Who Bought Diamond-Studded “Grills” With Fraud Cash Sentenced to 71 Months in Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – A federal district judge in South Florida has sentenced an Orlando man to almost six years in prison for leading a scheme that defrauded California’s Employment Development Department of over $4 million in state and federal unemployment insurance benefit money. The judge also ordered him to pay over $1.2 million in restitution.

    Zachary Kameron Ramyard, 23, of Orlando, Fla. pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in October 2024.

    From August 2020 to August 2022, Ramyard and others submitted fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims to California’s Employment Development Department (EDD). UI payments are intended to provide temporary financial assistance to lawful workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own. They purchased the personally identifiable information (PII) of victims (including names, dates of birth, and social security numbers), created counterfeit driver licenses with it, and submitted at least 68 fraudulent UI benefits applications using the victims’ PII.

    Ramyard also withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars in UI funds from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) in different states using fraudulent debit cards. (The EDD typically distributed UI benefits electronically to debit cards that were mailed to claimants.) Ramyard used the cash to buy luxury items like the diamond-studded teeth jewelry, also known as “grills,” pictured above.

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne, Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami and Special Agent in Charge Mathew Broadhurst of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Southeast Region announced the sentence.

    HSI Miami and DOL-OIG investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Egozi prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Paster is handling asset forfeiture.

    Additional Background Information: Beginning in or around March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, several federal programs expanded UI eligibility and increased UI benefits, including the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program (PUA), Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program (FPUC), and the Lost Wages Assistance Program (LWAP). In the State of California, the EDD administered the UI program.

    In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”) to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred. EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed, and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.

    COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force: On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

    On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here.

    Reporting: Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-20382.

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    MIL Security OSI –