BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Miguel Angel Aleman-Piceno, 22, of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit the felony crime of attempting to introduce contraband into a federal prison.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 1, 2024, Aleman-Piceno traveled on foot with co-defendant Francisco Alejandro Gonzalez to the fence surrounding Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) McDowell. Aleman-Piceno and Gonzalez possessed a backpack and a duffle bag containing a drone and two camouflaged packages containing four cell phones, chargers, phone cards, marijuana, and tobacco. As part of his guilty plea, Aleman-Piceno admitted that they intended to fly the packages onto the grounds of FCI McDowell using the drone, and were stopped by law enforcement as they prepared to launch the drone.
Aleman-Piceno further admitted to traveling to McDowell County, West Virginia, from Chicago with Gonzalez and co-defendant Arturo Joel Gallegos, believing that he would be paid $3,000 to deliver the packages into the prison by drone. Aleman-Piceno also admitted that he and his two co-defendants stayed an area motel where law enforcement seized marijuana, tobacco and materials used to make the camouflaged packages.
Aleman-Piceno is scheduled to be sentenced on September 8, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons is prosecuting the case.
The indictment against Gonzalez, 24, and Gallegos, 26, both of Chicago, remains pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Hector Luis Gomez DeJesus, 32, of Sanford, North Carolina, Raymond Luis Saez Aviles, 37, of Poinciana, Florida, and Gamalier Rivera, 33, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, each pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the introduction of contraband into a federal prison in a separate indictment. On February 9, 2024, DeJesus, Aviles, and Rivera used a drone to transport marijuana, tobacco, and cell phones into FCI McDowell. DeJesus and Aviles are scheduled to be sentenced on August 11, 2025. Rivera is scheduled to be sentenced on July 7, 2025.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-126.
MINNEAPOLIS – Steven Scott Gordon, 53, of Curtice, Ohio has been charged by a superseding indictment with production of child pornography announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph. H Thompson.
According to court documents, the defendant posed online as a 20-year-old woman to publish online erotica about the sexual abuse of children. The defendant, using his alias, encouraged and directed a Minnesota man to create images and videos of sexual abuse of a child in Minnesota.
According to court documents, Steven Scott Gordon’s electronic devices were obtained from the FBI in Ohio. Investigators found Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) on the defendant’s computer, including CSAM that was produced by the Minnesota man who transmitted them to Gordon.
“Child sexual predators are among the dangerous of criminal defendants,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “Anyone who victimizes and sexually abuses Minnesota children should be prepared to serve decades in federal prison.”
“Every child deserves a safe and innocent childhood,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “Gordon’s heinous actions shattered that innocence and caused unimaginable harm. Protecting children and holding vile predators accountable is one of the FBI’s highest priorities. Anyone who exploits a child should expect to face the unflinching efforts of the FBI and our law enforcement partners.”
Gordon was arraigned in U.S. District Court on May 21, 2025, before Magistrate Judge David T. Schultz, and was ordered to remain in custody pending further proceedings.
This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI in partnership with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office and the Rosemount Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William C. Mattessich is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on The Constitution, and U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action and Federal Rights, today released the following statement ahead of a joint Judiciary subcommittee hearing designed to attack district judges and undermine America’s independent judiciary:
“Today’s hearing will not be on the level, and it’s important that the public and press do not put falsehoods and rhetoric before the facts. This is not a policy debate—this is yet another Republican attack on an independent judiciary.
“Let’s be clear: The reason district judges have enjoined the Trump Administration’s orders is because of unprecedented unlawfulness, not unprecedented judicial behavior. Our colleagues across the aisle are making it clear they are willing to help do Trump’s bidding and protect his unlawful activity at any cost. Republicans can either defend the rule of law and the judiciary, or defend this administration’s agenda and lies—but they cannot do both.”
Source: ASEAN – Association of SouthEast Asian Nations
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, delivered remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the 2025 Meeting of the OECD Council at Ministerial Level (MCM) on 3 June 2025, commemorating the handover of the co-chairmanship of the OECD Southeast Asia Regional Programme (SEARP) from current Co-Chairs, Australia and Viet Nam, to the incoming Co-Chairs, Canada and the Philippines.
In his remarks, Dr. Kao welcomed the continued collaboration between ASEAN and the OECD, underscoring shared commitment to promote good regulatory practices, prioritise sustainable development, and place inclusive growth at the core of region’s economic progress.
The post Secretary-General of ASEAN delivers remarks at the Opening Ceremony of 2025 Meeting of the OECD Council at Ministerial Level (MCM) in Paris appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.
Shifting the public’s perspective toward greater concern for future generations could result in more support for climate change policies, among others.Artur Debat/Moment via Getty Images
People often prioritize the well-being of family, friends and neighbors, as they feel a closeness emotionally and share the same temporal context. But they overlook how people born decades or centuries from now may suffer as a result of today’s failures to address major global risks such as climate change, future pandemics and unregulated artificial intelligence.
Our new research, published in the British Journal of Social Psychology, shows that brief, low-cost psychological interventions can help individuals adopt a more expansive moral perspective to include future generations.
We conducted three online studies with over 8,700 participants to examine whether prompting people to consider the long-term consequences of their actions could shift moral priorities beyond the present.
In one of two interventions, participants imagined themselves serving on a government committee responsible for protecting future generations. Their task was to ensure that new legislation accounted not only for immediate needs but also for long-term impacts; they were asked to write a speech communicating these goals to the American public. This exercise highlighted institutional responsibility and the role of collective action across time.
In the second intervention, participants engaged with a more personal thought experiment adapted from philosopher William MacAskill’s book “What We Owe the Future,” which explores our moral responsibility toward humanity’s long-term future.
The impact of actions over time.
Here, they read a scenario about a hiker who comes across broken glass on a remote trail – glass that may one day injure an unknown child. Should the hiker clean it up, even though no one is watching and the child may not appear for decades? After reflecting on this story, participants were asked to write about what they themselves could do to help make the future better for others.
Moral concern for both intervention and control participants was assessed using the Moral Expansiveness Scale. We asked participants to rate how much moral concern they felt for a wide range of issues. These included concern for future generations, alongside family and friends, strangers, marginalized groups such as LGBTQ+ people, animals and the natural environment.
Why it matters
Although these exercises differed, one emphasizing collective responsibility and the other individual, both led to the same outcome: Participants randomly assigned to an intervention condition expressed significantly greater moral concern for future generations than those assigned to a control condition who completed neither exercise.
This effect held across cultural contexts and across six diverse countries – the U.S., Argentina, South Africa, the Philippines, the U.K. and Australia – and persisted even when participants were required to make trade-offs in a zero-sum version of the Moral Expansiveness Scale. In this version of the task, they distributed a fixed number of “moral concern points” across competing groups, compelling them to weigh the moral importance of future generations against that of present-day entities like family members, strangers, nature and others.
What’s especially intriguing, however, is that the elevated concern for future generations among intervention participants did not come at the expense of concern for other socially distant entities or those viewed as marginalized.
What changed was how participants prioritized their moral concern: They placed slightly less emphasis on family and friends – groups that people typically prioritize most, even when they may be least in need of moral protection.
In contrast, concern increased for distant others, both living today and in the future.
What’s next
This perspective, encouraged by the interventions, could perhaps help lay the groundwork for more durable public support for addressing long-term challenges.
In future work, we hope to explore whether these interventions can inspire real-world action. This could include increased support for climate policies, voting for leaders who prioritize long-term investments like sustainable infrastructure and pandemic preparedness, or donating to causes that benefit future generations.
But how might these interventions be integrated into everyday life? One promising approach is to embed them into settings where such reflections already occur, such as schools, civic education programs or public awareness campaigns.
To assess their real-world potential, we plan to examine the durability of these effects. We want to see whether deploying them in such contexts can meaningfully inspire long-term shifts in attitudes and – importantly – behavior.
For example, brief storytelling exercises or classroom role-plays, like imagining oneself as a future-focused policymaker, could be incorporated into high school or college curricula to shape students’ values, goals and even career trajectories. Similarly, community workshops, online media or social campaigns could adapt these scenarios to foster long-term thinking in broader populations.
When people reflect on how their actions today shape the future, they may be more likely to back solutions to present-day issues like poverty and inequality, knowing these problems can have ripple effects for generations to come. They may also become more motivated to confront emerging risks, such as unregulated artificial intelligence or future pandemics, before those risks escalate.
The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.
The research relevant to this article was funded by the John Templeton Foundation and APA Division 48.
The research relevant to this article was funded by the John Templeton Foundation and APA Division 48.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Tania Lizarazo, Associate Professor of Latin American Studies and Global Studies, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Local activists known as ‘comisionadas’ pose with women from Tanguí, Chocó, Colombia, at the end of a workshop in 2013.Tania Lizarazo
It’s been almost nine years since Colombia celebrated a landmark peace agreement between one guerrilla group and the government, and three years since President Gustavo Petro vowed “total peace.” But in reality, the country’s decades-long internal conflict continues – making it one of the oldest in the world.
Violence surged in early 2025, the most intense uptick in years. Fighting between two armed guerrilla groups in the northeastern Catatumbo region killed dozens of people and displaced tens of thousands more. Since the largest armed group – the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC – signed the 2016 peace accord, more than 400 signatories have been killed. Meanwhile, more than 1,200 social leaders and human rights defenders have been assassinated.
We often define peace as the absence of war. The problem with thinking about peace and war as an all-or-nothing binary, however, is that it obscures the violence that takes place in “peaceful times.” For Colombians, that paradox is nothing new. In many communities most affected by the violence, thinking about a “post-conflict era” feels utopian.
As a Colombian researcher who has collaborated with Afro-Colombian leaders for over a decade, I have noticed that emphasizing peace talks and accords erases the historical violence that is still present, especially for racial minorities. Colombia has the largest Black population in Spanish-speaking Latin America. In Chocó – a region on the Pacific coast where I conducted my research – Afro-Colombians form a majority.
Communities there are contending not only with the contemporary conflict, but also ongoing challenges from the legacies of slavery, colonialism and extractive industries. Many residents, particularly women, work together every day to try to bring peace and justice within reach.
Signs in the office of COCOMACIA, a Black women’s organization, say ‘option for life’ and ‘peace, we all build it.’ Tania Lizarazo
Rights vs. reality
Colombia has been mired in war for over six decades, as legal and illegal armed groups across the political spectrum fight for territories and resources. The conflict is estimated to have killed around 450,000 people and displaced around 7 million.
Black and Indigenous communities have disproportionately suffered the brunt of the war – especially in rural areas, where their lives and territories have been threatened by armed groups and companies alike. In Chocó Department, the site of my research, the region’s remoteness and biodiversity have attracted illegal groups and practices like drug trafficking, as well as mining and other types of resource extraction that threaten traditional livelihoods. Mercury from industrial mining poses an additional danger to people’s health and the environment.
Andres Magallan carries an urn with the remains of Ivan Mejia, who was murdered by right-wing paramilitary guerrillas years before, in Santa Maria, Chocó, Colombia, in 2010. Raul Arboleda/AFP via Getty Images
Black rural communities in the Pacific lowlands, where most of Chocó is located, have a legal right to collective ownership of their territories and to be consulted about development plans. In reality, land grabs and targeted killings over illegal crops, mining and other extractive practices have become the norm here, as is true throughout rural Colombia.
The conflict has intensified racism and gender hierarchies, with Black women, particularly activists, especially vulnerable. Vice President Francia Márquez Mina, for example – who has won awards for her activism against illegal mining – survived an attack near her home in the nearby department of Cauca in 2019. She and her family have received other threats on their lives since then.
Building solidarity
Even in “postconflict” times, peace is a challenging task. It requires social change that does not happen overnight. Rather, it is the accumulation of tiny sparks in people’s daily commitments.
In my book “Postconflict Utopias: Everyday Survival in Chocó, Colombia,” I write about how Black women’s organizations care for their territories and communities. The “comisionadas,” for example, belong to one of the largest such groups in Colombia, called COCOMACIA. These women travel the Atrato River and its tributaries to lead workshops about the organization, as well as territorial rights and women’s rights.
Comisionadas next to a poster with information about a landmark law against domestic violence, on July 7, 2012. María del Socorro Mosquera Pérez sits on the left. Tania Lizarazo
Everyone in the community is welcome to participate in dialogues about issues such as women’s political participation, land ownership and related legislation. Comisionada María del Socorro Mosquera Pérez, for example, wrote a song to share the importance of Law 1257, a landmark 2008 law against violence and discrimination against women.
In her story for the research project that I discuss in my book, “Mujeres Pacíficas,” comisionada Rubiela Cuesta Córdoba says it best: “The best legacy that one leaves to family and friends is resistance.”
One focus of these women’s groups’ work is the Atrato River itself. Since 2016, the same year of the peace accords, Colombian courts have recognized the river as a legal person, with rights to protection, conservation, maintenance and restoration.
Students paint a mural in Quibdó, Chocó, Colombia, which says ‘Somos Atrato’: We are the Atrato River. Jan Sochor/Getty Images
The river is a source of food and transportation between many basin communities where potable water, electricity and other amenities are scarce. But it is also intertwined with politics and spirituality. Pilgrimages like “Atratiando,” a trip along the river and its tributaries that has taken place multiple times since 1999, highlight that there is no life without the river. Participants travel through areas where paramilitaries and guerrillas are active, showing solidarity with vulnerable communities.
COCOMACIA’s comisionadas are part of many other organizations – highlighting how survival is not only intertwined with lands and rivers, but other regions and countries. The struggle for women’s rights has led the comisionadas to collaborate with other organizations, creating wider networks of care. These include La Red Departamental de Mujeres Chocoanas, a feminist coalition of women’s organizations in Chocó; La Ruta Pacífica de las Mujeres, a feminist movement of 300 organizations from across Colombia; and Women in Black, an anti-militarism network with members in over 150 countries.
Their solidarity is a reminder that peace and justice are a collaborative, everyday effort. As Justa Germania Mena Córdoba, leader of the comisionadas at the time, told me in 2012: “One cannot change the world by herself.”
Tania Lizarazo 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.
The internet is abuzz with tributes to a liquid chemical called methylene blue that is being sold as a health supplement.
Over the past five or 10 years, methylene blue has come to be touted online as a so-called nootropic agent – a substance that enhances cognitive function. Vendors claim that it amps up brain energy, improves memory, boosts focus and dispels brain fog, among other supposed benefits.
Health influencers, such as podcaster Joe Rogan, have sung its praises. In February 2025, shortly before he was confirmed as health and human services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared in a video squirting a blue liquid widely presumed to be methylene blue into a glass – though he never verbally endorsed the substance.
As a researcher studying inflammation and cancer, I investigate how dyes affect human health. Claims about methylene blue are alluring, and it’s easy to buy into its promise. But so far, evidence supporting its health benefits is scant, and there are some serious risks to using the substance outside of medical practice.
Methylene blue is a synthetic dye that exists as a dark green powder and takes on a deep blue color when dissolved in water. My work and that of others suggest that many synthetic dyes widely used in foods and medicines can trigger potentially harmful immune system reactions in the body. But unlike commonly used food dyes – one of which was recently banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration – methylene blue is not derived from petroleum, also known as crude oil. Instead, it comes from a different family of dyes, which isn’t thought to have these health concerns.
Methylene blue was first synthesized in 1876 as a dye for textiles and was valued for its intense color and ability to bind well to fabrics. Soon after, German physician Paul Ehrlich discovered its ability to stain biological tissues and to kill the parasite that causes malaria — making it one of the first synthetic drugs used in medicine.
The chemical didn’t gain widespread use as a malaria treatment because it was no more effective than quinine, the standard therapy at the time. But in the 1930s, the dye found a new use in testing the safety of raw or unpasteurized milk. If its blue color faded quickly, the milk was contaminated with bacteria, but if it remained blue, the milk was considered relatively clean.
This safety test now is largely obsolete. But it works thanks to methylene blue’s chemical superpower, which is that its molecules can swap electrons with other molecules, like a tiny battery charger.
How do doctors use it today?
That same chemical superpower enables some of methylene blue’s medical uses. Most significantly, doctors use it to treat a rare blood disorder called methemoglobinemia, in which hemoglobin, an iron-rich protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen, takes on a different form that can’t do the job. Methylene blue restores hemoglobin’s function by transferring an electron.
So far, most of what’s known about the substance’s effects on the brain comes from studies in rats and in cells grown in a lab dish – not in people. For example, researchers have found that methylene blue may improve learning, boost memory and protect brain cells in rats with a condition that mimics Alzheimer’s disease.
A handful of clinical trials have investigated the effects of methylene blue in treating aspects of Alzheimer’s disease in people, but a 2023 review of these trials notes that their results have been mixed and not conclusive. A small study of 26 people found that a single low dose of the chemical boosted memory by about 7% and increased brain activity during thinking tasks. Another study by the same researchers found that methylene blue changed how different parts of the brain connected, though it didn’t improve thinking skills.
Although some studies in people have shown hints that methylene blue may be beneficial for some brain-related issues, such as pain management and neuropsychiatric disorders, such studies to date have been small. This suggests that while there may be patient circumstances where methylene blue is beneficial, researchers have not yet pinned down what those are.
Is methylene blue safe?
Methylene blue is generally safe when used under medical supervision. However, the chemical has some serious risks.
Overall, while scientists have found hints of some fascinating properties of methylene blue, much larger, longer trials are needed to know if it truly works, what the right dose is and how safe it is over time.
Lorne J. Hofseth 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.
Scientists use a system of complicated-sounding names to refer to everyday creatures, a practice heavily lampooned in the Warner Bros. cartoons featuring the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote – or, respectively, Accelleratii incredibus and Carnivorous vulgaris.
As abiologist, I use these seemingly odd names myself and help my students learn them. For most people it’s a huge effort, like learning a second language. That’s because it is.
The science of naming and classifying organisms is called taxonomy. Scientists do this so they can be as precise as possible when discussing living things.
The first word in an organism’s name is its genus, which is a group of related species, such as Panthera for lions, tigers and leopards.
The second word is the specific name identifying the species, usually defined as a population that can reproduce only with each other, such as Panthera leo for lion.
Every two-word combination must be unique. Called binomial nomenclature, this naming system was popularized by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the 1700s. So, humans are Homo sapiens, the red maple Acer rubrum, garlic Allium sativum, and the eastern spotted skunk Spilogale putorius.
Today, biologists maintain huge databases containing the taxonomic names of plants, animals, fungi and other organisms. For instance, one of these databases – the Open Tree of Life project – includes over 2.3 million species.
The scientist who discovers a species usually names it by publishing a formal description in a peer-reviewed journal. From there, the name makes its way into the databases. From then on, scientists always use that name for the organism, even if it turns out to be misleading. For example, many fossils were originally given names containing the Greek root “saur,” which means lizard – even though paleontologists later realized dinosaurs were not lizards.
To most people, these names sound inscrutable. Particularly nowadays, as science becomes more open and accessible to everyone, such arcane vocabulary can come across as old-fashioned and elitist.
As modern science began taking shape in Europe during the 1600s, scientists had a problem. They wanted to read and be read by others, but language got in the way. French scientists couldn’t read Swedish, Swedes couldn’t read Italian, and Italians couldn’t read German.
Also, writing about plants and animals posed a particular challenge: Many species had common names that could vary from place to place, and some common names might apply to multiple species. Scientists needed a way to be precise and consistent when referring to species, so that everyone could understand each other.
To sidestep the language issue, scientists of the era mostly published their work in classical Latin. Back then, everyone learned it – at least every European man wealthy enough to attend school and become a scientist. Others published in classical Greek, also widely taught. By sticking with these more universally known languages, early scientists made sure that science was accessible to as many of their peers as possible.
So why continue to use Latin and Greek names today? Taxonomists do it partly out of tradition, but partly because the terminology is still useful. Even without seeing a photo of the animal, a biologist might work out that Geomys bursarius – “earth-mouse with a pouch” – was a pocket gopher. Or that Reithrodontomys fulvescens – “groove-toothed mouse that is yellow” – is a yellow mouse with grooves on its incisors.
A two-minute, how-to-do-it lesson.
What’s in a name?
Although taxonomists still largely adhere to the naming principles of Linnaeus, new scientific names are more and more frequently derived from non-European languages. For example, a chicken-size dinosaur discovered and named in China is called Yi qi, meaning “strange wing” in Mandarin.
Some of the more recent names are touched by whimsy, with a few honoring politicians and celebrities. Etheostoma obama is a spangled darter named after the 44th U.S. president; the Swift twisted-claw millipede – Nannaria swiftae – is named after pop star Taylor Swift.
In the future, another language – or no language at all – might rise to dominance. Artificial intelligence may act as a universal translator. This possibility would let everyone publish and read science in their own language. Predicting how technology will change our relationship with terminology is challenging, but the need for precise scientific language, including the names of species, will never go away.
Nicholas Green 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.
Moths are known to swarm porch, stadium and street lights at night. Each summer, Denver is visited by miller moths as they make their trek to the mountains. Fairfax Media/GettyImages
At night, porch lights, stadium lights and street lamps are regularly visited by moths, a collective term for most of the nocturnal members of the insect order called Lepidoptera. Butterflies are also part of this order, but they are mostly diurnal, or active during the day. Butterflies are actually just a subset of moths, so all butterflies are moths, but not all moths are butterflies.
The Front Range lies on the path of a springtime migration of a particularly familiar species of moth, usually referred to in this part of the country, including Colorado and neighboring states, as “miller moths.” Miller moth caterpillars are often called the “army cutworm,” a whimsical name referring to the caterpillars’ tendency to reach large numbers that march across fields and roads to find food. Both the moths and their caterpillars are rather drab and brown in color, though the moths are variable in patterning.
‘Miller moth’ is the common name for a moth species that migrates from southeastern Colorado to the Front Range to forage for food. Chuck Harp, Colorado State University
Many people find miller moths to be a nuisance, and the caterpillars can be a pest. But miller moths are a native species to Colorado and play important roles across the plains and up into the high country.
As an entomologist, I crisscross the state looking for moths for my ongoing evolutionary, classification and life history studies. During miller moth migrations, they may swarm my moth traps, which are made up of a bright light in front of a white sheet. The crush of miller moths makes finding the less common species that I am looking for all the more challenging in a sea of dusty brown.
To spot and trap moths, entomologists set up bright lights in front of a white background. Ryan St. Laurent
What makes miller moths so unique?
In temperate regions like most of North America, most moth species hibernate in the cold winter months. During this time, they are in a dormant pupal stage. Some species spin cocoons. They then hatch into adult moths, mate, lay eggs, and those caterpillars grow during the spring and summer. Come fall, the cycle starts over.
While miller moths also have a hibernation period, it is not like that of most moths. Miller moths instead spend their winters on the plains of eastern Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska and nearby states as partially grown caterpillars, rather than a pupa, having gotten a head start on feeding in the late summer. This puts the caterpillars at an advantage. As soon as the weather warms and low-lying crops like wheat and alfalfa produce new, nutrient-rich foliage during the early spring, the caterpillars are right there ready to feast and may cause serious damage to the crops in outbreak years.
Pupation then occurs later in the spring, and unlike in most Lepidoptera, the adult moths hatch without an extended pupal diapause, and instead begin to migrate west. They travel more than 100 miles (roughly 160 kilometers) toward higher elevations to seek out flowering plants, feeding on nectar and pollinating as they go.
Miller moths migrate to the Rocky Mountains to forage for food. In this video, courtesy of Ecologist Adrian Carper, thousands of moths flutter around trees in the mountains.
This migration is where folks on the Front Range become all too familiar with these weary travelers, who seek out narrow spaces to rest, often crawling into gaps in cars and homes. Inside a home, miller moths don’t feed, reproduce or lay eggs. Sudden agitation of the resting moths may cause them to fly about to seek out a new spot to hide – that is, if your house cat doesn’t see them first. If they do make their way inside, they can be easily swept into a cup or jar and let outside.
People on the Front Range experience a second run-in with these moths after they finish their summer of feeding in the mountains and head back to the plains to lay their eggs in the fields from August to September.
My work aims to understand what certain moths eat in their caterpillar stage, but other researchers, and my colleague Dr. Julian Resasco, at the University of Colorado Boulder, study what plants the adults are feeding on as they pollinate.
Colorado moths
Moths are among the primary airborne insects at night, playing a significant, and perhaps leading, role in insect-feeding bat diets. During their migration to the mountains, there are so many miller moths that they are a substantial protein- and fat-rich meal for animals as large as bears.
Considering that we still know so little about moths, it’s important to realize that light pollution, habitat loss and agricultural chemicals are all impacting moth numbers, resulting in annual declines in these insects globally.
So, the next time you see a miller moth in Colorado, or any moth at a light anywhere on Earth, remember that it’s working the night shift. Turn out that light so it can go about its way.
Ryan St Laurent receives funding from the National Science Foundation (no active grants). Some scientific publications referenced in this article were coauthored by Ryan or by his other collaborators.
The vehicle assembly building at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla. AP Photo/Marta Lavandier
Over the past several days, NASA’s ambitious space exploration plans have experienced major setbacks. First, on May 30, 2025, newly released budget documents revealed the extent of the significant budget and personnel cuts proposed by the Trump administration. Then, just a day later, President Donald Trump withdrew the nomination of Jared Isaacman to be NASA administrator just days before an expected confirmation vote.
From my perspective as a space policy expert, these events signal problems ahead for a space agency that now faces stiff competition in space exploration from the commercial sector. Without a leader and facing a fight over its budget, NASA faces an uncertain future, both in the months ahead and longer term.
Budget problems
When the Trump administration released a preview of its budget proposal in early May, it was clear that NASA was facing significant cuts.
After receiving US$24.9 billion for 2025, the president’s proposal would allot NASA $18.8 billion in 2026. After accounting for inflation, this amount would represent NASA’s smallest budget since 1961.
Space science programs are one of the largest targets of the proposed budget cuts, seeing an almost 50% reduction, to just $3.9 billion. Specific programs targeted for elimination include the Mars Sample Return mission, the currently operating Mars Odyssey and MAVEN missions around Mars, and several missions to Venus.
Several ongoing and proposed astrophysics programs, including the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, would also end if the proposed budget passes.
Artemis III, planned for 2027, would be the first crewed flight back to the lunar surface since 1972. The mission would use the Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew vehicle to get there. The proposed Lunar Gateway, a mini-space station in lunar orbit, would be abandoned entirely.
Several Mars missions, including the Mars Sample Return, MAVEN and Mars Odyssey, would be canceled under the proposed budget. It would instead establish a program to work with commercial partners to put humans on the red planet. NASA, ESA, Zolt G. Levay (STScI)
A smaller budget also means a smaller NASA workforce. The budget proposal suggests that the number of NASA employees would be reduced by one-third, from more than 17,000 to 11,853.
Advocates for space science and exploration have criticized the cuts. The Planetary Society has stated that these cuts to space science represent an “extinction level event” that would all but end NASA’s ability to perform meaningful science.
Democrats in Congress were also quick to push back on the proposed cuts, arguing that they would hamper the U.S.’s ability to carry out its missions.
The budget documents released so far are just proposals. Congress must make the final decisions on how much money NASA gets and which programs are funded. While this might be good news for NASA funding, my research has shown that Congress rarely appropriates more money for NASA than the president requests.
Leadership challenges
The release of the president’s proposed budget was followed with the news that the president would withdraw his nomination of Jared Isaacman to be NASA’s administrator.
Jared Isaacman, the former nominee for NASA administrator, is a businessman who has been to space on several commercial flights. AP Photo/John Raoux, File
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote, “After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA. I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space.”
Like the budget proposal, news of Isaacman’s withdrawal has also hit the space community hard. Following his nomination, Isaacman won the support of many in the space industry and in government. His confirmation hearing in April was largely uncontentious, with support from both Republicans and Democrats.
NASA will now need to wait for the president to make a new choice for NASA administrator. That person will then need to go through the same process as Isaacman, with a hearing in the Senate and several votes.
Given the amount of time it takes for nominations to make their way through the Senate, NASA is likely to face several more months without a confirmed administrator. This absence will come while many of its programs will be fighting for money and their existence.
The months ahead
Like many federal agencies right now, NASA faces a tumultuous future. Budgetary and leadership challenges might be the immediate problem, but NASA’s long-term future is potentially rocky as well.
Since its founding, NASA’s mission has been largely centered on sending humans to space.
If that role shifts to commercial companies, NASA will need to grapple with what its identity and mission is going forward.
History provides some insight. One of NASA’s forerunners, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, or NACA, largely focused on advanced research and development of aeronautical technologies. For instance, NACA researched things such as proper engine placement on airliners as well as advances that helped air flow more efficiently over those engines.
A new NASA that’s more similar to NACA might continue research into nuclear engines or other advanced space technology that may contribute to the work commercial space companies are already doing.
Choices made by the Trump administration and Congress in the coming months will likely shape what NASA will look like in the years to come. Until then, NASA, like many government organizations, faces a period of uncertainty about its future.
Wendy N. Whitman Cobb is affiliated with the US School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. Her views are her own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Defense or any of its components.
Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday launched the Urban Adda 2025 conclave at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. The three-day event focuses on promoting sustainable urban futures through discussions on key issues like climate resilience, mobility, and inclusive transport.
Marking World Bicycle Day, Dr. Mandaviya also unveiled two significant books, Cycling, Children & Cities by Dr. Bhairavi Joshi and Road to Cycle2School by Dr. Bhairavi Joshi and Ar. Kush Parikh, which highlight cycling’s benefits for health, environmental sustainability, and urban transformation.
In his address, Dr. Mandaviya championed cycling as a cornerstone of fitness and environmental conservation, stating, “Cycling is the best form of exercise. It not only makes us healthy but also helps in environmental sustainability. Cycling is the solution to pollution.” Reflecting on his personal experience, he shared, “When I first became an MP, I used to cycle to Parliament every day, and people saw me as the ‘cycle-wala MP.’ We must turn cycling into a movement, dispel the notion that it is only meant for a particular segment of society, and make it a fashion for everyone.” He highlighted the success of the Sundays on Cycle initiative, describing it as a nationwide movement promoting the Fit India campaign, and urged citizens to embrace cycling daily to contribute to the vision of a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047.
Running from June 3 to 5, Urban Adda 2025 brings together young voices, experts, and leaders to discuss critical urban issues such as climate-resilient cities, gender and mobility, clean air and water, waste management, and inclusive transport. The event features a Youth Adda, a forum empowering young people to shape urban transformation, a Cyclothon flagged off on World Bicycle Day with over 100 cyclists promoting active mobility, the Urban Adda Film Festival (UAFF-25) on June 4 showcasing short films on climate resilience and urban innovation followed by a Gala Night attended by actor Pooja Bedi, and interactive public art exhibits led by artist Sagar Singh, blending art, movement, and sustainability.
Organized by the Raahgiri Foundation in partnership with the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) and GuruJal, and supported by Nagarro, the event was attended by dignitaries including Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Delhi Transport Minister Dr. Pankaj Kumar Singh, Haryana Minister Rao Narbir Singh, Rajasthan Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore, and thought leaders from academia, civil society, and international organizations.
Scotland deserves a fairer, proportionate system to fund our public services.
More in Housing
Scottish Green proposals that would see the first Council Tax revaluation in over 30 years have been turned down by all other parties, despite Labour and Tory MSPs agreeing that the current system is ‘absurd’ and ‘ridiculous’.
The proposals to the Housing (Scotland) Bill were lodged by Scottish Greens MSP Ross Greer, who has long campaigned to reform Council Tax.
Council Tax rates are still based on property values from 1991, resulting in most people now being in the wrong band. Those in smaller, less valuable homes are often paying considerably more than they should, whilst the richest in larger properties pay far less than they would if accurate valuations were used.
Mr Greer’s proposals, lodged as amendments to the Housing Bill, were voted down by SNP, Labour and Conservative MSPs on Parliament’s Local Government and Housing Committee. This was despite Labour’s Housing spokesperson Mark Griffin agreeing during the debate that using 1991 properties values is ‘ridiculous’ and the Conservatives’ Meghan Gallagher and Graham Simpson describing it as ‘absurd’.
Mr Greer said:
“We wouldn’t tolerate a situation where most people pay the wrong rate of income tax, so why do all other parties think it’s acceptable for Council Tax?
“Using property values from before I was even born means that low-income families in smaller houses typically pay more than they should, whilst the richest get off with an absolute steal.
“Every other party agrees this is wrong, but they just don’t want to upset the wealthiest people in Scotland, who would pay far more if the system was fixed.
“That’s the only reason for other MSPs to accept that the current situation is ‘absurd’ and ‘ridiculous’, but then vote against fixing it.
“If we want to give our schools, care services, bin collections and road repairs the funding they desperately need, fixing the Council Tax is the bare minimum. I hope other parties will stop this hypocrisy and support Green proposals to deliver that fix in the future.”
The Scottish Government must drop the hypocrisy and end Flamingo Land’s destructive mega-resort plans.
More in Nature
Scottish Government Ministers have used their power to reject a planning application for a horse racing track on the site of the battle of Bannockburn, just days after refusing to do the same with the destructive Flamingo Land mega-resort development at Loch Lomond.
The Scottish Greens have welcomed the decision to throw out proposals to build a racing track on one of Scotland’s most important historic sites, but have pointed out the hypocrisy from Scottish Government Ministers who last week refused to step in and reject Flamingo Land’s sprawling resort plans for another world-famous location.
In response to a question about the Loch Lomond application on 22nd May, Planning Minister Ivan Mckee said: “Given the very technical planning issues that are raised in this case and the high level of public interest, I consider that it is appropriate that objective planning judgment is applied. For that reason, I do not intend to recall this appeal.”
First Minister John Swinney has also refused calls for him to recall and reject the application made by the Scottish Greens, conservation groups and Balloch residents.
Flamingo Land’s plans had been rejected by the board of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park last September following objections being lodged by the Woodland Trust, Ramblers, National Trust for Scotland, national environment watchdog SEPA and by a record 155,000 objectors, in a campaign spear-headed by Green MSP Ross Greer.
The Yorkshire theme park operator made an appeal against this decision and two weeks ago a Scottish Government official upheld the appeal, granting permission for the mega-resort to go ahead.
SNP Ministers have used their powers over the planning process on a number of previous occasions, including to force through the construction of Donald Trump’s Aberdeenshire golf course despite it initially being rejected by the local council and strongly opposed by local residents.
“Whilst the Bannockburn decision is welcome, it reeks of hypocrisy from a Scottish Government who just last week refused to do the same with Flamingo Land’s destructive plans. That’s despite their damaging mega-resort being at the gateway to our world famous National Park.
“The Planning Minister needs to explain why he was willing to protect Bannockburn, but not the incredible natural heritage of Loch Lomond.
“Over 50,000 people have now written to Ivan McKee, calling on him to recall and reject the Flamingo Land development. It’s time for the SNP to stand up for Scotland’s incredible natural heritage, rather than cave in to a greedy theme park operator.”
A new Gaelic primary school is set to open in Glasgow next year after a £2 million investment from the Scottish Government.
The funding will complete the refurbishment and extension of the former St James’ Primary School building to establish Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig a’ Challtainn (Calton Gaelic Primary School) which will become the city’s fourth Gaelic language primary.
Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic Kate Forbes announced the investment as part of a £2.4 million package to support Gaelic schools and cultural initiatives across Scotland.
The funding will also support:
the construction of a second classroom at West Primary School in Paisley
the expansion of two Gaelic cultural centres in the Highlands
cultural events through An Comunn Gàidhealach who will host this year’s Royal National Mòd in Lochaber
On a visit to the site of the new school, Ms Forbes said:
“This school will build on the encouraging surge we have seen in the number of Gaelic speakers and learners in Glasgow and support the language’s growth into the future.
“Gaelic medium education enriches communities and offers good value for money by providing better grade averages across all qualification levels despite costs being no greater than average.
“To support Gaelic’s growth across Scotland, we are providing an additional £5.7 million for Gaelic initiatives this year. We are also progressing the Scottish Languages Bill which, if passed by MSPs, will introduce measures to strengthen the provision of Gaelic education.”
The new school, with space for 416 pupils, will be managed by Glasgow City Council. It meets a growing demand for Gaelic primary education in the city. Census figures published last year show a 45% increase in the number of people with some Gaelic skills in Glasgow compared to 2011.
Alison Richardson, headteacher of Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig a’ Challtainn, said:
“With Gaelic medium education continuing to flourish in Glasgow, our pupils and parents are excited and proud to be moving Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig a’ Challtainn into its very own repurposed school located in the East End.
“We look forward to supporting Gaelic’s growth in the Calton area, where many spoke it in the past, and for the school to become a real focal point and asset to the local community.”
Background
Projects benefiting from Scottish Government Gaelic Capital Fund allocations for 2024-25 are listed below.
Project
Capital allocated
Summary
Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig a’ Challtainn (Calton Gaelic Primary School)
£2,000,000.00
Refurbishment and extension of the former St James’ Primary School building.
West Primary School, Paisley
£43,000.00
Construction of a second classroom.
Broadford Primary School, Skye
£60,630.00
Upgrade to Games Hall.
Calder Glen High School, East Kilbride
£51,935.00
Construction of a bothy with computing, cooking and gardening space and provision of laptops, speakers, desks and other equipment.
Greenfaulds High School, Cumbernauld
£38,772.50
Equipment to allow more children from across North Lanarkshire to attend classes virtually.
Whitehills Primary School, Forfar
£5,748.36
Chromebooks, tablet cases and a replacement smartboard.
Inverclyde Academy, Greenock
£2907.00
Installation of bilingual signage throughout the school.
Feasibility study on establishing a Gaelic secondary school in Stornoway
£30,800.00
Study to explore the feasibility of establishing Gaelic secondary provision.
An Comunn Gàidhealach
£65,600.00
Delivery of this year’s Royal National Mòd.
The University of Edinburgh’s Opening the Well Crowdsourcing Gaelic Transcription project
£17,305.00
Transcription of Gaelic audio recordings, which will be added to a free online archive of Gaelic folklore and historical materials.
Ionad Thròndairnis (The Trotternish Centre)
£75,000.00
Extension of a Gaelic cultural centre in Skye.
Co-Chomann Dualchas Shrath Naruinn (Strathnairn Heritage Association
£40,000.00
Establishment of a Gaelic heritage centre in the former Dunlichity Church building.
Fèis Ghasaigh
£36,469.00
Delivery of a two-day Gaelic music event in South Uist.
Glasgow is home to the third largest number of children and young people in Gaelic Medium Education in Scotland with 740 primary pupils in 2023. Census statistics show that 17,380 people in Glasgow had some Gaelic skills 2022, an increase of 7,911 people from 2011.
Glasgow City Council has provided £17.6 million towards works at Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig a’ Challtainn, within an overall project budget of £23.8 million. The works are supported by the Scottish Government’s £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme which is delivered in partnership with local authorities. Nine school projects included in the programme will open in 2025-26.
A’ cumail taic ri fàs na Gàidhlig
Maoineachadh do sgoiltean agus pròiseactan cultarail.
Tha bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig ùr gu bhith a’ fosgladh ann an Glaschu an ath-bhliadhna às dèidh tasgadh-airgid luach £2 millean bho Riaghaltas na h-Alba.
Leis a’ mhaoineachadh, thèid crìoch a chur air ath-uidheamachadh agus leudachadh an t-seann togalaich air làrach Bun-sgoil Naoimh Sheumais airson Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig a’ Challtainn a stèidheachadh, ’s i gu bhith na ceathramh bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig sa bhaile.
Dh’fhoillsich an Leas-Phrìomh Mhinistear agus Rùnaire a’ Chaibineit airson na h-Eaconamaidh agus na Gàidhlig, Ceit Fhoirbeis, an tasgadh-airgid mar phàirt de phacaid luach £2.4 millean a chumas taic ri sgoiltean agus iomairtean cultarail Gàidhlig air feadh Alba.
Cumaidh am maoineachadh cuideachd taic ri:
togail dàrna seòmar-teagaisg aig Bun-sgoil an Iar ann am Pàislig
leudachadh air dà ionad cultair Gàidhlig air a’ Ghàidhealtachd
tachartasan cultarail tron Chomunn Ghàidhealach a chumas am Mòd Rìoghail Nàiseanta ann an Loch Abar am-bliadhna
Air turas do làrach na sgoile ùr, thuirt a’ Bh-uas. Fhoirbeis:
“Togaidh an sgoil seo air an àrdachadh bhrosnachail a chunnacas ann an àireamh luchd-labhairt agus luchd-ionnsachaidh na Gàidhlig ann an Glaschu, ’s i a’ cur taic ri fàs a’ chànain san àm ri teachd.
“Tha foghlam tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig a’ cur beairteas ri coimhearsnachdan agus tha deagh luach an airgid na lùib, ’s comharran cuibheasach nas fheàrr gan toirt do sgoilearan thar gach ìre teisteanais gun cosgaisean a bhith nas àirde na tha iad sa chumantas.
“Gus taic a chumail ri fàs na Gàidhlig air feadh Alba, tha sinn a’ toirt £5.7 millean a bharrachd do dh’iomairtean Gàidhlig am-bliadhna. Tha sinn cuideachd a’ toirt air adhart Bile nan Cànan Albannach, agus ma ghabhas na BPA rithe, bheir i a-steach ceumannan gus solarachadh foghlam Gàidhlig a neartachadh.”
Thèid an sgoil ùr, far am bi àite do 416 sgoilear, a stiùireadh le Comhairle Baile Ghlaschu. Tha i a’ coileanadh iarrtas a tha a’ sìor-fhàs air foghlam Gàidhlig bun-sgoile anns a’ bhaile. Tha figearan a’ chunntais-shluaigh a chaidh fhoillseachadh an-uiridh a’ sealltainn àrdachadh de 45% ann an àireamh nan daoine le beagan sgilean Gàidhlig ann an Glaschu an taca ri 2011.
Thuirt Alison Richardson, ceannard Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig a’ Challtainn:
“Le foghlam tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig a’ sìor-shoirbheachadh ann an Glaschu, tha na sgoilearan agus pàrantan againn air bhioran agus moiteil gum bi Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig a’ Challtainn a’ gluasad a-steach dhan sgoil ath-leasaichte aice fhèin, ’s i suidhichte ann an Ceann an Ear a’ bhaile.
“Tha sinn a’ dèanamh fiughair ri taic a chumail ri fàs na Gàidhlig ann an sgìre a’ Challtainn, far an robh mòran ga bruidhinn san àm a dh’fhalbh, agus ri an sgoil a bhith aig fìor theas-meadhan na coimhearsnachd ionadail agus na buannachd dhi.”
Cùl-fhiosrachadh
Tha pròiseactan a gheibh buannachd bho chuibhreannan Maoin Chalpa na Gàidhlig le Riaghaltas na h-Alba ann an 2024-25 air an liostadh gu h-ìosal.
Pròiseact
Calpa air a shònrachadh
Geàrr-chunntas
Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig a’ Challtainn
£2,000,000.00
Ath-uidheamachadh agus leudachadh an t-seann togalaich air làrach Bun-sgoil Naoimh Sheumais.
Bun-sgoil an Iar, Pàislig
£43,000.00
Togail dàrna seòmar-teagaisg.
Bun-sgoil an Àth Leathainn, an t-Eilean Sgitheanach
£60,630.00
Ath-nuadhachadh air Talla nan Geamaichean.
Àrd-sgoil Ghlinn Challdair, Cille Bhrìghde an Ear
£51,935.00
Togail bothain le àite airson coimpiutaireachd, còcaireachd agus gàirnealaireachd, agus solarachadh laptopaichean, labhradairean, deasgan agus uidheamachd eile.
Àrd-sgoil Greenfaulds, Comar nan Allt
£38,772.50
Uidheamachd a leigeas le tuilleadh cloinne bho air feadh Siorrachd Lannraig a Tuath clasaichean a fhrithealadh air astar.
Bun-sgoil Whitehills, Farfar
£5,748.36
Laptopaichean Chromebook, còmhdaichean tablaid agus bòrd-glic ùr.
Acadamaidh Inbhir Chluaidh, Grianaig
£2907.00
Cur suas shoidhnichean dà-chànanach air feadh na sgoile.
Sgrùdadh iomchaidheachd air stèidheachadh àrd-sgoil Ghàidhlig ann an Steòrnabhagh
£30,800.00
Sgrùdadh a rannsaicheas iomchaidheachd an lùib foghlam Gàidhlig àrd-sgoile a stèidheachadh.
An Comunn Gàidhealach
£65,600.00
Lìbhrigeadh Mòd Rìoghail Nàiseanta na bliadhna seo.
Pròiseact Opening the Well: Crowdsourcing Gaelic Transcription le Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann
£17,305.00
Tar-sgrìobhadh de chlàraidhean claisneachd Gàidhlig a thèid a chur ri tasglann an-asgaidh, air-loidhne de bheul-aithris na Gàidhlig agus stuth eachdraidheil.
Ionad Thròndairnis
£75,000.00
Leudachadh air ionad cultar na Gàidhlig san Eilean Sgitheanach.
Co-Chomann Dualchas Shrath Naruinn
£40,000.00
Stèidheachadh ionad dualchas na Gàidhlig ann an seann togalach Eaglais Dhùn Fhlichididh.
Fèis Ghasaigh
£36,469.00
Lìbhrigeadh de thachartas-ciùil Gàidhlig thairis air dà latha ann an Uibhist a Deas.
Tha baile Ghlaschu na dhachaigh dhan treas àireamh as motha de chloinn agus daoine òga a th’ ann am Foghlam tro Mheadhan na Gàidhlig ann an Alba, ’s 740 sgoilear ann am bun-sgoiltean ann an 2023. Tha staitistigean a’ chunntais-shluaigh a’ sealltainn gun robh beagan sgilean Gàidhlig aig 17,380 duine ann an Glaschu ann an 2022, àrdachadh de 7,911 duine bho 2011.
Tha Comhairle Baile Ghlaschu air £17.6 millean a thoirt do dh’obraichean aig Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig a’ Challtainn, taobh a-staigh buidseat-pròiseict iomlan de £23.8 millean. Tha na h-obraichean a’ faighinn taic bho Phrògram Tasgaidh na h-Oighreachd Ionnsachaidh (luach £2 billean) le Riaghaltas na h-Alba a thèid a lìbhrigeadh ann an com-pàirteachas ri ùghdarrasan ionadail. Fosglaidh naoi pròiseactan-sgoile a tha nam pàirt dhen phrògram ann an 2025-26.
Each of the six towns’ bells will chime in unison at 6.30pm as a symbolic reminder of the unity and shared identity that brings Stoke-on-Trent’s towns together.
To mark the city’s 100th birthday, the bells of all six towns will ring out together on Stoke-on-Trent Day, Wednesday 5 June 2025, in a unique and historic celebration of the city’s rich heritage and community spirit.
Each of the six towns’ bells will chime in unison at 6.30pm as a symbolic reminder of the unity and shared identity that brings Stoke-on-Trent’s towns together.
This includes the former Hanley bells, which were fully refurbished and installed into St Mary’s Stafford in early 2023.
Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent, Councillor Steve Watkins, said: “Bells have been used for centuries to communicate messages, announce events, and mark historical moments so what better way to mark our Centenary than ringing all six of the city’s town bells at the same time.
“Each bell represents the unique character and history of our six towns, and when they ring together, they remind us all of the strength and unity that define our city.”
The bell ringing is part of a wider programme of centenary events throughout 2025, designed to bring communities together and honour Stoke-on-Trent’s past, present and future.
This includes the People’s Parade on Saturday 7 June, and a host of activities and exhibitions celebrating Stoke-on-Trent’s Centenary.
For more information and the full events calendar go to: sot100.org.uk.
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
The comprehensive project to modernize Moscow’s largest multidisciplinary palliative care center is nearing completion. The reconstruction of the last facility, building No. 2 on Dvintsev Street (house 6, building 2), has been completed. Sergei Sobyanin reported this in on your telegram channel.
“We have completed the modernization of the framework of the Moscow palliative care service. A new generation palliative care service is being created in the capital – with a modern infrastructure, mobile and inpatient care, training of specialists and support for relatives. It includes hospices, departments in city hospitals, mobile teams and the Moscow Multidisciplinary Palliative Care Center. In recent years, we have updated
seven buildings of this center. Today, after reconstruction, the last one is completely ready for opening — Building No. 2 on Dvintsev Street. It will start working in the near future,” the Moscow Mayor wrote.
Source: Sergei Sobyanin’s Telegram channel @mos_sobyanin
As a result of the modernization of the center, it was possible to significantly increase the availability and quality of palliative care for needy residents of the capital. Today, Moscow’s palliative care service is the most modern and equipped.
The seven-story building, with an area of over nine thousand square meters and designed for 90 beds, has created the most comfortable environment for patients, relatives and medical workers.
In addition to comfortable wards with specialized interiors and equipment, the modernized building houses a small operating room for minimally invasive surgical procedures and manipulations. It will provide surgical treatment of extensive wounds and bedsores, replacement of drains and stomas, laparo- and thoracocentesis directly in the center, without transporting palliative patients to other medical organizations.
The renovated building will house Moscow’s fifth long-term respiratory support department with 25 beds. Previously, such departments (each with 25 beds) were opened at the Kolomenskoye branch (1 Akademika Millionshchikova Street, Building 2) and the Moscow Multidisciplinary Clinical Center (MMCC) “Kommunarka”.
During the reconstruction of the building, specialists installed a ventilated façade with insulation and metal cassette cladding, laid a new roll roof covering, replaced the engineering systems, including an individual heating point and a water meter unit. The building was equipped with fire protection and video surveillance systems. Six passenger elevators and two additional hydraulic freight elevators were installed.
The interior finishing works were carried out using high-quality materials, as stipulated by the interior design standard for palliative care facilities.
More than six thousand units of modern equipment, medical products and furniture were purchased to equip the building.
The center has created a barrier-free comfortable environment that will allow patients to spend more time not only in their wards, but also in the fresh air. During the improvement work, a lawn was laid out next to the building and convenient sidewalks were installed. In addition, the asphalt on the driveways was renewed, lanterns, benches and urns were installed, a small parking lot was organized, and landscaping was carried out.
The renovated palliative care center building on Dvintsev Street will receive its first patients in the third quarter of 2025.
In recent years, seven buildings of the Moscow Multidisciplinary Palliative Care Center have been renovated:
— two buildings on Dvintsev Street, building 6 — the first building (building 1) with 101 beds and an administrative building (building 3) with a food block;
— branch “Lyublino” (Shkuleva street, building 4, building 2);
— Kolomenskoye branch (Akademika Millionshchikova Street, Building 1, Building 2);
— two buildings of the Danilovsky branch (1st Shchipkovsky Lane, building 19/1, buildings 1, 2);
— branch of the First Moscow Children’s Hospice (Bogatyrsky Most Street, Building 17, Building 1).
In addition, the palliative care building at the Morozov Children’s Hospital and the palliative care department of the Botkin Moscow Multidisciplinary Scientific Clinical Center have undergone major renovations.
The Moscow Multidisciplinary Palliative Care Center (MMCPCC) was established in 2015 on the premises of the former City Clinical Hospital No. 11 (6 Dvintsev Street). Historically, it specialized in providing medical care to terminally ill patients.
In 2017, the First Moscow Hospice named after V.V. Millionshchikova with eight branches in different districts of the capital joined it:
— Central Administrative District — Dovatora Street, Building 10 (Khamovniki District);
— SEAD — 2nd Volskaya street, building 21 (Nekrasovka district);
— South Administrative District — 3rd Radial Street, Building 2a (Biryulevo Vostochnoye District);
— South-West Administrative Okrug — Polyany Street, Building 4 (Northern Butovo district);
— SZAO — Kurkinskoe shosse, building 33 (Kurkino district);
— Zelenograd Administrative District — Zelenograd, building 1701 (Kryukovo district);
— SAO — Taldomskaya street, building 2a (Zapadnoye Degunino district);
— SVAO — 1st Leonova Street, Building 1 (Rostokino district).
In 2019, the First Moscow Children’s Hospice was added to the center. In 2022, it began operating in a renovated comfortable building on Bogatyrsky Most Street.
In 2022–2023, as part of the implementation of the palliative care standard, the following branches were opened: Lyublino (4 Shkuleva Street, Building 2), Kolomenskoye (1 Akademika Millionshchikova Street, Building 2), and Danilovsky (1st Shchipkovsky Lane, Building 19/1, Buildings 1, 2).
Thus, today the total capacity of the Moscow Multidisciplinary Palliative Care Center is over 630 beds for adult patients and 30 beds for children. It employs 1902 people, including 297 doctors, 526 mid-level and 447 junior medical personnel, 632 workers of other specializations.
Development of palliative care in Moscow
Expanding access to high-quality and timely palliative care is one of the most important priorities for the development of Moscow healthcare.
Today, inpatient palliative care for adults is provided at the Moscow Medical Center for Pediatrics and Gynecology …
To provide palliative care at home, 17 mobile palliative care departments have been organized.
Since 2018, the package of doctors for providing palliative medical care at home includes narcotic and psychotropic drugs, as well as prescriptions for such drugs. This allows for the prompt relief of severe symptoms without hospitalizing the patient. A specialized team for pain relief works in Moscow around the clock.
In addition, a coordination center (phone: 7 499 444-04-50) operates 24 hours a day to provide palliative care.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
The Rudnevo electric depot has turned six years old. Sergei Sobyanin announced this in his telegram channel.
“This is one of the largest depots in the city – its area is approximately equal to 29 football fields. It services more than 150 modern carriages of the “Moscow” series. More than 400 people work here. For example, Galina Ovsyannikova is a second-generation metro driver. In September, it will be two years since she has been driving trains on the Nekrasovskaya Line. Alexander Chukanov is an electrician in the train movement parameter registration section, who has been working in “Rudnevo” practically since the depot opened,” the Moscow Mayor noted.
Source: Sergei Sobyanin’s Telegram channel @mos_sobyanin
Earlier, as part of the Moscow Masters competition, the best metro electric train driver of 2025 was determined. It was Danila Molchankin, who works at the Rudnevo electric depot.
Electric depot serves Nekrasov line metro. Thanks to it, residents of seven Moscow districts and the nearest Moscow region get to work and home faster, saving up to 30 minutes on the road every day.
The line provided fast and comfortable urban transport for about a million people and relieved the southeastern section of the Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya line by 20 percent.
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Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)
Spokesperson Tammy Bruce leads the Department Press Briefing at the Department of State, on June 3, 2025.
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Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.
The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.
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Google’s chief economist, Fabien Curto Millet, gives his take on the Outlook and the impact of GenAI, which he calls “the most exciting thing technologically I’ve seen in my lifetime”.
The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.
The Hospital Authority (HA) today said it is proactively following up with medical device supplier Abbott Laboratories about the product recall of a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) reagent.
Two affected batches of the reagent were delivered to Caritas Medical Centre (CMC) and Tuen Mun Hospital (TMH) respectively.
CMC started to use the affected batch of reagent to test 406 patient blood samples since April 28, while the reagent delivered to TMH has not been used yet.
On May 27, the HA received notification from the supplier about complaints received in different places, revealing quality issues with certain batches of a PSA reagent.
These issues have led to deviations in test results, with some readings exhibiting a positive bias greater than 10%, which could potentially lead to a misdiagnosis of prostate cancer, causing doctors to erroneously consider unnecessary treatments.
For prudence sake, CMC has reviewed the test results of the 406 affected patient blood samples. It will contact approximately 70 patients this week and rearrange blood tests based on the patients’ clinical needs.
The remaining patients have also been scheduled for follow-up appointments in the coming weeks, during which doctors will explain the event and arrange appropriate management to ensure their treatment unaffected.
The HA said a PSA test is not a standalone diagnostic indicator and doctors will make a comprehensive clinical judgment based on patient’s clinical condition and other examinations to diagnose whether the patient has prostate cancer.
It also pointed out that the CMC has confirmed that no patients have undergone unnecessary clinical procedures nor experienced delays in treatment.
CMC has set up a hotline, 5334 0388 for patient enquiries.
As the reagent delivered to TMH has not yet been put into use, no patients have been affected.
Both CMC and TMH have stopped using the affected batches of reagent and replaced them with alternatives. The HA has also reviewed the reagent used in other public hospitals and confirmed that none have used the affected batches.
The PSA testing service in all public hospitals remains unaffected.
The HA is stringently following up on this event and has notified the Department of Health (DH).
The HA has demanded the supplier concerned to thoroughly investigate its quality control and testing records, provide an explanation, and implement remedial measures.
The authority also does not rule out taking further action to hold the supplier accountable, and will continue to closely follow up with the DH and the supplier.
The supplier will be required to provide quality control records and testing certifications in the future to prove that their testing supplies meet with the stringent requirements, so as to ascertain patient safety and testing accuracy.
Taieri MP Ingrid Leary reflected on her years in Fiji as a television journalist and media educator at a Fiji Centre function in Auckland celebrating Fourth Estate values and independence at the weekend.
It was a reunion with former journalism professor David Robie — they had worked together as a team at the University of the South Pacific amid media and political controversy leading up to the George Speight coup in May 2000.
Leary was the guest speaker at a gathering of human rights activists, development advocates, academics and journalists hosted at the Whānau Community Centre and Hub, the umbrella base for the Fiji Centre and Asia Pacific Media Network.
She said she was delighted to meet “special people in David’s life” and to be speaking to a diverse group sharing “similar values of courage, freedom of expression, truth and tino rangatiratanga”.
“I want to start this talanoa on Friday, 19 May 2000 — 13 years almost to the day of the first recognised military coup in Fiji in 1987 — when failed businessman George Speight tore off his balaclava to reveal his identity.
She pointed out that there had actually been another “coup” 100 years earlier by Ratu Cakobau.
“Speight had seized Parliament holding the elected government at gunpoint, including the politician mother, Lavinia Padarath, of one of my best friends — Anna Padarath.
Hostage-taking report “Within minutes, the news of the hostage-taking was flashed on Radio Fiji’s 10 am bulletin by a student journalist on secondment there — Tamani Nair. He was a student of David Robie’s.”
Nair had been dispatched to Parliament to find out what was happening and reported from a cassava patch.
“Fiji TV was trashed . . . and transmission pulled for 48 hours.
“The university shut down — including the student radio facilities, and journalism programme website — to avoid a similar fate, but the journalism school was able to keep broadcasting and publishing via a parallel website set up at the University of Technology Sydney.
“The pictures were harrowing, showing street protests turning violent and the barbaric behaviour of Speight’s henchmen towards dissenters.
“Thus began three months of heroic journalism by David’s student team — including through a period of martial law that began 10 days later and saw some of the most restrictive levels of censorship ever experienced in the South Pacific.”
Leary paid tribute to some some of the “brave satire” produced by senior Fiji Times reporters filling paper with “non-news” (such as haircuts, drinking kava) as act of defiance.
“My friend Anna Padarath returned from doing her masters in law in Australia on a scholarship to be closer to her Mum, whose hostage days within Parliament Grounds stretched into weeks and then months.
Whanau Community Centre and Hub co-founder Nik Naidu speaking at the Asia Pacific Media Network event at the weekend. Image: Khairiah A. Rahman/APMN
Invisible consequences “Anna would never return to her studies — one of the many invisible consequences of this profoundly destructive era in Fiji’s complex history.
“Happily, she did go on to carve an incredible career as a women’s rights advocate.”
“Meanwhile David’s so-called ‘barefoot student journalists’ — who snuck into Parliament the back way by bushtrack — were having their stories read and broadcast globally.
“And those too shaken to even put their hands to keyboards on Day 1 emerged as journalism leaders who would go on to win prizes for their coverage.”
Speight was sentenced to life in prison, but was pardoned in 2024.
Taeri MP Ingrid Leary speaking at the Whānau Community Centre and Hub. Image: Nik Naidu/APMN
Leary said that was just one chapter in the remarkable career of David Robie who had been an editor, news director, foreign news editor and freelance writer with a number of different agencies and news organisations — including Agence France-Presse, Rand Daily Mail, The Auckland Star, Insight Magazine, and New Outlook Magazine — “a family member to some, friend to many, mentor to most”.
Reflecting on working with Dr Robie at USP, which she joined as television lecturer from Fiji Television, she said:
“At the time, being a younger person, I thought he was a little but crazy, because he was communicating with people all around the world when digital media was in its infancy in Fiji, always on email, always getting up on online platforms, and I didn’t appreciate the power of online media at the time.
“And it was incredible to watch.”
Ahead of his time She said he was an innovator and ahead of his time.
Dr Robie viewed journalism as a tool for empowerment, aiming to provide communities with the information they needed to make informed decisions.
“We all know that David has been a champion of social justice and for decolonisation, and for the values of an independent Fourth Estate.”
She said she appreciated the freedom to develop independent media as an educator, adding that one of her highlights was producing the groundbreaking documentary Maire about Maire Bopp Du Pont, who was a student journalist at USP and advocate for the Pacific community living with HIV/AIDs community.
She later became a nuclear-free Pacific parliamentarian in Pape’ete.
Leary presented Dr Robie with a “speaking stick” carved from an apricot tree branch by the husband of a Labour stalwart based in Cromwell — the event doubled as his 80th birthday.
In response, Dr Robie said the occasion was a “golden opportunity” to thank many people who had encouraged and supported him over many years.
Massive upheaval “We must have done something right,” he said about USP, “because in 2000, the year of George Speight’s coup, our students covered the massive upheaval which made headlines around the world when Mahendra Chaudhry’s Labour-led coalition government was held at gunpoint for 56 days.
“The students courageously covered the coup with their website Pacific Journalism Online and their newspaper Wansolwara — “One Ocean”. They won six Ossie Awards – unprecedented for a single university — in Australia that year and a standing ovation.”
He said there was a video on YouTube of their exploits called Frontline Reporters and one of the students, Christine Gounder, wrote an article for a Commonwealth Press Union magazine entitled, “From trainees to professionals. And all it took was a coup”.
Dr Robie said this Fiji experience was still one of the most standout experiences he had had as a journalist and educator.
Along with similar coverage of the 1997 Sandline mercenary crisis by his students at the University of Papua New Guinea.
He made some comments about the 1985 Rainbow Warrior voyage to Rongelap in the Marshall islands and the subsequent bombing by French secret agents in Auckland.
But he added “you can read all about this adventure in my new book” being published in a few weeks.
Taieri MP Ingrid Leary (right) with Dr David Robie and his wife Del Abcede at the Fiji Centre function. Image: Camille Nakhid
Biggest 21st century crisis Dr Robie said the profession of journalism, truth telling and holding power to account, was vitally important to a healthy democracy.
Although media did not succeed in telling people what to think, it did play a vital role in what to think about. However, the media world was undergoing massive change and fragmentation.
“And public trust is declining in the face of fake news and disinformation,” he said
“I think we are at a crossroads in society, both locally and globally. Both journalism and democracy are under an unprecedented threat in my lifetime.
“When more than 230 journalists can be killed in 19 months in Gaza and there is barely a bleep from the global community, there is something savagely wrong.
“The Gazan journalists won the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize collectively last year with the judges saying, “As humanity, we have a huge debt to their courage and commitment to freedom of expression.”
“The carnage and genocide in Gaza is deeply disturbing, especially the failure of the world to act decisively to stop it. The fact that Israel can kill with impunity at least 54,000 people, mostly women and children, destroy hospitals and starve people to death and crush a people’s right to live is deeply shocking.
“This is the biggest crisis of the 21st century. We see this relentless slaughter go on livestreamed day after day and yet our media and politicians behave as if this is just ‘normal’. It is shameful, horrendous. Have we lost our humanity?
“Gaza has been our test. And we have failed.”
Other speakers included Whānau Hub co-founder Nik Naidu, one of the anti-coup Coalition for Democracy in Fiji (CDF) stalwarts; the Heritage New Zealand’s Antony Phillips; and Multimedia Investments and Evening Report director Selwyn Manning.
On 4 June, 2025, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gives a speech at the Shaping Europe’s Future: Research and innovation at the heart of European leadership, Summit.
This high-level summit organised by STOA and the G6, the informal grouping of the six biggest scientific research organisations of Europe, brings together high-level representatives from the European Commission and the European Parliament, and presidents of G6 organisations to discuss how research can shape the architecture of Europe’s future competitiveness landscape.
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Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: Moldovan Financial Intelligence Unit explores virtual asset regulation during OSCE-facilitated study visit to Gibraltar
Moldovan Financial Intelligence Unit explores virtual asset regulation during OSCE-facilitated study visit to Gibraltar | OSCE
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Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: OSCE workshop in Uzbekistan supports development of national competency framework and training strategy on cybercrime and electronic evidence
OSCE workshop in Uzbekistan supports development of national competency framework and training strategy on cybercrime and electronic evidence | OSCE
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Home Newsroom News and press releases OSCE workshop in Uzbekistan supports development of national competency framework and training strategy on cybercrime and electronic evidence
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a weather forecast predicting significant weather events across India over the next few days, including heavy rainfall in the Northeast, thunderstorms in the Northwest, and heat wave conditions in parts of East India.
The IMD has warned of continued heavy to very heavy rainfall over Northeastern states, including Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura, until June 5, with a decrease in intensity thereafter. Isolated very heavy rainfall is expected in Assam and Meghalaya on June 3 and 4, and in Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura on June 3. Light to moderate rainfall is likely to persist across the region for the next seven days, driven by an upper air cyclonic circulation over east Bihar and a north-south trough along Longitude 92°E.
Northwest India, including Jammu-Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, is expected to experience light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds (40-50 kmph) on June 3 and 4. This weather is attributed to a western disturbance seen as a cyclonic circulation over Punjab, along with upper air cyclonic circulations over Haryana and northwest Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, isolated hailstorms were reported in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and dust storms were observed in Rajasthan over the past 24 hours.
Heat wave conditions are likely to persist over Gangetic West Bengal on June 3 and 4, and over Odisha from June 3 to 6. The IMD has urged residents to take precautions amid rising temperatures in these regions.
The Southwest Monsoon’s northern limit continues to pass through key coordinates, including Mumbai, Ahilyanagar, Adilabad, Bhawanipatna, Puri, and Balurghat, indicating steady progress. The monsoon’s advance is expected to influence weather patterns across the country.
Over the past 24 hours until 8:30 AM IST on June 3, heavy rainfall was recorded at isolated places in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Gujarat, and East Rajasthan. Thunderstorms with squally winds (70-100 kmph) were reported in Bihar, while gusty winds (40-70 kmph) occurred in several states, including Jammu-Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, and others. Hailstorms and dust storms were also observed in parts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan.
The IMD advises residents to stay updated with local weather warnings and take necessary precautions.
For the majority of people who lose weight, keeping the weight off can be challenging.
Research has shown biological, behavioral, and environmental factors may undermine weight loss maintenance. Within 2 to 3 years, most individuals will regain nearly all the weight they lost. As a result, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) has identified weight-loss maintenance as the next major challenge in obesity treatment.
Tricia Leahey, professor of allied health sciences and director of the UConn Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP), and, Amy Gorin, professor of psychological sciences and vice provost for health sciences and interdisciplinary initiatives, have led a new study that underscores the power of patient-delivered care for weight loss maintenance.
Leahey and Gorin also direct InCHIP’s Weight Management Research Group, which develops and assesses weight management interventions for the treatment of obesity and reduction of chronic disease.
The study, which was recently published in the prestigious, peer-reviewed academic journal, JAMA Internal Medicine, found that patient-delivered care may be more effective than care delivered by professional staff.
Tricia Leahey, director of the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy
“Patient-delivered care holds great potential, but how patients promote health behavior change has not been investigated extensively. Our goal with this study was to better understand how patient care providers support weight loss maintenance and improve cardiovascular disease risk, and whether this model would be sustainable long-term,” says Leahey, who is the study’s lead author.
Leahey is a clinical health psychologist who has extensive experience developing and evaluating lifestyle interventions for obesity treatment. Her recent work has explored how patient-provided care influences short-term weight loss outcomes.
Overweight and obesity are complex health conditions that can increase one’s risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and more. In addition, adults with obesity can pay up to $2,505 in additional medical expenses per year. From 2001 to 2016, total direct medical costs relating to obesity doubled from $124 billion to $260.6 billion.
Obesity impacts about 40% of U.S. adults, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity treatment, whether lifestyle, pharmaceutical, or surgery, produces significant weight loss and reduces the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, these risks may return if weight is regained.
Traditionally, treatment for sustaining weight loss is delivered regularly over the course of 18 months by professional staff who have a master’s degree and training in behavioral weight loss maintenance. While this approach is effective, it can be costly and difficult to maintain. Research has also demonstrated that weight regain occurs after treatment ends.
Insights into patient-provided care
Patient-delivered care may be a more cost-effective option that could be sustainable indefinitely. This model employs two types of patient providers: mentors and peers. Mentors are patients who have successfully altered their health behaviors and coach incoming patients on lifestyle change. Peers are incoming patients who support and coach one another. Typically, patient-delivered care employs a hybrid approach that incorporates patients and professional staff.
The research evidence supporting the efficacy of patient-provided care has been mixed. Studies have shown this model can enhance quality of life and survival rates for cancer patients. It has also been shown to improve short-term blood sugar levels in individuals with diabetes and weight loss outcomes when used in conjunction with professionally delivered treatment.
Other studies suggest the effectiveness of patient-provided support is limited when used for managing depression or pain.
Despite these varied outcomes, patient care providers may offer a unique sense of empathy and motivation not replicated by professional caregivers. Fellow patients may also provide ongoing weekly support over an extended period, and possibly when patients need it the most – again, not possible with professional providers.
Leahey and Gorin’s study addressed these research gaps. It is the first study to examine the efficacy of a treatment intervention fully delivered by patient-providers and compare it to professionally delivered treatment. The study is also the first to train patient providers to provide all components of the treatment intervention, include both types of patient providers, and determine whether patients continue to coach one another after the treatment period ends.
“This study offers insights into how patient providers may support weight loss maintenance over the long-term. By including both mentors and peers in the treatment intervention, we leveraged the strengths of both to provide a more effective treatment program,” says Leahey.
Required: ongoing support and intervention
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease funded the study (PI: Leahey; Co-I: Gorin), which employed a two-phase weight loss maintenance design considered the gold standard for weight loss maintenance trials.
Phase one was a weight loss intervention where all study participants engaged in a 4-month online obesity treatment program based on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). This evidence-based lifestyle change program provides education on eating healthy, physical activity and behavior change strategies to support weight loss.
Phase one participants who lost more than 5% of their body weight were eligible to participate in the study’s second phase, the weight loss maintenance trial.
Phase two participants were randomly assigned to participate in one of two weight loss maintenance interventions – patient-delivered treatment or standard of care delivered by a professional.
The authors found that study participants in the patient-delivered intervention group had superior weight loss maintenance compared to those in professional care.
Additionally, the patient-delivered treatment group had significantly lower diastolic blood pressure and resting heart rate and this group engaged in more lifestyle activity and less sedentary behavior during the weight loss maintenance program.
These results are meaningful and demonstrate the potential of patient-delivered care in behavioral medicine where health behavior maintenance remains a significant challenge, whether weight loss, smoking cessation, physical activity, or other behavior.
“Sustaining health behaviors, including weight loss, requires ongoing intervention and support. Patient-provided treatment eliminates the need of costly professional care and promotes ongoing support and excellent maintenance outcomes,” says Leahey.
Leahey and Gorin’s study indicates that patient-provided care for weight loss maintenance is just as effective as the gold-standard, professionally delivered treatment, potentially shifting the obesity treatment paradigm for long-term weight loss maintenance.
Source: United Kingdom National Police Chiefs Council
The Summit aims to harness digital capability and technology to deliver public safety and confidence in policing.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Innovation and Digital Summit will be taking place between 20 to 22 October 2025 in Liverpool with applications for the Digital Awards 2025 now open.
The Summit is being organised by the NPCC Digital, Data and Technology Coordination Committee (DDaT) and the NPCC Science and Innovation Coordination Committee in coordination with the Office of the Police Chief Scientific Adviser, industry partners and Police Digital Service (PDS). It will be an opportunity for policing to strengthen collaboration between forces, law enforcement and industry.
National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Lead for Digital, Data and Technology Chief Constable Rob Carden and Lead for Science and Innovation Jeremy Vaughan, said: “The NPCC Innovation and Digital Summit is an opportunity to bring senior leaders and practitioners from across policing , together with those who have key roles in innovation, business changes, digital, data and technology in the law enforcement bodies.
“This is a Summit which is being put together by policing, for policing, so that we can ensure that those delegates attending are able to strengthen their digital capabilities and explore opportunities to improve the way they use technology in order to better protect the public and the communities we serve.”
The Digital Awards 2025 will be taking place during the summit on evening of 21 October, where policing will be recognising the outstanding contributions by police staff and teams across UK law enforcement agencies.
Nominations are open until 14 July 2025 and judging will take place following the closing date. Only UK based law enforcement agencies or their team are eligible to be nominated to receive an awards but nominations can be made by policing, partners or suppliers. Those wishing to submit a nomination should visit https://bit.ly/DigAwards25.
Eight distinct categories will celebrate achievements in various areas:
Innovation in Embedding Digital Solutions to Front Line Policing: This category celebrates the exceptional efforts of an individual or team who have successfully embedded innovative digital solutions into front line policing.
Excellence in Cyber Security: This category celebrates the efforts of an individual or team who have gone beyond to ensure the protection of police systems and data from threats and data loss.
Collaboration in the furthering of Digital, Data and Technology: This category recognises effective use of partnerships and collaboration to deliver enhanced digital, data, or technology capabilities for the benefit of UK policing.
Enabling Diversity & Inclusion in Science & Technology: This category recognises the outstanding efforts of an individual or team who have supported, promoted, or inspired diversity and inclusion within their organisation or in the wider policing community, particularly in the fields of science and technology.
Excellence in Training, Talent & Development in Digital, Data & Technology: This category is for an individual or team who have facilitated the development of others in the fields of digital, data and technology.
Excellence in Productivity & Value for Money: This category will recognise the impact an individual or team have had on reducing or avoiding costs whilst improving quality of service or capabilities.
Excellence in Science & Technology Leadership: This category acknowledges great leadership, irrespective of role or rank, in the delivery of excellent solutions surrounding Science and Technology.
Digital Data and Technology Ambassador: This category looks to identify those who have gone beyond reasonable expectations to promote and facilitate more effective and efficacious use of Digital Data and Technology within UK Policing.
The NPCC Digital Awards will be judged by representatives from the NPCC Digital, Data and Technology Coordination Committee, NPCC Science and Innovation Coordination Committee, the Office of the Police Chief Scientific Adviser, trade bodies (representing the supplier community) and Police Digital Service.
Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council said: “These awards are a fantastic opportunity to honour and celebrate the digital pioneers who are shaping the future of policing. It is a great way to recognise the individuals and teams making a real difference on the ground – where dedication meets innovation in law enforcement, ensuring police forces have the tools they need to keep communities safe and secure.
“I am looking forward to seeing the innovation on display from our talented colleagues across the UK.”
The award winners and nominees will be celebrated at the National Police Chiefs’ Council Innovation and Digital Innovation Summit 2025. The event is shaping up to be the biggest and most impactful summit yet, bringing together the UK’s leading figures in law enforcement, technology, and data on October 20-22 in Liverpool. More information on how to attend is available on the Police Digital Service website.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
Appointment to Security Vetting Appeals Panel
A new Deputy Chair has been appointed.
Sir James Goss has been appointed as an additional Deputy Chair of the Security Vetting Appeals Panel for a period of four years, concluding in April 2029.
Sir James was a Deputy High Court Judge (Admin Court) from 2013 to 2014, and in October 2014 became a judge of the High Court of Justice. He was assigned to the Queen’s Bench Division and received the customary appointment as a knight bachelor.
He is currently a Director of Criminal Training at the Judicial College and a Judges Lodgings representative on the High Court Judges Association.
The Security Vetting Appeals Panel reviews decisions to refuse or withdraw National Security Vetting and the process involved. You can find out more about what the Panel does here.
The Panel currently has 11 sitting members: a Chair, a Deputy Chair and 9 Lay Members.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
Reforms to bolster flood protection for communities across the country
Delivering on the government’s Plan for Change, proposals will introduce a simplified approach benefitting poorer communities and speeding up project delivery
A photo of flood defences on a beach
New proposals to accelerate the construction of flood schemes and protect thousands of homes and businesses in the nation’s cities and rural areas from the risks of flooding have been unveiled today (Tuesday 3 June) by Floods Minister Emma Hardy.
A simpler, transparent approach will replace the current complex and labour-intensive process of applying for funding, which disproportionately affects councils with less resources.
The proposals will make it easier for authorities, including councils, to bid for central government funding. This will benefit poorer councils who have less resource to commit to the application process.
They will also ensure money is distributed more effectively across the country – including for rural and coastal communities.
And faster applications will help speed up delivery of vital schemes – crucial to boosting the country’s preparedness for extreme weather events.
Established more than a decade ago under the previous government, the existing outdated formula for distributing money to proposed flood defences is complicated, slows down applications and neglects more innovative approaches such as natural flood management.
Speaking at the Flood & Coast Conference in Telford, Minister Hardy outlined fresh proposals to replace this system and introduce a simple, flexible and strategic approach to investment in flood resilience projects.
Floods Minister Emma Hardy said:
Councils have struggled for years with securing money for flood defences due to a complex and archaic application process. Dealing with the impacts of flooding gets in the way of growth for businesses and can be devastating for hard-working families.
That is why, as part of our Plan for Change, this Government is reforming how flood funds are distributed to protect businesses, rural and coastal communities as we invest over £2.65 billion in flood defences across the country.
Minister Hardy set out how the government will fully fund the first £3 million of proposed flood and coastal erosion projects, giving a crucial boost to schemes. For remaining costs above this, schemes would only need to secure 10% of the remaining costs from other sources, such as private investment, as the government would cover the rest. This approach would mean more schemes will see their funding gaps filled and stop local communities needing to secure more funding themselves.
The consultation – which opens today – will also seek views on how projects are prioritised each year for delivery, such as on their value for money or whether certain outcomes should be bolstered, such as for flood resilience in deprived communities or the level of private funding raised.
Delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change, these proposals will help boost economic growth, by empowering businesses to inject money into local areas and thereby creating more jobs.
Environment Agency Executive Director for Flood and Coastal Risk Management, Caroline Douglass said:
Better protecting communities in England from the devastating impacts of flooding is one of our top priorities as climate change brings more extreme weather.
We support the government’s bold strategic vision to transform the approach to investment in resilience to flood and coastal erosion, helping to streamline the delivery of flood schemes and improve existing assets to protect communities better.
The consultation also outlines plans to mainstream investment in natural flood management, which uses nature to reduce the risk of flooding, while also providing wider benefits such as improved water quality, vital habitats for wildlife and increased access to nature. This will help boost protection for rural communities, with dozens of projects under the Government’s Natural Flood Management programme already achieving this.
It also considers how communities can make better use of property flood resilience measures, such as flood doors or smart air bricks. These items help prevent water from entering a property or reduce the amount of floodwater that enters during significant flooding.
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
The Polytechnic University hosted another seminar on artificial intelligence, where participants discussed expanding the capabilities of passenger transport in St. Petersburg.
Pavel Polyakov, Head of the Information Technology and Intelligent Systems Department at Gorelectrotrans, spoke about the new functional capabilities of the rolling stock and transport infrastructure of the city. Pavel Sergeevich noted what intelligent systems the city transport is already equipped with and what else will be added. He spoke in detail about the driver monitoring camera, the active safety and driver assistance system (ASDS), which use AI technologies. Today, the company operates 302 tram cars with the ASDS system.
Pavel Polyakov emphasized that smart transport should be trained in basic skills of work in real conditions at specialized testing grounds, and all systems should have information exchange and the possibility of mutual integration. Currently, such a tram is being tested at the testing ground on the territory of “Shavrovo”, where RFID tags, V2X equipment, and traffic lights are installed. After the adoption of the relevant resolution of the government of St. Petersburg, this rolling stock will go on city routes.
Even when switching to unmanned mode, we will not abandon human participation in the movement. Our main task is to ensure the safety of passengers and improve the quality of services provided, – noted Pavel Polyakov.
Deputy Head of the Computer Technology, Communications and Communications Service of Gorelektrotrans Andrey Sokolov spoke about the development of methods that will allow an objective assessment of the degree of reliability of a particular system and the level of trust in them.
Everyone is waiting for certain approaches, requirements and restrictions before implementing systems in practice. And here we are already talking about trusting and explanatory artificial intelligence, which will provide justifications for why this or that decision was made, – commented the moderator of the seminar, head of the laboratory “Industrial systems of streaming data processing” of SPbPU Marina Bolsunovskaya.
Associate Professor of the Higher School of Management of the Institute of Metallurgy and Metallurgy Dmitry Plotnikov noted that the regulatory framework is lagging far behind the technology, and outlined the interdisciplinary tasks in the development of ground unmanned vehicles. He emphasized that it is necessary to conduct a lot of tests and accumulate data that will form the basis of standards. Dmitry Plotnikov spoke about unmanned vehicles that were developed at SPbPU, about the prospects for the implementation of AI systems in transport.
The participants discussed the possibility of trial operation of the Polytechnic University’s development in the GET — a control system for unmanned cargo transport based on the Gazelle e-NN vehicle. They also considered the advantages of virtual modeling of road situations instead of real tests. Dmitry Plotnikov emphasized that virtual modeling will not completely replace real tests, since it is impossible to virtually foresee all physical processes. Marina Bolsunovskaya believes that at the first stage, virtual modeling can be carried out and then confirmed by full-scale tests. They are important, since not all real-world objects have been analyzed and fully described.
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