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Category: DJF

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Calls for Resignation of DHS Secretary Noem 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)

    Welch took to the Senate floor to demand Noem resign or be fired 
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today called for the resignation of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, citing Secretary Noem’s mishandling of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and record of undermining FEMA’s work, as well as her handling of President Trump’s cruel and illegal mass deportation campaign.
    “The Department of Homeland Security has a simple but extremely important mission: keep Americans safe. Under that mission, the department is tasked with two critical jobs—border security and disaster response. Our current Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, has failed both. In her short tenure, Secretary Noem has overstepped, underperformed, and endangered the lives of countless Americans,” said Senator Welch. “I believe it is time for Secretary Noem to resign or for her to be fired.” 
    Watch Senator Welch’s floor remarks here: 

    Read key excerpts of Senator Welch’s remarks:  
    “Secretary Noem has undermined FEMA’s work, and in so doing has endangered disaster victims. Just a few months ago, Secretary Noem said in a cabinet meeting, and I quote ‘We are eliminating FEMA.’ And she meant it.  
    “And we saw evidence of that in not just Texas, but in North Carolina, New Mexico, California, Kentucky, Hawaii, and Vermont—where FEMA is crucial to helping people, and communities, and businesses recover from disaster. We need FEMA. It’s only the federal government that can surge into affected communities. We can’t lose that function and that capacity. When you need safety from a flood, and when you need to start the long road to recovery, you need the support of the federal government. No state, no community can do this alone. They cannot do this alone.  
    “I have seen from our experience in Vermont that FEMA, in fact, must be reformed—it must not be destroyed, as Secretary Noem has suggested. We cannot have a leader in charge of FEMA that is committed to its destruction. We must have one who is energetically committed to its reform.” 
    • • • 
    “We are seeing under the leadership of Secretary Noem that her response is an across-the-board embarkation on a massive and far-reaching deportation plan. There is no distinction in her policy among those who were brought here as children, who have families, who have jobs, who pay taxes, and who serve their communities.   
    “And there is a big difference between deporting known criminals and rounding up immigrants—some of whom have status to be here, in fact, are here legally—from work sites, and schools, and churches. This mass deportation policy is not about serving America and doing what our country needs to be strong and safe. It is instead about Secretary Noem accumulating the highest possible headcount of deportees. It’s hurting those folks, their families, and their communities, of course. 
    “It’s also hurting America. Particularly rural America. Our farmers depend on labor to milk their cows, to pick their crops. It’s weakening our construction industry, where workplace raids are shutting down construction sites, including for low-income housing, which we desperately need. This is decimating our health care workforce and the hospitality industry in every state in the union. 
    “We need a Homeland Security Secretary who will help us develop a sensible policy for folks who are here without status but have no criminal record; work; who have families; and are taxpayers.” 
    • • • 
    “We have an obligation to protect the safety of the families that all of us represent. I urge every one of my colleagues to demand better for our constituents and for every American. We need a Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security who puts public safety and preparedness before her personal image or political aspirations. Secretary Noem must resign.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch, Hawley, Klobuchar Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Streamline Drug Patent Litigation, Lower Cost of Prescription Drugs 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)

    Legislation would make it easier for generic and biosimilar drugs to enter the market, increasing competition and lowering the price of prescription drugs 
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) teamed up to introduce the Eliminating Thickets to Improve Competition (ETHIC) Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation to streamline drug patent litigation, encourage fair market competition, and lower prescription drug prices by making it easier for generic and biosimilar companies to enter the market. U.S. Representative Jodey Arrington (R-TX-19) introduced companion legislation in the House. 
    “For decades, Big Pharma has exploited U.S. courts and the patent system through anti-competitive practices that prevent generic and biosimilar competitors from entering the market, forcing Vermonters to pay more out of pocket for life-saving drugs. It’s outrageous, and it’s gone on for far too long,” said Senator Welch. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the ETHIC Act to stop pharmaceutical companies from abusing the patent system and lower prescription drug prices for patients across the country. Congress must pass our legislation to cut drug costs for families and streamline access to care.” 
    “Big Pharma knows exactly what it’s doing in monopolizing the U.S. patent system: driving up drug costs for Americans while preventing generic-drug manufacturers from getting their foot in the market. This bipartisan bill would break up the anticompetitive ‘patent thickets’ that pharmaceutical companies have abused to the detriment of the American patient,” said Senator Hawley. 
    “Big Pharma is exploiting loopholes in our courts and patent system to block generic and biosimilar pharmaceuticals from the market, leading to higher out-of-pocket costs for everyone,” said Senator Klobuchar. “Enough is enough. Our bipartisan bill will close these loopholes, strengthen competition, and lower prescription drug prices.” 
    “America leads the world in medical innovation and Congress understands the necessity of strong IP protections. Groundbreaking research and development fuels our economy, improves quality of life for patients, and brings down healthcare costs – one of the drivers of our national debt. Unfortunately, loopholes in our current patent system allow manufacturers to file for duplicative patents that delay competition. I am proud to lead this legislation to ensure new patents include real innovation and bring additional value to patients,” said Rep. Arrington. 
    The U.S. Patent system was designed to promote innovation and foster competition. However, pharmaceutical companies are exceedingly abusing the patent system through patent extension strategies such as “patent thicketing,” a strategy in which pharmaceutical companies develop a “web” of patents around their most profitable drugs. These patent thickets deter generic and biosimilar drugs from entering the market, due to the high cost of challenging each patent in a thicket.  
    The ETHIC Act codifies the practice that many federal district courts across the country already apply to limit the number of patents or patent claims a company can assert in litigation. Specifically, this bipartisan bill: 

    Streamlines patent litigation by limiting to one, the number of patents per patent thicket a pharmaceutical company can assert in litigation. 

    Prohibits a patent owner from asserting multiple patents from the same thicket in separate actions against the same alleged infringer to circumvent the intent of the law. 

    Safeguards quality patents that improve existing drugs, benefiting patients. 

    The ETHIC Act is endorsed by the Association for Accessible Medicines and Generation Patient. 
    “Patent thickets increasingly serve as a barrier to patient access to lower-cost generic and biosimilar medicines. This bill proactively addresses anticompetitive patent thickets by limiting brands to a single patent out of a duplicative patent family in Hatch-Waxman and biologics patent litigation, said John Murphy III, President and CEO, Association for Accessible Medicines. “In alignment with the Administration’s Executive Order on competition, this bill will accelerate generic and biosimilar launches and stop these problematic double patenting practices.”  
    “As an organization representing over 25 million young adults with chronic conditions in the United States, we witness daily the barriers to accessing affordable, life-saving medicines. For young adults striving for financial security and independence, these obstacles to accessing necessary medicines are especially daunting. With the leadership of Senators Welch and Hawley, the ETHIC Act represents a pragmatic step toward closing loopholes that allow brand-name pharmaceutical companies to use overlapping patents to block competition. By limiting infringement claims to one patent per group of closely related patents, this legislation promotes fair competition and enables more affordable treatment options for our community. It is time to prioritize the health and futures of patients, and this legislation is a step forward in that direction,” said Sneha Dave, Founder and Executive Director, Generation Patient. 
    Learn more about the ETHIC Act. 
    Read and download the full text of the bill. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin, Wyden Call out Trump Admin for Lying About Social Security Taxes

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) led a group of their colleagues in demanding that the Social Security Administration (SSA) stop peddling lies about the Republican reconciliation bill using the agency’s email platform, which reaches tens of millions of Americans.
    The Republican reconciliation bill does not amend, reduce, or eliminate federal taxes on Social Security benefits. Contrary to the release’s claim that taxes would be eliminated on 90% of benefits, about half of beneficiaries will still owe some amount of income tax on their benefits. The bill also does not change tax filing requirements for people receiving Social Security benefits. The Trump Administration’s distribution of misleading and blatantly inaccurate information could upend the lives of millions of American seniors who depend on Social Security benefits. Inaccurate information could lead to Americans making benefit claims against their best interests or even missing payments on taxes they owe.
    “We are appalled that the agency distributed misleading and blatantly inaccurate information regarding tax changes affecting older Americans, transforming the agency into a partisan megaphone for Donald Trump while sowing confusion and distrust in Social Security among Americans,” wrote Baldwin and the Senators in the letter to SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano.
    On July 3, SSA sent a mass email and issued a press release falsely announcing that the Republican reconciliation bill would cut taxes on Social Security benefits. The agency doubled down on those lies by burying its misleading language on its website and keeping millions of Americans who received the initial email in the dark. Commissioner Bisignano has abandoned his promise to the Finance Committee and to the American people that, under his leadership, SSA would not become a partisan agency subject to the whims of Trump.
    “Rather than focusing on improving customer service, you are using your position as Commissioner to stroke Donald Trump’s ego and peddle lies on his behalf. We urge you to retract SSA’s July 3 statement and issue a correction–on SSA’s website and via email for ‘my Social Security’ account users–clarifying the federal tax treatment of Social Security benefits,” Baldwin and the Senators continued.
    As Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS), Baldwin has been a leader in the Senate in holding SSA accountable under the Trump Administration. In February, Senator Baldwin demanded answers from then from Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek on DOGE’s access to Americans’ sensitive Social Security information. In March, Senator Baldwin pressed the Trump Administration on their plans to slash the SSA workforce and called on the administration to reverse course on their plan to instate in-person verification that would put up roadblocks for seniors to access their benefits.
    In April, Senator Baldwin continued to demand answers from the Trump Administration on staffing cuts at the SSA and called on the administration to keep Social Security field offices open so seniors can get their earned benefits.
    In addition to Senators Baldwin and Wyden, the letter was co-signed by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senators Peter Welch (D-VT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV).
    The full letter is available here and below.
    Commissioner Bisignano:
    We write in outrage over the Social Security Administration (SSA) using its resources to spread political propaganda and false information. On July 3, SSA issued a press release and a mass email falsely praising the benefits of the Republican reconciliation bill–which in reality will leave millions of Americans without health care or food so that big corporations and the ultrawealthy get huge tax breaks–and falsely announcing that Social Security benefits are no longer subject to taxes. We are appalled that the agency distributed misleading and blatantly inaccurate information regarding tax changes affecting older Americans, transforming the agency into a partisan megaphone for Donald Trump while sowing confusion and distrust in SSA among Americans.
    Shortly after the House passed the legislation, SSA issued a press release–posted on the agency’s website and emailed to all “my Social Security” account users–stating that the bill “eliminates federal income taxes on Social Security benefits for most beneficiaries” and provides some older Americans with an additional income tax deduction. This is wholly inaccurate. The Republican reconciliation bill does not amend, reduce, or eliminate the federal taxation of Social Security benefits. While the bill does provide a temporary income tax deduction for some older Americans, only about 46 percent of older adults would benefit from this deduction. The SSA press release claimed the bill would eliminate taxes on Social Security for 90 percent of beneficiaries, but the truth is that about half of recipients will owe some amount of income tax on their benefits.
    Furthermore, the bill does nothing to change the tax filing requirements for Social Security recipients. An official press release claiming that Social Security benefits are not subject to tax creates confusion that could cause Social Security recipients to misunderstand their tax obligations. Your July 7 effort to correct the record–which retains the misleading language about “eliminat[ing] federal income taxes on Social Security benefits”—is hidden on a days-old press release on Social Security’s website. Moreover, you did not send this “correction” to the millions of “my Social Security” account users you mass emailed this incorrect and misleading information.
    SSA has worked hard over years to encourage individuals to sign up for “my Social Security” accounts, which allow users to access online services and provide valuable information about their Social Security benefits, all while reducing pressures on Social Security field offices and teleservice centers. You have effectively used information provided by those signing up for these services to create a political mailing list of over millions of Americans. This is not only wholly inappropriate but jeopardizes the integrity of “my Social Security” accounts if the information provided to users is clearly politically motivated.
    Having only been Commissioner for two months, it is disappointing that you devoted one of your first public statements to peddling inaccurate information to appease Donald Trump. As Commissioner, you know Social Security plays a critical role in the lives of millions of Americans. The decision on when to begin claiming Social Security is an incredibly personal decision that depends on the individual’s unique financial, medical, and family circumstances. To make that decision, individuals must have clear and accurate information about Social Security, including the tax treatment of benefits. Providing confusing or inaccurate information may lead Americans to make benefit claiming decisions against their best interest or mistakenly fail to pay taxes owed. Moreover, pushing blatantly partisan statements breeds distrust in the agency, which may raise doubt about the truthfulness of future statements.
    During your confirmation process, you pledged to the Finance Committee and to the American public that you would run SSA “in an independent and nonpartisan manner.” You have failed in this instance. Rather than focusing on improving customer service, you are using your position as Commissioner to stroke Donald Trump’s ego and peddle lies on his behalf. We urge you to retract SSA’s July 3 statement and issue a correction–on SSA’s website and via email for “my Social Security” account users–clarifying the federal tax treatment of Social Security benefits.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to study looking at obesity drugs in people with diabetes and obesity, and neurodegenerative diseases, stroke, and all-cause mortality

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    A study published in JAMA Network Open looks at the association between people with obesity and diabetes taking weight loss drugs, and risk of neurodegenerative diseases, stroke, and all-cause mortality. 

    Dr Sarah Marzi, Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience and UK DRI Group Leader, UK Dementia Research Institute at King’s College London, and Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, said:

    Is this good quality research?  Are the conclusions backed up by solid data?

    “This is retrospective study in over 60000 individuals with type 2 diabetes and obesity who were using antidiabetic drugs between 2017 and 2024.  The authors looked at the incidence of neurological diseases and mortality.  They showed that people taking glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1Ras), such as semaglutide, was associated with a lower incidence of dementia, stroke and all-cause mortality, but not associated with Parkinson’s disease or mild cognitive impairment.  The hazard ratio for developing dementia with GLP1-RA treatment compared to other diabetic drugs was 0.63.  Or maybe more easily interpretable: The cumulative probability of developing dementia on GLP1-RA after 7 years was 1.63%, whereas it was slightly higher (1.98%) in the group with other antidiabetics.  The study seems well executed and open about the limitations.  There could have been some more detail on the methods, but I suspect that has to do with the format of the publication.

    How does this work fit with the existing evidence?

    “It has been hypothesised that GLP1-RAs may have protective effects in the brain, particularly in the context of dementia, possibly through lowering neuroinflammation or promoting neurogenesis.  There is increasing epidemiological evidence that supports this, for example this meta analysis of clinical trials of GLP1-RAs: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2831975

    Have the authors accounted for confounders?  Are there important limitations to be aware of?

    “They used propensity weighting to account for various factors that might bias the outcome, like sex, age, ethnicity, BMI or hospitalisation.  This is good and what should be done in these type of observational studies.  If there is a difference in the two populations that receive the different drugs, that could easily affect their risk to develop neurodegenerative or other neurological conditions.  For example, the proportion of GLP1-RA users who were within hospital inpatient care was much higher than in the comparison group – and this could indicate worse diabetes symptoms or other health complications that may increase risk for neurological disease.  The propensity weighting should account for these differences.  However, it only works for variables that were actively measured, and may overlook other relevant factors.  The authors are clear about the limitations in their discussion, also saying that only a randomized controlled trial would establish causality and that it would be important to investigate underlying biological mechanisms.  One thing I would also note is that the studied population is slightly young for the investigation of neurodegenerative diseases.  Late onset Alzheimer’s disease typically starts after the age of 65 and the probability increases as people age.  The study population here was around 58 years of age on average when originally recruited, so should have been around 65 at 7-year follow-up.  This would be when people are only about to start to develop some of these diseases.

    What are the implications in the real world?  Is there any overspeculation?

    “If shown to be protective for neurodegenerative diseases in future trials, GLP1-RAs could potentially be used clinically in disease prevention in the future, so this is definitely important – but we are not there yet.  No overspeculation on behalf of the authors.”

    Dr Richard Oakley, Associate Director of Research and Innovation, Alzheimer’s Society, said:

    “It is well established that diabetes and obesity can increase your risk of developing dementia.  This study retrospectively examines whether GLP-1RAs drug, such as semaglutide and tirzepatide which are used to treat diabetes, can also reduce a person’s dementia risk.

    “This study supports existing evidence that shows these drugs may reduce dementia risk, particularly for people aged 60 and over who are living with Type 2 diabetes and obesity.

    “Although interesting, we can’t draw conclusions from this study alone as it is an observational study, only a small number of people who took part went on to develop dementia and as the impact of these drugs on different types of dementia is not clear.

    “There are clinical trials currently looking at whether drugs like these can be used to treat early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, so this is a really exciting area being explored in the research fight against dementia.”

    Prof Tara Spires-Jones, Director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, Group Leader in the UK Dementia Research Institute, and Past President of the British Neuroscience Association, said:

    “This is a very interesting study adding to evidence that GLP1 receptor agonists are associated with a lower risk of dementia in people with type 2 diabetes and obesity.  This study by Lin and colleagues looked at data from over 60,000 people and found an association between taking GLP1 receptor agonists semaglutide or tirzepatide for 7 years and reduced risk of dementia, stroke, and all-cause mortality (death).  This type of study cannot determine whether the drugs reduced disease risk by directly protecting the brain.  It is highly likely that effectively treating type 2 diabetes and obesity would reduce dementia and stroke risk as they are known risk factors for these conditions.  Further work is needed including randomised clinical trials to confirm these drugs are protective in people with diabetes and obesity and other trials are needed to determine whether these drugs will be protective in people who do not have type 2 diabetes and obesity.”

    Dr Coco Newton, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL; and Health Systems Group, University of Cambridge, said:

    “This is a rigorous study and suggests important therapeutic effects of GLP-1RAs beyond glycemic control.  However, the protective effects against dementia should be taken with caution.  Three types of dementia outcomes were investigated – Alzheimer’s, vascular, and ‘other’.  Although there was an overall lower risk of dementia associated with GLP-1RAs, the sub-group analysis revealed that this was only the case for ‘other’ dementia, but not for Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia – the two most common forms of dementia.  What constitutes ‘other’ dementia is unclear.  The relatively short average follow-up of 1.7 years is far less than the time it takes to develop symptoms of a dementia disease and access a diagnosis, so a longer follow-up time should be investigated before making claims around dementia protection.”

    Prof Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor of Applied Statistics, Open University, said:

    “This study adds to previous evidence suggesting that, in people who have type 2 diabetes and are overweight, taking the newer GLP-1RA drugs to manage and alleviate those conditions might also lead to benefits in terms of reduced rates of some neurological conditions such as dementias, and of stroke.

    “I think it’s a careful and competent study of its type.  But it doesn’t yet come near showing with any certainty that talking these drugs definitely causes reduced risk of these neurological and brain conditions.  Also, since everyone in the study already had type 2 diabetes and obesity, and was aged 40 or over, the results can’t tell us anything direct about people who aren’t in that group.

    “That’s why the brief press release, and the abstract (summary) of the research paper, rightly don’t go beyond a suggestion that these GLP-1RA drugs might have a protective effect, even in people with diabetes and obesity, but instead say that their results mean that further clinical trials are called for.

    “The newer GLP-1RA drugs being studied are semaglutide (marketed as Ozempic, Rybelsus  or Wegovy) and tirzepatide (marketed as Zepbound or Mounjaro).

    “The researchers for this study are based in Taiwan.  For the study they used data from deidentified health records from 67 US health care organisations, made available through a research network called TriNetX.  The researchers used data on people aged 40 and over with type 2 diabetes and obesity, who had started as new users of semaglutide, tirzepatide, or other antidiabetic drugs between 2017 and 2024.  They excluded from their analysis patients who had previously been prescribed one of the earlier GLP-1RA drugs.

    “The primary outcomes that were analysed were new diagnoses of neurodegenerative diseases, including dementia, mild cognitive impairment, and Parkinson’s disease, and also diseases of blood circulation to the brain, including strokes (where a blood clot blocks the blood supply to part of the brain) and intracerebral haemorrhage (bleeds in the brain).

    “The study found that there were fewer new cases of several, but not all, of these conditions in people who had started taking semaglutide or tirzepatide, compared to people who had started on a different antidiabetic drug that was not a GLP-1RA.

    “However, this was an observational study – so not like a randomised clinical trial where people are allocated at random to one of the drug treatments.  That means that there will, inevitably, be some other differences between the people taking the GLP-1RA drugs and people taking other kinds of drug, apart from which antidiabetic drug they were taking.  So it would remain possible that any difference in diagnosis rates, for the conditions they were looking at, between those on GLP-1RAs and those on other drugs, was caused by one of these other factors and not by the drugs themselves.

    “Of course the researchers were aware of this possibility, and they tried to allow for it using a statistical procedure called propensity score matching.  They found factors, that were recorded on their database, that were associated with the chance of being prescribed a GLP-1RA drug, and used them to construct a statistical model giving a score for how likely each person was to be prescribed a GLP-1RA drug.  Then each of the more than 30,000 patients who was prescribed a GLP-1RA was matched with a patient who was prescribed a different drug, on the basis of this score.  Here the so-called propensity scores were based on people’s age, sex, ethnicity, BMI and various other aspects of their lives and their previous health.  Then in the statistical analysis, each patient was primarily compared with the person they were matched with.

    “This is a standard statistical procedure these days, but it doesn’t get the researchers off the hook of not being able to conclude that the different type of drug actually cause differences in the risk of being diagnosed with one of the diseases they were interested in.

    “That’s partly because there’s no way to be sure that all relevant factors are included in the statistical model that produces the propensity scores.  For instance, the researchers couldn’t include factors that are not recorded in the database they had – they mention the patient’s frailty as one example of something quite possibly relevant that was not on the database.

    “And basically that’s why the researchers, rightly, don’t go further than suggesting that their findings are a reason for doing clinical trials rather than just more observational studies.

    “The research found evidence that was reasonably solid statistically of a reduced risk of diagnosis of dementia and of stroke in patients who were prescribed semaglutide or tirzepatide, compared to patients prescribed another antidiabetic drug.  But don’t forget that they can’t show that these associations are one of cause and effect.  They might be, but they might not be.

    “Also, all these findings apply only to patients like those in the study – that is, people aged 40 or more who already had both type 2 diabetes and obesity.

    “They did not, however, find good statistical evidence of a reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease, or mild cognitive impairment, or bleeds in the brain in people taking GLP-1RA drugs.

    “That can’t be taken to mean that the drugs definitely don’t lead to reductions in the risk of those conditions.  It’s possible that they don’t lead to risk reductions or risk increases.  But it’s also possible that the study, despite the large number of participants, didn’t provide enough evidence one way or the other.  Only just over 100, out of the over 60,000 people studied, had a Parkinson’s diagnosis and that’s not really enough to come to clear conclusions.  Or it’s also still possible that the effect of other unrelated factors, not accounted for by the propensity scores, disguised an association that would otherwise be detectable.  That’s always a risk with observational studies.

    “The study made one other interesting finding, which actually arose from a restriction in the data tools the researchers had available.  Imagine that, for some reason, patients on the GLP-1RA drugs had a higher death rate than patients on the other antidiabetic drugs.  Then perhaps the GLP-1RA patients would have a lower risk of being diagnosed with one of the diseases being studied, simply because they would have been more likely to die of something else first.  There are standard statistical methods for getting round this issue, but they could not be used with the available database.

    “Therefore the researchers decided to use death from any cause (so-called all-cause mortality) as a secondary outcome of this study, as well as the primary outcomes about neurological conditions, strokes and brain bleeds.  In fact. they found that patients on the GLP-1RA drugs had a lower risk of death, during the study, than patients on the other antidiabetic drugs, not a higher risk, again using the propensity scoring method.  So the lower diagnosis rates for stroke and dementia, that they found in their primary data analyses, weren’t simply an odd consequence of differences in mortality rates.

    “This conclusion about death rates is subject to the same provisos as the other conclusions – we can’t conclude that the difference in death rates is actually caused by the different drugs that people were taking for their diabetes, though it certainly doesn’t rule that possibility out.

    “And it raises the interesting question of whether the associations between the drugs people were talking and their risks of diagnoses of the specific conditions of interest could look different, possible stronger, if differences in risk of death from any cause could have been taken into account directly in measuring those associations.”

    ‘Neurodegeneration and Stroke After Semaglutide and Tirzepatide in Patients With Diabetes and Obesity’ by Huan-Tang Lin et al. was published in JAMA Network Open at 16:00 UK time on Tuesday 15 July 2025.

    DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.21016

    Declared interests

    Dr Sarah Marzi: “No conflicts of interest on my part (no industry funding etc).”

    Dr Richard Oakley: “Nothing to declare.”

    Prof Tara Spires-Jones: “I have no conflicts with this study but have received payments for consulting, scientific talks, or collaborative research over the past 10 years from AbbVie, Sanofi, Merck, Scottish Brain Sciences, Jay Therapeutics, Cognition Therapeutics, Ono, and Eisai.  I am also Charity trustee for the British Neuroscience Association and the Guarantors of Brain and serve as scientific advisor to several charities and non-profit institutions.”

    Dr Coco Newton: “No interests to declare.”

    Prof Kevin McConway: “I have no conflicts of interest to declare.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Eco eel pass to lead the way for species migration in Cumbria

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Eco eel pass to lead the way for species migration in Cumbria

    Work is underway to replace an outdated eel pass at Newby Bridge Weir to encourage better migration for the critically endangered European eel.

    The European eel has suffered a dramatic decline in recent decades. This project forms part of the Environment Agency’s efforts to improve fish passage, support biodiversity and restore river ecosystems.

    Activity is underway to replace an eel pass in Cumbria as part of work by the Environment Agency to improve river ecosystems and support the safe migration of the European eel.  

    The European eel has suffered a dramatic decline in recent decades due to habitat loss, overfishing and barriers such as weirs that disrupt its long migration routes.  

    Action is now being taken to improve eel passage in the River Leven by replacing the existing fish pass at Newby Bridge. It is outdated and no longer meets modern standards for safety, remote monitoring, or effective water management. 

    Formal notice has now been given for its removal, with a new, improved eel pass required to be fully installed and operational by March 2026. Construction began on 14th July 2025 and will continue for approximately seven weeks 

    The project will introduce a hybrid eel pass system, designed to enhance eel migration and biodiversity while minimising any environmental impact.  

    At the heart of the improvements is an intelligent float switch-controlled pump. This system activates during low water flows to assist eel movement, ensuring their continued migration even in challenging conditions.  

    When water levels rise, the float switch automatically deactivates the pump which will allow migrating eels to use the natural river flow. This is especially important to help promote effective movement to their local habitats . 

    This adaptive pumping approach not only supports the local eel population but also reduces energy consumption, contributing to a more sustainable water management solution. 

    Improvements for maintenance, reliability and resilience

    Once completed, the pass will also feature pebble resin strips, a specialised material that aids eel movement while limiting the build-up of debris.

    During periods of high flow, the design allows for natural self-cleaning, reducing the need for manual maintenance and helping to maintain higher water quality standards by minimising blockages and stagnation. 

    To further improve efficiency, the system has been designed for easy visual inspection from the riverbank and will include remote monitoring capabilities, strengthening overall maintenance, reliability, and long-term resilience. 

    Francis Frimpong, Environment Agency project manager, said: 

    Replacing the eel pass at Newby Bridge is part of our ongoing commitment to protecting endangered European eels and improving river ecology across the region. 

    Over recent years, significant improvements in water quality—thanks to targeted investment, regulatory action, and partnership work—have helped support the recovery of native species across Cumbria.  

    This new eel pass is another step forward in improving river connectivity and enhancing biodiversity. By enabling eels to navigate past man-made barriers, we’re helping to restore their natural migratory routes and strengthen their numbers for the future.

    Updates to this page

    Published 15 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Greens react to chancellor’s plans to place financial services at the heart of government’s growth agenda

    Source: Green Party of England and Wales

    / by Green Party

    Reacting to plans by Rachel Reeves to place financial services at the heart of the government’s growth agenda by softening up regulations on banks and reintroducing greater risk-taking into the financial system, co-leader of the Green Party Adrian Ramsay MP, said:

    “If in their desperation to achieve growth, the government is willing to set up the conditions for another disastrous financial crash, then we need to question whether growth should be the be-all and end-all of economic policy.

    “For Greens the focus will always be on improving health and wellbeing, creating greater equality and building a greener economy. And designing economic policy as a means to those ends.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: York launches strategy to support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and their families

    Source: City of York

    Published Tuesday, 15 July 2025

    City of York Council has unveiled a new draft strategy to support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families in York.

    Young people, parents and carers, schools and health and childcare professionals are being invited to share their views on the draft strategy over the next few months.

    The five-year strategy, entitled Inclusion and Belonging, sets out to help every child and family in York feel that they belong at school, in their community, and in the wider city.

    The strategy has been developed through extensive co-production with young people with SEND and their families. It outlines ten key priorities including:

    • ensuring that the voice and visibility of children and young people is most important
    • ensuring that children and young people’s needs are identified at the earliest opportunity
    • making sure that the right support is available at the right time.

    Cllr Bob Webb, the council’s Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said:

    We want all children and young people to feel that they belong in our city. Their views, together with those of their families, carers, and childcare and health professionals, are essential. We want to hear people’s experiences, ideas, and concerns so we can create a final strategy that reflects real lives and needs; one which helps make a significant different to the lives of local children and young people with SEND and their families.

    You can have your say in various ways:

    • In person: At the Gateway Centre in Acomb on Tuesday 15 July 11-1pm and Monday 21 July 5-7pm
    • Complete an online survey: www.york.gov.uk/consultations
    • Complete a paper survey: Available from Customer Services at West Offices

    For more information visit www.york.gov.uk/consultations

    City of York Council is also inviting schools, parents, carers, and young people to share their views on the development of York’s Autism and ADHD Strategy as this work is closely linked to York’s Inclusion and Belonging Strategy. 

    Inclusion means recognising and valuing all kinds of diversity, including neurodiversity. For children and young people with autism or ADHD, feeling understood, supported, and included at school and in the community is key to a sense of belonging.

    You can have your say on the draft Autism and ADHD Strategy at the same events as for the SEND strategy, or complete the online survey at www.york.gov.uk/consultations

    The survey will run from Tuesday 15 July until Sunday 7 September.  Feedback will be used to shape the final strategy.

     

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Ticketless Oasis fans urged not to go to Heaton Park

    Source: City of Manchester

    With three concerts still to be played by Oasis in Manchester’s Heaton Park following their two hugely successful concerts at the weekend, the city council is repeating its request for fans without tickets not to travel to the park.

    After taking stock of how the first two nights went, additional measures have now been deemed necessary and will be in place for the next three concerts, to protect the environment of the park, ensure areas of parkland and nearby livestock are protected, and maintain public safety.

    These include the erection of steel fencing around a large area of the hill within the cattle field in the main park – which is currently being developed as a new woodland area for the park and has been recently planted with around 300 young whips including Hornbeam, Field Maple, Aspen, Downy birch, Rowan, Common Alder, Crab apple and more – as well as measures to protect the livestock in the field, which include expectant and nursing cows and a bull.

    The erection of the fencing has a dual purpose – both to protect the environment from further damage and to dissuade people from gathering there.  The necessary measure means the concert will no longer be visible from this area.

    There are no facilities for ticketless fans at the park and they will not be able to see the concerts or get into the event arena – which is double-walled with solid high security fencing all the way round and in excess of 2000 event security staff and police officers on duty around the site to ensure both the safety and wellbeing of ticketholders and that only those who have tickets access the concert.  

    Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Employment, Skills and Leisure, Manchester City Council, said: “The atmosphere across Manchester has been electric over this last week with the whole city swept up in Oasis fever and peaking over the weekend with the first two hugely successful homecoming concerts at Heaton Park.

     “As you would expect given the size of the concerts and numbers of people attending, we go through a continuous process with partners of re-assessing the plans in place for the concerts to ensure both public safety and that any environmental impact on our award-winning park is minimalised.

     “The steps being taken ahead of the next concert regretfully mean the distant view of the large screens behind the event stage will no longer be there.  Unfortunately our hand has been forced in having to put these additional measures in place to protect the very recent extensive planting of young trees in that location as we try to establish a new woodland area in the park, and the wellbeing of our cattle herd in the field, as well as to keep people in the park safe.

     “Our advice to music fans who don’t have tickets for the concerts is to head into the city centre instead.  The whole city is going all out to celebrate and help everyone have a good time.  We’ve got some fantastic things going on with a real party atmosphere for everyone to enjoy whether they’ve got tickets for the Oasis gigs or not.”

    Find out more about what’s happening in the city centre to celebrate the mammoth summer of live music in the city as part of MCR Live ’25 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Millennium Square’s Summer Series 2025 kicks off with sold-out shows and spectacular performances

    Source: City of Leeds

    First summer events wow Millennium Square crowds

    Millennium Square has come alive with music, sunshine and unforgettable moments as this year’s Summer Series has kicked off in style. With two sold out shows already – Mika and The Black Keys – this year’s series is shaping up to be one of the most exciting yet.

    Pop sensation Mika brought his signature energy to the square, delivering a stunning set that created an electrifying atmosphere. In a magical moment, Mika left the stage and performed among the crowd – much to the delight of fans who were treated to an up-close experience they’ll never forget.

    “Fabulous evening loved every minute, and got to share the experience with my daughter. Priceless. We love you Mika,” said Loretta.

    Sam also commented: “Thank you to all those that worked so hard to pull this together. Mika was amazing, totally brilliant and I feel so lucky to have been able to watch him live. Scouting for Girls were excellent too.”

    Just days later, The Black Keys rocked the square as part of their limited UK run—one of only three UK dates on their European tour. Welcoming the legendary American duo to Leeds was a huge honour and their powerful set was matched only by the energy of the crowd.

    Opening the evening was rising star Alex Spencer, who began his musical journey busking on the streets of Manchester. Now, with a full band behind him, he’s opening for one of the biggest names in modern rock—a truly inspiring moment that lit up the stage.

    Alex said on a video he shared with his fans before the show in Millennium Square: “We went from busking on the streets of Manchester at 12 years old to now touring with The Black Keys this summer, playing in dream venues to thousands and thousands of people every night. (…) I’m grateful to be here.”

    There’s still plenty more to come over the coming weeks, including hosting the Leeds Pride Community Stage and the fantastic 80s Classical, which brings together iconic 80s legends under the summer sky, all under the expert direction of Cliff Masterson and a 50-piece Orchestra of Opera North.

    Then, from 31 July to 3 August, audiences can enjoy Cinema on the Square for a series of open-air screenings packed with sing-alongs, family favourites, and fantastic live performances.

    It’s been an incredible start to Summer Series 2025—and it’s only just getting started.

    Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council executive member for adult social care, active lifestyles and culture, said:

    “This year’s Summer Series has started in wonderful style with two memorable events which the sold-out crowds loved. They have set the ideal tone for the great range of events still to come, with something for everyone to enjoy all in the perfect summer concert setting of Millennium Square. We look forward to seeing more packed crowds all having a brilliant time enjoying the fantastic performances to come.”

    For the full programme and ticket info, visit: What’s On – Millennium Square

    A variety of street food vendors and a fully licensed bar will be available on-site, with the venue fully accessible, including a raised viewing platform, accessible toilets and a Mobile Changing Places unit. Companion ticket info is available via the website or Leeds Ticket Hub.

    Tickets for all events along with information on the full line-up are available to purchase online from www.millsqleeds.com, by phone on 0113 376 0318 (Mon-Sat 10am-4pm) or from the Carriageworks Theatre (open two hours before any performances at the Carriageworks Theatre).

    Notes to editors:

    Dates: Summer Series events 3 July – 3 August 2024
    Opening Hours: Door times vary, please check the website for details. ​ Events are outdoor standing unless otherwise stated.
    Venue: Millennium Square, Millennium Square, Leeds, LS2 3AD

    Remaining events:

    Thursday 17 July: MAN IN THE MIRROR – A Tribute to Michael Jackson – £35.20

    Friday 18 July: Funeral For A Friend (The Blackout, Casey & Kill The Lights) – £46.75

    Saturday 19 July: Taylormania (matinee) – £38.50

    Saturday 19 July: ABBAOKE – The Sing-Along ABBA Experience – £28.60

    Friday 25 July: Ministry of Sound Ibiza Anthems with Ellie Sax – £41.25

    Saturday 26 July: 80’s Classical – from £38.50

    Thursday 31 July – Sunday 3 August:  Cinema on the Square – From £3

    For further event enquiries:

    Leo Rotaru

    Events Audience Development & Promotions Officer
    Direct Line: +44 113 378 4696
    Email: Leo.Rotaru@Leeds.Gov.UK

    Millennium Square Team
    Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 3AD
    Tel: 0113 378 6988
    Email: events@leeds.gov.uk

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority: Best Value Inspector appointment letters

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Correspondence

    West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority: Best Value Inspector appointment letters

    Letters appointing Best Value Inspectors in relation to West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority.

    Applies to England

    Documents

    West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority: Lead Inspector appointment letter (Fenella Morris KC)

    PDF, 322 KB, 2 pages

    West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority: Assistant Inspector appointment letter (Anna Bicarregui)

    PDF, 321 KB, 2 pages

    West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority: Assistant Inspector appointment letter (Gethin Thomas)

    PDF, 321 KB, 2 pages

    West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority: Assistant Inspector appointment letter (Tasnim Shawkat)

    PDF, 322 KB, 2 pages

    Details

    Letters from Suzie Daykin and Yvette Bosworth, Deputy Director, Fire Strategy and Reform Unit at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to:

    • Fenella Morris KC confirming her appointment as the Lead Inspector
    • Anna Bicarregui confirming her appointment as Assistant Inspector
    • Gethin Thomas confirming his appointment as Assistant Inspector
    • Tasnim Shawkat confirming her appointment as Assistant Inspector (Monitoring Officer)

    The letters set out the scope of the inspection and the responsibilities of the inspectors.

    Updates to this page

    Published 15 July 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Letters from Defence Afghan Relocation and Resettlement (DARR), UK Ministry of Defence, to Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) individuals regarding 2022 data incident

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Correspondence

    Letters from Defence Afghan Relocation and Resettlement (DARR), UK Ministry of Defence, to Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) individuals regarding 2022 data incident

    Letters on a data incident that took place in February 2022 and its implications.

    Documents

    Letter from DARR to individuals who have relocated to the UK under the ARP regarding the 2022 data incident

    HTML

    Letter from DARR to ARP-eligible individuals who remain outside the UK regarding the 2022 data incident

    HTML

    Details

    Defence Afghan Relocation and Resettlement (DARR) address a data incident which took place in February 2022 affecting some applications to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme and its predecessor, the Ex-Gratia Scheme (EGS).

    The first letter addresses individuals who are currently in the UK, having relocated under the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP).

    The second letter addresses individuals who are ARP-eligible and are in the process of relocating to the UK.

    The letters provide information on the nature of the incident, its implications for affected individuals, and the protective measures implemented by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Guidance is also provided, including links to further support and resources.

    Updates to this page

    Published 15 July 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Afghans Data breach ‘shocking and horrifying’ say Greens

    Source: Green Party of England and Wales

    / by Green Party

    Reacting to news that thousands of Afghans have moved to the UK under a secret scheme which was set up after a British official inadvertently leaked their data, Ellie Chowns, MP for North Herefordshire and Green Party spokesperson for foreign affairs, said:

    “It is nothing short of horrifying that a British security breach exposed the personal details of thousands of Afghans who risked everything to stand alongside our forces, leaving them and their families exposed to persecution, torture, or worse at the hands of the Taliban.

    “It’s truly shocking that proper data protection practices were not in place to prevent such a dangerous event. And though the government has assured Parliament that action has been taken to prevent such a leak from happening again, this does not negate the great danger posed to thousands through sheer carelessness.

    “This breach should never have happened. Yet, in the face of this appalling mistake, it is absolutely right that the government acted decisively to bring those exposed to safety in the UK. These courageous people stood by us at great personal peril and put their trust in the government to not expose them to more risk; the UK owes them nothing less than safe refuge and a chance to rebuild their lives in security and dignity in Britain.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Joint statement following St Peter’s Street incident

    Source: City of Derby

    Joint statement from Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts, Police and Crime Commissioner for Derbyshire, and Councillor Nadine Peatfield, Leader of Derby City Council:

    Like everyone else we were appalled to see yesterday’s incident in St Peter’s Street. We cannot tolerate this kind of criminal behaviour in our city and would urge anyone with information to assist the police in their ongoing investigation.

    Derby City Council and partners in the private and public sectors are investing in our city centre. We believe in Derby. Our aim is to make our city a welcoming and vibrant place to live, work and visit, and we won’t let the criminal activity of a minority detract from this.

    Many positive things are happening in Derby, and this has to be backed up by action that reassures the public and makes them feel safe in our city. We fully support the police in their investigation into this crime.

    We’re committed to working in partnership for the benefit of the public. Police patrols are increasing in the city centre following yesterday’s incident, during which the window of a Pawnbrokers was smashed by three suspects. There has been an increased police presence over the last few weeks, with more in-depth monitoring of CCTV and targeting known offenders. The Council’s Public Protection Officers patrol the city centre, offering a presence that both supports the police and reassures the public.

    There is a team of neighbourhood officers for the City Centre, who are working with businesses and the local community to address concerns and provide a visible presence. Shopwatch is continuing to be used to share information across businesses.

    Thousands of people visit Derby’s city centre safely every day, and we won’t let the actions of a few undermine this.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Defra Secretary of State at Water UK Reception

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

    Speech

    Defra Secretary of State at Water UK Reception

    Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs delivered a speech at the UK Water Reception hosted at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre

    This is a moment for Government and industry to join together to unlock the potential of our water sector and grow our economy in every region of this country.

    We need water for economic growth.

    Communities can’t function without it. Water is essential for every household and business across the country. We need it to grow the food that feeds our families. To build 1.5 million new homes, hospitals, schools and roads. To cool power stations that supply our electricity and the data centres to run our IT systems. 

    Water flows through our breathtaking countryside, boosting our tourism and leisure industries.

    The public were not aware at the time of the last general election, this country was facing water rationing within ten years.  There was not enough water to meet the growing demands of our population. As David just said, no new reservoirs had been built in 30 years.

    Water infrastructure was outdated and crumbling. Leaking pipes wasted valuable water supplies. Record levels of sewage polluted our waterways.

    [Political section removed]

    In just one year, we’ve introduced tough new measures to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. Including ringfencing customers’ money so it can only be spent on what it was intended for: upgrading and improving water infrastructure.

    Our Water Special Measures Bill became law in February, giving the regulators new powers to hold water companies to account.

     And Sir Jon Cunliffe, the former Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, will soon complete the biggest review of the water sector in a generation to ensure we have a robust regulatory framework to clean up our waterways, build the infrastructure we need for a reliable water supply, and restore public confidence in this vital economic sector.

    He will publish his full findings next week, and the Government response will follow quickly afterwards.

    This strong action has laid the groundwork for the sector to move forward.

    Today is the start of a new partnership between the water sector and government.

    Turning the page on the past to begin a new chapter of growth and opportunity.

    The water sector is a priority for economic growth.

    We’ve worked together and secured £104 billion pounds of private sector investment in the water sector over the next five years.

    That’s the biggest private sector investment into our water sector in its entire history, and the second biggest investment in any part of the economy over the lifetime of this parliament – and getting this investment right matters.

    It will build and upgrade infrastructure in every region of the country – cutting sewage in half by 2030 and cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas.

    So, parents don’t have to worry about letting their children splash about in the water. So, we can experience the majesty of national treasures like Lake Windermere. Or enjoy a moment of calm by going for a swim in nature.

    It will fund nine new reservoirs and nine large-scale water transfer schemes, and reduce leaks from water pipes.

    So families – like those in Guildford –   don’t have to rely on bottled water when their water supply is disrupted. So businesses don’t lose profits when they’re forced to shut because the taps have run dry. So farmers can keep growing food in the face of increasingly unstable and unpredictable weather patterns.

    This vast investment will fuel economic growth.

    Over the next 5 years, it will create 30 thousand good, well-paid jobs in every corner of the country.

    Jobs that are rooted in the communities they serve.

    Money to upgrade roads, schools and hospitals. Encouraging businesses to invest in the area. Attracting more visitors to support rural tourism.

    This investment will make sure we can build 1.5 million homes this Parliament, construct major infrastructure projects to support the green energy transition, and power new industries such as data centres that can unlock the UK’s AI potential.

    This is what we mean when we talk about the Government’s Plan for Change.

    We must work together to make sure that £104 billion is spent in the best way to secure the improvements we want to see, and in the timescales we want to see them.

    Earlier this year, my colleague the Water Minister Emma Hardy and I toured the country to see how this investment will be spent.

    Around Cambridge, one of the UK’s fastest growing economies, investment in water infrastructure will support 4500 new homes, community facilities such as schools and leisure centres, and office and laboratory space in the city centre.

    On the River Avon, Wessex Water are investing £35 million pounds to expand the Saltford Water Recycling Plant, increasing their wastewater treatment capacity by 40% to meet rising demand, and creating local jobs near Bath.

    And in Hampshire, work’s begun on the Havant Thicket Reservoir, the first reservoir to be built in the South East since the 1970s and when it’s full, this will supply water to around 160,000 people and, during construction, it will generate more than £10 million a year to the South East economy,  with construction jobs and apprenticeships.

    We need to get spades in the ground in every region.

    I’ve set up a Water Delivery Taskforce to bring together Government, regulators, and water industry representatives, to ensure water companies complete their planned investments on time and on budget – providing value for money for customers.    

    The Taskforce will make sure we have the water, wastewater and drainage needed for the new developments and infrastructure that will drive long-term economic growth.

    Energy and Utility Skills estimate 43,000 people will be needed to take up jobs in the water industry over the next five years.

    That’s good, skilled, well paid jobs such as bioresources technicians, hydraulics specialists, engineers, construction workers, and surveyors.

    It’s imperative we have the skilled workforce in place.

    Because without it, all this investment will not be possible.

    That’s why we’re here today. To work together to ensure the industry and supply chain have the capacity to meet our shared ambitions for a successful, growing water sector underpinning a successful, growing economy.

    This demands a whole Government approach.

    Torsten Bell, the Minister for Pensions, and Baroness Jacqui Smith, Minister for Skills, will both be here today, will give more details on how we plan to do this via our employment and skills programmes.

    And I’m delighted that later today I’ll sign our ‘Water Skills Pledge’ with Alison McGovern, the Minister for Employment – affirming our commitment to ensuring the water sector has the skills and workforce it needs to succeed.

    We will work together to show people that a career in the water industry and its supply chain is something they can be proud of for a lifetime.

    Something that gives you new skills, exciting challenges and can set you up for life – wherever in this country you live.

    These are jobs that make a difference. Making sure people have a reliable, clean water supply, protecting our food security, cleaning up our waterways – and stimulating economic growth in every part of the country to raise living standards and wages and improve people’s lives.

    This is a fresh start, a moment to build new partnerships and set the direction for the water sector of the future.

    We are working together to bring about the change that people in this country voted for last year. It’s an exciting time for the water industry, and I’m proud to stand alongside you as we chart the journey forwards to success.

    Thank you.

    Updates to this page

    Published 15 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Ver Meadows Caravan Park – information for affected residents

    Source: St Albans City and District

    St Albans City and District Council

    Address: Civic Centre, St Peter’s Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 3JE, England 
    Sat Nav: For Sat Nav users, please use AL1 3LD to locate the Council Offices
    Please bring a reusable cup for your water or hot drink to save waste.
    Help planning your journey

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK promotes agricultural cooperation with the Guatemalan Ministry of Agriculture

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    World news story

    UK promotes agricultural cooperation with the Guatemalan Ministry of Agriculture

    British Ambassador, Juliana Correa, held a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food, María Fernanda Rivera, to strengthen collaboration in smart agriculture, biotechnology, and sustainable rural development.

    During the meeting, opportunities to promote British offerings in the agri-tech sector were discussed, including solutions in fertilizers, seeds, machinery, animal genetics, and technologies for water conservation and waste management. The interest of British companies in entering the Guatemalan market was highlighted, as well as the need to facilitate regulatory processes for biotech products. 

    The Embassy also highlighted the work of the UK Biodiverse Landscapes Fund (BLF), which supports initiatives in Petén and the Trifinio region for biodiversity conservation, community development, and climate change adaptation. The importance of strengthening MAGA’s technical assistance in areas such as beekeeping, agroforestry systems, and value chains like cocoa was emphasized. 

    The meeting reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s commitment to the sustainable development of the Guatemalan agricultural sector, promoting strategic alliances, technological innovation, and comprehensive solutions to environmental and productive challenges.

    Updates to this page

    Published 15 July 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Rachel Reeves Mansion House 2025 speech

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Speech

    Rachel Reeves Mansion House 2025 speech

    Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves delivered her second Mansion House speech on the evening of Tuesday 15 July 2025.

    Lord Mayor, Governor, Ladies and Gentlemen.

    My thanks go to the City of London Corporation for hosting us here this evening…

    …and to the Lord Mayor for his address…

    …as well as to the Economic Secretary to the Treasury for all her hard work.

    It is a year since my party was elected to office…

    …and year since I was appointed as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

    Recently, on a visit to a primary school, a young girl asked me –

    “if you could have any job in the world, what would it be?”

    Given the events of the last few weeks, I suspect many of you would have sympathised if I had said –

     “anything but the Chancellor.”

    But I didn’t.

    Because I am proud to stand here tonight and address you for a second time at Mansion House…

    …as the Chancellor of Exchequer.

    This evening, I want to talk about the progress we have made over the past year:

    Restoring stability;

    Securing investment;

    And delivering reform.

    And I want to talk about the future:

    The economy that we are building;

    The opportunities that we are seizing;

    And the prosperity that we together are creating.

    In my Mais lecture last year, I talked about how a resilient economy must be built on security.

    And the importance of that security has been brought into sharp focus in recent months.

    As the world changes before our eyes, and global economies are becoming more uncertain.

    The job of a responsible government is not just to watch this change –  

    We must step up, not step back.

    We must build a dynamic economy on strong and secure foundations…

    …where success is not limited to a handful of sectors, a few people, or certain parts of the country…

    …but where the rewards of hard work are shared…

    …harnessing the contribution of every part of Britain.

    This is the foundation of an economy and a country that is more active and more confident…

    …where people and business look to the future and talk about hope…

    …talk about opportunity…

    …assured of their own capability, and of the ability of our country to boldly face the challenges ahead…

    …and certain in the prize when they succeed:

    Of higher wages and higher living standards;

    The renewal of Britain in every home and every high street.

    To put it simply: a Britain that is better off.

    The financial services sector is critical to my ambitions for our country.

    It is one of the largest and most successful sectors in the UK…

    …worth around 10% of total economic output…

    …and supporting 1.2 million jobs in clusters right around the UK:

    In Cardiff, and Belfast and Edinburgh where we have growing Fintechs;

    In Manchester, where BNY have their new Angel Square hub;

    And in London, the financial centre of the world.

    And financial services is also critical in people’s everyday lives:

    Whether that’s a couple looking to buy their first home;

    A budding entrepreneur wanting to start  their first business;

    Or people getting more out of the money they’re putting aside for the future.  

    And that’s what these plans, that I will set out tonight, will deliver.

    Growth must be built on a platform of economic stability.

    When we came into office…

    …it was our government, this government, that restored Britain’s reputation as a beacon of stability by putting the public finances back on a firm footing…

    …getting debt on a downward path, while investing prudently alongside business.

    That was – and still is – the right choice…

    …because there is nothing progressive – [political redaction] – about a government that simply spends more and more each year on debt interest, instead of on the priorities of ordinary working people.

    And fiscal stability is a choice that reflects economic reality.

    National debt remains at its highest level since the 1960s…

    …and globally, the cost of borrowing has increased in recent years.

    This is not the inheritance that I would have chosen…

    …but it is the reality.

    And that is why the Prime Minister, and I and this government are remain committed to our non-negotiable fiscal rules.

    The stability that we have restored is already delivering:

    Four cuts in interest rates by the Bank of England since the General Election, reducing the cost of mortgages and business lending;

    [political redaction]

    And investment is returning to our economy.

    At the Spending Review, I set out £120 billion of public investment over the next five years…

    …and last month, the Prime Minister confirmed that the UK has attracted £120 billion of private investment – in just the last 12 months.

    In a globally competitive market…

    …firms all over the world are choosing to invest in Britain…

    …as one of the best places to start up, to scale up and to list:

    The FTSE is at an all-time high, today, for the first time ever, breaking 9000 points;

    London is home to the deepest equity capital market in Europe;

    It is the third biggest venture capital market globally;

    And the London Stock Exchange is the most international in the world…

    …with the FTSE soon to include shares listed not just in sterling but also in dollars and in euros.

    Last year, to ensure the UK remains competitive, we made significant changes to the listing regime…

    …for example, relaxing dual class share rules to give founders flexibility to pursue their growth ambitions.

    The FCA have today published their final Prospectus Rules…

    …simplifying the listing and capital raising processes for firms of all sizes.

    And, as I committed to last year at Mansion House, we are delivering PISCES…

    …a brand-new type of stock exchange for private company share trading…

    …with the first trading events due to take place later this year.

    And I am announcing a new Listings Taskforce with the Office for Investment…

    …to attract the best businesses in the world to IPO here in London.

    But we must do more to ensure that British savers benefit from the success of growing British businesses.

    Last year at Mansion House, I set out an overhaul of our pensions system…

    …and the Pension Schemes Bill, led by my colleague the Pensions Minister, will be signed into law in the next few months.

    The creation of Defined Contribution and Local Government Pension Scheme megafunds…

    …will mean larger and more powerful pots of funding invested productively across the country.

    Pension funds, and this government, are united in our determination to deliver higher returns for savers and more investment in the economy.

    That is why, since last year, funds covering the majority of the Defined Contribution market have committed to the Mansion House Accord…

    …pledging to invest at least 10% of their main funds into private assets such as infrastructure and growth markets…

    … with at least half of that going into UK projects.

    And I would also like to congratulate the Lord Mayor on his employer pension pledge…

    I am delighted, Lord Mayor, to see businesses such as Tesco, First Group and Octopus making this commitment…

    …and like you Lord Mayor I look forward to seeing more companies joining up.

    The UK economy is enhanced by its outward-facing approach…

    …and this year we have built on that with our new trade deals:             

    A trade deal with the United States, where we were the first country to sign a deal so that British businesses are better protected against tariffs, and where we have worked with our G7 colleagues to avert new taxes.

    I’m pleased to welcome US Securities and Exchange Commissioner Hester Peirce here tonight…

    …who is driving forward proposals for greater digital collaboration between our two financial centres. Thank you for being here.

    And a trade deal with the European Union, where our strategic partnership will slash red tape and reduce costs for business…

    …as well as providing a platform to further deepen our relationship in future.

    And I am pleased to welcome the European Union’s Financial Services Commissioner Maria Luis Albuquerque.

    Maria Luis, we met earlier today to discuss our continued cooperation on financial services, and I look forward to working more closely with you.

    And a trade deal with India, with whom our recent FTA agreement will give us the best trading relationship of any country in the world with India.

    And we have concluded the first Economic and Financial Dialogue with China in six years.

    And we are implementing the Berne Financial Services Agreement with Switzerland too.

    At the G20 in South Africa later this week I will continue the call I made at the IMF Spring meetings –

    …for countries to come together to tackle trade imbalances and drive growth…

    …underpinned by stronger multilateral institutions.

    I look forward to hearing more on this from the Governor in his address…

    …and I would like to congratulate him on his recent appointment as Chair of the Financial Stability Board…

    …a testament to both Andrew and this government’s commitment to international standards.

    Britain is open for business;

    Open for trade;

    Open for investment.

    And that’s why we must be willing to change how we do things to stay competitive in that global economy.

    We have ripped up the planning rules;

    We have swept away regulations;

    We have published our industrial strategy;

    And today we can go further, by announcing the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy…

    …including my Leeds Reforms…

    …named after one of the UK’s great hubs for financial services…

    …and the city that I have been proud to represent as a Member of Parliament for fifteen years.

    These are the most wide-ranging package of reforms to financial services regulation in more than a decade.

    At Mansion House last year, I said we must regulate for growth and not just for risk…

    …and we are delivering on that commitment…

    …while continuing to protect financial stability…

    …so that the benefits of a thriving and growing financial services sector can be realised for people all over Britain.

    Let me set out the details of that package in four parts:

    First, I am rolling back regulation that has gone too far in seeking to eliminate risk;

    Second, I am delivering targeted changes in the areas where the UK already has particular strengths;

    Third, I am making changes to capital requirements to unlock more productive capital;

    And fourth, I am introducing measures to boost retail investment so that more savers can reap the benefits of UK economic success.

    I will begin with the biggest reforms.

    As I promised last year, I am delivering the most significant reform to the Financial Ombudsman Service since its inception…

    …including proposing to limit for ten years for claims.

    This will speed up the time it takes for consumers to get redress for their complaints…

    … returning it to its original purpose as a simple, impartial arbitration service…

    …and ensuring that it no longer acts as a quasi-regulator.

    And I welcome the announcement today, made by the Financial Ombudsman Service that will reduce the interest rate it applies before a decision from 8% to base rate plus 1%.

    I am introducing new targets for the FCA and PRA to cut times on authorisations and approvals…

    …and I have tasked the FCA with assessing the impact of the Consumer Duty and whether it unduly effects wholesale activity…

    …to ensure that regulators are really regulating for growth.

    And I am streamlining the Senior Managers and Certification Regime…

    …reducing the burdens it imposes on firms by 50%…

    …and slashing approval timelines…

    …so you can bring in talent to your business more quickly.

    My next set of reforms provide targeted regulatory support to the areas where the UK does already have a comparative advantage.

    For insurance – where Britain is the destination of choice for underwriting complex, specialised and high-value risk…

    …I am introducing a new competitive framework for captive insurance.

    For asset management – where the UK is the world’s second largest centre…

    …I am futureproofing the regulatory regime and will publish draft legislation in early 2026.

    For sustainable finance, I am determined to focus our efforts on policies that matter most to our world-leading sector and support investment in the transition…

    …so, after consultation and consideration, I have decided not to pursue a green taxonomy…

    …but instead work with regulators through the Transition Finance Council to capitalise on the £200 billion opportunity of the global transition to net zero.

    And for Fintech – where almost half of Europe’s Fintech’s are already based here in the UK…

    …the PRA and FCA are launching a scale-up unit to support innovative firms to grow in the UK, including in our world-leading payments system.

    And I will drive forward developments in blockchain technology…

    …including tokenised securities and stablecoins…

    …and an ambitious design for a new digital gilt instrument…

    …so that UK financial services can be at the forefront of digital asset innovation.

    And because I believe the UK is the best place in the world for financial services…

    …today I’ve announced the Office for Investment’s new concierge service.

    Launching by October this year, it will provide a tailored service to companies considering setting up and expanding in the UK…

    …and I am grateful to Chris Hayward from the City of London Corporation, for his work to drive this forward.

    Thank you Chris.

    Now, let me turn to the changes I am making to capital requirements…

    …to allow UK banks to do more lending and release more capital for investment into our infrastructure and into our businesses.

    First, I am supporting the Bank of England’s decision to raise the asset threshold for MREL requirements to between £25 and £40 billion.

    This will benefit the challenger banks and bring increased competition and innovation to the market…

    …and support those businesses to expand their footprint here in the UK.

    Second, I am confirming our approach to Basel 3.1…

    …implementing lower capital requirements for domestically focussed banks from January 2027…

    …while preserving flexibility on our approach for international banks to ensure the UK always remains competitive while aligning with international standards.

    Third, I have committed to meaningful reform of the UK’s ringfencing regime…

    …recognising that now is the time to go further in tackling inefficiency and boosting growth…

    …while retaining the aspects of the regime that support financial stability and protect consumer deposits.

    And fourth, following the new, growth focussed remit letter I sent in November…

    …I welcome the Financial Policy Committee’s announcement that it will review the overall level of bank capital needed for UK financial stability…

    …reporting back to me by the end of this year.

    The review will inform the work the Treasury is taking forward with the Bank…

    …to ensure the prudential framework strikes the optimal balance to deliver resilience, growth and competitiveness.

    And I welcome the recent changes the Financial Policy Committee has announced to the loan-to-income limit on mortgage lending…

    …which the PRA and FCA are implementing immediately…

    …that means tens of thousands more people could be able to get a mortgage in the next year alone…

    …with Nationwide already offering its ‘Helping Hand’ mortgage to more first time-buyers…

    …supporting alone an additional 10,000 each year.

    And my thanks to Dame Debbie Crosbie for her leadership.

    My final set of reforms are focussed on boosting savings investment.

    I recognise the potential for ISA reform to improve returns for savers…

    …and access capital for UK businesses.

    I have confirmed that Long-Term Asset Funds can be included in stocks and shares ISAs…

    …allowing long-term ISA investors to benefit from this innovative product.

    And I will continue to consider further changes to ISAs…

    …engaging widely in the coming months…

    …and recognising that despite the differing views on the right approach…

    …we are united in wanting better outcomes for both UK savers and for the UK economy.

    For too long, we have presented investment in too negative a light…

    …quick to warn people of the risks, without giving proper weight to the benefits…

    …and our tangled system of financial advice and guidance…

    …has meant people cannot get the right support to make decisions for themselves. 

    That is why we are working with the FCA to introduce a brand-new type of targeted support for consumers ahead of the new financial year.

    And I also welcome the campaign to promote the benefits of retail investment which will launch next April…

    …and the action to look at our current approach to risk warnings – and that will report back in January…

    …and I’m grateful to Chris Cummings of the Investment Association for spearheading both of those initiatives.

    Thank you very much Chris.

    Today, I have placed financial services at the heart of this government’s growth mission…

    …recognising that Britain cannot succeed and meet its growth ambitions…

    …without a financial sector that is fighting fit and thriving.

    The reforms I have set out this evening are the next chapter in how I intend to support this growth…

    …and I thank Gwyneth Nurse and her brilliant team at the Treasury for all of their hard work on this package.

    I knew that Gwyneth would get the biggest clap …

    I am also pleased to have been able to work in lockstep with our regulators…

    …and I want to extend my thanks both to Nikhil Rathi and Sam Woods for their innovation and the work they have done in response to my updated remit letters last year.

    Thank you Nikhil and thank you Sam.

    We have been bold in regulating for growth in financial services…

    …and I have been clear on the benefits that that will drive…

    …with a ripple effect felt right across all sectors of our economy…

    …putting pounds in the pockets of working people.

    Getting better deals on their mortgages…

    better returns on their savings

    and more jobs paying good wages across our country

    As I look ahead…

    …it is clear that we must do more.

    In too many areas, regulation still acts as a boot on the neck of businesses…

    …choking off the enterprise and innovation that is the lifeblood of economic growth.

    Regulators in other sectors must take up the call I make this evening…

    …not to bend to the temptation of excessive caution…

    …but to boldly regulate for growth…

    …in the service of prosperity for our whole country.

    I’m really proud of how far we have come in the last year as government and as a country.

    I know that the changes that we have made will reform and transform our economy and our country.

    And I know that you will waste no time in seizing the opportunities that lie ahead:

    To build a stronger economy;

    To deliver the renewal of Britain;

    And to make working people in all parts of Britain better off.

    Thank you very much.

    Updates to this page

    Published 15 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Buffalo arrests illegally present Cuban national and convicted sex offender

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    ROCHESTER, N.Y. – ICE Homeland Security Investigations Buffalo personnel, in coordination with United States Border Patrol, arrested an illegally present Cuban national with several criminal convictions, including sexual abuse of a child under age 11 and aggravated assault with a weapon.

    “For nearly 20 years, this individual had free reign to commit alleged crimes from coast-to-coast – in New York, New Jersey and California – including at least one offense that involved the sexual abuse of a young child. With this arrest, his luck has finally run out,” said HSI Buffalo Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan. “I commend HSI Buffalo and our U.S. Border Patrol partners for placing the wellbeing of the public above all else.”

    ICE HSI Buffalo arrested Geraldo Lunas-Campos, a convicted sex offender, on July 14 in Rochester, New York.

    Lunas, 55, is considered an aggravated felon with an extensive criminal history of violence.

    His criminal record, which spans from at least 1997 through October 2015, includes, but is not limited to:

    • First-degree sexual abuse involving a child under the age of 11
    • Aggravated assault with a weapon
    • Criminal possession of a loaded firearm
    • Driving while intoxicated
    • Criminal sale of a controlled substance
    • Three separate instances of petit larceny

    Lunas was paroled into the U.S. via Miami, Florida, on Jan. 12, 1996. On March 1, 2005, an immigration judge ordered his removal.

    He now remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

    Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Buffalo arrests illegally present Cuban national and convicted sex offender

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    ROCHESTER, N.Y. – ICE Homeland Security Investigations Buffalo personnel, in coordination with United States Border Patrol, arrested an illegally present Cuban national with several criminal convictions, including sexual abuse of a child under age 11 and aggravated assault with a weapon.

    “For nearly 20 years, this individual had free reign to commit alleged crimes from coast-to-coast – in New York, New Jersey and California – including at least one offense that involved the sexual abuse of a young child. With this arrest, his luck has finally run out,” said HSI Buffalo Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan. “I commend HSI Buffalo and our U.S. Border Patrol partners for placing the wellbeing of the public above all else.”

    ICE HSI Buffalo arrested Geraldo Lunas-Campos, a convicted sex offender, on July 14 in Rochester, New York.

    Lunas, 55, is considered an aggravated felon with an extensive criminal history of violence.

    His criminal record, which spans from at least 1997 through October 2015, includes, but is not limited to:

    • First-degree sexual abuse involving a child under the age of 11
    • Aggravated assault with a weapon
    • Criminal possession of a loaded firearm
    • Driving while intoxicated
    • Criminal sale of a controlled substance
    • Three separate instances of petit larceny

    Lunas was paroled into the U.S. via Miami, Florida, on Jan. 12, 1996. On March 1, 2005, an immigration judge ordered his removal.

    He now remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

    Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lee, Budd Introduce Keep Your Coins Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Utah Mike Lee

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) cosponsored the Keep Your Coins Act today with U.S. Senator Tedd Budd (R-NC) to allow Americans to maintain self-custody of crypto assets, protecting their financial privacy and freedom from burdensome regulations and third-party custodians. 

    “Americans deserve to keep their crypto assets where they choose – not where they’ve been forced by the federal government,” said Senator Mike Lee. “Washington’s dragnet-style surveillance has eroded the financial privacy of law-abiding Americans for decades. I’m proud to join Senator Budd’s Keep Your Coins Act to protect Americans’ privacy and ability to maintain self-custody of crypto assets.”

    “Self-custody is a founding principle of the digital asset ecosystem and needs to be protected. I introduced the Keep Your Coins Act of 2025 to ensure the federal government cannot infringe on a person’s ability to control their own digital assets. If cryptocurrencies are going to be digital cash, we need to protect a person’s right to hold their digital cash however they want. I urge my colleagues to support this common-sense legislation to ensure financial freedom for the digital asset ecosystem,” said Senator Budd.

    Leading wallet platforms Exodus, Ledger, Casa, Block, MetaMask, and Uniswap joined in celebrating the reintroduction of the Keep Your Coins Act, saying:

    “As leading providers of self-custodial wallets, we applaud Senator Budd’s introduction of the Keep Your Coins Act, which mirrors Congressman Davidson’s bill in the House. This crucial legislation protects individuals’ fundamental right to own digital property by safeguarding against regulatory overreach. We look forward to continuing to support this legislation and establishing the United States as a haven for financial autonomy and economic freedom.”

    The Keep Your Coins Act:

    Prevents the federal government from having access to and surveillance of transactions in the digital asset ecosystem by:

    • Prohibiting any federal agency from promulgating a rule that would impair an individual’s ability to act as a self-custodian.
    • Protecting an individual’s right to conduct peer-to-peer transactions with their digital assets without the need to utilize a third-party intermediary.
    • Empowering individuals to maintain control over their digital assets through self-hosted wallets to ensure financial freedom and a decentralized cryptocurrency ecosystem.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Electricity sector changes create more ways to save

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Kiwi households and businesses will be able to save more on their electricity bills as a result of changes announced by the Electricity Authority (EA) today, Energy Minister Simon Watts and Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones say.

    “The changes today are welcome developments for consumers who are not getting a fair deal at present from the energy market,” Mr Watts says.

    “First, solar is getting another big boost – energy companies must now pay households with rooftop solar and battery who export their electricity to the grid at peak times a fair price for that electricity – this will help reduce power bills and encourage more solar installations and electricity generation.

    “The large energy companies will also need to offer time of use plans by 30 June 2026 to provide better options for customers to save money by moving their electricity use from peak periods.”

    Mr Watts says these simple solutions will help Kiwis with the cost-of-living impacts driven in part by rising electricity costs. 

    “New Zealand needs more electricity generation to power our economy, and Kiwis rightly expect abundant and affordable energy, which this government is taking action to deliver.

    “The Government is working on a review of the electricity sector, with a focus on ensuring Kiwis get a fair price and aren’t hit in their pockets, and on addressing energy shortages.”

    “The new rules announced today will give New Zealanders more ways to reduce their costs and will incentivise uptake of solar and battery systems, as well as drive power prices down over the long term. Ensuring energy companies pay a fair price for consumers exporting electricity to the network is one of the single best ways to help boost solar uptake to date.

    “I want to see more New Zealanders benefitting from the smarter use of electricity. For this to happen, the electricity sector must appropriately reward consumers for the benefits they provide when they shift their power use away from peak times. 

    Mr Jones says that as our electricity market evolves, these small-scale systems will play an increasingly important role in enabling peak morning and evening demand to be met with local supply. 

    “With new, fairer rebates in place, there will be better opportunities for people to receive income from solar electricity they sell back to the grid.” 

    The Task Force was established by the Electricity Authority and Commerce Commission, with MBIE as an observer in August last year in response to the winter power crisis. 

    The Task Force is focused on enabling new generators and independent retailers to enter, and fairly compete, in the market as well as providing more options for consumers.

    “I thank the Task Force members and the Authority for their work in reaching these decisions. There is more work to do, and I look forward to further Task Force decisions in coming weeks,” Mr Watts says.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Defra Secretary of State at UK Water Reception

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Defra Secretary of State at UK Water Reception

    Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs delivered a speech at the UK Water Reception hosted at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre

    This is a moment for Government and industry to join together to unlock the potential of our water sector and grow our economy in every region of this country.

    We need water for economic growth.

    Communities can’t function without it. Water is essential for every household and business across the country. We need it to grow the food that feeds our families. To build 1.5 million new homes, hospitals, schools and roads. To cool power stations that supply our electricity and the data centres to run our IT systems. 

    Water flows through our breathtaking countryside, boosting our tourism and leisure industries.

    The public were not aware at the time of the last general election, this country was facing water rationing within ten years.  There was not enough water to meet the growing demands of our population. As David just said, no new reservoirs had been built in 30 years.

    Water infrastructure was outdated and crumbling. Leaking pipes wasted valuable water supplies. Record levels of sewage polluted our waterways.

    [Political section removed]

    In just one year, we’ve introduced tough new measures to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. Including ringfencing customers’ money so it can only be spent on what it was intended for: upgrading and improving water infrastructure.

    Our Water Special Measures Bill became law in February, giving the regulators new powers to hold water companies to account.

     And Sir Jon Cunliffe, the former Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, will soon complete the biggest review of the water sector in a generation to ensure we have a robust regulatory framework to clean up our waterways, build the infrastructure we need for a reliable water supply, and restore public confidence in this vital economic sector.

    He will publish his full findings next week, and the Government response will follow quickly afterwards.

    This strong action has laid the groundwork for the sector to move forward.

    Today is the start of a new partnership between the water sector and government.

    Turning the page on the past to begin a new chapter of growth and opportunity.

    The water sector is a priority for economic growth.

    We’ve worked together and secured £104 billion pounds of private sector investment in the water sector over the next five years.

    That’s the biggest private sector investment into our water sector in its entire history, and the second biggest investment in any part of the economy over the lifetime of this parliament – and getting this investment right matters.

    It will build and upgrade infrastructure in every region of the country – cutting sewage in half by 2030 and cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas.

    So, parents don’t have to worry about letting their children splash about in the water. So, we can experience the majesty of national treasures like Lake Windermere. Or enjoy a moment of calm by going for a swim in nature.

    It will fund nine new reservoirs and nine large-scale water transfer schemes, and reduce leaks from water pipes.

    So families – like those in Guildford –   don’t have to rely on bottled water when their water supply is disrupted. So businesses don’t lose profits when they’re forced to shut because the taps have run dry. So farmers can keep growing food in the face of increasingly unstable and unpredictable weather patterns.

    This vast investment will fuel economic growth.

    Over the next 5 years, it will create 30 thousand good, well-paid jobs in every corner of the country.

    Jobs that are rooted in the communities they serve.

    Money to upgrade roads, schools and hospitals. Encouraging businesses to invest in the area. Attracting more visitors to support rural tourism.

    This investment will make sure we can build 1.5 million homes this Parliament, construct major infrastructure projects to support the green energy transition, and power new industries such as data centres that can unlock the UK’s AI potential.

    This is what we mean when we talk about the Government’s Plan for Change.

    We must work together to make sure that £104 billion is spent in the best way to secure the improvements we want to see, and in the timescales we want to see them.

    Earlier this year, my colleague the Water Minister Emma Hardy and I toured the country to see how this investment will be spent.

    Around Cambridge, one of the UK’s fastest growing economies, investment in water infrastructure will support 4500 new homes, community facilities such as schools and leisure centres, and office and laboratory space in the city centre.

    On the River Avon, Wessex Water are investing £35 million pounds to expand the Saltford Water Recycling Plant, increasing their wastewater treatment capacity by 40% to meet rising demand, and creating local jobs near Bath.

    And in Hampshire, work’s begun on the Havant Thicket Reservoir, the first reservoir to be built in the South East since the 1970s and when it’s full, this will supply water to around 160,000 people and, during construction, it will generate more than £10 million a year to the South East economy,  with construction jobs and apprenticeships.

    We need to get spades in the ground in every region.

    I’ve set up a Water Delivery Taskforce to bring together Government, regulators, and water industry representatives, to ensure water companies complete their planned investments on time and on budget – providing value for money for customers.    

    The Taskforce will make sure we have the water, wastewater and drainage needed for the new developments and infrastructure that will drive long-term economic growth.

    Energy and Utility Skills estimate 43,000 people will be needed to take up jobs in the water industry over the next five years.

    That’s good, skilled, well paid jobs such as bioresources technicians, hydraulics specialists, engineers, construction workers, and surveyors.

    It’s imperative we have the skilled workforce in place.

    Because without it, all this investment will not be possible.

    That’s why we’re here today. To work together to ensure the industry and supply chain have the capacity to meet our shared ambitions for a successful, growing water sector underpinning a successful, growing economy.

    This demands a whole Government approach.

    Torsten Bell, the Minister for Pensions, and Baroness Jacqui Smith, Minister for Skills, will both be here today, will give more details on how we plan to do this via our employment and skills programmes.

    And I’m delighted that later today I’ll sign our ‘Water Skills Pledge’ with Alison McGovern, the Minister for Employment – affirming our commitment to ensuring the water sector has the skills and workforce it needs to succeed.

    We will work together to show people that a career in the water industry and its supply chain is something they can be proud of for a lifetime.

    Something that gives you new skills, exciting challenges and can set you up for life – wherever in this country you live.

    These are jobs that make a difference. Making sure people have a reliable, clean water supply, protecting our food security, cleaning up our waterways – and stimulating economic growth in every part of the country to raise living standards and wages and improve people’s lives.

    This is a fresh start, a moment to build new partnerships and set the direction for the water sector of the future.

    We are working together to bring about the change that people in this country voted for last year. It’s an exciting time for the water industry, and I’m proud to stand alongside you as we chart the journey forwards to success.

    Thank you.

    Updates to this page

    Published 15 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: CMS Proposes Bold Reforms to Modernize Hospital Payments, Strengthen Transparency, and Put Patients Back in Control

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services

    CMS Proposes Bold Reforms to Modernize Hospital Payments, Strengthen Transparency, and Put Patients Back in Control

    Proposed rule advances administration’s vision to “Make America Healthy Again”

    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today issued the Calendar Year (CY) 2026 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System proposed rule (CMS-1834-P), introducing a series of patient-focused reforms that would modernize payments, expand access to care, and enhance hospital accountability. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: CMS Proposes Bold Reforms to Modernize Hospital Payments, Strengthen Transparency, and Put Patients Back in Control

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services

    CMS Proposes Bold Reforms to Modernize Hospital Payments, Strengthen Transparency, and Put Patients Back in Control

    Proposed rule advances administration’s vision to “Make America Healthy Again”

    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today issued the Calendar Year (CY) 2026 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System proposed rule (CMS-1834-P), introducing a series of patient-focused reforms that would modernize payments, expand access to care, and enhance hospital accountability. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Aguilar: Republicans own the health care crisis that they’ve created

    Source: US House of Representatives – Democratic Caucus

    The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI –

    July 15, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar and Vice Chair Ted Lieu held a press conference on the failure of House Republicans to protect health care and lower costs.

    CHAIRMAN AGUILAR: Thank you for joining us. Pleased as always to be joined by Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, Ted Lieu. Good morning. Republicans spent the last week lying about their vote to throw 17 million Americans off of health insurance. They’re so terrified of voter backlash that they’re charting new frontiers in dishonesty and political chutzpah. Rob Bresnahan says the Big Ugly Law will be the largest deficit reduction in 30 years, when it actually explodes the deficit by $4 trillion. Gabe Evans, on the other hand, has twisted himself into knots claiming that there are no Medicaid cuts, because, technically, health care spending will continue to rise—he’s hoping that the one in three voters in Colorado who he represents won’t notice losing their health care. Derrick Van Orden wants his voters to believe that somehow he managed to secure more money for BadgerCare even though he voted for $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid—prompting the Governor of Wisconsin to call him out for lying.

    Here’s the truth: Republicans own the health care crisis that they’ve created. People will get sick, hospitals will close—like we’ve seen in places like Curtis, Nebraska—and nursing homes will shut down. And they’re doing all of this so they can give billionaires tax breaks and make private jets fully tax-deductible. They’re the same rich and well-connected elites that they’re protecting by keeping the Epstein files under lock and key after campaigning to release them. It’s shameful—and House Democrats will make sure that they’re held accountable. Now I’ll turn it over to Vice Chair Ted Lieu. 

    VICE CHAIR LIEU: Thank you, Chairman Aguilar. Donald Trump, when he campaigned, promised on day one he would end inflation and lower costs. Donald Trump lied to the American people because we now know that inflation has continued to increase under his policies and that of Republicans. The most recent inflation report shows that inflation increased to 2.7 percent above expectations and core CPI increased to 2.9 percent. We call on Trump and Republicans to focus on lowering costs instead of things like the Big Ugly Bill, that are kicking millions of people off health care.

    I’ve also noticed that there’s been an uptick in activity around Epstein files recently. I just want to remind the American people that in February of this year, Attorney General Pam Bondi acknowledged the existence of Jeffrey Epstein’s client list. In fact, she said that Jeffrey Epstein’s client list is, ‘sitting on my desk right now.’ Where is that client list? What is Attorney General Pam Bondi hiding? She needs to release the Epstein files as soon as possible. I talked about the Epstein files under the Biden Administration; I’m talking about it under the Trump Administration. This is a case of the powerful protecting the powerful. We need to have those files released. I also note that the Epstein files that have already been released show that Trump is all over the files. He’s in multiple pictures with Jeffrey Epstein. There’s multiple videos of Trump with Jeffrey Epstein. There are plane logs of Trump on Epstein’s plane. There are statements by Trump about Epstein. There are court pleadings of alleged victims of Epstein naming Trump. So, we need to have these Epstein files released.

    I also want to talk a little bit about Ukraine. The only way we get Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table is to defeat Russian troops on the battlefield. I support President Trump’s decision to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine. I support President Trump’s decision to say that he’s going to backfill Europe’s military equipment when Europe sends military equipment to Ukraine. That is how we’re going to get Putin to the negotiating table by letting Putin know that he cannot win this war. With that, I yield back.

    Video of the full press conference and Q&A can be viewed here.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Severe Thunderstorm Watch 514

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Note:  The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports.
    SEL4

    URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
    Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 514
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    350 PM CDT Tue Jul 15 2025

    The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

    * Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of
    Northern Kansas
    Western and Central Nebraska
    Southeast South Dakota

    * Effective this Tuesday afternoon and evening from 350 PM until
    1100 PM CDT.

    * Primary threats include…
    Scattered damaging winds and isolated significant gusts to 80
    mph likely
    Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2
    inches in diameter possible

    SUMMARY…Scattered thunderstorms are forecast to develop along a
    front this afternoon into the evening and grow upscale into a linear
    cluster. Large hail will be the primary severe hazard this
    afternoon before storms increase in coverage and congeal into one or
    two linear clusters. Severe gusts will become the primary severe
    hazard during the evening as this activity moves east-southeast
    across the Watch area.

    The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 85
    statute miles east and west of a line from 35 miles east northeast
    of Chamberlain SD to 20 miles south southeast of Mccook NE. For a
    complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline
    update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU4).

    PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

    REMEMBER…A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are
    favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area.
    Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening
    weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible
    warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce
    tornadoes.

    &&

    OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 513…

    AVIATION…A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to
    2 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 70 knots. A
    few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector
    28025.

    …Smith

    Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas.
    SAW4
    WW 514 SEVERE TSTM KS NE SD 152050Z – 160400Z
    AXIS..85 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF LINE..
    35ENE 9V9/CHAMBERLAIN SD/ – 20SSE MCK/MCCOOK NE/
    ..AVIATION COORDS.. 75NM E/W /70ESE PIR – 18SSE MCK/
    HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..2 INCHES. WIND GUSTS..70 KNOTS.
    MAX TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 28025.

    LAT…LON 43959696 39919883 39910204 43950038

    THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A
    COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS
    FOR WOU4.

    Watch 514 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.

    Note:  Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes

    Probability of 2 or more tornadoes

    Low (10%)

    Probability of 1 or more strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes

    Low ( 65 knots

    Mod (60%)

    Hail

    Probability of 10 or more severe hail events

    Mod (40%)

    Probability of 1 or more hailstones > 2 inches

    Mod (30%)

    Combined Severe Hail/Wind

    Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events

    High (90%)

    For each watch, probabilities for particular events inside the watch (listed above in each table) are determined by the issuing forecaster. The “Low” category contains probability values ranging from less than 2% to 20% (EF2-EF5 tornadoes), less than 5% to 20% (all other probabilities), “Moderate” from 30% to 60%, and “High” from 70% to greater than 95%. High values are bolded and lighter in color to provide awareness of an increased threat for a particular event.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Justice Department Reaches New Settlement to Protect U.S. Workers

    Source: US Justice – Antitrust Division

    Headline: Justice Department Reaches New Settlement to Protect U.S. Workers

    The Justice Department announced today that it has secured a settlement agreement with H2A Complete II Inc., a Mississippi company, to address evidence that the company violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) when it unfairly tipped the scales to hire H-2A visa holders over U.S. workers for agricultural employment opportunities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Justice Department Reaches New Settlement to Protect U.S. Workers

    Source: US Justice – Antitrust Division

    Headline: Justice Department Reaches New Settlement to Protect U.S. Workers

    The Justice Department announced today that it has secured a settlement agreement with H2A Complete II Inc., a Mississippi company, to address evidence that the company violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) when it unfairly tipped the scales to hire H-2A visa holders over U.S. workers for agricultural employment opportunities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Justice Department Reaches New Settlement to Protect U.S. Workers

    Source: US Justice – Antitrust Division

    Headline: Justice Department Reaches New Settlement to Protect U.S. Workers

    The Justice Department announced today that it has secured a settlement agreement with H2A Complete II Inc., a Mississippi company, to address evidence that the company violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) when it unfairly tipped the scales to hire H-2A visa holders over U.S. workers for agricultural employment opportunities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Ambassador Chen Mingjian Meets with Tanzania Peoples’ Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Salum Othman

    Source: APO


    .

    On July 11, Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania H.E. Chen Mingjian met with Lieutenant General Salum Othman, Chief of Staff of Tanzania Peoples’ Defence Forces in Dar es Salaam. They discussed bilateral military relations and committed to strengthening exchanges and cooperation.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United Republic of Tanzania.

    MIL OSI Africa –