Researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, Pōneke, are looking to genetics to understand why Fijian New Zealanders are at higher risk of having heart attacks or developing angina at a young age.
The research is led by Heart Foundation Research Fellow Dr Pritika Narayan from the Department of Surgery and Anaesthesia who says people from Fiji make up almost two per cent of Aotearoa’s population, but experience 20 per cent of the heart attacks or angina in people under the age of 40.
“Some have died in their twenties from undiagnosed cardiac conditions. There is a striking inheritance pattern, with grandparent, child, grandchild affected independent of risk factors such as smoking, obesity and diabetes.
“In one case we know of, a grandfather had a heart attack in his sixties, his son in his forties and his grandson in his twenties.”
The study, funded by the Heart Foundation, is the first in the world to look for a genetic link to premature coronary artery disease among Fijians and Fijian Indians.
Dr Narayan speculates that people with a heightened risk of premature coronary artery disease may have a variation in their genetic code.
“It is possible that variation helped their ancestors survive historical famine events and infectious disease outbreaks but is having the opposite effect now food is relatively abundant, causing fat to accumulate in the arteries and leading to these very premature heart attacks.”
Dr Narayan hopes her research will lead to gene-based improvements in screening, diagnosis and treatment options for Fijian New Zealanders who have a predisposition to developing the disease.
“It will also help Fijian New Zealanders understand their risk of heart disease and give them the chance to access potentially life-saving medicines, such as blood-pressure lowering medicines, or statins to reduce their cholesterol levels, before any damage to their heart occurs.”
Dr Narayan says the genetic research could lead to better care and prevention strategies for other ethnic minority groups who the peoples of Fiji share ancestry with, particularly the 10 million Melanesian people living in the Pacific and the 25 per cent of the world’s population who are South Asian.
She hopes to recruit at least 40 Fijian or Fijian Indian New Zealanders to take part in the study. They will be asked to have a blood test at their nearest Awanui Labs blood collection centre, and scientists will analyse the blood sample so they can study their DNA and RNA and look for biomarkers related to heart health and disease.
To be eligible to take part in the research, participants must have New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency, have Fijian (i-Taukei) or Fijian Indian (Girmit) ancestry and have had their first heart attack, experienced angina, or had related surgery (such as a stent or bypass) before the age of 55. They may also be able to take part if they have a close relative who has had a heart attack at a young age.
A Wellington-based participant in the study is available to be interviewed about the research and why it is an important study for his family. Please get in touch with Pritika if you are interested in arranging an interview with him.
You might have heard the term ‘tech bro’ – a shorthand for the hypermasculine culture synonymous with the startup world. But while it’s often associated with Silicon Valley, that same culture is alive and well in New Zealand’s innovation scene too, say researchers Professor Anne de Bruin and Dr Janine Swail.
Entrepreneurial ecosystems: the networks, organisations, and funding systems that support startup ventures, might seem open to all. But they’re far from gender neutral, the researchers say.
“The strong association of masculine traits with entrepreneurship persists, hindering gender equity,” says de Bruin.
In a new paper, de Bruin and Swail examine how gender dynamics shape startup ecosystems, and how feminist theories can be used to make them more inclusive and equitable.
“If you think about Auckland’s startup sector, it’s still pretty ‘tech bro’,” says Swail. “We need to rethink what it means to be inclusive in entrepreneurship.”
She says this starts with challenging the norms that shape entrepreneurial culture – norms that can make women and non-binary people feel unwelcome.
“Imagine you’re a female deep-tech entrepreneur looking for a lab or an accelerator programme,” says Swail. “You walk into a space that feels overwhelmingly masculine; in-jokes, blokey language, a boys club. It can be difficult to feel like you belong, let alone thrive.”
One of the biggest barriers? Unacknowledged gender bias baked into the structures and language of entrepreneurship. De Bruin points to New Zealand’s finance ecosystem, where most venture capitalists are men.
“The way people communicate and operate in that world is often coded in a very masculine way. Language matters, and when we start to unpack it, we see how women and others are often excluded, even unintentionally.”
If New Zealand wants to develop a genuinely diverse startup sector, we need to question who it’s built for, and who’s being left out.
Feminist theories argue for a shift from accepting the status quo to actively creating gender-equitable ecosystems.
One international organisation the researchers point to doing just that is Coralus (originally SheEO). Formerly led in New Zealand by Dame Theresa Gattung, Coralus was launched in Canada in 2015 as an experiment in more equitable funding for women and nonbinary people. Since then, it has flipped the traditional funding model favouring male-led ventures and distributed nearly $19 million to more than 190 female- and non-binary-led ventures using a collective decision-making model.
“By challenging traditional funding structures, Coralus reimagines what an entrepreneurial ecosystem can look like,” says Swail. “Even the name change – from SheEO to Coralus – reflects a broader, more inclusive vision.”
If New Zealand wants to develop a genuinely diverse startup sector, we need to question who it’s built for, and who’s being left out, says de Bruin. “We can create new pathways and build a future for entrepreneurship that’s more inclusive, more equitable, and ultimately, more innovative.”
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visits the one-stop aircraft maintenance base of Hainan Free Trade Port in Haikou, south China’s Hainan Province, March 24, 2025. Ding made an inspection tour in Hainan Province from Monday to Tuesday. [Photo/Xinhua]
HAIKOU, March 25 — Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang has required solid efforts to promote the building of Hainan Free Trade Port and develop it into a gateway that leads China’s opening up in the new era.
Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour in south China’s Hainan Province on Monday and Tuesday.
Ding visited an information facility of social management, airport and harbor ports to learn about the work in preparation for the independent customs operation of the free trade port.
Ding said the independent customs operation will be launched this year, calling for efforts to ensure a smooth, orderly and successful operation.
He also learned about the implementation of duty-free shopping policies and the building of an international tourism consumption center. Hainan should develop new quality productive forces based on local conditions and accelerate the development of modern industrial system with its own features and advantages, he said.
Ding also urged greater efforts to develop the sector of commercial spaceflight and ensure quality education in rural areas.
Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, communicates with teachers while visiting Liandong Middle School in Wenchang, south China’s Hainan Province, March 25, 2025. Ding made an inspection tour in Hainan Province from Monday to Tuesday. [Photo/Xinhua]
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Nick Brown today told legislators they can save lives by passing permit to purchase legislation for gun buyers (HB 1163).
“This policy gives us the tools we need to ensure gun buyers aren’t doing so illegally under existing state and federal laws,” Brown said in his testimony to the Senate Committee on Law & Justice. “Through background checks, training, and other safety steps, we can make meaningful use of the critical time between someone’s choice to purchase a firearm and when they obtain that weapon.”
The bill, which the committee is scheduled to vote on Thursday, enhances permitting for firearms by requiring applicants to complete State Patrol-certified safety training, including essential firearm safety procedures, responsible firearm handling, and live-fire exercises to ensure practical firearm proficiency.
“Research and data clearly show that permit-to-purchase programs reduce gun-related deaths, curb gun trafficking, and improve law enforcement officer safety. This bill will save lives,” said Senate Law & Justice Committee Chair Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond.
HB 1163 also establishes in-depth background checks conducted to receive a permit, background checks at the point of purchase, and an annual re-check to ensure permit holders remain eligible. Together, these elements provide more certainty that people who are prohibited from owning guns are quickly and consistently identified and won’t be able to purchase a firearm.
“Gun violence is the number one cause of death for our kids. Not disease, not vehicular collisions, not drugs. As a mom of two little kids, and having lost someone I love to gun violence, this is personal to me,” said House Rep. Liz Berry, D-Seattle, the bill’s lead sponsor. “But I am not alone. Being afraid that our children will suffer from gun violence should not be part of our daily lives. It is unacceptable, it is unsustainable, and we must act today. Permit to Purchase will save lives and make all our communities safer.”
Connecticut enacted similar permit-to-purchase legislation 30 years ago and saw a 40% drop in gun homicides in the decade that followed, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers.
“This bill builds on our commonsense requirement that background checks be part of the process for buying firearms in Washington,” said Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds. “By having people get a permit and background check before they purchase, we can ensure only responsible owners are the ones who have access to firearms in our state/”
The bill previously passed out of the House on a vote of 58-38.
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Critics have long accused the agency — and its affiliated outlets such as Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia — of being a propaganda arm of US foreign policy.
But to the current president, the USAGM has become a promoter of “anti-American ideas” and agendas — including allegedly suppressing stories critical of Iran, sympathetically covering the issue of “white privilege” and bowing to pressure from China.
Propaganda is clearly in the eye of the beholder. The Moscow Times reported Russian officials were elated by the demise of the “purely propagandistic” outlets, while China’s Global Times celebrated the closure of a “lie factory”.
Meanwhile, the European Commission hailed USAGM outlets as a “beacon of truth, democracy and hope”. All of which might have left the average person understandably confused: Voice of America? Wasn’t that the US propaganda outlet from World War II?
Well, yes. But the reality of USAGM and similar state-sponsored global media outlets is more complex — as are the implications of the US agency’s demise.
For the better part of a century, Voice of America has broadcast into countries whose governments censored free information. The Trump administration has dismantled VOA’s parent organization, put all of its employees on leave and ended funding for independent media agencies.… pic.twitter.com/TzagYQwNIx
Public service or state propaganda? The USAGM is one of several international public service media outlets based in Western democracies. Others include Australia’s ABC International, the BBC World Service, CBC/Radio-Canada, France Médias Monde, NHK-World Japan, Deutsche Welle in Germany and SRG SSR in Switzerland.
Part of the Public Media Alliance, they are similar to national public service media, largely funded by taxpayers to uphold democratic ideals of universal access to news and information.
Unlike national public media, however, they might not be consumed — or even known — by domestic audiences. Rather, they typically provide news to countries without reliable independent media due to censorship or state-run media monopolies.
On the other hand, the independence of USAGM outlets has been questioned often, particularly as they are required to share government-mandated editorials.
Leaving a void Ultimately, these global media outlets wouldn’t exist if there weren’t benefits for the governments that fund them. Sharing stories and perspectives that support or promote certain values and policies is an effective form of “public diplomacy”.
Yet these international media outlets differ from state-controlled media models because of editorial systems that protect them from government interference.
The Voice of America’s “firewall”, for instance, “prohibits interference by any US government official in the objective, independent reporting of news”. Such protections allow journalists to report on their own governments more objectively.
In contrast, outlets such as China Media Group (CMG), RT from Russia, and PressTV from Iran also reach a global audience in a range of languages. But they do this through direct government involvement.
Though RT states it is an autonomous media outlet, research has found the Russian government oversees hiring editors, imposing narrative angles, and rejecting stories.
A Voice of America staffer protests outside the Washington DC offices on March 17, 2025, after employees were placed on administrative leave. Image: Getty Images/The Conversation
Other voices get louder The biggest concern for Western democracies is that these other state-run media outlets will fill the void the USAGM leaves behind — including in the Pacific.
Worryingly, the differences between outlets such as Voice of America and more overtly state-run outlets aren’t immediately clear to audiences, as government ownership isn’t advertised.
An Australian senator even had to apologise recently after speaking with PressTV, saying she didn’t know the news outlet was affiliated with the Iranian government, or that it had been sanctioned in Australia.
Switched off Trump’s move to dismantle the USAGM doesn’t come as a complete surprise, however. As the authors of Capturing News, Capturing Democracy: Trump and the Voice of America described, the first Trump administration failed in its attempts to remove the firewall and install loyalists.
This perhaps explains why Trump has resorted to more drastic measures this time. And, as with many of the current administration’s legally dubious actions, there has been resistance.
But for many of the agency’s journalists, contractors, broadcasting partners and audiences, it may be too late. Last week, The New York Times reported some Voice of America broadcasts had already been replaced by music.
A bill introduced to parliament this week, if passed, would limit the government’s power to reconsider certain environment approvals when an activity is harming the environment.
It fulfils Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s promise last month to introduce new laws to allow salmon farming to continue in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour. This salmon farming is currently mooted for reconsideration.
There’s no doubt Australia’s nature laws need reform. The latest review found “Australians do not trust that the EPBC Act is delivering for the environment, for business or for the community”.
But stopping the government from reconsidering a past decision is no way to fix these flaws. Reconsidering decisions is necessary if new evidence shows the activity is causing much more harm to nature, or a different kind of harm, than anticipated.
Salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour
Salmon have been farmed in Macquarie Harbour for almost 40 years, but activity has increased over the past decade.
But then-Environment Minister, Tony Bourke, declared no further consideration was needed and the action could proceed, because the proposal was not
“a controlled action”. Under the Act, a controlled action is any activity likely to impact on a matter of national environmental significance, such as a threatened species. A project or development deemed a controlled action then requires approval from the environment minister.
However, Bourke’s decision was subject to conditions – most importantly, to ensure no significant impacts to the Maugean skate.
In late 2023, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek received a series of requests to reconsider Bourke’s 2012 decision.
New evidence comes to light
The power to request a reconsideration is available to anyone. If substantial new information justifies it, the minister may revoke the original decision and make a new one.
In the Macquarie Harbour case, these reconsideration requests relied on scientific studies completed after 2012. One highlighted the skate’s vulnerability to changing water conditions. Another released last month showed a strong correlation between more intense salmon farming and increased extinction risk for the skate.
Plibersek has not made a decision yet. However, documents her office released under Freedom of Information laws show new evidence. This evidence supports a declaration that salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour should be reconsidered. That could trigger a full review of salmon farming in the Harbour.
However, the bill Labor has introduced would strip the minister’s powers to reconsider the earlier decision.
Prime minister promises law change to protect salmon farms, February 2025 (ABC News)
This bill is very specific – it’s a minor change, with extremely strict criteria – focused on giving Tasmanian workers certainty while government investments protect the Maugean Skate. The existing laws apply to everything else, including all new proposals for coal, gas, and land clearing.
But we disagree. The bill describes the circumstances in which the minister can reconsider a decision. These are cases (such as Macquarie Harbour) where an activity is allowed to proceed without full assessment and approval, in a “particular manner”. The “particular manner” must include complying with a state or territory management arrangement. For example, the salmon farmers have to comply with a Tasmanian government plan for Macquarie Harbour. Finally, these activities must be currently underway, and ongoing in that way, for at least five years.
It is not uncommon for “particular manner” decisions to require compliance with state or territory management arrangements. So the new legislation will catch more than just the Macquarie Harbour project in the “net”.
For instance, our quick search of the EPBC Act portal revealed a similar particular manner decision. This means that, after five years of operation, this second decision will also be immune from challenge.
There would be more where that came from. The bill will not only protect salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour.
What’s more, reconsideration powers have been used sparingly – there seems no reason to limit their use further. A search of the EPBC Act public portal reveals only 52 reconsideration requests since the Act began, averaging just two a year. Many of these requests were made by proponents, disgruntled with a “controlled action” decision made in relation to their own projects.
One bad bill after another
This may sound familiar, because Labor’s bill is similar to Liberal Senator Richard Colbeck’s private bill proposed in December, which also concerned protecting salmon farming jobs in Macquarie Harbour.
The Senate’s Environment and Communications Legislation Committee made a single recommendation on that bill: that it not be passed.
The majority report (from Labor, Greens and Independent senators) provided sensible reasons for recommending the bill be abandoned. It noted the power to request a reconsideration already has “appropriate safeguards”.
Furthermore, these “safeguards strike an appropriate balance by providing industry with confidence and certainty that a decision made will not be easily reversed, while allowing decisions to be reconsidered should new and significant information relating to the decision arise”.
Just four months later, these remain compelling reasons for maintaining the power to reconsider decisions.
We don’t have time to go backwards
This amendment will not achieve the comprehensive reforms the EPBC Act needs. In fact, it will actively undermine these goals. It has been rushed through after years of effort to improve nature laws, on the eve of an election, in a marginal electorate, and has been put to Parliament on the day of a budget lockup.
Despite removing this scrutiny, the bill is unlikely to resolve the controversy in Macquarie Harbour.
Phillipa McCormack receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the National Environmental Science Program, Natural Hazards Research Australia, Green Adelaide and the ACT Government. She is a member of the National Environmental Law Association and an affiliated member of the Centre for Marine Socioecology.
Justine Bell-James receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Queensland Government, and the National Environmental Science Program. She is a Director of the National Environmental Law Association and a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists.
The Help to Buy program provides shared-equity loans to first-time homebuyers so they can purchase properties with smaller deposits. Under this program, the government buys a portion of the property to lower the required mortgage amount for buyers.
Under the initial terms of the scheme, the Commonwealth offered up to 30% of the price for existing homes and 40% for new constructions, while restricting eligibility to households within specific income and property value ranges.
Now, the Albanese government has raised cap levels to enable more people to become eligible. The income ceiling for single buyers will increase from $90,000 to $100,000, while the maximum income limit for couples and single parents will rise from $120,000 to $160,000.
These higher caps mean more than five million Australian properties would fall under the scheme’s scope, significantly expanding buyers’ choice.
2-Investing in prefabricated and modular homes:
In November 2024, the Albanese government announced a $900 million productivity fund to reward states and territories that boost housing supply by removing barriers to prefab and modular construction.
And now, the Albanese government is budgeting another $54 million for the advanced manufacturing of prefab and modular housing industry. This includes $5 million to create a national certification system to streamline approvals and eliminate red tape.
This aims to speed up home construction through off-site manufacturing technologies, which produce components in factories before assembling them on-site.
Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic claims these homes can be finished in half the time of conventional construction. Even a 20–30% time saving would be significant.
These buildings are also more energy efficient, more resilient and cheaper.
The big picture problem is, Australia has simply not been building enough homes for its growing population.
According to the Urban Development Institute of Australia’s State of the Land Report 2025, the federal government will fail (by 400,000 dwellings) to meet its target of constructing 1.2 million new homes by 2029.
Some countries use it much more: Sweden boasts more than 100 years of prefab construction experience, where more than 80% of homes are produced in factories and then assembled at their destinations.
Modular housing can be described as a promising step forward. But while they offer potential improvements in speed and cost efficiency, it cannot solve the massive housing deficit on its own without structural policy reforms in the near future.
What about the Help to Buy scheme?
Shared-equity loans tackle a different side of the problem: affordability for buyers.
While its impact on general house prices and universal housing affordability is minimal, policymakers worry that programs like these unintentionally push up prices by boosting demand.
State governments control planning, zoning and most of the levers that determine how quickly homes can be approved and built (such as releasing land for development or approving apartment projects).
The federal government mainly controls funding and high-level programs, so the success of the Albanese government’s plan will depend a lot on cooperation with the states and territories.
However, there’s some inherent tension here: Canberra can set targets and provide incentives (funding), but it can’t directly build houses or force local councils to approve projects faster.
That’s one reason behind the prefab certification idea: it removes one potential regulatory hurdle at a national level.
Political timing
The timing of this housing plan announcement is no coincidence.
Australia will have a federal election by May 2025. Most voters will likely consider housing costs and cost-of-living to be primary issues.
The expansion of Help to Buy enables Labor to target first-home buyers, which may be important in the election.
The new housing plan is ambitious in scope and certainly a welcome effort to turn the tide on housing affordability.
However, renters and prospective buyers are unlikely to experience quick benefits from these housing initiatives, as it will require sustained action and cooperation well beyond the upcoming election cycle.
The Help to Buy program will begin later in 2025, and the positive effects of investing in prefabricated/modular housing will require a period of time before they become apparent.
It is unclear whether these measures will effectively persuade voters and produce substantial improvements.
Dr. Ehsan Noroozinejad has received funding from both national and international organisations to support research addressing housing and climate crises. His most recent funding on integrated housing and climate policy comes from the James Martin Institute for Public Policy.
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
March 25, 2025
Durbin questions a majority witness on whether the January 6 insurrection was protected free speech; highlights the Trump Administration’s assault on the First Amendment
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses during the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution hearing entitled “The Censorship Industrial Complex.”
Durbin began by asking Benjamin Weingarten, a Commentator and Senior Contributor to The Federalist, about the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. Mr. Weingarten has written about the existence of a so-called Censorship Industrial Complex that he believes has been directed by the Biden Administration. As part of this, Weingarten has stated, “the Capitol riot fueled the war on wrongthink” and that “[c]lemency for Capitol rioters, perhaps above all other opening actions [by the Trump Administration], should represent the start of the end of that war.”
“Do you think the January 6 riot at the Capitol was protected free speech?” Durbin asked.
Mr. Weingarten responded, “I think to the extent there was peaceful protest, that is free speech, and when it bleeds into violence to action, that’s when it certainly crosses a line.”
Durbin responded, “You believe that some of the individuals who received full and unconditional pardons by the President of the United States had in fact crossed the line and were guilty of criminal conduct?”
Mr. Weingarten stated that “some people [on January 6] committed crimes.”
“They certainly did [commit crimes]—140 policemen were assaulted by these rioters. I’m on the policemen’s side and I hope you are too,” said Durbin.
Durbin then asked about Mr. Weingarten’s “whole-of-society war” rhetoric and what it means. Mr. Weingarten said it’s when “government is working hand-in-hand with civil society to achieve some sort of outcome.”
“Do you think that’s inherently wrong or insidious?” Durbin asked.
Mr. Weingarten responded, “On its face, it’s potentially chilling when you have government and civil society working hand-in-glove because that blurring of the line between civil society and the state can cross into potentially draconian methods and outcomes.”
Durbin then asked about whether Mr. Weingarten’s definition of “whole-of-society-war” is in line with the former President George W. Bush’s actions following 9/11.
Durbin then asked Dr. Mary Anne Franks, a Professor at George Washington University Law School, about the Trump Administration’s attacks on law firms. The Trump Administration has recently targeted several law firms for their association with the President’s perceived enemies, including Perkins Coie and Paul Weiss. Reportedly, the Administration has created a list of more than a dozen firms that it may target.
“I think this attack on law firms for representing unpopular clients—unpopular with this Administration—is one of the most dangerous developments I’ve seen and the violation of basic free speech… What do you think about the future of legal representation at these law firms, at least one of them has reached a settlement with the Trump Administration?” Durbin asked.
Dr. Franks responded, “I very much share your alarm about those actions because as you mentioned, access to the courts is a very key principle of our freedoms, and to threaten law firms that are trying to do what all of us should rely on which is to defend people’s rights in court, is extremely chilling.”
Durbin concluded by asking Gabe Rottman, Vice President of Policy at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP), about the Trump Administration’s views on freedom of the press. The Trump White House recently refused to allow the Associated Press (AP) in the White House press pool for using “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America.”
“You use the term ‘Gulf of Mexico’ [and] you’re not welcome in the White House,” Durbin said.
Mr. Rottman responded, “it’s explicit viewpoint discrimination that underpins retaliatory actions by the White House and that makes it a First Amendment violation.”
Video of Durbin’s questions in Committee is availablehere.
Audio of Durbin’s questions in Committee is availablehere.
Footage of Durbin’s questions in Committee is availableherefor TV Stations.
Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
Welch: “Although we agree that government should not infringe on free speech, I don’t believe that’s what has been happening here.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, addressed far-right false claims of a vast censorship conspiracy during a Subcommittee hearing titled “The Censorship Industrial Complex.” Instead of focusing the first Subcommittee hearing on actual and proven instances of censorship by the Trump Administration against journalists, political adversaries, and critics, the Majority focused the first Subcommittee hearing on an alleged—and unproven—censorship enterprise against conservatives.
“On this question of the ‘censorship industrial complex,’ the basic allegation here, as I understand it, is that there is government-facilitated interference with free speech. And we’re going to hear from the witnesses on that. But the underlying premise of this, as I understand it, is the taxpayers are essentially footing the bill for this. My view is that facts don’t support that allegation,” said Senator Welch. “Although we agree that government should not infringe on free speech—I am with you on that and with all of my colleagues here—I don’t believe that’s what has been happening here.”
Watch the hearing below:
Read Senator Welch’s opening remarks as delivered here.
Witnesses for the Democratic Minority included Professor Mary Anne Franks, and Gabe Rottman. Dr. Franks is the Eugene L. and Barbara A. Bernard Professor in Intellectual Property, Technology, and Civil Rights Law at George Washington University School of Law, and an expert in the First Amendment and technology. Mr. Rottman is the Vice President of Policy at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. In this role he works at the intersection of press freedom and technology.
Witnesses for the Majority included Mollie Hemingway, senior editor for The Federalist, Jonathan Turley, conservative legal scholar, and Benjamin Weingarten, a Senior Contributor for The Federalist.
Read excerpts of Senator Welch’s questioning below:
Sen. Welch: Mr. Rottman, you’ve got an incredible job because the press is on the front lines, and Ms. Hemingway, you know that as well. What do you see as problematic for the press right now in the current administration, if anything?
Mr. Rottman: So, as I touched on both in the written testimony and just a few minutes ago, one of the key concepts in First Amendment jurisprudence is this notion that the government cannot use its vast authority to pick and choose sides in public debate. And the legal term for that is viewpoint discrimination. The various examples that I’ve pointed out in my testimony involve viewpoint discrimination. The AP case at the White House, right? The White House has said explicitly it is taking these actions because of the AP’s editorial choice to continue to use the term ‘Gulf of Mexico’—
Sen. Welch: Let me interrupt for just a second. The government can have a viewpoint, so obviously President Trump has a significantly different viewpoint than President Biden had. Is there any reservation on their ability to express what their viewpoint is?
Mr. Rottman: No, until the government uses its power to try and enforce that viewpoint on others.
WASHINGTON — The first university-owned feed mill in Iowa was the site for the kickoff of the 2025 Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week, an annual training and educational event that reminds agriculture industry employers and workers about the potentially deadly hazards present in confined spaces, including grain engulfment.
This year’s event, held March 24-28, is a joint effort by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Alliance Program, the Grain Handling Safety Council, the Grain Elevator and Processing Society, and the National Grain and Feed Association. At the Iowa State University in Ames, the opening event focused on worksite housekeeping, hearing conservation, preventing struck-by incidents, and railway safety.
OSHA’s Alliance Program, in collaboration with state workplace safety officials and industry leaders, helped reduce fatal grain entrapments by 25.7 percent from 2022 to 2023. Despite those efforts, half of reported grain entanglements in 2024 were fatal.
“Every worker should be able to go home safe at the end of the day,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Amanda Wood Laihow. “By working together with our alliance and industry partners, we’re making grain handling safer and raising awareness to protect the people who produce our nation’s vital food supply.”
Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week features open discussions and daily interactive webinars with experts on OSHA regulations and topics including fatigue, emergency safety planning, worksite housekeeping, railway safety, and alternative grain storage.Learn more, register for the webinars, and find local live event information.
Alliance members will share information through newsletters, emails, the Stand Up 4 Grain Safety webpage, and social media using the hashtag #StandUp4GrainSafety.
OSHA’s Grain Handling Safety Standards address six major hazards: engulfment, falls, auger entanglement, struck-by incidents, combustible dust explosions, and electrocution. Learn more aboutagriculture safety resources.and learn about OSHA.
Source: US State of California Department of Justice
Leads multistate coalition in filing an amicus brief in Haitian-Americans United v. Trump
OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, leading a multistate coalition, filed an amicus brief in Haitian-Americans United v. Trump in support of a challenge to the early termination of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Haitians and Venezuelans. TPS is a critical humanitarian program that allows immigrants of designated countries to remain in the United States due to ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or extraordinary and temporary conditions in their home countries. Since taking office, the Trump Administration has taken the unprecedented and unlawful action of attempting to cancel TPS for more than 800,000 immigrants fleeing dangerous conditions in their home countries.
“The Trump Administration seeks to strip more than 50% of all TPS holders of legal protections that allow them to live lawfully in this country. In doing so, it threatens to force these individuals to choose between living in the shadows here in America or returning to dangerous conditions in their home countries,” said Attorney General Bonta. “TPS holders are neighbors and co-workers, teachers and students, entrepreneurs and job-creators. They are integral parts of their communities and important contributors to our economy. I urge the court to prevent the Trump Administration’s heartless and unlawful attempt to revoke their legal immigration status.”
In the amicus brief, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition urge the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts to prevent the Trump Administration’s order from going into effect, arguing that the termination of Haitian and Venezuelan TPS is unlawful and will:
Result in irreparable harm to families, stripping members of work authorization and exposing them to the threat of deportation.
Harm states’ economies and workforces as TPS holders, including the Haitian and Venezuelan communities, are dynamic contributors to California and other states’ economies.
Raise healthcare costs and pose substantial risks to public health.
Create challenges for jurisdictions across the country in enforcing their criminal codes and protecting public safety.
Attorney General Bonta is committed to upholding the rights and protections of all of California’s residents, including the nearly 11 million immigrants who call California home. He has defended pathways for legal immigration for those fleeing dangerous conditions in their home counties, supported a challenge to the early termination of the TPS designation for Venezuela, and secured a preliminary injunction in his lawsuit challenging the President’s unlawful executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship.
Attorney General Bonta, with Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell and New York Attorney General Letitia James, leads the attorneys general of Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin in filing the brief.
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
Murray, former HELP Chair, is a longtime leader in the fight to ensure equal pay for equal work
Murray: “Women don’t want more discrimination. They don’t want more of their wages stolen by bosses like Elon. They just want the pay they earned. They just want to be treated decently—and paid fairly no matter who they are.”
Washington, D.C. — Today, on Equal Pay Day, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, led the entire Senate Democratic caucus in reintroducing the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation to combat pay discrimination and help close the gender pay gap by strengthening the Equal Pay Act of 1963, ending the practice of pay secrecy, and strengthening available remedies to ensure wronged employees can challenge pay discrimination and hold employers accountable. U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D, CT-03) led the reintroduction of the Paycheck Fairness Act in the House today.
More than five decades after the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the gender wage gap still exists—and alarmingly, for the first time in 20 years, the gender pay gap widened in 2023. Across all workers in the United States, women were typically paid 75 cents for every dollar paid to a man in 2023, adding up to a $14,170 pay difference in a year. U.S. women overall lost $1.7 trillion in earnings overall in 2023, according to a recent analysis by the National Partnership for Women & Families.
“When you do the same work as your colleagues, you should get the same pay, and no one should get to rip you off and pay you less because you are a woman. The principle is simple—but the problem we are talking about is far from trivial; it’s an injustice that compounds over time, robbing women of hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of their career,” Senator Murray said.
“For anyone who is serious about fighting for women, for anyone who is serious about ensuring our economy is built on merit and not undermined by discrimination, this is basic stuff. But Trump and Elon—some of the richest men in the world—are right now eliminating a 60-year-old executive order that helped ensure federal contractors don’t discriminate against women, illegally firing commissioners at the EEOC, which enforces existing pay discrimination laws, and making it easier to rip workers off,” Senator Murray continued. “Women don’t want more discrimination. They don’t want more of their pay stolen by bosses like Elon. They just want the pay they earned. They just want to be treated decently—and paid fairly no matter who they are. Republicans can choose to stand with billionaires who cheat their workers—but by reintroducing the Paycheck Fairness Act today, Democrats are showing that we stand with women, we stand with workers, we stand for fairness, and we are going to keep fighting to make sure people get the pay they have rightfully earned, down to the last dime.”
“Equal Pay Day marks how far into the current year a woman must work to catch up to what her male counterpart earned in the previous year,” said Rep. DeLauro, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee. “Six decades after passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women working full-time or part-time still earn 75 cents for every dollar earned by men. We are in a cost of living crisis – this must end. Equal pay for equal work is a simple concept – men and women in the same job deserve the same pay. It is time we make it real it for the millions of American women who are being unfairly undervalued in the workplace. Let’s enact the Paycheck Fairness Act and empower working women by giving them the tools to ensure their contributions to the workplace are properly respected and reflected in their pay.”
Senator Murray’s Paycheck Fairness Act would:
Require employers to prove that pay disparities exist for legitimate, job-related reasons. In doing so, it ensures that employers who try to justify paying a man more than a woman for the same job must show the disparity is not sex-based, but job-related and necessary.
Ban retaliation against workers who discuss their wages.
Remove obstacles in the Equal Pay Act to facilitate participation in class action lawsuits that challenge systemic pay discrimination, by allowing workers to opt-out, rather than requiring them to opt-in.
Improve the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) and Department of Labor’s (DOL) tools for enforcing the Equal Pay Act. To help these enforcement agencies better uncover and remedy wage discrimination, the bill will require the collection of compensation data from certain employers, including federal contractors.
Provide assistance to all businesses to help them with their equal pay practices, recognize excellence in pay practices by businesses, and empower women and girls by creating a negotiation skills training program.
Prohibit employers from relying on and seeking the salary history of prospective employees.
Throughout her career, Senator Murray has been a leader in Congress in fighting for efforts to close the gender pay gap and ensure equal pay for equal work, and she has helped lead the fight in Congress for paid family and medical leave since she first joined Congress. Senator Murray leads the Bringing an End to Harassment by Enhancing Accountability and Rejecting Discrimination (BE HEARD) in the Workplace Act, comprehensive legislation to prevent workplace harassment, strengthen and expand key protections for workers, and support workers in seeking accountability and justice. Senator Murray leads the Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act, comprehensive legislation to put hard-earned wages back in workers’ pockets and crack down on employers who unfairly withhold wages from their employees. Murray also recently helped reintroduce the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act to protect workers’ right to join and form a union in order to demand better pay, benefits, and working conditions—legislation she first introduced in the 116th Congress. Murray also introduced the Children Harmed in Life-threatening or Dangerous (CHILD) Labor Act last Congress, new legislation to protect children from exploitative child labor practices and hold the companies and individuals who take advantage of them accountable.
In recent weeks, Senator Murray raised the alarm on President Trump’s illegal firing of EEOC Commissioners Charlotte Burrows and Jocelyn Samuels and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Member Gwynne Wilcox, as well as the firings of EEOC General Counsel Karla Gilbride and NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo—Murray has long championed the vital work and mission of the EEOC and the NLRB in protecting workers’ rights.
The full text of the Paycheck Fairness Act is HERE.
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement in response to reports that the Trump administration plans to freeze tens of millions of dollars in federal Title X family planning grants for Planned Parenthood and other organizations in the U.S. that support critical family planning efforts and preventive health care including cancer screenings, pregnancy testing, birth control, treatment of sexually transmitted infections, and infertility services, among much else.
“By illegally freezing tens of millions of dollars that help women get cancer screenings, birth control and pregnancy tests, prevent and treat STIs, and more, this administration is putting women’s lives at risk yet again and ripping away the ability of women with the tightest budgets to get the basic reproductive health care they need to control their lives and futures. It’s clear Trump and Elon couldn’t care less how many people suffer, whose cancer goes undetected, or if women can no longer afford birth control as a result of their deranged mission to attack anything they deem DEI—no matter the consequences to real people’s lives, and no matter the fact that this administration can’t even define DEI.
“Fundamentally, we are talking about the Trump administration cutting off very basic and lifesaving health care. Title X has long had bipartisan support and I hope every one of my colleagues who support basic, cost-saving family planning services will speak out against this illegal hijacking of lifesaving funding women across America are counting on for health care.”
Senator Murray has consistently fought to strengthen and preserve the Title X program, and was a vocal critic of the first Trump Administration’s Title X gag rule and countless other efforts to undermine reproductive health care. Early in 2019, Senator Murray released a memo highlighting some of the negative impacts of the rule and comments from patients, providers, city and county officials, and religious organizations submitted in opposition. Senator Murray is also a longtime leader in the fight to protect and expand access to reproductive health care and abortion rights, and she has led Congressional efforts to fight back after the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Murray has introduced more than a dozen pieces of legislation to protect reproductive rights from further attacks, protect providers, and help ensure women get the care they need; Murray has led efforts to push for passage of these bills on the floor multiple times. Murray also led her colleagues in raising the alarm about the threat a second Trump administration poses to reproductive rights and abortion access in every state, as outlined in Project 2025.
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Alfonso Lee Seals, a Woodbury man, has been sentenced to 182 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possessing a firearm as a felon and interfering with commerce by robbery, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
According to court documents, on June 14, 2023, Minneapolis police responded to a 911 call reporting a shootout between two cars along University Avenue Northeast. Responding officers found an abandoned car crashed into a utility pole. On the floorboard of the driver’s seat, law enforcement discovered a Glock model 27 .40 caliber pistol with a “switch” or “auto-sear” attached to it, making it fully automatic. Forensic testing confirmed that that the defendant, Alfonso Lee Seals, 28, possessed the pistol. On November 7, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the defendant’s brother’s home where they recovered a Taurus model G2S 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol, which had been reported stolen from Mounds View, Minnesota, in October 2022. Forensic testing confirmed that the defendant possessed that pistol as well. On October 17, 2023, the defendant and an accomplice robbed a convenience store at gunpoint in Oakdale, Minnesota. Security camera footage showed the defendant ordering the victim cashier to his knees, placing a semiautomatic firearm to the cashier’s back, forcing him to open a cash register, and repeatedly threatening to kill the cashier during the robbery.
On December 23, 2024, Seals pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a firearm as a felon and one count of interfering with commerce by robbery. In his plea agreement, Seals admitted that he knowingly and willingly possessed both firearms and that he possessed the Glock in connection with two other felonies—felony drive-by shooting and intentionally discharging a firearm under circumstances that endanger the safety of another. He also admitted that he and his accomplice robbed the convenience store at gunpoint and threatened to kill the victim cashier. Because Seals has multiple prior felony convictions for assault in both Hennepin and Dakota Counties, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.
“Minnesotans should have no tolerance for armed and violent career criminals,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “This behavior is shocking and unacceptable. My office will continue to hold Seals—and others who would terrorize our community—accountable.”
Seals was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Donovan W. Frank.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Minneapolis Police Department, the Oakdale Police Department, the Dakota County Drug Task Force, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner prosecuted the case.
HOUSTON, March 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — W&T Offshore, Inc. (NYSE: WTI) (“W&T” or the “Company”) today announced the promotion of Huan Gamblin to Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer. Mr. Gamblin has over 20 years of energy industry experience.
Tracy W. Krohn, Chairman and CEO, commented, “We are very pleased to promote Huan to Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer, where he will become an integral part of our executive leadership team. Mr. Gamblin has extensive industry experience and over the past four plus years has taken on more responsibilities at W&T and has been instrumental in our acquisitions strategy. We look forward to Huan’s continued contributions to our success as a leading Gulf of America operator.”
Huan Gamblin joined the Company in 2020 and was named Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer in March 2025. Since joining W&T in 2020, he has served as Manager of Acquisition and Divesture and, in May 2022, as Vice President of Business Development. Mr. Gamblin has 20 years of domestic and international industry experience. Prior to joining W&T, Mr. Gamblin was the Algeria Reservoir Engineering Manager with Occidental Petroleum (“Occidental”). Before Occidental, Mr. Gamblin held various engineering positions at Anadarko Petroleum’s U.S. onshore, Gulf of America, and international assets.
Mr. Gamblin is a graduate of the University of Texas, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering.
About W&T Offshore
W&T Offshore, Inc. is an independent oil and natural gas producer with operations offshore in the Gulf of America and has grown through acquisitions, exploration and development. As of December 31, 2024, the Company had working interests in 52 fields in federal and state waters (which include 45 fields in federal waters and seven in state waters). The Company has under lease approximately 646,200 gross acres (502,300 net acres) spanning across the outer continental shelf off the coasts of Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama, with approximately 493,000 gross acres on the conventional shelf, approximately 147,700 gross acres in the deepwater and 5,500 gross acres in Alabama state waters. A majority of the Company’s daily production is derived from wells it operates. For more information on W&T, please visit the Company’s website at www.wtoffshore.com.
CONTACTS:
Al Petrie Investor Relations Coordinator investorrelations@wtoffshore.com 713-297-8024
Sameer Parasnis Executive VP and CFO sparasnis@wtoffshore.com 713-513-8654
Under the terms of a deal announced on March 25, 2025, by the U.S. and agreed upon in Saudi Arabia, both sides of the conflict committed to ensuring “safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea,” according to a White House statement.
The naval aspect of the Ukraine war has gotten less attention than events on land and in the skies. But it is, I believe, a vital aspect with potentially far-reaching consequences.
Not only have Russia’s Black Sea losses constrained Moscow’s ability to project power across the globe through naval means, it has also resulted in Russia’s growing cooperation with China, where Moscow is emerging as a junior party to Beijing on the high seas.
Battle over the Black Sea
The tradition of geopolitical theory has tended to paint an oversimplification of global politics. Theories harkening back to the late 19th century categorized countries as either land powers or maritime powers.
Thinkers such as the British geopolitician Sir Halford Mackinder or the U.S. theorist Alfred Thayer Mahan characterized maritime powers as countries that possessed traits of democratic liberalism and free trade. In contrast, land powers were often portrayed as despotic and militaristic.
While such generalizations have historically been used to demonize enemies, there is still a contrived tendency to divide the world into land and sea powers. An accompanying view that naval and army warfare is somewhat separate has continued.
And this division gives us a false impression of Russia’s progress in the war with Ukraine. While Moscow has certainly seen some successes on land and in the air, that should not draw attention away from Russia’s stunning defeat in the Black Sea that has seen Russia have to retreat from the Ukrainian shoreline and keep its ships far away from the battlefront.
As I describe in my recent book, “Near and Far Waters: The Geopolitics of Seapower,” maritime countries have two concerns: They must attempt to control the parts of the sea relatively close to their coastlines, or their “near waters”; meanwhile, those with the ability and desire to do so try to project power and influence into “far waters” across oceans, which are the near waters of other countries.
The Black Sea is a tightly enclosed and relatively small sea comprising the near waters of the countries that surround it: Turkey to the south, Bulgaria and Romania to the west, Georgia to the east, and Ukraine and Russia to the north.
Control of the Black Sea’s near waters has been contested throughout the centuries and has played a role in the current Russian-Ukraine war.
Russia’s seizure of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 allowed it to control the naval port of Sevastopol. What were near waters of Ukraine became de facto near waters for Russia.
Controlling these near waters allowed Russia to disrupt Ukraine’s trade, especially the export of grain to African far waters.
But Russia’s actions were thwarted through the collaboration of Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey to allow passage of cargo ships through their near waters, then through the Bosporus into the Mediterranean Sea.
Ukraine’s use of these other countries’ near waters allowed it to export between 5.2 million and 5.8 million tons of grain per month in the first quarter of 2024. To be sure, this was a decline from Ukraine’s exports of about 6.5 million tons per month prior to the war, which then dropped to just 2 million tons in the summer of 2023 because of Russian attacks and threats. Prior to the announcement of the ceasefire, the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture had forecasted a decline in Ukrainian grain exports for 2025.
But efforts to constrain Russia’s control of Ukraine’s near waters in the Black Sea, and Russia’s unwillingness to face the consequences of attacking ships in NATO countries’ near waters, meant Ukraine was still able to access far waters for economic gain and keep the Ukrainian economy afloat.
For Putin, that sinking feeling
Alongside being thwarted in its ability to disrupt Ukrainian exports, Russia has also come under direct naval attack from Ukraine. Since February 2022, using unmanned attack drones, Ukraine has successfully sunk or damaged Russian ships and whittled away at Russia’s Black sea fleet, sinking about 15 of its prewar fleet of about 36 warships and damaging many others.
Russia has been forced to limit its use of Sevastopol and station its ships in the eastern part of the Black Sea. It cannot effectively function in the near waters it gained through the seizure of Crimea.
Russia’s naval setbacks against Ukraine are only the latest in its historical difficulties in projecting sea power and its resulting tendency to mainly focus on the defense of near waters.
In 1905, Russia was shocked by a dramatic naval loss to Japan. Yet even in cases where it was not outright defeated, Russian sea power has been continually constrained historically. In World War I, Russia cooperated with the British Royal Navy to limit German merchant activity in the Baltic Sea and Turkish trade and military reach in the Black Sea.
In World War II, Russia relied on material support from the Allies and was largely blockaded within its Baltic Sea and Black Sea ports. Many ships were brought close to home or stripped of their guns as artillery or offshore support for the territorial struggle with Germany.
During the Cold War, meanwhile, though the Soviet Union built fast-moving missile boats and some aircraft carriers, its reach into far waters relied on submarines. The main purpose of the Soviet Mediterranean fleet was to prevent NATO penetration into the Black Sea.
And now, Russia has lost control of the Black Sea. It cannot operate in these once secure near waters. These losses reduce its ability to project naval power from the Black Sea and into the Mediterranean Sea.
Ceding captaincy to China
Faced with a glaring loss in its backyard and put in a weak position in its near waters, Russia as a result can project power to far waters only through cooperation with a China that is itself investing heavily in a far-water naval capacity.
Joint naval exercises in the South China Sea in July 2024 are evidence of this cooperation. Wang Guangzheng of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s Southern Theater said of the drill that “the China-Russia joint patrol has promoted the deepening and practical cooperation between the two in multiple directions and fields.” And looking forward, he claimed the exercise “effectively enhanced the ability to the two sides to jointly respond to maritime security threats.”
Warships of the Chinese and Russian navies take part in a joint naval exercise in the East China Sea. Li Yun/Xinhua via Getty Images
This cooperation makes sense in purely military terms for Russia, a mutually beneficial project of sea power projection. But it is largely to China’s benefit.
Russia can help China’s defense of its northern near waters and secure access to far waters through the Arctic Ocean – an increasingly important arena as global climate change reduces the hindrance posed by sea ice. But Russia remains very much the junior partner.
Moscow’s strategic interests will be supported only if they match Chinese interests. More to the point, sea power is about power projection for economic gain. China will likely use Russia to help protect its ongoing economic reach into African, Pacific, European and South American far waters. But it is unlikely to jeopardize these interests for Russian goals.
To be sure, Russia has far-water economic interests, especially in the Sahel and sub-Saharan Africa. And securing Russian interests in Africa complements China’s growing naval presence in the Indian Ocean to secure its own, and greater, global economic interests. But cooperation will still be at China’s behest.
For much of the Ukraine war, Russia has been bottled up in its Black Sea near waters, with the only avenue for projecting its naval power coming through access to Africa and Indian Ocean far waters – and only then as a junior partner with China, which dictates the terms and conditions.
A maritime deal with Ukraine now, even if it holds, will not compensate for Russia’s ongoing inability to project power across the oceans on its own.
Colin Flint does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States Department of Defense (video statements)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Delivers Remarks at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center For Security Studies at Marine Corp Base Hawaii, March 25, 2025
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For more on the Department of Defense, visit: http://www.defense.gov
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing titled, “A Return to Maximum Pressure: Comprehensively Countering the Iranian Regime’s Malign Activities” on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
Date: Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
Location: Rayburn 2172
Subject: A Return to Maximum Pressure: Comprehensively Countering the Iranian Regime’s Malign Activities
Witnesses:
Norman T. Roule
Non-resident Senior Advisor
Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program
The Center for Strategic and International Studies
Claire Jungman
Chief of Staff
United Against Nuclear Iran
***Check here for updates. The hearing will be webcast live here and open to the public and press. Members of the media who would like to attend in-person should RSVP with Joe Clark at joseph.clark@mail.house.gov by 5 p.m. Monday, March 31, 2025. ***
The following are the lists, in order of merit of 349(223+89 + 37) candidates who have qualified on the basis of the results of the Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2024 conducted by the Union Public Service Commission in September, 2024 and SSB interviews held by the Services Selection Board of the Ministry of Defence for admission to the 159th (DE) Course of Indian Military Academy, Dehradun; Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, Kerala and Air Force Academy, Hyderabad (Pre-Flying) Training Course i.e. No. 218 F(P) Course.
2. There are some common candidates in the three lists for various courses.
3. The number of vacancies, as intimated by the Government is100for Indian Military Academy [including13vacancies reserved for NCC ‘C’ Certificates (Army Wing) holders],32for Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, Kerala Executive Branch (General Service)/Hydro[including06vacancies for NCC ‘C’ Certificate (Naval Wing) holders] and32for Air Force Academy, Hyderabad[03vacancies are reserved for NCC ’C’ Certificate (Air Wing) holders through NCC Spl. Entry].
4. The Commission had recommended2534, 900,and613as qualified in the written test for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Air Force Academy, respectively. The number of candidates finally qualified are those after SSB test conducted by Army Head Quarters.
5. The results of Medical examination have not been taken into account in preparing these lists.
6. Verification of date of birth and educational qualifications of these candidates is still under process by the Army Headquarters. The candidature of all these candidates is, therefore, Provisional on this score. Candidates are requested to forward their certificates, in original, in support of Date of Birth/Educational qualification etc. claimed by them, along with Photostat attested copies thereof to Army Headquarters /Naval Headquarters /Air Headquarters, as per their first choice.
7. In case, there is any change of address, the candidates are advised to promptly intimate directly to the Army Headquarters /Naval Headquarters /Air Headquarters.
8. These results will also be available on the UPSC website athttp://www.upsc.gov.in. However, marks of the candidates will be available on the website after declaration of final result of Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) Course for Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2024.
9. For any further information, the candidates may contact Facilitation Counter near Gate ‘C’ of the Commission’s Office, either in person or on telephone Nos. 011-23385271/011-23381125/011-23098543 between 10:00 hours and 17:00 hours on any working day.
Scheme for Promotion of Research and Innovation in the Pharma Medtech sector to promote research and development (R&D) including in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) provide training in AI-based tools to build human resource capacities in these areas for the pharmaceutical sector
Posted On: 25 MAR 2025 6:58PM by PIB Delhi
The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has taken steps to promote research and development (R&D) in the sector, including in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, in the pharmaceutical sector through the Scheme for Promotion of Research and Innovation in the Pharma Medtech sector. Further, the National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) under the aegis of DoP have introduced topics related to AI and block chain technology in their courses and they provide training to students in AI-based tools to build human resource capacities in these areas for the pharmaceutical sector. In addition, the Department of Biotechnology also supports AI-based research activities in the biotech sector, particularly in the healthcare and agriculture areas, in order to leverage emerging technologies for these sectors. Further, the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, with the assistance of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, has undertaken a pilot project to evaluate the feasibility of a block-chain-based track-and-trace system for Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana.
This information was given by the Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Smt. Anupriya Patel in Rajya Sabha in written reply to a question today.
Department of Pharmaceuticals hosts Industry Dialogue on Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma-MedTech Sector (PRIP) Scheme at Bengaluru Innovate in India and Make for the World aiming to position the country as a global leader in innovation and manufacturing for the world: Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals
Posted On: 25 MAR 2025 6:57PM by PIB Delhi
The Department of Pharmaceuticals, Government of India, hosted an Industry Dialogue on the scheme for Promotion of Research and Innovation in the Pharma-MedTech Sector (PRIP) at Bangalore on 25th March 2025. The event served as a significant platform for representatives from industry, startups, and research institutes, including representatives from the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and innovation hubs like C-CAMP (Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms), to engage in discussions aimed at fostering collaboration, and leveraging government initiatives to accelerate research and development (R&D) in the pharmaceutical and MedTech sectors.
The session provided detailed insights into the PRIP Scheme, along with other government initiatives promoting and enabling research innovation in the sector. Notable initiatives such as ICMR’s Patent Mitra, MedTech Mitra, and Indian Clinical Trial and Education Network (INTENT) programme were discussed, with an emphasis on support for patent filing, facilitating the innovation journey, clinical trials, and commercialization of R&D outcomes. The CSIR’s Innovation Complex and C-CAMP’s incubation facilities were also highlighted as key enablers for translational research and industry collaboration.
Shri Amit Agrawal, Secretary of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, underscored India’s comparative advantage in enhancing the resilience of global supply chains, a goal further supported by the PRIP Scheme. He advocated progression from “Make in India” also Innovate in India and Make for the World aiming to position the country as a global leader in innovation and manufacturing for the world.
In the breakout sessions, representatives from startups, Industry, academia and other stakeholders gave in-depth feedback regarding research and innovation opportunities, emerging R&D trends, strategies to enhance industry-academia collaboration. Useful suggestions were made regarding maximising funding opportunities and scaling up innovative research initiatives to drive the sector’s growth.
The stakeholders were encouraged to submit their feedback and project details through the Expression of Interest (EoI) hosted on the Department of Pharmaceuticals website, which will be open till April 7, 2025. This process will help refine the implementation strategy of the PRIP Scheme, ensuring it aligns with industry need and drives sectoral growth.
The Industry Dialogue in Bangalore was an insightful and productive event, with participants reaffirming their commitment to fostering a collaborative, innovation-driven ecosystem in the Pharma-MedTech sector.
The National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 emphasizes the critical importance of universal and high-quality Early Childhood Education along with the power of multilingualism and the importance of including children’s languages in primary education. To fulfil the vision of NEP 2020, the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Education has launched “Baalpan ki Kavita initiative: Restoring Bhartiya rhymes/poems for young children” for preparing a compendium of nursery rhymes/poems in all Bhartiya Bhasha and also in English, focusing on content relevant to the Indian context. The purpose of this initiative is that the young children can have better learning at the Foundational stage by becoming familiar with the world around them through easily understandable and joyful poems and rhymes, in their mother tongue.
To further this initiative, the DoSE&L in collaboration with MyGov is inviting contribution to the “Baalpan ki Kavita initiative: Restoring Bhartiya rhymes/poems for young children”. The participants of the contest can send existing poems/rhymes popular in folklore (mentioning the name of the author) or newly composed joyful poems/rhymes under three categories:
Pre-primary (ages 3-6)
Grade 1 (ages 6-7)
Grade 2 (ages 7-8)
Entries are invited in all Indian language (Bhartiya Bhasha), also in English, and can include regional rhymes/poems that hold cultural significance in Indian context. The competition is starting from 26.03.2025 till 22.04.2025, on the MyGov website (https://www.mygov.in/). There is no entry fee for participation. Other details of the competition can be seen on MyGov website.
A phase II trial to study efficacy, toxicity and imunomodulatory effect of Carctol-S in high grade serous epithelial ovarian cancer at first
serological relapse collaborative project.
The Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer & CARI, Mumbai
2.
Evaluation of Hepatoprotective activity of PTK as an add on therapy in the patients of Tuberculosis on ATT – A double blind
randomized control clinical study
K.L.E. Academy of Higher Education & Research, Belagavi
3.
Evaluating the efficacy of Ayurvedic intervention as add on to conventional treatment and explore the interaction of epigenetics, neuro/gut biomarkers and neuroimaging in pediatric ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperacidity Disorder)
National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) Bengaluru
4.
Double blind randomized placebo controlled multicentric clinical trial of Ayush M-3 in the management of Migraine.
NIMHANS, Bengaluru
5.
Ayurveda therapeutic regimen as on Add-on to optimized conventional management of Parkinson’s disease: an RCT for assessment of clinical Cortical excitability neuroimmune and Autonomic function parameters.
NIMHANS, Bengaluru
6.
Efficacy and safety of Ayurveda Formulation Trikatu as add on to standard care in Dyslipidemia – a randomized controlled trial
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) , Bhubaneswar
7.
Efficacy of Ayurveda regimen (mild purgation and internal oleation) in comparison with Allopathic regimen (Letrozole) along with Yoga module in the management of unexplained and anovulatory female infertility: A RCT
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) , Mandi
8.
Topical Oil Pooling (Karnapurana) with Kshirabala Taila and supple mentation of Ashwagandha churna (TOPMAC) in presbycusis
– An exploratory randomized controlled trial
Institute of Communicative and cognitive Neurosciences (ICCONS), Shoranur, Kerala
9.
Prospective, Randomized, Open-Label, Blinded End Point exploratory clinical study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Ayurvedic regimen as an adjunct to Hydroxyurea in the management of Sickle cell disease.
AIIMS, Bhopal
10.
A multi-center study to assess the treatment adherence & tolerability of Ayush SR in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
College, Kotakkal; Sri Sri College of Ayurvedic Science and Research, Bengaluru;
Adichunchanagiri Ayurvedic Medical College, Bengaluru
11.
Impact of Mukta Shukti Bhasma and Saubhagya Shunti in reversal of bone mineral density among Lactating women consuming traditional diet foods in Maharashtra: A randomized Controlled preliminary clinical study
National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (NIRRCH-ICMR), Mumbai
12.
Efficacy of Ayurveda interventions (Hridyarnava Rasa and Harityakyadi yoga) as an add-on to standard care in Stable Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) assessed through Global Longitudinal Strain Imaging Technique (GLSIT) – A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Ayurvedic Cardiac Rehabilitation Centre, Madhavbaugh, Pune
13.
Prospective double blind randomized controlled clinical study on Ayurvedic intervention (Pushkar guggulu & Haritaki churna) in the management of stable coronary artery disease.
Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi
14.
A randomized double blind placebo control clinical study to evaluate the immunomodulatory effect of Swarnaprashan in moderately malnourished children.
Sanjiv Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow
15.
Efficacy and safety of Punarnavadi Mandura alone and in combination with Drakshavaleha compared to iron folic acid in the treatment of moderate iron deficiency anaemia among non- pregnant women of reproductive age group: a community-based three arm multicentre randomized controlled trial.
Ayush-ICMR
16.
Randomized controlled trial of Anshumati Ksheer Paka in hypertension induced left ventricular hypertrophy
Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi
17.
Anemia control among adolescent girls through Ayurveda interventions in the five districts under Mission -Utkarsh
All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi; National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA), Jaipur, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI)’s Indian Institute of Public Health-Delhi (IIPH-D)
18.
An exploratory series of n of 1 responder restricted study of Ayurveda regimen on quality of life among elderly population in Ballabgarh district of Haryana- A community-based study.
Ministry of Ayush has taken multiple initiatives towards integration of Ayush systems of medicine with Allopathic system
Posted On: 25 MAR 2025 6:11PM by PIB Delhi
The Ministry of Ayush has taken multiple initiatives towards integration of Ayush systems of medicine including Ayurveda with Allopathic system:
The Ayush Vertical under Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), established by the Ministry of Ayush and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW), serves as a dedicated institutional mechanism for planning, monitoring, and supervising Ayush-specific public health programs. This vertical provides technical support to both Ministries in developing strategies for public health, healthcare, Ayush education, and training.
The Ministry of Ayush and MoH&FW have jointly established Integrated Ayush Departments in Central Government Hospitals to promote integrative healthcare. As part of this initiative, Department of Integrative Medicine has been set up and is operational at Vardhman Mahavir Medical College & Safdarjung Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi through All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi and Central Ayurveda Research Institute (CARI), Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi respectively. No separate funding is allocated for establishing these centres.
An Advisory committee was constituted under the chairpersonship of Dr. V.K. Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog to study the existing knowledge and efficacy of different models of Integrative Medicine and its benefits at large and to propose a framework of comprehensive Integrative Health Policy.
Government of India has adopted a strategy of Co-location of AYUSH facilities at Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs) and District Hospitals (DHs), thus enabling the choice to the patients for different systems of medicines under a single window. The engagement of AYUSH doctors/ paramedics and their training is supported by the MoH&FW under National Health Mission (NHM), while the support for AYUSH infrastructure, equipment/ furniture and medicines are provided by the Ministry of Ayush under National AYUSH Mission (NAM) as shared responsibilities.
The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) has undertaken research studies such as Operational study to explore the feasibility of integrating Ayurveda with modern system of medicine in a tertiary care hospital (Safdarjung Hospital New Delhi) for the management of Osteoarthritis (Knee), Feasibility of introducing the Indian System of Medicine (Ayurveda) in the National Reproductive and Child Health services at the Primary Health Care (PHC) level in Himachal Pradesh and Integration of AYUSH systems in the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases & Stroke (NPCDCS) and Feasibility of introducing Ayurveda Intervention in Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) in PHCs of the Selected district (Gadchiroli) of Maharashtra (Effectiveness of Ayurvedic intervention for Ante-Natal care (Garbhini Paricharya) at Primary Health Care level: A Multi Centre Operational Study). Details of the collaborative projects by the Council in the last five years are given in AnnexureI.
Further, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and CCRAS has taken an initiative to set up Ayush-ICMR Advanced Centre for Integrative Health Research (AI-ACIHR), at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to conduct research on identified areas focusing on integrative healthcare under Extra Mural research Scheme of ICMR. Under this program, four research areas in four AIIMS have been identified, which are as follows:
AIIMS Delhi:
Advanced Centre for Integrative Health Research in Gastro-intestinal Disorders
Advanced Centre for Integrative Health Research in Women and Child Health
AIIMS Jodhpur: Advanced Centre for Integrative Health Research in Geriatric Health
AIIMS Nagpur: Advanced Centre for Integrative Health Research in Cancer Care
AIIMS Rishikesh: Advanced Centre for Integrative Health Research in Geriatric Health.
In All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi, integrative medical services are available under, Centre for Integrative Cancer Therapy, Centre for Integrative Dentistry, Centre for Integrative Critical Care & Emergency Medicine, Centre for Integrative Orthopedics, Centre for Integrative Dietetics and Nutrition and Causality OPD Section. Integrated services are also provided through Satellite Clinical Services Units established at Integrative Medical Services Unit at Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, Integrative Medical Services Unit AIIMS Jhajjar and Centre for Integrative Oncology at National Cancer Institute – AIIMS, Jhajjar.
Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), conducts integrated research and also has visiting allopathic doctors for consultation.
The Ministry of Ayush has been implementing the Central Sector Scheme namely Ayurswasthya Yojana since 2021-22. The Scheme has 02 components viz. (i) Ayush & public health (PHI) component and (ii) Upgradation of facilities to the centre of excellence. Under the Centre of Excellence, financial assistance is provided to support creative and innovative proposals of prestigious organizations with well-established buildings and infrastructure and wish to work for Ayush systems to the level of Centre of Excellence. Nine organizations of National repute have been funded under the Centre of Excellence component of Ayurswasthya Yojana under the activity-based/research-based Centre of Excellence for research and development to integrate the knowledge of Ayurveda with the modern system of medicine. Details of organizations are given at Annexure II.
Annexure I
LIST OF COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS OF LAST FIVE YEARS 2020-21 TO 2024-25
COMPLETED PROJECTS
S.
No.
Name of Project
Name of the Collaborating Institutes
1.
Evaluation of Add on Efficacy & Safety of an Ayurvedic coded Formulation in the management of Dengue Fever & Prevention of its complications – A Double Blind Clinical Study
National Institute of Traditional Medicine, Belagavi, KLE University’s Department of Integrative Medicine, Kolar.
2.
A Randomized Placebo Controlled Prospective Phase II Clinical Study of an Ayurvedic Coded Drug ‘AYUSH-D’ on Glycemic control in Pre- Diabetic Subjects
Central Ayurveda Research Institute, Bengaluru
AIIMS, New Delhi
RRA Poddar Medical College, Mumbai
KLEU’s Shri BMK Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya, Belgavi
3.
A Randomized Placebo Controlled Phase II Clinical Study of an Ayurvedic Coded Drug ‘AYUSH-D’ in the management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus as add on Therapy to Metformin
Central Ayurveda Research Institute, Bengaluru
AIIMS, New Delhi
RRA Poddar Medical College, Mumbai
Rajiv Gandhi PG Govt Ayurveda College, Paprola
4.
Multi-centric Collaborative Double Blind study on clinical evaluation of AYUSH-SL in chronic Filarial Lymphoedema in patients receiving mass drug administration Multi-centric Collaborative Double Blind study on clinical evaluation of AYUSH-SL in chronic Filarial Lymphoedema in patients receiving mass drug administration
Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine (CSTM) in collaboration with CARI, Kolkata
Central Ayurveda Research Institute, Bhubaneswar
Regional Ayurveda Research Institute, Vijayawada
5.
Feasibility of introducing Ayurveda intervention in Reproductive and Child Health
30 PHCs of Gadchiroli District of Maharashtra
(RCH) in PHCs of selected district (Gadchiroli) of Maharashtra (Effectiveness of Ayurvedic Intervention for Ante-Natal care (Garbhini Paricharya) at Primary Health Care level: A Multi Centre Operational Study)
6.
Randomized control study to evaluate the efficacy of Ayush CCT and Rajyoga Meditation versus conventional treatment on clinical recovery and post-operative outcomes following elective adult cardiothoracic surgeries
AIIMS, New Delhi
7.
Clinical evaluation of the efficacy of “Ayush- SS Granules” in exclusively breast feeding mothers with Insufficient Lactation (Stanyalpata)-A Randomized double blind placebo control Trial”
Vardhman Mahavir Medical College & Safdarjang Hospital, New Delhi
8.
A comparative clinical study of Ayush LND a coded Ayurvedic formulation in the management of Asrigdara (Abnormal Uterine Bleeding)
Regional Ayurveda Research Institute,, Nagpur
Govt. Medical College, Nagpur
9.
A Randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of Marma therapy in Lumbar disc Herniation with Radiculopathy.
Uttrakhand Ayurved University, Dehradun
10.
Efficacy of Ayurveda nutritional supplements and Yoga protocol in the prevention and reduction of the severity of Acute Mountain Sickness: an open-label randomized controlled study
2118 field hospitals, Nimu/Leh under the AFMS, Northern Command of Indian Army
11.
A pilot study to assess the effect of intranasal oil instillation (Pratimarsha Nasya) on nasal barrier function among healthy individuals
Dr D Y Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune
12.
Prospective double blind randomized controlled clinical study on Ayurvedic intervention (Sarpagandha Mishran) vs. Amlodipine in the management of stage-I Primary Hypertension
AIIMS Delhi
13.
Randomized double blind placebo controlled clinical study Ayurvedic coded drug AYUSH-A in the management of Bronchial Asthma (Tamaka Shwasa)
AIIMS Delhi
14.
Study the physiological basis and gut bacterial modulation induced by Virechana Purgation therapy in the healthy adults: A prospective longitudinal study.
Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, Delhi
15.
Morbidity and Healthcare-seeking behaviour of
Directorate General Armed Force
the patients visiting the Ayurveda healthcare facilities of the DGAFMS Hospitals: A multicentre cross-sectional survey study
Medical Services- facilities
16.
A Randomized Controlled Study to Assess the Effect of Marsha Nasya Karma in Motor, Sensory, Memory and Cognitive Parameters elicited through f – MRI in Apparently Healthy Individuals.
Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Cochin, Kerala
17.
Evaluation of Ayush-GMH in the subjects of mild to moderate Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)-A double blind randomized control clinical study
KLE’s Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital & Medical Research Centre, Belagavi ICMR – National Institute of Traditional Medicine, Belegavi
18.
A randomized trial to evaluate the efficacy of multimodal Ayurveda interventions in Jannu Sandhigatavata (Primary Knee – osteoarthritis)
AIIMS Delhi
19.
Clinical evaluation of Ayurvedic management in Allergic Rhinitis- A Randomized controlled Trial
Vardhman Mahavir Medical College & Safdarjang Hospital, New Delhi
ONGOING PROJECTS
S.
No.
Name of Project
Name of the Collaborating Institutes
1.
A phase II trial to study efficacy, toxicity and imunomodulatory effect of Carctol-S in high grade serous epithelial ovarian cancer at first serological relapse collaborative project.
Tata Memorial Hospital ACTREC Mumbai & Central Ayurveda Research Institute, Mumbai
2.
Evaluation of Hepatoprotective activity of PTK as an add on therapy in the patients of Tuberculosis on ATT – A double blind randomized control clinical study
KLE’s Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital & Medical Research Centre, Belagavi
3.
Evaluating the efficacy of Ayurvedic intervention as add on to conventional treatment and explore the interaction of epigenetics, neuro/gut biomarkers and neuroimaging in pediatric ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperacidity Disorder)
National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru
4.
Double blind randomized placebo controlled multicentric clinical trial of Ayush M-3 in the management of Migraine.
National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru
5.
Ayurveda therapeutic regiman as on Add-on
to optimized conventional management of Parkinson’s disease: an RCT for assessment
National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru
of clinical Cortical excitability neuroimmune and Autonomic function parameters.
6.
Efficacy and safety of Ayurveda Formulation Trikatu as add on to standard care in Dyslipidemia – a randomized controlled trial
AIIMS, Bhubaneswar
7.
Efficacy of Ayurveda regimen (mild purgation and internal oleation) in comparison with Allopathic regimen (Letrozole) along with Yoga module in the management of unexplained and anovulatory female infertility: A RCT
IIT, Mandi
8.
Topical Oil Pooling (Karnapurana) with Kshirabala Taila and supple mentation of Ashwagandha churna (TOPMAC) in presbycusis – An exploratory randomized controlled trial
Institute for Communicative and Cognitive Neurosciences(ICCONS), Shoranur, Kerela
9.
Prospective, Randomized, Open-Label, Blinded End Point exploratory clinical study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Ayurvedic regimen as an adjunct to Hydroxyurea in the management of Sickle cell disease.
AIIMS, Bhopal
10.
A multi-center study to assess the treatment adherence & tolerability of Ayush SR in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Shri B.M. Kankanawadi Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya, Belgavi; Vaidyaratnam PS Varier Ayurveda College, Kotakkal; Sri Sri College of Ayurvedic Science and Research, Bengaluru; Adichunchanagiri Ayurvedic Medical College, Bengaluru
11.
Impact of Mukta Shukti Bhasma and Saubhagya Shunti in reversal of bone mineral density among Lactating women consuming traditional diet foods in Maharashtra: A randomized Controlled preliminary clinical study
ICMR-National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health, Mumbai
12.
Efficacy of Ayurveda interventions (Hridyarnava Rasa and Harityakyadi yoga) as an add-on to standard care in Stable Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) assessed through Global Longitudinal Strain Imaging Technique (GLSIT) – A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Ayurvedic Cardiac Rehabilitation Centre, Madhavbaugh, Pune
13.
Prospective double blind randomized controlled clinical study on Ayurvedic intervention (Pushkar guggulu & Haritaki churna) in the management of stable coronary artery disease.
Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi
14.
A randomized double blind placebo control clinical study to evaluate the immunomodulatory effect of Swarnaprashan in moderately malnourished children.
Sanjiv Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow
15.
Randomized controlled trial of Anshumati Ksheer Paka in hypertension induced left ventricular hypertrophy
Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi
16.
Anemia control among adolescent girls through Ayurveda interventions in the five districts under Mission Utkarsh
All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi;
National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur, Public Health Foundation India’s IIPH- Delhi
17.
An exploratory series of n of 1 responder restricted study of Ayurveda regimen on quality of life among elderly population in Ballabgarh district of Haryana- A community based study.
AIIMS, Ballabhgarh
ANNEXURE II
NINE ORGANIZATIONS OF NATIONAL REPUTE FUNDED UNDER CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE COMPONENT OF AYURSWASTHYA SCHEMETO INTEGRATE KNOWLEDGE OF AYURVEDA WITH MODERN SYSTEM OF MEDICINE AYURSWASTHYA SCHEME:
S.
No.
Name of the Organization
State
Project Name
Fund Released (Amount in Crore)
2022-23
2023-24
2024-25
1.
Tata Memorial Centre, (TMC) Mumbai
Maharashtra
Centre of
Excellence for
Discovery and Development of AYUSH
Medicine for Cancer Care
–
2.00
1.62
2.
Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI),
Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh
Center of
Excellence for Fundamental and Translation Research in
Ayurveda at Central Drug Research Institute
–
2.00
1.99
3.
Jawaharlal Nehru University, (JNU) New Delhi
Delhi
Functional-based CoE on Ayurveda
and Systems Medicine
–
1.01
2.44
4.
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi
Delhi
Centre of
Excellence in Sustainable Ayush for Advanced technological solutions, startup support and net zero sustainable solutions for
Rasausadhies
–
2.00
1.14
5.
Indian Institute of Science (IISC) Bengaluru
Karnataka
Centre of
Excellence in
Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders
–
2.00
1.82
6.
Centre for
Delhi
Centre of
2.05
2.04
–
Integrative Medicine and Research (CIMR), AIIMS
New Delhi
Excellence for
Yoga &
Ayurveda
7.
National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS),
Bangalore
Karnataka
Centre of
Excellence in Ayush Research
0.85
0.37
–
8.
Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS)
Delhi
Effects of Indian Foods and Ayurvedic drugs
on healthy and diseases Liver
2.61
–
–
9.
Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Jodhpur
Rajasthan
Centre of
Excellence in AYURTech for Integrative Precision Health and Medicine
–
4.00
–
Total
5.51
15.42
9.01
This information was given by Union Minister of State (I/C) for Ayush, Shri Prataprao Jadhav in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India has established a robust framework for early detection, reporting and control of aquatic animal diseases. Under the central sector component of Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), Department of Fisheries is implementing the National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases (NSPAAD) through ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow with total outlay of ₹ 33.78 crore. NSPAAD involves systematic surveillance across all the States/UTs in the country to identify disease risk, improve disease management and promote healthy aquatic ecosystem. This is a pan-India program, being implemented in collaboration with 54 partner institutions, includes ICAR fisheries research institutes, namely ICAR- Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai; ICAR- Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture, Chennai; ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore; ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar; ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi; ICAR-Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research, Bhimtal; ICAR- Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin; fisheries colleges /universities and state governments. The programme supports fish farmers by generating awareness, issuing advisories and capacity building campaigns. Under the National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases (NSPAAD), the Department of Fisheries has also launched an android-based mobile app known as “Report Fish Disease”. The app provide a central platform for connecting and integrating fish farmers, field-level officers and fish health experts seamlessly. In addition, the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA) under the Department of Fisheries, Govt. of India promotes biosecurity and disease prevention through farm management guidelines.
To strengthen aquatic health and disease management across the country, the Department of Fisheries under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampda Yojana (PMMSY) has developed a network of 19 disease diagnostic centre and quality testing labs, 31 mobile centres and testing labs and 6 Aquatic referral labs. Additionally, the Department of Fisheries, Govt. of India is actively engaged with World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), Paris, France and Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA), Bangkok, Thailand to improve aquatic animal health in India.
This information was given by Union Minister of State, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri George Kurian, in a written reply in Lok Sabha on 25th March, 2025.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Over 130 influential family office principals and family members from the Mainland, Asia, Europe, the Americas and the Middle East gathered at a principal dinner organised by the Government this evening (March 25) to set the stage for the third edition of the annual Wealth for Good in Hong Kong Summit (WGHK) to be held tomorrow (March 26), reaffirming the city’s role as a premier global hub for family offices.
In his welcome remarks, the Acting Chief Executive, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, said, “Hong Kong is a ‘super connector’ bringing together people and ideas. We are a platform for visionaries looking to create lasting legacies, a dynamic hub where your offices and families can flourish.”
The evening was graced with the presence of notable speakers Ms Maye Musk and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Professor Irene Tracey, at an inspiring fireside chat moderated by the Director-General of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong, Ms Alpha Lau. The speakers shared their insights on women’s influence in leadership and legacy-building with a focus on the critical role of female leadership in shaping the future of business, innovation, and societal progress. The engrossing session fostered an atmosphere of collaboration, paving the way for insightful discussions and new partnerships at tomorrow’s summit, themed “Hong Kong of the World, for the World”.
The event also charmed visitors with a captivating lion ballet performance against the dazzling night view of Victoria Harbour, amazing the attendees with a unique blend of cultural richness and the city’s legendary skyline.
The WGHK will take place tomorrow afternoon with over 300 participants. The summit will not only convene principals and family members to discuss the future of wealth management in the region, but also encourage attendees to experience the city’s dynamic offerings through its vibrant neighbourhoods, dynamic arts scene and strong community spirit, which make the city an ideal destination for both families and businesses.
Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, led a group of her colleagues in demanding detailed answers from the Department of Education (DOE) about the cancellation of over $600 million in federal funding for teacher training grants — and warning about the detrimental impacts the illegal cancellation is already having for communities across the country, including a program designed to bring more special education teachers to Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS).
“We write to raise serious objections and call for the immediate reinstatement of federal funding provided in the Department of Education’s appropriations laws intended to help strengthen our educator workforce in at least 34 states and improve teaching and learning for our nation’s students,” wrote Baldwin and the Senators. “It is shocking to us that the Department would take such disruptive action to take away funding from schools as they work to implement their approved plans to improve outcomes for our nation’s students.
The grants were already awarded, in use, and in many cases, already spent down when terminated by the Trump administration—and local budgets are counting on these resources. Schools and institutions of higher education have deployed the grants, provided by Congress on a bipartisan basis, to address educator shortages and improve the quality of the teaching workforce.
This included an over $3 million grant for a partnership between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and MPS to help students receive a special education master’s degree program while getting on-the-job training through a teaching residency program in schools. In exchange, students signed on to work at MPS for three years after graduation, helping address the dire need for special education teachers at Wisconsin schools.
In the letter, the Senators note these grant cancellations come as students have not yet recovered from the devastating effects of the pandemic, and the country is facing dire teacher shortages with 49 states this school year reporting to the Department critical shortages in math, science, or special education teachers.
“With teachers and principals being the most important in-school factors to student learning, these grant cancellations will hinder pandemic learning recovery and break President Trump’s promises of ‘great principals and great teachers,’” Baldwin and the Senatorscontinued.
In addition to Senator Baldwin, the letter was led by Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and co-signed by 20 of their Senate colleagues.
A full version of this letter is available here and below.
Dear Secretary McMahon:
We write to raise serious objections and call for the immediate reinstatement of federal funding provided in the Department of Education’s (“Department”) appropriations laws intended to help strengthen our educator workforce in at least 34 states and improve teaching and learning for our nation’s students. Approximately two weeks ago, the Department announced that it terminated “over $600 million in divisive teacher training grants” and created confusion for schools and institutions of higher education around our nation. The amount of reported savings is misleading since many of the terminated grants had already been partially spent and were in active use. Further, it appears that terminated grantees received no information from Department staff in response to their requests for additional information, even for grants with obligated and spent funds. It is shocking to us that the Department would take such disruptive action to take away funding from schools as they work to implement their approved plans to improve outcomes for our nation’s students. Thankfully, a federal judge ordered the administration to temporarily restore these grants in eight states and just yesterday, another federal judge ordered the reinstatement of more than 100 of these grants, but every impacted grantee deserves immediate action.
U.S. students have not recovered from the devastating effects of the pandemic. National scores are below pre-pandemic levels in all tested grades and subjects, and gaps continue to grow between higher-performing and lower-performing students. A February 2025 analysis found that our students are approximately half a grade level behind pre-pandemic achievement in math and reading. With teachers and principals being the most important in-school factors to student learning, these grant cancellations will hinder pandemic learning recovery and break President Trump’s promises of “great principals and great teachers.”
The cancellation of these grants comes at a time when our country faces dire teacher shortages. A recent analysis of state-identified teacher shortages found that in recent school years, nationally, 1 in 8 of all teaching positions — or over 400,000 positions — are vacant or filled by a teacher who is not fully certified for their position. This school year, 49 states reported to the Department critical shortages in math, science, or special education teachers. In rural America, to attract and retain teachers in many places, including in states like Colorado, Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas, districts were forced to move to 4-day school weeks, despite the unknown impact on student achievement. Research shows that principals are the second most important in-school factor to student learning and also impact teacher retention. Yet, about one in ten principals leave the field every year.
Congress created and funded the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP), Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED), and Teacher and School Leader (TSL) Incentive Fund programs in a bipartisan manner to ensure that all students have access to an effective educator workforce. The Department’s decision to terminate locally-driven grants previously awarded to schools, institutions of higher education, and other partners to address educator shortages and improve the quality of the teaching workforce will have long-term consequences on student outcomes. These terminations create confusion for dozens of local communities supported by now unavailable grant funds. Cutting off grant funds already adopted and in use in local budgets shows utter disregard to local officials who are now faced with a lengthy process for challenging the terminations and are required to adjust their adopted budgets and plans. These local communities may also face difficult decisions to curtail activities paid for by these terminated grant funds, such as recruiting teachers in rural communities, improving literacy, and mentoring early-career teachers to improve retention. Ultimately, the Department’s decision to terminate these grant funds simply passes necessary expenses onto local and state taxpayers, who may have to sustain costs previously supported by federal funds that have been taken away by the Trump administration.
We are deeply disappointed that despite claims of radical transparency from President Trump and other administration officials, the Department has not provided any transparency to Congress or the public about its teacher training grant terminations. Instead, the President’s disregard for the law and his desire to find savings to pay for his tax cuts for billionaires and large corporations seems to be driving these terminations. Given the need for actual transparency, stability, and productivity in government, as well as the bipartisan support these critical education training programs have received for many years, it is critical for the Department to provide accurate, timely responses on its use of taxpayer resources provided by the laws passed by Congress. We request you provide written answers to the following questions as soon as possible but not later than March 26, 2025:
Please describe the policy and procedure established for the review of grants terminated on or after January 20, 2025.
Are they the same as any grant terminations prior to this date? If not, how and why were they different, including in the use of any program or technology not previously employed?
Please identify the offices and titles of staff involved in the review.
How many employees involved in the review were onboarded at the Department on or after January 20, 2025? Please describe each of such employee’s role in the review.
Please provide the total costs, including all personnel and non-personnel costs, of the review.
Please identify any other program currently undergoing or planned for the same or similar review and the associated timeline for each such review.
Please specifically identify each program undergoing a different review and explain each difference and the reason for each such difference for such program.
Please explain the policy and procedure for offering grantees the opportunity to clarify, explain or modify any element of their approved application prior to termination to avoid the disruption to grant activities that the Department’s termination has caused. Please explain why an opportunity was not offered in each case of it not being offered.
Please explain the policy and procedure for offering grantees the opportunity to appeal their grant termination. When will appeals be reviewed, and when will grantees receive a decision on their appeal?
For each program that includes a terminated grant, please provide the following about all such terminated grants:
The total number of grants terminated by fiscal year of initial funding,
The total amount of funding expected under the approved budgets of terminated grants on official documentation as of January 1, 2025 for each fiscal year,
The total amount of funding outlaid as of the date of response to this letter for each fiscal year, and
The total amount of funding deobligated by fiscal year as of the date of termination.
For each program that includes a terminated grant, please provide the following about all such terminated grants:
The total number of educators expected to participate in professional development activities,
The total number of new educators expected to be prepared,
The expected number of years of service that were expected from participants under each grant,
The number of years of service that had already been completed,
The total number of schools expected to benefit from any grant activities, and
The total number of states in which any grant activities were expected to take place.
For each program that includes a terminated grant, please provide the following:
The name of each recipient of a grant not terminated by program and fiscal year of initial funding,
An assurance that each non-terminated grant was subject to the same policy and procedure described in response to the first question, and as applicable, the reason for not doing so, and
Please provide the most recent annual performance report submitted by each non-terminated grantee prior to January 1, 2025.
For each terminated grant, please provide the most recent annual performance report submitted by such grantee prior to January 1, 2025, if applicable.
For each terminated grant, please provide the following:
The Department’s definition of divisive ideology,
The Department’s definition of inappropriate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and
The specific evidence demonstrating how the grantee’s approved grant activities are inconsistent with such definitions of divisive ideology and DEI.
Please explain how and when you will comply with the temporary restraining orders issued by federal judges on March 10, 2025 and March 17, 2025.
Please provide a detailed plan on how the Department will prioritize training and preparing educators for the classroom.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. We look forward to your prompt response.
The innovative team of engineers and scientists from NASA, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, and more than 40 other partner organizations across the country that created the Parker Solar Probe mission has been awarded the 2024 Robert J. Collier Trophy by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA). This annual award recognizes the most exceptional achievement in aeronautics and astronautics in America with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles in the previous year. “Congratulations to the entire Parker Solar Probe team for this well-earned recognition,” said NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro. “This mission’s trailblazing research is rewriting the textbooks on solar science by going to a place no human-made object has ever been and advancing NASA’s efforts to better understand our solar system and the Sun’s influence, with lasting benefits for us all. As the first to touch the Sun and fastest human-made object ever built, Parker Solar Probe is a testament to human ingenuity and discovery.”
On Dec. 24, 2024, Parker Solar Probe made its closest approach to the Sun, passing deep within the Sun’s corona, just 3.8 million miles above the Sun’s surface and at a top speed of close to 430,000 mph, ushering in a new era of scientific discovery and space exploration. “This award is a recognition of the unrelenting dedication and hard work of the Parker Solar Probe team. I am so proud of this team and honored to have been a part of it,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “By studying the Sun closer than ever before, we continue to advance our understanding of not only our closest star, but also stars across our universe. Parker Solar Probe’s historic close approaches to the Sun are a testament to the incredible engineering that made this record-breaking journey possible.” Three novel aerospace technology advancements were critical to enabling this record performance: The first is the Thermal Protection System, or heat shield, that protects the spacecraft and is built to withstand brutal temperatures as high as 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. The Thermal Protection System allows Parker’s electronics and instruments to operate close to room temperature. Additional Parker innovations included first-of-their-kind actively cooled solar arrays that protect themselves from overexposure to intense solar energy while powering the spacecraft, and a fully autonomous spacecraft system that can manage its own flight behavior, orientation, and configuration for months at a time. Parker has relied upon all of these vital technologies every day since its launch almost seven years ago, in August 2018. “I am thrilled for the Parker Solar Probe team on receiving this well-deserved award,” said Joe Westlake, director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters. “The new information about the Sun made available through this mission will improve our ability to prepare for space weather events across the solar system, as well as better understand the very star that makes life possible for us on Earth.” Parker’s close-up observations of solar events, such as coronal mass ejections and solar particle events, are critical to advancing our understanding of the science of our Sun and the phenomena that drive high-energy space weather events that pose risks to satellites, air travel, astronauts, and even power grids on Earth. Understanding the fundamental physics behind events which drive space weather will enable more reliable predictions and lower astronaut exposure to hazardous radiation during future deep space missions to the Moon and Mars. “This amazing team brought to life an incredibly difficult space science mission that had been studied, and determined to be impossible, for more than 60 years. They did so by solving numerous long-standing technology challenges and dramatically advancing our nation’s spaceflight capabilities,” said APL Director Ralph Semmel. “The Collier Trophy is well-earned recognition for this phenomenal group of innovators from NASA, APL, and our industry and research partners from across the nation.” First awarded in 1911, the Robert J. Collier Trophy winner is selected by a group of aviation leaders chosen by the NAA. The Collier Trophy is housed in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington. “Traveling three times closer to the Sun and seven times faster than any spacecraft before, Parker’s technology innovations enabled humanity to reach inside the Sun’s atmosphere for the first time,” said Bobby Braun, head of APL’s Space Exploration Sector. “We are all immensely proud that the Parker Solar Probe team will join a long legacy of prestigious aerospace endeavors that redefined technology and changed history.” “The Parker Solar Probe team’s achievement in earning the 2024 Collier is a shining example of determination, genius, and teamwork,” said NAA President and CEO Amy Spowart. “It’s a distinct honor for the NAA to acknowledge and celebrate the remarkable team that turned the impossible into reality.” Parker Solar Probe was developed as part of NASA’s Living With a Star program to explore aspects of the Sun-Earth system that directly affect life and society. The Living With a Star program is managed by the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Applied Physics Laboratory designed, built, and operates the spacecraft and manages the mission for NASA. By Geoff BrownJohns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Headline: West Virginian Renters may be eligible for FEMA Individual Assistance
West Virginian Renters may be eligible for FEMA Individual Assistance
CHARLESTON, W
Va
– West Virginia renters in Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Wayne, and Wyoming counties who experienced losses due to the winter floods from February 15 – 18, 2025 may be eligible for disaster recovery assistance from FEMA and the U
S Small Business Administration (SBA)
Renters may be eligible for Individual Assistance grants from FEMA to help with such disaster-related expenses as:Renting a new place to live when the renter’s previous home was significantly damaged or lost due to the disaster
Disaster-related medical and dental expenses
Replacement or repair of necessary personal property lost or damaged in the disaster, such as appliances and furniture; textbooks and computers used by students; and work equipment or tools used by the self-employed
Repair or replacement of vehicles damaged by the disaster
Accepting FEMA funds will not affect eligibility for Social Security – including Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) – Medicare, Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, or other federal benefit programs
Renters who sustained losses can apply for assistance in several ways:Visiting DisasterAssistance
gov
Downloading the FEMA App
Calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362
Phone lines are open every day and help is available in most languages
If you use a relay service such as video relay service (VRS) or captioned telephone service, please provide FEMA your number for that service
Speaking with someone in person
Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) teams will be on the ground in impacted communities, walking door-to-door to share information and help residents apply for FEMA assistance
In coordination with the West Virginia Emergency Management Division (WVEMD) and officials in impacted counties, FEMA has opened a Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) in Logan, Mercer, McDowell, Mingo, and Wyoming Counties
At a Disaster Recovery Center, you can get help applying for federal assistance, update your application, and learn about other resources available
Logan County Disaster Recovery CenterMercer County Disaster Recovery CenterSouthern WV Community & Technical College100 College DriveLogan, WV 25601 Hours of operation:Monday to Friday: 9 a
m
– 6 p
m
Saturdays: 9 a
m
– 3 p
m
Closed Sundays Lifeline Princeton Church of God250 Oakvale Road Princeton, WV 24740 Hours of operation:Monday to Friday: 9 a
m
– 5 p
m
Saturdays: 10 a
m
– 2 p
m
Closed Sundays Closed April 26McDowell County (Welch) Disaster Recovery Center McDowell County Disaster (Bradshaw) Recovery Center Board of Education Office900 Mount View High School RoadWelch, WV 24801 Hours of operation:Monday through Friday: 8 a
m
to 6 p
m
Saturday March 29: 9 a
m
to 1 p
m
, weather dependentClosed on SundaysBradshaw Town Hall10002 Marshall HwyBradshaw, WV 24817 Hours of operation:Monday to Saturday: 8 a
m
to 6 p
m
Closed SundaysMingo County Disaster Recovery CenterWyoming County Disaster Recovery CenterWilliamson Campus1601 Armory DriveWilliamson, WV 25661 Hours of operation:Monday through Friday: 8 a
m
to 6 p
m
Saturdays: 9 a
m
to 3 p
m
Closed on SundaysWyoming Court House24 Main AvePineville, WV 24874 Hours of operation:Monday through Friday: 8 a
m
to 6 p
m
Saturdays: 9 a
m
to 3 p
m
Closed on SundaysDRCs are open to all, including survivors with mobility issues, impaired vision, and those who are who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
In addition to applying for FEMA assistance, renters can also apply for a U
S
Small Business Administration disaster loan
Residents can apply online at sba
gov/disaster, call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955, or email disastercustomerservice@sba
gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance
Those who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability should dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay service
For more information on West Virginia’s disaster recovery, visit emd
wv
gov, West Virginia Emergency Management Division Facebook page, www
fema
gov/disaster/4861 and www
facebook
com/FEMA
###FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during and after disasters
Follow FEMA online, on X @FEMA or @FEMAEspanol, on FEMA’s Facebook page or Espanol page and at FEMA’s YouTube account
Also, follow on X FEMA_Cam
For preparedness information follow the Ready Campaign on X at @Ready
NASA’s LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) imaged Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 on the Moon’s surface on March 7, just under 24 hours after the spacecraft landed. Later that day Intuitive Machines called an early end of mission for IM-2, which carried NASA technology demonstrations as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign.
The IM-2 mission lander is located closer to the Moon’s South Pole than any previous lunar lander. LRO is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Launched on June 18, 2009, LRO has collected a treasure trove of data with its seven powerful instruments, making an invaluable contribution to our knowledge about the Moon. NASA is returning to the Moon with commercial and international partners to expand human presence in space and bring back new knowledge and opportunities. More on this story from Arizona State University’s LRO Camera website Media Contact:Nancy N. JonesNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
