NewzIntel.com

Category: Health

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Exclusive: Education and cultural exchange will play an increasingly important role in the development of Uzbek-Chinese relations – Uzbek expert

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Tashkent, June 29 (Xinhua) — Educational and humanitarian exchanges remain the warmest and most stable component of international relations, especially between China and Central Asian countries, said Bakhodir Hasanov, a professor at Tashkent State University of Economics and Doctor of Economics, in a recent exclusive interview with Xinhua.

    According to him, for the countries of the region, including Uzbekistan, cooperation with China in these areas serves not only as a cultural dialogue, but also as a strategic tool for strengthening human capital and preparing young people for the challenges of the future. “We attach great importance to a solid foundation of partnership with China in the field of education and culture,” the expert noted.

    B. Khasanov emphasized that in recent years, Uzbekistan and China have achieved significant results in teaching languages, training specialists and developing vocational education. He particularly noted the importance of such projects as the Confucius Institutes and Lu Ban Workshops, which have become a kind of bridge between peoples. “On the one hand, they help Uzbek youth study the Chinese language and culture, and on the other, they contribute to the modernization of the educational system and the improvement of personnel qualifications,” he added.

    Against the backdrop of the active promotion of the Belt and Road Initiative, humanitarian cooperation between China and the Central Asian countries continues to develop. B. Khasanov noted that China’s experience in the field of applied education and training focused on the needs of the labor market is of particular interest. According to him, Uzbekistan is striving to introduce elements in its education reform that meet the challenges of the modern economy.

    “We are convinced that education and cultural exchange will play an increasingly important role in the development of Uzbek-Chinese relations,” the expert said, emphasizing that this is not only a path to mutual understanding and friendship between peoples, but also an important resource for sustainable development and stability in the region. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • International Day of Yoga conveyed message of peace, stability: PM Modi in ‘Mann Ki Baat’

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised the nationwide and global celebrations of the International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2025, calling them a grand and meaningful expression of peace, stability and balance.

    Addressing the 123rd episode of his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, PM Modi said Yoga has become an integral part of people’s lives, both in India and across the world.

    “All of you right now must be feeling the energy of Yoga and the memories of the International Day of Yoga. This year, too, on June 21, millions across the country and the world participated in Yoga Day. You must remember that it all began 10 years ago, and every year this tradition is becoming grander than before. This indicates that more and more people are incorporating Yoga into their daily lives,” he said.

    Highlighting some of the most captivating moments from this year’s celebrations, the Prime Minister referred to the massive gathering of three lakh people performing Yoga on the beaches of Visakhapatnam.

    “Another incredible sight from Visakhapatnam, over 2,000 tribal students performed 108 Surya Namaskars for 108 minutes. Imagine how much discipline and dedication they must have had,” he remarked.

    He also praised the unique observances on Indian Naval ships, the participation of over 3,000 specially-abled individuals in Telangana, and the Yoga sessions conducted on the banks of the Yamuna River, which also helped promote the clean Yamuna initiative.

    “In Jammu and Kashmir, people performed Yoga on the Chenab Bridge, the world’s highest railway bridge. Yoga was also performed by ITBP jawans at the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas, showcasing a powerful blend of courage and spiritual discipline. The people of Gujarat also created a new history. People of Vadnagar set a new record when 2,121 people performed Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) together,” he added.

    The Prime Minister applauded the global observance of the Yoga Day, noting that cities such as New York, London, Tokyo, and Paris hosted large-scale events.

    “Every picture of Yoga Day from around the world conveyed a special message of peace, stability and balance,” he said.

    PM Modi also emphasised the significance of this year’s theme – Yoga For One Earth, One Health – calling it a guiding principle that echoes the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, or “the world is one family”.

    Expressing confidence in the impact of this year’s celebrations, the Prime Minister said, “The grandeur of this year’s IDY will encourage more and more people to adopt Yoga into their daily lives.”

    (IANS)

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Healthy food revolution to tackle obesity epidemic

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

    Press release

    Healthy food revolution to tackle obesity epidemic

    New healthy food standard will see big businesses promoting healthier food and drink

    • Reducing daily intake by just 50 calories could lift 340,000 children and 2 million adults out of obesity 
    • Reforms part of the shift from sickness to prevention in the forthcoming 10 Year Health Plan 
    • A healthy nation means less strain on the NHS, helping drive down pressure on waiting lists as part of the Plan for Change.

    Food retailers and manufacturers will “make the healthy choice the easy choice” in a world-first partnership between government and industry to tackle the obesity epidemic and ease pressure on the NHS as part of the Plan for Change. 

    As part of the forthcoming 10 Year Health Plan, large retailers including supermarkets will be set a new standard to make the average shopping basket of goods sold slightly healthier. 

    Businesses will be given the freedom to meet the standard however works best for them, whether that’s reformulating products and tweaking recipes, changing shop layouts, offering discounts on healthy foods, or changing loyalty schemes to promote healthier options. 

    Public health experts believe cutting the calorie count of a daily diet by just 50 calories would lift 340,000 children and 2 million adults out of obesity. If everyone who is overweight reduced their calorie intake by just 216 calories a day, equivalent to a single bottle of fizzy drink, obesity would be halved. 

    Obesity is one of the root causes of diabetes, heart disease and cancer. With the UK now having the third highest rate of adult obesity in Europe, it remains a critical public health challenge, costing the NHS £11.4 billion a year, three times the NHS budget for ambulance services. 

    Obesity rates have doubled since the 1990s, including among children. A forthcoming report by the Chief Medical Officer will show that more than 1 in 5 children are living with obesity by the time they leave primary school, rising to almost 1 in 3 in areas with higher levels of poverty and deprivation. 

    It follows the government setting out in recent days a number of measures to tackle rapidly growing health inequalities, including investing more in working class communities where health disparities are greatest, and rapid action on the maternal mortality gaps in Black, Asian and working class communities. 

    Through our Plan for Change, the government is shifting the focus from treatment to prevention and creating a more active state – that works with partners to make the healthy choice the easy choice – and a transition of the NHS from a sickness service to a prevention service.   

    Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said:    

    Obesity has doubled since the 1990s and costs our NHS £11 billion a year, triple the budget for ambulance services. Unless we curb the rising tide of cost and demand, the NHS risks becoming unsustainable. 

    The good news is that it only takes a small change to make a big difference. If everyone who is overweight reduced their calorie intake by around 200 calories a day – the equivalent of a bottle of fizzy drink – obesity would be halved.   

    This government’s ambition for kids today is for them to be part of the healthiest generation of children ever. That is within our grasp. With the smart steps we’re taking today, we can give every child a healthy start to life.  

    Our brilliant supermarkets already do so much work for our communities and are trying to make their stores heathier, and we want to work with them and other businesses to create a level playing field. 

    Through our new healthy food standard, we will make the healthy choice the easy choice, because prevention is better than cure. 

    By shifting from sickness to prevention through our Plan for Change, we will make sure the NHS can be there for us when we need it.

    Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: 

    Britain has some of the best farmers, growers, food manufacturers and retailers in the world, which means we have more choice than ever before on our shelves.  

    It is vital for the nation that the food industry delivers healthy food, that is available, affordable and appealing.   

    Our food strategy will bring together the health plan, food producers and retailers to make sure we can feed the nation more healthily while growing the economic success of our food sector.

    The policy will see all big food businesses report on healthy food sales. This will set full transparency and accountability around the food that businesses are selling and encourage healthier products. 

    The government will then set targets to increase the healthiness of sales in communities across the UK and work with the Food Strategy Advisory Board on the sequencing of this policy.  

    Sarah Price, NHS England Director for Public Health, said: 

    A healthy diet, which includes a variety of nutritious food can help people stay well and provide long-term health benefits, which is good for them and good for the NHS. 

    That is why this move to make it easier for people to shop for healthy and nutritious food options is so important – it will help people reduce the risk of developing a range of life-altering physical conditions, such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes – both of which are on the increase in England.

    Major investment firms have already signalled that they would be keen to invest more in healthier products, if they were given due prominence and promotion by food retailers. 

    Many supermarkets want to do more to make the average shopping basket healthier, but they risk changes hitting their bottom lines if their competitors don’t act at the same time. The new standard will introduce a level playing field, so there isn’t a first mover disadvantage. 

    The changes are part of the government’s 10 Year Health Plan, due to be published shortly. The plan will radically reform the health service and improve the health of the nation, to make the NHS sustainable and fit for the future. 

    Ken Murphy, Tesco Group CEO, said:  

    All food businesses have a critical part to play in providing good quality, affordable and healthy food. At Tesco, we have measured and published our own healthier food sales for a number of years now – we believe it is key to more evidence-led policy and better-targeted health interventions. That’s why we have called for mandatory reporting for all supermarkets and major food businesses and why we welcome the Government’s announcement on this. We look forward to working with them on the detail of the Healthy Food Standard and its implementation by all relevant food businesses.

    Simon Roberts, CEO of Sainsbury’s commented:  

    We’re passionate about making good food joyful, accessible and affordable for everyone and have been championing the need for mandatory health reporting, across the food industry for many years. Today’s announcement from Government is an important and positive step forward in helping the nation to eat well. We need a level playing field across the entirety of our food sector for these actions to have a real and lasting impact.  

    We look forward to working across Government and our wider industry on the further development of these policies and in helping to drive improved health outcomes across our nation.

    Ravi Gurumurthy, CEO of Nesta, said: 

    Most of us want to lose weight and make healthier choices but the food that surrounds us makes that too hard. That’s why obesity has doubled since the 90s. 

    This new standard focuses on lots of small changes that make it easier to buy food that’s a little bit healthier. Nationally, it could send obesity rates down by a fifth – through business and government working together to improve our health.

    Sue Davies, Which? Head of Food Policy, said: 

    Which? research has shown that people want retailers to do more to support them in making healthier choices. Six in 10 (60%) consumers said they support the government introducing health targets for supermarkets.  

    Mandatory food targets will help to incentivise retailers to use the range of tactics available to them to make small but significant changes – making it easier for people to eat a balanced diet and lead healthier lives.

    John Maingay, Director of Policy at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) said: 

    A new standard to make meals across the UK healthier is a huge step towards creating a food environment that supports better heart health. This move recognises the vital role that businesses can play in supporting everyone to have a healthier diet. 

    Obesity puts people at greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease, which remains one of the UK’s biggest killers. We hope to see real momentum behind this new standard to make the healthier choice the easiest choice once and for all.

    Michelle Mitchell, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, said: 

    Businesses can play a major role in supporting people to make healthy choices, and this important step could help to reduce rising obesity rates. 

    Being overweight or obese is the second biggest cause of cancer in the UK, and is linked with 13 different types of the disease. The UK government must introduce further bold preventative policies in both the upcoming 10-year health plan and National Cancer Plan, so that more lives can be saved from cancer.

    Katharine Jenner, Director, Obesity Health Alliance 

    This is a fair and evidence-based prescription for better health; big businesses urgently need the government to level the playing field to help them focus on selling products that help people live well.  

    The government has rightly identified the root cause of obesity-related ill health: a food system that makes healthy eating difficult. Crucially, it puts the spotlight on the food industry and commits to holding it accountable for providing healthier options – rather than placing the burden on individuals who are already struggling to get by.

    Henry Dimbleby, Author of the National Food Strategy and Independent Review for Government said:

    What gets measured gets done. Mandatory reporting is a crucial first step in improving the food environment – it creates a level playing field, rewards the businesses already acting, and gives us a clear picture of what’s really being sold.

    It’s fantastic to see food retailers themselves calling for this. With proper data, we can start to reshape the food system and make healthier choices easier for everyone.

    Updates to this page

    Published 29 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Arrest – Domestic violence – Palmerston

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The NT Police Force have commenced investigations into a domestic violence incident that has left a female in a critical condition days after an alleged assault.

    Yesterday, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre received reports of a seriously ill female at a residence in Palmerston.

    St John Ambulance attended and conveyed the female to Royal Darwin Hospital in a critical condition with suspected head injuries.

    Police attended and arrested a 57-year-old male after a short foot pursuit.  The male is believed to be in a domestic relationship with the victim.

    The circumstances surrounding this incident are complex, with the ongoing investigation being managed by the Northern Domestic Violence Investigation Unit.  Charges are expected to follow.

    Anyone with information is urged to contact police on 131 444 and quote referent NTP2500065811. Anonymous reports can be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via https://crimestoppersnt.com.au/

    If you or someone you know are experiencing difficulties due to domestic violence, support services are available, including, but not limited to 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or Lifeline (131 114).

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Forum highlights regional growth, attracts global partners in Xizang

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    This aerial photo taken on July 20, 2023 shows a view of the Gaiba Village of Gongbo’Gyamda County in Nyingchi City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

    International business leaders gathered at a forum in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region this week, exploring new economic opportunities.

    The two-day forum, opened on Friday in Nyingchi and themed “Gathering Trans-Himalaya Strength; Unleashing Development Momentum,” attracted 89 domestic and foreign companies, underscoring the region’s growing importance in cross-border collaboration. Eleven projects worth 4.8 billion yuan (about 670 million U.S. dollars) were signed during the event.

    Wang Jingcai, deputy director of the regional development and reform commission, presented an industrial “Opportunity List” featuring nine key sectors including clean energy, cultural tourism and Tibetan medicine at the forum.

    Fathuhulla Ali, a health tech company executive from Sri Lanka, expressed particular interest in the region’s traditional medicine.

    “What impressed me most was the traditional culture. It’s incredibly strong and rich,” said Ali, managing director of Panaka Health Tech Private Limited. “I’m from the medical supply industry. So basically, what I look forward to is the medical sector. The traditional medicine here is very rich,” Ali added.

    Zhao Peng, vice chairman of the regional government, emphasized the region’s strategic role as China’s gateway to South Asia, noting that it has established trade ties with 140 countries and regions.

    “Xizang is stepping up efforts to enhance cooperation with neighboring countries and expand high-level opening up to the outside world,” Zhao said.

    Tusar Tuladhar, managing director of Tunchhe Trans Himalayan Trading Concern, a Nepali company which has been operating business in Xizang’s regional capital Lhasa for about 30 years, praised the region’s business climate while noting Nyingchi’s distinct ecological advantages.

    “This is my first time in Nyingchi. There are so many trees, and I see a lot of green here. It’s really different from Lhasa,” noted Tuladhar. “The business environment in Xizang is good. We have a long-lasting business here, a very long-lasting relationship,” he added.

    Since 2021, Xizang’s trade with South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation members has totaled 14.92 billion yuan, with Nepal accounting for 87 percent. The land ports between China and Nepal have played a vital role.

    From January to May this year, Xizang’s import-export volume exceeded 3.84 billion yuan, up 13.2 percent year on year, according to Lhasa Customs.

    This marks the fifth Trans-Himalaya Forum since 2018, with each iteration strengthening cross-border collaboration in the region.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warnock Holds Multi-Faith Vigil as Washington GOP Attempts to Kick 16 Million Off Health Care 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Warnock Holds Multi-Faith Vigil as Washington GOP Attempts to Kick 16 Million Off Health Care 

    At the 8-year anniversary of Senator Reverend Warnock’s 2017 arrest protesting the last Trump tax cut, Senator Warnock held a vigil with multi-faith leaders while the Senate debated the GOP tax bill

    Senator Warnock was arrested in the Russell rotunda in 2017, before he was elected to the Senate, protesting the previous GOP tax giveaway. 

    PHOTOS AND VIDEOS AVAILABLE HERE

    Washington, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) held a vigil with a multi-faith coalition to pray that GOP lawmakers have the courage to stand up for their constituents and vote against the GOP tax bill. The Senator prayed for the 16 million Americans who are expected to lose health care coverage if the bill passes. Following the Russell Rotunda vigil, the Senator led the procession of faith leaders to the Senate floor as the chamber debated the immoral GOP tax bill.

    “And so, in this season of unnecessary cruelty, we bear witness to kindness. Kindness not only in our interpersonal relations, but kindness in public policy. Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God. Thank you for these faith leaders who have come for such a time as this. Be now with us and give us every spiritual grace as we stand as voices for the voiceless, so that the preaching of Jesus might be made incarnate,” prayed Senator Reverend Warnock.  

    The Senator was arrested in the Russell Rotunda 2017, before he was elected to the Senate, along with a coalition of multi-faith leaders, while protesting the GOP tax bill during the first Trump Administration. Video of 2017 arrest HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warnock Holds Multi-Faith Vigil as Washington GOP Attempts to Kick 16 Million Off Health Care 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Warnock Holds Multi-Faith Vigil as Washington GOP Attempts to Kick 16 Million Off Health Care 

    At the 8-year anniversary of Senator Reverend Warnock’s 2017 arrest protesting the last Trump tax cut, Senator Warnock held a vigil with multi-faith leaders while the Senate debated the GOP tax bill

    Senator Warnock was arrested in the Russell rotunda in 2017, before he was elected to the Senate, protesting the previous GOP tax giveaway. 

    PHOTOS AND VIDEOS AVAILABLE HERE

    Washington, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) held a vigil with a multi-faith coalition to pray that GOP lawmakers have the courage to stand up for their constituents and vote against the GOP tax bill. The Senator prayed for the 16 million Americans who are expected to lose health care coverage if the bill passes. Following the Russell Rotunda vigil, the Senator led the procession of faith leaders to the Senate floor as the chamber debated the immoral GOP tax bill.

    “And so, in this season of unnecessary cruelty, we bear witness to kindness. Kindness not only in our interpersonal relations, but kindness in public policy. Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God. Thank you for these faith leaders who have come for such a time as this. Be now with us and give us every spiritual grace as we stand as voices for the voiceless, so that the preaching of Jesus might be made incarnate,” prayed Senator Reverend Warnock.  

    The Senator was arrested in the Russell Rotunda 2017, before he was elected to the Senate, along with a coalition of multi-faith leaders, while protesting the GOP tax bill during the first Trump Administration. Video of 2017 arrest HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Deputy Secretary-General’s remarks at the Graduation Ceremony of the Paris School of International Affairs, Sciences Po

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    Dean Gonzalez, distinguished faculty members, ladies and gentlemen, 
      
    Most importantly, graduates, 

    Let me begin with the most important word of all: congratulations! 

    You now join a long line of Sciences Po alumni who have shaped our world – including some of whom are doing it every day at the United Nations as they work in my office supporting the Secretary-General. 

    Let’s also take a moment to recognise your families, friends and loved ones – who have been with you every step of the way.  

    They deserve a round of applause.   

    Students representing more than 120 nationalities come here to learn how the world works, and how it can work better.  

    That spirit of global curiosity and purpose has also carried me through every chapter of my own journey.   

    Designing schools and hospitals in my home country of Nigeria. 

    Advising four Presidents on poverty reduction, development policy planning and public sector reform. 

    Supporting Member States to lead the process that transformed global aspirations into the Sustainable Development Goals. 

    And now as the longest-serving Deputy Secretary-General in United Nations history, supporting the Secretary-General on some of the most complex situations in our history, from COVID, to Ukraine, to Sudan and Gaza and today’s continuing crisis in the Middle East.

    Today, I want to reflect on the lessons I have learned along the way.

    First, don’t agonise, organise. 

    We live in a world of hurt.  A world that is messy, complicated and often overwhelming.  

    And I know it might be easy to feel paralyzed by the scale and hopelessness of today’s challenges.  

    Don’t.

    Because more than ever, those challenges are connected – and we solve them by seeing those connections and coming together. 

    When I served as Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, my job was never just about the environment.  

    When Lake Chad was drying up, it wasn’t just an ecological crisis – it was a security crisis.  Boko Haram was born and abducted 200 school girls. 

    When we faced population and urban sprawl and tensions rose between farmers and herders, it wasn’t just about water  access– it was about food systems and growing cities. 

    When I met girls walking hours to fetch water, missing school every day – it wasn’t just about resources – it was about gender equality.  

    We didn’t work in siloes.  We built coalitions across sectors – civil society, young people, traditional leaders, the private sector – to find real solutions.  

    We didn’t agonize, we organized. 

    And, yes, there’s plenty to agonize about today – especially when multilateralism is under attack and international cooperation is on the back foot. 

    But I have seen what’s possible when we find common ground and forge ahead.  

    Just look at the last two months at the UN.  

    A landmark Pandemic Treaty approved at the World Health Organization. 

    Major new protections for our oceans at the World Ocean Conference in Nice.  

    And from Paris, I head to Sevilla — where the world is coming together to commit to better finance sustainable development. 

    So, when the problems seem larger than life, too tangled, too tough — don’t agonize.

    Organize. 

    Mobilize. 

    And help realize the change our world so urgently needs. 

    Remember you did not fail for want of trying.

    The second lesson – keep learning and delivering.  

    Graduation isn’t the end of learning.  In many ways, it’s just the start of your lifelong journey.

    When I joined the UN, I was not steeped in the intricacies of international diplomacy.

    Throughout my career, I have had to learn fast – and deliver even faster.  

    So will you.  

    Even now, I am learning every day – about AI, about geothermal energy, space debris, biotechnology, cybersecurity.  

    You will face even more change, even faster, especially in the new era of super technologies. 

    Regardless of the task that is put in front of you, get ahead of it.  Learn more.  Do more.  Show your stuff and deliver.  Performance opens doors.  

    Yes, some of life is luck and privilege.  

    But I guarantee: the harder you work, the luckier you will get.  

    Third, make hope your most powerful asset. 
    The world is a cynical place. And international affairs is not for the faint of heart. 

    There will be setbacks and critics. 

    There will be many days when the problems seem too big, and the politics too small. When anxieties grip you like a fever.

    Just look around:  war in Ukraine, atrocities in Sudan, catastrophe in Gaza, climate chaos everywhere. 

    But never forget, hope is not a four-letter word. 

    Hope is the courage to build when others are tearing down. 

    Hope is the decision to get up one more time, to negotiate one more deal, even when the odds are against you.

    I have sat with young girls who survived the worst horrors of war and sexual violence. 

    And in their eyes, I saw not just pain – but power. 

    The power to heal. To lead.  To hope. To survive and thrive. 

    Hope is not the absence of fear.  It is the refusal to be defined by it.

    So, carry it with you. Guard it fiercely.  

    Because hope is not just a feeling.  It’s a force.  

    Fourth, hold onto your moral compass. 

    Your degree will open doors. 

    But your integrity will tell you which ones are worth walking through.

    And in today’s world – where the global moral compass is spinning – that clarity matters more than ever. 

    We live in a world where military spending is soaring, while development budgets shrink.  

    Where fossil fuel subsidies dwarf investments in climate action.  

    Where conflict and hardship has forced more people from their homes than at any time since the Second World War.

    In this world, your role as changemakers is not just to make the right deals. 

    It is to draw the right lines. 

    There will be pressure to stay silent. 

    There will be moments when abandoning principles may seem an easier choice.

    But integrity matters most.

    As Deputy Secretary-General, I have had to tell hard truths to powerful people.

    To remind leaders of the many promises they made – and the people they made them to. 

    It is never easy to challenge power. 

    But we don’t serve power. 

    We serve people.

    And if we truly serve people, we must use our superpower and stand for justice, dignity, and solidarity. 

    As we mark Beijing+30, we cannot talk about a future and leave women and girls behind.

    Gender equality is not charity.  It powers our agency. And human rights.   

    And everyone wins when we leave no one behind.  

    But let’s be honest, we are not there yet. 

    So, to the men here today, I say: don’t stand in the way.  

    Don’t walk ahead.  

    Walk with. Stand with.  And speak up. For the other half of your society, women.

    The final lesson is this: invest time in what truly sustains you. 

    Your career will have highs and lows. 

    Plans change. 

    Titles come and go.

    But what will carry you through are the people who know you beyond your résumé. 

    Friends, families, mentors, partners. 

    Protect those bonds. Nurture them.

    Because in the toughest moments, those relationships will remind you of who you are, why you started, and why you must keep going.

    So, no matter how far you go, or how fast — never lose sight of what, and who, matters most.

    Dear graduates,

    Today, you are not just stepping into the world. 

    You are inheriting its unfinished business, and its boundless possibilities.

    As I look out, I see the next generation of climate champions, human rights defenders, and world class diplomats.

    And I am filled with hope. 

    Whatever path you choose, walk it with courage and conviction.  

    Congratulations, Class of 2025.

    The world is waiting.

    And I, for one, can’t wait to see what you will do.

    Thank you.
     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Information About the Budgetary Effects of an Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as posted on the website of the Senate Committee on the Budget on June 27, 2025

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    This letter provides information about the budgetary effects of an Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 1. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) have estimated the effects of the amendment relative to the baseline used for budget enforcement for consideration in the Senate.

    Title II of H. Con. Res. 14, the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2025, included reconciliation instructions directing committees to propose legislation that would produce specified budgetary results. CBO has reviewed the Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 1 and determined the following:

    • Title I, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, would reduce deficits by not less than $1 billion over the 2025–2034 period.
    • Title II, Committee on Armed Services, would increase deficits by not more than $150 billion over the 2025–2034 period.
    • Title III, Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, would reduce deficits by not less than $1 billion over the 2025–2034 period.
    • Title IV, Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, would increase deficits by not more than $20 billion over the 2025–2034 period.
    • Title V, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, would reduce deficits by not less than $1 billion over the 2025–2034 period.
    • Title VI, Committee on Environment and Public Works, would increase deficits by not more than $1 billion over the 2025–2034 period.
    • Title VII, Committee on Finance, would increase deficits by not more than $1.5 trillion over the 2025–2034 period.
    • Title VIII, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, would reduce deficits by not less than $1 billion over the 2025–2034 period.
    • Title IX, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, would increase deficits by not more than $175 billion over the 2025–2034 period.
    • Title X, Committee on the Judiciary, would increase deficits by not more than $175 billion over the 2025–2034 period.

    In addition, CBO projects that the legislation and each individual title would not increase on-budget deficits after 2034.

    H. Con. Res.14 provides the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Budget with the authority to make adjustments regarding current tax policy that include extending provisions of the 2017 tax act (Public Law 115-97) in the baseline. For those adjustments, JCT estimated the budgetary effects of extending 26 provisions of P.L. 115-97 relative to CBO’s January 2025 baseline budget projections. CBO and JCT have estimated the effects of H.R. 1 relative to a baseline that reflects the budgetary effects of extending those 26 provisions and that has been updated for enacted legislation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Embracing greener final farewells

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The desire to return to nature is one shared by many, not least when it comes to post-funeral arrangements. Tapping into a growing trend, the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has in recent years stepped up efforts to promote green burials, where remains are returned directly to the earth, or scattered at sea.

    The department’s endeavours include organising tours of facilities such as the Tsang Tsui Columbarium & Garden of Remembrance in Tuen Mun. On one such tour recently, elderly participants shared their thoughts on green burials as an eco-friendly end-of-life choice.

    Besides explore the facility and its services, the visit gave them the chance to reflect on their approach to life’s final journey. In fact, several remarked that they had already received the full support of their families in their wish for a green burial.

    Tranquil setting

    Visiting the Garden of Remembrance for the first time, 82-year-old Lee Yuk-sim described its seaside setting as open and tranquil. “The sound of waves lifts my spirits,” she said.

    Ms Lee wishes to have her ashes scattered along the garden’s pebble path, however. Despite her love for the ocean, following a heart-to-heart conversation with her daughters she decided scattering at sea was not an option for her.

    “I once told my daughters, ‘I love the sea.’ They replied, ‘The sea is full of swimmers, and every time we pass by it, we will think of you, and we don’t want that.’ Then they said, ‘The Garden of Remembrance is different. It is about dust returning to dust, earth to earth.”

    Meanwhile, 87-year-old Choi Sau-ling, also on her first visit to the Garden of Remembrance, found it strikingly different from what she had expected.

    “There were rumours that stray dogs and cats might disturb the ashes, but that is a complete misconception,” she said. “The truth is that the Garden of Remembrance is absolutely beautiful, with a sea view.”

    Ms Choi highlighted that the garden’s peaceful atmosphere makes it both an ideal resting place and a convenient site for families to pay their respects.

    “It is breezy and uncrowded, like wandering in a garden,” she commented. “It hits differently. Without the need to burn incense or make extra preparations, the experience feels lighter for everyone.”

    Dignified farewell

    Cheng Ting-fai, 87, had already made trips to the Gardens of Remembrance in Diamond Hill and Cape Collinson before visiting Tsang Tsui. He said he had also spoken to his children about his wish to have his ashes scattered.

    “Placing ashes in an urn is almost like trapping them. There is no sense of freedom, and over time no-one may be around to look after them.”

    Mr Cheng described scattering ashes in a Garden of Remembrance as a better option. “The ashes can bask in the sunshine, and experience the changing weather,” he explained.

    He also expressed his hope that all 18 districts in Hong Kong can have a Garden of Remembrance. “Born here, raised here, and laid to rest here. How wonderful is that?”

    At present, those choosing green burials can have their ashes scattered at either of three designated maritime areas or in one of the Gardens of Remembrance.

    The department manages 13 Gardens of Remembrance, with Tsang Tsui being the largest. The site also features a ceremonial hall where simple memorial services can be held before the scattering of ashes.

    The garden’s layout includes a boat-shaped wooden artwork, helping to create a symbolic space of transition. Visitors are invited to inscribe dedication cards with heartfelt messages, giving their loved ones a dignified farewell.

    Meanwhile, a fourteenth garden – the Shek Mun Columbarium & Garden of Remembrance – is expected to open for use in the third quarter of this year.

    Growing trend

    Moving away from traditional funeral customs is no easy transition, but – thanks in no small part to the Government’s promotional efforts – green burial, as a sustainable means of handling ashes, has been gaining wider acceptance in society.

    FEHD Senior Health Inspector Alan Li said that, as of the end of May, more than 15,800 names were registered in the Green Burial Central Register.

    “About 70% of deceased registrants had their ashes disposed of in the form of green burial. Even if there is no prior registration, descendants can still adopt green burial for the deceased.”

    The department stated that green burials accounted for a record-high 18.2% of disposals last year, with 8,522 individuals’ remains being scattered in Gardens of Remembrance and 1,032 at sea.

    To enhance the sea burial experience, the FEHD has upgraded its free ferry service, available every Saturday, by introducing a new vessel design.

    Public education

    Meanwhile, in August of last year the department launched a large-scale “School of Life” programme that explores life’s closing chapters and sustainable options for being laid to rest.

    The programme includes a “Life & Death Expo”, showcasing support services for ageing and end-of-life planning, as well as community walking tours that encourage reflection on life’s transitions. These initiatives have attracted around 5,000 participants so far, and people of all ages are welcome to take part.

    The department also arranges green burial talks, guided tours to Gardens of Remembrance, and community tours, with these activities engaging more than 20,000 citizens to date.

    FEHD Chief Health Inspector Daniel Lam said the department will continue to enhance green burial facilities, promote advance planning for after-death arrangements through the “School of Life” programme, and strengthen public education and publicity, in order to gradually establish green burial as the common practice for handling ashes.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Auditor-General turns down PSA request to investigate Health NZ, refers issues to auditor

    Source: PSA

    The Auditor General has declined to investigate Health NZ’s decision to downsize the team of audit and fraud experts that monitors the $12 billion of health funding distributed every year.
    But the office has referred the PSA’s concerns to Audit NZ.
    This move follows the PSA writing to the Auditor-General in May urging it to investigate the restructure of the Audit Assurance and Risk team. Health NZ Te Whatu Ora is proposing to remove 23 roles from the team, a cut of 28% of the workforce.
    This is a critical unit focused on ensuring some $12 billion of annual funding of the primary health care sector is paid out correctly and not subject to fraud.
    In its response to the PSA the Auditor-General said this was outside its scope of its mandate but agreed to raise its concerns with Audit NZ, the government office which carries out annual audits of agencies to ensure public money is being spent responsibly.
    “We thank the Auditor-General for carefully considering our concerns and while it’s disappointing the office is unable to investigate, the issues remain. We hope Audit NZ will now take a close look,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
    “But it would be much simpler if Health NZ came to its senses and stopped these damaging cuts before it loses such experienced auditors and fraud investigators.
    “Millions of precious health dollars could be lost if the restructure goes ahead. Any money saved from the cuts will be lost through the failure to detect overpayments and fraud.
    “We are therefore pleased the Auditor-General has placed the issues that concern us on the radar of Audit NZ.
    “The Government’s underfunding of health to pay for tax cuts has put the health system under enormous pressure and now more than ever taxpayers need assurance health dollars are being spent wisely. We look forward to Audit NZ looking into this.”
    Previous statements
    The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall: This is the Beginning of America’s Great Golden Era

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
    Senator Marshall Joins Fox News to Discuss the Reconciliation Bill, Medicaid, and Operation Midnight Hammer.
    Washington – On Saturday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), joined Rich Edson on Fox News’ Fox News Live to discuss the Senate’s latest timeline to move the reconciliation bill forward, the negotiations around the SALT deduction, the best way to save Medicaid for those who need it most, and what’s next for America in the ongoing conflicts abroad.
    Click HERE or on the image above to watch the full interview. 
    On the Republican reconciliation bill:
    “In my career as an obstetrician, I feel like this bill is three weeks past its due date. It’s time to have the baby. Everyone’s upset – that means we’re probably close to where it needs to be. We cannot blow this chance. This is the President’s legacy, his agenda. If you supported President Trump, you should support this bill. This will be the largest tax decrease in American history. We’re going to secure the border – a whole lot of other good things, but mostly this is the beginning of America’s great, golden era.”
    On the SALT Deduction and its impact on negotiations:
    “… Over in the house, I think we have a little tighter margin. And again, I think that what we asked the President to do here was split the baby, but he’s keeping the baby together. This is the best we can get. Speaker Johnson was there with us yesterday, negotiating this to the last second. I think everyone has thrown their best argument on the table – I think that’s a great step forward. I wish we were cutting more spending, including this, but this is the best bill that we can get through the finish line.”
    On how to save Medicaid from disaster:
    “Again, just because you have Medicaid doesn’t mean you have access to care. You pointed out that a third of doctors don’t accept Medicaid, and another third basically rule them out through the schedule. What our bill does is give a block grant for rural hospitals and for Community Health Centers. One of my three pillars of MAHA is making sure that everyone has meaningful, affordable access to primary care. Even Bernie Sanders agrees with me that these Community Health Centers are a great way to do that. I think that healthcare will be better.
    “And in this bill, we absolutely preserve Medicaid for those who need it the most. We don’t touch seniors in nursing homes, people with disabilities, pregnant women, or children. So, we will protect Medicaid for those who need it the most. And on the other hand, we want to make sure everyone has access to care. We’ll do it through a block grant – I’m so proud of the work we’ve done here, as far as making health care more affordable and more accessible.”
    On where the Medicaid savings will come from:
    “So, the savings come from a couple of things. One, something called a provider tax, which is absolutely a scam, a money laundering scam, where you have one state, maybe getting 25 times more per person than what a state like Kansas is getting. So, we need to level out those provider taxes.
    “And then, as we talk about people that may lose Medicaid, half of them are people that are on it fraudulently or through some type of error. And the other half will be those that are refusing to work 20 hours a day. Again, 60, 70% of Americans support some type of work requirements if you don’t have a disability, you’re working age, you don’t have a child under the age of 13, then I think it’s reasonable to ask people to work or volunteer for 20 hours a week.”
    On what’s next for America in the Israel and Iran conflict:
    “I think it will take them years just to restart their nuclear program. I think that they can’t control their airspace. They don’t have the will to do it. From what I’ve seen, I’m in shock and awe. You know, it’s shocking how much damage we did to their facilities. Obliterated is a great term. I’m in awe of our military, the great job that they did.
    “Thanks to all those Air Force guys who did this off. I’m an Army guy, but I’m still going to salute them. They did a great job. And thanks to all of our soldiers over in the Middle East, I don’t see Iran getting back in this ball game for several years.
    “Iran cannot have any type of nuclear bomb if they don’t want to move things in a different direction right now, then we need to double down on our sanctions. Whatever we need to do. Look, I don’t want boots on the ground. I’m tired of all the killing. I want all the killing to stop in Gaza, in Iran – all these different places, Ukraine. But at the end of the game, Iran cannot have a nuclear warhead.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Pledge to protect Armed Forces community as government delivers on manifesto commitment

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Pledge to protect Armed Forces community as government delivers on manifesto commitment

    Military personnel, their families and veterans are to have their unique circumstances legally protected by central government for the first time under new plans announced by the Prime Minister.

    • Transformative protections for military personnel, veterans and their families, including the bereaved, have been announced by the Prime Minister today.
    • Legislation will be brought forward to deliver manifesto promise to bring Armed Forces Covenant fully into law, placing the Armed Forces community at the heart of government decision-making.
    • Prime Minister visits RAF Valley to celebrate our Armed Forces Day.
    • Comes after a year of delivery for our Armed Forces and veterans, including “homes for heroes,” new funding for wraparound support and new Armed Forces Commissioner to advocate on behalf of the service community.

    Military personnel, their families and veterans are to have their unique circumstances legally protected by central government for the first time under new plans announced by the Prime Minister.

    As the nation marks Armed Forces Day, the Prime Minister visited RAF Valley in Wales where he met trainee pilots and their families to celebrate Armed Forces Week.

    It comes as the Government confirms plans for the first time that all government departments will have to legally consider the needs of the Armed Forces community when making new policy.

    More details of the legal duty will be set out in due course, but could include initiatives such as extending travel benefits to the families of veterans and the bereaved, or flexible working for partners of serving personnel who are required to move as part for their role in the Armed Forces. 

    This delivers on a manifesto promise and is part of the Government’s commitment to renew the nation’s contract with those who serve and following the Strategic Defence Review, which underscored the role our Armed Forces play in protecting our national security, which is the foundation of this Government’s Plan for Change.  

    This Government has committed to renewing its contract with the Armed Forces community, delivering two above inflation pay awards for service personnel and an extra £1.5bn investment this parliament to improve forces’ family housing through the Strategic Defence Review. 

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: 

    “Across the country and around the world, our service personnel and their families make the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe and protect our freedom and our way of life. 

    “When I became Prime Minister, I made a promise to serve those who have served us. Through the new Armed Forces Covenant, we are delivering on that promise — ensuring our service personnel, veterans and their families are treated with the respect they deserve – that is our duty. 

    “Our Armed Forces Covenant will put our Armed Forces community at the very heart of government decision-making. Their courage, duty, and sacrifice are the foundation of our national values, and they deserve nothing less.”

    The new Armed Forces Covenant Legal Duty will ensure: 

    • Fair access to services: Ensures that serving personnel, veterans, and their families are not disadvantaged.
    • Priority support for those most in need: Provides additional help for those who have given the most, such as the injured or bereaved.
    • Legal duty on public bodies: Local authorities, NHS bodies, and schools must consider the needs of the Armed Forces community in their decision-making.
    • Annual reporting: The government is legally required to publish an annual report on Covenant delivery and progress. 

    Announcement follows the Prime Minister’s “homes for heroes” policy guaranteeing housing for all UK Armed Forces veterans, exempting them from local connection rules for social housing. 

    The Prime Minister also announced £3.5 million of funding for wraparound support services for veterans at risk of homelessness, including mental health, employment, and independent living support earlier this year. 

    Today’s announcement forms part of a wider commitment to renew the contract with those who have served the country are treated with respect and long-term security. 

    Under the new legislation all areas of government will for the first time have to have ‘due regard’ for the Armed Forces Covenant when policy and decision making; taking into account the unique circumstances and position of the Armed Forces community to prevent disadvantage.

    Currently this is only legally required in areas of housing, healthcare and education and only at local level, so, not applicable to central government. The Legal Duty Extension marks a huge step forward in increasing support for the Armed Forces community.

    This extension follows consultation with over 150 organisations and builds on recommendations from the House of Commons Defence Select Committee.

    Veterans and People Minister Alistair Carns MP said: 

    “Service life offers unique opportunities for personal growth and camaraderie, but it also demands exceptional sacrifices. Today, we’re taking bold action to ensure that those who serve our country receive the recognition and support they deserve by embedding these principles into law.

    “Whether you serve in the regular or reserve forces, you and your families stand to benefit from the Covenant Legal Duty Extension and its principles as part of our government’s commitment to renew the nation’s contract with those who serve.” 

    The Armed Forces Covenant is built on a simple but powerful principle: no one in the Armed Forces community should face disadvantage in accessing public or commercial services.

    Mark Atkinson, Director General, Royal British Legion:

    “The Royal British Legion has been calling for a stronger Armed Forces Covenant for over a decade. 

    “Those who have served in the Armed Forces often face unique challenges, for example moving frequently during service can make it hard for families to receive consistent support from public services or for spouses and partners to build careers. Expanding the Covenant Legal Duty will help public services better respond to these challenges by ensuring the needs of the Armed Forces community are taken into account when making decisions.

    “Currently the Covenant Legal Duty only applies to some areas of housing, education, and healthcare. We firmly welcome the decision to bring the Covenant fully into law to make sure all parts of government across the UK are working together and focused on providing the best possible support for those who are serving, have served, their families and the bereaved.

    “It will be vital that the impact of the Duty is measured effectively and those who deliver services must also be resourced with funding and training so that they can fully understand the purpose of the Armed Forces Covenant to ensure this change makes a meaningful difference to the lives of all those in the Armed Forces community.”

    The new legal duty announced today will extend this commitment across all government departments and devolved administrations. This transformative measure ensures that serving personnel, reservists, veterans, and their families are considered in every relevant policy decision—giving them a meaningful voice and delivering on the Government’s pledge to strengthen support for our Armed Forces communities. 

    This builds on existing successes in housing, education, and healthcare, such as dedicated NHS pathways for veterans and the Service Pupil Premium.

    Additional information

    The extension of the Legal Duty will encompass all UK Government Departments and Devolved Governments, and the following policy areas: 

    ·         Housing 

    ·         Education 

    ·         Healthcare 

    ·         Social care 

    ·         Childcare 

    ·         Employment and service in the armed forces 

    ·         Personal taxation 

    ·         Welfare benefits 

    ·         Criminal justice 

    ·         Immigration 

    ·         Citizenship 

    ·         Pensions 

    ·         Service-related compensation 

    ·         Transport

    • For more information about the Armed Forces Covenant and the legal duty extension, please visit www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk.
    • It is our ambition to include these statutory changes in the next Armed Forces Bill, which is required every five years to continue to have an Armed Forces.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How does Marburg virus spread between species? Young Ugandan scientist’s photos give important clues

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Alexander Richard Braczkowski, Research Fellow at the Centre for Planetary Health and Resilient Conservation Group, Griffith University

    In the shadows of Python Cave, Uganda, a leopard leaps from a guano mound – formed by bat excrement – and sinks its teeth into a bat. But this is no ordinary bat colony. The thousands of Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) found in this cave are known carriers of one of the world’s deadliest viruses: Marburg, a close cousin of Ebola.

    Over just four months, our cameras recorded 261 predator encounters: crowned eagles, Nile monitors, leopards, pythons and blue monkeys all caught feeding on, or scavenging from this virus-harbouring colony.

    And yet, this wasn’t the work of a global health agency or virology lab. The discovery came from a 25-year-old Ugandan undergraduate, Bosco Atukwatse, working with our small Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust Kyambura Lion Project team in Queen Elizabeth National Park. His only tools: a trail camera, curiosity and ecological instinct.

    I am a conservation scientist with over 17 years of experience in wildlife ecology, monitoring and human-wildlife conflict. I’m the co-founder of the Kyambura Lion Project, which made this discovery.

    For years, scientists studying how diseases spread from animals to humans have hypothesised that zoonotic diseases jump from a wildlife reservoir (like a bat) to an intermediate host (monkey) and potentially to us, humans.

    For past Marburg outbreaks in Uganda, two spillover pathways have been identified: the first, involves humans coming into contact with a fruit bat habitat (namely caves filled with bat guano). Indeed, fruit bats are thought to have infected two tourists at Python Cave in 2007 and 2008.

    The second pathway involves humans and animals eating the same fruit that bats have fed upon or made contact with. This second spillover pathway was identified by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists in 2023. They tracked bats from the cave entering cultivated gardens to feed.

    But Atukwatse and the team of young Ugandan scientists (Yahaya Ssemakula, Johnson Muhereza, Orin Cornille and Winfred Nsabimana) have potentially found another pathway: predation by at least 14 species.

    Such rich visual evidence of a viral interface – bats, predators and people – is virtually non-existent in the literature. Many theoretical depictions of this process exist, and there are isolated incidents of a monkey predating on a bat or wildlife feeding on bat guano, but Atukwatse’s discovery of this many different predators repeatedly feeding on a known Marburg virus reservoir is a first.

    His discovery highlights two uncomfortable truths:

    • many potential zoonotic interfaces remain undocumented – often right under our noses

    • the people most likely to detect them first are those living closest to wild frontiers.

    But the bigger message is this: global health institutions need to stop overlooking local scientists and start funding field-based detection systems across Africa and Asia.

    If we want to detect the next outbreak early, we should be empowering more Atukwatses, not waiting for the next lab test.

    A hunch pays off

    In early February 2025, Atukwatse and our small team of local scientists was expanding our long-term African leopard and spotted hyena monitoring grid into a new part of Queen Elizabeth National Park – the Kyambura Wildlife Reserve and Maramagambo forest.

    Atukwatse had heard from nearby guides that a large bat cave lay close to the survey grid. That kind of site, he reasoned, could be perfect leopard territory: a place to hunt, rest or avoid the heat.

    This is ecological attentiveness at its best – the field biology equivalent of a commodities trader spotting volatility in a geopolitical flashpoint.

    Atukwatse had his radar on and acted on instinct, setting five camera traps at the cave’s entrance and along the surrounding animal trails. Just one week later, he got what he hoped for: three separate clips of a leopard hunting bats in broad daylight. He left the cameras in place in protective casing. He checked them every 7–10 days.

    But that was just the beginning.

    The scale of the discovery

    When I first looked at Atukwatse’s videos, our joint excitement was around the leopard footage. We knew they were adaptable and could even eat small rodents , but no one had ever recorded them eating bats in Africa.

    As more clips came in, we realised something bigger was unfolding. Blue monkeys were seen grabbing bats mid-roost. A crowned eagle and a Nile monitor fought over two bat carcasses. A fish eagle – typically a piscivore, which is a carnivorous species that primarily eats fish – was filmed clutching bats in its talons.



    Read more:
    African wild dogs: DNA tests of their faeces reveal surprises about what they eat

    Over 304 trap-nights, Atukwatse’s traps recorded 261 independent predator events from at least 14 different species.

    Then came the second shock: over 400 human visitors – many of them tourists – were filmed approaching the cave mouth without any protective gear. Some stood just metres from a known Marburg virus reservoir. Importantly, the Uganda Wildlife Authority has built a sanctioned viewing platform about 35 metres from the cave. However, tourists broke park rules and walked within two metres of the cave mouth.

    It was only after I visited the cave myself to take stills of the team that we put this all together. Atukwatse had just found the first visual evidence, at a large scale in nature, of at least 14 predators feeding on a known wildlife virus reservoir harbouring one of Earth’s deadliest viruses.

    This wasn’t the result of million-dollar pathogen surveillance. It wasn’t even the core aim of our leopard survey. This happened because a young Ugandan field scientist followed his ecological gut.

    Why does the discovery matter?

    For decades, disease ecologists have known that major outbreaks often originate in wildlife – swine flu, avian flu and even SARS-CoV-2 all trace back to animal hosts. But what’s often missing is direct observation of spillover interfaces – the exact moments when a virus jumps from a bat, goose, or other animal into new species like humans, livestock or other wildlife.

    Atukwatse’s discovery may be the first large-scale visual record of such an interface in nature: a roost of Egyptian fruit bats known to harbour a deadly virus, actively predated upon by at least 14 species, with hundreds of humans visiting the same cave mouth unprotected.

    This may be a Rosetta Stone moment for spillover ecology – shifting our understanding from hypothetical models to a real, observable interface.

    These kinds of spillover sites exist in other places in nature: in a Chinese wet market where a civet meets a meat processor, or in a Gabonese village where a bat is butchered for bushmeat. The difference? Most of them go undocumented. Atukwatse just filmed one.

    Alexander Richard Braczkowski is the scientific director of the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust Kyambura Lion Project.

    – ref. How does Marburg virus spread between species? Young Ugandan scientist’s photos give important clues – https://theconversation.com/how-does-marburg-virus-spread-between-species-young-ugandan-scientists-photos-give-important-clues-259806

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How does Marburg virus spread between species? Young Ugandan scientist’s photos give important clues

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Alexander Richard Braczkowski, Research Fellow at the Centre for Planetary Health and Resilient Conservation Group, Griffith University

    In the shadows of Python Cave, Uganda, a leopard leaps from a guano mound – formed by bat excrement – and sinks its teeth into a bat. But this is no ordinary bat colony. The thousands of Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) found in this cave are known carriers of one of the world’s deadliest viruses: Marburg, a close cousin of Ebola.

    Over just four months, our cameras recorded 261 predator encounters: crowned eagles, Nile monitors, leopards, pythons and blue monkeys all caught feeding on, or scavenging from this virus-harbouring colony.

    And yet, this wasn’t the work of a global health agency or virology lab. The discovery came from a 25-year-old Ugandan undergraduate, Bosco Atukwatse, working with our small Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust Kyambura Lion Project team in Queen Elizabeth National Park. His only tools: a trail camera, curiosity and ecological instinct.

    I am a conservation scientist with over 17 years of experience in wildlife ecology, monitoring and human-wildlife conflict. I’m the co-founder of the Kyambura Lion Project, which made this discovery.

    For years, scientists studying how diseases spread from animals to humans have hypothesised that zoonotic diseases jump from a wildlife reservoir (like a bat) to an intermediate host (monkey) and potentially to us, humans.

    For past Marburg outbreaks in Uganda, two spillover pathways have been identified: the first, involves humans coming into contact with a fruit bat habitat (namely caves filled with bat guano). Indeed, fruit bats are thought to have infected two tourists at Python Cave in 2007 and 2008.

    The second pathway involves humans and animals eating the same fruit that bats have fed upon or made contact with. This second spillover pathway was identified by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists in 2023. They tracked bats from the cave entering cultivated gardens to feed.

    But Atukwatse and the team of young Ugandan scientists (Yahaya Ssemakula, Johnson Muhereza, Orin Cornille and Winfred Nsabimana) have potentially found another pathway: predation by at least 14 species.

    Such rich visual evidence of a viral interface – bats, predators and people – is virtually non-existent in the literature. Many theoretical depictions of this process exist, and there are isolated incidents of a monkey predating on a bat or wildlife feeding on bat guano, but Atukwatse’s discovery of this many different predators repeatedly feeding on a known Marburg virus reservoir is a first.

    His discovery highlights two uncomfortable truths:

    • many potential zoonotic interfaces remain undocumented – often right under our noses

    • the people most likely to detect them first are those living closest to wild frontiers.

    But the bigger message is this: global health institutions need to stop overlooking local scientists and start funding field-based detection systems across Africa and Asia.

    If we want to detect the next outbreak early, we should be empowering more Atukwatses, not waiting for the next lab test.

    A hunch pays off

    In early February 2025, Atukwatse and our small team of local scientists was expanding our long-term African leopard and spotted hyena monitoring grid into a new part of Queen Elizabeth National Park – the Kyambura Wildlife Reserve and Maramagambo forest.

    Atukwatse had heard from nearby guides that a large bat cave lay close to the survey grid. That kind of site, he reasoned, could be perfect leopard territory: a place to hunt, rest or avoid the heat.

    This is ecological attentiveness at its best – the field biology equivalent of a commodities trader spotting volatility in a geopolitical flashpoint.

    Atukwatse had his radar on and acted on instinct, setting five camera traps at the cave’s entrance and along the surrounding animal trails. Just one week later, he got what he hoped for: three separate clips of a leopard hunting bats in broad daylight. He left the cameras in place in protective casing. He checked them every 7–10 days.

    But that was just the beginning.

    The scale of the discovery

    When I first looked at Atukwatse’s videos, our joint excitement was around the leopard footage. We knew they were adaptable and could even eat small rodents , but no one had ever recorded them eating bats in Africa.

    As more clips came in, we realised something bigger was unfolding. Blue monkeys were seen grabbing bats mid-roost. A crowned eagle and a Nile monitor fought over two bat carcasses. A fish eagle – typically a piscivore, which is a carnivorous species that primarily eats fish – was filmed clutching bats in its talons.



    Read more:
    African wild dogs: DNA tests of their faeces reveal surprises about what they eat

    Over 304 trap-nights, Atukwatse’s traps recorded 261 independent predator events from at least 14 different species.

    Then came the second shock: over 400 human visitors – many of them tourists – were filmed approaching the cave mouth without any protective gear. Some stood just metres from a known Marburg virus reservoir. Importantly, the Uganda Wildlife Authority has built a sanctioned viewing platform about 35 metres from the cave. However, tourists broke park rules and walked within two metres of the cave mouth.

    It was only after I visited the cave myself to take stills of the team that we put this all together. Atukwatse had just found the first visual evidence, at a large scale in nature, of at least 14 predators feeding on a known wildlife virus reservoir harbouring one of Earth’s deadliest viruses.

    This wasn’t the result of million-dollar pathogen surveillance. It wasn’t even the core aim of our leopard survey. This happened because a young Ugandan field scientist followed his ecological gut.

    Why does the discovery matter?

    For decades, disease ecologists have known that major outbreaks often originate in wildlife – swine flu, avian flu and even SARS-CoV-2 all trace back to animal hosts. But what’s often missing is direct observation of spillover interfaces – the exact moments when a virus jumps from a bat, goose, or other animal into new species like humans, livestock or other wildlife.

    Atukwatse’s discovery may be the first large-scale visual record of such an interface in nature: a roost of Egyptian fruit bats known to harbour a deadly virus, actively predated upon by at least 14 species, with hundreds of humans visiting the same cave mouth unprotected.

    This may be a Rosetta Stone moment for spillover ecology – shifting our understanding from hypothetical models to a real, observable interface.

    These kinds of spillover sites exist in other places in nature: in a Chinese wet market where a civet meets a meat processor, or in a Gabonese village where a bat is butchered for bushmeat. The difference? Most of them go undocumented. Atukwatse just filmed one.

    Alexander Richard Braczkowski is the scientific director of the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust Kyambura Lion Project.

    – ref. How does Marburg virus spread between species? Young Ugandan scientist’s photos give important clues – https://theconversation.com/how-does-marburg-virus-spread-between-species-young-ugandan-scientists-photos-give-important-clues-259806

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: How does Marburg virus spread between species? Young Ugandan scientist’s photos give important clues

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Alexander Richard Braczkowski, Research Fellow at the Centre for Planetary Health and Resilient Conservation Group, Griffith University

    In the shadows of Python Cave, Uganda, a leopard leaps from a guano mound – formed by bat excrement – and sinks its teeth into a bat. But this is no ordinary bat colony. The thousands of Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) found in this cave are known carriers of one of the world’s deadliest viruses: Marburg, a close cousin of Ebola.

    Over just four months, our cameras recorded 261 predator encounters: crowned eagles, Nile monitors, leopards, pythons and blue monkeys all caught feeding on, or scavenging from this virus-harbouring colony.

    And yet, this wasn’t the work of a global health agency or virology lab. The discovery came from a 25-year-old Ugandan undergraduate, Bosco Atukwatse, working with our small Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust Kyambura Lion Project team in Queen Elizabeth National Park. His only tools: a trail camera, curiosity and ecological instinct.

    I am a conservation scientist with over 17 years of experience in wildlife ecology, monitoring and human-wildlife conflict. I’m the co-founder of the Kyambura Lion Project, which made this discovery.

    For years, scientists studying how diseases spread from animals to humans have hypothesised that zoonotic diseases jump from a wildlife reservoir (like a bat) to an intermediate host (monkey) and potentially to us, humans.

    For past Marburg outbreaks in Uganda, two spillover pathways have been identified: the first, involves humans coming into contact with a fruit bat habitat (namely caves filled with bat guano). Indeed, fruit bats are thought to have infected two tourists at Python Cave in 2007 and 2008.

    The second pathway involves humans and animals eating the same fruit that bats have fed upon or made contact with. This second spillover pathway was identified by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists in 2023. They tracked bats from the cave entering cultivated gardens to feed.

    But Atukwatse and the team of young Ugandan scientists (Yahaya Ssemakula, Johnson Muhereza, Orin Cornille and Winfred Nsabimana) have potentially found another pathway: predation by at least 14 species.

    Such rich visual evidence of a viral interface – bats, predators and people – is virtually non-existent in the literature. Many theoretical depictions of this process exist, and there are isolated incidents of a monkey predating on a bat or wildlife feeding on bat guano, but Atukwatse’s discovery of this many different predators repeatedly feeding on a known Marburg virus reservoir is a first.

    A leopard grabs a fruit bat at Uganda’s Python Cave. Bosco Atukwatse/Kyambura Lion Project

    His discovery highlights two uncomfortable truths:

    • many potential zoonotic interfaces remain undocumented – often right under our noses

    • the people most likely to detect them first are those living closest to wild frontiers.

    But the bigger message is this: global health institutions need to stop overlooking local scientists and start funding field-based detection systems across Africa and Asia.

    If we want to detect the next outbreak early, we should be empowering more Atukwatses, not waiting for the next lab test.

    A hunch pays off

    In early February 2025, Atukwatse and our small team of local scientists was expanding our long-term African leopard and spotted hyena monitoring grid into a new part of Queen Elizabeth National Park – the Kyambura Wildlife Reserve and Maramagambo forest.

    Atukwatse had heard from nearby guides that a large bat cave lay close to the survey grid. That kind of site, he reasoned, could be perfect leopard territory: a place to hunt, rest or avoid the heat.

    This is ecological attentiveness at its best – the field biology equivalent of a commodities trader spotting volatility in a geopolitical flashpoint.

    A blue monkey with bat in hand at Python Cave. Bosco Atukwatse/Kyambura Lion Project

    Atukwatse had his radar on and acted on instinct, setting five camera traps at the cave’s entrance and along the surrounding animal trails. Just one week later, he got what he hoped for: three separate clips of a leopard hunting bats in broad daylight. He left the cameras in place in protective casing. He checked them every 7–10 days.

    But that was just the beginning.

    The scale of the discovery

    When I first looked at Atukwatse’s videos, our joint excitement was around the leopard footage. We knew they were adaptable and could even eat small rodents , but no one had ever recorded them eating bats in Africa.

    As more clips came in, we realised something bigger was unfolding. Blue monkeys were seen grabbing bats mid-roost. A crowned eagle and a Nile monitor fought over two bat carcasses. A fish eagle – typically a piscivore, which is a carnivorous species that primarily eats fish – was filmed clutching bats in its talons.

    Read more: African wild dogs: DNA tests of their faeces reveal surprises about what they eat

    Over 304 trap-nights, Atukwatse’s traps recorded 261 independent predator events from at least 14 different species.

    Then came the second shock: over 400 human visitors – many of them tourists – were filmed approaching the cave mouth without any protective gear. Some stood just metres from a known Marburg virus reservoir. Importantly, the Uganda Wildlife Authority has built a sanctioned viewing platform about 35 metres from the cave. However, tourists broke park rules and walked within two metres of the cave mouth.

    Bosco Atukwatse.

    It was only after I visited the cave myself to take stills of the team that we put this all together. Atukwatse had just found the first visual evidence, at a large scale in nature, of at least 14 predators feeding on a known wildlife virus reservoir harbouring one of Earth’s deadliest viruses.

    This wasn’t the result of million-dollar pathogen surveillance. It wasn’t even the core aim of our leopard survey. This happened because a young Ugandan field scientist followed his ecological gut.

    Why does the discovery matter?

    For decades, disease ecologists have known that major outbreaks often originate in wildlife – swine flu, avian flu and even SARS-CoV-2 all trace back to animal hosts. But what’s often missing is direct observation of spillover interfaces – the exact moments when a virus jumps from a bat, goose, or other animal into new species like humans, livestock or other wildlife.

    Atukwatse’s discovery may be the first large-scale visual record of such an interface in nature: a roost of Egyptian fruit bats known to harbour a deadly virus, actively predated upon by at least 14 species, with hundreds of humans visiting the same cave mouth unprotected.

    This may be a Rosetta Stone moment for spillover ecology – shifting our understanding from hypothetical models to a real, observable interface.

    These kinds of spillover sites exist in other places in nature: in a Chinese wet market where a civet meets a meat processor, or in a Gabonese village where a bat is butchered for bushmeat. The difference? Most of them go undocumented. Atukwatse just filmed one.

    – How does Marburg virus spread between species? Young Ugandan scientist’s photos give important clues
    – https://theconversation.com/how-does-marburg-virus-spread-between-species-young-ugandan-scientists-photos-give-important-clues-259806

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Graham Releases Full Senate Text Of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Lindsey Graham
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, today released the Senate’s full legislative text of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.
    “If you like higher taxes, open borders, a weak military and unchecked government spending, this bill is your nightmare.
    “I am proud to present to the public the Big Beautiful Bill. By making the Trump tax cuts permanent, working families will avoid a four trillion-dollar tax increase. Our bill provides full funding to secure the border in perpetuity and injects a much-needed $150 billion into our military to keep our nation safe. In addition, the bill raises the debt ceiling so that we do not default and crash the economy.
    “Equally important, our bill reforms Medicaid – which has grown by nearly 50 percent in five years. It eliminates waste, fraud and abuse – and requires able-bodied Medicaid recipients to work.  This bill is the largest reduction in government spending in recent memory, and is a down payment on fiscal reform.
    “The Big Beautiful Bill contains all of President Trump’s domestic economic priorities. By passing this bill now, we will make our nation more prosperous and secure.”
    View the full text HERE.        
    View the one-pager HERE.
    For more information on the:
    Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Title, click HERE for a section-by-section and HERE for a one-pager. 
    Senate Armed Services Committee Title, click HERE.
    Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Title, click HERE.
    Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Title, click HERE.
    Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Title, click HERE for a section-by-section and HERE for a one-pager.
    Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Title, click HERE for a section-by-section and HERE for a one-pager.
    Senate Finance Committee Title, click HERE.
    Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Title, click HERE for a section-by-section and HERE for a one-pager.
    Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Title, click HERE for Homeland Security and HERE for Governmental Affairs.
    Senate Judiciary Committee Title, click HERE for a section-by-section and HERE for a one-pager.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: General out-patient clinic service arrangements on HKSAR Establishment Day holiday

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    RegionAberdeen Jockey Club General Out-patient Clinic
     
    Kwun Tong Community Health Centre
     Lady Trench General Out-patient Clinic
     
    Tai Po Jockey Club General Out-patient Clinic G/F, 37 Ting Kok Road, Tai Po 2664 2039 3157 0906
    Tseung Kwan O (Po Ning Road) General Out-patient Clinic G/F, 28 Po Ning Road, Tseung Kwan O 2191 1083 3157 0660
    Tuen Mun Clinic 11 Tsing Yin Street, San Hui, Tuen Mun 2452 9111 3543 0886
    Yuen Long Jockey Club Health Centre 269 Castle Peak Road, Yuen Long 2443 8511 3543 5007

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Simplified maternity allowance to boost more birth-friendly China quest

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    An increased number of regions in China are granting maternity allowances directly to individuals instead of via their employers, thereby simplifying the process for mothers to claim this money.

    According to the National Health Security Administration, all new mothers in 12 provinces across the country, as well as the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, are entitled to receive the allowance directly in their bank accounts.

    In addition, most other provinces have granted the allowances directly to part, if not all, of the eligible group, the administration noted.

    It said that direct payment of maternity allowances to individuals helps make medical insurance more accessible, therefore better protecting the rights and interests of female employees during maternity leave.

    Maternity allowance refers to the living expenses paid to female employees during their absence from work due to childbirth, as stipulated by Chinese laws and regulations.

    Historically, these funds were disbursed to employers, who would then distribute them to employees. However, there have been instances where employees did not receive the complete entitlement. The expanding group of flexibly employed women further complicates the situation in China.

    “When my first child was born, I had to submit a stack of documents and wait a month or so to get my allowance,” said a woman surnamed Li in north China’s Hebei Province. “For my second child this time, the allowance was credited into my personal account only two to three days after the hospital discharge settlement.”

    Quick settlement of this allowance enabled Li to concentrate on taking care of herself and the newborn baby without distractions. “This effectively reduced the burden of childbirth on my family,” she added.

    Earlier this month, central authorities issued a set of guidelines on further improving public well-being, which pledged support for locations where conditions permit to distribute maternity allowances directly to maternity insurance participants.

    This move is yet another effort by the Chinese government to promote childbirth in the face of challenges of a dwindling number of newborns and a growing aging population. The country’s birth rate and number of newborns both dropped for seven consecutive years before reporting rises in 2024, while the population aged 60 and above reached 310 million last year.

    To boost its birth rate, China has implemented a slew of supportive policies in recent years. It phased out the one-child policy by allowing married couples to have two children in 2016 and announced support for couples looking to have a third child in 2021.

    In addition to financial support, other incentive measures include increased childcare services, extended maternity leave, and strengthened support in education, housing and employment, all aimed at fostering a birth-friendly society.

    This year, generous childcare subsidies have been reported across China as part of the country’s holistic efforts to boost birth rates, making news headlines and sparking significant discussions. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • India emerges as global leader in child immunization: zero-dose rate halves in one year

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    India has recorded a significant milestone in its national immunization efforts, with the percentage of zero-dose children—those who have not received a single vaccine—falling from 0.11% in 2023 to 0.06% in 2024. The achievement has been acknowledged in the 2024 report by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), positioning India as a global leader in child health and immunization.

    The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in a statement issued on Saturday, attributed the progress to India’s robust Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), which provides free vaccines to 2.9 crore pregnant women and 2.6 crore infants annually. More than 1.3 crore immunization sessions are conducted across the country by healthcare workers, including ASHAs and ANMs, ensuring widespread vaccine outreach.

    This progress has drawn global recognition, with India being awarded the prestigious *Measles and Rubella Champion Award* by The Measles and Rubella Partnership in March 2024 at a ceremony held in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes India’s sustained commitment to eliminating vaccine-preventable diseases.

    In addition to reductions in zero-dose prevalence, India has also seen significant improvements in broader health outcomes. According to the United Nations Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (UN-MMEIG), India’s Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) declined to 80 per lakh live births in 2023—an 86% reduction since 1990, far outpacing the global decline of 48%. The country has also achieved a 78% decline in Under-Five Mortality Rate and a 70% decline in Neonatal Mortality Rate during the 1990–2023 period, compared to global reductions of 61% and 54%, respectively.

    India’s UIP has undergone considerable expansion in the past decade. From just six vaccines in 2013, the program now covers 12 vaccine-preventable diseases, including the addition of Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine (IPV), Rotavirus Vaccine, Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, and Measles-Rubella Vaccine, among others.

    The government’s intensified initiatives, such as *Mission Indradhanush*, have played a key role in reaching underserved populations. Since its launch in 2014—and with significant intensification in 2017—the campaign has vaccinated over 5.46 crore children and 1.32 crore pregnant women who were previously unreached or under-immunized.

    A targeted *Zero Dose Implementation Plan 2024* is currently underway in 143 districts across 11 states, addressing vaccine coverage gaps among migratory populations, urban slums, and regions with persistent vaccine hesitancy. India has also maintained its polio-free status since 2014 through sustained Pulse Polio campaigns, and regularly organizes Village Health and Nutrition Days (VHNDs) for community-based immunization efforts.

    Digital innovations like the *U-WIN platform* are being leveraged to track immunization data and prevent dropouts. Public engagement strategies—ranging from social media outreach to street plays—are being used to increase awareness and reduce vaccine hesitancy.

    Data from the WHO-UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC) 2023 report shows India outperforming global averages across all antigens. The country’s DTP-1 (Pentavalent-1) coverage stands at 93%, significantly higher than Nigeria’s 70%. The dropout rate between DTP-1 and DTP-3 has also decreased sharply from 7% in 2013 to just 2% in 2023. Measles vaccine coverage improved from 83% to 93% over the same period.

    The government emphasized that comparisons with other countries must consider India’s massive population base. While countries like Yemen (1.68%), Sudan (1.45%), and Nigeria (0.98%) continue to report high proportions of zero-dose children, India’s 0.06% rate, despite a far larger birth cohort, reflects substantial progress.

  • MIL-OSI USA: Miller Participates in Ways and Means Health Hearing on Digital Health Data

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV)

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) participated in a Ways and Means Health subcommittee hearing discussing the benefits of wearable medical devices for rural patients and the challenges health care providers face adopting this technology. A video and transcript of the Congresswoman’s questions and provided responses can be found below. 

    Congresswoman Miller began by discussing the challenges rural patients face accessing medical care.

    “The majority of my work in the health care space is focused on ensuring robust patient access to care, particularly for rural patients. In my district, many patients have to travel hours to see a physician or specialist. Additionally, 70 percent of people in West Virginia have at least one chronic disease. This leaves the vast majority of patients in my state with some tough decisions about how to manage their health care. Many patients often don’t seek care as much as they might need because of costs, lack of transportation, or an inability to take a day off of work to see a doctor.

    Wearable devices seem to be a very good solution to some of these problems. If a patient can have a device tracking their vitals, glucose levels, or heart rate on their wrist or finger – they can have some peace of mind about their health. They also will have a better picture of when it might be time to get themselves to the doctor,” said Congresswoman Miller.

    The Congresswoman then asked Dr. Holmes, Global Head of Human Performance at WHOOP, how wearable medical devices can help patients track their vitals and anticipate health conditions that would require medical intervention.

    “Dr. Holmes, I’m sure you’ve worked with many patients to help them get the most out of your company’s technology. What are some of the benefits rural patients can see with wearable health devices and are the patients able to see and share that data from your device with their physician?” asked Congresswoman Carol Miller.

    “Yes, we have mechanisms inside the app that allow for really easy sharing with your healthcare provider. I think one really good example is actually preterm pregnancy research we did with Dr. Sean Rowan at University of West Virginia Medical where we were able to actually identify a digital biomarker that can basically diagnose or alert to potential preterm birth. What’s happening physiologically is seven weeks prior to delivery, we were able to notice that there is a sharp increase in one of the metrics that we track, heart rate variability, and a sharp decrease in resting heart rate. Seven weeks prior to delivery, regardless of gestational age. So you can imagine a woman in rural West Virginia who sees this inflection point and can then at least call a doctor and say, ‘Hey, what’s going on here?’ So that was, I think, a really neat breakthrough on this. These data are published in Plus One and this, I think, was a really great example of how we can help, in this case, women specifically understand their bodies a bit better and use the data to get ahead of what could be a serious issue,” responded Dr. Holmes.

    Congresswoman Miller then discussed privacy concerns associated with sharing personal medical information with a device company and what safeguards are in place to ensure confidentiality and data security.

    “My constituents take their data privacy very seriously and I think patients being able to share their data with their physician is important, but many of them are reluctant to simply give their data to a device company. Mr. Zengilowski, what are some of the common misconceptions about data privacy with wearable technology and how do remote patient monitoring companies, which facilitate the exchange of information from the device to the providers, ensure patient data is protected?” asked Congresswoman Miller.

    “Thank you for the question. I appreciate it and patient information security is paramount. So first, just to understand, there is a difference between a consumer wearable device and […] the medical grade, FDA cleared device used in a remote patient monitoring program. We, Coach Care, signed business associate agreements with all of the practices and hospitals that we work with, which make us a covered entity under HIPAA regulations, so we are required to follow HIPAA. I will share with you, CPT code 99454 reimburses for the technology for remote patient monitoring and the average Medicare reimbursement is approximately $45. We spend $10 per patient on security, on IT infrastructure security. So, just to give you a sense of what we’re investing to protect the patient data that we collect,” responded Mr. Zengilowski.

    Congresswoman Miller concluded by discussing the possible benefits wearable medical devices could have in detecting fall risks for elderly patients. 

    “Another issue I take seriously is fall prevention and detection. In my state and the country, people are rapidly aging, and unintentional falls are a leading cause of injury and death among seniors. Many seniors don’t know that they’re at a fall risk and can suffer a fall. So, Dr. Holmes, do you think that wearable technology can help with this issue among seniors and what types of technologies exist to track balance or falls?” asked Congresswoman Miller.

    “I think this whole conversation really needs to go back to prevention. We need to help seniors understand earlier what is going to prevent a fall. You know, we need to get […] I think the national conversation has to shift, right? A lot of the things that we’re talking about are absolutely preventable. We just need Americans to understand that they need to lift heavy weights. I, and it sounds so simple, but everything that we’re talking about here is democratically available and free. It doesn’t cost a dime, right? You can do body squats. Americans just need to understand that they have the power to take control of their own health. And so I think we need to get that information out there,” said Dr. Holmes.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Davids Helps Introduce Key Reproductive Rights Bills on Three-Year Anniversary of Dobbs Decision

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-3)

    After Roe v. Wade was overturned, millions have lost access to reproductive health care and extreme Republicans are pushing even further.

    Today, on the three-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, Representative Sharice Davids joined her colleagues to introduce two important bills aimed at restoring and protecting reproductive freedom nationwide. After Dobbs, Kansas became the first state to hold a vote on abortion access, overwhelmingly choosing to protect reproductive rights.

    “Three years ago, the Supreme Court stripped away a constitutional right, and since then, we’ve seen the chaos and cruelty that decision unleashed,” said Davids. “Now, the president and extreme Republican politicians are doubling down with attacks on reproductive freedom, trying to control people’s personal medical decisions. I’m proud to help introduce these bills that fight back and put power back where it belongs — with patients and doctors, not politicians.”

    Since the Dobbs decision, extreme Republicans have made it clear that their attacks on reproductive health care will continue. Just this month, President Trump revoked federal guidance requiring hospitals to provide emergency abortions when needed to save women’s lives. U.S. Speaker Mike Johnson supports a national abortion ban and banning IVF. And in Kansas, GOP politicians have introduced bills that could criminalize doctors, restrict birth control access, and attack the right to travel for care. These dangerous efforts demand a strong federal response.

    The Women’s Health Protection Act would restore the nationwide right to access abortion care by creating a federal guarantee for providers to deliver, and patients to receive, reproductive health services — free from medically unnecessary state-level bans and restrictions. In the wake of the Dobbs decision, nearly half of women of reproductive age now live under abortion bans, with some forced to travel hundreds of miles for care.

    The Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act would ensure no one can be punished or restricted from traveling to access lawful reproductive care. It also would protect those who assist patients and hold accountable any person who tries to block this constitutional right.

    These efforts are part of Davids’ ongoing work to protect reproductive health care access and push back against dangerous efforts to criminalize patients and providers. So far this year, she has:

    • Voted against extreme legislation that would criminalize reproductive health providers and restrict access to lifesaving abortion care.
    • Introduced the Expanding Access to Family Planning Act, which would safeguard and increase federal support for the Title X program — the nation’s only dedicated source of funding for family planning and preventive health services.
    • Urged U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to immediately restore Title X funding to ensure access to essential care remains available across Kansas and the country.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Davids Announces New Federal Grant for University of Kansas Medical Center Head Start Program

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-3)

    Today, Representative Sharice Davids announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded the University of Kansas Medical Center’s Project Eagle, a Head Start project, with a new federal grant. The $5.68 million will be used to continue providing early education opportunities and family support services to children and families in Wyandotte County.

    “Head Start programs are one of the smartest investments we can make — for our kids, our families, and our local economy,” said Davids. “They provide affordable early education and care that working parents can count on, help children build the skills they need to succeed, and create good-paying jobs for educators right here at home.”

    “This grant will allow us to continue serving the extraordinary children and families of Wyandotte county through this grant,” said Lisa London, Director, Project Eagle. “With this support we can continue serving 299 children and families in Wyandotte county.”

    Davids is committed to lowering costs for Kansas families and improving access to quality child care. Last year, she voted with both parties to expand the Child Tax Credit, benefiting 136,000 children in Kansas. She also toured a local child care facility and visited multiple Head Start programs to highlight how federal investments have supported the workforce and daily operations of local child care small businesses and education centers.

    Davids also believes in putting money back in parents’ pockets, allowing Kansas families to make their own child care decisions. She introduced the bipartisanAffordable Childcare Act, which would allow Kansas families to save on high child care expenses and live more affordably.

    Background:

    Project Eagle is a Head Start program under the University of Kansas Medical Center. It has offered services in Wyandotte County for more than 35 years. Their programs focus on the health and well-being of pregnant women and young children and aim to prepare children, engage families, and promote excellence in the broader field of early childhood education.

    Head Start has helped more than 40 million children across the US since 1965. The program, serving certain children aged 0-5, is operated through home-based services, center-based services, or a combination of both. Head Start provides many long term-benefits to participating children. Students in early childhood education programs are less likely to repeat grades, are 25 percent more likely to graduate high school, and are four times more likely to complete a bachelor’s degree in comparison to non-Head Start students.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Davids Responds to Supreme Court Decision Undermining Women’s Health Care Access

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-3)

    Today, Representative Sharice Davids (KS-03) released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic (PPSAT) that allows states to block Medicaid patients from accessing health care services at Planned Parenthood:

    “Today, the Supreme Court once again sided with politicians over patients — threatening access to birth control, cancer screenings, and other critical health care services through Planned Parenthood, which is sometimes the only place a woman can turn for this kind of care. A person’s health care decisions should be between them and their doctor, not politicians or extreme judges. It’s been almost three years since Kansans rejected these extremist attacks, but they’re still happening across the country — and the consequences are real. I’ll keep fighting to protect the personal freedoms Kansans voted to defend.”

    Background:

    In the wake of the Dobbs decision, Kansas made national headlines as the first state to vote on abortion rights — resoundingly choosing to protect them. Yet, extreme politicians in Kansas have repeatedly tried to roll back access to reproductive health care. Just this year, Republican legislators introduced a near-total abortion ban and sought to criminalize abortion providers. The Kansas House even overrode Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of a bill that imposes new, unnecessary barriers for women seeking care.

    Also, President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are currently pushing a budget that cuts Medicaid and raises costs for families — while giving tax breaks to billionaires. It includes a provision that could further restrict abortion services, even in states like Kansas where it’s currently legal. That means millions could lose access to affordable, comprehensive health care.

    Earlier this week, Davids helped introduce two key bills to restore and defend reproductive freedom nationwide, including the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would reinstate the federal right to access abortion care.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • Early months of FY26 indicate resilient economy, outlook remains positive: Centre

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    High-frequency indicators for the first two months of FY26 indicate resilient performance of the domestic economy amid the heightened geopolitical situation, Finance Ministry’s ‘Monthly Economic Review for May 2025’ said on Friday, adding that overall, the outlook for the Indian economy remains positive.

    The economy demonstrates resilience amid a turbulent global environment, supported by robust domestic demand, easing inflationary pressures, a resilient external sector, and a steady employment situation.

    “The positive trajectory appears to be continuing in FY26, with initial high-frequency indicators (HFI) indicating that economic activity has remained resilient. HFIs such as e-way bill generation, fuel consumption, and PMI indices point to continued resilience,” the Economic Review noted.

    Rural demand has strengthened further, supported by a healthy rabi harvest and a positive monsoon outlook. Urban consumption is being supported by increased leisure and business travel, as seen in the rise of air passenger traffic and hotel occupancy.

    “However, there are signs of softening in areas like construction inputs and vehicle sales. Retail and food price inflation registered a sustained and broad-based decline in May 2025, driven by robust agricultural production and effective government interventions,” the Economic Review emphasised.

    While domestic indicators have remained largely positive, financial markets experienced volatility as a result of external developments. The significant escalation of trade tensions in early 2025, followed by a partial de-escalation in the second quarter, contributed to considerable volatility in the financial markets.

    However, the Indian government bond market exhibited stability and certainty in May, driven by factors such as the announcement of a record surplus dividend by the RBI and a robust growth reading of Q4 FY25. Consequently, the risk premium on India’s government bonds decreased to 182 basis points as of May 30.

    On the external front, India’s total exports (merchandise and services) recorded a YoY growth rate of 2.8 per cent in May 2025, reflecting the resilience of our exports amid tariff uncertainties and subdued global economic conditions, said the Review.

    As of June 13, foreign exchange reserves remain strong, standing at $699 billion, which provides an import cover of 11.5 months. Additionally, the Indian rupee has experienced moderate volatility, in contrast to the more pronounced adjustments observed in other economies.

    The labour market indicators show signs of stability. White-collar hiring witnessed a rise in hiring with core sectors such as AI/ML professionals, Insurance, Real Estate, BPO/ITES, and Hospitality leading the hiring growth.

    “The employment sub-indices of the PMI indicate strong employment growth, with the employment sub-indices reaching a high. Formal job creation is also on the rise, as indicated by the growing net payroll additions under the Employee Provident Fund Organisation,” the Review noted.

    Steady economic performance in FY25 underscores the resilience of domestic growth drivers amid a challenging global environment. Robust private consumption and resilient services sector activity were key contributors to overall economic expansion.

    “The positive momentum has been extended into the early months of FY26, as reflected in the performance of high-frequency indicators such as e-way bill generation, fuel consumption and PMI indices among others,” according to the Economic Review.

    (IANS)

  • MIL-OSI China: UN chief calls for ceasefire in Gaza

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) speaks to the press outside the Security Council Chamber at the UN headquarters in New York, on June 27, 2025. Guterres on Friday called for a ceasefire in Gaza following the suspension of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran. [Photo by William Reilly/Xinhua]

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for a ceasefire in Gaza following the suspension of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran.

    The conflict between Israel and Iran has dominated headlines, but the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza must not be pushed into the shadows, said Guterres. “The ceasefire achieved between Iran and Israel offers hope. And hope is more needed than ever. So it is time to find the political courage for a ceasefire in Gaza.”

    Following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas, Israeli military operations have created a humanitarian crisis of horrific proportions — more dire today than at any point in this long and brutal crisis, he told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York.

    Families have been displaced again and again, and are now confined to less than one-fifth of Gaza’s land. And even these shrinking spaces are under threat. Bombs are falling — on tents, on families, on those with nowhere left to run. People are being killed simply trying to feed themselves and their families, he noted.

    “Let me be clear: Israel, as the occupying power, is required by international law to agree to and to facilitate humanitarian relief,” he said, noting that UN-led humanitarian operations continue to be strangled.

    For over three months, shelter materials and fuel for critical services have been blocked. Doctors are forced to choose who gets the last vial of medicine, or the last ventilator. Aid workers themselves are starving, he said. “This cannot be normalized.”

    A handful of medical supplies finally crossed into Gaza earlier this week — the first from the United Nations in months. But this only underscores the vast scale of the crisis. A trickle of aid is not enough, he said. “What’s needed now is a surge — the trickle must become an ocean. We need concrete actions so aid can reach all people — swiftly, at scale, wherever they are.”

    He cautioned that any operation that channels desperate civilians into militarized zones is inherently unsafe, referring to the aid operations of the U.S.-run, Israel-approved Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. “It is killing people.”

    The problem of the distribution of humanitarian aid must be solved. There is no need to reinvent the wheel with dangerous schemes, he said. “We (the United Nations) have the solution — a detailed plan grounded in the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence. We have the supplies. We have the experience. Our plan is guided by what people need. It is built on the trust of communities, donors and member states. And it worked during the last ceasefire. It must be allowed to work again.”

    It is time for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and full, safe and sustained humanitarian access, he said.

    “To those in power, I say: enable our operations as international humanitarian law demands. To those with influence, I say: use it. To all member states, I say: uphold the UN Charter you recommitted to just yesterday for the 80th anniversary,” said Guterres. “Let us bring in the life-saving supplies. Let us reach people where they are. And let us recognize that the solution to this problem is ultimately political.”

    The only sustainable path to re-establishing hope is by paving the way to the two-state solution. Diplomacy and human dignity for all must prevail, he said. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for June 28, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 28, 2025.

    Israeli soldiers ‘ordered’ to fire at Gaza aid seekers – 70 killed across Strip
    Israeli soldiers have said that they were ordered to open fire at unarmed Palestinian civilians desperately seeking aid at designated distribution sites in Gaza, a report in the Ha’aretz newspaper has revealed. The report came as 70 Palestinians were killed across the Gaza Strip — mostly at aid sites belonging to the widely condemned Gaza

    RFK Junior is stoking fears about vaccine safety. Here’s why he’s wrong – and the impact it could have
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julie Leask, Professor, School of Public Health, University of Sydney The United States used to be a leader in vaccine research, development and policymaking. Now US Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr is undermining the country’s vaccine program at the highest level and supercharging vaccine skepticism.

    The ‘Godfather of Human Rights’ Ken Roth on genocide, Trump and standing up for democracy
    By Richard Larsen, RNZ News producer — 30′ with Guyon Espiner The former head of Human Rights Watch — and son of a Holocaust survivor — says Israel’s military campaign in Gaza will likely meet the legal definition of genocide, citing large-scale killings, the targeting of civilians, and the words of senior Israeli officials. Speaking

    The sentencing of Cassius Turvey’s killers shows courts still struggle to deal with racism
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people. The brutal homicide of 15-year-old Noongar Yamatji boy, Cassius Turvey, by a group of white men revealed the racial schisms in

    1 in 3 Tuvaluans is bidding for a new ‘climate visa’ to Australia – here’s why everyone may ultimately end up applying
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane McAdam, Scientia Professor and ARC Laureate Fellow, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Sydney Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images for Lumix In just four days, one-third of the population of Tuvalu entered a ballot for a new permanent visa to Australia. This world-first visa will

    Celebrities, blue jeans and couture: how Anna Wintour changed fashion over 37 years at Vogue
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jye Marshall, Lecturer, Fashion Design, School of Design and Architecture, Swinburne University of Technology After 37 years at the helm, fashion industry heavyweight Anna Wintour is stepping down from her position as editor-in-chief of American Vogue. It’s not a retirement, though, as Wintour will maintain a leadership

    Antoinette Lattouf win against ABC a victory for all truth-tellers
    By Isaac Nellist of Green Left Magazine Australian-Lebanese journalist and commentator Antoinette Lattouf’s unfair dismissal case win against the public broadcaster ABC in the Federal Court on Wednesday is a victory for all those who seek to tell the truth. It is a breath of fresh air, after almost two years of lies and uncritical

    Caitlin Johnstone: The fictional mental illness that only affects enemies of the Western empire
    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone Within the storytelling of Western politics and punditry there exists a fictional type of mental illness which only affects people the US empire doesn’t like. If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, its crazy lunatic government will flip out and nuke us all.

    A strange bright burst in space baffled astronomers for more than a year. Now, they’ve solved the mystery
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clancy William James, Senior Lecturer (astronomy and astroparticle physics), Curtin University CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope on Wajarri Country. © Alex Cherney/CSIRO Around midday on June 13 last year, my colleagues and I were scanning the skies when we thought we had discovered a strange and exciting new

    Do all Iranians hate the regime? Hate America? Life inside the country is much more complex and nuanced
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Theobald, Postdoctoral researcher, Institute for Ethics and Society, University of Notre Dame Australia From 2015 to 2018, I spent 15 months doing research work in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city. As an anthropologist, I was interested in everyday life in Iran outside the capital Tehran. I was

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for June 28, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 28, 2025.

    Israeli soldiers ‘ordered’ to fire at Gaza aid seekers – 70 killed across Strip
    Israeli soldiers have said that they were ordered to open fire at unarmed Palestinian civilians desperately seeking aid at designated distribution sites in Gaza, a report in the Ha’aretz newspaper has revealed. The report came as 70 Palestinians were killed across the Gaza Strip — mostly at aid sites belonging to the widely condemned Gaza

    RFK Junior is stoking fears about vaccine safety. Here’s why he’s wrong – and the impact it could have
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julie Leask, Professor, School of Public Health, University of Sydney The United States used to be a leader in vaccine research, development and policymaking. Now US Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr is undermining the country’s vaccine program at the highest level and supercharging vaccine skepticism.

    The ‘Godfather of Human Rights’ Ken Roth on genocide, Trump and standing up for democracy
    By Richard Larsen, RNZ News producer — 30′ with Guyon Espiner The former head of Human Rights Watch — and son of a Holocaust survivor — says Israel’s military campaign in Gaza will likely meet the legal definition of genocide, citing large-scale killings, the targeting of civilians, and the words of senior Israeli officials. Speaking

    The sentencing of Cassius Turvey’s killers shows courts still struggle to deal with racism
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people. The brutal homicide of 15-year-old Noongar Yamatji boy, Cassius Turvey, by a group of white men revealed the racial schisms in

    1 in 3 Tuvaluans is bidding for a new ‘climate visa’ to Australia – here’s why everyone may ultimately end up applying
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane McAdam, Scientia Professor and ARC Laureate Fellow, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Sydney Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images for Lumix In just four days, one-third of the population of Tuvalu entered a ballot for a new permanent visa to Australia. This world-first visa will

    Celebrities, blue jeans and couture: how Anna Wintour changed fashion over 37 years at Vogue
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jye Marshall, Lecturer, Fashion Design, School of Design and Architecture, Swinburne University of Technology After 37 years at the helm, fashion industry heavyweight Anna Wintour is stepping down from her position as editor-in-chief of American Vogue. It’s not a retirement, though, as Wintour will maintain a leadership

    Antoinette Lattouf win against ABC a victory for all truth-tellers
    By Isaac Nellist of Green Left Magazine Australian-Lebanese journalist and commentator Antoinette Lattouf’s unfair dismissal case win against the public broadcaster ABC in the Federal Court on Wednesday is a victory for all those who seek to tell the truth. It is a breath of fresh air, after almost two years of lies and uncritical

    Caitlin Johnstone: The fictional mental illness that only affects enemies of the Western empire
    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone Within the storytelling of Western politics and punditry there exists a fictional type of mental illness which only affects people the US empire doesn’t like. If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, its crazy lunatic government will flip out and nuke us all.

    A strange bright burst in space baffled astronomers for more than a year. Now, they’ve solved the mystery
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clancy William James, Senior Lecturer (astronomy and astroparticle physics), Curtin University CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope on Wajarri Country. © Alex Cherney/CSIRO Around midday on June 13 last year, my colleagues and I were scanning the skies when we thought we had discovered a strange and exciting new

    Do all Iranians hate the regime? Hate America? Life inside the country is much more complex and nuanced
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Theobald, Postdoctoral researcher, Institute for Ethics and Society, University of Notre Dame Australia From 2015 to 2018, I spent 15 months doing research work in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city. As an anthropologist, I was interested in everyday life in Iran outside the capital Tehran. I was

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Israeli soldiers ‘ordered’ to fire at Gaza aid seekers – 70 killed across Strip

    Israeli soldiers have said that they were ordered to open fire at unarmed Palestinian civilians desperately seeking aid at designated distribution sites in Gaza, a report in the Ha’aretz newspaper has revealed.

    The report came as 70 Palestinians were killed across the Gaza Strip — mostly at aid sites belonging to the widely condemned Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) — in the last 24 hours.

    Soldiers said that instead of using crowd control measures, they shot at crowds of civilians to prevent them from approaching certain areas.

    One soldier, who was not named in the report, described the distribution site as a “killing field,” adding that “where I was, between one and five people were killed every day”.

    The soldier said that they targeted the crowds as if they were “an attacking force,” instead of using other non-lethal weapons to organise and disperse crowds.

    “We communicate with them through fire,” he continued, noting that heavy machine guns, grenade launchers and mortars were used on people, including the elderly, women and children.

    The increased attacks, particularly those targeting aid-seekers, come as Gaza’s government Media Office said at least 549 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli forces while trying to get their hands on emergency aid in the last four weeks.

    ‘Evil of moral army’
    Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara described what was happening in Gaza was more than the genocode.

    “It is the evil of the most moral army in the world,” he said.

    Israeli forces continued their attacks across the Gaza Strip on Friday, killing at least three Palestinians in an attack on Khan Younis, in the south, while also heavily bombing residential buildings east of Jabalia in the north.

    Medical sources also said a Palestinian fisherman was killed, and others wounded, by Israeli naval gunfire off the al-Shati refugee camp, while he was working.

    Gaza’s Ministry of Interior responded to the attacks with a statement, accusing Israel of “seeking to spread chaos and destabilise the Gaza Strip”.

    Malnutrition soars
     Gazans have continued to desperately seek aid provided by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, despite the hundreds of people killed at its sites, as malnutrition soars in the territory.

    Two infants have died this week due to malnutrition and the ongoing blockade on Gaza.

    “It’s a killing field” claims a headline in Ha’aretz newspaper. Image: Ha’aretz screenshot APR

    For weeks now, health officials in the enclave have raised the alarm over the critical shortage of baby formula, but aid continued to be obstructed.

    The two infants were buried on Thursday evening, after they were pronounced dead at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Medical staff said the cause of death was a lack of basic nutrition and access to essential medical care.

    One of the infants, identified as Nidal, was only five months old, while the other, Kinda, was only 10 days old.

    Mohammed al-Hams, Kinda’s father, told local media that children are dying due to severe malnutrition, sarcastically labelling them “the achievements of Netanyahu and his war”.

    “Not a second goes by without a funeral prayer being held in the Gaza Strip,” he continued.

    Malnutrition ‘catastrophic’
    On Wednesday, Gaza’s Ministry of Health said the humanitarian situation in Gaza had reached “catastrophic” levels, noting that there had been a sharp increase in malnutrition among children, particularly in infants.

    According to Palestinian official figures, at least 242 people have died in Gaza due to food and medicine shortages, with the majority of them being elderly and children.

    Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 61,700 Palestinians since October 2023. The war has levelled entire neighbourhoods, and has been called a genocide by leading rights groups, including Amnesty International.

    In Auckland last night, visiting Palestinian journalist, author, academic and community advocate Dr Yousef Aljamal spoke about “The unheard voices of Palestinian child prisoners”.

    Dr Aljamal, who edited If I Must Die, a compilation of poetry and prose by Refaat Alareer, the poet who was assassinated by the Israelis in 6 December 2023, also described the humanitarian crisis as a “catastrophe” and called for urgent sanctions and political pressure on Israel by governments, including New Zealand.


    Soldiers admit Israeli army is targeting aid seekers       Video: Al Jazeera

    Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Markey, Leader Schumer, Wyden Call on Republicans to Stop Solar Cuts that Threaten K-12 School Funds

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Lawmakers release data showing over 250 schools at risk of delayed projects and higher energy costs

    Letter Text and Full Dataset (PDF)

    Washington (June 27, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Environment and Public Works and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committees, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Finance Committee, today wrote to President Donald Trump, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (LA-04), about the risk to K-12 funding from the Republican budget reconciliation proposal to eliminate federal tax credits that fund solar infrastructure projects in schools.

    Projects supported by tax credits have saved communities tens of thousands of dollars annually—including Wayne County Schools in West Virginia, which is projected to save the equivalent of three full-time teacher salaries over the course of their careers. Any cuts could delay or disrupt ongoing solar projects, prevent schools and school districts from accessing a tool to save on energy costs, and waste state and school district investments.

    In the letter, the lawmakers write, “By cutting federal clean energy incentives, the Republican budget reconciliation bill would interfere with K-12 school funding across the United States. Clean energy projects can reduce monthly energy costs, allowing schools to spend more on supporting students, faculty, and staff. With its draconian cuts to solar energy incentives, the Republican reconciliation bill promises to stall ongoing state and school district solar projects, disrupt their investments, and eliminate an essential cost-saving tool. We urge you to reconsider cuts to clean energy incentives that provide cost saving benefits to schools.”

    The lawmakers continue, “More school districts are planning solar projects that will help lower energy costs and prevent state budget cuts from impacting students, educators, and staff. But the proposed cuts in the Republican reconciliation bill threaten the delay, disruption, or cancellation of solar deployments. There are at least 251 school solar projects in 26 states in various stages of planning and construction. Projects that are not able to commence construction before proposed repeals take effect risk delay, wasted local and state investments in project development, higher energy costs, and increased burden on taxpayers. Among the identified projects are 74 school solar installations in Pennsylvania, 53 in Arizona, 15 in Texas, 12 in Kentucky, 5 in Utah, 4 in Iowa and Wisconsin, 2 in Indiana, and 1 in Idaho, Florida, Kansas, North Carolina and West Virginia.”

    Several stakeholders joined the lawmakers in voicing their opposition to the proposed cuts.

    “Over the last decade, schools across the country have turned to solar to reduce the cost of operating their facilities. In rural communities like Lawrence, Kansas and Greene County, Iowa, solar is how communities are able to maintain services for students in the face of rising costs and small or shrinking tax bases. Repealing these credits is one of a multitude of attacks on our public schools and the young people they serve in the disastrous budget reconciliation bill,” said Jonathan Klein, Chief Executive Officer of UndauntedK12.

    “Across the country, school districts have been saving taxpayers money by taking advantage of clean energy tax credits through direct pay. These projects have created jobs, reduced energy costs, and opened up opportunities for school building improvements out of reach for too long. Rolling back the clean energy tax credits would stop that progress in its tracks and increase costs to local communities. It is critical that these important initiatives remain available to our schools,” said Jason Walsh, Executive Director of BlueGreen Alliance.

    “School districts across the country have been using clean energy tax credits to lower their energy costs and upgrade their facilities. Investments in things like cleaner running buses and new HVAC systems are reducing both indoor and outdoor air pollution, all while creating good paying jobs. We urge Republican leaders to abandon their efforts to end these tax credits,” said Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers.

    “School districts across the country are attempting to move forward on sorely needed repairs and update their school buildings, and solar energy contributes important cost stability and resilience,” said Ally Talcott, Executive Director of the BASIC Coalition. “Our school leaders do not need whiplash amid the important work to finance improvements to our schools; they need support and stability. The cuts to solar energy incentives pull one more resource away from school districts trying to provide safe, modern, and healthy school buildings for their communities.”

    “Clean energy incentives help schools provide safer and healthier learning environments, lower energy costs, save taxpayer dollars, and redirect resources from paying expensive utility bills to supporting student success. We urge lawmakers to preserve these federal programs for local communities,” said James Rowan, CAE, SFO, Chief Executive Director of the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO).

    MIL OSI USA News –